Li Luoning pushed aside weeds as tall as his waist and forced his way toward where the Li family's backyard used to be.
The Li family had always made their living through medicine—generation after generation earning their keep through pharmacology. It wasn't until his father's time that a stroke of fortune brought them several precious medicinal materials, and with them, the family's prosperity. The old Li residence had never been ostentatious, but it had been undeniably wealthy. Even the backyard had been carefully arranged: the ground was paved with whole slabs of bluestone hauled down from the mountains. So even now, choked by weeds, there were still patches where he could find his footing.
Relying on memory, Li Luoning tried to reconstruct the courtyard's old layout. Beneath layers of overgrowth, aside from the collapsed eaves he'd seen from the outside, everything else had been swallowed so completely it was hard to distinguish one place from another.
Maybe it was the urgency clawing at him after what the old woman had said. He searched for a long while and still couldn't find the spot she meant. At last he stopped, drew in a slow breath, and forced himself to calm down.
The fire that destroyed the Li residence was his greatest foe. He had always believed it had been an accident.
But what if it hadn't been?
He had to find that stone. He had to learn the truth.
If what the old woman said was real, then nothing would have grown near a heat source like that—not for all these years. And sure enough, once Li Luoning steadied his thoughts and truly looked, he quickly spotted a bare patch of earth amid the weeds.
There it was.
Calling it a "warm stone" was far too gentle. It was more like a smoldering bed of coals—except it never died.
Heat rolled off it in waves. Anything placed too close would ignite. Even birds that flew low would have their feathers singed. This was no ordinary thing. A mortal body wouldn't be able to approach it at all.
Li Luoning reached out. He could feel the heat clearly, but it wasn't as unbearable to him as it would be to others.
Better take it back and study it. What exactly is this?
He interlaced his fingers, murmured an incantation, flipped his wrist, then pointed down.
At once, a layer of frosty bubbles formed over the blazing stone, wrapping it in a pale, shimmering shell. Slowly, it lifted from the earth, floated toward him, and came to a stop in midair before his eyes.
The stone itself was no larger than an ordinary rock—yet it radiated heat that could turn the world to ash.
As Li Luoning stared at it, his mind returned to the past. The place where it had landed… had once been the Li family's hay storage shed and stables.
If that was true, then this stone had to be tied to the great fire.
He drew it closer and studied it carefully. It had sharp, angular edges—six faces, like the dice used in gambling. And when the faces came together, they formed a pattern.
A pattern that felt… familiar.
Why does this seem familiar?
He stared for a long time, but nothing surfaced. No name. No memory he could grasp firmly enough to claim.
In the end, he could only suppress the irritation and collect the stone.
I'll take it back and ask Senior Brother. Maybe he knows.
In the apothecary room of Mirror Cloud Residence, wisps of blue smoke curled upward. The air was thick with the bitter-sweet scent of herbs.
Yun Qingyi sat inside, lazily fanning himself with a folded fan while reading a medical text.
"Is Master Qingyi here?" A voice clear as spring water sounded from outside.
Yun Qingyi closed the book, set the fan aside, and stepped out. "I am."
At the entrance stood a slender figure draped in white gauze, a silver hairpin securing his hair. A purple-and-white jade belt decorated with a flower motif circled his waist, giving him a look that was delicate yet undeniably handsome.
"O Shinan?" Yun Qingyi's brows lifted slightly in surprise. "What brings you here?"
Though Yun Qingyi's master had a good relationship with the Medicine King, Yun Qingyi himself rarely interacted with O Shinan—the Medicine King's adopted son.
Yet O Shinan's reputation was not inferior to his father's in many respects. If anything, he was known for being even gentler in temperament, amiable and well-mannered, and thus widely respected throughout the Liao Yin Immortal Realm.
The only distinction was that O Shinan's obsession with pharmacology ran deep—and he seemed especially skilled in poisons and antidotes.
"I apologize for intruding without notice," O Shinan said with a mild smile. "I heard Master Xiao Yi had taken a disciple, but at the time my father and I were traveling and had no chance to send a congratulatory gift. Today, my father specifically instructed me to come and make up for it."
"The Medicine King is too thoughtful," Yun Qingyi replied politely. "Allow me to thank him on my master's behalf. When Master returns, I will convey your words."
O Shinan nodded. His smiling eyes flickered as he extended his hand. A faint purple light gathered—and an object appeared within it.
"This is… a Snow Lotus Flower?" Yun Qingyi exclaimed softly.
"Master Qingyi you have sharp eyes." O Shinan's smile deepened, a faint dimple appearing at his cheek. "This Snow Lotus Flower is a treasure my father has collected for many years. He believes only something so rare is worthy of Master Xiao Yi—to congratulate him on accepting a closed-door disciple."
"The Medicine King truly understands my master," Yun Qingyi said, accepting it carefully. "Master will surely appreciate this gift."
"By the way," O Shinan added after a brief pause, his gaze lowering as if in thought, "there is another matter I would like to discuss."
"No need to be formal," Yun Qingyi said. "If there is anything I can do, I will do my best."
"It's nothing serious." O Shinan's eyes curved faintly as he spoke. "I came today to request a rare medicinal ingredient."
"Oh?" Yun Qingyi replied. "What ingredient is so rare that even the Medicine King's disciple must come to Mirror Cloud Residence for it?"
"It isn't my father who requests it," O Shinan said calmly. "It's something I am fond of. And it seems only Mirror Cloud Residence has it."
He lifted a hand and pointed toward the courtyard.
Blue Snow Flowers.
"That shouldn't be difficult," Yun Qingyi said, following his gaze. "Let me inform my master. Tomorrow we can have a fairy attendant deliver them to you."
