Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Shen Yuan first started reading ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’ he was certain that it was just another shitty stallion novel focusing more on the sex scenes and less on the plot and character development. And in many ways, it was exactly that. What caught him off guard though, was the fact that one of the side characters seemed to be… gay? Not that Liu Qingge had a big role in a story that was all about the male protagonist, but it was surprisingly nonetheless. Shen Yuan thought that this was probably Airplane bro’s stupid way of eliminating every kind of competition that the protagonist would have with his wifes. No other man was allowed to have his own girl after all.

‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’ had unsurprisingly a lot of awful characters whose only purpose was to make the protagonist look good. The worst of them all was undeniably Luo Binghe’s master, the scum villain Shen Qingqiu. Not only did he abuse his innocent disciple and threw him into the Endless Abyss to die, he also forced poor Liu Qingge to marry him for his own benefit.

Shen Qingqiu’s background was never explicitly told in the story, but it was implied that he didn’t originate from a rich or high-profile family. Liu Qingge’s family, on the contrary, was a noble one with a long history of renowned cultivators and warriors. What’s more, every member of the family was considered top class in society and enjoyed privileges most would not even dare to dream of. 

The scum villain had originally wanted to marry the youngest daughter of the family, Liu Mingyan, so that he could at least enjoy the marriage a little, but even with his scummy ways, there was no way he could convince her parents to betroth her to him at such a young age. Liu Qingge was unfortunately the only option left for him. It wouldn't take a lot of effort to convince the sect leader to grant them the right to marry after all. 

Although Shen Yuan couldn't comprehend how a righteous man such as Liu Qingge was deceived and forced into marrying the most despicable character in the universe, that was definitely not the most questionable thing that had happened in the novel, so he didn’t think much about it. Maybe Shen Qingqiu saving him in the spirit caves from a qi deviation was enough for Liu Qingge to have a change of heart.

After having suffered through that awful book and dying in the stupidest way possible, Shen Yuan wasn’t exactly thrilled to wake up in the body of the very man who he had cursed to death while reading the novel. At least he hadn’t forced any innocent man to marry him yet.

~~~

It has only been a few weeks ever since Shen Yuan transmigrated into the universe of ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’ when he finds himself entering seclusion in Qiong Ding Peak’s spirit caves. He had initially considered not going into seclusion to avoid meeting Liu Qingge but then decided that the chance of the man dying without his help was too high for him to ignore. That would be like indirectly causing his death after all, right?

So here he is now, staring at the surprisingly beautiful and elegant face of an unconscious God of War, waiting for him to wake up. Just as he’s grabbing the younger man’s wrist to check for a pulse, Liu Qingge decides to open his eyes and catches him in the act.

“Shen Qingqiu,'' he mumbles, his gaze far too sharp for someone who just gained consciousness.

“Ahh Shidi, you’re finally awake. This Shixiong will help you clean up, come on,” he hurries to say. Even if he’s not planning on marrying the man, he can at least be nice to him. It’ll be useful to have the War God as an ally if he wants to escape from Luo Binghe’s hands in the future.

Liu Qingge reluctantly accepts his help, since he’s too weak to escape, but he apparently has enough strength to curse him out of his cave after that. Just as he’s leaving to go continue his meditation with another too cheesy promise to always be there for his Shidi, the system suddenly announces:  

System: [ Congratulations! The system’s notice: Successfully saved Liu Qingge from death and gained his favor. Love values for the villain ‘Shen Qingqiu’ have increased. B Points: +300 ] .

Huh? That was weird, he thinks. What’s the system talking about?

~~~

The rest of his seclusion is uneventful. Liu Qingge doesn’t look for him, but he’s not exactly surprised by that. Shen Qingqiu leaves the spirit caves, ready to take care of the demon invasion and hopefully gain a better reputation within the sect. He admits he is also curious enough to see how much his white lotus has grown ever since he last saw him. 

He hadn’t planned on getting poisoned by ‘Without a Cure’ (Seriously! What a stupid name!), but for some reason he couldn't stop himself from jumping in front of Luo Binghe even though he knows he can’t die. Now he has to watch his Shidi (System! Please stop calling him my future husband!) steal the show and his role as the hero of this event. Okay, he can’t complain about being saved though, even if it was in the last possible moment. 

Seriously, Liu-Shidi, he thinks. Would it have killed you to come out earlier? I thought I would have to report back to my original world!

System: [ Love interest ‘Liu Qingge’ saved the scum villain ‘Shen Qingqiu’. +20 for interest, +20 for gaining his respect for protecting the sect, +60 for being the damsel in distress. Total gained B points: +100. ]

WHAT?! What love interest? What damsel in distress? System, have you officially lost your mind?! 

He didn't have much time to think about it before he was already collapsing into Liu Qingge’s arms like a proper damsel in distress. 

How did I end up like this, he has to question. I was supposed to be avoiding him, not falling into his arms!

~~~

Shen Qingqiu wakes up some time later feeling like someone half-dead. He’s back in his own quarters at Qing Jing Peak so hopefully the demons have already been taken care of. All he wants right now is to lie there and do nothing for a while but Ming Fan and Luo Binghe are already there. 

Those children! Why are you so worried about this old man?!  

Thankfully Ming Fan leaves after informing him that the Bai Zhan Peak Lord asked him to tell him when he wakes up. 

That’s weird, he thinks. Aren’t Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu supposed to hate each other? He couldn't possibly have had a change of heart so easily, right? No, no, no. That can’t be right. He’s probably too weirded out by my change of heart.

He’s lost in his thoughts when he realizes that Luo Binghe is approaching him. Before he has time to speak to him, his disciple suddenly kneels down.

System!? What the fuck? What’s happening?! How long did I sleep? What’s going on?

Luo Binghe, like the innocent teenager he still is, asks for forgiveness for his past actions and ‘ignorance’, talking about how he only now realized that his Shizun truly cares about him. 

No, no, no. You’ve got it all wrong child. Your original Shizun really didn’t care about you, he’d rather you’d have died, really, he thinks. He can’t exactly say all that outloud so he lets the boy speak while praying to the Gods for forgiveness. Luo Binghe leaves after bringing him the tastiest congee he has ever eaten and promising to cook for him everyday. Ugh, I really don’t deserve all this.

When he’s left in the room alone, there’s a tight feeling in his heart. He rubs his head and asks “System, I have a question. The Endless Abyss scene… is it unavoidable?” 

System: [ If Luo Binghe misses the ‘Endless Abyss’ storyline, B Points -20,000. ]

Shen Qingqiu felt a new headache coming up after hearing that number. “So there’s no way to avoid it? Is it not possible to collect enough points until then?” he asks desperately.  

If there’s a way…

System: [ If you activate the ‘Secondary Storyline’, it may be possible to collect enough points to avoid the ‘Endless Abyss’ event. ]

“There’s a secondary storyline?!” he exclaims. “System, why didn’t you say so before?! Activate it! Activate it!” Shen Qingqiu hurries to say, not really thinking about it. If there’s a way to avoid throwing an innocent teenager in that place, of course he’ll do anything!

System: [ ‘Secondary Storyline’ has been activated. ‘Seduce and marry Liu Qingge’ is now available. Thank you for choosing us. ]

Seduce and WHAT now?!?

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu is still trying to understand what the system is talking about, when Yue Qingyuan, followed by Mu Qingfang and Liu Qingge enter his room. The Qing Jing Peak Lord doesn’t really register what the first two are doing or talking about, only being able to focus on Liu Qingge sitting quietly in the back of the room. He doesn’t dare make eye-contact with the younger man, afraid of what his reaction would be, but he can feel his gaze piercing him.

System: [ ‘Mission One’ begins. Please read the instructions to proceed. ]

Of course, Shen Qingqiu sighs. I wouldn’t be able to change the most crucial event of the story so easily. Just tell me what I have to do right now! I’m too tired for this.

The instructions of the first mission already seem challenging:

1. Stay alone with the Bai Zhan Peak Lord
2. Thank him for his help
3. Ask him to take care of you in the future

Just WHO do you think Shen Qingqiu is, system?!  he wants to shout. Liu Qingge is going to have another qi deviation if I say something like that to him! It’s too out of place, have you never heard of slow-burn?! 

Shen Qingqiu isn’t planning on seducing the other man for real of course, but if he has to follow these missions, they at least have to make sense (and preferably not get him killed). 

He doesn’t have to try for the first step, at least. Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang exit the room shortly after, leaving him alone with his ‘love interest’. Before said man can say anything, Shen Qingqiu decides to speak, if only to finish this nonesess quickly.

“Liu-Shidi, thank you for your help earlier. I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made it without you. This Shixiong is grateful for your assistance, you showed up at the right time.” Shen Qingqiu barely resists the urge to hide his face after saying something so embarrassing to a man that hates him. Hopefully, his face hasn’t turned as red as he feels it has. He turns to look at him, hoping he won’t die today. 

Liu Qingge is staring at him in shock, his eyes wide open. Did I break the War God, he wonders. Please don’t kill me, I don’t wanna do this either.

“Shen Qingqiu!” Liu Qingge almost shouts, his face suspiciously red. “What are you trying to do? If we hadn’t already checked, I would definitely suspect that you are possessed!” Shen Qingqiu really pities him. It’s not like he is completely wrong. “First you saved me in the spirit caves, now you’re thanking me!” Liu Qingge continues yelling. “Just what are you trying to achieve? Is this another one of your games?”

The Qing Jing Peak Lord struggles to think of a way to answer that. “Liu-Shidi, please calm down,” he starts. “I already told you back then, this Shixiong had a change of heart and wishes to mend his relationship with you. I want us to make a new beginning. I know it seems suspicious, but I really don’t have ulterior motives.” Okay, he does, but not for the reason his Shidi thinks.

“And am I supposed to believe that?” the younger man questions, his gaze sharp. “After how you’ve treated me in the past? I’m not an idiot, Shen Qingqiu!” 

You’re right, you’re right. You shouldn't believe this, Shen Qingqiu wants to say, but the system would probably deduct points for that.

“You may not trust me right now, but I promise that you will realize that I do mean this, soon enough. Just give this Shixiong a chance,” he says, trying to sound as sincere as possible. It’s not like he doesn’t want to get along with Liu Qingge; he just doesn’t think it’s plausible considering their past. 

Liu Qingge seems to be struggling with words, looking anywhere in the room but him. “If you… If you really mean this, then prove it! I won’t believe you just because you say so!” Shen Qingqiu is a little worried for his Shidi. Why is his face so red? Will he have to stop him from having a qi deviation again?

“You’re right,” he decides to say. “This Shixiong will prove it to you. I hope Liu-Shidi will also take care of me in the future now that I’m a sick man,” he delivers the killing blow, fully expecting Liu Qingge to punch him or run away. 

Liu Qingge doesn’t hit him or leave. Instead, he stands there, his gaze fixed on him. “I- I will meet you weekly to clean your meridians, as Mu-Shixiong said. Don’t expect anything more from me. I’m only doing this to pay you back for saving me.” His words may be sharp but the tone of his voice is surprisingly soft. 

Huh, Shen Qingqiu thinks. Who knew that the War God could be cute too.   

The younger man turns to leave after that, not expecting an answer from him. The system, of course, decides not to give him a moment of peace. 

System: [ Congratulations! Mission One is completed +50, +10 for showing sincerity, +30 for emotional speech, +10 for getting Love Interest ‘Liu Qingge’ to blush. Total gained L points: +100 ]  

What’s the system talking about? he wonders. Liu Qingge turned red from his anger, that doesn’t count as blushing. Whatever, more points for me. Shen Qingqiu wants to fistbump himself. The first mission went unexpectedly well. If it’s just small things like this, he’ll probably have no trouble doing them to gain points. The Bai Zhan Peak Lord doesn’t seem to hate him as much as he thought. He is willing to embarrass himself more if it means he won’t have to die the most cruel death in the hands of Luo Binghe. 

