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At the Lotus Pier in Yunmeng, junior disciples were running along the wooden planks as they tried to lift the practice kites. Some of the disciples riding their routine guards smiled wistfully at the sight of them. Remember when they too played that way.

Outside, the bustling atmosphere was the same as always in the market.

Vendors were shouting with care, flaunting their wares and sweetening them to attract more people to their stalls. Young women chatted among themselves as they bought trinkets they thought were pretty.

BROOM!

All the quiet was shattered as a loud boom rumbled in the sky. People looked up, but the sky was clear.

"A storm?"

"In summer?"

BOOM!

Fuuuuu-

The wind that came after the second rumble rocked the leaves of nearby trees. Dark storm clouds covered the sky like a typhoon. The eye of the storm seemed to come from inside Lotus Pier.

Drip, drop. Clop, clop.

Small drops of water began to fall on the dock and into the lake water. A violet-colored lightning bolt broke through the clouds and impacted in the distance. It was difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the impact.

BOOOOM!

"Who lives in that place?" A cultivator dressed in a simple white robe with a straw hat on his head asked with a gentle smile.

A Jiang disciple who was in the marketplace answered after a few seconds. "Sect Leader Jiang is secluded in that place," his face was pale.

The cultivator in white nodded and said seriously; "They should put up a barrier at the pier, Leader Jiang seems to be about to go through a Heavenly Tribulation."

"Heavenly Tribulation?"

"There's no time," he expressed, "You have to get the people nearby out, bring them here, it's safer than letting them stay inside the sect at this time."

The disciple saw the gentle smile, which also contained genuine concern, on that cultivator's face, he also saw the person dressed in red beside him; they looked trustworthy, so he nodded. There was an ominous feeling coming from that storm.

Soon, the senior disciples arrived with the junior disciples in tow, the servants and cooks, as well as healers and other servants. The market people had already conglomerated in a small square under the orders of the person in white. The Jiang disciples quickly set up a barrier.

"Is it divine punishment?" someone asked.

"The heavens must be punishing Leader Jiang for his actions."

"How pitiful."

The disciples, who heard the words of the salesmen coming from elsewhere, frowned but said nothing as they concentrated on their tasks.

"Immortal Master, what will happen to the Sect Leader?" asked a disciple.

The cultivator in white shook his head; "That will depend on his luck. If he goes through the tribulation, he may become immortal, otherwise, he will be burned to death by his power."

"There is also another outcome," that was the first time the red-clothed cultivator with a braid tied to one side spoke.

"It's unlikely," nodded the cultivator in white; "but he could also ascend to the Celestial Realm."

The people gathered in the square waited expectantly.

BROOOOM!

Black clouds covered the expanse of Lotus Pier.

Splash! Splash!

The water became turbulent and began to crash against the shore.

The cultivator in white saw a large white beam fall. It fell directly in the direction where the disciples said their leader was secluded.

Xie Lian hoped the matter would end there, but another bolt of lightning struck the same place. Then another, and another.

"...Major Heavenly Tribulation," he gasped in surprise.

Hundreds of years ago, tribulations like these weren't surprising, however, as time passed, few managed one of them, there were fewer who managed to survive.

And Sect Leader Jiang didn't seem to have foreseen his tribulation.

"San Lang."

Xie Lian's gaze landed on Hua Cheng. With a wave of his hand, a red cloak appeared on the Jiang disciples' shield.

Nine lightning bolts fell on, who Xie Lian assumed was, the Jiang Sect Leader.

" Your Highness ."

" Ling Wen? "

The voice of the Goddess of Literature echoed in his head.

" The sky is rumbling. Someone is about to ascend ."

A white light shot through the fading clouds.

" I think I'm seeing it. A person started going through a Major Heavenly Tribulation while I was strolling through Yunmeng Market ," he replied, forgetting that he shouldn't even be strolling at this moment.

"... I'll report back later what kind of god it is ."

Ling Wen's voice stopped coming.

A silhouette appeared in the white light, it was only a brief moment, and only Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were able to see it. But a person ascended the path of light.

Then everything calmed down.

The clouds cleared the sky once again, the waters became calm again, and the leaves on the trees stopped swaying.

"I'll go check."

He nodded at Hua Cheng's words and watched him leave quickly, he went back to calm the people down.

Hua Cheng returned soon after. "He ascended after the tribulation."

Xie Lian turned to the Jiang disciples, "Sect Leader Jiang of Yunmeng has ascended to the Heavenly Realm. His earthly life has ended."

The Jiang disciples, still stunned and dumbfounded, thanked the white-clothed cultivator. If he had not told them to retreat from the Lotus Pier, they would have been struck by lightning. They would have been killed, and Leader Jiang would have been killed as well for the intrusion.

The chief disciple of Jiang Sect sent a messenger to inform Leader Jiang's nephew, Sect Leader Jin.

"Gege, shall we go?"

"Yes. Let's go home, San Lang."

In the Cloud Recess, Jin Ling was conversing with Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, and Ouyang ZiZhen about their mistakes in the last night hunt they had conducted. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi listened to their reports and gave them advice from time to time.

Knock, knock.

"May I come in?"

"Come in, Zewu-Jun."

Lan XiChen entered through the doors of the hall. In his hands was a letter, " Sect Leader of Jiang Sect, Sandu Shengshou, has ascended to the Heavenly Realm after going through a Major Heavenly Tribulation."

The letter was left in the hands of the stupefied Jin Ling.

Jin Ling didn't care about the rules, he jumped on Suihua directly and left the place.

His uncle could not leave.

His uncle would not leave without saying goodbye.

Not him.

His uncle would not leave him alone again.

Swish-

He heard sounds of people following him, but it didn't matter, he didn't stop until he reached Lotus Pier. He traversed the place on his sword, looking for his uncle's place of seclusion.

"... Uncle."

Only charred remains of the wooden structure remained. His immaculate robes were stained with ashes as he landed.

Tintin-

His trembling fingers held the silver bell with engravings of a nine-petal lotus flower hanging from a splintered piece of wood.

***

"Uncle, what's the bell for?" seven-year-old Jin Ling asked when she saw her uncle tie a bell on his robes.

"The Clarity Bell is for driving away evil thoughts."

Jin Ling's eyes looked curiously at his uncle's bell, which had a lotus flower carving on it, a symbol of his position.

***

Jin Ling's knees fell with a thud against the wooden debris and ashes.

He was gone.

He didn't say goodbye to him.

He didn't see him being a Sect Leader.

He was gone.

The tears had begun to fall long ago, but Jin Ling just stood there, taking things in amidst the disaster.

He felt a hand pressing against his shoulder and looked up to be greeted with Wei WuXian's face. His uncle was also unable to tell Wei WuXian whatever he was holding in his heart.

Jin Ling slept in his uncle's old room that night. He didn't want to see the congratulatory letters for his uncle's ascension coming into the sect.

Sandu began to accompany Suihua on his waist.

Jiang WanYin had felt his veins exploding inside him.

He had been meditating as usual in his isolation. Then the pain had begun.

He felt his Golden Core churning inside him and his meridians roaring as the spiritual energy cycled through his spiritual pathways.

Just as he was able to assimilate the pain, a bolt of lightning shot through the ceiling of his abode and impacted directly into his body.

His spiritual energy exploded within him. Another bolt of lightning struck.

It burned. He felt his body sting. The smell of burning flesh flooded his senses. Then another.

By this point, he was aware that he was going through a Major Celestial Tribulation. He had only read accounts, but he was sure.

Zidian crackled on his finger.

The Tribulation was also catching up with Zidian.

He didn't know how many lightning bolts had struck, but his meridians and his Golden Core were torn apart and re-fused. It was painful.

His flesh burned and then regenerated. Disgusting.

Then a white light enveloped him. He wondered if he was dying, so he let the light wash over him. 

He thought of Jin Ling. He would probably feel disappointed that his uncle had died in tribulation. He would also feel sad. He hoped the boy was okay, he was strong, and he was a good Sect Leader now.

But he didn't die.

He  ascended.

Jiang WanYin did.

He was greeted by many people, gods, looking at him.

"...Elemental Master."

"He is an Elemental Master of Thunder."

"He hasn't ascended an Elemental Master for several centuries."

His brow furrowed as he heard everyone murmur.

