Xianan Ye was seventeen when she was finally admitted to Golden Academy.
By nature, she had always been carefree—almost idle. Though intelligent, she rarely applied herself, spending her days wandering about the village like a stray, drifting in and out of neighbors' homes.
Back then, her father, Bai Ye, would simply watch her with a quiet smile.
Bai was not her biological father.
Xianan's parents had died of illness when she was only two. Alone in the world, with neither wife nor children, Bai had taken her in by chance. From then on, the two of them made a humble living together in Peach Blossom Village, deep within the Soil Realm.
The Soil Realm lies far beneath the earth. To survive, its people carve countless tunnels and caverns, turning darkness into a place they can call home.
Bai made his living growing cave grass and brewing it into tea.
There is no sunlight in Soil; the air is thin, and the heat oppressive. Yet it is precisely this harsh environment that allows certain rare plants to thrive—cave grass among them.
When brewed, it produces a rich yet refreshing tea, said to restore vitality and calm the mind, like ginseng.
However, cave grass is notoriously difficult to cultivate. It requires constant care and yields very little.
To save for Xianan's education, Bai worked tirelessly day after day. Even so, he never forced her to study, allowing her to grow as she pleased.
Her teacher in Peach Blossom Village often tried to reason with her.
"Xianan, you must study hard. Only by entering Golden Academy can you leave this place. Otherwise, do you intend to stay in Soil for the rest of your life?"
In Soil, education is a luxury. Beyond paying tuition, students must pass multiple rounds of selection just to qualify. Everyone works relentlessly, seeing admission to Golden Academy as the highest honor.
The academy stands in the Golden Realm, divided into eastern and western branches. Each year, it admits only fifty students—twenty-five per branch. Those who succeed can remain in Golden and escape the dark, sunless world below.
Although Soil regularly sends goods and produce to Golden, and letters can be exchanged, most have never set foot there. To them, it is a distant, almost mythical place—radiant, prosperous, and filled with the elite.
Xianan, however, only smiled when she heard such words.
"What's so bad about Soil?" she said. "My father says money and status are just empty things. What matters is living well."
Her teacher sighed, shaking his head. "Is this kind of life—confined to this small world, repeating the same days—truly enough?"
He seemed to be asking her, yet also asking himself.
Xianan nodded silently, yet nothing changed. She continued to drift through her days, idle and unhurried. She never understood why everyone was so eager to reach the Golden Realm, nor what meaning there was in remaining there. Studying, to her, held little appeal.
She had never truly considered leaving Soil.
She had seen other places before. Once, she traveled with her father, Bai, to the Wood Realm to sell cave grass tea.
Unlike the endless heat of Soil, the world above had distinct seasons. It was abundant—filled with forests, rivers, and mountains—far more lively and open.
In spring, especially, it was breathtaking: distant peaks wrapped in mist, nearby blossoms, and clouds drifting lazily across the sky.
And yet, even then, Xianan had never felt that Soil was lacking. If anything, she felt freer here. She loved visiting households with newborn children, and joining in whenever there was a wedding or celebration. To her, even this dim, shadowed world was full of life.
There was only one thing she looked forward to— the Great Market Fair.
The fair was held once every three years and lasted an entire month. During that time, merchants from the Wood Realm would come down to Soil, setting up stalls and filling the tunnels with noise and movement.
Much later, Xianan would come to realize that one such fair had nearly cost her someone she could never replace.
That year, she was fourteen.
On the first morning of the fair, she woke early, washed up in her cave home, and wandered next door to Aunt Tong's eatery. She grabbed a bowl of tea froth and a bag of freshly fried earthworms, then dropped onto a low stool made from packed soil.
The tea was fragrant and smooth, and she drank it down in one go.
"Slow down, child, or you'll choke," Aunt Tong said with a laugh.
She was around forty—straightforward and lively. Though fine lines marked her face, she still carried a certain warmth.
Knowing how much Xianan loved tea froth, she always filled her bowl generously and never asked for payment.
"Auntie, this smells amazing," Xianan said with a grin.
They had been neighbors for over a decade. Ever since Xianan could remember, Aunt Tong had run this small eatery. With her round face and beautiful eyes, Xianan had always been easy to adore.
The Tong couple had no children and often looked after her as if she were their own. Without a mother, Xianan felt especially close to Aunt Tong.
After finishing her tea, she dug into the fried earthworms—crispy, sizzling, and irresistibly good. Soon, she was sweating as she ate.
Before she left, Aunt Tong pressed a full bag of acorns into her hands.
Acorns were rare in Soil. Burrowing creatures often stored them underground, and some people would dig them up in secret to sell.
Xianan hesitated. "Auntie, you should keep these."
Aunt Tong laughed and patted the two small buns of hair atop her head. "Just take them. The Great Market Fair is nearly twenty miles away—what will you do if you get hungry?"
With no way to refuse, Xianan thanked her, took the bag, and skipped off toward Jin Zhou's home, planning to go to the fair with him.
Jin Zhou was her childhood friend. They had grown up together and were very close. Though not tall, he was sturdy, with a round face, bright eyes, and a wide grin. The elders often said he had a fortunate face—one destined for a life of abundance.
"Jin!" Xianan called as she stepped into the Zhou family's cave home.
Jin Zhou's father had passed away early, and his mother raised him alone. Yet she never complained. She was hardworking, kept their home spotless, and often made small crafts from roots and grasses to sell. Xianan loved visiting their home.
"Xianan! You're here!" Jin Zhou beamed. "I was just about to come find you so we could go together."
"Have you eaten?" she asked.
"Yeah. My mom made fried earthworms for the road." He paused, then sighed."…It's a pity Ren Wen isn't here. He loved these the most."
Ren had been their childhood friend as well. The three of them had once been inseparable. But two years ago, his entire family vanished without leaving so much as a letter. No one knew where they had gone.
For a long time, Xianan and Jin Zhou could not accept it.
Xianan lowered her gaze, a quiet ache settling in her chest.
After chatting for a while, the two of them set off toward the market through the tunnels.
Along the ceiling, rows of moon-seeing grass grew in clusters. Their slender, crescent-shaped leaves swayed gently, giving off a soft golden glow that lit the tunnels like daylight.
Xianan had heard that the plant did not originally belong to Soil. No one knew who had planted it throughout the realm, bringing light and convenience to its people.
Along the way, they passed many familiar faces—Uncle Tan the carpenter, Aunt Ge who grew cave grass, Aunt Chen the seamstress.
They chatted as they walked, exchanging small talk and laughter.
Nothing important, but it made the journey feel shorter.
They didn't know it yet—
But this fair would be where they first encountered the Golden guards from the Golden Realm.