#I wonder what Alternate Yue Qingyuan is thinking

[whos-the-seme]

Shen Qingqiu was doomed.

He stood still, fluttering his fan nervously and trying to avoid catching his counterpart's, the real Shen Qingqiu, glaring eyes from across the room. Instead, he idly observed the other Cang Qiong Mountain Peak Lords, trying to spot the differences between the ones he knew and their alternates.

Liu Qingge had brought back a strange artifact from one of his hunts to the monthly Peak Lord meeting. It was a mirror, rimmed an ugly tarnished gold, topped with a decoration that was shaped into an unidentifiable creature with ruby red eyes.

[Important Artifact Detected: Red-Eyed Sphinx's Mirror! Quest starting...]

Shen Qingqiu had been trying to remember where it might have appeared in PIDW when the surface of the mirror suddenly began to glow a dull yellow. It quickly brightened until it obscured everyone's vision.

And then, there stood another set of peak lords across the room, facing them down.

System, what on earth is going on???

[Quest started: Lost Long Spirit in My Reflection! Other characters have been transported to this universe. Host must find a way to send them back without revealing his identity as a transmigrator.]

WTF? I didn't agree to this!

[Good luck!]

System??? Get back here!

While the two Yue Qingyuans and Xu Qinglis conversed together to try to understand what had happened, the other peak lords had begun to mingle with each other, curious about their counterparts.

Shen Qingqiu tried to suppress his panic, sticking close to Shang Qinghua. His Yue Qingyuan occasionally flicked his softened gaze towards the alternate Shen Qingqiu, likely noticing that the other still acted as he used to before his qi deviation. In fact, several of the peak lords he had gotten to know over the years were sending some looks at the other Shen Qingqiu.

With the original goods right there, how long would it be before something exposed him as a fraud?? What if he was confronted about why he acted so differently?

[Host must avoid having his identity exposed. Being revealed as a transmigrator will result in Host being immediately sent back to his old body.]

Yeah, yeah, same shit as always!

Looking to his side, Shang Qinghua seemed to be experiencing the same threats, desperately looking away from the more dead-eyed Shang Qinghua across the room who, luckily, was barely paying him any attention.

Fuck, what do we do?

---

Shen Qingqiu continued to glare at the Other Shen Qingqiu in the room. The other Shen Qingqiu was so obviously a fraud, he could tell within minutes of being here. While his alternate seemed somewhat familiar, he didn't act like him at all, his mannerisms were all off, and despite the attempt at keeping a poker face, Shen Qingqiu could tell that he was nervous. Probably at being caught out.

His alternate self had likely been replaced with a bodysnatcher or some sort of spirt, if they truly were supposed to be the same person. Was everyone else stupid, or had they had their brains sucked out by a Heart Mouthed Lobster-Squid?

Or maybe they simply like the bodysnatcher better and didn't bother to investigate.

Shen Qingqiu's face became stormier, turning his glare to the Other Yue Qingyuan, wondering if he had felt happier once his precious Xiao-Jiu had vanished. The other Yue Qingyuan's face grew even more pathetic. Tch. Typical.

"That stupid System--" Shen Qingqiu nearly snapped his neck in looking at the bodysnatcher upon hearing his murmur. The fraud, upon noticing his sudden attention, clammed back up and looked away. But Shen Qingqiu knew what he heard.

Xi Tong.

He hadn't heard those words in years, not since--

He stepped forward, scanning the other once more. Upon a second, more thorough look, Shen Qingqiu realized that he grew more familiar. He wore his hair in the way that Shen Qingqiu wore it, but looser and less severe. His eyes were clearer and lighter, with hints of a smile, despite his nerves. He occasionally quickly glanced up and to his left, as if seeing something there, before bringing his attention back to the room at large.

No. It couldn't be. He was long dead, despite Shen Qingqiu's best efforts. Even if the fake had some similar things about him, that doesn't mean--

Shen Jiu had once had a brother, besides Qi-ge. Slightly smaller than him, despite the fact that Shen Jiu passed him along as much food as he could when on the streets. He smiled so much despite their circumstances, and was so kind despite Shen Jiu constantly telling him that he was making himself a target. But he looked so, so similar to Shen Jiu himself. They could have switched their clothes and looked exactly the same, if one didn't notice the difference in their demeanors.

His brother has also always been a little odd, talking to himself and arguing with an imaginary friend that only he could see named Xi Tong. One of the reasons that they survived as long as they did on the streets was due to the inexplicable knowledge that his brother seemed to have. Somehow, his brother knew about the various plants or small animals that they could hunt and sell for a pretty coin in the markets. Shen Jiu never asked, not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

But his brother was dead. He had died years ago, in the time during when they were in Qiu's manor. During a punishment for Shen Jiu's attempt to get them both to join Wu Yanzi; he had switched their clothes and taken Shen Jiu's place and died for it. That had been the final catalyst that made him set the manor ablaze and escape, mourning his brother's death as his fault for daring to be free. Cursing Qi-ge for not coming back for them.

