The morning sun spilled across Mirror Cloud Residence as Yun Qingyi carried a freshly brewed bowl of medicinal soup to Mi Xingzhe's room. He knocked lightly.
"Nian Nian. Time to rise."
No answer.
Assuming the boy had overslept again, Yun Qingyi pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Get up and drink your medicine. If you want more sleep, you can do so after breakfast."
He set the bowl on the table and turned toward the bed—
Only to find it empty.
The bedding lay neatly folded to one side, too tidy, too untouched. Yun Qingyi walked over and pressed his palm to the mattress. Cold. Not even the faintest lingering warmth. He scrutinized the sheets again; there were no creases, no displaced corners, nothing that suggested anyone had lain there.
"Did he… not come back at all last night?" he murmured.
His gaze flicked to the incense burner by habit. He lifted the lid.
No ash. No spent incense.
Mi Xingzhe suffered from insomnia and nightmares. Yun Qingyi had nagged him endlessly to burn calming incense before sleep, and even when he complained, he always did it in the end. Yet the burner was pristine, the incense sticks beside it untouched.
Yun Qingyi's fingers tightened.
"Where could he have gone…"
At that moment, Li Luoning happened to pass by. Catching sight of Yun Qingyi standing inside with an unusually grave expression, he stepped in.
"Qingyi. What is it?"
Yun Qingyi bowed quickly, worry sharpening his voice. "Master—I think Nian Nian didn't return last night."
"He didn't come back? Are you sure?" Li Luoning's brow furrowed at once.
For a beat, the room fell into a heavy, unnatural quiet. The two of them stared at the empty bed as if it might suddenly explain itself.
Then the door curtain flipped aside, and Yue Ruling strode in with her usual brisk energy.
"Yun Wan Nian—weren't you supposed to train with me this morning? Don't tell me you—"
Yue Ruling halted the moment she saw Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi standing there, their expressions solemn.
"…Did I come at a bad time?" she asked, awkward for perhaps the first time in her life.
"Ruling?" Yun Qingyi said immediately, "Did you say Nian Nian arranged to practice with you this morning?"
"Yes." Yue Ruling glanced around, confusion knitting her brows. "He's been doing it for several days each month. I waited for him a long time. He never showed, so I came here to drag him out myself. Isn't he here?"
"He wasn't in his room at all last night." Yun Qingyi's voice tightened. "I brought the medicine at dawn. The bed hasn't been slept in."
Yue Ruling's expression shifted. "Not in his room… then where could he be?"
"I can't think of anywhere." Yun Qingyi looked genuinely unsettled. "If he wasn't with you, there's no reason he'd be elsewhere in the Residence."
"I was at the banquet all day yesterday," Yue Ruling said quickly. "How could I have been with him? Could he have sneaked out to play?"
Yun Qingyi's jaw clenched. "Master took his Empty Flower Token. He shouldn't be able to go anywhere beyond the Liao Yin Immortal Realm."
Li Luoning had been silent, gaze lowered, as though sorting through possibilities one by one. Then something flashed in his eyes. He looked up, straight at Yun Qingyi.
"Yun Qingyi," he said, voice calm but edged with command, "it's time to borrow the Xi Nan Navigator again."
Yun Qingyi's pupils tightened. Understanding struck him with a cold jolt.
"Yes, Master." He bowed and turned to leave at once.
"Wait—Xi Nan Navigator?" Yue Ruling hurried after him, alarm rising. "Qingyi, what exactly is wrong?"
Yun Qingyi didn't answer. His footsteps were already quickening.
Li Luoning remained where he was, the morning light washing over his face without warming it. His expression had gone still—too still—his hands at his sides slowly curling into fists.
If Xingzhe had truly vanished within the borders of Liao Yin…
Then someone had finally stopped watching from the shadows and started to move.
Wuming Demon Mountain — inside Hua Ruoying's chamber.
"Honestly… how is it that I always end up picking you up off the roadside?" Hua Ruoying muttered, seated at the edge of the bed as she looked down at the unconscious Mi Xingzhe. "When we were clearly heading in opposite directions."
