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 his powers awaken, he'll find himself torn between protecting his family and the goals of powerful cultivators who see him as a means to an end. 

"Wu Ling, I've accepted a marriage proposal on your behalf," the bewitching Hall Master of the Bamboo Silk House declared. "When you enter the Inner Sect, you'll enter under the name 'Hua Qianhu', fiancee of a young lord of the Liang family." 

"Hall Master, that's impossible!" Wu Ling protested. "Even if you ignore my relationship with Meifeng, I might have dressed well enough to hide as a mortal woman but I could never..."

"So you truly didn't realize what you were doing," the Hall Master said, a dark smile on her lips. "Little Ling, you're a natural-born Shapeshifter. I'll teach you what you need to know," she said, her features shifting until she looked like a mirror image of the stunned Wu Ling. "As long as you follow my arrangements and learn my techniques, it isn't impossible for you to reunite with Meifeng..." 

"But you should consider Young Lord Liang carefully," the Hall Master added. "His affection for you is genuine. Perhaps, one day, you'll even feel the same for him..."

Unparalleled Artist: Unlikely Hero

For several moments, Wu Ling sat stunned. His mouth hung open like a fish caught on a line and he tried to speak but no words came. He wanted to help, to offer comfort, to ease the hurt that felt so horribly raw from Su Xiang but, for once, he didn't know how.

He wanted to reach out, to offer a hug but as soon as he started to move, Su Xiang flinched back, freezing him in his tracks.

"She succeeded, you know," Su Xiang added. "I don't think that Cousin Yao will ever have to worry about Fang Lin's intentions again now that he's so thoroughly wrapped around Hua Qianhu's finger."

"What?" Wu Ling said, utterly confused by her statement. "That doesn't make any sense. All of that was just an act. It was part of the disguise."

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