Widow Yun Niang goes up the mountain to gather goods and accidentally saves a pregnant female Qilin from the jaws of hyenas. Dying, the female Qilin entrusts her orphan to her, asking her first to teach the child to remember gratitude, and then tell it of hatred. Yun Niang takes the cub home and names it Cheng Shan. Cheng Shan can call her mother, heal her wounds, and shield her with its body. But its unusual appearance draws villagers' suspicion, extortion from wicked neighbors, and a Taoist priest's pursuit, forcing mother and child to leave the village. To take human form and grow up to take care of Yun Niang, Cheng Shan embarks on the path of cultivation and passing through fire. Although Yun Niang cannot bear the auspicious fire for it, she always stays by its side. When the truth behind the biological mother's murder surfaces, Cheng Shan finally walks up to the enemy.