Chapter Text
For some reason, people in this world seemed to think it was normal to carry around fish wherever they go. At least in his experience.
Luo Binghe had used teacups to allow Shen Yuan to sit near him while he worked in the clearing and a woven bamboo basket to traverse the peak. He wasn’t quite sure why Luo Binghe turned out that way, but if he had to guess it would just be due to the stick nature of the white lotus.
Shen Qingqiu on the other hand was a lot harder to figure out. Sure, he figured out that the man took him to peak lord meetings and any room Yue Qingyuan or Liu Qingge were in because he found the reactions of both amusing. However, he couldn’t understand why he was brought around the bamboo house and occasionally classes.
Unlike Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu was not a tactile person and even if he was it would have been hard for him to pet or pick up Shen Yuan with his ridiculously long sleeves. That meant Shen Yuan was still in charge for the most part for moving himself by leaping from one bowl to another.
As a peak lord Shen Qingqiu would not be caught dead carrying some bamboo bowl or walking with a fish in a teacup. Instead, he used a variety of bowls made from porcelain and jade.
For example, right now he was in a large but very shallow jade bowl on the elder’s desk.
Next to the bowl that he was in was a brush and ink. After Shen Qingqiu organized himself, he sat down and picked up the brush.
So he was about to write or draw. Qing Jing was the peak of the four arts after all. Shen Yuan excitedly waved his tail. Shen Yuan was excited to see the quality of Shen Qingqiu’s art and calligraphy. In addition to writing scathing reviews on webnovels, Shen Yuan had also dabbled in being an art critic.
Trust this fish, he used to be a proper young master with plenty of experience in his past life!
Whenever the little carp became happy, its tail raised way high. Shen Qingqiu shot him a warning glare and Shen Yuan immediately placed his tail down sensibly. They were all adults here! If he acted like an excited little kid he might accidentally get Shen Qingqiu's writing or drawing wet. Fish would definitely be punished!
The scum villain was the type of guy to whip children, surely he would have no problems in whipping fish too!
The little carp became quiet and instead started to stare ardently. This fish promises to behave!
Shen Qingqiu pondered deeply for a moment before he came to some conclusion and began to spread the paper. With a mere few brushes, he drew a lively, realistic looking fish.
Shen Yuan watched the drawing take shape…this fish head, this fish body, this fish tail. Ah! Shen Qingqiu was actually drawing him!
Shen Yuan was honored to the inspiration for a man as hard to impress as Shen Qingqiu. Honestly, he didn’t think himself attractive enough to paint a portrait, he was just a normal fish.
Everyone in this world was just too pretty he could never compare! From the top of Luo Binghe’s curly head of hair to the bottom of his muscular foot, no matter where Shen Yuan looked, he thought Luo Binghe looked extremely pleasing to the eye. Truly worthy of being the male lead in a stallion novel!
Liu Qingge was a surprisingly handsome beauty with his fair skin and attractive mole beneath his eye. Shen Qingqiu was also unfairly good looking with his scholarly appearance and attitude.
Unfair! Weren’t villains and extras in stallion novels supposed to be ugly? Why did they all look like they came from an otome game!
Shen Yuan thought he should make some effort to do something special. Since Shen Qingqiu was drawing him, why shouldn’t he then be the other’s model fish?
The little fish deliberated for a moment, then bent into what he believed to be a rather majestic and impressive pose. In actuality, he just placed himself in an awkward S shape angle
Shen Qingqiu stared at him and had Shen Yuan been standing back he would have noticed the small quirking of the other’s lips in amusement. Humming, Shen Qingqiu once again found the little fish to be rather interesting and changed a few brushes according to the fish’s appearance. Although not making a sound, one fish and one man spent this time rather joyously and harmoniously.
Shen Qingqiu placed the brush down and put the drawing to the side to dry. Before he moved on, he looked down and saw the little carp facing the drawing, flashing and waving its tail, looking tired but eager.
He made sure to place the drawing in a place the fish would be able to see while still resting. When had he become enthralled in the fish’s charms, he did not know, but at least he was aware of it.
Moving on he began the drawing he meant to start when he first sat down. Unlike the previous drawing of the fish, this next drawing would be quite large.
Shen Yuan took some time to rest his aching fish muscles and admire the painting of him. Personally, he thought the scum master really managed to capture his cool pose well! For the time it took to create this paining, Shen Yuan could easily see how talented the other was.
When he turned his attention back to see what Shen Qingqiu was doing he found the peak lord working on something big.
The drawing was not yet finished, but even from the incomplete picture Shen Yuan could see hands, feet, and clothes. Clearly it was a person this time.
Last time he drew fish and now he was drawing people. Was this going to be a self-portrait?
Shen Yuan quietly waited for Shen Qingqiu to finish drawing the outline and add color. As time went on the fish felt that the likelihood of this being Shen Qingqiu was quite high. Green eyes, pin straight black hair, and surrounded by bamboo, who else could it be?
As the drawing was much more complicated than the fish portrait it took over an hour for the painting master to finish.
Shen Qingqiu stood above the finished product and gave the paper a slight shake.
Due to this action Shen Yuan finally saw the entirely of the finished painting. Once again this was another masterpiece, with great use of colors and graceful brush strokes.
