warning: light mentions of suicide and abortion
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Cao Sancui's story was a long one, and Liu Sumeng was struggling to stay awake.
"My mother was from a prominent sect," the man said with a low and dramatic voice, "But she ran away with a handsome man and a promise of adventure. Well you know how it goes with women like that," he sneered, "he abandoned her after only a few moons.
"With a foolish woman raising a brat like me, it was inevitable I became the way I am now. I'm a person who loves adventure, you see. Can't sit still in one place and always need to be on the move. My mother, she was a shitty woman even though she wasn't particularly unkind. Still, thanks to her I felt like I had so much potential that just went to waste, you know? Like, she should have just left me at some reputable sect where I could have studied under a great teacher. Imagine the person I could have become."
At this point, Liu Sumeng thought he could reach across the table and wring the man's neck. How dare he disrespect his mother like that! But he had manners, so he only spoke with a cold, icy tone, "She's your mother. Even if she has her faults, she did her best raising you. Don't be ungrateful."
Cao Sancui, Liu Sumeng was beginning to learn, was shameless and unsympathetic. He shrugged and continued, "Sure, but she was still a terrible mom, and not a very bright woman either," when he looked up and saw that Liu Sumeng was still giving him that sharp, aggravated glare he grinned and refilled the Ivory Sword Saint's wine bowl.
He went on to tell Liu Sumeng of extravagant tales, stolen treasures gained and lost. Of men and women he tasted and entangled with, "Nan Ejiang was a wild thing! The sweetest and most delicate face, you'd think she was an innocent doll but that woman was a crazy beast at night! Even had me go for a run for my money!"
Liu Sumeng wanted to wash his ears, "Shut up. Don't speak anymore, you're annoying," he grumbled at the swaying red-faced Cao Sancui.
The rogue cultivator laughed. By then, the food on their table was already scarce and empty wine jugs sat around. He didn't seem particularly bothered by Liu Sumeng's cloudy mood, "I've traveled so much that I feel like there's nowhere left to go. A lot of people say this continent is big but to me, it's quite small."
"That's because you've scorned too many people," Liu Sumeng sighed, ripping the half-full wine bowl out of Cao Sancui's hand. In the end, he had to heave the man out of the establishment and felt that this order of events was annoyingly familiar. Liu Sumeng sighed again. There was a reason why he liked to drink by himself.
The sky was already dark while Liu Sumeng was hauling Cao Sancui to the nearest inn.
"Did you like my story?" he laughed into Liu Sumeng's shoulder, bleary eyes blinking as he stumbled against the Ivory Sword Saint's steady hold.
"No."
"Ahahaha, good. It's not my story."
Liu Sumeng stopped, feeling the urge to slap this man intensify, he was practically seething. "Why are you here? In Boling."
Cao Sancui hummed, his voice pitched into a whining sound, "I want to go far away." He looked out to the calm river water from the street side.
That was right, Cao Sancui would disappear from this continent after his appearance in Boling. This river flowed outwards to join an eternally turbulent sea where mysterious rumors of a wondrous land existed beyond, full of gold, exotics and foreign powers.
He then gazed at Liu Sumeng and smirked, "Did you know, Xiao Rong's father is the captain of the Eternal Ghost Ship? It's the only ship that can safely pass through the impenetrable storm."
"..." Liu Sumeng dropped Cao Sancui then and there. The other man's body thudded loudly on the stoned paved road.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
This! Degenerate! So he only pursued Xiao Rong for his selfish desires!? "You are disgusting," he cursed this useless piece of trash. If he remembered correctly, wasn't there also a child involved!? Did this garbage really get that poor girl pregnant?
"Hey, hey Ivory Sword Saint…" Cao Sancui chuckled as he whined, grasping at the Ivory Sword Saint's legs, shameless in his pleading, "Don't leave me here, what if I die? That would be bad for your karma don't you think…? Hey, don't just leave me."
Liu Sumeng wanted to hear none of it. He kicked this piece of garbage and strode off.
Only to turn back around and unceremoniously scoop the groaning Cao Sancui up as if he was a mere sack of rice.
"Ugh, ugh, be gentle! I'm a delicate maiden…" Cao Sancui wiggled under Liu Sumeng's hold.
"Shut up or else I will drop you again."
The threat worked and Liu Sumeng was rewarded with enough silence till he was able to dump the inebriated Cao Sancui in an inn. Good enough, he had done his part and would not be struck down by any negative karma.
The following day, Liu Sumeng was plagued with second thoughts. It was only the promise of a priceless treasure that would surely please Yuan Xuelan that motivated him to stay. Under any other circumstance, he would have long ditched this annoying, headache-inducing pervert.
"What is your plan?" he asked impatiently.
Cao Yu sniffled, "My head hurts so much I want to die."
Liu Sumeng did not care and repeated relentlessly, "What is your plan?"
Even in the morning, Boling town was quite busy with fishermen leaving the docks in swarms, waving goodbye to their wives and children who lined the streets to buy fruits and vegetables.
"Hey, Ivory Sword Saint, why aren't you being patient with me? I'm going to break at this rate."
Liu Sumeng was being very patient, "What is your plan?" Slowly, they were making their way to a riverside residence, a rather lofty building where the Chu family lived.
