Chapter I
Chapter 1 — The Mysterious Old Man
Ming Meng was an ordinary girl who lived a quiet life.
One peaceful afternoon, she sat on a wooden chair in her garden, completely absorbed in a book.
Suddenly, she heard a strange voice coming from behind the trees.
Ming Meng slowly closed her book and looked toward the garden.
“Who’s there?”
She stood up and walked closer, but there was no one.
Thinking she had imagined it, she returned to her chair.
A little later, someone knocked on her door.
When Ming Meng opened it, she found an old man standing outside. He wore a strange robe and carried a wooden staff.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
The old man smiled gently.
“I am looking for a lotus flower. Do you have one?”
Ming Meng shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I only have tulips and roses.”
The old man nodded, then asked,
“Then could you give me some water?”
“Of course.”
She brought him a glass of water.
After drinking it, the old man looked at her with a mysterious smile.
“You have a kind heart.”
Before leaving, he placed a delicate bracelet around Ming Meng’s wrist.
“This is a reward for your kindness. Keep it safe.”
“What is it?” Ming Meng asked.
But the old man had already turned away.
“Wait!”
She rushed outside, but he had disappeared.
Ming Meng stared down the road in confusion.
“Strange…”
She returned inside and noticed that some water remained in the glass.
There was something green floating at the bottom.
“Algae?”
Without thinking much about it, she carried the glass outside and threw the remaining water into the garden.
At that exact moment, two cats were fighting beneath the trees.
One was completely black.
The other was grey.
“Meow!”
The water splashed directly onto the grey cat.
Suddenly, the entire garden fell silent.
A strange light surrounded the grey cat.
Ming Meng's eyes widened.
“What…?”
Before her eyes, the grey cat vanished.
At the same time, the black cat began glowing.
Its body transformed into that of a young man.
He had dark hair, sharp features, and an aura that felt strangely cold and dangerous.
Ming Meng stared at him in disbelief.
A cat had just become a human.
The mysterious young man slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he whispered,
“Ling Feng…”
Ming Meng's vision blurred.
The last thing she saw was the mysterious man standing in her garden.
Then everything went black.
She collapsed onto the ground.
And somewhere far away, the bracelet on her wrist began to glow.
Something ancient had awakened.
Something that connected Ming Meng to Ling Feng…
Her twin flame.