Dazed and his vision dim, Shen Jiu took another step forward, and another. Hope, something he thought he had killed off long ago, slowly rose in his chest.

Had his brother survived in this world? Had he managed to escape alongside Shen Jiu? Or had Shen Jiu died in his place? Dimly, he can't help but think that the world would be far kinder if that were the case. If his brother had made it to Cang Qiong Mountain and became a peak lord all on his own and still managed to keep his smile. If he didn't have Shen Jiu dragging him down with him.

The other Shen Qingqiu, not having noticed his approach, laughed at something the other Shang Qinghua said ("Wonder if Shang Qinghua is a traitor here, too," Shen Jiu thought dimly). His laugh was the same. He rose his fan to hide his face, but Shen Jiu noticed how his nose crinkled, and his eyes nearly closed in delight, exactly like--

"A-Yuan?"

[strawberry-cheezecakes-4me]

Basic idea: Tianlang Jun and Zhuzhi Lang get accidentally sent to the future modern world and they both are at loss until a reincarnation of Su Xiyan helped them out. They get to explore the new era.

And I made a demonic daughter oc of sj from another world came to an alternate world where tlj got sealed under the mountain and still alive. Tianlang Jun and Zhuzhi lang were accidentally sent to the future when the daughter sent off the alarms from the seals holding the demon lord. Tianlang Jun, knows the truth of Su Xiyan didn't betray him but still in fact loved him. Found her reincarnation in the future. Fresh wounds but he still love her so deeply. (Might be a different story for this)

Anyway, Tianlang Jun goes to the Human Realm. With Zhuzhi Lang, they're broke without money. He meets Su Xiyan again who gave him money.

Tianlang Jun gets a visit from the daughter saying they need to go back and Tianlang said to Su Xiyan to wait for him. (Su Xiyan fell for Demon Lord Tianlang Jun and even knew he's different from other people, the reincarnation of palace master tried to kill her so they (Su Xiyan and him) can double suicide together but Su Xiyan was limping with the knife stabbed in her calf looking for Tianlang Jun because she's poisoned and knew she didn't have enough time. Tianlang Jun saved her with a bloody kiss. His demon parasites healed her. She looked at her calf which stitches too quickly at inhuman speed. It confirmed that he's not human.

Tianlang Jun and Zhuzhi Lang go back to their original timeline. Tianlang Jun wondered what the world would look like if he combined both realms but since he saw the future, he likes the technology and endless supplies of stories. He doesn't know what the demons will become after death. Can he reincarnate? Tianlang Jun sets out to get revenge on his behalf and Su Xiyan's. The palace master is out and alive and this time he'll make sure the palace master won't be able to reincarnate into the next life.

Anyways he went fighting against the four sects and yue qingyuan came to fight him...again.

The war happens. Tianlang Jun survived but not Zhuzhi Lang. The following years the next one thousand years Tianlang Jun dies as well.

After the war in the human realm. Tianlang Jun and Luo Binghe fought for power. There's no merging between the two realms. Luo Binghe was defeated. Tianlang Jun broke Xin Mo sword.

And the end of the story is Su Xiyan is waiting to see Tianlang Jun and Zhuzhi Lang in the future. She still has his blood parasites. A year passed. Then two years. 3 years. Then one day, she found an uncle and nephew pair waiting to get ice cream but the uncle brought too many books. Su Xiyan offered to pay for ice cream and found Tianlang Jun and Zhuzhi Lang in human form. Tianlang Jun was starstruck by her and thanks her. Su Xiyan thinks "I finally found you" 

Zhuzhi Lang is a toddler in the modern world. Like 3 years old. But it's his birthday to hang out with uncle. His parents are doing the decorations. 

[azaisya]

no art for this week bc its been crazy so have 1.7k of alternate ending/sequel to Sleeping Awake (my de-aged shen jiu fic). This was where I was going with the original before I decided I wanted to focus more on the qijiu, so some of the stuff in the beginning is repeated. If I was writing a sequel (which I probably won’t), then this would probably be how it started.

“Take one of my robes?” Yue Qingyuan asked, voice small. 

Shen Qingqiu hesitated, his awareness of how underdressed he was going to war with the instinct to refuse anything from Yue Qingyuan. He’d spent the last however-many-decades violently exploding every time Yue Qingyuan gave him a gift. He’d assumed they’d been given out of pity or obligation, expensive baubles to cover up the dirt of Shen Jiu’s past. 

But—

He really was very underdressed. This robe was one of the outfits he’d worn to sneak out to the Warm Red Pavilion, back when he’d been a lesser disciple and in need of subterfuge to get off his Peak. 

Wordlessly, Shen Qingqiu picked up Yue Qingyuan’s outer robe from where they’d carelessly dumped it the night before and slid it over his arms. It was a little too big and he chafed at wearing another person’s colors, but the look on Yue Qingyuan’s face was worth it. 

