Work Text:
Mu Qing exited the temple, already tired of human interaction. He had been under a disguise so that mortals wouldn’t recognize him and, while he understood the necessity of it, he much preferred to be in his own skin. Admittedly, the only thing he liked about this particular disguise were the robes. He had recreated the design from a cultivation sect far in the north, furthering his disguise as being part of it.
The robes were a nice black and grey color, with long flowing sleeves that allowed him to hide his hands when he crossed them. Small white and intricate designs were woven into the sleeves and skirt, probably some protection arrays from the sect. A purple sash and accents gave the robes a bit more color, but the overall look was one of detached elegance.
If his mother had seen him wearing robes like this, she’d assume he was someone else.
… In a sense, perhaps he was already someone else.
He snorted, shaking his head at his own thoughts. Too much time has passed, there was no use thinking about that part of his past. He had lived far longer as a god than as a seamstress' son.
(Thankfully, his mother would’ve already reincarnated into a new life. One that hopefully was kinder to her.)
As he readied himself to go back to the heavens, a rising argument caught his attention.
“I told you, I’m not interested! Leave me alone!” A woman’s voice exclaimed, irritation clear in her voice.
“Come on, lady, don’t you know how to have some fun?” A man’s voice replied. “Aren’t I your type? I’ve heard you talking about me to your friends.”
The woman’s voice gained a quiet tilt. “I, yes, but I didn’t mean it that way. I’m not interested in that kind of relationship.”
Mu Qing rolled his eyes. He really shouldn’t be getting himself involved in petty mortal arguments. Then again, he wouldn’t tolerate this kind of assault in front of his own temple. He began following the voices.
“It’s okay, there’s no need for commitment. We can just have fun when we feel up to it.” The man added, clearly leering.
“No! That’s not what I mean either!” The woman gasped. “I want commitment, I just don’t wish to partake in— in sensuous acts!”
The last line made Mu Qing pause, just out of sight from the other two. He could now see both of them. The woman looked surprisingly older than he had initially expected, probably in her older youthful years. The man seemed to be around her age, towering over her slightly.
The man snorted. “How can you even know that if you’ve never been with a man before? I assure you you’ll change your mind once you spend a night with me.”
The woman looked conflicted for a moment, her eyes widening in shame and insecurity. However, she quickly hardened her gaze and shook her head. “You’re wrong. I know what I want. I know what I’m looking for. If you can’t respect that, then it’s better for us to not be acquaintanced.”
A small sense of pride rushed to Mu Qing’s chest, unbidden. He hadn’t often found people to whom he could feel a kinship to, so finding one always filled him with a little warmth.
At her words, the man gave her an ugly sneer. “Figures you’d be one of the broken ones, with how much you pray to that General Xuan Zhen. Everyone knows only broken women pray to him.”
The words made the woman flinch. Her assured expression falling to one of pain.
Mu Qing saw red. How dare this mortal talk this way? Disrespecting someone else’s preferences, and right in front of his temple?!
“How about you shut up and learn some manners?” He took a step forward, glaring cold daggers at the man. “Disrespecting this lady and the god of this temple like that. Are you stupid?”
The woman looked up with surprise, while the man scowled at him.
“And who the fuck are you?”
Mu Qing crossed his arms, showcasing his saber for the other man to see. “I’m a follower of this god and a cultivator from the Fu sect. I’ll let you know that General Xuan Zhen will be terribly displeased with your words.”
The sight of the saber made the other man falter, but he still sneered. “Why would General Xuan Zhen even care about this broken woman, anyways? He’s a martial god. Obviously he knows of the pleasure of the flesh. No man has actually been a virgin for that long.”
A long time before, Mu Qing would have avoided this conversation. He would’ve bristled and made scathing comments to hide his insecurity, his shame at being different. The Mu Qing from now, however, was an old god. A god who had the time to become comfortable with his own preferences and who knew better than to feel bad for being the way he was.
Maybe he truly was someone else now.
“You obviously don’t know anything about General Xuan Zhen then.” He replied with a dark look and prideful posture. “General Xuan Zhen’s path of cultivation demands that he remains pure and abstained from worldly pleasures. But even if he hadn’t chosen that cultivation path, he wouldn’t have wanted to partake in them. He feels the same way this lady does.”
Hearing this, the woman gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Her face seemed to glow, as if she had found absolution from a heavy burden.
“Is it really true? General Xuan Zhen… feels the same way?” She asked hesitantly, as if the answer would either break her or make her anew.
Mu Qing looked at her. He noticed her tense posture, her slightly hunched shoulders, the tight lines beside her eyes, her calloused fingers, the excellent needlework of her dress. She looked like a seamstress, somewhat like his mother, but much too young and much too fragile to be.
Ah, there he goes again, thinking about his mother.
“Yes, he does.” He said confidently. A small bit of warmth may have escaped him, but he couldn’t hold it back when faced with this woman. “If you wish for confirmation, ask him yourself the next time you go pray.”
Another snort came from the man. Mu Qing glared at him.
“You’re just saying that to make her feel better.”
“You’re really testing my patience.” Mu Qing placed a hand on his saber. “You can ask General Xuan Zhen too if you don’t believe me. Though I doubt he’d wish to speak to scum like you.”
The man seemed nervous at Mu Qing’s implied threat, but he covered it up with a huff. “Whatever. I’m leaving.” And then he quickly left the premises, in a brisk pace that could be confused with running.
The woman cleaned her eyes with her sleeves and proceeded to bow towards Mu Qing. “Thank you for helping me, Fu-daozhang.”
Mu Qing waved a hand in dismissal. “There’s no need. He was being rude and stupid.”
“Still, I must thank you. For helping me and… for your words. I—” She smiled softly. “I’ve never met anyone else who defended me like that. Or who at least understood me and didn’t immediately assume something was wrong with me.”
A small pang of pain and understanding filled his chest. He didn’t dare show this kind of vulnerability though.
“It’s upsetting that not many people seem to accept us. But who fucking cares? We know who we are. We don’t need anyone telling us we’re wrong for feeling this way.” Ah, he hadn’t meant to curse. Feng Xin was rubbing off on him.
The woman widened her eyes momentarily, understanding flickering over them. She then gave him a bright smile. “Yes! We know what we want or don’t want. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way! And, and if General Xuan Zhen also feels this way then… then maybe more people will begin to understand us better too.”
Mu Qing felt his lips twist into a small smile, but he quickly cooled his expression. “In any case, I better take my leave. Take care, lady…?”
She laughed, unrestrained and happy. “This one is called Zihao Daiyu, but Fu-daozhang may call this one A-Yu if he so wishes.”
He raised an eyebrow, silently amused. What a curious name.
Walking away, Mu Qing raised a hand in farewell. “Take care, A-Yu.”
“Take care, Fu-daozhang!”
Mu Qing shook his head, unbelieving of all he had done. Surely this was one of his odd days, in which his mind was acting more irrational than usual. Or maybe it was the topic of conversation, the reminder of his mother, the kinship in another like him.
He looked down at his robes again.
Mhm, truly these colors looked very fine together.