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The first thing Liu Qingge noticed when he returned to his peak was that Liu Mingyan waited for him.
His younger sister had grown since the last time he had seen her, but that made sense since she was at that age where height varied from one week to the next. She was dressed in her usual disciple robes of Xian Shu Peak, though she had chosen a new veil he didn’t recognize. On her hip was a sword that Liu Qingge had gifted her when she first arrived at the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect – not true cultivator’s sword, but a gift to aspire towards in the meantime. Qi Qingqi must have finally agreed that she was ready for it.
That in itself would have been enough to justify a visit from his sister, and Liu Qingge would have been happy to see his sister excited and eager to share her accomplishments like she had been when she was much younger. He would have been happy to spar with her and see her skills in action, indulge in a lunch with tea while she updated him on her studies, endure her demands for him to retrieve her more books from far off places, and then end the time with a promise of at least one more meal before he set out again.
But Liu Mingyan wasn’t alone.
Qi Qingqi stood right by her side.
It wasn’t like Liu Qingge never received visits from his fellow Peak Lords, and it wasn’t like he never received visits from Qi Qingqi specifically. This was the woman who he had entrusted as his sister’s primary caretaker, especially when he was taken away from the sect, so they talked often on private and personal matters. From the history of their families, to current matters that happened within the privacies of their own peaks. Their agreement on the Qing Jing Peak Lord didn’t hurt things either.
There was a chance that Qi Qingqi had only brought Liu Mingyan as a courtesy so that the siblings could catch up, while he was informed of some kind of boring sect matter. But there was also the chance that whatever Qi Qingqi wished to discussed was bad enough that she felt the need to have Liu Mingyan around to help keep him from acting rashly. That would be rude, but he couldn’t deny that it was a good idea. He was one prone to take actions, and he rarely had a reason to hold back, so his sister had been exploited to keep him calm in the past. It really all depended on the circumstances.
Despite it all, Liu Qingge was not a coward. Whatever waited for him at the end of this conversation, he intended to face it head on. So, with no hesitation, he marched forward to greet the two who waited for him. Qi Qingqi barely shifted in acknowledgment, while his sister perked up once she managed to pick up on him. Another mark of her progress as a cultivator.
“Qi-shijie. Mingyan,” Liu Qingge greeted with a nod, “You carry a sword now.”
“You look well, Ge,” Liu Mingyan greeted in return.
“Ah, the two of you… Would it kill you to smile at each other?” Qi Qingqi sighed dramatically.
“Minyan could be smiling under her veil.”
“I doubt it would kill him, but Ge might strain himself.”
Qi Qingqi rolled her eyes at that, “Both of you are far too similar. Mingyan, we have to save you before you become too much like your brother.”
Liu Mingyan made a soft noise of amusement beneath her veil, “I can think of worse fates.”
“Did Qi-shijie have a reason to seek me out?” Liu Qingge knew he needed to get a feel of the situation.
“Liu-shidi acts as if I am about to hand him a list of casualties. You missed an interesting Peak Lord meeting, and I figured you should hear about some changes in the sect before running across any surprises. Talk with Mingyan, it can wait,” Qi Qingqi brushed it off.
That wasn’t the most reassuring sentiment, but Liu Qingge let it slide for now.
Instead, Liu Qingge located a few of his disciples and requested they prepared tea for the three of them. Liu Mingyan had happily informed her brother about how she had earned Qi Qingqi’s approval to keep her sword, and the two of them scheduled a time to spar. Liu Qingge discussed all the monsters he had fought and the villages he saved, with the occasional mention of unique sights. Liu Mingyan then questioned if he had found any books on his travels, and after some token protests Liu Qingge revealed the few books he had managed to find. Liu Mingyan was more then pleased to expand her collection.
It wasn’t long before the conversation turned into something more mundane activities around the sect. Different tasks that his sister had performed, with skimmed over details on Xian Shu Peak activities (they were the peak of spies and assassins, they kept their secrets close to their chests and it was a privilege that Liu Qingge even got the hints he did on their activities), before Liu Mingyan trailed off. That had Liu caught Qingge's attention.
“There is a bit more, but I believe that it concerns the matters Shizun wished to discuss with you,” Liu Mingyan said with a glance at Qi Qingqi.
Liu Qingge shifted his gaze, “Qi-shijie?”
“Like I said before, a lot has happened since you’ve been gone shidi,” Qi Qingqi sighed as she lifted a cup of tea, “Shen Qingqiu has managed to cause quite the stir.”
