"Master, Senior Mu Han requests your presence today."
Yun Qingyi paused at the doorway with a bundle of freshly laundered clothes in his arms.
"Understood." Li Luoning set aside what he was doing and rose.
Clear Serenity Pavilion was quiet, its air faintly perfumed with tea and incense.
A man in white immortal robes sat by the table, a thin layer of deep-blue chiffon draped over his shoulders. He looked only a few years older than Li Luoning, his features composed and calm as he sipped his tea.
"Senior Mu Han," Li Luoning greeted, stepping in and bowing deeply. "Did you send for me?"
"Luoning." Mu Han's expression softened into a smile. "Come. Sit. Let's talk."
Li Luoning took the seat beside the bookshelf as invited. Mu Han set his cup down at an unhurried pace, studying him with a mild, amused warmth.
"My junior," Mu Han asked lightly, "have you brought someone home again?"
"I haven't yet reported it to Senior Brother." A faint curve touched Li Luoning's lips. "That was my oversight."
"You've always had a soft heart." Mu Han waved it off with a gentle flick of his hand. "Healing the sick is nothing unusual for you. There's no need to inform me every single time."
Li Luoning's gaze steadied. "Did Senior Brother summon me for something in particular?"
Mu Han did not answer at once. He poured tea for Li Luoning first, then for himself, as if arranging the conversation the way he arranged the table — orderly, deliberate. Only then did he speak.
"Have you chosen your last disciple yet?"
Li Luoning blinked, caught off guard. "Why does Senior Brother ask?"
"Because the position has been empty for too long." Mu Han's smile remained, calm and even. "You already have Yun Qingyi, but the last disciple is different. It has been many years since you accepted anyone. It's time to consider a candidate."
Li Luoning's posture did not change, but his attention sharpened. Mu Han was skilled in astrology and divination; he never spoke without reason.
"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."
Mu Han lifted his cup, eyes gleaming faintly as he spoke in the leisurely cadence of someone reciting a line already written in the heavens.
"The Milky Way shines across this life, yet the light is not easily bent. The call of immortality echoes through ages, and names are carved into time through disciples. Opportunities seized and missed alike drift with the current of fate — aligned with Heaven's will, all predestined."
Li Luoning fell silent for a moment. He knew better than to pry at what could not be said plainly.
"I understand." He lowered his head slightly. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
Mu Han's eyes crinkled with quiet amusement. "And what do you plan to do next?"
"I intend to take him as my disciple," Li Luoning answered without hesitation. "But when I asked him to remain in the Ethereal Realm, he seemed… troubled."
"Do you know why?" Mu Han asked.
"He is a Spiritless Being," Li Luoning said calmly — revealing, without drama, that he had known from the beginning.
Mu Han's smile did not fade. "Is there a way to untie it?"
"I came to speak to Senior Brother about that." Li Luoning's voice stayed steady, but the faintest tension threaded beneath it — concern, restrained and controlled. "Within the Three Realms, immortals, humans, and demons all possess a Dan — something that carries spiritual power and sustains the soul. Those without it should behave like empty puppets, lacking even basic vitality."
He paused, recalling the feel of Mi Xingzhe's pulse beneath his fingers, the emptiness where something should have been.
"I examined his meridians. There is no trace of spiritual power. For an empty vessel to survive to this age is… rare. Yet I've found no method to heal him."
Mu Han nodded slowly, as if confirming a conclusion he had already seen.
"Do you know of the Immortal Spirit Grass?" He gestured toward an ancient tome on the table.
Li Luoning's eyes tightened with sudden hope. "Senior Brother means the Immortal Spirit Grass could help him form a Dan?"
Mu Han did not answer directly. He only rotated the lotus-patterned cup in his hand, watching the surface of the tea tremble.
"The tea has cooled."
Li Luoning understood at once. He rose and bowed deeply and he left.
Mirror Cloud Residence lay bright beneath the sun.
Light poured through the window, casting dappled shadows across the room. A breeze carried birdsong inside and stirred Mi Xingzhe's hair, rousing him from sleep.
He rubbed his temples and squinted against the glare, frowning as he forced himself upright. His body still felt weak and sore, as if every bone had been bruised.
Nearby, Li Luoning sat in silence with a book in hand, reading as though nothing in the world could hurry him.
"You're awake?" Li Luoning asked without looking up at first.
"Yeah." Mi Xingzhe blinked, still foggy, and glanced around as if checking whether the room was real.
"Here, is your medicine." Li Luoning lifted his head and nodded toward the bowl by the bed.
Mi Xingzhe picked it up and took a sip.
