#sheepzun

For one, the damned ram, for all its presence bothers every hair on his body, didn't ever actually interrupt any classes before. This was the first of such incidents. Moreover, it was very distinctly proven that it has some form of logical reasoning, as it was apparently able to circulate qi to such an extent it could...assist...two middle core cultivators and give supplementary lessons to lagging disciples in certain subjects.

Interrupting a qin class for "being noisy" and "disturbing its sleep" was patently out of character for it, as much as he hates to admit.

Moreover, he'd seen the condition of the door when he arrived. It hadn't been burst in. There was barely a scratch on it aside from what was usual from normal wear and tear.

It was more likely the ram snuck up to the hall to witness something, saw something it didn't like, and interfered.

Shen Qingqiu glances at Qin Bojing, the way Luo Binghe seems to stand protectively close to him, and the waif-like boy's bandaged, pinkened hands.

He thinks of the disciples hanging around the ram, who tolerated, perhaps even enjoyed their senseless twittering as they slogged through one of their poor excuses of a "study session". Thinks of how it managed to wrangle that wretched beast into behaving somewhat decently, not at all like the power-hungry wretch he knows his hiding beneath that childish mask. Thinks of the way the ram pointedly spit out the bloodied whip, despite the ram having not seemed to bleed anywhere itself.

The image is much clearer now. Quite simple, really.

Dumb creature...

That said, it's not as though he wants to let the ram off lightly. It's not faultless, and there's the property damage the account for. But he's not the sect strategist for nothing.

It's just a matter of seeing how it will all play out now.

Shen Qingqiu slaps his fan into his hand.

"From what it seems, the qin class had paused for a case of discipline. Is that correct, Qin Bojing?"

The boy startles, flinching. Judging from the twitch of his brow, some of it seems to be from pain. Strange, if only his hands are hurt.

He nods in affirmation. Shen Qingqiu scowls.

"You have a mouth with which to speak, do you not? Use it."

The boy purses his lips, then manages to mumble.

"Yes, Shizun."

"Yes, what?"

"...Yes, this disciple was being disciplined."

His black eyes stay pinned to the floor, the dark circles beneath his long lower lashes in full view. No matter how neatly the boy arranged his long hair, he would always look gaunt and tired with that kind of face.

"For what were you being disciplined?"

"This disciple was playing poorly, Shizun."

"Which song were you playing?"

"It was...'Three Variations of the Plum Blossom*'. This disciple is slow to learn and apologizes."

"In what way are you slow to learn?"

He can feel the ram gazing up at him, but he continues his line of questioning. The boy is still as he continues staring down.

"It... Right now, this one is having a hard time following Jiang*-shifu's fingers. And the tablature is...dense, and I am dimwitted. So, I keep messing up the notes when I am directed to play. Asking for your graciousness and mercy, Shizun."

The boy bows stiltedly, and not quite low enough to be fully respectful. But he stays bowed, not raising up prematurely, showing his sincerity.

"Hmm. I presume this is the truth, then?" Shen Qingqiu turns to the Guqin Shifu, whose last name is apparently Jiang.

The man had a look on his face that swiftly shifts into something else, but Shen Qingqiu caught the last bit of the expression before he focuses on him instead.

"Yes, Peak Lord! Disciple Qin knows his place well. This teacher was only guiding him in the right path to learning the qin well. I would not allow him to disgrace this peak. But that...wild beast came in here and disrupted everything!"

Said wild beast was being rather patient, all things considered. Few animals were known to stand still quietly for long periods, especially not sheep. But the ram is doing quite the good impression of a very unamused statue, its face blank.

One would be surprised to think the ram could have reduced several guqin to splinters, torn a cultivator's skin with a whip, and left a classroom in tatters. And yet.

"And, what punishment did you give Qin Bojing for his mistakes in class?"

"This teacher merely whipped him, nothing more. When Disciple Qin lost his composure and attempted to retaliate, I had to discipline him further, and he was injured further in the process. That was all. However, it was not my fault he was hurt more than necessary. I believe you understand, Peak Lord Shen."