With a sarcastic wave, Shen Qingqiu turned on his heel and strode from his room.

The robe was a little less worth it when Yue Qingyuan’s head disciple dropped a teapot in shock when she saw him. 

He ignored her. She was the overly candid girl who’d intercepted him and Luo Binghe yesterday, but that didn’t surprise him. Yue Qingyuan was too soft with his disciples, and she was clever. Of course she would be outspoken. 

At the thought of Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu grimaced. He’d specifically ordered that the beast wasn’t to be fed all weekend. Ning Yingying had probably ignored that and brought him food anyways, charmed as she was by Luo Binghe’s pretty, pitiable face. 

He should lock him in the woodshed for another week, just for that. 

The thought made him falter, and he spared a moment to be intensely grateful that nobody was around to see him trip on nothing. 

He’d always told himself that he was nothing like Qiu Jianluo. That he’d only ever beaten boys who deserved it, that they should be grateful that he hadn’t done worse. 

He’d never touched any of them, after all, no matter what the rumors said about him. 

But his younger self hadn’t even needed to think before equating Luo Binghe’s shizun with Qiu Jianluo. 

That was another revelation, Shen Qingqiu supposed, to add on to all the others he was having. He didn’t like that one very much. It wasn’t earth-shatteringly surprising in the way that Yue Qingyuan’s apparently unconditional devotion was. 

Perhaps that said something about him. 

He didn’t like that very much either. 

He was still turning the matter over in his mind when he arrived at Qing Jing Peak’s familiar landscape. It was late enough in the day that his disciples should already be at their lessons, and they would survive a few more hours without him. 

The bamboo house was almost exactly as he’d left it, but somebody had made his bed and moved the black and silver fan—Yue Qingyuan’s latest gift—onto a table. It was a deceptively plain thing, despite the value of its skeleton. Shen Qingqiu suspected that the painting—bamboo and distant birds—had been done by Yue Qingyuan himself. It had the hesitant, detailed brushwork of somebody unused to painting but had tried their best anyways. 

It was the most sentimental gift that Yue Qingyuan had ever given him. His other gifts were impersonal things worth exorbitant amounts of money that suit Shen Qingqiu’s carefully cultivated image. 

Shen Qingqiu would’ve thrown them away, if there wasn’t some part of him that balked at wasting that much money. Mostly, they just languished in the backs of drawers or vanished into boxes. He’d thrown some of the more egregious pieces into Yue Qingyuan’s face. 

The fan was different, though. He could see the time that Yue Qingyuan had spent on it, could see the care and emotion poured into every brush stroke. 

It’d broken him. 

With a sigh, Shen Qingqiu shrugged off the borrowed robe and, after a beat, laid it out on his bed. His own clothes were more complex. His younger self would have despaired at all the finicky ties and complicated layers, but Shen Qingqiu managed with ease. 

With each layer he pulled on, the more that strange, nervous energy in his chest settled. It was as if something inside of him had been knocked off-kilter by his qi deviation and then shoved even further askew by the discovery that Yue Qingyuan had returned for him and the sudden realization that he’d come far too close to the line that Qiu Jianluo had drawn. 

The clothes made him feel more like himself. A doubtful boon, given the scum that he was. 

He turned to leave again but then hesitated, eyes lingering on his bed. Yue Qingyuan’s robes were a streak of shadow across the green sheets. 

He’d been so afraid, when he’d woken up the morning before. 

He wondered if Qiu Haitang was still alive. He hoped she was. He hoped she was happy. 

Was that fucked up?

Maybe.

Setting his jaw, Shen Qingqiu snatched the closest fan—Yue Qingyuan’s fan, the one that had started this all—and swept from the room. He made his way towards the woodshed with a calm, steady stride, the black and silver fan held loosely in his hand. 

He could see the distant shapes of his disciples running around the mountain, tiny blobs of white and green. A sudden anxiety struck him, so sharply that the fan creaked as his grip tightened around it. 

What if Luo Binghe had told them?

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t imagine how his disciples—the children of wealthy lords and poor farmers alike—would look at him if they learned that he was nothing more than a worthless slave. 

A couple of his disciples—the quicker ones, talking cheerfully while their peers tried to finish their laps around the peak—noticed him and ran over. Shen Qingqiu panicked and opened his fan with a flick of his wrist, raising it over his face. 

“Shizun!” the short-haired girl—Lin Xieran—called, as uncomplicatedly delighted to see him as ever. Neither of them looked alarmed or disgusted. If anything, they seemed a little more cheerful than usual to see him, although they were well trained enough to bow instead of run up him and cling. 

Shen Qingqiu rewarded them both with gentle pats on the head. If his hand trembled, none of them mentioned it. 

Luo Binghe, he thought, that off-kilter uncertainty creeping back into his chest, What game are you playing?

