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thegoldenavenger · 2 months

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Fusion au in a series of vignettes. Non beta'd and it's 4am so I'm very sorry for any mistakes. Cw for relatively brief shen jiu related backstory. This is Bingqiu with Word Of God (me, I'm god) bingliushen intended endgame thought it ends before it gets there.

Standing at the edge of the rift, Shen Qingqiu wields Xiu Ya against his beloved disciple while the System flashes red at him. The countdown blares like a siren in his head, a dual layer alarm in four-four time. It buzzes in his chest alongside his heartbeat and his hand sweats around his sword's grip.

Luo Binghe's starry eyes are wet with tears, his face red and twisted in fear and confusion and grief.

Shen Qingqiu is about to wave his sword when Luo Binghe reaches out to him. Luo Binghe's palm slides against the blade of Xiu Ya, blood spilling into the open air. The System whines, counterpoint to its own buzzing bass, as the seconds dwindle.

"Shizun?" Luo Binghe has followed his momentum and his hand now grips Shen Qingqiu's sleeve, shaky and pale.

Shen Qingqiu needs to push him down.

The timer hits zero, the whaling in his ears hits its peak, Luo Binghe's sniffling face fills his vision. And then he trips. It's so simple. He trips and the tip of Xiu Ya pierces Luo Binghe's chest when his disciple automatically moves to catch him. He lets go of his sword, startled, and Luo Binghe catches his hand. The System fades into a continuous ringing as his weight falls entirely into Luo Binghe's hold and his disciple through tears and pain, takes one step back to support him.

It looks like a dip.

It feels like a dip, Luo Binghe timed perfectly the the System's whining and Shen Qingqiu's own heartbeat.

A flare of qi rises around them and he feels untethered from his own body once more. Everything fades away except for the light and Luo Binghe's startled face. Shen Qingqiu's soul floats and he goes from looking at the star-lit depths of his disciples eyes (he goes from staring up at their jet-dark coolness) to blinking, disoriented, as the System-induced headache (the hot pulse of pain in his hand and chest) fade away, and the light flares and softens the edges of reality.

He doesn't remember dying, but he feels soul-deep like this is familiar. It's not painful though, not like the seal breaking, wouldn't dying be painful? No, he dismisses the thought, dying doesn't have to be painful. Most things aren't painful, as they're happening actually.

He can accept that, but this still isn't dying. He feels full, overflowing, but alive. Because the seal is broken? Or because his body has been—oh the seal. That rift. The Sy— the fall.

But there's no one standing by the rift's edge except for him. Is he too late? Did he already push him (did he already fall)? He's not dead so that must mean he went through with it (that must mean he stopped).

Where's Binghe? (Where's Shizun?)

He should ask what's going on (he already knows) but when he glances to his peripheral nothing stands out to him. He raises his hand in an instinctual gesture to summon something but he's distracted by the pink-line on his palm.

It's where Xiu Ya cut him. Them? Him.

Oh. They fused.

They fused!

Oh no, they fused!

A flash of light and their souls rip apart, Shen Qingqiu flinging himself backwards and away from Luo Binghe. Him? Fuse with the protagonist? As if pushing the boy into the Abyss wasn't enough now he's gone and mixed his soul up with Binghe's when even the original Stallion Protagonist had never done that particular dance with anyone.

As if Luo Binghe needs any more reason to peel Shen Qingqiu's limbs from him! Wasn't he the one who speculated about the intimacy of fusing and fusion dances in the forums?! Didn't he say that Luo Binghe refusing to fuse with even any of his many wives symbolized a deep chasm of mistrust and justified fear of vulnerability?

Didn't the forums go ballistic when the Original Scum Villain's scummier past was revealed where that Qiu Haitang sister accused him of force fusing with her brother and using the power to wipe out their entire manor? Did that make him as bad as the original goods?

The moment their souls separate back into two distinct bodies the system's red warning screen comes back to life in the corner of Shen Qingqiu's vision. He's not terribly concerned about that because, after everything, Shen Qingqiu jerking out of Luo Binghe's hold is what sends the boy stumbling off the edge of the rift.

"Shizun!"

"Binghe—" Shen Qingqiu forgets himself and flings himself forward, land on his hands and knees to look into the rift's opening. His hand is outstretched, as if he can do anything in this moment other than watch as Luo Binghe falls.

When Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan find him he's still kneeling where the rift pulled itself closed.

----

Yue Qi is the oldest of the kids and the strongest, but he never really feels strong. Not when Xiao Jiu goes to bed hungry more often then not. Not when Yue Qi gets sick, and Xiao Jiu has to work even harder to cover for both of them.

There is something that does make Yue Qi feel strong, though. Oh, he knows they're not supposed to do it, just like practicing making dancing lights or Xiao Jiu's sharp-tricks. He can't find it in himself to discourage it all too much though.

When he and Xiao Jiu dance together they become closer than anyone could even dream. Together, as one being in mind, spirit, and body, they are strong. Xiao Jiu has always been the one to shore up Yue Qi's weakness but like this it feels as though they have no weaknesses at all.

Where Yue Qi is too trusting, placid, ox-strong and (Xiao Jiu says) too stupid to live, and Xiao Jiu is suspicious, mischievous, cutting and mercurial as one being they are balanced. They are even-keeled, clever, optimistic but not naive. They're beautiful as well, in their own opinion. Longer, deep hair and pale skin with Xiao Jiu's sharp eyes and Yue Qi's friendly smile. They also have Yue Qi's eyes, set above Xiao Jiu's, and another set of arms.

If anyone saw them they'd be called a demon and even together they aren't strong enough to fight or fast enough to run...

So they don't stay fused for long. It's not smart to be caught looking like a demonic freak (Xiao Jiu says) and Yue Qi isn't strong enough to protect them. Not yet. He thinks, if he gets better in his own body, then surely someday they'll be strong enough to run away together.

Someday they can run away together and maybe they can find a place no one will bother them even if they stay fused together. Yue Qi thinks he'd like that; together as one with Xiao Jiu forever.

----

"You know, fusing isn't actually a metaphor for sex." Shang Qinghua says to his black-powder fan, who cracks his fan open in front of his face.

"Everything you wrote was a metaphor for sex."

"Okay!" He says, because. Well. It's not like Cucumber-Bro is wrong. "It's not just a metaphor for sex. If it was just sex, my son would've been fusing with every new sister in his harem. You think I didn't see how many requests I got to write what a Sha Hauling and Luo Binghe fusion would be like?"

"But fusing represents the more vulnerable aspects of sex! That's why—" Cucumber-Bro starts to say before Shang Qinghua interrupts him.

"It's a metaphor for relationships! Intimacy in relationships!"

"—Ah?" Cucumber-bro shuts his mouth and taps his fan against his lips.

"It can be any type of relationship, not just a sexual or romantic one. It's just meant to represent vulnerability between individuals expressed in a tangible way and..." Shang Qinghua trails off when he notices Cucumber-bro's eyes narrowing at him.

"Great Master Airplane," he starts, "you never added any of that into your story."

"It was subtext?" He tries.

"I think you just wanted to write a knock off dragon ball gimmick so you had cool villains for Binghe to fight!"

"Well! It's not like anyone wanted to pay for a meta narrative focused on cannon fodder!"

"Why did you abandon all your best ideas!?" Cucumber-Bro wails, throwing his fan at Shang Qinghua's head.

Shang Qinghua catches it this time and grins triumphantly at his friend. Shen Qingqiu makes a frankly hilarious face and dives fist first at Shang Qinghua.

"Give that back—let me—it's absolutely my right to hit you for every cool plot you abandoned, you hack!"

"No! I saw you in the comments! You think fusing is cool, that means you can't hit me over this one!"

"Can't I?" Shen Qingqiu grapples over the fan with Shang Qinghua.

Their palms slide together and Shang Qinghua laughs, because Cucumber's face looks exceedingly out of character: flushed red and comically angry. "You can't if you can't catch me!" He sing-songs and tries to slip away.

Shen Qingqiu quickly flips his grip to hold Shang Qinghua's wrist, jerking him closer. Shang Qinghua reflexively rests his hand on Shen Qingqiu's chest, and when he tries to grab at the fan again Shang Qinghua dances away, spinning out from where Shen Qingqiu still holds his wrist.

He laughs, buoyed with the momentum and when he opens his eyes he sees the fan in his hand.

"Got it!" He says.

His voice sounds different. In fact, his hand also looks different.

Oh, we fused. He—they—think.

A slick curl of nausea rises from the pit of their stomach while the rest of them sparks in confusion.

Nonsensically, their last thought is I'm not even gay? before the fusion destabilizes and Shang Qinghua is stumbling backwards, unbalanced.

Shen Qingqiu looks pale. He's holding the fan, and half his robes are in An Ding colors now. "I—" he says, then takes a step backwards. "I didn't mean to—Sorry."

Then he's gone, fan no doubt in front of his face as he glides out the door. Shang Qinghua finds himself sitting on the floor, blinking in confusion.

He plucks at the collar of his robe, Qing Jing teal.

----

The Abyss is hell. Every day longer that Luo Binghe spends in it is another flood of blood and filth staining him. It's too late to salvage the bits of Shizun's robes that were mixed together with his after their fusion... separated. His disciple uniform and Shizun's robes were of similar quality and color so he hadn't even noticed the different embroidery and slight differences in cut until he'd been forced to tear at his clothes for strips.

It's pointless to try and save the pieces of Shizun's wardrobe he found himself carrying but he tries to anyway. If only because each time he sees them he's reminded that Shizun walked away from their fusion wearing the matching pieces from his uniform.

He doesn't know if that means much to Shizun right now. It's possible Shizun had taken the first moment he could to scour every sign of Luo Binghe from his Peak. Could Luo Binghe even blame him, concealing his heritage from him and hiding in a righteous sect right under their noses.

Shen Qingqiu had tried to push him into the abyss.

But he hadn't, actually, pushed him. He'd reached out.

They'd fused.

It was confusing, a jumbling mess, but however disoriented and brief they were one in mind and soul. Luo Binghe had felt, then, the desperate need to know what had happened to his Important Person. It got muddied with Luo Binghe's feelings for his Shizun, he knows, but he remembers feeling fearful, anxious, frustrated.

He remembers feeling like he wouldn't do this, if he had a choice.

For all Luo Binghe knows, Shizun just regretted that his favorite disciple was an irredeemable demon. He was scared, because Luo Binghe was revealed to be a demon, he was anxious because of what that could mean for the sect. Frustrated because Luo Binghe was making things difficult.

But couldn't it also be that Shizun was fearful for Luo Binghe? He was anxious about their fates, frustration coming from the situation? That Shizun didn't want to push Luo Binghe, but felt he had to?

Maybe Luo Binghe can show Shizun that he is more righteous cultivator than he is demon. He'll settle things in the demon realm, learn to conceal his blood, and then when he makes it back to the human realm he'll prove to Shizun that he's good.

It's a slim hope to stake himself on, but Luo Binghe has never given up once yet. He is not about to start.

He forces himself up the obsidian-black stairs to the raised dias in the center of a bone covered field. A sword stands upright in front of him, black and sharp and heavy with intent. His hand itches.

He just needs to get out of the abyss first, and then he'll prove everything to Shizun.

----

Shen Jiu tries to gasp for breath under Qiu Jianluo's hand. He kicks his legs to no avail. Qiu Jianluo just tightens his grip.

"Come on, Xiao Jiu." Shen Jiu has to focus to hear him through the whooshing noise of his own blood in his ears. "Just fuse with me already."

Shen Jiu wants to lick the blood off his split lip and spit in Qiu Jianluo's face. He wants to claw the man's eyes out. But across the manor is his new fiancé, sitting in her room with her maids taking down her hair and getting her bed ready for the night.

He's realizing now, after three years, that he absolutely cannot wait any longer. If Qi-Ge was going to make it back he would have by now, and if Shen Jiu let's himself be married to Qiu Haitang he won't ever be seeing himself leave the Qiu house at all.

He swallows, can't speak past Qiu Jianluo's hand, and tries nodding instead.

"Oh? Have you decided to stop with your tantrum already?"

Shen Jiu could cough blood, he's so mad. He makes himself nod.

Qiu Jianluo pulls back his hand. "Well?" He asks, expectant.

"Fine."

Shen Jiu still remembers what it felt like to fuse with Qi-Ge, years ago now. Even then, with the person he trusted most in this or any other life, he'd felt too much. Too big and to small for his skin. They'd looked like a demon and he knew it was his fault, always needing to look at things for himself, never trusting anyone else's hands but his own. Still, the paranoia softened when he was fused. It gentled into a tame thing that cautioned and warned but never consumed.

Shen Jiu often slept curled up next to Qi-Ge, hand clenched in Qi-Ge's clothes—the better to wake up if something happened to the guileless fool—but sometimes Qi-Ge would shift closer and hug him in their sleep. Fusing with him felt like being wrapped in that hug.

Shen Jiu was never really conscious, when they fused. When they separated he remembered what they did, what they were thinking, but it wasn't entirely him and it wasn't entirely Qi-Ge. It was them. Together.

Shen Jiu had no intention of knowing what together felt like with Qiu Jianluo.

He could bring his suspicious eyes, and his distrustful hands into something as soft and warm as his fusion with Qi-Ge and they were stronger for it. He's positive, with his experience and his rage fueling him, he can bring his whole mind into whatever paltry form Qiu Jianluo thinks they can take.

When he opens his eyes, taller and stronger, with Qiu Jianluo nowhere in sight, he knows he's right.

The manor burns, and so does every man in that house. Qiu Jianluo does, too, once Shen Jiu lets the fusion go. Not before Shen Jiu pushes him onto his own sword.

(Not before Qiu Haitang sees them—him—hulking and monstrous, as he pulls her out of the burning wreck.)

----

"It's be faster if we fused."

"Are you saying you can't handle it by yourself, shidi?"

Shen Qingqiu's fan waves softly in front of his face.

"I can handle it."

"Of course you can. There's no need to put ourselves out."

Liu Qingge huffs out a breath, mad at himself. His own pride won't let him pretend weakness he doesn't have, so he can't claim to need to fuse. Shen Qingqiu must have been counting on that.

He isn't lying though, it would be faster to fuse. All of Shen Qingqiu's knowledge and cool diplomacy combined with Liu Qingge's might. The den of succubus would stand no chance. They would be in and out before the evening wore down, he's sure.