The implication that anything related to Shen Qingqiu had any affect on his sister in any way had Liu Qingge’s blood boiling, and it took all his self control to not crush his cup in his hand. Liu Mingyan had predicted this, and placed a gentle hand on his in an effort to subdue that rage. Embarrassing how predictable he had become when it came to the other peak lord. He composed himself, he knew that whatever it was it couldn’t have been too far – Qi Qingqi would have castrated the Qing Jing Peak Lord, regardless of the Sect Leader’s blatant favoritism, if the man’s gaze even lingered too long on Liu Mingyan.
“No need to get all annoyed, Liu-shidi, its nothing like that. A few days after you left on your mission, Shen Qingqiu left suddenly himself. When he returned, he brought back his siblings. Shen Qingqiu is pretty adamant about them being recognized as part of the sect, and everyone is curious about them,” Qi Qingqi explained.
Liu Qingge took a moment to process that, “Shen Qingqiu has siblings? Plural?”
“That was about everyone’s reaction. Zhangmen-shixiong had an odd reaction, but… well, I won’t bore you with the details of that meeting just yet,” Qi Qingqi shrugged.
The forced casual tone wasn’t enough to keep it obvious to Liu Mingyan that her shizun intended that conversation to be a private one, Liu Qingge could see his sister connect the dots. Still, his sister was no fool, she politely feigned ignorance. Whatever it was that she was too young to hear, she at least had the maturity to understand the importance of that privacy.
“What are they like? Shen Qingqiu’s siblings,” Liu Qingge hesitantly asked.
It was obvious that he wouldn’t be the only one curious about Shen Qingqiu’s family. The Qing Jing Peak Lord was so secretive about his past even Qi Qingqi had complained how well he had hidden his past from her, to suddenly show up with siblings out of nowhere would be enough to get the rumor mill churning. Liu Qingge had his own guesses as to Shen Qingqiu’s past, he was curious as to know how right he was.
“There are two of them, a younger brother and a younger sister. I only met them very briefly at a meeting, they seemed polite,” Qi Qingqi answered in that tone that suggested she had far more to say.
Liu Mingyan nodded, “I met Shen-er-gongzi briefly. Shen-guniang had apparently borrowed something from Xian Shu Peak, and Shen-er-gongzi had tried to return it. He seemed too shy and hesitant to cross the bridge, so he asked me if I could return it in his steed. I think he was worried a strange man suddenly appearing on an all female peak might cause issues.”
Xian Shu Peak did not entirely ban all men, but it was easy for men to lose all rights to visit the peak if they did so with ill intent. If this brother of Shen Qingqiu had been sincere in his intents, he likely wouldn’t have come into trouble. Still, if Liu Qingge gave him the benefit of the doubt, he could understand the idea of wanting to avoid unnecessary upset.
“I see,” Liu Qingge nodded, “And what are your thoughts on him?”
“He is far nicer than Shen-shibo. At least, he's nicer than Shen-shibo’s reputation,” Liu Mingyan answered, “He recognized me by my veil, and expressed interest in getting to see my skill in a fight. He said he could tell by the way I carried my sword that I had great potential – said he would be surprised if I don’t place in the top three in the upcoming Immortal Alliance Conference.”
That was enough to have Liu Qingge pause.
Liu Qingge is aware of the attention his sister gets because of her beauty, even at the young age she was there were plenty men in the past who had commented about ‘when she is older’ that Liu Qingge is surprised he hadn’t been charged with murder by now. Sometime he wondered if those comments were why his sister had chosen Xian Shu Peak over his Bai Zhan Peak. Liu Qingge was naturally suspicious of any compliments towards his sister.
But Liu Mingyan had been the one to directly deal with it, and as much as he and Qi Qingqi had worked to protect her from compliments that concealed unsavory intentions, she had learned how to tell the difference. Perhaps even more than Liu Qingge could himself. If Liu Mingyan expressed no discomfort over the compliments, didn’t mention any potentially hidden words, then it was unlikely that there had been any. If that was the case, then either this brother just wanted to offer empty words of encouragement to Liu Mingyan or he genuinely was confident in her skills.
It was a very high compliment regardless of whether it was meant seriously or not. Though many boasted about how well their disciples would do in the Immortal Alliance Conference, there were limits to how high they suggested their disciples could rank. It took a lot of confidence and boldness to suggest to someone’s face that they would place in the top three. It made Liu Qingge curious to spar against his sister if her potential was so prevalent to someone unfamiliar with her.
“This Shen-er-gongzi certainly sounds more agreeable than his brother,” Liu Qingge commented instead.
Qi Qingqi nodded, “They both are from what I’ve seen. They don’t take after their older brother at all in terms of personality.”
