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No matter how long Shen Yuan thought about it, he came to the same conclusion every single time: It would be best if he died. Well, “died”.

Sitting at the low table in his – well, “his” – Bamboo House, Shen Yuan was surrounded by his notes, fragments of ideas he wanted to cross-reference or spin further. He should put them away soon, before Ming Fan would arrive with this evening's meal. Even though the notes were written in code, that fact alone would rouse suspicion.

It made sense, really. With no Shen Qingqiu present, there wouldn't be anyone anymore to torment Luo Binghe any further. Shen Yuan couldn't change what had already been done to him, but once he was gone, Luo Binghe's life as a disciple of Qing Jing Peak was sure to improve. If Shen Qingqiu was not around, he wouldn't be able to throw Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss in a few short years and Luo Binghe would have zero reason to take revenge on him once he fought his way out of it. And, more importantly, there would be no human sticking in Shen Yuan's future!

The timing was everything in this plan. Shen Yuan couldn't just up and leave on the spot. No, he had to make his death look convincing enough so nobody would come looking for him.

Shen Yuan shuffled his notes around, and his gaze fell onto the one he had scribbled the charges against Shen Qingqiu on that got him into the Water Prison. His gaze stopped on one specific charge. Shen Qingqiu murdered Liu Qingge in the Lingxi Caves.

That would be an additional perk of his death. With no Shen Qingqiu around to murder his martial brother, Liu Qingge would live. It was a shame he had died off-screen in PIDW without ever making an appearance. From what Shen Yuan could piece together from the few mentions of him, he had sounded like such an interesting character! Almost enough to rival Luo Binghe. Maybe, if he timed it right, Shen Yuan could take a glimpse at him before he left.

Shen Yuan sat up straighter. Yeah, that was actually a pretty decent plan. It could actually work.

Shen Qingqiu was known to have frequent qi deviations. Hell, the original goods died during one himself! It wouldn't be weird if Shen Qingqiu died in a deathly qi deviation. And in the Lingxi Caves, it would take people a while to even notice, giving Shen Yuan a head start. Who was to say a qi deviation wouldn't leave no body behind? They were funky like that. If there was enough evidence of his death, no one would question it despite the lack of a body. Shen Yuan was sure he could get Yue Qingyuan to agree to let him meditate in the Lingxi Caves.

Putting his secret notes away, Shen Yuan immediately wrote a short message to Yue Qingyuan requesting a meeting. He would let Ming Fan deliver it when he would inevitably arrive with the evening's meal.

Once done, he started packing. Nothing too conspicuous, of course, just a few things no one would even notice were gone. A few unremarkable pieces of jewellery he could exchange if needed. Some of the coin Shen Yuan found hidden away in the back of a drawer. A small chunk of the paper supply and a few ink sticks.

When Shen Yuan picked up Xiu Ya, he hesitated. A sword this powerful would be of huge help. Even with his grand total of zero experience, it had been invaluable against the Skinner demon. But on the other hand, it was one of the most recognizable swords in this world. Even a glimpse at it from the wrong person would send the other Peak Lords running to his doorstep.

Neither of the options was perfect. But Shen Yuan felt reluctant to just leave it behind. The thought alone felt like ripping out a limb and he instinctively shied back of it.

Settling on a compromise, Shen Yuan decided to put it in a separate qiankun pouch once he was in the Lingxi Caves. That way, nobody would see it, but it was there if he ran into a problem he couldn’t get out of without it, just in case.

Finally, Shen Yuan grabbed one more qiankun pouch and opened Shen Qingqiu’s wardrobe.

With every simple robe that he put away, every one of the qiankun pouches filling up with things he could use once he was out of the sect, Shen Yuan felt more sure of his decision. Maybe everything would be fine after all. Maybe he didn't need to follow the original script.

Maybe he could live.

***

­­Shen Yuan was ready. He checked the qiankun pouches on his hip once again – yep, all of them still there. The only thing left to do now was wait for a bit until Yue Qingyuan had left and maybe sneak a peek at Liu Qingge on his way out.

Having picked one of the caves at random – well, not really, it was the first cave with some decent lighting – Shen Yuan sank down on a conveniently placed stone and pulled out one of the books he had found in Shen Qingqiu's private library. It was a poetry collection. Usually, Shen Yuan would have preferred something else, a bestiary or some fiction even, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Shen Yuan had considered using his only chance in the Lingxi Caves to further his cultivation – but then again, dead men didn't have any use for cultivation. There would be time for that later, even though it would take longer that way. He couldn't afford to lose track of time, with how time sensitive this plan was. So he settled in and opened the book. Once he finished it, enough time should have passed to enact his plan of getting the fuck out of here.

A noise from deeper into the caves distracted him before Shen Yuan could get through the first dozen of pages. He focused. Was that… a person? A person in pain?

The next moment, a wave of turmoilous qi hit him.

Oh shit. Couldn't they have waited just a little bit longer to qi deviate until he was gone and it would no longer have been his problem? But whoever that was qi deviating, Shen Yuan should probably check on them, right?

Getting up, Shen Yuan put the book back into one of his pouches and followed both the increasing noise and the feeling of wrongness until he could make out the distinct sound of metal on stone. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Turning around the last corner, Shen Yuan finally had a direct view of the figure thrashing against the cave walls like a mad animal. The robes, once white, were only barely recognizable under the red streaks of blood covering it.

Shen Yuan did not have to be a genius to know the other would most likely die if he didn't do anything. He swore under his breath.

The figure's head snapped in Shen Yuan's direction, teeth bared in a snarl, and he shot his sword at him in a raw yet swift movement. Swearing again, Shen Yuan dove to the side and the sword embedded itself in the wall where Shen Yuan had just been standing. Shen Yuan stared at it.

He knew that sword. Cheng Luan had been described in great detail in PIDW. A powerful, elegant weapon Liu Mingyan had reforged after her brother’s death that she constantly wore on her, not trusting anyone in the harem enough to let it out of her sight. But if that sword was Cheng Luan… Oh shit.

Liu Qingge threw himself at Shen Yuan before he could react, knocking him over. Shen Yuan landed hard, taking a moment to reorient himself. Liu Qingge took advantage of that moment, going for Shen Yuan's throat and strangling him.

Shen Yuan couldn't breathe. He tried to scratch at Liu Qingge's hold, but it was ironclad. If this continued, Shen Yuan wouldn't need to fake his death, he would go through the real deal. Distantly, Shen Yuan thought of Xiu Ya in its qiankun pouch and regretted having already put it away. But who could have expected him to fight for his life while still on Cang Qiong Mountain??

In a last-ditch effort, Shen Yuan focused all of his qi into his right hand and struck the Liu Qingge in his chest.

Momentarily, the grasp on his throat disappeared and Shen Yuan gasped in several lungfuls of air, coughing. Only then could he look around, searching for Liu Qingge.

He found him on the other side of the cave, slumped over, a trickle of blood rolling down from his mouth. Fuck. With a qi deviation this violent, it was only a matter of a few minutes at most before blood started to seep from his other orifices as well. Not enough time to call for help.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He couldn't just leave him to die, could he?

Slowly, Shen Yuan crawled over to where Liu Qingge laid on the floor. Once he was close enough, he reached out and grabbed the other's wrist. Shen Yuan didn't know what he was doing, but somehow, he managed to start a qi transfer, his own qi recovered enough in this qi-rich environment. He would transfer just enough to stabilize Liu Qingge and once he was sure the other would live, Shen Yuan was out of here. All the raw qi in this cave should be enough to cover his disappearance without raising any suspicions. He should thank Liu Qingge for that.

Opening the eyes he hadn't even realized he had closed, Shen Yuan finally got a proper look at Liu Qinnge.

The other had a delicate, almost maiden-like face, now that he wasn't in the midst of trying to kill Shen Yuan. It looked nothing like all the fanart had depicted him, but Shen Yuan supposed it made sense. As the brother of the most beautiful wife, of course Liu Qingge would be equally beautiful. He might even be the most beautiful person Shen Yuan had ever seen in real life. He would no doubt rival a fully grown Luo Binghe.

No wonder he had to die off-screen.

Shen Yuan itched for his keyboard, just so he could chew out Airplane for never mentioning any of this.

It took a while, but eventually the bleeding stopped, and Liu Qingge did not look like he was only two steps from death anymore. Just to be safe, Shen Yuan continued the qi transfer until he could see some of the colour return to the other's face.

There, that should be enough.

Carefully, Shen Yuan put Liu Qingge's wrist down and sat up. He took a deep breath.

He had just saved Liu Qingge. It hit him that he probably qi deviated in PIDW as well and it had never been mentioned. Did Shen Qingqiu even murder him? With how bad the qi deviation had been when Shen Yuan got here, he didn’t know anymore what to think! Was there actually lore behind the most one-dimensional scum villain imaginable that Airplane had never bothered to write?

Okay. Fine. Shen Yuan could dwell on that later, after he was out of here. For now, he pulled out the second-best robes he had found in Shen Qingqiu’s wardrobe and carefully torn in preparation. Feeling inspired, he swiped it through one of the puddles of blood near him and considered his work.

Yeah, this should work well enough.

Getting up, he draped the robe on the ground where the angry qi was especially condensed. He turned back towards the cave's entrance, checking one last time that all of his qiankun pouches were still there.

Before he could take the first step, a cough sounded from behind him, followed by a hoarse voice. “Shen Qingqiu! What do you think you are doing?”­

Shen Yuan froze. Shit. How was he already awake again?

***

Liu Qingge had woken all at once and immediately zeroed in on that lecher Shen Qingqiu. He watched as the other stood frozen, not even willing to face him as he was caught red-handed.

