Chapter Text
Shen Yuan had reincarnated into the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way, right? Right?!
Because what was this? Why was Disciple Era Luo Binghe taking care of his infant body? Wasn't he twelve right now? There's no way he was his son, right?!
He heard a sharp voice cut into his thoughts. "He can have your family name, since I'm entrusting him to you." Something about that voice terrified him. He tried to look at its source, but Luo Binghe embraced him, covering his face with his chest.
"He can be a Luo?"
"Are you deaf? I just told you that!"
He felt Luo Binghe flinch against his body, but nothing happened. "...What is his given name?"
"Pick it yourself."
He heard the sound of the other man leaving, but it took him and Luo Binghe a while to relax. Who was that guy?
Luo Binghe finally pulled out of the embrace to look at Shen Yuan (Luo Yuan?) properly. "I can't believe I have a didi now," he said excitedly. "I'm going to take good care of you, I promise. I'll be the best gege ever, for you."
Okay, not his dad, but his foster brother. He could live with that. And this was before the Endless Abyss Arc! That meant he could protect Luo Binghe from so much heartbreak. He could fix so much of his brother's broken future!
...Actually, why was he being fostered by a Qing Jing Peak disciple? Why was a random infant on Cang Qiong Mountain at all? Who were his parents? Why weren't they here?
Without realizing it, he'd begun to cry. It must be the baby instincts, crying as soon as he realized something wasn't right. Luo Binghe panicked and rushed to coo at him and cradle him gently. "It's okay, didi, it's okay, gege is here..."
On hearing this, his crying grew worse. He was reminded of his old life's older brothers, and the baby instincts in his body that longed for a family kicked in again.
"A-Luo, you're holding him wrong!"
In his miserable internal rambling, he'd missed how Luo Binghe had rushed around the Peak, looking for help. It seemed like a girl was advising him now - most likely Ning Yingying.
She took Shen Yuan from Luo Binghe and shifted his position to something more comfortable. "Like this."
He was still miserable, but the comforting warmth of being surrounded by a caring gege and gentle jiejie was distracting. He was also easily tired on account of being an infant, so even a short cry drained him of energy very quickly. He didn't realize it when he fell asleep.
He woke up in the smell of fresh plants and herbs. It felt like a second long nap, but clearly it had been a few hours.
He was being fed. It tasted vaguely like what he assumed formula would taste like - how was formula available in a cultivation setting? He was going to beat Great God Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky to death! What was this world building?!
He fidgeted in irritation while drinking, so Luo Binghe held him more tightly. "Didi, don't fight, it's good for you."
Finally, it sunk in. The protagonist of his least favourite story was holding him! Him! He was the little brother of -
Wait, this wasn't in the original. Was this a scrapped draft or something? Luo Binghe isn't supposed to have a brother. Stallion novel protagonists generally didn’t have brothers that weren't villains - a secondary male lead would only create competition and steal the protagonist's limelight.
Xiao-Luo had no interest in becoming a villain. So maybe he'd stick to the background and focus on being a wingman and a general protagonist supporter. Some stories had those, right?
And he could help his gege with his knowledge of the future! If he helped his new big brother now, he could live an easy life as a prince to the three realms and a forgotten side character later. It was perfect!
-
He spent most of his days at the herb smelling area - Qian Cao Peak, according to a conversation he overheard - where Luo Binghe would occasionally visit. Apparently he was ridiculously sickly and weak, even for a baby. Mu Qingfang had to work overtime to keep him alive for several weeks.
Luo Binghe fretted over him during each visit until he was old enough to survive without formula. Once that threshold was met, he was supposed to take his didi back to Qing Jing Peak.
Well, his exact instructions were to take him out of the mountains and give him away to any mortal family that would take him. But Luo Binghe didn't want to let go of the only scrap of family he managed to have since his foster mother died. He risked death to beg Shizun to keep the infant.
Shen Qingqiu predictably became enraged but just yelled, "Do what you want!" and left without doing anything more. Luo Binghe could scarcely believe his luck.
Sometimes he would spend the night at Qian Cao Peak, trying to stick as close to Xiao-Luo as he could. He hadn't thought of a given name yet. For now, everyone called him Xiao-Luo, but he needed a real name soon.