~~~

The second mission is a little more difficult to accomplish. He gets the instructions just a few minutes before Liu Qingge shows up for their weekly appointment a few weeks late.:

1. Invite the Bai Zhan Peak Lord to stay for dinner
2. Compliment his appearance
3. Express interest to spend more time with him outside of this arrangement

Shen Qingqiu can’t help but bury his face in his hands when he reads them. He thinks that after these weeks a truce has formed between Liu Qingge and him. They don’t talk a lot while the younger man is cleaning his meridians, but the quiet is not awkward. If anything, he actually enjoys those moments of peace and quiet. Liu Qingge is not a bad sight to stare at either. 

But this… this is too much. Even if he can somehow convince the other man to join him for dinner, he’s not that shameless to be able to do the rest. Liu Qingge will definitely think it’s weird and start avoiding him. He has worked hard to get here, why does the system want to ruin his progress? 

Luo Binghe announces his Shidi’s arrival before Shen Qingqiu has the chance to overthink this more. Okay, okay, he thinks. If you want to keep all your limbs attached to your body, you have to be brave.

“Welcome, Liu-Shidi,” he greets the younger man. “It’s good to see you are well.”

Liu Qingge doesn’t grace him with an answer. He just grunts and sits down on his usual place across from him at the table, a big frown on his face. Shen Qingqiu quickly realizes his foul mood and doesn’t try to start small talk. The Bai Zhan Peak Lord isn’t exactly the most fun person to be around, but contrary to popular belief, he’s not actually frowning or angry all the time. His resting face looks quite peaceful and pretty. Shen Qingqiu has definitely enjoyed looking at it while he’s concentrating on helping him with the poison.

Great, he wants to shout. He just has to be in a bad mood the day I have another mission. There’s no way this will go well! 

He looks at the younger man who has already taken his wrist and started cleaning his meridians. Despite his angry face, the hold on his wrist is as gentle as always. The Qing Jing Peak Lord still gets surprised by that. 

After a while, he decides to break the silence. They’re almost done and if he doesn’t speak now, he will definitely fail the mission. Liu Qingge’s face looks slightly calmer than before. “Liu-Shidi, is something bothering you today? Maybe this Shixiong will be able to help you.” It seems a bit risky to be so direct about it, but he doesn’t know what else to say. He is curious about what has upsetted the War God either way.

The younger man seems to hesitate before speaking. “It’s not something that you could possibly help with,” he answers, in a much softer tone that Shen Qingqiu anticipated. “I don’t need your help.” Okay, he thinks, this did sound a bit more aggressive but not too much for me to shut up.

“Hmm, okay, if Shidi says so,” he starts. “Would you like to join me for dinner today? This Shixiong is a little lonely.” It sounds ridiculous even in his own ears but how else is he supposed to say this? This is too weird, seriously!  

Liu Qingge is looking at him in disbelief, probably trying to understand what his intentions are again. Can you stop being suspicious of me already, Shidi? he wants to say. Not that you shouldn’t be.

Liu Qingge stays quiet long enough for Shen Qingqiu to decide that he has failed the second mission. It’s a surprise when he actually responds. “I’ll join you. I won’t stay for long though.” His arms are folded on his chest and his voice sounds a bit… shy? What’s going on? Shen Qingqiu wonders. System, did you do anything to him?

He can’t stay surprised for too long if he wants to gain points, so he immediately excuses himself to go inform his disciples to bring dinner for two, trying to act like he is not losing his mind. 

Okay, first step done, Shen Qingqiu thinks as he makes himself comfortable across Liu Qingge again, serving him tea. He starts fanning himself with his brand new fan to seem busy. Now I have to think of a compliment. Not that it’s hard to find something to compliment on a beauty like the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, but I have to find something that won’t seem too out of place or weird.  

“Liu-Shidi, has anyone ever told you that you look really cute when you frown?”

“…”

“…”

Wait, what?!? he didn’t mean to say that! That’s both weird and out of place! Shen Qingqiu doesn’t dare look at Liu Qingge’s face, hiding himself behind his fan. Maybe if he shuts up they can pretend this never happened.

“You!” Liu Qingge breaks the silence. “Shen Qingqiu! Stop playing those games with me!”

What, he thinks. Why does he sound so flustered? Is he really that shocked that I dared say something like that to a War God? Shen Qingqiu can’t help but steal a glance at him, lowering the fan a little.

Liu Qingge’s face is unusually red, his mouth slightly opened, his hand gripping the cup of tea probably about to break it. What kind of reaction is this? Why do I suddenly feel like the male protagonist that’s trying to seduce an innocent maiden? Shen Qingqiu tries to gather his thoughts and save the situation. 

“Ahh don’t take it so seriously, I just expressed my thoughts. Shidi must receive compliments all the time, I don’t think it’s something new.”

The younger man looks ready to protest but gets interrupted by one of his disciples bringing them dinner. Shen Qingqiu notes to be extra lenient to this particular disciple in training tomorrow for this wonderful timing.

They stay quiet as the food is being served, Liu Qingge seeming to have regained his composure. Once the disciple leaves, the Qing Jing Peak Lord immediately tries to change the subject to something that he knows will distract the other man.

“Have you gone on any missions since the last time we saw each other?” he asks. Liu Qingge’s stories about the monsters he has defeated are his only entertainment while he is still stuck at home recovering from the poison. ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’’s beasts were always his favorite part of the novel after all. 

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord thankfully takes the bait and starts describing in detail the monsters and other creatures he defeated this week while they eat. Shen Qingqiu has discovered that this is the easiest way to get to talk to him more. The fact that he actually really enjoys the stories is unrelated. Which man doesn’t love battle stories? 

Time passes like that, with Shen Qingqiu probably asking too many questions about the creatures and their habits, enough for the younger man to question him at least. “I didn’t know that you were so interested in monsters,” he says, giving him a look that Shen Qingqiu can’t decipher. 

“Hmm, I’m quite interested in them. They’re fascinating, right? I know that you mostly care about defeating them but I’m a scholar, I enjoy learning about them,” he tells him genuinely. Revealing one of his interests can’t be bad. Wait, he thinks then. Maybe this is my chance. I know how I’ll complete step 3.

“Mu-Shidi has given me permission to go on missions again as long as there is someone accompanying me. Perhaps Liu-Shidi would be willing to let me join him in one of his missions? It has been a while since I last left the Mountains,” he says, fully expecting to be rejected. The instructions said to express interest, not to succeed.  

“That can be arranged. Your knowledge about all kinds of creatures could make things easier. I’ll inform you once I find a case appropriate for you to take part in.” 

Now it’s Shen Qingqiu’s turn to be stunned. Liu Qingge accepted so easily? He has to hide his surprised face behind his fan though. Let’s act like this is completely normal.

“That’s good. Thank you Shidi,” he tells him calmly. “I hope I can be of help.” He doubts that there is a way for him to contribute to a mission that would make things easier for the younger man but he chooses not to say anything like that. 

“Hmm. I’ll take my leave now,” Liu Qingge says, getting up from his seat. Shen Qingqiu can’t help but notice how much his mood seems to have improved compared to how it was when he first came today as they say goodbye. Just admit you like my company, Shidi.

System: [ Congratulations! ‘Mission Two’ has been completed +100, +50 for improving Love Interest ‘Liu Qingge’s mood, +20 for making him blush, +20 for showing interest in his interests, +10 for innovative compliment. Total gained L points: +200 ]

Shen Qingqiu still doesn’t understand how the system chooses to count points, but he gained more than last time so he is not going to complain about it.

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu receives an invitation to join the Bai Zhan Peak Lord on a mission three days after they agreed on it. Apparently the only clues about the case available are that some people in a random village have started getting poisoned by flying creatures when they pass through a nearby forest. Sounds generic enough , he thinks. He can name more than a hundred creatures that could be responsible for this. I guess we’ll have to investigate first to find out.

He’s honestly getting excited about this. Not only is he going to meet more of his beloved weird monsters, but he’s also going to see the famous War God fight in person again. Shen Qingqiu was a little busy getting poisoned to see him properly during the demon invasion. I probably won’t even have to do anything. I’ll just stand there and examine the creatures after they’ve been killed.

He does think it’s surprising that Liu Qingge accepted his proposition so easily though. Not only because it was from /him/, but also because the Bai Zhan Peak Lord has a reputation of running off to battle creatures alone. He’s not exactly known to take random people who ask him with him. Well, Shen Qingqiu isn’t sure if people really ask him; he wouldn't have asked him either if he wasn’t forced. 

The system, of course, chooses to interrupt his thoughts once again.

System: [ ‘Mission Three’ is now available. Please press < here > to see the instructions ]

“Just show them already,” he says as he presses the bottom. At least he got them sooner than last time and can think of a plan:

1. Prove to the Bai Zhan Peak Lord that you have some skills
2. Tear a part of your clothes while battling
3. Fall into his arms at least once

...

