Work Text:
“That is a goose Shang-shidi.” Shen Qingqiu stares at the goose dragging Shang Qinghua toward him by the hem of his robes.
“I noticed, thank you.”
“Why is it on Qing Jing?”
“I don’t know!” Shang Qinghua yells, throwing his hands in the air. “It just came up to me on An Ding and wouldn’t let go until I followed!”
Shang Qinghua stumbles the last few steps as the goose herds him all the way to Shen Qingqiu. It drops his hem and triumphantly gives a loud honk, seemingly satisfied with a job well done.
Shen Qingqiu looks vaguely murderous at having his personal space invaded and Shang Qinghua takes a cautious step back.
HONK!
The goose flaps its wings viciously, menacingly raising itself, and tries to herd Shang Qinghua back against Shen Qingqiu’s side.
Shang Qinghua, stuck between an angry-looking bird and an angrier-looking Shixiong, decides to take his chances with the bird and stands firm.
“Shoo! What are you doing you dumb bird, are you trying to get me killed?” He grumbles at the bird as he tries shooing it away. “Come on, shoo!”
HONK!
The bird continues arguing with Shang Qinghua, flapping its wings with increasing intent.
Shen Qingqiu stares at this odd spectacle for a moment, judging man and bird both, and decides it has nothing to do with him. He turns to walk away, decidedly done with the whole affair.
The bird notices him leaving first and turns its ire toward him instead, loudly hissing at him.
Shang Qinghua sees him leaving next and quickly jogs after him, yelling:
“Shixiong, don’t just leave me with this thing! Look at its eyes, that’s a look of pure evil. What if it tries to eat me or something!”
Shen Qingqiu does not even glance back at him, ignoring both as they chase after him. Unfortunately, he cannot ignore them for long as the bird gets increasingly incensed and Shang Qinghua gets annoyingly high-pitched to match. His head pounds at the racket.
HONK! honk!
Shixiong!
He grits his teeth. There is at least one nuisance he is allowed to rid himself of. He whips Xiu Ya out and takes the bird’s head clean off, then looks in disgust at the remains of the bird.
Shang Qinghua, having stopped right beside him, takes a cautious step back.
“Aha… ha… T-thanking Shixiong for, um, getting rid of-” he takes another glance at the corpse, then looks away, turning green, “-of the goose.”
“Shidi should have been able to take care of it without bothering his martial siblings.” He turns a scathing glare toward Shang Qinghua.
“Haha- I-” Shang Qinghua stops speaking, eyes fixed on something behind Shen Qingqiu, face quickly draining of blood. “Um- Shixiong, we should… I think we should go.”
Shang Qinghua tries grabbing onto Shen Qingqiu’s hands to drag him along, as Shen Qingqiu pulls himself away from his Shidi.
“Don’t touch me- what are you doing Shang Qinghua?” Shen Qingqiu blocks him with Xiu Ya and narrows his eyes in suspicion at him.
“Shixiong, just- just look! The goose- it’s-”
“The goose is dead, Shang Qinghua.” Shen Qingqiu strolls past him, utterly done with his Shidi’s nonsense. “If you wish to dispose of the body properly, be my guest.”
Shang Qinghua remains frozen behind him, still staring at the remains of the goose in horror.
Satisfied to be finally rid of both annoyances for the day, Shen Qingqiu gladly leaves them behind. Moments later, Shang Qinghua rushes past him in a flash, screeching in terror.
What?
Shen Qingqiu turns back and freezes in shock.
The previously dead goose slowly stumbles forward. Its decapitated head, barely connected to the rest of its body by dark oozing tendrils, is painstakingly dragged along behind it. As it takes another step, a thick drop splotches down onto the ground and violently hisses as it makes contact. Even as Shen Qingqiu watches, the tendrils multiply and thicken more and more, reforming pristine skin from which short downy feathers sprout and grow by the dozen.
He takes a step back, Xiu Ya held defensively in front of him.
The goose’s head, now hanging at an awkward angle from its neck, turns in his direction and hisses. Sharp needle-like teeth fill its jaw. It picks up speed and rushes him.
Startled into action, Shen Qingqiu viciously slashes down at the goose, cutting it into pieces once again. Tendrils slowly emerge from the wounds, crawling along the ground in search of its missing part. He can feel a cold sweat on his back, an itching sensation to run, to flee, to get away from this strange creature as fast as he can.
