"Let go — let go of me! I need to save my mother!"
The young man struggled desperately against the servants restraining him, but his frail body was no match for the combined strength of several men dragging him back.
"Young Master, the fire is too fierce. You can't go in there!"
Amid the raging flames, a woman trapped beneath a burning beam gathered the last of her strength and cried out toward the outside of the house.
"Son — live. You must live."
With a deafening roar, the house collapsed, burying her beneath a sea of fire and choking smoke.
"Mother!"
Li Luoning jolted awake, his entire body drenched in cold sweat, the sheets clenched tightly against his chest.
It was that dream again.
The inexplicable fire that had destroyed the Li family's generations-old business more than a decade ago.
He had watched his mother die before his eyes, while his father's fate remained unknown.
At sixteen, Li Luoning had been reduced overnight from the son of a respected medicine merchant to a destitute young master wandering the streets.
The blurred silhouette bathed in firelight, the collapsing eaves — those scenes had etched themselves into his memory, becoming a nightmare that haunted him year after year.
Coming back to his senses, Li Luoning turned his gaze toward the window. The sky outside was just beginning to pale.
It was still early, yet the lingering fear from the nightmare left him with no hope of falling back asleep.
With a quiet sigh, he rose from the bed, tidied himself, and stepped out of the room.
"Master, good morning."
In the courtyard, a man dressed in a white robe trimmed with pale green ribbons was watering the blue snow flowers.
"Mm. Good morning."
Li Luoning gave a slight nod in response before heading toward the study.
Morning at Mirror Cloud Residence was serene. Dew slid from the broad leaves of the peach tree, tapping softly against the white pebbled path below. Traces of freshly watered blue snow flowers lingered beneath the study window, while thin smoke drifted up from the distant pharmacy.
Inside the study, Li Luoning held an ancient book, carefully transcribing its contents. Beside him, an incense burner released a faint, calming fragrance that slowly filled the room.
"Master, are we going to Jiuling Mountains to gather herbs today?"
The man from the courtyard entered, setting a pot of tea down on the table.
"Yes. It's the right season to harvest Rocky Cypress Grass. Qingyi, later take the medical books over there to Medicine King."
"Yes, Master." Qingyi paused, then added with a gentle smile, "Please be careful in Jiuling Mountains. Lately, there have been frequent sightings of wolf packs and unknown beasts. Many fellow cultivators have been talking about it."
"Has anyone been injured?"
Li Luoning stopped writing and looked up.
"Only minor external wounds, from what I've heard. Medicine King has already sent medicine to treat them, so it shouldn't be serious."
After a moment of thought, Li Luoning asked, "Qingyi, do we still have the Stasis-Dispelling Grass we dried a few days ago?"
"Is Master planning to take those along for Master Yao as well?"
Yun Qingyi's eyes curved slightly as he smiled.
"Yes. Take them together and hand them to the medicine boy."
Meanwhile, a thin, frail teenager — no more than fourteen or fifteen — was running as if his life depended on it.
He glanced back repeatedly, panic flooding his eyes as he checked whether his pursuers were closing in.
Not far behind him, two vicious dogs chased relentlessly, their barking sharp and unceasing.
The boy's face was smeared with dirt, his ill-fitting, tattered clothes stained with patches of dried blood. Holes in his trousers exposed his thin, battered legs — each step a reminder of the countless times he had fallen.
His palms were torn raw, a blur of blood and flesh, and at some point, he had lost one of his shoes.
In a moment of carelessness, his foot caught on a stone. He lost his balance and crashed face-first to the ground.
"Still running? Surround him!"
The voice behind him was young — and dripping with arrogance.
Mi Xingzhe groaned as pain shot through his body. He clutched his shoulder, teeth clenched, then shrank back on the ground, trembling as he tried to retreat. Terror was written plainly across his face.
"Young Master Lei, you… you promised that if I ran out of the hunting circle, you'd let me go. You… you have to keep your word."
"You useless piece of trash — why should I keep a promise to you?" the wealthy young master sneered, raising the whip in his hand. "Letting my dogs feast on your filthy flesh is a blessing your ancestors earned over eight lifetimes. If you don't kneel and kowtow to thank me, and you still dare to run, I'll break your legs today!"
As the whip lashed toward him once more, Mi Xingzhe flailed blindly in panic. His fingers closed around a stone, which he hurled without thinking.
"Ah!"
The stone struck the young master squarely on the forehead. Blood gushed out instantly.
"I — I didn't mean to! It wasn't intentional!"
Mi Xingzhe scrambled to his feet, retreating step by step, his body shaking violently.
"You dare fight back? You're courting death!"
The young master covered his bleeding forehead, his expression twisted with fury.
"Please… spare me…"
Mi Xingzhe begged as he continued retreating, unaware of the slope behind him.
"A worthless thing with no future dares bargain with me? My father bought you for my amusement — you're my dog. Even if you're meant to die, you'll die on my command. Dogs, get him. Have some fun today."
