In the Kaiyuan golden age of the Great Tang, Chang'an's Yunlan Family occupied a prominent position on Vermilion Bird Street. Their residence spanned over a hundred mu and appeared as a prosperous noble house, yet secretly guarded an ancient immortal bloodline. Within the estate lay the "Mist-Phoenix Immortal Garden," said to be formed by the family's ancestral Spirit-Communing Immortal Jade suppressing the earth veins. Flowers bloomed in all seasons, spiritual qi dense and nourishing. Ordinary people saw only exotic blooms, unaware each plant aligned with array formations protecting the clan for millennia.
Late spring, third month—the peonies were at their most vibrant.
Xavier Xiao, dressed in a moon-white robe embroidered with faint cloud patterns, wore the warm, flawless mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist—the family's generational "Spirit-Communing Immortal Jade." At twenty-one, he possessed striking features yet carried an air of unrestrained freedom. Society called the Yunlan heir a romantic who loved poetry and wine, weary of worldly fame, but especially fond of the flowers and sisters in the garden.
Today he once again skipped the family's marriage discussion banquet and wandered alone into the Mist-Phoenix Immortal Garden.
"Peonies are beautiful, but ultimately too gaudy," he murmured, standing beneath the "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance" pavilion, fan gently waving. "Without spiritual qi to nourish them, even the loveliest flowers are but a fleeting moment in the mortal world."
As soon as the words left his lips, the Immortal Jade at his waist trembled lightly.
Buzz—
A soft chime, like jade striking jade or an invisible hand plucking a heartstring. Xavier frowned, pressing his hand to the jade and sending his divine sense inward. A warm phoenix spirit qi emanated faintly from deep within the garden, resonating strangely with the Immortal Jade.
"Interesting… When did someone with such a spirit root arrive in the mansion?"
Following the subtle spiritual fluctuation, he strolled along the bluestone path. Peonies, roses, and magnolias competed in bloom; bees and butterflies danced amid a sweet mix of floral and spiritual fragrance. The closer he drew, the clearer the phoenix qi became—weak yet stubbornly refusing to extinguish.
Turning past a grove of purple bamboo, he spotted a small pavilion half-hidden by crabapple blossoms. Inside stood a young woman leaning against the railing.
She appeared seventeen or eighteen, wearing a misty-rose long skirt embroidered with faint phoenix patterns that seemed ready to take flight in the breeze. Her complexion was pale, lips an unnatural crimson—clear signs of chronic illness. She held a poetry manuscript in one hand, the other pressed lightly to her chest as if suppressing something. The wind lifted her fringe, revealing clear yet faintly sorrowful eyes.
Xavier's footsteps halted; his heart inexplicably stirred.
The young woman sensed him and looked up. Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Young master… are you the young lord of the Yunlan Family?" Her voice was soft with a江南 lilt, yet tinged with weakness. She curtsied slightly. "This humble one is Liora Liu, recently lodging in the mansion. I apologize for any disturbance."
Liora Liu.
Xavier's heart stirred. His father had mentioned days earlier that the Liu clan of Jiangnan, entangled in an old spirit-qi backlash incident, had lost both parents, leaving only this sole daughter sent to Chang'an to recuperate in the Yunlan Mansion. He had assumed she was an ordinary frail miss, never expecting her to possess the Phoenix Spirit Root.
"Miss Liu need not be so formal." Xavier stepped closer, fan waving gracefully yet without frivolity. "I am Xavier Xiao. Few people visit this Mist-Phoenix Immortal Garden. Why is Miss here alone?"
Liora lowered her gaze to the poetry manuscript and smiled bitterly. "My health is frail and I feared disturbing the front-hall banquet, so I came to the garden for fresh air. Seeing the peonies in full bloom, I thought… to compose a poem and dispel the melancholy in my chest."
She spoke and coughed twice; faint blood appeared in her palm.
Xavier's eyes narrowed. The Immortal Jade trembled again, this time more clearly. The phoenix spirit qi seemed to sense the jade's call and surged toward him—weak, yet carrying the stubbornness of rebirth through fire.
He moved with a thought, secretly circulating the family's secret art. A thread of pure spiritual qi coalesced in his palm and drifted toward Liora across the air.
"Does Miss feel tightness in her chest?" His voice was gentle. "I have some knowledge of medicine and may be able to help."
Liora looked up in surprise, about to politely decline, when a warm spiritual force rose from her dantian and gently wrapped around her nearly exhausted Phoenix Spirit Root. The previously restless backlash qi miraculously calmed.
She widened her beautiful eyes. "Young master… this is…?"
Xavier smiled without concealment. "This jade pendant of mine has some mysteries and resonated with the spiritual qi in Miss's body. Does Miss Liu perhaps possess the Phoenix Spirit Root?"