Trying to sit up, Liu Qingge soon had to abandon the idea. The movement jolted his body uncomfortably and made him cough up blood. A quick look down revealed even more blood he had lost, but no visible injuries. The amount was not deadly, but enough that he wouldn't easily win a fight at this time if it came down to it. Shen Qingqiu must have used one of his dirty tricks again, he thought with a flare of his temper that almost made him cough blood again.

“Shen Qingqiu!” he bellowed. “Taking advantage like that to attack, how shameless!” He coughed and felt more blood dripping down his face. “Fleeing like a coward. At least make sure you finish the job.” Liu Qingge had to lean against the cave wall behind him, swiping his hand over the lower part of his face. It came back a bright red.

There was an audible breath before Shen Qingqiu finally spoke, not even having the decency to turn around to look at Liu Qingge. “What this shixiong did is saving shidi from a most likely deadly qi deviation. Shidi is welcome.”

Liu Qingge scowled. Yeah, right. As if that Shen Qingqiu had done something like saving him. He was the one publicly announcing he would kill Liu Qingge on the regular!

Nonetheless, Liu Qingge ran a quick scan on himself, not letting Shen Qingqiu out of his sight, and discovered his meridians to be brittle, almost splintering in some places. He had not much experience with qi deviations, but Liu Qingge instinctively knew that those were consequences of a bad one.

His scowl deepened. Great. Seemed like he owed that lecher. Liu Qingge was sure the other would hold it over him forever from now on.

“Then what are you planning now?”

Finally, Shen Qingqiu turned around and fixed his usual glare at Liu Qingge. Liu Qingge relaxed the tiniest bit but didn't let down his guard. This was the prickly shixiong he knew what to expect of. Liu Qingge did not enjoy this moment of weakness. But the predictability was reassuring, especially with Liu Qingge still laying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood.

“Look, shidi, this has nothing to do with you. Just pretend you haven't seen me. This shixiong won't bother you from now on. You won't have to see me again.”

“No.” Liu Qingge squinted at him. Whatever that Shen Qingqiu had planned now, Liu Qingge had no desire to be part of it. Why would he want to sneak out of the caves, when he must have entered them after Liu Qingge had with barely any time to cultivate? If Shen Qingqiu thought to use the debt he had acquired for something honorless – and it reeked of the man's usual lack of honour – he would soon find Liu Qingge could not be moved to do that. Not even with a life debt hanging over his head.

Shen Qingqiu looked unimpressed. “This one did not ask for shidi's permission.” He turned back to the cave's entrance.

Suppressing the urge to cough up more blood, Liu Qingge assessed his options.

With his qi being as unsettled as it was, there weren't many. He couldn't physically force Shen Qingqiu to stay. Although it would be an interesting challenge, a fight with a handicap like that, Liu Qingge knew it was a bad idea.

He put the thought away for later.

But just letting him go was not an option. Just thinking about what that Shen Qingqiu might do to shame Cang Qiong made Liu Qingge's temper almost boil over and his vision tinge red.

There was one more option. If Liu Qingge followed him, he could keep an eye on him. Prevent him from doing something doubtlessly scummy and keep Cang Qiong’s reputation from being dragged through the mud. Maybe he could even find an opportunity to get that pesky life debt out of the way.

Gritting his teeth, Liu Qingge came to a decision. If that was what it would take… “Fine.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed long-sufferingly but paused again. “Fine what, shidi?”

“Wait here.”

“This one already said this does not concern shidi and this one is not asking for—”

“I will help you,” Liu Qingge interrupted through gritted teeth. He was not happy with his decision and the possible consequences, but he had made it and now he would stick with it. It was the best he could do under the circumstances.

This made the other pause and slowly turn back around. “What?”

“I will help you,” Liu Qingge repeated. He felt more blood rise in his throat just thinking about what he was agreeing to.

Shen Qingqiu was unimpressed. “Why?”

Wasn't Shen Qingqiu supposed to be smart? “You saved me,” Liu Qingge spelled out the obvious. “I owe you.”

Shen Qingqiu blinked. “If shidi lets me go and won't tell the others, he can consider it repaid.”

“No,” Liu Qingge shot back and had to stop as another cough shook his body.

This was getting annoying. He tried to channel some of his qi to fix this, but he did not have enough of a grasp on it to quicken his healing. Fine, he'd ignore his state as much as possible. Liu Qingge would survive it. He tried to sit up, using the wall he had been leaning on as leverage.

Shen Qingqiu was watching him from where he stood. Something about it was weird, but Liu Qingge could not put his finger on what it was. It bugged him.

“Liu-shidi, you are in no state to do anything such. Shidi should go and let Mu-shidi check him over instead of whatever he thinks he is trying to achieve,” Shen Qingqiu deadpanned. His hand twitched in an abandoned movement, as if he wanted to grab something but changed his mind before he could follow through.

Liu Qingge didn't think he could argue his way out of this, with how drenched in sweat he was from his efforts to get up with barely any result. He had managed to sit up but had to lean back for a few moments before he could attempt actually standing. “Fine. I will go. You stay here, or I will tell Zhanmeng-shixiong,” he threatened.

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he had put on his usual unnervingly blank mask, making Liu Qingge only now realize it had not been there before. “This master will wait for one more day. Then he will leave, whether shidi is part of it or not. And shidi, if you do tell anyone, you will regret it. That this master promises.” He murmured something under his breath, but Liu Qingge did not bother to focus his hearing to understand it. He got what he wanted, after all. A day was more than enough time to get back his strength.

***

Liu Qingge half expected to find Shen Qingqiu gone once he returned to the Lingxi Caves, like the honourless, lying rat that he was. But there he was, still in the cave with the disturbed qi where he had left him. He looked like he was meditating, but as Liu Qingge entered, Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes.

“Shidi,” he greeted and got up, brushing off dust from his robes that Liu Qingge knew for a fact wasn't there. The qi flow in the Lingxi Caves took care of that.

Without warning, Liu Qingge threw the additional qiankun pouch he had been holding at him. Shen Qingqiu struggled to catch it. He glared at Liu Qingge once he did. “And what, pray tell, is this supposed to be?” he demanded.

“Supplies.” Liu Qingge crossed his arms. He could feel the bandages under his robes Mu Qingfang had dressed him with stretch uncomfortably.

Shen Qingqiu let out a deep, heavy sigh.

“Medical supplies,” Liu Qingge added.

That honourless lecher still did not show any signs of gratitude. Liu Qingge did not know why he expected anything else.

It had not originally been his plan, but Mu Qingfang had not let him leave without a generous supply of bandages and various generic medicines and antidotes, like he always gave him whenever Liu Qingge had no choice but to go to Qian Cao Peak. Medicine saved people, right? So, Liu Qingge reasoned, if he gave that pouch to Shen Qingqiu, he was starting to pay back his debt towards him. He himself still had more than enough from his last visit to Qian Cao.

It was not nearly enough to pay back a life debt, but it was a start. If Liu Qingge didn’t get an opportunity to properly do it, this was at least something to bridge the gap.

Without looking inside, Shen Qingqiu pulled the pouch into his sleeve. “If that is all, this master will leave. With or without shidi's help.”

Liu Qingge glared at the other. It had been a promise. He did promise to do just that. And he – unlike some people – kept his promises.

He turned away. “Follow me.”

“Wait.” Shen Qingqiu did something and Liu Qingge felt the other's qi wash over him.

Looking back, he saw Shen Qingqiu cut his wrist and smear some of his blood around the cave, infusing it with his qi. For good measure, he also covered the robes he had already placed on the ground with it.

“What are you doing?” Liu Qingge demanded to know, glowering.

“What does it look like?” Shen Qingqiu moved the crumbled robes a bit further to the side. “Okay, now we can go.”

Liu Qingge could hardly believe that he was actually helping that rat try to fake his death and betray Cang Qiong like that. He gritted his teeth, already regretting all of his decisions leading him here.

***

Liu Qingge was nothing like his sister had described him whenever she had mentioned him in PIDW. He was rude, for one. Annoyingly stubborn. And ready to start a fight at the drop of a needle. (Though that one he had kinda expected, with Bai Zhan being Like That. His disciples had to have picked it up somewhere!)

Also why was the man so pretty??

Shen Yuan was still not sure it had been a good idea to give in and let him join. The other could decide to drag him back at any moment and Shen Yuan doubted he could stand against the great War God of Bai Zhan in his full power. But Shen Yuan couldn't afford the watchful eye of the sect leader on him if Liu Qingge went through with his threat, which Shen Yuan was 70% sure he wouldn't. But in case he did, it would crush his slim chance of escaping to dust. Which would mean the human stick future he was trying to escape was back on the table.

So all things considered, Shen Yuan came to the conclusion that the best approach in dealing with him was to accept his presence as inevitable and continue on as if he weren't there, trying to be civil all the while. Which was not hard at all! PIDW's world building had always been fascinating, and now, Shen Yuan got to experience all of it first-hand! There was so much he still wanted to see before it was destroyed during the inevitable merging of the realms, whenever that might end up being in this universe. Just in case, Shen Yuan had to use this chance he got as thoroughly as he could.

Leaning over a small splattering of Great Relief Fungi which were, weirdly enough despite what their name suggested, used for pain relief rather than being another papapa plant for once, Shen Yuan pretended the person leaning against a tree several steps behind him, arms crossed as he was watching him, wasn't there.

The Fungi had the slightest of shimmers around them, like they were a special item in a video game. Shen Yuan would have been more annoyed about it if it hadn't been so damn cool!

“If you want that mushroom, just take it,” Liu Qingge said, but he sounded resigned, like he already knew what Shen Yuan would reply.

