You are not alone, not anymore

by Elis98

Summary:

What if, instead of the arrival of Shen Yuan, after a severe Qi-deviation Shen Qingqiu did not lose his original soul but abruptly turned into little Shen Jiu?

 

A tale of loneliness, discovering, hope and catharsis - for those whose fate had been far too cruel.

Notes:

Hi everyone! This is my first Svsss fic, so be kind with me!
English is not my native language so I apologise in advance for any mistakes🙏🏼

 

It was completely dark. 

Dark and… void. 

He hated darkness. 
It meant he was again locked off in the closet for some kind of fault he did not commit. 

He couldn’t feel anything around him, couldn’t heard a sound. He couldn’t perceive any sort of ground under his feet. It was like he was… floating.
He couldn’t see.
He couldn’t move.
He couldn’t even breathe regularly, his lungs felt shrunken and crumpled up.

Was he dying? 
Maybe Qiu Jianluo had had enough of him and finally had beaten him to death?

He had troubles sensing his own body even though it could feel pain all over it, like all his bones had been broken and brutally reattached…

Knock knock knock!!

Throwing open his restless eyes, Shen Jiu inhaled a sudden gulp of oxygen.

Was he… alive? 
It was just… a dream? 

Knock knock knock!!

All the blood froze within Shen Jiu’s veins. 

Haggardly sitting in a spot which was too soft to be the scraped cloths he used to sleep, he frantically moved his eyes all around the foreign room. 

Were was he???

The sun rays filtered through the white curtains, revealing polished forniture which were too refined to even be in the Qiu’s manor. A large bookshelf filled with many books stood proudly on the wall in front of the bed, next to an elegant desk full of papers and ink.

Was he… in a nobleman’s house? 
Why?

He clearly remembered how Qiu Jianluo had beaten him harder than usual the night before for not scrubbing the floor clean enough. Then, he had sent him away without food. 
He could still feel the ghost of the lashes imprinted on his back alongside the mysterious anche of his bones.

Had he been sent somewhere else when he was still sleeping?

No, it was impossible.
Even a feeble noise would have been able to wake him up. His sleep was too light for him not to acknowledge a sudden movement.

Had he been drugged?!

A wave of nausea writhed his gut. 
It was not the first time Qiu Jianluo had used some sort of drug on him. There had been a few, horrific occasions in which he was forced to inhale or gulp down some sort of aphrodisiac to make him enjoy how his master pounded him over and over…

Stabbing his nails on his palms, he forced his thin body to stop shivering.

Looking down to his abdomen, he abruptly realised he was partially naked, his bony chest peering from…

“Shizun, may I enter? This disciple is worried for you didn’t leave the house for three days!”

Fuck, he had to think fast. 

What was he supposed to do??
Why was he in that place??

His frail and battered body was hardly engulfed in a robe which was too big for him. 
He wanted to gag. 

He was so… so scared. 

He should be used to it by now, but the raw feeling of anguish still chomped his stomach. He couldn’t yet feel pain on his backside but… it was unlikely someone has not fucked him while unconscious. After all, it would not be the first time. 
The only thing he did not understand, it was why he has been covered with a fabric so rich and soft. 

“Shizun?”

Act first, think later.

He hopped out of the bed and quickly scrolled the alternatives he had.

Qiu Jianluo has never been the type to… share his property. His sister didn’t really count considering how oblivious she was regarding his condition. 
If the bastard had ever decided to hand him over for a night to some pervert to torment him like a sort of devious punishment… he must have been someone important. 

Was it really the smartest move to hide from him? 
Wouldn’t it have been for the best to just accept his fate? 
He should had faith, his Qi-he would surely…

“How much time has already passed?”

Shen Jiu’s heartbeat came to a halt.

“How many years had he left to not return?”

Shut up, shut up, shut up!! 

Shen Jiu violently shut his eyes, body quivering anxiously. 

Qi-ge was doing his best.
Qi-ge would have come to save him from that endless nightmare soon.
Qi-ge would…

“Shizun… this disciple is too worried and he will gladly accept any punishment his master will think of for his impudence! This disciple is entering”

Qi-ge was just late and Shen Jiu would have waited for his arrival… but he wouldn’t have just stood by patiently while some pervert had his fun with him, thank you very much. 

Spotting a wooden storage box at the foot of the bed, he quickly opened it and, thanking the gods that it was half empty, he plopped inside. Just in time to hear the sound of a door being opened and soft thuds on the floor. He quickly put his hands over his mouth to cover his ragging breath.

“Shizun…?”

 
The voice seemed quite young.
A boy? 

He was calling for a shizun and before he had referred to himself as disciple, so maybe was he in the house of some scholar?

A perverted one, he chuckled bitterly to himself.

“He’s not here…” the guy muttered while he walked along the room. 

His breath hitched when he heard those footstep coming close to his hiding place.

“Ming Fan?”

Another voice unexpectedly joined the first, although… it was completely different. 
It was the voice of an adult, the voice of a man. 

Shen Jiu hated men. Yet, for some reason…

That voice was particularly soothing. 

Warm, calm…
Familiar.

“Shen-shidi?”

“He’s not there, Zhangmen-shibo” 

A poignant silence followed those worried words and Shen Jiu tried his best to stay still as a corpse. 

“Where could he be? Shizun was feeling unwell a couple of days ago and he locked himself here without anyone entering!”

“Oh, I’m sure he barred himself here”, thought Shen Jiu, sickened to the core.
“He wanted no one to disturb him while…”

But then a sudden thought pierced his already muddled mind.

“How long I’ve been here??!”

A mixture of panic and nausea threatened to make him puke right on the spot. 

Despite the tiny space, he was able to maneuver his arm behind his back and he gingerly slipped his fingers between his skinny asscheeks.

No sticky substance. Nor blood nor semen.
His digits were… dry.

Even though the new discovery did calm him a little, it also served to add more doubts to the whole situation. 

“Let me know when Shen-shidi will return, Ming Fang, as soon as possible” 

He desperately wanted to get out of that cramped box but at the same time he was worried sick about what could have happened if he did just so.

Where would he have been able to go?
He didn't even know where he was!

“Let’s leave for now” he heard that calm voice say and with that the footsteps gradually lost vigor until they disappeared completely behind the door. 

After a couple more minutes of complete stillness, Shen Jiu finally decided to open the storage box and to look around the room one more time. 

He was alone.

Without wasting another moment, he plopped down of the box and frantically began to look for an exit that wasn’t the main entrance and, by chance, he caught his own reflection in the mirror of the dressing table. 
Ruffled black hair, sickly thin shoulders, white cadaveric skin. 
He was the same as always. 
His hands were still a tad dirty from all the previous scrubbing of the floor…

That pervert didn’t even bothered to have him bathed? 
What a desperate need to fuck he must have had.

Whatever the reason, that bastard was a big fool. Letting him stay all alone in his bed, like he wouldn’t have dared to move…

Shen Jiu gritted his teeth and without another thought he ripped a portion of the silky sheets and threw it around himself. He didn't want to escape naked as a worm.

Thank god the window wasn’t locked. 

He was able to sneak away without anyone noticing and, after putting some space between him and the building, he realised with awe that the place he had been brought in was in fact a bamboo single house surrounded by a bamboo forest. 

It was…
An incredible, marvelous sight.

That perverted bastard had good taste, it seemed. 
Such a waste.

 

While he was cautiously wandering among the green trees, he suddenly heard a lofty and harsh voice blurting out in the distance “That scum has no shame. What a filthy liar, he has left his peak to go to the brothel!”

“I believe he was indeed unwell the last time I saw him, Shixiong” he heard another one saying. 

“Trust me, Shidi, Shen Qingqiu is surely having fun while all of you are so worried looking for him”

Shen Jiu scrunched his nose. 
Those nasty words confirmed his growing suspicion. 
The man to whom he was sold was a scumbag. 

After strolling a long way through the green forest, he found out that the whole area was located in a sort of peak with sharp and steep downhill.
How the hell was he supposed to descend?

A sudden feel of helplessness washed over him.

Why did he think that he would have been able to escape?
Why was he being so stupid? 

He drooped on himself, placing his forehead on his knees.

Qiu Jianluo would surely beat him to death if he knew he had tried to run away from that acquaintance of his. 

He snarled in frustration but even his pitiful body betrayed him, drowning in a maniac confusion which lead to utter panic.  

Why was he sent in that unknown place? Was he supposed to stay there forever?
Qiu Haitang would not have allowed it, she was far too fond of him…
But what if Qiu Jianluo had persuaded her?
He was just a slave, beaten and left to rotten in some old man's house to be raped again and again…

“What are you doing?”

Shen Jiu immediately flinched. 

He gripped the sheet which covered his naked body and he inwardly cursed himself for the lack of some sort of weapon.

“Are you… okay?”

He wore a puzzled expression for approximately a second before releasing a genuine snort. 
What kind of person would say something naive like that after seeing him all crouched like a dirty animal? 

Mentally ready to use his teeth or nails to break through the intruder’s skin, he slowly raised his head to find himself looking at…
Oh, so that was the kind of person to ask something so idiotic. 

In front of him stood a boy nearly his age, dressed in a robe dirty enough to be grey and with a curtain of curly hair tied in a messy ponytail. 

“Are you dumb?” Shen Jiu blurted out, discretely covering his pale legs with the teared sheet.

The boy seemed too stunned to even notice though.
“Shiz…? Emh… who are… you?”

Shen Jiu tilted his head and retorted a snappy “Who are you”.

The boy blinked owlishly his dark, big eyes and actually answered him.
“This one is called Luo Binghe…” he trailed off, staring at Shen Jiu like he was seeing a ghost.

