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Liu Mingyan had an interest in love that might be called academic.
It started before she came to Cang Qiong Mountain with the stories Feng Wei told her as a girl, filled with heroes and heroines finding each other (or sometimes heroines finding heroines or heroes finding heroes) and at the end of some fantastical adventure, they would be bound together in a close bond of life-long love.
As a girl, Liu Mingyan would lay awake thinking about those stories, about what brought those heroines and heroes together, about what their lives might look like after the stories were done. About other adventures they might go on, how their stories might be different if they made different decisions, or how other characters might experience the same events.
You have a storyteller’s spark, Feng Wei had told her, after she shared her first tentative tales with him. Hold onto that. Don’t let the world snuff it out.
As she got older, she saw her fellow Xian Shu disciples fall in love with this or that promising character from another peak. Occasionally with each other. Many with that disciple Luo Binghe, especially after he distinguished himself during the demon attack. Indeed after that attack, it was all “this or that piercing eyes” or “so and such glorious forearms.”
And it wouldn’t be right to say Liu Mingyan was merely an outside observer. She received her fair share of love notes despite the veil she wore over her face. Maybe the veil made it worse, as the lovesick could fill in whatever features they imagined. But none of the sweet words and promises interested her. She was too busy to get distracted by such things.
In short, love had left her largely untouched, in a personal sense.
Until her brother floundered into it.
Liu Qingge was serious about his studies and had become a Peak Lord at a young age. He had never shown any interest in love. But plenty of disciples and distinguished cultivators and random civilians sighed over him. She knew her brother was, as far too many of her fellow disciples had said in her presence, a hottie. Stacked. The full package. He could have collected a sizable harem of willing partners if he had been so inclined. But he was not so inclined.
In fact, her brother had always seemed immune to all the love rays blasting around the peaks. She figured he was focused on building his martial abilities. On running Bai Zhan peak. On hunting monsters and demons through both the upper and lower realms. On leading his own disciples (many of whom really shouldn’t be looking at him like that). In short, like her, he just had other priorities.
Until the day her brother returned from his most recent round of meditation in the Ling Xi caves.
Later, she often wished she had observed him more carefully that day, but she had been busy herself, alright? The fight with that demoness Sha Hualing had hurt her pride. She was still reeling from her defeat when her brother appeared, in his blue and shining silver and if he was a little more pale and pinched than usual, what of it? They were fighting demons, everyone looked a little stressed! But it was only in the days and weeks after, when she observed certain other changes in her brother’s behavior, that she thought back to how her brother had appeared that day.
The Qing Jing Peak Lord had arrived before her brother, facing the demon with that elegant poise that earned him plenty of fans himself. He had personally defeated one of the demons, only to be seriously injured in that truly shameful (but dramatic) final sneak attack. This had increased his already considerable appeal, and it seemed it wasn’t just the regular love-addled disciples who started dreaming of a life by Shen Qingqiu’s side.
She remembered the flush on her brother’s cheeks as he pressed a palm to Shen Qingqiu’s back, reinforcing his spiritual energy. The concern wrinkling his brow when he took Shen Qingqiu’s arm and examined those pierce wounds. How stricken he looked when Mu-shushu declared the Without a Cure in fact uncurable. Well, maybe to others her brother had merely looked a bit more constipated, but she knew her brother. He had stayed close and hardly looked away from Shen Qingqiu’s face. He might as well have been down on one knee.
And if she’d had any flickering doubts, they had been snuffed out by subsequent events. Her brother had never gotten along with the Qing Jing Peak Lord. Indeed, for years, the two were barely civil to each other, their simmering hostility a known secret among the disciples and a permanent thorn lodged in Yue Qingyuan side. But now, it would not be an exaggeration to say her brother’s closest relationship was with Shen Qingqiu.
She would have said she was glad he had made a friend. Except whatever her brother felt for Shen Qingqiu, it was obviously more than friendship.
