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The Disciple Trials was one of Shen Yuan’s favourite days of the year. Annually, peak lords, masters and senior disciples – as well as a few invited juniors – gathered at the foot of Qiong Ding to pick the newest babies of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. Of course, not everyone did go every year. Sometimes, a peak lord decided that they had enough junior disciples and they didn’t need anymore at this time. Shen Yuan had only missed one though, and only because the year before that he had picked eleven new disciples.
This year nearly everyone was here. He grinned as he watched the children eagerly digging into the dirt, most of them grimy and hardworking. The most desperate-looking one had already been whisked away by Yue-ge’s head disciple, so he didn’t even have to keep an eye out for anyone who truly obviously needed to be accepted and hope that they did indeed have enough spiritual potential. Another year one of those hadn’t, but had at least been given a job as a servant on An Ding in the end. Better than the street.
As Peak Lord Shen Qingri of Zhen Cha, the scouting peak, Shen Yuan was keeping an eye out for anyone who looked like they might have an eye for beast keeping, hunting or tracking. Qi Qingqi was glaring at him, just as she had the last ten minutes; Zhen Cha’s newest disciple was just getting brought up the mountain by one of her new seniors. A twelve-year-old girl with sharp, calculating eyes and abundant qi. Undoubtedly, the Xian Shu Peak Lord was planning on accusing him of stealing one of the few girls there. She always did whenever someone but her got to one first – especially if the girl in question was pretty. Xian Shu was famous for its beauties after all. Oh well. Qi-shijie couldn’t have her. Xiao Mei had landed on her head and she hadn’t even flinched as a full-grown three-headed Shadow Crane started screeching on top of her lungs. Xiao Mei wanted her for their peak, and what Shen Yuan’s spiritual companion wanted, she got. He… admitted that he had spoiled her terribly.
Shen Qingqiu scoffed where he stood at Shen Yuan’s side. Where Shen Yuan’s green and black robes were practical (although elaborate) with its engraved leather bracers and archery glove, rougher fabric, dark colours and embroideries that would let him sink into the forest unnoticed, Shen Qingqiu’s were the opposite. Lighter greens and white, flowing sleeves and skirts in too many damn layers to count and embroideries that would put the emperor to shame. They both, however, wore elaborate guans in their hair. Symbols of their positions, and mandatory at official events such as these.
Shen Yuan glanced at him. “What?”
“This is ridiculous,” Shen Qingqiu replied. “Why this sect insists on such a dirty way of picking outs its disciples, I’ll never understand.”
“Easy for you to say, er-ge.” Shen Yuan gave him a little smirk. “You got in by murdering the scourge of the cultivation world. Not everyone can be so heroic – like Yue-ge and me. Digging holes was plenty good enough.”
He only grinned as Shen Qingqiu’s fan hit him in the back of the head, right below his practical ponytail. And even wider so as a small gasp came from Shen Qingqiu’s other side.
“Shizun!” Ning Yingying exclaimed, wide-eyed. Shen Yuan bit down on his tongue to hold back his laugh. She, having grown up as a pampered only daughter, never seemed to be able to wrap her mind around the fact that slapping Shen Yuan around with his fan usually was the only way Shen Qingqiu could bear to show his affection in public.
Sighing, Shen Qingqiu patted her head once. Her hair was in two braids tied with silk ribbons and her disciple uniform was still perfectly neat. It probably wouldn’t stay like that for too long once she was allowed to stray from her master’s side. It never did. “Don’t worry about your Shen-shishu, Yingying. He is perfectly fine.”
Shen Yuan nodded at her, agreeing, as he held out his hand and whistled a tune. Xiao Mei swooped down from the skies, claws digging into the leather of his glove. At the moment, she was roughly the size of a falcon. Perfect for this manoeuvre. Of course, she could shrink and grow at any point as she pleased. Ning Yingying’s gaze flickered to her, hypnotized, as he knew it would. At a sign from him, Xiao Mei happily hopped over to her, preening as his shizi fussed over her.
Turning back to his brother, Shen Yuan said, “No one’s forcing you to be here, you know.”