There was a slight oddness to her tone that Liu Qingge picked up on but let slide.
The three of them continued some casual conversations, Liu Mingyan took the chance to discuss a book she thought her brother would enjoy – they both knew he would read it regardless simply because she had asked. Eventually, Liu Mingyan dismissed herself, knowing that the two Peak Lords had responsibilities and that they couldn’t cater to her whims just because one of them was her brother. With another reassurance of a chance to spar, his sister returned to Xian Shu Peak.
Qi Qingqi didn’t hesitate to seal the room with silencing talismans.
“So, what was it that you wished to discuss?” Liu Qingge asked once privacy was secured.
Qi Qingqi rolled her eyes, “Don’t pretend you’re a fool, Shidi. Or that you’re not curious yourself.”
“This is about Shen Qingqiu’s mysterious siblings then. What is the story behind that?” Liu Qingge prompted.
“That’s the thing, no one truly knows.” Qi Qingqi sighed, “A day or so after you left, Shen Qingqui had visited the Warm Red Pavilion once more. Then he just… disappeared.”
Liu Qingge cocked his head curiously at that, while Qi Qingqi shook her head with a tight expression. As the head of the peak all about espionage, assassination and similar arts, Qi Qingqi liked to keep herself informed. Though she rarely resorted to actually spying on her fellow peak lords, if she felt like the sect needed to know something, she would end up digging. The lack of knowledge on this topic must have shaken her if she had put in effort to uncover the secrets.
“When he returned, it was with his apparent siblings. Even Zhangmen-shixiong appeared surprised. They’re so different from him, and he never mentioned them before. He’s never mentioned anything about his past. If he was searching for his siblings, he could have told us about it. Yet he didn’t. I’ve tried to look into it, but I can’t find anything. I even discussed possibilities with Shang Qinghua,” Qi Qingqi made a face at that.
“Desperate times indeed,” Liu Qingge commented.
“Like you haven’t been curious about Shen Qingqiu’s past,” Qi Qingqi countered.
“The past is the past. Though it can lay foundations for the present, at the end of the day you are in control of your own actions and I prefer to judge people on their actions. Shen Qingqiu is rude, scheming and entitled, with a short temper. That’s all that really matters,” Liu Qingge argued back.
Qi Qingqi shook her head, “This is why I have to resort to gossiping with Shang Qinghua.”
“You’ll survive, I’m sure.”
That earned another mock glare from Qi Qingqi before her expression shifted to something more serious, “Shen Qingqiu hasn’t returned to the Warm Red Pavilion since he found his siblings.”
Liu Qingge scoffed, “So?”
Though Liu Qingge couldn’t see the appeal of a brothel himself, so long as no one was being mistreated he didn’t care what happened within those walls. He especially couldn’t give any care to what Shen Qingqiu did within those walls. The only thing he felt in regards to the whole thing was that he could admit that Yue Qingyuan had a point when he told Liu Qingge off for picking a fight with Shen Qingqiu while he had visited the Warm Red Pavilion. Though Shen Qingqiu had deserved it for injuring one of his disciples enough to need medical attention, bringing shame and embarrassment onto the sect and forcing Yue Qingyuan to do damage control had been too far.
“So, I think it’s possible that he frequented the Warm Red Pavilion so much for the sake of searching for his siblings,” Qi Qingqi answered.
Liu Qingge was silent at that.
Qi Qingqi continued regardless, “Something I learned quickly on Xian Shu Peak – never underestimate how much gets said within the walls of a brothel. And if someone suspected their family was forced into that kind of work, it would be difficult to get them out of it without tarnishing their reputation. Things would need to be done discreetly. Especially when a young woman is involved.”
Liu Qingge frowned at that, not happy with the implications of those words, “What makes you so certain that something like that could have transpired?”
“That wasn’t anything concrete to go off. But I started looking at everything around Shen Qingqiu from a different angle. It’s very obvious that he doesn’t know his family well, if at all,” Qi Qingqi explained, “His siblings, as much as they try, clearly don’t know their older brother well. The two siblings are closer with each other than with Shen Qingqiu, more familiar with each other. It’s like they haven’t seen their older brother in decades.”
“But we are sure they are siblings?” Liu Qingge questioned.
“They could be triplets, there is no mistaking it. Trust me, if you see them, you won’t have any doubts,” Qi Qingqi shook her head, “But of course, we have tested them individually. Not that Shen Qingqiu was happy with that.”
“When is he happy?” Liu Qingge commented with snark, before he paused for a long moment, “… Why didn’t he tell us about his family’s situation? Did he not trust us to help him?”
