#but i wonder – if fang duobing had been able to be by his side for those ten years

[eirenical]

Like Father, Unlike Son (3168 words) by eirenical

Written for the @mysteriouslotuscasebookweek prompts "Role Reversal" (Day 2) and "Grief" (Day 4).

Rating: Explicit

Summary: In the wake of Shan Gudao's return, Li Lianhua is left broken and listless, nothing like his usual self. Fang Duobing is willing to do anything to bring him back, even if it means pretending, just for one night, to be someone he's not... someone he hopes he'll never become.

The yard was silent, the kind of silence that descends in the wake of a storm. Fang Duobing would have filled that space with noise, laughter, anything but this quiet stillness that Shan Gudao had left in his wake. But Li Lianhua stood barely two steps away, holding himself so very carefully, as though too large a breath might break every bone in his rib cage.

~Li Xiangyi is, indeed, a joke.~

Fang Duobing's first instinct had been to defend, to deny, to wipe those words from existence the moment Li Lianhua had spoken them. But Li Lianhua had been standing oh so carefully then, too, as though some part of him had already broken beyond repair, and a harsh word could wipe him from existence along with his words. Fang Duobing wondered, for the first time, if he was finally, truly, seeing Li Xiangyi before him—or what little was left of him after first his shixiong's death and then the battle at the Eastern Sea had taken everything from him. For the first time, he began to see what might have driven him to put himself away so thoroughly and become Li Lianhua. Faced with what he'd been faced with, Fang Duobing might have done the same.

Gently, he said, "He's gone. Why don't we go inside?"

Li Lianhua didn't answer, simply turned back the way they'd come from and took one shuffling step after another. At the threshold, he stumbled, foot catching on the raised doorway when he didn't lift it high enough. Fang Duobing caught him, gripping his arm above the elbow and pulling him close to keep him upright.

His body was shaking, a fine tremor that Fang Duobing hadn't been able to see but could feel now that they were pressed so close. "Li Lianhua?"

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Tags, detailed warnings, and notes below the cut.

November 4, 2024: At this point, I think I just need to accept the fact that my niche in this fandom is "fucked up and ill-advised sex that probably at least hints at Daohua somewhere in the background." 😅 Anyway, ever since I saw the scene where Shan Gudao reveals himself to Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua, I've wanted to write a fic where Li Lianhua turns to Fang Duobing for some very ill-advised comfort after that and lets himself pretend, just this once, that Fang Duobing is actually Shan Gudao. Brain decided today was the day? Enjoy? 😁👍👍

Fic Warnings: This is a little bit of a YMMV situation. The sex that happens in this fic is 100% consensual on both sides, but Fang Duobing is essentially role playing as his father and there is ZERO negotiation before that happens and, knowing Li Lianhua, they're not going to discuss it afterwards, either. Fang Duobing does have a little bit of a frantic moment where he's basically thinking "…this is kind of fucked up, isn't it? Maybe we should talk about it first? OK, never mind, lower brain just took over and made the decision for me." But he's still very much on board with what's going on and they both enjoy it in the end. But this is some VERY tangled relationship shit going on and if that squicks you, you might want to give this one a miss.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: Fang Duobing, Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi

Additional Tags: mentions of - Freeform, Di Feisheng/Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi - Freeform, Di Feisheng/Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi - Freeform, Past, Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi/Shan Gudao - Freeform, Under-negotiated Kink, Light BDSM, Sexual Roleplay, Unrequited Love, Established Relationship, Episode Related, episode 32, Missing Scene, Trauma, Dealing with Trauma in Less Than Healthy Ways, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, ill-advised sex, Healing Sex, (...yes it's the same sex; make of that what you will XD), Mysterious Lotus Casebook Week 2024

[shamera]

NaNo day 30

...I missed a day yesterday because I spent the whole time reading The Lone Necromancer. Whoops?

Today's is kinda a mess, but this is basically how far I got for NaNo and I figured I should put that last bit out even if it ends nearly in the middle of a sentence, lol. But that gives me a place to go back to when I get back to this story, because sometimes all you need is to be able to continue and finish off a sentence before you're back in the story mindset again!

Goodbye for now, hunter au! The more I think about it, the bigger this story gets, so I'm sorry we didn't manage to get to DFS yet because that part was meant to be pretty funny, lol.