Just like he's sure that fusion would have streamlined the last handful of missions they've been on together. For sure, if they'd been fused while facing that Dancing Crystalline Boar Shen Qingqiu's third favorite fan would still be with them.

No matter what Liu Qingge tries, Shen Qingqiu dodges every attempt he makes to ask his shixiong to fuse. Literally dodging in some cases. When Liu Qingge suggested they practice fighting fused as part of their sparring sessions, the man had nearly barrell rolled off the mountain.

If his younger self could see him now... he remembers a time he was furious at the prospect of having to fuse with Shen Qingqiu. He and his Shixiong's relationship was, thankfully, so vitriolic none of their Shizun's attempts towards improving their Sect Sibling relationship ever came close to bearing fruit. Yes, ideally all the Peak Lords would be able to fuse in case needs arose, but Liu Qingge didn't have a problem fusing with any of the other Peak Lords. It was just Shen Qingqiu, the murderous bastard.

That Shen Qingqiu would then save his life... and with a partial fusion even.

He can't remember even most of what happened while he was dying in the Ling Xi caves. What he does recall is hazy with the after effects of qi deviation and confusion. He holds onto what he remembers with two hands though.

A soft, cooling light and nervous almost bemused thoughts. They couldn't have done a fusion dance, or even any of the ritual martial forms for fusing. He can't imagine with how badly he'd been qi deviating, that he had the coordination or intent to do so.

Still, somehow his soul had called out and Shen Qingqiu's soul had answered. They hadn't fused but they'd mingled well enough in each other that Liu Qingge was pulled out of his qi deviation.

The Shen Qingqiu that Liu Qingge had known—had thought he'd known—up until that point would have sooner killed Liu Qingge himself than open himself up to fusion. At least, that's what Liu Qingge thought.

He'd been wrong.

Oh, he didn't know it at first. He'd wasted his first attempt to fuse with Shen Qingqiu because he wanted the fast and easy way to determine exactly how Shen Qingqiu was planning on playing him. Because Shen Qingqiu must have an angle, and fusing would force him to expose it.

Well, they never fused, but Liu Qingge still realised Shen Qingqiu didn't have an angle. He was just, changed.

Shen Qingqiu hides a smile behind his fan as they approach the Sucubus cave, eyes flashing merrily at Liu Qingge as he says a final joking sentence.

Liu Qingge had once been faced with the prospect of fusing with Shen Qingqiu for duty. Then, because he was dying. Then, as an effort to force the man to be honest for once.

Now, Liu Qingge wants to, with Shen Qingqiu, for no other reason than simply because he, well. He wants to. He wants to be closer to Shen Qingqiu, he wants to show how much he's grown to trust his Shixiong. He wants his Shixiong to trust him.

He thinks they'd be good together. Strong, obviously. But also smart, and quick, clever. Liu Qingge isn't stupid, whatever anyone says, and he doesn't do himself the disservice as to discount his own strengths, but he wants to know what it's like in Shen Qingqiu's head. What it's like to be able to call up words like water from a pitcher, what it's like to be able to smile warmly and speak cleverly.

He wants to share with Shen Qingqiu his side as well. Wants him to feel the power and constancy of Liu Qingge's own strength and will.

Shen Qingqiu gestures at him, his fan firmly in place between himself and the rest of the world as he steps into the cave.

Liu Qingge, as ever, follows.

----

It happens so quickly, neither of them have a chance to realise it.

It's not a dance, but the honed tempo of two martial gods coming to the same blows day after day after day.

They're just. In synch. Mind, body, souls.

Liu Qingge snarls something about desecration and disrespect.

Luo Binghe sneers something condescending back.

Xin Mo and Cheng Luan cross blades once more. As repetitive as it is, perhaps it does count as a dance.

And then they are one. Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe no longer existing as separate beings but united into one consciousness.

They cut an impressive figure against the dimming sky, broad shoulders narrowing into a slim waist and dense, inky, feathery hair cascading from a thick ponytail. Their robes are cut in Bai Zhan's severe style but dyed in the demon lord's dark colors.

They have claws, fangs, senses sharpened by nature first before cultivation. This doesn't bother them as much as it should, every hunter needs it's weapons. They feel solid, settled, confident in this body despite their newness. They have a mole, on their finger.

They don't really register this.

There's one thought in their head: Shen Qingqiu.

Everything else is paralyzed.

There's a dual sense inside of them; that they should get to Shen Qingqiu's side immediately, that they shouldn't be near him, that he's in danger, that he's safest where he is.

Over it all is a bone-deep, aching grief. He's gone, he's gone, he's gone and it's all their fault. No matter what they try, they'll always fail when it comes to him, won't they?

They stay there, on their knees, well after the sun sets into the night.

-----

The first time Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe fuse it's ugly and emotional and the fate of the world rests like a cracked egg in their palm.

Shen Qingqiu doesn't know he'd say it's worse then fusing at the moment one is about to push one's disciple into hell though.

Shen Qingqiu much prefers the third time they fused or the fourth, or the fifth. They honestly spend more time fused than not, though Shen Qingqiu has responsibilities he still needs to take care of that require them to split.

He wonders if it's so terrible, how easily he loses himself in their fusion. Certain member of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect sure act like it's a tragedy. He's resigned not to care. He loves Luo Binghe: stickiness, partial darkening, and all whether fused or not.

The System is still a problem. When fused it completely blacks out, like a blind spot in his vision. Any train of thought that even runs parallel to it gets forcefully redirected. It makes him feel like a dog being clicker trained, but it isn't thorough enough that Binghe doesn't walk away from their fusions with unvoiced questions that Shen Qingqiu still can't answer.

Despite this, or maybe partially because of it, Shen Qingqiu warms up to fusing with Luo Binghe as a flower warms up to the sun. It's both him and Binghe, as one. He doesn't have to try and find the face to speak. For one, it seems Binghe's shamelessness melds really well with Shen Qingqiu's unbridled face for criticism so speaking his mind is never an issue. If there is something he gets stuck on, he only needs to meditate on it and let it resolve itself internally. Both Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu will come out understanding the resolution.

This isn't to say Shen Qingqiu prefers being fused. Not at all. What would he do without being able to see Luo Binghe's peerless face? Spending time alone being them is grand, but he also loves spending time together with his Binghe. He would miss it, if he wasn't able to squish Binghe's cheeks and toothlessly scold his manners.

And how he has to scold Binghe for his manners.

Well, he supposes Liu Qingge does deserve it more often than not. "Luo Binghe is dead." Truly, shidi? The one time in your pristine life you decide to lie and it's when it's liable to send Shen Qingqiu to an early grave?

Between that and "You have me here before you and you're going to choose him?" Shen Qingqiu could think Liu Qingge isn't dealing with his least favorite Shixiong moving off the mountain so well.

As if Shen Qingqiu knows what to do with that!

Of course Shen Qingqiu chose Luo Binghe! The man was all alone, without any support network at all! Liu Qingge is a good, a great friend even, but he isn't alone. He has the sect, his disciples, his sister, and surely the many theoretical sisters who must be throwing themselves at him any time he steps foot off the mountain.

It's not like Shen Qingqiu doesn't visit! He misses Qing Jing Peak, Cang Qiong Mountain, and his shidi, too! He even, in consideration of Liu Qingge’s surprisingly delicate sensibilities, avoids doing business with him while fused.

As frustrating as Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe can be while in each other's vicinity (tension growing between them thick enough Shen Qingqiu often wants to test it on Xiu Ya's blade, an epic rivalry that never got to bloom in the original storyline, maybe?) it's miles more tolerable than whatever happens while they're fused and Liu Qingge is forced to interact with them.

"Husband!"

"Mm," Shen Qingqiu hums in distraction.

"Husband, stop thinking about Liu Qingge." Luo Bingge pouts, tugging Shen Qingqiu's sleeve.

"Shishu." Shen Qingqiu absently corrects even as he can't help but smile at Luo Binghe's put upon face. "You should show him respect, Binghe."

"Liu-Shishu," Binghe obediently repeats.

"What makes you think I'm thinking about your Shishu?"

"Shizun always looks like he's trying to decide whether or not to let in a stray cat when he thinks about Liu-Shishu. For the record, he shouldn't let the stray cat in. It'll claw the furniture."

Shen Qingqiu laughs, forgetting for a moment, to hide it behind his fan. Luo Binghe's eyes sparkle and he swoops in, locking his arms around his husband.

"Even if he does scratch some furniture, won't Binghe just fix it for this master? It shouldn't be so hard, since you have to fix the furniture you break any how."

Luo Binghe pouts and buries his face into Shen Qingqiu's neck. "If Shizun insists."

Shen Qingqiu brings his hand up to pet at Luo Binghe's fluffy hair. It's thanks to how open they've been together that Shen Qingqiu can catch the undercurrent in Luo Binghe's voice.

"If Binghe doesn't want to entertain Liu-Shidi he doesn't have to." Shen Qingqiu starts. "Binghe and Liu-Shidi did have a... contentious relationship while this master was... gone." Luo Binghe's fingers tighten in Shen Qingqiu's robes and Shen Qingqiu winces but forges on. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Binghe. I can have tea with Liu-Shidi at one of the pavilions today, and finish things on Qing Jing Peak quickly."

Luo Binghe is quiet as Shen Qingqiu's words settle over then. He butts his head closer to Shen Qingqiu's collarbone.

"But Shizun likes Liu-Shishu."

"Yes," Shen Qingqiu concedes, "But that doesn't mean I want you forcing yourself to be uncomfortable for my own sake. I see him at Peak Lord Meetings, we can always catch up then. This is your home, too, you shouldn't be made uncomfortable in it."

This time the quiet stretches longer. Shen Qingqiu would be inclined to panic and overthink, but he forces himself to breathe instead. It's Luo Binghe who needs the time to think, to actually sort through his feelings instead of conceding to what he thinks Shen Qingqiu wants.

That's one of those things they meditated on while fused. It was much easier when their desires are actually one, but together they had unpacked the snarl of Luo Binghe's chronic desire to prove himself worthy and fear of failing his Shizun.

Shen Qingqiu had spoken, Liu Binghe had to trust that Shen Qingqiu wasn't lying or couching the truth for his feelings. He wasn't for the record. Shen Qingqiu does like Liu Qingge, he really enjoys spending time with his recalcitrant Shidi, but he can arrange those times around Luo Binghe if he needs to.

Liu Qingge is always pestering him to tend his Peak Lord duties and do a mission or two. He'd be thrilled if Shen Qingqiu started going on nighthunts again, perhaps while Luo Binghe has to do his Huan Hua Palace Master-ing or his Demon Lord-ing. Definitely, Shen Qingqiu can at least start hosting their little tea parties outside of the Bamboo House if it bothers his husband.

Finally, Luo Binghe inhales deeply and sighs against Shen Qingqiu's skin before his shakes his head.

"There's no need for Shizun to do that. Shishu isn't that bad." He draws back enough to smile, watery eyes striking Shen Qingqiu all over again. "And Shishu would be sad if Shizun distanced himself."

"I'm sure he'd understand."

"Hmm." Luo Binghe doesn't outright contradict Shen Qingqiu, but Shen Qingqiu knows that particular sound is Luo Binghe's Shizun-Thinks-He-Knows-What-Is-Happening-Here-But-It's-Funnier-If-I-Don't-Tell-Him noise.

There's the thud of a foot connecting with the door frame. No guesses as to whom that announced. Shen Qingqiu glances at the door but doesn't move towards it.

Luo Binghe breathes a laughing sigh out. "Shizun, this disciple has already gone through the trouble of making Shishu's favorite."

"Fine, but you'll tell me if you need space."

Luo Binghe smiles at him, pout and tears already a long-distant memory on his face. He moves past Shen Qingqiu to open the door himself. He's answering Shen Qingqiu, but his eyes are already locked onto Liu Qingge when he says, "Husband takes such good care of me."

"You!" From over Luo Binghe's shoulder, Shen Qingqiu gets to see Liu Qingge’s face flush that particular shade of pink he inevitably turns when in Luo Binghe's radius. "I—I'm on time!" He says, flustered, as he catches sight of Shen Qingqiu.

"No need to defend yourself, Shidi." Shen Qingqiu allows. "You're exactly on time, please come in."

Luo Binghe stretches to lean against the door frame, not moving from Liu Qingge's way. Shen Qingqiu can't see his face but he doesn't doubt it's expression when he says, "Well, Shishu?"

Liu Qingge huffs, aggrieved, before shouldering his way into the bamboo home. "Welcome back," he says to the air as he crosses the threshold.

Luo Binghe's mouth curls into a smile that he shares with Shen Qingqiu over Liu Qingge's head, and Shen Qingqiu decides that he believes that Luo Binghe, despite their rough history, is as fine with Liu Qingge as he says he is.

"This disciple will go get everything ready."

"Thank you Binghe." Shen Qingqiu smiles. "Sit with me, Shidi?"

#kamaeteWRITES #svsss #bingqiu #look at me crossing of aus from that list i EXPLICITLY said i wasnt ever going to write #also look at me not posting EITHER of the fic i said i was bc of the Dark Horse Option #(dark horse option of course being 'plot bunny wouldnt let me sleep at 2am)#yes i wrote this straight thru 2am ton[squints at time] 4:20 blaze it

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baiwu-jinji · 24 days

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The first official promotion song for 2ha novel called "when haitang flowers fall again in the light rain" (海棠又落微雨時) came out recently, I loved it so translated the lyrics:

in past life I was the god of war sneering at the loneliness of the mortal realm

In this life I'm the Buddha fallen into the cycle of reincarnations burning in its suffering

If like trees and grass you know not the pain of love

Then why turn back and weep about both love and hate wearing thin

You sigh, saying that the falling of haitang flowers is inevitable

What can you do when it was all a good dream and never real?

Heavy snow covered the long steps and you pleaded piously

To be granted a few lifetimes of entangling your fate with his

Three thousand steps speak not

About lifetimes of being together and apart

The memories are troubled by trials and miseries - that's why it's deep, that's why I remember with all my being

Flowers bloom and I forget my sadness; flowers fall and it adds to my sorrow

Who is it that lingers in this place?

