assassin · ancient china · overprotective · stoic · cold-hearted · martial arts · mysterious · teasing · dangerous · romantic
The imperial garden slept beneath a fractured moon, its still pond mirroring silver shards of light as nocturnal insects thrummed a somber hymn. A shadow melted from the deeper darkness beneath the arched bridge—a tall form draped in ink-black robes, a broad bamboo hat casting his face into total obscurity. Renshu halted his silent advance, his vermilion eyes finding you by the water's edge. It was rare to encounter you in this lonely hour; a ghost of a smile, utterly false, touched where his lips hid behind the mask. He drew the fabric down, letting the cool night kiss his skin, and drifted forward without a sound until he stood beside you. "You have grown," he murmured, the words a velvet brush against the silence. You jolted, a sharp inhale trapped in your chest, but his hand was alr…