BOC AU: Elder Younger Sister 11: Heracles

“You add a bit of sugar, and then you just keep whipping it like this.” I instructed Qingyi, showing her how to make some whipped cream. Normally, giving this task to a new chef would count as hazing them, making them whipped cream by hand.

Qingyi just nodded seriously, took the bowl from me, and with a sound like a jet turbine spooling up, her arm blurred. Not as fast as I could currently move my arm, due to the fact that I was a higher cultivation, but there was such utter control it looked inhuman. Most people whisked by bashing the hell out of the sides of the bowl, directly hitting the bottom.

Qingyi didn’t touch the sides or bottom of the bowl once. Not a drop spilled out.

She was done in about ten seconds.

Man, cultivation was cool.

“Nice. Now, these are almost done, we have berries fresh and jam, and now all thats left is the pancakes.”

Or rather crepes. I couldn’t stand the thought of making actual pancakes without maple syrup. Man, I had contacts in every trading company this side of the empire, and whenever I asked about maple syrup I got a confused head shake. I know that the Winding Wave Trading Company boys go up north. There should be the right maples in Grey Shard Coast, the Azure Hills, or the Howling Fang Mountains. Silver Pine Loch was already a no…

I sighed internally, lamenting my lack of the gods nectar. Look at me. Berries and cream. Feh!

Still, they were tasty enough. Barely. And it was pretty fun to watch Qingyi make perfectly circular, perfectly even crepes. I could do it too, but the ease and level of control she had over her body was fascinating to watch. She would have made one hell of a surgeon.

But today was crepes. Qingyi had wanted to make something to impress Lady—Aunt, I suppose, she had said I could say that— Minyan, and light and fluffy crepes with whipped cream and berries would probably be exotic and tasty enough to fit the bill.

“What did you think of Aunt Minyan?” Qingyi suddenly asked.

I considered the question carefully… but Aunt Minyan had certainly made an impact.

She had nearly mind fucked me by accidentally showing me her face. What the hell. The first time I laid eyes on her, it was like all the light was sucked out of the world except her. She was the only thing that was left. Compared to her, nothing else in this world was beautiful. 

There was only her perfect face.

Only a little voice in the back of my head saying that it was really fucking weird had broken the spell.

And once it was broken, it was a lot easier to… not do that. I had still stared at her slack-jawed for multiple seconds, my brain making dialup noises the entire time.

I had kind of thought the whole Jade Beauty thing was a bit bullshit. A writing convention. Yeah, she's pretty. But it couldn’t be that pretty right? Really, thinking about it, I would have called Qingyi a Jade beauty. She was certainly the most—well, second most now—beautiful woman I had ever met in my life. White grey hair and damascus steel eyes, a sharp chin, features that were both pretty and soft as they were intense. Her body was also really—nope, not going there.

I banished the thought. In spite of all that, Qingyi was just an exceptionally pretty woman.

Minyan was something else entirely.

Still, I considered what I was going to say carefully, before giving my answer.

 “She’s terrifying.” I admitted shamelessly. Scarier than the Cloudy Sword Sect Elders honestly. Sure, they looked pretty intimidating, and like they had been carved from the mountains themselves, but they were less blatantly Fae.

Qingyi laughed. “She is a bit scary, but that's what makes her so her! The danger, mixed with the beauty! She's a storm! The strongest storm on the horizon. A glacier, piercing the heavens!”

I considered her praise. “Shes the edge of the sky. Where the blue ends and it starts to turn black. Where there's no more wind, no more life. Just the silence at the top of the world, before it turns into something else all together.”

Qingyi looked impressed. “Oh, that one is good.”

“Truly they are your children, Shen Yu. Their tongues are both skilled when it comes to flattering women.” Aunt Minyan’s voice came from the doorway to the kitchen. She sounded very amused.

“Indeed, they’ve both inherited my greatest skill.” Pops said with a chuckle.

We both glanced from the pancakes to the doorway. I braced for impact… but this time there was no strange shit when I looked at Minyan.

However, I did raise an eyebrow at how close they were standing. Minyan was leaned slightly into Pop’s side. Qingyi let out a small gasp of her own.

Pops looked at peace. Minyan, on the other hand, was practically glowing. She had an almost shiny gleam to her skin, and she was smiling. Actually smiling, rather than the small expressions she held before.

Her eyes had been kind of calculating whenever she looked at me, but now they were soft and warm.

Damn. One night with the old man and she was practically skipping. Is there some kinda secret technique or something?

“Good morning.” I ventured.

“Indeed it is.” Minyan said, her little smile fixed firmly upon her face. She swept into the room, and marched toward us. “Your observations on the sky are most accurate, Shen Jin. You have my praise! We shall have to discuss the sky in more depth at some time.”

