#lou binghe style

[rottenish]

i need to top pathetic style. let me give you puppy eyes and kiss all over your body, telling you i just want to make you feel good, don't you want to feel good? you deserve to feel good!

[moomoomooing]

can you guess whos been on my mind lately

[torchstelechos]

So, I was thinking, LBH’s mothers (the washerwoman and Su Xiyan) are more like SQQ than I originally thought. They chose LBHs safety and health before their own, and SQQ does the same. I don’t know, it’s just the reminder that those that loved LBH chose him without saying they did or leaving evidence they did only for him to crave the validation he was never given. It’s really no surprise that he wants to be chosen in a way that he gets a choice in the matter when everyone that has loved him has chosen him without letting him choose how they chose him. All of them died for him, and he didn’t want that. He just wanted to stand by their side and be acknowledged.

[quest-draws]

[ID: A four panel comic of a scene from chapter 41 of @grubus's Scum Villain fanfic Shen Yuan of No Relation.

Panel 1: Shen Qingqiu bursts into the bamboo house, framed by the doorway and the falling snow outside. "What," he says, "are you cretins doing?"

Panel 2: Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe are sitting at a low table with tea and several bowls of food laid out. Shen Yuan stares at Shen Qingqiu's inelegant arrival, while Binghe is holding a morsel of food with a pair of chop sticks. "Feeding Shixiong," he says.

Panel 3: Luo Binghe presses the food to Shen Yuan's mouth- he opens automatically, still staring at Shen Qingqiu

Panel 4: in the background, Shen Yuan is blushing furiously at his automatic response; Lou Binghe, pleased, continues eating with the same pait of chopsticks. In the foreground, Shen Qingqiu is drawn in a comically sketchier style, shaking in rage.

End ID.]

Yes it is once again a comic for Shen Yuan of No Relation but have you considered. It's very good.

also bonus last panel with no SQQ

Boys being boys

[louissatturi]

I finally understood why 2ha and svsss main couples and story kinda feel similar even tho the stories have very diferent worlds, themes and humor (even tho 2ha is really funny, 2ha ain't a sátire comedy like svsss) and author's have very diferent styles

Lou binghe thinks that shen qingqiu is a chu wanning type of character! A really good person with a angry and cold exterior that is kinda of a tsundere that just need people to be kinder to him so he dosen't break in his own insecurities

This "revelation" came to me while rereading svsss and i am in the part post sqq saves lou binghe from that random ass deamon with a venemous armor

Like even the way lou binghe speaks about how he will be always good to his shizun is kinda similar to mo ran's third book breakdown! I am now sad to think about the abyss time with these in mind

[greenflamedwriter]

Pronounciation Guide:

Since I keep getting yelled at [kindly, people are actually really nice about it] That I keep getting stuff wrong [Since I keep forgetting] I'm gonna type it all here.

DEMONS: Many demons go by titles instead of personal names, titles styled like XX-Jun are for high ranking demons and some titles are hereditory.

Courtesy Names: A courtesy name is given to an individual when they come of age, usually at the coming age of twenty for their first crowning ceremony, but it can also be presented when an elder or teacher deems the recipitent worthy. Generally a male only tradition. Women adopt a courtesy name after marriage. Courtesy names reserved for the upper class.

Diminitive Nicknames and name tags: Xiao- : A diminitive meaning "Little." always a prefix. [i.e Xiao Jiu, Xiao Yuan]

-ER : A word for 'son' or 'child' added to a name, it expresses affection similair to calling someone 'little' or 'sonny' always a suffix [I.e, Yuan-er, Jiu-er] A- : Friendly diminitive, always a prefix, usually for monosyllabic names, or one syllable out of the two-syllable name. [I.e, A-Yuan, A-Jiu, A-Lou] If the name is longer like Qui JianLOU that last part is the same nickname as Binghe [hence the truama for Shen Qingqiu as he heard that name]

Family: Di : Younger brother or younger male friend, can be used alone or as a honourific.

Didi : younger brother, or male friend. Casual

Xiao-Di : does not mean 'little brother' instead refers to ones lackey or subordinate, someone a leader took under their wing.

Ge : Familair way to refer to an older brother or older male friend, used by someone younger- or lower rank in status.

Gege: Same as Ge, has a cutsier feel than "Ge."

Jie : Older sister, or older female friend.

JieJie :Older sister, or older female friend.

JiuJiu : Uncle (maternal, biological)

Mei : younger sister, or younger female friend,

MeiMei : younger sister or an unrelated younger female friend, casual.

Shufu : Uncle (Paternal, biological) Formal address for one's fathers younger brother.

Shushu : An affectionate version of 'Shufu'

XiaoShu : Little uncle.

Cultivation And Martial Arts:

-Jun : a suffix meaning 'lord' Zhangmen : Leader of a cultivation/martial arts sect. Shizun : teacher/master gender nuetral, meaning "Honoured/venerable master." And is a more respectful name of address Shifu : teacher/master for ones master in ones own sect Shiniang : the wife of a Shifu/ Shizun [Luo Binghe to everyone around "Refer to me as Luo-Shiniang! yes! Good little ducklings!] Shixiong : Older Male disciple ShiJie : Older female disciple Shidi : Younger martial brother, for juniour male disciples Shimei : Younger Martial Sister, for junior female disciples Shishu : The younger martial sibling of ones marital master [Such as Shang Qinghua and Liu Qingge a disciple would refer to them as Shishu as they are lower rank than their Shizun.] Shibo : [As Yue Qingyuan is sect head and his title makes him the older martial sibling would make him Shibo. And so a disciple would refer to him as Shibo, or Yue-Shibo- idk about Zhangmen-Shibo if thats a thing? - Or if disciples of An ding would call Shen Qingqiu Shibo as he's second rank of the sect. Shizhi : [If Shen Yuan was a disciple Yue Qingyuan would call he Shen-Shizhi, or Luo-Shizhi, or just plain call him Shizhi]

Gongzhi : Master/Senior Daozhang : Xiong :

Terms: Manhua: Danmei: XianXia : Qi : Gong : Shou : Chrysanthemum : A flower that is a symbol of health and vitiliaty. In sex scenes it was a metaphor for a mans backdoor entrance.

Chinese Calender: Year dates/era for a story> The Chinese calender uses Tian Gan Di Zhi [Heavenly stems, Earthly Branches] system to mark the year. [Meaning lost] There are ten heavenly stems, and twelve earthly branches [Zodiac adjacent] Each Stem and Branch is associated with either Ying | Yang and one of the elemental properties, wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The Stems are and branches are combined in cyclical patterns to create a calender where every unit of time is associated with certain attributes: Analysing such a calender for the stem, branch characters and their elemental associations was considered essential information in divination, fortune telling, wedding dates, and even buiness deals.

Confucianism:

Is a philosophy based on the teaching of confucius, it placed heavily importance on respect for ones elders and family, a concept broadly known as Xiao "Filial piety," the family structure is used in others that have similair behaviours, such as respect of a student to a teacher, or people of a country towards their ruler.

Cores/Golden Core: A good Cultivation base/Core/Foundation: Means learning from the right age, good training and keeping consistent and percevere. A bad Cultivation Base/foundation: Means you were half-assed it/ sabotaged with an improper manual, learned too late/early, can be prone to Qi deviations.

Meridians: Qi travels through the body, like a magical bloodstream, or map/rivers of the body. redirecting, manipulating, or halting qi circulation focus on targeting the meridians at speicific points of the body, known as acupoints. Technqiues that can block qi prevent a cutlivator from using qi until the block is lifted.

Qi Circulation: The metabolic cycle of qi in the body, where it flows from the dantian to the meridians and back. This cycle purifies and refines qi, and good circulation is essential to cultivation. In Xianxia, Qi can be transferred from one person to another through physical contact and can heal someone who is wounded if the donar is trained in the art Qi Deviation:

"To catch fire, and enter demonhood." occurs when ones cultivation becomes unstable. Common causes include: Unstable emotional state, or strong negative emotions, practicing cultivation methods incorrectly. Reckless use of forbidden or high-level arts. or succumbing to the influence, of demons and evil spirits. When qi deviation arises from mental or emotional causes, the person is often said to have succumbed to their inner demons or "Heart demons." Symptoms: Panic, paranoia, sensory halluciantion, and death. Fixes [not cures] : Forced relaxation, voluntary or forced by external party, massage, meditation, or qi transfer, from another individual.

The golden core forms and replaces the lower dantian, becoming an internal source of power for the cultivator. Cultivators who detonate their golden core, almost always die in the end. The destruction/removal of a core is permanent and cannot be recultivated as there is no longer a lower dantian o form it, its destruction stops an individual from ever performing to cultivate qi normally ever again.

Tradtionally cultivating a golden core is in nine stages, but is often simplified in fiction; Qi Condensation/ Qi Refining Foundation establishment Core foundation/Golden Core Nascent Soul. [A cultivation technique where a soul can project it's soul outside its body and travenl indipendently, this can allow them to survive the death of their physical body and advance to a higher state. Deity Transformations Great Ascension Heavenly tribulations

Dantian: Refers to three regions in the body, Navel, Chest, forehead. The lower is three finger widthds below and two finger widths behind the navel. This is where the golden core is formed and is where Qi metabolsim process begins and progresses upward.

Pilles and Elixers: Magic medicines that can heal wounds, improve cultivation, extend life, etc. These are usuallly delivered in pill form and created in speical kilns.

Spirit Stones: Small gems filled with Qi that can be exchanged between cultivations as a form of currency. If so desired the Qi can be axtracted for an extra energy boost.