Shen Jiu exploited those stilled moments to recollect his thoughts and to ponder about his current situation. 

The boy seemed a servant, considering his poor and ragged appearance. He even looked quite stupid, an easy pray for him to put to use. 
Recalling the man with an unexpectedly soothing voice calling for a Shen-something back in the bedroom, he decided to gamble. 

“Are you a servant of the Shen’s house?”

Luo Binghe gaped at him.
“A servant…? This one is… this one is a disciple of Shen Qingqiu”

A disciple???
What kind of disciple wore such disgraceful clothes??

“Don’t fool me boy, you can’t be serious” he indeed snapped, getting up from his kneeling position to face up the stranger who was still unnervingly taller than him. He made sure to shield every inch of his skin with the white cloth. 
“Why would you be covered in bruises if you were a disciple?”

From his part, Luo Binghe was, admittedly, at loss. 

Those vibrant green eyes, that sharp face, the haughty tone…
But it was a skinny boy he was looking at! It was impossible!
Still…

“My Shizun has punished me for my negligence”

Shen Jiu scoffed sarcastically. 
“What a shitty master is this Shen Qingqiu. Does he hit you for no reason at all?”

Luo Binghe’s cheeks reddened. 
“He… does not! Shizun is educating me!”

“Teaching you what exactly, how to became a good punchball?”

The boy recoiled with a flinch. 

“This Shen-something must be a real piece of work. Striking his own disciple, sneaking boys into his house to fuck them…”

“W-what are you saying??”

“You mean am I the first one he brings in?”

At that point, Luo Binghe was completely dumbstruck. 

“You should be careful too. Your face is too pretty for your own good”

Even if he was extremely perplexed, Luo Binghe’s skin warmed sweetly at that unexpected compliment. 
“This child who looks like Shizun has just called me pretty…” 

“I bet he has the reputation of a lewd scum. I don’t know why those two guys were that preoccupied looking for him…” he mumbled nastily to himself.
“Anyway” he addressed again the boy who appeared to be so easy to pester. 
“Do you know when your shitty master is going to come back?”

Luo Binghe blinked once more. 

“I don’t want him to find me, got it? You’re so slow, kid”

“Kid?” 
Luo Binghe’s expression was flabbergasted and definitely a bit irked. “I’m fourteen!” he finally retorted. 

Shen Jiu snorted haughtily. 
“And you still let yourself be bullied by someone younger than you”

The boy shut his mouth. His cheeks turned into a sort of tantalising shade of pink. 
“I’m showing resilience…” he stuttered unsurely, furrowing his brow. 

Those words were like a sparkle which unexpectedly enflamed Shen Jiu’s spirit. 
“You have to fight back, stupid! Otherwise everyone will eat you up! Why are you being so fucking meek? You are insufferable!”

"If I were you and had the chance to come here to start my foundation in time, I wouldn’t have wasted this blessed opportunity like you are doing! Fight back! Don't look at me with those sad puppy eyes, little beast!"

Luo Binghe widened his eyes, bewildered from that outburst.

“Are you showing resilience to who?!” Shen Jiu added venomously. 

“To my Shizun…”

“I heard terrible things of your master, he doesn’t give a fuck and all of you hate him”

“I don't hate him!”

“You should though. Look at yourself and see what he has done”

“Shizun is… behaving like that to teach me something…”

“Teach you something my ass. He’s just toying with you. He enjoys making you suffer. You should take revenge on him”

Shen Jiu did not even know why he was being so spiteful. It wasn’t like he was under the scum’s tutelage. 
Nonetheless…

“I would hate him too, if I were you” 

Luo Binghe remained silent. 

Shen Jiu failed to notice the peculiar look into the boy’s dark eyes. Instead, he decided to finally change the topic for most pressing matters. 

“Do you know a path which lead to the closest city? I don’t even know where I am”

“We are on Qing Jing Peak, within Cang Qiong Mountain” stated the boy who wore still an unreadable expression.  

All the blood froze within Shen Jiu’s veins. His wide eyes grew frenzied. 

“By… by any chance… do you happen to know a boy, a disciple called Qi… emh, Yue Qi?”  

For the umpteenth time, Luo Binghe felt dumbfounded by the little boy. 

It was astonishing how fast could he swamp way of talking. And, if he had to be honest, it was quite charming to see those emerald eyes full of hope… which was the reason why he felt immensely and unreasonably guilty when he said “I’ve never heard of him” and had to witness that sparkle of light dying out miserably. 

“Oh” was everything which came out from Shen Jiu’s little mouth. 

Rationally speaking, he shouldn’t have felt so bad. It hasn't been long since Qi-ge had tried to enter the sect. Maybe it has been too difficult to be admitted straight away…
His Qi-ge was strong, he would have made it eventually. 
He was not dead. He was not hurt. 

Shen Jiu could just… 
He cold just wait a bit longer…

Something wet started to form at the corner of his lids. 

He could just wait even if he was threw to different houses to be used like a ragdoll…

He didn’t know why.
He didn’t know why his usually hardened will began to crumble right at that moment. Right before that stupid kid’s watchful gaze.

He just knew… 

He crutched on himself, circling his arms around his battered knees. The torn fabric draped over his shoulder revealing a bit of pale skin. 

He just knew that it hurt. It hurt so fucking much.

He would have never said such a thing in the past, but at least when he was at the Qiu’s manor he knew what to expect. Now instead, he was trapped in that mountain, which he would have loved to join to cultivate with his Qi-ge, as a slave fuckboy of some scumbag peak lord…

“Please”

…and he didn’t even know when, how and if he would be forced to return, what he was supposed to do in that foreign situation…

He didn’t notice that the boy had approached him and was now sitting on his heels in front of him. 

“Please, don’t cry”

Shen Jiu blinked, surprise written all over his face. 

He looked at that boy's pretty face, his big eyes full of honest care and…

“S-stay away!” he hissed angrily even if the effect was weakened by the few stray tears that stroked his face. 
“Don’t touch me” he pleaded silently but luckily enough the boy did not touch nor come nearer his comfort space.

The kid just…
He just stayed there, still too close for his own liking but quite far for him to feel safe, looking at him with those stupid fucking puppy eyes…

“What?!” he snapped angrily while he rubbed the back of his hand rudely over his face. 

“Nothing” Luo Binghe placidly said, tilting hid head a little.
“I just… seem to hate seeing you crying”

“You don’t even know me” Shen Jiu accused suspiciously, clutching nervously at the fabric. 

The boy just hummed noncommittally, staring at him in that unnerving way of his.

“I feel like I’ve know you for a while now…” he whispered to himself and Shen Jiu could only threw him a dubious stare before the boy’s gaze suddenly focused on a particular spot on Shen Jiu’s form.
“You’re hurt!” he exclaimed, pointing at his legs. 

Shen Jiu frowned and looked at where the boy was staring at.

The originally white sheet, now scattered in filth, failed to hide a portion of his battered legs. 
He hastily pulled the cloth to entirely cover his skin. 
“None of your business, kid” he snarled like he used to do in the street to make others strays scram the fuck away.

“But you don’t have your clothes on, so…” carried on stubbornly the boy. 

Shen Jiu felt the impelling urge to strangle him. 

“It’s not my fault your master is a fucking degenerate” he spatted with disgust. 
“Even if you keep defending him” 

Luo Binghe opened his mouth to probably reply with something unintelligent when some nearby voices stopped him.

“Have you found him?”
“He seems to have disappeared since this morning”
“Screw that kid, I’m sure Shizun will punish him dearly when he will come back!”

Shen Jiu’s face bleached right away.

Who was aware of his presence on that peak?
How many? 
What were they going to do to him?

He did not realise his limbs have begun to tremble.
He couldn’t see his own big eyes widened open with fear. 
He couldn’t detect the heart wrenching dread written all over his small face.  

Luo Binghe… could. 

The boy had always been self-conscious of his own emotions.
He has often been quite detached from people. Him mom was the only exception.
He had tried his best to satisfy the expectations of everyone on Qing Jing Peak. He has miserably failed since day one. Thus, his emotions grew colder and colder, like an iron shield aimed to protect him. 
Nonetheless, right at that moment… 

For the first time in a very long time, Luo Binghe could feel at his very core a surge of a sentiment he did not know he was capable of before. 
It was more than empathy. 
It was…

With a fluid and swift movement, he gently grasped Shen Jiu's shivering arm.

“Do not worry. I will let no one find you. I’ll take you to a safe place”

Luo Binghe’s words were slow, carrying a deliberate and strong intent. 

Shen Jiu’s emerald eyes locked onto that boy’s gaze for endless seconds.
He… he did seem sincere. His eyes were clear. 
And, most importantly…

“Do you trust me? Even a little?”

Shen Jiu really was stupid. He should have been. 
Because… 

“Yes” he whispered almost inaudibly. 

Because Shen Jiu trusted the boy, his clear, eager eyes. 
Even though he was just a scrawny boy just a little older than himself, he made him feel… a bit safer. 

The beaming smile which appeared on Luo Binghe’s was so dazzling that the sun would quiver. 

Shen Jiu refused to acknowledge that even his heart was moved by that vision. 

* * *

“Here we are”

The boy panted a bit, scratching his nape while leaving the door ajar. 

“It’s… it’s not great, of course” he said awkwardly and ashamedly.
“But it’s safe. No one ever comes here”

Shen Jiu looked around the cramped and dark space. 

