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Chapter Text

Everything was dark. Was this what death was like?

An endless void. 

Shen Yuan still felt… Awake. Would he have to float through this endless void for the rest of eternity? Why was he still aware of everything going on around him? He couldn't feel anything. I mean, how could he? He no longer had a body. 

How could he feel anything but confusion and grief as he realises what he had left behind? Not just his body but his family. He might not have seen them often because they were busy most of the time, but they were still his family. The same family that he would never get to see again. 

What would his family think? Has anyone found his body yet? Would it be his doting older neighbor who lived in the apartment next to his or would it be someone from his family coming to check on him when he didn't answer their calls? Would no one find his body till the police were called for a terrible stench? 

Shen Yuan doubts it would be the last one. Although he almost wishes it would be. He hated the idea of someone he cared for finding him unmoving and lifeless as he laid sprawled across his desk. 

Would anyone cry for him? Was it selfish if they hoped they would? He felt like a terrible person for thinking that, but if at least one person cried for him then that meant that at least they had cared for him. Shen Yuan had no friends, so even a single tear being shed for him meant a lot to him. His family had stopped crying for him a long time ago. He wonders if that would change soon. 

But he supposes that he’ll never know. He would never see him again. It was a painful thought, so Shen Yuan decided he was going to do his best not to think about that at all.

Now he just wonders how long he could survive in this place. How long he could live with just his thoughts before he couldn’t even understand what he was thinking anymore. Why had he been so unlucky? Where was Meng Po’s soup? Why was he not being reincarnated? Had he messed up that badly in life?

He hoped that wasn’t the case. He also didn’t believe that was the case. He was a shut-in. What could he have done to deserve this when the worst thing he had done in life was leave scathing comments on trash novels?

{That’s why you’re here. This System welcomes you host.}

What the hell?

{Key-phrase: ‘Stupid author, stupid novel’ has been registered.}

{Connecting to Proud Immortal Demons Way…}

System? Proud Immortal Demons Way? What is going on?

{Connection complete! Free character choice added as a complimentary! Please select a demon of your choosing!}

Do you mean a demon like a Hundun or Dijang? Why would I need to choose a type of demon?

{Demon Hundun registered! Please enjoy your transmigration experience!}

Promptly after announcing that the System disappeared from his sight.

Wait I didn’t mean to choose that one! What do you mean transmigration?! Stupid System! Get your ass back here!

Before Shen Yuan could really start cursing out the system there was a bright white light. He felt sick and would have thrown up if it wasn’t for the fact that he wasn’t physically able to. And then there was nothing. He was asleep. No thoughts…just dreams. The last thing he thought, was how much he wished he would wake up and this all had just been one terrible nightmare.

He would be lying to himself though if he said that he wasn’t the least bit curious for what was to come.

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan’s head was spinning. It felt like it had been stuffed with cotton…in actuality, he just couldn’t feel it in general, which was a little more than concerning.

He felt sickly and his limbs were weak. He also felt…smaller?

As Shen Yuan’s mind began to clear, some things started to make themselves noticeable. How his body didn’t feel like his own. It felt off somehow.

The darkness faded from his vision and he could finally look around him. It was safe to say that he was definitely not in his apartment anymore. Instead, he was in some random clearing in a forest by some sort of small stream.

Shen Yuan instantly tried to stand up to look around and figure out where he was only to tumble back down to the floor. Shen Yuan sat there dumbfounded for a moment before looking down at his body to figure out why it wouldn’t work the way he wanted it to.

"Ah! What the fuck!?"

He tried to yell but all that came out was a small squeaking sound. 

Shen Yuan looked down at himself in disbelief. Where he was supposed to have hands he had paws! And to top it all off it looked like he had six paws in total! What kind of creature has six paws!?

Shen Yuan stood on his wobbly legs and waddled over to the stream as fast as he could. He peered into the water only to be met with a sight that he never expected to see. What greeted him instead of his face was…well, not a face! He had no face! He didn’t have a head! How could he see!? How was this making any logical sense!?

