Chapter Text
Although the protocol would be to have a Qian Cao Disciple take care of the potentially new disciple that Zhangmen-shixiong’s head disciple had brought into the sect, the Qing Jing Peak Lord feels the boy’s wrist once and then makes an unorthodox decision.
Straightening up, Shen Anwei lets go of the boy’s wrist and looks down at him. The young rogue cultivator glares back with eyes that cannot hide their feral origins. Making up his mind, Shen Anwei declares.
“This master is willing to take you as his disciple on one condition.”
When the boy stiffens but does not back down after one glance to his worried friend, their Qiong Ding Head Disciple, Shen Anwei slowly pulls out and activates a privacy talisman out of compassion.
“Your meridians are damaged.” That is to say the greatest understatement. The boy jolts at his words and quickly looks to his friend only to find in confusion that Yue Qingyuan is confused and worried, wanting to come closer and listen but unable to under his Shizun’s strong grip on his arm. “Do not worry. This is a privacy talisman.” Shen Anwei comforts, waving the paper in his hands. Then, when he has the boy’s attention again, Shen Anwei’s eyes turn firm. “If you ever hope to reach core formation, you will need to undergo rigorous treatment and rehabilitation. That is my condition. One year of treatment and rehabilitation. You may do it concurrently with your studies, but you must have your spiritual pathways fixed. I will not waste my time otherwise.”
It was a lie. Shen Anwei had taught many over the course of centuries that have never reached core formation. Hundreds, possibly even thousands. Shen Anwei was willing to take in this boy as well, if only because it was clear that his shixiong’s already chosen successor was willing to drop everything, even the sect, to follow this boy.
Normally, Shen Anwei wouldn’t care. He’d accept the boy and let the boy decide on his own whether to visit the Qian Cao Peak or not. Most new disciples do, if only to wisely share their pre-existing medical records or – if they were never able to visit a physician before - let the Qian Cao Disciples examine, advise, and treat them. Even if they don’t, it is only a matter of time that everyone visits Qian Cao Peak because of their martial training and cultivation.
But Shen Anwei thinks of a certain disciple as he looks into this boy’s dark eyes and nearly bared teeth and Shen Anwei knows that the boy will never visit Qian Cao even if Yue Qingyuan tries to drag him.
Seeing how the boy holds himself from even ‘his friend’, Shen Anwei thinks that this will be the last time Yue Qingyuan can drag his friend anywhere too.
But it would be a pity if the boy never recovers. Hidden beneath countless scars and heart demons was great potential, possibly even that that could outshine the Xuan Su Sword who was said to be the greatest genius of his generation.
The boy looks like he would finally break his servile cultivator demeanor and snap at him like the street rat that he is and walk away, but another look towards Qingyuan and he grits his teeth in frustration.
Ho. The boy may actually be as dedicated to Yue Qingyuan as Yue Qingyuan is to him.
“I don’t want a male doctor.” He grits out, sounding almost murderous. His knuckles are white as he subtly clench his robes.
While that would normally be a pity because both the Qian Cao Peak Lord and Head Disciple are male, the person that Shen Anwei is thinking of isn’t.
Shen Anwei smiles. “That is fine.” He says as if changing his mind and conceding for the boy’s comfort.
The boy eases a little – just an infinitely small amount – and nods his head stiffly.
“This one will accept your condition.” The boy bowed in picturesque submission.
“Good.” Shen Anwei said before straightening again. The privacy talisman in his hand bursts into flames, its use done as he lets it go. “Then after xiao-gongzhi returns with Yue-shizi for his initiation ceremony, this master will accept Shen Jiu as his disciple.”
The boy looked up at him sharply at the new name. Yue Qingyuan is happier than him at the words. He rushes at the boy as soon as their Sect Leader, Yan Anming, lets go of his disciple’s arm. The boy looks ready to yell at Yue Qingyuan when Yue Qingyuan tries to hold his hand and pull him to his room or the markets to get proper robes in preparation for an initiation ceremony, but the boy wisely stops himself from yelling at Yue Qingyuan in front of them. Instead, the boy just steps aside from Yue Qingyuan’s hold and bows to them in thanks before leaving.