It was undoubtedly a common woodshed. Amongst the scraped wood though, there was a bundle of blankets above a pile of straw. Some tools were scattered on the little space next to the wall such as a basin, wrinkled books, clothes and bowls. The sunlights passed through the cracks among the planks alongside the cool breeze.  

His eyes found again the boy who was looking everywhere but at him. 

“Do you live here?”

There was no judgment behind his words. Just a plain, simple question. 

Luo Binghe should have felt that too because he attempted a glimpse at his impromptu guest. 

“Yes” he muttered shyly. 
“I know it’s quite cold… and pretty dirty… and there is not a real bed… but… but at least-”

“No one bothers you” Shen Jiu finished for him. 

With his mouth still agape, Luo Binghe could only nod. 

“Mmh” 

Shen Jiu was still observing the room, scanning every inch. 
It was honestly worse than the room where Qiu Jianluo made him sleep most night. Winter must have been a nightmare in that place. However, the solace of being left alone, even just for a while… it was a blessing. 
Another reason to envy that brat. 

He sat on the makeshift bed without being prompt. He was fucking tired. 

“So, your master forced you to sleep here”

Again, Luo Binghe looked bashfully pink. 

“To… strengthen your foundation or some similar bullshit?” he sneered meanly. 

Shen Jiu really wanted to make that boy realise the situation he was currently living. 
He wanted that silly boy to wake up and face the brutal reality. 
He wanted the boy to fucking react somehow. 

“I… hope so, at this point” Luo Binghe exhaled tiredly, crouching down next to Shen Jiu. “I have honestly failed to understand Shizun” he grumbled, playing with his dirty robe. 
“Until now, at least” he whispered finally. 

“There is nothing to get, stupid” Shen Jiu reiterated. 
“He’s just some nobleman who likes to pester those who cannot defend themselves. People who are too young or weak to react to his cruelty” he spitted venomously.

Then he turned his face, looking straight into the boy’s eyes.
 
“You sure he didn’t fucked or molested you before?” 

Luo Binghe’s face wore a complicated expression. 
“Never” he plainly stated. 

Shen Jiu’s green eyes narrowed for a moment before eventually evading his gaze. 

“Good. Good for you. You shouldn’t be allowed to have that face of yours. Too dangerous for the world we live in”

After that statement, he remained silent for a while, casually caressing the edge of fabric that shielded him. 

Luo Binghe seemed to snap out of the phase he was trapped in. He began to move around the room, probably looking for something. 

“Can-can I give you some clothes? I have a spare uniform. It’s a bit crumpled but… it’s clean”
 
Shen Jiu’s glare sharpened immediately. 

“I will get out while you change of course!” Luo Binghe hastily added, offering meanwhile the white and green robes of the peak which were indeed clean. 

Shen Jiu stared suspiciously at the extended clothes. 
He couldn’t helped it. It was his second nature to doubt everything in front of his nose. 
Why was that boy really helping him? What was his ulterior motif? 

“I just… want you to be comfortable” Luo Binghe said faintly, as he really had read Shen Jiu’s mind before leaving the clothes on the blanket and quietly exiting the woodshed. 

Well, then the guy was really dumb. Even a tad pathetic. 
But…

He snatched the robes with a snooty snort. 

He appeared to be so damn sincere. Those eyes were practically gleaming seeing that Shen Jiu had accepted his offer. 
What a weirdo.

He kinda… reminded him of Qi-ge.

Too good, too stupid, too earnest. 
Too easily moved. 

Shaking his head to deny those unwanted and annoying thoughts to further swirl in his mind, he slipped into the borrowed garments. 
The material was soft and nice to the skin, so very different then his usual dirty scraps. Even the colours were pleasing, white and a light shade of green with some silver embroidery on top of them. 

What a dream it could have been, to be a disciple of one of the most respected sect in the world. 
However…

Shen Jiu’s stomach curled unpleasantly. 

However, even the great Cang Qiong Mountain hosted sick perverts who liked to brutalise kids who have barely reached puberty.  

All men were the same everywhere.

* * *

In the end, he deemed quite safe to remain inside that woodshed for a while. 

That boy, Luo Binghe, assured him he could sleep there to regain some forces and even offered him his portion of food. He even left to give him some privacy without being prompted, telling him that he would have looked for more suitable clothes and some medical kit.
The robe he wore was in fact too big for his bony figure.

Shen Jiu, of course, still did not trust him completely. 
It would have been foolish to do so. 

The kid was a victim, just like himself. What benefit could he obtain from helping a runaway, pitiful slave? 
In the streets, Shen Jiu had survived on his own. The only one he had ever cared for was also the reason why he was taken by the Qiu’s. 

So why did the boy want to help him? 
Why did he look at him with that stupid earnest face? 

“I borrowed some ointment, it will do good to your wounds”

Shen Jiu blinked at him. 

The boy was holding a little basket with some bandages and a white bottle. 
He careful sat in front of him, like he was afraid of scaring him off. As Shen Jiu was a stray kitten. 

It made his blood boil for his helplessness. 

“If anyone need that stuff then he’s you, kid” he remarked with a biting tone. 

Luo Binghe stared at him unfazed. 

“This disciple’s purpose is to endure. A few scratches do not require medical treatments” 

Shen Jiu rolled his eyes at such display of idiocy. 

“Does your shizun praise you for your heroic endurance?” he joked sarcastically.

Luo Binghe lowered his eyes. 

“Ah! Told ya!” Shen Jiu retorted with a victorious grin. 
He casually opened the bottle the kid have brought to inhale the substance within it. It smelled pleasant of honey. 

“Shizun… barely acknowledges me. The only occasions he glances at me are when I have to be punished”

The distressed murmur startled Shen Jiu. 
He looked at the boy’s scrunched face and, for some weird reason, he had the desire to smoothen that frown. 

“I wish I knew the cause for his displeasure. I wish I could… understand him better”  

The boy had a peculiar expression plastered on his pretty face. 
Determined, serious.
Sincere.

“Who… who are you?”

Shen Jiu was a bit bewildered by that behaviour. 
He did not know how to react. Wasn’t it obvious who he was? 

“Who could I be, dimwit?” he snapped, clenching his hands on the back of his knees. 
“You’ve grown in a noble house so you do not even realise how common people have to survive on their own? Ah, maybe your pervert shizun is doing right beating you up in a pulp. Your ignorance is fucking disgusting”

If he had had the chance to join a powerful sect, he would have fought with his teeth and nails! No one would have disrespected him! 

“I know what living in the streets means” Luo Binghe replied, finally showing some sign of annoyance, to Shen Jiu’s surprise. 
“I know... violence. I’ve seen it and experienced it on my skin. I saw hunger. Dead people at the corner of the streets. Anger and helplessness. I am no ignorant to misery” 

Luo Binghe’s eyes were blazing. For the first time since Shen Jiu have met the boy, he seemed genuinely pissed. 

“I know my fate could have been even crueler, but I want to be a person able to protect, not to hurt” 

Shen Jiu’s lips twitched. He drew his face closer to the boy until he could distinguish some tiny freckles on his cute nose.  

“To be able to protect, you must be strong. If you cannot even shield yourself from your peers, you’ll only be a useless loser”

Luo Binghe’s pupils dilated slowly. Like something has… finally sunk in. 

* * *

“What have you done to your face?!”

Shen Jiu was admittedly aghast. 

Luo Binghe’s right cheek was swollen and a dark bruise has started to bloom all over it. His plump lips had a cut which was bleeding down to his chin. But the most disconcerting thing among everything was that…

The kid was fucking smiling.

“Have you gone insane?” Shen Jiu asked, putting a halt to his nibbling on a mantou which has been brought in by none other than the boy.

Luo Binghe smirked a little, cleaning his chin with his right hand. 

The gesture did not go unnoticed. 
Shen Jiu sharpened his eyes to the bloody knuckles glowing proudly on the pale skin.

“And what would this mean?”  

The boy knelt down in front of Shen Jiu and, with a strangely enticing vicious grin, smugly declared “I fought back”. 

Shen Jiu could not repress a pleased smirk. 

Perhaps, the boy was not a lost cause. 

* * *

 

Night came sooner than expected. 

The already sombre woodshed turned even blacker after the sun had set. 

Shen Jiu was used to the dark. He has been tossed in the closet enough times to become part of his routine. 
It did not mean he enjoyed be in the dark though. 

Luo Binghe brought in a few candles when it became clear that Shen Jiu was getting angsty and uncomfortable. 
Shen Jiu watched silently as the boy lit the room with the feeble candlelights that created, despite everything, a pleasant atmosphere. 
He had not found any more wax residues in the woodshed. Candles were clearly a luxury for the kid. 
And yet…

“Better?” Luo Binghe asked with that innocent puppy face which made him want to smack it. More than once. 
Shen Jiu only response was a grunt of acquiescence while he absent-mindedly stroked his borrowed clothes.   

“Do you want to sleep?”

Shen Jiu stopped his movement. 

Sleep was the last thing he would do in that ambiguous situation. Alone, vulnerable, trapped in a place he still struggled to comprehend. 
Although he was indeed exhausted…

“I can’t” he retorted dryly, straightening his back to the wall. 

A beat of silence followed those words.

“This place… I swear no one comes here. Especially at night” Luo Binghe softly said. 
“No one has ever bothered me here” 

Shen Jiu sent him a sharp look. 

“No men come here?” 

Luo Binghe frowned.  

“No. No men nor women” 

Shen Jiu bit his lips. He cast an inquisitive glance at the boy. 
He was still a kid. A stupid, dumb kid who was too soft for his own good. 
But still…

“You’re a man” he whispered so faintly to be almost inaudible. He lowered his gaze to the ground. 
“And you’re… here”

There were some moments of quivering hesitation before Luo Binghe finally widened his dark eyes. 
 