Last week, he had nearly missed an important meeting entirely because Shen Qingqiu was feeling ill. The week before, he had rushed back to the peaks when he heard Shen Qingqiu had an attack, leaving his disciples to finish off a tricky demon. Just a few days ago, she had spotted him at a book stall browsing fiction books. Fiction! Her brother! Who never opened anything except sword manuals! Really, all that was missing were little hearts orbiting around his head.
Something had to be done. And as Qi-shufu had suggested to Liu Mingyan in clear terms, the person to do it should probably be her.
“He's your brother. Get him to talk. You know those disciples of his aren’t going to talk to be any help. He needs to get this out of his system.”
Liu Mingyun knew her shifu was right, but still she resisted. Afterall, these were hardly the types of conversations she wanted to have with her brother!
“What’s the end of talking about it?”
“What’s the end if you don’t? He’s blushing so much he’s going to combust! That brother of yours has many fine qualities, but self-reflection isn’t one of them. He’s not going to get over this by himself. Has he considered just talking to Shen Qingqiu? Aren’t we all adults here?”
Her brother indeed needed to get this out of his system before he suffered a qi-deviation. But there were other difficulties. Wasn’t the obstacle more than merely her brother’s constipated emotional state?
“What about Luo Binghe?”
Qi-shufu raised a plucked brow. “Trust you to notice all that. But if this path your brother’s on will not work out for him, it would be best for him to face that reality sooner rather than later, wouldn’t you say? If his tastes turn that way, he’ll have plenty of other options, and best he exercise them rather than bark up trees growing in other people’s yards. He’ll do fine. It will not be news to you that your brother has plenty of personal appeal.”
Liu Mingyan had changed the subject, as she always did when people started talking about her brother’s personal appeal, but she kept thinking about it. Her brother exercised plenty of muscles, but his heart wasn’t one of them. It didn’t have any practice expanding and contracting. It was possible that under too much pressure, it would shatter.
She didn’t want that. She wished her brother success in love. But was Shen Qingqiu a good target?
It didn’t help that regarding Shen Qingqiu, her own feelings were complicated. She had noticed the situation between Shen Qingqiu and his top disciple years ago, when Luo Binghe distinguished himself during that demon attack. At first, she had been intrigued by Luo Binghe himself and how he had managed to progress under such an unhelpful Shizun. But that changed years ago. Now, their dynamic couldn’t be any more different. Hadn’t Luo Binghe basically moved into the Bamboo House? And didn’t he do everything for his Shizun, from cooking to cleaning to combing his hair?
Really, hadn’t Shen Qingqiu gotten injured because he’d been protecting Luo Binghe? It was really—Well, anyone could put the pieces together! And such a striking pair! The most handsome and accomplished disciple on the peaks, watching his elegant Shizun with such covetous adoration.
Alright. Fine. She’d admit it.
At this point, she shipped it.
She shipped it so much when she saw her brother in that bookshop, she hid behind a pillar and prayed he wouldn’t find a certain book recently making the rounds in a few circles. It was still niche, but she thought it had the potential to take off. Part one in a planned series.
But fiction was one thing. She didn’t actually condone such relationships, obviously! Generally, the power dynamics at play were distasteful. But she had also seen it work, hadn’t she? Though Feng Wei had been nearing his third decade by the time he moved in with them, hadn’t he been her father’s disciple once?
It was different with Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. Weren’t those two still living as Shizun and junior disciple right now? Really, it would have been a problem if Shen Qingqiu had been the type to pursue it, but he was so clearly the pursued party! He was always so calm and cool, but Luo Binghe could bring that red tinge to the tips of his ears.
She could see what Shen Qingqiu was facing. Wasn’t he under daily attack from a powerful love beam? Luo Binghe was undoubtedly the most handsome and accomplished disciple on the peaks, with many sighing over him all across the mountain. But he didn’t have eyes for any of them. He stayed focused closer to home, and he must know what he was doing, with the touches and glances and sweet gestures. He acted with such confidence it was easy to forget he was the younger party.
