Chapter Text
Hearing the brute's angry ranting was an unfortunately familiar part of Shen Jiu's life. What wasn't familiar, however, was hearing it from a distance.
Intrigued, Shen Jiu abandoned the stall he had been browsing and headed towards the noise. A small crowd had already built up around the nuisance, to the point where Shen Jiu had to make use of his elbows to push his way to the front.
Liu Qingge stood there with his hand on the handle of his sword, yelling so hard his face got all red. And the subject of said ranting — which, Shen Jiu would like to note, still included his name — was a random man dressed in green robes, his expression baffled.
Well, evidently Shen Jiu had been successful in hiding his roots if Liu Qingge was unable to tell him apart from someone who very clearly came from a noble family.
On that note, though-
"Liu Qingge!" Shen Jiu barked out, walking up to the other head disciple. The brute's expression upon noticing him — and, subsequently, realizing that he had been yelling at the wrong person — would be entertaining to recall later. For now, Shen Jiu had to ensure that Liu Qingge's stupidity wouldn't cause trouble for the sect. He pressed a hand against the back of Liu Qingge's head, forcing him into a bow alongside himself. "Begging young master forgiveness. My stupid shidi did not mean the insult."
"It's alright, no harm done!" There was a hand pressing onto his elbow, and Shen Jiu stiffled the instinctive flinch to straighten out. "He was throwing 'Shen Qingqiu' around enough to tell it was a simple mistake. Though... Looking at you now, I can see why he got confused."
The stranger had a point, Shen Jiu had to admit. Their faces looked eerily similar; With both dressed in green, anyone could have mistaken them for each other.
Still, Liu Qingge shouldn't have jumped straight to yelling and, had Shen Jiu not intervened, likely also fighting with him!
"Thanking young master for his indulgence-"
"None of that! This one is Tang Bo, third son of the Tang family." Oh, Liu Qingge couldn't have picked a worse target. The Tang family was only the most influential merchant group in the whole of Sichuan! "You are, I assume, the Shen Qingqiu I've heard so much about?"
How enraging, that Liu Qingge's stupidity kept tainting Shen Jiu's reputation even more than his own actions did! At least the spectators started dispersing, now that it became clear no fighting would take place.
Still, he bowed politely. "The head disciple of Qing Jing Peak Shen Qingqiu, greeting Tang Bo."
Oddly enough, when he straightened back out, there was recognition shining in Tang Bo's eyes.
"Qing Jing's head disciple- you participated in Shaolin's martial competition last year, didn't you?" Liu Qingge had, as well, and even nearly won. Shen Jiu could only move through two brackets before getting eliminated. How lovely to hear that this stranger knew even more unpleasant things than what the brute had spewed before him. "You fought using petals in the second match! I thought it was brilliant, I was so disappointed we didn't get to spar together... Have you ever considered coating them in poison?"
"Poison?!" Liu Qingge had broken out of his stupor upon hearing that keyword. "That's disho-!"
Shen Jiu didn't particularly enjoy putting his hand on Liu Qingge's mouth, but sacrifices had to be made if he wanted to end today without the Tang family declaring war on Cang Qiong.
"Please excuse my shidi," he apologized once more. "As a disciple of Bai Zhan, he only practices his sword skills, to the exclusion of everything else."
Like, for example, diplomacy. Or common sense.
"That's not true!" Liu Qingge protested, pulling Shen Jiu's hand away. "I train with weights, too!"
Tang Bo, thankfully, looked more amused than offended.
"I understand," he told Shen Jiu with a smile. "I know someone similar. He'd enjoy having a chance to train your shidi, I believe."
Interesting phrasing there; Certainly something to explore at a later point.
"Actually, I'm quite glad to have stumbled upon you. My family received a consultation request from Qian Cao, would you be so kind as to bring me there?"
Shen Jiu had successfully avoided going to Qian Cao ever since he joined Cang Qiong. But seeing how Liu Qingge walked away, muttering "better Qian Cao than a whorehouse" under his breath, it seemed like he'd be forced to break his streak.
"Of course," he said, after the shortest moment of cursing the brute's very existence. Removing Xiu Ya from its scabbard, he set it to hover just above the ground and stepped onto the blade. He extended his hand towards Tang Bo. "This would be the quickest and easiest way to get there."
Tang Bo was watching the blade with trepidation on his face. "Does it... Go very high?"
...wait, right. Tang family dealt with poison and medicine, with their only weapons being daggers or needles. It was still absurd to hear that Tang Bo was afraid of heights, but understandable considering he lacked his own sword.
"Not necessarily," Shen Jiu assured. "I can keep close to the ground, if you'd like."
"Do we have to use the sword at all, then?"
His patience was wearing thin. "Of course not. But when we get to the stairs, you'll regret that choice."
If anything, it seemed to put Tang Bo more at ease. "Ah, yes, you martial arts sects and your love of near-unclimbable staircases," he said, taking a tentative step closer. "It wouldn't hurt to set up on plains, you know!"
"The view would be worse." Shen Jiu deadpanned, and received a surprised laugh in return. "Not to mention the noise. We'd never get any peace."
"True, I suppose."
Shen Jiu pulled the moment Tang Bo put a hand in his, getting him onto the sword. Taking pity, he then added. "You can close your eyes, if you'd like."
"I just might."