Work Text:
Liu Qingge stared at the bottle in his hands, rotating it this way and that under the moonlit window.
It was a gift from Sha Hualing, something of a local specialty way before the age of humans and demons, a good luck charm of sorts.
A bottle to store one’s luck, made of clouded purple jade, no larger than the palm of his hand.
The small good luck charm certainly looked old. It was a bottle the size of a porcelain medicine vial like those seen in Qian Cao peak but clearly more expensive due to its violet jade body and its tarnished silver trim, studded with pearls dulled from age. On top of the bottle was a carved jade stopper in the shape of a lotus, its seal unbroken.
As heavy as it was, the bottle itself felt empty.
Liu Qingge wasn’t really sure what to do with the bottle. Sha Hualing had suggested wearing the bottle on his hip like the scent pouch that Liu Mingyan had once given him in order to ’keep good luck close’… but having something like this beside him just felt unwieldy in combat. Impractical.
In any case, it would be best for Liu Qingge to clean it and set it aside on his desk.
Perhaps it’ll do for an ornament.
But if it was to be an ornament, the tarnish from the base of the bottle should at least be removed or at least cleaned up a bit.
Using his silk overcoat as fabric, Liu Qingge rubbed at the tarnished areas of the bottle, attempting to clean the treasure of the discoloured patina.
Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure what happened, here in front of Lotus Pier, gone the next.
Sitting on top of a gentleman’s lap.
A very very attractive gentleman’s lap.
“—Wha huh?!” Jiang Cheng flailed, “who— get off me!” He pushed, instinctually grabbing for Zidian summoning his ring —
“Wait!”
Only to have the man’s hand catch at his back. Preventing him from hitting the hardwood floor.
And to have something — two somethings clink against his wrists, heavy and metal.
The air suddenly felt cold, the hand on his back, strangely warm.
Jiang Cheng pushed himself away from the strange man. "Where the hell am I?" He demanded. "And who the fuck are you?"
"I should be asking you the same question. Who the hell are you?" The other person answered.
"How impudent!" Jiang Cheng scoffed.
"I’m not the one wearing scantily clad clothing and appearing in front of men in the middle of the night, demon." The infuriatingly handsome man pointed out.
"Calling me a demon!" Jiang Cheng protested, as he whipped around, something jingled. "You— I’m very much human, thank you very much!"
Scantily clad how dare this man!—
Jiang Cheng looked down.
"What the—"
Why is he dressed like —
Like a dancer in the most scandalous of palaces of Jin Guangshan?!
His midriff was bare save for a band of purple silk around his chest, his pants — can they even be called pants with how thin, low cut, and exposed on the sides they were?!
And since when was he wearing silver jewelry?!
"I— What the hell are these?!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed, his hands moving over the very real fabric, sheer and gauzy, his arms jingling with bracers and silver jewelry, as he felt his own heart pound and race. The stranger was right. He was indecent!
"How should I know?!" The man answered.
"Shizun! Is everything okay?" came a voice from outside the room — footsteps.
There was a sudden rustle of cloth as Jiang Cheng felt something on his shoulders — a coat.
"Shizun?" There was a knock on the open door frame of the already open doors. A disciple, dressed in black appeared from the doorway, slightly younger than Jin Ling, his face clear and full of curiosity. "This one heard some shouting, is everything alrigh— Oh."
Jiang Cheng pulled the lapels of the coat over his shoulders tighter in shame.
"… Shizun? who’s this?" The disciple asked.
"… I don’t know. There seems to be a strange magical mishap." The other man — the Shizun answered, his face as impassive as a still pond, his tone as calm as cold jade. "Yixuan, prepare me a set of spare robes and some tea for the guest. Set them outside while I sort this out.
"Oh. Of course, right away Shizun!" The boy dashed away without another glance in Jiang Cheng’s direction disappearing from the doorway, leaving the two of them in this unfamiliar office once more.
"You have no idea why you’re here either?" Liu Qingge asked.
"That’s what I’ve been telling you!" The delicate-looking man —the one who introduced himself as Jiang Cheng— answered, "I have no idea why I’m dressed in this strange getup either. I was wearing normal robes before all of this." He sputtered as he glanced down at the borrowed white disciple robes slightly oversized on his smaller frame."And Zidian—" He said as those violet-stained eyes glared down at the silver ring in his hand. "Refuses to work with me."