Shen Qingqiu was more of a mystery. He hid his most interesting reactions behind that fan, but he was obviously impacted. Who wouldn’t be?
So in short, though her brother had been shooting his own love beams at Shen Qingqiu for years, bright enough everyone on the mountains had been whispering, that Luo Binghe-shaped shield was strong enough that Shen Qingqiu himself hardly seemed to notice.
Yes, she had to talk to her brother.
Liu Mingyan invited him to practice in a secluded area high above the peaks. He loved to practice (and, though he wouldn’t admit it, show off a little bit), so had of course accepted, unsuspecting of any ulterior motives. Her brother had been training with a single-minded focus since he was barely out of weening clothes, and he was older than her, so despite her own skills their sparring was usually her avoiding his blows. But today Liu Qingge’s strokes lacked focus.
His sword flare went wide and crashed into the side of a mountain. This was as good an opening as she was going to get.
“Gege, do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
“Nothing’s bothering me.”
A great start. “Clearly, something is.”
This earned her only a glare. Alright. Well. There was no way her brother was going to voluntarily talk about his obvious lovesickness, so she would have to try another tactic.
“Luo Binghe should get back soon from that trip to Hongmen. Shen-shishu must be looking forward to his return.”
Liu Qingge grunted and nearly took the top off a mountain.
She considered her options. This wasn’t her first time dealing with a taciturn relative. Her father had been much the same, whenever he’d had a little tiff with Feng Wei (easily fixed by just talking with him, really. Everyone thought Feng Wei was the dramatic one, but her father was the one who would really dig in). She generally didn’t like to pry into such things, except that had been her father, and this was her brother, and his lovesickness was now impacting the structural integrity of their mountains. She plowed ahead.
“Shen-shishu has really turned a new leaf these last couple of years. He used to be so harsh, but his disciples have much kinder things to say about him now. And he’s even gone from having Luo Binghe sleep in the woodshed to having him in that neighboring room and relying on him so much.”
“Shen-shixiong has a caring attitude to all his disciples.”
Did this count as progress? She nudged him a little more. “I believe your opinion of Shen-shishu has also improved?”
Her brother’s eyes narrowed. Had she miscalculated? Was this an overstep? He was so sensitive, like a prickly little porcupine! She held her breath, ready to stroke down his spines, but he continued without cajoling.
“He long ago apologized for those past misunderstandings.” That could have been the end of it, but he continued. “He helped me in the Li Xing caves, when I had a qi deviation. Without his intervention, I might have died.”
This certainly counted as progress! Her heart soared. She had suspected something must have happened in the Li Xing caves. The last time her brother went to meditate there, he had emerged right after Shen Qingqiu, and that was when their relationship had shifted. But this was the first time her brother had ever said a word about a qi deviation, and that had been three years ago! She probably should talk to her brother more.
“It’s lucky that Shen Qingqiu was there that day. I’m very glad he was able to help you.”
“So am I.”
A qi-deviation! The more she thought about it, the more unnerved she was.
“You could have told me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m telling you now.”
Yes, three years later! You should express yourself more! But wasn’t she helping him with that right now? “Since then, you’ve spent much more time on Qing Jing Peak.”
“Yes, well. Shen Qingqiu has been injured, and that poison is unreliable. He needs people to look in on him.”
“He has his disciples,” Liu Mingyan said. “Luo Binghe is very capable and will surely take care of him.”
Was she provoking him with these mentions of Luo Binghe? Kind of, but it did spur him to get these feelings out. And didn’t he need to get them out, before he suffered another qi deviation? There was already a flush on his face, and not just from their exercise and the cold winds up here in the mountains.
“That disciple is capable, but very sticky,” he said. “I’m concerned at Shen-shixiong’s reliance on him.”
She suspected this was as close as he would get himself to calling a spade a spade. If she wanted him to go further, she’d have to lead him forward piece by piece. “Luo Binghe has gotten quite close to Shen Qingqiu, hasn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“He’s around a lot?”
