Chapter Text
"Good evening, Sect Leader Yue."
Yue Qingyuan woke to the sound of a melodious voice and a dim red glow dispersing the darkness of his bedchamber. He took a deep breath before sitting upright and turning his attention to the demon lounging on the windowsill. "Greetings, Tianlang-Jun. I'm afraid that I'll need to ask you to forgive my lacking hospitality; I wasn't expecting visitors tonight," he remarked wryly.
The Demon Emperor smiled, a flash of sharp teeth in the gloom. "That's quite all right. I'm not really much for formality."
Yue Qingyuan lowered his eyes, folding his hands in his lap. Liu Qingge had been missing for seven days and nights now, and the longer that time had begun to stretch, the more that Yue Qingyuan had begun to expect something like this. Yue Qingyuan was saddened by the likely fate of his wayward shidi, but there was nothing that could be done for him at the moment. Yue Qingyuan's duty was to try to protect the remainder of the sect, now. "I assume that this is about our... previous encounter? I won't begrudge you your revenge, but I would ask that you limit its scope to me, as I was the one responsible for your defeat. If it is only me whom you wish to target, then I won't resist. May I rely on your word about this, Tianlang-Jun?"
Tianlang-Jun let out an amused huff of breath. "Oh, don't flatter yourself, Sect Leader Yue. It's hardly as though you were single-handedly responsible for my imprisonment. If I wanted vengeance for that, then my scope would need to encompass all of the major cultivation sects."
Yue Qingyuan sighed. "I see. That's unfortunate," he replied, and made a sword sign to summon Xuan Su to his side. He wrapped his hand around the hilt and gripped the sheath with his other hand. "In that case—"
"Ah, no. I'm afraid that you misunderstand me. I am not here about revenge," Tianlang-Jun replied, holding up a hand. "Though with that reaction, I do have some faith that you can understand my position."
"Then by all means, feel free to elaborate," Yue Qingyuan replied, not lowering his weapon, but not yet unsheathing the blade either.
"Just now, you were prepared to surrender yourself for the sake of your sect, and only prepared to fight me when you perceived that I would pose a threat to them. You may assume that I have a similar outlook, that I have people who I wish to protect by any and all means necessary. I am willing to let bygones be bygones when it comes to the events more than a decade past at this point. However, that does not mean that I will tolerate a threat to my family.
"If you have any intentions of making use of my nephew's fondness for Liu Qingge to lure him into a trap, or to otherwise deceive or ensnare him, then I highly recommend that you rethink that plan. If either my nephew or my son comes to harm as a result of trusting Liu Qingge, then you may rest assured that Bailu Mountain will not be the only mountain that I reduce to rubble, and that it will not take ten years to repeat the feat this time. Am I understood, Sect Leader Yue?" Tianlang-Jun asked, tilting his head slightly.
Yue Qingyuan blinked, baffled by the turn of the conversation. "I... Yes?" he responded tentatively, then cleared his throat and lowered Xuan Su to the bed. "Yes. I understand, Tianlang-Jun."
The demon flashed another smile. "Wonderful. I'm glad that we had this talk. With any luck, you and I will not need to see each other until the wedding. It would be such a shame to need to make good on my threat, so let's both mind our manners, hm?" he remarked as he gave a little wave and leaned back, dropping down off of the windowsill and vanishing from sight.
The brief crackle of demonic qi and icy breeze that snaked through Yue Qingyuan's open window left him with little doubt that the heavenly demon was no longer on Qiong Ding Peak.
Yue Qingyuan let out a deep breath and set Xuan Su aside, mulling over the interaction that just occurred.
Presumably, since Tianlang-Jun had bothered to make an appearance specifically to threaten him in relation to Liu Qingge, it meant that the Bai Zhan Peak Lord was still alive. Or at the very least, hadn't met his end at the hands of the heavenly demons. The mention of a wedding was concerning, but, again, it did not make sense that Tianlang-Jun would make the effort to threaten Cang Qiong Mountain Sect if the demons were intending to keep Liu Qingge captive indefinitely. Unless it was an instruction to not mount a rescue attempt?
Yue Qingyuan barely had a moment or two to mull the information over before a sound outside drew his attention, and he turned towards the window just in time to watch Shen Qingqiu barrel through the opening, landing gracefully in the room and brandishing Xiu Ya.
His eyes fell on Yue Qingyuan immediately, sharpened into a glare, and his free hand flicked out. Talisman paper slapped against Yue Qingyuan's chest, but no further effects followed.
Shen Qingqiu's gaze snapped down to the talisman, then back up to Yue Qingyuan's face. "Where is the demon?" he demanded.
"He already left, Qingqiu-shidi," Yue Qingyuan replied, glancing down at the paper stuck to his chest. A detection talisman, it seemed, one keyed to react to demonic qi. Shen Qingqiu was thorough as always.
Shen Qingqiu scoffed and scanned the corners of the room. "So I am expected to believe that Zhangmen-shixiong is so formidable that he was able to chase off an extremely powerful demon without even getting out of bed?"
"No, he left of his own volition. Why is Qingqiu-shidi here?" Yue Qingyuan asked curiously.
Shen Qingqiu gave him a look that clearly communicated just how idiotic he considered that question. "There is a heavenly demon of unsurpassed strength on the loose, one with a very good reason to have a grudge against Zhangmen-shixiong personally, and you think that I haven't implemented contingency measures?"
"Qingqiu-shidi is very diligent as always," Yue Qingyuan demurred with a slight nod.
"Clearly someone needs to be. What happened? You said that the demon left, but why? What was it doing here?" Shen Qingqiu demanded, still scanning the room for threats.
"Tianlang-Jun was apparently here to deliver a message. Well, more of a threat, really."
"They're finally making their move, then? How nice of them, to announce their intentions ahead of time. If they think that Cang Qiong will falter just because they eliminated Liu Qingge, then they're fools," Shen Qingqiu sneered. "Evidently they like to toy with their prey, but we can take advantage of—"
"Ah. No, Qingqiu-shidi. It was not a declaration of war, and I have reason to believe that Liu-shidi is still alive, as well."
