Chapter 1: World Building and Name Notes
Summary:
Just some character building and notes from when I was creating the characters and outlining the previous generation of peak lords.
Also, because I love Feed The Beasts (Or They'll Feed On You) by palladium_paladin, this fic proudly falls under Buff, Beast peak Lord Shen Yuan territory 🗣 Let SY be buff and feral! (literally and figuratively)
Chapter Text
Notes on names and Peaks
Ah, I'm mad I didn't write down who compiled the peaks and their translations! Just know I don't claim the organization of the background peak names, besides naming Meng Shou, and it doesn't matter too much since we mainly focus on the main peak lords as in the story. If anyone recognizes this list, I'll 100% credit them.
Qiong Ding Peak/1st peak/Dominant
Qing Jing peak/2nd peak/Quiet
Wan Jian peak/3rd peak/Ten thousand Swords
An Ding peak/4th peak/Logistics
Xian Shu/5th peak/Fairy
Ku Xing/6th peak/Monk
Bai Zhan/7th peak/Hundred War
Qian Cao/8th peak/Thousand Herbs
Yin Hui*/9th peak/(Concealed) Espionage + Torture & Interrogation
Meng Shou/10th peak/Ferocious Beast
Xian Zhen*/11th peak/Immortal Treasure
Zui Xian/12th peak/Drunk immortals
The generation name Hao: meaning Vastness and significant previous peak lords mentioned:
(m) Meng Shou/Beast Peak Lord: Xiao HaoQi (Vastness of Energy), Xiao Ming (Little Light)
(m)Qian Cao Peak Lord: Ru HaoChun (Vastness of Spring), Ru Long (Scholarly Dragon)
(f)Qing Jing: Lin HaoXue, (Vastness of Studying/Learning)
(f)Bai Zhan: Zhang HaoGuo (Vastness of Barriers/Walls)
(m)Qiong Ding: Qian HaoFen (Vastness of Peace)
Ye XiWang: Wild Hope and Promise, QingHan, (Clear Self-Restriant/Man) His name is tied heavily to his mother, Hanmei (Beautiful Plum), SY!QingHan is unknowingly plagued with whispers of the cutesy nickname of HanHan among admirers, of course, Beautiful Man lol. He isn't rough and mysterious like the OG!YXW since he has some more coping skills under his belt, but he still has the original good's manly and intimidating features.
Since we don't get Mu Qingfang's born name, I gave him the name, Mu Shu-Hui: Shu-Hui meaning Unfolding/Pure - Intelligence and Favor. (A play on his last name, Mu, meaning woods or forest, so it would be translate to something along the lines of Forest of Pure/Unfolding Intelligence and Favor, etc, etc).
I am not proficient in Chinese and was careful in the creation of these names, but please tell me if anything doesn't make sense!!
Chapter 2: Prologue
Summary:
A story of the abandoned child found by the Den Mother.
Chapter Text
Pawed feet crunched through the falling snow, a delicate nose twitching and inhaling rapidly. Perked ears stiffened even further at the sound of weak cries drifting over the winter landscape.
The baby’s cries echoed off of the snow and the strong Qi within the child called out to the furred beast scouting the area. While she wasn’t one to venture from the pack, the Denmother of the Fire Crested Timber Wolves pack was enticed by these beseeching cries as she made her first voyage of the winter.
While intelligent, she was still a beast driven by baser instincts. She had recently birthed a litter of pups and was desperate to soothe the trailing cries of this babe. Human or Demonic, it didn’t matter. And as the Alpha of the pack trailed behind, she kept shooting him aggressive stares and growls.
The Alpha was less sympathetic to the child, as he merely followed behind to cater back the body of the human if it lost its fight against the elements. The Denmother picked up her pace to a run, her hot breaths fogging in the cold weather as she searched for the human child.
Desperate barks and calling whines left her chest unbidden, the snow melting as it fell upon her mane of fire. She skidded to a stop at the edge of a clearing, her ears and nose twitching as she surveyed her surroundings for any lingering humans or traps. When she found it to be clear, she hurried to the child’s thinly bundled yet snow-covered form.
” M-Maaa,” it cried out pitifully, its lips were blue and its eyes iced closed from the abundance of its tears. The blanket was more a rag and its body shook with earthquake-like shudders as it grew weaker and weaker from the cold. The Denmother let out a soft bark and released a soothing thread of her Demonic Qi to announce herself.
The child sniffled and let out a shuddering whimper at the Qi, his own energy responded in kind, a reflexive jolt and pull for her to come closer. This desperate energy prompted the Denmother to sprint to the pup’s side. She forced her mane of fire to dwindle to an ember as she twined herself around the child. Her warm fur made the pup shudder before its fisted hands and red, cold-bitten face pressed into her warm flank.
The Denmother sent a pointed glare to the Alpha, who huffed before he padded over to the both of them. Under her stern stare, the male wolf mimicked her position and swaddled the pup on the other side.
Soft cries tempered out into soft incoherent murmuring, the pup repeating that word with fever, “ Ma, Ma, Ma,” it sighed and shuddered, its small jaws clicking and shuddering together. The Denmother sniffed and pressed her warm nose to the pup’s soft cheek in answer, a soothing rumbling pressing into the pup’s body.
When they had properly raised the pup’s body temperature, the Denmother scruffed the pup and carried it back to their pack’s territory. The Alpha trailed behind, this time to investigate the clearing. He found old footprints and scents that had been steadily covered by the falling snow.
Determining that the abandoned, Qi-filled child was properly left to die for some unknown reason, the Alpha relaxed at the idea of bringing the pup into their home. He ran to the Denmother’s side and brushed his body along her form in apology. She gave him a look from the side of her eyes, appreciative that the Alpha was giving his approval.
When they came to their pack’s cave, the Denmother carried on toward her nest without properly greeting her curious pack members. The young upstarts playfully nipped at her ankles while confused elders sniffed at the air. When a mouth wrapped around a dangling ankle, the Denmother and Alpha let out disapproving growls.
The young wolf whimpered and backed off from the human, allowing the pack to understand that the human was to join their newest litter rather than act as a meal. The Denmother let out an appreciative rumble to her pack sister who had taken over minding the rest of the pups.
The female wolf bowed out of the way in respect and happily padded off to eat some of the fresh meat that the hunting subordinates had brought back earlier. The body of the Frost Pronged Elks was resting toward the entrance, its blood flowing freely and tantalizingly over the warmed rocks of their cave.
The Denmother placed the human pup into her nest, the movement jolting and bringing a complaining whine as the pup-- the boy, she scented, was brought away from her ember chest. She dragged a long tongue over his head and let out a soothing rumble that conveyed, I’m right here, do not worry .
The other pups settled from where they had started shuffling in discontent, their own closed eyes and weak frames pressing against the small human pup. The human pup shifted before he weakly smacked his pale lips, his face pressing to her stomach as the soft scent of hungry, feed, flowed from his small body.
She nuzzled his head and guided him to one of the nipples on her chest, this made the other pups wriggle in excitement for the feeding. The human pup opened his eyes blearily as he suckled from her teat. Small hands clutched their way into her fur, effectively securing his spot on her teat as the other pups yapped and wobbled over each other in competition.
While the pup’s pulls were initially weak, she rumbled in contentment as she felt that grip tighten and the pup gradually strengthened from her milk. Her eyes caught on the Alpha as she moved her head to curl around her litter with a prideful scent and posture to her.
Look how quickly he recovered. Strong pup I found. I name him Strong Flame, she conveyed to him, making him yap and growl in mild annoyance. He gave the pup a more discerning eye before he turned and walked away.
Winter passed with the slow growth of the litter, their fur darkening and flames fluctuating. The human pup also grew in his own way, his cheeks filling out and his body filling and pushing at the fabric he had been tied in. The Denmother had decided to rip the fabric off, leaving the pup to bound about in his nude skin rather than get strangled in the ill-fitting fabric. Fabric reminded them of the horrible humans that tried to hunt their pack.
The pup was not one of them, he was more wolf than he ever would be human. The humans did nothing good, for him-- leaving him to the mercy of the cruel winter and her wrath.
When the flowers bloomed and the sun grew stronger, the pups growled and squeaked at each other in play, the Denmother was pleasantly surprised when the human pup quickly picked up their nonverbal communication. The pup was as clumsy as his other littermates and his blunt teeth dragged into the fresh meat provided for them. When the pup vomited and cried at the raw meat, they cooked his meals with their flames.
When black locks caught flame on accident, the Denmother and pack members merely huffed and snuffed the fire out with the pyrokinesis they possessed. The pup could only grumble his thanks before he went back to playing with his brothers and sisters. In this manner, seasons passed with the fluidity of time as a demonic beast, carefree and joyful during the warmer months and harrowing during the colder.
Strong Flame noticed but didn't care that he didn't have fire-repellant and resistant fur, nor did he care when he had to prove himself worthy in the pack. His blunt nails had to be sharpened and his knobby, soft flesh hardened to the environment. Soon, he found himself to be longer than some of his litter mates-- towering over them the scarce amounts of time he stretched himself upward.
His pack was gentle with him, on those days when something within him made him temperamental and self-destructive. When he couldn't understand why his skin crawled and his body moved in mysterious ways. Those things didn't matter when he had his pack at his side, fighting against evil cultivators who tried to hurt and break apart his family.
Unfamiliar and harshly barked noises tore through those humans' throats, their voices jarring and horrible. They couldn't be trusted with how their sharpened weapons sliced and their soft flesh captured their young. Strong Flame paced over the bloody body of his youngest pack brother, his teeth gnashing and his chest constricting as it did when an elder passed back into the fire's embrace.
Strong Flame never knew such cruelty existed, to hunt for sport or some other unknown reason rather than for food as they did. It angered him, for them to target their young like this. His anger was fueled to even hotter degrees when the Denmother's howls stretched throughout the night and into the day. The entire pack was unsettled by the savagery of the humans. It was enough that Strong Flame grew weary of the human women who he secretly visited. They too, will betray me, his thoughts unhelpfully supplied, his weariness and paranoia at an all-time high as they retaliated.
More and more buildings and caravans burned. Strong Flame destroyed with no hesitation, he killed and bit every qi-filled human that came into proximity of his jaws and sharp nails. They deserved it for everything they put his pack through.
Chapter 3: Nine Years Later
Summary:
A mission involving a wolf-boy.
Chapter Text
The two Peak Lords flew side by side as they traveled to the farthest town under the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s protection. A small group of senior disciples trailed behind them, they were a blur of deep blues and blacks flying through the heavily clouded sky.
They had traveled at a consistent pace for the past two days, only resting in nature, and were nearing the small town that had called for their help. The group of disciples had been carefully chosen given the sensitive nature of the mission assigned to them.
The Beast Peak Lord and Qian Cao Peak Lord were tasked with dealing with the possible demonic corruption of a young, orphaned child. The affected townsfolk had reported sightings of this wild, wolf-like boy prowling and attacking rogue cultivators, vendors, and other adults. The boy was highly unkempt, unresponsive to the spoken word, and often surrounded by a pack of Fire Crested Timber Wolves.
The tale of this child spread slowly from merchant to merchant as goods were stolen and wagons destroyed in fiery attacks. With the demands for reparations and a call for action from both merchants, rogue cultivators, and townsfolk alike; the head of the small village was forced to ask the sect for aid.
Xiao HaoQi, the Beast Peak Lord, was a wild-looking man with a sensible set of brown and black robes whose bulky frame loomed over the reedy Ru HaoChun, dressed in the dark blue and green of his peak. When looking at them, they resembled a bull and a sparrow with how much their aesthetics clashed. Yet, their success rate as a duo was well-known throughout the Jianghu and only the most delicate of situations were assigned to the both of them.
As such, they confidently fell into their usual modus operandi for this village's wolf problem. Xiao HaoQi and his disciples were going to deal with the wolves and the child (i.e. adopt them and rehome them on the peak), while Ru HaoChun and his disciples were going to act as support for any injured townspeople.
The two men and their group of disciples held the closest bond among their generation. Beyond the benefits of trading their skills and peak resources, they also genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and cared for each other. As a result, their collaborations were harmonious, especially when compared to the Qing Jing Peak and Bai Zhan Peak night hunts.
” Ah,” Xiao HaoQi voiced after the long period of silence that they had flown in, his hand pointing to an extremely far-off city. “ It's that city there, A-Long," the man determined, his sharp senses catching the sound of haunting howls and the faint, wafting scent of wood burning.
Ru HaoChun nodded in agreement, his dark eyes focusing into a determined squint as they picked up speed. The experienced disciples wordlessly quickened their own pace, their faces set into grim looks of anticipation.
When the groups landed in the village, they quickly moved into action after assessing the situation. Fire Crested Timber Wolves littered the streets, their manes fully enflamed and their snarls aggressive as they attacked the city of humans. Straw and wood houses lit and curled in flames as the wolves mercilessly controlled the fires.
Utilizing water-summoning talismans and artifacts, the Beast Peak Lord and his disciples were stumped at the uncharacteristic aggression towards humans. Fire Crested Timber Wolves were not outright violent nor antagonistic towards humans. They preferred to live in peaceful isolation, where they tended to defend against or attack humans one-on-one versus this planned attack.
Binding talismans flew toward fiery flanks as the cultivators flew and darted around the wolves. Flames tried to burn through the paper and cinnabar yet the flame-resistant arrays held firm. These talismans connected with an array in an enclosure on the peak, which when had Qi channeled into it, teleported the beasts to it.
The Qian Cao disciples split off from their group and went to treat and aid those suffering from burns, bites, and smoke inhalation. Bespelled masks of gauzy fabric were pinned to their heads, keeping the smoke from their faces. They also aided families in getting out of houses and out of fallen structures.
Xiao HaoQi spotted a nude figure darting on all fours from the corner of his eye, his hand expertly moving and throwing a talisman to it. The human child attempted to leap out of the way, but the Qi-attracted Binding Talisman followed him and forced his limbs to become locked straight.
The feral child twisted and attempted to bite at the talisman-like rope that kept him from moving his limbs. Teeth gnashed and an inhuman growl vibrated from the boy’s shaking chest as Xiao HaoQi approached him. The small child bared his teeth at him, his back and head held high as he challenged the man.
Carefully releasing his Qi to not impact the disciple’s catching the other pack members, Xiao HaoQi curved his large form into an oppressive, dominating posture as he dropped to the ground and let a deep growl rumble from his chest. The warning tore through his throat while his eyes remained fixed on the child’s as he wordlessly sent the message, Yield to me, pup, with his body language.
Xiao HaoQi prowled around the child, assessing him and boldly challenging him when the child yowled at him and called for backup. When no allies came to his aid, the yowls turned into shaking cries and desperate snarls. He may have been pinned in place, but he was not cowed by the large man.
A stiffened arm raised and clawed at the ground, dirt spraying as he forced the limb to swipe at Xiao HaoQi. This forced the Peak Lord to pin the child to the ground lest he break a limb against the talisman's binding power. I am stronger, pup will get hurt. Yield. he rumbled as the boy fought against him with a high-pitched scream, a response that made Xiao HaoQi lighten his grip and alter his hold.
Listen, do not fight. I want to help Pup and pack, look. Xiao HaoQi's firm hand tried to make the boy look toward the contained yet unharmed pack of Fire Crested Timber Wolves, his senior disciples, and the few uninjured villagers watching them with unconcealed interest. The fires were waning and peace was settling, despite the worried cries of the ever-watchful Den Mother and the harsh barking of the Alpha and the rest of the pack.
Yet, the child didn't look away. Wild eyes stared and stared into Xiao HaoQi's dark gaze, his head stretching to bite and his vocal cords tearing from his answering, wolfish howls and snarls. I will defeat you. I will tear you apart and burn you to ashes, the child promised in a severe growl, his expression fierce and dark that Xiao HaoQi could only hold him firmly, press his lips together, and stare into the wolf boy's eyes.
The boy held strong for a long, intense period before he warily bowed his head, breaking eye contact first as his throat let out a small, whimpering whine. He didn’t or rather couldn’t turn onto his back and display his dirt and grime-covered stomach, but Xiao HaoQi took the sign of submission for what it was. He also knew to not fully trust it. The boy was merely cornered against an opponent he couldn't defeat head-on.
He would bide his time and strike when Xiao HaoQi was at his weakest, the Peak Lord knew.
The man stood from his position over the feral child, properly scruffing his neck with a hand and wrapping an arm around his middle. Once the boy was tucked under his arm, he then turned and reassessed the situation. His disciples had subdued and settled the wolves while the flames were being put out.
A handful of houses were left to their scorched foundations and nearby vendor stalls were overturned with their goods destroyed. Ru HaoChun and his disciples were focused on the victims at multiple field tents with the emergency arrays and talismans from An Ding helping clear the air of smoke.
It was overall, their prepared measures for if the mountain range ever caught on fire.
Xiao HaoQi instructed his disciples to teleport the wolves to the enclosure once he got the sign from his remaining senior disciples that they were properly prepared. There, the creatures would be sedated and treated for any wounds by waiting disciples. When the wolves and their scent disappeared in a flare of Qi, the feral child in his arm let out a devastated bark and began to violently thrash in his grip.
Desperate whines and cries tumbled from the child’s mouth as he barked and barked, that dirty face pale and horrified. Before Xiao HaoQi could give the boy a reassuring rumble and forceful squeeze, the boy began biting at any limb he could reach.
This meant that the boy was biting at his upper thigh and side, his jaw attempted to lock on flesh yet was prevented from breaching fabric due to the Padding Arrays stitched into Xiao HaoQi’s robes.
The boy tried to ruthlessly jerk his head in a side-to-side fashion, but the heavy hand on his neck kept him pinned to his prey’s flank. Muffled growls sounded from the fabric, making Xiao HaoQi accidentally chuckle in faint amusement at this impressive display of well-earned rage coming from one so small. The sound vibrated in his chest which only enraged the child even more.
The display of dominance was cute to Xiao HaoQi, and he let it be known with a fond huff that then transformed into a reassuring rumble of, Pack is OK. Pup will see them soon. The man shifted his grip on the boy’s nape and brought his fingers to reassuringly scritch at the child’s tangled head of hair, right behind his ear.
Claw-like feet kicked and sharp nails tried to tear the man's limbs to ribbons with a vengeance at this friendly display. Forcing Xiao HaoQi to merely begin to lightly shake the small child at the middle and threateningly growl at him to cow him back into submission. He needed to ascertain that he was the Alpha here and that the child was going to have to deal with it.
A throat shakily cleared in front of him, forcing his dark eyes to look up and regard the elderly head of the village standing in front of him. “ This one t-thanks Peak Lord Ru and Peak Lord Xiao for their exemplary timing and performance,” he stutteringly thanked, relief drawn across his face as he bowed to the man.
” Mind your head,” Xiao HaoQi gruffly warned as he quickly shifted the feral child away from the village head’s deeply bowed head. A clawed hand narrowly missed the graying locks of hair as the wild child tried to maim the man with a vengeance. The mayor let out a startled noise and skittered back a few steps from the hulking man and his feral charge.
”...What does Peak Lord Ru intend to do with the boy? He and those wolves can't possibly stay here,” The mayor squeaked out, his exhausted and intimidated eyes looking up at Xiao HaoQi’s serious face. The man made a dismissive noise before he shook the boy once more and growled down at him, his body turning away from the spineless man in a clear display of disinterest.
” Ah, don't mind Xiao-Shidi. This one is Peak Lord Ru,” a light voice called as the significantly shorter Peak Lord Ru made his way over to Xiao HaoQi's side, making the man’s sallow cheeks flush slightly at his assumption. “ And Xiao-Shidi and this one will be rehabilitating the child so that he can one day re-enter society... Within our sect, of course,” he explained, his tone calm, while the feral child continued to yowl under Xiao HaoQi's arm. His smile was pleasant yet his eyes were cool, ensuring the man held his tongue when it came to this child and his current condition.
The village head gulped, briefly lighting a candle in his heart for the men’s plan as he looked away from the Qian Cao Peak Lord, “ This lowly village head wishes Peak Lords Ru and Xiao much luck in their venture,” he politely bowed once more, before moving onward to the discussion of the flexible payment plan the sect allowed for their services.
When a senior disciple reported to him that the area was clear, Xiao HaoQi instructed them to go and find the den to make sure the pack wasn’t separated. With this handled, Xiao HaoQi met Ru HaoChun’s eye and tilted his head, signaling that he was going to bring the child to a less open space to calm him. Ru HaoChun nodded and turned his sole attention onto settling the village head and townfolk’s concerns and questions.
Xiao HaoQi moved past a nearby brothel and toward the forests that bordered it, his ear pricking when a soft voice called after him. “ Peak Lord Xiao, wait,” a woman hushedly spoke his name, her eyes soft and concerned as she took in the sight of the struggling child and the serious-faced man.
He wordlessly halted his steps and turned to face the brothel worker where she stood in the brothel’s secluded courtyard. He watched as she made her way to a chestnut brown gate and stepped toward him.
At the sight of the woman, the feral child slowly stilled in his struggle. He let out a whimpering, “ Mrrr?” and pleadingly whined up at the woman, his nude limbs stiffly struggling once more as if to get closer to her.Help Strong Flame. Get Away from man--dangerous! he yipped at the woman in distress, his eyes wide as he tried to once more claw and bite at Xiao HaoQi.
Xiao HaoQi rumbled at the boy, this time channeling a message of, Not dangerous. I help, be good Strong Flame. Listen to Alpha and see the pack, which finally got the boy to wearily calm down. The woman watched the display with a furrowed brow, her eyes disbelieving as the child pulled his teeth from the man’s side and simply went limp.
” Yes, Gungiang?” He politely reminded her of his presence, making her startle from where she was staring into the boy’s beseeching eyes. “ Do you know this little one?” He calmly asked, his voice clear of judgment as he met her searching gaze. She nodded, her brown eyes filling with tears as she brought her gaze back down to the boy.
She knelt and held her hand to the child, allowing him to wearily sniff at it before he roughly bumped his dirty head into her manicured hand. She shakily sucked in a breath, “ Xiao XiWang has been coming to this courtyard after one of us left out some food… We’ve been slowly establishing trust with him for the past few years,” she told him, her hand carefully carding through the child’s uneven, mess of bangs and charred layers.