Currency: In most dynasties was based on the exchange of Silver and Gold, weight was also used to measure the denoniminations of money. i.e: One Liang of Silver."

Daoism: Daoism is a philosophy, of Dao. Involves coming into harmony with the natural order of the universe, which makes someone a "true human." safe from external harm and who can affect the world without intentional action.

Disciples/sect:

Clan and sect members are known as disciples. Disciples live on Sect grounds and have a strict hierchy based on skill and seniority. They are divided into Core, inner and outer. With core being the highest, Higher ranked disciples get better logdgings and other resources. A sect is like a family, hence the name for martial sibling, and teachers are parents.

Incense time: A common way to tell time. One incense time: is roughly 30 minutes.

The Three Realms:

Split into three realms, the heavenly realm, the mortal realm, the Ghost realm. Heavenly realm: Heavens, heavenly officials. A Celestial court where gods reside and rule. Mortal Realm: Realm of humans. Ghost Realm: Refers to realm of the dead or in scum villain/demon realm.

Edit: more to be added later -_- this is a cheat sheet to look back on when I have to use these terms [ps I write fanfics for fun, and I'm more focused on my art etc, so I am half assing this stuff but I'm only making this sheet to be polite, I'll still try to incoporate this stuff and be respectful but I'm not writing an actual properally researched novel here its just for fanfictions]

_________________________________________________________

Links for meridians/aacipunctures:

We pass qi by this paths, cultivation = qi gong, you can see qi praticioners in youtube^^

Here, qi spinning a paper in real life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKqHm7qs2Fg

I also asked someone online [Cryptidpatriarch] about what would happen if Luo Binghe was given a courtesy name I mean, Shen Yuan would or would've thought of one so this was one suggestion.

when you join a clan, you assume the clan name, because it is your new family and you abandon the original name to be a new person, with a new family, in which case he should take the name of the peak. Cang Qiong = firmament, reach the sky peak... Bing Hé Qiong= ice river through the firmament. 竹河 = bamboo river Hé = river Bing = ice

[justaghostingon]

Wei Ying does the Holy Grail War

A crossover with fate/stay night

Note: for those of u who don’t know, fate/stay night is a battle royale where seven mages summon seven heroes from the past and future to battle for a single wish.

The Teams:

Mo xuanyu - Wei Wuxian - Caster

Mo xuanyu summoned wei wuxian. He believes its because they are both driven by revenge. But in truth, he summoned Wei wuxian because of their shared drive and frustration with their unjust circumstances

Wei Wuxian complains about being back plenty of times, goofs off, and tries to get Mo xuanyu to relax

Mo xuanyu finds him frustrating but also a bit like an older brother

Wei wuxian for his part sees mo xuanyu as his chance to offer the support he so desperately needed in his last days, and to remind the boy not to give up on life

There fighting style is to keep to the shadows, often wei wuxian tries to pretend he’s not even a spirit

Lan wangji - Hua Cheng - Archer

Lan wangji does not approve of this war, the cost, or the cruelty it invokes

But! He is desperate for that wish, and a chance to wish wei wuxian back to life

That desperation, that willingness to do anything to save his beloved, summoned Hua Cheng

They work well together in a fight, but in their down time…

They hate each other

Lan wangji finds Hua Cheng’s arrogance agrivating, his unwillingness to follow the simplest order’s frustrating, and his handwriting a sin against nature

Hua cheng finds lan wangji cold, stuck up, and worst of all, he bares a grudge because lan wangji wants to fight jiang cheng, and jiang cheng summoned…

Jiang Cheng - Xie Lian - Saber

It was jiang cheng’s despair that summoned xie lian, the overwhelming feeling he let everyone down and lost everything

Jiang cheng and xie lian work well together, and get along realy well

Jiang cheng is reminded of his sister through xie lian’s gentle nature

Xie lian in turn is nostalgic for Mu Qing every second he listens to Jiang Cheng yell

Xie lian works hard to remind jiang cheng that he has waaaay farther to fall, and he should cheer up! He’s doing great! Bettee than xie lian!

Jiang cheng doesn’t have the heart to tell him that’s not a high bar

Jin Guangyao - shen Qingqiu - Assassin

When Jin Guangyao summoned Shen Qingqiu, the strategist of Cang Qiong mountain sect he was estatic! Finally a man who would understand what he’s been through, who’s just as ruthless as he is!

Alas, he did not get shen jiu, he got shen yuan, a posser pretending to be the strategist

He spends his time trying to make life better for the cute little students of lanling jin, lazing around, and trying to look clever

Jin guangyao is left wonderinf how dumb cang qiong mountain sect had to be if this was their best strategist

Nie Huaisang - Lou Binghe - beserker

Nie huaisang summoned lou binghe for one purpose only… revenge

And luo binghe with his OP everything, is more than happy to help this fan weilding man who reminds him just a bit of his shizun

Then he sees the spirit of nie huaisang’s arch nemisis, and turns into a sobbing maiden desperate to get shizun to notice him please!

In the background, Nie huaisang breaks his fan

A-Qing - Wen Qing - lancer

A-qing was not supposed to be in the war. She stole the relic from xue yang

The relic summoned Wen Qing, the legendary doctor

A-qing’s desire to bring back and protect xiao xingchen calls to wen qing’s own desire to protect wen ning

Armed with common sense, a-qing’s cunning, and needles, these two are the dark horse of this holy grail war

It helps that two other spirits reactions to seeing her is to start cryinf and hug her

Xue Yang - Mobei-jun - rider

Xue yang will not let anything get in between him and what he wants, even little blind.

He finds another relic and summons mobei-jun

Mobei jun has a soft spot for crazy small men who have no morals, but even xue yang gets on his nerves sometimes

No problem, mobei jun just picks him up by the scruff of his neck and holds him like s disgruntled kitten

Xue yang is a lot like a demon kid, mobei thinks he should ask shang qinghua if he wants to adopt some kids when he gets back

Xue yang does not apreciate this

And an honorary:

Lan sizhui - wen ning

Wen Ning is not an actually summoned spirit. He broke free from the jins and got rescued by lan sizhui when he found him in the woods

Lan sizhui proceeds to take him home and try to hide him, but lan jingyi found out

Lan jingyi was the one to come up with the plan of pretending they summoned wen ning to fight, so that they can have an excuse to bring Wen ning around and stop hiding him under lan sizhui’s bed

This unexpectedly works, since several masters are keeping to the shadows, lan jungyi and lan sizhui both feel very proud of themselves, but lan Wangji has all the angst about having to possibly face his son down the line, and could he realy do that?

Lucky for Lan Wangji, wei wuxian figures out what’s really going on pretty quick once he meets wen ning again.

[abraxos-the-phantom]

Scum Disciple - Notes Edition

Because why not

Timeline

Cang Qiong Mountain Sect Guide + Peak Lord OCs + Head cannons on how the Peaks operated

Baseline Philosophy for Cultivation - Tbh most of these were mixed reference from other genres of the same/similar type while I also had manipulated facts to suit this universe. It does, however, have the same base of Daoism since I had been looking the philosophy into depth due to both academic motivation (Asian Art History) as well as my own motivation.

[Copied From notes]

AU Yin & Yang philosophy + Nie Issue

Yin = dominantly passive, instinctual “natural/chaotic” Demonic energy because dominantly used by demons and the like (ghosts, monsters, beasts, etc) but it’s because many of those creatures rely on instinct than intuition. Impressions rather than conscious thought. Demonic cultivation is (in svsss) the principle of learning how to heavily utilize that energy to its end, granting far more power quicker than cultivators who cultivate a dominantly Yang Type of Cultivation.

Yang = dominantly active, conscious “order/logic”. The pursuit of something, taking a steps toward an end goal, intentional and thought out. Cultivation but should be more accurately described as a logical evolution. The intentional pursuit of evolution of the golden core/spiritual veins to gain a higher progression of power and control (arguably a pretty slow one) but is often dangerous due to stagnant and how it’s highly affected inwardly by emotions whereas yin cultivation affects outside the body the most

yin and yang cultivation in balance is the ultimate goal- but human culture is dominantly involved in Yang Cultivation due to less risk to themselves

Yin = Affects the mind by gradually raising instinct to forefront rather than thought; utilizes the energies of the outside rather than what is stored due to the lingering existence of the passive energy

Yang = Affects the mind by transmitting hard emotions to power by converting it into energy within; damages the body because of the proximity of spiritual veins and golden core to the rest of the body

Possible explanation as to why Lou Binghe is so powerful- as half human, he has the ability to utilize and train in both disciplines of cultivation. Gaining power without loosing himself (outside of the explanation of the protagonist halo - meta sense)

(Pure Demons don’t qi deviate- but they can cause a shit ton of damage both to themselves via their actions and to others )

NIE SECT ISSUE:

Fault of combining aggressive saber-technique in yang style cultivation + human. Emotions build throughout the battle and end up building with no proper output. Combination of naturally occurring adrenaline + over-excess of emotion which increases the output of energy higher than what the body can handle. (similar to a stress induced stroke) It’s why calming is an effective way to calm the issue because it soothes the inflamed spiritual veins and helps lower the energy output; releases tension on the mind by way of dissipating aggressive emotions

emotions = affected by state of mind and knowledge.

instinct = outside the realm of logical thought and therefore runs purely on the natural response

Emotions and Instinct related but not the same :

MING FAN DANTIAN PROGRESS BAR -> RELATED TO EMOTIONAL STRESS

[mirai-eats]

Rewind and Start Over:: Morning

Bingqiu, rated M, 5,677 words, part 1/6, 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.

read on AO3

Inhale. A mechanical beep rang muffled in his ears. Exhale. There was an unnatural chill to his skin.