Shen Qingqiu gave him a sceptical look, did one more sweep of the room, then sheathed Xiu Ya. He stepped closer to the bed, looming over Yue Qingyuan. "Elaborate."
"I'm aware that this will sound odd, but apparently he wanted to warn us away from leveraging Liu-shidi in particular. This is what he said." Yue Qingyuan tactfully opted to leave out the initial interaction he had with Tianlang-Jun, regarding sacrificing himself, but parroted the rest of the demon's message for Shen Qingqiu.
"That was the message that was deemed important enough to deliver personally?" Shen Qingqiu remarked sceptically, then paused for a moment in consideration, gazing off into the middle distance. "Though if Tianlang-Jun does truly value Yuan-Jun as much as that would imply, capturing or threatening him could be a very effective form of leverage over Tianlang-Jun..."
A chill ran down Yue Qingyuan's spine at that statement, and his hand shot out to grip Shen Qingqiu's sleeve. "Qingqiu-shidi, don't."
Shen Qingqiu blinked and glanced down at Yue Qingyuan's hand briefly before scoffing and pulling his arm free. "Hmph. Granted, it's also entirely possible that Tianlang-Jun is just trying to direct our focus onto Yuan-Jun in the hopes that we will eliminate the competition for him. Probably the more likely answer. It could also explain why the demon has been so merciful with Liu Qingge; perhaps he's under orders to not kill any cultivators, in the hopes that with the handicap he'll eventually slip up and be slain."
"Perhaps," Yue Qingyuan demurred. Privately, he thought it unlikely from what he had seen of Tianlang-Jun that the demon would have such a motivation, but it wasn't as though he had any proof of it. "In either case, it would be imprudent of us to either provoke Tianlang-Jun or to play into his hands."
"Indeed, the next steps should be considered carefully," Shen Qingqiu agreed, his attention drifting away from Yue Qingyuan again as the man began to ponder the new development. He scanned the room once more. "Did the demon do anything aside from deliver the message?"
"Not as far as I am aware, but I'm afraid that I was asleep when he arrived," Yue Qingyuan admitted.
Shen Qingqiu's back straightened slightly, and his gaze flicked down to Yue Qingyuan, then over to the window. "I see. We'll need to implement stronger security measures, clearly," he replied, then strode over to more closely examine the windowsill and the area around it. He climbed outside and there was only a moment or two before he stooped down and straightened up, this time with something roughly the size of an egg in his hand. It seemed to be a hollow husk of something, translucent and delicate-looking. "Tch."
"What's that, Qingqiu-shidi?"
"It was a teleport focus; it's how Tianlang-Jun was able to bypass our wards. It's very small, though, and fragile; it wouldn't last very long after it was activated. Most likely why the visit was so brief, if Tianlang-Jun had lingered for too long he would have been stranded alone on Cang Qiong. They must have used a snake to place it here; anything larger and more robust would have been too difficult for such a creature to deliver discreetly. We'll need to further strengthen the wards against this sort of thing," Shen Qingqiu muttered, clearly mostly talking to himself.
"Is there anything I—" Yue Qingyuan started to get out of his bed, but Shen Qingqiu's attention snapped back to him with a glare.
"You can go back to sleep, Zhangmen-shixiong. Your part to play in all of this is as the peerless Xuan Su sword, and that means being well-rested and ready for combat. Leave the strategizing to me. I'll contact you after I determine a plan of action."
"Thanking Qingqiu-shidi for his diligence," Yue Qingyuan replied, pulling his legs back onto the bed. "Please don't neglect to rest as well."
Shen Qingqiu made a disdainful noise and unsheathed Xiu Ya, stepping onto the sword and flying off into the night sky.
Shen Qingqiu mulled over this latest development as he made his way back to Qing Jing Peak. What was the purpose of the demon's visit?
The most obvious explanation was that the message itself was largely irrelevant, and the demon simply wanted to sow discord in their ranks. Implying that Liu Qingge was close to and valued by Yuan-Jun, as well as demonstrating that the demons were capable of infiltrating Cang Qiong's defences with enough ease to have Tianlang-Jun personally deliver the message to the Sect Leader's private quarters. Shen Qingqiu was no fool; he knew full well that it wasn't only a serpent which could have planted the teleport focus. It could have just as easily been a traitor in their midst, someone who was compromised by demons and was high enough in status to be able to get close to Yue Qingyuan's personal residence and place the device. In that scenario, the evidence primarily implicated the upper eschelons of leadership of the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, most likely a peak lord.
And wasn't it terribly convenient, that Tianlang-Jun appeared in such an ostentatious and personally-directed manner, only do accomplish nothing more productive than imply that Liu Qingge was going to be marrying his second-in-command?
Cang Qiong's strength lay in its unity, and a display like that would be near-guaranteed to cause intense paranoia among the leadership of the sect. One of their peak lords was already compromised, defecting to become the consort of a Heavenly Demon. The conclusion was easy to draw; surely the War God had cut some kind of deal to save his own skin and that was why he had been spared each time, why he had never returned with useful intelligence. Not only that, but there was evidently another one of their own number who had allowed a demon to access the Sect Leader at his most vulnerable. It could be any one of them; no one could be trusted. Who knew who else could secretly be agents of the demons? What guarantee was there that there weren't even more traitors in their midst?
No, that was an outcome that Shen Qingqiu had to avoid at all costs. If the individual peaks ceased to collaborate and communicate due to mistrust of one another, Cang Qiong would be crippled. Paranoia and suspicion spread like wildfire, and it would only be a matter of time before members of the sect would turn on each other, targeting one another due to prior petty grievances or rivalries or wild speculation. The demons wouldn't even need to lift a finger; they could simply sit back and watch as Cang Qiong Mountain Sect slit its own throat.
In comparison to that situation, the potential damage that one or two genuine saboteurs might accomplish was laughable. That wasn't to say that Shen Qingqiu intended to ignore the possibility of any spies or traitors in their midst, but he would be keeping his suspicions and his investigations very quiet. If there really was a rat amongst their ranks, having apparently gotten away with the treachery without even a hint of scrutiny would likely embolden them in any future actions, and make them sloppy. Let them scurry in the shadows for now, Shen Qingqiu knew the importance of patience. He would snap the trap shut just as soon as he knew the extent of the infestation, and would let no vermin escape.
