Windborne Twin

七

The meeting hall was bustling with complaints and protests once Yue Qingyuan entered. Even though he had just arrived, the tones each peak lord shared remained hostile and did not cease. He was still feeling a bit down from the words and the encounter with Shen Jiu a few hours ago. Once he finally got to his seat, the other peak lords finally stopped. "It's. good to see everyone here today," Yue Qingyuan said with his usual warm smile. "Let us all take a seat and get this meeting underway-"

"Where's Shen Qingqiu?" Qi Qingqi asked as she crossed her arms. Yue Qingyuan said nothing at first before the Zui Xian peak lord spoke up.

"Let us guess, he's still so-called "feeling unwell"? Hm?" He asked as he pulled out a jug of wine from his sleeve out of nowhere. Everywhere this man seems to go, he carries at least a jug or two with him to get drunk or fall asleep faster during a trip on a caravan.

"Not only that, Mu Qingfang isn't here either, I've seen him go in and out of his peak to and from Qing Jing Peak," The Ku Xing peak lord chimed in while the rest agreed...

So much for a proper meeting... Yue Qingyuan sighed to himself as he rests his elbow on the round table and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Ever since the day the Immortal Alliance Conference was postponed, the peak lords have done nothing but blame a certain person for their selfishness. Yue Qingyuan can understand their anger and disappointment, but he promised Shen Jiu that he wouldn't tell a soul about the true reason it was postponed in the first place... Liu Qingge, the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, just sat there, arms crossed and just listening to the rants and the complaints each martial brothers and sisters exchanged with each other. He was there when the Conference was stopped, but he wasn't there for the first three emergency meetings since he was out hunting.

To hear that the peak lord of Qing Jing Peak had fallen ill... He'll have to agree that alone sounds suspicious and unbelievable. Even if he did fall sick, he would be too stubborn to stay bedridden. Another thing would be that he wouldn't just ditch a meeting without reason. Liu Qingge knows Shen Qingqiu has never ditched, not even once. He glanced over to the An Ding Peak Lord, Shang Qinghua who looks like he was debating something.

Something is throwing the plot off course. Shang Qinghua mentally screamed at himself. System! Why can't you just tell me what's wrong with the plot?!

[Classified. Cannot access file temporarily.]

I don't need the files you dumbfuck! I just need to know what the hell is causing such a delay to the Abyss event! Shang Qinghua was getting irritated. His system wasn't giving straight answers other than "anomaly detected" or "system error". Shang Qinghua at this point just wants to throw a book at the system, but he can't because the object would just phase right through it. What was the anomaly that is causing such a problem? Could it be the early start of the abyss? But it was interrupted so it should be fixed and will start at the appropriate time... But what else is causing this story to shift to a different pathway? Shang Qinghua was busy with his own internal war when he suddenly felt a scroll hit the side of his head making him turn to look at Qi Qingqi with a scowl. "What was that for Shimei?!" He whined.

"You're the one spacing out in our conversation." She retorted and crossed her arms. "I was asking what do you think the reason is on why Mu Qingfang continues to head to Shen Qingqiu's peak? Yue Qingyuan can't give us a straight answer."

Was he even straight in the first place? Shang Qinghua wanted to roast, but it wasn't the time... Nor the place. I'm kidding myself... Of course, he is! I've seen him look at a woman. Damn, I kind of regret killing this man in my novel... I could have him survive and then a woman finds him, then they fall in love and get married-

"SHANG QINGHUA!!" Qi Qingqi shouted causing the An Ding Peak Lord to fall out of his chair. "Could you at least converse with the rest of us?" She was clearly at her wit's ends. Shang Qinghua peeked up halfway from the round table they all shared as all eyes were on him. He collected himself and sat back down, avoiding eye contact with anyone nervously. Soon after, their conversation went from talking about his scum villain son to the regular topic of the needed supplies from each peak.

Seriously, can't they just stay on one topic and not move back and forth from another? Shang Qinghua thought bitterly to himself.

"Cages are a necessity at my peak at this time," The Shou Xing Peak Lord, Gao QingRong, explained. His peak holds so many different beasts, all in different categories. He is the only Peak that can quickly make a mythical beast submit to his might and caged up like an animal. He could open his own zoo for crying out loud! Shang Qinghua took mental notes as he nods to himself. "I'm afraid if I don't get them brandished or even get stronger types of metal, I would have to resort to sending them to the Demon realm for good." The peak lord went on to say, his bushy brows knitted together along with his frown, yet hidden under his beard. "Ashamed, I adore them..."

"You do realize your disciples don't even care about them, Gao-Shixiong," Liu Qingge huffed and rolled his eyes.

The topic of the Qing Jing Peak Lord was long gone, now, it was just the expenses of pieces of equipment each peak needs... Honestly, Shang Qinghua would rather get beaten up by Ice demon, Mobei-Jun than listen to his martial siblings go on and on about their own issue...

Qing Jing Peak

"Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road~ I'm gonna, riiiiide til I can't no more~" Shen Yuan would sing as Shen Jiu brushed his hair to detangle any knots after they had both taken a bath.

"What are you singing?" Shen Jiu asked with a soft hum. He tied his hair up and used the same crown hairpin accessory he uses for his own hair. "I don't think I've ever heard it.."

"Oh, that? It was.... a song nature sang to me.... in another language..." Shen Yuan said averting his eyes a bit, not wanting to lie, but at the same time not wanting for his brother to worry and have a panic attack at the mention his second life had spiraled and now he's living his third life back to the world he was born in. "It sang various songs in different languages actually."

Shen Jiu finished fixing his hair and looked at him with a curious glint in his eyes. "Does it now? Care to tell me more? The life of nature must have held you in it's safe embrace from the wretched world for ten years..." He said, the tone in his voice full of envy. "Up until now, it seems that it protected you from being contaminated, preventing you from turning into someone like me. A vile scum."

"Gege..." Shen Yuan began. Once Shen Jiu finished combing and fixing his hair, he turned to face him and clasped his hands onto his. "Do not say such words... You are not a vile scum. You will never even come close to being one. Unlike Qi-ge, not everyone knows of what happened that day... No one knows of what happened to us in our time as children. The will never truly know unless we tell them... But that is a secret only kept within the family. I know Gege is kind, loving, and protective."

Shen Jiu only scoffed at his twin brother's words... But after receiving a gentle finger stroke down on the bridge of his nose, he couldn't help but give a small soft smile. Only his brother can bring out the gentle and kind child hidden under all of his dark past. However, just because he now has his brother back, does not mean he can simply put his trust on others again, no. He will not be making the same mistake of trusting people again around him, especially with Yue Qingyuan who broke the very promise that he upheld before fleeing to freedom and never coming back for them.

A knock was heard from outside their home. Shen Jiu clicked his tongue before getting up and throwing on his last layer of his hanfu over his shoulders. "Stay here, A-Yuan." Shen Jiu instructed as he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and making his way over to the main hall.

By the time he reach the door, he can hear the commotion outside already. It's just the start of the day and loud noises are the first thing he has to hear...

He opened the door with an irked expression to see a few unwelcomed guests. "I should propose and inquire the same consequences on the rest of you similar to the ones I gave Mu-shidi..." He growled towards the Peak Lords of Bai Zhan Peak, Xian Shu Peak, An Ding Peak, and Wan Jian Peak. "To what do I owe the displeasure..."