This is the what if they were childhood sweethearts storyline of Jiang Que and Shen Tazhi, where Jiang Que didn’t venture into the Abyss and met a 15-year-old Shen Tazhi as a 5-year-old. It’s unrelated to the main story and doesn’t affect it. Just view it as a parallel world where they are childhood sweethearts.
The first time Jiang Que saw Shen Tazhi was when he was five years old.
The Elder and everyone in the sect seemed busy with something; everyone on Qishan Mountain had been rushing around for several days. Even when a Taoist passed away last time, the sect had never been this serious.
Jiang Que was puzzled, but although the Taoists doted on him, matters within the sect were always kept from him, said to be unrelated to his fate. Therefore, he could only watch them busy around with a faint worry in his heart.
He always felt like they were up to something big.
One day, this speculation in the early morning came true.
Qishan Mountain was empty.
His senior brothers and sisters, who usually liked to play with him or read to him, were all gone. Even the Elder’s room was empty. Jiang Que anxiously ran all over the mountain, but apart from Qi Qiu and Qi Qing, who were still sleeping soundly, he couldn’t find anyone.
“Elder? Sister Lingquan?”
Jiang Que pushed open the door to the stargazing room.
Empty.
The library was empty too, as were the bedrooms, the sword training grounds, the kitchen… There was no one anywhere.
He felt like he had been abandoned.
Just as a great sense of panic enveloped Jiang Que, with a creaking sound, the kitchen door swung open.
It was the aunt who usually cooked in the kitchen, carrying a plate of lotus seed pastries. Seeing Jiang Que panting heavily from running around, she naturally waved her hand and said, “Xiao Que, would you like some snacks?”
Jiang Que rushed over to her as if he had found a lifeline, grabbing the aunt’s sleeve, “Auntie, the Elder and the others are all gone.”
The aunt, upon hearing this, showed no surprise.
She set down the plate, patted Jiang Que’s head, and said, “I know, the Elder and the others have gone on a long journey for an important matter. It’s just that this time it’s more dangerous, so they didn’t tell you. Qi Qiu and Qi Qing were left behind too, right?”
“On a long journey… for an important matter?” Jiang Que repeated in confusion.
“Why didn’t they tell me?” He felt a bit aggrieved. It was an unreasonable sense of grievance since this was the Taoists’ business, and it was normal not to inform him.
However, at the age of five, apart from being abandoned when he had no memory, Jiang Que had been pampered and raised by the Taoists. In his eyes, the Taoists were like doting elders, so even though it was illogical, he felt justified in his anger and sense of grievance.
The aunt smiled and said, “Weren’t we worried you’d cry if we told you?”
Jiang Que widened his eyes, “I wouldn’t cry!!”
He was strong; he rarely cried, and the aunt was slandering him.
Bending down, the aunt effortlessly lifted him up, not yet as tall as an adult’s knee, and casually placed the plate of snacks on the table.
“Alright, Xiao Que won’t cry,” the aunt held him and said, “It’s their fault, they didn’t tell you.”
Jiang Que huffed, indicating his strong agreement.
The next moment, the aunt’s words left Jiang Que stunned, “Today, we’re also preparing to head down the mountain.”
Head down the mountain?
Jiang Que glanced at the well-equipped Qishan sect, which, though empty, was still ready. After a moment of shock, he asked, “Huh?”
Although he had always wanted to go down the mountain to play, why did they suddenly decide to do so now, and with no intention of returning?
The aunt pointed to the small tentacles on his back, “It was the Elder’s decision. He asked me to take you and Qi Qiu and Qi Qing down the mountain directly to the Anomaly Investigation Department. Your identity is hard to conceal, and only the Anomaly Investigation Department can give you one.”
Jiang Que subconsciously followed the aunt’s gesture to look at his small tentacles. His eighteen tiny tentacles, the largest being half a meter long and the smallest the size of an adult’s palm, were a transparent gray, looking tender as they lazily entwined together.
So annoying, they hadn’t fully woken up yet.
