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..."
"You won't get me that easy," Yao Meifeng said, waving a finger at him. "If there's no room with your sect sisters, I'll ask your mother to join her. That would at least be proper. If you want me to join you in your room, you need to earn it."
"Don't be so sure my mother will take your side," Wu Ling teased. "She's been asking about grandchildren after all," he added with a wink.
With the restoration of a jovial and curious mood, Wu Ling guided the young women out of the tea house and through the twisting, winding paths of the back half of the sect. "Don't try to remember the way," he explained as they walked. "The paths are part of a disorienting formation. If you become a disciple you'll learn how to navigate the formations but for now, just take in the sights. See that building over there?" Wu Ling asked, pointing out a tall octagonal building with five floors. "That's the Onyx Treasure Tower. Let's do a little window shopping."