In the final painting there stood a youth in a single simple layer of green robes. The head of the youth was tilted, looking back at the viewer with an easy and pleased smile.
This couldn’t be Shen Qingqiu, he was sure the man was incapable of making such a face, but why did this mysterious person look so familiar.
Were there any other characters with such a striking appearance. There was only one other person he had seen with green eyes…
Wasn’t this his human form? This drawing was the scene from the other day where he almost got caught!
Drawing fish, he could understand, but why was he drawing someone he probably wanted to kill with such care?
The poor fish just couldn’t figure it out.
After placing the finished painting to the side, Shen Qingqiu took out a jade bell and gave it a wave.
Within a few moments Ming Fan walked in the room calmly. Although his sweaty appearance seemed to suggest he had run the entire way only to stop before entering.
After the head disciple finished with his greeting Shen Qingqiu solemnly handed over the larger drawing to Ming Fan.
“Make sure all of the disciples on the peak are vigilant in looking out for this individual. If there are any sighting make sure to have them write a full report on the encounter and deliver it to this master immediately.”
Ming Fan took the drawing gently, making sure to not allow a single crease to form on the paper.
“Please rest assured Shizun! This disciple will instruct his younger martial siblings to search according to this drawing.”
“Also, add the Quiet Pool as a location to investigate for the night patrol.”
Ming Fan bowed deeply before rushing off to finish his assigned duty. A bully he might be, but he was a very proficient disciple.
Shen Yuan began to scream in his mind at the news. Did Shen Qingqiu just make a wanted poster of his human form?
He wasn’t a criminal! He didn’t ask to transported to this stupid mountain!
Whatever. Even if there was a portrait, they wouldn’t find him. There was nothing at the pond and he was currently being raised in the peak lord’s own home. Ha!
----
Shen Qingqiu stood before the portrait of the youth he had painted the night before. Only recently did he catch a glimpse of the elusive trickster spirit. With his own memories and the help of several incident reports made by disciples and hall masters he had created an near perfect replica of the boy.
Reviewing artwork after some time to look for imperfections of mistakes was a common and good practice. Of course, he hadn’t intended to treat this drawing as an artwork befitting such care and attention, but the image lingered in his mind.
Seemingly for good reason it seemed. As he thought, the image of the youth was shockingly familiar… it looked like an alternative version of himself as a disciple.
To become a senior disciple on Qing Jing, one must first show proficiency in multiple areas of the four arts. One of the trials included the creation of a self-portrait. After creating said drawing Shen Qingqiu had stuffed it the same qiankun pouch he used for the sect-leaders gifts.
Now, side by side, the resemblance was uncanny. It was odd to see a version of his own face stretched into such a relaxed and genuinely joyful smile. Even as a child on the streets he can’t remember smiling in such a way.
His job was to cry on command and loot pitiful to gather sympathy from people walking by. Qi-ge had been in charge of politely smiling and expressing their ‘un-dying gratitude’ to whoever was stupid enough to fall for the trap.
Faking tears had been easy for Xiao Jiu, faking a smile had not.
There were of course some differences between the two, the youth haunting his peak had much more fat on him than Shen Jiu could ever achieve due to malnourishment and inedia. This made the boy’s face softer and made their twinning green eyes seem somehow different .
A younger bastardized version of himself was running around Cang Qiong, causing mischief, stealing food, and seducing peak lords and disciples alike. If what he suspected was true, than this shameless copy was also the ridiculous fish currently napping in his own bamboo home.
Assuming the fish and the youth, Yu, are one in the same, Shen Qingqiu began to realize some things.
Perhaps the youth and fish acted to shameless and childish because they were a child. As a fish the child would see people wearing clothes, but wouldn’t understand the rules or reasons behind how people dressed.
Only a child could find so much joy in simply running barefoot through the forest and carrying out silly pranks.
A spoiled child like Yu also had the luxury of being carefree enough to play around and act so silly.
As for how a child could be strong enough to save a qi-deviating peak lord and not alert any of the protective wards on the peak? Shen Qingqiu believed the child to be a part of himself.
Sightings of youth only began after Shen Qingqiu reached a break through in the Ling Xi caves and the fish first appeared on his peak after his last qi-deviation. Additionally, whenever he was around the fish his mood seemed to lighten and his nightmares had become nearly non-existent.
From all of these things, including the remarkable resemblance, Shen Qingqiu came to the conclusion that the fish was created from his own qi and desires. He could vaguely remember wishing for a life where he didn’t have to suffer. This dream was meant for his next life as he was sure the qi-deviation had killed him.
Perhaps the pain and how weak his cultivation had been after and during the event was due to it manifesting his dear Yu.
In the Ling Xi caves after his breakthrough, he had also felt surprisingly strange and drained . Perhaps it was due to his breakthrough influencing the spiritual manifestation of his qi.
With all of these things in mind, Shen Qingqiu came to a final conclusion. Whether it be as a human or a fish, Yu was his .
Shen Jiu had always fiercely coveted the things that were his.
----
Please enjoy some shitty memes I made in class
How the pics of disciple SJ and SY actually looked:
