At a small courtyard. Plum blossoms falling gently in the wind.
Soft wind rustled through the trees in the courtyard, petals drifting like pale snowflakes. A small girl sat quietly beneath the blooming branches, her golden eyes staring at the cloudless blue sky.
Thin arms wrapped around her knees, her long black hair tied into twin braids, and her robe, plain but tidy, fluttered gently with the wind.
"Lan'er," a soft voice called.
Her mother's feet padded softly across the stone path as she crouched beside her daughter. She sat beside her, wrapping an arm around the silent child. She had a kind face, gentle eyes, adore in simple ornament.
"You've been out here all morning," her mother said softly, brushing fallen petals off Yue Lan's hair. "Aren't you cold?"
Yue Lan, no older than six or seven, simply looked up and shook her head.
"Are you waiting for Father again?" her mother asked, smiling faintly.
"…No." Her voice was small and flat. "Just watching the clouds."
Her father who just arrive joined them, a tall man with a tired face but warm eyes. "Ah, that really hurts," he said, pretending to be sad slightly. Then he crouched down and gently pinched his daughter's soft cheek.
"It seems our Lan'er's personality has grown up now," her father said teasingly.
Yue Lan struggled free from her father's rough hand and continued to sit back, staring at the sky.
"You're always like this. Quiet. Still. Even as a baby, you didn't cry much." Her mother placed a hand gently on Yue Lan's back. "Sometimes your father worries. He thinks maybe… you're lonely."
Yue Lan didn't answer. She didn't know how to explain it, how she wasn't sad, just… hard to express herself. Despite this, Yue Lan is satisfied and happy with the current life she has with her parents.
"I'm not lonely," she said finally. "I just don't like noisy things."
Her mother let out a soft sigh. "You're too mature for your age."
Her father, seeing this, couldn't help but exchange a glance with his wife. Both looked concerned.
"Our daughter is different," her mother whispered. "She never cries. She never laughs. Only watches."
But despite her quietness, they still cherished her.
She was born beautiful—too beautiful, even as a child. Her golden eyes were a mark of something special, something rare. The elders of the clan said she would either rise high above the clouds… or bring misfortune.
Yue Lan's family was a small cultivation clan in a small city, respected but not powerful. Peaceful, for the most part.
Until he arrived.
-----
A few years had passed, and Yue Lan, now 13 years old, had grown even more beautiful, her features delicate, yet still carrying a hint of childhood innocence.
She has just returned from an outing with her parents to a nearby city to purchase cultivation resources and just as they have returned to their clan mansion for a few days.
A golden carriage with spirit beast rolled up to their mountain gate.
Yue Lan had just returned from her cultivation lesson when she saw him. A tall, well-dressed youth stepped out, follow by a few disciples. His robe was stitched with thundercloud patterns, and his smile was polished but cold.
"Is this the girl?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over her like she was some rare treasure. One of his men answered, "Yes, Young Master. See? Didn't I tell you she is an extremely rare find?"
Young master Gong reply with a pleased expression "True , she even more splendid than all the other women that I have play with and ... she seems even a bit special"
Yue Lan blinked her innocent eyes, standing still. Her father hurriedly stepped protectively in front of her.
"We're honored by your visit, Young Master Gong," her father said respectfully, aware of the young man's bad reputation but also of his powerful background, so he trying to avoid any trouble with him.
"I want this child to come with me, name your price," Young Master Gong said directly with a seemingly kind smile as he pointed towards Yue Lan.
Yue Lan's father couldn't help but frown, noticing the implied meaning behind the tone of this infamous young master. "But, young master, she is still a child... maybe if you could reconsider..."
The young man's smile widened. "Children will grow. I'll take her back to the Sect. Groom her myself. She'll make a fine cauldron in a few years."
Her mother's face paled.
Yue Lan looked up at her father, confused and ask her father, "Father, what's a cauldron?"
He didn't answer.
"I appreciate the ... offer," her father said firmly, his voice strained, "but our clan cannot agree to that."
The young master tilted his head.
"Do you think I'm asking for your permission?"
There was silence. Tension crackled in the air.
