Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The cold winds of Cang Qiong had never been a problem before.

A minor annoyance, sure. But the warm robes and a small trick with qi kept the frigid air from freezing his face.

That wasn’t the case now.

Trekking up the mountain during spring to a mortal was already a work out. But during winter? When the stairs froze with a layer of ice over them and the bitter cold snow blew into the person’s face? It was a fool's errand.

 And currently, Shen Qingqiu was very much that fool.

Step after step, he hoisted himself up disregarding the way his face and fingers became numb and red. Exhaustion nipped at his heels like a hound, and he found himself wishing he could stop for rest, but doing so would be undoubtedly a death sentence. 

Especially since it was the middle of winter and the snow had piled up everywhere creating a white wonderland full of slippery traps threatening to make him slip and fall down the steps again.

Shen Qingqiu absent mindedly rubbed his arm, which he had landed on before after he managed to stop rolling. And by some miracle he managed to keep himself from throwing up his dinner. 

It was all this stupid body’s fault! 

He glared down at the root of his current problems. His stupid weak 10 year old body.

It had all started with a mission. A regular one. 

In a village down the mountains just behind Wan Jian Peak 8 children had been reported missing. Shen Qingqiu had wasted no time in accepting it, eager to get away from the other Peak lords who were all buzzing like a bunch of wasps because of the sudden multitude of snow that decided to fall down just near the beginning of winter causing havoc.

Getting Yue Qingyuan to agree on letting him go on the mission had been, for once, child’s play. A simple reasoning that the village was just down one of their shidi’s peak’s had been enough to calm the man. And so without a hustle he had wasted no time in getting to the village.

Spared from the company of his martial siblings, most of the mission had gone smoothly. Questioning and reassuring worried parents was like a routine by now, but the information provided to him hadn’t been much help.

According to the villagers, most of the children had gone missing under adult supervision with two exceptions. A young boy not much older than his newest disciples had disappeared straight from his own home, leaving behind only an open window with no signs of struggle. The other exception had been an older girl, around the same age as Ming Fan, who had gone to the market but had never made it back home.

Upon questioning why the village had only informed the sect now, they had explained that the first disappearances had been few and far between. Nothing that would lead to suspecting foul play. Children went missing all the time, especially if they were reckless. Only after the fourth missing child had they realised that something was terribly wrong. Because after that the disappearances had started picking up.

So much so that the report had been wrong. It wasn’t 8 kids missing but 10. Apparently after sending their request for help the ninth child disappeared and a day after that followed the tenth. 

Looking around town for clues and questioning more people had led him nowhere. Shen Qingqiu’s first thought had been traffickers, it matched their agenda. Stealing away children to sell them off as slaves to some rich noble family. But during his search he had eventually come up with nothing. Nothing that pointed towards slavers at least. 

He had gone and taken a look around the nearby woods just in case there was a slaver camp nearby. But his findings had quickly proved his first theory wrong. 

A trail of red blood seeping into the snow had immediately alerted the peak lord. Could it belong to one of the children? His stomach churned uneasily at the thought. But blood could be from anything, an injured deer looking for shelter or a boar that might have been wounded. 

However a simple glaring fact had provided all the evidence he needed to know that the blood belonged to one of the missing children.

Not too far away from where he stood, the blood trail had ended with little droplets in the snow before turning into a crimson pool. A small hand sat in the middle, its owner nowhere to be found. The fingers had long turned blue from the cold and the gaping wound had clotted together in a dark brownish mass. Crouching down he had gently touched the disembodied limb, it was small. Too small to belong to somebody in their teenage years.

But there were no tracks, neither from children or whatever had done this. It was alarming to say the least. 

Which is why a demon had been his second thought. A beast was too foolish to lure away children, but a demon wasn’t. While Shen Qingqiu didn’t know of any demons who ate human children specifically, it seemed like the only sensible answer. Which led him to preparing a trap for a demon.

The painstaking process of setting up an array and putting talismans in every house had been eventually for nothing.

All of it had led to nothing but another child going missing. He had made haste to the parents of the newest victim, who had cried and shouted at him. It had taken a bit to coax what had happened out of them, which had matched the other victim’s disappearances. A small boy no older than 8 had gone outside to play in the fresh snow only for him to disappear when his mother had called him for lunch.

It was disorienting. Just knowing something had managed to take a child right under his parents noses during day time made him anxious. Going outside the sight of fresh snow filled with footprints greeted him.

The footprints in the snow were fresh, not yet covered up by the lazily falling flakes from the sky. Not too far from the house a snowman sat with a missing head. Or it would be more accurate to say an incomplete head, because there was a snowball not quite big enough to fit on top of the two large snowballs stacked on each other. So whatever had taken the child had interrupted it during his play, but there were no signs of… anything. No footsteps leading away, neither child nor demon.

Inspecting all around had been useless, there were no track, no nothing just an incomplete snowman so he had to take the parent’s words. A child had been here playing in the snow a few hours prior and something had stopped him from finishing his snowman. Whatever he was dealing with, couldn’t have lured the kid away, if that was the case there would be marks, but so would have been if something dragged him away.

It was strange. Very strange. The creature being able to fly made sense but then how had no one ever noticed it swooping down and caring off kids?

A small soft sound had drawn him out of his thinking. Right next to the snowman was something standing on top of the snow. It was the size of a maincoon with all the fluffyness of one. It certainly looked cat-like, with a big fluffy mane around its neck and soft cat-like paws. Its four friendly eyes looked up at him in curiosity, its horse-like ears twitching before it let out another meow. Shen Qingqiu could only stare at the cat thing dumbfounded. It was stranding on top of the snow, somehow not leaving behind a single mark.

The cat creature looked friendly, the only thing possibly making it seem slightly intimidating was the porcupine-like spikes on its back but he found it just made the creature all the more endearing.

Slowly reaching out a hand, he leaned down to pet it. It had purred under his palm like a small engine, giving his finger a few soft nuzzles. How strange. Just where did this thing come from? It didn’t look native to the forest, could it be a pet? It was friendly enough to be one.

Or it had been friendly. Because the next thing he had known was the cat turned aggressive despite how its pupils stayed dilated as it had left a nasty claw mark on his hand.

Which is how he found himself like this. In his small 10 year old body slowly freezing. Clearly there had been some sort of poison in its claws that had caused the shift in Shen Qingqiu’s body. 

Escaping the damn thing hadn’t been easy either.

It had been relentless in its chase before he had lost it. Though even now Shen Jiu suspected that the beast was still nearby, simply stalking him and waiting for the right moment to strike. He had lost his only defense back in their scoundrel, so Xiu Ya was somewhere down the mountain in the snow of some random couple’s yard.

Guilt clawed at him, he could have gone back to retrieve her. He could have. But he had chosen not to, not with the danger lurking in those woods, probably waiting to devour him like it had so many others. He hoped Xiu Ya would forgive him…

The snow bit into his skin, his oversized robes doing little to keep the cold away even with a few adjustions. Taking another step felt like a task, his body shook involuntarily and he could feel his teeth chattering despite how hard he was clenching his jaw.

He wasn’t sure where he was anymore. Everything was white from the snow and each step he took felt like a task of its own. Shen Qingqiu wasnt even sure he was going forward at all, his limbs felt too heavy and each movement he made felt uncoordinated.

He watched his feet, willing them to move. One leg in front of the other, going up step by step.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left

Rig-

Hitting the snow was painful with the ice underneath it, the cold bit into his skin making it feel terribly numb. Taking both of his thin arms he tried pushing himself up only to fall once again. he felt so tired…

Laying in the snow made him feel impossibly sleepy. The biting cold had at some point turned a burning warmth and he found himself unwilling to get up. Not with how it was becoming nice and warm.

Darkness was at the edges of his vision before everything blurred. He felt himself slipping, right into the darkness. 

It had barely registered as somebody picked him up.

Wei Qingwei had only been wandering down the stairs by chance. 

With the heavy snow, most classes couldn’t be held outside, heck! Even the forge was barely working no matter how much they tried to keep the fire going! And being stuck inside made everyone restless. 

So here he was, taking a nice calm stroll in the freezing cold outside.

Walking around was a bit difficult with how the snow was reaching up to his calves, but that hardly bothered him. Being bundled in a nice warm coat and using a bit of qi kept him warm enough. Never once had he expected stumbling into somebody, since most of the disciples were indoors bundled in blankets or playing card games.

So the small form slumped into the snow raised alarms. Breaking into a sprint to check on the unconscious child, he was surprised to find that it wasn’t one of his own being foolish. He only became more concerned when hoisting the kid up. The green hanfu they were bundled in was slowly slipping off them, and their face looked worryingly red. Besides that, the child was far too small to be a disciple, this kid looked 7 at most.

Giving a soft shake didn't wake the boy at all, didn't even give a single twitch. The peak lord shook him a bit harder with a small bit of panic. When no reaction came, Wei Qingwei knew that the cold had gotten to the poor thing.

Cardling the kid to his chest he began moving in a haste.

The child was cold, freezingly so… The poor thing had to have been stuck in the cold for hours now.  And the worst part was that he wasn’t even sure the kid was alive. His lips were a frosty blue and his skin was pale like a corpse. 

Wei Qingwei frowned, holding the small body a bit closer. The kid was far too young to have been someone's disciple. But if he wasn't one, then how had he managed to get through the wards?

Ignoring the mystery for now, the Wan Jian peak lord got on his sword. Making sure the kid was secure in his grasp he took off. Cold flakes of snow hit his face accompanied by the freezing wind.

Using a bit of qi, he managed to keep the cold out from the small shield he formed. Half way to the medical peak, the boy twitched, making Wei Qingwei’s breath hitch as he watched, never once stopping in his flying. The small cold form of the child cradled in his hands snuggled closer to his chest, searching for warmth. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart and his grip tightened.

After a few minutes he could see the gate to Qian Cao Peak, which was the exact moment the child decided to wake up. Unlike the calm and soft behaviour from before the boy suddenly started to thrash around like a wild beast. “Woah! It’s okay!-” He tried to soothe the kid doing his best to squirm out of his arms whilst making an emergency landing. “-It’s okay! I’m just trying to help!” Making a hasty grab for the child who managed to get out of his hold enough to almost plunge back into the cold snow, he was relieved when he managed to catch the tyke.

