Drunk On Your Love

Today was one of those days where Shen Qingqiu[1] just wanted to flip the table over and cursed at every single one of his - Oh so HonOrABLe! - martial siblings.

Understandable considering how shitty his day had begun and had kept getting worse with every second flowing.

Nothing went right, and right from the start!

This morning, Shen Qingqiu had woken up and quite happily for once, since for the first time in his 30 years of existence he had successfully (and finally) slept well, a perfect safe and sound rest.

Then, he had fallen off his bed.

No, you haven’t heard (technically “read”) wrong.

He had, in fact, well and truly fallen off the freaking bed!

How?

Well, he had, in one way or another, tangled up with the fluffy blanket and, while trying to get up, bumped his forehead against a corner of his bed!

In addition, the shock caused him to stumble once again and because his legs were still entangled with the cover, he had unceremoniously crashed into the floor… gracefully still, mind you!

Thank gods, no one saw the Qing Jing Peak Lord’s fall or there would have been deaths, the witness(es) and himself as suicide will only be sole remedy to such embarrassing and disgraceful display (Despite it being obviously an entirely elegant descent that could’ve moved even the coldest of hearts of course.)!

So, after this massive fail, Shen Qingqiu concluded that he surely needed a warm bath for a change of mind.

However, the pool was cold as ice.

Which lead him to a very important question.

Pray tell me, whoever hears his intellectual reflection, why the fuck is the pool freezing as shit, when we’re in the middle of freaking autumn.

If people wanted him mad, then he will give them exactly what they all had freaking sow.

In a, now, execrable mood, Shen Qingqiu decided to take a scroll in his garden, a haven that he had personally help grow by his own two ̷̠̚f̷̼̅i̷̧̓ḷ̷͠t̶̠͘h̸̬͘ý̶̨,̴̭̈́ ̷̹͋s̶̲͝u̸̱̿l̴̫̈́ḽ̷́i̴̲͊é̴̟d̷̞͊,̸̦̈́ ̷̼͆d̷̹̀i̵͖͝r̸͎̄t̶̨̉y̵͐ͅ hands.

Seeing the plants that he had himself taken care of and tended to will certainly uplift his spirits… right?

Well, it did.

That is, until the blazing sun, whose rays spread into the clear azure, suddenly happened to be covered and replaced by stormy clouds on a grey sky!

Angrier than ever, Shen Qingqiu stormed into his classroom filled with his disciples and one of the Qing Jing Hall Masters.

Since it was a Xingqi Yi[2], It was Yan Meishu[3] who was in charge of the class this morning.

Creative and emphatic, she is one bright gem with breathtaking skills in the art of paint, someone Shen Qingqiu can trust on her expertise to mold the future generation of disciples into competent painters.

Currently, the say-woman was pacing around the classroom with evident distraught, while the children were quietly sitting at their respective seat until the door slammed open, revealing the tall figure of the furious Qing Jing Peak Lord.

A chorus of “Greeting Shizun[4]” echoed through the room as Shen Qingqiu made his way to his Shimei[5], who saluted him with her usual jovial grin, though slightly dimmed with distress.

“Shen-Shixiong[6]! Did you perhaps wanted to teach the disciples this morning?”

Nodding, the man’s eyes narrowed as he noticed Yan Meishu’s obvious and barely concealed (Shen Qingqiu really needed to change that, he can’t have her Shimei getting taken advantage of because of visible emotions!) torment.

“May this Shixiong know what trouble Yan-Shimei so much?”

“… This-… This Shimei has no idea how, but… the supply of brushes and paints might have been stolen?”

And that was how Shen Qingqiu’s bad luck kept on rotting his day.

An explosion in the kitchen, a fire missing to burn his bamboo grove down, some bird shit on his doorstep, slippery banana’s pelt on the training ground, invasion of rodents in the disciples’ dormitories, destruction of his prized teapot by a careless disciple, …

As accidents followed on, from one another, Shen Qingqiu’s patience began to completely run out while his resentful ire grew.

But still, Shen Qingqiu tried to contain all the fierce flames of fury coursing through his vein and the hateful words threatening to spill out of his mouth as best as he could, after all, he will just have to not give in until he goes back at the bamboo house.

… Easier say then done, though.