Yue Lan's mother quietly took her daughter's hand and pulled her back toward the main hall.
"Young Master Gong, please leave," her father spoke sternly.
"Huh, how dare you lowly people refuse our Young Master? This child is blessed to be favored by him!" one of his followers sneered. Young Master Gong, unfazed, only smiled wider as if this situation is what he wanted.
"I hope you don't regret this," he said with a dark smile before turning away.
That night, the clan made a firm decision: they would never hand Yue Lan over to someone like him. They planned to report the incident to the city lord ... but they underestimated just how much power Young Master Gong wielded in this small city.
__
The fire came just before dawn.
A strange, choking smoke filled the halls. Screams echoed through the night.
Yue Lan jolted awake to her mother shaking her urgently, her face pale and drawn.
"Mother? What's happening?"
"No time, Lan'er—come with me! Quickly!"
They rushed through the corridor. The family mansion, once a quiet sanctuary in the mountains, now crackled with fire and chaos. Shadows danced along the walls, guards cut down, structures crumbling, blood staining the floors.
Yue Lan could barely keep up, barefoot and confused. But when they reached the ancestral hall, she saw her father standing near a glowing formation carved into the stone floor.
He was injured. One arm hung limp at his side, his robe dark with blood.
"Is Lan'er safe?" he asked, voice hoarse.
"Yes" her mother said, pulling Yue Lan forward toward the formation.
"Father, what's happening?" Yue Lan asked, eyes wide.
But before he could answer—
BOOM.
The doors blew inward.
Standing in the wreckage was Gong Liangyu, flanked by several cultivators in similar Sect robes. His face, half-lit by flame, twisted into a mockery of a smile.
"Tsk. Tsk. All this trouble just because you wouldn't hand over a pretty little girl."
He stepped forward slowly, casually brushing ash off his shoulder.
"Old man, this wouldn't have happen if you just hand over that girl."
He tilted his head and said with a smile.
"Instead, you'll get to watch your clan burn."
Her father stepped in front of them.
"She's just a child."
" And she's now mine," Gong Liangyu snapped, his smile gone. "You had your chance to be cooperative."
Behind him, one of his cultivators raised a sword. But Gong raised a hand.
"No. Let me enjoy this."
He took a slow step forward. Her mother pulled Yue Lan close, whispering:
"Lan'er, listen carefully. You must live, become strong. And don't look back."
Yue Lan looked between her parents, trembling. "But—"
Her father pressed a jade token into her palm and start activating the formation
"Make sure to show the people there this token, Someone there will take care of you, Lan'er."
"No, I—"
The formation lit up beneath her feet.
Her mother gave her one last look — a soft, heartbroken yet loving smile.
Then the room was filled with blinding light.
The last thing Yue Lan saw before everything vanished:
Her parents standing side by side.
A sword plunging through her father's back.
Her mother's scream tore through the night.
Gong Liangyu charged forward, furious, trying to stop the formation from activating.
And then—
Only blinding light filled her vision.
_____
Late night, inside Li Feng's room.
Yue Lan's eyes slowly opened.
Golden. Cold. Quiet.
"A nightmare…?" Yue Lan murmured as she sat up slowly, her breath steadying. The blanket slid across her bare shoulders, revealing the curve of her collarbone. Her smooth, flawless skin glowed faintly in the moonlight seeping through the window.
Two days had passed since she moved into Li Feng's residence.
He had asked little of her during the day, but at night… that was another matter entirely.
Beside her, Li Feng lay shirtless, fast asleep. One hand curled lazily around a pillow, his lips curled into a faint smile, likely dreaming of another absurd "mortal technique" of his that he'd be eager to test out.
Yue Lan looked down at her hands. A single drop of tear slipped from the corner of her eye, falling silently onto her palm. She felt the lingering warmth beside her, the quiet yet reassuring presence of the man still asleep, then she stood up quietly, the silk sheets sliding off her body. She wrapped a thin robe loosely around herself. Her bare feet touched the wooden floor silently.
She walked toward the window, letting the cool night air brush across her skin.
Deeply and silently in thought, only she herself knew what she was truly thinking about.