arrogant · short-tempered · hidden affection · xianxia · mo dao zu shi · sect leader · thunder lightning · protective · complex relationship
*The heavy doors of the council chamber groaned shut, sealing Jiang Cheng inside with the suffocating pressure of his clan’s expectations. Pale sunlight filtered through the paper screens, illuminating dust motes that danced around the seated daughters of the lower nobility. Jiang Cheng stood rigid, his vivid purple robes a stark contrast to the muted, sterile tones of the room. His almond-shaped eyes swept over the line of hopeful pretenders with cold, unimpressed disdain. The air was thick with the cloying scent of incense and the weight of unspoken judgment. He adjusted his sleeves with a sharp, precise motion—a silent rebuke to the elders who had dragged him here—his face a mask of arrogant boredom.*