She stood before us, her hands on her hips. I was a good head and shoulders taller than her, but somehow it felt like she was a giant looking down on me with pride.

“You look very well today, Father, Auntie.” Qingyi said, her voice quiet. Her face had gone blank. Pops paused, and looked for a moment guilty. 

“Daughter…” he murmured.

“I'm glad. And I think mother would be glad too.” Qingyi said. Her face changed into a determined expression, her own smile widening. “Aunt Minyan, father has been through a lot. Help us take care of him, would you?”

“Oi,” Pops muttered. Minyan, on the other hand, practically melted. She raised her hand to Qingyi’s face, and cupped her cheek.

Then she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Qingyi’s forehead.

“Worry not little one. I shall have him gleaming.” She teased, and gave me a smile, before waving her hand and getting a bit of flour on the front of my apron to disappear. She nodded at my slightly cleaner appearance.

Wow. That was definitely a mood change. From cold to absolute Dere Dere in a day.

Pops rolled his eyes, but… he didn’t look nervous. His eyes were on us. Qingyi just nodded to him. I shrugged.

Honestly, not my place to have a comment on this. If she made the old man happy who was I to say no?

“Who wants breakfast?” I asked.

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

The egg pancakes were delicious. Jin taught Qingyi how to roll them up right, filled with berry jam and sweet, fluffy cream; They were a delight, and Qingyi ate entirely too many—and Aunt Minyan did too.

She was glowing even now, looking absolutely at peace with the world, and Qingyi could tell father felt the same. Something heavy on him was missing, and Minyan was the cause.

Qingyi was glad Minyan was here. She had stayed beside father for three hundred years. She was good for him. 

As long as she was just Aunt Minyan, Qingyi didn’t mind, but Aunt Minyan wasn't foolish enough to try and take the place of Qingyi’s mother. 

Both of them needed it, so who was Qingyi to interfere?

Jin didn’t seem to mind either way, but her brother was very good with going with the flow, and not letting things bother him.

So the mood was pleasant and light, Aunt Minyan and Jin talking about the sky, the heavens, and the moon—Auntie was very impressed by his knowledge.

When breakfast was finished, however, father gestured for them to remain at the table. “Son. Daughter. In three more days I shall need to leave for a moment. I have put certain things off for a while, and now they must come to account.” He informed them. “I shall be gone for perhaps a week. If you need anything, speak with the Cloudy Sword Sect.. or perhaps you may beg things from your Aunt.”

He grinned at Aunt Minyan when he said that. Aunt Minyan just rolled her eyes, but didn’t complain at all.

Still, Qingyi’s stomach felt sick at hearing the words. Her smile fell from her face. Gone for a week, when they were only just reunited…?

Father’s own face fell into a grimace. “Qingyi. I shall return to you as fast as I am able. I promise.”

His voice swelled with an Oath. Qingyi took a deep breath. She could be strong. She would be fine—Jin’s hand landed on her leg, and she jolted. He gave her a small smile.

“You do what you gotta do, pops. We’ll hold down the fort.” He said.

His confidence was absolute.

Qingyi took a deep breath. This time.. It wouldn't be like last time. This time, there would be no sneaking in to attack them. 

They would be safe, both of them.

Qingyi took a deep breath, and nodded.

“Then we have lots to do before you leave!” she said, determined to spend every moment well.

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

Three days later

His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Emperors, the Son of Heaven, walked briskly through the halls of his forefathers.

The court had been surprisingly bearable today…. Though that was largely because he had not truly been paying attention.

In his hand was a small sword. Upon that sword was inscribed a small message, politely asking for a moment of the Emperor’s time.

It was the first time in three hundred years that Shen Yu had contacted him—and he had used the full formal language of a servant humbly requesting an audience.

He reached the barrier to the hidden realm, and entered, headed to the one garden wherein they had arranged to meet.

Fengyan, not The Emperor, paused when he laid eyes on the man who had demanded that he call him Senior Brother.

“Shen Yu greets his Imperial Majesty.” The man said, bowing.

“The Emperor receives his humble subject.” Fengyan replied, his eyes roving all over the man before him. Shen Yu looked good. Whole. Not the broken wreck of a man that had been… well. Fengyan took a breath, and levelled a frown at the man who had once demanded that Fengyan called him Senior Brother.  “Brother. Is it true? She is healed?” 

Shen Yu blinked, and then chuckled. “Your spies actually found something useful?” he jabbed, a small smirk forming on his features, before he schooled his expression. “There are matters that I must ask—”

“And those matters can wait until after we have had a drink.” Fengyan rebuked. “You’ve accomplished a great deed!”

