Snowstorm night.

Crumbling temple.

A ragged fire burned low within tilting walls of cracked bricks.

A lean, sharp-eyed teenager in a patched robe lay sprawled on a bed of straw, chewing a stalk of dry grass.

Beside him: a chipped gourd, a rust-covered longsword, and a black dog gnawing lazily at a bone.

"Sophia Bennett’s got curves. Definitely the kind to bear strong sons."

"Lily’s skin’s whiter than snow. Delicate, soft… just looking at her gets the blood going."

"Emily Scoggins? Sweet, kind-hearted, and that soft voice..."

He paused, scratched his head. "So, Buddy, if Sophia, Lily, and Emily all lined up to marry me—who’d I pick?"

He burped contentedly, looking at Buddy, the dog, torn between choices only a full stomach could afford.

That's humans for you. Starving—you worry about food. Fed—you start craving women.

Not really his fault. At sixteen, fire burned hot in his blood, and each sunrise he woke like a flagpole.

Buddy tilted his head. Under the flicker of firelight, his blue eyes held raw disdain.

"Woof…"

A grunt, a lift of a hind leg—clear as words: "You? Dreaming of those girls? Get real, kid. You want a look at yourself? I can piss a mirror right here."

Ethan Brooks didn’t take it kindly. Grabbed a handful of straw and lobbed it at the mutt.

"Damn dog, what’s that look supposed to mean? Believe it or not, I’ll have your bones in a stew pot this time tomorrow!"

That was Ethan—just turned sixteen. No parents. Raised in this busted land temple by the late temple keeper.

That keeper, old and shriveled, had gobbled two beggar’s chickens and drained a jug of sorghum brew during a storm six winters ago, then kicked the bucket—legs straight, eyes rolled.

Before the end, he’d gripped Ethan’s small hand and made him promise to wait here—to pass a box to someone. If that person didn’t come by the time Ethan turned sixteen, the boy was free to leave.

Six years. No one showed.

Tonight, bellies full, he and Buddy were ready. Tomorrow, they'd hit the road.

The temple itself was a wreck. One shrine room left. Two side huts blown down in a past storm.

Three li north sat a town called Fuyang. Back when the old man was alive, this place still had worshippers. Folks from town would come light incense on holidays.

Ethan?

After years of effort, he’d officially run the place into the ground.

Now? Cobwebs thick, straw everywhere, broken roof with holes big enough for a wolf to fall through.

Last year, he chopped the altar for firewood. Lucky the earth gods were clay. If they'd been wooden, they’d have joined the pile too.

“Master... You've been gone six winters. Buddy and I stuck around like you asked, but that guy you spoke of never came. So, tomorrow... we’re walking out of here. Time to find our own way.”“You’ve got to understand me, Master. I’m sixteen now. Handsome, tall, the best-looking lad for miles—maybe even five hundred miles—but folks in town still treat me like I’m some lunatic beggar. No girl would even look at me. I don’t wanna end up alone like you… no offense.”

Ethan Brooks sat in the cold, rundown Earth God Temple, speaking to the spirit of his old master, knowing full well there’d be no reply. He was half talking to himself anyway, making promises he wasn’t sure he could keep.

“Don’t worry. One day when I make it big, I’ll come back, put your statue up again, rebuild this old place.”

Outside, the wind howled and snow kept falling. The fire in front of him was tiny, barely enough to keep his fingers from freezing. The cracks in the walls let in more cold air than they kept out.

He pulled his threadbare robe tighter, sat cross-legged, and started channeling his energy. The cultivation technique his master left him didn’t have a name, and he didn’t care. All Ethan knew was, when he practiced it, warmth flowed through his body. It chased away the cold and dulled the hunger.

His hands formed a seal, breath steadying as he focused. Soon, a faint aura of deep blue flickered around him, soft and warm. Above his head, wisps of colored light slowly spun. The broken walls of the temple started to feel a bit less cold.

But outside, hidden by the snowstorm, came movement.

Ghostly figures floated through the snowfall, glowing with a sickly green light—spirits of the dead, the kind that hadn’t moved on. They were drifting toward the old temple, drawn in by something inside.

