Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! This chapter took far longer than it should have, thanks to the surfeit of dialog. Enjoy :)
Beta: JeanGirlMY
- Chapter Start -
After lunch, QiRen made his way to the infirmary, feeling calmer and more in control after another pot of tea and more meditation. He wanted to see Sisi again, but he desperately needed some semblance of normalcy first after this morning's madness.
Sisi was sitting up in bed and chatting with Maiden Wen who was seated in the chair. They both looked up when QiRen entered. Wen Qing got up and bowed with a quiet greeting. She had a half vexed, half approving look on her face, like she couldn't decide if she was pleased with him or not.
"Maiden Wen," QiRen greeted. "Welcome back. I trust you had a fruitful trip to Lotus Pier?"
"I did, thank you," she said. "It looked like things had gotten quite eventful here. What were you think-"
"Wen Qing!" Sisi shot her a pleading look and got a sigh in return.
"Fine. I won't say anymore," Wen Qing told her. "A-Ning and I will bring dinner to your place later. We can eat together."
She went off without waiting for a reply, leaving the door ajar. With a small huff, QiRen settled in the chair beside the bed and ignored the unhappy twinge his back gave.
"Senior Lan." Sisi bowed her head. "Please accept my apologies for all the trouble I've caused."
QiRen shook his head at once.
"None of that was your fault. I was the one who brought you here. I was the one who offered you the librarian assistant job. I was also the one who told Lan Ming to bring Jung MingYu to the Library Pavilion."
He forced himself to hold her gaze, back straight and hands resting on his knees.
"I thought that you would be more comfortable there than in the kitchens. I would also be able to visit you more often."
It was his first acknowledgement of the attraction that lay between them. Or at least, from his side.
Smiling, Sisi leaned forward to rest her hand on his nearest one. Then she snatched it back, eyes widening.
"Sorry! No casual touches."
"No, I... that is fine." QiRen wished she hadn't remembered that particular rule, wished he had never mentioned it in the first place.
"QiRen, I know you meant - sorry! I mean, Senior Lan."
"No! No, QiRen is fine," he said and reached for her hand, holding it in his.
"Oh." Sisi stared at their joined hands, a faint flush stealing into her cheeks. Slowly, her gaze traveled up to meet his, questioning, hopeful and altogether too lovely for someone like him.
QiRen gulped, his heart starting to beat faster.
Perhaps he needn't wait for the outcome of the hearing.
Perhaps it wasn't too early to propose.
Perhaps she would actually-
Her gaze shifted to behind him and then she pulled her hand free and leaned back. QiRen wondered who had peeped in and wished Wen Qing had closed the door when she left.
"The Library Pavilion is a beautiful place," Sisi said. "If not for Young Master Jung - oh, I really wanted to kick him where it would hurt, but I didn't want to cause anymore trouble."
"I know," QiRen said.
"I'm so glad you came when you did."
They both fell silent then, reliving that moment when QiRen burst into the library, his spiritual energy sweeping around the room in his rage.
"Did you get in trouble?" Sisi asked.
"It's nothing I can't handle," QiRen assured her.
"So you did. I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault."
Sisi regarded him for a long moment while he fought to keep a straight face. Then she sighed.
"I'm in trouble too, aren't I?"
"No. It was my actions that were questioned. Not yours," QiRen said firmly.
Oh.
This was bad. He hadn't even finished reflecting on the rules he had broken yesterday and here he was, telling a barefaced lie! Sisi was staring at him with both eyebrows raised, making him want to squirm in his seat.
"Your actions?" She asked. "You mean when you grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up like he weighed nothing?"
He nodded.
"And flung him one handed across the room like it was nothing?"
He nodded again, wincing at the memory.
"And destroyed a sturdy wooden table and damaged at least a dozen books? I saw a lot of pages flying."
The quiver in her voice made him frown, as did the half hidden twinkle in her eyes.
Wait. Was she laughing at him?
"Yes, well," he huffed, shifting about in his chair. "I will pay for all the damages, of course."
"You should've seen Lan-qianbei's face when she-" Sisi broke off and covered her mouth with her other hand, shoulders shaking.
QiRen glared at her, utterly mortified and completely enchanted at the same time, ears burning with embarrassment. She saw his look and sobered up.
"I'm so sorry. Here I am, laughing when you... you saved me. Again."
The soft hitch in her voice melted his huffiness at once. He reached for her hand again, telling himself it wasn't a casual touch because it wasn't. Not for him.
Again, Sisi stared at their hands before looking up at him.
"I wasn't quick enough," he admitted, looking at the faint purple bruises on her jawline and recalling the scratches on her chest. "He had already hurt you."
Sisi shook her head.
"I'll be fine," she said quietly. "It's not the first time - most of my clients are well behaved, but there were a few who..."
Again, she pulled her hand back, her eyes shadowed with past experiences that QiRen wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"I will make sure no one hurts you again," he vowed.
Sisi smiled, her eyes growing shiny.
"QiRen, you've already done too much for me."
"Not enough. I-"
Then the door was pushed open and one of the senior female healers entered, causing them to jerk backwards.