"I have other matters tomorrow." A trace of surprise flickered through O Shinan's eyes—so slight it was almost imperceptible. "Would Master Qingyi be willing to do me a favor and allow me to take some today?"
Yun Qingyi hesitated.
"Each Blue Snow Flower here was personally planted by my master," he said carefully. "If I dig one up and give it away without asking, it would be… inappropriate."
"That's fair," O Shinan agreed at once. After a moment's thought, he offered an alternative. "Then perhaps… Brother Yun could give me a few seeds. I can take them back and plant them myself."
Yun Qingyi considered it, then nodded. "Seeds are fine. Please wait here a moment."
"Thank you." O Shinan bowed, then watched Yun Qingyi disappear around the corner of the courtyard.
The moment Yun Qingyi was out of sight, O Shinan's expression cooled. His gaze shifted, landing on the blue smoke rising from the apothecary chimney.
Not long after, Yun Qingyi returned with a small pouch of Blue Snow Flower seeds.
"Thank you," O Shinan said warmly. "Just now I caught the scent of herbs from your apothecary. Are you brewing some high-grade tonics?"
"You have a keen nose," Yun Qingyi replied, faintly impressed. "It's nothing special—just a formula for my junior brother's health."
"Is Junior Brother Wan Nian unwell?" O Shinan asked, concern entering his voice.
"Thank you for asking." Yun Qingyi sighed. "It's not severe, but for some reason he's been sleeping poorly lately. We're preparing calming medicine to settle his spirit."
O Shinan fell silent for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and produced something, offering it to Yun Qingyi.
"This is called Red Dust Tranquility," he said. "A treasure I came across some time ago. It can stabilize the mind."
With a small wave of his hand, a belt-like object appeared above his palm. He pushed it gently toward Yun Qingyi.
"This…?" Yun Qingyi's eyes narrowed slightly in puzzlement. "Are you giving this to my junior brother?"
"I am," O Shinan answered with a serene smile. "Since Brother Yun gave me flower seeds, it is only right I repay you."
Yun Qingyi hesitated. The object did not look like an ordinary belt.
"Although I have not met Junior Brother Wan Nian," O Shinan continued, "Red Dust Tranquility was only half-complete when I first found it. I have since refined it into a proper artifact—one that can stabilize the mind. Consider it my gift to him. If fate allows in the future, perhaps Brother Yun will introduce us."
His lips curved slightly. He bowed with gentle formality.
"…Very well," Yun Qingyi said at last. "Then I'll accept it with gratitude. Thank you."
"You are wellcome." O Shinan returned the gesture. "I won't disturb you further. I'll take my leave. And thank you for your generous gift."
He lifted the pouch of seeds in his hand, then turned and departed.
Yun Qingyi watched him go, then returned to the apothecary.
He checked the jar, sniffed the decoction, confirmed it was ready, then poured it out and carried the tray into the courtyard.
As O Shinan left Mirror Cloud Residence, he did not notice the dark figure lurking nearby.
And Yun Qingyi—cradling the medicine bowl—was completely unaware of the faint white powder that clung to the side of the stove.
On Wuming Demon Mountain…
Hua Ruoying sat alone in her room, gripping a small bottle so tightly her knuckles paled. In her mind, the scene replayed again and again—the whip, the crack of it, the sting that felt as if it had landed on her heart.
She squeezed her eyes shut and forced back tears, sinking into memory.
"Brother… where will we go in the future?"
Young Hua Ruoying clung to Hua Qiu's sleeve, sobbing.
"Don't be afraid, Ruoying."
Young Hua Qiu's voice was youthful, but firm. His eyes burned with anger. "As long as I'm here, I'll protect you."
Hua Qiu and Hua Ruoying's mother had once been a green fox of the Ice Bamboo Forest. She fell in love with a scholar in the mortal world and gave birth to them both. But the world could not accept love between human and demon. In the end, under pressure, the scholar betrayed her.
To find somewhere to survive, the green fox fled with her children to the Pingyan Realm.
The Pingyan Realm was a place where humans, demons, and immortals mingled. Spiritual energy and living beings interwove chaotically. After the Boundary River was established, Pingyan was deemed a land of abandonment—a refuge for criminals, wicked demons, and renegade immortals who wished to live beyond capture.
The three realms had long agreed not to interfere there. In Pingyan, anything could happen. Strength decided everything.
Hua Qiu inherited his mother's agility. From childhood he showed exceptional martial skill, and with his inborn spiritual energy, he was formidable even when young.
Hua Ruoying, in contrast, seemed to possess nothing extraordinary. Her spells were acceptable but unremarkable. Yet she had an exceptional memory—and an intense fascination with pharmacology and toxins.
After the green fox successfully brought the children across the boundary into Pingyan, she finally could not hold on any longer. She left the world behind.
From then on, Hua Qiu and Hua Ruoying lived by wandering—hungry, battered, always one step away from death.
At first, they survived by begging. But Pingyan was too chaotic for pity. More than once, they nearly became prey for evil demons—until fate intervened, and the Demon Lord of that time saved them. Seeing how young they were, he brought them into the Demon Realm.
"If it weren't for finding an antidote to this Crystal Orchid as soon as possible…"
Hua Ruoying's eyes brimmed with rage as she slammed her palm against the table.
"I would have killed you long ago."
She didn't know that not far outside her room, Hua Qiu was watching through the window.
Even with black gauze veiling the lower half of his face, the apology in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Ruoying…" His heart twisted with remorse. "Please forgive me for everything I've done. It's only like this that I can protect you. The more I show I care, the more that devil will fix his eyes on you."
He could only remain on the eaves in silence, watching her every movement.
Then he closed his eyes and lifted the flower flute in his hand, letting a soft, sorrowful note spill into the night.