“I only…” Shen Jiu added slowly, intently “Can sleep alone”

The boy remained silently for a while, quietly gazing at the profile of his guest. 
His emerald eyes were blurred, a bit out of focus. His thin mouth was curved downwards, brow slightly furrowed in displeasure. 
Luo Binghe’s heart… bounced. 

“If I left you alone… you would be able to rest well?” 

Shen Jiu snorted ironically. 
“I’m never able to rest well” 

The following pause was filled with anticipation. 

Shen Jiu was not the type of person to ever share his feelings. He was reserved to the point of being secretive. Therefore, it was almost absurd that it was him the first who added, for no reason at all and without anyone having inquired for it “I only sleep properly when I’m close to a woman”.

Taking Luo Binghe’s gaping mouth as a sign of accusation against him, he snapped defensively “I find comfort in their presence, little depraved beast, nothing else!”  

Quickly blinking, the boy snapped out of his stupor.
“I was not assuming things! It’s just…” he paused, seeming thinking to himself.  
“Unexpected” 

Shen Jiu released an irked huff. 
“Of course it is, you men only think with your third leg” 

Luo Binghe pouted. 
Such a brat!

“Not all men are the same. Women also assume the worst and can be petty, even more so than men”

Shen Jiu hummed pensively.

The only times he could rest peacefully were when he slept next to Qiu Haitang. She was nice and cute, not mean in the slightest… but, maybe, her childish obliviousness was even worse. 

“You… might be right” Shen Jiu conceded magnanimously, letting the boy gloating for approximately a second. 
“But women cannot sexually harm you. Or at least, they cannot… penetrate” 

The flickering candlelights cast shadows on Luo Binghe’s face, partially obscuring it and making easier to speak. As if Shen Jiu were talking to himself. As if he was just recounting things to himself. 

“They can’t hurt like a man can” 

It was a simple statement. Blunt, truth, unmistakable. 
But it lingered heavily in the air for far too much. 

“I… wish I was female, then” 

Shen Jiu abruptly turned his head, staring bafflingly at the boy. 

“So I could make you feel safe” whispered Luo Binghe, gazing at him with such fervour in those delicate features that almost made him blush. 

“Wh-what are you saying, stupid?!” Shen Jiu spluttered embarrassed, cheeks faintly reddening.  
“You barely know me!” he hissed, even though his annoyance was somewhat muffled by his genuine astonishment. 

“I’ve gathered enough to know what I’m saying” the boy simply replied, leaving a note of mystery in his words which puzzled Shen Jiu even more. 

“Wh-where are you going now?” he suddenly squeaked apprehensively, watching the boy standing up and approaching the cracked door. 

Luo Binghe looked at him with a comically surprised expression. 
“Outside? So you can rest, at least a little bit”

Shen Jiu opened hastily his mouth just to shut it close soon again. 
He angrily furrowed his brow, digging a hole on the ground with the intensity of his glare. 

Luo Binghe forced himself to hide the giggles that endearing sight caused him. 
“It’s not so chilly tonight. I’ll be alright” he leisurely said, speaking more to himself than to the boy who was still throwing daggers at the wooden floor. 
“Have a good night” he softly left pending, walking away from the woodshed. 

“Shen Jiu” 

The boy froze on the spot, widening his eyes till the point of hurt. 

“You asked me who I was… I’m Shen Jiu” 

The gentle warmth which flooded Luo Binghe’s face was hard to measure. 

“Have a good night then, Shen Jiu” 

* * * 

Shen Jiu was growing restless. 

While no one has actually bothered him inside the woodshed, aside from the presence of Luo Binghe, three days have already passed. 
Luo Binghe assured him that no one had come to the peak claiming for him or anyone in particular. 

It was undoubtedly strange. 

Qiu Jianluo was not the type to share his favourite toy for more than a few days. He would have collected his property in a blink of an eye. 
The endless waiting for his uncertain future made him grow frantic. 

He could not remain in that wooden hole for more than another second. 

Glancing furtively around from the open door, Shen Jiu sneaked out of the woodshed and started to cautiously walk along the green paths. 
He kept his head low enough not to be noticed by anyone, but his ears were ready to pick up every shred of conversation which could led to some useful information. 

He strolled for a while and cast furtive glances at the disciples of the peak. Most of them were busy in their training, some preferred martial arts and some preferred music. He even passed by a lovely garden full of white lilies where a group of boys where focused on some sort of calligraphy exercises. 

It was… marvellous. 
It was exactly like he had always pictured a life as a disciple. Being a master of the four arts, being admired for his elegance and cleverness. 
Be a man he could be proud of. A men Qi-ge could be proud of. 

“Have you heard? Shizun is still missing after almost a week…”

What a shame this beautiful peak was tainted by a debauched master. 

“Could something have happened to him? It’s rare for Shizun to be absent for more than a few days…” 
“Where could he possibly have gone?”

“It’s not obvious? To some brothel, of course!” 

The boys who were quietly talking suddenly froze. Shen Jiu, who was walking slightly behind them in his cautious reconnaissance, imitated them soon. 
The taller of the two Qing Jing disciples blushed scandalised and retorted vehemently “What are you talking about?!” 

The intruder who had vulgarly cursed was a boy around fifteen years old, wearing white and light blue clothes. Next to him, three other guys tagged along. 
With a nasty sneer, he added salt to the wound. 
“Oh please, stop trying to be so oblivious. Your shizun is a lecher who loves to spend his night between a whore’s legs!”

“How dare you!!”

“Everyone knows his debauchery has no end! Our Shizun has been the one to drag him out of one of those filthy brothels! He’s a disgrace for the entire Sect!”

“Shut your mouths! Take it back!” 

“I even heard he enormously favours his female disciple”
“How weird, don’t you think?”
“I bet he covertly grope her while he feigns to teach her some martial arts…”

“ENOUGH!” 

The Qing Jing disciples, flustered and ashamed, completely lost their cool. With a scream they started to attack the offenders with their bare fists, but the outcome was pretty clear. 
The boys in white and blue were bigger, stronger. 
Outnumbered, the two disciples were harshly beaten until blood began to run from their noses and mouths. 

Shen Jiu was frozen on the spot, unable to move nor breath. 
If he stayed still as a statue, maybe he would have gone unnoticed…

“Look over there! There is another loser from the peak!”
“Punch him in the face!” 
“Get him!” 

As if suddenly woken by a spell, Shen Jiu began to run wildly. 
He did not even looked where he was going, he just wanted to put enough distance between him and those brutes motherfuckers. 

He was not even a disciple of the peak! He himself hated that scum the most! 
Why was his life always so fucking difficult?!!

His mind spinning and his heart racing, he did not see that in front of him abruptly stood a tall figure. 
The impact was inevitable. 

Similarly to a stone, the person did not budge while Shen Jiu was hurled backwards by the force of the impact. 
Hissing from the pain on his back, he rushed to sit to avoid remaining in a vulnerable position and the first thing that captured his attention was a pair of black leather boots. 

“Shizun!”
“Shizun, you’re here!”

Even though he could not see said shizun, he could feel a pair of eyes hovering over his head. 

“What are you doing here on Qing Jing Peak?”

Shen Jiu’s eyes widened. 
He has already heard that voice before. 
It was…

“That scum has no shame. What a filthy liar, he has left his peak to go to the brothel!”

“We were teaching a lesson, Shizun!”
“Qing Jing’s disciples should know who their Shizun really is!” 
“Just fighting a bit with them!”

The newcomer grunted indifferently. 
“Just do not beat them up too much. I don’t want Zhangmen-shixiong to complain to me again because that scum Shen Qingqiu whines about excessive violence”

Shen Jiu was absolutely flabbergasted. 

"That was a Shizun?! The master of a peak??! Behaving like a rude, brainless bastard?! What the fuck was wrong with that sect??!!"

He did not even have time to properly adjust to the new situation that a hand brusquely grabbed his collar and shoved his face to the ground. 

“Motherfuckers!” Shen Jiu tried to yell with his mouth full of soil but a sharp kick to his ribs knocked the breath out of his lungs. 

“This kid is tiny! Go easy on him”
“God, he’s made of skin and bone”
“How disgraceful” 

Shen Jiu gritted his teeth, enduring all the kicks those assholes were hurling at him and mentally repeating his usual mantra.  
He was used to be abused. He was used to be insulted. He was used to be humiliated.

Turning his head to the side, he looked up just enough to glimpse at the newcomer bastard’s face. 

How fucking ridiculous. 
Speaking about brothels, the man would have been perfect to be the most sought-after concubine. He was probably one of the most beautiful dude he has ever seen. 
Too bad his personality was pure shit.  

“Shen Qingqiu should be ashamed of his own disciples. How come are they so weak and fragile? Not even being able to react to a mediocre attack” the man sneered derisively. 

Shen Jiu hissed wildly and actually tried to defend himself by throwing dirt at the assholes’ faces and scratching their hands to blood, causing screams of surprise. 
He was going to bite one of the fuckers’ neck when a sudden blast of air made him fall again on the ground, hard enough to cut his breath. 

“You are just like your shizun, aren’t you? Using cheap tricks to win instead of training hard enough to become strong and to live a dignified life” the newcomer bluntly stated with a note of contempt in his haughty tone. 

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. 

An overwhelming, ugly desire to cry overcame Shen Jiu’s battered form.
How dare he… how dare that unknown brainless bastard judge him??? 

“What do you know about me??!!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, arching his wounded back to look straight into that asshole’s pompous face. 
His green eyes were raging and the tears he had swore to never shred again threatened to spill out of his lids. 
“What do you know about what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved alone and only alone, you pampered son of noblemen!” 