"Luo... Hua? Qiu, after Shizun? Ling? Fang, after the doctor who saved you so many times? No, none of them sound right..."
Well, if his own name meant icy river, then maybe a firey name would fit his didi? Luo Huo... sounded terrible. Never mind.
Maybe he should let Ning-shijie pick it. That was probably for the best.
Since it was Luo Binghe's desire to keep the baby, it was his responsibility to take care of him. As soon as the little one - still nameless, unfortunately - was old enough to not need a mother's milk, Qian Cao Peak sent him back to Qing Jing Peak, where Luo Binghe was supposed to look after him.
He built a cradle himself, with wood he chopped himself. Ning-shijie helped out on occasion, making food for the baby when Binghe was too busy. But he mostly cooked the food himself. He fed him, bathed him, and even carved him some wooden toys.
Shizun finally noticed his hard work, and one day, he told Binghe, "The shed has no space for the both of you. Go to the dorms and ask Ming Fan for the biggest room."
Luo Binghe was elated! Thanks to the infant, he was finally being acknowledged by Shizun. He was happy he could die.
Ming Fan begrudgingly did as he was asked. The room had just enough space for two people, exactly what he needed. He could finally sleep in a proper room! He'd never been a room this big! Sure, he had to share it with someone, but it was because of didi that he got here at all.
This joy kept him sane when the baby cried at night, or when he soiled himself and needed changing. It was all worth it. Didi was worth it.
What's more, Shizun changed Binghe's manual. "You can't train as much as before anymore. The slow and steady method will only hold you back. This is more fitting for your erratic schedule."
Even beatings were reduced every week until they stopped entirely. Luo Binghe was amazed; if a baby was all it took, he would've adopted one long ago!
The others were forbidden from bullying him or hurting the baby. What a blessing!
Ning-shijie spent more time with him. She even taught him a lullaby her own mother used to sing to her for when the baby cried. Shizun overheard and taught him how to play the song on the guqin. "Your voice is terrible, you'll scare the baby even more. Play this instead."
With Shizun being slightly nicer to him, Luo Binghe decided to take this chance. "Shizun, this disciple is foolish..."
"And grass is green."
"This disciple has been struggling to name the baby," he continued, ignoring the familiar sting that came with his reply. "He was hoping for your advice."
"You left it unnamed until now?" Shizun snapped. "Foolish indeed."
Luo Binghe tried to not flinch. The words were harsh, but there was no thwack from the fan after they were said, so things were improving.
"Fine, this master will name it. Luo... Yuan. The character for 'wall'. He will stand proud and tall one day, capable of shouldering buildings, if you raise him right. He may even rival a flood."
Luo Binghe didn't notice Shizun's especially hard expression when he said flood, merely excitedly to simply name the boy.
After all, icy rivers cannot flood. But Binghe melted before it, didn't he?
-
"Ming Fan, if your zhangmen-shibo visits again, kick him out. No need to do it respectfully."
Shen Qingqiu was growing tired of shixiong's nonsense. No, he didn't have another deviation (lie), no, he wasn't unwell (lie), no, he wasn't visiting the Warm Red Pavilion anymore (how dare he ask that? It wasn't any of his damned business!).
Couldn't he leave Qingqiu alone? He was always unwelcome on Qing Jing Peak, but he'd truly been visiting too much ever since Shen Qingqiu found that useless brat while cultivating in seclusion.
As if the little parasite screaming all night wasn't enough to disturb him. Why did the beast insist on keeping him? Ugh, maggots will stick to maggots, he supposed.
The brat would get tired of playing house eventually, though. He gave the useless lump of flesh to him for that exact reason - the creature was distracting and annoying. Once the beast asked to keep it, he forced all responsibility onto him to show him what the consequences of those atrocious words were!
It wasn't a permanent arrangement, of course. As soon as the beast learned his lesson, Shen Qingqiu would go back to the original plan and give it up for adoption. But the beast wasn't getting tired at all.
Shen Qingqiu didn't particularly care if they both died, but the wailing that would have preceded the parasite's inevitable end would be too annoying. So he allowed them both a shred of comfort here and there. Only enough to keep the screams low.
For some reason, this shocked everyone. Shen Qingqiu didn't care. Who were they to try to predict him, anyway?
"Forgive me, Shizun, but it's too late..."