The dogs lunged.
"Don't — don't come any closer — ah!"
Mi Xingzhe's foot slipped. His body tumbled down the hillside.
Night wind whispered through the leaves, carrying with it a faint scent of peach blossoms.
In a daze, Mi Xingzhe thought he could smell herbs mingled in the breeze, accompanied by faint footsteps — slow, approaching.
A chill crept down his spine as his head throbbed painfully.
Through his blurred vision, he sensed a vague figure drawing nearer.
He tried to move, to push himself up, but his body refused to respond. His eyelids grew heavier, his awareness slipping away.
"Am I… disappearing?"
The words escaped his lips as his consciousness faded.
When he woke again, he found himself lying on an intricately carved bed draped with azure curtains threaded with gold.
The soft touch of the blanket against his skin confirmed one thing — he was still alive.
Pain wracked his entire body, as if it had been torn apart.
Gritting his teeth, Mi Xingzhe forced himself to sit up and look around.
Perhaps he had slept for too long; his eyes felt painfully dry.
The room was decorated in calm shades of white. Not far away sat a man dressed in pale jade robes, one hand propping his forehead while the other held a book, his eyes closed as he leaned back.
"Where am I…?"
Mi Xingzhe murmured.
Incense drifted gently from a nearby censer. Outside the window, everything was tranquil, broken only by the occasional chirping of birds.
"You're awake."
Li Luoning opened his eyes, set the book aside, and spoke softly. He rose and walked to the bedside, offering a cup of tea.
Mi Xingzhe hesitated, watching him warily.
Noticing the boy's instinctive recoil, Li Luoning paused, then smiled faintly. He touched his lower lip with a fingertip in a gentle gesture of reassurance.
Mi Xingzhe subconsciously licked his own cracked lips, sniffed the tea, and finally took a cautious sip.
As he drank, he studied the man before him.
Sharp brows, a straight nose, narrow eyes softened by a hint of gentleness. His robes were simple, his dark hair tied neatly back, and a faint herbal scent clung to him.
"That must be the figure from that day…"
Mi Xingzhe murmured inwardly.
"Do you remember what happened?" Li Luoning asked gently.
Mi Xingzhe avoided his gaze and shook his head.
"I found you unconscious in the peach blossom forest and brought you back," Li Luoning explained.
"Thank you," Mi Xingzhe said quietly.
Li Luoning handed him a bowl of medicine. "You were unconscious for several days. Fortunately, your injuries aren't serious, but your body is very weak. You'll need time to recover."
Mi Xingzhe stared at his reflection in the dark liquid — pale, gaunt, lifeless. His hair was disheveled, his eyes sunken, the oversized robe only emphasizing how thin he had become. Bandages wrapped his arms.
"I… I was chased," he said haltingly. "Then I fell."
"Things have been unsettled around Juangling lately. Did you encounter danger?" Li Luoning asked.
Mi Xingzhe only nodded.
"I am Li Luoning. What is your name?"
"Mi Xingzhe," he replied hoarsely.
"Mi Xingzhe." Li Luoning repeated the name. "Do you have family? Shall I send word for them to come for you?"
Mi Xingzhe's expression darkened. He lowered his head and nodded slowly.
Li Luoning was not surprised. From the boy's condition, he could already guess much.
"May I ask… where is this place?" Mi Xingzhe asked timidly.
"Liao Yin Immortal Realm."
"The Liao Yin Immortal Realm?" Mi Xingzhe sucked in a sharp breath. "An immortal sect?"
The Liao Yin Immortal Realm was said to maintain the balance of the three realms, the most powerful cultivation force in existence. Countless people had searched their entire lives for it, yet its location remained elusive.
"If you have nowhere to go, you may stay here for now," Li Luoning said calmly. "Once your injuries heal, we can discuss what comes next."
"I…"
Mi Xingzhe hesitated.
"What is it? You don't want to?"
"No, of course I want to!" Mi Xingzhe hurriedly denied. "It's just…"
"Just what?"
"…Nothing."
Li Luoning nodded. "I'll bring you clean clothes later. If you need anything, come find me."
"Thank you."
After Li Luoning left, Mi Xingzhe lay back down, his thoughts churning.
He doesn't seem like a bad person… But if I tell him I'm a spirit with no cultivation, will I be driven out? And even if I hide it, how long before someone finds out?
A sharp pain shot through his hand as he brushed against the wound.
"If I'm kicked out like this, I won't survive long… And if I run into that young master from the Lei family again…"
His heart tightened.
"Forget it. One step at a time."
Outside Mirror Cloud Residence, a massive peach tree swayed gently in the night breeze, petals falling like pink snow.
At that moment, among a string of azure beads, one suddenly flickered with a faint red glow.
A slender hand lifted the beads, a mysterious smile curling at the corner of the lips.