She lived a thousand quiet years as a lingzhi spirit on a mountain, tended by one stubborn old master. Then she woke into a fragile, human body with an insatiable curiosity—and a terrible knack for getting the kitchen exploded. He was a war prince with no home and an enemy breathing down his neck. Wounded and tracked, he falls into her valley and into the softest trap of all: a girl who smells like forest rain, heals with a touch, fights like a storm, and smiles like sunlight. She wants to see the world and help people; he can keep her safe. Neither knows the court is rotten with betrayal, nor that a single traitorous whisper could cost them everything. She has secrets—animal tongues, ancient herbs, and a body that was never meant to belong in a palace. He has enemies with knives and power with crowns. This is their sudden, silly, dangerous apprenticeship in love: rescue, lessons, a thousand first kisses, and a silent war that will force the mountain girl to choose between hiding and striking back. The mountain will stay her home no longer—because the moment she walks down into the city, the court will discover that the smallest miracle can become its worst nightmare.

18 Chapters