His body was shivering, his oversized filthy and now torn clothes were slipping down his shoulders, revealing something which should not have been seen. 

“What do you know about strength and survival?!” 

Shen Jiu was aware that he would have been badly punished for his insolence. As soon as Qiu Jianluo had him back in his hands again, he would be beaten to death. 
Despite everything…

“Who do you think you are to speak so disrespectfully to Shizun?”
“You have some nerve, kid!”
“Or maybe a death wish”

Despite everything, he could not stand still and take any abuse like a rag doll! Especially in front of rich assholes who believed they could get away with anything in the world! He hated them the most! 

“Shizun, beat him up like he deserves!”
“Shizun should make him an example for everyone who dare to disregard him!”

Still half-lying on the ground with his elbows, Shen Jiu’s limbs ached all over. His back has hurt like a bitch since Qiu Jianluo had whipped him a few days ago. 
He could feel the group of boys all around him, ready to jump and beat him to a pulp. 
He clenched his fists, trying and failing to calm down his inner turmoil which prevented him from thinking clearly. 

He was alone. Helplessly, absolutely alone. 
No one would come for him. No one ever did. 
He would have had to fend for himself. 

Shen Jiu kept throwing daggers to the man who boasted himself with the title of Peak Lord, sensing a streak of blood coming from his nose to his upper lip.

He was just an insect for a man like that, wasn’t him? 
An insect… whose only fate would have been to be effortlessly crushed. 

“Shizun, can we fight with him?”

Nevertheless, said Shizun did not seem to hear a word of what his disciples were saying for a while.
His focus was exclusively on that little kid slumped on the soil, who was glaring at him with fierce, emerald eyes… and a wave of startled surprise washed all over his face. 
“You…”

“Liu-shishu!!!”

Someone came running and shouting like his life was depending on it, abruptly kneeling just in front of Shen Jiu, shielding him from the Peak Lord’s sight. 
Shen Jiu could distinguish the green clothes from Qing Jing Peak… and a mane of curly hair. 

“Liu-shishu, please accept this disciple's most heartfelt apology. He is one of the youngest of Qing Jing Peak and he has been entrusted to me. I’m willing to bear any consequences on his regard. I just beg you not to punish him for his actions and lack of manners!”

Shen Jiu was… honestly shocked. 
The same could be said of that “Liu-shishu” who kept staring at them with his mouth slightly agape. If not for his beautiful face, he would have looked like a fool. 

Luo Binghe exploited that moment of startled stillness to turn around and help Shen Jiu on his feet, hastily covering his naked shoulders with the robe full of dirt. 

“Thanking Liu-shishu for his forgivingness!” he shouted before holding Shen Jiu’s shivering hand and walking quickly away. 

“You! Who said you could get away with it so smoothly!”
“Hey, have you seen it? Wasn’t it a slave br-”

“THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!”

Luo Binghe all but run as fast as possible, dragging Shen Jiu next to him without ever letting go of his hand. Only when they reached the isolated woodshed he dared to detach from the boy, catching his breath and slumping on the ground. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t with you, I didn’t think you would met Liu Qingge and his obnoxious disciples on our peak…”

“Why did you help me?”

Luo Binghe stopped his ranting and looked at the kid in front of him. 

“Why… why did you offer to be punished in my place?” 

Shen Jiu was clutching at his borrowed clothes, sinking his nails into his forearms. 

“Why did you come??!” 

Luo Binghe blinked, not for the first time puzzled by Shen Jiu’s choice of words.   
 
“Because you needed help” 

“But why??? Why do you care???” Shen Jiu finally exploded in a frustrated scream, staring at Luo Binghe with frenzied eyes. His chin was shaking and drops of blood kept dripping from his nose. 
“Why are you helping me? What benefit you get from this??!” 

He crawled clumsily till he grasped Luo Binghe’s sleeves and pulled him in front of his face. 
“Why are you wasting your time?!” 

"You should focus on yourself, stupid! You should grow to beat that scum shizun of your and dethrone him!"

He finally lowered his head, sniffling almost imperceptibly. 
“Why do you care for a wretched thing like me…”  

Even Qi-qe didn't come back for him.

Luo Binghe’s brain had short-circuited. 
He could not take his eyes off the frail boy who was squeezing his robe, as he was afraid he would leave in any moment. 

He was so… so young. 

“You are not wretched. And you are not a thing” Luo Binghe stated firmly, gently unclasping Shen Jiu’s hold on his sleeve to wipe the blood off his face, quickly erasing the rising worried frown on the boy’s forehead.  

Shen Jiu sneered bitterly. 
“Of course. And you’re not a bullied disciple” he mocked derisively. 
“Anyway, it’s still not a reason to care for someone” 

Luo Binghe took a deep breath before looking the boy straight in the eye. 

“I… like you, Shen Jiu” he confessed bluntly. 
“I think I’ve liked you for a while now” he added in a whisper, smiling faintly. 

“You… what??!” Shen Jiu shrieked, cheeks turning into a lovely shade of red. 
“Are you out of your mind, little beast??!”

Luo Binghe smiled cheekily. 
“Maybe. But I like you all the same” 

Shen Jiu was… having an aneurysm in a second. 

“I told you I’m a lowlife. My master… my master fucks me” he muttered, for the first time genuinely ashamed in front of the boy.
“Doesn't this… repulse you?” 

Slowly, carefully, Luo Binghe took Shen Jiu’s hand. 
“It’s not you who repulse me, Shen Jiu. It has… never been your choice” he hissed venomously. 
“I wish I could… kill them all for you” 

Shen Jiu snorted loudly. 
“You’re just a scrawny boy. What can you possibly do?” he joked, poking Binghe on his forehead. 
“Still dreaming of saving the weakest like a hero?” 

Despite his mocking tone, Luo Binghe’s eyes were resolute, full of purpose. 
“You are many things, Shen Jiu, but… you are certainly not weak”

Shen Jiu widened his eyes, overwhelmed by the force of that gaze.

“So please, do not… underestimated yourself anymore” 

If Shen Jiu did not know any better, he could swore that his eyes started to glisten. He did know better though, so he violently squeezed them shut. 

“By the way…”

Shen Jiu sneaked a fleeting glance to the boy, who was looking at him with stupidly cute puppy eyes. 
Fuck that kid and his pretty face, damn. 

“Can I call you A-Jiu?”

That morning, several objects fell victim to Shen Jiu's wrath in order to become excellent targets against Luo Binghe's poor head. 

* * * 

“I saw him!” 

Liu Qingge’s deep voice echoed in the hall where almost all peak lords were gathered to discuss urgent matters. Matters such the sudden disappearance of their least favourite shixiong. 

Yue Qingyuan stood in the middle of a large table where could be seen a map of the neighbouring regions marked by red crosses and signs. 
He was obviously tired, slumped shoulders and dark shadows under his brown eyes. He was also the only one who seemed genuinely concerned and invested in the main topic of the meeting. 
Qi Qingqi was sitting next to him with a bored expression, looking lazily at his perfectly manicured nails. 
Wei Qingwei was talking quietly with Mu Qingfang about some new medical artefacts which can be reinforced with the use of the cultivator’s own sword. 
Shang Qinghua was restlessly looking at the map like it would be able to reveal something invisible to them. 

However, the voice of Liu Qingge startled everyone out of their seats, and now the peak lords were looking at the newcomer as if he had grown a second head. 

“Shidi?”
 
“I saw Shen Qingqiu… or at least, someone with the same face” Liu Qingge muttered, scratching his head.  

The whole room fell into a strained silence before Yue Qingyuan regained control of the situation. 
“What are you saying, shidi? Did you actually see Shen Qingqiu?” he asked, trying his best to maintain a calm composure. 

“Did you finally find him in some brothel?” snickered Qi Qingqi.
“Does this mean can we stop wasting time on our lost shixiong?” 
“Lost in pleasure perhaps”

“Shidi, shimei” Yue Qingyuan rebuked them with a sharp note to his tone. 
“Would you mind explaining to us, Liu-shidi?” 
 
Liu Qingge’s troubled expression was the only indicator that something was not quite right.

“I saw… a kid. A kid with the same face and eyes… of Shen Qingqiu” the Bai Zhan Peak Lord started to recount. 
“He could possibly be someone else, of course. He’s a little boy, maybe ten years old. He wore Qing Jing clothes so… maybe he’s just a disciple with a striking resemblance…?” 

He himself, however, was not sure of said deduction and the peak lords looked at each others perplexingly. 

“Where did you see this child, Liu-shixiong?” Mu Qingfang placidly asked, a hint of worry in his hazel eyes. 
“I saw him on Qing Jing Peak. Some disciples of mine were having an argument with him and I found him on the ground” he answered tersely. 
“Did you help him?” the Qian Cao Peak Lord’s asked again. 

Liu Qingge cleared his throat, a bit bashfully. 
“I wanted to test his strength… he was so weak I couldn’t stand it” 

No one really commented on the peak lord evasive answer. Everyone was pretty used to his rude and violent educative methods.
Even though…

“Shen… Shen-shixiong has been unwell, has he?” interjected, unexpectedly and shyly, Shang Qinghua. 

“His head disciple told me he had asked not to be disturbed before closing himself in the bamboo house” Yue Qingyuan recalled quietly despite being highly unsettled. 

“What if… wasn’t just a common fever?” Shang Qinghua kept wondering, looking anywhere but at his shixiong’s face.

Mu Qingfang’s eyebrows shot upwards and immediately raised from his seat. 
“A Qi-deviation!” 