...

System? Just what kind of book are you trying to write?... Do you think I’m a young girl going on a trip with her sweetheart? We’re both grown men here!! I’m almost as tall as him; it won’t be cute if I crush him!

Shen Qingqiu has already realized that he can’t reason with the system but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to fight it. Maybe Liu Qingge has been lenient with him until now, but he’s not so sure that man will want to see him again after this mission. I know that he’s interested in men, but it’s not like he doesn’t have standards, he thinks. Who in their right mind would be into the original Shen Qingqiu?  

~~~

Shen Qingqiu meets the Bai Zhan Peak Lord at the place he told him and is surprised to see a carriage waiting there. FOR FUCK’S SAKE , he wants to scream, isn’t this a cultivation novel? Are we never going to use our swords? I thought at least Liu Qingge would not accept to travel like this.    

“Good morning Liu-Shidi,” he decides to say. “Why is there a carriage here?” Please let me ride a sword for once.

Liu Qingge, of course, looks as beautiful as ever even this early in the morning. He seems to have expected this question. “It’s for you. Zhangmen-Shixiong insisted on traveling in this.” Of course he did , Shen Qingqiu thinks. Leave it to Yue Qingyuan to be the overprotective older brother trope. 

“It’s really not necessary. I’ve recovered as much as I'm ever going to. I can fly a few miles, let’s not act like I’m completely useless now,” he says, probably sounding more frustrated that he intended. The other man is going to think that he’s upset about his cultivation while in reality he just wants to experience flying on a sword for once. Why did I have to transmigrate into the stupidest cultivation novel?

“You’re not useless but what if the poison decides to act up while we’re flying? Who’s going to save you?” Liu Qingge tells him seriously. Shen Qingqiu thinks that it’s cute that the younger man seems to take everything so seriously.

“I have you, don’t I?” he tells him, loving how his expression changes so quickly. Ahh he’s really so fun to rile up. I could do this all day.

“And what am I, your bodyguard?” Liu Qingge responds, suddenly taking interest in the nearby trees. “Whatever, we’ll fly there. If you fall to your death I’ll tell the sect leader that it was your own fault.” He thankfully orders some disciples to take away the carriage. 

“Would you really let your poor Shixiong die? I thought Shidi cared about me,” Shen Qingqiu says as dramatically as possible. He thinks he can spot the younger man’s ears turning red. Cute. 

“Shut up and let’s leave before I change my mind and leave you behind.” Liu Qingge flies off after saying that and the Qing Jing Peak Lord has to hurry to follow him. This is gonna be fun.

~~~

They’re near the village now, he can tell by the suspicious-looking forest on the horizon. They didn’t really talk on the way here but Shen Qingqiu was happy living his dream of flying on a sword and enjoying the (generic) view from above. He thinks that the Bai Zhan Peak Lord looks unfailingly good like this; with his ponytail fluttering with the wind, not a hair out of place, and his face looking more peaceful than he had ever seen it. Meanwhile I look like I was battling with the wind.  

“Liu-Shidi, shouldn't we start descending now?” he breaks the silence. “The village is close enough now.”

Liu Qingge turns around, narrowing his eyes. “We are going to the forest. What does the village have to do with anything?”

Shen Qingqiu should have guessed that a War God wouldn't care about collecting intel, but he’s not willing to go into a battle without knowing nothing about what they’re dealing with. 

“We’re going to the village,” he says, not leaving room for arguments. “We’re not fighting anything without getting more information about it first.” Liu Qingge looks ready to protest, probably not knowing how to do something like asking people for information, but Shen Qingqiu stops him. “Don’t worry, Shixiong is here. I’ll do the talking. You just stand there and look pretty. You’ll get your chance to shine when we get to the fighting part.”

He starts going down without looking back to see Liu Qingge’s reaction. Thankfully, he can hear him following him a few moments later. Huh, bossing around the Bai Zhan Peak Lord is easier than expected.

~~~

The village looks exactly like every other village that Shen Qingqiu has been to in this world. That damned author could spend two whole pages describing how wife’s #235 breasts jiggle when she runs but not a single paragraph about architecture.  

He gets distracted from judging how generic the village looks by something far more interesting. His Shidi is walking a little behind him and it seems like he has gained the attention of pretty much everyone around them. These random people aren’t important enough to the story to be blessed enough to see a one-of-a-kind beauty like Liu Qingge walk around in their streets everyday. I see him at least once a week and I’m still not used to it, he can’t help but think to himself.

Shen Qingqiu realizes that it’ll be a piece of cake to gather as much information about the creatures as possible with him around. I’m sorry Liu-Shidi, I’ll take advantage of your pretty face. It’s for the common good.

He starts asking the more than willing people questions about the attacks and soon enough they have everything they need. Liu Qingge just stands beside him the whole time but he’s helping more than he probably realizes. Everyone who talks with them has the chance to see him up-close after all. 

“Are we done already? I thought this would take longer,” the younger man questions, looking bored.

“Yes, I’ve narrowed down what the creature is to 5 options. I’ll make a more precise guess when I take a closer look at the forest.” Shen Qingqiu has a lot of fun playing the investigator. He can finally put to use his unconventional hobby. 

~~~

When they get near the forest, Shen Qingqiu is able to make the final guess. “The creatures responsible for the attacks are called ‘Venomous Jumping Devils’.”He barely resists the urge to call them snake-monkeys. “They… they are monkeys but their arms look like snakes. Their venom is deadly for non-cultivators. They’re not particularly strong but they’re quick and very agile, especially in a place like this,” he says, pointing at the many low branches around the forest. “Flying creatures would have trouble hunting here, but for the ‘Venomous Jumping Devils’ this is the most appropriate place.”

“What’s the best way to kill them, then?” Liu Qingge asks, straight to the point. Shidi, you didn’t let me tell you about their mating habits.  

“You have to cut their arms. Injuries on the rest of their body would likely slow them down, but not kill them. You have to be careful not to give them a chance to bite you. The poison may not be deadly for us but it'll be hard to deal with." Shen Qingqiu has had enough of getting poisoned, thank you very much. 

"Alright, I got it. Anything else I should know?" The younger man looks at him with so much trust that Shen Qingqiu is kinda moved. When did he start trusting me like that? 

“Hmm, yes. They usually travel in packs and are good at hiding so don’t let your guard down until we’re sure that we’ve dealt with all of them,” he tells him, even though he’s sure that the Bai Zhan Peak Lord would never do that.

They make their way into the suspicious looking forest following the path that the people here must use. The first group of snake-monkeys doesn’t lose time to start attacking them; their disgusting hands reaching for them from all directions. With the two of them together, it’s not really difficult to defeat all of them and continue their way. Shen Qingqiu thinks it’s kinda fun too. Well, for a while at least. This is getting tiring.  

Liu Qingge really makes fighting look so easy. He jumps around and does all kinds of acrobatics, looking completely at ease, while Shen Qingqiu has started to get dizzy from all this jumping and looking at the ugly faces of the snake-monkeys.

They make a surprisingly good team though. Liu Qingge has obviously taken the lead, opening a path for them and taking care of the most troublesome ones. Shen Qingqiu has the chance to cover his back and deal with the ones straying from the group.

And because things can never go /too/ well for him, he accidentally collides with a branch while jumping and rips his robes a little on his right shoulder. He’s about to start complaining when he remembers about the step 2 of the mission. This must count, right?

System: [ It doesn’t count. ], the system unhelpfully answers him. 

Do you want me to rip it more myself then or what?! DON’T say yes, I swear!

Before the system has the chance to harass him more, a new group of ‘Venomous Jumping Devils’ attacks them and Shen Qingqiu has to forget about the stupid mission if he doesn’t want to get poisoned /again/. He also wants to avoid looking bad in front of Liu Qingge too. 

This seems to be the last group. After they’ve killed all of them the forest is suddenly too quiet. They keep looking around for a while until they decide it’s safe again. 

“We’re done,” Liu Qingge turns around to look at him. Shen Qingqiu momentarily gets distracted by how good he looks surrounded by all this green, sword still in hand, not a single drop of blood on his robes. It’s really unfair how he can look breathtaking even in a situation like this. He doesn’t realize when the man starts approaching him, until he suddenly swings his sword right in front of his right shoulder. 

Wait, what?

Before he has the chance to comprehend what just happened, he has already lost his footing. He starts cursing Liu Qingge for being so distracting, expecting to embarrass himself in front of his Shidi more by falling down, when strong arms wrap around his waist and stabilize him.

…

This must count as falling into his arms, right?  

System: [ It counts. ]

Liu Qingge keeps his hands there for a few moments, scanning the area, probably looking for more enemies. Oh right, Shen Qingqiu remembers. Enemies. Liu-Shidi just saved me from a stray snake-monkey that tried to attack me.  

After the Bai Zhan Peak Lord has concluded that they really are safe now, he lets go and moves in front of him. Shen Qingqiu is about to thank him when the other man suddenly takes a step back, his eyes wide open, looking scandalized. 

“Liu-Shidi? What’s wrong? Did—” he doesn’t finish his sentence because he understands exactly what’s happening. 

Of course. Of course. OF COURSE. What else did I expect to happen in this stupid novel?

It seems like when Liu Qingge attacked that ‘Venomous Jumping Devil’ that tried to sneak up on him, he accidentally swinged his sword a little too close to him and the little tearing on his shoulder is now much bigger. Big enough for a nipple to show. The day is hot enough for Shen Qingqiu not to have realized it right away in his panic. 

Liu Qingge is still speechless, but has politely turned his back on him, probably too shocked after witnessing a cheap fanservice tactic like this. This is too much, too much.  

Shen Qingqiu tries to cover himself but suspiciously enough (I’m looking at you, system) it doesn’t seem possible. How did his robes get teared up in this way?

“Here,” the younger man tells him, handing him his outer robe that he must have just taken off, still looking away. His Bai Zhan outer robe. Well , Shen Qingqiu thinks, walking around with my nipples out is more embarrassing than wearing another peak’s robes.  

He wordlessly takes them and puts them on, trying to ignore how awkward this whole situation is. At least the other man seems to be as embarrassed as him, if not more, judging by how red his face is. Liu-Shidi’s face seems to be getting red so easily these days.

