Chapter Text
Sneaking in amongst the wedding procession was a risk. It was undeniably lucrative; people loved to dress to impress when it came to such a joyous and happy occasion, and that meant plenty of pricey trinkets and accessories that could be slipped free by a pair of enterprising little hands, but it also meant more security. Filthy little street urchins obviously didn't belong amongst the pomp and grandeur, and thieves could find themselves beaten bloody or worse.
Shen Jiu was halfway through loosening one woman's jinbu when she startled at something, took a step back, and bumped into him. By the time she looked down, Shen Jiu's hands were nowhere near her belt, instead being clasped nervously up near his chest, but Shen Jiu wasn't fast enough to be able to just disappear, so she saw him.
Well, shit. Time for the contingency plan.
Shen Jiu’s bottom lip quivered, his eyes welled up with tears, and he looked anxiously around the crowd, breath hitching. He curled up in a way that he knew made him look smaller and younger, and he could already pass for quite a bit younger than his age as it was due to malnutrition and scrawniness. “Gege?” he whimpered, his voice shaking with anxiety. He sucked in a sob of a breath and projected his voice louder, further. “Gege, where are you?!”
“There you are, you little brat!” A sharp voice snapped out from behind him, and a hand clamped down on Shen Jiu's shoulder. He went loose and allowed himself to be shaken. “I told you not to run off, and what did you do?!”
“I'm sorry, gege,” Shen Jiu sobbed, lifting his hands and swiping at the tears running down his face. “I j-just wanted to see the pretty fl-flowers.”
The older, larger boy let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to the woman. “Sorry, furen,” he said with a quick bow. “I'll make sure this idiot learns his lesson.”
The woman sniffed and turned away from the two dirty children, and the larger boy took the opportunity to drag Shen Jiu off, growling, “Just wait until baba hears about this, then you'll be sorry.”
It was only when he had been steered into a dim and quiet alleyway that the hand on his shoulder gentled, and Yue Qi stepped closer to look him over carefully. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Shen Jiu scoffed and shrugged the hand off of his shoulder. “Of course I am. Just made a little mistake, is all,” he replied, wiping his crocodile tears off his cheeks and glancing away. “Thanks for the save,” he muttered begrudgingly.
“Any time, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qi replied warmly.
“Soon I'll be good enough at this that you won't need to worry about me. Anyway!” Shen Jiu said, changing the subject at the same time he looked back at Yue Qi's face. “How did you do? I think I got a pretty good haul.”
Yue Qi smiled sheepishly. “You probably got me beat. Three bracelets, one earring, two rings and one purse.”
“Hmm. Not bad, but I'm better,” Shen Jiu replied triumphantly, flashing his spoils briefly before tucking them back away in their hiding spots. If it were anyone else, Shen Jiu would have never let anyone see what valuables he might have, or where he might be hiding them, but something about Yue Qi made him want to show off.
Besides, Yue Qi had never stolen from him.
Yue Qi smiled, and the way his eyes sparkled in the dim light of the alley made Shen Jiu's chest feel weird. “You're always good at this.”
“I'm good at everything,” Shen Jiu boasted, and double checked his treasures were hidden before he headed back towards the mouth of the alley. “Come on, if we get moving now we should have some time to buy and eat some food before we need to deliver our earnings.”
After they slipped back out, hearts still pounding a little at the near miss and hands clasped tightly together to make sure they didn’t lose one another in the crowd, Shen Jiu glanced back at the bridal sedan just as it disappeared from view around a corner. The hand that was not tightly clamped in Yue Qi’s warm, sweaty grasp drifted down to touch the spot in his belt where he’d stashed the trinkets he had managed to liberate from their owners. He imagined draping Qi-ge in gems and jewellery, enough to make this fantastic haul they had made seem like a grain of sand on a beach. He thought about how pretty Qi-ge would look, all dressed in red, veiled from everyone in the world but him .
Shen Jiu curled his fingers, digging his nails into Yue Qi’s skin to get his attention. He stared up into the older boy’s black eyes when he turned his gaze Shen Jiu’s way. “One day,” he promised, still gripping his Qi-ge’s hand hard enough for it to be painful. “I’m going to marry you, Qi-ge.”
Yue Qi’s eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open. He stopped moving forward at all, seeming stunned. “Me?” he finally managed to breathe out.
Shen Jiu rolled his eyes and let go of Yue Qi’s hand. “No, of course not you. Some other Qi-ge, obviously,” he sneered.
There was an indecipherable flash of emotion that passed over Yue Qi’s face, there and gone before Shen Jiu could identify what it was, and his hand was suddenly being grasped again. Yue Qi wrapped both of his hands around Shen Jiu’s, holding him gently, painlessly, but firmly enough that it would be difficult to pull away. “Why him? I can be better for you, Xiao Jiu, I’ll do anything you ask. Everything you ask.”
Shen Jiu snorted and used his free hand to flick Yue Qi in the forehead. “Stupid Qi-ge. Who else would it be but you? You belong to me already. The wedding will just be so that everyone else will know it too.”
A brilliant smile broke over Yue Qi’s face like the sun rising over the horizon. “I’m already yours.”
“Mhm,” Shen Jiu agreed, using his captured hand to tug Yue Qi back into motion. “Don’t think you’ll be able to get free of me now, Qi-ge. I’m not letting you go. Now come on, we need to get back.”
“Xiao-Jiu, I came to tell you this: I’m leaving, so I’m here today to say goodbye,” Yue Qi said from beyond the locked door of the small room that Shen Jiu had been tossed into following his brutal beating.
Shocked, Shen Jiu immediately sat up, ignoring the pain that seared like lightning down his spine. “Leaving? Leaving where?” he demanded.
“I can’t stay here. The Qiu family has too much wealth and power in this city. We can't beat them, and we can't escape them. I can't protect you. There are many cultivation sects in the world—I’ll go apply to one. Once I’ve learned immortal techniques, I’ll come back to save you.”
It was a reckless plan. A stupid plan. What kind of cultivation sect would want a homeless slave child? Yue Qi was going to fail and be left with nothing and he was going to die.
Shen Jiu wished he could go with him, but he could barely move as it was. He would slow them down and they would get caught and then neither of them would even have the luxury of hope. So instead Shen Jiu scolded Yue Qi and told him all the rumours he had heard about the nearby sects and told him to be careful. And that Yue Qi had to come back.
“Don't forget that you're mine, Qi-ge. No matter where you go, that isn't going to change. So you need to come back for me,” Shen Jiu demanded, and Yue Qi promised he would.
After Yue Qi left, Shen Jiu curled up on himself and tried to believe in a happy dream where Yue Qi would survive against all odds and come to rescue him.
One night when he was fourteen, Shen Jiu woke to the sound of a quick-fading scream and the faint smell of blood.
He quietly shifted up into a sitting position, straining his ears to listen. Footsteps, a scuffle, raised voices, the clash of weapons. The mansion was being attacked. Shen Jiu tightened his grip on his threadbare blanket and tried to strategize. He slept in a tiny room just off of Qiu Jianluo's, a stuffy place barely bigger than a closet. There were no windows; whoever the intruders were might not even notice the door. His best bet was to remain perfectly quiet and–
Qiu Jianluo slammed open the door to his room and hauled him to his feet with a snarl. “You did this, didn't you, you little sneak!”
