Ashes of the Innocent

During the Kangxi era, a deadly plague ravaged southern Hebei—until the Phoenix rose from flames to purge the disease and save Fengming Village. But treacherous sorcerer Hei Chengsi secretly sealed her away and slandered her as the 'Plague Bird.' The truth vanished—buried for 300 years. In Republican-era China, drought strikes again. Villagers, manipulated by Hei’s descendants, prepare to open the ancestral hall and sacrifice the Phoenix to appease Heaven. Fortune-teller Sun Laoshi steps forward to plead her innocence—only to be burned alive by the mob.