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Shen Jiu pressed his back against the tree trunk, the rough bark ripping small tears on the thin fabric of his robe and digging into his skin. He could barely feel the sting over the pain that thrummed all over his body. His skin was a patchwork of black and blue and sickly yellow-green.
Blood trickled down his head languidly. I dripped down from his sharp chin, landing on the blood pooled at his feet. Shen Jiu tried to stand on his tiptoes to avoid touching the warm sticky liquid. The harsh scent of iron burned his nose.
Wu Yanzi’s body lay a few feet in front of him. Well, the upper half at least. Blood gushed from the severed torso and painted the forest floor red. Shen Jiu averted his gaze before he could observe more of the damage. He tasted bile on the back of his throat and swallowed thickly, trying to push the nausea down.
The strange man, no, demon stood at the entrance of the clearing. He was a mountain, nearly twice Shen Jiu’s size with muscles that strained noticeably on those threadbare robes. That large, clawed hand dripped with crimson liquid. Those same claws had ripped Wu Yanzi in half, and had effortlessly flung the lower half of the demonic cultivator’s body behind him as though it was trash.
“Hey kid, you alright? He was tossing you around like a rag doll.”
The demon’s voice wasn’t what Shen Jiu expected. It was a deep timber that resonated with warmth and an undertone of concern. It was a voice that suited a kind gentleman – not a violent murderer who could casually tear someone in half.
Shen Jiu’s body tensed further, and his lips turned white from how tightly they were pressed together.
“Oh? Not going to speak?” The demon seemed amused by his wariness. “Even though I just saved you.”
Shen Jiu grudgingly acknowledged that it was true. Wu Yanzi found sick entertainment in watching him in pain. Usually, he wouldn’t go farther than a few hits and kicks to his gut, but that day he was worse than usual. Something must have set him off and Shen Jiu was the unlucky recipient of his rage.
He truly thought he was going to die there, alone and forgotten, under the hands of this disgusting man.
One moment, he was being kicked in the side, and the next, Wu Yanzi was flung across the clearing.
The demon did save him, but that didn’t mean he had to trust him. Shen Jiu knew very well. Men were scum that couldn’t be trusted, especially demon men. Every kindness was with the expectation of repayment. For all he knew, the demon could be worse than Wu Yanzi.
“Hah, I guess there’s just no getting to you.” The demon crossed his arms and gave Shen Jiu a considering look. He must have been quite the sight – small, thin, dirty, and covered with bruises. His stare burned, and Shen Jiu hoped the demon’s eyes would fall out of their sockets.
“Your eyes are an interesting color. You don’t see that shade of green very often, like cold jade.” The demon reached into his robes and threw something at Shen Jiu. It landed somewhere near his feet, safely landing away from the pool of blood. “It’ll be a shame for them to be snuffed out. That’s a manual I sniped from an irritating cultivator from Huan Hua a few weeks ago. It’s more useful to you than it is for me.”
Shen Jiu’s mind warred with itself as the man began to walk away. His back was completely open to attack, but Shen Jiu could tell that vulnerability was not synonymous with weakness. The demon was powerful enough to afford this nonchalance.
“Let me hear your voice next time,” the demon threw behind him as he disappeared into the thick trees. “Till we meet again, Little Jade.”
The nickname made Shen Jiu’s lips twist into a snarl. The audacity of the demon!
Shen Jiu waited a few minutes before he finally allowed himself to relax. He felt frustration burning the back of his eyes. While Wu Yanzi wasn’t a great man, he was still all Shen Jiu had after escaping the Qius. He was the one who saved Shen Jiu from the fire, breaking the lock on the woodshed before it could be swallowed by flames. It’s only been a few months since then. He hasn’t even gotten to learn anything about cultivation! And now, he had nowhere to go.
His eyes landed on the manual lying innocuously on the grassy floor. That demon could have lied. It could be a faulty manual, one meant to hurt him. Or maybe it wasn’t for free after all, and the demon would come back to demand repayment.
But also, what other choice did Shen Jiu have?
~
Shen Jiu tied his sleeves up to his elbows and pulled his hair into a high ponytail. He picked up the tray and walked hurriedly out of the kitchen towards the entertainment hall, the teapot and cups balancing precariously from his hurried pace.
He had turned the corner and bumped into a hard chest. The only thing that stopped him from toppling over and spilling tea all over the hardwood floor of the brothel was a large steadying hand on his waist. The contact burned his skin through his robes, and he immediately pushed away. The porcelain clattered noisily at his sudden movement.
“Excuse me for my carelessness,” Shen Jiu muttered, head down. He clutched the tray tightly to his chest. While all he wanted to do was curse the man for bumping into him, for touching him, he also knew that it wouldn’t reflect well on the business. He didn’t want to cause problems for the Madam who had so generously taken him in.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. Imagine my surprise when I heard from my nephew that you were staying here.”
Shen Jiu’s head snapped up when he heard that familiar timber.
