Chapter Text
“Sometimes, even the smallest unexpected surprise can be a turn point for your life"
Shen Qingqiu’s life can be summarized in just one word:
MISERABLE
There is no other definition and only one who knows the complete story can say otherwise. He is someone without a family, someone who was ditched to die on the side until a small boy found him, saving his pathetic life. That boy watched him grow, raised him, took care of him, gave everything he could and even promised him to give him the whole world, but all the good things, even the most diminutive ones are meant to end, especially for some like him.
When he was taken to the Qiu clan mansion he thought that maybe things would be a bit better, but he was wrong like always. He had to endure being tied and chained while they inflicted abuses of all kind by Master Qiu and all the rest of males in that family. His pride was hurting but he couldn’t do anything, especially when Qi Ge went and promised to take him away when he got stronger as a cultivator.
He waited for years but in the end the pattern repeated itself, his only family left him to die. Something inside of him told him that maybe he perished on the way since he was trying to become a cultivator but the dark part on his brain told him that no, he was just abandoned, like the trash he was.
Qui Haitang was his only anchor left at the mansion.
Her sweet innocence and purity were the only light in that inferno of a place and he planned to keep it like that but in the end he couldn’t, especially when the last piece of pride left was in danger to be taken by his older brother.
He broke and killed him before he commited the action.
Humiliated and broken enough he went to kill all the males in said place, tainting his body in red. Shen Jiu only left kids and females alive, everything else died and burnt within that state.
He left with and never looked back again, that chapter of his life got closed but never forgotten.
To survive and get stronger, Shen Jiu ended following Wu Yanzi. He teached him all underhanded dirty tricks; steal, kill and other disgusting factors; that man was scum and he didn’t care if his victims where a child or females, he gets what he wants without minding any consequences nor caring if they deserved it or not.
Scum. Trash. Repulsive.
But in the end a former slave, who killed a whole clan, couldn’t freely choose and he began his journey as the disciple of this asshole. He was already broken; is not like he can break more anymore; or so he thought till he saw him again.
Qi-ge
He was alive and looked good. His black clothes were of a disciple of a sect, clean and pristine. His aura felt powerful and he looked as he was nobility, no traces of him being a slave anymore. He didn’t die and his negative thoughts from that night were true, he really was abandoned.
His heart finally broke completely. His heart finally cried as soon as that realization came and from that moment on, he decided that he couldn’t trust anyone anymore.
While Yue Qi was fighting his master, his settled what he owned Yue Qi; A life for a life. He killed his master before he could kill the young disciple. With that paid, he left; and just like that bloody night, he didn’t look back.
Time passed and now he was the head disciple of the Qing Jing Peak and luckily, he didn’t had to interact that much with other disciples from the other peaks, specially Yue Qi AND Liu Qingge. That last one always gives him a headache and he could literally feel his brain cells being killed every time he opened his mouth; just because he was stronger in the brute force area, it doesn’t mean he is as smart and sly as him.
Since that time that both fought, his mannerism said to him “weak”, while looking at him in disgust and arrogance.
Fine, he might had done a dirty move, but if you want to survive into this world, sometimes you need to do some actions that might look bad, but that doesn’t mean that is valid to ridicule him in front of others.
Young masters from noble families are always like that and it just made his rage and hate for him get worst.
Unlike him, he couldn’t start earlier in his cultivation nor he had the resources of a young master, so Liu Qingge had an upper hand in that. He had to work harder than anyone else in his peak and most likely, harder than disciples in other peaks. He was not weak, and he won’t let another rich young master tell him otherwise, not again.
After that, the only interactions that had with him were when he was passing with his peak lord at the Rainbow bridge and night hunts.
The Rainbow Bridge is a neutral zone for all the peaks, so it wasn’t weird if you saw other peak’s disciples in their time by time, but those interactions always went to the same conclusion, insults and childish fights; most of the time verbal and sometimes physical. Just sometimes because in that area they were almost always with each of their respective Peak Lords, so they couldn’t do anything even if they wanted it.
He hated the guy and his arrogance, but at least he can admire how he can guide himself by his values and morals, but still hate him, that meat brain idiot. He can also admit -at himself-, that even if they were like oil with water, they could work fine during night hunt.
Of course, he will never say those things out loud. He has an image to keep and he won’t give that meat brain any material to fill his ego.
After some years, their respective teachers decided it was time to retire and make their head disciples the new Peak Lords. Shen Jiu was proud for him and his hard work; he felt he could finally leave part of his past behind when his master decided his new name, but karma was a total bitch.
Shen Qingqiu
He was in shock, that same name, same character will now follow him all his life. Truly karma came for him and gave him a slap on his face, but in the end, he couldn’t do anything. He had to accept that fact just as he accepted his master’s new name for him.
Life is unfair to him.
But he will make it work, he is at the top of his life after all that hard work he made and by himself, with no one else help.
No Gi-ge’s
No Qiu Haitang’s
Much less, Wu Yanzi’s
He alone and life demonstrated him that only he himself can do it. If he wants something to change, he can’t expect someone to do it, and he will keep it like that for the rest of his life.
A little fact that Shen Qingqiu forgot, sometimes life has its weird ways to work and when you less expect it, he will give back that little hope that as kid had. Life will show that sly cultivator that love and trust can be wonderful things.
Now in the present, Shen Qingqiu was inside the Spirit Caves, isolated to cultivate, like many Peak Lords do it, but what he didn’t expected was while he was meditating a sudden egg-shaped light appeared in front of him. Startled he moves his hands to the bottom of said light and it moves to fall into his hands perfectly -can light have weight? -.
When the light finally dissolves his eyes meet another pair of big, soft and shiny eyes, looking at him with anticipation.
…. A baby.
A baby appeared in front of him.
Inside the Spirit Caves.
“WHAT.THE.FUCK!”
What the hell is going on?! Screw it if his old manners came out, what the fuck is happening?!
The little one made a small sound burp, waking him from his shock paralysis and unconsciously he carried him (her?) better in his arms.
Suddenly a pair of strong and angry footsteps reasoned on the cave’s passages coming into his direction. What he didn’t expected was that it was going to be Liu Qingge, from all the possible Martial brothers, it had been him.
Liu Qingge was going to start to shout him -for interrupting his cultivation time- till he saw the scene in front of him.
Shen Qingqiu was in the floor in a meditation pose with something in his arms. That SOMETHING made a happy sound and started to move a little bit, gaining the attention both parties forming a pause for an almost imminent fight between both Peak Lords.
….
Liu Qingge was the first one to break the silence of both - “.... Shen Qingqiu is that a baby in your arms?”- How observant Liu shidi!
Shen Qingqiu was going to answer him with his typical sarcasm but then the little one extended their little arm towards him and took his index finger between their chubby hand, pressing as hard as a baby can and giggled.
That giggle and smile was like a sparkling star in the dark night; it created something new and warm inside his chest; that whole unexpected feeling made him give that warm bundle on his arms a small smile with soft eyes.
On the distance, Liu Qingge could see the full event happening; he had never seen this guy smile nor have other facial expression that wasn’t a cold, sly and cynical one. No, the guy now gave that baby a small smile and a soft expression.
That look made his heart started to fill full, pressing hard into his chest while his cheeks and ears felt hot. Confused by how his body is feeling he just kept starting.
Unknowing to both, that little one will change both of their lives forever and for good.