Dressed in her school uniform, she stood in a gloomy, ghostly forest, completely bewildered.
She thought she was dreaming—until she heard footsteps.
A chill ran down her spine as she turned around and saw a ghastly, fanged specter with a green face.
Terror overtook her, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, fainting.
At that moment, she thought she would die in this strange, terrifying world.
But fate had other plans.
That night, in the depths of the haunted forest, rain fell steadily.
In her unconscious state, Wei Xi felt the dull, slow thudding of her weak heart gradually come back to life.
Sensation returned to her limbs, and warmth enveloped her, driving away the unbearable cold.
A bitter medicinal taste lingered in her mouth.
“Miss, wake up.”
Someone was calling her.
She slowly opened her eyes, her vision hazy and unfocused.
Under the gray-green sky, she saw a pair of clear, bright eyes looking down at her.
They were so close that she could see her own reflection in them—frail and pale.
Rain misted over the mountain peaks, and the wind carried the droplets sideways, chilling her face.
The cold made her shiver.
“Are you cold?” the voice asked softly.
After a moment of hesitation, the person leaned down and held her closer.
His voice was still gentle.
“Apologies—Yu is being forward.”
Wei Xi’s dazed eyes finally focused on the person in front of her.
A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and in that instant, she saw his face clearly.
The boy possessed an astonishingly beautiful countenance—his skin was like pure white jade, flawless and translucent.
His brows were dark as if painted with ink, and beneath his long, thick eyelashes, his eyes were as clear as still water.
He gazed at her gently.
His black hair was tied up in a high bun, and he wore a simple blue robe.
Wei Xi burst into tears.
She reached out and clutched his clothing tightly.
The fear, the confusion, and the horrifying images she had just seen replayed in her mind.
Seeing a living, breathing person in front of her filled her with overwhelming relief.
Her lips trembled as she spoke, “Hello… Can you tell me… where am I?”
He answered, “This is the Ghost Burial Grounds of Yinshi Mountain, under the Zhongli Clan—one of the four great cultivation families.”
Wei Xi didn’t understand.
It made no sense to her.
So she asked, “Who are you? Why are you here?”
The young man had a gentle and innocent expression, seeming a little naive.
“My name is Wen Ruyu. I got lost in the forest and ended up here. I happened to see you collapsed on the ground—it seemed like you had a heart condition—so I fed you some medicine and hid us here for the time being.
We can’t leave right away because the Ghost Burial Grounds are crawling with spirits right now. Your body is weak, and you won’t be able to withstand the chilling ghostly aura. Besides, I don’t practice ghost cultivation.
If I try to leave, I won’t be able to avoid disturbing these spirits. If I draw my sword, I might not be able to protect you properly, so we have to wait for the right moment.”
As he spoke, he lowered his voice slightly, his breath brushing against Wei Xi’s ear, making it tingle.
Only then did she realize how close they were, tucked together in a narrow crevice between rocks.
Her cheeks flushed hot.
Thinking about the lingering taste of medicine in her mouth and the steady beating of her heart, she shyly muttered, “Thank you… Thank you for saving me.”
Wen Ruyu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke again, his tone curious.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Wei Xi had been lowering her head in embarrassment.
She had been frail since childhood and, apart from going to school, had spent most of her life at home or in hospitals.
She wasn’t always good with words—doctors had advised her to keep her emotions stable, avoid extreme highs and lows.
Most of the time, she managed.
But her parents had always favored her healthy younger sister, leaving Wei Xi behind in their hometown.
Sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel down.
The soft murmur near her ear made her face even hotter.
Startled, she looked up at Wen Ruyu, silently asking what he meant.
His dark eyes were clear and bright, his voice warm.
It was hard to tell if he was joking or simply speaking earnestly.
He seemed genuinely curious.
“I heard that in the mortal world, there’s a saying: ‘A life-saving grace must be repaid with marriage.’”
Wei Xi’s face turned an even deeper shade of red.
This young man seemed gentle, yet there was something childishly pure about him, as if he understood even less about the world than she did.
Is this how ancient people think?
She felt awkward—so awkward that she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“I’m not old enough to get married yet.”
As soon as she said it, she cringed at herself and quickly looked at Wen Ruyu.
She wanted to explain but had no idea how to make a legal marriage age make sense to someone from an ancient world.
