#(burned Cang Qiong to the ground)

[supposethismatters]

Was someone going to tell me that all of the crimes Shen Jiu was imprisoned for Bingge was guilty of or was I just supposed to pick it out of the subtext?

[allpiesforourown]

Protagonist Shen Yuan would win the people over by how kind he was and how he continued to keep trying to do good no matter what happened in the story. His heart would always be in the right place no matter what happened to him. He would never give up and that’s what Binghe would definitely admire about him- *gets tackled but the guards before I could continue*

So true...

14 yo Binghe: it's time for lessons but shixiong and shizun left me too injured to move..

Binghe: *remembers chapter where shen yuan had to go through physical therapy after being sick and bedbound for so long*

Binghe staggering to his feet: I CAN DO IT

But also does this mean binghe would choose to be a better person and follow shen yuan's ideals of forgiveness? Or would he go "you took away my book about shen yuan" and be even more furious while burning cang qiong to the ground

[moonlightobsessions]

Meowyuan scumcum au.

Shen yuan transmitigates as he does

Dumb fuck novel, of course he dies reading that piece of shit. But isnt death supposed to be nothingness? Why is he still thinking. Slowly opening his eyes hes surrounded by a forest filled with massive plants, he seemed to be in a small den between roots of one of these massive trees. He lies there contemplating what to do. Obviously he got isekaied but to where. He tried to get up and walk when he realized the problem. He was a cat, a kitten.

He doesn’t realize he is a spiritual beast, one sought after by cultivators to be companions. He does hate being a cat quickly, having to hunt and eat raw meat is not fun. Thankfully he stumbles across a village. There he meets two street kids, jiu and qi, and reasonably gets attached to them. Qi-ge feeds him and jiu-ge protects him.

Sadly the Qiu manor still happens. Shen yuan sees the last moments yue qi and shen jiu have before yue wi goes to join cang qiong. Yuan stays with jiu, hoping to help him escape but hes discovered by Qiu Jianlou and recognized as the rare and valuable beast he is. He’s captured to be sold to whatever cultivator passes by. Shen jiu helps him escape, and unknowingly to shen jiu, shen yuan bonds them due to his spiritual beast instincts. They wont see each other for many years.

Shen yuan looks back through the small hole in the wall, Jiu-ge pushing him to run. Reasonably he knows he should run, but he follows an instinct he never had before. He rubs his head against Shen jius hands, the small jewel in his forehead touching his skin. A small jolt of qi reach out. The qi cycles as he feels them connect and their qi becoming intertwined. He licks the hand one last time before he runs into the forest.

The manor burning and wan yanzu still happen. Though damage to shen jius cultivation base never become as bad from the demonic cultivation as the connection between the two rejected the demonic energies. Shen yuan runs around for a long time. He is searching for yue qi first, but got sidetracked a lot. Especially since he avoided most cultivators. Soon he have up on yue qi, years have past and finding a way into cang qiong as a beast is near impossible, if he was even there.

He felt exhausted and found a small area rich in qi to take a small nap. That small cat nap would last ten years, when he woke and headed to the village he heard whispers of the new qing generation of peak lords. He felt into the connection he had and decided to follow it, to reunite with shen jiu.

At this point many of the rumours around shen qingqiu had taken root, he ignored them too. Opting to focus on missions and his research. There had been many studies on spiritual beast companions but few on the one he was interested in. The Jeweled qi cat was extremely rare, as a kitten they form a bond forged with qi with a person or a place and rely on them for protection. They grow uniquely to the qi they absorb and many cultivators desire one for their bond that is said to prove a noble soul and improve cultivation.

He only realized he was bonded to the small kitten he saved when his shizun inspected his qi. Even if he knew that bond existed, he never could use it to find the cat. He only could venture out often to search. That bastard yue qingyuan never came and he wont do the same for xiao yuan.

When they reunite its in a large town. Shen yuan felt the bond resonate and ran towards shen jiu. Shen Qingqiu was on a mission to deal with a sighting of a moonscortched black viper when a tugging in his qi made him turn around.

Shen yuan had hardly grown, not having access to shen jiu’s qi. Still fluffy and small but with all his might he decided jumping right into shen jius arms. It was a sight to see as a peak lord was knocked to the ground by a kitten that looked no older then three months. Shen yuan refused to be put down, clinging to shen jius clothes.

Of course Cang Qiong was shocked when the notorious peak lord came back with the Jeweled Qi cat that refused to leave his arms (shen jiu tried but shen yuan would yowl everytime he was put down(shen yuan could not afford losing Jiu-ge)). Of course shen yuan realizes this is the scum villain and decides that cannon is for losers and shen qingqiu couldn’t have been that bad.

So here we get looks for the list of tropes i enjoy Shen jiu improved relations with his martial siblings, rumors proven false and people feel shame, shen yuan bullying shen jiu into a better person and teacher, qijiu reconciliation.

And during this shen yuan is DESPERATE to cultivate a human form. Shen Jiu is hiding all the books in places he cant get to after one too many books had pages torn (some literature DESERVES to be destroyed).

He finally succeeded! Human hands! Thankfully he was still in the bamboo house as he made his way on wombly legs to Jiu-ge’s room. He might have seen Jiu-ge putting on those complicated robes many times but he never put any on before (He was a modern man! No where near as many layers). Just putting on one robe seemed enough. And Jiu-ge had a mirror! Seeing himself was a shock. Honestly he didn’t know what to expect, would he look like his old self or someone completely different. Long white hair, his cat ears and split tail, jade green eyes match the jade where a huadian would be, his face looks eight parts his old self, one part feline with his fangs and eyes, and one part shen jiu, sharpening his features (did bonding with Jiu-ge influence it?).

Shen jiu does find shen yuan scandalously clad reading yellow books in his bed. This does awaken something in him. (Shen jiu does trick shen yuan into marriage before shen yuan realizes his own attraction)

[archerdepartures116]

pet cafe au story snippet

I can't write for shit but I've wanted to write something about the au for a while now

and cause content has been a little dry lately..

anyways cat jiu and bun qingge!

Burning.

 There are flames everywhere. What is happening?

It hurts.

 IT HURTS. 

What is happening?!

My meridians. 

it's like lava under my skin… 

…

The pain has faded.

What?

.

..

…

I hear ringing…

Shen Jiu jolted upright to the feeling of movement and subtle rocking. 

He was…..being carried?

Shen Jiu blinked and tried to get his vision to focus. His heart was pounding. 

When he woke up after a qi deviation he was sure was lethal, he noticed something wrong right away. He was proven correct a second after when he lifted a hand and what came into view was a white paw. He had been turned into a cat. 

What the hell?

The second thing he noticed that was off was the surroundings he was in. He was in some sort of cage, though the sides of the box were made of some weird material that had a shiny, slippery smooth texture. Only the exit to the cage was made of some metal. 

“Oh curse the heavens.” he sneered as he pawed and clawed at the door until a human's face came into view.

A face that looked strikingly familiar to him. 

It wasn’t a direct one to one copy but the human had his sharp eyes and narrow mouth, his high cheekbones and pointy nose. The human wore clear glasses around his eyes. The human’s clothes looked strange and underdressed. 

What was going on? He was sure he never had any family.

He hissed, his fur puffing up in suspicion. 

“Ansty aren’t we? Let's get you out now.” The human frowned and unlocked the door to his cage.

Shen Jiu jumped out the second the lock sprung free and took a glance at his surroundings. There was a huge mat that covered the entire floor and multiple soft looking pillows that surrounded the corners of the room. When he turned to look at the human, he was talking to another person. When the other human in the room looked down, Shen Jiu was struck by his face.

That was the face of a traitor. Shen Jiu seethed. 

He hissed and the fur on his back raised in agitation. The man looked rather shocked by his reaction.

“Oh dang, I guess he really doesn’t like me huh bro?”

“Of course, you look stupid.” The four eyes smirked. 

“Awe dudeeeee-”. Bemoaned the ratty looking man. 

“We have a lot of animals to unload here, get to work or I'm not paying you.” 

“We own the cafe together wha-”

The traitor lookalike was cut off by four eyes when he turned and put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Four eyes then brought out a cage, which was carefully lowered to the ground. He seemed to be holding his breath. 

From what Shen Jiu could see, the interior of the cage contained a lot of hay and padding. The man set that cage in front of a wall and unlocked the door to it. 

“Be quiet, this little guy is very skittish.” the visually impaired one whispered to his companion. 

One moment there was absolute stillness. The next was whatever that was inside that cage bolted out, nearly crashing into the man’s leg. 

“aCK-” four eyes yelped as he tried to grab the bolting white blurb.

It was quite unseemly and humorous to watch the two fumbling humans try to catch the creature that was performing nearly impressive acrobatics to evade grabbing hands. 

“HE’S VERY SKITTISH FOR SURE-”, the traitor look alike said as he dived right into the carpet whilst trying to apprehend what Shen Jiu could now see was a bunny. 

When the two animals locked gazes, Shen Jiu knew immediately who it was.

Liu Qingge, Baizhan peak lord, Cang Qiong Mountain’s War God, had been reborn as a bunny. 

Shen Jiun was going to ascend to the heavens by laughing himself stupid. 

