"Ou Xianzhang."
Li Minghan repeated the name under his breath.
"I am Li Minghan."
"Brother Li,①" Ou Xianzhang murmured, inclining his head in a courteous salute. "You look unfamiliar—surely you're not a local."
"I've lived deep in the mountains for years and rarely come out." Li Minghan kept his tone measured. "Does Brother Ou… know this city well?"
They sat down by the fire and talked for a long while. For reasons Li Minghan couldn't name, every story Ou Xianzhang told hooked him completely. The two found their interests uncannily aligned, as if they had been friends for years—meeting too late, and already regretting the lost time.
"Shall I take Brother Li somewhere?" Ou Xianzhang asked at last.
The next evening, Ou Xianzhang brought Li Minghan back into the city.
"This is…?" Li Minghan slowed.
Ou Xianzhang stopped before a three-story building of redwood beams and green-tiled eaves. Li Minghan frowned at the signboard, puzzled.
"Zui Xian House."
Ou Xianzhang said it lightly, handed the horse to the doorman's servant, and walked in as if he owned the place.
Li Minghan had no idea what sort of establishment this was, but he followed.
Inside, Zui Xian House glittered with extravagant color—gauze drapes in every hue, flower petals scattered across the floor, the air thick with layered perfumes. Along the second-floor corridor, a line of alluring women half-covered their faces as they called down, coy and sweet, to the patrons below.
The moment they stepped through the entrance, a tall woman in heavy makeup swept up to greet them.
"You're early today, Young Master. Oh?" Her gaze slid past Ou Xianzhang's shoulder and brightened. "Brought a friend, did you?"
She understood at once and called up toward the stairs in a ringing voice, "Huzi! Young Master Ou is here—get the best tea to the Zijin Chamber. And bring in some of the new ones to attend!"
"Good girl."
Ou Xianzhang's finger brushed the tip of her nose, indulgent.
Li Minghan followed him into the Zijin Chamber. Once seated, he lowered his voice.
"Brother Ou… what place is this? Why are the women here so… enthusiastic?"
"A place of fragrance and soft sleeves," Ou Xianzhang answered blandly. He pulled the woman into his arms and accepted the cup she offered.
Li Minghan had never been in such a place—though he'd heard hints of it in storybooks. Still, this was his first time. He sat stiffly, ears burning, head lowered, while Ou Xianzhang openly flirted and toyed with the woman in front of him.
The chamber door opened. Two lines of men and women filed in.
"Our Zui Xian House has everything," the tall woman said, flicking her silk fan with an easy smile. "Goddesses, pretty lads—whatever pleases you. From the looks of it, this young master has never stepped into a pleasure quarter before. Every man has to cross this threshold once. After the first time, it all becomes… much easier."
Ou Xianzhang glanced at Li Minghan—awkward, rigid, flustered—then swept a hand.
The Zijin Chamber door closed.
A wisp of smoke, tinted faintly purple, slipped soundlessly through the air.
Li Minghan inhaled before he could react.
"Minghan—if you're truly traveling the human realm," Ou Xianzhang said softly, "how can you miss its most beautiful scenery?"
It had been clear from their first encounter—Ou Xianzhang had recognized that Li Minghan possessed cultivation.
The moment the purple smoke entered his lungs, Li Minghan's vision swam. The room wavered between real and unreal. In the haze, he saw only curtains of gauze floating past, and his hand reached out blindly, grasping at them.
Desire rose in him like a tide—magnified, sharpened, unbound.
Not long after, he lost control of himself entirely.
The warmth of bodies, the glitter of ornaments, the intoxicating sensation of being surrounded and catered to—it all felt strange, thrilling, and dangerously sweet. The freedom to indulge at will, the rush of holding others in his sway… he clung to it with desperate, hungry reluctance.
Without noticing the passing of time, Li Minghan drifted through Zui Xian House in a stupor for three full days and nights.
On the fourth day, a voice came from outside his door.
"Young Master Li. Young Master Ou instructed that once you wake, you are to go to Yuqing Treasure Hall to find him. The carriage is waiting outside."
Li Minghan tore himself from the memory and looked back at Shentu Zhajia.
"Brother… have you ever regretted saving me at Lakeside Pavilion?"
"If I'd known you were this narrow-minded—this vicious and poisonous—then I would have—" Shentu Zhajia gritted out.
"And then what?" Li Minghan cut in, smiling thinly. "Do as your father did—kill me, and take the Moonshadow Pellet in my body for yourself?"
