Of Soulmates and Love

Tian Chuang

A/N: Canon Divergence where Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing already knew each other before Zhou Zishu left Tian Chuang.

It's not p0rn this time, I'm sorry :')

This was a random idea that popped up into my mind and I just wanted to write them like this.

------------------------------

People said a gifted scholar and a beautiful lady would make an ideal pair(1). That is true for most cases, for ones who had only ever seen the Yellow River clear and the sea calm(2), where grace and wisdom were the paragons of all things that were good. But to those who had long been crawling in a place with constantly rising wind and endlessly seething tides(3), as long as the other person understood them and they found comfort in each other's presence, it would be more than enough, more than they could ask for.

Snow fell upon the capital city. At the peak of winter, piles of white covered the ground and roofs of houses, be it those of the commoners or those of the nobilities. As such, so was the scenery in the Four Seasons Manor.

Trees of plum blossoms thrived in the ice covered courtyard. Against the color of pure white, their pink petals appeared vibrant and vivid; the relaxing fragrant wafted in the freezing air. It was at the center of this beautiful sight that the Manor Lord's residence stood, surrounded by blooming flowers beneath the grey sky. And yet despite its magnificence, the entire manor was enveloped in silence.

A building of such grandeur should have been bustling with inhabitants. The family of the Manor Lord, the disciples who studied under them, servants who took care of their needs, and guards who protected the vicinity—there were none of these people walking through its long corridors or occupying one of its many rooms. The house was as desolate as it could be, when in the past, ironically it was indeed filled in merry and vigor, just like any other residence belonging to renowned clans and sects. But time passed, and now by the fourth year of the Rong Jia reign of Emperor Helian Yi, only one man remained alive in the once revered Four Seasons Manor, now having been transformed into a cold-blooded organization of spies and assassins, the Window of Heaven.

Zhou Zishu stood in the manor's courtyard. Against the white background, his turquoise robes were almost concealed, like the afternoon sky hidden behind marching clouds. His long hair was undone. In this appearance, the terrifying, heartless man that was the leader of the Window of Heaven seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving only the figure of a handsome young scholar with a sickly countenance, frail and delicate.

It was unknown what his intention was, to remain outdoors amidst the bone-chilling weather, wearing clothes that were clearly insufficient to provide him with warmth. His pitch black eyes were gazing towards the distance, beyond the gate of his residence, far into the infinite space spreading above him from whence snowflakes came floating down endlessly. His expression was calm yet somewhat somber. If it should be described in words, he looked like a pitiful bird who had long been caged, longing for freedom so he could fly far away wherever he wanted.

But the question was, did he still have the wings to fly?

It was already halfway through the Zi hour(4). Zhou Zishu's solemn figure trembled slightly. His already pale complexion became even more blanched; his thin lips were sewn together, the face of someone quietly struggling in resistance against unknown assault. It became clear soon, however, the thing he was struggling against. After a fit of dry coughs, dark red drops trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his fine robes.

It was a struggle against pain.

Puffs of white smoke scattered into the air with his faint wheezes. Finally, he could no longer stand straight, swaying back like one who was about to collapse. Yet before his body crashed against the snow-covered ground, a pair of arms caught him all of a sudden from behind. Zhou Zishu's half closed eyes widened at once. Instinctively, he tried to flip around and escaped, away from this unknown presence who managed to approach him undetected. But not only the arms grabbing his shoulders tightened, a voice fell over him in the midst of his struggle, deep and soft.