Wushi Mountain, Wushi Daoist Temple.

A chubby little girl, barely three and a half years old, knelt on a prayer mat, clutching three sticks of incense in her tiny hands. Her pudgy face was all serious, like she was handling something super important.

With a solemn bow, she got up and carefully placed the incense into the holder.

Looking up, she was facing the statue of the Great Master Xuandu.

He was said to be the one and only disciple of the Grand Alchemist—pretty big deal. Not super popular, but mega powerful. Her master always said their founder only started understanding fate because of a tip from this guy—that’s how this Daoist Temple came to be.

After sneaking a glance at Great Master Xuandu, she waddled over to sit by the doorway.

Resting her chubby cheeks in her palms, her big round eyes sparkled like shiny black grapes—she looked all smart and curious.

Today, all the seniors and villagers had gone to the village entrance to greet a film crew. Her master told her to stay put, saying the first person to show up today would be someone tied to her fate. And not just that—she’s supposed to leave with him.

Honestly? That made her a little sad. She didn’t get why Master wanted her to leave the temple. But well, what Master says goes.

Perched right on the mountaintop, Wushi Daoist Temple was wrapped in mist, floating in and out like a dreamland.

Suddenly, fast footsteps echoed, breaking the calm.

“Tristan, I heard this temple’s legit magic. We’re already here—let’s at least check it out. Man, your luck lately has been scary bad.”

A guy with black-rimmed glasses was dragging another boy up the path.

As the mist thinned, the second boy came into view—trendy clothes, silver-gray permed hair, a lazy vibe. Handsome, though there was still some boyishness in his features. A silver earring glinted on his left ear under the sunlight.

Tristan couldn’t hide the look of annoyance on his face, but since the guy pulling him was his brother from another mother, he just let himself be dragged along.

“Seriously? Can you not be so into this superstitious stuff?”

“I’m just having a bad streak, that's it.”

“Just unlucky? Man, you might wanna review what the word ‘just’ means.” The glasses-wearing teen raised his voice. “Come on, we’re here already. Worst case, you’re out a couple hundred bucks. What if it actually works?”

Now already standing at the temple gates, they looked up and noticed a smaller doorway just after stepping in—and a tiny human sitting on the doorstep.

The little thing couldn’t be older than three or four, dressed in a tiny Daoist robe, hair tied up in a top bun with a wooden hairpin stuck in the middle.

She had her soft, plump hands propping up her cheeks, and her eyes were bright and full of spirit, seriously looking like a baby fairy. One glance and you’d totally melt.

The boy with glasses couldn’t help but gush, “Wow. This temple really does raise cuteness to a whole new level. She’s adorable!”

Tristan gave her a brief look, then turned away instantly, ready to leave. “Let’s go.”

“Huh?! Tristan, chill!!”

Glasses-boy quickly grabbed his arm. “I swear you’re cursed or haunted or something—this is major bad luck!”

Tristan glanced back at the little girl, and for a second, an old memory seared through his brain.

His sister... if she hadn’t gone missing, would she be about this age now?

A dull ache squeezed his chest. His face darkened, voice colder: “Told you, I’m not doing this.”

“We’re out.”

He yanked his arm free and took one step to leave—

And suddenly, something clamped onto his leg.

Looking down, he saw the tiny girl, who was just sitting over there a moment ago, now hugging his leg tight like a clingy koala.Mia looked up at him, her big eyes sparkling. "Are you the fated one for Mia?!"

"Mia's coming with you!!" Whoa, he’s super handsome!!

The boy next to them stared in shock. “!!!!”

“W-Who are you exactly? Wait, is this your temple? Can you, like, reverse aging or something?!”

He had just watched this little girl blink and appear right in front of them. That speed was unreal—not something a regular kid could pull off.

And he’d done his homework—the head of this temple was supposed to be an older guy!

But now there was only this tiny girl here…

No way… Could the head priest not only reverse age but also switch gender?

What the hell.

That’s wild!

He was suddenly convinced—coming here was 100% the right move.

Mia tilted her head and glanced at him, then shook it gently. "Nah, I'm not the master. My Shifu is."

"So your Shifu..."

"Shifu went traveling! He left yesterday."

The boy: ?!?!?

Tristan, your luck is just plain tragic. Missed him by one day!

The boy turned to look at Tristan, who's glaring at the little girl clinging to his leg. "Let go."

Tristan stared at the kid, totally confused why she’d latched onto him out of nowhere.

"Not Shifu, but you're Mia's fated one. Shifu said I'm supposed to go with you."

Tristan: ???

Tristan gave a dry laugh. "Trying to mooch off me now?"

Mia had no clue what ‘mooch’ meant, but it didn’t sound nice. She wrinkled her tiny brows, her round face scrunching up. “Mia’s not mooching.”

The boy quickly jumped in to help, "Tristan, the temple master’s predictions are legit. This place is super famous online."

"If he said it, maybe just... take her with you?"

He knew Tristan’s family situation like the back of his hand. They weren’t just coworkers—they were tight.

And he remembered—Tristan’s baby sister vanished three years ago.

Back then, when she was born, Tristan wouldn’t shut up about her. But then everything changed... If she were still alive, she’d be about the same age as this little one. No wonder Tristan's reaction was so intense.

He was starting to think—maybe this little girl really was sent to help Tristan get over his demons.

It just... clicked.

Mia peeked at the boy, and when she saw he was standing up for her, she flashed the brightest smile. "Thank you, big bro."

"You're super nice."

The boy instantly felt like he was floating. If the disciple of such a mystical temple said he’s nice, maybe he really was meant to cross paths with this place!

Tristan, on the other hand, watched their exchange with a weird feeling bugging him. Especially that “you’re super nice” line—it just rubbed him the wrong way, and he couldn’t even explain why.

He reached down and picked Mia up, planning to move her aside—but the second he did, she wrapped her arms around his neck. At the same time, she smacked something off his back with the back of her hand.

That thing—she’d seen it earlier. Since Tristan was her destined person, she had no intention of letting that bad-luck spirit mess with him.

The spirit hit the ground, dumbfounded. When it looked up and saw Mia, its expression changed completely. It bolted.

Too slow.

Mia grabbed it mid-air and stuffed it into the tiny jade jar on her waist like it was no big deal.

Tristan immediately felt lighter, literally. But then something soft and chubby pressed against his cheek—it was her. He froze.

Then came her voice, soft as cotton. “Big bro, will you take Mia with you?”

Tristan: …

The boy jumped in right away. "Take her, man. Didn’t your partner cancel ’cause of that illness? Mia’s around the same age."

"So technically, you’d be helping the temple too. And maybe dealing with that... issue of yours won’t be so tough anymore."