When I dispel sorrow from my heart, it only reappears on my face

The stubborness that persist through cycles of reincarnations

Has no regard for the romances and grievances of the past

All of a sudden, snow covers the world

In the light rain, when the haitang flowers fall again, there I will wait for you

See the slanting rain silently weaving my loneliness

My eyes are filled with sorrow, yet for what?

My blood-stained hands hold you tightly

To keep you by my side

When haitang flowers bloom, I recall kissing your cheek

I dreamt of walking down the corridor and the long steps, only desolation strewn across the ground

That year, the days were too long

That year, the wind was howling

Forget not the moment we embraced each other

#this is probably the saddest 2ha song I listened to #2ha #dumb husky and his white cat shizun #ranwan

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rarepears · 10 months

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Hi there! Just found your Tumblr yesterday and fell in love with your writing style. Keep up the good work 👍

I had an Au idea I wanted to share. It's a Solo Leveling x SVSSS crossover au with some Shencest.

Basically, after he dies, Shen Yuan is reincarnated as a rare white cat spirit/demon child that can heal any injury and who's blood can cure any illness or poison. However, his race is believed to be a myth. (Of course until LHB finds & kills the last remaining one to cure his wife's incurable disease)

Anyway, SY is found by Sung Jinwoo, who promptly adopts the young cat boy seeing as there are no parents in sight.

SY being raised by sjw, Beru, Igris and the shadows.

SY likes to explore in his cat form often and one day, is picked by none other than Qiu Haitang (SY doesn't figure this out till later). Thinking SY is an ordinary cat, she takes him home.

While at the Qiu Manor, SY meets Shen Jiu. SY doesn't think much of SJ until he notices the bruises and scars carefully hidden underneath his clothes.

SY ends up staying at the Qiu Manor after witnessing SJ being beaten by Qiu Jianluo. SY reveals himself to SJ after healing the slave's injuries.

SY tries to convince SJ to escape with him, but SJ refuses, still under the belief that Qi-ge is going to come for him.

SY eventually snaps (likely when qjl attempted to sa SJ) and after nearly mauling qjl to death, SY grabs SJ and books it out of the Qiu Manor.

Afterwards, SJ ends up living with SY in sjw's huge mansion.

SJ ends up falling for SY and SY...being SY, is completely obvious to SJ's clear feelings for him. But you know who isn't? Beru! As soon as he notices, he goes into matchmaker mode.

SJ still ends up going to cang qiong mountain and a peak lord, while SY becomes a famed miracle healer as well as his well informed bestiaries.

This along with SY's status as the son of the mysterious, yet powerful cultivator sung Jinwoo causes, SY to gain a number of suitors, much to SJ's annoyance and anger.

Of course, SJ isn't gonna let anyone take his place by SY.

Ah yes, Luo Binghe, the human-shaped meteorite bringing about the 5th wave of mass extinction .

Anyhow, I think instead of Sung Jinwoo who decided to take home a cat to raise, it was either (or both) Beru wanting to have a pet cat or Shen Yuan deciding he needs a thigh to cling because being a wild animal is so much harder than he expected. He's only meant for a life of pampering and spoiling like a proper indoor cat, okay?!

And like a scum cat, Shen Yuan likes sneaking out during the day and finding a "second" owner to feed and pamper him (and who doesn't realize that this cat already has owners and thus is getting twice the meals). It just so happens to be the Qiu family that's his second family. The mistress family, if you will.

And that's how Shen Yuan meets Shen Jiu and forcible takes Shen Jiu away like a naughty kitten.

Although I'm not sure how in your AU a human is going to fall in love with a cat? I mean a demon cat is still a cat. And no where in this do you bring up a cat having a human form so...

[More in #cat!shen yuan adopts a human shen jiu AU]

#svsss #svsss ideas #svsss au #mxtx #shen jiu #shen yuan #shen qingqiu #the scum villain's self saving system #cat!shen yuan adopts a human shen jiu AU

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sun-and-moon-mushroom · 2 months

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Day 27: Left For Dead

AO3 link

(Continuation of day 22, BingQiu/QiJiu swap)

The last time Luo Binghe had seen Shen Yuan, his shizun, the man who had found him on the streets after his mothers death and had chosen to teach him cultivation, was when he’d smiled down at him and promised to be back soon, before leaving on a night hunt that he’d never returned from.

Luo Binghe had waited at the inn they’d been staying in until the money started to run out, and after that he’d tried to find his missing master. He’d gone around the local towns and villages asking after him, only to learn that the beast he’d been after had been taken down by a group of Cang Qiong cultivators which meant… Shen Yuan had probably died while fighting it. That was one of the better ideas Luo Binghe had anyway, after he’d spent a month searching to see if his master had simply been injured in the fight. The only other thing he could think of was that the promise he made might have been a lie, something to let him abandon Luo Binghe — but no, his shizun would never do something like that.

Luo Binghe would later claim that it was his exhaustion over searching for Shen Yuan that had caused him to slip up and be captured by demonic cultivators, but the truth was, he had only been cultivating for a year, and with the help of a master who was mostly self taught, out on the roads instead of on a qi-heavy mountain peak. Luo Binghe was just a human, so he went down easily to a demonic poison slipped into his drinking water. When he next woke up, he was in chains, with his cultivation bound.

At first he expected to be cut into pieces for his parts, or have his cultivation stolen — even such a young cultivator could prove valuable to those willing to hurt them — but it seemed the demonic cultivators who caught him had a different plan. They unbound his cultivation, but only slightly — just enough for a few small tricks — and sold him to a noble family looking for a pet cultivator to show off their wealth.

The young mistress, Qiu Haitang took a liking to him immediately — something he tolerated, if only because it kept him away from her older brother, Qiu Jianluo. He was delighted by the idea of having a cultivator at his beck and call, and was constantly ordering Luo Binghe to show him things, punishing him harshly for anything he hadn’t learnt how to do. He even called back the demonic cultivators that had sold him in the first place, forcing him to learn their techniques, no matter how much he hated it. Sometimes he still thought back to Shen Yuan — was he still alive? Had his body been found, was he buried properly? Without being able to leave, he’d never have the chance to find out.

Luo Binghe isn’t sure what the final straw was for him. It could have been Qiu Jianluo announcing his engagement to Qiu Haitang — something he wanted no part in, since his heart had only ever belonged to one person — or it could have been the sight of a group of Huan Hua disciples in the marketplace on one of the few days he was allowed outside, standing there with their gold-rimmed robes and easy cultivation. Whichever one it was, Luo Binghe finally found a way to snap the restraint holding back his powers, using the small amount he’d been allowed to force the way open.

Free at last, his cultivation rapidly spiralled into a qi deviation, and when he came back to himself, he was holding a sword slick with blood and the building around him was burning. He fled — right into the arms of one of the demonic cultivators who’d sold him in the first place. Apparently, they’d sent him to the Qiu as what they called a ‘test’ — to make him one of them. He didn’t have much of a choice but to go along with them — to anyone else, he’d simply look like a murderer, a young disciple who’d left the righteous path in search of power.

This was how he’d found himself in the middle of an Immortal Alliance Conference, attacked by demons on all sides, trying to protect anyone he could — surely his current master wouldn’t mind if the goods he’d stolen had come from already dead bodies? — and then face to face with Shen Yuan once more. No, not Shen Yuan, but Shen Qingqiu, in the elaborate green robes he’d seen on the distant peak lord of Qing Jing, and wearing the face of his first master like Luo Binghe had ever actually mattered to him.

Luo Binghe… had never really been his beloved disciple, had he? Just a brat off the street he could trick into carrying his things and cooking his food. How foolish of his former master— when given the chance to become part of a proper sect, to achieve the power and wealth he deserved, he’d had to come up with an excuse to get rid of him. He’d have rather been left for dead.

#svsss #svsss au #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #febuwhump #febuwhump 2024 #my writing #shen yuan #betrayal swap au

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zykamiliah · 10 months

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Is it confirmed that Shen Jiu killed all the men in the Qiu manor? I don't recall reading that in the books. Instead I got the impression he killed the men that got in his way as he escaped

As he stared at the blade, a peculiar expression of excitement bloomed on his face before he reached out and grabbed it firmly. He gave the sword a brandish, then left the study with the weapon. (...) Shen Jiu had just turned a corner to meet two rotund, heavyset guards. With a swing of his arm, a cold light flashed horizontally, slicing the two bloated, fleshy necks together. Blood sprayed as if from a fountain. Shen Jiu killed nearly every person he saw, and the more he killed, the higher his spirits climbed, the sinister smile on his lips stretching wider and wider. Unceasing screams followed him everywhere as he cleanly and decisively cut down some ten people. Shen Qingqiu noticed that he only killed men: not a single woman fell under his blade. (...)

After pondering for a moment, he headed toward the kitchen. Not long after that, a fire began to blaze. The dark clouds in the night sky above the Qiu Manor were suffused with a searing red, like the magma from purgatory. (...) Wu Yanzi gave a soft chortle. “Not killing everyone?” Shen Jiu was silent for a moment. “Everyone who I wanted to kill is already dead.”

I mean... we don't have a total dead count but, seems to me he killed pretty much every men he crossed paths with before he saw qht, stopped, and then when to set the manor on fire.

"He lost his mind and killed my brother and many of our servants all at once, leaving bodies scattered all over the estate" (Qiu Haitang in Chapter 6: Jin Lan)

still, it was a pretty big massacre. he "killed every person he saw", not every person that crossed his way.

#svsss #svsss meta #ask zy #shen jiu #zykamiliah-svsss

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violetdisasterzone · 1 year

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I just finished rereading the succubus extra, and I'm reminded of some thoughts I had after reading it the first time. The first time I read the novel (including all the extras), I hadn't really been in/around fandom spaces yet, so I was very surprised to learn that people shipped Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge. And since this extra is prime source material for that ship (apparently), I want to talk about it. First of all, I really enjoy this chapter. It contains the scene where we find out bingqiu are fated! soulmates! deeply in love! And this is immediately followed by Shen Qingqiu kicking Liu Qingge into a rose pond. It's priceless.

I've seen Madam Meiyin's fortune be interpreted by liushen shippers as describing Liu Qingge rather than Luo Binghe, so let's unpack why that doesn't make sense. The very first thing she says is that his fated one is younger than him - Liu Qingge is (at this point in the novel, prior to the 5 year nap) already around 15 years older than him. If this was connected to the age of his body (i.e., Shen Jiu), however, this one could be plausible; considering Madam Meiyin first sees the broken thread of either Yue Qi or Qiu Haitang, she could very well be referring to Shen Jiu's age. Liu Qingge also doesn't have the "noble blood" Madam Meiyin describes- or if he does, it's never mentioned in canon. Then, of course, we get Liu Qingge adamantly insisting that this mysterious fated one isn't "deeply in love" with Shen Qingqiu. I've seen people say that this is Liu Qingge being tsundere and denying his romantic feelings, but if he was that deep in denial why would he assume that he was the fated one being discussed at all? And finally, we end the scene with Madam Meiyin saying to his face, "You aren't his fated partner."

In my personal opinion, I think Liu Qingge realized who Madam Meiyin was actually referring to in her divinations. There are very few people who fit that description, and he would be one of the few people who have been around Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe enough to see first hand how close they were, pre-abyss. Of course, Binghe is supposedly "dead" right now, as far as Liu Qingge knows - maybe he would have assumed Madam Meiyin couldn't know/see that. Or maybe I'm pulling this interpretation out of my ass. One of the two.

In regards to the repressed sexual frustration that many people view Liu Qingge as having: whether or not you interpret his character as asexual is a personal choice, as when asked directly he did avoid the question, so neither opinion can be canonically incorrect. With how unaffected he was during the fight with the naked succubi, it's logical to assume that he's either ace or gay. But then when he's hit with the aphrodisiac, he becomes visibly distressed and asks Shen Qingqiu to help - by allowing him to beat him up to vent his irritation.

So aside from liushen necessitating a wild misinterpretation of Shen Qingqiu's character and an outright slap to the face of Luo Binghe's entire existence in the narrative, I also think it does Liu Qingge a disservice. Faced with a soulmate divination of the person he would hypothetically want romantically and he adamantly denies the love part? Literally drugged with sex mist, is offered assistance, and he wants to fight him? This doesn't read to me like he's out of touch with his emotions to a herculean extent - it just reads like he doesn't want that.

#liushen shippers this post is obviously not for you #ship what you want #it's none of my business #I've just had WAY too many experiences with liushen shippers that are avidly anti-bingqiu so now I have a grudge #bingqiu #svsss #svsss meta #mxtx #人渣反派自救系统 #scum villains self saving system #liu qingge #柳清歌

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gnappart · 8 months

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(leaving here the link to the ao3 version for those who feel more comfortable with its formatting)

SVSSS AU inspired by a possible animatic I could do with “Imposter Imperceptible” in which Shen Yuan is among the imposters (you think there would be just one? In a SVSSS fanfiction-more-like-quick-thought?! Fools), BUT! It’s not an Among Us AU (… an AU AU).

So! Shen Yuan gets transmigrated as little Ba, Jiu’s younger twin. He gets a Qi-ge too, of course, he’s part of the package deal. A year goes by, during which in one way or another Shen Yuan collects the hints and comes to realise that his Jiu-ge is the great but terrible Scum Villain of PIDW! Now though he’s not so bad. Sure, he’s snarky and not exactly kind, but he cares, he makes sure his didi’s fed whenever it’s possible, checks his health as first thing in the morning and never lets Shen Yuan get (too) cold during the winter.

Then, one day, Jiu-ge tells him and Qi-ge that he felt on his back quite constantly for about a week the stare of a certain wealthy man, surely a noble. He’s sure he’s about to get sold and none of them is having it. They make a plan to escape somewhere that same night, they have a whole day to get ready and inconspicuously retrieve the little money they’ve saved — how should not be investigated. Get everything you need, hide it near the the city’s gate, and when the moon is high and just the song of crickets fill the night that is the time for them to gather and leave that hell hole to find some wandering cultivator to learn from. They’re strong, already did with success some simple exercises with their qi. They can do it.

But when the time comes, Shen Yuan, Ba-di, is missing. The two other kids wait for a bit until Qi-ge gets restless and wants to go and search for the younger boy, but Xiao Jiu stops him ad confesses: that day, a wealthy family bought his didi, allegedly to adopt him. They seemed nice, he would notice a liar or an imminent danger right away… He didn’t want to get separated from his didi, even hated him for a few seconds because why Ba and not Jiu? But, but… It was better than being fugitives slaves, safer, he had to let him go. Qi-ge is sad but understands. Dried the bitter-sweet tears, they depart.

