Chapter Text
As sunlight pierces through the veil of storm clouds, the rogue cultivator alights on the pier with all the grace and dignity of a lofty immortal coming down from his mountain. His white robes, though drenched by the cursed jiao's storm magic, are just as pristine as they had been the moment they left the tailor's hands. His hair clings to his face in artful waves, and the raindrops studding his eyelashes glitter like diamonds in the slowly growing light. He looks so utterly perfect, Jiang Cheng can hardly believe that this man was the same one that had been flung like a ragdoll through Jiang Cheng's storehouse.
He glances Jiang Cheng up and down, the corner of his mouth tugging up a fraction as he says, "Not bad."
Jiang Cheng stares up at the rogue cultivator, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "Not… not bad?" Jiang Cheng hears himself say as a takes a single, wooden step towards the rogue cultivator, and then another. All he can think about is the crushing weight of the setback this would have on his sect's finances. With the war finally behind them, Jiang Cheng had put his all into restoring the Lotus Piers to its former glory. Things were finally starting to look up… and now, this?! "Not bad?! What part of all this is not bad to you?!"
The rogue cultivator looks taken aback, staring at Jiang Cheng like he's grown another head. Jiang Cheng throws his arm out to the wreckage of his storehouse and says, "Do you know how much this alone will cost to repair?"
The rogue cultivator shrugs. "Would've been worse if I hadn't been there to fight it off."
He had a point, but it doesn't change the fact that this is yet another expense Jiang Cheng hadn't expected to incur—and with so little time before Jin Guangshan's stupid autumn hunt, there was no way they were going to be able to afford the fixes before monsoon season hits.
Jiang Cheng does his best to suck in a calming breath. It only marginally helps, but at least he can speak civilly, albeit through gritted teeth. "That does not change the fact that you destroyed my storehouse. Please take responsibility, Gongzi."
The rogue cultivator crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head just so to glance at the gigantic fuck-off hole in Jiang Cheng's storehouse. "I've no skill in carpentry," he says dismissively. "You'd be better off hiring someone."
With a snarl of a smile, Jiang Cheng holds out his hand. "So you will be footing the bill, yes?"
The rogue cultivator raises an eyebrow at Jiang Cheng. They stand there at an impasse for a long moment, before finally, the rogue cultivator shrugs and says, "I was going to harvest the jiao for parts for my shidi, but you did deal the killing blow. You can take what you like and sell it."
Growling, Jiang Cheng grabs the cultivator by the lapel and drags him in. "Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this. You will be paying for the repairs in full, with cash. No exceptions."
The rogue cultivator wraps his hand around Jiang Cheng's bracer, his glare turning deadly cold. "Unhand me," he says, his tone promising violence.
Zidian sparks threateningly at Jiang Cheng's side. "Not until you've fixed what you've done."
The rogue cultivator's grip tightens until Jiang Cheng can feel his bones scraping together, but Jiang Cheng refuses to let go. Finally, the rogue cultivator says, "If money's such a big issue, I can go back to my sect and—"
The vein in Jiang Cheng’s temple pulses ominously. "Do you think I was born yesterday? There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight!" Jiang Cheng growls.
The rogue(?) cultivator scowls and says, "If you want money, let go of me. I can give you what I have now and come back with the rest."
Jiang Cheng glares at the cultivator for a long moment, before finally letting his hands drop. With a huffy flick of his wrists, the cultivator straightens out his clothes and pulls out his qiankun pouch. Rifles through it a bit. A bit more.
Frowns.
Starts pulling things out—expensive spiritual tools and expertly crafted weapons. Rare materials from demonic beasts. A small collection of exquisite folding fans. A scholar's bounty of books and scrolls.
A veritable fortune in its own right… just not money.
With a long sigh, Jiang Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose and says, "Let me guess: you lost your wallet."
The cultivator glances up at Jiang Cheng and takes that as his cue to start packing up his treasure trove again. He seems to be exceptionally blase about not having his wallet on him. "I don't usually need money." After a pause, he tries again, "If you'd let me go back to my sect—"
"Like I said—I'm not letting you out of my sight until you've dealt with this mess," Jiang Cheng snaps. "Who are you? What sect are you from? I've never seen you at any of the cultivation conferences."
"Liu Qingge, lord of Bai Zhan Peak. I come from the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect," he says. "We don't interfere with this area much, so you wouldn't have seen me."
Jiang Cheng blinks. The man's face is too straight, too earnest, to be joking and yet, what else could be doing but that? Cang Qiong Mountain Sect isn't real; like most "immortal" cultivation sects, it's just a stupid fictional sect made up by some stupid daydreaming mortal, popularized because a stupid pornographic novel got a ballad.
