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Chapter Text

Furrowing his brows in irritation, Liu Qingge landed in the outskirts of what was effectively the ‘kingdom’ of TianTi Temple.

The area around the temple sect was lush and full of spiritual energy, causing many people to gather around it and developing a city that surrounded the temple on two sides, with the TianTi mountains surrounding the temple on the other two sides.

This land around the TianTi Temple was full of spiritual energy due to the presence of the Saintess, the Shengnu, that the temple protected.

TianTi Temple, a sect full of nuns sworn to the Heavens to protect the Saintess, a woman with the Blessings of the Heavens – to tell the truth, not much was known about them besides this. Only TianTi Temple knew how someone could become the Saintess, or what it meant to have the Blessings of the Heavens. And they were a very secretive group.

So why was Liu Qingge here at this stronghold of troublesome women?

… That’s a question Liu Qingge, as well as most of the other Cang Qiong Peak Lords, would like to ask.

The official reason was that TianTi had sent out a call for help because their precious Saintess was … missing. The most important person in their sect. Somehow. With no one realizing it. Had disappeared.

In this situation, Cang Qiong couldn’t not send a representative to TianTi.

Many of the somewhat rare and difficult to raise medicinal herbs and plants that Qian Cao (in particular) and the rest of Cang Qiong used were grown in the hot bed of spiritual energy of TianTi. It is most undoubtedly in their best interests to help find the Saintess.

Plus, they had to keep friendly intersect relations. It was always good to keep friendly intersect relations.

… Which once again begged the question, why Liu Qingge?

If one took a poll and asked who the most diplomatic Peak Lord in Cang Qiong was, ‘Liu Qingge’ would be a name that would never be mentioned.

Conversely, if one took a poll and asked who the least diplomatic Peak Lord in Cang Qiong was, Liu Qingge bet he could beat out his competition.

But unfortunately, Shen Qingqiu was still recovering from his latest qi deviation, Mu Qingfang was occupied with the aforementioned Shen Qingqiu, and so was Zhangmen-shixiong, who has never left the man’s during a qi deviation ever since the two had gotten together. Peh.

Even if he didn’t dislike Shen Qingqiu, Liu Qingge would still be disgusted with how much the man had Yue Qingyuan wrapped around his fingers.

Shang Qinghua would probably have been a more preferable emissary – at least compared to Liu Qingge – but the TianTi nuns were on a whole other level of inhospitable, to the point of nearly being hostile to outsiders. The An Ding Peak Lord would be a nervous wreck on his own with those women. It’s unlikely that he’d be able to get anything done outside of causing a small scale earthquake with his trembling.

So send Qi Qingqi with Shang Qinghua, was Liu Qingge’s suggestion, but Qi Qingqi had suddenly become extremely shifty-eyed, mumbling something incomprehensible about not contacting one of the nuns and having to avoid TianTi forever.

Liu Qingge had no idea what she was trying to say, but it was probably about standing up a woman. There’s no way Qi Qingqi would be anything less than confident about anything else.

It was also unfortunate that Peak Lords seven through twelve were either in seclusion, out on another mission, or also in the running for ‘least diplomatic Peak Lord in Cang Qiong’. Same for Wei Qingwei.

Now now Liu-shidi, you’re the fastest flyer, was the argument, so wouldn’t you be perfect for a search mission? And there might be a fight. If the Saintess was kidnapped, it would likely be powerful people who would have been able to kidnap her. Doesn’t that sound great?

But he flies too fast for Shang Qinghua. Shang Qinghua will get left behind if they’re expecting him to maximize his speed.

Liu Qingge felt he was obligated to point that out.

Then what happened? Liu Qingge still isn’t sure how it went from that to him leaving Cang Qiong on his sword with Shang Qinghua waving merrily as he sees Liu Qingge off, a look of relief on the nervous wreck of a Peak Lord’s face.

… Liu Qingge got tricked somehow, didn’t he?

Unhappily walking (stalking) up the main street towards the TianTi Temple, Liu Qingge only felt the irritation grow stronger as he thought about why he was here and how he ended up here, the furrows between his brows so deep they might as well be permanent.

Dammit. He doesn’t want to be here either.

No, he didn’t mind helping TianTi find the Saintess or track down kidnappers.

The problem are the TianTi nuns.

They are notoriously difficult to get information out of even if you ARE doing them a favor.

Rather than trying to get any useful information out of them, Liu Qingge thought it would be better for him to just go and try to find the Saintess completely blind.

Not that he could do that; he’d never hear the end of it from his martial siblings if he didn’t show his face, at least.

Suddenly Liu Qingge froze, mid step in thought and movement.

He thought he had caught a glimpse of a familiar green and white flash by down a back alley just now. More importantly, that flash of familiar green and white had a familiar face above it.

… Liu Qingge shook his head. He was so desperate to push this irritating task on someone else, preferably someone he disliked, that he was hallucinating.

But then the sound of a guqin, clear, beautiful, and refined, floated out of that back alley.

… … Against his better judgment, Liu Qingge followed the sound.

Exiting the alleyway onto a smaller street, he spied the man in green and white.

- It was Shen Qingqiu?! No, even if he hadn’t seen Shen Qingqiu unconscious on Qian Cao, Liu Qingge knows he wouldn’t be dumb enough to fake a qi deviation to get out of a mission.

Anyway, it wouldn’t explain why the man was right here, right now.

Keeping his distance, Liu Qingge narrowed his eyes and looked the man over.

… He really looked a lot like Shen Qingqiu, but there was definitely a difference.

It wasn’t enough of a difference for Liu Qingge to be able to point out exactly what was different, though. He bet even Yue Qingyuan would stop and pause for a moment before realizing this wasn’t Shen Qingqiu.

It felt like the man was more delicate somehow?Less sharp angles and more gentle curves.

Could it be Shen Qingqiu using a disguise technique, poorly?

But again, it couldn’t be. Shen Qingqiu was back in Cang Qiong, on Qian Cao Peak. Shen Qingqiu would also never dress in common clothing, nor sit directly on the ground playing the guqin for alms.

Which is exactly what this man was doing.

With perfect posture and elegant flourishes, the man dressed simply in green and white sat right on the street, cross-legged with a guqin on his lap, playing with a small sack opened in front of him to contain the few coins passersby would throw in.

This was definitely not Shen Qingqiu. It should have been obvious from the start it wasn’t him.

Liu Qingge shook his head at his own idiocy and turned his feet back towards the main street to get back to the mission, but the moment he looked away a commotion erupted from behind him.

“Hey, hey-! Who said you could beg here, huh?”

“Didn’t even come give us any face. You’re on Yellow Boar turf!”

“That’s right, these streets belong to us, and you haven’t paid the fee to use them.”

No matter how the thugs jeered at him, the man never stopped his music.

“I was unaware that these streets were owned by anyone but Tianti,” Liu Qingge heard the man say, perfectly calm and perfectly clear.

His voice was different after all. It was a tone off from Shen Qingqiu’s, and much gentler.

Raucous laughter, mean-spirited and crude, erupted from the thugs at the man’s words, even though there was nothing funny about them. It was the kind of laughter meant to intimidate.

“A pretty xiansheng like you doesn’t understand the rules of the streets, do you? Why don’t we lend you a hand and teach you a lesson or two?”

It sounded like the street thugs were about to accost the easy mark man. Good timing. Liu Qingge was was just itching for a fight –

WHONK!

The instant he turned to dash into the fight, Liu Qingge froze as he saw Not Shen Qingqiu standing coolly over one unconscious thug, guqin in both hands and still in a pose that clearly showed he had, in fact, just bludgeoned someone with the end of his guqin. Not Shen Qingqiu smirked and tilted his head back cockily.

Bring it, he seemed to be saying.

With a roar of rage, the other thugs did, in fact, bring it, but unfortunately for them, Not Shen Qingqiu brought it more.

Liu Qingge was speechless.

He had never seen someone use a guqin in a fight before.

Actually, that wasn’t strictly true. Cang Qiong’s artists’ peak, Chuang Zuo, had many musicians who used guqins to control the fight with their music cultivation, but none of them used the instrument itself as a blunt weapon.

Musicians… normally would want to avoid actions that destroy their instruments, right?

As Not Shen Qingqiu continued to wallop the street thugs with his guqin, Liu Qingge realized why the guqin wasn’t breaking. Through an impressive control of qi, the man was reinforcing is guqin and keeping it from becoming damaged. This wasn’t simply channeling qi, after all. It was filling and encasing the guqin, resisting and preventing any change or deformation, a much more delicate task.

Liu Qingge had to admit that this sort of task wasn’t suited for someone like him, who would probably crack the guqin purely from the qi he’d put into the thing. Not that a physical cultivator needed to have such fine control over qi.

Either way, Not Shen Qingqiu definitely had to have formed a golden core already to have the qi reserves and ability to do this. At the very least.

If that’s the case, then this man can handle a street fight himself - of course as soon as Liu Qingge thought so, another two thugs had appeared and were about to attack the man from behind. Not Shen Qingqiu was completely oblivious to the reinforcements.

So … strong, but no experience whatsoever. Similar to Shang Qinghua, that waste of a golden core.

Liu Qingge sighed as he crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, smashing the would-be sneak attackers into the wall with the end of his still-sheathed sword.

Not Shen Qingqiu’s mouth dropped open in surprise, but he finished his one-sided beat down before turning to face Liu Qingge.

The man bows, so gently and elegantly Liu Qingge would swear he’s some noble household’s daughter, and says, “This one thanks Xiansheng for his assistance.”

Normally Liu Qingge would just grunt and go on his way, but this Shen Qingqiu looking Not Shen Qingqiu was really throwing him off.

“You should remain aware of your surroundings,” Liu Qingge says, barely able to keep the snap out of his voice as he remembered it was Not Shen Qingqiu and not Shen Qingqiu he was reprimanding.

Not Shen Qingqiu looks a bit surprised, but nods easily in agreement. Another difference from Shen Qingqiu.

“Yes, it seems I was underestimating them quite a bit,” he admits.

Liu Qingge looks away, slightly embarrassed that he keeps mistaking this man for Shen Qingqiu when it’s obvious that he’s not Shen Qingqiu.

“Is Xiansheng a cultivator? May I ask why Xiansheng has come to TianTi? Cultivators other than TianTi’s own are very rare here,” the man says.

Liu Qingge looks at this man suspiciously. It was true that male cultivators were rare in TianTi, most of them just passing through, but Not Shen Qingqiu was also a male cultivator.

“What are you doing?” Liu Qingge asked.

“I am merely passing through,” the man responded.

Alright then.

Since the other had readily replied to the question, Liu Qingge also responded with, “The Saintess is missing and they asked for help,” before he remembered he wasn’t sure if that was secret information or not.

… It’s Zhangmen-shixiong’s own fault for sending a Liu Qingge out when they needed someone actually good at diplomacy and tact. Liu Qingge refuses to take the blame for anything that happens.

He was surprised to see a shadow suddenly cross the young man’s face.

“You are helping TianTi locate their Saintess?” he said, voice a bit strange. At Liu Qingge’s silent, curt nod, the man frowned, as if debating with himself.

Finally he said, “I recommend that Xiansheng not promise too much to TianTi Temple in this endeavor.”

Liu Qingge furrowed his brows together. “Why not?” he asked.

Again, the man hesitated.

“I suppose one good turn deserves another,” he sighed, “Although my words may not be convincing as a wandering cultivator without a background, I should warn you that results for this search may not be honored by TianTi. It its more likely that your efforts may be thwarted, or they may refute your success straight out.”

That sounds like the TianTi nuns, but would they really be that stingy when it’s their precious Saintess at stake?

Not to mention, it was only his instinct, but Liu Qingge felt like this man meant something else other than the personality of the nuns.

Before he could ask any further, however, the man had tied his guqin to his back, picked up his bag of coins, then left Liu Qingge behind with a slight nod and a, “Farewell.”

… Come to think of it, it was odd that a cultivator would be reduced to busking in the streets for money.

Wandering cultivators really were strange people.

Chapter Text

Liu Qingge wasn’t sure if it was because of that strange cultivator’s warnings making him suspicious, or more suspicious, of the TianTi nuns, but it was impossible for him not to be dissatisfied with all the half-answers and unsaid things the TianTi nuns were giving him. Or not giving him.

“So you’re saying that you have no image, no description, and no knowledge of when she was last seen.”

Liu Qingge thought he was right. He really should have just gone straight into searching without bothering to come to the temple.

“We have always kept the Saintess’ appearance sacred,” the head nun said.

Liu Qingge’s eyebrow twitched.

“And you don’t want me to bring her back to the temple if I find her,” he said, repeating the instructions he was told.

“It wouldn’t do to get everyone’s hopes up in case the wrong girl is brought back. Send us word and we will come to you,” the head nun said.

Suspicious. Far too suspicious.

Liu Qingge doesn’t even bother ending the conversation. He just stands up and leaves, passing other cultivators from other sects who have come to lend their aid.

There’s no point to staying and exchanging information with them, and no point in trying to coax more out from the nuns.

It’s just his instinct, but it feels like the nuns don’t actually want their Saintess back.

There’s something else here at play.

Stalking out of the temple grounds, Liu Qingge reluctantly obeys the no flight laws and marches back through the city just like he’d obeyed the no flight laws on the way in. He’d been severely warned not to antagonize the nuns by flying in the areas where they strictly said not to fly. By at least five different Peak Lords.

Liu Qingge thinks about what he should do now that he’s officially showed that Cang Qiong at least tried to help.

He doesn’t really feel like looking for the Saintess for TianTi, not with their attitudes. Maybe he should report back to Cang Qiong first to see what they think about the situation.

Just because he feels like something’s wrong doesn’t mean he’s willing to do the hard thinking to balance the political scales in this situation. That’s Zhangmen-shixiong and Shang Qinghua’s job.

But sending a letter would take time, and he doesn’t want to have to stay put to wait for a response. He doesn’t like being in TianTi’s city.

The citizens are alright. Of course there are good and bad people among them, but that’s the same for every city. Anyway, mortals who haven’t stepped on the path of evil aren’t something cultivators should be involved in, petty thievery and whatnot aside.

The problem Liu Qingge has with TianTi is that he just can’t get used to the nuns.

He’s seen cultivators look down on mortals, and stronger cultivators look down on weaker cultivators, but TianTi’s nuns always feel like they’re looking down on anyone who isn’t them. As if taking an oath to the Heavens to protect the Saintess made them better than all other cultivators.

Laughable. Any cultivator can take an oath to the Heavens for anything. Most of them just aren’t stupid enough to do so.

The Heavens are fickle. A cultivator gone down the evil path could go on a slaughtering spree and a demon could almost destroy the world without the Heavens intervening. But if one tarnishes the name of the Heavens by breaking an oath sworn to them, not even their soul will be left in the wake of the rage of the Heavens.

Only a desperate man will take an oath to the Heavens, because the Heavens will certainly ensure that the oath is fulfilled. Whether in life, or in death.

Once he reached the outskirts of TianTi’s city, Liu Qingge made to unsheathe his sword to fly off.

But that flutter of white and green in the corner of his eye stopped him again.

… Liu Qingge dropped his hand from his sword with a sigh and changed his direction to head towards Not Shen Qingqiu.

Effortlessly, he stepped in front of the child trying to pickpocket the man, then stopped the man from handing money over to the vendor.

“This is an outrageous price,” Liu Qingge said, glaring at the merchant.

As the merchant trembled in fear, squeaking out the correct price and throwing a few skewers in for free as an apology, Liu Qingge wondered why he even bothered.

It’s true that he got distracted because the man looks like Shen Qingqiu, but if it were Shen Qingqiu getting scammed and pickpocketed, Liu Qingge would have happily stepped back to watch it happen.

The young man blushed deeply as he accepted the skewers, paid the price, and walked stiffly away from the stall.

“It seems I’m indebted to Xiansheng again,” he said, so embarrassed he was trying to hide his face behind the skewers.

“...” Liu Qingge was still confused about his own actions so he simply grunted, following along unconsciously as he watched the man’s ears turning bright red from behind.

Oh, was that it? This man was so obviously a naive, sheltered young master that everyone and anyone had picked him out as an easy mark. And depending on the person, it either tugged on their malicious side or tugged on their protective side.

Liu Qingge certainly felt like he’d see the man getting himself into more trouble if he looked away for a second before looking back, and it made him scowl.

He might not be the best big brother, but Liu Qingge was a big brother. Watching this defenseless person made his eyebrow twitch in anxiety.

He was startled out of his thoughts as two meat skewers were suddenly thrust towards him. Liu Qingge tilted his head, looking at the young man who was decidedly keeping his face turned away while presenting the skewers.

“S-since you helped me,” the man said in a fluster, not daring to look at him.

Liu Qingge took the skewers, even though he didn’t really want them.

“Is Xiansheng heading towards the gates?” the man asked as his blush receded, “Are you already leaving to look for the Saintess?”

“I’m leaving because the nuns are uncooperative.”

At his response, the man laughed.

“They certainly are,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of bitterness.

“Are you leaving as well?” Liu Qingge found himself asking.

“En. I seem to be an easy mark, so I’d like to get out of the city as fast as possible. It’s tiring to keep swinging a guqin around.”

Ah. So the man himself is already aware. Liu Qingge watched the man gnaw on the skewers while being clearly annoyed.

The man might be dressed simply and prepared to go on a journey, but … Liu Qingge looked him over.

TianTi was several days from the next town and it didn’t seem like this man had a sword. Liu Qingge couldn’t imagine he’d be able to survive a day wandering the wilderness alone.

“I can take you to the next town,” he heard himself saying.

“Really!?” The man’s eyes lit up, but he held himself back as he said, “But… Xiansheng, I think you’re aware, but, ah… I will probably be a burden in travels.”

“I have to send a message anyway. It’s better not to move too fast.” Liu Qingge completely ignored the fact that he was planning to fly back to Cang Qiong at high speed instead of sending a message.

“Really! Then I’ll have to trouble Xiansheng!”

The man’s smile felt a little blinding.

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan was cheering a little inside.

At the beginning it felt like nothing would ever go right ever since he’d transmigrated into this body. He’d only been six years old, and the stress of having to deal with all of the … Well, anyway, he was thrilled to finally leave TianTi for the first time in his (this) life.

And things were finally beginning to look up.

The first step he took out of the city’s gates were so moving he almost burst into tears.

Not to mention, he even had a kind and powerful immortal who offered to see him to the next town. Sure the cultivator seemed to have face paralysis (what a waste of his pretty features), but it’s better for a man to be kind than just appear kind.

Shen Yuan was determined to get out of the city no matter what, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worried about his abilities to survive on his own.

Hey, he’d been a shut-in for both lives now. You can’t expect a man to just go out with a full set of survival skills starting from zero.

Having an escort was just the best thing he could have hoped for.

Once he judged they were far enough away from TianTi, Shen Yuan introduced himself.

“Xiansheng, this one’s name is Shen Yuan.”

The cultivator grunted in response. Oops, shouldn’t have disturbed him while he was writing the message.

Shen Yuan watched with interest as the cultivator sent the bird spirit beast off. He’d been in PIDW for almost twenty years, and this was his first spirit beast he’d seen. Shen Yuan felt moved.

“Shen … Yuan?” the cultivator asked after the bird had flown off, as if he was just now processing what Shen Yuan had just said.

Was there something odd? The cultivator was staring at him intently, as if he’d be able to solve all the mysteries that troubled him if he could … who knows, see through Shen Yuan or something?

“What are you going to do now?” the cultivator finally asked.

Ah. Well, what should Shen Yuan do… his goal was to just get out of the city, so now he wasn’t really sure.

“I wonder...”

“You can come back to my sect. There’s an artist’s peak. They teach musical cultivation.”

Whoa! Okay, Shen Yuan was actually hoping to learn how to wield swords and shit, but ever since he’d had all those instruments beaten into him, trading musical cultivation techniques sounds good too.

Oh, but that’s right. He already knows a different musical cultivation method. Most sects would prefer to teach a blank slate.

“Ah, but there’s no way I could be admitted as a disciple. How unfortunate.” Shen Yuan sighed.

“Visiting scholar,” the cultivator said, “You could be one.”

“Really!?” Shen Yuan grinned widely, perking up in excitement and sloughing off a little of the primness and properness that had been enforced into his body since he’d been transmigrated as he nearly whooped in happiness.

Noticing the glint of amusement in the cultivator’s eye, Shen Yuan coughed and felt his ears flush again.

Goddammit, it’s been forever since he’s heard some good news, okay? Leave him alone.

---

The further they got from the TianTi, the more Shen Yuan seemed to lose his refined aura.

Certainly, some of it seemed impossible for him to shake, like how he moved and stood, but his language was getting rougher and he was holding his emotions back less.

Liu Qingge preferred this version to the lofty, noble young master the man had been portraying back in TianTi.

“How long will it take to reach your sect?” Shen Yuan asked.

“At the pace we’re going, four or five weeks,” Liu Qingge responded.

“That’s a long time,” Shen Yuan pouted. “Do we need to pick up the speed?”

Liu Qingge raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to keep up,” he said, concerned about the slighter man’s guqin tied to his back, but apparently his concerns weren’t communicated very well.

Shen Yuan flung his head up and stared defiantly at Liu Qingge.

“Try me.”

And, well, Liu Qingge has never been one to turn down a challenge.

Two hours later, Liu Qingge doubled back to stand over Shen Yuan, who was on his hands and knees, panting heavily like he was going to die.

“You shouldn’t challenge a physical cultivator to a contest in stamina and agility,” Liu Qingge said, allowing the corners of his mouth to quirk upwards a little. Although they had covered an impressive distance in these two hours, already covering nearly a weeks travel at walking pace, the little fool had decided to challenge the Peak Lord of Bai Zhan of all people to a race.

Bai Zhan. The Peak in the great Cang Qiong sect that literally specialized in physical cultivation and combat.

You would be hardpressed to find ANYONE in the cultivation world capable of holding their own against Bai Zhan in a purely athletic contest, let alone against Liu Qingge himself. And especially not when the challenger was Shen Yuan, who clearly cultivated a more scholarly path.

“Yeah, this is a really great way to shorten your lifespan,” Shen Yuan managed to say between gasps for air.

Liu Qingge just stared down at him.

It wasn’t like Shen Yuan wasn’t strong. His foundation was good and he was clearly trained, if only through rote exercise and theory. In a fight, if you ignored his lack of experience, Liu Qingge was confident that Shen Yuan would be able to hold his own. It’s simply that spiritual and physical cultivation had different strengths, and a race through a forest was deeply skewed towards physical cultivation.

Shen Yuan would be able to keep up with the Qing Jing and An Ding brats without trouble, anyway.

He decided to have pity on the moping Shen Yuan.

“You’re a spiritual cultivator,” he said, “This wasn’t a fair contest.”

Shen Yuan just loosens his guqin clumsily from his back before flopping over, spread eagle on the ground. He purses his lips to make a rude noise, his chest still heaving from exertion.

Seeing that, Liu Qingge couldn’t help the small smile that twitched at his lips.

“We’ll stop here for the night,” he said.

“I can … I can keep going after a rest,” Shen Yuan protested.

“We left the city late in the afternoon and covered a lot of distance. It’s better to find a place to rest.”

If it was Liu Qingge alone he could keep running until dark and just find a tree to spend the night in, but even though Shen Yuan was doing his best, Shen Yuan was still obviously a sheltered young master. It would be preferable to make a more decent attempt at camping.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Shen Yuan called as Liu Qingge started to look for a decent place to lie down and some firewood.

“No.” Liu Qingge says, then, “There isn’t much to do,” he amends.

The spot Shen Yuan has ‘claimed’ is good enough, so Liu Qingge just gathers some wood and keeps an eye out for animals to hunt.

Since Shen Yuan has a golden core he should also be able to practice inedia, but Liu Qingge… hm. He thought it was better to have the man eat something anyway.

Strangely, there weren’t any animals or beasts nearby, though.

Liu Qingge put himself in alert mode, but although the absence of animals should be an alarming matter, the atmosphere in the forest didn’t seem to reflect that. It was overwhelmingly peaceful and serene.

Still, he’d gone a bit too far from where he’d left Shen Yuan to feel comfortable when the situation doesn’t seem normal, so Liu Qingge decided to head back quickly.

Only to find out where all the animals went.

“Come on now, hurry up and move along. If you don’t go, a sca~ry cultivator will come hunt you all.”

Shen Yuan was surrounded by woodland critters of the harmless type. The type that were mostly herbivores, that usually startled and ran in fear of becoming prey.

The scene was absolutely surreal as a young, elegant scholar tried to coax and shoo little rabbits and squirrels and songbirds, and even a fawn to go and run off, only to have the animals press in closer to his nudges.

“… Am I the scary cultivator?” Liu Qingge asked, but as he made himself known, the animals startled and bolted as if to answer his question.

Liu Qingge’s brows furrowed and twitched. He was used to being avoided out of fear, and he even found being intimidating quite useful, but for the first time, it kind of bothered him to be the ‘scary cultivator’.

His discomfort didn’t last long as Shen Yuan burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he almost doubled over.

“Hahaha! Th-they certainly thought so!”

Liu Qingge rolled his eyes in exasperation as he crouched down to construct the fire.

“Those were prey animals. Their reaction to me is normal. It’s their reaction to you that’s abnormal.”

“… That’s true, isn’t it?” Shen Yuan stopped laughing, a troubled look on his face, and Liu Qingge regretted saying anything.

“But I let a good opportunity get away. We don’t have dinner now,” he said, attempting to change the mood.

“-! Well, I’d feel bad if you killed them after they came running over to me,” Shen Yuan said, a wry smile on his face, “So maybe it’s better this way. I can practice inedia, after all.”

“But do you prefer to practice inedia?”

“… I am capable of it,” was all Shen Yuan said, hiding his lower face with his sleeve and looking anywhere but at Liu Qingge.

That’s what Liu Qingge thought.

But before he could get up and hunt, Shen Yuan suddenly went, “Ah!”

Sheepishly, he looked up at Liu Qingge.

“I forgot. I have dried fish.”

… Well at least Shen Yuan didn’t come completely unprepared.

Liu Qingge helped the man toast the dried fish as the sky began to darken.

“I wish I bought a bedroll,” Shen Yuan complained, “But I wasn’t able to earn enough in the city thanks to those bastards.”

“You can just meditate,” Liu Qingge said as he prepared to meditate himself.

“I’ve been forced to meditate without sleep for years. I’d really like to sleep for once.”

If Shen Yuan insisted then Liu Qingge wasn’t going to stop him, but would he be able to sleep?

Liu Qingge’s doubts were realized as Shen Yuan tossed and turned by the campfire all night, unable to find a comfortable position.

Towards morning, howling disturbed Liu Qingge from his meditation (although his meditation was already pretty disturbed from Shen Yuan grumbling every half hour or so), and he rose into a crouch, hand on his hilt.

“Jabberwolves?”

Liu Qingge startled lightly as a voice grumbled irritably and Shen Yuan sat up, running a hand through his mussed up hair.

“You can tell?” Liu Qingge asked. Demonic wolves all sound the same to him.

“Just a guess, but it sounds right,” Shen Yuan said as he sighed, kicking dirt over the fire. “Disturbing us so early in the morning.”

… Whether it’s morning or night, it won’t change that the wolves are attacking, but Liu Qingge decided against saying anything.

“The fire?” he asked instead.

“Jabberwolves hate the smell of grey cypress smoke. It makes them more aggressive. Not that I know if we used any, but it’s better to be safe,” Shen Yuan explained.

Neither of them said anything else as the sound of heavy paws and snarls came closing in on them.

Five wolves.

This wasn’t bad, exactly, but demonic wolves were quick no matter what their exact species were.

The problem wasn’t that Liu Qingge was worried he couldn’t take them.

No, the problem was that he could take them, but he wouldn’t be able to control their movements. It was likely that one or two would go after Shen Yuan if they found Liu Qingge to be too difficult of a target, and after all he had observed, Liu Qingge had confirmed that the only weapon Shen Yuan owned was … the guqin.

And so, Liu Qingge decided to take the fight to the jabberwolves before they could get too close.

Dashing out, he drew his sword in a beautiful arc, cleanly slicing one wolf’s head off and going to tangle with another, but as he feared, they were too quick.

He was able to stop two of them, but another two got past him as he fended off the claws and fangs.

Gritting his teeth, Liu Qingge threw the two wolves off him, kicking one into a tree and severely maiming the other in the shoulder, and glanced behind him to see…

Shen Yuan dodging beautifully, holding a hand with two fingers up towards the sky before bringing them down towards the attacking wolves. A swirl of leaves circled playfully about him before shooting towards the wolves, tearing through them viciously.

The leaves regrouped and formed a long ribbon starting from the end of Shen Yuan’s two fingers and he wielded them like a whip.

A whip made of hundreds of tiny daggers that he could shoot apart and reform at will.

Liu Qingge began to rethink his impressions of Shen Yuan as possibly an idiot. Looks like he wasn’t as defenseless as Liu Qingge had thought.

Assured that Shen Yuan could hold his own, Liu Qingge didn’t allow himself to be distracted anymore. Between the two of them, they ended the fight quickly.

“Heheh, you thought I was defenseless, didn’t you?” Shen Yuan asked, grinning cheekily, although clearly exhausted with dark circles under his eyes, as Liu Qingge returned to his side.

“… The leaves?” Liu Qingge asked, ignoring the man’s so-there! tone. He’d seen Shen Qingqiu snatch bamboo leaves and send them shooting towards enemies like a shower of needles before, but nothing quite like this.

“Er… a secret technique?” Shen Yuan said, tilting his head.

“...” Fine. Liu Qingge wasn’t the nosy type to begin with.

“Thank you for your help,” Shen Yuan told the leaves as they fluttered, then … returned back to the trees?!

Liu Qingge watched speechlessly as the leaves completely reattached themselves to the trees they had come from like they had never left.

Liu Qingge had SO many questions.

Chapter Text

In his disciple days, Liu Qingge had once tried to get by purely on meditation, foregoing sleep as much as possible, before the future Mu Qingfang scolded him.

Mu Qingfang had even gotten the former Bai Zhan Peak Lord to overpower Liu Qingge and tie him to the bed at that time.

Turns out, even after you’re capable of performing inedia, you still need to sleep. Not necessarily every night, although most cultivators would, but even as cultivators, they needed to sleep more or less regularly in order to maintain alertness and heal the mind.

Liu Qingge had seen someone who hadn’t slept in a year before.

That person had kind of exhibited symptoms like Shen Yuan after last night’s poor sleep.

Although Shen Yuan had been fine the day before, was it possible that he was telling the truth about not having slept in years?

Liu Qingge had thought the man had just been exaggerating, but his exhaustion after just one night of poor sleep wasn’t normal for a cultivator.

He watched as Shen Yuan did his best not to trip while grumpily muttering under his breath, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

After noon, Liu Qingge couldn’t stand watching him anymore and set up camp.

“We should stop here for today,” he said.

“I can keep going,” Shen Yuan protested, but Liu Qingge was adamant.

“We shouldn’t go too far in one day anyway,” Liu Qingge said, ignoring the fact that they had gone very far the day before.

“Hm...” Shen Yuan hummed thoughtfully, although his face held a bit of annoyance in it. “Is it because of your letter?”

“… Yes,” Liu Qingge said, lying through his teeth. He had completely forgotten about the letter.

The bird was going to have a hard time finding them. But it would find them. The beast peak’s beasts were excellent, after all.

Liu Qingge went off to collect firewood again, but Shen Yuan had already taken off his outer robe and spread it on the ground, lying on it to try to sleep.

When Liu Qingge returned, it seems Shen Yuan was having about as much success as the night before.

He tossed one way, trying to get comfortable, then tossed another. And then another. And another.

Liu Qingge was reminded of a roasting pig on a spit, being constantly turned to ensure even cooking.

It looked like Shen Yuan just couldn’t get comfortable.

Finally Shen Yuan gave up, laying flat on his back, huffing irritably at the sky.

“I never knew I was such a prissy princess,” he practically growled, “Can’t even sleep on the cold, hard ground for one night. I’m such a fucking wimp. In the first place, it’s so dumb that we cultivate to inedia, but still need to eat and sleep for some reason!” Then Shen Yuan muttered something else under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Stupid novel, stupid author.”

After staring down at Shen Yuan’s defeated appearance for a second, Liu Qingge leaned over and picked Shen Yuan up around the middle with one arm, taking hold of Shen Yuan’s outer robe with his other.

“Wha-! What are you-!?”

The slender man panicked, but Liu Qingge just walked over to a tree, sat down in lotus position, and set Shen Yuan next to him. He adjusted Shen Yuan’s position so that most of Shen Yuan’s body was leaning on his and covered the man with his own robe.

“Sleep,” Liu Qingge said.

Shen Yuan was frozen stiff, head and torso against Liu Qingge’s chest.

“X-xiansheng, this is…”

“You said the ground was too cold and hard.”

“I did, but...”

“It’s dangerous to travel in the state you’re in. Sleep.” Liu Qingge uttered the last word like a command, and Shen Yuan shivered a little before obediently shutting his mouth and lowering his head.

He was still incredibly tense, and Liu Qingge wondered if Shen Yuan still wouldn’t be able to sleep like this.

But after a few more minutes passed, Shen Yuan’s muscles relaxed and his head drooped against Liu Qingge’s chest drowsily. Maybe the warmth finally lulled him to sleep, or maybe he was just too exhausted, but either way, he was finally sleeping.

Careful not to wake him, Liu Qingge looked down at the man, eyebrows dipping slightly as he observed him.

How long had this man been without sleep?

Liu Qingge was capable of going a few weeks up to a few months without noticeable problems, and most other cultivators he knew were roughly the same. The reason most cultivators slept regularly every night was so that they could go without during a longer period of time when it was necessary. Liu Qingge preferred to avoid sleeping when out on missions himself, so whenever he was on Bai Zhan Peak he would sleep every night.

Even so, sometimes missions went long and Liu Qingge would have to find himself a tree to sleep in. Unless it couldn’t be helped, Liu Qingge made sure to sleep at least once a week.

Shen Yuan has clearly been without sleep for a very, very long time. At least a year, if Liu Qingge had to guess.

It doesn’t seem like it was by choice. Shen Yuan had even used the term ‘forced’ before.

To be deprived sleep until one becomes mentally affected is considered a form of torture among many sects, even if it’s an unusual one to use against cultivators.

Liu Qingge furrowed his brows at the thought.

Hopefully it wasn’t torture. Hopefully it was just one of this man’s many secrets.

He wonders if Shen Yuan would tell him what his secrets are one day.

“Mnngh.”

Shen Yuan shifted, curling his fingers into Liu Qingge’s robes and nuzzling against his chest.

Liu Qingge became distracted.

Oh.

Um.

What was he thinking about again?

Liu Qingge didn’t get much meditating done.

The next morning, Shen Yuan felt a little perturbed. Liu Qingge could tell.

Not that Liu Qingge could know why Shen Yuan felt perturbed. Not at all. It’s certainly not because Liu Qingge can’t bring himself to look at Shen Yuan. Surely not.

“Xiansheng, did I do something last night …?” Shen Yuan asked, clearly hoping the answer would be ‘no.’

“… No.”

Liu Qingge was aware that he wasn’t being the most convincing person in the world. He took a deep breath and willed himself to stop avoiding Shen Yuan’s gaze.

“I was just thinking about how we should go from here.”

Not necessarily a lie.

“Is that so...”

Liu Qingge felt a bit bad at Shen Yuan’s frown.

“Even if you don’t need one, it would be better to get a sword,” he said, trying to change the topic gracefully.

“A sword? I do want one” Shen Yuan easily bit onto the subject. “It would make people think twice before trying to mug me. But I haven’t been trained in using one, so I’d feel sorry for the sword.”

“...You haven’t trained with a sword at all?”

Even if they did have other options, Cang Qiong was a sword sect. Everyone was trained in the sword whether they intended to use other weapons in the end or not. Swords weren’t just weapons, after all. They were also training tools to help practice qi manipulation and used in drills to help build up muscle. Not to mention being a cultivator’s main mode of transport.

It was like that for most of the other sects too. In general, most cultivators have learned how to use a sword to some degree. For Shen Yuan to have cultivated a golden core and not know how to use a sword was, well, not common.

“It’s strange after all, isn’t it?” Shen Yuan said, slumping his shoulders.

“I could teach you,” Liu Qingge blurted out.

“… Xiansheng has done a lot for this one already. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Although Liu Qingge had thought it was too much trouble to teach his disciples. … Strictly not true. In Bai Zhan, learning from observing and stealing others’ techniques was the norm. But also … kind of true. Liu Qingge wasn’t avoiding formal classes on principle alone. There was definitely a bit of personal aversion there.

“Then I’ll be in Xiansheng’s care,” Shen Yuan said with a laugh.

Liu Qingge was relieved. Shen Yuan was finally back to being in a good mood. It seems like he had, in fact, slept successfully.

They covered a lot more distance that day, more than making up for their lackluster travel time yesterday as Liu Qingge ran through the forests at a pace that Shen Yuan could keep up with. At this rate, they should reach Cang Qiong in a week.

The trouble, for Liu Qingge anyway, came when they stopped for the night again.

Despite his extreme embarrassment previously, Shen Yuan seemed to have no problems settling down to sleep on Liu Qingge this night.

Although he wasn’t complaining, Liu Qingge wondered if this was normal.

He glanced down at Shen Yuan’s face, peaceful and content in the moonlight, his fingers once again curled in Liu Qingge’s robes.

Liu Qingge sighed, placing an arm gently around Shen Yuan’s shoulders and adjusting the robe Shen Yuan was using as a blanket.

This man was going to be taken advantage of by someone one day.

Chapter Text

Three more days passed in this sort of manner.

Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan would travel during the day, although sometimes Shen Yuan got distracted by strange plants and once a demonic boar attacked them.

At evening they would make camp and Shen Yuan would sleep while Liu Qingge meditated.

Both Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge were becoming accustomed to Shen Yuan’s sleeping position. Liu Qingge wasn’t sure this was a good thing, but he was reluctant to refuse Shen Yuan from continuing to sleep on him.

For one thing, he was the one who offered. For another, he thought it was pretty pitiful that Shen Yuan wasn’t able to sleep well wherever he had been before, and it was kind of heartwarming to see him sleep so soundly.

Pretty soon, Shen Yuan was beginning to bury his face sleepily in Liu Qingge’s robes every morning, mumbling, “Five more minutes,” as he was reluctant to wake up, and Liu Qingge wasn’t exactly dissuading this behavior.

For the first time in a while, Liu Qingge wasn’t rushing to get to his destination.

Traveling with Shen Yuan was … nice. Peaceful. Things that Liu Qingge wouldn’t normally prefer, being the Bai Zhan War God with a preference for fighting.

Unfortunately, the peace and quiet was soon over on the fourth day.

“… This forest is too silent,” Shen Yuan said, frowning behind his sleeve as he surveyed their surroundings.

Unlike before when the animals had been attracted to Shen Yuan, leaving the rest of the forest in serene silence, this forest’s silence held an air of tension and fear.

Liu Qingge’s hand was already warily on his hilt as he also looked about.

Suddenly, almost without warning, a gale of wind as sharp as knives blasted towards them, bowling down trees and shredding the ground.

“Watch out-!” Shen Yuan cried, but he and Liu Qingge were already dodging before his mouth could issue the warning.

If they had waited until he yelled, they would have been sliced up by the wind already.

Mere seconds after the wind crashed through the trees, the ground began to shake as a large creature thudded towards them on all fours.

“…! It’s a false dragon!” Shen Yuan called out as the large, lizard-like creature bore down on them, sharp fangs snapping at Liu Qingge, blood dripping out of its mouth from its previous prey.

“False dragon?” Liu Qingge asked sharply. He’d heard of them before, but he didn’t know their characteristics off the top of his head.

Not to mention, ‘false dragon’ was a monicker for a broad group of reptilian monsters, not the name of this specific species.

Shen Yuan’s sharp eyes looked the monster over in a glance, and as Liu Qingge expected, he knew what it was.

“This one is a feathered typhoon basilisk, prefers to devour prey with qi, and is not difficult to cut up with the exception of its armored tail and claws. However, getting close enough to cut it will be the main trouble, as it is very powerful and fires off attacks that can cover wide areas. The very definition of a glass cannon.”

The last bit was mumbled, as if to himself, but even though he didn’t know exactly what Shen Yuan meant by that, Liu Qingge understood the idea.

Basically he could kill it if he survived to get close enough. That was good enough for Liu Qingge.

Dashing in at inhuman speeds (he’s a cultivator after all), Liu Qingge didn’t allow the blasts of razor wind or hail of needle sharp feathers to stop him as he leapt, flipped, and dodged, changing direction and orientation seamlessly as if the laws of the natural world didn’t apply to him.

Shen Yuan stood back, showering the false dragon with hails of leaves, but he was more of a distraction than anything.

At best his attacks would cancel out the false dragon’s own attacks. Mostly, though, they were mere hindrances.

But a hindrance might just be enough – the false dragon spat acid at Shen Yuan’s next burst of leaves, in whip form that exploded into razors on contact, and Liu Qingge’s eyes changed as he spotted the opening.

In he went, sword flashing as he swung home – only to be forced to leap backwards as the monster’s tail swung heavily towards him.

Tch.

He’d changed trajectory and swung at the creature’s tail, hoping to at least chop off one obstacle, but although he did cut through the armor on the tail it was only just barely, and his arm stung from the force.

The force that then proceeded onwards to slam into the ground, causing a miniature earthquake where Liu Qingge had just been standing.

The creature wasn’t dubbed one of the ‘false dragons’ for nothing.

Liu Qingge felt the pleasant rush of battle that only came when fighting a fierce opponent, and his lips set into a thin smile as he dodged the next hail of feathers and leapt back into the fray.

Dodging each attack by the skin of his teeth, Liu Qingge navigated the field of area of effect attacks, once again closing in on the false dragon, who was now much more wary of the powerful cultivator that had gotten through its defenses once.

The two faced off once again, one determined to get through the rain of attacks and the other determined to prevent it, and the flash of sword lights and wind bursts practically electrified the air.

Liu Qingge was able to break through again, but this time he met up with the monster’s claws. Then again, he was able to slice up through one of the monster’s claws straight up its leg, so it wasn’t him who came through this second exchange worse off.

The third exchange, however, was much more difficult. The false dragon had begun to erect a wind barrier in its panic at this unexpectedly powerful foe it had mistaken as prey, and it took everything Shen Yuan had to make an opening for Liu Qingge.

Even though Liu Qingge would have been fine bursting through with sheer force, he wasn’t going to complain about someone opening the way up for him.

However, he could tell that it wasn’t wise to drag the battle out for too much longer. Each time he broke through the false dragon’s defenses, it seemed to force out more and more attacks. The longer this continued, the more it would escalate.

Normally he might not mind so much, maybe he’d even welcome it, but right now…

He eyed the bulge at the throat of the false dragon. Shen Yuan had yelled that that organ was what infused the false dragon’s breath with qi, turning its breath into the sharp gales earlier when Liu Qingge had happened to get close enough to hear him over the howls of wind.

If he could damage that, one third of the false dragon’s offenses would be gone even if it didn’t do much damage to the monster itself. Which, being an organ at the throat, it was likely that the damage done would be more substantial rather than less.

But he wasn’t going to be able to get there while dodging the false dragon’s tail and claws.

Liu Qingge made the decision without any hesitation, sacrificing his left shoulder in an instant as it crunched under a heavy blow from the tail, while he shot his sword upwards with all his might.

The blue sword light hit the wind organ dead on, bursting through not only it but all the way through the back of the false dragon’s throat and up into the air, cauterizing the wound as it went due to the immense amount of qi Liu Qingge had poured into the blow.

The wind surrounding Liu Qingge and the false dragon dispersed immediately, giving Shen Yuan full visibility as Liu Qingge was smashed into the ground under the false dragon’s tail.