The person they had found collapsed across the path the night before—on their way back to Fanli Valley—had been none other than him.
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, she could not understand it. They had walked two completely different routes, yet somehow they had still encountered him lying in their return path.
"And who knows how long you plan to stay unconscious this time."
She sounded tired.
After bringing him back the previous night, she had kept vigil at his bedside until dawn. Not once had he stirred.
For the moment, she could not determine the cause of his collapse. And as Mi Xingzhe was a disciple of the Liao Yin Immortal Realm, it was impossible for her to summon a physician from the demon domain to examine him. Fortunately, his pulse revealed no immediate danger.
Still—
"What am I supposed to do with you?" she sighed, frustration and helplessness threading her voice.
In the Demon Lord's Hall, Li Minghan studied the message flickering across his palm. The corner of his lips lifted faintly.
"Qiuyuan," he said lightly, rising from his seat, "come with me to Huaying Pavilion."
Hua Qiuyuan hesitated for the briefest instant before following. As he moved, his fingers subtly released a minuscule moth—intending to send word ahead to Hua Ruoying.
Li Minghan noticed at once.
He opened his hand casually.
The moth drifted down and landed obediently in his palm.
"What audacity," Li Minghan murmured.
His fingers closed.
The moth was crushed.
At the same moment, the cold poison within Hua Qiuyuan's body flared. Frost spread through his meridians, a bone-splitting chill tearing through him. He collapsed to the floor, trembling, unable to move.
Li Minghan did not so much as glance back.
With a soft chuckle, he walked out.
Mirror Cloud Residence.
Yun Qingyi returned at a run, breath uneven.
Li Luoning asked immediately.
"Master," Yun Qingyi replied, voice tight, "Star Lord Xuanming reported that several nights ago someone broke into his study. When he inventoried the room afterward, several artifacts were missing—including the Yinlü Sinan."
"What? In the same time?" Li Luoning said softly, disbelief flickering through his eyes.
"Without the Yinlü Sinan, we have no way to determine Nian'er's position." Yun Qingyi could no longer conceal his anxiety.
"Qingyi, remain with Star Lord Xuanming and assist him in investigating the theft," Li Luoning instructed, tone steady but heavy. "The moment the Yinlü Sinan is recovered, come find me. If my guess is correct… Nian has gone to the Flatland."
"But Master," Yun Qingyi frowned, "you confiscated his Empty Flower Token. How could he have crossed the barrier?"
"Nearly everyone in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm recognizes Nian'er," Li Luoning replied. "If he ran off somewhere, someone would have seen him. And he understands the consequences of staying out overnight. If he did not return, then something unforeseen must have occurred."
"You think he's been taken again?" Yun Qingyi asked quietly, unable to fathom who would repeatedly target their junior brother.
"For now, it is only conjecture," Li Luoning said. "But if it proves true, we will have no choice but to go once more to the Flatland."
Yun Qingyi's expression darkened. "If that is the case, this is grave. The Flatland is rife with demons and fiends. If a fight breaks out, his cultivation is nowhere near sufficient."
"I will go ahead and assess the situation," Li Luoning said. "It may not be as dire as we fear. You remain here. First, recover the Yinlü Sinan. Second, if Nian'er returns, inform me immediately."
Back in Hua Ruoying's chamber—
A voice suddenly rang outside the door.
"The Demon Lord has arrived."
Hua Ruoying stiffened.
Though she had agreed to bring Mi Xingzhe back, events were unfolding far too smoothly—and far beyond her control.
Before she could gather her thoughts, the door was pushed open.
"When did Miss Ruoying become so efficient?" Li Minghan remarked casually as he walked in.
Hua Ruoying dropped to one knee. "Greetings, Demon Lord."
He ignored her and approached the bed, examining Mi Xingzhe.
"So this is Li Luoning's treasured last disciple?" he mused. "Fair features. A bit thin."
He regarded the unconscious youth from above, eyes cool and assessing.
"There is nothing particularly remarkable about him."
Then he turned toward Hua Ruoying.
"Judging by your expression, you did not intend to report this to me?"
