Chapter Text
On the last morning of the second week, Shen Qingqiu had decided to sleep in since he literally had nothing else to do. Still not hiding under one of Shang Qinghua’s shelves, he’s nosing the fur on Liu Qingge’s neck and definitely not thinking about how soft and warm it is. Ever since his shidi discovered he couldn't sleep on his own, he elected himself pillow and blanket for Shen Qingqiu. At first the Qing Jing peak lord had fought fang and claw wanting to be left alone and not humiliated in this way but everytime the smug bastard won and basically forced good night’s rest after good night’s rest on him.
Well if he had to sleep so close to the idiot, might as well make all he can from it. His shidi is purring lightly and his body heat feels so encompassing that he can’t help but fall back asleep.
Obviously, that’s when the door to the house opens in a loud bang, startling his shidi and making him jump back ready to fight whatever entered or hide away as fast as he can.
‘’Great news! Your head disciples just came back with (maybe) your antidote! I— Ah! Sorry did I wake you? Well you’re both up now anyway so let’s get going! Mu-shixiong should already be preparing the flowers!’’
After a great deal of hissing, Shang Qinghua finally curbs his enthusiasm and they set off for Qian Ciao Peak.
They land right at the foot of Mu Qingfang’s office where the man is waiting patiently for them. As they enter the room, Shen Qingqiu is instantly hit with the smell of bitter medicine mixed with overly concentrated orchids. Two bowls full of a dark green concoction sit on one side of the table and he realizes that there is no way he will be able to gulp down that much with this body.
Liu Qingge strides with all the air of the ignorant fool he is to the first bowl and sits in front of it. Shen Qingqiu follows more apprehensively, knowing the special kind of torture that is to come, he decides that a little silent mocking would cheer him up first.
His stupid shidi blinks at the liquid and subsequently makes a vaguely constipated face. He turns to Mu Qingfang as if asking if he really needs to drink all of it for the effect to work.
'’Yes, Liu-shidi, you have to drink all of it.’’
Idiot .
So, resigned to their fate they both start to slowly lap at their respective antidote. It’s just as disgusting as it smelled like but it’s also strangely thick. Really Shang Qinghua could have warned them in advance so they could mentally prepare for this agony.
After painstakingly finishing their bowl, and not without a little bit of shame, they wait for their bodies to turn back to normal. It takes a few moments but Shen Qingqiu starts to feel the same dizziness he had when they had first transformed and in no time he’s falling unconscious again.
Waking up disoriented, he tries to get off from the ground as sensation comes back to his body. He blinks a few times before looking in the direction of the other peak lords. Liu Qingge is already up and his body is back to being annoyingly handsome as normal.
He huffs and finally gets up properly from the bed, not floor, how long was he out? At least Mu Qingfang is doing his part in taking care of the injured but having been unconscious in a room full of people makes him slightly anxious.
Everyone is staring at him for some reason.
Liu Qingge has the expression of someone who was recently accused of a murder they did not commit and Shang Qinghua one who has actually done it. Mu Qingfang is horrified with a hand in front of his face and a thousand yard stare.
‘’What?’’
No answer.
‘’What is it? What?! Have you lost your tongues all of a sudden?!’’
‘’Shen-shixiong…’’ Mu Qingfang starts but bites his lip and doesn’t continue further while the two others look at him as if he'd grown a second head. Oh gods did he grow a second head? He turns to Shang Qinghua, the only one who will quickly and effectively respond to his threats. He jabs his finger at his torso and realizes that something is… off… about its length.
Turning his palm up, he can’t suppress the slight tremor that courses through him as he sees what should be his hand. But instead of the typical five human fingers, he still has f*cking paws! The same color and pattern as when he was a cat! But why?!
He starts analyzing his body in a panic and sees a fluffy tail right at his feet. Something moves on his head and his hands/paws shoot up to touch it only to realize in impending horror that they are cat ears. WHAT. THE. f*ck.
😾 catgirl time 😾
He looks back at Liu Qingge who is perfectly normal.
…
…….
