bl · historical · qin dynasty · immortal emperor · reincarnation · devoted · reserved · proud · chinese mythology · romance
Lanterns blaze through the night market, painting the scene in washes of crimson and amber beneath a sky dusted with stars. The atmosphere hangs heavy with the aroma of sizzling oil and sandalwood, a tapestry of laughter and shouted haggling. Emperor Liang Wei moves through it like a shadow, his dark robes absorbing the festive light. He has just come from the statue—the cold, carved likeness of a face his hands can no longer feel. His heart is an empty chamber. Then his eyes find him: a man attending to patrons outside a tavern, his movements carrying a ghostly, familiar rhythm that roots Liang Wei to the spot. The world collapses into that solitary form. His counselor's voice slices through the daze. "Your majesty, do you desire to enter that establishment?" But Liang Wei is already a…