Well. He would find out soon enough. Voice as smooth as ever, Shen Qingqiu asked, “Where is your Ming-shixiong?”

The shorter one—a round-faced boy named Sun Tiandou who looked younger than he was—wrinkled his nose. “Ming-shixiong is still running with everybody else.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded imperiously. That was good. Ming Fan had been raised by respectable parents on a comfortable estate, and so he was prone to panicking over even the most minor of injuries. If he’d gone out to run willingly without his shizun’s prompting, then he couldn’t be terribly injured. “Good. And—” The beast died in his tongue. 

Had Qiu Jianluo called him a beast? He couldn’t remember. 

“—and Luo Binghe?”

Sun Tiandou’s expression tilted uncomfortably, but Lin Xieran’s lip curled at the name. “Oh,” she said, waving a hand flippantly, “He’s still in the woodshed.”

Shen Qingqiu idly poked at his newfound disgust with himself and discovered that it didn’t extend far enough to compel him to scold Xieran for her coldness. “Very good,” he said instead, “You’ve both done well today.” 

Their expressions turned instantly starstruck, and Shen Qingqiu continued down the path towards the woodshed. 

To his displeasure, there was a figure sitting against the woodshed’s door. He would’ve thought it was Luo Binghe if it weren’t for the bright orange of Ning Yingying’s favorite hair ribbons. She spotted him and leaped to her feet, waving her arm with the enthusiasm of a child who’d never been punished before. 

Shen Qingqiu flicked his fan open and waved it gently at his face. “What are you do—” All his breath left him in a rush as Ning Yingying threw herself at him, hands flying around his waist. 

Shen Qingqiu sighed and waited for her to let go. She did quickly enough, dancing back a couple steps and grinning up at him. “Shizun!” 

He examined her over the edge of his fan, tracing the shape of her bright brown eyes and her round face. He wondered if she really did look like Qiu Haitang, or if his mind had just seen a bright girl with gentle smiles and made the connection for him. “What is Yingying doing here?”

Ning Yingying’s expressions turned as sly as it ever went. Mostly she just ducked her head and scuffed her feet. “Yingying is, um—” She looked around, spotted the dirty dishes lying where she’d been sitting earlier, and hastily said, “Cleaning! Yingying is cleaning.”

Shen Qingqiu raised one eyebrow and didn’t bother replying. 

Ning Yingying fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. “And, um, waiting for Shizun!” She looked up, lips curling into a hopeful smile. “This one is glad that Shizun is feeling better!”

Fear beat another staccato rhythm against Shen Qingqiu’s spine, a desperate rattling of what did Luo Binghe say. He revealed none of it on his face. “Did Yingying bring food to Luo Binghe during his punishment?”

Ning Yingying visibly drooped. “He’s so small, Shizun—”

Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth and then shut it, feeling suddenly tired. The rebuke on the tip of his tongue faded, and he just sighed. “Take the plates back to the kitchens.” 

Ning Yingying peeked up at him, hope lighting her eyes. “Yes, Shizun!” She ran to grab the plates and then scuttled back, eyes wide. “Shizun isn’t going to punish A-Luo, right? He didn’t ask me to bring the food.”

Any other day, and Shen Qingqiu’s temper would have flared at the familiar address. Instead, he just said sharply, “I’ve warned you to keep your distance from him, Yingying. Do as I say.” 

Ning Yingying nodded. “Yes, Shizun.” 

Liar. He didn’t call her on it, though. “Go.” 

She sketched a bow, shallower than she should’ve, and dashed off. But that was alright, because she was his favorite and she knew it.

[k-l-ng]

Can someone recommend me some good danmei with a loyal guard who's not just killed in the background? Who gets paragraphs dedicated to him? Who's relevant not only when dead? Who's useful? And people would care for him because he's important to them? Like I'm not even looking for him to be in the m/m relationship even though that would be good too. I'm just used to read danmei I guess. To keep my attention on the story. I truly admire loyal guards so much.

I just MTLed through the entire Paternity Guard story (60 chapters + 9 extras), for those who may be interested, it's about mpreg, but beware of unhealthy relationships!

And guess who became my favourite character?? Qi-ge. Not the svsss one, and I would never have thought I would think of a character other than Yue Qingyuan when reading this surname. Ying Qi, my boy, I love him so much. He's a shadow guard, and like, he's strong, but he's most of all so fiercely loyal to the one he cares about (his brothers -the shadow guards -, in particular little Shiqi, and their master, these last two form the main pairing of the story). And he's so kind, so involved in their well-beings he's basically self-sacrificial, and

***SPOILERS AND I MEAN SPOILERS SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN READING PATERNITY GUARD PLS DONT LOOK AFTER THAT ANYWAY YOU'D FALL IN LOVE WITH YING QI** (SPOILERS though you may not like the ending, like me..)* he even studies medicine in order to be Shiqi's physician on their travels! He would rather be tortured than let an enemy touch Shiqi or betray his master. He's worries about the Shiqi × Master relationship as he questions the level of healthiness in their interactions and THAT'S what got me first interested in him. (And then his loyalty won me over.) But yeah, he's sensible, knows how to make decisions, is quite wise... That's why the extras about him kinda made my jaw drop. (You'll see...)