"Senior Lan. Forgive my interruption."
She didn't offer to come back later though. QiRen looked at her expectant face and stood up.
"You are exempted from work today and tomorrow," he told Sisi. "I will inform Lan-qianbei you need to rest first."
- o -
Several hours later...
QiRen frowned down at his dinner tray without noting its contents.
After deliberating the whole afternoon (and likely drinking half the tea in Cloud Recesses in the process), the elders decided to remove him from their circle with immediate effect. However, they still expected him to be acting sect leader for the next two weeks until XiChen and WangJi returned from their respective honeymoons. They also expected him to teach his usual classes.
How anti-climactic.
That was QiRen's first thought as he raised an eyebrow at Elder Zhao who delivered the news. The older man had the grace to look abashed, muttering about how QiRen's two decades of exemplary behaviour in leading the sect in his brother's absence, and shaping young cultivators' minds had allowed them to be more lenient over his actions.
It was more likely that they couldn't find anyone else to replace him at such short notice.
QiRen accepted his punishment in the same stony silence - a disciplinary letter from the elders (he had written his fair share of those), a bill for damages done to the library, and a reminder to repair or replace all damaged books within the next three months.
When he asked about Sisi, Elder Zhao reluctantly confirmed that she could stay on at Cloud Recesses if she had immediate family. QiRen thanked him for the news and wished him goodnight.
He was grateful he still had his teaching job. Although he had accumulated more than enough savings to live comfortably for the rest of his life, the prospect of whiling away his days doing nothing while everyone around him kept busy and productive left an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
Feeling more optimistic, he picked up his chopsticks only to hear someone banging on his door.
"Master Lan!"
Putting down his chopsticks, he went to open the door.
"Maiden Wen."
"Master Lan." Wen Qing sketched a quick bow. "I hope I'm not disturbing."
Her words brought a faint sense of déjà vu.
"I was just about to have my dinner," he replied. "Is anything the matter?"
"It's Sisi."
That same sense of déjà vu assailed him again, stronger this time.
"She's leaving Cloud Recesses."
"What?" QiRen felt his heart skip a beat. "Why?"
When Wen Qing just raised an eyebrow at him, he glared at her. A gifted young healer to be sure, but impertinent as well.
"Where is she now?"
"Heading towards the main entrance. She refused to listen to A-Ning or myself."
"I will talk to her. Thank you, Maiden Wen." QiRen stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
"I'm coming along," she insisted.
"No," QiRen said. Having her and his nephews witness his apology that day was more than enough. "This was my doing. I will handle it myself."
Wen Qing raised that same eyebrow again.
"Can I assume you have my patient's best interest at heart?"
Annoyed, QiRen pursed his lips and nodded.
"Very well, Master Lan." Wen Qing gave a gracious nod as if making a great concession. "Bring her back."
He decided not to reply and strode off, thankful that his nephews weren't around. With any luck, they wouldn't hear of this.
- o -
QiRen wasn't a man given to fanciful thoughts, but it still struck him as he passed through the main gates and saw Sisi on the winding road leading down the mountain. That this was a scenario that could have come from any of those romantic dramas enacted in small towns to serve as entertainment. The kind where two star crossed lovers appeared to part at the end, with one walking away from the other.
Right now, he could be standing at one end of a large, open air stage with the darkened mountains of Gusu serving as the backdrop and the half moon above providing the lighting. But instead of a young and dashing cultivator as the romantic male lead, Lan QiRen had wandered onto the stage instead; scholarly, staid and rule abiding.
He winced at the thought and was even more thankful his nephews weren't here.
"Sisi," he called as he made his way towards her, raising his voice just enough to be heard.
She spun around at once.
"QiRen?"
She looked heartbreakingly beautiful in the moonlight even with the tears in her eyes.
"Qiren, I-"
"Sisi, I-"
Ah, of course. The classic 'speaking at the same moment' cliche was de rigueur in such dramas.
"I can't stay here," Sisi said before he could ask. "I don't have any family living here. A-Yao isn't related to me."
"Who told you about the hearing?" QiRen asked.
She shook her head and wiped her cheek.
"It's not important."
"It is." QiRen took a step closer. "Who was it?"
"Lan-qianbei," she admitted. "She came to see me earlier and said she had attended the hearing."
QiRen's heart skipped a beat.
"What else did she say?"
Again, Sisi shook her head.
"Tell me. What else did she say?" QiRen was horrified at the sharpness of his tone, as if he was interrogating a misbehaving student in class.
"Sisi, what else did she tell you?" he asked gently.
A tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away.
"That you offered to marry me," she replied, her voice shaking.
"I did."
She stared at him, wide eyed with disbelief.
"Why? So that I can stay here?"
"Yes."
She uttered a laugh, but it sounded like a sob.
"I can't accept that." She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Thank you, but I can't."
He grabbed her hands before she could turn around, paying no mind to the dampness on her fingers.
"Sisi, please. I don't know how to court a beautiful woman. I was always tongue tied in my youth and now, I don't even have that excuse. But please, marry me."
"I can't." She tried to tug her hands free, but he didn't let her.
