Chapter 87
Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue had decided to arrive earlier in the morning before meeting Qin Su so they could settle in and clean themselves up, so they had booked a room in an inn. Lan Xichen had been most displeased when Nie Mingjue had told him about the invitation, but Meng Yao had kissed him gently as well, promising that the two of them were all he wanted. Why would he ever need anyone else, when he had them?
Especially now that Lan Xichen had found them a child, whom Meng Yao had to admit was rather adorable, even if a bit loud. But Meng Yao had lived in the Nie sect, and he was used to loud children.
He remembered how Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang used to be, even as older children.
Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue had insisted on Meng Yao knowing just how much they loved him, even if they could not fully be together with a child in the house. But Lan Xichen had made Nie Mingjue promise that Qin Su would not be able to as much as look at him the wrong way.
Nie Mingjue had planned to that duty quite seriously.
They were settling into their room, when they heard a knock on the door.
Nie Mingjue went to open it, frowning, "Qin Furen. What brings you to our room?"
Qin Furen looked embarrassed, and Meng Yao knew why. It was rather inappropriate to show up at two unwed men's room.
"Please, Nie Zongzhu, forgive the lack of etiquette," she said with a deep bow, "I am quite aware of how this may look. I just wish to talk to you before my daughter does."
Nie Mingjue gestured for her to enter the room, and Meng Yao knew that whatever it was, must have been rather serious for her to seek them out like this.
"What can we do for you, Qin Furen?" Nie Mingjue asked, after Meng Yao poured her a cup of tea. She looked extremely anxious, and Meng Yao wished he would just be able to tell her outright he had no plans of marrying her daughter, but he didn't know how to do so without causing offense.
"Please do not marry my daughter," she said, after taking a deep breathe, "She is going to ask you if you will start courting her. Her father already agreed to the match, and I will not be able to dissuade either of them. My only hope is asking you to reject her. Please."
"Why should he reject her?" Nie Mingjue asked, raising a brow, and Meng Yao wondered if he was going to get worked up again. Wasn't it the point for him to reject her? Wasn't that why Nie Mingjue had tailed along himself? Because he was too worried to let Meng Yao go alone? So what was there to get worried about?
She looked uncomfortable, as she sipped her tea again, avoiding talking.
"You can't marry her because of your father, please, Meng gongzi. Please turn her down. Please do not marry her," she said, in a hurried voice, and Nie Mingjue tensed.
"Because he is a bastard, that makes him not good enough to marry your daughter?" Nie Mingjue all but growled.
"NO!" she startled, "I mean, it's not unrelated, but please, I don't mean it like that."
"How do you mean it?" Nie Mingjue said, clearly ready to start a war for Meng Yao, and Meng Yao held his hand under the table, hoping to soothe him.
"Please let me explain," she pleaded, and Meng Yao nodded for her asking to go on.
She shook a bit, as she sipped her tea again, "You must understand. I have never told anyone this story. I would have taken it to my grave if I could. But my daughter is so insistent on marrying you, and I know when she wants something, she will not relent. I don't see any other way than to tell you. I just hope you do not ruin me once you know."
Meng Yao did not say a word, allowing her to go on.
"The Qin and Jin sects are quite close," she started, "It was not uncommon for us to attend informal parties that the Jin threw back then, and I would go to them as my husband's wife. But the Jin always get rather rowdy at these events. You have seen them, I'm sure you know what I mean."
Nie Mingjue nodded, and Meng Yao wondered where this was going.
"After one such event, I was leaving early to head back to my chambers, unable to spend any more time in that environment," she said, "It was far too loud, and I was getting tired. My husband wanted to stay and drink some more, but I did not. I left, and before I could get back to my room, I found myself cornered but a group of Jin cultivators."
Nie Mingjue frowned at that.
"Jin Guangshan was amongst them," she said, "He said that a beauty like myself should not be alone late at night."
She spat out the last bit.
"Zongzhu, Meng gongzi, I am not a strong cultivator," she said, "My parents raised me to be a wife. I trained, but never to a point where I could wield a sword. I never wanted to, either. So when he lifted me up and carried me to his rooms, I could not stop him. I screamed and cried and protested, but I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop it."
She took a deep breath, and Meng Yao knew exactly what she was saying.
"My husband doesn't know," she said, "I love him so much, and I was so afraid he would kick me out if he knew I was unfaithful. I only ever loved him, and I know how much he loves me too, and I was afraid of losing him. When I found out I was pregnant, I swore to raise our child as his, and make sure Jin Guangshan had nothing to do with it. Either he forgot the next morning or he had no intentions of speaking of the fact that he slept with his closest ally's wife. But I snuck out as soon as I could, so it could be either way. My daughter is my husband's in all the ways that matter."
