The fact that Yue Qingyuan had been assigning him to mission after mission with the Bai Zhan brute was ever irritating to Shen Jiu. The man was an idiotic alpha that only thought about fighting—he didn’t even employ any strategies or diplomacy—so he was now forced along on any mission that wasn’t solely for killing a beast so he could limit the damage the man left behind.
Doing a mission with the other peak lords was fine, if a bit detestable seeing as how almost all of them were alphas. However, it showed the might of Cang Qiong, but he didn’t like being taken away from his peak or students for too long. And that is exactly what all these extra missions with Liu Qingge were doing. He couldn’t care less if the idiot didn’t care about his students, but that was not the way the omega operated. Not that anyone knew he was an omega with all of the scent blockers and suppressants he used, but that was neither here nor there.
For the most recent mission, they were to investigate a supposed haunting at a village near the base of the Cang Qiong Mountain and deal with the situation accordingly. Shen Jiu had been opposed to going since he was nearing his mandatory yearly heat as opposed to the typical omega’s tri-annual heats, and he needed to sequester himself away with the jiejies at the Warm Red Pavilion before any of the others found out, butZhangmen-shixiong had been adamant that he needed to go along. Reluctantly, he had agreed with the stipulation that he could leave this particular mission whenever he decided, and the sect leader had smiled with a ‘thank you.’
He was beginning to regret that decision as the pre-heat crept its way through his entire being, forcing him to be extra snippy and angry towards anyone around, especially Liu Qingge.
“Why are you being even more annoying today?” The alpha barked at him for the millionth time.
“Maybe it’s because I was paired up with a brute that has no brain,” he sniped back.
Qingge scoffed, “Shen Qingqiu, you insufferable beta.”
Shen Jiu just snapped open his fan with a roll of his eyes as they continued through the village towards where they were to meet the village head. Along the way, they were greeted with familiar stares and cheering of Immortal Masters! Immortal Masters! Please save us! Any time the common folk got a whiff of cultivators they were like this, he too had been like that as a child, but now he had to deal with people clamoring for his attention. Not to mention all the unregulated scents making him want to throw up. It was overwhelming for his anxious and introverted brain, but he had learned very young how to keep any emotion off of his face.
When they finally reached the large house there were two older men and a young woman waiting for them. The woman stepped forward, her light jasmine scent calming after the bombardment earlier, “Immortal Masters, thank you for coming to our humble village. I am the village head, Shi Xiu, and this is my husband,” she gestured to the man on her right, “Shi Bao. And my brother Shi Da.
“This ghost has been plaguing us for months now, and after it killed my son, Shi Mingjing, a month ago it seems to have gotten even more powerful. We beg of you to get rid of it before it hurts anyone else.”
Shen Jiu snapped the fan shut as he gave the three a mild smile that appeared to captivate the woman, but irritate his fellow peak lord, “We’ll be sure to rid you of the nuisance and get justice for your son, ma’am. Could you tell us if there is an area where the activity is more prominent? Somewhere that more bad things tend to happen?”
Shi Xiu paused for a moment, but she seemed to figure out the information they needed, “Down by the river where we all draw water from. It’s where we all see it or fall into the water or lose something, and it is where Shi Mingjing was drowned.”
“Did your son know how to swim? Did anyone see it happen?” Liu Qingge asked in an accusatory tone. Shi Xiu face twisted into a deep frown.
With a flick of the wrist and a bit of spiritual power, the omega tapped the brute in the chest with his fan, “Forgive my companion, all he thinks about is fighting, though his questions are valid.”
Liu Qingge snarled at the use of force but kept his mouth shut as they were answered, “Yes, my boy did know how to swim. Everyone in the village does except for the babies. The river is very deep near here, so we all learn almost before we can walk. And to answer your second question, no. I had missed wash day that week because I was sick, and the fishermen were done for the day. Shi Mingjing had gone in my place. When he hadn’t come back for several shichen A-Bao went to go check on him, and found him floating facedown, caught between a pair of boulders a li from the shore. We don’t know how long he was like that.”
“And before this what was the worst thing the ghost has done?”
Again the alpha was showing his brutishness to outsiders, but they both waited for an answer.
“Throwing full baskets of laundry from the shore into the river and cause us to slip into the water,” she replied cooly.
Now that bit of information was interesting. A simple ghost had gone from mild menacing to full-blown murder. Glancing to the side it appeared as though the brute was having the same thought as he nodded just slightly. With a small nod, he gestured for the villagers to wait a moment while he and Qingge conversed out of earshot.
“What are you thinking?” He asked the taller man. “And keep your voice down so they don’t hear you.”
Iron and pine flared through the air as a bit of Liu Qingge’s scent crept past the careful hold cultivators were taught early on, “Don’t tell me what to do.” Though his voice was lower than normal. “But I think that either someone held him down and we have a murderer to deal with, or we have a ghost trying to go from a Malice to a Menace, maybe even a Wrath, depending on if it’s killed anyone else before.”
“So the brute does have some brains,” another snarl and puff of scent. “I knew you got to be peak lord with more than just your ability to stab things.”
“Shen Qingqiu!”
“Quiet! We’ll have them show me to the river and make everyone else leave. You stay out of sight and I’ll go for a swim. If I’m alone the ghost will go for what appears to be easy prey while I mask my qi. When it shows itself you can rush in to kill it. Then we can leave.”
“And if it doesn’t try to kill you today?”
Shen Jiu grit his teeth, “Then you will have to deal with it alone because I am feeling unwell and must return to the sect.”
“Why did you come if you were unwell?” The brute barked.
“Because someone has to make sure you don’t dishonor the sect and destroy everything in the process. Do you think I like coming with you on all these missions? I come because I was ordered to. Nothing more, nothing less. Now let’s deal with this so I may be rid of you all the sooner.”
With a grunt of agreement, the pair went back to the villagers and asked for Shen Jiu to be led to the river, and have them take away any others that may be there. Liu Qingge hung back, but the omega could still feel his spiritual energy trailing them.
Thankfully, there was no one else at the river when they arrived. Shi Bao pointed out the boulders where his son had been floating before the cultivator sent them away so he could strip down to his inner robe for a swim.
Having his qi dampened was annoying, but it would do no good for the spirit to realize that he was here to destroy it.
Free of the majority of his clothes, the omega waded out to where his feet no longer met the riverbed so he could then swim out to the boulders. Shi Xiu had been right when she told him about how deep the river was. From where he had left the shore it had dropped off quickly, and the water seemed pitch black around him. Not to mention that the current was decently strong for how small it was compared to one like the Luo River.
Shen Jiu had nearly reached the boulders when a figure appeared before him in the water, “What a pretty thing you are.”
“Leave me alone you beast,” he snarled back.
“I think not, pretty omega.”
He nearly froze in the water, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The now male-appearing ghost laughed, “A little thing like suppressants could never fool a Wrath like me. I can smell and taste your qi, pretty boy. Now don’t fight while I’m drowning you alright.”
A hand shot out to wrap around his neck, causing a searing heat to flare through his veins, burning him from the inside out. It was as if his heat had decided to flare up and consume his entire being. Pain lanced everywhere as water began to fill his panting mouth when a sword shot straight through the ghost's heart. Familiar qi flooded the air for several moments until the ghost dissolved into nothingness, and Shen Jiu’s soaked body was pulled out of the water by strong hands into a broad chest.
“Why can I smell you? What happened?” Qingge growled.
“H-heat. J-jump s-s-tarted my h-heat,” he managed to stammer out.
“Damnit. Just hold on and I’ll get you to the village.”
“No!” He yelled. “Don’t let them touch me. Can’t let them near. Not again.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Burying his nose in the alpha’s chest he reveled in the iron and pine that lightly laced the clothing there. It was strength and safety. If there was one true fact about Liu Qingge it was that he would respect and protect an omega even at the cost of his own life. If he said no one would touch him then it was true.
He got them back to the village where they were led to a small home meant for an omega in heat. Inside there was a bunch of nesting material and rations. Liu Qingge placed him inside with his outer robe before informing him that he would stand guard until the heat was over.
Shen Jiu whined at the loss of the strong body that had been so gentle with him, but in the back of his mind understood what was happening. They were not mates, and Qingge would not take advantage of an omega in his situation. At least he had an alpha’s scent to help see him through the process. He just had to endure three days of heat and then he could go back on his suppressants.
Outside of the small home, Liu Qingge was doing mental gymnastics trying to figure out how he had not known that Shen Qingqiu was an omega. They had been martial siblings for nearly 15 years, and no one had said anything other than that the man being a beta. Even their sect leader seemed to be under the impression that the Qing Jing lord was a beta, and they had known each other for years before Cang Qiong.
But when he had pulled Shen Qingqiu out of the water he smelled deliciously, unmistakably like bamboo and charcoal with an overwhelming sugariness, an omega in heat. He had even admitted that he was in heat. Why someone would hide their secondary gender was a mystery to him. It wasn’t as if omegas were treated unfairly in the cultivation world or even Cang Qiong. Qi Qingqi and Shang Qinghua were both omegas and peak lords, but no one looked down on them for that. They looked down on the rat for other reasons, but certainly not because he was an omega.
The only thing he could possibly think of was that Shen Qingqiu had been hurt before joining the sect which forced him to want to hide. He had begged Qingge not to let anyone touch him, as if something awful had happened to him before. That potential made him bristle. Omegas, particularly omegas males, were to be treasured for their ability to birth multiple pups in a litter.
How dare someone hurt his omega.
That stopped him mid-pace in front of the home. Shen Qingqiu was not his omega. He was not anyone’s omega. There was no mark on his neck, and Qingge had never seen him show an interest in anyone be it alpha, beta, or omega. And now it made sense why he doted on his female disciples so much, he was trying to protect and mother them. And it made sense that he went to the Warm Red Pavilion. Pleasure houses were safe spaces for omegas.
All the things he had looked down on his shixiong for were just typical omega behaviors. And all of them had been condemning him for it the entire time, so of course he wouldn’t want anyone to know his true nature.
Liu Qingge truly felt like the brute he had been named. Condemning and beating an omega to a pulp with every opportunity he got. It was truly appalling behavior he would need to rectify immediately. Especially if he even wanted to entertain the idea of Shen Qingqiu seeing him as a potential mate.
He stopped again. Did he want Shen Qingqiu as a mate? The man was prickly and snobbish, but he was also strong and caring if you knew where to look. He cared for his disciples, and he cared about his fellow sect members if one reexamined his past actions. Those were both qualities of a good mate, and he could learn to deal with the other things in time. Not to mention that he had heard the whine the omega had let out when he had closed the door between them, leaving only his outer robe to help with the pain.
It could work out, they would both just need to learn and adapt to the other’s personality, though the biggest changes would have to come from himself.
With a final nod, Liu Qingge decided that he would begin courting his shixiong as soon as he left seclusion. He would prove his and the Liu family’s worth of having him marry into their ranks as the mate of the Liu heir. He had three days, so he would use that to plan his next steps.
He was determined to make Shen Qingqiu his mate.
After his heat ended the Qing Jing peak lord alerted Liu Qingge by calling for him through the door, “My heat is over brute. Do you have the rest of my clothes?”
