Chapter Text
Shen Qingqiu looked out at the darkness and wondered when his terrible life would be over. From beginning to end it seemed like his miserable existence just served to suffer as if there was some unknown force that stopped him from feeling happy or safe. Looking at his last remaining limb Shen Qingqiu curled his fighters into a loose fist in a desperate attempt to make himself feel better.
It didn’t work, but then again what else was new? Lying in this cage it felt like there was nothing for Shen Jiu to do but reminisce. A practice he had sworn off once he became a peak lord. He told himself, the past is the past let it die. Let the memory of the slave known as Shen Jiu die. The hope that once kept him going through those long days of torture at the Qiu mansion die. Let anything that reminded him of those days die.
At this thought Shen Qingqiu let out a humorless huff. It was this same train of thought that led to that beast. It seemed that even in his head Shen Qingqiu couldn’t be safe. Sure he could keep the beast from entering his mind but he couldn’t stop his thoughts.
It seemed when one has been captured there is nothing left to do but think about your jailer.
Shen Qingqiu knew he should have run that beast off the peak the moment he had finished the tea ceremony. While Qingyue told him to go easier on the boy Shen Qingqiu could see that beast for who he is. He had seen that look the beast had given him. He had seen the same look of hunger from the Qiu servants and worse from Qiu Jianluo. Even thinking of the man's name made Shen Qingqiu’s skin crawl. All of them shared a look of consumption; of taking and taking and never being satisfied.
Every time Shen Qingqiu had seen the beast and time he had looked like that poor excuse for a disciple in the eyes it was like he had been transported back to that miserable mansion. So Shen Qingqiu did what he did best he lasted out. He took all that anger and used it to chase that beast off his peak, and out of his life. Let that retched low life go back to the dirt where he belongs. Just get him out. Just GET HIM OUT!
Quickly reacting Shen Qingq, his nonexistent leg tried to push damp ground trying to, trying to get him from the threat. Running! Running was always Shen Qingqiu’s best option. While he always created incredibly secure plans with backups on backups the best plans were the ones that took him away and left the bad things behind.
For all that he tried Shen Qingq,iu couldn’t do anything. The stump where his leg once was wasn’t strong enough to carry him away. It wasn’t, and it was strong enough to move his body. All it did was shift his tattered robes and make Shen Qingqiu roll onto his front. He had been using that leg to keep himself propped up on his side but when it moved he had nothing to lean against.
The unexpected shift did help Shen Qingqiu regain some of his composure. No, I’m not in the Qiu mansion. I killed Qiu Jianluo and all his servants they can’t hurt me, Shen Qingqiu told himself over and over trying to chase away the ghosts of the past.
There was another time Shen Qingqiu was stuck on the ground with no way to move his legs and no way out. At least then he had hope that Qingyuan… but look how that had ended up. Look at how all of this had ended up.
Would Qingyuan- No! No, he felt foolish for even starting that thought. Yue Qingyuan never had so why would he- there was no way- that fool would never-
Shen Qingqiu didn’t notice but he started to cry. Warm tears slowly slipped off his cheeks disappearing into the dark ground beneath him. Shen Qingqiu didn’t want to admit it, but he wanted Qingyuan to come. He wanted Qingyuan to save him. He wanted to see that man who was the closest thing Shen Jiu had to family smile at him and tell him it was going to be ok. Inside him was a little boy who never had a real name, who never had a real family, who only ever knew what kindness was because one person, was crying hoping that his Qi-ge would please come save him. Please let this nightmare end. Please stop all these people from touching him. Please make it all stop!
Then the cell door opened.
Shen Qingqiu looked up trying to suppress his hopefulness. Had Qi-ge come?
There were quiet steps of a cultivator walking carefully toward the middle of the cage. So it wasn’t one of the beast wives here to taunt him. However, even the Little Palace Mistress stopped coming by to whip him once the beast started ripping limbs off.
The footprints started getting closer - so it wasn’t a guard checking to make sure Shen Qingqiu hadn’t escaped. Whether it was fear of Shen Qingqiu or fear of the beast even the Huan Hua Palace guards who had probably seen all types of atrocities under the Old Palace Master didn’t get closer than necessary to check on Shen Qingqiu. He couldn’t decide if they were checking to make sure he hadn’t escaped or checking to make sure he hadn’t died.
The footsteps got even closer.
“Hello, Shizun.”