Yue Qingyuan blanched. His hands gripped the wooden table until his knuckles turned white.

“Shen-shixiong has always been prone to Qi-deviations, even though he has often been reluctant to require my aid… it was negligent of me not to have thought of it sooner. Forgive me, Zhangmen-shixiong”

“So do you think Shen Qingqiu has… regressed in age?” Qi Qingqi inquired in disbelief. 

“It’s a real possibility, shijie” 

“However, it is also possible that it has just been a coincidence” Liu Qingge suddenly spoke up, directing all eyes on himself. 
“Besides, this child resembled him aesthetically… but his behaviour was that of a feral stray” 

Yue Qingyuan froze on the spot.  

“What do you mean, shidi?” asked Wei Qingwei. 

“He was… aggressive, uneducated. He lacked any proper manner of speaking and conduct. And…” he paused, chuckling awkwardly to himself for the absurdity of the comparison. 
“It’s not possibile, Mu-shidi. That kid… has even a slave brand on his shoulder”

While Shang Qinghua squeaked something incomprehensible to anyone, Yue Qingyuan hastily approached the Bai Zhan Peak lord and, to everyone's general shock, he violently shook his shoulders. 

“Where is he?” 

No one among them has ever heard their Sect Leader so upset before that day. His eyes were wide and frantic and he was not in control of his strength while clutching painfully at Liu Qingge’s arms. 
“Where was the last time you saw him?!” he almost shouted, forgetting all the self-control he had patiently build-up in a whole lifetime.  

Liu Qingge was probably the most astonished for receiving such rude treatment from his always patient and smiling shixiong. But it was that very anomaly that made him realise that indeed something was horribly wrong. As if there really was a possibility that the bony and miserable kid... was their Shen Qingqiu. 

“Before I could do anything, another disciple of Qing Jing Peak came along and left with him. He was young, maybe fourteen years old. Curly hair and dark eyes. Quite a… remarkable look” he reported to the Sect leader who was staring at him expectantly only to narrow his eyes after a moment of thought. 

“Luo Binghe…?”

Yue Qingyuan did not add anything else nor gave any kind of guidelines. He just stormed out of the room, running like a madman toward Qing Jing Peak.

After a few moments of hesitation, Mu Qingfang followed him hastily and was then imitated by all the other peak lords. 

“You sure I can eat everything?” Shen Jiu suspiciously inquired although he only wanted to shove the entire bowl down his throat.

Luo Binghe nodded enthusiastically. 
“I made it all for you, A-Jiu! You can have it all!”

“Do not call me like that, little beast” Shen Jiu snapped, kicking the boy on the shin.
He huffed, deciding to ignore the puppy-dog expression his annoying host was making. It was not a difficult task, considering the heavenly food he was eating. 

“Where did you even learn to cook like that…” he asked idly, taking a spoonful of congee and trying very hard not to roll his eyes in pleasure. 
It was such a simple dish, and yet… it tasted like pure bliss. 

Luo Binghe’s pout was replaced by a nostalgic smile. 

“My mom taught me when I was little. As soon as she got sick and was forced to stay in bed all day, I started to cook for her. I wanted her to enjoy every little thing since she could no longer do many of the things she used to do before. I wanted her to be happy and I thought my dishes could do the job. So… I guess this is the reason” he explained a bit awkwardly, scratching his curly hair. 

It was kinda adorable. Not that Shen Jiu would ever admit it, of course. 

“I wonder why you are not in charge of the kitchen of the peak, then” 

Luo Binghe hummed casually. 
“No one here knows that I’m able to cook. I’ve… been banned from most of the common places for a while now” 

Shen Jiu gripped his spoon with barely contained rage.

“I swear, if one day I’ll happen to meet that scum shizun of yours I will bite off his cock so hard it will fall” he spitted vehemently just to stop soon after. 
“I mean… it’s such a waste not to use your skills for something actually useful…” he tried to save his face even though it was too late. The boy was grinning so brightly that his eyes risked to be utterly blinded. 

“A-Jiu cares for my well-being” he boasted cheekily. 
 
“A-Jiu cares for no one!” Shen Jiu retorted but a grin threatened to spill from his twitching mouth.

It has been a while, since the last time he had be able to joke like that. It had happened… back when he had still lived in the streets. When Qi-ge was still with him. 

Shen Jiu glanced at the boy, who was busy refilling his bowl from the pot of congee he left outside the woodshed. 

He indeed shared some similarities with his Qi-ge. They were both kind, tolerant and resilient. 
But at the same time… Binghe was different. 
And, Shen Jiu realised with a secretive smile on his lips, he was different… for the better. 

“Luo Binghe, I have something to ask you” 

The appearance of that sudden voice made Shen Jiu’s heartbeats froze in his chest. 

Similarly shocked, Luo Binghe spilled the content of the bowl all over the ground. 

“Zha…zhangmen-shibo!” he shrieked, immediately jumping up. 
“What… what can this disciple do for you?”

Shen Jiu was going to throw up. 
All his limbs were shaking and his breath turned into ragged gasps. 

The door of the woodshed had been left ajar to allow the light to brighten the otherwise dark and cramped space, hence the right wall of the room was open to the view.
Shen Jiu tried to squish himself against the blind side, covering himself with the blanket Binghe had given him. 
He needed to stay calm. If he acted smartly, maybe…

“Here you are, Yue-shixiong!”
“Heck, you run like lightning”
“Have you found him already?”

That’s it. 
Shen Jiu’s life was over. 

He would have been returned to the Qiu. To the place he had always belonged. 
Why had he expected something different? 
Why had he even hoped that his life could change?!

“All of you, please be quiet” the voice commanded harshly and was immediately followed by a stunned silence. 
“Disciple Luo Binghe, I apologise for the sudden appearance. I have strong reasons to believe you are hosting… someone. Could you please accompany me to him?”

Shen Jiu was trembling uncontrollably. His nails dig into the back of his hands deep enough to draw blood.
What would happen to him now?
What would happen to… Binghe?

“I have no clue about what are you talking about, Zhangmen-shibo”

"Stupid, silly boy!! Just rat me out already!!"

“I’ve seen you with my own eyes boy, do not lie in front of your shishu” another crass voice intervened and Shen Jiu wanted to hit him with all his might because he knew that voice belonged to the brainless brute he had encountered before.

“Binghe, please. I do not intend to harm him in any way. I just wish… to talk to this child”

There was something in his tone which was not quite right. Shen Jiu recollected it to a pretty ordinary scene: a hunter who soothes his prey before caging it in order to sell it away. 

He did not trust him. He did not trust anyone. 
But…

“Come on boy, we do not have all day”

But he did not want to involve anyone else in his own mess.
Especially not…

“I told you, shishu, I do not know what…”

A general gasp suddenly interrupted him. The faces that had been staring at him until then took on astonished expressions directed to somewhere behind him. 
Luo Binghe turned abruptly and widened his eyes. 

“Sh…”

“Xiao-Jiu…”

Shen Jiu’s terrified figure has slowly exited the woodshed and approached Luo Binghe from the back. 
Upon seeing that scene, Luo Binghe rushed close to Shen Jiu, almost to shield him from the peak lords’ keening stares. 

“It’s not possible…”
“The resemblance is indeed striking”
“Could it really be Shen-shixiong?”

Shen Jiu’s mind was a total mess. He did not know what to say, he did not know what those people wanted from him. 
Maybe that scumbag peak lord has been finally discovered for his wrongdoings and now was he the one to be accused in front of everyone?

This meant was he going to be punished? Qiu Jianluo would come soon to collect his little toy?
Moreover, it also implied… that the his only chance to join the sect has vanished forever, hasn’t it? 

He hastily kneeled on the ground, putting his head on the soil with outstretched arms in a perfect submissive bow. 

“This… this lowly one apologises for the whole despicable ordeal. I did not intend to tarnish the reputation of one of the greatest cultivation sect in the world. I am just…”

He forced himself not to sniffle. He forced himself to think his life was not over. He forced himself to believe there would be other opportunities to meet Qi-ge.

“I am just a lowly sla-”

“Xiao Jiu” 

Shen Jiu was delicately interrupted and an unexpected presence in front of him made him unconsciously flinch. 
What…? 

“Xiao Jiu, please stand up” the voice persisted and he did not know the reason, but it seemed broken and tearful. 
It was… 

Shen Jiu suddenly remembered. 
It was one of the first voices he had heard when he woke up in the unknown bamboo house. A soothing and sort of… familiar tone. 
Why was he calling him like that??

Slowly and cautiously, the boy raised his head to look directly at a crouching man who had wet, brown eyes. 

“Xiao Jiu…” the man went on and that time his voice broke into a faint sob. 
“It’s me… it’s Qi-ge” he whispered softly.

Shen Jiu stared at him with big, dubious eyes. 

What the actual hell??

What… how was that even…

He frantically glanced at the people behind that man who were all circled around him like he was the main attraction of a circus. 
Thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind and they must have been reflected in his eyes because the man’s expression become extremely careful. 

“I know it may sound weird, Xiao Jiu… but it’s really Qi-ge the one you are talking to. Maybe I’m a bit different than your memories?” he smiled lightly even if his chin was still trembling. 

Shen Jiu furrowed his brow, scanning the man who was dirtying his expensive robe to kneel on the ground with him.  

That gentle face, wide forehead and thick eyebrows… but above all… 

“Qi-ge…?” 

Those eyes, always smiling even if they were able to conceal a deep melancholy…

“You’re so…”

He scrutinised his appearance once more, trying to come up with the best description that could convey his mixed feelings. 