The door creaked open several inches, and his outer robes were held through in a neatly folded bundle, “No one has touched them besides me when I grabbed them from the shore when we headed back here.”
He grumbled a small thank you and informed the other man that they could leave as soon as he bathed off the scent of heat and redressed. Thankfully, the little house came with an indoor bathtub that he managed to fill and heat with his qi before getting in. The entire time he thought about how he was going to deal with the rest of the cultivation world knowing that he was an omega now that someone else had found him out because there was no way the Bai Zhan brute would keep his secret. It would be seen as untrustworthy to keep hiding his secondary gender from the world.
At least some of his behaviors would be tolerated now. After all, omegas were given a bit more leeway in the world thanks to their ability to birth multiple children despite their primary gender. Perhaps the other peak lords would stop shunning him and actually listen to him outside of strategy meetings. It wouldn’t even been looked down upon from him to visit the Warm Red Pavilion anymore. The jiejies would be ecstatic to have him around more.
With his bath finished the omega rifled around in his sleeves for his personal care qiankun pouch so he could oil his hair and also take some scent blockers. And when he was sure everything was in order Shen Jiu emerged from the small home to greet Liu Qingge, who was holding Xiu Ya in one hand and his fan in the other.
“I kept these safe for you,” he declared, bowing his head and holding them out as if they were the greatest treasures in the world.
“Thank you,” he grit out again. “We should head back to the sect. I’m sure you’re dying to let the others know of your discovery if you haven’t already sent word ahead.”
The head snapped up, “I haven’t told anyone. And while I believe the other peak lords would be kinder to you if you told them the truth I won’t say anything if you ask it of me.”
His mouth fell open and he instantly assumed something was going on, “What sort of trick is this? What do you hope to gain by keeping my secret?”
“There must be a reason for you to hide the truth. And I would like for you to be able to tell me one day, but I will not pressure you to. I simply have one request of you; let me court you, shixiong.”
So that’s what this was. He wanted to f*ck him for his silence. It could have been worse he replied as the brute put on his own outer robe that still smelled enticingly of omega in heat, “You don’t have to use the guise of courting, brute. You could have simply said you wanted a hole to f*ck.”
Liu Qingge began stuttering, blush blooming across his cheeks as Shen Jiu’s fan snapped open, “I-I-I don’t want t-to f*ck you. I mean yes, one day, but I wish to court you properly and marry you first.
“So simply because I’m an omega now, you want to court me when before you only wanted to fight me?”
The alpha fell to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground, “I have wronged you and seen the error of my ways. These past three days I have had the time to think about our relationship and realized that I have been drawn to you from the beginning and that you are smart and kind and beautiful and strong. All the qualities of a wonderful mate. So if shixiong will allow; I, Liu Qingge, heir of the Liu Clan, would be honored to court Shen Qingqiu.”
Silence filled the air for several moments.
It wouldn’t be bad to be courted. A strong alpha and the backing of the Liu Clan if things went south one day. Perhaps things could work out. He could at least cut things off if he decided against it.
“Shen Jiu, if you are to court me I do not wish to be called by a name I despise.”
Liu Qingge looked up at him from the ground with a bright smile, “Shen Jiu, A-Jiu. Thank you. I swear on my honor not to disappoint you.”
Shen Jiu smirked, “See that you don’t.”
When they arrived back to Cang Qiong the brute was adamant they go to Qiong Ding Peak so he could ask for Yue Qingyuan’s blessing, seeing as he was the closest thing to a family Shen Jiu had. The sect leader was smiling the entire time tea was being served right up until Liu Qingge made his intentions known.
“Sect Leader Yue, I humbly ask for your blessing as I court Shen Jiu, so that we may someday become husbands and mates,” the man bowed deeply in respect.
“Liu Shidi, may I ask what brought this on? You and Xiao Ji- I mean Qingqiu Shidi are usually at each other's throats,” Yue Qingyuan corrected himself mid-sentence thanks to the scathing glare shot his way. “Not to mention your shixiong is a male beta, and your mate must be able to carry on the Liu bloodline one day.”
Setting down his tea Shen Jiu replied in a cool tone, “That is where you are wrong, Zhangmen-shixiong. I am in fact an omega, and fully capable of giving the Liu clan heirs it needs. I presented while I was with the Qius, and I’ve been hiding my designation ever since.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Xiao Jiu? I would have protected you,” the man nearly cried.
That one phrase was enough to royally piss him off and make him let loose the venom he had been holding in for nearly 20 years, “Like how you protected me by letting Qiu Jianluo rape me every night for 3 years, or how you protected me from that sh*t Lord Qiu’s whip for not wanting to marry his son, or how you saved me from Wu Yanzi corrupting my cultivation to the point where I couldn’t form a proper golden core? When have you ever protected me?
“You left me to rot in that estate for five years, left me in the hands of a charlatan while you were here being groomed as the future sect leader, and I will never forgive you for that. The only reason I came to this meeting was because Qingge was adamant about getting your blessing as the closest thing I could have to a family. But to tell you the truth this is going to happen if you give your consent or not because I said yes. And don’t you ever dare to call me that name ever again. You are not my Qi Ge and I am not your Xiao Jiu. Your Xiao Jiu died the night Qi Ge left me in that shed with two broken legs.”
Shen Jiu stood, motioning for Qingge to follow with a flick of his fan, “You’ve had no true say in my life since you left me alone in the Qiu Estate; I see no reason for that to start now. This will happen with or without your approval. Am I understood?”
“Yes,” the older man stood as well in resignation, bowing to the pair. “Peak Lord Shen, Peak Lord Liu, I give you my blessing and congratulations on your courtship. Please come to me if there is anything you need assistance with.”
“Thank you, Zhangmen-shixiong, we will request another meeting if there is anything else we require of you,” Qingge replied in a voice the Shen Jiu could only describe as hostile.
The pair turned to leave, but just as they were about to leave the room the shorter man called over his shoulder, “I will no longer be hiding my designation. You may inform the other peak lords of that as well as our courtship. Though do wait a day so we may tell Qingge’s sister ourselves. We will be leaving now.”
Without another word, the alpha and omega departed Qiong Ding Peak for the bamboo house on Qing Jing. The disciples were surprised to see the two together—not fighting—and scattered when Shen Jiu barked at them to get back to studying. All except for Ning Yingying fled, the young girl coming up to her surrogate father, “Shizun, why is Liu Shishu with you? Is everything alright?”
Lowering the fan he smiled, “Yes, Yingying. Can you go to Xian Shu, and ask for Liu Mingyan? Your shishu and I have something to discuss with her. Qi Qingqi may come if she would like, but this is a family matter that must be discussed with Liu Mingyan immediately.”
"Right away, Shizun!” Came the younger omega’s reply.
Yingying scampered off to do as she was asked while the adults headed into the bamboo house. It would take at least a shichen for Ning Yingying to return with Liu Qingge’s younger sister, and potentially Qi Qingqi, so it would be a good time for Shen Jiu to prepare tea for his future mate.
“Go sit at the table, and I’ll prepare some tea,” he directed the younger man.
Qingge grunted, following the instruction he was given.
It didn’t take long for the water to heat, as he prepared a pot with a mixture of black tea, vanilla, and cardamom. The brew was a calming favorite he hoped his brute would enjoy. When it was all ready he carried over five small cups along with the pot.
“Why five cups?”
“I expect Qi Qingqi will be joining us along with your sister. She wouldn’t like her head disciple being in a room with a supposed leecher even if you were here, and I’d like to tell Yingying at the same time. I’ve been raising her since she was born. Her mother was one of my friends from the Warm Red Pavilion, but she died giving birth. Her last wish was for me to raise Yingying as my own. I can tell her later if it makes you uncomfortable—” a large hand enveloped his own on top of a cup.
Looking up Qingge was staring at him with kind eyes, “If she’s important to you then she is important to me. It’s only right that we tell our families together. But before they get here I have some questions, about your past.”
After his outburst earlier it was only natural for the man who wanted to marry him to have questions. The truths he had uttered were not of a kind nature. It would probably make him undesirable in the end.
“What do you want to know?” He sat down, taking a small sip of his tea in an attempt to prepare himself for the onslaught.
“Why did the sect leader leave you with the Qius? Or rather why did they have you? I was under the impression that you were both young lords.”
With a nod, he answered, “That is what we wanted everyone to think. The truth is that we were both child slaves. He was the number seven and the oldest, and I was—”
“Number nine,” Qingge finished.
Another nod, “One day he was trying to save another child from being trampled by a horse—despite me telling him to leave the boy—so I pushed them out of the way, stabbing the horse with a sword from a nearby guard. The rider was Qiu Jianluo, the son of the local lord. I was bought and both of my legs broken. That night after I was thrown into a shed he came to tell me he was leaving to find a sect to help him learn cultivation. He promised to come back, but he never did or even told me why he didn’t when we were reunited.”
“And about what you said Qiu Jianluo did to you?”
“After that night I was used as the bastard’s errand boy for two years. I was taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Then I presented as an omega at 13. For my presenting heat I was fed birth control and given to Qiu Jianluo to do with as he pleased. Thankfully, after he was finished I was sent to stay nights with his younger sister as her maid.
“When I turned 16 they decided that I would be a good wife and wanted me to marry the bastard. When I said no, and that I wanted to learn cultivation instead I was whipped in front of the entire estate and told it would happen anyway. Two days later I killed every man in that estate, and left with a passing cultivator named Wu Yanzi.”
“How did he tamper with your cultivation?” The other man was sipping his tea calmly, but his scent gave away the anger he was clearly feeling.
“I was given faulty manuals, so by the time my core was formed it was warped. Though I was already too old to form one at my full potential, this weakened me even more. I was told there was only one potential way to stabilize my core, but I have disregarded that option until now.”
“And what would that option be?”
“Dual cultivation with my bonded mate,” Qingge spit out the next sip of tea that he had just taken. Wiping the stray drops of tea off of his face the omega continued speaking, “I had not considered the possibility of having a mate up until now. I was told that my partner would need to have as strong cultivation as my own, if not stronger if I wanted the possibility to become a reality. So there is more riding on this than just you wanting a strong mate.”
“I,” the alpha seemed a bit flustered still, “will do my best to help you with that problem one day.”
With a light chuckle, he asked his own question, “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“How did you come to be at Cang Qiong? The sect leader just brought you back after the Immortal Alliance Conference and we don’t know how.”
Shen Jiu had to sneer at that particular memory, “Wu Yanzi wanted to ruin the Conference so we managed to sneak in. Yue Qingyuan found us and tried to stop Wu Yanzi. He was about to kill Yue Qingyuan when I intervened and killed him instead. I was then guilted into coming back with him, and I’ve been here ever since.
“So, now that you know that I’m a whor* and a murderer I’m assuming that you’d like to end our courtship.”
When Shen Jiu looked up there was no disgust on Liu Qingge’s face, but rather sorrow as he tried to find the words to say, “I’m so sorry for all that you have been through. If I could I would go back and save you from all of those horrible things so that you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.