“Xiansheng!”

Liu Qingge heard Shen Yuan’s cry, but really, he was okay. Because he had poured everything into offense and ignored his defenses, it was only natural that he couldn’t withstand the tail’s force. But he was a cultivator. Bai Zhan’s Peak Lord, even.

Other than his shoulder, his body was unscathed. Rather, he had absorbed all the force into his shoulder and so kept the rest of his body safe.

But before he could reassure Shen Yuan that he was fine, the little fool had already come running!

“Stay back!” Liu Qingge barked, aware that reptilian monsters were extremely tenacious, and that a hole through its throat wasn’t enough to kill it, but Shen Yuan didn’t listen.

Liu Qingge opened his mouth to yell at him again, but the words died in his throat.

There was a shift in the atmosphere, and not just Liu Qingge, even the false dragon’s attention was drawn towards Shen Yuan. The entire world’s attention, it seemed, was drawn towards Shen Yuan.

Liu Qingge watched in a daze as the false dragon attacked Shen Yuan, it’s movements much slower and more sluggish. It wasn’t even bothering to use its feathers or tail as it swiped at the man. Almost as if it was torn between attacking him or capturing him.

Like a wisp of smoke, Shen Yuan stepped between the false dragon’s attacks with the lightest steps and elegantly held arms – was he dancing?

Liu Qingge couldn’t see it as anything else. It wasn’t like the fast-paced battle dances of Cang Qiong’s artists’ Peak, nor their slow (and somewhat boring looking) dances for meditation.

Measured steps angled precisely, arms sweeping in gorgeous circles and curves, gentle in appearance but clearly powerful as Shen Yuan warded off some of the false dragon’s closer blows with the sweeping motions.

Encircling the moon, embracing the world – these words sprang to Liu Qingge’s mind as something he didn’t even know was out of focus snapped into place.

The world itself was appreciating the figure of Shen Yuan as he flitted between the false dragon’s claws like they weren’t even there. As proof, spiritual energy was welling up from the ground where Shen Yuan had stepped, swirling about him like mist.

“Xiansheng.”

Liu Qingge was snapped out of his daze as Shen Yuan called out to him once again. He leapt to his feet, grasped his sword, and lopped the false dragon’s head off. Easily.

It couldn’t be anything but easy with the monster enthralled. Just like Liu Qingge had been enthralled.

He took a deep, shuddering breath as he looked at Shen Yuan, who was still continuing to move, gracefully, beautifully, as his dance came to the end.

Almost simultaneously, the moment he drew into his final pose, a regal peal of thunder rumbled across the clear sky. It sounded like applause.

It very well might be, Liu Qingge thought.

When the final rumble had ended the spell also ended, and Shen Yuan’s body sagged, his legs and arms trembling slightly from exertion.

“Shen Yuan. … ….” Liu Qingge wasn’t sure what he was going to say and just remained silent as he watched the man approach him on wobbly legs.

“Your shoulder,” Shen Yuan returned back to him.

Oh, right.

“It’s fine,” Liu Qingge said.

That was apparently the wrong answer. Just like Mu Qingfang does, Shen Yuan scowled at Liu Qingge’s ‘It’s fine.’

“It’s NOT fine. You obviously can’t even move it,” the man said, reaching out towards Liu Qingge’s shoulder.

“I’ve had worse. This won’t even take a week to heal,” Liu Qingge tried to say, but Shen Yuan cut him off.

“I’ve never seen someone get injured in front of me before, so just humor me,” he snapped, shoving Liu Qingge down onto the ground before gingerly peeling back the ruined robes from his shoulder.

Shen Yuan sucked in a gasp when he saw the state of the shattered shoulder.

Liu Qingge glanced over. Hm. Might take a little more than a week, then. Still, could be worse.

“You… this… haa...” Shen Yuan sighed, closing his eyes in exasperation for a moment before opening them again and snapping, “Don’t move.”

Obediently remaining still, Liu Qingge wondered what Shen Yuan was trying to do as he held a hand over the wound, so close Liu Qingge could feel the heat from it. Then, Shen Yuan brought his forehead to the back of his own hand and closed his eyes.

Furrowing his brows, Liu Qingge couldn’t help but wondering what the heck the man was doing, but then the Shen Yuan’s hand and forehead began to glow. Softly at first, then so brightly that even Liu Qingge had to close his eyes.

A warmth washed over Liu Qingge, and when the glow faded he looked over to see his shoulder, smooth skin without a bone fragment out of place. Moving it experimentally, Liu Qingge found that, though it was a bit sore, it was actually, completely, fully healed.

“What did you -” Turning to look back at the man, Liu Qingge was surprised as Shen Yuan slowly slumped forward until his forehead was against Liu Qingge’s chest. He had collapsed in Liu Qingge’s lap.

“Shen Yuan!”

In a panic, Liu Qingge quickly grasped the man’s wrist and checked his pulse and meridians only to find … that Shen Yuan had fallen fast asleep.

This man…

Liu Qingge heaved a sigh – of relief? Exasperation? - as he shifted the man who had fallen asleep in his arms again.

Looking down at Shen Yuan, who had snuggled himself close again, Liu Qingge pondered the strange events that had just happened.

This was someone who had left, or fled, TianTi, and was naive in many ways. But he was capable of doing things Liu Qingge had never seen before, in perfect harmony with the natural world.

Even the healing was something ridiculous and strange. There was no way that the way Shen Yuan had healed him was a medical technique. Liu Qingge wasn’t Mu Qingfang, but he knew that much at least.

Liu Qingge was beginning to come to a conclusion, but there were still many questions he had that were unanswered.

“Who are you?” he muttered, arms tightening protectively for a moment around the man sleeping in his lap, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan opened his eyes, finding himself on the ground. The cold was seeping into his back, which is what probably woke him.

Even if the cold won’t harm him, since he’s a cultivator, it felt uncomfortable and was prohibitive against his ability to sleep. It was similar to that feeling when you’re not really sure if you turned the stove off, and although you’re 75% sure you did, oh goddammit, better go check or you’ll never stop thinking about it.

Blinking blearily, Shen Yuan wondered why his arms and legs felt like lead until he remembered the recent events.

After looking around and seeing that the cultivator xiansheng wasn’t around, Shen Yuan covered his face and groaned.

Ohfuckinghell! He’s done it now!

There’s no way Xiansheng won’t suspect something after THAT! But what was he supposed to do? Let the false dragon beat Xiansheng to a pulp? Fucking hell, this is the worst!

Is that why Xiansheng isn’t here? Shit! Did he go to get the TianTi nuns?!

N-no. Probably not.

He’s a guy, right. Who would make the connection?

And even if he was suspicious, Xiansheng … he’d probably listen to what he has to say first, right? Someone that kind and helpful … they’d built some kind of friendship there, hadn’t they? Enough for him to ask about the situation first?

Shen Yuan really hoped so.

Chirrup!

In the middle of his not-quite-a-panic-attack, Shen Yuan is interrupted by the twitter of a bird.

That’s surprising. Even if he is here, the aura of the false dragon is still about. Shen Yuan can feel it from here. Songbirds wouldn’t be willing to approach like this.

Removing his hands from his face, Shen Yuan looks up.

Oh, it’s Xiansheng’s bird.

For a brief second Shen Yuan feels the dread that the message around the bird’s leg is one that’s telling him that Xiansheng has gone to get the TianTi nuns, or that, Shen Yuan doesn’t know, something like Xiansheng won’t turn him in but also won’t travel with him anymore? But he quells the irrational fears and reaches out to the spirit beast.

“Aren’t you a pretty thing?” he says soothingly as he allows the bird to perch on his hand while he strokes its back. He keeps his voice calm, like if he can fool the bird into thinking he’s fine, then he can convince himself too.

Shen Yuan glances at the letter.

The recipient is … Liu Qingge.

Oh thank god. It’s not addressed from Xiansheng to him, so half of Shen Yuan’s fears were put to rest.

Is that Xiansheng’s name? Liu Qingge?

… … ……. ……….. Liu Qingge!?

Shen Yuan’s mind went blank for a second.

Liu Qingge, as in THAT Liu Qingge? Cang Qiong sect’s Liu Qingge? The freaking Bai Zhan Peak Lord!?

Then they’re heading to Cang Qiong right now?!

Ohmyfreakinggod… I’ve been using the Bai Zhan War God as a pillow!?! - something in the back of Shen Yuan’s brain was howling in mortification.

Wait, is it possible that Luo Binghe hadn’t even reached Cang Qiong yet?

Shen Yuan had been troubled over not knowing where he was in the timeline, since he’d been shut up in a temple for almost twenty years, so maybe he could find out now.

After all, Liu Qingge is clearly not dead yet.

A pang runs through Shen Yuan as he belatedly matched the name of Liu Qingge to the face of the (mostly) expressionless but kind Xiansheng that had been taking care of him this entire time.

That’s right, Liu Qingge dies in PIDW.

A noise startles Shen Yuan out of his thoughts and he whips his head over to see Xiansheng – Liu Qingge returning.

“You’re awake,” he says, handing Shen Yuan a wet cloth.

Did Xiansheng, er, Liu Qingge return from changing out of his ruined robes? Then, maybe Shen Yuan hadn’t been out that long at all.

He took the cloth in a bit of a daze, not really sure what to do with it, and Xiansheng frowned, took it from his hand, and wiped Shen Yuan’s face with it.

Oh … oh.

This was Liu Qingge.

Shen Yuan gripped onto Liu Qingge’s arm, a bit tightly, as if he was afraid that he would disappear right in front of him. Or die.

Liu Qingge gave him an odd look. He must think Shen Yuan’s acting weird.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah… um … uh… Xiansheng, I accidentally looked at your missive,” Shen Yuan muttered, latching on to something random to divert his attention. He held out the letter he’d taken from the spirit beast, which now fluttered and chirped as it bounced from his shoulder to his head.

The letter that was completely sealed still.

Liu Qingge was looking at him even more oddly now.

“I mean! I mean, I saw your name. Xiansheng, you were trying avoid telling me your name, weren’t you?” Shen Yuan said, trying to explain himself.

Liu Qingge’s brows furrowed for a second before he said, “… Oh.”

Oh? What does ‘oh’ mean?

“I wasn’t avoiding it. Sorry. I’m Liu Qingge.”

… I already know that, Shen Yuan thought. He blinked as he watched Liu Qingge take the letter and then turn to put it in his qiankun pouch.

Did the Bai Zhan War God … just forget to introduce himself? Looking up, Shen Yuan noticed the tips of Liu Qingge’s ears were bright red.

OMG why is he so cute?!

Shen Yuan’s little bi heart screamed inside as he covered his face with his hands, briefly, coughing and pretending to be calm by the time Liu Qingge turned back around.

“This one didn’t realize he was traveling with Peak Lord Liu,” Shen Yuan said politely, his hands folded in his lap.

“Don’t. It’s fine to just say Xiansheng.” Liu Qingge looked awkward, like he didn’t like it when Shen Yuan spoke formally to him.

“Liu … xiansheng?” Shen Yuan said, testing the name on his tongue, before a mischievous smile spread on his face. “How about Liu-juju?”

“… Do what you want.”

Although his expression didn’t change much, Shen Yuan had spent enough time with the man these past few days and he saw how Liu Qingge’s shoulders relaxed. That was basically a smile.

… Shen Yuan really didn’t want this man to die.

At this point Shen Yuan had recovered from his after effects, so he stood up to help Liu-xiansheng dismantle the false dragon. And by help, uh, ew. He was going to stand over here, and just tell Liu-xiansheng what he should hack out of the corpse and what to watch out for.

“What is Cang Qiong like?” he asked, in between pointing out where to watch out for acid sacs and that the gall bladder was a medicinal ingredient.

“… It’s a good sect. Full of skilled masters.”

Shen Yuan hummed. Uh… how does he bring up the topics he wants to talk about.

“Does the sect accept disciples often?” he asked.

“Every few years or so.”

“… Was there a child called… um… Luo Binghe?” Shen Yuan asked, stuttering over the name as he wondered if he wasn’t being too suspicious.

“...” He could see the gears churning in Liu Qingge’s head before Liu-xiansheng said, “...Ah. Yes.”

“Um, I heard that some of the Peak Lords fought over him?” Shen Yuan said. Namely you, Liu-xiansheng.

Liu Qingge wrinkled his brows in annoyance. “Don’t other sects have anything better to do than gossip?” he asked.

… Sorry, he hadn’t really heard about it from other people, but it’s not like Shen Yuan can just go and tell him that he read it in chapter 2 of the Disciple Selection arc.

“It wasn’t really a fight. I said he looked interesting, Shen Qingqiu decided to jump in,” Liu Qingge said.

Shen Qingqiu. The scum villain himself. The person Shen Yuan was originally supposed to transmigrate into before an error occurred and he ended up in this body instead. The person who kills Liu Qingge.

Shen Yuan swallowed as he listened to Liu-xiansheng continue.

“Then Zhangmen-shixiong told us off. I wasn’t really interested in taking a new disciple, and Shen Qingqiu was only trying to irritate me so he also didn’t take him.”

… Huh? That seems a bit different from the novel.

“I think he ended up on An Ding.”

Shen Yuan blinked rapidly.

What the heck!?

This wasn’t how the story goes at all! Is this really PIDW? System, are you sure this isn’t some alternate universe or fanfic?!

“An Ding? With, um, Peak Lord Shang?” With the traitor – is what Shen Yuan was really thinking.

What is going on?

“What is Peak Lord Shang like?” he asked.

“… ...” Liu Qingge wrinkled his brows a little, as if not sure what to say. “He’s… competent enough at his job. But outside of it…” Another pause, another frown. “… Incompetent enough to make you wonder how he’s survived this long.”

… Hah? Shang Qinghua was the spy, right? Spies aren’t usually so noticeable. In the novel Shang Qinghua was a model yes-man, with readers just barely able to pick up on the underlying sleaze.

‘Incompetent enough to make you wonder how he’s survived this long,’ sounds extremely, distinctly NOT like the Shang Qinghua described in the novels.

“He says some strange things, sometimes,” Liu Qingge said suddenly, “Similar to some of the things you say.”

“Th-things I say?” Shen Yuan squeaked. Shit, what has he been saying?! Argh, he can’t remember ANYTHING now!

“Things like ‘what the fuck,’ and stuff about plotpoints.”

Shen Yuan froze. As awkward as it was to hear the phrase ‘what the fuck’ in English coming out of Liu-xiansheng’s mouth, he couldn’t laugh.

Holy shit. Was Shang Qinghua also a transmigrator!? WTF did he do!? The novel is all over the place now!

Not… that that’s exactly a BAD thing… if Shen Yuan was in his place, he’d also like to try to keep Shen Qingqiu away from Luo Binghe and, you know, not die.

But still-! Be considerate to your fellow transmigrator, please!

“… I think I’d like to talk with him,” was all that Shen Yuan could bring himself to say, faintly.

Thank god Liu-juju wasn’t the type to dig deeper. Shen Yuan had no idea what to say to that!

Shen Yuan let Liu Qingge work a little longer in silence as he tried to digest all the surprising information he’d just been given.

This was… really all too much. Was there really another transmigrator? Was he from the same place Shen Yuan was?

If Shang Qinghua was muttering about plotpoints… he should know that this is PIDW, right? Does he also have a system? … And does it work better than Shen Yuan’s?

“Will you be alright going to Cang Qiong?”

“Ah?” Shen Yuan was caught unawares when Liu Qingge spoke suddenly. Liu-xiansheng was finishing up wrapping up the various bits and pieces of the false dragon.

Shen Yuan stood there like an idiot, staring blankly.

Liu Qingge’s mouth twitched a bit downwards, tilting his head a little as he thought about how he wanted to say things.

“Because you’re...” he started, then trailed off as he glanced at the remnants of the false dragon, then back towards Shen Yuan.

His intense look caused goosebumps to rise on Shen Yuan’s arms.

O-oh. OH.

He’d been so distracted with finding out that Xiansheng is Liu Qingge that he’d completely forgotten. He’d totally blown his cover today.

Rather than worrying about what was or wasn’t going to happen with Luo Binghe and Shang Qinghua possibly being a transmigrator, he should probably be worrying about what was going to happen to himself right now.

Shen Yuan went quiet for a second.

All he could hear was his heartbeat in his ears.

When he first transmigrated and learned he had to hide himself and his gender, all he could think of was that he couldn’t WAIT for a time to be able to act like the boy he was, who the hell cares what other people think?

But now? Now that he actually had to tell someone?

Shen Yuan was scared.

“I...” Shen Yuan felt like his throat was constricting. Suddenly large hands took his, grounding him.

“Shen Yuan. You don’t have to tell me.” Liu Qingge’s eyes watched at him seriously, and Shen Yuan felt like he could breath again.

“… No. I...” he took a deep breath, gulped, “I’ll tell you.”

Shen Yuan forced himself to meet Liu Qingge’s gaze.

“Liu-xiansheng, I’m the Saintess.”

There was no surprise in Liu Qingge’s face, and that didn’t surprise Shen Yuan. Both of them knew he’d already guessed it, after all.

“Can men be Saintesses?” Liu Qingge asked.

Shen Yuan gave a lifeless laugh.

“There haven’t been, for many, many centuries, but there were a few, yes. Three men that I’ve found in the records. Although I guess we’d be Saints, not Saintesses.”

Liu Qingge’s brows furrowed. “Then why disguise the fact that the current one is male?”

“Why indeed...” Shen Yuan closed his eyes, thinking about just how he could explain the mess that was TianTi Temple. “… There isn’t much information on the Saintess or TianTi itself that people outside the temple know, is there?”

“No.”

Liu-xiansheng’s bluntness almost made Shen Yuan laugh. Yeah, yeah, he knows. That was the understatement of the century.

“Well there isn’t that much information inside the temple either.”

The look on Liu-xiansheng’s face was either shock or disbelief. Shen Yuan hoped it wasn’t because he didn’t believe him.

“It sounds ridiculous, right? I also didn’t believe how little the TianTi nuns know about their own sect’s workings. But it’s true. All the history of the sect earlier than 500 years ago has been sealed away.”

“… How do you know about this, then?”

Shen Yuan swallowed. “Because the place the records are sealed with is where the Saintess lives.”

Liu-xiansheng suddenly narrowed his eyes, making Shen Yuan a little anxious until he said, “You were imprisoned.”

It wasn’t a question. Liu-xiansheng understood what he was trying say.

Shen Yuan let out the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.

“… Yes. Except for a few nuns in the inner circle, the wing my quarters were in were prohibited to approach, and I was prohibited from leaving. I suppose it must have been easier to designate only one area of the temple as off-limits, and much easier to monitor. It seems the Head Abbess didn’t think it would matter if the Saintess was able to access all those records. Although the previous Saintesses probably didn’t bother with them, so maybe she just assumed I wouldn’t either.”

Shen Yuan watched Liu-xiansheng as he digested the information.

The information so far wasn’t anything to worry about; it was somewhat believable. Inconvenient histories were always being shoveled away and hidden by others, no matter what era or world.

Shen Yuan was just scared that no one would believe him about why he ran away. That they’d take him back to TianTi because they didn’t believe him, and that the tragedy he was trying to prevent would be inevitable.

“… Why did the Head Abbess do something so ridiculous?” Liu Qingge finally asked.

Eh? Did Liu-xiansheng give up thinking about it? He does seem to be more of the musclehea – er, straightforward type.

“Because if she can control the information, she can also control all of TianTi Temple however she wants.” Shen Yuan paused for a moment before sighing. “To be honest, I can’t really blame the Head Abbess alone for doing things like this. The previous Heads were the ones who started the process of reducing contact with the Saintess and hiding away inconvenient information.”

Liu Qingge was silent for a moment. “Why?” was the only thing he could say.

Why what? Why did it work? Why did they do it? Why was the Head Abbess a colossal idiot who couldn’t see her predecessors’ schemes falling apart around her?

Shen Yuan guessed it wasn’t the last one.

“Because people always want power and money. Before TianTi Temple, the Saintess could live as she, or he, pleased, and the benefits and spiritual energy that surrounded the Saintess would go to wherever she was. But a few centuries after the Saintess started residing in TianTi Temple, what do you think happened? For such a small sect to possess nearly as much diplomatic influence as Cang Qiong and almost as much wealth as Huan Hua Palace, do you think they’d be willing to let go of such a benefit?”

Shen Yuan spat out his disgust in one breath. If he was actually a six year old boy when he transmigrated, maybe he would have also been taken in and blindly believed in TianTi Temple, obediently doing whatever they asked. But that wasn’t the case. He was already pretty damn suspicious when the nun who found him and brought him to the temple was so frantic in covering up his gender.

He hoped Qin-nigu was alright.

Shen Yuan was startled as Liu Qingge’s grip on his hands tightened.

“And they thought imprisoning the Saintess was a wise thing to do?” Liu-xiansheng practically growled. “Are they not afraid of the oaths they took?”

Shen Yuan laughed, a little out of relief that Liu-xiansheng actually believed him and was still on his side so far, and a little out of bitterness towards TianTi Temple.

“That’s why the Head Abbess is being so careful. In order to maintain control over TianTi Temple, so much of TianTi’s origins and the truth behind the oaths to the Heavens has been obscured that they don’t even remember the Saintess could be male, let alone what the oaths truly stand for. I had to pretend to be a girl for almost twenty years because of that.”

He looked up at Liu Qingge, unable to keep the frustration and feeling of resignment out of his face.

“They’ve completely forgotten that the Saintess doesn’t exist for TianTi Temple, TianTi Temple is supposed to exist for the Saintess.”

Chapter Text

Liu Qingge didn’t like it.

He didn’t like how Shen Yuan trembled and looked at him, as if he was prepared to have Liu Qingge reject him and tell him that he should return to TianTi Temple.

Liu Qingge didn’t like it because it meant that for however long Shen Yuan had been at TianTi Temple, which sounded like it had been nearly his whole life, he thought no one would ever believe him.

He never had anyone that would be on his side.

Liu Qingge was angry. He already hated sect politics out of principle. To think that the high and lofty TianTi Temple hid such black doings behind their walls.

And it sounded like most of the sect didn’t even know about it.

“Recently, the efficacy of the Saintess’ rituals haven’t been as good,” Liu Qingge heard Shen Yuan say, and he snapped his attention back to the man. “It’s been dwindling through several generations of Saintesses, actually, but it’s only gotten so noticeable recently.”

“Isn’t that because they’re imprisoning the Saintesses against their will?” Liu Qingge grumbled, and Shen Yuan just smiled at him in agreement. Even people outside the temple could understand something so basic. Liu Qingge didn’t want to know what kind of brainwashing was going on within the temple.

“They don’t see it that way,” Shen Yuan said, “And, well, I made a mistake. One of the inner circle nuns found out that I was a man. It’s not so difficult to realize they would have thought everything going wrong was because a man became the Saintess.”

“So, you ran. Because they found out.”

At Liu Qingge’s words, Shen Yuan shuddered. Liu Qingge couldn’t help but hold onto those slender hands tighter. He felt like if he didn’t keep hold of Shen Yuan, the man might disappear. Or pass out. He wasn’t really eager to see which one would happen.

Shen Yuan was silent for a while before he finally said, in a voice barely above a whisper, “Of the few things all the nuns in TianTi do know, one is that the role of Saintess can be passed on in death.”

Liu Qingge’s mind went white. He didn’t realize he was crushing Shen Yuan’s hands until the man made a small grunt in pain. Liu Qingge quickly loosened his grip, sending qi into Shen Yuan’s hands in hopes of keeping them from bruising.

He furrowed his brows as he idly circulated the qi through Shen Yuan’s hands. “But there’s the oath. TianTi is required to protect the Saintess under oath to the Heavens.”

“That’s the problem. I told you, they’ve forgotten that TianTi Temple was made to protect the Saintess. After so many centuries of misinformation, it’s inevitable that they believe a faulty Saintess is endangering their temple and their oath.” Shen Yuan’s expression contorted into frustration as he muttered, “It’s not like I wanted to be the Saintess,” under his breath.

Of course, Liu Qingge heard it, even if Shen Yuan didn’t intend for him to. He’s a cultivator after all.

“… But it’s true that if they harm the Saintess they’ll bring down the Heavens’ wrath, isn’t it?” Liu Qingge had a hard time understanding how anyone could misinterpret ‘protect the Saintess’ to ‘kill the Saintess.’

“Even if I told them that, they wouldn’t believe me. The Head Abbesses have manipulated the teachings of the sect to ensure loyalty to TianTi for so many centuries and I’m the faulty Saintess.” Shen Yuan’s expression hardens. “But it doesn’t matter to the Heavens what they think their oaths mean. If they break it, they’ll bring down the Heavens’ wrath.”

Liu Qingge couldn’t help but suck in a harsh breath.

There is a reason most cultivators avoid making oaths to the Heavens. Because the wrath of the Heavens can destroy, disintegrate, and thoroughly change the surface of the earth. Far worse than Heavenly Tribulations, the wrath of the Heavens was practically unstoppable. Who would be willing to risk the karma from the destruction after triggering the Heavens’ wrath?

But that was really only a problem if your soul was still intact after everything, he supposed.

“But … there’s no way their surroundings won’t be caught up in the Heavens’ wrath. The city, even the surrounding towns will be destroyed,” Liu Qingge said, still trying to wrap his head around the circumstances.

“Yes.” Shen Yuan lowered his eyes, looking at the ground. “That’s why I ran away.”

He … this man-

Shen Yuan ran away from TianTi, not because he was afraid of being killed, although surely he was afraid of dying. Who wouldn’t be? But no, Shen Yuan’s main reason for running away was to keep the TianTi nuns from making a mistake that would kill thousands of unsuspecting people.

Liu Qingge’s jaw clenched.

“We have to go to Cang Qiong.”

He had to report this as soon as possible.

Liu Qingge let go of Shen Yuan’s hands, hurrying to stuff the wrapped parts of the false dragon into his qiankun pouch and tidying up the campsite.

Shen Yuan stood still in surprise at first, then slowly picked up his guqin and the cloth he used to tie it to his back. Before he tied it to his back, though, he hesitated.

“Cang Qiong… they won’t just say it’s another sect’s internal issues?” he asked quietly. What he was really asking was whether or not Cang Qiong would simply hand Shen Yuan back over to TianTi Temple to avoid diplomatic problems.

“Misrepresenting an oath to the Heavens and inducing others to take it is a serious crime among cultivators. Cang Qiong won’t be the only sect that has a problem with it,” Liu Qingge said with conviction. Then, almost as an after thought, he said, “And no one will be able to make you go anywhere you don’t want to.”

He didn’t say I won’t let them, but he fingered the hilt of his sword aggressively and stared at Shen Yuan with eyes full of determination.

Shen Yuan just stood there. It looked like there were tears in his eyes.

“This isn’t a problem you have to deal with alone,” Liu Qingge said, hoping to comfort him. Shen Yuan inhaled sharply and spun around away from him.

Was he crying?

Liu Qingge made to approach him but Shen Yuan yelled hoarsely. “I-I’m fine! I just … I just need a minute!”

So Liu Qingge waited. While averting his eyes from Shen Yuan’s slightly trembling shoulders. And when Shen Yuan turned back around, he didn’t mention the red-rimmed eyes.

“Come on,” Liu Qingge said instead, drawing his sword and beckoning Shen Yuan to come over.

“Oh, we’re going by sword?” Shen Yuan said, also pretending he hadn’t been crying at all. He looked more intently at Liu Qingge’s sword, clearly more curious now that he was aware it was Cheng Luan. “… Wait, it can take two people? Then why haven’t we...”

…… Initially Liu Qingge was going to take Shen Yuan to another town and wait for the missive there, but then along the way he decided to bring him to Cang Qiong, but he intended to take it slow to wait for the letter and see what Cang Qiong told him to do about TianTi, then the race happened, and then … …

… He forgot, okay? A lot of things happened all of a sudden.

Not that Liu Qingge was going to admit to it.

“I had to make sure of your character before taking you to Cang Qiong. Riding a sword together also requires two people to be extremely close together. I wasn’t sure you’d be comfortable with it,” he said.

Neither Shen Yuan nor Liu Qingge mentioned the fact that Liu Qingge had almost immediately invited Shen Yuan to Cang Qiong. Nor did either of them mention that Shen Yuan had practically been sleeping in Liu Qingge’s lap for the past four days.

Instead, Shen Yuan just nodded obediently and walked over.

“So… how do I do this? Do I just, um… hold on from behind?”

Liu Qingge thought for a moment. He could see Shen Yuan getting distracting and loosening his grip. If Shen Yuan was behind him, Liu Qingge might not be able to react in time. If something went wrong.

“Take off your guqin and hold it in front of you. I’ll hold onto you from behind.”

Shen Yuan flushed a bit but did as he was told, holding still as Liu Qingge looped an arm around him.

Liu Qingge may have gotten used to Shen Yuan sleeping on him, but he hadn’t held him before. Shen Yuan’s waist was so thin that Liu Qingge could practically encircle it with one arm.

When he thought about how slender, almost frail, Shen Yuan was and how much he’s been shouldering on his own, Liu Qingge felt a pang in his chest he didn’t quite understand.

Sympathy? Pity?

“… Liu-xiansheng?”

Shen Yuan’s ears were red.

“… … Let’s go,” Liu Qingge said, sending qi to Cheng Luan and shooting off towards the mountains.

They were close enough to Cang Qiong that it only took an hour to reach it by sword.

In his arms, Shen Yuan was craning his neck in excitement, watching the world sweeping by them with almost child-like delight. And when they finally saw Cang Qiong up close, Shen Yuan couldn’t help an exclamation of wonder.

Liu Qingge couldn’t help the welling up of pride as Shen Yuan marveled at the sight of the twelve, craggy peaks standing high above the rest of the mountains, littered in foliage and waterfalls, faint mists of spiritual energy drifting between them alongside the rainbow bridges glistening as if they were sprays of water.

“This is so freaking cool,” Shen Yuan breathed out. “I’ve read about – I mean, heard about the peaks before, but seeing them is something else.” He tightened his grip on his guqin.

It’s been a long time since Liu Qingge’s ‘first look’ at Cang Qiong, and he had long since gotten used to the view. But now he looked at the mountains that had become his home with a bit of appreciation as Shen Yuan ‘wow’-ed and ‘whoa’-ed at the sight.

The view WAS amazing. Better than Huan Hua Palace’s plains and dreary forests, that’s for sure.

Liu Qingge flew right up onto Qiong Ding Peak, ignoring the Qiong Ding disciples below as he flew past the spot that one would normally descend at to land right at the archways of Qiong Ding’s main building, the Greeting Hall.

“… I have got to get me a sword,” Shen Yuan said as Liu Qingge set him down onto the pavement.

“You have to learn how to use one first,” Liu Qingge responded, the corner of his mouth twitching as Shen Yuan rolled his eyes.

“Yes, but Liu-xiansheng promised to teach me, so it’s fine,” Shen Yuan retorted right on back as he followed Liu Qingge towards the entrance, and Liu Qingge knew he was feeling better. Less tense. Less scared.

They were interrupted as a Qiong Ding inner disciple approached them.

“Liu-shishu, Shizun and the other Peak Lords have been awaiting your arrival.”

Liu Qingge paused midstep.

“They were waiting for me?” he asked, brows furrowed. How would they know he was coming back at this time?

“We received reports of a false dragon being disturbed from hibernation, but before Shizun could send anyone to investigate, a commotion occurred in the reported area and Liu-shishu’s sword light appeared.”

Ah… when he destroyed the false dragon’s wind organ. Liu Qingge supposes that his martial siblings could have guessed it was him, and that he was near.

Liu Qingge gave the disciple a nod, took Shen Yuan by the hand, and walked briskly towards the meeting hall, ignoring the shocked and curious looks.

This unexpected Peak Lord meeting was convenient. There were a lot of things he had to discuss with the other Peak Lords.

Shen Yuan clutched his guqin nervously, but allowed himself to be led in, down the corridor and towards the pavilion where the meeting room was.

Glancing behind him, Liu Qingge’s lips quirked a bit as he watched Shen Yuan unconsciously hitched his guqin a little higher to hide most of his face – the man was easily embarrassed after all – but at the same time his brows also twitched at what Shen Yuan was going to undergo.

Liu Qingge genuinely respects all of his martial siblings, even if he didn’t necessarily like some of them, but they are some of the nosiest gossips he’d ever met.

Chapter Text

The meeting room had a large, round, jade and ivory inlaid table that could seat all twelve Peak Lords evenly about it. And normally the Cang Qiong Peak Lords were evenly spaced around it.

This time, however, they were arranged on one side of the table and facing the door, like a council of judges awaiting a defendant.

… Liu Qingge wasn’t sure why they were waiting for him. What was he going to get scolded for this time? There were too many things that came to mind.

He didn’t allow them to intimidate him, though, and coolly looked his martial siblings over. … Three of them were missing, probably in seclusion, so there were only eight pairs of eyes that shifted over to look when he walked in, Shen Yuan behind him.

As Liu Qingge expected, the moment they registered the other person with him, all eyes, except for maybe Zhangmen-shixiong who always managed to keep a professional appearance, shot straight towards Shen Yuan, causing the man to shift uneasily before sliding a little more behind him.

His martial siblings are all hopeless.

Liu Qingge couldn’t help but draw himself up taller, blocking Shen Yuan from view, and he glared fiercely at them.

Unfortunately some of them, like Qi Qingqi, weren’t deterred, very obviously craning their necks to try to get a better look.

Even Zhangmen-shixiong gave the figure behind Liu Qingge a curious look, brief as it was, before getting down to business.

“Liu-shidi,” the Yue Qingyuan said, “Welcome back. We weren’t expecting you quite so soon. Did you read the missive we sent you?”

“… No.”

At his reply, the other Peak Lords stopped trying to get better looks at Shen Yuan and burst into murmurs, some groaning and some barely able to keep from cheering as Shang Qinghua whipped out a small book and began to tally numbers up, Qi Qingqi looking eagerly over his shoulder.

They were betting on him again, weren’t they?

Although, this might actually be his fault, since Liu Qingge had, um, once again forgotten about the letter. In his qiankun pouch. Liu Qingge didn’t wince in guilt, but he did feel a bit guilty.

“We asked you to stay in TianTi if only to keep an eye on the nuns,” Shen Qingqiu said acidicly, peering over his fan at Liu Qingge, “But it was obviously a lost cause, just as I thought. No matter. Care to explain why you came back? And who did you bring back with you?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were extremely judgmental, rubbing Liu Qingge the wrong way, but since he did forget about the letter and probably would have ignored it anyway because surveillance was a pointless mission to the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, Liu Qingge decided not to start an argument. This time.

“This is the person who told me about TianTi Temple...” Liu Qingge paused and glanced behind him. He wasn’t sure he should be the one to reveal Shen Yuan’s identity.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes above his guqin slightly troubled with what to do with the instrument. Liu Qingge reached his hand out and Shen Yuan gratefully handed it over, stepping forward slightly to stand next to Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge felt the atmosphere change as his martial siblings suddenly sat up and leaned forward. Most of them were very unsubtly looking from Shen Yuan to Shen Qingqiu and back again.

Liu Qingge understood. These days he only saw Shen Yuan in Shen Yuan, but the similarities were too close to ignore. He couldn’t help being curious about Shen Qingqiu’s reaction and glanced towards the Qing Jing Peak Lord.

As Shen Yuan bowed that gentle, elegant bow he’d shown Liu Qingge in TianTi, Liu Qingge was surprised to see Shen Qingqiu’s face flush, then go deathly pale. He even heard an audible creak as Shen Qingqiu’s grip on his closed fan tightened, knuckles white.

Then Shen Yuan lifted his face towards the Peak Lords, saying, “Greetings, Honorable Immortals, this one’s name is Shen...”

“A-Yuan.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t say the name so much as breathe it. He looked like he was going to faint.

As for Shen Yuan, he tilted his head in confusion for a moment before his face also went white and recognition dawned in his eyes.

Unconsciously, Shen Yuan’s fingers sought grounding in Liu Qingge’s robes before he managed to say anything.

“...Jiu-ge?” he whispered.

The strangled sound that erupted from the Qing Jing Peak Lord’s throat surprised everyone in the room as the Peak Lord scrambled towards Shen Yuan like a blind man, his usual elegance completely gone.

Shen Qingqiu clung to Shen Yuan, silent sobs wracking his body.

Shen Yuan looked dazed, and a little bit frightened, as he stood stock still. It seemed like he was unable to process the current proceedings as he looked towards Liu Qingge for help, but it’s not like Liu Qingge knew what was going on either.

Suddenly a dark robe was thrown over Shen Qingqiu, hiding his disheveled appearance, and Yue Qingyuan stood in front of them next to Shen Qingqiu.

“Xiao Yuan, is that really you?” Yue Qingyuan asked, his face showing a tenseness that the sect leader was usually capable of hiding.

Shen Yuan blinked, looking up at Yue Qingyuan, then back down at Shen Qingqiu. “… Qi-ge? … Jiu-ge?”

Hesitantly, Shen Yuan put his arms around Shen Qingqiu, over Yue Qingyuan’s outer robe covering the man, and gave a slight squeeze.

Shen Qingqiu stilled for a moment before his arms wrapped even tighter around Shen Yuan, trembling through silent cries again.

“Excuse this master, Zhangmen-shixiong. What is the relationship between Zhangmen-shixiong and Shen-shixiong and the guest that Liu Qingge brought?” Qi Qingqi’s clear voice rang through the hall as her curiosity finally won out over her tact in keeping silent during this intense moment.

There was silence for a moment as Yue Qingyuan watched the two Shens with a complicated look on his face.

“This guest is Shen Qingqiu’s younger brother,” Yue Qingyuan finally said, “We were told he had died when he was five years old.”

So there was a relationship. Liu Qingge had expected it, the two looked far too similar for there not to be, but to actually hear about it was something else. It was likely that when Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan were told Shen Yuan had died, that was when he was… taken away? … to become the Saintess. Probably.

As curious as Liu Qingge was about the circumstances that led to Shen Qingqiu and Shen Yuan to become separated, he was equally curious about what Zhangmen-shixiong’s role in all this was. All the Peak Lords suspected Zhangmen-shixiong and Shen Qingqiu to have known each other for a long time, before either had joined Cang Qiong, but to have it confirmed, right here, just like this…

Well, once again, it was one thing to suspect, and another to actually hear about it.

As Liu Qingge pondered the matter, he found that Yue Qingyuan and turned all the attention back to him, saying, “What I don’t know is where Liu-shidi found him, or why he brought him here.”

“… I found him in TianTi. He kept attracting muggers and scammers and didn’t have anywhere to go, so I brought him here,” Liu Qingge said honestly.

Shen Qingqiu made a sound that was something between a sob and a snort while Yue Qingyuan smiled wryly and shook his head.

“It’s good to see that Xiao Yuan hasn’t changed,” Yue Qingyuan said, a fond note in his voice, “Still always getting into trouble.”

Shen Yuan looked grieved.

“Since Shen Yuan is Shen Qingqiu’s brother, then is it certain that we would protect him from other sects?” Liu Qingge asked. The question whether Cang Qiong would defend Shen Yuan from TianTi had been burning at the tip of his tongue this entire time.

This snapped Shen Qingqiu to attention as he stood upright, releasing his hold on Shen Yuan and looking at him in alarm. His fan snapped open, although a bit crooked from where he had gripped it, and he covered his face with it as if trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. However his red-rimmed eyes were unmistakable.

“What do you mean? Who is threatening you, A-Yuan?!”

“I...” Shen Yuan looked confused and bewildered from all the surprises that had been sprung on him today, but as Liu Qingge placed his hand on his shoulder, he calmed down.

Liu Qingge ignored the fierce glare Shen Qingqiu was giving his hand, as if dearly wishing he could bore a hole through it with his gaze.

Shen Yuan recollected himself and bowed slightly again, as if trying to redo his introduction from the beginning.

“Please allow this one to reintroduce himself. This one’s name is Shen Yuan, the Saintess.”

There was shocked silence for a moment before a commotion broke out, the Peak Lords all trying to ask questions or make comments at the same time.

“Silence!” Yue Qingyuan thundered, and if that wasn’t enough to shut them up immediately, the fierce glares from both the Bai Zhan and Qing Jing Peak Lords were.

After silence was given, Yue Qingyuan turned back to Liu Qingge.

“Liu-shidi, were you aware of this when you brought Shen Yuan to Cang Qiong?” he asked. Yue Qingyuan’s tone wasn’t accusatory. As always, his voice was even, trying to draw out the facts before drawing any conclusions.

“Not at first. But I brought him here when I found out.”

“Why didn’t you bring him back to TianTi?” Shang Qinghua asked, and when Liu Qingge shot him an annoyed look he stuttered, saying, “N-not that he isn’t welcome here, hahaha… I was just wondering why, you know?”

Qi Qingqi nodded beside him, eyes glistening for gossip.

“Because they’re trying to kill him,” Liu Qingge said.

There was another shocked silence before Liu Qingge’s martial siblings began to murmur among each other. All of them except for Zhangmen-shixiong and Shen Qingqiu, anyway.

Shen Qingqiu, in particular, let out a low noise that sounded something like a snarl, and the tines of his fan creaked in agony once again.

Shen Yuan smiled somewhat helplessly at Liu Qingge as he quickly explained, “It’s… a little more complicated than that.”

Qi Qingqi snorted and leaned over towards the Zui Xing Peak Lord, muttering something that distinctly sounded like, “Well of course it is, Liu-shidi’s just allergic to details.”

Yue Qingyuan stood there for a moment as he waited for the murmuring to die down, his brows furrowed the smallest amount, before he turned to Shen Yuan.

“Xiao Yuan, can you explain what happened?” At first Liu Qingge thought Yue Qingyuan was asking Shen Yuan about why the nuns were trying to kill him, but the Sect Master continued on to say, “How did you become the Saintess?”

“Ah… You ARE male, correct?” Wei Qingwei asked bluntly, then winced at the twin glares Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu shot him.

Shen Yuan smiled a bit wryly at the Wan Jian Peak Lord’s bluntness.

“When the previous Saintess died, a nun from TianTi Temple came looking for me after she divined the next Saintess’ location, so if Sect Master Yue is asking how this one became the Saintess, this one apologizes for his ignorance. This one was sold to TianTi Temple and raised as a woman within the temple, however this one is indeed male.”

Shen Qingqiu glowered at the word ‘sold,’ but didn’t mention it. Instead, he asked, “Perhaps we should address what the Saintess is, and who qualifies to become Saintess. There are many misconceptions about TianTi’s Saintess, after all.”

He said TianTi’s ‘Saintess’ like it was a dirty word, but Liu Qingge understood he wasn’t referring to Shen Yuan. In Liu Qingge’s opinion, though, he should have put the emphasis on ‘TianTi’.

“I’ve heard that the Saintess can only be a woman, and she is chosen from the devout among the nuns in TianTi Temple,” Qi Qingqi muses, “But, if Master Shen’s words are true, this is a contradiction.”

Shen Yuan merely nods. “This one has heard that rumor is popular among the TianTi nuns,” he said, “Along with the rumors that the next Saintess must be blessed by the current Saintess, or must be a confirmed virgin, or be able to fast and meditate for ten years without stopping, or even that one must dual cultivate with the Saintess to become the next Saintess.”

Liu Qingge scowled at the last rumor. He knows not all women are shy about sexual matters, he knows Qi Qingqi after all (and resolutely ignores what he’s overheard about his sister’s choices in literature), but to be thinking those kinds of things about their Saintess? This wasn’t just disrespectful, it was … it was… Liu Qingge couldn’t think of a word stronger than ‘heretical’.

“I take it those aren’t true, then?” Qi Qingqi said, looking amused at Shen Yuan’s look of exasperation when he listed the rumors, “Then what is true?”