“You can look now, I’m decent,” he tells him. Let’s stop making this such a big deal, please. I’m sure you’ve seen shirtless men before . Liu Qingge hesitantly turns around, breathing in relief when he sees him covered. His face is still very red and he stands like an enemy could attack them any moment now. Or… have you not seen shirtless men before?

“Hmm, let’s get going then,” Liu Qingge says, already starting to walk towards the exit of the forest. “It’s better to get back to the sect before nightfall."

Shen Qingqiu easily agrees and follows him, already getting distracted again by the sight of him in one less layer. Why do I act like I didn’t see people wearing much less clothes back in my world all the time? And Liu Qingge is a man too…

Before he has the chance to think what these thoughts mean about his sexuality, a familiar voice sounds in his mind. 

System: [ Congratulations! ‘Mission Three’ is completed +150,+10 for complimenting Love Interest ‘Liu Qingge’, +80 for the excellent execution of step 2, +20 for getting ‘Liu Qingge’ flustered, +40 for getting to wear his clothes. Total gained L points: +300 ]

Oh? Am I going to be getting more points with which passing mission? Nice.

~~~

The moment they enter Cang Qiong Mountain and Shen Qingqiu has to walk around dressed in Bai Zhan Peak's robes he realizes that he really didn’t get enough points for this shit.

Chapter Text

The next time Liu Qingge visits the bamboo house to clean his meridians he is accompanied by Mu Qingfang. Shen Qingqiu immediately concludes that something bad is going to happen.

“Good afternoon Shen-Shixiong,” the doctor greets him. “I’m here to check your condition.” Liu Qingge just nods at him and sits for the first time in a while, far away from him. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t know why he is so disappointed about this but he tries to hide it as Mu Qingfang approaches him to start examining him.

“Of course, I’ll be in your care Mu-Shidi.”

“Hmm, as expected, Shixiong is recovering well,” Mu Qingfang concludes after doing whatever xianxia doctors do. Then he turns around and looks at both him and Liu Qingge. “It seems like you will only need to have your meridians cleaned once a month now, so after today Liu-Shidi doesn’t have to trouble himself every week.” 

“This is good news,” Liu Qingge nods. Shen Qingqiu tries to make a noise of agreement even if he feels his heart hurt for some reason. Is Mu-Shidi sure that my condition is better? What’s this feeling then?

“It certainly is,” the doctor replies, seeming genuinely happy about it. Shen Qingqiu tries to look happy about it too. It /is/ good news after all. “I have other patients to visit so I’ll leave first.”

When he leaves, there is an awkward silence in the room. Shen Qingqiu had woken up in a good mood today. Training went well, and the system had been relatively quiet too, which is always a relief. He can’t understand why his mood is suddenly so bad. Maybe I’m upset about my routine changing?

He can’t tell what the other man feels about this situation as he finally takes his usual seat across from him. He starts doing his job as usual, a neutral expression on his face. He probably is happy about not having to be around me so often, right? Now he can run off to fight monsters without having to worry about being back in time, Shen Qingqiu can’t help but think.

It’s not like Liu Qingge seems to hate his company, but the War God has the reputation of being absent from the sect for months at a time, enjoying traveling around to look for strong opponents. He agreed to this arrangement out of obligation but he’s probably not enjoying being forced to stay in the sect so much. He must be thrilled about this change. 

Shen Qingqiu always thought that Liu Qingge held his wrist with unexpected care everytime they were doing this. He has gotten used to it. His Shidi is gently holding his wrist like usual today, but somehow he can’t enjoy it like before. Shouldn’t I be trying to savor this feeling since it’ll be a while until I can experience it again? , he wonders, but his mood doesn’t seem to be willing to improve.

“Your sword fighting has gotten worse,” Liu Qingge suddenly announces, startling him. I am already in a bad mood, why does he feel the need to insult me out of the blue? 

His expression doesn’t seem mocking but Shen Qingqiu doesn’t have the energy to try to understand his intentions. “I don’t get the chance to use my sword often,” he responds, trying to use his fan to hide the irritation on his face. More like I never learned how to use it and I’m only relying on muscle memory.

“Hmm, I figured,” the other man replies, seemingly unaware of his annoyance. “If you have free time, I could help you practice a few times a week. I’ll be around in my Peak for a while,” he continues, surprising Shen Qingqiu. Now he feels bad about judging him so quickly. Of course he wasn’t trying to make me feel bad about it.

“If Liu-Shidi is willing, I’ll be honored to take lessons from him.” Training with the Bai Zhan Peak Lord is probably going to be hell but Shen Qingqiu finally feels his mood improving. Even if it’s tiring, it’ll be fun to spend time with him. Improving my skills can’t be a waste of time either.

“That’s good then. Just notify me before so that I can clear my schedule,” Liu Qingge tells him, surprising him even more. How come the Bai Zhan Peak Lord is so willing to help him? Does that mean they’re friends now? Shen Qingqiu nods and smiles at him, one of his genuine smiles for once. He thinks he can spot a tiny smile on the other’s face too.

~~~

Shen Qingqiu arrives at Bai Zhan Peak for training a few days later. He tries to ignore the aggressive looks he receives from some of the disciples, since he’s already aware that most of them aren’t his biggest fan. That doesn’t stop him from cursing the original Shen Qingqiu for passing him such a rotten reputation. Liu Qingge’s hooligans will probably never like him. He hopes they can at least stop bothering his poor disciples. 

The Qing Jing Peak Lord makes his way at the training grounds they had agreed on, finding Liu Qingge already practicing on his own there. He’s sure that the other man already knows he’s here, but he can’t help but stand there for a few moments, admiring the sight. And what a sight the Bai Zhan Peak Lord makes. He’s wearing what must be training robes; less elegant than his standard ones, but still fitting for an immortal. Even his ponytail is a bit messier than usual, some wisps of hair flying freely in front of his face. Is this allowed?

“Good evening Liu-Shidi,” he decides to greet him probably after an embarrassing amount of time staring at him. The more time he spends with the War God, the more sense it makes for the author to have written him as gay. Luo Binghe would have some strong competition for his harem otherwise. 

“Hmm, good evening,” Liu Qingge sheaths his sword in a swift movement and approaches him. “Is this what you’re planning to practice in?” the younger man asks him, eyeing his non-practical outfit skeptically. Shen Qingqiu is ready to tell him that his outfit is very appropriate for this occasion, thank you very much, when he suddenly gets a notification from the system.

System: [ ‘Mission Four’ is now available. Click < here > to proceed ]

I can never have a moment of peace, he thinks as he clicks the button:

1. Accept Liu Qingge’s proposal to borrow clothes from him
2. Ask him to demonstrate moves to you by touching you
3. Have a playful sparring session with him

Now… There’s a lot to unpack here but Shen Qingqiu doesn’t have the time to curse the system right now unfortunately.

“Why Shidi? What’s wrong with my outfit?” he asks then, pretending it didn’t take him a little too long to speak. Couldn't the system give him the instructions at more reasonable moments?

“What’s wrong with it? Are you really going to train wearing all that?” Liu Qingge points at the many layers he’s wearing. He’s very right to think that it wouldn't be convenient to fight in his flowing robes with wide sleeves but this is how his whole wardrobe looks like. Bold of you to assume I own any practical clothes, Liu-Shidi.

“Why? Do you want me to go back to my Peak to change?” he asks, even though he knows where this is going thanks to the system.

“That’s not necessary. Follow me, I’ll lend you some of mine.” Liu Qingge immediately turns around to lead him to his quarters. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t protest even if he wants to. He’s curious enough to want to see the other man’s house too. He has visited Bai Zhan Peak before but he never had the chance to see the place the War God calls home. I wonder what it looks like.

It turns out, Liu Qingge’s home doesn’t look like a home at all. Maybe he should have expected this, considering the fact that he usually spends more time travelling than being here, but he still thinks that the place looks a bit too empty. Doesn’t he spend any time at all here? He probably only comes here to sleep even if he’s at the sect.

“Here, wear this,” Liu Qingge tells him, handing him a pair of robes similar to the ones he is wearing himself. That’s gonna be the second time I’ll wear his clothes, Shen Qingqiu thinks as he’s taking them. “I think they’ll fit you,” the other man continues, heading towards the door. “I’ll wait outside for you to change.”

The moment he’s left alone, Shen Qingqiu lets out a breath and tries to gather his thoughts. This is totally normal. Nothing weird for martial brothers to exchange clothes. This is all very normal. Liu-Shidi would probably do things like that for the rest of the Peak Lords too. I’m not special or anything, he tells himself even if he can’t imagine Liu Qingge being this close with anyone else. 

It doesn’t take long for him to change into the training robes that Liu Qingge gave him, but he takes a moment to inspect how they look on him. The two men are of similar height but surprisingly the Bai Zhan Peak Lord is the one with the leaner stature. His robes fit a little tighter in Shen Qingqiu’s chest, but not uncomfortably so, so he decides not to complain about it. 

