Chapter Text
To Shen Qingqiu’s delight, the following months invited so much progress that he was almost confident enough to call himself and Liu Qingge “friends.” Sure, his shidi still grumbled and put on airs of being a grouch, but he still brought Shen Qingqiu gifts anytime Shen Qingqiu gave him something, so that had to count for something!!
The Qing Jing disciples had taken to caring for the short-haired monster Liu Qingge gifted with... maybe a little too much enthusiasm. Shen Qingqiu did not know where they found the time to build it an entire pen and sew not one, but several little outfits for it, but he was certainly not above looking the other way and allowing it to happen.
(Besides, the outfits really were spectacularly cute. Shen Qingqiu most certainly did not coo over the beast when nobody was looking.)
Liu Qingge had also taken to visiting more and more often between their gift exchanges and meridian cleansing sessions. He seemed to... honestly just be kind of lurking around, keeping an eye on Shen Qingqiu as he went about his day. Shen Qingqiu really didn't know what to make of it, but he chose to take it as an opportunity to be a model Peak Lord - watching over his disciples and gently correcting their mistakes, putting on the airs of an aloof master as he played the guqin or painted Qing Jing's scenery (Shen Qingqiu was deeply grateful for his body's muscle memory, because he had failed the only art class he had ever taken).
Shen Qingqiu did make a pointed offer for tea whenever Liu Qingge stopped by, of course. He wasn't a barbarian. And, after the gift-giving had settled into more of a norm between them (although, after seeing what happened to the first short-haired monster, Liu Qingge refused to bring more, opting instead for more practical gifts), Liu Qingge finally began accepting the invitations.
Liu Qingge’s tsundere nature meant that he was initially not the best conversationalist, but Shen Qingqiu was nothing if not determined. After the War God’s hunts, Shen Qingqiu had made a point to press him for every detail he could remember, prying out every bit of information he could get on the various monsters until Liu Qingge gave him an exasperated look and said, “I’ll just bring you the corpse next time.”
At that, Shen Qingqiu’s eyes lit up. “Really?” he said, “That would be amaz- ahem, that would be most helpful in my studies of the beasts of this world.” He cleared his throat, snapping his fan open to hide the slip in his stoic Peak Lord persona.
Really, though, what was he supposed to say about an offer like that?? The Bai Zhan Peak Lord!!! Bringing him his kills!!
Liu Qingge stared at Shen Qingqiu’s face strangely for a brief moment, then turned his head sharply and grunted. “I’m hunting a Scorpion-Tailed Tiger next,” he said gruffly. “I’ll bring it to you.”
This time, Shen Qingqiu could not hide the way he lit up even if he tried. “The Scorpion-Tailed Tiger! Oh, that one's rare - can you try for a clean kill? Its pelt is extremely valuable, and its fur has properties meant to smooth and strengthen the flow of qi - oh, and while shidi is fighting it, watch out for its scorpion tail! Its main attack pattern is to distract with the claws before striking with its tail - not that shidi would be disadvantaged by such a thing, he is the Bai Zhan War God after all…”
Shen Qingqiu may have lost track of time and rambled for far too long, but the results were the same - just a few weeks later, Liu Qingge arrived on Qing Jing Peak with the corpse of the Scorpion-Tailed Tiger in pristine condition, just as promised.
"Oh, it's beautiful," Shen Qingqiu said in awe, walking around the corpse and prodding it, nodding in approval. "Liu-shidi did an excellent job, as expected - a clean slit to the throat... the tail was not an issue?"
"No," Liu Qingge said, standing a short distance away with his arms crossed. He seemed a little fidgety, but it was probably just the remaining adrenaline. "Your advice was...reliable. It did not take long to kill."
Internally, Shen Qingqiu preened a little at the knowledge that Liu Qingge listened to his rambling. He continued inspecting the corpse, mentally cataloguing how to use each part - the claws had healing properties once powdered and could go to Qian Cao, the meat was said to be particularly tasty - perhaps he could get Binghe to make something out of it?
“Ah, shidi is really too kind,” Shen Qingqiu said, stepping back and admiring the beast. “This shixiong will have to seek an appropriate gift in return.”
“Do what you want.” Liu Qingge said, ears unusually red, then turned abruptly and took off on Cheng Luan without even saying goodbye. Rude!
