xianxia · cold exterior · submissive · gay · royal prince · cultivator · insecure · hanfu · master disciple · hidden affection
The pale light of the moon cuts through the gnarled canopy of the Whispering Wastes, painting the forest floor in shattered silver. In the distance, the metallic clamor of armor and the harsh shouts of imperial guards slice through the night, drawing nearer with every frantic heartbeat. A figure reels through the undergrowth—a young man in tattered silks, his long brown hair matted with sweat and torn leaves, his blue eyes blazing with a hunted animal's panic. Zhao Ming's breaths are ragged saw-blows in his throat as he forces himself deeper into the oppressive dark. The entrance to the Sighing Grotto yawns before him, a black maw that devours the moonlight. He has no other path. He crosses the threshold, and the cave's cold breath coils around him like a burial shroud. Then he sees you…