The demon from all those months ago grinned brightly down at him. His appearance had undergone a great change since the last time. Instead of looking as though he had purposefully smeared mud on his face and stolen some homeless man’s clothes, the demon was cleaner. His robes were plain but obviously made of expensive material and expertly crafted.
“Little Jade, it’s good to see you again.”
Shen Jiu choked on his spit. “You-! What are you doing here!?”
The demon laughed with his whole body, head thrown back and shoulders shaking. Shen Jiu absently thought that the demon was rather handsome when he wasn’t covered in blood for a split second before his common sense beat his thought senseless.
“It’s not ‘you.’ You can call me, hm, Tian.” Tian was most definitely not his name, or at least not his full name. “I tend to find my entertainment elsewhere, but I was told you would be here. I wanted to check up on you.”
Tian looked Shen Jiu up and down, seeming to take in his status. “You’re looking much better already! It’s good that you’re eating well. It’s much better than when you were with that demo-.”
Shen Jiu let out a strangled sound before sending Tian a glare. “Don’t speak so loudly!” His eyes darted around the hall, making sure that there was no one watching, and turned back to Tian. “Follow me.”
Shen Jiu turned back around. He didn’t bother to check that Tian was following him as he moved swiftly down the corridor, moving deeper into the brothel. He finally stopped when he reached the end of the building and opened the door.
The room was not large, but it was big enough to house one person. There was a bed in the corner of the room with a clothing chest at its foot and a desk that sat in front of a slightly opened paper window. In the middle of the room was a low table. Shen Jiu went and sat on one of the floor cushions.
Tian stood at the doorway, red eyes unreadable as they scanned the room, before he joined Shen Jiu at the table.
“The Warm Red Pavilion, hm?”
Shen Jiu scowled deeply. “I’m not a prostitute! I just teach the girls how to read and write.” He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want Tian to think he was selling his body. Not that there was any shame in that, especially when most of the girls were victims of circumstance. “The Madam was kind enough to take me under her wing.”
Tian’s lips twitched up and his whole disposition changed, turning back to the warm expression that looked much more natural on his face. “I know. My nephew kept me informed.”
Shen Jiu didn’t know who this nephew was, but he sounded like a weird stalker. Well, out of sight out of mind. More importantly, his brain latched onto the fact that Tian had been keeping tabs on him.
“Why do you care what I do?”
“Call it an investment.” Tian’s eyes sparkled and he leaned forward on his elbow. “I heard that you’re advancing your cultivation rather quickly. The manual has been helpful, I take it?”
It was true. After Shen Jiu had finished having a crisis, he took the manual with a new resolve. He had studied the manual on his way to Cang Qiong where he had gone to the Warm Red Pavilion, asking for work. He had learned how to read and write from being forced to do Qiu Jianluo’s work, so he thought that he might as well put that knowledge to use.
The Madam had taken an instant liking to him. Aside from teaching the girls and protecting them from unruly customers, he also learned other skills such as dancing and playing the guqin. He found that he had a talent for it, and more than that, found himself enjoying it.
He also made improvements in his cultivation. Wu Yanzi had said he wouldn’t teach Shen Jiu until he would prove himself useful, but the demonic cultivator had died before that happened. In a sense, Shen Jiu was thankful for that. Wu Yanzi wouldn’t purposefully teach him skills that would make him stronger. It was more likely that he would try and cripple Shen Jiu’s cultivation.
All these together meant that Shen Jiu owed a debt to Tian. If Tian hadn’t killed Wu Yanzi, Shen Jiu would not have willingly left the tender and loving care of his former master. It made his skin crawl, the thought of being in debt to a man, but Tian wasn’t just a man. He was also a demon. At least, with demons, they didn’t pretend to be anything that they weren’t.
Shen Jiu was a man of principle, though, and he would repay the favor. Since he started working at the Warm Red Pavilion, he was provided a room and a meager weekly allowance. He had been saving the coins in a poorly made pouch he’d sown with the help of one of the brothel girls.
He had saved the money with the expectation that he wouldn’t meet Tian for many years, or possibly even never. It seemed like a chance encounter, one that was unlikely to be repeated. He was wrong.
Tian was there, legs crossed and cheek smushed by the palm of his hand. Shen Jiu would be repaying the man much sooner than he thought. Since it’s only been 3 months, he couldn’t save that much. Still, it was a start.
“The cultivation manual you gave me… and for killing Wu Yanzi…”
Shen Jiu’s lips twisted with discomfort. He turned and opened his cloth chest. His hand tightened into a fist around the small pouch, and he quickly thrust it in front of Tian’s face.
“If it weren’t for you, I would be worse off, so…. Thanks.” It was like pulling teeth. Shen Jiu’s face was averted to try and hide his burning cheeks. He clenched his jaw, feeling his whole body tense with embarrassment.