His blasted shixiong had already arrived, huh? "Fine, let him in. Bring us tea."
Yue Qingyuan looked regal as ever, not a hair out of place. His expression was calm and composed, his eyes gentle and warm, his bearing imposing and strong.
Nothing about him could suggest that his own shizhi had nearly yelled at him to get the hell out of here.
"Shidi," he smiled genially, "how are you doing?"
"Fine." Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan open. He did not ask the question back.
Ming Fan rushed in with the tea. Yue Qingyuan liked white tea. Shen Qingqiu preferred it dark. It was served dark.
Both of them pretended to not notice.
"Xiao-"
"Absolutely not."
Yue Qingyuan sighed. They had gotten somewhere, a year or two ago. They were rebuilding their old bond, he could feel it. But then he pushed too far. Much, much too far. Unforgivably far.
And his Xiao-Jiu asked to enter seclusion soon after.
He'd only come back recently, but Yue Qingyuan was worried. He visited much too often to check on him, to see if he'd lost what they had forever again.
"Has shidi recovered from -"
"I'm fine."
Shen Qingqiu looked pristine as ever. Untouched by time, no different from the past several years. Every bit a lofty immortal, every inch a powerful Peak Lord. All of him was Shen Qingqiu, and very little Xiao-Jiu.
"About the little one..." Yue Qingyuan tried steer the conversation towards something simpler.
"It'll live. Qian Cao Peak sent it back. I'll have it given away to a normal family soon, but my disciples have grown attached to it. They're reluctant to let it go. I'll give them a few more weeks, but no more."
"Or you could keep him."
Shen Qingqiu barely kept himself from spitting his hot tea out. "Zhangmen-shixiong?"
"You've been warmer with your disciples since he was brought here. Maybe he's done your temper some good -"
Yue Qingyuan instantly noticed that he'd made a terrible mistake. His Xiao-Jiu never liked it when others tried to understand his thoughts. Why are you so afraid to let others understand you?
But he never pried. Never again, not after...
"Never mind. I'll take the little one out of the mountains next week myself," he tried to amend. "You already have too much on your plate."
Again, his Xiao-Jiu looked frustrated. His expression didn't change, but he was waving his fan with slightly more force. It wasn't visible, but Yue Qingyuan felt it in the air.
"There's no need for zhangmen-shixiong to concern himself. This Qingqiu can handle it."
Did he want it or not? Yue Qingyuan could never understand him. "It's no trouble at all. I wanted to go down the mountains anyway, for some work related to the Immortal Alliance Conference."
Shen Qingqiu called Ming Fan to replace the tea. "It's better if the disciples do it. They're already so attached to it. They'll be troubled without a proper goodbye."
"Oh." Yue Qingyuan hadn't expected him to be so considerate. Maybe he was also attached to the little one? It would explain why he softened as soon as it returned to Qing Jing Peak. "May I see him?"
As soon as Ming Fan set down the fresh tea, Shen Qingqiu sent him to fetch the child.
Yue Qingyuan had grown curious. What exactly made him special, when Shen Qingqiu normally hated children?
The boy that returned with the infant was not Ming Fan, but... ah, Yue Qingyuan forgot his name.
"Luo Binghe, this is your zhangmen-shibo. You met him when I took you as a disciple. He wishes to see the child."
The new disciple was more nervous than the emboldened Ming Fan. He was also more awkward, and far less remarkable. "Greetings, zhangmen-shibo. This disciple will fulfill your request."
Cradled in his arms was an ordinary baby. Yue Qingyuan wouldn't be able to tell it apart from any other human infant. He felt disappointed, somehow.
The baby even started crying when he tried take him. Luo Binghe had to gently rock him for five minutes until he fell asleep. "Forgive this disciple, zhangmen-shibo. The baby does not like many others aside from his gege."
Yue Qingyuan tried his best to not frown. "You are his brother?"
"I let him do most of the babysitting," Shen Qingqiu explained. "Since keeping it around was his idea."
"And Shizun gave him my family name. That makes us family."
The disciple said it so warmly. His eyes were far too tender as he looked at the baby... Yue Qingyuan was reminded of another young boy, three years old, holding another infant in the same way.