Is Shen Yuan getting some luck in his life? AH! He wishes! Nope! I know, you know, everyone know who got him though, right? None other than Qiu Jianluo, 1st place in the scummiest villains league — joint winner is of course that viscid old man, Lao Gongzhu. Even though Shen Yuan tells Qiu Janluo he’s not Jiu, hi gege (and the bastard noticed!), the man shrugs it off: a twin for a twin, their beauty is the same and so will be they’re role. So, Shen Yuan discovers in a very traumatising way the would have been past of Shen Jiu. There’s a hope he holds to, though: when he got bought, he saw Jiu-ge and his brother saw him, made a terrified expression and run away. He was surely making a plan with Qi-ge to save him, none of them would never leave him.

Uh uh.

We know the drill of this world, the Never-a-Joy universe has some preferences and protagonists are the lucky winners.

Things go too far, patience’s limit has been reached and long passed, no one is coming. Shen Yuan’s furious, Shen Yuan decides that yes, he wants to let go and go ape shit, and so he does. The qi deviation is freeing, seeing blood flying everywhere cathartic. Among the flames and the dying screams, there are no survivors this time: no one helped, everyone turning their heads either because they didn’t care or because they didn’t want to incur in the young master’s retalation. Even Qiu Haitang is left to burn. Shen Yuan is glad he’ll never have to hear her annoying giggles ever again, her blind naivety. Not to mention the bitch would then come back in the future to accuse Shen Jiu, or, well, him in this case, of well deserved pluri-homicide. Good riddance, he thinks.

Painted red from head to toes, Shen Yuan is out for vengeance.

Time skip to many years later.

Shen Jiu, Shen Qingqiu is the esteemed lord of Qing Jing Peak, he’s still kind of an asshole, but because no Qiu household, no Wu Yanzi, no scum villain party! He’s more mellow of his original counterpart, but still perceive others as potential enemies, the too good disciples as potential usurpers. That’s a no no in his life schedule. Binghe, my dear Binghe, I love you but the drama is needed here! But worry not, because there’s no escape from the SVSSS vital plot moments even for scum villains!

Our dearest White Lotus, on a day like all the others (so, it starts bad, it ends worse), runs into a very peculiar scene: Shizun elegant but - oh my! - bloody robes, is being hold by another Shizun, wearing nice but cheap and very bloody robes, a dagger in his other hand. Oh my oh my, what happened here?!

Elegant-Shizun looks quite dead, so let’s call the other alive-Shizun. Binghe is scared, sure, but he notices he doesn’t care about the lifeless body. About time that bitch kicked the bucket! Shizun who?! Ptui! Just a powerful man wanting to feel better about himself by exploiting the weak! Just like the terrible people back in his village!

There’s just the little detail that there’s seems to be a Shizun too many.

Oh my oh my, what happened here indeed!

Count me as scared and intrigued! (not horny, definitely not horny) Binghe thinks, because he’s avant-gard! [I write these things with no alcohol or funny substances in me, I’m very proud of myself! Though my friends used to say that my body itself produces the drugs that enter my system]

Alive-Shizun notices him and in his eyes there’s a glint of recognition. The man smiles kindly. “Fear not, Binghe, for I’m not your enemy”

He knows his name! Stranger danger! But he killed the evil Shizun? He cannot be so bad!

At this point Shen Yuan presents himself to Binghe (while fanboying inside because LUO BINGHE! WHITE LOTUS LUO BINGHE!), outline his and Shen Jiu’s past, says he will save Binghe from his destiny yadda yadda. [Not sooo sure how this section of the narrative would go, this is just a thing I’m writing down to remember all the ideas I thought about. Will a proper story ever see the light? If the God of Fanfiction will bless me, maybe], but long story short, Shen Yuan convinces Binghe to help him hide the truth (and the body), as he will pose as Shen Qingqiu from now on. No worries about his change of character, Qi Deviations happen (so good that Shen Yuan’s spiritual veins got ruined along the way, keeps the narrative strong!) and conveniently may erase memories, right Mu-shidi? No, this master has not forgotten everything, he knows his martial family and his disciple and the main events of his life, but more like as if he read about them in a book than actually living them, and there some holes here and there. But, oh!, he remembers being quite nasty on more than one occasion though, and he’s very sorry about that!

Mu Qingfang’s smile is so strained his cheeks are sure hurting, while Qi-ge looks one step away from qi deviating himself, but they nonetheless reassure him that everything is okay, whether he remembers or not, as long as he is okay now, they will work on them his memories. And if they won’t come back… well that’s unlucky but I’ve got a whole eternity in front of me, who has time to be depressed about what is lost? Let us make new memories! - he cheerfully informs them. Yue Qingyuan faints.

In a corner, Binghe grins entertained.

This White Lotus, does he not seems too vicious? He is, he is! If you could hear what he hears, you would know of the velvet voice in his head; if could see through his eyes, from time to time, when the voice feels in need of a bit of an outlet, in the mirrors you could see an older Binghe, with a bright scarlet sigil on his forehead. But if you could meet Binghe at night, you would encounter someone completely different - that you, Bingge? A round of applause for the man with thousands of wife and not a joy in his sculpted body! (Theirs is a situation kind of Jekyll and Mr Hide, though the shape won’t change, just who’s in control). This man from the future helped his younger self, told him about the terrible things Shen Qingqiu did and will do, how rotten this man is, how he deserves all the pain of this life and the next.

Curious then, the raw scream Binghe heard in his head when he first saw dead Shizun, victorious but also pained, though he’s sure that if he brought it up Bingge would say it was anger, he, they, should be the ones bringing every Shen Jiu to his demise! Sure gege, sure.

Binghe’s new Shizun, his true Shizun as he likes to call him making the man smile, is a marvel and he’s kind and dotes on his disciple so much. Bingge boils in envy until this kindness is extended to him as well, the kind Shizun recognising a different soul in his beloved little shit sheep. “Not even being turned into a limbless body could make me hate you” Shen Yuan says as he pats Bingge hair and the half-demon understands: this man knows, somehow he knows. He’s not a reincarnation of Shen Jiu from his world, neither his wandering ghost, he just knows and he doesn’t care, about all the blood he’s spilled, sinners and innocents the same. He brought chaos and destruction, full of regrets, pain, he’s broken. But Shen Yuan pats his head and doesn’t dismiss his existence, doesn’t try to exorcise him (he wouldn’t be able but still, the thought counts!), this Shizun showers both him and his younger counter part with unconditioned love?! What witchery is this?!

Binghe seethes with jealousy: Shen Yuan is supposed to be his Shizun, umpf! Like proper siblings, they bicker a lot from then on when it comes to who has more claim on Shizun! Harmony is reached for the well being of Shizun <3 and especially when Liu Qingge starts to appear more and more on the peak. If it was to kneel in front of Shizun to thank him everyday for saving his life they would praise him, but this shameless man doesn’t know his limits! This Brute should stay on his Brutes Peak and that’s it!

And who’s this plain guy going to and forth from Shizun’s house lately? Oh, wait. Shizun’s whacking his head with his fan again, good good. But. But! Shizun never let them stay in the Bamboo house whenever this Shang guy comes! Shizuuuuun!

The first time the man came to visit, he silently looked at this Shizun for a very, long, awkward time and than said just one word: Airplane. Shizun almost spat his tea (he actually did, but the Luo “brothers” are going to forever protect his dignity). What the hell is an airplane?!

After few weeks, Shang-guy starts coming every.fucking.single.day. Binghe and Bingge are this close to give him the Shen Jiu treatment but their Shizun placate them, with a promise or another (not even one went broken; their Shizun is the best <3).

After a month nothing changed. Well, unless you notice one less Shang going around Cang Qiong mountain (but just some An Ding disciples ever noticed there were two, a plain set of twins, to tell the truth). Everything goes much smoother though, this everyone becomes aware off. And Shang Qinghua doesn’t give off rat vibes anymore, he feels more like an overworked hamster. The Peak Lords look at the unsightly (but recently often together) pair of Shen Qingqiu and Shan Qinghua quietly talking to each other and shrug it off: if the whole Sect benefits from it, no one should think too much about going to the root of it. AND the demon lord of the North Region asked for a peace treat??? The Sect is confusion; the lost look that Yue Qingyuan gives to his second in command makes Shen Yuan burst in laughter in front of everyone. But Shixiong, is it not an event who shall be rejoyced? You should smile as well!

The only one who caught some words of the whispered conversation was Luo Binghe who dutifully later transcribed them in his notebook “Shizun’s code” (he’s sure he will decipher it one day). It went as follows:

SQH: Broooo, so much more paperwork! Double paperwork! I swear, I’m going to die!

SHIZUN <3: Is it not worth it, though?

SQH: Oh sure, didi dearest didn’t pass the vibe test

SHIZUN <3: The bitch was empty

SQH: Rightfully yeeted out of the Mountain and of life

BOTH: Good riddance

SQH: Say, bro, would you like to hear the story of Tianlang-jun? I think the Bing Bros should stay as well this time

Under the roof of the Bamboo House, drink tea the Imposters Imperceptible.

(No, Shang Qinghua didn’t avoid the fan whacking once the whole truth was out. The Bing Bros are not sure why Shizun is taking out his anger on his friend but he’s wise and surely has his reasons <3).

{Hi everyone! Long time no see! I finally had some free days, which mean enough time to recharge my writer energy juice. I haven’t abandoned my other works, especially the BNHA myths AU, but work truly sucks out all my life force. Still, Tumblr is a magical place where even a forgotten, old something can suddenly see light again, so thank you so much for all the likes and reblogs! They make me so happy (and a bit teary) <3}

#svsss thoughts #plot bunny #shen yuan #shen jiu #luo binghe #bingge #shang qinghua #inspired by #imposter imperceptible #svsss #scum villain self saving system

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tiianwens · 4 months

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𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆: @xiianxias — YĪNG JIĀ

in the end, it's all yīng jiā's fault: being sick in the first place is a divine punishment, a sign from the heavens above that he must be a fundamentally flawed person --- because if he were good and worthy, he'd be rendered whole again; the fact that he hasn't been is a damning one. he should've known today was going to be a bad day --- he'd woken up drenched in sweat, was too nauseous to eat anything, and had gotten lightheaded even during his morning meditation. his chest is aching and burning, like something is trying to claw its way out of his lungs. yīng jiā holds a hand against the wall for support, vision clouding over with each shaky step he takes. it feels like he's dying. this time, he wonders if he really is. he tugs a bloodstained handkerchief from the sleeve of his robe and coughs into it, but this time, there's too much blood --- it soaks through the fabric and splatters down the front of his robes; in between fits of agonized coughing, he struggles to suck down even half a breath of air. the world tilts, and he steps wrong; with an uncharacteristically graceless stumble, he falls as if in slow motion, slumping on the ground. yīng jiā doubts his master is nearby; even so, to call out for him feels instinctual. after all, his master is the one who's going to teach him the cultivation techniques he needs to get better ... ! "shizun," he manages feebly. blood dribbles down his chin. he coughs again, and his vision nearly whites out. "shizun, please ... help me ... "

THE PRISTINE WHITES of his robes always shied away from the dirt and blood of worldly affairs — such is the nature of a man devoid of warmth, a wildfire raging without a spark. Disgusted at the thought of being stained, of being tainted, afraid of being too exposed, yet the gut-churning sound of such violent coughing adds vigor to his step. Chu Wanning allows it to get under his skin. He allows the words to pierce his heart. So similar to the gentle, childish voice from years ago, so vulnerable to trust. 'Shizun, please pay attention to me...'

So he lowers himself, catching the other in his arms. A glowing trail of spiritual energy flows through his fingers pressed against Yīng Jiā's chest to place a temporary seal and hold back the damage. White sleeves are so easy to stain, fresh crimson soaking through delicate fabric — there's not enough time to take out his own handkerchief, embroidered with a flower of haitang, and this amount of blood would never wash off completely, it would never–

His hands are shaking but his voice is cold. ❝ Breathe, ❞ it commands, and the glow of golden light still lingers, as soothing as he can muster, as gentle as his hands know how to be. Brows knit together, blade-sharp, nothing but collected hollowness and familiar disapproval behind his phoenix eyes — the healing spell is superficial, too weak to save a life but wilful enough to drain the life force of its caster until the flow of blood subsides. ❝ Focus on my voice and keep breathing, ❞ Chu Wanning instructs again, but with his chest pressed against the other's back, wouldn't the violence of his heart be too obvious? It's pitiful, almost, how he cannot find it in him to muster a gentler 'I'm here'. How he listens to the frantic, ragged breathing, a hand resting briefly upon the burning forehead. How he wishes to find a way to never see so much blood again.

❝ You shouldn't have exerted yourself this much, ❞ there must be a way, there has to be a way... ❝ Don't move, just breathe. I'll take you to your room when you're able to walk. ❞

#xiianxias #v: sisheng peak — 1.5 #panics in passive aggression

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incognito-lionbeast · 1 year

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SJ Returns!AU thoughts & additional story – RE: Yue Qingyuan (ft. Shen Jiu) [Master Post] -------------------

Which was to say, there was much to unpack. Shen Jiu’s return, the fact that he was here and willing to talk to him was nothing short of a miracle. Yet, there were some very complicated feelings to go along with that, and not just about their shared history, either. Because, if he accepted that this young man was the real Shen Jiu (and he did), then… if Yue Qingyuan was truly honest with himself, he wasn’t all that surprised that Shen Qingqiu was someone else. Amnesia from a qi deviation could account for memory loss, but there were things that never made sense no matter how he hoped otherwise.

A good example came from around the time of Tianlang-Jun’s invasion and the knowledge “Shen Qingqiu” had regarding the subject. Inexplicably. Yet, then and even still now, Yue Qingyuan chose trust and acceptance. While he didn’t regret that trust, he couldn’t help feeling a little foolish, knowing that he’d so desperately held onto the hope that Shen Qingqiu was still the same… even with evidence against it. He wanted to believe in the small chance that Shen Qingqiu might suddenly remember. Perhaps his confession on Maigu Ridge was as much a dying man’s desperation as it was confirmation that Shen Jiu was well and truly gone.

