The Bamboo Heir

In the blood-soaked State of Jin, the exiled sons of the slaughtered Duke Li are offered a deadly inheritance. A death-list carved on bamboo demands a series of ritual crimes to be completed by a hidden heir, or the ducal treasure will be destroyed forever. But in a world where seals, tokens, and whispers hold the power of identity, a single stolen tally-stick can erase an entire bloodline. To survive, the heir must navigate a labyrinth of stolen social masks, where the first kidnapping always begins with a purloined name.