#yue's first fic

[wildyueblonder]

Febuwhump Day 1: Lost Voice

My first ever fic so please be kind! After watching all of slow horses I've been INFECTED and I can't get it out of my head, so 2000 words of River whump just fell out onto the page. No idea if I'll write any more although the Febuwhump prompts are gooood. May upload to AO3 if people like it (and once I have my account set up)

*****

River let out a long sigh as he eased himself down into his desk. Just that small rush of air made his throat burn, and he resisted the urge to drop his aching head into his hands.

He probably could have justified staying home today. It was a grey drizzly Monday morning in the streets of London, commuters going about their business with heads down and hoods up, trying to shelter from the ever-permeating English dampness. It was not the kind of weather that inspired action, and he couldn’t imagine even terrorists wanting to brave this when they could be sat at home with a cup of tea and some daytime telly. Nothing would be happening at Slough House today. Nothing ever happened at Slough House.

Despite it all, somehow River had dragged himself from his bed that morning, eyes sticky and head throbbing, with a throat like he had spent the night swallowing shards of glass. As a child, the O.B. had been strict on illness – the words ‘if you’re unwell enough to complain, then you’re unwell enough to stay in bed’ echoed through River’s mind. He had never been a patient child, and had usually been keen to avoid a day stuck in his bedroom. He had learnt to push through any signs of illness, and had noticed a glint of pride in the O.B.’s eyes whenever he did so. The old man had valued toughness. Even now, River couldn’t help but try and prove himself, although his grandfather was no longer in a fit state to recognise his efforts.

And so, here he was, at 9:07am, slumped in his desk chair at England’s most useless intelligence branch, staring with slightly glazed eyes at the loading screen of his computer, as Louisa noisily clattered her way into the office.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, out of breath, dropping her bag on the floor as she unwound a scarf from her neck. “Tube was rammed. Has Lamb noticed?”

River shook his head, doing his best to seem focused on his screen and hoping Louisa couldn’t see that all he was doing was entering his password. He really just needed to keep his head down and get through today, and Louisa had this annoying way of caring that threatened to throw off his composure.

(Briefly, his mind flashed back to memories of a cool hand on his forehead, an arm around his shoulders, a soft voice washing over him. His grandmother had not always agreed with the O.B.’s childrearing methods, and would go behind his back when he went to work, sneaking River ice cream and comfort. As he had gotten older, River had rebuffed these attempts at care, fearing that they would make him weak. But what he would give now for one more day with Grandma Rose, making him feel warm and cared for and loved.)

“Cup of tea?” Louisa asked. River grunted in affirmation, watching her make her way to the kitchen before turning his eyes back to his screen, where he had finally managed to pull up last week’s surveillance footage reports. Focusing on the numbers made his eyes feel hot and prickly, but he rubbed them with the heel of his hand before pressing on with his work.

He didn’t notice Louisa’s approach until a steaming mug thumped down onto his desk. He attempted to cover his flinch with a quick ‘thanks’ but all that came out was a croak.

Louisa turned on her way to her own desk, eyes narrowed and raking over his slightly slumped form. River made an effort to sit up straighter. “Everything okay?” Her voice was suspicious.

Attempting to clear his throat, River gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Fine,” he tried to say, although all that came out was a whisper. “Just a bit of a sore throat, nothing to worry about.”

Louisa still looked concerned, but made her way round to her chair and sat down. “You sound like you shouldn’t be here. Lamb wouldn’t mind, you know. Even slow horses are allowed sick days.”

River felt his shoulders tense, but forced himself to stay calm as he answered her. “Seriously, Louisa, it’s fine.” He instantly regretted the emphasis he put on the last word, as he felt it aggravate his already shredded throat. Grabbing the mug, he swallowed a large gulp, hoping it would soothe his voice.