Liu Qingge assumed that this Zidian is some sort of weapon or artefact. "All the way from Lotus Pier," he stated as he looks at the bottle in his hands.
It had to do with the bottle. It was the only thing Liu Qingge had that was different from the office tonight.
"Strange." Liu Qingge continued, "I got this from the Southern Demon Clan."
Jiang Cheng looked absolutely flummoxed. "So you thought me a demon just for that?"
"What else was I supposed to think?" Liu Qingge replied, exasperated. To have an alluring person dressed like this appear in the middle of the night – isn’t this one of Madame Meiyin’s classic tactics for succubi that Shen Qingqiu had warned him about all those years ago?
Liu Qingge shook that unhelpful thought away.
Jiang Cheng let out a long-suffering sigh."So now what?" he asked.
"We fly to Lotus Pier."
"Huh?"
"You said your sword isn’t with you." Liu Qingge answered, "You also said you couldn’t use this ’Zidian’ you mentioned. So we fly to Lotus Pier."
"On whose sword?"
"Mine."
The stranger looked at him.
"You don’t have a lot of options," Liu Qingge pointed out. "I mean you can’t just wish your sword suddenly to be here—"
There was a cloud of violet smoke, exploding in a sudden 'poof’ like one of Mu Qingfang’s faulty experiments in his private lab.
Something heavy landed in Liu Qingge’s hands. Heavy and familiar.
A sword.
"My sword!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed. "How did—"
There was a clink of metal landing against the hardwood floor.
The silver armband of entwined snakes on Jiang Cheng’s left arm had fallen away from the borrowed robes, slipping through tee hems of his sleeves, the shiny surface suddenly tarnished.
Strange.
"Is this really your swor— Hey!" Liu Qingge’s eyes widened as he saw those violet eyes rolling back, his body falling forwards—
He caught Jiang Cheng in his arms. The strange cultivator’s form unusually light even with the heavy silver jewelry on him.
Jiang Cheng woke up under a strange bed canopy amongst unfamiliar bedding and pillows, soft and strangely fluffy.
This wasn’t his private quarters.
He rapidly sat up—
"Oh. You shouldn’t—"
— only to feel the world spin away from its axis, suddenly feeling weakened.
"— I told you not to move so fast…" Jiang Cheng can hear the voice speak, concern colouring the tone.
Liu Qingge’s voice.
Sure enough, the person in question was sitting beside him next to two other people unfamiliar to Jiang Cheng: a man wearing a monocle and a scantily clad woman in transparent red silk — not unlike how Jiang Cheng was dressed moments ago before Liu Qingge had lent him these robes he still wore.
Was she also a dancer?
It’s certainly a strange assortment of people.
"…Where am I?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"My bedroom." The other answered simply. "I called Mu Daifu and Hualing over to check up on you since I didn’t know if it was safe to relocate you."
"Is everything okay? Is my core alright?" Jiang Cheng blurted out, "I mean—" He caught himself.
"Jiang Zongzhu, I’ve made a thorough examination of you. There are no problems with your core or cultivation." Mu Daifu answered.
Jiang Cheng couldn’t help the way his shoulder sagged in relief, hating the telling actions just moments after.
The Daifu or someone else must have identified him by his sword, Sandu.
"Jiang Zongzhu?" Mu Daifu asked.
"Nothing… just… a bit dizzy." Jiang Cheng lied. It wasn’t like anyone here knew anything about the history of Lotus Pier. Cang Qiong Mountain Sect was too far removed for that.
"In any case, the nausea Jiang Zongzhu is experiencing seems to correlate with the assessment I had earlier, Sha Furen." The spectacled doctor looked over at the beautiful demon as he adjusted his single monocle.
"Well I’ll be damned." Sha Furen murmured, her words entirely unladylike, "And a whole sect leader at that too."
"Hualing…" Liu Qingge began.
"Well it’s not like I expected this from the artefact either!" The woman retorted, "I gave you the charm for general protection, who’d have thought that it would turn out like this?" She said, her expression bewildered.