“… Just… one more hour…”, muttered blankly Shen Qingqiu, his hand crisped on his fan of painted lotuses, symbols of balance, stability and peace.

Three words that were the perfect antonyms to describe the Peak Lord’s state of mind and heart.

And his relationship (or lack thereof) with his fellow martial siblings.

With everything happening today, Shen Qingqiu had almost forgotten the monthly mandatory sect meeting.

Although, unlike what its name could suggest, the meeting wasn’t of any real importance.

It was more like an excuse for the others to spew shit about him as usual, an excuse for the sect leader to annoy him with his incessant wet noodle tales and guilty glances, an excuse for Qi Qingqi[7] and De Qingbai[8] to insult him, an excuse for them to gossip about everything and nothing (so trivialities), an excuse for Liu Qingge[9] to-

“SHEN QINGQIU!”

… Sigh.

As he was going to say, to “SHEN QINGQIU” his way out.

“… Brute.”, turning his head towards the additional and cur-like contributor of Shen Qingqiu’s growing headache, the Qing Jing Peak Lord mustered (with great difficulty) all of his remaining patience to the sole goal of fighting his heart’s desire: to kick the Bai Zhan Peak Lord in the balls once and for all.

A wish that proved itself to be irresistibly tempting and unadulteratedly difficult to resist.

“YOUR DISHONORABLE SCUM! HOW COULD YOU FORCE YOURSELF ON A WOMAN!? PROSTITUTE OR NOT, IT IS-”

“LIU-SHIDI!”, eyes wide open, Yue Qingyuan[10] interrupted Liu Qingge, shocked of such outrageous claim, yet still gazed at both of them with that disappointed look of him once again, “You can’t just accuse Qingqiu-Shidi of-”

“HE DID WHAT?!”, screeched Qi Qingyi, abruptly standing up from her seat, “Your lecherous-”

And just like that, insults were thrown and spewed, the meeting abruptly turning into a competition of “who will be the one that had talked the most shit about Shen Qingqiu”.

Then, the table was being shaken left and right because of the idiots’ movements, when ultimately, one of the teacups that were dangling dangerously close to the border finally crashed down to the ground.

Of course, not without having spilled all of its hot and dark content onto the light-colored robes of the scholar.

Crack.

The room fell silent as an ominous noise resounded across the walls, one coming from the broken fan in the crushing grip of Shen Qingqiu.

Then, the green-robed man rose from his chair with poise before gracefully hurling the splintered paper fan to Liu Qingge’s face who barely dodged it from less than an inch.

Finally, he “calmly” gathered his belongings and walking towards the exit, he whispered loudly:

“Done. I’m fucking done.”

Seething with rage, he violently slammed the doors shut, leaving behind the other Peak Lords speechless.

Finally, far from the suffocating room, Shen Qingqiu allowed himself to breathe again.

It had always been like that.

Usually, Shen Jiu would have paid them no mind, but this time… this time, Shen Qingqiu was just so tired.

He was tired of Yue Qingyuan’s useless apologies, all devoid of any sincerity.

He was tired of the meaningless quarrels with Liu Qingge, which always led to a new humiliation and insults.

He was tired of Qi Qingqi’s screeches about his supposed lechery.

He was just tired of all of the other peak lords-… no, he was tired of everyone.

Of their baseless rumors, of their groundless slanders, of their unattested accusations, of the outrageous misunderstandings, of their disgusted and hateful gazes, of their h̷̨͉̣̏̌͋u̴̘͠ř̸̠t̴͎̥̐f̶͉̎̽͒ü̶̦̫͇͛l̵̮͖͊̿̇ ̷͚̽ words, of their pointing fingers, …

He was tired.

Sigh.

Seems like a change of scenery will be welcomed.

So, he unsheathed his faithful comrade and jumped on his sword, leaving his worries with the ground as he flew high in the sky.

Two ke[11] later, the Qing Jing Peak Lord could finally perceive the outlines of the intricate rooftops of the Warm Red Pavilion, yet pursued his flight, only slowing down when he caught sight of the familiar looking bulletin board.

Gliding down, Shen Qingqiu stepped out from his silver weapon before putting Xiu Ya in its scabbard.

It was still daytime meaning that his Jiejies[12] will be busy working with the brothel manager breathing down their neck and-… well, he didn’t want to cause problem for them.

So, he decided to pay a visit to the Intoxicating Mist Tavern, once again.