He tears into it again, reducing it to smaller and smaller pieces, yet the tendrils keep forming, more and more and more, without end. Desperate, he whips out a fire talisman and sets it alight, turning the remains into dust. In a panic, he lights a second talisman and stares as even the dust is obliterated. He stares and stares at the spot where the creature was, wary of it reforming once again.
It does not.
Shen Qingqiu heaves a rare sigh of relief and walks off.
Behind him, dust gathers.
---
On his way to report the strange creature to Yue Qingyuan, he spots Shang Qinghua hanging off of Mu Qingfang’s robes.
“Shidi, you have to believe me, it was a demon goose! Shen-shixiong cut its head off and it just got up and tried to chase us and I barely got away, have you seen Shen Qingqiu yet, what if the goose ate him!” Shang Qinghua babbles at Mu Qingfang.
Mu Qingfang, ever patient, nods understandingly at him, weariness barely visible in his stiff expression.
“If I left Shen Qingqiu behind to get eaten, do you think Zhangmen-shixiong is going to murder me? He’s going to murder me, isn’t he? I’m going to die Mu-shidi and they’ll never find my body and who’s going to take care of supply orders? Cang Qiong is done for, we’re all done for, and the demon goose is going to eat everyone-”
“A good thing for Shidi, then, that this master was able to rid us of the goose.” Shen Qingqiu approaches and states disdainfully. “No thanks to Shang-shidi.”
“Ah, Shen-shixiong. It is good to see you alive and well.” Mu Qingfang turns to him in relief, glad for the interruption. He takes the chance to shake Shang Qinghua off and steps away. “So, what is all this about a goose?”
“Mu-shidi, I told you-”
“It will not be bothering us anymore.”
Mu Qingfang hums thoughtfully, then asks, tone full of doubt:
“Shang-shixiong seems to believe there was something demonic to this goose, did Shen-shixiong notice… anything strange?”
Shen Qingqiu hesitates a moment before admitting:
“Yes. The… creature seemed to unnaturally cling to life. Even after this master dismembered it repeatedly, it returned to life. Incineration was the only viable solution. It did not return after that.” He keeps quiet his panicked use of a second, likely unnecessary, talisman.
“That is rather concerning, Shixiong.” Mu Qingfang says, brows furrowed, ignoring Shang Qinghua’s ‘See! I told you!’. “Should we be concerned of further incursions by similar creatures?”
“This master was on his way to inform Zhangmen-shixiong about the incident.” He taps his fan against the palm of his hand in thought. “If there was a breach in our defenses, it is important that we address it as soon as possible. However, it remains to be seen how such a creature could have infiltrated the sect, whether it was brought in by a someone or it entered on its own. This master recommends that we keep this quiet until we can obtain more information as to how the creature found itself on our mountain.”
He glares at Shang Qinghua and jabs his fan into his chest.
“That includes not screaming our heads off about the creature where anyone can hear, Shidi.”
“Yes, Shixiong!” Shang Qinghua squeaks in alarm.
Shen Qingqiu leans in close, eyes narrowed, noses nearly touching. He snaps his fan open between their faces and hisses under his breath: “And if you ever leave me to clean up after your messes again, I will ensure that you perish under the weight of your own inadequacy, do we understand each other?”
Shang Qinghua nods rapidly, posture tense, face disturbingly red.
“Hm.” Shen Qingqiu fans himself lightly, lingering in Shang Qinghua’s space a moment more before he straightens and takes a step back.
He nods to Mu Qingfang, then continues on his way to Qiong Ding peak.
---
Shang Qinghua heaves a huge sigh of relief as Shen Qingqiu swans away.
“Dammit, why was that so hot?” He mutters to himself. “Murder threats should never be hot!”
He hears a light chuckle and suddenly remembers that he is not alone. Mu Qingfang is still here and saw the whole thing.
He turns to him with a feeling of dread.
Mu Qingfang smiles.
“Shidi, Shidi, please don’t tell anyone, please, do you want me to die? Shidi…” Shang Qinghua can already picture Yue Qingyuan’s overwhelming yandere aura as he politely threatens him into never looking at Shen Qingqiu again or as he politely runs him through with Xuan Su and then politely erects a memorial tablet for him and politely honors his memory while cursing his name to the hells and back.
