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Shen Jiu couldn't tell whether the ambush had been a deliberate plot to get him specifically or if it had been just an attack of convenience; All he knew was that it happened in an isolated ravine with virtually no vegetation to speak of.
With his cultivation rather famously relying mainly on Plucked Leaves Flying Flowers, he was severely handicapped in such a surroundings. Of course, he wasn't completely powerless — he still had his knife and tallismans — but against a group of mercenaries, he was barely able to hold his own.
A moment before he could get overwhelmed, he cast his qi out as widely as he could make it spread, in a desperate attempt to find some projectiles. His attention snagged on something; Petals, leaves, he didn't pause to investigate the source before calling them towards himself. A rush, the whistle of flying objects-
Shen Jiu straightened cautiously, catching his breath as he watched the group of mercenaries fall around him, taken down via an express form of lingchi. One didn't seem to be quite dead yet; With a narrowing of his eyes, Shen Jiu gestured with his hand, bringing a fraction of the projectiles back into the air to finish him. The pink petals darkened with blood.
Now, it was done.
Faintly curious, Shen Jiu brought some of the cleaner flowers to his hand, inspecting them closely. It appeared to be a plum blossom. Where did he manage to find so much greenery from plum trees? Tilting his head towards the direction from which the projectiles came, he considered his options. He wasn't particularly keen on continuing his path down the ravine...
Decision made, he let the blossoms drift along on qi-generated breeze, guiding him back towards their origin point. With a rather liberal use of qinggong, he scaled the walls, having to hike for a few long moments before reaching the source of his salvation.
It hadn't been a grove of plum trees, an abandoned orchard perhaps. That's what he had expected. In truth, he had commandeered his weapons from just a single gnarly tree, stubbornly having been clinging to life. It must have lived for a long time; Perhaps even centuries.
And Shen Jiu had stripped it entirely bare in a matter of seconds.
A pang of guilt hit his heart. He owed his survival to this one remote tree. It would have been wrong to let it die after it rendered such a substantial amount of assistance.
Decision made, he approached, annoyed slightly at the way the roots seemed to rise from the ground just to trip him up, the branches hanging low enough to scratch against his skin and pull on his hair. He persevered; Why would he let a tree get the best of him?
He came to a stop with a hand on the trunk, fingers splayed.
"Thank you," he told it, passing some qi. It was what allowed any being to speed up their healing and recovery, so surely a tree would benefit from it, also. "I... Realize that I've taken a lot from you. But I've had no other choice. I hope... You'll accept this energy as trade."
It felt odd to speak to something that, had things gone differently, could have been made into furniture, but it needed to be said. If only for Shen Jiu's own peace of mind.
He passed as much qi as he could spare — he didn't know much about the exact mechanisms behind the growth of trees, but enough to realize that the leaves were its livelihood — ending up nearly depleted.
No matter; He would have had to regain his energy either way. As it was, he merely settled down in the mess of the roots, likely the safest place he could find in the vicinity, deciding to meditate right there.
***
His journey continued, leading him from town to town. Shen Jiu had long since gotten used to this wandering style of life. Oh, of course there were certain places he visited more than others — mostly some select brothels — but there was no single spot he could have called home. That wasn't something for people like him.
That plum tree had swiftly became one of the spots he kept returning to, though. Not just because going by the wild top of the ravine was safer than passing through the trail on its bottom — though it had certainly been a factor — but also out of gratitude. Like it or not, he owed his life to that tree. He was now invested in ensuring that it would thrive in the aftermath of him stripping it bare.
The first time, mere weeks after, he was dismayed to find its branches still bare. Uneasiness eating at him, he passed the tree more qi, resting at its roots in meditation once again. After that, he consulted with various experts, purchasing fertilizers and tonics in hopes that their evaluation of "it's probably done for, now" was inaccurate.
As months passed with no improvement, Shen Jiu had been forced to admit that, perhaps, they might have been right.
