A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter XXXIV

"This is still a medical wing!" Mu Qingfang shouted, aggrieved as he stood between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe once again. "If you must fight, take it outside already!" Forget decorum or proper etiquette toward his Shixiong, he was about to throw them all out himself! His Shidi could just stay in Qian Cao Peak until he was better, it'd serve him well in comparison to this!

Ci Liang watched with a bored expression, Liu Qingge's, and Luo Binghe's explanations of what happened mildly satisfied her unease, but Shen Qingqiu had yet to be appeased. As usual, it led to this confrontation, and Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan did nothing to step in between or deter their respective Shidi's violent efforts.

"Arrogant bastard!" Ignoring Mu Qingfang in between them, it was no trouble for Luo Binghe to look over him and glare hatefully at Shen Qingqiu. No matter this life, no matter the sins not committed, his hatred was hard to let go of. When he hated something, he hated it with his whole heart, his entire being. Shen Qingqiu had yet to do much to dissipate that hatred over these years. "Why don't I just rip out your tongue already!?"

Tension was high, and scents flared and rampaged against each other in a useless battle for dominance. There was no winning a fight like this, at least not in a traditional sense, neither would back down or apologize, but one may just leave with the righteous satisfaction of being right. However, at the moment, neither of them was exactly proving who was wrong and right. Only that they both were plain wrong.

"Why don't I just wring your neck?" Shen Qingqiu spat, the sharp edges of his fan fanning out threateningly as he smiled wickedly. "It would do well for my son, to be rid of a nuisance like you!"

"The only nuisance Yuan-shidi should be rid of is a haughty bastard of a father like you!"

"Luo Binghe," His name was said like poison, spat out without a care and viscously as if it left his mouth sour. "Don't you think too highly of yourself? Out of us, do you truly believe that my son would choose a mutt like you over his own parents?"

There was a pop in his jaw from the pressure of his clenched teeth, the unmistakable urge to sink his teeth into flesh, to taste blood, to maul and attack until nothing was left standing. His blood burned and his qi began to darken. He hated this, he hated Shen Qingqiu, the bastard was no different than how he'd been back then, but what hurt him most of all about this, was that he couldn't honestly answer that question.

He knew what he wanted, but he couldn't answer it, not truthfully.

Liu Qingge's hand grabbed his shoulder, pushing him behind again, a silent order to get himself in order before this whole ordeal turned into an even bigger problem because of his seal coming undone again.

Shen Qingqiu smirked at the sight, his weaponized fan shimmering with silver and jewels as he idly fanned himself with it. Completely useless as a regular fan, but it was a simple display of power; that not even his weapon would have to be marred with this fight for him to win. It was infuriating.

"Must there be a choice, Shixiong?" Ci Liang spoke up, eyeing Mu Qingfang: who looked ready to either kick everyone out or knock them all out himself. Chuckling, she nodded to her Shixiong: who readily took the opportunity to leave the middle of the battlefield, trading places with her. "That doesn't seem very fair to Yuan."

Over the years, both by mutual respect and obligation, Shen Qingqiu and Ci Liang had grown to become allies, friends of sorts. Likewise, the cold Qing Jing Head Disciple had been deterred and eroded into favoring the beastly woman through his son's blatant favoritism and constant praises. As well as her affiliation with Bai Daiyu, she would be marrying into the family, and as such she would be a sister-in-law. So, through deliberation, Shen Yuan's protection and education had been left in her capable hands, and she had since to prove herself less than worthy of the trust.