Shen Jiu only wished that he did . He could use more information though. He shook his head. “What's happening?”
“A pair of cultivators are going wild, it's like they're trying to kill everyone in the mansion! A man and a woman, and I bet you put them up to this. Did you get on your back for them, to convince them to come here? It's all you're good for.”
“I don't know any cultivators, Qiu-gongzi,” Shen Jiu replied, knowing that it wouldn't matter what he said.
And it didn't. Qiu Jianluo slammed him hard against the wall and struck him across the face before he stepped back and glared. “ You ,” he hissed. “Are going to stay right there. I'm going to take care of your little friends and then I'll come back to take the rest of my anger out on your miserable hide.”
Qiu Jianluo had stomped across the room and almost made it to his sword rack when the door to his bedroom slammed open. He cursed and lunged for the nearest weapon, only barely managing to bring up the blade in time to catch the deadly arc of a sword strike against its crossguard. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Qiu Jianluo demanded, furious. “Do you know who I am?”
The cultivator drew his sword back. When he spoke, the voice was so familiar that Shen Jiu jolted where he was still pressed up against the wall. “I am Yue Qingyuan, of Cang Qiong Mountain,” he said flatly. “And you are a dead man.”
The sword in his hands lashed out again, and this time sliced through the weapon Qiu Jianluo held as though it were made of bamboo. The gleaming, silvery sword bit into Qiu Jianluo's abdomen first and then ripped upwards, sinking into the man's ribcage with a sickening crunch when Yue Qingyuan shoved the sword forward. Qiu Jianluo's scream cut off halfway through, trailing off into a pained gurgle.
For a moment, a blinding, white-hot ray of hope seared through Shen Jiu.
It was Yue Qi! Qi-ge! He'd survived! He'd made it, he'd returned for Shen Jiu! He'd become a cultivator and strong enough to kill Qiu Jianluo a hundred times over. He would rescue Shen Jiu, and then the both of them could…
They could…
Ah, there it was, reality reasserting itself, no matter how nice it might be to pretend otherwise.
Because this wasn’t his Qi-ge, and it wasn't Yue Qi. This was Yue Qingyuan. A promising young cultivator, someone with a blindingly bright future and the entire world laid out before him. He could go anywhere he wanted, kill anything that dared to threaten him, never fear going hungry a day in his life. He could have anyone he chose.
And Shen Jiu was a slave. Weak. Pathetic. Penniless. Dirty. Used. What did he have to offer? Who in their right mind would choose Shen Jiu when there was any other option?
Shen Jiu had likely inspired just enough pity and a sense of obligation in Yue Qingyuan for the man to set Shen Jiu free. He would be turned loose to live on the streets again, maybe after being given some money if Yue Qingyuan was feeling particularly generous, and he would never see Yue Qi again.
The thought made something in Shen Jiu snap. “Ah, the hero returns,” he snapped out, vicious, venomous. “How lovely. I suppose you're expecting me to fall over myself in gratitude, are you? Hah. Let's not fool ourselves. I know why you're really here, I saw the way you looked at me when we were children. You're not here to rescue me, you're here to claim me. I'm just swapping out one owner for another, aren't I? You want me as your little simpering trophy.”
Please . He would take that. He would take that over being treated with distant, genial professionalism, like he was just one of the many people who Yue Qingyuan rescued from a monster. He could still be desired for this, at least. He could be Yue Qingyuan's dirty little secret, something that he used to sate his desires. He knew how to do that.
That would be enough.
At the sound of Shen Jiu’s voice, Yue Qingyuan turned to look at him, and his black eyes looked empty . There was no emotion on his face. He jerked his sword out of Qiu Jianluo’s body, splattering the floor with blood, and Shen Jiu felt a ripple of fear start to creep down his spine. He’d been too optimistic about this by far. Yue Qingyuan hadn’t come here to free Shen Jiu at all. There was at least one more cultivator here tonight; Shen Jiu could still faintly hear the sounds of conflict from a different part of the household.
Why would someone so lofty bother with rescuing a slave?
Most likely, there was some other reason why this household was being put to the sword, entirely unrelated to him. And as for Shen Jiu? Maybe Yue Qingyuan didn’t remember him at all, or just didn't care. Shen Jiu was just one more loose end to be tied up.
Shen Jiu set his jaw and clenched his fists. If that was the case, Shen Jiu had no intention of just laying down to die. He knew well enough that he would have no hope of escaping from or winning against a cultivator if that cultivator wanted to kill him, but he damn well wasn’t going to make it easy for him. He’d go down fighting. Clawing. Biting.
If he was very, very lucky, maybe he’d last long enough to leave a lasting scar on his Qi-ge. Something to remember him by.
The cultivator stepped back from Qiu Jianluo’s crumpled body, still staring at Shen Jiu, then took a step towards him. Shen Jiu tensed, preparing to strike.
The sound of a sword clattering to the floor made Shen Jiu jolt sightly in surprise, and in the next moment Yue Qingyuan was kneeling in front of him, both of his hands clasped lightly around one of Shen Jiu’s clenched fists. A smile spread over Yue Qingyuan's previously expressionless face, and a spark of warmth lit in those fathomless black eyes. “Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu, I'm here. Your Qi-ge is here,” he said, his voice lower and older than Shen Jiu remembered, but still achingly familiar.
Shen Jiu blinked in surprise, then hurriedly composed himself and scoffed. “I can see that, idiot. You don't need to say it. It certainly took you long enough to get here,” he sneered.
"I made Xiao Jiu wait for me," Yue Qingyuan murmured, lifting Shen Jiu's hand to his cheek and nuzzling into his palm. "This Qi-ge cannot apologise enough times to make amends. It is poor compensation, but I will grant you one life for every day that I made you wait."
"One life? What's that supposed to mean?" Shen Jiu asked, puzzled. Yue Qingyuan was a cultivator now, but he wasn't a god. He couldn't create life, couldn't give Shen Jiu a new life without the stains of this one.
"Every day here brought Xiao Jiu pain. It is only right that he be able to reflect that. I am yours. I am your sword. If there is anyone whom you wish to be killed, I will do it without hesitation. I will take their lives for you, until there are none who would ever see you in pain again."
Shen Jiu raised an eyebrow and curled his fingers to grip Yue Qingyuan's jaw, hooking his fingertips into the soft groove below and behind his ear. “You will, will you? Stupid Qi-ge, don't make promises you can't keep.”
“I'm not, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan protested petulantly.
“You aren't, hm? Fine, then. That cultivator that arrived with you. Kill her for me.”
Yue Qingyuan's eyes went wide, and Shen Jiu sneered, ready to listen to the man's protests, his defence that the other cultivator was good, was helping, didn't deserve to die. Without hesitation my ass.
“I should take Xiao Jiu to a different location, first. The Sect Leader is… I should be able to take her by surprise, but there is a very decent possibility that she may be able to defeat me regardless. I would not wish for you to be exposed to any danger if I am to fail you again,” Yue Qingyuan said, leaning into Shen Jiu's touch and smiling warmly. “Can Xiao Jiu wait a half day for me to get him to safety first, or should I go immediately?”
Shen Jiu snatched his hand back from Yue Qingyuan's face like it had been burned. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” he demanded.