When both of them return, young Shen Jiu clean and dressed in new robes, Shen Anwei has everyone else in the room leave.
Before Yue Qingyuan goes, Shen Anwei requests. “Yue-shizi. Bring Chuang Zao’s Li-shizi over. Then you are dismissed.”
From both Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu’s faces, Shen Anwei could see confusion (ha, so Yue-shizi did tell Disciple Shen about the 12 Peaks). But instead of acknowledging them or his Zhangmen-shixiong’s sharp look at the particular disciple he wanted, Shen Anwei sits at the table that he had prepared and prompts Shen Jiu to introduce himself and make tea.
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While Shen Jiu was glad that Yue Qi was forcefully dismissed (he didn’t want to see him again) (Qi-ge was dead), Shen Jiu wondered what his to-be-new Shizun was planning. Even if the man seemed a lot better than Wu Yanzi, Shen Jiu couldn’t trust it. Cang Qiong may be known as a righteous sect, but even such an infamous sect had to be hiding something.
In the first place, Yue Qi said that Qian Cao was the medical peak. If not to bring someone to introduce to him for his condition, Shen Jiu couldn’t fathom what his Shizun wanted with a disciple from Chuang Zao unless it was to study the talismans and trinkets Wu Yanzi may have left behind.
Shen Jiu barely restrained himself from holding a tea cup too tightly as he set up the table like he once would for Qiu Jianluo and his guests. Wu Yanzi had used his blood for some of the talismans. Would they be able to tell that he was once Wu Yanzi’s disciple? Did the ‘sect strategist’ already know?
Outwardly, Shen Jiu calmly brewed and served tea for his Shizun. Inwardly, Shen Jiu was tenser than a ball of knotted yarn. Countless questions filled him. What was Shizun’s motive for letting him join? What did Shizun see? A rat? A pitiful thing that only had Yue Qingyuan’s guilt and pity? Why was he giving him his family name? Why didn’t Qi-ge come? Why had he broke his promise? Why had he bought him new clothes? Why was he forcing himself to follow Xiao Jiu? Why did Qi-ge-
Shen Jiu forced himself to listen to his Shizun as the Qing Jing Peak Lord began asking him basic questions.
What was Disciple Shen’s goal as a cultivator? To find Qi-ge. Shen Jiu instead said something basic but not uninteresting, witty but not exaggerated. Although Shizun gave him an amused look, the old man did not call him out on his half-truths and drivel.
What did Disciple Shen already know? The ways to survive on the streets, things that could ruin the body and spirit, things from demonic cultivation- Shen Jiu instead answered that he already knew how to read and write (Qiu Jianluo personally taught him), proper etiquette (he was a slave to an arrogant master and a girl who loved pretending), some talisman work.
Shen Jiu answered questions until his new Shizun was satisfied. Then, after handing Shen Jiu a standard Qing Jing cultivation manual and Shen Jiu did a proper kowtow and salute, his Shizun called for ‘Li-shizi’ to enter.
Shen Jiu was both wary and surprised by the young woman who had entered. Despite being indoors in front of the Qing Jing Peak Lord, the young woman didn’t take off her beautiful weimao as she bowed.
“Greetings, Shen-shibo.” She spoke in a soft voice as tranquil as the sound of water. Whenever Shen Jiu was allowed to scrub himself down after Qiu Jianluo allowed him to go, it was always the sound of water pouring from the faucet that calmed him just a tiny bit more. He never felt clean enough, but still, with the sound, he could pretend.
“Li-shizi.” Shen Anwei greeted her happily. “Congratulations on reaching twenty-fifth in ranking. I’m sure Deng-shidi had been pleased by your performance.”
“Un.” The woman nodded, “Shizun made sure that this disciple remembered to harvest some spiritual plants for his ink experiments.”
