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

Despite everyone's exhaustion and need to rest, by the time the sun had reached midday, Wu Ling, Su Xiang and Yu Jinqi awoke from their rest more than an hour before any of the others. Yu Jinqi insisted on tending to both of the other second-stage cultivator's minor injuries first thing before Wu Ling could start cooking for everyone else.

The meal he made was simple, cooked on flames provided by Hou to prevent any woodsmoke from giving away their position. Even though it was simple, the scent of hot food quickly woke the remaining members of the group.

"Everyone can thank Hou for the hot meal," Wu Ling said as he started passing around bowls of rich, meaty soup. "I think you all know what our little glutton prefers by now," Wu Ling teased, poking the Golden Crow and ruffling his feathers.

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