That earns the man a glare, causing him to recoil. But Shen Qingqiu relents, opening his fan.

"Do you corroborate his account, Qin Bojing?"

The boy's empty eyes close softly.

"Yes, Shizun."

Luo Binghe turns to him sharply, looking affronted, but he manages to not say anything.

Shen Qingqiu hums, then he finally turns toward the troublemaker of the hour.

"Well then. I believe I have an accurate picture of what occurred here. However, it is true that this lord will hear out all sides. So, Shen Yuan, what is your account of what happened?"

What Shen Qingqiu expects is for Shen Yuan to explain that it heard Qin Bojing resisting getting whipped by Jiang whatever and that it came in. That it shoved its way through to get to two and stop the punishment, damaging the classroom and the qin in the process.

Of course, how it managed to damage so many qin and why Qin Bojing appears to also be so injured is to be discovered. He has his suspicions as to whom the fault falls on, and it's not the ram.

He's expecting righteous indignation and and raised voice. Perhaps the stomping of a hoof.

Shen Yuan's face remains neutral.

'Do forgive me. This ram is but two years old, so he is still learning. Are you all saying that humans, who proclaim themselves to be superior creatures to mere livestock, will bloody their young over something as trivial as playing a wrong note on a musical instrument, and that action is perfectly reasonable?'

The room goes perfectly quiet.

"...Excuse me?"

'Ah, perhaps this one hasn't explained well. Let me illustrate in a comparatively reasonable manner. Hm...let's say we have a flock of sheep, a pack of dogs, and a family of humans. All are comparatively affluent in their states of living, having ample amounts of food, shelter, and stimulation.

'Now, a youth in each group acts in a way the elders do not like. Let's say they cause overstimulation in one way or another. Again, keeping in mind that all groups have ample amounts of food, shelter, and stimulation, let's look at how each group typically reacts.

'For sheep, we usually allow the ewe to discipline her child. She generally pushes or paws at her lamb to get them to behave. If they continue to act out, she may push the lamb down. Though, generally, we're free-spirited creatures. Active play is usually celebrated in a life that's so short.

'For dogs, the mother will growl or show her teeth briefly at her pup as a warning. Sometimes she may not even do that, just putting her paw on her puppy like a ewe does with her lamb. But, if the pup continues to act out, she may, like a ewe, force her pup to be still by pinning them to the ground for a moment. Perhaps with a bark or a growl as well, depending on the act the pup was doing.'

Shen Yuan hasn't blinked. The qi around Shen Qingqiu's ankles tingles.

'This ram was under the assumption that humans were similar. That humans would simply push or paw at their children to get them to behave, physically or verbally. Then physically or verbally hold them down if they acted further, just for a moment. But what you're saying is that, even for minor infarctions that aren't even bad behavior, like playing a musical note incorrectly by pure learning mistake, you will do the equivalent of pinning your puppy down and savagely bite and bite and bite into their back until they bleed?'

"What-"

The ram's gaze pins Jiang in place.

'Will you find the nearest wire fence and force your lamb's back against it again and again until blood pools against the ground for bleating the wrong sound? Or is that punishment reserved for lambs that are not your own? Because a sheep, a dog, will generally ignore the young of another of our species, or treat it as our own if we're going to acknowledge it. Especially if we open our shelter to it.'

The ram steps forward on splintered wood, its green eyes somehow bright.

'Surely, humans, who have long pursued immortality and education, would not submit to such cruelty and call themselves the species superior to all others on earth. Is this the Dao you form your cores with? Have you ever thought that maybe, perhaps, such things are why it's taking you so long despite your wisdom? Because, despite your natural longevity and capacity for knowledge, you all continue to act in such a rancid manner?'

When Shen Yuan stops moving, Shen Qingqiu is looking straight down at green eyes without retreating, the ram staring unblinking back up at him. Jiang has fallen to the wayside, having lost his footing.

Shen Qingqiu doesn't feel like he can or should look away.