Yue Qingyuan's expression crumpled, his smile vanishing. He dropped his hands to rest them on his thighs and lowered his head. “Your Qi-ge is still weak, Xiao Jiu. He is sorry. You deserve someone stronger, who will never fail you.”
“No, not that! You're just– you'd just– Why would you try to kill her?”
“If Xiao Jiu wants her dead, then she should die,” Yue Qingyuan replied, with the same tone one would use to say that the sun was going to rise in the east.
“Stop that! Aren't you supposed to be some do-gooder now?” he snapped, flustered.
Yue Qingyuan lifted his head to stare Shen Jiu in the eye. “All that I am is yours.”
“You're insane,” Shen Jiu retorted.
Yue Qingyuan just smiled at him.
“Okay. Okay, fine, forget it. Don't kill your Sect Leader, okay? I don't want her dead. It was just a joke. Idiot,” Shen Jiu snapped.
“Whatever Xiao Jiu says,” Yue Qingyuan agreed placidly.
“What am I supposed to do with you? You're just going to do whatever I say without a single thought in that empty head of yours? What would you have done if I told you to kill yourself?” Shen Jiu demanded.
In a heartbeat, Yue Qingyuan’s sword was in his hands again, and he laid the edge against his own throat. Qiu Jianluo's blood still dripped from the end of the blade. “If you wish for it, then it will be done,” he said simply, before a brief flicker of consideration crossed his face. He moved the blade lower and rested it against his abdomen instead. “Apologies, I was presumptuous. Xiao Jiu is probably angry with me for taking so long. A slow death would be better, yes?”
“No! Put your damn sword away, don't do things without asking me first!” Shen Jiu snapped, dropping to his knees and grabbing the hand that held the sword, as though he would be able to stop Yue Qingyuan if the man decided to use the blade in his hand. But Yue Qingyuan was perfectly pliant under his touch, and dropped the sword to the floor once again.
Shen Jiu growled and grabbed him by the jaw with both hands, squeezing his cheeks and forcing him to make direct eye contact. “You're not allowed to die, do you understand? You're mine . I won't let anything steal you from me, I'll fight death itself if I have to.”
“Yes, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan agreed.
“Good. Don't ever forget it,” Shen Jiu snarled, then paused. “So what's going to happen now?”
“Whatever Xiao Jiu wants,” Yue Qingyuan replied, and Shen Jiu removed one hand from the man's jaw to slap him across the face.
“Don't use me as an excuse to not think for yourself! And you brought someone else along, that means you told them something. Gave them a reason to allow this.”
Yue Qingyuan nodded, then adopted a pleading expression. “Shen Jiu is my betrothed, we have been promised to one another since childhood. I have not seen him since I joined Cang Qiong Mountain sect, but he was kidnapped by slavers and is being subjected to horrible treatment, soon to be forced into a marriage he does not wish for. It is of the utmost importance that we rescue him and protect his virtue, please, there is no time to waste,” he parroted.
“Conveniently leaving out the fact that the kidnapping actually happened a long, long time ago, hm?” Shen Jiu remarked, almost allowing a hint of approval to creep into his voice. Then he scowled and dropped his hands away from Yue Qingyuan, crossing them defensively over his chest. “If my virtue matters that much to you, though, you should prepare to be disappointed.”
Yue Qingyuan's expression darkened. “No one should have ever touched you without permission. But if there is anyone who should feel shame for that, it should be me, for not arriving soon enough,” he said, and slowly reached out to hook his fingers around a lock of Shen Jiu's hair where it hung loosely past his chin. He lifted the strands to his lips briefly before letting the hair slide back through his fingers like water. “There is nothing that could make you less than perfect in my eyes.”
Shen Jiu could feel himself start to blush and he broke eye contact with the madman who was knelt in front of him. He got to his feet. “Enough saccharine nonsense, Qi-ge. So I'm to play the role of a traumatised and spoiled young nobleman, hm? I can do that. And then what? You're going to take me back to your sect, marry me, and keep your shy little wife safely locked away from any danger? A pretty little bird in a cage, all for you?” he asked, eyes narrowed.
Yue Qingyuan smiled brightly up at him. “If Xiao Jiu truly wants a life where everything is controlled and easy and taken care of for him, then this Qi-ge will do everything he can to provide that. But that does not sound like the ideal life for the ambitious, independent, combative and vicious Xiao Jiu I know. A cage does not suit you. You were born to fight tooth and nail to take what you wanted, and to savagely trample anyone who dared to get in your way. To earn what you have through your own efforts, by any means necessary, and to spit in the face of anyone who dares to question your worth. To challenge, to dominate, to win ,” Yue Qingyuan gushed breathlessly, his eyes alight and a faint flush on his own face. “I want… I want to give you the tools to be able to do that. I want to be a tool you use to do that, to forge your own path. I want to be able to watch you destroy any barriers between you and anything you desire.”
Shen Jiu stared at Yue Qingyuan for a moment, where the man still knelt on the floor. Then he raised his foot and planted it on the man's chest, shoving him backwards. Yue Qingyuan went obligingly, sprawling onto his back on the floor, Shen Jiu pressing him down and grinding his heel into his sternum. “You're a pervert, aren't you, Qi-ge?”
Yue Qingyuan just stared up at him, pupils wide, and licked his lips.
Shen Jiu snorted and removed his foot, making a point to wipe it on the floor like he'd stepped in something dirty. “Disgusting,” he sneered. “Get up. You're not any use to me on the floor.”
“Yes, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan got to his feet, towering over Shen Jiu, entirely capable of physically tearing him to pieces if he so desired, and Shen Jiu knew that he would be able to shove the man around with a single finger.
He couldn't say that wasn't doing something for him.
“Get your sword, clean it up. We've got a show to perform.” Shen Jiu tapped his foot impatiently as Yue Qingyuan retrieved his sword and wiped the blood off on Qiu Jianluo's clothes.
“I'm going to become a cultivator,” Shen Jiu declared as he strode through the halls, fingers laced with Yue Qingyuan's. “I'm going to become so strong that no one will ever be a match for the two of us. Someone is going to need to be around to stop you from doing something stupid.”
“Yes, Xiao Jiu.”
“And we're going to kill every last slaver we can find.”
“Of course, Xiao Jiu.”
“And I’ll probably think of other garbage we can dispose of later. I'll make sure you're kept busy, Qi-ge. Now, showtime,” Shen Jiu murmured, before bursting into tears and plastering himself against Yue Qingyuan, clutching tightly at his robes in a white-knuckled grip. Yue Qingyuan curled an arm around his back and guided him out the door, into the courtyard where the other cultivator was waiting, cleaning her sword with several neat rows of corpses laid out in front of her.
“Qi-ge, I was so scared!” Shen Jiu whimpered in a trembling voice.
“It's all right now, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan murmured, stroking his back and letting Shen Jiu bury his face in his chest.
“This is him, I assume?” the Sect Leader asked.
“Yes, Zhangmen-Shizun,” Yue Qingyuan answered.
“And you took care of any stragglers?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Shen Jiu looked over the bodies laid out on the ground. He paused in his theatrical shivering when his gaze landed on the glassy-eyed face of Qiu Haitang. She looked painfully young, and Shen Jiu felt something unpleasant prick at his heart. It wasn't only the people who had abused him who had died tonight.
