Thread by @bingjiuwus

#liujiu, Bai Zhan SJ AU Part XIV (FINAL):

"Shizun! Shizun and Shen-shishu are back, everyone!"

https://twitter.com/bingjiuwus/status/1650737156699348992

As soon as Shen Jiu and Liu Qingge landed on Bai Zhan Peak they were swarmed by an army of fellow cultivators, hallmasters, disciples, kitchen aunties, stable hands and even the stair sweeps,

all begging to know if they were safe and alright now from that horrible attack during their wedding and if Palace Master Chen had truly lost his mind and tried to murder them in a qi deviation-induced madness,

and what it meant that Su Xiyan had returned from the dead to take over Huan Hua -

Amidst the chaos, SJ and LQG just exchanged dry glances in silence.

The meeting at Qiong Ding where they and Yue Qingyuan had informed the rest of the Peak Lords and Cang Qiong's other senior cultivators what had _actually_ unfolded during SJ's so-called trial and the revelations after hadn't even been finished for a quarter-shichen

and already the rumour mill was going wild. The attack on the Liu estate itself was only a couple of days old, but to cultivators who could fly on swords and communicate via paper butterflies, news had travelled like wildfire,

and everyone was dying to know from a first hand source exactly _what_ had led to Palace Master Chen's abrupt and shocking dethroning at the hands of his old Head Disciple, who the last they'd heard had been accused of betraying humanity by falling in love with a demon...

and who had been thought dead for the last five years.

It was a complicated mess, and no doubt they would have to clarify things sooner than later.

_However._

LQG put one arm around SJ's shoulder and held up his free hand. "_Enough_," he said sharply, projecting his voice loud enough to silence everyone at once. "A'Jiu and I have just come back from a long and tiring trip and we're exhausted.

I will explain everything at tomorrow's mandatory assembly in front of the main plaza at chen shi tomorrow morning. _You can ask your questions then._

But for now, my _husband_," he emphasised, "and I are going to our house to rest for the rest of the day, and no one is to disturb us. _That's an order from your Peak Lord._"

"Ye - yes, Shizun," someone finally stammered; SJ looked into the crowd and saw it was Cao Yu. Funny.

"Then we'll be on our way," SJ said smugly, and they began to walk through the crowd, people parting for them with wide eyes.

When they heard one last "But Shizun, what about - " LQG just groaned and picked SJ up and _ran_ towards their house on the cliffs.

"No more stupid questions!" LQG bellowed, even as SJ screeched:

"Qingge, what the fuck! Let me down!"

"Not happening! I am sick and tired of everyone demanding everything from us when we just got married! No one's allowed to talk to us for the next ten years!"

"Okay?! What does that have to do with you carrying me like a bag of rice all of a sudden! Let me down or this is going to be the end of you!"

But for once, SJ's cries fell on deaf ears and he had to screw his eyes shut in mortification and pretend the entirety of Bai Zhan hadn't just seen him get hauled off in his husband's arms like a child with his toy.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! He was never going to live this down, and to think the Qing generation hadn't even been in charge for a whole month. His married life had started out _perfectly_.

*

Eventually, things settled down.

Outside the sect, Su Xiyan took over Huan Hua Palace as its new Palace Master, claiming authority due to her former status as the Head Disciple,

and her pivotal role in exposing her old teacher as the scheming bastard who had lured the jianghu into war with Tianlang-jun for his own depraved desires and ego, leading to the death and diminishing of many cultivators who had fought the heavenly demon as a result.

Though many senior cultivators within Huan Hua and from outside protested and refused to accept her at first,

after the Four Great Sects held a summit at Huan Hua with the other three leaders all supporting SXY's leadership and recounting to the rest of the jianghu how Palace Master Chen had gone mad and tried to kill _them_ as well, most of the objections were withdrawn,

and SXY allowed to rule Huan Hua fully. Which was great, because the first thing she did was cause another enormous controversy by freeing Tianlang-jun from his prison under Bailu and making it well known to the jianghu and the wider world that yes,

she was still very much in love with the heavenly demon who had charmed her years ago, and even after years of imprisonment and decay, TLJ was still the most powerful demon lord this world had seen, and he soon sprang back into full health and proceeded to...

do nothing and disappear into the Demon Realm instead. Huh.

For years after his release from Bailu the jianghu feared the demon lord's retribution for imprisoning him, that he was simply biding his time until he had gathered his armies in full strength,

that he had in fact _had_ corrupted SXY and led her astray from humanity, and that Huan Hua, despite operating like normal, would one day swap its brilliant golden silk banners for red and black and become a heretic sect overnight.

But... years passed and still TLJ made no moves in the Mortal Realm, though once or twice he was spotted, whether with SXY or a young man with braids, or a small child whose face was always hidden.