“Who knows what goes on inside his head? Regardless, I can’t blame him entirely for wanting to do whatever he thought was best for his siblings,” Qi Qingqi admittedly, though with obvious reluctance.
For once, Liu Qingge had to agree with a positive sentiment about Shen Qingqiu.
Liu Qingge tried to put himself in the situation Qi Qingqi described. If he didn’t have the support of his family, if knew Liu Mingyan was out there somewhere, potentially forced into working in a brothel, what would he be willing to do? What would he be willing to endure to get her back without ruining her future or reputation? What would he be willing to sacrifice? If Liu Mingyan was all that was left of his family, what would he do for her? What would he do for her now?
The answer was obvious. If someone he loved needed him, he would do anything for them, endure any trial or tribulation. He’d sacrifice years of his life, he’d sacrifice his reputation, he would never stop fighting every day until that person was returned to him. Humiliation and pain would mean nothing, no one would be able to stop him. Could he blame Shen Qingqiu for doing the same?
With their terrible relationship – regardless of whose fault it was – could he blame Shen Qingqiu for not wanting to rely on him?
“I see,” Liu Qingge offered.
“Anyway, I just figured you might be interested in my thoughts on the matter,” Qi Qingqi finished with little flourish, “And besides, Shen Qingqiu’s siblings really do look too much like him, I’d hate for you to get surprised and confused by their sudden appearance and embarrass yourself.”
Liu Qingge couldn’t hold back after that comment, “Thanking Shijie for her concern.”
Qi Qingqi gave him a glare for his sarcasm, “Just try not to upset the siblings. You’d be surprised how many members of our sect are quite taken with them. I doubt even you’ll be able to resist their charms.”
Liu Qingge had to force himself not to role his eyes after that comment.
No matter how different the siblings were to Shen Qingqiu, Liu Qingge doubted he would have any interest in them.
Liu Qingge never intended to set out and find Shen Qingqiu’s mysterious siblings.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious about them, of course he was – anyone would be. But he was well aware that if he intentionally approached Shen Qingqiu’s siblings, the Qing Jing Peak Lord would take that as a threat and begin to plot his murder within an incense stick’s worth of time. Shen Qingqiu despised him, and in return Liu Qingge thought Shen Qingqiu was a dishonorable coward. Potential tragic circumstances wouldn’t change his thoughts on the Qing Jing Peak Lord’s current actions. There was no point in causing something that would lead to another fight, especially a fight that wouldn’t be satisfying.
That wasn’t how things turned out.
Yue Qingyuan was a decent Sect Leader. A great sect leader, more often than not. Really, outside of his obvious soft spot for Shen Qingqiu that he allowed to cloud his judgment, Liu Qingge didn’t have complaints. But the Sect Leader still did want to be informed of night hunts and missions that sect members undertook, and the Bai Zhan Peak Lord was not an exception to the rule. Liu Qingge was mostly glad that he was allowed to provide a verbal report.
Since Liu Mingyan had waited for him on Bai Zhan Peak, that meant that he had been granted a good excuse for why he hadn’t immediately reported to Yue Qingyuan when he returned. The Sect Leader had always been indulgent when it came to those kinds of things, and he was more than aware of Liu Qingge’s dedication to his own sister. So, when he headed over to Qiong Ding Peak, he knew there was a chance that Yue Qingyuan hadn’t waited for him and his report, nor was he expecting him.
It turned out that Yue Qingyuan was distracted.
At first, when Liu Qingge saw Yue Qingyuan having tea with a familiar figure in green, he nearly turned on his heel and left. He did not want to deal with Shen Qingqiu. It took less than a moment for Liu Qingge to realize, however, that something was odd. For starters, the Shen Qingqiu look-alike wore his hair in a ponytail rather than half-up in a bun, and he was openly smiling as he chatted with Yue Qingyuan. Yue Qingyuan appeared pleased, in a way that he never usually could when he chatted with Shen Qingqiu. So, this must have been Shen Qingqiu’s younger brother.
Qi Qingqi had been right to warn him – even with the knowledge of who this was, he still felt unnerved at the strange behavior on a familiar face.
Liu Qingge approached with no hesitation.
The Sect Leader lifted his gaze as Liu Qingge approached, and with a few quiet words to his guest, made the motions for Liu Qingge to join them. The stranger with a familiar face didn’t hide his curiosity, his gaze snapped to Liu Qingge with obvious interest. There was no recognition, of course, but the other straightened with the knowledge he was in the presence of someone important to the sect. Liu Qingge couldn’t help but think that Shen Qingqiu’s face wasn’t so vile when it wore expressions that weren’t disgust, wrath and contempt.