Thank the Heavens! The last thing the kid needed was another dip in the snow. “Let’s get you somewhere warm, okay?” Despite how he softened his voice, the boy remained scared. Green eyes glared up at him and Wei Qingwei almost stopped in surprise at the unusual eye color. The only other person he had ever seen with green eyes was Shen Qingqiu.

Cardling the kid closer, he was startled by the sudden renounced squirming. He thought he managed to calm the little guy down enough… “Hey now, I’m not going to hurt you!”  The child paid him no attention, opting to claw at his hands trying to pry his fingers off his small shaking form. Tightening his grip just enough so the kid wouldn't be able to wiggle out he fastened his pace. The gate wasn’t far away now-

Small teeth clamped down his hands with a scared growl, startling him badly enough to drop the boy. Who, taking this chance, tried his best at sprinting away despite the tall layers of snow slowing him down significantly. “Wait-!” He made a quick grab for the small kid that was dodged expertly. “Don’t run away! I just want to help!” The child didn’t slow down, if anything he just ran faster.

And so the chase began.

Despite the kid’s agility, his short stature in the snow gave him a clear disadvantage. Something Wei Qingwei had no problem with his long legs. In a few strides he managed to catch up to the boy, and like a viper he struck hoisting the kid up. With the child in his hands he quickly tightened his grip, making sure the fierce little thing couldn’t squirm out of his grasp.

Like a wild beast the kid struggled for a few minutes, until he realised that he wasn’t going to be able to get away. Letting out an angry cry the boy bit his hand again, and just like the first time it didn’t hurt. Wei Qingwei just hadn’t expected the sudden aggression the first time around, but now he just let out a tired sigh.

It was clear that the child was still exhausted by how his struggles had all become sluggish. And the way he shook in the Peak lord's grasp from either the cold or fear hadn’t escaped his notice. Those milk teeth dug into his arm but couldn't penetrate through the thick skin.

“Let’s get you warmed up, yeah?” Angry green eyes stared up at him, their owner letting out a small growl in defiance. Holding the boy close to his chest, he was slightly surprised to find the kid melting into his hold seeking warmth. Letting out a small chuckle, he walked through Qian Cao Peak’s gates all the while the pre-teen’s teeth were still locked onto his hand. “You’re just an angry little guy, aren’t you?”

The child didn’t answer, not daring to let go of the hand he was latched onto. Wary green eyes watched his every move, but Wei Qingwei had already reached his destination. Walking through the gates of the medical peak a few curious Qian Cao disciples approached him, all of them bundled up in warm furs against the frigid winter air.

“This disciple greets Wei-Shibo! Is there anything we can help with?” The approaching disciple was clearly staring at the small green bundle in his arm. Letting out a sigh of relief he handed the small bundle to the taller disciple. When the kid didn’t react Wei Qingwei’s heart skipped a beat. The child had gone limp, and that meant nothing good. “This master found him laying in the snow, but I’m not sure how long he had been there.” The senior disciple nodded and the two medical students rushed back inside. 

Letting out a relieved sigh, he watched them go. A part of him wanted to go after them to make sure the kid was alright, but the peak lord part of him knew the boy was in good hands. Taking a look around, he saw a few An  Ding disciples clearing the roads so the medics could easily transport their patients without the threat of slipping. Seeing how the snow was falling lazily from the sky, Wei Qingwei could only imagine how frustrating clearing those roads must be. All of their hard work so easily destroyed.

The Wan Jian Peak lord felt sympathetic towards them.

“Wei-Shibo, should we call for Shizun?” Slightly sagging at the concerned tone, the peak lord said an affirmative. A few of the disciples had watched their shibo stand there and stare, it had made quite a few of them worried especially when the peak lord had zoomed out. So the brave soul who had spoken with their Shibo had now been sent to get their Shizun.

Giving each other a few looks the disciples walked away not wanting to be caught up in the approaching chaos that was sure to come.

Thankfully after a few minutes Mu Qingfang had arrived followed by the disciple who had been sent to get him. “Wei-Shixiong” The medic greeted. “What brings you to my peak? Had Shixiong come to visit?” Wei Qingwei sighed before glancing around. “Could we talk inside?” The healer gave him a look but motioned for him to follow.

Their walk was short as his shidi let him into a small sideroom, a place good enough for private conversations. Opening a cabinet full of tea blocks and a few tea sets, the doctor set out on making tea. A comfortable silence filled the air as Mu Qingfang heated the teapot with a talisman. Putting in a block of tea leaves and watching them unravel, the medic decided to break the quiet.

“How can this Mu-shidi assist?” The Wan Jian Peak lord avoided the healer’s gaze, opting to stare at the tea table instead. “This one may or may not have found an abandoned child on the stairs leading to his peak.” At this his Shidi raised a curious eyebrow. “May? Had Shixiong actually found a child?” Finally deciding to look up, the two of them made eye contact. Mu Qingfang seeing the glint in his eyes immediately knew the answer and went to intervene. “Shixiong, you cannot keep every ‘abandoned’ child you come across!” At this the Wan Jian Peak lord gave a kicked puppy look.

“But Shidi! You should have seen him! He was so small!-” “How do you know he’s not just another lost child?” The medic cut off perfectly good reasoning. He gave his Shidi a look. “No good parents would let their child to climb up the mountain. Especially not in this weather.” Mu Qingfang sighed, already knowing it would be just another lost child Wei Qingwei was trying to take in as a disciple.

Just as that thought passed the healer’s head the Wan Jian peak lord argued. “Besides, I couldn’t attend this year’s disciple selection so it’s only right that I can get one outside of it!” Ah yes. The exact same thing that Mu Qingfang had to listen to for weeks from his sword loving Shixiong complaining about. 

The Wan Jian peak lord’s adoration for children didn’t surprise the medic at all, swords were, afterall, one of the topics that fascinated most children. Finding the metal weapons cool and interesting, it wasn’t hard to see why his sword loving maniac liked them. And as much as Mu Qingfang loved his Shixiong there was only so much rambling about swords and other types of weapons he could handle.

“We will see Shixiong… If the child has parents then we will need to contact them. They must be worried sick.” Wei Qingwei wilted at that slightly, not fond of the idea but protocol was protocol regardless of if he wanted to do it or not. And it would be ill advised to not even try to contact any of the boy’s family. “Besides, hadn't Shixiong said the child was small? Are they even at the age our youngest disciples are?”

Seeing the look on Wei-Shixiong's face told him everything he needed to know. Letting out a loud sigh the medic got up. “Let’s go see that mystery child of yours.” Suddenly the other peak lord got up so fast that Mu Qingfang barely had any time to blink. Shaking his head fondly he motioned for his shixiong to follow. Both peak lords left their respective teas untouched and slowly growing cold.

The halls of Qian Cao were long and branched into multiple paths, navigating them would be difficult for someone who wasn’t used to it. After a bit of walking they finally reached a small desk with a hallmaster sitting behind it, multiple piles of papers were thrown across the table all with numbers and names.

Giving it a curious look, Wei Qingwei stayed in place as Mu-shidi began talking with the hallmaster. “Hallmaster Chen, we are searching for a young child just recently brought in” the medic paused and as an after thought he added. “”Possibly brought in for hypothermia.” The hallmaster nodded and skimmed through the papers in front of him before looking up at the peak lord with an air of tiredness. “There has been only one patient brought in the last three hours thankfully, Peak Lord Mu will find him in room 39.” Nodding the healer thanked him.

“Let's go.” and with that Wei Qingwei followed next to him, never once leaving his side. Despite how quiet the hall was, it was bustling with life as disciples walked up and down, taking care of sick patients, most of whom, as far as Wei Qingwei could see, had gotten sick from the cold. “Do you get a lot of patients this past few weeks?” The medic let out a small huff. “Quite a lot, yes. Mostly disciples who had stayed out in the cold for too long and needed a bit of medicine to help with what illness they had caught, and a few who had injured themselves from walking on ice.” Taking a sharp right turn, the hall they walked in was less lively than the one before. They were passing doors with the number 60 and so on decreasing labeled on them, except for any number containing 4.

“And what about patients who suffer from hypothermia?” Giving a curious look towards his Shixiong Mu Qingfang explained. “Hypothermia patients are pretty straight forward, you just have to monitor them to make sure their bodies don’t warm up too fast or that they haven't suffered any frostbites.” Slowing down as they reached their destination the healer continued. 

“Warming them up isn’t all that difficult either, surrounding them with heated up stones wrapped in blankets or circulating a bit of yang energy can raise body temperature back to normal fairly easily. The important part is making sure not to do it too fast, especially if someone does it with qi.” Just as he finished the sentence, the healer pushed open the door.

Chaos.

Wei Qingwei was frozen, staring inside the room completely bewildered.  Confused, the medic glanced inside.

The sight that greeted Mu Qingfang was pure chaos. Two of his senior disciples were wrestling a…  was that a small child? One of his senior disciples jumped trying to tackle and restrain the cause of trouble, but said cause skillfully dodged the attack. His other disciple took the blanket off the bed in haste and threw it at the kid like it was some sort of webtrap. 

Their small patient stared wide eyed at the approaching piece of fabric. And just as it landed the boy managed to barely avoid it, with the blanket just brushing his shoulders.

Finally noticing the open door, the little troublemaker bolted, dodging Mu Qingfang's attempt at shepherding him back into the prison they called his patient room.

The kid now staring back at them as he ran failed to notice the fourth captor. With a loud yelp he crashed into Wei Qingwei, the peak lord now knocked out of his shocked state snatched him up, cradling him close to his chest.

Mu Qingfang watched in horror as the kid let out an angry yell and started kicking and scratching, doing his best to chew off the Wan Jian peak lord's arm.

If it hurt, then Wei Qingwei didn't show it, smiling like an idiot holding a crescent moon bear cub instead.

“Isn't he cute?”

A single look at his disciples told the healer all he needed to know. Neither of them looked amused, unsurprisingly since they were both covered in scratch and bite marks from the little demon in his shixiong’s grasp.