Shen Qingqiu stepped off of his sword and made his way to the bamboo house, mind still working rapidly. He shrugged off the outer robe that he had hastily pulled on over his inner robes when the alarm had gone off, and made his way to his desk. Shen Qingqiu realized belatedly that hadn't remembered to put his guan in; hopefully Yue Qingyuan hadn't noticed. He set out a night pearl to provide illumination and absentmindedly began to grind some ink in preparation for any notes he might make.
Fortunately, the more obvious element in the ploy of sowing distrust was completely ludicrous. Shen Qingqiu despised Liu Qingge, but the man was no traitor, and that much was obvious to anyone with even a passing familiarity with the imbecile. There was no point in even considering betrayal on that front; if Liu Qingge ever turned on Cang Qiong, he'd do it without any subtlety, likely by challenging Yue Qingyuan to a duel or some nonsense. Subterfuge was not something that he would concern himself with.
…Though, considering the amount of time that Yuan-Jun spent exposed to Liu Qingge (Shen Qingqiu almost felt an iota of sympathy), surely that much would have been obvious to the demon as well. So if spreading distrust was the only goal of the message, it seemed strange that so much of the substance of it was focused on Liu Qingge. There were no stated implications of the demons having other agents or allies within the sect, and relying on the rapidly-melting teleportation focus being discovered, and the Sect jumping to the conclusion that one of their own had placed it, was an outcome that was by no means guaranteed. The demons had gone to no small effort in order to make their presence known, it was unwise to assume that Shen Qingqiu's first suspicion was their only aim.
So, then, what other purpose could the visit have served?
It corresponded to Liu Qingge's extended disappearance, which made the thing's focus on him in particular seem very strange. If the demon really was concerned about Cang Qiong Mountain Sect leveraging the War God against Yuan-Jun, simply eliminating the man would be the most expedient way to eliminate that possibility. Liu Qingge had yet to defeat Yuan-Jun, so it should be entirely within Tianlang-Jun's capabilities to kill the War God.
Plausible deniability, perhaps? If Yuan-Jun truly was fond of Liu Qingge for some unfathomable reason, and the snake demon was actually the one pulling the strings behind the scenes as Shen Qingqiu suspected, then blatantly disposing of Liu Qingge could form a rift in their alliance. Perhaps he was engaging in this sort of charade as a way to reassure Yuan-Jun that he was supportive of his unnatural proclivities, and that any unfortunate fate that might have befallen Liu Qingge was surely the fault of outside parties.
…Or, did Tianlang-Jun consider Yuan-Jun's proclivities unnatural? The Demon Emperor had already sired a half-breed of his own. And the mention of a wedding… Shen Qingqiu shivered at the implication. Perhaps Luo Binghe was only a prototype, a proof of concept. Did the Heavenly Demons intend to produce even more half-breeds with high potentials for both human and demonic cultivation? It seemed entirely possible that the demons had been using the duels as a way to gauge Liu Qingge's qualifications as a potential stud; it would explain why he had been left alive, as well as why the demons had apparently lost interest in returning the War God this time, implied 'wedding' and all.
Shen Qingqiu swallowed and suppressed another shiver, refusing to let his mind linger on that particular implication. Whatever Liu Qingge's current situation, it would do no one any good to let his analytical abilities be compromised by sentiment. The man had made his own choices, and he likely would not have been deterred even if Shen Qingqiu had realized this possibility earlier and attempted to warn him. There wasn't anything that he…
Besides, a man like Liu Qingge likely wouldn't have even been willing to consider that such a threat might be something that could be applicable to him, privileged and powerful and respectable as he was. Such things were only the concern of women and weaklings, and—
Shen Qingqiu clenched his fist and shook his head, shoving the thoughts away. Useless. Focus on the important elements.
Luo Binghe's mother was presumably a female cultivator, and Liu Qingge was male. Was the difference in sex relevant to consider? Was it simply a matter of convenience, that Liu Qingge happened to be a powerful cultivator that was accessible and fit the necessary criteria?
Well, if the demons were no longer interested in making use of willing collaborators, then a male would be more convenient for those purposes; having a demon doing the gestating would allow for much more control of the resulting half-breed, and the participation required from the human would be limited…
Wait. If the demons wanted to breed more weapons, then why would they go to the trouble of laying claim to Liu Qingge? There was already a cultivator who was presumably willing and had produced viable offspring in the form of Luo Binghe. So why not turn to her again?
Admittedly, it wasn't entirely impossible that they had, but Shen Qingqiu hadn't heard any hint of such a development. Possibly the mother had passed away in the dozen years since Tianlang-Jun was imprisoned, which was why there was no sign of her. But someone had been caring for Luo Binghe before Tianlang-Jun was released. Surely there were still some candidates, so—
Tianlang-Jun had specifically warned Cang Qiong Mountain Sect against leveraging Liu Qingge against Yuan-Jun. Tianlang-Jun had been sealed away during a time period very early in Luo Binghe's life, possibly before the half-breed was even born. There was no sign of Luo Binghe's mother to be found now that Tianlang-Jun was free.
Oh, that would explain many things, wouldn't it? There was someone who had been cunning and ambitious enough to seduce the most powerful demon in generations, only to betray and eliminate Tianlang-Jun after he served his purpose. Afterwards, she could hand-raise her own heavenly demon to obey her unquestioningly, with all the power that would grant her.
So then, what had gone wrong? How did Yuan-Jun play into all of this? Perhaps it had taken Yuan-Jun a while to track down the other party, in addition to his efforts to unleash Tianlang-Jun? Had the cultivator somehow been unaware of the existence of the other heavenly demon, or assumed that he would have been slain during the battle to subdue Tianlang-Jun? Had Yuan-Jun infiltrated the area where Luo Binghe was being raised and convinced the child to turn on his mother? It seemed incredibly likely that whoever this cultivator had been, she was dead now that the demons had retrieved their spawn.