It didn’t. Immediately his body rebelled at the scalding liquid and he began choking. Each cough bounced inside his head and made his eyes water. He blindly reached for his desk, needing some support to stay up, and he distantly heard something crash to the floor. Desperately he hacked and coughed, trying to bring air into his lungs, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t breathe, and his throat was on fire, and the world was fading to black at the edges…

A hand. A hand was gently rubbing at his back, and River focused on it, trying to slow down his heaving chest. He steadily became aware of a voice, murmuring “Easy, easy…” above his head. Louisa’s voice. When had Louisa made her way over to his desk?

Gradually, River’s breathing slowed, and he blinked away tears from his eyes. A droplet of cold sweat tracked a path between his shoulder blades, making him shiver, and Louisa hummed as she moved a hand from his back to his cheek.

“Jesus, River,” she muttered, crouching in front of him. “You don’t do things by halves, do you?”

River tried to answer, but this time when he opened his mouth, not even a whisper could make its way out. Worry danced in Louisa’s eyes. He looked around for the cup of tea, hoping to take a more measured gulp this time, but couldn’t see it. Casting his eyes around, he saw a flash of white on the ground, and peering under the desk revealed the mug upended, its contents soaking into the already stained carpet. River stared, eyes wet, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss for his traitorous beverage.

“Right, come on then,” Louisa said, interrupting his train of thought by slapping her thighs as she stood up. River tried to ask what she meant, but again when he opened his mouth no sound came out. He settled for a puzzled look up at her.

“I’m taking you home,” she said. “You need to be in bed, and it gets me out of work, even if only briefly. It’s a win-win.”

Now that she mentioned it, bed did sound nice. And truth be told, River really did feel rubbish today, didn’t he? The pain in his throat was steadily being outmatched by his headache, which had only worsened in intensity after his coughing fit. His face was burning, but there was a cold clamminess settling into the rest of his body, along with a heaviness in his limbs that made him want to curl up and never move again. But the thought of Lamb’s reaction to River’s weakness, along with the dark, empty flat waiting for him at home, was enough to steel him for one final fight.

He glared up at Louisa, then pulled out his phone, cold fingers stumbling over the keyboard. Louisa’s phone pinged, and she pulled it out, sighing at the message on screen.

Not going. Don’t need to.

And a second message, almost immediately after the first.

Please just leave me be

Louisa perched herself on the edge of his desk, exhaling heavily through her nose. “Fine,” she said. “I guess it’s your choice.”

River felt a flicker of hope, along with a treacherous sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach that he instantly tried to smother. Maybe now he could-

“Of course,” Louisa continued, a hint of amusement in her eyes, “Catherine will be very upset to hear you’ve come in feeling so ill.”

River’s eyes flicked up to hers. She wouldn’t. She knew that was too far.

Catherine Standish was notorious at Slough House for her attitude towards injury and illness. She was keen to instill a sense of self-preservation in all the slow horses, a task which anyone could have told her was doomed to fail from the start. But River didn’t mind her intention. It was a perfectly noble, if ridiculous, thing to wish for.

No, what River couldn’t stand was the execution. Make no mistakes about it, Catherine liked to fuss. She would look at you with disappointed eyes, like each time you got in the path of a bullet, or got punched in the face, or picked up some bug from the cesspool that was the London public transport system, you had done it specifically to hurt her. And then she wouldn’t stop, offering you cups of tea and blankets and bandages, trying to do your shopping or drive you home. It was too much, and right now it sounded like more than River could deal with. If someone offered him that kind of care right now, the wateriness of his eyes might spill over into real tears, and he didn’t think he could get past the absolute mortification that would be crying at Slough House.

He scowled at Louisa. She allowed herself a small smile as River huffed and slowly, reluctantly nodded. He didn’t have much choice right now, and Louisa was preferable to Catherine. Pushing himself up from his desk, he wobbled slightly, waiting for the world to come back into the focus around him. When it did, Louisa was next to him holding his coat out.

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go. Before Lamb decides to give me something pointless to do.”

They made their way together down the creaking metal steps outside Slough House, Louisa one step behind River, walking slowly as he held onto the railing with a tight grip. As they reached his car, Louisa held out a hand for his car keys. River opened his mouth as if to challenge her, then thought better of it, anticipating the pain and futility of trying to protest. He handed them over wordlessly then made his way round to the passenger seat.