“You are not a whor*, and you only killed those people to survive. As far as I’m concerned your actions were justified. So, no, I do not want to break off our courtship. If anything, it makes me want to stay with you all the more. I want to protect you and give you a life of ease. When we are no longer needed as peak lords we can retire to the Liu Estate and live life as we see fit. I’m sure my mother would be over the moon when we eventually decided to have children. She’ll be elated to have Ning Yingying to dote on in the meantime.”
“You don’t want me to try and have legitimate heirs right away?” That was an idea, not most alphas would agree with.
“You don’t have to have any heirs at all if you’d prefer. My title could just fall to any child Mingyan has one day. I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to,” he placed a reassuring hand over Shen Jiu’s own yet again.
Normally, he’d abhor any sort of physical contact with anyone that wasn’t a fellow omega, but these touches were comforting and gave him a sense of security that he hadn’t felt for a long time. Placing the hand that wasn’t being touched over his abdomen the omega answered, “I’d like to have my own child or children one day. That is another thing I didn’t consider until now. It will be nice to hold a baby that’s all my own.”
The hand cautiously moved up to cup his cheek, “We’ll have that, one day, whenever you’re ready we’ll try for a child of our own. Until then I’ll support any child you decided to adopt or mentor.”
That sentiment seemed to thaw a little of the ice around Shen Jiu’s heart. A feat that had only ever happened with Yingying growing up. Maybe Liu Qingge could really be a fresh start in his life despite their somewhat turbulent past. They just had to get through a proper courting period so the rest of their lives together could begin.
They spent the rest of the time making light conversation until they were interrupted by Ning Yingying calling for him from outside the house, “Shizun, I’ve brought Liu Shijie and Qi Shigu. May we come in?”
Liu Qingge pulled back the hand that had been on the omega’s, slightly saddened at the loss of contact with his intended. So as Shen Jiu called the three in, he re-situated himself next to the man, even moving his tea with an empty cup. He didn’t want to be separated or kept away from Shen Jiu any more than he absolutely had to. Even the small table between them seemed like too much space. He was excited for the day when he was allowed to hold the older man in his arms for as long as he wanted.
“Qi Shimei, Liu Shizhi, Yingying, please sit and have some tea. There is something Liu Shidi and I would like to discuss with you,” Shen Jiu motioned the three of them over to the empty spots at the table.
Ning Yingying moved to sit on Shen Jiu’s other side while Qingqi and Mingyan sat on the opposite side of the table with their now-filled cups of tea. And it was their fellow peak lord that broke the silence.
“What is going on? Why have the two of you brought us here and why aren’t you trying to kill each other like usual?”
Shen Jiu snorted, “While that was something that regularly occurred before, Qingge and I will no longer be fighting like we once did. Sparing and the occasional tiff perhaps, but the rest of that is now behind us. Isn’t that right Qingge?”
He grunted his agreement, “I no longer wish to fight with A-Jiu in that regard anymore. It would be counterproductive to my goal?”
“And what goal would that be, Ge?” Mingyan directed the question to him as she sipped tea beneath her veil.
This caused the usually stoic man to smile, “Marriage, and bonding. We brought you here to announce our betrothal, we will marry after a period of courtship of course.”
“WHAT!?!?” All three females screeched at the same time.
“When did this happen?”
“Why did this happen?”
“You hate each other.”
The cacophony of voices appeared to be too much because Shen Jiu snapped at them with the flick of his fan.
“Enough! After our recent mission together Qingge proposed courtship and I accepted. He was very sincere and I decided to put aside our differences.”
“But, Ge,” the younger Liu looked at her brother with even more confusion, “Shishu is a beta, he can’t have children. You need heirs or mother will kill you.”
“That is where you are wrong again. To everyone save a select few I am a beta,” he corrected the young woman, “when I am in fact an omega. Because of my past, I have been hiding the truth about my secondary gender. It was revealed during our mission when I was forced into heat.”
“And that’s why you’re always doting on your female disciples and visiting the pleasure house. You were mothering them, and resting with other omegas,” Qi Qingqi came to the same realization Qingge had. “Wait, did Liu Qingge take advantage of you? Is that why this is happening?”
She was rightly horrified at the prospect, but Qingge was not going to let that stand, “I did no such thing! I took him back to the village we were helping and they put him in their heat house while I stood guard outside. I would never take advantage of an omega in heat!”
“Is that true Shixiong? He didn’t touch you?”
The fan was flicked closed, “It’s true. He pulled me out of a river and carried me to safety, but that is all. My heat was spent alone.”
That seemed to pacify the woman as Shen Jiu then turned his attention to Ning Yingying, “Yingying, do you know the reason I wanted you here for this discussion?”
She shook her head, “No, Shizun.”
“I wanted you here because I have raised you singlehandedly since you were born. Your mother was one of my dear friends, and her dying wish was for me to give you a better life than she ever had. I put you before the other disciples because I see you as my daughter, and I wanted you to hear it at the same time as you shishu’s closest family. I have feared telling you this information for the longest time because I don’t want to lose you. But, if after hearing all of this you don’t want to stay on Qing Jing Peak I’m sure your shigu would allow you to transfer to Xian Shu Peak. I will respect your decision no matter what.”
The young woman had tears brimming in her eyes, making Qingge somewhat uncomfortable, and he was prepared to try and comfort Shen Jiu if she decided to leave. But he was not expecting the girl to throw herself into the older omega’s arms.
“I don’t wanna leave Qing Jing or you,” she sobbed. “I’ve always seen you as my father and I’m so happy that you think of me as your daughter. And I’ll be happy for you no matter who you marry, so if that’s Liu Shishu then I’ll think of him as a parent as well.”
“You don’t have to force yourself to do that,” the alpha smiled at her over Shen Jiu’s shoulder. “But I’m sure Mingyan and I’s mother will be excited to meet you too when we go to the Liu Estate one day.”
She nodded at him before turning to speak with her shizun again, “Would it be alright if I called you baba from now on? I won’t do it in front of the other disciples if you want.”
Shen Jiu really did look like he was about to ascend at that moment and there was water in his voice, “You can call me baba whenever you want. I don’t want to hide our relationship like that. People have always thought I’ve had impure intentions towards you and your martial sisters, and this will just let them know the truth. My little girl doesn’t need to be seen like that anymore. I’d like to formally adopt you as well if that’s alright?”
More rapid nodding occurred as she buried her head in her father’s chest. It was a heartwarming scene for Liu Qingge to witness his future mate interact with his daughter. A daughter he had sworn to look after as his own just a shichen prior. He couldn’t wait to see what Shen Jiu was like when they had a child of their own one day, because based on this small interaction he was sure that his heart would melt from the beauty of it all.
The pair stayed like that for several minutes before they all returned to sipping on their tea, a permanent smile etched onto Ning Yingying’s face and a smaller grin on Shen Jiu’s. Liu Mingyan informed them that she would help Qingge draft a letter to their mother about the courtship and betrothal, “As head of the Liu Clan she will no doubt want to meet Shen Shishu as soon as possible. She has been trying to get Ge to a matchmaker for years, so this will be like a birthday present for her. We can all take a trip to the Liu Estate so Shen Shishu and Ning Shimei can meet the family and see their new home away from the sect.”
“Your mother is the head of the clan?” A-Jiu asked curiously.
Qingge nodded, “In our clan, the eldest alpha child is given the right to succeed their parents regardless of primary gender. If there is no alpha child the title falls to the eldest omega. Our mother is the oldest omega while her two younger brothers are betas.”
It was certainly not a common dynamic. Qingge had only ever met two other clans that operated in the same way; the Lans of Gusu and the Nies of Qinghe. Though the Lans were a bit different from the recent generation because the alpha heir did not want to lead, so the burden would fall to his omega brother. It was going to be an interesting day when the two clans joined hands for Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue’s wedding when they both came of age.
They all shared one more cup of tea after Qi Qingqi wheedled the story of their last mission out of Shen Jiu, and her subsequently threatening Qingge until he swore to take the omega to Mu Qingfang for a check-up. Then the two Xian Shu women departed while Ning Yingying set to clearing away the tea and cups.
Reluctantly, Shen Jiu allowed himself to be taken to Qian Cao where the resident peak lord and his head disciple learned the truth of his designation and their courtship. There was no doubt that the news would be all over the rest of the peaks by the end of the next day. Though it wouldn’t matter much at that point since Shen Jiu had already given the sect leader his permission to let the others know.
After a brief exam and several mildly invasive questions later Mu Qingfang declared that the omega was in top physical health and his core was functioning normally after the attack. Qingge also asked the doctor about dual cultivation stabilizing a core, and it was confirmed that it was true, much to Shen Jiu’s embarrassment, earning him a slap on the shoulder from said man’s fan. He really needed to make one of his courting gifts a custom fan.
The pair left Qian Cao for the Warm Red Pavilion to collect the items from Shen Jiu’s nest so he could reconstruct it in the bamboo house since he was no longer hiding what he was. Upon their arrival the jiejies gave Qingge a piece of their minds for all the hell he had wrought on their poor Jiu Ge, and also gave their congratulations on courting, all of them swearing to castrate him if he ever hurt Shen Jiu. That had caused a bout of unrestrained laughter from the omega, and it just made the younger man smile all the more. It was going to be an interesting life with this man by his side.
Three months had flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time Liu Qingge had given Shen Jiu dozens of courting gifts in the form of nesting materials, rare beasts meant to help with cultivation, jewels, food, and his personal favorite; a beautifully painted fan done by Qingge himself. It was a motif of Qing Jing and Bai Zhan connected by a field of bamboo below, and a sword above in place of a rainbow bridge. It was all done in light greens and grays to match both of their personalities. It was the best gift he had ever or would ever receive.
Also in those months, he had officially adopted Yingying, the girl had even decided to take on his name, making her Shen Yingying. Her reasoning was that she wanted to have an even more tangible connection to Shen Jiu. He had then taken her to the Warm Red Pavilion so she could meet some of the jiejies that had been friends with her mom before her death. It was a heartwarming reunion that was followed by almost weekly visits so she could get to know the older women.
There were also more joint missions so the Qing Jing peak lord could keep an eye on his brute. None had gone awry like the one where his secret had been revealed, but it certainly gave Qingge ample opportunity to show off his martial prowess.
And speaking of his secret being revealed, the entire sect had been informed of his status reveal almost overnight. The day after their meetings with Yue Qingyuan and their families had seen the rest of the peak lords that were in the sect to come to him and apologize for their hostile and antagonistic behavior towards him. There were also slews of congratulations being thrown around. Not long after that, they began receiving letters of congratulations from sects like Huan Hua Palace, GusuLan, YunmengJiang, Tian Yi Overlook, and Zhao Hua Temple. It was quite interesting to see those who once thought him scum now wish him well since he was set to marry the heir of a prominent clan in the cultivation world.
He had even received a letter of thanks from Madam Liu for agreeing to be with her son. Enclosed in it was an invitation for him and Yingying to visit the Liu Estate at their convenience. Shen Jiu had happily replied that they would come for a month-long visit after the new disciple selections and a settling-in period for the new members. The month-long visit would give them time to plan a wedding and get to know the people that would soon be his family.
It had been noted that Shen Jiu had been softer than when people had seen as scum. Perhaps it was because omegas were given more leeway in life because they were often seen as gentler creatures. And while that was true when his actions were reexamined through that lens it wasn’t all necessarily true. He still had moments of anger where he would lash out and yell, but they weren’t as much as before when he was constantly berated. He was trying to change though. It would take time, but he wanted to be a better person than those that hurt him. It had been a very productive three months all around.