"I am sorry," he said once, hand and forehead pressed against the bark. Cycling the qi had become a reflex, now, when he touched it. "In a desperate bid to keep my own life, I had taken yours. That was never my intention."
"Ah, no biggie! I don't mind!" A chirping voice replied.
Shen Jiu wasn't proud to say that he stumbled back in shock, tripping over the familiar roots. He landed on his backside, his knife out and ready, and inspected the stranger closely.
His figure was rather small. There was a grin on his face as he crouched down nearby. He had long, bushy hair falling down his back, and wore no clothes to speak of.
It was that fact which had Shen Jiu averting his eyes, a blush rising to his cheeks. To be entirely bare-! How shameless!
"I appreciate you doubling back to offer recompensation for what you took," the stranger continued, rather nonsensically. "And then you came back again and again, even bringing medicine with you! That's the nicest thing anyone's done for me in, like, centuries!"
Dots connecting, Shen Jiu glanced between the stranger and the tree behind them. It wasn't so farfetched to hear that an animal had cultivated a humanoid form, but a tree?
"You're...?"
The stranger nodded happily.
"So that's why you haven't grown any leaves! You've been growing a body!"
That earned him a laugh. "I suppose that's right. Ah, I hadn't known you were so eager to see me bloom again!"
Shen Jiu glared, a blush rising to his cheeks. The way the stranger had said that almost made it sound as an innuendo. It wouldn't have, ordinarily, but the fact that he was naked certainly didn't help the matters.
Digging into the qiankun pouch hidden in his sleeve, he dug out some spare robes; An inner one he had outgrown but kept around just in case, and a black outer robe he practically never wore. He preferred to stick with lighter colours, primarily greens.
"Here," he tossed the clothes at the stranger. "Put something on!"
But the man only tilted his head, watching the fabrics in his hands like something foreign. A tree, Shen Jiu realized, would have no reason to know what to do with clothes.
He bullied the stranger into putting them on regardless, if only for his own peace of mind.
***
The stranger's name — given to him a long time ago by the disciples of a sect which long since ceased to exist — was Cheong Myeong. Shen Jiu had, naturally, reciprocated with his own name, for once not receiving a single odd glance at the fact that it was a number.
He sat down to meditate at the base of the tree, used to the routine, even if it was made exponentially more difficult with a humanoid tree running circles around him. Still, Shen Jiu was a guest there, and said nothing.
But when the time came to leave...
Cheong Myeong followed after him without hesitation, as if that had been what he's been waiting for. There was even a skip in his steps.
Shen Jiu paused, turning to him with a questioning look.
"So!" Cheong Myeong bounced on his feet. "Where are we going?"
"I'm heading towards Jinling," Shen Jiu said with an emphasis.
"Sound great! Lead the way, then."
.
.
.
Well. He did owe Cheong Myeong his life. A bit of qi was probably too little to call that debt settled; He might as well give him a little tour around the world and, of course, leave him at the nearest suitable spot.
Cheong Myeong did not turn back once as they left the ravine behind them.
***
The first time Shen Jiu fought in front of Cheong Myeong, his technique making rich use of the forest they were in, he received a very enthusiasting cheering.
"So that's what you did with all my leaves!" Cheong Myeong said once the yao was defeated. "Not gonna lie, I had been wondering how exactly they had saved your life."
Shen Jiu brushed his robes off, faintly embarassed. "I don't usually leave the trees bare," he offered. "It's just... You were the only one in reach."
"I don't mind, I don't mind! The qi you offered in exchange was more than enough!" The grin grew slightly salacious, though how a tree got the hang of that particular aspect of existence was slightly mistyfying. "Really, I should feel honoured I'm the only one you ever stripped bare-"
That earned him a slap to the head with Shen Jiu's fan. "Shameless!"
