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His lungs hurt so much. His limbs felt so sore that they would fall off if he even moved another muscle. He was drowning. His usual sweet smile remained as he sank into the deep dark water. The warm light of the surface was replaced with cold, murky depths as he struggled to get back up. “If only I'd learned how to swim.” The exact same river he was about to drown in was the one he was named after. How ironic.
He thought back to just a few minutes before. The other kids had never liked him when they figured out where he was from, especially Ming Fan. He couldn’t understand why. His mother belonged to a brothel as did he. That was just a fact, so why did it make them bully him? "Hmm." he hummed and all that came out was bubbles. “Oh. Is this... the end? I wish I could’ve said goodbye to Yingying.”
He gasped one last time, as his vision became dark. Someone or something was approaching? A pale, dark-haired figure appeared before him and grabbed him by the waist. The water around him suddenly felt a lot warmer than before. He weakly felt himself being lifted.
"Some kind of water ghost? Are water ghosts always so warm? Or is it... a fish? That’s a really pretty fish... I wonder what mom will think..." he thought before everything went dark.
"Ahahaha that's where you belong!" A group of boys stood at the edge of the bridge pointing at someone flailing in the water and laughing at his struggle. This was the sort of thing that annoyed Shen Jiu. Of course, being the responsible citizen he was; he stalked up behind them and listened to their useless chatter.
"Imagine belonging to a brothel!"
“It’s not like he had a choice...”
"Right? And he thought that was a good thing?"
“A-are we sure that was rig-”
"He really thought he was something too! What a freak."
“You did us all a favor, Ming Fan! He probably had a ton of diseases! We’re saved!”
"Ha! Of course, he deserved it. He didn't even know how to talk right! I had to do something, obviously!" The last remark came from the leader of the group, Ming Fan, who proudly admitted what he had done.
"Hey! What's going on here?" Shen Jiu shouted, revealing himself among the boisterous group. He held his head high, scrunched his nose, and studied the street urchins. “Ugh, such low-class brutes..”
"No way! Are you from Qing Jing Peak?" Ming Fan exclaimed pointing at his light jade robes. "Are you here looking for new talents?" Another boy shouted excitedly.
Shen Jiu ignored their comments and continued, “As if I would consider scouting from a bunch of poor street rats! Unlike you, at least if I tried to kill someone, I’d keep it a secret. Useless brats. What a waste of time." He whispered the last part as he glared around the group, his black eyes glinting with annoyance. “This guy is scary...” Ming Fan thought with a shiver and quickly turned away.
Shen Jiu pushed through the group and dove into the water. By now the drowning boy had already sunk under the surface, only bubbles remained where he had been.
"Wait! He's insane! Don't save him!" Ming Fan hollered at the fading figure of Shen Jiu. The surface of the water became smooth again as the mysterious jade man disappeared. "Tch. If that weirdo survives we'll just try again." A few other boys muttered similar replies at his side, watching the calm water.
Shen Jiu resurfaced a few minutes later, gasping for air as he dragged the half-drowned boy to the shore and started chest compressions. The group of boys ran down the bridge and surrounded them.
"You should've just left him!" Ming Fan shouted along with his entourage.
"Yea! That weirdo was impersonating our emperor!"
“I th-thought we were just playing...”
"He doesn't deserve to live after committing treason!"
Shen Jiu finished purging the water from the unconscious boy's lungs and looked up at them with a glare. "What proof do you have of this supposed treason?" he questioned coldly.
"W-well he said he was r-related to the emperor! We had to take a-action!" Ming Fan stuttered out, shivering at the freezing glare.
"Hmph, that's no reason to throw someone off a bridge. Contact the proper authorities if you actually thought he did something wrong. Stupid children making assumptions... You're all lucky I won't report you myself for attempted murder!" Shen Jiu scolded, lifting the boy onto his back and turning to leave.