But he was there now.

So where did that leave the soul Yue Qingyuan had known for the past dozen years?

He couldn’t help feeling sincere affection for Shen (Yuan) Qingqiu. Even if he wasn’t the man he’d been pretending to be all these years, even if perhaps some of that was misplaced affection for the Original. Shen Qingqiu, by his own merit, was an extraordinarily loyal and caring man, he thought. Perhaps just as extraordinarily flawed, but who was he to judge? Some might argue that he ought to judge a little, but Yue Qingyuan didn’t have the heart. Though, as Sect Leader, he had to take this seriously, too. An imposter had been living among them for over a decade, and no matter how much he liked them… well, at the very least, Yue Qingyuan needed answers.

It wasn’t a possession insofar as any conventional means could detect. So what then? Shen Jiu seemed to be in a similar position, but neither could he explain the details. Well, only time would tell.

The time between Shen Jiu’s arrival and the confrontation with Shen Qingqiu was both indescribably long and far too short. Explaining everything that happened in Shen Jiu’s absence was a horribly awkward task; though at least Shen Jiu could recount some of it on his own, if partially through the lens of rumour and hearsay (also, as far as Shen Jiu was concerned, confirmation that Shen Qingqiu & Luo Binghe had married was enough on that subject). On the other hand, Shen Jiu’s account of his own life…

Yue Qingyuan felt privileged that he was willing to share anything at all. Based on what precious scraps of information Shen Jiu volunteered, his second try sounded far more kind. If anything, he seemed the most put-out that he’d had to suffer being a child again. Yet, in exchange, certain opportunities had been returned to him. So, he came back.

It eased Yue Qingyuan’s heart some.

(If I’m vague about Shen Jiu’s experiences, it’s because I haven’t fully determined what they are yet. I’ve tossed around a few ideas—including one where Qiu Haitang is the person who finds/takes care of freshly-transmigrated Shen Jiu. Which is very tempting, but would require considerable thought & development to make work.)

In any case, as the day of Shen Qingqiu’s visit drew nearer, Yue Qingyuan wasn’t any more certain of how he ought to feel. Shen Jiu asserted firmly that he didn’t want his old body back, which made things a little easier… suppose… Yet, he couldn’t help experiencing a twinge of sadness at how vehemently Shen Jiu insisted — how repulsed he was by his own flesh and blood. And, by extension, the shared memories attached to it. Perhaps his soul mattered most, but it was a wistful sort of emotion that pricked like thorns. Yue Qingyuan could only accept and try to hide his complicated expression.

Xiao Jiu willing, perhaps they’d make new memories. He placated himself with the thought (though don’t let Shen Jiu know he’d used that name again), mulling over what it would take… and what’s more, how he was to go about forgiving himself like Shen Jiu insisted. There were still things he needed to explain— like what he’d told Shen Qingqiu that day at Maigu Ridge, for starters. Hopefully, he’d be able to speak of it a second time without nearly dying first, but either way that was a topic for the future. Probably. Shen Jiu hadn’t actually asked about it yet. Maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe Yue Qingyuan needed to stop trying to desperately make up for the years spent apart and slow down. That was probably true.

So, as an aside–

Shen Jiu spent the first night back at Cang Qiong mountain completely unable to sleep. The next few nights, he managed somehow, sitting with his back toward the wall in a corner of Yue Qingyuan’s room. They’d agreed to wait on sending him to the disciples’ quarters ‘til after they settled things with Shen Qingqiu. So, he’d been reading. Adjusting to being back. Yue Qingyuan didn’t mind the company; it wasn’t as if they’d never shared a room before. Yet, it was on those final two nights before the confrontation that Shen Jiu surprised him. He’d thus far denied the use of a bed—any bed; and yet, when Yue Qingyuan returned from a very long day of being Sect Leader, he found Shen Jiu both times laid crumpled up on his side in his bed, fast asleep.

If it weren’t for a nagging sense of propriety, Yue Qingyuan might have joined him.

#SJ AU #I really need to go back & tag the others #Shen Jiu #Yue Qingyuan #SVSSS #Bay babbles #bay scribbles #I think this counts as fic atp

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shen-daozhang · 2 years

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Hua Binan in the AU I'm writing where he succeeds in giving Chu Wanning the Flower: Surely he will love me now

Mo Ran: *exists*

Hua Binan: god fucking dammit are you kidding me

#press f to pay respects to HBN who cannot force CWN to love him in any universe #rip problematic king #kinda want to write something from his pov about the whole situation #to be clear he's a very very minor character in my AU #tho his finger prints are all over the place at this point he only make one brief appearance which is mostly me being self indulgent #blood like haitang #is it tacky to make dumb posts about my own fanfic AUs yes do i care no

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greenflamedwriter · 2 years

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Be careful who you badmouth Part two

But he wasn't going to turn himself in- if he could escape then maybe he could get another year. Maybe!

He sure made a run for his money, but this was Sha Hualing AND Liu Mingyan-

he barely made it out.

He was slammed into the ground with Sha Hualing sitting on his back.

"That was fun, but my Lord requested for you so please make this easy for us." Liu Mingyan produced immortal binding cables and Shen Yuan knew...he was fucked.

He was dragged towards the Huan Hua palace that was also merged with Luo Binghe's demonic palace.

...With the gold of the Huan Palace and the black and red from the demonic realm combined it looked like an evil mcdonals kingdom.

Those reds and yellows made him hungry.

He ascended the steps with the two wives behind him and he felt his own fear begin to heighten.

Liu Mingyan noticed, "There's no need to fear. Lord Binghe wanted to talk to you."

That didn't make him feel better.

Once he was guided to the throne room, he saw men on their hands and knees tied up as they turned once they heard the doors open.

Shen Yuan was dumped unceremoniously on the floor he knew he was fucked.

Maybe he’ll have his arms ripped off, before he has his core crushed. It was said to be the most agonising thing to happen to a person. Maybe he would be tortured through his blood parasites.

“Boss!”

“Leader!”

“Wen Pantu!”

Ugh what type of name was that!? Was that what he was called?

“Gege?” He turned and saw a man who was strikingly similar to his own features.

Who was he?

“Where did you go? You left after the meeting- what…”

The others turned to look at him and Shen Yuan couldn't help but feel guilty.

This men, they looked up to him [god knows why] he wouldn’t have lost sleep if they died, they were cannon fodder and if he ignored the problem everything would be fine.

And yet, faced with them, they were mostly young while others looked older. There were even children here.

Immediately he looked for Tiangmo and his worries increased before he relaxed. He was fine. If he wasn’t here he was alive,

“Master- the plan didn’t work. That demon scum truly has no weakness,” Shen Yuan froze.

Then shook his head “It’s better if we remain silent or make things worse.”

“Now, now Shizun. I would like to hear what your men wanted to achieve by attacking this lords palace.”

Before he could look up, most of the wives forced the men into a bow, Shen Yuan followed suit but still felt the claws of one of the wives gripping his hair keeping him down.

"To attack my palace, do you take responsibilty for these men, sending them to do your dirty work then running away like a coward?"

Shen Yuan flinched, then scowled.

"Yes- Yes I do- so please don't hurt them, I encouraged them to act out they wouldn't have done anything- I take full responsibility! So please have mercy! Most are young boys who don't know what they're thinking!" He cried out his head looking up he opened his mouth to speak more.

T-Tiangmo Yingcang!?

Shen Yuan realised with dawning horror- the boy who acted pitiful, asking so many questions all while hiding who he was to trick Shen Yuan into revealing that he was plotting against the demon lord!

His face paled and he wobbled almost feinting.

He was with Lord Luo Binghe the whole time!?

"If you could talk to Lord Binghe what would you say?

"Do you know the rebels?"

"I planned on finding the rebels from the start."

"What would happen if Luo Binghe brought back cultivation."

The boy sat on the throne, one hand on his cheek with a smirk. His brides from what Shen Yuan could gather was around him. Ning Yingying, the Palace mistress, the sisters, Qui Haitang.

The young boy who was with him, all those months he was- was looking at him in bemusment.

Tiangmo Yingcang- no Luo Binghe was with him the whole time.

Shen Yuan realised with dawning horror- the boy who acted pitiful, asking so many questions all while hiding who he was to trick Shen Yuan into revealing that he was plotting against the demon lord!

His face paled and he wobbled almost feinting.

He was with Lord Luo Binghe the whole time!?

If Shen Yuan had anything in his stomach he would've thrown up. He watched how Luo Binghe approached his throne and began to sprawl in it, looking every bit like the cocky leader that he was.

He looked amused his eyes quirkced and Shen Yuan felt vile.

He was such an idiot.

Luo Binghe chuckled "You look terrible. Shen Yuan."

No shit- Shen Yuan was going to be executed!

Liu Mingyan spoke "We were watching him for a while, he went from town to town in a daze. Most Mortals thought he was a ghoul, or demon."

...He resented that.

"The moron was also robbed, twice." Sha Hualing snickered, there was a sound as she showed something.

"We recovered everything we could. But he didn't look like he cared. He even had no money for food then gave it away, he even slept outside occasionaly."

Luo Binghe only looked amused, "Is that so?" He leaned forward one resting on his leg.

Luo Binghe gazed down at Shen Yuan, watching how this rebels leaders eyes were red and tear streaks down his face and he looked pale and guant. A cultivator couldn't get sick but Shen Yuan looked like he was wasting away.

Did he care for those rebels so much?

Or, Luo Binghe hoped, he felt sad for him. Worrying Luo Binghe fell to the heavenly demon lord.

Luo Binghe couldn't begin to hope. He wanted to believe Shen Yuan and knew those months with this rogue cultivator showed an honest side to him.

But he could never trust it, especially someone who knew Luo Binghe so well. Shen Yuan was a threat.

So he decided to humour him, Shen Yuan should be lucky as Luo Binghe killed for less...well none were as intersting as his Shizun.

“Tell your leader what you hoped to achieve.”

The man on his right, who he was guessing was his sibling spoke.

“We invaded the Huan Hua Palace’s library and sect records.”

Now Shen Yuan blinked- what?

“We weren’t able to find any of the information needed to do with our mission but we got caught.”

Luo Binghe eased on his throne, looking every bit as an arrogant emperor.

“And what were you hoping to look for?”

“The history of Cang Qiong Mountain, their arrays and talismans, along with the Huan Hua Palace talismans.”

Shen Yuan stared, why were you telling him-

Oh yeah the protagonist.

But talismans? What was the goal, what were they trying to achieve with that?

“And what did you plan on doing with those talismans and research?”

“Our master told us nothing, he said the less we knew the better.” Here his sibling looked at him. They all did.

Crap- he had no idea what this plot even was!?

Think!

What did Cang Qiong Mountain and Huan Hua palace have in common-

Wait no. The better question would be how would the sects information cripple Luo Binghe?

Or better yet, a heavenly demon.

“Tianglang-Jun.”

“Hmm?” Luo Binghe raised an eyebrow and Shen Yuan swallowed “Tianglang-Jun is a heavenly demon trapped underneath a mountain. He was sealed there by all the powerful cultivators of that generation including Yue Qingqyuan.”

There were murmurs, even Luo Binghe’s eyes narrowed.

“So you thought a ton of rebel cultivators could seal me away?” He could see the amusement in it. If the immortal masters of old were here then he would be worried.

But this? This was just pathetic and yet Shen Yuan had to give his former host a pat on the back. That was ingenious and would’ve been a good story for Luo Bonghe to tackle.

[that’s not the case, Shen Yuan may have jumped the gun and gave airplane too much credit]

Luo Binghe’s eyes narrowed “To commit treason you, ‘Wen Pantu, will be punished along with your men and made an example off.”

Luo Binghe made to stand but Shen Yuan called out.

“Wait!”

Luo Binghe paused, mostly humouring him at this point.

“We Cultivators may have acted rashly-“ good god he was begging, how pathetic.

“My men has made a fatal error and that was this masters fault and his alone. I beat full responsibility.” Shen Yuan spoke.

Luo Binghe shook his head.

“I’m afraid your request is denied, master Wen.” Ugh that wasn’t his name!

“I can’t let cultivators go once they’ve attacked my palace what would my people think of me? They’d call me soft.”

“Better than a heartless tyrant.”

Shen Yuan snapped. And saw the warm smile Luo Binghe had on his face, tighten.

“Hmm? What was that?” He took a step forward “I didn’t quite hear you.”

Shen yuan scowled “You heard me very well your majesty. And you’ll hear this also- you saw what you’re people were going through, facing countless beasts with no defense. Punishing those using cultivation to survive and now made to set an example of begging men who can’t live like this. Maybe others will not see us as an example to discourage but to provoke that you, Luo Binghe don’t care about your people. We are dying- barely surviving by a thread!” Shen Yuans fists tightened and saw the faces of the wives scowling at him.

“They will be more like us, and they’ll see what happens and think twice on asking for an audience and pledge to return cultivation. If a demon challenged you, you would see their proposal through. And yet when humans challenge you, you set to make an example. Do you hate humans that much?”

Luo Bonghe rested his fist on his cheek looking bored.

“Then what is your request.” Shen Yuan took a breath “This master only wants peace, to return cultivation so humans can defend against beasts demons and humans alike.” The others watched horrified as Shen Yuan bowed placing his forehead onto the floor.

“You wanted peace? Yet your men attacked me unprovoked, Wen Pantu-“

“This one’s name is Shen Yuan.” He spoke if he was going to die at least he hoped they put the right name on his headstone!

“I detached myself from Wen Pantu when I realised how ludicrous making a campaign against you was, My Lord. This one came to this conclusion too late and ran away like a coward- the fault lies with me. This one should’ve stopped these men or deterred them to better more suitable options. They were acting in my will so this one will take the responsibility.” He felt a hand touch his head, then grasp his hair and yanked his head up.

“Master Shen, you have to find me more a fool to believe this ludacrous proposal. You overestimate my mercy. I cannot let your men go, knowing that it is to invite more rebellious attacks on this Lord and his brethren. How do you suppose we continue?”

Shen Yuan grimaced eyes wide. It was true, if Shen Yuan was punished alone he would become a martyr. Others would join the cause not caring about the consequences of a power vacuum.

“Then…this Master…will swear loyalty to you. Only to you and…” his voice was quiet as he spoke. He knew Luo Binghe could do it, he knew everything about his abilities but Shen Yuan was t supposed to know it.