” This one is glad he had some eyes on him, thanking Jiejies for their aid,” he nodded his approval, “ Rest assured that we will provide XiWang with medical care and the patience required for cases such as his,” his deep voice was soothing. The brothel worker’s tears fell down her face as she heard this.
The now-named XiWang firmly pressed his head into her hand and let out a worried grumble, his eyes flashing upward toward the man. Xiao HaoQi met his gaze, slowly averting his gaze and giving a gentle, reassuring rumbling when the boy aggressively barred and snapped his teeth. Bad man, no look at woman! Hurt her! he protectively sneered as a result of seeing her tears, Xiao HaoQi merely sniffed in disinterest and looked even further away from the crying brothel worker.
XiWang narrowed his eyes at this, his head turning to look between the two as he struggled to fully understand the situation. From the corner of his eye, Xiao HaoQi could almost see that brain whirling as he tried to connect his observations together, their words clearly going over the child’s head with only his given name sounding familiar.
The woman’s eyes widened for a second and she let out a quick “ Oh!” before she turned and quickly headed to a corner of the courtyard. XiWang let out a high whine and frantically struggled as though to follow her, only calming once she returned with a neatly tied bundle of fabric.
A toy or something of the likes rattled in the bundle as the woman transferred the bundle into Xiao HaoQi’s hand that had been scruffing the boy. XiWang let out a confused whirr at this exchange as he suspiciously stared at the woman. She kneeled once more and placed gentle hands onto his cheeks, her eyes warm and once more tear-stricken while a bittersweet smile lined her lips.
” Xiao XiWang has been such a good boy for Jiejie,” she chokingly whispered as she stroked those dirty cheeks. She slowly brought her face close to his and pressed a firm kiss to his forehead, “ It’s time for XiWang to get help from his new Gege,” she took a shaky inhale.
XiWang let out a croaking cry, his body shaking as he finally realized that he was being taken away from his Jiejie. As he realized that this was not a rescue attempt from her, but a goodbye. She was abandoning-- no, betraying him to the bad man! Harsh sobs wracked through him as his face crumbled, his gaze finally falling to the ground as all hope fled from his limbs.
Xiao HaoQi let them share a soft goodbye, not letting up on his reassuring rumble as the boy’s body shook and tears fell from those dark eyes. He averted his gaze as the woman brought a sleeve up and attempted to wipe at the boy’s tear-stained face. She frowned and cooed at the distant expression on his face, and merely stroked and babled at him with more care. The pale sleeve turned brown with the amount of dirt, but she paid it no mind as she finally stood up.
She bowed deeply toward the Peak Lord, her hands shaking, “ We thank Peak Lord Xiao,” she spoke earnestly, her head moving to look upward and meet his eyes once she straightened out. “ Please, if possible…Can Peak Lord Xiao promise to bring Xiao XiWang to us once more? This one doesn’t care if she is retired and gray when he can stand and speak– to understand…” she trailed off, as she looked over XiWang’s sniffling and grief-stricken face. Her heart clenched as she saw his expression become one of cool yet firm blankness, adding fuel to her boldness.
” I would love to talk with and hold this boy. I wish for him to understand that I care for him as if he were my own son,” she fervently spoke with a firm gaze and a set jaw, as though finally realizing she could accept her feelings now that the boy was in capable hands. Allow herself to fully love him without worrying that he would never return the next day. Xiao HaoQi nodded his assent.
” If I may, what is Guniang’s name? So I may tell XiWang of you in the future,” he asked, his soft voice drawing her attention back toward him. She gratefully smiled, overjoyed that the man was taking her seriously despite her unfortunate situation and lowly profession.
” This one's name is Ye Hanmei,” she stated, earning a slightly amused chuckle at her surname. She tilted her head in question at the soft chuckle, her cheeks faintly blushing as the man shook his head.
” He’s likely amused at your surname if it is the character for ‘Wild,’ considering Xiao XiWang’s predicament,” Ru HaoChun dryly explained as he made his way down the alleyway and stopped next to the trio. XiWang flinched and lowly growled at his arrival, eyeing him with open distrust.
” Especially since the boy’s name would be Ye XiWang, which is rather fitting. However, Shidi, it is inappropriate timing to be laughing,” Ru HaoChun scolded the silent man, gently tapping his free forearm. Ye Hanmei let an amused huff out at the two, her chest still achingly warm as she turned her gaze onto the child with a determined nod.
Ye XiWang looked into her warm face, his expression slackening from his dark, threatening scowl as he whined at her and hesitantly gazed at her in an imploring manner. Desperate for her to do something-- prove she cared for him. “ Behave for your Gege’s my little one. Then one day we will see each other and you will be big and strong,” she promised, her voice warm and soft like her touch. The child gave an un-comprehending blink at her words, yet a hopeful rumble stirred in his throat at her tone and expression.
She allowed herself one more pet before she pulled back so the men could make their preparations to leave with their disciples. The two walked off into the forest with Ye XiWang still under Xiao HaoQi’s sturdy arm, lest the boy prance off into the wild once more given how much he struggled. His heartwrenching howls echoed through the town as they walked further and further away.
It was later when the Peak Lords had Ye XiWang on the equivalent of a spiritual baby lease, wrapped in his blanket from Ye Hanmei, that Shen Yuan received the memories of his past life.
Xiao HaoQi and Ru HaoChun watched as the boy stiffened even further where Ru HaoChun had been inspecting his meridians and overall health with his Qi. The healer gently slowed the already thin amount of Qi, his hand hovering over an emergency talisman that would call one of his senior disciples over in case the boy started seizing from a Qi deviation.
Inside Ye XiWang’s head, a plethora of memories and realizations occurred simultaneously. The new and old memories whirled and floated into his head like the lifting of a fog that had numbed him throughout his life in this world. He wasn’t Strong Flame. He wasn't a wolf and he wasn't ten years old.
He was a modern, autistic man in a feral child’s body. He had died from choking on a meat bun while typing a heated rant in his neglected apartment and was…reincarnated or transmigrated somewhere, he thought dazedly. He tried to consider his mental state and his limitations shakingly– yet he could already tell that he was going to have to deal with this life’s experiences as said feral child raised by wolves.
Shen Yuan then heard that Google translate voice in his head, blathering about errors and “improper timing on Host’s end,”. Gee, sorry he just couldn’t wait to die, his body was likely found by his poor, younger sister. Who was the only member of his family to bother visiting him nowadays.
The only daily social interaction he experienced came in the form of online forums and the snake, scammer of a Caretaker his family paid for. Over the years, they gradually came to see him as a ‘lost cause’ and a stain to hide in their successful, wealthy family…Maybe he could make do with this, you’re all right for now System.
The interaction then ended as the System declared him an NPC– if a cool and underutilized one by that hack of an author– and then it peaced out. Leaving him to fruitlessly try and gain his bearings.
As he understood it, his goal was to fix the countless plot holes of his least favorite novel as an NPC. This goal would be achieved through his transmigration into the young body of the Beast Peak Lord of the Qing generation, Ye XiWang, later known as Ye QingHan. The man was a total lone wolf with a mysterious background that Airplane Shooting Toward the Sky never expanded upon.
The man was always isolated on his peak or off on some sort of quest, never speaking or standing out until the mountain was set on fire and the peak lords were slaughtered one by one at the hands of the vengeful Stallion Protagonist. Even then, the man had merely said " Bad Human, " before he was crippled via Xin Mo and left to be feasted on by his exotic demon beasts and livestock.
...Well, it gave Shen Yuan a ton to work with. Besides that particular ending, he was down to fulfill this role– especially if it led to him seeing hundreds of beasts and dangerous plants! Those were always his favorite parts of the novel, as well as his favorite character, Luo Binghe, and his favorite wives of the Harem of course.
So hell yeah! Shen Yuan was going to get this done! He was 100% going to live the Ye XiWang life.
Blinking at nothing, Ye XiWang let out a soft sigh through his nose and allowed his small body to relax. Which was super hard, actually? His limbs felt stiff and tense while his head felt like it had been filled with cotton, making him shift in discomfort with a whine. A jolt ran through him when he felt the obvious Peak Lord of Qian Cao softly pool his Qi into those stiff areas.
Once relaxed, he licked his lips and then opened his mouth to attempt to speak. “ Aghhh ah… Maa, eghh,” he groggily spoke, his tongue felt heavy and his throat felt like he had tried gargling stones and glass with how it tore from the different type of speech. The Peak Lord hushed him, his words garbled and hard for Ye XiWang to understand given this body's lack of knowledge of the language.
” Hm, already trying to communicate, huh?” Ru HaoChun murmured to himself, his hand moving to grab the flask of water Xiao HaoQi had wordlessly supplied. The healer gently helped the disoriented child up into a seated position and slowly fed him water.
Ye XiWang blinked in surprise at the movement before he focused on guzzling the water. Small, calloused hands clumsily clutched the flask so Ru HaoChun couldn’t take the drink away, the small digits curling and flexing.
Xiao HaoQi looked on in interest from the side, while the healer patiently held the flask until the boy drank all of the water. Once finished, he took the flask away and slowly brought his hand to pat the top of Ye XiWang’s head. Feeling absolutely touch-starved from the life he lived in both worlds, Ye XiWang clutched the hand to his head to press down harder, pressing those matted locks firmly against the man’s soft hand.
” If only little XiXi would let us give him a bath,” Ru HaoChun hummed as he tried to card his fingers through the matted nature of the boy’s hair. Ye XiWang snapped his teeth toward the healer and growled in discontent at the sensation-- Gentle he couldn't help scold, a pout lining his lips as he bumped his head against the man's stilled hand. Xiao HaoQi let out a deep chortle and stepped away from the meat he was spit-roasting over their fire after cutting a small piece.
” I would love to see A-Long try. It will likely have to wait until we get back, too much wilderness to lose him in,” Xiao HaoQi bluntly spoke, the healer nodding in agreement. With his hand still attached to the boy’s head, he pulled a rag from a nearby bag and soaked it with water from his own flask.
Once prepared, Ru HaoChun turned to face the boy and tentatively brought the rag to his face. Ye XiWang instinctively tensed at the sight of the rag and began to turn his head from it, before he forced himself to calm. An anxious rumble began in his throat, making Ye XiWang grow frustrated with this body’s reactions and nature.
He wanted to be clean damn it! His hair felt horribly heavy with the amount of leaves, dirt, and other grime on it. His body was still nude and just as dirty. It was all making his skin crawl and his jaw ache from how he rhythmically unclenched and clenched it to self-soothe.
Once he got into a tub, he was not leaving it until his skin was spotless and scrubbed raw.
Xiao HaoQi observed how the boy remained stiff and obedient to the cleaning. His dark eyes narrowed in slight confusion, for the boy’s mannerisms didn’t line up with how he had been previously acting. The feral child should remain weary of humans like any other Fire Crested Timber Wolf cub-- especially one who had only experienced the violence of greedy humans, besides the small light of hope from the brothel workers. For him to treat them with anything but suspicion and aggression, was suspicious itself.
Those wolves were intelligent and did not trust easily. This was proven by the countless ill-intentioned rogue cultivators who had been maimed or killed throughout the years.
Xiao HaoQi examined the firm yet gentle hold Ru HaoChun had on the boy’s face and head before he slowly shuffled closer. Ye XiWang stiffened and opened his eyes to side-eye the larger man, a warning grumble started from his throat before he forced it down. Xiao HaoQi tilted his head in confusion at the active suppression. Where was that little spitfire from earlier?
” I think he has somehow accepted us sooner than we could imagine, A-Ming. Perhaps imprinting with our Qi as he may have done with the Timber Wolves?” Ru HaoChun theorized, his own gaze fascinated as he watched how the boy seemed to fight his instincts that called for him to fight and distrust their presence.
They both knew from reports the village head had provided, that countless, shady rogue cultivators had tried to capture and harm the boy. Certainly to either kill him or use his surprisingly large Qi reserves for nefarious reasons.
Xiao HaoQi hummed in agreement, his hand slowly moving toward the boy before it settled on his nape and scruffed him. Ye XiWang’s body became boneless under the man’s large hand, bright hazel eyes flicking up to look at the man’s face as he grumbled at him in annoyance.
Ru HaoChun sent a disciple to fill one of their travel tubs with water as he pulled out a warming talisman. Xiao HaoQi brought the boy to his lap, the child letting out an animalistic squeal and attempting to squirm away as the two Peak Lords carefully continued their examination.
Ye XiWang stopped fighting the man as he felt the smooth, warm flow of Qi enter his body. While the other man’s Qi had been cool and refreshing, the burly man’s Qi was like a soothing cup of hot chocolate to Ye XiWang’s conflicting thoughts and instincts.
The boy gradually stilled into the man’s hold. Slowly he went from a strained and fighting position to a careful placement of his limbs that radiated unease. And then, he finally pressed himself close to Xiao HaoQi’s chest and timidly cuddled closer to the man. This close position allowed his sensitive nose to catch the smell of the cooling meat he held in his hand.
Saliva pooled into his mouth and he let out a tiny whine, Share please Alpha, pup hungry he thoughtlessly conveyed, earning a gentle pet and a reassuring reply.
The meat was brought to his face and Ye XiWang was carefully hand-fed the unseasoned portion of meat. Xiao HaoQi and Ru HaoChun watched the boy’s reaction to the meat, making sure he didn’t vomit it up. “ The pack must have been cooking his portions with their flames for him to accept cooked meat,” Ru HaoChun noted, his hand quickly writing down his observations in his notebook.
” Smart,” Xiao HaoQi agreed with a nod, gesturing for a disciple to bring over a decent portion of meat while another disciple brought over the filled tub. They activated the self-cleaning tub and left to go eat their portion of the simple dinner.
Like this, Xiao HaoQi hand-fed the rumbling boy and then brought the limp and sleepy child over to Ru HaoChun for his bath after pinning his sleeves back. Xiao HaoQi provided comforting rumbles as he held the tether to the Qi Harness, but Ye XiWang was wiggling with excitement rather than fear at the sight of the tub.
’ These guys are heaven-sent,’ he thought, his mouth letting out a high-pitched bark as he was gradually placed into the warm water. He moved about energetically, water sloshing over the rim of the tub while his thin limbs moved about excitedly. He stimmed without conscious thought as he was cleaned, the men effortlessly moving around his waving arms and hands. When he grew overstimulated by their touch, he yowled and flashed his teeth at them, a happy chuff leaving his lips when they easily complied and gave him space.
When the men attempted to move him from the tub after soaking and patiently untangling his hair, Ye XiWang couldn’t help but growl in outrage and grip the sides of the tub. He turned and glared at the Beast Peak Lord behind him, unable to stop himself from darting forward and biting at the man’s protected wrist.
He was not done soaking, thank you very much!
His jaws snapped at the soft leather wrist guard, his jaw creaking from the pressure as he demonstrated his displeasure with the man’s action. Ye XiWang felt his shoulders drop as a hand scruffed him, the man firmly pressing his face into the fabric.
Ye XiWang’s growls and miniature head shakes calmed as he smelled the man’s robes, his breaths deepening from their frantic inhales. The scent of sweat, dirt, and the smokiness of the fires from earlier soothed something carnal within Ye XiWang’s more animalistic instincts from the weird mish-mash of lives he has lived.
He dazedly let go and licked his lips and teeth, his cheek turning and settling on the man’s wrist as he was allowed to stay in the tub for the moment. He let out a content snuffle as he rubbed his cheek against the man's arm, his body turning into a prune jelly in the warm water as the deep voices of the men comforted him to sleep.
” Hm… If this one had to guess, it seems as though XiWang has been blessed by the Heavens and touched by the stars. Perhaps this is why he was abandoned as he was,” Ru HaoChun spoke and wearily sighed, preparing a warmed towel and one of Xiao HaoQi’s spare outer robes for the child. Xiao HaoQi simply nodded at this with a saddened frown, his hands gentle as he slowly brought the child out of the tub.
Restfully sleeping and kicking his feet out, Ye XiWang grumbled and blearily squinted his eyes at the man as he was dried and loosely dressed. His bath-warmed muscles further relaxed as he was enveloped with the scent of the burly man and laid on top of a spare sleep roll with his blanket draped over him.
He rumbled his contentment and kneaded the roll to get comfortable, a sigh leaving his mouth as he was pressed to Xiao HaoQi’s side. When the other man rumbled in reply and brushed his hand from the boy’s forehead to the back of his head, Ye XiWang could do nothing but fall deeper into sleep.
Chapter 4: Methods of Communication
Summary:
Ye XiWang discovers more about Ru HaoChun and Xiao HaoQi as they find a way to communicate.
Notes:
Thank you guys for all of the support on this little fic! Hope you all enjoy this chapter ☺️
TW: there is a meltdown with self-harming tendencies stemming from self-hatred/dealing with regression of SY’s transmigration
Communication notes:
"Speaking verbally and through sign language"
Animal speech/rumbling/growling/body language communication
'Internal Thoughts'*The senior disciples are close to the peak lord’s ages, so they refer to them as Shixiong and Shifu given the close tie of Meng Shou and Qian Cao with XiaoRu’s marriage/cultivation partner status.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When Ye XiWang blinked awake the next morning, he instinctively stiffened and yelped at the unfamiliar surroundings. He whipped back and scuttled away on his hands and knees, tripping onto his face as he stumbled over ill-fitting robes and his blanket.
An amused huff sounded from behind him, causing him to turn and give the Peak Lord a displeased, sleepy growl. Ye XiWang sat up from his clumsy fall and rubbed his eyes with his hands before looking around the unfamiliar campgrounds.
Everything from the day before slowly came to him and he spent a few minutes compartmentalizing so he didn’t have a meltdown. It was too much information to take in this early in the morning-- actually, too much to take in for the year. All Ye XiWang wanted to do was eat, sleep, and play Animal Crossing for the rest of his existence. Also, see his Meimei and have her tease him over his otaku loser interests and picky eating habits until the world ends.
Once finished, Ye XiWang let out a weary, all-suffering sigh as he blinked up at the blue sky. He then turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the Beast Peak Lord who was merely sitting there with a neutral expression. Averting his gaze slightly so as not to rile up the feral child, Xiao HaoQi gestured with his head for Ye XiWang to join him by the fire. The man was sitting in front of a travel pot filled with congee and another spit roast set up with fresh meat cooking.
Ye XiWang couldn’t help but lick his lips and carefully prowl closer after shaking his blanket off of himself, mindful of the large robes wrapped around his small body. “Mrr?” he vocalized as he wearily approached the man’s side. His eyes darted around the man’s square, unreadable face and jumped around his intimidating frame.
While Ye XiWang would bet that the previous Qiong Cang Peak Lords were accomplished men and women, he had dealt with too many ill-intentioned people to be won over so easily. And this guy looked like he could take on Bai Zhan God of War, Liu Qingge, and Heavenly Demon Emperor, Luo Binghe, with a single hand-- he had muscles on muscles!
Those rogue cultivators weren’t all rainbows and goodwill– he was certain he had even scuffled with that Scum Villian’s horrid mentor, Wu Yanzi, or whatever. The man had wielded some wicked demonic blade and smiled at him cruelly, but had been unable to capture him given his pack's protectiveness.
And he had hopefully given the man a nice scar with how he bit his hand– serves him right for trying to hurt a kid! Well, another kid besides that Scum Villian, Shen QingQiu…and the uncounted number of innocent disciples he killed during Immortal Alliance Discussions.
When Ye XiWang was a few paces away, Xiao HaoQi met his gaze again and nodded. He then turned to mind the fire, allowing the both of them to rest in silence under the early morning light. Ye XiWang huffed in begrudging satisfaction at the calm presence the man provided. Despite his intimidating appearance, his energy and body language were relaxed and undeterred by the entire situation.
Ye XiWang hoped this man followed the vague outline of the book and took him in as a disciple for Meng Shou Peak. Given the lack of description and context provided about the previous generation and Ye QingHan, Shen Yuan felt extremely unstable and unsettled. Anxiety gnawed at his core and made his fingers clamp into the ground in a self-soothing clench.
He was a creature of routine and valued predictability, so to be thrown into the PIDW world with a whole prequel and backstory that wasn’t given to the reader– he was feeling more than a little nervous about the whole scenario. If he ever got out of this and meet that wretched author, he was going to beat the everloving shit out of them.
Caught up in his thoughts, Ye XiWang let out a reflexive growl and just barely kept himself from snapping at the man’s hand when he realized it had moved toward him. His hazel eyes blinked and flicked upward to look at Xiao HaoQi’s face before he ultimately relaxed and accepted the offered meat resting in his hand.
He brought it a few paces away to ensure the man didn’t take the food back. He leaned back onto his haunches and greedily consumed the larger portion of meat that he received. His pack went by a feast or famine routine that often left him toughing out days with no meat, relying on the rare bush of non-aphrodisiac berries and herbs.
It was this still tentative image of acceptance and peace that Ru HaoChun stumbled upon. A soft smile broke his furrowed expression, his fine features relaxing at the sight of a cohabiting Ye XiWang and Xiao HaoQi.
“ Good morning, A-XiXi, A-Ming,” he greeted casually, yet loudly to not startle the boy, before sitting at Xiao HaoQi’s side. Ye XiWang huffed an absent greeting from where he was pulling apart his portion of meat with his teeth and hands. His attention was predominantly focused on his food.
Xiao HaoQi gave Ru HaoChun a warm look and offered him his breakfast. The trio rested in this peaceful manner, while their disciples similarly rested and prepared for the long days of flying ahead of them. If they were a little hungover from celebrating the successful night hunt, who were the Peak Lords to judge?
” This is going to be a very stressful journey for the poor boy,” Ru HaoChun broke the silence, his baritone voice low and calm as he observed the feral child licking his hands. Ye XiWang looked over at them curiously as they nonchalantly talked about their plans, his light eyes narrowed at how the Beast Peak Lord loosely held the ‘leash’ of his spiritual baby harness.
Rather demeaning, he thought. Sure, he was mostly wild and literally raised by wolves, but he could be trusted to not run away. At least right now in the body he was in. He mentally shied away from the many times he had eloped or attempted to elope in his previous body. From the cold, medicinal-smelling therapy rooms to the lonely rooms of his apartment– nope!