Shen Yuan could easily list off everything wrong with what he was currently looking at right now. One, he had no head as previously mentioned. Two, he had extra limbs, which consisted of two extra arms(?) and four bluish-colored wings on his back. And three, the rest of his body was covered in this reddish-brown fur!

What the hell is going on?! What happened to me!? Why am I built like a jelly bean!?

[Welcoming host to Proud Immortal Demons Way!]

That voice…The System? That wasn’t a dream!?

[Answering host, no that wasn’t a dream! Host has successfully transferred into Proud Immortal Demon Way as the demon of his choice! (≧∇≦)b]

Shen Yuan would spit blood if he had the mouth to do so.

I didn’t ask to be a hundun! You just said to pick a random demon! I didn’t think I would end up becoming one! Otherwise, I would have picked something different! Refund! I want a refund! Let me pick something else!

[Transmigration process is already complete. You are no longer able to change your choice.]

So I’m just supposed to stay like this forever!?

[Cheer up host, you can always cultivate a human form if you want to (/◕ヮ◕)/]

Cultivate a human form? How the hell am I supposed to do that? 

[Host is a demon with the ability to think for itself. So, much like a spirit beast, once they’ve gained consciousness and mental awareness you should be able to cultivate a human form. It takes a while to even cultivate to the point of having such a human-like thought process so host is lucky they have a head start! (^_-)-☆]

Ok…I suppose that makes sense. But that still doesn’t explain how I’m actually supposed to cultivate. I read tons of cultivation novels but its not exactly like they talked in too much detail about how to actually cultivate. Most of that was glossed over.

[Would host like to buy a cultivation manual for 25 B-points?]

[Yes] [No]

How many B-points do I have currently..?

[Answering host, you have started with 100 B-points]

That doesn’t seem like too bad of a deal…ok! Fine! 

Shen Yuan stared at the yes button and eventually the System lets out a little ding.

[Cultivation manual successfully bought! Thank you for your purchase! (＾ｖ＾)]

Ok, well where is it-

Suddenly there was a sharp pain on Shen Yuan’s back as something hit him. Shen Yuan jumped in surprise and ended up falling over as a result, and whatever had landed on him came tumbling off.

Shen Yuan carefully tried to stand up to see what had landed on him to see a small pamphlet-looking thing on the ground. The manual. The damn System couldn’t think of a better way to give it to him that didn’t include whacking him with it?

Shen Yuan started to calmly wobble over to the book. His limbs were weak and shaky and he felt like a stranger in his own skin, but he elected to ignore it for now.

Shen Yuan plops down in front of the book and tries to open it. Trying being the keyword. Its hard as hell to open a book with paws.

Just as Shen Yuan manages to open up the manual to the first page he hears a rustling coming his way. He quickly turns to face it as he sees a small boy standing on the edge of the clearing in shock.

[Congragulations on your first meeting with the protagonist! +50 B-points! Keep up the great work host! ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜(n‘∀‘)ηﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･]

That's Luo Binghe!? But he's so…tiny! And dirty looking! When was the last time that poor child was able to wash his clothes!?

[Protagonist Luo Binghe still lives with his washerwoman mother so…(ΘεΘ;)]

Why didn’t you tell me that!?

Suddenly Luo Binghe makes a small move and Shen Yuan instantly freaks out. He jumps up from where he was sitting down, which in turn startles Luo Binghe as well. Shen Yuan rushes over to the nearest bushes and dives in, all while during the frenzy, Luo Binghe had also run away.

Shen Yuan stayed there in the bushes for a while trying to “catch his breath.” He still had no idea how that worked when he didn’t have a head or a mouth to breathe through though.

Shen Yuan sighed internally before stumbling his way back over to the cultivation manual.

System! How could you not tell me where I was in the timeline!? Shen Yuan yells as he plops down next to the still open manual.

