For several months now, the emperor of the Central Plains has been missing. The Empress Dowager sends Imperial Guard general Li Mao and court advisor Wei Xian on a secret mission to find him. On the road they cross paths with three unusual figures: Zong Sheng, a martial arts prodigy who becomes a child whenever he cries; Fan Tian, a teenager who has lost part of his memory; and Gong Liangzhen, a kind, resilient young Taoist nun living with a leg ailment. Their first meeting sparks conflict, and each of them carries a private agenda. As the search goes on, the chaos around them seems to trace back to a mysterious mountain of immortals from legend and to the secret of eternal life.