Chapter Text
Altar Master Yuan watched as Yin Hanjiang landed and made his way to the main hall where the Venerable had been in secluded meditation for seven days and nights.
He intercepted him just outside of the main hall, “Yin Hanjiang, I wasn’t aware that the Venerable had sent for you .”
“He didn’t.” Yin Hanjiang said, making no move to explain.
Altar Master Yuan barely stopped an eye roll, well aware that any disrespect to Yin Hanjiang would be met with swift retribution from the Venerable, “Then why are you here?”
Yin Hanjiang didn’t answer him and knocked on the door, “Venerable?”
“What makes you thi-”
He was cut off by the door opening and the Venerable seizing Yin Hanjiang by the waist and pulling him into the room.
Altar Master Yuan stared as the door was closed once again.
Yin Hanjiang wasn’t even part of the sect!
Not for the first time he wondered how a rogue cultivator had gained the Venerable’s favor and trust.
* * *
The instant the doors were closed, Wenren E released the grip he had on Yin Hanjiang's waist, “Why are you here?”
“Altar Master Yuan asked me that already, but I came because I hadn’t heard from you at all.”
Yin Hanjiang continued the rest in a softer voice that the Venerable had to strain to hear, “And I was worried.”
“Yin Hanjiang has no need to worry, this Venerable’s power far eclipses that of his subordinates.” Wenren E reassured, mollifying Yin Hanjiang, “Can I show you something?”
Yin Hanjiang nodded and Wenren E grasped his hand and led him to where he had placed the book down, debating whether to destroy it before he had heard Yin Hanjiang.
Yin Hanjiang eyebrows crinkled in confusion as he took in the title, “I had no idea this Venerable had such tastes in literature.”
“Read it.”
“I believe that I can take your word for it.” Yin Hanjiang's mouth twitched up as if he was trying not to laugh at Wenren E's expense.
Wenren E sighed and opened the book to the inscription, showing it to Yin Hanjiang who looked genuinely taken aback once he read it, “Does the Venerable believe this book?”
He nodded, “I do.”
“Well,” Yin Hanjiang said, smiling at Wenren E in a way that made him feel like he was at war, “Should we get to fixing our world?”
* * *
Wenren E and Yin Hanjiang waited for Shu Yanyan to come to the meeting room, Yin Hanjiang having stuck up so many privacy talismans that Wenren E could shout at the top of his voice and no one would hear a thing.
He didn’t test it though, confident in Yin Hanjiang's abilities.
A while later, Shu Yanyan appeared, her scantily clothed form swaying gracefully, though her expression became more pained as she laid eyes on Yin Hanjiang who had scooted closer to Wenren E once she had appeared.
“What does this Venerable require of his Right Protector?” Shu Yanyan asked, through gritted teeth and an emphasis on her position in the sect.
Wenren E paid no attention to the tension between his Right Protector and Yin Hanjiang, aware they got like this almost every time they were in a room together and said plainly, seeing no reason to hide his intentions, “Do you know of the chief disciple of Shangqing Sect, He Wenzhao?”
“Oh!” Shu Yanyan said, propping her head upon a fist, “Venerable, I had no idea your tastes ran in that direction. I suppose righteous cultivators are very attractive in their own sort of way.”
Wenren E resisted the urge to faceplant, why was that the first thought that came to her mind!
Yin Hanjiang glared at Shu Yanyan like he was going to set her ablaze and Wenren E was extremely tempted to let him.
He cleared his throat, “You have mistaken this Venerable’s intentions, this Venerable wanted to know if you had made contact with him.”
Shu Yanyan frowned, “Why didn’t the Venerable just say so?”
Wenren E…
“Anyways,” Shu Yanyan continued, “I made contact with He Wenzhao around three months ago when you sent us out to investigate the righteous sects.” She licked her lips, “His true yang was quite satisfying.”
Wenren E nodded along, barely paying attention. Due to Shu Yanyan's testimony, he figured out that they were in the first part of the book.
He diverted the conversation before Shu Yanyan could start sharing explicit details, something she was prone to do, “Draw it out.”
“Huh?”
“Use your typical strategy.” He clarified, “No need to do anything extreme.”
Shu Yanyan looked taken aback, “Should we not deal with him before he becomes a problem?”
“Do you dare to go against the Venerable’s word?” Yin Hanjiang asked her, his tone dripping with derision, “Does this lowly scum think itself above the Venerable? Does it think it can question him?”
Shu Yanyan blanched in fear, “I meant no insul-”
Yin Hanjiang interrupted her, “Did the Venerable say you could speak?”
