Chapter Text
Why were there so many people so willing to help them?
The head disciples made some sense: they wanted power. They wanted favors from the soft-hearted person who was going to be the next sect leader, whether they asked for them now or were biding their time to make truly outrageous requests. These spoiled creatures liked the ways things were and didn't want to risk the introduction of an unpredictable new element.
Did the Lord of Qing Jing Peak simply not care about his own legacy anymore? It couldn't be that Shen Jiu's potential was so impressive. He'd barely been tested! Was Wu Yanzi's death truly accomplishment enough?
Was this what it was like to be seen without the stain of his background? None of these people knew just how wretched his beginnings were. Not yet. Perhaps they never would.
Would it hurt more to have those insurmountable barriers thrown up in his path later, now that he had experienced a life without such cruel obstacles? How dare so many of these lofty immortals crow about their inherent superiority over the common people when life was clearly so easy for them?! If they had been forced to live Shen Jiu's life, then they would have cried tears of blood and then died from the sheer misery!
"Congratulations," Yue Qi said, when they had returned to the safety of his personal residence. He was smiling broadly as they released each other. "I knew that you would impress."
"It was all your recommendation," Shen Jiu said, turning away.
There was still no wine in the house. Why was there still no new wine? He needed to go back to Zui Xian Peak for that numbing luxury as soon as possible...
"I would choose no one else-"
"One bad word from you would probably be enough to throw me out of the sect again!"
"I wouldn't-"
"You could probably pick one of Wei Qingwei's dirty pets! And that careless old man would probably make it the head disciple of Qing Jing Peak if you asked it of him!"
Yue Qi didn't protest this accusation immediately. Instead, after a pause, he said, "I would rather work with a pangolin than some of your new rivals, I must admit."
Shen Jiu scoffed. It was funny to picture Jiang Guiying's face if the ambitious senior disciple was usurped by one of Wei Qingwei's daughters, and to imagine arguing to the likes of Gao Jielun or Yang Peizhi that the beast had a future peak lord for a direct ancestor, but that didn't mean that Shen Jiu had to reward such a silly suggestion with laughter.
Strangely, Yue Qi said nothing else. When Shen Jiu turned slowly around, Qi-Ge wasn't even smiling at his own bad joke, but rather carefully settling himself at the table with a dangerously pensive expression.
"What?" Shen Jiu demanded. "What are you thinking now?"
"That it went well."
"...And?"
"I am relieved," Yue Qi said, "that it went well." He turned his head towards Shen Jiu and smiled belatedly, but faintly. "I will miss you."
"I'm not going anywhere, Qi-Ge," Shen Jiu replied, less harshly than he could have. His chest throbbed at the thought of having to leave Yue Qi's side again, even temporarily; no longer able to listen to his soft breaths in the darkness, nor even sometimes, recklessly, to lay his head against a steady heartbeat as he drifted into sleep. "Not too far away..."
"Farther than I'd like."
Shen Jiu waited for more, only to stand in thick silence. "...Do you think that the sect leader has noticed what we've been doing?" he demanded finally. "Meeting with so many people so quickly?"
Yue Qi thought about it, then said, "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Though, if someone has brought our movements to his attention, Shizun may also simply think that we are seeking placement for you among the other peaks... or perhaps even alternate placement for myself."
"Hm."
"He will not know that I intend to refuse his will, to resist replacement, unless one of the other head disciples has told him directly. Qian-Shishu would not."
"Would they?" Shen Jiu asked sharply
"They have given their word."
"So, it's possible."
Yue Qi sighed. "Perhaps. I... It depends on whether or not they decide that it is unacceptably unfilial for a student to defy his master's orders. For some within this sect, among the cultivation world... it does not matter if the order is... bad. It is not a student's place to question such things, even if it is suspected that the matter will end poorly..."
"That's stupid. Do they want a real sect leader or a docile animal? I didn't think that any of the head disciples were that stupid, but who knows?!" Shen Jiu let out a bitter laugh. "Perhaps we've already doomed ourselves-"
"Xiao-Jiu, please, I wouldn't have confided in them if I thought that they thought in such a way. I just... can't deny that it's possible... and these particular circumstances make their confidence in my leadership understandably unpredictable... One of them may ultimately decide to trust that the sect leader knows best in this situation, despite my faith in them and Mu Qingfang's-"
"How would they like to be told to throw away their life...?" Shen Jiu grumbled.
"If Shizun has discovered that I disagree with his... vision of the future, and if he does take offense, and if he calls for me to explain myself before the meeting, then... I will simply make my declaration to him earlier than anticipated," Yue Qi said firmly. "Then Wei Qingwei will reaffirm his support shortly thereafter. And the others, I trust, shall follow him."
"And that's it?" Shen Jiu said, more disbelief than curiosity. This course of action had been his idea, playing on these careful balances of invented rules and implied threats, but such things had never played out in his favor before. "That will be the end of it?"
"...Shizun cannot physically force me into the Ling Xi Caves. He will not." There was certainty in Yue Qi's voice still, but he turned his head away from Shen Jiu again.
"Hm. If you're so sure of him, then what's the problem?" Shen Jiu crossed the room and sat down beside Yue Qi, making sure that their thighs were touching again. "Are you already finished pretending to be happy for me? Why are you making those faces?"
"Why are you angry?"
"What?"
"You've joined the greatest cultivation sect in the known world, promoted immediately to an inner disciple of the second peak," Yue Qi said coolly. "Does that not merit more than a few seconds of celebration, Xiao-Jiu?"
"...Not if you're being like this," Shen Jiu replied. His lips were twisting into a sneer despite the fact that he didn't wish it.
