The next day was a clear day. The sky had a clear and dignified cerulean blue colour, with clouds tousled along with the soft breeze. Trees swayed, with their leaves vibrant of healthy green.
The group of three couples had set out on a stroll outside of Qing Jing Peak[1].
[1] Qing Jing Peak (清静峰) = Clear Calm Peak
Shen Qingqiu wanted to show them outside of their comfort zone, and the others gladly accepted his offer. He introduced the other peaks one by one. There was the Qiong Ding Peak[2], where the Sect Master, Yue Qingyuan remained. The Peak contained the Ling Xi Caves, which was a great place to enter seclusion thanks to being the most qi-condensed area.
[2] Qiong Ding Peak (穹顶峰) = Doomed Roof Peak
Hearing that, Lan Zhan showed a bit of interest. Before anyone could notice or call him out, he quickly hid that emotion behind a face of indifference.
Then there was the Wan Jian Peak[3], where Peak Lord Wei Qingwei resided. The Peak was a place cultivating of master swordsmen. It was also the place where all cultivators and disciples head to in order to craft or gain a sword of their own. Just at the mention of the Peak brought Xie Lian into disarray. He decided that if he had time, he would definitely visit the place.
[3] Wan Jian Peak (萬劍峰) = Ten Thousand Swords Peak
Continuing on, the least preferred peak of them all was An Ding Peak[4]. Of course, Shen Qingqiu's buddy and comrade-in-arms Shang Qinghua was the Peak Lord of the "unambitious" peak. The place was mainly responsible for repairing or fixing anything. Shen Qingqiu liked to think of them as the construction workers of the ancient times.
[4] An Ding Peak (安定峰) = Steady Peak
That peak was often discriminated by the Bai Zhan Peak[5], whom the Peak Lord of was Liu Qingge. Just at the mention of the name brought a scowl across Luo Binghe's face. He didn't want to associate with his "love rival". Either way, Bai Zhan Peak was Cang Qiong Mountain's greatest peak for war. Their brutality in fighting strength was outstanding.
[5] Bai Zhan Peak (百战峰) = Hundred Battles Peak
Next was Xian Shu Peak[6], the peak that males associated with the least. In fact, they weren't even allowed in! It was a peak full of female cultivators, and if any male is even sensed at the border, they'll be turned away with violence. Their Peak Lord was Qi Qingqi. Wei Wuxian was curious and wondered if it would be possible for him to sneak in. Of course, Shen Qingqiu immediately dismissed the possibility.
[6] Xian Shu Peak (仙姝峰) = Immortal Ladies Peak
The last peak he wanted to introduce was Qian Cao Peak[7]. It specialized in medicine and medical skills. In other words, the peak was the division of Cang Qiang Mountain in charge of producing medicine. Their Peak Lord was Mu Qingfang.
[7] Qian Cao Peak (千草峰) = Thousand Grass Peak
Finally introducing all the peaks he wanted, Shen Qingqiu fanned himself elegantly. "Later on today, there will be a celebration hosted at Qiong Ding Peak for your help against the Demons, Fierce Corpses, and Ghosts. All Peaks will be there to give you their thanks."
"Tonight?" Wei Wuxian asked.
Shen Qingqiu didn't deny it. "Yes, tonight. Sect Master Yue Qingyuan said that there will be a feast."
"Food!" Wei Wuxian laughed. "Finally, none of that boring green vegetables-" He paused at Lan Zhan's stern face and then cut himself off expressionlessly.
"Mhm." Shen Qingqiu continued on without notice. "Make sure to greet the Peak Masters properly."
*****
The sky melted into a beautiful sunset colour of crimson red fading into black. A breeze tousled past several leaves, blowing them faraway in the distance. Floating amid the horizon was the sun. It didn't wait to say goodbye and directly plummeted below the line.
Darkness spread to the night.
In the darkness were several lanterns and candles lit.
Qiong Ding Peak was beautiful with the varieties of colourful lights. It lit up the night sky with prosperity, and twinkled amid the stars.