“The first Saintess was a woman whose dance and song had reached such a level of enlightenment that the world and Heavens would become enthralled. After she ascended, perhaps because the Heavens could not stand a world without her abilities, another person, a newborn, was chosen by the Heavens to be her successor. The blessings that surround the Saintesses are due to being the person the Heavens chose,” Shen Yuan replied.

“… Wait, so, like, it’s just a random baby?” Shang Qinghua asked, “It can be a girl or a guy, and no one knows who it will be?”

Shen Yuan smiled wryly, bowing his head a little, “This one apologizes for the uninteresting answer, but yes. It’s random and unpredictable. Perhaps the reason the Saintess is usually a woman is because women are more pleasing to the eye?”

Liu Qingge disagrees. He’s seen Shen Yuan dance. After seeing that, he understands why the Heavens aren’t too particular on gender.

“If they know the Saintess can be male, why would they bother raising you as a woman?” Shen Qingqiu asks before suddenly realizing the answer to his own question. There was only one answer, really, especially after considering the ridiculous rumors the nuns believed. “They don’t know?”

“… Perhaps there may be one or two other nuns who know how someone becomes the Saintess besides the Head Abbess,” Shen Yuan said quietly, “But I believe the Head Abbess finds the disciples easier to control if they believe they could become the Saintess.”

None of the Peak Lords missed what that implied, not even the Zui Xian Peak Lord, who looked like he thought he was going to need a drink to get through whatever he was about to hear.

Shen Yuan told them everything he told Liu Qingge, and some things he hadn’t told Liu Qingge.

Like about how he was isolated, only able to talk to the nun who raised him. Even when he was instructed in cultivation techniques, he was never allowed to speak and was always instructed while behind a curtain. His meals, delivered to an empty room that he was only allowed to approach once the one who delivered him had left the wing he was in completely.

How he wasn’t allowed anything but pre-approved books, and how he had to sneak out to peruse the library and records room in his wing out of boredom.

How the ‘rituals’ and rules and hierarchies in TianTi Temple really mean nothing as long as the Saintess dances or plays music every once in a while to appease the Heavens, which maintains her aura of blessing. Everything else was simply things that the Head Abbess’ used to brainwash and control their disciples to be loyal to the sect.

How that decision was rapidly backfiring on the current Head Abbess as the manipulation of information was causing various factions to spring up within the temple itself, the situation spiraling out of control as each faction believed they were correct and the others were wrong and each vying to prove themselves right. Each interpreting their oath to the Heavens however they chose.

How a greedy nun who desired to be the Saintess broke the rules and accosted him in his chambers in an attempt to make him proclaim her as the next Saintess (???) and discovered he was male. Even though she was executed almost immediately and the Head Abbess forced a gag order on them, it was inevitable that rumors that he (or she as most of the inner and all of the outer disciples still believed) was a faulty Saintess began to appear.

And how he soon discovered some of the nuns decided to go behind the Head Abbess’ back to deal with the ‘problem’ when he noticed some of his meals contained poison. The few assassination attempts were also a big giveaway.

“… If this is true, it’s a serious issue,” Wei Qingwei said, a frown on his face.

“Are you saying my A-Yuan is lying?” Shen Qingqiu snapped back, a murderous look on his face after he had heard what happened to his brother in these past years.

“I’m just saying, we have to be careful if we’re going after TianTi,” Wei Qingwei protested, “We have to confirm he’s the Saintess at the very least.”

“He’s definitely the Saintess,” Liu Qingge spoke up, from where he was also simmering with a dark desire to level TianTi Temple to the ground. There was no doubt in Liu Qingge’s mind that Shen Yuan is the Saintess, not after everything he saw while bringing Shen Yuan to Cang Qiong.

“We can’t just take your word for it- ” Wei Qingwei cut himself off, preparing to duck as he saw Shen Qingqiu about to draw Xiu Ya and launch himself over the table towards him.

To the relief of everyone involved, a hand tugged at Shen Qingqiu’s sleeve, stopping him very effectively.

“Jiu-ge, Peak Lord Wei is right. You should be more cautious when dealing with the problems of another sect,” Shen Yuan said. Then he smiled a beautiful smile with narrowed eyes that held a hint of teeth and venom as he said, “Besides, I also think it’s complete bullshit for me to be the Saintess.”

In the silence that followed, Qi Qingqi leaned over to Shang Qinghua with a whisper.

“I don’t know about him being the Saintess, but I’m now convinced he’s definitely Shen Qingqiu’s brother.”

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan’s head felt all muddled up. He’d done his best to pretend everything was fine, but … it really, really wasn’t fine!

Shen Qingqiu was Jiu-ge!? WTF WTF WTF WTF … a series of WTFs that ran through his mind like a refrain even while he was explaining the situation at TianTi Temple in front of a panel of Peak Lords.

See, the System had forced the original Shen Yuan’s memories onto him when he transmigrated, so although he transmigrated a full year after OG Shen Yuan had been in TianTi Temple, he knew what had happened back then. Practically lived it. Actually, sometimes he wondered if he didn’t just awaken his memories from China when he turned six.

The System said he was transmigrated, but it was hard for Shen Yuan to gauge what that meant, exactly.

Either way, it was almost twenty years ago, so whether he got the memories first hand or second hand, it was all the same at this point.

Shen Yuan knew about being on the streets before being brought to TianTi Temple. He knew about Jiu-ge and Qi-ge.

But who would have thought the scum villain, Shen Qingqiu, was Jiu-ge!?

Jiu-ge, who pretended not to be hungry so Shen Yuan could eat a little more. Jiu-ge, who would shield him from the slavers’ hands when they couldn’t bring in enough money with begging. Jiu-ge, who beat back bullies with the ferocity of a tiger, not hesitating to bite, scratch or aim for the gnads, and had a tongue sharp enough to cut … okay, you know what? Now that he thinks about it, it’s not impossible…

Wait, this isn’t the time for this. Focus, Shen Yuan.

He was currently in front of the Greeting Hall of Qiong Ding, seated in the courtyard with his guqin on his knees.

“Is it necessary to be outside?” Yue Qingyuan asked kindly.

“No, but it’s more noticeable if it’s outside,” Shen Yuan replied. He always enjoyed it more when he could play music or dance outside, but Qin-nigu was always afraid of him being found out so she rarely let him.

Composing himself, Shen Yuan allowed himself to focus on the guqin. He felt the pulse of the earth and pull of the Heavens, and just like before, when he danced to draw the false dragon’s attention, it was so much MORE from when he danced or played to an empty room, completely shut off from the rest of the world.

Imagine that, when I get to play whatever I want wherever I want, it comes out a lot better, Shen Yuan thought bitterly.

As his fingers plucked the strings, he closed his eyes, feeling the spiritual energy welling up from the area around him.

Qiong Ding was already a place with vast amounts of spiritual energy. What happens when you add a Saintess playing music to the peak?

Shen Yuan opened his eyes to watch the vortex of spiritual energy as it danced about, playfully tugging at his hair and flitting about his fingers.

The call of birds pierced through the air.

Ah, black-winged emerald kites. How rare. They don’t like people, only nesting in places with dense enough spiritual energy that it was visible.

As they flew overhead they called out to him, circling above, and he altered his playing to respond to their calls. When he did so, one actually landed next to him, nestling affectionately into his thigh.

It’s been awhile since he’s had fun playing the guqin.

When he finished, there was another peal of thunder, and suddenly, the area around Shen Yuan practically gushed out spiritual energy as it flooded into the surrounding plants and animals, causing the plants to evolve into higher grade plants and the animals to undergo a breakthrough.

“Is that why you came over?” Shen Yuan asked the now king emerald kite teasingly, rubbing a finger under its chin as it nuzzled over, “It’s not like this was guaranteed, you know.”

The king emerald kite just gave a haunting cry before taking off back into the air, joining the others as they rode the currents back to the top of Qiong Ding.

When Shen Yuan turned his attention back to the Peak Lords, he only had a second before a sword came flying towards him.

Eh? EH?!

Shen Yuan closed his eyes tightly, but nothing happened so he cracked an eye open.

The sword was floating in front of him, non-aggressive… wait. Was it fighting with Wei Qingwei? Although… it wasn’t like it was a cool wuxia battle between it and Wei Qingwei. The sword was just slicing aimlessly through the air to keep Wei Qingwei back. If Shen Yuan had to say, it was more like Wei Qingwei was a frantic owner with a naughty puppy. Kind of like, “Get back here, you!” and “No! Make me!”

Shen Yuan looked at the sword more carefully.

The inscription read, “Hong Jing.”

… … Uh… Okay.

So, Hong Jing did in fact come out of its sheathe, but it’s not attacking him. What does that mean on the scale of 1-10 of demon possession?

“Are you alright?”

Shen Yuan startled as the voice came from right next to him. He looked up to see Liu Qingge standing tensely next to him, hand ready to draw his sword.

Was Liu-xiansheng intending to fight Hong Jing for him if it came down to it? Shen Yuan blushed a bit at the thought. It was probably just his reflexes. Liu Qingge isn’t Bai Zhan’s Peak Lord for nothing.

“I’m fine. It just startled me,” Shen Yuan said to Liu Qingge before he reached out and gently patted the grip of the sword. “I’m alright. Please continue protecting Cang Qiong,” he told it.

Hong Jing seemed to draw itself up with pride before swooshing back towards Wei Qingwei and resheathing itself.

Only then did Shen Yuan realize that Shen Qingqiu was being forcibly held back from leaping onto the Wan Jian Peak Lord to, presumably, tear his face off?

He was shouting things like, “It was already obvious that A-Yuan wasn’t demon possessed!” and “You blockheaded, stubborn, ass of a - !” while Yue Qingyuan calmly held him back.

“… Should we stop this?” Shen Yuan asked, looking up at Liu Qingge, who had visibly relaxed once Hong Jing was sheathed. Maybe it was his imagination, but it looked like Liu-xiansheng was grimly enjoying the situation, like he felt Wei Qingwei deserved it.

“… Zhangmen-shixiong can handle it,” Liu Qingge replied with a snort, one hand still on his sword’s hilt. He turned and held a hand out towards Shen Yuan. “Are you done?”

“Ah, en.” Shen Yuan took his hand and allowed Liu-xiansheng to help him up, guqin nestled in his other arm.

Is this really okay? It’s not like Wei Qingwei did anything wrong. Hong Jing just unsheathes itself to attack demons or demon possessed, so it’s not like he can be blamed, right?

Shen Yuan was then surprised by a busty (of course, this is Airplane’s world after all) woman who approached him with a barely restrained eagerness that made him pull back a little.

“Stop,” Liu Qingge said, physically placing a hand between Shen Yuan and the female Peak Lord.

Ah, thank you Liu-xiansheng. He wasn’t really a people person, in either life, so meeting so many new people was beginning to overwhelm Shen Yuan. Plus, he was exhausted from playing the guqin and all the emotions he’s been having.

“Liu-shixiong, you’re not being kind,” the woman said with a pout. “Hogging such an amazing musician to yourself.”

“You’re scaring him with your enthusiasm,” Liu Qingge retorted. Er… even if it’s true, you don’t have to be so blunt about it…

“This is someone who can play in tune with the world and appeal to the Heavens! How can I not be enthusiastic?! For goodness sake, the Heavens even gave their approval!”the woman cried out.

“Th-that normally doesn’t happen,” Shen Yuan said. He’s not really sure why there was thunder after his dance while fighting the false dragon and again right now. There was even an extra blessing that was sent down after he finished playing the guqin. … Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since the Heavens saw or heard anything they could really appreciate.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more Shen Yuan was convinced that was the case. The more recent Saintesses have all been confined in TianTi Temple, after all.

“Still, I’d love for you to come to my peak to trade musical cultivation techniques! Obviously my disciples and I wouldn’t be able to replicate such a feat, but your techniques are obviously exquisite even without the Saintess blessings, so please, come to Chuang Zuo Peak!”

Oh, this must be the artists’ peak’s Peak Lord, then. Shen Yuan could understand why she was so excited, if that’s the case.

But before Shen Yuan could say anything, whether to accept or decline, Shen Qingqiu had stopped his struggling and cursing and stormed over.

“Nonsense! He’ll be joining me at Qing Jing,” he said, snapping his fan open and fluttering it in front of his face, as if he wasn’t yelling like a madman just a few minutes ago.

“I don’t mean for him to stay at Chuang Zuo, Shen-shixiong,” the Chuang Zuo Peak Lord said, coughing lightly. “But although Peak Lord Shen also has exquisite techniques with the guqin, surely you see the wisdom in allowing him to mingle with other musicians.”

Shen Qingqiu’s brow twitched over his fan, but he didn’t say anything, merely staring her down.

… Shen Qingqiu is totally a brocon. No, well, Shen Yuan knew that Jiu-ge was a brocon, but it’s been, like, almost twenty years. This is the first time he’s seen him in forever.

Shen Yuan wasn’t sure what he felt about it himself, honestly. It was too sudden, and there was all this Saintess stuff going on, and now he’s at Cang Qiong where Shang Qinghua might be a transmigrator, and does he even have to worry about the plot still, or …

A warm hand gently pressed between his shoulder blades, stabilizing him as he swayed unsteadily on his feet.

“I’m alright,” Shen Yuan murmured. He was tired, and Liu Qingge’s warmth was making him think about sleeping. Liu Qingge frowned down at him.

What, so Liu-xiansheng can say he’s fine when he’s not and Shen Yuan can’t? Shen Yuan pouted a bit, then yelped as Liu Qingge suddenly picked him up, bridal style.

Shen Qingqiu whipped around, breaking his staring contest with the Chuang Zuo Peak Lord.

“WHAT are you DOING?” he snarled at Liu Qingge.

“He’s tired,” Liu Qingge scowled, staring defiantly back.

Instantly, Shen Qingqiu was by Shen Yuan’s side, peering into his face worriedly. “I’ll take him to Qing Jing,” he said, before shooting Liu Qingge’s arms a pointedly dirty look.

… Shen Yuan has no preference. Shen Yuan is going to stay very still and pretend he has no idea what’s going on.

The two Peak Lords glared at each other, neither one willing to back down, until Liu Qingge suddenly glanced down at Shen Yuan. He furrowed his brows for a moment, then held Shen Yuan out towards Shen Qingqiu, who took him with a mild look of surprise at how easily Liu Qingge handed him over.

“… Liu-xiansheng?” Shen Yuan said, tilting his head.

Liu Qingge patted him on the head. “You should spend time with your brother,” he said.

“Like we needed you to tell us that,” Shen Qingqiu said with a sniff, but his voice didn’t have as much of a bite to it as usual.

Chapter Text

“So now that we don’t have Shen-shixiong about to stab someone every two seconds, what should we do about the Saintess?” the Zui Xian Peak Lord, He Qingwu asked, tapping his wine gourd pensively against the table.

Shen Qingqiu had taken his brother and flown back to Qing Jing, leaving the other eight Peak Lords at Qiong Ding, who reconvened in the meeting room.

“We can’t hand them over to TianTi if there’s a possibility that he could be killed by the TianTi nuns,” Mu Qingfang said, “Let alone the fact that we would be allowing our shixiong’s brother to be exposed to danger, there is also the issue with the wrath of the Heavens.”

“We won’t hand him over,” Yue Qingyuan said firmly. “TianTi Temple has never shown us anything that would instill trust in them. Even without the matter of the misconstrusion of their oaths, they have a lot to answer about the mistreatment of the relative of two of the Cang Qiong Peak Lords.”

“Two?” Wei Qingwei asked.

Yue Qingyuan smiled serenely, although there was a lot of pressure behind that smile. “He may not be blood related to me, but I did help raise him,” he said.

“Being the brother of Cang Qiong’s top two will make it tough for TianTi,” Shang Qinghua remarked as he jotted notes down.

“TianTi doesn’t deserve to keep a musician that good,” the Chuang Zuo Peak Lord, Xiu Qingjue sniffed. “Isn’t it obvious the blessings would be reduced if they keep an artist locked in a box? They might think it’s enough just to teach him the techniques, but bland technique wouldn’t ever be something that could connect to the world or impress the Heavens. Art is something that is created in response to the experiences someone has. What kind of experiences can someone have being isolated and imprisoned?”

“What I want to know is how we sent Liu-shidi out expecting things to not go well, but he comes back after sweeping the Saintess and Shen-shixiong’s brother off his feet, succeeding way beyond expectations,” Qi Qingqi says in that tone Liu Qingge recognizes that means she’s saying something at his expense.

“…” Liu Qingge decided his best option was to remain silent, so he just sat in his chair with his arms crossed, scowling at Qi Qingqi.

“So… like… everyone’s in agreement that Shen-shixiong’s younger brother really is the Saintess, then?” Shang Qinghua asked.

“Do you still doubt it?” Liu Qingge said, glaring at Shang Qinghua.

“No! Nonono, but like Wei-shixiong said, we have to be careful, y’know? If we’re gonna do this and go against TianTi, we have to, you know, hedge our bets? And we have to all be in agreement, right? So...”

Wei Qingwei grunted. “I think it’s pretty obvious just seeing how the world bends to accommodate the boy, but if we were pressed for proof, Hong Jing’s reaction is pretty decisive. He’s ‘possessed’ with something that Hong Jing would rather obey than attack. If that doesn’t prove he’s got the Heavens behind him, I don’t know what would.”

“Shen-shixiong almost took your head off for it, though,” He Qingwu chuckled, taking a gulp from his gourd, “If Hong Jing had touched the boy, I think he would have killed you.”

“I didn’t expect Hong Jing to react at all,” Wei Qingwei protested, “I just thought it would be another case where I bring Hong Jing, nothing happens, and we move on.”

“TianTi won’t stay quiet about this,” Shang Qinghua mused, gnawing on the end of his writing brush, “They’ll probably try to pin all sorts of stuff on us to get us to send Master Shen back. Or send assassins or something? Would assassins work?”

“Ha! I’d like to see them try,” Qi Qingqi sneered, smacking her hand on the table, “They’re dreaming if they think we’d let them get away with tricking their disciples into taking an oath to the Heavens, and they’re dreaming if they think they can pressure Cang Qiong into doing as they wish!”

“Liu-shixiong, you said the TianTi nuns didn’t give you any information about the Saintess, and that it was pure chance that you found him. Isn’t it actually very likely that they have no idea he’s even here?” Mu Qingfang asked. “Because if that’s the case, couldn’t we just hide that he’s here? For example, Qiong Ding is originally a very spiritually rich location, so it might not be so noticeable if he performs for the Heavens here, or in the Lingxi Caves. It could be possible to disguise his presence here somehow.”

Liu Qingge frowned, eyebrows knitting together as he thought about it.

“… I don’t want him to have to hide anymore,” he finally said. “He deserves to go wherever he wants to now.”

A silence fell over the meeting room, causing Liu Qingge to look up.

Wei Qingwei and He Qingwu were staring at him in open-mouthed shock, alcohol still dribbling from He Qingwu’s gourd into his lap. Mu Qingfang was in a similar state, although much less obvious about it.

Xiu Qingjie the artist peak’s Peak Lord, Qi Qingqi, and Shang Qinghua had wide eyes, but their eyes were also sparkling. Xiu Qingjie and Shang Qinghua’s gazes seemed to be filled with excitement. Qi Qingqi’s was filled with that look of wicked intent Liu Qingge always felt unnerved by.

But it was Yue Qingyuan’s sudden, very intense stare that was unnerving Liu Qingge the most. Even though Zhangmen-shixiong’s expression hadn’t changed, Liu Qingge felt a shiver creep up his spine.

Qi Qingqi recovered from the shocked silence first. Unfortunately for Liu Qingge.

“Hmm~… it seems he’s made quite the impression on you, hasn’t he? ~Liu-xiansheng~?” she drawled, leaning her chin on her hand with a broad, shit-eating smile.

“… What are you getting at?” he scowled right back at her.

“Oh, nothing~. Just thinking that such a young, impressionable man with no experience with the world, out in the wilderness, alone, with a seasoned Peak Lord for so many days … oh my, all the things that could happen~.”

The intimidation from Yue Qingyuan became even stronger, causing Liu Qingge to break out into a cold sweat. For some reason, the sight of Shen Yuan’s sleeping face buried in his robes flashed through his mind.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” he snapped, ignoring the feeling that he’s done something he should feel guilty for.

Hmmm~, Qi Qingqi just hummed and settled back into her chair, grinning at him merrily.

Liu Qingge didn’t know how she could still act like that under Yue Qingyuan’s dangerous aura.

Shang Qinghua couldn’t stand it, anyway, quickly ducking his head, coughing, and bringing the conversation back to the main topic.

“Er, ahem, uh, so uh, TianTi doesn’t want the searchers to bring the Saintess back to the temple. What do we think about that?”

“Ain’t it so they can kill him? On the way to TianTi, or maybe while he’s still in custody of other cultivators,” He Qingwu said.

“Or it could be that they’re trying to get out of having to compensate people,” Wei Qingwei said, “I could see them showing up, saying he wasn’t the Saintess, then capturing him later.”

“They could simply be trying to avoid displaying that the Saintess is male in front of their disciples,” Mu Qingfang said, but quickly added, “Unlikely as it is, it’s a possibility,” as the other Peak Lords looked at him doubtfully.

“It’s possible all of that’s true,” Xiu Qingjue said, “Didn’t Master Shen say it? There are a lot of factions within TianTi, all of them trying to undermine each other. It might be that they all came to the same decision for different reasons.”

“What a mess they are,” Qi Qingqi sneered, “But that’s to be expected. They’ve been getting pretty bold in their negotiations, isn’t that right, Shang-shixiong?” She nudged Shang Qinghua with her foot.

“The inflation on their products keeps getting more and more ridiculous,” the An Ding Peak Lord agreed, pursing his lips as he reached over and began rifling through another stack of papers. “And they’ve been asking for more and more assistance without payment, like we gotta do it just ‘cause they have the Saintess.”

“Well they don’t anymore,” Wei Qingwei chuckled.

“So, ah, we’re all pretty much onboard with not handing Master Shen over to TianTi,” Shang Qinghua said, looking up, “But, um, what are we actually going to… DO about it? I mean, there’s, like, two separate issues, right? One is TianTi’s crimes regarding the oath of the Heavens, and the other is what they’ll do about the Saintess.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Cang Qiong alone cannot convict TianTi. We will need to gain the cooperation of Huan Hua, Tian Yu, and Zhao Hua,” Yue Qingyuan said calmly.

He Qingwu snorted as he sloshed his liquor pensively. “Huan Hua will be all for it. They’ve always hated how a little temple like TianTi could compete with them in wealth.”

“Tian Yu and Zhao Hua will need proof, though,” Mu Qingfang said, “They won’t support such a serious accusation and investigation just based on Master Shen’s testimony.”

“What would they need? Proof of Shen Yuan being the Saintess, obviously, but unless TianTi willingly allows themselves to be investigated, it will just turn into a we-said, they-said debate with no end,” Xiu Qingjue sighed.

“… We could just set Shen Qingqiu loose on them,” Wei Qingwei quipped.

All the Peak Lords snorted, coughed, or looked anywhere except at Yue Qingyuan, who just smiled his normal, enigmatic smile that didn’t betray what he was really thinking.

“… Perhaps we should reconvene tomorrow. I’m sure Shen-shidi will be more amiable then, and we will be able to develop a plan of action,” the Sect Master said mildly.

All the Peak Lords didn’t dare say anything, except Shang Qinghua, who quickly stammered, “Y-y-yes! Of course! Tomorrow! Sounds good! I’ll, uh… get my notes together!” as Yue Qingyuan stood and glided out, no doubt heading towards Qing Jing Peak.

In the silence that followed, Qi Qingqi slaps Wei Qingwei hard on the shoulder.

“What are you doing, Zhangmen-shixiong is obviously in a mood and you go and insult his cultivation partner?”

“I didn’t mean it that way!” Wei Qingwei protested, “Shen-shixiong is obviously who we’d need to send if it just turns into a debate, right?”

“Well say it that way, then!”

“I tried!”

Ignoring the bickering duo behind her, Xiu Qingjue leaned over towards Liu Qingge, eyes sparkling excitedly.

“So. Liu-shixiong.”

Liu Qingge had an unpleasant premonition.

“What DO you think about Master Shen Yuan? I never thought someone with the elegance of Shen-shixiong but without any of his pretentiousness or spite could exist. Don’t you think he’s oh so precious?”

Aware of the sudden attention from all his martial siblings, Liu Qingge quickly stood up.

“I should go check on my peak,” he said quickly, walking briskly out of the meeting room.

“...Wait! I forgot, this meeting was supposed to be about the false dragon! I need to write a report! Liu-shidi-! <Come back!>”

Shang Qinghua’s wail chased him as Liu Qingge got on his sword and fled without looking back.

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan tried to pretend he was air as Shen Qingqiu flew to his bamboo house on Qing Jing Peak.

Not because he wasn’t sure what to do about the fact he’s related to Shen Qingqiu (okay, maybe a little bit about that fact), but because the Qing Jing disciples were watching with wide eyes and open mouths as their Shizun carried a grown man over their peak.

What’s so shocking, can’t a guy just take an uber when he’s tired?! Shen Yuan struggled hard to ignore the fact that this situation was very, very strange, for many, many reasons.

When they touched down in the clearing in front of the bamboo house, Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat nervously.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

Oh thank god. Jiu-ge’s also feeling a bit awkward, now that it’s just the two of them. Shen Yuan really didn’t know what he was going to do if Shen Qingqiu expected both of them to act like two very close brothers who haven’t just spent decades apart. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate and admire the Jiu-ge from his childhood, it’s…

Look, it’s really complicated, okay? There’s the Shen Qingqiu he knows from PIDW, the Jiu-ge from his memories, and the fact that it had been a very real possibility he could have BEEN Shen Qingqiu if the stars had aligned just right or whatever? And the plot, gods, the plot that could still be happening, which means that Jiu-ge’s going to be a human stick and … oh god, kill Liu Qingge…

No, it’s obvious things are different, and Liu-xiansheng brought him back to Cang Qiong, so maybe Jiu-ge wouldn’t kill him? For Shen Yuan?

In the first place, it seems like Jiu-ge and Qi-ge’s relationship aren’t anything like that weird ass dynamic Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan had in PIDW. … Right? Please tell him he’s not just imagining it. Shen Yuan’s certain that Jiu-ge can’t be anywhere near the scumbag the Shen Qingqiu in PIDW was. Shen Yuan has to be right.

Not to mention, Luo Binghe’s at An Ding! That’s right, he still needs to find a way to talk to Shang Qinghua and figure out what the HELL is going on!

Shen Yuan’s brain is still reeling as Shen Qingqiu sets him down on the grass.

Shen Qingqiu turns, snapping his fan open with a flourish and says, “Ming Fan!”

“Y-yes Shizun!” the disciple who had been running up the path said as he came to a stop in front of them. He did a visible startle when he saw Shen Yuan, looking back and forth between his Shizun and his Shizun’s guest.

“Have someone air out the side room and prepare the bed linens,” Shen Qingqiu said, “My brother will be living with me from now on.”

“Y-yes? I mean, yes, Shizun!” Ming Fan – so that’s the cannon fodder bully – saluted quickly and rushed away to … get things done? Get someone to get things done?

“Come in,” Shen Qingqiu said as he opened the door to the bamboo house, “My disciples will prepare the bedroom. But… are you hungry? Or … oh, perhaps a bath? Ah… you can set the guqin there.”

“… I would LOVE a bath.” Yes. Just… yes. Shen Yuan wants a bath very badly, thank you.

Shen Qingqiu smiled, then coughed, trying to return to his usual self.

“Of course that brute wouldn’t have bothered letting you bathe on the way to Cang Qiong,” he muttered as he went to prepare the bath himself. “Do you have any extra clothes?”

“Liu-xiansheng took good care of me!” Shen Yuan protested.

Shen Qingqiu’s brow quirked in dissatisfaction, and some suspicion, as he said, “Oh really.”

“H-he did...”

“Hmm...” What does ‘hmm’ mean, Jiu-ge?! “Well, do you have any extra clothes or not?” Shen Qingqiu said, and Shen Yuan felt like he hadn’t managed to improve Liu-xiansheng’s image in Shen Qingqiu’s mind at all.

“No, I don’t. The ‘Saintess’s’ clothes aren’t really great for travel,” Shen Yuan said semi-sarcastically. He looked up to see a scowl on Shen Qingqiu’s face.

“Those stupid women,” Shen Qingqiu muttered, “No matter, you can borrow my things.” With a snap of his fingers and a talisman set ablaze with qi, Shen Qingqiu heated the water in the bathtub.

“Then, the bath is ready. Feel free to use whatever you wish,” Shen Qingqiu said as he walked towards the bathroom door, but he hesitated before actually leaving.

Shen Yuan watched the conflicting feelings flutter over Shen Qingqiu’s face.

Ah, fuck it. This lukewarm treatment was annoying. If Shen Yuan’s brother wanted to get closer even if he didn’t know how, then Shen Yuan was going to help him get closer.

“Jiu-ge, help me wash my hair?” Shen Yuan asked, putting on his best little brother pout. He wasn’t the sickly younger brother of two guys in his previous life without learning something.

“What am I to do with you...” Shen Qingqiu let out a sigh, trying not to smile as he took off his outer robes, rolled up his sleeves, and loosely tied up his hair.

Shen Yuan sank into the bath tub with a sigh, Shen Qingqiu’s hands in his hair. This… felt really good…

“Jiu-ge won’t take a bath too?” he asked absentmindedly.

“I’ll take one later,” was the reply as Shen Qingqiu began to rinse the lather out of his hair.

“You could just get in with me. It would save water. Besides, even if it was almost twenty years ago, we used to bathe together in the river.”

“What twenty years. It’s been fifteen years, hasn’t it?” Shen Qingqiu chided, tugging his brother’s hair lightly in a reprimand.

What? It was actually fifteen years? Shen Yuan fell silent. He knew it was difficult for him to determine the passing of the days, locked in the temple without many windows in his wing, but to be off by almost five years was disconcerting.

“… A-Yuan?”

Oh shit. Shen Yuan didn’t want to pull the mood down.

“Sorry, sorry, I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About that one time when you got mad at me.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t quite roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. “Which time?” he asked, the dig obvious in his voice.

Shen Yuan didn’t know how he had the guts, but with a mischievous grin he suddenly raised his arm, sending a wave of warm water splashing all over Shen Qingqiu.

Then he froze.

Crap. This was okay when it was Jiu-ge, but now that it’s Shen Qingqiu? If it’s Shen Qingqiu from PIDW, he’d probably flay him alive!

But when he did this to Jiu-ge, Jiu-ge...

Almost exactly like his memories, Shen Qingqiu leapt to his feet with a curse, then seized Shen Yuan by the shoulders and dunked him under.

“You little brat!” Shen Qingqiu scolded as Shen Yuan came back up, laughing as much with relief as he was with mischief.

“So you remember!” Shen Yuan grinned.

“Tsk!” Without any real fire behind his ‘anger’, Shen Qingqiu just shook his head in fake exasperation, turning away to hide the fond smile as he went to exchange his drenched inner robes.

Shen Yuan watched the tsundere with the mischievous twinkle still in his eye, until he saw Shen Qingqiu slough his wet inner robe off, back still turned towards him.

The first sign that let Shen Qingqiu know something was wrong was A-Yuan’s sharp gasp, then there was the sound of water being displaced and wet feet padding up behind him.

“What is it?” he asked in alarm, attempting to turn to face Shen Yuan, but the other man’s hands braced themselves against his back, tracing… oh.

He’d been so overwhelmed with finally having his A-Yuan back that he’d completely forgotten the reason he avoided bathing with anyone with the exception of Qingyuan.

“Jiu-ge, this...” A-Yuan traced the scars on his back with his fingers.

“… Get back in the tub, A-Yuan, or else you’ll catch a cold,” Shen Qingqiu said, struggling to keep his voice steady as he turned, taking Shen Yuan’s hands in his own and gently prodding him back in the direction of the bathtub. Ignoring that it was unlikely for a cultivator’s health to be effected by being wet and cold.

He quickly pulled on a dry robe to cover the whip scars he’d received as a child. He was a little frustrated with his own carelessness. There was no way A-Yuan didn’t know what those were, how badly he had been hurt for them to scar that much, and how he had definitely received them before becoming a cultivator, placing the time he received them not too much later than when A-Yuan had disappeared.

Was it selfish of Shen Qingqiu to wish his brother never knew about those days he’d had before Cang Qiong?

“… A-Yuan,” Shen Qingqiu said, with patience no one else believed he had in him, trying to persuade his brother to finish his bath, but Shen Yuan instead turned and threw his arms around him, burying his face in Shen Qingqiu’s stomach.

“Jiu-ge … Jiu-ge … while I was in the temple, you were...” Shen Yuan’s muffled voice didn’t sound like he was crying, but it was clear he was distressed.

Shen Qingqiu sighed, patting his head. “It was a long time ago, A-Yuan.”

“… ...” Shen Yuan didn’t move.

“A-Yuan.”

“… I’m so fucking selfish, thinking I’ve had it so bad, but you...”

“Shen Yuan!”

Shen Qingqiu forcibly pulled away, squishing his A-Yuan’s cheeks between his hands and forcing Shen Yuan to look at him.

“There’s no point to thinking about who had what worse, understand?” Shen Qingqiu snapped, a hint of his normal acidity in his voice. “You didn’t choose where you ended up. Neither of us chose this, any of it. We were never given any choice at all.”

Shen Yuan looked at him, eyebrows still knitted together, before he placed his hands on Shen Qingqiu’s, which were still on his cheeks.

“Jiu-ge, let me see your back again.”

Shen Qingqiu froze for a second. No, he wanted to say, but Shen Yuan stared him straight in the face.

“Please,” he said quietly, and Shen Qingqiu knew he was probably too wrapped around his brother’s fingers for it to be healthy.

He sighed, turned around, and slipped the robe off his shoulders so that it dipped down enough to give Shen Yuan a look.

Shen Qingqiu tried not to flinch as a damp hand was placed on his back, but unlike before, Shen Yuan didn’t run his fingers along the scars.

“… A-Yuan?” Right when Shen Qingqiu grew uneasy and called out to Shen Yuan, a bright light shone from behind him.

“A-Yuan, what-!”

As the light faded, Shen Qingqiu was terrified to feel the hand sliding down his back, lifeless, and he spun around to catch his brother as Shen Yuan slumped over.

“A-Yuan!”

His heart leaping into his throat, Shen Qingqiu frantically checked Shen Yuan’s pulse and meridians before Shen Yuan let out a little snore.

The adrenaline rushed out of Shen Qingqiu, leaving his legs weak enough to require sitting, and he sank to the ground with Shen Yuan in his arms.

“You… you-! Cheeky brat!” Shen Qingqiu scolded, flicking the sleeping Shen Yuan’s forehead gently. “You’re really trying to kill me with fright, back then and now!”

As he sat there, recovering from the scare, the door slid open in a hurry.

“A-Jiu, what happened -!”

Yue Qingyuan appeared, his eyes wide, and Shen Qingqiu just gave a helpless, wry smile. “Nothing. A-Yuan just giving me another fright ...” Shen Qingqiu frowned as Yue Qingyuan’s eyes only got wider, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Although Shen Qingqiu was always secretly pleased the Sect Master would display his emotions for him, this was a little much…

“A-a-Jiu… your back...”

“My back?” Shen Qingqiu frowned. Although Yue Qingyuan always assured him he loved everything about him, that the scars never made him less beautiful, Shen Qingqiu still hated them, and he was sure even Yue Qingyuan didn’t find them a pleasant reminder of their past. They usually avoided mentioning it. So why…

Shen Qingqiu suddenly thought of A-Yuan’s hand as it slid down his back before his collapse.

It had slid smoothly, not catching on any ridges or divots of scar tissue.

Shen Qingqiu quickly brought up a hand and ran it down the expanse of his own back.

There were no scars. His back was perfectly smooth.

Chapter Text

When Shen Yuan woke up, he felt like something was missing. The bed was a little too soft, and his own body heat didn’t feel like it was quite enough.

He sat up sleepily, looking around.

Is this the side bedroom Jiu-ge mentioned?

Shen Yuan startled a bit at the quiet knock on his door.

“A-Yuan?”

Shen Yuan scrubbed his face with one hand.

“I’m awake,” he called back.

The door opened, and there was Jiu-ge. “I brought you clothes to change into,” Shen Qingqiu said. “I don’t think our measurements are that different, but we’ll have to get you your own wardrobe as well.”

“It’s not a big deal -” Shen Yuan tried to say, but Shen Qingqiu sent him a dirty glare so he shut up. Even though he’s completely accepted that Jiu-ge is Shen Qingqiu now, scary things are still scary.

After getting dressed and fussed over, Shen Yuan followed Shen Qingqiu out to see Yue Qingyuan seated at the table.

“Good morning, Xiao Yuan,” Yue Qingyuan said with a smile, his eyes crinkling warmly as he watched the two Shens coming in.

“Sect Leader,” Shen Yuan said, bobbing his head, but Yue Qingyuan gave him a small frown.

“Qi-ge is fine,” he said, “There’s no need for Xiao Yuan to act so distant.”

“It’s just … all really sudden,” Shen Yuan said sheepishly, feeling slightly apologetic.

Yue Qingyuan chuckled. “I suppose that’s true. We’ll have to get to know each other all over again. At any rate, I brought breakfast. Come eat.”

Shen Yuan cheered up immediately. Breakfast! And he didn’t even have to check if it had poison! Although not having to use that technique he spent 1,000 points for anymore made him grieve over the lost points, Shen Yuan can still say that his situation has definitively changed for the better.

He happily ate the steamed buns and congee that Qi-ge set before him.

“A-Yuan, what did you do last night, to my back?” Shen Qingqiu suddenly asked, and Shen Yuan froze with a bun in his mouth.

“Uh...” Did he do something wrong? Come to think of it, he kind of just went and healed it all by himself, but he never asked Jiu-ge if that would be alright. Shen Yuan stiffly swallowed his bun.

Yue Qingyuan chuckled as he watched Shen Yuan’s guilty expression. “He’s not mad. But we do need to know what it is. That sort of healing power isn’t normal, after all. Is that because of being the Saintess?”

“Ah, en,” Shen Yuan said, “I can heal someone like that for a short time after receiving a blessing. Only once per blessing, and I get really tired after.”

“What’s the extent?” Shen Qingqiu asked sharply, “And does TianTi know about this?”

Geez, what’s got Jiu-ge’s panties in a bunch today? Shen Yuan wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

“It’s supposedly only for wounds and old injuries and the like, and I can’t do something like regrow limbs or bring anyone back to life, but other than that,” Shen Yuan shrugged. “I haven’t really had much of an opportunity to try it out, since I didn’t let TianTi know I can do it.” He couldn’t help but sound smug. They kept him shut in the temple like that, so it’s their own fault for never realizing he had successfully inherited the white healing power. The previous Saintess hadn’t been able to do it, after all.

Luckily he was stronger than she was, probably because he hadn’t become TianTi’s meek little puppet like she had.

Shen Qingqiu frowned. “Qingyuan, this… it’s better to keep it secret.”

“I agree. Xiao Yuan, you shouldn’t let anyone know about this,” Yue Qingyuan said, his face becoming serious.

Hm? It wasn’t like Shen Yuan was intending to go parading around with a sign saying, ‘I heal good!’ or anything, but he didn’t see how it had to come with its own warning when he’s already got the ticking time bomb of being the Saintess hanging over his head.

Noticing his skepticism, Shen Qingqiu hmphed, covering his smile at his foolish brother with his fan, and said, “Think about it. Even if you weren’t the Saintess, if word came out about a miracle heal like this, how many sects do you think would be scrambling over each other to get you?”

Shen Yuan didn’t have to think very hard to imagine what a mess that would be and he made a face.

“We may have to let Mu-shidi know, but he’s a responsible healer who would refuse to rely on it unless there’s an emergency, as well as someone who knows discretion,” Shen Qingqiu continued, “but other than that, it should just be the three of us who know about this, correct? A-Yuan, you haven’t used it on anyone else, have you?’

“Ah...” Shen Yuan said, and then flinched as Jiu-ge and Qi-ge leaned forward, looking at him sharply.

He couldn’t help but blush as he said, “… … I also used it on Liu-xiansheng.”

There was silence for a few moments, then Shen Qingqiu managed to grind out, “I thought he was far too unscathed after defeating a false dragon,” glowering darkly over his fan.

Uh, no? It should be good that your martial brother came back without massive wounds?

… Well, Jiu-ge was Jiu-ge, but was Shen Yuan imagining the somewhat dark aura also being emitted from Yue Qingyuan? Ge-ges, you’re kind of being scary-!

A knock suddenly sounded on the front door, dissipating the murky atmosphere. Good timing, mysterious visitor! Shen Yuan is grateful to you with all his heart!

“… Come in,” Shen Qingqiu said, sounding like he wanted to stab whoever was on the other side of the door.

And then he even looked like he wanted to stab the other person when he realized it was Liu Qingge who walked in.

The murky aura got upgraded into a murderous aura, and Shen Yuan just kind of wanted to go play dead until his Ge-ges stopped PMSing or whatever the hell they’re doing.

Liu Qingge paused, either surprised at the murderous aura or the fact that Yue Qingyuan was here, or both even, furrowing his brows a bit.

“And WHAT are YOU doing here?” Shen Qingqiu asked, lightly fluttering his fan as he glared daggers at Liu Qingge.

“… Shang Qinghua needs a report about the false dragon. Shen Yuan knows more about it than me,” Liu Qingge managed to say, like he didn’t even notice the glare at all. Liu-juju sure is great!

“I-I see! Then, let’s go-!” Shen Yuan leapt from his seat, placing both hands on Liu Qingge’s shoulders and rushing both of them out the door as he ignored Jiu-ge’s shriek.

“Shen Yuan! You get back here!”

“Let’s hurry and go!” Shen Yuan hissed, and Liu Qingge huffed out a laugh, drew Cheng Luan as he slid an arm around Shen Yuan’s waist, and took off for An Ding Peak.

“Is that going to be okay?” Liu Qingge asked, glancing back towards Qing Jing Peak.

He was right to be concerned. There was no way Shen Qingqiu would be happy about this. Although Shen Qingqiu clearly cares about Shen Yuan …

“Jiu-ge is going to be SO mad at me,” Shen Yuan groaned into his hands. But! Qi-ge and Jiu-ge were being weird! And he kind of felt like Liu-xiansheng was in danger! And he wanted to talk to Shang Qinghua anyway!

“What were they talking about?” Liu Qingge asked.

“About how I shouldn’t tell anyone about my healing abilities,” Shen Yuan said, “Because other people would want it.”

“Ah.” Liu Qingge nodded seriously, probably understanding exactly why Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu didn’t want others to know about that miraculous healing ability.

“So, don’t tell, Liu-xiansheng.”

“I won’t,” Liu Qingge said solemnly as An Ding Peak came into view.

Shen Yuan got distracted as he watched the Peak get closer and closer.

FINALLY.

Shen Yuan had SO many questions. The plot’s completely gone to pieces, and if he’s going to keep Jiu-ge and Liu-xiansheng safe, he’s going to have to quiz this transmigrator about what he’s been doing, and try to figure out who the hell the regressor the System told him about is.

---

An Ding Disciples milled about in mild panic as Liu Qingge touched down right in front of the warehouses.

There’s a landing pavilion over there for a reason – there was no one brave enough to say that to the Bai Zhan War God. And not just a few were more concerned about the fact that that Liu-shishu and Shen-shibo were sharing a sword together than they were about the fact that Liu Qingge is ignoring sword flight etiquette again.

Liu-shishu (?) set Shen-shibo (!!) on the ground gently (!?!) as he stepped off Cheng Luan and turned to the disciple in charge.

“Where is Shang Qinghua?” he asked.