It seemed like Liu Qingge was very puzzled by this change of events and his momentary distraction allowed the traitor look alike to scoop him up and wrap his arms around Liu Qingge’s struggling form. 

This day couldn’t get better, Shen Jiu thought amusedly

One would think that Liu Qingge would have been reincarnated as a cat like him or some bigger predatory creature due to his hot and volatile personality and hunting prowess. Shen Jiu could almost appreciate the irony of this scene.  

[parisvalia]

quarterly reminder that when PIDW!binghe burned cang qiong to the ground the lost guanyin pendant most definitely burned with it. just a friendly reminder :)

[bingtuan]

I always knew Bingge was ruthless but DAMN THAT DUDE'S RUTHLESS!!

He razed Cang Qiong to the ground. Everyone on it, be it the peak lords or the disciples, burned.

Tortured and gave the most painful of deaths to his shizun. Made sure to take away anything and everything shen jiu ever held dear. His limbs, his life on Cang Qiong, his martial siblings and the life shen jiu had painstakingly built for himself.

An extract from volume one of svsss:

"…Within the dark, gloomy room, a metal chain hung from a beam. At the end of the chain dangled a ring. The ring was fastened around a person’s waist—if it could still be considered a “person.” This “person’s” appearance was filthy and disheveled, like that of a madman. The most frightening thing about him was that all four of his limbs had been severed. His shoulders and thighs were only four bare knobs of flesh. When touched, he would let out a hoarse “ahhh” sound. His tongue had been torn out too, rendering him unable to form complete words.

—Proud Immortal Demon Way, a selected passage on Shen Qingqiu’s fate."

Not to mention the way he killed Yue Qingyuan.

Lured him out using shen jiu and of course yqy would go. He abandoned Xiao-Jiu once before and even though it was obviously a trap, he did not want to abandon sj a second time. Dude died with a thousand arrows puncturing his body.

"In the original work, Yue Qingyuan’s death had been caused by his good shidi, Shen Qingqiu, okay?!

And what a horrific death it was. Tens of thousands of arrows had pierced him until not even his bones remained!"

Everyone who had wronged him died horribly. He was genial to women only and everyone else was trash in his eyes.

I'm speaking for myself here. I tend to overlook this ruthless and merciless behavior because of the Bingge vs Bingmei extra where we get to see that he's just a lonely guy. He just wanted somewhere he could belong. He did not understand why he was abused time and time again. Even when he was good, people still found ways to make his life hell. Why??

He's not happy despite having wives or riches or even the most powerful weapon. What he wants, what he needs is someone to really love him. Bingmei has that but Bingge was deprived of it.

Anyway, I just realized that I've been seeing Bingge through rose-colored glasses all this time.

[ineffectualdemon]

I just realised while writing my wip that it's a probably a really necessary thing plot wise that Yue Qingyuan could not explain why he failed to rescue Shen Jiu when they were reunited and later both head disciples

Because if Shen Jiu had learned about what really happened to his Qi-ge there wouldn't have been a Cang Qiong Mountain for Luo Binghe to later study at at all

Shen Jiu would have burned the sect to the ground even more thoroughly than Bingge did in the original story

There would be a valley where the mountain once stood

Even as it is in this fic it's going to be very hard for Yue Qingyuan to stop Shen Jiu from finding the former sect leader and destroying him and the rest of the former peak lords

Bingge picked up a lot from his Shizun

[rarepears]

The lqg fake death au with soulmate strings au,

Oh man when lqg gets to sqq and sees him I know for a fact he'd feel so helpless because he wouldn't know how to help him.

Maaaannnnnn this is really a great au, so much good angst

I also can't help but try to imagine ways this could turn into a hurt/comfort but I keep feeling like that'd be ooc, maybe a lot of hurt/ very little comfort.

Would sj just have a defeated air to him? Just bitter but wouldn't do anything about it because it's pointless in his eyes? His chest burning like acid had been poured on it and the weight of his grief would feel crushing to his soul, almost numbing with its intensity.

I want to say that lqg just takes sj away from hhp and cqs but I don't think lbh would let him just go. And lqg being more actions then words would probably start just fighting lbh.

I want sj to be happy, man, but the angst needs to happen ya know? Maybe lqg gets injured but gets sj out of there, I don't think for long, since I'm pretty sure lbh has blood parasites in sj but I'd like to believe they get to breathe for a moment.

Shen Jiu's love language: fan smacking and self-sacrifice Liu Qingge's love language: leaving dead and bloody beasts on pristine ground

There is no comfort, only dead animals and blundering each other... and yet that's apparently how these two idiots comfort each other?

ANYWAYS

There's NO way that PIDW only has 2 ways of reviving dead people. There has to be more secret ways - because plenty of Airplane's drafts turned out to exist in PIDW and there has to be more ways he thought of resurrected hot dead people to add to Luo Binghe's harem.

Maybe Liu Qingge hunts one or two down and that's how he rescues Shen Jiu in the end? By "killing" Shen Jiu and then allowing Shen Jiu to take on a new body, new identity and Liu Qingge leaves Cang Qiong sect for good.

(Also I don't recall what's in this AU anymore but I'm too lazy to read it out right now, so hopefully I didn't contract things too much.)

[More in #liu qingge faked his death in pidw to go on a secret mission au]

[greentrickster]

...oh gods, was thinking about what to do about Tianlang-jun, because he deserves to know the truth and really doesn’t deserve to stay squashed under that mountain forever, and also I like Zhuzhi-lang, he deserves to be happy and have a nice boyfriend (and whoever his boyfriend is deserves to have a rather tragic, obsessively loyal boyfriend, too ( “I could make him better” “I could make him worse” well I could tell him I like seeing him no matter which form he’s in and that I don’t mind if he eats rodents at the table and accidentally gain influence over a powerful demon who can and will kill thousands if he thinks it will make me happy)).

But anyway, that was a tangent. The point is, what to do about Tianlang-jun? How to involve him if Binghe’s not out causing problems and miscommunications and there’s no real reason to involve him in the plot? And it hit me... Binghe’s not running around trying to take over the demon realm this time, but he’s openly allied with the future Mobei-jun and the Demon Saintess, he’s somehow in good with Cang Qiong, and he’s obviously a Heavenly Demon. Point is, he’s not trying to take over the demon realm, but everyone keeps expecting him too, including a bunch of demons.

And that’s just not going to work, because while it’s perfectly possible for a married couple to both have happy, successful careers, Binghe does not want a career outside of being a househusband. He has spent time with Tatsu and he recognizes life goals when he sees them. But people keep expecting him to, and it’s starting to cut into his time and be disruptive, so what’s a Hopeful Hybrid Househusband (to be) to do?

Why, dig up his full-Heavenly Demon father and make him go be the ruler of the demon realm instead! Time to start the ‘Sins of the Father, Blessings of the Son’ quest chain! This can and will involve Binghe doing some research, learning about Tianlang-jun’s imprisonment, and using his dream demon powers (which are probably the ones he’s best at) to go have a chat with his bio-dad about this whole, “Hey, if I free you, will you take over the demon realm so I don’t have to?” thing.

Tianlang-jun: How about you set me free and I burn this miserable world to the ground and/or force humans and demons to coexist in the process?

Binghe: I don’t like this plan. My Shizun lives in this world and I love him. Also all my stuff is here. And my other friends.

Tianlang-jun: Your who now?

Binghe: My Shizun. He’s a cultivator at Cang Qiong, and I’m gonna marry and keep house for him.

Tianlang-jun: ...seriously?

Binghe: You’re stuck under a giant rock, you don’t get to judge my life goals.

Tianlang-jun: You realize he’ll just betray you, right?

Binghe: What? No he won’t!!!

Tianlang-jun: Cultivators always betray demons, that’s how it works.

Binghe: Shizun would never!!!

Tianlang-jun: Kid, why do you think I’m under a rock?

Binghe: ...beeeecause you were causing problems in the human realm...?

Tianlang-jun: ...is that how they’re describing my sad and woeful tale of heartbreak and tragedy?!?

Binghe: (prompted insistently by his system) Tell me your sad and woeful tale of heartbreak and tragedy.

And it’s Tianlang-jun, of course he does. At the end of which Binghe genuinely admits that it’s a super tragic tale, and thank goodness he already has a mom because bio-mom, how could you? Okay, new deal: what if this Binghe erases Huan Hua Palace from the map and frees Tianlang-jun from the mountain, and then Tianlang-jun can go take over the demon realm and Binghe can get back to his courtship?

Tianlang-jun: ...eh, not convinced. Kinda want to do it myself. And just get rid of cultivators in general. Though I will give you points, that was an impressively terrifying smile you used to suggest it.

Binghe: Thank-you, I learned it from Tatsu-sensi. And anyway wouldn’t it be more poetic if I did it? Since I’m your son and her son and all? So it’d be like, they helped create the seed of their own destruction or something?

Tianlang-jun: 8O You’re right, that would be just like in a play, that would be awesome! But couldn’t I at least get some revenge on Cang Qiong as well for putting me here?

Binghe: No, I live there and they know I’m half demon and still like me.

Tianlang-jun: (#doubt)

Anyway, Binghe gets at least a half promise from his bio-dad that he’ll consider it, then goes to tell Shizun his new plan, because his system insists that Communication is Key to a Good and Stable Relationship.