Cheong Myeong had taken to humanity like a fish to water. He spent their visits to the brothels grilling the jiejies on all the best and worst innuendos, using both kinds interchangeably. The clothes were a boring necessity, food only important for the energy it would bring, but he genuinely enjoyed tasting all kinds of alcohol.
The only other thing he enjoyed as much were martial arts.
Shen Jiu had taken to planning their routes not only by the brothels he was familiar with, but also by the sects the jiejies had recommended, whichever ones were open to giving guest lectures. Every time he watched Cheong Myeong run through the increasingly elaborate motions, whether before a teacher or practicing while they were on their own, he couldn't help but wonder: when would he lose his travel companion to the allure of a sufficiently interesting sect?
***
Cheong Myeong was, at the core of it all, a tree and as such, he didn't need sleep.
If it had been anyone else, Shen Jiu would have long since grown desperate to escape their company, to finally be able to rest without an audience. But somehow, Cheong Myeong's presence never worsened his insomnia. If anything, him sitting vigil made it easier to fall asleep.
The everpresent smell of plum blossoms was soothing in the same way as the brothel incense was. Though crude, the constant innuedos with no follow-up reminded Shen Jiu of his jiejies, helping him relax. And Cheong Myeong was a genuinely talented swordsman; Leaving himself in his hands did not make Shen Jiu shiver at the stupidity of such action.
One morning, Shen Jiu woke up with his head resting on Cheong Myeong's thigh. Instead of the dread he would have felt at waking in such a position with anyone else, Shen Jiu felt only comfort, reminded of meditating at the roots of Cheong Myeong's tree form.
The hand which had been carding through his hair left, only reappearing to poke at his cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead. I have something for you."
Shen Jiu groaned, but curiosity got the better of him. He straightened up into a sitting position, running fingers through the wild strands in order to make himself somewhat presentable.
The moment he was done, Cheong Myeong set something on top of his head. Raising his hand, Shen Jiu carefully traced the object, fingers running over the edges of petals and leaves.
"Is that... A flower crown?"
"Mhm!" Cheong Myeong seemed proud of himself. "This way, you'll always have a stockpile of projectiles on you!"
He didn't know how to respond to that. On one hand, he was glad that Cheong Myeong had thought of his safety. But on the other hand... Did that mean he was planning on leaving soon?
"Won't they wilt?" Shen Jiu asked instead.
He got a beaming smile in response. "Not as long as I keep close!"
Oh.
Oh.
Always. As long as he keeps close.
Shen Jiu escaped behind his fan, mumbling his thanks.
***
Cheong Myeong was not particularly subtle when it came to his origins. Shen Jiu did nothing to stop him, seeing no harm in the spread of that information. Few people cared that there was a wandering cultivator accompanied by a tree which cultivated a humanoid form.
What few people sought them out, though... Well.
They saw a man dressed in black, laughing upcariously at his own dirty jokes and drinking alcohol like water. And then they saw someone sitting beside him, dressed in greens, drinking tea, face hidden behind a fan with a flowery design and wearing a flower crown on top of his head...
"Hey, beautiful, wanna see how real people have fun?"
Shen Jiu sighed as yet another person looked between them and mistook him for he tree spirit.
It was flattering, really. To be looked at and believed to be something more ethereal than the gutter trash he had grown up as... Cheong Myeong always got such a kick of those misidentifications, too.
The man beside him tumbled to the ground with a pained yelp, the cracking of bone overshadowed by the cracking of roots pulling him down.
Paying him no more attention, Shen Jiu turned towards Cheong Myeong. "Perhaps it is time to retire for the night?"
Sweeping the remaining bottles under one arm, Cheong Myeong courteously offered him the other. "As my plum blossom fairy wishes," he said with mischief-filled voice. Shen Jiu accepted his arm easily, wondering when Cheong Myeong would run out of silly nicknames as he stepped over the fallen man.
This wasn't the first time someone had made such an assumption, and it wouldn't be the last. But with Cheong Myeong remaining by his side, Shen Jiu couldn't bring himself to mind.