[Host never asked （・∀・)]

You know what…that doesn’t deserve a response.

[Host!  (;_;)]

No! You know what you did!

[(T-T)]

Shen Yuan decided to ignore the system as he flipped to the easiest-looking page and began reading. He had no clue how to cultivate or even just meditate but he’s sure he’ll figure it out! That's what the manual was there for! 

He’s sure it will be fine!

Chapter Text

Luo Binghe was living happily with his mom. He helped around the house with chores and would constantly help with washing clothes as well. They would spend a lot of time by the river together.

One of Luo Binghe’s chores was to get fresh drinking water whenever they ran out. Even though the water in the river was clean enough to wash clothes in, it wasn’t fit for human consumption. So whenever they ran out of water to drink, Luo Binghe would pick up a big bucket and walk into the forest where there was a small stream. 

Most other people didn’t know that this stream even existed. All the rest of the villagers used the well in the middle of the village for fresh drinking water. So why would he not just go to the well as well?

That was because the stream was just closer. His mother and him lived close to the river and forest while the rest of the village was farther inland. It just so happens that it was an easier and smaller trek to the stream in the forest.

Yesterday was also supposed to be a water run. So when he came home yesterday with no water his mother was quite surprised. He replied profusely and was going to explain it to her, but she had just brushed it off saying that he could just fetch the water tomorrow.

So here he was…in the forest again heading towards the same stream where he had seen that tiny demon. In all honesty he originally was planning to just go the extra mile and walk to the village so he didn’t accidentally run into the demon again.

But some things about yesterday's situation just wern’t adding up. For one the demon seemed more scared of him than he was of it, and…the demon seemed to be trying to read before he startled it. He didn’t know if it could actually read and comprehend what it was doing, but it made Luo Binghe curious. He wanted to see it again even if he was slightly nervous.

So taking a deep breath, with his bucket in hand, Luo Binghe walked into the clearing. He didn’t have to look far before he saw the demon sitting there again with the book open again.  When the demon seemed to notice his presence, he held his hands up slightly to show he didn’t mean any harm and slowly lowered himself into a seated position on the ground. Perhaps if he wasn’t quite as tall and made himself look smaller the tiny demon wouldn’t be nearly as scared of him.

The demon seemed to tense up, but upon noticing that Luo Binghe was seemingly not doing anything, began to relax. They sat there in silence for a moment, just looking at each other curiously.

“Can you actually read that?” Luo Binghe finally spoke up. The demon stayed quiet for a while and Binghe was starting to question his sanity. Was he really talking to a demon? One that looked like it wouldn’t be able to answer even if it had the mental capacity to do so? Luo Binghe felt stupid…it sounded like he was just talking to himself.

Before Luo Binghe could start to get up to fetch the water that he came here to grab he heard a small  noise. It was a mix between sounding like a squeak and chirp. Luo Binghe sat frozen in shock as he watched the demon nod. Or what he suspected was supposed to be a nod. The demon didn’t have a head so it was really just the top of its body moving up and down.

Speaking of which- how in the world could it hear or see him? Could it eat anything? What-

No, no. Getting slightly off track here. Binghe could think about that all later.

“Can you…” Luo Binghe gulped slightly. “Can you understand me?”

The demon chirped and nodded again.

“You won’t harm me right?” Luo Binghe asked cautiously. It was always better safe than sorry.

The creature already struggled to “nod its head” so shaking its head no was near impossible. Instead it sat down on the floor as if to signify that he wouldn’t make a move to hurt Binghe. He doesn’t quite know how he understood what the demon meant, but he somehow got the message.

Luo Binghe smiled brightly. “What are you reading?”

The demon seemed to contemplate the question for a moment before starting to dig around in the dirt. Luo Binghe raised his eyebrow at this and when the demon was done he pawed at the ground as if trying to invite Luo Binghe closer.