“Sure, Shixiong…”

With how feral the little guy looked, Mu Qingfang could only wonder why his shixiong didn't take him to Bai Zhan. Giving the feral little thing a look, he came towards him slowly, noting how the tiny beast had been wrestled into a Qian Cao patient's robes. The child stopped in his struggles upon noticing the medic coming ever so closer and bared his teeth in a grimace. No doubt a threat that he would bite should Mu Qingfang try to examine him.

“And what exactly had happened here?” He addressed his disciples, both of whom snapped up and began to explain. “This one brought the child into the room Shizun. And this one's senior had been the one to change the little he-” giving an awkward cough as his senior nudged him the disciple continued. “The little one out of the wet green robes he had arrived in.” giving a hurt sniff the other continued.

“But then the child woke up and startled. Attacking us and fighting back against treatment.” The kid in Wei Qingwei’s grasp glared at them, finally having calmed down enough to stop struggling. Mu Qingfang gave the boy a tired look, turning towards his hurt disciples he let out a sigh internally. “Did either of you manage to get a diagnosis?” The older one perked up, glaring a little at their patient he answered.

“This one didn't manage to get a full diagnosis, apologies to Shizun!” Waving a hand to calm his senior disciple the healer motioned for him to continue. “The child was admitted with the beginning signs of hypothermia. This one tried to use her qi to warm the patient up, but it wouldn't work.” Holding the kid closer Wei Qingwei felt uneasy at the look on Mu Qingfang's face

Not too long after his other disciple piped up. “This disciple had also noticed that the patient has deep laceration marks!” A sign of an animal or demon attack no doubt.

Startled, the Wan Jian peak lord watched the boy with worry trying to catch a glimpse of the mentioned injury. But the small form he held in his hands was doing its best to imitate the shape of a ball. 

He barely noticed as his shidi thanked and dismissed his disciples. Only after looking up at Mu Qingfang did he notice their absence. His shidi stood next to him, eyeing the child “Can you put him on the bed please? This Mu wants to examine him.” as he said this a wordless communication had passed between them as well. And as Wei Qingwei carefully put the kid onto the bed the medic had already closed the door.

With a new chance to escape Wei Qingwei thought the kid would make a run for it, but it seemed not. The poor thing was breathing shallowly while remaining curled up amongst the duvets. Putting a warm hand on his back made the small form freeze up, and only after a while did he finally relax again. 

The boy's skin was awfully cold, and if Wei Qingwei hadn't been the one who brought him here then he would have thought for sure that the kid had just been outside in the freezing temperatures.

He drew his hand back as Mu-shidi approached, throwing the medic a look of concern for the child. His shidi gave him a soft reassuring smile as he took the Wan Jian peak lord's place. Wei Qingwei watched as the medic’s gentle hands encircled the boy’s wrist, sending yang qi through them. It was silent as they waited, the kid didn’t move, only flinching slightly at the strange feeling of foreign qi entering his meridians. Mu Qingfang frowned, carefully putting down the child’s hand back onto the pillow.

“I can’t warm him up using qi, there is something blocking his meridians.” Wei Qingwei gave the kid a worried look. “What? How? He’s too young to have something like that happen!” The healer walked to get something from the cabinet on the other side of the room but explained nonetheless. “He had likely been attacked by some sort of animal with a poison capable of doing that. The scratch mark confirms it.” Mu Qingfang turned, heading back to the cot with a few needles and bandages on hand. “Once we can find out what attacked him, I can make an antidote. But until then we will need to use the regular way of warming him up.”

Sitting down on the cot to keep an eye on the child, Wei Qingwei asked. “which is?” “We usually warm hypothermia patients with yang energy but that can be dangerous for both parties if the healer is not careful enough. Since that isn’t a choice here we can try to use heated up stones wrapped in cloth. But another way is with a person sharing their body temperature.” The Wan Jian peak lord frowned. “What about a warm bath? Wouldn’t that be more effective?” “And a lot more dangerous too, warming up someone with hypothermia too quickly can cause them to go into shock.”

Staring into the hazy green eyes of the child, the medic stepped forward. “I need to close the wound on his arm, can shixiong hold him still? He’s not going to like this.” His shixiong went to do as told, but instead of simply holding the kid in his lap Wei Qingwei bundled him up in a blanket first. The child, now trapped in a blanket burrito, began to struggle with a sluggish panic. Which was when the Wan Jian peak lord picked the bundle up and held it still in his lap.

Raising an eye at the makeshift blanket prison, Qingfang decided not to question it since it was rather effective in keeping his patient from lashing out. Moving with caution he readied a needle and struck. The boy went limp instantly. Guilt gnawed at both of them for having to do this, but having the kid fight back whilst they were only trying to help would only cause bigger problems.

Carefully extracting the injured hand from the cover, Wei Qingwei kept the kid still in his cocoon. Keeping his face in a professionally calm expression, Mu Qingfang frowned inwardly at the scratch marks, almost slicing the child’s flesh into ribbons with how deep they were. 

Taking some antisepticant he began cleaning out the wound, taking note of the renewed bleeding and the dirt. Taking a deep breath, the healer took a needle and began the painstaking work of stitching together ribbons of flesh.

As Mu qingfang worked, he was relieved when there were no struggles that could potentially mess up his work. The kid was out like a light, just like the healer had intended. Harsh breaths of pain filled the silence of the room alongside the grotesque sound of skin being stitched together. Despite the kid’s sleeping state, Wei Qingwei didn’t let go, holding him through the procedure. But Mu Qingfang was thankful, if the boy woke from his sedation during this, at least his Shixiong would be there to restrain him.

One stitch after another, the bleeding wounds closed up under his care. Doing a final check on the stitches, just to make sure all of them were done correctly and wouldn’t tear from a bit of movement. Satisfied with what he found, the medic took out the bandages and wrapped up the arm. It was silent as he worked, only broken by the harsh breaths of the tired child in pain and the soft shuffling of cloth.

Finally finishing, he carefully lowered the kid’s hand back into the blanket burrito. Mu Qingfang let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. “You can let go of him now, Shixiong.” The Wan Jian peak lord frowned, hesitating. “Are you sure Shidi? He’s still so cold.”

At this the healer put the back of his hand on the boy’s cheek, frowning at the cold. The kid was still far too cold, but he seemed better than before with bundled up blankets. “I will go ask one of the disciples for something to warm him up.” He began walking towards the door, ready to leave the room. Mu Qingfang trusted his Shixiong to handle the child whilst he was away. “Shidi wait!” He paused and looked back curiously. “We can’t transfer the kid yang energy right? But wouldn't warming up the blankets with yang energy also work?”

The medic hummed, watching his Shixiong cradle the blanket burrito in his lap. “I suppose it could work.” nodding, Wei Qingwei looked down at the kid. “Warming up the blanket won't cause him to go into shock like a bath right?” Mu qingfang shook his head. “Not if you do it right.” 

Walking back to the cot, he stood just before the Wan Jian peak lord. “I’ll do it Mu-shidi.” His shixiong stated determinately. Raising an eyebrow, the healer asked in a slightly worried tone. “Are you sure Shixiong?” Wei Qingwei gave him a confident nod. “I got this.”

He glanced at the medic a bit unsurely. “I just need to warm up the blanket slowly, right?” Mu Qingfang made a small fond huff, despite the worry gnawing at him. “Yes, make sure to do it gradually.” Taking a deep breath, the Wan Jian peak lord muttered. “Here goes nothing.”

Using yang qi wasn't a hard process, but it was a tedious one. Slowly trickling small amounts into the blanket, did well to warm it up. But the more he gave the colder wei qingwei got, but regardless he continued

“Thank you Shixiong. That's enough.” Cutting off the transfer, the sword master did his best to balance and stabilize himself. Just as he stopped the transfer the medic motioned for him to give his hand, wanting to make sure that the other peak lord’s qi was in balance. Wei Qingwei let him with a fond smile, watching the healer’s slightly furrowed eyebrows ease as he found nothing out of place.

“Shixiong shouldn't make a routine of this. It could cause immbalance.” Wei Qingwei grinned at the healer. “I don't plan on it.” shaking his head in an affectionate manner Mu Qingfang finally went to check on the child. Previously, the kid had been aggressive, ready to bite off anyone's fingers who came too close for as long as he managed to stay awake despite his hypothermic state, now he was soft, no longer struggling like it was a life or death situation. He was particularly melting into the warm blankets Wei Qingwei had wrapped him up in to serve as a restraint.

It surprised the medic slightly, expecting the aggressive behaviour to have only calmed by the sedative. Gently putting his hand against the kid's cheek he was relieved to find it warmer. The shivering that had started up not too long ago was also a good sign. Seeing this the Wan Jian peak lord put the bundle down onto the bed, both of them watched as the boy curled up, snuggling into a nearby pillow.

“Let’s go outside, so we can talk without disturbing him.” At Mu Qingfang's soft murmur, the other peak lord nodded. Walking out of the room and giving the kid one more look, just to make sure everything was alright, Wei Qingwei stepped outside into the hall. Following his Shidi into a side room so they could talk in private, he sat down at the small tea table. The room was similar to the one before, clearly a sort of office.

He gave his Shidi a curious look with underlying concern.“So what did you find?” The healer had a strange expression on his face. It made something in Wei Qingwei's stomach churn uncomfortably. “The boy you brought in as I had said before has some sort of blockage in his meridians making the qi flow stagnant.” Taking a breath he continued. “But despite this, he has a surprisingly strong spiritual root.” 

Wei Qingwei brightened. That was a good sign, the boy could start cultivating early with a strong start. “While I'm sure Shixiong is pleased to hear that, it was the only good news I had.” His smile froze, turning into an anxious frown.

The healer gave him a comforting look. “He’s malnourished and I have no doubt that he is anemic along with a lot of other deficiencies.” The Wan Jian peak lord let out a sad sound, he had suspected as much. Just by looking at the child you could tell his health wasn't the best. “Of course, this Mu-shidi will give shixiong supplementary pills to combat these deficiencies and a diet plan to get the boy’s weight back in the healthy zone.”

“However, this one knows that Shixiong is eager to take his…” Mu Qingfang looked a bit stricken as he said this. “...disciple back to Wan Jian peak. This healer would like to give him a check up in a week’s time to see how his health fares.” Wei Qingwei nodded, giving a soft amused huff.