“Yes. All the time.”
“He cooks fine food for his Shizun?”
“Indeed.”
“He cleans his clothes, and runs his errands, and is always by his side?”
“Correct.” Then her brother took a breath, gazed with his falcon eyes over the mountaintops toward Qing Jing peak, and said something she hadn’t expected. “I’m concerned that disciple is trying to seduce him.”
Well, yes, obviously! Her brother had already gotten to this conclusion himself! Had she underestimated him?
“That, I—” why did it suddenly feel like Liu Mingyan was the one on slippery ground now? “And how does that make you feel?”
“So you agree?”
How had he managed to turn the tables on her? “Well, I do think it’s likely Luo Binghe’s feelings for his Shizun are not entirely—platonic.”
Liu Qingge’s lips thinned in grim satisfaction. Did this count as talking about his feelings? It had to, didn’t it? She was going to count it.
“I realize I shouldn’t be speaking with you about this. What does a maiden know of such things?”
Liu Mingyan’s head throbbed. What did maidens know of such things? Brother, what an innocent flower you are! Please don’t come to the dormitory halls at Xian Shu Peak, the conversations there would burn off your ears!
He continued. “If it’s obvious enough even you have seen it, something needs to be done. It’s improper. Shen-shixiong should be careful.”
Ling Mingyan swallowed. “Well, it is not entirely bad to have a devoted disciple. It is possible for such relationships to turn out quite well, given the proper foundations. Didn’t father have Feng Wei?”
She wanted to be delicate with this comparison. Feng Wei had obviously been good for their father, and Liu Qingge could think of the parallels himself. Once their father and Feng Wei had come together, you would pity anyone who tried to come between them—their father would have given them that icy glare, and Feng Wei would have laughed and laughed.
She meant to suggest that perhaps her brother should bark up other trees, seek out other fish, cast his line in fresh waters. You’ll surely get a bite! But her brother took things in an entirely different direction.
“Yes, exactly. Father and Feng Wei are an excellent example. It is possible to live together as comrades, without this extra layer of—deviant desires.”
Wait, what? Did her brother really think that the relationship between Feng Wei and their father hadn’t been—look! It’s not that she wanted to think about it! But it was obvious, wasn’t it? Was she the crazy one here?
Her brother continued. “Such purity in a relationship is certainly more suited to Shen Qingqiu. He is so delicate now. He could not be comfortable if he knew he was the object of such desires.”
Oh, brother. You think Shen Qingqiu doesn’t know? Let’s be real here! I assure you that Shizun is not ignorant of those desires! Haven’t we both seen that pink at the tips of his ears?
Her brother was waiting for her reaction with all the force of his full attention. He rarely gave other humans his full attention, it was usually reserved for whatever demon he was fighting, but when he did it was impossible to resist.
“Yes, well, I suppose it is possible to have that pure type of relationship, though if two people were both to feel, a certain way, mutually, it could be inevitable that certain things may come to light—”
Why had it fallen on her to teach her brother about the birds and the bees?
“You’re right,” Liu Qingge said. “I should warn him.”
Liu Mingyan’s jaw fell open behind her veil. “That’s not—are you sure that’s a good idea? Might it be better to stay out of it?”
“I have tried that. But this behavior, Shen Qingqiu must be made aware of the danger.”
“Well, I’m not sure I would call it—”
But her brother’s gaze had left her and was fixed now down the mountain.
They were high above the peaks, where the snow stuck to the ground all through the year. They both saw the figure approach the gate, the unmistakable appearance of that disciple who turned the heads of most of the women and half the men on the peaks. He didn’t know what he was walking back into.
“Thank you for talking with me,” he said. “I have to go now.”
Before she could say wait, stop, let’s look a bit more objectively at the facts before us, shall we? Liu Qingge was gone. She called after his retreating back. “Let me know how it goes!”
At least this should make an interesting subplot in book two.