“Sh-shizun is still in his personal quarters,” the poor disciple stammered, eyes swiveling between Liu-shishu and Shen-shibo so fast it looked like his pupils were multiplying.

It wasn’t just him. The other disciples in the area were also looking shocked and dizzy as they blatantly gawked at the scene.

Liu Qingge nodded and turned to his companion.

“Go talk to Shang Qinghua. I’ll wait here.”

“Oh!” Shen-shibo said, blinking in surprise, “You don’t need to give the report?”

“You really do know more about it than me,” Liu-shishu said, “And I thought you would want to speak with him alone?” His eyes regarded Shen-shibo questioningly, and with a little … … fondness?!

“Th-thank you,” Shen-shibo said with a … blush!?!

“L-Liu-shishu-!” the disciple stammered, practically hyperventilating, “I-i-if Sh-sh-shen-shibo or L-Liu-shishu aren’t f-feeling well, p-p-perhaps Qian Cao would b-be a better place -”

“Shen-shibo?” Shen-shibo said, tilting his head with a puzzled look. Oh god! Did Shen Qingqiu lose his memories in some horrible accident or qi deviation!?

“This isn’t Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge said bluntly.

Oh no, so it happened to BOTH of them-!

“Um, excuse me, is this… Shen-shibo’s younger brother?” an An Ding shimei finally spoke up, asking timidly.

At that, all the disciples suddenly understood. The rumor that Shen Qingqiu’s long lost brother appeared had spread like wildfire from Qiong Ding last night. But who said he looked “similar” to Shen Qingqiu? They were practically identical! Not that disciples from An Ding got a lot of chances to see Shen-shibo, though!

“You might as well treat him like Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge said, “Or else Shen Qingqiu will throw you off the mountain.”

“He wouldn’t do that!” Shen-not-shibo said, then quickly averted his eyes with a, “… Probably.”

Liu Qingge huffed a laugh (!?) and gently (!!?) gave Shen-not-shibo a push.

“Go on, I have business here.”

Shen-not-shibo gave a little bow and followed a dazed An Ding disciple towards Shang Qinghua’s personal house.

“W-what business might Liu-shishu have here?” the disciple in charge asked.

His response was Liu Qingge pulling out large parcel after large parcel, tossing them to the ground.

When he was done, he jerked his head towards them and said, “False dragon.”

“A-ah, materials from the false dragon.”

After Shen-shibo’s brother had gone, the Liu-shishu they were dealing with became the Liu-shishu they knew. Silent, solemn, and slightly in the way.

The An Ding disciples didn’t waste any time as they quickly unwrapped and catalogued the false dragon materials, sending for the correct preservation talismans and storage containers depending on what they were.

As they worked, they couldn’t help but be hyper aware of Liu Qingge, leaning against the warehouse. Supposedly waiting for Shen-shibo’s brother.

Although they were trying to keep their eyes to themselves … they were SO CURIOUS.

Sure, who Shen-shibo’s brother is, how he got here, those were interesting questions. But that’s not what everyone was wondering about.

Everyone was struggling so hard not to keep glancing at Liu-shishu as they rushed about.

Finally, a heroic shimei cleared her throat.

“Um, Liu-shishu, do you know… what Shen-shibo’s brother is like?” she asked, dancing around the question they all actually wanted to ask.

Liu Qingge’s brows twitched, but he said, “He’s a good person.”

A good person… good person… everyone couldn’t believe their ears. Liu-shishu said – about Shen-shibo’s brother -!

And they even came to An Ding together!

Just what -

“Um… what is your relationship with -”

She wasn’t able to get the whole question out before she was nailed with a glare.

Abort! Abort!

Shimei, cherish your life! You still have much to live for!

Chapter Text

Shang Qinghua was currently reaping the penalties of his actions from his past life.

Look, he’d wanted PIDW to be, like, an actual, real story, about the clashes between good and evil manifested in one character who possessed conflicting blood, and how muddied the ‘black’ and ‘white’ could get in the complex backgrounds of both villains and allies.

But it’s hard to make rent, okay?

And cheap junk food appeals to a larger crowd than fancy ass French dining or whatever, so he ended up cutting out all that complicated stuff that over half his eventual audience didn’t like reading because it made them think, and replaced them with sex. SO much sex, and the more he put in, the more money he made.

He ended up dragging all those unfinished drafts and half-planned backgrounds and plots into a separate folder, silently promising them he’d come back for them (he never did), and just gritted his teeth and bore with it.

He’s not sure when the genre change from revenge plot with sex to brainless porn occurred, not the precise moment anyway, but when he realized it, he was actually relieved he didn’t have to feel a little more like a failure every time he posted a chapter. Hell, he even had fun making up ridiculous papapa sessions, because there’s definitely a market out there for fantasy kinks and Airplane thought he might be into it.

But he really wished he hadn’t used PIDW to do it with. He totally should have just started something completely new with a universe that was originally set up for sexy fun times, without all the potential and plotlines he choked to death with his own hands staring him in the face.

And he also felt guilty towards the fans who started reading PIDW from the beginning, before it became known as a trashy stallion novel. Except for Peerless Cucumber, who clearly was in it to be an evil critic, because honestly, who bothers paying for every chapter, tracking all the plotpoints until they went nowhere, and keeping notes of every character and item just to make scathing criticisms if they didn’t secretly enjoy it?

Ironically, with all the attention he paid to Airplane’s story, Cucumber Bro might have been his number one fan. Anti-fan. Same difference.

God knows Shang Qinghua wishes he had him here now.

Why the FUCK did the cannon fodder from who the hell knows which wife plot end up here?! Cucumber Bro, cliff notes on this arc, please!

Okay, calm down, breath Qinghua. You’re used to this by now.

You know that this world is making its own shit up to accommodate all those half-assed plotpoints and shitty porno world-building to, you know, actually make the world WORK, but… once again Shang Qinghua was feeling the consequences of mutilating his precious novel, as the unknown consequences of saying something like “the Saintess was secretly a guy all along” and not bothering to explain it within the story apparently meant that the world would make the whole of TianTi Temple into a roiling cesspool of corruption and manipulation.

He didn’t know it was going to be real, okay!? He just wanted to try a bit of a more intricate plot that didn’t end in a Binghe/Head Abbess/Saintess/waifu fourway, so he made the Saintess secretly a guy as a red herring villain to mess with the readers before pulling a ‘surprise, it was the Head Abbess all along who tricked the waifu into murdering innocent people’ trick, but then he got worried they wouldn’t be able to follow it, so he just kind of muddled his way through it into the sex scenes.

But what did he end up writing, exactly? He doesn’t remember now… useless! Useless brain!

Ugh… the only thing good that happened to him was when that huge ERROR in the System happened … when? A while ago, maybe over ten years?

Suddenly, red ERROR messages popped up all over his vision and he had fainted. After that, the System stated that continuing his missions would conflict with a regressor whose actions had higher priority – than the author himself! - and Shang Qinghua was relieved to find that his missions were drastically reduced, and he was given a lot more freedom to do as he pleased.

He almost cried when he realized he wasn’t forced to play the spy and traitor anymore. Well, not as much, anyway. While Shen Qingqiu was the main scum villain, OG Shang Qinghua actually got his martial disciples, siblings, allies … he’d set up a lot of them to be killed. He’d killed SO many innocent people. The only reason his death wasn’t more gruesome than Shen Qingqiu’s was because OG Shang Qinghua was Mobei-jun’s problem, not Luo Binghe’s.

But Airplane as Shang Qinghua didn’t have to do that. Not a single ambush or death!

Freed from that burden, Shang Qinghua stopped feeling preemptively guilty around his martial siblings and started to actually get to know them. He … probably made friends? He’s not sure what Qi Qingqi is to him, but partner-in-crime and fellow betting bookie is basically a friend, right?

So yeah, he got friends in this life, and he even got skillz! He even became An Ding’s Peak Lord without resorting to the backhanded shit the OG pulled, so he was feeling pretty good about himself.

As a bonus, his King even stopped hitting him as much after the ERROR. He’d fainted right in front of Mobei-jun, and it seems that made his King finally aware that humans don’t take to violence as well as demons.

Although he’s not sure why his King still keeps him around, since he’s not doing any spying or traitor-ing. Not that he’s complaining, Mobei-jun was totally his favorite character, but who’s going to believe he’s only there to help with the restructuring of the demons’ Northern Kingdom for some reason?

Whatever, it was way too late to take back meeting Mobei-jun after the System forced him to before the ERROR. Plus, he couldn’t just let his favorite character die even if the System didn’t force him to save him, right? And since he didn’t follow the OG Shang’s way of extracting favors from Mobei-jun as much as he could, Shang Qinghua would even say they’ve settled into a more or less comfortable acquaintanceship without the suspicion and preparations to kill each other at any given moment.

A-anyway, Shang Qinghua was living a good life, doing his best to subvert the bad plotpoints and maintain good relationships with people he actually started to care about. He was … kind of happy.

And then, here comes a guy whose life is way messed up because Airplane sold out in his previous life.

It doesn’t really leave you feeling great. Especially when the guy’s staring you down. In your personal office. Right now.

… Help.

---

“O-o-okay, n-no problem! W-we’ll send someone else out to, to check out the destruction and, uh, and, uh… report to the town…!”

Shen Yuan held a sleeve in front of his mouth as he watched the An Ding Peak Lord freak out at his desk.

He didn’t want to be… judgy, but did that An Ding disciple learn how to stutter because his Peak Lord is such a spazz?

Shen Yuan watched Shang Qinghua sputtering, and looking anywhere but at him, with a very judgmental stare. There is NO way this is the Shang Qinghua from PIDW. He HAS to be a transmigrator.

Seeming to notice the stare despite not looking at Shen Yuan, Shang Qinghua cringed and said, “I-is… there… anything… else?”

There was silence for a moment, during which Peak Lord Shang just got squirmier, before Shen Yuan finally opened his mouth.

“Airplane Shooting Through the Sky,” was all he said.

Shang Qinghua looked up so hard that he launched himself backwards, chair toppling over and taking him to the ground with it.

As he scrambled to get back up, he yelped, “H-how do you know who I am!?”

Shen Yuan was shocked frozen for a second. A very split second.

Then his eyes narrowed, an evil glint blatantly flashing in them.

“So you’re the bastard himself!” he roared, reaching over the desk to seize Shang Qinghua – nope, it’s Airplane! - by the shoulders and shake him like a rag doll.

“Eh- Wha… I… erk… HELP!”

It only lasted a few minutes until Shen Yuan’s gentle-lady training for the past fifteen years made him horribly embarrassed by the violent outburst. He released the An Ding Peak Lord, took some distance, and then composed himself, hmphing and muttering irritably behind his sleeve.

Just because he was embarrassed doesn’t mean he wasn’t still glaring daggers that Jiu-ge would have been proud of at Shang Qinghua, though.

“So… a reader… I guess… A fan, maybe?” Shang Qinghua choked out, looking like he didn’t know if he should be frightened or excited about what just happened.

“Very NOT,” Shen Yuan huffed.

“Anti-fan then? … ……. … You wouldn’t happen to be… Peerless Cucumber?”

Shen Yuan had no idea why Airplane sounded so hopeful for him to be the most vitriolic, scathing critic on the forums who consistently called the author every curseword under the sun. He couldn’t help but edge backwards warily. “… Why?”

Not backwards far enough – Shang Qinghua lunged towards him, hugging him tightly around the middle.

“WHAT are you DOING!?” Shen Yuan smacked Shang Qinghua rapidly about the head and shoulders, lightly at first, then harder as the Peak Lord refused to let go. “Let go of me you talentless hack! I hate you so much for landing me in this messed up cannon fodder for wife #231 – fuck I’m not even normal cannon fodder, I’m cannon fodder for a WIFE that barely lasted her OWN ARC – are you listening to me!? Don’t think I’ll forgive you for -”

He was interrupted with a sob.

“I missed you SO much, Cucumber Bro...”

Shen Yuan stopped, hand mid-smack, then sighed heavily. He was still pissed off, but Airplane … Bro actually sounded so serious about missing him that he gave up.

It’s not like Shen Yuan didn’t know how it felt to be a transmigrator, all alone in this messed up world.

“I mean, I’ve been having so much trouble trying to keep all my plotpoints straight, I’m so glad you’re here-!” Airplane Bro said, looking up with glistening eyes.

… Okay, scratch that.

Shen Yuan’s eyebrow twitched as he changed his smack into a karate chop right to the center of Airplane Bro’s forehead.

A few minutes later, Shen Yuan was re-adjusting his wrinkled robes with a disgruntled look on his face while Shang Qinghua remained crouched on the ground, clutching his red forehead tearily.

“Bro… you didn’t hold back at all,” he sniffled.

“You deserved it,” Shen Yuan hmphed.

“How did you figure out I was Airplane?” Shang Qinghua said, the red splotch already healing as he quickly went to the low table in his parlor, gesturing for Shen Yuan to take a seat.

“...You’re not exactly being subtle about being a transmigrator,” Shen Yuan said as he sat down. “As for being Airplane, you told me just now.”

“…?” Shang Qinghua tilted his head as he sat down across from him.

Liu-xiansheng was right. Incompetent enough that you wonder how he survives indeed.

Chapter Text

“I’ve been Shang Qinghua since he was born,” Airplane Bro said sorrowfully, “And the System was forcing me to follow the plot for a while. It was hell, Bro, HELL.”

“So it’s not forcing you anymore?” Shen Yuan asked, “I noticed you’ve been changing the plot around a lot.”

Airplane Bro laughed, the nerve of him, saying, “You mean Luo Binghe? Dude, Bro, I thought for sure the System was going to kill me for it, but … well… oh yeah, you were a Binghe fan, right?”

Shen Yuan made a noise that was caught between being offended and being embarrassed as Shang Qinghua walked over to the front of his door and called out to his head disciple.

“Lin Chaoxiang, can you get Luo Binghe to bring refreshments?” he yelled. “Thanks!”

“… You’re treating the protagonist as a housekeeper?” Shen Yuan said disapprovingly as Shang Qinghua sat back down.

“What-!? No way, I don’t have enough lives for that. But Bro, the food at Cang Qiong isn’t … bad… but it’s so bland!”

“… I wouldn’t know. I was given ‘purification food’ at the temple.”

“Oh… ouch.”

As Shang Qinghua gave Shen Yuan a sympathetic look, a light knock sounded on the door.

“Shizun?” a timid voice sounded.

“Come in, come in!” Shang Qinghua panicked, leaping to his feet as a young teen with fluffy hair walked in.

The An Ding Peak Lord quickly helped the disciple set the tea and sweets on the table.

“Thank you, Binghe. I didn’t want to trouble you, but your sweets are so good! The others aren’t harassing you too much to make stuff for them, are they?”

The white bun shook his head, curls being tossed everywhere.

“It’s fine!” he said, “I like to cook, and shijies and shixiongs are always helping me anyway!”

Shen Yuan watched Shang Qinghua thank the protagonist and send him on his way, holding his sleeve over his mouth until the boy left.

First of all… cute. Luo Binghe was adorable as a little white lotus! Second...

“… You’re turning him into a caterer?” he asked once Shang Qinghua had settled back down, pouring both of them cups of tea.

“What? No!”

“Well, what else is he going to learn on An Ding Peak?” Shen Yuan said, eyebrows raised.

Shang Qinghua looked offended.

“Dude, Bro, we might be the logistics Peak, but we’re still a cultivation Peak, y’know? Like all of the Peaks, we have sword techniques and stuff, okay? We just teach more about organization and budgeting and shit because we focus on interactions with the mortal world. In Cang Qiong, we’re the formations and arrays experts,” he said proudly, “The An Ding warehouses are formation MASTERPIECES in the cultivation world.”

“Formations and arrays? That’s...” actually really cool. Formations and arrays are powerful staples of cultivation novels, after all. No wonder An Ding was the Fourth Peak. Although technically, Cang Qiong’s Peak ranking was based on seniority, not prestige or excellence.

However… Shen Yuan’s face went from ‘oooh’ to ‘unimpressed’ in a matter of seconds.

“That … still has nothing to do with any of Luo Binghe’s strengths,” he said bluntly, “Airplane Bro, you’re destroying your own protagonist’s potential yourself.”

“Brooooo, don’t point it out-!” Shang Qinghua wailed and covered his head with his hands.

“And you never mentioned anything about An Ding other than being a ‘logistics Peak’ in PIDW,” Shen Yuan continued, like he hadn’t heard him, “Which is a travesty. It’s honestly much more interesting now, thinking about what the original Shang Qinghua could have done with all that power, instead of being, ‘Oh, I control the budget so I’m obviously evil!’”

At that, Airplane Bro uncovered his head, looking a lot more serious.

“Bro,” he said, “Even I didn’t know that An Ding was the formations Peak.”

Shen Yuan almost dropped the tea cup he just picked up. “...What?”

“You know how my novel was … uh… you know.”

“Full of holes and dropped plots? And had no consistency or decency towards any of its characters?” Shen Yuan offered.

“Uh… yeah. So, actually, I had a lot of half-written drafts and outlines that I ended up never using. And, uh, it seems like… this world is PIDW, but random bits and pieces of my unused stuff got thrown in to make things make more sense, and then because that wasn’t enough after I just, you know, went all in on the papapa, there’s also a lot of stuff I swear I didn’t put in.”

Shen Yuan hummed as he picked up a sweet. “But, that makes sense? You only focused on the main character and tangentials, so there’s of course going to be a lot of other stuff going on.” He nibbled on the sweet. So good! Best thing he’s eaten ever since transmigrating!

“No, Bro, you don’t get it.” Airplane sighed dramatically. “So, like, okay. I DID have a draft where Shen Qingqiu lost his younger brother, but I scrapped it even before I started turning PIDW into a stallion novel because I thought, like, it was too much on top of everything else that happens to him? So how was I supposed to know that this world chose THAT part of THAT draft over any of my other drafts? And even if it did, like wtf, how is the little brother the SAINTESS, which is a completely random character that I made up purely for wife plot purposes?”

Shen Yuan swallowed hard. “So you mean...”

“Bro, I haven’t felt like this is the world I wrote ever since I was born here,” Airplane Bro said glumly. He sighed, picked up his tea cup, and slammed it back like a shot. “But enough about me, what about you, Bro?”

“Me, huh...” Shen Yuan sighed, cradling his own tea cup. “Well, obviously I transmigrated into the freaking Saintess and Shen Qingqiu’s brother. Although I had no idea about the second one. But apparently I was initially supposed to transmigrate into Shen Qingqiu himself.”

“… Whoa. But now you’re his brother. Talk about existential crisis.”

“Tell me about it,” Shen Yuan grumbled. “The transmigration error was really fucking painful too. Have you ever felt your soul half-pulled, half-pushed, and being rejected like crazy? Because let me tell you, it HURTS. In the middle of it, all I get is big fucking red letters yelling ERROR at me, then, ‘Regressor has been detected. User002’s transmigration will interfere with Regressor’s redemption arc. Aborting transmigration procedure.’” Shen Yuan mimicked the electronic voice that the two transmigrators were all too used to now.

“And then there were a crap ton more errors, and then I guess the System panic-yeeted me into a random body. Although, I guess it wasn’t actually a random body.” Shen Yuan was really bitter about getting thrown into the Saintess’ body at the time, but in retrospect, Shen Qingqiu’s brother was probably the next closest compatible body if he was initially supposed to transmigrate as Shen Qingqiu himself.

“Oooooh…. OOOOOOOOOH.” Airplane Bro suddenly began making really annoying noises.

Shen Yuan wrinkled his brow. “Stop that. What are you ‘ooh’ing about?”

“Oooh… Yeah, Bro, there’s NO way it would have been fine if you became Shen Qingqiu.”

“… You know who the regressor is,” Shen Yuan suddenly said, sitting upright and narrowing his eyes at Shang Qinghua. It wasn’t a question. Tell me or else – is what Shang Qinghua heard.

“Yeah. Not that I confirmed it or anything, but it’s pretty obvious.”

“… Well who is it?”

“Ah...”

If Shang Qinghua doesn’t stop trying to drag this out, Shen Yuan is going to hit him with a shoe. Or a chair. Or something.

“Yue Qingyuan! It’s Yue Qingyuan, okay!? Please don’t murder me.”

“Yue Qingyuan?” Shen Yuan frowned as he thought through what he just learned. Why would Yue Qingyuan being transported back to his earlier self mean that Shen Yuan couldn’t transmigrate as Shen Qingqiu… oh fuck. Wait a second. Yue Qingyuan is Qi-ge. Qi-ge and Jiu-ge, together as kids they were … … …

Shen Yuan reached over and grabbed the front of Airplane Bro’s robe, practically hauling him over the table.

“What. Happened. To my brother. And Qi-ge,” he said, barely holding back a snarl.

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! Just… ah… please let go and don’t kill me!” Shang Qinghua wailed.

After Shen Yuan released him, still glaring viciously, Shang Qinghua coughed. “Okay… first of all, this is all PIDW stuff that technically happened, but I never actually wrote it in…”

He then proceeded to talk about Shen Qingqiu’s time with the Qiu’s and Xuan Su. Only his honestly, truly apologetic face kept Shen Yuan from throttling him for making this shitty backstory for his brother but never actually revealing it to anyone who could help so that maybe his brother could begin the process of HEALING.

“No… no, this…” Shen Yuan pulled at his hair in distress, “If he’s made to believe Qi-ge abandoned him, so soon after losing me, it would kill him… he’d go insane!”

“I know! I know, that’s why… that’s why I scrapped that little brother idea, but...” Shang Qinghua trembled at Shen Yuan’s reaction, which was a little stronger than he expected, but understandable. He already felt bad whenever he saw Shen Qingqiu, even before he found out that the younger brother setting was a thing, so… yeah. He feels mega bad now.

“In the first place, it’s OOC for Qi-ge to just… not tell him? Anything? The entire time?!”

“… The world apparently agreed, so Yue Qingyuan got to go back in time. By the way, that’s what makes me think that what I actually published is set in stone in this world, ‘cause even though it was canon, Yue Qingyuan didn’t really make sense so much that it actually broke the confines of time and space...”

“When did Yue Qingyuan regress? From when, to when?” Shen Yuan cut him off impatiently.

“I-I don’t really know. But Shen Jiu’s backstory has already been completely changed beyond recognition, I swear! I checked it all out, and the Qiu’s are still a family, so Zhangmen-shixiong clearly went and got him before Shen Jiu could kill everyone or meet Wu Yanzi. Xuan Su is still sealed at Wan Jian Peak, too. And I SWEAR he knows about Luo Binghe, since he stopped Shen Qingqiu from taking him to Qing Jing, but I don’t think he KNOWS about LUO BINGHE or he’d never let a potential threat who tortured his cultivation partner and wiped out almost all the cultivation sects be. He definitely doesn’t know about the half-demon thing, anyway.”

The thudding of his own heartbeat began to fade from Shen Yuan’s ears as he calmed down. He wasn’t sure when his pulse had quickened that badly, but he feels like this might be what some people feel before they start qi deviating.

“So Qi-ge’s already messed the plot up this much already...” he breathed, “No wonder the System hasn’t been bothering us as much.”

“Yeah, because he went back and got Shen Jiu, by throwing money and status around instead of doing something stupid like almost kill himself with a sword, Shen Qingqiu is nowhere near as messed up, although he’s still, uh...” Airplane Bro struggled to find the word.

“Prickly?” Shen Yuan offered.

“… Yeah...prickly… like a hissing adder...” Airplane Bro decided not to comment on how ‘prickly’ was too tame a description for Shen Qingqiu’s personality in front of Cucumber Brocon over here. “But he’s not taking it out on everyone, he’s just difficult to be around. Yue Qingyuan though… he’s WAY more intense than I wrote him in PIDW. Like, never gonna give you up never gonna let you down, kind of intense. To everyone in Cang Qiong, not just Shen Qingqiu.”

“Well that’s just what happens if you get traumatized by letting someone you care about down in a previous life,” Shen Yuan muttered, then something occurred to him. “… Wait. Cultivation partners? Who?”

“Your bros, Bro.”

Looks of sheer horror, then contemplation, then half happy and half disturbed flitted across Shen Yuan’s face. “… I didn’t need to know about my brothers smashing.”

“Bro, they’re so happy together.”

“Great! And I only really remember them from when we were kids!”

“Ah...”

“So, are we off the hook for the plot?” Shen Yuan asked, changing the subject completely. On purpose.

“I dunno, Bro...” Shang Qinghua sighed as he poured himself another cup of tea and snagged a sweet. “Yeah, sure, I managed to snag Luo Binghe for An Ding thanks to Zhangmen-shixiong’s interference, but Luo Binghe still came to Cang Qiong. I might be able to keep Mobei-jun from attacking the Immortal Alliance Conference, but will that stop the Endless Abyss from opening? And we’re still not allowed to tell other people about the System, so it still clearly has… ideas.”

“Hm...” Shen Yuan leaned forward improperly, leaning his head on his hand and nibbling on another sweet. “So what are you going to do if Luo Binghe’s seal breaks?”

“Yeet him through a portal, and then he’s my King’s problem. I’ve already discussed the possibility with my King, anyway.”

“Your King?” Shen Yuan’s brain gears turned so fast he almost felt like smoke was coming out of his ears as he pieced together who Airplane Bro’s King could be, “So by keep Mobei-jun from attacking, you mean you’re still allies with Mobei-jun? Is the System still forcing you, or is this your own choice?”

“I’m not spying!” Shang Qinghua protested, “It would just be super suspicious if I told him I’m not going to serve him anymore, okay?”

Shen Yuan snorted, “Yeah, and I’m sure him being your ideal man has nothing to do with it.”

Shang Qinghua made a high-pitched sound, not unlike a tea kettle complete with spluttering, and Shen Yuan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“The only man spared by Luo Binghe who’s tall, handsome, and peerless in his own way. You really weren’t subtle.”

Shen Yuan calmly sipped his tea as Shang Qinghua continued to sputter, waiting for the An Ding Peak Lord to regain his composure.

It took a while.

Chapter Text

Look, just because Mobei-jun was totally his ideal man, a bro just doesn’t go spilling his bro’s secrets all over the place! Never mind that it’s only the two of them here!

… What’s he saying? This is Cucumber Bro. Of course he’s not going to be subtle.

Damn, Qi Qingqi was right, this really was Shen Qingqiu Junior.

Airplane amused himself thinking about a mini Shen Qingqiu angrily typing that long, scathing comment about how Shen Qingqiu should be castrated. That’s fucking hilarious! He should … never mention this. Ever. If he values his life.

When he looked up after carefully reprimanding himself against saying things that would get himself murdered, Shang Qinghua noticed Cucumber Bro staring off into space, nervously turning the tea cup around and around in his hands.

“… What’s up, Bro?”

Cucumber Bro, what’s his name now… Shen Yuan? Shen Yuan furrowed his brows daintily together, hesitating to speak.

Finally, he said, “Do you think plotpoints that aren’t related to the protagonist will still happen?”

That’s something Airplane’s been trying to figure out. He’s got a chart and everything. “I think it depends on what it is? All bets are off on anything involving Zhangmen-shixiong, that’s for sure.”

Shang Qinghua watched as Shen Yuan hunched his shoulders, curling in on himself a little as he said, “… Then what about Shen Qingqiu killing Liu Qingge?”

What~? That’s what Cucumber Bro’s worried about~?

“That? Don’t worry about THAT,” Shang Qinghua flapped his hand, sinking back into his seat. “First of all, Shen-shixiong and Liu-shidi don’t hate each other the way they do in PIDW. Well, they don’t like each other even now, but it’s more of a ‘can’t get along’ kind of a vibe than actual hate. Second, Shen Qingqiu didn’t intend to kill Liu Qingge even in PIDW, it was all unfortunate, circumstantial stuff where he was trying to help soothe Liu Qingge’s qi deviation but accidentally made it worse – please don’t hit me!”

Airplane held up his hands and cringed as Shen Yuan raised an arm, looking like he dearly wanted to hit Airplane but didn’t actually want to use his hands. Airplane was relieved he had nothing nearby that Cucumber Bro could use to throw or hit him with.

“I don’t know if I want to hit you for how awful you were to Jiu-ge, or how awful you were as a writer,” Cucumber Bro snapped, finally setting his hand stiffly on the table. He huffed before saying, “So how do we avoid … that happening again?”

“Dude, Bro, like I said, you don’t have to worry about it. It already happened! Except this time, Shen Qingqiu didn’t bother trying to help Liu Qingge when he saw him in Lingxi Caves, he just saw him going crazy, noped out of the situation immediately, and went to find an adult. I mean Zhangmen-shixiong. Then Zhangmen-shixiong and Wei-shixiong held Liu-shidi down so Mu-shidi could do his thing. So, Bro, you don’t have to worry about your brother killing your crush!”

Shen Yuan was in the middle of heaving a sigh of relief when he froze.

“… Excuse me?”

“Well I guess Shen-shixiong will probably be trying to kill him now that he’s trying to woo his baby brother, but that’s probably not kill kill, amiright? Zhangmen-shixiong’s probably not too thrilled either -”

Airplane got cut off as Shen Yuan plastered both his hands over the An Ding Peak Lord’s mouth.

Looking at Cucumber Bro, wide-eyed, red-faced, and flustered looking at him with upturned eyes … Liu Qingge would probably kill him to swap places with him huh? Don’t worry, my cannon fodder second male lead son, Airplane Bro’s way more into tall, dark, and dangerous icicle men – er, more manly men! He’s into more manly men.

“Wh-WHAT are you TALKING about?” Shen Yuan managed to squeeze out, looking horrified and blushing so hard it looked like steam was going to rise from his head.

“Mmgh, nnm, mergh, nnf!” was what Airplane managed to say as eloquently as he could.

Shen Yuan reluctantly removed his hands with a “What?”

“Pwah-! I said, you’re into Liu Qingge, right? Or what, don’t tell me you think you’re not gay or something.”

Shen Yuan seemed offended by the – only slightly! - judgmental look Airplane gave him for some reason.

“Excuse me, I’m bi, so don’t give me that crap about being in denial. Or at least I WAS into women until you wrote chapter 694. Now all I can think of is that awful boob job whenever I see breasts! If I’m totally gay now, it’s your fucking fault!”

“My writing is so powerful,” Airplane gasped. He winced as Shen Yuan shot him a glare that really probably could kill him.

“Er, um, okay, sorry for implying you were in denial. And maybe for writing that chapter right after I got my wisdom teeth out and was still high on anesthetics.” Airplane ignored the, “Explains so much,” Shen Yuan muttered, saying, “But Bro, you can’t tell me you’re not into Liu Qingge.”

Shen Yuan just stares at him, brows furrowed, hiding behind his sleeve and looking very unamused.

Because Airplane doesn’t understand boundaries (and he’s really fucking curious), he decided to push his luck.

“Cucumber Bro, you were so freaked out about the idea of your brother killing Liu Qingge, you can’t tell me you don’t care.”

“Of course I care!” Shen Yuan snapped, “Liu-xiansheng is really nice! Why should he get killed off just because you didn’t know what to do with a guy whose strength and beauty rivaled Binghe’s? And by Jiu-ge, even! And now that I know it was all just an accident, screw you, Airplane! Ruining my ge’s reputation and killing such a kind person just to axe off any potential PLOT that might start!”

Aaand now we’re back to being in danger of being choked to death.

… Wait. “Nice? Kind? Bro, are we talking about the same Liu Qingge here?” Airplane couldn’t help ask.

“… If you tell me that Liu Qingge’s a secret villain or something, I will punt you off your peak,” Shen Yuan said coldly.

“No! He’s not, but, look. Liu Qingge’s a good guy, okay? Everyone knows it. Even if Shen Qingqiu would never admit it. But nice? Kind? We have to be talking about different people.”

Shen Yuan frowned. “What are you talking about? What would he be if not kind? Liu-xiansheng took care of me the entire way to Cang Qiong.”

Shang Qinghua resisted the urge to go get his notebook and brush as he sat forward, trying not to look too eager. “Ooh? Took care of you? How?”

“What do you mean, ‘how’? He noticed I was probably going to get myself killed leaving TianTi by myselfand offered to be my escort, for one. For another, he noticed I was having problems keeping up and made sure to go slow, and even made camp every night so I could get some rest. Also he… ...”

Shen Yuan suddenly cut off with a bright blush that almost made him look like a tomato. Airplane could just smell the gossip.

“Also he…?” he prodded eagerly.

“Also… he… let me lean on him … when I was tired...” Shen Yuan practically hid his whole face behind his sleeve this time, and Airplane got the distinct feeling that he wasn’t being completely truthful.

He’d have to look into this later.

First, he had to help set Cucumber Bro straight.

“Okay, look, Bro. The Liu Qingge I know would never offer to escort someone without being told to. He HATES escort quests with a passion because he hates having to slow down to match someone else’s speed. Dude, he even ditched me when he went to TianTi because I fly a little too slow for him, okay? And letting you “lean” on him? Bro, Liu Qingge HATES it when people invade his personal space.” Airplane Bro didn’t miss the flinch Shen Yuan made when he said “lean.”

“Oh my god...” Shen Yuan breathed.

“So you get it?” Airplane asked eagerly, “The only reason Liu Qingge would do any of those things is...”

“I must have looked so fucking pathetic, then ...” Shen Yuan covered his face with his hands.

“… Huh?”

“I mean, what kind of freaking moron gets pickpocketed while he’s being scammed? And I even just walked out of the gates without a weapon… he must have thought I was an idiot...” Shen Yuan moaned, horrified, into his hands.

Airplane was also holding his head in his hands. For a completely different reason.

Oooh boy. Liu-shidi is totally screwed. Why did he have to fall for this oblivious millenial? He thought he only wrote Binghe to be the one who was into dumb and pretty.

“… Cucumber Bro. He doesn’t think you’re an idiot.”

“What. So you wouldn’t think a random stranger who gets mugged, pickpocketed, and scammed all in one day is an idiot?” Shen Yuan snapped back.

Airplane thought about it. “… I’d think he was pretty pitiful.”

“Great, so I’m so pitiful that Peak Lord Liu took pity on me.”

“No, that’s not -! Nonono!” Wait, how is this getting worse!? Fuck it! Time to YOLO this bitch! “Cucumber Bro you complete idiot, he likes you!”

Aaaand that apparently didn’t work either, because Cucumber Bro is now giving him the deadest deadpan stare he’s ever seen.

“No. No fucking way. He’s way out of my league,” Shen Yuan said with a flat tone. “You really think the Bai Zhan Peak Lord would be into a guy who’s been raised to be a prissy little princess who doesn’t even know how to hold a sword? Whose super power is fucking dancing?”

He’s not just thinking it, he knows, okay? Because Liu Qingge is so obviously into prissy princess Cucumber Bro, okay? But Airplane knows a losing battle when he sees it, and Cucumber Bro is making a face that screams, ‘You’re wrong, and I’m going to prove it with a 10,000 word essay.’ This HAS to be the face he makes when surfing PIDW’s forums.

Airplane Bro compromises and just decides to do damage control.

“Look, he doesn’t think you’re pitiful or pathetic, okay? Trust me. If Liu Qingge thought you were pathetic, he wouldn’t have even bothered talking to you let alone take care of you.”

“...” Shen Yuan doesn’t say anything, but the gloomy aura he had lightens so Airplane’s going to assume he’s convinced him.

But just in case… “Seriously, Liu Qingge’s not the kind of guy who’d dump on someone who’s had a different lifestyle than him. I was just asking, okay? Since I thought he was your type.”

Shen Yuan looked up in … horror? at that. “What do you mean, ‘My type’?” he asked.

“Pretty, toned and muscular af, and strong enough to crush skulls with his thighs?” Airplane Bro offered helpfully.

“And why would you think that’s my type?” Shen Yuan snapped defensively, but it wasn’t enough to hide the blush rising on his cheeks. “In the first place, I don’t think we know each other enough for you to know if I even have a type!”

It was Airplane’s turn to deadpan stare at Shen Yuan.

“Bro. Your favorite character was Binghe if he wasn’t blackened. I’ve seen doctorate theses that were shorter than what you wrote about how much better Binghe would be without being blackened and obsessed with sex. That’s practically Liu Qingge.”

“What are you-! No that’s-! You can’t just -! Your PIDW Luo Binghe is completely different from Liu-xiansheng! And just because I liked a character in a story doesn’t mean he’s my type-!”

“...Bro, I could see who bought merch, you know? You bought a Luo Binghe body pillow.”

“Well maybe if you didn’t kill him off so horribly for no reason, then maybe I would have bought a Liu Qingge pillow instead!” Shen Yuan snapped, sleeve in front of his face.

“…. Bro… … … ” … Nah, you know what? Airplane Bro likes his head where it’s at. He’s just … he’s just going to add an extra package of melon seeds to their next supplies list and redo the betting odds with Qi Qingqi.

Good luck, Liu-shidi. You might need it.

Chapter Text

When Shen Qingqiu flew to An Ding Peak, he was practically boiling in rage.

No, perhaps it was a simmer now, since Yue Qingyuan had held him back for a while.

He understands in his mind that he should be grateful, happy even, that Liu Qingge brought Shen Yuan to Cang Qiong. And he was. The ‘brought Shen Yuan to Cang Qiong’ part, anyway.

The ‘Liu Qingge’ part was where he was struggling.

He didn’t hate Liu Qingge, they just never got along, so ordinarily he’d thank him. Feel like he owed him. Maybe even consider trying to be less hostile for a short while.

But he saw how that brute looked at A-Yuan. Full of indulgence and doting. And affection.

Liu Qingge better thank his maker that Shen Qingqiu knew the difference between a look filled with lust and a look that was just smitten with its target, because if it was the former, Shen Qingqiu would have had his eyes in a second. On a skewer.

What was worse was how attached A-Yuan seemed to him. His precious, naive A-Yuan who knew nothing of the world… and the first person who was nice to him was Liu Qingge.

“Now A-Jiu, we can’t expect to control the people Xiao Yuan chooses to spend his time with,” Yue Qingyuan had said reasonably, “It’s far better to allow him to make his own decisions where we can see them. It would be terrible if they started meeting up behind our backs.”

“… Even if that’s true…” Shen Qingqiu had said, furrowing his brows together.

“Don’t worry, I intend to speak with Liu-shidi soon,” Qingyuan had soothed him, “Perhaps I’ll meet up with him at An Ding and bring Xiao Yuan back.”

Shen Qingqiu had stared at him before slowly leaning over, trapping Yue Qingyuan where he sat.

“Qingyuan,” he purred, “Everyone else might think you’re a fair and benevolent Sect Leader, but don’t you forget that I know you. As much as I dislike that mass of muscles, we both know that it’s thanks to him that A-Yuan is here safe and sound. Don’t you think whatever you’re planning to do is going to be overdoing it?”

“Is making sure Xiao Yuan can live happily and safely without being compromised ‘overdoing it’?” Yue Qingyuan had asked back, and Shen Qingqiu only rolled his eyes before pulling his Qingyuan into a slow, sensual kiss.

“Let me take care of it, hm, Qingyuan?” Shen Qingqiu had said once they pulled away, his Qingyuan overwhelmed with the affection as always.

“If that’s what A-Jiu wishes,” Yue Qingyuan had said hoarsely before pulling him back down into another kiss.

Shen Qingqiu sighed as he neared An Ding.

Yue Qingyuan actually WAS a fair and benevolent leader. He treasured all the people of Cang Qiong, he’d fight for them, and he treated them all equally. There was only one exception, and that was Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu was his number one, his first priority.

He’s lucky Shen Qingqiu cares about his reputation. What would he do if Shen Qingqiu actually took advantage of the favoritism?

Now it seemed there was going to be two exceptions to Yue Qingyuan’s fair treatment, and although Shen Qingqiu was relieved that Yue Qingyuan treasured A-Yuan as much as he did, his Qingyuan could get … … overzealous sometimes.

It didn’t matter if anyone cared about Shen Qingqiu being overprotective about his brother, but nobody else had to know that A-Yuan was also one of the Sect Leader’s weaknesses. And unfortunately, Liu Qingge has technically not done anything, yet, that would justify Yue Qingyuan’s overzealous side.

Oh dear, the things Shen Qingqiu does for the people he loves… (And if he’s happy that he can protect Yue Qingyuan a little, even if it’s just his reputation, well, that’s something for Shen Qingqiu alone to know.)

Landing at An Ding’s pavilion, Shen Qingqiu ignored the startled An Ding disciples who scurried to get out of his way.

Although… they were staring a lot more than usual.

Following the commotion and the cues he could read from the nervous disciples, Shen Qingqiu walked to the An Ding warehouses.

It wasn’t too hard to spot that brute, leaning next to the main warehouse’s entryway.

A-Yuan wasn’t with him, though.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t know if it was a blessing or not.

Whisking out his fan, Shen Qingqiu approached like a hound on the scent.

“Where is A-Yuan?” he asked, keeping his voice calm from behind his fan.

Liu Qingge furrowed his brows.

“With Shang Qinghua,” he responded.

“So you had him do your work for you?” Shen Qingqiu sneered.

“They wanted to talk in private,” Liu Qingge shot back with an irritated look.

That made Shen Qingqiu pause. Not the dirty look – the Qing Jing and Bai Zhan Peak Lords traded too many of those for it to be startling. What on earth would A-Yuan and Shang Qinghua have to talk about? No, since A-Yuan wouldn’t know Shang Qinghua, he should be wondering what Shang Qinghua wants with his A-Yuan.

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. If that rodent so much as …

“Then if A-Yuan has business with Shang-shidi, then what are you doing here? Holding up the wall? From what I can see, you don’t seem to have any business remaining on An Ding Peak,” Shen Qingqiu snapped, the scowl on his face clear from his eyespeering over the fan.

“I’m didn’t want him to have to walk back,” Liu Qingge responded testily. Shen Qingqiu watched several An Ding disciples trip over nothing from the corner of his eye.

“Well thank you for your concern. Now that I’m here, you are free to leave,” Shen Qingqiu sneered.

Unfortunately, just like he expected, Liu Qingge just gave him a glare before looking away. Without leaving.

The two Peak Lords stood there, in front of the main warehouse, in frigid silence, neither of them acknowledging the other and dousing the area in a chilly atmosphere.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t care less that they were greatly inconveniencing the An Ding disciples.

After a long, uncomfortable while (for the An Ding disciples), Shen Qingqiu covered the lower half of his face with his fan and icily said, “What are your intentions on my brother?”

“What intentions?” Liu Qingge responded.

“That’s what I’m asking you about!” Shen Qingqiu snapped angrily before turning to pierce the surrounding eavesdropping disciples with a glare that promised severe retribution if they don’t leave immediately.

Which, again, the two Peak Lords were in front of the main warehouse. But, again, Shen Qingqiu didn’t care.

Once the An Ding disciples fearfully fled the vicinity, Shen Qingqiu turned his attention back to his least favorite Peak Lord.

“Well?”

“… I don’t have any intentions,” Liu Qingge frowned, giving Shen Qingqiu an irritated look.

Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth.

This brute! Brainless idiot! This was the absolute worst case he could have imagined! He can’t just tell him to sod off and stop pursuing his brother if the fool didn’t even realize it now, can he! What if he gave the idiot ideas?!

“… Jiu-ge?”

Before Shen Qingqiu could entertain the thought of losing his composure to pull his hair and scream in frustration, Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua appeared, walking towards them.

“… A-Yuan,” Shen Qingqiu said, but his eyes were on Shang Qinghua, who predictably started trembling on the spot. “I was unaware that you knew Peak Lord Shang.”

It had taken them awhile before he and Qingyuan left the bamboo house, so he had half expected for Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan to be done with their business on An Ding Peak, forcing him to go hunt them down, presumably to Bai Zhan. How could he not be suspicious of A-Yuan talking so long to Shang Qinghua? Alone.

“I didn’t, but Peak Lord Shang uses a lot of slang that I was familiar with, so I was quite curious,” A-Yuan said calmly, “Who would have thought that he wrote the book I had read it in?”

