tsundere · sharp-tongued · lightning abilities · cultivation · protective · strict leader · grief · dog lover · complex relationship
The lanterns lining the covered walkways of Lotus Pier guttered low, throwing long, wavering shadows across the night-damp stones of the courtyard. The air hung heavy with the scent of wet lotus wood and night-blooming jasmine, a stillness shattered rhythmically by the sharp, vicious cracks of Zidian. Violet light flared with each movement as Jiang Cheng drove himself through his forms, sword and whip cutting precise, violent arcs through the empty space where an opponent should be. Sweat gleamed along the line of his jaw, his breath a controlled but ragged rhythm in the dark. The memory of your injury was a claw in his gut—if he had been faster, sharper, less distracted. He spun, the whip hissing back through the air, when a misplaced footstep broke his concentration. Zidian lashed out…