When he comes out of the room, Liu Qingge gives him a weird look before starting to walk towards the training grounds again.

~~~

They’re working on some basic moves today, since Liu Qingge decided that they should do this properly or Shen Qingqiu won’t be able to correct the mistakes in his techniques. He relies on muscle memory for most of them, but that has started becoming more difficult as the moves get more complicated.

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord is visibly trying to be patient with him, until they reach a specific move that Shen Qingqiu can’t figure out for the life of him. “Do you really never practice using your sword?” he asks him, massaging his temples. 

Shen Qingqiu knows not to take this personally so he answers in a lighthearted way. “Ahh Shidi, you know this Shixiong doesn’t like to fight unless it’s necessary. Things have been pretty peaceful around here apart from that one demon invasion.” He puts extra effort in sounding cute, preparing for his next move. “Won’t Liu-Shidi help me with where exactly I should place my arms?”

He looks away as he’s saying this, thinking that he probably went a bit too far with the teasing, but turns out that the Bai Zhan Peak Lord really is full of surprises. 

“Alright, stand there and don’t move,” Liu Qingge tells him, as he moves in front of him and starts guiding his limbs into the correct positions. Shen Qingqiu can’t understand why his heart is suddenly beating so fast. Has he really gotten so touch starved ever since transmigrating into this world? Is this him having missed casual human touch, or does it have anything to do with the very man touching him?

He doesn’t think the situation can get worse until Liu Qingge moves behind him and guides him through the whole movement, his chest pressed to his back. The Qing Jing Peak Lord worries that the other man will be able to feel his rapid heartbeat. How is he so casual with things like this, anyway? Isn’t he supposed to be an unapproachable War God? What did I ever do to deserve this torture?  

“Do it like this.” The younger man’s voice sounds too close to his ear. Does he demonstrate moves to his disciples like this? How are any of them still alive? Shen Qingqiu comes back to his senses when his back feels too cold all of a sudden.

“You got it?” Liu Qingge asks, standing in front of him again, his ears a pretty shade of pink.

Shen Qingqiu can only nod and take a few moments to breathe before the other man asks him to repeat the move alone. It takes a couple attempts for him to get it right, so he hopes he looks more composed than he feels. Liu Qingge looks pleased after he makes it.

“Let’s take a break,” he tells him, beckoning Shen Qingqiu to come sit next to him on some random rocks placed around the training area.

“That’s a good idea, Shidi,” Shen Qingqiu agrees as he follows him, hoping the other man will think he’s breathless from the exercise and not from anything else.

They sit there quietly for a few minutes and Shen Qingqiu tries to convince his mind to leave the sexuality crisis for a time when he’s alone and not right next to the man making him question himself. It’s not like the thought has never crossed his mind before, but in his previous life he had been completely disinterested in relationships, choosing to spend most of his time alone. It’s been a while since the last time he’s been close to anyone like this, he thinks this must be the reason behind his panic. 

Liu Qingge is a very attractive person, that’s not something that can be questioned, so it must be normal to feel this way around him, right? I also know that he’s interested in men, so that may muddle my thoughts. Even if I was attracted to him… that wouldn’t be too weird. He’s just too beautiful, it’s not my fault; I am but a weak man.

“Do you want to spar for a while before we finish today’s training?” Liu Qingge says, interrupting his very heterosexual thoughts. “No weapons.” Shen Qingqiu would have said no if he had a choice. He’s not really looking forward to getting so close to him while he’s having a sexuality crisis. 

“Yeah, sure. You better go easy on me though,” he tells him playfully, deciding to not care for the consequences of his actions for now. “Show mercy to this old man.”

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord just snorts and starts dragging him towards the middle of the training grounds. “I thought you said you weren’t useless like a week ago?” Well, that sounds like a challenge.

Now that Shen Qingqiu has closed his mind to any rational thoughts, sparring with Liu Qingge is the best thing he has done ever since he came to this world. The other man is definitely going easy on him, so they’re just playing around, tapping each other without actually hitting. The Qing Jing Peak Lord even lets the adrenaline take over, trying some ridiculously dramatic moves he would never do otherwise. He swears he can hear the younger man laugh.

A few minutes later, the two men find themselves on the ground, having turned the sparring session into (playful) wrestling. The moment Shen Qingqiu lets his guard down, gasping for breath after moving around so much, Liu Qingge takes the opportunity to straddle him, trapping him under his weight. 

Shen Qingqiu just lies there, gaping at him, already feeling like he’s lost all coherent thoughts, but the Bai Zhan Peak Lord doesn’t show mercy. He grabs the arms uselessly lying by Shen Qingqiu’s sides and pins them above his head. The movement brings their faces dangerously close to each other, and Shen Qingqiu allows himself to think what would happen if he were to lean forward. 

He doesn’t end up finding out because Liu Qingge seems to suddenly realize their position and jerks away like he’s been electrocuted. His face is more flushed than Shen Qingqiu has ever seen it and he’s too out of breath for this kind of simple exercise. He would tease him about it if he didn’t feel like he was going to explode himself.

Before he can gather his thoughts, the system decides to make its appearance. 

System: [ Congratulations! ‘Mission Four’ is completed +200 points, +20 for making Love Interest ‘Liu Qingge’ blush, +100 for realization of sexuality, +80 for almost-kiss. Total L points gained: +400 ]

Shen Qingqiu doesn’t even have the power to swear at the system’s weird counting methods.

Chapter Text

Lately, apart from training together, the Peak Lords of Qing Jing and Bai Zhan have made a habit of going on missions with each other almost every month. At first, a lot of people around them were confused about how this all started and how Liu Qingge decided not to be a lone wolf anymore, but after a while everyone got used to them acting as a duo. 

The two of them have even conducted a couple joined night-hunts with their respective disciples in an effort to get them to get along better with each other. This method hasn’t been very successful so far but Shen Qingqiu doesn’t have any better ideas. He’s trying his best to save his disciples. 

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord still occasionally runs off to battle creatures on his own, sometimes even weeks at a time, but he is spending considerably more time on the sect than he used to in the past. Many have started to speculate on what’s keeping him here. The Cang Qiong Mountain Sect loves to gossip after all; even his own sister participates in those kinds of discussions. 

Most people have already assumed that the reason behind this change is a certain Peak Lord and unfortunately, Shen Qingqiu is the one who has to suffer through the teasing, since Liu Qingge likes to act like he’s unapproachable. It’s not even true, he thinks to himself after Qi Qingqi made a sex joke about them again. Nothing like that is going on between us. Maybe I wouldn't mind… but really, there’s nothing like that. Nothing. We’re just friends.

He knows it’s a lie even when he says it to himself, but he really can’t define this weird thing going on between them. Nothing explicitly romantic has happened, but that’s only because Shen Qingqiu stops things before they can escalate. It’s getting harder and harder as time passes considering that Liu Qingge took him to stargaze together just last week, but he feels guilty enough with the situation, he doesn't want to go too far while he's still doing this for points. 

He knows very well what Liu Qingge is trying to achieve with taking him on dates festivals and bringing him gifts every time he returns from his travels, but he deliberately acts oblivious, no matter how much he wants to do something stupid like kiss him. 

He was sure that Liu Qingge would simply give up after a while and make things easier for him, but the man is more determined about this than he thought, which makes him feel worse than he already does. No matter how stupid he acts whenever the other is doing something obliviously romantic for him, the Bai Zhan Peak Lord still tries. It’s almost like he does these things simply because he wants to and doesn’t necessarily expect something in return.

Shen Qingqiu has started to look for alternative ways to gain points, hoping that he can deactivate the secondary storyline and finally be able to act however he wants with Liu Qingge without feeling like he’s taking advantage of his feelings, but nothing else has a good enough result. No matter how guilty he feels, he really doesn’t want to die or do something cruel if he can help it. Maybe I can continue like this until the Immortal Alliance Conference?

~~~

Holding himself back becomes even more difficult now that they’ve found themselves stuck in an inn together. It’s not the first time that they’ve had to stay overnight in a place outside of the sect of course, since they’ve gone in quite a few missions together already, but this is the first time they are sharing a room. This wouldn’t be ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’ if he didn’t experience the ‘there’s only one bed scenario’ at least once, after all. 

Shen Qingqiu is planning to pretend he’s tired and just go to sleep immediately in order to avoid anything gay else from happening, but the world is against him as usual.

System: [ ‘Mission Seventeen’ is now available. Please read the following instructions to continue. ]

1. Ask Love Interest ‘Liu Qingge’ to have a drink with you
2. Comb his hair
3. Kiss him

…

…

System? Why are you doing this to me? Have I not told you that I want to avoid doing things like that for now? If mission seventeen is to kiss him, what would the next one be? Wasn’t the hug from the last mission enough? This is bad, this is so bad…

It’s true that the missions had started getting progressively more… romantic, to put it mildly, but Shen Qingqiu had found a way to avoid being too obvious about it. Now though, there really isn’t a way to mask this as a platonic gesture. 

System, what will happen if I fail this mission?

System: [ In case of failure to complete a mission, the ‘Secondary Storyline’ will be deactivated ]

Shen Qingqiu thinks about it for a few moments and decides that he is too close to collecting enough points to deactivate the storyline right now. Maybe I can deactivate it after this mission…

“Shen Qingqiu, are you alright?” Liu Qingge’s voice breaks him out of his internal dilemma. It’s a wonder how the other man hasn’t made him see a doctor after witnessing him spacing out in front of him so often.

“Hmm, this Shixiong was just thinking about something,” is the best answer he can think of at this moment. Seeing how the Bai Zhan Peak Lord is eyeing him skeptically, probably about to ask what got him so distracted, he decides to go for the kill right away. “Let’s tell the inn owner to send us dinner. How about some wine too?”

Now Liu Qingge is looking at him with even more suspicion, raising an eyebrow. “Since when do you drink alcohol?” 

That’s right. He doesn't. Shen Qingqiu has avoided alcohol in both his lifetimes for the same reason; his alcohol tolerance is non-existent. He found out that the original goods suffered from the same problem as him the first time Qi Qingqi tried to get him to drink with her and he ended up passing out, right after confessing that he missed being hugged. Now Qi Qingqi doesn’t miss a chance to give him a playful hug when they meet, probably never planning to let him live it down.

“A few cups won’t kill me, Shidi. Unless you don’t deal well with alcohol?” Shen Qingqiu replies, waggling his eyebrows at him. It’s definitely hypocritical of him to say something like that, but that’s the fastest way to get the younger man to agree to something. 