Shen Qingqiu sighed internally and turned the beast over to Luo Binghe, instructing him on the proper ways to prepare the beast for cooking and (based heavily on theory read from books and nothing else) how to properly skin and preserve the pelt.
The protagonist, ever hardworking, listened extremely carefully and took to the task with gusto. Ah, Shen Qingqiu really was pleased to see how much he’d improved over the past months - between him and Liu Qingge, he felt he was doing a rather good job at improving the original goods’ relationships!
The problem with Liu Qingge hanging around the peak more, however, was that he also was there when Shen Qingqiu held classes. And had zero qualms about commenting Shen Qingqiu’s teaching methods.
“That one,” Liu Qingge said, pointing at none other than Luo Binghe. “Did you teach him this yourself?”
Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan open to hide his scowl. Liu-juju, you’ve really done enough today!
“He had a faulty manual at first, but has been progressing significantly since,” he said, waving his fan lightly. He certainly wasn’t going to mention who gave him the wrong manual, but the rest is true enough. Ever since the demon attack, Luo Binghe has redoubled his efforts to improve his cultivation. He will certainly do an excellent job protecting his future wives!
“His form is terrible,” Liu Qingge said bluntly.
Shen Qingqiu made another face behind his fan. “It’s better than before,” Shen Qingqiu said a little snippily. “Besides, he’s still young. They all are. It’s better than beating up all of your disciples and calling that teaching, shidi.”
Liu Qingge all but rolled his eyes. “At least Bai Zhan disciples can hold a sword properly. Half of these disciples can barely do that.”
“Perhaps shidi could give a demonstration,” Shen Qingqiu said sarcastically, then froze. The calculating look on Liu Qingge’s face as he turned to face the disciples again made him cry tears of blood inside - shidi, you don’t need to take everything seriously! This master was just trying to get a rise out of you! Please have mercy on my disciples!!
“Fine,” Liu Qingge said, and Shen Qingqiu’s heart shed yet more tears of blood on behalf of his disciples. “Spar with me.”
Shen Qingqiu froze, then turned to face Liu Qingge with an expression of disbelief. “I beg your pardon?”
“Spar with me,” Liu Qingge repeated, giving Shen Qingqiu yet another intense look he didn’t quite know how to read. “Or have you forgotten how?”
“Of course not!” Shen Qingqiu bristled. Or - well, his body certainly hasn’t. The few missions he’s been on have proven to him that muscle memory was certainly still there!
That doesn’t mean he wants to spar with Liu Qingge, though! He’ll be beaten to paste!
“A spar is hardly necessary. This shixiong trains on his own time.” Shen Qingqiu sniffed, trying to make his refusal absolutely clear.
“You need to keep up your training,” Liu Qingge bulldozed forward, completely ignoring Shen Qingqiu’s protests. “And you ought to demonstrate for your disciples. They’re all making mistakes.”
“At least this master doesn’t make a habit of beating his disciples half to death.”
Infuriatingly, Liu Qingge did not dignify that with a response. Instead, he strode forward, interrupting the Qing Jing disciples perfectly fine swordplay practice.
Shen Qingqiu sulked for a moment, then followed. Regardless of his misgivings, he certainly couldn't allow Liu Qingge to beat up his disciples the way he did Bai Zhan disciples, and if that meant allowing himself to be humiliated, well. So be it.
"Qing Jing," Liu Qingge said, voice booming over the field. In an instant, all attempts at sword play stopped - many disciples, Ming Fan in particular, immediately puffed themselves up, probably hoping to be noticed by the Bai Zhan Peak Lord.
Unfortunately, said Peak Lord had no such mercy. "Your swordplay is a disgrace," Liu Qingge said, pulling absolutely no punches, "Your Shizun and myself will demonstrate the proper forms. Observe."
Shen Qingqiu internally rolled his eyes. Demonstrate proper forms my ass! What the hell would they learn from watching their master get pummeled into a pulp, ah?
"Ready," Liu Qingge said, taking up a stance across from him.
Extremely aware of the eyes of his entire peak on him, Shen Qingqiu allowed a few more tears of blood to shed inside before readying himself and drawing Xiu Ya. "Ready," he said, and braced himself.
Liu Qingge gave one curt nod, then lunged forward...in...
What was clearly a practice sword form?
Shen Qingqiu, ever grateful for this body's muscle memory, blocked the strike and, with the ease of one that had done this a million times, performed the next counterstrike. Liu Qingge blocked, as expected, and...continued? With a very simple set of moves?