But why should he bother to keep his face pretty when Yue Qi couldn't even see him? If Qi-Ge had wanted someone more grateful, less bitter, then he shouldn't have kissed Shen Jiu of all people. Qi-Ge should have given his recommendation to one of those flopping carps-!
Yue Qi sighed. "Sorry. I don't... sorry." He rubbed at his face, his hand even moving over his closed eyes, which killed some of the fire in Shen Jiu's chest.
Shen Jiu wanted Yue Qi to stop being this way, but yelling at him to stop being ridiculous had only ever made Qi-Ge more like this. He bit down on his next sneer, with great effort, and then reached out to brush a stray hair back behind Yue Qi's ear. He ended up holding Yue Qi's head, somehow, which mysteriously led to Yue Qi tipping carefully sideways in order to rest his forehead gently on Shen Jiu's shoulder, not a light weight to bear, but warm and solid.
"Sorry," Yue Qi repeated.
Forcing himself to relax wasn't easy. Shen Jiu could at least lift a careful hand to rub Qi-Ge's back. "...Do you need more of your medicine?" he asked.
"Not yet."
"Don't try to be tough-"
"It's not that."
"Then spit out whatever else it is," Shen Jiu insisted. "I am happy enough with my new position on Qing Jing Peak. I don't want to celebrate by watching you tie yourself in stupid knots just because you think you could have somehow done more..."
Yue Qi inhaled deeply. Shen Jiu felt his back move beneath his fingers.
"You did a good job earning this place for us here, Qi-Ge."
"...It's all going too well."
"Too well," Shen Jiu repeated. "Do you think this is a trap?"
"No," Yue Qi sighed again. "I don't. I think that everything is aligned and will go well for us, Xiao-Jiu, and it feels... arrogant... to have such thoughts."
"Arrogant."
Yue Qi sat up again, though one of his hands remained holding onto the edge of Shen Jiu's borrowed uniform. "For daring to want this. For daring to want so much power and influence, such that no one, no one, will ever be able to touch me, touch you, ever again. To change things. To shape the world by the weight of my walk..."
"Why shouldn't you want that?"
"The last time that I reached so far beyond myself... The last time that I was too confident in my own success..."
"Is this what confidence looks like? This is much too wretched and self-pitying to be arrogance," Shen Jiu declared, reaching out to hold Qi-Ge's jaw in his hand. "I'm here this time. All you have to do is go stand in a room and let other people talk, not use that sword- my sword."
"I know. Nevertheless, it feels... like that time. Like the days before I took the Xuan Su sword, before everything went wrong."
A shiver of fear went through Shen Jiu's chest. "How so?"
"It's... hard to say... It's just a feeling..."
"Arrogance would be going back into those terrible caves, which is exactly what you're not doing," Shen Jiu pointed out. "Why shouldn't you want to keep the power you already have? All these people want to give it to you."
"What if everything goes well?" Yue Qi said, summoning a smile again, before he huffed. "It seems like such a dangerous thought for... someone like me."
"Like you?" Shen Jiu repeated.
"Someone from such a wretched, pitiful background. A gutter rat. Isn't that what you used to call it, Xiao-Jiu? Call us? People with miserable beginnings and miserable endings. I'm not really this... Yue Qingyuan person. No one here really knows me except for you."
Shen Jiu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Qi-Ge had made some self-pitying statements before, but this was too much. Yue Qi felt this way too? Even now?
"Why shouldn't it be us?" Shen Jiu demanded, speaking over the drumming of his heart. "Why shouldn't it be you? You're as good as anyone else here. You're better than they are, Qi-Ge, don't be stupid! You're good."
"Some would take this injury as a sign from fate that I'm not. First the Xuan Su sword... then the Cursed Black Light talisman..."
"Why do you care about anyone else's opinions? Mine is the only one that matters!"
Qi-Ge deserved everything.
"Sorry," Yue Qi said again, breathing deeply. "Sorry, I'm being ridiculous, just like you said. I am happy for you, Xiao-Jiu, and relieved. I trust in my fellow head disciples. I am more than ready to face my teacher and I believe that he shall be persuaded... And yet..."
Nothing was certain yet. Nothing would ever be truly certain for them. Everything that they gained could always be taken away somehow.
"Congratulations, Xiao-Jiu," Yue Qi repeated. He reached up to take Shen Jiu's hand off of his jaw and into his own again. "We should celebrate your achievements and pay no more attention to my dour thoughts."
"It's not really my achievement," Shen Jiu said mulishly. Before he could think better of it, he grabbed all the determination he possessed, and climbed into Yue Qi's lap.
"What-?"
Shen Jiu sat with a knee on either side of Yue Qi's legs, a new and uncomfortably heated position. Fire spread out from every point of contact, crawling across skin, biting every soft spot that it could find. Shen Jiu ignored this by using his other hand to hold Yue Qi's jaw again.
"Didn't you hear any of those people? They're doing us favors because of you, because of what you've done, because of how powerful you are now, even when you're blind."
Yue Qi was frozen beneath him, at first, but then the fingers holding Shen Jiu's hand relaxed. Qi-Ge's other hand landed carefully on Shen Jiu's hip, rubbing up and down before settling, holding him in this humiliatingly vulnerable position. Shen Jiu had once sworn vehemently that he would never spread his legs for another person, but... this wasn't so bad, being on top, holding Qi-Ge down, being able to feel the gentle working of the jaw.
"The whole world was against us, but Qi-Ge managed to survive, even when that useless sect leader stuck you in those caves to die. You stole their most powerful sword and lived. And now no one else can have it. It's ours."