“Am I allowed to come over?” Luo Binghe asked carefully. The demon flapped his wings twice and tried to nod again. Luo Binghe smiled at the effort and got up off the floor to walk closer, the bucket by his side long forgotten. 

By the time he's next to the demon it's sat back down and waiting for him. Luo Binghe stares at the ground as he registers what the demons done. 

“Is…are these…chinese characters? You can write as well?" Luo Binghe looks at the words written on the ground as he tries to read it. He tries to understand what it says but can't. 

Luo Binghe’s face sours as he realizes that the demon was trying to properly communicate with him and he couldn't understand it. Although he loved living with his mother, she wasn't able to teach him how to read or write because she wasn't able to herself, which left Binghe illiterate. 

“I’m sorry…I can't read it." Luo Binghe’s face falls and he can feel tears well up in his eyes. He thinks he could have probably been friends with the demon, but who would want to be friends with him? He can't even read. He wouldn't be able to communicate with it properly…he would be a terrible friend. 

Luo Binghe’s train of thought is broken as he feels something rubbing up against the side of his leg. He looks down at the demon to see it nuzzling him gently and purring as if trying to comfort him. 

A few tears fall from Binghe’s eyes and he smiles appreciatively. He bends down and hugs the demon hoping that wasn't crossing any lines. He can feel as its body continues to vibrate against him as it purrs and doesn't try to pull away. 

Binghe closes his eyes and his smile brightens. 

Perhaps he had made a friend. 

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan wishes he had the ability to cry. Why was it so damn hard to cultivate a human form!? It’s been almost a whole month of nonstop meditation and different breathing techniques, which he had no clue if they were working or not, and he still feels like he hasn’t made any progress!

Shen Yuan internally sighed. That was also something he missed being able to do…sighing out loud…ah, how he misses that. All that comes out whenever he tries to make any sort of noise is just squeaking and chirping. Although the protagonist seemed to think it was cute so…does he get brownie points for that?

Speaking of which! Luo Binghe had just left a couple of minutes ago. He had come to visit again and to get more water. He’s showing up at the stream more than Shen Yuan would have expected him to…how much water does that boy drink? Does he have to relieve himself often or-?

You know what- Let's stay away from that line of thinking! Anything to do with Luo Binghe’s sky pillar is a no go in Shen Yuan’s books. Its a territory that he would rather not cross into, thank you very much!

Shen Yuan honestly wanted to follow the boy back to town. He was bored after staying in one place for such a long time. He wanted to explore! It wouldn’t be that bad if he just…wandered right? He would stay out of people's sight of course as to not freak them out, but he really wanted to see the town!

With a quickly crumpling will, he finally decided that he would head into town. If only for a little while. He just wanted to take a peek! It’s where Binghe grew up before joining Cang Qiong Mountain Sect and Airplane never did describe it properly.

The walking took quite a bit and the sky was darkening while his tiny little legs did their best, but eventually, the town was in sight. He quietly snuck up closer and tried to peek at the different people walking by. He hid himself in the shadows and avoided being seen as he made his way deeper into the town. All of this had happened without him noticing the pair of eyes trailing after him.

Shen Yuan looked around at all the different people. Some were rushing to get places. Some were swinging their kids as they walked through a small market and the vendors wore bright smiles and yelled about their wares. Shen Yuan was ecstatic at the sight. If he could smile right now he would. He imagines that he is.

Shen Yuan scampers through the shadows as he continues to observe his surroundings. The town didn’t seem wealthy necessarily, but it was still decently sized and it wasn’t like it was in poverty or severely lacking in funds. It was somewhat lackluster and slightly disappointing but Shen Yuan just decided to brush it off. At least he got to see the town Luo Binghe grew up in.

He found a comfy sitting position in the shadows of a small stall selling different-smelling spices and decided to do some more people watching. The clothes and general aesthetic of the people in this xianxia world were very interesting to him. People had their hair up in different styles, hair crowns, and hairpins. Girls had varying amounts of makeup on and some of the guys had interesting facial hair. But one of the things Shen Yuan really enjoyed was the clothes.