All the peak lords had gathered at the base of Qiong Ding peak where the new disciple selection was to take place. The head disciples and a few lower disciples were also accompanying their mentors in order for the new recruits the be guided to their new peaks by one who knew the way. Shen Jiu and Liu Qingge had yet to choose head disciples, so Yingying was acting as her father’s and Ming Fan was being leant to Bai Zhan since he was more efficient as a gopher for an event such as this.
Yue Qingyuan welcomed all the potential recruits and told them that their task for the day was to dig holes. It didn’t matter how they dug or what the hole looked like as long as they kept digging until the end of the day. If they were approached by an existing disciple it meant that they had been chosen by one of the peak lords and then they would be taken to their new peak and greeted by their new shizun at the end of the day.
Some people walked away when they learned that they would need to dig holes, and Shen Jiu thought that they were too weak to be in the sect if they couldn’t handle a little manual labor. The only person on his peak that didn’t have to dig a hole was Yingying since she had been raised on the mountain, but he knew that she would do it if he asked. He had raised a strong child that could face anything thrown her way.
As the digging commenced there didn’t appear to be too many scholarly types that he wanted for Qing Jing. Though he did help Qingge spot quite a few muscle brains for his peak, and a few that could help run the peak itself. There was one boy though. He wasn’t quite sure if he was fit for Bai Zhan or Qing Jing. He was strong, but there also appeared to have some propensity for genteelness required for the four arts.
“What are you thinking?” Liu Qingge had placed a reassuring hand on his lower back.
Moments like that had become commonplace after he discovered his fondness for the other man’s touch.
Opening his fan the omega waved in the direction of a young boy half the field away with a shock of wavy brown hair, “That one seems strong enough for you but perhaps smart enough for me. I can’t decide what we should do with him. You need a head disciple and this one might be enough to fit the bill one day, but I’m wondering what would happen if I took him in.”
“You could take him, and I could train him in combat. That way if you decide he’s not a good fit he can come over to Bai Zhan and he won’t have lost out on the necessary skills my disciples train in,” Qingge suggested.
Shen Jiu looked at him stunned, “Since when do you have good ideas like that?”
Qingge snorted, “I was raised as a young lord you know. I may not be the tactician you are but I do have some common sense.”
“Hmmm,” he smiled, “I think my good influence is rubbing off on you. Your mother will be most pleased.”
“Yingying,” the girl came scampering over.
“Yes, Baba?”
“That will be the last one for the day,” he motioned to the young boy they had been watching. “Have him brought to the peak and washed up like the others. I will meet with them in the main hall after dinner.”
“Yes, Baba. I’ll make sure they’re all ready. Are we still having dinner with Shishu tonight?”
“Yes. After your shishu sees his lot taken care of he’ll be coming over for dinner. I’ll see you back at the peak.”
As she scampered off to do his bidding it was time for him and Qingge to depart. There were no longer any suitable candidates left for either of their peaks. Now they just needed to get the new recruits settled before their family dinners that had also become commonplace over the past few months when he and Qingge weren’t away on missions.
But before they were to separate Shen Jiu motioned his brute closer, and before anyone could say anything he hid them behind his fan in order to press a chaste kiss to Qingge’s cheek. And like every other time he had done it, the alpha blushed and became a stuttering mess. At least his bashfulness subsided in only a moment or two instead of the several minutes-long mess he had become the first time he had kissed the man.
Their missions together had turned into a chance for said brute to constantly show off, so on another mission in a random town plagued by a saber-toothed rhinoceros bear, Qingge decapitated the beast with one swipe from Cheng Luan before promptly laying the severed head at his feet. It was the first of his many tributes, but that one had seemed particularly meaningful. So, that night when they returned to the inn he had planted a small kiss on Qingge’s cheek as they separated for bed. It was like all higher brain functioning had stopped, leaving a stuttering mess in the middle of the inn hallway, forcing a bright bout of laughter from Shen Jiu’s lips.
From then on—several times a week—the omega would find an opportunity to give Qingge a small kiss. But he had yet to press their lips together, he wanted to when he had been gifted the custom fan, but there had been others around. He wanted their first kiss to be something intimate, and not viewed by the other peak lords or his daughter. That moment would be something for them and them alone.
When they finally separated it was with the promise that Qingge would take proper care of his new students and make sure they knew there would be actual lessons in things besides killing things, because Shen Jiu had helped him set up practical lessons for them.
Arriving back on his peak was quite entertaining because he stepped off of his sword right in front of the bamboo house where Yingying had been showing the new recruits where he lived (Yingying had decided that she still wanted to live in the dormitories with her friends). He wondered what it looked like to them; he dressed in flowing green and white robes, descending on Xiu Ya with his fan covering the bottom half of his face. It was the quintessential picture of a lofty immortal master.
With a small kiss on Yingying’s forehead, he left her to the new students, heading inside to prepare their dinner for the night. He was thankful that basic life skills like cooking was one of the things he has been taught by the bastard Qius because he use them to provide for his little family.
The idea of a family had been so foreign to Shen Jiu for a long time, but lately, he had realized that he deserved something good after his hellish existence earlier in life. He now officially had a daughter, he was betrothed to a stupidly kind man, and he was happy. It was more than he had ever hoped to want in life. It wasn’t all set in stone yet, but he was still determined to make the best of it before things might fall through.
Settling in his new students hadn’t taken as long as Qingge had expected, so he was happy to get back to A-Jiu sooner than anticipated. Their little family dinners had become one of his favorite events. Sometimes he would bring a beast he had killed, and then A-Jiu would cook some of it up for them, leaving the rest for the cooks that took care of the rest of Qing Jing Peak.
Yingying—when not studying or training—had been spending a lot of time with Mingyan in order to learn about her future father and the Liu Clan. And when she wasn’t with her she was doing everything in her power to make her baba proud. It was heartwarming for Qingge to watch and he was already so proud that he would be able to call the girl his own daughter one day.
When he arrived at the bamboo house the sounds of cooking were floating through the air and Yingying was standing outside with the boy whom A-Jiu wasn’t sure what to do with, so curiosity got the better of him.
“Yingying, is everything alright?”
The girl smiled at him, “Yes, Liu Shishu, everything is fine. A-Luo was just nervous about being on Qing Jing so I thought it might be a good idea to introduce him to Baba and let him see that everything will be alright.”
Qingge and Yingying both knew that Shen Jiu did not like being interrupted when he was in the middle of something, so the boy must be truly terrified if she was willing to do this. Perhaps there was something that he could do to alleviate the boy’s worries so as not to anger the man inside the bamboo house.
“What is your name?” He asked the child, A-Luo.
He seemed a little startled that he had been spoken to but he answered anyway, “This one is Luo Binghe, Sir.”
That was a good start at least, “I am your martial uncle, Liu Qingge of Bai Zhan Peak. I am also your shizun’s intended so I am often here and will help with your combat training. You may address me as Liu Shishu like Yingying did.”
Lou Binghe bowed, “Many thanks, Liu Shishu.”
“Why are you nervous boy? You got into one of the cultivation world’s top sects. On the second-ranking peak even. It is not easy to catch the eye of one such as your shizun. You should be more happy than nervous.”
“Once a brute, always a brute,” the door to the bamboo house opened to let A-Jiu outside. “He is only a child, Qingge. You can’t be so blunt with children. I swear you would never have made peak lord if you weren’t so good at killing things.”
“A-Jiu, why must you always say things like that,” he growled playfully as the omega came to stand next to him.
A hand automatically placed itself on the smaller man’s back as they both faced the young ones.
“I am your new shizun, Shen Qingqiu. Why are you so nervous, Binghe?” Shen Jiu asked in a calming voice.
The boy looked as if he was going to burst into tears at any moment, but an adult trying to be nice to him seemed to be working, “I-I-I j-just want t-to be good enough for you, S-shizun.I want to belong somewhere since I-I have n-no one in this world anymore.”
Qingge could smell the sorrow on his soon-to-be mate, “What do you mean by that, Binghe? Where is your family?”
Now he really did burst into tears as he barreled into A-Jiu, burying his head in the man’s abdomen, “My m-mother d-died and I d-don’t know m-my father. I have no one and nothing except the clothes on my back.” The sorrow grew. Shen Jiu clutched Luo Binghe to him, “That’s not true anymore. You have us.” The boy pulled away slightly, looking up with tear-filled eyes when the adult crouched down to eye level with him. “You have me and Yingying, and your shishus and shigus, and all of the disciples in Cang Qiong. We are a martial family, your family now. You will train and study to be a strong cultivator. It’s going to be alright, I promise.”
With that statement, Luo Binghe looked at Shen Jiu as if he hung the stars, and Qingge could understand that too. To him Shen Jiu was perfect, and the three months of their courtship had been some of the best of his life. The man was kind, smart, reliable, strong, and beautiful. He didn’t know for so long, but he wasn’t going to waste any more time. As soon as they reached the Liu Estate he was going to ask his mother to finish wedding planning so they could marry as soon as possible.
He wanted the omega to be his in every sense of the word and help stabilize his golden core. He was even willing to let Shen Jiu mark him in return, a rarity in the cultivation world because many alphas didn’t want to be bonded to just one omega. It was a disgusting thought that they didn’t want to be fully monogamous when omegas were expected to be devoted to one mate and be virgins when marrying. Qingge had devoted himself fully to Shen Jiu the moment he had decided to court him.
When he tuned back into the conversation it appeared that his intended had invited Luo Binghe to join them for dinner. And with that, he realized that the omega would most likely be adopting another pup soon. He never invited anyone that wasn’t Mingyan or a peak lord to their family dinners. He’d even invited Shang Qinghua one time to try and wheedle information out of the little rat, but he hadn’t broken and only stuttered under the man’s scrutiny. But that was neither here nor there.
Qingge wonder what this new addition was going to bring to their family dynamic. Only time would tell.
The month-long settling-in period for the new disciples had finally ended, and Shen Jiu had never been happier, because it was time for them to head to the Liu Estate for the final bits of wedding planning and the eventual ceremony. He, Qingge, Yingying, Mingyan, and Binghe would all be traveling to the estate by horse since it was only a day-long journey from the sect and only he and Qingge had their own spiritual swords, but first, he and the brute had to get through a peak lords meeting.
They would be taking Binghe because that first night had shown him a broken child much like he was all those years ago, longing for a place to call his own. If he could give that to Binghe then it would be at least a small piece of redemption for all of the crimes he had committed against others.
When the children had gone to bed that night Qingge had asked when he planned to adopt the boy so he could inform his mother that she had another grandchild. That had earned him a thwack from the fan, but it wasn’t entirely untrue. He had been contemplating how soon was too soon to make him an official part of their little family. In the end, he decided to speak with the boy a week after his arrival, and to his surprise, Binghe wanted to be adopted immediately, though he had kept his surname, unlike Yingying.
Madam Liu had been ecstatic when he had included the news about Binghe in one of his letters to update her about his and Qingge’s life in Cang Qiong. She had asked him to try and write at least once or twice a month because her son was horrible at correspondence. In that same letter, he had also asked if she could start planning for the wedding, so hopefully, there wouldn’t be much for them to do by the time they arrived.
