“You kept it? How petty can you be, you old bastard?” Rou asked as he pulled some of the dung out of his hair. The exact same dung Rou had sent Shen Yu. He had kept it in his storage ring.

Shen Yu laughed at the sheer incredulity in his voice.

“Of course I did! I had to return your gift—it was shit!”

Rou barked out a laugh as he brushed himself off.

Shen Yu took the time to look the boy over as Rou dusted the last of the horse dung off his clothes. The similarities from his memory stood out first. The brown hair. The bright green eyes. The freckles dusting his cheeks. Rou looked annoyed… but his smirk betrayed him. That familiar little smirk that he always had when he was about to be a little shit. Like when he replaced Shen Yu’s wine with literal horse piss.

The cheeky little brat hadn’t died with his crippling. In his letter, he had said he was fine… but Shen Yu had doubts, one could lie in writing.. Here, in person all was laid bare. Little could be hidden from his gaze. Rou was still there. He was still there, and still had some of the same core.

The smirk was where the familiarities ended for Shen Yu. Beyond that, the boy was different.

There was little that connected him to the child Shen Yu had left in the care of his sect. His muscles were larger. His face had lost that tiny bit of baby fat that had remained. And his eyes—ah, his eyes. So pure. So unclouded.

The physical was only the first change, however. What concerned Shen Yu was his soul. Rou’s soul had transmuted the most during Shen Yu’s absence. He could feel Rou’s nature. When Shen Yu had left, Rou’s cultivation had been completely undefined; a foundation without anything built atop it.

Now, little Rou had built upon his foundation a mountain—unshrouded by mist and covered in verdant green. A towering, mighty thing. Steadfast, yet full of life and brimming with vitality.

Shen Yu wanted to inspect deeper. To look upon what his grandson had built, celebrate its power, and give guidance where he saw flaws. He had been looking forward to that moment since the day he had found Rou, to test what Rou would make of himself.. He wanted to see the roots of Rou’s power even as the mountain slowly dissipated, becoming one with the world around them. As Lui Ri had said, his was a quiet, subtle power unless roused.

But etiquette demanded he desist. It would be rude to push further into Rou’s soul with his own to discover his secrets. Perhaps Rou would tolerate it because of their past relationship, but today Shen Yu would not push his luck. He did not wish to add to his ledger such an intrusion when he still had to seek forgiveness for his failure. He was not so naive to think that Rou would ever forgive him completely, for leaving him at the tender mercies of that little worm.

Shen Yu felt relief that Rou’s eyes still sparked. His soul felt uncorrupted. There were tastes of things he was not fond of. What felt like metal, welding things together. Old damage that made Shen Yu grimace internally… and the taste of something that was not Rou. Something familiar yet alien, like an ancestor guardian spirit that some cultivators had.

A handhold that stifled their growth, a poison pill that gave them power at the cost of their own might.

It could all wait, none of it was urgent nor dangerous to him.

Just as he examined Rou, he could feel the boy was examining him in return. His eyes landed on the bandages around Shen Yu’s arm and the clothes he was wearing. Rou’s Qi surrounded Shen Yu, feeling almost suspicious. Probing gently and poking slightly harder than necessary.

Shen Yu tolerated it without rebuke, and after a long moment Rou cocked his head to the side. The entire world seemed to sigh as if it had held a breath until that moment. The sound of birds returned; the trees began once more waving in the returned wind. And the earth below his feet seemed to accept him, albeit grudgingly.

The silence stretched between them. Shen Yu was one who could march fearlessly ahead into grave danger but for the first time in a long time he hesitated, unsure exactly what to say.

What could he say? What could he say to a boy who likely felt like he had been completely abandoned in a viper’s den? Who had trusted Shen Yu and his judgment, only to have that trust betrayed.

Eventually, it was not Shen Yu who spoke, but Rou.

“It's been a while, Old Man.” The words were heavy and filled with things unsaid. Shen Yu closed his eyes at them, unable to look Rou in the eyes.

“Indeed it has, little Rou.” Shen Yu replied, his words equally as heavy. He allowed his true emotions to leak into them. His regret. His fury. His sorrow.

They paused again, the heavy mood not dissipating in the slightest.