“Thanking Mu-Shidi.” He went to get up, but the doctor stopped him. “Are you sure you want this child as a disciple shixiong?” He gave the medic a confused look. “Why wouldn’t I?” Mu Qingfang looked unsure but voiced his opinion regardless. “Doesn’t…. Shixiong think that the boy would be better suited for Bai Zhan with how wild he is?”

At this his shixiong made a loud exclamation. “What! No! Shidi, have you seen how small he is?! Those Bai Zhan disciples would eat him alive!” Then in a quieter voice like a grumble. “Besides I found him first.” Putting his hands up in a calming motion, Mu Qingfang looked nervous. “I didn’t mean anything by it Shixiong. But before you plan too forward with what you're going to do, this one would like to remind you that we still need to look for the boy's parents.”

His shixiong gave him an incredulous look. “You’ve seen him, I highly doubt he has anyone taking care of him, let alone parents.” The healer sighed in defeat, it wasn't as if Wei Qingwei was wrong. “It doesn’t hurt to check, just in case.” It was protocol, which they needed to follow no matter how much Wei Qingwei didn't want to. 

With how many children came to Cang Qiong to escape a terrible home situation or slavers, it was a protocol that while had to be followed was only loosely done so. Just to check if they had a legitimate candidate on their hands.

Returning to the child’s bedside, Wei Qingwei had already made preparations to bring him back to Wan Jian peak. The kid was awake, no longer bundled up in blankets and his deathly pale skin had a healthy color to it. As the peak lord entered the room, two disciples trailed after him, looking just as unsure as the kid must've felt. The boy was looking up at them like a stray cat ready to bite at first chance, it made his heart ache. Wherever the child must've come from hadn't been a good place.

Seeing that the boy was sizing him up, Wei Qingwei tried to make himself look less threatening, although it didn't seem to work too well. After deciding on something the boy opened his mouth, but the peak lord caught him off, having no doubt that the child was full of questions. But that wasn't a problem! Wei Qingwei was more than happy to answer some questions and get the kid back to his peak.

“I know you must be confused, but this master will explain everything.” He had to hold back a sad sigh at the hostile look he got from the boy. “This one found you on the frozen steps leading to his peak. Seeing your state, this one brought you to Qian Cao, our sect’s medical peak.” The child was giving him a rather strange look, his tiny nose was all scrunched up in a type of confusion. Had the boy not known he was climbing up the stairs to the sect?

“And since the search for your parents had yielded us with nothing-” a fact that Wei Qingwei had been quite happy and sad about simultaneously. -”this master has decided to take you under his wing.” The look the kid was giving him was indiscernible, but that was to be expected the peak lord supposed. Waking up after almost dying from the cold and being told you were a disciple now must have been quite disorienting.

His head disciple, ever so filial, stepped forward with the smallest of Wan Jian disciple clothes available. “This one brought Shidi his disciple clothes.” His shoulders relaxed as the boy, albeit a bit confused, took the robes. “This one will be waiting outside for disciple…?” Still the child gave no answer, just staring at him, looking slightly dazed. Poor thing must be quite shy, but that’s okay!

There was a reason Wei Qingwei brought along his head disciple and one of his senior disciples. If everything went right the kid would relax around his peers and soon-to-be shixiongs. At least that was the plan.

As he made his way out the room, his two disciples began to talk to one another. Discussing their newest shidi. Which Wei Qingwei found himself fondly listening to as he leaned against the wall. After what he deemed a bit too long, the peak lord knocked against the door with a slightly worried tone. “Is everything alright in there?”

The door opened in answer. At it stood the boy, the robes slightly hanging off him as his boney wrists hang out from under the layers of clothes. Giving his best encouraging smile, he motioned for the boy to follow. And the kid did, staggering after him in such a slow manner that the peak lord was afraid he would get lost. 

His other disciples seeing this slowed down too, walking next to the youngest and trying to make small talk with him. A proud smile found its way to Wei Qingwei's face as he listened to the two teens try and coax the third to talk about literally anything. After a bit of walking they finally got out of the main building, right outside where it was still a freezing cold. The snow had piled up again, leaving the poor An Ding disciples to shovel it off the roads.

Patting the small qiankun pouch Mu-shidi had given him, the peak lord was making sure he had the supplements and teas the boy would need to take. Stepping forward he drew his sword, this time they would be flying back. Looking towards the kid, he found a small glare sent his way as his two older disciples tried to get the pre-teen to ease up. 

The way the child was looking at him, Wei Qingwei wondered if he was being blamed for the two other disciples' attempts at befriending the little guy. “We will be flying back to Wan Jian peak. Since disciple…-” right, the kid refused to give him a name. “-has no spiritual sword as of yet, he will have to ride with one of us.” Immediately at his proclamation, his senior disciple perked up. “this one would gladly give shidi a ride!”

His head disciple shook his head. Hesitantly, the kid crept closer, ignoring as his senior deflated when he instead chose his future shizun. Wei Qingwei however was overjoyed, untrustful as the little guy seemed to be, the fact he chose the peak lord to keep him safe during their journey back to the sword peak was a good sign!

Stepping onto his sword he guided the child to where to step and how to hold on, chuckling softly as he noticed his senior disciple pouting. It made something in his chest ease, the knowledge that his disciples would welcome and help their newest shidi instead of casting him out. Getting ready to take off, he checked in with his disciples, all of whom were on their own swords while the kid was on Huo Jing right behind him.

Before long they were in the skies, the cold wind whipping their faces as they flew between peaks. Balancing himself, Wei Qingwei made sure to go at a moderate place whilst keeping himself ready to catch the kid in case he fell. During the flight the boy glanced down, and in a boon of fright he dug his thin boney fingers into the peak lord’s robes, using them as little claws or hooks. He winced at the small pinpricks of pain from how hard the boy was digging his nails into his side.

Thankfully the flight wasn’t long, but it had been long enough to scare the kid out of his wits. Or so Wei Qingwei guessed, since those boney fingers were still digging into his side despite the fact that they had landed a minute or so ago. Giving a small sigh, he patted the boy’s head in reassurance.

At his touch the child froze and for a second he was afraid he may have done something wrong. But after a small nudge from his head disciple, the kid was back to normal, giving him a nasty glare. “Han Wenqing, can you help him get settled in?” Upon being addressed his head disciple turned towards him and nodded with a “Yes Shizun!” 

“Oh, and before this master forgets. Xiao Huo’s tea ceremony will be held tomorrow. But for now go and rest.” The senior disciple held back a cackle at the nickname he had given the kid. His head disciple also had a large grin on his face, already planning to tease his shidi-to-be once they were alone. The kid didn’t share their amusement though, his whole face was a bright tomato red either from anger or embarrassment but if Wei Qingwei had to guess he would have guessed the latter.

It only took a little time for them to get the boy to the dorms. Wei Qingwei watched them go with a soft smile, before going back towards his own house. The walk was relatively short, only lengthened by his disciples stopping to greet him. Making it home, he settled down and let out a long deep sigh. He needed some time to think.

The kid was cute if a bit feral, but he was sure once the boy calmed down that wild edge would be gone. Or not. But regardless of either case, the child was his disciple, officially too tomorrow once he completed the tea ceremony.

A part of him really wanted to show off the child he found to his martial siblings, but doing it before he became an official Wan Jian disciple might encourage some of the other peak lords to try and coax the kid to their peaks. It had happened before.

But even then it was all in good hearted competition. Sometimes when his martial siblings found a promising disciple the others would try to swoop in and steal the child away to their own peak. Usually it was Wei Qingwei and Yang Qingzheng competing in this manner, but Qi Qingqi wasn't exempt from it when it came to girls.

Liu Qingge only rarely joined in on their fierce little competition, not caring that much about getting new disciples. Although that was mostly due to his shidi going on far too many night hunts and the fact that rarely did any child fit into whatever would make a good protector slash hunter category Liu-Shidi made.

On another note, he really should tell the Bai Zhan peak lord to handle this one with care when he eventually showed the little spitfire he found. Least he handles the kid too roughly and scares him. Liu Qingge was always fast to understand this and rarely did he treat the young disciples roughly like he did with the older ones.

The only peak lord Wei Qingwei had to fear about snatching the kid currently was Mu Qingfang. But since the healer hadn't made any comments about wanting the kid nor did he see his Mu-shidi try to coax him to stay on Qian Cao. It was unlikely the healer wanted a new disciple.

It had been quite a while since two peak lords wanted the same disciple. The last time it had happened was when Liu-shidi had pointed out a promising disciple and Shen Qingqiu had snatched it unfairly. As far as Wei Qingwei was aware, the Qing Jing peak lord had used their sect leaders favoritism to get the disciple not even giving Liu-shidi a chance. It was the closest thing to what was considered cheating or having an unfair advantage.

And with Yue Qingyuan's favoritism towards their tactician, it was definitely for the better that Shen Qingqiu never joined in on their games.

The cold had seeped inside right down to his bones.

Shen Qingqiu’s limbs had gone numb and his face ached. His lungs contracted painfully with every frosty breath. Yet the darkness of unconsciousness had a strong grip on him, making it nigh impossible to move his eyelids. It weighed down his limbs, which had become impossible to control.

Drifting between consciousness and the darkness gripping him seemed to go on forever. There was no concept of time there, any thought he tried to formulate floated away like a cloud, leaving his mind blank. The soft lull of movement was the only thing he could dig his claws into so he wouldn't be fully swallowed by the blackness.

It took awhile for him to will his eyes open with a head full of cotton. A sharp pain from the bright white snow made him wish he had never opened his eyes to begin with. It was still dreadfully cold and tiredness weighed him down trying to coax him back to unconsciousness. Only after all of that did he register the large arms holding him against a broad chest. 

The realisation made his heart skip a beat. He froze tensing up in the hold of whomever had found him. Breathing felt difficult, like there was something heavy in his lungs making it hard to inhale and exhale.

There was someone, a man taking him somewhere. Adrenaline shot through his veins waking him up even more. In a half panicked state he began to struggle, kicking and squirming, doing his best to be free of the stranger’s grip. The muffled words barely reached his ears, the syllables of words turned into meaningless mutterings. Landing a good kick to the chest only caused his kidnapper to let out a pained grunt.

