Chapter Text
Nie Mingjue could tell no one.
He had woken up back in his body as a teenager, a year or so after his Father’s Death. At first, he didn’t believe that this was real. It was a trick of death or something, but after a few days, he realized it was real.
Which meant he had to act fast.
It took a few tries, but eventually, he met with the other Sect Leaders. His blood lust and desire to kill were nowhere near as strong as they would be in a few years.
No, Nie Mingjue was able to control his anger for now, and he hoped it would stay like this for a while. It was strange to be sitting with the other four great Sect Leaders. His disgust for two of them coiled his stomach; however, he mentioned that he was aware that Wen Ruohan was slowly starting to rule over them.
He had no idea what the fuck he started, but somehow it ended with a marriage agreement.
Somehow.
Some damn way.
Nie Mingjue was invited to an extraordinary wedding between Lan Qiren and Wen Ruohan.
That was a plot twist he did not see coming, but the bonding charm seemed to satisfy the Wen Leader, who said he eagerly waited for his lover to join him once the Twin Jades were of age.
“Aren’t they lovely?” Nie Huaisang said, still a child, fanning himself as he watched the wedding ceremony. "It's like a lost love story!”
While the younger Nie was smiling, happy to be at a wedding, Nie Mingjue was staring with an open mouth, shock, and disgusted confusion until Lan Xichen caught him by the hand and gave him an odd look.
How the hell did he stop a damn war by having them married?!
How the fuck did this even happen?!
Nie Mingjue had no clue, and he was in the stupid room when it happened.
--
Years passed, and aside from a few little pops of a certain Jin, things seemed to be going smoothly. A few times, when Wen Ruohan grew impatient in waiting for Lan Qiren to come live with him, Nie Mingjue did not so subtly tell the Grandmaster that Wen was acting strange.
Even if he hated the fact that he was kind of…. Sending a friend to distract the madman seemed to help. It was odd that the Grandmaster seemed happier, but he pushed those thoughts aside.
He was waiting for Meng Yao to show up. He hated the fact he’d have to deal with him, but if he could stop Meng Yao from becoming a snake, he damn well would do it!
As the years passed, Nie Mingjue wondered where the hell he was because he was sure it was about the time he met him. It wasn’t until he was out eating with Lan Xichen one day that reality slammed into him.
“Damn it!” Nie Mingjue said suddenly, startling his friend, who blinked at him in surprise. “I’m an idiot!”
“Are you alright, Dage?” Lan Xichen asked curiously, unsure to see him look pissed at the air. Looking up, he was trying to see what captured his attention., “What is it?”
Rubbing his face, he grumbled. “Nothing, I just realized why I haven’t seen Meng Yao.”
When he had traveled back mentally, he might have been slightly sneaky in telling Madam Yu about seeing Jin Guangshang in brothels and providing their names and such, which led to Madam Jin not only keeping a closer eye on her husband but also hearing that she was beating him a few times a week.
Gah.
And enough time had passed since Meng Yao was first kicked down the Koi Tower Stairs. Wait, he hadn’t heard any rumors as he had before, and damn, he made the Cultivation love to gossip.
“Dage, did you hear me?”
“What?” Blinking, Nie Mingjue looked at the first Twin Jade. “Ah, sorry. Hey, listen, Lan Xichen,”
“Yes?”
“Have you heard of anyone getting kicked down Koi Tower?”
“Um,” Lan’s didn’t gossip. “I do not believe I have.”
Wait, didn’t Meng Yao go? Hadn’t he gone? But he had! That much he knew. He went back to thinking about why Meng Yao hadn’t shown up. A million scenarios raced in his head, from whether the youngest Sworn Brother had been born to him, dying young, or had been accepted, but there had been no news of a newly claimed Jin.
Standing, Nie Mingjue grabbed his outer coat. “I need to go.”
“Where are you going?”
Still lost in his thought, he answered without thinking. “I need to find Meng Yao.”
