Chapter Text
Something is weird about him, wrong about him, Shen Jiu, 5 years old, notes. Shen Jiu isn’t normal, not like Qi-ge at least. Shen Jiu isn’t just Shen Jiu, Shen Jiu is also Shen Yuan.
Or so the other one says he wishes to be called. Qi-ge doesn’t have two people in himself, so why does Shen Jiu?
It was only a few months ago that he realized that he wasn’t alone, that he had someone with him, someone who could control his body.
Sometimes Shen Jiu remember what the other him does, but sometimes he has no idea what happened, why weeks passed in a moment.
Shen Jiu tried to ask once. He tried to ask Qi-ge if Qi-ge also had something weird in him, if Qi-ge also doesn’t remember things sometimes, but Qi-ge only gave him a confused look and asked if Shen Jiu was sick.
Maybe Shen Jiu is sick. Maybe that’s why his parents sold him.
Shen Yuan had told him he shouldn’t think like that. That its better to look on the positive side. Maybe they would have starved to death already if they weren’t sold.
Shen Yuan seems to think that that is a way to look at it positively, but Shen Jiu knows it’s bullshit. Trying to convince yourself that you’re in fact not as pathetic as things seem is complete bullshit.
But back to the sick thing. Maybe being two in one body is a sickness. Maybe he ate something bad. Well, everything he’s ever been allowed to eat was awful. But all the more reason for that to be the reason he’s sick!
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Qi-ge is an idiot.
Qi-ge may be the death of Shen Jiu.
Why does Qi-ge always have to try and help people? Is he an idiot? Shen Yuan actually agreed with Shen Jiu this time. He must be an idiot, can’t even ensure his own safety yet he’s trying to help others... Shen Yuan doesn’t dislike Qi-ge, but he murmurs complains about Qi-ge a lot when he does these dumb things.
Shen Yuan never goes as far as Shen Jiu when they complain about anything to each other.
While Shen Jiu got side tracked by Shen Yuan’s silent complaints floating around his head with no end in sight, Shen Jiu starts paying attention again at the cacophony that started.
Multiple horses were charging towards them. Shen Jiu doesn’t react much at first, but then realizes where they are heading.
They’re going straight for Qi-ge and the young slave boy besides him, the one he was trying to help.
Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan are both horrified. If Shen Yuan had fronted earlier he’d have frozen at this but Shen Jiu is a fight or flight sort of guy.
If only it wasn’t Qi-ge there...
If only the kid was the only one there, he wouldn’t have any problem ignoring the kid and turning tail to run away. He already had an awful feeling about the man on the first horse.
He is danger.
That was what his instincts screamed at him the moment the man was visible enough for Shen Jiu to make him out, make his face out.
Every fiber of his being told him to run away. And run he did. But not away. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t abandon Qi-ge. Never. Instead where Shen Jiu ran was to Qi-ge.
And he got Qi-ge out of the way.
Relief clouded his brain only to turn into excruciating pain in the next.
He got Qi-ge out of the way, but how could he have the time to do the same for himself.
At least a mangled leg wouldn’t kill Shen Jiu.
He’d find a way to survive this too.
The pain caused him to faint.
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It was only weeks later that he was able to front again. During which he’d felt like a light cloud floating around in the sky. It felt nice. Shen Jiu didn’t want to leave that state, but he knew he needed to get back to Shen Yuan.
He had no idea what happened after he had passed out. But whenever he passed out like that, of exhaustion or numbness, he knew a long time would have had to pass before finally waking
So, he woke up.
A weak pain greeted him before he opened his eyes.
Right. My fucking leg. Fuck.
The pain was still there but he realized it was much better than the original sensation he had felt before fainting.
Shen Jiu opened his eyes. Shen Yuan was probably sleeping. It was usually when the other slept that it was easiest to take control. There were little to no resistance then.
Shen Jiu took in his surroundings. It was very dark. The air was muggy.
