Chapter Text
Bian Yanmei was freezing.
He was returning from an important business transaction, on Yan Wushi’s orders. But of course, to his luck, the “business transaction” turned out to be a bit messier than he first intended. He got injured during the fight -nothing major, but he still had to keep his spiritual energy in check to avoid bleeding out- and he was left without a carriage in the middle of the wilderness as a result. During this cold night of the harshest winter he could ever remember. Great.
Even though he could control his body temperature with a steady flow of qi, the cold was still seeping through his clothes, which was telling. Maybe it was because he was already injured, but he couldn’t seem to shake it off easily. If I am this cold, it must have been literally freezing for normal people who don’t have spiritual energy, he thought. And what was worse, there was truly nothing, no sign of a village or even a single house to take shelter for a long while now. He would be okay with a battered down shack, really, but all he could see was the road, some trees here and there, and the dark, gloomy mountains in the distance.
When a particularly strong wind lifted his cloak to the sky like a playful child, taking him out of his thoughts, he finally realized returning to the city tonight was not a good idea and decided to look for a cave to spend the night. He could rest a bit, heal his wounds, and continue with his journey tomorrow.
After looking around for a while, he finally discovered a high, sheltered rock formation in the distance. He could even detect what seemed like a crack between the smooth surface of the rock. Perfect, he thought, eager to get a break from the wind which was cutting his skin like a thousand tiny knives.
He had just lifted himself up in the air, when a soft singing voice reached his ears.
He halted like a frightened rabbit and got back down immediately. He used his qi to enhance his listening a bit before deciding the soft singing definitely came from what must be a cave, from the crack up on the small mountain. Then he listened for a bit more, not sure of what else to do, until he heard a noise suspiciously sounding like a baby’s soft cries. Whoever was singing, they were trying to calm the baby down, he reasoned.
What was a woman doing alone in the wilderness with a baby, in this freezing weather?
Now, you see, contrary to popular opinion, Bian Yanmei was different from his shizun. Yan Wushi probably wouldn’t even care enough to blink in their direction if he heard a distressed baby’s voice, but his disciple was already uncomfortable with the idea of leaving them there just like that. There must have been something going on for a woman with a baby to hide in a place like that, right?
He pondered for a couple of seconds more, weighing his choices. He didn’t mind the risks of this being a trap or something like that, mostly because he could definitely sense no killing intent- whoever was inside was likely not an enemy. He was mostly worried about the awkwardness of the situation.
“Stop being stupid,” he scolded himself out loud as he came to his decision. He was just going to stop by for a second to check if they needed help, and keep his distance. If he is unwanted, he was just going to look for a different cave.
His mind occupied with these thoughts, Bian Yanmei didn’t realize the singing had stopped.
A white flash of robes appeared in front of him, ready to strike him down with an open palm, with a speed no ordinary person could ever achieve. Bian Yanmei reacted just in time to take several steps back, before he quickly realized the person did not intend to hit him, having been stopped only a hair’s width away from his chest.
They looked at each other for a while with identical, dumbfounded expressions.
The man in front of him was a striking beauty, with jade-like skin that almost seemed glimmering under the moonlight. His hair was in a bit of a wild state, his robes were in disarray, and no outer clothing that could protect him from the cold could be seen.
“Shen-daozhang?” Bian Yanmei stammered in a state of shock.
“Bian Yanmei?” Shen Qiao looked just as surprised to see Yan Wushi’s disciple. “What are you doing her-” he opened his mouth to ask, before quickly realizing that the front of Bian Yanmei’s robes were dyed a dark red. “Are you injured?” he asked instead as he hurriedly moved to check on him, ever the kind daoist.
“It’s nothing, Shen-daozhang, don’t worry about it.”
“I almost attacked you,” Shen Qiao said through pursed lips, “What were you doing, hiding in the dark like this?”
Bian Yanmei was extremely relieved to see Shen Qiao, to be honest. They were looking for him for months now, “they” being Yan Wushi, him, and Yu Shengyan. While he could not believe he would stumble upon him out in the open like this, there was one more selfish reason that made him feel relieved. If there was one person on earth that was a master at making people feel at ease around him, it would be Shen Qiao. “I heard a woman’s voice with a baby crying,” he quickly explained, “I was trying to see if they needed help. Maybe Shen-daozhang could go and check-”
“Ah,” Shen Qiao looked- embarrassed? as he interrupted his short rant. “It’s okay, Bian Yanmei, there is- there is no woman that needs help.”
