Chapter Text
“ May this disciple ask why he is here? “ Shen Yuan asked as he poured the tea for them both, trying to wait patiently.
He was in the middle of trying to document the mating cycles of the Ghost Headed Spiders, ok?! He was a tad bit frustrated because it took Liu Qingge a while to obtain these specimens for him without killing them! But he needed to compose himself if he wanted to keep his head disciple title.
His shizun glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. He blinked innocently. He placed the cup back on the tray and said.
“ There's a dual mission for you; a beast that the villagers have not seen has been terrorizing them. It has left the victims completely mutilated by vines. “
“ Vines, you say? It could be the Elsewhere Forest Beast, or the Vineyard Three Headed Lion or— “
“ You will find out when you get there. “
“ Sorry, Shizun. “
Shen Yuan smiled at him sheepishly, and his shizun just smiled back. Shen Yuan decided to continue,
“ So will Ling-ge come with me? This type of mission is right up his alley. " Working with Liu Lingwei was always a hassle, given that his brother was a brute and really only knew how to kill. However, Shen Yuan always loved working with him. The added complexity of trying to keep the beast alive always excited him.
But Shizun shook his head, making Shen Yuan frown.
“ He's currently unavailable. After he got those Ghost Headed Spiders for you, he was questioned on how he obtained them, and he had to lead a couple of the Peak Lords to the part of the demon realm he gained access to, given all known entrances do not have Ghost Headed Spiders near their border. “
Fuck. I told him where that entrance was— he didn't give me away? Ahhh, Liu Qingge, you are the best non big brother this transmigrator could ask for!! Fuck Airplane for not allowing him any page time in the original book!
“ Oh, this disciple did wonder how he was able to achieve capturing them. “ Shen Yuan blinked innocently, and his shizun just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He already knew that there was no use in bothering Shen Yuan how he knew anything.
“ Right. Back to the mission at hand. This master needs you to go with Shen Jiu. “
Shen Yuan's eyes widened. Shen-Shen Jiu?! That motherfucker?? Why!! You could have picked Yue Qi or even Qi Lei!! The first option would be very awkward, and the other often teases him relentlessly. But why the scum villain? Anything but the scum villain!!
“ B-but shizun, there are other disciples I can go with, right? L-Like Yue Qi or Qi Lei. “
His shizun shot him an unamused look.
“ You work best with Shen Jiu. Despite your complaints, you two get missions done faster than anyone else you are grouped up with. “
“ Wh-What— no?! He's an asshole who tries everything to sabotage me! The last time we were paired up, I had to spend weeks re-writing a whole bestiary after he ‘ accidentally ‘ threw it in the pond to lure the swamp shark! “
“ You loved doing that. You didn’t do anything else that whole time. “
“ But it was annoying! That man is the scum vil— “ he quickly shut his mouth before outing himself. With a slump, he crossed his arms, looking away. “ A scum. He's scum. “
Shen Yuan put on his best pleading look, something that could even get through to his bull-headed brother. “ Shizun, please, who knows what he could get up to on this mission? “
There was a beat of silence before his shizun shook his head. “ You must go, or your Ghost Headed Spiders will be taken away. And that's final. “
Shen Yuan's eyes widened, but he quickly put on a blank face, completely and utterly defeated by his shizun.
“ Yes, Shizun. “
“ You will be leaving tomorrow. Please make sure to lock up the Ghost Headed Spiders properly. I do not want an incident like last time. “
“ They just wanted to play. “
“ Right. Don’t forget to do your notes again. You know it’s required for your duties. Writing ‘ you tried all options ‘ is not enough for the archives. Remember: Write and eliminate. “
Shen Yuan was about to protest because it was boring as hell but his shizun dismissed him before he could. Shen Yuan walked a pretty good distance before taking his anger out on an unsuspecting bush.
Okay. He had a whole day to prepare to handle Shen Jiu. He added wards on his backpack to stop anyone but him from grabbing his belongings. There's no telling what the scum villain would do. He simply needed to prepare to ignore him for the entirety of the trip. His strategy to handle him, though, sometimes turned into a bigger situation because he didn't like to be ignored.
After releasing his anger on a couple more bushes, he left to pack after he made sure his Ghost Headed Spiders were properly secured.
—
Shen Jiu looked at the boy in front of him, aghast. He had arrived earlier than usual because he wanted to skip the pleasantries that Mu Yao usually gave him when he was there first, but instead of the doctor, he got the stupid shidi that irritated him more than anyone.
Why was Shen Yuan here? Wasn't this mission supposed to be with Mu Yao?? What the fuck??
Shen Yuan barely so much as glanced at him when he was putting his things inside the trunk. Shen Jiu scowled, stopping him from doing something more.
“ What are you doing here? I was supposed to go with Mu Shidi for this mission. “
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes, and looked at him as if he knew something he didn't.
This infuriated Shen Jiu to no end.
“ It appears that your shizun lied to you. That's not my fault. “
He spun on his heel and went inside the carriage, leaving Shen Jiu standing there awkwardly. Suddenly, he kicked the tree nearest to him, cracking the trunk. It groaned until the tree snapped off. He would have yelled as well if it weren't for the fact that he was more dignified than that.
“ Drive, “ he snapped at the driver, who jumped before he opened the carriage and slammed the door closed. The driver was shaking before trying — and failing — to compose himself. Eventually he was able to get the horses moving, mumbling something about never agreeing to drive head disciples ever again.
Inside Shen Yuan had already made his place on one side of the carriage, a scroll in front of him as he vigorously wrote down possible beasts and their characteristics.
Shen Jiu sat opposite of him and crossed his arms. Shen Yuan started mumbling under his breath like he always does. This was the worst part of the trip.
Every time he had traveled with his fellow head disciples, it would be quiet like this. Except whenever he traveled with Shen Yuan, the atmosphere would become heavy just like now. It may be due to the fact that Shen Yuan was talking, but was not talking to him.