"S-so you're protecting a criminal then?! Maybe we should report you to the authorities!” Ming Fan countered, still dumbly convinced he was justified in what he’d done. He would get revenge no matter what.
"He's not actually a criminal you idiot! Playing a little game of pretend isn't a crime." The leader paused and stared at him in disbelief. “B-but he-” Shen Jiu cocked an eyebrow and continued, "Now, who knows where he lives? I bet his family will be very happy to hear what you brats did."
The only girl in the group bravely stepped up to Shen Jiu. “I-I can take you, sir!” "At least one of you has sense. I’m Shen Jiu. What’s your name?” “Ning Yingying. Let’s get A-Luo back home.” Shen Jiu nodded and she smiled in response, taking the lead by skipping down the road.
Ming Fan was sputtering mad and couldn't even believe what had just happened. He watched in disbelief as Ning Yingying and Shen Jiu walked away. “Together... That bastard!”
"Don't even think of coming back to us!" He hollered at the retreating figures. Ning Yingying led him to one of the most famous brothels in town, "The Warm Red Pavillion" .
"He really lives here ?" Shen Jiu’s face blanched. Sure, he’d imagined places like this, but actually going into one?... He could hear his martial siblings teasing him if anyone figured out he’d entered such a forbidden place , especially Shang Qinghua.
"Yup! No one really likes him because he's the son of a prostitute..." Ning Yingying answered with a sigh. Shen Jiu paused at the entrance, his brows knitting. "Want me to take him in?" She looked up at him with a big smile, “It’s no problem, he’s kind of heavy but I can manage.” "No, you should go home. It's getting late. I'll do it ."
She hesitated to leave, seeing Shen Jiu’s conflicted expression but ultimately decided he'd be fine. Ning Yingying broke off into a run and waved back yelling, "Good luck! Tell his mom I said hi!”
After a moment of collecting himself, Shen Jiu opened the red doors, entered the brothel, and was greeted by a horde of women dressed in showy clothing. “Oh my god- FORBIDDEN!” He quickly averted his eyes and opted to focus on their faces, paling even more as they stared back with varying levels of intensity.
"Is that my A-Luo?!"
"Oh my goodness!"
"What happened?!"
The women all whispered in a huddle, pointing and gasping at Shen Jiu and the unconscious boy, who was apparently named Binghe?
The first remark came from a woman who swiftly rushed down the stairs. "MY BABY!" She shrieked and grabbed Binghe’s sleeve, attempting to shake him awake. "WHO DID THIS?" She made a motion with her hand and a group of servants stepped up and accepted the boy from Shen Jiu’s.
"Are you... his mother?" Shen Jiu asked cautiously, trying to be as polite as he could muster. He wasn’t about to trigger an upset mother. “Definitely don’t want to mess with her…”
"Of course I am!" She bellowed while petting Binghe’s head and cooing, “My poor baby.”
"There was a group of bo-"
"I KNEW IT! THAT GROUP ALWAYS BULLIES HIM! OF COURSE, THEY WOULD DO THIS!" she screamed at the top of her lungs earning a huff from Shen Jiu, who hated being interrupted.
"Well, they pushed him off a bridge and I-" she swiftly interjected again, “Those little rats! Good thing you were there. Such a young cultivator and already so strong!”
“Yeah, also Ning Yingying said-”
"Here, you’ll need some reimbursement." She pulled out a purse and started counting out coins. She placed at least 20 in his hand.
“That would pay for a whole feast! Geez she’s rich!” Shen Jiu stared at the coins in shock. "That's really not necessary!" He refused as he tried to give the coins back to her.
"No no no, you saved my son. Take it.”
“Really it’s-”
“TAKE it.”
“I couldn’t-”
“JUST TAKE IT!" she ended with an earth-shaking yell and he reluctantly accepted the payment. He'd find a way to return it later or not. Money was money after all.
On the other side of the room, the servants had set Binghe on a couch covered in blankets and cushions. The servants summoned a doctor, who examined him, while Shen Jiu argued about money with his mother.