The other boy was too young to carry him properly, but the baby made no fuss. Only when others tried to take the little one did he cry. He was allowed to keep him, since they already had eight children.
Suddenly, the mere idea of taking the child away felt too cruel. "He looks healthy, despite what happened to him. You've done a good job."
"It was all due to Qian Cao Peak's efforts. This disciple did little but visit him."
"What is his name?"
"Luo Yuan. Shizun named him."
Shen Qingqiu avoided looking at him during that entire interaction. At that last part, he shut his fan with a sharp snap, which woke the baby up. He immediately started crying, so Shen Qingqiu asked Luo Binghe to leave.
Yue Qingyuan waited until they had left before trying gently express his thoughts. "It's a little cruel to..." separate them like we were? No, wait, he shouldn't bring up their childhood. Comparing them to themselves was definitely not right move.
Before he could try again, Shen Qingqiu snapped. "You think I treat them cruelly?"
"No, no -"
"Zhangmen-shixiong, I think you've overstayed your welcome."
Yue Qingyuan had enough experience in being chased out of Qing Jing Peak to know what would come next and left quietly.
Little did he know, his foolish incomplete comment had angered Shen Qingqiu to the point of nearly deviating.
To think he still believes I'll hurt the damn thing! I'll show him!
All the old envy washed away, scrubbed clean by rage at something else.
-
Luo Yuan's first word was gege. Jiejie came soon after, referring to Ning Yingying. The individuals in question were ecstatic. They invited everyone on Qing Jing Peak to come see the little one say his first words.
Even Ming Fan couldn't help but feel a jealous of Luo Binghe.
The excitement died down as soon as Shizun entered the scene.
"You've kept it for too long. It's been months now, and it can even speak. Enough, it's high time you got rid of it."
Ning Yingying managed to beg and cajole him into keeping him for another month. Deep down, everyone knew he was never going to give the baby away, but even those perfunctory words terrified them.
The celebration did not continue even after Shizun left. The baby had stopped speaking.
Over the next few days, the baby's crying grew weaker, and he stopped speaking and babbling altogether.
Shizun told Ning Yingying to take him to Qian Cao Peak. He wouldn't let Luo Binghe follow.
"Too many people visiting will only trouble the healers. Don't go unless you can be of use to them."
He made Luo Binghe go to calligraphy class and ignored his protests, even scolding him for looking so troubled.
Ning Yingying returned later that same day. She explained that Luo Yuan's early illness had returned with a vengeance, but he would survive. He would most likely never speak again, but he would live.
To think his first words had also been his last! Luo Binghe was inconsolable for days, even avoiding his classes. He'd only just heard his didi call out to him and now it was gone. He'd never hear that voice again.
"Skipping classes again?" Shen Qingqiu scolded on seeing him staring at his reflection in the Quiet Pool.
"Forgive this disciple, Shizun," he sighed. He no longer expected beatings over these things - Shizun had stopped a while ago - but old fear was hard to beat.
"It'll live. Qian Cao confirmed it."
"But... but..."
"Come, I'll take you to the store down the mountain."
Luo Binghe could not have been more surprised at that reply. Shen Qingqiu stared at him with his usual contempt, as if Luo Binghe was an idiot for not figuring out his meaning.
But he was not about to disobey again. He fixed his clothes and washed his face, and followed Shizun down the mountains.
Shizun didn't say anything throughout the journey, nor did he slow down for Binghe. Even with his elegant, dignified walk, he was fast enough to make Luo Binghe run to catch up with him.
He was once again reminded of a beautiful, tall crane. He'd never seen one in real life, but Shizun acted just like the exquisite illustrations in his poetry book.
Luo Binghe was utterly spent, emotionally and physically, by the time they reached the base of the mountains. He had absolutely no strength to walk to the city.
Shen Qingqiu still refused to wait for him, and walked on without looking back. He found his second wind from who knows where to rush after him.
Shizun took him to the book store at the far end of the city. Luo Binghe couldn't for the life of him understand why, but he didn't dare to question his teacher.
He found a nice chair there to finally sit down and recover while Shizun perused the books. All that running had been insanely painful, but a welcome distraction nevertheless.
He accidentally fell asleep, and dreamt of Luo Yuan returning from Qian Cao Peak with his voice miraculously intact, calling him gege again.