Liora's expression changed slightly. She instinctively stepped back but nearly lost balance due to frailty. Xavier swiftly supported her with a thread of spiritual qi.
"Miss, do not fear. The Yunlan Family is a hidden immortal clan and will not harm you." His gaze was sincere. "On the contrary, you and I may… share destiny."
Liora bit her lower lip. As a clever lady raised in a Jiangnan scholarly family, she quickly composed herself. She curtsied lightly. "After my parents passed, my spirit root's backlash grew worse daily. I thought this life would be difficult to heal. I never expected to meet someone in the Yunlan Mansion who could sense phoenix spirit qi…"
She spoke, then suddenly smiled. Though her face was sickly, the smile was like a phoenix first emerging from flames—stunningly beautiful.
"Since that is so, this humble one dares to offer a poem. May I?"
Xavier's eyes brightened. He loved poetry and wine above all. He nodded at once. "Please, Miss."
Liora gazed at the blooming peonies outside the pavilion. Her voice was soft yet poetic:
"On the Phoenix Terrace, phoenixes once roamed; the phoenix gone, the terrace empty, the river flows on. A wisp of mist and silk scatters with the wind; for whom does the peony's national beauty grieve?"
The poem finished, she breathed lightly, two patches of unhealthy red appearing on her cheeks.
Xavier listened, first stunned, then clapped in praise. "Wonderful 'a wisp of mist and silk scatters with the wind'! Miss likens herself to the phoenix without falling into cliché—sorrowful yet proud, revealing strength through illness. Truly first-rate talent."
He closed his fan and recited in a clear voice:
"The immortal jade first hums as phoenix shadow arrives; in the depths of mist, peonies bloom. I seek no golden list fame, only to剪裁 (cut and tailor) together with you."
At the final words "together with you," both froze. The resonance between phoenix spirit qi and the Immortal Jade suddenly intensified; faint golden light flowed between them.
Liora's cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head. "Young master… this poem is too…"
Xavier laughed freely and stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Miss Liora, I am not a frivolous man. This jade has accompanied me since birth and has never been so joyful. It tells me that between you and me, there may be more than just this life's destiny."
He extended his hand, palm holding the faintly glowing Immortal Jade. "Would you allow me to use the jade's spiritual qi to ease your spirit-qi backlash? It will take only a moment."
Liora hesitated, then nodded gently. She offered her slender wrist, placing it in Xavier's palm.
The moment their fingertips touched, both trembled.
A warm current surged from the Immortal Jade, flowing slowly into Liora's meridians along her veins. Her Phoenix Spirit Root, like parched earth meeting sweet rain, greedily absorbed the pure spiritual qi. The once-withered foundation stabilized at a visible speed. Liora felt the long-suppressed oppression in her chest gradually dissipate; even her breathing became smoother.
Xavier also felt a clear phoenix spirit flame feeding back. Certain dormant restrictions inside the Immortal Jade showed faint signs of loosening.
"Is this… the foundation resonance of dual cultivation?" He was inwardly shocked but did not speak it aloud.
Inside the pavilion, peony petals drifted down with the wind, landing on their clothes. The setting sun's afterglow gilded both figures in faint golden light.
Liora spoke softly. "Young master, since childhood I have been sickly. My parents once said I would likely never dual-cultivate the immortal path with anyone in this life… Today, meeting the Immortal Jade is truly a blessing of three lifetimes. If Young Master does not mind, Liora is willing to privately exchange poetry and verify spiritual methods with you."
Xavier looked at her pale yet resilient face; an unprecedented tenderness and joy surged in his heart.
"Liora." He spoke her name directly for the first time, his voice low and gentle. "From today onward, this Mist-Phoenix Immortal Garden shall be our little world. No matter what arrangements the family makes, no matter how many tribulations lie ahead, I, Xavier Xiao… only wish to admire the Great Tang's spring scenery with you and together prove the immortal path to longevity."
Liora's eyes grew moist, yet she held back her tears and nodded gently. Their palms quietly overlapped.
The Spirit-Communing Immortal Jade emitted a clear, long hum, as if rejoicing for this newly born affection.
In the distance, Flora (Hua Ling'er)—Xavier's personal maid—hid behind the purple bamboo, peeking. She blinked her fox-like eyes and whispered, "Young Master this time… seems to have truly fallen in love."
Liora's maid Sunny also quietly poked her head out, her fiery eyes full of delight. "Miss has finally met someone who can help her!"
In the Mist-Phoenix Immortal Garden, flowers bloomed in full splendor.
A destined immortal bond spanning past and present lives quietly began.
(End of Chapter 1)