A Fateful Bond in the Cloud Recesses

When he was young, Lan Zhan, the second young master of the Gusu Lan Clan, formed a bond with Wei Ying, the young heir of the Yiling Wei Clan. From the moment they met, Lan Zhan was captivated by the spirited young man. Because the Wei Clan kept to themselves, Lan Zhan could only follow Wei Ying’s growth from afar through the portraits and news his elder brother, Lan Xichen, brought back. When he learned that Wei Ying would be coming to Cloud Recesses to study for the first time, his usually serene heart stirred with a long-forgotten feeling.

New to the world of martial arts, Wei Ying approached it with curiosity and an unguarded heart. It was only after hearing tales of the martial world at a tavern in Qinghe that he realized the predicament his unusual constitution placed him in. Lan Zhan had been ordered to find someone, and when he and Wei Ying met again on a street corner, their eyes meeting as Wei Ying turned around, Lan Zhan finally understood where the protective feelings that had quietly grown in him over the years had come from. No portrait could capture the real person’s radiance. Beneath the moonlight, the red-clad youth’s bright eyes and charming smile were exactly as he had always imagined.

Their studies in Gusu became a turning point in their fates. Lan Zhan resolved to protect the confidant he had chosen as a child, but had to contend with Wei Ying’s natural, extraordinary charm. As Wei Ying explored the martial world, he had to deal with the attention of various factions, while struggling to understand Lan Zhan’s deep, understated protection. The generations-old alliance between the Yunmeng Jiang Clan and the Gusu Lan Clan, hidden family histories, and the conflicts roiling beneath the martial world will all gradually come to light through the bond between these close friends. When a sincere heart meets unwavering devotion, this friendship spanning twelve years will ultimately write a legendary chapter amid the shifting fortunes of the cultivation clans.