Not thinking about any of that. He reminded himself that he was now Ye XiWang and A-OK sitting in the woods with these awesome cultivators. From his least favorite Xianxia novel ever!
He huffed and got up, naturally trotting over on his hands and knees so that he could rest by the men. When he was decently positioned next to them, he sat on his behind and curiously watched them talk to each other. Ye XiWang assumed they were discussing plans of some sort, especially plans relating to what they were going to do with him.
As they continued speaking to each other, Ye XiWang huffed at being ignored and whacked at Xiao HaoQi’s knee like an impatient cat. The man looked over at him and conveyed his attention and replied with a tilt of his head and a questioning huff.
Ye XiWang shifted his eyes between them, his posture unsure and hunched as he tried to convey how he 1.) wanted to know what they were discussing and 2.) if it was related to his new home among them. Body language and posturing could only go so far, so Xiao HaoQi was slightly miffed.
” Perhaps we can use hand signs to communicate?” Ru HaoChun proposed, his sharp, intelligent eyes flicking between the two as they both scratched their heads. He then brought his lithe hands up and slowly signed, " You Need What?" in what looked like Northern Chinese Sign Language.
Ye XiWang stiffened in astonishment as he blinked at the man's slow and repeated gestures. He was impressed that the useless Hack Author included sign language in his world-building! There hadn’t even been any deaf or mute wives for Luo Binghe to romance for this to be mentioned.
As Shen Yuan, he was an expert in Shanghainese Sign Language, general Chinese Sign Language, and could understand American Sign Language so he could garner what the man was asking with his direct gestures and facial expressions. Yet, he knew he couldn’t bust out his own signs since that would be a huge indicator that he was anything but a child. Especially a child raised in such conditions, his lips wobbled lightly as the mental image of a wolf speaking sign language flashed through his head.
He drew a steadying breath and turned to Ru HaoChun. He sat back on his haunches and grasped basic sentence structure and blunt gestures, Ye XiWang signed his question after Ru HaoChun repeated his sentence a few times. " Me go you?" he asked, his fluent CSL at heart cringing at the rudimentary signing he was forced to do. He hadn’t signed so slowly and haltingly since he was a young child. His hands even cramped a bit!
He cut himself some slack when Ru HaoChen nodded with a pleased smile, his hands slowly and repeatedly gesturing between them while he nodded, " Yes you join us,". The man repeated the sign for ‘join’ to make sure Ye XiWang understood its meaning.
” Very resourceful and observant,” Xiao HaoQi murmured as he crouched down by the child, watching as Ye XiWang quickly perked up and gleaned what the man was signing. They both observed how intensely focused the child grew as Ru HaoChun went through some rudimentary signs for the boy.
The sun rose and the day slowly crawled on as the man went over signs such as the basis of the pinyin-finger spelling alphabet, their name signs, ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘yes’, ‘no’, and anything and everything else he could understand and easily convey. Ru HaoChun settled on using a mixture of the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect dialect (Northern Chinese Sign Language) and the common signs that didn’t fully rely on pinyin-related finger-spelling.
” Immensely quick to learning. Most children his age would take a longer time to understand what I was asking and saying,” Ru HaoChun noted to himself, pausing in their impromptu lesson to look over at the Beast Peak Lord. Ye XiWang huffed at the dismissal, annoyed as the man talked without signing– he very much wished he knew what they were talking about now that they established this method of communication.
In response, he huffed and nudged Ru HuaChun’s knee with his palm, a pout forming on his face. " You speak, what say?" he asked, giving them a suspicious look and a wary growl to convey his confusion and desire to know what they were speaking about. Ru HaoChun and Xiao HaoQi chuckled, the Beast Peak lord even daring to pet the feral child's head. The man ignored the testy nips at his fingers.
" We speak about you, about traveling and keeping you safe," he explained, some of the newer and more complex signs for Ye XiWang. He furrowed his brow as he sat there in thought before his attention was caught by Xiao HaoQi moving and grabbing some items.
Once he came back, Ye XiWang jolted when the man unsheathed his sword and set it on the ground. He then placed a sturdy piece of fabric next to it, and then he lastly set down a medium-sized travel cage. " You go with us, you use one of these," he pointed his hand over each item, before mimicking a tiny person and waving his finger at Ye XiWang in greeting.
Crouching back on his haunches and letting out a giggle at the silly sight of the man’s large hand, he watched with wide eyes as Xiao HaoQi patiently conveyed each of the traveling methods. The man mimicked two people standing on the sword with his hands; then a tiny figure wrapped in fabric clutching to Ru HaoChun’s hand on the sword; and then a figure resting in the closed cage with two people holding it.
Ye XiWang furrowed his brows at the cage and growled at it in disapproval, only relaxing when Xiao HaoQi tossed it to the side. Once it finished clattering and rolling away toward the unsurprised disciples, he then turned to consider the other options. Xiao HaoQi and Ru HaoChun repeated the different methods a few more times.
If Ye XiWang weren’t a transmigrator with a special interest in Xianxia and Wuxia, he wouldn’t have understood what the man was conveying with his age-regressed mind and emotions of a ten-year-old. Even though the man was making endearing wooshing sounds and having Ru HaoChun’s hand cling to his on the sword.
Ye XiWang looked between the two options with a critical eye before slapping the swath of fabric with his hand. “Huh, ‘ You want to use fabric and join us?’” Xiao HaoQi touched the fabric as he performed the unfamiliar signs. Ye XiWang watched as the man displayed the fabric for him, even allowing him to sniff it and feel the texture of it.
" Ye XiWang, you, A-XiWang join us with fabric," Ru HaoChun explained, his head tilting with the hinted question, trying to convey the sense of choice in this area at least. Ye XiWang jolted at the name sign given to him, his eyes wide as he repeated the name and pressed a hand to his chest with a head tilt of his own.
" Xiao Ye, yes, your name. Ye XiWang, your mama gave you," Ru HaoChun explained, his face patient as he gestured back to the town and mimicked a woman cradling a child after the soft sign for Mama, an almost caressing motion near his face.
Ye XiWang gulped at his name before he nodded and straightened himself at the vital, character-building point, " XiWang go in fabric with Ru-Gege and Xiao-Gege," he told them. A determined gleam sparked in his eyes as he met the Peak Lords’ gazes, " Go with Gege," he repeatedly signed, his signs becoming incoherent as he grew excited.
" XiWang go with us," Xiao HaoQi promised, his face somber with his intensity while his large hand slowly, yet reassuringly settled on Ye XiWang’s thin shoulder. The transmigrator stilled, then couldn’t help but relax under the comforting weight of the man’s hand.
A pleased rumble started from his throat and he bumped his clean head against the man’s arm. He surprised both of them with how he nuzzled and curled up to the man’s muscular forearm.
It was a complete 180 shift from the vicious, feral boy from the day before.
" Sweet XiWang," Xiao HaoQi signed, his stoic face lighting with fondness as he watched Ye XiWang inch toward him. The both of them could see the clear way in which the boy was touch starved as a result of his isolation from humans. However, they were continuously surprised by the way the boy quickly adopted them as guardians.
When Ye XiWang was close enough, Xiao HaoQi gently settled his other hand on the boy’s head and pet him. This time around, the touch was welcomed as he wasn't being ignored. Faced with such constant gentle attention and patience from the men, Ye XiWang felt his neglected heart weep with joy.
With a sad whimper, Ye XiWang pushed himself up onto the man’s lap and burrowed himself close to Xiao HaoQi’s lapels near his heart.
” Poor, sweet child,” Ru HaoChun cooed, his gaze moving toward his cultivation partner. Xiao HaoQi looked up from where he had been gazing at the boy and nodded, his expression firm in the way it got when he found something he wished to protect. “ I see. I will join A-Ming down this path as well,” he promised him, his voice light yet his gaze heavy as he held Xiao HaoQi’s probing stare.
Xiao HaoQi grumbled with satisfaction and tucked Ye XiWang’s knobby, thin limbs closer to himself. Wrapped in the Peak Lord’s large outer robe and loosely surrounded by his arms, Ye XiWang couldn’t help but whimper and curl toward him like a sad puppy. Especially as the man wordlessly rumbled to him, Alpha protect Pup. Love Pup, the vibration and the message it conveyed rattling Ye XiWang's bones.
Once he was a bit more composed, they took a late lunch with one of the Meng Shou senior disciples joining them with a cauldron of stew and rice for the adults and a small pouch of berries for the child. The four of them ate in light silence, the disciple watching in amusement as the feral child ate like some sort of wolf-bird from where he was perched on Xiao HaoQi’s lap.
After eating their fill, the four of them relaxed around the campfire as the rest of the disciples explored the area. Bringing out a travel quill, bespelled ink, and paper, Xiao HaoQi wrote an update for the current Sect Leader, Qian HaoFen. This letter would inform him of his new charge and the damages that they would be providing aid for.
Much like the man himself, the note was blunt and sparsely worded in description and detail. Ru HaoChun would send his own letters as well.
The senior disciple looked up from where she was playing with Ye XiWang at the sound of Xiao HaoQi’s spiritually-bound, messenger Black-Billed Humming Bird. The glittering, flickering beast slowed in front of the Beast Peak Lord as it allowed him to tie the slip of paper to its thin leg.
He fed the bird a portion of his Qi and it teleported to its home nest on Meng Shou Peak to deliver its message to Qiong Ding. Xiao HaoQi turned toward his inquisitive disciple and answered her unspoken question, “ We will be leaving tomorrow morning. Xiao XiWang will be riding with us in a swaddle,” he informed her.
She looked down at the feral child who was chasing after her band of ribbon from her partner in Xian Shu and subconsciously furrowed her brows. “ Is there anything Shixiong and Shifu need from this disciple to help in their journey?” She asked, her worries clear in the furrow of her brow.
” Min-Shimei needn’t concern herself with these matters,” Ru HaoChun politely spoke and kindly smiled at her from over his teacup, “ We are prepared for a more… difficult flight so A-XiXi may travel with some comfort and dignity. If we fall behind, Min-Shimei may lead her Sect siblings ahead of ourselves,” he told her. Min LiHua nodded her assent before she turned her focus back onto the whining child.
He had grown upset that her attention had drifted for so long and the ribbon had laid forgotten. Min LiHua cooed at him like he was a kitten and fluttered the ribbon some more for the feral child. It was only when Xiao HaoQi went hunting for dinner and Ye XiWang was dead tired, lying next to a reading Ru HaoChun that the transmigrated man scolded himself.
’ What am I? Some mindless animal?’ he shook his head in grim dissatisfaction and humiliation from the childish and animalistic tendencies that had stolen over him. It made his chest ache and his hands clenched in anger from how much control he lacked over himself.
His thoughts spiraled into an angry whirlpool. He was borderline nonverbal again and agonizingly had to analyze everything everyone said to understand them, in both senses of verbal and sign communication. All of his progress and carefully constructed sense of self– gone, just like that!
He was reverted back to a child’s body and mind– a feral one at that, which influenced him to act in embarrassing and humiliating ways. And while the Peak Lords and their disciples were patient, he just knew they would grow tired and bored of his problems and abandon him like his own family did! They would look at him with that distant pity, that disgust of how lacking he was when compared to their standards.
His self-hatred and frustration boiled in his stomach, making his skin crawl and his eyes tear up despite the soothing hand that settled on his back. When his gaze darted over to the prim and proper image of the immortal master beside him, he couldn’t hold back his meltdown.
His hands went to snatch and pull at his hair as a frustrated and distraught snarl tore from his throat. He yowled in displeasure when gentle yet firm hands stopped him from hurting himself, his eyes narrowing when he found himself looking into Ru HaoChun’s calm face. “ Now, now A-XiXi, there’s no need for this,” he spoke soothingly, his tone purposefully low and gentle since he knew the child wouldn’t be able to understand him.
Nor would he be able to sign to him for obvious reasons.
Ye XiWang snarled and kicked out wildly, his clawed feet doing nothing to an immortal master who was familiar with dealing with unruly patients and violent outbursts. Ru HaoChun didn’t apply any pressure to his hold, keeping his grip light as he prevented Ye XiWang’s hands from scratching at himself.
” Does Shixiong need anything from these disciples?” Min LiHua spoke as she and two of the Qian Cao senior disciples jogged toward the duo. Ru HaoChun shook his head and told them to stay back, lest they crowd the boy and needlessly over-stimulate him.
” No, this master has this situation under control. Disciples Min, Zhang, and Dong may continue their studies,” he told them, his expression unchanging despite how much Ye XiWang was fighting him. Ye XiWang was akin to a cat fighting against a predator with how his body twisted and his yowls flew from his mouth.
Ru HaoChun murmured soft words of comfort as he held Ye XiWang’s arms and lifted him away from the ground as the boy attempted to throw his body against the hard dirt. “ It’s okay, A-XiXi. Let it all out,” he spoke reassuringly, watching as the tears slid down Ye XiWang’s face. When the boy grew even more tired, he was able to shift his grip on the child’s wrists and wipe that face with his silk sleeve.
The cool silk and gentle hushing sounds started to soothe Ye XiWang as his yowls pittered out to shuddering sobs. His eyes squeezed shut at the gross way his salty tears stuck to his skin, his tense body relaxing as the soft fabric enveloped his face. He half-heartedly snapped on it with his teeth, before he ended up taking the fabric into his mouth.
Ye XiWang’s cheeks flushed as he embarrassingly self-soothed by sucking on the fabric in his mouth. Yet, Ru HaoChun didn’t snatch it out of his mouth nor did he tap him on the head like his mother had done during a meltdown in his past life when he had put her sleeve into his mouth. When he wasn’t reprimanded for his behavior, he allowed himself to relax in the man’s hold.
Ru HaoChun noted the child’s calmer state and brought him to his lap, keeping his sleeves draped over the boy’s face as he sucked on the heavy fabric of his outer robe. “ There you are. Does A-XiXi enjoy this master’s sleeve?” He asked, merely speaking to continue soothing the child as he rubbed his hand over the boy’s forearm.
Ye XiWang settled even more at the constant sense of calm that surrounded the unflappable master. ’ He is like the master of dealing with autistic meltdowns,’ Ye XiWang couldn’t help but dazedly think, he didn’t think any of his hired caretakers were ever able to help him with such effectiveness and professionalism.
If anything, the snappish woman who had acted as his most recent caretaker had often triggered more meltdowns than she prevented or settled them. She had usually manhandled him into his room before he accidentally destroyed the common areas of his apartment.
There, he would hurt himself, break an expensive figure or two, and then self-soothe until he was able to shakingly avert his attention to one of his interests to dissociate from the shame as well as the mental and physical pain. All while that woman sat and chatted with her friends on her phone or did some other personal business.
He forcibly tore himself away from those ugly memories and shoved them into a box in the very back of his mind. Ye XiWang tentatively pushed the sleeve off of his face, keeping a portion of it in his mouth as he looked up at Ru HaoChun. His hands shook as he signed, " Ru-Gege upset?" he asked, feeling every bit insecure and afraid, yet hopeful as the serene man looked down at him.
Ru HaoChun’s hands shifted while he shook his head, " Ru-Gege not upset. Ru-Gege help XiWang, XiWang safe," he signed unfalteringly. His kind eyes met Ye XiWang’s shocked gaze and held it until the child looked away with a blank yet lightly pink face. Silence settled between the two of them as Ru HaoChun brushed a hand through slightly wild locks of hair.
" XiWang…happy," Ye XiWang signed with shaky hands, his sentence trailing as his hands stilled with how his thoughts settled into a calm blanket of quiet joy. He wasn’t going to make the rash choice of 100% trusting the Peak Lords, but this was definitely a great sign of the man’s character.
An hour later sitting there together, Ye XiWang looked to the rustling bushes to see Xiao HaoQi and his senior disciples entering the clearing. They carried some rabbits and other small animals for dinner, as well as some more firewood. Having eaten three meals so closely together, Ye XiWang wrinkled his nose and turned his head at the sight of the meat.
When everything was prepared and cooked, Ru HaoChun and Xiao HaoQi easily allowed him to skip dinner after he signed to them that he wasn’t hungry. With dinner finished and the day winding down, Ye XiWang allowed himself to be settled between Xiao HaoQi and Ru HaoChun as they took turns telling stories via both spoken and signed means.
He happily chewed on his borrowed outer robe and his eyelids drooped with tiredness as the men told him about their adventures in slow signs and straight-forward gestures for when they got to complex details. The gentle, parental attention and rumbling of their voices drew him closer and closer to sleep. Fighting a losing battle, Ye XiWang let out a final huff before he allowed his drooping eyelids to close.
When Ye XiWang woke the next morning, it was to the soft sounds of Ru HaoChun and Xiao HaoQi packing up their side of the camp. He blearily sat up and snuffled as he stretched his limbs out like a dog. He perked up when a burly hand patted his head, his gaze turning up to regard Xiao HaoQi.
" A-XiWang hungry, want meat?" He signed, his gestures slow and his gaze warm as he looked down at the sleepy child. Ye XiWang nodded, moving to pad over to their usual spot to join them for a light breakfast. When the meat was gone and he was licking his lips in satisfaction, the men brought out the fabric that would act as his swaddle.
" A-XiWang join in fabric?" The Beast Peak Lord slowly asked him once more, making sure the boy was comfortable with the idea as he wrapped the fabric around the child. Shifting from where he was snuggly wrapped in the fabric, Ye XiWang tested the binding hold of the method of transportation.
Ye XiWang gave a tentative nod at the signs, as he knew the other element that they would have to deal with would be tying him to one of the peak lords and baby-wearing him. The both of them seemed to steel themselves for a negative reaction as Xiao HaoQi untied the child and carefully maneuvered him closer to his large chest.
Ye XiWang forced himself to relax into the man’s hold as he was wrapped and tied to the man. With his legs wrapped around the man’s side, he let out an involuntary yelp and jolted when the man lifted him up and finished tying off the fabric. A talisman was attached to the swaddle and Ye XiWang shuffled and tested out the feeling of the position.
Here, he was snuggly settled on the man’s hip in an intricate swaddle that left his legs at a comfortable angle and his arms snug to the man’s chest. With his hands folded close toward his chin, Ye XiWang wiggled his fingers and turned his head to look down at the ground.
The man was an absolute giant, considering how high up off the ground Ye Xiwang already was before the flight. When he caught the questioning signs regarding how he felt from the corner of his eye, Ye XiWang let out an excited bark and nuzzled up against the man’s pectoral muscle. Looking upward with wide, almost sparkling eyes, Xiao HaoQi fondly huffed and gave him another pet.
” We’ll trade off once he grows uncomfortable,” Ru HaoChun told his partner, who gave him a narrowed, scandalized look as he wrapped an arm around the boy. Ru HaoChun chuckled as the man tilted an unaware Ye XiWang to the side away from the healer as though he was going to keep the man from stealing him away.
” Yes, yes. A-Ming wishes for A-Long to mind his own business and allow him to hoard our adorable A-XiXi,” he spoke drawlingly, a fond glimmer shining in his eye as he soaked in the cute sight the two made. That image was a mountain of muscle, an absolute unit of a man with a fierce expression cradling a wide-eyed, rumbling feral child that embodied the very concept of innocence (in this moment).
Xiao HaoQi nodded and turned with a satisfied hum, glad that his partner knew his place as he joined their disciples at their take-off point. Ru HaoChun merely smiled and charmingly waggled his fingers at an inquisitive Ye XiWang who peeked at him from over Xiao HaoQi’s forearm.
If Ye Xiwang let out an excited yip and happily blushed at the warm gesture, that was between him and the men he had accepted as his guardians.
Notes:
Resources on Learning more about Chinese Sign Language and the Deaf Culture:
https://www.whatsonweibo.com/chinese-sign-language-online/
https://thetalklist.com/chinese-sign-language/
https://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2007/04/02/chinese-sign-language-fingerspelling
https://deafvibes.com/ai-and-accessibility-technologies/sign-language/chinese-sign-language/I didn't learn much (besides the sign for thank you lol), but here is a prospective course you can sign up for to learn CSL: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/an-introduction-to-chinese-sign-language-and-linguistics
Youtube:
CODA Nana demonstrates some CSL in a series where she breaks it down into different categories.As someone who doesn't utilize ASL or CSL, describing these scenes may be a bit flavorless in description and imagery. I also try to distinguish spoken words and signs as they try to teach Ye XiWang PIDW Mandarin, and sometimes it comes off a bit messy. Please let me know your thoughts on how it feels to read!
Chapter 5: Of Peak Lords and Head Disciples
Summary:
Ye XiWang travels to Cang Qiong Mountain and meets some of the main characters.
Notes:
Communication notes:
"Speaking verbally and through sign language"
Animal speech/rumbling/growling/body language communication
'Internal Thoughts'Another note, the peak lords will also tend to be verbally speaking along with their signs to get Ye XiWang acclimated to the spoken language as well.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Traveling by sword was simultaneously everything Ye XiWang had wished for in his NEET life and the bane of his existence wrapped in one. While he could enjoy the vast scenery and glimpses of things that he would have never seen in his apartment or world– it was a total sensory nightmare!
The wind dried out his eyes and whipped his hair around, while his body jostled no matter how gently the peak lords maneuvered themselves on their swords. His hands and legs cramped while he grew increasingly claustrophobic over the hours-long stretches they traveled.
Yet, Ye XiWang was profoundly heartened and nearly driven to tears by how patient and understanding the men were of his needs. He had tried to remain silent and still during the first day, yet at the sound of his first whimper a few hours in, he was surprised when Xiao HaoQi waved the senior disciples on.
They had landed and the men had changed his position so that he was more comfortable. They allowed him to stretch and examine the new surroundings for a half an hour break before they once more swaddled him.
After three days of this gentle treatment, Ye XiWang was sleepily nuzzled against Ru HaoChun’s side as they broke through the clouds on the fourth day of their traveling. The sleepy child stiffened and let out a bark at the sight of the Cang Qiong Mountains in the foggy, awakening dawn.
He was energized by the beautiful sight of the gentle reds, purples, and blues that made up the sky while the mountains broke through the clouds. The mountains were awe-inspiring for the avid reader-turned-transmigrator, his eyes wide as he soaked in the dream-like vision. How he wished he had a camera to capture the sight.
