Taiyun Mountain, Taiyun Taoist Temple.

A chubby little girl, no more than three and a half years old, knelt politely on a cushion, holding three incense sticks in her tiny hands. Her round cheeks puffed out in concentration, looking all serious.

She bowed gently, then stood up and placed the incense in its holder with care.

When she looked up, sitting right in front of her was the statue of Master Jameson.

He was said to be the only direct disciple of Taishang Laojun—not often mentioned, but ridiculously powerful. According to her master, their ancestor was once guided by this very master to understand fate and destiny, which led to the building of this very Taoist temple.

After giving Master Jameson one final glance, the little one wandered to the temple entrance and plopped herself down on the wooden threshold.

Her soft little hands propped up her chubby cheeks, face slightly puffed, and her big dark eyes sparkled like black grapes—bright and curious.

Today, her senior brothers and the villagers had gone to meet a filming crew at the village entrance. Her master had told her to stay at the temple. Apparently, someone very important was arriving—someone “meant to be”—and she was to leave with him.

She felt a little down. She didn’t understand why Master wanted her to leave the temple, but since he said so, she would listen.

The temple was nestled at the mountaintop, wrapped in layers of mist. It looked magical, like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps broke the quiet.

“Bro, I heard this place is super spiritual. Since we’re already here, why not check it out? You’ve been having the worst luck lately, man!”

One boy with black-rimmed glasses was practically dragging another up the path.

As the fog parted, the dragged teen came into view. He had silver-gray, slightly curly hair, wore a trendy outfit, and gave off a lazy cool vibe. His face was handsome, still touched with a bit of youthful innocence. A silver earring on his left ear caught a glint of sunlight.

He looked annoyed, but since this guy was his bro, he let himself be pulled up without much resistance.

“Seriously, can you stop buying into all this superstitious stuff?”

“I’m just unlucky, that’s it.”

“Unlucky?” The black-rimmed guy's voice shot up. “You sure you understand what ‘just unlucky’ means?”

“Alright, whatever, we’re already here. Costs just a few bucks—might as well try, right? Who knows?”

They stopped at the temple gate and looked inside. Beyond the solemn entrance, they spotted another small doorway, and on the threshold sat a little dumpling of a girl.

She was tiny, maybe three or four years old, wearing a mini Taoist robe. Her black hair was tied up in a high bun with a wooden hairpin stuck through the middle.

With her hands squishing her round cheeks and those sparkly eyes checking them out, she looked soft, cuddly—like a little deity. Just one look and your heart was jelly.

“Dang, this place grows the cutest little priestesses,” the glasses kid said, clearly impressed. “She’s seriously adorable.”

Lyndon glanced at the child, then quickly looked away and turned to leave. “I’m out.”

“Hey! Bro! Don’t go!”

His friend grabbed him again in a panic. “You didn’t even get your reading! I swear something’s up with you—you’re either cursed or haunted by some bad luck ghost!”

Lyndon glanced back at the little girl. And all of a sudden, he thought of his little sister—if she was still here, she'd probably be around the same age.

His chest tightened painfully, and his face turned colder. “I said no.”

“I’m leaving.”

He shook his friend’s hand off and stepped away—only to feel a sudden weight on his leg.

Looking down, he froze.

That little girl?

Yeah, somehow she’d run all the way over and was now hugging his leg, not letting go.Stella looked up at him, eyes sparkling. “Are you my fated person?!”

“I wanna go with you!!”

Gosh, this boy is so handsome!!

The boy next to him: ?!!!

“Wait, who are you even? Is this temple yours? Can you, like, reverse aging?!”

He literally just saw the little girl zoom over to them in a flash—not something your average toddler could possibly pull off.

He’d heard the temple master was a guy! But now there’s just a little girl…

Hold up, did this guy master not only age backward but do a gender swap too?

Damn.

Impressive!

Suddenly, the boy felt like coming here was definitely worth it.

Stella glanced at him and shook her head lightly. “Nope, I’m not the temple master. My master is.”

“So, your master is…”

“He left on a journey yesterday.”

The boy: ?!!!

Lyndon, man, your luck is seriously cursed! You missed him by just one day!

He turned to look at Lyndon and noticed the cold, unreadable look on his face.

“Let go.”

Lyndon stared down at the little girl clinging to his leg, completely thrown off by her sudden pounce.

“My master did the reading and said you’re my destined one. He told me to go with you.”

Lyndon: ???

He let out a short, disbelieving breath. “Is this a scam or something?”

Stella didn’t know what “scam” meant, but it didn’t sound like a compliment. Her little face scrunched up like a steamed bun. “Stella’s not scamming.”

The boy quickly tried to smooth things over. “Lyndon, seriously, the master here is legit. This temple’s kind of a big deal, even online.”

“If the master said it, maybe… maybe just take her with you?”

He knew what Lyndon had been through. They weren’t just coworkers—they were practically brothers.

Ever since they lost Lyndon’s little sister three years ago…

Back then, Lyndon showed off his baby sister like she was treasure. But then…

If she had survived, she’d be around the same age as this adorable tiny girl now. No wonder he reacted so strongly.

And honestly? Letting things go on like this isn’t good for him. Maybe this little one is here to pull him out of the darkness.

He felt like he’d just had a moment of clarity.

Stella looked at the boy who’d just stood up for her and gave him a sweet, warm smile. “Thanks, big brother.”

“You’re really sweet.”

The boy felt a little lightheaded from her compliment. Haha, being praised by the master’s disciple? Maybe he was meant to come here after all!

Lyndon watched the two interact and that “you’re really sweet” sentence weirdly got under his skin. He didn’t even know why he felt so annoyed.

He suddenly picked her up, planning to set her aside, but the second he did, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, just like that, she smacked something invisible off his back.

She’d seen the misfortune spirit hanging there from the start. Since he was her destined one, she couldn’t let that thing keep messing with him.

The spirit hit the ground with a thud, looking confused. As soon as it locked eyes with Stella, its expression turned terrified and it bolted.

But Stella just waved her hand, caught it mid-air, and sealed it inside the little jade bottle at her waist like it was nothing.

Lyndon suddenly felt a weird lightness in his body. Right after that, her soft, chubby cheek pressed against his, and she whispered sweetly, “Big brother, will you take Stella with you?”

Lyndon: …

The boy quickly jumped in. “Come on, just take her. Your usual partner couldn’t make it anyway, right? She’s about the same age, isn’t she?”

“Besides, we’d be doing the temple master a solid—and it’d probably help fix whatever’s haunting you.”