Early the next morning, Li Luoning asked without preamble, "Qingyi—do we still have the earliest batch of Blue Snow Brew in storage?"
"There should be some left." Yun Qingyi answered at once. "How many bottles do you need? I'll fetch them."
"No need." Li Luoning was already on his feet. "I'll get them myself."
He went into the storage room, opened a dusty cabinet, and took out two sealed bottles of Blue Snow Brew. With a quiet care that didn't match his usual indifference, he wiped the dust away with his sleeve until the glaze shone faintly.
Deep in the Ice Bamboo Forest, a bamboo house lay hidden among pale green shadows.
At the courtyard entrance hung a faint-purple wisteria wind chime, its soft tinkling carried by the breeze. Wisteria petals drifted down like slow snow, and several bright birds pecked lazily at scattered grains.
On a recliner beneath the shade sat a man in a blue robe, eyes closed, posture loose and unhurried—as if time itself had learned to slow down here. Beside him, the wisteria tree extended its branches, fanning gently at his side with almost human attentiveness.
Li Luoning stood at the gate for a moment, watching.
A faint smile touched his lips.
He cleared his throat, pushed the courtyard door open, and walked in.
"Mr. Jia Gu," Li Luoning called softly, warmth in his eyes.
The man on the recliner opened his eyes—and immediately sat upright, delighted.
"Oh?" Jia Gu Qing's grin spread wide. "It's been a long time, little fellow. What wind blew my little medicine fanatic to my place today?"
Li Luoning walked forward and bowed respectfully. "How have you been lately?"
"Neither good nor bad." Jia Gu Qing sighed theatrically, then pointed at the wisteria tree beside him. "I'm a hermit. I spend my days with trees and birds. Bored to death."
At once, the wisteria tree seemed to bristle. It pulled back the leaves that had been fanning him and shook its branches in clear displeasure.
Jia Gu Qing chuckled. "Look at that. Say a few words and she won't listen anymore."
Li Luoning's smile deepened. He lifted the two bottles slightly.
"Mr. Jia Gu, today I brought aged Blue Snow Brew to honor you."
Jia Gu Qing's eyes lit up like a child spotting candy.
"Good stuff!" He practically sprang forward, dumped the tea from his cup without regret, and shoved the empty cup out. "Quick—pour me two glasses. Let me taste."
Li Luoning set the bottles down and unsealed one with careful fingers. The scent rose—cool, sweet, clean—and he filled Jia Gu Qing's cup to the brim.
Jia Gu Qing lifted it, inhaled, and his face softened into pure enjoyment.
Then he drank it in one gulp.
"Ah—" He leaned back, eyes half-lidded. "Comfortable. If we're talking good wine, it's always yours, little one. Sweet and mellow. Strong, but not harsh. This kind of brew makes an old man dream."
"If Senior enjoys it," Li Luoning said smoothly, "I can bring more in the future."
Jia Gu Qing was still savoring the aftertaste when his eyes shifted—sharp, suddenly sober. He set the cup down.
Li Luoning, still holding the bottle, paused. "Sir, Not drinking anymore?"
Jia Gu Qing didn't answer that question. Instead, he stared straight at Li Luoning.
"What is it, my boy?" His tone turned serious. "Why did you come to me?"
Li Luoning didn't pretend.
He refilled the cups on the table, set the bottle down, and sat with his spine straight.
"Sir, you always see through everything." His voice was respectful, earnest. "To be honest, I came today to ask a favor. I hope Senior can help me."
"I knew it." Jia Gu Qing waved a hand, picked up his cup, and took a slow sip. "What is it?"
Li Luoning said one word.
"I want some...Fairy Grass."
"Pfft—!"
Jia Gu Qing sprayed wine across the table in shock.
Li Luoning had expected it. His folding fan flicked open at just the right moment, blocking the splatter cleanly.
"You want what ? Fairy—grass?" Jia Gu Qing coughed, wiped his mouth, and leaned forward anxiously to inspect him. "Why would you need that? Did your alchemy go wrong? Let me see—"
"Sir, there's no need." Li Luoning bowed. "I'm fine. But a few days ago, I accepted a new disciple—an ethereal being. That is why I came to ask Senior for a piece of Fairy Grass."
Jia Gu Qing stared as if Li Luoning had declared he'd adopted a thunderbolt.