"I don’t care if it’s a charm or an artefact!" Jiang Cheng said as he glared at Liu Qingge, venomously, "You better have a good explanation why I’m suddenly here a thousand Lis away from my home. I’m on a time crunch here! My disciples—" He paused. "How long was I out?"
"Two days." Mu Daifu answered.
"Two days?!" Jiang Cheng paled even further.
But doesn’t that mean that the conference is—
"Don’t worry, Jiang Zongzhu, Liu Shidi has contacted your head disciple and updated her of your situation. She’s rescheduled the conference to the next month and promised to take care of your younger disciples." Mu Daifu answered.
Ah.
"So what’s the diagnosis, Mu Qingfang?" Liu Qingge asked.
"To put it simply, after much inspection and consultation with Sha Furen, this one thinks that Jiang Zongzhu and Liu Shidi are bound in a curse." The Daifu, Mu Qingfang sighed, "Together."
"Together?" Jiang Cheng repeated as he looked over at the other man.
"He couldn’t leave the room when you were unconscious to get help." Sha Hualing explained. "He called us here instead."
Liu Qingge stiffened. "So it really had to do with the bottle."
"Look, before you point any fingers at me, I’ll have you know that I’ve given plenty of these bottles to other honoured guests to the Sha estate before, and they’ve never had a whole sect leader appear in front of them." Sha Hualing quickly said.
"I wasn’t going to." Liu Qingge said, "But I felt it best to call you."
"Probably best you did." Sha Hualing huffed. "And the bottle?" She asked.
Liu Qingge took the bottle out of his sleeve pocket and deposited it onto the demon’s hand.
Only, the bottle didn’t fall.
Instead it clung to Liu Qingge’s palm, like a frog stuck to the underside of a lotus leaf.
"O… kay that’s weird," Sha Hualing said.
"Has this really never happened before?" Liu Qingge asked, his expression suddenly desperate.
"More importantly, do you know the curse parameters yet?" Jiang Cheng asked, "And where’s my sword?"
Liu Qingge immediately handed him his sword. "Is it really Sandu?" He asked.
Jiang Cheng took the sword from Liu Qingge, taking a look at the tassel and the strange talisman of purple jade — the same from Yanli’s favourite earrings that he restrung, made into his own — "There can be no mistaking it," He confirmed.
Pale fingers wrapped around the wrapped leather handle, as they drew at the sword.
The sword refused to budge.
Jiang Cheng tried again, his expression fixed in confusion, tugging at it again in panic, then again in horror.
"I— I can’t unsheathe Sandu." Jiang Cheng said his face pale.
But his core was intact… How can this be!?
"Liu Shixiong, this sword…" Mu Qingfang began, "you mentioned that it appeared out of thin air?"
Liu Qingge thought for a moment.
"Mn." He finally said.
"It happened because I made a wish…."
The visit ended up stretching over a shichen where the four of them tried to ascertain the root cause of the curse… only for them to come up with inconclusive theories and terms, and for the stranger in Liu Qingge’s bed to grow tired from the discussion.
"If only Shen Shixiong were here." Mu Qingfang frowned. "He’s usually better at identifying such strange curses than I… unfortunately, maladies and illnesses are what I’m most accustomed to."
"It’s not a curse I’ve heard of that’s for sure," Jiang Cheng answered tiredly, "so it’s not something brought up by resentment."
"Nor is it anything from the demon realm." Sha Hualing crossed her arms. "The magic refuses to respond to me, the safety spell for the good luck charm is still the same as I’ve casted with the other pieces as far as I can tell. I’ve no idea where this … strange wishing curse would have come up."
"The Wishing Curse." Jiang Cheng repeated.
Sandu being summoned all the way from Yunmeng Jiang nearly a thousand li away is the likeliest reason why Jiang Cheng had collapsed earlier on, his qi drained from the overly taxing summoning of one single sword from Lotus Pier.
Now that Jiang Cheng was awake, he was able to change out of most of his strange getup. However, there were five things that he couldn’t remove from himself: a pair of silver lotus earrings, a pair of silver bracers, and a serpent-shaped torc necklace with dark amethyst for eyes, matching those of the cultivator’s own. Those three pieces had refused to budge even when Sha Hualing had volunteered to use demonic powers to dispel them — without any success.