Before Yue Qi could say something stupid again, Shen Jiu leaned forward, closing that last piece of distance, and kissed him hungrily. Yue Qi answered him eagerly, obediently. The hand on Shen Jiu's hip moved around to the small of his back. When he pulled back again, Qi-Ge tried to follow at first, but Shen Jiu held him still by the face.
"Xiao-Jiu..."
"You didn't come for me in time," Shen Jiu allowed, "so you took over a sect. You started with nothing and took over Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, Qi-Ge, so what if you're a little wounded?" He shifted his right hand so that his pointer finger brushed over the corner of Yue Qi's eye. "What wounded you would have killed all of these spoiled disciples."
Shen Jiu pulled Qi-Ge's face forward and kissed him again, releasing Yue Qi's other hand. While Qi-Ge's freed hand landed on Shen Jiu's side, Shen Jiu reached up with his left for the pretty crown that was becoming increasingly lopsided and annoying, slowly freeing Yue Qi's hair from the heavy ornament. He didn't throw it across the room, it was too valuable, maybe they would need to sell it in the very near future, but he did let the unwanted thing clatter against the nearby table's surface with less care than was probably wise.
How could one care about wisdom at a time like this? When Shen Jiu pulled away from their kissing again, they were both breathing heavily. Yue Qi's loose hair was framing his flushed face, messy from Shen Jiu's hand, and that was much better.
"I... I would have rather come for you," Yue Qi said breathlessly. "Rather than leave you to that house and that Wu-"
"Don't talk about him," Shen Jiu ordered. "It's done. There's no going back. I found you eventually, didn't I? Because you climbed to the top of the world to wait for me." The disgust in him stomach was strong enough that Shen Jiu turned his head away, so he wouldn't throw up on Yue Qi. "I should have killed him sooner. It's my fault that you're like this..."
"No, no, it's no one's fault but-"
Shen Jiu kissed Yue Qi again before he could be absolved of what was undeniably his fault. He should have stabbed Wu Yanzi in the back as soon as he'd arrived! He should have killed the man before the Immortal Alliance Conference and tried to enter the competition as a rogue cultivator, or arrived as a spectator, and he could have found Yue Qi waiting for him.
This kissing didn't last as long this time. Shen Jiu really did feel ill. The feeling summoned nasty thoughts, the thoughts inspired disgusting feelings, so neither were easily dismissed.
Shen Jiu took a deep breath, then declared, "If you want this sect, then I'm going to make sure that you get it. You'll be the emperor of your own mountain, Qi-Ge, with every luxury that you ever want, and everyone will look to you as their shixiong and have to do what you tell them, and I'll never leave you alone here again."
Yue Qi's breath hitched. Shen Jiu wished that he could see Qi-Ge's eyes again, he imagined them wide with surprise and dark with focus, but this was already so much.
"I'm going to take care of you," Shen Jiu said. "I said so, didn't I?"
"Yes. And I'll take care of you." Yue Qi's hands pulled Shen Jiu a little closer against him. "I... I want to make you so many promises, Xiao-Jiu, but the world might make me a liar again, no matter how hard I try. I'll make as many promises as you want, if you want to hear them... but I don't want to lie to you, Xiao-Jiu..."
Shen Jiu leaned forward, so that he was murmuring against the other's lips. "Then shut up and just don't let go, Qi-Ge." His left hand was free enough, so Shen Jiu put it to work undoing the front of Yue Qi's uniform, while he kissed all the promises from Qi-Ge's mouth, and then started to explore this newly bared neck. He felt better now. He wanted to think of only good things for a little while, if that was possible.
"Shen Jiu-!"
"Make me as many promises as you want when you're the sect leader," Shen Jiu said, pulling back again. "I've already waited so many years, after all. Waiting a little longer will be nothing."
"...You shouldn't have to."
How was he supposed to resist rolling his eyes here? "Oh, the world isn't fair, Shixiong? What a brilliant insight! Share more of this unique cultivator's wisdom with me, I beg of you!"
Yue Qi snorted in a very undignified way. He looked too flushed and breathless to keep tying himself up into even more useless knots. It was distracting enough that Shen Jiu was also having trouble stringing too many thoughts together. They just couldn't know for certain whether or not they had to run now or... wait a little while, and take as much from this soft life as they could get their hands on while they could.
"If the Lord of Qing Jing Peak throws me out because I'm not good enough for him after all, then I'll just claw my way into one of the other peaks, as we originally planned," Shen Jiu said confidently. Qi-Ge clearly needed to hear it.
"You'll do wonderfully," Yue Qi replied. "I know you will."
"Of course."
That made Yue Qi huff again. "Of course," he repeated, smiling.
"So, let's celebrate. If nothing else, I suppose I can be grateful that I don't have to go begging the other peaks for a place among them yet. If no one had accepted me as a disciple, then I was going to have to search for another way into the sect, such as marriage."
Predictably, Yue Qi paused, then tilted his head such that he would have been looking into Shen Jiu's eyes if only he could have. "Xiao-Jiu, you're teasing me," he decided finally, an accusation without any heat.
"That doesn't sound like me," Shen Jiu scoffed. "I'm insulted, Qi-Ge."
That made Yue Qi's smile look real again, instead of a pitiful offering that Shen Jiu had neither wanted nor needed. It grew even wider, even sweeter, after Shen Jiu had leaned in to kiss him again. It felt good. It felt too indulgent. It felt like stealing something.
It felt like Shen Jiu might get away with it.