Louisa got in and started the car, pulling a seatbelt on and turning on the radio to a low hum. As she drove off, the passing scenery set River’s stomach churning, and he closed his eyes, pulling his coat tighter around him as a shiver swept down his spine. He felt Louisa reach over to adjust something, and a blast of warm air began to fill the car. River sniffed, finally allowing himself to feel a bit miserable. He jumped a little as he felt a hand brush some sweaty hair of his forehead, and opening his eyes a crack showed Louisa breaking focus on the road for a second to glance warmly at him.

Smiling, River allowed his eyes to close again. Sure, it wasn’t Grandma Rose, but somehow, within Slough House’s motley crew of misfits, he’d managed to find some of that same love and care, just packaged up in a slightly less homely manner. The streets whizzed by outside the window as River, uncaring of his surroundings, drifted off, a warmth spreading through his chest.

[theimpurelily]

So I was rereading chapter 37 of Shen Yuan of No Relation by @grubus and I realized something. SQQ did exactly what YQY threatened to do years ago and then some.

What an over achiever.

[rhiangalaxy]

Shen Jiu and his plant son Shen Yuan <3 (ft. a bonus of YGY and LGG's very different methods of babysitting)

[ID: A Scum Villain Drawing. Shen Jiu holds Shen Yuan is his arms, staring towards the audience with a slightly scary, unamused expression. In his arms, Shen Yuan, dressed in Qing Jing teals and greens, appearing to be around the ages of four-six with a darker skin tone, a mole on his forehead and a green sprout popping out of his head, is gazing and reaching out amazedly at a demonic butterfly. End ID]

[ID: A Scum Villain Drawing. The top half depicts Yue Qingyuan, cradling a Shen Yuan that is wrapped in blankets and smiling. Then leaning in to give him a forehead kiss. The bottom half depicts Liu Qingge lifting SY by the ankle, much to SY's delight, and then moving him around to the back of himself with a faintly amused expression. End ID]

[starry-bi-sky]

pouring one out for luo binghe in my disciple SQQ fic, poor guy has taken a backseat here. we're nearly 30k words deep and he hasn't even shown his face once. it'll be much longer before he even actually talks to Shen Qingqiu.

(i say im pouring one out but in reality im sitting in my director's chair chewing on a cigar and wearing a beret as he tearily and unsuccessfully pleads with me for more scenes with Shen Qingqiu)

[kamikazeworld-art]

Something I feel a lot of people seem to forget about the relationship between the peak lords and bingqiu is that, at the end, Yue Qingyuan quietly gave Shen Qingqiu his approval and support. He was the one who urged him forward towards Binghe with a smile, letting him know he always had a home there, so he should do what makes him happy right now. He saw the love his shidi and most special person held for Binghe even in the wake of all the pain and destruction, and said in his own way "I support you".

Whatever feelings there are about their past, whatever the shape of his affection for Shen Qingqiu, it is canon that Shen Qingqiu has his FULL unconditional support in his relationship with Luo Binghe. And honestly? I love that so much.

[chrollogy]

step on me, fatui harbinger!yue 🙏🏼

[bougiebutchbinch]

suffering from 'I love shen jiu fics and I think yue qingyuan didn't handle things well but I HATE shen jiu fics that demonise yue qingyuan because shen jiu sure as fuck didn't handle things well either' itis

[mengyan]

侠客来去匆匆; chivalry comes and goes

🧧 5.1k, completed oneshot 🌿 (younger) shen yu | gu yi &/ zhou yue 🧧 canon-divergent from the flashback in ep 10; while escaping from her terrible classmates, zhou yue bumps into a young hero by the name of a-yu. 🌿 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59210290

reblogs, kudos, and comments are very appreciated!

[ladyteldra]

Tender is the Storm

Alternative Title: The Scum Villain's Very Troublesome Hoard

The world is a dangerous place for a living hoard, but Shen Jiu is a dragon and will always protect what is his.

