Shen Qingqiu had not expected to be teamed up with Shang Qinghua on another mission so soon. Once he had accepted Shang Qinghua was not going to betray the sect, however, he had begun to enjoy the other's company much more. So he was in a calm mood as the mission of hunting down a demonic cultivator that was looking for appropriate sacrifices for his arts was given to them both.
Upon reciving the mission letter Shang Qinghua went to work making sure he had all his supplies stocked and the horse carrige prepared. By the time @shenjiuroleplay mafe his way to the gates, everything was already ready.
"Didi! Ready for a vacation?"
Shen Qingqiu frowned. "Perfect," he muttered. He drew out a few paralysis talismans and lead the way to prod the doors open and look inside.
It was certainly a scene. The child was bound on a table/temporary alter. There was blood still oozing from a gash on her head. On the floor a hunched elderly man was using a brush, carefully painting runes on the floor.
The nice thing about blood magic is it won't activate until it's fully completed and the sacrifice is offered. It would be easier if she wasn't already on the alter, activating the sacrificial array as soon as it was finished. But they still, thankfully, had time.
Shen Qingqiu struck with his sword, not even waiting, to strike and take the man's head.
The man scrambled, rolling across the floor, smugging his circle. Despite his age, the old man was spry.
While Shen Qingqiu chased him, Shang Qinghua rushed to the little girl and took her from the table.
Good, the child was clear. That would make this fight much easier. Shen Qingqiu kept up the quick slashes of his sword, each strike aimed to maim or cripple his target.
The bastard was slippery, dodging and bouncing narrowly out of the way. It was like he had eyes on the back of his head. He threw furniture, objects, anything to try and slow Shen Qingqiu down. Finally he ran head first into a wall. Instead of stopping though, the stone seemed to shift and melt around him, sucking him through.
Shen Qingqiu's eyes narrowed sharply and he reached out his qi to sense what was going on, trying to grasp what was around him. How was this man doing that? Was he still human?
The wall was fake. Sand colored and held together with qi. The cultivator's hesitation was just enough for the old man to push through and take off running down the street.
Shen Qingqiu snarled and pushed through the false wall following the man's trail. He would not be so easily shaken. The man had made a mistake in letting Shen Qingqiu sense him. He was not a tracker, but he would not forget the qi signature, and he could follow something this fresh with ease. The little girl was left behind. Shang Qinghua was far better with children anyways. He would take this man's blood.
The man was a runner, a track star. He was dodging around carts, quick turning around corners, even jumping over fences. Even he couldn't scale the city wall through. He made a turn, running along it, panting like a dying donkey.
Shen Qingqiu quickly pulled out a talisman and sent it at the demonic cultivator to paralyze him.
The man stumbled and collapsed on the ground, crying for help to passerbys. Seeing Shen Qingqiu’s common appearance and the old man's tattered robes they assumed it was a fight between the homeless and kept moving. One woman even going as far as to lift her skirt so the old man's grasping hands couldn't touch the hems.
Disgust twisted inside Shen Qingqiu, as much for the civilians he was meant to help as the demonic cultivator he was hunting. Grabbing him Shen Qingqiu struck the man brutally. There was no need to hold back. No one would care what he did here.
The man's head snapped back painfully as he gasped and whimpered pathetically. "Im just an old man im just an old begger! Please I didn't know it was yours! Please have mercy young man!"
"It?" Part of Shen Qingqiu recognized this was an act to make it seem like he was punishing a poor beggar for accidentally stealing. The rest of him boiled over. "Do you normally call little girls it? Or is that for any of your victims?" Shen Qingqiu snapped an arm and started dragging him back.
People paused, the local gossips' heads snapping around to listen. There was no law enforcement of course. No one cared enough to alert a guard.
The old man of course couldn't put up much of a fight. He struggled, kicking and yelling for help.
Shen Qingqiu hit the man again, more than happy to vent his frustration on him as he returned back to where Shang Qinghua was waiting.
The old building was lit with candles, the crime scene documented with sketches in Shang Qinghua's notebook. He had gathered the scattered papers, broken the circle, and treated the child’s injuries. The little girl sat on a bench outside, trying to warm her cold limbs in the sun. Shang Qinghua had wrapped her in an An Ding yellow cloak and given her some snacks. She looked up, startled like a small animal when Shen Qingqiu dragged back the old man.
