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..."
A Frozen Garden
Eventually, the two separated and returned to their meal. As an awkward silence stretched between them, Wu Ling praised Yao Meifeng's cooking, comparing it to one of the most awkward meals they'd ever eaten at the home of a mutual friend during their school days. Back then, the food had been delicious, but their friend's odd topics and constant desire to gossip made it hard to just relax and enjoy the meal.
It was different, of course, from their current awkwardness, but it helped to break the tension that had formed in the air between them. One story about the past led to another and soon both of them were laughing and reminiscing about their days together in school and news of classmates that had moved on since Yao Meifeng had left the school.