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Qi Qingqi looks at him judgmentally. It’s her default look around Yue Qingyuan when he’s in this state, and yet he simply smiles at her.
“Shimei,” he says, “Are you unhappy with what happened today?”
“No,” she huffs, unwilling to try to pretend otherwise. She would only look foolish. “You charmed that lord thoroughly. If we lingered any longer, he would have started throwing his daughters at you.”
Yue Qingyuan’s smile turns a little pained at that, as had been her intention, but it’s true. The lord had been flattered enough that the head disciple of Cang Qiong had been sent to apologize for the destruction some Bai Zhan disciples had caused, and then Yue Qingyuan laid on his seemingly effortless charm. He is very good with people, good enough that the lord did not even ask them to pay for it, and would be a competent Sect Leader in that at least, but he still irks her.
“I am glad it did not come to that,” he says diplomatically, as if he would not have used her as a shield in some fashion. “If Shimei is happy with it, then why does she look at this one so? Have I done something to offend?”
She rolls her eyes. “Your face. Are you still unaware of when you do it?”
His smile freezes on his face, and then fades a little. “Ah… I was doing it again?”
Qi Qingqi glances at the fan he holds clutched in his hands, simultaneously holding it as if it were precious yet clinging to it as if he cannot bear to let go. “A gift for Shen-shixiong?”
The smile returns - the soft, sappy smile he has whenever he thinks of Shen Qingqiu when he is not there to stop that smile into the dirt. (She does prefer this smile to his sad, bereft one whenever that happens.) “It is,” he says, displaying it. It is beautifully painted, but unusual - yellow flowers pattern the edges, and yet they are common flowers, oft-considered weeds.
“Yes, yes, it’s beautiful,” she says, and he folds it back up. “Don’t show it off, or he might not accept it.” She doesn’t think Shen Qingqiu would accept it regardless, but there would be a higher chance if he could use it without everyone knowing it came from Yue Qingyuan.
“Shimei shows great wisdom,” he remarks, a little dryly, and finally tucks it away.
“Glad you see it,” she says with a nod, and nudges him, just a little. “Treat your shimei to dinner for her advice. I’ll even let you talk about him for one incense stick.”
Yue Qingyuan’s smile brightens. “Such kindness,” he says, even though Qi Qingqi is lighting a candle for herself in her heart. It better be good food, to endure.
Shang Qinghua does not like spending time with Yue Qingyuan. There’s a lotta guilt there! A lot of knowing that he doomed this guy, that he made that whole horrible backstory that never got included and doomed this guy and Shen Qingqiu to an absolutely awful fucking death and is the one who created this awful house where the two of them sit in their trashpiles and will likely make future Peak meetings so, SO damn awkward-
So, yeah, he doesn’t like spending time with Yue Qingyuan!
He’s pretty sure he’s good at hiding it - or at least not singling him out in any way shape or form. It’s not as though Shang Qinghua really likes hanging out with his martial siblings. But Shang Qinghua is (almost!) in charge of logistics, which means dealing with more requests for Qing Jing’s library, and almost anything that involves Qing Jing will also involve Yue Qingyuan.
Today, though, it’s a win for him. Shen Qingqiu had of-fucking-course requested some very exclusive books that Shang Qinghua’s Shizun could only get his hands on at an auction, and it was one of those stupid events high profile enough that it couldn’t be delegated to some lesser disciples which meant that both him and Yue Qingyuan were stuck at this.
Big bro! C’mon! Don’t do this to him! He had not been looking forward to it at all, but-
Well, Yue Qingyuan is the future Sect Leader for a reason. It’s masterful, watching him use a smile and disarming words and send away people who would be bothering them for fucking ages otherwise. “You’re really good at that, shixiong,” he marvels a little, sipping on his wine because he is going to fucking enjoy the shit out of this free wine.
“Thank you, Shang-shidi,” Yue Qingyuan says, and man, he is handsome, isn’t he? In an older brother sorta way, which was the point, but he does look nice. Not really Shang Qinghua’s type, but eh, not for him anyway.
Shang Qinghua settles down to watch the show - both the actual auction itself (which Yue Qingyuan is more than happy to bet in) and all of the handsome men and women who are here for it. He maybe zones out a bit. Sue him. The only part of this is interesting is when Huan Hua Palace and some sect he’s never heard of get into a bit of a bidding war and he realizes partway through that the disciple sitting next to the bidder is Su Xiyan and he has to try not to bug-eyed stare at her for the rest of the time.
She definitely doesn’t notice. He’s an insect! He’s dirt! He’s an NPC no-name villain just blending in!
Yue Qingyuan probably notices, but he’s bro enough that he doesn’t say a word if he does.
When everything has finished and the heart attack waiting to happen that is Su Xiyan has left, Shang Qinghua has honestly felt good enough today and so lacking with guilt - it’s probably the wine! - that he actually dares to question something Yue Qingyuan does instead of just shutting up and letting the tragic dead man walking do whatever he wants. He squints at the books and counts them and says, “Hey, wait a minute. Shen Qingqiu and Shen-shishu didn’t put that many books on the list.”
Yue Qingyuan smiles serenely. “I noticed a few more that would be useful,” he says, which is just code for giving Shen Qingqiu some presents.
And hey, normally, Shang Qinghua wouldn’t care! Give him shit all he wants! It probably won’t amount to anything, since things seem on-track canon-wise (sadly, his weird unsolicited advice from when they were kids did absolutely nothing except make him seem insane), but in this case… “Shixiong, we have a budget!” he whines, not trying to seem argumentative but just. He knows that, right?
Shang Qinghua will be the one in trouble if they go over!! Fuck!! He had trusted Yue Qingyuan not to go over because big bro’s responsible and he hadn’t been listening and-
Yue Qingyuan takes his hand and drops the money pouch in it. There’s still some coins. They jingle. Shang Qinghua looks up at him, stupefied. “I stayed within it,” he says.
Man, he really hopes Yue Qingyuan can avoid dying horribly. He likes him!
Liu Qingge enjoys missions with Yue Qingyuan.
They don’t happen often - Liu Qingge chafes at spending too much time on the mountain, and constantly sends himself off it on missions. The Bai Zhan peak lord died long before he came to be a disciple, so he is nominally in charge of Bai Zhan. He doesn’t really like it that much.
But no one there can beat him, so that’s how it is.
If he thinks he’s spent too long on the peaks, he marches over to Qiong Ding to see if there’s anything to do, or any rumors. He might not even do that and might just head off to find something, because it’s not that difficult to find a beast causing trouble somewhere. A lot of small villages and towns don’t know how to send a request to Cang Qiong to ask for help, or it will take so long because they really only have a literal runner to sprint as fast as they can, so it works nicely.
This is an ‘official’ mission, though, which Yue Qingyuan had hand-delivered with a glitter in his eyes. “It would be a favor to me if we could do it together, Shidi,” he had said, and it wasn’t like Liu Qingge would say no.
He likes spending time with the other. Yue Qingyuan is competent, well-spoken, and understands Liu Qingge well even if he doesn’t explain himself. He’s not always correct, but better than everyone who isn’t blood family.
He doesn’t understand Yue Qingyuan, not in the slightest, but he respects and likes him.
Today, for example - their mission is to track down and kill a Three-Headed Leopard Scorpion. It’s an interesting fight, and one that Liu Qingge is willing to admit he might not have managed on his own. All it would have taken would be a single sting from that tail, and he wouldn’t have been able to recover before being devoured.
Liu Qingge would like to say that he could fight it without getting hit, but… well, he does get hit.
It’s fine, though - they’re prepared. The moment the stinger slips into his skin, Yue Qingyuan is there to pull him away and to take on the Leopard Scorpion on his own. Liu Qingge can do nothing but cycle qi through his system to chase away the poison and watch.
He rarely gets to see his shixiong fight. Yue Qingyuan blocks every attack deftly - Xuan Su remains in its sheath, as it always does, and yet is no less effective for it. It may not strike a killing blow, not unless Yue Qingyuan gets at a good angle to break its neck, but that’s not his role, anyway. He doesn’t need to draw it.
(Liu Qingge only asked one time, after a spar that had frustrated him, because Yue Qingyuan had beat him soundly and yet not drawn his sword at all. He had not been frustrated at Yue Qingyuan - merely his own weakness, that it had happened. He asked why Yue Qingyuan never drew his sword. The look on his face had ensured Liu Qingge would never ask again.)
Yue Qingyuan is performing his role well, and Liu Qingge’s qi chases away the last of the poison. He holds his breath, entire body ready, watching for the opening that Yue Qingyuan will leave for him as his body shifts and- there!
He lunges in as Yue Qingyuan moves to the left and slices through the creature’s windpipe. It’s unfortunately too dangerous to strike again as it begins its death throes, and Yue Qingyuan watches with narrowed eyes, blocking one lashing strike of its tail, but that’s all that is required.
It thrashes, it quivers, and it’s dead.
The two of them linger for one more moment, watching, before Liu Qingge sheathes his sword and Yue Qingyuan reattaches his to his side. “Excellent work, Shidi,” he says.
Liu Qingge nods a little. “You, too, Shixiong.” It’s nice to have someone capable by his side, and he squats down to examine the corpse. They did well on keeping it fairly intact. “What do you want?”
Yue Qingyuan looks surprised. “Excuse me?”
He glances at him. Liu Qingge isn’t stupid. “What did you want from the Leopard Scorpion?” He must have wanted something. That’s why this was a favor.
“Ah… if Shidi doesn’t mind… the pelt. Enough for lining, at least.”
Liu Qingge grunts. “For that Shen Qingqiu?” He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t need to get it, and he knows there must be something underneath that only Yue Qingyuan can see, but he shakes his head a little. “You can have it.” He has no use for it.
Yue Qingyuan smiles. It’s a nice smile. “Thanks to Shidi,” he says.
“You could have done it on your own,” Liu Qingge says, and refuses to hear otherwise. “Spar, when we get back?” He doesn’t need to rest.
“Ah, of course.”
Mu Qingfang sips his tea and listens to the others argue. He has much, much better things to do than being here, but Qi Qingqi had chased a terrified Shang Qinghua right into him, and his Shizun thought bonding was very important, so it was obvious he could not say no.
Liu Qingge looks like he honestly doesn’t know how he ended up here - or at least, that’s how Mu Qingfang is interpreting that look. It is difficult to tell with him.
Qi Qingqi had been the one to drag everyone together, and is currently all but beating a cringing Shang Qinghua over the head while Wei Qingwei watches in delight.
“It’s- it’s a terrible idea!” Shang Qinghua is protesting. “What if Shen-shixiong finds out!? He’ll kill me! You know he would!”
Qi Qingqi rolls her eyes and smacks Shang Qinghua with a sheaf of papers. “He wouldn’t try to kill you.”
“Lightly maim, maybe,” Wei Qingwei chimes in, which doesn’t help anything.
“He’s tried to kill me before,” Liu Qingge says, frowning down at his tea. “He missed.”
Qi Qingqi gestures at him. “See? Even if he tries, you can handle it.”
Shang Qinghua stares at her in horror. “If Shen Qingqiu tries to kill me, I will actually die!”
Mu Qingfang sighs, and decides to finally interject. “If Shang-shixiong doesn’t want to run this bet, he doesn’t have to,” he says, very firmly. “Besides, I’m sure Qi-shimei would be able to handle it herself, and will be able to keep it together if Shen-shixiong finds out about it.”
He feels old right now, and it’s fitting - despite their rankings, he and Qi Qingqi are the oldest here. She considers him, gives Shang Qinghua a shake, and then unhands him and sits back. “Fine,” she says. “But that just means you have to pay that favor back another way.”
“Fa-” He stops, immediately, eyes going wide and then nods rapidly. “Right. Right. Okay.”
Mu Qingfang has zero desire to know. “I bet within the next five years,” he says, shaking his head a little. “In addition to the gifts you have described, Yue-shixiong recently went with me to obtain some herbs to make a tea to assist Shen-shixiong in his cultivation. He wanted to ensure that it would be the most appropriate possible.”
Liu Qingge frowns at him. “Even that Shen Qingqiu won’t say yes just because Yue-shixiong gives him gifts,” he says. “He’s been giving him gifts since the beginning.”
Mu Qingfang tips his head in acknowledgement. “That is so, but are the gifts not more appropriate, nowadays? He used to spend like one given money for the first time, who knows little of how to discern quality or how to use such funds. Now, he chooses things that Shen Qingqiu actually likes. They are more in tune with each other, and have been spending more time together. The next five years.”
He’s said his piece, and he leans back to watch the others. Qi Qingqi frowns. “...the next ten years,” she says, noting that down. “Sure, they’re getting better, but Qingqiu takes a very long time to unthaw. And Yue-shixiong is still a little too persistent. It’s like laying siege, not courting. It won’t happen quickly.”
Shang Qinghua is looking at them all in disbelief. “It’s not gonna happen.”
Mu Qingfang raises an eyebrow. “Is that your bet?”
“Yes! Yes, that’s my bet. It’s not gonna happen. They won’t ever get together. They’ll never manage to get over their own bullshit!”
With practice, Qi Qingqi ignores the odd words and nonsense that Shang Qinghua often spouts, cutting right through it. “How are you going to collect on that? I’m not holding onto this until we ascend or something.”
He waves a hand. “When everyone else’s time runs out, it’s me. I dunno, someone bets twenty years, year twenty-one, I win.”
Liu Qingge nods. “That’s also my bet.”
Qi Qingqi turns slightly to scowl at him. “You two are no fun. Seriously?”
“Yes.” He’s unruffled, and honestly Mu Qingfang is surprised he contributed at all.
She rolls her eyes and turns to look at the last person there. “Wei-shixiong, what about you?”
He looks surprised for a moment. Clearly, he had been thoroughly engrossed in watching all of them - he is the head disciple who gets the most joy out of watching Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan interact as it is (not that… everyone on the peaks doesn’t enjoy it in some fashion, it’s always interesting to see), so of course he enjoys the banter here as well.
Wei Qingwei grins. “My bet is that they’re already together,” he says.
Everyone stares at him. Mu Qingfang furrows his brow. “Excuse me?” he asks, baffled and trying to figure that one out.
“They’re already together.” Wei Qingwei shrugs, leaning back in his chair and drinking his tea in one quick gulp like it is alcohol. “Whenever they announce it, just ask them how long.”
Before any of them can really respond, he’s up with a grin. “I’ve got a meeting. See ya!” He jogs off, and the rest of them are left a bit stupefied.
“Does he know something we don’t?” Qi Qingqi asks, disgruntled by the sudden turn of events.
“No way,” says Shang Qinghua, very confident for some reason. “He’s just a joker.”
He does like to joke… but it still hangs in the air over all of them as they glance at each other. (Except for Liu Qingge. He takes Wei-shixiong’s exit to mean that he is free.) Mu Qingfang would like it if his words were true. It would be happiness for both of his shixiongs.
So… does he know something they don’t…?
Wei Qingwei likes a good jog, enjoys going for a good run, but he actually has a purpose this time. He’s late!
Both Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu wait for him on Wan Jian peak. Yue-shixiong looks as composed as ever, while Shen-shixiong looks like he’s going to bite someone’s head off - he hides that as soon as Wei Qingwei gets closer, his yellow-flowered fan going up, but hah, Qingwei still saw that!
“Sorry about the wait, shixiongs!” he says cheerfully as he jogs over, grinning as he comes to a stop. “I got caught in a meeting.”
“We weren’t waiting long,” Yue-shixiong says diplomatically, and Shen-shixiong shoots him narrowed eyes but says nothing.
It’s really cute, honestly. Wei Qingwei remembers when Shen-shixiong joined the sect as a feral little kitten biting everyone who looked his way, and look at him now! He’s older and more mature and has figured out you need to keep the biting a lot more subtle!
He’s pretty sure Shen-shixiong does not like him, but he’s never had any problems.
“Come on, I got permission from my Shizun and everything.” He shoots them a smile, turning to lead the way. “I’m glad you’re finally getting another sword, Yue-shixiong.”
Shen-shixiong scoffs. “It would have happened sooner if people did not like to keep ridiculous secrets, and actually told the truth about things,” he hisses, apparently unable to keep that venom inside.
Yue-shixiong looks rather happy to be scolded. “I’m sorry,” he says, but he doesn’t sound sorry at all.
Wei Qingwei looks ahead since he’s leading the way, and hears the swat of a fan hitting an arm behind him. It’s nice to hear. They’re quiet for a moment, and it takes all of his effort to not speak - he hums a little instead, and is rewarded when the two behind him speak quietly to each other, as if thinking he can’t hear.
“You didn’t wear your new cloak,” Yue-shixiong says. “Xiao Jiu, are-”
“Be quiet,” he snaps. “It’s not cold enough yet.” There’s a pause, and Wei Qingwei wants to know what their faces are doing VERY badly, but he just hums louder. He barely hears the next part. “Qi-ge did well,” Shen-shixiong murmurs. “It’s… nice.”
Yeah, he should probably stop them before they say something truly embarrassing. It’s not their fault that his ears are really, really good. He turns around and grins at them both. “So! Do we have the sword details figured out? What are we thinking?”
Shen-shixiong smirks, and pulls up his fan once more. “I have… thoughts.”
Wei Qingwei nods, and glances at Yue-shixiong, but he just shakes his head and looks warmly at Shen-shixiong. “This is a gift from Qingqiu,” he says. “I offer no input.”
Shen-shixiong’s smirk shifts to a scowl, judging by his eyes. “A gift of revenge. ”
“Of course, shidi.”
Wei Qingwei can’t help it - he laughs brightly, startling them both. “Alright, perfect, then! Let’s get this revenge gift in order!” It’ll be nice to win the bet, he thinks, but…
When he turns around once more, he pretends he doesn’t notice Yue-shixiong reaching for Shen-shixiong’s hand. He leads the way, humming once more, speaking up whenever he thinks Yue-shixiong is going to say something particularly embarrassing, because he’s not that mean. They’re happy with each other, and it shines through every cun of them.
This is more rewarding than any money. He leads on.