"… This one thinks that you’ll probably have two more wishes before the curse ends." Mu Qingfang concluded. "But the two of you are not in a fit position to make an attempt for the next wish yet."
"But Daifu—" Jiang Cheng began.
Mu Qingfang’s dark eyes and his usually gentle face suddenly turned stern, almost threatening. "I will not have my patients dying recklessly from qi depletion, Jiang Zongzhu. So I’ll have to kindly request that you and Liu Shidi abide by my orders and refrain from such large decisions until I deem the two of you fit to proceed towards the next stage," he said, his tone clipped.
It reminded Jiang Cheng all too much of another familiar doctor.
"Wasn’t going to." Liu Qingge huffed. "So what now?"
"I recommend the two of you rest for Jiang Zhongzhu’s sake. It doesn’t seem like a time-sensitive curse."
"Fine."
"I understand that you’re essentially confined to the same space as I am." Jiang Cheng began, exasperated as he set the annual monthly report down. "But did you really have to do handstands in front of my study?"
They were back in Lotus Pier, the two of them having taken Liu Qingge’s sword there in order to reach the place.
Jiang Cheng had gotten off the sword and had quickly summarised the curse to his head disciple, explaining his... unusual predicament in careful detail.
The latter had taken it well, reassuring Jiang Cheng that she would take care to explain it to the others in a way that wouldn’t compromise lotus pier’s reputation.
Bot that she needed to, but it was safer that way for everyone in the sect.
Any potential headaches should be eliminated before it decided to take root and become a right pain.
It wouldn’t be good for these rumours to reach Wei Wuxian either. The last thing he wanted was him worrying about Jiang Cheng more than he already did, especially with something as solvable and as temporary as a wishing curse— it’d be best to not involve that overly sacrificing brother of his not when—
"What do you mean? It doesn’t interfere with your paperwork does it?" Liu Qingge replied, his eyebrows raised, not even winded from the effort of his exercise, those thin under robes sheening with slight sweat—
"I— that’s not the problem right here!" Jiang Cheng sputtered, "Don’t you have your own paperwork to deal with or something?"
"I did have those." The other man answered as he easily righted himself up, still in his inner robes. "I dealt with them yesterday."
"And you’ve got none today?" Jiang Cheng asked incredulously.
"No." A smile quirked up slightly on the swordsman’s elegant face as he walked over to the side table, picking up the jade bottle — now fashioned into a strange pendant. He put that around his neck, tucking that underneath his inner robes. "Bai Zhan peak is hardly known for its… bureaucracy now isn’t it?"
A huffed laughter escaped Jiang Cheng before he could help it. "So what do you usually do? Aside from the obvious fighting? Surely there must be a reprieve unless you’re actually truly a tireless entity as the rumours make you out to be."
It was Liu Qingge’s turn to chuckle. "Rumours?" he asked, "All the way here?"
"All the way here." Jiang Cheng confirmed, at least from the little intel he’d gotten, summarised in a letter from Nie Huaisang’s reply this morning.
There was sure to be a consequence for Jiang Cheng’s information request he’d asked from Huaisang. But it was best for Jiang Cheng to understand who exactly Liu Qingge was before he spent more time with him. It was only practical.
"I don’t know what the rumours make me out to be nor do I particularly care," Liu Qingge said, "But I’m definitely not tireless." He answered, "You’ve seen me sleeping."
"… Of course." Jiang Cheng answered, looking away from the other. Who could forget waking up and finding out that the War God had essentially slept on the cold stone floor at the side of his own bed with a sleep roll instead of the bed itself just to ensure that Jiang Cheng was alright for the night? Curses and restrictions aside, the latter really didn’t have to go that far to ensure Jiang Cheng’s recovery process. "I’m not so foolish to take rumors for truth. you must have heard the slew of rumours about The Venomous Jiang Zongzhu too."
"Hm."
They had since moved to Lotus Pier. At least the bed in Jiang Cheng’s room was bigger and they’d strictly stayed on their own respective sides as much as they could.
"You’re not as I thought from what I’d heard."
"Am I not scary enough for you?" Jiang Cheng asked, an amused smirk appearing on his face.
"Do you want to appear intimidating?" Liu Qingge asked.
"Huh?" Jiang Cheng blinked, though the surprise seemed lost to the swordsman as his expression was fixed in thought.
