Chapter Text
Technically, it had been their Masters fault.
The succeeding disciples should not have been forced to socialize in a locked room. Alone. Unsupervised. Although the current generation were scheduled to ascend soon , and yes, that will leave them officially in charge of an entire sect together, also Unsupervised… still their Masters should've known better.
It was a tradition of sorts for the succeeding disciples to start.. interacting for a couple of days before the official ascending ceremony. And by “interacting” they meant getting locked up in a single residence for a certain amount of days… (they have no idea how many exactly) in a decently sized house with only two bedrooms to be shared between them as they saw fit, a living room and a kitchen. There was a grand separate bath house connected to the residence in a truly luxurious manner (if nothing else most of them were looking forward to trying that out)
With no paperwork_ yes Shang Qinghua, enjoy it while it lasts. no responsibilities and no fighting Yes Liu Qingge, you heard that correctly. And no you may not leave. The only thing they were ordered to do was Relax, socialize together and enjoy themselves.
There was only so much Sitting around in awkward silence they could do before boredom eventually took over.
And when boredom took over a certain group came up with a nefarious idea.
A drinking party using Zui Xian's hardest liquor, the sweet serenity wine that was said to be strong enough to knock out even their own Sect leader. It was just that Qi Qingqi, Wei Qingwei and the succeeding Disciple of Zui Xian, Ru Qingchun decided that it would be tremendously funnier if they omitted the wine's true powerful effect in order to get Everyone drunk.
It was a harmless little prank. In fact, the wine was of the highest quality, only provided on special occasions or as a valuable gift to some other sect and had many benefits such as boosting one's cultivation and clearing the spiritual pathways, so in a way they were doing them a favor, really. And with their level of cultivation they shouldn't get seriously affected by it.
It was only that They had forgotten one thing.. Shen Qingqiu had a lower cultivation level than the rest of them. And he had never touched alcohol before.
For the next few hours none of them were prepared for the disasters awaiting them. The consequences of their own actions.
Qi Qingqi sat as unsuspiciously as possible. The brief eye contact with Ru Qingchun proved challenging as the other was uncharacteristically sober with shiny eyes and a small smirk at the edge of cracking into a full cackle that might expose them. Shen Qingqiu was many things but certainly not naive. It was a miracle that he nor anyone else hadn't sensed something was wrong with all the idiots shifting nervously around her.
The earlier excited Shang Qinghua seemed to have become a little conflicted as the bottles of wine were brought to the table, uncertainty clear in his expression.
He eyed the wine cautiously “Ah… it is our first day, perhaps it's unwise to drink so soon”
Ah… there it was. Her martial brothers had no balls. Not to mention Yue Qingyuan’s pathetic whimpering in front of Shen Qingqiu, even the rest of the succeeding disciples had no spine, minus a few.
Naturally she rolled her eyes at him. “That is exactly why we should celebrate. Perhaps if they thought we were getting along so well to drink they'd let us go.”
Shang Qinghua nervously looked at her, “But Qi Shimei… in that case wouldn't it be better to wait for Yue Shixiong's return?”
Not over her dead body. Yue Shixiong's absence was precisely why she decided to do this. Maybe they could finally get Shen Qingqiu to spill his secret way of controlling their future sect leader. If the said man was here he'd immediately recognize the true potency of the spiritual wine and it would be impossible for them to prank the rest.
They only had tonight to accomplish their plans. As of Tomorrow, Yue Qingyuan would be back from his sect business and forced to be locked down with them for gods knew how long.
“Don't be an idiot Shang Shixiong, everyone gets along with Yue Shixiong already. Dare I say He's the most well liked disciple in our sect.” she threw a pointy non discreet look Shen Qingqiu’s way as she boldly proclaimed
From the side she could see Shen Qingqiu scoffing under his breath “of course he is…”
They all ignored him. Wei Qingwei even shifted uncomfortably where he sat next to him based on rank but said nothing. Unlike Liu Qingge none of them were stupid enough to shove their nose in what clearly was a private issue. Doesn't mean they liked it when the second in command upsets their future leader though.
Ru Qingchun personally served them their cups, he briefly made eye contact with Qi Qingqi and Wei Qingwei as he did, a reminder to themselves to never involve him in a prank ever again.
“Come on Shen Shixiong… make a toast.” Wei Qingwei gave him an easy going smile even though he felt uncomfortable leading his Shixiong into getting drunk on purpose
Shen Qingqiu’s expression briefly became uncomfortable until he settled it in disgust as he looked at the wine.
He pushed his cup further away casually brushing his polite offer “I'll pass. You drink it if you want to so badly.”