“...You didn’t let me say a proper goodbye, you know? You just told me to go to the Cloudy Sword Sect and disappeared. I thought that you would be gone forever. I didn’t even know if you were alive until you sent me that letter.” Rou’s voice was calm, distant and matter of fact as he delivered those words to Shen Yu.

Each word hurt, because it was warranted. A rebuke well earned, yet gratifying in equal measure, because Rou had been thinking of him. He still cared for Shen Yu.

The man who stood near the pinnacle of the world disliked admitting he was wrong… and hated even more apologizing. But he was no fool nor was he so blind as to let his pride lead him.

So, Shen Yu lowered his head.

“I am sorry for leaving you like that, little Rou. If the request was not what it was… I would have ignored it. I would have cast it into the fire and not thought twice about it.” Shen Yu returned. “But… I had to. It was a call that I could not refuse. So I sent you to what I thought to be the safest place in this world for you.”

Rou took a sharp breath. His brow furrowed, but no explosion of rage followed. No anger or frustration.

Instead, little Rou let out his breath with a sigh and looked towards the heavens.

“...I don’t blame you.” Rou finally said, and Shen Yu’s heart seized at the statement. “It isn’t your fault that somebody else hurt me. And… we all have things that we don’t want to do, but must.”

Shen Yu froze at the words. At the depth of understanding, contained within.

What had he gone through in a mere few years, to know without explanation? To have the trappings of duty around him, like the mountain of his Qi?

“You’ve grown, little Rou.” Shen Yu whispered.

“I’ve had to,” was his reply.

Little Rou had grown without him.

He had grown into a man and bitter regret at missing that growth mixed with pride that he had survived. His son had never understood.

The young man before him was calm. In control. He was illuminated by dappled sunlight as he turned his green eyes back to Shen Yu.

And a small smile once more found itself on his face. “It really is good to see you, Gramps.” Rou said as he started to walk forwards and opened his arms.

An embrace. Something rarely done between men. It left you too open.

“It's good to see you too, my boy.”

Shen Yu stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rou. Their hands thumped on each other's backs.

Rou was taller than him. Wider than him. More solid. It was not the body that Shen Yu had recommended he refine but he could not deny that it seemed to suit him like his freckles and his smile, as he pulled back.

Things were not mended. Not yet. But it was a start. Far more than Shen Yu had hoped for.

“Look at you, little Rou. I remember when you were this tall!” Shen Yu exclaimed as he held his hand down to half the boy’s height. Rou chuckled. His muscles flexed and he brought one arm up, showing off a bulging bicep.

“I always eat my meat and veggies.” He replied good-naturedly. “And I've been eating real well since I’ve left the sect.”

“Indeed. Your letter said as such and also said something about a woman!” Shen Yu dug his elbow into Rou’s side and his eyebrows waggled.

“Yeah! I, uh… Kinda got married.”

“You’re supposed to ask for your Grandfather’s permission! But I’ll allow it at this time!” Shen Yui said. “Your next woman and her father can come and kowtow before me!”

Rou flushed slightly and looked away before his face twisted slightly and he scratched his head. “Well… Let's stop standing around in the middle of the forest. Let me show you everything that I’ve built… and well, reassure the people back home. It was kinda a dick move, old man, flaring your Qi like that. Scared the piss out of us!”

Shen Yu had the grace to be slightly embarrassed. Indeed, coming so close to Rou’s home like that was terribly uncouth.

“It's just as well I have gifts! I’ll apologise to your wife for any distress I've caused her!”

If she was up to his standards, of course.

Rou shook his head and began to lead them back through the forest at a more sedate pace.

“And Rou?”

“Yeah?”

“I will explain to you everything I can. My word on it.”

Rou smiled. “Seems we both got stories to trade.”

“But first! It was quite an adventure to get to you, little Rou! Let me tell you a tale of my travels—and of the beauties I laid eyes upon!”

Rou rolled his eyes, but his smile widened.

================

They walked as mortals for around half of an hour, and Shen Yu relayed the highlights of the trip to Rou. The parts he had liked… or at least tolerated when the boy Lu Ri had been in his care.