The silence stretched, and Shen Jiu grew more and more anxious. Finally, after a few minutes of nothing, he glanced to see Tian’s expression.
Tian’s eyes were wide and shining, mouth slightly agape. He looked as though he’d finally found what he’d been searching for. He looked as though he’d found it in Shen Jiu.
“Marry me.”
“What!?”
~
Shen Jiu regretted everything.
Tian became an incessant presence after that. He would go to the brothel every day with a new gift and follow him around like a persistent fly. Sometimes the gifts were luxurious robes, fans, or other items. Shen Jiu didn’t mind them, but he didn’t exactly have the storage space to keep them.
Not to mention, he was constantly being teased by the other girls. They seemed charmed by Tian and thought he was a good fit for their “A-Jiu.” Whenever Tian would leave, Shen Jiu would be bombarded with questions and encouragement to accept the man’s courting.
The gifts Shen Jiu enjoyed best, though, were the cultivation manuals. He had always had a natural affinity for spiritual cultivation, and with proper instruction, he flourished. Though he was a bit older than the ideal age for cultivating, it didn’t affect him much. Even Tian seemed impressed, praising Shen Jiu endlessly. Shen Jiu would have appreciated it more if Tian didn’t refer to him as “wife.”
Tian did pay for his services, though. The Madam had said she would allow Tian to monopolize Shen Jiu’s attention and time so long as the price was paid.
Their time was spent in conversations (one-sided arguments), reading (Shen Jiu disparaging Tian’s taste in literature while also gossiping about the characters), and playing the guqin. Tian particularly enjoyed just sitting and watching Shen Jiu strum a beautiful tune. Shen Jiu also liked those moments best. He was able to just relax and enjoy the music.
Even though Shen Jiu was growing grudgingly fond of Tian, he still found the man insufferable at times. For example, Tian had a habit of ignoring Shen Jiu’s personal space. He was very tactile and liked to be a part of Shen Jiu during their time together.
Shen Jiu had been in a particularly bad mood one day due to some altercation with an unruly customer the night before. Tian had been relentless, constantly touching Shen Jiu’s hand and playing with his hair. Most days, this wouldn’t have annoyed him. Rather, Shen Jiu secretly enjoyed the contact. That day, though, he lost his patience.
“Enough! If you won’t sit still, I’ll make you!”
Shen Jiu wasn’t proud to admit that, instead of handling the situation with maturity and elegance, he had tackled Tian to the ground. It seems that the older man’s immaturity had rubbed off on him somehow.
Tian’s eyes widened before his mouth split in a wide grin. “Oh! How fierce! I like it!”
They grappled on the wooden floor, rolling in the cramped space. They bumped into the table, causing the tea to spill. Shen Jiu’s hair had come undone in the struggle, and he was sure he must have accidentally ripped a part of Tian’s robe. He finally managed to shove the large man down and quickly used his hair ribbon to tie those hands together. He then proceeded to tie the end of the ribbon around the front leg of his bed.
Shen Jiu sat up, panting. His hair was in disarray, falling messily around his face, and his hand was leaning heavily on Tian’s hard chest. He looked up to see Tian’s face only to flinch at what he saw.
Tian’s crimson eyes were glowing in the dim lighting of the room and filled with a pang of primal, insatiable hunger. His hair was a mess as well, and Shen Jiu hated how handsome it made him look. Tian’s smile was all teeth and feral.
“I think I could get used to this view.”
Shen Jiu blinked before realizing his position. He was straddling Tian’s stomach, one hand on Tian’s chest while the other was holding those tied wrists down. He could feel the hot breath on his face from leaning over.
Panicked and flustered, Shen Jiu tried to scramble backward. His body slipped down in his haste, and he felt something hot, hard, and large press between his cheeks. It nestled there, snug and comfortable.
“Y-you! Shameless!” Shen Jiu’s face burned bright red. “Why are you reacting like that?!”
Tian’s grin mellowed into something more amused. “I’m a demon, darling. Acts of violence are a sort of foreplay for us.” Tian’s hands flexed beneath the ribbon, and it was obvious that he could break the thin fabric with just a twitch of his muscle. Shen Jiu knew that he was only able to do this because he was allowed to.
“That’s,” Shen Jiu squeaked out. He was mortified. “Vulgar! Shameless! Immoral!”
Tian laughed as Shen Jiu stuttered through his embarrassment. The vibrations shook his body and caused Shen Jiu to bounce against his hardened length.
Shen Jiu felt faint. Unable to handle it anymore, he scrambled off Tian and shuffled backward until he felt the wall on his back.
“Why did you leave?” Tian pouted, looking up at Shen Jiu from his place on the floor. “If we’re going to get married, we should get to know each other better first.” The way he moved his eyebrows indicated what he meant by ‘getting to know each other.’
Shen Jiu let out a strangled scream. “I’m not marrying you! And stop speaking!” He turned toward the door and rushed out, the door slamming behind him.
Truly! He was better off with Wu Yanzi!