There were several tables scattered upon the centre. Chairs had grouped along, with cultivators sitting atop. On the surface of every table was a vase of flowers. Hua Cheng purposely changed their table's flower with his own white flower, which had an entirely different entity. Shen Qingqiu didn't stop him, and let him do whatever he wanted with the flower.
"What are these fellow cultivators' name?" The four new cultivators looked upwards to find Yue Qingyuan, who wore his fitting robes.
Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan, Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng introduced themselves leniently.
Yue Qingyuan wore a friendly smile. "I admire your skills of the sword."
"Thank you." Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian thanked, while their husbands nodded with a stoic face. Many other Peak Masters went to introduce themselves and thank the four cultivators for protecting Qing Jing Peak from the earlier incident.
Shortly afterwards, the celebration ended in a hearty atmosphere.
They left to Qing Jing Peak, and arrived in the dormitories. Sitting around the centre table, Xie Lian had an excited expression. "I can cook for dinner."
"San Lang will help Gege." Hua Cheng volunteered. They got up from the table and headed to the kitchen in preparation for food.
Wei Wuxian was looking forward to dinner. He sighed melodically, "I wonder how delicious Xie-xiong's cooking is. Hua Chengzhu must be lucky to have such a good housewife..."
A hand landed on his shoulder. Lan Zhan patted him. "You're good at cooking."
Wei Wuxian's eyes gleamed with brightness. "Ohh Lan Zhan! You're so romantic!"
On the side, Shen Qingqiu laughed silently at the two's remarks. Luo Binghe could only pretentiously laugh by his side. It was only after some time did Xie Lian come back holding a bowl of soup. Hua Cheng walked behind him with his eyes carrying a hint of... worry.
"Is this the food?" Wei Wuxian rubbed his eyes.
The bowl of soup was set on the centre of the table. The liquid was murky and invigorated of purple. A fish scaled to only its bones had floated in the bowl, bathing to its death. Some dices of cut up vegetables had been mixed in as well, but the purple liquid only made them appear poisonous.
"Mhm." Xie Lian smiled innocently. "This is to test your resolve."
Standing behind, Hua Cheng hid his chin with his fist, muffling over a laughter.
"Hey!" Luo Binghe frowned. "Hua Chengzhu, you come along and taste as well!"
Naturally, Hua Cheng did not refuse. After all, how could he not eat something made by his lover? Taking out a spare bowl and ladle, pouring himself a bowl. Then, he drank leisurely.
Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan, Shen Qingqiu, and Luo Binghe all watched with astonished expressions. They were completely baffled, and their jaws dropped.
"...maybe it's not so bad?" Wei Wuxian timidly mumbled.
He had watched Hua Cheng down the entire purple liquid! There was no way anyone could endure such a horrendous taste if it was as bad as it looked! But then again... Hua Cheng was a Ghost King. He was already dead. Surely, if he was alive, he could still endure it...?
Wei Wuxian sighed. "You know what? I admit it; I have no resolve. I'm too scared to drink this stuff!"
Xie Lian held his chin and giggled.
By his side, Luo Binghe also raised a hand. "I'm not like you!" He poured himself a bowl as well, "I'm a true man! Unlike you, I'll drink it all!"
The moment his lips touched the liquid, he felt his mouth melting like acid.
"FUCK IT ALL!" He swore angrily, spitting out whatever was in his mouth back out in the bowl. "I'M A COWARD! SO WHAT!?! I don't want to get fucking poisoned!"
Seeing his reaction, Xie Lian giggled even harder.
Contrary to him, Hua Cheng was actually more concerned. He patted Xie Lian on a shoulder, "Don't worry, Gege. They don't actually mean that. They actually think it's delicious."
"HELL NO I THINK IT'S DELICIOUS!" Luo Binghe almost cried after hearing that.
Hua Cheng was starting to get impatient. He wanted to down the entire bowl in Luo Binghe's throat. The urge was simply too great!
Just then, the door to the dormitory opened.
In came a maidservant carrying a letter. She wanted to send the letter to the fellow cultivators, so she set her sight on Shen Qingqiu. However, she found that the cold-faced Peak Master was actually laughing and hiding his silly face behind his fan!