More muffled words, these ones louder than before. Angry, the man must be angry. Nothing good ever came from that, Shen Jiu knew that personally well. A large hand gripped his shoulder trying to adjust him into that caging cradle again. Seeing the opportunity, like the street rat Shen Qingqiu had been, he bit down as hard as he could.

The hands loosened around him, and with a good delivered kick he managed to free himself. Landing felt painful, as the coldness of snow burned at his skin. But that didn't stop him in his attempt to escape. Running away was difficult with how deep the snow was, and his body felt  wrong. Disproportionate, making him tumble slightly as he tried to navigate through the white reaching up above his knees. 

Freedom felt close. Like he only needed to go a little more to lose the man chasing him, not that Shen Jiu knew if the man had followed or not. Having not dared to look back. A large mistake. But it was already too late as he felt two large far too warm palms wrapped around him, yanking him up like some misbehaving cat.

The burst of panic almost made him blind. Shen Jiu let out a scream, kicking and clawing as those hands formed a sturdy cage around him, trapping him once again. No amount of squirming could get him dislodged as those terrifyingly gentle hands only held him firmer. There was no where to run, no where to go.

He was trapped.

The realization made his eyes burn and his heart clench painfully with desperation. He didn’t want this! He wasn't going to be a slave again! He had worked so hard to finally leave behind his past, only for some opportunist to snatch him away in a moment of weakness. Letting out a wail he bit down the hand holding him.

He wasn't going to go down without a fight! The slaver was saying something, likely cursing him out. Shen Qingqiu half expected a slap or something of similar nature, but no violence ever came. Only weirdly soft sounds. Glaring up at the terracotta colored blur, Shen Jiu bared his teeth. It was hard to see, and the light made his head pound.

Then he was being moved, the hands adjusted him to be closer to his captor’s chest and Shen Jiu found himself melting involuntarily against the bit of warmth it provided. Still, he didn't dare let go of the hand. His teeth stayed clamped down firmly. It was the only small leverage he had, and Shen Jiu wished he would draw blood with how hard his jaw hurt from biting down.

He was being taken somewhere. The rhythmic sway of walking and the soft sound of a heartbeat made him tired, it was hard to keep awake and on guard. But Shen Jiu managed it with the terror running through him, for a while at least. Eventually, leeching off the warmth from the man as the cold nipped at his skin pulled him further into darkness. Soon after that, the soft rhythm of a heartbeat lulled him back to unconsciousness regardless of how he fought it.

When he woke up again, he was still cold, but now his head was pounding and there was a sharp pain in his hand. The wound on his arm was leaving behind rivets of red, a telltale sign that it had reopened, Shen Qingqiu noted with distaste. Someone was speaking to him, and he looked towards the source with a sneer. White and beige blurs surrounded him, trapping him. Immediately he backed up as panic tried to wretch control from him. Searching for an escape route, he bared his teeth in some childish hope that it would keep the monsters at bay.

But there was no where to go. His back had hit a wall, and now blurs that could only be hands extended towards him. Terror shot through him like a bullet, they were going to try and hold him down!

Shen Jiu wasn't going to let them.

As soon as one of the hands came into biting range, he lunged. A pained scream rang out making the pounding in his head worse. More hands tried to touch him, but he kicked and punched around keeping away those trying to hold him down.

He let go eventually, letting the bitten one retreat. Their indescribable talking was getting painfully louder, and he could feel the hands on his, digging into his flesh trying to pull it off. The slavers tried to hold him down again, talking to one another in an annoyed tone.

They must be frustrated that their product wasn't as obedient as they wished, but Shen Qingqiu would sooner rip out his own heart than lay down and submit. Hands came his way and he dodged, delivering a painful kick to the crotch. His heart almost hurt with how fast it was racing.

There were no windows in this room as far as he could see, leaving the guarded door as his only escape. One of his captors leaped at him and he skillfully dodged it with his heart in his throat. But just as he managed to dodge that one, another threw something at him, large and white. And he froze for a second, like deer in headlights, because what was that?

The feeling of a hand trying to grasp his arm snapped him out of it, and just as the- blanket? landed, he managed to avoid it almost in its entirety. Only realising then, that nobody was standing in between him and the door. With a renounced fervour he bolted, listening to the slavers cries as he reached freedom.

Relief welled up in him as he dashed out dodging a clumsy attempt at grabbing him. He was almost free! Now he just needed to-

Thud.

He hit something hard, and before he could fully recompose strong hands wrapped around him lifting him up. His relief was gone in a flash replaced by horror. The need to cry clawed at him but Shen Jiu held back. Crying wouldn't solve anything.

Like a rabbit trapped in a wolf’s maw he began to kick and struggle, tears springing to his eyes as the owner of the hands remained unfazed. He let out a scream, biting down hard on the arm holding him, wanting to wail when it only caused the man to hold him closer. He was being held so gently he wanted to cry.

The soft rumble from behind spooked him a bit, but not enough to let go. His captors were talking, and a soft nudge of yang qi was sent into his meridians. It was uncomfortable with how it pooled around the blockage, making it feel like his meridians were boiling. And it left Shen Qingqiu more confused than anything else.

Just where was he?!

Did he somehow actually manage to make it back to the sect? Or did one of the slavers cultivate? No. Those dog-faced bastards were too lazy to do something like that. But the possibility of it happening made him want to wrench.

He had eventually let go of the hands, staring at it in despair when his teeth only left slight dents. The soft rumble of speech continued from behind him, and the ones who had tried to hold him down and had redressed him where whining about something.

They were cursing him out weren't they? He glared at them in response, resting his heavy head on the arm of his captor. It was then when the true extent of the coldness in his bones registered. It was freezing him from the inside, and made his limbs ache in protest of movement. But the hand was so warm, No. Cuddling up to whomever had him was undignified and dangerous.

Even if the hands held him so gently.

In search of warmth whilst still trying to keep his dignity, Shen Jiu curled up into a ball.

Then the hold on him shifted as the one carrying him was searching for something. It made Shen Jiu uneasy. Just what was so interesting. Fatigue pulled at him trying to once again lull him to sleep. But he fought back, refusing to close his eyes lest he surrender in this (most likely) dangerous situation.

Shen Qingqiu wasn't sure if they found what they were searching for, because the next thing he knew he was put back on the bed with a large hand on his back. He could almost feel the fingers curling into his side, those sharp nails digging into his thin skin. There were only two blurs now, the terracotta one and the beige one.From the rumble in the background he could tell they were talking, but not understand.

It frustrated him, to not know what they were saying and planning to do with him. But there was an air of familiarity about them, and Shen Jiu wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Long sleek fingers wrapped around his wrist, Shen Jiu could only lay there and bear the pain shooting up from his injury. There was a nudge at his meridians before a painful hot flooded them. He let out a small hiss, flinching back from the source of pain.

It hurt.

His meridians were boiling from the touch. But as soon as it started it was over, his hand was gently placed back down. Being handled with a lot more care than Shen Qingqiu expected.

Finally, the heavy hand lifted up from his back and for a second be believed he would finally be let go.

Wrong.

Whoever was handling him turned him in a dizzying roll and before Shen Jiu could truly understand what had happened he was already trapped. A soft blanket surrounded his body with only his head free, creating a soft yet effective prison. There was little room to wiggle within the confines of the duvet, any sort of attack against it was ineffective.

The one who had put him in this prediction had apparently decided this wasn't humiliating enough and decided to lift him into his lap.

If Shen Jiu’s face hadn't already been red from the cold, it would surely be red now from the anger and embarrassment.

Anger for someone daring to humiliate him like this. Emberassement for he could not fight back, nor had he really tried anymore. He was just too tired to do so.

Tiredness and cold weighed heavy in his bones and not for the first time today did Shen Qingqiu wish he could go to sleep. Obviously his situation prevented that, much to his dismay.

It was all that stupid ass cat's fault!

The beige blur moved closer and something small glinted in their hands, Shen Jiu stared at it with a hint of confusion. That stupid cold was really fogging up his mind! And before he had the chance to even flinch away much less escape a small sharp pinprick pain hit his neck. Oh… it was a needle. Cursing out the person who had struck him with the needle was the only thing he could do as the sedatives dragged him down into unconsciousness.

Waking up was a slow process despite how he could still feel himself tense. His limbs felt heavy from whatever his attacker had given him, his tongue felt like lead but the bitter cold in his bones was finally gone. So the only thing left to do was to will himself awake finally and find a way out of this place.

It took what felt like forever till he managed to get his eyelids to open and climb out of the cot they had put him in. Opening his eyes had been a stubborn task with how they felt glued together. His attempts at escape were only made harder by the blanket bundle they had imprisoned him in. Climbing out of it had been quite the hassle. Shen jiu stared at it in distaste.

The first thing he was going to do once he got out of here was burn that stupid blanket. After promising himself that, he finally took a look around the room he was taken to prison in. It had sleek wooden walls, a window that was locked but looked like it could be opened with a key and a desk near the snow white cot they had put him on. Turning to look at the desk, he noted with slight curiosity the emergency talisman sitting on it innocently. Wait-

Was he on Qian Cao?

Had someone actually found him? It was both relieving and embarrassing. The great Xiu Ya sword falling prey to a basic wicked trick of a demonic beast. Heavy and steady footsteps approached the door leading to the room. Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath already preparing to send Yue Qingyuan away-

A large form stood at the door, almost as tall as the sect leader if only slightly shorter. The person who was decidedly not Yue Qingyuan stood at the door staring at him. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but stare back, because just what was Wei Qingwei doing here?

He expected the sect leader or the medic not- not Wei Qingwei.

Narrowing his eyes, he stared down his Shidi like it would reveal his martial brother’s motives. A few Wan Jian disciples stood behind him, presumably for the same mysterious reason their Shizun had come to visit him. Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth to ask a question only to be quickly cut off by the sword master. “I know you must be confused, but this master will explain everything.” He gave a rough glare at Wei Qingwei. Damn right he should explain! Not to mention how rude it is to cut off someone when they try to speak!

“This one found you on the frozen steps leading to his peak. Seeing your state, this one brought you to Qian Cao, our sect’s medical peak.” He hadn’t noticed it before but Wei Qingwei was speaking to him strangely, his voice was softer than normal. Was his Shidi mocking him? Shen Qingqiu wondered. Or did the others truly believe him to be so incompetent as to not know the names of the other peaks?