“This one has heard many feats about the Lord Luo Binghe. Accomplished many things and one of them was the ability to manipulate minds, their memories so to say.”

Luo Binghe’s grip tightened.

“What is it, that Master Shen wants?”

“You can erase their memories. Of me, of defying you. Have them be your servants-“

The grip on his hair tightened “And you?”

“You can do anything you want to me.”

Hah! He may be cannon fodder but unlike these low IQ fictional characters he was a person! A user, so to say he won’t be a one dimensional character and that gives him an edge he can think his way out of this he just needed to survive first!

“Very well.”

Once his men were escorted out, Luo Binghe approached him with a smile, Shen Yuan could feel sweat beading down his neck. He was so screwed.

"Come Master Shen, I believe we could discuss matters over dinner." Luo Binghe smiled, and Shen Yuan stared he was still reeling that this was the cute kid who wanted to be his disciple.

Well Luo Binghe looked a little older than his alias-

Oh god, the past few months just felt embarrising.

"Master Shen, if you please." Lord Luo Binghe gestured and Shen Yuan stood up straight and followed after the Demon Lord.

He was led towards a courtyard and saw a table being served. Luo Binghe pulled out a chair and Shen Yuan sat "Thank you, Lord Luo Binghe." he spoke bowing his head.

"Now now Shizun, there's no need with formalities." Shen Yuan flushed. To think this cute kid was really the devious protagonist and he was lying under his nose the whole time!?

Shen Yuan could only swallow "I don't want to impose my lord." He also scowled down at the food. Then his eyes narrowed further.

Was this why the food tasted bland once Luo Binghe left him alone- he was tasting his cooking. That was a huge hint!

He was brought out of his musings, as he watched Luo Binghe pick up a plate and began to pick off Shen Yuans plate, Shen Yuan watched confused as Luo Binghe ate.

"Hmm, well I can say this isn't poisoned. Theres no need to fear."

Shen Yuan flushed, shaking his head as if Luo Binghe would even react to that- the food can still be poison Luo Binghe was immune!

Shen Yuan sighed "I'm sorry, I just realised something..." He began to eat and realised he was eating the food Binghe made for his wives.

He almost choked as he realised this- he's been eating his food for months. No, no he was just being silly.

"Hmm? And what was that?"

"Why the food suddenly tasted bad once you left..." He wasn't sure why he brought this up.

"Did you miss me, Shizun?" Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed then shut tight as he placed down his chopsticks.

"You're teasing me."

"Not at all."

"I'm sorry my lord, but please humour this one. What do you want from me?"

Luo Binghe placed his chin in his hand. "I figured you would not trust me. But I never lied to you Shizun."

"You don't have to call me that- it was out of line."

Now Luo Binghe looked away, "I've never forgotten our discussions in those months I was hunting down the rebels. The strangest thing after finding those groups. Most of them were cursing you out. By a different name. Another was your brother." Shen Yuan tensed.

"Your brother spoke about you- after a vigorating speech you changed, your sudden drive turned into fear. He asked me if it was possible for me to posses those who dare to oppose me. Suddenly running away. And now taking responsibility." Luo Binghe looked at him.

"I admired you, Master Shen. You were talented and driven. But a coward? That soured my impression. I wanted to expose you, have you 'initiate' me into your rebel gang and then reveal myself. But you never did that, instead trying to pursuade me away- unless that was reverse psychology?"

Shen Yuan only picked at his food while Luo Binghe spoke. Feeling an oppresive weight rest on his shoulders.

It was fine, those men weren't real, just canon fodder. Just another point on how cool Luo Binghe was. But after seeing them it was different, he couldn't throw someone under the buss especially people this body was responsible for...

"I never left, after that first night." That snapped him out his thoughts as he looked at Luo Binghe.

His red eyes staring him down, right through his soul.

"I followed you to the inn, wondering if it was another trick. And I looked into your dreams." Luo Binghe's smirk grew predatory.

"Dreaming of Lord Luo Binghe slicing Tiangmo in two. But I have to ask, why did you picture me so differently, and why was that dream more better looking than me?"

Shen Yuan blinked, he knew Luo Binghe was a great actor and very sneaky...but right now he didn't know what he was asking.

"I gave up being a rebel, I never wanted others a part of that either. I just wanted to work on my beastiary. That was it, just live my life as a hermit."

"And what about those men, the ones who joined your cause. Will you see them? Show them what they're fighting for."

Shen Yuan sighed, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I already spoke about why taking you out of the throne will lead to nothing. I just realised that too late."

"..." Luo Binghe's fond smile vanished and Shen Yuan began to sweat waiting for the verdict.

"I would've listened if your group came to me peacfully and just asked."

Shen Yuan blinked, thinking back on the people who was killed by demons, familys in poverty, men cursing Luo Binghe as demons stole their family members and demonic cultivators using humans as cualdrons.

Are you saying not once, not one person came to ask.

Could they ask?

"...Would the Lord Luo Binghe even accept an audience?" Shen Yuan clenched his fists.

"How can mortals- humans who can barely afford food even make the trip to even get an aduadiance with his majesty! How could the survive without cultivation to not get attacked by demons or other monsters!?" Shen Yuan found his voice getting louder.

"When Cultivating is illegal- there were public executions in the streets! others having their cores burned out by your wives! I saw it!"

He remembered, it's what had him so fearful in the first place.

Luo Binghes eyes narrowed "Who did such a thing?"

"Don't play dumb, my Lord, it's beneith you. Your little Palace mistress. Any Cultivators were immedietly deemed as a threat, used as a weapon against your rule. So how? How could I come here with arms out stretched asking for help. Help in this world that was made by you by merging the realms just to make it easier for you and you expect us to fall in line. You may have lost respect for me, but you don't paint a pretty picture yourself your highness."

Fuck- his temper got the better of him.

Even Luo Binghe straightened. But he didn't look amused, his smile faded and Shen Yuan tensed.

"I- this one apologies-"

"No need." Luo Binghe smiled, and Shen Yuan knew, he royally fucked up...

___________________________________________________________

Previous Chapter: Chapter One Next Chapter: Chapter Three

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trickstarbrave · 2 years

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i have a weird idea in my head thats like. only half formed so i prob wont write it and also doesnt seem that interesting. but its just balls to the wall shit in the form of qiu haitang also being replaced by a transmigrator but like. very early on.

she knows shen jiu will kill her whole family. shes just in the body of a child though and the system wacks her if she tries to get him kicked out or even thinks about having him thrown out. so she grits her teeth and puts up with him sitting in her room or staying close by her.

until she notices things a typical child wouldnt. he is kept well groomed but usually his clothes are of lesser quality even tho hes supposed to be her fiance. sometimes his sleeves slip up and she’ll see bruises. he is unusually quiet, not the weird pervert the og sqq from pidw. he is quiet, nervous, his eyes get progressively more hopeless, and whenever her brother’s voice rings out in the house or her brother looks at him he stiffens up and looks ill.

then she hears, while sneaking around, her brother beating him. and she realizes whats rly going on here.

she ends up getting ooc freedom. she lets him hide in her room. she calls him more and more often. she gives him medicine for his bruises. she learns to hate her brother and the way he looks at her, hate the people who live there and think they can keep this from her. she talks to him, genuinely, trying hard not to poke at his abuse too much but give him an outlet. when he starts limping into her room she starts sobbing and shen jiu doesn’t even know why. shen jiu is no longer a villain who conspired against her and her family but an unwitting shackle to keep her there while they abuse him to the point of insanity.

and then one night she can’t sleep. she lays there tossing and turning. she has a bad feeling. she cant sleep knowing shen jiu is probably being hurt. qiu haitang creeps out of her room, to her brother’s study, and hears him beating shen jiu senseless, and she just snaps. she bursts in, demanding answers. she cant take it holding her tongue anymore. her brother is getting aggressive now, telling her to mind her business and go back to playing pretend, to being a good daughter to their family. he makes a motion to hit her. shen jiu attacks him from behind, enraged and he hits so hard he’s barreling toward the wall.

he barely has time to turn around before a heavy paperweight is in front of him and qiu haitang is bludgeoning him to death. system be damned, she cant fucking take this anymore!

she’s only stopped when shen jiu pulls her off him. he’s already long dead, blood coating her inner robes and the floor. his head is unrecognizable. something in her feels just as shattered as his skull. she’s killed a man.

shen jiu tells her he is going to kill everyone in his manor. she tells him to let her pack her things; she has no intention on stopping him. her love of this place and this family died when she first heard her brother beating shen jiu. its more than dead now, rotting in her heart like a corpse knowing her brother was going to beat her too for stepping in. qiu haitang simply leaves him as the manor goes up in flames with the advice to not just the new teacher he is going to get and to go to cang qiong.

qiu haitang learns cultivation on her own for a bit. shes a wandering cultivator. she wonders how much she’ll fuck up the plot if she refuses to be luo binghe’s wife. she doesnt have it in her to go after shen jiu for the murder of her family; they deserved it. and she knew shen jiu would never hurt her; that he probably never hurt the original qiu haitang either. that he had saved her after paying back everyone in that manor that had hurt him and then burnt that hell to the ground.

but then cang qiong disciples from qian cao or another peak find her. the system doesnt tell her she shouldnt. she goes. shen jiu is still a bit rotten and bitter, but hes a bit better. she encourages him to talk to yqy. she never becomes a peak lord i dont think, but i think she’d be interested in medicine after she failed to help shen jiu when they were younger with his injuries. by the time luo binghe comes sqq is still dedicated to making his life hell, but she knows why now--she called her brother a’luo. she can see the way shen jiu sees both himself and her brother in lbh. much like yqy she cant bring herself to blame him entirely; she wishes it wasn’t happening both bc lbh doesnt deserve it and she doesnt want sqq to suffer, but he is pretty dedicated to being at least a lil cruel.

i think qht figuring out shq was a fellow transmigrator early would be funny. she and an ding’s peak lord just bitch all the time locked in a room. double points if this qht is gay. sqh like “why were YOU reading by bad stallion novel” “for the hot women obviously. women are gorgeous. you write a lot of very pretty women, its hard to not find several you like and theyre really fun. dont want to be in the harem tho.”

and then ofc shen yuan transmigrates late into the game. he has no idea why qht is at cang qiong. he has no idea why yqy is a little nicer to him than usual. he acts like she is going to ruin his life. its only after a while she figures out this is NOT shen jiu. and slowly spirals as she realizes her friend is fucking gone. shen jiu is gone, for good. shen yuan has no idea how to help. he does however get the exposition dump of sqq’s sad backstory though, which he may or may not use for sympathy with lbh.

now theres three idiots bitching about missing the internet and what to do with the plot even before the conference. theyve potentially thoroughly fucked it up now. shq doesnt wanna die. sqq doesnt wanna have his limbs cut up. qht doesnt wanna be in a harem and misses her childhood best friend.

#svsss #i just want this out of my brain in hopes i can stop thinking abt it #qiu haitang #shen jiu #shen qingqiu

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2hatranslation · 2 years

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Chapter One: This Venerable One Dies

Before Mo Ran became the Emperor, there were always people calling him a dog.

The shopkeepers used to rebuke him as the “son of a dog,” the customers called him a “puppy,” his cousin would swear he was a “piece-of-shit mutt,” and most important of all, his own mother claimed he was “raised by a bitch¹.”

Of course, not all of the dog comparisons were quite so bad. For example, he had the stamina of a dog in a rut. His paramours² always grumbled about that in moments of feigned anger; though his honeyed voice could ensnare the soul, the deadly weapon below his belt was not nearly so sweet, and could steal away one’s very life. But despite their complaints, thinking themselves incredibly clever,³ they would turn around and brag to others afterwards, to the point that the entire district knew that the man named Mo Weiyu’s handsome looks hid a sexual energy that was not so easily quenched. Those who had slept with him were very satisfied, and those who hadn’t wished to be overwhelmed too!⁴

In all honesty, the people who called him a dog were not entirely incorrect. Mo Ran was indeed like a dumb dog thoughtlessly wagging its tail.

It wasn't until he became the Emperor of the Cultivation World that these names truly disappeared.

One day, a smaller Sect⁵ from very far away gifted him a puppy.

The dog was gray and white, with three marks like licks of flame, three spots of reddish fur⁶ upon its forehead, almost like a wolf. But it was only about as large as a melon, and was just as round and fat⁷ as one besides; and it thought itself very fearsome indeed as it dashed about the great hall with wild, reckless abandon. Sometimes it tried to climb the high steps to try to see the lord seated upon the throne, but because its legs were just too short, every attempt ended in failure.

Mo Ran had stared for a while at that energetic, witless little furball, before bursting into laughter. Through his guffaws, he couldn’t help but call it a stupid mutt.

This little puppy swiftly grew to become a large dog; then that large dog became an old dog; and finally, that old dog became a dead dog.

Mo Ran’s eyes fell shut and then he opened them once again. His life had been filled with endless ups and downs, so much so that he stopped caring what people thought of him.⁸ And just like that, thirty-two years had passed.

He was tired of all the games, the boredom, the loneliness. As the years passed, fewer and fewer familiar people remained by his side. Even the three flames had been snuffed out. bereft of purpose, his will to achieve great tasks or to prove anything to anyone had gone with it.⁹ And he thought, it’s about time to bring all of this to a close.

He picked up a crystalline, plump, expensive looking grape and slowly peeled away its purple skin.

Like the King of Qing peeling off the Orchid Consort’s robes, his movements were deliberate yet pensive; there was a slowness to it, a creeping exhaustion. The grape was biyingying,¹⁰ so delectable and soft in his hands; its juices spilled out, purple and delicate like the wild geese flowing from the Danxia region, like the haitang blossoms fluttering asleep in the spring.

Like dirty blood.

He swallowed the sweet nectar while examining his fingertips before blinking lazily.

He thought that the shichen was almost up.

It was time for him to go to Hell.

Mo Ran, Mo Weiyu.

The Cultivation World’s First King.

It was not comfortable sitting in such a position. What one needs is not just extraordinary cultivation skill, but also a thick skinned cheekiness.

Before he had unified the realms, the Ten Great Sects fought each other as fiercely as tigers and dragons over divided territories. Since the sects were all constrained by one another, it was impossible for one sect to rise above the rest. Moreover, the Sect Leaders were all holier-than-thou nerds who spent too much time reading the classics! Even if any of them considered messing around with titles, they would have been too wary of how history would perceive them in the future, too afraid of being remembered in infamy.¹¹

But Mo Ran was different.

