Chapter 2: 2 Stalks: Love, duality, twined fate, doubled happiness.


Shen Qingqiu reluctantly drifted into consciousness with the unsettling feeling of wrongness pervading his mind. Keeping his eyes closed and breathing steady, he relaxed his iron control of qi and let a bit suffuse the air. Immediately he frowned, his qi was unusually heavy, his yin fire and water roots were teetering on precipice of destructive overreacting and counteracting loops as usual and though his spirit veins ached, they did not feel scoured raw. He could hear the faint rustling of bamboo, taste a vague sweetness on his tongue and feel the revolting stickiness in his eyes from the Golden Thousand Dreams Flower pollen in suspended scent bags for restful, dreamless sleep (Pah. Once again, he endured the negative aspects without the benefits).

In conclusion, as much as his pounding headache allowed for reasonable deduction, he was at Qing Jing, in his bamboo house, following at least one night of illness and a Qi Deviation severe enough for Qi-ge to coat Shen Qingqiu's spirit veins with his stable yin-yang earth qi to prevent his shidi's own qi turning against him.

It was likely a disciple who retrieved the Sect Leader to cater to his pathetic Second's weak cultivation after a mild Deviation not severe enough to require any aid from Qian Cao. Most probably Ming Fan, the excessively fussy brat. Shen Qingqiu would deal with him later, for now only one question remained; why was Yue Qingyuan still wasting time here?

"...Shidi? Shidi, can you hear me?"

His voice. His voice, light, soft and full of foolish concern. It made his scars ache.

Shen Qingqiu prised his eyes open and squinted against the light. When his vision cleared, he saw Yue Qingyuan's worried face intent on him and- a sudden rush of grief hit him. He'd killed this man. This man, this brother, the one to whom he pledged his entirety loyalty, who had knowingly walked into a trap to reach him because he was hurt...

His eyes light up with unreasonable joy, "Shidi finally woke up; is there any discomfort?"

The last time he'd looked at that face clearly... he was being dragged away by Huan Hua to await his 'trial'.

The last time he heard that voice it was heavy with hurt and betrayal, with pain and disappointment that made his eyes burn worse than the toxic air of the Water Prison.

Then black shards scattered carelessly, mockingly. How cold they were. How sweet the qi imprint on them smelled among the suffocating iron.

But...that was false. That had never happened. The was no Immortal Alliance Conference Catastrophe, there were no unusual reports from Jinlan City, no fires burning on Cang Qiong Mountain, no merging of worlds by the blade of Xin Mo.

But... the details. The complexity. His dreams were full of heart demons and suffering whenever he slept unaided but never had they been so elaborate and the progression was too logical to be attributed to fever dreams.

He'd been silent too long, Yue Qingyuan's smile wavered and his eyes widened for some foolish reason. "...Shidi?" he ripped his gaze away, eyes falling on a simple paper fan with chrysanthemum watercolours, crafted by a disciple years ago. He snapped it up to hide himself.

"Hm."

That left... a vision? A heavenly revelation? As if the Heavens would bother with scum like him. Demonic influence? Or a poison? The only demon of sufficient ability and power to breach the ward arrays of the Sect would be Meng Mo, who was renowned for non involvement in just about everything. And if one could circumvent his paranoia, then they would not waste the opportunity with a dosage of hallucinogen or alternatively, his distraction under the influence. Or perhaps... Perhaps it was...a memory of sorts, from Shen Qingqiu himself at a different point in existence. A Shen Qingqiu who died, with a soul too ruined for reincarnation. With his doubled yin in fire and water, he had always been more sensitive in matters of the mind and soul...and with his conflicting elemental roots...it wasn't so much of a stretch of disbelief that he'd torn his soul apart. It was not unreasonable to think that his fragmented soul could have drifted through the spiritual plains until encountering a compatible entity; the functional soul of Shen Qingqiu.

He drew a long breath and shut his eyes, flashing scenes of catastrophe and devastation. Betrayed and disgusted expressions, scorn and abandonment and always, always Blood. He opened them. This... would require meditation.

"This shidi requires meditation to address spiritual imbalance. Asking shixiong for permission to enter seclusion."

Yue Qingyuan hesitated, eyebrows slanting pathetically and smile twisting. Honestly, this foolish Sect Leader was far too open in his expressions. "Qingqiu-shidi... this shixiong understood that your disciples are to undertake a mission in Shuang Hu City to gain experience? And this shixiong knows his shidi has been contemplating the approaching Immortal Alliance Conference... he need not enter any if preferable; none would dare question the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, but all this and shidi wishes to further his cultivation as well? So soon following a Qi Deviation, is it wise...?"

Shen Qingqiu glared, irritation spiking. "This master knows the state of his own spirit veins very well. Asking shixiong for permission."

A hint of rare steel entered Yue Qingyuan's eyes, "Accompany your Qing Jing disciples down the mountain and upon return this shixiong will grant his shidi entrance to the Ling Xi Caves for seclusion.".

Qi-ge. Of all the times to deny me...

"Tsk. Thanking Zhangmen-shixiong." He said bitterly.