"You. Come with me," he saw a woman speak to him. "My name is Ling Wen. Civil Goddess of Literature."

Ling Wen explained the workings of things to him as they walked through the halls of the Celestial Capital. They came to a palace of silver and purple colors.

"Here. There hasn't been a Thunder Elemental Master for a long time. You can send a scroll to my palace if you want to do remodeling."

"Fine."

"Do you have any questions?" she asked.

"I have two," he had thought about it since he got here; "Can I bring someone with me?"

The Goddess of Literature nodded; "You can bring him to Middle Heaven, but you will need the merits required to bring a mortal, especially since you are an Elemental Master and not a Martial God. I'll send you the data later."

He nodded and asked the latter; "Why did I ascend, was it because of my cultivation level?"

His hand went to the place where his Golden Core should be. If he had ascended because of his cultivation, then he wasn't the one who should be here.

"An Elemental Master ascends by their affinity to the element." Replied the goddess; "Luck and fate also play a part."

Ling Wen left after giving his a few more directions.

Jiang WanYin thought about the goddess' words as he looked at the palace walls towering before him.

It was true, he had been very lucky.

He had a good family. Poorly functional, but family after all.

When they all died, he was still standing.

He lost his Golden Core, someone gave him one.

With the foundation burned, he rebuilt his home.

His sister died, but he gained a nephew.

Although he left some grudges unresolved, Jiang WanYin could say he was lucky.

Jiang WanYin, the new Thunder Elemental Master, entered his palace with firm steps.

He needed to gain merit.

It was not easy to gain merit.

Even when his newly built palaces received several visitors, especially from those who traveled long distances in boats or simply asked not to encounter stormy thunder, his bad attitude was still a hindrance. Even the other Heavenly Officials avoided getting too close to him for the same reason.

Especially after two special events happened.

First, Zidian, who had also taken the blows of the Tribulation, leveled up as a spiritual weapon and managed to get a body. It was a silver snake with purple eyes. And the fact that he always hissed into his neck added to the fact of his own ever frowning brow didn't help his reputation. Even the newer palaces had implemented Zidian in their portraits.

The second special event was befriending Liu Qingge. The War God of the Bai Zhan Palace who managed to share the northern territory with General Ming Guang.

How he met him was a stupid story. He was simply going to ask Ling Wen something when the big brute attacked Zidian thinking he was a demonic beast. After learning that it was his spirit weapon, he asked him for a duel.

He accepted, naturally.

It was also natural that he lost. The power of a newly ascended Elemental Master didn't compare against that of a Martial God who had been there for centuries.

They ended up becoming friends.

It was good to have someone to share stories of his earthly life or strange requests from his believers.

He knew Liu Qingge felt the same way since he didn't interact with many officers either. Come on, the guy didn't even have junior officers. However, if the other heavenly officials didn't approach them individually, much less did they do so when they were together. None of them seemed to be affected.

Going back to merits, Jiang WanYin thought that the former Water Master, Shi WuDu was fortunate to be able to bring his brother a little while after his ascension. Well, naturally for something they asked for good fortune from the Water Master. 

But managing to change someone's fate was not just luck, it was destiny. Maybe that's why the Water Master stayed at the top for so long. He had been luckier than Jiang WanYin was.

Jin Ling was walking in the forest, Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, and Ouyang ZiZhen went with him.

After his uncle suddenly ascended, he had to take it upon himself to leave someone in charge of the Jiang Sect. It was fortunate that his uncle had only found competent people for high positions, so the sect continued to function normally.

It was hard to get used to.

It was even harder to watch temples being created in his uncle's image.

The Thunder Elemental Master, Jiang WanYin or Sandu Shengshou.

Night hunts like these were always good for him. So he could think that his uncle was only in seclusion and in his sect. Not in the Heavenly Realm attending to the prayers of believers.

They had gone out on a missive about a couple of ferocious carcasses running around this northeastern area that was overgrown with vegetation.

Oh yes, a couple of ferocious carcasses.

There were too many of them.

The formation they were fighting to maintain was crumbling, the corpses huddled around the protective barrier, waiting for the moment to enter. Perhaps they should have rested to restore their spiritual powers instead of departing directly to the site, they would have lasted longer that way.

Swish-

They saw only a flash of silver.

A gleaming sword was attacking the fierce corpses and slashing at them as if they were mud.

A man in blue and white robes with silver accents and a ponytail was fighting the corpses. There was a mole under his left eye. A nice distractor from that person's power.

Two corpses attacked that man from behind.

A purple flash left the corpses charred.

Jin Ling's eyes widened. He turned abruptly and saw the person standing a few meters away from the spot. Despite the robes in dark violet, silver, and black colors, he could recognize that figure at a glance.

"... Uncle?"

That person looked at him with astonishment, disbelief, and a bit of hidden joy.

"What are you doing here? This is Qinghe Nie's jurisdiction."

Jin Ling couldn't say anything.

The battle was soon over. The protective barrier vanished and Jin Ling ran to his uncle. He clung to him and buried his face in his chest.

"Jiang WanYin. You mustn't," he heard the other person's voice.

"It will only be this once," his uncle patted his head a couple of times. "Jin Ling. Wait a little while. Then I'll take you with me."

Jin Ling broke away and looked at his uncle in astonishment. Jiang WanYin took something out of his qiankun bag.

It was a bow and a quiver full of arrows. They were gold and purple in color.

Jiang WanYin handed it to him.

"Jiang WanYin!" that person kept calling and came closer.

Jin Ling's hands took the gifts. Then he was pushed back. Lan JingYi and Ouyang ZiZhen caught his body before he fell. For some reason, Lan SiZhui raised a barrier.

BOOOOM!

Lightning struck with a loud boom on Jiang WanYin.

"Uncle!"

But Jiang WanYin was still fine, he had only turned pale. A trickle of blood ran out of his lips as he staggered. The other person threw him over his shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes.

"You fool. You know it's forbidden and yet you did it," his voice held a hint of bitterness.

"Silly rules," Jiang WanYin looked at Jin Ling, "Wait for me, A-Ling."

Then they disappeared with a flash of white.

Jin Ling clutched the bow in his hands.

Jiang WanYin sipped his tea parsimoniously.

"Why should I accompany you?"

Since that time when he met Jin Ling, Liu Qingge had been spending more often in his palace, saying something about repaying the debt for finishing off those corpses attacking his blind spot.

He had been helpful, bringing herbs and spirit beasts that helped improve his condition after receiving punishment for directly intervening in the mortal world.

"You look bored to be here."

Well, he certainly was bored.

"It's okay."

It was simple. According to Liu Qingge, when he ascended, he was dying.

A deviation of qi.

There was a martial brother who had tried to help him.

It was thanks to that same martial brother that he lived long enough to ascend to the Heavenly Realm at the last moment, but he didn't know what had happened to that martial brother.

All he knew was that the rest of his martial brothers ascended to immortality. Also that there was another who died at the hands of an ice demon and another who died in an ambush, but managed to reincarnate years later and cultivate immortality.

The immortals had fewer restrictions than the gods. They were the neutral point. They could chat with a Heavenly Official without any problems. They could also walk around the earthly world.

This would be the first time Liu Qingge would meet with them. He would ask about the events that happened after his ascension. And Liu Qingge needed someone to beat him if something out of his expectations happened.

So, Jiang WanYin would go.

Of course, Jiang WanYin simply left Liu Qingge at the inn and went out to roam the streets. He wore lilac and cream-colored hanfu robes, only two locks of his hair were pinned up with a jade hairpin. It was a waste of spiritual energy to change his appearance, it was also annoying, so he just changed his clothes.

He wandered along the paths away from the crowds when he heard a soft sound of leaves moving and the sound of meat being cut. He wandered deeper into the forest and made sure not to make a sound.

Then he saw it.

The so-called Supreme Demon who had reached the rank of Calamity without passing through Mount TongLu.

A demon that was born out of pure resentment.

Since they had no information about him, he was known by the name of the earthly and ghostly world.

Emerald Leaf Cutting in Autumn.

It was a terrible name. Jiang WanYin would not like to be known by a name like that.

And it confirmed some rumors.

He was a child.

The Heavenly Court believed that his death had been so terrible that his soul had been fractured. It would probably take a while to heal, so they paid no attention to him.