His pleasant dreams were interrupted by Shen Qingqiu, who knocked him awake with a rap of his fan.
"Get up. We've gotten what we were looking for."
Dizzy and confused, he followed Shizun wordlessly. It was too late to return to Cang Qiong Mountain, so Shizun bought two rooms at an inn.
Shen Qingqiu handed him two of the books he'd bought that day, and told him to study them if he couldn't sleep at night.
Binghe was a little excited to read them. What exactly could have been worth the awful trip to the city?
After lighting a candle, he finally looked at the books. They were from the West, clearly. Luo Binghe had never read any foreign works before. All his poetry books were Chinese. He was excited to try them, but...
He couldn't understand a thing!
Frustrated, he wondered if he should ask Shizun for help, but didn’t want to disturb his sleep. Quietly he peeked into his room and found him simply meditating.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he called out, "Shizun? This disciple is foolish, and needs assistance..."
Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes slowly, as if he was expecting his disciple to run into trouble. "Idiotic beast. Come here."
Luo Binghe sat down on the edge of Shizun's bed. Shen Qingqiu unfolded his legs and shifted to sit right next to him.
"Open the book. I'll teach you to read it."
Luo Binghe could feel his Shizun looking over his shoulders. Nervousness crept all over him. Too close!
He knew no beatings were coming, especially outside the mountain, but the anxiety still laced his breath.
"There are plenty of pictures, how can you struggle with this?" Shen Qingqiu clicked his tongue in irritation. "Fine, let's start. Copy the movements instructed in the manual with your right hand."
Luo Binghe did as he was asked, though the instructions confused him at times.
"This gesture means 'hello'. It is mainly used in informal settings..."
Understanding finally hit Luo Binghe squarely on the head. Sign language. Shizun was giving him special lessons in sign language. He'd heard about it from his mom once, but never actually seen it until now.
"Will Shizun teach the others as well?"
"I'll add it to my curriculum. Now, here's how you spell out words like names."
Although he didn't realize it, he had inadvertently admitted that he was going to keep the little one on Qing Jing Peak permanently. He wouldn't add a whole new subject to his studies for child he'd give away later.
Wait, wait, he just realized something. This entire trip should have been An Ding Peak's responsibility. But Shizun went out of his way to take him here himself. Was it... so that Binghe would feel more useful? To distract him from his misery?
That was... kinder than he expected.
Shen Qingqiu, on the other hand, was simply pleased that the whiny moping of the beast's was quietened by exhaustion.
-
Luo Yuan was returned to Qing Jing Peak a month later, silent as expected. Although no one was a master of the new language yet, they had got the basics down.
Luo Binghe was the fastest learner, and was a little ahead of his peers, so Shen Qingqiu put him in charge of the class for a day.
With these matters settled, he left for the monthly Peak Lord meeting.
It went as usual - Shang Qinghua complained about the budget, Yue Qingyuan looked at him with that expression he always ignored (and now Mu Qingfang had joined him? What was up with him?), Wei Qingwei made some bad jokes to lighten the mood, Qi Qingqi tried to roast him but didn’t get as much of a response this time, Liu Qingge glared at everyone without saying anything.
It was only at the end that Shen Qingqiu made a simple announcement. "The child is too sickly to be sent down the mountain. Qing Jing Peak will have to keep it."
He didn't expect this simple declaration to cause such a stir. Mu Qingfang was the only one who seemed to agree with him, Qi Qingqi yelled something about child abuse, Liu Qingge almost stabbed him, Yue Qingyuan tried to keep the peace, the Ku Xing Peak Lord who was cultivating in seclusion for past three years and returned last month just asked, "What child? Shen Qingqiu's having a child? Whose?"
"Who on earth would breed with him?" Qi Qingqi snapped.
"That's what I want to know!"
"It's not mine!" Shen Qingqiu yelled at him. "I found it taken by demons and its parents already eaten. Qing Jing Peak was going to only shelter it temporarily, until it recovered. But given the state of its poor health, it will likely never recover."
"Then the child should go to Qian Cao Peak!" Liu Qingge insisted.
"We are busy enough as it is, we don't need a baby," Mu Qingfang refuted.
"The family of one of my disciples has already adopted it, so it's officially Qing Jing Peak's. Don't bother trying to claim it."