“Why do I need an identity?” he didn’t understand. He didn’t have an identity before, and wasn’t he still living well with the Taoists?
The aunt fell silent for a moment.
“Because they might be gone for a long time. Before they return, they hope you can continue to receive a formal education and become a good person.”
Jiang Que seemed to understand, and the aunt set him down.
“After lunch, we’ll be ready to leave. My name in the human world is He Yun; remember that. If you’re bored, go play with Qi Qiu and Qi Qing.”
Jiang Que didn’t understand, but since it was something entrusted by the Elder, they wouldn’t harm him.
He nodded, about to walk away when he suddenly realized, “Qi Qiu and Qi Qing knew about going down the mountain too?”
He Yun nodded.
Jiang Que’s eyes welled up, “You all knew, and I was the only one left in the dark! You all kept it from me!!”
He Yun pinched his cheek, “Crybaby, aren’t we just afraid you’d be upset if you found out early.”
Pouting, Jiang Que said seriously, “I’m really going to be upset.”
He Yun looked at the five-year-old with a smile, as if watching a playful kitten, “Is that so? Let me see.”
Enraged, Jiang Que wanted to bite her. He extended his tentacle and swiftly swept the plate of lotus seed pastries off the table.
“I’ll finish all the snacks, not leaving any for you!”
After his declaration, he hugged the plate and ran off, seemingly ready to “throw a tantrum” for real.
He Yun chuckled as she watched him run off, shaking her head, before heading back to the kitchen to continue preparing lunch.
…
Jiang Que ran back to the bedroom with the plate in hand.
Qi Qiu and Qi Qing had just woken up and were getting dressed.
Although Jiang Que wasn’t very close to them, they all lived under the same roof. They had interactions, like fighting over snacks or secretly hiding romance novels in the library together. They were familiar enough, so the confident five-year-old Jiang Que walked into the courtyard where five-year-old Qi Qiu lived.
Qi Qiu had just finished washing his face when he looked up and saw Jiang Que.
At this moment, Jiang Que’s face still had some baby fat. Due to their different races, his features were already delicate at this age, not quite human-like. To put it nicely, he was cute and lovely, with a beautiful appearance. Less kindly, he was so attractive that it was a bit unsettling.
As someone who had fought with Jiang Que several times without ever coming out on top, Qi Qiu was caught off guard when he suddenly saw Jiang Que. His initial reaction was naturally one of unease.
Startled, he nearly knocked over the basin as he stammered, “Y-you, you, you– What are you doing?!”
Jiang Que blinked innocently and, disregarding the fact that Qi Qiu had just brushed his teeth, directly stuffed a lotus seed pastry into his mouth, saying, “Here, have a snack.”
Qi Qiu’s mouth was smeared with pastry, and he was about to get angry when he tasted the sweet lotus seed pastry made by the aunt. His anger dissipated halfway through, and he chewed and swallowed the pastry.
Being only five years old, children of that age don’t hold grudges like adults. After finishing the snack, Qi Qiu looked at Jiang Que and said, “What’s with suddenly finding me—um, um, um!”
Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Que stuffed another piece of pastry into his mouth.
Qiu almost choked, pounded his chest, and drank some water before he could swallow it down. He glared at Jiang Que, “What do you want, in the end?!”
Jiang Que looked innocent, “I came to share snacks with you. Is it not tasty?”
Qi Qiu instinctively replied, “It’s delicious, just a bit crumbly… No, I mean, what are you up to?!”
Placing the snacks on the stone table beside his courtyard, Jiang Que said, “I came to share snacks with you.”
“No good deed goes unpunished,” Qi Qiu watched him warily.
Jiang Que looked puzzled, “What’s ‘Wushixian Yinqin1its the same homonym as “No good deed goes unpunished” but instead its nonsense‘?”
Qi Qiu: … This illiterate fool
However, he could understand. The way the Elders educated Jiang Que was based on normal human standards; they hoped he would become a proper human rather than a Taoist. From a human perspective, Jiang Que was at the age to start kindergarten; there was no need to argue with a child who hadn’t even started school.