He was simply so good, I had started to wonder (sue me, but I was a little triggered for some reasons), why couldn't the master also fall in love with him? What was the reason the master chose to be so protective and possessive over Shiqi but not Ying Qi (he mostly drank vinegar hearing Shiqi talk about his Qi-ge) ? Yes, he valued him as any other shadow guard of his, but... you know what I mean. What first got the master's eyes on Shiqi was the baby in his belly. He'd never paid attention to him before, then he turned legit creepy about his lower abdomen ans stated to pay a lot of attention to Shiqj. Does it mean, if Ying Qi was the one who got pregnant, he would end up with Master too?

Or did Shinqi have something Ying Qi didn't? Okay, Shiqi was cuter, he was like the clueless little brother, and Master often called him "idiot" (I think affectionately). Was that what made the difference?

I know, love doesn't really follow reason. But damn I wanted Ying Qi to be well loved too.. I'm not really trying to give Master a harem : it's not for him; he's however a better alternative than..huh.

Ying Qi cared for others first, but who cared for him in priority?

***END SPOILERS***

I feel like there's so much potential to write good stories with a loyal guard? Is it just that I can't find them?

They're like bros for life but simply with less recognition. Even in cdrama I always despair whenever something bad happens to them.

They, like the romantic partner, would give their life for you, fight for you, suffer and go through hell for you. And yet they aren't appreciated, nor in some cases mourned the same amount. I guess Loyalty isn't as precious as Love? Which saddens me, because if I had someone who would be so devoted to me in my life I would treasure them.

So yeah I would live to read fics about a loyal guard and his master. Even if the relationship is platonic or morr like brotherhood? Of course, I think more about the ancient time when talking about master/guard dynamics so there may be a power imbalance, and unhealthy behaviours. But given the context, I would expect them as long as it's not just that you know.

I can't help daydreaming about so many situations, like:

Simple slow burn? The master slowly gets closer to his guard as he appreciates how devoted he is. First, it's about trust, something so rare when you have power. Then, it's about camaraderie. Then, about banters and fun. Friendship. Something more..? They basically survive many life and death situations together and as time passes, they learn more about their friend until one day they realise they can understand each other better than anyone else. Also they're already content to spend their life together! Bam! Power Couple.

More tragedy? The loyal guard couldn't escape his fate and dies for his master's plans. The master then deals horribly with his absence as he realizes that maybe, maybe, his love interest/schemes weren't worth his lifelong friend's life.

More angst with a happy ending? Let's make the master time travel to the past. He attempts to abort his plans so that he won't have to send his guard to his death. Not that he would even if he failed. He gets to open his heart to his guard the way he has dreamed about in his previous life.

I'm- obsessed.

[scumvillain]

Hey! So im just finished reading svsss but somehow i felt so unsatisfied with the ending. So my questions are ; 1. I watched svsss fanmade vid with LBH proposed to SQQ. Was there any chap canonically wrote about this? I thought the extras will contain this but i didnt find them. Or did MXTX ever said anything abt this? 2. Can u pls recc me svsss fics u love or Tumblr svsss fic-recc i can follow? Bc i swear i felt their relationship havent been explored enough! Thankyou❤️

Uhh I think there should be an extra about the proposal. I remember someone mentioning that it adapts a scene from one of the extras, but I haven’t read them yet so I don’t know which/where they are. Either that or I’m imagining things haha.

oh man there are too many svsss fics i love. Fair warning, apparently I really like AUs or what-ifs, because almost none of the fics I found in my history were set in canon lol, and none were my favorite favorites. 

Actually, funny story: I didn’t feel strongly about many of the characters except for Shen Yuan when I read SVSSS. What made me really fall in love with the characters were the fics and their authors’ interpretations of them (I distinctly remember that aside from Shen Yuan, only Ning Yingying and Gongyi Xiao ever really caught my eye).

Anyways, if you don’t mind some AUs:

Feynite’s SV Wishes series is a wonderful, wonderful AU (alternate xianxia world) with some of the best emotional writing I’ve devoured in a long time.

Not just Feynite’s here, but a few authors write collections of 1-2 chapter AUs that are really fun and creative with good, concise characterization considering they aren’t full length fics, technically.

of the same river (we drink) by sonderlynights, 用玉绍缭之. Shen Yuan transmigrates, but not into Shen Qingqiu. No System. But it’s a really damn good AU.

We Never Dreamed These Walls by straightforwardly. I like AUs, apparently. This one is a what-if: what if Shen Yuan went down to the Endless Abyss with Luo Binghe.