Inhale. The room smelled like chemicals. Exhale. His mouth tasted like ash, stuffed with cotton too deep down his throat to the point it burns.

Inhale. It took all of his willpower to make his finger twitch. Exhale. 

---

An error message had blared across his mind’s eye during afternoon tea. The System suddenly awakened after almost a year of hibernation with a dozen pop up screens and flashing warning messages. He tried to shift through them but all he got from the glitching screens was that there was a serious problem. As soon as it started it all stopped, and one screen blinked in front of all the glitching windows, simply saying [Thank you for using the System! We hope to see you again soon!]

Before he could fully comprehend what it meant, a sharp pain overtook him and with a gasp, he felt the all too familiar tug of his soul exiting his body. The last thing he heard as his vision fizzled out to glowing long lines of code was the sound of a teacup shattering and Lou Binghe’s startled “Shizun!”

---

Fourteen months. For the twelve years he spent as Shen Qingqiu, his body had laid comatose in a hospital, an empty shell with no soul to host it and yet thanks to modern technology, his body was still breathing artificial air and his heart was still beating artificial pumps. Science refused to accept death, chasing immortality as a cultivator would. 

It took him a while to actually wake up, but during his brief spells of consciousness he would hear the voices of his family coming in and out, voices he hadn’t heard in twelve long years. They’d only been whispers of them left in his dreams and he’d woken up with his heart in his throat and his eyes burning with Luo Binghe tucked under his chin.

When he did finally manage to pull himself out of the pool of sleep, blinking his sticky eyes open, he wanted to shield his eyes to the dim lamp sitting at his bedside and the electronic time of the TV mounted on the wall reading it was a little after three in the morning. He fell back to sleep.

---

The System was silent. No matter how much prodding he did it’s mechanical voice never whirred to life in his head.

---

He was officially discharged after a month. He needed physical therapy to get his limbs back in order and psychological therapy to deal with the “depression”. Maybe he was depressed, he was depressed after being pulled from his home away from his family and friends back to his old family and friends. He didn’t dare speak a word about his time transmigrating into the shitty stallion novel during the therapy sessions if they knew they’d cart him off to a very different hospital. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but painful longing, a numbing sadness filling his limbs with faux filling. 

Shen Yuan was happy to see his family again, to see his two older brothers and younger sister, his mother’s sweet eyes and his dad’s gentle smile. He cried when he saw them once more for the first time in many years. It was a year to them, but a whole lifetime to him. 

How could he be okay going back to this wretched modern world where he was nothing but a nobody who mooched off his parents’ fortune, spending his days crassly reading novels and hoarding collections of waifu material and spent the nights tucked into his phone reading raunchy novels and manhua until he couldn’t keep his eyes open only to rinse and repeat bright and early the next day at two in the afternoon? He had been an immortal peak lord! A revered shizun with many disciples in the path of cultivation! He had a husband who loved him dearly and he back.

He had heard his parents whispering sharply to one another about Shen Yuan just going back to wasting their money away on more anime figures, living in an apartment paid for by their money and eating food paid from the allowance they gave him, growing grosser and uglier by the day.

---

Because he had been comatose for so long his stuff had been moved from his apartment and either crammed in a storage unit or back into his old bedroom at his parents’ house. He needed to be under surveillance until he was able to walk down the stairs on his own without pausing to take a break. Right now he could do nothing but rest and recover. 

He went back to reading web novels, sank deeper into a Shen Yuan shaped hole in his bed, the LED screen of his phone reflecting off his glasses until his vision blurred and he fell asleep. He had found fanart of Luo Binghe, the face too square and eyes too narrow, the demon mark not quite the correct shape, and the slim shape of his mouth a little too cunning to be his Binghe, but he still set it as his lock screen. 

Airplane Shooting Toward the Sky had passed away while Shen Yuan was in the coma. Found dead in his apartment after a neighbor reported the foul odor seeping through the cracks in the walls and the landlord found the decaying body slumped over on the floor. Death by electrocution, the news article said. Proud Immortal Demon Way will never be complete. 

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan progressed splendidly in his physical therapy and stumped his psychological therapist. There was nothing to say. He was sad, unmotivated to do anything at all besides sink back into his homebody self, pull his head back into the tortoiseshell cage he grew himself. He couldn’t tell the therapist why he was sad. He was prescribed antidepressants. They might have helped.

—-

He took walks, as instructed by his physical therapist, and ate lots of protein.

He wondered if he died again if he’ll be transported back to Proud Immortal Demon Way, die vehemently cursing it until he’s taken back into the novel. But who’s to know if he’ll be put back where he left off, or if he’ll start over and make a whole new timeline? What about his Luo Binghe?

What if he only died?

—-

He was going stir crazy. Before, a lifestyle of him living in his bedroom with nothing but his PC setup and an incredibly powerful WiFi connection would be the dream. Now he found himself unable to look at his computer for too long, his phone left behind more often than not. 

—-

He had bought a fan, a cheap one that was beautiful, but the plastic was made to look like wood. The bottom of the fabric was already fraying a bit, but the beautiful cranes and chrysanthemum had caught his eye. He would keep it in his hoodie pocket, or tucked under a pillow. Sometimes he’d snap it open and shut, open again, then shut, alone in his room with his eyes on the faraway mountain peak. He tapped his own head. 

He googled how to kill himself in the least painful manner, but Google gave him suicide prevention hotlines instead. He couldn’t self-destruct like the second time nor does he wish to take a dick so massive with so little prep it kills him like the third, but he wants to die quickly and painlessly. 

Then again, will it work? His family will mourn again, but he was the third son and they had two much more reliable sons. 

—-

There had been a movement not too long ago in China to bring back the traditional flowing Chinese hanfu to everyday wear. He ordered some robes online, exquisite silky white with trims of green, bamboo embroidered on the hems and sleeves, a matching headpiece tied with a pale green ribbon. 

Before his coma, his hair had been relatively short with just a swoosh of bangs where at its longest would sometimes tickle the collar of his shirt to indicate it was time to get a trim. Now it had grown shaggy and long past his shoulders. His mother scheduled an appointment to get him a haircut. He didn’t go. He got a green scrunchie to tie his hair half up in a weak imitation of how Shen Qingqiu wore it, but messy and not at all graceful.

He stopped taking his antidepressants. He tries to drown himself in the bathtub with a cinderblock on his chest. The overwhelming pressure of the cement block was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, his lungs screamed for air and his chest lurched and twitched, attempting to throw his body up out of the clear water and save his life. He fought as much as he could until one particularly powerful jerk rolled him over and pulled him gasping and heaving from the tub, water overflowing and flooding the bathroom. 

After hanging off the edge of the tub trying to catch his breath, he stood up and cleaned the bathroom. The physical ache of the cinder block digging deep into his ribs left a dark bruise on his chest that took over a week to fade. 

—-

His parents were worried, his mother especially. They sent him away to a relatives estate out in the country, thinking the pollution and noise, the crowds and overbearing presence of everything, was too much for him and a nice trip in the mountains would relax him. 

It didn’t. He couldn’t bear to ever go outside his little room, the house old in style with the curves roofs and bamboo furniture hand made by his aunt. There was a bamboo forest outside his window. The blinds were firmly shut the whole time. 

His uncle tried taking him out on short walks. He went once and refused to go again. There was no WiFi here so he settled to lay on the porch and watched the summer roses sway while eating his aunt’s pickled vegetables. 

He didn’t last a week before he begged his parents to take him home. He couldn’t stand the misty peaks, the bamboo forest,  the thin, clear air that reminded him so much of home. He couldn’t live like this, crying himself to sleep every night and crying himself awake every morning and crying to nothing tucked under his blankets during the afternoon heat. 

---

He stood in front of his mirror dressed in actual clothes and not sweaty and grimy anime shirts, no weak imitation cultivation robes. A pale green button-down with the short sleeves rolled up, a pair of slim-cut black jeans, beige boots with the laces were done up nice. His hair was neatly tied back. 

Later that afternoon he came home with a job down at a local department store. 

The next day he stood high atop the office building his brother worked in, the wind whipping past him ferociously. He closed his eyes and remembered his self-destruction to save his ass from being turned into a human stick. He was gone before he fell. If he fell now he would feel the fear coursing through him, making his last moment the longest moment of his life.

His breath caught in his throat when he looked down, his sneakers toeing the edge of the concrete border. A strong gust of wind can make him lose his footing. The fall was almost a hundred stories down.

He stepped down and went back down the stairwell. 

---

He quit therapy, and physical therapy was finishing up. He passed with flying colors and was deemed fine to go about his business as usual, but to come back once a month for check-ins for the next six months. He re-enrolled back into his university and was accepted for the upcoming semester. 

There were more phone numbers than ever in his contact list thanks to his nice coworkers who genuinely wanted to spend time with him outside of work, send him funny memes related to conversations they held whispering behind racks of clothes when the manager wasn’t looking nor when a customer was tracking them down. His feet ached from all the standing he did, his back hurt, and it took every ounce of his Shen Qingqiu patience not to bodily throw himself over the counter and strangle the next customer who asks after they’ve paid if there are any additional discounts they could add. 

---

Sun Mei is a coworker of his with hair she’s styled like the California beach waves and wore a bold red lip. There was a beauty mark on her forehead and she was instantly drawn to Shen Yuan’s side when he first stuttered over to the register during his first week. She took him under her wing and showed him the ropes and was usually first on the scene when a customer was giving him a hard time. He couldn’t help be drawn to her because her favorite lipstick is the exact shade of red as Binghe’s demon mark. 