Watching the amusing sight, the maidservant decided to prolong her wait for a bit longer.
When the group of cultivators were done with their share of laughter, they turned to the maidservant. Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan shut, then asked with a stoic face, "Who sent this letter?"
The maidservant bowed. "It's a letter pleading for help from a minor clan."
"Pleading for help?" Shen Qingqiu's face hardened.
Perceiving the wrong atmosphere, Luo Binghe placed the bowl of "soup" away and watched intently at his lover. "What could a minor clan possibly want us cultivators to help with?"
The maidservant unrolled the letter, then handed it to him.
Luo Binghe handed it to Shen Qingqiu, who read the content written before explaining the details. "It seems that this letter came from the Mo Clan, a minor group of cultivators. They've described that there has been an outbreak of massive murder cases, however, the deceased ones are all female disciples of the Mo Clan. Even worse... their virginity wasn't even left off. They were used as human cauldrons before their death."
Hearing that, Wei Wuxian frowned. "How cruel."
Shen Qingqiu nodded. "It seems that the Mo Clan have invited many daoists and cultivators before to investigate this crime. However, the invited guests all end up dying the same way as those female disciples did, regardless of gender."
His face scrunched up. "The Mo Clan suspected that this was the doing of a demon because of the demonic energy that looms nearby the bodies of the deceased."
"So we're invited to investigate the case?" Luo Binghe sighed. As partly demon, just listening to the description contained in the letter had touched the weakness within himself. He was mixed in between the two races, and yet, humans fight against demons so often. Luo Binghe knew there would be a time where he'd have to take a side.
"Binghe..." Shen Qingqiu noticed his rare solemn mood. "...just this once." His voice was petite and quiet. Standing on tiptoe, he leaned towards his husband and pecked him on the cheek.
By the time Luo Binghe registered the contact, Shen Qingqiu had already hid his face behind the snapped open fan. The latter's cheeks was already beginning to burn red. His eyes were trying to avoid Luo Binghe's, so they spun all over the place. "A-Alright then. As fellow cultivators, we should do our best in investigating this case. It doesn't matter if we're demons or not, we just need to find out the truth, right?"
His words did not register in Luo Binghe's ears.
Leaning in closely, Luo Binghe took the fan out from his lover's hands. Not caring about the gazes that his companions shot towards him, he smothered himself across Shen Qingqiu. Their lips met one another, and a hot heated breath was shared.
Unwilling to separate, Luo Binghe could only peel himself off of his lover. Shen Qingqiu was already out of breath, and his face was red. "Binghe... later, not now. We're doing business here!"
"It's okay. We don't mind." Wei Wuxian piped in. "In fact, I love dog food. I just don't like dogs."
Lan Zhan nodded. "Mn."
Shen Qingqiu blushed.
Xie Lian waved his hands apologetically. "Don't be so embarrassed, Shen-xiong."
Out in the corner of Luo Binghe's eye, he found Hua Cheng giving him a thumbs-up. A bright cheery emotion filled the depths of Luo Binghe's expression. That just made Shen Qingqiu feel even more complicated.
"Anyways," Shen Qingqiu coughed. "I understand that you're not official disciples of Cang Qiong Mountain, but I figured you guys had expertise in handling cases like this."
He stole his fan back from Luo Binghe's hold, fanning himself. "Would you guys like to accompany Binghe and I in investigating this matter?"
"Of course!" Wei Wuxian laughed. "There's no need to ask. Lan Zhan and I are experts at this."
Xie Lian smiled. "San Lang and I will do our best to help and contribute."
"Then," Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan shut. "We'll be on our way to Mo Clan starting tomorrow at sunrise." The time was decided. The adventure began the next day.
Author's Little Theatre:
Shen Qingqiu: All the deceased were used as human cauldrons...
Wei Wuxian: What is a 'human cauldron'?
Shen Qingqiu: cough it is a person drained of their spiritual energy throughout dual cultivation...
Wei Wuxian: Oh, then the culprit will never catch me
Shen Qingqiu: ??? How come???
Wei Wuxian: Everyday means everyday