Hm. Huan Hua Palace Sect had been the ones who had spearheaded and arranged for the ambush and imprisonment of Tianlang-Jun. So then, had the cultivator been one of their members? It seemed entirely possible, but if such a thing was true, surely Tianlang-Jun would have enacted greater revenge on them by this point. Luo Binghe's mother at least must have been eliminated, but there was no recent news of any disappearance or gruesome death of high-ranking Huan Hua Palace Sect members, at least none that Shen Qingqiu had heard of.
If Huan Hua had been party to such a plan, however, it was likely that they would want to suppress any indication of their members consorting with demons. It had taken Huan Hua weeks to report the news that Bailu Mountain had been demolished. Shen Qingqiu had assumed that such a thing had been the result of arrogance and reluctance to admit to fault, but it was entirely possible that they had been using that time to instead purge any records or evidence of their sect members harbouring a half heavenly demon.
Tianlang-Jun seemed content to bide his time and play the long game, so the fact that the sect hadn't been demolished yet didn't necessarily indicate their lack of involvement in this. Alternatively, it was entirely possible that the cultivator had mislead Tianlang-Jun about which sect she had belonged to. That would have been the most tactically sound approach to take, though if the creche for the half breed had been associated with Huan Hua in any way then it was likely that the demons had worked out the connection by now, or would soon.
It wasn't impossible that Luo Binghe's mother had been an incredibly ambitious rogue cultivator, and that Huan Hua had simply taken advantage of having Tianlang-Jun delivered to them on a silver platter, but Shen Qingqiu did not like the shape that all the coincidences and bits of collected clues were beginning to make. There were too many unanswered questions, and too many hints pointing to the further involvement of Huan Hua Palace in this mess.
Shen Qingqiu clicked his tongue and began furiously jotting down notes and threads to follow up on. This line of inquiry felt important, like a vital piece of the puzzle was just now within reach, but he couldn't focus on it just now. There was still the problem of Liu Qingge's absence, Tianlang-Jun's message, and whatever machinations the demons had in place. Understanding the background information of whatever had happened with the human side of Luo Binghe's family could certainly make it easier to draw conclusions about the potential next steps, but Shen Qingqiu did not have the luxury of launching a full-scale investigation before a decision had to be made. And aside from that, it was likely that his fellow martial siblings would view his efforts unfavorably if he were to try to shift the focus onto Huan Hua Palace Sect while Liu Qingge was still missing and presumably in the clutches of the demons. No, he would need to operate on the information that he currently had available, unfortunately.
Shen Qingqiu set aside the sheet of paper and rested his head in his hand for a moment, letting out a sigh. He would need to convene with the other peak lords to consider the next steps. Several of their number had come to the conclusion that Liu Qingge's extended absence likely meant that the War God's continuous attempts to court death had finally been successful, that he had finally been slain. There were vague rumblings of them possibly needing to declare war, but for the most part the Sect had hesitated to take action, either out of hope that Liu Qingge might have just been delayed or distracted for some reason, or out of uncertainty about how to proceed. For his own part, Shen Qingqiu certainly hadn't felt the need to rush into headlong conflict without a concrete plan of attack, not when that was what had gotten Liu Qingge killed in the first place.
Except now, it seemed that it hadn't gotten Liu Qingge killed. Now, news would spread that Liu Qingge was alive, and was very potentially being held captive, misused and tortured. Now, there was a reason to act with urgency, to mount a rescue attempt.
Shen Qingqiu did not have very much faith in his ability to persuade his martial siblings to slow down and consider their options carefully. The most impetuous peak lord was gone, but he was still inspiring others to follow in his ill-advised footsteps. How infuriating.
And Shen Qingqiu did not have very many reliable informants regarding the happenings in the demon realm. From what he had heard, Tianlang-Jun had seized control of his palace once more, regaining his position as the emperor of the southern realms. But who was to say that was accurate? Charging in with a large military force towards the palace, deep past the border of the demon realm, was a massive risk, and could easily be a trap. What evidence was there that Liu Qingge was even being held there? Cang Qiong Mountain Sect could not afford to have a large chunk of their fighting force wiped out due to charging blindly into enemy territory.
…A reconnaissance mission. He would need to try to direct their focus into arranging for a reconnaissance mission. The demon had alluded to an upcoming wedding, Cang Qiong may as well take advantage of that euphemism. Arrange for a small contingent of cultivators to travel into the demon realm under the guise of a diplomatic excursion. Send them with gifts to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of the happy couple. The envoys could collect information about the political conditions of the demon realm and the location where Liu Qingge was being kept, if everything went well. And if everything did not go well, the losses would at least be limited to a small portion of their population. Whoever expressed the most eagerness to charge into the demon realm with swords drawn could be pacified by being able to volunteer to prove their bravery and mettle by venturing into the demon realm for the purposes of espionage, and Shen Qingqiu could at least buy himself time to better muster their forces and form a proper battle plan for engaging with the demon realm.
Yes, that should be effective. Shen Qingqiu yawned and glanced out his window at the sliver of dawn that was beginning to become visible over the horizon. He would try to rest for a few hours and arrange for a meeting with his fellow peak lords later. Perhaps in the evening, when people would be less inclined to dash out into the night without even listening to Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu valiantly managed to not scream in frustration when Qi Qingqi arrived to the meeting with news that smashed his carefully considered plans.
"What do you mean, Liu Mingyan is missing?" he asked tightly.
"I mean she's gone. Has been for at least four days; she talked one of her fellow disciples into covering for her and claiming that she was sick. She could be almost anywhere by this point, but it doesn't take a genius to guess where she went."
Shen Qingqiu let out an aggravated groan and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Every single member of the Liu family is dedicated to being a thorn in my side, I see."
"I'm sorry, Shen-shixiong, I hadn't realized that your convenience was the matter of utmost importance here," Qi Qingqi replied, her tone icy.
"That isn't— Forget it. We can't just… I understand that the situation has now become even more dire, but that is all the more reason to act reasonably and rationally," Shen Qingqiu tried, in spite of the mounting sense that his efforts would be pointless. Liu Qingge was one thing, but a pretty young girl having gone missing in the demon's territory was bound to fire up the righteous valor of most of his martial siblings; approaching things with careful consideration was likely no longer an option. Shen Qingqiu needed to try to do damage control.