Mo Ran was a liumang, a hooligan.

What others feared to do, he did it all. He drank the most fragrant wine in the world, married the most beautiful woman in the world. First he had become the leader of the unified Cultivation realm—the One Who Stepped Upon Immortals, Taxian-Jun¹²—and only then did he grant himself the title of Emperor.

All surrendered to him.

All those who did not wish to surrender were driven to absolute extermination.¹³ His tyrannical reign over the Cultivation realm could be described as bloody and sorrowful.¹⁴ Numerous cultivators fought and lost; the Rufeng Sect from the Ten Great Sects was even destroyed completely.

Even Mo Ran’s esteemed master was unable to escape from his demonic grasp. Having lost to Mo Ran in a duel, the esteemed master was taken and imprisoned in the palace by his beloved disciple, never to be heard from again.

The once-clear waters of the Yellow River are now misty; the once-peaceful seas had become utterly chaotic.¹⁵

The Dog Emperor wasn’t one to spend his days reading and he was a man without any taboos,¹⁶ so during his reign, many ridiculous and absurd actions were taken. For example, just look at the dynastic names of his reign:

For the first three years of his rule, the Era Name he selected was “Wang Ba,” or “Pimp Bastard”,¹�� which he had thought of as he was sitting by his pond and feeding fish.

For the second three years, his Era Name was “Qua,” or “Croaker,” which was divinely inspired by the calls of the frogs in his courtyard during the summertime; surely, this would not disappoint the gods.

The literati¹⁸ thought there could be nothing worse than “Pimp Bastard” or “Croaker” for an Era Name, but they really didn’t know Mo Weiyu at all!

During the third Era, dissenters started crawling from their holes to move against him.¹⁹ Whether they were Buddhists, Taoists, or spiritual Cultivators, those who could no longer stand Mo Ran’s tyranny began to rise up against him, one right after another.

In response, Mo Ran thought about it for a long time; and after countless revisions, his Earth-Shattering Majesty, feared by both ghosts and immortals alike, chose the new Era Name of “Jiba,” or “Peacemaker.”

So the implied meaning wasn’t bad: the words the Emperor had thought up were taken from the spirit of the statement, “Stop the War, Cease the Troops;”¹⁹ however, the literate few seemed… just a little embarrassed by speaking the name.

Those who were illiterate felt the title to be even more awkward…

Spoken aloud, the “The First Year of the Peacemaker” sounded… well… like the Reign of “Cock and Balls.”²¹

The second year sounded like “the Second Year of the Cock.”

The word Cock was used for the third year too.

People started cursing his name behind locked doors. “Ridiculous! Why don’t we just call it the Century of the Dick to complete this circle? Going forward, if you ask a man, no need to ask for their age. Just ask how old their dick is! You can call a hundred year old master, A Hundred Year Old Dick!”

Finally, these three difficult years passed too and it was time to replace the long-suffering title “Peacemaker.”

People from all over the world waited fearfully²² to see what the Emperor would come up with for his fourth Era Name, but this time Mo Ran no longer had the possibility to even consider one because in this year, the turmoil in his realm finally exploded. The heroes who had swallowed complaints and endured hardships for ten years finally united together to form a vast army, millions strong, ready to attack the palace of the Emperor Mo Weiyu.²³

The Cultivation world did not need an Emperor.

Especially since this one was such a tyrant!

After months of bloody persistence, the rebels finally came to the foot of Sisheng mountain. This steep mountain in the Kingdom of Shu²⁴ was surrounded by clouds and mist year-round, with Mo Ran’s palace standing majestically upon its apex.

The arrows were already notched;²⁵ they were already so close to overthrowing this tyrant. And yet, this blow was also the most difficult. Though the hopes of victory were already in the eyes of the men, these strangers who had gathered to fight the same enemy, they also began to harbor doubt and fear. If the old emperor was destroyed, then who was to say that there wouldn’t be some new order? Nobody wanted to take the first step and take the lead in attacking the mountain.

They were also afraid that this tyrant would secretly mount a surprise attack,²⁶ baring his beastly teeth and destroying all those who dared to attack his palace, shredding them into so much trash.

Someone said darkly, “Mo Weiyu still has high spiritual powers and is still dangerous. We need to be cautious and not fall for his ways.”

The generals all agreed.

At that moment, a young man with an extraordinarily beautiful countenance came forth. He wore light silver-blue armor and a belt with a lion’s head in silver clinched at his waist; his ponytail was high and fastened by a silver hair piece.

This young man’s expression was ugly. “We’re all at the foot of the mountain and you’re still hesitating and complaining, not wanting to go up! Do you want to wait for Mo Weiyu to climb down himself? What a timid, useless group of garbage!”

As he said this, the surrounding people became enraged. “How can Master Xue even talk? What is wrong with being cautious? All soldiers need to be cautious. If we’re all irresponsible and reckless like you then who will be responsible when something goes wrong?”

Immediately, someone else taunted: “Hehe, Master Xue is the Pride of the Heavens.²⁷ We are just ordinary men. Since the Pride of the Heavens can’t wait to brawl with the Emperor of the Human World, then why don’t you just go up the mountain first? Let’s have wine and snacks at the bottom of the mountain and wait for you to knock Mo Weiyu’s head off, would that be good?”

These remarks were a bit aggressive. An old Buddhist monk stilled a young man who was about to attack, then turned towards the young man named Xue, expression full of sympathetic kindness. “Master Xue, please listen to what this old man says. This old monk knows that you and Mo Weiyu have a deep personal grudge against one another, however the palace invasion is far more important. You ought to think of others.”

This important person²⁸ called Master Xue was named Xue Meng. More than ten years ago, he had been a promising young leader, a pride of the Heavens.

Yet much time had passed and—as powerful people who lose their power are commonly degraded—he now had to endure the ridicule and harassment of these people just to face Mo Ran again.

Xue Meng’s face twisted. He tried his best to hide his shaking lips when he asked, “So then, how long will you wait?”

“At least until the timing is right.”

“But what if Mo Weiyu has laid out an ambush?”

The older monk who had spoken earlier tried to persuade him again, “Master Xue, do not worry. We’re already at the foot of the mountain and it’s better to be responsible. Mo Weiyu is now trapped in his palace and cannot come down from his mountain. He has already extended himself to his limits.²⁹ There are so many impressive and wealthy nobles here. What will happen if we all lose our lives?”

Xue Meng suddenly became furious. “Responsible? Then let me ask you, who is responsible for my Shizun’s life? Mo Ran has entrapped my Shizun for ten years! For ten years! Right now, my master is on that mountain! How can you make me wait?”

When people heard him mentioning his Shizun, their expressions twisted with guilt.

Some people looked ashamed while others looked to the left and then to the right, muttering discontentedly.

“Ten years ago, Mo Ran became the immortal monarch and planned to slaughter the seventy two cities of the Rufeng Sect as well as wipe out the remaining nine martial Sects. Later, he claimed himself Emperor and desired to drive you all into extinction. Who finally stopped him from causing these two catastrophes? If it wasn’t for my master fighting to the death, would you all still be alive? Can you stand here and speak to me with a clear conscience?”

Eventually someone coughed and spoke gently, “Master Xue, don’t be angry. We feel guilt and gratitude towards Master Chu’s actions. But, as you said, he’s been under house arrest for ten years. If something had already happened…well, it happened a long time ago. We’ve all been waiting ten years and there really isn’t any hurry, right?”

“Fuck you! Just go fuck off!”³⁰

The man’s eyes widened. “How can you say such things?”

“Why can’t I say this? My Shizun…he stayed and fought to the death to save people like you…these people like you…”

He couldn’t speak anymore, choking out, “I am unworthy of him.”

At the end, Xue Meng turned his head forward, his shoulders trembling as he held back tears.

“We didn’t say that we weren’t going to save Master Chu!”

“That’s right! We all know of Master Chu’s goodness, we won’t forget about him. When you say something like this Master Xue, you’re acting very ungrateful, calling us faithless! Some of us really can’t stand for it.”

“That being said, isn’t Mo Ran one of Master Chu’s disciples?” Someone else added softly, “I want to say that if the apprentice is up to no good then the Master should also be held responsible. After all, ‘it’s the father’s fault if the son is lazy; it’s the teacher’s fault if the student is poorly educated.’³¹ It’s just the nature of the world. There’s nothing to complain about.”

That was needlessly cruel, and some immediately stopped drinking. “What nonsense! Watch what you say.”

The man then turned his head to persuade Xue Meng with a consoling expression.

“Master Xue, don’t worry.”

Xue Meng viciously interrupted the conversation, his expression full of pain. “How can I not be in a hurry? You speak without heartbreak, but that’s my Shizun! Mine! I haven’t seen him for so many years! I don’t know if he is dead or alive, I don’t know how he is doing, why else do you think that I am standing here?”

He panted, his eyes red-rimmed. “Do you think that if you wait like this, Mo Weiyu will come down from his mountain by himself, to prostrate himself before you and beg for mercy?”

“Master Xue…”

“Except for Shizun, I don’t have anyone else important in the world.” Xue Meng broke away from the old monk who was gripping his clothes and hoarsely spoke, “If you don’t go, then I will just go by myself.”

Having given his speech, he went up the mountain alone, with only his sword.

The cold, damp wind carried a thousand leaves; in the cool fog, it felt as though they were countless ghosts whispering and rustling in the mountains and forests, seemingly expressing their own grievances.³²

Xue Meng walked alone to the top of the mountain where Mo Ran’s majestic palace awaited him, lit with peaceful candlelight against the night sky. Right next to Tongtian Pagoda, he suddenly noticed three graves. As he approached, he saw that the first grave was covered in grass, with eight crooked and ugly characters declaring: “The Tomb of the ‘Nobly Chaste’ Empress Chu.”

Opposite the tomb of the “Steamed” Consort³³ was another tomb, freshly covered with soil and chiseled with the title, “The Oil-Fried Empress of the Song Family.”³⁴

“…”

If this was something that happened ten years ago, Xue Meng would have laughed at such an absurd sight.

Back then, he served the same master as Mo Ran. Mo Ran was the type of apprentice who would always play tricks and tell jokes. Even though Xue Meng had not particularly liked him, he would still have been amused by him half the time.

This Steamed Empress, this Oil-Fried Empress…he didn’t know whose ghosts these were! These were probably the tombstones set by the “Talented” Mo Ran for his two wives. They were not dissimilar to his “Pimp Bastard,” “Croaker,” and “Peacemaker” titles. But why would he give such titles to his queens? It was unknown.

Xue Meng looked at the third grave. There was a bottle of White Pear Blossom wine in front of the grave, a bowl of cold red oil and a few spicy dishes—all of which had been Mo Ran’s favorite foods.

Xue Meng stared at it blankly, shocking himself. Could it be that Mo Weiyu didn’t even want to resist? Had he already dug his own grave and resolved to die in it?

A cold sweat overcame him.

He couldn’t believe it. Mo Ran was always someone who will fight until the end, never knowing the meaning of exhaustion; he’s never been one to give up and would rather fight to the death with the rebels. How could he…

During the last ten years, Mo Ran was at the apex of his power. What did he see? What happened?

Nobody knew.

Xue Meng turned toward the brightly lit Wushan Temple.

Inside the Wushan Temple, Mo Ran’s eyes were closed and his complexion was pallid.

Xue Meng was correct — he had planned to die. Outside, the third grave was one that he had dug for himself. A shichen ago, he had dismissed all his servants via teleportation and poisoned himself. Given that his own Cultivation level is high, the poison’s properties spread particularly slowly through his body. Therefore, his suffering was prolonged and the destruction of his internal organs was far more agonizing.

Creak. The door of the palace opened.

Mo Ran, without raising his head, only hoarsely asked, “Xue Meng. It’s you…are you here?”

Above the golden bricks in this hall, Xue Meng stood alone, his ponytail mussed, his golden armor reflecting the borrowed light.

Brothers meeting again under the same roof! Mo Ran was emotionless, sitting on his side with his slender and thick eyelashes curling in front of his eyes.

Though everyone called him a demon with formidable abilities,³⁶ he was actually a very beautiful person. The curve of his nose was well proportioned; his lip color was pleasant. His entire physical appearance conveyed one of gentleness and sweetness. Judging by appearance alone, one might think that this was a good, skilled, and desirable person.

When Xue Meng saw his face however, he knew that he had indeed poisoned himself. Xue Meng didn’t know anything else, but he stopped talking, squeezing his hands into fists. “Where is our Master?”

“…what?”

Xue Meng loudly explained: “I ask you, where is Shizun? Yours, mine, our master?!”

“Oh.” Mo Ran snorted quietly before opening his violet irises, diluted to blackness. He appeared to be far away, distant, as though he and Xue Meng were mountains and valleys apart.³⁷

“Oh, you and Shizun have not seen each other for five years, since that farewell at the Snow Palace in the Kunlun mountains.”

Mo Ran smiled slightly.

“Xue Meng, do you miss him?”

“Stop being ridiculous! Give him back to me!”

Mo Ran only glanced at him calmly, showing no discomfort from the pain in his stomach as his mouth twisted mockingly before leaning back upon his Emperor’s seat.

Vision darkening, he could feel it clearly as his insides twisted and dissolved, turning into foul blood.

But Mo Ran only drawled, “Give him back to you? Stupid. You didn’t even think at all. How could I allow our Master to live in this world when I hated him so deeply?”

“You!” Xue Meng’s entire face complexion turned bloodless, eyes widening as he stepped back. “You cannot…you wouldn’t…!”

“I don’t know…what can’t I do?” Mo Ran replied gently. “You just talked about it, so why can’t I do it?”

Xue Meng trembled. “But he is your…he is your Shizun. How could you do something like this?”

He looked up at Mo Ran sitting on his throne high above. As Fuxi dwelt in the Heavens and Yama in the Underworld, so was Mo Weiyu on Earth.³⁸

But Xue Meng thought, even if Mo Ran became the Emperor of the Human World… even still, he shouldn’t be like this!

Xue Meng started trembling all over, his tears rolling with his hate. ‘Mo Weiyu…are you still human?! He used to…”

Mo Ran raised his eyes then. “What did he used to do…?”