His hand clenches on his fan sharply, a sense of pain squirming uncomfortably in his chest. It's suffocating. Claustrophobic.

Similar to the way men make him feel, but entirely different at the same time. This feels like something else. Something familiar, but old.

Something from inside rather that out. An internal force made external, made into flesh and bone, given a voice he loathes to hear.

"...And what of the qin?" Shen Qingqiu asks instead.

Shen Yuan switches gears quite easily, looking down at the ruined instruments.

'Ah, it's quite regretful. Though, this ram was merely following his nature. When someone uses objects as a shield when I am trying to get at them, well, I ram through it, you see. You ought to be familiar with that aspect of mine...though, I suppose you were half-conscious at that point.'

Shen Qingqiu scowls deeply at the reminder of his most recent shame, a few scant months ago though it was now. But what the ram said isn't lost on him.

"Instruments used as a shield, you say," he hums, glancing to the Guqin Shifu.

The man startles, but when he tries to speak, he finds it difficult to. After all, the ram is staring at him again.

'It was quite fascinating. I've never seen a musical instrument used that way. Humans, when they aren't being crude, brutal creatures, are quite industrious. Musical instruments as shields...very creative! Though, perhaps they should be made out of more durable wood if you all intend to use them that way.'

Shen Qingqiu resists the urge to roll his eyes. His head hurts enough as it is.

Right. So.

The ram heard the beating and went to see what was happening. It walked in on it occurring and tried to stop it. Jiang, using the whip on Qin Bojing, tried using it on the ram, but failed, so he tried using the qin as shields to block the ram's path. However, if the ram couldn't be stopped by two cultivators about to have qi deviations or demons infiltrating the peak, musical instruments wouldn't stop it either. So, that just added up a lot of unnecessary property damage.

Shen Yuan would not be scolded about interrupting the beating (not that no one would try, but, quite simply, Shen Yuan would not allow itself to be scolded for it...perhaps rightfully so). So, it would feel little, if any, shame about destroying the instruments in an effort to stop the beating from continuing.

Shen Qingqiu presses the tip of his fan between his brows, feeling his headache perhaps turning into a migraine.

"...Right then. Qin Bojing—" he hears the boy shift in attention— "You will go see Mu Qingfang at Qian Cao Peak. Luo Binghe and Ming Fan will escort you there—"

"W-Wait, Peak Lord Shen! Is there really a need to involve Peak Lord Mu in this matter?"

"...Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, it's-"

'-curious.'

Both humans look down to the ram, who is looking off to the side with its head tilted.

'This ram has just had a curious thought. See, I was listening to the music, and, admittedly, some disciples play worse than others. And when I think of when I began hearing the whip crack, it wasn't when the worst of the sounds were playing. Meaning, I don't believe Qin Bojing is the worst qin player of the bunch, is he?'

Shen Qingqiu smirks.

"No, he is not. That would be Luo Binghe."

'Hm...if that's the case, it's my shortcoming, having hooves for hands. This one will have to ask you for advice, then.'

And that nearly has him drop his fan altogether.

'But that's not what I mean for the moment. What I mean is that I'm starting to question this man's motives for brutalizing Xiao Jing.'

The boy in question lets out a choked noise.

"...Hmh. Lei Meifen*, go to—"

"Wait, Peak Lord Shen! I assure you, Disciple Qin's injuries can be taken care of on our peak. There's no need to involve-"

'You're so antsy about it, you keep interrupting the peak lord you claim to respect.'

There's a beat of silence, then the door opens as Luo Binghe and Ming Fan begin escorting Qin Bojing out of the room.

"...Lei Meifen. Go to An Ding—"

"I implore you, Pea-"

Before Shen Qingqiu can say anything, his mouth curled into an ugly sneer, Shen Yuan very suddenly swings his head, slamming his right horn into the man's hip with an audible crack.

The Guqin Shifu drops to the ground with a shrill wail.

Shen Qingqiu, frozen still by how suddenly it happened, remains that way. Meanwhile, the ram tuts, staring down at the bawling cultivator.