“But I clearly heard... singing?”
“I am sure you did but, that was- that was me.”
And with that, Bian Yanmei realized that what he thought was a damsel in distress was actually a man- a man who was a legendary cultivator, with a wugong ten, hell- twenty times over Bian Yanmei’s calibre. He definitely did not need help.
He was about to ask him what he was doing with a baby, when said baby let out a wail so high they both heard it without even needing to listen with their enhanced hearing.
Shen Qiao looked alarmed and lifted himself up in the air to the cave’s entrance, a very confused Bian Yanmei in tow. When they entered the cave one after another, Shen Qiao hurried to the baby’s side, shushing sounds pouring from his lips. Well, to the bundle that must be Shen Qiao’s outer robes, actually, because Bian Yanmei could not see the baby at all. All he could see was just a tiny fist, immediately catching the ends of Shen Qiao’s hair.
Bian Yanmei stood at the entrance awkwardly, looking at the scene before him.
“Please sit, you must be freezing.” Shen Qiao gestured to the general direction of the fire when the baby’s cries ceased a bit. Bian Yanmei’s body obeyed without a second thought, and he enjoyed the warmth that seeped into his skin and melted his frozen limbs. It took him a while before he finally found the strength to ask.
“Shen-daozhang, where did you find that baby?”
Shen Qiao looked at him for a long time before answering with his own question.
“Did Yan Wushi send you?”
“No-” Bian Yanmei started, but he supposed it was only natural for Shen Qiao to accuse him of stalking. Yan Wushi really was looking for Shen Qiao for months now, after all, to no avail. Him and his most trusted disciples looked everywhere, searched every street, turned every rock, with no trace of Shen Qiao. Well, if he was hiding in the wilderness like this, Bian Yanmei thought, it was normal for them to not find him easily. He was a master of his generation and he certainly knew how to hide his presence if he wanted so. “Shizun just sent me on a duty, but as you can see, it didn’t go well.”
“You can stay here tonight, in that case.” Shen Qiao’s voice lost its edge, apparently finding no reason to not believe him. “How is your wound now?” he asked, gently shaking the baby in his arms.
“It’s alright, it will be mostly healed by the morning.”
Shen Qiao nodded, seeming to avoid his question about the baby, much to Bian Yanmei’s confusion. If he found the baby in the wild somehow, he would tell Bian Yanmei, right? Or if someone left it in his care, some woman in her last dying breath or something. If he couldn’t say no to that kind of request -this was Shen Qiao after all- he would also have no reason to hide the truth. The only reason he could think of for avoiding the explanation was-
No, Bian Yanmei almost shook his head to himself. This was Shen Qiao. A white lotus among white lotuses, looking like a symbol of virtue even while suspiciously hiding a baby in a cave. He wouldn’t, he wouldn’t impregnate someone just like that, he was one of the most responsible people Bian Yanmei had met. But, his brain quickly opposed his thought, accidents happen to the best of people, right? Maybe he made a mistake and he was ashamed of his actions. He was popular among women and men after all, it wouldn’t be so unbelievable if someone caught his attention-
Fuck, Yan Wushi was going to be so pissed.
Bian Yanmei felt the dread coming to him in waves already. How was he supposed to look into the eyes of his shizun, who is very openly infatuated with Shen Qiao for a long while now, and explain that his beloved A-Qiao got a wife and became a father now? Wait, did he even get a wife?
“Did you get married?” Bian Yanmei blurted out directly, respect be damned.
“I did not.” Shen Qiao cradled the baby even tighter and shook it nervously a couple of times like it was a jar of pickles, a bright pink had already found its way to his cheeks. So he didn’t even marry the woman- Bian Yanmei thought, she must be devastated-
“Bian Yanmei,” Shen Qiao kindly intercepted his thoughts, the tips of his ears turning red. “It’s nothing like that, there is no wife. Just accept this baby as mine and please refrain from asking further questions.”