This might be easier if anyone had decided to inform him of that fact.

Xiao Qi was only a child himself when he came across a pretty rock halfway buried in the mud on the side of the road. 

It wasn’t a road anyone would go down without reason, rather one that led to where he was kept with the other children. He was the second youngest. Qi, number seven. He had a name before he was sold, but remembering it wasn’t worth the beatings, and none of the other kids had names that weren’t numbers. Keeping his wouldn’t be fair. So Xaio Qi was Xiao Qi or A-Qi or Qi-er or even Qi-ge to A-Ba who was the only one younger than he was.

(The adults rarely called them more than the name itself, usually stinking with just Qi and Ba and San and so on, but Er-jie and Yi-ge insisted that at least between them they should be called like family, like people. So he was Xiao Qi, even in his mind because it would make them sad if he was just Qi.)

It was nice being older than someone, it meant he could help them where they struggled. No one else was going to if he didn’t. And Little Eight was so small and delicate. He wasn’t sure how the adults expected her to do all the chores on her own, and begging on the street wasn’t something they allowed her to do. They said she was too delicate to be seen like that.

(Xiao Qi thought A-Ba would be very good at begging. She drew attention the few times she was allowed out with him, and people were kinder to her.)

It didn’t make sense to keep her at the warehouse and doing chores when anyone bigger than her would be a better choice. 

Xiao Qi had gotten lucky today though! Someone had taken pity on him today and given him double -twice!- the amount he usually made in three days! He could go back home early and help A-Ba without the adults knowing he left early and might even get praise for such a good haul. Praise was nice, it made him feel warm where usually there was only a cold numb feeling. Sometimes it even earned them extra food or the rare bit of meat. 

It was still early, and no one else would be on their way back yet, which is likely the only reason Xiao Qi was the one to see the pretty rock and not someone else. He’s even luckier than he thought! If he hadn’t gotten money earlier, he’d not be on the way back, and he’d never have seen the lovely green rock at all! Someone would have taken it and kept it or sold it!

It was stuck rather deep in the disgusting mud and filth off the side of the road, so maybe someone had been by but passed it up because they didn’t want to touch the mud. But it was so pretty, and maybe if he brought it back the adults would be extra happy and all of them would get a full serving of congee like that one time Er-jie brought in the pretty green hair piece! 

Xiao Qi didn’t want to step into the mud, it wasn’t his turn to bathe for another five days! And he knew from experience that being extra dirty wasn’t enough to change the schedule. It would just make him have to sleep away from the others or even outside. He was smart though, and found a stick before returning to the rock and using it to shift the rock closer. 

It was much bigger than he thought it would be. Heavier too!

It was really hard to move it close enough to grab from outside the mud, and when he did, he had to use both hands to lift it to the main part of the road, almost causing him to overbalance and fall in anyways. It was oddly circular, not at all flattened and misshapen like most rocks he sees. The bottom is a bit bigger than the top, tapering into an almost point. Like a much bigger version of the chicken eggs he’s seen the adults cook. And wouldn’t that be funny! For such a pretty rock to actually be a giant egg!

He uses his hands and some leaves to clean it off the best he can, which was surprisingly well. The mud seemed to slide right off the rock!

It felt odd under his hands. 

It was chilly out, the leaves beginning to change color which the older kids said meant it would be too cold to sleep alone soon, but the rock was warm as if it had been sitting in the summer sun or on the floor next to the cooking fire where the oldest and biggest usually claimed before the heat disappeared for the night. It was also a little bumpy, not as smooth as he first thought, textured - he thinks the word is. And it wasn’t just green! It was green and gold! The gold sparkled in the sun and was only where the smooth changed to bumpy. 

It was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. Prettier than the clothes the nice Jiejies at the building with red lanterns wore or even the men and women in the fancy carriages that pretended they didn’t see him when they decided to walk on the streets and he didn’t think he’d ever hold things as pretty as those.

Xiao Qi picked up the rock and started back to the warehouse. He wanted to show A-Ba before it was taken away by either the older kids or the adults. 