Shen Anwei laughed. “He did right by asking you. Only you could treat the Immortal Alliance Conference as a scavenger hunt for treasure flowers. I bet Chen-shidi will also be excited by whatever you’ve found.”
Shen Jiu examined the woman who seemed to be about Yue Qi’s age in appearance – early 20s at most, possibly younger though it was hard to tell with cultivators. Although the veil of her weimao covered her face well, her body under the expensive but rather simple sunshine yellow robes were as elegant as the flowers of the Warm Red Pavilion. She didn’t seem like someone who could rank into the Top 25 of the Immortal Alliance Conference, but according to the conversation, she was and had probably not even taken it seriously.
“But excuse me. That is not why I called you here.” Shen Anwei began to talk more seriously. “My apologies for disturbing your rest after you had just returned, but I would like to request my shizi to treat my new disciple, Shen Jiu. Although you had transferred to Chuang Zao, I could think of no one better.”
So she had been from Qian Cao. Although Shen Jiu half-heartedly wondered why, Shen Jiu was glad that this wasn’t an act of sabotage or condescension from his Shizun. Not a you-don’t-even-deserve-a-true-doctor thing.
‘Li-shizi’ bowed in subservience. “Of course, Shen-shibo. Then, if you may…” She gestured him to the door. Shen Jiu blinked in surprise, having expected his Shizun to stay to ‘inspect the goods’ like all his slavers and masters did whenever they had new ‘property’.
Instead, Shen Anwei nodded his head as he stood up. “Of course, Li-shizi. Also, I’m not sure if my disciple will tell you this, but we made a deal.” Shen Anwei’s eyes wrinkled as he reminded Shen Jiu. “He will be under your care until his spiritual pathways are fixed. One year at minimum. I will send you his schedule later.”
Shen Jiu wanted to yell at Shen Anwei. He was tricked! He thought it was only going to be one year at most!
But seeing him disappear and knowing that he couldn’t do anything about it without potentially getting kicked out of the sect, Shen Jiu instead turned his attention to the only other person in the room.
On one hand, she was a woman. On the other, Shen Jiu knew that she was a cultivator who possibly answered to her Shen-shibo (and Qi-ge who was a senior head disciple and to be the future sect leader). He didn’t know if he could trust her to not slip him something or confess more of his secrets to people. As someone who felt his meridians, Shen Jiu had no doubt that Shen Anwei – a tactician and spiritual cultivator - knew that he was once used as a cauldron, but a professional medical cultivator was likely to learn more like in what way he became a cauldron. Even that he was once a slave by the slave brand that was still on his lower back. Shen Jiu had always wanted to burn or skin that thing off, but it was no use because slave masters often engraved their marks deeply into the flesh because of countless previous runaway slaves that had once had the same idea.
The woman moved, making Shen Jiu tense, but instead of moving closer to him once Shen Anwei was gone, the woman locked the closed door and placed two paper talismans on it.
“This is a privacy talisman and a protection ward. With this, no one may hear or enter the room and you may leave easily by tearing the protection ward.” She said, scratching the talisman that she was pointing at with a nail. It disappeared into fire-less ashes from that small damage and she placed another with the same markings on the door. “This one would be happy to let you study them.” She revealed more talismans from under her long sleeves.
Then, returning them back, she formally turned to him and bowed lowly as if he was her senior and not a new disciple.
“This disciple is named Li Mei, Senior Disciple of Chuang Zao Peak.” Taking out another talisman that was now square shape, Li Mei presented it to him. “This disciple has already sworn doctor-patient confidentiality as one of her healer oaths, but this disciple is also willing to vow on a vow-binding array to keep what is learned in our sessions between us.”
Shen Jiu stared. When he spoke, his voice came out more shakily than he had thought. “This one cannot interpret talismans. How will this one know that Li-shijie is not lying?”