“Hm? This Shidi does not know what Shixiong is talking about.” Mu Qingfang keeps smiling. “This one is simply glad to see his martial siblings getting along so well.”
Shang Qinghua dares to hope for a moment that Mu Qingfang truly didn’t think anything of it before:
“This one certainly hopes to be invited to the wedding.” Mu Qingfang adds, expression innocent. “Or to Shixiong’s funeral should it come to that.”
“Shidi!” Shang Qinghua cries. “Shidi is a healer, surely he wouldn’t let anything happen to his Shixiong?”
“Ah, unfortunately, Shidi also should not take sides in any conflict between his Shixiong.” Mu Qingfang’s smile widens. “This one wishes Shixiong the best of luck in his endeavours.”
Mu Qingfang gives a short salute and one last teasing look, then walks off, ignoring Shang Qinghua’s desperate calls for pity.
---
Later, well into the afternoon, Shang Qinghua finds himself at a bit of a loss. He has not heard anything from Shen Qingqiu or anyone else since the morning’s strange incident, so he can only assume that the matter has been resolved, somehow?
And yet there’s something nagging at him about the whole thing, it feels like it ended way too easily. This is like the plot of one of those horror B-movies where the hapless victims let down their guards too early only for the axe murderer to burst in through the wall somehow and chop them into tiny pieces. It feels wrong.
He decides to go check in on Shen Qingqiu. If nothing else, maybe he could find out what Yue Qingyuan said.
(And if there’s a part of him that still feels a bit guilty for leaving Shen Qingqiu behind that morning and that wants to make sure that he really is okay, well, there’s nothing wrong in indulging it, is there?)
---
painPAINpainpainPAIN
there was a purpose before the flames
can’t remember
that one
the one with the flames
find him
find HIM
findhimfindhimfindhim
its purpose
find him
and then
then what?
so much PAIN
F̶̡̧̩͕͔͇̯͔̺̺̯̱̝̞̈́̽̓̐̑̽̅̋̚͘͠I̶̩̪̖͉͗͛̂̀͂͐͜͝Ǹ̸̨̢̝͕̱̟͖͔͘͜͠D̴̡̧̲̲̟̬͕̘͈̲̘̘̼͚̖̀͆̽́̈͂͝ ̵͎̱̝̼̦͕͖͚͖̞́Ĥ̷̡̧͙̮̭͚̖̮͇̘̿̃̀̓́͒͂͛̆̈́́̕͘I̷̛͚̠̫̮̥̞̱͈̖̮͎̜̭̊̈͛̎̀̕M̵̛̦̺̞̪͖̺̬̮̞̮̃͐̌́̈́̃̒́̚
̵͈̫̦̓͆
̶͍̺̳̗̜̣̹͇̈́̊͑̃͗̔̂̽̽́͋͝͠ͅH̴̡̡͈̙̞̰̫̘͈̭̥̜̖̝͐̾͒́̈́͂̓̇́͊̎̏̈͊́͑͘Ȍ̸̹͎̼̬̜͈̹̏͒͆̔̋̚͜͝Ṉ̵̡̢̢̛͉̮̝̮͓̝̫̖̙̲̩̝̦̽͒̓̀̍̃̀̎̈͂̾̂͆̕͠K̴̢̛̛̫͓̖̠͇͓͑͊̓͌̊̀̑̚
---
A wet dragging sound, like something heavy dragging through thick mud, a viscous, sticky, suctioning noise, stops Shang Qinghua in his tracks. The sound is coming from the direction of the bamboo grove Shen Qingqiu often meditates in.
Alarm bells ring in his head.
He takes off running.
---
Shen Qingqiu is trying to meditate when some long-buried instinct, a constant awareness at the back of his head, pulls him out. His eyes snap open and he can feel himself tensing, at the ready for anything.
Nothing seems out of the ordinary in the clearing. There are no muffled footsteps, no strange qi signatures, no out of place sounds.
In fact, there are no sounds. No birdsongs, no subtle buzzing of insects, no light scratching of small animals.
The grove is quiet. Unnaturally so.
Shen Qingqiu quietly unsheathes Xiu Ya and holds her loosely at his side, ready for- something. Anything.
Then he hears it, approaching fast.
