The Chang’an Chessboard Chronicles

In the third year of the Tianbao era, Shen Du, an investigative officer at the Dali Temple, is ordered to investigate a bizarre “glazed corpse” murder in Guangde Ward. The victim has been burned into a glasslike form, and the scene bears the symbol of the twenty-eight lunar mansions: Heart Mansion. Shen Du discovers that this is no isolated case. In recent years, several similar murders with different victims have quietly occurred across Chang'an's wards, and their locations seem to correspond to the celestial mansions. With the help of Yue Wan, a female official at the Bureau of Astronomy, they decipher the killer's method: placing “pieces” across Chang'an's 108 wards according to the positions and sequence of the twenty-eight lunar mansions. The goal is not simple revenge, but to use the ley lines and human energy where the wards correspond to the celestial mansions to activate an ancient formation called the Dragon-Locking Array and devour the Tang dynasty's dragon vein and national fortune. The investigation draws them into the succession struggle between Crown Prince Li Heng and Chancellor Li Linfu, and also brings to light the Tiangang Sect, a secret Daoist order that has lain in wait for a thousand years, intent on overthrowing the Li Tang dynasty. As key nodes such as Danger Mansion and Room Mansion light up, Shen Du is shocked to discover that the ally he trusts most may be the most crucial hidden piece in this game. Before the countdown ends, he must identify the true player behind it all and place a piece on the board of Chang'an's countless wards that can defy fate and change destiny.