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There is not a single other man in existence like Shen Jiu's shixiong.
It had been hard to believe— impossible, even, to simple imagine that there could be someone like him. When they had first met, Shen Yuan smiling at him and introducing himself as the head disciple of the peak, Shen Jiu had felt dread. Churning, ugly, violent dread— the kind he'd felt staring at a locked door, or into the eyes of man who had proclaimed himself as Shen Jiu's master. He'd wondered what this man, younger than all the rest but smiling at him and blithering on about how he was to aid Shen Jiu's with his cultivation, wanted from him and knew that he could not be allowed to have it.
Shen Jiu had not clawed his way through life, scraping every last bit of power and control that a gutter rat like him possibly could, to be used once more. This sect— this peak, it was supposed to finally grant him a chance at life— his faint light at the end of a tunnel. No one could stand in his way of finally rising above it all— especially not some noble's son who so clearly thought he could smile and sweet talk his way into whatever he damn well pleased.
Shaking Shen Yuan had become his immediate and most pressing goal. Despite being the so-called head disciple, his shixiong had a way of making plenty of time to bother Shen Jiu. Of course, Shen Jiu did his best to not make himself into an easy target. He hid himself off in lonely little corners of the peak, only for Shen Yuan to easily find him each and every time. He then pivoted to finding the most public spaces he could, where there would never not be eyes on Shen Yuan when he finally came around, but Shen Yuan did not ever seem phased by this.
Shen Jiu then tried ignoring him, refusing to acknowledge his presence no matter how much Shen Yuan spoke to him, but Shen Yuan would only smile in the end and settle in to silently meditate next to Shen Jiu. He told Shen Yuan that he had no need for his help— that it was unwelcome, and that Shen Jiu would rather suffer a qi deviation than spend a single moment with Shen Yuan, and Shen Yuan would only ever laugh and say that he'd give Shen Jiu his space today, but would come around again tomorrow.
It boiled Shen Jiu's blood, truly. With nothing dissuading him, it was truly only a matter of time until Shen Yuan showed his true colors. No matter how hard Shen Jiu tried to make this for him, how unpleasant he acted, Shen Yuan had picked him out as his victim, and Shen Jiu knew he could not win against Shen Yuan in a fair fight.
In different circumstances, though…
When the Qing Jing Peak Lord finally proclaimed that Shen Jiu was fit to begin participating in night hunts, Shen Jiu's mind began to race. Shen Yuan had smiled at him, standing politely at their shizun's side, and Shen Jiu knew that he had to do something, for his time was quickly running out. He had to do something— had to take Shen Yuan out, before the man could make his move, just as all others before him.
Only a few days later, Shen Yuan came by to share with him that they would be going on a night hunt together to a nearby village, and Shen Jiu had felt as a black hole opened up within his chest.
It was now or never.
Shen Jiu had stayed up the night before, putting his plan together and running it over until he could remember the steps in his sleep. They would be traipsing through the woods, searching for whatever beast that had been terrorizing the village, and Shen Jiu would carefully expose his shixiong to the poison he'd snuck onto Qian Cao to acquire. Shen Yuan would at last turn on him, taking this excuse to finally do what Shen Jiu knows he has been waiting to do, and Shen Jiu would have the perfect opportunity to strike.
In a fair fight, Shen Jiu may have stood no chance, but with his shixiong laid low by an aphrodisiac, even a mild one…
They'd set out that day, with Shen Yuan acting as his usual overly pleasant self. Shen Jiu did his best to act as if everything was normal— biting back at his shixiong here and there while Shen Yuan laughed him off each and every time. It had been torture, however, to go about the motions of a night hunt, knowing what would soon come. Questioning the villagers, setting off into the woods, waiting for that perfect moment to begin…
The poison worked quickly, and soon Shen Yuan was stumbling about, flushed and confused. Shen Jiu had backed away from him, demanding to know what was wrong. Shen Yuan had remained silent for a moment, before at last telling him that he must have been exposed to something in the woods, and that they would need to return to the peak at once. Shen Jiu stared, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Shen Yuan had only painstakingly made himself stand, visibly struggling with himself for a moment before taking a deep breath. There had been blood on his mouth, leaking from where he'd bitten into his tongue, and he'd told Shen Jiu to fly ahead of him— to keep away.
Shen Jiu asked if he was sure, and Shen Yuan smiled.