"An ethereal being?" He slapped his knee, appalled. "Little medicine fanatic—have you lost your mind? Why do you pick up everything you find and even take it as a disciple? Have you experimented yourself into foolishness?"
"I have fate with him," Li Luoning said quietly. "And he is truly different. If I didn't say anything, ordinary people wouldn't even know."
Jia Gu Qing's face twisted with pain.
"Do you know how precious Fairy Grass is?" he demanded. "And you want to give it to your cheaply acquired disciple? I refuse."
Li Luoning's voice didn't rise, but it hardened with resolve.
"Sir, I understand its value. But I took him as my disciple. As a teacher, I must do everything I can to save him."
He bowed again—deeper.
"Last night he fell into a nightmare. If I cannot awaken his inner pill soon, he will not survive much longer. Please… Sir. I need your help,please."
Jia Gu Qing shook his head so hard his hair nearly came loose.
"No. I won't give it to you." He looked genuinely miserable. "I don't have many pieces left. I've been keeping them for you and Mu Han—for your future. I won't give it to you."
Li Luoning's expression softened into something almost coaxing.
"Sir…" His voice dipped, a rare trace of gentle insistence. "Saving a life matters more than anything. And he is my disciple."
Jia Gu Qing stared at him.
Li Luoning didn't blink.
In the end, Jia Gu Qing let out a long, defeated sigh—like a man surrendering to fate.
"Fine, fine." He pointed a finger at Li Luoning as if scolding him from habit. "I'll give you one piece. Only one. Go back and refine it yourself. If you fail, don't come crying to me again."
He muttered, glaring at the bottle. "Ah~ this wine I drank is expensive."
From his sleeve he produced a small sachet and slapped it into Li Luoning's hand.
Li Luoning's eyes brightened with relief.
"Thank you, Sir."
"Go," Jia Gu Qing said, waving him off as if he couldn't bear to watch.
Back at Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning sealed the doors and began refining.
Spiritual energy gathered around his fingers, dense and controlled. The Fairy Grass in his hand slowly dissolved, its essence drawn out and condensed—layer by layer—until a pill began to form.
Yun Qingyi stood beside him the entire time, fists clenched, worry written plainly on his face.
At last, a brown pill took shape in Li Luoning's palm.
Sweat beaded along Li Luoning's forehead, but his expression eased with quiet satisfaction.
Yun Qingyi exhaled and handed him a handkerchief, relief trembling in the gesture.
Li Luoning took a breath, rose, and walked to Mi Xingzhe's bedside.
He held out the pill.
Mi Xingzhe blinked at it, then looked up at Li Luoning—and without asking a single question, reached out and popped it into his mouth.
"Hey—" Yun Qingyi grabbed his wrist immediately. "Shouldn't you ask what it is before you swallow it?"
Mi Xingzhe blinked innocently. "Huh? Wasn't I supposed to eat it?"
Yun Qingyi let go slowly, half exasperated, half amused. "This pill was refined from Fairy Grass. It can awaken your spiritual power. After this, you won't be an ethereal body anymore."
"Fairy Grass?" Mi Xingzhe's eyes widened. "The one Sister Rulun ate?"
Li Luoning gave a small nod.
Mi Xingzhe's face changed instantly. He pulled the pill back out into his hand as if it were suddenly too hot to hold.
Li Luoning's gaze sharpened. "What's wrong?"
Mi Xingzhe lowered his head. His voice came out small and rough.
"I…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Li Luoning understood immediately.
Mi Xingzhe didn't think he deserved it.
Compared to Rushan—war-god strength. Compared to Qingyi—knowledge, grace, cultivation. Mi Xingzhe saw himself as a useless hollow body, lucky merely to have been taken in at all.
Giving Fairy Grass to someone like him felt—wasted.
Li Luoning sighed.
"If we want to erase your ethereal state," he said, patient and firm, "Fairy Grass is the only thing in this world that can do it."
His eyes stayed on Mi Xingzhe.
"You experienced nightmares last night. If we don't awaken your inner pill soon, you will fade into nothingness."
Yun Qingyi reached out and patted Mi Xingzhe's head gently.
"Xingzhe, Master found this specifically for you. It will help awaken your inner pill. You don't need to burden yourself with thoughts like that."
Mi Xingzhe swallowed hard and looked up at Li Luoning.
"After taking this… I'll be like everyone else?"
Li Luoning's expression softened into a small smile.
"It can help you form an inner pill. You'll have spiritual power. And if you want to learn spells in the future—both Qingyi and I can teach you."