Yue Qingyuan's eyes brightened a little. "Luo Binghe's family accepted him? Good, he will make a fine older brother."
Since the Sect Leader approved, there was nothing the others could do about it.
"Are you going to take him as your disciple?" the Ku Xing Peak Lord asked.
Finally, a normal question. "It's still very young. I'll give it a regular schooling until it's ten. Then it may enter the mortal world or join the disciple choosing ceremony, where anyone can pick it."
Shen Qingqiu had decided on this plan a long time ago. It was simply the best strategy - the child would have a choice in its fate, no one would accuse him of favoritism, Qing Jing Peak would not be mistaken for a babysitting peak and this incident wouldn't set a precedent, his disciples will get a decade with the child and grow out of the novelty of it by then, and most importantly, he wouldn't have to raise another teenager.
He hated those.
"Also, the child is mute. A Peak of scholars is probably the best place for its formative years, since everyone being taught another language is a very simple addition to the curriculum," Mu Qingfang helpfully added.
"Mute?" Yue Qingyuan looked even more concerned than before, if that was even possible. "But he would babble just fine when I last visited."
Everyone accusingly turned back Shen Qingqiu.
"His fever returned last month, and nearly ruined his health forever..." Mu Qingfang gave a quick but informative explanation of the recent events.
Yue Qingyuan's expression became unreadable. To most, at least. Shen Qingqiu knew that he felt stressed and overwhelmed by the slight curl of his fingers.
Fine, zhangmen-shixiong, I'll take the attention off of you. Happy now, putting me on the spot like this?
Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan open with the slightest aggression showing through. A crack in his facade, one might say before their tongue is ripped out, but even this crack was one he calculated beforehand.
"My disciple's brother's medical history is no one's business, not even its future Shizun's. There's no need to continue, Mu-shidi."
Everyone knew Mu Qingfang only said all that to prevent Shen Qingqiu from appearing abusive, not to spill sensitive medical information. To think Shen Qingqiu himself would snap at him for it!
Another round of gossip and rage was directed at him, but he'd gotten used to it long ago.
-
Luo Yuan was tired of being sick. Why was his body doomed to be weak even in another life? And now he was even mute.
There was probably some or the other magic flower that could fix this, but it was reserved for a future wife!
...Screw this fat chud life.
He only had it for a little while and it already sucked! How was this any different from his last life? He was going to sue!
At least Luo Binghe cradled him a lot. And he'd sing to his didi every night. It reminded him of his mom.
Sometimes Ning Yingying would come over and play a game similar to peekaboo with him while Luo Binghe was practicing. Although he didn't have objective impermanence like real babies, he played along because it made her and Binghe laugh.
Life wasn't great by any means, and he had no idea how to protect his brother from the plot, but at least spending time with his new family was nice.
"Xiao-Luo, look at your gege." Ning Yingying lifted him so he could see Luo Binghe's swordplay. It was beautiful, a sign of true talent from the protagonist himself!
"The new manual has done you wonders," she continued, now speaking to Luo Binghe. "Shizun was right to switch to a different training style for you. This suits you much better than the old one."
So the fake manual was changed to a real one? Why? Luo Yuan didn't even have the chance to do anything yet, but the plot was already changing! Would his knowledge of the future even be useful soon?
No, wait, baby instincts. It had become his tendency to internally ramble and panic easily since he had no way of expressing himself and could only dwell on his thoughts.
He figured things would get better once he could speak, but now that was never going to happen.
"A-Yuan, when you're old enough to cultivate, you can learn this too."
"No, he won't," an absolutely terrifying voice thundered behind them so sharply Luo Yuan nearly jumped out of Ning Yingying's arms.
"Shizun, what do you mean?"
Ah, right, Shen Qingqiu. Luo Yuan absolutely hated the guy from before he was born, and wasn't afraid to show it. Every time he came to bother Binghe, he would cry loudly until the old creep left. But now he couldn't make such a ruckus anymore.
"When he turns ten, he will be subject to the disciple choosing ceremony, same as any other child, and he may fail... or he may be chosen by another Peak Lord. There's no guarantees."
"But Shizun..."
Shen Qingqiu ignored her. Luo Yuan was almost impressed - the old man never denied her anything in the book. Instead, he turned his attention to the protagonist's nearly flawless sword practice.
