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Chapter Text

Ning Yingying felt remorse. She saw her Shizun end up like this. She cried while smiling gratefully at Shizun's mangled body. Finally, Shizun was no longer suffering. But for some reason, her bastard husband seemed hurt by Shizun's death, even though he himself had caused this. How dare he demand the life of his deceased baba?

So Ning Yingying put the finishing touches on him by cruelly killing him with hundreds of poisons mixed together.

And in the end, she smiled, at least Baba could rest easy seeing this ungrateful disciple finally die.

"Baba, if there's a next life, Yingying won't be so naive anymore."

•••

"Oh, A-Jiu, look, he's finally awake."

"Well, at least she doesn't have a fever anymore," said someone Ning Yingying missed dearly.

What? Wait, why is baba here? And I-

"Oh, Xiao Ying is crying again."

"Yingying, it's okay, your Jiujiu is here. Don't cry, okay? Let your pain go away." Shen Jiu said softly, gently patting the child in his lap.

No, it can't be that baba is here. He's hugging me, he's here.

Ning Yingying clutched his robe tightly, refusing to let go. Her vision was blurry, but she could still make out the faint memory of her first home at the brothel in the voices of the women who were her aunts.

Mei Lian, watching Shen Jiu tighten his grip on Ning Yingying, remained silent, considering it was already noon.

"A-Jiu, the sun is high. Are you sure you won't be back?"

"Don't go..." Ning Yingying said hoarsely.

"No, Mei-jie, I'll stay with Ying'er today," Shen Jiu replied, unable to bear seeing his niece struggling with her fever. Moreover, he had promised his sister that he would take care of Yingying.

Shen Jiu gently tucked his niece back into bed to rest.

•••

Ning Yingying woke up to the sound of loud screams and the rumbling of things.

“Brute! Leave me alone! Go away!”

“Not until you continue to embarrass the sect and ruin your cultivation!”

“Just shut up and go!”

Ning Yingying, seeing this situation, immediately realized what was happening. She knew her baba would be dragged to the sect and wouldn’t return for over a month. She didn’t want that to happen.

So she rubbed her eyes with her small hands and whimpered.

The two men, noticing the small cries, immediately turned their heads and saw the child, who was now awake.

“Ma-mama…” Ning Yingying whimpered as she struggled to get up and head towards Shen Jiu. She had deliberately called him mama instead of baba.

“Mama?” Liu Qingge frowned. He watched Shen Jiu grab the girl and hold her on his lap.

While Shen Jiu grinned, he saw his Shidi’s confused face. So let’s go with that assumption. Maybe it will silence that brute one.

“Oh, Ying’er, don’t cry, mama's here. You must be scared by this rude person. It’s okay, mama will chase him away,” Shen Qingqiu said jokingly, clearly seeing Liu Qingge blush.

“Shen Qingqiu, you!”

“What? I told you to go away, don’t bother me and my daughter.”

The women in the warm red pavilion smiled understandingly. They then began to shoo Liu Qingge out of the room.

“Go away, you’re bothering them!”

“Don’t you feel sorry for Yingying, who finally gets to see her mama after so long!”

“Don’t bother them!”

The door closed, leaving Ning Yingying in Shen Qingqiu’s arms.

“Ying’er, why do you call me mommy? I’m your jiujiu.”

“Ying’er wants mama. My jiujiu is as good as my mama, so my jiujiu is my mama.”

Shen Jiu sighed. But what was wrong with being his niece’s mama? Especially since that would allow him to take Yingying to the mountains.

“Okay, then you are Shen Yingying now, the daughter of Shen Qingqiu, the lord of Qing Jing Peak,” Shen Jiu affirmed. At least that would dispel the rumors of him going to a brothel.

Ning— Shen Yingying smiled. She had a new name and, of course, a new mother.

•••

Meanwhile, Liu Qingge walked fast up to Qian Cao Peak and asked a question that made Mu Qingfang pause and drop the medicine he was holding.

“Shen Qingqiu is a woman?”

“What?”

Chapter Text

“What did you say? Sorry, maybe my hearing is wrong.” Mu Qingfang confirmed what he had just heard.

“Shen Qingqiu is a woman!” Liu Qingge exclaimed.

Mu Qingfang blinked for a moment before patting Liu Qingge on the shoulder. “You should rest for today. You must be so tired you’re hallucinating. I’ll prepare some medicine and send it to your peak.”

