Chapter Text
A group of Qing Jing Peak disciples had returned from a mission. This wouldn’t have been unusual if not for the fact that the group had left the sect with a head disciple leading them and had returned without sight of said head disciple.
Mu Qingfang couldn’t help but find it odd, and odder still that no one but the Qing Jing Peak Lord questioned it, but he had long come to understand that the newly named Shen Qingqiu was not well regarded.
However, Mu Qingfang has never looked upon the other with the same animosity that their martial siblings regard him with, mostly due to his pride in his craft, which meant he had to maintain neutrality, as it could affect his treatment of his patients. Nevertheless, part of him had just never understood the hatred.
When the rumours had first started, he had made a point to not fall into the same pitfall his martial siblings had and searched for the actual truth about them, only to find them mostly, if not entirely, without merit. He had, briefly, considered explaining the truth to the sect, but since Shen Qingqiu had never defended himself, he had simply figured he had his reasons, and he should not overstep more than he already had.
It's a choice he deeply regrets now, as he listens to one of the Qing Jing disciples gleefully admit to leaving behind a martial sibling to deal with a beast that had required five disciples, including a head disciple. His dread grows as he attempts to coach a reason out of the disciple, only to be met with the petulant whining of a spoiled brat with more money in his pockets than brains about losing a Go match.
With an expression that betrayed nothing of the trepidation he was feeling, he excused himself and, after getting another disciple to continue the routine check-up, hurried to Qing Jing Peak, intent on informing its peak of the truth and dispel the notion that the Qing Jing head disciple had not returned with the group because he decided his time was better spent in brothel, rather than delivery a report on the mission, as the returning disciples had claimed.
He wastes no time in properly announcing himself to the peak lord and instead barges into the man’s study and only barely manages to remember to properly bow as he announces, “Begging Shibo’s forgiveness, but this one has received information he believes Shibo must know!”
He waits with a calm he does not feel as the man dismisses the junior disciple from his study and coolly retorts, “And? What is it Mu-shizi believes so important he simply had to barge into this master's study with wild abandon?”
“This disciple has learned from one of the disciples who returned from the latest mission to the borderlands that they abandoned one of their own to fend off the beast they were tasked with dispatching, alone.”
“What?” from his still bowed position, he can’t see the older man’s face, but he can feel the icy glare that has no doubt made itself known on the other’s face, and he is better aware than most of how his Shibo handles disciples who disregard others and dare lie to his face about it.
“This one was performing a routine check-up on one of the disciples when he admitted to pushing Shen-shixiong towards the beast and running with the others, effectively abandoning him to fight the beast alone.”
“Shibo, this one understands that this must be reported to Zhangmen-Shibo, and the group interrogated before action can be taken, but this humble one believes Shen-shixiong may be gravely injured, and every second he is not found means his life could be in danger.”
Grimly, the peak lord can´t help but acquiesce to the Qiao Cao head disciple’s point. Though his head disciple was talented, more so than most disciples on his peak were willing to admit, this was a beast that the sect leader had considered dispatching a peak lord to deal with. He presses his finger to the bridge of his nose as he feels the oncoming headache begin to form, “Then, what does Mu-shizi suggest?”
“This one would like to be able to leave now, and search for shixiong so he may be able to treat any injuries he may have accrued.” Seeing apprehension in the older man’s eyes, he hurries to add, “This one has already received permission to leave immediately and begin his search.” A lie, but he would deal with the consequences of such an act after he was sure he wasn’t racing against the clock to assure the survival of a fellow head disciple.
“Very well then, bring a messaging talisman with you, and inform the sect immediately once you have found him and return immediately if he is stable enough to be moved.”
“Of course, Shibo.”
With that tacit approval, he hurries back towards his peak, gathering every medical equipment he thinks may be necessary, and immediately begins his flight towards Shen Qingqiu’s last known location, which he had obtained after needling the disciple who had been bragging about their horrid deeds.
As he reaches the site of the hunt, he feels a brief sense of relief at seeing the corpse of the beast the group was tasked with killing, which was immediately squashed once more as his panicked brain finally registered the obvious signs of a brutal struggle and blood tracks leading away from the site.
He walks along the path the blood has left as he catalogues every type of injury that could cause such a trail, mostly in a vain attempt to distract himself from the sheer quantity.
Is he even still alive after losing so much blood?
He ventures into a cave, following the blood trail, and nearly shames his years as a doctor by almost fainting at the sight of his shixiong’s prone body. Oh heavens, I can’t tell if he’s breathing at all.
To his immense relief, his shixiong is, in fact, breathing, though rapidly and shallowly, and as he finally nears his shixiong, he finds him responsive to pain.
Finally, he’s able to catalogue all his shixiong’s injuries, gathering necessary materials as he does, and pulls out a communication talisman and lights it, “This one has found Shen-shixiong, he is not far from the site of the hunt, and there is a clear path marked to his location. However, from the state of said site and shixiong’s injuries, this one fears he might have sustained injuries that render attempts to move him dangerous, and this one does not have the proper materials to stabilise him enough to do so.”
As he finishes speaking, he utters a quick apology to his shixiong and begins loosening his robes so he might better access any injuries that could be hidden beneath the cloth. Before he can do so much as finish untying his belt, though, a quick hand shoots out to grab his and another strikes out with a dagger that had been hidden inside Shen Jiu’s sleeve. Thankfully, before the dagger can make contact with the artery on his neck, for that is where it was aimed, Mu Qingfang watches with worry as his shixiong doubles over with pain and hurries to explain.
“Shen-shixiong, please do not make any abrupt movements! You have been severely injured, and this Qingfang has to take off your robes so he may check you for injuries!”
Belatedly, Mu Qingfang admits he may be a bit out of his depth as he notices the wild yet empty gaze of his shixiong, and is briefly reminded of the traumatised patients that sometimes crossed his clinics in the towns surrounding the sect.
As if by instinct, Shen Jiu scrambles backwards until he hits the wall of the cave and swings his dagger blindingly. Mu Qingfang, in response, makes himself smaller, and turns his palms toward Shen Jiu, voice lowered and says, “Shen-shixiong, This on—I’m Mu Qingfang, your shidi, remember? You have been left to fend for yourself during a night hunt and have been severely injured as a result. I’m here to help, but I need you to let me help.”
The snarled reply comes quick, though not with the same vitriol that had been displayed earlier, and Mu Qingfang counts it as a small victory, “I don’t want your pity!”
“Then you will not have it. I will offer empathy and understanding, but not pity, not unless shixiong wishes it.”
He can visibly see the other man struggle between his panic and pain, and watches with bated breath as the pain wins, “If you overstep, I’ll bite your cock off.”
“If this Mu oversteps, he will gladly castrate himself before you to make amends.” He says with a smile, faintly amused at the other’s vulgar vocabulary.
With that Shen Jiu thrusts the arm not clutching his abdomen forward, which makes Mu Qingfang realise two things: one, in his panic, he had completely forgotten to check his shixiong’s meridians (something he would not doubt be scolded for by his shizun once they returned), and two, Shen Jiu did not have a medical record in Qiao Cao, as he had avoided the peak since his entrance.
“Thank you, shixiong, but this one is afraid he needs to see to your external injuries first. The amount of blood this one came across was quite worrying. This one can see evidence of an open fracture on shixiong’s left leg that needs to be set properly, but you are attempting to stem the bleeding from a wound on your abdomen, and this one needs to tend to it.”
“Fine! But if you make a single comment, I’ll skin you and feed it back to you.”
Carefully, he helps the other untie his belt and take off his robes. He’s slightly embarrassed to admit he had to stifle a surprised noise at the sheer amount of scars on the other man’s chest, and the evidence of more on his back. HE inspects the wounds, various small, but still worrying, cuts and bruises, what appears to be several broken ribs and the biggest wound, from being pierced by the beast’s horn.
“It appears we have two choices. Either shixiong can take a sedative while this Mu tends to the piercing wound –”
“Absolutely not!”
“—or shixiong can stay awake, and this one will apply a local sedative to the wound area while he works. Shixiong, you will still feel some pain, as well as discomfort, but this one will be as gentle as possible.”
Quickly, he takes a clean piece of cloth from his qiankun pouch and tells the other to place it between his teeth, and has the man lie down on his ruined robes and sets to work.
He works as quickly as he can without sacrificing the quality of his care as numbs and disinfects the area before cleaning the area of any debris (he gets mildly nauseous at the sight of a piece of the beast’s horn inside the wound) and closing the wound as best he can with his meagre supplies (absently he makes a note to stock up better on medical supplies for his qiankun pouches amidst quick apologies to the other).
Shen Jiu is close to passing out by the time he finishes, but he needs to set the fracture on the man’s leg, and he knows the other will not appreciate it being done while he cannot defend himself, so he shuffles over to the other’s face as he speaks, “You did well Shen-shixiong, not even Liu-shidi does so well when this one tends to his injuries, but this one needs to set the fracture before the bone can begin to heal. Can you do that for me, shixiong?”
He smiles a bit as the other nods dazedly and continues speaking as he prepares the materials necessary, “This one will be as quick as he can, but it will still hurt. I understand this is hard, but I need you to try to avoid moving too much. You might have a spinal injury, and you shouldn’t be moving, alright?”
He has more than a little experience with setting broken limbs and has learned that warning his patients when he’s about to set their limb makes everyone involved more miserable. It’s with this in mind that he silently utters an apology as he quickly sets his shixiong’s leg as soon as he finishes speaking and quickly finishes to offer his shixiong some comfort and check his meridians.
Well. It seems his shixiong is full of surprises today. He makes a quick note of anything important he can gather from the other’s meridians, from snuffed out potential that could have rivalled the biggest cultivators of their generation, to heavily scarred spiritual veins, evidence of use of demonic communication, to, Oh Gods, evidence of his shixiong having been used as a cauldron.
He sets his horror aside as he continues his inspection, looking for internal injuries, and finally sags with relief and a swell of pride as he discovers the other not only does not have a spinal injury as he feared but also has minimal internal injuries, besides the broken ribs and bruising, which will heal nicely with the proper attention.
“Shen-shixiong, I need you to do one last thing for me, alright? I need you to take a blood replenishing pill right now, so your body may begin to recover from the heavy blood loss. The other medications are not immediately necessary and can wait until you’ve had some rest.”
With the other’s affirmation in the form of a nod, he helps Shen Jiu sit up, take the necessary pills, and have some water from the canteen he keeps on his person and finally allows the other to lie down and rest.
After verifying that the other has fallen asleep, he sets to work preparing the medicine his shixiong will need and decides the other man’s efforts shouldn’t go to waste and walks back to where he found the beast and ties his sleeves, making quick work of the beast as he skins it and removes any beneficial organs, noting with interest that he can cook its liver for its restorative properties, and washes up in a nearby stream, taking the moment to refill his canteen and return to the cave, worried his shixiong might wake up alone.
Ah, it appears Lady Luck has not been looking favourably upon this lowly one today. He’s immediately met with the piercing gaze of his shixiong’s eyes as he enters the cave, “Shixiong, apologies for leaving you alone, this one went out to gather some materials and though shixiong would still be unconscious by the time he returned.”
He's met with a considering silence as the other stares him down before saying in a quick voice, “… You came back.”
Mu Qingfang blinks once, twice, and says, “Of course, this one would not abandon one in need of help, much less his shixiong.”
“Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“As shixiong wishes, then. This one has brought back meat from the beast and will cook a meal with its liver to aid shixiong with his recovery. Does Shixiong have any preference for his meal?”
He watches as the other looks away briefly, obviously weighing something in his mind, and then, as something, what he does not know, cements its weight in the other’s mind. Shixiong is so expressive; no wonder he always hides behind his fans. “This one cannot handle overly spicy dishes and prefers dishes with mild flavours.”
“Thank you, shixiong, this one will do his best, but must warn he is not the best of cooks.”
With that, he sets to work arranging a small fire and taking out the necessary ingredients and materials to cook a light meal, briefly recalling that his martial siblings had teased him over being overprepared and what his shixiong had said in not quite defence, Is it not better to be overprepared than underprepared, and risk escalating an already dire situation into an emergency?
(And really, what do they know? They were constantly coming back with easily avoidable ailments because they had not prepared properly, and here he is, easily taking care of their prickly martial sibling because he always kept a survival kit on his person.)
He makes sure to prepare everything in a manner that the other can see, sometimes explaining what he is adding in the form of a question (This one is adding some seasoning, is that alright with shixiong?), having observed the other wait for others to taste any snacks or food before actually eating himself and connecting it to what he was able to ascertain of the other man’s past from his meridians.
“…Are you not going to gloat?”
“Excuse me?”
The other shrugs absentmindedly, wincing a bit as it pulls slightly on his stitches, “Shidi has no doubt seen this one’s scars and figured out this lowly one has practised demonic cultivation before. No doubt he plans to spread this information as soon as we return to sect, there's no need to put up this farce.”
He can’t help but feel a little offended but reasons with himself that the other has no doubt become used to assuming the worst of the people around him, “Did shixiong have a choice?”
“What?”
“Shixiong’s meridians were damaged at a young age, coupled with the fact, and excuse this shidi for his impropriety, that shixiong shows signs of having been used as a cauldron, this one has his doubts about whether shixiong truly had a choice.”
The other stays silent for a while before quietly continuing, “I was a slave. I killed every man in the mansion of the man who owned me and set it ablaze. I do not regret it, and I have no doubt I’d do it again if given the choice.”
“You were having a qi deviation, weren’t you?”
The other narrows his eyes, silently posing a question.
He offers a slight smile, “This Qingfang is not called the best doctor of his generation for nothing, shixiong. Your meridians show signs of a grave qi deviation at an early age, around the same time shixiong obtained the scars on his back. Clearly, your time at that manor was anything but pleasant. Given what this one has managed to glean from your situation, he can’t help but commend shixiong for his control in sparing the women and children amid a violent deviation.”
He can see the moment his resolve finally, finally, cements itself in his shixiong’s mind as the other’s shoulders snag, expression, and body both falling into a less guarded stance.
Slowly, he approaches the other with a bowl containing his meal and a cup of medicine and lightly teases, “Don’t worry, I’ve taken the liberty of adding some honey. It’ll make you a bit drowsy, don’t hesitate to lie down and rest, your body needs to rest so it may recuperate.”
He watches the other eat slowly and turns to sit at the mouth of the cave, intending to meditate until his shixiong wakes or they’re found by their sect members, keeping an ear out for his shixiong’s breath evening out feeling his chest lighten at the sound of a barely audible “Thank you…”.
He stays in a state of light meditation until he feels the qi signatures of his shizun and shibo rapidly approaching, followed by two others, and wakes the other man before quickly collecting everything in their respective pouches.
“Apologies for waking you, shixiong, but our masters have found us and are taking us back to the sect so you may be treated in a proper setting. You can go back to sleep soon, but I imagine you'd rather not be asleep while you’re stabilised for the journey back.”
He walks to the outside of the cave, signalling the others of their location, briefly surprised by the presence of the future sect leader and the Bai Zhan head disciple accompanying their masters, before deciding he has bigger things to worry about and walks back to his shixiong, helping make him presentable.
“Shixiong, let’s go home.”
“Mn."