Shen Jiu had to sit awkwardly mostly.
He hated it.
Eventually he couldn't take it anymore.
“ Shut up. “
Shen Yuan ignored him, but Shen Jiu persisted.
“ Why are you on the mission with me? Surely, there are others better suited for this job. “
Shen Yuan scribbled something aggressively as his face contorted to anger, which satisfied Shen Jiu, until Shen Yuan masked his face with a calm expression, finally looking up from his notes.
“ Oh no, don't get it wrong. You are on a mission with me. Ling-ge was not available to come with me, so my shizun thought you were a brilliant second option. “
He could hear the sarcasm in his voice, and he went back to taking notes. Leaving Shen Jiu to simmer in that new knowledge.
Second option…
Shen Jiu was never a second option! Shen Yuan was not looking at him at all during his rebuttal.
Like he was not worth his time.
Something coiled deep within him from being ignored. He crossed his arms with a huff, upturning his nose.
“ As if I was the second option! This mission was for me. “
Shen Yuan glanced at him and rolled his eyes. “ Then why would your shizun lie to you about who's going with you? “
That point stabbed Shen Jiu's ego like an arrow. He couldn't refute anymore.
Shen Jiu had to sit the entire ride staring at Shen Yuan. It's not like he wanted to, but given the fact he had nothing to do except wave his fan and sip tea, his eyes eventually trailed to him for entertainment. It was frankly frustrating.
Shen Yuan continued to write several talismans they may need to prepare for their meeting with the client. Shen Jiu, on the other hand, could only work when he received information after seeing the scene firsthand. He didn't think to bring anything for the trip due to the fact that Mu Yao was pleasant to talk to about herbs, which he expected to be going with. It was probably the only reason he would talk to one of his fellow head disciples.
Shen Yuan had a fascination with beasts and knowledge far beyond Shen Jiu's capacity. The boy would rant about all of them to anyone that would bother to hear. Except for Shen Jiu.
Shen Jiu hated men. He thought he would at least get along with Shen Yuan due to rumors of the boy being sweet and nice, but knew when to draw a line to prevent being taken advantage of, speaking his mind whenever someone wronged him. He was famous for his brilliant word choice that made those subject to cower in humiliation. Shen Yuan was certainly different from all the others he had the displeasure of meeting.
Shen Jiu was very intrigued, surprising himself with the fact that this was the first time he thought he may be able to get along with a man.
However, when they met, Shen Yuan's face went from shock to anger to blankness. Shen Yuan clearly judged Shen Jiu as a horrible person at first sight. It seemed that this boy had a flaw.
And that's what made Shen Jiu hate him. Like every other man he has met. It was expected, he shouldn’t have allowed himself to get his hopes up.
So it turned to mutual hate.
Unfortunately, because he had nothing to do besides stare at him, he noticed the way his glasses slipped to the tip of his petite nose when he leaned into his paper. His hand slipped to push it back, his eyes becoming bigger as it went back into position.
Cute.
Shen Jiu's brain stopped.
Cute… Cute?!?! Why the fuck did I think Shen Yuan was cute!! What the fuck was that?? He is NOT cute, no man is cute. ESPECIALLY him.
Shen Jiu didn't understand what the hell made him think that. Shen Yuan wasn't even someone he was interested in. Hell, Shen Yuan was a man. Men were disgusting beasts who only knew how to take and abandon. Shen Jiu was always disgusted with his body's interest in men, as they were the bane of human existence.
So why the fuck did he unconciously think that?
Shen Jiu hated how his face heated up while staring at Shen Yuan's face. Because his face was disgusting!
To not be agitated at himself, he decided that the next course of action was to stomp on Shen Yuan's foot.
Shen Yuan yelped and jolted in pain. The inkstone that was delicately balanced on his knee jumped, spilling onto his notes, and ruining all the work he spent shichens on.
“ AH FUCK! “ he looked at the offending foot, kicking it away. Not hard enough, but enough to get the message across. “ What the fuck was that for?! You fucking ruined my notes, you stupid fuc— “
They argued the rest of the trip, making the driver who had to hear everything wish that he brought drinks.
When they finally arrived in the city, the driver stopped at the tip of the city, enough to say that he dropped them off in the right place and called out.
“ We have arrived, young cultivators! “
Shen Jiu was the first to get off the carriage, with a face that could kill. Shen Yuan flipped him off behind his back before he slammed the door shut, leaving Shen Yuan to clean up the mess he made.
Shen Yuan was cursing out Shen Jiu to the high heavens as he cleaned, grimacing over his lost cause that was his notes. He simply sighed, and threw them out, knowing he has to do it all over again.
After he cleaned — the ink splatters on the cushions would unfortunately be the driver's problem, but fortunately for him to not bother cleaning anymore — he rushed out to find Shen Jiu.
Who was not waiting for him.
He grumbled, asking the first person he saw where the hotel was.
The one thing Shen Yuan couldn’t complain about is that Shen Jiu was a very consistent man.
When he got directions, he took his time to arrive, as he knew Shen Jiu had to wait for him in order to walk to the room. Unfortunately, Shen Yuan's shizun is very stingy when it comes to money, so they had to share a room.
He arrived, unlocking the door, bowing and laughing at the man in front. He was met with Shen Jiu's dagger eyes. He smiled at him, humming as he walked towards him.
“ You are too slow. “
“ Whatever you say, Shixiong. “ he said flatly. He saw and took the opportunity to piss the man off more by snatching the key from Shen Jiu’s hand, looking at the number he left Shen Jiu in the lobby.
He heard a series of frustrated sounds coming out of him until he rushed to his side.
“ When will we be going to the Ming household. “ Shen Jiu scowled.
“ After I redo my notes because someone, “ he turned pointedly at Shen Jiu before looking back to the hallway. “ decided to ruin them, and that won’t be for another shichen. “
Shen Jiu groaned.
“ Oh, shut up. This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t stepped on my foot. “ Shen Yuan hissed the words out as they arrived at the room.