“Old”

Despite the brazenness of the statement, the maybe Qi-ge laughed heartily and a tiny tear dropped on his cheek.

“Yes, Xiao Jiu, I’m quite old now” he replied gently, extending his arm toward the still lying-down boy who gingerly sat up.

“But… I’m still the same Qi-ge as before” he slowly said with an undertone of sadness Shen Jiu did not fully grasp. 

There were other things he needed to process first. 

“How’s this possible? You left not that long ago… you cannot…” 

“I will explain everything, Xiao Jiu, I promise. But for now… could you please come with Qi-ge? You are safe here, no one will…” he halted, taking a shallow breath. 
“No one will hurt you” he whispered again. 

Shen Jiu was not convinced. 

“But…” he backed off, dragging his hands on the ground to put some distance between him and the now adult Qi-ge, as well as the crowd behind him. 

“I’m… not…?” he muttered, mind spinning wildly and eyes gradually losing focus. 

He was starting to hyperventilate. 
It was utterly humiliating to experiment such childish display of panic, yet…

“Supposed to return to…”

He frantically sunk his fingers into the soil.

He no longer felt safe. 
His Qi-ge… had really become an adult? 
Adults have always been bad. Men were bad. 
So now… the only one who made him feel safe…

“A-Jiu”

Shen Jiu finally breathed again. 
He slowly raised his head to see another figure, smaller and comforting, kneeling next to him. 

“You are not alone, A-Jiu”

He did not know if it was the steady, ardent tone or those dark eyes, full of certainty and sincerity. He just knew that… 

“They won’t take me again to the Qiu’s? he asked faintly.
“Was I not sold… to the master of the peak?” 

Luo Binghe withdrew Shen Jiu’s hand from the soil and squeezed it between his own. 
“No, A-Jiu. You will never go back to that place” 

He believed him. 
It was utterly stupid and reckless… yet he believed that earnest boy. 

Luo Binghe flashed him a smile when Shen Jiu nodded quietly, tightening his hold on the boy’s palm. 

The two did not move until Yue Qingyuan spoke softly again. 

“Xiao Jiu… if it’s okay for you, Luo Binghe can come with us” 

Locking his green eyes to the boy’s dark ones, Shen Jiu nodded a second time. 

* * * 

It was not easy. 

It was not easy in the slightest to convince Shen Jiu to be examined by Mu Qingfang.

“Do not touch me” he hissed wildly when the Qian Cao peak lord tried to gently coax him in a nursing bed. 

“Xiao Jiu, Mu-shidi only wants to check up your general condition” attempted to calm him down the Sect Leader but Shen Jiu was obviously stubborn. 

“I do not trust him” he snapped, clenching his hands protectively over his arms.
He was starting to feel weirdly suffocated. 

“I won’t leave the room, Xiao Jiu. Mu-shidi is a doctor, he won’t ever hurt you nor…”

“I don't trust him all the same! I don’t even know if I can trust you!” he screeched, his anxiety boiling up again.
“Why you’re suddenly an adult now?! Why you’re here?! Why didn’t you come to take me out of that hellhole?! I’ve…” his voice betrayed him, coming out in a strained sob.  
“I’ve waited for you every day” he cried angrily, putting his hands over his face to cover that disgusting outburst.
“I’ve waited for you to show up and save me from that endless nightmare… I’ve thought about you when… when…” he cried harder and harder his hands scratched onto his skin. 

Mu Qingfang was rendered speechless, darting his eyes between the boy and the Sect Leader whose grief was written all over his features. He was afraid Shen Qingqiu could suffer further complications due to his altered state, but the situation was too delicate to be handled carelessly. 
His shixiong, back to being a child…  was clearly traumatised. 

“And now you’re just like them!” Shen Jiu’s shouts were muffled by his hands, which continued to scrape his forehead. 

“Xiao Jiu, please, you’re hurting yourself” pleaded Yue Qingyuan, cautiously approaching the boy. 
“I’m the same Qi-ge as…”

“You’re not!!!” he cried louder, and now blood erupted from his tore skin. His lithe chest shuddered with each frantic breath. 
His body seemed uncooperative, his inside twisted and engulfed in a strange heatwave. 

“Why… why did you not come for me…” he slumped on the floor, hiding his face to the view. 
“Was I… no longer that important for you?” he wheezed pathetically, and he really wanted to hit himself because of such weakness, but it was like he could not even control his own emotions anymore. 

Forgetting his status or sense of decency, the Sect Leader crawled on the floor, eyes wet and heart swollen with unspeakable pain.
“You are, Xiao Jiu. You’ve always been the most important for me…”

“Then why are you here and not to the Qiu’s?! Why…” he ranted painfully and suddenly his head started to hurt madly, like something inside his brain was swirling chaotically. 
He sat down and abruptly lifted his head with still closed eyes and a streak of blood began to flow down his nose. 

“Zhangmen-shixiong, his Qi is out of control, it needs to be stabilised!” Mu Qingfang urged alarmingly, approaching the boy. 

Luo Binghe, who had been standing by the wall the whole time, grow frantic. 
“Shizun, shizun please” he slipped hastily, kneeling down next to his master. 

“Xiao Jiu, I’m so…”

“WHY?!” Shen Jiu raged, dropping his hands and glaring wildly at Yue Qingyuan, emerald eyes injected with blood. He could not think straight, like a hurricane had scrambled all his inner self, leaving only ruins. 
“Did I disgust you that much?! You no longer wanted to deal with a filthy slave like me?!” 

The door suddenly snapped open and a man powerfully rushed inside. 
“I’ve heard shouting from the main entrance, what the heck is…”

“Liu-shixiong, please get out-”

“I repulse you, just say it!!!” Shen Jiu screamed like a madman, blood pouring out from his sockets.

“Xiao Jiu, calm down! It’s not true, you don’t…” Yue Qingyuan replied frantically, trying to somehow appease the boy. 

“Then why you left me?!!!” he spatted, no longer in control of his own words. 
“Why don’t you tell me the reason?! Why don’t you tell me you just wanted to leave behind everything that could disgrace your reputation?!” 

Yue Qingyuan’s eyes widened in shock. 
“Xiao…”

“Don’t call me like that!!” Shen Jiu yelled. 
“Admit you just hate me! Admit it!!!” 

“I-I could never, Xiao Jiu, I could never hate you, you are…”

“THEN WHY YOU KEEP LYING TO ME!” 

Shen Jiu’s face was almost unrecognisable. Smeared in blood and tears, his swollen eyes were blinded by a ferocious rage and his limbs were shivering unstoppably. 
He appeared not be in his right mind.

“Just tell me the truth… I…”

As soon as blood began to flow out even from his ears, Mu Qingfang hurriedly intervened. He attempted to pour some healing Qi in the boy’s almost destroyed meridians, putting his hands on his back and wrist.

A howl so sharp that could be heard by miles away echoed in the nursing room. 

“Don't touch me!!!” Shen Jiu screamed an jumped away, suddenly terrified to the bone. 

Yue Qingyuan tried to help the doctor while Liu Qingge stood frozen on the spot, completely at loss. 

“No, please, not anymore…!” Shen Jiu pleaded crutching on himself, shielding his body with his arms.
“I don’t want… I don’t want anymore…” he cried and the tears mingled with the blood gushing from his eyes in a horrific scene. 

The Sect Leader had completely lost his composure, outstretched hands frozen in place, unable to reach the sobbing boy. 

“Zhangmen-shixiong, he’s on the verge of a fatal Qi-deviation, if we do not intervene…!”

Shen Jiu kept whimpering painfully, head too heavy to be raised. 

He was going to succumb to darkness once again. 
Trapped in an empty, gloomy space…
Alone. 
Without anyone looking for him. Without anyone finding him. 
Without…

“A-Jiu!!!” 

He blinked, slowly and painstakingly. 

“A-Jiu, don’t fall asleep. Stay with me” 

Ah, it was the boy. 
The pretty boy with earnest, stupid puppy eyes. 
The boy who…

“I’m here. You are not alone”

Made he feel safe, after a long while. 

Shen Jiu let the boy cradling his frail form in his arms and weakly squeezed his robe. 

“Not anymore” 

One last tear slipped from his bloody lid before Shen Jiu fell unconscious.

* * * 

“It was an almost fatal Qi-deviation. His body and mind apparently regressed in age for mysterious reasons but later on, his present memories started to slip into his childish mind, creating a chaotic mixture which he could no longer control” 
“I do not want to inquire about your past relationship with him. It is not my place nor my role. However” Mu Qingfang claimed with a deadly serious expression. 
“Whatever had happened in your past history, it still hunts Shen-shixiong’s mind. His circumstances… have been deeply traumatic. I strongly suggest you to speak with him. Cautiously of course... but truly. There might not be a next time, Zhangmen-shixiong”

Yue Qingyuan could only nod in silent, consumed by an endless, burning guilt. 

* * * 

That night, while Shen Jiu was carefully tucked in the nursing bed on Qian Cao Peak, Luo Binghe finally asleep at the foot of it, Yue Qingyuan sat down on the guest chair. 

The blanket rose and fell rhythmically to perfectly emulate a regular sleep. But Yue Qi knew that Shen Jiu’s sleep has never been that steady. 

Trembling faintly and taking an arduous breath, the Sect Leader forced a final, resigned smile. 

“Xiao Jiu…” he feebly greeted with a heavy heart in his chest.
“I’m here to tell you the truth” 

Thus, for the first time, Yue Qingyuan began to recount the whole story. 
For the first time, he did not omit anything. 

Several minutes later, having received no apparent reaction, Yue Qi quietly left the room with a final whisper. 

