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When Shen Jiu woke up in the Qiu Estate after dying in the Water Prison, he immediately escaped.
No matter whether it was a dream or an illusion, anything would be better than returning to that house. He scoffed when he was able to escape easily. There were many opportunities to escape, opportunities he did not use because he promised to wait for Qi-ge.
Shen Jiu ran for a long time.
He managed to steal a set of robes and some silver taels from some merchants on his way. He considered his options once night fell once again.
This was no dream, the beast could only do so much with such clarity given his unstable mental state. And it had died, he could still feel the sensation of Xuan Su's fragments in his throat. So it had returned. But I didn't know who else had done it, I probably wasn't the only one.
That narrowed his options. He would not return to Cang Qiong, that was for sure. However, if more people remembered his past life, then there was no safe place for him, who was everyone's misfortune in his previous life.
He should probably leave the realm if that was the case.
Damn it, he should have killed Qiu Jianluo.
Shen Jiu ran again when he heard the sound of horse hooves. He managed to discern some voices of the mansion's servants.
He traveled for several months until he managed to leave the realm with a considerable amount of money. Some of it was stolen, and the other was earned through poetry or some performances in brothels.
Shen Jiu wandered for a while in this neighboring realm. It was, simple.
There were no absurdly strong beasts or flowers with aphrodisiac. The animals didn't look like a hodgepodge of parts either, they were normal and boring.
Shen Jiu didn't know where to go, unfortunately.
It was a few days later that he met a boy of similar age, he was probably fourteen. He was dressed in dark blue and had his hair tied in a bun. The boy was simply sitting on the bank of a river tributary to Yunmeng Lake. He had one leg raised and was resting his arm on his knee.
The boy's first reaction to looking at him was to tense up, then he relaxed a little. Shen Jiu wondered if the boy was underestimating him because of his ragged appearance or not. The boy asked, "Do you want to join a sect?"
Shen Jiu's brain took a while to process the words, then he resolutely denied it. The boy seemed to have waited for his answer, he simply continued to stare at the river.
"As you wish, there's a small sect two hours west of here, you can go there if you want. They have an animal shelter, they'll probably have room for you there."
The boy smiled sideways, mockingly.
"You!"
The boy let out a laugh, "It's okay, I'm just kidding," he said raising his hands in a peace sign. "But they seriously have an animal shelter, they could give you a job or something."
Shen Jiu looked at the boy silently, he seemed to be of noble birth, he had sharp features, though he still had some baby fat on his cheeks, and he also had a tired look on his face.
"Why are you telling me all this?" He asked.
The boy turned his gaze to him before resting his head on his hand and looking at the river once more, "I like your eyes."
"People would pay a lot for your services just for your eyes, Shen Jiu."
"You always look at everyone as if they were trash, even when you are so weak. Have you no shame, Shen Qingqiu?"
"A scum shouldn't have such eyes, why don't I keep one, Shizun?"
Shen Jiu's green eyes examined the boy, but the other kept looking down at the water with a blank, vacant stare.
A few days later, he found the small sect in the west.
He had nowhere else to go, so he came here after some consideration. If he remembers well, there will be a war in a few years, so it would be best to seek protection in some sect that was not in the eye of the storm.
He told the leader of the small sect that the boy by the river told him to come.
The sect leader looked confused, but a woman, probably his wife, gasped in recognition.
"Was it a boy with his hair in a bun and silver eyes?" She asked.
Shen Jiu nodded.
The woman suddenly slapped her thigh, startling her husband, "You can stay then. You don't need to be a sect disciple, we always need hands to take care of the babies."
Shen Jiu meet the "babies," which were a bunch of puppies. There were dog puppies and cat puppies. The doggies didn't want it, but the kittens did.
"You know," the woman, Shan Nuan, spoke as she looked at him with amusement. "The boy who sent you here caught the attention of the doggies right away, he took three home when he came."
"You don't look very happy about that," Shen Jiu expressed as he noticed how the woman's expression turned nostalgic.
Shan Nuan picked up a puppy hovering at her feet and shook her head, "It's not that," she said. "It's just that the boy was very happy with his new friends, he even wrote us some letters about how well he was taking care of them, but then the boy's father sent them away. He could have sent them here," The woman was pouting now, "and the boy could have visited, but we never found out what happened to the puppies."
