The Qiong Ding disciple walks down the white graveled path. The sun is high in the sky, hiding behind thin white clouds. The crisp nip of autumn caresses refreshingly on her skin. Bright red leaves twirl around her feet, playing in the wind.
Content pushes up the edges of her lips. “What a beautiful day.”
Just as she has this thought, something disrupts the peaceful image. The pleasant nip turns into a harsh bite. The leaves quiver and hide away in fear. The winds howl in warning.
A wraith slumps down the trail, as the clouds darken with its arrival. The hair on the back of her neck stands on end. “How did a demon get in here? Is there a breach in our defenses?”
She puts her hand on her sword as it approaches, her eyes narrowing trying to get a better view.
“Wait...Hold on…”
“That isn’t a wraith! That was her Da-shixiong!”
Yue Qingyuan wanders down the path like a lost soul, the smile on his face looks sickly and his eyes hold a depressive heaviness.
She blinks, watching him as he pasts her, his unseeing eyes stuck in whatever torture he is trapped in. She catches sight of her shidi who was carrying a pile of scrolls, her shidi shoots a similarly concerned glance at Yue-shixiong.
She goes over and pulls him aside. “An-shidi, do you know what happened to Yue-shixiong?”
“I’m not sure,” He whispers back, “but if I had to guess, I would say he went and visited that Qing Jing disciple again.”
“Ah…” She nodded, “Yes, that makes sense.”
It wasn’t a secret that her Yue-shixiong had a strange obsession with that scrawny Qing Jing disciple he brought some time ago. And it was commonly known that a melancholic air would often hang around him after he visits.
But…
“Did something happen? I mean this is way worse than usual…”
An-shidi sighs. “He’s been like that since last week. I don't know what happened, but he’s been going to Qing Jing nonstop and when he comes back,” An-shidi waves in Yue-shixiong’s direction, “he’s like that.”
“I see.” She looks back at Yue-shixiong's fading form. “I hope he’s alright…”
_______________________________
Shen Jiu puts the dishes in the wash bin with a huff.
He just had the most frustrating lunch in history, all thanks to a certain someone. He scrubs the plate aggressively, replacing the poor clay dish with the bastard's face.
Ever since Shen Jiu started restraining his temper Yue Qingyuan has been extra pushy in his forced friendship. The pest has been coming to bother him. Every. Single. Day.
It's ridiculous! Did Qiong Ding suddenly decide to drop the quality of their education!? Why does their head disciple have so much goddamn free time!?
He knows what Yue Qingyuan is trying to do, he wants Shen Jiu to crack. He wants to show Shen Jiu that no matter how hard he tries Yue Qingyuan will always be superior. And Shen Jiu will always be Xiao Jiu: a tantrum-throwing child.
Sure, maybe if it was just the more frequent check-ins Shen Jiu could just chalk it up to Yue Qingyuan liking this new persona more, but it didn’t stop there. Yue Qingyuan has been specifically going out of his way to get on Shen Jiu’s nerves as much as possible.
YOU ARE READING
A Guide to Doomsday Preperation by Shen Jiu
FanfictionShang Qinghua doesn't notice the paper stubbornly sticking to the underside of one of its brethren, accidentally putting it in the wrong stack. Oh well, what consequence could this carelessness have? It's not as if this small filing mistake would se...