"Muh-my, my legs--"

'Oh hush, hush. It's probably just a fracture. Or a shatter. It'll heal.'

He pushes the man's top half onto his back. His legs remain sickeningly limp.

"I-I can'gh-feel--"

'I know. But hey.'

Finally, Shen Yuan smiles.

It's all sweet, pink-lipped malice.

'We have a good reason to involve Qian Cao Peak now, don't we?'

---

animals do not attack without reason.

there is always a reason, no matter how minute it may seem.

*1. 梅花三弄 Méihuā Sān Nòng, Three Variations of the Plum Blossom, better known as Three Stanzas on Plum Blossoms. It's a very famous ancient guqin piece. I've been listening to it on repeat here.

Plum blossoms have long been held in high regard by Chinese for their proud and unyielding character in the face of adversity. This melody praises the emergence of the blossoms in defiance of the bitter cold winter and as heralds of spring. The plum blossoms are also a metaphor and embodiment of those with high moral integrity and who persevere through hardship.

— Guqin World

*2. 蒋 Jiǎng, surname Jiang from the name of the state of Jiang, in present-day Henan province. No direct translation to, like, a trait or quality.

*3. 雷 梅芬 Léi Méifēn, 雷 - thunder; 梅 - plum; 芬 - fragrance.

He's not really at risk of being led to the slaughterhouse because he's more important to the sect alive than dead, so he can take some liberties. Clearly, the humans want to know about the Sheep Dao, and though he's not quite sure how to teach them, he'll do his best. As long as he does his job, what does it matter if he annoys the Qing Jing Peak lord a little?

In fact, it seems some of the other peak lords enjoy that he pesters him!

A lot!

Perhaps too much!

More than once, when near the borders of Qing Jing, he'd seen a peak lord trying to get a look at him and heard them chuckling about Shen Qingqiu's humiliation in one way or another.

"Sharing a surname with a common animal suits him," or "Perhaps Qing Jing Peak will gain a much more reliable shixiong. A shame we can't replace that lecher wholesale."

Where's the solidarity, actually? You guys are kinda assholes!

(Lecher? That stick in the mud? He's never smelled even a hint of arousal from him, though.)

Anyway...

At first, most of the ram's pestering is just simple. Being around him is more than enough.

Eating the grasses and shrubbery is like an affront to him at all times.

The group lessons were an accidental thing that started up, but hey, it was natural. Some of the less affluent students needed a bit of help with the more complex language from certain classes, and the ram was somehow able to help.

(How he knew Classical Chinese literature or at least knew how to interpret it was beyond him, really. He's, honestly, just two years old.)

Shen Qingqiu seemed to really hate that, but the little lambs liked it, so no harm.

Binghe seemed to not like it very much himself, so Shen Yuan made sure to have some quality time just with the two of them. That brought the boy's mood back up and chipper immediately. What a clingy little one, hehe~ He's so sweet.

But yes, right. Thinking of ways to pester the peak lord further. Talking with him on occasion seemed to do a fairly good job as well. The man was frightfully dishonest, mixing truth and lie together in sentences like well-woven fabrics. The word "tsundere" came to mind, though he's not sure what language that is.

Though, the thought gets interrupted when he hears something cracking in the air.

Hmm...isn't it about time for qin practice?

They've been working on some plum song. It's quite lovely, though some of the students don't seem to play it quite right.

Another cracking sound.

He's been noting which notes sound right and which sound wrong, though he doesn't know the piece himself. He'd like to hear it played properly again. He only heard it once, when the shifu in charge of that class played it for them—since Shen Qingqiu couldn't be assed to teach all his classes. It wasn't like he had a ton of students...

Crack.

Hm. That isn't an instrument. It was a tad too quiet, actually. He has to strain to hear it. In fact, if he thinks about it, isn't this sound a little...familiar...

Crack.

Ah.

Ah.

--

Shen Qingqiu already has a scold on his tongue when Ming Fan bursts into his sanctuary, but the expression on the boy's face gives him pause.