The xianxia novels he had read never really went into too much detail about the clothes. Never mentioned the multiple layers and colors. Nor did they say how to properly layer the robes or get dressed in general. He knew most of this because after being bored one day he had gone and looked it up just because he could. He couldn’t just go and look it up now, but he still remembered almost everything he read about it. It was really useful actual. Especially when it came to taking tests back in his old world or…his favorite thing…memorizing whole bestiaries!

Shen Yuan loved beasts! So when Airplane uploaded a bestiary filled with all the demons and demonic plants from the world he had created, Shen Yuan had instantly jumped at the opportunity to memorize all of it. Lots of it sounded stupid and was terribly named but he still remembered it nonetheless. He was basically a walking bestiary!

Anyways! That was slightly off-topic! Back to the robes!-

Wait…robes…Hey System?

[Yes Host? (＾ｖ＾)]

I’ve read transmigration novels before and…will I be um- nude when I finally cultivate a human form since I don’t have robes on in this form or will robes just automatically appear? I really don’t want to end up naked with no way to get clothes right after having cultivated a human form. That would really suck.

[Host would be nude but he can purchase robes from this System that can appear on him when he does cultivate a human form! (づ￣ ³￣)づ]

…What a ripoff! How much does he have to pay for the robes?

[Since Host and this System had a miscommunication about his starting form the robes will be 50% off from their original price of fifty B-points! (≧∇≦)b]

But that would leave him with only twenty-five B-points…

Shen Yuan contemplated his options carefully before coming to a decision. He would rather not be naked when he first cultivates a human form thank you very much! 

[Thanking Host for his purchase! (/◕ヮ◕)/･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ]

Shen Yuan really wants to complain but he didn't have it in him…at least he won’t be naked once he finally gets a human form…honestly he’s really happy that he even thought of that factor. It would be so awkward if he cultivated a human form and was just…naked! It would’ve been even worse if it happened while Luo Binghe was visiting! He would have no face left!

Pfft- No face…

Before Shen Yuan can really appreciate his accidental and awesome pun, he hears steps getting just a little too close to him for comfort.  He twists his body to see who it is only to see a group of three teenage boys looking at him.

 He had been spotted! Shen Yuan begins to panic thinking they would scream for help but instead they just walked closer??? Weren't they scared of him? Why were they coming closer?

But that's when he notices it. Those damn terrifying sadistic grins they’re wearing. Shen Yuan felt a shiver run down his spine. He did not like where this was going!

Shen Yuan jumped to his feet and started running in the opposite direction of the group. He had wanted to turn around to see if he could still see them but the sound of running behind him told him otherwise. They were definitely chasing him.

Shen Yuan weaved in and out between different buildings and carts as he tried to lose them all the while still trying to remain hidden. Doing both of those things at once was more tiring than he thought it would be.

Shen Yuan quickly dove into the next closest alleyway and continued sprinting towards the end only to run into a large wall that was in his way. He had just gotten himself cornered…

Shen Yuan turned himself around abruptly as he heard snickering coming from the group of boys as they realized they had finally trapped their prey. Shen Yuan lowered himself as close to the floor as possible and scoot back until his back was up against the wall. 

Shen Yuan was stuck…they continued to walk forward and Shen Yuan had nowhere else to go.

Shen Yuan mentally began to prepare himself for a beat-up as they finally stood over him. But it never came. Instead, someone jumped out from around the corner and tackled what appeared to be the leader of the group down to the floor. 

Shen Yuan was forgotten as the other two boys in the group rushed over to help the lead bully. They pulled the boy off of the leader and began beating him up.