Was Liu Qingge actually bothering to teach his students properly???
Shen Qingqiu put his bewilderment aside as he nearly missed one of the strikes, shaking his head briefly before allowing his memory to take over. He really couldn't afford to mess this up with all of his disciples watching, and he also very much wanted to appreciate the fact that Liu Qingge was going easy on him while it lasted!
When they finished the practice choreographed sparring forms, Liu Qingge gave him a quick nod before lowering Cheng Luan and turning to face the Qing Jing disciples. They were all staring with rapt attention - Shen Qingqiu even spotted a few that had pulled out some parchment and had begun taking notes, which - where the hell did they even get that??
"That was the set form that you ought to have memorized by this stage in your cultivation." Liu Qingge said. "Practice your stance. Then you can use it for this." Then, without any warning whatsoever, he turned and launched himself at Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu blocked the attack purely on reflex, completely baffled by this sudden turn of events. Shidi!!! This master thought you were going easy on him!!
As it turns out, this time he most certainly was not.
With flashes of movement almost too fast for Shen Qingqiu to see, Liu Qingge struck, dodged, and struck again, neatly evading all of Shen Qingqiu's attacks. Shen Qingqiu was once again endlessly grateful for his body's muscle memory - without it, he would be cut to pieces by now!
Liu Qingge went to slash at his left side, and Shen Qingqiu sidestepped and returned with an attack of his own. Vaguely, he realized that this was one of the moves from the practice forms they had demonstrated earlier - no way was Liu Qingge actually doing this on purpose??
Shen Qingqiu darted forward, intent on attacking an opening and testing his own theory by using yet another move from the demonstrated set. As predicted, Liu Qingge blocked - far faster and with more force than in the demonstration earlier, but clearly the same move.
What the fuck is this, shidi??? Why are you actually bothering to demonstrate these things properly???
Shen Qingqiu only lasted a few more seconds - managing to play along with Liu Qingge and use the sword forms properly - before Liu Qingge quickly and efficiently disarmed him.
That wasn't a move that they had demonstrated earlier. Shen Qingqiu absently rubbed the wrist that had been twisted, briefly, to cause Xiu Ya to fly out of his hand and made a mental note to ask Liu Qingge about that method later -
Ah, fuck - Shen Qingqiu realized suddenly that he was actually considering sparring with Liu Qingge again, which was the exact opposite outcome that he had been hoping for with this entire escapade!
The disciples seemed to have enjoyed the show, though - they were tittering excitedly among themselves, and a few had even begun trying out some of the moves and forms that they had demonstrated. Luo Binghe in particular was watching them with a kind of intensity - hardly surprising for the protagonist! Surely he learned a good deal from this show of martial prowess!
Liu Qingge, for his part, simply nodded at the disciples and turned to walk away, ignoring small horde of disciples that had come to crowd up to him with questions. Shen Qingqiu considered rescuing him, but honestly between being slightly miffed at being tricked into enjoying a spar with Liu Qingge, the rudeness of his sudden departure, and the fact that watching Qing Jing disciples all but sprint after his increasingly rapidly retreating shidi was both adorable and hilarious...
Well. He was content to simply allow it to happen.
And so sparring was added to their routine.
Honestly, Shen Qingqiu was glad for a new activity - Liu Qingge had become slightly more verbose in their conversations about his hunts, but he clearly enjoyed the sparring far more. While they didn't necessarily spar in front of the disciples anymore - Liu Qingge being chased down by Qing Jing disciples had put an end to that - Shen Qingqiu did appreciate the opportunity to press him for more details on sword techniques.
It helped that Liu Qingge seemed to actually want him to improve. Sure, he still beat Shen Qingqiu every time, but at least he learned some new moves out of it! And he didn't have to be carried to Qian Cao afterwards, which was more than could be said about most of Bai Zhan!
His disciples did seem to improve, though - many seemed determined to impress the War God, particularly with how often he was around Qing Jing Peak these days. What had initially been tea about three or four times a month had turned into Liu Qingge stopping by multiple times a week whenever he happened to be at Cang Qiong and not on a hunt.
Not that Shen Qingqiu particularly minded. Contrary to his previous life as an internet shut-in, he did enjoy talking to people and having company. Besides, this meant that his quest to befriend Liu Qingge could certainly be considered a success!
The System even seemed to agree, in its own strange way - it occasionally beeped with "S-Points," although was frustratingly cryptic when Shen Qingqiu tried to figure out what the hell those were for.