Shen Qingqiu: ...Binghe, you’re not allowed to destroy Huan Hua.

Binghe: But Shizun. (tears dribbling out from beneath his sunglasses)

Shen Qingqiu: Binghe, no.

Binghe: But no one else in the cultivation world even likes Huan Hua!

Passing hall master: It’s true, we don’t.

Binghe: Thanks, elder bro!

Shen Qingqiu: You’re not helping!!!

Eventually Shang Qinghua gets dragged into all this, since its his fault Tianlang-jun exists in the first place (not that Binghe knows that), and he manages to get Binghe to agree to at least do some reconnaissance first.

Cue Binghe sulkily agreeing and accidentally blowing this whole Old Palace Master situation wide open. The crowning cherry on the case is when Cang Qiong eventually brings Tianlang-jun in via a plant body to act as a character witness. His name is cleared, and Cang Qiong dig out his original body in compensation for Yue Qingyuan being one of the key factors in unjustly sealing him in the first place. Tianlang-jun and Zhuzhi-lang then hang around Cang Qiong for a couple months while Tianlang-jun’s original body heals up and so he can guilt-trip Yue Qingyuan about all this. Binghe and ZZL aren’t quite sure what to make of each other, but ZZL does like Binghe’s tattoo and at least in this version of events they aren’t starting with any bad blood between them.

...and you know what? Fuck it, Tianlang-jun/Yue Qingyuan enemies-to-lovers 50k words. Me? Pair up the heart-broken spares still pining over their lost loves? Hell yes. This would be spicy as heck and I’m here for it, Mr. I-run-on-guilt x Mr. Has-never-heard-of-shame, Go For It Tianlang-jun, seduce that sect leader! We gotta have a Peak Lord dating the ruler of the demon realm somehow!

It all ends with Binghe & Co. sitting on Qing Jing Peak with the slightly stunned expressions of “Well that happened” (and Shen Yuan internally fanboying because that’s his protagonist for you, can’t even skive out of his narrative responsibilities without being unspeakably cool).

Also, Zhuzhi-lang and Gongyi-xiao are dating now. Shala-lala-lala, kiss the snake.

[stardust-falling]

THE SCUM VILLAIN’S LOSS-PREVENTION OPPORTUNITY

Chapter Sixty: Hornets' Nest

Shen Qingqiu goes to Bai Zhan Peak in search of Luo Binghe, and finds him confronting a group of Bai Zhan disciples on the training grounds.

……

Pairing: (Eventual/Slow Burn) Yue Qingyuan/Shen Jiu Characters: Shen Jiu, Yue Qingyuan, Luo Binghe, Cang Qiong Ensemble Cast Chapter Words: 4794 Work Rating: E Chapter Rating: G

……

Read Chapter 60 on AO3

Read Chapter 60 on ZXLC Website

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FIC TAG

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[sunderwight]

#ooo you could tie in tianlang jun at that point#just go completely off into the woods with it#if it’s been over five years and SQQ was paranoid about eventually being chopped into tiny cubes by whoever#then he might have gone after the sun dew mushroom and run into ZZl#that’s plenty of time for TLJ to get the mushroom body#kidnap SQQ#and overthrow the tenuous hold MBJ and SHQ had been building on the demon realm#picture the demon realm completely militarized with LBH’s insane dad at the helm#MBJ on the run and building an insurgence but floundering in his grief over losing SHQ#SQQ stuck as a prisoner and being unwillingly courted by ZZL#the cultivation sects (minus Huan Hua which mysteriously burned to the ground) gearing up for war#with Cang Qiong giving the loudest and most furious calls for retribution and the return of SQQ#and on top of all that the system is now demanding that SHQ put his stolen halo to use and kill MBJ in a twisted reflection of the original#the chaos!! the drama!! Shang Qinghua is beginning to wonder if it would have been easier to just play out PIDW instead of this clusterfuck! @the-night-gods-moon

Oh this is great!

Shang Qinghua keeps trying to dodge the system and for now part of that would probably mean avoiding Mobei Jun, who is actively trying to find him so that they can defeat TLJ together and get married and live happily ever after. Angst and miscommunication galore.

Meanwhile Luo Binghe is scouring the realms trying to find WHERE TLJ and ZZL stashed Shen Qingqiu, who... possibly escapes confinement via mushroom body? So then this SQQ-alike twink shows up and LBH is like "not now hormones, we're exclusively in love with Shizun" and so he keeps telling Plantzun that he's not interested, he already has a lover, while Cucumber is like that lady with the math symbols meme trying to figure out why Luo Binghe keeps saying this to him and also which of the canon wives he's actually interacted with enough to be this ride-or-die about it. Not that he cares of course! It's good that Binghe finally has a love interest! Maybe the system will fix itself and remember that he's the protagonist now! But meanwhile, Cucumber's gotta get that halo back from the other guy...

The system is having such a bad time. It is so broken lol, especially when SY goes in the plant body so it can't find him anymore either. SQH just keeps getting eldritch alerts that range from tutorial-mode user guides to demands that he chop off all of Mobei Jun's limbs. Good thing it still thinks he has infinite points (for now).

SVSSS AU where Shen Yuan transmigrates as usual, except it's to find that his system is freaking out because it's been several years since Luo Binghe was supposed to show up at the sect trials to start his plot but so far there's been no sign of the protagonist, the Protagonist Halo Features aren't working correctly, and there's another transmigrator who arrived earlier, somehow hacked into the system, and erased its ability to track or punish him before disappearing into parts unknown (it was Airplane).

So Shen Yuan, now Shen Qingqiu, reasons that anyone who was trying to interfere with the plotline had either rescued or killed Luo Binghe while he was still young. Hoping for the former (but braced for the latter) he uses what scant knowledge the novel provided about Luo Binghe's origins, plus his new skills and some of the sect resources available, to track down Luo Binghe.

Turns out, in this version of events, some "random benefactor" showed up and gave Luo Binghe's mother some life-saving medicine. So she didn't die. But her health remained poor and Binghe never left her side, instead doing as much of her work as he was able to. So teenaged Binghe is basically a seemingly average, run-of-the-mill servant.

Shen Qingqiu is like "well this is pretty easy to fix actually" and approaches Luo Binghe as a wise immortal master type, says he sees Binghe's potential, and offers to take him on as a disciple. Luo Binghe is thrilled and kind of gobsmacked, but won't abandon his mother. Not a problem! Shen Qingqiu figured he wouldn't, so he offers to make arrangements to have Mama Luo comfortably set up in one of the villages at the base of the mountain. Sure, having her be alive and letting Binghe visit and write to her would be a deviation from the usual tragic backstory, but not a huge one! Shen Qingqiu is ready to mark this problem solved (and start dealing with all the other problems it creates for him) but the system is weirdly unsatisfied.

Turns out that even though Shen Qingqiu has found Luo Binghe (and a few discreet tests confirm that he has some sort of seal in place, and what are the odds of some other random orphan found on the Luo river, raised by a kindly-but-ill laundress, and named "Luo Binghe" exists in the same region?), the system still can't detect the Protagonist Halo Feature. The stupid glitching thing can't recognize the protagonist without it, so it keeps insisting that Shen Qingqiu locate him, even when he's kneeling right there and performing the tea ceremony for his initiation!

It's really annoying!

Especially since this means that the system won't actually safeguard Luo Binghe from harm. Which means it's up to Shen Qingqiu to make sure that his little white lotus disciple lives long enough to become the ruler of everything. This is easier said than done! Between the skinner demon side quest, and the demonic invasion, and various other side missions to build up the protagonist's potential, Luo Binghe is constantly getting into trouble and Shen Qingqiu keeps getting poisoned or injured trying to drag him back out of it in one piece!

Matters come to a head at the Immortal Alliance Conference (as they so often do). Shen Qingqiu is not planning to yeet Binghe, of course. Like this there's no guarantee of survival, and the system isn't even demanding it of him (because it still doesn't recognize the protagonist), but it seems to be demanding they turn up for the event anyway. Shen Qingqiu is a nervous wreck and fighting the urge to hover, because as expected, there is still a demonic invasion. Except this time Mobei Jun is there, and so is a mysterious cloaked figure who seems to be searching for something.

As soon as Shen Qingqiu claps eyes on the figure, the system chimes happily.

Protagonist Halo successfully located!

Turns out, part of Airplane's hacks involved stealing the halo and reassigning it to himself. Except that means that narrative destiny still wants him to hit certain plot beats, so he's been busily conquering the demonic realms -- in MBJ's name of course -- and mostly doing the bare minimum to satisfy the requirements while evading the system's efforts to regain contact. But now he's gotta go get Xin Mo somehow, except the minute Shen Qingqiu spots him so does the system.

The system, which immediately reassigns Airplane as the protagonist, and orders Shen Qingqiu to throw him into the Endless Abyss.

Which is like, better this rando than Binghe, so okay, but Mobei Jun is not cooperating plus the mysterious hooded stranger also seems pretty resistant to the idea (Airplane is NOT a heavenly demon, Protagonist Halo or no he's still actually a relatively squishy human cultivator, and he does not want to go into the hell pit), and between one thing and another Airplane manages to fall int the Abyss with Luo Binghe.