"I can see why Jiang Zongzhu could be scary and intimidating to other people, and why it’d be best to maintain that image to run Lotus Pier." The other mused.
"Ah…" Jiang Cheng turned back to his nearly completed stack of papers.
"I don’t find you intimidating." Liu Qingge said, looking back at him with those dark brown eyes serious, "I find you... impressive."
"Huh?" Jiang Cheng paused looking at the swordsman, his hand frozen, the brush held between his fingers hung in the air.
"It’s different here," the swordsman clarified as if that explained everything.
"Of course it is," Jiang Cheng answered, confused at the sudden shift in topic. "It’s not like I have the time to personally teach every one of them — I do my best to delegate but—"
"That’s not what I mean." Liu Qingge shook his head, "Overwhelming paperwork, endless bureaucracy, resource management, staff delegation, all troublesome. I struggle with my own peak. I have some inner disciples and those outer ones who come and go. Jiang Zongzhu has to deal with his entire sect... It’s impressive"
Jiang Cheng stared at him, ignoring the unexpected heat at the tips of his ears.
There were some footsteps and some distant shouting outside, faint in the summer’s air, the balmy wind swirling in through the open windows, brushing over the bell of the windchime hanging just outside the window frame of the study—
"— it’s what I’m trained to do," Jiang Cheng replied finally, looking back down at his work, "nothing more."
"…It doesn’t make it any less impressive."
Liu Qingge was surprisingly… unbothered by this new development.
Perhaps he would have been more irritated if it was someone else more like… say that bastard Luo Binghe.
In any case it was best to monitor Jiang Cheng’s condition and make sure that the other was truly alright before they proceeded to the next step of breaking the curse.
Which meant Liu Qingge would have to personally make sure nothing happened to him. Unable to use his cultivated power, Jiang Cheng was just as good as an ordinary human skilled in martial arts — something the sect leader hadn’t taken so lightly at first.
Though lately; he seemed a bit more…resigned about the matter.
Not that Liu Qingge could blame him, the curse parameters were frustrating to work with even with the two of them cooperating.
Liu Qingge was also the one who caused Jiang Cheng to pass out. So therefore it would make sense for him to personally make sure that the latter had truly recovered from the collapse. It wouldn’t be right otherwise.
Readjustment had been mostly effortless; Yixuan had been understanding, reassuring him that he’d take care of Bai Zhan matters when he was away in Lotus Pier.
But as a consequence of this, Liu Qingge was made a Guest Cultivator to bolster Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s and Yunmeng Jiang Clan’s relations under the suggestion of Jiang Cheng’s head disciple.
Yue Qingyuan had taken that suggestion seriously, and given them his enthusiastic approval claiming that this move would be 'killing two birds with one stone'.
As for which birds and what stone, that remained to be determined for Liu Qingge.
…
So how did it turn out like this?!
"… What are the lot of you doing here?" Jiang Cheng asked. "Lessons haven’t started yet?"
Liu Qingge looked at the different Yunmeng’s disciples before him, all of them dressed in purple robes, all of them watching him as he returned the borrowed spear back to the equipment rack after his habitual morning warm up.
"I’m sorry Jiang Zongzhu." A younger disciple spoke up, "we were here because we’re … curious about Liu Xiansheng.”
"About me?" Liu Qingge asked.
"How are you so good at the sword, the spear, the saber, and archery at the same time?" The younger one answered.
Ah… so they’ve been peeking at Liu Qingge’s morning training.
“That’s why he’s called the Bai Zhan War God. The title’s not for show, you know," the disciple next to him rebuked gently.
"Ah."
"Liu Xiansheng! Can you teach us some Bai Zhan fighting styles? Moreover! Can you teach us archery? Please?" Another pleaded.
"That’s such a good idea, please Liu Xiansheng? I’d take any pointers Liu Xiansheng is willing to impart."
Liu Qingge crossed his arms with a frown, confused. "Wasn’t I just supposed to spar with you lot and assist Jiang Zongzhu during your lesson times? Wouldn’t this be a breach of sect rules?"
He looked at Jiang Cheng perched on a bench just two paces over, a blanket over his shoulders and warm herbal tea cupped in his hands combating the slight chill of dawn.