A rough, rasping hiss. Stumbling steps. Something dragging along like wet mud.
He does not speak, does not make a sound, simply turns his entire focus toward whatever is coming.
He counts the seconds as the sounds get louder and louder.
---
Shang Qinghua runs.
He can still hear the sound somewhere ahead of him and he pushes himself, faster and faster. He’s probably panicking for nothing, right? Shen Qingqiu isn’t supposed to die yet! It’s too early!
It’s too early, right?
[ System! What the fuck is happening? Shen Qingqiu has to survive, right? ]
[ This service has been suspended for the duration of the event. Please stand by for further information. ]
Shit.
He’s still panicking for nothing though, isn’t he? So what if the scum villain dies? Wouldn’t that make things easier in the future? Luo Binghe could probably be treated like a normal disciple and then none of the stuff from PIDW would happen!
Shit!
He doesn’t want Shen Qingqiu to die, though. His martial brother may be vicious and constantly be threatening to murder him in his sleep, but there will always be a part of him that can’t help but understand why Shen Qingqiu is the way he is. A part of him that can’t help but feel guilty for being a part of the reason Shen Qingqiu is the way he is.
Shen Qingqiu had always been meant to be more than just a scum villain and there was always a part of him that was disappointed at what the character had amounted to, after everything.
He doesn’t want his precious villain abandoned by those who should be his family and reduced to a human stick. He doesn’t want his precious villain falling into despair over the death of his childhood love.
He definitely doesn’t want his precious villain dying in a freak accident while in the safety of their own peaks!
Shit!
He pushes himself faster.
---
It approaches unsteadily, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, steps uneven, shuffling. Closer now, he can hear something pounding in rhythm with the steps. There are many steps, too many for a single creature. How many are coming?
There is no time to retreat, he can only remain, counting the seconds.
Underneath the rasping breaths, Shen Qingqiu hears multiple echoes. He tries to count them, but they overlap and mix and amplify each other, harmonizing into a single discordant sound that rises and rises and rises. Higher and higher, until he can nearly feel the vibration underneath his skin. It is all around him, encircling him, trapping him. Pressing down on him.
There is nowhere to go.
He can almost physically feel the moment the creatures- the creature, a single amorphous unnatural creature, breaks past the edge of the clearing.
The goose? But no, he burned it, reduced it to less than dust, watched as the wind carried the remains away. Whatever this creature is, however, it bears similar features to the bird, but assembled wrong.
It towers over him, a shadowy mass of spiked tendrils and webbed feet and beaks and shadow and feathers and wings and dark viscous ooze and eyes andeyes andeyesandeyesandeyesã̵̯̲̙̠̬̭̞̘̲̺̋n̶̖̰̬͉̳̓̔̑̌̈́̎͑͘d̶̡̬̙̰̜̥͊͊́ē̷̜̞̭̺͎̼͙̗̮̹̔̐́̊̌̓̐̾̀́̌̚̕͠y̵̧̛̞̥̪̣̜̲͔̰͓̦̗̯͖͗̋̃̏̕ē̴̛͔̘̣̝̣̟̲͈͔̯̗͓͉͍̗̻͛̍͂̂̎͆̿̐̈́̐͛͝͝s̶̡̻͖̫̬̣̣̝͕̱̬͓̟̺̉̉̽͋̋̋̈́̈͗̆̓̈́́̕͜-
The vibration reaches a crescendo and crests over- His teeth ache, his bones ache. He struggles to remain on his feet, to keep his attention on the creature bearing down on him, but an all-too-animal instinct begs him to look away, to run, to lie down and die, to beg-
Ḩ̴̨̢̮̺̟̼͚͖̝̖̣̦͂̆̋̄̔̐̓͝ͅh̵̘̀̈̅͛̎͂͘h̸̡̢̛̥̯̭̳̭̞̙̙͎̑͐́̒̄̓͘͝h̷̯͔̼̠̗̬̝̦͔̑̄́͆̊͋̉̾̀̾̄̆͘͘̚͝-̷̢̗̣̤̲̽͑͗̓
His head hurts, his eyes hurt, his ears hurt and yet he tries and tries and tries to keep his focus on the creature. A focus that swishes back and forth within his head, that swirls and whirls and wheels out of control back and forth and back and forth.