“Liu-shidi, I see you’ve returned,” Yue Qingyuan greeted.
“Zhangmen-shixiong,” Liu Qingge nodded, “And... Shen Qingqiu’s brother?”
“You’re the War God of Bai Zhan Peak?” the man said breathlessly, before he cringed with a slight blush, “Sorry, that was rude. You’re just… not what I expected based on descriptions.”
“How did your brother describe me?” Liu Qingge prompted, a bit sarcastically.
“Very creatively,” came the quick answer, “This one if Shen Yuan – courtesy name Ruchun – it’s an honor to make your acquaintance Liu-daozhang.”
Liu Qingge made a neutral noise, uncertain of how to read that.
Yue Qingyuan, ever the peacemaker, took the chance to change the topic, “Did you need something, Liu-shidi?”
“I came to gave my report. I can leave it if you’re busy,” Liu Qingge answered.
“Ah, there is no need for that. I was the one stealing the Sect Leader’s time, and not for anything even half as important,” Shen Yuan started to gather himself, “Thank you for your time, Yue-zhangmen.”
“Are you sure, Xiao Yuan? Liu-shidi’s reports often feature some kind of monster, and Qingqiu-shidi mentioned you have a fondness of such topics. He’s mentioned needing more monster guides on Qing Jing Peak because of it,” Yue Qingyuan offered.
Liu Qingge bristled a little at that. He was not a form of entertainment, and his reports weren’t intended to be such. He wasn’t sure if his Sect Leader was treating Shen Yuan as a replacement for Shen Qingqiu – who viciously rejected their closeness and yet scorned any attempts by Yue Qingyuan to back off – or if he had hoped that he could use the siblings to help bridge that relationship. Whether that was by getting the siblings on his side, or that being nice to them would soften Shen Qingqiu’s barriers, it didn’t matter, Liu Qingge wasn’t going to used to play that game.
“I wouldn’t want to bother Liu-daozhang, I’m sure he’s busy. Besides Xiongzhang is probably wondering where I am, I should return to Qing Jing Peak,” Shen Yuan gently declined.
Yue Qingyuan turned to Liu Qingge with a not-so-subtle hint to play along, “Liu-shidi? What do you think?”
“I think that Shen Ruchun would know his brother’s wishes,” Liu Qingge replied with instead.
Shen Yuan made an amused sound at that, “Then I should be off. It was a pleasure meeting you, Liu-daozhang.”
With that, Shen Yuan properly dismissed himself from Qiong Ding Peak, and Liu Qingge put the conversation out of his mind as he gave his report, Yue Qingyuan looking like a kicked puppy the entire time. Liu Qingge ignored the look, he wasn’t interested in being a pawn in whatever happened between his sect leader and the Qing Jing Peak Lord. There really was no reason to waste any time concerning himself with anything related to Shen Qingqiu at all.
Especially, not his younger siblings.
Just as he had predicted, Shen Qingqiu was not pleased with the idea of Liu Qingge having anything to do with this siblings.
The Qing Jing Peak Lord seldom left his peak, and he never visited Bai Zhan Peak without a reason. Someone had to be actively dying, with Yue Qingyuan practically dragging him to assist, in order for Shen Qingqiu to approach the peak of warriors. That meant when Liu Qingge caught sight of him crossing the rainbow bridge, it wasn’t hard for him to take a guess as to what the other wanted. Liu Qingge braced himself for a conversation that would likely come to blows.
“Stay away from Yuan-er,” Shen Qingqiu snapped as soon as he was close enough for it to be polite.
Liu Qingge rolled his eyes, “I didn’t seek out your brother, he was just there when I gave my report to Zhangmen-shixiong.”
“I don’t care, he doesn’t need to the company of a brute like you so stay away from him,” Shen Qingqiu’s glare was vicious, “Tang-er as well.”
That must have been his sister’s name, then.
“I had no intention of approaching them anyway.”
Shen Qingqiu gave him a long, poisonous look after that which Liu Qingge challenged with his own. Though the other looked like he wanted to say something, he must have decided against it as he turned away and left. Liu Qingge decided to put his frustration to good use and test out what his disciples had learned while he had been away. It wouldn’t do for them to get out of practice.
The conversation had been entirely pointless anyway.
Liu Qingge had no interest in anything regarding the Shen family.