He tried to hurry, he really did, but he kept stopping to readjust his grip and get a better look at the rock. Eventually, he noticed a crack. 

Oh no! Did he cause that when he was moving it with the stick? A stick shouldn’t be enough to break a rock! He’s pretty sure that wasn’t there before, but maybe it was just a new angle. Maybe that’s why the pretty rock was thrown in the mud like trash?

Xiao Qi ducks into one of the smaller alleys to get a closer look, maybe it’s not too bad. The adults say they can buff goods to make them look better, so if it’s just a small crack, maybe he can fix it!

Even as he thinks it, the crack gets bigger. Oh no!

In a panic, Xiao Qi puts it on the ground and holds the rock on both sides as if that will keep the pieces together. 

It does not, the single crack spiderwebs into many and begins to admit a bright gold glow. 

Xiao Qi has to shut his eyes tightly against the bright light, but even then it still shades his eyelids gold. He’s sure that rocks shouldn’t just randomly start to glow. 

When the gold disappears, he carefully cracks open an eye to look at the rock. Except there’s no rock anymore.

Where the green rock sat is now only shards.

In the center of the shards is a baby. 

“Oh,” he says in shock, “it must have been an egg after all.” 

[grassbreads]

Fellow Tai Sui enjoyers, please help me fact check!

Are Wen Fei and Xi Yue ever actually in the same room together outside of the extras?

I know they both spend a lot of time on Flying Jade Peak, but I can't recall them ever both being there and conscious at the same time, since Xi Yue spends so much of book 4 in Jinping or out of commission. Is there some scene that I can't find/am forgetting?

[yuebings]

feel like a brand new person

relationship: scully/mulder

rating: T

word count: 3,583

tags: Fluff, Resolved Sexual Tension, mentions of cancer arc, they both get fried. zooted. really fucking high. happy mulder loverboy monday

summary:

“I can say something is a bad idea and still do it.” Scully lifts her chin and dusts her hands off, a prim one-two motion. “Why do you think I’ve stayed assigned to the X-Files all these years?”

“Because the work is fascinating,” Mulder replies instantly. “Because you’re a scientist, and proving things wrong is like crack to you. Because your partner is extraordinarily handsome and charismatic and you can’t possibly resist saying no to him.”

Scully rolls her eyes. “Two out of three, Mulder.”

Scully and Mulder get high.

read on AO3

[shellem15]

One thing that kinda frustrates me about Shen Jiu fics is that they so often try to sanitize him. Make him nicer/more misunderstood than he actually is.

Like, he was definitely very misunderstood in source material, but he also was straight up a terrible person too, y'know? Both things can be true at once.

The biggest thing is his treatment of Luo Binghe, playing on the idea that it wasn't *as* bad as the characters thought it was. Now, this is just plain wrong cause we know from the extras that SJ gave Binghe the fake cultivation manual with the intent that it would literally explode him. He really wanted to murder that kid, yall. Loony toonz ass villain. Keep this man away from children

And he was definitely a total asshole to all his coworkers, even during disciple days. The other Peak Lords are under no expectation to like him nor tolerate his behavior, especially since they (except Yue Qingyuan) don't know about his backstory (very intentional on SJs part)! SJ very deliberately ostracized himself. His nasty reputation didn't just spring up out of nowhere. He has agency even in other people's opinions of him.

This is particularly notable in his interactions with Liu Qingge. It wasn't "LQG bullies poor SJ and spreads nasty rumors about him." It was a rivalry, a give and take between the both of them. They were both assholes to each other, but clearly, despite the animosity, there was some deeper feeling (SJ being so affected after LQG's murder accusations and then later death). Again, agency is key here.

He's also completely unrepentant until the very end! He will never apologize ever, so no sudden "oh god, what have I done?" heel-turns for him, buddy. If it was that easy, then he wouldn't have gotten human sticked in the first place.

SJ is tragic and sympathetic. SJ is also an awful person and a complete asshole. He's allowed to be both, and both of these sides of him are what makes him an interesting and engaging character.