“I will always care for you, Xiao Jiu. I could not stop even if I tried”

The blanket has eventually stopped his constant movements.

Under the soft duvet, warm tears wetted the white pillow. 

* * * 

Luo Binghe yawned. 

He sleepily rubbed his eyes, stretching his aching back on the chair. He had slept in an awfully uncomfortable position, after all. 

After some moments of dormancy, he blinked toward the headboard. 
He immediately jumped up, worry written all over his features. 

The bed was empty. 

After he frantically searched every corner of the room to no avail, he decided to leave the building to better look for his missing shizun. 

“A-Jiu!”

His callings went unanswered and his concern consequently spiked up. Moreover, another pressing detail was that there was no one else in sight: Mu Qingfang, Yue Qingyuan and not even the fucking Liu Qingge. 

Maybe they had brought him back to Qing Jing peak? 

Following this hopeful thought, Luo Binghe run through all the peaks until he came to his final destination. He utterly ignored the crowd of disciples along the path, which oddly seemed in total disarray, and headed straight for the bamboo house. 

“A-Jiu!” he called again, hoping fervently those jackasses had not frightened him anew to an almost deadly Qi-deviation.
“A-Jiu, are you…”

He froze mid-sentence. 

The door of the bamboo house opened wide to reveal a tall, elegant figure. 

Green clothes which barely brushed the ground shaped the contours of a slim body, complimented by silver embroideries. A pale hand held up a white fan painted with cherry branches and, above it, stood out a pair of sharp green eyes which quickly found the new intruder. 

Luo Binghe was left with his mouth agape like a silly fish. 

“A-J…” he whispered without thinking, and those emerald eyes narrowed noticeably.

His Shizun… was back. 

“Shizun!” he immediately corrected himself, bowing deeply and respectfully lowering his head. 

Next to the man, there was the Sect Leader, whose face was the happiest Luo Binghe has ever seen since he had come to Cang Qiong Mountain and, inexplicably, even Liu Qingge, whose cheeks were curiously tinted pink. 

“Well, shidi, thanks for your time. I’ll see you this afternoon” the Sect Leader amiably took his leave, shooting a merry smile to the Qing Jing Peak lord. 
Liu Qingge muttered something under his breath similar to “Have a nice day, shixiong” with his eyes locked to the ground, to which Shen Qingqiu huffed loftily. 

The two left unhurriedly, Zhangmen-shibo greeting Luo Binghe politely while Liu Qingge did not even acknowledge his presence, and then he was left alone. 

A few moments of tense silence passed before…

“Come inside” Shen Qingqiu imperiously commanded, turning his back to the boy with an elegant swish of his long robe.   

Luo Binghe gulped down, a wave of anxiety cursing through his body.  

Was he going to be… punished? 
It would not have been so weird, considering the circumstances. 
After all, he had taken part in a secret that was supposed to remain just that. He has witnessed to his Shizun's ungraceful line of conduct.

Nevertheless… he did not want his newly mended relationship with his Shizun to end. He did not want to erase everything that had been done, all the progress achieved. 
He couldn’t bear his Shizun… to forget. 

As he followed Shen Qingqiu into the house, Luo Binghe attempted to wait patiently while his Shizun gave him his back to pour some tea. However, he couldn’t endure the growing restlessness tormenting him from the inside any longer.

He kneeled on the ground, tightening his fists along his hips. 

It’s do or die. 

“Shizun, I apologise for my disgraceful boldness, but before you render your verdict, I humbly request the opportunity to express myself” he said calmly, briefly glancing at his master’s still back.
“My words… have been sincere. Everything I conveyed to Shizun over these past days, has been deeply felt by me. I intend to honour the promises I have made to you” he earnestly declared. 
“I… want to live to become the man, the disciple you will be most proud of. My greatest wish is… to be worthy of you… so you won’t be alone. Not anymore” Luo Binghe concluded in a whisper. 

He released a determined sigh. 
He had already made up his mind. 

“Now I will accept whatever punishments Shizun deems fit” he stated placidly, daring to steal a glimpse at the man whose back remained turned, unmoving.

He did not know how many minutes had passed until his Shizun finally reacted in some way. 

Shen Qingqiu straightened his already perfectly upright back, and, without shifting his position, spoke in a neutral tone. 

“There is a spare room next to the bamboo house”

Luo Binghe blinked. 
Was he supposed to reply…? 

“You can…” Shen Qingqiu paused, turning halfway toward his direction. 
“You can move there” 

Luo Binghe remained silent, not fully grasping the meaning behind those words. 

The blank expression on his face must have been obvious because Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan shut and glared at him.
“You can move next to my house, little beast” he blurted out, his tone abrasive and, for a second, Luo Binghe swore he could see Shen Jiu overlapping with his refined Shizun. 

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened in astonishment. 
He did not want to overjoy too soon, but…

“From now on, you’ll be in charge of preparing my daily meals. Make a mistake, and I’ll end you” Shen Qingqiu threatened, but Luo Bnghe was beaming too brightly to care. 

“Yes, Shizun! Of course, Shizun! This disciple is deeply honoured!” he exclaimed with sparks in his eyes. 

Shen Qingqiu shot him a murderous glare.
“Stop being so stupidly excited!” he snapped and now, finally, Luo Binghe was able to recognise the previously scary menaces as a simple grumpy attitude.

Adorable. His Shizun was just too cute. 

“I’m afraid I can’t help it, Shizun. You'll have to get rid of me for me to stop being so happy”

“What are you saying, you idiot?!”

Luo Binghe smiled cheekily. 

“After all, I will stay close to Shizun everyday. I told you before, didn’t I? All my words… have been true. Every one of them” he stated with emphasis.

“I like you, Shen Jiu. I think I’ve liked you for a while now” 

A beautiful blush flared up on Shen Qingqiu’s pale cheeks.

“Scram!” 

Luo Binghe was glad to oblige. 

He didn’t have to worry. After all, he had plenty of time to woo his sulky, feisty A-Jiu. 

 

* * * 

Things changed, after that day. 

Officially, the Qing Jing Peak lord had been forced to visit a doctor in a remote town due to a rare illness and had been consequently absent from Cang Qiong Mountain for more than a week.
This, at least, was the news leaked to most of the disciples and lords of the Sect.

Unofficially, however, the truth of what had happened took root despite the astonishment of those present. 
Habits were hard to die, but the reality of what had happened caused an unexpectedly swift response.

All rumours that had always surrounded Shen Qingqiu experienced a drastic decline. Even more surprising was that, the first person to beat up in a pulp anyone who dared to slander the Qing Jing peak lord, it was none other than Liu Qingge. 
Strangely enough, his usual fierce attitude turned into a docile and meek one whenever Shen Qingqiu was around. Perhaps it had something to do with the mysterious conversation that took place inside the bamboo house, or maybe with the horrific scene he had witnessed that day. 

The Sect Leader, known for his calm and gentle demeanor and his ease in offering smiles, revealed to the world what a true happy smile really looked like.

Mu Qingfang beamed every time his shixiong passed by his peak to finally let the doctor check up periodically his meridians as well as his general health. 
It was surely one of the most satisfying accomplishments along his career.   

In general, every time a council of peak lords was convened, the attention to the role of the sect's tactician underwent a significant increase, with everyone hanging on Qing Jing lord’s every word.

However, the most visible change concerned precisely Shen Qingqiu. 
It certainly couldn't be said that he was no longer irritable or that his words were any less cutting. His tolerance run thin as well as his patience.
However, the pit of anger soaked in endless solitude seemed to progressively diminish. The millstone on his chest that had never allowed him to freely breathe since his entry into the sect... had been lifted.

Coming to terms with the revelation of his past in front of many of the peak lords wasn't easy. Shame sometimes threatened to swallow him whole... but in those moments, it seemed as if the ever present thorns in his side were magically summoned. 
Qi-ge could be insufferable with his endless "Xiao Jiu" here and "Xiao Jiu" there. Liu Qingge wasn't joking either, having developed the absurd habit of leaving dead beasts in front of his door without any explanation. 
But perhaps the worst headache of all was…

“Shizun!” 

Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes for the thousandth time that day.  

It was like he had adopted an overexcited puppy. 

The brat followed him around wherever he went and, no matter how many fan strikes he received on his empty head, he never learned. 

Sometimes, the brightness with which Luo Binghe gazed at him, was overwhelming. 
He still… hadn’t fully defeated his inner demons.  
The self-deprecation would resurface forcefully, and sometimes, it would engulf him again. He would become harsher, meaner. But, despite everything…

It seemed the boy never get tired of following him. 

“Such a fool” Shen Jiu would often think with a sardonic sneer, “I’m a hateful old man. Why the hell does he seem so intent on pursuing my interest?!”, but then he would sigh, shaking his head. 
“He’s still a stupid child. Once he grows up, he will understand the time wasted on his obnoxious shizun and will look for some beautiful maiden to court”

Too bad the future was very different from how Shen Jiu had guessed.

Because as Luo Binghe, no longer a child but a man with broad shoulders and large hands, pressed a multitude of kisses along the slave brand impressed on his scapula, he could only realised that brat had always been serious. 

“My greatest wish is to be worthy of you, so you won’t be alone. Not anymore"

Oh, well.

Maybe the little beast was smarter than he thought.  

 

 

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed the story! I plan to write a sequel where we’ll see a proper relationship between Shen Qingqiu and Binghe in the canon (sort of) future🔥

Thanks to everyone who has read, it would be wonderful to receive some feedback, any kudos or comments are deeply appreciated!

💚

 

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Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Time flows differently with you