Monument of a Fleeting Life

In the land of Dayong, everyone has their fate divined at seventeen. Some are suited for martial pursuits, others for scholarship. Some are destined for wealth and honor, others to die young. For three hundred years, the Stele of Destiny has never been wrong. Until Lu Jianchuan laid his hand on the stone. Only four lines of bloody script appeared: Lu Jianchuan. Born in the thirty-seventh year of Jinghe. Died in the thirty-seventh year of Jinghe. Lifespan: zero years. But he had clearly lived for seventeen years. That night, the Fate Official was brutally murdered, leaving behind just one sentence: **Don't let Heaven know you're still alive.** From then on, the truth gradually comes to light: twelve erased infants, missing sages, the order hidden behind destiny, and the secret of why this world insists on “arranging the lives” of all living things. Some believe order can keep fewer people from dying. Some believe freedom is above all else. Others think the masses are ignorant and should let the strong choose for them. As Lu Jianchuan journeys onward, he comes to understand just one thing: **People may make mistakes, fail, and choose the wrong path, but they should never lose the right to choose.** True freedom has never meant having no restraints. It means having the right to choose and being willing to bear the consequences. Destiny may tell people which path is safer. But it cannot walk their lives for them.