Tendrils reach out to him from a jagged beak and it stumbles forward on broken necks and broken wings, a long trail of amalgamated, disjointed, haphazardly glued together parts drag behind it in a pool of oozing shadow from which feathers sprout and wither and disintegrate into ash.
H̵̨̨̡̨̛̦͇̭̗͍̯̳͙͖̠̺̍͗̄͐̀́̒̓͗̈́̀̒͂ͅḩ̵̺͕̳̙͇͍͖̹̺̀͒͂̈́͛̾͑̓͂͂̀̉̚͝͝ͅh̴̢̫̱̱̤͉̐̒̅̀̓h̴̹̗͎͇̩̽̀͑ͅḥ̷̡̥͇̹̹̞̝̹͇̒͜ḣ̸̨̗̠͔͉͖͍͛͗͑̈́̀͐̓͒̅̏͗͘̚̕͠ȟ̴̨̯͕̫̘̫̼̟͉͈̰̠̥̺͂̄̎̓̔͝h̵̦̊̓̉̆̑͋̂̈́-̵̡̰̟̳͓̪́̽̂̈́
It exhales an ashy cloud of smoke, ooze dripping from its many maws, trickling down impossible shapes and dropping to the ground in a burning crater. Its eyes all focus in on him, a physical presence bearing down on his very soul, pressing and pressing and pressing- And he can feel it as it worms its way into him, into the mere sack of flesh that makes up his entire self. It searches and seeks- purpose? Retribution? Neither knows anymore.
His- their- knees hurt and a distant realization is had that it must have collapsed. A distant voice calls out to him, a desperate cry for survival. Faint hope rises within his chest, a vague desire for salvation.
A soft, pitiful, quiet call for help.
It’s no use, he knows.
No one has ever come for him.
---
The clearing is right ahead!
He can see Shen Qingqiu kneeling on the ground, head tilted up toward a strange shadowy creature. His arms hang limp at his sides, Xiu Ya abandoned next to him.
The creature looms over Shen Qingqiu’s unresponsive form, dark tendrils digging under his skin. It seems to stare straight into Shen Qingqiu’s unfocused eyes, a vicious maw made up of numerous shattered beaks screeching into his face.
“Shixiong!”
Shang Qinghua hesitates at the edge of the clearing. He can feel himself trembling and he tries to hold his sword steady in front of him. His hands are slick with sweat, his heartbeat echoes in his ears. He tries to take a step forward, tries to will himself to move, to do anything, to help his Shixiong in front of him.
He swallows thickly and cries out to Shen Qingqiu:
“Sh-shixiong! Wake up! Move!”
Shen Qingqiu gives a single twitch, mouth falling open to release a soft rasping plea.
A plea for help.
And Shang Qinghua is the only one here.
He’s the only one who can do anything.
His breathing accelerates and he feels faint. He feels nauseous. He feels weak.
Shen Qingqiu isn’t moving. Is he breathing? Did he already fail? Did he hesitate too long? He doesn’t know, he doesn’t-
He takes a step forward.
Then another.
Steadies his grip on his sword.
Another step.
Another.
Another.
He runs.
“AAAHHHHH!” A feral scream, equal parts fear and anger, erupts from his throat as he slashes blindly at the shadowy mass in front of him, trying to sever the tendrils connected to Shen Qingqiu.
The creature reels back with a high-pitched screech.
Shang Qinghua hurriedly pressed the advantage and slashes again, pushing it back, away from Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu, no longer held by the tendrils, collapses fully to the ground with a soft groan – and thank fuck, he’s still alive. Shang Qinghua, now between the furious creature and his barely conscious martial sibling, stands as tall as he can, sword held in a white-knuckled grip, shaking in front of him.
Now what?
“Shi-shixiong! Please, get up! I- I don’t think I can-”
“F-fire-”
“Wait, it that- that’s the goose? Right! Right, you said, this morning-” Shang Qinghua pats himself down, desperately looking for any fire talisman on his person, but the moment he lets his guard down, the goose charges.