That morning when Shen Jiu had woken up he had been feeling a bit feverish. His weak core still allowed him to catch colds several times a year. If he was sick it would only last a day or so, but it was not an ideal time for him to fall ill. Hopefully, he could just ask Mu Qingfang for a tonic during the meeting and have it done with.
When he arrived at the meeting hall on Qiong Ding most of the other peak lords had already arrived, including Qingge. The alpha immediately spotted him, leaving the conversation he was having with Wei Qingwei to come over to him. With only five chi between them, Qingge stopped, scented the air, and looked at him in concern, “You’re heat is coming on soon.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Shen Jiu stammered. Though it did explain him feeling feverish.
“Your scent is almost the same as when we went on that mission where I learned the truth of your designation,” he murmured lowly, “And it’s been four months since you stopped taking your suppressants. You were due for another one soon, so I was keeping an eye out.” A strong hand guided him to their usual seats at the table. “We should delay our trip a few days until it passes. Send Mingyan, Yingying, and Binghe ahead while I stay behind and guard you. Mother will understand.”
He whined in annoyance, “I don’t want to delay. The sooner we go the sooner we can get married.”
Qingge gave him a warm look, “I know, A-Jiu, but I don’t want to risk you going into heat on the road. We’re not bonded so your scent will still attract all the alphas in the area, and we have to go through several large towns to reach the estate. I can protect you, but I don’t want to hurt civilians when we can stay here and avoid the problem altogether.”
Another whine, but followed by a grumbled, “Fine, we can send the others ahead. But I want some of your clothes and blankets for my nest.”
“Of course, anything you want,” the younger man replied happily.
He had scented every blanket and other nesting materials that had been gifted during their courtship, but Shen Jiu wanted the ones he slept with each night because Qingge’s scent would be embedded in the fibers, perfect for an omega’s nest. He wanted to say more, but the meeting was brought to order.
As time ticked on Shen Jiu was feeling more and more feverish, and some of the other peak lords were giving him hungrily, worrying glances. Qi Qingqi and Shang Qinghua were both obviously concerned as fellow omegas. If he were to enter full-blown heat during the meeting there was little he could do to hold back the eight incredibly strong alphas that were their eight martial siblings—not including Qingge.
Standing abruptly, with a slight wobble he spoke to the others, “Excuse me, Zhangmen-Shixiong. I must return to my peak.”
Qingge stood and excused himself as well, but Shen Jiu only made it a few steps before slick started dripping down the inside of his legs and a searing pain flared through his abdomen. The pain had him toppling to the floor. His legs lay in a crumpled heap while one hand supported the rest of his aching body, a curtain of chestnut hair hiding half of his face that was twisted into a grimace.
His heat had begun.
As soon as A-Jiu had stood up Qingge had known he was about to go into heat. The other peak lords had been eyeing him up the entire time, so the Bai Zhan lord had tried to let off as many intimidating pheromones as possible. His normal iron and pine mixed with copper and ozone to let them all know to back the f*ck off. Shen Jiu was his omega and he would kill them all if they so much as tried to lay a hand on him.
He was going to scoop him up and take him back to Qing Jing as soon as they cleared the meeting hall to let him save face in front of the others, but that plan changed when the older man collapsed. The screech of chairs and cloying scents of arousal behind them signaled that the others were approaching.
Alpha and battle instincts took over as Cheng Luan left its sheath as the Bai Zhan War God turned to face his rivals, and they were all about to learn exactly how he had earned his title. None of those f*ckers were going to get anywhere near his mate.
Even in a battle of eight against one, the odds were not in the other lords’ favor. The only person in the room that could match him blow for blow was Yue Qingyuan, and that was only if he drew Xuan Su, and the man only ever did that in a life-or-death scenario.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qi Qingqi scooting around the room to get to A-Jiu and that gave him a little relief. If she could get him out while he held them off things would be a lot easier.
“You can relax, Liu Shidi,” Yue Qingyuan called out to him. “We only want to help Xiao Jiu through his heat. I know you two are courting, but you haven’t bonded yet. He could become our pack omega.”
“I’m no one’s pack omega!”
“Like hell, I’d let that happen!”
He and Shen Jiu had yelled at the same time. The opposing alphas looked shocked that an omega had spoken back to them while in the throes of heat. And by all accounts, it shouldn’t really be possible. An omega in heat should be begging for a knot, but not Shen Jiu. He was strong, stronger than any omega Qingge had ever met before, and he was proud to call him his mate. At least he would be soon.
The other alphas tried to creep forward but one slash from Cheng Luan held them at bay, “One more step and I’ll kill the bastard that takes it. None of you will lay a hand on my omega.”
Just then Qi Qingqi called out to him, “I’ve got him. Where should we go?”
“Qing Jing,” he took a quick glance over his shoulder to see the woman hoisting A-Jiu into her arms. “There’s a ward around the bamboo house that activated the moment his heat hit. Only me and other omegas are allowed in. Go, fast while I hold them back! How long will it take you to make it?”
“About seven minutes,” she called back.
“I’ll give you ten.”
Shen jiu clung to his martial sister like his life depended on it as the heat and cramping continued to ravage him. She tried to murmur to him comfortingly, but that did nothing. He needed his alpha. He needed Qingge to be the one holding him, whispering to him as their combined scents lulled him into relaxing before the alpha shoved his fat knot into his aching hole.
“Alpha,” he whimpered.
“It’s okay, shixiong. Your alpha’s coming soon. For now, let’s just get you to your nest.”
In both an eternity and no time at all they landed on Qing Jing and Qi Qingqi rushed them into the house where Yingying was packing up some of his things for the journey. She was startled at their appearance and was deeply concerned when she saw him in her shigu’s arms.
“Baba, what’s wrong?” She was becoming more and more panicked.
“Your baba is in heat,” the older woman explained as she made her way to the bedroom. “It started during the meeting and the alphas wanted to turn him into a pack omega. Qingge was holding them off so I could get him behind the barrier around the house. I need to get back as soon as possible to make sure he’s alright.”
Once he had been set down Qi Qingqi rushed back out the door, hopping back on her sword. Yingying came to his side, feeling his forehead.
“You’re so warm. Baba, are you going to be alright?” She asked worriedly.
“I’ll be fine,” he gasped through another cramp, “as soon as Qingge gets here. I think I’ve imprinted on him so the pain won’t subside until he’s with me. Yingying, I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“When you father gets here I need you to get Binghe and Mingyan, and go ahead to the Liu Estate and tell Madam Liu why we aren’t with you. Mingyan knows the way. Qingge and I will follow when my heat is over.”
Belatedly, he realized that he had just called Qingge her father. He didn’t know if she would feel comfortable addressing him as such even after they had married despite her saying she would consider him as a parent back when things had just started. The alpha had always been so good with her, treating her as his own pup all because Shen Jiu had claimed her as his. He had been doing the same with Binghe too. And he couldn’t wait to see what would happen when they had a baby. Something he could see very soon if Qingge would just hurry up and get to him. He knew that the brute was strong enough to incapacitate the others in no time, and he needed him immediately.
“I don’t want to leave you like this,” Yingying broke him out of his thoughts.
The thought was heartwarming, but she was not the one to be with him while in heat, “I’ll be alright, sweet girl. Qingge will take good care of me.”
“I won’t let anything happen to him,” came the unmistakable voice of his mate.
Both omegas snapped their heads in his direction and Shen Jiu preened when he realized that there was not a single hair out of place on the alpha’s head.
“What happened,” he winced from the pain in his abdomen though the pain had lessened since they were in the same room.
“I didn’t kill them, but they definitely have first-hand experience as to why I’m called the Bai Zhan War God now. If they’re smart they’ll never even sniff in your direction ever again,” he announced assuredly.
“Yingying, go and do as I instructed,” he told the girl. “I need to have words with your father.”
The slight unknown edge in his words must have scared her off, because in no time the door to the bamboo house was shut behind her, leaving the alpha and omega alone. When Shen Jiu looked closely he could see Qingge’s dilated pupils and smell his obvious arousal with the added sweetness of patchouli in his scent, but he was clearly holding himself back from pouncing on what was rightfully his.
“Come here,” Shen Jiu commanded.
Qingge did as he was told, only stopping when he was a hairsbreadth of space between them, “I can’t stay in here much longer or I’ll do something both of us will regret.”
Shen Jiu lowered his lashes, inhaling his alpha’s intoxicating aroma, “Why would I regret letting my alpha knot me.”
With a growl, Liu Qingge surged forward to crush their mouths together. It was incredibly wet and sloppy for a first kiss, but still, perfect because of who it was with. Lithe hands had buried themselves in grey robes, trying to get rid of the layers between them, but despite their closeness, he wouldn’t be satisfied until they were tied together.
By the time he had gotten rid of Qingge’s outer robe and tunic, the alpha had maneuvered them into the middle of the nest with their mouths never disconnecting. While he went to work on the brute’s pants a hot mouth was working at his scent gland, causing him to gasp in pleasure. Even when he had been with the bastard his scent glands had always been especially sensitive. A single nip from Qingge had him careening over the edge into oblivion.
“Did you just?”
“Don’t, don’t say anything it’s—”
“Incredibly arousing to know that my omega came from just that.”
Shen Jiu whined. He’d never been called arousing before. And for it to come from someone as gorgeous as Liu Qingge was an incredible compliment. He needed everything the man was willing to give him. His mark, his knot, his love. Anything, as long as it was Liu Qingge he didn’t care. For over 20 years he was the only one to show him any true kindness that wasn’t out of obligation. He was the first person to ever see the real Shen Jiu and decide that he genuinely wanted him for more than just his looks or his keen mind.
“I love you,” he admitted. “I won’t lie and say that I’ve always loved you. I was attracted to your body when we were disciples, and then I hated you for looking down on me, but I can say for certain that I love you now that I’ve gotten to know you as the real me. I went into this courtship thinking I could use you and the Liu Clan as a buffer if anyone were to ever try and come after me for some imagined slight, but along the way, I actually began to fall for you.
“All of your thoughtful courting gifts, your actions towards me, seeing you with Yingying and Binghe and Mingyan, and just now you defending me from the other peak lords has made me fall deeper and deeper in love with you. I love you so much that I imprinted on you somewhere along the way. You’ve melted the ice I spent so long building up around my heart, and I want to belong to you in every way possible. Mind, body, and soul. I can’t offer you my first time, but I can guarantee that I give myself to you willingly if you’ll still have me.”
The alpha leaned in to kiss him again. This time was softer, sweeter than the first. And when he pulled away it was with a beautiful smile that highlighted the mole under his left eye, “I will always be willing to have you, my A-Jiu. I dedicated my entire being to you the moment I decided to court you. During that first heat, I spent my time trying to figure out how I could change myself to suit you. How I could convince you to be mine one day.
“I wanted to prove that I could be a good mate after the hell I put you through from when we were disciples up until that fateful day. I spent shichen after shichen agonizing over what I could give to you as courting gifts. I wanted to kill the sect leader after what he had done to you. I would have killed the Qius if you hadn’t already.