Either way it was insulting, not to mention the weird tone Wei Qingwei had decided to use to humiliate him with. Like he was the fragile child like the body he was stuck in. And what was up with that weird smile of his? Not only was his martial brother’s presence strange, but he was acting like a possessed man too! The others really should go get Hong Jing to test the poor fool for possession.

“And since the search for your parents had yielded us with nothing-” Those words made him freeze in his tracks as he stared up right into his smiling martial brother’s eyes. “-this master has decided to take you under his wing.”

Huh?

Huh?!

Did- did Wei Qingwei not recognise him?! Did Mu Qingfang not-! What was this madness that has befallen his shidis?! And what was this about taking him as a disciple? No. There was no way in hell he was going to do that! His Shixiong had to be out of his mind! Taking a random pitifully looking child as a disciple without any proper background checks, and he knows they hadn’t done any background checks aside from parents because he’s the one they are supposed to go to to do that! What if he weren’t the brat they found, what then?! 

They would have a bunch of little Hua Huan spies running around leaking the sect’s secrets that's what!

Not to mention there was no way he was going to object himself to the humiliation of revealing his identity now! Not since it could be avoided. Since apparently even Mu Qingfang, one of the, if not the best medics in the cultivation world had failed to recognise him! Besides, it's not like Shen Qingqiu hadn’t dealt with poisons on his own before, or any other type of wounds. He had a whole library to utilize, filled with all the knowledge he would need to solve his ‘little’ problem.

“-Shidi his disciple clothes.” He snapped back to reality. The boy, who must be the head disciple, had approached him, lending him some of those clay red robes. Seeing this, Wei Qingwei turned to speak to him, as if taking a half-dead child as a disciple he just found this morning was normal. “This one will be waiting outside for disciple…?” Oh hell no. There was no way he was going to give them a name!

In fact! He was not even going to mutter a world! They will just have to deal with it regardless if it causes them suffering or not. 

The intruders quickly left the room, leaving him behind with the Wan Jian disciple's clothes. The thought of wearing them left a heavy nauseous feeling in his stomach. But putting them on would be beneficial, as no one would clock him as a Qian Cao escapee. He would be just another normal disciple visiting the medical peak. No one would bat an eye!

With that thought process he began to take off those patient robes he had been dressed in, ignoring the lingering paranoia that someone had undressed him while unconscious. That someone could have seen the scars and he wouldn't know.

Pulling on the robes in haste, his next task was to look for an escape route. Taking a glance around the room this time, without being blinded by panic he could actually see a small window just to the side of the bed. It was small enough that if someone tried to run in a panic they wouldn't be able to get through, but he had time this time around, as limited it was.

It would be a tight squeeze, he could see it. And if he wasn't fast enough in opening and squishing himself through it without getting stuck then someone could simply come in and pull him back out with ease.

He took a deep breath and opened the window, readying himself for the tight squeeze. Taking his shaky hands he pressed them against the windowsill and hoisted himself up-

“Is everything alright in there?”

Shit!

This was bad!

In a panic he propelled himself away from the window and ran towards the door opening it. The tall form of a peak lord met him. Wei Qingwei was staring at him, a strange, almost worried look on his face. Shen Jiu wanted to scoff at that, but he held back. He doesn't know how easily his Shidi’s pride bruises and he would rather not test those limits whilst the other believed he was some urchin he could snatch off the streets.

His martial brother’s expression changed, turning into a weirdly comforting smile as he motioned for Shen Qingqiu to follow. Which he did, slowly. Thoughts ran through his head like a lightning bolt searching for a chance to slip away undetected.

But of course. His martial brother did well to prevent such a possibility. Two disciples, both older than the body he was inhabiting and taller, slowed to a walk next to him. Both boys gave him soft smiles, and the shorter one spoke up. “My name is Han Wenqing and I’m the head disciple of Wan Jian and this is Zhao Ruifeng, he’s my senior” he pointed towards the other who if Shen Qingqiu had to guess was his senior. Said senior waved at him with a soft smile.

Then the dreaded question came. “What’s your name?” Shen Jiu had no qualms about entertaining either teens, if anything he wished to be left alone. But of course his silence did little to disencourage them with their advances. “Whats your favorite color?” great, now the child was smiling brightly at him like a little sun. And what was with the ridiculous questions?

Seeing his prolonged silence, the head disciples' smile faltered. Shen Jiu didn't miss the glance he threw Zhao Ruifeng. The senior, after some sort of silent communication between the two, turned towards him with a tired look. “Do you wanna play a game?” he held up a bag of milk candy from his sleeves with a mischievous grin. “We each ask one another questions after one another. And if one of us answers, that person gets a milk candy.” 

Shen Qingqiu clutches his hand together looking away from Zhao Ruifeng. Just what sort of interrogation method was this!? Wei-shidi, what are you teaching your disciples?! The bag of candy made his mouth water, it was pathetic but he had more self control than to be so easily swayed like a child. Taking his silence as an answer the two disciples started the game with the senior asking the head disciple simple questions, childish questions and the head disciple asking the same idiocy back. Each of them got a milk candy at every turn and each turn ended with one of them either encouraging him to ask a question or to answer one.

Shen Jiu pulled away from them trying to disappear to the ground.

Which was the exact moment his Shidi had decided to speak up. “We will be flying back to Wan Jian peak. Since disciple-…” the peak lord gave a pause having no name to call Shen Jiu since he was too stupid to figure out it was his shixiong standing in front of him. “- has no spiritual sword as of yet, he will have to ride with one of us.” the mention of having no spiritual sword made his heart clench. Xiu Ya, he had left Xiu Ya down the mountain in that village. He dearly hoped that no foolish mortal had tried taking her, but he could still feel the bond with her and that was enough to soothe some of his worries

He would need to get her back as soon as he was back to normal.

But currently he is facing quite a problem. The idea of having to trust another not to plummet to his death made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. “This one would gladly give shidi a ride.” Zhao Ruifeng supplied helpfully.

No. No way.

He wasn't going to let some child handle him! What if the clumsy brat caused him to fall!? Shen Qingqiu ignored the kicked puppy look the senior was giving him when he decided to go towards Wei Qingwei instead.

A part of him hoped that his martial brother would protect him from the fall even if he knew Shen Qingqiu's real identity, because they were martial family. 

He desperately hoped he hadn't made a mistake.

A few minutes later, he was cursing out his past self. Apparently his dear martial brother had no concept as of how to safely transport a child on sword. And as the stinging wind hit his face, the Qing Jing peak lord was forced to grip onto his shidi’s robes like some scared child. He could feel it, how easily with a single mistake he would fall. A single glance downwards had told him about the fate that would await him if his shidi decided to let him go.

A small part of him was scared that if Wei Qingwei realised he wasn't the innocent child he thought he was, then he would éet Shen Jiu fall to his death to rid the sect of its scum peak lord.

The flight was hell that lasted far too long.

As Wan Jian peak came into sight, its peak lord had landed. And as soon as he could, Shen Jiu jumped off Huo Jing into the snow. Pretending his body was shaking from the cold and not terror was harder than it should have been. Wei Qingwei called out to his head disciple about getting him settled in but he ignored it. He wouldn't be staying long anyway, once he got off Wan Jian he was going to go and make himself a cure.

And if his Shidi was left searching for some street rat he picked up, well, Shen Qingqiu wouldn't know a thing about it.

“Oh, and before this master forgets. Xiao Huo’s tea ceremony will be held tomorrow. But for now go and rest.”

He turned towards Wei Qingwei fast enough to get a whiplash. Dammit! He should've been listening in, not plotting when they were speaking!

Heat rose to his cheeks that he hoped couldn't be seen from the cold at the nickname. Really Wei-shidi? Naming one of your disciple Little Flame? 

Even Han Wenqing was cackling from the absurdity of it!

But the humiliating nickname wasn't the worst part! No. It was the fact his martial brother was keen on that stupid tea ceremony!

And tomorrow too! Why were you in such a haste, Wei Qingwei? Afraid someone was going to take away your future disciple hah?

He had to get out of here.

After what felt like forever, the head disciple stopped trying to get him to socialize and let him into an assigned room, where another boy was staying. The kid, definitely only slightly older than Shen Jiu's current body, was looking up at him with curious eyes. He scowled back, sadly the brat was immune to it.

“Lu Haoran, this new disciple will be your new roommate. But please note he's a little shy.” He redirected his scowl to the head disciple immediately. Shy? He wasn't shy! He just wanted to be left alone!

The little brat immediately approached him like Shen Jiu was something exotic. “I like your eyes.” The Qing Jing peak lord sputtered. Heh? Heh? What did the brat mean by that? Did he realise how inappropriate that was!?

Red as a tomato he retreated to one of the unoccupied beds. The head disciple let out a chuckle and told the other not to terrorise him which the youngster gave a confused hum to. Still Shen Qingqiu couldn't fathom why the brat would say something like that. Obviously he wasn’t flirting, he was too young to even know what that was. Which was good because if he was then Shen Jiu would sooner rip out his own heart than make himself a cure.

A few hours of laying in bed, had then resulted in nothing. He could hear when the brat had gone to sleep, bidding him goodnight. Not that Shen Jiu would ever be able to sleep with him around.

Waiting for what must have been a shichen just to make sure the other was sleeping deep enough, he slipped out of the covers and out of the room.

Making it to Qing Jing was going to be a hustle with the cold weather and darkness but at least during this time nobody was in the library. With a few steps he found himself in a long corridor, rows of doors laid in front of him all leading to different dorms. The knowledge of how close he would need to sleep to men made his stomach twist. Sneaking around this time of night was hardly a challenge, he just had to watch out for any stray squeaky wooden boards on the floor.

A few minutes of walking later he finally found the exit. His heart jumped in triumph. This was it, he was going to be free! Striding up to the door he reached out a hand and turned the handle-

“Where do you think you're going?”

His breath stuttered as he glanced behind himself. There, just outside of one of the doors stood the head disciple. The expression on his face was something between disgruntlement and alarm. Shen Jiu grit his teeth and slipped out the door.

A hand caught his arm dragging him back inside the dorms, it wasn't rough per se but Shen Qingqiu froze up nonetheless. Han Wenqing let out a small sigh, guiding him back towards his door. The silence was awkward, especially with the witnessed run away attempt. Shen Jiu hoped it would be over soon.