Shen Yuan did not turn his gaze away from said mushroom. “As ever, you are free to go, shidi,” he said, pulling out the notebook he had gotten a few villages over as well as the ink and brush he had remembered to pack back on Qing Jing Peak. Opening the notebook to an empty page, Shen Yuan made to carefully draw the Great Relief Fungi in front of him, jotting down some properties and uses for them he still remembered from PIDW on the fringes.

It had started as an attempt to get rid of Liu Qingge. If Shen Yuan dragged his feet enough, maybe he would get annoyed enough to finally leave him alone. But by now, Shen Yuan genuinely enjoyed taking notes of the various beasts and plants they came across, at least some of which he was sure Airplane had never even mentioned. He did not yet know if he would ever use those notes for anything, but that was not the important part.

Once he added the final lines, Shen Yuan took another look at the page he had just filled. Yeah, that was enough for now, he could polish it up later on. With a quick application of qi, he dried the ink and put the notebook away. Then he stretched his arm behind him. “The specimen pouch, please.”

Liu Qingge grunted, but he did hand him the qiankun pouch he had asked for, the one Shen Yuan had been storing both the flowers with medical properties he had come across and cuttings of various plants he might use to start a garden if he ever decided to settle down. Or, depending on how things went, it was at least a nice safety net to have during his travels.

“Thanks, shidi.” Shen Yuan gave him a quick smile as he took it before turning back to the Fungi, carefully picking a few of them. One never knew when they might become useful, especially now that Shen Yuan had to look out for himself. The small stash of Qian Cao supplies Liu Qingge had given him was nice, but with no way to replenish it, Shen Yuan could not rely on it.

Picking one more mushroom, Shen Yuan stood up and finally turned to look at Liu Qingge. The other's ears were dusted in light pink again, but Shen Yuan had stopped worrying about that. From what he had gathered, it just seemed to be some mild allergy that did him no harm.

Shen Yuan pushed the Great Relief Fungus into Liu Qingge's hand. To his credit, the other did not immediately drop it the way he would have during their first week of travel. Progress, nice! “If shidi ever gets injured during one of his nighthunts, he should make sure he has one of those with him,” he explained. “While it won't heal you, it will numb the pain enough that shidi can find help.”

Liu Qingge turned the mushroom in his hand, glaring at it with no real heat behind it. At this point Shen Yuan suspected that glaring was just his default setting. Nodding once, Liu Qingge put the mushroom away and focused his glare on Shen Yuan. “Where to next?”

Brightening, Shen Yuan joined Liu Qingge's side and together they continued on their way. “If this one is correct, a herd of Wild Furred Elephant-Bears is supposed to migrate to their breeding grounds near the Western Desert any day now. We might catch sight of them about half a day's travel north of here, if shidi is interested.”

Those were another species gone extinct in PIDW due to the realm merging. Not even Luo Binghe had been able to find even one of them! The only proof they ever even existed had been the occasional eyewitness report from past nighthunts by those fortunate enough to see them.

Shen Yuan would so take the chance to see them himself while he still could!

Liu Qingge gave a grunt, keeping step with Shen Yuan. “Fine. Let's go.”

***

Ever since they had left the general vicinity of the Cang Qiong Mountain Range, Shen Qingqiu had been different. It was a difference as vast as day and night. Liu Qingge had half a mind wondering if Shen Qingqiu was possessed, but someone surely would have noticed that. Whatever was going on with that man, something told Liu Qingge that wasn’t it and he knew to trust his instincts. It seemed to go deeper somehow, though Liu Qingge could not describe how.

Shen Qingqiu had smiled. Multiple times. Liu Qingge felt his face grow hot just remembering it and the sudden urge to move made it nearly impossible to stay still as he waited for the other to finish up. He could count on one hand how often he had seen Shen Qingqiu smile before, and none of those times had been like this. There had always been an undercurrent of mockery, or ire. It had always been more like a beast showing its fangs rather than a real smile.

It made Liu Qingge wonder.

He stood to the side, watching as Shen Qingqiu talked to a merchant and exchanged something he pulled from one of his many qiankun pouches for a few osmanthus cakes. He did not hide his face behind a fan even once during the whole interaction, leaving his expression out in the open for anyone to see. Liu Qingge didn't know if the other had even brought any fans with him. He couldn't remember seeing one even once during their days of travel, his face constantly out in the open, revealing every single shift in his expression. Even though he struggled to understand what they meant, he couldn't look away. It made Liu Qingge feel like he was watching something private he shouldn't have seen, almost as if he had caught the other undressed.

Watching the easy way Shen Qingqiu talked with the merchant, his relaxed stance, Liu Qingge just didn't understand. What was wrong with Qing Jing Peak? Had it really been that unbearable there for Shen Qingqiu? Liu Qingge hadn't thought so. Anyone would be lucky to be part of one of the great sects, Cang Qiong especially. Surely Liu Qingge would have noticed something. But comparing how Shen Qingqiu had been before to what Liu Qingge was observing now, every day, he just didn't know what else to think.

(Maybe he had noticed. Maybe he just hadn’t understood.)

Finishing talking with the merchant, Shen Qingqiu returned to Liu Qingge and gave him one of those smiles again.

Liu Qingge looked away.

“Here.” Shen Qingqiu gave Liu Qingge half of the cakes he had acquired. Liu Qingge took them, glaring at them as if they held the answers to all of his questions. He put them away to deal with later and listened to Shen Qingqiu talk about where he wanted to go next without him needing any input from Liu Qingge.

It had become apparent pretty quickly that Shen Qingqiu had no plans to return to Cang Qiong if his faking his death hadn't already clued him in. And while Liu Qingge had bristled in the beginning at the idea of the sect strategist just abandoning his sect – especially after everything the sect had done for him – he could not bring himself to drag the other back. What a way that would be to repay his debt towards him, doing the one thing Shen Qingqiu had explicitly asked him not to do.

There had been no nefarious plots for the past few weeks, no wicked plans. Just Shen Qingqiu exploring the world as if he had never seen it before, his usual mask of ice thawing and showing sides of him Liu Qingge had never seen before. If he wasn't pretending – and Liu Qingge wasn't yet fully convinced that he wasn't – there were only so many conclusions one might reach.

“Immortal masters?” A girl in simple commoner's robes that couldn't have been older than Mingyan interrupted Shen Qingqiu's stream of words. She held her back straight as they turned towards her, not cowering under the attention of two powerful cultivators, Liu Qingge noticed approvingly.

“Yes? How may we help xiaojie?” Shen Qingqiu asked with a calm smile.

“I wondered if… you see, my father, he…”

“Deep breaths,” Shen Qingqiu interrupted her stuttering. He motioned them to move a few steps to the side to a calmer spot off the main path where they wouldn't block it for anyone passing by. Liu Qingge kept an eye on the two of them, but stayed out of it. This was not his area. If the girl had a beast tormenting her, Liu Qingge might reconsider.

Following Shen Qingqiu's advice, the girl took a breath, then another.

“There we go,” Shen Qingqiu encouraged. “Now start from the beginning. What is wrong with your father?”

The girl threw a sideways glance in Liu Qingge's direction, but catching his eyes, quickly focused on Shen Qingqiu. “My father is sick. He says he's dying, but…” She swallowed, wiping a hand over her eyes.

Shen Qingqiu hummed, and the girl continued. “He fell, and at first he was fine, but then he fell sick.” She focused her determined gaze on Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge felt a stab, watching how the other would react. She reminded him of that Qing Jing girl always hanging around Shen Qingqiu, the only one of his disciples that never seemed intimidated by him at all. Liu Qingge was all too aware about the rumours surrounding their relationship.

“Isn’t there a healer to take a look at him? This seems to require a healer’s expertise,” Shen Qingqiu asked slowly, consideringly.

The girl shook her head. “She passed away this past winter. Please, immortal master, can't you do anything?”

Looking past her, Shen Qingqiu locked eyes with Liu Qingge, who just shrugged. “Do as you want.” This was as far from a fight as it could get. Liu Qingge was not getting involved in this.

Suppressing an eye roll, Shen Qingqiu averted his eyes. “Well, this master is willing to take a look at your father, but he won't promise anything before he has seen the damage for himself.”

“Thanking immortal master!” The girl grabbed Shen Qingqiu's arm and he startled as she pulled him ahead. Liu Qingge, following behind, made no attempt to do anything about it. Seeing the great Shen Qingqiu brought down by a teenage girl was too amusing, so unlike his collected demeanor around that Qing Jing girl. It put that small part of Liu Qingge already getting ready for a fight to rest. For now.

The small wooden hut the girl brought them to was at the fringes of the village. With a glance, Liu Qingge took in the table cluttered with cooking supplies in the near corner and a chest with several pieces of clothing hanging out of it, before his gaze landed on the restlessly sleeping man in the only bed in the room.

While Liu Qingge had stopped at the door, Shen Qingqiu dropped to his knees before the bed without any hesitation or care for the filth now seeping into his robes, murmuring under his breath as he scanned the man.

“Has your father sustained any injuries when he fell?” Shen Qingqiu asked matter of factly.

The girl stepped closer, eyes fixed on her father. “He did. On his leg.”

Humming, Shen Qingqiu removed the blanket from the man and with a blade of qi, he cut away the leg of his pants.

The leg did not look good, swollen and discoloured as it was. Liu Qingge thought he could see the bone poking out. For a cultivator, the injury would have been manageable, but on a mortal? He would probably lose his leg, if not his life.

“What's your name, xiaojie?”

“Lin Xue,” the girl – Lin Xue – replied.