How was he supposed to accept it just like that, Bian Yanmei did not know, but he also did not dare to question further. Also Shen Qiao started to look clearly uncomfortable, so he decided to take the conversation to the safer waters, instead.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” He asked, trying to keep his tone as light as he could muster. Shen Qiao’s face brightened and a small smile found its way to his lips. Bian Yanmei patted himself in the back for his right decision.
“It’s a boy.”
“What is his name?”
Numerous different emotions passed from Shen Qiao’s serene face in an instant. Bian Yanmei could not even name them if he wanted to, he looked like he didn’t know if he should laugh or cry.
“A-Ling.” he finally said in a small voice. The baby let out a tiny giggle, as if he realized he was being called. (Bian Yanmei did not know if babies this small knew their names or not, to be honest.) Shen Qiao beamed with happiness at the sound, and seemed to have forgotten Bian Yanmei was still right there.
“That’s right,” he cooed at the baby softly, shaking his tiny fist with a finger, “You are my A-Ling, aren’t you?”
Bian Yanmei felt his heart squeeze in his chest from the sheer cuteness. No one was immune to a Shen Qiao with a tiny baby, it seemed.
He didn’t ask any other questions, fearing offending Shen Qiao in some way. He opted for gazing at the fire silently instead and the two fell into a comfortable silence.
“If I asked you to hide this from Yan Wushi, you wouldn’t, right?” Shen Qiao asked after a while, his voice barely above a whisper. Bian Yanmei didn’t even bother answering that rhetorical question. Everyone and their mother knew he told everything to Yan Wushi. He wouldn’t dare hide information from him.
Especially information about Shen Qiao’s whereabouts, whom he was frantically searching for probably even right now as they speak.
“Shen-daozhang, was the baby the reason you were hiding for all these months?”
Shen Qiao nodded, avoiding his gaze.
Bian Yanmei supposed he would do the same. Not that Yan Wushi would harm the baby or anything, he wasn’t that evil, but just for the sake of avoiding the headache, if not for anything else.
But still, Bian Yanmei frowned unconsciously, if he was hiding by himself in the caves during this winter, with the level of his wugong Shen Qiao probably would be fine, save for the uncomfortable conditions. However, a baby was a different matter.
“Shen-daozhang,” he started, trying to sound as soft as possible, “I understand why you went into hiding, but I am sure you would agree that these are not suitable environments for a baby that small. We are having such a harsh winter this year.”
He was going to continue talking, but to his surprise, Shen Qiao’s eyes glistened with the ghost of tears for a second. The voice in Bian Yanmei’s head went no, no, no- immediately, he almost shook his hands in front of himself in an attempt of comfort, even. He continued explaining the rest of his thought process in a haste.
“I understand your reasons, I do- ” he reassured when he saw the disbelieving look Shen Qiao gave him, “-but really, Shen-daozhang, Shizun has been looking for you everywhere for months now. Baby or not, he would accept you.”
“I am not so sure about that.” Shen Qiao’s voice sounded fragile, even though there was a tiny smile playing in the corners of his lips.
“I am,” Bian Yanmei reassured him again, he knew Yan Wushi probably better than anyone in this world, even if he never would accept it if the man was in front of him. “You should come with me tomorrow to the Huanyue Sect,” he offered, “I can’t leave you alone with a baby in a cave like this in this weather. Shizun would skin me alive.”
Shen Qiao fell silent, an emotion unknown to Bian Yanmei filling his big, grey eyes.
“Just for a couple of weeks, until this winter ends, think about it.” Bian Yanmei murmured closing his eyes, not wanting to pressure the man further. Really, it was the most logical decision anyone could make, besides, it’s not like Bian Yanmei could leave him even if he wanted to. He had to take him back, whether Shen Qiao agreed or not. He wasn’t joking when he said Yan Wushi would skin him alive. He could even do worse, although the poor disciple did not know how worse exactly, he didn’t want to risk it. He wasn’t going to leave, he decided, and he wasn’t going to sleep, either, fearing Shen Qiao would slip away while he was asleep.
So Bian Yanmei did not get any rest that night, meditating just to heal his wounds, always leaving a part of his body attentive, until the first traces of sunlight entered the cave from the narrow crack.