“Mu-Shidi, I’m not joking.”

“Neither am I. But Liu-Shixiong, Shen-Shixiong is clearly a man. How did you conclude he’s a woman?” Mu Qingfang was annoyed, still not understanding his peak’s number one customer.

“She gave birth to a daughter, and she’s about five years old now. Her daughter has been living in a brothel all this time, and that’s why she keeps going back and forth there!”

“You’re not joking, are you?”

“No, that kid even calls Shen Qingqiu MAMA!” Liu Qingge insisted.

•••

Shen Jiu returned to the sect in the afternoon. He had packed Yingying's belongings and bought some more clothes at the market.

Yingying's fever had even completely subsided, and she seemed very happy with her new name, Shen Yingying.

Shen Yingying was now on Shen Jiu's lap, flying to Qing Jing Peak. She tightly hugged her new mother's neck, taking in the soothing aroma of tea and bamboo. A scent she had missed for so long.

As soon as they arrived, Yingying remembered the scene of the bamboo house from the afternoon before it was destroyed. The small house that mama always greeted her upon entering.

"Ying'er, welcome home."

•••

Yingying didn't have a room yet, so she was now lying on his mama's bed in her nightclothes.

Rumor had it that he was a pervert, but he was a mimosa pudica, a shy plant with thorns that would cower at the touch of a finger. Besides, the plant was beautiful because of its small pink flowers, and her mother was, of course, handsome and beautiful without flaws.

Although Yingying admitted that Shen Qingqiu actually had many faint scars that no one would notice. She once accidentally saw a scar on his calf that looked like it had been cut repeatedly with the same object.

Okay, it's decided, I'll remove all of mama's scars! But wait, where's mama?

Little Yingying got out of bed and started walking towards Shen Qingqiu's study, where he was currently examining many scrolls.

If only she could help, they would be sleeping together right now.

"Mama..." Yingying called out in an adorable voice.

"Ying'er, why aren't you asleep yet?" Shen Qingqiu asked, still struggling with the brush in his hand.

"Mama isn't next to Yingying. Yingying can't sleep." Yingying then sat down next to him and leaned her small body against, her quietly reading what was written on the scroll. "Mama, when Yingying grows up, Yingying will help you so I can sleep fast with mama."

Shen Jiu smiled slightly and gently stroked his daughter's head.

"Ying'er doesn't need to grow up so quickly. Ying'er should enjoy her childhood."

Shen Yingying looked at Shen Qingqiu, realizing that Shen Qingqiu's childhood was full of struggles. Even until the end of his life, he continued to fight in his own way.

•••

The next day at the summit, Mu Qingfang was still confused by Liu Qingge's insistence on Shen Qingqiu being a woman. Furthermore, giving birth was a very rare occurrence, requiring a specific blend of herbs to form a womb in a male body.

Yue Qingyuan, who had just arrived, saw only one empty seat, belonging to the peak master of Qing Jing. One thing was certain: his two junior brothers were now glaring at each other.

"Don't stop at the door," said a familiar voice. Yue Qingyuan immediately turned and saw Shen Jiu, who had just arrived. He watched until he noticed a small green shadow clinging tightly to his robes.

Yue Qingyuan froze, unable to believe the sight of the small child beside Shen Qingqiu.

“Shidi, her is?”

“My daughter, Shen Yingying.” Shen Qingqiu replied coldly as he walked to his seat.

As soon as Shen Qingqiu sat down, little Yingying spread her arms.

“Mama, up!”

All the peak lords widened their eyes, unable to believe what was happening before them.

Meanwhile, Liu Qingge gave Mu Qingfang a glare, incredulous at his words.

Chapter Text

The meeting began with drama, yes drama. Everyone froze, including Yue Qingyuan, who remained silent by the door. Shang Qingyuan even coughed, wide-eyed.

How could Shen Qingqiu, who was surrounded by heated rumors about his visits to brothels, finally bring his illegitimate daughter. Moreover, the child was sitting on his lap as if nothing had happened.

"Shen Qingqiu, what's the meaning of all this?" Qi Qingqi asked defiantly.

"Didn't I already say it clearly? She's my daughter."

Shen Yingying, watching the drama, added a little fire. It's okay, right?

"And he's my mama!" Shen Yingying said deliberately.