Another scoff. “Yingying wants a shidi or shimei.”
Wow. Shen Yuan held back to the urge to snicker just to avoid being hit again. In some ways, the girl truly had Shen Yuan’s asshole brother wrapped around her finger. Not in most ways, of course – he was her master, and he demanded due respect and obedience. But it was genuinely hilarious to watch him be so fond of her.
Then again, Shen Qingqiu had a weakness for those he considered too good and too innocent, at least as long as they were girls. A little weird of him, but Shen Yuan was pretty sure it was a leftover from feeling he needed to protect his too good-too innocent Qi-ge as a child. Plus, of course, he also generally preferred women, for whatever strange reason that he had yet to get out of him. There were only two and a half man Shen Qingqiu would admit to any fondness for at all, and that was Shen Yuan, Shen Qingqius’ own damn husband (Yue Qingyuan, of course), and Shen Qing, their elder brother. Now a good decade after the Shen family reunion before meimei’s wedding, he would at least admit to tolerating da-ge. Shen Yuan had even found out that they wrote letters occasionally, though mostly about literature and philosophy. And updates on Qing-ge’s five children: Roulan, Anming, Chunhua, Haojiu, and Mingzhu. Four of them got updates from Qing-ge; A-Hua from Shen Qingqiu. She had attended these very trials last year and was now a disciple of Xian Shu. To Shen Yuan’s great amusement and Shen Qingqiu’s (and Qi Qingqi’s) great grief, Yue-ge was still her favourite uncle and peak lord. Her toddlerhood worship of the Sect Leader survived yet.
Xiao Mei’s trilling broke him out of his reverie. She had perked up and stared toward the prospects. Ning Yingying followed her gaze, and gasped. Delight blooming on her face as she tugged on Shen Qingqiu’s robes. “Shizun!”
He sighed. “Go.”
She set off. Xiao Mei did as well, much faster than any junior disciple could ever wish to be. She was bred to keep up with flying swords, after all.
Shen Yuan, intrigued, stepped after them. Shen Qingqiu did not. Every disciple or master from the sect stepped aside as he made his way down into the mound out of respect for one of their lords. It really was very convenient. The first time he had attended the Trials with his shifu as a senior disciple, he’d had to weave back and forth between people every time he wanted to move. He followed the wayward bird and disciple down, stepping past children who stared up at him with wide, awed eyes. Shen Yuan made an effort not to look back, as to not give anyone false hopes. His tall riding boots sank into the dirt but remained pristine; cleaning spells were carved into the leather on the inside. Truly marvellous.
Finding his target was not difficult: Xiao Mei was clinging to the fluffy hair of a small boy, tittering and chirping almost aggressively. Ning Yingying was pulling that same boy onto his feet by force, uncaring of how the dirt on him now got on her. The boy had a look of outmost shock on his face, his dark brown eyes wide and concerned as he stood. His hand – very gently – went up to his curly brown hair to try to pry Xiao Mei off without taking his eyes of Ning Yingying. Shen Yuan remained a few paces away, watching. He heard Ning Yingying tell him that come, he was going to be her new shidi, and Xiao Mei screamed in protest right next to his ear, making the boy wince. His clothes were worn and patched – well in some places, worse in others. Presumably he had done it himself in those latter ones, which was a tell of his situation. But despite that, despite the dirt and a couple scratches, his face was angelic. A bit too thin from malnutrition, but perfectly balanced. And when Shen Yuan reached out with his senses, waves of qi exuded from him. If he had been a girl, Qi Qingqi would’ve stolen him the moment he set foot at the Trials, no doubt.
But since he was not, he was currently allowing Ning Yingying to tug at him. Xiao Mei screeched again, and Shen Yuan huffed a laugh as her six eyes all narrowed in on him – she swept over to him, biting his robes to pull him toward the boy. The boy’s gaze snapped over to him. Shen Yuan smiled warmly.
Surprise and joy washed over the boy’s face, and he did the best he could with Ning Yingying still clinging to him to bow deeply. His form was good enough; telling a story of parents or guardians who had taught him as well as they could but a lack of proper schooling. Easy enough to fix.