“Hmph, like anyone could be worse than you,” Liu Qingge says, heading towards the door. Right, I forgot that he knows about my alcohol tolerance too. “I’ll go tell the inn owner to bring us food.” He leaves before Shen Qingqiu has the chance to ask if he’ll ask for wine too. Probably not.

~~~

They're sitting on the table meditating (or pretending to) when an employee arrives with their dinner. Liu Qingge is avoiding eye contact when Shen Qingqiu tries to tease him for the two jars of wine that accompany it. 

The Qing Jing Lord is trying to ignore whatever he has to do tonight in favor of enjoying the surprisingly good food and wine. No one can blame him for probably drinking more than he can handle. 

"Liu-Shidi, don’t you ever get a headache from having your hair in a ponytail all the time?” Shen Qingqiu tries to ask in a serious manner. “It looks really tight too.” But you look good. It’d be a pity to hide your pretty face.

Liu Qingge’s face is a little flushed from the wine and Shen Qingqiu realizes this is the first time they’re drinking together. He probably has a low tolerance too. “I’ve gotten used to it. How could something like that affect me?” Ahh he looks cute even when he’s trying to look offended.

“Hmm Shidi is right,” he says in order to indulge him. “But it’s just the two of us here, you can let it down.” Shen Qingqiu is trying really hard not to be too obvious about his ulterior motives. Apart from the mission, he’s also really curious about how the other looks without his normal hairstyle. 

“Even if it’s just us, is it proper?” Liu Qingge asks, looking away. 

“Are you planning to sleep with your hair tied up, Shidi?” Shen Qingqiu asks playfully, gesturing at the bed they’ll inevitably have to share. “And you are hurting this Shixiong’s feelings. Aren’t we close enough already?” he continues, pouting. If he punches me, it’ll be completely understandable.

The moment he says this, Liu Qingge gives him a look he can’t decipher and reaches out to take out his hairpin and untie the ponytail, maintaining eye contact. The way his hair falls down on his shoulders is unfairly attractive. Shen Qingqiu has the sudden urge to reach out and fix the few strands that are out of place.

Even if this is what he asked for, he is once again taken aback by the younger man’s willingness to comply with all his stupid requests. This is the moment that a sober Shen Qingqiu would feel guilty and try to change the atmosphere of the room. The currently tipsy Shen Qingqiu isn’t as wise and decides to follow his impulses and reach out to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. 

He pulls back and stares at the beautiful sight of his Shidi’s face getting progressively more pink. “What was that for?” Liu Qingge asks, fixing his own hair but without breaking eye contact. 

“Your hair needs combing after being in a ponytail for so long,” Shen Qingqiu decides to answer, ignoring the look the other gives him. “Let this Shixiong brush it for you.” He doesn't wait for an answer before reaching inside his robes to get the comb he always carries with him. He gets up and moves behind Liu Qingge expecting to be stopped, but the other man seems to be having a staring contest with the window in front of him.

He lightly touches his hair when he suddenly remembers his manners. “Is this okay?” Liu Qingge finally takes his gaze off the window and nods at him. Even his ears are pink, Shen Qingqiu can’t help but notice.

Shen Qingqiu doesn’t remember ever doing something like this for anyone before, but somehow combing his Shidi’s hair seems too intimate for an impostor like him. His hair is so soft. Softer than it looks. So many maidens would die to be in my position. I wish he would let me do this more often.

“Shixiong?” Liu Qingge’s soft tone breaks him out of his daze. “If you want to do this more often, you just have to ask. You know I’ll let you.” The sincerity in his voice distacts Shen Qingqiu for a few moments from the fact that he apparently said the last phrase out loud. When he realizes the situation he lets go of Liu Qingge’s hair and stumbles back, covering his face with his hands. 

He hears Liu Qingge move and next thing he knows, the younger man gently grabs his hands and moves them away from his face. “Don’t hide from me,” he whispers, not letting go of his hands yet. “Have I not made it clear already that there are few things in this world that I wouldn’t let you do to me?” Shen Qingqiu has never heard the other man sound so open and vulnerable. He tries to free his hands to hide his face again.

Liu Qingge reluctantly lets him, taking a step back. “If I have overstepped your boundaries please tell me.” Shen Qingqiu can’t keep hiding when his Shidi sounds so unsure of himself so he decides to lower his hands himself this time.

“You haven’t,” he whispers, shyly making eye contact with him. He can feel his face burning.

The look that Liu Qingge is giving him is so full of love that he expects his heart to explode any minute now from how quickly it’s beating. Without realizing, he takes a step forward, closing the distance between them again, reaching for the other’s hand. Despite the calluses decorating it, Shen Qingqiu doubts he will ever want to hold another hand more.

Encouraged by this action, Liu Qingge takes another step forward, bringing them even closer. He slowly raises his free hand and gently places it on Shen Qingqiu’s cheek, making eye contact with him. Both men are breathing uncharacteristically hard.

“You’re killing me,” the younger man says, his voice hoarse, even though Shen Qingqiu has currently stopped functioning. /You/ are killing me, he wants to reply, but he can’t concentrate enough to use his voice. Maybe he doesn’t have to, because after staring at him for a few more moments, Liu Qingge moves his thumb on his lower lip, gently pulling at it.

Shen Qingqiu quickly understands what he is trying to ask and before thinking about it, he leans forward, just a breath away from the other’s lips. Should I really do this, is the sudden thought that stops him from finally kissing him. Liu Qingge seems to realize his hesitation and tries to move back.

Fuck it. I can’t do this anymore.

Shen Qingqiu leans in all the way now, and the world seems to pause. Liu Qingge is the first one to move, overcoming his shock, raising both of his hands to cup his cheeks and find a better angle. Shen Qingqiu follows his lead and places his hands on the other’s hips, trying to bring him even closer. Somehow nothing seems enough.

They part for a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes, their pupils dilated, before Liu Qingge leans in again, lightly tugging at his bottom lip with his teeth until Shen Qingqiu opens his mouth. 

There are a few blissful moments where Shen Qingqiu forgets about everything, only focusing on mirroring the other’s movements and enjoying the feeling of Liu Qingge’s tongue exploring his mouth, before reality suddenly dawns on him. 

Shen Qingqiu doesn't think of himself as a particularly nice person. He has done a lot of things that he has regretted, but the dejected look that Liu Qingge gives him the moment he pushes him away and takes several steps back will always be imprinted in his memory. 

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he forces himself to say. He swears he can hear his own heart breaking.

“Why? What happened?” Liu Qingge’s voice sounds so heartbroken that Shen Qingqiu doesn’t dare look at him, afraid he’ll give in.

“It’s wrong,” he blurts out, immediately regretting it, but not taking it back. I need to stop this before it’s too late. I can’t keep using him like this.

“Why?” the Bai Zhan Lord repeats, sounding more hopeless now. “Are you not even going to look at me?” Shen Qingqiu almost breaks at this, but manages to turn around and head towards the door without saying anything else. I don’t deserve to be forgiven after this. I shouldn’t have let this happen.  

“Shen Qingqiu! Are you seriously…” Liu Qingge almost yells, and Shen Qingqiu gets out of there before he can finish his sentence, feeling like the worst person in the world.

Liu Qingge doesn’t follow him. 

It’s better like this, he tries to convince himself as he starts walking aimlessly towards a random direction.

System, deactivate the secondary storyline.  

System: [ In case of deactivation, you won’t be able to activate it again. ]

I said deactivate it already!

System: [ Deactivating ‘Secondary Storyline, please wait ]

System: [ ... ]

System: [ ‘Secondary Storyline’ has been deactivated. 15,300 points have been deducted. ]

The moment he hears this, Shen Qingqiu absurdly stops in his tracks, his heart stopping with him.

System… What do you mean 15,300 points have been deducted? You never said anything about taking away all the points I gathered… Is this some kind of mistake? He asks desperately. If I lose so many points then…

System: [ This term was included in the terms of service that you agreed to when you activated the ‘Secondary Storyline’. ]

…

Terms of service?

Shen Qingqiu wants to scream. Of course he didn’t bother to read anything like that when he activated it. He has never in his life read the terms of service of anything. Is there any person who does that?!

Chapter Text

The time for the Immortal Alliance Conference has come. No matter how much Shen Qingqiu has tried preparing himself for the inhuman crime he will have to commit, he still doesn’t feel ready. He decides to at least save himself from the embarrassment of falling from a horse and breaking his neck, and chooses to ride inside a carriage instead.

He’s not thrilled to find out that Qi Qingqi is already inside, giving him a disapproving look. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? A big man like you, why are you not riding a horse?” she asks pointing an accusing finger at him.

“I’m a sick patient,” he says, covering the bottom half of his face with his fan, trying to hide his glumness. ‘Without a Cure’ has been acting up lately, ever since he started getting his meridians cleaned by the sect leader instead of Liu Qingge. Yue Qingyuan is one of the most powerful cultivators, but for some reason no one’s spiritual powers match him as well as Liu Qingge’s. I should stop thinking about him.

“Are you still avoiding him?” Qi Qingqi asks, raising an eyebrow. Shen Qingqiu starts wondering if she can somehow read his thoughts with her lesbian powers.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he tries, covering his whole face with the fan now. He really doesn’t want to talk about this.

“I don’t know what he could possibly have done for you to treat him like this,” she continues, ignoring his obvious lie. “You are both grown men, if you had a fight I’m sure you could solve it if you talked about it. Even if you were the one who fucked up, Liu Qingge is obviously still trying so I can’t understand why you are doing this. Couples fight all the time, it’s not the end of the world.” Maybe falling from a horse and dying would be better than relationship counselling.

“We were never a couple,” he feels the need to correct, even if he’s aware that they certainly acted like one. “I have my reasons for doing this.” Shen Qingqiu doesn’t bother to elaborate. They’ve had this conversation enough times already. He can’t possibly explain his reasons after all.

“I think you’re just being a coward,” Qi Qingqi tells him, in her usual frank way. He can’t deny it.

After that kiss happened a few months ago, Shen Qingqiu has made it his mission to avoid the other man no matter what and completely focus on his disciples instead. He feels the need to spend as much time with Luo Binghe as possible anyway, since after this event the other will never look at him with love again.

He has, of course, tried various methods in order to gain enough points to stop the Endless Abyss scene from happening, but all his efforts have been futile. It seems like the secondary storyline was really the only way to avoid it. Shen Qingqiu feels too stupid for both ruining his relatioship with Liu Qingge and failing to stop his downfall.

What’s worse, the Bai Zhan Peak Lord still hasn’t given up on trying to get an explanation from him. He probably thinks that I was leading him on and hates me for it. I can’t even deny that I was kind of doing exactly that; how could I possibly face him? He’s soon going to realize that I’m definitely not worth his time.

“What’s that face for?” Qi Qingqi stops his depressing thoughts. Shen Qingqiu realizes that he forgot to keep covering his face and raises his fan again. “Really, it’s obvious from miles away that he loves you. I don’t want to get involved in other people’s relationships too much but even Liu Mingyan has started complaining to me about it,” she says, giving him a disapproving look when he seems surprised by her words. “What? Don’t you know that he loves you? Are you that stupid?”

Shen Qingqiu considers it for a moment. He may be stupid but he doesn’t think he’s stupid enough not to be able to realize something like that. Liu Qingge might have developed some feelings for him in the year that they spent close to each other, but there was no way the other would feel anything but hatred after what he did to him. I shouldn’t let myself get hopeful; I’m a dead man walking anyway.

“Let’s stop this conversation,” he tells her, hoping that she’ll drop it. Qi Qingqi has been around him for long enough to realize that it’s a lost cause and smoothly changes the subject. 

