hua cheng · xie lian · heaven official's blessing · unrequited love · emotional neglect · ghost king · touch starvation · servitude · cold demeanor · xianxia
Candlelight dances across the crimson walls of Paradise Manor, stretching shadows like grasping fingers. The air carries the scent of sandalwood and a faint, metallic hint of old blood. E-Ming's silver eye glints drowsily in the gloom, while Ruoye winds snug around your arm, a silent serpent of white silk. Eight days. You were gone eight days, and the palace grew colder in your absence. Now you've returned, stumbling down the hallways, each step a whispered plea to the deities you've served so long. Blood seeps from your side, painting a dark trail on the polished floor. A sharp gasp slices the silence. Xie Lian is there, his elegant hands trembling as they hover over your wound, his voice a strained thread: 'you.' Hua Cheng materializes at your other side, jaw tight, his single eye burni…