The bitterness hit him like a slap. " — Cough…!" He choked and coughed, eyes watering.
"Too bitter?" Li Luoning set his book aside and looked at him.
"N-No." Mi Xingzhe forced the words out and swallowed hard, as if pride could neutralize the taste.
Li Luoning's gaze lingered on him — calm, unreadable.
Mi Xingzhe's fingers tightened on the blanket without thinking, his shoulders drawing in.
Li Luoning stood and walked closer, unhurried.
Mi Xingzhe shrank back into the bed on instinct, the way a stray flinched before an outstretched hand.
"I want you to stay here," Li Luoning said, his tone mild. "For now."
The moment those words landed, Mi Xingzhe's spine went rigid.
Stay here.
He had heard that before — spoken with the same gentle certainty, right before doors closed behind him and chains appeared the next day.
His eyes flicked to the medicine bowl. He set it down too quickly, almost spilling it.
"Why… why would I?" he asked, voice tight.
"You have nowhere else to go," Li Luoning replied, genuinely puzzled by the sudden fear. "It's better than wandering outside."
"W-Who's wandering?" Mi Xingzhe snapped, then immediately regretted it. "Th-thank you for saving me. But I'm fine now. I can leave tomorrow."
"With your condition, you'd faint before you got far." Li Luoning's brows drew together slightly. "You still need time to recover."
Mi Xingzhe's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Fear crawled under his skin.
He had been fooled like this more than once since he started drifting from place to place. Kind words first. A warm bed. A bowl of food. Then the world would tilt — and he would wake up sold again, traded like a thing.
Human nature was wicked. He had learned that lesson with his own body.
Right now, all he could think about was escaping.
"I… I don't need to stay." He stuttered as he swung his legs off the bed, the old habit returning the moment panic took hold. "I can leave now. I don't have to wait until tomorrow."
He stood unsteadily and looked around for his shoes — only to realize they weren't there. He didn't stop to worry about it.
Li Luoning was taller by a head. Mi Xingzhe forced a brittle smile, slipped past him, and headed straight for the door barefoot.
Li Luoning watched him go, a trace of amusement flickering across his eyes — until his gaze dropped to the bruises and scars on the boy's bare feet.
Troublesome.
With a casual wave of his hand, the door swung shut with a loud clang just before Mi Xingzhe reached it.
"Ah — !"
Mi Xingzhe jumped, fear snapping through him. He turned around slowly, trembling, and stared at Li Luoning as if staring at a trap that had just sprung.
"You're not wearing shoes," Li Luoning said, raising an eyebrow. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I… I'm leaving…" Mi Xingzhe's voice shrank to a whisper.
"Where?" Li Luoning pressed.
Mi Xingzhe froze.
He didn't know. He truly didn't.
Li Luoning sighed and stepped forward, reaching out to pull him back.
The moment Mi Xingzhe felt the grip, his body reacted faster than his mind.
He struggled — then, in blind desperation, he bit down hard.
"Ouch — You — !" Li Luoning released him, staring at him with a flash of real irritation.
Mi Xingzhe looked horrified at what he'd done. He stumbled back, hands lifted protectively over his head, eyes wide and wet.
Li Luoning held his tongue, exhaling through his nose. Arguing with him would only make him more frantic.
"I — I'm skinny," Mi Xingzhe blurted, voice shaking. "I won't fetch much money."
Li Luoning stared. "Who said anything about selling you?"
Mi Xingzhe's head dipped. "Then… can I leave?"
"No." Li Luoning's answer was flat.
Mi Xingzhe looked up again, tears gathering despite his attempt to hold them back.
"Do you even understand what it means to repay kindness?" Li Luoning asked, his tone edged with scrutiny.
"I do," Mi Xingzhe muttered, resentment flickering through the fear.
Li Luoning looked at him for a long moment, and the confusion in Mi Xingzhe's face became transparent.
He wants to stay. He's just terrified of being found out.
A Spirit Without Dan, in the mortal realm, was nothing more than property — bought, sold, and discarded.
Li Luoning stepped closer, one slow step at a time, watching Mi Xingzhe retreat until his back nearly brushed the bed. The boy's mix of cowardice and stubbornness was… strangely amusing.
"You bit me," Li Luoning said softly. "And you think that's the end of it?"
He bent down, looming into Mi Xingzhe's space, his face drawing closer and closer.
Mi Xingzhe's breath hitched. "I… I didn't mean to — just now…"
"Stay here," Li Luoning said lightly, as if it were the simplest rule in the world. "You're not permitted to go anywhere without my approval."
Then he straightened, walked past him, and left the room.