(THIS PART TO BE DELETED BC SINCE WHEN DID LLH EVER OFFER INFORMATION TO FDB?? NEVER, THAT'S WHEN.)

“If Baichuan Court hasn’t accepted you yet, they’re not going to accept you now.” The man said, breaking all of Fang Duobing’s dreams. “It’s never been about whether you had the qualifications or not, it’s about the fact that your mother holds the building deed.”

“What?” Fang Duobing said blankly. 

“You didn’t know?”

He was lucky they didn’t crash into another car before Fang Duobing managed to pull to the side, hastily parking on the side of the street before he turned to give the ghostly figure of Li Lianhua his full attention. 

“You didn’t know.” Li Lianhua concluded, and shrugged, not offering more information. 

“No!” Fang Duobing exclaimed, because he hadn’t known. With the way his family tended to avoid Hunter affairs despite being right in the middle of them, it didn’t make sense. His mother looked down on the Sects and the corner they carved into the market, citing that there was no point to enter dungeons if rescue missions weren’t a priority after defeating dungeons became illegal. 

Hunters, she used to say, could do so much good in the world rather than throwing their attention into the wealth and commercial gain that was raiding dungeons. Fang Duobing always figured that Tianji Hall’s current business existed because she aimed to regulate and authenticate items so that Hunters could not scam the common populace. He certainly heard enough stories from her ranting while growing up, all about con men and arrogant ne'er-do-wells who deserved to be behind bars rather than seen by the public as ‘heroes’. 

“Now you know,” Li Lianhua said generously. 

“That’s a conflict of interest!” Fang Duobing exclaimed, fuming. No wonder his parents never seemed too concerned by his attempts to continually throw himself against the wall that was Baichuan Court. He thought they would at least approve he was aiming there rather than a lower Sect, since Baichuan Court was known to regulate Hunters rather than dungeon dive. 

“Not really. Both Tianji Hall and Baichuan Court keep track of Hunters and Sects, and deal with the flow of information. I kept telling you to go back home and join your family’s company if you wanted to be in Baichuan Court so badly—”

He had said that numerous times, but Fang Duobing always assumed Li Lianhua was urging him to give up on an useless endeavour. 

…Did it really matter now, knowing who Li Lianhua was? All Fang Duobing wanted as a child was to hold tight to the connections left in the world by Li Xiangyi. 

(END OF PART TO THE DELETED)

“Just,” Li Lianhua finally sounded like he had given up trying to argue. “...Fine. But after this, can you please just— pick up Hulijing?”

Fang Duobing nearly hit the horn as he startled, realising that was what he had forgotten about. 

“Hulijing,” he gasped out, because they all disappeared into the dungeon and then he was at the hospital for two days and then another day at his childhood home, and—

“She’s fine,” Li Lianhua said, staving off the panic. “Your mother picked up Lotus Tower, remember? I’m sure she’s taking care of Hulijing as well, but I’d rather see how she’s doing myself.”

That was fair. That was entirely fair, because now that he thought about it, Fang Duobing wanted to make sure the sweet dog was alright. He wouldn’t even question why his mother might know where the spare keys to Lotus Tower were. He shouldn’t. 

“You’re thinking something strange again and you need to stop.” Li Lianhua told him. 

“I’m not,” Fang Duobing denied, but then started driving again as the light changed. “I’ll go pick her up afterward." (CONTINUE SCENE, BRAIN EMPTY)

It was Shi Shui who greeted him after the secretary called her down. 

“Fang Duobing,” she said in exasperation, barely making a noise as she stepped over the floor with her sensible flats. Rather than a business suit, she was wearing gear for Hunters, a black bodysuit underneath lavender silks and various light armour, with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Had it not been for her severe expression and the grander than life presence she constantly put off, someone might have called her petite and delicately-boned. 

Yet as one of the four leaders of Baichuan Court (and the only woman after Qiao Wanmian refused the position, citing that she would visit but wanted to retire from the Hunter life), there were very few in the world who could fight on par with her, and no one who dared call her delicate to her face. 

In fact, there were very few who could arouse such irritation on her features and not run away. 

“Jiejie,” Fang Duobing greeted brightly, the same way he had for the past three years of him visiting Baichuan Court again and again, hoping in vain to win her over so that she might put in a good word for him. 