Yue Qingyuan noticed, because of course he did. He stroked a warm hand down Shen Jiu's spine. “Yes, I took care of them all. We couldn't afford to leave anyone who might besmirch the good name of my betrothed. Or claim that our partnership wasn't legitimate,” he answered both the Sect Leader and Shen Jiu’s silent question at the same time.
“Cang Qiong Mountain Sect looks after its own,” the Sect Leader agreed with a nod, drawing out a few slips of talisman paper from her sleeves. With a graceful flick of her hands, they flew out to different parts of the compound and sparked into hungry, fast-moving flames. The Sect Leader stepped up onto her sword, and Yue Qingyuan did the same with his, helping Shen Jiu up onto it and holding him steady (holding him close) as they took off into the sky, leaving the Qiu mansion to burn behind them.
Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan were forced to dismount at the base of the mountain and climb the steps up to Qiong Ding Peak. The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon as they began to ascend.
“Apologies, Xiao Jiu, but this sword is just a rental, so we can't fly it all the way into the sect. I don't have a spiritual sword of my own yet,” Yue Qingyuan explained apologetically.
Shen Jiu rolled his eyes. “What's there to be sorry for? You think I would have preferred it if you left me to wait longer so you could have some fancy sword?”
Yue Qingyuan shook his head, allowing Shen Jiu to grab his hand and tug him up the steps. “I already took too long as it was. But I'm sorry to be a disappointment. That I'm not strong enough to have wiped out the Qius on my own. That I needed to enlist help to rescue you.”
“So you're sorry that you actually used your brain for once?” Shen Jiu asked, reaching out to flick Yue Qingyuan in the side of the head. “People are just tools, Qi-ge. If you can manipulate, blackmail, or coerce them into doing your dirty work, then that's an achievement to be as proud of as if you did it yourself. More, probably, because you got the task done without needing to expend much effort. Who gets the credit for building a house, hm? The carpenter, or all the saws and hammers he made use of?”
“You're right, Xiao Jiu.”
“Of course I'm right,” Shen Jiu sneered, tugging on Yue Qingyuan's hand just a little. He still remembered their old codes, because Yue Qingyuan stopped walking. Shen Jiu let go of him, ascended a few more steps so that he could be the one with a height advantage, turned around, and grabbed Yue Qingyuan by the chin with one hand, jerking his face up to look him in the eyes. “You're my tool, after all, and I'm going to make very good use of you. And you won't be fool enough to try to claim any of my accomplishments as your own, will you?”
Yue Qingyuan shivered under the touch. “No, Xiao Jiu.”
“Good.” Shen Jiu released him and beckoned for the man to follow as he returned to climbing the steps. He slipped his hand back into Yue Qingyuan's. “Make yourself useful and tell me about this place.”
Yue Qingyuan obligingly explained the organisational layout of the mountain sect, the specialties of each of the peaks, the names of the current peak lords and other people of high import within the sect. “I just recently rose to the position of Head Disciple of Qiong Ding Peak, it was what allowed me to convince the Sect Leader to help you,” Yue Qingyuan finally added.
“I see you've done very well for yourself,” Shen Jiu remarked.
Yue Qingyuan hummed and squeezed Shen Jiu's hand just slightly. “No. I have done very well for you .”
Shen Jiu felt his cheeks heat a bit and he snorted derisively. “Aren't you arrogant, to assume that I'd consider your feats worthy of such glowing praise?”
“Sorry, Xiao Jiu.”
“Hmph. I suppose you've performed acceptably so far,” Shen Jiu sniffed. “But don't go thinking that you've earned a reward yet.”
“...What sorts of rewards would I be able to earn?”
Shen Jiu grinned, showing all his teeth. “Well, if you manage to be impressive enough, maybe you'll find out.”
The annual disciple selection wasn't for five months yet. In the meantime, Yue Qingyuan had declared that Shen Jiu would be staying in the Head Disciple’s quarters with him. This had stirred up a bit of controversy, what with the purposefully-spread rumours going around that Shen Jiu was a favoured nobleman from a prestigious clan and the fact that the two of them were still unwed.
Yue Qingyuan was unmoved, his normally placid smile taking on a sharp edge. “I was unable to protect my beloved from harm once. It will not happen again.”
“The dormitories for disciples on Qiong Ding Peak are perfectly safe!” the hallmaster argued.
Yue Qingyuan’s smile widened just slightly. “The communal dormitories? You believe that my betrothed’s reputation will suffer irreparably from sharing a room with me, but not from sleeping in a room with dozens of other men?”
“What are you imply–”
“Nothing, of course. I am certain that all of the disciples on our peak will treat Xiao Jiu with the exact same level of respect and gentility as I would. And so it does not matter if he remains here, with me,” Yue Qingyuan said, and shut the door in the man's face.
“You're going to get a reputation for being possessive, Qi-ge,” Shen Jiu remarked from his seat at the tea table, reading over the beginner cultivation manual that Yue Qingyuan had fetched for him.
“You would never be able to rest properly in a room filled with strange men. I won't let them shove you in there.”
Shen Jiu licked his finger and used it to turn a page of the manual. “Mhm, and you're so sure that I'll be able to rest with your lumbering carcass lurking around?”
“I will sleep on the floor. Or somewhere else entirely, if you wish,” Yue Qingyuan said.
“No, you won't.”
Yue Qingyuan's expression fell. He sank slowly down to sit on the opposite side of the table. “If Xiao Jiu doesn't trust me, does he… does he wish to stay somewhere else? I can call in favours, get you a private room somewhere? On a different peak?”
“You'll sleep in the bed with me because that's where I want you to be, idiot,” Shen Jiu retorted. “It's cold on this damn mountain.”
“Oh.”
“And if you start getting any bright ideas about doing anything other than sleep , I'll fucking kill you.”
“Good.”
Shen Jiu raised his eyes from the book and looked at Yue Qingyuan. “I'll also forge a proper-looking letter from my rich family that will permit you to live with me. They're terribly worried about how frail I am and how this dreadful ordeal affected me, and you know how to care for me better than anyone. Should get the hallmaster off of your back.”
Yue Qingyuan smiled warmly, with none of the emptiness that was normally on display when he spoke to other people. “Xiao Jiu takes such good care of me.”
“I'm taking care of me . I have five months to cram as much cultivation as possible before the disciple selection, and you're going to be helping me. Every second you waste on someone else is a second of my time wasted too,” Shen Jiu retorted, turning his attention back to the manual.
That night, they stripped down to their inner robes and piled into Yue Qingyuan's bed together, huddled together in just the same way they had when they were homeless children. Shen Jiu felt something deep within his chest loosen and unravel, making it easier to breathe. He rested his forehead against Qi-ge’s warm, dependable bulk and surreptitiously swiped away the moisture that had gathered on his lashes.
“Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan murmured, his voice wavering the way it did when someone was on the verge of tears.
Shen Jiu thumped the idiot’s chest with his fist. “Shut up, Qi-ge. I'm trying to sleep.”
“Sorry,” Yue Qingyuan whispered, and one of the hands cradling Shen Jiu's back lifted away for a moment, disappearing somewhere up into the darkness above Shen Jiu's head before settling back into its previous position. Yue Qingyuan’s voice was watery when he spoke again. “I love you, Xiao Jiu.”