Mi Xingzhe instinctively moved to follow —
— but with a small wave of Li Luoning's hand, the door snapped shut again, firm and final.
At midday, Li Luoning returned to the door and glanced in through the window.
Mi Xingzhe was curled up on the bed, small as a knot of shadow against the pale sheets.
Spiritual beings were rare, but not unheard of. Yet a Spiritless Being who looked so much like an ordinary person — who could move, speak, think, and endure — was truly unusual.
Li Luoning lowered his gaze, thoughtful, then turned away.
As he stepped out, he met Yun Qingyi carrying a tray.
"Master," Yun Qingyi asked softly, "are you going out again?"
"Mm." Li Luoning didn't elaborate and left.
Yun Qingyi didn't ask further. He carried the tray into the room in silence, moving with practiced ease.
"You're awake." He set the tray down, poured a glass of water, and held it out. "Do you want some water?"
Mi Xingzhe looked up.
The man in front of him smiled warmly, eyes gentle. Rosy lips, white teeth — an approachable, friendly face that somehow made it easier to breathe.
Yun Qingyi lifted his hand in a simple gesture, encouraging him to take the glass. Then he sat beside him, took Mi Xingzhe's hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and began changing the dressing.
"My name is Yun Qingyi," he said softly, hands careful and light. "Master picked me up too. From now on, you can call me Brother Qingyi."
His fingers moved with the tenderness of someone tending an injured kitten.
"You've improved these past few days," Yun Qingyi continued. "Do you know — when Master brought you back, you were barely holding on. If he hadn't watched over you day and night, you might have vanished already."
He paused, glancing up as if recalling something. "But just now, I saw Master leave with a dark expression. What did you say to him?"
"I…" Mi Xingzhe's ears warmed. "I didn't say anything."
Yun Qingyi chuckled softly, not pressing. "Master is like that. He looks cold and distant, but he's actually kind-hearted. You don't need to worry. Stay here in peace. You'll be fine."
He tidied the cloth and bottle, then patted Mi Xingzhe gently on the shoulder.
"B-Brother Qingyi…" Mi Xingzhe called hesitantly.
"Yes?" Yun Qingyi turned, eyes bright and gentle. For reasons he couldn't explain, hearing the title made his heart lift.
"N-Nothing…"
This easy kindness made Mi Xingzhe uneasy, like stepping onto warm ground and waiting for it to collapse.
"Your name is Mi Xingzhe, right?" Yun Qingyi's smile widened. He ruffled Mi Xingzhe's hair as if they'd known each other for years. "Then I'll call you Brother Xingzhe, alright?"
"…Okay." Mi Xingzhe nodded, embarrassed — and surprised by how naturally trust came when Yun Qingyi spoke.
His stomach answered for him with a loud, unmistakable sound.
Yun Qingyi laughed. "Hungry? Lunch is ready. I'll bring it to you."
He stood, still smiling. "You must be starving. You didn't eat anything while you were unconscious these past few days."
When he left, Mi Xingzhe stared after him, unsettled by the warmth settling somewhere in his chest.
Where did this come from?
Why?
In the afternoon, peach-blossom shadows swayed across the stone table in the courtyard. Mi Xingzhe leaned against the window and watched the breeze shake loose a scatter of leaves.
For no reason at all, he remembered something Grandpa Mi had once told him:
A Spirit Without Dan was different. And a spirit like him — one who could freely control his body — was rarer still. But such spirits did not live long. One day, without warning, they would dissolve into nothingness, like falling leaves returning to the earth.
Mi Xingzhe rested his forehead against the window frame and watched a few birds perched high in the branches.
"Have you ever thought," he asked casually, "about what you'd want to be in the next life?"
Li Luoning sat nearby with a medical text in hand. He glanced at Mi Xingzhe once — then returned to the ancient book he was reading.
"If there's a next life," Mi Xingzhe said after a moment, "I want to be a cat."
"A cat?" Li Luoning looked up, interest flickering across his eyes. He set the book down. "Why?"
Mi Xingzhe's lips curved faintly, the expression carrying a quiet envy. "A beautiful white calico. A simple, peaceful life. Bask in the sun every day. Groom my fur. Sleep when I want. A few decades would be enough."
He turned and looked at Li Luoning, his gaze steady for once.
"I don't know why you insist on keeping me here," he said softly, "but I'm still grateful. For letting me stay. For treating me."
Li Luoning paused, caught off guard by the sincerity. Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"No need to thank me."
Mi Xingzhe watched him lower his head and resume reading. The warmth in his chest twisted into something heavier.
If only I weren't a Spirit Without Dan…
How good would that be?