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know Shang-shidi wrote. Fiction or non-fiction, he was reluctantly impressed that the man had it in him to finish any sort of literary venture, let alone one that he had apparently created a lot of jargon for. Is that what those nonsensical noises the An Ding Peak Lord regularly makes are?

But that doesn’t make him any less suspicious of the man. “And that is why you had to talk to him? Alone?”

At that, his A-Yuan coughed lightly. “It’s not exactly… proper literature. That should be shared in polite company. They’re … ah … yellow … in nature.”

Forget it. Shen Qingqiu squashed any amount of respect he had for the An Ding Peak Lord as he pins Shang Qinghua with a glare that could eviscerate the man’s soul if he just tried a little harder.

This -! Does he have ANY dignity as a Peak Lord! Writing yellow books-! That his A-Yuan actually-! What is WRONG with those damn nuns, leaving that stuff around!?

“B-bro, Bro… you’re going to get me murdered-!” the louse whined, attempting to hide behind his brother.

“Isn’t that your fault for writing terrible fiction?” Shen Yuan said cheerfully, clearly enjoying Shang Qinghua’s discomfort. “The writing was just so terrible I had to see what kind of person wrote it,” he said, as if that explained everything.

And maybe it did.

Shen Qingqiu had a better idea of what had occurred between the two, anyway.

He sighed, then narrowed his eyes and smiled, snapping his fan shut.

“By the way, A-Yuan,” he said, voice smooth as silk as he watched A-Yuan flinch and start backing up nervously, “You took off so suddenly this morning.”

“Aah… Haha, well, you know… duty calls and all...” Shen Yuan said, watching his brother nervously. He must have seen something he didn’t like as he soon turned to bolt, only to be stopped by Shang Qinghua grabbing him around the waist.

“Let go, Airplane!” Shen Yuan cried.

“No way, Bro! I still have a lot to live for!” the An Ding Peak Lord wailed. That’s one thing Shen Qingqiu will admit about the man; he has good survival instincts and doesn’t hesitate to act on them. He’ll ignore the strange names the two are calling each other for now.

Shen Qingqiu approached the two, and when he placed his hand tightly on his brother’s shoulder, A-Yuan stopped struggling, only to shoot Liu Qingge a pleading look.

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord hesitated, as if he was thinking about coming to A-Yuan’s rescue, but he’d better not force himself into business between brothers, if he knows what’s good for him.

Shen Qingqiu shot him a glare to make sure he understood that. Of course, the brute just ignored him as always.

To Shen Qingqiu’s surprise, though, Liu Qingge stayed where he was.

“If it was my sister who’d done it, I would have chased her down right away,” Liu Qingge told Shen Yuan. “Go apologize to your brother first, and then I’ll take you to Bai Zhan.”

And A-Yuan wilted, like Liu Qingge was his last hope, or that he was someone A-Yuan actually listened to. It made Shen Qingqiu’s teeth itch.

“Who said he’s going to Bai Zhan?” he said huffily. This really was the worst; the brute just had to be reasonable too!

“I promised Shen Yuan to teach him the sword,” Liu Qingge said dismissively, like Shen Qingqiu’s opinion didn’t matter.

“There’s no need for that, I will teach him,” Shen Qingqiu said.

“As if Qing Jing’s sword techniques could compare to Bai Zhan’s,” the brute scoffed.

Shen Qingqiu narrowed his eyes. “They’re still Cang Qiong’s sword techniques. You wouldn’t happen to be insulting our predecessors’ hard work?”

“Why are you always doing that?” Liu Qingge snapped, “I didn’t say that at all. Bai Zhan’s sword techniques are just superior to Qing Jing’s.”

“C-can’t I learn both?” Shen Yuan asked timidly.

“Of course not!” Shen Qingqiu snapped, “We have separate Peaks for a reason! It’s better to dedicate yourself to one set of techniques.”

Unfortunately, “He’s not a disciple, he’s a visiting cultivator. It shouldn’t matter if he wants to learn from different Peaks,” Liu Qingge refuted, and A-Yuan’s face just lit up.

Dammit dammit!

Shen Qingqiu didn’t really care that he was the one who looked unreasonable now. No, he was too busy fuming about how easily that brute made his precious A-Yuan smile.

As Shen Qingqiu shot off towards Qing Jing Peak with Shen Yuan in tow, so angry that there was practically smoke coming from his head, Liu Qingge watched the two Shens fly off with such a soft smile that Shang Qinghua nearly tripped and went tumbling down An Ding Peak in shock.

Chapter Text

“They’re both idiots!”

Yue Qingyuan looked up as his A-Jiu barged into his personal quarters, hands thrown up in exasperation.

“A-Jiu?” He set aside the documents he’d been perusing to focus on Shen Qingqiu’s outburst.

“The Bai Zhan Brute has no awareness about how he’s acting at all, AND YET he’s managing to be a perfect gentleman somehow. How? Don’t ask me, I sincerely thought that all the courtesy and good conduct in the Liu family line had gone to Disciple Liu Mingyan, and yet the brute pulls it out NOW?!” Shen Qingqiu ranted. “And then there’s A-Yuan, who has no idea the brute’s acting tender towards him, and yet is inexplicably encouraging him to keep him company!”

After vomiting all his frustrations, Shen Qingqiu slammed both his hands on Yue Qingyuan’s desk, chest heaving.

“Well?” he demanded, “What do you think about this ridiculousness?”

Yue Qingyuan resisted the urge to chuckle. He knew that A-Jiu’s frustration wasn’t because he hated Liu Qingge and wanted him to stay away from Xiao Yuan. Or at least, it wasn’t because Shen Qingqiu wanted Liu Qingge only to stay away from Xiao Yuan.

It was just too soon.

They had only just found Xiao Yuan and got him back safely, and they hadn’t even fully gotten him SAFE yet. They still had to deal with TianTi, after all.

Not to mention, if they looked at Liu Qingge’s past relationships … … Well, there wasn’t any history there. They hadn’t the slightest idea how Liu Qingge would treat a lover. It was no wonder that A-Jiu would be anxious, furious, and absolutely rejective of what was going on between Liu-shidi and Xiao Yuan.

There was almost certainly some jealousy in there, as well. A-Jiu had never given up all these years, believing Xiao Yuan hadn’t died and was still out there. If a mission took him near a city, A-Jiu always stopped by the slums. He practically became known for visiting slums, although Yue Qingyuan much preferred this rumor to the one about the brothels.

Honestly, Yue Qingyuan had thought it was impossible for Xiao Yuan to be in the slums. He wasn’t sure where the boy would be, but if he was still alive, then he must have been bought those many years ago. And while thinking of that, perhaps Yue Qingyuan paid more attention to the slaves and servants of the manors and palaces he visited. And perhaps he had been a bit more critical of those who weren’t treating their slaves right as he thought of Xiao Yuan who could have been in a similar situation. It wasn’t something he was going to admit to, anyway.

But Yue Qingyuan didn’t stop A-Jiu. Not when he still hadn’t given up. Not when previously, A-Jiu had simply lost all hope, whenhe, Yue Qingyuan, had done that to him. Yue Qingyuan couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

And then, all of a sudden, the one who found Xiao Yuan and brought him back safely wasn’t A-Jiu. It wasn’t even Yue Qingyuan.

Liu Qingge reluctantly went out on a mission and found Shen Yuan by complete chance.

Yue Qingyuan certainly felt some jealousy, maybe even a little bit of resentment, towards Liu Qingge for accomplishing what both of them failed to do, but his relief and gratitude eclipsed any negative feelings thoroughly. And he knew A-Jiu held familiar feelings. Even if A-Jiu was jealous, he wasn’t going to be petty enough to hold onto it in the face of his brother’s savior. In this life, at least.

But of course, this and that are completely separate things.

After all, Liu-shidi didn’t just come back with Xiao Yuan; no, he also came back with an obvious interest in their little brother as well. And how could such a thing be acceptable?

And yet… … now that he thought about it…

A-Jiu watched him, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Qingyuan. What are you thinking?” he asked.

“Nothing important, A-Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan said, taking one of Shen Qingqiu’s hands and kissing it. “I was just thinking that if Xiao Yuan was to fall in love and be whisked away by someone in the end anyway-”

“… No. You are not threatening one of our shidis into becoming A-Yuan’s partner.”

His A-Jiu knew him a bit too well sometimes.

“Of course I wouldn’t threa -”

“Or pressuring.”

“I don’t see how it’s a problem, if both parties are interested,” Yue Qingyuan hums. “But it would be difficult for us to determine the character of someone not from Cang Qiong, don’t you think? Although you and Liu-shidi don’t get along perfectly, he’s at least a man of impeccable moral standing and devout loyalty. Of course, there’s no way we could give Xiao Yuan away so easily -mmf.”

Ah, his A-Jiu is doing it again. Distracting him with a kiss. Yue Qingyuan knows it’s a ploy A-Jiu likes to play when A-Jiu thinks he’s getting out of hand, but he can’t bring himself to mind. After all, he knows it now. That A-Jiu loves him, has always loved him, and will give him more than just kisses to keep him from going overboard and doing anything foolish. That A-Jiu never cared that Yue Qingyuan didn’t become the man he believed A-Jiu deserved, because A-Jiu just wanted HIM, not some infallible immortal master.

That he was an absolute idiot for trying so hard to get what he wanted when what he needed was to get stronger with A-Jiu by his side.

“Qingyuan,” his A-Jiu said, pulling back with a sigh, “Don’t.”

“Surely you’re worried about Xiao Yuan’s future as well.”

“But I don’t want one of the reasons A-Yuan’s future partner fell in love with him to be because the Sect Leader told him to,” Shen Qingqiu said, then, seeing the unconvinced look on Yue Qingyuan’s face, he sighed and brought his hands behind Yue Qingyuan’s nape, bringing Yue Qingyuan’s head in to kiss his forehead.

“Is it wrong for me to want him to fall in love the same way we did?” A-Jiu whined, in that tone he only ever used with his Qingyuan.

Yue Qingyuan capitulated. “Alright, I understand,” he said.

And he really did. He knew it was unreasonable for him to step in when both sides hadn’t realized their feelings yet, let alone use his position to put pressure on one side. But he had to voice it, put words to it. He couldn’t afford to allow his feelings and desires to fester into something ugly and hurtful in this life as well.

He was so lucky to have A-Jiu supporting him this time. To have A-Jiu listen to him and then kiss convince him out of his bad ideas. He was so lucky to have this chance at succeeding where it actually counted. Perhaps that’s why, this time, the fates also brought Xiao Yuan back to them.

“… Well, I do agree with you that we can’t make things easy for him,” his A-Jiu suddenly said, his tone going from coquettish back to irritated, and Yue Qingyuan laughed.

He was so lucky.

---

---

Shen Yuan was screaming inside.

Damn him, damn Airplane Bro!

It was fine before, when he hadn’t thought about it, but now-!

One of Liu-xiansheng’s hands was firmly supporting his wrist while the other was gently set in the small of his back. The Bai Zhan Peak Lord was standing so close to him that Shen Yuan couldn’t help but be hyper aware of his presence.

Yeah, that’s right. Shen Yuan was extremely, extraordinarily, exceedingly aware of Liu Qingge right now.

Look, he did have a type, okay? And maybe Airplane Bro got a little too spot onclose to home with his guess. Why didn’t he know that the Airplane got to see the buyers’ records!? No, wait, that’s not the point.

The point is that now Shen Yuan is painfully aware that Liu Qingge is very much ‘his type.’

It’s not like he didn’t notice Liu-xiansheng was drop dead gorgeous before, and he certainly appreciated the man’s looks, but thanks to that little talk with Airplane Bro… look, just because someone looks good doesn’t mean you walk around going, “’Eeey, I’d tap that,” okay?

… No, maybe some people do. … … There are definitely people who do.

ANYWAY, Shen Yuan, at least, wasn’t used to objectifying people who were real and not behind a screen. But Airplane MADE HIM THINK ABOUT IT. ABOUT LIU QINGGE AND HIS SEXY MUSCLES.

And you know what? Shen Yuan just decided he doesn’t like it. It feels like Airplane Bro’s somehow somehow violated his relationship with Liu-xiansheng, and it sucks. Because Shen Yuan really likes the guy, you know?

Not like THAT. He just feels comfortable around Liu Qingge, like he can be dumb, goofy Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge wouldn’t think anything worse of him. Like it doesn’t matter if he screws up or complains a little, because Liu-xiansheng will still have his back. Shen Yuan doesn’t want to ruin this by being a perv and putting attention where it’s not wanted.

Luckily it seems like cussing out Airplane Bro in his head is clearing out his mind… anyway, it’s not like the Bai Zhan Peak Lord is going to fall for Shen Qingqiu’s brother or some sort of holy ‘maiden’ that was kept in a temple all his life.

Since that’s the case he should stop thinking about those amazing forearms, the chiseled biceps, and that firm chest… that he fucking… slept … on … Shen Yuan blushed as he glanced at Liu Qingge.

…! Crap, Liu-xiansheng was staring right at him, brows furrowed. Did he notice Shen Yuan’s, ah, impure thoughts?

“Are you having problems focusing?” Liu Qingge asked.

“Ah...” Shen Yuan flushed. Oh god, Liu-xiansheng DID notice… Fucking hell Airplane, this is all your fault, you worthless pervert!

Shen Yuan was mortified. Here Liu-xiansheng was, taking his time out of teaching (well, more like thrashing) his disciples to teach him how to use a sword, and Shen Yuan was being such trash, wasting his time by getting distracted with how hot the Bai Zhan War God is …

“Tch. I’ll drive them away,” Liu Qingge said darkly.

… Huh?

Shen Yuan watched blankly as the Bai Zhan Peak Lord turned to the surrounding trees and shrubs and barked, “All of you, 100 laps around the peak!”

Twenty of Bai Zhan’s inner disciples fell out of the foliage from where they were hiding with a dismayed groan.

… Are they idiots? They just got beat up by their Shizun as a ‘test’ and they still had the guts to come eavesdropping? Even though Shen Yuan thought they were just asking for it, he felt a little pity. They were just teens, after all… well, some of them were older, but all of them were already beaten half to death earlier.

Which made Shen Yuan wonder why they still risked their hides to spy on their Shizun teaching a musician (and dancer) how to hold a sword.

Regardless, Shen Yuan decided to have mercy on all those wobbly limbed, bruise covered disciples.

“Liu-xiansheng,” he said quickly, “They aren’t bothering me. It’s … it’s my hair, it keeps getting in the way!” Nailed it.

Shen Yuan hurriedly bunched his hair together in a ponytail, thinking he should really focus and stop getting distracted if only for the sake of the poor disciples, before he realized 1) his brother had done his hair this morning and it had a hair crown and ties and all sorts of things he didn’t understand, and 2) he didn’t have something to keep it tied back.

As he fumbled with his hair, unsure what to do, Liu Qingge just scowled at the disciples, who were frozen in hope that Shen-shibo’s younger brother might actually induce some pity in their fierce and strict Shizun. If the rumors were true, anyway.

“Even so, they shouldn’t be spying,” Liu Qingge said, and made to repeat his demand.

“Isn’t it because they want to see you teaching?” Shen Yuan asked, “Didn’t you say Bai Zhan is all about learning and stealing techniques from observing and fighting with others? I think watching their Shizun teach another also lies within those lines.”

“I’m teaching you the fundamentals,” Liu-xiansheng said, a confused quirk to his eyebrow, “They’re inner disciples. There’s nothing they can learn from this.”

“Fundamentals are important, aren’t they?” Shen Yuan returned. “They are what techniques are built up on. If the foundation is weak, the rest will crumble as well. I’ve always believed it’s important to revisit the fundamentals periodically in order to support new growth and bolster old foundations.”

Liu Qingge frowned for a moment, contemplating.

Finally he glared at his disciples and snapped, “You’re off the hook.”

The Bai Zhan disciples felt like a miracle had just occurred.

They glanced at each other, feeling a little guilty. None of them were here because they wanted to enhance their fundamentals. They had just wanted to see if the rumors about Shizun being sweet on Shen-shibo’s younger brother was true!

But after hearing Shen-shibo’s younger brother say all of that …

… It actually made a lot of sense?

When had they ever seen the Bai Zhan War God demonstrate fundamentals?

Suddenly they were all very attentively watching as their Shizun taught Shen-shibo’s younger brother, helping with his stance and correcting his posture and grip. Many of them even began to follow along.

And if they also got to witness Shizun undo Shen-shibo’s brother’s hair with his ears flushed red before gently arranging it and tying it back, well.

They weren’t complaining about having something to brag back to An Ding about.

Chapter Text

… No, Liu Qingge wasn’t imagining it.

Those twenty disciples of his really did seem to get a little stronger.

It wasn’t like he didn’t believe Shen Yuan. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t have taken back those laps, after all. He just didn’t expect that the effect would be obvious so quickly.

Only a few days later, those inner disciples actually came back to him on their own, asking to be ‘trained,’ which in Bai Zhan terms means fighting with their Peak Lord.

Their movements were sharper, more confident, and even more forceful. Of course, once Liu Qingge finished sussing them out, he’d easily beaten them into the ground again, but it was undeniable that there were improvements.

… Maybe he had been neglecting the actual teaching a little too much. He’d thought it would be fine as long as he left it to the elders and teachers, but apparently… … Well, it’s possible that they also didn’t see the need to review fundamentals for the inner disciples.

Leaning his practice sword against his shoulder, Liu Qingge wondered what he should do about it. Lesson plans weren’t really something he … did. Ever.

“Shen-daozhang!”

Liu Qingge looked up as one of his beaten up disciples attempted to scramble upright as Shen Yuan appeared, walking towards the training field.

“… Wouldn’t he also be Shen-shibo?” another disciple asked.

“That’s too confusing.”

… Maybe Liu Qingge held back too much, if his inner disciples can still talk nonsense like this.

“What ‘Shen-shibo’?” Shen Yuan chided, close enough to enter the conversation now, “Although I have certainly… taken a leave of absence from my temple, I haven’t cut off ties with them just yet.”

That’s right, they still needed to help Shen Yuan ‘cut ties’ with TianTi.

“Then… Abbot Shen…?”

“That’s also a little different,” Shen Yuan said. He was a Saintess, not an abbot … no way would Shen Yuan tell them that. And Liu Qingge wasn’t sure if it was because it was supposed to be a secret, or because Shen Yuan found it extremely embarrassing. Both were true.

“So Shen-daozhang is close enough, right?”

“Close enough,” Shen Yuan agreed.

Liu Qingge huffed a sigh, causing all his disciples to suddenly bolt upright and excuse themselves. He watched them go in confusion. Not that he wanted them to stay, but did they normally move so fast? It felt like they were trying to leave their Shizun and Shen Yuan behind.

Then Shen Yuan turned that happy, beaming smile towards him, and Liu Qingge stopped worrying about his disciples.

“Your disciples are cute,” Shen Yuan said.

“… That’s the first time I’ve heard that,” Liu Qingge said with a snort.

“Really? They’re a bit wild, but they say hello and address others properly, so I don’t see why the other Peaks seem to have trouble with them,” Shen Yuan responded, actually looking mystified.

“That’s only because they like you,” Liu Qingge said. “They’re much ruder if they don’t.”

“Well guess I’m pretty lucky then,” Shen Yuan said with a grin, “Or else it’d be a lot harder to visit you at Bai Zhan.”

Liu Qingge just grunted.

It’s only been about a week since he’d brought Shen Yuan back to Cang Qiong, but it didn’t take Shen Yuan long to get acquainted with Cang Qiong.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say it didn’t take Cang Qiong long to get acquainted with Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan has already made the round to all the Peaks, except for Xian Shu, excited to see this and that for the first time since… well, almost his entire life. And at the end of every day, it seems he’s made it a habit to come back to Bai Zhan to talk to Liu Qingge about it.

That’s how Liu Qingge found out that An Ding has been responsible for maintaining the barrier over the Imperial City for over a century now, due to some promise the previous An Ding Peak Lord made with one of the court officials.

Also that there’s a large, carnivorous plant in the back of Qian Cao, and that one really should obey the ‘off-limits’ areas Mu Qingfang sets. The same for Wan Jian. There are a lot of combustible materials sitting around the sword Peak.

He learned that the summit of Qiong Ding has an eternalclarity well spring, that Jian Ya (the beast peak) has a relay of over three hundred spirit birds dotted throughout the world, that Chuang Zuo has a meditation pool that softly chimes consistently at the day’s changing, and an idiot disciple at Zui Xian accidentally bumped a cart just the other day, sending four barrels worth of He Qingwu’s second finest rice wine down the Peak and wasting it.

… Liu Qingge was beginning to think he doesn’t pay enough attention to his martial siblings’ Peaks, with Shen Yuan bringing him new facts about Cang Qiong everyday. He’d had no idea any of this existed.

While listening to Shen Yuan talk about how the beast Peak’s Peak Lord just came out of seclusion, found out Shen Yuan existed, then came and snatched him from under Shen Qingqiu’s nose to take him on a tour around Jian Ya Peak (even though that was one of the first places Shen Yuan had visited previously), and did Liu-xiansheng know about the grotto at the base of Jian Ya full of blue jade moss? Liu Qingge looked up to see his sister standing at the side of the training field.

“… Xiongzhang,” Liu Mingyan called out, seeing that both Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan had noticed her.

“Mingyan,” he responded, giving her a nod to show she wasn’t interrupting.

As she approached, Shen Yuan looked back and forth between her and Liu Qingge.

“Is this your sister?” he asked pleasantly, with a smile. Liu Qingge gave a positive grunt in response. “I see, she’s a lovely lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Shen Yuan,” Shen Yuan said, nodding his head in greeting.

Liu Mingyan gave a small, polite laugh behind her veil.

“It’s a pleasure to meet Shen Yuan, as well, but aren’t you a bit presumptuous to assume I’m lovely?” Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

Liu Qingge suddenly knew that she was here because she was curious about Shen Yuan. It was obvious she had already heard about him, if she was already teasing him. But why was she at Bai Zhan? She should have gone to Qing Jing for Shen Yuan.

“Women who wear veils to hide their faces are either peerless beauties or ashamed of their faces,” Shen Yuan said, then glanced at Liu Qingge with a smile on his lips, “And I assumed that Liu-xiansheng’s sister would be a peerless beauty.”

Liu Qingge was a little confused when he saw his sister’s eyebrows shot up.

“I see. It is true that Xiongzhang is quite handsome, don’t you think?” Liu Mingyan said.

“W-well, that’s … I… well, yes, of course...” Shen Yuan managed to stutter, his eyes wide and a blush covering his face.

… What is his sister up to? Liu Qingge could feel his ears getting hot as he growled, “Mingyan.”

“Ah, excuse me, it’s just that Xiongzhang is well-known for his appearance.”

“… Mingyan.”

Liu Qingge was really regretting letting Qi Qingqi take his sister into Xian Shu. Although he respected the Xian Shu Peak Lord’s swordsmanship, he wasn’t thrilled that Qi Qingqi’s … personality? … whatever made him wary of Qi Qingqi was apparently rubbing off on his sister.

After a little more small talk, Shen Yuan stood up to leave.

“I can take you back,” Liu Qingge said, preparing to draw Cheng Luan.

“No, it’s fine, I can walk. I’ve been learning to find my way around Cang Qiong’s rainbow bridges. Besides, your sister came to find you,” Shen Yuan responded, and with a cheery wave he headed off towards Qing Jing, leaving Liu Qingge feeling a bit disappointed.

There was silence in the training field for a moment.

“… What are you up to?” Liu Qingge asked Liu Mingyan suspiciously.

“I heard that Shen-shibo had a brother and I was curious,” she said, “He hasn’t come to Xian Shu yet, even though he’s been to all the other Peaks.”

“He can’t go to Xian Shu,” Liu Qingge said, furrowing his brows.

“That’s true. Shizun was frustrated about that, but it can’t be helped. I heard that he could be found in Xiongzhang’s company often, so I thought I’d try coming to see if I could meet him.”

“...”

Something about this felt off to Liu Qingge, but he couldn’t quite place what it was.

The two siblings who were comfortable with silence more than conversation stood there for a while before Liu Mingyan finally stirred.

“Xiongzhang. What do you think about Shen Yuan?”

“.. Why is everyone asking me that?” Liu Qingge said, annoyed.

“Because Xiongzhang hasn’t shown such interest in a person before,” Liu Mingyan said, completely unflustered by her brother’s irritation, “It’s inevitable for others to be curious.”

“I’m not-” Liu Qingge started to say, but then he shut his mouth. He himself had noticed that he’s been spending as much time with Shen Yuan as he could, so he couldn’t exactly deny it. But he still didn’t understand the sudden interest. So instead, he decided to say, “It’s none of their business.”

“I suppose not. However there are quite a few rumors going around that you are pursuing Shen-shibo’s younger brother as a cultivation partner.”

Liu Qingge almost dropped his training sword.

His mind went completely blank, his sister’s words not quite registering in his head.

“… What…?” the Bai Zhan Peak Lord said, uncharacteristically faint.

“Sorry, it’s not really a rumor, but there were a few of my shimeis were asking,” Liu Mingyan said without a hint of apology in her voice, “So I thought I should come find out what you were thinking before I perpetrated any wrong information.”

“That’s… I...” For the first time in a long, long time Liu Qingge thought about panicking. It was like Liu Mingyan had hit him with a blow from his blind spot.

Cultivation partner!?

Where was this coming from!?

“Should I just say you aren’t considering it for now?” Liu Mingyan asked.

Liu Qingge could only nod mutely, unable to process what the hell just happened as his sister bid him goodbye and returned to Xian Shu.

---

---

Shang Qinghua was lowkey jealous of Cucumber Bro.

It took Shang Qinghua his entire period of discipleship to get to any level of popularity in Cang Qiong, and Shen Yuan is famous all over the mountain in a week?

Ah well, there’s nothing wrong about it, he’s just amazed that Cucumber Bro was able to mingle with others so well while claiming to be a shut in in his previous life. There’s also the fact that Shen Yuan claimed to look almost the same, but sicklier, to his current appearance in his previous life which made Shang Qinghua want to kick him and yell, “People who have it all should go explode!” but Shang Qinghua valued his life.

Cucumber Bro’s influence was even felt on An Ding, as Shen Yuan dropped by to see what kind of projects the disciples were working on, pointing this or that out and asking questions. He became quite popular with them, especially after he inadvertently showed them that Luo Binghe was actually very receptive to headpats.

The An Ding disciples quickly gave in to the temptation of those soft curls, and Shang Qinghua was beginning to wonder whether he’d taken in a disciple or a pet during the disciple selection.

Aaah! What happened to his peerless stallion protagonist!?

… Fine, whatever. As long as his son’s happy, he guesses… Anyway, from what Shang Qinghua understood, it’s like that on all the other Peaks too, Shen Yuan’s curiosity and sheer delight in all the Peaks’ specialties winning him all the affection from everyone.

Even Bai Zhan’s wild beasts disciples LOVE him for some inexplicable reason.

… Well, hah! Jokes on you guys! Cucumber Bro’s MY bro, so you can suck it! - Shang Qinghua kind of wanted to say, but although An Ding Peak is a lot more badass than he’d written it as … specializing in formations still makes them easy to beat up if they don’t have a formation prepared on site, so Shang Qinghua wasn’t eager to meet the wrong side of another Peak Lord’s fist.

Besides, Cucumber Bro’s brought some benefits to Shang Qinghua himself.

“Why aren’t they together yet?” his newly upgraded from partner-in-crime to best-friend-forever Qi Qingqi hissed as she slid behind him on the way towards Qiong Ding’s Greeting Hall.

Ever since she found out he writes yellow books (“I can’t believe you outed me to another Peak Lord! How did you know I’m still writing porn here?” “…” “Bro?” “… sigh … Of COURSE you are.”), Qi Qingqi’s been demanding to see them.

And she loves them.

Shang Qinghua would be thrilled at his first fan in this world, but Qi Qingqi’s terrifyingly raunchy to a degree where even the Great Airplane gets a little whoa.

“I don’t know what to tell you. Shen Yuan’s… in denial,” Shang Qinghua whispered.

“Well at least he knows there’s something to deny. Apparently Liu-shidi didn’t even realize it was an option,” Qi Qingqi whispered back.

“But they definitely have chemistry, right?” Xiu Qingjue (artist peak) appeared out of nowhere to join their whispering group, startling the two Peak Lords. “I mean, they look really adorable together.”

“I’m pretty sure...” Shang Qinghua barely managed to bite back the ‘Liu-shidi is totally Shen Yuan’s type’ he was about to say, ending with a lame, “that they’re compatible.” Whew, barely avoided death by angry cucumber.

“Liu-shixiong acting all gentle and soft is very odd, though. I can’t get used to it,” Tang Qingde, the artificer Peak Lord fresh out of seclusion, whispered. She tilted her head, “Shen-shixiong’s brother is quite cute though, so I can’t say I don’t understand why.”

One by one the other Peak Lords, with the exception of Qing Jing, Qiong Ding, and, well, the Bai Zhan Lord himself, joined the massive, whispering group walking through Qiong Ding into the Greeting Hall and towards the meeting room.

“… By the way,” Jing Qingyang, Ku Xing Peak’s Lord, said suddenly, “What is this meeting about?”

… Come to think of it, what was it about? It wasn’t time for the monthly meeting.

As they entered the meeting room, Shang Qinghua was suddenly aware that Shen Yuan was also there, standing near to Shen Qingqiu.

Sliding away from his martial siblings, Shang Qinghua approached him.

“Bro, do you know what’s going on?” he whispered.

“I’m not sure,” Shen Yuan responded, “But if I’m here then I guess it’s about TianTi, although why all of a sudden, I don’t know.”

“… We worked through all of wife 236’s plot, right?”

“231. And that was all I remembered from the story. Not like anything’s going according to your plot anymore.”

Well, it was going to have to be good enough, Shang Qinghua thought.

Chapter Text

“We received a missive from TianTi Temple,” Yue Qingyuan said calmly, setting the paper down on the table.

… Qi-ge, no one’s going to be able to read that, Shen Yuan thought idly, aware that Yue Qingyuan wasn’t really expecting anyone to. Although, cultivators’ eyesights are pretty impressive… Shen Yuan took a breath as his mind began to gibber nonstop in panic.

Calm down, Shen Yuan. Even if TianTi found him, Cang Qiong won’t hand him over.

… But it’s not like he can hope his disappearance magically fixed anything, either.

Turning his attention back to the Peak Lords, Shen Yuan found them already deep in conversation.

“If they sent Cang Qiong the letter, then do they know he’s here?” Cai Qingyu, the beast Peak’s Peak Lord asked, brows furrowed in displeasure. Shen Yuan’s not sure why Peak Lord Cai has taken to him this much, but he’s not complaining. He got to see all the fire tortoise chick hatchlings after all.

“Probably not. Our contacts at Huan Hua, Tian Yi, and Zhao Hua have told us they’ve also received the same letter, as well as some of the minor sects,” Yue Qingyuan replied.

The tension in the room relaxed.

“So what should we do? Ignore it? Confront them?” Wei Qingwei asked.

“And how are we doing on hitting TianTi Temple with accusations about their oaths?” Qi Qingqi asked.

“Er, ahem, we already have responses from the other three major sects, and, ah, a few minor sects. Huan Hua already wants to hold a trial,” Shang Qinghua snorted, rolling his eyes, “But everyone else is at least onboard. Ish. Anyway, they’re concerned?”

“Well that’s good then,” Qi Qingqi settled back, satisfied.

“However, it’s a bit mysterious,” Shen Qingqiu said.

“Hm? Does Shixiong mean the letter?” Shang Qinghua craned his neck to take a look.

“Indeed. They reiterated that they were very concerned about the whereabouts of their Saintess, but here. Why name this woman, Qin Judi?” Shen Qingqiu tapped on the letter with his fan.

It took a moment for Shen Yuan to understand what Shen Qingqiu said, and when he did, his fingertips suddenly felt like ice.

Qin Judi? Why… why did they mention Qin-nigu?

“It says she’s at fault for the disappearance,” Shen Qingqiu said, then sneered, “But TianTi is never forthcoming with information about their inner workings, so there has to be something about this.”

Shen Yuan couldn’t help himself from joining the other Peak Lords around the table.

He scanned the letter until he found Qin-nigu’s name.

We have discovered that Qin Judi was involved with our Saintess’ disappearance. If we are unable to find the Saintess, we will have her go the way of Kan Lushi, Rong Fei, Pei Lanqi, Wang Xueman, Xi Xiaoling, and Wu Haichun and welcome a new diviner into our midsts.

Shen Yuan found it hard to breathe.

“Who are these other names?” Qi Qingqi asked, leaning in to take a closer look.

Shen Yuan swallowed hard as his eyes traced the list of seven women.

---

Kan Lushi.

Rong Fei.

Pei Lanqi.

Wang Xueman.

Xi Xiaoling.

Wu Haichun.

---

His hand trembled. He knew these names.

These were the jie-jies who broke the rules by talking to him in TianTi, who smuggled him books or treats, or listened to him as he tried to warn them about the ‘oath’ they took.

… we will have her go the way of Kan Lushi, Rong Fei, Pei Lanqi, Wang Xueman, Xi Xiaoling, and Wu Haichun and welcome a new diviner into our midsts.

They didn’t… they couldn’t have…

“… Why is Pei Lanqi on this list?” he heard Qi Qingqi say, and Shen Yuan’s heart cringed, like it was trying to shrivel up and hide.

“A-Yuan?”

Shen Qingqiu’s voice broke through his haze, and Shen Yuan blinked, took a deep breath, and tried to compose himself.

“Qin-nigu is the woman who raised me and helped me run away,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm, “This letter… this letter is a threat.” He swallowed. “To me.”

“A threat?” Shen Qingqiu frowned, leaning over it as if glaring at the letter would have it explaining itself.

“…” Shen Yuan stifled the shiver that ran through his body. “Qin-nigu can divine the location of the Saintess. But if she dies… then someone else will become TianTi’s diviner.”

“… What?” Shen Qingqiu said, his face going severe in a second, “Then, these others are...”

Shen Yuan heard the soft, “No...” from Qi Qingqi, and he had to clench his fists tightly from going to pieces.

“They were… the nuns who were … were kind to me. Although it’s indirect, I think they’re...”

Only Pei Lanqi and Wu Haichun realized he was a man. The others had known him, and then disappeared, before Shen Yuan began to be too obviously male.

All of them had disappeared from his life. All of them… disappeared.

Shen Yuan believed… had wanted to believe that they were merely relocated in the temple, kept under strict watch so that they would never be able to see him again.

“How is that possible? To transfer someone’s ability?”

“A-aah… that’s, see, Cucu – Shen Yuan told me about it, but it’s not an oath to the Heavens the TianTi nuns take, but a Heavenly Pact.”

“… Why would they -”

Shen Yuan felt like his head was mired in mud. He could hear the conversation from the other Peak Lords, but he couldn’t register who was talking. Hahaha, his inner voice laughed in disbelief. A room full of Peak Lords, and they’re discussing Airplane’s stupid plotpoint for including nonsensical super powers into a cultivation novel, hahaha, what is his life even… hahaha…

He didn’t notice his inner voice getting manic, a little hysterical as he struggled not to dissociate with the current situation.

Trying to focus, Shen Yuan blinked rapidly and shook his head a little. Right, they were talking about how TianTi Temple tricks its disciples into making Heavenly Pacts while pretending that they’re special oaths that give powers. Even though they should have known there wasn’t anything like a free lunch. Getting mysterious abilities for the Heavens without the Heavens expecting anything in return?

Ridiculous.

That’s right… Shen Yuan needs to stay focused. If he just lets Airplane Bro do all the talking, they won’t understand anything – as Shen Yuan turned his attention back to the Peak Lords surrounding the table, he saw Qi Qingqi’s look of numbness. Disbelief.

Grief.

No. Nononononono. No. Shen Yuan can’t do this. He can’t handle this.

The walls were closing in, the air was getting heavy, and the room was spinning.

A scream was clawing at his throat.

Shen Yuan felt light headed, like he was going to be sick. He… he… he had to get out. Go somewhere. Anywhere.

Anywhere but here.

---

Liu Qingge had spent a restless night.

Thanks to Liu Mingyan, he’d been lying awake nearly all night, staring blankly at the ceiling, and he kind of understood how Shen Yuan felt after tossing and turning the night away. Trying to sleep and failing really was worse than simply not sleeping.

Not that he felt nearly as bad as Shen Yuan did.

… Although the problem for him was Shen Yuan.

Cultivation partner?

It’s not that he hasn’t thought of the idea of a cultivation partner before, but Liu Qingge wasn’t, ah, the type to feel such a thing was necessary.

To put it bluntly, Liu Qingge liked fighting. If he had time to think about another way to get stronger, he’d rather be out finding something tougher to fight.

Cultivation partner? That sort of thing was just a vague concept to him.

No matter how favorably he felt towards Shen Yuan, his cultivation partner? No, he wouldn’t be able to think of him like … …

… No, just finding him attractive doesn’t mean he could see him like … After all, Shen Qingqiu is objectively attractive, and also looks similar to Shen Yuan, and Liu Qingge would rather impale himself with Cheng Luan than even think about considering him like THAT.

So then why won’t this idea just leave his head?!

When he finally fell asleep, when day was just beginning to break, Liu Qingge was abruptly woken up by dreams of green eyes, slender hands, and thin waists.

… What has Mingyan done to him?

When he had received the news that there was a Peak Lord meeting, Liu Qingge was glad for the distraction.

That his step faltered a bit when he saw Shen Yuan in the meeting room was something he would take to his grave.

The meeting turned out to be about TianTi Temple, and Liu Qingge stowed away all those awkward thoughts in order to pay attention.

He was a Peak Lord after all. He couldn’t allow personal feelings to get in the way of his duties.

Not that the Bai Zhan Peak Lord has a lot to do when they’re discussing motives, politics, or anything that’s not battle.

Liu Qingge evacuates from his seat at the table as the more scholarly Peak Lords begin to crowd about to see the letter from TianTi Temple, opting to stand there and watch quietly from the side, arms folded.

Perhaps that’s why he was the first one to notice Shen Yuan slip away.

His eyes narrowed.

Something about Shen Yuan looked off.

For the first time since he became a Peak Lord, no matter how many times he’d considered it before, Liu Qingge ditched the meeting and slipped out silently after Shen Yuan.

He found him in the garden courtyard of Qiong Ding, a little bit further within the Greeting Hall.

Somehow, Shen Yuan’s figure looked smaller than normal. Frailer. Vulnerable.

Inexplicable fear rose up withing Liu Qingge and he hurriedly stepped forward.

“Shen Yuan.”

Startled, Shen Yuan looked up, and when he saw Liu Qingge, he tried to smile.

Tried.

The twitch of his lips made Liu Qingge feel cold inside.

Shen Yuan made a noise that might have been an attempt at a laugh.

“They killed them.”

Liu Qingge remained silent, not sure what to say.

“I knew the temple’s higher ups wouldn’t be pleased that they came into contact with me, but,” Shen Yuan helplessly ran a hand down his face as he tried not to cry.

There was an audible gulp, then Shen Yuan ‘smiled’ again, “I didn’t think they’d kill them,” he said ‘cheerfully’, an audible tremor in his voice. “And they’re going to kill Qin-nigu. Even though she’s doing her best to protect them. Just because she won’t tell them where I am? Because of me?”

“That’s not true,” Liu Qingge said firmly.

“What do you know!?” Shen Yuan suddenly shouted, “All those women, they were all killed because of me! Lushi-jie, Feifei, Pei-jie, Wang-nigu, Ling-jie, Wu-nigu … all of them, because they, to me…!”

Liu Qingge didn’t flinch as Shen Yuan pounded his fists against the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s chest. He didn’t stop Shen Yuan as the man continued to do so, tears streaming down his face.

“What… what is so important to them that they have to kill their own shijies and shimeis?! Why? Because I’m not who they want? Because I don’t just do as they say?! Because I kept trying to convince the Head Abbess that her way was wrong? I didn’t want to this, to be the Saintess! This stupid blessing… what blessing?! This curse! If I could give it to them, I would! But I can’t just let them kill me, and I don’t want to die! Is that it? Is it because I’m so selfish?! Is that what they think about Qin-nigu?! Do they think she just let me escape for fun!? That I just wanted to be free!? What do they know about me!? What do they know about Qin-nigu!? Why… why… why...”

Shen Yuan’s fist landed weakly on Liu Qingge’s chest one last time, and it felt like he’d lost his strength as he sobbed, silent except for a few choking gasps, head bowed, one hand clutched on Liu Qingge’s robe.

Something in Liu Qingge’s chest felt painful as he watched Shen Yuan fall to pieces. So this is what ‘heart break’ feels like.

He didn’t realize he’d reached out until Shen Yuan was already in his arms, pulled up tightly against his chest. As if he could somehow stop Shen Yuan from hurting if he could just envelope him completely.

He felt Shen Yuan freeze for a second before the man’s other hand also slid down to grasp Liu Qingge’s robes. And then Shen Yuan was howling, sobbing loudly as he clung to Liu Qingge, like Liu Qingge was the only thing keeping him here, upright and sane.

And Liu Qingge could only stand there, clasping him to his chest, one hand cradled tightly around Shen Yuan’s head, tucking it under his chin, and the other firmly around his waist as if he wanted to pull the man into himself.

Liu Qingge felt like his heart was breaking.

Chapter Text

The meeting room was filled with a murderous air.

Shang Qinghua really wished he hadn’t said, “Uh… I’ll go get Yuan Bro. He can explain things better than me,” because as soon as he opened the meeting room door, they could hear Shen Yuan’s sobs and screams from down the hall.

It may have been faint due to the distance, but everyone here was a cultivator Peak Lord. It was simple for them to clearly hear what was being said in Qiong Ding’s courtyard garden.

Shang Qinghua had instantly shut the door as soon as he registered what was going on, but it was already too late to pretend that Cucumber Bro wasn’t just sobbing his eyes out. The intense guilt of either writing too much or not writing enough, he wasn’t sure which, was sinking into his stomach again.

A symphony of murderous auras erupted from behind him, before they were sharply eclipsed by one extremely dark, murderous aura.

Shang Qinghua turned his head creakily.

Oh lord. It looked like Shen Qingqiu was ready to go on a rampage and murder everyone … but for Shang Qinghua, who had been invested in trying to figure out why the hell Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu were acting differently from his expectations and had logged far too many hours observing them, that wasn’t Shen Qingqiu’s bloodlust, no matter how Shen Qingqiu was attempting to disguise it as his.

Yue Qingyuan’s about to blow-!

“U-um, on second thought, I’m perfectly fine for explaining! Yuan Bro’s told me everything, so-! A-and, Liu-shidi went with him, so-! Um-!” Shang Qinghua babbled.

Shen-shixiong! Control your man!

“… I understand everyone’s feelings about this matter, and believe me, I feel more than just the same,” Shen Qingqiu said, in a low voice that was terrifyingly smooth and silky, “But A-Yuan’s grief isn’t just because of the hurts that TianTi has caused him. Rather, he hopes to save the innocent TianTi nuns who have been fooled, as well as the citizens in the city. So destroying TianTi with a show of force is unacceptable.”

“… We already know that, Shixiong,” Wei Qingwei said stiffly, “But it seems like Shen-shixiong needs that advice more than us. And possibly Liu-shidi.”

A few other Peak Lords murmured in agreement, but Shang Qinghua couldn’t help but look at Shen Qingqiu’s hand, not the one clutching his fan for dear life, but the other which was subtly gripping Yue Qingyuan’s shoulder so tightly its knuckles were white, his arm trembling from the effort of keeping the Sect Leader seated and under control.

He suspected he might know who Shen Qingqiu thought had needed to hear that.

After a moment Yue Qingyuan shuddered, finally getting a hold of himself and managing to bring his aura under control.