Known for being one of the only three establishments to serve spiritual beverages to any cultivator, this building was the only way for Shen Qingqiu to secretly drink his sorrows away.

Additionally, it was besides a clothing store deserving of trust: you could ask the workers to keep your clothes safe so you could retrieve them later, and they will do it without any question, plus the garments won’t end up being stolen by anyone, not even by them.

So, with no hesitation, the dark brown-haired man crossed the doorstep as an automatic doorbell announced the arrival of a client to the staff that Shen Qingqiu greeted with a rare grin:

“Ayi[13]. Jin-Jie. A pleasure to see you both as always.”

“Brat… I suppose it has been some time since we last see each other. Should have known you would drop by anytime soon...”, muttered the boutique’s owner, a rather old lady named Xiang Chou[14].

The young woman behind the counter was Zhi Jin[15], her niece and only remaining blood relative.

Shen Qingqiu had first meet them during one of his errands for the town’s brothel Madam.

The prostitutes were short on lingerie and clothes on general and needed new ones, hence why Shen Qin-, no, Shen Jiu went on to fetch some to the nearest shop.

“So, Jiu-Mei[16], what sort of articles would you be interested in today?”, chuckled Zhi Jin before leading deeper in the store where guarded and kept rows of clothes for all kind of occasions.

“… An outfit that’ll help me blend with the crowd if you will.”

Staring at him with an undecipherable gaze for quite some time, the woman then returns to her easy quest that was picking robes for him and simply stated:

“Hmm, well then… don’t forget to get us some wine at least?”

…

“… Was it that obvious?”

“That you were going out to drink? Yep.”, seeing Shen Qingqiu’s confused frown, she precises, “Well, usually, you only use that type of phrasing and ask for these sorts of wears for undercover missions, girls nights – Of course, with you as an honorary one – but also sleep overs, shit talks, outings and drinking. Considering that you didn’t come at our store during the night means it can’t be a mission and since it’s still bright morning, no sleep over or girl night, nor shit talk since your Jiejies are too busy during daytime. So, it is either outings or drinking, but seeing how tired you seems, well, no remaining doubt you are going to get yourself wasted.”

…

Speechless, Shen Jiu chooses to not comment any further and let Zhi Jin do her job.

“Hey Jin-Jie… I’m not a specialist about fashion and all but… I’m pretty sure that is a female outfit?”, mumbled the man as Zhi Jin did some last adjustments on the waistline of the skirt.

Shen Jiu had always been aware of the latest fashion trends thanks to the prostitutes, and this new one hasn’t been an exception.

In fact, he also knows that this was specifically made for women and that even if there were men who had dared to put it on, it was only as an undergarment.

Not so openly as him right now, wearing it as an actual outside layer!

“Well, it is true that the main bearers of a mamianqun[17] are women. However, no law forbids men of wearing them, and anyways doesn’t the skirt fit you like a glove?”

This mamianqun was… interesting to say the least.

Of a light blush pink color, the flowing skirt seems to have been sewn with soft silk and trimmed with delicate white laces and intricate plum blossoms embroideries.

It was hard to admit it, yet… the mamianqun did indeed suit him somehow.

“… I trust Jin-Jie in her judgement.”

In the end, Shen Qingqiu was dressed up with a neiyi[18], the generic white zhongyi[19], a strapless deep peach-colored moxiong[20] held on to a pastel yellow ribbon with two triple layered bows (despite not having any breast), a rather short and light beizi[21] of a coral red color, small white cotton socks and xiuhuaxie[22] shoes (in addition of the mamianqun skirt).

His high ponytail swayed in the breeze with the ribbon holding it together as the revered Qing Jing Peak Lord stepped out of the boutique after saying his goodbyes to his close acquaintances.

And that was how, Shen Qingqiu was now ready to get himself shitfaced as hell.

/ᐠ ˵> ⩊ <˵マ~

[1] Shen Qingqiu / 沈 清秋: The courtesy name “清秋” has the meaning of  “Clear autumn” while the last name “沈” signifies “Liquid” and “To pour”.

[2]. Xingqi Yi / 星期一: It means “Monday”.