Edit: holy shit stop interacting with this post everytime I open my notifications I think I’m getting reactions to my more recent shit and instead it’s just this bs. Anyways thanks for 1k notes

[sunderwight]

SV fic where Shen Yuan transmigrates into the former sect leader, Yue Qingyuan's shizun, right before Yue Qi shows up at the selection trials.

Shen Yuan is not sure why he's in one of his all-time hate-reads, let alone why he's gone so far back before the story actually begins (his system appears to be malfunctioning? something about an error and emergency backup...?), but he's making the most of it. This despite the fact that being a sect leader is a much more prestigious and political role than he likes.

But Shen Yuan is, at heart, actually a pretty good teacher, and he's spent enough time witnessing administrative work secondhand that he can competently tackle most of his duties. Whatever he can't handle, luckily there are other masters on Qiong Ding who always seem eager to curry favor by volunteering at the least hint that they should. Apparently his predecessor was known for being kind of cold-blooded and ruthless. (Shen Yuan gets checked for possession and it's concluded behind his back that he most have lost some of his memories, again, but also everyone kinda prefers this version anyway, again.)

But, so, he picks Yue Qi at the trials without even realizing at first who he's selecting, but just because that kid seems really determined to get in and clearly has been through it. Reminds him of Luo Binghe. Even when he puts it all together, all he feels mostly is kind of bad about it? He never thought Yue Qingyuan was sufficiently villainous to merit his end, even though he didn't blame Binghe for it either. He was always a mystery, an apparently kind person who nevertheless had some inexplicable fondness for the scum villain, turned a blind eye towards his abuses, and got dragged down with him. Shen Yuan feels even worse when he actually gets to know his solemn, smiling, secretive little disciple.

Yue Qi is very determined to advance, and as quickly as possible. Shen Yuan admonishes him. Obviously this kid has a protagonist-like aura and a similar drive to get places quickly, but you can't speedrun your disciple era, Mr. Future Sect Leader! There's no montage mode! Most of his attempts at intervening meet a brick wall that is Yue Qi's impenetrable smile and polite deference if he even hints at displeasure (this kid's gonna make a great politician one day), but Shen Yuan changes tactics and starts manufacturing excuses for breaks, taking Yue Qi on him with trips off the mountain and finding reasons to stop at local festivals and hot springs and etc. He can tell something's off with the quality of frustration that his disciple sometimes expresses, with how there's fear to it, but he's at a loss for the cause and it's difficult to get Yue Qi to talk. Despite appearances, he's actually very distrustful of adults.

When Yue Qi asks to claim his sword early, Shen Yuan says no. He remember how reputedly powerful Xuan Su was, and his disciple definitely needs a stronger base if he's going to pull a sword of that caliber. But he suspects this won't go over well, and when he catches Yue Qi sneaking off to Wan Jian Peak on his own, his disciple finally breaks down and admits that he needs to get strong in order to save his most important person.

Shen Yuan is moved. The way Yue Qi speaks, he's certain this person is a young maiden whom his student has fallen in love with. Truly, the sect leader was so very similar to Luo Binghe at heart! He must have failed in the original story, and that contributed to his difficulties and sorrows later on. Of course Shen Yuan will help him rescue his sweetheart!

Even if his sweetheart is... surprisingly butch? And is a slave owned by the Qiu family, and, wait a second, that name is kind of familiar... oh.

Oh dear.

Shen Yuan is internally screaming even as he helps buy Xiao Jiu out of bondage, even as he gives Yue Qi money to get his newly rescued friend all cleaned up and suitably dressed for the trip back to Cang Qiong, even as he buys the boys tanghulu for a treat, even as the System cheerfully informs him that his new quest is to get Xiao Jiu accepted onto Qing Jing Peak, even as Yue Qi tears up for the first time when he thanks him for helping.

He can only get to sleep that night by consoling himself with the knowledge that his generation is going to retire well before Luo Binghe and The Plot actually show up.

