He Faked His Death After His Best Friend Sacrificed Him to Forge a Sword

[Proud, gorgeous, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted seme x cheerful in public, unhinged in private uke]

The character setup is tentatively this.

Seme's perspective:

Chu Lian faked his death.

The most outstanding genius among the collateral branches, he was secretly assigned the fate of becoming a sacrificial offering for a sword, destined to be a stepping stone for the chosen one.

And that chosen one, his close friend Jiang Qie, had always known the truth.

To escape his awful sect unscathed, Chu Lian played along and deliberately died a gruesome death at Jiang Qie's hand.

Before he died, he said to Jiang Qie:

"I don't blame you."

*

After faking his death, Chu Lian lived freely in the demonic path, thriving until he became the best-performing right-hand man under the Demon Venerable.

Then one day, a fellow demon cultivator dragged over a righteous cultivator, cursing under his breath.

"Every complaint we've gotten lately is this guy's fault. He ate all the food from eight of our alchemy furnaces! A whole year's supply!"

The righteous cultivator on the ground met Chu Lian's eyes. His pupils immediately widened in shock, and he was just about to shout when Chu Lian waved a hand and cast a silencing spell on him.

His fellow cultivator pointed at the man tied up like a parcel and asked:

"You know him?"

Chu Lian turned and left.

"Never seen him."

Then he packed his things that very night and prepared to run.

Uke's perspective:

The treasured sword Jiang Qie was so proud of was stained with his close friend's blood.

This close friend, who could curse someone to hell even while ascending to heaven, had said the gentlest words to him before dying.

After Jiang Qie went mad, he was kept chained up for several years.

A few years later, he was finally cured, and Jiang Qie became the smiling senior brother he used to be, as if he had completely forgotten Chu Lian.

He simply never touched his treasured sword again.

Until one day, a junior brother found an earring and said it was filled with intense resentment. He asked Jiang Qie to help exorcise the evil spirit.

Ever helpful, Jiang Qie agreed at once. While dispelling the yin energy, he accidentally glimpsed a memory---

Chu. Lian. Was. Not. Dead.

This time, before the dog leash could get around his neck, Jiang Qie slid down the mountain in one smooth move.

Jiang Qie: Farewell, my sect!

[Little Scene]

After failing to get rid of the clingy pest for the hundredth time, Chu Lian flew into a rage and drew his blade, pointing it at Jiang Qie's throat.

"We were close friends once. Even if we both still care about the past, we can't go back."

He thought Jiang Qie would leave heartbroken and utterly despondent. Instead, Jiang Qie's eyes lit up. He grabbed Chu Lian's shoulder, excitement written all over his face.

"You mean you still have feelings for me, too?"

Chu Lian blinked.

"Huh?"

Jiang Qie: "You still think about how good things used to be, right?"

Chu Lian: "Uh... no, that's not what I..."

Jiang Qie: "So if I keep at it a little longer, you'll come back with me, right?"

Chu Lian: "No, wait, hold on..."

Jiang Qie: "All right, Chu Lian. I'll cling to you like a ghost. I'll never let you go!"

*A little seme dies, uke goes mad; beautiful seme, handsome uke

Theme: Study new ideas