Thread by @GuardianofJupi1

#xicheng
For as long as LXC has known JWY, he'd always seen the man in his severe sect purple robe, Zidian humming in his usually clenched hand and his hair tied up in impeccable bun.

Sect leader Jiang was never seen less than that even during Sunshot Campaign, he seemed rigid.

Despite the impenetrable wall that JC seemed to have built around him, LXC felt so mysteriously drawn towards the man. He didn't know why the cultivation world seemed to have made their mind about JWY because why couldn't they see what he saw?

LXC could see the softness when JWY with his nephew. He saw the vulnerability when he stood apart in the cultivation conferences. There were admittedly scarce and brief but LXC saw it all.

As much as he wanted to approach JWY, he was often distracted by his own sworn brothers.

And then the Guanyin Temple happened. The lies and the false action from JGY forced LXC into seclusion. If at that moment when JGY pushed him away from the coffin, LXC couldn't tell whether it was just JGY's last attempt to mess with his mind.

LXC was done with it all.

He was entering his second year of seclusion when something happened. That morning, he was kneeling outside Hanshi, trying to meditate amongst the scent gentian flowers.

From the depth of his trance, he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in over a year; it sounded angry & panic.

"Jin Rulan! I will break your leg if you don’t come out here and give it back!"

LXC heard Jin Ling's voice shouting his reply in distance. "No! Lan Jingyi doesn’t believe me. I'm gonna show him!"

"Don't you dare include me in your shenanigans with your friends! I'm not a mean-

-for your amusement!" JWY sounded more panic than angry. LXC wondered had caused the usually imperturbable man sounded anxious.

For the first time in over year, LXC was curious with something outside the surroundings of his solitude. He opened his eyes and began walking-

-in search for the voices.

It wasn't difficult.

"I didn't send you here learning conducts and ethics from Grandmaster Lan only to have you behaving this impertinence!!"

"Please jiujiu!! I need Jingyi to see you. I need him to shut up stupidly in his err!"

LXC had hie eyebrows

-raised in curiosity. He hastened his steps so that he could see what caused JWY to act like this.

He took a sharp left to a small garden some distance away from Hanshi and what he saw, caused him to halt in surprise.

More like dumbfounded.

Because in front of him was JWY.

Except it was JWY like he never seen before.

Gone was the bulky purple robe that JWY always wore in the past, JWY that was stomping angrily in the garden (still unsuccessfully trying to find his nephew) was wearing a soft lilac robe that clutched around his body.

The robe emphasises JWY's slim waist and pale skin.

But what really gotten LXC to stupidly stared at him was his hair. LXC'd never seen JWY without his tight bun.

And JWY's hair currently was loose.

"Jin Ling! Give my ribbons back!!!"

--oh... LXC felt his heart thunder. -oh..

JWY's dark, unbounded hair was not straight. It was exquisitely in loose curl. The waves in his strands *bounced* in JWY's hasty steps and they framed his sharp face so... adorably.

In fact, LXC was stupefied at how unbelievably *beautiful* JWY looked with his hair down.

Sandu Shengshou wore his dainty face so well.

Oh heavens, LXC exhaled the breath that he wasn't aware of holding. Torrent of attraction he had for JWY came barraging down. His past feelings for JWY was no longer hovering in the background. They had come to hit him in the face.

Was this why JWY always wore his hair in tight bun? Wearing robe that seemed too big and bulky? To always drew his stature to the highest height that he could reach?

So that no one would ever see how-- ethereal he looked like this. LXC could really see the late Madam Yu's beauty

-in JWY and none of JFM's attributes. If anybody would ask LXC how did a femininely beautiful man look like, he would've pointed helplessly to JWY.

Ah... LXC realised. If the rest of cultivation world saw JWY like this years ago, none of them would've taken JWY seriously.

LXC stood staring at JWY in endless awe, when JWY finally found Jin Ling hiding.

With an angry scoff, JWY reached out to snatch thw purple ribbon from JL as the youth pouted.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" JWY groused as he quickly reached up to gather his curly (LXC was-

-still breathlessly reeling over the discovery) hair, pulling it tight to that any trace of curl was hidden. Then, he took out hair lacquer from his sleeves to straightened his hair bang that couldn't be hidden in the bun.

LXC felt a stab of deep disappointment.

"But jiujiu, Jingyi is saying the reason that you haven't found your cultivation partner was because your face was like dragon! But I know better! I know you're nothing like that. Why did you always hide your hair?!"

JWY snorted. "Being called a dragon is much better than being-

-slighted and humoured just because you look too feminine to be taken seriously. Plus, since when you cared what other people about me?"

JL looked affronted. "I always cared! But, but this is the first time my *friend* talked bad about you." A mullish look appeared. "I just-

-wanna people to see you as I have always did my whole life."

LXC's heart melted in utter adoration at the way JWY's expression softened. LXC had always had a soft spot for JWY after all.

"Yeah, well, not all will see me like you did, a-Ling. If they saw me with one curl loose-

-any word coming out from my mouth will be ridiculed. I'll not allow my sect be cast aside, just because I look too soft."

"Your hair is beautiful!" JL declared loyally and LXC agreed with the sentiment wholeheartedly. "Those old farts can shove their prejudice up their asses."

Again, LXC could see no lie in JL's words.

JWY rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. "Come on. Let's hope nobody saw me when I ran after you."

LXC watched the two walked away and his heart ached in deep yearning. He wanted to act on his feelings that he had for JWY long ago.

He was foolish to let them lingering without doing anything about it.

That night, LXC dreamed of JWY. He dreamed JWY greeting him in Hanshi, late evening after their works were done.

In his dream, he saw JWY, wearing *his* blue evening robe, cascades of luscious, dark curl fell

-tumbling over his shoulders and down towards his waist. There was no bun, no hair lacquer, no ornament whatsoever in those hair.

Just endless, glorious waves.

He dreamed of JWY leaning upwards to kiss him and his own fingers buried into the silken mass of black cloud.

He dreamed JWY looking happy in his own skin, artless and charming and heartbreakingly beautiful. He dreamed of them without deceits - just pure honesty where he didn’t have to hide behind his smile and JWY didn't have to hide behind his tight bun, harsh robe and scowls.

And when he took JWY to bed, he dreamed of the glorious hair fall forward like a waterfall, framing that haunting face as LXC brought of them to the peak of ecstacy.

Again and again and again.

And when LXC was snapped awake from his slumber, he felt a sharp hollow inside and he knew without a doubt that he wanted to end his seclusion.

Next week, he would tell his uncle about his decision.

And then, LXC would do everything he could to make his dream a reality.