Immortality is a prison, and Shen Gui has been trapped within it for far too long. He has climbed the highest peaks, slain the most powerful demons, witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, and watched old friends turn to dust. Unmatched in martial might and with nothing left to conquer in a peaceful world, he finally slows his pace to observe the ordinary human realm. During a year of devastating plague, an entire county is infected. The magistrate seals the gates, sealing their fate, and erects a cross-shaped stele on the city wall before his death, inscribed with the words: "No one lives here; travelers need not offer sacrifices." Shen Gui passes by and lights three sticks of incense—and from that day on, the incense before the stone has never gone out. Elsewhere, a border garrison of five hundred men stays behind to cover a retreat. When reinforcements finally arrive, the pass has fallen, and all five hundred stand dead, propped up by their shattered spears, unyielding even in death, facing the capital. Shen Gui was merely passing by. But some weights are simply too heavy, compelling even an immortal to pause. Amidst this mortal world of bustling dust and ancient folk ghosts, others are desperately tracing his forgotten footprints, searching relentlessly for the legendary figure of the past.
Origin