With this in mind, Qi Qiu, looking at Jiang Que, who was the same age as him, surprisingly felt a hint of affection as if looking at a younger relative.
He sighed, “Alright, you won’t be able to bribe me with snacks. Tell me, what did you come to find me for?”
Jiang Que didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, “Where did the Elders go? Why are we suddenly going down the mountain?”
“They went to the west…” Qi Qiu paused mid-sentence, “Wait, this is something the Elders instructed me not to tell you.”
Jiang Que pursed his lips, “Really? I can’t know?”
He looked somewhat sad, portraying a sorrowful expression on that beautiful face with a hint of baby fat, and Qi Qiu unexpectedly found the person before him a bit pitiful.
Jiang Que continued, “Is it because I’m an outsider to you?”
He asked calmly, without any accusations, but Qi Qiu, oddly enough, sensed endless sorrow in those black eyes.
Qi Qiu: …
Could he still not say it?
Ten minutes later.
Jiang Que happily left Qi Qiu’s courtyard after learning the information he wanted. On the way, he greeted Qi Qing, who was surprised to see him, with a smile on his face, and then went to his room to pack his things.
*Creak.*
The door to the room closed.
Jiang Que put away his smile.
He looked at his room.
On the bed lay a large body pillow that didn’t quite match the wooden bed, a gift from Senior Sister Qiu Yue, who was worried he might be scared sleeping alone at night when he got his own room at the age of five.
The clothes were made with torn fabric by the Senior Brother who stayed up late just to make him his own clothes, as he was not tall and felt like a child playing dress-up in the sect’s clothes, often tripping over them.
In the corner were several small wooden swords, toys made for him by the Elder because he wanted to practice swordsmanship like Qi Qiu.
The entire room was filled with the love of the Taoists at Qishan for him. Jiang Que never doubted that he was loved, even though they never taught him any spells or formations, their care for him was never lacking.
This was his home, and they were his family.
But now, they had all secretly gone to the northwest without telling him!
Listening to Qi Qiu, who said it was a matter of life and death, although Jiang Que didn’t understand what “a matter of life and death” meant, he could grasp the key word accurately.
“Death.”
They were likely facing death.
A group of deceivers, sneaking off to do dangerous things behind his back. Jiang Que sullenly stuffed his body pillow into the suitcase.
If he hadn’t been completely kept in the dark, he would have insisted on going with the Taoists.
He wasn’t very close to Qi Qiu and Qi Qing, had little interest in human society, and would rather follow the Taoists, at least then he could be with his family. Instead, he was suddenly informed to pack up and head down the mountain to the human world, to that Anomaly Investigation Department.
His little tentacles were also conscientiously helping pack, but they were too small, only about four to five centimeters thick, soft and lacking the strength to move much. One of the tentacles came over, rubbing against Jiang Que: [Xiao Que, don’t be sad.]
Jiang Que clenched his fist and angrily threw a novel into the suitcase.
He was definitely not sad!
Meanwhile, the other smaller tentacles behind him huddled together in a pitiful manner.
Sigh, they weren’t sad either.
After living on the mountain for a full five years, Jiang Que was finally going to descend the mountain for the first time.
After lunch, he followed He Yun, with Qi Qiu and Qi Qing beside him, carrying their luggage as they walked out the door.
Following the Elder’s instructions, after they walked out of the gate that read “Qishan Taoists”, Qi Qiu and Qi Qing activated the large array drawn at the entrance, completely sealing off this piece of land. From then on, except for the descendants of the Qishan Taoists, no one would be able to enter this area again.
Little Jiang Que dragged his small suitcase and tugged on He Yun’s sleeve, asking, “Auntie, how are we going to go?”
According to He Yun, the Anomaly Investigation Department was in the capital city, a very long way from here. Although the Elder had left them a lot of money, looking at the desolate mountains and wilderness in front of them, Jiang Que even doubted if they could make it out of the deep mountains.