They made their way to Qiong Ding, the highest mountain a beautiful sight given how it went on and on into the clouds. Ye XiWang could see Qing Jing Peak as well, the beautiful green foliage was hauntingly beautiful in the fog that rolled over it like a shroud. As such the other mountains were similarly covered in this thick fog until the last mountain was a hazy thing in the distance.
Ye XiWang was wildly craning his neck around as he took in the mountain range and the sights as they ascended to the main hall. He barked and wiggled a hand free to point at the rainbow bridge, the waking sunlight beautifully sparkling across it. Ru HaoChun chuckled and fondly pet his head as he wordlessly savored the child’s excitement.
The first time a disciple saw the mountains via sword, they experienced the beauty of the sect’s land tenfold. Ye XiWang’s heart ached at the knowledge of such beauty being destroyed at the hands of a vengeful Demon Lord.
He vowed to do his best to alter this path.
When they landed in the landing zone for Qiong Ding, Ru HaoChun and Xiao HaoQi made sure that the fabric securing Ye XiWang was tight and fully secure, lest the child run off and disappear on them in his excitement. Ye XiWang didn’t even let out an annoyed yap when Xiao HaoQi crafted his signature Qi harness and baby leash for an extra layer of prevention.
The sect leader, Qian HaoFen, was waiting for them in his office at the receiving hall, while they were received by the man’s head disciple. The younger edition of Yue QingYuan fanart stood on the bottom of the steps leading to the hall, Ye XiWang had to guess that the man was eighteen or nineteen years old at this point.
The young adult was clearly shocked at the sight of the wild-looking ten-year-old being swaddled against Ru HaoChun. Yet his features were quickly and thoroughly masked with a soft smile.
” Greeting Shishus,” The head disciple bowed before they were shown into the hall. They walked past the sluggishly growing line of sect members and visiting nobles who were seeking an audience with the sect leader. Yue Qi expertly guided them to his Shizun’s office, his gray eyes darting to look at Ye XiWang.
Ye XiWang, after gaping and twisting his head to look at the hall, met his gaze in a very candid manner. If he could speak, he would have asked the kid what his staring problem was. If the bruised and unruly-looking boy had to guess what that gaze carried, he could only confusingly spot an inkling of nostalgia and heavy guilt within those eyes.
Ye XiWang growled at him wearily, Ru HaoChun moving so Xiao HaoQi was in between them, lest the feral child decide to snap down on Yue Qi’s nose. “ Thanking Yue-Shizi,” Ru HaoChun spoke politely while Xiao HaoQi gave him a nod, the both of them entered the room with Yue QingYuan moving to make a pot of tea for them.
Qian HaoFen looked up from his paperwork and stood up to greet them, “ Ru-Shidi, Xiao-Shidi. How was your journey?” He asked, his dark eyes moving to look at the grumbling child before he gave them a fond if exasperated look. “ This one sees that his martial brothers have gained a new ward as a result of their mission,” he poked as he beckoned them to take a seat.
Xiao HaoQi nodded, while Ru HaoChun gingerly unswaddled a wriggling Ye XiWang from his position at his hip. The healer set the boy on the ground and held the spiritual leash with a tight grip as Ye XiWang instantly started to look around the spacious office. ' So. Many. Artifacts,' he inwardly squealed.
Qian HaoFen amusedly watched the interaction as he sat behind his low desk.
Ye XiWang hesitantly padded around the room, his Qi nervously circulating through his body as he sniffed around and inched toward the sect leader. He needed to make a great first impression to get on the man’s good side and let him stay on the mountain. His guardians watched the interaction like hawks as Qian HaoFen slowly held his hand out to the child.
” Hm, he is as interesting as Ru-Shidi wrote about. His energy reads like that of a wild beast. A strong one at that…much potential indeed,” the man murmured in a low voice, attempting to keep from startling the boy. Ye XiWang sniffed at his offered hand and awkwardly shuffled to the man’s side like the most socially inept dog to be found on the mountain. His efforts were rewarded when the man slyly brought out a few pieces of candied fruit for him to try, in spite of the disapproval of his guardians.
His body jolted when a prompt knock sounded from the door, his gaze weary and his body tense as he slightly leaned against Qian HaoFen. His sticky hands clinging to the man's heavy black robe. The door slowly opened after the sect leader called for him to enter, revealing Yue QingYuan with a formal tea set in hand. His face grew sheepish as he took in the guarded expression on Ye XiWang’s face.
He made to apologize but was waved to come in closer by his Shizun. “ Slowly now, QingYuan. Your Ye-Shidi has grown up isolated from people in a pack of Fire Crested Timber Wolves, you must approach slowly and lower your stance,” his Shizun advised, beckoning him to make his way toward the table.
Yue QingYuan hunched his tall frame lower and approached the table, keeping his expression calm and his smile soft as Ye XiWang watched him. He set the tea set on to the table with a soft noise and slowly knelt to serve the tea to his Shizun and his Shishus.
Ye XiWang huffed as he observed Yue QingYuan and moved away from Qian HaoFen after a few moments. He then stiffened and looked up at the Sect leader’s face with a small yelp as he realized he had been leaning on the man. Qian HaoFen chuckled when the boy shuffled in his spot and side-eyed him with a blank yet lightly pink face as he shuffled to sit next to Xiao HaoQi.
” This one can see why Xiao-Shidi claimed this child as his own as soon as he did,” Qian HaoFen spoke lightly, a teasing light shining in his dark eyes. Yue QingYuan looked toward the child with even more interest, as the last child the men had adopted had been when he first joined the sect.
Xiao HaoQi nodded after he sipped at his tea, “ He is adorable and has the potential to be very strong. He is destined for great things,” the man agreed. Qian HaoFen chuckled at this blunt explanation, a smile pulling at his lips as he watched a large hand move to gently and slowly pet Ye XiWang’s head.
Ye XiWang couldn’t help but melt into Xiao HaoQi’s warm and easily given affection.
“ This HaoFen assumes Xiao-Shidi will be putting his all into teaching and raising Ye-Shizi into a proper successor for his peak?” Qian HaoFen asked, a curious look shining in his eyes.
Xiao HaoQi simply nodded and didn’t elaborate on the man’s almost teasing observation. Yue QingYuan looked at the boy with something akin to surprise widening his eyes and a soft bitterness lining his mouth. He had put in so much effort and dealt with years of competition, yet this child was picked out as a successor right from the start.
Yue Qi forced himself to swallow the envy as he watched the child shuffle toward his guardian, perching on his lap so he could see Yue QingYuan's face better. The child was full of wildness and curiosity that would very likely benefit Meng Shou Peak. ’ What good does diplomacy and war strategy get you when dealing with beast and agriculture life-stock? The peaks have their own strengths, ’ Yue QingYuan inwardly chuckled and reminded himself as he turned a closer eye onto the boy.
Even more so, he could sense Ye XiWang’s palpable Qi reservoirs from where he sat. It was clear the boy would have to go through his own struggles and challenges, so Yue Qi decided to act as a proper Shixiong.
Yue Qi carefully poured a bit of tea for the feral child while he listened to Ru HaoChun explain their plan to rehabilitate the boy. The former street child recognized the weary gaze and posture that lined Ye XiWang’s form as he brought his hand closer. A soft growl emitted from him, before the boy sniffed and looked down at the cup in his hand.
” Ah, that reminds this one. Xiao XiWang has shown an inclination to learning hand signs, allow me to demonstrate,” Ru HaoChun spoke as Ye XiWang and Yue Qi sat in a slight stand-off. His lithe hands moved to explain the situation to the child, " XiWang safe with Yue Qi, he gives tea. Grass water, taste nice," Yue Qi watched the long string of slow signs and heard the accompanying, stilted speech.
He turned his gray eyes onto Ye XiWang, impressed when the boy appeared to understand. His ego wasn’t remotely large enough that he couldn’t recognize the intelligence the boy displayed. Especially since it had taken him a long time to become fluent in sign language as required of his position.
" Hi Ye-Shidi, my name is Yue Qi, Yue Qingyuan. Call me Yue-Shixiong, Shidi want tea?" He decided to sign after carefully putting the small teacup down. He repeated the sentence and question once more to make sure the boy understood him as well. Ye XiWang gave him a surprised huff, his expression curious as he nodded and turned his focus onto the tea.
Ye XiWang took a sip of the light tea, drinking the perfectly brewed cup of jasmine tea like a dog after his clumsy hands nearly upended the cup. As the tea rested on his tongue, he was unable to stop himself from making a face. A hand went to his mouth, scrubbing at his tongue as he analyzed the unfamiliar flavor, while the observing men held themselves with varying levels of anticipation.
Ye XiWang took another careful sip of the tea and then carefully moved the cup away from him. His lips smacked together and his brow furrowed, " Tea is… not good, not bad," he signed, surprising the men with his mellow response. Ru HaoChun gave him a proud smile, while Xiao HaoQi reached over the table and ruffled his hair.
Faced with such clear expressions and favor, Qian HaoFen knew he could only approve the new disciple. Lest he wishes to lose both the sect’s head healer and the sect’s expert beast tamer in one fell swoop. That would lead to the sect actually crumbling into ruin, admittedly faster than if any other peak lords left their position.
" Welcome to the family, XiWang. My name is Qian Shibo," the man signed, his voice low as he spoke his words along with the sign. Yue QingYuan watched his Shizun repeat the signs a few more times, a slightly bittersweet smile lining his face when the boy gave a serious nod.
" Shibo leader, XiWang pup. Happy to have family," the boy replied in his broken, un-polished sign. Xiao HaoQi was brimming with pride from how well everything was going, Ru HaoChun subtly placed a hand on his knee to keep him from vibrating from joy.
” Perfect,” Ru HaoChun sighed, his smile fond as he watched Ye XiWang shuffle closer to Yue QingYuan. When the head disciple easily welcomed him into his embrace, the trio of peak lords were shocked to see the feral child cuddle close. Yue QingYuan flashed a panicked look to them at the sudden movement, but they merely waved him on.
Ye XiWang couldn’t help but embrace the poor, future sect leader. He seemed like such a good guy, he didn’t deserve to be tricked by that scum bastard! And he had the perfect older brother vibes, Ye XiWang definitely wanted to protect him.
He let out a happy bark as tentative arms wrapped around his back, a deep voice vibrating near his ear as the older teen said something. Ye XiWang didn’t care all that much– he was just happy to be held some more.
” I hope he gets along with the other disciples,” Yue QingYuan had said, a bit absentmindedly as he brought a hand up to card through Ye XiWang’s wind-tussled locks. Sensing a change in energy, his gaze darted to look at the two grim-faced peak lords.
” They will,” Ru HaoChun promised, his face smoothing into a serene look as he sipped at his tea. A shiver wracked through Yue QingYuan’s spine at this expression, as well as when he saw the pure, steely protective look lining the Beast Peak Lord's face. “Although, I suppose the next inter-peak relationship that would be tested would be Qing Jing. Considering A-XiXi will have to learn the four arts as fitting for a peak lord,” Ru HaoChun’s perceptive gaze landed on Yue QingYuan, who lightly jolted.
The head disciple bit his cheek and brought his gaze to the ground as he envisioned Xiao Jiu trying to teach or even interact with Ye XiWang… ‘Yeah, that won’t go over well,’ he inwardly grimaced while he outwardly provided a slightly hollow platitude.
Ye XiWang leaned back and lightly tapped at Yue QingYuan’s furrowed brow with a small finger. “Yue-Shixiong mad at XiWang?” He asked before he squirmed out of the older teen’s lap. Yue QingYuan hurriedly shook his head and reassured the boy with a smile and some frantic signs, sweat gathering on the back of his neck as he side-eyed the boy's guardians.
Overall, the peak lords idly gossiped and watched this interaction with amusement until Qian HaoFen couldn’t put off his day of meetings any longer. “ Have a good day, Xiao Ye,” the sect leader fondly signed to the swaddled boy, earning a whine and a sad wave from the feral boy.
Despite the rocky start, Ye XiWang was looking forward to his life in this horrible novel. If he had a support system comprised of those he had met so far in the sect, he had died and gone to heaven considering his previous life.
Instead of jumping right to Meng Shou as Ye XiWang had expected they would, he was surprised to see them heading toward Qian Cao Peak. As they soared over the peak, Ye XiWang couldn’t help but whip his head to look follow the busy movement of the peak of medics and patients-- busy, even at this early hour.
The dark blue fabrics of the Qian Cao Peak disciples moved and flowed like the sea, intermittently dispersed by white and silver Bai Zhan Peak patients and the amber-yellow An Ding Peak. Despite the chaotic rushing steps and pained expressions, there was a noticeable system.
The Qian Cao disciples guided everything along with sure, steady ahead much like their Shizun’s. It was almost enough to settle the anxious energy simmering in Ye XiWang’s stomach.
Ye XiWang’s jaw slackened and his face lightly pinkened when a beautiful disciple stepped toward them after they landed. Lacking an ugly mustache, a younger Mu QingFang stood on the steps of a smaller healing pavilion with a sign. He appeared to be a few years younger than Yue QingYuan. The transmigrator blinked a few times and shyly hid his face as the youngest head disciple looked him over.
” Ah, it appears A-XiXi noticed Mu-Er,” Ru HaoChun chuckled, his tone teasing as he stepped off of his sword. Mu QingFang nodded, a wry smile pulling on his calm expression as he looked at the young boy with intrigue.
” Has Shizun and Shishu brought home a new child?” He asked, his curiosity and familiarity with the family allowing for such casual conversation. As the youngest head disciple of Ru HaoChun’s trio of prospective peak lords, he was very familiar with Ru HaoChun and Xiao HaoQi.
” Ye XiWang,” Xiao HaoQi introduced him, his hands signing the boy’s name for Mu QingFang. The teen nodded his understanding, waiting to introduce himself in sign language as the ten-year-old remained hidden under his shizun’s chin, his eyes closed tightly.
The not-so-feral transmigrator was unsure why Mu QingFang stirred such a reaction from him, yet he knew it was something electrifying. Something that was just right that had clicked between them from a mere glance. ’ Is this what the original goods felt? When he first met Mu QingFang,’ he inwardly probed at the system.
It, of course, remained useless with his questions. Spouting off some nonsense about being offline. He mentally rolled his eyes and huffed before he pulled himself from Ru HaoChun’s chin and blinked his eyes open to look at the disciple.
He blinked when he found them in the middle of walking, Mu QingFang leading the group to an isolated ward within the branching collection of healing pavillions. Ye XiWang looked around this small part of the spacious peak with wide eyes.
While they had traveled there, he had been preparing himself for a constant chaotic and overstimulating experience. However, everything was serene in this part of the peak, the few disciples they passed moved at a slow pace. The few patients pattering around were also pleasant and quiet, with any injuries already bandaged and not exposed. His eyes widened when he saw elderly patients with caregivers and what suspiciously looked like physical therapy sessions in a few courtyards.
A fond pet of his head drew his attention toward an amused Ru HaoChun. None of them signed as they enjoyed the walk through the interconnecting courtyards and pathways.
Ye XiWang turned his head to focus on taking in the lush green of the gardens and the back of Mu QingFang’s dark blue robes. ’ The air is so…crisp, so fresh,’ he inhaled deeply, his head falling to nuzzle into the Qian Cao Peak Lord’s shoulder.
His body was slumped and relaxed as he rubbed his cheek against the fabric in contentment, shyly licking the man’s collar when the man looked down at him. A soft huff of laughter made Ye XiWang turn and glare at the Beast Peak Lord. Xiao HaoQi merely turned his gaze in front of them.
” Very grouchy, A-XiXi must be so tired,” Ru HaoChun cooed, his deep voice rumbling and vibrating from where Ye XiWang rested in his hold. The feral transmigrator couldn’t help but whine at the teasingly lilt of his name and turn his face back into the man’s embrace in protest. Even though he didn't know what exactly he was saying, he knew it was something parental that made his chest warm.
” A-Long spoils him,” Xiao HaoQi stated, amused and warm as he regarded how close the two had already become. He and Ye XiWang had their own bond, a wild and deep thing he knew, that was based more on posturing and dominance than would be normal for other human connections.
Ru HaoChun chuckled at this, gracefully stepping over the threshold of the cottage that would be Ye XiWang’s temporary housing as they rehabilitated the boy. “ A-Ming needn’t be jealous,” he teased, moving to place the feral boy onto the low bed while Mu QingFang stood to the side.
” Mu-Er, it is exceedingly rare that we handle children who have been abandoned and adopted by demonic beasts. Please make sure to note your observations while we do our best to take care of Ye XiWang,” Ru HaoChun lectured, his face serene and his posture loose as he sat on the cot with the child clinging to his side.
” Yes Shizun,” Mu QingFang nodded, his eyes turning to observe the boy as he whined and pulled at the Peak Lord’s torso. He softly cleared his throat and dipped his head once he got the ten-year-old’s attention.
” Hi XiWang, my name is Mu Shu-Hui. Would you like to be friends?” He signed slowly and repeated his name sign and the casual sign of friends. Ye XiWang’s cheeks warmed and he slowly nodded, a shyness grasping him and making him hide behind Ru HaoChun.
A smile stretched across Mu QingFang’s face as Ye XiWang replied with a hesitant nod. “ Okay, okay,” Ru HaoChun tutted as he wrapped a hand around Ye XiWang and brought him to sit next to him on the bed. “Let’s get A-XiXi changed and cleaned up,” he verbally and physically told him, gesturing for Mu QingFang to fetch some water while Xiao HaoQi bid them goodbye.
A loud whine and an accompanying pout forced the large, burly man to turn and face the feral child. Ye XiWang couldn’t help but jump off the bed and dart toward the man’s leg, gripping the bottom of his robes.
Fear of abandonment rippled over his skin, bringing a set of goosebumps and tears that blurred his vision. “ No go,” he signed, his gestures desperate and abrupt before he hurriedly pressed himself to the man.
Ye XiWang knew it was irrational and childish, but the thought of Xiao HaoQi not coming back made a part of him crumble. A piece of his heartbreaking like a sand sculpture against the unforgiving ocean.
The large man crouched to the ground, his warm hand coming to grasp the back of Ye XiWang’s neck. He brought the child fitted in his outer robes close to his chest and let out a reassuring, bone-deep rumble that soothed Ye XiWang’s shuddering breaths. The feral child pulled back and looked at the man with wide eyes.
” Xiao-Ge will never leave XiWang. I will always come back, never, never leave. Family,” he signed, his hands firm and authoritative with their words while his gaze bore into Ye XiWang. Rather than feel intimidated and as though he was challenged as he would in the pack, the boy couldn’t help but sniffle and cuddle to the man.
His small hands rhythmically clenched and unclenched Xiao HaoQi’s robes as they embraced for a few minutes. When Ye XiWang pulled back, he could only softly nod his head before he tilted and licked at Xiao HaoQi’s hand in acceptance. Be safe Alpha, travel fast. Come home soon, he timidly rumbled, huffing as the man gave him a slight grin, those dark eyes twinkling as he looked down at him.
When the man chuffed and ruffled his hair, his soft whines turned into kitten-ish growls and he softly bit into the man’s wrist and hand. “ Yes. Fierce XiWang, you’re the head of the family,” he deadpanned with a soft smile, a finger moving to affectionately stroke the feral child’s cheek.
" Go to Ru-Ge. Xiao-Ge will be back tonight," he promised a bit clumsily with one hand, his other hand begrudgingly released as Ye XiWang allowed himself to be shepherded toward Ru HaoChun.
” Take care,” he told them as he stood up, his steps relaxed yet heavy as he turned and left the cottage. When he found Mu QingFang lingering politely by the doorway, he nodded his head and gave the boy a firm look.
” Of course, Shifu,” the teen hurriedly nodded, his calm face briefly rattled by Xiao HaoQi’s expectant and intense stare. The young head disciple took a deep breath and entered the room to tend to and work with the man’s family. The other head disciples in training shuddered from an unknown yet foreboding sensation of nearing doom that was usually associated with the protective Peak Lord.
Notes:
Notes on Age Math for the Qing Generation:
Disciple Period:
YQY= 19 so SJ=16, MQF=16, LQG= 14, YXW= 10 youngest of the generation. He works super hard to ascend with them at 21 and uses his ingrained knowledge of PIDW to his advantageThey ascend in their late 20s and early 20s and 11 years pass since TLJ is sealed and BingBing is born. So the main story takes place with them with YQY- 40, SJ and MQF= 37, LQG= 35, and YXW is 31. I got this off of reddit, and it made sense for the main peak lords. Also Qi QingQi and the other peak lords are in that range as well.
Baby Didi Shen Yuan FR, but the previous Peak Lords were like 100-200+, so they are giving it over to the babies and letting them fly the nest. (Also RHC and XHQ are not leaving fr fr, like c'mon. They're just settling in a cottage, living their best lives being on call for their adopted children).
Chapter 6: Gaining A Home
Summary:
Ye XiWang gets a set of robes and gains a new home.
Notes:
Edit 6/9: just realized that there were old communication notes on this chapter
Communication notes:
"Speaking verbally and through sign language"
Animal speech/rumbling/growling/body language communication
'Internal Thoughts'Sign language and verbal communication are often distinguished with "he said verbally" or "his hands stilled, etc" as characters often sign and speak simultaneously as YXW is learning Xianxia Mandarian.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When Mu Shu-Hui entered the room with the full buckets of water, Ye XiWang scuttled closer to Ru HaoChun and pressed himself to his side once more. His gaze was slightly wary with the new and handsome boy, unsure of how to handle this situation.
Unlike Yue QingYuan, Mu QingFang didn’t give off big brother vibes. Rather, his presence felt almost indescribable and unfamiliar to the childish and disoriented state of mind that was Ye XiWang’s thoughts.
Nothing made sense but the original goods and Mu Qingfang appeared to have something wild and intense between them.
Something about the healer’s Qi and scent set things off within Ye XiWang’s animalistic instincts. It made him wish to draw closer and stretch his hands upward to meet flesh. A warm, iron taste pooled in his mouth, and an ache started in his jaw for him to consume the other boy’s very flesh.