This boy had saved him at his own expense…for a demon…Shen Yuan couldn’t just fuck off without doing anything now! Especially when he saw the face of the person. It was Luo Binghe. They were beating up Luo Binghe…

Shen Yuan quickly went through multiple emotions in the span of a couple of seconds. First, it was fear. Then sadness that the boy who would constantly come visit him and give him company was getting beat up because he was trying to help him. Then nothing before finally settling on his final emotion. Complete and utter rage. How dare they beat up someone he had grown so attached to!?

Shen Yuan decided to stop cowering in the corner and try to at least do something. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself.

Shen Yuan felt a cool sensation washing over him. It felt like water pouring into his body and flowing through it with a powerful current. He felt stronger than he ever had before.

Shen Yuan opened his eyes and rushed forward. He pushed the boys off of Luo Binghe with one large flap of his wings. He stood in a defensive position in front of the beat-up boy on the floor as he spread his wings open the most he could and shot the attackers an angry glare. Perhaps the bigger he seemed the more intimidating he would seem. And right now he felt pretty damn intimidating. The bullies seemed to pick up on that as well and before he knew it they had scrambled to their feet and run off without further prompting.

Shen Yuan finally calmed down enough to register his surroundings. Since when had he grown so tall. In the heat of the moment, looking down on the bullies hadn’t seemed like that much but- he really should’ve been looking up at them. He was not in any way tall…

Shen Yuan looked down at his body in surprise. He was-! He was human! He seemed to be younger than his original body, around Luo Binghes age actually, but Shen Yuan had no complaints! At least it was human!

Well- sort of…there were some…noticeable differences. Even though he had a human body he seemed to still carry some of his demonic features. Like his wings. They were still the same shade of blue and really weren't that big, not coming even close to touching the floor,  but more than likely big enough to lift him off the ground if he knew how to properly use them. His hair was the same shade as his fur in his demonic form had been which was definitely considered an unnatural and weird hair color for this type of setting and world.

He was also wearing simple white robes he noticed. The System really had provided him with the bare minimum…

Shen Yuan lifted his arms to get a better look at the robes only to startle at his last discovery. He had extra arms…right below his first and normal two he had an extra pair that were just kind of…there. It was such a weird feeling trying to move them…

System..? How was this a human form!? He still looked like a demon!

[Practice makes perfect host! If you continue to work hard you should be able to cover up all demonic features!]

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes.

He rolled his eyes!!! He felt so giddy! He could make facial expressions again! He lifted his hands up to his face and gave it a light pat. He had a head!

Before Shen Yuan could continue freaking out over his new body he heard a small cough and winced when he turned around and saw the protagonist weakly trying to get up. Shen Yuan quickly knelt down and put his hand on the protagonist’s shoulder, trying to steady him.

Ah…he should probably thank Luo Binghe for his help and properly introduce himself, shouldn’t he?

“Thank you for the help…” Shen Yuan said carefully. “My name is Shen Yuan, its nice to finally be able to properly introduce myself.”

Luo Binghe took his help and stood up off the floor. Shen Yuan made sure he was steady on his feet before stepping away. Luo Binghe looked at him in complete and utter surprise as he started to register the implication of Shen Yuan’s words.

“You-! You’re the demon!” Luo Binghe said as his eyes grew to the size of saucers. “But how are you human now!? Well- for the most part-” Luo Binghe coughed awkwardly and Shen Yuan let out a little chuckle.

“I’ve been trying to learn how to cultivate a human form for a little while now,” Shen Yuan explained as he smiled kindly at Luo Binghe. 

“A-ah I see! This one's name is Luo Binghe! Its a pleasure to meet you Shen Yuan!” Shen Yuan let out a small laugh. Of course he already knew Luo Binghe’s name but he wasn’t supposed to so he just went along with it. Besides, the boy was so cute all flustered like this! What an adorable little white lotis he was!

“It's great to make your acquaintance,” Shen Yuan smiled and Luo Binghe’s face turned slightly pink. It was really fun teasing this boy.

They stood for a moment in comfortable silence until Shen Yuan finally felt the past couple of minutes catching up to him. He was new to using qi and it was like he was running on adrenaline. Now that the scare had worn off it was getting harder to keep the qi flowing through him properly.