Shen Jiu really didn't know what to say about that, so he just went about petting the kittens that were trying to climb up his robes.
The Sect Leader, Shan Biming, granted him a room near the puppies' shelter. Shen Jiu was surprised to see a large number of species in the place, from canines and snakes to birds and frogs, it really was an interesting sect. All the animals here had spiritual potential. Even the ones that didn't were left in other pens so that ordinary people could adopt them.
It was funny, how after feeling the suffocation of Cang Qiong he found such a place, where he felt free. Maybe it was the little animals.
The puppies accepted him after he took care of their meals a couple of times. That's why Shen Jiu liked animals, they knew perfectly well not to bite those who were good to them. They did not betray.
Shen Jiu still learned to cultivate with Shan Nuan. She insisted that no one should be unprotected. And since cultivation in this realm did not involve linking your soul with the spirit of a sword, then Shen Jiu learned from Shan Nuan.
This realm was different from his, here they had already implemented bloodline clans instead of sects with teaching styles. Although in his realm there were families like the Liu and Gongyi that formed his clan, there were not many like this, and most still chose to go to a sect than stay in the clan.
Shen Jiu spent his next few years taking care of small, furry puppies. Improving his skills in the four arts as he advanced in his cultivation. The small animals were good company for him, Shan Nuan said. She was right.
Whenever he woke up from nightmares of the past, there was always a puppy, either a dog or a cat sleeping beside him, soothing his nightmares with a comforting presence. Birds also accompanied his music when he played. They kept him from sinking into the past.
Unfortunately, they never told him who the boy he found in the river was, always evading his question. He really didn't have much interest though.
Shen Jiu heard about the war, but they were not actively involved in it, just Shan Biming, who left with a sizable group of his best disciples.
The war lasted a few years, followed by the siege in Yiling, Shen Jiu heard everything they said about the bloodthirsty Sandu Shengshou in the streets of the markets. Murdering his shixiong in a fit of rage.
Shan Biming arrived one day when Shen Jiu and Shan Nuan were finishing bathing the dogs. He told them that he would go to Lotus Pier to reaffirm his loyalty to the new Yunmeng Jiang Sect Leader.
"Great! When do we leave?" Shan Nuan asked eagerly.
"It's dangerous for you to go," Shan Biming whispered, clearly reluctant to the idea, but only hesitated for a moment before saying. "Tomorrow morning."
"Fine! Hey! A-Jiu! Do you want to go with us?"
Shen Jiu looked up, meeting Shan Nuan's brown eyes, he saw Shan Biming nodding, the two of them had a knowing look.
"It's okay."
He hadn't been out of this place in a while, it would be interesting to see how Lotus Pier was being rebuilt with its new leader. Surely the guy was about to give up as he was short on manpower and lack of funds.
It wasn't.
When they arrived at the site, the Lotus Pier was still more of a facade. Normal, considering the time of war. Shen Jiu wondered why there was no one waiting for them when a leader of another sect came to visit. Then came the answer.
A disciple approached, sweaty and shirtless, he gasped for air before bowing, "Leader Shan, we are sorry for our disrespect, the monsoons are about to start, so the Clan Leader was checking the dams and the arrival of supplies. He should be arriving...hmm, now."
In fact, another shirtless guy was coming running from the other side of the dock.
"Leader Shan! Madam Shan! Welcome!"
What a disrespectful leader, Shen Jiu thought as his fan went up to hide his expression. His gaze went to the man's tanned chest, there was a hideous whip scar there. How could she show it so openly?
"Wow, you've grown so much since the last time I saw you!". Shan Nuan exclaimed.
"I agree on that, you are no longer that child who cried because a puppy tripped over your robe," Shan Biming joked.
Leader Jiang, the dreaded, bloodthirsty, insensitive, Sandu Shengshou, clicked his tongue. What was he, a child?
Shen Jiu lifted his gaze from the man's chest as he crossed his arms. He met the man's silver eyes as a result.
"I like your eyes."
It was the boy he encountered ten years ago.
"Shit, I definitely like your eyes."
Shen Jiu raised his fan higher, covering his entire face with it. This guy, he was shameless!
