After his master dies, Li Qingwu, a tomb keeper, is framed for stealing a treasure by the Hanshan Sect and cast out of the sect. All he has left is an ancient bronze lamp called Mortalization. This bone lamp contains the Nascent Soul power of the old Hall Master. When lit, it can repel enemies and heal wounds, but at the cost of devouring the user's humanity: memories, emotions, and attachments are gradually erased by its flames.
The sect covets the lamp's power and plans to use it to open the bronze gate. Once the gate is thrown open, all living beings in the world will become wandering souls, stripped of every memory. While fleeing, Li Qingwu lights the bone lamp several times to save his life, losing more and more of his past until he can barely remember his master's face. After many twists of fate, he reunites with his long-lost mother, Gu Heng, but the lamp's flames show no mercy. By the time they meet again, many of his memories have already vanished.
What does it mean to become mortal? It isn't abandoning one's mortal heart to attain the Dao and become an immortal. It's holding power that reaches the heavens and still keeping a mortal's love, hate, and attachments. When the patterns on the lamp burn away, the mortal heart will be extinguished forever. With the safety of all living beings on one side of the scales and the few remaining memories of family on the other, the tomb keeper must make a difficult choice. This story has no CP and focuses on fate and family bonds. It has a calm pace, is a complete novella, and ends on a bittersweet, heartwarming note.
Theme: The true Great Dao lies not in casting aside mortal feelings, but in preserving one's true heart and ties to the human world even when one possesses great power.