“What part of ‘shut up’ was difficult to understand?” Shen Jiu hissed, jabbing his fingers viciously into Yue Qingyuan’s side in retaliation for this stupidity.
Yue Qingyuan fell blessedly quiet and rested his chin on top of Shen Jiu's head.
The contact, and the knowledge that he was really here, that Qi-ge was wrapped around him, sheltering him from the world, made Shen Jiu's breath hitch. Shen Jiu realised what the ease he was feeling was, now. He felt safe .
Over breakfast, Shen Jiu declared that he would be joining Qing Jing Peak when the disciple selection happened, since Qiong Ding was effectively a dead end now that Yue Qingyuan was the head disciple. “I'm going to be a peak lord, Qi-ge, just watch me.”
“Gladly,” Yue Qingyuan said with a soft smile. “But are you sure you don't want to be Sect Leader? I can clear the way for you here, and step down so you can take my place.”
“Idiot,” Shen Jiu scoffed. “You're mine, don't you remember? Why would I settle just for being Sect Leader when I could be a peak lord with the Sect Leader under my thumb? That way, I can reap all the benefits while you shoulder all the responsibility.”
“You're absolutely right, Xiao Jiu.”
“Obviously. That's why I'll be in charge of the strategy peak. One of the two of us needs to use their brain.”
Yue Qingyuan continued to do his head disciple duties perfectly, because Shen Jiu refused to let him do otherwise. “I can't afford for you to slack on your responsibilities and get us both kicked out of the mountain. Do your damn job.”
All the same, though Shen Jiu rarely ventured outside of the head disciple’s rooms, he did manage to catch wind of the rumours. How Yue Qingyuan had been different, since he got back, less patient and friendly, more likely to limit interactions to only the most perfunctory level of conversation. How he was utterly obsessed with the boy he had retrieved and claimed was his fiance, how he locked him up in his rooms and refused to let anyone so much as see him. Shen Jiu was seldom seen enough out on the peak that some people surreptitiously shared this juicy gossip directly to his face, never guessing that he might be the apparent shrinking waif that Yue Qingyuan had possessively locked away.
Shen Jiu honestly didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated about it. Fucking idiots. Had none of them ever heard of people cultivating in seclusion before? Shen Jiu had a lot of lost time to make up for and no energy to waste soothing the wild imaginations of gossip-mongers. He resolved to ignore the stupid rumours.
But apparently around the three month mark, people started becoming concerned .
Shen Jiu jerked into crystal-clear awareness at the sound of something rattling in the lock of the door to the head disciple's room. Yue Qingyuan was out, and he wasn't expected back for at least another sichen. Even if he had come back early, he had a key, he wouldn't need to fumble with the lock. This was someone else. Shen Jiu drew one of the many knives that Yue Qingyuan had provided for him and draped his sleeve in such a way to conceal the weapon. Then he waited.
After another moment or two, the lock clicked open and a mousy-looking man peeked inside. “Ah, hello? Shen-gongzi?” he whispered, his hands shifting to slip something back into his sleeve. Lockpicks, no doubt.
“Who are you and what the hell do you want?” Shen Jiu demanded, his eyes narrowed and his body tensed.
“Um, well, I'm Shang– actually it doesn't matter what my name is, haha. And I heard some… worrying rumors? About you being locked up? Are you… all right?”
Shen Jiu scowled at the busybody. “I'm being interrupted , so no, I’m not. I can safely assume that Yue Qingyuan didn't send you here?”
“Ah, no, he doesn't know I'm here. You don't need to–”
“If he finds out you came here, he will not be happy. So if you value your skin remaining in one piece, I suggest you leave. Now. ” Shen Jiu snarled.
The timid man shivered and nodded frantically. “Okay, got it, thanks for the warning! Um, I'll just leave the door like this, in case… uh, well, in case! So long!” he babbled, and disappeared from the doorway, pulling it closed as he hurried off.
Shen Jiu huffed in irritation, slipped his dagger back into its hidden sheath, and turned his attention back to his meditation and reading.
Yue Qingyuan, of course, noticed that the door had been left unlocked when he returned. He rushed inside and only relaxed marginally when he spotted Shen Jiu in his usual location. “Did someone bother you?” he asked, his voice even despite the tension in his stance.
“Briefly,” Shen Jiu replied, glancing up at the man before returning his attention to the manual.
“Do you want them dead?”
Shen Jiu smirked but shook his head. “No, Qi-ge. It was only a small annoyance.”
“Whether it is slaying monsters or squashing insects, your Qi-ge is happy to serve,” Yue Qingyuan said.
Shen Jiu shook his head and made a beckoning gesture. Yue Qingyuan immediately settled at his side. “I have better uses for your time, Qi-ge. Help me understand this bit, would you?” he said, pointing out a difficult passage in the cultivation manual.
It wasn't until after the Qing Jing Peak Lord picked Shen Jiu as a disciple for the peak that Shen Jiu grabbed Yue Qingyuan by the robes, shoved him up against a tree, and kissed him hard enough to draw blood.
Yue Qingyuan's hands settled on his hips and he whimpered a little when Shen Jiu drew back, but he didn't chase after him, didn't try to pull him back. Shen Jiu licked his lips, thrilling at the tang of copper on his tongue. “That,” he murmured, his voice a little breathless. “Is how you say goodbye properly, Qi-ge.”
Yue Qingyuan's eyes widened, and a short tremor made his hands tremble against Shen Jiu's hips. “Goodbye?”
Shen Jiu chuckled and leaned forwards into Yue Qingyuan's space, whispering in his ear. “What would you do if I said that I got what I wanted now? That I don't need you any more?”
Yue Qingyuan made a broken sound and his hands loosened on Shen Jiu's hips; now his fingers only lightly grasped the outer layer of his robes. “Don't. Please don't. I can still be useful, I'll do whatever you ask,” he begged. “If Xiao Jiu doesn't want something, I'll never ask for it. I don't need rewards, just… please. Please, I'm yours. I'll always be yours, in whatever way you want of me.”
Shen Jiu felt something inside of his chest settle. He still couldn't stop testing people, could he? Couldn't stop seeing the spectre of his past in Yue Qingyuan, no matter how ill-deserved that impression was. He’d listened to too many of those stupid rumours, how could any of them know Qi-ge better than he did? He stepped in even closer, curling his arms around Yue Qingyuan and pulling him in close, pressed up against him. “Idiot. Didn't I say that I would never let you go? This is goodbye because I'll be living on Qing Jing Peak to be a disciple. You'll need to get used to sleeping alone again, you poor thing.”
“Oh,” Yue Qingyuan breathed. His hands tentatively curled around Shen Jiu's back. “I'll miss you.”
Shen Jiu snorted. “Fair’s fair, Qi-ge. How did you put it? ‘Once I’ve learned immortal techniques, I’ll come back to save you’? It's my turn now, so wait for me.”
Shen Jiu could feel Yue Qingyuan nod against the side of his face. “I'll wait as long as it takes.”
“Well, I'm better than you are, so it won't take that long,” Shen Jiu retorted, and kissed him again.
