Lotus Bones, Spirit Pearls Born of Me, Aster as My Companion

Zi Wansheng, a peony aster spirit who had taken human form, sneaked down to the mortal realm and stumbled upon a fire. Remembering her master Lingzhuzi's teaching, “Good deeds done to be seen are not truly good,” she risked punishment to save the children. Her true form was immune to mortal flames, but she could not protect the mortals from harm. At the crucial moment, Lingzhuzi appeared, their gender impossible to discern and their beauty cool and otherworldly, and led them both to safety.

Zi Wansheng fell in love with her master at first sight, secretly yearning for the unique tenderness Lingzhuzi showed her. One night beneath the moon, she boldly confessed her feelings and nestled close. When the two returned to Nüwa's Palace, Zi Wansheng learned that her grandmaster, Nüwa, had long since given her permission to venture into the mortal world and gain experience. She had been brought to life by a drop of blood from Lingzhuzi's fingertip and nurtured with their vital essence.

A thousand years passed. Zi Wansheng came to understand the depth of her love for Lingzhuzi, but could not let go of her obsession. Then the Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods arrived, and Lingzhuzi was ordered to reincarnate and undergo tribulation. Before they parted, Lingzhuzi sealed away their memories of the past life, bestowed their primordial divine consciousness upon her, and left a vermilion mole made from blood at their fingertip. Then they reincarnated in Chentang Pass as Li Jing's third son, Nezha.

Born with an unusual appearance, Nezha was rejected by his father, then remade and taken as a disciple by both Taiyi Zhenren and the Tathagata. Zi Wansheng descended to the mortal realm as a remnant soul and silently watched over Nezha in his new life. After Nezha was reborn in a lotus body, his beauty surpassed all others in the Three Realms. He reunited with Zi Wansheng, and they stayed together. When Li Jing destroyed his temple and his mother passed away, Nezha turned against his father. Zi Wansheng stood up for him and was gravely injured.

Nezha sought revenge for his mother, but was repeatedly suppressed by senior members of the Chan Sect. Humiliated, he broke down in tears, while Taiyi Zhenren fiercely defended his disciple. Zi Wansheng stayed by Nezha's side, both cherishing the traces of Lingzhuzi in his features and feeling guilty for treating him as a substitute.

She gave Nezha a jasmine jade pendant and sent him a sachet as a token of her longing. Their feelings blossomed in secret. Just then, the Chan Sect's third-generation disciples held a tournament, and Nezha's master played a prank on him by making him change into women's clothes, leaving him flustered and charming.