Sure enough, he seemed confused by her words.
His clear eyes showed a moment of puzzlement before he lowered his gaze to examine her.
Then, he suddenly smiled, his expression carrying a hint of boyish mischief.
“You look younger than me.”
Wei Xi couldn’t help but smile as well.
Later, members of the Zhongli clan’s branch family arrived at the Ghost Burial Grounds to hunt down spirits.
When they saw Wei Xi, they claimed she was a runaway daughter of the Zhongli family.
Of course, Wei Xi wasn’t.
She argued with them.
Wen Ruyu helped her escape after much effort.
By the time dawn broke, they had made it down the mountain and fled far away.
Since Wei Xi was physically weak, Wen Ruyu had carried her on his back for most of the descent.
When they finally reached the foot of the mountain, she awkwardly slid off his back, lowering her voice as she apologized.
But Wen Ruyu just smiled warmly and said, “It’s alright. You’re so light—I hardly used any effort at all.”
He paused, preparing to part ways.
Wei Xi, having suddenly been transported to this world with no one to rely on, was terrified of being left alone in the unknown.
She immediately clung tightly to his sleeve, pleading, “I must repay my debt! In the mortal world, we must always repay kindness. You fed me medicine and saved me—I have to follow you, to serve you however I can… Please, take me with you!”
Wen Ruyu listened attentively.
When he heard her mention “serving him however she could,” his expression showed both curiosity and slight shyness.
It was as if the words intrigued him.
Wei Xi always thought he was like a piece of unpolished jade—warm and beautiful but untouched by the world, full of innocence and curiosity.
His mind seemed to work a little differently from most people’s.
Luckily, he was like this.
Otherwise, it would’ve been difficult to convince him to take her along, given that she was little more than a burden.
Wen Ruyu had great aspirations.
His eyes were pure as he spoke about how he wanted to follow the path written in books—to bring relief to suffering souls and cure the afflictions of the world.
And so, Wei Xi followed him.
She learned about this world, discovered that cultivators roamed freely, that demons lurked in the shadows, and that four great cultivation clans ruled the land.
She tried to cultivate, and though she wasn’t talented and couldn’t exert herself too much, Wen Ruyu never thought less of her.
He patiently guided her whenever he had free time.
Seeing that her abilities were limited, he taught her simple spells for exorcism and self-defense instead.
Though he was still new to the world himself and had little money, he earned a living by eliminating demons and resolving disasters.
He bought her dresses and, when traveling outside, always made sure to protect her.
Three years ago, they parted ways.
Wen Ruyu told her he was going to the Wujiao Assembly to earn a chance to enter the Kunlun Divine Mountain.
He said he was searching for the Kunlun Pearl and had heard that the mountain held a legendary spiritual herb.
He was determined to find it and completely cure her illness.
That day, he stroked her hair, kissed her forehead for the first time, his ears turning red as he softly told her, “Wait for me to come back.”
Wei Xi opened her eyes.
Morning light filled the room.
She turned over, touching her forehead.
For a moment, she thought she could still feel the warmth of his lips there.
She had been waiting for three years.
He still hadn’t come back.
Her heart clenched uncomfortably.
She didn’t know if Wen Ruyu had forgotten about her.
But she quickly shook her head—No, he wouldn’t.
He must have run into trouble.
He said he would return, and he would never break his promise.
After spacing out for a while, Wei Xi got up. Today, she needed to go to Aunt Zhu’s house next door to help make mugwort rice cakes for the upcoming Qingming Festival.
The mortals in this world observed Qingming as well.
After washing up, she stepped into the courtyard and saw Xiling Zhou standing outside, holding his sword.
Her brows furrowed slightly, feeling a little annoyed.
She was about to walk past him.
But Xiling Zhou suddenly spoke, his peach blossom eyes full of intensity.
“Miss, yesterday I used a signal talisman to ask my senior brother about Wen Ruyu.”
Wei Xi stopped in her tracks.
Her soft gaze lifted to him.
Though her illness left a visible weakness in her expression, her eyes shone brightly.
Xiling Zhou looked at her strangely and continued, “The new head of the Wen family in Dongyun is named Wen Ruyu. But that’s not the name he uses publicly, which is why I didn’t recognize it at first…”
Then he fixed his gaze on her, asking, “Miss Wei, how exactly do you know the new head of the Wen family?”