The number of B-Points he had was also steadily trickling up, despite occasional fluctuations in Protagonist Satisfaction Points. Shen Qingqiu didn't pay too much mind to those - they were random and small enough that he couldn't quite figure out what it was for, so he dismissed it as Binghe dealing with his own troubles with the disciples. Perhaps he and Ning Yingying were having the occasional spat?
In any case, Luo Binghe seemed to be improving significantly in his swordplay, which Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but feel proud of. Meng Mo must be doing an excellent job as a mentor, far better than this old man!
So he thought - until, on a clear day a few months into his and Liu Qingge's sparring, Liu Qingge suddenly stopped, holding up a hand to pause as he glared at a particular tree at the side of the clearing.
Shen Qingqiu huffed, trying to disguise how winded he was. Liu Qingge had steadily increased the difficulty of their spars, and Shen Qingqiu was beginning to have a hard time keeping up. Have mercy on this old man!
"Is something over there?" he asked once he caught his breath. Liu Qingge still hadn't moved, staring hard at the side of the clearing with narrowed eyes. Shen Qingqiu glanced that way as well - nothing in particular seemed amiss. Qing Jing was primarily populated with bamboo, but this particular sparring ground had a number of grizzled ginkgo trees surrounding it. Shen Qingqiu particularly liked sitting in the shade on nice days to read over his disciples' poetry, so he was particularly suspicious of the way that Liu Qingge was glaring at one of them as if it had personally offended him.
"Shidi is not allowed to kill the trees on Qing Jing," Shen Qingqiu reminded him mildly, and Liu Qingge rolled his eyes before thrusting a hand out, sending a pulse of qi directly at the largest tree on the north side of the clearing.
"Shidi!" Shen Qingqiu snapped, before-
The tree shook with the blast, sending a cascade of leaves drifting down - along with a boy.
Shen Qingqiu watched, speechless, as Luo Binghe tumbled down from the branches and landed in a sad heap on the ground.
Has he...been watching them spar this whole time???
Shen Qingqiu's brain whirled through a million question marks as Liu Qingge strode forward, hefting Luo Binghe up and setting him upright on the ground. "You," he said, eyeing Luo Binghe. The boy looked slightly worse for wear, with twigs and leaves stuck in his curly hair, but his eyes were bright as he stared up at Liu Qingge with a determined expression on his face. "How long were you there?"
Luo Binghe opened his mouth to answer, but first his eyes slid over to where Shen Qingqiu was standing, mouth still agape. Shen Qingqiu shook himself slightly to snap out of it, then cleared his throat. "This master would also like to know."
Finally looking somewhat chagrined, Luo Binghe bowed his head slightly and said, "This disciple has been observing shizun and shishu's spars in hopes of improving his martial skills."
Which wasn't really an answer, but it seemed enough for Liu Qingge, who nodded. "Very well," he said, "Fight me."
"Liu-shidi!" Shen Qingqiu said sharply, but that seemed to have no effect - with no hesitation, Luo Binghe shouted, "Yes, shishu!" and launched himself at Liu Qingge.
Although the boy had made visible progress, it was still no match for Liu Qingge. Within seconds, he had disarmed the boy and left him sitting square in the dust. "Fix your footwork, then try again." Liu Qingge said bluntly, then turned to make his way back to Shen Qingqiu-
And stuck his hand out, Cheng Luan blocking another blow.
Luo Binghe was back on his feet already, eyes alight. Shen Qingqiu stared, baffled, as the boy adjusted his stance - had he already picked up how to fix his footwork from that ten-second spar alone???
Liu Qingge seemed to notice this as well, and his eyes took on a slight glint. "Fine," he said. "Begin."
So began Liu Qingge’s adventures punting Luo Binghe around Cang Qiong Mountain.
Shen Qingqiu should probably feel a little more concerned about how determined Luo Binghe seemed to be to fight his shishu, but honestly, it somehow seemed to be...rather good for him?
Luo Binghe was certainly improving at an impressive pace! Fighting with Liu Qingge gave him far more martial training than Shen Qingqiu himself could give him - something that would certainly serve him well when the rest of the plot came in.
Not to mention, Liu Qingge didn’t even seem to mind it that much! When Shen Qingqiu had pulled him aside a week into their new arrangement, concerned about the fact that Luo Binghe randomly ambushing Liu Qingge around the twelve peaks, he had simply shrugged. "I told him to," is all he said. "He's not bad, once he figures out how to hold a sword."