"The Demon Lord's presence honors me," she replied carefully. "Since bringing him back, he has not awakened. I cannot yet be entirely certain he is the one you seek."
"Must I inform you before going anywhere?" Li Minghan asked mildly, though the air chilled.
"I would not dare."
"You are in no position to concern yourself with my affairs." His gaze flicked once more to Mi Xingzhe, amusement ghosting across his lips. "A guest must be treated with courtesy. Especially the disciple of Li Luoning. As his elder, I ought to show proper hospitality."
He gestured.
Several demon attendants entered.
One bore a delicate box containing a golden pill wreathed in black mist. Another carried a set of ordinary demon soldier's robes.
Hua Ruoying's breath stilled.
Qianmo.
She knew that pill.
She had refined it herself at Li Minghan's command—an elixir designed to bend demon soldiers into obedient puppets.
"You recognize it," Li Minghan said, lifting the pill between his fingers.
Anyone who consumed Qianmo would appear entirely normal. But upon receiving a command, their will would vanish, leaving them wholly subservient to the one who issued it.
"Demon Lord…" Hua Ruoying's voice was strained.
"Hesitating?" Li Minghan's tone was light. "This boy from the Liao Yin Immortal Realm has his uses. You may refuse to feed it to him… but I wonder whether your unfortunate brother could endure even a stick of incense more."
He placed the pill back in its box and turned as if to leave.
"Wait."
Hua Ruoying stepped forward.
She understood him perfectly.
She picked up the pill. Looked at Yun Wan Nian. Looked at Li Minghan.
"I'm sorry," she whispered inwardly.
She thought of Hua Qiuyuan writhing under the cold poison.
There was no choice.
Clenching her teeth, she closed her eyes and pressed the pill into Mi Xingzhe's mouth.
She turned away.
"I am tired," Li Minghan said with satisfaction, and left.
Hua Ruoying remained seated beside the bed, guilt heavy in her chest.
Once Qianmo was consumed, there was no cure.
She had learned that only after refining it.
No matter how many times she had tried afterward, no antidote could be devised.
Mi Xingzhe would become the Demon Lord's puppet.
There would be no undoing it.
Meanwhile, at the border of the Flatland—
Li Luoning stepped through the icy bamboo forest and arrived at the boundary. The Empty Flower Token at his waist bore special permission granted previously by SiTu Fanzhi, allowing him to pass the barrier unimpeded.
"Nian had no token," he murmured. "How did he cross?"
There was no time to dwell on it.
He advanced into the Flatland.
His hurried departure left no time for disguise. The aura he carried quickly drew the attention of lesser demons lurking in the forest. Though insignificant, they delayed him long enough that by the time he reached the marketplace, dawn had already begun to pale the eastern sky.
The stalls were closing.
In the Flatland, demons ceased roaming after the hour of Yin and only emerged again much later in the day. At this early hour, only mortals remained in the streets.
The empty road told him he had missed the optimal moment for inquiry.
Spotting a cloth shop still open, he entered.
"Honored guest, out so early—what might you require?" asked a short, dark-skinned shopkeeper.
"This one," Li Luoning said, selecting a garment at random.
"Ah—nice choose," the shopkeeper said hastily. "But forgive me. This indigo-and-gold fox-fur robe was specially commissioned for Lord Nan Zhe. I cannot sell it. Perhaps you might consider another?"
He carefully took it back, smoothing the fabric reverently.
"Who is this Nan Zhe?" Li Luoning asked, examining another robe.
"You must be newly arrived," the shopkeeper said, clasping his hands respectfully toward the sky. "Lord Nan Zhe is the most formidable figure in the Flatland—and the benefactor of this humble shop. Generous beyond measure."
"Oh?"
"If you value your life, avoid his household," the man warned. "They act with unchecked arrogance under his protection."
"And where might his residence be found?"
"Southeast. At the foot of Yunxue Ridge. But heed me—Lord Nan Zhe is ruthless. Any demon who offends him dies without even a wisp of remnant soul left behind."
"I see."
Li Luoning selected another robe—simpler, embroidered with vine patterns.
"Than I'll take that one."