Qiong Ding Hall looked even more splendid when it was full, with each of the peak lords present in their rainbow of finery. They were attended by their devoted head disciples, and often also by an additional senior disciple, a personal secretary, or another fellow cultivation master, all of whom were apparently dressed to impress. Disciple uniforms had never looked so neat. Light gleamed off of golden crowns and sword hilts. The shining floors reflected the folds upon folds of carefully woven silk patterns and beaded embroidery, great wealth worn with easy grace. It wasn't unexpected, Shen Jiu had seen all of it before, yet the combined display was still nearly overwhelming altogether.
It was like those parties at the Immortal Alliance Conference all over again. Twelve peaks were here: eleven powerful leaders united under the sigil of a single sect, as well as ten young successors itching to take their places. Here lay a complex web of strings to pluck that might either make a pretty song or ruthlessly choke the person who tried to cross it.
On the dais at the head of the hall, Yue Qi sat beside the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak, not closely, and Shen Jiu sat beside Qiong Ding Peak's head disciple as an attendant. There were some junior Qiong Ding Peak disciples behind them as both servants and decorations. Several of the sect leader's senior assistants were seated on the peak lord's other side, somehow already taking notes.
Looking out, Shen Jiu met Mu Qingfang's gaze. The Qian Cao Peak head disciple was seated farther down the hall than in previous meetings, beside the eighth peak lord, who was talking quietly to another senior master and a senior disciple. Shen Jiu and Mu Qingfang both looked away without a word.
Immediately to the right of the Qiong Ding Peak dais was the Lord of Qing Jing Peak, who was not accompanied by any disciples, only one of his senior assistants and a sour-faced fellow master. The second peak lord had his eyes closed and appeared to be meditating.
On the other side of the hall, Wei Qingwei was seemingly too busy to look at any of his allies, leaning over to flirt with one of the senior disciples of the fifth peak. The unserious fool was grinning shamelessly, exactly like someone who had forgotten all of his responsibilities. The Lord of Wan Jian Peak merely rolled his eyes at this appalling behavior.
The Lord of Xian Shu Peak appeared to be too busy talking animatedly with Teacher Lin of Bai Zhan Peak to notice this intrusion. However, Qi Qingqi looked deeply unamused with her shimei's poor taste and fluttering eyelashes.
By the few words that Shen Jiu caught, Wei Qingwei was talking about his strange pets again. "I'm worried that they just don't have sufficient maternal influence in their lives-" Ridiculous.
Beside Xian Shu Peak sat the seventh peak, of course, where Liu Qingge was already sitting in the place of the late Lord of Bai Zhan Peak. The young war god was looking at no one, staring off into the unseen horizon, his fingers tapping restlessly against his knee. His shidi, Ji Jue, eyed the head disciple as though he expected his shixiong to make a run for it at any moment.
Everything was more or less as expected. However, back on the other side of the hall, among the An Ding Peak party, Shen Jiu noticed Shang Houhua, now wearing the uniform of an inner disciple. This was an unexpected and impressive promotion. By the glares and stiffness of the other two inner disciples present, this newcomer wasn't being welcomed by his peers, and Shang Houhua cringed pathetically and uselessly away from them, all behind the back of an oblivious or uncaring Lord of An Ding Peak.
A bell chimed, cutting through the noise of the room, which died away quickly. Everyone turned their heads towards the top of the hall, towards the sect leader waiting on his throne.
"Welcome, Lords of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect," the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak said coolly, his voice carrying with the same sharpness as the chimes. "It has been some time since we last gathered, due to the requirements of the Immortal Alliance Conference, the results of which we must now discuss. These achievements must be acknowledged."
The sect leader repeated what had already been revealed at the conference itself. This way, the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak could take some credit for the victories of his lessers, having "led" them to this success, as well as appease their pride by recognizing their accomplishments yet again in front of all of their peers. It was dull, excruciatingly repetitive, but Shen Jiu had no choice but to suffer through it.
It was difficult to tell who was more insincere in one of the following interactions: the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak as he congratulated Qi Qingqi for ranking second in the hunt after Liu Qingge, or Qi Qingqi as she was forced to publicly thank the sect leader for his condescension.
And then... "Sect Leader, if I may speak?" Wei Qingwei stepped shamelessly in between one of the sect leader's sentences and the next. "I, on behalf of Wan Jian Peak, would like to offer our own praise for the many inspiring achievements of Qiong Ding Peak..."
He sounded sincere and expectant. Shen Jiu envied this unserious person's stupid bravery, his reckless certainty that he would be allowed to speak, his apparent surety that people would then listen to him when he did. The Lord of Wan Jian Peak did not look like someone who intended to punish his young successor for speaking out like this, not at all.
The Lord of Qiong Ding Peak regarded Wei Qingwei with neither enthusiasm nor a frown, but allowed it.
Beside Shen Jiu, Yue Qi's hand flexed slightly, but he otherwise remained serene. He had been correct when he had said that someone as proud as the sect leader would not deny Wei Qingwei time to speak if he began with the promise of flattery.
Someone else would have done it if Wei Qingwei hadn't stepped forward first, probably one of the other peak lords. It was part of the back and forth of politics.
"Thank you, Shibo, it is with your invaluable support that we could represent Cang Qiong so well!" Wei Qingwei was diligent; he commended the achievements of all of Qiong Ding Peak's disciples in the various competitions, before he said, "My admiration especially to the Xuan Su sword, Yue Qingyuan!"
A few heads and more eyes turned towards Yue Qi. The Lords of Xian Shu Peak and of Long Sheng Peak looked fond and approving. The Lords of Qian Cao Peak and Ku Xing Peak looked vaguely pitying.