“Lin Xue, can you go to my shidi over there and get the pouch with my medical supplies from him?”

The girl nodded and approached Liu Qingge a little hesitantly.

It took Liu Qingge a few moments to understand which bag Shen Qingqiu wanted – the qiankun pouch with the medical supplies from Qian Cao he had given him that day in the caves hung right there on his waist!

“My personal medical pouch, shidi,” Shen Qingqiu added pointedly as he noticed them not moving. “The one I put the special medical plants into.”

That… was not what he usually called that pouch. Liu Qingge scowled as he handed over the newly dubbed personal medical pouch Shen Qingqiu had filled with various plants and beast parts over the past weeks. Whatever. Not like he cared.

Shen Qingqiu smiled absentmindedly at the girl as she handed the pouch over, and started rummaging through it, whatever for. Liu Qingge remembered every ingredient the other had mentioned. There were none of the ones Mu Qingfang kept on his Peak, nothing that could fix that man!

Setting some of the ingredients aside, Shen Qingqiu pulled out a small knife next – the one Liu Qingge had noticed on him countless times over the years, even though he had never drawn it. The plain worn handle always seemed out of place compared to everything else Shen Qingqiu preferred to surround himself with, yet now, it fit right in with the simpler attire he had adopted during their travels.

“Can you take this knife and hold it into the fire for a while to disinfect it, Lin Xue?”

Without questioning, the girl took the knife and followed the request. She seemed to grow more comfortable in her role as temporary assistant under Shen Qingqiu's guidance.

“Shidi, if you could bring me some clean water?” he asked as he pulled more supplies out of the actual medical pouch Liu Qingge had given him, mostly bandages.

Liu Qingge made a noise of ascent and scanned the room, finding a half-full bucket in the cooking corner of the house. That should do. He slapped two purifying talismans on the bucket and brought it over to Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu gave Lin Xue a brief nod when she handed him the knife. He waited a few moments for it to cool down, then he got to work. He made a well-placed cut on the man's leg and the pus immediately oozed out of it. Shen Qingqiu cleaned the wound and repeated the process in several more places, having Liu Qingge exchange the water once it got too clouded with dirt.

Feeling out of place, Liu Qingge mostly stuck to his spot near the door. While he wasn't queasy, not really, watching Shen Qingqiu's meticulous work gave him flashbacks to his time as a disciple when Liu Qingge and some of his shidi had been caught unaware by a Left-Footed Porcupine and forced to activate their emergency talismans calling their shizun out into the wild. It was still among his most unpleasant stays on Qian Cao to this day.

Once satisfied with his work, Shen Qingqiu placed some of the plants he had collected directly onto the wound and bandaged it all up. “Make sure to keep his leg dry and clean,” he told the girl. “This master will return tomorrow to check the wound and reapply bandages. But your father should be fine with enough rest to recover. Especially with such a filial daughter as you looking after him.”

Swiping a hand over her eyes, the girl fell into a deep bow. “I can't thank immortal master enough. Thank you for seeing to my father.”

Gently, Shen Qingqiu pulled her back up. “If your father's condition worsens before I return, send for me. This master will stay at the inn.”

Eventually, Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu emerged into the settling dusk. They had originally not planned to stay long in the village and leave shortly after midday, but this wasn't the first time Shen Qingqiu's plans took a turn. As usual, the other didn't seem fazed by the change in the slightest.

As he followed Shen Qingqiu to the singular inn they had spotted earlier in the day near what could generously be described as the main square, Liu Qingge kept his gaze on the other, unwavering, his thoughts churning.

Would things have been different if Shen Qingqiu had gotten accepted onto Qian Cao Peak instead of Qing Jing Peak? Was he, despite his undeniable skills, not a scholar at heart? Shen Qingqiu had always seemed to fit right in among the other young masters of Qing Jing Peak, but maybe he hadn’t. Maybe that had been the cause of that foul attitude of his. All this time, had the problem been Qing Jing Peak, not Shen Qingqiu?

Watching Shen Qingqiu take care of that man, there had been no hint of the cold, distant scholar averse to anything filthy to be seen. Liu Qingge didn’t think he had ever seen him less distant than he had been in his efforts to help the man.

Liu Qingge tried to imagine Shen Qingqiu in Qian Cao colours, taking care of patients under Mu Qingfang's watchful eye, and found that he couldn't. And yet, Liu Qingge had watched him show more care towards a stranger not even an incense stick ago than he had ever towards anyone in the sect. Why? What about Cang Qiong was so unendurable to make Shen Qingqiu… Shen Qingqiu? If it was like that, why had he stayed for so long? And what had made him leave now of all times?

Once this was over, Liu Qingge resolved, he would go to Qing Jing Peak, try to see what Shen Qingqiu had seen.

Shen Qingqiu stayed lost in his own thoughts all the way to the inn. “We'll take one room. Oh, and a meal for both of us,” he asked the owner and put a few coins on the counter.

Hiding the coin away, the inn owner led them to one of the four small rooms, all of them seeming to be empty. “The food will be brought shortly,” he announced, leaving them alone for the first time since they entered the village.

Scanning the small room, Liu Qingge almost spat blood as he discovered the one singular bed taking over half of the space. He felt his face grow red as he searched for something else to look at.

“Oh, this master didn't realize… well, whatever.” Taking off his many pouches, Shen Qingqiu sat on the side closer to the window and let himself fall backwards with a sigh.

Liu Qingge had to avert his eyes, his ears burning. How shameless! “You take the bed. I will meditate.”

Turning his head, Shen Qingqiu caught him in his gaze. “Don't be silly, shidi. The bed is big enough. We are both men, so this should be fine.”

Abruptly, Liu Qingge turned his back to that— that strange— “Shameless.”

Shen Qingqiu huffed a laugh, and Liu Qingge could hear him moving around, probably flipping through that notebook of his again. Demonstratively, Liu Qingge knelt down in a corner of the room and sank into meditation to the occasional flipping of pages and the soft sound of Shen Qingqiu breathing.

***

The next day, three more of the villagers approached Shen Yuan to ask him to see to their maladies just as he stepped out of the inn and who was Shen Yuan to refuse them help if it was so easy for him to provide it. He probably should have expected this to happen after hearing the village's healer had passed away.

Once he had left Elder Zhu behind with a hastily-made potion from the Great Relief Fungus and some Soothing Sage to manage her back pain, he turned to the outskirts of the village where the Lin family's house was located to check up on Lin Xue's father. Liu Qingge was following only a few steps behind. Honestly, Shen Yuan would have felt bad for dragging Liu Qingge with him to see those villagers, but he had ignored Shen Yuan’s offer to stay behind and do something War God-ly, so it was totally his own fault.

And, well, Shen Yuan was slowly growing to genuinely enjoy his steady presence by his side, so he sure didn’t mind the War God tagging along.

Shen Yuan did not remember if Lin Xue had been one of the wives – if so, she had only been one of the dime a dozen one-offs with nothing memorable about them. Which was so very unfair to the brave, deeply compassionate girl he had met. Why not focus on something like that for a change, Airplane, huh?

Lin Xue opened the door as soon as he knocked, as if she had been waiting right behind it for him. She probably had.

Shen Yuan smiled at her eagerness. “Lin Xue. As I haven't received any messages from you, this master assumes your father has not gotten worse?”

There was a brightness in the girl's eyes that hadn't been there the previous day as she nodded. “He woke up this morning and asked for something to eat.”

“That's good, that's good.” Entering, Shen Yuan immediately noticed his patient already sitting upright in bed and watching the door. Shen Yuan gave him a nod. “Master Lin, it's great to see you doing better.”

Absentmindedly, Shen Yuan was aware of Liu Qingge closing the door behind them and awkwardly standing there, just like he had the previous day. Maybe Shen Yuan should give the poor man something to do again.

Before he could think of a task, Lin Xue’s father tried to stand. Shen Yuan hastily gestured him not to bother. With his leg only just starting to heal, that could only go wrong. “Immortal master. Xiu-er tells me I have to thank you for your care of this old man?”

“It was nothing,” Shen Yuan humbled, coming over. “If master Lin doesn't mind, this one would like to check you over?”

The man nodded and Shen Yuan made to carefully remove the bandages. Once gone, they revealed the infection had gone down significantly. Mentally, Shen Yuan thanked the hours he had spent watching hospital shows in his old life, giving him enough of an idea of what he was doing now. “Master Lin should continue resting for a few more days as much as he can. I will leave some more medicinal plants your daughter can help you apply, but Master Lin's leg should make a full recovery in due time.”

As Shen Yuan pulled away, Master Lin caught his hand in his. “Thank you, master…?”

For a moment, Shen Yuan froze. He… should possibly have thought before about how to answer that question. Fuck. But in his defense, it had never come up in the past weeks!

Well, for obvious reasons, Shen Yuan could not use the name of Shen Qingqiu. Even if the name had somehow not spread this far from the sect, his presence was sure to cause talk, and it would only be a matter of time before it got back to Cang Qiong Mountain.

But… there was no one named Shen Yuan in PIDW. No way to link him back to Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu. Shen was not an uncommon name, even though only Shen Qingqiu was ever been explicitly mentioned on page. And hadn’t that been the whole point of faking his death? So he could live and die as himself and not some role he got thrown into?

“Shen,” Shen Yuan supplemented, very aware of Liu Qingge’s presence in the room. “You can call this one Shen Yuan.”

“Well, Master Shen Yuan, this old Lin certainly owes you. If he can ever repay him, Master Shen need only tell him.”

Hastily, Shen Yuan waved the offer away. “It's fine, no payment is necessary.”