"You can," he insisted. "Marry me. Be my wife. Stay here with me."
A few more tears ran down Sisi's cheeks. She shook her head.
Why would you even want to?" She choked out, pulling a hand free to wipe at her cheek.
With a tsk, he pulled out a clean cloth from his sleeve and handed it to her.
"QiRen, you're a respected elder," she began.
"I've been demoted," he said dryly. "And don't apologise for that, I consider it a good thing."
She gave a little hiccuping laugh. He found it adorable.
"You're still a respected teacher, a good man. A righteous man. I'm a courtesan."
Not anymore," he told her firmly.
"But I can't change my past. If you marry me, you'll be the laughingstock of Gusu."
"No. I will be the envy of all men."
She searched his face and sighed.
"QiRen, I plan to find work at Caiyi Town. If you want, you could visit me at there. I... I wouldn't mind."
He frowned at her, confused.
"Why would you-" Then he realised what she meant and his frown turned into a glare.
"I do not want you as a mistress, but as a wife."
"But the elders won't approve."
"I don't care what they think."
"Your nephews might not approve either."
"Trust me, they can't wait to call you their aunt," QiRen told her. "I can't disappoint them."
She gave that same gasping laugh, more tears flowing from her eyes.
"Sisi, please." QiRen held her hands again, crushing the now damp cloth between their fingers. He wasn't above pleading. Not for her. "Marry me."
"You're a cultivator. You have a golden core. I don't."
"I don't care."
"Are you sure? Are you very, very-
"Yes!"
For the longest moment, she just stared at him, her breaths coming out in shallow pants while he stopped breathing altogether. Then she took a step closer and flung her arms around him, leaving him reeling at the sudden press of soft curves.
Staggering back a step, he found his balance and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. She was trembling. So was he. He never wanted to stop holding her. But he couldn't. Not yet.
With a groan, he pulled back a little, keeping his hands on her arms.
"Sisi, is that a yes?"
"Yes!" She beamed at him, radiant.
He stared at her. Then he smiled, giddy and nervous as a boy.
"Ah. Good. Alright, let's go back."
"Wait. Hold me again, QiRen," Sisi said breathlessly.
"I can't. We're not married yet."
"Just for a while."
Resolutely, he shook his head at her.
"Not until we are married."
"QiRen," Sisi said, her eyes round and her voice very soft. "Are you... are you sure you want to marry me?"
With another groan, he pulled her close again because he couldn't... he couldn't not touch her at the very least. His thoughts were a jumbled up mess in his head. He was a cultivator and she wasn't. He had a strong golden core, one nurtured for decades. She didn't have even a baby one.
No. He wouldn't think of that now. Burying his face in her fragrant hair, he breathed in deeply to ground himself.
"I love you," he said.
She uttered a sob.
"I love you, Sisi," he repeated and hugged her even tighter.
When she pulled back, he released her.
"I love you," she whispered and closed the gap between them. It was a brief kiss, just a light press of their lips but he gasped in shock.
She pulled back, half in disbelief, half in concern.
"QiRen, have you kissed anyone before?"
He blinked.
"Now I have," he said and kissed her, moulding their lips together with something akin to desperation.
When her small hands framed his face, attempting to push him back a bit, he froze at once.
"I'm sorry-"
"Shh-"
"Was I too-"
"Shh."
"We shouldn't be kissing," he said. "What was I thinking? We're not marri-"
He shut up when she kissed him again. Gently, her hands keeping his head in place. He was a powerful cultivator, but he was weaker than a baby right now, shaking, allowing her to do whatever she wished.
She did, moving her lips against his again and again until his lips parted. Then she licked her way inside, flicking her tongue around his mouth until his knees buckled. The kiss broke as he stumbled before righting himself, arms going around her again, holding her against him.
"You are going to be the death of me, woman," he scolded and secretly thrilled to the sound of her soft laughter.
Well. If that was what it took to keep her happy, QiRen wouldn't care if she laughed at him all their lives.
- o -
"Are they ever going to kiss?" Wei Ying asked in a loud whisper. "My legs are getting numb!"
"Wei Ying, we should leave."
"No, no, it's fine. Just a little bit longer."
"WangJi is right, WuXian. What would people think if they saw us here on the roof?"
"That we're just enjoying the moonlight, Er-ge."
"A-Yao, as sect leader-"
"Shh!"
The four of them were crouched on the roof not too far from the main gates, looking at the couple standing alone on the winding road.
"Ah, there we go. A kiss at last!" Wei Ying was delighted. "Oh, that looks, uhm... very passionate. Does Uncle QiRen even know how to kiss?"
"Don't worry, WuXian-xiong," GuangYao said. "Sisi-jie will - there, she's teaching him to kiss properly."
"A-Yao, can we please go now?" Lan XiChen pleaded.
"We are going now," Lan Zhan decided.
Wei Ying and GuangYao looked at their respective husbands and then at each other. For some reason, the Twin Jades looked a little green.
"Fine," Wei Ying said and grinned as he stole a last look at the couple before leaping down from the roof. "We'll have a wedding to attend when we return!"
- Chapter End -
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and take care :)