"He led us all in the hunt, before he faced and defeated a scourge of the cultivation world, the wicked rogue cultivator, Wu Yanzi...! With the help of his old friend, the young cultivator Shen Jiu, of course. Shibo, your student shows us that it is a wise and honorable leader who sets aside mere games in order to fight for the good of all."
The sect leader inclined his head again, as though he deserved any of the credit for Yue Qi's stupid bravery.
"Despite his injuries, Yue-Shixiong continued to lead Cang Qiong Mountain Sect flawlessly through the remainder of the conference," Wei Qingwei continued, "and has resumed his duties here with further wisdom and righteousness as he recovers."
The Lord of Zui Xian Peak nodded agreeably. The Lord of An Ding Peak scowled at the notes before him.
"It is my honor and my pleasure to support him at the time. Shixiong, even if you forever carry the scars of this shocking encounter, I and Wan Jian Peak intend to loyally stand by you and, as before, look forward to your guidance as our future leader."
The Lord of Wan Jian Peak looked proud of his student. The Lord of Xi Jiao Peak looked pensive, perhaps disapproving, and Head Disciple Tang Qingling looked warily towards the head of the hall.
"Thank you, Shidi," Yue Qi said, his voice pitched to carry as much as Wei Qingwei's speech had been. "Cang Qiong's greatest strength is the unity of our twelve peaks."
"It is with Yue-Shixiong's strong leadership even now that all disciples have the opportunity and be inspired to reach for greater heights in their cultivation," Qi Qingqi declared, before anyone could dare to disagree with either of her senior martial brothers. "I, too, anticipate his ascension with great confidence."
If this speech had not been unsubtle enough, Qi Qingqi looked sharply towards Tang Qingling across the hall. The head disciple of the sixth peak sat up a little straighter and she took a deep breath.
"Yue-Shixiong has proven very capable and reliable despite his current setback," Tang Qingling agreed. "It has been most impressive."
This was not as supportive as it could have been, but the pattern was clear. If anyone hadn't yet caught on to the shifting tides, and one would have to be a great fool not to have realized what was happening by the end of Wei Qingwei's little speech in Shen Jiu's own opinion, then the following statement from the seventh peak eliminated all uncertainties.
"There's no better head disciple than him," Liu Qingge said loudly, "and I'll gladly fight in his place if he calls for it. I don't care if he stays blind."
The Bai Zhan Peak head disciple's scowl communicated clearly that he didn't understand why anyone else would care about such a thing. He looked around the room as though prepared to duel anyone who objected. One of the senior Ku Xing Peak disciples sitting beside the Bai Zhan Peak party even subtly scooted away, just in case, to the bewilderment and disapproval of the stiff Wang Qingjie beside him.
Shen Jiu hadn't been permitted to ask, but he felt certain now that Liu Qingge would fight the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak, if the sect leader demanded it. In fact, Shen Jiu was fairly certain that this pretty idiot would fight the sect leader for fun.
He obviously wasn't the only one to think this. The Lord of Qing Jing Peak raised his eyebrows, looking at the young warrior, before glancing towards the impassive sect leader for a reaction. So did the Lords of An Ding Peak and of Ku Xing Peak. One of the sect leader's assistants looked concerned, while another looked afraid, proving yet again that cultivators were not as good at controlling their faces as Shen Jiu had once imagined that they would be.
They weren't certain who would win in such a battle.
Alternatively, they were concerned about the damage to Qiong Ding Hall and the annoyance of replacing their young war god. Likely more the former than the latter. Liu Qingge was easily replaceable by someone weaker and more biddable. Qiong Ding Hall was historic.
Senior Disciple Ji Jue of Bai Zhan Peak looked like he was quietly suppressing a heart attack or some other qi deviation, but Teacher Lin looked smug. Shen Jiu had asked about the sect leader's fighting skills as well, and Yue Qi had said that his master was one of the better fighters among the peak lords, but far from the unambiguous best. The Lord of Qiong Ding Peak's sword was not as highly regarded as the Xuan Su sword. It wouldn't be a predictable match.
Shen Jiu knew how to kill men who were stronger and more skilled than himself. Wu Yanzi had been good for that much. It was dizzying to imagine seeing a man to death without having a single drop of the victim's blood on his own hands.
The Lord of Qiong Ding Peak sat as immovable as a statue.
Mu Qingfang's smoothly delivered medical expertise offered some much-needed peace and dignity to the situation. "Yue-Shixiong's recovery thus far has been extraordinary," he declared, as part of his own little speech. "Qian Cao Peak is pleased to support him now and in the future. I will endeavor to find more suitable treatments for Shixiong's current injuries, but I anticipate great things from his leadership nevertheless."
It was here, after thanking his shidi for all of his hard work at the conference and afterwards, that Yue Qi graciously revealed to the room that he did not intend to enter seclusion in the Ling Xi Caves again. "There is much work to be done at this time, and it is unproven that the spiritual caves will provide the required breakthrough and restoration. I trust in the skills and support of my martial siblings."
And even then, the sect leader's face didn't twitch. He didn't disagree.
Even when the Lord of Qian Cao Peak spoke up to agree with his successor's recommendations.
Everything after that was likely unnecessary. It helped to prove that all twelve peaks supported Yue Qi to varying degrees. After Huang Qingheng had spoken, his teacher, the Lord of Ling Mu Peak even lent his own voice by offering Yue Qi compliments on his responsibility and diplomacy, and the Lord of Wan Jian Peak said, "Hear! Hear!" But how could any of that compare to the Lord of Xi Jiao Peak repeatedly sneaking concerned looks towards Liu Qingge?