Overcome by irritation at his rude tone Qi Qingqi was about to defend Wei Qingwei when someone else jumped into the conversation
“Just drink the damn wine.” Liu Qingge snapped at him
Raising a single eyebrow judgmentally, Shen Qingqiu looked him up and down provocatively “What is it to you brute, whether I chose to drink or not?”
“I know you're used to lazing around all day long on your fancy peak but some of us have actual jobs that we must get back to. Drink the damn wine so we can leave.” he said it as if it's already settled that their Masters would set them free after drinking a single cup of wine.
It was Childish and petty since they knew Shen Qingqiu had no real reason to drink. Liu Qingge just wanted to pick a fight as always.
Liu Qingge himself knew it was unnecessary and he also didn't know why he was picking a fight over a cup of wine of all things considering he wasn't fond of alcohol as well. That was a lie. he knew why, he had been on edge ever since this morning when he was thrown into the residence and told he was banned from fighting for the foreseeable future. Banned.
Picking a fight with Shen Qingqiu felt natural. And maybe if he could prove Shen Qingqiu’s company would prove dangerous they would finally let him leave back to Bai Zhan.
Shen Qingqiu looked way beyond pissed and offended as his eyes sharpened into something cruel before he snapped his fan open with a smooth flick to hide his expression behind
“Oh? If by a job Liu Shidi means rolling in the mud all day long and running through walls and private properties then you'll have to excuse this Shixiong for keeping you a bit longer than intended from your job as the mountains wild boar”
Alright, Liu Qingge saw that coming. He merely snorted instead of attacking; he felt a surge of confidence overtaking him for finding something that got underneath the other's skin.
“oh come on… it's just a small cup or is your cultivation so bad you can't even handle that?”
He could see the exact moment he got through as Shen Qingqiu’s mask broke, his eyes sharpened even more, his expression blank as he looked at him with murderous rage.
“Liu Shidi that was a very rude and a disrespectful thing to say”
Liu Qingge looked Startled at Gu Qingbai the succeeding Disciple of Ku Xing peak and couldn't help but feel a little abashed at the reminder that the other couldn't drink either because he was a Monk.
He felt the tips of his ears slightly redden at the reminder he opened his mouth to apologize but just before he spoke Shen Qingqiu had suddenly but quickly leaned over the small table and in a truly shocking display he snatched Liu Qingge's cup of wine and was back in his seat before any of them could blink.
All ten Disciples stared in astonishment at the usually composed Shen Qingqiu when he threw his head back and dawned the cup. He grimaced expecting the disgusting taste of wine to overwhelm him but the drink that went down his throat was surprisingly… sweet . Dare he say very pleasant with a subtle flowery undertone he doubted whether it had any alcohol at all. Huh, not too bad.
He looked Liu Qingge straight in the eye, not bothering to mask his hate. “Alright you brute. I'll drink.”
He then proceeded to chug his own drink and then snatched Wei Qingwei's as well just to be petty.
He vaguely heard Wei Qingwei gasp as he covered his mouth with his hand in shock, ha! Serves him. He will just drink all the wine and see who lets them have their fun.
On the side Qi Qingqi watched half horrified, half fascinated with the sudden turn of events
“Oh shit..” she cursed uncharacteristically as Shen Qingqiu drank Shang Qinghua's wine as well (his fourth cup) and was on his way for Mu Qingfang's share of the extremely potent spiritual wine.
“Nooo! Shen Shixiong stop! Don't drink anymore of that!” Ru Qingchun was awakened from his daze as he jumped to stop the other from potentially killing himself but the other not only pushed him off easily but also snatched the entire jar from his hand while he was at it.
Ru Qingchun seemed to have become even more panicked with his eyes wide open and his face now extremely pale
“Shen Shixiong, you proved your point, now put down the wine…”
Wen Qingming, the succeeding Disciple of the Artifacts peak, well meaningfully tried to end the dispute “It's just a bit of wine. Let him have it” she pointedly pushed her cup towards their Shixiong, but just as she did three voices yelled at her “Shimei, NO!” The sudden loud noise Startled her badly enough for her to accidentally push the cup off of the table where it landed on the ground spilling its content, although thankfully it didn't shatter.
But just as it spilled, a very alluring fragrance started to seep from it filling the air with a sweet scent.
More than one person started sniffing the air in confusion “What is that…”
Liu Qingge was the first to notice the strong spiritual essence in the scent, his mild amusement vanished into something hard “Ru Qingchun! Just what did you put in those cups!?" Although he knew none of them were likely to harm him, he couldn't help but remember that mission with Shen Qingqiu when he attacked him when his back was turned. unprovoked.
