Also known as: When Luck Blinks First
Wei Long was dreaming.
Which, in itself, wasn't strange. He'd once dreamed he was a dumpling being dipped into the Dao.
But tonight was different.
The dream felt… ordered.
A vast field of stars. A staircase that curved into nothingness. A floating book titled:
"Memoirs of the Last Accidental Immortal."
A voice echoed around him — not heavenly, not grand. Just tired.
"So... you've inherited it."
Wei Long frowned. "Inherited what? I didn't even inherit my uncle's goat."
"The curse. The miracle. The pattern."
A shadow stepped forward — a man dressed like a wanderer, with the same blank, sleepy eyes as Wei Long. His voice was dry.
"I was once like you. People bowed. Luck obeyed. The heavens laughed, and I laughed back."
Wei Long stepped closer.
"And then?"
"And then… the world turned around and asked for payment."
The dream shattered like porcelain dropped from a balcony.
Wei Long jolted awake — drenched in sweat.
The tea next to him had boiled on its own.
Lin Qian rushed in.
"Master! There's… someone outside the mountain."
Wei Long looked at her.
"Not another follower?"
"No. He didn't bow. He didn't smile. He… sat down and said he'd wait."
Wei Long stepped out to see a tall man in gray robes sitting on a rock, drinking his tea.
He looked up.
"I'm not here to fight," the man said. "I'm here to remember."
Wei Long blinked. "Do I owe you dumplings?"
The man chuckled. "I was the last one who walked the path you now stumble through."
Wei Long stared. "The… Unstructured Harmony?"
"No. Before it had a name. Before people believed it was real."
He looked up at the clouds.
"I was called 'Wandering Misfortune.' The heavens pushed me around for fun. I slipped my way through three realms before they finally figured me out."
Wei Long sat down, intrigued despite himself.
"What happened then?"
The man looked at him, suddenly serious.
"They took back everything. Because they thought I was a threat. A flaw in the design."
Wei Long swallowed.
"Can they do that?"
The man stood.
"Ask the one watching you now."
He pointed at the sky.
Wei Long looked.
Nothing.
Then… something blinked.
High above. Hidden. Watching.
Like a celestial eye behind the stars.
Elsewhere — far above mortal realms — the Watcher stirred.
"He's learning too quickly.His awareness is growing.Time to introduce… a test."
A hand moved across a divine chessboard. A single piece was placed.
The piece said only:
'Trial.'
Back on Mount Chaos, Wei Long stood silent.
Lin Qian approached. "What now?"
He smiled faintly.
"…Now I wait for the sky to try and trip me."
A wind blew.
The radish statue exploded for no reason.
Wei Long sighed. "It's started, hasn't it?"
To be continued...