I Treat the Villain Like a Delicate Flower

Also known as *Turning from Evil* Xie You, a prodigy of the sword from a prestigious righteous sect. One day, he sneaks down the mountain for a drink and happens upon a frail, pitiful boy with no one to rely on, standing amid a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. How could the great hero Xie stand by and do nothing? He thumps his chest and promises, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from now on!” The boy is very well-behaved. But as soon as they enter the martial world, everyone wants him dead. No, not everyone. Everyone, everyone, everyone, everyone wants him dead! Xie You has no idea where all these people are coming from, but he protects the boy with effortless ease, keeping him safe behind his back. “Don’t be scared. You can’t fight, so they must be after me!” The boy: “Mm!” >﹏< - Xiao Changyan, infamous for his cruelty, with the nature of a wolf. He is a cold-blooded blade, long since stripped of ordinary human emotion, sinister and ruthless. But Xie You is the one exception. That man has no idea what’s going on, yet he thinks of him at every turn and protects him with everything he has. For the first time, Xiao Changyan feels warmth, and he becomes more and more addicted to it. He cannot live without Xie You. Xie You hates evil, so he’ll disguise himself as a righteous man. Xie You likes protecting the weak, so he’ll become the frailest, most helpless one of all. He twists his ankle when he walks, needs coaxing to eat, and even needs company to sleep… He’s turned himself into a delicate little flower who can’t live without Xie You. Later, people of the martial world point at him and shout, “Villain!!” Xiao Changyan: “What villain? You must have the wrong person.” Xie You: “What villain? You must have the wrong person.” People of the martial world: “We’ve got the right person! It’s the one in your arms! Run for your lives!!!” Xie You lowers his head, puzzled, but before he can say anything, a kiss lands on his lips. Xiao Changyan smiles and kisses him again and again. “They’re slandering me. Big Brother won’t abandon me, will you?” - Until that night. Xie You wakes to find half the bed empty and goes outside. In the middle of a sea of blood, Xiao Changyan holds a freshly severed head. Blood runs between his fingers, and his murderous aura leaves nothing alive for miles around. The moment he sees Xie You, Xiao Changyan hurriedly drops the head and tries to wipe his hands, only smearing even more blood across his face. “Why are you awake, Big Brother? It’s my fault. I should have taken care of it quietly.” Xie You: ???? #On raising a villain like a delicate flower for far too long A chivalrous, oblivious flirt of a bottom x a green-tea, drama-loving, unhinged top Reader’s guide: 1. Younger top, mutual firsts, happy ending. 2. Neither a typical wuxia nor a typical xianxia. The world will gradually unfold as the story progresses. 3. Not a purely sweet romance. There’s a little serious drama and maybe, just maybe, a tiny bit of angst? I can’t say much without spoilers, so proceed with caution if that’s not your thing. Coming soon: *Master, I’m Not Into Men!* (*Turning Toward Good*) He Wuyan has finally raised his disciple to adulthood. The young man is upright and honorable, a champion of justice whom the entire martial world praises. He Wuyan is very pleased. His disciple is even better at conducting himself than he is as a master. Until one late night, he passes Jing Rong’s room and sees his splendid, noble disciple, head bowed as he sticks pins into a little doll, one by one. He Wuyan: …? On the spot, he decides to go down the mountain and personally set the boy on the right path. The martial world is full of dangers along the way, but his disciple remains honest and kind, punishing evil, upholding justice, and helping the poor at the rich’s expense. He Wuyan is relieved. It seems he was worrying over nothing. Until one dark, windy night, he finds a portrait beneath Jing Rong’s bed. It’s his own face. And it’s covered in words too indecent to repeat. “Master’s waist is so slender.” “Master looked at me three times today. I want to kiss him.” “When will Master look only at me?” “I want to lock him away, where only I can see him.” He Wuyan’s hands tremble, his face burns, and his mind goes blank. Behind him, Jing Rong presses close, resting his chin on He Wuyan’s shoulder. His voice is soft and burning hot. “So Master saw it all.” “Then I’ll stop pretending.” He Wuyan: …You ungrateful disciple! Coveting your master is outrageous and immoral!! From the disciple’s point of view Everyone says Jing Rong is just like his master: upright, dignified, noble as the moon, and a role model for the world. Jing Rong only smiles when he hears it. There’s so much they don’t know. He knows he’s no paragon of virtue, but in his entire life, he’s done only one bad thing: He fell in love with his own master. One day, his master says he’s taking him down the mountain to set him on the right path. He obediently follows, punishing evil and upholding justice the whole way, putting on a flawless act. Master is relieved. Master thinks he’s changed. He deliberately hides the portrait under the bed, deliberately leaves a corner showing, and then deliberately lets Master find it. Master blushes and calls him an ungrateful disciple. So cute. Jing Rong leans over him, tracing the line of his master’s lips with a fingertip, his gaze burning hot. “Master, you taught me swordsmanship and the righteous path.” “Why didn’t you teach me how to stop thinking about you?” “It’s so hard pretending. Pretending to be a good person, pretending to be proper, pretending I don’t have improper thoughts about you.” “But Master… you should have known the day you took me as your disciple. Since you can’t teach me not to… then I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.” “Master, won’t you be kind to me?” Theme: Turn away from evil and toward goodness.