"Beast, your wrist movements disgust me. Fix that grip. Forget your old manual - if I ever see you using reverse grip again, I'll beat you to death!"
To think he came here just to bully a student! Luo Yuan finally pulled out his ace card to get Shen Qingqiu out of here: throwing up. He made sure to twist his body so none of the vomit got on Ning Yingying, but at least a few drops would grace Shen Qingqiu's robes.
Unfortunately, the old man was quick and moved away in time. Luo Binghe stopped practicing to clean it up, but Shen Qingqiu stopped him.
"Yingying, get Ming Fan to fix that. And you, beast, if I see you stop practicing again, I'll make you kneel at the gate the whole night. You're already behind your classmates."
Ning Yingying nodded and left to fetch Ming Fan, Luo Yuan still in her arms.
Luo Yuan wanted to protest - he couldn't leave his gege alone with that creep! - but he had little choice in the matter.
Ning Yingying was already fussing over his health. "Do I need to take you to Qian Cao Peak again? This isn't a good sign..."
No, he didn't need any of that! He'd thrown up on purpose! But he couldn't tell her that, so she fretted endlessly until they reached the disciples' dorms.
"Ming Fan, Shizun needs you to clean up a mess over there!"
-
That grip truly was atrocious. His wrist movements were one misstep away from snapping his wrist altogether. Shen Qingqiu's intervention was absolutely necessary.
Reverse grip was only useful if your opponent struck before you could draw your sword properly. Otherwise, it was completely useless and even prone to damaging its wielder.
Using it all the time was a mistake caused by the old manual. Shen Qingqiu had written it so he'd damage himself and die.
But he never did. And now he was needed alive. How troublesome.
Ming Fan spared a glare for the beast before cleaning up the little beast's mess. He hated cleaning up vomit, it was the worst part of keeping a child.
The second being it soiling itself, and needing changing.
Shen Qingqiu still couldn't understand his disciples' appeal to the infant. It did nothing but vomit and shit and scream, and now it couldn't even scream. Keeping it was a mistake, even bringing it to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect was a mistake.
He should've given it away before coming here.
But now he had to fix the beast's awful footwork.
"Keep some distance between the feet, or you'll end up cutting yourself. Bend the knee a little more, do you want to die? I can arrange for that right now instead of wasting our time!"
Thankfully, the beast showed some improvement after the instructions. He was nowhere near good, but at least he was better than before.
"If you arch your back like that, I'll snap your spine!"
Luo Binghe tried his best to not flinch at his every word, but Shen Qingqiu was simply too terrifying.
Ming Fan left as soon as he could - he needed to take a second bath, he smelled horrible - but paused while passing by the Peak's gate.
He ran back to do what he loved most - snitch to his Shizun. "Mu Qingfang is on his way here."
That was surprising, but if it wasn't on Yue Qingyuan's orders, then he was welcome. "He's probably here to check on the child. Take him to Yingying."
He turned out to be right - Ning Yingying had sent a shidi to call for him, so Mu Qingfang came as soon as he could.
Thankfully, his checkup yielded nothing serious. "He's completely fine. Just needs more water in general, but that's it."
Since the child was fine, Shen Qingqiu didn't bother with it. "Yingying, you shouldn't bother your shishu with these things."
"Don't scold her, shixiong. She was right to call me. It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially with a sickly toddler."
Shen Qingqiu had been disturbed enough for the week. He told an outer disciple to escort Mu Qingfang back to his Peak, and wondered if he should ask Yue Qingyuan for permission to stay in the Lingxi Caves until the brat turned twenty.
But that would mean visiting Yue Qingyuan, and Shen Qingqiu would rather peel his skin off and cook flesh underneath while it was still attached to him.
-
Yue Qingyuan visited again, despite his best attempts to avoid the man like a plague. Ming Fan couldn't keep him out after all. That demoted from head disciple if this kept up.
Shen Qingqiu was running out of patience. He never had much of it in the first place, and he was running out of his limited supply fast.
"We'll handle the business in Shuang Hu City," he agreed, if only to make Yue Qingyuan go away.
"And who will take care of the little one? It's really fine if you let -"
"The outer disciples can deal with it."
