Chapter Text
Art by Rim.draws
"Xiao Bing!"
A small pair of legs whisked by, wind followed his steps a second later.
A small shadow momentarily blocked the peaceful beam of light shining down at a small puddle below.
"Ready or not, here I come!"
A child turns her back, eyes no longer covered. Small legs lept easily from the ground up to the branches. She calls once more: "Xiao Bing!"
A giggle echoed amongst the leaves. She beams, hopping tree to tree. Her descent down to the bushes below was gentle, barely making any sound.
Her hand touches the small of his back. "Got you!" Li Xiu giggled, her voice mixing with Xiao Bing's boyish laugh as he stood, turning back to her.
"Martial sister Li, your eyes are that of hawks! You see me so well!"
She giggles. "You flatter me! You made your laugh obvious so I could find you!"
Xiao Bing fake gasped, "How could that be so, martial sister Li? You just simply have too good of an ear!"
She giggles again.
Xiao Bing was known for his flowery words and gentleman-y attitude. Being physically merely 10, he was able to charm any man, woman, child, teacher, parents that turned his way. His words minced with honey, gestures minced with flowers. One would send their compliments to whoever birthed him, however, no one truly knows Xiao Bing's true parentage.
Shen Qing Qiu sipped on his tea as he sat in his bamboo house, Ming Fang helped look through his papers nearby.
After a brief moment of silence, Ming Fan turned to the sky, counting the hours. "Shizun, should we call Xiao Bing back already? That child is too smart for his own good, he might get himself into trouble again if we let him wander too far."
If Shen Qing Qiu had any worry, he did not express it. "And what would we do once he's back? It's not like he can't climb his way back out."
Hurried footsteps ran to his bamboo house. "Shizun! Xiao Bing he ran fro--"
"We know already." Ming Fan waved his hand, a twinge of annoyance clear in his voice. "Xiao Bing has already snuck away a whole two incense sticks ago!" He threw a fan at the young disciple. "Where did you put your eyes?! Always make your shifu and shizun worry!"
"Disciple was wrong! Disciple was wrong!" The youngling, Chen Bo, bowed, practically crawling on the floor.
Ming Fan could only sigh at his disciple. Still so young and incompetent. "Xiao Bing has been with us for years now. Aren't you not used to his tricks yet?"
"He changes it every time, shifu..." The boy rubs his head, pouting.
Frankly, even Shen Qing Qiu didn't have the heart to criticise whoever couldn't keep an eye on Xiao Bing that day. Despite sealing himself into a body of a child, his original demon-lord-who-took-over-the-world Luo Binghe - Xiao Bing now, still has a lot of his wits with him. He is still a child in all physical waus body. But his power levels and mental capacity didn't seem to alter on many levels.
"Shen Qing Qiu!!!" Qi Qing Qi's voice was heard before she actually appeared. In her hand, Xiao Bing being held by the collar, seemingly accepted his fate.
A curse and a blessing, that child.
Ming Fan and the young disciple knelt down in greeting as Shen Qing Qiu stood up. "Don't waste your time being angry, it'll make you look older."
She laughs flatly. "As much as I adore you, martial brother Shen, you need to keep an eye on this child." She placed Xiao Bing on Ming Fan's work table, who flinched but couldn't say much out of respect to the peak lord. "People have long looked at our sect, and you in specific, because you married a demon. Now you've brought this child with no title to his name, no origins barely any time after your marriage. Have you any ideas of the rumours going around about you??"
"It has been 5 years already. Why do you seem so affected now?" Shen Qing Qiu sat down on his chair, dismissing Xiao Bing with a hand wave. The child cheerfully hopped off the table and bolted. Chen Bo ran after him.
"They call you a pervert and a darkened spiritual practitioner, that you are the signs of destined destruction that would fall upon our world, martial brother Shen." She sighed, taking a seat opposite to him. Ming Fan excused himself. "I know you care not for these whispers but they are no longer whispers. These words are strong enough to become roars."
Shen Qing Qiu stayed silent. Not even his brow twitched. Qi Qing Qi could only sigh. "This isn't just about you, martial brother Shen. The other sects of our world, even the Heavenly court had many times bothered Yue Qing Yuan but he had stood by you all these years. However, with how things are unfolding, even if martial brother Yue refuses, I will bring you in myself." She slammed onto his table, storming out.
A beat of silence.
"Come out now, I know you have not left."
Xiao Bing slowly peaked his head from the corner, his illusion might have worked well enough for the uncomposed Qi Qing Qi and his fellow disciple but certainly not for shizun, shifu of shifus.
"Shizun..." His voice was small, almost apologetic. "Well, it's not like she doesn't have a point." What little sympathy he had in his voice vanished quickly. He climbed onto the chair with great struggle. "You are the esteemed peak lord, married to your male demon disciple. Honestly, even I found it hard to believe it took this long." He leaned onto the table, looking too adult-like for his stature.
Technically he is an adult, he had already lived that long already anyway.
"You want to bring me into the Heavenly Court as well?" Shen Qing Qiu's gaze seemed far away. Xiao Bing could tell he was waiting for Luo BingHe. It's strange that Xiao Bing no longer feels strange about his situation anymore.
"What good would that serve me? Or them by that matter? I rendered you limbless for a time and yet you still lived. They could cut you into pieces and that might not even keep you still. You even have Luo BingHe behind your back. This whole thing is a mess." Despite his crass tone, disrespectful speech and dismissive attitude, Xiao Bing refilled Shen Qing Qiu's tea cup when it was empty. His red eyes, too, avoided looking at Shen Qing Qiu directly when turned. The usual proud bright glowing demon mark on his forehead seems dull in colour.