“This disciple is willing to find and ask Yue-shixiong to return and interpret it for you.” When Shen Jiu tensed at those words, the woman’s voice softened as she added, “But that is not necessary. If Shen-shidi was accepted as a personal disciple by Shen-shibo outside of the entrance exams, then this disciple has faith in her shidi’s ability to learn. This disciple will offer a free sample of each talisman to her shidi for him to study in Qing Jing Peak’s illustrious library.”
Shen Jiu swallowed, feeling something burning in his heart and eyes. He then nodded. “That is acceptable. This shidi would be glad for his Li-shijie’s offer. Li-shijie may come closer to treat this shidi.”
He had no choice because of his new Shizun’s condition for teaching him and they both knew it, but Shen Jiu had never felt this in control in an exchange with someone. He had never felt his words heard and his person so respected before – and currently, that was even with his ‘Qi-ge’ in the running.
Li Mei nodded and approached closer – her demeanor soft and harmless just like her elegant and silent steps. She placed all three talismans on the table that Shen Jiu once made tea for his Shizun on. “Place your hands on top of mine.” She instructed when she set down the vow-binding array and placed both her palms on the markings. Shen Jiu did and Li Mei swore a lengthy vow of secrecy with no loopholes that Shen Jiu could think of. “May this disciple feel your wrist, Shen-shidi?”
Despite feeling the same anxiety as he had when he had forced himself to let the Qing Jing Peak Lord feel his wrist, Shen Jiu found himself offering it more easily to the woman. He was surprised to feel her place a handkerchief from her sleeve on his wrist before she examined his meridians.
While Shen Jiu could not see if she was frowning because of the white veil of her weimao, Shen Jiu knew when she was finished examining him when she let go and produced a large blanket from her qiankun pouch. It looked as soft as the clouds as she placed it on the floor next to them.
“This one apologizes, but this one has sensed many improperly healed bones that will need to be reset and healed again. If Shen-shidi chooses, he may lay down on the floor or on this blanket. Also, if Shen-shidi chooses, this one has medicine that he may drink to numb the pain. This one only asks that Shen-shidi allows this one to touch him.”
Shen Jiu trembled. He knew that some of his bones (if not most) had been fractured many times and healed ‘naturally’. The gang of slavers, Qiu Jianluo, and Wu Yanzi used to laugh and tell him to not be so weak and just get over it when his limbs ached in cold winters, mornings, and rainy days. He just never thought that she would not only ask, but also provide so many options when she inevitably saw and wanted to treat him.
But she did and Shen Jiu had never felt a softer blanket before when his hand sneakily reached out to feel it.
Mistaking his shock for distrust regarding the painkiller medicine, Li Mei took out the potion and offered, “If Shen-shidi doesn’t mind, this one may take a sip first.”
Shen Jiu nodded, even if he had a feeling that she was not lying. Her words and voice sounded so sincere like all the kind ladies in the brothels he had visited over the course of his life for rest. Feeling a blanket even softer than those in the noble household of Qiu, Shen Jiu even remembered those times when Qiu Haitang would invite him to her room and he would sleep safe from her brother.
He was tired, Shen Jiu realized. If he laid on this blanket – even without a sedative - he may fall asleep. But Shen Jiu wanted to trust-
Li Mei sipped the potion and calmly held it in her hand for five minutes. Even if Shen Jiu couldn’t see her eyes, the silence was not tense at all and he felt that she was looking at him kindly. Then, when the allotted time for most poisons to show symptoms within ended, she offered the potion to him.
Shen Jiu stared at the glass bottle before drinking the rest. It was sweet, nothing like the bitter, nasty medicines that he knew of.
Despite how the cold, hard floor would be the wise choice, Shen Jiu moved onto the blanket and let her slowly place him down on his back. Unlike the brutal cracks that he had thought she was going to do, her fingers were gentle and light as she somehow applied precise internal cuts with her qi. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was still conscious and could feel his bones separating into familiar fragments, he would think that she was doing nothing at all.
The blanket was as soft and warm as he had thought.
Shen Jiu was glad that he had already taken a thorough bath and switched to clean, newly bought clothes. He wondered if she would be willing to give him it as well if he asked.