“Ning-shizi,” he scolded lightly. “Let go. You’re almost making him topple over.”
The girl obeyed but stared at him in suspicion. “Shizun said I could pick out anyone I wanted,” she told him. “He’s going to be my xiao-shidi.”
Shen Yuan chuckled, glancing over to where Liu Qingge’s eyes also had caught on the boy, a considering frown on his face. While most Bai Zhan disciples earned their spot simply by climbing the mountain and refusing to get beaten away from it, a few were occasionally chosen at the Trials. And it seemed there was some interest here too. Even Shang Qinghua was glancing over, staring at the boy like he was trying to figure out if he knew him. Nothing out of the ordinary there. “We’ll see, shizi. Seems like this young master has something special that many of us would like on our peaks.”
The boy’s mouth fell open. Then he seemed to remember himself and snapped it shut, bowing again. “This lowly one’s name is Luo Binghe,” he murmured. “This one is not a young master, my lord. His mother was a washerwoman.”
“Well,” Shen Yuan replied, stepping forward and gently pushing him upright. “Once you’re a disciple of Cang Qiong, Luo-gongzi, your parentage will not matter. In the eyes of the world, you will be a cultivator.”
Luo Binghe’s eyes glittered like the star sky as he stared up at Shen Yuan. The smile that split his face was full of joy. Protectiveness rushed up Shen Yuan’s spine. He wanted to see it forever.
With a careful hand on Luo Binghe’s back, he guided him up the hill again. Jerking his head at Liu Qingge to let him know that if he wanted to make a bid on him, he would have to come now. He did not grant Shang Qinghua the same courtesy – this boy was not going to An Ding of all places. He could feel the unshaped qi buzzing in Luo Binghe’s body: unlimited potential. Luo Binghe’s brow furrowed as he concentrated on climbing up the hill without falling, but he kept glancing up at Shen Yuan. Barely paying any attention whatsoever to Ning Yingying, who was clearly pouting about it. When he did look at her though, it was with the same beaming smile.
“Shixiong,” Shen Yuan said as they reached Shen Qingqiu, who stared at them with narrow eyes over the fan hiding most of his face. “This is Luo Binghe.” Luo Binghe’s eyes flickered from Shen Qingqiu’s face to Shen Yuan’s, shock as he noticed their identical features, before he quickly dipped into a bow. Shen Yuan continued: “Luo Binghe, this is Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu of Qing Jing. This one-” He gestured at himself. “-is Peak Lord Shen Qingri of Zhen Cha.”
“My lords,” Luo Binghe murmured, awe and a hint of fear in his voice.
“You’re taking him, then?” Shen Qingqiu asked, not sounding particularly interested. The man hated most children as much as he ever had, even if he’d learnt not to be cruel to them. He definitely didn’t care about other peaks’ disciples.
“No!” Ning Yingying protested, stomping her feet. “Shizun! He should come to Qing Jing! I got to him first!”
Xiao Mei, at Shen Yuan’s shoulder, crowed angrily in protest. Letting everyone know that no, she had not.
“And I think- Ah, Liu-shidi, exactly, there you are, also took notice of him,” Shen Yuan added mirthfully as Liu Qingge joined them. “Liu-shidi, Luo Binghe. Luo Binghe, Peak Lord Liu Qingge of Bai Zhan.” The man nodded at Shen Yuan and pointedly didn’t look at Shen Qingqiu, who repaid the favour. The two peak lords still mostly got by through ignoring each other whenever possible. It was honestly really funny to watch them each pretend the other didn’t exist.
Liu Qingge, in his pristine white and black robes and severe ponytail, truly looked the exact opposite of Shen Qingqiu except for the fact that they both constantly wore displeased frowns. Not that Shen Yuan would ever point out that similarity. He had some survival instincts.
As Xiao Mei fluttered over to sit on Luo Binghe’s shoulder, shrinking as she did so to a size that would easier fit a child, Shen Yuan teased, “Xiao Mei’s already claimed him, so I think that should mean he’s mine.”