That way they would never be separated and their bodies could become one– even though he knew absolutely nothing about him besides what little cameos he had in the novel!
These feelings made him feel all sorts of conflicted and unwilling to step closer to the older teen. His shoulders relaxed when Mu Shu-Hui set the prepared bathtub behind the folding screen and went to sit on the other side, effectively and wordlessly providing his Shizun and their patient some privacy.
" A-XiXi not like Shu-Hui?" Ru HaoChun asked, his expression serious yet non-judgemental as he pulled the feral child away from his hiding place. Ye XiWang gave a little growl at the gentle yet firm prodding, his mouth moving to nip at the healer’s soft, leather wrist guard.
" Hands, A-XiXi," the healer scolded, making a small whine leave Ye XiWang’s lips as he nuzzled up to the man. He brought his hands up and demurely looked to the side as he tried to think of how to properly express these weird, jumbled feelings and sensations.
" XiXi like Shu-Hui, like lots… Strange, new, dangerous. Hunger Shu-Hui, XiXi want to keep Shu-Hui," he was ashamedly signing to the man, his teeth moving to chew at the inside of his cheeks as he let out a conflicted whine. This was mortifying .
A gentle hand lifted his chin, bringing his dark eyes to look into Ru HaoChun’s warm gaze. His lips were pulled into a gentle smile as he reassuringly pet the feral child’s head and then withdrew those large hands back.
" A-XiXi don’t worry. He wants to become friends with Shu-Hui. Very good friends, close is OK. Ru-Ge and Xiao-Ge handle it. Now, A-XiXi and Shu-Hui are pack mates," he reassured the child, his eyes fond when Ye XiWang nervously looked over to Mu Shu-Hui’s patiently waiting silhouette behind the folding screen.
He thought this over and sighed, his heavy chest lightening as he considered what Ru HaoChun was saying. ’...That sounds right. We’ll be pack mates and friends before anything of that sort happens. Whatever weird feelings the original goods had, they can wait on the backburner!’ Ye XiWang huffed, a hand moving to his mouth to absently chew on it.
Ru HaoChun clucked his tongue, gaining that wandering attention once more, " Worry about Shu-Hui later, clean A-XiXi now," he waved off the boy’s concern and distracted him with a gentle caress to his face. Ye XiWang leaned into the gentle touch, closing his eyes as he allowed the man to help get him ready for his bath.
Once properly melted into a warm and relaxed pile of goo, Ru HaoChun then went through the song and dance of getting him dried off and dressed. With much wariness and stubbornness, Ye XiWang grumbled and pouted at the unfamiliar articles of clothing that the man brought to him.
While they were soft as a cloud and would be a thousand times better than him walking around naked with only the Beast Peak lord’s outer robes– the very idea of getting rid of his Xiao-Ge’s comforting scent was enough to make his hackles raise. An unruly growl left his snarled lips and he went into a defensive position, the adult robes muffling his noises and pooling under his small limbs as he buried himself in them.
Ru HaoChun wearily sighed and placed the small Qian Cao robes across his lap, " A-XiXi," his gestures and face were suitably stern and impressively scolding in tone, " You can keep Xiao-Ge’s robes, but A-XiXi needs fresh ones now,” he told the boy before he slowly picked the robes up and displayed them for the boy to wearily examine and sniff.
When he found only the scent of stale herbs and clinical soap, Ye XiWang let out a high-pitched whine and deliberately pawed at his nose in distaste. Ru HaoChun thoughtfully hummed at this display, his eyes observant as he watched how the feral child eagerly curled himself in the discarded robe and nuzzled his face into the worn fabric.
” Disciple Mu should note that Ye XiWang is very sensitive and selective to certain scents with his enhanced senses. He finds comfort in the scents of those that smell… perhaps like family and comfort. This one assumes this is why he may have problems with changing into fresh, scentless robes,” Ru HaoChun’s voice carried in the quiet room.
” Yes Shizun,” Mu Shu-Hui replied, the sound of a brush gliding over paper notable as Ye XiWang busied himself with burying himself into the robes. It probably would make him look like some deranged pervert in another context, but Ye XiWang couldn’t help not caring since he enjoyed how much the scent wrapped around him.
It filled him with a sense of security and comfort, like an intangible pair of arms that soothed and cradled him. Ye XiWang let out a warning growl as Ru HaoChun settled next to him, somehow still looking prim and proper as he kneeled next to the feral, naked child.
” ’Watch,’ “ Ru HaoChun spoke and signed slowly, holding the robes up before he brought them to his chest and hugged them. His face was neutral as he alternated between hugging the robes tightly to his chest and rubbing any unclothed part of him to them. His hair grew slightly ruffled and staticy while he rubbed it along his face and neck like a towel.
When the healer moved closer to him, Ye XiWang kept a close eye and a tight grip on his Xiao HaoQi's clothes. " Move please," Ru HaoChun shooed him and ushered him after waiting for the boy to move on his own, earning a few puppyish yips and uneasy whines as he gently tugged the child from the dirty robes to sit next to him.
’ Of course... Ugh, stupid, stupid instincts. At least he has the patience of a saint,’ Ye XiWang couldn’t help thinking as he internally scolded himself as he watched the man rub the pieces of fabric together. He apologetically nuzzled the man's arm and settled a bit more from where he had been pacing, his gaze averted as he huffed at himself.
His chest filled with warmth and it took everything in him not to cry when the healer patted him on the head and called him a " Good boy," and gave him a gentle smile once he chanced a glance at the man's face. No pinching, no hitting, no yelling for his troubling behavior.
Ye XiWang nuzzled his head against the man’s arm in appreciation before he hopped off and attempted to cooperate instead of acting defensively.
Ye XiWang sniffed the fabric when it was held in front of him for inspection. He let out an excited bark at the pure rightness of the mingling of his Ru-Ge and Xiao-Ge’s scents. " Yes, Yes. Smell good," he signed, his body rocking from the excitement that spiked through him as he made grabby hands at the robes.
Ru HaoChun softly tutted his tongue at him and laid a hand on his outreaching and waving arms, his eyebrow-raising into a slight reprimand. “Sit still for Ru-Ge,” the man told him both vocally and through sign as he pulled back, his voice and stern face grounding the feral child.
Ye XiWang accepted the attention and aid like a fish to water, well used to the manhandling from his past life. This time, the movements were not jarring or dehumanizing from a caretaker who despised his existence, rather the man carefully worked with his limited mobility and was attentive to his discomfort.
When everything was tied and settled, Ye XiWang rumbled and gingerly pushed himself into Ru HaoChun’s space. He rubbed his head to the healer's chest and clutched at the man as his new sleeve migrated to his mouth. Sleepiness tugged at his eyes as he relaxed against the Peak Lord, the vibrations of his voice and the beating of his heart lulling him into a nap.
” As Shu-Hui can see, A-XiXi is very dependent on and affectionate with those who have earned his trust,” the healer lectured a few moments later, a hand rubbing and petting the child’s back as his youngest head disciple kneeled a good distance away from them with his journal across his lap.
” If you were to be in my place, he would not have been so open to you since there isn’t a foundation of familiarity with your scent or temperament,” Ru HaoChun’s voice was low, while his analytical gaze noted how his disciple was taking in this different type of care and procedure.
He tilted his head in question, his eyes sharp, “And that’s why he needs to be integrated gradually among people,” he summarized, thinking about how he had hidden behind the screen. Providing privacy but also likely allowing the boy to get used to his scent at a controlled distance.
Even now, he kept a very respectable distance between them lest he set off his patient and newest Shidi.
Ru HaoChun hummed in thought, his hand stilling to shift the drooping boy into a firmer position against him as he leaned his back against the bed. “ Going with this theory, it appears that Mu-er may be a special case when it comes to his scent and presence,” the man told him, the sentence earning an intrigued look from the teen.
” While he shows an understanding that he is not a Fire Crested Timber Wolf, he has the instincts of one ingrained into him,” Ru HaoChun told him, pausing to soothe the child when he let out a small whine. “ Can Mu-er tell this master how this may impact the patient’s integration, and how we may set out to correct it?” He asked, throwing the healer the case to ponder.
Mu Shu-Hui set his brush down and brought a hand to his chin, rubbing it in thought as he turned his gaze to look at the back of the younger child’s head. Silence stretched between them as Ru HaoChun allowed him to think over how he would handle the treatment plan.
” Well, assuming he was well accepted into the pack hierarchy, this disciple assumes he has grown used to what we would catalog as ‘improper’ affection– licking, rubbing, and other animalistic tendencies. This would ostracize him when among other humans and make him more prone to impulsive or seemingly illogical behavior to an outsider,” Mu Shu-Hui thought aloud, his brush tapping his chin as he hummed.
Ru HaoChun nodded in agreement, encouraging his disciple’s line of thought without interrupting it with his own theories and plans. Mu Shu-Hui pondered further, his eyes widening as some stray facts about the wolves crossed his mind.
“Ah, Fire Crested Timber Wolves are known for their keen senses, loyal pack dynamics, and monogamous mating. If he were to interact with higher nobility in the future, concepts such as harems and slaves may cause him distress depending on how ingrained such values are,” The teen looked to his Shizun for his thoughts.
The healer tilted his head once more, giving the teen an analytical look as he cradled Ye XiWang closer somehow. This firm pressure brought a soft, happy groan from the child and some sleepy snuffles. “ Shu-Hui remembers correctly and provides an interesting insight,” he agreed, his lips opening once more before the teen could celebrate.
” Your Xiao-Shishu also told this master of the importance of Fire Crested Timber Wolves' sense of smell and Qi detection. It is said that they can sense compatible mates, ill young and elders, and strong pack members through their senses,” Ru HaoChun informed him, making the teen blink in thought.
” Does… Shizun thinks that Ye-Shidi and this one are possibly compatible cultivation partners?” Mu Shu-Hui’s brows furrowed as he looked at the child with some trepidation.
The way the boy acted was shy, yet there had been a certain intensity in his gaze. Paired with the information that his scent brought a different reaction from Ye XiWang, it caused some unease to stir in his chest. He held his tongue, but he could not and did not wish to envision the child lusting or obsessing over him– he was so young and uninformed of human society.
It would be an entirely taboo and improper match, as well as grate against Mu Shu-Hui's morals.
Ru HaoChun tilted his head and gave Mu Shu-Hui a reassuring, calm smile, “This master can hear Shu-Hui’s concerns,” he lightly teased as he observed the telltale signs of deep thought and concern line the boy’s fine features. His soft voice eased the tension between the two of them.
” This one will not ask Mu-Er to enter a betrothal or anything of the like, especially against his disciple and A-XiXi's wishes. Despite XiWang’s age and his current condition, the boy is aware of his instincts and the importance of not acting on them,” he told the teen. Mu Shu-Hui looked at Ye XiWang with some surprise and interest.
” The both of you came to an understanding already?” He asked, impressed that his Shizun had settled such a complicated topic with the barest of conflict. Ru HaoChun dipped his head in slight agreement.
” As a safety precaution, Mu-Er and A-XiXi will be supervised by a senior disciple or myself when they work together and Mu-Er needn't hide anything if A-XiXi does something that upsets or brings injury to him," he gave the boy a stern look that only gentled once the teen nodded. " At least, A-XiXi seemed conflicted and unwilling to listen to his instincts. Once he is better introduced to societal constructs between humans, this Shizun and your Shifu will speak with him further on this topic,” Ru HaoChun informed the teen of his observations. Before Mu Shu-Hui could reply, a sly smile slid across his Shizun’s face.
” If Mu-Er finds himself interested in pursuing such a relationship with XiWang in the distant future, he may approach this Master and Shishu Xiao for our approval,” Mu Shu-Hui’s jade-like face lightly blushed and he glared at the man in disapproval. Ru HaoChun chuckled at the look on his face, his light laughter rumbling through Ye XiWang and waking him from his nap.
Ye XiWang blinked awake and lightly jolted at the sight of the new face. He could track the minute tension and then the relaxing of limbs as the healer controlled himself. It wasn’t exactly fear, but anticipation was reflected toward Ye XiWang– as though he was a bomb about to explode any second.
Huffing lightly, Ye XiWang awkwardly shuffled in Ru HaoChun’s loose hold and gave the teen a small, shy wave. “ Hi, Mu-Shixiong,” he signed, earning a soft chuckle and a light jostling from Ru HaoChun.
” No need for formal here. Only–” Ru HaoChun trailed off, his hands stilling as he thought about how to word the tightly knit relationship Qian Cao properly and Meng Shou held. Despite their distance, the marriage of the Peak Lords often led the disciples to act more loosely with each other. Explaining that to a pack-driven boy with no concept of sect hierarchy terms was a bit hard to navigate.
Mu Shu-Hui snapped his fingers, gaining Ye XiWang’s interested if slightly amused attention, he hesitated for a moment as he looked at his Shizun. Briefly apologizing for his boldness, he then signed, “ XiWang’s Ru-ge and Xiao-Ge are bonded, we are very close family,” he then pointed at his chest.
” Call Shu-Hui, Shu-Hui or Hui-ge when on Qian Cao and Meng Shou,” he signed slowly, repeating the sign for Qian Cao and gesturing around them in a large circle. Ye XiWang blinked, his gaze flickering between the two cultivators.
He lightly blushed and dipped his head, “ Ru-Ge and Xiao-Ge older than Shu-Hui,” he pointed out, his throat letting an uneasy whine out before he could clamp it down. He didn’t want to call someone near the same age as him in a similar manner to a freaking Peak Lord!
Ru HaoChun lifted his chin and smiled warmly at him, “ Easy,“ he signed and spoke aloud, his tone soft yet slightly teasing with the mischievous light in his eyes, “ A-XiXi can call Ru-Ge, Baba. And Xiao-Ge, A-Die,“ He told the feral child, inwardly gloating that he would be the one formerly bringing the child into the fold.
Mu Shu-Hui muffled his gasp as he looked between the two. The air of the small cottage was heavy yet electrifying in the way that Ru HaoChun barrelled into this– spontaneously formerly claiming the child as his own in front of one of his head disciples.
Ye XiWang himself was trying to prevent his heart from leaping out of his chest as he stared and stared up at the man, waiting for him to pull the rug and say it was all a joke. When nothing like that occurred, his eyes wetted lightly, and his breath a soft pant as he stared up at the man as the weight of signs settled over him.
His hands stilled and jolted with half-formed words, his mind catching up with the idea that this graceful, kind and gracious Peak Lord wanted to bring him into his family. Ye XiWang had so many faults and such a brutal nature to him– it wasn’t even a full shichen since he had bit at this serene man.
” B. Ba– Baba want XiWang?” He shakingly signed with an added tilt of his head, his body braced for the truth while his young face shyly looked toward Ru HaoChun with an innocent hopefulness. Ru HaoChun’s breath lightly caught before he gave a firm nod, his hands gently moving to grab the feral child and press him under his chin.
Unlike the feral and aggressive growls and whines, when Ye XiWang was pressed under Ru HaoChun’s chin– a position of full trust and protection within the pack, love as Ye XiWang knew. Ye XiWang couldn't help but cry like the young boy he was in this life.
His body shook with the sobs that wracked through his small frame, his hands clawing and desperate as he clung to Ru HaoChun’s sturdy figure. “ M-Maaaa,” he brokenly slurred, the call instinctual to his lips from a time he couldn’t fully remember.
It was a black darkness of cold and loneliness where his calls went unanswered. A feeling and scene that clung to his inner mind when he fell into restless sleep.
This time, firm hands cradled his head as he was pressed tighter to the warm darkness of Ru HaoChun’s neck. “ Baba, XiWang. Baba,” he slowly replied, only loosening his hold on the child when he started wiggling and bumping his head under the Peak Lord’s chin.
Determined yet vulnerable hazel eyes looked upward at the man as Ye XiWang sniffed and listened to Ru HaoChun’s patient voice. A slow, clawed hand pressed to the man’s deep blue chest and he softly said, “ Ba, baa,” his loose tongue remained unyielding and unruly, but the call was good enough.
It was as though the sun was kissing Ye XiWang’s soul as warm lips pressed to his forehead. He could only press into that warmth and messily return that affection with the coordination of an upset toddler.
The two of them were lost in this gentle and wild feedback of giggles and warmth, unaware as Mu Shu-Hui left the room to collect his heavily touched heart and dry his cheeks.
When the door to the private cottage closed, he jolted and lightly squeaked at the sight of his fellow head disciples. The two older disciples gave him expectant stares, glee, shock, and unhidden eagerness cycling through their faces as they watched their unflappable Shidi wipe his face clear of tears.
” Mu-Er, how’d it go with A-XiWang?” They eagerly whispered, their eyes burning into the wood of the door as they waited for his thoughts on the newest addition to the Meng Shou–Qian Cao family. Already, gossip had traveled between the peaks once the senior disciples and the peak lords had returned.
The thin boy pushed from the door and sighed, a soft smile lining his face as that warm scene flashed through his mind. The emotional yet overjoyed expression on his Shizun’s face, those young, vulnerable shaking sobs ringing in his ears.
” It went well,” he settled on saying, his journal held closely to his chest and grounding him, “ This Mu-Er has much hope for A-XiWang’s future role in Meng Shou, as well as his personal growth,” he respectfully tacked on. His older Shixiong and Shijie murmured at his cute demeanor, the both of them quickly running off when they sensed the return of the Meng Shou Peak Lord.
” Hm? You’re still here?” Xiao HaoQi greeted Mu Shu-Hui bluntly yet not entirely rudely. He carried a tray of food in his hands and gracefully stepped off of his blade. The younger disciple bowed to the man, his eyes looking to the setting sun in slight astonishment.
” Go, eat and rest,” Xiao HaoQi set a firm hand on his shoulder, pushing Mu Shu-Hui out of the proper bow and nudging him away from the door. “ A-XiWang give you much trouble?” His monotonous voice prodded at Mu Shu-Hui’s back as the healer drew his blade to fly off.
Startled at the sudden question, Mu Shu-Hui looked back at the man and quickly shook his head. “ Of course not, Shifu. We learned much about A-XiWang’s mental state already! This one looks forward to becoming his friend and aiding him where possible,” he calmly replied, a small smile lining his lips.
Faced with Xiao HaoQi’s assuaging stare, Mu Shu-Hui was deeply surprised when the man simply nodded and turned with a deep, “ Hmm,” before he opened the door. Before the door closed, Mu Shu-Hui caught the Ye XiWang’s childish cry.
The drawn-out syllables of, ” Dieeeee, Baaa,” drifted in the crack of the door before it was firmly closed and a soft silence stretched through the courtyard. Heart lightened and helplessly smiling at the thought of the family, Mu Shu-Hui went through his routine before his night shift on the healing floor.
Notes:
I forgot to mention, but no grooming, underage, or SA will occur in this fic with MQF and SY!YQH's relationship despite the soulmate bond and their age gap. They get together when they are late 20s/early 30s and are purely platonic during their disciple years.
Chapter 7: Baby Steps and Reconnecting
Summary:
Ye XiWang deals with being separated from his pack in the first month and a half of recovering from his abandonment. Xiao HaoQi is more than happy to take him to Meng Shou for a little reunion.
Notes:
Communication notes:
"Speaking verbally and through sign language"
Animal speech/rumbling/growling/body language communication
'Internal Thoughts'Sign language and verbal communication are often distinguished with "he said verbally" or "his hands stilled, etc" as characters often sign and speak simultaneously as YXW is learning Xianxia Mandarian. As well as to best represent different types of communication styles + tools.
Another source I recently found to respectfully depict common communication styles for those in the ASD community (not all, of course!): https://neurolaunch.com/autistic-communication-styles/
Enjoy~! <3
Chapter Text
The weeks drifted by as they fell into a recognizable rhythm. Nearly every day, Ye XiWang could expect to be visited by a small selection of healers and his caretakers.
He was continuously surprised by the advanced nature in which Qian Cao operated and the resources they had. There was a Xianxia version of a speech and general language therapist, a physical therapist, and, what he assumed was a behavioral or physiological therapist.
It was a whole team of professionals in modern studies that belied some indication of higher world-building. Whether he gave that hack writer any props for the inner workings of the sect was up in the air. He filed that batch of thoughts for more of his late-night, essentialism pondering.
Their sessions were spread out over the week and he was allowed at least two or three days to spend alone with only his Baba and Die (and Mu Shu-Hui and a few other younger healers he was slowly being introduced to). He especially liked it when some of the senior disciples from the initial rescue group had time to visit him– he even got to meet Min-Shijie’s partner from Xian Shu.
She had brought delicious types of fruit for him to try once Ru HaoChun had introduced his unbalanced stomach to more of the local fruits and vegetables of the mountain range.
However, no matter how many distractions he had over the months, a part of him grew restless without his pack. It twisted and growled like the pacing of a wolf in a cage– angry and howling at the slight of being separated from his Denmother, Alpha, and the rest of his packmates.
He knew they were in good hands, but Xiao HaoQi had promised him that he would see his pack again. If it was all a lie, he didn’t know what he would do.
His simmering upset was finally soothed one night when Xiao HaoQi addressed the telltales of his building restlessness and misbehavior.
” A-XiWang want to see Pack?” He asked, his voice low and his hands moving from where he was helping provide his nightly deep pressure therapy. Ye XiWang curled into a fetal position on the mat next to his low bed, his limbs stretching in and out as he considered Xiao HaoQi’s calm face and the interested look Ru HaoChun was giving him over his stack of paperwork.
He stretched and held his arms out from where they had bundled close to his chest like a snuggled cat as he thought. “ I do, A-Die” he ended up signing, his fingers wiggling as that tightness wounded through them from the frequent use.
” Tomorrow?” Xiao HaoQi asked, his head tilting in question while he gave Ru HaoChun a considering side-eye. Ye XiWang tilted his head in thought as he twirled his fingers over the light material of his inner robes. It would disrupt his daily routine– but he deserved another free day after all of the progress he was making!
He couldn’t speak this Xianxia Mandarin fluently yet, but he was well on his way to understanding people verbally and through their signs. And relearning how to walk upright was no easy feat after years of scampering around.
He had to commend anyone going through intense physical therapy.