"Teach them however you like." Jiang Cheng waved. "Just make sure they don’t forget the sect’s usual teachings. We’re practical folk, not some stuffy cultivation clan spanning for centuries of heritage and whatnot. Perhaps they can integrate your teachings with Yunmeng’s —"
Liu Qingge’s eyes widened. He wasn’t trying to glean their secrets—
Jiang Cheng frowned and rolled his eyes, "—Don’t look at me like that. Even a child can tell that you’re interested in our techniques. It was pretty obvious how you wanted to spar in full. Unfortunately, I am currently… in the process of a potential cultivation breakthrough.” He lied easily, “Make do with these disciples, won’t you?"
Liu Qingge huffed, but he couldn’t help the smile that formed at the corners of his own lips. "Fair enough, I’ll be sure to teach them well during your break."
"Whatever," the sect leader of Yunmeng turned away, drawing the blankets closer to himself with one hand as he focused on the teacup he held in the other, "Just make sure to not injure them too badly."
"I’ll do my best Jiang Zongzhu."
They continued this strange existence for the longer part of three weeks, almost nearing a month together.
Jiang Cheng had managed his sect leader duties for the most part, attending to important meetings, participating in the regular conferences with the Jin Elders, engaging in the social gatherings he was obligated to. All the while with Liu Qingge by his side under a mask, he introduced him to everyone else as a bodyguard. He’d done all of this with Liu Qingge’s help with the training of his disciples for a change.
…
Jiang Cheng would the first to admit that Liu Qingge’s help with his disciples was… quite handy at times. He knew his own instructions had always lacked a sense of… intuitiveness — at least he knew now after watching Liu Qingge teach the others.
He knew it was out of necessity, that it was for the best to let Liu Qingge teach his disciples.
To tell the truth, Jiang Cheng found that he didn’t really mind much of this new change. The swordsman had taken to the job like a duck to water and had managed to somehow streamline the teaching process with his head disciple.
it had only taken just a few morning reviews between the two of them for them to understand how to navigate around the usual Yunmeng teachings.
It was amazing to watch.
But all this meant that there was extra time for Jiang Cheng to rest during training, provided that he stayed close to Liu Qingge as he taught those disciples in the practice fields.
Extra time for Jiang Cheng to watch the skillful swordsman as he taught and sparred, and unknowingly earned even more respect from the brats — something that the straightforward swordsman had no idea how to respond to —
Really, his straightforwardness had been so refreshing to Jiang Cheng, different from what he was accustomed to.
But it wasn’t like their paths would cross normally anyways. Honestly if it weren’t for this wishing curse, the two of them probably wouldn’t have even met.
The Wishing Curse…
Summer was nearing its zenith and the heat of the rays could be felt during the late morning, yet it didn’t deter the War God one bit in his training, nor his disciples their eagerness to learn from him.
Jiang Cheng remained on the bench, watching them, pushing those strange feelings aside.
How much longer till their next wish?
And the one after that?
… It didn’t matter, did it? Liu Qingge, as good as he was with the other students — even with Jin Ling during his visits in Lotus Pier when he’d challenged him to a match— The swordsman would eventually have to return to where he belonged, on Bai Zhan Peak, in Cang Qiong Mountain sect.
None of this matters.
It would be over soon anyways.
"As I remembered it, Sha Furen said you had two more wishes left," Jiang Cheng spoke up, after the third round of drinks. They were sitting at the docks, their legs dangling over the ledge of the pier, sharing a jug of wine between them.
"Mn." Liu Qingge answered, as he took a slow sip from his cup.
"Two more wishes." Jiang Cheng repeated as he studied his own full cup, "Two more wishes to be made, and the curse will be dispelled."
Liu Qingge paused, and then:
"This can’t be easy for you."
"It’s annoying, but manageable, I got used to it after the first week." Jiang Cheng answered half truthfully, "And it’s not like you’re going out of your way to inconvenience me."
He took a drink from his own cup.
"Really, I’m surprised you’d want to break the curse." Jiang Cheng admitted, "Lesser people would have wished for… I don’t know, unlimited money, neverending fame, talent, their soulmates or something like that."
"Hm." Liu Qingge hummed noncommittally.