Nie Mingjue inhaled sharply.
"Please, do not marry her," Qin Furen begged, "You share the same father. You must see why you cannot. It has nothing to do with your status. You seem like a fine cultivator, and if not for that, I would have been happy to welcome you in as a son-in-law."
She stood up, bowing deeply in front of them.
"Qin Furen," Meng Yao said, struggling to gain his voice in light of the revelation. He had a sister, because his father raped his sister's mother. His father had taken advantage of his own mother's position and used her until he found no more value in her. His father had taken advantage of Mo Xuanyu's mother who was naïve and thought that he would truly want her in the end.
How many women had suffered because of his father's lust? How many siblings did he truly have?
The woman stood up from her bow as Nie Mingjue helped her up.
"I do not have any intentions of marrying your daughter," he told her softly, "Not even before you revealed to me what you did today. She is a wonderful woman, and perhaps if we were not siblings, and if circumstances were different. However regardless of that, my heart has long been taken by others. I cannot give to her what I do not have."
She looked relieved at that, before looking between Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao, as understanding dawned upon her face.
"I see," she said, looking relieved, "Thank you, Meng gongzi. For being so understanding. A lesser man would have taken advantage of the situation to marry into a wealthy family. If circumstances were different, I would have liked to welcome you into my family as well."
"Perhaps we still can be family, just not through marriage," Meng Yao offered her, "I do not know your personal feelings towards Jin Guangshan, however I am sure they are unpleasant."
"He is my husband's closest ally and friend," the woman said, looking down.
"Perhaps, but he still hurt you," Meng Yao said softly, "I am not asking you to do anything to stand against Jin Guangshan. I am not even asking you to tell your husband and daughter the truth. But I want you to know that you are not alone. Jin Guangshan has committed numerous crimes of all natures. And he continues to do so. We believe that he was behind Xue Yang's attacks and his escape from Cloud Recesses. We are gathering evidence. I am not telling you this for any ulterior motive. I do not need you to confess what he has done to you. But I want you to know that he will be punished for everything he has done. He will not continue to get away with it."
The woman sobbed, as Nie Mingjue rubbed her back.
"For what it is worth, Jin gongzi has been most welcoming of his siblings," Meng Yao told her, "If you ever wanted to offer Qin guniang the truth, she would have support from her brothers. I too would offer my support towards her. But I fully understand the decision to not reveal anything towards her. I will be cordial in my rejection of her. I will make sure she knows it has nothing to do with who she is."
The woman smiled sadly at them, "Thank you, Meng gongzi. Nie Zongzhu. I will take my leave. I am grateful to you both for hearing me out on such a heavy topic and I wish you both all the best."
Nie Mingjue nodded at her, "I wish you well, Qin Furen."
The woman left the room, as Meng Yao began to shake.
"A-Yao?" Nie Mingjue asked, coming closer and pulling him in gently, "What is wrong?"
"He's done so many terrible things," Meng Yao said, burying his head into Nie Mingjue's chest, "He's hurt so many people because of his own greed. I cannot believe that I ever wanted his approval. That I wanted him to consider me his son. Even after he tried to get me to join his sect, he didn't once care about my mother and how she was doing. He would've been fine letting her rot in that brothel. He only wanted me because he thought I was useful. He probably knows he's Qin Su's father but hasn't had the desire to claim her because her father is already on his side. All he thinks about is his own gain and his own greed."
"He is a terrible person," Nie Mingjue rubbed his back, "But we will get justice for everyone he's wronged. For your mother, for A-Yu's mother. For Qin Su's mother. For those who died because of Xue Yang and Jin Guangshan's funding. For everything. He will pay, A-Yao. I promise."
"I'm just really grateful for you," Meng Yao said, holding Nie Mingjue tightly, "You didn't need to offer me a place in your sect or to buy my mother's freedom. You did that before we even had feelings for each other, just because it was the right thing to do. You and Xichen both are such good sect leaders. You care so much about your people. You care so much about your brothers. And I can't imagine what would happen in a world where I didn't have you."
"You never will," Nie Mingjue kissed his head, "A-Haun and I are not going anywhere. We love you, and we will continue to love you until the end of our days."
Meng Yao tilted his head up, and kissed Nie Mingjue's lips gently, "I will love you both too, in this life and every life after that."
Meng Yao sat at the table, pouring tea for him and Nie Mingjue as they waited for Qin Su to arrive. They had come earlier than the agreed time, but Meng Yao had been too nervous to sit in the inn any longer. He wasn't often seen as the object of desire by others. In fact, most of his life he had been teased and taunted for even thinking he could be good enough to fit in with others.