It was also because the child only killed Demon Cultivators who committed misdeeds or noble masters who practiced pedophilia or traded slaves. The child was also difficult to track down. Even the Ghost King, Crimson Rain, couldn't get to him.

Jiang WanYin could see the child casually chopping off the limbs of the person on the ground who was no longer even recognizable.

The boy was scrawny and quite small. But his control with the blades was amazing.

Jiang WanYin waited for the child to finish.

"Hey."

The boy flinched and the leaves pointed at him. The boy's deep black eyes examined him, "What?"

"Hmm. Nothing, you're just interesting."

The boy looked at him like he was crazy.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"...Fourteen."

The boy looked about ten.

"What's your name?"

"None of your business." His words trailed off as if using his tongue was foreign to him.

"All right, I've decided," he nodded to himself. His almond eyes looked at the boy. "I'll take you with me."

Well, now the boy seemed to firmly believe he was a madman.

"I don't want to. You're a man."

"You too."

Jiang WanYin took the boy away after buying tanghulu from him. There was something about him that reminded him of himself. He was also curious how long it would take for his soul to heal.

Not that he did much in the heavens anyway.

Nor had he heard that it was forbidden to socialize with demons. His Heavenly Emperor was married to the Ghost King. So surely it was okay for him to do this.

He took him to an inn.

One where Liu Qingge wasn't, since that brute would murder the boy on sight.

He had to wait outside for the boy to bathe and put on clothes that would not make him look like a slave being abused. The boy looked like a weak young master now.

He patted him on the back when he almost choked from eating too fast. Demons didn't even need to eat, he supposed it was a reminder of his soul. He didn't miss the child's shudder.

Boom!

Everything was going well until he heard a rumble across the street.

He sighed; "I'll leave for a moment. Run away if you want to, I don't mind."

Then he left the boy alone in the room of the inn. If he left, he would look for him again if he had time.

Across the street, Liu Qingge and nine other silhouettes had moved into the forest. Jiang WanYin sighed before approaching. Liu Qingge seemed to want to murder everyone.

His hands were shaking on a silver sword that was not his usual one. Cheng Luan.

They had restored his spirit sword from the earthly world.

Several trees fell under Liu Qingge's power. The nine immortals had small wounds from the attack.

Zidian, who was in his ring form, transformed into a whip. The whip struck Liu Qingge's back.

"You can't destroy the forest. It will be expensive and you don't have much merit."

Not after Liu Qingge went into General Xuan Zhen's territory in the southwest and destroyed a couple of temples while fighting a demonic creature.

Liu Qingge put away his sword, but his fists clenched at his sides.

"Liu-shidi. Calm down."

Oh. That enraged him more.

Jiang WanYin threw a lightning bolt directly as Liu Qingge was about to attack a person who had a nervous smile on his face. He then dragged Liu Qingge by the back of his robe, ignoring the latter's complaints.

"Brute force won't solve everything."

"... He used to say that too." Liu Qingge abandoned him after that.

Jiang WanYin would have been angry, had it not been for the boy in the inn. The boy was still where he had left him.

"I thought you would leave as soon as I turned around."

"You're a god. You'd find me anyway."

Jiang WanYin smiled. This boy seemed to be interesting.

He found a bamboo hut on an isolated mountain. There was a bamboo forest surrounding the place and a cold spring on the mountain. That place would be the boy's home.

"Why are you doing this?" the boy asked as Jiang WanYin prepared to leave.

"Because I can do it." He shrugged. "There's no real reason."

Jiang WanYin prepared to go up again.

"Shen Jiu..."

He turned his head to look at the boy over his shoulder.

"It's my name."

He couldn't help but laugh a little. "Mine is... Jiang Cheng."

Boom!

Jiang WanYin was reviewing the believers' prayers when a clatter came from the door. He sighed, not looking up from the scrolls; "You better pay for that door."

Liu Qingge plopped down on the seat in front of him. "I looked for it, but I couldn't find it."

It was obvious who he was talking about.

"Patience. He probably hasn't reincarnated yet or something."

Knock, knock.

"Lord Thunder Master." General Xuan Zhen's voice came from the other side.

Jiang WanYin had coincidentally been on a mission with him and they had gotten close. The things he gave Jin Ling were done by General Xuan Zhen, that was why he received punishment.

"Come in."

The general's silver hair next to his handsome face came into view as he walked through the gates. His brow furrowed when he saw Liu Qingge on the spot. Liu Qingge ignored him.

General Xuan Zhen, Mu Qing, sat in the other available seat, a considerable distance away from Liu Qingge.

He didn't say anything, but Jiang WanYin could feel his anger; "Did they fight again?"

Mu Qing snorted in exasperation.

"Brutes are like that. Look, there's Liu Qingge."

"Hey!"

"You're right."

Jiang WanYin wondered why these two martial gods who couldn't stand each other came to him to tell him about their emotional problems.

Oh, right. It was because they didn't socialize with anyone else.

Jiang WanYin slumped in his seat. Suddenly tired; "Would you like some 'The Emperor's Smile'?"

Clearly, 'a little', was a lot for the three Heavenly Officials.

"...So, hic, I set up a siege, hic, and in the end, hic, it turned out to be a, hic, misunderstanding."

"I thought... I was a... rich young master, but, hic, it was all, quite the opposite, hic, and he saved me..."

"After, ugh, so many years, he's still, hic, accusing me of, hic, nonsense."

The three Celestial Officials were sharing their emotional problems in the Thunder Master's large bed. The smell of alcohol was quite strong in the room, and the heavy armor of the Martial Gods had been forgotten, as well as the upper robes of the three gods.

The three laughed at their misfortunes together. Then they went to sleep. They hoped they would not be out for too long.

They had drunk too much.

"Your Highness, we should search the Thunder Master's Palace." Ling Wen suggested.

It had already been almost three days since Thunder Master, General Bai Zhan and General Xuan Zhen had last been seen.

Feng Xin and Xie Lian had already checked on Xuan Zhen Palace, while Pei Ming had checked on Bai Zhan Palace.

"Alright."

The ones who were going to look for the officials were Xie Lian, Ling Wen, Pei Ming and Feng Xin.

And no, they weren't going to mention that they hadn't noticed the absence of these important gods until Feng Xin mentioned it.

The Thunder Master's Palace was locked, Ling Wen took out a security key and they entered smoothly. Thanks to Feng Xin's skills in tracking Mu Qing, they went through several passages until they reached the large main room.

Feng Xin opened the door and immediately frowned. "This reeks of alcohol."

They covered their noses with their sleeves and moved forward, there were many bottles of liquor scattered in the room, they arrived at the large bed in the center. 

The three missing Officials became visible.

"Ho, ho~"

The Thunder Master slept with a calm expression, unlike his usual scowl. That would be fine if there weren't two people clinging to his sides.

On his right side, Liu Qingge had one arm around Jiang WanYin's waist while his face was pressed against the Thunder Master's hair.

On his left side, Mu Qing had his hand on Jiang WanYin's chest, in the scar of a disciplinary whip, his nose was buried in the hollow of Jiang WanYin's neck.

Feng Xin pulled up the sheets with a jerk and relaxed when he saw that they were still dressed in his under pants. Then he let go of the sheets and stepped back several paces as a silver snake jumped straight for his neck.

The Thunder Master's eyes widened.

He simply parted the limpets that clung to his body and sat up in bed.

"Your Highness, I didn't know they were coming. If I had known, I would have put more security on the door, did something happen?" He was quiet, then looked at the two sound asleep people; "Let's chat outside, I don't want to wake these fools."

The Thunder Master only pulled an outer robe over his body before leaving.

"Lord Thunder Master, why were General Bai Zhan and General Xuan Zhen here, sleeping in their bed?" That sounded horrible, but there was no better way to put it.

"I want to know too." Jiang WanYin massaged his temple.

Then came a roar, and the screams of Liu Qingge and Mu Qing echoed in the empty palace.

In the Heavenly Court, rumors began about the relationship of the Thunder Master, General Bai Zhan, and General Xuan Zhen.

Mu Qing ignored them.

He still felt ashamed that he had lost face like that, not that he liked being found in bed with two other men, but he had also gained something.

