In the tranquil Mirror Cloud Residence, night fell peacefully.
Today is Mi Xingzhe's birthday, but he has never mentioned it to anyone. To him, each birthday is a reminder of being an abandoned infant.
Unable to sleep, Mi Xingzhe wanted to be alone in the courtyard for some fresh air.
The night was silent, with peach trees swaying gently. The moonlight was bright, casting a chilly atmosphere. Mi Xingzhe, dressed in a white robe with a blue cloak draped over him, walked slowly out of his room, gazing up at the starry sky. His dark eyes held a profound sadness.
Reflecting on his experiences, everything seemed like a dream. From being a beggar mistreated by others to joining the immortal sect and obtaining precious elixirs, even gaining a family. All these were once his deepest desires, and within a few months, they had all come true.
In the faint moonlight, Mi Xingzhe noticed a figure in the distant courtyard, facing the moonlight in contemplation. It was his master.
The pale moonlight enveloped his master, and his ancient jade-colored robe fluttered lightly in the night breeze. His slender figure looked somewhat fragile under the moonlight. With one hand behind his back and the other seemingly holding something, Li Luoning stood there lost in thought.
"Master, are you unable to sleep as well?" Mi Xingzhe whispered, sitting down by the corridor without intending to disturb his master.
Noticing the sound, Li Luoning turned his head and saw Mi Xingzhe sitting there.
"The night is chilly, why are you dressed so lightly?" Li Luoning hurried over, her voice as clean as the moonlit night, full of concern.
"Is Master also unable to sleep tonight?" Mi Xingzhe didn't answer directly, his lowered eyes showing no intention to explain to Li Luoning. He simply asked quietly.
"You are still recuperating, be careful not to catch a cold." Li Luoning sighed, reaching out to tighten Mi Xingzhe's clothes.
"It's alright. Before coming to The Liao Yin Immortal Realm, the place where I lived was much colder at night than here." Mi Xingzhe smiled bitterly, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, and his dim eyes avoiding some memories he didn't want to recall.
Seemingly sensing his troubles tonight, Li Luoning didn't say much, just sat quietly beside Mi Xingzhe. Her hand moved, summoning a jug of wine. Taking a sip, she then handed it to Mi Xingzhe.
"Master allows me to drink?" Mi Xingzhe asked in surprise.
"In ordinary families, once one passes the coming-of-age ceremony, they can marry and have children. Why can't you drink?" Li Luoning smiled lightly.
Mi Xingzhe's lips curled slightly as he looked at the wine jug handed to him by his master. On such a night, under the moonlight, with two people and their silent thoughts, a jug of wine was just right. Perhaps he drank too hastily or wasn't used to the sweet and pure taste of the wine, Mi Xingzhe accidentally choked on it, coughing several times.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Li Luoning took back the wine jug and helped him catch his breath.
"Nian'er, would you like to tell your master about your past?" Li Luoning gazed at the moon overhead for a long time, her eyes filled with profound stories.
Mi Xingzhe glanced at Li Luoning, his eyelashes trembling slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Alright."
On such a quiet night, it was easy for people to open their hearts. Under the moonlight, both of them had their own stories.
"Today is my birthday. But I don't like celebrating it because I was once an abandoned infant, raised by Grandfather Mi." Mi Xingzhe said softly, his eyes revealing an undisguised sadness.
Li Luoning just nodded in agreement, sitting quietly beside him, listening to Mi Xingzhe continue.
"Grandfather Mi named me Xingzhe, based on a poem. But he didn't know many characters, so he chose two characters he knew. Grandfather Mi told me that the poem was related to my origin." Mi Xingzhe explained calmly, his eyes downcast, carefully articulating.
"Do you remember the lines on the paper?" Li Luoning asked.
"I can recite it, but I can't write it. I once met a kind-hearted big brother who read the lines to me. Later, I was sold, and the trafficker took away everything on me, but I still remember the lines." Mi Xingzhe recounted calmly.
"Would you be willing to recite it for your master? Perhaps it holds clues to your background." Li Luoning turned to look at Mi Xingzhe, her tone gentle.
"Alright, but even if there are clues, it wouldn't matter. I was abandoned as an infant. If my family really wanted me, they wouldn't have heartlessly abandoned me back then." Mi Xingzhe waved his hand lightly, his tone filled with disappointment.
"But you're different now. Don't you want to know who your biological parents are?" Li Luoning asked.
"I don't want to. Since they didn't want me, why should I bother to go back and add to my troubles?" Mi Xingzhe replied with a cold and lonely gaze.
"Perhaps, they also had inexplicable reasons back then." Li Luoning looked up at the bright moon in the sky, her words full of deep meaning.