A laugh bubbles up from a dark, bitter place as Jiang Cheng grabs "Liu Qingge's" lapel again. "Very funny. Are you going to tell me you're also a disciple of Baoshan Sanren, too? No, no, wait—let me guess, you're an immortal from the days of Xianle," he sneers, looming so close to the cultivator their noses nearly touch. "This is your only warning—lie to my face again, and you'd better be prepared to face the consequences." At his side, he whips out Zidian, the crack of its lightning so close their robes billow out in an ozone-scented gust.
Liu Qingge doesn't balk at the threat—he just stares Jiang Cheng down, his brow furrowing in almost believable confusion. "…neither Baoshan Sanren nor Xianle exist," he says, slowly, like Jiang Cheng is stupid.
They stare at each other for long enough that Jiang Cheng doesn't think this guy will back down. Though his temper urges him to do something, his practical side wins out. With a sigh, Jiang Cheng shoves Liu Qingge away and says, "Next time, don't try to bullshit me, asshole." Gesturing at the jiao, Jiang Cheng says, "If you can't pay for the damages, you're going to have to fix them yourself… starting with that."
Liu Qingge blinks and nods, his entire body seeming to lighten up at the prospect of…. waste removal.
—
While Liu Qingge gets to work on butchering the jiao, Jiang Cheng rounds up his disciples to check on the village and provide aid. Once he's done, he situates himself under a nearby pavilion and has one of the servants bring him his paperwork. In all honesty, he'd expected the process of butchering a divine beast would be… more gruesome, but Liu Qingge is surprisingly neat. It is… admittedly fascinating to watch.
Unfortunately, between his accountbooks and the mountain of correspondence waiting for him, Jiang Cheng has simply too much to finish to keep staring.
It feels like altogether too soon when A-Jie comes clinking over with a tray of bowls and utensils. "A-Cheng," she says, her voice deceptively gentle, "you haven't rested a moment since you woke up. Come have lunch, please?"
Jiang Cheng sighs and stares up at his sister. Lunch is the last thing on his mind, but he knows she won't take no for an answer. With an exasperated smile, A-Jie says, "The lunch bell rang out ages ago. The accounts can wait until you've had a break." And then, with a more polite smile, she glances up at Liu Qingge and says, "You're free to join us, if you like. The baths are not that far away, and I can keep heating talismans on your meal to keep it warm, Gongzi."
"Liu Qingge," the man gruffs. And then, after a moment, he asks, "You're feeding me?"
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli stare at Liu Qingge like he's grown another head.
"Yes…?" Jiang Cheng says, like he's stupid, at the same moment Jiang Yanli heatedly cries, "Of course we are!"
"What do you think we are, heathens?" Jiang Cheng grumbles, getting to his feet.
"You're forcing me into indentured servitude," Liu Qingge points out. And then, as if to be diplomatic, he adds, "You'd be well within your rights not to."
Jiang Cheng's face heats with embarrassment as he protests, "Y-you led a monster to my sect territory and destroyed my storehouse! It's only right that you fix what you broke! But if you're doing me a service, I won't let you go hungry. We may still be experiencing the lingering effects of war, but we haven't fallen so low as to be unable to feed our people."
Liu Qingge stares at him ponderingly, before nodding. "Thank you." And then, to Jiang Yanli, he asks, "Where might I find the baths?"
—
After lunch, Liu Qingge asks to be allowed to write to his sect before he returns to his work. Jiang Cheng allows this, but he doggedly keeps watch over the man until he's done. Afterwards, Jiang Cheng drags Liu Qingge back to the storehouse and pulls out the qiankun pouch holding his carpentry tools.
"I know nothing about carpentry," Liu Qingge reminds him, a hint of unsureness in his voice as he glances at the pouch, and then back at Jiang Cheng.
"It's not that hard to grasp," Jiang Cheng grumbles, before pulling the storehouse’s schematics out from his robes. "Here's the schematics. This is the only copy, for now, so don't lose it. I'll be at the pavilion keeping an eye on you, so don't fuck up."
Liu Qingge stares blankly down at the carefully-folded paper in his hands and grimaces.
—
"…the fuck is this?" Jiang Cheng asks, staring at the crooked pile of wood. He'd come by just after finishing some correspondence with Baling Ouyang, and honestly… he's a little glad he got here before much else could be done.
Liu Qingge, cheeks red and shoulders hunched, mumbles, "I don't know. That's what it looks like in the picture." He points at… well, a random place in the building schematics and glances up at Jiang Cheng for approval.