Not ideal. Which is to say, Shen Qingqiu is emotionally devastated and almost convinced that Luo Binghe has died for real and that Mysterious Halo Thief is going to come out somehow in a few years and chop off all his limbs, and Mobei Jun is extremely distressed because the man he intends to marry just fell into the Endless Abyss, and that seems like a difficult thing to somehow Evil Vizier your way out of.

The other peak lords arrive to keep Mobei Jun from killing Shen Qingqiu, and so everyone just kind of despairingly returns to their separate corners of the universe to wait and see what will happen.

Meanwhile, down in the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe has unlocked his heavenly demon blood and is now constantly trying to kill Airplane. But thanks to the transferred protagonist halo it just doesn't work. The system interferes and creates a last-minute unlikely survival route for Airplane every time. They eventually reach an impasse where Airplane can't die but only Luo Binghe is strong enough to actually fight most of the creatures in the Abyss, and all this "fighting" between the two of them (generous description) keeps attracting big monsters.

So, Airplane offers a deal. He knows things about this place. Including how to get out. If Luo Binghe helps him fend off the monsters, then he'll help Luo Binghe survive and escape as well. He even offers to help him get away from Shen Qingqiu and make a place for himself in the demon realms! Luo Binghe tries to kill him again for that, so he drops that line of attempted bribery really quick and switches tactics. He knows more things! Things about Shen Qingqiu's past! Secrets he'll share if Luo Binghe helps him!

Is this the start of a beautiful new friendship?

No.

Turns out Luo Binghe and Airplane have exactly the correct combination of shared traits and differences to find one another mostly intolerable. But not intolerable to the point of not being able to manage teeth-clenched teamwork. By the time they get out of the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe never wants to hear about cup noodles or tax collection or Mobei Jun's tits ever again, and Airplane feels much the same about anything at all to do with Shen Qingqiu (and either Shen Qingqiu is a fellow transmigrator now or else Luo Binghe has inserted a shockingly vivid delusion over the scum villain he wrote). But they're both alive and in joint custody of an evil sword.

Unfortunately, due to the bickering and the complexities of Shang Qinghua's sketchy memory for his own plots, it takes them even longer to get out of the Abyss than it took PIDW Luo Binghe to manage on his own.

And, uh. Well.

They don't find things in great shape, considering how they left them...

[mirai-eats]

Rewind and Start Over:: Noon

Bingqiu, rated M, 5,120 words, part 2/5, Incomplete

Angst, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, re-transmigration, Angst with a Happy Ending, Rating May Change

Modern science is so good it kept a dead man alive.

Shen Yuan is dragged forward but his feet are stubbornly digging in the ground. Luo Binghe is running as fast as he can to catch up.

- Binghe's perspective of Shen Qingqiu dropping dead back to life.

read on AO3

He promised. He promised he wouldn’t leave Luo Binghe ever again. Shizun said he would stay with him forever!

It fell away with the shatter of a broken teacup and a sharp inhale, his last gasp of air, from Shizun’s chest as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed in a heap on the other side of the low table. Luo Binghe cried out his name and lurched forward, the tea set shaking from the sudden movement. He shakily pulled Shen Qingqiu up in his arms, completely limp and not a trace of life left in his body. It was as if he’d fallen from the tower all over again- an empty kite with a hole in its wing with no cultivation or soul to give it flight.

Shen Qingqiu remained beautiful even in death, his layers of robes fanned out like he was a fallen flower, his hair loose from the impact of his fall and slipped from his silver and jade crown, a lock tracing his temple and the pale ribbons trailing his inky black hair like a green river in volcanic meadows. Luo Binghe gently lifted him, his name spilling from his lips and tears falling from his eyes stained the pale face already losing its shades of life and gave away to a deathly grey. There was no pulse, the warmth dripped away with each drop of a crystalline tear. No flutter of his eyelashes, no gentle rise and fall to his chest.

Luo Binghe worked quickly to preserve Shizun’s body all the while his mind scrambled to find a solution. There has to be a reason behind him suddenly dropping dead, something must have pulled the soul away. He promised! Something beyond his control had reached in and snatched Shen Qingqiu’s soul out from his body- the real body this time! He wouldn’t break a promise! Last time it was his useless father that had to pull Shen Qingqiu back to his real body from the Dew Seed body. There was no powerful demon to pull him away so suddenly, he was one of the most powerful demon lords there was absolutely no one who would dare to mess with him!

After pouring his spiritual energy into Shen Qingqiu and arranging him comfortably on the bed, he dropped the silken drapes to hide him away and set off toward Cang Qiong Mountain. 

---

Even after digging through the whole of the mountain and threatening every Peak Lord and every disciple, he came up with nothing. No one knew anything and was shocked to learn of his sudden passing. He didn’t believe a word.

A scurrying mouse caught his attention and he chased after it. 

---

“I don’t know anything!” Shang Qinghua squeaked in fright, the wall behind him blown in from the sudden force of Luo Binghe’s fist. He was trapped by Luo Binghe’s leering form, shivering under his glare. “I’m just as shocked as you are!”

“But you had a different look on your face when I told everyone,” Luo Binghe sneered. “You looked confused. Did you do something?”

“Nothing, nothing!” Shang Qinghua shrank deeper into his collar. “How-how about this. Leave me alone, but! I have an idea of how to get him back.”

“Talk,” Luo Binghe spat, eyes on fire. 

“I have a hypothesis that his soul might… might have been sucked off somewhere far away,” Shang Qinghua stuttered. “You can easily go traipsing through the human and demon realms with your demon and human blood, but-but this might be beyond our reach. Don’t ask how! It’s an untested theory!”

“Who did this?” He drove his fist deeper into the wall by Shang Qinghua’s head. He whimpered pathetically. 

“I don’t know!” He cried out. “But give me time, I’ll think of something to help Cu- Shen Shixiong out!”

Luo Binghe stepped back, a couple of crumpled rocks fell to the ground from the wall. “I’m going to continue physically searching. I’ll be back, for now, you must think of something before I return.”

With a flourish of his black robes he left. Shang Qinghua’s legs gave out and he slumped to the floor with a mutter of “scary, too scary!” under his breath. 

---

Nothing. He searched every crevice of the mortal and demon realm, shouted to the heaven’s to give him back. There wasn’t a whisper of his soul anywhere. He dug through holes in the mountains, swam down to the deepest parts of the lakes, turned over every rock and leaf in the world and there was no Shizun. 

He returned to Shen Qingqiu in his demon palace, resting in their grand bed and shielded away from prying eyes. He was stripped to his under robes, bathed in soft jasmine flowers, and his hair was brushed daily by Luo Binghe. It was always silky and knot-free. The long locks were braided loosely and he would lay him on his back and pull the silken blankets up to keep the chill off. His body was well preserved by Luo Binghe’s own spiritual energy as he did during the five year period of his death and for the first time in years, he went searching for humans with high spiritual power to help balance out his clashing demonic and spiritual energies. Every night, no matter how far away he searched, he always came back to lay next to Shen Qingqiu, curled up next to him under the blankets and cried  real, hot tears onto his lukewarm chest, kiss each finger, bury his face into the junction of his neck and inhale the subtly sweet scent of jasmine flowers, tea leaves, and something that’s so distinctly Shizun.

Every morning he’d rise before the sun, press a kiss on Shen Qingqie’s forehead as he always didoes to his demon mark, fills him with more spiritual energy, and disappear to find him.

---

He reappeared to harass Shang Qinghua over half a year later. 

“You need to reforge Xin Mo,” Shang Qinghua said. “But you’ll need to do more. As you might have found, Shen Qingqiu is nowhere on either world and the heavens have not sent a sign yet that he is with them. No soul has responded to inquiry, not unless he was split apart beyond anything recognizable, he must have been pulled far away.” His eyes shifted. He wasn’t telling Luo Binghe something. “But we can’t be certain. Try your alternate Bingge’s world and see if he’s been sucked in first.” 

“That’s exactly what I’m planning. What will it take to reforge?” 

To mine the steel of an immortal mountain, forge it in the fires of a mountain of blood, and slaughter a hundred thousand demons to stain the blade black with its malice. For at least one moon cycle it needs to be embedded in a corpse, preferably a full thirteen moon cycles but they were pressed for time. 

“It won’t be as powerful, but it should be enough” Shang Qinghua finished. 

Luo Binghe set off to start. How long it would take, he didn’t know. Shang Qinghua said it would take at least three years. He will do it in one. 

—-

The cloying darkness of the mine was nothing compared to the anguish in his heart, the burning flames of the bloody mountain were nothing but an added flame to his determination. His hands were bloody and raw, his skin dry and filthy- almost like he was back in the Endless Abyss again. 

Every night, he returned to bathe and curl up by his Shen Qingqiu, filled him with spiritual energy, then rose in the morning to take a human or two brimming with fresh spiritual energy and balance out his demonic energy. He wouldn’t have cared if the demonic energy laid waste to his body, but the flash of Shen Qingqiu behind his closed lids- laying stripped and raw and bloody from his uncontrolled hands would always send a shudder of fear deep in his heart. No matter the torment, how easy it would be to let go, he refused to fall for Shizun’s sake.