Ignoring his insistence, master Lin gestured with his hand, and Lin Xue appeared beside him, pushing a small basket filled with simple food into his arms. Giving in, Shen Yuan took the offering with a nod in thanks. It wasn't like he needed the food, he could live off of inedia just fine, but it seemed like there would be more issues if he insisted on the Lins taking his services for free, and he had been the one to prescribe master Lin rest.

As he turned to leave, Shen Yuan took a look at the content of the basket. There were mostly some pickled vegetables and buns, but the Lins had also shared some of their plums.

Though Liu Qingge had not mentioned anything, Shen Yuan had noticed him not eating any of the osmanthus cakes he had given him. Which was totally fine, of course, not everyone enjoyed sweet things. Those plums would probably suit his palette better.

Leaving the Lins’ small hut, Shen Yuan pushed the basket into one of Liu Qingge’s hands and one of the plums in the other. “Here, shidi, have some.”

Liu Qingge just gave a vaguely affirmative grunt in reply, awkwardly holding the basket in front of him like he had never held one before. Joining his side, Liu Qingge did take a bite out of the plum. For some reason, Shen Yuan couldn’t look away as he watched the other eat. In a completely non-creepy way.

“It’s good,” Liu Qingge said as he finished, throwing the plum stone away.

Smiling, Shen Yuan gestured towards the basket. “Then shidi should take more.”

Shen Yuan mentally noted down this new piece of information. Maybe he should start a new notebook with all the little things he managed to pry out of Liu Qingge. With how little the man talked, others surely would appreciate it just as much as his inside info on the beasts he read Luo Binghe fight for dozens upon dozens of chapters.

Shen Yuan put a pin in that thought to revisit later.

As they went down the path leading back into the village, Liu Qingge seemed like he wanted to say something. Tensing, Shen Yuan waited, already knowing what this would be about. But luckily, they only managed to take a few steps towards the village square before another villager caught up to them, postponing the inevitable discussion. “Immortal master, sorry to bother, but this one was wondering if the master could take a look at my son?”

***

Liu Qingge did bring the matter up that evening when they were back in their inn room. To his credit, at least he had been considerate enough to wait until they had some privacy. “Why that name?”

“Hm?” Shen Yuan bent over his qiankun pouches, pretending to look through his dwindling supplies.

“That name you gave that man. With the leg. It wasn’t your name.”

Shen Yuan couldn’t bring himself to look at Liu Qingge while they were having that conversation. He stood by his decision. But having it out in the open and questioned made him feel uncomfortably vulnerable, like any critical word against it would hurt so much worse. “So what? I can’t really go by Shen Qingqiu, now can I?”

There was the rustling of clothes. Shen Yuan was half-sure he would see Liu Qingge crossing his arms if he looked up at this moment. “But your name was Shen Jiu. Before.”

Closing his eyes, Shen Yuan took a deep, shuddering breath, steeling himself. “What would shidi say if I said that wasn’t me? That the name Shen Yuan makes me feel more like myself than any of the other names?”

“Fine.”

Shen Yuan turned around, finally meeting Liu Qingge’s eyes. “Fine?”

Liu Qingge shrugged. “You can be Shen Yuan. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a name.”

All at once, the tension left Shen Yuan’s shoulders, and a warmth spread throughout his body. That… had been so much easier than he had expected. “Thank you, Qingge.”

***

It was no surprise to Liu Qingge when Shen Yuan announced his intention to stay in the village. “At least for a while,” he explained, “just until they find someone else for the job.”

Liu Qingge had a suspicion that arrangement would not just be for a while. Shen Yuan fit into this life like he was always meant to be here. In a way he had never really fit into the role of Shen Qingqiu and his life back on Qing Jing Peak.

His vague plans he had started out with, of bringing Shen Yuan back to Cang Qiong and make him fulfill his duties as sect strategist, were long abandoned. Liu Qingge might still not fully approve Shen Yuan's actions. But with every new thing he learned about the other, the option just grew more and more honorless, until Liu Qingge just couldn't justify it to himself to entertain it any longer.

“Shidi doesn't need to stay,” Shen Yuan continued. It made Liu Qingge think back to that time again when he had called him Qingge. Like they were close. Liu Qingge didn’t know how he felt about it, he just knew he had feelings about his name being said in that not-cold voice that made his stomach flip and his chest feel weird. “There is nothing much to do for him around here.”

“It's fine.” While the days of inaction started to make him itch for a fight, Liu Qingge would manage. He could go on with just his morning drills for a while longer. Maybe he could add another set in the evening as well.

With a sigh, Shen Yuan rolled out his shoulders before joining Liu Qingge by the window looking out into the inn's small garden, standing so close he could feel the other's body warmth even through the layers of robes between them. Liu Qingge stiffened, barely daring to breathe. His heartbeat picked up, as if in preparation for a fight. “This one thought of going to the old healer's cottage, see what she might have left behind. Maybe there's something useful among it. Oh, wait.”

Stepping away to where he had left his qiankun pouches on the bedside table, he pulled that notebook of his from one of them, looking through it and giving Liu Qingge a moment to collect himself.

“Xue-er said it's some distance away in the woods, so there might be some Numbing Mint nearby. Maybe even some Blood Sage,” he murmured, taking a few notes on a new page. “Who would have thought that of all things would be the first thing I run out of.”

Liu Qingge stood abruptly. “That. I will get that.”

Shen Yuan looked up. “What?”

“That plant,” he repeated, frustrated to have to explain it. “I will get you some.”

“The Blood Sage? That would be great, but shidi should know—”

“I have collected them before. For Mu Qingfang,” Liu Qingge interrupted. He had heard that lecture before. Multiple times. He knew the differences to the Scarlet Sage.

“Then thanking shidi for his efforts.” And then he smiled again.

Grabbing Cheng Luan on his way to the door, Liu Qingge was out in seconds, feeling his heart beat in his ears. He shook his head to try and get rid of that feeling, irritated.

***

The abandoned house outside the village was small, way smaller than the Bamboo House, but it was filled to the brim with shelves containing dried herbs, powders, tinctures, even a few valuable beast parts, carefully conserved, everything meticulously labeled in a neat hand. The house was a true treasure chest of healing supplies. The villagers most likely didn't have any idea of what to do with any of it.

Shen Yuan had carried a few worries as he saw how rapidly his stash shrank, but this? Yeah, he could work with this, until he found a reliable way to restock.

As he explored further, Shen Yuan discovered a small garden growing some of the plants he was most desperately needing. Gods, if that previous healer had still been alive, he could have kissed her. There was even some Icy Snow Poppy there! Shen Yuan could treat fevers more effectively now!

“Shidi, look at this!” he couldn't help but gush as he noticed the other watching him. “That healer certainly knew her job. Icy Snow Poppy! Qingge, do you know how rare those are?”

There was a choking sound, abruptly cutting off, that Shen Yuan vaguely registered beyond his focus on the Icy Snow Poppy. He itched to document it in his notebook, but that could wait. Neither they nor he were going anywhere anytime soon.

Standing up from his crouch, Shen Yuan found Liu Qingge facing away from him, his ears turning red. Ah, poor Liu Qingge. Maybe Shen Yuan could see if he could recreate some kind of anti-allergenic for him, no matter how much the other played it down. Even allergies as seemingly harmless as his could not be particularly fun.

Shen Yuan made a mental note to return to that thought later.

Settling in did not take long – Shen Yuan had not brought many things with him to begin with. Aside from a few clothes, some writing supplies and a handful of books, he had only packed funds to support himself, both in coin and valuables. Most of the things he wouldn’t be using on the regular, Shen Yuan didn’t even bother to put out of their pouches.

Once done, Shen Yuan grabbed one of the now empty qiankun pouches and made his way to the main room. With access to the left behind supplies, he now could do more for Elder Zhou or baby A-Lei. Oh, maybe there was also some…? Yeah, there was! The Sticky Amber Eucalyptus was right there!

When everything Shen Yuan could think of to pack was in the qiankun pouch, he and Liu Qingge made their way back to the village. The whole time, Shen Yuan was giddy with what he might be able to do now.

***

They settled into a routine that felt like it had always been there.

Every morning, Liu Qingge woke up just before sunrise and completed his morning drills. He brought breakfast to Shen Yuan's, whose cooking skills were somehow worse than his own. How could someone be so skilled with creating healing potions and yet almost let a soup burn?

Liu Qingge's days were filled with Shen Yuan, and contrary to his expectations… he didn't hate it? Somehow, between watching him tend to the villagers and focusing obsessively on every single plant they came across, Liu Qingge had grown to enjoy the other's company.

Sometimes, when the itch under his skin grew too strong, he got on Cheng Luan and went on the hunt for one beast or another Shen Yuan had mentioned during their shared meals to blow off some steam.

It was on a quiet afternoon they shared tea in Shen Yuan's cottage that the emergency call back to Cang Qion Mountain reached him.

Liu Qingge abruptly put his teacup down on the table and listened to Yue Qingyuan's short message before it dissolved.

Having set his own cup down as well, Shen Yuan watched him. “So it's time?” They had never discussed this, the possibility that their arrangement had only ever been temporary, and yet he sounded sure, calm.

“I need to go back,” Liu Qingge said and stood.

Shen Yuan followed his example and accompanied him as Liu Qingge marched towards the door. “Then this shixiong thanks shidi for everything he has done for him. Thank you, Qingge. You should come visit sometimes. I will miss you.” And then he— he hugged Liu Qingge! Put his hands around Liu Qingge's shoulders and pulled him closer, just for a moment, before stepping back as if nothing had happened.

Liu Qingge felt like his head might explode if he moved even a hair's width. That— that—

In two steps, Liu Qingge was at the door and slammed it open. He ignored the exasperated huff behind him, his face burning. Drawing his sword, he jumped on it and hoped the wind would cool it off before he arrived at Cang Qiong Mountain.