Jiang Cheng stares down at it, and then sighs, rubbing his temples. It very much does not look like "the picture," but that's the least of Jiang Cheng's worries. "That's not even the part that's broken," he says, because that's the most diplomatic thing he can say at the moment.
"Alright, come on," Jiang Cheng sighs. "I'll show you how to properly do things."
At that, Liu Qingge perks up. As Jiang Cheng starts explaining the schematics, he finds Liu Qingge to be a surprisingly diligent learner. He hangs onto Jiang Cheng's every word and pays close attention when Jiang Cheng demonstrates how to use various tools. They practice on sections of the lumber Liu Qingge had been using until Jiang Cheng finally deems him competent to work independently. Unfortunately, though, that didn't leave much time before a disciple came to fetch them for dinner.
As they start putting their tools away, Liu Qingge glances over at Jiang Cheng, and though he doesn't quite smile, there's an easy curve to his eyes as he says, "You're good at this."
Jiang Cheng pauses, caught by Liu Qingge's expression. He stumbles on his answer just a moment too long to be natural, before he manages, "A-at what?"
"Teaching people," Liu Qingge says simply.
Jiang Cheng snorts. "Tell that to my disciples. They think I'm a demon."
Liu Qingge huffs a laugh and shakes his head. "You need discipline to learn. If they balk at a little constructive criticism, then they don't deserve to be here. I doubt I'd find any of them running away in the middle of the night."
Jiang Cheng stares, wide-eyed, at Liu Qingge. "And that… happens a lot in your… sect?" he asks, trying not to laugh. What in the world did this man think happened in cultivational sects? Sure, some of them were tough on their students, but at the end of the day, most sects were businesses. What kind of business drove away its own people?
Liu Qingge shrugs, utterly nonplussed. "Bai Zhan is different from the other peaks. If you can't make it, you either leave or you die. Most of them are smart enough to leave before it gets to that point, though."
What is Jiang Cheng supposed to say in response to that?!
"…sounds rough," Jiang Cheng manages, because if he calls Liu Qingge out on his obvious lie, they're just going to go in circles again.
"It has to be," Liu Qingge says. "Better than letting the weak ones get killed in action."
"…right," Jiang Cheng manages.
--
They have a scant couple of hours to keep working on their respective duties after dinner, but when the mosquitoes start coming out, Jiang Cheng calls it quits. Liu Qingge is surprisingly docile as he carefully puts away his materials, and when Jiang Cheng inspects his work in the dusk-dim light, he finds it more or less acceptable.
Upon receiving Jiang Cheng's approval, Liu Qingge nods, politely thanks him, and starts to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Cheng asks, doggedly following at Liu Qingge's heels.
Liu Qingge blinks, as if surprised Jiang Cheng would follow. "I'm finding a place to sleep."
"Where?" Jiang Cheng demands. "Out in the open?"
"Yes," Liu Qingge says, wholly serious.
"No! Absolutely not!" Jiang Cheng cries out, horrified. "Do you really think I'm letting you out of my sight before I'm done with you? Come on. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."
Liu Qingge stares at Jiang Cheng and then sighs, following after. As Jiang Cheng ushers Liu Qingge into a guest room within eyesight of Jiang Cheng's own rooms, Liu Qingge glances around with bewildered curiosity. "I thought you'd have put me in a cell. Not proper guest quarters."
With a sigh, Jiang Cheng asks, "Would a cell even hold you?"
"No," Liu Qingge says, the stupid smug ass.
"B-Besides," Jiang Cheng says, "we have other ways to keep an eye on you. If you leave your quarters without permission, I'll know. So don't even try."
Liu Qingge shrugs and says, "Fine."
Jiang Cheng decides to leave it at that. "I'll have a disciple fetch you for breakfast. Good night, Liu Qingge."
—
Jiang Cheng jolts awake at the crack of dawn—not from a nightmare, for once, but from several talisman alarms clanging in his head. Throwing on the first outer robe he sees, Jiang Cheng rushes out of his rooms… only to find Liu Qingge walking leisurely around in the hallways like he isn't doing the one thing Jiang Cheng asked him not to do.
Preposterously, Liu Qingge seems to brighten at his approach and asks, "Where are your training grounds?"
"First you escape, and now you want to make use of my facilities? Who do you think you are?!" Jiang Cheng snaps, his mood admittedly rather irritable given his, ah, rude awakening.
Liu Qingge shrugs. "I'm not going to neglect my training just because I've got other responsibilities. You're free to try and stop me if you'd like; I wouldn't mind a good spar."