After a few more minutes of pondering and getting used to the new plan for the day, he ended up nodding toward Xiao HaoQi. He then rolled onto his knees and stretched his back.
” Ok,” the Beast Peak lord simply shrugged, his large body falling to the mat and resting there. The room was dark except for the faint glow of an orb next to Ru HaoChun, the peak lord’s attention once more invested in his small tower of paperwork.
Ye XiWang scooched closer, intrigued to see what the man was filling out. As he inched closer and closer, he frowned when Xiao HaoQi grabbed him and gently pulled him back with a shake of his head.
” Baba busy with work. An Ding papers,” the man gravely told him, his hands keeping Ye XiWang from moving toward the harried man. Ye XiWang mutinously rumbled at the physical halt, his lips curling into a disgruntled frown.
” No, no!” he snappishly vocalized, his hands moving to swat and bat at Xiao HaoQi’s large hands. Rationally, he knew he was young and in the process of reentering society, but he knew not to disrupt the man’s rare paperwork sessions in the hut. Especially after he had accidentally knocked over an inkwell or two of the visiting specialists.
It wasn’t his fault they didn’t have ballpoint pens… And he couldn’t help but seek out boundary-pressing behavior to gauge their reactions, pressed on by that guillotine-like feeling in the back of his mind. Waiting for them to tire of him.
Xiao HaoQi tilted his head and slowly took his hands off of Ye XiWang, the hesitant show of trust making Ye XiWang let out a frustrated, cat-like yowl. His cheek rested on the cool floor as he grumbled, his legs kicking here and there in a tantrum at the babying and open surveillance of his actions.
As a grown man in a young body, it always got under his skin when he was treated with ‘kid gloves’ like this. It grated at his dignity and took almost all of his patience not to act out at the perceived slights. Of people treating him like a child who had little reason or understanding.
He gave his A-Die a small glare before he huffed and turned onto his side facing the wall. He tuned out their voices as he plucked and smoothed his hand over the intricate embroidery on his sleeves.
His body lightly jolted when a hand gently ran over his hair, the uneven layers pulled back into a loose braid. Ye XiWang turned his head with a frown, his growl cutting off as he was faced with the tired, softly shadowed face of the older healer. Ru HaoChun’s features held no true signs of aging, of course, yet Ye XiWang could trace the exhaustion in his jade-like face with a finger.
In the soft darkness of his small house, Ye XiWang could see the years weighing upon the man.
” Tomorrow will be a better day for A-XiXi,” Ru HaoChun soothed him, his voice low and his hand light as he ran it down Ye XiWang’s braid and down to his tense back. “ XiWang will see his pack and run and play to his heart's delight,” his voice wavered as he stifled a yawn.
Ye XiWang’s heart lightly wept for the weary immortal as he allowed himself to turn and slowly rub his cheek over the man’s knee. Pup sorry. Not mean to cause hurt, he absently rumbled, his hands beckoning the peak lord to come closer after he pushed himself to a seated position.
In the darkness, he couldn’t easily read the man’s expression. But he didn’t allow that to stop him from bringing his hands to the taller man’s face and clumsily patted, stroking, and lightly tapping over Ru HaoChun’s cheeks in apology. A light chuckle sounded through the quiet room, his back straining as he hunched toward the ten-year-old.
” Apology accepted A-XiXi,” he sleepily hummed, the rhythmic petting almost lulling. A large hand wrapped around Ru HaoChun’s waist as Xiao HaoQi came over to unsubtly beg for his own apology pets.
Ye XiWang huffed in amusement before he begrudgingly gave the even taller peak lord a few head pats. “ More,” Xiao HaoQi’s deep voice unironically demanded, his face hidden behind his long shroud of hair as he tilted further down. Ye XiWang began to giggle, the image of a sticky golden retriever coming to mind.
Both of his hands brushed over the two adults’ heads, a light snore coming from Ru HaoChun as the man somehow primly slumped further toward him. Ye XiWang pulled back, only slightly surprised that the man could fall asleep sitting up. He’d seen him nap in a plethora of uncomfortable positions.
He eyed Xiao HaoQi, watching as the man tilted back and took hold of the fellow peak lord and gently placed him on the spare mattress that Ye XiWang had yet to claim as his own. His blanket from Ye Hanmei, the straw bedroll, and the mat setup were too familiar for him to give up yet.
The man was silent as he got his partner situated and settled back by the child’s side. They lay on the mat and ground, Ye XIWang’s sleepy form expertly tucked into the bedroll before he could even blink. He pressed his head to the man’s large hand and nuzzled the warm, calloused skin.
Even after washing himself and changing into a more casual set of robes, the man’s scent still carried the abundant selection of beasts and livestock Meng Shou Peak kept. Earlier in his stay, it had unsettled his instincts to smell both prey and predator animals on the man. But now that scent just reminded him of farmland.
It reminded him of idyllic daydreams of spending hours in a field with cows and other cute farm animals after he went to a petting zoo on an early education field trip. Of course, his allergies at the time wouldn’t have allowed that, but now he could do just that in this new world.
He cuddled closer to that large mass of muscle and happily rumbled as he was wordlessly accepted to the immortal’s chest. Those long-since scarred and burned hands smoothed over the fabric on his back like a warm blanket. It wasn’t hard to fall asleep with such a firm, guiding hand.
When the next morning came, he lazily blinked his eyes open. The smell of breakfast lingered in the air, fresh and hot while the soft voices of Xiao HaoQi and Ru HaoChun mingled together.
Ye XiWang hopped up after a moment of savoring the comfort that this familial peace held. His previous family had always been busy with running the multi-million yuan company and the international off-shots it managed. If he wasn’t passed to a nanny then he was left to his own devices after his hours at his private school.
He did his morning stretches and then scampered over to their side, his saliva pooling as he caught the scent of snow-white congee with meat sides. It was one of his favorite things to eat besides plain meat and berries. “ Hi Baba, hi A-Die,” he greeted them, his voice still slightly groggy from his sleepiness and general disuse.
Their idle chatter halted slightly as they welcomed him at the table. He settled in the space between the two of them and neatly sat himself on the plush cushion, his bowl and wooden spoon placed for him. He flexed his fingers for a bit before he curved them around the large, custom-carved handle.
Adjusting his grip, Ye XiWang carefully brought the congee to his mouth. Blowing on the hot food, he quietly enjoyed his meal as the both of them moved on into their conversation.
As a transmigrator and lore enthusiast, he was floored to hear them discussing the Qing Jing peak head disciple’s approaching Guan Li ceremony. The scum villain would gain his official name, his ear perking at his interesting name. ‘Jiu as in Seven? Or Jiu as in Black Jade?’ He thought, listening closely to their pronunciation.
When they continued merely referring to him as Shen-Shizi, Ye XiWang let out a frustrated huff as he sat back from his finished serving. Misinterpreting the sound, Ru HaoChun assured him that Xiao HaoQI would be taking him to the enclosure his pack was being housed in at Meng Shou.
He sat up higher at this, placing the scum villain to the side as he listened to the man’s words.
” A-XiXi will be spending the day with his A-Die while Baba handles the clinic for the day,” Ru HaoChun told him, his voice unrushed and clear in its pronunciation. Ye XiWang looked over to the large man with a blank, waiting expression, his hands quickly making the sign for ‘sword’ and ‘flying’ as he eagerly waited.
Xiao HaoQi simply nodded before taking a sip of his tea, his eyes crinkling lightly as Ye XiWang couldn’t help squealing with excitement. It would be great to see the mountain range and experience flying again! And it’d be so much better this time without the exhaustion from the long journey.
And he’ll get to see a ton of beasts!! He’d gotten to see some of the less traversed and harmless gardens while on Qian Cao, but the main thing he enjoyed beside Luo Binghe was the interesting monsters!
Reading Proud Immortal Demon Way had been like a mature version of Pocket Monsters with Luo Binghe being the blackened and even more epic version of Xiao Zhi. He was forever grateful that he was transmigrated into the Peak Lord of Meng Shou, despite the hardships.
A hand gently brushed against his arm, the soft smile of Ru HaoChun following it as Ye XiWang focused on the two adults. “ What’s got A-XiXi so happy?” He curiously asked, his gaze focused and analytical to the more intense rocking and chirping, loud squeals of excitement subconsciously falling from the boy’s mouth.
Ye XiWang blushed as he attempted to reign in himself, his throat tight and his hands shaking with the intensity of his positive emotions. He’d never been as excited for something as far back as he could think in both lives.
He caught the slight pull of the Qian Cao peak lord’s lip as his keen eyes narrowed in on the slight tremor running through him. “Flying and A-Die’s Peak– Pack,” he signed, his signs coming out stilted and shaky as his hands twisted and loosely flapped.
Ye XiWang scowled at the unanswering limbs, quickly becoming annoyed at the betrayal. If it didn’t get him in trouble, he would have snapped at his hands or destroyed something like in his previous life. To redirect the intense emotions and adrenaline.
” Can Baba check your vitals? With my hand on your wrist?” Ru HaoChun gently asked, stealing his attention from his hands. When he glanced over, he noticed how everything about the healer was polite and patient as he kept his hands folded in his lap. He was calm as he waited for Ye XiWang to give his consent, careful not to cross the boundary with this intense display of emotion.
Ye XiWang quickly nodded, holding his wrist toward the cultivator. He felt that familiar Qi enter his meridians and felt the coolness settle over him like a weighted blanket as it traversed through his core and near his heart. He kept his gaze on the man’s face, curious to see how he reacted and what he observed.
” Huh,” he softly hummed, leaning back and taking a sip from his cup. Ye XiWang tilted his head in question, earning a fond look and a gentle, all-encompassing pet from Xiao HaoQi. “ Baba noticed an interesting reaction in A-XiXi, like when ShixiongDi enter a battle. An increased alertness and racing heart rate can help with fighting or fleeing. It was more intense this time than other reactions to positive experiences,” he mused to himself, the observation making Ye XiWang sit up straighter.
All that from a simple look– ah, nothing escaped his new Baba’s gaze.
Xiao HaoQi made a questioning noise, his head dipping toward Ye XiWang with a raised eyebrow. Ru HaoChun waved his open concern off with an easy wave of his hand, “ A-XiXi will be fine with flying and Meng Shou, as long as he is given moments to collect himself and slowly brought through elevations so he doesn’t faint,” the healer told him.
Ye XiWang furrowed his brow while Xiao HaoQi let out an affirmative grumble, his head moving to regard the two as the one-sided conversation seemed to end. He let out a low growl as his body kept swaying and rocking from the residual excitement.
In his past life, stimming was associated with negative circumstances, so it always felt like his body was betraying him when he subconsciously stimmed in this current life.
His cheeks flushed even further once he caught the inevitable attention of Xiao HaoQi, the unforeseen master of keeping his self-loathing from rearing its head. The man took out his favorite toy and exercise device– ye olde fidget toys, also known as his jade green, Baoding balls.
He begrudgingly made grabby hands toward the jade, Qi-bounded balls. Hunching away from their attention, Ye XiWang spent a few moments losing himself to the cool, smooth texture. They were small enough to allow both to rest in his palm, allowing him to repetitively spin them and flex his fingers.
Once he felt like he could deal with the two men, he turned back once more to find Xiao HaoQi kissing Ru HaoChun on the cheek.
He let out an embarrassed squeak and closed his eyes, unwilling to experience the PDA of a second pair of parents. Ye XiWang already had to deal with their warm gazes and love-filled interactions– there was only so much he could take with his thin face!
The healer laughed with open amusement, those familiar thin digits holding the end of his sleep-rumbled braid. “ Baba will see A-XiXi once the sun sets,” he warmly spoke, and even though he wasn’t crowding in Ye XiWang’s space, the transmigrator could feel the parental affection wrapping about him.
He peeked through his eyelashes and lightly pouted, earning himself a fond brush of a knuckle to his cheek. “ Bye-bye Baba,” he lowly murmured, inwardly pleased at this daily interaction.
The soft promise to be back, that he wouldn’t be left to fend for himself with antagonistic caretakers and quiet rooms.
Ru HaoChun sighed, a childish pout mirrored on his fine face. “ No fair, your A-Die gets to spend the day with our A-XiXi,” he dramatically complained, whiny and very much Immortal Master-like.
His exaggerated hurt was smoothed away with a laugh as Xiao HaoQi let out a dismissive sniff and made a shooing motion. Ye XiWang couldn’t help giggling and relaxing as he watched the both of them.
” A-XiWang is staying on his Baba’s peak all day,” his deep voice held a pointed steeliness that was colored with his unwavering envy. As much as he wished to steal the child away to run and frolic with him and his beasts, he could only agree that it was only sensible and right to aid the boy’s recovery from abandonment and feralness.
The Qian Cao healer gave him a stern look at this, his hands on his hips as he paused by the bed where he kept his qiankun bag. “ Don’t get any ideas, A-Ming,” he tutted, his tone stern yet non-aggressive. Xiao HaoQi kept his gaze submissive and pointedly away from the short healer.
”...Of course,” he ended up agreeing, acting as though the man wasn’t pulling his rank with a mere glance. Like this, they heavily reminded Ye XiWang of his Den Mother and the pack Alpha, just without the literal snapping and growling.
It amused him greatly as he tried to decide who represented which wolf better.
Ru HaoChun turned to him, making him perk up as the man blew him a kiss and waved at him goodbye. Ye XiWang lightly sighed, chewing back the howl that always threatened to pour from him when either of them left for the day.
He would not be held back by attachment anxiety and his abandonment issues!
A reassuring grumble and a press to the back of his neck helped stop his near-silent, canine whines. “ I miss Baba too when he leaves,” Xiao HaoQi told him, his gaze open and sympathetic. The forlorn sigh and wistful look toward the door made Ye XiWang smile.
” Let’s get you ready,” he stated, his weight shifting as he pushed himself up off the ground in a smooth motion. He moved to the wardrobe and grabbed a fresh pair of robes for Ye XiWang, despite the fuss the transmigrator was putting up.
His robes were perfectly clean! At least his inner robes were, yet he couldn’t help but glare at the new, scentless set of inner robes the man was bringing over. “ Clean,” he stressed, his hand pointedly pressing to his lapels and his hands echoing the word.
“ Don’t want,” he added, his voice and hands assertive as to convey how much he didn’t want the new set of inner robes.
Xiao HaoQi looked at the tiny robes in his hands and shrugged after a moment of thought. “ Baba doesn’t want you running around in your inner robes,” he told Ye XiWang as he moved the first layer to the side, and laid the outer robes over his knee as he took a seat on a nearby stool.
Ye XiWang scrunched his nose at the thicker material, but could only sigh when he saw the man wouldn’t be persuaded on this matter. He pushed himself upward to stand once he was close enough to use the man as a support. Xiao HaoQi held his hand palm-up, silent and patient while Ye XiWang swayed on his feet.
” Sturdy?” The man asked once Ye XiWang felt like he could straighten his legs and back. His knees creaked as he shifted from foot to foot, but he couldn’t help proudly grinning while he nodded. “ Good,” he returned the smile, his eyes warm once Ye XiWang met his gaze.
Ye XiWang distracted himself from the warmth that open affection brought by shyly humming and looking away. He bossily pointed toward the outer robes, in the deep brown and black colors of Meng Shou. The Peak Lord huffed in amusement, giving the small hand in his a squeeze as he carefully let go and held the robe out.
The embroidery on it was more intricate than Ye XiWang was used to. As he was often cloaked in simple Qian Cao colors, this robe was different in that it held the same significance of an inner disciple on the same level as a senior or the head disciple. It made him blush lightly at the clear favoritism.
He focused on moving his arms through the sleeves and observing how the man tied and laid the robes down. The sash was tied next, the thick fabric resting over his core. Once everything was pressed flat and to his comfort, Ye XiWang turned to look at the sight of himself in the nearby mirror.
His eyes widened as he caught the full view of himself. Though obscured by how short he was and how tall Xiao HaoQi’s knee was, it was bizarre seeing himself standing. With the new face, everything about this body looked foreign compared to the image he held in his mind.
Always in his mind, he had envisioned his old face. Plain, pale, and nerdy-looking paired with his short hair and glasses. Here, his face held a narrowness that was almost fox-like. His skin was tan and healthy, his face freckled in some spots and faintly burnt in others from his pup days.
His hair was long and noticeably uneven in his braid, judging how his bangs fluttered around his face. Ye XiWang was… kind of a pretty boy, now that he could see himself clearly. Not pretty as all things flowy and soft, but pretty like cut glass shining in the sun or a bright-colored frog.
Ye XiWang tilted his head this way and that in consideration.
Hazel eyes met dark brown as Ye XiWang looked at Xiao HaoQi in the mirror, the man’s face fond and expecting. “A-XiWang looks like his A-Die in Meng Shou colors,” the man said, pride unabashedly taking over his tone as he turned and observed the ten-year-old a bit more.
Ye XiWang hurriedly blinked at the sensation rushing through him. The acceptance and unconditional love seeping from the man. Even though they looked absolutely nothing alike, Xiao HaoQi held a stronger jaw with a squareness to it. He was being claimed so thoroughly, despite their clear lack of relation.
His shoulders couldn’t help but pull back in determination while he nodded, “A-Die,” he softly repeated, his hand moving to grip the man’s arm.
He was unable to meet his gaze, so he simply stared down at his socked feet as he shuffled them. Like clockwork, Ye XiWang was pulled to Xiao HaoQi’s lap and cradled close to him. They sat in a serene silence for a few moments, absorbing the time that they had before leaving the sanctuary of the hut.
Where Xiao HaoQI would have to shoulder the responsibilities of a Peak Lord and Ye XiWang would have to deal with new people and new experiences on another peak.
Finally, Xiao HaoQi gave him a reassuring rumble and stood up, earning a surprised squeal from the man as he was easily balanced on his forearm. Ye XiWang giggled as he was kept to the man’s chest as he moved around the hut, messily toeing on his boots and gathering his things one-handed.
When he playfully dipped the ten-year-old so his worldview was upside down, Ye XiWang laughed as he wiggled his arms around Xiao HaoQi’s neck. “A-Die, no!” He loudly admonished, his words broken with breathless giggles as he clung closer to the man.
” Hm,” he hummed in agreement, righting them once more and grabbing his sheathed sword as he left the hut. Down the way to the flying zone, they crossed paths with Mu Shu-Hui, who was speaking with the Senior Healer in charge of the long-term patient ward.
They politely greeted each other, but Xiao HaoQi quickly moved off, unwilling to idly chatter with the two of them while he had a mission. Ye XiWang waved to them, their forms quickly growing smaller as his guardian walked off.
Ye XiWang turned forward once they lost sight of the two, his focus narrowed in on the passing scenery. The quiet courtyards passed by quickly with the swish of his robes and they soon entered more populated areas of Qian Cao. It had been a while since he had seen anyone outside of the secluded patient community.
There, he would see a lot of old mortals and injured cultivators with damaged cores and other debilitating conditions. Here, he once more saw the colors of Bai Zhan disciples and outer Qian Cao healers.
” Shishu!” A loud call sounded from a particularly beat-up, pretty boy. Xiao HaoQi stopped for a moment, a few steps from one of the take-off zones. Ye XiWang watched in interest as a tall, lean Bai Zhan disciple marched over to him, his bang and ponytail fluttering.
His face was all bloody and beaten up but he went into the proper bow once he was right in front of them. His dark eyes were sharp like flint as he looked Ye XiWang over, his chin jutting out toward the younger Shidi. “ This one heard you took on a new head disciple, is that him?” His boldness caught the transmigrator completely by surprise.
Xiao HaoQi nodded, his posture proud as he fully turned toward the young master. “ He has much potential. Ye XiWang will be a vital addition to the Qing generation,” he claimed, just as boldly and bluntly that Ye XiWang couldn’t help blushing and hiding.
Talk about embarrassing! The Peak Lord’s words drew the attention of other Bai Zhan and a variety of other peak disciples. Ye XiWang could catch the murmuring of the crowd as people looked over his small frame and cradled position. He kept his gaze down as his face reddened– he probably looked like a baby, clinging to his A-Die as he was.
The pretty boy humphed as he narrowed his eyes at the boy, “ Ye XiWang,” he called, his assertive voice and contemplative tone forcing Ye XiWang to look toward him.
His skin prickled with goosebumps as he met the teen’s gaze. It was the gaze of a hunter, attempting to pinpoint his weaknesses. It took everything within Ye XiWang not to growl and bare his teeth in challenge.
” Once you are strong enough, meet this one on Bai Zhan Peak,” he ordered, he then bowed to the Meng Shou Peak Lord, nodded at Ye XiWang, and walked off to get his injuries looked at.
Ye XiWang lowly growled at his retreating back, his eyes narrowed in confusion. He felt immensely unruffled by the teen’s rudeness and when he pointed and gave Xiao HaoQi a questioning look, the man sighed.
” Liu Minghui. He’s the closest to beating his Shizun and gaining the Head Disciple title on Bai Zhan,” he explained, simple and unbothered at the boy’s blunt nature. Ye XiWang went through several stages of disbelief and bafflement.
That pretty-looking kid with a firm scowl and boulder-like social skills was the War God of Bai Zhan? Liu Qingge?!
Ye XiWang had always imagined he would have looked more like Xiao HaoQi– even as a younger disciple. But, he could see how the pretty genes would pass between the two Liu siblings. Considering how Liu Mingyan’s beauty had to be hidden behind a veil.
Still somewhat miffed at the sudden introduction, Ye XiWang categorized the teen and his request into a ‘Future XiWang Problem’ as Xiao HaoQi stepped onto his sword. It was a thick saber that the transmigrator had scarcely seen. Even during the Pack’s attack on the village, the large man had quickly sheathed his blade and relied on his hands.
Ye XiWang’s eyes lingered over the blade, his lip quirking at the name the blade held. The characters in the hilt were bold and deep in their groves, the name ‘Da Jian’ as unsubtle as a brick to the head. It took everything in him not to snicker at the fact that Xiao HaoQi had a sword named, ‘Big and Strong,’.
His hands clutched into the man’s shoulders as they balanced on the large blade. A reassuring rumble settled over him as they steadily rose into the air, the ascent slow as they entered the busy airflow.