Even in the Nie sect, in the beginning it had been rough. But then the Nie brothers had banded together and helped him gain more confidence and gain a footing.
He had never once had to turn down something of the sort, and he was worried about starting some sort of intersect incident if things went poorly.
"Relax," Nie Mingjue said in his deep voice, "It'll be fine, A-Yao. If you want, I can say that I refuse to let you to marry out of my sect."
He knew Mingjue was joking, but the idea that Nie Mingjue would ever force Meng Yao to do something he didn't want to do was ludicrous.
"I don't want you to take the blame for my decisions," Meng Yao said, looking at him fondly.
Nie Mingjue was going to say something back, however before he could Qin Su approached with her own escort and sat down at the table.
"Meng gongzi, you're looking well," Qin Su said, looking at him with soft eyes.
The thought that she was his sister made him want to be sick.
"Qin guniang," he said, pouring tea for her and her companion, "I hope your journey to the restaurant was well."
"I should be asking you that," she laughed lightly, "You're the one who arrived from Qinghe. However, I must say, I did not expect you to bring Nie Zongzhu as an escort."
She looked at Nie Mingjue a bit curiously, and Nie Mingjue simply shrugged.
"I am not here as his sect leader but as his friend," Nie Mingjue offered her, "Meng Yao is a valued member of my sect, and I want to make sure he is treated with the respect that he deserves."
"Of course," Qin Su's eyes widened, "I wouldn't dream of treating him any other way. Actually, I..I asked you here, Meng gongzi because I greatly admire you and your bravery. It took a lot of guts to stand up against that Jin disciple, especially given your history. For you to do so, shows how great of a character you are."
She blushed slightly, "I have always wanted to marry for love. Perhaps my father spoiled me too much, but he has always told me he doesn't need me to marry for connections. He has more than enough of his own. And my brother will take over the sect from my father when he is older. He just wants me to be happy. I wish to enter a courtship with you, Meng gongzi. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that day, and I want nothing more than to marry you."
"Qin guniang," he said, trying to be as gentle as possible, "You are a wonderful young woman. And I do not want you to take this as a slight against your character. I want you to know this has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with myself. But I cannot marry you. I have already given my heart away to two cultivators, and I am engaged to them both. We have not announced it yet, but I love them more than anything. I do not want to lead you on or lie to you as to why I cannot be with you. But they hold my heart. Forever."
Qin Su looked a bit devastated with that, "I guess that makes sense that someone has already won your heart. You are such a kind soul, and I do not blame others for falling in love with you. That is why you are here, isn't it?"
She turned to Nie Mingjue in understanding then.
"Not as his sect leader, but as his future husband," she continued.
"Yes," Nie Mingjue said easily, "Though I would appreciate if you do not reveal the news to anyone yet. You may tell your father he is otherwise engaged, but we are still waiting to formally announce our engagement."
"Of course," she said with a nod, "Thank you, Meng Yao. For everything. For saving me. For agreeing to meet with me. For being so gracious even when turning me down. You are a kind person, and I would very much like to be your friend. You are rather amazing and I would greatly like to have you in my life, as that much."
Meng Yao nodded, giving her a soft smile.
Regardless of what had happened, he had gained a sister. Even if she didn't know. Even if he couldn't acknowledge it in any such way. Even if the reason he had one was devastating. She was his sister. And he would do his best to look after her, in any capacity that was allowed without overreaching.
"I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your time in Laoling in peace," Qin Su said, standing, "Thank you again for meeting with me. I hope I may be invited to your wedding, whenever it occurs."
"I will send an invite to the Qin sect personally," Nie Mingjue promised her, "As our guests."
"Take care, Qin guniang," Meng Yao nodded, as they themselves stood to leave. There was no point dwelling in Laoling longer than necessary. Especially with the revelation of what had happened to Qin Furen. Even if they wouldn't use it to their advantage to bring Jin Guangshan down. But if there was one case of Jin Guangshan forcing himself upon a woman, perhaps there were others. And perhaps if they had enough numbers on their side, they could get justice for all the woman he had wronged. His own mother may have been as consensual as it could be between a prostitute and a paying customer, but there were plenty of others who had suffered.
"What are you thinking?" Nie Mingjue murmured as they left the restaurant.
"I hate him," Meng Yao said softly, looking up at Nie Mingjue, before repeating, "I really hate him, A-Jue."
"A-Yao," Nie Mingjue said, as they ducked into an alleyway. Nie Mingjue wrapped his arms around Meng Yao then, pulling him in tightly.