Mi Xingzhe stared at the pill as if it were a doorway he'd never dared believe existed.
Then he looked up again, quietly seeking permission.
"…So I should eat it?"
Li Luoning nodded.
Mi Xingzhe finally put it back into his mouth—careful this time, as if swallowing a promise.
Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi exchanged a tense glance and waited.
A breath.
Another.
Nothing.
Yun Qingyi leaned forward, alarm rising. "How do you feel?"
Mi Xingzhe frowned, then made a small, uncomfortable gesture at his throat.
"I feel…" he said slowly, "…the pill is kind of big. It choked me a little."
Yun Qingyi stared.
Li Luoning's eyes narrowed, worry sharpening. "Any discomfort in your body? Pain? Heat? Cold?"
Mi Xingzhe shook his head—then lowered it again, guilt washing over his face.
"No… I'm sorry."
Li Luoning's gaze held steady, but something tired moved beneath it.
"It's fine," he said softly. "Perhaps something went wrong in the refinement. Don't blame yourself. We'll try other methods."
Mi Xingzhe nodded obediently, eyes stinging, tears gathering where he tried to hide them.
He didn't dare look up.
Li Luoning's voice was gentler now, but it carried fatigue.
"Rest early tonight. I'll check on you tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Master," Mi Xingzhe whispered.
When Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi stepped out, Yun Qingyi couldn't hold back his confusion.
"Master… why didn't it work?"
Li Luoning's expression remained troubled. "I don't know. Tomorrow I'll go see Senior Brother. There must be other methods."
Late that night, Mi Xingzhe slept.
Then he didn't.
Sweat drenched his forehead. His brows knotted. Tears slid from the corners of his eyes. His hands clenched the quilt against his chest as his body twisted in pain—caught in the grip of something deeper than dreams.
In his dream—
Mi Xingzhe, starving, wandered a street and spotted discarded vegetable leaves. He squatted and began rummaging.
Behind him, children approached.
One picked up a stone and threw it.
The blow struck the back of his head. Mi Xingzhe whirled around, eyes full of terror, and scrambled to his feet.
He ran.
They chased.
They cornered him at the dead end of the street.
"You little beggar," the leader sneered, bigger than the rest, and kicked Mi Xingzhe hard in the stomach. "Still daring to run?"
Mi Xingzhe fell backward into a puddle. The stench and filth swallowed him, his clothes becoming heavier, dirtier—more humiliating.
The children burst into laughter.
They circled him, chanting like a curse.
"Beggar. Stinky. Spirit-body trash."
"Beggar. Filthy. Born to be a slave."
Mi Xingzhe shook his head frantically, voice trembling. "I'm not a beggar. I have a name."
"I say you're a beggar, then you're a beggar." The leader stepped forward again. "Beat him."
Fists and feet rained down.
The dream shifted—
Mi Xingzhe was older now, in the smoky kitchen of some remote place. He struggled to carry a heavy wooden bucket toward the back door. His thin body trembled under the weight.
The moment he stepped through—
He stumbled.
The bucket slipped.
Its foul contents spilled across the floor.
A short, ugly man strode in with a whip in hand.
"You brat!" he barked, rage spitting from each word. "I told you to fetch slops, and you spill them? Are you trying to defy me? I let you live, and this is how you repay me? Useless as a pig!"
The whip cracked.
Mi Xingzhe fell to the ground, arms over his head, begging.
"I'm sorry—please—spare me—"
The whip showed no mercy.
Each lash tore through coarse cloth, biting flesh, leaving bloody marks that burned like fire.
Outside the dream, Mi Xingzhe's body jerked.
"No… please… don't…"
His lips moved around the same helpless pleadings, over and over.
Countless nights had been like this.
Born an ethereal being, Mi Xingzhe had been abandoned by his family. An old man surnamed Mi had taken him in and raised him—his only shelter in the world. After Grandpa Mi died, the inexperienced Mi Xingzhe was sold again and again by traffickers for the price of a meal.
He had escaped.
Only to wander hungry and alone.
"No—" Mi Xingzhe gasped, voice breaking as he fought his way up from the nightmare. "I'm not—I'm not—let go of me—!"
He jolted upright, shaking, eyes wide.
And the moment he sat up—
A golden aura erupted through Mirror Cloud Residence.
The doors and windows blew open at once, as if the entire residence had been struck by a sudden storm of light.