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It Starts with a Flame

Chapter 8: Shen Yuan might be a little cute

Notes:

Hello again!

After such a long hiatus I forgot how much I loved writing!
I am writing and including some past scenes, as I'm hoping to build up more on the Shen twins' backstory overtime.

Thank you all for the lovely kudos and comments, they mean so much to me <3
Enjoy the chap :)

Chapter Text

[The Past]

The Shen brothers kept at a steady pace, travelling as far as their tiny legs could for several weeks. Having brought nothing with them, and no power to their names, the two resorted to drinking from streams and snatching whatever food they could from passing stalls, fleeing each town soon after.

Though Shen Yuan had barely just arrived in his new body, he seemed to recall more and more as time passed, and so was able to rely on ‘his’ days of swiping extra food for himself and his Jiu-ge and Qi-ge, coming in handy when trying to remain unseen. Not to mention, Shen Jiu seemed to be some kind of master at thievery, always obtaining enough food for the both of them after every little ‘mission.’ Being so small came in handy, allowing them to excel at sleight of hand, with their thieving skills only improving over time.

Forest after forest, town after town they travelled, weaving through the towering trees and bustling markets, being tripped up by roots and debris left in the streets. In this time, Shen Yuan had the chance to learn more of Shen Jiu for himself. He got to experience firsthand his brother’s cunning, resourcefulness and protectiveness of his younger twin.

It felt nice, having a brother again.

While Shen Jiu focused on keeping them moving, keeping them alive, Shen Yuan kept thinking. His knowledge of the wild and wonderful beasts and plants of Proud Immortal Demon Way would likely come in handy with their survival, but knowing the migration pattern of the Everglowing Jade Swallows and being able to survive their ruthless talons were two different beasts entirely (pun intended). He and Jiu-ge needed some proper way to protect themselves…

Wait. This was Proud Immortal Demon Way…they could learn how to fight. To defend themselves. Cultivation!

Of course, they could learn cultivation! Their chances of surviving to adulthood would increase tenfold if they could find a cultivation master to take them in! Not to mention, if they could somehow reach Cang Qiong Mountain, Shen Yuan may be able to find out more about when exactly they were in the timeline, and what he had to do to ‘change the plot’ or whatever that system tasked him with if he wanted to stay alive.

Surprisingly, his Jiu-ge was very enthusiastic with the idea, agreeing that the two should learn how to defend themselves. (Honestly Shen Yuan was expecting more protest from his grumpy twin. Through their travels, Shen Yuan had learnt more about Shen Jiu and had become comfortable enough to speak his mind a little more over time. And of course, he noticed that while his brother didn’t seem to mind his ramblings, Shen Jiu tended to pause and give quite a bit more thought before speaking.)

Not even half a plan scrapped together, the two went in search of a cultivation master, listening to musings and whispers of anyone and everyone they could in the gossiping markets on information that could lead them to one such master. Ideally, to Cang Qiong Mountain.

Shen Yuan could only pray they wouldn’t find too much trouble on their long journey.

 

//

 

[Present]

 

Shen Yuan was…easy to get along with. Surprisingly so, when considering Liu Qingge’s strained relationship with his older brother.

Though they hadn’t spent as much time together as Liu Qingge would have liked before Shen Yuan had to run off before his brother became suspicious, the time they had spent chatting had been pleasant. The awkwardness that was so common with anyone Liu Qingge usually conversed with (read – put up with), absent, as Shen Yuan kept their conversation flowing, his demeanour open and friendly, though not without a little teasing.

But unlike with his twin, Shen Yuan’s teasing always remained light, no hint of malice or mockery present. Not to mention, Shen Yuan never seemed put off by Liu Qingge’s short, simple responses, taking his answers in stride and even prompting more questions and answers to Liu Qingge.

The way he spoke was so animated and interesting, his eyes lighting up when talking about the beautifully dangerous monsters, their appetites and appearances. Caught up in his own world, Shen Yuan would gesture wildly, happily as he depicted the magnificent beasts he one day hoped to study up close.

Liu Qingge was able to learn much about Shen Yuan. His hobbies, his share for the Bai Zhan Peak Lord’s love of beasts (though in their own differing ways), and now that he could chat with Shen Yuan for more than two minutes, he could see just how different he and his previous image of ‘Shen Qingqiu’ truly was. Shen Yuan held a lot of affection for his disciples, the way he treated them entirely different from the harsh lessons Shen Jiu was known for giving.

But there were similarities.

More than his brother, Shen Yuan had a fondness for fans, speaking about the well-sized collection he had gathered (few stolen from his Jiu-ge) and the little meanings behind each one. The people who gave them, when he received them, the masters who crafted them. Each of his fans had value, from the most expensive commission (from his brother of course) to the cheapest, stall-bought – a thank you gift from a child after a successful mission.

For some reason, Liu Qingge now really wanted to see Shen Yuan use a fan he had gave him…

Perhaps he could pick one up on his next mission…to discover more about the Shen twins, of course. No other reason.

Even with having learnt more of Shen Yuan, he was still a complete mystery to Liu Qingge, along with almost everything surrounding he and his brother.

They were twin brothers, both acting as the Qing Jing Peak lord Shen Qingqiu. But why? Who else knew? How did this even happen?

It felt as though the more Liu Qingge discovered, the bigger the mystery became.

Shen Yuan was extremely intelligent it seemed, just as Shen Jiu was, and his knowledge of beasts seemed unmatched with even the Beastmaster of Ku Xing Peak. Unlike his uptight twin, Shen Yuan was kind, open and warm, teasing Liu Qingge with that cute upturn of his lips…

Ahem.

But how did Shen Yuan become so well versed in the monsters and plants scattered across the realm? How had the two operated as Shen Qingqiu with everyone unawares for so long? Who held the infamous Xiu Ya sword?

(Was Shen Yuan as proficient with a sword as Shen Jiu? Liu Qingge wanted to spar with him…)

It was these thoughts that plagued the usually straight-forward Bai Zhan Peak Lord. Sword formations and battles were typically the only things ever on Liu Qingge’s mind, and yet the continuous revelation of Shen Yuan continued to put him in a spin.

Hmm. It seemed time for another mission. That would help clear Liu Qingge’s mind.

…right after he returned Shen Yuan’s fan first.