"He hurt so many people," Meng Yao said, shaking, "He hurt my mother, and made her think that he loved her. He did the same to A-Yu's mother. And now Qin Su's mother came and said that he forced himself on her after all but kidnapping her. I have most of the siblings I do because he hurt and abused our mothers. He lied to them. He cheated on his wife to hurt all of them. All because of his own selfish desires. It's not fair. Why do all of us have to suffer? Why does Qin Furen have to beg me not to marry her daughter because it would be incest when none of us can publicize our own pain. Because it would only cause more harm."
Meng Yao let out a sob, and Nie Mingjue rubbed his back.
"He gets to get away with hurting everyone. It's not a secret that he cheats on his wife and steps out on her. Everyone knows that he does it. Everyone knows that not all of his partners are consensual. That he forces himself on women. But no one talks about it because he's a sect leader. They excuse all his crimes because he has wealth and status, and the rest of us are powerless against him. It's not fair. I wanted so badly once for him to love me, and now I don't even want to look at him. He disgusts me so much," Meng Yao said with a stifled voice.
"He disgusts me too," Nie Mingjue said, tilting Meng Yao's face up to look at him. It had been an emotional day, first hearing Qin Furen's story and getting upset. Then having to turn down Qin Su, for more reasons than he had thought, "But I promise, A-Yao. I promise we will get justice for all his crimes. He will pay for everything he's done. I will make sure of it."
"I know you will," Meng Yao said, holding Nie Mingjue tighter, "You and A-Huan are nothing if not paradigms of virtue and justice. I know you will get justice for me. For all of us."
Nie Mingjue bent his head down and captured Meng Yao's lips in his own, and Meng Yao pushed away all thoughts of his father and of his anger out of his head, as he kissed back. He wanted nothing more than to tug off Nie Mingjue's robes, bend over on the ground, and take Nie Mingjue in his mouth. He wanted nothing more than to have Nie Mingjue. But they were in public. They were on land that was all but owned by the Jin, even if not officially.
This was not the time. Nor was it the place.
And yet.
"Tell me what you need," Nie Mingjue said in a low voice, clearly sensing Meng Yao's desires.
"You," Meng Yao said, in a breathless voice.
Nie Mingjue's eyes darkened at that, and Meng Yao shivered.
"I need you," Meng Yao said again, as he fell to his knees. Nie Mingjue looked down at him, without moving, and Meng Yao knew he had his approval.
He was quick to undo Nie Mingjue's robes, and he loosened his sect leader's pants, before drawing his cock out of them.
He gave Nie Mingjue's length a tug, earning a groan, and Meng Yao licked the head of his leaking cock. Nie Mingjue always tasted so musky and good. He fondled Nie Mingjue's balls, playing with them just as he knew Nie Mingjue liked, and before Nie Mingjue could say another word, he swallowed Nie Mingjue's full length down his throat.
He heard a grunt up from above him, and he knew Nie Mingjue was enjoying it.
Nie Mingjue threaded his fingers through Meng Yao's hair then, and Meng Yao bobbed his head quickly, taking Nie Mingjue deeper and deeper into his throat with every movement.
"A-Yao," Nie Mingjue said, with a strained voice, "A-Yao, if you keep that up, I won't be able to stop myself."
Good. That was the point. He wanted Nie Mingjue to cum down his throat, wanted to taste all of him. He wanted to choke on Nie Mingjue's cock.
He gave Nie Mingjue's cock a tug in between his bobs and began to move faster, trying to tighten his throat to force the man to let go.
"A-Yao," Nie Mingjue gasped, "Fuck."
Nie Mingjue began to fuck his face then, thrusting back against him, and Meng Yao moaned into his movements.
He was well aware of the picture they must have made, him on his knees like a whore for his sect leader, on land that was not their own. Anyone could see them and start rumours, especially with his engagement unknown to the greater cultivation world. All they would see was a slut sucking his sect leader's cock.
And somehow that spurned him on more.
"A-Yao," Nie Mingjue pleaded, and Meng Yao moved faster, wanting him to let go.
Nie Mingjue gasped again as he couldn't hold himself back any longer, spilling down Meng Yao's throat then.
Meng Yao refused to move, taking in every last drop of cum, swallowing it all. Nie Mingjue watched him tiredly, with dark eyes, as Meng Yao got back on his feet.
"A-Yao," Nie Mingjue said, pulling him in quickly into a kiss, not even bothering to put himself away just yet, "A-Yao."
"Take me home, A-Jue," Meng Yao begged, needing his partner so badly, but he did not want to spend any more time in Laoling than necessary, "Take me home and take me. Please. I want you so badly."
"Fly with me," Nie Mingjue commanded, and Meng Yao shivered, knowing it meant that they would get home far faster than if he flew on his own. He agreed quickly, as he stood on his partner's blade, and the two of them returned back to Qinghe.