“What are our plans?” he said, sounding completely unaffected.

To Shang Qinghua, that was actually more terrifying than if he flew into a rage.

“Obviously, handing over Shen Yuan is out of the question,” Xiu Qingjue, the artist Peak’s Lord, said firmly, with great finality.

All the Peak Lords agreed.

“But we can’t let them kill that woman,” Mu Qingfang said.

All the Peak Lords agreed with that too.

“Isn’t it simple?” Shen Qingqiu suddenly spoke up. Now that he wasn’t attempting to suppress Yue Qingyuan, he allowed his own anger to spill out, “We just need to destroy them so TianTi Temple has no choice but to disband.”

How was that simple, Shen-shixiong!?

---

---

Leaving the meeting room, Shen Qingqiu’s heart was racing as he sped towards the courtyard garden.

He still had to go calm Yue Qingyuan down, but right now, all he could think was to be by his A-Yuan’s side.

Liu Qingge looked up as Shen Qingqiu entered the garden.

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord was sitting on a bench and holding Shen Yuan, who was curled up in his arms, fast asleep.

Shen Qingqiu’s heart ached as he saw his brother’s tear streaked face.

“Hand him over,” he said quietly, “I’ll take him back to Qing Jing.”

Liu Qingge wordlessly made to transfer Shen Yuan over, but even though the Bai Zhan Brute was cooperating… A-Yuan was not.

Making a muffled noise of displeasure at losing his heat source, Shen Yuan clutched Liu Qingge’s robes tighter, nuzzling his face into the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s chest.

… Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth. No matter how he felt about the War God of Bai Zhan possibly wooing his brother (if either of them would figure anything out), this wasn’t the time for him to be petty.

Both he and Liu Qingge thought it was best to let A-Yuan sleep after an emotional breakdown, and Shen Qingqiu wasn’t going to let his (honestly kind of stupid) rivalry with Liu Qingge ruin that.

“… Well then, help me bring him back,” he finally said, doing his best not to spit it out.

As he flew back to Qing Jing on Xiu Ya, Liu Qingge following behind him, Shen Qingqiu gnawed on his lower lip in worry.

To be honest, he didn’t know what to do. A-Yuan was compassionate. Far, far too compassionate. To the point that it didn’t surprise Shen Qingqiu one bit that he’d been chosen as the Saintess. It was so obvious. A-Yuan cared too much about the TianTi nuns, he cared too much about the mortal civilians, and he cared too much about implicating Cang Qiong with his presence.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t understand that sort of compassion. There were only so many people he could protect with his own two hands. He ruthlessly cut his emotions off of anyone else. The nuns? Civilians? He’ll protect them if it’s beneficial, but it was impossible for him to care as much as A-Yuan.

He didn’t know what to say to comfort the compassionate A-Yuan. He couldn’t understand A-Yuan’s grief – no, he ‘understood’ it, but it wasn’t an understanding that reached his heart. He was a little afraid that A-Yuan might think he was a monster if he learned that Shen Qingqiu’s first thoughts were, “At least it wasn’t A-Yuan,” when he had realized that TianTi killed all those women.

Shen Qingqiu felt a little disgusted with himself when he was relieved that he didn’t have to deal with any of that after seeing that Shen Yuan was still asleep when they reached the bamboo house.

When they entered, Liu Qingge was slightly startled with the murderous air filling the house, but he quietly made his way to the side bedroom, completely ignoring the fact that the Sect Leader was in Shen Qingqiu’s parlor in a fog of bloodlust.

Shen Qingqiu, though, gave Qingyuan’s shoulder a small squeeze as he went by.

Getting A-Yuan into bed proved to be just as difficult as trying to hand him over.

The brat just clutched even tighter to Liu Qingge’s robes as they tried to subtly tug them out of his hands, and finally, Liu Qingge gave up and began to undo his belt.

What does this brute think he’s doing!? Shen Qingqiu was about to explode out of suppressing his outrage, but Liu Qingge ignored him, undid his belt, and slid out of his outer robe, leaving it in Shen Yuan’s grasp.

While Shen Qingqiu quietly, somewhat sullenly, took Shen Yuan’s shoes off and tucked him into the bed, he decisively ignored Liu Qingge, who was readjusting his clothing. He also furrowed his brows and ignored how A-Yuan clutched Liu Qingge’s outer robe, snuggling his face against them.

It was difficult, but he ignored it.

When the two left A-Yuan’s bedroom, Shen Qingqiu kept quiet, unsure he was feeling sane enough not to snap at Liu Qingge just to relieve stress.

Liu Qingge was also silent, but that wasn’t unusual for the brute… “What are we doing about TianTi?”

“...Huh?” Shen Qingqiu said eloquently.

“What are we doing about TianTi?” Liu Qingge asked again, turning to look at him directly. There was a dark, smoldering anger in his eyes.

“… Obviously we’ll make sure they can’t exist anymore,” Shen Qingqiu said.

Liu Qingge just gave him a curt nod and walked towards the entrance of the bamboo house.

“Don’t do anything stupid that would compromise our plans,” Shen Qingqiu snapped.

Liu Qingge paused, halfway out the door. “I know,” he snarled. Shen Qingqiu was aware that the snarling wasn’t directed towardshim for once.

The surrounding monsters might be completely extinguished by morning.

Shen Qingqiu turned towards the next disaster he had to mitigate.

Yue Qingyuan was also smoldering.

“Qingyuan,” he said.

Yue Qingyuan remained silent, only his eyes betraying his rage.

Shen Qingqiu sighed.

“Qingyuan.”

“They’re threatening Xiao Yuan with the lives of their own sect. And we’re letting them get away with it?” Yue Qingyuan said, voice low and dangerous.

“We’re not letting them get away with it. We are actively doing things so that they can’t get away with it.”

“With a sect inquiry,” Yue Qingyuan said with obvious disdain, “A sect inquiry. When they’ve been killing their own sect members like evil cultivators for… who knows how long!”

“We’ll make sure that they pay for everything they do, but there’s a proper procedure -”

“What do they think about their sect members!? How dare they treat them like … like disposable tools!” Yue Qingyuan interrupted him. He was shouting now, and Shen Qingqiu was relieved that he had put silencing talismans around A-Yuan’s room.

“I know! But we can’t just go wipe them out with force!” Shen Qingqiu yelled. “You need to think about our position as Cang Qiong! How do you think the other sects will see that?”

“Is our reputation more important than preventing them from murdering their own disciples and risking the lives of hundreds, maybe even thousands of unrelated people?! Don’t you even care about what they did?! About Xiao Yuan!?”

“Don’t you dare say that! Of course I care! Of course I’m angry!” Shen Qingqiu shouted, “But I can’t just give into it! Someone has to make sure this sect is still running!”

At that Yue Qingyuan flinched, his face turning ashen. He sat down heavily, crossing his hands and resting his forehead on them.

“… I’m sorry. I’m making things hard for you, aren’t?” he said, voice heavy, looking defeated. “I’m failing, again.”

The rage flowed out of Shen Qingqiu.

Qingyuan had told him about the visions he’d had, about a future where he had failed A-Jiu, about a future where he’d turned him into a bitter man and kept failing his sect. His irrational fears of allowing his desires to fester and overtake his common sense. Even today, although he was likely more than strong enough to master Xuan Su, he refused to touch it.

In his vision, Xuan Su had been his goal for strength, but for him now, it was a symbol of his weakness.

It was just a vision, did he have to be so fearful? Shen Qingqiu could never bring himself to ask that. It didn’t matter if Yue Qingyuan believed it was merely a vision or if he thought it was something else. Shen Qingqiu knew, under all that strength and determination that made the Sect Leader the strongest cultivator in the world, was a man who was terrified of his own emotions.

Yue Qingyuan was a broken man.

Shen Qingqiu quietly walked over, sitting Yue Qingyuan back before sitting on his lap and drawing him into a hug.

“You’re not failing,” Shen Qingqiu whispered. “You’re angry. It’s natural to be angry. It’s fine. But I also need you, Qingyuan. We need you. And you’ll come through, I believe in you. We all do. So please, believe that we’re doing our best to support you.”

Yue Qingyuan took a shuddering breath before he wrapped his arms around Shen Qingqiu.

“A-Jiu...” he whispered, and Shen Qingqiu was blinking back tears.

After a while, Yue Qingyuan finally stirred, leaning back with a sigh.

“A-Jiu, I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself. I can’t allow myself to go. Can I trust you to take care of everything at TianTi?”

“Always,” Shen Qingqiu said, kissing him on the forehead. He narrowed his eyes and smiled wickedly as he said, “I won’t let them get away with anything.”

For his A-Yuan and his Qingyuan’s smiles, don’t blame this Qingqiu for being ruthless.

Chapter Text

The Bai Zhan disciples woke up to a mound of carcasses in the side training field and their Shizun, covered in blood and emitting a murderous aura.

They were used to blood and violence, but … uh…

None of them dared to show their faces in front of the Bai Zhan War God in all his gristly glory.

Their Shizun was more than capable of killing these low level (well low level for the War God) monsters without allowing a speck of blood to touch him, but right now he was drenched in monster blood.

None of the disciples could come up with any scenario other than their Peak Lord being in such a rage that he killed mindlessly and continuously without caring for the blood and gristle that sprayed onto him.

“What happened?” one shidi whispered.

“I don’t know. He was in such a good mood lately.”

“My sister at Qiong Ding told me he carried Shen-daozhang back to Qing Jing yesterday. It looked like Shen-daozhang had been crying.”

All heads turned towards the shixiong who had spoken.

“What? Did Shizun make him cry? … Could he have rejected him?”

The disciples snorted at the shidi who said such a thing.

“Shizun? Reject Shen-daozhang?”

“There’s no way Shizun would reject him. Have you seen how Shizun looks at him?”

“Then… maybe Shen-daozhang rejected Shizun?”

“Ah… that may be it. Shen-daozhang’s too nice, he seems like the type to cry after rejecting someone.”

There was silence for a moment.

“… Should we go to Qing Jing?”

“Maybe we can get Shen-daozhang to change his mind.”

Ming Fan almost had a heart attack when ten Bai Zhan disciples appeared on Qing Jing.

After he had to break the news from last night to the rest of Qing Jing’s inner disciples, now he had to deal with another wave of Bai Zhan attacks? Give him a break!

He hurried to the rainbow bridge, following the Qing Jing shidi who had come running to him in a panic.

But when he reached the bridge, the Bai Zhan disciples were standing politely by the side, ignoring the Qing Jing disciples watching them warily. Furthermore, from their robes, Ming Fan could tell they were inner disciples. Normally the attacking Bai Zhan disciples were outer disciples too eager to prove themselves in stupid ways.

“Is Shen-daozhang here?” one of the Bai Zhan disciples asked, recognizing him as Qing Jing’s head disciple.

Ming Fan frowned. “What do you need Shen-shushu for?”

“You get to call him shushu?! That’s unfair!”

“Shen-shushu is our Shizun’s younger brother. It’s fine for us to call him shushu,” Ming Fan said smugly. So there, Bai Zhan!

The Bai Zhan disciples grumbled amongst each other, leaving the Qing Jing disciples staring at them in confusion.

… Really, what were they even here for?

“Ah! Wait, we need to talk to Shen-daozhang about Liu-shizun!”

“That’s right! We want to ask him to forgive Shizun for whatever he’s done!”

“Or reconsider whatever Shizun asked him!”

Ming Fan and the other Qing Jing disciples had even more confused looks on their faces now.

“… What are you talking about?” Ming Fan finally asked.

“ Well Shizun looks really upset...”

“And we heard that Shen-daozhang was upset...”

Ming Fan thought quickly. Luckily he was a Qing Jing disciple, capable of doing more critical thinking than those of Bai Zhan. “… I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but Shen-shushu was probably more occupied with the situation from yesterday than whatever you’re thinking...”

Then Ming Fan furrowed his brows.

“… Wait. Aren’t all of you Bai Zhan inner disciples? Shouldn’t Peak Lord Liu have briefed you about the situation?” he asked.

The Bai Zhan disciples exchanged glances.

“It’s… really hard to approach Shizun right now,” one shixiong said, coughing into his hand.

… Ming Fan sighed. It didn’t take a genius to understand what was going on.

Peak Lord Liu really wasn’t subtle with how he felt about Shen-shushu after all.

“I suppose you’re Bai Zhan inner disciples so it’s… probably fine for me to tell all of you if Liu-shishu isn’t able to explain… ”

---

---

Shen Yuan woke up late. The sun was already high in the sky.

He dragged an arm across his face and groaned.

Oh man… he made such a fucking fool of himself yesterday. Even hitting Liu-xiansheng like that … He was never going to be able to face the man again!

Shen Yuan knew he had complicated feelings towards TianTi, but he hadn’t thought he’d been that repressed. His feelings just kind of … exploded.

It was mortifying.

What is he, a child? He should know how to regulate his emotions better!

With a grumble, Shen Yuan dragged the blanket in his hand further up, debating spending the rest of the day in bed, hiding from his brother and the other Peak Lords.

He closed his eyes and snuggled down, willing himself to go back to sleep.

… This doesn’t smell like the tea and bamboo scent that permeates everything in Shen Qingqiu’s bamboo house. It smells more woodsy, like the outdoors, and a little bit of sweat. It smells like…

Shen Yuan bolted upright, staring down at the ‘blanket’ in his hand.

… … Isn’t this Liu-xiansheng’s outer robe?

… ??????????!

What happened last night?!

Even if he had cried himself to sleep last night, he’s been sleeping pretty lightly these days, enough that he asked Jiu-ge to put a silencing talisman on the room so he wouldn’t keep getting woken up at night by random noises. So how does he not know how … this … happened?!

The last time he slept this soundly was … … … No, the only other time he’s slept was when he was traveling with Liu Qingge, and he did sleep well enough then…

… Oh god, did he just… fall asleep and refuse to wake up on the Bai Zhan Peak Lord?! How did Liu-xiansheng’s outer robe end up here?!

He really, REALLY can’t face Liu Qingge ever again! He probably won’t be able to face his brother, either!

At least, he definitely doesn’t want to face Jiu-ge right now!

Unwilling to stay in his bedroom and unwilling to go out and meet the consequences of his actions, Shen Yuan … escaped out the window.

He’s just … he’s just delaying the inevitable, he knows, but… … that’s future Shen Yuan’s problem!

Current Shen Yuan is going to go hide in Jiu-ge’s bamboo forest. It’s the quietest fucking place in Cang Qiong, minus the Lingxi Caves, so it’s the best place to avoid people.

As for why it’s the quietest place in Cang Qiong, well, it’s Jiu-ge’s personal bamboo forest. Shen Yuan can’t think of anyone brave enough to go in without permission.

Which is of course why he almost immediately ran into someone who was brave enough to go in without permission.

Shen Yuan freezes as he unexpectedly came across Qi Qingqi, sitting on the ground in a particularly secluded grove. She looks up.

“Yuan-er,” she says with a smile, but Shen Yuan feels like her eyes look sad.

“Qi-jie,” he says, nodding, and then he turned, planning on leaving her alone. However Qi Qingqi waves her hand, beckoning him.

“Come here. It’s alright.”

He felt too awkward to refuse her, so Shen Yuan sat down on the ground, not quite side by side, but next to her.

Neither of them said anything, simply sitting near each other in the peaceful bamboo grove.

Shen Yuan couldn’t help but glance at Qi Qingqi from the corner of his eye.

Yesterday, she had recognized the name Pei Lanqi. He couldn’t even begin to delude himself otherwise.

She clearly knew Pei-jie, and she clearly mourned for Pei-jie.

Suddenly, the silence felt too heavy for Shen Yuan.

“Q-Qi-jie,” he stuttered, breaking the silence, “I-I’m sorry. About Pei Lanqi… because of me...”

Smack!

Shen Yuan’s eyes watered from the impact.

Qi-jie, even though this one is a cultivator, you are a Peak Lord and a physical cultivator. Don’t just flick someone’s forehead! That hurts!

Watching him rub his forehead while wincing, Qi Qingqi snorted. “You know Lanqi would do the same if she heard you. She isn’t the sort of woman who’d blame her fate on someone else.”

Shen Yuan couldn’t refute it.

The two sat in silence for a while, Shen Yuan listening to the wind whispering through the bamboo forest.

“How did you know Pei Lanqi?” Qi Qingqi asked suddenly.

“She took over my dancing instruction when I turned 13,” Shen Yuan said.

“… She was quite young, back then,” Qi Qingqi said, surprised, then smiled wryly. “No, I suppose it was only natural. Even at the age of 16, her ritual dances were already exquisite.”

She sighed, looking off into the distant past with faraway eyes. “Back then… we were both still disciples. We met at the Immortal Alliance Conference. I saw her when she was waiting in the wings before the opening dedication. She was talking to the other dancers, so excited over getting her own student. I suppose that would be you.”

Shen Yuan flushed. He knew Pei-jie doted on him, but to think of her proudly telling someone else about him was embarrassing.

“She was so beautiful dancing, I just had to get to know her,” Qi Qingqi said with a wink, although it was a little stiff with her more-somber-than-usual mood, “Did she know… you…?”

“… I never saw her face, and she never saw mine, since there was always a thin curtain between us,” Shen Yuan said, “But Pei-jie is very observant. I think it was impossible to hide that I was a man in my silhouette once I went through adolescence. Not from Pei-jie.”

“Indeed. Not from Pei Lanqi,” Qi Qingqi agreed.

“But thanks to that, we could talk even after my voice changed, because she knew already and kept it a secret. But I never thought because of that, eventually...” Shen Yuan quickly covered his forehead as Qi Qingqi moved to flick his forehead.

“It’s not your fault. Pei Lanqi must have felt something was wrong. I don’t know if she knew about the Heavenly Pact, but I know she had decided to protect her oath with her life. Although I didn’t know what she meant back then, now I understand what her worries were in the letters she sent me,” Qi Qingqi had a self-mocking smile on her face, like she couldn’t believe she hadn’t understood back then.

“… Were the two of you…?” Shen Yuan felt awkward for asking, but he felt like he had to know the side of Pei Lanqi he didn’t know. … No, he just wanted to know.

“… Yes. We were together. For a few years.”

Something about Qi Qingqi’s tone made Shen Yuan feel like he shouldn’t ask anymore.

There was silence in the bamboo forest again as their conversation came to a halt.

It really was peaceful in Jiu-ge’s bamboo forest. Shen Yuan closed his eyes, listening to the birds flitting about.

They weren’t willing to get closer because a powerful cultivator was with him, but Shen Yuan preferred it this way.

“… We were growing apart.”

Shen Yuan opened his eyes, startled by Qi Qingqi’s voice. He turned to look at her, but she didn’t meet his eyes, staring straight ahead at the ground.

“I don’t know why. Maybe it was our duties. Maybe it was the distance. Maybe we just weren’t meant to be. There was just a day where I woke up and felt dread in my stomach telling me that we were just dragging a corpse of the love we had. But I was too much of a coward. I kept hoping she’d notice as well and bring it up first. I was such scum that I even felt a little relieved when the letters stopped coming altogether.”

Qi Qingqi closed her eyes. Sighed. Clenched her hands together.

“The letters had been becoming less and less over time anyway, but I never thought that the reason for them to stop would be something like this. If I had known, had wondered… ”

“… Qi-jie...”

Qi Qingqi allowed a smirk to grace her face as Shen Yuan struggled to think of something to say, even though she still didn’t look at him.

“I’m not an idiot. I know nothing can be done now, and maybe there was nothing I could have done then. And we were probably going to part from each other in the end anyway,” she said, then her eyes softened. “Still, she was a woman I held affection for.”

For a moment, Qi Qingqi, the gorgeously powerful, confident, and mischievous fairy cultivator diminished into a body that radiated sadness, regret, and pain. Then she sighed once more and it all disappeared, as if a lie.

Standing up, Qi Qingqi returned to being Xian Shu’s indomitable Peak Lord and looked down at Shen Yuan with a small smile.

“Yuan-er, take it from me. If there’s something you need to tell someone, no matter what it is, don’t wait to do it. It’s very painful to regret being too late.”

---

As he watched Qi Qingqi leave, Shen Yuan reflected that she wasn’t all that much older than him. Within a decade’s difference, at least.

But she was much, much stronger.

Not just as a cultivator, but as a person.

He sat there a little while longer before getting up and returning to the bamboo house.

After allowing Shen Qingqiu to have his fill of scolding him for worrying the Qing Jing Peak Lord when he found the side room empty, Shen Yuan entered his room and changed out of his wrinkled robes from yesterday with Qi Qingqi’s words on his mind.

Slowly picking up Liu Qingge’s robe, he stared at it for a few seconds before he draped it over his arm.

He wasn’t sure exactly why, but he felt like he should go to Bai Zhan to apologize and return it. Like he’d regret it if he kept dragging it out.

Chapter Text

In a lush environment like Cang Qiong, almost all the Peaks had some sort of water feature. Most of the Peaks used them as areas for meditation, or perhaps training.

On Bai Zhan, the waterfalls that cascaded from the top of the peak, branching out into smaller and smaller waterfalls on the way down, were all used for washing the blood and dirt off. Bai Zhan is not called the Peak of ‘beasts’ and ‘brutes’ by the Qing Jing Peak Lord for nothing, after all.

In a secluded grove about a grotto was one such waterfall. It was the one closest to the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s residence, down the path and around the corner.

Stripped down to his inner robes and pants, Liu Qingge stood beneath the curtain of water. He closed his eyes, feeling the water sloughing off the heavy layer of grime and blood on his body.

The tactile sensation and chill of the water almost felt too sharp, and there was nothing but the sound of the rushing water in his ears. He felt like he was trapped in a world alone, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company.

Alone…

Looking down, Liu Qingge watched as his blood-covered hands were pelted with water, washing them clean.

Yesterday, with these hands, he had been holding Shen Yuan.

He could still feel the sensations of Shen Yuan’s trembling back and the wet of Shen Yuan’s tears soaking his robes. But all he could do was stand there and attempt to hold the man who was falling apart. Trying to keep him together, but feeling like he was failing every minute. He had never felt so powerless in his life.

Watching Shen Yuan sobbing in his arms hurt.

But what hurt even more was the realization of exactly what kind of burden Shen Yuan had to carry all those years. And that he had borne it all alone within TianTi Temple.

Even if he does prefer to do his missions alone, Liu Qingge never deludes himself. He knows that for any thing other than brute force, he was practically useless. But that’s why he belongs to Cang Qiong.

An Ding for negotiations and preparations. Wan Jian for weapons. Qing Jing for knowledge. The ever reliable Qiong Ding as the name protecting all their backs.

Liu Qingge might not even know what some of the Peaks have done for him, he might even think he doesn’t need their expertise personally, but he knows that Cang Qiong only rose to its height of success because of the Twelve Peaks. Because there were twelve of them. Without a single one, Cang Qiong wouldn’t be what it was today.

And for Liu Qingge, he knew he always has eleven other Peak Lords to shoulder his burdens and pick up his slack.

But Shen Yuan … had been alone. Had been made to remain alone. Forced to live almost completely alone.

And yet he picked up the burden of thousands of lives, shouldering each and every one on his thin back.

Even if he begged for help he had been denied. The people who did want to help, dead.

The very idea of this cruelty roused an inferno of rage so hot that Liu Qingge had spent all night slaying monsters. That entire night, the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s sword lights had been unceasingly flashing in the surrounding area, causing death and destruction in its wake.

When morning came, the only thing that had changed was that Liu Qingge was now completely drenched in blood, all the way down to his inner robe. His rage had been reduced to a smolder, but it had not been extinguished. He didn’t think anything would be able to extinguish it until those nuns paid for what they did.

But rage was no longer the only emotion Liu Qingge was feeling. There was a stronger feeling burning within his chest. One Liu Qingge didn’t have a name for.

Now, standing under this secluded waterfall back on Bai Zhan Peak, he clenched his hands tightly into fists.

This isn’t a problem you have to deal with alone.

Those were the words he’d told Shen Yuan before they came to Cang Qiong. Liu Qingge had said them before he even understood the full extent of the situation, and he had meant them.

But now… Liu Qingge meant it even more. So much more.

This problem isn’t something Shen Yuan should shoulder alone. Shen Yuan should never have to shoulder any of his problems alone.

Shen Yuan is a man whose heart is too soft and face too thin to dare to shoulder such massive burdens, and yet he boldly does so. And he’s the one who gets hurt.

He shouldn’t have to do it alone. He CAN’T do it alone.

Shen Yuan needs someone by his side to help him lift the heavy burdens that he can’t lift without hurting himself.

Liu Qingge wanted to be that person.

He never wanted Shen Yuan to be alone, ever again. He would make sure Shen Yuan was never alone again.

He knew he wasn’t someone who could solve all of Shen Yuan’s problems.

He couldn’t make them go away or keep him from hurting.

But he could be there. When Shen Yuan needs help, Liu Qingge can make sure his cries are heard. When Shen Yuan is suffering, Liu Qingge can make sure he isn’t suffering alone. When Shen Yuan doesn’t know how to keep himself safe, Liu Qingge can be there to protect him.

Liu Qingge doesn’t want to – he can’t leave Shen Yuan alone.

And he wasn’t about to let these vague feelings that suddenly surfaced after Mingyan’s inopportune visit ruin that. This wasn’t the time to be fussing over ‘cultivation partners’ or whatever.

With a sigh, Liu Qingge scrubbed his face with his hands.

“-Ngh?!”

Liu Qingger heard a choked gasp, slightly muffled through the sound of the waterfall. Dashing water from his eyes, Liu Qingge emerged from the waterfall to get a better look.

Shen Yuan was standing on the path, mouth open and red in the face.

“… Shen Yuan?” Liu Qingge asked, slightly concerned.

“…! L-Liu-xiansheng…!”

Liu Qingge quickly waded through the pond towards the man standing frozen upon the path.

But when he reached Shen Yuan, he paused. What did he want to say? How are you? Let me be by your side?

Struck with indecision, Liu Qingge merely stood there, staring down at Shen Yuan greedily, as if afraid he would disappear the moment Liu Qingge took his eyes off him.

Shen Yuan, as well, stood there motionlessly, desperately not looking Liu Qingge in the eye, until finally, it seemed like he couldn’t stand the silence.

“I… I brought your, your robe,” he stuttered, face so, so red, “And… and I, uh, I … wanted to apologize… apologize about yesterday. About, about throwing a … uh, tantrum and … also falling asleep...” Shen Yuan gulped nervously as he lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, still not daring to look directly at Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge furrowed his brows.

“Don’t apologize,” he said, reaching out to take Shen Yuan by the hand, and Shen Yuan suddenly took in a sharp breath, face going even redder, making Liu Qingge worried.

Is Shen Yuan so embarrassed by yesterday that he’d want to avoid him? Liu Qingge definitely didn’t want that.

With a light tug, Liu Qingge pulled Shen Yuan a little closer, and the man finally looked up at him. His beautifully flushed face, wide eyes, and slightly parted lips made something deep in Liu Qingge’s body smolder a different sort of fire.

Forcefully stifling it, Liu Qingge cleared his throat.

“You have nothing to apologize for, so don’t avoid me,” he said, staring directly at Shen Yuan. Don’t go somewhere I can’t follow you.

“I-I… ” Shen Yuan stammered, and then he flickered his eyes downward briefly. Very briefly. Almost involuntarily. No, it was certainly involuntarily, since Shen Yuan’s eyes widened as if appalled at himself for a second before his gaze quickly returned to Liu Qingge’s face.

Under Liu Qingge’s gaze, Shen Yuan turned another shade redder and became unable to meet the Peak Lord’s eyes.

It was then that Liu Qingge realized he was still dripping wet, dressed only in his inner robes and pants, both made lightly transparent where they clung to his body.

He watched as Shen Yuan kept nervously glancing away, then back.

Liu Qingge’s first thought was that Shen Yuan was far too embarrassed with his impropriety, and that he was also somewhat embarrassed and should go cover up.

But when he half-turned, thinking about getting his robes, Liu Qingge remembered they were covered, no, drenched in monster blood. Perhaps he should use the robe Shen Yuan brought…

When he turned back, he saw that Shen Yuan was staring at his wet clothes with an almost indecipherable stare.

That… didn’t feel like it was pure embarrassment.

An idea sparked in Liu Qingge’s head, but no, it was impossible, so he attempted to squash it out as best he could.

As he brushed his wet hair back from his face nervously, Liu Qingge could feel Shen Yuan’s intense gaze tracing the water droplet that slid from his sideburns, down the length of his neck, and over his collarbone to drip into his inner robe.

It did nothing to help him stop thinking about that ridiculous, impossible idea.

This is … was Shen Yuan… actually affected by him?

Liu Qingge’s ears flushed red as he watched Shen Yuan trying, and utterly failing, to keep his eyes from tracing the lines of his muscles, barely visible through the wet robes.

He couldn’t keep himself from imagining those slender fingers doing the tracing instead … or perhaps those soft looking lips…

Liu Qingge froze in horror.

WHAT has Mingyan DONE to him!?

He would never be tricked into reading another book she ‘recommended’ as long as he lives!

---

---

Shang Qinghua sat sloppily at his desk, face down on it.

He felt fucking terrible.

Ah? The paperwork? Yeah, that was terrible too, especially fielding all the letters and shit from the other three major sects about the meeting they were going to have shortly, but that’s not why he was in a bad mood.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know this world wasn’t just his novel, and the people in it weren’t just characters on a page. He knew. Oh boy did he know. But…

It’s not just because he’s transmigrated. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the deaths of seven women he only knew as names on a piece of paper.

But they weren’t just names to Cucumber Bro, now, are they?

Shang Qinghua really felt terrible.

He really should have listened to Cucumber Bro when the guy was just another anti-fan named Peerless Cucumber. He really should have taken more responsibility for his world and characters as an author.

Maybe then this fucking world wouldn’t be so full of horrors and injustices.

Maybe then Cucumber Bro wouldn’t have been crying his eyes out because all of his friends he’d made had been killed just because they’d been his friends.

Shang Qinghua felt fucking terrible.

BANG!

Shang Qinghua jumped about half his body height when Shen Yuan suddenly slammed his door open, looking like he had just run a marathon.

“Cucumber Bro! Um… … Are… are you oka- -ay!?”

Shang Qinghua shrieked as Cucumber Bro approached him like some kind of horror monster. In the blink of an eye, the man had already crossed the room and was right in front of him. Shang Qinghua had been grabbed tightly by the shoulders, terrifying the hamster before he could ask Shen Yuan if he was alright after yesterday’s commotion.

Wha-wha-wha- !? Ohmygod, is Cucumber Bro actually going to murder him!?

“Airplane.”

Shang Qinghua flinched at the strange tone in Shen Yuan’s voice.

“Y-yes?” he squeaked, terrified out of his mind.

Shen Yuan’s grip on his shoulder tightened further, and Shang Qinghua thought his life really was going to end today.

“Why are the men in your novel so hot?” Shen Yuan hissed.

“I’m sorry, I-! … Huh?”

Shang Qinghua watched as Cucumber Bro crumpled to the floor with a groan, burying his face in his hands, but his hands weren’t enough to hide that his face was a startling shade of crimson.

Bro, this Shang Qinghua’s been seriously worried about you, so wtf is this!?

… Also, spill.

Chapter Text

Abbot Wu Wang sighed.

The allegations Cang Qiong brought up regarding TianTi Temple wasn’t something that could be ignored.

Cang Qiong Mountain, Zhao Hua Temple, Tian Yi Overlook, and Huan Hua Palace, as well as some of the minor sects, each sent a delegation to TianTi City in order to conduct an inquiry.

Simultaneously, representatives from the Four Major Sects have quietly met up in another location to discuss the political climate change that could occur once the inquiry is over.

Whether Cang Qiong’s accusations proved to be true or false, or even if the inquiry doesn’t bear any fruit and TianTi’s guilt or lack of it is inconclusive, there is no doubt that there will be consequences.

Sect Master Wu Chen and Mistress Huang Biyu, of Zhao Hua and Tian Yi respectively, had gone down to TianTi to oversee the inquiry themselves.

Naturally, as leaders, they had to observe and preside over the inquiry before committing their sects into one action or another.

Abbot Wu Wang of Zhao Hua had come to the Four Major Sects’ meeting as a representative instead, and Tian Yi sent another representative as well, but Cang Qiong and Huan Hua had sent their Sect Leaders.

Thinking logically, Wu Wang understood why the Sect Leader Yue Qingyuan of Cang Qiong would be here instead of at TianTi.

Cang Qiong was the ones who brought up the allegation, after all, and it would be absurd for them to call for an inquiry if Sect Leader Yue was not already convinced of TianTi’s guilt.

But for the Old Palace Master to also remain behind, attending this meeting instead of going to join the inquiry, did that mean Huan Hua had already made up its mind no matter what sort of accusations or evidence were brought up?

This wasn’t the first time Wu Wang felt uncomfortable with Huan Hua’s disregard for evidence and lawful procedures. Especially when they were the sect that held the keys and gates to the great Huan Hua Water Prison.

… And of course it was Huan Hua who was being difficult in this conversation.

As always, Cang Qiong brought a neat argument, prepared to discuss not only what would happen if they were right, but also what would happen if they were wrong.

Cang Qiong has always been the perfect depiction of a neutral party, and it seems that was going to remain true even if they were one of the plaintiffs.

Huan Hua, however, was always more focused about what they could get out of the situation.

They’d been arguing over the incentive to participate in this inquiry for over an hour, and Wu Wang kind of felt like stabbing his eyes out.

The inquiry is literally going to happen in a few days! You’ve already sent people! WHY IS THIS STILL BEING DISCUSSED?!

“What’s guaranteeing us that we aren’t simply being dragged into Cang Qiong’s own business?” the Old Palace Master sneered, “That this situation isn’t being distorted in order for Cang Qiong to use us as they will?”

The representative from Tian Yi didn’t roll her eyes, but it was a near thing. “Is that not why Sect Leader Yue is discussing the possibility of the accusations being wrong?” she asked.

“It’s not a question on if Cang Qiong is wrong or right,” the Old Palace Master shot back, “It’s about not being taken advantage of. I believe that it’s only right for us to receive compensation for our aid.”

“However this is not just a matter against Cang Qiong,” the Tian Yi representative said with a sigh, rubbing her temple, “So I am reluctant to say that Cang Qiong should bear the burdens of the entire matter.”

Wu Wang nodded. “If we say that the discoverer of troublesome matters should also bear the responsibility of those matters, it could lead to a disturbing precedence.”

The Old Palace Master scoffed, “So you’re saying that the Four Major Sects must be privy to any little matter that’s brought before us and expect no compensation for their wasted time?”

“Wasted-! We’re discussing preventing a Heavenly Calamity!” the Tian Yi representative looked like she was only one step away from ripping her hair out.

Wu Wang honestly agreed with her.

“The Palace Master was so ardent in the pursuit of Tianlang-jun for the safety of the Human Realm in the past. Surely he will remain just as vigilant against other evils that threaten the Human Realm,” Yue Qingyuan said, voice smooth and pleasant as if he was merely stating a fact about the weather. Then he chuckled and shook his head.

“It won’t do to be complacent,” he said, “Small scratches may fester into a deadly wound.”

Was Sect Leader Yue referring to the how Huan Hua Palace seemed to be negligent in keeping demons from harassing the mortals in their territory? Or … were the ‘scratches’ he spoke of the blemishes against Huan Hua’s reputation? A reminder that Cang Qiong, at the very least, was aware of Huan Hua’s actions?

Which actions?

Who knows.

But it did remind everyone present that Huang Hua Palace threw them into a war against the Demon Realm just because they wanted help dealing with Tianlang-jun’s slight to one of their disciples. And certainly, no one received compensation for it. Even though Huan Hua was the richest sect in the Realm.

With just that statement, Sect Leader Yue put an end to the argument once and for all.

Abbot Wu Wang shivered.

Out of the four great sects, Yue Qingyuan was the youngest of all the sect leaders. But he was also the one Wu Wang found the most terrifying.

The Old Palace Master was certainly vindictive enough if crossed, but Yue Qingyuan fought Tianlang-jun to a standstill, practically single-handedly, so that the nuns of Tian Yi and the abbots of Zhao Hua could finish the sealing circle back during the war. And after that, bruised and battered, the man still stood on the battlefield, driving back half the invading demon army by himself.

And yet, Yue Qingyuan never bothered to use that strength in altercations among the sects. He never needed to draw his sword when his words were devastating enough to drive his opponents to dread and fear.

Just like now, with the Old Palace Master trembling in repressed rage but clearly unable to refute Sect Leader Yue’s words.

Wu Wang didn’t dare to speculate why the Old Palace Master felt guilty enough that he couldn’t speak, whether it was out of shame for Huan Hua’s negligence or something else he really didn’t want to know.

All he knew was that he was relieved Cang Qiong and Zhao Hua were on good terms with each other.

---

---

Shen Qingqiu was extremely annoyed.

On the carriage ride to TianTi City, his foolish little brother and that idiotic Bai Zhan brute were acting ridiculous around each other. Unable to meet each other’s eyes, awkward silences lulling their conversations, becoming flustered at the slightest touch …

As much as he’d like to think this meant the two were finally growing apart, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t even begin tricking himself into believing that at all.

WHAT happened, and WHERE?! How!? Shen Qingqiu was furious that something had clearly happened where he hadn’t been able to see it, behind his back!

What made things even worse was that rat, Shang Qinghua, was always on the cusp of laughing the entire journey whenever he looked at the two.

Oh, that rat knows what happened. He absolutely knows, and Shen Qingqiu is going to drag it out of him the moment he has time to spare.

Which, unfortunately, he doesn’t because of this mess with TianTi, and unfortunately, for the same reason, he can’t just separate Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge.

The closer they get to the city, the more his precious A-Yuan’s life is endangered, and no matter what he felt about the Liu Qingge, having the Bai Zhan War God protecting A-Yuan is … reassuring. Grudgingly so.

Shen Qingqiu muttered irritably to himself as he watched the two idiots awkwardly sitting together opposite him in the carriage.

The delegation Cang Qiong was sending to TianTi consisted of himself, Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge, Shang Qinghua to deal with any aftermath, and Qi Qingqi as a witness. And also Mu Qingfang.

His Qingyuan wouldn’t rest until they included Mu Qingfang.

Five Peak Lords together with a handful of their inner disciples; it felt a bit like overkill for a mere inquiry, but Cang Qiong was traveling while fully aware they might be dealing with assassination attempts.

Certainly, Shen Qingqiu should be trying to control TianTi and any such attempts through discussion at the inquiry, but he wasn’t a fool.

There was no need for TianTi to answer honestly to another sect. And if A-Yuan wasn’t exaggerating, it was quite possible that matters within TianTi have already left the Head Abbess’ hands long ago.

At least that rotten bag, the Old Palace Master, wasn’t going to be at TianTi.

Shen Qingqiu knew that greedy bastard would have his eyes on A-Yuan in a moment once he realized the Saintess wasn’t required to remain in TianTi. He was thankful that Yue Qingyuan had distracted Huan Hua’s sect leader and pulled him into another meeting.

Sure, it wouldn’t keep the Old Palace Master from getting… ideas later on, but at least he wouldn’t get a chance to set his dirty gaze on A-Yuan.

Let Qingyuan deal with thatpest, because Shen Qingqiu has his eyes on bigger fish to fry.

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes, meditating as he organized his thoughts in preparation for the inquiry. Or at least he tried to.

… If only these two would stop awkwardly flirting in front of him!

Dammit, when did they become aware of each other!? WHEN?!

“My, my, aren’t the two of you getting along so well?” Qi Qingqi smirked, leaning back and blatantly watching A-Yuan and Liu Qingge flinch.

“Wh-what are you talking about Qi-jie?” Shen Yuan managed to stutter as Liu Qingge simply glared. It wasn’t very convincing, when his ears were red and he was shifting uncomfortably.

“What are you talking about, Qi-shimei?” Shang Qinghua parroted, but then added, “Haven’t they been like this since the beginning?” He grinned broadly, making Shen Yuan flush even while he shot the An Ding Peak Lord a dirty glare.

Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth, determined to throw Qi Qingqi and Shang Qinghua out and into the other carriage at the next stop.

---

Shen Yuan wanted to cover his face with his hands and writhe around in his bed.

It’s been several days since he’d … since they … since the waterfall incident, but Shen Yuan still couldn’t get the sight of Liu Qingge, drenched in water with his thin, white robes sticking to his body out of his head.

Shizun is washing the blood off in the waterfall near his residence, the Bai Zhan disciples had said.

Okay, thank you, Shen Yuan had said. And then Shen Yuan hurried off in the direction they indicated without a second thought about the situation.

Just what did he think he was going to find? Obviously it was going to be a soaking wet Liu Qingge-! HOW did he not realize this beforehand!?

But the Bai Zhan disciples had been looking at him funny, and Shen Yuan hadn’t really wanted to know if they knew about his little fit he threw at their Shizun, so he’d walked off as quickly as possible to get out of dodge once he’d gotten the directions.

… Well, now he knows the Bai Zhan inner disciples had been briefed about his situation with TianTi at that time, so that’s why they’d been looking at him strangely, but it’s already too late!

Fucking hell, he knew the Bai Zhan Peak Lord had to be strong, and logically speaking he should have the muscles to back it up, but he hadn’t expected… !

Those broad shoulders, trim waist, sculpted abs, firm chest… and the drip of the water sliding over those hypnotizing curves… ngh-!

Shen Yuan kind of hated himself.

Liu-xiansheng has been nothing but kind to him this entire time, and honestly, he might be the person Shen Yuan trusts the most … except for maybe Jiu-ge?

But now Shen Yuan’s looking at him like … like a massive pervert, and he can’t even blame Airplane this time!

No, he can totally still blame Airplane. It’s always Airplane’s fault!

Not to mention, Airplane Bro and Qi-jie were teasing him and Liu Qingge the ENTIRE way today!

When they reached the inn they were staying at for the night, Shen Yuan really felt like he needed to just scream into a pillow for five minutes.

But he, Jiu-ge, and Liu-xiansheng were all sharing a fucking room.

He! And Liu-xiansheng! Sharing! A! Room!

No, right, Shen Yuan gets it, he really does. It’s for his own safety or Jiu-ge would never have allowed a third person into their room, he gets it.

But-!

When he thinks he’d been sleeping on that… body… on Liu Qingge not even two weeks ago, Shen Yuan just wants to die.

How did he do THAT!? Even if he’d been sleep deprived for somewhere between five to ten or so years… to just… just…! Argh, he couldn’t even think it without feeling like he was about to combust with embarrassment.

And right now, because Jiu-ge disappeared somewhere behind the inn with Shang Qinghua in his steel grip, it was just him and Liu-xiansheng in the room. Alone. Together.

“I-I’ll go see if Jiu-ge needs any help,” Shen Yuan said nervously, prepared to turn on his heels and leave Liu Qingge behind, but the Bai Zhan Peak Lord grabbed his arm.

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Liu Qingge said.

Oh right. Shen Yuan needs a bodyguard. Shen Yuan was screaming inside.

He gulped nervously, wondering when Liu Qingge would let go of his arm.

Instead, Liu Qingge remained standing there, holding his arm gently.

“… Have I done something?”

Shen Yuan blinked and looked over as Liu Qingge frowned.

“...What?” he asked, confused.

Liu Qingge set his mouth in a thin line and asked again, “Have I done something? To make you uncomfortable with me?” His ears were pink, and he avoided Shen Yuan’s gaze as if he felt like he really had done something wrong.

… Aren’t you the one uncomfortable with me? Shen Yuan thought guiltily.

There was silence for a moment as Shen Yuan tried to figure out what the hell Liu Qingge was talking about.

Finally, Liu Qingge explained.

“That day… on Bai Zhan. I … made you uncomfortable.”