‘’Shen-shixiong please calm down, we’re going to find a solution okay…’’
‘’Mu-shidi. Shut up. ’’
His mouth closes with a click and the man looks down rather dejectedly.
‘’Shen Qingqiu! don’t talk—-’’
‘’YOU.’’ He jabs his hand into Liu Qingge’s ribcage and shoves him back to where he was gaping like a fish a few moments ago. ‘’SHUT UP TOO.’’
He turns to Shang Qinghua once again and with all the fury he has held inside for the entirety of his life, he grabs him by the collar, shakes him and asks:
‘’WHY IS HE NORMAL AND NOT ME?!’’
Shang Qinghua panics visibly. He bites his tongue trying to compose himself while being jostled like a particularly offensive fruit tree.
He’s going to bleed if he continues worrying at his lip this way but in all fairness if he doesn’t answer this very reasonable query he’s going to bleed regardless.
‘’Well… the antidote only works in tandem with a sufficiently developed golden core so… I… UM…’’
‘’Hhhhhhhhssssssssss’’
He shoves that small sniveling bastard to the ground and passes his hands over his face.
Of course. Of course that’s the problem. Of course it would be that.
He’s taking big gulps of air but he still feels lightheaded. He wants to laugh. He wants to throw something. He doesn’t know. Probably Shang Qinghua. Or maybe Liu Qingge.
‘’Oi! It’s not his fault! You don’t have to pass your anger on him!’’
‘’You’re right! Maybe I should pass it on you!!’’
He says through clenched teeth as he lunges for Liu Qingge’s throat. Who cares if it’s disloyal?! Who cares if it’s wrong?! This asshole ruined his life! He’ll never be able to show his face again!
As his opponent dodges effortlessly his uncoordinated attack it spurs him on even further.
He worked so hard for it to end like this…
‘’Why are you afraid?!’’
‘’Who said I was afraid?!’’
‘’That’s what your scent is when you're afraid!’’
Pausing his rage, his heartbeat picks up for an entirely different reason.
‘’What… what do you mean—’’ He’s terrified of the answer. Taking a few steps back from his shidi as Mu Qingfang eyes them with a pensive look.
‘’Your scent…? Ever since we’ve been transformed it rarely changed so I thought it was normal but after all of this…’’ He gestures between him and Shang Qinghua. ‘’I’m nearly sure it’s fear…’’
No. No no no. Nonononono…
He says it so candidly. Almost childishly. As if it was a simple fact of life, like the sky is blue or the sun rises in the east. As if he didn’t just uproot every single barrier Shen Qingqiu put up for himself in a single sentence.
Hands trembling at his side, he takes a step back while lowering his gaze. He’s going to throw up. He’s going to tear Liu Qingge’s stupid face off. He’s going to—
‘’Oi, are you listening?’’
His eyes snap back up and he’s face to face with the man who has doomed him completely.
Liu Qingge can smell his fear…
What can Shen Qingqiu do but run.
When he first had been transformed into a cat, a whole new world of sensations opened to Liu Qingge. Like when he had first started cultivating. It was as if his nose suddenly became as prominent of a sense as his eyes. The path of animals treading through the forest, the scent of a flowing river far away, even the smell of rain being carried through the clouds. But most importantly it was Shen Qingqiu.
It was so strange at first, completely dissimilar to what he thought the sense of smell was like. He would best describe it as green, unlike a forest but like holding a leaf in your hand, although it was tinged with notes of sour, most of the time. He thought it was just his natural scent but when Shen Qingqiu slept it would change into something softer, almost feather like. It reminded him of clouds drifting lazily in the sky or the breeze passing gently through tree branches.
So he thought it was anger, or irritation then, but that didn’t hold up either because it stayed even when the other was clearly too cold to be coherent or even just walking around in the wilderness. Then during these past two weeks it sharpened when there were loud noises or if someone was approaching too close. He had no other choice but to recognize that it was fear all along.