Shen Jiu stayed quiet because it would mean admitting why he did it in the first place. By the look on Shen Yuan's face, he apparently took it as a win.
Shen Jiu hated him with all his guts.
He went to his corner and sat down, knowing this was going to take awhile. Shen Jiu would say he regrets doing what he did, but he doesn't.
It was totally worth it.
Shen Jiu easily blocked out the sounds of Shen Yuan writing by his side. Meditation was his favorite pastime. Whenever his demons or thoughts became too much, this was a brilliant way to ignore them.
The sun was low in the horizon. With his Qi illuminating the paper, Shen Yuan finally fixed the last parts of his notes. He was dissatisfied with it, given how it was a rule to go investigate what the client wanted firsthand. It was probably to feign the fact that they actually listened to people despite them being wrong.
But seeing it was late, he couldn't sneak in his usual extra notes. It was plain stupid he had to abide by someone who absolutely didn't know what they were doing. Of course, he blamed Airplane. If he had thought to actually pay attention to the plot, then he wouldn't be in this situation!
After his usual cursing, he settled down. Somehow, his eyes traveled towards Shen Jiu's face. Usually, there would be a permanent scowl, but right now as he meditated it was only a frown. His features softened by a small amount. Shen Yuan wondered how pleasant Shen Jiu would be if he always had this relaxed face on him.
Shen Yuan shook his head, knowing it was a useless thought. This Shen Jiu was the same from the stories, he was the scum villain, Shen Qingqiu. That title came with the permanent scowl that he hid behind expensive, intricate fans.
But despite that, Shen Yuan liked this part of the man. It was… peaceful. Maybe he should meditate more often as well.
Shen Yuan walked to his side of the room and gently tapped his shoulder. Even if he hated the man, he did not want to disrupt the most comfortable silence they have ever had. Though Shen Jiu's frown deepened more from the disruption, he did not put on his usual scowl as his eyelashes fluttered open. Huh, his lashes were very long.
Shen Yuan shoved that thought away, instead answering Shen Jiu's irritating silent questioning with the raise of an eyebrow.
“ Should we visit the Ming household before we retire for the night, or should we head in the morning? “
Shen Jiu glanced outside. Dusk was slowly falling as night became more prominent. This left his face in soft shadows, toning down the sharp edges more.
He looked ethereal.
Shen Jiu shook his head. “ We will rest today. The report says it happens whenever someone is gone into the forest. No one is stupid enough to do it at night, so it is not urgent at this time. “
Shen Yuan nodded and left to get his sleeping robes from the qiankun bag stored in his backpack. He preferred using traveling bags like during his time in the modern era because the weight made him feel grounded. But qiankun bags were more convenient for tedious supplies taking up space from essential supplies.
He walked behind the privacy screen to change into comfortable clothes for bed.
After taking off the many disciple robes he hated to wear, he fiddled with the binder on his chest to make sure it was secure. Despite reinforcing the fabric with unbreakable qi threads, he didn't trust it not to suddenly break, especially when he was there. After he deemed it secure enough, he put on his oversized sleeping robes. Smiling to himself, he left the privacy screen.
Shen Jiu has already changed. No surprise there. This wasn't the first time he did that on overnight trips.
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes, but said nothing. The man was quick and efficient, he had to give him that, he only waited for something to block his vision to change. Never once had Shen Yuan walked into him changing by accident. But it's not like he wants to see Shen Jiu naked. He was just thinking about how funny it would be if he had walked in while he was changing.
Would he throw something? Or will he finally physically beat him up?
Liu Lingwei was always fighting Shen Jiu. Never once did Shen Jiu do it to Shen Yuan. There were probably two reasons for it. Either Shen Jiu thought he was too weak and thought it would be a waste of time. Or he knew Shen Yuan was too weak and thought it was a waste of time to try.
Either way, it didn't really matter to him because he preferred to use his words over physical fights. He knew he was weak physically compared to Shen Jiu, and that's only because his sicknesses transferred from the modern world to here. It was suppressed through cultivation, but it had taken some of his golden core along with it, thus he couldn't bring himself to Shen Jiu's level even if he wanted to.
Sighing, Shen Yuan pulled his hair into a ponytail. Then, he cleaned up his little station so it wouldn't be a huge fucking mess before going to bed.
Unbeknownst to him, Shen Jiu was staring at him as if he were a fox and Shen Yuan was his prey. From when he put his hair into a ponytail, exposing his jade neck, to lowering his upper body so he could clean up the mess, exposing his lower body for Shen Jiu to see.
Shen Jiu quickly turned away, not wanting to do something reckless again, and ruin his image of composure.
When he saw Shen Yuan lay down, he did as well. However, he did not go to sleep like the other, who was snoring softly. He simply stared. Despite his odd extra feelings — he still hated the motherfucker — he still couldn't sleep in the presence of men, and that wasn't going to simply wear off because he had different feelings.
Eventually, tiredness overtook him. He had put up a valiant fight, but it was inevitable.
He fell asleep.
—
Shen Jiu was already ready, nudging Shen Yuan awake with his fan, pressuring his shoulder. He grumbled, putting the cover over his eyes. Despite the fact that he's been getting up early for years, he still wasn't a morning person.
He heard a scoff from above him, and he grumbled more. He was suddenly poked aggressively with the offending fan again.
“ Get up or I will leave you here. “ Shen Jiu said, irritated. As if he had a brilliant idea, he yanked the sheets off, and Shen Yuan loudly complained.
“ Shut up. Get ready. “ He placed the sheets on the floor, and Shen Jiu sat upon it to meditate again.
After a couple of minutes, Shen Yuan got up, grumbling loudly enough to disturb Shen Jiu's meditation on the other side of the room. He cursed Shen Jiu, the rising sun, and mornings as he got dressed. Adjusting his glasses, he deemed himself ready, and walked out towards the notes he took yesterday. He swiftly scooped them all up, dumping them into his backpack. Turning on his heel, he opened the door shut, signaling he was ready.