“I love seeing you with Yingying and the other disciples. I love seeing you having fun with the jiejies at the Warm Red Pavilion.” Each declaration was followed by a kiss. “I love your kindness, your beauty, your brain, but most of all I love you, my A-Jiu. Gods I love you more than anything in the world.”
“Even more than you love killing things?” He half-joked. A part of him would always question if this man loved him. The little voice inside his head was not kind after all.
“Even more than I love killing things,” Qingge murmured through yet another kiss.
“Then I need you to f*ck me through my heat,” the omega ground out through another wave of pain. “I don’t want my heats to hurt anymore, so I need you to see me through this one and every heat after.”
Qingge growled deep in his chest, “I can definitely do that.”
He had pulled away for just a moment to finish undressing when the omega whimpered at the loss, “Start taking off your clothes baobei. I don’t know where all of your fastenings are.”
The omega hurried to do as he was told. Each carefully kept layer falling away thanks to muscle memory, but Qingge hoped that one day very soon he would be just as adept at undressing his mate. And when all of that milk-white skin was barred to his viewing pleasure it made his mouth water and his teeth clench at the thought of tasting it all, marking it up so that everyone would know once and for all just who Shen Jiu belonged to.
Said man was staring at him, particularly his erect co*ck, in equally matched hunger, “See something you want baobei?”
“What I want is for you to shut up and f*ck me already!” He snapped.
Following orders, he crawled back into the nest, but just as he was eye-level with Shen Jiu’s leaking co*cklet he stopped.
“What are you—” A-Jiu stopped to moan mid-sentence when his mouth descended on his weeping c*nt.
During one of their regular visits to the Warm Red Pavilion, some of the jiejies had pulled him to the side while Shen Jiu and Yingying were giving music lessons, and informed him, in very graphic detail, how to please an omega in or out of heat. They had even given him several spring books about sex with male omegas that he had had to sneak out in his qiankun pouch. In the end, he was grateful for the advice and books because he was going to use all of his accumulated knowledge to pleasure his A-Jiu.
While his tongue lapped up sweet slick one hand played with his co*cklet and the other was slowly fingering him open. In no time at all the omega was a writhing mess. He had barely inserted a second finger when Shen Jiu tensed and more slick and cum squirted into his mouth. It was delicious and he was excited to see just how many times he could make him cum before they were knotted together. He was aiming for six at the rate they were going.
Giving the man a small break he raised his head, “Are you alright to keep going? I don’t want to push you too far.”
“I’ll tell you if something’s too much,” he snapped. “Now hurry up and get your co*ck in me already. I need your knot.”
“Not until I’ve worked you open with three fingers. I’m not going to hurt you like that. If we’re doing this it’s going to be after I’ve prepared you properly. Male omegas aren’t the same as female omegas. You’re both designed to take a knot, but men benefit greatly from being prepared first.”
“How the hell would you know that?” The question was punctuated with a roll of his hips down onto questing fingers, jealousy lacing his next words. “Have you f*cked many male omegas before? Should I be worried about your past lovers coming after me once we’re married?”
The alpha blushed as he continued his ministrations, “I’ve never slept with anyone. The jiejies told me what to do and gave me some books on how to make you happy.”
The hip rolling stopped, “And you actually listened to what they said and read the books?”
“Of course I did,” he crooked his fingers in such a way that brought on another org*sm. It would be interesting to see if A-Jiu was just as sensitive outside of his heat. Maybe he should up his goal to eight. “I want to take care of you properly. I even went back without you a few times to ask for more advice about this and in general for how to make you happy.”
“You really do love me, don’t you?” He whispered.
“I really do,” Qingge replied honestly. “All I’ve wanted to do since that day was make you happy. You don’t even want to know how many fans I threw out trying to get the design just right. Or how often I doubted each courting gift for that matter. I never want to disappoint you or hurt you ever again.”
“Come up here you dumb brute.”
Not extracting his hand while moving up the nest was a bit tricky, but he managed all the same so that their faces were level with each other despite their height difference. Shen Jiu wrapped his arms around Qingge’s shoulders to crush them closer as he slotted their mouths together in the most passionate kiss yet. It wasn’t as sloppy as their first, but it still managed to encompass every ounce of their shared desire.
During the kiss, he managed to add a third finger to his ministrations and in the process wrung out a fourth org*sm, and he certainly wasn’t going to stop there and risk bad luck. He didn’t stop moving his fingers until his count had hit five. A-Jiu whined when he pulled the digits out but he promised that they would be replaced with something much more pleasurable in just a second.
Reaching between them he lined up the tip of his co*ck with A-Jiu’s entrance, checking one last time to make sure everything was alright. When he got a nod in return he pushed just barely past the tip. Qingge knew that he was big even for an alpha and even with his preparation the omega had tensed up beneath him.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, pressing reassuring kisses all over his lover’s face. “It will get better soon, just bear with me a little longer. Try and wrap your legs around me, okay?”
A-Jiu did as he was asked and that seemed to ease a little of the burden, allowing him to slip in until he was sheathed halfway, “We’re almost there. Will you be alright if I push in all the way?”
Another nod was all he was given, but it was enough confirmation for him to finish pushing in so their hips were flush. A-Jiu was tight around him, and it was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced. He could see why men paid for it constantly, but no one else could ever compare to his mate, “Let me know when I can move.”
They stayed just like that for several minutes while A-Jiu got used to the feeling of him until the other man spoke, “You can move now, and don’t you dare go slow. I want to lose my voice because you’re f*cking me so hard.”
That challenge called to some primal part of his psyche he had never known before, “Are you sure you want to play that game, little omega?”
Shen Jiu tensed ever so slightly, but his mate would never back down, even in the midst of his heat, “Do your worst.”
He should really know better than to challenge an alpha that was literally balls deep inside of him. Particularly, one that was quick to temper like Liu Qingge. As soon as he had uttered those three words his lover’s hips snapped into a relentless rhythm that had him reaching his peak for a sixth time in just a few short thrusts. And just as with his fingers, the alpha didn't stop with his climax. It was as if his challenge to f*ck him voiceless was a new way for him to let out some of the aggression he had pent up from no longer constantly fighting Shen Jiu.
And if the brutal f*cking he was taking was the result of that he was more than happy to take this new type of beating. If Qiu Jianluo was still alive he couldn't even hope to hold a candle to this kind of pleasure. To that bastard, Shen Jiu had simply been a hole that couldn't say no, but to Qingge he was a prized mate that he had sacrificed his own comfort for in order to properly learn how to pleasure him.
Shen Jiu could feel the knot forming at the base of the other man's co*ck. It had started popping at his rim every time he pulled out or pushed in. The odd stimulation was quickly forcing him towards his seventh org*sm. And it was at that moment he realized what Qingge was trying to do. The brute was trying to get him to cum eight times. He would bet his best cultivation manual that he had decided to see just how much he could toy with the omega when he had cum so easily in the beginning and then decided that he should shoot for a lucky number somewhere along the way.
It was a bit annoying to have his sensitivity played with in that way, but he couldn't say that he minded it all that much. Having his brains f*cked out by his gorgeous mate was perhaps the best thing to ever happen to him. Just as that thought entered his mind the knot popped into his c*nt for the last time before swelling to its full size, triggering his eighth and final org*sm as he was pumped full of Liu Qingge’s cum, and hopefully his pups.
It would be a miracle if he fell pregnant after just a single heat with the man he loved. It would also be a wonderful present to tell their friends and family that they were already expecting. Though they would wait till after the wedding to tell them even though cultivators had the ability to tell if they were with child once their qi settled down after a heat cycle. There had even been some cases where a heat stopped altogether because someone had been knocked up, but those were few and far between, and as far as he knew none of those cases had been with a male omega.
As the pair lay locked together in the aftermath of their love-making Shen Jiu could tell that he was still in heat, so he could rule out pregnancy from their initial coupling, but that didn't mean that it couldn't happen after several more rounds. That was something he definitely wasn't opposed to finding out in the slightest.
“I can hear you thinking, A-Jiu,” the alpha called out to him. “What’s going on up in that big head of yours?”
“Just wondering if you might have just gotten me pregnant,” he replied with a huff.
“Is there a chance I just got you pregnant?”
“Of course, there is you idiot. I haven't been taking any birth control,” he smacked the other on his sweaty chest as they were shifted so the omega could lay down on said chest. “We hadn’t even properly kissed before today, so I hadn’t thought to take any. I was going to start it when we reached the estate so it would have enough time to take effect before our wedding night.”
“That makes sense I suppose.”
The older man burst into laughter at the pure idiocy of the statement. He hadn’t taken any since he had joined Cang Qiong since there hadn’t been an instance of him even close to having sex with someone. Physical attraction, sure, but nothing that would amount to him revealing his most closely guarded secret. Even Wu Yanzi hadn’t known he was an omega in the two years they had been master and disciple.
“I know you said that there wouldn’t be anyone for me to worry about after our wedding, but you should know that it’s the same for me. I never let anyone touch me after the bastard,” he placed a small kiss on one of the scars on Liu Qingge’s chest. The Bai Zhan lord was one of the few cultivators he had ever met that didn’t use his qi to get rid of scars since he saw them as badges of honor.
“I’ve never seen you show interest in anyone before, so it’s nice to hear it from your lips. As far as I’m concerned you will be my one and only,” Qingge ran a hand through his sweaty brown locks.
“I wish I could say the same. I’ll always have the taint of another man on me,” came his whispered demon.
A strong hand brought his face up so that they were looking each other dead in the eye, “Shen Jiu, my A-Jiu, you are not tainted. As far as I am concerned I am your one and only. You and I just made love. What that bastard did to you was assault. If you hadn’t killed him when you did I would have the moment I learned of his transgressions.
“Even if you and I weren’t courting I would have wanted to kill him. People like that deserve a fate worse than death. I hope in his next life he has the same, if not worse, done to him. Fate will not look upon him kindly for what he did.”
Tears. All he could see were tears. Scum like him did not deserve to be loved by someone as kind as Liu Qingge. If fate was going to frown on Qiu Jianluo then it must now be smiling upon Shen Jiu.
“I would have no one else then,” he choked out between sobs.
“Nor would I.”
When the knot went down A-Jiu immediately started begging for another one, and on and on the cycle went for three days. Even in sleep, they were locked together. There had been several instances in the middle of the night where Qingge had woken up to the omega riding him, begging for a knot. They had coupled in every iteration from the spring books he had been given and then some. One time he had even knotted his mate’s mouth after a very enthusiastic mutual oral session. And though A-Jiu had said he enjoyed it the alpha had made sure that it hadn’t happened again for fear of him hurting the smaller man.
On the night of the third day as they lay in the same position as they had during their first time he had been informed that the heat was finally over. Qingge was thankful, to say the least. While he had very much enjoyed the experience as a whole it had been exhausting trying to keep up with an omega in heat. Thankfully, after they bonded his ruts would start synching ups with A-Jiu’s heat so they would have the highest chances at reproduction.
“I need to go see Mu Qingfang,” the omega told him.
Qingge growled. The idea of any of the other peak lords besides Qi Qingqi being anywhere near his mate after the stunt they had pulled at the meeting was disgusting. Even Shang Qinghua hadn’t done anything to help either of them during the whole ordeal. It was like the man had vanished into thin air because he was nowhere to be found after he had knocked out the other eight peak lords.