Binghe started coughing and sat up slowly, confused about where he was. "Huh. Heaven looks a lot like home." He looked around, dizzy and puzzled. Glancing around the room he spotted his mom and?.. "The water ghost? He's really pretty! Woah, just like a fine piece of jade... I should thank him."
Binghe got up and promptly slipped off the couch, face-planting on the floor with a loud thud. The doctor helped him up with an added recommendation of resting, and he thanked her. Ignoring the people around him and his mother, he limped over to Shen Jiu and embraced him.
His mother let out a gasp along with everyone else and apologized for his indecency. She pulled and pulled but he wouldn't let go.
"A-Luo! Let go of him immediately! Don't offend such a prestigious cultivator!" She scolded as she pulled on his sleeve.
Shen Jiu stiffened but said nothing, staring at?.. “A dog? Oh... It’s Binghe.”
"W-what's your name?" Binghe asked, pulling out of the hug and smiling up at him. “Damn, he looks like a lost puppy. Cute. His hair looks very soft too...”
"It's... Shen Qi-. I mean Shen Jiu." He responded staring into Binghe’s pitch, black eyes. It was as if he was being hypnotized.
"That’s a pretty name, it matches you very well. Your skin kind of looks like jade too..." Binghe commented, his smile growing bigger and his cheeks tinted red as he gazed into Shen Jiu’s deep dark eyes. “He has to be some heavenly immortal!”
“Just like a maiden. Bingmei?.. Strange...” Shen Jiu blushed and turned away. "Thanks."
Everyone: "..."
"Binghe, please! Don't make me repeat myself! LET GO NOW!!!" His mother countered after recovering from the shocking moment.
“Such an interesting kid. Why is my heart beating faster? It couldn’t possibly be... feelings? Impossible. Maybe I just ate too much for lunch.” Shen Jiu yawned and looked down at the little furball. One little pat on the head wouldn’t hurt, right?
Binghe paused and thought for a little while. “Hmm. What should I call him? Gege? No. Too informal. Jiujiu? No, that means uncle. Oh, I know!”
"I think I’ll call you... Shizun. Are you gonna protect me from now on, Shizun?" Binghe questioned while pulling on Shen Jiu’s sleeve, earning even more gasps from the crowd that had gathered to watch. His mom sighed and gave up trying to reason with him. Once he found something he liked, it was impossible to divert his attention.
"S-sure.." Shen Jiu trailed off, trying to focus his courage on touching the curly-haired fluff clinging to his side, he was practically begging to be petted with his puppy dog eyes. “Ahh, too cute!” He finally remembered the time after a few more awkward moments of silence and peculiar thoughts.
"I have to go." Shen Jiu untangled Binghe’s arms from his waist and turned to the large, red doors. “Qinghua and Liu-Shidi are definitely gonna interrogate me for being past curfew. Ugh, fuck me.”
Binghe grabbed his sleeve and looked at him with his hypnotizing puppy eyes again. “This cuteness is going to be the death of me!” "Promise my Shizun will return tomorrow?" Binghe probed further, earning sighs from the crowd relishing their little scene. These women were extreme romantics after all. Not that I have any feelings, obviously!
"I promise."
Shen Jiu followed through on that promise, which evolved into something more. Every day, he came, chatting with Binghe about the cultivation world and teaching him how to use a sword. Binghe would listen intently and share his thoughts. He was a fast learner and had great skills for creating unique alterations for each technique and stance. Binghe also loved puzzles and riddles, especially the ones Shen Jiu made up. “ He has to be the smartest person in the world!”
Shen Jiu always had a small smile and glint in his eyes when returning to the clan each night, but no amount of questioning would make him confess his special secret. His special person would stay his —only his— forever. “He makes me feel so... tingly? Fuck, I think I'm going soft.”
Binghe always ended the day with the same question.
"Promise that my Shizun will come tomorrow?"
"Always."