***

“Shen-shidi is missing,” Yue Qingyuan opened the Peak Lord meeting as soon as Liu Qingge had marched in and taken his place. He was the last one to arrive.

Liu Qingge glared at Shen Yuan’s – Shen Qingqiu's – empty seat right next to the sect leader. It was especially glaring since the other Peak Lords were all present for once.

Of course Liu Qingge was called back about him, thinking back to the bloody robes the former Qing Jing Peak Lord had artfully arranged in the cave. What had Shen Yuan been thinking? Obviously nobody would buy he died without leaving any evidence behind. If Liu Qingge had seen a scene like that, he too would have jumped to a disappearance or even a kidnapping, as unlikely as it was.

Liu Qingge regretted not putting some sense into Shen Yuan that day when he had the chance. Despite being one of the smartest people he knew, Shen Yuan was an idiot sometimes.

“Hasn't Zhanmeng-shixiong just announced a few weeks ago that Shen Qingqiu is cultivating in the Lingxi Caves.” Qi Qingqi crossed her arms before her chest. Likely similarly excited to be called into an emergency meeting about everyone's least favourite shixiong.

Looking around the room at the mostly disinterested faces, Liu Qingge started to understand why Shen Yuan thought he didn’t have a place among these people. They didn’t even pretend like they cared. If anyone else were in Shen Yuan's place, Liu Qingge seriously doubted they would have been this unenthusiastic.

Liu Qingge was ashamed to have contributed to this. But he had realized his faults and was working to atone for them. Why couldn’t they?

The usual smile on Yue Qingyuan's was strained. “He has requested permission to go into closed cultivation, yes. But this master was informed that the Caves are currently empty and that Shen-shidi hasn't returned to Qing Jing Peak.”

A murmur arose. “Probably for the best,” someone murmured. “He probably just slipped out to some brothel again.”

Liu Qingge bristled as he thought of the little house he had last seen Shen Yuan in. During all that time of travelling together, Shen Yuan had never shown any indication he even wanted to stop at a brothel. Liu Qingge might once have believed the same of his shixiong, but he knew better now, after getting to know Shen Yuan.

Nothing about Shen Yuan ever was as it looked like from the outside, Liu Qingge was realizing. And if he understood that, then his martial siblings, who were usually much better with people, should have figured that out long before him.

“There were also signs of struggle.” Yue Qingyuan slightly raised his voice to interrupt the conversations breaking out. The meeting room fell silent immediately. “A torn and bloody robe was found in a cave with disturbed qi.”

Before anyone else could say anything, Mu Qingfang cleared his throat. “That disturbed qi is likely a leftover of Liu-shixiong’s qi deviation a few weeks ago. This healer assumes it is unrelated to the question of Shen-shixiong’s whereabouts.”

“Thanking Mu-shidi for his inside.” Yue Qingyuan gave the healer a nod, then he let his gaze wander over his other fellow Peak Lords, meeting each of their eyes. “This one has already asked Wei-shidi to try and locate Xiu Ya, but its trace cuts off in that same cave.”

“Has not Liu-shidi been the last one to leave the Lingxi Caves? Just after Shen-shixiong entered too,” Wei Qingwei mused.

Head snapping around, Liu Qingge's glare settled on Wei Qingwei. He felt the attention shift and settle on him. “So?”

“Well? Has Liu-shidi noticed anything unusual while he was cultivating in the Caves?” Qi Qingqi cut their stare-down short.

That was one way to describe it. “No,” he kept his answer short, crossing his arms over his chest. He turned his glare on Qi Qingqi who met him head on.

“Is shidi sure?”

“What are you saying?”

“Well, isn’t it suspicious that bloody robe was found in the exact same cave shidi cultivated in? If shidi killed Shen Qingqiu while qi deviating we would understand.”

Indignation rose in Liu Qingge as he pushed to his feet, his chair falling backwards. “I did not kill Shen Qingqiu.”

Qi Qingqi met his glare evenly. “If Liu-shidi says so.”

Yue Qingyuan stepped in before Liu Qingge could seriously consider drawing his sword. “Nobody is accusing anyone. But under the given circumstances, investigations need to be done. Liu-shidi,” he addressed him directly for the first time since the meeting had started. Liu Qingge felt himself sit up straighter under the sect leader's attention. “This master wants you to try track Shen-shidi down, if there are any traces left behind.”

Liu Qingge could not wait to get out of this room. He would have just left as usual if it was any other meeting, but it would just make him look suspicious now. So he reigned in his temper and sat back down. “Fine. I will.”

While it didn't sit completely right with him to outlie right into Yue Qingyuan’s face, there wasn't really anything else he could do without betraying the one favour Shen Yuan had asked of him in exchange for saving his life. So Liu Qingge sat quietly through the rest of the meeting, letting the others' words wash over him.

Maybe, with his mission to search for the no longer existing Shen Qingqiu, Liu Qingge could get some more medical supplies out of it for Shen Yuan. Turning his gaze towards Mu Qingfang, he resolved to speak to the healer before leaving back for the small village he had rushed from only a few shichen ago.

***

That girl was in Shen Yuan's cottage when Liu Qingge slammed the door open the next day. She looked up, stopping her chopping of some kind of plant to look at him disapprovingly.

Shen Yuan hastened over from the other room. “Ah, Qingge returned so quickly,” he beamed.

Averting his gaze, Liu Qingge noticed the dirt on Shen Yuan's robes, like he had been spending time in the garden just recently. It did not seem like the other had noticed, or if he did, he didn't seem to care. Another thing Liu Qingge would never have imagined from the (former) Qing Jing Peak Lord, so keen on always looking proper. And yet, seeing it now, it seemed natural, like that was how Shen Yuan had always meant to look.

“Here.” Liu Qingge held up the new qiankun pouch he got from Qian Cao. Mu Qingfang had been pleasantly surprised to see him stop by his Peak voluntarily and had been rather generous with the stuff he gave him. “More medicine and supplies.”

Coming closer, Shen Yuan took the pouch and looked inside. Liu Qingge was overtly aware of the fingers brushing against his, leaving heat in their wake.

Rummaging through the supplies, Shen Yuan kept murmuring under his breath, cataloging what was available. “Oh, the strengthening pills will be useful for the later part of Feng-ayi’s pregnancy.”

Shen Yuan looked up. “This is great. Thank you, Qingge. You are the best! I will tell everyone I give it to whom they should thank for this quality medicine.”

Feeling himself grow red, Liu Qingge looked away. “It’s nothing.”

“I beg to disagree. This can help so many people!” Closing the pouch, Shen Yuan grabbed Liu Qingge's wrist and pulled him towards one of the big shelves in the other room. Liu Qingge discovered some of the previous supplies from the sect spread among the ones the last healer had left behind, everything neatly arranged and labeled. Shen Yuan let go of Liu Qingge's wrist, scanning the shelf space. “If shidi could help me sort through the medication, confirm what is what?”

“Fine,” Liu Qingge grunted, still feeling annoyingly warm. He didn't know what to do with his hands. What did he normally do with them?

As they pulled everything out and Shen Yuan placed it on the shelves in a system only he could understand, Lin Xue came in from the front room. “Master Shen? Everything is ready.”

Shen Yuan gave the little bottle he was holding into Liu Qingge’s hand and grabbed another one from the table next to the shelf before he walked over to her. “Thank you, Xue-er. You can go for the day, this master will finish the Cooling Pack Paste later.” He gave her the small vial and a pat on her head. Liu Qingge thought he recognized the content as whatever Shen Yuan had put on that man's – the girl's father's – leg in order to save it, only made into a paste. It had the same light orange colour. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Returning to the shelf, Shen Yuan now stood right next to Liu Qingge. Without a word, Liu Qingge handed him back the bottle he had been contemplating where to place. He hummed in thanks, already back to his contemplations. “Thanks, Qingge.”

The girl still stood there, looking at them weirdly. When Liu Qingge met her eyes, she hastily bowed and left, but she kept throwing glances back at them until she was at the door.

Having found a spot for the bottle, Shen Yuan noticed Liu Qingge staring at the now closed door and quickly jumped to explain. “Lin Xue, the foolish girl, insists on continuing to be my assistant.” He rolled his eyes, a small, indulgent smile betraying his fondness of the girl. “Well, this master sees no harm in letting her help with some small tasks.”

Liu Qingge grunted in acknowledgment.

“Ah, this one was curious.” Shen Yuan lowered his voice and made Liu Qingge instinctively lean closer, even though he could still hear him perfectly fine with his cultivation sharpened senses. “What did the sect want?”

“You,” Liu Qingge replied bluntly.

“Oh,” Shen Yuan breathed faintly, growing pale.

That had come out wrong, Liu Qingge realized, cursing the way he struggled to put it the right way, using the right words. “I didn’t tell them,” he hastily added.

A weak smile slid over Shen Yuan’s face, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course not. So… they didn’t believe I died in the Lingxi Caves?”

“No. They sent me to look for you.”

Liu Qingge was relieved to finally see some of his humour return to Shen Yuan. “Well, you sure did find me.”

“I won’t tell them. I already promised.”

With a sigh, Shen Yuan leaned into him, putting his head on Liu Qingge’s shoulder. “You are way too good to me.”

He wasn’t. He was just paying back his debt. It was the right thing to do.

Hesitating for a moment longer, Liu Qingge put his hands around Shen Yuan and held him. They stood like this for a while before Shen Yuan leaned back and let Liu Qingge’s hands slide away.