It meant that Shen Qingqiu smelled vaguely of fear nearly all the time…
He doesn’t know if he got it right but it would certainly explain his reactions... He can’t even ask either because the man would never answer. Maybe that’s why he fights everyone all the time…
But if that’s true then it still doesn’t explain what he’s scared of! It’s stupid, Shen Qingqiu is the most aggressive man he’s ever met and perfectly capable of defending himself! He shouldn’t be scared like that every waking hour of the day…
As he watches Shen Qingqiu back away from him, he feels… confused. He all but runs away from the room. Liu Qingge turns back to Mu Qingfang, a question already forming on his tongue but the doctor just smiles sadly at him and goes back to his previous activities. Even more confused than before he frowns deeply, looking at the doorway like it offended him.
The reaction left him floored.
Why did he run away?
He has no reason to be afraid, right? At least not of Mu Qingfang. Even less of Shang Qinqhua.
Not of him.
Right?
Deciding to get to the bottom of this, he composes himself and runs after Shen Qingqiu who has already taken flight on his sword. At first, Liu Qingge thinks he’s going back to his peak but when he sees him descend the mountain he feels an uncontrollable rage come over him.
He knows where Shen Qingqiu is going.
His blood is pounding in his ears as he flies discreetly behind the other man. He didn’t think much of the rumors going around about him but now he can’t think of anything else. He wants to destroy the damn building. He wants to kill something. He wants to set himself on fire.
He doesn’t know why he’s feeling this way…
Well! He’s going to ruin his cultivation even further if he goes there! That’s why! It’s probably already the reason he couldn’t get back to his regular form anyway!
As Liu Qingge arrives on the edge of the city at the foot of the mountain, he steps off his sword and shifts into his cat form that he discovered just a few moments ago. He had gotten up still as a cat and found himself able to shapeshift back and forth between human and animal. It’s pretty convenient. Especially now since he doesn’t want anyone seeing him follow Shen Qingqiu there .
The scent of fear lingers in the air as he follows and it brings doubt to Liu Qingge’s rage-addled mind. Why is he still afraid? Liu Qingge is pretty sure people aren’t supposed to be afraid when they go to pleasure houses. And it’s not just a little bit either. Even if he wasn’t trailing behind him he might be able to sense it from the main street two blocks over.
There’s something strange about his behavior too. He can’t pinpoint it exactly but his mind tells him that the way his tail hangs low, curled around his legs and the way his body presses against the walls, is undeniably wrong. He needs to do something about it, his instincts scream at him. And he’s going to!
A strange sensation courses through him as he watches Shen Qingqiu enter the gate to the Warm Red Pavillion. It’s like he wants to vomit blood and scream at the same time. But he has no time to study this while he makes his way around the building following the traces of the Qing jing Peak Lord going to the back of the building on the second floor. Jumping a gate to enter the back courtyard, Liu Qingge has half a mind to think he is trespassing but he needs to get Shen Qingqiu back to the sect now, alright!
Tail flicking in what is definitely annoyance, he climbs the tree at the center of the courtyard and crawls on the branches next to the window of Shen Qingqiu’s room. He can hear multiple women speaking in cheerful and comforting? tones. The incense hangs heavy in the air and irritates his nose. It's the same one he had smelled of during the peak lord meeting!
That means Shen Qingqiu had come here while still being a cat! And weirder still, stayed there for long enough that the incense had permeated his fur until the next time they reunited at the meeting.
Multiple women enter the room with him, some going to sit on the large bed, others puttering around the place retrieving things while chattering idly. They are thoroughly underdressed, some with completely open collars or with their hair down, some of them are only in a single inner robe! Seeing this makes him want to turn around and flee. But! He came here to confront Shen Qingqiu! So he steels himself and approaches the window further.
While he was seething, Shen Qingqiu has seated himself on the bed and put his head in between his hands. He’s not even looking at them, much less touching them… A few women come sit by his side and talk to him but too softly for Liu Qingge to understand. He thinks he hears Shen Qingqiu mumble back to his companions . This goes on for a few incense sticks while he tries getting closer to the opening to hear better. At this moment, a young girl barrels into the room running with her clothes so disheveled that he has to avert his eyes lest he sees something shameful.