She asked him to get coffee sometime. He agreed. Pre-transmigration Shen Yuan would have been over the moon, now he was just grateful he could have another distraction from nighttime eyes that still illuminate his dreams with the star-like tears. 

---

Luo Binghe hadn’t come to his dreams. He’s always haunting his dreams, his lips like the softest rose petals tracing his bare skin and rough, large hands tenderly stroking up and down his arms, tracing his clavicle and counting down his ribs. He was a memory, a whisper of what he truly his. Shen Yuan’s hands always messed up the mirage whenever he tried to touch him back. 

There were countless nights where his hands would unconsciously trace down his body and under the band of his pajama pants and grasp himself firmly in his hand, slowly bringing himself to completion with his eyes firmly shut, Luo Binghe playing on a constant loops behind his closed lids and Luo Binghe’s name dripping from his trembling lips, his trembling body arching toward Luo  Binghe’s body that was so, so far away. He only cried sometimes when he opened his eyes and found the blank ceiling above him and not Luo Binghe’s bottomless eyes.

It happened less often, him waking up with tears dried on his cheeks and pillow. He didn’t know if it’s a good or bad thing. Sometimes when he was doing the most mundane things he truly dangerous thoughts ran across his mind- was any of that real in the first place? Was that just a really intense coma dream? He had “died” cursing Proud Immortal Demon Way, so what’s the chance of it playing over again so realistically for fourteen months?

He still had the Luo Binghe lock screen. 

---

One of his coworkers also liked reading web novels to the same intensity as he (had). During after-hours recovery, they’ll have heated discussions about novels and tried to thrust recommendations upon each other. They had each other’s forums usernames and he was the only person he physically knew who had his Twitter. 

During one such closing shift, the lights in the store half on and buried deep in the clearance rack did his coworker recommend Proud Immortal Demon Way. 

“It’s really, really long and there’s a lot of pandering, but the protagonist is pretty OP,” his coworker explained. “So many cute sisters to choose from! And it’s such a twist seeing the protagonist going from the common hero to a black-hearted demon, justifiably so.”

“I’ve read it,” Shen Yuan said. He showed off his lock screen. “Luo Binghe is my favorite.”

Even with strings sawing away at his heart, pulling taut enough to cut it to shreds with just a little more pressure, he still participated in the discussion. After work, he sat in his car in the parking garage and cried until he gathered himself together, cranked up Hatsune Miku, and drove home recklessly. 

---

It had been nine months since he woke up from his transmigration coma and started his first day of school. There was a nervousness he hadn’t felt in forever, a tingling to his scalp and his heart danced an uncomfortable rhythm in his chest. His hair was tied back at the nape of his neck in a messy bun, his glasses were brand new with an up to date prescription (a whole new frame style too, going away of his old rectangle plastic frames for a more stylish horn-rimmed shape). He was much shorter than Shen Qingqiu, he figured the top of his head would barely brush Luo Binghe’s shoulder. He had on new clothes he and his sister went out shopping for- nice fitting jeans rolled up at the cuffs, a light army jacket, a simple striped shirt, new sneakers that still smelled the new shoe rubbery smell. The cheap fan was tucked away in his backpack.

He felt daring going out with his ankles bare, then he remembered this is the modern world. He can go out with his whole leg bared and no one would bat an eye. He rolled them back down when he got in his car. 

The classes were interesting, the professors genuinely enjoyed their subjects and were energetic for the new semester. He found a spot he liked on campus, a hidden bamboo grove he remembered the tour guide had mentioned offhand during his original campus tour. There was a stone bench and that’s where he ate the lunch he bought at an on-campus sandwich shop. He might have cried. 

---

Shen Yuan found it uncomfortably easy to fall into a rhythm of school and work. The few people he’d met since he reverse-transmigrated could probably be considered as more than acquaintances but less than friends. On most days he would have someone to share a meal or go get coffee with, sometimes it was just sitting in the school library doing their work together.

Sun Mei went to his school. She was in a whole different department and thus their paths rarely crossed, but at least once a week they would have a break that lined up just right for them to go sit at the campus cafe and do homework together. She asked him once if he wanted to go to a party a friend of hers was hosting, tucking an artificial curl behind her ear. He declined.

There was a mid-autumn festival on campus. Sun Mei asked him out for the event with a couple of other coworkers. He agreed to go. At the event they had food stalls set up, live music, games, and little wares sold to commemorate the day. Lanterns illuminated the night and for a heart-stopping second Luo Binghe traced the edges of his mind. He shoved him way back deep, deep down into a little box he crafted just for him to sit.

A stand sold hand-painted paper fans, much nicer than the one that had lost a screw in his backpack and held together by scotch tape. He let his eyes linger on them, his fingers traced the intricate paintings on the delicate surfaces. One looked oh so similar to his favorite one- a simple white fan with deep, nearly black wood and watercolor bamboo. It was a little expensive, but it’s a price he’s willing to pay for art. This one, he promised, will stay in his room so it wouldn’t get damaged. 

The rest of the event was pleasant. He ate plenty of mooncakes and other delicious sweets. Luo Binghe’s mooncakes were much better.

At one point in the evening, he did a double-take while passing a stall, there on the table were little porcelain figures of animals. Particularly, a little, black, Pomeranian with its pink tongue peeking out caught his eye. It was a little ugly, but it’s big, round eyes tempted Shen Yuan to pull out his wallet and purchase the damn thing. 

That night, he placed the tiny Bingpup on his windowsill next to his paper fan, the big, beautiful autumn moon throwing his room into a decadent silver.

---

He moved out of his parents’ house and back into an apartment t. Most of his merch was kept in storage or in his childhood bedroom, but the Asuna body pillow moved with him to the new place. A simple one-bedroom with a kitchen and bath, a balcony that overlooked the city and laid a walking distance from campus (an uncomfortably long walk, but a walk nonetheless) and a few blocks from his work. He furnished it with his last apartment’s furniture and even took the time to go out and hunt for more pieces to build an actual home and not the nerd nest he made before. The bookcase was towering with books, he had a nice coffee table and matching mugs. There was a wall scroll of a beautiful watercolor bamboo forest hanging from his wall. The Bingpup rested on his nightstand that was the same wood as his desk, dresser, and bed frame. He commissioned an artist online to draw his version of Luo Binghe, the eyes softer and glittering with a thousand stars, his cheeks were tastefully angular, the shade of red for his demon mark exactly right. It was yet it wasn’t Luo Binghe because he’s starting to doubt that his version ever actually existed or if he was still dreaming of a canon-divergent storyline. The picture was framed on his desk. 

Su Mei came over with a few other coworkers for a house warming. They brought beer and snacks and someone had brought out a Bluetooth speaker to play ambient music. He was not supposed to have a lot of alcohol due to his delicate body, his frame a flimsy bamboo shoot compared to the lofty, full-grown stock of Shen Qingqiu, but he still had a few beers too fast and found himself throwing up, Su Mei holding his hair back as he sobbed into the toilet. He thought he heard Luo Binghe’s name slip from his lips, but the rest of his words never made it past his garbled tongue. The next morning he woke up stiff, his mouth tasting sour, and only a slight headache. He stayed in bed all day rereading the beginning of Proud Immortal Demon Way and cried himself to sleep after eating his one meal that day- cup noodles and leftover guacamole. No chips, just the guac he spoon-fed into his mouth. 

He felt he might have kissed Su Mei. There had been lipstick smeared at the corner of his mouth.

—-

Midterms came. He’s never been so stressed out in so long in this specific way. Yes, he had run from his life, been locked in the Huan Hua Palace water prison, found himself chased by blind corpses while dragging an unconscious Luo Binghe behind, had the worst anal sex ever to save the world. Sitting in front of his monitor, eyes tearing up behind his glasses and hands twitching, numb from overwork as he tried to write his analysis paper on old American poetry and its significance at almost four in the morning because it’s due in six hours and he still needed a little bit of sleep made him doubt if everything in Proud Immortal Demon Way could ever hurt like this. Why couldn’t he have the perfect immortal body of Shen Qingqiu where he could not eat and sleep for so long? That would be perfect right now, no need to spend his already meager paycheck on large cups of coffee. His doctor had warned him against large doses of caffeine, but his aching body told him no. 

—- 

After a majority of his midterms were done, he fell ill with the flu. Curse his weakened body. 

—-

He applied to study abroad in America for a year. He wouldn’t hear back until February. He’s smart, he knows he’ll get in. In the meantime, he brushed up on his English by investing time in American TV, movies, novels, and music. It was a neon-bright culture with a gritty feeling in his teeth, the exact opposite of his Xianxia novels and his old Xianxia lifestyle. 

If Luo Binghe, all of Qing Jing Peak, Cang Qiong Mountain and its disciples, were truly just a feverish dream he was crazy. If that was really real than he had abandoned his husband (unintentionally!).

It was getting harder to tell as time blended together in a seamless chalked out blur. He nestled himself back into his life as Shen Yuan- or rather, his new life as Shen Yuan. Maybe his twelve years as Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu really changed him

His brother made a point to mention one day over lunch.

“You’re more responsible,” he said, stirring his coffee. “Before you were locked up in your apartment all day reading novels and manhuas and watching donghuas and spending your allowance on useless things.”

He didn’t say anything, his eyes tracing the leaves of his salad. “It’s a little scary how your disposition changed so drastically, but perhaps its for the better. You’re going to America for a year you say?”

Shen Yuan nodded. “I’m setting aside money from my paycheck to pay for expenses while I’m there.”

“No girlfriend yet?”

He nearly choked on a crouton. Of course, I don’t! I have a husband! Is what he wanted to say. “No, I’m still focusing on recovery and getting used to balancing school and work.” And I’m married!