"Don't even think about it!" Shan Nuan stepped in the way. "He's my cabbage now! You'll have to step over me if you want to take him!"
Leader Jiang snorted, "Fine, but wait until I rebuild this place."
Huh? Why did he feel like they were negotiating something big?
Shan Biming sighed beside him.
Shen Jiu lowered his fan a little, Leader Jiang took the opportunity to talk to them.
"Sorry, you will have to stay in an inn. I will send a disciple to guide you, the place has already been prepared."
Clearly, the guest rooms had not been rebuilt. Shen Jiu doubted that even the leader's rooms had been restored, considering the guy's level of tan.
"What's your name?" Leader Jiang questioned.
"You should have asked ten years ago," he spat.
Leader Jiang was not put off by his answer, "I forgot," he admitted. "That's why I'm asking it now."
"It's Shen Jiu."
"Mine is Jiang Cheng."
Shen Jiu was sure this guy's courtesy name was Wanyin. Why was he allowing him to use his given name?
"My cabbage is innocent, don't try to take advantage of that."
Shan Nuan threatened Leader Jiang.
"Sect Leader!" A disciple shouted. "Li-shidi just got stuck in the ropes of the boat we use to bring materials! Can you stop flirting with Madam Shan's cabbage and help out a little?"
It was amazing how much confidence the disciples had to talk so casually with their sect lea...flirt?
Jiang Leader, Jiang Cheng, turned to the disciple, "Again, how come that kid gets stuck in the ropes all the time? Never mind, take Leader Shan to the inn."
Jiang Cheng waved his hand casually towards them and walked to another place, the disciple muttered instead, "At least he could have denied that he was flirting."
Shan Biming smiled, "Lotus Pier is still as lively as ever."
In the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, the Twelve Peak Lords and Eleven Head Disciples were discussed in the Qiong Ding Meeting Hall.
The subject of the meeting: Qing Jing lacked a successor disciple.
Years ago, everyone had remembered a past life. Yue Qingyuan had departed with Liu Qingge and the Qing Jing Peak Lord to the Qiu Estate. But Shen Jiu was gone when they arrived. Shen Jiu should be fourteen years old, he was fifteen when the Qiu massacre happened.
Yue Qingyuan wanted to bring his Xiao Jiu and keep him on the right path this time. Liu Qingge wanted to apologize to his shixiong and thank him for trying to save him from his qi deviation. The Qing Jing Peak Lord wanted to beat up many people, but first, he needed to know if his thorny disciple was safe.
They searched everywhere, even in the Demon Realm, but failed to find anything. The other sects didn't know anything about him either.
They still doubted who remembered, but it was certain that Su Xiyan did since she dethroned Lao Gongzhu and made herself Master of Huan Hua Palace a few years ago. Tianlang-Jun remained silent. They didn't seem to have gotten together in this lifetime.
That was good. If this whole reboot thing was Luo Binghe's doing, then it was better than he wasn't born again. No one believed Shen Qingqiu when he accused the brat of being a demon during the trial, then they were subjugated by him.
Many of Shen Qingqiu's mistakes in his past life were cleared up in this one, most had been unfounded, and everyone had believed the disciple who came demanding justice and had unceremoniously handed him over. It was no surprise that he went into hiding.
But, after years of tireless searching, the Qing Jing Peak Lord still wanted to make sure his favorite disciple was okay before letting anyone else into position.
"We should extend the search range."
It was a risky decision to negotiate with the sects of another realm for a disciple, but the Cang Qiong Strategist's temperament was getting colder with each passing day.
In the end, they sent their invitation letters to the largest sects of the neighboring realm. There were four sects, war seemed to have been fought a few years ago, and they hoped that everything would be fine.
The Four Great Sects arrived, with the invitation of a banquet to strengthen their ties. No one quite believed it, so they came cautiously.
At Qiong Ding Peak, the Peak Lords sat in their designated seats, in the open air, their head disciples seated beneath them.
A disciple of An Ding vociferated the names of the newcomers.
"From the Lan Clan of Gusu! Sect Leader Lan Xichen, Zewu-Jun and Sect Master Lan Qiren!"
The Clan Leader arrived with a soft, warm smile on his face that looked like it was carved from jade. The older man had a stern expression on his face, but his bearing was elegant.