"Would you be taking this same viewpoint if Ning Yingying was the one who had gone missing?" Qi Qingqi demanded.
"Ning Yingying knows better than to do something so reckless and foolish, and I actually discipline my disciples so that they know better than to conceal important information from me for days!" Shen Qingqiu snarled, snapping his fan shut to jab it in Qi Qingqi's direction.
"How dare you suggest that—"
"Now is not the time for us to squabble amongst ourselves, please," Yue Qingyuan interjected, and was rewarded with a sharp glare from both of the other peak lords.
"If Shen-shixiong has his way, then I'm sure he would have us just write off both Liu Qingge and Liu Mingyan," the Ku Xing peak lord said reproachfully.
Shen Qingqiu sneered at the man. "Well, there is some merit to the suggestion. Perhaps if it is clear that behaving in an imbecilic manner will result in no one rushing in to save you from your own stupidity, the surviving members of this sect would make better choices."
"Choices like choosing a different sect, one that won't abandon them simply because coming to their rescue would require effort," Qi Qingqi snapped.
"The sooner that they realize that they can rely on no one to come to their rescue, the better off they'll be!" Shen Qingqiu spat bitterly.
"Everyone, please—" Yue Qingyuan's voice was cut off by the sound of the door to the meeting room slamming open, and Liu Qingge stepping inside.
For a moment, everyone fell silent to gawk at the man.
Liu Qingge looked over the gathered peak lords and crossed his arms. "I was told that I should come here. What are we talking about?"
"Liu-shidi?!" Wei Qingwei exclaimed.
"Yes, I'm here now," Liu Qingge responded, and strode forwards to pull out his usual seat. "What did I miss?"
"What did you—?! Where were you?!" Shen Qingqiu demanded furiously, slamming his hand on the table.
"More importantly, is Liu Mingyan with you?" Qi Qingqi interjected.
Liu Qingge completely ignored Shen Qingqiu and turned his attention to Qi Qingqi. "No? Why would she be?"
Qi Qingqi winced. "Ah, well—"
"It's because your sister ran off into the demon realm to look for you, imbecile," Shen Qingqiu explained.
"What?! You lost my sister?!" Liu Qingge exclaimed, shooting back to his feet.
"That's— that's what we're here to discuss, how to fix it," Qi Qingqi replied.
"There's nothing to discuss. I'll go and retrieve her," Liu Qingge said, and began heading for the door again. Qi Qingqi rushed to intercept him.
"Liu-shidi, wait! I know this is a very worrying development but you can't run off on your own this time! You've never managed to defeat Yuan-Jun alone; we're going to need more manpower to mount a rescue mission," she pointed out.
Liu Qingge just gave Qi Qingqi a bemused look. "The only thing we have to worry about is if Mingyan didn't actually make it to the palace. And in that case, the faster we move, the better."
"What? What do you mean? That doesn't—"
"This is a waste of time. You can come along if you want, or you can go get some more people, but I'm leaving now," Liu Qingge said dismissively, turning his back on Qi Qingqi and striding out of the hall.
"Liu-shidi! You're the only one who knows the way, you can't—!" Qi Qingqi made a frustrated noise and snapped her attention to Shen Qingqiu, yanking a talisman out of her sleeve and shoving it into his hands. "I'm going with him. Liu Mingyan is my responsibility. Use this to keep track of our position; I've got the matching beacon talisman on me already. If something goes wrong, at least you'll know where to look."
Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows, but Qi Qingqi had already rushed out of the door after Liu Qingge. He couldn't say that he agreed with Qi Qingqi's decision to follow the fool, but at least she had the foresight to provide Shen Qingqiu with some means of keeping track of them, and there were only the two cultivators rushing off into the unknown. Having two peak lords being the ones taking that risk wasn't ideal, but the situation could be worse. Shen Qingqiu now had time to muster their forces and come up with a more detailed plan in the event (or eventuality) that the two of them did not return.
Shen Yuan was slightly surprised when a servant came to inform him that Liu Qingge was here again, barely an incense-stick past breakfast (Liu Mingyan had refused breakfast like she had refused dinner, instead opting to eat some dried rations that she had evidently brought with her). With the travel time required to get from the palace to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, even flying on a sword, Liu Qingge likely hadn't stopped to rest at all. Which wasn't exactly surprising, Shen Yuan supposed, but it did seem a bit excessive.
"There's also another human with him, Yuan-Jun," the lynx demon informed him solemnly. "A woman."
"Eh?" Shen Yuan replied, confused. Who else would have come with Liu Qingge? Did the man have a girlfriend? A fiance? Shen Yuan didn't remember something like that being mentioned, but Liu Qingge had hardly been in Proud Immortal Demon Way at all, and he probably had saved a lot of maidens over his career, so it didn't seem impossible.
Well, it didn't matter all that much, Shen Yuan supposed. He was going to need to return Liu Mingyan regardless of whomever was accompanying Liu Qingge. Shen Yuan nodded to the messenger. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll go and welcome our guests, please tell Junshang that Liu Qingge has arrived and that he needs to bring Liu Mingyan out. Remind him that we promised to return her if he whines about it."
Shen Yuan made his way through the palace and stepped out of the front gate to greet Liu Qingge and whatever mystery woman he had brought with him. Evidently she was a cultivator who had an unsheathed spiritual sword already ready to go in her hands. Shen Yuan thought that he understood why the palace staff had a negative reaction to her presence.
Well, she hadn't attacked anyone yet and Liu Qingge seemed likely to have brought her into the demon realm under extremely short notice, so the wariness was probably fairly reasonable, all things considered. It would be best if he could prevent any kind of fight breaking out; that would probably complicate Liu Qingge picking up his sister, and Shen Yuan had serious concerns that he might end up having all of the responsibilities of governing the demon realm dumped into his lap if Tianlang-Jun was able to finangle his way into keeping a hold of his new book club buddy.
So Shen Yuan smiled and tried to appear non-threatening. "Ah, good to see you, Qingge! And...?" Shen Yuan pointedly glanced in the direction of the other cultivator who was accompanying Liu Qingge.
"Qi Qingqi," Liu Qingge introduced his fellow peak lord with his usual brusqueness.
