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Luo Binghe sighed and knelt down, beginning to scrub the floorboards with the ragged cloth given by Ming Fan. His hands were already sore from chopping firewood with that busted axe that left splinters all over, he winced every time he wiped, the cloth catching on the splinters and slightly pushing it into his skin even more.
No matter, he had to hurry and finish so he could practise cultivation with the manual! With that in mind, the pain didn’t bother the boy, his dark eyes filled with burning determination that Ming Fan had failed to destroy, or slightly. You could barely notice the hope that Luo Binghe clung to, or his light; instead, it’s dark but not to the point it’s dull like in the abyss, no, it’s a dark sky with a single moon and no stars to light up the way.
As he had begun to finish wiping the floor, he heard a soft meow, startling him from the unexpectedness of a cat being on Qing Jing peak. Turning around, indeed there was a cat sitting just next to him! This one had nice white fur with a green ribbon tied around its neck in a little bow with matching pair of bamboo green eyes.
Luo Binghe blinked and crouched down in front of the small animal, his heart filled with concern. What if his shizun found it? Would he kick it off the peak or would he in fact, kick it. He always seemed to be the kind to do such a thing...
“Are you lost?”
He wanted to facepalm, cats can’t talk! However, this cat tilted its head in response as if saying, ‘tell me why i would be lost,’ or perhaps he should stop staying awake at night to practise cultivation with a manual that barely worked. Before Luo Binghe could ask to take it with him, his shixiong had come.
“Beast, go fetch more water.”
Ming Fan ordered the younger with a hand on his hip. Fortunately, Luo Binghe stood in front of the cat whilst Ming Fan had just arrived but stood quite a distance away as if he was some animal with rabes that would get to him.
“But shixiong, I already did!”
Luo Binghe stood back up, ink waves cascading down his shoulders. He couldn’t cultivate if his arm was to be broken by Ming Fan and his lackeys, and there was the cat.. He glanced behind him, and the cat was no longer there. It’s just him alone again.
“Yes-”
Before he finished speaking, the cat had climbed onto the wooden railings and pounced onto Ming Fan, scratching his face with sharp claws. Ming Fan yelped and took a few steps back before falling down and pulling the cat off himself. Luo Binghe stared dumbfoundedly at the scene with a hint of pleasure in seeing his shixiong be beat by a cat. He covered his mouth with both hands, stifling back a laugh before hurrying and grabbing the cat from Ming Fan if the older decided to injure it.
Ming Fan sat back up, his face covered with pink scratches, some bleeding but scarring his mediocre face good. Seeing the cat in Luo Binghe’s arms, he stood up and pointed at the younger. “You, you got that thing to do this to me!” He yelled, noticing how Luo Binghe shook his head with an itching smirk on his face.
“Answering shixiong,” Luo Binghe placed the cat back down, scratching the back of its ears, “this one does not know what got Yu Yu to attack like that.” To his relief, he thought of a name on the spot in order to make it sound like he’d always had a cat. Ming Fan eyed him before turning around to leave. “Fetch the water beast!”
Luo Binghe nodded, a smile gracing his lips once Ming Fan left. He looked down at the cat gracefully cleaning itself, “Yu Yu.” The cat immediately reached and scratched his ankle but only tearing through the trouser rather than his skin.
“Ah well... you’d have to get used to that name.” Luo Binghe took a good look at the white cat with green jade for eyes glaring at him with slits. It’ll take a while for the cat to warm up, but he’ll be willing to wait for the time it does.
--
Luo Binghe reached the woodshed with tired drooping eyes, falling on to the floor once he opened the door with all his energy. He groaned and curled in on himself, the bruises and wounds stinging with blood and causing faint red on his robes. His hair wasn’t any better... a tongue licked his cheek, some of the blood there catching on, green eyes gazed at him before getting into the same position, curling in on itself in shape of a fluffy white ball. Luo Binghe smiled faintly, reaching out a trembling hand, placing it on the fur of Yu Yu, only to be scratched once close enough. So far it had been three days since their first meeting and they had only become roommates?
He sighed and took his hand back, hugging his knees with fat tears running down his face. Where the jade pendant was to be, is now empty. The one thing he had from his mother was now gone, the piece of her that he never wished to take off. “Yu Yu, my mother... She's gone.” No one answered.
Ning Yingying had encouraged him to tell Shen Qingqiu but he just couldn’t help and leave in order to not waste his shizun’s time. His manual had caused him to qi deviate just before, he started to think twice about cultivating. All he had done was chores, chores, chores, no real cultivation.
The only escape he had was sleep. He could sleep his pain away, the feeling of hunger and cold would vanish and he could dream about a better life with his mother, and Yu Yu. He had gotten attached to his silent companion, grateful for the company even if the cat disappeared for most of the day.
“Beast.”
He heard before closing his eyes, he could have sworn he saw a pair of white boots in front of him.
--
When the next morning arrived, Luo Binghe immediately sat up, the cracks in the woodshed walls peeking sunlight inside the cold area and hitting his face with small particles of warmth. Looking at himself, he noticed the bruises and wounds had gone, as if they were just in a dream! Looking around, Yu Yu wasn’t here as usual but the cat would come back during the night and sleep while he cried his pains and fed whatever he could to it.