—-

The new sword was forged in record time (Xin Mo 2 is what he called it) and after a brief reprieve to rest at Shen Qingqiu’s side, kissed his naked cheek, wrapped his arms around his slim waist, and buried his head into his slender neck. He left at the break of dawn drained of spiritual energy and brimming with demonic energy.

First, he tracked down Luo Bingge’s world and traipsed through his cursed realm. It was colder here with Shen Qingqiu’s blood staining the soil. He crashed through the doors of Luo Bingge’s demon palace and found him in the arms of three wives.

“Get out,” he pointed his sword toward the three unfamiliar women. They quickly gathered their clothes and fled from the ominous blade, his ominous gaze.

“I thought you destroyed your sword,” Luo Bingge snarled. He lounged back on the large bed, uncaring of his nudity. He was exactly like Luo Binghe, minus his the scar on his chest and hand, the faithless look in his cold eyes, a cutting edge to his words. 

“I did, but I needed it again.” He pointed the blade to Luo Bingge. “Where’s Shizun?”

Luo Bingge arched his brow. “He’s not with you? I only have the remains of mine, do you wish to see him?”

The bloody, lifeless hunk of flesh Luo Bingge kept preserved in his dungeons could not be Shen Qingqiu, the blood soaking the walls and floors and ceiling were not his Shen Qingqiu’s. He felt a whiplash of cold strike through his heart at the thought of and Shen Qingqiu suffering a fate like that, limbless, half-blind, wholly mad, completely shattered even in death. Sometimes, the corpse swinging listlessly from the chain would haunt the deepest recesses of his dreams.

“No. I need mine.”

Luo Bingge spread his arms in welcome. “Feel free to search my realm, turn over every stone and leaf, to find him. But know you are wasting your time.”

With a flourish of his robes, Luo Binghe turned on his heel and marched out of the bedchamber and proceeded to search. 

This time it went faster with the help of his demon sword, stopping to flood his system with this realm’s cultivator’s spiritual energy then returned every night to put every drop into Shen Qingqiu. 

When he dug through the last mountain, he laid on his back and stared up at the bleak, grey clouds and let his tears drip down to his hairline.

---

He broke through Cang Qiong Mountain’s barriers with ease and kicked down Shen Qinghua’s private chamber’s doors down. A startled screech met his ears followed by a rough thump on the bamboo floors. Luo Binghe went around the private screen to find Shang Qinghua half out the bed, his robes pulled open, and Mo Beijun sitting up next to him, blinking the last remnants of sleep from his eyes. He gave Luo Binghe a short bow of his head and pulled Shang Qinghua up off the floor.

“Can’t you knock? Politely wait outside until I let you in?” Shang Qinghua hissed, pulling his thin robes tightly over his chest. Mo Beijun’s hands were still resting firmly on his waist. 

“Good morning to you, too,” Luo Binghe greeted. “Xin Mo 2 is done.”

“Xin Mo 2…” Shang Qinghua muttered, a look of disbelief crossing his features. “Okay, okay let me get dressed and we can discuss what to do next.”

Not long later, Luo Binghe sat with Mo Beijun at Shang Qinghua’s low tea table where he served them fresh tea and snacks. Xin Mo 2 laid across the table, it’s blade an obsidian black, a pale, green jade was mounted in the hilt.

“Interesting touch,” Shang Qinghua noted. 

Luo Binghe nodded. “For Shizun.”

“We should test to see if we can reach him in the first place. Have you tried opening a portal yet?” Shang Qinghua asked.

“How do you think I got here?”

“Ah, makes sense. Okay, and you’ve checked Luo Bingge’s realm?”

Luo Binghe nodded darkly. “Get on with it, what else can I do?”

“Since it might be such a far reach, you might not be able to reach him. Here, I thought we could use this to help. Mo Beijun brought this back from the demon realm we might at least be able to use this to catch a glimpse of where he may be at before you go jumping into any portals.” Shang Qinghua stood and bustled to the back of his house, emerging a moment later with a large, smooth obsidian disk. It was about the size of the tabletop, the surface polished to a glossy reflection where even after he cleared off the table and placed it in the middle, his fingerprints dissolved on the surface before their eyes. It didn’t radiate malicious energy as most things from the demon realm would, but a sort of calming threat as if it can strike if striked first. 

“Luo Binghe, can you slash the surface with, uh, Xin Mo 2?” He asked him. 

Luo Binghe nodded and stood. In one fluid movement, he drew his sword, cut the starless surface, and sheathed it. 

The slash in the middle where it was precisely cut seemed to suck in light, the polish surface that had their faces reflected around a moment ago swallowed by the expanding black hole until they were looking down a dark hole carved through the wooden table. They leaned forward, breaths held to catch a glimpse, a sound, of anything. 

After a moment of nothing, Shang Qinghua piped up. “You focused on Shen Qingqiu specifically, right?” 

“What else would I be thinking of?” It’s not like he could have anything on his mind but Shen Qingqiu. 

“I have another hypothesis,” Shang Qinghua stood. “Try again, but let me hold the sword, too.” 

Luo Binghe grasper the hilt and pulled it away from Shang Qinghua’s outstretched hand. “No.” 

“Do you have any ideas?” Shang Qinghua snapped, a moment of boldness. There was a tilt to his tone, an unfamiliar accent Luo Binghe here crop up when Shang Qinghua thought he was out of earshot with Shen Qingqiu. “I don’t like this either but… ah, I really hope I’m wrong, please Binghe let me try just once?” 

He kind of didn’t want Shang Qinghua’s hands anywhere near him or his sword, but he pushed that away and hesitantly held out Xin Mo 2. For Shizun, he told himself. Shang Qinghua’s clammy hand wrapped around his and together they raised the sword and slashed the obsidian mirror.

Like the first time, a black void spread across the surface, but then there were blinding lines of green accompanied by a high pitched, repetitive noise. Shang Qinghua next to him choked on a gasp, a barely heard “oh fuck.” muttered under his breath.

“How did you do that?” Luo Binghe asked. “Why were you able to open a portal to him, and yet I, his own husband, wasn’t?”

Shang Qinghua didn’t answer right away, his eyes glazed over, a similar look She Qingqiu would have sometimes. Mo Beijun watched Luo Binghe and Shang Qinghua with sharp eyes, not caring for the mirror at all. It took a moment before Shang Qinghua responded, blinking himself back down to the present.

“How do I start- uh, I guess with the most obvious, no use tiptoeing around it anymore,” Shang Qingqiu straightened up, his eyes focused on the trailing green lines. “Shen Qinqiu and I transmigrated into this world together. I was hoping my assumptions were incorrect because as being the creator of this world I could come up with a way to get him back, but by the looks of it he was pulled back to where we came from. I have no jurisdiction over there.”

No one spoke, the repetitive noise from the mirror echoed in the chamber. 

Surprisingly, Mo Beijun broke the silence first. “Are you a god?”

“Oh my god no, no? Uh, well, yes maybe?” Shang Qinghua was flustered. “I’m a writer back in our realm. This is a story I wrote to pay the bills. I… I died due to unforeseeable circumstances and transmigrated into this world a long time ago at the beginnings of Shang Qinghua’s life. Cucumber bro was a devoted reader who also passed away, a heart thing or whatever. Remember back, what was it, I think twelve, thirteen years ago? When Shen Qingqiu suffered from qi deviation and was changed, losing his memories and his nasty personality?”

Luo Binghe’s heart pounded in his chest, trying to absorb this new knowledge as calmly as he could. This person, this not-Shizun who is Shizun but there hasn’t been a Shizun in many years is the one he’s so thankful for. 

Shang Qinghua continued. “This realm’s Shen Qingqiu passed away and as Cucumber bro died cursing my novel, his soul was plopped into his body and told to fix the story if he thinks it’s so terrible.” He turned to Luo Binghe, his accent tilting once again to something he used privately with Shen Qingqiu. “The Luo Bingge you met who tried to take Cucumber bro, that’s the original Luo Binghe I wrote. All because Cucumber bro swore to hug your thigh and treat you better, the whole course of the story changed from my daring stallion novel to this BL. Isn’t that crazy? So many people are alive now all because Cucumber bro took the reigns of this story and changed it for the better.

“Aaah, I originally wanted to write a BL, but it’s not what my readers wanted!” He flopped back down to the ground with a sigh, the harsh green light emanating from the obsidian mirror throwing shadows across his face. “I needed money, I hope you understand but seeing the original scum villain making the protagonist fall in love with him, even I didn’t see that coming!”

“Protagonist?” Luo Binghe finally spoke up. “Scum villain?”

“Yes, you.” He pointed up to Luo Binghe’s looming figure. “You’re the ultimate protagonist! And now Cucumber bro went and made you gay on accident. I’m not terribly mad, but there’s still so much fanservice we’re missing out on!”

“Why did you write such a shitty protagonist the first time around?” The thought of Luo Bingge being his original counterpart made him sick to his stomach.

Shang Qinghua gasped, clutching his chest. “I’ll have you know that despite hating the work as a whole your husband adored the protagonist!”

At that moment the high pitched sound stopped and the green light faded, putting their conversation to a halt. They all leaned forward with their heads crowded around the obsidian mirror as the green lights fizzled away and replaced by a dark room. 

