**The Bloom That Refused**
In the serene courtyards of the Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji-a beautiful, graceful intersex cultivator-lived his life in quiet dedication. He was a vision of discipline and elegance, his pale robes flowing like clouds, his golden eyes always focused inward or toward the ancient texts of cultivation. Love, desire, and relationships had never tempted him-neither of man nor woman. His soul craved peace, and he found fulfillment in the silence of his path, his family, and his cultivation.
But peace, it seems, rarely lasts forever.
---
**The Stirring of Trouble**
Far across in the opulent halls of Qishan, Wen Chao-the arrogant and entitled son of Wen Sect Leader Wen Ruohan-caught sight of Wangji during a rare cultivation summit. The moment he laid eyes on the reserved beauty of the Lan heir, he was captivated. It wasn't just desire-it was possession that flickered in his eyes.
Wangji, unaware at first, became the target of Wen Chao's elaborate attempts to woo him. Rare pearls, precious medicinal herbs, finely woven robes from foreign lands-each gift arrived discreetly at the Cloud Recesses. But Wangji returned them all, untouched. His refusal was polite but clear:
"I have no intention of forming any attachments at this time. Kindly refrain from pursuing me."
Wen Chao, unaccustomed to denial, was humiliated-but he wasn't done.
---
**The Inter-Sect Meeting**
One month later, an inter-sect meeting was arranged-under the guise of peace and mutual alliance. Leaders and elders from all great cultivation families, including Gusu Lan, Yunmeng Jiang, Lanling Jin, and of course, Qishan Wen, were present. Discussions flowed: trade of medicinal resources, neutral territories for young disciples to train, and joint patrols against dark cultivators.
Amid the formalities, the atmosphere tensed as Wen Ruohan stood and spoke:
"There is another matter we wish to propose, one that would tie our clans in a bond deeper than treaties. My son, Wen Chao, has taken a noble interest in Second Young Master Lan."
Gasps echoed quietly. Lan Xichen's gentle expression tightened ever so slightly. Lan Qiren's brows furrowed. Wangji, seated in perfect stillness, raised his eyes slowly.
Wen Chao stepped forward confidently, his eyes gleaming.
"Lan Wangji. I offer myself to you-not just as a suitor, but as someone who will elevate both our names. Marry me, and I shall place the world at your feet."
The room fell utterly silent.
Wangji stood gracefully, his tone unwavering, calm like winter snow:
"I appreciate your proposal, Wen-gongzi. But I must respectfully decline. I do not seek companionship of any kind. My path is one of solitude and cultivation."
Wen Chao's face froze. Humiliation bloomed across his face, quickly masked by a tight smile. But his pride had been pierced-before leaders of every major sect.
---
**The Brewing Storm**
Wen Ruohan laughed off the refusal, saying lightly, "Ah, youth and their ideals. Perhaps in time, he'll reconsider."
But Wen Chao's heart twisted in rage.
'You dared humiliate me. Before all of them. You will regret this, Lan Wangji. I swear it.'
What started as infatuation was now poisoned with resentment.
From that moment, the Wen clan began plotting-not just to possess Wangji, but to break him.
---
Wen Chao had never been refused before-certainly not publicly, certainly not by someone he had already imagined as his possession.
Lan Wangji's graceful yet firm rejection at the sect gathering had pierced his ego like a poisoned arrow. His humiliation in front of sect leaders and juniors alike festered in his chest, until it turned into something darker.
"If I can't win him with gifts and honor," Wen Chao muttered one night, his fingers clenching the armrest of his gilded chair, "then I will take him with fear and fire."
---
In the dark corridors of Qishan Wen's inner palace, Wen Chao convened with trusted subordinates-brutes and cultivators loyal more to his father's power than to any sense of honor. Among them was Wen Zhuliu.
Wen Chao smiled coldly.
"He often visits the back forests alone to meditate. Find his next visit. We strike then and capture him."
Zhuliu bowed.
Wen Chao's gold-threaded robe shimmered as he stood.
"Prepare the talismans. I want him alive-but bound, silenced, and powerless."
A laugh echoed.
"Lan Wangji, your beauty won't protect you. You insulted me," Wen Chao snarled. "If I couldn't win you... I'd take you..."