“I don’t want any of them anywhere near you until at least after we’ve bonded.”
“Then we need to find another physician that’s a cultivator. I need them to confirm something for me.”
That made his head snap up. There were only two possibilities for what he needed to confirm with a cultivating physician. Either his core had stabilized after their vigorous couplings, but that wasn’t likely because they had yet to bond. Or…
“Do you, do you think that you’re?”
The question hung in the air between them. A-Jiu had confirmed that there was a possibility after their first time and an omega was most fertile during their heat even if the alpha wasn’t in rut. They hadn’t discussed it further after that, but they had both agreed that it would be wonderful to have their own biological children at some point. He hadn’t actually thought that it would be so soon though.
“I feel…different. I don’t know if it’s just because of the dual cultivation or something else. I want to get checked just to be sure since I was never taught how to identify my own pregnancy because I hid my designation.”
He gulped, “Cang Qiong is the biggest sect near to the Liu Estate, but there are several smaller ones along the way. Since the others went ahead we can use our swords to reach one of them so you can be checked and go on from there. It should only take us about a shichen to reach the closest one.”
Shen Jiu nodded his agreement, “We must bathe first. I refuse to leave this house reeking of sex.”
“Of course. Do you want me to go back to Bai Zhan or—”
“We will bathe together in order to save time. It is only logical.”
“Of course,” Qingge smirked. “We wouldn’t want to waste any time by bathing separately. It is only logical.”
And if they ended up tied together in the bath that was no one’s business but their own.
So maybe they hadn’t saved time by bathing together before their departure. At least Qingge had already been wearing his travel qiankun pouches so he didn’t have to return to his peak for a change of clothes. Since they would be traveling by sword the alpha had braided his usually loose hair for their extended flight, and the style also showed off the heavy bruising on his neck. If Shen Jiu didn’t know any better he would say that the brute had offered to braid his hair solely to show off the marks he had left.
True to his word they reached a small sect after only a shichen. As soon as they had touched down on the outskirts they were greeted by a disciple that escorted them to their sect’s physician. It was a kindly old woman who was more than happy to examine him after hearing about what had happened.
“Do you want him in the room while I check your meridians,” Madam Li asked him.
“If I am carrying a child that belongs to him then it is only right we find out together,” he replied strongly.
“Very well. If you could please undress from the waist up I will show you both how to check for in the future. It can be done through the wrist, but the best results are felt through the lower dantian.”
Shen Jiu did as the woman bade and if she shout anything of the numerous marks littering his skin she kept it to herself. With two fingers she showed Qingge where to feel along his lower dantian, “Are you familiar with how his qi feels normally?”
“Yes, ma’am. We have exchanged spiritual power on enough occasions for us to both be intimate with how the other’s qi flows,” the alpha replied earnestly. “Though we had never been physically intimate until this heat. We were planning to wait until our wedding night, but circ*mstances led us to share this past heat.”
“I understand. The Liu Clan is very honorable and I have heard as much of the War God of Bai Zhan Peak,” she snickered. “Had you not already been betrothed I would have expected you to have asked for his hand after something like this. Now tell me, do you feel something different in his qi.”
There was a slight pause in the conversation as Qingge probed his meridians, “There’s more yin energy than he normally has. It’s feint but I can definitely feel a difference. What does that mean?”
“Congratulations to you, Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge, you are expecting. It is too early to say if it’s more than one child, but you are expecting nonetheless. If you are expecting more than one child you will be able to tell somewhere around the three-month mark,” Madam Lismiled at them both as Shen Jiu turned around to hug his mate. “If you are still uncomfortable with seeing the physician at Cang Qiong around then please feel free to come back and I will do another exam.”
The omega didn’t want to let go of Qingge as tears started to flow from his eyes, “We’re having a baby. I’m so happy, Qingge. We’re actually having a baby.”
“I love you my A-Jiu, my mate, the mother of our children,” the alpha murmured into his hair. “We haven’t even performed our bows and you have already given me the gift of three wonderful children.”
“So you have carried before?” The woman seemed surprised. “That will make this third time a walk in the park.”
When the pair separated Shen Jiu addressed the woman with a laugh as he redressed, “My other children Shen Yingying and Luo Binghe are both recently adopted, though I have been looking after Yingying since the day she was born. As I said when we arrived, I have been hiding my designation for nearly twenty years and only thanks to Qingge did I feel comfortable enough to officially make her mine. I did not want to bring shame upon her or her mother by claiming her as my daughter as a beta male while her mother was a courtesan I was friends with.
“Binghe was a newer addition. He has only been part of our sect for a month and I officially adopted him after just a week. Qingge tried to get a rise out of me that first night by asking how long I was going to wait until adopting the boy, but I did end up making it official a week later. The brute is my one and only.”
He had decided to echo their promise from that first night as he and his mate made direct eye contact. There was a tenderness in Qingge’s eyes that made him fall in love all over again. He wanted to get to the Liu Estate as soon as possible both to hug their children and finish wedding planning so they could officially start the rest of their lives together.
Upon their arrival, there was a flurry of activity, but Qingge could clearly see that assuring the children that he was alright was his top priority while he was left to speak with his family. Mingyan had led them away towards his, now their, personal courtyard as his mother came to speak with him.
“I can see that you are completely enamored with that man when I seem to recall not that long ago you voicing a deep mistrust of him,” the Liu matriarch placed a warm hand on his shoulder as she led him into the main hall where his father and uncles were waiting.
“I let myself just too harshly with the limited information I had,” he admitted, taking a seat across from his smiling father. “I intend to spend the rest of our lives making it up to him.”
“Good,” she smiled back. “If you didn’t I was planning to disown you and adopt him instead.”
“Jie,” Uncle Yufei—the younger uncle—chastised his sister. “You could at least let the boy stay in the family, but just relegate him to a cousin status.”
“No, no, no, she’s quite right. Letting a catch like that one go would be a crime in-and-of itself,” Uncle Yulong backed up her statement.
It was only his father, Liu Junfeng, that finally brought the joking to an end, “Enough you three. Li-Jie will be marrying Shen Jiu soon and has already voiced his regrets of past treatment time and again, so let’s cut the boy some slack.”
Most people said that Liu Qingge had inherited his mother’s name, honor, and temper; and his father’s blunt personality. His and Mingyan’s looks were the perfect combination of both genes. If he hadn’t been born male Qingge would probably wear a veil same as his sister. He hoped that one day he and a-Jiu would have as harmonious a marriage as his parents. They were the ones that taught him what true love looked like.
When the adults had calmed down he spoke directly to his mother, “I am sorry for our tardiness. A-Jiu went into heat suddenly and I had to stay and protect him from the other peak lords. They wanted to make him the pack omega, so I showed them why they should never see my mate like that ever again. I will take any punishment you see fit for the trouble we may have caused.”
“So you are already mates despite not having bowed yet?” The tone was sharp and accusatory. “The Liu are not ones to take advantage of someone in moments of great weakness. You were to wait until after the wedding before consummating the union. I should disown you for that alone and do not try to hide anything from me when Shen Jiu’s neck still bears your marks. You should have stood guard during his heat and nothing more. What will people say when they learn of your transgressions.”
Qingge backed away from the table to prostrate himself before his elders, “Forgive me, Mother. I was weak to have given in to my instincts like that. He was in a most vulnerable state, and I took advantage. I deserve to be punished as you see fit, and I will bear it without complaint.”
“You will do no such thing!”
All eyes turned to stare at where A-Jiu was standing proudly at the entrance as if he were the head of the Liu Clan and not Liu Li-Jing, wielding his fan like a sword. Shen Jiu strode into the hall and pulled Qingge up from the ground as he spoke directly to his mother, “Liu Qingge has been nothing but an outstanding gentleman this entire time.
“When he learned of my true designation he ignored his instincts and stood guard for me even as I whined for relief. He has pledged to treat my children as his own despite having no ties to them outside of the sect. And he defended me from our eight, alpha, marital siblings, including our sect leader, who all sought to turn me into their personal whor*. He intended to stand guard again when I coaxed him into my nest. If you are to punish someone for acting dishonorably of the Liu clan then it will be me.”
“No, A-Jiu, your condition won’t allow—”
“Silence!” Shen Jiu snapped his fan open, never once looking away from Liu Li-Jing. “I am speaking to the head of the Liu Clan and I will not be interrupted.” The two omegas seemed to square off as he continued speaking.
“If you see Liu Qingge’s actions as dishonorable and need to see him punished then I will stand next to him and accept punishment as well. I will not see my mate harmed for our mutual decision. I may not yet bear his mark, but I do bear his child. Know that if you punish us you will also be putting the future heir of the Liu Clan in harm's way. What would the cultivation world think of the clan that puts a pregnant omega and their pup through something like the discipline whip?”
Silence filled the hall for several moments until his mother raised her hands and began clapping with a wide grin. Soon the other elders began clapping as well until the sound was near deafening, “Well done, Shen Jiu. I can truly see how you both angered and captivated my son. A silver tongue like that will do well to aid Li-Jie when he becomes clan leader. With your brains and his brawn, I can see the prosperous future of our family. I can only imagine the genius that will be your child when they arrive. Now come here so I may properly meet my son-in-law."
They had intended to wait until after the wedding to inform the family of his pregnancy, but Shen Jiu refused to see Qingge harmed for something he had initiated. He didn’t give two f*cks about how the Liu Clan appeared if they didn’t push his alpha. And putting his sharp mind to work had turned the tides in their favor, earning the approval of the Liu head and the rest of her company.
After that initial tussle things mellowed out as he was properly introduced to his soon-to-be family. He could see exactly where the brute had inherited each trait. It would be truly terrifying to see what hell their child would unleash on the world when they were born, but Shen Jiu would bet all the money in the world that if the world burned they would rise up as a phoenix to make everything new.
Wedding planning was finalized and a date was set for three days after he agreed to have the marks seen by a healer so he would look the properly chaste bride for the ceremony. It had also been agreed that they would attribute the child’s conception to the wedding night after a bond had been established. Liu Li-Jing had almost convinced them to leave Cang Qiong because of the other peak lords’ horrendous behavior, but they decided to stay for the disciples in the end.
On the day of the wedding, Yingying and Mingyan helped him bathe and dress in his wedding robes of rich red brocade that had been embroidered with golden phoenixes, a golden circlet studded with rubies connected to gold chains that draped around his head, and finally, a red veil that was enough to hide his features but still allowing him to see was placed over his head. A bird that truly fit the story of his life of rising from the ashes of slavery into the second-ranking peak lord of one of the most influential sects of the cultivation world. And this new rebirth as the husband of the Bai Zhan War God was just a step into what would be a gloriously beautiful life.
When it was time for the ceremony he was escorted to the main hall by his children, but they had to precede him in so they could be seated in front of him and Qingge for the bows and tea ceremony. They had both been given their own special clothes for the ceremony along with dozens of other gifts from the Liu clan to help welcome them into their ranks. Madam Liu had been especially happy to have new members to dote on.