Without knowing, he fell asleep.
When he woke up in the morning with her calmly reading a book on the side in wait for him to wake up, she continued her diagnosis, having waited for him to receive his permission for the next step of the treatment despite how she must have finished setting his bones hours ago.
Shen Jiu easily gave her permission to heal his bruises, cuts, and badly scarred skin. This time, when she offered him a healing potion, he did not make her test it first. It tasted as good as the first one. If he did not feel himself getting better in real time, he would have thought that the potion was liquified candy.
Shen Jiu had never felt better in his life.
When someone knocked on the door to remind her that the banquet for Top 100 rankers in the Immortal Alliance Conference was to start in half a shichen, they both realized that it was already approaching evening. Li Mei bowed in apology.
“This one apologizes, but she will have to resume the treatment at another time.”
“This shidi understands.” Shen Jiu said and it was surprisingly without any vitriol or sarcasm at all. “Shizun had implied that it would take more than a year.”
Li Mei bowed her head again in a nod. “Spiritual pathways are more complicated to treat than physical conditions. Shen-shidi’s meridians are in a precarious state. It would take longer to treat them and to train them to retain and not leak.”
That was an understatement. Even Shen Jiu, who had much less understanding of cultivation and meridians, knew that. Shen Jiu had also never heard of a human cauldron living past a few years, much less becoming a known cultivator. They were used until they were entirely consumed – even bone and flesh turned into pills for many. If Shen Jiu had not been useful to Wu Yanzi in other ways, Shen Jiu had no doubt that he would have suffered the same fate as his predecessors and any other Shen Jiu had no doubt that the man had secretly used in concurrence with Shen Jiu.
As Shen Jiu thought of Wu Yanzi and his past, Li Mei took out a silk fan and presented it to him.
“As apology for this one’s unprofessionalism, this shijie offers her shidi a gift.”
Shen Jiu stared at the beautiful white fan. Hanging from it was a green tassel with a not so small light green engraved jade piece. Unconsciously, Shen Jiu took the fan from her hands and opened it to see a beautiful scenery of painted bamboo. Feeling the hidden metal inside, Shen Jiu had no doubt that the fan could double as a weapon too. His hands nearly shook as he stared at his first present in a long, long time. She didn’t have to, especially when she had stayed up for hours to treat him despite having just came out of many days in the dangerous realm of the Immortal Alliance Conference, but Shen Jiu couldn’t bring himself to return the gift, especially after having already received it like this. Closing it and opening it to hide his face, Shen Jiu nodded.
“This shidi thanks Li-shijie for her gift and will welcome Li-shijie in future sessions. This shidi hopes Li-shijie to have a pleasant time in the celebratory banquet.”
Li Mei nodded her head and excused herself. As she stood up while placing her forgotten book from the table back into her sleeve, Shen Jiu couldn’t help but ask. “Can this shidi keep this blanket?”
Li Mei paused. Shen Jiu stiffened, almost cursing himself. He unconsciously waved his fan in the heat of embarrassment, but it did not take Li Mei long to answer.
With a nod, Li Mei even took out a qiankun pouch from a qiankun pouch to give to him. Shen Jiu stared at the thing that even Wu Yanzi couldn’t afford easily given to him without regret.
“Shen-shidi may.” Li Mei said simply. “If Shen-shidi has any questions or feels any complications before our next session, Shen-shidi may use these talismans to call me.” Li Mei added, handing him three paper talismans as well. “This one is for general questions or problems. This one is for emergencies. This one is if you need secrecy and do not want me to be seen. The tracking element within them will only activate after you fill them with qi.”
Shen Jiu had never felt like he had too many gifts before, but now he suddenly felt his hands full of them.
“This shidi is grateful for Li-shijie’s thoughtfulness.” Shen Jiu swallowed the overwhelming feeling.
He wondered if Li Mei was smiling under her weimao as she looked at him for a second longer before nodding and leaving the room to prepare for her formal obligations.
