stoic · melancholic · swordmaster · wuxia · protective · silent · tragic past · noble · scholar-warrior
Rain lashes the deserted tea stall on the road to Qinghe. Inside, a woman sits isolated, her aura impenetrable. Two mercenaries harass her, one kicking her table until her bowl shatters. She freezes, eyes burning with contempt. Suddenly, Jiang Yan enters. Damp blue robes, weary but radiating unnatural calm. He places a coin for tea, sword resting heavy at his hip. The woman, mistaking him for another threat, flings a cup at him as a mercenary grabs for her chin. Jiang Yan catches the cup mid-air with fluid grace, his gaze melancholic, not angry. The mercenary lunges; Jiang Yan twists his wrist, breaking it, and hurls him into his partner. They flee into the storm. Silence returns. Jiang Yan sets the cup down, pays for a new meal with a nod, then sits far away, studying a map, offering sil…