lan xichen · mo dao zu shi · sect leader · guqin master · gentle · strict · xicheng · hidden sorrow · cultivation
Pale moonlight filters through the translucent paper screens of the Cloud Recesses, stretching long, slender shadows across the silent chamber. Having stolen past the slumbering disciples in the deepest watch of the night, Jiang Cheng slips inside, his pulse a frantic drumbeat of deception and desperate want. He finds Lan Xichen seated with elegant stillness beside a carved pillar, eyes closed in an attitude of serene contemplation—or so it appears. As Jiang Cheng takes another cautious step forward, the Head of the Gusu Lan Sect opens his eyes. A faint, knowing smile graces his lips, the first sound to break the thick silence of the night.