Shen Jiu placed the blanket and talismans in his hands and on the table into the qiankun pouch just in time before Yue Qi barged into the room without knocking to ask if he was alright. Shen Jiu almost got upset at him for lacking propriety, warning, and any sort of privacy. But it was hard to feel completely upset at Yue Qi even when Shen Jiu was still angry at him because of how much better he felt than he had in his whole life. Shen Jiu still hissed at Yue Qi and told the idiot to go prepare for the banquet that he knew the Qiong Ding Head Disciple had to go to as well.
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“Xiao Mei!” Deng Anshui – the Chuang Zao Peak Lord and her Shizun – greeted her with glee. “To think that even I was going to let you rest instead of going over all of the things you must have harvested, but Shen-shixiong had you do his dirty work all night.”
“Shizun would best remember such wording is best behind closed doors.”
Deng Anshui laughed but quietly asked in a way that no other cultivator could hear. “But how is our new sect disciple?”
Li Mei nodded – the only answer she could give. Deng Anshui, knowing her and most of the healers’ vows in Qian Cao, smiled, accepting it.
“Good, good. I heard that he is our beloved future sect leader’s sweetheart.”
“Shizun found too much time now that he is outside of his peak.”
Deng Anshui laughed again, not denying it. Normally, the Chuang Zao Peak Lord was in seclusion in his peak researching, innovating, or experimenting with countless talismans, artifacts, and items – but this year, he had decided to join the congregation of Cang Qiong Peak Lords and disciples going to the Immortal Alliance Conference.
It was mostly because he kept wanting to remind his new disciple who was gifted in finding spiritual items to do some treasure hunting for him in the realm. If she had spent time just finding treasure flowers and valuable beasts that could not be found outside of the realm used for the Immortal Alliance Conference instead of competing, then that would have been fine with him too.
Of course, hunting spiritual beasts for their qualities also gave points so she still managed to keep herself within the Top 25. Li Mei was one of her generation’s top geniuses. If it wasn’t because she had just transferred from Qian Cao last year, Deng Anshui would have made her his new Head Disciple.
He didn’t deny that he was spending his rare free time gossiping with his fellow Peak Lords.
“Well, then. Enjoy the banquet.” Deng Anshui encouraged her after they had walked in side by side. Only Sect Leaders, Peak Lords, important people, and the Top 100 cultivators who won the Immortal Alliance Conference were allowed in the celebration banquet. Since Li Mei was the only one from Chuang Zao who had made it into the Top 100, it was only her by her Shizun’s side as they entered.
Li Mei nodded her head and made her way to the banquet tables, not interested in anything but the food. Deng Anshui chuckled before finding his fellow Peak Lords to bother. Shen Anwei would be glad to hear that his new disciple was doing alright as well.
“Li-shimei!” Shang Haoran greeted her when he too broke off from the general Cang Qiong group of disciples with Peak Lords who didn’t attend the Conference. Since An Ding Peak was always busy, his Shizun was still back at the sect. “Let me help you.” He offered, taking a plate and asking her what she wanted from the tables. “You must still be tired after what Deng-shibo and Cheng-shibo asked you to do.”
“Were you not also an offender?” Li Mei asked but obligingly allowed Shang Haoran to continue – subtly - describing the foods in front of her in guise as praise and wonder for all the available options.
“Did you find it?” Shang Haoran happily ignored the accusation. “Well, then again, I guess it might be hard for you to know which flower is which without someone to help you. Oh! They have Fire Breathing Duck! Li-shimei, do you want some?”
Li Mei nodded to both questions. “I found a flower with high purifying qi. I don’t know if it’s the Thousand Petal Purifying Lotus that you were looking for, but it was lotus-shaped.”
“You and your qi-sensing abilities are such a cheat.” Shang Haoran complained before quickly backtracking a little with a whisper. “But it’s really such a shame that you are blind. As much as I’m not proud of some aspects of this world, it can be quite beautiful.” Shang Haoran whispered wistfully.