"Of course. This shixiong only asks that his shidi fly carefully, and that he might forgive his shixiong for ruining his first night hunt."
They'd returned to the peak, Shen Yuan stumbling off immediately to go see their shizun while Shen Jiu had simply… watched him go, feeling as if his world had been turned upside down. He'd left this morning, ready to kill his shixiong, and now…
Why hadn't he done anything?
Shen Jiu had puzzled over this for days, left with plenty of time to think as Shen Yuan was nowhere to be found. By the time his shixiong finally returned, Shen Jiu still was not quite sure what to think. He set about testing his shixiong again— a small one, this time, just to be sure that he had not dreamt up the events of the night hunt. Shen Yuan acts just as he always has, really— overly pleasant, perfectly patient, and never seeming to even consider the idea of Shen Jiu like that.
As far as Shen Jiu can tell, his shixiong… really only sees him as any other shidi or shimei— as someone to be happily and carefully guided and cared for.
How absurd.
Shen Jiu spends another several weeks in denial, unable to imagine a world where a man like Shen Yuan might exist. However, no matter what Shen Jiu attempts to set in front of Shen Yuan, he never flinches. He remains impossible— absurd, and Shen Jiu…
How could he dare not reach out with both hands and take what has been set in front of him?
It may be possible that a man like Shen Yuan could exist, smiling down at Shen Jiu no matter how much vitriol Shen Jiu hisses at him and carefully patting the top of his head as he says, "We'll try again another time, shidi. This shixiong believes in your ability wholeheartedly." Absurd as it is, it may be possible, but Shen Jiu knows that there does not exist another— that his shixiong is one of a kind, and that Shen Jiu would be a fool to lose him.
As quickly and as firmly as that finally dawns on Shen Jiu, so too does the fact that, even if Shen Jiu stops trying to push him away, Shen Yuan will surely leave him behind eventually. He may not do it with any malice in his heart, but it is simply the way of things. His shixiong is several years his senior, after all, and the head disciple who will eventually inherit their shizun's title as Qing Jing Peak Lord. Whether or not either of them wants it, they will eventually drift away from each other.
Unless something is done to… prevent that.
A new plan begins to take shape in Shen Jiu's mind as he spends his day greedily eating up every bit of attention his shixiong gives him and then some. The other disciples try to steal Shen Yuan away, of course— packs of hapless little morons all clamoring for their head disciple's kindness. Shen Jiu swiftly fixes this, clinging onto his shixiong's sleeve and mumbling a beseeching 'gege, won't you stay a little longer?' every time Shen Yuan moves to leave him to his own devices in favor of some other disciple. Even in these small ways, he cannot allow himself to lose Shen Yuan, and Shen Yuan caves to it all like he too wants to remain by Shen Jiu's side.
It's not enough, though. At the end of the day, Shen Yuan leaves him, over and over and over again, and one day he will not come back. So, between all the the 'gege's spoken so sweetly and the thin hands clinging onto Shen Yuan's sleeves, Shen Jiu begins to piece together something bigger. His shixiong is a good man— a better man than Shen Jiu deserves, surely, with the blood on his hands so thick that he can still see it dripping off his palms in the dead of the night, and Shen Jiu would do anything to keep him.
Anything.
He considers, perhaps, that he might use poison again. Shen Yuan may have been able to power through it last time, but if Shen Jiu were to expose him to something stronger, even his shixiong's cultivation, solid as it may be, would surely bend. Something that strong would surely have to come with serious consequence if left untreated, and if his shixiong, in all his goodness, were to decline aid…
Quickly, he decides that route is one he cannot dare go down. If his shixiong were to die, Shen Jiu would be unable to live with himself. Not to mention the chance that Shen Yuan may look for aid elsewhere, like that damn Liu Qingge who never seems capable of keeping his eyes to himself… No— No, Shen Jiu cannot allow it, he'll find something better.
Dual cultivation is a concept Shen Jiu knows of, though it has always made his stomach churn to think of it. He overhears, sometimes, the other disciples gossiping about the topic. Things like, 'Did you hear that Shi-shidi got caught dual cultivating with Mu-shijie?' or, 'Have you noticed how quickly Xue-shixiong is improving? He says it's dual cultivation.' It's all pointless, petty drivel, of course— the chatter of children with nothing better to do and nothing to prove, that Shen Jiu would usually turn his nose up at, but…
"It's alright, just take a deep breath and we'll try again, we have time. This shixiong made a promise to help his shidi with his cultivation, and he'll keep it."
Shen Jiu's shixiong is a good, good man, and when Shen Jiu's plan finally takes its final shape, he almost feels bad for taking advantage of that fact.
Almost.
It is on an evening of no particular importance that Shen Jiu at last makes his move. Shen Yuan has been diligently guiding him through sword forms, carefully correcting any mistake Shen Jiu makes and praising him for even the smallest success. Each word and every fluttering little touch feeds the black hole inside of Shen Jiu's chest— the all-consuming emotion within him that begs for those words to be said in an even fonder tone, or for those touches to linger even just a moment longer.
Shen Jiu looks back at Shen Yuan as he comes over, nudging Shen Jiu's arms a little higher with a light, barely felt touch. His eyes are warm behind his glasses, his inky black hair tumbling down over his shoulders and beginning to fall out of its carefully pulled back style. Shen Yuan, besides being several years his senior, is also quite a bit taller than Shen Jiu, standing tall over his shoulder though somehow managing not to loom. A memory crosses Shen Jiu's mind, the sound of Shen Yuan's fond voice layering over the murmured 'there you are, better,' that slips from Shen Yuan's mouth in the present.
"Aiyah, are you growing already? It won't be much longer now until you begin to outpace this poor shixiong, Jiu'er… Hm? What's that face—"
"—for? Shidi, is something wrong? Should we take a break?"
Shen Jiu blinks back into the present, staring up at his shixiong's ever so concerned face. His heartbeat echoes in his ears, drowning out whatever Shen Yuan says next. The motion of his lips is enough, though, petal pink and terribly elegant as they so delicately shape out the words:
"Shidi? Jiu'er?"
"Shixiong," Shen Jiu calls back, reaching out to clutch Shen Yuan's sleeve between his thin, calloused fingers. "Shixiong, might this one ask something?"
"Eh?" Shen Yuan blinks, glancing down at Shen Jiu's hand then back up at his face, frowning softly at whatever he sees there. "Of course, shidi, you can ask this shixiong anything."
Shen Jiu falters for a moment, his tongue abruptly feeling clumsy as he struggles to shape his words. This is it, this is the moment— this is when I get to keep him, he thinks as, slowly, he says, "Shixiong would do whatever it took to help this one improve his cultivation, wouldn't he?"
"Of course," Shen Yuan replies immediately, smiling slightly. "This shixiong would never dare think to hold back. Whatever shidi needs, this shixiong will gladly give."
"This shidi's cultivation… it still lags behind compared to the other disciples—"
"And shidi will catch up." Shen Yuan reaches out, carefully petting Shen Jiu's head twice. Shen Jiu sways into the touch, feeling a hunger so deep that it makes him sick. "Jiu'er shouldn't compare himself to others. He is unlike any other, and this shixiong knows that he will become a great cultivator in time."
Shen Jiu struggles to wet his dry lips as he asks, "But if there was something to be done to help this shidi catch up, shixiong would do it."
"Whatever shidi needs," Shen Yuan replies with a strange smile. "What's all this questioning for, hm? Has shidi found some secret technique that this lowly shixiong is unaware of?"
Shixiong— Gege, you'll be happier like this, I swear it. "This shidi… has heard some of the other disciples talking about dual cultivation."
For a moment, nothing else is said. They stare at each other, Shen Yuan with wide eyes that contain some unreadable emotion, and Shen Jiu with what he tries to mold into a calm expression, hoping to give nothing away. This moment— This is the moment, it's make or break, the final test Shen Jiu has set in front of his impossible shixiong. Gege, will this be the one you finally fail? Will your sweet promises be a lie, just like all the rest?
"Shidi—" Shen Yuan begins at last, each word spoken slowly, "Shidi shouldn't feel pressured to do things just because the other disciples speak of them so carelessly. Dual cultivation is— it shouldn't be done so lightly, shidi should only do something like that with someone he trusts completely, and it should not be done without careful consideration first."
"And if this shidi has given it careful consideration?"
"Shidi is still so young, and— and whoever it is that shidi has in mind, this shixiong is sure that they'd be willing to wait," Shen Yuan replies, looking away with a strange expression. "If they aren't, shidi should find someone better—"
"Shixiong," Shen Jiu interrupts, tugging at Shen Yuan's sleeve. "Shixiong, who else is there but you?"
Shen Yuan balks, staring at Shen Jiu for a long moment, his mouth hanging wide open. For that moment, Shen Jiu's heart is still, the world around him seeming to slow down as Shen Yuan slowly begins to respond.
"This shixiong— This shixiong is far too old," he says haltingly. "Shidi will… He will find someone better, surely."
"There is no one better," Shen Jiu replies. "There is no one that this shidi could trust more."
"It would— It would be improper…"
"Please, shixiong," Shen Jiu says, words like poison. "Please, you promised."
Shen Yuan says nothing for a moment, his silence leaving space for the racing beat of Shen Jiu's heart to pound in his ears once more. You promised, he thinks, staring intently at the conflict happening in his shixiong's usually soft eyes, I'll never forgive you, if you go back. I'll kill you, if you've been lying to me.
"Come with me," Shen Yuan says at last, his features taking on an unreadable expression. "If we are to do this, we can't do it here."
An odd feeling balloons in Shen Jiu's chest, right where his heart pounds again the cage of his ribs. "Of course, shixiong."
They quickly make their way to dorms, where Shen Yuan expertly guides them through the throngs of disciples that wish to steal away his detention. Shen Jiu stays a step behind him, glaring at everyone as Shen Yuan smiles and tells them later, this head disciple has other matters he must attend to first. By the time that they finally make it to Shen Yuan's dorm, a private room reserved for the head disciple of Qing Jing, Shen Jiu feels ready to tear someone's throat out with his teeth.
"Shidi should— Shidi should make himself comfortable," Shen Yuan mumbles as he drifts over to his desk, rummaging around for something. "Let me just— Ah, where is it, where is it…"
Shen Jiu watches him for a moment, before turning to survey the rest of the room. It is exactly as he would imagine it'd be— clean, but not perfectly so, with stacks of books left here and there, and various trinkets placed around the room. It is a nice room, and certainly feels more as it actually belongs to someone, compared to his own corner of the dorm that he shares with several other disciples.
Curiosity sated, Shen Jiu makes his way to the bed, shedding the outer layers of his robes as he goes. He wants, quite frankly, to get through to the 'good part' as soon as possible, as no matter how impossibly perfect his shixiong may be, Shen Jiu's skin still prickles helplessly at the thought of allowing himself to be undressed by another.
"Aha," Shen Yuan calls out from across the room as he pulls out a small glass bottle from one of the bottom drawers of his desk. Immediately, he turns to face Shen Jiu, his eyes widening for a moment before he very carefully, and with very clear effort, schools his face into something more neutral. "Shidi—"
"Shixiong told me to get comfortable," Shen Jiu says swiftly. "Is this not what he meant?"
"Well— That's—" Shen Yuan grimaces slightly, before quickly shaking his head. "If this is how shidi feels most comfortable, then this shixiong won't argue." He pauses, then begins to slowly step towards the bed. "Onto… other matters, this shixiong thinks it would be wisest if— if shidi, were to be on top. Does that sound… alright?"
Shen Jiu's heart leaps. "As shixiong says."
"Alright, then…" Shen Yuan looks around, then carefully settles the small glass bottle onto the bed, right within reach of both of them, before moving to begin taking off his clothes as he mumbles, "Please allow this shixiong a moment to— to get comfortable, as well."
Immediately, Shen Jiu reaches out, taking hold of the finely decorated outer robe that Shen Yuan wears. "Won't shixiong allow this shidi to help?" he asks, something ugly rearing its head at the mere thought of being able to unravel his shixiong like this, slowly peeling back each fine layer he wears to get to the bare, delicate skin underneath.
"Ah—" Shen Yuan blinks down at him, hands fluttering in the air for a moment before he slowly sets them on Shen Jiu's wrists. "If— If it is what shidi wants."
Shen Jiu says nothing, letting his actions answer for him as he begins to undress Shen Yuan. The experience is just like he imagined— each finely made layer peeling back, steadily exposing more and more of his shxiong until, at least, Shen Yuan stands bare before him. Unlike Shen Jiu, his skin is soft, and almost flawless, with only a few small scars here and there marring the otherwise perfect canvas.
"Will shixiong allow this shidi to help ready him further, as well?" Shen Jiu asks as he carefully traces over one such scar, greedily soaking up the sight and sensation of Shen Yuan shivering underneath his touch.
"If— If shidi wishes it so."
They swiftly rearrange themselves on the bed, Shen Yuan laid out before him, his face quickly turning red as he looks anywhere but Shen Jiu. Shen Jiu allows this, for now, taking hold of the glass bottle and carefully popping it open. When he sniffs at it, he immediately recognizes as sword oil— plain, unassuming, and good enough for their intentions.
Without fanfare, Shen Jiu coats his fingers generously. His other hand is set atop on of Shen Yuan's thighs, and with a soft noise, Shen Yuan slowly spreads his legs. Shen Jiu falters for only a moment, head swimming at the picture that his shixiong paints, before swiftly getting to work. Oil-slick fingers find his shixiong's hole, warm and tight as he begins to slowly rub the sensitive skin around it, coaxing Shen Yuan's body to relax.
Shen Yuan makes a quiet noise at the touch, shifting ever so slightly beneath him before stilling. When Shen Jiu looks, Shen Yuan has caught his bottom lip between his teeth, the soft petal pink color quickly turning a darker shade of red at even the slightest abuse. It's a hauntingly good look on him, and Shen Jiu knows he can never allow anyone else to witness it.
"Shixiong should relax," Shen Jiu advises him as his fingers continue to play with Shen Yuan's hole, beginning to shallowly dip into the tight pucker. "This shidi would hate to hurt him."
Shen Yuan says nothing to that, only pulling a slight face before quickly covering it up with his hand. He turns away from Shen Jiu, eyes squeezing shut as Shen Jiu manages to work his fingers a little deeper inside of Shen Yuan's body. Another soft noise escapes Shen Yuan's mouth, even with his lip still caught between his teeth so harshly now that Shen Jiu can see where he's starting to draw blood through the gaps of his trembling fingers, and still Shen Jiu hungers for more.
Diligently, he continues teasing Shen Yuan open with the same steady, teasing pace. It wouldn't do, to get too greedy, and scare his shixiong away. No, Shen Jiu has to do this just right— has to make this just right, so that Shen Yuan feels so good, and so that he feels so guilty.
One finger slowly becomes two, then three as more soft noises manage to escape Shen Yuan's mouth with increasing frequency. If that were not evidence enough of his pleasure, then his cock, hard and beginning to leak onto his stomach, would surely make it clear. Despite all of his arguments, and how hesitant he'd been even now, his bleeding lip still caught between his teeth in a desperate bid to hide his pleasure, it's obvious that Shen Yuan's body enjoys this— enjoys Shen Jiu, welcoming him so easily, and so warmly.
Shixiong, maybe this was all meant to happen.
Shen Jiu at last withdraws his fingers, faltering at the quiet, beseeching noise that escapes Shen Yuan at the loss. He fumbles, feeling unlike he ever has before as he uses the same hand he had just opened Shen Yuan up with to coat his own hard, aching cock in oil as well. Pleasure floods his nervous system immediately, and he has to suck in a breath to keep from losing himself to it. Clearly, against all odds, his shixiong's body is not the only one that is enjoying this.
Despite his best efforts, Shen Jiu cannot help but wonder if this is how Qiu— if this is how that man had felt. His stomach twists sharply at the thought, and he does his best to banish it. No, he never could have felt this. This feeling is beyond him. This feeling belongs to him— to them, and them alone.
"Shidi," Shen Yuan calls out, his ever so slightly strained voice a much needed distraction, "be careful, please, be slow, be— be slow."
"Of course, shixiong," Shen Jiu replies as he finally, finally guides the head of his cock to press right up against Shen Yuan's hole, looser now and yet still so tight as Shen Jiu begins to press inside.
Both he and Shen Yuan moan immediately, their voices mixing together as his shixiong's body welcome him inside, wrapping itself so perfectly around him. With great effort, Shen Jiu keeps his hips from bucking, fighting for every ounce of self control as he slowly, slowly makes his way deeper and deeper inside of Shen Yuan. It feels so good, he hadn't known it could feel this good, he—
At last, Shen Jiu bottoms out.
The warmth that greets him is beyond description. Not only is it Shen Yuan's body that greets him so warmly in that moment, but also his qi— wrapping itself so perfectly, so securely around Shen Jiu's own as their bodies become one. Distantly, Shen Jiu can hear another set of twin moans even as the pleasure seems to white out his senses for a moment— briefly, sickeningly overwhelming him.
When Shen Jiu comes back to himself, he immediately gasps, hips beginning to move as greed overcomes him. He needs more, and his shixiong's body is not only so generous, but also wants it too. The connection between them sings with their pleasure, a perfect looping melody that is accompanied by the sound of Shen Yuan's moans, no longer able to bitten back, as he's fucked.
"Shixiong, shixiong," Shen Jiu gasps, clumsily reaching to grab hold of Shen Yuan's thighs, ever so slightly plush beneath his greedy, careless hands, then his hips. "Gege, you feel so good around me."
"Shidi—!"
Shen Jiu can't help but fuck into him with a little more force, their skin slapping together to create a constant beat that has Shen Jiu feeling as if he might gag. "Why does gege still call me so impersonally?" he asks breathlessly, struggling to choke out each word. "This Jiu'er can feel how much gege enjoys this."
Shen Yuan writhes beneath him, moaning. His hands, usually so careful, are twisted up in the sheets, yanking on the fine fabric with a harsh carelessness so unlike himself as he visibly struggles to find the last remaining threads of his self control. I did that, Shen Jiu thinks dizzily, almost hatefully, I did that to him. I'm doing that to him, and I'll do it again.
"Jiu'er," Shen Yuan at last calls out, voice thin with pleasure. "Jiu'er— Jiu'er, slow down, wait— Ah—!"
Shen Jiu could not heed Shen Yuan's pleads even if he wanted to. His body feels almost as if it is possessed, urged on by the pleasure that loops endlessly between them, his meridians alight with not only a rush of his own qi, but Shen Yuan's as well. He can feel it inside of him, rushing through him more and more as he continues fucking Shen Yuan, whose body responds so eagerly no matter how Shen Yuan begs.
Then, abruptly, there are hands reaching for him, drawing him down until his lips meet Shen Yuan's for the first time. Shen Jiu freezes for a moment, stomach briefly churning as he tastes iron and some horrible, violent urges rears its ugly head inside of him before Shen Yuan moans helplessly into his mouth and brings Shen Jiu back to the present. Immediately, he kisses Shen Yuan, their mouths moving against each other's without any grace. Shen Jiu's teeth scrape clumsily against Shen Yuan's already red and raw bottom lip, drawing more blood until his mouth seems as if it is flooded by the taste of iron as the tide of their shared pleasure rises, and rises, and rises.
"Jiu'er," Shen Yuan gasps, his voice barely audible over the roar of their pleasure that Shen Jiu does his best to drown himself under, allowing it to consume him more and more for fear of what might become of him if he doesn't. "Jiu'er, touch me— Please, touch me—!"
Shen Jiu's hand moves without his conscious say so, wrapping tight around Shen Yuan's hard and leaking cock. They both moan at the sensation, their senses blending together as Shen Jiu clumsily strokes him, out of pace with how he fucks him. It feels so very good, though, no matter how clumsy it is, especially as Shen Yuan sucks messily at his tongue, his qi making one last concentrated effort to surge through Shen Jiu's meridian as their pleasure peaks, and—
Bliss.
They cum at the same time, Shen Jiu flooding Shen Yuan's insides with white just as Shen Yuan paints his hand in a matching shade. It feels so good— good beyond words, and certainly beyond possibility. By the time that the tide of it finally begins to recede, the aftershocks still lingering in his veins and Shen Yuan's qi still tangled with his, Shen Jiu knows that he's done the right thing. There's simply no other option, than for this to have been the right thing.
I'll keep you, he thinks as he looks down at Shen Yuan's face, still slack with pleasure, I'll keep you, and we'll feel good like this over and over again. This was meant to be.
"Gege," Shen Jiu calls out, his words like poison as Shen Yuan at last begins to blink back into the present. "This shidi thinks that he can feel it alright— my cultivation, it feels so much better."
Shen Yuan stares at him, eyes still a little glassy "Jiu'er?"
"Gege," Shen Jiu calls back, the black hole inside of him growing. "Gege, we'll do this again, won't we? That way, this shidi will become a great cultivator, just as gege promised?"
Were Shen Jiu a better person- a softer person, his heart not shattered like broke glass and left abandoned on the floor of a dingy, dark room in a burnt down manor, perhaps he'd feel bad for the stricken look that overtakes Shen Yuan's features. As it is, he can only watch on intently, doing his best to keep the beseeching look on his face no matter how violently his stomach begins to twist and turn as Shen Yuan squeezes his eyes shut, and turns away from him.
"Of course," he says quietly, "whatever shidi needs, this shixiong will give."
Shen Jiu smiles.
"Shixiong is so good."