Work Text:
Gongyi Xiao walked up the well-worn path up Qing Jing Peak. His eyes meandered through the surroundings, savoring the tranquil beauty of the bamboo grove, and feeling a strange nostalgia as if coming home.
It had been far too long since he was last there. After being named head disciple, his responsibilities increased, and he was unable to visit as often as he wanted. However, after 3 months of constant missions and tending to the other Huan Hua disciples, he was able to take a short break.
He could already taste Shen Qingqiu’s fragrant jasmine tea on his tongue.
It started with a disciple exchange program. The Old Palace Master had suggested it one day, claiming that it was a good opportunity for the sects to strengthen their ties. It was also an opportunity for the disciples to gain new knowledge and skills.
Gongyi Xiao had jumped at the opportunity. He had always admired the Peak Leader from Cang Qiong, the famed Xiu Ya sword Shen Qingqiu. While there had been many rumors surrounding him, Gongyi Xiao wasn’t one to believe without proof.
Besides, he remembers the first time he had seen the immortal master. It had been when he was still new to the sect and had been sent on a mission to a nearby town. He’d seen Shen Qingqiu by chance, saw the visage of an elegant and elevated immortal who was untouched by the mundane concerns of the mortal realm.
Gongyi Xiao wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was immediately star-struck.
Fortunately, his request was accepted, and he was allowed to be a temporary disciple in Qing Jing Peak. He knew it was mostly because Shen Qingqiu was skeptical of the program and wanted to keep a close eye on Huan Hua’s head disciple. In the beginning, he was heavily scrutinized, and his every move was monitored. That didn’t last too long.
Gongyi doesn’t know what he did, or what kind of saint he must have been in his previous life to have received the greatest treasure which is Shen Qingqiu’s trust. All he knew was that he was so thankful, so grateful, that he was given something so precious to call his own.
Their relationship had caused a great uproar, and in the subsequent chaos, many truths were brought to light. For example, Shen Qingqiu’s trips to the brothel were revealed to have been completely innocent. The Madam of the Warm Red Pavilion had even publicly stated that Shen Qingqiu’s usual service was snacks, conversation, and music.
There was also the matter of Shen Qingqiu’s past. Many had been outraged that the promising Gongyi Xiao was supposedly being taken advantage of and wanted to contact the Shen family for an intervention. It was revealed that there was no Shen family at all. The sect leader Yue Qingyuan had stepped up himself to explain the situation.
That caused even more of an uproar considering that Cang Qiong’s sect leader was a former slave, but many of Shen Qingqiu’s loudest accusers shut up after that.
Gongyi Xiao didn’t particularly care what the rest of the cultivation world thought. He was too lost in the high of being in love, of being loved in return.
Well, perhaps he cared a little about the way Yue Qingyuan looked down at him as though he were a nuisance, or the way the Bai Zhan war god seemed hell-bent on challenging him. Or even the way that disciple with the surname Luo’s gaze burned into him when he passed by on his way to Shen Qingqiu’s bamboo house.
Speaking of, Gongyi Xiao finally arrived at his destination. He pushed the door open, letting himself into his home. Yes, though he was a Huan Hua disciple and had a personal space there, he considered the place next to Shen Qingqiu his home. Perhaps, in the future, Shen Qingqiu would think the same about him.
The sitting room was empty when he checked. He looked around the rest of the bamboo house, but there was no sign of Shen Qingqiu. After wandering around, he finally found himself standing in front of the Peak Lord’s bedroom door.
Gongyi Xiao rapped his knuckles on the door.
“Come in,” came the muffled voice of Shen Qingqiu. “It’s open.”
Gongyi Xiao didn’t think much about the situation. The door swung forward at his push, and he took one step inside before freezing completely at the sight in front of him.
Shen Qingqiu’s hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his robe was low on his back revealing that snowy expanse. He turned around leisurely, and Gongyi Xiao’s eyes immediately went down, captivated by the way the robe slipped revealing inch by tantalizing inch of Shen Qingqiu’s porcelain skin. His eyes moved lower to trace the long line of those alluring legs.
Shen Qingqiu’s movements were unhurried as he pulled the robe up, hands expertly tying the sash around his waist. “Sorry about not greeting you when you arrived,” he said plainly. “The little beast tripped and spilled tea all over my robes. I had to return to change them.”
Gongyi Xiao’s mind was swimming, and he could barely hear Shen Qingqiu’s voice through the rush of blood in his ears. “It’s… alright…”
Shen Qingqiu’s brows furrowed. “Are you feeling well? Your face is red, and you look faint. Don’t tell me that you’re being overworked.” His eyes flashed with contempt. “That old man-.”
“No!” Gongyi Xiao squeaked. “I’m completely fine! Just feeling a bit warm.”
Shen Qingqiu didn’t look convinced, but he thankfully dropped the topic -at least for now.
The scholar sat down on the bed and patted beside him. “Come sit. I need help with my hair.” His eyes were wide and expectant. Looking at them made Gongyi Xiao want to pamper them forever.
When Gongyi Xiao finally rebooted back into coherence, he was running a brush through Shen Qingqiu’s silky strands with practiced ease. He moved slowly and methodically. The teeth of the brush moved smoothly through the knot-free strands.
Gongyi Xiao thought back to just a few moments ago when he’d walked in and thought he was dreaming. The way it was, it had seemed as though Shen Qingqiu was stripping his robes teasingly for him. Gongyi Xiao should have known better, though.
In the time they’ve been together, the farthest they’ve gotten was some stolen kisses and holding hands. He truly wondered how Shen Qingqiu had gotten the reputation of a lecher when he was this innocent and charming.
It also made him happy, though, to know that Shen Qingqiu had about the same amount of experience as he did – which was none. It had him kicking his legs with giddiness to think that they were each other’s first, tickling the part of him that believed in fairy tales and soulmates. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know anything. They could learn together.
Gongyi put the brush down and ran his fingers through the inky strands and thought absent-mindedly. He had been planning for a while that, after he gained the title of Palace Master, he would propose to Shen Qingqiu.
He wondered if, after their marriage, Shen Qingqiu would be willing to try that with him. The intimate matters between lovers, of course, but also that slow reveal of the tempting skin beneath the robes. It was, in a word, captivating.
Maybe, if he asked sweetly enough, he would be rewarded.