… right?

---

It’s been exactly a year since he woke up from his coma and there was no sign of Luo Binghe sweeping in through his bedroom window and taking him back.

---

Su Mei asked him out a third time. They went to a popular movie and got a nice dinner after. She slid her hand across the table and tapped his with her pink painted nails.

“I want to put a label on us,” she said, her cheeks red.

What label? They’re friends, right?

The look of confusion gave away his thoughts. “I want,” she continued. “To be your girlfriend.”

Taking in her unnaturally curly dark hair, the red lips in an achingly familiar shade of red, dark eyes framed with mascara laden lashes, the black scoop neck shirt with a thin, silver necklace she always wore. It hurts. 

He’s married. 

He gave her the same spiel he gave his brother, paid his part of the bill, and walked out. She didn’t text him goodnight as she always did. 

---

Midterms blended into a calm before the storm and then he suddenly had four exams, three monster papers, and three presentations due in a span of a week. Work was piling on the hours and his days were growing so mundane he’d stopped crying himself to sleep at night as he was too tired to spend it wasting what little energy he had left. The Luo Binghe lock screen was turned into a pretty picture of a sunset he took from the library window. 

There was a desperate hope at first that Luo Binghe would find him again, he always did. The days simply continued to wear on as he fell back into being Shen Yuan, or a newer Shen Yuan his parents were much more approving of. They were no longer worried about him being depressed, as he’s managed to bury the sadness away into a chest deep in his heart. 

He put on the cultivation robes (fake, itchy) and sat at his low coffee table with a cheap tea set he bought and served himself tea, the little Bingpup stared up at him from the other side of the table with big, glittering eyes. He flickered open the bamboo fan and hid his face behind it. 

---

He got accepted to study abroad in Los Angeles for a year. His parents easily paid the tuition and boarding fees. His sister bought him a nice set of luggage. 

---

The crane and chrysanthemum fan he kept with him at all times broke completely. Instead of throwing it away he tossed it in a desk drawer.

---

His hair had reached past his shoulders. It was easily tied back into a knot at the nape of his neck, or in a neat ponytail when he needed to clean up. He collected clips to pin back the loose strands when he found himself hunched over his monitor for long hours or with a nose buried in a book. It will never, ever be as long as Shen Qingqiu’s long mane of hair, tracing his knees as he walked and whispering around his arms. 

On a day off he went to a barbershop and got it all chopped off. It was long enough to donate. He did so and walked out with a weight off his shoulders and a needle-like pain in his chest. 

---

His brother came over and helped him clean up his apartment a little bit. He tossed out the broken fan. Shen Yuan didn’t realize until he opened up his desk drawer a week later looking for a stapler and found it meticulously organized, the scrapped fan long gone.

---

He got himself a betta fish, black and sleek like an ink splot in his tank. He named the fish Bingmei. 

---

Bingmei died.

---

During a break from school, he took a weekend off from work and went back to his relative’s house in the mountains. This time, he forced himself to appreciate the whispering bamboo forest, the misty mountain peaks, the tranquil silence that was muted by the pitched hum of the city. He took up piano playing again, tapping the keys awkwardly as if he was six years old again and his mother made him go to be more proactive with his life besides staying home after school every day and watching cartoons and reading comic books. His older cousin could play and she helped him get back on track, his fingers stiff on the keys and his wrists cramping from disuse. He taught himself a song he knew Luo Binghe loved him to play for him on the guqin. It tasted different. 

He went home after the break and let his lungs fill with smog once again. He went to a music store and bought a cheap electric keyboard and continued to practice in his spare time. He would always start with that song Luo Binghe liked so much.

---

The fingers he used to caress the monochrome piano keys were used to finger himself wide open, face pressed into his pillow and ass arching up into his hand. Nothing will ever be as big as Luo Binghe unless he wanted to spend a small fortune on one of those embarrassingly large dildos and honestly, he didn’t have a face thick enough to order something like that. Even if he had one in his cart with a credit card held out in his hand ready to type in the numbers, his hand still led him to exit the page and tuck his card back in his wallet. He never touched himself often, maybe once or twice a month the pressure will get too much, a weight shaped like Luo Binghe was only relieved for maybe three seconds at the peak of his orgasm when his name traced his lips like a lullaby.

---

As much as he was letting go of Luo Binghe and everything to do with Proud Immortal Demon Way, Luo Binghe always found a way to nestle back into his chest cavity, make a home amongst his ribs and laid back against his lungs, his curls tickled his throat and his sticky, sticky arms wrapped around his whole heart. 

---

The rhythm broke with a crack, a little over a year and a half after he returned to his world.

A literal crack. 

He came home from class, one of his last classes before finals kicked in and was going to head to his bedroom and take a quick nap before he had to close at work when he heard a deafening crack echo from his bedroom. He quietly sat down his backpack, a scraping and muted thump followed. He grabbed the umbrella he had by the door as quietly as he could, stepped with care into his apartment. He had his phone out with 1-1-0 already dialed, thumb hovering to hit call at a moment’s notice. A muffled voice sent a lurch from his feet to his throat. He isn’t the powerful immortal cultivator Shen Qingqiu, he can die! Well, Shen Qingqiu did die a few times (oops), but he’s still hard to kill! Not Shen Yuan in his soft, mortal body with fragile bones, paper-thin skin, and a heart so delicate only Luo Binghe’s metaphorical glass heart could be compared. He didn’t have a spare body laying around to launch his soul into nor does he have the System to swoop in and save his ass again with a magic reboot. Once he’s dead, he’s dead.

Shen Yuan stuck close to the hallway wall and tried to peak through the crack in his door. From this angle, he couldn’t see anything. There wasn’t a sound at all and Shen Qingqiu started to lower his umbrella thinking it might have just been a loud neighbor when a definite rustle of clothes could be heard from his room. He tried to back up quickly, smart enough to know that this is something the cops should deal with not him! 

He stumbled and fell flat on his ass, the air pulled from his lungs with a sharp gasp. His phone clattered loudly to the ground, screen dark, and the umbrella nailing the hallway wall. Oh no, oh no, oh no the intruder would have definitely heard him!

The door was thrown open and for a half a second all Shen Yuan saw was a dark blur before he pushed his glasses back up his nose, bringing the intruder into full 20/20 focus. Whatever breath he had left in his body left with a sharp gasp.

“Binghe?!”

[torchstelechos]

Hi I’m curious what exactly do you mean by bingmei being extremely good at communication? I haven’t read sv in quite some time and don’t remember many of his interactions with anyone other than sqq

Oh goody, I have validation to discuss this! First and foremost, I am studying western communication so I will be doing more general explanations when discussing theories. Second, the translated work I will be discussing is the Scum Villain Self Saving System; Seven Seas Entertainment translation. This is for clarification purposes on examples I will be using to explain what I mean. As for person being studied, I will only be discussing Lou Binghe's (Bingmei for the majority) communication style.

Alright, first off we will be discussing how Lou Binghe speaks to others. This is important because not all communication is *verbal* communication. Going in a chronological order for LBH's communication towards SQQ we see a very specific communication verbal style. LBH uses I-messages (or owned messages) to specifically state how he feels and how he hopes to fix or continue this in the future. Not unusual for students to use towards their teachers, as this is polite to do. However we can see that this continues even as LBH get's angrier with SQQ.

In the very first meeting, SQQ asks how LBH is doing with his cultivation and LBH says, "This disciple is stupid and still...failed to understand." (pg. 30, book 1) which is a perfect example of the I-message set up LBH has. "This disciple" is a statement of possession in his wording, what he is saying is that this statement is true of his own knowledge. "is stupid" is the modifier of this statement and "failed to understand" is the content. Essentially he is purposefully giving a statement that is non aggressive in communication theory of interpersonal relationships. Later, during the carriage incident before the Skinner Demon arc LBH also gives a non-aggressive statement towards Ming Fan "I wouldn't dare" (pg. 53, Book 1). This being another I-statement (added as it is known that SQQ is watching).

"Ning Yingying-shijie went with me to the city's market earlier today, Luo Binghe said. "Once evening fell, I urged Shijie to return, but she refused--then somehow she suddenly vanished. This disciple...searched the entire street once but couldn't find her, and he could only come to plead with Shizun for help."

This is another good example of said I-message use, LBH (even panicked) starts this by explaining the I-message owners (the people who know this info) and says "Ning Yingying-shijie" and "me" in a non aggressive statement opener. By then continuing to explain the situation and modified the information by his own feelings on the matter. By stating that evening fell and that she vanished, he is giving information (content) to SQQ but modifies it by stating that LBH "urged Shijie to return" and "searched" and "plead" he is modifying the information to suggest that he did his best and needs help in a non threatening manner. Another example of this is during the Skinner incident aftermath, where LBH asks SQQ if he may know the reason SQQ used him as bait. Upon given the promise that he would not die, he states, "If this disciple could give up his life for Shizun, it would be an honor." Once again this is a modified statement meant to be nonthreatening in communication theory. Now that we have gone over this era of LBH, lets jump to Meng Mo to explore the Dream sequence verbal communication.

A slight variation from the previous Communication! This era of LBH has made an assumption over SQQ's past actions and now is a tad looser than previous communication events. Instead of being timid with his questions, LBH specifically asks every single question he can to SQQ to verify whats happening and to gather more information. He continues, however to use the same I-mesage format for most sentences towards SQQ. Any and all variation of these statements are towards enemies (Sha Hauling's Demons, and Meng Mo) and when SQQ is harmed. LBH will give more aggressive statements that *demand* information, but rarely does he insult or do anything more aggressive than that in speech. The only times he has done so at this point are in defense of SQQ's life, as at that point he had been under the assumption he was dying. Skipping waaay ahead lets discuss verbal communication in the Abyss scene, as everything up to this point is very similar and does not have an emotional charge to it that would suggest a change in speech.