"Are you sure -"
"My Peak is not full of three year olds, zhangmen-shixiong. Just one."
The child was actually two, but Shen Qingqiu hadn't bothered to remember that.
Yue Qingyuan fretted some more, pretending to act like he cared so much, before Shen Qingqiu snapped and kicked him out of the Peak.
He always looked like such a kicked puppy when he left. No wonder people from even the mortal world thought that Shen Qingqiu had some blackmail on the Sect Leader.
Stop making that face and glancing back, zhangmen-shixiong; anyone would think I'm a cruel husband kicking his wife onto the streets and declaring a divorce!
What a pathetic rat of a man. Why does he look back like that now when he couldn't bother even glancing back at all back then?
Whatever. Now he had to deal with the murders in Shuang Hu City. He called for Ming Fan and told him to make the arrangements.
Absentmindedly, he wondered if he should make an anti-Yue Qingyuan ward around Qing Jing Peak. Now that would be nice.
Or even an anti-people ward. He would never need to be disturbed ever again, absolutely perfect.
Unfortunately, he had a Peak to run.
His beautiful dream of being alone forever would have to wait. Maybe another day, when the next generation of disciples ascend. He'd get himself a nice small house - near that destroyed village where he... found the half-dead brat, maybe? And he'd block everyone from entering using wards and whatnot, practice inedia so he would never need to leave for food, and stay away from people for the rest of eternity or until he finally ascended.
But for that, he'd need a succeeding disciple. Hard to find, since he drove away all talent from his Peak out of envy. The only talented child he had was the bastard Luo Binghe, and that brat was always off playing house with a toddler. Useless.
Why did he ever bother to keep it? Why did Shen Qingqiu bother keeping it? Everyone knew he hated children. He especially hated Luo Yuan. He only spared him and the beast because an infant and its caretaker's simultaneous deaths would cause him problems. Though his treatment had appeared to soften, his hatred and envy were hardly gone.
Still, the useless lump of flesh had some advantages, since it kept the beast so busy that the other useless lump of flesh hardly had any time to cultivate. He was going to miss his chance to become a prodigy, and it would be his own fault!
If the two weaklings kept on weighing each other down, then he would have nothing to worry about.
But Ning Yingying had been enamored by this nonsense as well. She was bound to lose interest eventually, but he didn't want her cultivation to be hindered by this foolish fancy. He had to be stricter with her, especially in regards to the child.
In fact, he had to be stricter with all of Qing Jing Peak.
Shen Qingqiu called Ming Fan to the Bamboo House again to clear away the tea, and instructed him to fetch ten horses for the ten inner disciples and a carriage for the Peak Lord. "We're going to Shuang Hu City for a training mission tomorrow."
The next day, however, there were only nine horses.
Ming Fan snickered at Luo Binghe. "It seems someone will have to stay behind. And your didi needs a caretaker..."
Luo Yuan was still sleeping in bed. He moved out of the cradle a long time ago, and currently shared the bed with the other maggot.
Luo Binghe sighed. He knew how things worked in Qing Jing Peak by now - if the others couldn't directly bully him, they would find other ways to kick him down. He was alright with staying behind, he supposed, already resigned to his fate.
"Correct, Ming Fan. Someone will need to stay behind," Shen Qingqiu agreed, making the boy puff out his chest with pride, "so stay behind."
The boy paused. Shen Qingqiu's gaze hadn't moved towards Luo Binghe while saying that last part. Was he expecting Ming Fan to escort him back to dorms, or...?
As his Shizun's harsh look remained fixed on him, true horror sunk into his bones. Shen Qingqiu was ordering Ming Fan to stay behind instead of Luo Binghe.
"M - me, Shizun?" He prayed that he was wrong, that Shizun meant something else, anything else.
"Since you made a mistake while counting the horses, you should suffer the consequences for it," he stated simply, his words sharp and clear. His tone was no different from the one he used to hand out punishments for unfinished calligraphy homework.
Ming Fan's knees nearly buckled under the weight of this disapproval. He thought he was doing Shizun a favor, cutting off the brat's new chance at enhancing his cultivation progress. But now everything had turned back on him?
Luo Binghe didn't question his luck. He mounted Ming Fan's horse before Shizun could change his mind, leaving Luo Yuan behind with his da-shixiong.