Shentu Zhajia's expression hardened.
Li Minghan's voice rose, raw and bitter. "So Brother Ou was right. In this world, only self-interest is truly joyful. All my weakness, all my restraint, every root of my suffering—came from my foolish desire to become the person my foster father wanted. I truly believed that if I obeyed, if I endured, he might draw closer to me."
He laughed—a harsh, broken sound.
"But to him, I was only a familiar face kept at his side!"
With a sudden jerk, Li Minghan tore off the mask on his face and hurled it across the room. It struck the opposite wall with a violent crack.
In a wooden cabin in Peach Blossom Grove, Hua Ruoying sat alone, sorting through rows of bottles and jars. Her hand paused over a celadon-blue vial patterned with silver flowers.
"Ruoying-jie, the young master is here," Qingping announced, strolling in with a few fruits in hand, chewing as he spoke.
"Oh. I know." Hua Ruoying snapped the lid shut on the chest a little too quickly.
Outside the cabin, Mi Xingzhe waited with Bingguo. He carried a food box in both hands. The moment Hua Ruoying stepped out, Mi Xingzhe's face lit up.
"Why are you here?" Hua Ruoying asked.
"My senior brother made some pastries and told me to bring them to you." Mi Xingzhe lifted the food box slightly.
"You've gone to trouble," Hua Ruoying said, though her tone softened.
She reached to take the box—
Their fingers brushed.
For an instant, everything seemed to still. In Mi Xingzhe's eyes, Hua Ruoying shone as if she'd caught all the light in the world.
Her hand was warm, soft. Her lashes curled delicately; the scent of blossoms clung to her hair; peach petals drifted past on the breeze.
Mi Xingzhe froze.
And in that same heartbeat, Hua Ruoying felt something shift in her chest—subtle, unfamiliar, impossible to name.
Bingguo, watching the two of them stand there like wooden posts, tilted its head left, then right, sighed in utter defeat, and nudged the food box with its nose.
Only then did they jolt back to themselves, both suddenly flustered.
"I—I'll take it inside," Hua Ruoying blurted, cheeks turning pink. She snatched up the box and hurried into the cabin.
"O-oh. Okay." Mi Xingzhe turned away, facing the grove, hands hovering uselessly at his sides as if he couldn't decide where they belonged.
At that moment Qingping stepped out, nearly colliding with Hua Ruoying.
"Ruoying-jie? …Huh?" He craned his neck, confused, then pointed at Bingguo. "Young master, who's that?"
"Oh, that's Bingguo," Mi Xingzhe said, patting its fluffy head. "A Chenghuang auspicious beast."
"Auspicious beast?" Qingping's face went pale. "Do… do they eat ghosts?"
The fruit in his hand instantly lost all appeal. He tossed it aside and dove behind Hua Ruoying.
Hua Ruoying blinked at him, utterly baffled.
"Eat ghosts? Why would it eat ghosts?" Mi Xingzhe was equally lost.
"In a little demon's head like Qingping's," Hua Ruoying said dryly, "auspicious beasts live on ghosts."
"Oh. Right." Mi Xingzhe laughed awkwardly. "I've never seen it eat ghosts—fruit, though? It eats plenty of fruit."
Bingguo shook its head as if offended, then lowered its front paws and bowed politely to Hua Ruoying and Qingping.
Qingping's eyes widened. "Wow—so polite! Immortal sect creatures really are different."
"They are," Mi Xingzhe said smugly. "This place is beautiful too—flowers and herbs everywhere. Want me to show you around?"
"Sure," Hua Ruoying answered easily.
In Peach Blossom Grove, Hua Ruoying and Mi Xingzhe walked side by side in front, while Qingping snapped off a peach blossom branch and played around with Bingguo behind them.
The Liao Yin Immortal Realm felt like spring and summer braided together—rare plants flourishing in abundance. The breeze carried layered, clean fragrance.
Mi Xingzhe and Hua Ruoying stole glances at each other now and then, meeting eyes and smiling, yet neither could find the right thing to say. They walked in a comfortable silence until Mi Xingzhe finally spoke.
"Miss Ruoying… the man who fought my master that day—you said he's your brother?"
"Yes." Hua Ruoying nodded. "My brother and I were taken in by the Demon Sovereign when we were very young."
"Now that you've left Wuming Demon Mountain… will your brother be punished?" Mi Xingzhe asked, genuine concern in his voice.