"You don’t seem interested in that." Jiang Cheng frowned as he moved closer to get a look at the swordsman noticing the slight flush that graced him from the alcohol—
"It’s not that I’m not interested." Liu Qingge said quietly, his thick lashes lowered as he looked at the empty cup. "But if it were that easy, wouldn’t it have already come true?"
"It would have." Jiang Cheng agreed as he looked at the dark skies, dark against the sea of stars, the moon absent from its usual throne. "If it really were that easy… I suppose I could try to wish my regrets away too."
"If it were that easy…" Liu Qingge trailed off in thought as he wondered about the sect leader, of the mornings where he waited behind a pillar as Jiang Cheng prayed at the ancestral halls. About Jin Ling, and the mentions of war.
He’d heard of the Sunshot Campaign in the passing months after it happened, the event happening during the transition period from the previous peak generation to the current Qing Generation. Most of the assignments had been managing the displaced refugees who had come all this way from the sudden clan skirmishes and making sure they were able to settle around the area.
Since then, he’d heard some more about it, seen more of it, just by being around Yunmeng.
Liu Qingge found himself wondering about the mysterious sect leader not for the first time: a walking contradiction from what everyone seemed to see, His shoulders now always drawn taut holding the weight he was asked to bear.
Alone.
A single individual, trying his best to raise a whole sect from near ruin. His name was spoken with respect by every disciple and even within the surrounding villages around the sect, reverent with a strange and silent awe.
But also with a sense of fear.
It was similar to what Liu Qingge had faced — even before he took this name, even before he was selected for this position— but with even tougher stakes.
And now, with Jiang Cheng’s cultivation sealed —
Jiang Cheng poured both of them, another round. "Nevermind… something as solidly irreversible as time — it’s a bit impossible isn’t it?"
"Perhaps not. Perhaps it erases the memories of the person instead." Liu Qingge pondered, "Would that not be another form of suffering?"
"… I don’t know." Jiang Cheng murmured, his hands rubbing at the sword talisman, at the bead of purple jade. "Perhaps."
"What did Mu Qingfang say this time?" Liu Qingge asked him.
"Your shidi?" Jiang Cheng recalled the events that happened this morning along with the doctor’s impromptu visit, pushing against his slightly fuzzy subconsciousness.
"Aside from what he told me, I meant." Liu Qingge clarified.
"There were no abnormal developments since his last checkup,” Jiang Cheng answered. “No resentment energy to be worried of. He also mentioned a ‘Shen Shixiong’ looking at the curse?"
“Oh.” Liu Qingge paused. “So he’s back. Did he have anything to add?”
“Just that it’s a harmless curse,” he said. “That wishing on it enough times would do away with the ordeal between us as Mu Daifu suggested.”
“Hm. It’s good to have confirmation at least.” Liu Qingge answered, marveling at the odd absence of… emotion at the mention of his name.
Why was that?
“It’s good news,” Jiang Cheng says smiling, his eyes slightly upturned, his rosy lips forming into a gentle curve. The flush present on his cheeks framed those violet-stained eyes, as bright as the stars themselves.
Jiang Cheng was as radiant as the absent moon, glowing softly underneath the canopy of starlight.
“Here,” Jiang Cheng said softly, handing Liu Qingge his cup of wine.
The cups clinked against each other as they drank the next drink together.
They set their cups down against the wooden dock as they both gazed up at the stars once more.
Or at least Jiang Cheng did.
Liu Qingge found himself unable to look away from Jiang Cheng.
“We should be able to work on the next wish soon." The sect leader spoke.
An expression of hesitation flickered across Liu Qingge’s eyes. Something in his heart lurched.
"He also said to wish for something simple for the next two — something harmless." Jiang Cheng answered as he studied the other.
Liu Qingge frowned.
... the idea of making Jiang Cheng go through wishing again—
Jiang Cheng allowed himself another faint smile as he set a hand on the swordsman’s firm shoulders — a gentle form of reassurance, "My cultivation might be locked, but the qi stored in my golden core has been recovering at its usual rate — it’s an optimal outcome."
Liu Qingge found himself trying his best not to lean into the touch.
"I’m sure in a few days we’ll be able to break the second wish. Think of something simple to wish for, won’t you?"
"…mn."
