#also opm definitely suspects sj will be an important figure in the future

[mooncheese3]

time travel au, gongyi xiao centric, yijiu (to heal the soul)

instead of dying in canon, gyx somehow gets transported back in time. lets say the dungeon is a key plot location, and the system accidentally clicks something, and so gyx ends up in the peaklords' discipleship era, and its too late to turn back now (the system is severely punished, rip)

opm goes down to deal with the stranger somehow in the dungeons, graciously answering the questions a typically confused individual would have after waking in a place they werent in before. ("what date is it?" "its xx, xx, xxxx", "where is this?" "you are in huanhua palace, young man. pray tell, how did you end up in here?")

he explains to opm that hes from the future, but when asked about what will happen, gyx refuses to say

he says the usual space-time continium cannot be disturbed further thing, and how he doesnt want anyone to be harmed by being in the know

gyx Still needs to prove he Isnt lying tho, so he reveals that he knows opm's wife is pregnant with a daughter

this knowledge was only known by the opm, his wife, and the 2 healers who attended to her, proving gyx's claims to be from the future

gyx's knowledge and experience with time travel, something only rumored to be possible by the most powerful of gods and one horrifying sword, is important if opm wants to harness it for the future. thus, opm resolves to not lose him. (and surely loyalty will keep this strange young man by his side)

gyx is set free and accepted as a huanhua disciple once more. opm makes the papers to keep people from questioning gyx's lack of existence prior to his apperance

when gyx figures out that the next immortal alliance conference might be the one sqq participated in as a disciple under wyz, gyx requests he joins

"is there any specific reason why, disciple gongyi?" asks the opm

"it is a personal matter, master"

he joins, and finds sqq–now sj–right on time. gyx slays wyz before he can harm yqy.

gyx graciously leaves yqy and sj to talk, instead moving to deal with the body and calling for their masters

the talk doesnt seem to go well, because yqy's eyes are red and teary, while sj's are furious and stormy (yet wet all the same)

just before they part ways, sj and gyx meet eyes, and sj sends him a nod of acknowledgment. gyx knows they will meet once more, but for now they will have to deal with the mess the iac has turned to

bc a disciple of huanhua was the one to defeat wyz, huanhua gets more attention and praise, and in the process so does gyx. this only delays gyx from meeting with sj, until 2 weeks have passed

he has no reason strong enough to go to cang qiong in person, plus hhp and cqms have always been rivals despite being allied

instead he writes a letter to sj and (after some thought) yqy, asking after their well-being. yqy's letter comes a few days after, explaining that he is well; it is polite and doesnt divulge too much, as expected. sadly, sj doesnt write back.

still, gyx keeps sending sj letters, making idle talk of the latest trends and the current weather. sometimes he rambles about the beasts hes fortunate enough to encounter, and on the rare occasion mild jokes that poke fun at a rich client.

(gyx may be a rich boy but hes a nice, self aware one who recognizes the flaws in the people with high status. swell guy 100/10)

after some time, sj replies with what could be summed up as "whats wrong with you, what are you doing, why are you doing this, are you insane (/gen)?"

it can be presumed that sj got sick of the letters that have been piling up in the corner of his drawer

gyx replies, "im curious about you :DD *insert polite yet genuine praise directed at sj*"

he cant exactly say hes infatuated with sj. to sj, they only saw each other for a brief moment, and intrigue sounds less insane than love. gyx also wouldnt be lying, so ! all is well !!

sj is oddly amused (totally not endeared) to the dork that just cant seem to get the message that he doesnt want to get acquainted with him

he cant help but pity him, so for the first time sends back a response. surprisingly, sj keeps writing back

its a little sad to say the letters are one of the few things sj looks forward to every month

(hoookay this is getting long)

in short, sj and gyx meet up for the first time when cq and hh need to assist each other for a mission

gyx wasnt supposed to go with at first, but. well. being one of opm's favorites has its perks and gyx is at least smart enough to use it (this is sj's influence)

sj's still a hated figure if sj's martial siblings' mutterings were to represent the cq disciples as a whole, and it saddens gyx a lot. it doesnt deter him, however

sj is different from sqq. sj is meaner, stricter, and more refined even as a disciple. he thinks sj mellowed out as he grew, since the sqq he met in the future was kinder, a little more lax, and not as caring of his appearance. still, sj is as wonderful as he remembers, even if different

they arent at the courting stage yet, but in the near future they will be :))