Ḩ̴̡͙̗̻͚̳͔̦̥̖͖̟̮̅̔̈́̃͛͑̈́͜͜ͅḨ̷̨̥͖͕̜̥̖͈̝̞̖͉̣͍͆̓̿̉̍͋̈́͌̄̏̾̀̒̚͜ͅḨ̸̭̲͇͍̟̺̜͈̻͓͉̥̘̔̂Ḧ̷̤̣͇͉͚́̂̊͆͂̿͗͌̽̀͋̚͝͠H̶̢͉̰͓͓̞̳͚̪̄̈́̾͐͆̾̏̂͗̾̓̂̚͝ͅH̶̩̬̠͕̺̘̝̫̲̯͔͎͝O̷̢̥̦̍͑̒̅̓́͋̅́͊͑̈́͠Ǫ̸͖̪̲̼̥̗̖̰͕͉̯̼̫̩͗͛̓̽͛̿̌̓̽̔̈́̄̇ͅŅ̴̮̹̩̣̣͕͉̝̈́́̇͒̂̌̏̌͂̔̆̐̈́̎͜͠N̸̜͋̽̄͊́̉̽̈́̎̾̔̕͠N̷̛̮͕̲͚̘̆̇͆̈́́́̿̈̉͒͝ͅǨ̵̮̻̑̇͒̇͛̎̎̄̀̃̉́͘͝!̵̗̤̺͇̮͓̑͒̈͋͆̂̕!̶̧̝̞͖͕̱͉̆̽͊̃̓̚͘͜ͅ
A harsh blow launches him clear across the clearing, slamming through the bamboo stalks, and the goose bears down on Shen Qingqiu once again.
Shit, he shouldn’t have looked away, he shouldn’t have lost focus! He’s not a fighter! For all that Shen Qingqiu is a scholar, between the two of them, he’s clearly the stronger one. But Shen Qingqiu can’t defend himself right now, so he has to do better!
He can see Shen Qingqiu trying to push himself up, but whatever the creature was doing earlier, it seems to still be affecting him.
Shang Qinghua stands up swiftly, thankful for the relative softness of the bamboo and launches himself back at the goose with a desperate yell, trying to get its attention away from Shen Qingqiu. Without the element of surprise on his side however, the goose manages to weave out of the way, surprisingly elegant in spite of its uncoordinated appearance.
“I-idiot!” Rude, Shixiong, he’s trying to be helpful here. “Get- get away from here! Go warn the others!”
“Are you serious? And just-” Shang Qinghua dodges a whip-like spike-covered tendril – is that a tongue?? – and takes a step back. “-and just what? Leave you here? No way!”
Shen Qingqiu, Xiu Ya in hand, finally manages to pull himself upright. He stands, defiant and proud, sword held aloft. But a minute tremble in his limbs betrays his current weakness.
“This master can hold it here, Shidi. Go!”
“No!” Parry, just keep parrying and dodging, like Shizun taught him so long ago and oh gods, he never thought he’d actually need to remember any of this.
Shen Qingqiu sneers at him, haughty and judging, and joins the fray, earlier weakness all but erased.
“Is this all because of what this master said this morning? If I had known that was all it would take to have Shidi do my bidding, I would have done so sooner. Fortunately for Shidi, this master will not be making good on his promise. Now, go!” With that, a blast of qi sends Shang Qinghua careening toward the bamboo stalks once more.
Dizzy from the unexpected hit, it takes Shang Qinghua a few seconds to understand just what Shen Qingqiu is talking about.
“Wait. You think I’m just helping because you threatened me?” He yells back, indignant.
Shen Qingqiu twirls around an incoming attack, then smoothly ducks under a swinging tendril, irritatingly poised, even now. The goose shrieks at him, movements erratic.
“Why else would Shidi be here.” He states, deadpan.
“You- This is why no one likes you!” Anger overtakes fear and he finds himself charging back without a second thought. “You just- assume the worst! Every time! I know-” He stops himself just in time, he’s not supposed to know that actually.
Thankfully, the slip-up goes unremarked.
“Should I believe instead that Shidi has found within himself a new wellspring of goodness and has come to this master’s aid without any expectation of repayment?” They are fighting side by side now, ducking and weaving around each other in a well-choreographed dance. Shang Qinghua has never felt so at home in his body, has never felt so at peace, despite the anger still bubbling in his chest.
“Yes! Yes, that’s exactly what you should believe! Not everyone is looking to take advantage!”
“…”
The longer they fight, the weaker the goose seems to grow and the steadier Shen Qingqiu seems to get. They fall into a familiar rhythm as the goose’s strikes get wilder and more desperate.