Yue Qingyuan crumpled, "Xiao-Jiu..." But he did not yield. The address made Shen Qingqiu flinch and snarl reflexively, but... he was tired. Sore. He ached in his body and his spirit. That, and a swell of swell of remembered despair from another time Yue Qi acted directly against Shen Qingqiu's wish, stayed his tongue. He hissed and looked away.

They sat in silence until Yue Qingyuan left.

.

.

.

Fourteen days.

Two weeks until the Qing Jing disciples field trip down Cang Qiong mountain to investigate a string of murders, the most recent being some rich Lord's concubine, but half a dozen prostitutes from various houses. Shen Qingqiu had heard of it two months earlier from the worried girls of the Warm Red Pavilion and assured them that the ward arrays he had carved, painted and embroidered into their home would protect them from demons and demonic cultivators, though not from the evil in the hearts of men. Madam Cheng had gently refused his offer to support her in a request to the Sect for aid, so as not to sully his reputation by association. As if that mattered when Cang Qiong as a whole already thought him to be scum.

His students should have little difficulty with what he vaguely recalled to be a low-level camouflage-type demon... a Face-Snatcher? Shadow? Skinner? Mimic? Or was it a rarer culprit...

Additionally, there was something uneasy in him at the thought of his female disciples going on this mission, given the victim profiles. However, it was imperative that they are able to defend themselves against the world outside the Sect, particularly as the girls of Qing Jing were scholars, musicians and artists in training. Shen Qingqiu's peak housed the third largest proportion of female to male disciples after Xian Shu and Qian Cao, but they were without the deadly teachings of strength, and subtlety in wielding the blade of beauty, or the Healers knowledge on deconstructing the human body. No, Qing Jing's girls were softer and more helpless, simply from difference in priorities, especially those such as Ning Yingying.

Dread sunk in his stomach. No. His girls would not be prey and bait.

"Ming Fan!"

"This disciple is here! What is Shifu's command?"

The boy appeared nigh instantaneously, almost tripping over gangly limbs in his haste. Unseemly. Even the springiest bamboo shoot does not swing about so inelegantly. What had become of him in the end?

"This master will be reviewing his disciples' martial ability in the Soothing Stone Grounds in light of an upcoming assignment. This master expects his Head Disciple to ensure his shidis and shimeis are all present and prepared. No exceptions."

"This disciple understands Shifu."

Twenty-eight junior disciples were gathered in the large, paved clearing, huddled in ground and gossiping idly. Shen Qingqiu watched from the shadow of one of the stone pillars around the outside. That they were so unwary when they knew he was to be present spoke ill of their spatial awareness. There was also one missing.

How to address these issues... what better way than to strike fear into their hearts?

Slowly, he let his qi drift unnoticeably about the clearing, fan smoothly tilting in his grasp to gently guide water to sink low and fire to rise high, especially around the perimeter. Only two or three noticed anything and the quickly brushed it off. Disappointing. A whisper of ocean waves tickled his ear as bitter tea crossed his tongue with a tinge of salt. This sort of separate, simultaneous root use was rare, requiring absolute control and awareness, but for Shen Qingqiu it was the only was to utilise higher densities of qi without explosions.

Speaking of...

A sharp diagonal strike and the energies clashed, a vortex of wind suddenly whipping through the clearing, filling the air dust and grit and howling. And providing a very effective smoke screen.

Shen Qingqiu darted in willing the currents to bend around him and snatched Ming Fan out of the fray. He deposited the boy a way off, back in the deciduous forest and glared down at him. "Ming Fan"

His head disciple started and leapt to his feet, "Shifu!"

Shen Qingqiu's lips curled behind his fan as he began to slowly pace a circle round the boy, "This master has left much of his disciples' martial training to his eldest junior disciple, secure in the knowledge of his ability to perform and instruct those under his purview. Now, this master wonders if that trust was misplaced, that Ming Fan fails to follow simple, explicit instruction." He stopped in front of the boy and snapped his fan shut, "Well?"

Ming Fan looked devastated, "This disciple has- has shamed Shifu, this lowly one wrongly assumed that Luo Binghe was not desired to be present for this instruction and told him to cut wood for the stock." He bestowed, "Asking Shifu for punishment"

Shen Qingqiu reopened his fan "Punishment is in part in the knowledge that any blood spilled by a shidi or shimei of yours in injury or death stains your hands as if you struck the blow yourself. May you feel the weight of the lives in your hands and forever be aware of the red on your skin as penance for the damage of you naivety. For now, we shall retrieve the little beast and begin the lesson."

When they eventually came upon Luo Binghe, he was indeed chopping wood, like any peasant mortal. His feet weren't positioned in any sword stance Shen Qingqiu knew and when he swung the axe, it was in such a way that built muscle in the shoulders, not the full arm. And his grip was entirely incorrect besides.

Shen Qingqiu stalked over, rage mounting. This was Su Xiyan's legacy? This was the beast with Heavenly Demon blood who survived the Endless Abyss without resources or aid? Who merged worlds and brought about the downfall of the great Cang Qiong Mountain Sect? This imbecile who couldn't even chop wood constructively?

