weilongfu:

I may or may not have to restart some parts of this from scratch. But here’s WeiLan in an LTNS!AU because I can’t deny @andwebegin or @earthpodd anything and so now I’m writing this AU because I just want to be loved damn it.

And I like a challenge, like the sucker that I am.

@lazygeisha @fkyb @sluttynewwiee if any of you guys are interested in seeing how this goes?

---

Black Cloak dabbed the blood off his face, a delicate motion compared to the slashes and cuts that riddled the bodies in front of him. Next to him, Ghost Face smiled.

“Why gege, that was your best work yet, wouldn’t you say?”

Black Cloak turned to look at Ghost Face. “Don’t tell me you’re getting complacent, didi.” Black Cloak wiped the blood off his sword next. “You planned this, didn’t you? These guys are small fry, haven’t even dared to step on your turf yet.”

“And what will you do if I say I did?”

Black Cloak threw the bloodied handkerchief at Ghost Face, who snatched it out of the air before it stained his suit. “I would say you should have gotten me a more challenging fight.”

Ghost Face grinned. “Well, maybe you’d like to hear what I’ve been hearing… “ Black Cloak raised an eyebrow. “There’s word you have competition, gege. Someone calling himself Kunlun.”

Black Cloak rolled his eyes. “As if he could ever out do me. All these new young upstarts think so.”

“But, have they managed to fight Lao Chu’s gang to a standstill?”

Black Cloak came to a stop as they walked out of the alleyway. “Lao Chu? To a standstill?”

“He walked away. Even after threatening Xiao Guo.”

Everyone knew Xiao Guo was Lao Chu’s current toy. If Kunlun managed to get that close and walk away… Black Cloak felt shivers up and down his spine. “So what’s up with Kunlun and Lao Chu now, didi?”

Ghost Face smiled. “Well… I hear Lao Chu is offering a handsome reward to anyone who brings him Kunlun’s head.”

—–

Kunlun turned out to be much trickier to track down than Black Cloak had thought. For a man accumulating a reputation, news about Kunlun was hard to come by. It gave Black Cloak an itch he yearned to scratch and it would only be done by a good fight.

And finally, after a week of searching, Black Cloak had done it. Kunlun, with his dark brown leather jacket, forest green scarf, beaten up combat boots, and bamboo staff, alone, on Ghost Face turf. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Except it was a disaster.

Black Cloak snarled as he swung with his sword, but the distance Kunlun managed to keep with his staff could not be crossed.

“Is this the best the Black Cloak can do?” Kunlun asked. It was almost mocking if it weren’t so deadpan. “Maybe you weren’t worth my time after all.”

Black Cloak feinted high with his sword, but swung from below with his fist and landed his first real blow on Kunlun and pulled away his scarf. A handsome face with roguish facial hair and challenging eyes was revealed. Black Cloak wasn’t sure if the skip he felt in his heart beat was from the sight or the thrill of landing a blow.

Kunlun only rotated his neck. “Alright. Maybe you are worth it.”

The rest of the fight was a blur of adrenaline that left Black Cloak bruised and bloody, but Kunlun wasn’t much better off. Both managed to hobble off to fight another day, but Black Cloak considered it a loss. It was humiliating.

—–

The next fight against Kunlun was during a raid. Ghost Face, despite Black Cloak’s insistence, decided it was a good idea to rob the Snake Tribe. Kunlun had shown up as hired muscle. Tied up in his fight, Black Cloak had been unable to assist with anything else. They lost more than they gained that night.

The third time, Black Cloak had found Kunlun’s safe house. Before he made it far, he found a gun pressed to his head by a sleepy and angry Kunlun. Thus chased off, Black Cloak went back a the next day to confirm his suspicions. The safe house was empty.

Ghost Face found Black Cloak’s failures hilarious.

“God, gege, you should see your face! You can’t even beat this guy once!”

Black Cloak threw a dagger at Ghost Face who caught it and used it to pick at his teeth. “God, he’s so infuriating.”

“Maybe you need to rethink your strategy.”

“Maybe you need to die in a fire. When was the last time you fought anyone?”