Sixty thousand years ago, the Hidden Sovereign brought calamity to the world, leading to the downfall of the Divine Clan. The Night Clan’s Star Moon Goddess perished, and her path vanished. Her divine artifact, the “Wu Nian Stone” (无念石), was damaged and stored in the Lanling Immortal Sect, remaining unopened to this day. For nearly a hundred years, the Immortal and Demon clans have been in a truce, bound by an agreement that prohibits the use of magical arts among humans. Ning’an City is protected by the Immortal Clan, living in natural peace.
The city lord, Bai Xun, is a mere warrior who has shed blood on the battlefield for several decades, earning numerous military merits. He has two daughters, whom he treasures dearly. His eldest daughter, Bai Xi, is calm and elegant; his second daughter, Bai Shuo, is lively and active, completely opposite to Bai Xi. When they were young, the two sisters once sneaked out of the mansion to play during the Lantern Festival night, only to be kidnapped by a demon.
Because Bai Xi possesses extraordinary vitality and pure spiritual energy, the demon intended to absorb her for its own use. In a critical moment, Zi Yue hovered in the sky, and the demon god Tian Qi descended from the heavens, slaying the demon and rescuing Bai Shuo. To save her elder sister’s life, Bai Shuo kneeled before Tian Qi and promised to cultivate immortal arts to repay the divine being for saving her life. Eventually, Tian Qi resurrected Bai Xi and, before departing, stated that not all gods pity the world. Bai Shuo should be grateful to have eyes similar to her sister’s.
However, when Bai Shuo woke up, she had completely forgotten the appearance of her benefactor, only remembering the red moon jade ring hanging from his waist. Not long after, Bai Xi inexplicably fell gravely ill. The city’s doctors were at a loss, but fortunately, a wandering sage passed by. Although he saved Bai Xi’s life, her destiny was unusual; she must stay away from the mortal realm to grow up safely. As a result, Bai Xun painfully allowed Bai Xi to leave with the sage, and she was never heard from again.
Since then, Bai Shuo devoted her days to seeking immortality and the Dao, misunderstood by outsiders and even her father. She was prematurely arranged to marry Chong Zhao, the son of the steamed bun shop owner from the next street. Bai Xun and Chong Zhao’s parents were old acquaintances. After Chong Zhao’s parents unexpectedly passed away, he took the child into the city lord’s household to care for him. Over time, he grew increasingly fond of the boy, eventually turning him from a surrogate son into a son-in-law.
Bai Shuo never took the marriage arrangement seriously, and Chong Zhao never mentioned it. The two developed a sibling-like bond, growing close year after year, sharing meals and seasons. The meaning of home and family accompanied her into womanhood. Over a decade passed, many things changed, but Bai Shuo’s determination to cultivate immortality remained steadfast.
One day, Bai Shuo inadvertently learned from Master Sun that immortals, to protect the common people, dispatch “Immortal Envoys” to secretly observe each city. By finding such a person and moving them with immense sincerity, one could be invited to join the Immortal Sect. Believing this to be true, Bai Shuo brought a wealth of treasures to the master of Buji Building, unaware that his true identity was the Demon King of the Extreme Realm, Hao Yue Palace Master Fan Yue. He came to this place to collect the five desires of “Love, Hate, Killing, Greed, and Craving” from the world to restart the Wu Nian Stone and obtain the divine power of the Star Moon Goddess preserved within.
Upon first meeting Bai Shuo, Fan Yue immediately embraced her, initially believing she was an immortal sent by the Lanling Immortal Sect to capture him. To his surprise, she was merely an unarmed mortal. In contrast, Bai Shuo mistakenly thought Fan Yue was testing her qualifications in this manner. She not only did not resist but even initiated the embrace, shocking Fan Yue. He intended to use magic to punish her, but Protector Cang Shan hurriedly intervened upon witnessing the scene.
As Bai Shuo and Fan Yue engaged in mutual probing, Bai Xun suddenly led troops for a patrol and inspection. He was shocked to find his daughter there and angrily berated Fan Yue, accusing him of being a lowly tavern owner using his charms to seduce his daughter. An accidental physical contact from Bai Shuo caused the Wu Nian Stone to light up. Before Fan Yue could react, she was taken away by her father, Bai Xun, leaving them to agree to continue their discussion another day.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Lanling Immortal Sect was convened, gathering Immortal Envoys from various regions. Due to the sect’s lack of funds for repairs, the venue was too shabby and simple. Sect Master Jin Yao reluctantly presided over the meeting and announced that the Wu Nian Stone had been lost a few days prior. To quell the Immortal Envoys’ anger, Jin Yao deliberately staged a scene of sacrificing himself to apologize. As expected, the Immortal Envoys dispersed in all directions. Chong Zhao, being the Lanling Sect’s top disciple and responsible for earning money to sustain the sect, was earnestly persuaded by Jin Yao. The steamed bun shop’s business needed to be profitable to repair roofs and furniture and to prepare sufficient provisions for future wars.
Bai Shuo returned to the city lord’s mansion with her father and was harshly reprimanded by Bai Xun. However, she refused to abandon her dream of cultivating immortality, enraging Bai Xun, who threatened to sever their father-daughter relationship. Inside Buji Building, Fan Yue, Tian Huo, and Cang Shen discussed the Wu Nian Stone. Now, only Bai Shuo could activate the Wu Nian Stone, so they decided to monitor her.
On another front, the Demon Clan’s Cold Spring Palace Lord Tian Yu and Fu Ling besieged the Immortal Clan to obtain information about the Wu Nian Stone but failed. Fu Ling stated that she would continue to transform into the flower courtesan Furong, infiltrating Ning’an City to sow discord among the Immortal Clan and oppose Fan Yue. The next morning, Bai Shuo and her father continued their cold war and went back to Buji Building to test Fan Yue’s identity once more. Fan Yue simply played along, pretending to be an Immortal Envoy, making Bai Shuo believe him completely. Using the guise of a test, he aimed to assess whether her emotions could activate the Wu Nian Stone.