"From the Nie Clan of Qinghe! Sect Leader Nie Huaisang!"
A scrawny boy, who looked like a sheet of paper that would blow away when the wind blew, waved a fan and hurried to his seat, looking nervous about the attention. Was he the leader?
"From the Jin Clan of Lanling! Sect Leader Jin Guangyao; Lianfang-Zun and his wife, Madam Jin; Qin Su!"
Golden robes, similar to the Huan Hua Palace, came into view. But these robes had a beautifully embroidered peony, the people coming looked like the interpretation of a loving couple.
Only one clan was missing. An Ding's disciple read the scroll several times and paled visibly when he looked at Qing Jing Peak Lord on the platform before clearing his throat.
"From the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng! Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin; Sandu Shengshou and his husband Shen Jiu!"
Yue Qingyuan spat out the tea he was drinking out of nervousness and looked up at the figures walking up the stairs.
Clan Leader Jiang walked with an arrogant bearing, confidence overflowing from his gait, despite being the youngest of the leaders, raising his chin stubbornly. Clinging to his arm, came Shen Jiu, wearing purple and lilac robes with shades of blue-green trailing behind him, a fan with a painting of lotuses waved in his hand.
Despite the stern and indifferent expressions of the two people, they seemed to get along well.
Shen Jiu only acknowledged Qing Jing Peak Lord with a subtle nod. The aura around the Qing Jing Peak Lord lightened by several degrees.
The meeting progressed, mainly with the Peak Lords and Sect Leaders chatting about the politics and changes of the Jianghu in both realms. Even Shen Jiu added some details, receiving nods from Leader Jiang, and Master Lan, who seemed to favor the couple.
The Qing Jing Peak Lord called Shen Jiu at the end of the meeting, Leader Jiang gave Shen Jiu a ring before leaving with Leader Nie.
Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge hid in the bamboo forest, listening carefully to the conversation of the two people in the clearing.
"How did you end up marrying a man, hmm? You couldn't even be around them before." Peak Lord Qing Jing sneered.
Shen Jiu looked down at the ground, "He's... different." There was silence for a few minutes, then Shen Jiu continued, "When I got there, I didn't know where to go, so he told me to go west."
"And you went," the Peak Lord affirmed.
"Yes," he admitted, playing with the silver ring on his index finger. "I reconnected with him three years ago, he raised his clan before arriving with courting gifts to the sect that took me in. We got married a year after that."
Qing Jing Peak Lord took a sip of his tea, "How is your life with him?"
Shen Jiu pursed his lips.
("He's pouting."
"Shh, Liu-shidi.")
"We haven't consummated the marriage yet," he admitted, "One day after we got married I told him I wanted to go out exploring, I said I'd go away for a few months. He told me; 'Go, then come home. I'll wait for you at Lotus Pier.'"
"Oh, A-Jiu." The Peak Lord patted the head of his most beloved disciple. He always knew that his disciple just wanted a place to belong, he had thought he would be fine in Cang Qiong, but it seems he only chained him to this place.
It is good that he found a frank and straightforward person like Leader Jiang, who also seemed to appreciate loyalty like Shen Jiu.
"When I returned to Lotus Pier, he was waiting at the entrance. Once, I thought he would be angry when I canceled the contract with a supplier without consulting, but he asked why I did it, and he didn't accuse me baselessly."
He also seemed to be considerate and fair, in his own crude way.
The Qing Jing Peak Lord still wanted to tease his disciple and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Do you intend to consummate the marriage on my Qing Jing Peak? Is that why you have waited so long?"
It was worth it to see Shen Jiu's cheeks blushing furiously, "Shizun!"
Looking at him closely, his disciple really looked good. With well-groomed hair and a face like a boiled egg. Was that rouge on his eyelids? His headdress looked expensive, but it wasn't extravagant.
"Tell him to come and serve me tea," the Lord of the Qing Jing Peak spat. His cabbage had been stolen. He clicked his tongue in discontent. His cabbage was stolen and treated as he deserved. And he was not there.
When Shen Jiu went to fetch his husband, the Qing Jing Peak Lord sighed.
"Yue-shizi, Liu-shizi, this master doesn't remember how many bamboo stalks are in the peak, why don't you count them and tell me? One, by, one."
