Twin Towers

Xie Chongyu has lived a life of immaculate virtue, cool restraint, and solemn dignity. He cultivated the Dao through severing his emotions and was a model of the righteous path. He never imagined that one day he would fall for someone and descend into the mortal world.

Everyone thought Xie Chongyu was destined to be a god above the nine heavens, an Immortal Venerable who had one foot in the divine realm. He would never know what love was; romance was no more than fleeting clouds to him.

Xie Chongyu thought so too, the day he brought Jiang Yun Que back with him.

Only later did Xie Chongyu learn that their fate and past lives had all been written long ago.

*

Jiang Yun Que had never imagined she would have a home.

That day, snow blanketed the land and dark clouds loomed overhead. She crawled through the snow, leaving one footprint after another, so exhausted she was on the verge of passing out. A green bamboo umbrella appeared before her, shielding her from the blizzard.

She raised her eyes and saw the person's slender, pale fingers take her hand and pull her up from the snow.

The Immortal Venerable, known to all as cold-hearted and unfeeling, lowered his frost-lashed gaze and tilted the umbrella toward her. He draped a cloak over her shoulders and softly asked, "Will you come with me?"

Jiang Yun Que had wondered countless times: if...

If she had known that person was Xie Chongyu, perhaps she would not have gone with him. She certainly would not have dragged him down into the mortal world and forged such a deep bond between them.

But later...

When every cultivation sect hunted her down, determined to make sure she would never be reincarnated and eager to leave her without a proper burial, it was Xie Chongyu, dressed in white, who stood with his sword before them all. With a single strike, he broke through their encirclement and fought his way through a pool of blood to save her.

When she despaired and when she grieved, it was always Xie Chongyu who shielded her, sheltering her from the storm.

*

Xie Chongyu had thought she might have a better future without him. He could bear the pain of saving the world alone.

The burden of all living beings across the Six Realms was his alone to carry.

But on the night he prepared to sacrifice himself, he saw his young girl in red, crossing the frost and snow to throw herself into his arms and cling to his neck as she wept.

"Xie Chongyu..."

"Don't die. I want you to live."

He had meant to push her away, but then he heard her whisper softly,

"Master, I love you. I want to be with you."

"I'll bear the karmic burden of all living beings across the Six Realms with you."

"Through a thousand layers of wind and snow, I'll return with you."

This is a master-disciple story! I love restrained, self-controlled male masters and female disciples, so yes, it's a master-disciple story.

Theme: You have to love yourself before you can love others.