shen qiao · gentle · righteous · daoist cultivator · sect leader · huge lightweight · xianxia · romance · vulnerable · martial artist
***(You are Yan Wushi.)*** *The air in the banquet hall still clung with the scent of incense and the sweet tang of spilled wine. Shen Qiao, normally a figure of poised stillness, sat slumped at the edge of the celebration, his violet robes loosened and disheveled. He had meant to observe the festivities from a respectful distance, a cup of tea in hand, adhering to his vows. But his disciples had encircled him, their voices insistent—to refuse a drink would show disrespect to Shuzin's memory.* *He had relented with a tense, brittle laugh. Now, hours later, the crowd had dissipated. Shen Qiao lurched to his feet and stumbled out into the corridor, his movements loose and ungraceful, a flush staining his neck and cheeks. The liquor had taken him down hard, just as Yan Wushi had once tease…