Shen Yu sighed and chuckled. “Very well. We shall catch up first, and then, we shall speak business.”

Fengyan snapped his fingers, and a spirit materialized.

“Get the good vintages.” he commanded, and then turned back to his brother.

“Tell me what happened.” He commanded. “I also hear you have been in the company of a young man. Have you taken a disciple?”

Shen Yu nodded, taking a seat upon the couch beside Fengyan. “Indeed I have. And he is actually the topic of a matter I was going to bring up…”

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

Several hours, and quite a few drinks later, Fengyan was staring blankly at the construction plans for a beehive.

“And he just… added it to the archives?” He asked Shen Yu. 

“That is his plan, yes, but I said I could bring them to one who would enable their spread. I said I know some manner of head scribe.” The man teased, before his face smoothed out. “I have to admit, Fengyan, I was wrong when I dismissed the Archives.”

The words were a hammer blow to Fengyan’s soul. Not only had Shen Yu just admitted he was wrong—he had just praised the very system that he had once dismissed.

Fengyan was a gracious Emperor, however, and so didn’t gloat. “May I have that in writing?” he asked.

“Yes, and you may have it from Ge, Ran, Shou, Yukong, and Minyan as well.” Shen Yu said seriously.

Fengyan looked again at the drawings, and the yields. Wax and honey were incredibly important to his mortal subjects. If these numbers were right, it was going to massively increase output. This was the sort of invention that got men elevated into noble status.

Yet this was only the first of the things that Shen Yu had brought along. A treatise on mortal medical practises, specialist formations that normally required spiritual doctors to use, easily scaled up alcohol production of a purity that was unthinkable to all but cultivators…

The final thing was even a set of ideas for improving the postal system, though this one had another name on it, one Rua Li.

A hundred improvements. In some cases, massive improvements. The medical texts, the testing kits, the training manual, the “triage levels”, infectious disease protocols… Things that were explained in simple language that made sense. Fengyan kept abreast the best he could of numerous subjects. He was the Emperor, and the Emperor needed to know when a man was trying to fool him.

This was not the work of a fool, nor some conman trying to inflate numbers—especialy if Shen Yu was bringing them directly to Fengyan.

And his disciple had just added all of them to the archive system.

It was working. It had produced a genius. One who was giving back to the system. A man who had taken the collected knowledge of mortals, and crafted something genuinely interesting.

Once these spread—and they would spread, for Fengyan would ensure it—the decrease in deaths from food preservation alone. Less severe disease outbreaks. He would have to see to the treasury, and organise an audit to see how many of the “free clinic” ideas were actually feasible…

And the mail ideas. The mail ideas! He needed to contact this Rua Li.

Something deep in Fengyan felt like it shifted slightly. He readjusted his position, and the feeling went away. Most likely the Spirit Wine. This vintage did put a lot of pressure on the stomach.

“I will have to ennoble him for this.” He informed Shen Yu. “This.. this needs to be rewarded.”

“I will speak to him. But as for a reward… I do have something to ask of the Emperor.”

“Oh?” Fengyan asked. 

Shen Yu produced another set of papers. Official adoption papers.

“His name shall be Shen Jin.” The man stated simply.

Fengyan nodded. “It will be done.” he agreed easily.

“He is my son. I owe him much. But he is not the only man I owe a debt to.” Shen Yu said, then rose from the couch. He walked, to stand before Fengyan, then dropped to a knee.

“Your majesty. Three hundred years ago, my blood did untold damage to your realm. Tens of millions of your subjects were slain. Twelve cities destroyed. I have been back to the places he ravaged, and still, they are not recovered. Yet.. no restitution has been made from the Shen Clan to His Imperial Majesty. This Shen Yu has not spoken to his Emperor in three hundred years. And yet no censure was given. No commands were levied upon me. His Majesty, in his benevolence, allowed this Shen Yu to tend to his daughter without a word.

Yet all things must come to account. Even three hundred years late. For the sins that his child has committed against the Empire and the Son of Heraven, This Shen Yu makes this oath—three tasks will he perform for his Imperial Majesty. Three tasks that he cannot refuse, to clear the debt that had been imposed.”

Shen Yu's voice echoed, a vast, binding thing. An Oath, upon his soul and his cultivation.

Fengyan’s eyes widened at the declaration.

It appeared that the heavens were watching out for the Empire.

He hated to do this, when Qingyi was still so newly freed. But things were moving, and moving fast.

“Then, Shen Yu. Your Emperor must ask for the first of your labours immediately.”

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

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

I reached the stopping point I envisioned, this one is going to be on the back burner for a while now probably.