“Hanjiang,” Wenren E said, “Come with me, I’m sure Protector Shu Yanyan has learned her lesson and will be on her way immediately.”
Shu Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief, “This lowly on-”
“I don’t recall giving you permission to speak,” Wenren E interrupted her this time, “Now begone.”
Shu Yanyan practically fled out of the room and Wenren E turned to Yin Hanjiang, “Did we overdo it?”
Yin Hanjiang mouth twitched up again, “I think we under did it if anything. Now why don’t we go see what happens while you tell me the events of the book?”
* * *
The two of them waited on the second floor of the tea house, Wenren E disguising himself with a thick deep red cloak and Yin Hanjiang pretending to be a woman.
Wenren E tapped his foot impatiently, regretting declining the tea Yin Hanjiang had brought him for want of something to do.
Yin Hanjiang sipped the tea that he had originally tried to give to Wenren E, the rouge he had applied leaving a slight pinkish smear, “Look, there’s a spider pretending to be a butterfly.”
Wenren E looked around and saw Shu Yanyan pretending to be a white lotus, “Really?”
Yin Hanjiang poked him with his foot and hissed, “She’s coming here!”
At that, Wenren E became alert. Once Shu Yanyan had spotted He Wenzhao and subsequently Baili Qingmiao, she was supposed to walk over to him and Yin Hanjiang and carry out the next phase of their plan.
Shu Yanyan arrived, her demeanor completely changed, even Wenren E had trouble reconciling her with the Right Protector of Xuanyuan sect. Yin Hanjiang tossed a ten-tael silver piece into her basket. Shu Yanyan picked up her flower basket and turned to Yin Hanjiang, “Madam, this maiden is only selling flowers, there’s no need to pay this much.”
Yin Hanjiang leaned back, a cruel twist in his mouth that Wenren E couldn’t stop himself from fixating on, “I gave it to you so don’t be ungrateful. It’s very rude to refuse such a gracious gift.”
“I appreciate this madam's generosity, but it’s not right for me to accept silver. This maiden isn’t willing to do so.” SYY placed the silver back onto the table, bowing respectfully towards YHJ, a brief flash of malice on her features.
Yin Hanjiang transmitted a message to Wenren E, “Shove the silver down the front of her robes.”
Wenren E…
He couldn’t dishonor a woman in such a way, despite it technically being consensual, or his mother would rise back from the dead to strike him.
Yin Hanjiang sensing Wenren E’s hesitation transmitted another message, “You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. You can just throw her off.”
Wenren E felt a sense of relief that his ancestors wouldn’t feel ashamed of him and, picking up Shu Yanyan, threw her off the balcony.
Shu Yanyan:…
She was falling right in front of He Wenzhao and Baili Qingmiao, Wenren E having aimed for a spot that would allow them to see her clearly.
Yin Hanjiang and Wenren E watched as He Wenzhao made no move to help but Baili Qingmiao immediately tried to catch her.
They continued to watch as Shu Yanyan sped up her fall with spiritual energy and crashed into the ground before Baili Qingmiao could catch her. Baili Qingmiao immediately started trying to help her and He Wenzhao looked remorseful.
“Was this supposed to happen?” Yin Hanjiang asked, turning to Wenren E.
Wenren E:…
Yin Hanjiang sighed, “So do we continue watc-”
He was interrupted by Baili Qingmiao leaping onto the second floor and setting down Shu Yanyan.
She glared at Wenren E, “Was it you who pushed her?!”
Wenren E finally took his first proper look at Baili Qingmiao, examining her appearance, he could detect a faint layer of divine light. He attempted various other methods of sight and still saw it. He glanced over at Yin Hanjiang who didn’t seem to have seen it.
Baili Qingmiao repeated her question, taking Wenren E out of his thoughts, “ Was it you who pushed her?! ” The divine light seemed to suddenly get brighter as Baili Qingmiao became angrier.
Wenren E was about to reply when He Wenzhao arrived and immediately put all of his attention towards Shu Yanyan, “Don’t worry Miss Shu, I’ll get justice for you!”
Wenren E was pretty sure that Baili Qingmiao was already doing that.
As Shu Yanyan started using her seductiveness on He Wenzhao, Baili Qingmiao brought out her bonded weapon, the Moonlit Frost Silk.
He Wenzhao brought out his weapon too, also aimed at Yin Hanjiang and Wenren E.
Yin Hanjiang's expression darkened and his hand went to one of his hidden weapons. Wenren E grabbed his hand before he could pull it out.
