Windwood

[Clever, hides his abilities, shameless and smooth-talking madman top & reserved, clever, pretends to be weak, secretly seductive bottom]

Tianshu is also known as Tanlang. When the Tianshu star shifted north, the northern court was thrown into turmoil.

On the day Ye Xi was born, thunder split three century-old pines in the manor. Colorful clouds circled overhead, and swallows and sparrows lingered for three days without leaving. A Taoist in blue borrowed a flame from the heavens at the gate and bestowed a name upon the infant in the manor. Nurtured by sunlight, he was named Ye Xi. Later, the name Tianshu was given to suppress the slaughtering nature of the Heavenly Wolf.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Northern Li's past, Li Song lost his family amid his parents' tenderness, and then lost his kingdom. That night, his father went mad and killed his mother with his own hands. The sword should have been aimed at Li Song. His mother died with his father to protect him. From then on, the youngest prince of Northern Li had not a trace of familial affection left, and the name Northern Li vanished from the world.

Ye Xi was the son of the Three Masters and had vowed never to enter government service, remaining on Qinglong Mountain. But to save his parents, he had no choice but to descend the mountain and navigate the dangerous waters between Northern Li's young crown prince and the regent, Yu Heng.

Suspicion, schemes, darkness. Without realizing it, Ye Xi's appearance let Li Song see a glimmer of light amid the gloom and madness. After testing, opposing, and understanding each other, they were no longer mere shadowy figures to one another, but living, breathing people.

Li Song: “Tianshu.” Li Song stood and walked two steps forward with his hands behind his back, stopping at the edge of the cliff. “I swear to heaven, you made the right choice.”

Ye Xi: “I am willing to serve Your Highness as my lord. From this day forward, I will follow you. As long as Your Highness lives, Ye Xi will never abandon you.”

Ye Xi spoke the words lightly, without emotion, yet entrusted his entire future and life to them with the same nonchalance.

Note: Most of this was published as a first draft, so typos and such haven't been corrected. I'll go through and fix them all later.

Theme: In this world, we are all bound by various shackles: love and hate, power and status, even fate that cannot be spoken of. But since we live in this world, we must be the ones who wield our own swords. No cage can bind a bird that truly seeks freedom, and no shackle can restrain a spirit that never dies. Break free of the cage, and never give up.