Shen Jiu settled into his new home remarkably fast, although a handful of his fellow disciples did suffer tragically fatal qi deviations during that first year. It was a shame that some people couldn't seem to properly control themselves, but Shen Jiu made sure that his remaining peers learned better.
Yue Qingyuan seemed a bit disappointed. He always loved it when he had a chance to be useful to his Xiao Jiu.
Shen Jiu proved how talented he was by earning Xiu Ya a mere year after Yue Qingyuan had received his Zhong Cheng sword. It made travel between the peaks considerably more convenient. When he snuck into the Qiong Ding head disciple’s quarters that night, Yue Qingyuan was already out of bed with his sword at the ready, though he lowered the blade when he saw who was climbing in through his window.
“Xiao Jiu?” he whispered, sounding as though they hadn't regularly seen each other during collaboration meetings between the peaks or on occasional night hunts together.
“Who else would it be, stupid? Are you gonna stab me?” Shen Jiu retorted, landing gracefully on the floor and turning to close the window again. He heard Zhong Cheng clatter to the ground and rolled his eyes. “You should treat your sword better.”
“Sorry, Xiao Jiu.”
Shen Jiu strode up to him, grabbed the front of Yue Qingyuan's inner robes, and pulled him down into a kiss. “I've come to save you, Qi-ge,” he murmured against Yue Qingyuan's lips. “I think I've earned my prize now, don't you?”
“Yes. Whatever you want, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan agreed, but faltered slightly when Shen Jiu began impatiently stripping off his own robes. “That… Do you want to wait until after we're married, Xiao Jiu?”
Shen Jiu looked up, scowled, and pulled his robes back closed. “If you don't want it then just say! Don't expect me to be able to see into that empty skull of yours!” he snapped, taking a step backwards.
Yue Qingyuan reached out to clasp his shoulder. “I want it. There's no part of Xiao Jiu that I don't want. I just… you deserve to be cherished. Honoured. There's no need to rush.”
Shen Jiu scoffed. “That's a stupid thing to be worried about.”
“You aren't any less deserving of care even if other people didn't respect that in the past,” Yue Qingyuan replied softly.
“Not that. It's stupid because you're already mine, getting married won't change anything. The wedding is for everyone else. This is for us,” he said, and pushed Yue Qingyuan down onto the bed.
When Shen Jiu was promoted to head disciple and given his courtesy name, Yue Qingyuan was furious.
“I’ll make them change it,” he growled, curled tightly around Shen Jiu– Shen Qingqiu now, he supposed– as though he would be able to shield him from the entire world. “They can’t– they could have chosen anything! Why did it have to be–”
“It’s certainly some kind of cosmic irony,” Shen Jiu agreed, petting the huge man plastered against him. “But I don’t want to lose the face that it would take to explain why that character is something… unpleasant.”
Yue Qingyuan made a soft, pained noise. “Blame it on me, Xiao Jiu. That’s what I’m for. Tell them that I– that I want you named something that makes my claim clear. That I’m being possessive, controlling, threatening. I can insist on… on Shen Qingyue, or Shen Qingqi, I can threaten them until they–”
“Shhh. It’s all right, Qi-ge.”
“It isn’t!”
Shen Jiu chuckled, feeling light and warm. He had Qi-ge by his side, what did a name matter to him? “It’s all a matter of perspective, you dolt. They lost, I won. I’ve taken everything from them; their riches, their lives, and now their name. Don’t you think they would be infuriated to know that I’m the only one left who can claim the Qiu name? That their legacy has been stolen? What better revenge could there be?”
Yue Qingyuan quieted at that, and relaxed marginally. “...If Xiao Jiu likes it, then I will support you, always.”
If there was one good thing about solo night hunts, it was that he really didn’t need to make any excuses or take opportunities to sneak away when he came across some people who needed killing.
Shen Jiu had been heading back from his assignment when he heard a sharp crack of a hand striking flesh, and a small cry of pain. He veered his sword in the direction of the noise and found a cluster of three armed men surrounding the huddled form of a small boy. One of the men yanked the child up by one arm and laughed, and Shen Jiu’s vision went red for a moment. He could see Qiu Jianluo’s face superimposed over the man, the child suddenly seemed identical to his younger self. He leapt off his sword mid-air to be able to snatch the hilt of the blade up and bring it around in a savage and merciless swing.
The man loosened his grip on the child and slumped to the ground as his head rolled off in the opposite direction. His two companions shouted and drew their swords, and Shen Jiu smiled viciously. He could sense a few faint sparks of cultivation within them, but nothing that would pose a challenge for him. The tables were turned now, he was the dangerous one, the powerful one, the one to be feared and the one to inflict pain and judgement and death.
The remaining cultivators didn’t last long.
Shen Jiu sighed and made sure that his robes were unwrinkled, when a soft sound behind him reminded him that he wasn’t alone.
“Ah, yes, right. Are you–” Shen Jiu started to ask, as he turned away from the corpses and towards the child, but faltered when he made eye contact with a yellow, slit-pupiled gaze. “...a demon.”
The little demon glanced down at the bloodied sword that Shen Jiu still held, shivered, and tried to back away. It tripped over a root almost immediately and went sprawling backwards with a cry.
Shen Jiu sighed, flicked Xiu Ya to clear the blood off of it, and slid it back into its sheath. “You're a long way from home. What brings you here, hmm? Am I going to need to worry about dealing with a paren–”
Speak of the devil, Shen Jiu thought sardonically, as a fully-grown demon crashed through the woods and planted itself between Shen Jiu and the child. It growled, eyes flashing red and demonic qi rippling through the air like a whipcrack.
“There you are. You should take better care of your spawn. Or at least be faster about coming to its rescue, so you don't waste my time,” Shen Jiu sneered, tightening his grip on Xiu Ya’s hilt and eyeing the demon's stance for weaknesses or vulnerabilities. From the sheer amount of demonic qi emanating from this new opponent, Shen Jiu knew that it would be a challenge for him to defeat the demon on his own. The best bet would be to retreat, and enlist Yue Qingyuan's assistance if the demon turned out to be particularly persistent.
The demon paused, gaze flicking behind Shen Jiu to the bloodied bodies of the rogue cultivators, and back to the child demon behind him. Shen Jiu couldn't help but feel a little insulted that the demon apparently thought so little of him as a threat that he would turn his back to him.
“Zhuzhi-lang, are you all right?” the adult demon asked.
“Yes, Junshang,” the kid replied.
A leader of some kind, then, Shen Jiu thought. He sniffed. “If you're planning on invading the human realm you would be better served by not bringing useless brats along,” he drawled.
“Ah, I'll take your advice into consideration, honoured cultivator,” the demon said, turning back to face him with a smile. “But I'm afraid that our little trip is just a vacation, not an invasion. Sorry to disappoint. Thank you for rescuing my nephew.”
Shen Jiu sneered. “I only did it because I thought he was a human child.”
“Ah. Well, sorry to disappoint once again. So, what will you be doing now?”
Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes. He hadn't heard any reports of people going missing from this area or other issues arising. The demons seemed to be keeping a low profile at least. With no obvious misdeeds to point to, the amount of credit he would get for eliminating the demon would in no way be worth the trouble it would take to try to kill it. “Nothing. I would need more backup to be sure of being able to slay you. And I imagine that you would rather not fight me when needing to worry about your nephew's safety, hm? So why don't we pretend we never saw each other, and go our separate ways.”