He Yun glanced at the sky; it was still midday. She said, “It’s still early. Let’s start going down first. The Elder said that a path will naturally appear as we walk.”
Of course, there was a path; those rugged and jagged rocks ahead were also a path, just not an easy one.
Silently cursing in his heart, Jiang Que obediently pulled his suitcase and followed He Yun down the mountain.
He Yun had brought a lot of things and had to take care of them. At the very least, he had to manage his own things and not cause trouble for He Yun.
Qi Qiu and Qi Qing were also mature for their age, carrying their small luggage and following He Yun. Along the way, they didn’t forget to lend a hand to Jiang Que, who wasn’t very good at walking on mountain trails.
They walked on, stopping now and then, until noon when Jiang Que and his group reached halfway down the mountain.
Calculating the time, by the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it would be dark.
Jiang Que was a bit anxious because his senior brothers and sisters had vividly described the snakes, mosquitoes, and wild wolves that roamed the mountain to keep him from playing and wanting to go down the mountain. Just now, they had encountered two harmless small snakes in the bushes; it would be even more dangerous at night.
Just as Jiang Que was about to ask He Yun if they should pick up the pace, He Yun, who was leading the way, stopped first.
“I hear something,” He Yun frowned.
She, like Jiang Que, was a half-human, half-demon, with more human bloodline. The only advantage she had was her enhanced hearing, which allowed her to hear the footsteps in the distance first.
He Yun frowned as she identified, “Two sets of footsteps, probably a man and a woman. The man’s footsteps are heavier but steady, not injured, possibly carrying something heavy on his back.”
“…Someone’s camping in this desolate wilderness?” Qi Qiu couldn’t help but comment.
Qi Qing punched him, “Are you stupid? Definitely not possible. This is the only road leading to our sect; they are coming for us.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Que silently raised his guard.
Although they appeared to be one adult with three five-year-old children, He Yun actually had no combat capabilities. The best fighters were likely Qi Qiu and Qi Qing with their swords, followed by him, a monster with tentacles.
He also had to protect Auntie.
Qi Qiu and Qi Qing seemed to have the same thought. Despite arguing, they had already unfastened the swords at their waists.
As the footsteps grew closer, Qi Qiu had stepped forward a few paces, positioning himself in front of He Yun.
The next moment, two people, a middle-aged man and woman with anxious expressions appeared before them.
Both were dressed in sportswear, looking prepared for mountain climbing. The man was carrying a teenager who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen laying unconscious on his back.
Seeing the group of one adult and three children, the two newcomers also froze in surprise.
The man was the first to react. He looked at Qi Qiu, who was alert with his sword, and asked uncertainly, “Excuse me… are you from the Qishan Taoists?”
Qi Qiu, in the midst of drawing his sword, paused. Qi Qing, who had been hiding behind He Yun ready to assist Qi Qiu, also froze.
As the only adult present, He Yun nodded, “Yes, we are. May I ask if there is something you need on the mountain?”
Upon hearing that they were from the Qishan Taoists, the woman, without verifying the authenticity, hastily rummaged through the bag on her back and pulled out a thick stack of red envelopes, saying, “This is a token of our gratitude. Can you please take us up the mountain? Please, save my child.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Que finally looked at the unconscious teenager on the man’s back.
The teenager was about 1.67 meters tall, thin, and of a slightly stern countenance. His features, which would have been handsome on anyone else, appeared cold on him as he lay motionless with closed eyes on the man’s back, seemingly unaware.
A very attractive older brother, but he seemed to be seriously ill.
Meanwhile, He Yun was taken aback by the stack of red envelopes and hurriedly stepped back to explain the situation of the sect members going on a long journey to them.
The woman’s face displayed a clear sense of loss, tears welling up in her eyes.
“What should we do? Xiaozhi has been unconscious for a month. We searched for renowned doctors, but in the end, it was a wandering physician who brought him back from the brink of death.”
“He said it was a curse that he couldn’t break, suggesting we try finding the Qishan Taoists; perhaps they might have a solution.”