"You could say you feel bad, no one would actually fault you for it." A portal appeared behind them, out walking Luo BingHe. His arm wordlessly wrapped around his husband's frame as second nature. His free arm ruffled Xiao Bing's head.
"Luodi." Xiao Bing called, no longer rejecting Luo BingHe's treatment.
"Luo di? It's Luoge. I'm your gege. I'm way older than you."
Xiao Bing huffed, "In what world?" He hopped on the chair, then the table. Still not tall enough to reach Luo BingHe's face.
"I don't have time to argue with you," Luo BingHe jabbed his hips playfully before giving his full attention to Shen QingQiu, pressing a kiss on his husband's cheek. "I can only be back for a little bit. If I don't spend it recharging with my treasure, I would regret it for a thousand year."
Xiao Bing fake barfed. Shen QingQiu hit their heads with his fan.
Barely a minute later, the portal opens again. Mo BeiJun knelt in front of them all. "My lord, Lord Shen, Little Lord Bing." He greeted. "My lord, you're needed. About TianLang-Jun, we--"
"I got it." Luo BingHe dismissed him quickly. Xiao Bing's eyebrows twitched from hearing the name alone.
Shen QingQiu turned slowly to Luo Binghe who smiled at him brightly.
"What was that?"
"Nothing you need to be concerned about." Luo Binghe kissed the top of his head, reluctantly detached himself. "I need to leave again but I'll be back as soon as possible. Is there anything you want to tell me before I go?"
Xiao Bing turned to shizun. He predicted Shen will complain about the things being said about him, the words they used to put him down, how his reputation is tarnished and order his most loyal and powerful dog to go eat every one of his detractors' heads off.
Shen QingQiu slowly stood, pressing a chast kiss on his husbands' lips. "Careful."
Xiao Bing is usually wrong, he likes it that way.
Luo Binghe's smile widened before disappearing with Mo Beijun.
"About the Heavenly Court--" Xiao Bing started but stopped once Shen QingQiu flapped his fan open with an audible thwack.
"It's nothing children should be concerned about."
"But I'm not--"
Shen QingQiu placed a palm on his head. "I know. But you are now. Go play. No matter what, I won't let them nor anything come in between the important things and people I struggled to have. That includes you." He, too, ruffled Xiao Bing's hair.
The child saw tears dripping down his hands before he could feel the wetness of his eyes. He nodded, grateful.
"So what did you do today in Qi QingQi's sect that got her so vexed?"
Xiao Bing pouted, wiping his face quickly. "I just played hide and seek with a few girls."
Shen QingQiu stared in silence.
"I didn't tell them I was playing with different girls at the same time."
Shen Qingqiu continued to stare.
"And eventually they found me and each other and got mad. I told them we are just playing and it makes it more of a challenge that way and they started arguing saying I complimented them on this and that and they got mad at each other."
Shen Qingqiu continued to stare.
"Then I egged them on to fight and it became a mess and Qi Qing Qi was alerted." Xiao Bing pouted.
Shen QingQiu made a noise similar to that of a chuckle, shaking his head. "You don't get to have 3000 wives anymore as a 10 years old child."
"I can start early." Xiao Bing played into their little inside joke. It used to be a sore spot for both of them to talk about but then again, Xiao Bing was a sore spot to even mention all those years ago.
It's strange how far away those days seem now.
"Go play. And behave. I have business to discuss with a few people." Shen QingQiu patted his head before leaving. "Remember to eat and wash up later, no need to wait for me."
Xiao Bing watched him go. A part of him felt oddly guilty for lying.
Xiao Bing fake gasped, "How could that be so, martial sister Li? You just simply have too good of an ear!"
She giggles again. "Okay! My turn!"
Xiao Bing turned his back to her and started counting. He could hear and pinpoint her exact location as she darted away. When she was out of sight, he turned around as he was still counting.
"21, 22..." He walked aimlessly in the forest, gazing up at the trees with a small smile on his lips. Never would he think of the day where this sight could still greet him. No matter how many days he spent waking up here, it always felt like the first time.
"34, 3--" He came to a stop. He turned. Nothing. Odd, he was sure he heard something.
Xiao Bing tried to shake it off but he heard something again, something... calling.
Taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes. Wind whizzing by his hair, peddles tumbling and carried off by ants, insects buzzing in the air, birds preparing their nests for the season.
A small, young voice. "Qiu... Qiu Jianlou..." The name that sounded familiar yet not at the same time. Where had he heard this name before?
His brows furrowed as he focused harder.
"Qiu Jianlou... you and your family... I'll kill you...! I'll kill you all!!!" The voice roared out. Hatred, sorrow, envy. Rage.
Xiao Bing snapped back to reality, gasping for air.
"Ah hah! I found you!" A girl disciple ran to him, hugging his arm. Li Xiu jumped out from her hiding spot, the arguments got louder, more girls gathered. Xiao Bing snuck away during the chaos, getting caught during his escape.
Xiao Bing curled his hands into fists. Heavenly Courted wanted to bring judgement to shizun, Tianlang-Jun is starting his connection or reconnection with this world's Luo Binghe and Xiao Bing himself was more than 99% sure the voice that called out to him was no other than Shen QingQiu.
"It has been uncharacteristically peaceful for too long anyway."
Xiao Bing turned to his room in shizun's bamboo house. His own Xiu Mo leaned onto the door frame, glowing faintly in anticipation.