Oh, so not a girlfriend after all! Not that it was any of Shen Yuan's business really. It did make sense for the head of Liu Mingyan's peak to also come pick her up. The girl was probably going to be in trouble for pulling this stunt, but that wasn't Shen Yuan's problem. "Ah, the Xian Shu Peak Lord? It's nice to meet you," Shen Yuan said with a nod of acknowledgement, before turning his gaze back to Liu Qingge. "You showed up even faster that I expected. Did you travel through the whole night?"
"We did," Liu Qingge replied, and ignored Qi Qingqi as she winced and made a shushing noise. "Is Mingyan here?"
Shen Yuan nodded. "Yeah, she's in the palace right now."
Liu Qingge let out a relieved sigh, his shoulders relaxing. "Good."
Qi Qingqi stared at Liu Qingge like she thought the man had lost his mind. "Good?!"
"…you wanted to find her, didn't you?" Liu Qingge replied, sounding baffled.
"Not in the hands of the—!" Qi Qingqi's hissed statement was cut short by the gate behind Shen Yuan creaking open again and a lithe girl striding out of it, her head held high.
"I told you, Yuan-Jun! I proved you wrong! You had better hold up your..." Liu Mingyan's righteous declaration trailed off when she spotted Qi Qingqi. The parts of her face not covered by the veil went a little paler. "Oh. Shizun, you're here..."
Qi Qingqi barely glanced at her sheepish disciple; her attention was instead trained on the demon that had followed only a step or two behind Liu Mingyan. Apparently Tianlang-Jun was quite recognizable even over a decade after last having been encountered. "Mingyan," she hissed, her grip tightening on the hilt of her spiritual sword. "Come here, now."
Liu Mingyan ducked her head a little and scurried across the distance separating the cultivators and the demons. Tianlang-Jun watched her go, but made no move to stop her.
"We're leaving," Qi Qingqi declared, planting herself between Liu Mingyan and the demons, her gaze still trained on Tianlang-Jun.
"Shizun, I—" Liu Mingyan tried to interject.
"We can discuss this when we're back at the Sect, Mingyan," Qi Qingqi said flatly.
"Are you really in such a rush?" Tianlang-Jun asked mildly, tilting his head to one side. "You've been travelling without rest for quite a long time, wouldn't it be wise to take a break? You're welcome to come inside and relax over a cup of tea for a short while; I think that both Liu Qingge and Liu Mingyan can vouch for the quality of our hospitality."
"No," Qi Qingqi replied firmly.
"I see. That's really too bad," Tianlang-Jun remarked with a sigh, then lifted his fingers to his lips. He let out a short, ear-piercing whistle, and the sound had barely faded away when the noise was replaced by the sound of heavy, leathery wingbeats.
The trio of cultivators recoiled and readied their swords in near-unison as the Nyx-Dread Eclipse Manticore swooped down from the sky and landed on the ground beside Tianlang-Jun in a clatter of chitin.
Liu Qingge grit his teeth and his gaze flicked towards Shen Yuan. "Yuan-J—"
"All right, let's go," Tianlang-Jun's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention up to where he was currently seated, astride the back of the manticore and already holding the reins. He looked over at Shen Yuan. "Come on, Yuan-er. Unless you want to be left behind?"
"You— that— what?!" Qi Qingqi exclaimed while Shen Yuan hurried over to clamber up onto Zhenbao's back.
"Hmn?" Tianlang-Jun responded, meeting the gaze of the Xian Shu Peak Lord. "Is there a problem?"
"What are you doing?!" Qi Qingqi demanded.
"Isn't it obvious?" Tianlang-Jun asked, bemused. "You wish to leave immediately, so I'll accompany you. The demon realm can be dangerous, you are fatigued, and I would hate for anything unfortunate to happen to two of my favorite humans. Hm, is favorite too strong a word? I think they'd at least be in the top ten... Oh, but if I count authors, maybe not. Still, in the top fifty, at the very least."
"What?" Qi Qingqi repeated, evidently baffled.
"Did you change your mind about being in a hurry?" Tianlang-Jun inquired, tilting his head. "You're still welcome to rest here a while instead, of course."
Qi Qingqi snapped her mouth shut and took a deep breath, straightening up from her battle-ready stance. She put on a smile that looked like it hurt to wear. "This one thanks Tianlang-Jun for his consideration, but it is unnecessary. We can make our way back to the human realm unaccompanied, there is no need for the honorable Demon Emperor to waste his time."
Tianlang-Jun scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "It is never a waste of time to ensure the safety of those whom you value, Peak Lord Qi. I'm sure that you share my opinion, since you personally journeyed here with great haste to retrieve your wayward disciple. So I really must insist."
"That's—"
Liu Qingge sighed. "Give it up, Qi-shijie. Let's just go, the sooner we're out of here the sooner he'll stop pestering us," he said, releasing Cheng Luan so he could hop up onto the sword, and extending his hand towards Liu Mingyan.
Liu Mingyan accepted the help as she stepped onto the sword behind her brother. "I made a bet with Yuan-Jun," she grumbled. "If I stayed in the Palace until you came to get me, he'd let me assist you in the fight and he'd give you a free first strike."
Liu Qingge raised an eyebrow and shot a glance in Shen Yuan's direction. Shen Yuan flashed a sharp-toothed grin and shrugged. "Indeed, I did make that promise. Care to collect on it, Qingge?"
Liu Qingge grimaced, his gaze skittering away. "Now's not the time, Mingyan."
"But—!"
"We aren't staying in the demon realm for any longer than absolutely necessary," Qi Qingqi cut Liu Mingyan off, stepping onto her own sword and rising into the air. "I hope you have a plan, Liu-shidi."
"Of course. We're going out the same way that we came in, it isn't complicated," Liu Qingge replied, and either ignored or failed to notice Qi Qingqi shooting him an incredulous look.
The group took off, Zhenbao keeping pace with the cultivator's swords with seemingly little effort. "There is one other thing that I'd like to discuss with you, Peak Lord Qi. It's very handy that you came here, in fact," Tianlang-Jun remarked conversationally.
"Why is that?" Qi Qingqi replied warily.
"Well, you see, Liu-er made me aware—"
"Don't call me that," Liu Mingyan grumbled.