For a moment, Shang Qinghua believes that they might be okay, that they might get out of this safely.
He should have known better than to jinx them like this. He should have known Shen Qingqiu could not possibly have recuperated so fast.
The goose lets out a horrifying screech, one that pierces straight through his head. Shang Qinghua screams in pain as he covers his ears to try and block out the sound.
Shen Qingqiu however…
Shen Qingqiu collapses like a puppet whose strings have been cut.
“Shixiong!” His ears are ringing and he can barely hear himself yell for Shen Qingqiu to get up, to stand, to do something.
He barely notices the tendril shooting straight for Shen Qingqiu’s unmoving form.
He barely realizes that he’s moving to block the blow.
He barely feels the tendril stabbing straight through his stomach.
He doesn’t hear Shen Qingqiu-
---
Shang Qinghua, that complete idiot!
Shen Qingqiu desperately tries to gather himself; he has to- he has to help. Why won’t his body listen to him! Why won’t this stupid body do what he needs it to do, just this once!
“L-let him go- you- I’m the one who fried you, fucking shitty bird. Leave him alone!” He tries to find the strength to get to Shang Qinghua, to check on his wounds, but he can’t- he can’t!
What was the point of all this- of all this bullshit cultivation business if it won’t even help in a moment like this.
The goose stares. It doesn’t move. It doesn’t do anything.
“Shit. What the fuck do you even want! Let him go! Finish me off! Do something you dumb animal!” He has nothing but his hate left, the fury that he keeps stoked deep within his chest.
The goose continues to stare.
It inhales a sharp raspy breath.
Then unleashes a cacophonous unholy honk as it rapidly collapses in on itself, its many appendages folding into its body.
Before long a perfectly normal-looking goose stands before them again.
It stares at them once more and hisses a loud reprimand, before swanning off, with a strange air of satisfaction in its gait.
Shen Qingqiu is left behind, uncomprehending, with his injured Shidi.
---
Shang Qinghua wakes slowly to the bitter scent of herbs characteristic of Qian Cao peak. He feels… surprisingly good, given the last thing he remembers is being a willing meat shield for Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu.
Fuck, where is Shen Qingqiu?!
He shoots upright in his bed and is about to get out of it when Shen Qingqiu himself walks into the room.
He gives him a once-over, then stares at him, face blank.
“Shidi is finally awake, I see.”
“Um, yeah! I, uh, I assume Shixiong must have saved my life somehow! Haha, I guess you really didn’t need my help after all…” He laughs sheepishly.
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t say anything, only walks over, then settles into the chair next to the bed. He keeps his eyes fixed on Shang Qinghua’s face and fans himself lightly.
The silence stretches and Shang Qinghua feels more and more self-conscious, eyes darting all over the room, trying to avoid Shen Qingqiu’s intense gaze.
Surprisingly, Shen Qingqiu is the one who breaks the silence.
“In truth, Shang-shidi saved my life.” His gaze falls to his lap at the admission and he fidgets with his fan. “This one did not see the strike coming. And where it struck Shang-shidi in the stomach, it likely would have pierced my head.”
“But then, how-”
“The creature,” Shen Qingqiu continues, “whatever it was, seemed to consider its business done after that. It returned to a more natural form and simply… walked off. We still do not know how it got on the mountain, or even how it left, but there have been no signs of anything similar since.”
“Oh.” Shang Qinghua finds himself at a loss for words.
Silence falls again.
Neither are looking at the other now, both absorbed in their own thoughts and absolutely determined to ignore the other.
Once again, Shen Qingqiu speaks up first.
“About… what Shidi said, that day.” He starts, tone reluctant. “There was truth to Shidi’s words. This one has had… difficulties trusting in the goodwill of other people, with good reason.” Shen Qingqiu keeps avoiding looking at him. Begrudgingly, he continues. “This master supposes he can give Shidi a chance to prove himself different.” He looks away, face hidden behind his fan. A light blush dusts his cheekbones.
“R-right, yeah, okay!” Flustered, Shang Qinghua blurts out.
Shit.
He knew the tsundere thing would get him eventually.
“And we will talk about what Shidi seemingly knows.” Shen Qingqiu’s tone turns cutting, as he glares at him.
Shang Qinghua squeaks.
Shit.