Climbing the Branches to Win Her Heart

A dazzling beauty with a thousand charms vs. someone who pretends to be cheerful but is really FP.

Blurb One:

Chuchu was born in Wushan and grew up there, innocent and sheltered, until she was sixteen, living with her grandmother.

When Chuchu was very young, her grandmother would comb her long hair and warn her: Never try to cross Wushan. The things outside have monstrous faces and fangs, and are strange and terrifying.

Though Chuchu was little, she knew how frightening the "outside" was.

She once thought her life would remain peaceful as always.

Until one day, a severely wounded "person," covered in blood, appeared at the edge of the mountains. He floated down the river, his winding trail of blood staining the clothes Chuchu was washing.

He had a pair of extraordinarily docile eyes, yet the warmth he conveyed through her wrist was frighteningly hot.

Chuchu still remembered her grandmother's warning, but, as if bewitched, she secretly hid him in Wushan.

Chuchu would later regret more than once that she had reached out to Chi Changwan. It was the beginning of all her troubles.

Blurb Two:

Legend has it that a goddess lives in Wushan, able to bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bare bones. Whoever wins her favor will be blessed by fate. Heroes from across the land compete for her, but meeting the goddess requires passing trial after trial. Wushan's hidden pathways are full of dangerous traps, and none who enter ever return.

Chi Changwan never believed in baseless rumors. He entered Wushan only to find a certain medicinal herb.

That day, Chi Changwan passed through one perilous trial after another, but an accident struck at the final moment as he crossed the mountain range.

Just as he thought he was about to die there...

Chi Changwan laid eyes on the most beautiful person he would ever see.

The goddess of Wushan had never been just a rumor.

His wounds were real, but pretending was easy. He looked at Chuchu with an innocent, pitiful expression, using his handsome face to lure her in. "I'm hurt."

Chuchu's eyes held both wariness and fear, but they sparkled when she looked at the jeweled pinwheel hanging against his chest.

Without hesitation, Chi Changwan pulled off the pinwheel. His expression serene and gentle, he asked, "Would you take me home with you?"

Chi Changwan never denied that he was a despicable, scheming scoundrel. From the very first moment he saw Chuchu, his filthy intentions never stopped.

His sinful desire grew unchecked. He was going to steal her away from Wushan.

Afterword:

In the dead of night, the mountain god passes judgment on the mortal who stole the goddess. Chains pierce Chi Changwan's limbs and spine. His long lashes tremble slightly as he speaks before the gods and Buddhas.

He says, "I have no regrets."

Chi Changwan's life was one of turmoil and upheaval. Born low and base, he fought his way through countless people, carving out a bloody path. His heart had long since grown as cold as the knife in his hand.

Yet at the very first sight of Chuchu, he gave in to a shameful, reckless desire.

Content warning: Both leads are sexually inexperienced; the heroine is adored by everyone.

Theme: Learn to care for others and love them.