The door shut loudly, completely breaking Shen Jiu's concentration from meditation. He put on his scowl for the day, and rose more dignified than Shen Yuan before leaving the room. It didn't take long for them to reunite because Shen Yuan was quite slow. Shen Jiu wanted to say it's because he was weak in the legs, but that was not true: his body was frail, but his legs were not. He has seen his Shidi sprint at an unexpected speed to flee from danger, leaving Shen Jiu to fight it.
He realized that it was quite an important strength to have, Shen Yuan knew his limits and fled the scene before he could get hurt or become a burden to the people present.
Shen Jiu has to admire that, even if it was reluctant.
Shen Jiu snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Shen Yuan speed up.
Ah, so he was waiting for him? Did he really think of him as slow? Who did this man think he was?
Shen Jiu was getting pissed off at a gesture that should have been considered nice. But it’s Shen Yuan, so it’s not.
He took it upon himself to jab him right back.
“ You should take a course on sleeping in proper times of the day so you could actually wake up on time. “ he scoffed, making Shen Yuan narrow his eyes. The boy shot him a dirty look over his shoulder before turning again with his nose held high, now pointedly ignoring Shen Jiu again.
Walking out of the hotel meant that it was professional from now on, which meant they couldn't do anything to each other. Otherwise, Shen Jiu thought it would be low for an immortal like himself.
The town they were in was a far off town, not used to cultivators in their humble population. So they gawked and stared at them as they passed. Both similar, yet far different from each other.
One was taller, sharp, and frowning, giving off the energy of an untouchable immortal. His clothes were pristine and expensive, with his stature screaming elegance. His fan was lazily fanning his face, but gave off the aura of a battle blade.
The other was shorter and softer, smiling gently as he looked around with curiosity. His clothes were slightly worn, but it was far more modest than the others. It made him look approachable. In his arms were a bunch of scrolls, and he would often look down to adjust them, giving life to him.
Whenever they glanced at each other the softer one would tense, and the cold one would become icy. But they quickly looked away from each other, pretending the other did not exist.
When they arrived at the Ming household, the guards stumbled to let them in, all astounded by them. When their master sought help from cultivators, they did not think they would be godly.
The nice one bowed and thanked them, while the other one completely ignored them. Before they closed the gate they had a long stare at the backs of the immortals as they whispered aggressively at each other. Given the fact that the guards do not have cultivator ears, they could not hear them.
When they closed the gate, they wondered what kind of conversation they were having. But it was probably not something they could understand.
“ That's so stupid! Kuding is so fucking disgusting! I'm not asking if they have it?! “
Shen Jiu scoffed and narrowed his eyes in irritation. This is the only thing he will ask for Shen Yuan?! And he refuses?
“ They have Ilex Kudingcha. “ he pointed at the holly tree growing next to where they were walking. Shen Yuan's face contorted into disgust.
“ You seriously like that bitter tea. “
Shen Jiu snorted, fanning his face aggressively in offense.
“ Of course you wouldn't understand the complexity of tea. It has medicinal properties and the taste is refined. “
Shen Jiu preferred bitter, mostly due to being forced to drink very sweet teas that the Qius preferred. It made his teeth rot. But he would never tell Shen Yuan that.
“ It’s so fucking bitter, you're a weirdo, I swea— Hello! “ He was about to go on a rant, but the main door in front of them opened. He bowed quickly, interrupting himself.
Shen Jiu was very tempted to smack him, because the one who opened the door was a servant. Shen Yuan was not one who understood when to bow.
But the servants didn't seem to mind. In fact, the two girls giggled, and blushed at his over enthusiasm. Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes.
“ These young cultivators were wondering if we can seek an audience with the head of the house. We were summoned to deal with a beast causing problems. “
He flashed a big smile, to Shen Jiu's eyes, it looked forced. Maybe to distract them from the conversation they probably overheard.
It worked tremendously.
The girls smiled and opened the door wider for them. “ Of course, young cultivators. Let these lowly ones inform our master about your arrival while you wait in the guest hall. “
“ These young cultivators thank you. “ Shen Yuan bowed again, making the girls burst into giggles again. Shen Jiu was not amused.
One of them left to go retrieve the head of the house while the other led them to the guest hall. They sat down and were served tea.
When the servant left, Shen Yuan took a sip of the tea.
He quickly spat it out, coughing and choking.
Shen Jiu raised an eyebrow before putting the tea to his lips and drinking it himself. He hummed when the taste of bitter tea reached his throat. He smirked as he drank.
“ Why— oh that’s so fucking disgusting. “ he coughed and teared up as he slapped a cleansing talisman, effectively getting rid of the evidence before the others discovered his dislike for the tea.
“ I think I'm going to die. “ he groaned, fetching a qiankun bag, and taking out a sweet from inside, shoving it inside his mouth. Chewing on it for a bit before sighing, looking satisfied.
“ It appears you have a sweet tooth, no wonder you can't handle such simple tea. “ Shen Jiu said, idly sipping on the tea again.
“ Look I always needed to drink those while I was si— “ Shen Yuan shuts his mouth, blushing in embarrassment. He looked away.
Shen Jiu would probably mock him if he ever found out how sick Shen Yuan was. How he was forced to eat and drink bland and bitter food and drinks in both lifetimes in order to sustain his health. He always loved sweets because it reminded him that he finally won against his sickness that had eventually killed him in his original life.
But why would Shen Jiu understand?
The man raised his eyebrow, staring at Shen Yuan over his tea. He looked bullied and a brat like this, blushing as his face tears up.
Shen Jiu smiled.
He wondered what other ways he could make that rich boy's face look like that again.
They heard footsteps outside and Shen Yuan quickly masked his expression. Something Shen Jiu thought was suspiciously too quick, but he didn't comment on it because the door to the guest hall opened.