"I think…I'll threaten to kill myself. That should do it, right? If she thinks I might kill myself out of heartbreak she'll think twice about leaving me, right?"
This time, Liu Sumeng could no longer resist his impulses and kicked Cao Sancui on the side of the leg, hard enough to bruise.
"Ow!" The rogue cultivator whined, tears pooling in his eyes as he pouted as hard as he could. Liu Sumeng barely stopped himself from hitting the man again, "But it works!"
"Have more dignity."
"But dignity won't keep me fed!"
"Think about others' feelings."
"It's not like other people think about mine!"
"Why would they? If you act like this."
"I-" Cao Sancui was moping and whining but he ran out of excuses, "It's just my personality, it's not like I can help it."
Liu Sumeng felt his brow twitch, "Try a little harder," he said with a huff before dragging Cao Sancui up from his miserable crouched position and pulled him forward, towards the Chu residence. "Think more about what to say, stop being a coward." The frustration that surged within was grimy and thick.
While he despised the character of this Cao Sancui, he wanted to believe he wasn't completely hopeless and that one's personality wasn't like a truth set in stone. There had to be some form of salvation, of redemption possible.
For the rest of the walk, Cao Sancui was uncharacteristically quiet. Liu Sumeng prayed that the man was reflecting upon his actions and not just silently wallowing in his sorrows. From what he'd observed from Cao Sancui so far, it wasn't completely out of question.
The Chu residence was a large and imposing structure and yet servants were rather scarce. Aside from the old lady that let them in, there was no one else to be seen aside from a stony-faced Xiao Rong that welcomed them inside.
She held her head high, lips pulled thin but behind her brave face were still red-rimmed eyes and fingers that trembled as she clenched her hands into fists beneath her long silken sleeves. "Who said you have the right to show up here?" she said as loudly as she could, the words echoed in a wide and spacious hall. Despite her complaints, tea was being served.
"Xiao Rong!" Cao Sancui was overly eager, rushing towards with arms open for an embrace. All he received was a backhand to the face, a clapping sound was sharp on impact.
"Sit down, you dog! And don't come near me!"
Cao Sancui reluctantly backed away and knelt down next to Liu Sumeng with his head hung in disappointment and shame. Xiao Rong poured Liu Sumeng a cup of tea and did her best to ignore the pouting person at the Ivory Sword Saint's side. "Please forgive my behavior from yesterday… I can't believe I did such a thing. You must forgive the woes of a pregnant woman. Sometimes I can't help but forget myself."
Liu Sumeng felt instantly awkward as he accepted the tea from her hands. But he'd also been irritated up till that point and words came a little easier than usual, "There are herbs to help with that."
She smiled at him but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "Thank you for your concern but I'm quite alright. Those things wouldn't work on me anyway, because of my special constitution."
Special constitution? "What do you mean?"
She smiled at him and didn't answer. Instead, her attention turned to the man who was hanging his head like a kicked mutt, "As for you, do you really think you have the right to come to seek me out after what you've done? If you're here to apologize then I don't want to hear it!"
"Darling…I really didn't do those things! I don't know where you heard such strange rumors but why would I seek out those low-class prostitutes if I have you?"
No but, after what Liu Sumeng had to sit through the other day, that sounded exactly like something appropriate for Cao Sancui's character! He didn't want to listen to this anymore.
"And you want me to believe something like that? You disappeared for a whole night and came back smelling like cheap wine and flowers. I even heard gossiping from the local girls that would look at me with pity in their eyes. How do you think I feel about this? There is even a child in my stomach because of you and your dog ways. I really should abort this wretched thing as soon as possible."
"That's too much! There's no need to go that far!" Cao Sancui cried, face turning pale, body jolting forward.
While Liu Sumeng could understand her feelings of disgust and frustration, he also thought that was perhaps going a little too far, "Young Miss, think this over carefully."
But his words were not welcome. Xiao Rong turned her anger towards Liu Sumeng as well, "What? You think you have the right to have opinions about this degenerate's child? Do you think you can tell me what to do?" The air suddenly became oppressive and Liu Sumeng regretted opening his mouth.
But no! He shouldn't stay silent. This was a perfect opportunity to practice speaking better! "No. I don't. But you…" he stuttered but remained determined, "should think about it. That is an innocent child inside of you."
Xiao Rong was hardly impressed, "An innocent little monster born out of a useless person's seed! And even then, do you really think this child would be able to live a happy life? There is no place in the human world for a baby born out of wedlock!"
"Then we must get married!" Cao Sancui cried.
"As if!" Xiao Rong roared in objection.
Liu Sumeng couldn't help but notice her interesting choice of words. "There are always ways to live well. You are that child's mother. Whatever the child's circumstances, it is your duty to make sure they receive proper care."
"That's right!" Cao Sancui cut in.
Xiao Rong narrowed her eyes, her sleeve was raised to hide her seething expression, "And what do you two fools know about parenting? Are you a parent?"
"No. However-"
"Well about that-"
"Silence!" She roared, hands slamming down on the wooden floor. She was outright growling now, black stripes appearing on her face and fangs for teeth. Even a pair of orange ears and striped tail appeared as well, swishing back and forth in rage.