Noticeably, his speech pattern doesn't change but we get a new message type in this! A you-message are usually aggressive in communication style as you are stating something about someone else that might not be true, however in this instance it is a true statement. Probably implying that LBH would not have stated such a thing if he was not sure of what he was saying about SQQ. He states, "But Shizun, you said before that just as people can be good or bad, demons can be good or evil" which is a you-message with the content being people and demons with modifier being good, bad, and evil. Hes basically using past words to clarify an assumption in this instance, which isn't necessarily a wrong thing to do but there are better ways to ask this. He even continues this by saying, "But you said..." at a later part. Ending this scene he says, "Shizun, do you really want to kill me?" all around this scene is a rather good example of what I mean by LBH being a good communicator! Hes sticking to asking clarifying statements, and using I-messages to explain whats going on. Not only that, but hes not in the wrong for this scene and doesnt know that SQQ is agreeing with him in his mind. (pp. 248-249, book 1).

Lets skip to the next book and discuss the Jinlan City incident. Which I can say with immediate disdain, is when Xin Mo comes out to play in LBHs speech patterns. Before the abyss, LBH used a lot of I-messages and only stated things he knew to be true about himself (what he felt) and what he knew about others (information shared or told to him by said individual). Afterwards, due to both Xin Mo and trauma, we have an individual who uses a lot more you-messages and makes a lot more assumptions about individuals around him. He still asks a lot of clarifying questions/statements however, and even makes some of his more aggressive you statements tilted in such a way that SQQ could deny it.

Examples of what I just said appear in the chase scene: "No, I should say, a relentless hatred towards me." (pg. 54, book 2). and "Does Shizun honestly think that I would kill, burn, massacre cities, and inevitably topple countries just because of that half of my lineage?" (pg. 55, Book 2)

Its also the first time we get something new new from LBH, he starts insulting people in book 2! Towards SQQ he says, "Utter hypocrisy!" which is a major first for a lot of LBHs speech patterns. If he did insult people before this, he did so in a polite conventional way (email style lmao). Speeding up to get to the prison scene, there are more notable moments in the accusation stage where LBH continues to use more you messages to state what he does know about SQQ. This reads more along the lines as a defense, and a way to subtly imply that he wants to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding SQQ previously. As all you message statements he uses tend to be more questioning in nature (unless about how LBH was treated or taught by SQQ specifically).

In the prison scene, LBH states direct facts to LPM (its in a month, what are you doing, etc.) while towards SQQ he asks more clarifying questions about why he did what he did and what he wants. Its only after being refused answers that he reverts back to using more I-messages. "I knew the answer, but I still asked Shizun. I'm so stupid." (pg. 100, book 2) (Again with the stupid comment, it would appear to be a theme).

In the confrontation on rooftop scene, a tad too long for me to quote if we wish to get to emotional bids and nonverbal communication in this post, LBH is spitting mad and Xin Mo is active to an absurd degree because of backlash. This also has an affect on LBH! (something I will continue to point out because I am losing my mind over fanfic after fanfic acting like LBH is always yandere girlfriend mode 24/7. Hes not!!! Its literally Xin mo!!) He states his feelings over his past, and what he felt towards SQQ at that moment in mostly aggressive style communication. This being a lot of yous and a lot of accusation speech. This leads to the explosion and Xin Mo being cleared from LBH. He almost immediately starts using only I-messages again and clearly goes into shock, but he does revert back from you messages at this point.

Ironically, I found that when LBH is talking to himself (presumably) he only uses you messages because he thinks hes talking out what he knows to himself. As such, he does not worry about being polite at all before he kisses SQQ in his dreams. Its only after that he uses an I-message towards SQQ, and its more or a clarification statement. At around this point in the novel we get a healthy does of what a stable Xin Mo carrying LBH, and its someone who uses equal amount of you and I messages.

Going to book 3, we'll just go over his ending monologue/breakdown because. Listen, we're a few pages into this and I highly doubt anyones going to read this far. I feel like Peerless Cucumber absolutely wailing about PIDW latest chapter, this is an absurd post.

Anyway, towards absolute desolation, we will start discussing this segment with "Is that so? But I don't trust Shizun anymore." (pg. 287, book 3). Almost every line in this segment is a picture perfect communication breakdown on what and why LBH feels the way he does in an interpresonal relationship. He specifically states how he feels about SQQ, how this happened, why this feeling specifically, and what this means for them now. He then states how he feels about himself, and why! This is very important, because this is the basis of solid verbal communication. LBH even states how they can continue and how all this can be fixed. Of course, none of this is healthy but hey! It's theoretical good communication, not healthy communication (the major issue I see in this fandom is differentiating the two). It's after this last breakdown that he defaults to I-messages for the majority of the Ridge arc. It becomes more childish as time goes on, I will admit, but Xin Mo is full influence on LBH at this moment in time. It's after the papapa to save the world that we see something interesting, LBH goes back almost fully to just I-message speech pattern. This is notable because this is after everything intense happened and he has had time to think it over. Before now, when left to his own devices and forced to reckon with SQQ almost dying he would revert to you-message centric speech patterns but this is after Xin Mo. Since this is no longer a factor, LBH has taken to falling back towards his disciple era speech patterns. Basically, LBH has begun to take on a healthier and theoretical amazing communication technique because this is forcing SQQ (and others) to acknowledge the scenario and feelings of the matter.

Now getting onto Emotional bids! This is something LBH does almost the entire three books, any and all times LBH has stated "Shizun" by itself was an emotional bid. (emotional bids being an act or word usage to get your relationship pattern to acknowledge you or to showcase that they care about you). It's important to note that LBH's main way of emotional bids is verbal, he almost never goes the physical route for emotional bids. Yes, he does use physical means to make SQQ pay attention to him but this is more along the lines of staying in the conversation than acknowledging LBH specifically as someone SQQ cares for. Its only during the hand holding time that LBH uses an emotional bid in such a way, its also why it hurt LBH a lot more when SQQ seemingly turned away from it. Of LBH and SQQ, LBH uses the most emotional bids and lets SQQ respond to them in anyway. SQQ is, however, an idiot and doesn't notice most of them or actively misreads them. Its actually funny how many times I can count an emotional bid that SQQ ignores in a chapter (more than 10).

Nonverbal communication, ah how I hate thee in this instance, it covers 60-90% of human communication. LBH is more of a verbal communicator but also does use haptics and proxemics to communicate. Touch and distance, he uses these to insinuate different scenes and feelings on SQQ as a whole. Basically, LBH uses verbal communication to clarify but uses touch and distance to set tone for this communication exchange.

Now, what does LBH do wrong in communication? Strangley enough he does one thing very wrong despite the fact that he asks for clarification communication a lot. He mind reads (the act of assuming what someone is thinking) a lot because of the mixed signals he gets from SQQ. SQQ lacks the ability to verbally communicate certain things because of the system, this makes LBH have to decode a lot of nonverbal communication in hopes of understanding things. He fails. A lot. This is fair to him, but this is the main problem that facilitates the miscommunication of the entire series. Both LBH and SQQ think they know the other better than they do, and thus lead to problems when they actually do try to communicate with the other. Frustrating! I know!

TLDR; LBH as a whole is a theoretical good communicator with a slight assumption problem, but I didn't say that its healthy communication :3

[greenflamedwriter]

Scum Villain Cheat Sheet. For Fanfic writers :D

Scum Villain Cheat Sheet [the OG was lost but I REFUSE]

I forget names and stuff because my brain is no longer the sponge it used to be -_-

SO all of the stuff + Images are here to help me remember what is called what- who is who so that way I'm not CONSTANTLY using google.

So this is just everything for a fanfic cheat-sheet.

So let's start with Sect leaders. Who are sect leaders? Cultivation masters in charge of each ‘sect’ of cultivators.

There are Four and the first Sect is the Cang Qiong Mountain. On this Mountain it is called Cang cong Mountain. There is bai zhan peak [Jocks- aka focus of martial arts/fighting] There is Jing Peak [Nerds- I mean scholars and arts]

Each masters names/ characters changes to Qing - [I’m not fluent but from the book itself I’ve noticed the peak lords have Qing in their names]

Shen Jiu changed to Shen QingQiuLiu Qingge Yue qingYuan etc

So we have the main Character Shen Qingqiu the Peak lord of Jing peak.

So we have the main 'Villain' of Proud Immortal Demon way.

Shen Jiu- Art by @velinxi 

In his ‘unscrapped’ origin Shen Jiu was a fully fleshed out villain, abused as a child and became twisted, the mirror to the blackened protagonist Luo Binghe.

Shen Jiu was abused by Qui Jianlou [A-Lou] and was then forced to marry Qui Haitang, forced into service-ship and continuously abused. Shen Jiu fought his way out, killing only the men and leaving the women and children. After seeing the Qiu massacre, Wu Yanzi took him in and taught him to rob and murder and learned tricks and dirty ploys he would incorporate into his fighting style even during adulthood.

Shen Jiu started his cultivation too late, and Wu Yanzi may have fucked up his cultivation even more.

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Shen Qingqiu: TITLE: Xiu Ya Sword [Elegant and Refined] RANK: Peak Lord Qing Jing Peak

Shen QIngqiu surname shen 'Clear Autumn' from the animated Scumbag villain series>

Shen Qingqiu is the Sect Leader of Qing Jing Peak- The sect mastering the four arts and known as Scholars [NERD!]