Shen Qingqiu carefully didn't look at the little girl. She was a witness, and Shang Qinghua would handle it better. He crouched down to look at his victim. "You're a terrible cultivator," he told the man casually. "Your array is so full of flaws it's impressive it did anything."
The old man coughed and sputtered, "I have lived longer than cities have stood! You dare mock my abilities!" With no more witnesses the pittiful act dropped, the old man snarled and struggled.
"And? Creeping in children for a second makes you worse than the worst. What are you bragging on?" Shang Qinghua walked around the corner with a big leather bound notebook. "You're a fraud anyways. This..." he waved the book, "Isn't your handwriting." He opened to the most used pages, and there was the circle. Perfectly drawn with exact measurements. The work of a master and really it was like comparing a crane to a beetle, even before Shang Qinghua had ruined it the circle.
Shen Qingqiu snorted and kicked the man. "Even with a guide to follow you couldn't manage it," he sneered. The original creator was likely alive and well away from here. They would have to look for clues before a centuries old demonic cultivator came out to destroy things.
The old man had the wind knocked out of him. Shang Qinghua held the book in one hand glaring down. "The crime of kidnapping and murder is execution. You commited such an act on multiple children." He studied the cover of the journal. "The act of practicing demonic arts is something that must be investigated. So how about a deal?" He smiled gently, like a kind but overworked clerk. "You tell us the whereabouts of the real owner of this book and we'll lighten the sentence?"
"I assure you whoever it is they are more than happy to sacrifice you," Shen Qingqiu said calmly. "There are no rewards from this master for acts of loyalty."
The old man caved easily. "I DON'T KNOW HIM!" He immediately shouted. "I stole it from a man, a powerful demonic cultivator. I've been running ever since!" "You'll go easy on me? Imprisonment where that monster can't get me either?" The old man looked almost hopeful.
Shang Qinghua nodded, expecting it. "Sure sure, deals a deal, right?" As if running the numbers he decided, "Torture, public beating, then execution seems right to me!" He smiled, clapping his hands together. "Instead of just trying to execute you over and over."
"You should take the child out of here," Shen Jiu said staring at the demonic cultivator. She didn't need to see this.
From his sleeve Shang Qinghua set a box on the nearby table. "Don't worry about the mess. Just knock twice on the lid and it will take care of it all." At the doorway he paused once more. "Shixiong, the name signed in this book is Wu." Then he slipped out, scooping the little girl up and quickly leaving.
"Wu?" Shen Qingqiu murmured quietly. He walked over to the book and flipped it open. He looked through the pages. It wasn't a surprise that he understood it. Wu Yanzi had not taught him everything he knew. There had been deliberate holes left to make Shen Qingqiu more vulnerable. The resources at Qing Jing had been enough to close the gaps however, and Wu Yanzi had not been a bad teacher.
Was this written by him? Had Shen Jiu's first teacher created this book? He couldn't tell. The writing looked familiar, but he couldn't say if it truly was or simply his mind playing tricks once he was told the familiar name. Shen Jiu closed the book. It didn't matter. If it was Wu Yanzi, the man was dead. Shen Jiu had long since left him behind. There was nothing for him to learn in this book. He silently turned to the old demonic cultivator.
"You are lucky I do not care to waste my time," Shen Qingqiu told him softly. The man flinched as Shen Qingqiu approached. Shen Qingqiu had some very old lessons to share with this man.
>>>>
Shen Qingqiu arrived quietly back at the hotel room. The box had worked as Shang Qinghua had promised. He was clean, even if a faint scent of blood still clung to him.
Shang Qinghua had put his An Ding skill set to good use, the wall of the inn had been repaired and reinforced so such a small blast shouldn't send it flying off again. The girl was cleaned up and dressed, her head bandaged. She was eating in the common area, swollowing bowl after bowl of stew. Shang Qinghua was going through the inn keeper's books, telling her ways she could be improving. He looked up when Shen Qingqiu came in and waved.
Shen Qingqiu nodded regally. He kept ignoring the girl as he headed up. He was an adult, and she was a child, and they didn't know each other. Any pretense of innocence was forgotten in the reminder of what he truly was. His head ached.
Shang Qinghua gave him a sympathetic smile and bidded the innkeeper good night. "Shixiong, real quick." He caught up the Shen Qingqiu, out of earshot of anyone else.
"I sent word to the monastery about the kid's situation. They have a banch all in the vow of silence. They're willing to take her in and help."
Shen Qingqiu turned and looked at Shang Qinghua his expression softening faintly. "Good. She will have a place."