Some kind of odd emotion glittered in the demon's red eyes. “That's terribly pragmatic of you. I thought cultivators were supposed to be more righteous?”
Shen Jiu snorted. “I don't do charity. I'm not about to expend effort if there's nothing in it for me. Now, go. Don't let me see your face again.”
“Sure thing. See you around!” the demon replied cheerily, before picking up Zhuzhi-lang under one arm and striding off.
“I had better not see you around!” Shen Jiu yelled after the demon, but received no reply. He huffed in irritation and got back onto Xiu Ya. At least the traces of demonic qi in the area would explain the deaths of those rogue cultivators perfectly well.
“Head Disciple Shen, you have a visitor,” one of Shen Jiu's subordinates announced, interrupting him while he was going over different battle formations with Yue Qingyuan. As the future Sect Leader and Strategist, they would need to know how to command troops.
Shen Jiu raised his head and scowled at the disciple. “Who is it?”
“He wouldn't say.”
“Tell him to go away, then,” Shen Jiu replied.
“I tried, shixiong. He refuses to leave.”
Shen Jiu sighed and rubbed one of his temples. “Fine, then. Send him in,” he grumbled.
“Hello, honoured cultivator!” a cheery voice chirped as the other disciple let the visitor inside and made herself scarce.
Shen Jiu looked up to give the interloper a withering glare and froze.
The man's eyes were black and there was no mark on his forehead, but his face was the exact same.
“You!” Shen Jiu snarled, surging into action. He grabbed the demon by the robes and slammed him against the door, pressing his forearm against his throat. “Qi-ge!”
Yue Qingyuan was at his side in an instant, Zhong Cheng sliding silently out of its sheath.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Shen Jiu demanded.
“Oh, goodness! This is quite the warm welcome, hello!” the demon exclaimed cheerfully. His gaze slid over to Yue Qingyuan. “And who is this? A friend?”
“I told you not to let me see your face again, are you deaf or stupid or both?” Shen Jiu snarled.
“Oh, yes, sorry about that. My nephew can be quite stubborn when he wants to be, I'm afraid, so I didn't have much of a choice.”
Shen Jiu growled and pressed harder against the demon's windpipe. “Start making sense right now or I'll get Qi-ge to carve you into one hundred pieces.”
“At least buy me dinner first,” the demon wheezed through his restricted throat, and smiled more sharply when Zhong Cheng sliced a warning scratch into his arm. “Fine. Maybe… let me breathe… properly though?”
Shen Jiu waited for two more heartbeats before he eased up the pressure. “Explain.”
“It's simple enough. You saved Zhuzhi-lang, so he wants to repay you. I'm here to help him do that.”
“I didn't save him. He would have been fine without me,” Shen Jiu retorted.
“Look, I told him that, but he doesn't care. So. Would you like to come to the demon realm? You can bring your friend along too, if you like.”
“ That is supposed to be repayment?” Shen Jiu hissed.
“It's a pretty cushy position! I'm the Emperor of the whole southern half of the demon realm, I can get you set up wherever you like.”
“YOU'RE WHAT?!”
“Oh, didn't I introduce myself? Tianlang-Jun, heavenly demon and Demon Emperor, at your service,” he replied.
Shen Jiu felt like he was going to have a stroke. “That's… it doesn't matter how high up on the hierarchy you are. We're cultivators.”
“I won't hold that against you.”
“We belong here, idiot! And Demon Emperor or not, if you try to take this away from me, I will kill you,” Shen Jiu snarled.
Tianlang-Jun met Shen Jiu's venomous glare and shrugged. “Well, all right, fine. I'll see if I can get him to think of something else, then.”
“Tell him to give up. And that if I knew that letting him go would have caused this, I would have killed him immediately to save myself the trouble,” Shen Jiu snapped, shoving himself backwards away from the demon and wiping off his hands like he'd been touching something distasteful.
“I'll pass the message along, but I think you'll be disappointed.” Tianlang-Jun agreed, sketching a slight bow and nodding to Yue Qingyuan before pulling the door open. “Nice meeting you!”
When the Demon Emperor disappeared, Shen Jiu let out a long, exasperated sigh and flopped back down onto the cushions, rubbing his temples. “Dammit,” he grumbled.
“Should I have killed him?” Yue Qingyuan asked, glancing over at the still-open door.
“No, definitely not. He might have been lying about being the Demon Emperor, but he's extremely powerful nonetheless. We wouldn't be able to eliminate him quietly and I do not need to deal with explaining why a demon of that calibre came to visit me specifically after the dust settles.”
“All right, Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan agreed, settling next to him and patting him on the back. “So, you rescued the nephew of the Demon Emperor?”
“I didn't know it was him!” Shen Jiu snapped, gesticulating frustratedly.
“Mmn,” Yue Qingyuan hummed sympathetically. “When was this, Xiao Jiu? Did I forget you telling me about it?”
Shen Jiu stiffened up, and smacked Yue Qingyuan’s hand away from him. “I don’t need to tell you everything, Qi-ge.”
“You don’t,” Yue Qingyuan agreed.
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Of course not.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Xiao Jiu can do anything he wants.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Shen Jiu growled.
Yue Qingyuan nodded, smiling fondly, and they lapsed into silence for a moment or two. “Does Xiao Jiu want to tell me about it?” Yue Qingyuan asked.
Shen Jiu huffed in frustration and slumped against the sturdy bastard. “I did tell you about it. Partially. I warned you there was a powerful demon spotted lurking around the Xi Ran area, didn’t I?”
“I don’t recall Xiao Jiu mentioning he knew that because he met the demon,” Yue Qingyuan replied.
Shen Jiu waved a hand dismissively. “Details. Anyway, long story short, I saw some men cornering a kid and decided to rid the world of some trash. Turns out the kid was a demon. The end.”
“I see. Should we try to forbid this Tianlang-Jun from being allowed back onto the mountain?”
Shen Jiu shook his head. “He seems persistent, it’s probably better to keep him contained to the one avenue he’s found, rather than cutting that option off and leaving him to come up with some new idea to sneak onto the mountain. He seems like he can be managed for now. I can consider him an object lesson in how no good deed goes unpunished.”
“Mhm,” Yue Qingyuan agreed, slinging his arms around Shen Jiu and snuggling closer against him. “Xiao Jiu is so kind, and he suffers for it.”
“Are you teasing me?” Shen Jiu growled.
“Of course not, Xiao Jiu is the kindest person I know. The sweetest, the most loving–”
“Keep going like this and I’ll bite you, you smarmy asshole.”
Yue Qingyuan’s smile widened. “Impressive, wonderful, charming, perf– ahhn,” his voice trailed off into a little moan when Shen Jiu snarled, yanked his collar down, and bit into the join between Yue Qingyuan’s neck and shoulder hard enough to draw blood.
“Did you miss me?” Tianlang-Jun asked, having shown up on Qing Jing Peak once again. Yue Qingyuan stood behind Shen Jiu’s shoulder, having been alerted to the demon’s presence the moment he showed up a second time.
“No,” Shen Jiu retorted, ignoring the demon’s pout. “Go away.”
“You’re so mean. You really would fit into the demon realm well,” Tianlang-Jun remarked.