Hua Ruoying shook her head, sorrow flickering in her eyes. "He's different from me. He's loyal to that man with his whole life. I'm just… the useless little sister in his eyes."
"I'm sorry." Mi Xingzhe's voice softened. "I didn't mean to bring up something that hurts."
Hua Ruoying exhaled slowly. "I came back with you for another reason, too. I'm searching for an antidote for my brother."
"An antidote?"
"The Demon Sovereign put a poison on both of us," Hua Ruoying said quietly. "It's called Crystal Lily. Two people poisoned by it can't get too close—one is seized by freezing cold, the other burned by internal heat."
"There's something that vicious?" Mi Xingzhe's fists clenched, anger flashing across his face.
"My brother's cold poison flares often," Hua Ruoying continued. "He has to rely on the Demon Sovereign's medicine to suppress it. As for the scorching poison in me… it doesn't activate as long as my brother stays away."
Mi Xingzhe looked at her, earnest and determined. "Miss Ruoying, don't be sad. My master is obsessed with medicine. If you need an antidote, tell him—he'll find a way."
"Thank you." Hua Ruoying paused, then said, as if the thought had just surfaced, "That day on Wuming Demon Mountain… the Demon Sovereign's tone made it sound like he knew your master."
"That's true," Mi Xingzhe admitted. "He called my master by name. Even in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm, aside from the Immortal Sovereign and Uncle Muhan, I've never heard anyone dare address him so directly."
"Has your master ever had a grudge with the Demon Sovereign?" Hua Ruoying asked.
"I don't know," Mi Xingzhe said. "He wouldn't tell me everything."
Hua Ruoying studied his expression and let the question drop.
Then, abruptly—
"Don't move."
She grabbed his sleeve and stopped him.
"W-what? What is it?" Mi Xingzhe froze mid-step, foot suspended in the air.
"Move aside." Hua Ruoying pulled him out of the way, crouched, and began digging at the soil.
"Miss Ruoying, what are you doing?"
"Ah—found it!" She rose a moment later, lifting a plant in triumph.
Mi Xingzhe stared blankly. "What is that?"
"This?" Hua Ruoying looked proud. "It's called the Valley Fairy."
"Valley Fairy…?"
"It's rare. If it blooms, it's especially beautiful."
"Oh." Mi Xingzhe blinked. "A flower."
Hua Ruoying smiled and held it out. "Here—take it. It's for you."
Mi Xingzhe looked at her—bright-eyed, smiling—then reached out without thinking.
His fingers met hers.
And instead of taking the plant cleanly, his hand closed over hers.
Too tight. Too long.
Hua Ruoying's cheeks warmed. She tried to pull back, only to realize he was still holding on, as if he'd forgotten the world existed.
"Sir?" she reminded softly. "Sir?"
Mi Xingzhe snapped back like he'd been scalded.
"O-oh—uh—It's getting late. I should go back with Bingguo. I'll… come see you again another day."
"Alright," Hua Ruoying replied, smiling, and watched him leave.
Not long after, Hua Ruoying abruptly changed direction, tugging Qingping with her.
"Ruoying-jie, the cabin is that way," Qingping whispered, confused.
"Shh." Hua Ruoying pressed a finger to her lips. "Stop talking. Come with me."
Earlier, walking with Mi Xingzhe, Hua Ruoying had caught a faint scent—sharp, medicinal. As someone born with a genius for poisons, she knew it instantly: horned arum.
She followed the scent.
"Ha. Found it." She crouched in a patch of grass, delighted, and reached to harvest—
Footsteps.
Close.
She yanked Qingping down and dragged him into the brush.
The footsteps approached, stopped not far away. Then another set joined them.
Hua Ruoying peered out.
One figure wore a white cloak, back turned. The other looked scholarly and clean-featured, with a pale violet forehead ribbon.
"How did it go?" the man in white asked, voice low.
"Everything is proceeding within your control," the ribboned man answered.
"How much longer?"
"According to plan—no more than three months."
So even the immortal sect has people sneaking around in the dark, Hua Ruoying thought, frowning.
In that brief moment of distraction, her sleeve brushed a clump of leaves.
A tiny sound.
But it was enough.
"Who's there?" The ribboned man's head snapped up. His hand flashed—and a silver needle shot straight toward Hua Ruoying's hiding place.
Hua Ruoying twisted aside, the needle slicing past.
She seized Qingping's wrist and ran.