"I am gratified to see such support for Qiong Ding Peak in this trying time," the sect leader declared at the end. He turned to look at his successor and his voice was almost warm. "The Xuan Su sword, Yue Qingyuan, is indeed the pride of our peak and of our sect."
The sect leader was only a man. He could bleed. He could die. He could not so easily cast aside the opinions of the united head disciples, especially when the other peak lords looked mostly approving of this display of loyalty and cooperation.
Everything in this world was so fragile, so inconstant, so thinly constructed. It was all lies upon pain upon hunger upon bloody hands taking everything that they could get for themselves. Was there any such thing as being born noble? Unfilthy? Or was there only being born lucky? Contracts and deeds of ownership on scrolls and tablets only had value and held by consensus, even coins were just pieces of metal with less worth than a sack of rice at the wrong time.
A child could be made into a slave by the simple agreement of those surrounding him.
But a man could be made into a sect leader the same way, if he worked for it.
"Thank you, Shizun," Yue Qi said. "Your lessons have been invaluable."
The sect leader's eyes drifted across Shen Jiu as well, with that approving look again, which spread heat through the chest. Resentment, obviously. This person's consideration should have meant nothing to Shen Jiu. He wanted to burn the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak's eyes out and see how he managed.
And then the meeting moved onward, as planned, which was... underwhelming.
The peak lords discussed business that had been concluded or had arisen at the Immortal Alliance Conference, or in their absence or upon their return, little of which had any relevance to Shen Jiu if he recognized the matter at all. Ku Xing Peak reported on the mission it had undertaken alongside Wan Ting Wall Sect, under Yue Qi's direction. An Ding reported on its repair efforts. Zui Xian Peak had a meeting with Huan Hua Palace Sect, which wished to outsource the brewing of some potions that protected against the cold, and would require negotiators from Qiong Ding Peak and An Ding Peak. And so on.
A disproportionate amount of this prestigious meeting, in Shen Jiu's opinion, was taken up by Qing Jing Peak's ongoing efforts to purchase the personal library of some late nobleman, whose son did not appreciate the collection. The matter had first been brought up by the fellow master accompanying the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak. Almost immediately, the sect leader's assistants had started objecting to the costs involved. It sounded like an old argument. The only resolution reached was that An Ding Peak would eventually be sent to acquire however many texts were purchased, whenever that ended up being, before the sect leader forcibly moved the conversation on to other, equally mundane issues.
Shen Jiu sat through the remainder of the meeting in a daze of sorts. Had they done it? Had that worked? He had to wait through some of the peak lords offering each other empty flattery and backhanded compliments for events at the Immortal Alliance Conference, before the meeting of peak lords finally ended.
In the murmured conversation of the immediate aftermath, the sect leader turned to Yue Qi and said, "You have done very well to earn and to organize the outspoken loyalty of your subordinates, my successor, especially now."
He sounded almost proud. It was nearly insufferable.
"Thank you, Shizun. I am most fortunate in my martial siblings," Yue Qi replied.
"You may inform Qian Cao Peak that they need not come to Qiong Ding Hall to report on your health, as originally planned, and consult with them independently, as your schedule allows."
"Yes, Shizun."
"You may also keep your current assistant and select another. Assistant Ma will also be available to you as needed. Such structures within your office will only be more necessary should you decide to enter into seclusion for your cultivation in the future."
"Thank you, Shizun."
"Cultivator Shen, has that entrance test for you been organized yet?"
Shen Jiu focused his gaze on the floor, which was sufficiently reflective to watch the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak's face anyway. "I have recently been accepted as an inner disciple of Qing Jing Peak. Sect leader."
The sect leader turned his gaze towards the Lord of Qing Jing Peak, who was standing up to leave. He had not brought any disciples with him to this meeting, perhaps purposefully, and Shen Jiu appreciated in this moment the lack of rivals to be used as comparison. The second peak lord met the first's cool gaze evenly, without any fear, without any expression at all, before he inclined his head slightly. The sect leader nodded back coldly. Then they decidedly turned away from each other, all without a word.
"The second peak shall suit you well," the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak declared. "Cang Qiong Mountain Sect is in need of strong leadership of and of strong support from its lower peaks."
Shen Jiu bowed slightly in thanks. He didn't need the sect leader's approval, either as a player or as a useful piece. He didn't want it. The cold immortal probably thought that Qing Jing Peak would become an extension of Qiong Ding Peak if Shen Jiu ruled it someday.
"We will discuss the future further at a later date," the Lord of Qiong Ding Peak said to Yue Qi.
It didn't sound like a threat. That didn't mean that it wasn't, but it didn't sound like it.
"As Shizun wishes," Yue Qi agreed.
With that, the sect leader stood and swept away, with his attendants and assistants stumbling desperately after him. Shen Jiu recalled the untouchable, incomparable figure that had swept through that tent at the Immortal Alliance Conference. The Lord of Qiong Ding Peak had seemed so otherworldly then, when Shen Jiu had barely understood what Qiong Ding Peak was, his power then both unequal and without limit. He looked less formidable now, as restricted by the cutting strings through this hall as anyone else within it, walking away all alone.
Shen Jiu couldn't articulate what he had imagined in this conclusion. Rushed and bloody scenes. Chaos. Not people lingering about Qiong Ding Hall like pecking chickens. Some of the peak lords, their head disciples, and the other attendants left immediately. Liu Qingge came up to ask Yue Qi directly, "Are we done?" before finally fleeing. Others apparently had nothing better to do but stand around and chat pleasantly like gossips at a market.
"Ah, hello, good afternoon, Shixiong," said one of them. "Cultivator Shen! Or is it Shen-Shixiong now? If I, ha ha, if I overheard that last bit there correctly... Congratulations at least three times! Important things and... all that. It's Shang Houhua here again, by the way, from An Ding Peak?"
