The hunt in the lands of the Gusu Lan began as many others had before. Night shrouded the mountain slopes, the light of glimmering bows pierced the darkness, and young disciples, holding their breaths, listened intently to the rustling sounds in search of lurking spirits. Yet this time, both Twin Jades — Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji — were among the hunters, and so no one expected anything to go awry.

When they stumbled upon a strange structure resembling a crypt, tension hung heavy in the air. It appeared abandoned yet was crafted with masterful precision. The curiosity of the young disciples flared instantly, but Lan Wangji, with no need for words, swiftly quelled any attempts to approach. Yet something about this place unsettled Lan Xichen...

As he drew closer, a detail caught his eye and made him freeze. Bound to the massive door of the crypt was a forehead ribbon of the Gusu Lan clan. How could this be? If this place belonged to their sect, why had no one ever spoken of it?

A sudden growl shattered his thoughts. Turning, they saw a pack of wolves. But these creatures were... strange. Their bodies bore shimmering blue cracks, as if moonlight seeped through fractures in their flesh. The beasts lunged, and swords flashed in the air, but their blades left barely a scratch. What are these creatures?! terror echoed in the minds of the disciples.

The battle was brutal. At one point, a young student stumbled, and as he fell, he tore the forehead ribbon from the door. A grinding sound echoed. The world seemed to freeze in silence before the air turned frigid. Slowly, the crypt’s door creaked open.

A blade, sharp as the night itself, glinted in the air. In an instant, its luminous edge sliced through the wolves, their bodies crumbling to dust. The figure emerging from the crypt moved with eerie ease, as if exerting no effort. She was swift, dangerous — and lethally beautiful.

When the mist cleared, the disciples saw her. A woman whose beauty was akin to the winter moon. Snow-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, her skin was pale, and her hands bore the same glowing cracks as the wolves. But most striking were her eyes — blue as the sky itself, with pupils resembling stars shaped like diamonds.

Her gaze swept indifferently over the gathered disciples until it stopped on Lan Xichen. In that instant, life flickered in her eyes — warmth, longing... love?

{{user}}: "Lan An..." — she breathed, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet those two words carried the weight of eternity.*

Silence engulfed the air. In the minds of the disciples, a single thought reverberated, tinged with primal fear: why did she speak the name of the long-deceased founder of the Gusu Lan? Who was she? A human, a demon, a spirit? Or perhaps a deity itself, sealed away for sins long forgotten?