They were given a wide berth, considering Xiao HaoQi’s intimidating aura. The space allowed Ye XiWang to look around without feeling too exposed to the stares of the passing disciples.
Fresh excitement soared through him as they moved south toward the last few peaks. His head darted around as he tried to keep his eyes open against the wind, taking in the wide stretch of land under them. Meng Shou was wide and flat, similar to the neighboring agricultural and brewery peak, Zui Xian. It had plateaus of meadows with the beasts contained in various enclosures and arrays.
When they drew closer down to one of the landing zones, Ye XiWang’s ears pricked at the sound of braying prey animals. That same scent of sheep and cow herds that stuck to Xiao HaoQi permeated the air, while the scents of the predators were more tightly controlled.
Ye XiWang caught sight of the head disciple, a short young woman dressed in practical robes and her hair pulled back into a slick braid. She had a serious aura that made Ye XiWang instantly weary of getting on her bad side, her eyes roving around the busy zone.
” YaLing,” Xiao HaoQi greeted her, simple yet respectful as she fell into step with him. The woman greeted him back in a similar manner, her brusqueness unfaltering as she fell into step with his long gait.
” Greeting Shizun and Ye-Shidi,” her voice was mellow yet distinct, loud over the sound of bustling disciples leading meek lambs and calves. “ This disciple personally tended to the Fire Crested Timber Wolves today. Requesting to be a part of the personal selection of disciples to view the reunion,” she asked, openly meeting Ye XiWang’s eyes and surprising him with a small smile.
He shyly returned it with his own. She nodded and then looked forward, her face once more serious and blank.
Xiao HaoQi hummed in affirmative, his hand rubbing Ye XiWang’s tense back as they entered the portion of the peak housing their demonic beasts. The wards slid over Ye XiWang like oil, extremely noticeable to his heightened senses, while the abundance of smells forced him to press his face to the man’s lapels.
The enclosures were lost to him as they walked deeper and deeper into the forestry, the foliage high and the different environments lush with the necessary vegetation. Ye XiWang’s eyes widened when he caught sight of a bundle of Nettle Brush Drakes, axolotl-looking type of dragons without wings that grew various types of medicinal tea leaves on their head.
The few he could see were as large as a fully grown cow, their intelligent eyes watching them and shamelessly crooning for a snack and extra playtime from the peak lord.
Like this, they walked past countless enclosures of fantastic beasts that had Ye XiWang openly whining in excitement. He wanted to see them up close, pet the more docile ones, and gaze at the sheer mass of the more volatile beasts.
Wen YaLing sighed in open sympathy at his wide gaze and grabbing hands. “ Meng Shou is beautiful, isn’t it,” she stated in that way of hers, her words leaving no room for disagreement which she wouldn’t have found from this transmigrator! Ye XiWang nodded, a slight vertigo hitting him with the eagerness of the motion.
” Taking care of beasts is so much simpler than dealing with humans,” Wen YaLing continued on, her gaze moving to linger on the vast enclosures as they got closer to the pack of Fire Crested Timber Wolves. “ Ye-Shidi’s pack has been a delightful addition. But they have sorely missed Shidi, they will be happy to have him back,” she informed him, her voice light.
Ye XiWang whimpered at this, his lips pulling into a deep frown. “ A-XiWang needed to have some time away from the pack to learn and recover,” Xiao HaoQi reassured him, a deep rumble stirring from his chest.
Before Ye XiWang could reply, his head perked up as he caught the familiar scent of home. Though it was subdued and still faint, he could smell the smokey musk of the wolves he had been raised by.
An energetic yip left his mouth and he pointed to the enclosure they were approaching. He couldn’t help bouncing in Xiao HaoQi’s hold, his fingers digging into the thick outer robe as his hands tugged and his fists clenched. “ A-Die!” His following words began to run together and became incomprehensible as they drew closer.
When they came to the entrance, Ye XiWang perked up some of the older pack members pacing near the bespelled door. When they caught sight of Ye XiWang, they jumped up and started barking and howling, one of the younger ones running off to inform the rest of the pack.
Xiao HaoQi swiftly entered the enclosure, lowering himself before Ye XiWang could wiggle out of his hold and slam himself into the ground. The wolves instantly crowded Ye XiWang, the numbers growing as more and more members of the pack ran over.
His robes were soon covered in fur and his face slathered with drool as the wolves licked and piled atop him. Happy barks and excited whines filled the enclosure, the endless yapping and barking making it difficult to distinguish between the wolves and Ye XiWang.
Eventually, Ye XiWang was pulled from under the pile by the Den Mother. Her teeth carefully yet firmly tugged at his collar as she soon dominated his attention, her relief and adoration clear in how she scented.
Ye XiWang’s face was red from the rough licking while his chest heaved from the excitement. His face relaxed as he succumbed to the Den Mother's heavy nuzzling, and then he couldn’t help scrunching as she lovingly licked into his mouth in greeting.
The time apart and his memories as a human caused repulsion to spike through him as she went through the heavily affectionate greeting, his lips pressing together until they were pale. He gagged and rubbed his drool covered mouth with his sleeve, nearly upending his breakfast from the sensation.
Pup OK? Strong Flame sick and injured? she asked, all of the wolves scrambling over themselves to be heard and question him about his time away from them. Ye XiWang was pinned to the ground as she investigated, his puppy-ish growls and platitudes only earning him a disbelieving ear flick.
The scene quieted down as the Alpha of the pack approached, his gaze firm on Xiao HaoQi while the Den Mother swiveled to apprehensive regard him. Strong Flame abandoned pack. Betrayed us for the humans, the Alpha declared with a deep growl, his teeth barring and his fur bristling after he got his turn to scent the boy.
Ye XiWang furrowed his brow and vehemently shook his head. Den Mother kept her body placed between the child and the Alpha, her gaze challenging and her position crouched yet her tail high. Ready to dive at his throat if needed. Not betray! They help teach Strong Flame, but Strong Flame still loyal to pack! Ye XiWang defended himself, his yips high-pitched while he squirmed to show his stomach.
The air was tense as the Alpha paced in front of them, his gaze flicking between the Den Mother, Ye XiWang, and the seated Xiao HaoQi. The older cultivator was attentive to the scene, yet held himself in an unchallenging manner as the youngest pups nervously sat next to him.
Ye XiWang made to argue his case, but he was cut off as the Den Mother let out a harsh bark. Alpha is being unreasonable. Pup is strong, of course Large Human would want to teach him– smell closer and not assume! she ordered, her posture lifting as she more assertively challenged the male wolf.
The Alpha slowly approached, his nose rapidly twitching as he sniffed Ye XiWang’s offered hands and his mouth. Scenting beyond the human clothing and gaining a deeper understanding of the child’s emotional state while anxious whimpers rumbled through his chest.
He grunted as the Alpha flopped on top of him, scent rolling over him like he was a precious kill. High whine and protesting yaps left him as he squirmed under the weight, his movements stilling as the older wolf opened his mouth in warning. The Alpha’s teeth rested near his throat.
Ye XiWang tilted his head in submission, his gaze averted while the Den Mother happily licked over the crown of his head. While he was on a bit of thin ice with the Alpha, the transmigrator’s heart was lightened by the fact that he had been accepted back into the pack.
An overjoyed howl brewed in his chest, and when the clearing became alive with the song of his pack he happily joined along.
Soon enough, he was nosed up from the ground by the Den Mother as the Alpha walked off. He was then shepherded by his littermates and they galloped and played without a care. The dark coloring of his robes hid the dirt and some of the darker strands of fur, but his skin and hair quickly dirtied.
When the sun rested high in the sky, Ye XiWang was finally able to bound over to Xiao HaoQi’s side where he was lecturing some inner disciples. Wen YaLing was taking notes, her eyes bright as she caught sight of Ye XiWang’s slowing figure. She waved him over as he hesitated near them.
” Ye-Shidi is a true expert with his pack,” she praised him, easily crouching down to where he sat near Xiao HaoQi’s foot. She gave him a small smile when he dipped his head, flustered and lightly blushing under the dried drool and dirt. “ This one has only seen Shizun communicate with such ease. This Shijie can see why Shizun wishes to have her train Shidi to take over her position as Head Disciple,” she told him, her tone kind and her gaze assessing.
Ye XiWang nervously clenched his sleeve, fiddling with the embroidery as he hesitantly nodded. A manicured hand ruffled his unbound hair, the ribbon long since fallen out. He chanced a glance at her serious face and then looked upward toward Xiao HaoQi and the other disciples.
The height difference from the ground made them appear more intimidating, so he was grateful when Xiao HaoQi picked him up before he did something embarrassing. Like hiding behind the man’s legs or running off with his tail between his legs.
He attempted to channel his best, aloof, and cool immortal look as he was brought eye-level to the senior disciples, but the nerve quickly fled from him. He really was just a modern man masquerading as a knobbly ten-year-old when faced with these seniors. Xiao HaoQi let out a huff as Ye XiWang sniffed and hid his face from their gazes.
” Ye XiWang has much promise for Meng Shou as Peak Lord. Asking for patience and cooperation in achieving this future for our peak,” Xiao HaoQi asked, confidence leeching from his voice. Robes rustled and then a chorus of, “ Yes Shizun,” forced Ye XiWang to look over at them.
His jaw slackened a bit at the slight of these accomplished cultivators– experts in their field of animal and beast rearing, bowing in agreement to help him(!) train to be a head disciple and then eventual Peak Lord!
A sniffle embarrassingly came from him, his eyes watery as he was moved by the show of support. While he knew he was fated to be the Beast Peak Lord, experiencing the guidance and approval from the Xiao HaoQi and his inner disciples was almost overwhelming.
A few of his littermates wearily approached, their gazes filled with confusion as they sniffed at Ye XiWang’s mixed signals. Xiao HaoQi made his own questioning noise, tilting his head to get a look at the child’s face. The transmigrator’s lips pulled into a wobbling, clearing his throat a few times to voice his whirling thoughts.
” XiWang H-happy, so happy,” he told him, his voice croaking and wavering with his emotion. He couldn’t meet the inner disciple’s gazes as he repeatedly signed, “ Thank you,” with his thumb. His fist clenched with excited jitters, a squeak leaving him as he was squeezed into a hug by his A-Die.
” Welcome to Meng Shou, Ye-Shidi,” the disciples’ voices an excited chorus of deep and high voices, their energy welcoming and respectful of the clear favor that Xiao HaoQi was displaying.
Before he knew it, they were dismissed to their regular classes and chores around the peak. Leaving Ye XiWang and Xiao HaoQi to slowly reconnect with his pack and further cement the Peak Lord’s position with the demonic beasts.
By the end of the day he was tired and overjoyed as he watched Meng Shou go smaller over Xiao HaoQi’s shoulder. It was hard to feel upset when they had gone through some of his walking, muscle toning, and core formulation exercises. From the top of his rumbled head to his budding core, Ye XiWang felt comfortable and reconnected with himself for the first time in a long while.
Chapter 8: Lesson with Shen-Shixiong
Summary:
Ye XiWang and Shen Jiu meet for the first time... It goes as well as it could go.
Notes:
Heyyy (❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡
Got to the baby girls meeting and yeesh :0 it was not pretty!
I will put the TWs in the end notes to keep any spoilers, but Shen Jiu is Shen Jiu. AKA, petty, toxic, man-hating b who is NOT happy that his Wen-Shimei got replaced by some incompetent, clearly Nepo-baby boy of all things.
Also, more world-building and general head-canon of peak lords, with some Peak Lord aunties thrown in there.
Read carefully and hope you guys enjoy :) <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
In his past life, Ye XiWang had always found it difficult to make and keep friends outside of the digital platforms he was involved in. His family had held him back from gaining the experiences he (and any other teen) desperately wished for: getting a driving license; being able to go on dates or outings unchaperoned.
In the web of their wealth, he was constantly monitored in that rich, distant way by uninterested caregivers, silent drivers, and other various hired persons. The internet had been an escape for him, providing him with the perfect outlet for those difficult days and lonely nights.
Over the following months after he was introduced to Meng Shou and reunited with his pack, Ye XiWang had slowly grown accustomed to the attention and support of those around him.
And while it wasn’t easy navigating the ancient Xianxia hierarchies and social cues, it was, in parts, easier to connect with these people. Whether it was because he was in his favorite world (sans plot devices and writing), Ye XiWang was constantly surprised by the normalcy in which neurodivergence was discussed and addressed.
Unlike the quiet shame and outright ocstracization he had experienced within his former public Shanghai school and his family, it appeared as though a majority of these lofty immortals could relate to his lived experience.
” Enhanced senses can be the worst Didi~,” Lau-Shijie, a teenage Qian Cao inner disciple, sighed as they weeded the garden together, “ Can never be sure if some nosey martial sibling is listening in for their daily dose of gossip,” she viciously tugged a root with a scowl.
” But I heard it’s even worse if you are aiding those in the Dual Culti—” she cut herself off with a flush and wide eyes. Holding her tongue as she glanced toward Ye XiWang.
She lightly coughed while the transmigrator had to hold back a snicker, his cheeks lightly pinkening as he connected what she was saying. She quickly moved onto another topic relating to their senses as to not be the one to explain Dual Cultivation to him.
’ That would be horrible to hear and experience without soundproofing talismans or headphones,’ he thought to himself as he focused on pulling out a particularly stubborn root. Allowing her to save some face, since she really was only a few years older than his current body.
” Too loud,” he ended up agreeing when she looked to him for his opinion. He waved away the memory of the raunchy papapa scenes that would pop out of nowhere in PIDW. It had always grated on his nerves when the intense battle scene was suddenly broken by a busty, villain Jiejie tossing her sword aside for the Stallion’s pillar.
At least once, he had wished that the wicked women had gotten their comeuppance, rather than be rewarded with a position within the harem. Besides the men, that hack of a writer wrote his story as though women could commit no wrongs– which was just wrong!
Binghe had met his fair share of cruel women, outright abusing or manipulating those around her. It was hypocritical of him to overlook such faults just because they had a curvy frame and a–
He blinked and flinched as a hand lightly settled on his forearm, breaking him out of his internal ranting. Lau-Shijie had a slightly apologetic expression on her face, “ Apologies, but Didi is close to ripping out the Golden-Bell Hibiscus roots,” she pointed out with a dip of her head.
Ye XiWang glanced down at the mess of weeds he had been pulling, his lips pulling into a pout. It was a tough habit to break, daydreaming or rambling to himself as he did chores, “ Apologies, Jiejie,” he mumbled. He held his hands close to his chest as he settled back onto his heels.
He looked around the garden, taking in how much they had left. “ It’s OK, Didi,” she reassured him, a kind smile lining her face as she resumed her assigned weeding. “ You didn’t rip any of them out. That’s why I brought it to your attention,” she gestured at the medicinal flowers, her hand gently ruffling the golden flower so that the metallic petals made a soft twinkling sound.
Ye XiWang perked up at the pleasant melody, his hand inching toward it. When they had gotten to this portion of the communal gardens, he had yearningly wished that the summer winds were stronger. Hazel eyes flicked toward her peaceful expression, his hand outstretched in an unspoken request.
A light giggle was pulled from her lips as she nodded, “ Don’t tug it up, brush it like a cat,” she instructed with another demonstration, the important part of the plant being the roots while the petals were dried for supplement tea.
The gentle sounds of the twinkling bells filled the clearing, harmonious with the sound of the chirping birds and the lowly croaking cicadas and other insects. The lowering sun was pleasant against Ye XiWang’s back, his weimo and mobility aid discarded to his side as he lay on his stomach.
” Is this how Qian Cao's disciples handle their chores? One works and the other provides entertainment?” A feminine voice dryly drawled, the sudden, judgmental tone making Ye XiWang scramble into a proper position while his hand gripped his shepherd’s staff from where he had tossed it. When he looked up, he was met with the sight of a tall woman standing some distance away from them.
She was in the prominent teal of Qing Jing, a lavish folding fan held in front of her face while her piercing gaze stared down at him. It was dark and analytical, the intense focus making Ye XiWang’s skin prickle and his gaze quickly avert.
It was like having a stare off with the Alpha of his pack, and he wished she were anywhere but here.
” Greeting Shigu and Shixiong,” Lau-Shijie politely bowed as she stood up, her apron and gloves shaking off the dirt with her movement. Ye XiWang quietly stood up and mimicked the salute around his staff, his sun-warmed limbs stiffened with the sudden tension lining the clearing.
” At ease,” she stated, her cutting voice made Ye XiWang lightly flinch. When he chanced a glance at the two Qing Jing members, he couldn’t help but look away again from the imposing image they made. He counted each piece of grass by their feet as he listened to Lau-Shijie handle the conversation.
” What can this humble disciple aid Lin-Shigu with? Is she looking to meet with Shizun?” She asked, her tone perfectly differential and polite in a way that Ye XiWang would have found difficult to replicate with the suddenness of the situation.
The sound of the woman idly fanning herself was loud in the clearing, each rustle of fabric and swallow clear to Ye XiWang’s hearing. “ This master has found the one she was looking for. Disciple Lau is dismissed,” she ordered, the bluntness of her tone making Ye XiWang tense even more.
Why…? Agh! Ye XiWang had forgotten all about the announcement of the Qing Jing Peak Lord, Lin HaoXue and the Scum Villain visiting from the missive they had sent earlier in the day. He’d been nervous about it all day, wandering off to the communal garden to distract himself for a few hours.
As the newest and youngest disciple of the Qing generation, Ye XiWang had gradually met with the other Shigu’s and Shishu’s over the past few months. He’d met a majority of the nameless Peak Lords that had been left out of canon, but had yet to meet Qi Qingqi, Shang Qinghua, and Shen Qingqiu out of the twelve of them.
It was a lot of names. And a lot of meetings with tea and other pleasantries.
Lau Shijie put up a vehement yet polite argument to the dismissal as she spoke to the woman, gaining a few extra minutes. Ye XiWang subtly scented the air, his eyes and attention focused on Shen Jiu– soon to be Qingqiu– as he caught the faint, lingering scent of Demonic Qi that had tainted his foundation.
Even after many years, the weakness and severity of his heart demons were on full display to Ye XiWang’s senses. It always made him feel like a human blood pressure or glucose monitor when he was able to sense such conditions.
‘That’s… really bad. Must be painful dealing with a foundation like that,’ the transmigrator idly thought, his lips pulling into a soft frown as he absently regarded the scholar’s teal robes. His hands anxiously twined together and he couldn’t yet meet his eyes, that piercing stare burning into him.
” Where are Ye-Shizi’s manners?” The woman asked, the sound of her robes brushing against the grass jarring as she walked in a smooth circle around him. It made his hackles wish to rise and his body hunch close, as she observed him. “ His Shizun and Shifu surely taught him how to introduce himself to ladies such as this one. Verbally or otherwise,” she stated, straightforward and to the point.
Ye XiWang finally looked over to her, his body tense as he forced himself to meet her gaze. His throat was unwilling to unclench from the nerves racing through him– the Bai Zhan Shigu was less intense of a meeting!
” Greeting Shigu and Shixiong,” he signed, slow yet perfect. For he knew anything less could be dangerous, taken as some sort of slight, even if the Scum Villain was still a subordinate under his Shizun. “ Ye XiWang is pleased to meet you,” he added, his name sign unwavering. He then placed his hand at his front, his other hand anxiously gripping the wooden staff as he waited for them to pass their judgement.
” Decent,” the scholarly woman stated, her hands sliding her fan into her sash as she performed her hand sign for him. “ This one is Lin-Shigu,” she signed and spoke aloud, surprising Ye XiWang in the smoothness of her sign. It reminded him of the movements of a dancer, how her fingers and hands glided through the words.
” Head Disciple Shen Jiu,” the crisp movements and solid sounds of the Scum Villain’s robes caught Ye XiWang’s attention. It was sharp, the way he moved. Still graceful as Lin HaoXue, yet the cold expression and firm, snap of his gestures bellied what Ye XiWang knew of his character.
He was the merciless, child-abusing, icy bastard of a Scum Villain. A snake of the worst kind.
That fan snapped open once more, making Ye XiWang jolt from where he was blankly staring at Shen Jiu. “ Come,” she swept away from the garden, her posture straight as she swept her long, flowing sleeve aside and walked away.
Mercifully, her pace was slow, unspokenly considerate as Ye XiWang fell into step with Shen Jiu. The young man was stupidly tall like Yue Qingyuan, and it made Ye XiWang want to huff and puff. Maybe hook the crook of his staff around his ankle and take him down a peg.
Why did Ye XiWang have to be so short right now?! He knew he was still growing, as the youngest in their generation, but everyone was already disgustingly tall.
When those green-hued eyes glanced at him once more, Ye XiWang boldly turned his head and finally met that gaze. The transmigrator still knew his gait was awkward and graceless, even with his mobility aid, the shepherd’s staff Xiao HaoQi had gifted him.
They didn’t speak to each other as Lin HaoXue led the way, yet that didn’t stop the Scum Villain from cooly sneering down at him. His eyes flicking over Ye XiWang’s short, messy form with clear disapproval and disdain.
Ye XiWang’s nose scrunched up as anger sparked through his stomach, sharp and heavy. He couldn’t help but bare his teeth at the older disciple, the tiniest flash of white as they turned a corner and entered a resting pavilion off the main path. “ Here should do well,” she noted, standing off to the side for a moment before she angled herself for both of them to take a seat at the low table.
His expression smoothed as Ye XiWang dipped his head, neutrally gesturing for Shen Jiu to enter first with his arms folded into a salute. Silence stretched for a moment and then the Scum Villain easily moved forward and sat down, his gaze moving toward his Shizun as she remained standing.
” This master trusts Disciple Shen can conduct this lesson on his own,” while it could be phrased as a question, the stern stare and solidity of her voice made the words feel like an order. “ This one has personal matters she must handle while on Qian Cao. Remember what your Shishu wrote of regarding Ye-Shizi’s care,” she added, her sharp eyes easily shifting to Ye XiWang.
The transmigrator felt like she could read his mind with how she stared at him, the gaze holding strong as he tentatively sat down across from Shen Jiu. He takes it back! He’d rather have her here than for her to leave him alone with the frost-king snake.
” Of course, Shizun,” he replied, his voice smooth and his expression perfectly mild with respect. Lin HaoXue nodded her head and then sharply turned and walked off. Leaving them alone.