“And then, Lu Ri says, “Indeed, these were ladies of utmost skill!” That man! I dare say his stools are composed of diamonds!”

Rou’s laugh echoed through the forest.

“Come on, Senior Brother isn’t that bad.” Rou took a swig from the bottle Shen Yu had offered him and then glared at the wine. “Are you sure this isn’t horse piss, old man?”

“How dare you! It's the finest wine from Raging Waterfall Gorge!”

“I don’t believe you.” Rou deadpanned and shoved the bottle back at him.

Shen Yu took the bottle back. “Then you get me a better drink!” he demanded.

“Oh? I think I might just.” Rou said, a hint of challenge in his voice.

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow, but let the challenge go as they continued their walk. They walked side by side, like how they used to, when they roamed Crimson Crucible City.

In his mind, Shen Yu contrasted little Rou stalking resolutely forwards with a scowl on his face with the centered man before him.

The little smile wouldn’t leave Shen Yu’s lips.

They traveled until they came to a fence with an open gate. A wooden, rustic thing, with two signs upon it. One was of a maple leaf of some kind. Spikier than Shen Yu was used to and the other declared ‘Beware of Chicken’.

It would have been an utterly absurd sign, in any other case. Except that there was a magnificent red rooster perched atop the fence right by the sign.

The chicken moved faster than a mortal eye could track. Shen Yu watched with amusement as the creature landed in front of Rou.

It was one thing to be told that there was a Profound-level chicken in service to Rou. It was quite enough to see one.

“Master, you are well?” The rooster boomed, bowing low to Rou. Utter respect and deference was in the cock’s body, even as one gimlet eye fixed on Shen Yu. “We received your reassurances, but…”

The old Expert’s eyebrow rose.

Now that… that was a rarity indeed. In all Shen Yu’s life, he had never seen a chicken as powerful or able in his life; and he had supped on the fruits of Shou Taihan’s labours. The mad man who had created artificial spirit beasts although the experiment had proved unfeasible, the creatures required too many resources put into them.

Yet here, in this Qi desert, was a chicken with a solid foundation and the bearing of a true cultivator. The beast’s body and mind were clearly refined in battle. He was a naked blade as he observed Shen Yu. In this morsel, that looked to be fit only for a pot, Shen Yu saw skill and understanding eclipsing humans of the same level.

It was utterly fascinating. He knew not what Rou was doing, cultivating this creature, but he hoped to find out in the future.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Rou told the chicken gently, like a father comforting a child. “You remember how I told you about Gramps? Well… this is the old man.”

Shen Yu’s smile widened at the simple title that Rou had called him by. Rou… Rou had never exactly figured out who Shen Yu was… and it was better that way.

What surprised Shen Yu, however, was what the rooster did next.

“Fa Bi De pays his respects to Grandfather.” The rooster intoned, sweeping into a picture perfect bow. A martial salute of unparalleled quality.

If Shen Yu had to say it… it was one of the finest and most honestly admirable bows he had ever received.

And it was from a Spirit Beast his grandson had raised.

His smile widened further.

“Oho? You’re a polite creature, are you not?”

“To be polite costs one nothing. To be impolite has the potential to cost one everything.” The rooster replied as it rose from its bow.

Wisdom from a rooster. Shen Yu had lived a long life and yet even to a man as old as him this was a new level of bizarre.

“There are others, are there not… a sibling? A niece? A Rou Tigu?” Shen Yu asked Rou pointedly.

Little Rou nodded. “I’ll explain everything when we meet everybody.” he said as he waved his hand, leading the way forward past the gate. The rooster leapt to his shoulder, though he kept glancing back at Shen Yu. “Come on in, old man.”

Shen Yu took a swig from his wine and entered the gate.

It was like getting punched in the nose.

It turned from night to day. From desert, to lush forest. From a barren waste, to Qi.

A shimmering, scintillating jewel. An oasis that would not be out of place in the wider world. He could feel the power here. The sublime peace and the near miasma of Qi that rose from the ground, utterly perfect for cultivation.

Shen Yu lapsed into silence as they crested the hill and Rou paused. Paused as he stared out over rice paddies, freshly sown fields, and gentle rolling hills.