~~~

The Endless Abyss event proceeds slightly differently than in ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’, with Mo Beijun replacing the Black Moon Python Rhinoceros, but Shen Qingqiu is able to overcome his surprise and continue as planned.

System: [ Warning! Important new mission: Endless Abyss and Endless Hatred, has officially opened! If unable to be completed, the protagonist’s coolness level -20,000! ]

Shen Qingqiu sighs to himself and weakly wobbles towards Luo Binghe’s unconscious body, his injuries making his every move hurt. The pain on his body can’t compare to the pain in his heart when he thinks of what he’s about to do the moment that his disciple opens his eyes.

He prepares himself, trying to seem as cold as possible, and watches as Luo Binghe’s heart breaks as he is accusing him for things he can’t control, leading him towards the edge. He raises the Xiu Ya sword, ready to complete this cruel mission, when a familiar voice sounds from close behind. Shen Qingqiu doesn't have to turn around to know that it’s Liu Qingge.

“Are you okay?” the other man is shouting as he’s flying towards them, probably not realizing the situation. Shen Qingqiu didn’t know that it was possible to feel worse than he already did, but somehow the thought of Liu Qingge witnessing him do something like this finally makes him break, pausing his movements, his face betraying how he’s feeling. 

Luo Binghe takes the chance to grab him and lead him away from the edge and towards Liu Qingge. “Shishu, please help! Shizun is injured!” Shen Qingqiu can’t find it in himself to resist, even as the system is bombarding his mind with warnings about what will happen in case of failure, starting a countdown.

I’m tired. I don’t want to die but I can’t do anything anymore. Maybe I wasn’t meant to get a second chance.

[ 3 ]

[ 2 ]

[ 1 ]

He barely registers two frantic voices above him as the countdown reaches zero.

…

…

~~~

Shen Qingqiu opens his eyes, after what he thinks was his second death, in hell. Probably. It looks a bit too bright to be hell but he definitely didn’t deserve to go to heaven. Why is Mu Qingfang here though? Did he die too? What crimes has the doctor committed to be here?

“Shen-Shixiong, you’re finally awake,” the doctor tells him, looking relieved. Is he happy about having company in hell? 

“Finally,” another voice sounds from his other side. He turns to look at Liu Qingge sitting next to his bed, holding his wrist and passing him spiritual energy. He looks equally relieved and concerned. Shen Qingqiu finally realizes that he’s not dead. He can’t tell how that’s possible though; the system was clear about what would happen if he failed the mission.

Mu Qingfang starts asking him questions about who he is and what he remembers, explaining that he had a qi deviation. Shen Qingqiu tries to respond as best as possible, but he’s distracted by the sight and feeling of Liu Qingge’s hand on his wrist. “I missed you,” he whispers before he can stop himself.

There’s silence in the room for a few seconds before Liu Qingge lets go of his wrist. Shen Qingqiu worries that he made things worse, but then the younger man’s hand reaches to hold his hand instead, giving it a light squeeze. “I missed you too,” he whispers back. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t even notice Mu Qingfang excusing himself and leaving the room, in favor of staring at the beautiful face he thought he would never see again.

“Please don’t start avoiding me again,” Liu Qingge adds, looking like he believes that it’s possible.

“I won’t. I’m sorry,” Shen Qingqiu’s voice breaks. He never wants to make him sad again. “I promise that I will explain to you what happened once I feel better.” He doesn’t know if he can tell him the whole truth, but the other man definitely deserves an explanation. 

“Okay, I’ll wait, don’t worry. Just focus on recovering your energy.” Shen Qingqiu nods and smiles at him, letting his mind to finally think about the situation more.

“Wait—” he says alarmed. “What happened to Binghe?” Did he jump down the Abyss on his own? How is it possible that I’m still alive?

“Your disciple is fine, don’t worry,” the younger man starts. What? “Physically at least. I think he needs to talk to you to relax; he seems very distressed even though we told him that you would wake up eventually.” Luo Binghe is okay? How is that possible? What will happen now? He doesn’t want to let himself be too happy about this before clearing things up.

System, can you explain to me what happened? Am I going to die at a later date?

System? System?

SYSTEM?

…

…

No matter how much he tries to contact it, the system doesn’t respond. It’s almost like it… disappeared? Is that really possible? Did I die after all?

“Shixiong? Are you okay?” Liu Qingge’s voice breaks his train of thought.

“Hmm, I’m a little confused,” he answers honestly. “Can you tell Binghe not to worry and that I’ll talk to him once I feel a little better?” He doesn’t know how he’ll face his disciple after what he told him back there. He may have not thrown him into the Endless Abyss but he still implied that he would.

“I will,” the younger man says right as Yue Qingyuan suddenly bursts into the room. Shen Qingqiu prepares himself for all the worrying and nagging that is about to follow. He can’t say he doesn’t like it though. Being surrounded by people who care about him so much is definitely nice. He doesn’t let go of Liu Qingge’s hand even as he feels his face getting red from the embarrassment of the sect leader witnessing this. 

~~~

After all his fellow Peak Lords -including a suspicious looking Shang Qinghua- have passed to see him and wish him a speedy recovery, Mu Qingfang manages to drag away Liu Qingge from his side in order for him to rest more. Shen Qingqiu is a bit too overwhelmed about this new situation to care about how no one is going to shut about his relationship with the War God now.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow morning,” the younger man tells him, as Mu Qingfang is politely trying to close the door on his face.

“Goodnight, Shidi,” he waves at him, not being able to stop the smile appearing on his face. “I’ll be here, don’t worry.” He’s too cute.

~~~

Luo Binghe comes to see him the following afternoon, immediately kneeling on the floor in front of him and starting to apologize. Shen Qingqiu has to get off the bed and kneel along with him in order to stop him.

“Binghe, please stop apologizing. I’m the one who was in the wrong,” he tells him sincerely, gently putting his hand on the younger’s shoulder.

“But what Shizun said is true. This disciple is a Heavenly Demon, I don’t belong in the Human Realm,” Luo Binghe insists, tears now running freely down his face. Shen Qingqiu can’t stop himself from trying to wipe them with his hand.

“I was wrong, please forget about that,” he tries to comfort him. “I was shocked after discovering it so suddenly, but after thinking about it calmly I realized that my reaction was very wrong.”

Luo Binghe’s gaze finally meets his, still looking hesitant. “You can’t help who your parents are. It’s true that your family has killed a lot of humans in the past, but /you/ haven’t. It’s unfair to judge you on the actions of people you haven’t even met. So please forgive this teacher for saying all those things to you back then, I wasn't thinking clearly,” he continues, rubbing circles on his disciple’s cheek. “I promise I’ll keep your secret safe and will do anything in my power to help you get stronger without losing yourself, as long as you still trust me to guide you.”

Shen Qingqiu has no idea if he’ll be able to actually help him with this; preventing his blackening but still helping him evolve, but he decides to try his best anyway. Luo Binghe falling into his arms to hug him is more than enough reassurance that it is the right decision. I thought I would never be able to hold him like this again.

~~~

Shen Qingqiu recovers enough to be able to move back into his house a few days later, forced to fly on Cheng Luan along with Liu Qingge. 

“Hold on tighter if you don’t want to fall and break your head,” his sweet Shidi tells him before they take off. Shen Qingqiu has no choice but to tighten his hold on the other’s waist, bringing them close together and burying his face on his back in order to hide his blush. This is nice, he thinks, even if he’d preferred if they didn’t have an audience. Unfortunately, a bunch of his disciples decided to show up to accompany him. I swear I love you all but…

Thankfully, after reaching Qing Jing Peak and reassuring all his kids that he’s okay, he’s able to retire to his room, Liu Qingge following behind him. They’ve been alone in rooms plenty of times before, but somehow now Shen Qingqiu is too nervous about it. He still hasn’t given the other man an explanation for his actions after all. What if he decides that he doesn’t like me anymore after I tell him? He said that we’ll be fine no matter what but he’s definitely not expecting what the truth is.

“You don’t have to be so nervous,” Liu Qingge tells him, noticing his expression. “You don’t have to tell me right now if you’re not ready. As long as you don’t kiss me and run away again we’ll be fine.” He says that in a light tone but Shen Qingqiu still feels extremely guilty about doing that. He wants to blame the alcohol for his actions, but he’s aware that he’s made equally stupid decisions completely sober too.