Ethan’s aura.

But just as they came close, they stopped. None of them entered.

A protective barrier shimmered faintly around the temple—ancient, unseen, but still strong. The ghosts couldn’t break through.

Buddy, the old black dog beside Ethan, lifted his head, glanced at the restless spirits through a hole in the wall, then lowered it again. He’d seen worse. He licked the last bit of meat from a bone and dropped back to sleep at Ethan’s feet.

Three miles north of the temple was Fuyang Town. Morning arrived.

The blizzard had turned the whole world white, burying roofs, roads, and trees. The town looked like a painting done in black ink and snow.

Into that silent world stepped a girl in white.

She looked about eighteen or nineteen. Tall, pale skin, delicate features. Her dark eyes were cold but clear, sharp as blades beneath long lashes. Jet-black hair flowed down her back, like ink spilled in snow.

She wore a long white robe, matching the sword she carried—white sheath, white hilt. Everything about her was black and white, like she didn’t belong in this world.

Even her gaze was distant, untouched by the wind, the snow, or the curious eyes of the town’s people.

She walked the street like a snow spirit out of some legend—too beautiful, too clean, too unreal. She drew every gaze in town like a flame draws moths. Fuyang wasn’t a big place. It wasn’t rich, wasn’t on any trade routes, and the main road was seventy li away. Strangers rarely came through, let alone stunning women like this.

Men’s jaws dropped. Women whispered. Kids pointed.

But she didn’t blink.

The girl walked straight up to Ms. Carter’s breakfast stall. Voice calm, she asked, “Excuse me, ma’am. Do you know if there used to be a Moon God Shrine around here?"

Before Ms. Carter could answer, her plump daughter-in-law chimed in, smiling wide, “No Moon Shrine, miss. Are you here to ask about marriage? Down south, fifty li away, there’s a Guanyin Temple on Mount Cuiping. People say it’s real good for love fortunes. Even got a Buddha light showing a few years back. I’m planning to take my daughter there soon myself!”The woman in white had a stunning face, but there was a trace of disappointment on it. She gave a quiet thanks and turned to leave.

That’s when old Ms. Carter spoke up, her voice uncertain, “Miss, are you looking for the Moon God Temple?”

The woman nodded slightly.

Ms. Carter thought for a moment, then said, “There used to be one. Three miles south of town.”

A young girl with big, curious eyes and a bright floral jacket chimed in, “Granny, isn’t that the abandoned Earth Shrine? When was it ever a Moon God Temple?”

“You know nothing, girl. That Earth Shrine used to be the Moon God Temple. About sixty years ago, some rich lord’s concubine met a man there in secret. The old guy got furious and burned the place down. Later, a wandering Daoist came to town, spent some silver to rebuild it. Still called it the Moon God Temple at first, but that same rich lord kept stirring up trouble. Pretty soon, the temple changed hands, became the Earth Shrine. The Daoist stayed behind, turned out to be that booze-loving old priest.”

Everything clicked for the pretty girl, her plump mother, and some early customers nearby.

That old story—only someone Ms. Carter’s age would still remember it.

The woman in white looked toward the south. Her eyes lit up slightly, clear as water.

“Thank you, elder.”

With a polite nod, she turned and left.

“Hey! Miss!” Ms. Carter’s pudgy daughter-in-law shouted after her, “Don’t go to that Earth Shrine! There’s this crazy boy always moaning over some girl, the place is haunted too! And there’s a huge black dog—scary as hell! A looker like you, don’t get yourself messed with by that lunatic!”

The woman didn’t reply. Her figure flickered, and in just a few breaths, she was gone from the street—as if part of the wind.

Gasps rose all around.

Mr. Bennett, pushing his waste cart, blinked in place. Next to him stood a girl with a striking figure—his daughter, Sophia Bennett. A mute.

Locals called her the Silent Girl.

They exchanged a glance, both frowning a little.

Back at Ms. Carter’s eatery, the big-eyed girl kept working and said, “Ma, Ethan Brooks… he’s not bad. He’s just been living alone in that shrine for so long. Makes him a bit off, that’s all. You shouldn’t talk about him like that.”

