Unparalleled Artist: Unlikely Hero
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..."
The Truth of Master’s Identity
It took several breaths for Wu Ling to process everything his Master had just said. More than anything, it made him realize how little he knew about her. From the manual she'd written and the complexity of the inheritance, he knew that she was both incredibly powerful and that she had achieved remarkable mastery of the arts, but what else did he truly know about her?
In his study of Bone Carving, he felt a deep love and desire to support others in her work. When he read about her painting he felt a strong desire for strength that resonated deeply with his own search to transform himself into a capable fighter who could walk next to Su Xiang. In his brief conversation with her when he awakened, she mentioned the need to be a villain to some in order to be a hero to others, and that in order to be a lover he must also be willing to fight for those he loved.