His body hurt. But it wasn’t just his leg. That pain was close to none compared to everything else. Which was disturbing since his leg still hurt like a bitch.
He reached down to his leg. There was a long wound but it had been sewn shut, and it had scabbed over. It was still far from healed but he could probably still stand on it.
He couldn’t find any other wounds, so he could only assume the other pain was either from internal wounds or from severe bruising.
Bruising honestly didn’t seem like a great guess. Unless the nerves in his wounded leg were messed up and didn’t give him the right amount of pain signals… which actually may be a possibility.
I mean, my leg was fucking mangled by that stupid piece of shit of a horse, and that trashy piece of filth who acts like a human who was riding that foul fucking creature.
No, its most likely internal injuries. Meaning Shen Yuan was beaten. Meaning HIS Shen Yuan got beaten by some stupid filth.
Meaning he couldn’t take the pain alone this time.
Fuck.
-
A week later and Shen Yuan still hadn’t said anything.
A week and absolutely fucking nothing.
Shen Jiu was certain that Shen Yuan was conscious again, but the idiot was refusing to say anything so of course he wasn’t going to say anything either.
But at least no Shen Jiu had control over his body again, and at least HE could bear all of the pain again.
In the last week Shen Jiu had quickly realized that Shen Jiu, Qi-ge and even that slave boy had been bought and taken to the Qiu manor.
The Qiu manor is a rich noble family. Filthy rich. And that monster on the horse that night is the head of this stupid family.
That sick son of a bitch is as sadistic and filthy as these nobles come. And seemingly he had set his eye on Shen Jiu.
Or maybe it was Shen Yuan. Shen Jiu didn’t know, but he was sure it didn’t fucking matter, it was filthy regardless.
The sadistic son of a bitch has a human name of course, Qiu Jianlou. But it’s too disgusting to respectfully call that son of a bitch’s name.
The son of a bitch calls for Shen Jiu early in the morning and only lets him go late at night, and even after he lets Shen Jiu go he doesn’t get to go rest.
After he’s let go he get thrown around further by the stupid ass servants of this mansion.
Of course, it’s only the men. It’s always men.
Every single time.
The female servants give him some medicine sometimes.
Shen Jiu is certain they only treat him well is because of Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan must have befriended the women without problem.
Shen Jiu was quite glad he wasn’t alone. He didn’t feel it as strongly before, when they were still with the slave traders.
Now he feels a deep sense of gratitude towards Shen Yuan.
If only that idiot would talk, he wouldn’t have to think so much about this shit.
Qiu Jianlou’s abuse wasn’t easy to get through, and it was constant. He always wanted to get a reaction out of Shen Jiu, so he kept on pushing his limits. Shen Jiu having his limits crossed over and over got somewhat used to it.
The abuse finally took a turn for the worse and Shen Jiu’s brain was getting fried by the extensive pain he was experiencing under the burning whiplashes. If he was just getting whipped like normal he wouldn’t have a problem with it but the son of a bitch had coated the whip in some disgusting acid.
Somehow the burning of the lashes wasn’t restricted to his back. All over was hurting. The acid was definitely making him overly sensitive to everything but that wasn’t all. Somehow every vein in his body felt like it was going to pop, like something was wriggling through them and was going to break out of his veins.
It was nauseating.
What may have been worse was the fact the Shen Yuan had been trying to front ever since this new torture started. Like he would let Shen Yuan go through this instead.
The torture continued for hours, before finally Qiu Jianlou had had enough.
Of course, from that point on the torture didn’t get any less. If anything, it just got worse.
And his ability to keep Shen Yuan out became shaky at best. Shen Yuan often took control during the abuse. At least after Shen Jiu reached his limit.
Shen Jiu felt furious over how weak he was whenever it happened. What was worse was how he could never remain conscious after switching. So he never got to be by Shen Yuan’s side, he always let Shen Yuan go through the abuse alone.