Birds in a Cage, Fish in a Pond

To be rewritten in the future.

A straight man's-taste, doting, secretly flirtatious swordsman gong x a beautiful, spirited prince shou who sometimes cross-dresses

Stars hang over the vast wilderness, the moon rises on the flowing river, and mountains stretch a thousand layers deep.

"I am a lone sandpiper between heaven and earth. I never envy the swan; I only ask to wander for a long time."

At the end of the ancient road to Chang'an, dust filled the sky. Sitting on his horse, Meng Xinghe smiled faintly. "But the land is a cage, and I can only be a bird within it."

Lin Changfeng rode closer and glanced at the person beside him. "I am a dragon beneath the river, never having risen to the clouds. I only hope the spring tide will come."

He smiled too, his voice softening. "It doesn't matter. The land is a cage, and the jianghu is a pond. You can be a bird in a cage, and I'll be a fish in the pond with you."

At last, in this life, it was a blessing for a caged bird to meet a fish in a pond. Even if the world imprisoned me, I'd gladly accept it.

*

Lin Changfeng, young master of the Bailu Mountain Manor, is commissioned to escort the fifth prince out of the capital on the eve of a great upheaval at court.

At their agreed meeting place, he sees a graceful woman in white.

As far as he knows, the client is a woman whom people in the jianghu call Auntie.

Lin Changfeng: "Good day, Auntie."

The woman in white only smiles and says nothing.

So Lin Changfeng calls this person Auntie for six, seven, or eight days.

Then chaos breaks out in the capital, and the woman in white transforms in an instant...

Into a handsome young man.

Lin Changfeng's eye twitches. He really wants to draw his sword.

Meng Xinghe: "Don't go, nephew! Your Auntie is scared. You have to protect me!"

Lin Changfeng: "You're so effeminate. Get away from me!"

So, after Meng Xinghe sticks close to him as they flee the capital for six, seven, or eight days...

Lin Changfeng: "Don't leave my side, not even for a step. If you're scared, hold on to me."

Meng Xinghe: "Mm-hmm QAQ"

P.S.

1. Lin is the gong, Meng is the shou. One-on-one romance, happy ending.

2. There is a reason the shou cross-dresses.

3. There are two official side couples (Meng Xinglan x Zhao Xi, He Xiaoran x Wen Yunque), and one of the shous is a eunuch.

4. An alternate universe, very alternate indeed. Don't scrutinize it for historical accuracy, don't scrutinize it, don't scrutinize it!

5. I wrote this on my own before signing with a publisher. It has plenty of flaws, but I felt it was a shame to leave it abandoned in my drafts, so I'm posting it again as a way of fulfilling an old wish. I'll write as I please, and you can read as you please. A bow.

Theme: Grow through adversity, support one another, and realize your ideals.