That’s when he hears something that makes him pause.
‘’Jiu-ge, they're so cute!’’ The young girl, probably around sixteen or seventeen, exclaims while reaching up to pet Shen Qingqiu’s cat ears. He does not react to her touching him, not even lifting his head but just sighs loudly.
‘’Meimei! Don’t annoy him! Can’t you see Jiu’er is sad about this.’’ An older looking woman comes back in view with a platter full of sweets. He saw her walking about the room moving cushions and other things but not saying anything before this. She sets her tray down on a low table in front of the bed and shoots a stern look at the young girl.
‘’But it’s true!’’ She pouts with a small lilt to her voice.
‘’What am I going to do? I can’t deal with this humiliation…’’ Shen Qingqiu sighs again. The soft dejected tone startles Liu Qingge. He’s never heard Shen Qingqiu sound like that in the entire time he’s known him. Not ever. The unfamiliarity has him wracking his brain. All of this feels so incredibly… unlike what he supposed pleasure houses are like. That thought has him shaking his head trying not to think about it further. He focuses back on the conversation instead.
‘’You don’t understand, I can’t even enter seclusion. Mu Qingfang will never let me and even then I would have to go through the sect leader. If he sees me this way he’ll never leave me alone!’’
The older woman pouts and co*cks her head to the side. After a moment passes, she raises her arm and pinches Shen Qingqiu’s cheek?? Wait, he must've seen wrong. If he shakes his head any more tonight he’s actually going to lose brain cells. Liu Qingge hears another lady in the room call to the rest.
‘’Didi is so smart I’m sure he’ll find a way. These idiots don’t know how wrong they are being so mean to you! If I could, I’d beat everyone who made fun of Jiu’er and made him sad!’’ The woman in her early thirties makes a few punching motions to emphasize her point. At this display, the previous older woman makes a disgruntled face and tuts her tongue.
‘’Come on stop joking around–’’ ‘’I’m not!’’ ‘’You should take a little bit of time to rest and think about it again once the shock has passed. Eat something and then sleep.’’
‘’But I have to–’’
‘’No buts. Jiejie’s orders.’’ She says with finality and Shen Qingqiu just… let’s it go. He hangs his head back down until punching girl has him settle down on the bed and the conversation veers into what he can only understand as cross-brothel gossip.
He’s being ordered around by people he is rumored to consider objects and he doesn’t retort anything witty. He doesn’t get angry. It’s like Liu Qingge’s entire comprehension of this man has been flipped on its head.
This isn’t how a lecher interacts with women he covets, this isn’t how Shen Qingqiu acts in general. This is how Liu Qingge interacts with Mingyan, this is how his mother gently scolds him. This is so strange and he feels dumbfounded looking at the scene.
Liu Qingge thinks he’s seen something he shouldn’t have. But he can’t take his eyes off of it. He’s never seen Shen Qingqiu look so… soft, unguarded even. And it’s mesmerizing. He’s beautiful when he smiles shyly at the silly way these women comfort him. When he blushes lightly when they say something nice about him. The way the corner of his lips curve upwards when he eats something sweet.
Liu Qingge can’t bear to look at it anymore.
He leaps down from the tree. The cloying smell of incense still clinging to his nose like a reminder of how wrong he was to come here. To witness something so forbidden. Even more so than what he expected to arrive to.
His heart beats wildly in his chest and he cannot fathom why that is.
If he doesn’t pay these women to …do that … Why doesn’t he say anything when everyone calls him names! This makes no sense! Shen Qingqiu picks a fight for anything and everything! Every little mistake, every annoyance, even for things that are insignificant. So why doesn’t he say anything when others insult him with factually incorrect statements?!
Why is he telling all his problems to them? They can’t help him… But his martial family can… or at least they should! Yes, internal tensions aren’t a reason to leave one of yours to die or suffer! If Shen Qingqiu needs help with his cultivation he should be going to his martial siblings!
….