Yin Hanjiang ran colder than most people and Wenren E’s pursuit of the Dao in hot-blooded warfare allowed him to run much hotter than a normal person so the contact between the two of them slowly transferred heat to Yin Hanjiang. The tips of Yin Hanjiang's ears flushed pink at the contact but he didn’t pull away, causing an odd pleased sensation to spread through Wenren E.
He idly stroked his thumb against Yin Hanjiang's hand while trying to get Baili Qingmiao and He Wenzhao to calm down, “Seeing as you two are honorable cultivators with profound powers, what need is there to pick a fight over a lowly woman?”
However, Baili Qingmiao seemed to get even angrier and tried to charge at them, He Wenzhao stopping her.
The two of them exchanged mental transmissions, unaware that Yin Hanjiang, Wenren E, and Shu Yanyan could hear them due to their superior cultivation levels.
Shu Yanyan, sensing that Baili Qingmiao and He Wenzhao would probably be killed soon by Yin Hanjiang, diffused the situation, “Young Master He, Miss Baili, you don’t need to get hurt for my sake. What this master said was right. I am no more than a lowly woman.”
She bitterly put the silver piece into her lapel herself and choked out, “Thank you, honored guests, for your generosity.”
Yin Hanjiang took over talking since Wenren E seemed to be so bad at it, “Since you know your manners, me and my companion will save the Shangqing Sect some face and avoid picking a fight with its juniors.”
Wenren E grabbed Yin Hanjiang by the waist and disappeared so that they couldn’t follow them even if they wanted to.
They sent away Shu Yanyan’s subordinates, and waited for her transmission of success.
* * *
Some time later, Shu Yanyan transmitted her success and asked her subordinates to delay Baili Qingmiao.
Wenren E intercepted the message and told her that he and Yin Hanjiang would take care of it.
As soon as he finished the transmission, he brought Yin Hanjiang and him to Baili Qingmiao’s location.
She immediately went for her weapon again, and Yin Hanjiang tensed up in his arms, Wenren E having not let go of him since leaving the tea shop and being loath to do so now.
He sent a quick transmission to Yin Hanjiang, telling him not to act, and, extending a finger, tapped the silver silk, returning it to Baili Qingmiao and sealing her power.
She seemed scared for a second, but her fear turned to resolve, “If you want to kill me, then go ahead! If I even flinch , I’m not worthy of being a disciple of Shangqing Sect!”
“Miss Baili, please don’t misjudge us,” Yin Hanjiang said, still in Wenren E’s arms, “We purposely sought you out for a reason.”
Baili Qingmiao seemed to have calmed down and Wenren E conjured three elegant chairs, unfortunately having to let go of Yin Hanjiang to do so.
He gestured to them, and Baili Qingmiao took a seat, her hands slightly trembling.
He sat down next, and Yin Hanjiang took the last one, scooting it closer to Wenren E.
He gestured for Yin Hanjiang to speak, untrusting of his own clumsy words.
Yin Hanjiang cleared his throat, “Miss Baili, earlier we caught sight of you and my companion simply threw down an object to catch your attention.”
Baili Qingmiao clenched her hands into fists, her anger intensifying towards Yin Hanjiang and Wenren E had to hold himself back from getting rid of her, primordial goddess or not, “That was a person , not an object!”
Yin Hanjiang tilted his head to the side, a faint smirk on his lips, “Really? In that case what difference is there between what my companion did and this?” He flicked his finger, and a gust of wind blew an ant onto Baili Qingmiao’s leg.
Baili Qingmiao's voice trembled as she gently placed the ant back onto the ground, “They are different. And ants are also guiltless.”
“How are they different?” Yin Hanjiang asked, “I used my power to move an object just as my companion did.”
“A person is a person and an ant is not a person and neither of them are objects!” Baili Qingmiao insisted, her hands turning to fists once again.
“Does not all life under heaven go to the same destination and all living beings have their own awareness?” Yin Hanjiang shot back, “Who are you to attempt to draw a line between creatures that the heavens themselves have deemed equal?”
Baili Qingmiao looked stricken, her spiritual essence running wild. Wenren E took over, not wanting to provoke her into a qi deviation, “There’s no need to dwell on this. Humanity is currently the chief of all living things, as decided by fate. It is not a crime against heaven to value human life over that of others.
Baili Qingmiao seemed much more mollified by Wenren E’s words and her expression eased.
She contemplated for a quarter hour before standing up and cupping a fist towards Wenren E, “Thanks to this master for his guidance.”
Wenren E waved her off, “It was nothing, just some random truths of heaven. The fact that you were able to comprehend them just shows that you’re naturally suited for the Path of Indifference. In your future, take care not to select the wrong path.”
