(BL) The Evil Sect Brother Quits

The duel should have been a formality.

Just two outer disciples testing their footwork before a bored instructor. But as soon as the senior disciple lunged toward Luo Wen, something shifted—an almost imperceptible tremor in the air. Shen Jiu, seated on the edge of the training platform, stiffened.

Luo Wen dodged the first blow gracefully. Then the second.

But when he retaliated, it wasn't with the clumsy eagerness of a beginner. His palm strike landed squarely in his opponent's chest with a burst of force that sent the older boy flying backward.

A silence rippled through the practice grounds. The disciple hit the earth with a dull thud, coughing blood.

For a brief, flickering instant, Shen Jiu thought he saw something dark—smoky—cling to Luo Wen's wrist. A thread of crimson qi? No… surely not. The boy stood there calmly, not even out of breath.

Shen Jiu blinked.

And when he looked again, Luo Wen was bowing politely to the dazed instructor, as though he had simply been lucky.

---

"Shixiong."

Shen Jiu turned to find Luo Wen trailing behind him after class, his expression soft. In his hands, he held something small, wrapped in pale green silk.

"I made this for you," he said, holding it out.

Shen Jiu raised an eyebrow. "You made me something?"

"It's a pendant," Luo Wen explained quickly. "Wooden. From the plum tree near the meditation hall. You always stop there, so I thought... you liked it."

Caught off guard, Shen Jiu accepted the bundle and unwrapped it.

The charm was carved into the shape of a lotus, slightly lopsided and amateur, but clearly made with care. He ran his fingers along the groove of each petal. A faint warmth clung to the wood—not quite spiritual qi, but not lifeless either. It pulsed softly against his skin, like a heartbeat.

"It's rough," Luo Wen said quietly. "I'm still learning. But I—I hope you'll wear it."

Shen Jiu smiled, genuinely. "Of course I will."

He slipped the pendant's cord over his neck. It settled against his collarbone, light and unassuming.

Luo Wen's eyes brightened, his hands clenching at his sides.

That night, when Shen Jiu turned in for rest, he forgot the moment entirely.

But Luo Wen did not.

---

Luo Wen's POV

He watched from the shadows near the courtyard gate, unseen beneath the plum tree's branches.

Shixiong had worn the pendant all afternoon.

He hadn't questioned its warmth, or the trace of his qi left behind. He hadn't noticed the delicate spiritual thread hidden deep in the wood grain—the one that pulsed in time with Luo Wen's heartbeat.

The bond wasn't demonic. Not entirely. It was ancient, yes. Forbidden, perhaps. But not dangerous unless... activated.

And for now, it simply marked him.

Mine.

Luo Wen had carved it himself, shaping each petal while thinking of Shixiong's hands. He'd sanded the edges smooth where they might catch on robes. He'd coated it with a protective balm that smelled faintly like herbs from Shen Jiu's own cabinet.

Now the charm lay against Shixiong's skin, nestled beneath his robes, close to his heart.

Luo Wen pressed his fingers to his own chest, mirroring the spot.

One day, they would match.

---

The next few days passed in an unbroken rhythm of drills and lectures. Shen Jiu resumed his schedule, gently guiding outer disciples through formations, correcting posture, handing out spirit-cleansing herbs to those with headaches from qi blockages.

To most, he seemed no different from any other cold but fair senior.

To Luo Wen, he was radiance incarnate.

He brought shade to those burning. Warmth to those freezing. And he'd smiled at Luo Wen, praised him, defended him during sparring matches when others sneered.

He cares now, Luo Wen thought, almost giddy with it.

He wears my gift.

He stopped lashing out at other disciples—at least, not publicly. Instead, he honed his cultivation in secret, choosing late nights and unused chambers to refine what the Frost Moon manuals could not teach him.

The demonic manuals he remembered from the Blood Sect didn't require permission.

They only required obsession.

---

On the fifth day after the duel, Luo Wen was summoned to the Inner Disciple Pavilion—rare for someone of his rank. Elder Mu himself delivered the message. Even rarer.

Shen Jiu had no idea why, but when he saw Luo Wen return to the outer courts just before sunset, he looked... satisfied. Quietly thrilled.

"Did something happen?" Shen Jiu asked, offering him a rice bun as they crossed the garden bridge.

Luo Wen accepted the bun, hands brushing his lightly.

"I was promoted," he said. "To inner disciple. Effective next week."

Shen Jiu blinked. "Already?"

"You're surprised?"

"Not disappointed," Shen Jiu said, then smiled. "You've earned it."

The boy's gaze warmed like candlelight. "Only because of you."

"You're the one who trained," Shen Jiu said lightly, waving it off.

But Luo Wen didn't look away.

His voice dropped, soft as falling dusk. "No. If you hadn't helped me that day... I wouldn't be standing here now. I'll never forget it."

Shen Jiu gave a short, awkward laugh. "You're making it sound like I saved your life."

But Luo Wen only smiled.

Because to him, that's exactly what had happened.

---

That night, after everyone had retired, Shen Jiu stood by the plum tree and looked up at the moon.

He thought of how far Luo Wen had come. From a shaking boy at the edge of the formation grounds to a poised, inner disciple with the sect's attention.

It made him feel strangely proud—and quietly relieved.

Maybe some people really could change.

Maybe kindness didn't have to backfire.

As the wind stirred the leaves above him, Shen Jiu felt the carved lotus shift against his chest.

He touched it absentmindedly.

Warm, as always.

---

Luo Wen's POV – Elsewhere

In his private chamber—newly gifted for his promotion—Luo Wen meditated in near silence.

But his mind was far from still.

The power beneath his ribs was growing steadily, steadily, steadily.

Each time Shixiong touched the pendant, it quickened.

Each time he said his name kindly, it swelled.

He didn't need to hurt anyone to keep Shixiong now.

He just needed to be near him.

To be worthy of the gaze that once held only disgust but now, finally—finally—saw him.

This time, there would be no blood.

Not yet.

Only love.

---