“I know it must be scary.”

Shen Jiu glared up at the head disciple, but that didn't seem to faze Han Wenqing.  He just gave a weirdly soft look at Shen Jiu. “But it’s gonna be okay now. You don’t need to run away. I know Shizun can look a bit intimidating but he’s actually a pretty big softy.” Then Han Wenqing paused, looking away a bit with a small frown. “Well… if you don’t break the rules or worry him that is.”

Shen Jiu gave him a side-eye. Very promising, but that wasn't what he was worried about, like, at all. Somehow this mustn't have registered in Han Wenqing as he went on and on about Wei Qingwei, giving Shen Qingqiu useless reassurances right until they reached his room.

Shepherding the small Qing Jing peak lord inside, Han Wenqing gave one last small scolding.

“Oh, and don't forget. Your tea ceremony will be held tomorrow morning so you can officially become a Wan Jian disciple.” Shen Jiu nodded absently, ignoring the excited disciple before him.

 A dread pulled at his gut, he really had to get out of here before that somehow.

Wei Qingwei sat in front of the tea table patiently waiting for the boy to show. The table had all the ingredients a disciple would need to make tea.

It had been quite a bit since he had been waiting here, but that was likely his own fault. Being overeager and coming here far too early, waking a few disciples in the progress so they could prepare everything needed for the ceremony.

But he had been sitting here for quite some time and the peak lord could feel himself growing bored. Really, what was taking Xiao Huo so long? Thinking about the nickname made him chuckle a bit. The kid hadn’t given him a name to call him, so he had come up with one. And Wei Qingwei full heartedly believed it fit, the boy was small and a bit fierce with all his scowling. But that was to be expected of a child living on the streets, no?

So he waited patiently for the child to show. And waited and waited and waited.

A small bit of worry gnawed at him alongside annoyance. Just where was the kid? Wei Qingwei stood up, stretching a bit. His muscles had gone sore from the position he had been sitting in. Walking out of his house where the tea ceremony would be at, he zeroed in on the first disciple he saw.

It was a senior, Lian Jingyuan. The boy, now more of a man, was talking with one of his Shijie. But as soon as they saw him both of them straightened and greeted him with a “This one greets Shizun!” He stared them down a bit, glancing around in case he would get a glimpse of the missing kid. “Disciple Lian, Disciple Tang.” He greeted. “Have you seen your newest Shidi anywhere? This master had been waiting for him for quite some time.”

The two of them looked at each other in a way that wasn't promising at all and he heard Tang Ruoxue whisper to her shidi. “We have a new shidi?!” Lian Jingyuan looked just as confused.

Oh. Oh that was not good…

It didn't come as a surprise when the answer was that they hadn't seen him, but Wei Qingwei was thankful when they promised to help find their wayward soon-to-be shidi. Looks like he would need to ask Han Wenqing, his head disciple would surely know where Xiao Huo had gone.

Han Wenqing didn't know where Xiao Huo was.

This was worrying, and bad, very very bad. The kid must've wandered off Wan Jian somehow. Probably out of curiosity. Wei Qingwei had to find him, and fast before any of his martial siblings did.

He didn’t want Yang Qingzheng to steal one of his disciples again!

The ear-bleeding sound of his disciples practicing the guqin filled Qing Jing Peak.

Shen Qingqiu scowled at the loud teeth gritting noise. But it was by far better than any sort of tea ceremony Wei Qingwei was trying to subject him to. 

Sneaking up to Qing Jing had proven a far easier challenge than escaping Wan Jian. This was definitely something he would need to do something about, what if a stray Bai Zhan brute got in somehow? Walking amongst the bamboo forest of Qing Jing was soothing. The smell of vegetation and freshly ground ink filled his nose, a far better smell over the smoke and sharp metal smell Wan Jian had.

The library was up ahead now and none of his disciples had tried stopping him. He was so close now! Jogging slightly despite it being against the rules he had made, the door of the library greeted him. Tall and imposing as it was now in this form Shen Qingqiu wasted no time in pushing it open.

A loud yelp came from the other side.

Shen Jiu froze. Of course something like this would happen thanks to his shitty luck! That something was Ming Fan, presumably hit by the door staring him down from the doorway. He tensed, his head disciple was going to kick him off, wasn't he? That's what he told Ming Fan to do anyway if he saw someone who was not from Qing Jing trying to get in without permission.

“S-Shizun!?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes snapped to meet Ming Fan’s. The boy looked troubled, and confused. Terribly terribly confused. But he had recognised him, unlike his martial brothers. The first time around too! Good. At least his disciples had more brain cells than the medic and the swordmaster combined.

“Disciple Ming Fan.”

At this his disciple snapped to attention, straightening himself. “Shizun… what happened?” Ah yes, the dreaded question. Ming Fan was eyeing his robes with suspicion. “This master ran into a demonic beast.” Ming Fan was still just staring at him. “Excuse this disciple, but why is Shizun in Wan Jian robes?”

He gave his head disciple a dead-eyed look. “Your Shibos are idiots.” at this Ming Fan sputtered, but stepped aside regardless. Shen Jiu didn't thank him, too busy rushing inside the library completely missing the worried look sent his way.

It was quiet, just like he liked it. The air was biting cold inside, still preferable to the bone freezing temperatures and hills of snow raging outside. His footsteps echoed loudly in the silence of the library. There was no one else here, just him and these old books. Making a beeline straight for the bestiaries, he pulled them off the shelf one by one.

After managing to arrange them into a pile he let out a tired sigh. This body was far more weaker than his adult one. His hands were already trembling from putting a few heavy books into tall piles on his side. A scowl marred his face at the sight. It was pathetic.

Letting out a small sigh he began to read. Whatever reduced him to this was definitely some sort of feline, just what kind was the question. The first bestiary, a popular choice amongst those interested in beasts of the mortal realm, was completely and utterly useless.

The only notable feline it had written about was the Sun-maned Lion and all its more well known species. It was definitely not the thing he was looking for. Putting aside the first bestiary he glanced at the dreadful pile.

Well… here goes nothing.

He shut the last bestiary with a loud thud. His small face was red from frustration and he couldn't decide between wanting to rip these books to shreds or hitting his head into the wall. Every single one of them was useless. How you may ask? Well! None of it had any beast remotely similar to what had attacked him!

Not to mention most of them contained the same species of felines as the other bestiaries! At least 23 of them talked about stupid Sun-maned Lions! He didn't want to read about sun maned lions!

The closest thing he even got to what had attacked him was the Porcupine Backed Tiger. But that animal didn't even have any poison to speak of! So once again he was at a loss.

Glaring at the towering pile of bestiaries he had the displeasure of skimming through, there was only one place he hadn't checked yet. The old section. It was a place disciples or hallmasters rarely ever visited because most information there was outdated or it contained so outdated medical practices that Mu Qingfang would rip his hair out if someone tried one of them. Alongside that were old accounts of cases and history. But most importantly, bestiaries of beasts that have gone extinct nowadays. Only prowling the lands centuries ago.

The entire section was filled with dust, so much that Shen Qingqiu was helpless to do anything else but sneeze. One of the hallmasters would really need to clean this place. Wandering the isles of bookshelves he finally found it. Bestiaries.

Reaching out he took one of the shelves immediately letting out another sneeze at the dust assaulting his senses. Making an angry hiss he took his hand and brushed off the remaining layer of dust coating the book. It was definitely a bestiary, in good condition too as expected of Qing Jing.

Feeling a sliver of hope he sat down opening the book with care. The pages were old, having yellowed from centuries of maintenance and as Shen Jiu turned the pages the paper felt so brittle against his gentle fingers that if he were to grip them any stronger he was afraid it would fall apart.

This book had quite a few beasts in it, but not as many as modern ones do. Turning it over he began reading the table of contents.

Saber Toothed Silk-Furred Rabbit

Taotie-mouthed Butterflyeater

Long Tailed Lizard-Crane

And the list went on and on. With every new beast he was starting to lose all hope. But then his eyes stuck on something. The first feline the book mentioned in its long list of beasts.

Quilled Angler Cat

That… sounded like a good description of what he had seen. He searched out the page in a haste opening it-

And there it was. Those same long ears and cat face, with sharp spikes on its back. This was the thing that had attacked him.

The more he read the more sense did everything make. This- this beast lured its prey in, killing it without mercy just like its name suggested.

And what sort of prey fell to their deception? Children.

This thing ate children.

Shen Qingqiu felt his stomach do uneasy flips. All of those missing kids were dead. Every single one. And there wasn't anything left of them to give back to their parents to bury.

Despite the tension in his shoulder and the rapid pace of his heart, he continued reading.

There it was. What he had been searching for.

It had venom in its claws, a sort of failsafe if it didn't manage to find enough prey. According to the book it turned anyone scratched by the beast into a child. Which, yeah. Seemed to add up considering his situation. But the reason for it was as sinister as the creature itself. Because turning adults into children, into its main food source is what it did when it was running out of prey.

He froze, ice spreading through his veins in the next sentence. 

These cats were relentless hunters, never leaving alone prey, especially if the prey had been poisoned or injured.

Poisoned or injured.

He knew there had been something stalking him as he went up the mountain.

Dread curled in his guts. Had it been just waiting all along? Stalking him knowing he would fall, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce and tear him apart when he was too tired to fight back?

He took a shaky breath, staring at the tremors in his small hands. He almost died, he almost got torn apart and he didn't even know it.

He put the book back down to draw in a few shaky breaths. His heart was racing with a childlike terror. Every corner of the unusual dark library seemed ominous, like there was something lurking there just out of sight. Hunting.

Shen Qingqiu picked up the book and reopened it. The silence felt oppressing now. A cure. He needed a cure. So he read and read and read until he found it.

Luminescent Tiger-Rose. Of course. Of course it was a flower that grew in caves! For fuck’s sake! And the damned thing not only needed to be brewed into a tea but also had to be mixed with the beast’s poison!

Tears of frustration prickled at his eyes, this stupid young childish body! Just how was he meant to do this?