The two of them sat on top of Jiang Cheng’s bed, the mattress piled high with blankets, ready to support Jiang Cheng in case the wish was too taxing for the sect leader to accomplish. The side table was filled with qi-replenishing medicines and pills just in case.
Liu Qingge held the jade bottle in one hand and Jiang Cheng’s own hand in the other, staring into those violet-stained eyes.
"I’m ready," the latter confirmed, "no amount of repeated checking of my qi reserves will change that."
"Alright." Liu Qingge exhaled, "I wish… for you to slowly stand up."
Jiang Cheng got up, his eyes widening at the movement.
But the choker and his earrings stayed intact, untarnished.
"Wha—"
"…It didn’t fall off… were you—"
"No, I didn’t stand up purposefully," Jiang Cheng shook his head, "Simple commands don’t count as a wish?" He wondered.
"…. Should I try another one?" Liu Qingge asked.
Jiang Cheng nodded, slightly wary.
"I wish you would sit down."
Again, Jiang Cheng moved to sit down. Yet again, none of the jewelry fell from Jiang Cheng, none of them looked any less tarnished, remaining shiny against Jiang Cheng’s neck and ears.
"Is there a significant drop in stamina?" Liu Qingge asked.
Jiang Cheng shook his head. "We might have to wish for something of a bigger magnitude." He grimaced, crestfallen.
Liu Qingge decided that he didn’t like that look.
"We can figure this out later." Jiang Cheng said, the hand in Liu Qingge’s gave him a gentle squeeze. "There’s always tomorrow."
"You say that…" Liu Qingge murmured quietly, "but you’re obviously upset."
"Of course I am." Jiang Cheng answered with a sigh. "I want to get rid of this curse as much as you do. But I suppose we haven’t understood the entirety of the curse yet… it… it really could be worse."
"I wish… for you to be free from this wishing curse," Liu Qingge said.
"Liu Qingge— what?"
But then, there was a puff of that familiar purple smoke and the strange ‘poof!’ sound effect.
Something landed on the mattress. Several somethings.
The smoke cleared.
Liu Qingge’s eyes widened.
"… I’m," Jiang Cheng looked at the bracers that had fallen away from him, that had landed on the bed. "I’m free?" He asked, his hands touching the serpent choker around his neck, slowly removing it from himself.
"How are your meridians?"
Jiang Cheng closed his eyes for a moment, a tendril of purple lightning ran across from the silver ring he wore — Zidian — from his arm down to his body, before he opened his eyes. They were suddenly bright violet, wide with wonder.
Deadly, and so breathtakingly beautiful.
"It’s back." Jiang Cheng said as he stretched out his hand—
Sandu flew to him.
"I can summon my sword now!" He said, unsheathing the blade. His eyes were wide. "The curse is broken. Or…" He frowned. "I think it is —"
"Was it supposed to be that easy?" Liu Qingge frowned as he studied the bottle in his other hand, now marred by a long crack. "Just one wish… for the other person to be free?"
Jiang Cheng stared at him.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Nothing." The other answered. "It’s just…I’m sure a lot of other people would have gone on wishing. Despite everything."
"Wishing… at your expense." Liu Qingge stated. "I didn’t want to do that.”
Jiang Cheng blinked.
“I don’t want harm to come to you again.” Liu Qingge clarified, “Anything else I want or desire, I can get on my own… something as exploitative as this curse—" He looked away from those wide violet eyes, at that red flush high on his cheekbones matching his own—
"N… never mind." He stammered.
The bedroom was silent for a moment, and a question lingered between them:
‘Now what?’
Liu Qingge felt Jiang Cheng’s other hand join the one that held him.
"My earrings… they’re not yet tarnished…I—" Jiang Cheng began. The flush on his cheeks only grew redder from there, "I… still owe you one last wish. Technically."
"Are…" Liu Qingge murmured his throat suddenly dry, feeling his own heart hammering at their sudden proximity, suddenly lost in those violet eyes, shiny and bright, so beautiful, "Are you not able to remove them? I thought—"
Liu Qingge’s jaws were suddenly cupped by those elegant sword-calloused hands, slightly cool to the touch, those eyes curving faintly into the start of a breathtaking smile.
"Just shut up and kiss me already, you silly, idiot," Jiang Cheng whispered.
And so Liu Qingge did.
fin.