With a week to catch up with his duties as a Peak Lord, spend some time with his sister, hear Shang Qinghua nervously explain for the millionth time that he needs to be gentler on the buildings, and other general things that kept him busy, he didn’t find his mind drifting to Shen Qingqiu’s family at all. It was just another addition to the sect, and one that didn’t need to a concern for him. It wasn’t even the strangest thing that had happened within the bounds of their sect in the past. The siblings weren’t on his peak, he didn’t need to think about them.
Naturally, of course, that meant they sought him out.
The three of them truly could be confused for triplets, Liu Qingge couldn’t deny that they were nearly identical. Still, it was obvious to tell the difference between Shen Qingqiu and Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan chatted easily with his sister, and playfully twirled around a dizi flute as they crossed the rainbow bridge to Bai Zhan Peak. His sister grinned easily as well, her hair done up like a proper lady, which must have bothered her based on the way she played with her hair as she moved.
Shen Yuan perked up when he noticed Liu Qingge waiting for them, “Liu-daozhang, I hope we’re not intruding!”
“So you’re the Bai Zhan War God? Ge’s told me a lot about you,” his sister said with a tone that would have had his guard up if it came from Liu Mingyan, “… And so has Xiongzhang, admittedly.”
“Is that so?” Liu Qingge’s gazed shifted to the brother.
“Meimei, don’t be rude. Sorry, Liu-daozhang, this is my sister Shen Tang – courtesy name Ruyi,” Shen Yuan said in an obvious attempt to deflect.
Shen Tang just gave her brother a look Liu Qingge couldn’t read, her eyes flickering between her brother and the Bai Zhan Peak Lord. Once more, he found himself comparing the young woman to his sister, and his guard was pulled up. Whatever conclusions she was coming to, he wasn’t certain he wanted to know. Shen Yuan, however, was doing his best to ignore the looks, so it was likely something that the siblings could only understand themselves. He understood how strange inside jokes between siblings could be.
“Right,” Liu Qingge replied flatly, “Is there something you needed?”
“A few things, actually,” Shen Yuan gave Liu Qingge a warm smile, “First, I wanted to thank you for taking good care of my brother all these years.”
Not a lot of things can catch Liu Qingge off guard, but that certainly did. Once more, Liu Qingge could see why Qi Qingqi had sought him out to give him a warning, the siblings truly were naive to their older brother’s true nature. Or perhaps, there was a softer side buried somewhere in there in that cold dead heart only reserved for his younger siblings. Either way, whatever relationship they thought Shen Qingqiu had with the Peak Lords, especially Liu Qingge, was completely distorted.
“I know my brother’s personality can be… difficult for some people, and I know you two don’t get along the best, but he really does mean well, he just struggles to communicate. I am really glad that despite that, he hadn’t spent all these years alone,” Shen Yuan continued.
Liu Qingge hesitantly nodded, “You know he’s threatened to kill me right?”
“That’s a good thing! If he actually wanted to kill you, he wouldn’t give you a warning,” Shen Tang chimed in.
Well, Liu Qingge certainly couldn’t argue with that.
Perhaps they understood their brother better than he had originally thought.
“Anyway,” Shen Yuan cut in, “We didn’t come here to discuss Xiongzhang or to flatter you. I did actually have a request for you, and I can understand if you refuse it. This is a spirit tool, Cheng Yi.”
Shen Yuan held out his dizi for Liu Qingge to examine. Though music cultivation wasn’t something he was an expert it, he was still familiar enough with spiritual weapons and tools to know that the dizi was one of high quality. It was clear that the other wanted the flute to be examined, but nothing about it gave off any warning bells, so he returned the flute to Shen Yuan with a simple nod. It was another interesting difference between him and Shen Qingqiu who preferred the guqin. He must have picked the instrument because of its ease to play while traveling.
“I’ve composed a few songs myself that have various effects, and I’ve been working on a new one. A healing song. The problem is testing it out. I don’t think it would be right to test it out on someone actually injured. And I wouldn’t want to test it out on someone who could be at risk if I messed up somewhere…” Shen Yuan slowly trailed off.
Liu Qingge noticed exactly where that was going, “You want to test it out on me?”
“I know its a big request, but you’re an extremely talented cultivator, and everyone talks about your amazing reflexes and skills in cultivation – if anyone could stop me from hurting them, it would be you,” Shen Yuan explained.
It was a surreal experience to have someone with a face so similar to Shen Qingqiu’s own make a request that could potentially be dangerous. A part of him wanted to refuse it instantly under the assumption that it could be something intentionally dangerous. But he knew Shen Qingqiu couldn’t have a hand in this – it was literally the opposite of what he requested from Liu Qingge – and he knew that it would likely annoy the other Peak Lord if he agreed.