Luo Binghe held his breath afraid it might shatter the surface. The room was barely lit, shrouded dark except for lines of pale light striping the edge of the bed and floor. Everything looked weird, too square and smooth. There was a person on the bed, curled up improperly with an arm thrown up, a pale hand knocked against the headboard and a tuft of dark hair were the only things visible. 

“Your world is ugly,” Luo Binghe noted, examining what he could see of the smooth walls with glossy portraits hanging from them, the simple furniture all had items he couldn’t figure out what was for. Clothes, at least he assumed so, were spilling out of a basket in the corner and draped across a chair, piled at the foot of the bed, even on the bed. This is most certainly his Shizun’s room, and that must be Shizun asleep. 

“Our world is practical, now hush let’s see if he’s gonna wake up,” Shang Qinghua said. As if roused by them, the figure in the bed shifted, rolled over and stretched. He reached over and grappled something on the side table, a smooth, black item that was rectangular and sleek like the obsidian mirror and brought it under the blankets with him.

“A scrying mirror?” He asked.

“Not quite,” said Shang Qinghua

They watched as the figure shifted again and pulled himself up. This man was not Shen Qingqiu, his face too slender and his cheeks too low, the brows and nose broader and his lower lip was fuller to an almost natural pout, but Luo Binghe suddenly recognized those features as to that of the Dew Seed body Shen Qingqiu hid himself in, the features on that one only a 40% match to his body but the other 60% was unmistakably this. 

The difference was the short hair. It made Luo Binghe want to weep, especially how it stuck up flat on one side and was a tangled mess on the other. The not Shizun, yawned widely, uncaring for his posture as he slouched down and rubbed his eyes and face hard to wake himself up more. The clothes he wore were unusual, the sleeves short, only reaching to his elbows, and there was no tie to indicate how he got in it. 

Not Shizun rolled himself out of the bed, shuffling papers and books that were tucked in the folds of the blankets into a pile and stood with a stretch. Luo Binghe choked and pushed Mo Beijun, turning to Shang Qinghua to do the same but he already had his eyes closed and turned away with a shout of “I’m not looking!” Not Shizun didn’t have anything on his legs! His legs were completely bare, save for the little piece of garment hanging from his hips that barely passed the tops of his thighs. Luo Binghe wanted to cover his eyes for Shizun’s privacy, but also he couldn’t help take in the figure

Shen Qingqiu was slender like a steel-blade, but this Not Shizun (he will never call him Cucumber bro) was paper-thin as if the slightest breeze would send him tumbling. The ends of his hair barely traced his nape and his skin was pale to the point it was almost sickly. Not Shizun leaned over the side table again and put a weird contraption on his face, blinking blurrily into the clear glass and stumbled out the room, most likely to freshen up.

“I think,” Shang Qinghua started. “We were able to locate him only because I have a link to this world too.” He didn’t meet anyone’s eyes through his whole explanation, his gaze firmly fixed on the shapes of the furniture, a melancholic notes to his words. “You should be able to just jump right in and get him back but how will you do that?”

“What do you mean?”

“He has two bodies and one soul,” Shang Qinghua pointed out. “He can’t easily leave his current body without dying again, and Shen Qingqiu is only preserved due to you dutifully replenishing him with spiritual energy. How will you get him back? And consider this.” Shang Qinghua straightened up, an unusually sharp look in his eye. “Will he want to? This is how he lived, everything he knew, until a little over ten years ago he suddenly died and was thrown into a whole other culture and told to survive. He lost his friends and family, everything he worked at and was blessedly given another chance of life but not his life. Now he’s back somehow and he’s clearly making strives to live life to his fullest. Look.” 

He pointed to the mirror and Not Shizun was back pulling on clothes that covered his legs and arms, but they were so form-fitting they left nothing to the imagination! His socks barely covered his feet and he watched him roll up the leg of his pants a little, revealing tantalizing ankles. The papers and books he had piled up at the foot of his bed were put into a strange bag and with a strange sound, he sealed it shut, tucking the obsidian rectangle into a pocket at his side. His hair was smoothed down (except when he turned, there was a stubborn cowlick on the back of his head), his face flushed with wakefulness, and he left the room.

“I’ll… we can figure it out once I see him.” There was a moment of silence, the sounds of Not Shizun moving around in another room. “I need to see him at least and if he doesn’t…” he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

There was a loud clacking sound from Not Shizun’s end followed by the deafening sound of a door shutting, muted clicks concluded his exit. 

“I’m heading over.” With a solid location finally set, trying to hold back his hands from quivering, he raised Xin Mo 2 and slashed open another portal, one that will link to the little, messy bedroom viewed in the obsidian mirror. The image in the mirror dissolved without Xin Mo 2’s energy directed into it.

“Wait!” Shang Qinghua stopped him. “Promise me you won’t leave the room until Cucumber bro comes back! Don’t go running after him you might cause a scene just- just wait there in the bedroom until he returns.”

Luo Binghe harumphed and stuck his foot through the portal. “No promises,” he said and lept through.

---

The room was cool, cluttered with unfamiliar items yet done familiarly, like when Luo Binghe first moved into the bamboo house and found out despite his immortal exterior, his Shizun was a mess. 

At first, he politely sat by the bed on his knees facing the door, ready to greet his Not Shizun the moment he came home. He watched the light grow brighter through the weird window covers, strips of white that only allowed light in like prison bars. The golden lines moved across the bed, a hum came from outside the window, people moving around above him, below, to the sides. 

Curiosity finally got the better of him and he stood to explore the room. Everything was blocky, made of strangely smooth, cool material that wasn’t wood sometimes but lighter, sometimes hollow. The weird white bars on the windows could wiggle. He peeked outside and was met with a textured wall, down below was a grey ground framed with sparse grass between the narrow alley. He turned to further explore the room.

Everything was strange. Books bound in hard casings lined the towering bookshelf, stacked on the floor and dresser. God statues and portraits hung on the walls in vibrant, glossy colors. Clear cups with gunks of something stuck to its sides made Luo Binghe’s nose twitch.

The room was strangely stuffy, outside sounds muted by the hard walls and floors. There was an uncomfortable itch to his neck. Guilt ate at him for snooping around his Shizun’s room and he quickly shuffled back to his spot and knelt on the weirdly soft ground, back straight as a blade and eyes trained on the door with a guard dog concentration.

---

The sun trailed across the room, a peak of a muted blue sky from the pains of glass was the only sense of time he could gather. He could wait, he waited for three years, he waited for five more, and after finally- finally - receiving his Shizun’s affections, he had to wait another year. Determination was the only thing leaving him from straying too far into an aimless wander, but it was still an aimless path he carved himself. Now here the aimlessness was coming to an end and all he had to do was be patient, very patient. 

Luo Binghe was a generally neat person and his Shizun was not, but here it felt like he had given up on even trying to keep anything somewhat orderly. It’s fine, it’s one of Shen Qingqiu’s cute traits that only he has the pleasure of knowing about, but a mess like this with the undertone of something rotting in the air mixed with dust and dirty clothes, he couldn’t take it. After sitting diligently on his knees for a few incense sticks time he sprung to his feet and started a mad dash to clean. He easily found the source of the rotting smells (a bowl of something with green fuzz starting to stick to the bottom, a cup with a handle with black stains on the bottom and rim, and a few crushed metal cylinders that read it was energy drink on the sides) and didn’t hesitate to throw them in the can by the door with more trash in it. He gathered all the clothes on the bed and set to sorting out the clean from the dirty based on smell (and if he stuck his nose into a soft coat to take a really good sniff of this new smell he could associate his shizun with, who would know but him?), and gathered the remaining books and stray papers back onto the bookshelf.

It was in the middle of neatly cramming the clean clothes in the wardrobe did he here the distinctive click from the doors opening. He froze, wanting to run out and greet the Not Shizun and yet unsure if the rule applied to him staying in the bedroom only or the entire house. Not wanting to cross any lines and realizing he wasn’t done, he quickly went back to trying to put away the rest of the clothes, dumping the dirty remnants into the wicker basket already packed full. He rolled to the ground and started picking up anything he could, accidentally bumping into the bookcase and one of his god statues came tumbling down. With a suppressed curse on his lips, he brushed her off and gently placed her back up, along with the snapped off arm and did a quick prayer for forgiveness. 

He bodily slid back to the ground to his knees by the bed facing the door, trying to adjust his robes to make him look less disheveled. Quiet footsteps were approaching the door slowly, his Shizun was back! He’s almost here! He gripped his clammy hands to his pants in anticipation almost vibrating on the spot. 

A sudden clatter and painful, hollow-sounding thunk echoed outside the door instead. Panicked, Luo Binghe lurched to his feet and in two long strides opened the door to find-

The Not-Shizun from the obsidian mirror, sitting upon the ground, one hand holding some weird contraption and the other held up on the narrow wall. The weird lenses he wore had slid down the bridge of his nose to reveal his wide, frightened eyes and his hair was tousled much more than when he’d originally left. With a shaking hand, he pushed it back up to his eyes and the fright turned to shock.

“Binghe?!”

[neoblogcrying]

Transmigrator!Binghe pt.7

Phew, I finally got this up! I honestly was going to try to complete this entire arc with this chapter but I was almost at 4000 words... so I decided to stop here. I’ll finish with the next chapter! Inspiration came from Pizziccato’s ask/answer [x] . Some dialogue was taken/improvised from BC’s translation found: [x]

-

I’ve have you know that I’ve successfully ascertained that it was indeed anxiety that was making my heart beat erratically in my chest. Ever since Shizun smiled, he’s been frowning ever since.