Though no one could be truly sure, maybe the demon lord just wanted to live an ordinary life with his family from now on.

After all he'd been through, maybe revenge had never been on his mind at all.

That would make him a better person than most cultivators already, wouldn't it?

(No one really thought about Palace Master Chen during these times. Most people were under the vague impression he had been imprisoned in the Water Prison himself, or died quietly along the way.

Good riddance too. Huan Hua had become so much less _arrogant_ since SXY took over!)

And after years of quiet and nothing untoward coming from the Demon Realm, the jianghu began to accept that perhaps there would be no war of retribution at all, and life would just... go on.

And it did.

*

"That one looks like he has potential."

"Hm?" SJ leaned against LQG as he spoke, his husband's arm a comforting presence around his waist as always. "Who are you looking at, Qingge?"

"That one." LQG pointed to a small, curly-haired boy digging down below in the ravine. "Strong, despite his size. Knows what he's doing; his hands are still in good condition. Not crying or fussing about getting dirty either, despite the rich clothes. Good attitude."

SJ rolled his eyes. "Well, it looks like you've already got it sorted out. Why did I even come when I have so much work to do back home, hm?"

"You _came_," LQG drawled, "because you know I can't be fussed about these things and you love me."

SJ snorted. "Oh yeah, how could I forget? My big strong husband the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, who finds it such a chore to have to ignore all the desperate dewy-eyed hopefuls who want a chance at making it on his illustrious peak... how could I not love a man like that?"

"Seven years and counting," LQG countered, equally unfazed.

There was a polite cough next to them. "Would one of you two like to invite the boy up then?" YQY asked, looking both amused and a touch exasperated at their conversation.

"He's been looking at you both since you started talking about him."

"Sharp ears too," SJ mimicked in LQG's analytical voice immediately, then stared down into the ravine where hundreds of children were still digging holes and shouted, "You there, come up! Bai Zhan wants you!"

"Let him go through the gauntlet before you say something like that," LQG groused, but SJ just scoffed.

"Oh please! When's the last time we had a novice try that old stupid passage? He can do it after his first year."

"I'm just saying, it worked out fine for _me_..."

It took a while for the boy to climb up the stone steps from the ravine to the lofty plaza above where the Peak Lords were standing but eventually he made it,

huffing and puffing with his hands on his knees as he looked at both SJ and LQG and clearly couldn't tell which one of them was going to be his future master.

"Hello there." SJ smiled at the boy. "Would you like to be a part of Bai Zhan?"

"It's not for everyone," LQG said bluntly. "We're the fighters and warriors of Cang Qiong, and there's no room neither for cowards nor brutes."

"Mm. Only good men," SJ added slyly.

"And good women."

"How could I forget?" SJ flashed the wide-eyed brat a wicked grin. "How about it? You'll face death and danger every time you step off the mountain and you'll do it with a smile. You'll uphold the sect's honour and punish anyone who violates it relentlessly - even yourself.

Maybe you'll become a true immortal or maybe you'll die after only a year. My husband is right; Bai Zhan truly _isn't_ for everyone, and we don't take on people who don't want to be here. Join us if you want, but do it with your eyes wide open."

The boy gaped at him, struggling to digest such a surreal proposition.

"But then," he began tentatively, "if Bai Zhan is so harsh... then why would anyone go there? Why would anyone want to be a part of it?"

"Hmm. I wonder." SJ glanced at his husband fondly, and said no more.

"Bai Zhan," LQG said, "can teach you to be strong, and what that means to you. Why we fight the battles we do and who we fight for. Whether you want to be on top of the world or to protect your loved ones, it can teach you that too. But only if you want to understand it."

He swallowed. "Strength is power, but not just the power to force others to do what you want. With power comes the responsibility to care for those around you, and understand that being weak in one aspect does not make you weak in all of them,

and that being strong does not make you invincible."

"Nor always right," SJ murmured. "Does that sound like something you'd like to be a part of?"

"I..." The boy hesitated, and perhaps that was just right. Ever since they'd changed how they ran things at Bai Zhan, starting from the disciple selection itself, more than enough people had turned them down. The new Bai Zhan wasn't like the old one at all.

Maybe Shizun had gone mad up in heaven from all the changes they'd made, how they ran the peak nowadays.

But either way, they wouldn't change a thing.

"Yes," the boy said after a thoughtful pause. "Yes, I want to become strong so I can protect my family when I'm older."

"Good boy." SJ leaned over and ruffled the brat's fluffy hair, which made him squeak and flush pink. "My name is Shen Jiu, and I'll probably teach some of your classes from now on, so get used to seeing me around.

But your real master is going to be _this one_ over here; Liu Qingge, Peak Lord of Bai Zhan Peak. Greet him properly."