Skip these recs if you only want to read about the main couple:

a straw to light the fire by penscritch. It’s Liushen, and honestly hilarious and supremely creative (another xianxia AU, though close to canon setting). Basically, Liu Qingge is the modern guy who transmigrates. Shen Yuan is a hoot. That is all.

sharp and glorious thorn by newamsterdam. It’s Yue Qingyuan/Original Shen Qingqiu, basically what if there was no transmigration and Shen Qingqiu lost his memory from qi deviation. I find villains fun to explore, and fics that dig into original Shen Qingqiu’s train wreck psyche really satisfy my id lol.

A personal favorite author of mine is JustAWanderingBabbit, who focuses on Original Luo Binghe/Original Shen Qingqiu. Their writing style takes a lot of getting used to, but they can really build a world and make you feel immersed in it within a short span of words. Not for everyone, but I like their stories.

[neoblogcrying]

“Let’s play a game” pt.2

Yeah… I ended up writing the next part a lot sooner than expected because I had a lot going on today—and I wanted to write to vent my stress out. I didn’t have the mood to write anything else so here we are! Hope you enjoy the read!

-

The System Temp chose ‘HARD MODE’ and this was met with high praise, from System moderator #1. The other moderators were not as happy.

You win some, and you lose some.

“System Temp, be on standby.” A mechanical voice sounded overhead. A light illuminated down, onto a couch that was situated in front of a big Television screen. The couch was soft and plush to the touch with colorful, fluffy pillows.

Elevator music started playing in the background as distant sounds of people talking could be heard over the music. Perhaps the music was being played to drown out the conversation between the System moderators. It was hard to make out any words, but there were a few words that stood out:

‘Anoying,’ ‘Troublesome,’ ‘Scum,’ ‘So pitiful,’ and ‘So complicated.’

The Television screen was dark as it wasn’t powered on. Most likely, it would turn on the moment they finished…doing whatever it was that they were doing.

KEEEEN!

That was the sound of an intercom system turning on.

“Hey! Watch it! You’re doing that on purpose, #3!”

“Oh, am I? You’ve already messed up the background history this much, does it even matter at this point?”

“You make it sound as if it’s my fault. I’m not the one who chose Hard Mode. I simply suggested it as an option. It doesn’t mean it had to be chosen.”

“Both of you stop it. #3, get your finger off the intercom.”

Beep.

After that, no other words could be heard. The calming elevator music was the only thing that could be heard. It must have been boring for the System Temp to sit there with no one else to keep them company. At least a conversational partner would have been nice to have.

The room the System Temp was in had 4 walls, all pure white in color. There were no plants to decorate the room, no windows to allow in light, and there weren’t any decorative paintings to serve as a relief for the eyes!

It was a wonder how this room was lit up when there weren’t any light fixtures. Maybe the walls themselves glowed?

KEEEEN----

“Hey hey, he’s rioting.”

“Ahhh~ Transmigrators are always so willful! Give him a taste of karma, that’ll shut him up for now. They need to realize if they don’t listen to us, they’ll only suffer.”

Beep.

Whether or not someone had turned on the intercom on purposefully for the System Temp to hear that was anyone’s guess. Maybe it was a pure coincidence, or maybe they wanted to give a warning that any acts of rebellion would be met with ‘karma’.

All one could do was sit on the couch and wait… and wait… and wait. Being left alone allowed for thoughts to run rampant.

For what reason were they chosen? Is this a kidnapping? Is this Hell? Did they die? Can they even return home?

[Answer: Once you lead the game to a successful end, you will be returned home. The System Moderators were bored and enlisted you to help curb their boredom. Do your best, System Temp. Good luck on going home soon.]

A mechanical voice rang inside their head, promptly giving them the answer, but it wasn’t necessarily the answer they wanted to hear.

The elevator music suddenly cut out and the Television screen lit up without warning.

An energetic voice rang out from a mysterious source. It was hard to tell where the voice was coming from.

Welcome to the System Moderated Life Simulation game! You are our first contestant, congratulations! It’s a huge honor being able to play through the trial run, wouldn’t you know?

I know, I know, you must be overwhelmed by how honored you are. We went as far as to choose you who already knows the series: ‘Proud Immortal Demon’s way’ so you don’t need a refresher course on the main characters. Feel free to thank us for our consideration later.

To explain once more, this game will progress by pausing at random points to ask you questions. Your answers will lead characters down different paths. If you choose all the wrong answers, it may result in death! If you choose all the right answers, they will live, maybe even find love!

Will you lead Luo Binghe down the original harem route? Maybe you’ll have Shen Qingqiu fall in love with someone else.

Speaking of Shen Qingqiu, there is a surprise!

For choosing Hard Mode… you get an extra character to control! This character is… the original Shen Qingqiu! That’s right, you heard me right. The ORIGINAL.

The Shen Qingqiu that’s in a relationship with Luo Binghe… is actually a transmigrator! Unlike you, he was migrated into the novel, while you are a System temp! You have the better deal, really.

Look, when we reversed time, we kept him and adjusted the background story. We wiped out his memory, so he won’t remember his previous adventures as he’ll think he just transmigrated into a child’s body.

He must grow along with this story for a second time and you get to watch and control their fate with your decisions!

No pressure though.

Hm? Tell you the background story? That’s no fun (for us) if we tell you right away! You need to unlock that yourself! If you’re lucky, one of the characters may trigger a flashback event for you!

It’s time for our break so I’ll stop the introduction phase here. You seem like a smart cookie, so we’re sure you’ll figure out the rest on your own! Good luck!

It was dead silent as the System Moderators went on their break, leaving the System Temp alone. The Television screen flashed, and the scenery changed.

The opening scene was of Shen Qingqiu laying in bed with Yue Qingyuan sitting next to him patiently. “Ah… you’re awake Xiao-Yuan. How are you feeling? You collapsed suddenly with a high fever. Xiao-Jiu has gone out in your place.” Yue Qingyuan explained solemnly. “Some of the disciples witnessed Xiao-Jiu coming to retrieve you, and by this point, I’m sure the secret is out.”

‘Shen Qingqiu’ was a fake name that the two twin brothers have made for themselves. Shen Jiu was the original scummy goods, while Shen Yuan was the transmigrator who the plot changed to accommodate.

Slowly, Shen Yuan sat up with much difficulty, feeling his burning forehead with his clammy hand. He felt horrible forcing Shen Jiu to take his place. The two of them made up one Shen Qingqiu and they usually alternated who had the pleasure of acting the part of a Peak Master.

Shen Jiu had been playing the part for a long time now as Shen Yuan was busy cultivating to catch up to his elder twin brother. Shen Yuan went into the cultivation world later than Shen Jiu did and so it took time for him to play catch up, even with Shen Jiu taking things slower for his sake.

He’d never admit to it, but he did try to slow down his pace so his brother could catch up to him. Once they both had the same cultivation, Shen Yuan could resume playing the teacher role.

Unfortunately, he was born with a weaker body and he was prone to getting sick. That was the reason why his cultivation speed was much slower than Shen Jiu’s, but he never got mad at his younger twin over this.

In fact, Shen Yuan seemed to be the only one that Shen Jiu could be considered ‘soft’ towards.

Just when he finally caught up, he collapsed. This would’ve been the perfect time for Shen Jiu to study more on the demon kind, but Shen Yuan ruined it.

Just as he was feeling upset over this, the door quickly opened. “What’s wrong? Were you bullied?” The stern voice of his elder brother interrupted his thoughts.

Shen Yuan shook his head, looking miserable. “I’m sorry brother, I fell ill at a bad time. I’m so useless to have caused you trouble again… even though I vowed to help you.”

A sigh.

Not giving Yue Qingyuan the cold shoulder, Shen Jiu did give him some acknowledgement in the form of a head nod. Though he had many misgivings towards him, he was the reason why the two brothers could be together like this. He had to give him some merit for that.

With his fan, he smacked the top of Shen Yuan’s head. “Ridiculous. Who dares call you useless? Tell me and I will send them to hell thrice over.”

The reason why Shen Yuan fell ill was because of how hard he was pushing himself to cultivate. With his knowledge as a transmigrator, he knew that his elder brother was bullying the protagonist! He has a death wish!

Don’t you know you’ll turn into a human stick if you continue down this route!? This needs to be fixed!

Even with him imploring Shen Jiu to be kinder to Luo Binghe, it didn’t amount to much. The elder brother would apply his own flawed logic to Shen Yuan’s words.

For example:

‘Instead of beating him within a half inch of his life, I will beat him within 5 inches of his life.’

‘Instead of beating him, throwing him into the shed with no food or water, I’ll beat him him up and throw him into the shed with food!’

‘I want to kill him right this instant, but I’ll settle for having Ming Fan beat him up while I watch.’

This was his definition of ‘being nicer.’

Can you imagine Shen Yuan’s feeling of exasperation?

“You only need to focus on getting better. This Master will take care of things just fine.”

There’s no way things are going to be ‘just fine’ with the way you bully the protagonist! “…Brother… how is… Luo Binghe?” Shen Yuan asked cautiously, being sure to monitor Shen Jiu’s facial expressions carefully.

The other scowled at the sound of the name. Why his younger brother was so obsessed with that trash, he couldn’t understand. He was just trash, but he always defended him. ANNOYING!

Covering his face with his fan, he turned to look at Yue Qingyuan. It was implicitly understood that he wished to ignore the question.

That was enough for Shen Yuan to know that ‘Shen Qingqiu’ had bullied Luo Binghe once again. Can you please consider the feelings of your younger brother who will need to do damage control in your stead?

“Thank you for taking care of Shen Yuan. Since he’s awake, you should leave now. I can take it from here.” He didn’t want to be with Yue Qingyuan any longer than was necessary.

It didn’t matter what pitiful looks you gave him, he still hadn’t forgiven you for breaking your promise.

Casting a quick side glance at Shen Yuan, Yue Qingyuan smiled gently at Shen Jiu. “It was no problem at all, Shen Qinqiu. Seeing as he’s stabilized, I shall take my leave soon, but not before discussing something with you both.”

The two of them acted as one person. When one person was the public face, the other rested and hit the books, ingesting all the information they could.

Since Shen Jiu acted as ‘Shen Qinqiu’ the most, his personality was what everyone saw, which meant Shen Yuan had to adapt to this personality when he was the public face.

He was very intelligent, and he had the acting prowess of a God. Even though he was easily frightened, tender hearted, and sarcastic, he acted like a proper Peak Master when he was out as ‘Shen Qinqiu’.

He always adjusted his own personality to match his older brother’s, who was the main face of Shen Qingqiu. His skills in acting were so good, even Yue Qingyuan had a hard time telling them apart most times!

Now that the secret is out, they had to discuss on how to move going forward.

“I would suggest that Shen Qingqiu takes the title of Peak Lord while Shen Yuan acts as the second in command. It’s too late to hide the truth from your peak disciples anymore. I’ve prevented them from spreading the truth to other peaks, but you can’t continue on as you have before.”

There was truth in what he said, but they’d acted the part as one entity for so many years, it was hard to break the habit.

Nothing would have to change if they gave the excuse that there was so much work to do that one always had to stay behind. As they were identical twins, no one would be able to tell the two apart.

“Brother, I think we can accept this. No one can tell us apart, so I can take over as Shen Qinqiu, and you can take on my identity and study in solitude. With our secret being revealed, that means periodically, I can walk outside with you.” Shen Yuan displayed a gentle smile (that he knew Shen Jiu was secretly weak to) on his face.

For years, never have the two of them ever appeared under the sun at the same time. The only time they had together was in the private quarters of Shen Qingqiu.  

“Hmph. Accepted.”

Yue Qingyuan slowly exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding. He honestly expected more resistance than this, but this worked out for the better. He would have to make the announcements soon.

“Do get better Shen Yuan. I’ll visit again at a later date. Look after your brother well, Shen Qingqiu. I’ll be taking my leave now.” He stood with no wasted movements and left the room.

Even though he preferred to refer to them as Xiao-Jiu and Xiao-Yuan, he knew that doing so in Shen Jiu’s presence would make him rave in anger, and that would only hurt the sickly Shen Yuan, so he refrained from doing so in the elder’s presence.

He so wanted to be able to refer to him as Xiao-Jiu again, but he wasn’t allowed to. He could only wait for the day Shen Jiu would allow it. So for now, he could only refer to him as Shen Qingqiu and his younger brother as Shen Yuan.

When it was just him and Shen Yuan, he liked to affectionately refer to him as Xiao-Yuan.

Shen Yuan, who had the milder personality, didn’t mind being referred to that way so he always accepted it. He never questioned why Yue Qingyuan changed the way he addressed him in the presence of his brother, because he had enough sense to realize there was some history between the two.

Not wanting to bring up bad memories, Shen Yuan never asked his brother what relationship he had with Yue Qingyuan and why he seemed so angry with him.  

“Hurry up and sleep. I’ll bring you porridge later.”

Shen Yuan chuckled quietly and he laid back down.

He never knew that the original ‘scum’ goods had a kind bone in his body. This had to be information that was never revealed in the original novel, and Shen Yuan felt so bad for all the times he called for Shen Qinqiu to get castrated in the comments.

Forgive him brother, he never knew the truth! He knows his wrongs!

Admittedly, it was stifling to have Shen Jiu be so protective over him, but he could understand because as far as Shen Jiu knew, Shen Yuan was the only family he had left.

Hoping to use familial love to melt his icy heart slowly, Shen Jiu may learn to be less like a scum villain, and more like a respectable Peak Master.

DING!

The screen that was playing out like a drama froze in place.

It’s the first fate changer!

System temp, make your decision, which of the Shen brothers will you ���Main’? Whoever you choose will be the brother you control most often. Choose wisely as this cannot be changed! Your choice will dictate how the rest of the story goes.

One brother has more death traps than the other.

                                    [Main Shen Jiu or Shen Yuan?]

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A/N: So yeah, click on the link to choose between Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu. You will still see both in the story, but one will have more ‘screen time’ so to speak if you main them. Whenever they are both in the same scene I will refer to them as Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan, but when only one is in scene, I will call them Shen Qinqiu because that’s the persona they’re acting as. Since the point of the game is to control other characters and not just Shen Qingqiu, it would give you too much of an advantage if I tell you which brother is acting as Shen Qingqiu at any given moment, so you will have to make an educated guess!

Hopefully this idea flies well with people? If not, I’ll just discard this experimental project. If it is received well, I’ll continue with it! Until next time!