Tianlang-Jun pouted. "Honoured Guest Liu Mingyan made me aware that you have all manner of treasures sequestered away on your peak, and I would dearly love to get my hands on a few of them."
The glare that Qi Qingqi aimed at Tianlang-Jun turned positively venomous and she spit out her response through clenched teeth. "I'll die before I let you have a single one of my disciples, demon."
Tianlang-Jun blinked, seemingly taken aback. "…While I'm sure that your disciples are lovely young women, I do not want them. I want the books. Most specifically a copy of volumes six and seven of Where The Twilight Petals Drift, though Liu-e— Liu Mingyan also provided me with a few recommendations that I'd be willing to negotiate for as well."
"The... books," Qi Qingqi repeated.
"Indeed. Your disciple drives a hard bargain, Peak Lord Qi. I offered her all manner of treasures if she would just send me a copy of the books, but she refused. Claimed that if I wanted to obtain items from Cang Qiong Mountain Sect that I should negotiate with the peak lords and not attempt to take advantage of a mere inner disciple. She even threatened to tell me spoilers if I was too insistent, can you believe it? Is that the kind of ruthlessness you teach at your peak? It's very impressive."
Qi Qingqi stared silently at Tianlang-Jun for a heartbeat. "What are you talking about?"
"Ah, yes, too much preamble, apologies. Let's get down to brass tacks, hm? Liu Mingyan said that I would need to negotiate with a peak lord for the books, and conveniently enough, here you are! So, what would you like? I have a fair number of spirit stones at my disposal, would one hundred be sufficient? Or perhaps you would prefer something more exotic? Perhaps you could make use of some rare medicinal herbs from the demon realm?" Tianlang-Jun replied. "I have all manner of things available immediately, but if there is something in particular that you're after, I am certain I could see my way into allocating some manpower to tracking down something more esoteric."
"You're offering us one hundred spirit stones for books?"
"Is it not enough? I suppose that you probably have all manner of funds already available. Oh, what about some weapons? The imperial armoury has all manner of intruiging artefacts you might be interested in," Tianlang-Jun offered, glancing briefly in Liu Qingge's direction before returning his attention to Qi Qingqi and cupping a hand to his mouth, speaking in an entirely audible stage whisper. "To be honest, this was my backup option when I thought that I would be having negotiations with him, but I'm sure you can appreciate a fine piece of metalwork as much as the next person. I just recently found where the previous inhabitants stashed Nezha's Huojian Qiang, it's really quite incredible that they managed to hide a spear that's constantly tipped in fire, but that's demons for you, full of surprises. Maybe you'd find some use for it?"
"Nezha. The deity," Qi Qingqi said.
"Yes, I suppose he must have been a bit absentminded because that spear of his has been kicking around the demon realm for ages now," Tianlang-Jun replied flippantly.
The peak lord sighed. "I… Will need to confer with the Sect Leader to approve of the exchange, but I believe that it is possible for us to reach an agreement on this topic. I trust that you will be satisfied with Liu Qingge, or any other messenger whom we may approve, bringing the books for the exchange? You will not be making any demands for a specific person on our end to bring the materials to you?" she asked.
"No, no, nothing like that. Liu Mingyan is welcome to come visit any time she pleases, of course, but she is by no means required to be involved in the transaction. And I honestly don't particularly care about any of the other members of your sect," Tianlang-Jun said with a shrug.
Qi Qingqi's expression hardened. "Didn't you claim that Liu Qingge was also 'one of your favorite humans'? And why is my disciple someone whom you care about, demon?" she growled.
Tianlang-Jun let out an amused huff. "Oh, I can see why you would interpret what I said that way, but no. Liu Qingge just happens to be Yuan-er's partner, so—"
"Sparring partner!" Shen Yuan interjected hastily, not wanting to give the cultivators the wrong impression.
"Hm, yes, sparring partner, so the favoritivism is really just a transitive property of him being dear to my nephew," Tianlang-Jun continued with a shrug. "Besides, there's absolutely no need for me to make any kind of arrangements for you to send Liu Qingge to us; I rather think that you couldn't stop him from coming out here even if you tried."
Qi Qingqi grimaced, but didn't refute the remark. "And Mingyan?"
"Oh, that's because she's delightful. It's sadly difficult to find true patrons of the arts in the demon realm, so it was lovely to have someone to discuss literature with. Your disciple has some wonderful insights into the metatextual themes of Treading the Forbidden Trail, and made a very compelling case for why the most satisfying conclusion would be a triad relationship between Sheng Hui, Cui Han, and Shi Yulin, rather than Cui Han needing to choose between them. I highly recommend that you nuture her literary ambitions, she's bound to create some phenomenal stories if given the chance."
Qi Qingqi just stared blankly at Tianlang-Jun for a moment, then turned her attention to the pair of Liu siblings flying at her side. "Mingyan, did you smuggle yourself into the Imperial Palace of the southern demon realm only to proceed to spend your time there discussing books with the most powerful demon known to the cultivation world?!"
"It's not like that was my objective. I was planning on rescuing Da-ge," Liu Mingyan replied mullishly, not meeting Qi Qingqi's eyes.
"Which was a very foolish thing to do," Qi Qingqi pointed out.
"No one else was doing anything!" Liu Mingyan snapped.
"I didn't need any help," Liu Qingge interjected.
"That's what you always say!"
"Because it's true."
Liu Mingyan made an aggravated noise and grabbed at Liu Qingge's ponytail, presumably to yank on it, but the man reflexively flicked his head to keep the hair out of her reach. She pivoted to attempting to jab her brother in the ribs, which he blocked, and it quickly proceeded into the siblings scuffling with each other. It was both impressive and slightly nerve-wracking to see the two of them tussling while both balanced on the flat of a single sword, moving at high speeds, a hundred yards in the air.
Qi Qingqi let out an exasperated sigh."I'm not sure what I was expecting," she muttered, and then evidently opted to give up on the Liu family, turning her attention back to Tianlang-Jun. "So you want how many books?"