Baili Qingmiao’s eyes, while dispassionate, held compassion in them and she seemed to be looking beyond.
However, in an instant, her demeanor changed, “Shixiong and Miss Shu are still waiting for the medicine!”
As she bounced off, stars in her eyes, Yin Hanjiang turned to Wenren E, “Did it go well?”
Wenren E thought it over, “We failed to get Baili Qingmiao to become jealous or let go of He Wenzhao. However, Shu Yanyan has already seduced He Wenzhao and we’ve planted the idea of the Path of Indifference in Baili Qingmiao’s head.”
“So yes or no?”
“It didn’t go the way we wanted, but we didn’t exactly fail.” Wenren E said, “So yes.”
Yin Hanjiang seemed to take this statement as acceptable and turned to Wenren E again, “Does us changing events also change the book’s events?”
Wenren E hesitated and opened up the book and saw the inscription had changed.
Plot holes beginning to be fixed. Please continue your efforts.
He turned to the end of the book and discovered a reviews page on the back filled with all sorts of messages:
[So the legendary trash novel author returns for round 2.]
[I want to know who the woman and man are!]
[Join the club]
[Their good cop/bad cop routine is really fun though. I don’t think the woman likes BQM very much]
[What possibly gave it away Sherlock?]
[Are they married?]
[That woman can step on me]
[Keep it up EternalBlossom!]
“Who’s “eternalblossom”?” Yin Hanjiang asked behind him, having been reading the reviews over his shoulder, “Also, why does that one want me to step on them?”
“I have no idea.” Wenren E answered, closing the book before Yin Hanjiang could read anything else, “Do you want to come back to Xuanyuan sect with me?”
Yin Hanjiang nodded, and he grasped him by the waist again and traveled back to Xuanyuan sect.
* * *
As they traveled back, Wenren E lost himself in his thoughts.
Thankfully, all the new reviews had been centered around the change the two of them had made, otherwise Yin Hanjiang would have figured out that he had left quite a few things behind in his explanation.
Yin Hanjiang poked him in the cheek, jolting him out of his thoughts, “Venerable?”
He gave him a small acknowledging nod and realized that they had arrived.
He helped Yin Hanjiang down, almost getting lost in the silvery hues of his eyes catching the light.
He continued to hold Yin Hanjiang's hand as he led him to the quarters that Yin Hanjiang always used when staying at Xuanyuan sect, having the passing thought to lead him to his own.
Yin Hanjiang's hand slipped out of his as he crossed the threshold into his rooms, turning around to look at Wenren E before entering.
Wenren E stood there in front of Yin Hanjiang's door for a beat or two, before leaving to his own quarters.
He flipped through the book again, lingering on one part:
[Liu Xinye screamed as Yin Hanjiang flung her into the furnace. After she was refined into lamp oil, Yin Hanjiang carefully put together a lamp, painting it with emblems that were associated with Wenren E such as Polis. He ignited it and carefully carried it to Wenren E’s tomb. After doing so, he clutched Wenren E’s black robe with gold patterns and peacefully closed his eyes. However, the tracking device that Yin Hanjiang had placed on Baili Qingmiao lit up, signifying that she was in trouble again. Yin Hanjiang stared at the image of her that was displayed in the air before him, tilting his head slightly, then he rubbed his cheek along Wenren E’s robe, folded it, and replaced it neatly in the tomb.
He quietly walked out of the tomb. Without using spiritual energy to protect his hand, he smothered the ever burning lamp with his palm. Next, with a sweep of his arm, it shattered against a nearby boulder, shards scattering across the ground, lamp oil slowly spilling into the dirt.
“Hahahahahaha!”
Yin Hanjiang looked at his singed palm and suddenly burst into laughter. As the laughter went on, he placed a hand over his mouth, making painful, muffled noises, as if it was taking all the strength he had to restrain his emotions.
He bowed his head, staying that way until Venus rose in the sky. At the darkest moment before daybreak, Yin Hanjiang lifted his head and placed the ghost mask on his face. From behind the mask came words through gritted teeth. “Bai. Li. Qing. Miao.”]
The scene caused Wenren E to feel an indescribable emotion. He couldn’t allow Yin Hanjiang to figure out that Baili Qingmiao had been responsible for his death or that Yin Hanjiang had been his subordinate. He didn’t want to shackle Yin Hanjiang to him.
He closed the book and went into meditation until Yin Hanjiang arrived along with the morning.
* * *
This Chapter:
YHJ being a little sadist: You're dead and buried darling~
WE being an oblivious simp: And bricked! HELLO!