"I remember," Shen Jiu said.
"I've also been promoted to an inner disciple," young Shang Houhua added, plucking at his new uniform. "Just saying, ah, since you can't see that just by looking."
"Congratulations," Yue Qi said warmly. "Qingwei-Shidi mentioned to us that you had been a great help to him as he offered his assistance to Mo-Shishu for the repairs on An Ding Peak. I am glad to know that Mo-Shishu took his recommendation."
Shang Houhua nodded. "Yes, that's right. Ha ha, it's really remarkable just how much of politics is being in the right place at the right time, isn't it?"
"And then completing the task that is given to you," Yue Qi replied. "Shidi, I understand that you had more interesting thoughts regarding additional safety measures for future conferences? I would be interested in hearing your ideas sometime."
"Really? I mean, of course, Shixiong, of course. I mean, it's not really that hard to just think of better things, if you know what I mean. Ha ha. Ha."
Shen Jiu wondered if he ought to be concerned that they had set this person on the path to being a core disciple of An Ding Peak, perhaps even the head disciple, when Shang Houhua had almost certainly set fire to his own peak with startling speed and enthusiasm. The damage had been remarkably targeted and contained. Not to mention effective. Nevertheless...
Shen Jiu quickly decided that he didn't care. If nothing else, it was probably good to have some potential blackmail on such a usefully positioned person. Shang Houhua wouldn't be able to prove Shen Jiu's nod had happened or meant anything. He had nothing on them.
"It is implementing one's ideas that is the true difficulty," Yue Qi said sympathetically. "I would like the next Immortal Alliance Conference to have fewer difficulties."
"Aha, yes, I... I really hoped that this past conference would go well for you, Shixiong! For everyone, really... But especially for you! Even if it didn't follow anyone's, ah, original plan for the event? 'Going better than it could have gone' is a really loose command in hindsight... Ahem, I guess that I should be a little more careful about what I ask for, huh?"
This was utter nonsense and Shen Jiu gave this the look that it deserved. But Qi-Ge was too nice to needy people, as always.
"I don't mind the results," Yue Qi said pleasantly.
"Yes, I guess that you wouldn't..." Shang Houhua looked at Shen Jiu with a surprising lack of fear. "It all turned out in the end for everyone here, huh? Changing the, ah, script. More or less? Anyway, I'm rooting for you- for you two, Shxiong! I just wanted you to know that."
"Thank you," Yue Qi said. What else could one say? "Congratulations again on your promotion. I look forward to working with you, Shang-Shidi."
"Ha, is that an endorsement? Please don't... at least not yet, the time limit is still good. Anyway, see you around, Yue-Shixiong! Shen-Shixiong! Ah, I mean- well, never mind."
Shang Houhua turned and scuttled after the Lord of An Ding Peak, who was now leaving Qiong Ding Hall. One of the glaring rivals from An Ding Peak tried to step in Shang Houhua's way. It looked like they were even trying to trip the boy, trying to send him sprawling across the hard floors, but Shang Houhua just darted nimbly around this pettiness without even looking up from the notes that he was holding.
"...What an odd person," Shen Jiu muttered.
Truly, what else could anyone say in the face of all of that?
"He means well," Yue Qi answered, too generously. "Now, is Qingwei-Shidi still here? I think that I can hear him talking near Xian Shu Peak. I'd like to speak with him and thank him again."
"Fine. This way."
The move to Qing Jing Peak was unpleasant in many ways. Even as an inner disciple, Shen Jiu was initially expected to share a room with several other young men, and that was unbearable. They clearly disliked him. He still wouldn't have been able to sleep even if they'd pretended to be better than they were. Even being conscious in that room was a trial. It smelled.
Shen Jiu lasted only a few days before taking himself back to Qiong Ding Peak every night. It wasn't far. Once his new rivals discovered that he wasn't just sleeping outside in the dirt, they objected, but Shen Jiu was prepared with the dismissive excuse that it was better for the recovering head disciple to have an old friend at hand if needed. "Shizun surely won't care to be bothered with such things," he said, and was soon proven right. The careless Lord of Qing Jing Peak allowed Shen Jiu's self-assigned sleeping arrangements and ordered the complainants to follow Yue Qingyuan's directions in all future matters.
It didn't take long before one of these lofty Qing Jing Peak scholars lowered themselves to imply that Shen Jiu was sucking the head disciple's cock. Shen Jiu longed to inform Yang Peizhi that it was quite often the other way around, but he didn't consider such pleasures their business, and the privacy of Yue Qi's residence was more valuable than any shocked fish faces.
The work was exhausting. The Qiu family had not instilled in Shen Jiu a love of reading. And if the lesson itself wasn't difficult that day, then the people almost always would be. But Shen Jiu's life and meals didn't depend on a series of flawless successes every day anymore, so it could have been worse. Sometimes, the sight of a perfect brushstroke across a pure white page, or the sound of music against the rustling bamboo leaves, made everything seem worth it. He hated most of his fellow disciples, but not all of them: the shijie who taught his music classes seemed like a gentle person. Some of his shimeis were quite sweet. The shixiong who kept challenging him to weiqi games seemed to abhor conversation with anyone, not just Shen Jiu during their matches, apparently finding speech as a general concept nearly repulsive and offensive even in his vicinity, which was excellent when one wanted to avoid contact with the likes of Gao Jielun or Jiang Guiying.