"She will, they'll be here in the morning." He didn't want to push and left Shen Qingqiu to rest. On the table in the room was the goldfish charm, if Shen Qingqiu wanted it.
Shen Qingqiu washed up and sank into his bed. The charm was tempting. He remembered this was meant to be a break. He turned away. Shen Qingqiu wasn't a child.
The next morning monks arrived. They didn't speak a word but communicated through hand gestures. Shang Qinghua replied in the same genture language, explaining more in depth what transpired and the child’s situation. It was a lengthy chat and at the end of it one monk knelt down and made a seal on his chest. The vow of protection, an old magic that would not allow the bearer to do harm to the recipient of thr vow. After the first monk, a second, a third, and the fourth all made the same vow.
Shang Qinghua nodded in approval as the girl was granted protection beyond life and death. He smiled at her, "They're going to take care of you and teach you. You'll be safe as long as you're with them."
Shen Qingqiu had slipped silently downstairs that morning to watch without being seen in return. The girl nodded and looked around expectantly for a moment before stepping back towards the monks.
Shen Qingqiu finally walked over to Shang Qinghua. "I expect you will still ensure we have time to play as tourists."
"We had a week to get this done, it only took is two days." He shrugged, and with a snap their rooms were back to normal, all their things packed into a nice little bag. "Lets head to a better inn so we can take advantage of the baths."
Shen Qingqiu relaxed as Shang Qinghua organized moving on to a different place. "Good. A proper soak is needed."
"Right? Like I trust cleaning talismans and all, but they don't have that fresh feeling that a bath gives." Shang Qinghua rambled tossing their things into the cart with their one pittiful horse.
On a completely diffrent side of the city there was the tourist area. Fancy inns, bath houses, clothing stores, ornaments, music, the kind of place people with money stayed and artisans made their coin.
Their rough carrige drew the wrong kind of attention, earning sneers or indifference from passerbys.
Shen Qingqiu was more than happy to ignore everyone. His idea of rest involved not having to deal with anyone more than necessary. His tolerance and preference for Shang Qinghua was relatively new.
"It will be quiet won't it?" He did not want to deal with nobles trying to earn favor.
"It better be, I paid a pretty penny for it." They pulled up to a very fancy inn, one that didn't have much traffic or signage. As if advertising to those on the streets wasn't worth its time.
A young man in fine clothes looked completely at ease when Shang Qinghua handed over the reins. "This servant hopes the masters had a safe trip." He bowed politely as people came to help with their luggage.
The inn rooms this time were properly comfortable. Shen Qingqiu didn't take long settling into his room before going over to check what Shang Qinghua was doing with his own time.
Shang Qinghua was laying on the floor in his innermost robes, staring at the ceiling.
The inn had its own bath house, restaurant, a garden, and Shang Qinghua had decided now what the best time for floor time.
Shen Qingqiu quickly flicked open his fan to cover his face. "What are you doing shidi?"
"Floor time." Shang Qinghua sighed and patted the floor next to him. "Good for back and brain." He hummed, eyes closed.
"Laying on the floor is not good for you," Shen Qingqiu argued back.
"Some of us embody the spirit of shrimp in our daily work. A nice, cool, flat, surface can do wonders for me." He sighed, feeling his vertebrae slowly ease back into place.
Shen Qingqiu snorted and sat down beside him. "You're an immortal, and you're still suffering from bad posture."
"Every day of my infinite life." He sighed, usually he would just get picked up by his king and it would snap him back into place. Couldn't do that now. "While I realign my chakras, what would you like to do first? The baths are supposed to be awesome here. Food is well rated too."
"There's a garden here," Shen Qingqiu said almost casually. "I should check if their landscaping is good enough."
"Alright, I'll put on clothes." With a stretch Shang Qinghua rolled to his feet and went to his tossed aside outer robes, digging through the ratty sleeves until his bright An Ding Yellow were pulled free.
Shen Qingqiu watched Shang Qinghua casually discard his own relaxation to join him and looked away. He didn't mind it. Shang Qinghua was not an irritating presence to be around. Shen Qingqiu found himself vaguely pleased that Shang Qinghua still wanted to spend time with him. "Done with your floor time?"
"For now. If I lay stil for to long I'll get all stiff." He was dressed quickly in the more familiar and vibrant robes he liked to wear. "If we swing by the restaurant maybe they'll set up dinner at one of the garden pavilions."