Xiaozhi?
Jiang Que blinked his eyes.
The handsome older brother was called Xiaozhi? He liked that name.
When Qi Qing heard “Xiaozhi,” she paused.
Positioned behind He Yun, Qi Qing leaned towards Jiang Que beside her, teasingly asking, “Xiao Que, do you like this person?”
“I like him,” Jiang Que answered matter-of-factly, “He’s very handsome, but he seems to be dying. Why are you asking me this?”
Qi Qing choked up.
Why did she think of discussing matters of “liking” with this naive and clueless person?
Master said he was Jiang Que’s destined person. At this moment, shouldn’t he be falling in love at first sight, tearfully pleading for help to save this person?
Qi Qing felt very sad. She was the youngest in the sect, almost the same age as Jiang Que, and had been raised as a little sister from a young age.
But she also wanted to be an older sister. Jiang Que didn’t even give her a chance to enjoy being sought out for help by a younger individual.
With a heavy heart, Qi Qing didn’t delay and stepped forward. “Let me take a look. I’ve learned a bit about these matters from Master. As long as it’s not too complicated, I can handle it.”
The middle-aged woman was overjoyed and quickly had the man lower the boy from his back, showing no doubt about Qi Qing’s abilities. It seemed they had come prepared, at least never doubting the abilities of the Qishan Taoists.
Jiang Que didn’t understand all this; he could only watch from the sidelines.
Qi Qing took Shen Tazhi’s pulse and after a while, furrowed her brows. “Have you… offended someone?”
“What do you mean?” the middle-aged man asked urgently.
As Qi Qing quickly opened her suitcase, she explained, “This isn’t a curse; it’s a kind of Heart Devouring Gu, slowly corroding the victim’s mind. It’s extremely dangerous in the early stages, but not life-threatening. Even if you hadn’t sought medical help, he would have woken up after some time.”
“After waking up, he will be completely devoid of consciousness and remain foolish for the rest of his life,” Qi Qing said as she quickly administered acupuncture to the boy while shaking her head. “This is too cruel. First, it gives you hope of awakening, then it tells you that you can only care for your foolish son for the rest of his life. It doesn’t take lives but dignity, perhaps out of jealousy towards you and your son?”
At just five years old, with her small braided pigtails, Qi Qing spoke with an air of maturity, displaying the demeanor of a Taoist.
As Qi Qing finished speaking, a heart-wrenching cough was heard, and the boy sitting against the tree vomited out a wriggling black worm.
“Xiaozhi!” The woman rushed up to support him.
But the boy only briefly opened his eyes before falling back into unconsciousness.
“Don’t worry, I’ve only used acupuncture to force out the smallest gu worm. The mother worm is still inside him,” Qi Qing explained. “His body is a bit weak now; we need to administer some medicine to nurture him before we can force out the mother worm. Otherwise, it could lead to accidents.”
The worm on the ground wriggled for only a few minutes before dying. The middle-aged man looked at her with great respect and said, “Good.”
“I am Zhao Ruxin, and this is my wife, Shen Qixue. Our son, Shen Tazhi, is the one who is unconscious. You are heading down to the capital city, and if possible, please allow us to give you a ride,” Zhao Ruxin said, pausing. “Of course, we will compensate you. We just hope you can continue to help my son.”
Jiang Que was stunned by the series of events unfolding before him.
He thought back to He Yun’s words at the beginning: “The Elder said that a path will naturally appear as we walk.”
So, was this the path? Did the Elder foresee even this step?
Qi Qing, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised. She pulled He Yun’s sleeve. “Auntie, let’s go with them. Master mentioned this to me before.”
He Yun nodded in agreement. “Alright.”
After agreeing, she glanced at Jiang Que and asked Qi Qing, “Is it about that matter?”
Qi Qing teasingly nodded at Jiang Que. “Yes, it’s about that matter.”
Jiang Que: ?
Why did everyone have to look at him? What did it have to do with him?
