JustJae

Following his father's murder, Wu Ling's mother returned to the life of a courtesan, disguising her young son as a girl to take refuge in the Bamboo Silk House, a women's only sect dedicated to the arts.

Now, as Wu Ling comes of age, he'll attempt to shed the disguise he's worn for so many years to step onto the path of cultivation. If only life would let him do so. Haunted by his father's enemies, Wu Ling leads a double life as the handsome Brother Wu Ling and the enchanting Sister Hua Qianhu.

Guided by a mysterious immortal master, Wu Ling will face the world's dangers with art as his weapon. His greatest challenge, however, may lie in matters of the heart: as he pursues the woman he loves in one guise, he is entangled by the affections of men captivated by the other. In a world where identity is fluid and love knows no bounds, can Wu Ling find true happiness without sacrificing half of who he is?

Note: This was originally submitted as part of a previous WPC, however, it has undergone significant revisions (volume one alone is 27,000 words longer than the previous version), so if you've seen it before, give it a chance again!

Unparalleled Artist: Unlikely Hero

Gently, Wu Ling reached out to wrap his arms around Su Xiang, pulling her into a tender embrace without putting pressure on her wounded ribs. Holding her trembling figure he once again felt that she'd been dipped in a dozen colors of painted-on emotions that didn't suit her at all. Fear, anxiety, desperation, and the fading aura of fatal determination. She'd pushed well beyond her limits to fight a Soldier, even one that had been weakened by the spores of his Giant Purple Spore Shroom.

"Hey," he whispered gently into her ear, his uninjured hand stroking her hair gently. "Congratulations on your breakthrough," he said, hoping the news would snap her out of the cloud of toxic feelings that clung to her like rapidly drying paint.

"Breakthrough? What?" Su Xiang asked, her sapphire eyes blinking at him in confusion.

Winning Without Fighting