They both rose and bowed to the head of the house. “ Greetings. “
He was a bulky man, someone who was clearly fed well by his riches. He bowed as well, albeit, with a little struggle.
“ This master thanks these young cultivators for accepting our call for help. We are losing food quickly. Our crops are near the forest, and our farmers are too afraid to harvest them after several farmers died nearby. We have tried ordering from other towns but our village is too far away for perishables to be brought. Our hunters cannot go inside the forest, so meat isn't an option either. “
Shen Yuan wrote something down on a scroll. “ It is said that the victims were mutilated by vines, and that you suspect it's caused by a beast, correct? “
“ Yes, we hear loud sounds that could only be from a beast, but the people who we find are mutilated by vines. “
Shen Yuan's eyebrow twitched, “ May these young cultivators see the body, and do you have a map of where these incidents occurred? “
The head of the house nodded, snapping his fingers so that two servants could show them to the bodies. The head of the house gave Shen Jiu a map before he left.
While they walked, Shen Jiu inspected it.
“ The bodies were found in clearings or by the edge of the forest, in any place that was open and could be found. Either the beast deliberately did that, or there's more bodies they are not finding. “
Shen Yuan nodded, “ This one would believe that it's due to anyone being too afraid to venture further inside to find more unclaimed victims. Shixiong, do the clearings have entrances that lead towards the main village? “
Shen Jiu shot him a look of suspicion. They never used their official terms on each other unless to spite each other. They had both silently decided that the other didn't deserve that kind of respect. Shen Yuan had a strained smile, as if it's taking every fiber of his body to refer to him as such. He then pointedly looked at the servant in front of them. She wasn't looking, but it was obvious that she was straining to hear their conversation.
“ …Yes. “
They both discussed the possibility of which beast had done this tragic event until they were led to a coffin house.
“ This body wasn't claimed. This servant suspects he was a loner. Please do as you will, young cultivators. “
She gestured to one of the coffins before leaving.
Shen Yuan crouched and pulled up the top of the coffin that covered the victim's body.
Mutilated was a nice way to describe what happened.
Vines with sharp thorns covered the body. Unsure if it was to hold down the victim or to suffocate them. There were signs of struggle. In all of their orifices, vines jutted out making a grotesque image. Shen Jiu glanced at Shen Yuan to see his reaction. He was a sensitive boy, so he wanted to see his reaction to such an image.
Will he grimace? Will he look queasy? That would be funny to watch, showing how weak Shen Yuan was.
But Shen Yuan simply stared at the body, assessing the injuries, muttering potential beasts. He pulled out his notes and crossed off multiple, scratching his head before crossing off more. He pushed the parchment closer to his face as if it would help give him the answers.
“ No, no... the plant beast just stabs it through the heart. While that beast doesn't actually roar. What kind of sound is it? Ugh, this gives me too much information on what it isn't. “
Shen Yuan looked at the vines and snapped a thorn off. He looked very closely, even adjusting his glasses.
He scowled and threw it, crossing off more names.
Turning on his heel, he stalked off muttering curses and frazzling his hair. Shen Jiu glanced at the thorns, having no clue what the difference was between those he just crossed out. He left angry and confused. When he reached Shen Yuan, he raised his voice.
“ These stupid fucks are not giving me enough information, they seem so adamant on it being beasts in both the letter and in person. I don't have time to search for floras until tomorrow, I don't have the books on me right now. So after we go around the village and do the report, I would dive into my stash. “ He then glared behind them to where the coffin house was. “ And these bodies aren't giving me enough to have it on the tip of my tongue, seeing as there are numerous vine-like flora. “
He muttered something that Shen Jiu didn't quite understand, but he noted the words ‘ papapa plots ‘ and ‘ stupid Airplane ‘ for later.
Shen Yuan fisted his hands to his hair, clearly distressed. Shen Jiu couldn't help but add qi to the fire. “ It seems like a you issue for not bringing the appropriate resources. “
Shen Yuan's head snapped towards him with his mouth opened, clearly aghast.
“ You— what— you— OH MY GOD, YOU ARE INSUFFERABLE! " Shen Yuan stormed away, fuming.
Shen Jiu laughed a little, smiling behind his fan. Getting a rise out of Shen Yuan like this was not often, but he cherished those moments.
They went about the town to gauge the amount of people killed. From what they could get, it was approximately thirty people, though there were hundreds of people in this town, making that amount seem small. The issue was that around eighty percent of those dead were farmers and hunters, meaning the village was left without food.
Shen Yuan was the one comforting and reassuring the families and lovers of the deceased. That took a major part of their trip, making Shen Jiu impatient. Unfortunately that was clearly one of the reasons why Shen Yuan was chosen for this after his vast knowledge of beasts. He was a bit sympathetic.
It makes Shen Jiu want to puke.
It was around the afternoon that they finished talking with the entire town. During this, Shen Yuan had crossed off multiple other beasts and written question marks on the remaining.
“ From what I can tell, the only logical next step is to go into the forest ourselves. See if there's any evidence that it's a beast before moving on to flora. “ Shen Yuan grumbled as he looked wearily at the forest.
“ I actually agree with you this time around. “ Shen Jiu said, looking at the forest as well.
Shen Yuan sent him a glare before walking ahead. Shen Jiu just tsked, “ Don't forget the reason why you aren't doing these missions alone, Shidi. I don't want to clean up your dead body. “
Shen Yuan grumbled, but slowed down for Shen Jiu to lead.
They walked into the forest. It was dusk, making the forest shine with orange. Shen Yuan looked around, making an intrigued noise at the undisturbed surroundings.
“ If it was a beast then major disturbances can be seen in the foliage. We should go check where the latest victim was found. “
Shen Jiu nodded, leading them to where they needed to go. In the small clearing, there was a pond meant to be a resting area for travelers. Nothing was amiss. Shen Yuan turned every stone, pulled up the old log people sat on for breaks, and even tapped the ground. He glanced at the pond, and even checked the tiny fishes to see if they had any demonic residue. But nothing. Frowning, Shen Yuan sent out a qi to see if there was any demonic activity.