"Yes!" the boy said, bright red. "This - this Luo Binghe greets Peak Lord Liu!" He even bowed low with his ponytail bobbing behind him, which made LQG snort.

"At ease," he said. "I'm your Shizun from now on, so call me that instead."

"Yes, Shizun! Luo Binghe greets Shizun!"

"And _this one_, well..." he added, mimicking SJ's tone of voice briefly. "Call him Shen-shishu."

"Ah." LBH bowed again with his hair bouncing up behind him, and this time SJ turned away to laugh. "Luo Binghe greets Shen-shishu."

"Mm, very good." SJ dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve. "Now if that's all, are we done here?"

"You don't want anyone else?" LQG asked.

"No, the batch from two years ago are a handful enough as it is. One kid will do fine for now." SJ was still laughing a little, and LBH couldn't take his eyes off of him. "Come on, ah, Luo Binghe. We'll get you settled in soon enough - "

"Wait!" The boy fished for something inside one of his sleeves. "My a'niang said I should show you - either Shizun or Shen-shishu - this when I got to Cang Qiong. Um, here!"

And to their astonishment, he presented them a silver guan engraved with a falcon, one they hadn't seen for over a decade now.

"You've gotta be kidding me," SJ said blankly. "Qingge!"

"Yeah, I know." LQG studied LBH with renewed interest. Now that he knew what to look for, he _could_ see a resemblance there. "And you know where that guan comes from, do you?"

"Mm." The boy bowed his head. "A'niang says you gave it to her a long time ago when you saved her."

"Saved her? Brat, we were there when you were _born_," SJ exclaimed. "So _you're_ the - " He shut his mouth when some of the other Peak Lords looked their way curiously.

"Good to know you're alive, kid," LQG said dryly. "We always wondered how you'd grow up one day.

Clearly your parents have done alright."

"Mm," said LBH happily. "Don't let anyone know but A'Die still doesn't know I'm here yet! He still thinks I'm in Huan Hua with A'Niang and - "

"Okay, _okay_," SJ said hysterically. "You can say whatever you want later. For now, let's just go back to Bai Zhan and get you fixed up, alright?"

"Yeah." LQG nudged the boy. "Let's go already."

And just like that, Bai Zhan Peak found its newest disciple.

*

"How's the boy settling in?" YQY asked them a few weeks later during dinner.

SJ snorted over his cup of tea. "Lively as hell. I've assigned Cao Yu to look after him so he can learn some restraint and not bulldoze over the other kids just like that in practice.

He's twelve years old and stronger than an ox, I swear."

"He's good," LQG said approvingly.

"You just like him because he reminds you of yourself, back then," SJ scoffed.

"What's wrong with that?" LQG countered. "Isn't he already trying to do your paperwork for you too?"

"He IS! I have no idea where it's coming from either, isn't his father an emperor? Ridiculous!"

YQY watched them bicker with a helplessly fond gaze. "But he's doing well on Bai Zhan?" he asked. "No one is bullying him or noticing his seal?"

"Kid's doing just fine," SJ said. "Already has half his shixiongs eating out of his hand, so he'll probably be running the peak in three months, god forbid."

"Give it two more weeks before he tries to openly dethrone me," LQG muttered, making YQY laugh.

They continued to talk about LBH and other disciples who crossed their minds, about the next missions they would go on and which of their students were the most likely to rank high in the next Immortal Alliance Conference.

After dinner, LQG would visit Liu Mingyan at Xian Shu to observe her training for a bit while SJ would return to their study and put the finishing notes on his latest lesson plan. A shichen might pass before they saw each other again - but only just that.

Then they would wash up and go to bed together, and talk a little more in the dark with their hands interlaced before falling asleep and the new day would begin and they would do it all over again.

And life was good.

Perfect, even.

END

(wrote this part while trying to fight off sleepiness so apologies if it doesn't quite hit all the punches, but yes, this is the final part!! A chill, relaxing chapter after the madness of yore 😂 liujiu really did get a break from the chaos, it's just good times from now on!

Thank you all for being on this crazy journey with me, can't believe I rode the inspiration all the way through and wrote a 60k+ story in less than a month, and all inspired by some rando tweet about SJ being on Bai Zhan of all things!!

I'm gonna focus on some of my other writing from now on for a bit (MAMAJIU?? B9 FIC??) but don't worry, I still have future plans for this AU: extras!! I have a plan for a post-wedding extra that should be quite fun and romantic...

and another very special, multi-part one that'll look into older married liujiu and their interactions with hmm, less intimate versions of themselves, you could say.

But anyway, I really need to sleep now. So thank you for reading as always, and I hope you enjoyed this!! 😆)