“Emily, don’t be silly! That little lunatic’s tried to mess with you a few times, and you still take his side? Girls really do side with outsiders once they grow up.”

That big-eyed beauty—she was the prettiest girl in Fuyang Town and the one Ethan Brooks most wanted to take as his bride.

Emily Scoggins didn’t argue back. She just glanced south, her rosy cheeks showing a bit of envy.

She murmured to herself, “That girl in white… like a fairy. So beautiful. Is she the one the old priest told Ethan to wait for? But why’s it a girl? No, I’ve got to see for myself…”

Emily and Ethan were close. Same age, grew up together—childhood sweethearts, kind of.

But once the old priest died, Ethan lost his only support. He was still a kid then, didn’t take care of the Earth Shrine, scraped by however he could—stealing chickens, snatching fruit.

As he grew older, he started looking at women.

Always teasing the girls, sneaking around their walls, climbing widows’ fences.

That earned him the title of town pest in the last few years.

Still, as they say—gold nest or silver nest, nothing beats your own doghouse.If Ethan Brooks had gotten along with folks better, he wouldn’t be thinking about heading out to beg in some strange town.

Problem was, this damn place had squeezed him dry—no work, no future. Time to go.

Emily Scoggins was one of the few people in Fuyang Town who’d call Ethan a friend.

He’d told her before: he’d long wanted to hit the road, make a name for himself out in the world. But before the old temple keeper died, he made Ethan promise to guard that crumbling land temple until he turned sixteen—said someone would come for him.

That someone never came.

Emily knew today was the day Ethan was leaving for Quyang, a city a hundred miles to the south. So she woke up early, helped her mom and grandma at the breakfast stall, and tucked away a dozen buns and steamed rolls. Those would be Ethan’s travel rations.

She watched for the right moment, then slipped the food into her quilted cotton coat.

“Ma, I’m going to find Lily.”

“You little rascal, running off in the snow again? Girls have gone missing all over for six months now—get back here before dark!”

“It’s only been happening at night! I’ll be fine, really!”

Lately, a flower thief had been haunting the region, snatching up young women under the cover of darkness. Not even the empire’s dragnet could catch the bastard. Families with pretty daughters were scared out of their wits.

Good thing it all happened at night—no one dared say a girl had vanished in daylight. That at least kept the young ladies from locking themselves indoors all day.

Outside the land temple, Ethan stood in his tattered Taoist robes. A worn-out bag slung over his shoulder, a rusted sword and a chipped gourd hitched to his waist.

By his side sat Buddy, that hulking black mutt—almost as big as a calf.

No one really knew how old Buddy was. As far as Ethan could remember, the dog had always been with him. Thirteen years or more, and Buddy hadn’t aged a day.

Sometimes Ethan wondered if the mutt had turned into some kind of spirit beast.

He looked up at the sagging temple plaque, eyes filled with a strange mix of feelings. Sixteen years here. He’d often dreamed about leaving, and now that he really was, part of him didn’t want to go.

Still, he reached out slowly and shut the gate.

The rotting wooden doors groaned on their hinges—high-pitched and unpleasant.

Touching his chin, Ethan muttered, “Temple like this, only statues of Earth God and Earth Lady left. Roof’s full of holes… Buddy, you think I should lock this place?”

“Woof! Woof!” Buddy gave a low bark, eyes full of disdain.

“Heh... right, I don’t even have a lock.”

Ethan chuckled dryly, somehow understanding what Buddy meant.

He shot the temple one last glance and murmured, “Master, don’t worry. I’ll come back.”

His plan? Head to the big city, Quyang. Make a name for himself. Marry a wife. Build a life.

Fuyang was too small—poor and hopeless. Quyang had hundreds of thousands of people. Even begging there would be more profitable.

"Woof... Woof…"

Suddenly, Buddy barked again—sharp, loud, urgent this time.

Ethan turned. From the direction of Fuyang, a streak of white light blasted toward them.

In a flash, it arrived—hovering just before the land temple.

A stunning woman, dressed in white, floated in midair on a flying sword. A fairy, no doubt about that.