……
He sighs, knowing very well that his shixiong would never gain anything but mockery and sneers from the others. He might be brainless as his Shen-shixiong likes to say but he is neither blind nor deaf. It’s just… He thought it was true so he didn’t say anything about it…
He should go to Zhangmen-shixiong then! But he hates him for some reason… Everyone thought it was because he was an ungrateful bastard but Liu Qingge doesn’t think that’s quite true anymore. Maybe there’s something more to it he doesn’t understand… Something he can’t see.
While taking his normal appearance back, he can’t help but feel dejected. There’s no point in staying here waiting for Shen Qingqiu to come out. He takes out Cheng Luan and looks at his blurry reflection for a moment. At the moonlight shining on his blade. Thinking of nothing, just contemplating. Like his world tilted by a few degrees and nothing makes sense anymore.
As he takes flight, his mind wanders back to what he learned tonight.
He is so confused about all this. Why go to non-cultivator women for this… why a brothel? And why are they acting so familial to him? Going as far as to curse the other peak lords on Shen Qingqiu's behalf… Being willing to fight them for him…
He can’t even ask any of these questions because it would anger his shixiong so much he would never speak to him ever again. And he doesn’t want that! Especially now… now that he understands more about how his shixiong feels all the time around his martial family.
Wait, his shixiong ? Oh that’s right he’s just as guilty as everyone else… maybe that’s why he doesn’t trust them… maybe that’s why he’s afraid all the time… He liked to think of himself as honorable and respectable but he never really gave the benefit of the doubt or even just tried to get to the bottom of these rumors…
It still doesn’t explain why he spends his nights there!
He spends his nights there…
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t sleep even a little bit on his own in all the time they were transformed into cats together.
And for as long as he remembers, he went to spend his nights there… And if he doesn’t dual cultivate with these women then why is his cultivation stunted…?
He’s made a terrible mistake…
No, a series of terrible mistakes.
He freezes just before his door back at Bai Zhan peak. With an arm halfway through the motion of swinging it open. It stops midair and flops back down a moment later. He can’t seem to form a coherent thought right now. Everything he’s learned, clogging his brain and preventing him from moving.
For the first time in his life he feels completely helpless. What does he do? What can he do? To even begin to repair the damage he’s done feels impossible. Like a tangled ball of thread with no beginning or end.
Let’s start with the obvious then. He needs to do something about his relationship with his martial family first and foremost! His shixiong can’t just be afraid of them all the time! He didn’t even think he had fears…
No matter! The simplest way to build trust right now is obviously to help Shen-shixiong get his body back! And also because he caused this in the first place…
And according to Shang Qinghua the way to do that is finding ways to boost his cultivation.
And isn’t there a way to do that in this world, with someone else, like dually, like some sort of dual cultivation maybe?
He blushes furiously as the thought forms in his mind. Stomping his feet, he finally enters his house and sets on preparing to sleep while not thinking at all at what he just thought. He doesn’t know why he’s thinking about that kind of thing right now! Shen Qingqiu doesn’t even seem to want that actually. Now that he thinks about it his shixiong rarely lets other people touch him. So! He probably wouldn’t like help by dual cultivation !
Wait, he said he was going to help his shixiong but he didn’t mean it like that! Does he even want to do… Wait but it doesn’t have to be him, but no he doesn't like that at all. It makes his skin crawl and his blood boil to think of his shixiong who might not be as bad as he thought with some… some… some random stranger!
He works his jaw trying to control the weird warmth spreading over his body.
So he does… want to… do that … with his shixiong…?
…
Maybe a cold midnight bath will help clear his, clearly, intoxicated mind.
Must’ve been the incense…
Coming back to his room with his hair still wet and his heart still pounding, Liu Qingge sets to finding a way to help his prickly shixiong.
He thinks the best course of action should be to hunt monsters that improve cultivation when consumed. It’ll be easy for him to provide plenty to Shen Qingqiu and while it’s not the most effective method, ahem , it should still work wonders especially considering the quality of the beasts he can hunt.
With a hunting list already forming in his mind, he decides to go early in the morning so Shen Qingqiu doesn’t have to wait any longer to get his body back.