"Mama?"

"Yes, my most beautiful mama." Shen Yingying smiled, unknowingly making Shen Jiu feel embarrassed, but fortunately, his face was hidden behind fan.

"Yingying, weren't you forcibly taken from your real mother?" asked Wei Qingwei, who was sitting next to her.

"Huh?" Shen Yingying tilted her head. She actually disliked the summit, which always put her mama in a corner. But to make these annoying people believe her, she had to act as innocent as a five-year-old.

"Wei Qingwei, what did you just say?" Shen Jiu asked angrily.

"Isn't what Wei-shixiong said true? It's clear you like spending time in disgusting places like that. Especially calling you mama?" Qi Qingqi scolded.

"Whatever Ying'er calls me, it's none of your business!" Shen Jiu said firmly.

Shit, this is off-script. What's really going on? Shang Qinghua was deep in thought. After all, it's Ning Yingying. How could she be Shen Yingying? She even arrived two years early.

"Um, Shixiong, I wanted to ask if your daughter is around 5 years old?" Shang Qinghua asked doubtfully.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Yingying is 5!" Shen Yingying raised her finger.

Mu Qingfang, who had been listening, realized a conclusion about the past 5 years. "Wait, 5 years ago means before the peak lord ascended, a few months earlier, you disappeared for almost half a year on a solo mission. Before that, you visited my Shizun many times. Were you hiding your pregnancy at that time?"

Shen Jiu wondered why they had come to such a conclusion. It was true that he had gone on a solo mission just a few months before his Shizun ascended. On that mission, he had asked permission to treat Ning Yi, Yingying's mother for her pregnancy. He had repeatedly spoken with the peak lord of Qian Cao before, discussing medicine. He even made an agreement that the contents of the mission would remain secret.

Shen Yingying remained silent about this. If you calculated it, it would have been around the time she was born. So, since birth, Shizun had been fighting for her, even her mother.

“I told you Shen Qingqiu is a woman! He even has a child who calls him mommy!” Liu Qingge exclaimed to Mu Qingfang.

“But he clearly shows no signs of pregnancy.”

“Maybe he wants to hide it.”

“Shen Qingqiu might even hide his pregnancy from us, but not from the previous generation.”

“What’s clear is why he had to grow up there instead of after our Shizun ascended. He could have brought his baby to the mountains instead of staying there.”

“Enough, this summit isn’t the place to discuss my story. If I had brought my child here right after being inaugurated, would you have believed me and not judged my daughter as the illegitimate child of a prostitute?!” Shen Jiu was enraged by the words that were now starting to corner Yingying. “And why have you been so silent all this time?”

All the peak lords immediately glanced at Yue Qingyuan, who had been silent all this time, staring at Shen Jiu. His gaze resembled that of a gloomy golden retriever.

"I just thought Xiao Jiu must have been in a lot of pain back then. They say male pregnancies are very painful and high-risk," Yue Qingyuan said sadly, but then his expression changed abruptly. "But there's one thing I want to ask, who's the father?"

Shen Jiu fell silent. He didn't know the answer to this question. He hadn't thought this far enough for everyone to think about who Yingying's father was.

"Whoever the father is is none of your business. Whatever you want to speculate about, she's my daughter!" He said, his voice trembling slightly, thinking about his decision to somehow get caught up in a drama of his own making.

Everyone who heard him immediately had a single speculation.

"Shen Qingqiu, you can't let that man go irresponsibly!"

"If you're being threatened, then tell me which bastard it is."

"Shixioing, you should undergo a checkup immediately after this meeting.”

“Ah… I’ll send you the things Xiao-shen will need.”

“Xiao-Jiu, if you need me, I’m available 24/7.”

“Yingying, if you want to play, you can meet the beautiful jiejies at Xian Shu Peak.”

Shen Jiu sighed, confused as to how things had ended up like this. He glanced at his daughter, who was still quietly in his lap. Yingying smiled warmly at him.

“Mama!”

Well, let’s just enjoy this misunderstanding.

•••

But it didn’t last long. Useless items began to appear on Qing Jing Peak. Shen Jiu was getting dizzy with Yingying enjoying unpacking everything and handing it to him.

“Mama, come put this on!”

As long as Shizun enjoys being my mama, even if it’s filled with new misunderstandings, he will always be my mama, and I will always be his daughter, Shen Yingying.