Shen Yuan couldn’t deny it, but he’s pretty sure the uncomfortable Liu-xiansheng is talking about isn’t the same uncomfortable he was going through! Ah geez, stupid Shen Yuan! Now you’ve made Liu-xiansheng think he’s the one who screwed up!

“No-! You didn’t, I just ...” Shen Yuan’s brain completely froze as he spoke. There was no hope for him to find a good excuse.

Finally he swallowed, face turning bright red. “L-Liu-xiansheng is just … very handsome,” he muttered quietly, giving up and telling the truth.

Part of him was kind of hoping Liu Qingge didn’t hear him, though.

Unfortunately, the hand that was holding his arm froze and Shen Yuan cringed inside, not daring to meet Liu Qingge’s eyes.

The warm hand moved up from his arm to his face, gently resting along his jawline and lifting his face so that he had to look up.

Swallowing hard again, Shen Yuan braced himself as he reluctantly made eye contact with Liu Qingge. He was shocked to see that, instead of irritation or disgust, Liu-xiansheng’s eyes were uncharacteristically soft, glistening in the moonlight.

“Shen Yuan… …” Liu Qingge said, then hesitated, then sighed. He gently stroked Shen Yuan’s cheek with his thumb as he seemed to be deep in thought.

Shen Yuan couldn’t help but shiver as the calloused thumb caressed his face. Liu-xiansheng, this… it’s not good for this poor pervert’s heart!

“After this is over, I have something to say to you,” Liu Qingge finally said. “But don’t be so distant to me now.”

Shen Yuan blinked. He wasn’t sure what to think about Liu-xiansheng’s statement, and he wasn’t sure if he should be worried or not.

But … “I won’t. It will make it hard to protect me, right?” he said and smiled what he hoped was a cheerful smile, attempting to lighten the serious mood.

“… That’s not it,” Liu Qingge said seriously. “I just don’t want you to avoid me.”

Shen Yuan flushed, a pretty pale rose in the moonlit room, and he watched as Liu Qingge smiled a real, actual, smile as the Bai Zhan Peak Lord reached up to brush stray hairs from his face before Liu Qingge spoke once more.

“And I think you’re very beautiful.”

Shen Yuan’s heart felt like it had exploded. That smile was criminal, and those words were a felony.

Sure, Liu Qingge was probably just reciprocating since he’d called him handsome, but… but… … if he wasn’t… Shen Yuan didn’t have the guts to ask.

He also didn’t get a chance to.

“We will leave early tomorrow,” Shen Qingqiu said, opening the door walking into the room without warning, “And obviously, Liu Qingge will take the chair and keep watch – WHAT do you think you’re DOING?!”

Liu Qingge reluctantly pulled away from the blushing Shen Yuan, scowling as Jiu-ge tore into him in fury.

Chapter Text

The Grand Hall in TianTi was filled with an oppressive, almost nervous energy.

The delegation of TianTi’s Head Abbess and their elders sat at the head table. Opposite from them, on the other side of the hall, were seated the delegations of many other sects, quietly waiting for the inquiry to start.

At the podium nearly in the center of the room, slightly in front of the other sects and facing the TianTi delegation, stood the Qing Jing Peak Lord of Cang Qiong, with the delegation from Cang Qiong standing slightly to the side.

The other sects looked curiously at the person among them wearing a weimao and long veil, obscuring the person within.

Cang Qiong said that they would be bringing a person who was greatly concerned about the woman, Qin Judi, that TianTi mentioned in their letter, and since very few sects were made up of entirely fools, everyone knew that someone who understood what TianTi intended by mentioning that woman’s name, and the names of all the other women, was no doubt someone who was related to TianTi.

Was that veiled person… the Saintess?

“There are two matters that Cang Qiong invites TianTi Temple to address,” Peak Lord Shen said, his crisp, clear voice resounding well in the hall as he opened up the inquiry, “The first is a question regarding the treatment of TianTi’s own sect members. It may be only rumors, but Cang Qiong has reason to believe that TianTi’s treatment of their sect members may approach the limits of evil cultivation methods. Naturally, we hope to receive a more positive response that denies such an allegation, however we also stand opposed to treatment that can be considered abusive, especially regarding the person here who has brought these things to our attention.”

Shen Qingqiu gestured elegantly towards the person wearing the weimao.

“As for the second matter -”

“How dare you think to have the right to criticize our treatment of our Saintess!” One of the TianTi elder’s shouted, standing up and slamming her hand on the table.

“I dare to speak,” Shen Qingqiu said coldly, “Because this criticism also extends to the treatment of Shen Yuan, who is this Shen Qingqiu’s long lost brother.”

There was silence for a moment, during which Shen Yuan removed the weimao, and then shocked whispers broke out.

The two were far too similar, after all, nearly identical. The only difference was that Shen Qingqiu’s features made him look cold and elegant, while Shen Yuan’s were gentle and graceful.

There was also the fact that Shen Yuan, who was presumably being presented as the Saintess, was very clearly male.

The delegations from the other sects, especially the sect leaders of Zhao Hua and Tian Yi, furrowed their brows, watching the TianTi delegation carefully for their reaction and wondering what Cang Qiong was up to.

The Head Abbess and elders of TianTi were frozen for a moment, perhaps shocked that their Saintess was the Qing Jing Peak Lord’s brother, but they quickly recovered.

“Surely Peak Lord Shen jests. Are you presenting a man as our Saintess, or does Cang Qiong wish to make a fool of itself?” the Head Abbess said, but her words … felt a little odd.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t bother with responding, merely looking at Shen Yuan, who replied instead.

“This Shen Yuan also feels that such a matter is ridiculous,” Shen Yuan said softly, “And is relieved that TianTi Temple has recognized that this lowly one should not be related to it.”

“Indeed, this Shen Qingqiu is also relieved. Now that we have presented the plaintiff, and TianTi has confirmed he has nothing to do with them, Liu-shidi, please escort my brother back to Cang Qiong. Immediately.”

“Stop!”

The surrounding delegations’ bewilderment at how Cang Qiong easily backed down soon changed to suspicion at the Head Abbess’ exclamation. It was also impossible not to notice many of the elder nuns gripping the edges of the table tightly as they lurched forward anxiously.

“What is this?” Shen Qingqiu asked silkily, “Am I mistaken that you have declared Shen Yuan to be unrelated to TianTi and that Cang Qiong’s allegations about the treatment of your members are false? We, Cang Qiong, are not unwilling to admit our mistakes, however since you have spoken to one matter, it would be best for everyone’s time to dismiss it and move on to the next.”

The Head Abbess scowled. “The one who dares name himself a Saintess should be given over to TianTi’s custody for punishment.”

Shen Qingqiu’s brow twitched in irritation, but before he could speak,

“This one does not dare bear the name of TianTi’s Saintess,” Shen Yuan said testily, clearly emphasizing TianTi for all to hear, “It is TianTi who first named this one a Saintess, disregarding his own wishes on the matter.”

“This cultivator thinks too much of himself!” one of the TianTi nuns, who clearly did not believe Shen Yuan was the Saintess, cried. “How can the Saintess be male? This man is obviously unrelated to TianTi!”

“Isn’t that strange? The delegation from Cang Qiong have not said a word about Shen Yuan being TianTi’s Saintess,” the representative from Huan Hua sneered, delighting in the shocked and embarrassed looks from the TianTi delegation at his words.

“Since Shen Yuan is unrelated to TianTi Temple and even refutes the claims himself, it is not TianTi’s place to lay punishment for a crime that has not been committed,” Sect Master of Zhao Hua, Wu Chen, said sternly. “Furthermore, Cang Qiong merely wrote they were in company of a cultivator who was concerned about the safety of TianTi’s own Qin Judi in their request for an inquiry.”

“Indeed, although this Mistress might be mistaken, it almost seems that TianTi itself is assuming this Shen Yuan to be the Saintess despite Shen Yuan’s own objections. This Mistress finds TianTi’s attitude somewhat difficult to believe, unless...” Mistress of Tian Yi, Huang Biyu, narrowed her eyes, “… Unless it is actually possible for TianTi’s Saintess to be male?”

There was silence for a moment, and with some of the TianTi delegation appearing indignant and the rest appearing uncomfortable, it was difficult for the other sects to know what was the truth.

“… What are you waiting for, Liu-shidi? Since A-Yuan has no relation to TianTi, you should be quick about it and take him back to Cang Qiong,” Shen Qingqiu suddenly said, piercing the silence with an almost taunting tone. “Take him by sword. If it’s Liu-shidi’s speed, you’ll be back at Cang Qiong before the day is over.”

Liu Qingge placed a hand on Shen Yuan’s waist, ready to escort him out, but the Head Abbess finally spoke.

“It is … possible for the Saintess… to be male,” she said through gritted teeth. She knew no one would be able to catch up to the Bai Zhan War God if he went all out on his sword. And storm Cang Qiong to kidnap the Saintess back?

Might as well just commit suicide now.

It seems, from the very beginning, they had been playing into the Qing Jing Peak Lord’s hands the moment they’d been desperate enough to agree to an inquiry!

Ignoring the calls and questions from the other sects, demanding to know why TianTi had been obscuring the gender of the Saintess, the Head Abbess attempted to regain control of the situation. “However… even if the Saintess could be male, is it necessary that this Shen Yuan is the Saintess? And even if he is, is he truly Peak Lord Shen’s brother?”

The leaders of Zhao Hua and Tian Yi were a little speechless at the Head Abbess’ audacity. Now that things have gone this far, who is she trying to convince?

A quick look at the rest of TianTi’s delegation answered the question.

What was this? Did the rest of the nuns … have no idea about this? For that matter, none of them, not even the Head Abbess, reacted to the Qing Jing Peak Lord’s appearance, but he and the probably-Saintess Shen Yuan were practically identical.

It seems Cang Qiong was certainly truthful about the ‘restricted information’ part of their accusations. Now whether that restricted information causing ‘manipulation in order to coerce their disciples into taking oaths without understanding them’ part is true… …

“Whether or not Shen Yuan is the Saintess, there is without a doubt that Shen Yuan is this Qingqiu’s brother,” Shen Qingqiu declared coldly.

“… So you’re claiming the Saintess to be your brother?” a TianTi elder asked, slight sneer on her pretty face. “However the Saintess of TianTi was only a slave brat, sold to the temple fifteen years ago. Surely Peak Lord Shen isn’t implying that he himself comes from such lowly origins?”

Slave…? Through habit, Liu Qingge was able to keep his face impassive, but inside his thoughts were a turmoil. Shen Yuan was… ? Not that Liu Qingge himself cared about the status of being a former slave.

In the first place, it’s stupid for cultivators to claim they were separating themselves from mortal society when they pull ridiculous stunts like this. A cultivator shouldn’t care about the mortal beginnings of another when all that mattered was who they became now as an immortal.

But it was still a bit – a lot surprising to hear that Shen Qingqiu, who he has assumed was some bratty noble second son who enjoyed putting on airs, might have actually started out as a slave.

Liu Qingge… might be feeling a little ashamed of some rumors he may or may not have started in their disciple days.

… Wait. If the two Shens had been slaves, then Zhangmen-shixiong, Yue Qingyuan himself was - . Liu Qingge broke out into a cold sweat.

Cang Qiong itself probably won’t care, but they could never allow this news to leak out. Idiots always liked to make a fuss over the stupidest things, and Liu Qingge wasn’t about to allow any idiots to find any opportunities. Thankfully, only the Peak Lords knew of Zhangmen-shixiong’s much closer relationship to Shen Yuan than just ‘brother-in-law,’ so there was no chance of this leaking out from the disciples. But…

Liu Qingge stealthily glanced at the other Peak Lords. Of course Qi Qingqi was putting up a relaxed appearance, and Mu Qingfang had schooled his face into being completely impassive, but Liu Qingge was startled to see that even Shang Qinghua didn’t look at all surprised. Did he already know… ?

Regardless, he was relieved to see all the Cang Qiong Peak Lords present were unified to pretend that Yue Qingyuan had nothing to do with this conversation, and that Shen Qingqiu’s origins didn’t surprise them.

The only question now was… how was Shen Qingqiu, that man who personified pride itself, going to deal with this clear malicious intent to slander his reputation?

“My, for TianTi Temple to look down upon what the Heavens deemed worthy. It almost makes me think that the Saintess doesn’t hold such a precious place within your sect,” the clear, smooth voice of Shen Qingqiu said, completely without hesitation or tremor. “I am indeed fortunate that Cang Qiong values ability and skill over the mortal pedigree that is of no consequence to an immortal.”

… Of course. Liu Qingge forgot. The man might have a pride that rivals the Heavens, but Shen Qingqiu has always been quick to throw his pride to the ground in order to protect those he truly cares about.

The TianTi elder ground her teeth. “How dare you -”

“To call the Heaven’s favored child, your very own Saintess you swore to protect, a slave brat, I don’t believe it was possible for me to interpret that any differently?” Shen Qingqiu said, casually fluttering his fan in front of his face. “Come now, we both understand that speculation is useless. We have already conducted a blood test at Cang Qiong. If TianTi doubts the authenticity of our Qian Cao Peak, we are more than willing to test before the assembled delegations. No matter how many times you need. Huan Hua, Zhao Hua, and Tian Yi are welcome to perform the tests themselves, even.”

The entire TianTi delegation trembled in rage. Or at least, those who knew Shen Yuan was, without a doubt, the Saintess, did. The others just sat there radiating uncertainty.

Honestly, Huan Hua, Zhao Hua, and Tian Yi didn’t feel like they needed to do the blood test. It was obvious just looking at them! Even that sharp tongue, although not quite as barbed on Shen Yuan, was the same!

But, this situation is a little troublesome.

First of all, TianTi refuses to acknowledge Shen Yuan as the Saintess, and yet they also keep referring to him as if he was the Saintess. This really is a whole new level of ‘uncooperative’ from TianTi, making the conversation difficult to continue.

Second, even if they ignored the fact that TianTi has clearly been dishonest with … a lot of things, it would be difficult to clearly say who should have custody of Shen Yuan. If Shen Yuan is truly the Saintess, certainly, they would say that TianTi had the right to take him back to protect him. However, he was also a Peak Lord of Cang Qiong’s relative, who has complaints about his treatment at TianTi’s hands.

Not to mention, TianTi has never made themselves likable. It wasn’t difficult for the other sects to have a bad impression of them and prefer to side with Cang Qiong.

However, although Cang Qiong clearly wanted to display their relations with Shen Yuan before the other sects, in the other sects’ eyes, this matter is mostly a fight between Cang Qiong and TianTi. Their opinions about if Shen Yuan was the Saintess, or who got to take custody of him were largely unnecessary for any sort of resolution.

Or rather, their presence were irrelevant for any sort of resolution.

At any rate, it’s the second matter that all the other sects had assembled concerned about.

Sect Master Wu Chen cleared his throat.

“Since TianTi Temple appears to be reluctant to clearly state their stance on this first matter, perhaps we should move on to the second,” he said.

A strange mood suddenly descended in the hall as an ugly murmur began to circulate among the TianTi delegation, and it seemed that a dark tension began to fester among them.

“… And what is this second matter? What does Cang Qiong or any other sect have to say about TianTi’s own oaths? Surely you are not expecting us to reveal the details of our oaths,” the Head Abbess said, calmly folding her hands and placing them on the table as she ignored the other nuns.

Shen Qingqiu narrowed his eyes.

This was where the true fight began.

“Naturally oaths to the Heavens should be kept sacred,” he said, “However, in order to understand your treatment of your Saintess, whoever that may be, perhaps you would be willing to assuage our worries.”

The Head Abbess calmly looked directly at him. “What about our oaths?” she asked, “What would you like me to answer?”

At that, an outcry rose from her fellow TianTi nuns.

“Head Abbess! How can you let outsiders question our oaths!?”

“Head Abbess! How dare you, do you not have any shame?!”

Voices of condemnation rose one after another from the TianTi delegation, directed towards their own sect leader, that had the other sects looking at each other in confusion.

Shen Qingqiu furrowed his brows. As much as he’d like to think he was just imagining it, he felt a premonition that weren’t going to go according to plan today.

Apparently the Head Abbess had the same feelings.

“Enough!” she barked, glaring steely-eyed at her own delegation. “If our treatment of the Saintess and our dedication to the Heavens are being questioned, we merely need to show that we are above reproof!”

There were some nuns who seemed to agree with the Head Abbess, some who glared at her furiously, and many who seemed to have no idea what was going on.

Suddenly, a nun with bright purple eyes and long hair tied in two ponytails at her nape stood up and turned to face the Head Abbess aggressively, completely ignoring the surprise from the other sects.

Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua suddenly sat up a little straighter, narrowing their eyes and staring at the nun warily.

Was there something about her…? At both of their unnatural attention, Liu Qingge also became alert, muscles tense as he watched the drama playing out in front of them.

“So this is your answer, Head Abbess? To choose to betray the Temple and the Heavens by answering to outsiders?” the purple-eyed nun demanded.

The Head Abbess wrinkled her brow in displeasure. “I am not the one airing our troubles before others,” she snapped, clearly attempting to shut this conversation down, but the purple-eyed woman threw her head back and laughed.

“Isn’t it better that we have an audience?” she sneered, “To witness the new era of TianTi?”

All of a sudden, armed TianTi nuns leapt from their seats or flooded in from the corridor.

Chapter Text

At the sudden appearance of hostile, armed, TianTi nuns, the delegations from the other sects leapt to their feet with shouts and curses, preparing to defend themselves.

Both Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua panicked at the impending chaos, faces pale, as they shouted, “Do not draw your swords-!”

Liu Qingge and Qi Qingqi’s hands fell away from their hilts instantly.

Mu Qingfang hadn’t moved to grip his yet, always preferring to observe the situation first before deciding on his course of action, and so he simply avoided his sword and went for his needles straight away.

However, it was obvious that the cultivators from the other sects wouldn’t listen to them. Even if there were a few people here or there who heard and hesitated, more people had already drawn their swords.

And in the next second, they had all lost control of their swords.

The woman with purple eyes smiled bewitchingly, but her eyes held dark shades of uncontrollable ambition as she waved her hand and clenched it into a fist, a dark purple light glowing from her palm.

As if in response, the swords flew from their owners’ grasps and abruptly about-faced, menacing their original owners.

“What are you doing!?” TianTi’s Head Abbess shrieked in fury, leaping from her seat, intent on reaching the woman, but some of the nuns barred her way, blades directed towards her.

At the same time, some of the TianTi elders leapt up at the Head Abbess’ defense, but they didn’t dare draw their swords, making a poor show of it.

Shen Yuan swore loudly in his head as he reached into his sleeve, nervously fingering the bamboo leaves he’d plucked from Jiu-ge’s bamboo grove.

Stupid novel, stupid Airplane!

Why the fuck is wife 231 here? And as a newly appointed elder?!

Binghe’s fourteen right now! How old was she when – nevermind, not only does Shen Yuan not have time for this, he also doesn’t really want to think about it.

Yin Lanhua was a TianTi elder who inherited the ability to control swords in order to protect the Saintess by slaying ‘her’ enemies through her Heavenly Pact. Although she misinterpreted her Pact to be an oath to protect TianTi’s purity in following the Heavens’ will rather than the actual Pact.

When he asked Airplane about how the mechanics of controlling swords worked in a cultivation world, “Uh, well, it’s something like sword resonance…?” But of course, since it’s Airplane, it doesn’t work anything like sword resonance.

But Lanhua was the one who slew the Saintess, wasn’t she? Believing that the Saintess was at fault for the decline of TianTi and the strange behaviors of the Head Abbess, she made her own faction within TianTi and enlisted Binghe’s help to fight against the nuns, killing the Saintess with the Head Abbess’ own sword.

Unexpectedly bringing down the Heavens’ Condemnation from breaking her Pact, she was the only nun who survived the Mark of Condemnation because Binghe papapa-ed it into remission. Nevermind the innocent Saintess she slew or the city and towns she got demolished in the Heavens’ Wrath.

Well, she was immediately discarded for wife 232 at the end of her arc, since she was still cursed by the Heavens and felt so guilty she disappeared from Binghe’s sight, with wife 232 there to comfort him in her stead.

But ah… … in Airplane’s plot she sought to relieve the Head Abbess of her burdens with the faulty Saintess in order to bring prosperity to TianTi, so why is she now conducting an uprising?!

As Shen Yuan stood tensely, confused thoughts running through his head, Yin Lanhua shouted out towards the other TianTi nuns, as if trying to rally them to her.

“TianTi has fallen from Heaven’s grace thanks to the Head Abbess’ loss of integrity and the protection of the faulty Saintess! If we wish to regain the favor of the Heavens, it is time to purge TianTi Temple of the blight and usher in a new generation for TianTi’s honor!”

Her purple eyes flashed in excitement as she swung her arm in an arc, causing all the swords in the room to dance before the swords suddenly turned inwards towards the center of the room.

Pointing at Shen Yuan.

Ahaha… so she really does dare to strike down the Saintess despite the messed up plot. That was all Shen Yuan had time to think before many things happened all at the same time.

In the time it took Yin Lanhua to swing her arm downwards, Shen Qingqiu roared out a, “You dare-!” as he threw all elegance out the window to leap furiously at her while brandishing his fan, the Head Abbess shrieked, “Stop this!!! Stop this at once! You don’t know what you’re doing!!!!” as she also scrambled towards Yin Lanhua while completely ignoring the blades attacking her, the nuns on Yin Lanhua’s side attacked the Head Abbess and her supporters with Pact abilities and blades, and the delegations from the other sects yelled in outrage while trying to regain control of their swords.

And then Yin Lanhua’s arm was down, and the swords sped directly towards Shen Yuan.

With a curse, Shen Yuan drew his fore and middle finger on his right hand from his sleeve just in time to bring the bamboo leaves out to swing as a whip, deflecting a sword or two, but realistically, against actual spirit swords…

Crack! Whack! Bang!

Swords fell to the ground as Liu Qingge’s arms struck out in a blur. Non-spiritual swords were shattered on impact, while spiritual swords were knocked askew and almost seemed disoriented.

“Qi Qingqi-!” he shouted, and the Xian Shu Peak Lord sprinted forward, causing a small shockwave as she stomped onto the ground, hard enough to crack the flooring. With an almost graceful whirlwind motion, she exploded her qi outward to destabilize the swords flying in her direction.

With Liu Qingge protecting one side completely, Shen Yuan felt safe enough to turn his back and focus on catching the swords that flew through Qi Qingqi’s defensive line with his bamboo leaf whip.

Outside the ring of swords, Shen Qingqiu had closed in on Yin Lanhua, only to be stopped by some TianTi nuns wielding their own Pact abilities, and he was forced to dodge as the serpentine dragon made of water and lightning attacked him.

Behind him, shrieking and cursing constantly, Shang Qinghua scrambled along, dodging fireballs and spikes flying by as he installed formation plates around the TianTi side of the hall. Ah … why did he write these powers to be so nonsensical?! There’s nothing that can actually negate powers bestowed by the Heavens!

With the last plate in place, he called, “Shen-shixiong!” before activating his increased gravity array, causing mass shrieks as unprepared nuns were dragged to the ground, Shen Qingqiu barely managing to dodge out of the array at the last minute.

A nun who was clearly an inferior Storm ripoff flew at him, lightning building up in her hands, and Shang Qinghua squeaked, took a stance, withstood the lightning with his cultivation, and double-palmed strike-d her across the hall. With the qi build up, it was practically a kamehameha blast-! Not that he could tell Cucumber Bro without being accused of plagiarism again.

Unfortunately, Yin Lanhua managed to dodge the gravity array as well, and although Shen Qingqiu was chasing her with his fan at the ready, she was a cultivator with a golden core as well, and her abilities were amplified by the power the Heavens bestowed on her.

It seems she hadn’t expected her coup to fail, nor for Cang Qiong to step in, but xiao-jie, you’re fucking aiming for our Shen Yuan!

Even now, with her pupils dilated in panic, she cried, “At least… the undeserving Saintess-!” and manipulated the remaining swords to focus on the attack on Shen Yuan again, quicker, fiercer, and with more desperation.

For the first time ever, Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua resonated, their voices bellowing, “ “ You DARE-!?” “ perfectly in sync.

But even as Shang Qinghua rushed towards her from the ground and Shen Qingqiu flew at her from above with a powerful leap, Yin Lanhua put on an impossible burst of speed.

“Even if TianTi falls, I shall at least be rewarded!” she cried, a manic light in her eye.

Shen Yuan finally understood.

Yin Lanhua wasn’t a misguided woman who sought to protect her sect. Whether it was killing the Saintess or usurping the Head Abbess, all of her actions stemmed from a megalomania that SHE, not the Saintess, was the Heaven’s favored one. Perhaps she targeted the Head Abbess after understanding that the Saintess’ requirements were too unknown to ensure that she’s the next Saintess.

But Shen Yuan didn’t have long to ponder it as the swords flew in on him again. This time, Yin Lanhua had gathered them all on one side, trying to break through at least one of Shen Yuan’s defenders’ guard.

And again, it was Liu Qingge’s broad back that stood between him and the swords.

Although Liu Qingge had been able to deflect all the swords from his side up until now, with all the swords converging at once on him, even the Bai Zhan Peak Lord was unable to deal with all of these spirit swords without a sword of his own. He grunted as he blocked the swords he couldn’t deflect or destroy with his own body, ignoring Shen Yuan’s cry of horror.

Suddenly, Liu Qingge’s eyes widened and his brows furrowed angrily. Until now, the blades have all had simple trajectories, allowing him to aim for their broad sides as best he could, but this one… dodged around him, aiming true for Shen Yuan!

Instinctively, Liu Qingge understood that this blade was Yin Lanhua’s own spirit blade.

A flutter of leaves swirled around him, trying to protect Liu Qingge from the remaining blades, but that meant Shen Yuan was …

Without the slightest hesitation, almost without thinking, Liu Qingge growled and grabbed Yin Lanhua’s sword by its blade, ignoring how the powerful spirit sword cut into his hands, and used every ounce of strength in his body, trying to stop it, divert it, anything.

Finally, with a powerful twist exerted from the tips of his toes throughout his entire body, Liu Qingge managed wrench the sword from it’s course, but he watched, horrified, as it still sliced across the side of Shen Yuan’s face.

A line of blood dripped down Shen Yuan’s cheek as Shen Yuan stared, wide-eyed, at the blade that had just narrowly missed stabbing through his head.

Even as Yin Lanhua made a wild leap towards her sword, desperate to pull it out of the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s grasp, Liu Qingge snarled and kicked her solidly. Fiercely. With all his strength.

She flew through the Hall and into the main complex of TianTi’s Temple, destroying walls in her wake.

The swords she had been controlling fell to the floor.

“Fucking finally,” Shang Qinghua said, sinking to the ground with a sigh.

“… I hope TianTi can give us an explanation.”

At Sect Master Wu Chen’s stern words, the delegations of both Cang Qiong and TianTi turned. They had forgotten about the other sects, but … the other sects’ swords were currently lying on the ground.

Some of them were broken from where Liu Qingge had snapped them in one blow, but such flimsy swords weren’t spirit swords, at least, so Cang Qiong could still afford to compensate for them, Shen Qingqiu thought, but then he remembered that it was technically all TianTi’s fault and he should begin planning how to shift every last blame onto them.

“Indeed. Please explain why your sect has decided to assassinate my brother,” Shen Qingqiu sneered, deliberately ignoring the obvious in-fighting among the TianTi nuns.

While some of the other sects had fled the carnage, many were still present and had been trying to recall their swords. Now, with Yin Lanhua finally defeated, they were successful, and the mass of swords returned to their owners one after another.

The owners of these swords were more than a little displeased, and they also began to glare towards the TianTi delegation, demanding answers much more insistently than they had during the inquiry.

As voices began to rise, Liu Qingge ripped the four or five swords stuck in him out of his flesh, allowing them to return to their owners unimpeded.

“Liu-xiansheng, you… you-!” Shen Yuan gave a soft cry of dismay as his gentle hands clasped Liu Qingge by the arms so he could look him over.

“You are also injured,” Liu Qingge said, brows furrowing in his disappointment at failing to keep Shen Yuan safe, but Shen Yuan made a noise of exasperation.

“How can this be compared to -! Mu-dafu, please-!”

“Yuan-er is right,” Mu Qingfang said, retrieving his needles from a few hapless nuns who had been paralyzed with his precise acupuncture with a wave of his hands and a tug of his qi. “Liu-shixiong should be more mindful of not making more work for this shidi.”

Suddenly, there was a noise from the direction of the destruction Liu Qingge had caused.

“… For real?” Shang Qinghua groaned, watching as a battered and barely standing Yin Lanhua tried to totter back towards them.

Instantly, Qi Qingqi, Liu Qingge, and Mu Qingfang stood in front of Shen Yuan warily, and the people from other sects quickly sheathed their swords.

“No… I can’t… I have to...” Yin Lanhua began to mutter rapidly, like a raving lunatic, but suddenly, Shen Yuan gasped, his eyes fixed on Yin Lanhua’s right hand.

A noxious smoke began to rise from her palm, and Yin Lanhua stared at it in bewilderment before she started screaming.

A pale blue, glowing mark was rapidly transformed into a hideous, black one that seemed to boil and fester under her skin.

The Tian Yi Mistress widened her eyes. “The Mark of Condemnation-! Then… it truly was a Pact with the Heavens-!”

She had just barely finished saying that when a crack of angry thunder sounded, sending everyone except for Shen Yuan to the ground in a kneel.

Heavenly Thunder!

Once, twice, three times – at the end of the third powerful rumble, Yin Lanhua’s scream became even shriller, higher, and full of panic as the noxious smoke surged up her arm and engulfed her – in an instant, she was transformed into a lifeless, dried up husk, her mouth open in an eternal scream.

As everyone looked upon the eerie scene, a single voice broke the silence.

“… What has she done?” the Head Abbess whispered, collapsing and burying her head in her hands.

Overhead, the ominous rumbling hadn’t quite stopped.

Chapter Text

Suddenly, screams broke out and rang through the hall.

All of the TianTi nuns – most of them, anyway – collapsed to the ground, each clasping various parts of their body as their Pact Marks boiled into Marks of Condemnation.

Shen Yuan stood there, stunned.

Even though the Heavens certainly favor the Saintess, it wasn’t like the Heavens would zealously protect him. After all, if he died, they’d just bestow their blessings on another person. It has happened with Saintesses in the past, and it will happen in the future.

But he did understand why Yin Lanhua had been struck down.

Not only did she break her Pact by actually drawing blood from him, she used the very abilities given to her by the Heavens through the Pact to do so. It was inevitable for the Heavens to take offense at her transgression against them, no matter how Shen Yuan ended up afterwards.

It wasn’t the first time Shen Yuan had thought the Heavens were fickle.

But for the Heavens to condemn every nun who had a Pact in TianTi … the Head Abbess’ decision to execute TianTi ‘traitors’ aside, she and her supporters sought to keep TianTi prosperous while imprisoning the Saintess in the Temple. Not only would the blessings from the Saintess’ performances be centered around the temple, they wouldn’t have to work too hard to keep the Saintess safe.

Of course, it doesn’t work as well when there are other factions within the temple that are trying to kill the Saintess, but…

Regardless of the Head Abbess’s methods, which she actually inherited from the cruel and vicious methods from Head Abbesses for several generations, she had no intentions of causing the Saintess bodily harm, and held strictly to the letter of the Pact, and she actually understood it.

So why had the Heavens condemned them?

Shen Yuan noticed the Marks of Condemnation were smoldering much more slowly on the TianTi nuns than it had on Yin Lanhua, and if he didn’t know that the Heavens didn’t care one bit about the emotions of those living in the lower realms, he’d think that the Heavens had shown them the result of Yin Lanhua’s condemnation so that they could dread their impending doom.

Shen Yuan suddenly shivered as he realized what was going on.

The Heavens were rescinding every Pact they made with TianTi. Completely.

So that no one could inherit any Pact from TianTi, the Heavens planned on erasing the traces of TianTi from the Human Realm.

It was the true … destruction of TianTi Temple.

Another loud rumble of Heavenly Thunder sounded and the ground shook so badly that Shen Yuan toppled over, the ceiling above cracking and the walls shifting horribly.

This was… oh fuck, oooh fuck, this was… it was actually happening.

“Shen Yuan-!”

Still somewhat dazed, Shen Yuan looked up to find Liu Qingge shielding him from debris and the rest of the Hall descending into a chaos far beyond the earlier coup of TianTi.

“It’s the Heavenly Wrath!”

“Evacuate the civilians, quickly, leave TianTi at once!”

“… Huan Hua has already run off-!”

“Those despicable, no-good, gold-mongering, worthless -!”

He could hear yelling coming from all over, including Jiu-ge cursing loudly and angrily at how quick Huan Hua fucked off as soon as they noticed things were going poorly. Although the Huan Hua delegation still had a questionable chance of survival despite trying to flee immediately.

But it’s not like anyone could do anything. Not about the Heavenly Wrath, nor about the nuns writhing on the floor, some who were undoubtedly innocent of anything that went on in TianTi Temple. Even those not present were likely experiencing this. Including Qin-nigu.

Suddenly, Shen Yuan felt so, so tired.

He didn’t need to come here. He could have hidden at Cang Qiong forever, happily living with Jiu-ge, Qi-ge, Liu-xiansheng, Airplane Bro … all of the Peak Lords and adorable disciples. Even if he was found out, it would be impossible for TianTi to touch him.

But what would happen to TianTi? What about the innocent women who were tricked into the oaths? Would they continue to kill their sect members until he returned? Would they do something drastic to hide their misdemeanors? And was the threat of Heavenly Wrath ever truly gone even if they couldn’t get to him on Cang Qiong?

So he came to TianTi. He came in hopes of forcing the factions within TianTi to appear, and forcing the Head Abbess to finally acknowledge everything he’d warned her about almost constantly for fifteen years. To end this as peacefully as Jiu-ge would allow. And yet, thanks to one fucking arrogant bitch, the absolute worse thing he’d feared was happening, and there was nothing anyone could…

… No, probably only one person present could do anything.

---

To be honest, Shen Qingqiu didn’t think this would happen.

No matter what, he was confident that five Peak Lords and Shen Yuan himself could keep any assassin from killing Shen Yuan, and although he had underestimated the abilities the TianTi nuns had been bestowed, they had successfully kept Shen Yuan alive.

The Heavens usually don’t care about the process as long as the result is according to their will.

Since Shen Yuan wouldn’t die, there would be no Heavenly Wrath.

That’s how it should have gone.

“Qi-shimei! Mu-shidi! Go assist our disciples! Shang-shidi! Get it together-!” he snarled, barking orders as he slapped a shielding talisman on Shang Qinghua, who hadn’t stopped cowering since the first Heavenly Thunder rumbled through the sky.

As he unsheathed Xiu Ya and prepared to follow his martial siblings out of the Grand Hall, Shen Qingqiu’s fan was tugged out of his hand.

“Jiu-ge, I’m going to borrow this.”

Shen Qingqiu whirled around, grabbing Shen Yuan’s wrist before the brat slipped out.

“What are you doing?!” he hissed.

“I have to stop this,” Shen Yuan said calmly, looking his brother in the eye.

“You-!” Of course. Of course A-Yuan would be like this. “There’s nothing you can do! Obediently return to Cang Qiong! Liu Qingge-!” Shen Qingqiu snarled, calling for Liu Qingge. Surely the brute can get A-Yuan to stop being difficult if anyone can.

“Jiu-ge.” Shen Yuan stood firmly, resisting Shen Qingqiu’s attempts to move him. “Don’t stop me. This is all because of me, after all.”

Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth angrily.

The ground was roiling as if it was a stormy sea as Heavenly Lightning struck randomly across TianTi City, and the Heavenly Thunder continued to peal across the sky like brass wardrums powerfully beaten by a giant, rendering those without golden cores and those who were caught unprepared unable to move from the powerful aura.

“This is not your fault! Listen to me-! Liu Qingge, take him back-!” Shen Qingqiu shouted.

“Jiu-ge-!” Shen Yuan attempted to pull out of Shen Qingqiu’s iron grip, only to back into Liu Qingge.

Shen Yuan looked back at him, eyes pleading, as Liu Qingge placed a hand on his shoulder.

Looking down, Liu Qingge looked Shen Yuan right in the eye and hesitated, his brows knit together thoughtfully.

“… Can you do it?” he finally asked, biting out the words as if he was giving up his soul by opening his mouth.

“I… can. I have to.” Shen Yuan’s eyes were fierce, his mouth set in a firm line.

After a moment, Liu Qingge nodded, although a bit reluctantly. “Where do you need to go?” he asked quietly. “I’ll take you.”

“Stop! Shen Yuan! Liu Qingge!” Shen Qingqiu snapped as Liu Qingge ignored his injuries and swept Shen Yuan into his arms and onto Cheng Luan. He stood in front of them, arms outspread. “Don’t you dare-!”

“We might not even survive this. He’s the only one who can do anything,” Liu Qingge snapped, cutting the Qing Jing Peak Lord off.

“There’s nothing that can be done-! We need to evacuate!”

“Jiu-ge!” Shen Yuan’s eyes were determined, even if his voice was pleading.

Shen Qingqiu’s chest heaved as he thought wildly for any way to dissuade his brother. Truthfully, he knew. Shen Yuan would be the only person they could even dream about being able to do anything. But compared to the lives of the mortals and cultivators outside, Shen Qingqiu would rather prioritize his brother.

“The Heavens won’t target Shen Yuan,” Liu Qingge said. “It hasn’t struck anywhere near here all this while.”

“But the Heavens haven’t prevented the damage from reaching here!” Shen Qingqiu snapped. “They won’t prevent a building from falling on him!”

“That’s why we’re here.” Liu Qingge looked pointedly at Shen Qingqiu before shooting off on Cheng Luan with Shen Yuan in his arms, dodging around the Qing Jing Peak Lord.

Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth, swore under his breath, and drew Xiu Ya, chasing after them.

---

Qi Qingqi ran through the streets, but she already knew evacuating all the citizens was a hopeless cause.

She, the Peak Lord of Xian Shu, was already having a difficult time running under the might of the Heaven’s Wrath, nearly falling every time the lightning struck the ground, gauging craters the size of buildings, and the pressure of the thunder made it difficult to even maintain standing.

Ordinary mortals have no choice but to cower on the ground, waiting to die by lightning or by collateral damage.

However, only Huan Hua or the truly powerless sects would dare run away from their duties as cultivators to protect the mortals from demons and other cultivators.

And unfortunately, this Heaven’s Wrath is something that’s categorized as being related to cultivators.

For now the Heavenly Lightning was concentrated mostly at TianTi’s temple, but the city was already in ruins purely from the aftershocks. She was thankful that the Grand Hall was mostly untouched, but …

Suddenly, the Heavenly Thunder stopped.

Qi Qingqi whirled about to look. She wasn’t the only one.

An eerie silence descended on TianTi City, and all heads turned.

There, atop a miraculously still-standing building, a slender figure in white was dancing with a single fan.

Once one looked at him, they were unable to look away, completely enthralled by the figure atop the rooftop.

Even Qi Qingqi, a powerful cultivator, had become enthralled. Not just by the beauty of the dance. There was a powerful aura wrought by the spiritual energy overflowing from the world, converging on the figure, that compelled them to watch, making it impossible for them to look away.

Ah, she thought absentmindedly. He really does dance like Lanqi.

Atop the roof, Shen Yuan gritted his teeth with the exertion.

Unlike the other times he’d performed, whether playing music or dancing, the connection to the world and the ensuing enlightenment didn’t come easily.

Of course. This was technically a land that the Heavens are rejecting, without caring for the denizens of the lower realm that were still upon it. How could it be easy to commune with it?

As he fought the wayward energies of the land through the Heavens’ rejection, he forced himself to dance as if there was no hindrance. Not a trace of his pain and distress showed in either his expression nor his actions.

Graceful, sweeping movements. Sure, firm steps. Light fingers that caressed the fan.

He had never concentrated so hard in either life before.

Luckily, the Heavens ‘favored’ him. More like, they were properly intrigued, or perhaps amused, by his antics. Although they didn’t retract their condemnation, they temporarily halted the thunder and lightning.

He couldn’t give them a poor showing.

He swayed and turned, like a leaf caught in the current, sweeping his arms carefully, turning the fan in a perfect circle.

A threatening rumble, much less oppressive than the other Heavenly Thunders, rang throughout the city.

As if in answer, Shen Yuan directed his movements towards the sky, sweeping the fan upwards in a graceful arc, tilting his head beseechingly towards the sky.

Another rumble.

Shen Yuan willed all the spiritual energy overflowing about him to support him, allowing it to surge through him, mingling with his own qi and dispersing it through the fan to soar in a misty arc towards the sky. It was his answer once again.

A rumble. An answer. Another rumble. Another answer.

Back and forth they went, and Shen Yuan soon lost track of all time.

Then, a small bolt of lightning cracked in front of him, at his feet, causing Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge to leap to their feet from where they were watching, hands tightening around their hilts.

Jiu-ge, Liu-xiansheng, there’s no need.

This Shen Yuan has no intention of losing his life. He will take responsibility for this land and the lives of the nuns, but refuses the burdens of their sins against the Heavens. Therefore, he will be able to withstand it.

As he danced, he traced out his response, and the Heavenly Thunder gave a rumble of acquiescence.

All of a sudden, at least to everyone else, the Heavens opened and a thick concentration of Heavenly Lightning appeared.

Jiu-ge was yelling something, not that Shen Yuan could hear it over the buzz of the energy surrounding him and the terrifying power above him. In the corner of his eye, he could see Liu-xiansheng’s pale face, even as the Bai Zhan Peak Lord stopped Jiu-ge from running forward to throw himself over him.

Shen Yuan was relieved. Liu-xiansheng trusted him. He might be upset, he might want to stop him, but he decided to wait.

He would wait until Shen Yuan said he needed him. Shen Yuan’s heart fluttered a bit at the thought, before he forced himself to calm down and concentrate.

With a sweep of his arm, lifting the fan up in a graceful arc, Shen Yuan brought the open fan to meet the condensed lightning in the sky above.

The surroundings had become quiet as everyone watched the Saintess, unable to tear their eyes away, but the instant the lightning met the fan, a low sound exploded, followed by a flare of light so bright that no one was able to look.

The entire world was white. Not sight nor sound existed.

Then, suddenly, the light exploded into spiritual mist, and a shockwave of power spread out from where the Heavenly Lightning struck the fan.

The shockwave caused people, buildings, even the very mountains to tremble under its force.

Only Shen Yuan could remain standing, perfectly straight, arm trembling so imperceptibly that no one except for Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu noticed it.

As the Heavenly Lightning diffused into the shockwave, raining intense showers of spiritual power about TianTi City, Shen Yuan rotated his wrist gracefully, twirling the fan in a small circle above his head. He then swept it down again, flourishing it down and across his body before bringing it up to cover his face from the side, other hand braced against the outer edge of the fan, palm out.

His legs extended before coming to rest, one foot angled perfectly in front of the other. And then …

Snap.

The instant he snapped the fan shut, the atmosphere lightened immediately, and sound returned to the surroundings.

The oppressive aura of the Heavens, the sense of condemnation of the land itself, had disappeared.

A sharp gasp resounded throughout the streets of TianTi City as everyone suddenly realized they’d been holding their breaths.

“...The Saintess...”

No one knows who started it first, but the people in the streets began to kowtow, all facing towards the Saintess.

There was no other reason they could have survived; that figure, that Saintess, the one who the Heavens loved dared to face the Heaven’s Wrath and ply for their mercy. No one else could do it. That person was undoubtedly the Saintess.

Even the immortal cultivators felt their legs weaken at the sight of a single person deflecting the entirety of the Heaven’s Wrath with a folding fan.

But then, the slender figure in white swayed unsteadily and fell.

“A-Yuan-!” Shen Qingqiu finally charged forward as Shen Yuan collapsed, but indeed, very few people could beat the cultivators of Bai Zhan in a purely athletic contest, let alone the Peak Lord of Bai Zhan.