The System: (〜￣▽￣)〜

5 Years Later:

Huan Hua Palace Master: Sect Leader, we need your help! A terrible Heavenly Demon has come to threaten the whole of human society!

Shen Yuan: That's not possible. He isn't even born yet.

HHP Master: What?

Shen Yuan: What?

[umossu]

ITS @zukkabigbang2024 AND @littlegayteaboy WROTE THIS BANGER FIC!!!!! READ IT!!!!!!!

I'D ALSO LIKE TO CREDIT @ash-and-starlight for the INCREDIBLE character designs of moon spirit!Sokka and sun spirit!Zuko which I took inspiration from!!!

I'm looking forward to drawing more scenes from this story YAYY ♡⁠(⁠>⁠ ⁠ਊ⁠ ⁠<⁠)⁠♡

it's here!!!

my fic for @zukkabigbang2024!!!!

thank you so much to @syciaralynx for beta'ing and to @umossu for making the wonderful art for this!!

[chrollogy]

uhhh if you see me writing lil yuscara drabbles for our lore …. look away !

[tossawary]

Qijiu's reunion at the Immortal Alliance Conference could have so easily gone differently. If Yue Qi had had the time to express joy over Shen Jiu's survival, before Shen Jiu got angry at apparently being abandoned for a better life, and before Yue Qi then assumed that the failed rescue was the unforgivable harm rather than the apparent failure to return at all, they might have gotten somewhere.

But, you know, another way things could have gone differently is Yue Qi and Shen Jiu not coming face-to-face and recognizing each other at the same time. It could have been one or the other.

Wu Yanzi presumably can't slip into the conference because he's (not invited and also) a wanted criminal, but he might have been able to send his apprentice in to walk around, with Shen Jiu pretending to be just another random disciple among the crowd. If Shen Jiu had disguised himself to enter the conference early, he could have easily seen Head Disciple of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect Yue Qingyuan in a position of dutiful prominence during some opening speech, without Yue Qi noticing him in return.

The conclusions that Shen Jiu would jump to without any indication Yue Qi even remembers him? Bad. Obviously, the only thing to do there is take furious revenge and completely ruin this Yue Qingyuan's beautiful new life somehow.

Likewise, if Shen Jiu had been wandering around the conference to scope out the valuables, Yue Qi could have seen him through the crowd without being noticed in return. Maybe CQMS's head disciple is better situated making the mingling rounds rather than standing up somewhere with the talking heads. Before Shen Jiu knows what's happening here, he's being accosted in a quiet corner by some young master on the verge of crying on his stolen uniform. He just barely manages not to stab this guy about it.

"Xiao-Jiu, you're alive! I came back for you but I was too late and found that awful place burned to the ground! Nobody knew where you'd gone. You're a disciple of Huan Hua Palace now? I'm so happy for you!" this person says, beaming with ugly joy- wait, is this...? "I'm so sorry that Qi-Ge was so useless."

Shen Jiu barely manages to stumble out of this conversation without passing out. Yue Qi gets dragged away by some Cang Qiong master for some social responsibility, clinging to Shen Jiu's hands and swearing to find him later, and he thinks Shen Jiu is a Huan Hua Palace disciple. What was Shen Jiu supposed to say to that assumption? That he's actually lying scum?!

Shen Jiu now has to survive this conference without Yue Qi finding out the truth and without Wu Yanzi finding out about Yue Qi. Upping the tension of this fic idea: maybe Wu Yanzi does find out that Shen Jiu knows the head disciple of CQMS. (Maybe Wu Yanzi was lurking around the edges in disguise as well. Maybe Wu Yanzi witnesses some later conversation between Qijiu.) Wu Yanzi now wants to use Shen Jiu as an "in" to rob or otherwise harm CQMS.

If Shen Jiu is the one who saw Yue Qi first and jumped to angry conclusions and revenge plans about it, maybe the spiteful Shen Jiu likes the idea of reuniting with Yue Qi just to fuck him over like that. He's going to regret that pretty quickly, though.