The idiot turned around in time to receive a sharp strike from the fan to his head, "What. Are you doing. Beast." Shen Qingqiu hissed.

Luo Binghe stared at the ground and said sullenly, "This disciple was chopping wood for the woodshed Shizun." To which he received another chop from the fan.

"Impertinence. This master can see with his eyes the world around him with far greater understanding than that of his least learned disciple." He paused for a moment, but continued with deadly quiet, "…of course, if his disciple thinks so lowly of this master, then he is welcome to journey down the mountain and take up a life of woodcutting like a weak mortal. Perhaps he would prefer it, as he prefers to make a mockery of his assigned tasks."

Luo Binghe's hands curled into fists but his head remained bowed. He said nothing.

Bitterness flooded Shen Qingqiu's mouth, fire qi prickling hotly in his veins. His fan creaked in his grip.

Ming Fan shifted, drawing attention. His eyes were dripping and his lower lip tremored. His dark eyes met livid green and he sobbed, throwing himself down to kneel. "S-Shifu, this is another failing of this disciple." He shuddered, taking a breath and continuing wetly, "this Ming Fan has hurt the disciples given to his care by negligence and- and unfair punishments and extra chores. This- This Ming Fan has actively sabotaged the learning of disciple Luo Binghe with misinformation and lacking information in his training, his petty envy has prevented him from teaching his shidi even basic sword forms and martial kata correctly. Luo Binghe works diligently and obediently, it is this Ming Fan that is unworthy, of, of his position in Qing Jing Peak and Cang Qiong Mountain Sect." he looked up, utterly wretched, "…Shifu…I even gave him a cultivation manual unbefitting of a disciple, worn and damaged from burns and wetness with binding so loose pages were coming out."

Shen Qingqiu's pupils pinpricked. Could it be…? No, surely not. "What was it called?" there was no answer for a moment, for an eternity, "What was the cultivation manual called?"

It was Luo Binghe that answered, hesitantly, "Formation Steps on the Twofold Path of Five Phases" He watched his cold, untouchable Shizun blanche and suddenly he was being crowded with his Shizun's hand across his forehead and over his heart, a cool, rejuvenating energy gently washing over him like ripples in a pond.

Shen Qingqiu relaxed after a moment and stepped back, carefully circling his qi to fix the instability from drawing so heavily on his water, especially so soon following an upheaval. The troublesome thing was fine though, no signs of spirit vein warping, scarring or any significant damage and Su Xiyan's Seal was only mildly eroded, most probably a product of age. He was still a prey animal though, absolutely no resistance against Shen Qingqiu's foreign energy invading his system which was disgraceful, even if he had specifically used his water for the promoting effect on the boy's wood qi. He awaits the day the half-blood runt will finally get a clue and grow into the deadly fangs and predatory instincts of his heritage; the day he grows to become a beast like his mother. A Hunter. (Red eyes gleaming in the darkness as he plays with his prey, messing and maiming instead of going for the kill. Blood pooling in crevices, the taste of rust, no he can't taste he's got no tongue-) But for now he breathes and ruthlessly suppresses the vaguely foreign energy twined in his own veins. Not long now and he could work on assimilating it properly… and dealing with what he might learn.

He looked at Ming Fan, who looked like he fully expected to be exiled from the Sect completely and was trying to meet that fate with dignity. Shen Qingqiu wanted to be angry, he wanted to visit the righteous fury of the Heavens down upon his foolish, foolish disciple, but nothing came, like his fire had finally been snuffed by his carefully maintained water and only cool ashes to remain. "Ming Fan." His damp disciple met his gaze fully (though despairingly), "I would strip you of your position as Head Disciple if not for specific circumstances at this time. You know your punishment. You will do better. You will make amends." Hmm, perhaps several problems could be solved at once… he did so love efficiency. "Luo Binghe will be promoted to second-in-command officially, but equal to your authority between yourselves. As Zhang Hao is your right hand, Luo Binghe will be your left. He will undertake your same duties, on this Peak and across the Sect. This master expects Ming Fan to bring him up to standard immediately." Shen Qingqiu glared at Luo Binghe, who was stood with him mouth agape uncouthly. "You, Beast, will prove your supposed diligence and work to improve. Laziness will not be tolerated, nor will ignorance. Failure to uphold the standard of Qing Jing Peak bears consequences, which you will both become intimately acquainted with."

With that, he stalked off to begin his actual lesson, robes flaring dramatically in his wake.


Notes:

· Overacting: excessive ke cycle: water extinguishers fire

· Counteracting: (reverse ke) wu cycle: fire evaporates water

· So~ a little bit of exposition that I might not get around to explaining later: Human & Demonic Cultivation. I mixed and meshed Wuxing and I Ching. I'm literally making this up as I go along to fill in the blanks. There are five affinities in each category and both include yin and yang expression.

· Human: the Five Phases (Wuxing); Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water.

· Demonic: Wind, Lake, Heaven, Mountain, Thunder.

· For example, I've got Luo Binghe as Yin Wood and Yang Heaven (Heavenly Deamon after all, which I'm going to say is generally the strongest and very much the rarest affinity, whereas in human cultivation the ratios are approximately equal overall.)