“Are you here to try again?” She asked, although he could detect a note of fondness (Fang Duobing absolutely knew she appreciated his tenacity, he just knew it even if she would never show it). “My condolences for what happened at Tianji Hall, but the answer is—”

“Actually,” Fang Duobing interrupted her, holding up his hands in askance. “There’s something I’d rather like to talk to the leaders about. In private, if that’s alright.”

— 

Unlike the modern highrise that was Tianji Hall tower in the middle of the city, Baichuan Court was several kilometres away from the major metropolitan areas, set in a sprawling property nestled into a mountain with classical architecture and wide courtyards. Stepping inside felt like he was stepping back several centuries with intricacies in the detail of the structures. Fang Duobing almost felt like they should be wearing hanfus rather than modern clothing when walking through the area. 

All four leaders of Baichuan Court had once been Li Xiangyi’s subordinates in Sigu Sect, and part of his personal raid party. They were famous for having a raid party consisting entirely of offensive fighters rather than designating defence. No one stayed back, no one was even a long-ranged fighter. 

Every single one of them had chosen to wield a sword, and every single one of them fought on the front lines with a synergy that ensured there was no friendly fire. 

Fang Duobing had met all of them at various points the last few years to argue his case, but he had never managed to grab all four of them at once (nor did he want to— his plan had be to get one of them to allow him in, and then that person could vouch for him against the others). 

“Young master Fang,” Ji Hanfo acknowledged politely, often the first to start a conversation. “I’m glad to see you well from what happened at Tianji Hall, but…”

Fang Duobing stepped forward, knowing he couldn’t allow them to reject him once more. 

“Actually, I’m here on behalf of that.” Fang Duobing said quickly. “I know you have questions on what happened to that dungeon, but I have a few questions as well. My aunt found CCTV footage of several former Jinyuan Alliance members hanging around afterward, and there’s suspicion of their involvement—” 

“That can’t be,” Yun Biqiu spoke up from where he was sitting, frowning. “Jinyuan Alliance has been disbanded for a decade now. The majority of its members were arrested for various crimes, and the rest are dead.”

“Presumed dead,” Fang Duobing stated. He glanced at each of them. “Their bodies were never found, right?”

Not Di Feisheng, and not dozens of members who originally participated in the last dungeon raid. They were all originally presumed dead, alongside Li Xiangyi and over fifty members of Sigu Sect as well in that last battle. 

“Are you suggesting that Jinyuan Alliance could somehow have something to do with the reason why the previous dungeon disappeared?” Shi Shui asked him. 

Fang Duobing leaned forward eagerly. “What if,” he started and hesitated for a dramatic pause. “They had something to do with the opening of the dungeon to begin with?”

“No one can cause a dungeon to form,” Bai Jiangchun shook his head. “And the idea of anyone— much less Jinyuan Alliance, being able to target— weaponise— them… that’s too outlandish! Fang Duobing, I understand that you may have concerns about what happened, but the formation of dungeons really is a random thing. If there really were former members of Jinyuan Sect looking around, it’s likely they were just trying to figure out what happened just like the rest of us.”

At least he wasn’t denying that there were Jinyuan Alliance members still around, and Fang Duobing rested behind his belt toward his inventory for his trump card, hand grasping onto the wooden sword as he said, “I have reason to believe—”

He was interrupted, not by any of the people in the room, but by a massive shaking of the ground underneath him, and the sound of stone groaning and grinding underneath them. 

“What—?” Bai Jiangchun gasped, holding onto Yun Biqiu next to him. “This is—?”

The smell of ozone and dust, the sharp glare of purple, and Fang Duobing’s last thought before his vision went black was a mixture of shock and exasperation, because there was just no way this was happening to him again, in the same week!

— 

It wasn’t dark this time, and he didn’t fall. The good thing was that Baichuan Court might exist atop a mountain, but it didn’t so much as have a second story to their buildings, so unlike Tianji Hall, there wasn’t anywhere to fall. 

Instead he landed in dense, plush grass that emitted a warmth that clung uncomfortably to his skin. 

It was sweltering in this dungeon, easily a ten degree difference at the very least. Rather than darkness and vast caverns like he experienced just previously, the dungeon this time was bright, lit from every side and angle while covered in colourful plants and flowers. 

It even looked like the sky when he glanced up. Or an approximation of a sky, anyway, if the sky was of a strange magenta colour and made him dizzy staring at it because it somehow looked close but far away at the same time, like a movie effect of a tunnel drawing closer and expanding further, except for the vast sky. 

Li Lianhua’s voice was in his ear as he said, “...You might actually be on to something this time.”

Next to him, Shi Shui was crouched gracefully, her entire posture instantly on alert, while the others stumbled a step in their shock at the sudden dungeon formation. 

“No way.” Fang Duobing fumed, now mad at himself not merely for falling into a dungeon twice in a week, but also that he hadn’t thought to equip himself after falling into a dungeon once, which meant he fell into a dungeon a second time without any proper weapons on him. Tianji Hall specialised in Hunter weapons and gear, and his family wouldn’t blink twice if he wanted to gear himself up after what happened just days ago. Why hadn’t he? 

A foolish, foolish mistake— 

“Tianji Hall tower, and now Baichuan Court?” Li Lianhua was inspecting their surroundings, his form nearly fading into the colours around them. “Jiangchun is right— no one’s been able to open gates, much less direct them, but the two organisations that keep Hunters in line, both besieged by a dungeon formation in the same week? Either you’ve got a hit out for you, or there really is a political agenda to this.”

“I’m not the only one caught up by both dungeons,” Fang Duobing hissed quietly under his breath toward Li Lianhua, eying Shi Shui carefully to make sure she wasn’t paying attention to him. She was standing up warily, helping the others, and pulling out a long, gleaming sword from her inventory. Fang Duobing hurried to stand after her, although he only had his dinky wooden sword in hand. 

Around them, the plants swayed in an invisible breeze, their colours bright and psychedelic, every leaf and stalk and stem oversized to the extreme. If the flowers could eat people, they could probably eat Fang Duobing whole in one bite. It was a dense garden if people were the size of mice and if plants were shoving each other for space in every step. Fang Duobing couldn’t even see the ground. 

“A newly formed dungeon?” Ji Hanfo exclaimed in disbelief. “This can’t be. We’ve just had one. There shouldn't be a second one so soon, and the chances are it wouldn’t even be in China, much less than same city. This is…”

Then he looked at Fang Duobing, who shook himself out of his bewilderment in an attempt to look serious and purposeful, like he had a point to his words rather than it being another way to get Baichuan Court to accept him as a member. 

“Tianji Hall, and now Baichuan Court,” he echoed Li Lianhua, who shot him a bemused look from where he wandered away. “Either someone is out to bring down Hunters, or… I’m just really unlucky.”

He thought he should be feeling scared right now. The last dungeon was… well, Fang Duobing still hadn’t worked out his mental state over that yet, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to yet. The last one had been harrowing, and it was brutal, and he was stressful in a way he never experienced before. 

This time, he watched as Shi Shui adjusted a pack strapped to her thigh and materialised her sword, and as the others— who were less ready to be drawn into a dungeon, but were still wearing clothes that signified Hunters, also pulled out their swords— and he didn’t feel as stressed this time. 

Maybe because last time he felt pressured to take responsibility, a little due to the fact that it was his employees in danger, and a lot because he and his aunt were the only Hunters of the group while the rest were civilians. 

Baichuan Court employed only Hunters, even if they did have civilian correspondents. That meant those who got pulled into this dungeon would all be experienced and seasoned Hunters, who knew how to keep any unfortunate people who also fell in safe. 

In this case, Fang Duobing was the amateur here, and he would get to follow along and observe how the professionals did it. 

To be honest, he was a bit excited. 

“Is that what you have?” Shi Shui asked him with her gaze on his wooden sword, partially covered by the tall grass. She shook her head, and then materialised another weapon to toss at him. “Here. Just this, and put that back in your inventory.”

It was a sword, although a very plain one. Fang Duobing caught it by the scabbard, and tested the solid heft and weight of it. A basic sword, it seemed, with no embellishments or specialisations. Likely a back-up weapon for her. Fang Duobing was used to wielding a better weapon during his training at home, but that had been a sword his mother prepared for him, and not one he carried around with him. 

“Thanks,” he told her, and bounced the sword up to check the weight of it before tucking his wooden one back into his inventory. “...I wasn’t expecting to be back in a dungeon like this.”

“No one ever is.” She told him, and then eyed the disappearance of his wooden sword. “You should keep more weapons in your inventory, just in case. It’s a feature to benefit Hunters. You should use it.”

He grimaced. “...My inventory is a little small. I can’t exactly fit a sword inside.” Or a bow, or arrows, or much of any kind of weapon, really. Maybe a dagger, but that would mean taking things out first. 

“That’s because you don’t have dungeon experience,” Yun Biqiu reassured him. The man was tying up his hair, and then reaching before himself into his inventory for a belt full of sharp implements and vials attached to it. “You just need a few kills in a dungeon. The items automatically end up in your inventory, and the more items you collect in one dungeon run, the bigger your inventory will stretch. Like a balloon, except the size doesn’t shrink again afterward. That’s why some Hunters used to—”

His words trailed off, and Fang Duobing wondered why for a moment until he saw Shi Shui glaring at Yun Biqiu. 

“Ahh, that doesn’t matter,” Bai Jiangchun interjected nervously. “Let’s find everyone and make our way out first before we—”

“Incoming!” Li Lianhua called out, and Fang Duobing reacted just in time as a vine underneath his feet swung upward in a deadly arc, a disorienting lime green colour that was also beset with orange tinted blossoms, each wider than a handspan each crowded on the vine. 

The others reacted even faster, Yun Biqiu ending up pulling Fang Duobing further away and Shi Shui charged in to jump and slashed off the vine before it could make its way back down. She landed back on the ground before the wiggling vine did. 

Fang Duobing stared, gaping at her reaction speed, and then looked to the side to see Li Lianhua giving his old group a fond look. The man only looked away when he realised Fang Duobing was looking at him. 

Well, Fang Duobing supposed. She wasn’t anywhere near as fast as Li Lianhua had been, but he was still allowed to admire her speed and efficiency! (Even if Li Xiangyi’s was better.)

“What are you looking at?” Li Lianhua murmured after Fang Duobing didn’t look away. “Look at your surroundings instead! You’re in a dangerous surrounding, Fang Xiaobao, you’ll need to pay attention to the things around you more.”

There were so many things Fang Duobing wanted to say to that, but if he did, those of Baichuan Court would either think he was crazy or he would have to explain that the spirit of Li Lianhua was here with them (and that would require way more explanation than he was willing to give at the moment). 

“This way,” Ji Hanfo said with a frown, already heading away. “I heard sounds of fighting. Everyone be on your guard. We don’t yet know what’s actually alive and considered a monster in this dungeon yet, or if the dungeon itself is out to kill all intruders.”

“It can do that?” Fang Duobing asked Yun Biqiu, who was guiding him. 

“Some dungeons don’t have many creatures within it.” The man informed him, tone even as they walked. “But the dungeon itself is alive and Hunters walk into its stomach. It’s not malicious, but it will try to digest us.”

The imagery of that wasn’t very flattering, combined with the strangely coloured garden they were in. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Yun Biqiu told him. “There are still ways of leaving the dungeon if that’s the case.”

As they went, the other members moved to slice off random vibes and stalks as soon as they started to move, and stayed clear of the larger, more beautiful flowers. They moved with a synergy and experience that had Fang Duobing staring at the fact they stepped within each other’s footsteps when possible, like cat backtracking in the snow. 

Li Lianhua disappeared from view more than once, and Fang Duobing would be more worried if he couldn’t still feel the weight of the orb in his inventory akin to a warm presence. 

After several minutes, they found their way to a clearing where there were several other Hunters teamed together in a fight against a creature that looked like a cross between a mushroom and a tree if the both of them gave birth to an insect instead. The shape was vaguely that of a grasshopper, but brown like bark and mushroom caps, its carapace rough hewn and with wet brown moss growing atop it. The only recognizable feature was the overly large pincers, each the size of a person, which it snapped at the Hunters as they cornered the creature. 

There were perhaps a team of six surrounding the creature, and one other who stayed behind, weapon drawn and sticking close to a person who looked like a civilian librarian who was clutching onto a stack of books. 

Without a word, Shi Shui leaped into the frey, joining with the other Hunters to take down the creature, their movements synching without a word to each other, and the monster crashed onto the forested floor, dead before ten seconds was up. 

“First one,” one of the team declared, and bowed toward Shi Shui for her help. The man reached up, and a shard of crystal materialised in his hand. He went over to the civilian and handed it to her with a reassuring smile. “Go back and tell anyone out there that everything’s fine. We’ll get everyone out.”

No one protested, and Fang Duobing was struck once more by just how different this felt from only days ago, when everyone was scared and disorganised. 

The civilian’s eyes were wide as they accepted, and they murmured a quiet thanks before disappearing altogether.