Nothing.
Shen Yuan furrowed his brow and stood up. Sensing the tension, Shen Jiu asked. “ Is there something? “
“ No, and that’s the issue. There’s nothing. As if nothing happened here. Are you sure this is the right place? “
Shen Jiu thought it was a demeaning question. Of course it’s the right place, why wouldn’t it be? Shen Jiu can read a map. But Shen Yuan looked distracted, with no malice or snark in his confusion, like he was trying to affirm the unease he was feeling.
“ This is one of the places where a body was found, yes. “
“ Then, why is there nothing? “
Shen Yuan walked forward then suddenly noticed that there was a pathway leading out of the clearing, but it was covered with bushes. Completely forgetting that he was supposed to be behind Shen Jiu, he pushed some bushes aside from where they seemingly grew over the path. He followed it until they reached another clearing.
“ Is this another clearing? “
Shen Jiu looked at the map again.
When Shen Yuan looked around he noticed something in the middle. There was a beautiful plump purple flower. Shen Yuan frowned, he couldn’t remember if it was in the original book. It was unique enough that he should remember. In case it was a demonic flower, he approached carefully.
With the last remaining bits of sun, the flower glowed beautifully, as if beckoning him. He looked in awe and reached for the flower as if hypnotized.
Behind him Shen Jiu looked up to tell him that it was another place and finally realized that something was wrong.
Shen Jiu saw Shen Yuan reach for the flower, acting highly unlike himself, given the fact that he wasn’t mumbling under his breath.
“ Shen Yuan, WATCH OUT— “
Shen Yuan's head snapped towards Shen Jiu as something shot out of the flower.
And then he was gone. Shen Jiu ran to the collapsing dirt. Before he could dive in, the grass came back, looking as if the flower had never been there to begin with.
“ Fuck! Shen Yuan! “ he called out. Even though he knew it was pointless, he got to his hands and knees, trying to dig a hole. The floor was too thick, there was too much. Swiping the sweat off his face, he got up, he conjured a ball of Qi in his palm, and threw it. It exploded. He did it again and again until the dirt collapsed, revealing a tunnel. He dropped down, glancing at both ends of the tunnel before he heard a distinct roaring sound to the left.
He ran for a couple of minutes until he heard yelling.
“ Shen Yuan! “ he yelled over the loud screeching.
“ Oh shit, Shen Jiu, th-there you are! “ the voice echoed and Shen Jiu could hear the pain in his voice. “ I know what it is, it’s a fucking plant I fucking — OW! — knew it. “
Shen Jiu heard a whoosh of air and then another. He ran faster before yelling again.
“ It’s a fucking Ever Reaching F-Flower — shit, ow — these m-motherfuckers can only be defeated with fire! Shen Jiu, fire! The roots are not vines, its a type of mimic, those fucking bastards— that’s why I d-didn’t know! “
Shen Jiu looked under his feet. Small roots everywhere, looping around as if it created the tunnel. He sent a fireball of Qi to the vines and he heard a loud screeching sound.
“ Yes yes! That’s it, wait wha— “ his voice was suffocated, and Shen Jiu burst into a sprint. As he ran deeper into the tunnels, the roots thickened, some were coming after him. He swiped his hand on Xiu Ya's blade, fire roughening her in a majestic display. He began to cut the veins down. They screamed again, dying by the fire.
Soon, he reached a place where all the vines went underground. He looked at it cautiously, he poked it with Xiu Ya.
It sucked him and his sword inside, acting as a speedy quicksand. The quicksand covered what he now knew was an entrance as he fell into at top speeds, going hundreds of feet underground. Soon, it curved, shooting him out into a large opening shaped like a cavern.
The flower was centered high up in the air, with the roots twisting under it and all around. At the tips it turned into vines with thorns. Shen Yuan was in the middle, firing balls of fire from his hands, but he was losing strength, each flame becoming smaller than the last.
He was injured, many parts of his robes were ripped, and he could see blood pouring from his wounds.
Shooting forward, Shen Jiu cut his finger again, throwing his blood towards the flower, it turned into balls of fire as it hit the roots. The flower screamed. He ran to where Shen Yuan was getting swarmed by vines and set Xiu Ya on fire again. He noticed Shen Yuan pause to look at him before masking his expression.
“ Took you long enough! “ Shen Yuan yelled over the loud noise of the vines creaking and roaring. “ I don’t have enough qi to light my sword on fire, you show off. “
Though he added the comment, it was obviously fun banter, trying to lighten the mood in this distressing situation.
“ You just didn’t think of it, did you? Admit it. “ Shen Jiu retorted back as he hacked on the main stem. More vines shot towards him and the roots above tried to attack, but he was too quick.
Shen Yuan barked a laugh, narrowly avoiding another slash to his chest.
“ The thorns are full of venom! That’s why there's slight discoloration on the tip. Deadly for mortals, dangerous for young cultivators with a half core formation, and nothing to an immortal! “
Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan had already reached half core formation, but Shen Jiu was closer to immortality than Shen Yuan. He glanced at him, everywhere was full of scratches. Shen Jiu had some as well but not as bad.
“ Now you tell me?!? I didn’t even see the difference when you looked at the body! “
“ That’s because I needed to confirm if there was anything amiss with the area! There’s like twenty different types of vines with similar looking thorns! And we didn’t see anything at the crime scene because the earth was too thick! “
“ How do you even know that much?? “
If Shen Yuan wanted to respond, he couldn’t, because a root from above snatched his leg and threw him across onto one of the walls.
“ The flower! Kill the flow...er… “ He passed out, the pain finally being too much for him to handle.
Shen Jiu cursed, cutting through most of the stem, causing it to tip over and reachable. Shen Jiu ran as the roots and vines became more aggressive. Knowing he had limited time, he jumped high, slicing the flower in half. It screamed one last time before collapsing.