Which was... somehow the highest praise Shen Qingqiu had ever heard from Liu Qingge?? What the hell!!!
In any case, it was an arrangement that seemed to be enriching for both of them, so he decided to let it be. Luo Binghe needed the martial training, and Liu Qingge already punted his own Bai Zhan disciples around, so as long as the protagonist was happy, so be it!
The System seemed to approve, too - Protagonist Satisfaction points were at an all-time high!
Shen Qingqiu would feel elated at these events if it weren't for the fact that the point levels were nowhere near 10,000 - the amount necessary to avoid throwing Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss.
It did bring some comfort to know that Luo Binghe was training harder these days - perhaps he would suffer less this way. However, Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but watch Luo Binghe get punted around the Rainbow Bridge - he just wanted to go visit Qian Cao to drop off the newest set of beast claws that Liu Qingge had given him and now he's stuck watching this fight, what the hell!! - and think to himself, ah. Luo Binghe will probably use this against him someday, when he comes back thirsting for revenge.
Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but feel conflicted about these thoughts.
It was one of the nights when Shen Qingqiu was up late, thoughts swirling around his head when he heard a thump outside the door.
He didn’t even need to ask who it was - tugging this night robe tighter around him, he hurried to the door and flung it open before the trespasser could escape.
Guilty as charged - Liu Qingge was there, standing next to the corpse of a Demonic Red-Tailed Hawk and staring, wide-eyed, at him.
“Liu-shidi,” Shen Qingqiu greeted, allowing a small smile to spread across his face. Then his eyes darted over to the beast. “Oh! Shidi’s hunt went well?”
“Mn,” Liu Qingge said, eloquent as always.
Shen Qingqiu did nothing to hide how pleased he was, eyeing the hawk with interest. "Oh, those are particularly difficult to fight - shidi wasn't injured, I hope?"
"No worse than usual," Liu Qingge said. He shifted slightly, and the movement drew Shen Qingqiu's eyes to him - in particular, the way he was favoring his left side, his arm hanging limp, and the blood staining Liu Qingge's pristine white robes.
A strange feeling clenched in Shen Qingqiu's gut.
"No worse than usual?" he said, his voice high. "Shidi, you're bleeding!"
"Most of it isn't mine," Liu Qingge grunted, before stepping forward to nudge the massive hawk with his foot. "It wasn't a clean kill this time. Had to injure it a few times to slow it down."
That didn't explain the way that Liu Qingge had a slight limp in his leg, which only stoked Shen Qingqiu's concern higher. "Shidi should come in," he said firmly, stepping forward and ushering Liu Qingge towards the door. "Allow this shixiong to take a look at your wounds."
"Now?" Liu Qingge said, staring at him skeptically but still allowing himself to be pushed forward. "It will heal by morning."
"It certainly won't heal well if it gets infected, now, will it?" Shen Qingqiu scolded, all but shoving Liu Qingge into the bamboo house. It probably spoke to something about how much their relationship had improved for Liu Qingge to allow him to push him around like this, but Shen Qingqiu was too busy shoving down his worry to care. "Now, give this master a moment - I'll disinfect your wounds and clean you up-"
Shen Qingqiu puttered around, gathering assorted medical supplies before turning around and -
Ah.
Shen Qingqiu really should have thought more carefully about the fact that “cleaning up the wounds” meant that Liu Qingge’s shirt would come off.
He’s sitting in their usual spot, staring impassively at the wall across from him and holding himself rather stiffly - the only sign that he was in any pain at all, despite the massive gash in his side and other assorted cuts scattered across his torso.
His fucking ripped torso.
If Shen Qingqiu hadn’t been holding onto a frankly unnecessary number of medical supplies, he would have immediately whipped out his fan to begin fanning himself. Did the temperature suddenly raise in here?? What the hell is this, ah???
Clearly, Liu Qingge was the prime specimen of male beauty!! No wonder Airplane had to kill him in PIDW!
In his peripheral vision, the System appeared, informing him that he had gained a new number of S-Points, whatever the hell those were. Shen Qingqiu waved it off, along with any other strange feelings that came up whenever he thought about the fact that Liu Qingge was supposed to be dead, and hurried his way over to his shidi's side.