Finally getting back to the task at hand, they were working side by side in comfortable silence for a while. “How long will Qingge be staying?”

“Two days. There is an Acid-Spitting Midnight Panther near Hongluo City I need to take care of.”

Shen Yuan paused and fixed Liu Qingge with a wide-eyed, intense look. “Qingge has to come by on his way back and tell this master everything about his fight.”

Meeting the look head-on, Liu Qingge resolved to memorize as much about the Acid-Spitting Midnight Panther as he could. He had no doubt that Shen Yuan would fill one of the pages in his notebook with what he would recount. “Fine. I will.”

As they put away the rest of the supplies, Liu Qingge listened intently as Shen Yuan kept chattering excitedly about the Acid-Spitting Midnight Panther's habits and weaknesses and how to recognize a mated Acid-Spitting Midnight Panther.

When they sat together for tea afterwards, Liu Qingge felt a warmth in his chest as he watched Shen Yuan talk – now about the Flaming Tiger who was a distant relative of the Acid-Spitting Midnight Panther.

Liu Qingge didn't know what it meant.

He didn't think it mattered.

***

With the Green-Blooded Monkey Moose slung over his shoulder, Liu Qingge marched through the village, the Crystal Cake from that one stall Shen Yuan had liked safely packed away.

As he had slayed it, some part of Liu Qingge had remembered Shen Yuan talking about the medical benefits of the Green-Blooded Monkey Moose's blood the other day. Without any other way to transport it, he had grabbed the whole beast for Shen Yuan to do with as he wanted.

“Immortal master Liu?”

The man stopping him looked vaguely familiar. Liu Qingge had probably seen him around the village before.

“What.”

“Master Shen said to talk to you when you returned.”

That instantly caught Liu Qingge's attention. He turned around, gaze locking on the man.

“There have been sightings of Polar Sapphire Rhino Geese near the village,” he continued, gazing between Liu Qingge and the Green-Blooded Monkey Moose. “Nobody has been hurt so far. But if immortal master could take care of them?”

Polar Sapphire Rhino Geese were no challenge for Liu Qingge. It would take barely any effort for him to slay them. He would usually send some of Bai Zhan's most junior disciples to test their skills against them whenever reports of Polar Sapphire Rhino Goose sightings landed on his desk. “Fine. I will.”

“Thanking master Liu.” The man bowed in his direction and Liu Qingge was itching to leave. “Master Shen should be home by now, he just left about an incense ago,” he added, gaze again gliding to the Green-Blooded Monkey Moose hanging over Liu Qingge's shoulder.

It occurred to him that maybe Liu Qingge should not have entered the village before he had delivered the beast. Not that it mattered much anymore. He gave a jerky nod and continued on his way to the cottage in the forest just outside the village.

Liu Qingge left the Green-Blooded Monkey Moose outside Shen Yuan's cottage before he entered. Shen Yuan didn't even look up from whatever he was doing. “One moment, shidi. You can go and warm up the water, I'll be there in a minute.”

While Liu Qingge still generally had no particular opinion on tea – to him it all tasted the same – sitting with Shen Yuan as he drank his preferred tea blend of jasmine was… nice. In the same way a good, challenging fight was nice. Or spending time with Mingyan whenever he was on the mountain and she had a few shichen to spare from her own duties.

Shen Yuan came over just as Liu Qingge brought everything to the table. “Thank you, Qingge,” he said and stepped right next to Liu Qingge, brewing the tea and pouring it in the two cups.

Liu Qingge put the Crystal Cake on the table and Shen Yuan smiled at him as he noticed, taking a bite of it.

“There are Polar Sapphire Rhino Geese,” Liu Qingge said, looking away from Shen Yuan's open delight at the sweet treat.

Taking a sip from his teacup, Shen Yuan hummed. “Yang Chao already talked to you?”

Liu Qingge jerked a nod. He picked up his own teacup and downed its content in one go.

“Right. Better to take care of them before they decide to settle down and cause trouble.”

“You could come too. Take your notes.”

Shen Yuan smiled. “Sure, sounds fun. Just like old times.”

Once again, Liu Qingge's mind flashed back to the fans Shen Yuan used to carry around everywhere and he wondered if he missed them. If that smile was what he had always been hiding, with how much power it held.

After the tea was finished, they prepared to leave to fulfill the request Liu Qingge had gotten. Shen Yuan stepped out first.

It was only a second before Shen Yuan spoke that Liu Qingge remembered his original purpose for this visit. “Um, Qingge, why is there a dead Green-Blooded Monkey Moose on my doorstep?”

***

“Master Shen, when is your husband coming by again? Little Lin Xue said he has been already been gone for two weeks now.”

Shen Yuan choked. “My what?”

Feng-ayi looked like what she had said was completely normal. One of her hands rested on her stomach where her baby bump was just starting to show. “That good looking husband of yours that comes to visit and keep our village save. Master Liu? You’re always happier when he is around.”

Liu Qingge, his husband? What?? “We are not married,” Shen Yuan got out faintly. He knew it was probably the pregnancy hormones talking, but what the hell was the woman talking about?

Looking up, Shen Yuan saw a glint enter Feng-ayi’s eyes. He got the feeling he should run while he still could. “Really? Then Master Shen has to let me plan the wedding. I insist! With everything you are doing for us, it’s the least I can do to repay you.”

He couldn’t upset a pregnant woman, Shen Yuan kept repeating to himself. “I… will discuss this with Liu Qingge. Thanking Feng-ayi for her kindness.”

With the check-up already over – luckily the pregnancy continued without complications; Shen Yuan didn’t think he was equipped to do anything if anything went wrong – Shen Yuan fled at the next opportunity, his head swirling with thoughts.

The implication was absurd. He was not gay. Liu Qingge was not gay. So it was impossible for them to be… that. And all the women belonged to Luo Binghe. Even if Shen Yuan would have liked to have a girlfriend, he couldn’t touch any of the protagonist’s wives, so the offer to plan his possible future wedding was moot.

As he walked through the tree line leading to his house, Shen Yuan’s thoughts began to calm.

He supposed Feng-ayi’s assumption had at least some merit. Since he couldn’t marry any of the women, Shen Yuan would need to marry a man if he ever wanted to get married at all. That wasn’t gay, just common sense! And Liu Qingge truly was the best option available, with how nice and reliable he always was.

Not that Shen Yuan was seriously entertaining any of it. Those were just delusions of a pregnant woman.

The weird check-up was still in the back of Shen Yuan’s mind when Liu Qingge entered his cottage later that day.

Brightening, Shen Yuan put down the book he was trying – emphasis on trying – to read. “Qingge!” He went to prepare the tea, hearing Liu Qingge put whatever snack he had brought this time on the table. “You won’t believe what Feng-ayi was talking about today.” Shen Yuan measured out the tea leaves and put them in his favourite teapot. “Does Qingge want to get married?”

A thump from the other room made Shen Yuan look up to a very red-faced Liu Qingge glaring at him. “What?”

Shen Yuan laughed nervously at the weirdly intense vibe spreading around them. “I know, right? Must be all the pregnancy hormones getting to her head. She even insisted on planning a wedding for us!” As he turned back to the boiling water, he could still feel Liu Qingge’s stare.

After a while, he heard Liu Qingge clear his throat. “Fine.”

“Fine what, shidi?” Setting down the tea on the table, Shen Yuan checked what snacks Liu Qingge had brought today.

“We can get married.”

Shen Yuan’s gaze shot up as he sputtered, meeting Liu Qingge’s determined stare. “What?”

“We can get married,” Liu Qingge repeated curtly, crossing his arms as he looked away. “If you want.”

Right. That was what Shen Yuan had thought he heard.

He sank down on his usual cushion and silently poured them tea. His thoughts were in turmoil, buzzing around at lightning speed.

Had Shen Yuan misjudged? Had Liu Qingge originally been killed off not because he could rival the protagonist, but because he was gay? A man in Luo Binghe’s harem – the readers would have rioted.

“Is… that something Qingge wants?” Shen Yuan asked slowly, watching the other’s reaction.

Liu Qingge looked like he was seconds away from fleeing the conversation. “I don’t mind.”

“But do you want that?” Shen Yuan pressed. If that was what Liu Qingge wanted, Shen Yuan wouldn’t mind to fill that role for him. Didn’t he owe him at this point? It wouldn’t be a hardship for Shen Yuan.

The silence stretched. Shen Yuan could practically see the clogs in Liu Qingge’s head turning. But he did not say yes.

Noticeably, he did not immediately say no either.

“Maybe,” Shen Yuan finally broke the silence as it continued to fill with uncomfortable tension, deciding to offer the other a way out, “we should start slow and see how it goes? No need to decide anything directly.”

“You want to court first.”

That was not exactly how Shen Yuan would have put it, but he supposed that was the closest to a few casual dates they could get in this setting. “Sure.”

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

Shen Yuan felt the blush rise to his cheeks. For the first time since he left he regretted not bringing any of Shen Qingqiu’s fans with him. Dude had at least something right, hiding his expressions behind it like he did.

For a while, the only sound between them was the soft chirping of birds outside and the occasional setting down of a teacup.

“How was Qingge’s trip back to the sect?” Shen Yuan switched the topic once his heart didn’t feel like it was about to beat out of his chest anymore. “Are they still looking for me?”

“Good. Yes.”

Snorting, Shen Yuan finally picked up one of the mantou Liu Qingge had brought. “Tell me more.”

***

“I told you it was fine,” Shen Yuan protested. It did nothing to convince Liu Qingge to let him walk on his own. He just grunted and continued carrying him like he was one of the beast corpses he still kept bringing Shen Yuan. He just had started referring to them as courtship gifts instead after their talk a few weeks ago which made Shen Yuan roll his eyes every single time.