Li Mei, who had stopped using so much qi to thoroughly sense all her surroundings when Shang Haoran offered to help her, smiled wryly. “It’s fine. There’s beauty in the world without sight.” She said in all sincerity.
Because for her, it was true. Perhaps to make up for her blindness in reincarnation, she had gained an extraordinary sense for qi. She could see qi in everything that had a little bit of it. Even more when she burned through her large reserves to ‘see’ more. It wasn’t the same as true sight, but it was something. And she was almost getting to be able to see on her own with talismans anyways. Currently, she had only successfully been able to make a talisman that would allow her to see the world through others’ eyes. She just didn’t use it often because it was a bit disorienting to share sight with someone who was not near her or looking the same way. Even worse when they were looking at her.
“That’s good.” Shang Haoran smiled. Apparently, he was a reincarnator like her and the potential creator of this stupid world. They happened to find each other when Shang Haoran asked for someone with discretion to treat him. There was no better person ‘with discretion’ to treat someone than a blind person that everyone automatically underestimated so she was sent.
Of course, when she felt the harmless demonic traces on him (in addition to the harmful), she, as a dutiful sect member, asked. Shang Haoran paled. In the middle of his self-defense and then her self-defense, they both realized that they were people who had reincarnated from another world. A little more exchange of words and Li Mei found out that Shang Haoran was even ‘the author’. Of course, Shang Haoran quickly found out that she knew nothing about his book Proud Immortal Demon Way when she asked who was Shang Qinghua and Mobei-jun when Shang Haoran tried to cover for himself and a demon that he was apparently spying for.
“I am so sorry. That sucks so much.” Shang Haoran had said to her when she had said her short summary of how she followed only Japanese and Korean stuff and asked what kind of plot it was that he wrote if this was a world based on a story. “This is probably the worst world you want to be blind in.”
As if she wanted to be blind. But it wasn’t so bad and she told him such when he immediately apologized for his wording.
Since Shang Haoran had a system and told her the general plot of his porn book, Li Mei let the spy go. He was good company. She would be left at a loss without a fellow reincarnator who knew the wonders of their previous world. Li Mei knew that Shang Haoran felt the same with how he continuously sought her.
She was his ‘primary physician’. She now had two ‘semi-permanent patients’. Huh.
“How did you get to Top 100, Shang-shixiong?”
“Rude!” Shang Haoran laughed, not at all offended that she was surprised he even made it to the bottom of the top ranks. “I can be strong too, you know!” Then he groaned. “Especially because the system keeps hounding me about becoming successor. I’m pretty sure that I still have many years to go though!” He whispered loudly and furiously to an invisible system. “The scum villain had only just entered Cang Qiong this year!”
Oh. He has? Li Mei was a little interested, but after second thought, decided that she didn’t want to know. The plot of a porn novel as nonsensical as the one Shang Haoran had described was something better off not knowing until that protagonist dude got his harem, burned down the sect, and merged the three realms, destroying the whole world. How anyone could be interested in such a ridiculous power fantasy, she did not know. She did not tell Shang Haoran that his fans must be incels, perverts, or people with no jobs.
A familiar scent that made her stomach growl wafted in the air.
Li Mei sniffed, unconsciously following it. “Shang-shixiong. This shimei smells Honeyed Black Pork Belly. This shimei must have some slices.”
Shang Haoran smiled, smoothly transitioning from his argument with an invisible being to clicking the tongs in his hands. “Yes, yes, Li-shimei. This shixiong would make sure to grab the best slices.”
It wasn’t his fault that she was stuck in his novel. She told him that many times already, but she didn’t mind being served once in a while by a guilty ‘god’.
They talked and ate together. Since neither of them were particularly special or ‘extraordinary’, they were left alone by everyone. Sect Leaders congregated amongst themselves or tried poaching Head Disciples and rogue cultivators who managed to make it to Top 100. Su Xiyan and Yue Qingyuan were surrounded as everyone wanted to meet the greatest cultivators of their generation.
