Chapter Text
Shen Jiu didn’t even pause as he pulled out his borrowed sword from one of the Qiu Young Masters from the branch families. One that had broken his arm and almost drowned him once. This one should be the last one he wanted personal revenge on. He couldn’t waste his time, the women had already dragged outside, he should burn this whole cursed place down before it was too late.
In one universe, Shen Jiu managed to burn the whole mansion down, effectively killing all the men that had wronged him within this accursed household. In that universe, Shen Jiu left without looking back, leaving his broken pieces of heart, braved himself to bear the hatred and left without looking for her ever again.
However, in this universe, someone stopped Shen Jiu with harsh –but powerless- hit on his back. Shen Jiu turned around to be greeted with a slap, one fragile hand clawed on his tattered robe, Shen Jiu’s own hand moved to grab the slender wrist of his attacker, his lips were pressed into a thin line.
“Shen Jiu! You evil beast!” Qiu Haitang.
She’s awake.
“How could you do this!? What have we done to deserve this!? You ungrateful bastard, how dare you to kill my family?!! After all we had given to you?! After all what I sacrificed to be with you!?” Qiu Haitang screamed, her sorrow and fury reached the heaven. Tears streamed down her cheeks endlessly, her lithe body quivered in both despair and wrath.
Shen Jiu looked at her, expressionless. “I’m sorry,” he said.
In another universe, Shen Jiu would never get the chance to say that to Qiu Haitang.
“But they deserve that,” he said emotionlessly. He accepted a wobbly furious punch to the face courtesy of Qiu Haitang, he didn’t move when Qiu Haitang kicked him, screaming at him, cursing him.
In the end, he was used to receiving hatred and violence.
Qiu Haitang’s love and kindness in the past, he would always treasure it.
Shen Jiu seized Qiu Haitang’s right hand, stopping her from hitting him any further, “I’m so sorry, but they deserve that.”
“What!? Is it because my brother didn’t let you cultivate!? You went berserk and kill him, killing my entire family, just because of that!? Shen Jiu... Truly, I was blinded! Blinded! How could I love such a heartless bastard like you?!” Qiu Haitang screamed.
Shen Jiu gazed helplessly at her unable to say anything in the face of his love’s look of utter betrayal and fury.
“What are you waiting for? Tsk, this little bitch, just get rid of her quickly!” A new voice joined their conversation and Shen Jiu turned to see Wu Yanzi yanking Qiu Haitang backward by her collar.
“Ah!” Qiu Haitang exclaimed as Wu Yanzi heartlessly pushed her to the ground with no little strength.
“We have to go quick,” Wu Yanzi turned to Shen Jiu but Shen Jiu ran past him.
“Haitang!” Shen Jiu exclaimed in worry as he kneeled down before Qiu Haitang, tenderly grasping her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
Wu Yanzi rolled his eyes, “Brat, are you bailing out or not? The authority will come over soon!”
Qiu Haitang quivered weakly, from his touch, Shen Jiu could feel the tension within her. “Blinded... I was truly blinded with your look and cannot see the rotten thing you are...” She mumbled darkly.
“Haitang-“ Shen Jiu started but Qiu Haitang suddenly lunged at him and threw a handful of dark powder to Shen Jiu’s face. Shen Jiu let out a surprised gasp as sharp stinging pain attacked his eyes, he let go of Qiu Haitang’s shoulders and scooted away.
Wu Yanzi exclaimed in surprise at the sudden turn of event and yanked Shen Jiu up to his feet. “What the fuck?!”
Qiu Haitang laughed, “I’ll avenge my family... I’ll avenge my family, Shen Jiu! You deserve a fate worse than death!” she staggered up.
Shen Jiu covered his eyes, biting back a scream at how painful his eyes felt. He rubbed his eyes unconsciously, wanting to open them and looked at Qiu Haitang but he couldn’t. His eyes forced him to keep shutting his eyelids.
“Poison?” Wu Yanzi murmured and Shen Jiu’s heart sank. Shen Jiu suddenly felt his face was drenched with water, presumably Wu Yanzi pouring out clean water on his face to wash away the poison powder. “Can you open your eyes?”
“It’s useless! I hope you die! Even if you don’t die, I’ll come to you and avenge my family!” Qiu Haitang screamed.
“This little slut is so noisy!” Wu Yanzi gritted his teeth. He finally met a very talented individual that he could swindle to be his disciple and subordinate, how dare this little slut damage his good!?
“-gh, I’m okay,” Shen Jiu said as he forced his eyes to open. The world was extremely blurry, he could only see blobs of colours. Shen Jiu shut his eyes again. No worries, no worries, it was dark and only the fire of the burning Qiu manor as the lighting source. Sun was the only trusted light source. He still could see. He still could.
“Tsk! Whatever, let’s get out of here. Follow me and don’t drag me behind!” Wu Yanzi ordered and pulled Shen Jiu away to run.
“Shen Jiu! I will never forgive you!!!” Qiu Haitang screamed after them.
The next day Shen Jiu reopened his eyes after a lot of washing on the river nearby. All he saw were still blobs of colours, blurry, some darkness danced on the edge of his vision, seemingly waiting to invade all the lights. Shen Jiu sat there expressionlessly before smiling ironically to himself and scooped up more water to splash his face with.
If the water rolling down his cheeks was not fully the water of the river, who cares?
His parents abandoned him since birth.
His childhood was robbed away from him.