It was stupid! As a cultivator, Shen Yuan could handle a hurt ankle perfectly fine, it barely even hurt! He could just take a pain killer if he really wanted to and walk it off, and by the time he was back at his cottage, the ankle would have been as good as new. Which Liu Qingge also knew, but that knowledge didn't translate to anything, seeing as he didn't show any signs of setting Shen Yuan back down.

Shen Yuan sighed and let him do as he pleased. At least, nobody saw him in this undignified position aside from Liu Qingge. And it was fine if it was just him.

It was interesting how little things had changed, really. Liu Qingge still regularly went back to the sect or to take care of nighthunts and brought something for him almost every time he returned. Shen Yuan still took care of the villagers with Lin Xue – that secret gossip; how else did Feng-ayi keep finding out anything?? – by his side most days. Sometimes, Liu Qingge tagged along. Sometimes they handled a beast sniffing too close to the village. Sometimes, they just sat together and Liu Qingge listened to Shen Yuan talk about whatever he could think of while he was tending to his garden.

The only thing that had changed was how aware Shen Yuan was of Liu Qingge. His presence whenever he was in the same room. His faint smell of sweat and sword polishing oil. His warmth when they were close enough for Shen Yuan to feel it through all of their layers. The spectrum of colours his eyes showed when the sunlight hit them just right.

Nothing had changed. And yet, everything had.

Once they were back at his cottage, Liu Qingge carefully put him down on his bed, then stared at his foot as if it had personally offended him. “What do you need? I'll bring it.”

“I'm fine, I can get it myself,” Shen Yuan protested and pushed himself up. His damn ankle betrayed him — it buckled under him.

Liu Qingge caught him before he could fall, glaring at him as he helped Shen Yuan back on the bed. “I said I'll get whatever you need. Just say it.”

Sighing, Shen Yuan leaned back against his pillows. “Okay, fine! Blue-Leaved Foxglove Anti-Venom. Second shelf to the right, near the bottom. It's labeled.”

It had been such a stupid accident too. Shen Yuan swore the snake hadn't been there one moment and appeared right under his foot the next. He was pretty sure it had been a Common Dwarf Boa. The good news was that Common Dwarf Boas were only mildly venomous and a cultivator's constitution usually made it barely worse than a mosquito bite. But it was just his luck that that damn snake had apparently hit a nerve as it bit down, driving its venom directly into it.

Liu Qingge came back with the Blue-Leaved Foxglove Anti-Venom in one hand and the— oh right, Shen Yuan had forgotten to ask for the disinfectant, too used to always having it on hand. Good thing Liu Qingge was so reliable he didn't need that reminder.

For a moment, Liu Qingge hesitated. He looked at Shen Yuan’s bed and a light blush rose to his cheeks, as if only now realizing where he was. But the next moment he decidedly sat down on the bed, not looking in his direction. “Tell me what to do,” he demanded.

Shen Yuan started to suspect that Liu Qingge’s allergy might not have been an allergy after all. He felt a warmth in his chest watching Liu Qingge sit there, brimming to jump into action but waiting for his instruction. How did he deserve someone like Liu Qingge willing to stay by his side? “The disinfectant first,” he said once he remembered he needed to answer and pulled up his pants so Liu Qingge could reach the injury.

A second later he felt the cold on his foot as Liu Qingge upended half the bottle's content onto it. Shen Yuan jumped at the sting as it reached the bite mark, hissing. “It's fine, just give me a minute,” he pressed out when he felt the other's attention snap up to him, focusing on breathing until the sting decreased.

“Next, just spread some of the Blue-Leaved Foxglove Anti-Venom around the bite,” Shen Yuan instructed. This time, he waited tensely for Liu Qingge to follow his instruction, but thankfully, the Blue-Leaved Foxglove Anti-Venom just felt cool on his skin. Shen Yuan sighed in relief.

Liu Qingge did not need further instruction to put a bandage on his ankle once he was done, having both watched and assisted Shen Yuan in doing so often enough to know the drill. Once done, he put everything to the side, fixing him with his glare.

Shen Yuan smiled at him. “Thank you, Qingge.”

Giving him one single nod in acknowledgment, Liu Qingge looked away, and Shen Yuan sighed inwardly. Poor Liu Qingge, still having such a thin face. Oh well, at least it was more fun to tease him this was.

“I could. Make food,” Liu Qingge eventually got out.

“That would be nice, actually. If it is not troubling Qingge too much.” Seeing how Shen Yuan would not be getting up any time soon, their plans to get some noodles from Tang-ayi's after their trip fell through.

Shortly after, Liu Qingge helped Shen Yuan to the table. Shen Yuan had tried to insist he would be fine on his own, but the glare Liu Qingge had directed at him had silenced him quickly enough.

The food was fine. But knowing Liu Qingge had prepared it just for him made it feel special. Shen Yuan was sure not even the protagonist's famed cooking could compare.

In that moment, he felt like there was nowhere in this world he would rather be than his own home that was truly his, with his favourite person only a table’s width away taking care of him. No matter what exactly they were to each other.

Maybe there was a place for him in this world after all.

***

Yue Qingyuan felt like he was constantly at the brink of a qi deviation these days.

It had been months, and still there were no clues as to Xiao Jiu's whereabouts, neither from Liu Qingge's search nor any of the other informants he had discretely sent out.

There was no way he had really died in the caves. Yue Qingyuan just knew that he would have known if that had been the case. But not knowing where he was - if he still was - again, almost made him lose his mind.

A hand landed on his elbow, bringing him back to himself. Yue Qingyuan met Mu Qingfang's eye, reminding him to not forget his own well-being in all of this.

Carefully circulating his qi, Yue Qingyuan took a steadying breath and forced himself to focus. Once he didn't feel seconds away from exploding, he gave Mu Qingfang a thankful nod, before turning his attention to Wei Qingwei who had thankfully kept track of Liu Qingge's trail while the two of them had momentarily been distracted.

For the past months, Liu Qingge had avoided his fellow Peak Lords and spent even less time on his Peak than before. Whenever anyone - usually Yue Qingyuan - asked him about any progress on his search for Shen Qingqiu, he stuttered his way through some flimsy excuses, alternating between not looking him in the eyes and staring him down, just daring Yue Qingyuan to question him.

Yue Qingyuan wouldn't have needed to know his shidi as well as he did to know he was lying. Liu Qingge was obviously hiding something. Yue Qingyuan didn't know yet what it was, but he would find out. And he sure hoped for Liu Qingge that it would turn out to not be what it looked like.

Soon enough, the three of them reached a small, unremarkable village.

“Wei-shidi?” Yue Qingyuan prompted, scanning the handful of houses and the people on the streets. None of them were Liu Qingge. (Or Xiao Jiu.)

Wei Qingwei focused, listening to the invisible trail Cheng Luan had left behind that none of the others could perceive. “He already left the village,” he murmured. “But he stopped not far from here. Maybe two or three li to the west.”

Yue Qingyuan gestured for him to take the lead and followed, Mu Qingfang a few steps behind them assessing the surrounding on their way.

The trail clearly lead them to a cottage outside the village. In any other context, it would probably have been homey, like something Yue Qingyuan would have dreamed of when he was still a slave begging on the streets.

Soft murmurs reached their ears, too soft to distinguish any words, and Yue Qingyuan froze for a moment. That—he would recognize his Xiao Jiu's voice everywhere.

Not waiting for his shidi, Yue Qingyuan took the lead, finding a window. He—he needed to see him. He needed to like he needed to breathe.

Xiao Jiu looked healthy, better than he had seen him in… maybe ever. Even in his simple robes and without any of his usual finery, he seemed more comfortable. Happier even, Yue Qingyuan might dare to think.

(The thought hurt.)

Then only did he register that Xiao Jiu was sitting behind Liu Qingge, brushing out his hair for him. He picked up on the pink in Liu Qingge's ears, the familiarity of the brush strokes, like they had shared the same easy companionship dozens of times before.

Yue Qingyuan carefully cataloged the distance – or rather lack of it – between his two shidi and wondered when they had started courting and why he had never been informed. But at least this more than explained Liu Qingge's poor lies. If it had been him in Liu Qingge's place, if it had been like that between them, Yue Qingyuan wouldn't have hesitated to do the same for his Xiao Jiu. The only difference would have been that he would have made a better job of it.

He clenched his fists. If that was what it took for Xiao Jiu to be happy, so be it. Yue Qingyuan would make sure he was not disturbed while he was out here. He knew he didn't deserve it, but maybe Xiao Jiu would come back whenever he was ready. Yue Qingyuan would keep his spot open for him.

If Yue Qingyuan had hoped to sneak away without being discovered by the cottage's two occupants, the hope was shattered the next moment as Wei Qingwei exclaimed. “What the fuck?”

Both Liu Qingge's and Xiao Jiu's head snapped around and found the three Peak Lords standing at the window.

Meeting Xiao Jiu’s eye, Yue Qingyuan felt like after months living underwater, he could finally breathe again.

Xiao Jiu’s eyes widened. With a swift movement, he threw a blanket over Liu Qingge’s head. “Zhanmeng-shixiong! This is not what it looks like.”

“Hey,” Liu Qingge complained, trying to free himself.

“Well, okay. It is a little like what it looks like,” Xiao Jiu amended.

Meanwhile Liu Qingge had thrown the blanket off and planted himself between Xiao Jiu and his other martial siblings, his hand loosely resting on Cheng Luan. His glare was just daring them to say any more about what they had found.

Unfortunately for Liu Qingge, Wei Qingwei was part of this particular search party. And he dared.