Chapter Text
Liu Fenglan was about to hit open the window himself when it slid to the side, revealing a Shen Jiu who had a scrawny girl child in his arms. Her face was tucked into his neck, out of sight. Thin petal pink cloth and a gauzy purple outercoat peeked through sturdy white and Qing Jing green.
His eyes went wide, mouth dropping. This wasn't something Liu Fenglan could process. What was he doing, this Shen Jiu?
Shen Jiu put his foot up on the ledge and made to jump.
Ah!
Liu Fenglan made space on Cheng Luan, too shocked to do otherwise. It was the third floor after all. It may not harm Shen Jiu much if he fell, but regular children shouldn't be dropped from that height. Shen Jiu could stumble or drop her.
Shen Jiu hopped the distance and landed neatly on the blade's flat, brutally smacking off the hand that came to touch his shoulder and steady him, all without loosening his grip on the child. Liu Fenglan pulled his hand back.
It then stuck back out again when Shen Jiu tried to jump off and go down. No.
Cheng Luan lowered, then rose with his indecision.
To the ground? To the sect? What was happening here?
"That's a child."
"Brilliant deduction."
"A prostitute." Liu Fenglan wasn't oblivious to how terribly slaves were treated in their society, but he had not yet seen a child-aged prostitute. This girl couldn't be older than twelve. He felt violently ill.
"What gave it away?" The way he held onto the child was not overtly possessive nor improperly tender. The rage in his eyes was like that of an animal when a threat got too close to its young. Protective, defensive.
Cheng Luan went up. To the sect it was.
"I do not require help or a bodyguard. Put us down," Shen Jiu ordered.
Liu Fenglan ignored this. "Faster than walking."
Shen Jiu grumbled and complained the entire way, never once dropping the girl or sliding off from the speed despite his refusal to use Liu Fenglan as a handhold for balance.
"Your sister?" Liu Fenglan asked.
Shen Jiu stepped down into grass and shook his head. "None of your business."
"No," the girl murmured, speaking for the first time. "Cultivator Shen is but a kind man."
Shen Jiu scoffed but continued carrying her, a kind man.
Liu Fenglan mulled that over, sheathing Cheng Luan and walking near to escort them to their destination.
"Go away. You're unneeded."
"I am not sorry."
"Do you want me to stab you?"
"As if you could get a hit on me."
"Shall I remind you what I did to you yesterday?"
"That was but a scratch."
Their bickering was milder than usual. Pleasant even. Going through the motions but none of the heat behind it.
Well, some heat. Bad habits.
"Why are you putting her in a woodshed?"
"Shall this one go and kick awake his master to request permission for the guest quarters then?"
... "Fine."
Liu Fenglan swept up the floor. There wasn't any visible dust, but that didn't mean there wasn't any. There were a suspicious amount of blankets tucked around in hidden compartments for a woodshed, but he chose not to question it. Bigger problems to worry about.
"Will she be staying here and cultivating or leaving?"
"She hasn't decided," Shen Jiu answered after pretending to ignore him for a minute, leaning against the shut door and glaring up at the stars, sword in one hand.
"She should cultivate. Not too old," Liu Fenglan said. The world itself was dangerous. Good career. Would teach her self defense.
"Her decision," Shen Jiu retorted.
Liu Fenglan conceded, "Mn."
It was her decision.
Liu Fenglan removed his money pouch and tossed it at Shen Jiu.
"If she leaves, give it to her." It may not be enough to purchase a house in an upstanding area, but food, clothes, shelter, that'll last her for a bit. He could get more.
Liu Fenglan did not have the most flattering opinion of Shen Jiu.
He could not handle losing a spar with grace and resorted to all manner of trickery and humiliation to retaliate against his opponents. Many a time Liu Fenglan would be minding his own business only to have to put out flames in his hair because Shen Jiu threw another flame curse talisman at him. No greeting, no warning.
The ground would explode. Traps.
Blood would come out of him in hacking coughs. Poison.
If he were not so enraged, he would be impressed by the persistence this odious scholar had. What a bully!
Attention firmly secured, Liu Fenglan answered his challenge with some of his own, tracking him down week after week to give him less free time to harass others.
Shen Jiu continued his malicious "pranks" without fail, ramping up the intensity. Not one to be outdone, Liu Fenglan decided to give him even less free time. He must be fooling around at night if he got up to all this nonsense. Let's put a stop to that.
The indignation suffered when Shen Jiu entered the red light district left entirely once he realized what he was doing there.
Shen Jiu had more honor than expected. A kind heart.
How many men would reach out their hand and help a slave escape? How many men would bother with a prostitute and lend their power?
It was no explicit duty for a cultivator to fix every injustice in the world. They hadn't the time for it. If their sect were smaller and less renowned, maybe they hadn't the resources to support runaway slaves.
But Shen Jiu.
He was different.
Liu Fenglan was struck dumb with awe. This was why Shen Jiu wasted so much time. He was no indolent young master in childhood. He got things done. In a startling way, it made sense. Shen Jiu was remarkably indefatigable. How else could he devote such time to his bullying?
To think he was so selfless behind that cruel mask of his!
It was jarring, this two-faced behavior, but Liu Fenglan was resolute in his decision.
This was a good thing, and it will be supported.
"I know you can take care of it yourself," Liu Fenglan added, which was true.
Shen Jiu obviously had practice in this area, and he was strong.
No boy that could keep up with him in a duel for three hours would have trouble dealing with any guards sent after him from a seedy brothel. He was weaker than Liu Fenglan but much stronger than the average swordsman. For a spiritual cultivator, his strength was impressive. His tricks were dishonorable, yet undeniably effective. No trouble for him.
A child could hang off his arm, and he would slice through men like silken tofu.
Not that such men would make it here in the first place. Trying to sneak into Cang Qiong and make off with one of their people was closer to suicide.
This was for the child's benefit, so she might sleep tonight.
"I am not here to babysit you." Liu Fenglan was here for moral support. If the situation called for it, physical support.
A young girl who had been sold off or abducted for sex work couldn't have too many cultivators looking out for her.
Shen Jiu sighed through his teeth but quit protesting Liu Fenglan's presence. He went to patrol the other side of the woodshed.