He was recocmended by Yue Qingyuan, both were homeless. Yue Qingyuan left Shen Jiu to be a cultivator and promised to return.

Meanwhile Shen Jiu arrived on Cang Qiong peak and was allowed in due to Yue Qingyuans quilt and yet him get away with [literal] murder.

Yue QIngyuan  never told him the reason why he took so long so Shen Jiu thought he was abandoned and now his name is Shen Qingqiu he can never escape the name Qiu.

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And the idiot in the third image is Shen Yaun the one who 'Transmigrated' in the Scum Villains body- OUR protagonist :D

Shen Yuan Is Also known as “Peerless Cucumber.”

Had a younger sister and two older brothers pre-transmigration- 

Shen Yuan was the third son of a rich family spending his days idling about. He is described to be thin, and his face resembled that “Of a dispirited pretty boy sitting around waiting to die.” Shen Yuan was twenty when he died. Either of:

Food Poisioning [Confirmed by mxtx on twitter]

Pure rage

Chocked on food [Donghua]

 He passed the exam to the Beijing University. One the worldwide top research university.

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NOW onto the ACTUAL Main Character Lord Luo Binghe- Half Heavenly Demon and Half human hybrid.

More art by @Velinxi Luo Binghe

Luo Binghe surname ‘Luo’ for the Luo River “Icy River.” The Luo Binghe of [Scum Villain] is referred to as Luo Bingmei. PIDW-Proud Immortal Demon Way As Lou Bing-ge. Ge- for Older, Mei for Younger.

Son of: Su Xiyan. [Head disciple of Huan Hua Palace] And Tianlang-Jun [Saintly Heavenly Demon]

(Which explains why Luo Binghe took over the Huan Palace in the Human realm and the demon realm as BOTH are his heritage.)

Luo Binghe [Pre-Abyss] Rank White lotus Disciple Qing Jing peak Sword Prior Zheng Yang [Righteous sun] Sword Current Xin mo [Heart Demon]

Can also manipulate dreams his former teacher "Nightmare aka Master Meng Mo" he refers to Meng Mo as 'senior'

And thus started the grudge between Meng Mo and Shen Qingqiu over a title of ‘Shizun’ [Teacher]

Ming Fan.

Sword: I don't freakin know. [Shen Qingqiu disciple]

Title: Qing Jing peaks Head Disciple [Luo Binghe’s senior brother]

Ning Yingying

Sword: I don't know [Shen Qingqiu disciple]

Title: Only known female disciple and Luo Binghes senior sister

Liu Mingyan

Sword; I havn't a clue [Disciple of Qing Qingqi]

Title: Qi Qingqi Head Disciple and Liu Qingge younger sister.

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Cang Qiong Mountain: Has twelve peaks. All connected by rainbow bridges.

Qiong Ding Peak: General affairs [aka peacemakers]

Lord: Yue Qingyuan, peaklord of this sect AND Cang Qiong Mountain sect master.

Sect Leader who oversees ALL of the entire peaks and its peaklords.

Considered the first of the peaks oversees general affairs.

Titles: Qi-gi [By Shen jiu] and Zhangmen-shixiong [Sect master]

Sword: Xuan Su Sword [Unable to be drawn as it’s tied to his life force] 

Past: Was a homeless orphan along with Shen Jiu living on the streets. Felt responsibility for said kids and broke up fights [that shen jiu usually started] When one orphan was almost trampled by a horse, Yue intervened which led to him and Shen Jiu being taken by the Qui household, when he was old enough to escape he promised to come back for Shen JIu. impatient he sped up his cultivation, qi deviated in the Lingxi caves. His soul is bonded to his sword each time he draws the sword his life is decreased. Punished he was locked in a spiritual cave and no one let him out.

Later Shen Jiu appeared on the Cang Qiong mountain after murdering his abusive cultivator teacher Wu Yanzi.

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Qing Jing Peak [Aka Scholars] 

Shen Qingqiu as the Peak Lord.

Bai Zhan Peak [Martial arts peak- aka the jocks aka war division]

Peak Lord: Liu Qingge

Head Disciple: Yang Yixuan [Found in [Jinlan City Sower Incident] warning the peak lords of the sowers.]

And Ji Jue [Disciple]

Is the Seventh Ranked sect, is the mountain's great war division and has the greatest fighting strength. Has produced outstanding powerful individuals.

4. Qian Cao Peak [MEDIC!!!]

Peak Lord: Mu Qingfang.

Specialises in medical skill and medicine production, It serves as Cang Qiongs medical division. Qiang cao disregarded worldly affairs. Choosing to focus on healing the wounded and rescuing the dying. 

5. Xian Shu Peak [Lesbain Peak]

Peak Lord: Qi Qingqi It exclusively accepts female disciples. Male intruders are not welcome and would be aggressively and violently turned away when their presence is sensed at the border.

6.  Wan Jian Peak [Aka the Sword sect,- where all disciples go to get their swords. Ranks below Qiong Ding but ABOVE Qing jing]

Peak Lord: Wei Qingwei Sword: Hong Jing [Red mirror] It cannot be drawn as its an tool to expel demonic energy. 

7. An Ding Peak [Logistics]

Peak Lord: Shang Qinghua [Art by @velinxi

Focuses on day to day life, seen as the unambitious peak. An Ding is responsible for repairs. Deliveries [amazon] budget as well as prepare the immortal alliance ceremony and delivers the demons for the disciples to fight.

8.  Ku Xing Peak [Ascetic Peak]

Peak Lord: UNKNOWN Like the [Qingqi] Peak it’s an all MALE peak, their life akin to monks and no other information from the novel [So fanfics can go all out]

9.  Zui Xian Peak [Alcohol peak YOLO]

Peak Lord: UNKNOWN [But man would he be a fun guy]

Specialises in alcohol.

[9/12 Peaks] Dear Fandom- I will MAKE up Peaks I swear to god- if others have suggestions DM me!

Other cultivation Sects Thats not on the [Mean girls Peak]

Huan Hua Palace: And it’s denizens.

One of the most influential, wealthiest of the sects [and also in charge of prisoners? Why is it always the yellow ones] Has a militaristic school of thought, military strategy famous for divination, they are well known for their maze arrays and maintain the most contact with the world outside their sect.

Claim the forested area [That hosted the immortal alliance conference] the area is near Bailu forest/Bailu Mountai. Is where Tianglang-Jun is sealed. Along with the Grotto with the Sun and Moon Dew Seeds.

ALSO hosts the [Something flower- frost flower? I can’t find it…that can [Cure] Without a cure.

Also famous for their Water Dungeon. 

Immortal Old Palace Master: Lao Gongzhu is the Head of Huan Hua Palace.

His Daughter: Young mistress Xiao Gongzhu. Formidable with a whip [And bullies ALL of the harem/love interests of Luo Binghes and rips their clothes in the most fanservice ways]

Head Disciple: Gongyi Xiao. Was killed by Tianlang-juns nephew. tragic cannon fodder.

 Su Xiyan Art [Former head disciple]

Su Xiyan Is Binghe’s birth mother.

With demon ties, she was expelled from the palace and died from postpartum haemorrhage after giving birth. Prior to her death she let her son on the lone ship she birthed him and along the way Binghe was picked up by a lone washer woman. And after finding him on the Luo river named him. Luo Binghe.

Ex-Harem Members:

Qui Haitang: Brother of Qui household. And calls him A-Lou, which was triggering Shen Qingqiu, who she accused in Jinling City after the sowers accused Shen Qingqiu of planting them in the city.

Qin Wanyue: Siblings- Alive, met Binghe at the Immortal Alliance conference. Qin Wanrong: Siblings- Deceased [Both dragged Binghe down during the alliance]

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Tian Yi Overlook: Taoist Nuns sect

As one of the four [?] major Sects Tian Yi would be considered as the leading Taoist sect. They wear Aqua coloured taoist robes, and their rank is hemmed on the hem of their robes. They would carry horsetail whisk. The taoist Nun Triplets were Harem members of the og Luo Binghes.

They lost 90 members to the Immortal Alliance conference. They also lost an additional 10 to the Jinlan City Sower Incident.

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Zhao Hua Temple.

Leader: Wu Wang. All the Masters of Zhao Hua Temple are given the name [WU] There are ruled by powerful abbots called masters.

Located near Jinling City, where two major rivers converge the Luo and Heng rivers.

Hall of Great Strength: Place where the Sect Colds conferences with the other great four sects.

Members: Wu Chen. Wu Wang. Wu Huan. Wu Nian.

[?] Cang Qiong is ONE. Huan Palace is TWO. Tian Yi is THREE and ZHAO Hua is Four ah got it.

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I'll do one for Demons and Flowers and the Monsters in PIDW like the rhino python etc.

p.s: I wonder what the other sects would be? Theres only three more? I would guess Arrays, Fabrics and...maybe instruments/ Or creating spiritual weapons that could take the strain of qi? Who Knows...

[abraxos-the-phantom]

Scum Disciple: Alpha Stage

Alpha, described by google as "...an exploratory phase. Beta means the features have been locked down and are under development (no other features will be added). More commonly: Alpha: Usually the first normally interact-able thing out (private or public use is irrelevant)."

And here are some of the highlights that I liked from the first few versions lol.

Fun Times in Gusu

Lan Xichen walked to quite a strange sight.

While normally he would have greeted the younger Nie with a smile, the image of the famous Wei Wuxian pouting as YunmengJiang’s young master and QingheNie’s second master grinned was a little too ridiculous for him to process without chuckling.