Was it because he saw my face that I ruined his mood? I remained in the corner, trembling slightly in fear that he would start torturing me any moment. I could feel my muscles tensing with every movement he made, making this way more exhausting than anything else.

At this rate, I’d much rather get out there and walk the rest of the way, but I’m sure Shizun won’t let me. Even if he did…  Ning Yingying would likely hold a fit, and then I’d be forced back into the carriage to save Shizun face.

Black lines appeared on my face as I thought about this more than likely scenario.

I could only impatiently wait for what was to come (or not come). Every bump on the road would spike my anxiety in fear that it would make Shizun remember about my existence. My heart came close to stopping multiple times during this this travel period.

I’m such a pitiful protagonist, aren’t I? I know, I feel bad for me too.

With every movement from Shizun driving my anxiety to a peak, I closed my eyes shut tightly and tried to focus on anything else. Contemplate on things like… what I could do to reduce my affection points with Ning Yingying. Who my future lover was supposed to be (because face it, I don’t plan on failing), and whether the system was going to continue trolling me like this?

There had to be a loophole that I could take advantage of.

Maybe it’s because I kept thinking myself into circles, time passed faster than I thought.

Shuang Hu City wasn’t large, but you could say that it was bustling with activity. We met with the man who was pleading for help from the Cang Qiong Mountain sect, Old  Master Chen. Apparently, two of his concubines died under the ‘Skinner’s’ hands.

“You cultivators must make a decision for us! I don’t dare let Butterfly leave my side, for fear that she’ll lose her way and be killed by that unnatural creature that very day!” The old man mournfully groaned, with tears dripping down his face. I understand that things are different here, but this is too jarring for me, who is from the modern era.

He’s not called ‘Old Man Chen’ for nothing, you know? He’s 60 years old and this concubine he’s fondling is probably a teenager by the looks of things! I was screaming in my head internally, hoping to call child services on him, but that doesn’t exist in this world.

I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep me from saying anything uncouth. This wasn’t my world and thus I had to adapt to their customs, no matter how much I didn’t want to.

Shizun, being the lofty expert, he was, coldly turned around and left. Ming Fan was left behind to greet the Old Master and go over some of the details with. This was the usual, so none of the disciples were surprised by it. It was one of those things, you know? It made you want to admire him.

We all dispersed, and I was thinking about what to do about this. It was weird that I hadn’t gotten a mission from the System yet, but I knew it was stupid of me to think positively now. It was only a matter of time before the system gave me the order to do something to progress the plot—unless…?

Hey, was this scene written in the original series?

[System: Answer, this scene was not written in the original series. This is a background story that the readers have no knowledge of.]

If that’s so… why do you still deduct OOC points from me if I act coldly towards Ning Yingying? Shouldn’t I be able to get away with it? --- That is what I wanted to ask, but I knew the answer to that even without asking it.

Even if I let loose because this wasn’t a part of the original story, it could still be referred to later. If I were to act differently, it raises the chances that this will be referred to in passing. A confusing narrative wouldn’t do anyone in this story any good.

I shook my head in dismay at the thought.

“No good? How about I ask Shizun first? I’m sure he’ll agree!”

I heard Ning Yingying’s voice beside me and I whipped my head to the side to see that she already ran off to find Shizun’s room. W-what was she saying just now? I was lost in my thoughts and I wasn’t listening. SHIT!

WAIT. NING YINGYING, COME BACK! Don’t do something that will put me in trouble with Shizun! I quickly followed after her, but she made it to Shizun’s door before I could bring her back.

“Shizun, Ying-er wants to go out for a turn in the market. Does Shizun wish to join me?” She asked him politely. My steps came to a steady halt and I let out a sigh of relief, fists unclenching, and shoulders relaxing. Luckily, she didn’t say anything that would trigger my death flag.

“If Ying-er wants to go out for a turn, go and find some of your apprentice-brothers to accompany you. This master still has things to do before we face the Skinner.”

Ning Yingying turned her head and flashed a playful smile and with light steps, she trotted over to my side. “Join me, A-Luo. Why don’t we look at the market together? We can see who else wishes to join us.” She grabbed my arm and tugged me along.

As I expected, my arm tensed up upon being touched. This wasn’t because I was nervous or anything like that, but I didn’t feel comfortable having this level of closeness with a girl. I’m a gay man, after all.

We didn’t bother to ask Ming Fan, because he was busy. He was probably doing most of the legwork for Shizun, so he wouldn’t have the time to check the market with us—luckily for me.

Speaking of Shizun, I personally think that he’s such a scummy character. For what reason did you have to hate me from the very get go? What did I ever do to you? He’s an authoritative figure, but he lets the other disciples bully me, and he sometimes joins in himself! Trashy.

That said, I was secretly excited to see what he would make of this Skinner. If I was right, this was probably the work of a demon, if I had to guess how a novel would progress. It’s not often you get to see a Master showing off his finesse and skills! Not only that, our Shizun had good looks! (Let’s ignore the fact that he’d probably come second to me once I grow up.)

What? I may think he’s trashy, but I won’t deny a good-looking man when I see one.

Walking side by side, we checked the market, looking at everything they had for sale. So many trinkets and food lined the market stalls and I looked on with amazement. I could only look on from afar when I was younger because of how poor me and my mother were.

Ah.

My hand unconsciously reached for my chest to grasp at nothing. Right, I don’t have my pendant anymore.

I’ve been dragged here and there to different stores and stalls by her already and even my saintly patience was coming to an end. Just as I was about to say something, Ning Yingying gasped aloud.

“Look! That looks so cute!” Ning Yingying let go of my arm in her excitement and she rushed to a store that sold accessories. It caught her attention and she was enthusiastically looking over the trinkets with a serious eye. “This one, isn’t it cute?” She pointed to a purple butterfly hairclip.

“I believe we should return soon. The day is getting late and surely the others will worry if we tarry much longer.”

She pouted in response, looking miffed. What? It’s true, so why are you upset?

[System: Ning Yingying feels slighted by Luo Binghe’s lack of interest in her appeal attempt. -10 affection points.]

Nice! Keep it up and she’ll move onto someone else, like Ming Fan. Then, he’ll hate me less, that jealous bigot! Still, 10 points is too little, but I’ve been burned enough to know that I should be grateful with whatever I can get.

“Hmph! No way! I want to stay out longer! If you want to go back so soon, catch me and drag me back!” She complained and ran off.

W-what a willful girl! Did your brain turn off? Have you forgotten that the Skinner is out there and it only attacks young girls like yourself!?

[System: Ning Yingying’s thoughtless action impedes her intelligence growth factor. -30 points.]

Whatever, I’ll deal with that later! I hastily gave chase and as soon as I turned the bend—she… she disappeared! How is that possible? She can’t just up and vanish into thin air! My heart beat quickly in fear. She’s gone. She’s really missing!

My feet hit the ground faster, and I could feel the ground shifting underneath my feet as I ran up and down the street, looking for her. I kept repeatedly calling her name, but no response! This isn’t good, this is really bad! She’s gone! Was she kidnapped in broad daylight? Did the Skinner capture her?

There’s no other way about it than to ask Shizun for help! I’ll accept my punishment later! She’s an important character in the progression of the story, so we can’t lose her yet, and I let her run off like an idiot!

I ran as quickly as I could (which is quite fast, might I add. As expected from my Protagonist stats), and I burst through the door. “Shizun!”

Inside was both Shizun and Ming Fan. He must have been giving Shizun the results of his research.

Shizun kept his cold visage even with me appearing so suddenly unannounced. “What is the matter for you to shout so loudly and be in such a panic?” He’s really got a face of ice.

I mentally shook my head of useless thoughts.

“Apprentice-sister Ning Yingying and this disciple went outside during the day to the market. I urged her to come back, but he refused. She ran off and I gave chase, but after she turned a corner, she disappeared. This disciple searched the entire street but couldn’t find her. I fear she may have been taken. I came back to ask for Shizun’s help. I will accept any punishment Shizun gives me as long as we can return her safely!” I solemnly pleaded for him to help Ning Yingying.

As much as I found her constant stickiness to be annoying as I didn’t return her affections, I didn’t hate her. She may be an idiot, and she may be overly sticky, but she had a good heart. Out of everyone on this peak, she treated me the best, and she only wanted the best for her. You could say she was my only friend on this peak, and I’d hate for her to die in some unnatural way.

“Luo Binghe! You…” Ming Fan seethed, but he couldn’t finish his sentence when an elegant motion from Shizun stole both our attention. Shizun’s sleeve waved, exploding the teacup that was sitting on the writing desk.

My entire body broke into shivers and I felt weak at the knees. Today is the day I die, but please, at least let me see that Ning Yingying is safe! I avoided my gaze to stare at the ground, wanting to escape from the anger that was emanating from Shizun’s face.

“Since things have already happened, there is no longer any use for words. Luo Binghe, you’ll be coming with me. Ming Fan, you bring your fellow apprentice-brothers to ask the Chen Family for their assistance in searching for your apprentice-sister. We will return her safely.” He spoke so resolutely with a commanding voice.

