𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓━━━J. Cheng

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲

001—Silver Eyes

The fancy white robe fluttered with the wind as the owner, with no elegance at all, casually sat on the rooftop of one of Gusu Lan Sect's tall buildings.

"Ah, it's gonna rain, isn't it?" [First Name] lowered her gaze to the ground, staring at the blankets and sheets that were getting dried, and paused for a moment. "Nobody's collecting them. Are they just gonna leave it there and get it drenched again?" She was just about to ignore it and stay on top of the roof until it rains but, suddenly recalling that her own sheets and blankets are there too, she jumped down. 

Holding the thick sheets on her arms, [First Name] glanced at the other disciples' mantles and blankets. She blinked twice and simply smiled, feigning ignorance. "Their fault."

And so, the moment she entered the building, rain descended to the ground and wetted the things outside. [First Name] only saved hers and ignored theirs. She laughed to herself, walking in the hallway to her room. Only when she stopped laughing did she start getting curious about where the other disciples were. [First Name] pushed the sheets up so that they wouldn't fall from her hold and then glanced outside the window. Her smile turns upside down as she stares at the peaceful and calming scenery of the Cloud Recesses with blank and empty eyes.

'They left me out again, I bet.'

For some reason, in the past six months, [First Name] observed that the other disciples have been isolating her. Not telling her where they are going, ignoring, or leaving her out of their conversation. Even during a night hunt, they didn't even spare her any glances. Of course, her life was taken into danger because of that. Although they apologized, they continued this behavior.

[First Name] had gotten used to the treatment but still, suddenly losing someone to talk to, she felt rather lonely. 

Unable to use her hands to open the door, she used her foot to push open the door. [First Name] simply left the messy and unfolded blankets and sheets on her bed and then went outside again. "It's been a while since I rambled on someone, keeping my mouth closed is harder than I thought." Though, it's not like she has anything to say to others except complaints about how boring Lan Sect is and how strict the seniors and elders are. 

[First Name] continued to roam around, lost in thought until a realization hit her, and she stopped walking. "Maybe my endless complaints made them stop hanging out with me?" Considering that possibility, she shook her head. "If they were annoyed, they would've left me years ago already." 

With her thoughts wandering around, she failed to notice she ended up in a separate area for male cultivators of the Gusu Lan Sect. Only when she heard masculine voices of teenage boys did she realize. 

"The Lotus Pier of the Jiang Clan is much more fun than here, right?" 

Flinching, [First Name] hid immediately by sticking close to the wall. "Oh crap, this is the fourth time I ended up here in just two weeks. If the seniors find out about this, I..." The thought of copying the clan rules multiple times was enough to give her goosebumps and shivers. 

One of the boys laughed, "Fun or not fun depends on how fun you make it to be. There's definitely less rules than here, and no need to wake up so early."

Somebody else asked, "When do you guys wake up? What do you do during the day?" 

Another one joined in the conversation with a humph. "Him? He wakes at nine in the morning and sleeps at one during the night. When he wakes up, he doesn't practice his sword or meditate; he goes boating, swims around, picks lotus seedpods, and hunts for pheasants."

"No matter how many pheasants I hunt, I'm still number one."

"Next year, I'm going to Yunmeng to study! Nobody can hold me back!"

Hearing their conversation, [First Name] realized who they were. They are the kids from the other sects and clans that were going to study in Gusu for a year. She ignored the fact though and curiously peeked at the boys that were around her age. 'Hunting pheasants and not a strict sleeping time...' Despite being raised in the Cloud Recesses since she was a child, [First Name] couldn't really adapt to the strict environment. 

Perhaps, that's also the reason why she stands out in the sect? 'Sounds fun...' her mind went blank for a moment, thinking about it. However, she immediately snapped back to reality after locking her gaze with an unfamiliar pair of light grey eyes. Eyes widening, she instantly turned around, climbed on the nearby tree, and then jumped on the rooftop, immediately escaping. Her face was flushed and her heart strangely beat faster than usual. 

"What...?" she mumbled, completely confused.

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"Jiang Cheng, something's wrong?" Wei Wuxian was the first to notice that Jiang Cheng was unusually in a daze, staring at a corner. "Female cultivators of Gusu Lan Sect are usually taught in a different area, right? I think I just saw one," he told Wuxian, whose eyes immediately brightened up in excitement. "What, what? For real?" he went to check it out but unfortunately for him, she had already left as soon as she met gaze with the young master of Yunmeng Jiang clan.

"You should've told me the moment you saw her." 

"Why do I need to do that? It's none of your business, isn't it?"

Wei Wuxian sighed, "Aren't you curious about Gusu Lan's female cultivators too?" he whined, "Why did she run away?"

Nie Huaisang opened his fan, covering his lips as he spoke, "Interactions between female and male cultivators in Gusu Lan Sect are forbidden, she would've been in trouble if you made a fuss about her." Nie Huaisang momentarily paused before leaning closer to the two. "Enough of that for now, Wei-xiong, listen to a sincere advice of mine. The Cloud Recesses is nothing like Lotus Pier-"

Jiang Cheng sighs. No matter how much the young master of the Qinghe Nie Sect warns Wei Wuxian, he would still cause trouble in any way possible. Knowing that he didn't pay any mind to the conversation between the two and simply recalled the girl from earlier. 

aight, gotta admit that the first few sentences were cringy and the love at first sight trope is cliche, yes, yes, I know 😞

Published: December 19, 2021