“We both know you aren’t actually going to tell Ming-shixiong,” Nie Huaisang chuckled at the shifted to pat the other.

“Yeah,” Wei Wuxian sighed. “I’m worried though.”

Jiang Wanyin had raised his eyebrow, making quite the image as he looked over his crossed arms, “You’re worried about your brother? QingheNie Sect’s Monster Head disciple? The Youngest Rogue Cultivator in the Generations? The Peerless Prodigy? I think you’re a little delusioned Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian’s nose crumbled at that, “They really call Gēge that? Such lame names.”

“I think brother called him the Crane Dragon once,” Nie Huaisang added. “When you and Ming-shixiong went on a Night Hunt.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, “Forget it, that’s not what I’m worried about- it’s just. Gēge has never let me on my own like this before. He gets antsy.”

Nie Huaisang pursed his lips, “I can understand but- A-Xian, you’re one of his best students.”

“He just- he gets this look sometimes,” Wei Wuxian sighed. “He doesn’t talk about it but sometimes he looks at me and I’m pretty sure he’s seeing something else. I never asked because he always looks sad after.”

“Didn’t you grow up together?” Nie Huaisang frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ming-shixiong with anyone else besides the three of us but the other disciples.”

“He’s never talked to anyone except father, mother, myself, sister, and some of the disciples at our sect,” Jiang Wanyin said in agreement. “You guys didn’t meet anyone when your Brother was still Rogue?”

Wei Wuxian shook his head in Jiang Wanyin’s direction, expression slightly pinched still, “I wouldn't remember, and I know we’re close- but there’s some stuff I know he hasn’t told me. You guys realize that my brother is nineteen?”

Jiang Wanyin blinked, as well as several other disciples who were not so covertly listening into the conversation about the mysterious prodigal Cultivator of the QingheNie Sect. “He seems much older, I didn’t think anyone knew his actual age.”

Because that was the curiosity wasn’t it, for all that he was well-known, there was never truly anyone who knew Wei Ming, because he would never actually say anything about his past save for vague hints. One could ask Wei Wuxian of course, but the latter had the same result because of the mere fact that Wei Wuxian didn’t know much about his older brother either beyond his personality, likes and dislikes. Any years before Wei Ming had lived with his brother was knowledge he couldn’t even forget because he never knew in the first place. Nie Mingjue never asked, and neither did Nie Huaisang. It took Wei Ying meeting other children to realize that nine-year-olds never talked the way Wei Ming did. They didn’t know facts about monsters, and they certainly never talked about demons. Yet Wei Ming had extensive knowledge since who knows how long, and no one ever questioned it.

Whether that was because Wei Ming knew how to subvert the conversation or because they simply never asked, that was a question no one could really answer. Not even Wei Wuxian, for all that he loved his Gēge, knew where to start.

Sensing the sudden dip in Wei Wuxian’s mood, Nie Huaisang brightened as much as he could, “Well it doesn’t even matter does it? He’s your brother, he’s my teacher- and he scares my brother to boot.”

Wei Wuxian laughed, if a little weakly, “He told me he actually enjoys it a little.”

Jiang Wanyin winced, “Isn’t your brother known to your Sect as the Punisher?”

With an enthusiastic nod from both Nie Sect members, they proceeded to scare everyone else by saying, “300 copies of Consequence, 200 paces across the hills and back in three days and patrolls in three of the Qinghe protected lands by the end of two weeks!”

They silently cackled as the other Sect disciples paled at the prospect.

<page break heyho>

After gently teasing Wangji of his interaction with Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen bid his brother a good night as he suddenly remembered what he had sought the older Wei out for. The technique he used was quite unique and not among any technique he had some knowledge of, though granted it could purely be because he himself was not well learned in any but the Lan Sect style. Regardless, he was hoping to have a discussion about it and to possibly inquire if the older Wei would use his expertise to critique his own swordsmanship.

He was just about to do just that before he heard an audible thunk and grunt of pain from within the room Wei Ming had been assigned for his stay here.

Lan Xichen abruptly opened the door out of instinct, blinking in surprise to find Wei Ming wielding a brush in his hand and a paper in the other, dark eyes roving the entire wooden table with apprehension.

“Mn?” Wei Ming looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, Zewu-jun. I was under the impression you had retired for the night.”

“I had initially been hoping to discuss swordsmanship with you before,” Lan Xichen looked at the papers, elegant calligraphy lining each and every one save for the large stack of paper at the corner of the table. “I admit, however, that this seems to take my interest far more at the moment.”

“Ah, well.” Wei Ming gestured to the papers. “These are lesson plans, notes if you will- but plans all the same.”

“...Lesson plans?”

Wei Ming nodded seriously, “It’s important for a teacher to understand what they are teaching every day, so as not to leave anything important out.”

“Ah…apologies, considering the subject you are teaching I thought-”

“To be fair, the material I’m teaching does require less theory than practical. Had I been teaching something akin to a bestiary subject or perhaps even medicinal practices, I wouldn’t be as extensive as this,” Wei Ming once again gestured to the large stacks. “This is not the case however, as I am teaching fighting techniques. I also have to come up with tests and exams, sort the students into pairs for sparing purposes, note everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, formulate proper lectures concerning the techniques I am teaching- that sort of thing. Besides the fact that I’m considering adding other techniques so that my students are well informed.”

Though granted the stuff he was doing was easier than when he had been Qing Jing Peak’s head disciple, the paperwork for that Sect was monstrous because of the additional lessons for music and the tactitionary course. Both were a requirement as a disciple of Qing Jing, as they were the main jack of trades within Cang Qiong as their roles were both in support and primary fighters when it came to battles. This was especially true during the pseudo war between Lou Binghe’s forces and during the battle with Tianlang-jun. Shizun would normally do most of the work but with the absence of Lou Binghe, a lot of it arrived to Ming Fan and he didn’t have the heart to inquire about it.

After Binghe’s return Ming Fan just never thought to question it anymore, Shizun was happy and he got used to the workload. It wasn’t as if he never had help either, he took charge of the male disciples while Ning Yingying took charge of the females. After Lou Binghe soon took up some work every now and then; it’s just the way things were after...After.

Wei Ming blinked after returning from his thoughts, “Hundreds of apologies, may Zewu-jun repeat himself?”

Lan Xichen smiled, “Of course, I only wished to ask if you would be open to giving me advice on my swordsmanship? Nie Mingjue mentioned before that your advice had helped him improve his saber technique and I would very much like to also improve myself now that the opportunity is open to me.”

“Or perhaps Xichen-ge would not like to be left behind by his dîdi?” Wei Ming said with an amused smile.

At this Lan Xichen’s ears colored slightly even as he smiled neutrally, “That is also a motivation, but I believe no brother would want their younger brother to leave them behind.”

“Very well, when Zewu-jun is free; we shall spar.” Wei Ming’s lips quirked. “I would also like to know if my observations are correct.”

“Let us have this spar soon Teacher Wei, thank you for your time.” Lan Xichen stood and dipped his head slightly before exiting with a final ‘good night’.

<page break hey-ho>

“Gege what are you doing?”

Wei Ming was currently in the Lan Sect library, pouring over old books that amused him and greatly reminded him of some of the brighter moments in his past life. Namely: The Resentment of Chunshan. The book itself was poor in terms of accuracy, but amusing nonetheless. He and the other disciples found themselves horrified and amused by the story described within. Even more so when the Song of BingQiu became popular among the locals.

He was also starring an old map of the land, clearly looked into by someone considering the small hand-written notes in black ink. The penmanship was oddly familiar but Wei Ming couldn’t exactly remember where.

There was also an area circled, the name Cang Qiong Sect written in careful script.

“What do you think?” He asked absentmindedly, fingers brushing over the circled area. It was far from the other Sects, inaccessible due to the mountain ranges that circled it. If one tried, they’d have to do so by climb rather than sword. The air would be thinner; challenging even for a Cultivator.

He vaguely wondered if the land had changed so much as to the sudden growth of mountains around the Cang Qiong Sect area.

“Looks like someone was trying to look for the mythical Cang Qiong Sect,” Wei Ying peered over his brother’s shoulder. Tilting his head at the map. “Weird.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Eh,” Wei Ying shrugged as he sat next to him. “Cause it’s just a legend, no one actually knows if the Cang Qiong Sect is still around. If it ever was around. I mean- demons, the War- it’s described in pretty poetry and details, but other than that- most people write it off as a fantasy since no one’s ever seen it.”

Wei Ming considered the next question carefully, “What do you believe?”

“I think there’s some truth to it,” To himself, Wei Ying vaguely wondered why the sudden inquiry. His brother had no interest in the stories that were normally told to children, he had been busy at the time and Wei Ying only knew of it because the Nie Brothers held a rather large collection of the stories of the illustrious Cang Qiong Sect and one of their most famous Lords: Shen Qingqiu. Nie Huaisang had admitted that most of these were his brother’s, and he himself was promptly amused. Now he was starting to wonder. The stories of the Cang Qiong Sect were often used for the children of Cultivators as lessons, Lan Sect used it too if what was in the library was any indication- it was an impressive collection.

Though it did have nothing on Sect Leader Nie’s secret collection of nearly all the tales of the General from Qing Jing Peak: Huázháo-jun.

“Hm, perhaps,” Wei Ming noted non-committedly, shaking his head. “Let’s talk about what to do for tomorrow.”

“Mn! You should teach-“

[Fun fact about this one up here! In this version of the story, MF brings WWX's body up through the mountains to Cang Qiong Sect in the hopes that he could get help in reviving his brother, thereby re-meeting with his fellow disciples of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect]