The Central Plains Life-Repairer

Deep in the Funiu Mountains of western Henan, earth veins coil beneath the land, secretly determining the fortunes and fates of the rich and poor. Li Yang, an orphan from Luanshi Village, lost both his parents at ten. He scraped by on coarse mountain food and the help of his neighbors until a down-and-out old Daoist living in seclusion took him in. Eighteen years of mountain winds toughened his bones, while a life of hardship tempered his heart, making him steady, reserved, resilient, and resolute. When Li Yang was sixteen, the old Daoist passed on to him the incomplete ancient scroll, The Thread-Tethering Fate Art, shortly before his death, and laid down an ironclad rule: It could mend destinies, dispel calamities, and bring peace to the people, but it must never steal Heaven’s fortune, take another’s blessings, or prey on the poor. That same day, Li Yang opened his Heaven-Given Eyes, gaining the ability to see the invisible threads and patterns of fate that bound people. The blessings, prospects, calamities, and lifespans of ordinary folk were all entwined in threads. With one glance, he could see their fortunes, misfortunes, wealth, and poverty. He intended to follow his master’s teachings, focus on his studies, leave the mountains, and seek a modest, peaceful life. But everywhere he looked, he saw an unjust world: Mountain folk worked hard their whole lives, yet their threads of fate were withered and gray, condemning them to lifelong poverty. The children of the powerful were born into good fortune, their threads shimmering gold, enjoying wealth and success with ease. What chilled him even more was that in recent years, the threads of countless commoners and poor scholars had been quietly severed. Their honors, prospects, and good fortune were being stolen and grafted onto others to sustain the powerful families at the top. People assumed their fates were simply different or that it all came down to luck. In truth, unseen hands were pulling the strings, stealing the fortunes of ordinary people to nourish the blessings of the wealthy. Heaven’s way demands balance. Stolen good fortune must ultimately be paid for with lives. When the fate of the Central Plains was monopolized by powerful nobles and evil cultivators, leaving the common people no chance to rise, the poor-born youth resolutely left the mountains and entered the world. Everyone else chases the great fortune Heaven bestows. I alone gather the frayed threads of the world. Though everyone under Heaven may steal fortunes, I will uphold justice for all! The fate of the noble should not be precious while the fate of the poor is worth so little.