With that Lan Xichen watched him leave. “…Who is Meng Yao…?”
He was curious.
--
Yunping was a lively place, and it was under the rule of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, but primarily those without any Golden Core. Most of them were regular humans.
Nie Mingjue had hurried here, sure that Meng Yao was up to something—he had to be! As he walked around, he came across the brothel where the vile snake had grown up.
Looking up at it, he caught the notice of several of the Workers who were watching and waiting for customers. One of them noticed his Clan Symbol before sprinting inside.
Nie Mingjue was debating whether to go in. It was still daylight, and sunset would occur in about an hour or two. He was sure he’d find some clue on where Meng Yao could have gone.
After avoiding full-on war, he was sure that at this moment, Nie Mingjue would find him here. If there were no war, he'd most likely have grown up here, and if he left, he’d be able to find out where.
“Ah, what an honor,” A man came out bowing deeply. “Who would have thought another Sect Leader would grace us with his presence?”
Ugh, so the slut-er, Jin Guangshang, had been here not too long ago. Wonderful. Trying not to get angry, he felt a vein in his head starting to throb. He forced it away, looking at the man.
“I’m looking for someone.” Maybe he should have worded it better, but he was offered to go inside. He walked in and sat at a huge table, and in seconds, he was surrounded by women and men. Alright, he could handle this; he just needed to get some answers. He gently moved one woman off his lap before clearing his throat. “Do you have anyone here with brown hair?”
Oh shit, he said that, and suddenly, they all seemed to switch, and he just paused, realizing what he had done. He cannot be this dumb. This was a damn brothel!
However, that didn’t stop them from swarming him, and oh god, was someone nuzzling him?! He moved them back, holding up his hand, and to his surprise, they moved.
“Sect Leader Nie,” One of the people he had brought with him, the man was trying hard not to look at one of the Prostitutes that was pretty much in his lap and resisting everything in his power to touch them, even if it was to move them away. “Sir, why are we here?”
Excellent, he dragged people into it. He cleared his throat, saying he heard the food was good, which was true; he had food Meng Yao had made while he worked in the brothel, and to be frank, it was rather tasty.
Soon, food was being prepared and served. Trying to get rid of the issue of having all the workers, he tried saying he wanted to eat, and damn it! He had several people trying to feed him!
Nice.
No!
He had more honor than that!
Damn it, the food was good! He took time to look around, trying to see if a bookkeeper, cook, or anything else he knew Meng Yao worked as until he left to get another job. Nie Mingjue scanned the place while having several issues- um, workers clinging to him. At some point, he had one male and one female in his lap, feeding him.
Unable to spot Meng Yao, he needed something to drink, so he called out for some Yellow River Valley. He needed a more potent drink, but it was good and would help.
The scents of perfume, sex, and food were irritating his nose. The constant talking from the workers didn’t help, as his mind tried to think about where and when he could leave to explore and find Meng Yao.
A cup was set down, and the wine was poured. A small hand with a spoon mixed it, then lifted it to taste it. With the approval of one of the Nie Soldiers, who took the spoon and sipped the wine, he deemed it safe for his Leader to drink.
Having closed his eyes while getting aggravated, he wanted to shove them off, but they had done nothing but try to do their job. He planned on leaving money for them, maybe a few coins each. Hell, he didn’t know how much to leave them. As he opened his eyes, reaching to grab the cup, he had it half lifted to his lips when he paused.
The person who had poured the wine stood from his bow, dressed in robes that showed off his large eyes. His waist was pulled tight, his hair was up, and he had applied makeup. His soft, dimpled smile as he turned to leave shocked Nie Mingjue.
Meng Yao still worked at the brothel.
“Do you like that one?” The Owner asked. “That one is called Meng Yao, and the Sect Leader would be pleased to know that not only is he a virgin, but he is in high bidding.”
WHAT.
THE.
HELL?!
The wine fell from the cup while Meng Yao walked away, leaving Nie Mingjue in shock.