“No, I’ll tell you now,” he decides. If he keeps overthinking it he’d probably somehow manage to make things worse. “Sit down Shidi, this will take a while.” Shen Qingqiu gestures to the younger man to take a seat next to him on the table, preparing himself to have to convince the other that he’s not crazy.

~~~

Liu Qingge stays relatively silent as he explains to him almost everything about ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’, his transmigration and the ‘Secondary Storyline’, only asking questions when something seems too crazy to him. He leaves out most things about how Luo Binghe was after the blackening, concluding that no one should know them for his disciple’s sake.

“That’s all, I think,” Shen Qingqiu says, nervously fanning himself. “I’m still not sure what happened to the system and how I’m still alive.” He’s still paranoid that the system will one day wake up again and make him do stupid things again.

“Hmmm it makes sense,” is all that Liu Qingge says after hearing such an insane story. 

…

“You… you believe me?” he can’t help but ask. Now that he told the whole story out loud it sounds crazy even in his own ears.

“I do,” the younger man nods, actually looking like he means it. “There are things I still don’t understand, but all this would explain how you’re acting so differently from the original Shen Qingqiu.” Liu Qingqiu reaches out and holds his hand. “The person I fell in love with is you, Shen Yuan, not him.” Shen Qingqiu is left speechless staring at their hands. Even if he had realized Liu Qingge’s feelings for him, this still feels unreal, especially now that he has told him the truth.

“Are you sure that you’re okay with all this?” he still wants to confirm. “I really mean it when I say that I… I truly have f-feelings for you and I wasn’t just using you for points but it may seem that way and—”

“Shixiong, I already told you how I feel. And I’m not stupid, you know, I could tell you had feelings for me before too,” the younger man interupts him, stopping his rambling. Shen Qingqiu stares at him in shock. He could tell?! 

“You are not as great of an actor as you think you are,” he continues. “I had figured out that you… liked me but something was holding you back so I tried to give you space. Of course I didn’t know it was something like /this/ but yeah… I didn’t plan on kissing you that day or anytime soon but you initiated it and I couldn't really help myself.” Liu Qingge’s cheeks get a pretty shade of pink as he says this, and he stops making eye contact. Shen Qingqiu is left there staring at him, wondering how he got such a man to fall in love with him. 

The Qing Jing Peak Lord takes a deep breath before saying his next words. “I really… I really wanted to kiss you back then. I had wanted to do that for a while actually… But it felt so wrong. Not because I didn’t want it, but because I felt like I was taking advantage of you and I was also… very tired of following whatever the system wanted me to do and not going at my own pace. But, no matter what, I could have handled it better. It was very awful of me to run away like that without offering you an explanation.” I didn’t believe you would ever forgive me for that.

“I admit I was very hurt and confused when that happened,” Liu Qingge says, and Shen Qingqiu wants to move to Alaska. Wait...does Alaska exist in this world? “But I understand now,” he continues, getting him back into the subject. “I’ve already forgiven you about it so just promise me that you’ll be honest to me from now on.”

“I will, I promise.” Shen Qingqiu thinks he has learned his lesson. “If you kiss me right now I definitely won’t run away,” he says before he can think about it better. He definitely doesn’t regret it as Liu Qingge leans in.

Chapter Text

EXTRA 1

(a few weeks after the end of the main story)

It’s a cold winter morning, definitely too early for anyone to function if you ask Shen Qingqiu, when his sweet sleep gets interrupted by a knock on the door. "Shizun?" Luo Binghe asks quietly. 

He groans, covering his face with the blanket and pretending he didn't hear anything, hoping his disciple will let him sleep more. It's definitely not the time he wakes me up normally. 

"Shizun?" the boy repeats louder. Shen Qingqiu decides to grace him with an answer since there's a chance this might be important, uncovering his face to reply. "What is it?" Someone better be dying.  

"Excuse this disciple for waking you up, but you have a visitor." A visitor at this hour? Shen Qingqiu is ready to throw out whoever has the audacity to come visit him so early when he's supposed to have a lazy day today. 

"Liu-Shishu is here,” Luo Binghe continues and the Peak Lord takes his previous statement back.

Okay I’m not gonna throw Liu-Shidi out, I’m giving him a pass for interrupting my sleep because he has boyfriend privileges.

“Tell him to come in.”

“Yes, Shizun. Do you need me to bring you breakfast?” his sweet disciple asks.

“No need. I’ll call you if I need anything,” he replies, dismissing him. He’s definitely not intending to get out of bed anytime soon.

Liu Qingge comes in a few moments later, looking unfairly beautiful as usual. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t bother moving, too comfortable under the covers and definitely not emotionally ready to face the cold. “Good morning Shidi. Come here,” he says, patting the empty space on his bed. 

“Good morning,” the younger man replies, hesitantly coming to stand next to his bed. “Are you going to stay in there?”

“Yes. So come here too,” he tells him in fake exasperation, raising the covers a little to make his intentions obvious. Get a hint Shidi.

Liu Qingge stares at him in confusion for at least half a minute, before finally realizing what he had asked him and shyly taking off his outer robe to get into bed with him. Really, why are you acting like this? We’ve been on the same bed plenty of times before, Shen Qingqiu thinks, even if he finds it extremely adorable that his partner still gets shy around him sometimes.

Once Liu Qingge properly lies down on his back, Shen Qingqiu doesn’t lose a second and climbs on top of him, burying his face on the other’s neck. He’s all muscle but he’s surprisingly comfortable to use as a mattress. “What’s gotten into you?” the Bai Zhan Peak Lord asks but immediately proceeds to place his arms around Shen Qingqiu’s back, hugging him close.

“I’m still sleepy, let’s just cuddle for a while,” Shen Qingqiu mumbles, enjoying the feeling of being so close to his partner, trying to somehow get even closer. “Do you not like this?” he questions, even though he can tell that the other is completely comfortable, judging by the little sighs he lets and the patterns he’s rubbing on his back. 

“Of course I like it,” Liu Qingge answers. Shen Qingqiu can’t see his face but he can picture the pout he definitely has there. “You’re just… not that open about your affection usually. Not when you’re sober at least.” The older of the two laughs at that, recalling all the times he has managed to embarrass himself in the short amount of time they’ve been cultivation partners, and then presses a light kiss on Liu Qingge’s neck. 

“I’m shy,” he tells him shamelessly, giving his neck more kisses and then a gentle bite. The noise that Liu Qingge makes at that helps to wake him up a little, enough to remember that he forgot to ask about something.

“Wait,” he says, leaning back a little to be able to look at the younger’s face. “Not that I’m complaining, but why did you come here so early?”

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord blinks at him, seeming to have momentarily forgotten his own reason to visit him, before he speaks. “Oh, I got a letter from Mu Qingfang letting me know that his disciples discovered the place where that herb you wanted is.” Shen Qingqiu’s face lights up at this, excited to keep growing his herb collection.

“Great! When are we going then?” he asks, smiling down at his partner.

“Hmmm, there’s a Peak Lord meeting in two days so after that, since we don’t know how long it’ll take,” Liu Qingge replies, trying to make him lie down properly on him again.

“Okay, I’ll make preparations then,” Shen Qingqiu says, letting himself be pushed down. He gives him another kiss on his neck just because he can.

They lie there quietly for a while, happy to enjoy each other’s warmth and presence, until Shen Qingqiu can’t take it anymore and decides to take action. He knows he’s probably being uncharacteristically forward today, but something about this feeling of cuddling in bed before the day properly begins makes him confident enough to push himself up and straddle Liu Qingge’s hips.

“I thought you said we were only going to cuddle?” the younger man says, raising an eyebrow but not looking opposed to the change. “Hmm but I wanna…” Shen Qingqiu tries to say but he feels his confidence leaving him. Why am I like this? I’m not even trying to ask something crazy , he thinks to himself, stealing a glance at his partner. Liu Qingge gives him one of his rare small but genuine smiles and he decides he can start being a little braver about things like this. “I want to kiss you. A little. Nothing more, really.”

“You can kiss me all you want,” Liu Qingge immediately responds, his face flushing slightly. Shen Qingqiu thinks this is enough invitation to lean forward and give him a playful peck on the lips before leaning back again. The dramatic look of betrayal that the younger man gives him makes him chuckle before going back to kiss him properly.

He doesn’t let the kiss escalate as he has another target in mind. He decides that this position isn’t very comfortable for his plan so he gets off Liu Qingge and asks him to sit up and lean on the back of the bed. The Bai Zhan Peak Lord follows his instructions without asking him what he’s trying to do, only cautiously eyeing him a little. After Liu Qingge has made himself comfortable, Shen Qingqiu climbs on his lap, happy about the better angle. 

Before losing more time, he leans forward and presses a light kiss on the other’s beauty mark under his left eye. It’s unfair how a little dot can make him even more attractive than he would normally be. He gives it a few more kisses, not being able to get enough of it. He then continues to press more kisses all around Liu Qingge’s face until the younger gets tired of his teasing and grabs the back of his neck to guide him into a deep, open-mouthed kiss.

When they part to breathe for a moment, Shen Qingqiu takes the opportunity to lean down and start attacking Liu Qingge’s neck, taking pleasure in every little noise the younger allows himself to make. He has discovered that Liu Qingge’s neck is one of his most sensitive spots so he takes full advantage of it, licking and sucking the skin there.

“You’re driving me crazy,” the man under him mutters, one hand buried into Shen Qingqiu’s hair and the other hugging his waist. Encouraged by his word, Shen Qingqiu bites down on a particularly sensitive spot, finally getting a proper moan. Before he can finish his work, Liu Qingge grabs his face with both hands, forcing him to look at him. “Is it alright if we don’t stop at just a little kissing?” he asks, and Shen Qingqiu nods before he can even finish his sentence.

EXTRA 2 

(about two years after the end of the main story)

“Cucumber bro, are you seriously trying to blackmail me right now?” Shang Qinghua asks, massaging his temples. 

“I am. Convince your Mobei Jun to train Binghe if you don’t want the whole sect to learn about your betrayal,” Shen Qingqiu tells him calmly, secretly taking great pleasure in this. 

“Do you think he’s just going to agree?! We don’t even know if Luo Binghe’s protagonist halo works anymore!” his fellow Peak Lord insists, but Shen Qingqiu isn’t going to back down. He promised his disciple that he was going to help him so this is the best plan he came up with. 

Luo Binghe’s demon powers hadn’t acted up yet, but it was obvious that this wasn’t going to last for long so he must get them trained so they don’t overwhelm him. Shen Qingqiu can’t guide him in that of course, so Mobei Jun who was his trusted ally in ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way’ is his best option. Luo Binghe has already agreed on it so he just has to make the Ice Demon take him under his wing. 

“I’m sure he’ll agree, don’t be a coward. And Binghe is going to be fine, weren’t you the one who gave him op powers?” Shang Qinghua silently screams and aggresively runs his hands through his hair. “I should have made him kill Shen Qingqiu years ago.”

~~~

Today is the day that Shen Qingqiu is going to say goodbye to his favorite disciple for who knows how many years. They’ve arrived accompanied by Liu Qingge, who insisted on tagging along, at the meeting place they’ve agreed on, coming face to face with a scared looking Shang Qinghua and a bored looking Mobei Jun. 

“This isn’t going to be easy,” the demon chooses to say instead of a greeting.

“I’m willing to do everything in order to be able to control my powers and get stronger,” Luo Binghe responds before Shen Qingqiu can open his mouth to speak. This one phrase seems to please Mobei Jun, who nods approvingly and gestures to the boy to follow him. Well, that was quick.

Before Luo Binghe leaves, he turns around to give proper goodbyes to his Shizun and Shishu. Shen Qingqiu notices the tears ready to fall from his eyes even as his disciple is trying to be formal in front of Mobei Jun. He already hugged him goodbye before they left the sect, just in case he didn’t have the chance to do it later, but he can’t resist the urge to give him one more brief hug before sending him off.

“I’ll be waiting for you to come back,” Shen Qingqiu tells him and watches his retreating back until it disappears. 

“Let’s go,” his husband says softly after a while, taking hold of his hand. Shen Qingqiu quietly follows him, wondering if this really was a good decision. Luo Binghe is still going to suffer a lot for a few years, minus the trauma of being kicked into the Endless Abyss by his Shizun.

“You’ve said it yourself that he’s going to be alright,” Liu Qingge tries to reassure him, squeezing his hand. Shen Qingqiu can’t be more grateful for having this man right next to him in both the difficult and happy times of his life.