Well, they expected it. The two disciples began the unreasonable punishment. They might not get to talk to Shen Jiu today, but at least they knew it was okay. And they would stay for a week, so they had enough time.
Besides, they weren't expelled from the peak yet.
That was what they were thinking when they saw the purple-robed man pour the tea and say, "There's no point in doing this because I already took a bite of your cabbage anyway."
Shen Jiu was the first to take a swing with his fan, and the Peak Lord followed.
"Shameless!"
Yes, he was right.
Two days later, the Peak Lords left their head disciples to form ties with the Sect Leaders. After all, they were close to ascending and would be the ones to forge an alliance. Their ages were also closed. So they organized a tea party at Xuan Shu Peak.
Shen Jiu stood up after a few cups of tea.
"I'm going down the mountain, is it allowed?"
"Of course." Yue Qingyuan nodded condescendingly.
"Then I'll go buy painting materials!". Nie Huaisang jumped up, suddenly excited. "Jiang-xiong, come with me, I'll borrow him for a moment, Shen-xiong!"
Shen Jiu, who was already walking away from the place, waved his hand in farewell.
Jiang Cheng sighed, but bid them farewell and walked with Nie Huaisang.
It did not go unnoticed by the head disciples as the tension loosened from Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen's shoulders.
"Are they getting along badly?" Liu Qingge asked directly.
"Ah, it's not that." Lan Xichen smiled nonchalantly. "It's just that they are..."
"Difficult," Jin Guangyao completed. "We mean Leader Jiang and Master Shen."
Shen Qingqiu was definitely difficult to deal with.
"Hmm, why is that?" inquired Qi Qingqi.
When Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen's hesitant silence dragged on, Qin Su took the floor, "It was already difficult to deal with Leader Jiang before, but now it's worse with his husband by his side. Leader Jiang held back before because he was so young, but a few weeks ago he beat up several leaders at a meeting. His husband somehow managed to keep the matter quiet."
Basically, they were saying that Jiang Cheng could now beat up whoever he wanted and Shen Jiu would negotiate behind the scenes.
"Although Master Shen also seems to have beaten up Leader Yao," Jin Guangyao blurted out. "No one said anything about that because they all wanted to do it for a long time."
It sounded like those two seriously were difficult to deal with.
"But I'm glad," Qin Su admitted, "Leader Jiang needed someone to stand by his side."
Lan Xichen nodded, "We were waiting a long time to find out who the 'lotus scar' in his heart was."
"Lotus scar? What's that?" Liu Qingge asked, cocking his head to one side and frowning in confusion.
Everyone was very curious about it, even Qin Su looked lost.
Lan Xichen smiled, "It's not a secret, so it should be okay to tell," he expressed. "They say we Lan are very romantic to love only once, but I think the Jiangs are even more romantic. You see, Jiang people fall in love at first sight. There is always something particular that attracts them to each other, eyes, smile, hands. They fall in love with the first impression. After that, they never feel attraction to anyone else."
Just as Jiang Fengmian and Wei Changze fell for Cangse Sanren's vivacious smile, or as Wei Wuxian latched on —unconsciously— to Lan Wangji's ethereal beauty; Jiang Cheng had also fallen for a green-eyed boy on the bank of a river.
That was definitely romantic.
"This impression was called "lotus scar." Leader Jiang seemed to have had his lotus scar since he was young, so those who knew about this first-sight crush of Jiang's were eager to know who it would be."
"I remember er-ge and da-ge thought it might be one of them." Jin Guangyao teased with amusement.
"A-Yao, don't remind me of that." Lan Xichen's ears reddened. "As I was saying, Leader Jiang was always mysterious about this, he was even blacklisted as a matchmaker because of his continuous rejections. But he never said who he was."
"He didn't even know who he was, right?" asked Qi Qingqi, engrossed in the story.
Jin Guangyao shook his head in amusement, "No. Leader Jiang didn't know, but it seems he met him again three years ago. Then a missive came to us about the marriage."
The future Peak Lords didn't know what to make of this information, but it was okay, they supposed, for Shen Jiu, someone who hates romance novels, to end up involved in a novel romance.