There was something about how Shen Yuan looked at him as he requested it that made Liu Qingge want to agree. He wasn’t sure what it was, why it felt so important, but he had never found his instincts to fail him before. Besides that, if there was music cultivation that could help with healing, it could end up being a very useful technique for the sect. Even if it could only stabilize someone, it would be useful if Qian Cao Peak disciples weren’t able to get to someone quickly. With that in mind, Liu Qingge felt that he had to agree, if only for the usefulness to the sect.
“Fine. How do you want to do this?” Liu Qingge agreed with a little skepticism.
“Thank you for your assistance, Liu-daozhang. I figured that you could just listen to me play the song. After all, if nothing is wrong with the song, then nothing should happen. That should be safe, right?” Shen Yuan suggested.
That didn’t sound too suspicious, if Liu Qingge monitored himself well he would immediately know if something was wrong. It was far better than the idea of Shen Qingqiu’s siblings requesting that he stabbed himself for the sake of testing. So, Liu Qingge nodded in the direction of his home on Bai Zhan Peak, since it would be at least somewhat secluded and out of the way.
The siblings easily followed him into his home, and Liu Qingge took a seat in the lotus position with a nod for Shen Yuan to take a seat across from him. Shen Yuan obeyed, with his dizi in hand, while his sister kept herself out of the way. Liu Qingge barely glanced at her, only assuring himself that she was far enough away for him to able to react if he needed to, before he turned his attention back to the brother. Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge held eye contact for a moment, before the other closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to play.
It was a slow melody that left the dizi. Slow and soothing, with the faintest sense of melancholy hidden within the notes. Liu Qingge wasn’t a musician, he could barely tell music apart from what he thought sounded good and what he thought sounded bad, but he was certain that was on the more competent side of music. Regardless, he could feel the faint power of the song as it played, so he closed his eyes and let it flow through him.
To his surprise, the song did have an effect.
Not only that, the effect was not a negative one.
He felt the song’s power sink into him and begin to slowly cycle through his meridians in a way that didn’t feel invasive or violent, but rather restorative and soothing. Then, slowly it shifted to gather in one of his dantians. Liu Qingge investigated, prepared to put a stop to the song through any means necessary if something was wrong. Instead, he discovered a small flaw – nothing he would have been able to notice on his own, and something that could have contributed to qi deviation if left untreated. The song treated it like a balm to a wound.
Then the song came to a sputtering stop as Shen Yuan started to shift sideways.
Liu Qingge was by his side before his sister could finish crying out in panic. Shen Yuan lifted a shaky hand to hold his head, his face twisted into a tight grimace, as if he had a headache. Shen Tang grasped her brother’s wrists, and Liu Qingge immediately followed to do his own check on the other, worried that while the song had a healing effect on him it may have had an averse effect on the other. But all his examinations produced were simple signs of exhaustion – Shen Yuan overtaxed himself with that song.
“Ge, are you alright?” Shen Tang’s concerned glance flicked between her brother and the Peak Lord.
“I just feel tired,” Shen Yuan grumbled, “That shouldn’t have taken that much of me, right?”
“Your song doesn’t heal physical injuries, but spiritual ones,” Liu Qingge explained, “It makes sense it would be taxing.”
“Oh, did it work?”
There was something about Shen Yuan’s tone that had Liu Qingge suspicious that this was the exact outcome he expected. His mind helpfully reminded him of his conversation with Liu Mingyan, with her comment on what Shen Yuan had said to her – a compliment, but also a partial prediction. It was nothing he felt he could do anything about, but it made him decide that he probably should keep an eye on this Shen Yuan a bit more.
“We should probably head to Qian Cao Peak,” Liu Qingge said instead.
Shen Yuan looked paler at that, “Maybe we shouldn’t. I don’t think Xiongzhang would be happy if we did that.”
That had Liu Qingge pause for a long moment.
“Does Shen Qingqiu know either of you are here?” Lin Qingge asked with a slight accusation.
A guilty look was exchanged between the two siblings.
“I think I’ll go make sure that Xiongzhang isn’t upset,” Shen Tang slowly pulled herself up, “If Liu-daozhang could make sure my reckless brother got the proper care he needed I would forever be grateful.”
“Xiongzhang is going to be so upset if he has to go to Qian Cao Peak,” Shen Yuan weakly protested.
Shen Tang gave a playful wink, “I’ll handle it, I’ll handle it. You just make sure you don’t blow up or whatever.”
“I’m not going to have a qi deviation,” Shen Yuan grumbled, “And stop calling it ‘blowing up’, I know you know better.”