“If Shen Qingri wants him, he can have him,” Liu Qingge said tonelessly. At least he’d remembered the courtesy name this time. Even Yue-ge had looked at him with displeasure the last time he’d called Shen Yuan by his birth name in public – and at a discussion conference, too!
“Hmpf.” Shen Qingqiu’s eyes narrowed. His fan snapped shut. “If this master’s disciple did indeed claim Luo Binghe for Qing Jing before Shen-shidi could reach him, then he should be this one’s. Birds cannot choose disciples.”
Xiao Mei snapped her beak at him. Luo Binghe twitched but didn’t appear alarmed. Apparently perfectly content with having a three-headed, three-legged bird climbing all over him and nipping at his hair even as he watched cultivators debate his future. Shen Yuan simply must have him.
And from the look on Shen Qingqiu’s face, he knew exactly how Shen Yuan felt. Mischief gleamed in his eyes, and Shen Yuan resisted the urge to glare.
Shen Qingqiu ushered Ning Yingying away from Luo Binghe, putting her back into her usual place half a step behind him. She muttered in protest but knew better than to act up against direct orders in public, verbal or not. “I do have seniority, shidi,” he drawled. “If this master wishes to add this child to the second peak’s roster, it is his right to do so. Zhen Cha is merely sixth, after all.”
Something almost indignant flashed over Luo Binghe’s face, gone so fast and replaced by polite pleasantness that Shen Yuan wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been keeping one eye at him the entire time. Fascinating.
“Maybe so, shixiong,” Shen Yuan replied pleasantly, “but this master did get to him first, which certainly matters or every peak below the fifth might as well give up all our female disciples to Qi-shijie at once.”
“What is going on here?” a new, much beloved, voice asked. Yue Qingyuan joined them, looking very stately and important in his black and grey xuanduan and tall guan. He eyed Shen Yuan and his brother with mild intrigue and much affection. “Qingqiu-shidi, I hope you are not being difficult with your brother again.”
“Bah,” Shen Qingqiu replied, glaring at him. Obvious love shone through, lessening the blow. At least obviously by Shen Yuan’s standards – Luo Binghe certain looked a little worried. “Nothing my annoyance of a didi doesn’t deserve.”
Yue-ge visibly held back a chuckle and turned to Shen Yuan. “Is that so, shidi?”
“Perhaps our wise Sect Leader might settle this for us.” Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow at him. “Xiao Mei got to Luo Binghe first and Ning Yingying second. This master was third. Who gets him for their peak?”
Not even the famously diplomatic Cang Qiong Sect Leader could hold back a quiet snort at this ridiculousness. “Well,” he eventually said mildly. “Perhaps Luo Binghe might choose for himself, then.”
Three of the world’s most powerful men – because Liu Qingge had silently left now that his part was done – turned toward the child as one. Luo Binghe paled slightly under their combined attention but visibly steeled himself and made an effort to stand straight. Even Shen Qingqiu had to be impressed by that, as far as Shen Yuan was concerned. His eyes flickered between Shen Qingqiu and Shen Yuan. Then, with slow motions, he carefully urged Xiao Mei to shift up toward his neck where she remained steady as he folded into a bow, arms stretched forward though shaking slightly from exhaustion and nerves.
“This one would like to join Zhen Cha Peak if that is okay, my lords?” he said, voice steady but clearly only through sheer force of will.
Shen Qingqiu scoffed again, though he hardly seemed to actually care that much as he turned to leave, a whining Ning Yingying on his tail. A glance at Yue Qingyuan had the man obediently follow as well, looking like everything was well in the world as his second in command dragged him around like an obedient dog. Shen Yuan was left alone with his newest disciple. Other than Xiao Mei, who had clearly made herself at home in his hair.
“Wonderful,” he said, finally letting himself grin. He once again lifted Luo Binghe out of his bow and met those giant, starry eyes right on. “This master is happy to have you, Luo Binghe. We will hold the tea ceremony tomorrow. Once it is done, you may call me shizun.”
Once again Luo Binghe smiled as bright as the heavens themselves. “Thank you, my lord!”