He cautiously eyed Li Qingtian's cup that wasn't touched yet. Mu Qingfang did the same with an alarmed, albeit much calmer manner.
“Li Shidi, would you mind handing me that?”
Li Qingtian, The succeeding Disciple of the beast tamers peak obediently handed his over to the healer. His pupils were blown wide and he seemed like he wanted nothing more than to disappear into thin air ever since they arrived.
Mu Qingfang thanked him with a smile in an attempt to give him some sense of comfort, no doubt. He knew the other disciple had the tendency of shutting down faced with yelling or any type of loud noise. The other seemed to appreciate the gesture as his shoulders relaxed back.
Having sniffed the air earlier he already had his doubts, so he didn't bother with smelling the wine and directly took a small sip tasting the sweet, rich flavor. Comprehension immediately dawned on him as well as he questioningly looked at the guilty three trying to disappear from their seats
“This is the sweet serenity spiritual wine. I believe our martial siblings were trying to play a prank”
While the others finally caught on, in that single minute where their attention was preoccupied and away… Shen Qingqiu had already chugged the rest of the bottle, once Ru Qingchun looked back he immediately leaped and ripped off the bottle from his hand.
“SHIXIONG NO!!”
Unfortunately, at that point it was already too late as Shen Qingqiu’s head swayed for a second and then at the multiple watchful eyes carefully observing him… he blinked and then all but dropped backwards to the ground like a show puppet that had its strings cut. Hopefully unconscious and not dead. Even though he was already seated, Wei Qingwei still grabbed him, preventing his fall no matter how short.
“Oh gods… Oh gods I killed Shen Shixiong… Shibo is going to kill me..” Ru Qingchun dramatically cried again, “Shizun's going to kill me!!”
“They are the least of your concerns… Yue Shixiong's going to dissect you.” Liu Qingge absentmindedly admitted. Panic hadn't set in for him yet.
The sweet serenity wine was said to be so strong that regular animals explode if they consume it. Mortals were at the threat of having their organs fail from a single cup.
Cultivators would benefit from it greatly, assuming their cultivation is strong enough to consume the amounts of Qi in it. The single cup could be sold for a fortune and Ru Qingchun had casually brought a whole jar for no reason other than to get them slightly drunk. Admittedly the wine was beneficial for them, it wouldn't have been a big deal if Shen Qingqiu hadn't just accidentally consumed almost a whole jar just to be spiteful.
Liu Qingge felt like he had just been made an accomplice to a very serious crime.
“Us. He's going to dissect us.” Qi Qingqi corrected.
She felt like she dug her own grave. Yue Shixiong wasn't only unfairly biased towards their second in command, it was a fact he was fiercely protective of him. During missions he'd always secretly pull the strings to assign him the safest and most interesting realms, always keeping him away from any unnecessary dangers. In the monthly distribution of resources he'd always assign the best benefits to Qing Jing peak and always from his top notch personal shares.
If there was any kind of competition, Shen Qingqiu would always somehow acquire an item the same or of an equal value to the actual prize. So that No matter if he participated or not, if he won or lost, his presence alone would taunt everyone else about that fact.
Yue Qingyuan would never pull on his rank for anything… unless of course Shen Qingqiu was involved. And he was always involved.
The calm, talented, highly diplomatic sect heir would immediately lose any sense of decorum and start to fall on himself the moment Shen Qingqiu walks in just to try and please him.
And the fact that the other just kept ignoring or insulting him whenever they met added salt to the injury. Anyone would die for that kind of favor from the famed Xuan Su sword.
Everyone but the person who has it apparently.
And now… on their very first day together and they had already accidentally killed him…
“Yue Qingyuan is going to sacrifice all of us underneath the mountain as a tribute to resurrect Shen Qingqiu.” Shang Qinghua blurted amidst the deadly silence around them as he rocked himself back and forth therapeutically
An evil cackle echoed around the room causing them to shiver.
Wei Qingwei looked down to find the source of the cackle to be staring directly into his soul with wide green eyes. He immediately jumped a few away in fright “Shen Shixiong!”
He then breathed a sigh of relief once he registered he wasn't a criminal anymore. “Oh I'm so glad you're alright Shixiong, I think I saw my life flashing before my eyes”
The other laughed wildly back as a reply. Which… wasn't very comforting.
“Shen Shixiong…?” The other stared back at him with a wide smile, Wei Qingwei felt himself getting flustered at the sight his Shixiong made laying on the floor, with his long inky strands spread around him on the floor and his collarbone and wrists slightly peeking from his robes crumbled robes
“I think he's alright, might be a bit drunk though…” Ru Qingchun unhelpfully clarified
“Oh you think? What gave it away?” Liu Qingge retorted sarcastically
He could briefly see the others sighing in relief at the news, Mu Qingfang even uncharacteristically rolled his eyes at them as he checked Shen Qingqiu’s wrist.