Ye XiWang felt his back grow sweaty under the observing stare Shen Jiu was giving him. It was a different sort of analysis from Lin HaoXue or any of the senior disciples working with him. Where those looks held a certain clinical professionalism, this gaze held nothing but ugliness.
After a long moment of quiet, unimpressed observation, the stare-off was cut short by the Qing Jing disciple's sharp movements.
Instead of speaking to him, Shen Jiu pulled out a qiankun bag full of the supplies necessary for the lesson in etiquette and all things scholarly. Ye XiWang watched as he brought out a brush, a pad of paper, a tea set, a go board, and some other items of importance. With how closely he was looking, he didn’t miss the silencing talisman that was subtly placed on the edge of the table.
Ye XiWang was silent, dread building in his stomach while the tea scene flashed through his head. If Luo Binghe’s tea was ill-prepared enough for the Scum to dump it on his head, the transmigrator was afraid of what his efforts would result in.
”...This one has no idea what the others see in you,” Shen Jiu spoke low, his words soft while his lips were pulled downward into that signature sneer. His features were fine and handsome, but here, Ye XiWang could only feel repulsed at the dark emotions he held.
It was nasty and putrid, aimed at the transmigrator as though that gaze alone would be enough to scare him off.
” Instantly picked up like the Beast you are, wild and unkempt. Kept by Shishus as some sort of pitiful, pet project,” he scoffed, hatred and something else burning bright. The scholar leaned forward, the motion making Ye XiWang wish to shrink back, yet he remained still. “ Forcing Wen-Shimei to bow out of her position without displaying any skill or going through any trial,” he continued, monologuing while Ye XiWang’s fists clenched into the material of his pants.
” Ye-Shidi can’t even talk properly. Why must this one waste his time on a dumb, useless student such as yourself?” he venemously hissed, his question lingering in the air as Ye XiWang shook. He glared at the scholar, outraged yet not surprised that the man instantly showed his true colors and thoughts toward such a young and vulnerable child in his ‘care’.
It took a great effort for Ye XiWang to release his grip from his knees, his nostrils flared, and his heart thundering. “ Shen-Shixiong is very I-g-n-o-r-a-n-t and rude to this Shidi,” he signed, slowly spelling the word out in finger-pinyin once he was able to find the best adjective.
” Ye XiWang may not be able to speak fully, but he is very much capable of learning and understanding. Just like you did once before,” he emphasized the signs for ‘very’ and ‘you’, sharp and full of emotion. Wasn't the scum once a child learning how to write with a horsehair brush and ink? Or was he merely born, rotten and skilled in calligraphy
Also, why did anyone think it would be a good idea to let this guy be anywhere near children? Much less teach and raise them as his disciples?! Ye XiWang couldn't help but inwardly grumble as he gazed at the fine features that hid the rotten nature of Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Jiu huffed out something that wasn’t exactly a laugh. It was too sharp as he scowled at Ye XiWang, his arms crossing in front of his chest, “ Go on then! If you’re so capable, show this Shixiong where you are at with your writing,” he ordered, primly sitting back and raising a brow toward the paper, brush, inkstone, and ungrounded stick of ink.
The older disciple didn’t bother with pleasantries, not even sparing the tea set a glance as he waited to criticize the newest Shidi of his generation. Ye XiWang lowly growled at the harsh treatment, if he had fur, it would have been thoroughly bristled and ruffled.
He grabbed the objects with a snatching motion, the inkstone and brush clattering loudly against the table in the heated silence. Once he held the delicate stick of ink in his hand, he paused and took a few calming breaths. ‘ He’s just an asshole, trying to get under your skin,’ he reminded himself as he gently held the stick and began to grind it. 'While it doesn't make it right, I can prove him wrong by at least trying to play along with this lesson,' he continued, his tongue sticking out as determination and a handful of salty spite filled his chest.
Though he didn’t have much training with writing calligraphy with a brush (and the ‘doctor's scrawl’ was prominent on Qian Cao and Meng Shou. No one could teach him proper writing forms with the addition of their bustling schedules), he had at least practiced holding it to increase the strength and dexterity he had in his hands. He had also memorized some characters that he had been hoping to use to surprise his new parents. His grip was clumsy for a few moments as he fixed it, a small puddle of ink gathered in the well and the paper stretched out before him.
In a shaking scrawl, his clenched fist lightly traced the brush through the characters for his name. He then wrote the numbers for his age, 10, and his Baba and Die-Die’s names. The calligraphy was tilting and messy, the brush dragging and blotchy from how he paused and pushed the brush to the paper.
” Terrible,” Shen Jiu tore the portion off, crumbling it and setting it ablaze with a spark of Qi. “ Again,” he cooly ordered, Ye XiWang gritted his teeth and redid the work.
The second, the third, and the fourth received the same treatment. All while the scholar continued to bite out scathing remarks that had Ye XiWang caught between jumping over the table at the scholar and running away with his ears plugged. It was horribly degrading, and it made him shrink further and further into himself.
At the sixth sheet and boredly drawl, “ Again,” Ye XiWang sat there and blankly stared at the other boy. This made the scholar look up from his nails and cruelly laugh at the disobedience and attempt at intimidation. Ye XiWang silently snarled and remained unmoved, the brush creaking in his ink-stained fist as he shook his head.
” You heard me, Beast,” the young adult snapped, finally pulling out one of his signature fans and slamming it right where his hands rested on the table. The transmigrator was quick enough to keep the digits from being slapped, yet Ye XiWang was startled at the outright attempt of violence.
It was the last straw. A fierce growl was unleashed from his chest as his gaze remained locked on the antagonist. Completely unaware of Shen Jiu burning the silencing talisman with a flick of his finger.
“ NO!” He loudly exploded, the word tearing out of him with a snarling quality. Though he was short, he had some muscle at his disposal. Fiercely using his posture to loom over the seated scholar, Ye XiWang stomped his foot and snarled at him. It was like lava was flowing through his veins with the injustice, the obvious hatred, and unwillingness to even try to get to be friendly or open-minded.
Shen Jiu was just as scummy as Ye XiWang knew his character to be.
“ BAD! BAD!” His chest heaved, his free hand pointed accusingly, while his other hand threw the brush at the Scum Villain. It missed, but the intention and rage made it fly across the pavilion and land a good distance away toward another shadowed pavilion. He knocked over the inkwell and kicked the go board off the table, the pieces clattering to the ground-- F it all, gloves off! Ye XiWang wasn't going to take this abuse, not anymore!
The scholar stood up in a flourish of teal and white, a dark scowl cast over his face. “ HATE YOU!” Ye XiWang shrieked before Shen Jiu could speak some pointless drivel, his fists pounding on the table before he grabbed his shepherd's staff to hit the young man over the head. Both hands clenched the wood, and he swung it like an axe at that smug face.
Before the hit could land or the scholar could counter the blow, a needle went flying through the air and landed on Shen Jiu’s raised wrist. The scholar's hand grew numb and limp as the needle struck the acupuncture point, while a purple ribbon fluttered out and pulled the staff off course.
The transmigrator was thrown off balance, yet his gaze remained focused on the pinched expression of the scholar as he leaped forward. The staff flew to the side as he jumped at the spiritual cultivator with the intention to slam him to the ground.
The waif-like quality of Shen Jiu’s stature would have allowed him to be overpowered by Ye XiWang, if it weren’t for his obsessive martial training. So when Ye XiWang tackled him with his shorter body, he was surprised by the muscle of the teen’s form.
Ye XiWang was temporarily winded as he was pulled off the scholar by the collar, Shen Jiu’s furious expression filling the transmigrator’s vision. “ Untrained Beast,” the scholar spat out, spittle flying from his mouth while his pale face reddened with rage. These words rang clearly through the pavilion as Mu Shu-Hui and a few beginner disciples ran toward them. A girl in lilac Xian Shu robes stood to the side with the staff in her hands.
The youngest Qian Cao head disciple held multiple needles in his fist, his expression scary as he observed the scene. “ Unhand him, Shen-Shixiong,” the healer’s calm yet stern voice kept the younger disciples from adding to the chaos.
Shen Jiu glared at the younger teen in reprimand, his needle-free hand keeping Ye XiWang at a distance. He then took a small breath of air and channeled the color off of his face with a small amount of Qi. “ Calm him first, Mu-Shidi. Do you not see how wild this beast is? Attacking this one without proper cause? All because this Shen asked him to practice his writing,” He smoothly retorted. While his face looked reserved and perfectly aloof, Ye XiWang could nearly taste the smugness and ill-will radiating off of him.
’ Lying bastard!’ Ye XiWang thought, growling and swiping at the scholar’s wrist. His legs kept trying to kick him, aiming right for the groin. He knew the Scum Villain was terrible, but attempting to sabotage and get a freaking 10-year-old kicked out– well, it was in character, but still!!! He did NOTHING wrong, he didn't have any protagonist aura to set the villain on him-- so why was he being targeted and abused out of nowhere?!
A Qi-filled hand was brought near his back, the initial breach of space making him flinch and whip around. When he realized it was Mu Shu-Hui, he stilled and attempted to contain his rage, his limbs shaking, and he panted like a madman.
” Ge! Bad, hurt!” He warbled out, his head moving back to pin the scholar with a glare, a finger once more pointing accusingly at Shen Jiu. “ Lie, all lie,” he gasped out as the healer hooked his hands under his armpits, easily carrying him away from the older teen.
” Jiu l-lie, Hui-Ge,” his breath shuddered as angry tears gathered in his eyes, the existence of them making him fiercely rub at his eyes with the palms of his hands. His growls tampered off into softer, angry rumbles as embarrassing whines left his chest. He desperately wished Mu Shu-Hui to believe him, to support his version of events lest it create a divide between him and his adopted father. The mere thought of Ru HaoChun's disappointed face made a piece of his heart crumble and a distraught whine leave his mouth.
When they settled on the cushion, Ye XiWang instinctively grabbed at the healer’s arm when the teen pulled away. “ I need to see if A-XiWang is injured,” the light voice reassured him, gentle hands sliding around his wrist and carefully tugging Ye XiWang's other hand from the reddening, scrubbed skin of his face.
Mu Shu-Hui’s calm face and gentle clasp of their hands settled some of that rage in his chest, though his breath kept hiccuping and tears annoyingly continued to run down his cheeks. Nothing was said as the healer examined him, Shen Jiu similarly submitting himself to the questions of a Senior who had been called over.
When Ye XiWang turned his head, he could see the scholar idly fanning himself while his now-needle-free hand rested behind his back. A threatening rumble stirred in his chest, which Mu Shu-Hui cut off with a soft tut and a gentle turn of his chin.
” While Ye-Shidi is physically uninjured, he is greatly unsettled emotionally,” Mu Shu-Hui told the Senior disciple, his gaze cool and calculating as he looked upward at the Qing Jing disciple. “ While this Mu knows A-XiWang to be more sensitive, unprompted anger is very rare from him. Such outbursts toward others are often brought on by overlooked, preceding factors,” he summarized, allowing the young Meng Shou head disciple to cling to him while Mu Shu-Hui stared at Shen Jiu.
There had only been two similar instances over the almost year he had been with them, and each one had been perpetrated by antagonistic behavior and power-tripping Shixiongs (Canon-fodder Bai Zhan and Qing Jing disciples).
Calm dark eyes looked down at Ye XiWang, “ Before you explain what happened, does A-XiWang wish to go to a more neutral setting first?” He asked, his voice soft as he waited for the younger boy to nod or shake his head. Just then, Ru HaoChun swept into the pavilion, his appearance making Ye XiWang perk up and desperately reach for him.
” Baba!” He helplessly called out, wiggling out of Mu Shu-Hui’s hold and attempting to get over to the peak lord. He got a few steps in before he was swept up and held in the man’s arms.
Being higher up and more secure, Ye XiWang felt a little better looking over at Shen Jiu. He couldn’t glean much since the young man was now hiding behind his fan, but he could almost sense the confusion in his body language.
It seemed like his informant left out some key pieces of information. Ye XiWang inwardly snickered, distracting himself from the anticipation and fear crawling through his stomach.
” What is going on here?” Ru HaoChun asked, his face collected yet his tone bordering on that formidable, dangerous serenity that spelled out the worst. His eyes lingered on Shen Jiu and the clear lack of Lin HaoXue, his lips pinching together.
Shen Jiu bowed and closed his fan, perfectly stepping forward and keeping his form low and subservient to a Peak Lord. “ Apologies, Peak Lord Ru. This Shen was teaching Ye-Shidi and accidentally pushed his student beyond his limitations. This led to the unprompted physical attack from Ye-Shidi.”
Ye XiWang’s brows furrowed at the easy side-stepping of accountability and reasoning. He was trying to make it all Ye XiWang's fault like those other bullies had tried. Lying liar!
” Is that correct? A-XiWang,” he looked toward his adopted son, curled up and glaring as he was at the Qing Jing disciple. Silence stretched as Ye XiWang gathered himself, attempting to wrestle the disdain and hatred from crossing his face and taking over his words. Despite how much he wanted to get into that smug rat's face to scream abuse and beat him up, he had to keep his cool. A little bit, at least.
” No. Not correct, Baba,” he verbally replied, mutinous and snarling when the Qing Jing disciple raised his gaze for a moment to look at him. “ Jiu tried to hurt A-XiWang. Mean, bad,” he vehemently told him, the accusations rolling off of Shen Jiu’s back as he remained unmoved and unbothered.
” This one simply tried to correct his student’s—” that polite voice was cut off by the sharp sound of Ru HaoChun flicking his sleeve, the healer straightening in reprimand at the teen’s unprompted turn of speech.
” Does Disciple Shen think this master is ignorant of Qing Jing’s method of ‘correcting’ and teaching?” He asked, his voice steady as he looked over the head disciple with narrowed eyes. “ This healer explicitly informed Disciple Shen and Lin-Shijie in his letter that such methods were not to be implemented with A-XiWang,” he told him.
Shen Jiu bowed even lower, silent, and his face hidden. It was well known that besides Bai Zhan and Yin Hui, Qing Jing was one of the strictest peaks in terms of how they relied on corporal punishment (and blackmail) for discipline. Under their flowy and serene facade, it was known to be a bloodthirsty playground of snake-like nobles. Yet such devices were heavily stigmatized and banned in inter-peak interactions, a perk of the ingrained hierarchy and rules given to each lord. Disciples of other peaks weren't allowed to discipline other ShidiMei or ShixiongJie.
Ever since Shen Jiu had gained his position, the number of whipped disciples had increased by a small yet notable margin. Often, they were reported to have swollen knuckles and fan-shaped bruises as well.
That had been why Ru HaoChun had asked Lin HaoXue or allowed one of his inner disciples (Lau-Shijie) to sit in on the lesson. He should have expected things to go off track. “ Where is your Shizun?” The man asked, waspish and displeased, while a hand went to press soothingly on the back of Ye XiWang’s head.
Rustling robes and the solid opening of a fan sounded as Lin HaoXue and the Xian Shu Peak Lord walked down the pathway leading toward the commotion. “ Ah, Shidi,” the woman imperiously greeted, her tone belling a heavy tinge of disappointment and disdain.
Her steel-like eyes were pinned on the bowed form of Shen Jiu, displeased at the young man’s foolish, failed sabotage plot. While such plots were often successful and untraceable when orchestrated on Qing Jing, such petty mechanisms were largely frowned upon in interpeak interactions.
When Ru HaoChun gestured for Mu Shu-Hui to explain the situation, her brow creased even further. Fei HaoBao stepped forward, a heavily pregnant Xian Shu Peak Lord, shallowly bowing before her incensed martial sibling.
Lin HaoXue placed her free hand on Fei HaoBao’s arm, keeping her from going any lower. “ Apologies, Ru-Shidi. Lin-Shijie was sitting in with this one’s check-up and wasn’t here to prevent such an event from occuring,” the woman explained, waving off the manicured hand clinging to her arm.
Ru HaoChun sighed, his face displeased yet momentarily softening at this explanation from Fei HaoBao but he still pinned Lin HaoXue with a livid glare. “ While there is no physical evidence,” the healer’s threatening aura thickened at the mere thought of such abuse. “ This master wishes Lin-Shijie to thoroughly… enlighten Head Disciple Shen of the proper conduct one must take when teaching non-Qing Jing disciples,” his displeasure was on full display. And the woman knew that there would be even more demands made of her at the next Peak Lord meeting.
The woman idly fanned herself as she regarded her disciple, her gaze moving to settle on an upset Ye XiWang. Her heart weakened at the sight of him self-soothing, his cheek resting against Ru HaoChun’s chest as a thumb pressed to his closed lips. Tracing over the soft flesh until he finally tentatively popped the digit into his mouth.
” Of course,” she agreed, her fan closing with a soft click as she looked at her head disciple. “ This master will gladly teach Ye-Shizi herself, if my disciple proves unwilling to learn on this matter. Shidi knows this master has little patience for useless disciples who can’t listen to simple orders,” her hands curled into her sleeves as she gave Ru HaoChun and Ye XiWang a deeper apologetic bow. Her hair fluttered in the breeze as her head dipped, her expression once more lofty and hard to read when she straightened herself.
” Come,” she ordered, sharp and clearly displeased still when she harshly beckoned Shen Jiu to her side. Fei HaoBao softly gestured for her own head disciple to come along, the movement catching Ye XiWang’s eye as the girl in lilac, tall and full-chested stepped forward.
She held Ye XiWang’s staff in her hands, holding it perpendicular with a bow as she offered it back to the Peak Lord. “ Thanking Qi-Shizi,” the healer nodded, his voice once more serene and patient as he accepted the staff.
” After the day comes, Qi-Shizi and Fei-Shijie should join this one and A-XiWang for tea,” he kindly reminded them as the Qing Jing members walked a bit further down the path. The tension thick between the two teal-clad figures.
Fei HaoBao laid a hand on her stomach and smiled, pulling her shining gold-tinged eyes away from her partner and her troublesome disciple. Her long, curled locks bobbed as she energetically nodded, “ This one would enjoy formally meeting her newest Shizi,” she spoke warmly while the teen politely nodded, her gaze intense as she looked upward at Ye XiWang.
” This one is Qi GuiYing, greeting Ye-Shidi,” she introduced herself, her tone mild despite the intrigued way she was observing and analyzing him. After a calm series of questions regarding Fei-Shijie’s health, they bid their farewells and rejoined the waiting Qing Jing members. Ye XiWang watched the four of them walk away.
Ru HaoChun dismissed the lingering Senior disciple and the worried Mu Shu-Hui. When he looked down at Ye XiWang, a heavy sigh left him as he took in the tired and upset look on his pinked face. “ I am so sorry you had to go through that Baobei,” the man spoke lowly, the gentle tone and soft brush of his hand making Ye XiWang squeeze his eyes close.
” I believe you about that boy,” he spoke with resolution, his expression slightly darkening with the ideas of the punishments he could call for. “I never meant for you to experience such treatment,” he promised, his gaze turning solemn and his hands gentle as they cradled Ye XiWang’s face.
“ If you wish, I’ll allow you to pause your lessons for an entire week to spend some time on Die-Die’s peak or anything else you could want. It’s the least Baba can do to make it up to A-XiXi for his lacking fore-sight," he offered.
Ye XiWang’s lessons were the consistent, regimented routine that provided him with countless areas of support for his rudimentary education, physical therapy, and social needs. Yet, he perked up at the idea that he would be able to have a week to spend as much time as he pleased on Meng Shou.
With his adopted parents being Peak Lords and his new position as head disciple, they had experimented and settled on a roughly 30-70 deal. It was subjected to change as his physical therapy sessions decreased. Yet it was planned for 30% of his month to be dedicated to Meng Shou and learning the ropes there under Wen Yaling.
That didn’t stop Xiao HaoQi from stealing him away here or there when Ye XiWang was amenable to the change in routine. Or when he just grew tired of his teachers and needed a rest day catered around his A-Die’s field.
Ye XiWang thought about it as they walked back to Ru HaoChun’s office, the log and supply forms piled around his desk. Mengya-Jie, the eldest head disciple, looked up from the document she was reading through, her tense expression softening.
” This one will make some fresh tea,” she effortlessly read the situation, her sensible braids thudding against her back as she swiftly stood and walked to the room off of the office.
The peak lord wearily huffed as he knelt on the cushion, his lips pulling into a gentle smile as Ye XiWang pressed to his side. A hand pressed over the child’s ruffled braid, slicking the runaway strands back with a soft flow of Qi. Ye XiWang appreciatively rumbled at this gesture, nuzzling closer and winding his arms around the man’s small waist as he leaned into his side.
When Mengya-Jie returned, she held a tray full of delicious treats, a deep oolong tea, and a jar of honey. She wordlessly poured the tea, settling back into her paperwork once Ru HaoChun dipped his head in thanks and made Ye XiWang’s tea to his taste.
Time passed comfortably slowly as the two Qian Cao members worked, the quiet atmosphere and the addition of the carved, wooden frog fidget toy his Wei–Shixiong had made him allowed Ye XiWang to ground himself.
” Want to,” he signed, the gesture pulling Ru HaoChun’s attention. The man nodded in reply, easily understanding the sleepily mulled-over response to his earlier question.
” Die-Die will be overjoyed to have his A-XiXi,” the man chuckled, the sound of his amused chuckles and the vibration against his cheek lulling Ye XiWang into the emotion and adrenaline-driven nap he had been fighting against.
Notes:
TW: Scheming and bullying typical of Qing Jing disciples/SJ, ableism, ableist language/name-calling (no slurs or anything), dehumanization, verbal abuse, and attempted physical abuse.
Neglect from an adult who should really know better, but I always envisioned the previous Qing Jing lord to appreciate sly inner-QJ beef, black-mailing, and bullying as long as they weren't caught. And for the period-typical discipline to be even more enforced on peaks such as Qing Jing, Bai Zhan, Qiong Ding, etc.
So if SJ had gotten away with his plot, she would have been begrudgingly impressed at the severe rule-breaking. Morally grey QJ moment 😔
Just because Meng Shou and Qian Cao have a bit more of a rosy perspective with the found family aspect, they too have similar punishments in place.