He blinked but then noticed that his robes were still dirty and far from elegant like the ones his shijies and shixiongs wore. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought his shizun looking at him with disgust for his unruly appearance, he had to change!
Before he left, he noticed a folded pair of Qing Jing peak disciple robes next to his white shoes. His eyes brightened a million times with every star inside those dark orbs, he bent down and picked up the clean robes. Although he had been kicked from the disciple dormitory, Luo Binghe could bathe in the river but he had to leave earlier otherwise Ning Yingying would awake and come to collect him or even Ming Fan. Who had given these to him.....?
Luo Binghe’s hand paused on the door of the woodshed, looking at the robes he hugged close to his chest. Who is this benefactor of his? Thinking for a moment, the boy decided to investigate later and first look presentable in the eyes of his shizun.
--
Throughout the weeks, Yu Yu and Luo Binghe had gotten closer, unlocking the perks of now being able to touch the cat, Luo Binghe never wasted any time and always stroked the soft fur without showing signs of letting go. Other than being a good listener, Yu Yu had also proven to be quite wise with the way that it’d always scratch Luo Binghe when he practised, as if to teach him the right way.
Another day Yu Yu had ripped the manual Luo Binghe had been using his acceptance into the sect, causing the boy to feel devasted and panic. The cat looked aloof as ever, similar to how Shen Qingqiu would look at him from behind his fan.
In the end he sighed, hands in his hair as he could not bring himself to hate the cat that had heard his grievances and share similar situations regarding how they seemed to be alone against the world. “I’ll have to see shizun now,” he muttered under his breath, laying down on his makeshift bed with Yu Yu curled at his side. He looked at the ceiling, the darkness cut through with the faint lights that had been spread by the moon, hitting the walls.
“Goodnight, A-Yu,” he smiled when the cat snuggled up close to his arm.
Perhaps it won’t be all that bad, maybe his shizun might spare him from punishment because of his ripped manual.
--
His shizun had begun looking at a tree when Luo Binghe trained, noting something. Where he stood was the area Ming Fan had thrown his pendant, long gone no matter how long the boy spent looking with Ning Yingying.
When the sun went down and the moon came up, Luo Binghe had come back from doing all the chores of Ming Fan’s. He opened the woodshed door halfway through before he noticed the moonlight hit something green. His eyes were wide, instantly running to the green stone, picking it up and noticing the red string that held the fake green jade. It was the pendant he lost 3 weeks ago!
He clutched the pendant close to his chest before slowly putting it around his neck, tears spilling as he realized it was the one he had lost. Only then did he think, did his shizun find it?
That would have meant he had slandered Shen Qingqiu, mistaking him for an abusive bastard, when in fact he was just training and disciplining Luo Binghe!
“Shizun...” he whispered, his words filled with warmth that lit up the cold woodshed.
Just then he noticed Yu Yu come back, his mood brightening even more. Luo Binghe picked up the cat and kissed the forehead, a hand stroking its back carefully and gently. The cat played with the jade around Luo Binghe’s neck, attention more focused on the fake stone than what Luo Binghe did.
Soon they sat against the wall beside the firewood, silence enveloping them with the faint sound of crickets outside. Luo Binghe stroked the cat laying in his lap, earning purrs of delight at the gentle stroking through the soft fur. He smiled; this is more than he had thought would happen to him!
“Yu Yu... you know, my shizun always stands like you.” He said, eyes glued to the lazing cat. “Aloof and cold.”
Luo Binghe paused, his cheeks turning pink with his eyelashes trembling.
“I wish I could keep him company, give him some warmth.”
Perhaps he would. He would accompany Shen QIngqiu anywhere, no longer question his ways, get stronger to make him proud.
--
Yu Yu had gone into the bamboo hut and Luo Binghe was alarmed. He stood outside, internally wondering if he should just leave-
He sighed, opening the door with whatever courage he had left in him. “Apologies shiz-” A fan was thrown his way, hitting his face and then did he notice, his shizun had white cat ears and a long white tail! There was even a green ribbon tied into a- oh oh shizun is Yu Yu isn’t he?
“Shizun!?’
He couldn’t help but yell out startled, what the hell so the cat that protected him and listened to his midnight rambles is his shizun!?
“Quiet beast!”
Shen Qingqiu made his way to the door where Luo Binghe stood, picking up the fan and opening it. The boy forgot what he’d come for, now wondering is his shizun a cat demon? He didn’t mind!
“S-shizun are you, Yu Yu?”
He managed to spill out, earning a scoff from the peak lord.
“Are you dumb?”
So..
“Of course.”
Wait what- this changed everything.
“Shizun this disciple will not tell your secret to a soul!”
“What are you on about now!?”
“Shizun don’t worry.”
“What- I’m not going to... get your things and move to the side room.”
Luo Binghe smiled stupidly, eyes warm of affection as he nodded.
His shizun, a demon, then... he surely wouldn’t mind if Luo Binghe had been practicing demonic cultivation, right? Luo Binghe wouldn't say anything about that for now, fully focused on how he'd live with Shen Qingqiu.
If only his shizun knew what he thought about...