All around him the roots and vines collapsed, shivering and shrinking, dying.
Shen Jiu stood in the place he landed and panted heavily. All around him the dirt shivered. And he had a dread of realization.
The ground was only held up by roots.
Despite his body screaming its protest, he turned around and rushed towards where Shen Yuan laid, dodging the blocks of dirt falling from the ceiling.
He hauled Shen Yuan over his shoulder and ran towards the tunnel, climbing it up quickly as it was collapsing into itself. With how the cavern was falling, roots jutted out of the tunnel making it easier to go up. The quicksand had fallen and given him enough room to pull Shen Yuan up. When he jumped out the hole he glanced back as the tunnel fell completely. Shen Jiu ran, not wanting to be stuck inside when the rest of the tunnel fell.
But it was difficult. Shen Jiu had to maneuver through dirt while carrying Shen Yuan.
He finally saw an opening. He didn’t know whether it was the original opening or a new opening. But it didn’t matter, it was better than just waiting to accept death, so he jumped up through it. He scrambled out of the way as more of it caved in. Dust filled the air, and he coughed. He waited until the air cleaned before peeking out.
In front of him, he saw hundreds of feet of ground gone. He pushed Shen Yuan off to the side, and collapsed onto the floor panting heavily.
Shen Jiu didn't know how long he laid there before he felt Shen Yuan move. He pulled him up and pushed his face towards him, his eyes barely fluttering open. At some point, it was glistening with tears, creating dirt tracks on his cheeks.
“ I’m.. I’m sorry. “ he coughed, shivering. “ I should have realized that the f-flower was the issue. If only. “
He coughed again. Shen Jiu couldn’t bring himself to snark, only to pat his back as he looked miserable.
“ That doesn’t matter. You found out what it was in the end, and we defeated it. “
Shen Yuan laughed dryly. “ You defeated it. I didn’t do anything but burden you. “
Shen Jiu slapped his cheek softly. “ Only I am able to shit on you. Not you. “
Shen Yuan smiled slightly, but his eyes became droopy.
“ The poison… I’ll be asleep to fight it off. Sorry, Shen Jiu, but I’ll be a burden... again. “ His eyes fluttered shut and his body went limp.
Shen Jiu's stomach felt queasy at the sight of how terribly weak Shen Yuan looked. He stood up on shaky legs, carrying Shen Yuan into a bridle style.
It was completely dark out. It must have been a shichen since he jumped into the ground. He groaned as he walked towards the town. It was an easy trip as he remembered his way back.
He was aware of how they both looked like shit, and he had a reputation to keep. He came upon the edge of the town, sneaking through the dark alleyways until he reached the hotel.
Luckily, they took a room with a window. Shen Yuan had left it open to let the wet parchment from earlier dry. Or whatever the reason was, Shen Jiu wasn't really paying attention. He entered through the window, planning to put Shen Yuan on his bed, but realized that would defile his bedsheets. He grimaced. Even if Shen Yuan was clean, it wouldn't help his injuries to heal if he slept on filth.
Instead, Shen Jiu set Shen Yuan down onto the floor. Just for a bit. He checked the washroom, and to his disappointment, there was no water. He would have to go downstairs to request water.
The only person who would have normally gone through this humiliation was Shen Yuan, but he’s not available.
Gritting his teeth, he opened the door and went downstairs.
The worker at the desk jolted in surprise when he rang the bell. The person gawked, looking at his haggard appearance. Shen Jiu had to repeat his request twice before it finally registered in his brain.
“ Are you able to bring up water for a bath? We can handle the rest. “
The man glanced around, looking for the other person in the ‘ we. ‘ He was the one who booked yesterday, he clearly knew that he had a companion. He swallowed before bowing.
“ Of course, young cultivators. I will have workers bring them up to you. Will you require... Um… “ he glanced at the bruises and cuts littered all over Shen Jiu’s body, and the cultivator scowled. “ Medicine for your injuries? We could wake up the doctors to obtain them. “
Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes. “ This is not your issue. We have our own. We are not incompetent. “
The worker flailed his arms, clearly not expecting that response. “ No, no! This lowly one was not assuming that, of course you have your own. This one is stupid and should have known better. ”
He bowed again, very low, his hair almost reaching the ground. “This one will personally see to supplying water to your room quickly. “
“ This senior disciple gives his thanks. “
Shen Jiu lifted his head and returned to his room. This is why he hated people. They were stupid and incompetent.
He looked at the ground where Shen Yuan hadn't moved from. He frowned, wondering how long it would take for Shen Yuan to recover. Like he said, he was weaker than others, only getting by because of his endless knowledge that was essential for the sect. Otherwise, he would have been kicked out long ago.
Shen Jiu kneeled by his side, staring at his motionless face.
Shen Jiu felt that it was... too quiet like this. He figured he had gotten far too used to Shen Yuan mumbling about this or that whenever they were together. And for the first time, he hated the silence.
Shen Jiu hated the fact that he felt this way.
Even during sleep, Shen Yuan would make noise, as he was a restless sleeper and would often talk in his sleep. Even then, he would have what his body called ‘ entertainment ‘ whenever he was too afraid to go to sleep.
As he noticed a strand of hair over Shen Yuan's face, Shen Jiu suddenly felt the impulse to push the hair back before he could stop himself. He snatched his hand back as if his hair was a scalding piece of incense, and he questioned why he felt the need to do that.
Luckily, he didn't need to dwell on it further as there was a knock on the door. He stood back up and opened it to see three men carrying buckets full of water. He got out of their way to let them do the work.
One of them glanced at Shen Yuan, immediately going pale. Shen Jiu swiftly gave the guy a hefty amount of money, enough for him to keep his mouth shut. He doesn't need any more unnecessary and false rumors. He made a very threatening face to get his point across. It worked as the man aggressively nodded, and once the workers were done, ushered them out quickly.
Shen Jiu went to the basin and lightly tapped his finger on the surface of the water.