Tianlang-Jun perked up. "I want volumes six and seven of Where The Twilight Petals Drift primarily. I'm happy to both pay for and wait for copies to be transcribed if you don't have any duplicates on hand. Liu-er also suggested that I should read The Thousand Nights Of Longing, as well as the three volumes of When The Moon Cries, though if you don't currently have any spares at hand then I'd rather not delay the exchange, I can probably find copies of those elsewhere."
Qi Qingqi blinked, then let out a sigh. "Oh, Shen Qingqiu is going to hate this," she muttered under her breath, before addressing Tianlang-Jun directly. "I believe that we can see our way to collecting the books that you desire, though I assure you that the Sect Leader will only be open to considering the bargain if all three of us return to the Sect unharmed."
Tianlang-Jun sucked in a breath through his teeth and glanced backwards in Shen Yuan's direction. "Hm. Well, I'm afraid that I cannot escort you all the way back to your mountain at the moment. I was planning on seeing you off at the border, but… Are you quite sure you cannot afford to rest and recuperate a while? The human realm is not without its own dangers."
Qi Qingqi's gaze sharpened once more. "Is that a threat?"
"No? It is very much in my best interests to have you all return to your Sect unharmed, as you just specified, so I'd prefer if you were in top condition for the return trip."
"I am not weak, demon," Qi Qingqi retorted, bristling.
"That's true enough. But neither was I, the last time we met," Tianlang-Jun replied with a shrug. "It's best not to take unnecessary risks or potentially be caught unawares."
"What are you playing at? I don't like whatever you're implying, and you keep trying to delay us—"
"Believe me, Peak Lord Qi, if I wanted you delayed, you would be going nowhere," Tianlang-Jun said flatly, then sighed. "Ah, let's not discuss unpleasant things, it is quite tedious. I would very much appreciate if you could convey my request to the Sect Leader, and I'm sure that Liu Qingge can pass along the relevant details to us the next time he comes to visit. We can go our separate ways at the border, and put everything else behind us."
"That would be ideal."
"Mhm," Tianlang-Jun hummed, letting the conversation die. He turned his attention to the landscape passing by beneath them, as the tussle that the Liu siblings were engaging in finally seemed to run out of steam.
"I'll beat you one day," Liu Mingyan grumbled after Liu Qingge let her out of the headlock.
"You'll need to work harder, then," he replied with a shrug.
For a while they continued in silence, before Tianlang-Jun rolled his shoulders and let out a long breath. "Why don't you pick up the conversation duties then, Yuan-er? Turn on the charm, go on."
"Eh, what? What do you mean, I'm not charming! What am I supposed to say?!" Shen Yuan sputtered, blindsided at being thrown under the bus like this.
"Hm, true, I suppose the current company isn't ideal for whispering sweet nothings…"
Shen Yuan flushed a little and swatted at Tianlang-Jun's arm. "Don't tease me! The peak lords didn't come here to watch some comedy routine!"
"Their loss. Say, what's that down there?" Tianlang-Jun asked, pointing out a lumbering dark splotch on the ground below. At the distance they were viewing it from above, the creature looked fairly small, but its head fully cleared the tops of the relatively short scrubby trees that it was pushing its way through, and the long, heavy tails swishing behind it probably made the whole animal about as long as a bus.
"Hm, is that…? It is! That's a Lead-Plated Diffusive Crocodile! They're pretty rare around these parts, she must have depleted the prey supply in her previous watering hole and is migrating to new hunting grounds! They're fascinating creatures, practically impervious to most forms of qi."
"She?"
"Yes, see? She has two tails, the males only have one. Males also tend to be smaller, though since the species never stops growing it's hard to use that to identify them if you don't know how old they are. The females can shed the extra tail as a diversion to escape from larger predators, or as an additional food supply for their offspring…"
"Well, here we are, the border," Tianlang-Jun said, steering Zhenbao down to land in the grass and sliding off of the manticore's back to wave up at the cultivators. "You're on your own from here."
Qi Qingqi scanned the area with narrowed eyes, then nodded warily. "The escort was… unnecessary, but I suppose it was considerate of you. May the wind be at your back on your journey home," she replied grudgingly.
"You as well," Tianlang-Jun responded.
"And don't ever come near my disciple again," Qi Qingqi said, then motioned for Liu Qingge to move out.
"Understood, Peak Lord Qi. Safe travels," Tianlang-Jun replied placidly, and watched as the cultivators zoomed off into the human realm.
"Well, that was awkward," Shen Yuan said, partially to break the silence. "So should we get headed back, or…?"
"Oh, yes, in just a minute," Tianlang-Jun said absentmindedly, before pushing up his sleeve and drawing his claws across his own arm, letting the blood drip down over his wrist and pool on the ground.
"Junshang?!"
"Everyone is in such a rush today," Tianlang-Jun remarked, flexing the hand of his injured arm as the wounds knit themselves back closed and the puddle of blood flexed and drew itself up. In only a few heartbeats the ichor solidified itself into a bone eagle that cocked its head inquisitively up at Tianlang-Jun. "Off you go, make sure the cultivators get home safely."
"Oh. Do you really think that they might be in danger?"
"No, probably not, but it doesn't hurt to make sure," Tianlang-Jun replied, climbing onto Zhenbao's back again.
Shen Yuan privately thought that cutting himself open actually would hurt at least a little, but he supposed that the wound was extremely minor for a heavenly demon. "That's fair enough, better safe than sorry. …You really aren't going to try to contact Liu Mingyan again? You two really seemed like kindred spirits, couldn't you at least be penpals or something?"
"Ah, well, if Liu Qingge cares to pass along some letters then I certainly won't object, but I rather doubt that will be possible. They will not let her interact with me if they can help it, I am too dangerous, after all," Tianlang-Jun replied with a wry smile.
Shen Yuan winced, feeling a stab of guilt for being so eager about sending Liu Mingyan back home as soon as possible. He hadn't thought about it in terms of Tianlang-Jun losing all connection with a person who shared his interests, but the conclusion that he drew did make sense. "Oh. I'm sorry, Junshang."
Tianlang-Jun huffed and shook his head. "It's all right, I can be patient. I'm sure that after you marry Liu Qingge officially, Liu Mingyan and I will have more opportunities to interact as in-laws."
"AFTER I WHAT?!"