What the boy says next springs him into action.

He's basically flying down the steps from his bamboo house with the gangly boy following after him, already hearing the panicked cries of a grown man and the twangs of snapping strings. The closer he gets to the Three Stream Hall, the louder it gets.

When he shoves the hall's doors open, he quickly processes all immediately necessary information.

The children are cuddled at the corners of the room, eyes wide with fright.

The ball of children on the right side loosely surround Qin Bojing*, the rather slow-to-learn fifth child from a low-ranking feudal court official. He whimpers quietly as Luo Binghe wraps his hands in cloth with an ugly expression on his vindictive little face.

The cloth is already pinkening at the palms.

Another twang of breaking strings and crackle of wood cause the children to startle, accompanied by the wheedling screech of a grown man.

And Shen Qingqiu feels a soft roil of qi ease past his ankles like morning fog, too heavy to rise up, so it flows down the hall's stairs.

It prickles like the barely-there warning before lightning strikes.

Several guqin lay in shattered pieces across the floor. There's spots of splattered blood, source currently unidentified.

One of the shifu of his peak lie on the ground, shaking in fear with his hands guarding his face. One hand has a distinct slash in it that is bleeding sluggishly, so some of the blood must be from that.

The ram stands above the cowering man, its countenance distinctly sour, expression not visible from his current position with its backside mostly toward the door. However, it was clear that the prickling, foggy qi is rolling off of the ram, having settled low in the room like morning mist.

Even with its back turned, Shen Qingqiu can see that it holds a bloodied whip in its mouth.

"You..."

The ram's ear flicks back towards him. The cultivator cowering below it spares him a glance, but a mere shift of the ram's weight causes him to whimper like a beaten dog.

The man, a shixiong of his once, snivels.

"S-Shen—Peak Lord! This wild animal—hieeek!!"

A well-timed stomp of the ram's foot interrupts him.

'Wild animal? Rich.'

The ram's jaws clench, the woven threads of the whip crackling and snapping with the force of it. Then, its head lowers, teeth still grinding, still destroying.

'From spinless scum like you, that's a goddamn compliment.'

Xiu Ya's blade sings softly as it swings in the air, sliding between the two opposing forces.

"Stand down, beast. This one is this peak's lord, and I will resolve its issues as I see fit. You will follow my rules as its member. Is that clear?"

The ram's gaze is focused on the fool below it. But they shift, sliding eerily up to him. Because of how a sheep's eyes rotate, the rectangular slits are vertical, mimicking a predator creature more than prey animals.

It feels like a challenge, and it makes Shen Qingqiu bristle...but strangely, not the same way Luo Binghe does.

Because, slitted pupils, gnashing teeth, curling horns, whatever or not, a sheep is still a sheep. And yet, the sheep is still acting so strongly, not at all like a dumb, self-preserving herd creature.

Stupid. Ignorant. It should know better than to stick its neck out for anyone.

The ram stares at him a moment longer before the clear fury subsides. It huffs roughly out its nose and backs up, head rising. It keeps chewing though, until there's a distinct snapping sound.

With its eyes lidded, it spits out what remains of that part of the whip, the thing severed all the way to its inner, tightened cord.

'This ram insists on this thing never being used on the lambs...the children again, Shen-shixiong.'

"Y-You-! You are you to dare call the peak lord your shixiong?!" the man wails, finally stumbling to his feet.

He apparently remembers to use his qi to start healing himself since his blood has finally stopped dripping onto the floor. Shen Qingqiu remembers his name, but it's not worth the energy to say it, even in his own mind. The Guqin Shifu will have to do.

After all that grandstanding back in those days, teaching the guqin was all he became good for in the end, huh.

'This ram doesn't dare to do anything. I'm perfectly allowed to by your Zhangmen Shixiong, you know. You ought to respect him enough. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is, Shen-shixiong, that this guy shouldn't have access to children.'

---

I was gonna write more, but I'll do it a bit later cause it'll take too long.