I dare not think he added the last part to soothe my panicked feelings. I knew that Shizun had a particular care for the apprentice-sisters, so that had to be his consideration of not wishing to lose a ‘flower’ of his peak.

My head continued to hang low as I dreaded the worst. I am quite used to receiving a beating, and as much as the system told me I had a Golden Halo that protected my life, I truly didn’t believe I could live to see another day because of how I lost Ning Yingying.

“This matter is all of this disciple’s fault. If Shizun wishes to punish me, this disciple has no regrets. This disciple only wishes to be able to help find apprentice-sister Ning Yingying and bring her back safely. Afterwards, even my life can be given to Shizun.”

Please… please let me see her safe. Aside from my mother, she’s the only one who treated me with genuine kindness. It’s such a shame, if I was straight, I’m sure I would have held feelings for her… but I’m gay. I just can’t see her that way, no matter how hard I could try. Keyword being ‘could’ because there’s no way I would try.

I know my preferences very well, thank you.

“Come over. Bring me to the last place you’ve seen your apprentice-sister.” Shizun’s cold voice spoke and I nodded my head slowly, hastily moving out the door to lead the way. The quicker I lead the way, the sooner we can find Ning Yingying!

I stopped when I reached the location I lost her, and I turned to Shizun to see he stood there with his eyes closed. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I could only guess he was trying to feel for any traces of anything suspicious—like evil energy.

Slowly he started walking with his eyes still closed and I trotted after him like a duckling, with anticipation growing in my chest. Ning Yingying, just wait! We’ll come and save you!

With every step we took, my confidence in finding her grew—until we stopped at a rouge shop.

“…”

“…”

A rouge shop?

“Could it be that the murderer isn’t hidden in this shop, but that they’ve visited this establishment before? Entering a rouge shop… a woman?” I heard Shizun murmur to himself.

An idea hit me.

Hey, system. Since this scene isn’t shown to the readers, it won’t be an issue to change some things, right?

[System: That is correct. As long as the changes are reasonable, the system will not punish the protagonist. What do you seek to change?]

I bit at my lower lip as I thought about this. I’m sure this mystery was going to be more contrived than I was willing to waste my time on.

Is it possible to make this mystery easier to solve?

[System: It is possible. Will you like to pay 100 points to activate Easy mode?]

YES!

After a couple of seconds, we could feel a strong evil energy! It raised goosebumps all along my back.

H-hey, isn’t that too much? That’s way too easy. That’s like kindergarten level easy.

We both proceeded towards the evil energy, and after about 500 steps, the path we were following deviated sharply from the city area and then we arrived at an abandoned and deserted house.

There is a pale lantern of the poor, dilapidated front date. It’s a haunted house, for sure. Something that you can find demons in.

See? I called it. The skinner had to be a demon. Shizun turned towards me who had been following him silently up until this point. I was hoping that if I avoided his attention, he wouldn’t send me away, but it seems like he finally remembered about my existence.

“Return to the Chen estate. Contact Ming Fan and tell him to bring all the sutras with him and lead all your apprentice-brothers to come here together.” He gave this order.

I was about to answer, but I saw an ominous shadow appear from behind Shizun. IT’S THE SKINNER! The only reaction I was able to make was the shrinking of my pupils and recognizing that my heart skipped a beat.

A gust of yin wind blew and the front gates slammed open. The Skinner attacked Shizun! That’s the last thing I saw before I too, was knocked out.

“A-Luo… A-Luo, wake up. You’re … -ring me. Are you okay?” A whimpering voice beside my ear sounded, but it kept cutting out as I was struggling to keep my focus together.

I recognize that voice! I shook the sleep away from my head and—NING YINGYING! She’s still alive! Thank goodness! I almost wanted to cry—but no good protagonist cries so easily.

My tears aren’t cheap.

“You’re awake! Thank goodness! I was so worried you’d never open your eyes again! Now… there’s… only…” Ning Yingying’s once ecstatic reaction turned very timid and flustered. That wasn’t a reaction I was familiar with.

Following her line of eyesight, I saw--!!!! THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE SIGHT!

SHIZUN. WAS. STRIPPED. BARE!

SHIT, HE’S AWAKE!

In my panic, I turned to look away, flushing a deep red.

I’M GOING TO DIE, I’M GOING TO DIE! HE’S GOING TO MURDER ME IN COLD BLOOD. HE WILL RID OF ANY AND ALL EVIDENCE OF THIS BLACK STAIN ON HIS REPUTATION!

AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOU, YOU SHITTY-ASS SYSTEM!

EASY MODE, MY ASS! WHAT USE IS AN EASY MODE IF IT RESULTS IN TRIGGERING MY DEATH FLAG!?

I quickly turned my gaze away from Shizun who was still unconscious.

“I feel so bad for Shizun…” Ning Yingying whispered quietly under her breath.

Feel bad for Shizun? Feel bad for ourselves! He’ll kill us to keep his honor intact, I’m sure of it! You’re such an idiot, Ning Yingying!

Shizun was tied up with his top half stripped bare. He still had his pants and his boots on, thank goodness.

No, I won’t admit that I took the time to admire his pristine white skin.

“Shizun, you’ve finally woken up. Yingying is very scared…” She whimpered pathetically. Is this… a ploy to trigger his protective feelings towards you?

[System: Ning Yingying has chosen to summon tears to curb Shen Qingqiu’s anger. +20 crafty points]

What a sly fox! Good job, Ning Yingying! Honestly, I’m in awe.

A burst of weird laughter came from behind Shizun.

“Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s great and lofty expert is nothing great, it seems. The world’s number one big sect, the Cang Qiong Mountain sect is only at this standard. This means the Demon Realm’s rise is just around the corner.” The voice from before burst into loud laughter once more.

The person was covered entirely in black veils, with a coarse voice that was unpleasant to hear.

“The Skinner?”

“Hehe~ The famous Xiu Ya sword has fallen into my hands, I’m so happy! Shen Qingqiu, oh Shen Qingqiu, even if you break open your head, you won’t be able to guess who I am!” This demon seemed so sure of themselves, even I could guess who they were. Even without the use of the easy mode.

“What’s so hard to guess?”

“…”

“You are Butterfly.”

I nodded my head in tandem to his conjecture. As expected from the intelligent Shizun. You’ve come to the right conclusion. Let’s ignore the Ning Yingying who is looking very confused next to me.

“Impossible! How could you guess my identity correctly!” She cast aside the black veils and demanded to know irritably. How couldn’t you know?

Even if I don’t care for women, I’m not blind enough to not tell you are a woman by your silhouette. Look at the décor of this place. This isn’t something you can find in any random place. If we’re going by classic novel tropes, the culprit is always who you least suspect—the next ‘victim’ to be. Knowing that this world is a part of a novel made it easy to guess that it had to be you.

I’m not sure what information Shizun had, but I’m sure his reasoning is unfathomable to the rest of us, and he deemed us too unworthy to impart his great wisdom, so he didn’t open his mouth.

Butterfly gave up on waiting. “The Skinner is untraceable not because I have an exceedingly high ability, but it’s because I always switched skins after killing someone. By wearing the skins of those women and imitating their behavior, I was able to pass unnoticed in the confusion of the search for the next target.”

“That’s wrong.”

Huh? What’s wrong, Shizun?

“Where is it wrong?”

“Even if you switched skins after you killed someone every time, for example, after killing butterfly—you don her skin, you become ‘Butterfly’ but there is still her skinned body left over. Won’t someone find it strange if there are two?”

!!!

He couldn’t be referring to DNA analysis, could he? I thought of it myself, so maybe that’s why I’m so sensitive to his words… but…it couldn’t be?

Call me crazy, but… Shizun shouldn’t be able to have his mindset, right? For me, someone from the modern era, we have such a thing as DNA analysis, but the Shizun of this world shouldn’t have knowledge of such a thing, right?

It’s possible he has some magical method as a peak lord… but this is too weird. If I’ve transmigrated into the novel, what’s to say another person couldn’t migrate over as well?

Let me guess, you won’t let me know?

[System: Correct. The system cannot let you know if another person is a transmigrator like yourself.]

Figures.

It’s not a problem if I figure it out on my own right? Will you stop me from testing him?

[System: The system has no power to stop you from making your own conjectures about Shen Qingqiu.]

Perfect.

If he’s another transmigrator like me, maybe we can come to an understanding. If he’s another transmigrator, I can tell him, right?

[System: Answer, that is false. You are the protagonist and the readers are following your moves constantly. Any scene you are with Shen Qingqiu are regarded with high importance due to the bullying aspect. Therefore, you will be unable to tell Shen Qingqiu without letting the readers know of the truth. IF you found Shen Qinqiu to be another transmigrator, you must keep your silence.]

You really like to kick me down, don’t you? Just when I thought I found myself an ally, you kick me down.

A/N: Fufu yes, both of them asked for Easy mode, which means it’s SUPER EASY MODE. lol

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[rarepears]

LQG, returning from his secret mission to find a Qing Jing peak burned to the ground. Immediately riding to his own peak, only to find it pretty much fine. His disciples are still in shock as he leaves the peak, trying to find SJ to ask what happened (and make sure he's okay).

Liu Qingge:

Cang Qiong: