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Fu Andang had been the sect leader for almost three centuries, he hadn't had such a headache from the upcoming political conflict in two centuries. The issue was the main disciples of his two shidi, as well as the shidi themselves, more specifically Lords Qing Jing and An Ding. Even more specifically, the problem is what he sees, what hints and what sentiments.
Fu Andang has eyes and a built and trained sniff for a scandal that could shake their influence within the ranks of the main sect and trading partners, especially if Shu Anli, Lord An Ding, is involved. Fu Andang wrinkles his nose, in the past twenty years, his relationship with Shidi left... not just wishing, but begging for better, but... Their personal relationship shouldn't affect the sect's affairs. ('You always think only of the sect, don't you?' Shu-shidi asks venomously, his eyes cold despite his obvious anger, and his teeth gritted.)
But that's exactly the point of this attitude, isn't it?
In the cold words, the dispassionate or disgusted face, the closed postures, and the venom in every word. Just recently, to his undisguised surprise, Fu Andang had found all this in the head disciple of Qing Jing, around whom Hua-shidi fluttered, hiding smiles behind colorful fans, holding back his infinitely barbed tongue beside this child, which was unusual for him. When Fu Andang first truly saw the child in green, holding the fan that Hua Anxin had definitely given him, he stammered in motion for a moment, something that hadn't happened since he became a cultivator almost four hundred years ago.
Fu Andang has known Shu Anli since childhood, even before they both joined the sect; he was around when he was younger, they grew up together, they have been side by side for longer than many married couples; they could never get married if they wanted to; and if one were to change their facial features and eye color, he would find no differences between his shidi and this boy.
To his even greater madness and regret, he also looked at the boy who had changed from green to yellow, outwitting at least two lords, and pretending to be harmless every day. This was a thought he didn't want to touch, considering how (another political scandal that had become even more dangerous than before) the boy had changed from a second peak to a fourth peak, but what if, An Ding's main disciple was related to Lord Qing Jing? Then again, from the looks of it, there's hardly anything in common other than the smiling face. Only where his shidi has smiles like the old fox that he is, the shizhi has nervousness like a rabbit.
At first, Fu Andang thought he had lost his mind. This would be easier to explain than the idea that two of his shidi suddenly have children out of wedlock and they decided to exchange them, making them head disciples so that no one would suspect anything, but! Fu Andang also knows his shidi well, and this looks like something that could have easily crossed Hua Anxin's mind, and Shu Anli, out of dislike for him, easily supported his gamble.
Fu Andang suppresses the urge to slam his face on the table, this is not what a strong sect leader should do; just like a strong sect leader should not look nowhere with doomed eyes and sigh periodically, disturbing his own head disciple who is already too polite to voice his questions.
He looks at Yue Qingyuan that he got his name not too long ago and grimaced at the thought of some connection between his disciple and his head disciple Qing Jing; sympathy fills his heart when he thinks that the boy will repeat his fate with his shidi. Fu Andang forces himself to shake his head, denying such a possibility. What is the possibility that these two boys could be brothers from the same parent, that they didn't know it but dared to love each other closer than people with the same blood should?
His thoughts are once again filled with Hua Anxin, that admiring look at the young boy, still in green and white, who climbed into the peak lord's bed to threaten his sect leader with that fact, and then escape to another peak, which, to be honest, is not popular, due to Shu-shidi's nasty and heavy character. When he thinks that these two could have been father and son, a shiver runs through him, nausea creeps up, and the pain behind his eyes intensifies... for some reason, he feels like the boy would accept it absurdly easily if it turned out to be true, but Hua Anxin... he wouldn't accept it well.
Fu Andang, although he teaches his students to stand for righteousness and truth, would rather leave something unknown.
He would rather not know the truth about himself and Shu-shidi; he would rather marry him and not think about tomorrow.
Perhaps this is something he should teach Yue Qingyuan so that he doesn't become as miserable as his shizun.
(Then two moons later, Shu Anli was found hanged in his house, and anything in the world ceased to be of concern to sect leader Tsang Qiong.
Three years later, after defeating the Demon Emperor, the An generation resigned before some of the top disciples reached marriageable age.
One could only hope that the Qing generation would do well).