“Yeah, but your reaction to it is funny,” Shen Tang countered.
Shen Yuan huffed, “Won’t be funny if I actually qi deviate.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Shen Tang hissed.
“I wasn’t planning on it!”
Shen Tang turned to Liu Qingge, “Don’t let him qi deviate. I don’t care what people say. You need to sleep sometime. If anything happens to my brother, the next time you sleep you’ll wake up on fire.”
“Meimei!”
“I swear I won’t allow any harm to come to your brother,” Liu Qingge answered.
“Good. I’m holding you to that forever, by the way.”
Before her brother (or Liu Qingge himself after that last comment) could offer any more protests, Shen Tang quickly dismissed herself, and headed in the direction of Qing Jing Peak. Shen Yuan huffed a little at his sisters antics, before he tried to pull himself up. Liu Qingge supported him slowly as he tried to pull himself together and tucked his dizi away now that it was no longer in use.
“I really should head back to Qing Jing Peak, I don’t want you to get in trouble with Xiongzhang,” Shen Yuan winced again.
Shen Yuan tried to pull himself away to walk off, before he nearly collapsed once more. Liu Qingge had no patience for this, and instead just swept the other into his arms and began to carry him outside. Shen Yuan made a small squeak, before he shifted his arms to stabilize himself, his hands finding purchase on Liu Qingge’s chest. The other’s face had shifted to a bright scarlet as he glared up at the other.
“I can walk on my own!”
“You clearly can’t. We should see Mu-shidi.”
“… Xiongzhang is really not going to be happy to hear about this.”
Liu Qingge could agree with that, he knew that he could expect a visit from the Qing Jing Peak Lord, but he could deal with the other’s terrible attitude. He owed Shen Yuan at least that, considering what the other had done for him with his song. The siblings might treat qi deviation with a lot less consideration then they should, but everyone knew that it wasn’t something to take lightly. If he was spared that fate because of Shen Yuan’s efforts, that was something that couldn’t be brushed off.
Shen Yuan eventually realized his protests wouldn’t be heard out, and submitted to getting checked up by Mu Qingfang on Qian Cao Peak.
Shen Yuan had been right, Shen Qingqiu had not been happy when he arrived on Qian Cao Peak.
Despite Shen Tang’s assurances that she could handle her oldest brother, Shen Qingqiu had arrived not long after Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan did. Mu Qingfang had already finished his examinations by then, and had come to same conclusions as Liu Qingge, though with a bit more elegance and practical advice on recovery. Shen Qingqiu had entered by throwing the doors open, the scowl on his face painfully familiar. It only intensified when his eyes landed on the Bai Zhan Peak Lord.
“Xiongzhang—”
“Don’t even try,” Shen Qingqiu cut his younger brother off with a glare, “We will be talking about this later, Yuan-er.”
Shen Yuan nodded, “Yes, Xiongzhang.”
Shen Qingqiu turned to Mu Qingfang, “Any specific treatments?”
“Shen-er-gongzi just needs some rest. Make sure he takes it easy for a week, but if his condition doesn’t improve after that please bring him to see me,” Mu Qingfang answered, “Whatever cultivation technique was tried isn’t one that should be used so freely.”
Liu Qingge watched as Shen Yuan’s eyes shifted to him, before they quickly turned away. It hadn’t been quick enough, Shen Qingqiu’s glare was turned back on him as if in accusation. Shen Qingqiu didn’t do much more than glare, however, and instead gathered Shen Yuan to return to Qing Jing Peak. Shen Tang merely just waved playfully as the three siblings left the infirmary.
Confused by whatever that interaction was, Liu Qingge finally bid farewell to Mu Qingfang and returned to his peak.
It wasn’t a surprise that Shen Qingqiu arrived on Bai Zhan Peak later that day to once more remind him to stay away from his siblings.
Eventually, Yue Qingyuan called a proper Peak Lord meeting to discuss Shen Yuan and Shen Tang’s place in the sect, since all the Peak Lords had finally met the siblings by then. Shen Qingqiu had sent a challenging look around the room, as if daring anyone to deny his siblings what he decided they deserved. His gaze was especially pointed when they caught on Liu Qingge.
Usually, that would have been enough to get Liu Qingge to offer an argument. Not to be contrary, but merely because Shen Qingqiu figured he could throw his weight around and force whatever outcome he wanted and that couldn’t be allowed.
This time, when it came to offer his opinion, Liu Qingge offered no complaints.
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes only narrowed further in suspicion.
Well, at least things weren’t going to boring.