“Of course he is. Shen Shixiong might not be ascending anytime soon but that does not mean his cultivation is weak enough for him to die from spiritual wine of all things. You do know he's a spiritual cultivator right?”
At the end of his sentence he eyed the group judgmentaly as if he was assessing whether they needed a brain check, for the second time this night they felt themselves flushing but this time in embarrassment from the healer's gaze
“Well… why didn't you just say so from the start!? I was scared half to death” Ru Qingchun drank the last few sips from the jar to cope only to flush a deeper red when he remembered that Shen Shixiong had just drank directly from it.
He knelt on the ground and hid his face with his hands to take a few breaths from sheer embarrassment.
“I had hoped I needn't to. It would do you all some good in the future to be less dramatic” he gave them a disappointed look before helping Shen Qingqiu into sitting once again.
Once he was seated with the support of the healer he once again started giggling for no apparent reason.
The sound of his laughter was both bewildering and somewhat pleasant to listen to. Mu Qingfang wasn't unaffected by it as he unconsciously Cracked a smile at the sound.
“What's so funny?” Liu Qingge scoffed although his tone had lost most of its edge.
Shen Qingqiu threw his head back and laughed again until his eyes settled on Liu Qingge “Oh Shidi~” he leaned over to settle his elbows on the table, casually supporting his chin on his palm as he looked at Liu Qingge from the top of his eyes “it's just so funny how you think you could kill me” at that everyone's smile immediately dropped.
Liu Qingge found himself swallowing nervously as looked away from his Drunk Shixiong's piercing green eyes. Those eyes should never be used like that with a smile.. It must be a crime somewhere, surely.
From the side, Qi Qingqi found herself regaining her senses. She eyed her two Shimeis worriedly. She'd have to be on the alert to protect them for the rest of the night… who knew what a drunk Shen Qingqiu would do once he lost all his senses. Or say, drunk or not He better not start anything or else Qi Qingqi would break his ribs.
Seeming to have shared her thoughts, Wei Qingwei immediately went into action as he gently grabbed his arm “ah Shixiong, it's getting late why don't we retire for the night?” He pointedly pulled on his arm until Shen Qingqiu harshly elbowed his stomach making the other lose his breath from the hit, and dropping his arm in the process.
“I'm not sleeping with you, Fuck off.”
Wei Qingwei imitated Ru Qingchun's actions by curling on the ground and hiding his face in shame “Shen Shixiong!! I didn't mean it like that!” He whined with a high pitched tone at hearing the usually sophisticated Shixiong using such crude language.
More than one person started snickering as they unconsciously felt like their Shixiong might not be that bad when drunk. He was a lot more cheerful, funny and yes a bit creepy but it was manageable so far. They relaxed slightly, preferring to watch without interfering.
Qi Qingqi felt another idea settling into her brain… Perhaps her efforts weren't completely ruined yet. She cleared her throat drawing attention to her.
“Hey Shen Qingqiu… since you're not tired, how about we play a game?”
Shen Qingqiu shrugged as he played with a strand of his hair “yeah… sure, whatever you want”
“Let's play Shang Shixiong's game, ah… what was it called again?” she excitedly moved to tell Ru Qingchun to bring more wine for the rest of them.
“Never have I ever?”
“Yes! That. It seemed like fun in the last gathering we had”
They vaguely heard Shang Qinghua muttering miserably in the background “oh no… I'm so dead”
Yan Qingyi, their resident fortune teller and divination master Grimly shook her head as she took off her beaded bracelet and smoothly grabbed the other's hand, settling it on the stunned Shang Qinghua's wrist “here, Shang Shixiong. For divine protection.”
Shang Qinghua felt his jaw drop as he eyed both her and the priceless bracelet which he knew was a cherished item. He touched the beads gently in his shock to confirm it… until something shifted in his expression to settle on understanding.
“Thank you Yan Shimei. I'll cherish it forever.” he said, his eyes had a suspicious wet glint in them as he held the bracelet with his other hand.
She patted his back in consolation and then moved back into her seat as if nothing had happened.
As if it was no big deal that she had just given him her very first creation. Her beaded jade bracelet which she had blessed herself with the power of divine protection when she had first stumbled upon her abilities.
