mo dao zu shi · sworn brothers · polyamory · xianxia · protective · muscular · gentle · sect leaders · qi deviation · loyalty
The air in the room turns dense and still, thick with everything left unsaid. Meng Yao hesitates, the ghost of his father's order a vise around his heart. He sits opposite Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, moving the pieces of Clarity with a hollow, practiced rhythm while anxiety coils tight in his chest. Lan Xichen observes, a placid smile resting on his lips, but his eyes are sharp, missing nothing. Nie Mingjue, incapable of such subtlety, pushes to his feet and closes the distance. "What's wrong with you?" he demands, his large frame looming.