He was already by Shen Yuan’s side even as Shen Qingqiu shouted.

As Shen Yuan fell into his arms, Liu Qingge finally allowed his worry, anger, and frustration to show on his face.

Liu-xiansheng, it’s okay. I’m just tired. Shen Yuan tried to speak, but his vision was already blurring.

He’d really overburdened himself this time. Wonder how long he’s going to be out.

As Shen Yuan slipped into unconsciousness, he couldn’t help thinking, Well crap.

Jiu-ge’s probably going to want to murder me when I wake up.

A gentle but frantic hand touched his forehead and strong arms tightened around him in panic, but Shen Yuan couldn’t stay awake any longer and fell asleep, unconscious to the world.

Chapter Text

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he woke up, but not seeing Jiu-ge hovering over him was a surprise to Shen Yuan.

As he slowly sat up, he saw Liu Qingge stir, leaving his spot next to the wall to approach his bed - “Cucumber Broooo-!”

Shang Qinghua flung himself at the bed, cutting Liu Qingge off.

Shen Yuan flinched in annoyance. The An Ding Peak Lord’s frenetic energy was on the verge of giving him a migraine.

Airplane. Bro. He JUST woke up.

“… How long was I out?” Shen Yuan asked, holding a hand to his table. “Is everyone alright?”

“Bro! Everyone’s okay-! Two days-!” Airplane crowed, completely out of order, then amended, “Well, everyone from Cang Qiong’s okay. The uh… city suffered a bit, so some people were… and uh … the nuns were...”

Shen Yuan knew it would be impossible to save everyone, but it still… it still didn’t feel good.

“Shang-shixiong, please calm down. This is a building being used for medical purposes.” Mu Qingfang’s calm, even voice came from behind Shang Qinghua, and the Qian Cao Peak Lord gently moved (shoved) Shang Qinghua to the side.

Shen Yuan obediently let Mu-dafu take his pulse.

“… As I thought, you’ve recovered nicely,” Mu Qingfang said. “You were just exhausted, so sufficient rest was all that was needed. Rather, I’d say your cultivation has increased. The Heavenly Lightning in Heaven’s Wrath isn’t much different from that in a Heavenly Tribulation, after all.”

“Thank you, Mu-dafu. Sorry for troubling you,” Shen Yuan said, but Mu Qingfang gave a small frown and rapped him lightly on the head.

“What sorry?” he softly chided, “Yuan-er shouldn’t apologize when there’s nothing he needs to apologize for.” Mu Qingfang sighed, and his gaze seemed somewhat fond, but also somewhat troubled.

Very soon, Mu Qingfang excused himself in order to tend to the many victims from the Heavenly Wrath.

Although Shen Yuan had stopped the Heavens before lightning started to strike the rest of the city, it was impossible for the repercussions of the lightning striking the temple repeatedly to avoid spilling out into the city. The buildings closest to the temple had mostly all collapsed, and many other buildings throughout the city were partially collapsed.

Most of the pavement had been destroyed, jagged ground replacing the smooth walkways.

It was inevitable that many had been injured, and many had died.

“… What happened to TianTi?” Shen Yuan finally asked.

“Uh…” Shang Qinghua scratched the top of his head. “Well, the nuns are … they’re all alive, but uh… I kind of wonder if some of them wouldn’t have preferred to die. Since they’re all… uh… cursed.”

Well, Shen Yuan had been expecting that. He didn’t dare, or care to, take over the nuns’ sins against the Heavens, so there was bound to be something leftover from the condemnation.

“It seems to be, like, related to what their Pacts were. Like, some of them who shot fireballs from their hands have paralyzed hands, some are blind… the Head Abbess is mute and deaf now.”

Shen Yuan sucked in a breath.

It was … a bit harsher than he expected.

“But, ah, of course that’s not good enough for the other Sects. And Shen-shixiong. After all, they’ve been committing acts that evil cultivators do, killing off members in order to have other members inherit their Pacts and, you know. Add that to purposefully confusing their sect members about the contents of their Pacts and uh, imprisoning the Saintesses of the past against their will, or uh, well, presumably against their will, and uh… well, the Head Abbess and five other elders are going to be publicly executed.”

Shen Yuan was silent for a moment before he leaned back in his bed and closed his eyes.

“… I feel a little sorry for the Head Abbess,” he finally said.

“Really, bro?” Shang Qinghua said, eyebrows cocked into a judging look.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think she deserves everything that’s coming to her. She ruined so many people’s lives, after all. But I pity her. She was actually frustrated, upholding the traditions and laws of the Head Abbesses that came before her while beginning to doubt their methods.”

“But she still killed people. Or had people killed.” Shang Qinghua kind of thought the woman was a monster.

“… It almost makes it worse. Killing and imprisoning people for something you’re not sure you believe in instead of something you’re committed to.” Shen Yuan sighed. He pitied the Head Abbess, but he would never, ever excuse her for all the things she’d done. If she had just decided to think about things, or listened to what he said, maybe all of this could be averted.

Honestly, her mediocre tyranny exasperated the decay of TianTi’s order. If she had finally given in and admitted TianTi’s methods and goals were wrong, she could have reformed TianTi. If she had instead decided to continue the role of a fierce tyrant like the previous Head Abbesses, she could have stamped out any dissent or dissatisfaction the other nuns might have had.

Instead, she muddled through, lukewarm, making many question her authority and leadership, and allowing factions with very differing views to sprout up like new grass after the rain.

“Well I guess that’s why she gave in so easily,” Shang Qinghua muttered. “Right after everything was over and the nuns’ Marks of Condemnations turned into curse marks, the Head Abbess requested paper and wrote down an entire confessional. Everything from the conception of TianTi, to how they gradually changed their goals, how the Pacts worked, how they promoted female superiority so they could control their sect members easier, all the people they’ve killed … it was pretty long. By the way, she admitted you were the Saintess this entire time. But I don’t think anyone was really doubting that...”

Right. Because that ship’s long since sailed after the stunt he pulled…

Shen Yuan made a face. “What’s going to happen about that?”

Shang Qinghua also made a face. “With your Jiu-ge, what can happen? Anyway, most everyone either agreed or was too terrified of Shen-shixiong to say they didn’t agree when he said you deserved to live however you wanted and that you were going to join your family on Cang Qiong. Of course Huan Hua disagreed, saying Cang Qiong shouldn’t get to hog the Saintess, but Shen-shixiong said, ‘Oh, did you want to try risking the Heaven’s Wrath by forcing the Saintess,’ and they shut up pretty quick.”

“… The Heaven’s Wrath doesn’t work like that,” Shen Yuan had to say. “They probably won’t care at all without people breaking Pacts being involved.”

“Not like Huan Hua knows that,” Shang Qinghua quipped happily. “They booked their asses out of here so fast before, that they completely missed the meeting where Tian Yi Overlook divined the reason the Heavens were pissed wasn’t because wife 231– er, Yin Lanhua scratched the Saintess but because they’ve been mighty displeased with TianTi for several centuries now. You getting injured because of a Pact holder was just the last straw.”

Shen Yuan was kind of surprised they bothered to do a divination, but in retrospect, not knowing exactly what triggered the Heaven’s Wrath would be terrifying for everyone.

“Zhao Hua and Tian Yi agreed to keep quiet about that information, though,” Shang Qinghua continued. “There would be less people who’d aim for you if they think the Heavens got angry because you got scratched. And, ah, they were pretty pissed about Huan Hua deserting, so when the Huan Hua delegation came back, claiming they were just ‘worried about the surrounding towns’, we all decided not to tell them about it. Shen-shixiong was pretty pleased about THAT.”

“Where is Jiu-ge now?” Shen Yuan asked.

“Dealing with “business”” Shang Qinghua said, complete with air quotes, so Shen Yuan decided not to ask. It was probably about compensation and restoration, and Shen Yuan couldn’t care less.

All he cared about at this point was that everyone was safe, he wasn’t going to be aimed at, and they could all return to Cang Qiong Mountain peacefully.

Right when he was about to ask Shang Qinghua about when they could leave, a quiet knock sounded at the door.

It probably wasn’t Jiu-ge; Shen Yuan thought he wouldn’t bother knocking.

Liu Qingge quickly crossed the room, from where he’d been waiting for Shang Qinghua to finish ‘official business’, standing warily next to Shen Yuan. He glanced at Shang Qinghua, who squeaked and rushed over to the door.

“Who is it?” the An Ding Peak Lord asked.

“This humble one is Qin Judi.” A soft woman’s voice replied through the door.

Exchanging looks with Liu Qingge, Shang Qinghua opened the door, revealing a gentle-looking woman, being carefully guided by another woman. Both of them were wearing TianTi’s sect robes, but only the gentle-looking woman had a curse mark, imprinted in the irises of her eyes.

The other must have been an outer disciple, or else a low-ranked inner disciple, who had never had the chance to make a Pact, and was thus spared of the curse.

“Qin-nigu-!” Shen Yuan almost got out of bed in a fluster, but a gentle hand pressed down, keeping him seated.

… Liu-xiansheng, this Shen Yuan is alright, though? He just needed sleep, and now everything’s fine?

Then Shen Yuan suddenly realized.

Qin-nigu’s curse mark was two marks in her irises. She came here being guided by another person.

“Oh… your… you’re...” Your eyes, Shen Yuan wanted to say. He felt like he wanted to cry.

Even though she had carefully raised him, protected him, and then risked her life to help him run away and then refused to tell the others where he was, because she was a Pact holder and part of TianTi… …

Because of her divination ability, the Heavens have taken Qin Judi’s sight.

“Silly child,” Qin-nigu said fondly, hand reaching out as she approached the bed. “Where is your face?”

Shen Yuan quickly took her hand, placing it on his cheek and letting her caress it gently.

“You’ve grown so big…” Qin-nigu said with a smile, “I’m so proud of you.”

Tears spilled from Shen Yuan’s eyes.

“Qin-nigu… because of me, I … you…”

Qin-nigu tried to gently rap him on the forehead, similar to Mu Qingfang’s, but because she couldn’t see, she nearly tapped him in the eye.

Of course, Shen Yuan didn’t complain.

“How can this be because of you? Silly child, you had no say in any of this,” she said, lifting her other hand, groping about until both hands were on the sides of Shen Yuan’s face, where she gently squished his cheeks. “You were just a child when I took you to TianTi, denied any contact with others outside of me and your tutors, and had to escape when foolish women tried to kill you. How are you responsible for the Pacts, or the curse? You simply saved all of our lives. How can this be because of you?”

Liu Qingge couldn’t help but nod in agreement, although the nun couldn’t see him.

He was beginning to understand how Shen Yuan turned out like this, so much gentler than Shen Qingqiu, when this woman was the one who raised him.

“I was so happy to hear you still had family. I am sorry I separated you from your brother,” Qin-nigu said. “If I had known …” she suddenly trailed off unnaturally.

Among the list of people killed were the families of the Saintesses who opposed the Saintesses’ complete isolation from the rest of their family.

“… No, perhaps it was better I hadn’t,” she finally said. “He has become an impressive person, so much more capable of protecting you than I could. I … don’t think it would have been for the best if he was brought to TianTi.”

Then, feeling the tears rolling down Shen Yuan’s cheeks, she gave a troubled smile and chided, “Silly child, you didn’t even cry so much when you were young, why are you crying now? You had no hand in the turmoil, but everyone who is alive is alive because of you. It is a happy thing, a happy thing. You shouldn’t cry…”

Shen Yuan nodded, placing his hands on hers even as she held his face.

“Qin-nigu,” he said, struggling to keep his voice even, “What are you going to do now?”

One of Qin-nigu’s hands gently turned around to hold Shen Yuan’s hands.

“Why should the child worry about this able-bodied woman? Just because she’s blind doesn’t mean she won’t be able to live,” she said, but then she hesitated, feeling Shen Yuan’s trembling.

“I will tell you a secret,” she said at last. “Although I enjoyed raising you, living in TianTi, fearfully following the Head Abbess’ rules and laws and terrified of the Pact I’d made was just as much of a curse. These eyes? It’s just trading one curse for another. However, with the Heaven’s curse, at least I am free to do as I please.”

Qin-nigu sighed as Shen Yuan’s hands tightened around hers. “So you see, I don’t mind this blindness. In the first place, I was also guilty of not listening to you sooner, not daring to speak out and defend both you and the true Pacts. These eyes are the price for being too cowardly. But in exchange, I was also granted freedom. So believe this Qin Judi. No matter what might happen in her future, your A-niang is so, so very thankful to her Xiao Ertong.”

“What Xiao Ertong,” Shen Yuan grumbled, but he couldn’t help but smile through his tears.

A-niang.

He hadn’t dared call her that before, afraid that she might be punished by the Head Abbess, but apparently, his feelings towards Qin-nigu, towards his A-niang, hadn’t gone unnoticed by her.

After a little while longer, Qin-nigu and her helper left the room to retire for the day. The curse had also greatly weakened the Pact holders’ cultivations, and many of the nuns were visibly frailer than a normal cultivator would be.

Watching the door close behind the two women, Shang Qinghua fidgeted for a moment.

“I… uh… I think Mu-shidi or Xiu-shimei might need an assistant… or… haha, you know, maybe I could too… you know, I’m just going to go talk to Qin-nushi,” he babbled as he quickly exited the room, running after Qin-nigu and her aide. Presumably about bringing her to Cang Qiong.

Shen Yuan almost rolled his eyes even as he was rubbing the remnants of his tears from his face. Qin-nigu would probably not be able to do much as an assistant for An Ding, you stupid hamster, he thought. But … he would be happy if she could come back with them to Cang Qiong.

He would be happy to be able to live together with his … A-niang.

Chapter Text

There was only Liu Qingge in the room with Shen Yuan, and it was very silent.

Without Airplane Bro being his spazzy self in the room, it was only natural that the room felt a lot quieter.

“...You’re alright?”

Shen Yuan looked up, blinking in surprise. “Yes? I just needed some sleep,” he said, smiling as reassuringly as he could.

It looks like he’d worried Liu-xiansheng pretty badly.

Suddenly, Shen Yuan was pulled into Liu Qingge’s arms, the Bai Zhan Peak Lord cradling him gently.

“Liu-xiansheng?” Shen Yuan squeaked.

“I’m just relieved,” Liu Qingge murmured, practically whispering into Shen Yuan’s hair, making him blush.

Yeah, Shen Yuan had worried him terribly. Even though he knew what he was doing, he hadn’t got a chance to mention it to Jiu-ge or Liu-xiansheng, but despite that …

“… Thank you,” Shen Yuan said quietly.

Liu Qingge glanced down, his eyebrows somewhat furrowed.

“For what?” he asked.

Shen Yuan squirmed a little bit, burying his face in Liu Qingge’s shoulder. His red ears, though, were visible to Liu Qingge.

“For … listening to me. And believing me when I said I could do something.”

“You were the only one who could,” Liu Qingge said with a frown, a little confused.

“… But there wasn’t any guarantee, and I couldn’t explain anything at the time, everything was happening so fast.” Shen Yuan’s hands clenched a bit as he thought about everything that could have gone wrong in that moment. “And Jiu-ge was doing everything he could to stop me, but you …” Shen Yuan couldn’t think of anything less corny to say, so he just stiffened and muttered, “You trusted me, so it made me relieved.”

Even though he knew Jiu-ge might try to stop him at, well, any point during the entire ordeal, Shen Yuan felt reassured that Jiu-ge wouldn’t actually be able to interrupt him with Liu-xiansheng there as well.

… ? Shen Yuan realized that Liu Qingge had gone still all of a sudden.

“… Liu-xiansheng?”

Liu Qingge suddenly tightened his grip around Shen Yuan, holding him much more closely than before.

Wait-! This is… this is a little too close!

Pressed up so tightly to Liu-xiansheng’s body, Shen Yuan was far too aware of the definition of Liu Qingge’s chest even through both of their robes.

He had just been trying to say how appreciative he was for Liu Qingge’s trust, and right now, he was breaking it because of pervy thoughts!

Finally, Liu Qingge started to pull away, slowly, a little reluctantly.

“You’re worth trusting,” he said, and planted a light kiss on Shen Yuan’s temple.

Both of them froze in surprise.

Wait, why is Liu-xiansheng surprised? No, more importantly, did he just – why did- ?

?!?

As Shen Yuan started panicking, Liu Qingge sighed and tucked Shen Yuan’s hair behind his ear, taking the opportunity to stroke the side of his face gently.

“… I said I had something to tell you. After this was over,” Liu Qingge said, and Shen Yuan’s heart started thumping wildly.

He’d … he’d kind of forgotten about that, but Liu-xiansheng, you want to talk about it now!?

This wasn’t… Shen Yuan wasn’t ready for this! He had no idea what to expect, but whenever someone said they had to talk, it was usually a bad thing, right?

He was a little afraid to meet Liu-xiansheng’s eyes.

“Shen Yuan, would you allow me to court you?” Liu Qingge asked, watching his face carefully.

“… What?” Shen Yuan said cleverly. His eyes were like dots as he tried to process what Liu Qingge just said.

Who what when now?

His brain literally could not. Just… could. Not.

“I would like to court you,” Liu Qingge repeated patiently, “With the intention to become cultivation partners.”

“Why… why me?” Shen Yuan asked weakly, “Why would you want to… to… with someone like me?”

Liu Qingge furrowed his brows, clearly not understanding Shen Yuan’s confusion. “I like you because you’re you,” he said matter-of-factly.

“No, I mean...” Shen Yuan struggled to figure out how to express himself. “Y-you’re the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, and I’m … I’m just a kid from the streets who grew up in complete isolation.”

Liu Qingge couldn’t help the look of absolute disbelief as he looked at Shen Yuan, the one and only Saintess in this world.

Unfortunately, Shen Yuan was too embarrassed and was looking at his hands to notice, twisting them in his lap nervously as he continued to speak.

“L-liu-xiansheng is also very handsome,” he said, a little miserably, “I am just … I mean, Liu-xiansheng … people would say there are better options for Liu-xiansheng.”

“You are one of the most beautiful people I’ve seen.”

Shen Yuan looked up, his eyes full of disbelief, but Liu Qingge held his gaze firmly. He fully believed it and had no shame at admitting it.

“And no one else has any say in who I choose to like,” the Bai Zhan Peak Lord continued on to say seriously, determined to put an end to this ridiculous idea that Shen Yuan could somehow not be ‘good enough’ for Liu Qingge to love.

The very idea made Liu Qingge irritable.

“Well that’s...” That’s true, Liu-xiansheng doesn’t have to answer to anyone when it comes to who he likes, Shen Yuan supposes, but…

“Shen Yuan,” Liu Qingge suddenly said, “If it’s because you don’t want to, it’s fine for you to tell me.”

That’s-! No, that’s not true, no wait, it is, but, but…!

“Am I unacceptable?” Liu Qingge asked.

Shen Yuan shook his head furiously, still blushing, but not wanting Liu Qingge to get the wrong idea.

No! He didn’t not like him, he actually really liked him! Like, a lot! … Wait. He liked Liu Qingge, he knows he does, but … like … that…?

Wait. Waitwaitwait.

Think about it, Shen Yuan, just because this is a guy you can trust and enjoy being with, that doesn’t mean you’re attracted … … wait. Sure, he’s really hot and you’re into that, but you don’t want to take advantage of … but he says he likes you… ? Wait. Wait.

… Huh? Is there… actually not a problem?

“… Sorry,” Liu Qingge said, causing Shen Yuan to look at him in confusion. “This might have been too soon. Forget i-”

If asked later, Shen Yuan would say he hadn’t been thinking clearly, but even though he was too confused to feel comfortable saying ‘yes’ … somehow, he really, really didn’t want to reject Liu Qingge. Instead, he grabbed Liu Qingge by the front of his robes, pressing a chaste kiss to the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s lips before pulling back, just as startled as Liu Qingge.

A beautiful smile crossed the War God’s face, and Shen Yuan felt his heart fluttering into his throat.

Liu Qingge leaned in, and Shen Yuan closed his eyes.

Swish-!

? Instead of the feel of Liu Qingge’s lips against his, Shen Yuan felt a breeze go by instead.

When he opened his eyes, he looked to his right and saw a folding fan, smoking with lightning sparking from it, embedded into the wall.

Considering the trajectory, it must have flown through the space Liu Qingge’s head had previously been occupying.

Full of dread, Shen Yuan turned his head creakily to look to his left.

There, still in the pose of having thrown the fan with all his might, was Jiu-ge. He … uh… he didn’t look happy.

… Wait a second.

Shen Yuan turned again to look at the fan.

“J-Jiu-ge, that fan … isn’t something you should be throwing at people,” Shen Yuan said faintly.

Don’t joke around! That’s the fan Shen Yuan used to resist the Heavenly Lightning!

With the conflicting spiritual energy taken in from the surrounding realm and Heavenly Lightning fighting and refining each other within that fan, that fan is definitely considered a Heavenly-Grade artifact now!

That’s not something you throw at your martial siblings!

Oh god. Did Shen Yuan just give Jiu-ge this world’s equivalent of a nuclear bomb? He loves Jiu-ge and all, but …

While Shen Yuan panicked inside, Liu Qingge, who had dodged the fan by leaning back swiftly, scowled angrily at Shen Qingqiu.

“What are you doing?” he growled.

“What are YOU doing?!” Shen Qingqiu hissed furiously. “Get your filthy hands off A-Yuan! I leave you to go deal with those Huan Hua fools, and you dare take these liberties!?”

“Jiu-ge, please calm down-”

“Quiet, you!” Shen Qingqiu snapped. “You brat, you always do whatever you want without listening to me, but you’d better listen to me now! Don’t you dare let this brute touch you!”

… It’s a good thing Shen Yuan knows Jiu-ge loves him. Right now, Jiu-ge’s so mad, he’s not watching his words at all.

As Shen Qingqiu retrieved the Heavenly-grade fan, he snarled while purposefully reaching in between Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan, releasing a wave of qi for good measure to force Liu Qingge to separate from the bed.

With a huff, opening and fluttering the dangerous fan in front of him, Shen Qingqiu settled himself on the bed, fussing over Shen Yuan and glaring warningly at Liu Qingge to keep him away.

Shen Yuan was a little disappointed, but it would be better to let Jiu-ge fuss. He needed a chance to think about what just happened, and he’d be able to give Liu Qingge an answer later.

… He couldn’t help but feel his answer might be somewhat positive.

Yeah, Shen Yuan definitely should wait until Jiu-ge’s not around to talk with Liu-xiansheng.

Unfortunately, Shen Qingqiu seemed to have a sixth sense that something was up, and refused to leave the two of them alone.

In fact, he was not just refusing to leave them alone, Shen Qingqiu was purposefully inserting himself between them. Once or twice, and Shen Yuan would have been annoyed but let his brother be crazy, but every single moment of every single day?

Jiu-ge… weren’t you supposed to be the reasonable one out of you and Qi-ge?

Finally, when they were only a few more days away from Cang Qiong by carriage, Liu Qingge snapped from Shen Qingqiu’s overzealous antics.

“Shen Yuan, come here,” he said, pulling out his sword.

Shen Qingqiu, who had been discussing the night’s plans with the disciples, Mu Qingfang, and Shang Qinghua, whirled around immediately, just in time to see Shen Yuan’s attempt to stealthily sneak over to Liu Qingge’s side.

“Shen Yuan! Don’t you dare -!” he shrieked, but before he could do anything about it, Shang Qinghua stopped him with a desperate move.

“Shen-shixiong! I had … I had questions about … the resulting economics changes you … uh… discussed with Huan Hua!” he cried, Qi Qingqi right next to him with a firm grip on Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder.

Shen Yuan thought he saw Qi Qingqi wink as Liu Qingge swept him off his feet, shooting towards Cang Qiong as fast as the Bai Zhan Peak Lord could go.

It didn’t even take an hour, the speed nearly making it impossible for Shen Yuan to breathe, but Cang Qiong was soon in sight.

They flew to Qiong Ding… and kept going. Where were they going …? Bai Zhan Peak came into view.

“Shizun! Shen-daozhang!” the Bai Zhan disciples were ecstatic to see them flying overhead, but … the disciples hesitated to flag them down.

Was it just their imagination or was Shizun looking a bit… … they watched as Liu Qingg ignored them, continuing to fly with an intense focus all the way to his residential house higher up on the Peak, Shen-daozhang in his arms.

Maybe… they should just leave them alone for a while.

The Bai Zhan disciples traded looks and pretended they hadn’t noticed a thing.

Liu Qingge didn’t stop even when he reached his house, stepping off Cheng Luan and directing it to sheathe itself with a quick sword sign.

He didn’t put Shen Yuan down until he had entered the house, closing the door behind him.

“Liu-xiansheng-” Shen Yuan said timidly, a bit bewildered and windswept, but before he could say anything else, Liu Qingge had pulled him close once again, kissing him breathless. Finding the angle not enough, Liu Qingge placed a hand at Shen Yuan’s nape, cradling the back of his head and deepening the kiss.

Shen Yuan’s mouth was licked, his teeth were traced, and his lips were nibbled as Liu Qingge devoured him, kissing him so fervently that Shen Yuan’s knees grew weak. It was a good thing that Liu Qingge had a firm hand around his waist, or Shen Yuan was certain he’d be on the floor already.

When Liu Qingge finally pulled back, both of them were panting, faces flushed and lips red from their intense activity.

“Your answer?” Liu Qingge asked, his voice a bit low and hoarse.

The sexy sound sent a shiver up Shen Yuan’s spine, and it took him a while to understand what Liu Qingge was asking.

He blushed even redder and clumsily wound his arms around Liu Qingge’s neck.

“Yes,” he said, then pulled his new lover into another kiss.

Chapter Text

The triplet nuns from Tian Yi Overlook were only young disciples at this point in time, not yet the busty fairies that fell into Luo Binghe’s arms in a certain Peak Lord’s previous life’s story.

The three lounged in their room, discussing the events that had occurred just a little over a month ago.

“To think that one of the ‘righteous’ sects could be so misled,” Ju Mengtao frowned, shaking her head.

“That which is bestowed by the Heavens, one should not covet,” Ju Mengli agreed, shaking her head.

“Especially keeping such a beautiful man locked up, what a tragedy,” Ju Mengmei sighed, shaking her head.

“ “Indeed.” “ Mengtao and Mengli said, nodding emphatically.

The three had been present at TianTi’s downfall, brought by their Sect Mistress, who wanted to show them that, although women cultivators couldn’t let themselves be pushed around, it also wasn’t good to put on airs like the TianTi nuns.

Thanks to that, they got to witness what was probably the most terrifying moments of their lives.

If it wasn’t for that lovely Saintess – no, Saint-gege, it was questionable if they could have survived.

For all those present, TianTi’s ruin was a lesson to them all.

The nuns that were not executed for their grievous crimes had been scattered, unable to bear remaining within TianTi.

Those who had not been cursed, and were largely unaware and uninvolved with TianTi’s crimes, went and quietly joined other sects or returned to their own families.

Those who were cursed … their futures were insecure. The curse mark would forever reveal their crimes, and no sect was willing to take in someone who had angered the Heavens.

“Saint-gege’s dancing was so beautiful. I bet even Ling-jie couldn’t dance that well,” Ju Mengli sighed.

That dance that assuaged the Heavens and drove back the lightning was imprinted in their minds forever.

“… By the way, did you see how Peak Lord Liu placed his arm around Saint-gege’s waist?” Ju Mengtao whispered.

“I DID. And then, he was the one who caught Saint-gege when he collapsed, carrying him so carefully-!” Ju Mengmei squealed.

“Don’t you think… maybe there’s something … going on there?” Ju Mengli said conspiratorially.

“There has to be,” Ju Mengtao said confidently, “Did you see how close they were when they got into the carriage to return? Even rich heiress’ guards don’t attend to their charges so closely!”

Suddenly, Ju Mengmei leapt to her feet, digging out a certain book that the three sisters had been sharing.

“Don’t you think this basic story … is the same?”

The book she held out was The Sinking Willow, one of the, ahem, books that they got from the exchange they had with Cang Qiong’s Xian Shu Peak.

It wasn’t something they could read in polite company.

“The young heir being raised as a girl, who runs away when the second wife aims for his life, being rescued from wolves by a strong and silent general who was traveling anonymously and falling in love… oh, it does sound similar!”

“Actually, I read it while picturing Peak Lord Liu as the soldier and Saint-gege as the young, naive heir,” Ju Mengmei said smugly.

---

“Liang-xiansheng...”

Liang Guangli swallowed.

Young Master Chen’s eyes were glassy and his face was slightly flushed, his rosy lips parted slightly so that Liang Guangli could see the tip of his pink tongue.

“Young Master,” Liang Guangli managed to say, “You’re not in your right mind.”

He cursed the sex pollen field the Young Master had fallen into as the Young Master writhed in his lap.

Young Master Chen’s hand gripped onto Liang Guangli’s robe, resisting Liang Guangli’s attempts to move him.

“Please,” he whispered, “I feel … so hot...”

Liang Guangli’s mouth went dry as Young Master Chen’s robes slipped, revealing a perfect, milky shoulder.

“Please…”

Liang Guangli’s self-control snapped.

---

Picturing her favorite scene with Peak Lord Liu and Saint Shen playing the roles of the male leads, Ju Mengtao had to wipe the drool from her mouth. The elegant and gentle Saint Shen and the quiet but fierce Bai Zhan War God were perfect for Young Master Chen and General Liang! Her sister was a genius!

“I see it!” she said excitedly, “But I thought this one was closer, the young man that disguises himself as a dancing girl, and the emperor’s guard who discovers him and has to rescue him from the brothel mistress’ schemes.”

---

As the blade sliced near the girl’s cheek, the veil fell, and Head Guard Li froze.

A straight and delicate nose and perfect lips accompanied those large phoenix eyes, and the most elegant face he’d ever seen.

It was a beautiful face, but unless Head Guard Li was being very rude, it appeared … this gorgeous dancing girl who had captured the Emperor’s attention was actually a man.

He didn’t know why he let the man go against his better judgment, against his duties, but Head Guard Li couldn’t bring himself to arrest or kill the man.

Instead, he approached the man, reaching out to caress the swan-like neck, down over the porcelain collar bones.

A fire lit up within him as the man’s breath hitched, and there was a barely noticeable tremor reacting to his touch.

Head Guard Li wanted to take him right there, in the hallway, throwing those pale legs over his shoulders and …

---

“The brothel mistress was certainly like the Head Abbess,” Ju Mengli said with a cough, as if she hadn’t been thinking of a raunchier portion of the novel, “Wanting to keep Juhua imprisoned and then use him to gain benefits from the Emperor. But what about this one? The young man raised in a secret realm by the Heavens as a fairy maiden, and the immortal cultivator who frees him from his cage?”

---

Finally…

Liao Fangjie reached out, no longer impeded by the array that kept this bewitching fairy imprisoned within it.

His hands caressed the skin that was smoother than jade, so much more perfect than he had imagined.

“Liao-xiansheng!” Qiang cried, “Your injuries – nngh!”

Finally. Liao Fangjie fiercely plundered those gorgeous red lips, licking as if he wanted to taste every last corner of this beautiful man’s mouth, his hands exploring the man’s body, the silk robes pooling at the man’s ankles.

“Ah-!” Qiang gasped.

---

The triplets were silent for a moment as they fantasized various scenes from various books, replacing the leads with Peak Lord Liu and Saint-gege.

“… Wait a second,” Ju Mengmei said all of a sudden. “Isn’t the author of these books all the same?”

Sure enough, when they compared the books, the author’s signature was all the same.

“This person is a genius!” Ju Mengli shouted excitedly. “Do we have anything else by Liu Su Mian Hua?!”

Chapter Text

He remembered her. Just a woman being used by those men who beat him daily. A whore who threw aside her dignity in order to live.

He never considered her ‘Mother.’ She never considered him ‘Son.’

He knew she birthed him, but she never gave him anything more than that.

Not food, not affection, not even acknowledgment.

That an ordinary whore and an abusive thug who ran a gang and used children beggars, selling the children as opportunities arose, had somehow given birth to a street brat with robust spirit veins like he had was a miracle.

The first time he’d demonstrated qi, he’d become frightened by the calculating looks those men gave him, and then his Qi-ge tackled him, begging him to never demonstrate it again.

There were uses for brats that had spirit veins but no backing. Evil cultivators were always happy to get new materials, after all.

No matter how much he was beaten, he never showed it again.

A fluke, the men said. Just a hallucination. Shouldn’t have drunk so much.

Hah! If the bitch really birthed a cultivator, maybe they should just sell her to someone as a cauldron!

But malnutrition kept that woman from giving birth successfully again, so the men eventually forgot about it.

For many years, she either couldn’t conceive or lost the child prematurely.

Until one day…

“Brat, be filial for once and deal with her.”

He had been thrown into the dark, dank room, full of the smell of blood.

That woman was giving birth. There was so much blood. Should there be so much blood?

He was too dazed, too frightened, to know what he should do, and he just stood there as the woman huffed and groaned, seemingly unwilling to scream out loud.

When the wail of a newborn finally rent the air, he somehow knew.

She didn’t have long to live.

“A-Yuan, my Shen Yuan,” she whispered, weakly managing to sit up and pick up the newborn, falling from her complete lack of strength.

He watched as she protectively cradled the baby, and then her eyes rested on him. “Big brother… big brother will … take care of A-Yuan …” She was clearly delirious, otherwise she would never smile at him like this, nor act like she ever saw him.

With trembling hands, he took the baby, his little brother, and she lifted a hand in an attempt to stroke his hair, but it fell, lifeless, as she expired in a pool of her own blood before he could ask her what he should do, how to take care of a baby … or if she had a secret name for him, too.

Dazed, he fled the room that now smelled of blood and death, and cradled the tiny baby in his hands.

“What happened? You’re covered in blood … who is that?” Qi-ge asked, alarmed as he ran out of the house.

He took a breath, tried to calm himself. “Sh-shen Yuan,” he said. Then he drew his mouth in a tight line. “This is Shen Yuan,” he repeated, “And I … am Shen Jiu. This is my little brother.”

They were now both Shens. Just like Qi-ge’s name was secretly Yue Qi.

---

Blinking awake, Shen Qingqiu realized his head was lying on Yue Qingyuan’s lap. His Qingyuan was gently stroking his hair.

“Qingyuan.”

“You’re awake. What were you dreaming about?” Qingyuan asked, smiling tenderly down at him.

“Hm...” Shen Qingqiu just hummed, remaining silent for a while before he spoke, “What was A-Yuan’s name back then? The one I never called him with?”

His Qingyuan made a sour face, but still answered him all the same. “Yi-san,” he said, saying it like it was a dirty word.

“Hmph. They couldn’t even bother giving him a real number,” Shen Qingqiu said, annoyed.

They sat in silence, he still lying on his Qingyuan’s lap. His Qingyuan continuing to stroke his hair.

“Why are you thinking about that?” his Qingyuan asked, worry starting to crease his brow.

Shen Qingqiu lifted a hand and pressed up, trying to keep the wrinkles down.

“It wasn’t bad memories,” he said. “Although, it might not be good memories either.”

They really couldn’t be called good memories, but they were the memories of his precious brother being born. Memories of Qi-ge protecting him. Memories that, for better or worse, made up the person he was now.

“… By the way,” his Qingyuan said, obviously changing the topic away from the memories he was uncomfortable with, “I heard that Liu-shidi is officially courting Xiao Yuan.”

Shen Qingqiu scowled, the delicate, melancholic mood disappearing in a flash.

“That brute-!” he snarled, while his Qingyuan just laughed.

Chapter Text

Liu Qingge awoke to a presence sneaking in through his window.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he pretended to still be asleep.

There was only one person who’d do this on Cang Qiong, and he didn’t really understand why it was always through the window, but he didn’t mind the visit.

Not at all.

As the person slipped into his bed, Liu Qingge shot out an arm, catching the intruder around the waist and pulling him into his chest.

Shen Yuan barely managed to stifle a shriek as the man he thought was asleep captured him without any trouble.

“H-hi-?” he stammered, blinking those gorgeous green eyes, a little embarrassed.

Liu Qingge merely placed a hand behind Shen Yuan’s head and kissed him on the temple. “Hi,” he said once he was done.

Shen Yuan blushed beautifully, giving Liu Qingge a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth before burrowing into the covers and into Liu Qingge’s chest, trying to hide his embarrassment.

There was silence in the room for a few moments as Liu Qingge enjoyed the sensation of Shen Yuan in his arms.

“… Won’t Shen Qingqiu be angry tomorrow?” he finally asked.

He felt Shen Yuan stiffen for a moment before he said, “… I sleep better this way.”

That wasn’t really a good answer, but Liu Qingge just smiled and tucked Shen Yuan’s head under his chin. They’ll deal with Shen Yuan’s Jiu-ge tomorrow.

Moments later, Liu Qingge shifted and looked down at Shen Yuan with narrowed eyes.

“… Weren’t you going to sleep?” he asked.

Shen Yuan looked innocently back up at him and continued to tangle their legs together, rubbing his shins against Liu Qingge’s legs. A slender hand snuck under Liu Qingge’s robes, caressing his side and abs.

“Shen Yuan,” he growled warningly, but Shen Yuan just snickered and brought his other hand into play.

Liu Qingge tossed aside his self-control, swiftly rolling over on top of Shen Yuan and pinning those misbehaving hands to the bed.

“You’re asking for it if you keep this up,” Liu Qingge said, his voice slightly deeper than normal, causing a shiver to run up Shen Yuan’s spine.

Despite being flushed completely red, Shen Yuan’s eyes stared straight at Liu Qingge, glistening in mischief.

“What if I mean to … ask for it?” he asked.

Liu Qingge went rigid for a moment, eyes tracing the pretty blush that extended down Shen Yuan’s slender neck, and the sharp collarbones peeking out of his slightly loosened sleeping robes.

This man was so…

Liu Qingge fiercely leaned forward to erase that smirk, capturing those pale pink lips with his own, and kissing the bewitching tempter within an inch of his life as his hands roamed that smooth and slender chest.

Bringing Shen Yuan into his life has turned it completely inside out, but Liu Qingge doesn’t regret a thing.

Chapter Text

After the events in Meet Cute it would probably turn into a Moshang+LBH story, but I’m not going to write it because I don’t have the capacity to. I initially wanted to write a different SVSSS fanfiction, but while still in the planning stage I got the idea for Meet Cute, figured it was shorter and easier to write, and decided to bang this one out first.

I ended up working out some details, like how the Peaks relate to each other, exactly how ‘separate’ I want the mortal and cultivation societies to be, how to wrangle any sort of working cultivation system out of Airplane’s gibberish, etc, through this story, so I think it was a good idea…

But because I really wrote Meet Cute just to be a Liushen story, and anything after this would overlap with the story I’m still planning out in my head, this is sadly where this AU ends.

… Well, I did do some mental exercises and think about what might happen from hereon, though. (I am nothing if not inconsistent) :/

First of all, LBH is definitely still going to be enchanted by SY because … uh … Binghe. But unlike canon, he’s more obsessed with LQG/SY’s relationship than just SY himself, believing their relationship to be the ‘ideal’ relationship. Basically, he wants to be like LQG, both as a person and as a lover, and swears he’ll become strong, reliable, and find someone like SY to have a romance like theirs.

Which, the Liushen in this AU is made up of rainbow kisses and pixie dust, so Bingmei is aiming for ‘unrealistic fairytale romance’ territory.

This basically sets the tone for the rest of LBH’s story as his expectations and reality clash constantly due to his expectations being unrealistic as well as him being half-demon, not only in his relationships but also in his expectations for who he is.

Since he’s living a happy life on An Ding, LBH will be much slower to embrace his demon side, and his tendency towards violence and aggression will scare him.

Plotpoint 1: Immortal Alliance Conference/Endless Abyss

After the Immortal Alliance Conference, where the Endless Abyss will open but with less death because MBJ is literally just there for LBH, he’ll end up kidnapped by MBJ, who sees him as SQH’s adopted son and decided to make sure to raise him as a decent demon too. This means lots of trips to the Endless Abyss (if MBJ can portal there) and lots of tasks to subdue the Northern Demon Realm’s inhabitants.

With SQH’s frequent stops by MBJ palace, partially to make sure LBH is okay and partially to yell at MBJ, LBH will realize SQH has known he was a half-demon this entire time.

LBH will have a really hard time (mentally), but eventually become attached to SQH/MBJ despite rough patches (mostly with MBJ), and begin wondering if his birth parents had a similar dynamic. Despite (reluctantly) accepting them as something like parents, he’s pretty unimpressed with MBJ’s attempts to court SQH. Also, SQH’s obliviousness.

LBH will start and struggle with his romantic relationship during this period as well

As for LBH’s romantic partner, I have two candidates depending on if we want more intricate plots or more intricate character building. (And if we’re avoiding OCs)

For a more intricate plot, I suggest Gongyi Xiao. Huan Hua Palace won’t stay quiet, and their power hungry tendencies that have already been alluded to will inevitably rear their heads. With GYX, we can set up some conspiracies within HHP. Anyway, after the Immortal Alliance Conference, GYX is on the run from HHP for some reason – found out something he wasn’t supposed to, started asking too many questions, or maybe even the OPM making indecent passes at him and then framing him in order to drive GYX back to him (mirroring the shit he pulled with SXY) – and he makes it to the edge of the demon realm and gets taken in by either SQH or LBH. Which means he ends up at MBJ’s palace.

For more intricate character building … Sha Hualing, I choose you! This is basically LBH’s romantic existential crisis, because SHL is the FARTHEST from LBH’s ideal, and she would HATE that sort of sweet fluffy relationship Liushen have in this AU. This would really focus on LBH’s frustrations with his demon side, as she’d bring out his vicious, violent, and possessive sides. It wouldn’t be quite a love-hate relationship, but LBH/SHL will definitely be a frenemy/rival romance, having tons of emotional and sexual tension. They’ll never actually be ‘together’ until LBH finally accepts his demon side and all the emotions and urges he thought were detestable.

Plotpoint 2: Huan Hua Palace

Maybe OPM might try something with SY, but realistically, there’s no real reason for him to mess with the Shens at this point. SQQ hasn’t done almost anything he was accused of, his background as a slave is already out in the open, and LBH isn’t his disciple. Also, the Bai Zhan War God and the World’s Strongest Cultivator are behind the Shens, so it’s basically suicide to attempt anything.

Chances are he’ll go down the ‘get rid of LBH’s Shizun’ route, so Airplane Bro, you’re it. Since I’d assume MBJ and SQH’s relationship is very secret and impossible to detect, at least by HHP, the only thing they’d be able to fake-trial SQH with is … uh … writing porn? And QQQ will be very much defending him about THAT.

Chances are they’ll set SQH up for something or other, or try to frame him. Luckily Cang Qiong and MBJ have his back. SQQ may not like him all that much, but he is SY’s best friend, so it’s unleash SQQ pt 2.

Plotpoint 3: Outing Moshang to the Peak Lords

Once they find out, SY will admit he knew, but then spin it out to be an overdramatic Romeo/Juliet style relationship.
Bonus points if SQH still hasn’t figured out MBJ is courting him.
All the Peak Lords will eventually politely pretend nothing is happening as long as MBJ doesn’t appear before them on Cang Qiong. Maybe they’ll be more cautious, but in the end they’ll just accept SQH falling in love with MBJ, and assume that’s why he took LBH in despite knowing he was a half demon.

Xin Mo: I have done no thinking about Xin Mo whatsoever.

Tianlang-jun: … I dunno. Maybe we just leave him under the mountain. He’d find it ironic that his son is being ‘raised’ by a demon/human pair, though.

Bingge vs Bingmei: Whatever happens, Bingge is going to return and be unable to look OG!MBJ in the eye for WEEKS after finding out Bingmei considered MBJ something like a father.