It was hot, which was good, given that it could help loosen their tense muscles. It would allow more qi to flow within their spiritual veins. Shen Jiu was about to take off his clothing when he realized that he shouldn't leave Shen Yuan like that.
He turned to him and a wash of disgust flowed through him.
He hated the idea of seeing a man naked.
Another strange feeling overcame that thought, and he could feel his face heating up. He simply ignored it, unable to understand himself.
He spent a while trying to contemplate what to do.
On one hand, he was disgusted at the thought of even touching Shen Yuan into clean him, let alone take his clothes off.
But on the other hand… he couldn't just leave Shen Yuan like this. He had helped Shen Jiu with the florals' weakness, and he helped hold off the vines and roots the best he could. It wasn't like he slacked off besides getting caught off guard.
As much as he wanted to blame Shen Yuan for not being more careful, it was the villagers who had provided them with information worth practically nothing. The inefficient information is what caught Shen Yuan off guard.
Shen Jiu sighed heavily. He couldn't leave them there. He would be very angry if he was found in ragged clothes when he wakes up. Plus, he couldn't set Shen Yuan down on the more comfortable bed because he was caked with dirt. That couldn't do.
After a war with himself, he finally concluded that he should clean him up. It's the least he could do, even if it disgusted him.
Shen Jiu grabbed a hold of Shen Yuan, and hauled his ass to the basin, propping him up on a seat to take off the completely ruined robes. He did this with shaky hands until he took off all his upper robes.
To his surprise, there was something on his chest. It was like a corset but for the upper torso. Frowning he twisted his body and found little hooks holding it together. With a gulp, he snapped it off. From how tight it was, it bounced right off.
He gently put it on top of the pile of clothes he retrieved from Shen Yuan's qiankun pouch. When he returned, Shen Jiu's curiosity got the better of him. Looking down, he was surprised to see Shen Yuan's chest with some fat. Given the fact that he was sickly skinny in other parts, it made him suspicious of what he didn't know, but somehow knew in the back of his mind.
Shen Jiu went to take off Shen Yuan's shoes and socks before stopping at his pants.
From there and his underwear, he will be seeing a man stark naked for the first time in decades. His last memory certainly was a completely unforgettable and traumatizing one. Shen Jiu hesitated for a couple of minutes before he took a deep breath, reigning in his shaky hands, and took them off at the same time.
Shen Jiu shut his eyes, but given the fact that he had to maneuver Shen Yuan into the tub, he was forced to see.
But when he expected a vile beast's weapon, it was instead a mound. He paused, blinked.
He rubbed his eyes just to make sure that the poison didn't make him hallucinate.
No.
He wasn't.
Instead of a cock, Shen Yuan had a pussy.
Shen Jiu's mind halted.
Didn't… Didn't Shen Yuan respond to masculine pronouns? Wasn't he completely in identity with male? Then, why…?
Shen Jiu has heard of people like this before. But he didn't believe they truly existed. Individuals who changed their gender, right?
That meant that Shen Yuan wasn't truly the vile beasts that had hurt him and his sisters. But Shen Yuan wasn't a… sister either.
Shen Jiu would never dare touch one of his jiejies. They meant too much to him, and even thinking about actually laying with one had him gagging. He didn't want to become like those beasts that used him, and hurt him and his sisters.
But Shen Yuan was different.
Shen Jiu moved Shen Yuan's leg out of the way so he could get a better view.
Yes…
This was the reason why Shen Yuan was so much nicer to everyone, wasn't it? Why he actually cared. He was softer, kinder, weaker. He was someone who should be taken care of. Someone made for Shen Jiu.
Shen Jiu felt that, for the first time ever, his feelings weren't disgusting. And the reason why he was so attracted to the man was because he wasn't really a man at all. Or a woman.
He felt his face heat and he knew why now.
Shen Jiu let himself truly smile for the first time since Qi-ge left. He felt his heart beat faster and a rush of blood to his south region made him groan.
But all he could think about was how beautiful Shen Yuan is.
How Shen Yuan was perfect for him.
It was like a long extinguished oil lamp in his heart finally lit. Something within him transformed into something completely different with this new light.
And yet the tunnel was darker than ever.
—
After Shen Jiu unburdened himself of the strain in his pants, he tenderly gave Shen Yuan a bath, attentive with the places that were cut, and efficient for the parts caked in dirt. Shen Jiu smiled as he took care of his wife.
Once he was finished, he dried him off, maneuvering him this way and that, getting places that weren't quite dried. From there, he attentively put on his clothes, careful to make sure that the fabric that he now knew compressed his breasts back the way that it was. He made sure that the texture of the sleeping robes didn't hurt any of his injuries, worried that it might irritate the skin if it even so much as caressed it.
He lifted him again bridle style — with a whole different meaning — and moved him to his bed. Pulling the covers over his body, he patted it down, making sure Shen Yuan was comfortable enough. He kissed the top of his forehead.
“ I hope you have a good sleep, A-Yuan. “ he purred, before unlatching himself from Shen Yuan, and going to bathe himself.
He had needed to make sure his beloved was well taken care of before he was, as any dutiful husband would.
He didn't care if his appearance was pristine, leaving a few locks of hair out of place, and not a full face routine. That didn't matter now. What mattered was staring at Shen Yuan, wondering how someone could be as perfect as him. Shen Jiu smiled to himself as he finished.
Though he wanted to wrap his arms around Shen Yuan and hold him, he knew that he couldn't do it. Not yet at least.
So he didn't, forcing himself to turn around, and walk off to his bed. When he laid down he stared at Shen Yuan again. The moonlight was giving Shen Yuan an ethereal look, as if he was a part of the heavens himself.
He wondered how someone as rotten as him could have been bestowed with such a blessing.
He felt his eyes go droopy, and for the first time in decades, he didn't force his eyes back open, and he didn't prevent himself from lulling into slumber. For the first time in decades, Shen Jiu allowed himself to sleep in the presence of another man.