Notes: To say the other days of the week in Chinese, you simply have to put “Xingqi” then add the number corresponding to the day, meaning since Monday is the first day of the week, it will end with “Yi” (One), Wednesday is the third hence “San” (Three) and etc. The only irregularity would be that you have to put an apostrophe between “Xingqi” and “Er”(Two). It’s to split out the syllables to simply make reading and comprehension easier I believe.

[3]Yan Meishu / 艳 美术: Her last name “艳” means “Colorful”, “Splendid” and “Romantic” while “美术” altogether means “Art”, “Fine arts” and “Painting”.

[4]Shizun / 师尊: This gender-neutral honorific is an old formal form of address to refer to your (main) teacher but also a spiritual guide or leader which means “Respected teacher” or “Revered master”.

[5]Shimei / 师妹: An honorific to refer to a younger female apprentice/disciple of the same generation as you, which literally means “Junior/Younger sister”. It is put behind someone’s name.

[6]Shixiong / 师兄: An honorific to refer to an elder male apprentice/disciple of the same generation as you, which literally means “Senior/Older brother”. It is put behind someone’s name.

[7] Qi Qingqi / 齐 清萋: The last name “齐” means “Even” and her courtesy name “清萋” possesses the meaning of “Clear and lush”.

[8] De Qingbai / 德 清白: The courtesy name “清白” has the meaning of “Clear and pure” while the last name “德” has the meaning of “Virtue” and “Morality”.

[9] Liu Qingge / 柳 清歌: The last name “柳” means ‘Willow”, meanwhile his courtesy name “清歌” has the meaning of “Clear song”.

[10] Yue Qingyuan / 岳 清源: The last name “岳” has the meaning of “Mountain peak” and “Highest mountain”, while “清源” means “Clear origin”.

[11]Ke / 刻: A traditional Chinese unit of time that is equivalent to 14, 4 minutes (so approximately 15 minutes).

[12]Jiejie / Jie / 姐姐 / 姐: A term of endearment that means “Older/Big sister”. It can be used to address one’s blood-related older sister but also to non-related older woman with strong feelings of closeness and respect. Though, I suppose that some do used it to refer to their older girlfriend (not for or for kinks).

[13]Ayi / 阿姨: This honorific means “Auntie” in a general term but also refers to female and non-family members, more precisely to any woman around one's mother's age (or hypothetically one’s biological mother’s age for Shen Qingqiu).

[14]Xiang Chou / 像 紬: “像” has the meaning of “To be like” and “To resemble” while her given name “紬” means “Silk”.

[15]Zhi Jin / 织锦: Her last name and given name altogether have the meaning of “Brocade” and “Silk fabric with colored pattern”.

[16]Mei / Meimei / 妹妹 / 妹 / 美美 / 美: A term of endearment that means “Younger/Little sister”. It can be used to address one’s blood-related younger sister but also to non-related younger woman with strong feelings of closeness and respect. Though, I suppose that some do used it to refer to their younger girlfriend (not for or for kinks).

Notes: To be clear, Shen Qingqiu is not a woman, but really a man. The reason why he is called by Zhi Jin “Little sister” will be uncover later on.

[17]Mamianqun / 马面裙 (“Horse Face Skirt”) / Mamianzhequn / 马面褶裙 (“Horse-Face Pleated Skirt”): It is type of traditional Chinese skirt worn by the Han Chinese women and is also one of the main representative styles of ancient Chinese-style skirts. It is composed of two overlapping panels of fabric tied to a single waistband, forming a single wrap skirt, tied around the waist.

[18]Neiyi / 内衣: It’s simply an undergarment.

[19]Zhongyi / 中衣: Appearing like regular hanfu, they actually can only be worn inside of other clothes as middle clothes. They are typically white but can be found with other colors as well. Going outside with only a Zhong Yi on, is regarded as impolite and indecent, but they can be worn as loungewear and/or pajamas at home.

[20]Moxiong / 抹胸: A type of neiyis / 内衣 (inner clothes that are worn by women as a brassiere) composed of a square/rectangular undergarment that is exposed when paired with a beizi.

[21]Beizi / 褙子 / Chuozi / 綽子: A gender-neutral and traditional Chinese outer coat that is generally large and loose with equally big and loose sleeves.

[22]Xiuhuaxie / 绣花鞋 (“Embroidered Shoes”): are a well-known sub-type of traditional Chinese cloth shoes (Zhongguo Buxie / 中国布鞋).