To others it might not have seemed like a big deal, only he knew the true value of it. Yan Qingyi had been an orphan with no one in the world to accompany her. No family members and no friends, hell.. not even a pet. coming from almost nothing she made sure to create whatever she lacked herself for herself. She cooked and blessed her food with the best of intentions, dressed herself and stitched protection talismans all over the inner lining of her robes, and most importantly made jewelry by hand specifically to attract good fortune.
But This beaded bracelet was the most expensive thing she owned. She had carried it throughout her journey taking care of it and blessing it repeatedly each time she developed her ability and her sight strengthened as result the bracelet had become an impenetrable hidden treasure that could even protect the holder against one of Xin Mo's attacks.
And she just casually handed it to him. Not even his mother in both Lifetimes did anything like that for him.
Shang Qinghua felt his chest heavy with emotions as he brought his wrist closer to his heart and held it there feeling the warmth and sense of calmness emitting from it like a soothing balm.
“What is happening right now…?” Wei Qingwei Whispered non discreet to no one in particular in utter confusion as he lay on the ground watching as Shang Qinghua became speechless with stars in his eyes.
“Well… This day is proving to be most interesting…” Qi Qingqi muttered, fascinated.
Ru Qingchun had come back quickly replacing their cups, thoughtfully putting regular juice in front of Gu Qingbai just in case he felt like participating not wanting him to feel left out. The other gave him a small smile in thanks.
“Hey! I want some too~” Shen Qingqiu complained immediately,
“Sure thing Shixiong.” he wordlessly served him a cup
Mu Qingfang felt a little concerned as he nudged Ru Qingchun “He shouldn't be having anymore alcohol.” The other gave him a slight wink “I know, I gave him a sweet juice. I doubt he could tell the difference.”
And indeed Shen Qingqiu drank his cup pleasantly, he even complimented Ru Qingchun for it. Mu Qingfang felt himself relax as he sipped from his own cup.
Shang Qinghua helplessly explained the rules of the game once again underneath the expectant gazes of his martial siblings and then they started playing in earnest slowly settling into a comfortable atmosphere as they laughed whenever someone had to drink.
Everything was going well until it was Liu Qingge's turn… and for some reason the first thing that came to his mind was “never have I been engaged.”
He expected none of them to drink, shockingly enough one person downed their juice.
Complete silence overtook the room as they all stared at Shen Qingqiu in varying levels of shock.
“You're engaged!??” It was Liu Qingge who accusingly pointed a finger at him, if that person turned out to be truly engaged and he still frequented pleasure houses then Liu Qingge was going to challenge him to a fight, banned or not.
Thankfully Shen Qingqiu shook his head. “Was.”
Liu Qingge slightly calmed back down to sit. Although he briefly wondered if the other had perhaps run away from the engagement when he came to cultivate. It would certainly explain the lack of family members.
Qi Qingqi felt herself getting excited as a bold idea crossed her mind “who is it? Is it perhaps someone we know? Someone… on the mountain?”
Her martial siblings eyed her with understanding having the same idea cross their minds… could it be possible that Shen Qingqiu ended his betrothal to Yue Qingyuan?? But the other was still holding into the other for the hope of renewing their engagement? It would certainly create some wild gossip!
To her disappointment Shen Qingqiu shook his head again not caring about the disappointed looks all around him “no. She was a noble girl… lady?” He asked himself before shrugging off uncaringly
“Woah Shixiong… a noble girl is a pretty hard catch. Was she pretty?”
Feeling curiosity eating her alive, Qi Qingqi listened carefully in anticipation… the rest as well.
Unexpectedly Shen Qingqiu smacked Wei Qingwei's head
“Ow… Shen Shixiong, why did you hit me??” Wei Qingwei grabbed his head protectively not having expected that
“Don't be stupid. All girls are pretty”
Everyone was now looking at their Shixiong in surprise someone even coed in the background that suspiciously sounded like Shang Qinghua
Qi Qingqi found herself humming in approval “very true” she might've been slightly drunk too
“But was she nice? Did you like her?”
Shen Qingqiu immediately nodded “very sweet… very nice.”
So obviously the problem didn't lie with the girl. Everyone's interest was piqued. Even the uncaring Liu Qingge seemed curious.
“Then why did your engagement end then?”
Shen Qingqiu tiredly sighed as he shook his head and drank another cup of juice “Her brother.”
Liu Qingge felt it was sensible, he helpfully offered “her brother didn't approve of you?”
For some reason Shen Qingqiu started choking down his laughter “oh no, he also liked me”
“then… What was the issue?”
“That was the issue.”
Liu Qingge was beyond confused now, so were the others.
“I don't understand. Why did your engagement end exactly?” he asked again
Shen Qingqiu stopped holding himself back and wild laughter bubbled free from his chest “Because I killed her brother.”