The person he trusted and admired so much had stolen away his trust and ripped it down to pieces.
His innocence had been long destroyed.
His freedom was snatched away from him since he could remember.
Now, the girl he used to love robbed him of his sight and a little bit of small spark of light he ever had for her.
Shen Jiu was used of people robbing away what was his, leaving him, abandoning him. But why did his chest hurt so much?
In this life, people gave expecting something in return. Qiu Haitang had given him a lot of love and kindness, expecting him to marry her in return. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t marry Qiu Haitang after all what he had done to her family in return for what her family did to him.
In another universe, Qiu Haitang never woke up before Shen Jiu had ran far away. In another universe, Qiu Haitang never poisoned Shen Jiu nor taking about 90% of his sight away from him. In another universe, Qiu Haitang never got to take anything from him resulting in Shen Jiu keeping away the deepest feeling in his heart, feeling suffocated day by day with his pathetic feeling of never being able to do anything for her.
In this universe. Shen Jiu counted it as fair. He ruined her life by killing her family who had ruined his life... In return, she ruined his life even more.
In the end, Shen Jiu would always be the one who suffers.
Wu Yanzi had done a few things to make Shen Jiu retained his sight, but cheap medicines and half-hearted attempt of cure were not enough. Shen Jiu’s sight worsened, for years to come, he learned to rely on his other senses in preparation of possibility where he woke up one day only seeing darkness.
The darkness on the edge of his vision kept expanding, the world was mostly dark to Shen Jiu.
Until he met that familiar face and voice from his past.
To be honest, if that bastard didn’t speak, Shen Jiu wouldn’t even recognize him.
It was so dark. Dark. Too dark. He couldn’t see anything except for a few lines... Too dark. He couldn’t see anything- darkdarkdarkdarkdark-
It was all downhill from there. One thing led to another.
When Shen Jiu’s sword pierced through Wu Yanzi, the last light in his vision was swallowed by the darkness. His ears ringing at the feeling of disbelief having killed his own master, his tormentor, his evil master.
Shen Jiu didn’t even notice that Yue Qi had closed off their distance. He flinched and reacted violently when Yue Qi grasped his hand.
Shen Jiu glared.
Yue Qi stared.
A sob.
A second later, it turned into a cry.
Yue Qi cried sadly atthat moment. His cries annoyed Shen Jiu’s ears but Shen Jiu kept his adamant silence.
Yue Qi gazed at Shen Jiu’s unfaltering glares... Unfocused unfaltering glares. “Xiao Jiu...” He called out. “Can you see me?” he asked.
Shen Jiu’s lips were pressed into a thin line, he flushed and glared at the right way where Yue Qi stood, a little bit to his left. “It’s none of your business,” he snarled.
“What has he done to you?” Yue Qi asked.
Shen Jiu scoffed and then laughed mockingly. “He? What right do you have to ask what has he done to me? Why don’t you ask yourself, Yue Qi? What have you done to me.”
Shen Jiu was glad he was blind. He didn’t want to see Yue Qi’s face nor expression at all.
It’d repulse him.
Shen Jiu flinched again when he felt Yue Qi’s hands grabbing his slender wrists, he growled, “Don’t touch me, you fucking deserter!”
“Xiao Jiu-“
“Shut the fuck up! Don’t call me that!”
“Your eyes-“
“SHUT UP!” Shen Jiu exploded, pushing Yue Qi away as strongly as he could. He turned away, intending to get the hell away from Yue Qi but Yue Qi managed to grab his hand again.
“Please.”
“Yue Qi, don’t force me. Just because I’m blind, do you think I can’t kill you?” Shen Jiu said darkly.
“No...” The hand holding Shen Jiu’s hand loosened and released its grip. “Where are you going?”
“Away from you,” Shen Jiu growled as he continued walking but the damn deserter stopped him again.
“You can’t, it’s dangerous,” Yue Qi said. Hilarious. This is coming from the man who left him alone in that hell and never return?
Fucking hypocrite.
Apparently, Shen Jiu’s thought was written perfectly on his face as Yue Qi crumbled.
“I’m sorry. I’m so stupid, I... I failed my vow to you. But please, don’t go,” Yue Qi said. “It’s dangerous out there, your... master was an outlaw, someone might recognize you. Why don’t you come with me to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect?”
“Cang Qiong...” Shen Jiu murmured and smiled ironically. “Oh, so you have become a disciple of such a major sect. The greatest sect around. Of course... No wonder you wanted to throw away this little street rat, isn’t it?”
“No!” Yue Qi exclaimed. “I never throw you away. I... I... I’m sorry...”
“Save that garbage apology, I don’t need your fucking charity,” Shen Jiu growled.
“It’s not- why don’t you try first?” Yue Qi stopped him again. “You can choose any peak you want and see if any Immortal master wanted you as their disciple. Xiao Jiu, please... It’s dangerous outside.”
Shen Jiu glanced coldly, as much as he hated Yue Qi, he got a point. Wu Yanzi offended a lot of people and Shen Jiu had helped to offend some of those people. What can a little blind man like him do in the face of such danger?
He was powerless.
Being in the Sect might be not safe one hundred percent, but at least it was safer than in the wild.
“Fine,” Shen Jiu spat out. “But don’t even think you’re forgiven. Even if I die, I would never forgive you,” he said darkly and Yue Qi’s eyes dropped.
“Yes... I wouldn’t dream of it,” Yue Qi answered sadly.