Chapter Text
The evening breeze is fresh, carrying on its sleeves the joyous laughter of small children, the sweet whispers of lovers reuniting under the cover of sea-scented darkness, and the intermingling shouts of hawkers wishing to sell their freshest wares.
The night has just barely settled over the brightly looming houses above the docks. Dressed in its lustrous and sensual shades of light and life, this peculiar, waterborne heart of the town appears illusive, even as viewed from its very own, stocky, yet elegantly curving bridges, not entirely unlike the mirages of a wondrous dream.
But it isn’t such a breathtaking sight for which the greatly revered War God, the deeply venerated Immortal Master and Expeller of All Evil, the Peak Lord of Bai Zhan — Liu Qingge himself – has altered his evening itinerary to include a hasty visit to the modest little merchant town sprawled beneath the high mountains of Cang Qiong. Unfortunately.
No. The true reason for this brief yet all the more irksome visit is something else; the man, now seemingly but a flash of moon-white robes and flowing hair in his movement, just had to be the one tasked with dragging his awfully irresponsible and apparently hot-blooded martial brother back to the sect.
Hot-blooded, as his shixiong seems unable to spend an entire month without sparing the most fleeting visit to his favourite brothel, and irresponsible, because even the most degenerate rogue cultivators have at least a base-level awareness of exactly how easy it is to slit someone’s throat while they let their guard down in the throes of pleasure.
In Liu Qingge’s world, where the air is turbulent with the sweet hum of thrumming blood and his veins fill with the ecstasy of raw power running through them, there is no empty corner left for other desires of the flesh. Only strenuous exercise can make his breathing speed up, only the ache of bruises is able to make it hitch – his moans are never more than those of pain, and even those, he makes sure to keep to himself.
In the mouths of gossiping cultivators and even their own disciples, the two of them are often named as two distinctly static points on some invisible graph of their existence; points that can never meet but can also never be perfect opposites of each other. He never quite understood what they meant by such an allegory.
Nevertheless, today and on all occasions that have passed, as well as on all in the future, he has been tasked with returning to Cang Qiong Sect in the company of Shen Qingqiu, or not at all. Although thinking back now, it sounded somewhat more of a barely, if at all, veiled threat than a task.
Speaking of veils.
Looking up at the crimson letters above the entrance of the flower boat, he almost notices a flash of green, a flutter of familiar robes inside, just barely having disappeared on one of the upper floors. He huffs before barging onto the deck without stopping for another glance.
“Ah, Young Master, would you like any company?”
“Young Master, do you need any help? This slave will gladly assist you…”
“…Immortal Master Liu, what can we help you with on this fine evening?” A rich, mellow voice cuts through the flurry of others, and Liu Qingge stares unmovingly at the madame of the Warm Red Pavilion.
Something strange flashes across the woman’s expression, before it morphs back into a perfect smile. She descends the few remaining steps in quiet ease, and only asks again when she stands firmly by Liu Qingge’s side, “Did Master Liu visit our humble establishment out of mere curiosity tonight? Or is he maybe looking for some new experiences to be had? Someone, perhaps?”
Liu Qingge prefers not to waste time on unnecessary pleasantries. He gives a dignified nod at the question and only elaborates when he feels the madame’s questioning gaze boring into him, “I am looking for Shen Qingqiu. I was wondering if he’s been here this evening.”
“No, no. I do not recall…” The madame trails off slowly, her eyes still sticking somewhat immodestly to Liu Qingge’s face. He feels the corners of his mouth stiffen at the unwanted attention, huffing in annoyance. The madame’s smile widens somewhat, “On a second note though, I may have seen him. Yes, I clearly recall meeting him earlier tonight… We are deeply honoured by the visits of immortal masters, after all. It does wonders for the business.”
Liu Qingge frowns at that, but decides not to comment, “Where is he now?”
“Oh, I have not the faintest idea. Girls, have any of you seen Immortal Master Shen? No? Well, then I’m afraid—”
“Where is he.”
“But oh, kind Immortal Master, I was just about to elaborate.” There is something in the madame’s naked gaze that feels like some sort of an inside joke he is supposed to get – the girls seem to understand it without much trouble, at least. Some of them can’t help letting out a giggle as they listen while she continues, “You see, Master Liu, when I had last seen him, he was just about to meet with our new top courtesan, a lady by the name of Shen. No affiliation, by the way. Isn’t that just curious?”
The giggles grow threefold. Liu Qingge nods blankly, decidedly ignoring them, “Could you please show me to Courtesan Shen, then? I’d like to ask her a few questions about the whereabouts of my shixiong. Please.”
It is only after hearing this that the madame finally averts her gaze, appearing somewhat saddened, “Well, Master Liu, as you may be aware, our top courtesans don’t just have all night to laze about. Days, perhaps, but nights, most likely not. You see, our dear Courtesan Shen is likely very busy at the moment...”
“Then you better help her make time for a short break. Cang Qiong Sect won’t wait forever.”
“…I understand. I will… see if our lady has any time to spare. Until then, be my guest, Master Liu. Listen for a little while, and one of my girls will soon bring you some refreshments. Don’t worry, I will make sure to send someone with the news.” The madame sighs somewhat dramatically, and Liu Qingge is almost sure he can hear her mutter as she makes her way back towards the upper floors, “A-Jiu, my A-Jiu, what brutes you have to live with, day by day.”