“Ah…I’ve run out of time,” Shen Yuan mumbled to himself as he realized what this meant.

“Run out of time?” Luo Binghe looked at him questioningly. The boy tilted his head and looked at him with those dark eyes and he was instantly reminded of a small puppy.

Shen Yuan smiled at him softly. “Mn. This is my first time being able to cultivate a human form and I’m running out of the qi to keep it up,” Shen Yuan explained calmly. He was really starting to get tired.

It must have shown because Luo Binghe was now looking at him worriedly. “Perhaps I could help you get back home to the stream safely?”

“It’s alright, I’m sure I can make it back. Its getting dark and I wouldn’t want to impose-” Shen Yuan started before he felt the last of his qi slip away from him. In a puff of bright light, he was back to his demonic form. 

Shen Yuan laid on the floor completely exhausted. He tried to get up on his wobbly legs but they just ended up buckling under his own weight. Who knew cultivating a human form would be so taxing?

Before Shen Yuan could register what was happening he was being scooped up into the protagonist’s arms. “You wouldn’t be impeding,” Luo Binghe whispered to him calmly as he began walking out of the alleyway.

Shen Yuan didn’t have the energy to really give any reaction and just buried himself deeper into Luo Binghe’s arms. He was toasty and it was quite nice. Shen Yuan with his face stuffed in Luo Binghe’s chest didn’t see the blush forming on the protagonist's face.

They walked in complete silence for a long while until they finally reached the stream. It was basically completely dark with just the moonlight to give them light.

Shen Yuan thought that would be the end of it, but instead of just putting him down Luo Binghe lowered himself to the ground and laid Shen Yuan carefully in his lap. Shen Yuan froze and couldn’t move. What does he do? Does he get up? What’s the procedure for this?

Shen Yuan was definitely overthinking and Luo Binghe seemed to take notice of this. He gently reached his hand down and placed it gently on top of Shen Yuan’s wings and began stroking them carefully. 

If Shen Yuan wasn’t freaking out before, he definitely was now! Was the protagonist petting him!? What's the procedure for this!? He didn’t sign up for this!!

Luo Binghe continued to pet him as he was internally yelling not realizing how his own body was slowly beginning to relax more and more. He wouldn’t have noticed until he accidentally made some noise…

Both Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan seemed to freeze this time. Did he just purr!? Could he do that!?

Luo Binghe smiled and took it as a good sign to continue. As he got back to petting Shen Yuan’s wings he felt the small vibrations coming from his chest.

In embarrassment, Shen Yuan buried himself into Luo Binghe further as if trying not to show his face even though he already didn't have one. Why must his body betray him like this? So embarrassing! He truly doesn’t have any face left! No face!

Just then the System blared out multiple notifications and awarded him with hundreds of B-points.

Perhaps losing just a little face wasn't that bad...

Chapter Text

The flood had turned into but a small trickle and it was terribly difficult to replicate the amount of energy he had used to cultivate a human form a couple of days ago. It was as if in his anger he had opened a dam and used up all the power with it as well. No more water was being held in the dam and he now needed to replenish it.

So now he was sitting in front of his cultivation manual trying yet again to cultivate a human form. He had already done it once before. He had done it in his fit of rage, which had to be one of the strongest emotions he’s ever felt. He’s sure he could do it again without the adrenaline rush! He just needed to figure it out. He’s sure he’ll get it…eventually. It can’t be that difficult right? 

Shen Yuan took a deep breath and tried to control his emotions and to not let his mind wander. But as soon as he seemed to finally gain control of his thoughts there was a rustling behind him and Shen Yuan decided that it wouldn’t hurt to look. Although that probably wasn’t the best idea.

Behind him, he could see Binghe asleep on the grass with a few stray hairs falling over his face. Luo Binghe looked so calm and Shen Yuan felt himself heat up as he remembered what he had woken up to a few hours ago.