There was in the distance a manor house, on an island between two rivers. A great barn rose up nearby, with cows and sheep gamboling around it. He could hear the sound of a crashing drop hammer, and along one of the paths lay a building that glimmered faintly in the sunlight made entirely of glass. In the saturated, waving flowers, a bee, thick with Qi, locked its compound eyes onto Shen Yu, as did thirty of its siblings before dismissing him.

“This was all rocks and dead trees two years ago.” Rou said wistfully. “I’d like to think I did a good job, eh?

“You built this?”

“With my own two hands… well, and with help,” he said with a smile, glancing at the rooster.

Shen Yu stared at the world around him. The colours were brighter. The sky was bluer.

Little Rou had found… No.. Crafted an oasis in a desert… Built a place to call his own.

Shen Yu kept walking, staring around at this farm that was not just a farm. At the fields, packed with Qi. At the presence of the earth and sky. Some of his wounds twitched—the slight amounts of demonic poison within being burned away simply from being in this place.

He took a breath. The easiest breath he had taken since he set foot in the Azure Hills.

“There's everybody waiting for us.” Rou said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Shen Yu, entranced by the sky above, returned his gaze to the earth once more.

His eyes locked onto the assembled members of Rou’s household who waited for them before the manor house. They waited patiently to present themselves. With them was a tanned, rustic looking girl, who had a resemblance to Rou. Beside her were lined up a row of Spirit Beasts: A rat, two pigs, a rabbit, a snake, a monkey, and an ox. Shen Yu nearly had to double take at the presence of the dragon, the beast nodding its head at Rou.

A dragon. Unharvested. Just what was going on here?

There were cultivators here as well as a mortal. Two men, who looked to be brothers. A woman, most assuredly a Young Mistress of some sect, stood at attention with them, too close to the monkey-ish boy to be Rou’s woman. There was a rather fetching mortal woman and a boy, both the furthest away from the center. Those who had likely sworn themselves into his service, and Shen Yu felt a spike of pride at that. Obtaining fealty from others already was he?

But they were weak, and so Shen Yu dismissed them. Instead, he looked towards the center of the formation.

There were two there. One a freckled maid, who had retreated a few steps. She was rubbing at her nose, with distaste.

He locked on to the other woman, standing at the ready, with swords floating around her.

This… this had to be Rou’s woman.

Shen Yu had met a great many beauties in his life—and Rou’s woman? It was no wonder she had captured him so utterly. She was truly a stunning beauty, even amongst the women Shen Yu had seen in his time.

A noble face, with plump red lips. Creamy white skin that held a slight, inviting flush. The hint of gold makeup around crystal blue eyes, as pure as the sky. A body that was lush in all the right places— or down right decadent, in the case of her chest.

For her cultivation, in the Profound Realm… She was the one of the most beautiful women he had ever encountered. There was no fey, ethereal allure. Her body was yet to be refined, and already she was at this level.

If she wasn’t Rou’s…

“It's okay, everybody. Sorry for the scare. But this… this is my grandfather. He's come to visit.”

Noises of surprise abounded.

“Indeed. I am Shen Yu.” He said, his eyes still on the beautiful woman. “So, you’re Rou’s… wife, eh?” he asked her, as he looked her up and down. “Not bad, boy!”

Everybody else twitched, and the beautiful fairy flinched. The one beside her cleared her throat, stepping forwards from where she had stepped back. Her nose twitched.

His eyes turned from the great beauty to the little blemished thing, who did, on second glance, have a fantastic set of hips.

”Welcome to our home, Honoured Grandfather. This one is Hong Meiling.” She said gracefully. “Wife of Rou Jin.”

Huh.

She was not quite what Shen Yu was expecting.

“Please be welcomed into our home—and meet your great grand-child.”

The world paused. The freckled woman, who looked slightly in pain, sneezed.

Yes. Rou had said in his letter that he was going to be a father

“Rou, a wife and Mistress already?” He demanded, staring at his grandson with pride.

Rou hesitated.

“I’ll get her into bed one of these days.” ‘Meiling’ joked under her breath. The woman paused, as she seemed to realise what she just said.

The beautiful fairy’s face turned crimson, and her eyebrow twitched.