Unbeknownst to both of them, Yue Qingyuan kept trying to escape his duties to talk to Li Mei. If it wasn’t for his Shizun’s firm hand on his shoulder, the impulsive Qiong Ding Head Disciple would have and even made a big fuss in public over trying to learn as much as he can about ‘Xiao Jiu’. While Shen Anwei could understand, also wanting to know more details than the bare minimal that he understood his little but dependable shizi would provide, Shen Anwei made sure to remind the Chuang Zao and Qian Cao Peak Lords to share a carriage with Li Mei later to prevent Yue Qingyuan from bothering her on the way back to Cang Qiong as well.
With how those two were likely to ask about all the treasures that Li Mei had no doubt found in the Immortal Alliance Conference, it could even be a good impromptu lecture on spiritual fauna and flora for his new disciple who would also be needing a carriage.
To his amusement and joy, his little newest disciple seemed to have warmed up greatly to Li Mei over their first session together. The Peak Lords happily talked about all the things that Li Mei found in the privacy of their carriage while the Sect Leader dragged Yue Qingyuan to return to Cang Qiong ahead of them.
Officially, it was because sect leaders and their successors were always too busy to enjoy a slow ride from the Immortal Alliance Conference to Cang Qiong. Unofficially, it was to prevent Yue Qingyuan from causing a ruckus in public and make Shen Jiu even more tense. That boy, who was such a good diplomat whenever he wasn’t around his beloved Xiao Jiu, didn’t seem to know when to listen and to stop pushing the limits of his important people.
Shen Anwei didn’t know the full story behind their conflict, but it was evident that if nothing changed, their conflict would grow. Which was bad because he was truly considering Shen Jiu, who had wits, potential, and the guts to disagree with the beloved Yue Qingyuan of Cang Qiong Sect, as his potential successor. A good tactician couldn’t always say yes to their leader and those in power, especially not like the many sycophants and admirers around Yue Qingyuan and admittedly even those on Qing Jing Peak tend to do.
Hopefully, some time and space between the two would heal whatever had caused their bond to tense and tear.
For now, Shen Anwei joined his martial siblings in identifying and explaining all the things with high spiritual qi that Li Mei had found to Li Mei and Shen Jiu who was avidly listening.
“Is that?” Cheng Anshuo gasped before shakily holding the next treasure flower Li Mei took out of her qiankun pouch. Each flower was carefully warded – still rooted in a block of soil and all – so that no pollen could escape and so that they could be planted in Cang Qiong if the Peak Lords wanted to. Shen Anwei was certain that Cheng Anshuo would do anything to get this flower in his greenhouse. “Is that Thousand Petal Purifying Lotus? There was Thousand Petal Purifying Lotus in Jue Di Gorge? Li-shizi, you have to get more the next time you go to the Immortal Alliance Conference. Do remember this qi signature. Deng-shidi, you can never stop sending Li-shizi to the Immortal Alliance Conference no matter how old she gets.”
“I’m sure that the wards enforce the age limit.” Shen Anwei said in amusement.
“Wards? No. I understand, Cheng-shixiong. I will figure out a way to bypass those wards so that Xiao Mei can keep attending the Immortal Alliance Conference as a competitor even in her Peak Lord years.” Deng Anshui, Lord of the Peak of talismans and artifacts, said passionately as he also admired the lotus within the stasis talismans.
“Cheng-shibo, Deng-shibo, Shizun, what makes the Thousand Petal Purifying Lotus so special?” Shen Jiu asked, looking like an exemplary scholar and model student if Shen Anwei didn’t have a good inkling about his background.
Still, that didn’t stop Shen Anwei from being an exemplary Shizun himself and explaining to his new disciple.
Shen Anwei wondered who it was that gave Shen Jiu the fan as his new disciple looked happy that they were all taking his questions seriously and had never treated him as a child. His new disciple must be hiding a smile that managed to charm young Yue Qingyuan behind the fan.