“I said no, bastard. The last people who tried to force me to go somewhere I didn’t want are all dead, and I have no qualms about adding you to their number.”
“Really such a shame… Ah, well, that’s not why I came to talk to you today anyway. This is,” Tianlang-Jun extended a hand, and Yue Qingyuan tensed behind Shen Jiu. A perfectly white snake approximately as thick as Shen Jiu’s wrists slithered out of Tianlang-Jun’s sleeve and curled its way up around his arm, settling over his shoulders. The snake looked over at Shen Jiu with its sky-blue eyes, a black tongue flicking out of its mouth to taste the air. “This is–”
“A Cloud-Chasing Thoracic Serpent?” Shen Jiu interrupted him, raising a eyebrow. “It’s a rare creature, intelligent and impressively venomous, but why bring it here? It’s hardly enough to make you more of a threat than you already are.”
“It’s for you,” Tianlang-Jun replied.
“You think it would be a match for me?” Shen Jiu snapped, bristling. He shoved Yue Qingyuan backwards a step and unsheathed Xiu Ya. “Do you think that because I chose not to fight you that I couldn’t?”
“No, no, not like that. It’s a gift. My nephew has a certain kinship with snakes, and this girl here agreed to go with you, to help you out. What do you think?”
“What do I think of allowing a demon to leave me with an intelligent and venomous creature, of allowing such a thing to stay with me?” Shen Jiu sneered. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“I thought you said that she would be no match for you?” Tianlang-Jun replied.
Shen Jiu growled. “Oh, so you’re proposing that I kill the thing here and now? I suppose I could find some use for the carcass. The skin would probably make for a nice belt,” he spat. The snake drew back a little bit at those words, its body bunching up as if to hide behind Tianlang-Jun, and Shen Jiu felt an inexplicable pang of guilt. He huffed and jammed his sword back into its sheath. “Nevermind. It’s not even worth the effort.”
“Why not give her a try?” Tianlang-Jun asked, raising a hand to stroke the creature’s head soothingly. “I can take her back if you don’t want her after a week.”
Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes. “...if she’s well-behaved enough to stay in a cage when I can’t be bothered to supervise her and watch for betrayal, then I suppose she can stay.”
The cage didn’t last all that long. Shen Jiu had never been fond of cages himself.
“Huan Hua has a plan to dispose of the Demon Emperor,” Yue Qingyuan told Shen Jiu one day. “They requested Cang Qiong’s assistance in the endeavour.”
Shen Jiu raised one hand to trace a finger over the scales of Baishe where she laid looped over his shoulders. “Did they? How interesting.”
“What would Xiao Jiu like to do?” Yue Qingyuan asked him.
Shen Jiu hummed, considering. “You know, I think that Huan Hua has managed the impressive feat of being even more annoying than Tianlang-Jun? So I think I'd rather see them fail. Get the Sect Leader to refuse their request, Qi-ge. And I'll get Baishe to pass along a little message.”
Shen Jiu was in a wonderful mood following their first meeting as newly-minted peak lords. He had been able to fully unleash his scathing complaints about the state of the other peaks to all and sundry, berate the sloppy behaviours that had cropped up amongst future disciples, and demand things be changed for the better. After getting the chance to vent his spleen and push other people around, he felt leagues better, refreshed and reinvigorated.
It was only when he strode into the Bamboo House ( his Bamboo house) and whirled around to gloat over the results of the meeting to Qi–ge (as though the man hadn’t been there the entire time), that he realised that Yue Qingyuan looked rather gloomy.
“Qi-ge?” he asked.
Yue Qingyuan blinked, then gave himself a little shake and smiled at Shen Jiu. “Yes, Xiao Jiu?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing,” Shen Jiu repeated, spitting out the word like it tasted foul. “I see. Well, then. You and your nothing can go back to Qiong Ding Peak where you belong.”
Yue Qingyuan’s smile disappeared. “I’m sorry, Xiao Jiu.”
“Want to try that again, Qi-ge?”
“I… You seemed very close with Shang Qinghua,” Yue Qingyuan muttered.
Shen Jiu let out a disbelieving little snort. “What? With Shang Qinghua? Did we attend the same meeting?”
“You insulted him. Extensively.”
“I insult everyone, Qi-ge. Are you jealous of everyone who I berate?” Shen Jiu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yue Qingyuan didn't say anything.
“Wait. Really?” Shen Jiu said, incredulous. “You ridiculous man, you envy people when I call them disorganised, empty-headed, useless wastes of air, someone who would be better served acting as fertiliser than a peak lord?”
Yue Qingyuan looked away, but a faint flush was rising in his cheeks. Shen Jiu grabbed him by the collar of his robes and dragged his face down to whisper in his ear.
“Idiot. Pervert. There is something extremely wrong with you,” he sneered. “Were you born like this, or did your mother purposefully drop you on your head as many times as possible?”
He could feel Yue Qingyuan shiver underneath his hands. “Xiao Jiu,” he whined.
“If you like me mean, then that's what you'll get,” Shen Jiu hissed, and nipped the man's earlobe. “Even if you don't deserve it, you incompetent buffoon. Failure. Numbskull. Now get on the bed and show me just how deeply you can disappoint me.”
Yue Qingyuan went eagerly.
When Shen Jiu first imagined marrying Yue Qi, he never really thought his fantasy would come to life, at least not to such a startlingly accurate degree.
Shen Jiu had wanted to wait until they were full Peak Lords to be married, just in case someone came up with some excuse to exclude one or both of them from the position due to their spouse status.
Yue Qingyuan had agreed, but Shen Jiu knew that he was squirrelling away wedding gifts in his disciple rooms at every opportunity. Apparently he had taken the promise to get married one day very seriously indeed. He was, as always, an idiot. Shen Jiu didn’t know why he put up with him.
But it did mean that he could drape his Qi-ge in plenty of fine and expensive things for the ceremony. Yue Qingyuan protested lightly, but shut his trap when Shen Jiu pointed out that, “These are your presents to me, and that means I can do whatever I damn well please with them.”
Yue Qingyuan looked stunning in red, the phoenixes embroidered over his robes gleaming in the sunlight. He lowered his head obediently to allow Shen Jiu to drape a veil over him. Shen Jiu was terribly tempted to tear the fabric off and shove Yue Qingyuan over a table, muss up all the beautiful work that he had put into his Qi-ge and leave him messy and panting, but they had people waiting for them to show up for the ceremony. Shen Jiu could be patient.
He took Yue Qingyuan by the hand and lead him down the procession path, down to where the wine waited for them to share and promise themselves to one another.
As though they hadn’t always been promised.
The wine, the bows, the witnesses, those all happened, but it was hard to pay them much mind when all Shen Jiu wanted was to look at Yue Qingyuan, to drink him in. Shen Jiu always had limited patience for performances, not when he could have the real thing instead. Soon enough, though, the ceremony concluded and Shen Jiu lifted the veil enough to duck under it and curl his arms around Yue Qingyuan.
It seemed like the ceremony did something more for Yue Qingyuan than it did for Shen Jiu, because Yue Qingyuan looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“I'm yours,” Yue Qingyuan murmured, his eyes bright and damp.
“You're mine,” Shen Jiu agreed, and pulled him down into a kiss.