Another Chance Another Life?

Chapter 1

Shen Qingqiu... no that name has been lost to him, no it was never his, to begin with. He was and always will be Shen Jiu that same powerless naive slave boy who could only grit his teeth as those beasts assaulted him and hopelessly wait for his older brother to come in and rescue him just as he had promised him all those years ago. Except, this time there was no older brother for him to wait for because the man had stopped existing years ago. The man that stands on top of the mountain is merely a shell that wears the face of the gentle and kind brother that Shen Jiu loved and cherished so much. He is no more than a stranger to him than either Shen Qingqiu or Shen Jiu is to the man who continually looks at him with guilt-ridden eyes.

Nothing not even a shadow of those naive hungry slave children were there. All that remained of them were cold indifferent shells that moved as the fates willed.

The only thing tying them down together is a bare string of loyalty that Shen Jiu had promised to give to the man a long time ago and the tangling mess of guilt the man carries for betraying him.

Which he doesn't honestly blame the man for because let's face it in what world is Shen Jiu ever worth it? He has long forgiven the big oaf for betraying him although there wasn't anything to forgive in the first place since he didn't do anything wrong. All he did was throw away trash like trash and that was it. What he found frustrating was the man's refusal to give him an explanation no matter how many times he had pleaded with the man. All he needed was one sentence really. That the man abandoned him because he was scum, trash, a burden, scorn in the side. That's it.

But Shen Jiu knows just how kind and foolish that big oaf is and would probably never admit it to his face. He wasn't like him a scum who held nothing but deep resentment and sorrow in his heart lashing out at any convenient target he could push his own misery onto. The small acts of kindness he has given to those on the streets and the brothels were always for his own benefit and nothing more. Every one of his acts whether it be kind or cruel always had a hidden underlying motive behind it.

He criticized his martial siblings and mocked them for their lack of ability to see through anything to constantly remind them to keep their guard in order to prevent enemies from taking advantage of them. Otherwise, those fools would just happily dally their days away while the enemies lurking in the shadows slowly take apart the sect from inside. (As a result, their enemies could only seethe in anger at the sidelines from the impregnable defenses the peak lords carried)

He was strict and harsh towards his disciples making sure to keep them in line as to not get any funny ideas. A lot of his disciples came from noble houses and were eager to please as well as bring fame to their noble household. They could possibly give away valuable information regarding the sect at any given time should their families ask for it. Being naive and simple-minded children they were they did not understand the dangers of the cost of such filial piety would bring to both them and especially the sect. (Thanks to that many of his disciples grew up to become independent and were able to sever their connections from their toxic households who sought nothing but to drain them dry. They remained loyal to the sect even after they left to build their own names)

He defended those street urchins because he wanted to infuriate the shopkeepers who were similar to the ones that had spat on him and his brother when they were still small children scrapping for trash. Plus they acted as good information brokers and convenient spies for him whenever he went to conduct an investigation on some random corrupt official or noble. Those on the streets didn't care for the propriety or morals that society demanded of them, so they didn't hesitate to speak whatever they saw or heard no matter how disturbing or disgusting it was. All they needed was some coins, warm food, and blankets. (He did not know how those street urchins were able to pull out of their miserable situations from the small pocket change he gave them. Allowing them to rebuild their lives and live a humble life like any other common people walking through the market)