Some days, Shen Jiu thought that he might die from sheer anger. His new rivals never wasted an opportunity to stab at him with whatever needles were in their reach, and it was too tempting sometimes to stab back and teach them what true injustice was. Their seething jealousy regarding his place as the future sect leader's favorite did soothe the rashes somewhat. He was going to take everything they wanted from them.
Shen Jiu's swordwork and spells may have been far less polished than he wanted, but he had greater experience out in the world than many disciples his age. He was confident that he could have killed most of them. Training with Yue Qi on Bai Zhan Peak was infuriating and humiliating, but it appeared that such practice would improve his cultivation quickly.
"Are you well?" Yue Qi said softly.
Shen Jiu shifted where he was leaning against the other. They were sitting on a bench in one of Qiong Ding Peak's gardens, close to the head disciple's residence. His eyes had been drifting shut, but he hadn't been sleeping. Shen Jiu would have been able to hide his tiredness from him if he hadn't yawned in the middle of his reply.
"I'm fi-ine."
"...We could go to bed now."
"I'm enjoying the sunset. I thought you said you were enjoying the sound of the leaves."
"I am, but I can enjoy them another day."
Yue Qi still couldn't see. Some days, Shen Jiu thought that Mu Qingfang was being overly cautious in regards to the Cursed Black Light talismans, but Qi-Ge was too important to suffer any mistakes. He wasn't truly happy about it. He lied a lot about it, but he wasn't. Nevertheless, every day, he seemed to get better at living with his blindness. With every difficulty, a new arrangement was made.
"I want to stay here," Shen Jiu said.
It was more accurate to say that he didn't want to get up yet; his legs had turned to stone after running up and down the stairs of Qing Jing Peak all day. The evening air was a little cool, but Yue Qi was warm. When they went to bed, Shen Jiu was probably going to fall asleep right away despite the early hour, which wasn't attractive at all, and he didn't want this day to be over yet.
"Then we'll stay here," Yue Qi agreed, leaning a little closer to him.
Shen Jiu told himself that he ought to know better than to dream about the future. As soon as an image was set in his mind, fate was sure to cast a spiteful stone at that fanciful reflection, and everything that Shen Jiu had rested his hopes upon would fall out from underneath him like water slipping through fingers. It had been his guiding wisdom: the unknowable heavens would never pass up a chance to laugh at him should he dare to rest easy.
And yet...
He could see it now: himself and Yue Qi, some years from now, sitting on this same bench.
Perhaps Shen Jiu would still be a disciple of Qing Jing Peak. Perhaps he would even be the head disciple by then: a future peak lord. Perhaps not. Perhaps he would merely be a hanger-on on Qiong Ding Peak again... or else a disciple of one of the other ten peaks.
Perhaps Yue Qi would be the sect leader by then. Perhaps Mu Qingfang would have found a way to restore Yue Qi's sight. Perhaps neither of those things would be true, because the luck of gutter rats like them had run out, and Yue Qi would merely be a lesser member of the first peak, demoted due to his injury despite everything.
But there would be a bench somewhere, underneath dappled sunlight, surrounded by plants that still smelled of rain. Shen Jiu felt frighteningly sure of it. It needn't even be on Qiong Ding Peak. Or anywhere within the sprawling Cang Qiong Mountain Sect.
Perhaps their humble bench would be in one of the hundred gardens that were said to be within the walls of Huan Hua Palace Sect, their positions a gift of pity from Palace Master Su Xiyan. If all of the great sects rejected them, then perhaps one of the minor sects would find a place for them, desperate for whatever shred of glory that the Xuan Su sword could grant them, for whatever techniques that Yue Qi and Shen Jiu would deign to share with them.
Or perhaps their seat would be somewhere far away from the cultivation world entirely: in some unknown corner where no one could ever find them. Perhaps Shen Jiu's bloody history with Wu Yanzi would have come to light, through ghosts hungry for vengeance on the single remaining target of their resentment. Perhaps Shen Jiu would have to face his past from before his apprenticeship and have no choice but the flee, dragging Yue Qi with them. Perhaps the transition between his imprisonment and his apprenticeship would come to call, covered in ash and blood.
Yue Qi had still not demanded that Shen Jiu speak of such things. He claimed that he never would, even though he couldn't hide how much he wanted to know. Sometimes, even though it was better for the past to stay dead, Shen Jiu wanted to tell him.
But regardless of their other circumstances, there would be a bench or something like it, Shen Jiu hoped, and Yue Qi would be sitting beside him on it. Whether Qi-Ge manages to pull Shen Jiu up beside him after all, or Shen Jiu has torn them both low again, Yue Qi would be there. Qi-Ge's hand would be resting in his hand, warm and solid and steady, just like it was in this moment now.
Shen Jiu rubbed his thumb across one of Yue Qi's fingers, feeling the dips in smoothness and roughness. Yue Qi responded by squeezing his hand gently, interfering reassurance that Shen Jiu hardly needed. However, as no one was here and watching them, for now, Shen Jiu tipped slowly sideways and rested his head on Qi-Ge's shoulder. Their sides were pressed shamelessly together. As they found a comfortable position, Shen Jiu could feel Yue Qi's smile in the jaw and cheek that were brushing against the top of his head.
"Shut up, Qi-Ge," Shen Jiu said.
His face was already burning. He could feel it all up and down his neck, in the swoop of his stomach, in the itch of his feet, in the pit of his heart. To make matters worse: Yue Qi just tipped his head so that it was resting more fully against Shen Jiu's own.
"I didn't say anything," Yue Qi murmured, still smiling.
"You're thinking too loudly."
"Ah, sorry."
Shen Jiu sighed again. "You don't sound sorry at all."
Yue Qi just hummed unhelpfully, lacing their fingers even more comfortably together.