He took a deep breath trying to calm himself. Luminescent Tiger-Rose wasn't an uncommon flower, it grew in any cave that had enough yin energy to sustain its glow, since that's what the plant fed on instead of sunlight like a normal plant. It shouldn’t be too hard to get, he just needed to find a cave first and Cang Qiong had plenty of those… on Qiong Ding.

He stared down at himself and scowled. There was no way that Qi-ge wouldn't recognise him like this and all the humiliation he went through would be for nothing if Yue Qingyuan revealed to the others that the dirty child Wei Qingwei picked up was actually their shixiong.

No.

He will just need to find a cave outside of the sect, it probably wouldn’t be hard. Any cave at the feet of the mountain would do but leaving the safety of Cang Qiong brought him to his second problem. The Quilled Angler Cat. How was he supposed to fight the beast? Even an idiot could see that it specialized in killing children. And he was practically defenseless like this!

Not to mention it had tracked him right up to the mountain, whose to say it wasn't simply waiting for him right at the protective barriers? Which also brought on the problem of getting its blood. Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t be able to fight it, not like this. And whilst the idea of luring some of the Bai Zhan idiots or a few worried Wan Jian disciples to finish it seemed enticing he quickly shot it down. That plan would only result in tragedy if not a complete disaster.

Picking up the book he began to head outside. Returning to the bamboo house would be preferable, especially since Wei Qingwei wouldn’t look for him there in a hundred years and telling Ming Fan to deflect any peak lords coming his way would be easy. It was the best place to recoup and plan out everything so he could return to normal.

The large doors of the library were easy enough to push open but the horrible sounds of his disciples trying to play the guqin wasn't the only sound assaulting his ears. Oh, no. It was the sound of a certain someone running up and down terrifying his disciples with the ruckus he was causing.

Liu Qingge, being as refined as a brute could be, was currently running up and down demanding his disciples to bring him to their Shizun. His current victim was poor Ming Fan, who was doing his best to not cover in the face of his enraged Shishu.

“Liu-Shisu-” Ming Fang sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Of course the brute either didn’t notice or just didn't care because he continued shouting like some half-brained Southern Sour-eyed Toad.

“I don’t care if you don't know where he is! Find him!”

The loud sound of the door closing startled Shen Qingqiu out of his staring. He tried to quickly gather himself up and get the hell out of here but it was too late. The brute’s head snapped towards the sound, his stormy eyes zeroing on him. And with some unknown intent he began to approach, walking far too fast not to be threatening. 

“Are you Wei Qingwei’s lost disciple?”

Shen Jiu froze, staring at his Shidi. Before his mind could fully process what the brute meant, his fate had been already sealed. The Bai Zhan Peak lord stared him down before in a swift move picked him up like he was just a sack of rice.

The humiliation of it was the worst thing, so with a face so red that it was almost blue Shen Qingqiu began kicking and clawing at his Shidi, who just stood completely unfazed. Horrified green eyes caught Ming Fan’s and his head disciple looked ready to pass out with how pale he was.

Of course, the brute couldn't just leave it at that as he paraded him around the Entire. Fucking. Peak!

“Let go!” He growled loudly trying to wiggle out of the steel hold, but Liu Qingge didn't seem to hear too busy walking towards wherever the hell he was going. A familiar dirt path made him pale, just what did the brute want in his house?! And just like that, his brute of a shidi burst through a door. His door.

“SHEN QINGQIU!”

At this point he was no longer struggling because, really? Really Liu-shidi? He knew the brute wasn’t the sharpest of the bunch but this was just sad. On a completely different note, what the hell was the brute thinking, parading around what he thought to be a Wan Jian disciple whilst he searched for another peak lord?! Just what the hell was the brute trying to accomplish?!

After a few minutes he was set down on the floor and told to “Don’t move.”. Liu Qingge was truly an idiot, what sort of disciple would stay in place if left alone? Maybe a filial one but Shen Qingqiu would be damned before he listened to whatever the brute commanded him to do. In a destructive flurry the Bai Zhan peak lord was gone, and from the sounds of wood splintering and cracking Shen Jiu had little doubt his house was being wrecked in search of him.

It was stressing, to know that once he returned to normal he would have to deal with whatever the brute had wrecked and wait for one and a half years till An Ding finally took the time to replace his broken things. But being here also granted him an opportunity.

Sneaking up to one of the shelves where he kept a few of his more useful books, he placed down the ancient tome. Stepping back he admired it from afar, it looked like it belonged there with the other priceless books he kept inside his home, one of the only things the brute was careful not to damage.

Returning where Liu Qingge had put him down, he was displeased to find the brute returning with a scowl matching the one on his face. But that didn't surprise Shen Qingqiu at all, after all how was the brute supposed to find him, if he had already been found?

Grumbling under his breath, his Shidi advanced on him. Doing his best to radiate ‘leave me alone’ didn't work at all. The brute was unfazed, picking him up despite his yelp and a string of protests and curses. 

Once again he was doomed to the fate of unwillingly imitating a bag of rice.

Shen Jiu was going to kill him too.

Wei Qingwei watched with baited breath the approaching form of the Bai Zhan war god. Liu-Shidi seemed to be in a bad mood, which the Wan Jian peak lord sincerely hoped was not because of his missing disciple who was currently hanging off of his Shishu’s arm, teeth and all.

“Liu-Shidi.” He greeted. “Thank you for finding him!” his shidi let out a grunt handing him the disciple who upon noticing his Shizun unclenched his teeth. Taking back his disciple, he looked down at the package he received. Xiao Huo was tense in his hold, and he would be lying if he said he hadn't been worried. “Where were you?”

His disciple refused to make eye contact, staring at the ground. “Answer your Shizun brat.” Wei Qingwei threw a disapproving look towards his shidi. He could feel as the small teen tried curling up into himself in his hold. Whilst Wei Qingwei couldn't fault Liu Qingge for his harshness, losing a disciple far too young to leave the peak was quite distressing, Xiao Huo would need a softer approach. That of course didn't mean Wei Qingwei wouldn't scold him and give him a punishment.

“...Qing Jing.”

He stared at the small form in his arms. This was the first time he had heard Xiao Huo speak. He sounded so small! “Speak clearly brat!” Wei Qingwei sent a withering look towards his shidi. Didn't he understand how big of a thing this was?! The kid was finally comfortable enough to speak.

“Why were you on Qing Jing?” Xiao Huo didn't make eye contact with him, even though he made his tone softer but no less firmer than Liu-shidi. “...got lost.” the kid mumbled. The Wan Jian peak lord let out a tired sigh.

Young disciples under 12 were not allowed to leave the peak without a senior. So one going missing rarely ever happened and was quite stressful. He ushered Xiao Huo towards the other disciples. “Go, and do your classes. After that this master will tell you your punishment for breaking the rules.” Despite looking nervous, the disciple nodded, rushing off to the others who all began questioning him.

Wei qingwei sighed. If only he could coax Xiao Huo's real name out of his skittish disciple.

It was during that night that a peak lord meeting was called by surprisingly Liu Qingge.

Walking into the hall and sitting down in his own chair, the Wan Jian peak lord looked around to see which of his martial siblings had made it. Most of them were there, chatting with one another and so he too turned towards Mu Qingfang. “What do you think this is about?” The medic shook his head with a sigh. “Nothing good most likely.”

After waiting for another ten minutes Zhi Qingxin finally made it. And much to Wei Qingwei’s surprise the meeting just started like that. He eyed the 3 empty spots that were usually occupied.

Zhangmeng-Shixiong and Yang Qingzheng had gone on a mission, helping out Tian Yi Sect because of the heavy snowfall in the recent days. But Shen Qingqiu’s absence was, while not the most unusual, still strange. Their strategist was notoriously known for hating meetings with his martial siblingss yet still attended despite this. Rarely missing any if ever.

“Liu-Shidi, what's the reason for this meeting?” someone asked from across the table, not that Wei Qingwei could bring himself to care. He just wanted this over with. “Shen Qingqiu hasn't returned from his mission in 5 days.” Multiple groans of annoyance broke out all around them because of course, who else could possibly be the topic of their meeting.

Wei Qingwei had completely forgotten about the mission their strategist had been sent on. It had been a simple one, easily done in a day or two.

“This one has reasons to believe that Shen Qingqiu won't return unless someone goes and retrieves him from one of the brothels” Wei Qingwei spoke up in retaliation. “Maybe we should just wait for Zhangmeng-Shixiong to return before discussing this matter. Shen Qingqiu might return as well.” Come on. Just end this meeting already so he can go back to his forge. Please. 

His prayers were either not heard or ignored because Qi Qingqi snorted at his statement. “And then what? Let Zhangmeng-shixiong accept whatever half baked excuse the lecher will come up with? ‘Oh excuse this master Sect leader, due to the heavy snow this one was unable to leave’ ” their martial sister mocked.

Mu Qingfang, ever the kind hearted and worried man, decided to continue this conversation. “And what if we are wrong? What if Shen-shixiong got injured and was unable to return?” Liu Qingge scoffed. “If Shen Qingqiu is so weak he couldn't even return after such a simple mission then he doesn't deserve to be a peak lord.” Wei Qingwei sighed internally as the voices of agreement rang out.

Don't get him wrong, he liked Shen Qingqiu as much as the next person. The strategist was infamously problematic, not mentioning the trouble and drama he constantly brought with him to the sect. It was annoying and tiring. And whilst he didn't know his shixiong personally, since he only ever met him during these boring meetings, the rumors did little to ease the unease he felt towards Shen Qingqiu.

He was a lecher, someone who preyed on the weak and used his power to silence any victims of his. It made Wei Qingwei’s stomach churn and tie into knots. At least his disciples were safe from that man.

Zooming back into the conversation he heard the finality. “I will go and drag him back from the brothel.” At Liu Qingge's statement Qi Qingqi perked up. “I will come with you.” 

“And if Shen-shixiong isn't there? What will you do then?” Mu qingfang asked worriedly, and the others just shook their heads. Truly it was baffling how worried the medic was, but at least he was a lot better than Yue Qingyuan.

Staring at the others in boredom he didn't miss the pleasing look the healer sent him. “This master will check in the village Shen Qingqiu’s mission was, if only to quell Mu-shidi’s worry. It's at the foot of my peak anyway.” The others stared at him whilst the medic gave a thankful smile.