Jiang Cheng stares at him and almost wants to tear his hair out, because he's known this man for a handful of hours and he already knows that he's 100% serious. For a second, he's tempted to try and wrestle the man back into his rooms so they can both sleep an hour longer, but he knows it's a lost cause.
With a sigh, Jiang Cheng drags a hand down his face and says, "Just… let me wake up a little. I didn't even have time to brush my teeth."
Liu Qingge gives him a strange look, as if he was the one being ridiculous here. "If I wanted to escape, I would've done so yesterday," he says. "I had many chances."
"Right. Yes. Got it," Jiang Cheng groans. "The training grounds are that way. Don't harass any of my disciples. I'll come and spar with you when I'm done."
At that, Liu Qingge perks up in some quiet, intangible way, and he happily turns and heads in the direction Jiang Cheng pointed out.
It is… unexpectedly charming. In a Liu Qingge sort of way.
—
They spar. It is… surprisingly fun.
Admittedly, when they had faced down the jiao, Jiang Cheng had felt a long-forgotten thrill—the same one he'd felt often, back when things were easier, back when he stood proudly alongside Wei Wuxian.
It's been a long time since he'd felt that—it's been a long time since Wei Wuxian even deigned to wear Suibian on his belt, let alone pull it out for a spar.
Jiang Cheng had forgotten how much he missed this.
—
As the days pass, Jiang Cheng gets used to Liu Qingge's presence on the Piers. He's a quiet man, but it doesn't take long before Jiang Cheng finds a rhythm to Liu Qingge's little idiosyncrasies. Though he doesn't often have the time to share more than a morning spar and his meals, he finds that Liu Qingge is practical to a fault, so straightforward he occasionally comes off as obtuse, and unintentionally hilarious.
Jiang Cheng finds himself making excuses to come out and check in on Liu Qingge's work, and sometimes, they just… sit around and talk.
When Liu Qingge finishes the storehouse, he goes out with the disciples to help around the villages without even needing to be asked, and by the end of the week, Jiang Cheng almost wants to ask him to stay. He wouldn't have to keep pretending he's part of some stupid, made-up cultivational sect; he could just… be part of theirs.
Only—a little after the two-week mark, two youths make their way to Jiang Cheng's doorstep, requesting Liu Qingge's return. One of them, a mousy girl in practical, celadon-colored robes, offers Jiang Cheng a frankly obscene amount of silver and a box of qi-refining pills—"as a token of our sect's esteem, and to sustain positive relations between our sects."
There's no way two teenagers would have such rare cultivational aids, let alone that much money, so what is Jiang Cheng supposed to do but believe that they're legitimately part of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect?
Cang Qiong Mountain Sect exists.
Go figure.
The moment Liu Qingge is fetched, the other teenager—a rough-and-tumble stripling of a young man—all but throws himself at his shizun, halfway to tears… only for Liu Qingge to deftly sidestep him and knock him to the ground. They spend a good few minutes wrestling on the ground, and Liu Qingge is in the best mood Jiang Cheng's ever seen him in outside of their spars.
It feels like much too soon before Liu Qingge packs up his things and is ready to be rid of Yunmeng Jiang and Jiang Cheng altogether, and Jiang Cheng can't stop the bitter disappointment welling up in his belly. It's so childish to feel this way, and yet…
Jiang Cheng wishes he could stay. Wishes he would choose to stay.
As he walks them all to the gate, Liu Qingge turns back to Jiang Cheng with a soft grin on his face. "I'll miss sparring with you. No one on the peaks ever comes at me as seriously as you do."
Jiang Cheng finds himself laughing. "Is fighting the only thing on your mind?"
Liu Qingge shrugs and nods. Clapping Jiang Cheng's shoulder, he says, "It was fun while it lasted."
Jiang Cheng should say something—Liu Qingge wouldn't blink twice at Jiang Cheng coming at him with awkward overtures of friendship... but there's nothing he can say that would make him stay.
It's only when Liu Qingge hops on his sword that Jiang Cheng manages to find his words. He nearly pulls Liu Qingge clean off his sword when he grabs hold of Liu Qingge's robes, but he just has to make sure Liu Qingge knows—"Next time… come visit as a friend, alright?"
Liu Qingge raised his eyebrows, amusement tugging at his lips as he asks, "Not as an indentured servant?"
Jiang Cheng's cheeks heat, his grip still tight on Liu Qingge's robes as he says, "Well—just don't forget your damned wallet next time."
Liu Qingge huffs a laugh. His joy is beautiful. "Sure."
And then, he's off.