Qi Qingqi silently looked at Liu Qingge. It was still years before Mingyan reached her peak, Qi Qingqi already knew what the first test of her most beloved disciple would be.
For the time being, she should think of a pseudonym for her.
Wei Wuxian took Lan Wangji to the Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall to pay his respects, he was equally surprised and confused to see a very handsome man leaving some incense sticks on the spot.
"Who are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
The guy raised his fan and covered the lower half of his face, "That should be my question. Who are you and what are you doing here?"
Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji, who always had an answer to his questions. Lan Wangji replied, "He is Shen Jiu. Jiang Wanyin's husband."
Whether his gasp was dramatic or not, neither of the other two showed much emotion.
"Jiang Cheng is married, impossible!"
"Oh? Why is it impossible?" Shen Jiu asked, genuine curiosity adorning his features.
"You should know that!" spat Wei Wuxian. "Jiang Cheng is blacklisted as a matchmaker because of his bad temper! Who wants to marry a guy like him, the very idea is inconceivable!"
"Wei Ying."
"What's wrong, Lan Zhan?"
Lan Wangji couldn't answer, clinging to his arm as they were driven out of the Ancestral Hall with a burst of qi. They fell into the lake with a loud splash.
Shen Jiu walked along the pier calmly and lightly, not even glancing at them as he advanced to meet the figure advancing from the heart of the pier.
"Why are those two at the lake?" He asked, looking at them out of the corner of his eye.
"Because I want them to," he expressed. "Indulge this husband with your whim, okay?"
Jiang Cheng did not seem mesmerized by his husband, who was biting his lower lip and batting his eyelashes playfully, "You are insufferable."
Shen Jiu dropped the act and returned to his cold, expressionless face.
"You take them out."
Then he left.
Jiang Cheng sighed.
"Wei Wuxian, how much longer will you pretend to be weak and hang on Lan Wangji?"
Wei Wuxian, who had his hands around Lan Wangji's neck, pouted, "I'm comfortable."
"Wei Ying can do it," Lan Wangji cut him off sharply.
"Get married at once," Jiang Cheng muttered, he was already tired of seeing these guys being affectionate. Then he frowned. "Don't be cloying in front of the Ancestral Hall. Go away!"
Days later at Guanyin Temple, not knowing the truth about his Golden Core, Jiang Cheng is able to get the upper hand on Jin Guangyao, leaving a free space for his husband, who accompanied him to fetch his nephew, to give him a blow that knocks him unconscious.
Jin Guangyao still ended up falling with the fierce corpse Nie Mingjue in a coffin. Lan Xichen went into seclusion. Wen Ning still made Jiang Cheng unsheathe Suibian back in Lotus Pier, claiming to want to stop Jiang Cheng's hatred of his master after Jiang Cheng demanded answers from Wei Wuxian about their broken promise to be the Hero Twins of Yunmeng. Shen Jiu chased him out of the place and threw Suibian in the face, taking his husband to a remote pavilion.
To the West Pavilion of the Lotus Pier, the quarters of the Clan Leader and his Consort.
"Why do you like my eyes?"
Shen Jiu asked the question that always hovered in his mind.
Jiang Cheng looked up from his scrolls and blinked a couple of times in his direction.
"There was a lot in your eyes that time," he admitted with a shrug. "Your stubbornness and desire to live was what attracted me the most."
Truth be told, Jiang Cheng couldn't put it all into words, but he was captivated by that raw yearning for survival. Those lively eyes had seen him coldly and he simply... fell in love.
He would have liked to lure Shen Jiu with him, to take him to Lotus Pier and keep him close at all times, but Jiang Cheng was rational, he knew that wouldn't be good for either of them. So he simply gave the other a choice so that at least he would be safe.
He didn't write to the Shan family to find out if he had gone or not, but he found his answer when that pair of green eyes looked at him with surprise and recognition at the entrance to the pier.
Ah, he had thought; Those eyes really will be my undoing.
The look that seemed like that of a cornered animal that would draw its claws at any threat had changed to the look of a cat that knows it is free to do whatever it wants.
Jiang Cheng had fallen in love again.
And this time, he was able to win the cat's trust. Through tanghulu and freedom.
He would never regret going to the river that particular afternoon.
He would never regret his lotus scar.