“Really,” Shen Qingqiu muttered, choosing to start with the largest gash on Liu Qingge's left side. It was particularly nasty looking, although as he cleared away the blood he could see the new skin forming as the flesh knitted itself together. Although Shen Qingqiu was grateful for the accelerated healing that cultivation provided, he still took care to thoroughly clean the wound before moving on to the smaller cuts and bruises. “Shidi ought to take better care of himself.”
“It would have healed by morning,” Liu Qingge groused, but didn’t move regardless. Shen Qingqiu continued wiping away at the blood, muttering under his breath all the while.
“Mu Qingfang isn’t going to hurt you, you know,” Shen Qingqiu said. At Liu Qingge’s grimace, as though he actually disagreed with Shen Qingqiu’s statement, he smacked Liu Qingge’s head. “He isn’t! He’s head of the healer’s peak! Really, insisting on doing everything yourself is the sort of thing that leads to bigger problems down the line - what would you do if you let all of these wounds pile up had a qi deviation or something, ah?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Qingqiu immediately regretted it. The air changed immediately - where before there had been easy companionship, the reminder of Liu Qingge’s qi deviation caused him to stiffen, drawing his left arm closer to his body almost reflexively.
"Ah, apologies, shidi," Shen Qingqiu said quickly, trying to salvage the situation. "This one only meant, it was lucky he was there last time and this shixiong is certainly more than happy to help, but..." his words trailed off as his eyes drifted down to Liu Qingge's arm before snapping his eyes away, hands clenching so hard that tiny rivulets of water squeezed out of the cloth ran down Liu Qingge’s back.
There was a bandage, wrapped tight around Liu Qingge’s left forearm. No blood, so not from an injury.
Shen Qingqiu knew exactly what that meant. He had one of his own, after all.
The incident in the Ling Xi caves had not been brought up between the two of them ever since their confrontation after the demon attack. Shen Qingqiu had done his absolute best to put it out of his mind - after all, what are you supposed to do when there’s such a strange fluke like that?
But somehow, seeing the bandage wrapped tightly on Liu Qingge’s arm - the knowledge that Liu Qingge has a soulmark-
Shen Qingqiu mentally smacked himself to clear his mind, then shook his head once, hard. Now was not the time for such useless speculation - he cleared his throat, trying desperately to remember the thread of the conversation before he’d fucked it up and noticed Liu Qingge’s soulmark.
“Anyway,” he said, his voice sounding strange. “That should clean most of the blood off. Take care not to get it infected, understood?”
“Mn,” Liu Qingge said, standing swiftly and moving to redress. Shen Qingqiu sat there, unmoving, as Liu Qingge put his robes back on with quick efficiency. The air was still strange between them - Shen Qingqiu still couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it went wrong, and couldn’t fully think straight due to the odd emotions swirling in his gut.
Liu Qingge made his way to the door, then turned abruptly to face him again. He hesitated for a short moment, then said, “Don’t worry about me.”
If I don’t, who will? Shen Qingqiu wanted to say, but that felt - charged. Those were not thoughts to have for his perfectly capable shidi! Shen Qingqiu tried to redirect his thoughts, but everything felt charged - his own forearm seemed to be itching and he resisted the urge to scratch at it. So instead, he simply smiled. “Of course,” he said, “Take care, shidi.”
With a nod, Liu Qingge shut the door behind him, leaving Shen Qingqiu behind with the veritable storm of emotions churning in his gut.
Shen Qingqiu wanted to smack himself. What the hell is this, ah! Of course Liu Qingge would have a soulmark! A peerless beauty like that, he was the exact sort of character to be destined for some great love like that if he had been allowed to live beyond the few chapters he existed in the book!
What kind of girl would say those words? Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but wonder - would she be a warrior, like he was? Or would she be soft to offset Liu Qingge's brusque personality? No matter what option Shen Qingqiu came up with, it felt wrong - he couldn't quite pinpoint why, but the knowledge that Liu Qingge has a soulmark has left him feeling strangely unmoored.
Absentmindedly, he scratched at his own left arm - the scarred remnants of the original goods' mark itched, occasionally, but it was nothing worth thinking about. Beyond the fluke in the Ling Xi Caves, there was really no chance of Shen Qingqiu meeting his own soulmate in this world. Clearly, his mark as Shen Yuan had died alongside his old body.
Feeling ill at ease, Shen Qingqiu finally made his way back to bed. It was a long, long time before he was able to fall into a restless sleep.