Xue Meng trembled. “How he used to treat you, you should know…”

Mo Ran smiled suddenly. “So you want to remind me of how he used to beat every inch of my body until it was black and blue?³⁹ How he made me kneel down in front of everyone important and confess my sins? Or do you want to remind me how he used to stand in front of you and all those other nobodies, hiding all my good deeds and showcasing all my crimes?”

Xue Meng shook his head in pain: "..."

No, Mo Ran!

Please just think about it, let go of your horrible hate. Look back.

He once took you in to practice martial arts and protected you well.

He once taught you how to read so that you could read books, understand poetry, and paint.

He learned how to cook for you, and hurt his own hands from clumsiness.

He even used to…he used to wait for you to come home day and night, awake and alone from dark until dawn…

There were too many words in his throat so in the end, Xue Meng only choked and said:

"He… he has a terrible temper and his words are always awkward, but even I know he treated you so well, why are you… how can your heart bear such a thing…!”

Xue Meng raised his head; he still had many tears to cry, but his throat was blocked and he could not continue.

After a long pause, a soft sigh was the only sound amidst the dark halls. “Yes.”

“But Xue Meng… don’t you know?” Mo Ran’s voice was tired. “He killed the only person I loved dearly. The only one.”

A dead silence filled the room then.

Mo Ran’s stomach felt inflamed, his flesh and bone torn into a thousand pieces.

“Well, for better or for worse, he is still my teacher, and I am still his apprentice. His corpse is in the Red Lotus Water Pavilion in Lanfeng. Lying amidst the lotuses, it’s well preserved enough; one could pretend he is merely sleeping.” Mo Ran calmed down as he said this, face expressionless, fingers resting upon the long red sandalwood case. His knuckles were already the pale blue of sickness.

“His corpse’s state depends upon my spiritual abilities to keep it from rotting. So if you miss him, don’t bother with me here. Go to him while I am not yet dead.”

With the sweet taste of phlegm in his throat, Mo Ran coughed a few times. When he finally spoke again, there was blood glistening between his lips and teeth, yet his eyes were relaxed and calm.

He said hoarsely, “Go! Go see him. If I am dead and my spiritual powers can no longer support him, his body will turn to ashes.”

And just like that, Mo Ran closed his eyes sullenly, feeling that poison attacking his heart, his entire body tormented by flame.

The pain was so all-consuming, even Xue Meng’s mourning cries felt remote, as though the noise came from across a vast ocean.

Blood continued to gush from his mouth, his muscles cramping.

Once he blindly opened his eyes again, Xue Meng had already run away. That brat’s abilities weren’t bad; it wouldn’t take too long for him to run to Nanfeng.

Xue Meng really should be the last one to see Shizun’s visage.

Mo Ran stood up weakly, his body swaying. His bloodstained fingers created a seal which he used to teleport himself to Sisheng Peak’s Tongtian Tower.

At this time, it was late autumn, when the haitang tree blossomed.

He didn’t know why he chose to end his sinful life here, but perhaps since the flowers blossomed so splendidly, it was quite a fragrant place to die.

He laid in the open coffin and gazed upon the blossoming flowers at night, petals streaming down around him.

One petal settled upon the coffin; another settled upon his cheek. One after another, and just like that, the past melted away.

In this life, he had gone from being an illegitimate child with nothing,⁴⁰ to having lived several lifetimes, to becoming the only Emperor of the world.

He was an extremely guilty man; his hands were covered in the blood of those he loved, those he hated, those he wanted, those he despised. Still, in the end, nothing was left.

Ultimately, he did not write anything glorious upon his own tomb. Not the shamelessly proud “Emperor of All Time,” nor even anything as absurd as “Oil-Splattered” or “Steamed;” not a single word. In the end, there was not one sentiment left for the tomb of the first Emperor of the Cultivation world.

A stupid show, a farce that had lasted for ten long years had finally come to an end.

Several shichen later, when everyone finally rushed in with torches, leading a trail of light into the Imperial Palace, what waited for them was the empty Wushan Temple, the empty Sisheng Peak, the Red Lotus Water Pavilion… And there was the desolate Xue Meng, surrounded by ashes, crying numbly to himself.

In front of the Tongtian Pagoda, Mo Weiyu’s corpse had already gone cold.

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Footnotes:

1. ‘狗娘养’ is slang for ‘son of a bitch’ for example, “狗娘养的!… 我正赶过去” is “Son of a bitch…I’m coming over.”

2. “露水情缘” refers to a temporary love, a short lived love

3. the exact phrase is ‘卿卿性命’, a line is from Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin. In the story, the antagonist Wang Xifeng has many power plays, exploits, connections, and riches; however, she dies of depression and essentially gets “cancelled” due to her many schemes. So this chengyu is sometimes used to mock and ridicule those who become victims of their own cunning plots. I think this passage is best interpreted as “his lovers didn’t like him and spread rumors about his monstrously Big Dick Energy, but it had the opposite effect from what was intended.” If any Mando speakers have greater insights, I’d love to hear it!

4. “心弛神摇” means to be overwhelmed, to be swept away (which given the context and Mo Weiyu’s character appears quite sexual.) This historical line comes from Ming Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng's "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua.” I feel as though this passage may have been translated by me a lot more suggestively than the original text may have done given the various connotations, so take it with a grain of salt.

5. Xiaoxianmen or 小仙门 is just a little sect. Baby sect do-do-do-dodododo

6. 三簇火 isn’t something that I’ve personally heard before and my Weibo buddies were asleep but the Machine Translation claims to to be “three slashes of flame upon its forehead” which I think sounds a bit preposterous. So I’m translating it rather as “three spots of red.”

7. This is one CHONKY ASS DOGGO 滚胖浑圆 is legitimately my favorite phrase of all time. I am using it to describe all chonkybois! This dog is legitimately my favorite character so far, forget Mo Ran! Forget Chu Wanning!

8. So this line was also a bit tricky given Chinese structure. There is a possible translation of his life as having ups and downs, prestige and sorrows but the exact chengyu ‘宠辱跌宕’ comes from the ‘Story of Yueyang Tower’ where the protagonist claims that being happy means to enjoy a good wine in the breeze and to forget disgrace, fame and misfortune. It’s quite a poetic line and one of the favored lines that my own beloved laoye used to quote to me.

9. “连三把火都狗命归天,” literally “even the three flames are dead,” references both the death of the dog and “新官上任三把火,” “three fires for new officials,” meaning that new people need to do a few great things to prove themselves and their capabilities. From the Romance of Three Kingdoms, when the newly appointed strategist-general Zhuge Jiang burned the anti-villain Caocao’s forces three times to achieve glory & solidify his status as a government official. In this case, the death of the dog, Mo Ran’s last loyal companion, symbolizes the death of Mo Ran’s desire to continue serving as emperor.

10. I felt that translating it did a disservice, the term ‘碧莹莹’ refers to something truly delicious! As delicious as how jade looks. This entire passage is SUPER purple prose-y and really speaks to Mo Weiyu’s ideas of beauty

11. 龙盘虎踞 is “to fight like dragons and tigers do” and 相互掣肘 means “to fetter” from the one of the Histories of the Spring and Autumn Period. I’m pretty sure both these lines were derived from the same classic Chinese work but I can’t find it atm. “更何况诸位掌门都是饱读经典的翘楚，即使想封自己个头衔玩玩，也会顾忌史官之笔，怕背上千秋骂名” okay so this line is actually really interesting, and since we’re all in a gray area with translation anyways, I might as well provide this line especially if anyone has a different interpretation. But for me it’s very much “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nmqQlW-sMo”. Mo Ran is essentially calling them “fucking nerds.”

12. Taixian-Jun, hello babe.

13. 赶尽杀绝 is from Ming Xu Zhonglin's "The Romance of the Gods".

14. 哀鸿遍布 literally translates to “a screaming wild goose” and typically is used to describe people who are suffering from thirst and hunger. It’s VERY telling that Roubao used this line to describe it because typically it’s used to describe mostly man-made calamities. But the actual idiom or hongyan yufei comes from the Book of Songs or Shi Jin and the swan goose or hongyan is a rare goose found in Inner Mongolia and close to Russia, symbolizing winters. (http://www.xueshucn.com/p/1290.html here is a source you can T-Translate to learn more about this phrase)

15. 河清海晏 “river clear, ocean peaceful” is directly translated in the text and is typically an analogy for a peaceful world, having come from Tang Zheng Xi's "There are Prince Fu in Japan.” Followed by the second chengyu “乌烟瘴气” “black smoke, foul atmosphere” means pandemonium. “The entire order has been upended!” is the essential meaning by pairing these two chengyu together. Bad times all around, folks.

16. 百无禁忌 or there is no taboo, which means nothing is taboo. From Qing Fan Yin "Yue Proverbs, Famous Objects and Customs".

17. “王八” is a homonym for “forgetting the eight [righteous traits] which include filial piety, loyalty, loyalty, trustworthiness, etiquette, righteousness, integrity, and shame. it’s actually quite clever of Mo Weiyu to have such a play on words, as “王八” also means “turtle.” So Mo Weiyu was fishing, saw a turtle and immediately made this play on words. Finally, “王八” is also slang in more modern Chinese for “pimp” which I felt could be added given Taixian-Jun’s massive Big Dick Energy but you can just use “Bastard” or “Son of a Bitch” too.

A bit of a cultural note but essentially every three years Mo Weiyu picks up a new era name. Here’s a good resource for you if you want to learn more but essentially the “Era Name” is sort of describing your hopes for this reign. Other countries do it too, for example in Japan it’s currently the Reiwa Era, which started in 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_era_name

On that note, the name ‘呱’ comes from the sound that frogs made, but could also be used to describe someone super whiny.

18. Literati — well-educated people who are interested in literature

19. 蠢蠢欲动 which I wanted to point out that the more direct translation is “stupidly crawling like a worm.” This line generally has a lot more connotations of villainous/coward/idiot people conspiring to make trouble.

20. 罢兵休戈 or “Truce and Strike” and while it might be more aptly translated as “The Man To End Wars” given the English fandom, I felt that Peacemaker was a little bit more elegant.

21. This is actually quite clever again, if very vulgar. essentially 戟罢元年 or The First Year of the Peacemaker is a homonym for 鸡巴圆年 or “Cock and Balls.” Put these two words in Google Translator or a Chinese reading app and you’ll hear the slight similarities though the tonal sounds are different. The pinyin for those who are interested in reading: jǐbàyuánnián (The Peacemaker’s First Year) vs jībāyuánnián (Dick and Balls)and the messages below further stretches the wordplay essentially culminating in the line “You can just ask how old his dick is!”

22. 胆战心惊

23. So “浩浩汤汤” is another one of my favorite descriptions. From Song Fan Zhongyan "Yueyang Tower" it just means teeming with people, vast magnitudes of people.

24. The Kingdom of Shu stood in the present day Sichuan Province.

25. “箭在弦上” so this chengyu essentially refers to being forced to take an action as the response to another’s action. There’s a difference between this and the more familiar adage “the die is cast,” as “the arrow upon the string” actually means that due to whatever external REASON you HAVE to take this action. There's a really interesting story involving Cao Cao that you can find by searching this up on Baidu.

26. “从天而降” or “mounting a surprise attack, an unexpected coming” is directly translated as “coming from the skies.” This I believe comes from Journey to the West’s Chapter 31 whereas one of the characters had explained “Brother you are unexpectedly here to rescue me from most dire straits!” The term ‘埋伏’ means ‘traps/ambush’ and shows up later.

27. I believe that the fandom term for “天之骄子” is the Darling of the Heavens but it’s a semantic difference. I’ll translate it as the Pride of the Heavens given the fact that it comes from the Emperor being referred to as ‘Son of the Heavens’ and means people with talents, wealth and connections. It also has somewhat “Young Master” energy to it too where someone would call people who are young, arrogant and think of themselves as hot shit back in the 1980s-1990s. My uncle still gets called this by his friends after going to Beida. The word “骄” means pride/arrogance and has somewhat more negative connotations.

28. “众矢之的” means important/revered and 虎落平阳 comes from a Chinese proverb “龙游浅水遭虾戏虎落平阳被犬欺” whose literal translation “people who are powerful or powerful lose their power or advantage and will be devalued and harassed.”

29. 强弩之末 which means that the bow and arrow fired by the strong crossbow has reached the farthest point of its range, which is a metaphor for the exhaustion of a powerful force. From "Historical Records · Han Anguo Biography".

30. 去你妈的 basically means “f*** off.” It literally translates as “go to your mother.” The exact line is “对？去你妈的对!” where he used the “Right?” To essentially tell them to go fuck off/go run towards your mother. To piggyback on this, the next two lines are super tragic too “居然是为了救你们这种……这种……” and his line “I am unworthy is “我替他不值” goodness poor Xue Meng.

31. “所谓子不教父之过，教不严师之惰” is the exact line, I’ve paraphrased it as best I could in English.

32. Okay so this line is HELLA poetic taken from “I Don’t Know the Distance of My Lord” by Ouyang Xin from the Song Dynasty. The most poetic lines are “I don’t know how far away you are after your departure, how desolate you have made me! In the middle of the night, the wind and bamboo speaks of the rhythms of autumn, the thousands of leaves are full of grievances. To even dream of you upon my single pillow, only to find that the dream has burned out like a candle wick!”

33. Okay so this is kinda interesting. Because the term “卿贞” or nobly chaste is a homonym for “清蒸” steamed.

34. Yeah…

35. 昔日同门再聚首 comes from the line “昔日同门再聚首，就算立场不同，兄弟永远是兄弟”

36. 三头六臂 describes a formidable person

37. 隔着层峦叠嶂的岁月 is how I’m translating it given the context of this line.

38. Fuxi is the Creation God in Chinese legend, the creator of humanity. Yama is the god of the Underworld.

39. 体无完肤 means there is no good skin on the whole body. Describes the whole body is hurt. It is also a metaphor for all of someone’s explanations being refuted, or being criticized or scolded severely. From Jin·Chen Shou "Three Kingdoms·Weizhi·Deng Ai Biography".

40. 一无所有 to have nothing

#2ha #2ha spoilers #husky and his white cat shizun #dumb husky and his white cat shizun #meatbun doesn't eat meat #erha #ranwan #danmei #mo ran #chu wanning

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