He had seen the moment of the Thunder Master's ascension. Jiang WanYin had seemed interesting to him from the moment he ascended. Someone's first reaction upon ascension would be surprise, joy, relief, but Jiang WanYin had frowned and sent cold glances at everyone.

Then there was his spiritual weapon. It was true that Elemental Masters relied more on their spiritual weapons, but no weapon had achieved an extra physical body.

He had also befriended the War God Bai Zhan.

He recalled when he had been assigned to a mission with Jiang WanYin for the first time. He had only taken him along because the mission area was one with a high rate of storms. And the spiritual power gathered there caused the storms to be dangerous, even for a god-like him.

And Mu Qing had seen Elemental Masters use their spiritual weapons, moving the wind, controlling the water, digging in the earth, but he had never seen an Elemental Master be a catalyst. All the thunder and lightning that fell in his direction was deflected toward Jiang WanYin, and he didn't even flinch.

He asked him why he didn't use his spirit weapon for that.

And he replied; "Zidian can summon storms, he can also absorb them, however, before I ascended, I went through a Major Heavenly Tribulation. Zidian was with me at that time, then he merged with me."

That made sense.

At the end of the mission, Jiang WanYin asked him to make a bow and quiver of arrows.

He had almost yelled at him thinking that Jiang WanYin was teasing him, but Jiang WanYin's sincere look had thrown him off a bit.

Then he knew that him request was not a joke.

He asked him to do it, to him.

He did not order him to do it.

He also said he would pay if necessary.

He didn't see him as a servant.

He treated him as an equal.

That was all he wanted.

He couldn't help but approach him.

He met Jiang WanYin, a man who only cared about his nephew, and Jiang WanYin met him, Mu Qing. There was no General Xuan Zhen and there was no Thunder Elemental Master.

He learned that War God Bai Zhan, no, Liu Qingge, also felt comfortable freeing himself from his titles.

During their talks, they were not gods, they were only Jiang WanYin, Mu Qing, and Liu Qingge.

After so many years, there were finally people who were willing to listen to him rant.

If that was the case, he didn't mind overlooking small rumors.

Shen Qingqiu didn't understand Jiang WanYin.

He knew that he was the Thunder Elemental Master. But he didn't know why he had treated him well.

When Shen Qingqiu woke up, he didn't remember many things, only small pieces of his childhood memories, but things like disliking men or waiting for someone to come to pick him up were still with him.

Of course, thanks to the calm of that mountain, he had managed to restore a little more of his soul. All the memories came back, his body came back too. 

But there were some scars etched on his soul. There was a Qiu character on his chest. There were whip marks on his back. There were also scars where his limbs joined his torso.

Shen Qingqiu scoffed when he heard the name he was known by.

A fitting name for scum like him.

He almost destroyed the mountain when he learned that he was in the territory of Liu Qingge, the War God Bai Zhan. That brute was still alive after all, he didn't know.

Jiang WanYin visited him again. He only raised his eyebrow when he saw his advances. Then he sat down to drink tea.

"I still don't understand what you gain from this." He couldn't help but say.

"I guess I like to have a break from the heavens every now and then," the god replied as he shrugged.

He understood that sentiment. Want to go far away to enjoy freedom, but being tied to an important position.

He thought Jiang WanYin would stop visiting at some point, but he did not. After a few visits, Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but tell him things about his life. It became easy for him to talk to Jiang WanYin. He knew he would not tell anything.

Jiang WanYin also shared him story with him.

They couldn't help but laugh when they realized the similarities they had.

Like failing in their cultivation because of the urge to surpass others. Or playing a role in the death of their sworn brothers, only to find out that they had been wrong.

He learned that Jiang WanYin had a nephew he wanted to take with him.

"I've almost reached the necessary merits. The Thunder Elemental Master is not as famous as the other elementals."

That was true.

Besides, the old Thunder Master had caused a great storm that wreaked great havoc before his descent. The repercussions were still affecting the new Thunder Master.

Jiang WanYin asked him to train his nephew.

"What?" He thought he had misheard.

"You said you were a master. A terrible one, but a master."

"Why should I?"

"You sound like you'd be happy to receive another disciple."

A feeling of warmth, absurd since the dead didn't feel, settled over him. To think that there would be someone who would want to leave a loved one in his hands, even after learning of his misdeeds, was quite hilarious.

"All right, but I won't go easy on him. I hate spoiled young men."

Jiang WanYin let out a laugh. "Then get ready to hate him."

When he followed Jiang WanYin's directions, he arrived at a golden tower that glittered in the sunlight. It reminded him of the palace where his torture took place.

He began to hate the place.

He advanced up the steps, a fan covered his expression. He asked for an audience with the leader of that sect of rich people.

He almost swept the place away as he entered an office and saw a boy with a tender face and a scowl answering missives at his desk. The problem was that the place was a mess.

The boy was in his twenties, from what his face indicated.

When the boy looked up, he found a resemblance to Jiang WanYin. That look full of arrogance and pride. It also reminded him of himself.

"I am Shen Qingqiu. Jiang WanYin asked me to train you," he announced directly.

The distrust the boy showed eased his envy at the sight of his luxurious robes.

Shen Qingqiu would occasionally arrive to train the boy, too.

It was amusing, watching him get frustrated when he couldn't perform a stance.

Shen Qingqiu found himself taking a liking to his first disciple in centuries.

"What did you say his name was?" Jiang WanYin asked, thinking he had misheard Liu Qingge, but he definitely said...

"Shen Qingqiu."

"I see."

I had suspected that this was the case after putting the two stories together. Funny.

Jiang WanYin wasn't going to tell Liu Qingge that the person he was looking for is a Supreme Demon. Nor would he tell him that said demon is living in his territory. Someday he would find out.

Jiang WanYin turned around. ''I'm going down, it's time to bring Jin Ling.

"Good luck." Liu Qingge left.

Jiang WanYin looked at the edge of the sky, then jumped.

The wind tickled his face, a small smile peeked at the corner of his mouth.

It had been four years, but he had already achieved the merits to bring Jin Ling to the Middle Heaven. Then it would be up to Jin Ling whether he would ascend later or not. Anything would be fine, but at least he could take care of him if he was with him in the heavens.

Jiang WanYin fell like a storm in Lanling Tower.

Wei WuXian thought he had seen a lot of crazy things in his life. Or, rather, in their lives.

Then Jiang WanYin ascended.

It was strange at first, but he assimilated it rather quickly.

He had, to help Jin Ling in the best way, the boy was seriously attached to his uncle.

One day, Jin Ling arrived with a new bow and quiver. The four boys told him about their encounter with Jiang WanYin and he was surprised again.

But that was not the only surprise. Jin Ling then got a mysterious master.

His teaching style was harsh, but Jin Ling seemed to take it as a matter of course. He even seemed happy and nostalgic when he was scolded for skipping etiquette protocols. There was something enigmatic about Jin Ling's teacher, but he could never decipher what it was.

Now he found himself in Lanling Tower, on Jin Ling's 21st birthday.

Officially, he would be considered of age. Su Shijie would have been proud.

Jin Ling's master was not present, but the whole celebration had been organized by him. It was extremely lavish.

And the atmosphere was good until dark clouds appeared overhead and purple lightning bolts pierced through the storm clouds.

Boom!

The ground rumbled as a person fell perfectly in the middle of the platform where Jin Ling would receive his ceremony in a few minutes.

Violet lightning surrounded that person.

"Jin Rulan."

It was Jiang WanYin.

Jin Ling approached his uncle, Wei WuXian thought Jin Ling would jump on Jiang WanYin as soon as he saw him, but Jin Ling stopped a few steps away, bowed, and saluted in a calm voice. "Lord Thunder Master WanYin."

Jiang WanYin smiled, "Jin RuLan from Lanling, do you agree to join the Middle Court, as a subordinate of the Thunder Master's Palace?"

There were many exclamations of surprise.

"... This one gladly accepts."

Tears streamed down Jin Ling's face. A white light pierced through the clouds and directly impacted him. Jin Ling became part of the Middle Heaven.

Sect Leader Jin followed his uncle to the Heavenly Realm. And he took Fairy with him.

Wei WuXian stayed in Lanling for a few more days.

Jin Ling's mysterious master appeared. "That thunder fool made a big show, I think they must have punished him again." He then casually arranged some papers on the table.

He had chosen several boys related to Jin Guangshan's blood to test them to find the future sect leader.

Wei WuXian left after confirming his doubts.

Jin Ling's master was a Supreme Demon.

He didn't tell anyone.

The Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet arrived again.

Jiang WanYin put on the dark violet jianxiu robes with silver accents and Zidian in his ring form rested on his index finger.

In the place, many gods were already enjoying the festive atmosphere.

He sat beside Liu Qingge, who was wearing silver armor.

Sometime later, the Jade Emperor, Xie Lian, kicked off the Flower Step with Drum game.

Mu Qing turned out to be the first unlucky one.

The beginning of the story was hilarious. On the stage, General Xuan Zhen was coming out with heavy steps and heavy breathing from the room of General Nan Yang, Feng Xin. He had discussed their feelings and such.

Liu Qingge and he teased Mu Qing, who had sat on one side of Pei Ming and Ling Wen.

"Lord Thunder Master and General Bai Zhan should see it through to the end before teasing," Mu Qing spat towards them.

They directed their gaze upstairs again. Jiang WanYin couldn't help the laughter that came out of him.

Liu Qingge clicked his tongue; "How do mortals know about that?"

In the play, General Xuan Zhen went in search of the Thunder Elemental Master to release his frustrations. General Bai Zhan was on the spot.

Mu Qing definitely had a black face when the three people went to bed in inner robes, the play stopped appearing when Mu Qing donated a hundred thousand merits.

"Oh. The best part was coming." Someone wailed in the crowd.

Jiang WanYin knew he shouldn't have laughed when he went next.

He drank from the wine glass without much thought. All the plays were romances between gods or such, though he was curious what the mortals were talking about when referring to him.

Then the play began.

- "Patriarch Yiling is dead!"

Well, shit.

- "Congratulations to Sect Leader Jiang, Jiang WanYin, for putting an end to that aberration."

The extras began to mutter.

- "You have to be very cold-blooded to murder your shixiong."

- "With the Violet Spider as his mother? I wouldn't be surprised if he had murdered his parents himself."

- "Leader Jiang always lived under Wei WuXian's shadow, it's no surprise that he harbored so much hatred."

- "Silence!"

The three whispering people stopped dead in their tracks and looked fearfully at Jiang WanYin, who was coming out of the Burial Mounds with blood and ash on his robes. Blood still ran down the tip of his sword. Jiang WanYin jumped onto that sword and left the scene.

The second scene of the play showed Jiang WanYin on a pier. A cultivator in white and a cultivator in black were boarding a boat.

Another figure, the General Ghost, held out a sword to him. It was the sword of the ancient Patriarch Yiling. Jiang WanYin managed to pull out the sealed sword.

No one knew what had been spoken at that moment, but it was not difficult for the gods present to guess.

Then the play ended with Sect Leader Jiang asking everyone he encountered to try to pull out the spirit sword. No one but him succeeded.

"Why is mine like this?". Jiang WanYin went blank for a moment.

"Is the content of the work true?" asked Pei Ming curiously.

"It is," he shrugged.

That was his mortal life, and if he had learned anything from Wei WuXian, it was that the past, in the past is in. So it didn't matter anymore. Simple as that.

The gods played on, they had seen it all, something like that wasn't very surprising. Nor were they anxious to receive storms in their territories.

Liu Qingge was more irritable lately, he knew.

When he came down from the heavens to meet his martial brothers, he did not expect anything they told him.

At the time he ascended to the Heavenly Realm, his spiritual energy was turbulent and very violent, so he stayed under treatment until he was well, but everything had changed when he came out.

The world he knew during his mortal life had completely changed. The sects were different, the places had changed, the demonic clans had ceased to exist, everything was different.

It was years later when he learned that his martial siblings, except for Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu, had ascended to immortality.

He couldn't help but feel a pang when he remembered the deviant and frightened Shen Qingqiu transmitting his spiritual energy into him, even though Shen Qingqiu was also on the verge of losing rationality.

He also thought of Mingyan, his sister, she must have been saddened by his early departure.

He set about tracking down the trail of his martial siblings as he went about his missions.

But he did not meet or contact his martial siblings until he found a trustworthy person to accompany him, someone who could strike him a blow if he overstepped his bounds, someone who was not afraid of him, someone who did not see him as "The War God Bai Zhan".

He found Jiang WanYin.

He was familiar to Shen Qingqiu, proud, weak compared to others, but with a venomous temper, always looking down on everyone, building walls around him so that no one would come close.

He was also different, the way he attacked with his whip instead of hiding under a fan, how he exploded with shouts and insults instead of hurling complicated words that were insults in disguise.

When he met a person who did not shy away from his gaze but challenged him with it, Liu Qingge felt human again.

He hit it off with Jiang WanYin.

Fighting at the beginning, but this time, forming a friendship instead of a rivalry.

Liu Qingge decided to take him with him when he went down to meet his martial siblings.

Jiang WanYin left him to his fate at the inn and wandered off. Although Liu Qingge was sure that he would continue to monitor him.

Liu Qingge entered a private room on the second floor of the inn and the nine people inside were surprised to see him. The message he had sent to meet them simply read; [Cang Qiong Mountain Sect]. It was something no one remembered at this time, it was Jiang WanYin's idea, he said it was the best way to drag these arrogant immortals down to a city.

"...Liu-shidi, is it really you?" asked Yue Qingyuan with his eyes wavering between joy and remorse.

"Zhangmen-shixiong."

"But how did you...," that was Qi Qingqi; "Shen Qingqiu murdered you."

He went blank for a moment. Then he frowned.

"What are you talking about, how could Shen Qingqiu assassinate me?" he spat indignantly. "My qi was diverted when I was meditating in the Spiritual Caves, Shen Qingqiu transferred his qi to me, it was thanks to him that I was able to ascend."

The pale face of his martial siblings gave him a bad feeling.

"... But, Cheng Luan... it broke," Wei Qingwei muttered.

"Obviously. My earthly life ended in the cave," he mumbled. "What happened to Shen Qingqiu?"

The silence in the room was horrible.

"Shen Qingqiu was accused of various crimes and imprisoned in the Huan Hua Palace Water Prison," Mu Qingfang announced, more serious than Liu Qingge remembered ever seeing him. "His crimes fell on him, that's what happened."

"What crimes?"

His martial siblings began to list different crimes, from murdering an entire clan, being lecherous and pedophile, as well as his own death.

He also learned that it was his own sister who accused Shen Qingqiu of murdering him, his little sister had married the demon and became one in a large harem.

Apparently, a disciple of Shen Qingqiu seized the Huan Hua Palace, was the one who captured him and gathered evidence against him.

That day, he learned that Shen Qingqiu, whom he had always blamed for being a lazy young master who made no effort and had taken too long to cultivate himself, was in fact a slave.

He stopped paying attention to the words of his martial siblings as he thought about the things he had been remembering and collecting over time.

When Shen Qingqiu entered the sect, he was quite pale and scrawny, he always seemed to stay away from crowded places, especially, he stayed away from men. Then he would always hide behind a fan, looking at everyone with haughtiness and contempt, but Liu Qingge had glimpsed the deep dislike he presented when a man came too close to him.

He had thought it was disgust at seeing someone inferior to him, but Jiang WanYin had made him read literary works from the mortal world where someone had gone through a traumatic event and their traumas were subtly reflected in their actions.

He had spread rumors about Shen Qingqiu's lechery when he found him sleeping in a brothel, branding him as a libertine and damaging his image, but after that, he remembers that Shen Qingqiu always seemed more tired. And the women in the brothel had given him angry looks that he didn't understand when he passed through town in the daytime and they were washing clothes in the river.

There was also the fact that Shen Qingqiu's favoritism for female disciples was quite obvious, he seemed to feel at ease with them. But they also kept their distance from him after the rumors.

Ning Yingying, whom Shen Qingqiu had pampered since he joined the sect, whom he looked up to like a daughter, although Liu Qingge had thought it was wishful thinking at the time, turned out to be the one who accused Shen Qingqiu of trying to abuse her, when all Shen Qingqiu did wrong was to let her be spoiled.

He remembered how Shen Qingqiu would get upset at the mention of his weak cultivation, now that made sense. However, how could his martial siblings believe that someone as weak as Shen Qingqiu could assassinate him?

He did not understand.

Plaf!

The muffled sound made him look up, he saw his sword, Cheng Luan, on the table in front of him.

"I repaired your sword as a symbolic thing, it's yours, Liu-shidi."

"...You guys, did you agree to hand over Shen Qingqiu?"

Where was the brotherhood they boasted so much about when he was in the sect?

"He turned himself in, although it is also true that we gave our permission," Qi Qingqi replied. "We didn't want him to drag the sect into the mud with him, although he always did."

Liu Qingge took a deep breath as his hand tightened on Cheng Luan's grip.

Clang!

The silver blade flashed in the inn room.

Liu Qingge had lost what little sanity he had left as he brandished Cheng Luan at those claiming to be his martial siblings. 

Boom!

When they jumped out of the window as they understood his intentions, he followed them outside and swept a large area with Cheng Luan's power, some cuts appeared on his incredulous martial siblings.

"What are you doing? Liu Qingge" Jiang WanYin spoke to him in the spiritual array, but Liu Qingge did not listen to him.

"They sent him to his death, did they even bother to thoroughly investigate the situation?". He was annoyed.

A slave. They sent a former slave to hellish confinement. Did they have no heart?

Flick!

He heard something cutting through the air followed by the sting of a whip striking his back. Jiang WanYin had arrived, warning him that he couldn't destroy too many things.

Liu Qingge put away his sword, but his fists clenched at his sides. There was so much he wanted to say, so many questions to ask.

"Liu-shidi. Calm down." Yue Qingyuan tried to appease him, like in his days in the sect, when he was fighting Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan came to mediate.

The blood boiled in his veins. He knew that there was some kind of relationship between Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu, but they never found out the truth.

He was sure that Shen Qingqiu had also missed something.

Because Yue Qingyuan was a coward.

He had seen Shen Qingqiu wait for something from Yue Qingyuan before cutting him off sharply and walking away.

He had always despised Shen Qingqiu for this, thinking he was ungrateful for humiliating Yue Qingyuan despite his positions.

Now he understood what was the complicated feeling Yue Qingyuan showed. It was guilt that was reflected in Yue Qingyuan's eyes. But he only let Shen Qingqiu do what he felt like doing, as a kind of atonement.

He wondered if all those times Shen Qingqiu did something out of morality was just an attempt to attract Yue Qingyuan's attention to him, perhaps, he expected to be treated like others by Yue Qingyuan.

Because he was sure that Shen Qingqiu hated being pitied towards him.

He couldn't help but attack Yue Qingyuan.

An electric shock coursed through his body as Jiang WanYin launched a lightning bolt. It was fortunate that he was a god, or he would have been burned. Jiang WanYin then carried him away from the scene.

Liu Qingge then went to look for Shen Qingqiu.

He refused to believe that he had disappeared just like that.

If he was lucky, he would find his reincarnation.

If not, he would keep searching.

He had all the time to be able to do so.

After he was found sharing a bed with Jiang WanYin, he continued his search for Shen Qingqiu.

He managed to strike up a strange friendship with Mu Qing. The guy was always straightforward and mean. He liked him.

He also reminded him of Shen Qingqiu.

Liu Qingge had not paid much attention to Jiang WanYin's nephew. It was scandalous when he brought him in, as he had caused quite a spectacle in the Mortal Realm, but he was not punished, because it brought more popularity to his temples.

However, as he walked with Mu Qing to the Thunder Master's Palace, he saw the boy training on the training ground in front of the palace.

That style of sword, delicate and fierce, deadly and careful.

There was no way he didn't recognize those moves.

It was the sword style of Qing Jing Peak, no, it was Shen Qingqiu's style.

Liu Qingge was unaware of his actions until he felt the boy's wrist in his grip and heard the barking of a spirit dog to the side.

"Who taught you that style of sword?" he asked.

The boy frowned; "Why would I tell you?"

This boy's personality resembled Jiang WanYin.

He heard footsteps coming out of the palace.

"Liu Qingge, leave my nephew alone."

He let go of the boy's wrist, but asked the same question to Jiang WanYin; "Who taught him that sword style, was it Shen Qingqiu?"

"Yes."

Liu Qingge was shocked.

This person, he had heard him rant about his pursuit of Shen Qingqiu, knew how much he wanted to apologize to him, and, yet.

"...Why didn't you tell me?"

"Just because you want to see him doesn't mean he does too."

That had logic to it. It was never to Shen Qingqiu's liking.

Liu Qingge asked Jiang WanYin to ask Shen Qingqiu if he could meet with him. Jiang WanYin shrugged and connected to the direct communication array with Shen Qingqiu.

"Who is Shen Qingqiu?" Mu Qing grimaced as he ate from a plate of fruit he had fetched inside.

"Hey, I've been talking about him for a long time!"

"Well, but what is he?" he asked.

Liu Qingge didn't know how to answer. He hadn't asked whether Shen Qingqiu was a human, a cultivator, or a wandering ghost.

"No answer" Jiang WanYin ate indifferently from the plate of fruit in Mu Qing's hand.

Despite his disappointment, Liu Qingge at least had a point of reference now.

He forgot to ask Shen Qingqiu's status when he started training with Jiang WanYin's nephew.

Liu Qingge met with the former Peak Lords again.

He did not take Jiang WanYin with him this time.

He was calmer now, so he chatted with the Peak Lords about Shen Qingqiu. None of them had come across him since he was handed over to Luo Binghe.

He learned that Luo Binghe self-destructed with his Xin Mo sword, taking with him the people in his palace, his sister included, and much of the demon race. That was the reason why the world had changed so much when he officially took office.

Liu Qingge dragged them into his search for Shen Qingqiu.

They had also made a mistake with Shen Qingqiu, Liu Qingge would make them see their mistakes.

Now, they were coming out of an inn, after planning their next course of action, Liu Qingge did not expect to see a familiar figure dressed in teal robes on the other side of the street.

"Shen Qingqiu!" he shouted before even taking a good look at the other person.

He was still the same as ever, wearing those thick robes despite being in the summer solstice, a silver headdress gathering half of his hair, and a paper fan covering his expression.

When Shen Qingqiu, who was looking at some paintings at a random stall, looked up to see him, Liu Qingge could see the cinnabar dot on his forehead as a reminder of his scholar status. He could also see Shen Qingqiu's abnormal pallor and how his eyes widened in surprise before... running.

Liu Qingge also began to run after Shen Qingqiu.

Whether his martial siblings followed him or not didn't matter.

They ran deep into the forest.

And Liu Qingge definitely did not expect that a familiar snake was waiting for him with its jaws open to devour him after dodging a boulder.

"Jiang WanYin?"

His martial siblings caught up with him at that moment and watched in disbelief as the large silver snake hissed.

Jiang WanYin was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. The silver snake, Zidian, returned to a smaller size and crawled over Jiang WanYin's shoulders.

"Why is it that the first thing you do when you see it is to hunt it down like that?" asked Jiang WanYin as he looked at it. "And with all of them?" he pointed at the Peak Lords.

Liu Qingge was unable to meet Shen Qingqiu, again.

Jiang WanYin continued to visit him.

Shen Qingqiu wanted to disturb him by seeing him lying indifferently on the divan.

"Is it true that you are in a three-way relationship with Liu Qingge and General Xuan Zhen?"

"... Ugh. Of course not."

The story of the three gods who were found red-handed quickly became known. Especially since they were three gods who seemed to have no interest in such trivialities. So people couldn't help but imagine different scenes.

Shen Qingqiu finished the painting he was working on and noticed that the jar of paint was about to run out.

"I'll go down the mountain," he announced as he put away his things and stood up.

"Bring something to eat. And no, tanghulu doesn't count."

Shen Qingqiu snorted.

Jiang WanYin preferred spicy, but he liked sweets better.

He walked down the mountain leisurely. Recalling the shame he felt when he regained his memory and realized he had been living on Jiang WanYin's money for several months.

He sold some paintings and calligraphy pieces to have some savings, but Jiang WanYin said he had nothing else to spend his money on and kept leaving him something whenever he came to visit.

Then Shen Qingqiu started to buy cooking ingredients. Not that he needed to eat, but he didn't like having anything to do. He learned to cook. He had done it a few times in the past, however, he was never really good at it. And most of his meals were tasteless.

Jiang WanYin had arrived one day while he was trying to cook. Shen Qingqiu had gasped when Jiang WanYin took out a bag of spicy powder from his pocket and sprinkled the contents into his attempt at soup. He began to cook some dishes with more seasoning from that day on.

Sometimes, he made sweet cakes for himself. When Jiang WanYin visited, he would prepare spicy meals.

There were times when he did nothing because he didn't know the other would arrive, like that day, then they would go down to the market for dinner. It was an interesting sight. To see a Heavenly Official eating steamed buns from a street stall.

Shen Qingqiu wandered down the shopping street until he found a stall with paintings to his liking. Paints that wouldn't spoil too quickly and wouldn't dry out if he left them open too long. He picked up a jar of violet paint when he heard a shout.

"Shen Qingqiu!"

What the...?

He looked toward where the voice came from.

Liu Qingge was across the street.

Yue Qingyuan was there. Damn it, all the Peak Lords except for Shang Qinghua were there, watching him.

Shen Qingqiu activated his fight or flight instinct and ran.

" Jiang WanYin! "

" Hmm? What's wrong? "

" Liu Qingge found me " Shen Qingqiu started to go deeper into the forest.

He didn't want to meet Liu Qingge or Yue Qingyuan right now. He didn't want to face his past.

Shen Qingqiu didn't hear any answer, so he ran faster. Until a hand grabbed his elbow.

"Pathetic."

It was Jiang WanYin.

Shen Qingqiu didn't have time to be indignant when he was thrown into the bushes. He heard the hissing of a snake.

"Jiang WanYin?"

Shen Qingqiu curled up in his place. Making himself smaller.

Jiang WanYin shooed Liu Qingge and the rest of Peak Lords away.

"Hey. You can control the leaves, remember?"

Shen Qingqiu blinked.

Damn it, he could just attack the nuisances with leaves! That's why Jiang WanYin made fun of him!

"...Shut up." 

Jiang WanYin went down the mountain and returned to his bamboo hut.

He felt tired. Not physically, but his body succumbed to his emotions and he fell asleep.

When he awoke, there were some tanghulu sticks on the coffee table next to a note that read; [If you don't want your past, I will destroy your chains when you are ready].

Shen Qingqiu raised his hand and let some demonic energy manifest on his fingertips.

It was time to hide his ashes.

The meeting between Mu Qing and Shen Qingqiu was accidental.

Mu Qing was simply strolling through a village where he knew they sold good sewing materials.

He always liked to make his own clothes, so he looked for places where the fabrics were comfortable and durable. Lately, he had even made a small shawl for Jiang WanYin's nephew's spirit dog.

Since the spirit dog bit Feng Xin's leg, Mu Qing began to pamper the dog.

It happened when Mu Qing entered a store offering everything from luxurious fabrics to paper fans that he saw a man wearing teal robes inspecting a paper fan with no design.

Mu Qing frowned when he saw him. The energy surrounding that person was similar to Jiang WanYin's spiritual energy.

"Hey."

Mu Qing walked over to him.

A pair of black eyes, deep and mysterious, rested on him. The person put down the paper fan and took out his own fan, which had a bamboo forest painted on it, and covered his face a little. Mu Qing saw the cinnabar dot on that person's forehead.

***

"He's a stupidly... charming scholar, I guess," Liu Qingge had said.

"He moves more gracefully than the three of us put together," were Jiang WanYin's words.

***

"Shen... Qingqiu?"

The person frowned faintly and waved the fan.

"Do I know you?" he asked scathingly.

He was undoubtedly him.

Mu Qing waved his hand; "Considering Jiang WanYin and Liu Qingge's almost non-existent social circle, who do you think I am?"

Shen Qingqiu looked at him for a moment, then his eyes lit up in understanding.

"General Xuan Zhen?"

"Ah. Liu Qingge almost lost his brain cells looking for you. He would spit blood if he knew I found you shopping for bazaars."

Shen Qingqiu snorted behind the fan. "His peanut-sized brain must be overloaded."

Mu Qing simply bought the things he needed and noticed that Shen Qingqiu bought a pair of blank fans and a tassel with no design for a fan.

They left the store at the same time, then Mu Qing asked when he saw Shen Qingqiu began to retreat. "Are you a Supreme?"

Shen Qingqiu stopped and looked at him over his shoulder. "Yes."

Mu Qing nodded and went the other way.

Obviously, he would tell Liu Qingge that he met Shen Qingqiu in a random city.

He wouldn't tell him that he is a Supreme Demon.

Liu Qingge didn't seem to have noticed.

But it was obvious that Jiang WanYin knew.

When Jiang WanYin visited Shen Qingqiu again, he blinked a couple of times before finally asking; "What are you two doing?"

Mu Qing raised his head and simply said; "Cooking. Can't you see?"

I could definitely see it.

Mu Qing, with his silver hair in a messy bun and the sleeves of his robe rolled up, was measuring flour with a cup made of bamboo. Shen Qingqiu, with a similar appearance, was adding fuel to the fire. Jiang WanYin lay on the divan outside and read a book.

Shen Qingqiu's voice saying that the food was ready came a little later. 

"Finally, food with flavor." Jiang WanYin received a fan blow for his comment.

Mu Qing and Shen Qingqiu seemed to have struck up a strange friendship.

When Mu Qing left, Shen Qingqiu packed some books and paints to go down the mountain.

"Won't you let me read that book?" Jiang WanYin asked as he saw a thick book being packed. He could never read it.

"No. Goodbye" Shen Qingqiu walked away, leaving him alone in the bamboo hut.

Jiang WanYin also departed after leaving a bag of gifts on the low little table.

Jin Ling did not think that the day would come when he would see his uncle act like a maiden in love.

But the day did come.

It started with his uncle staring into emptiness, at his uncle muttering things like; "Would he wear this brooch?" or "This tea is good, surely he would like it."

And Jin Ling knew that his uncle hadn't noticed those things.

"Uncle."

"What?"

Jin Ling grimaced. "Why don't you just tell Shifu that you like him?"

His uncle looked at him in shock, then frowned. "Who said anything about liking?"

Jin Ling rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up from Mu Qing; "All right. Suppose you don't like him. But you look like a married couple."

First, his uncle is the one who pays for the things Shen Qingqiu needs, second, his uncle goes to the bamboo hut to eat; like a husband coming home from work. Third, he always makes sure to bring a gift, even if it is something small.

"We don't look like this."

Jin Ling could see his uncle hesitate. Just admit it already! Stubborn man!

"Liu Qingge is going to win it from you if he finds it."

"I'll come down for a moment."

Jin Ling smiled. He didn't push anymore, he had already set his uncle in the right direction.

Jiang WanYin received an urgent call in the spiritual array.

The newest Supreme was doing something strange.

He immediately went to that remote mountain. There were several martial gods there, they were trying to break through a barrier. The civilian gods were carrying scrolls.

Liu Qingge had also arrived with his martial siblings, they had gathered that day. One of them was reading the formations in the array to undo the barrier.

"What's going on?" he asked Ling Wen, who had arrived with many scrolls.

"The Supreme Demon has repaired his soul and seems to be awakening his true power, but this is strange, something seems to be preventing him."

Jiang WanYin's gaze shifted to the Supreme he had known for a few years. There was a black sphere surrounding him, which prevented him from seeing him properly. He glanced sideways at the members of Cang Qiong and confirmed that they still didn't know his identity.

"What is the best option?" Mu Qing questioned.

"We should find his impediment and solve it," the goddess replied.

"Shall we not kill him?" Liu Qingge was someone who thought with muscles as usual.

"Brute, his energy is too dense, he can hurt mortals even from this distance," Mu Qing spat.

Jiang WanYin ignored the gods and advanced towards the barrier, he saw some gods trying to touch the barrier, only to be attacked with blades made of demonic qi. "You better let me pass," he muttered as he took a step to the other side. He made it through without any hindrance.

He didn't turn to look at the others outside, he didn't want to know their reactions.

Zidian transformed into a snake and began to make inscriptions with his tail across the place. Jiang WanYin summoned some thunder and lightning, then spoke to Shen Qingqiu, who was inside the black sphere above the bamboo hut. "Show me your chains. I will destroy them."

Cling! Clang!

Several black chains wrapped around the sphere and fastened to the ground.

He already knew what he had to do.

Jiang WanYin's hand glowed in grayish and violet colors. His hand touched a chain.

"Jiu" Your slave name. Then another chain. "Qi." Your brother, to whom you pledged loyalty.

Another. "Qiu." The house that was your hell, your courtesy name. "Yanzi." The bastard who ruined you.

"Qing Jing." The pickaxe you were tied to. "Qingyuan." By whom you were tied to the sect. "Qingge." Whom you think you have soiled.

"Haitang." Who was your sun in hell. "Yingying." Your respite from your confinement.

"Binghe." Your greatest failure.

Cling! Clang!

The chains he touched vibrated as the dark clouds enclosed them and lightning began to destroy them.

Jiang WanYin looked in the direction of Cang Qiong's immortals, only to see them look at the person inside the sphere with a pale expression. Liu Qingge was the same as them.

The sphere dissolved along with the chains and the person dressed in green and white robes fell downward. He was caught by Jiang WanYin's arms. Jiang WanYin looked at Shen Qingqiu's colorless face, Shen Qingqiu's deep black eyes looked straight at him as he whispered something inaudible.

Shen Qingqiu then jumped back and stood on top of the bamboo hut as he looked up, where dark clouds conglomerated and lightning crackled as they made shrill noises when they collided with each other. 

Jiang WanYin looked down and saw the intricate formations made by Zidian, he injected his spiritual energy into the formations as he said. "Former Peak Lord Qing Jing of the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, Shen Jiu, courtesy Qingqiu."

BROOOOM!

Everyone's vision was white as a large amount of lightning struck the bamboo hut.

Shen Qingqiu's biggest handicap.

It was his body full of scars and invisible chains.

Jiang WanYin took it upon himself to destroy it.

No one could say anything when his vision cleared, and the Thunder Elemental Master, Jiang WanYin, found himself standing on a sea of ashes. A paper fan with a silver tassel in his hand.

"You guys... did you know?" Liu Qingge asked the two gods in front of him. They were in his palace right now, after giving a brief report to the Heavenly Emperor.

"I only saw him once and suspected he was a Supreme, but he actually confirmed it when I asked him" Mu Qing nodded.

"Do you remember the city where you met your martial siblings the first time?", Jiang WanYin asked.

"I do."

"I met him that day. He was dismembering a slaver. Then I took him away."

So... simple.

Liu Qingge pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you left him living in my territory."

"It was safer. You clean up the place well."

Liu Qingge didn't know whether to be angry at Jiang WanYin or to be angry at himself at this point. Shen Qingqiu was right under his nose the whole time while he was running around like a headless fly all over the place, looking for him.

Shen Qingqiu was a Supreme. Liu Qingge wanted to fight with him. And apologize.

But now, they had to wait for Shen Qingqiu to return. Yue Qingyuan looked devastated by that.

Liu Qingge sighed in exasperation. "Let's go train."

Mu Qing and Jiang WanYin grimaced.

"Thunder Master. Looks like it's your turn now."

Jiang WanYin hated this game. He drank from the wine glass, expecting to see another story about his past or how he brought his nephew to heaven. He didn't expect to see a shopping street.

The gods at the Mid-Autumn Banquet looked on expectantly.

The curtain was pulled back completely, and they could see a person dressed in lilac-colored hanfu robes accompanying another person in blue and white robes. They were Jiang WanYin and Liu Qingge.

- "Remember not to hurt mortals." 

Jiang WanYin wandered through the streets before detouring into the forest. He came across a boy dismembering a man with his leaves. Jiang WanYin took him with him and left him in a bamboo hut in the mountain.

The scene changed, and Jiang WanYin visited the hut again. There was no longer a child inside; instead, a scholar dressed in green sat neatly at a small table, drinking tea elegantly. Jiang WanYin continued to visit.

The scene changed again and General Xuan Zhen, Mu Qing was in the hut as well. The two gods and the demon seemed to have a good friendship with each other.

Then there was the climactic scene. Shen Qingqiu fell into Jiang WanYin's arms, purple rays crackled around. Shen Qingqiu whispered; "There is a chain missing. Destroy it."

"Hmph. You better go back," Jiang WanYin snorted.

Jiang WanYin destroyed Shen Qingqiu. 

The play ended.

Jiang WanYin remained silent for a moment before asking, "What is the name of the play?"

An official read a paper and said; "Autumn bathes in the clear river."

Jiang WanYin opened a fan and covered part of his face with it.

Then he began to laugh softly.

Cunning scholar.

Shen Qingqiu did not intend to make a fuss about his return.

He planned to look for somewhere to rebuild his bamboo hut and then contact Jiang WanYin and Mu Qing. But he met Liu Qingge on his way.

"Shen Qingqiu!"

He was taken by Liu Qingge to the Heavenly Capital.

Why was he, a demon, being taken to a place full of gods?

Shen Qingqiu covered his expression with his newly acquired fan. He could see the Heavenly Officers gape in shock. It was because he was loaded like a sack of rice on the great brute's shoulders. Liu Qingge took him to a luxurious palace of violet and silver colors.

Boom!

"Jiang WanYin!"

Oh.

Liu Qingge dropped him on the ground.

"Hey, be more careful, you brute!"

"...Ah, Shen-xiong, looks like you're back. Hello," Jiang WanYin's voice was calm.

"Liu Qingge, why did you bring a Supreme Demon to the Heavenly Capital?" Mu Qing asked with disinterest.

"You guys wouldn't tell me where he is if you located him before."

That was true.

Shen Qingqiu stood up from the ground and fixed his appearance. His gaze focused on the three gods who were staring at him expressionlessly.

"I have returned. Fools."

The three gods greeted him with tea.

They ignored the commotion their meeting caused the rest of the inhabitants of the Celestial Capital.

Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The mere promotion of an Elemental Master brought much more excitement to the Celestial Realm than it was supposed to.

Two Martial Gods known to be loners befriended the equally lonely Elemental Master. Then they befriended the elusive Supreme Demon. 

War God Bai Zhan even dragged the Supreme Demon to a tea party at the Thunder Elemental Master's Palace. All was relatively well until War God Bai Zhan decided to practice with the Supreme Demon. General Xuan Zhen joined the Supreme Demon when War God Bai Zhan destroyed a wing of his palace with his attacks. The Thunder Master simply enjoyed a peaceful reading with the sound of battle in the background.

Xie Lian sighed when he heard Ling Wen's report.

That strange group of friends, they were more like a disaster party.

Xie Lian decided that he would talk to them later when they left the Thunder Master Palace training ground, which was being guarded by the Zidian spirit weapon. For the time being, he would continue his reading of "Autumn Bathes in the Clear River".

There was much more than what they saw in the play during the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet. And Xie Lian only stumbled upon the book when Hua Cheng brought it to him and told him to check the author's name.

The accuracy of the events in the writing made sense when he revealed the name of the person who wrote the book.

It was a work by Shen Qingqiu.

Xie Lian blushed when he finally read the last line of the book.

[Lord Thunder Master WanYin never found out that he was carrying the ashes of the Supreme Demon Emerald Leaf].

Jiang WanYin learned of this information when he finally got a copy of the book. He simply shrugged his shoulders and waited for the food to be ready. Shen Qingqiu was cooking pork rib soup today.

Liu Qingge had allowed Shen Qingqiu to continue living in his territory after forcing Shen Qingqiu to confess the truth behind their actions when they were Peak Lords. Of course, it was a different and better-guarded mountain.

Shen Qingqiu said he was not a weak maiden when he, Liu Qingge, and Mu Qing placed barriers around it. They did not remove their barriers.

"When did you give me your ashes?" he asked when the other placed the things on the table.

"You ate them."

"...Excuse me?"

It turns out that Shen Qingqiu couldn't find a better place to hide them, so he fed them to Jiang WanYin in the form of mooncakes.

"They're still inside you, I can feel them," Shen Qingqiu stated calmly.

"You could have put them on the tassel of the fan you gave me, or on a hairpin. On anything that wasn't edible would be better."

"...I didn't think of that at the time."

"What if I died from it?"

"I see you very much alive and healthy."

Jiang WanYin concluded that he should make sure not to die from now on.

He didn't think that ascending would be so troublesome.

However, it was also fun.