Music began to play as the doors opened and Shen Jiu’s breath caught when he saw his husband in his red robes. They were cut in a similar style to his own but instead had been embroidered with dragons and wolves to match the fierceness of an alpha and Liu Clan head. His hair had been put into an intricately designed golden hair crown dotted with rubies. The biggest difference between their robes was that Qingge’s were of a tighter fit while his own were loose and flowing, in a perfect display of their own styles while still being a matching pair.
When he reached the alter Liu Qingge did as was instructed by removing his veil, handing it off to an attendantbefore they both turned back to the officiant. First, they washed themselves, and then each other. Then sharing a cup of wine that had been pre-poured, and then it was time for the bows.
Shen Jiu’s heart rate picked upand he could tell it was the same for his almost-husband. The bows would seal them together forever because there was no way in hell that he was going to let this man go ever again. He had been waiting for this day for far too long despite it only being four months and an extra week of courting due to his heat. The excited nerves were making him wasn’t to fidget, but he would not ruin the occasion by succumbing to nerves.
Moving out of the way the officiant instructed them both again, “Bow to the heavens.”
They each bent low at the waist in front of the alter to honor the gods and king of the heavens.
“Bow to the families.”
This time they turned to where Qingge’s parents and their children were seated, bowing deeply once again. He spotted tears in the eyes of their families, and that made him want to cry in turn, but once again he refused to show weakness even if it was for a wholesome reason.
“And finally, bow to each other.”
Turning halfway back to the alter they faced each other. Liu Qingge was smiling so brightly it was infectious and Shen Jiu couldn’t help but return the smile. For the third and final time, the pair bowed, so as to seal them together as husbands. Uproarious applause broke out through the entire hall as they were announced as husbands.
Normally, an omega would take their husband’s last name, but because Shen Jiu was the elder in both age and martial standing he would retain his own name and titles. All of that had officially labeled them as husbands by law, but the wedding night where Qingge would mark him would seal them as mates, though they had both felt tied together for far longer.
The Qing Jing Lord’s favorite tea had been prepared for their families for the ceremony. He would have liked to brew it himself but time had not permitted that, so he instructed a servant the night before in how to properly prepare the brew of black tea and cardamom. Each family member happily accepted the drinks, showing off their acceptance of him and Qingge into their respective families. And then it was time for the wedding banquet.
Qingge did not pay attention to anything through the wedding banquet that was not his new husband, and no one would fault him for that. When it was time for them to leave he swept A-Jiu up into a bridal carry so he could bear the man over the threshold of their now-shared quarters, because they refused to be one of those couples that slept apart.
The bridal chamber was also decorated in rich reds and gold, but the details remained lost to him as A-Jiu instructed him to place him at the edge of the bed. When that was done they simply stared at each other for a moment until he broke the silence.
“I love you, A-Jiu,” he admitted yet again. “Thank you for agreeing to marry me. I don’t know what I would have done if you had said no.”
“How could I possibly say no when you would have just kept asking until I said yes,” he joked. “And I love you so much that I could never possibly imagine myself married to anyone else. You and our children are my everything, and that will never change.”
“Let me make you my mate,” he pleaded. “Let me give you my mark so that no one will ever be able to get between us ever again.”
A-Jiu nodded and began the process of removing his wedding robes. Not needing any other confirmation he too began stripping, and then they were both bared of their clothing and accessories the omega stood before him, tilting his head to the side so that his entire throat was on full display, but Qingge stopped him with a kiss, “No, I want you to mark me first.”
Shen Jiu’s eyes went wide, “You want me to mark you?”
He nodded, “This is an equal partnership. I want nothing and no one besides you as my mate. So, please, Shen Jiu, make me yours.”
Tears began to fall as the smaller man brought one hand up to his left cheek, guiding his head to the side while the other hand caressed the naked skin of his waist. There was a chaste kiss placed to the juncture of his neck before sharp, omega, canines pierced the skin of his scent gland. There was a flood of familiar qi through his meridians as A-Jiu lapped at the mark in an effort to clean it up, and when he was satisfied the omega declared it his turn.
Qingge followed a similar path by guiding his mate’s head to the side, running a comforting hand along his side, and then a small kiss to the left side of his neck. With one heavy bite, A-Jiu cried out as teeth sunk in to leave a proper mark. Their qi would be warped together in a way no one would ever be able to tear apart, and when one of them eventually passed away the other would immediately follow.
When he eventually pulled away it was to the sight of a teary-eyed, smiling mate as he said, “You’re mine now.”
“I think I always was, Qingge. I think I was always meant to be yours.”
“We were always meant for each other, my A-Jiu. I’m just sad that it took me this long to realize just how amazing you are. I swear to spend the rest of our lives making sure you and our children are happy and taken care of. I swear to be loyal and true so that you need never doubt my devotion to you. And I swear to listen to you in all things no matter the consequences. You are my mate, and I will always put you before everything else, and seek no glory outside of what you deem appropriate. I swear all of these things upon my honor as an alpha and a member of the Liu Clan.”
“I accept your pledge and vow in return that we shall never part upon pain of death, and that I will put you and our children above all else. I swear this upon my honor as the Qing Jing Peak Lord and the Xiu Ya Sword.”
Having received such a heartfelt oath Qingge pulled A-Jiu closer to himself for a passionate kiss, “Let me make love to you?”
“Always.”
8 Years Later
Shen Jiu fanned himself lazily as he, Yingying, and Mingyan watched his seven-year-old twin boys sprint around the training grounds of Qing Jing, chasing after Binghe and his betrothed, Mobei Yuan. It had been a rather eventful year after Binghe had been revealed to be a powerful half-demon during the Immoral Alliance Conference and then they had all learned that the rat Shang Qinghua had been the mate of the Mobei Clan heir since they were children.
That had been why the man was always so scared of others. He was trying to keep his mate and child a secret while still being a peak lord. When the full story had been explained to him Shen Jiu had decided that he would aid the An Ding Peak Lord in facilitating a peaceful existence between the humans and demons if only for his own son to have an easier life. During that process, Binghe had fallen in love with his laoshi, as he called Mobei Yuan since the other half-demon had helped him come to terms with his heritage and bring his powers into check.
Eventually, he begged Shen Jiu and Qingge to set up a marriage between him and A-Yuan. So, one day he pulled Qinghua to the side to see if he thought the older boy would be amenable to marriage. It would be a perfect match since Binghe had presented as an alpha and A-Yuan was an omega that was able to temper his son’s wildness. Complicated emotions had crossed the tiny man’s face, but he had agreed to speak with his son on the matter.
Two weeks later the Mobei family had invited them all for a meal at An Ding Peak where it had been agreed that Mobei Yuan would happily marry Binghe so long as the other boy didn’t fall in love with another over a year-long courtship. Binghe had voiced his agreement immediately, pledging that he would fall in love with no one else.
There had been no sign of Binghe’s affections wavering in the five months since their engagement, and with help from both of his parents had given numerous courting gifts that showed the wealth and status of the Liu Clan, just as Qingge had done for him all those years ago.
A-Yuan had joined Qing Jing Peak as its head disciple upon Shen Jiu’s discovery of the boy’s mastery of the four arts, and his significant martial prowess thanks to his training with Mobei Jun since childhood. The boy was kind to all and he seemed to have a unique relationship with his human father that seemed almost brotherly at times. But he was a good child that Shen Jiu would be happy to welcome into his family when the time came. It would just be interesting to attend a wedding in the demon realm. The twins were sure to get a kick out of it.
“What are you thinking?” Qingge asked as he stepped off of his sword. The man had just arrived home from a day of training his disciples on Bai Zhan.
“Just wondering how we’re going to manage a wedding in the demon realm in a few months when it’s time for Binghe and A-Yuan to marry. I can only imagine the chaos our children and Mingyan will get up to.”
Qingge snorted as the fan closed, “I’m sure we’ll manage. Mobei Jun will kill anyone that tries to get in the way of his son’s happiness, human or demon. Though he won’t mind a bit of chaos seeing as who he’s married to.”
That caused them both to laugh. Mobei Jun was truly a force to be reckoned with when it came to his family. Things would no doubt go smoothly, but he would keep his guard up nonetheless, “You’re right. How are things on Bai Zhan?”
“Fine, the sect leader came to speak with me today,” the man grit out angrily. He had never forgiven Yue Qingyuan and the other alphas for what they had tried to do all those years ago. They interacted with them as little as possible while still maintaining the appearance of a unified front. “He wants to know when he’ll get to meet the twins. He said he wants to meet his brother’s children. I had to force myself not to kill him on the spot. I don’t want him anywhere near my family.”
“He will never meet them or any of our children if I have anything to say about it. He burned his last bridge on that day. I am your omega and no one else’s,” he replied, voicing the thoughts that were surly going through Qingge’s head as he placed a protective hand over his baby bump.
He was four or five months along with their second set of twins. This time they had learned of the pregnancy on their own after another heat. They had agreed that he could still see Mu Qingfang for his medical care after his first pregnancy had given the Qian Cao lord an opportunity to apologize and show that he meant no harm to him or their children, but it was still limited visits for his heath.
Still, they had gone to Madam Li that first time to learn how to detect multiple holders and she had congratulated them and asked for them to visit an old woman from time to time. She had passed away just before this new pregnancy but it was known by all that she was looking over them all as she waited for reincarnation.
“I can’t wait for the day when the boys succeed us and we can just move back to the Liu Estate,” he admitted.
“I agree. It should only be a couple more years until Binghe is skilled enough to defeat me in single combat at the rate he’s been growing since his demonic heritage was revealed,” the alpha admitted. “I didn’t think the day would come so soon, but I can’t say that I’m upset about it.”
“A-Yuan will be able to take over of me by them as well, and Mobei doesn’t plan on dying anytime soon so they have plenty of time to train their own disciples until then.”
“Does it sometimes shock you that we’ve only been married for eight years?”
“Yes and no,” he admitted. “Our beginning was certainly not a normal one, but I can’t imagine myself having ended up with anyone else. You were the first person to see the real me, and for that, I will always be grateful.”
The fan opened again as Qingge bent down to give him a kiss behind the mountains on their fan. It was a move they had perfected over their eight years of marriage like many others. It didn’t matter who saw them, but it was nice to have small privacies in public. He could hear the children laughing in the background, and at that moment like many others in their life together everything was perfect.
Shen Yuan or Mobei Yuan in this life was utterly annoyed. He had been born to one of the most annoying characters of Proud Immoral Demon Way, but it wasn’t even the canon novel he had been born into. It was one of the weird omegaverse spin-offs (where he was an omega) that had so many differences from the original novel that it had taken him a while to realize just what was going on. And then to top it all off he was engaged to Lou Binghe as his monogamous mate, so he would be marrying into the Liu-Shen family that had adopted him upon his joining of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect.
And when he learned that he wasn’t the only transmigrator in his family he nearly killed his mother, A.K.A. Shang Qinghua, A.K.A. Airplane Shooting Through The Sky. Mobei Jun had torn him off of the idiotic author and promptly punished him by sending him to An Ding Peak for a month as punishment. It was rocky for a while after that, but eventually, the little family calmed down.
In the end, he just hoped that the wedding would go off without a hitch so he could appease the System, and if he got a super hot, super devoted husband out of it whole was he to complain?