The sun had shined down onto his face as he slowly regained his consciousness and he began to recognize where he was. Shen Yuan had peeked behind him and tried to wiggle out of Binghe’s arms. He doesn’t remember when he became the protagonist’s designated body pillow and cuddle partner, but ever since the day he cultivated a human form in front of Luo Binghe, he had just continued to grow stickier and stickier. 

Shen Yuan had been so embarrassed the first time the protagonist fell asleep with him in his arms, that Shen Yuan was sure he would combust. What was wrong with the protagonist? You would think that ever since knowing he had a human form he wouldn’t cuddle him more for the sake of manners. But no, he had only gotten more familiar with Shen Yuan even if they hadn’t been able to communicate since that night.

Shen Yuan quickly shut down that line of thought. It wouldn’t lead anywhere and was too confusing to think about. How could one of the straightest guys Shen Yuan knew willingly cuddle up to someone they knew was a dude? Luo Binghe was wearing socks right-? No homo man!

Shen Yuan felt his qi rising and falling steadily and snapped out of it. He began to focus back on the matter at hand. Getting a human form so he can have hands! Along with other limbs of course- oh and extra hands apparently. And wings… Those had both felt extremely weird. 

Shen Yuan thought about the feeling and weight of the wings on his back and the extra arms and imagined molding his qi into those appendages. Slowly his qi hummed pleasantly and a prickling sensation washed over him as his vision blurred slightly. 

The second his vision returned to him he realized he was taller than he had been only a few seconds ago. He looked down to see a very human-looking body sitting in a lotus pose. Shen Yuan did his best not to freak out and accidentally disturb his qi that was allowing him to keep this form. Although he will admit he was having a silent party in his head.

Shen Yuan stood up, suddenly very thankful that he still remembered how to walk like a normal human being, and headed over to the small stream. He peered over and gazed at himself. A human certainly…but still not quite right.

System? You said I should be able to make my form a little more human right?

[Host is correct!]

…

Well, how do I do it?

[Continue practicing your cultivation host! Host was on the right track when he thought about molding his qi! Although, fair warning host! Some different parts, specifically the wings will be hard to hide! They’ll take up more qi and energy to hide properly seeing as they're such a huge part of the original hundun’s design! (*⌒▽⌒*)b]

Hack System! I blame you for all of this!

[Host is so mean to this System （ つ Д ｀）]

Ignoring the System’s complaining Shen Yuan goes back to, ehem, “molding his qi” he supposes. He stares at his reflection for a good five minutes before he gets himself to look even slightly normal. His hair now instead of being its usual vibrant red, is now more of a brown color, which isn’t too weird of a hair color in cultivation novels. Although, it is still slightly red. It was like being a brunette who had decided to get red highlights in their hair. Honestly- they were so perfectly worked in it seriously seemed natural- well it was technically natural but-

Either way, that's beside the point. His bright green eyes which he hadn’t even known he had till now seemed duller and less noticeable. Now the only thing left to work on was the extra appendages.

Shen Yuan focused more on making sure his arms were hidden. He closed his eyes and imagined them just straight up fading out of reality.

…

He really didn’t know what else he was supposed to visualize here. How was he supposed to just lose two limbs? It was a weird thought and this was the only way he could even begin to think of getting rid of them. It definitely was high up on the list of things he never thought he’d say even if it wasn’t out loud.

Shen Yuan could feel a slight tingling sensation go through his extra arms. He focused more on that feeling and sent more qi in towards the limbs. Eventually, the tingling sensation started to turn into the sensation you got when one of your limbs began to go numb.

It started with some tingling that felt like little firecrackers going off in his arms and ended with something he couldn’t even feel. If he hadn’t seen the extra limbs earlier he never would’ve guessed that he had them in the first place. It was like when you accidentally slept on one of your arms and then when you next woke up had to drag your body to the edge of the bed and lug your arm over the side to try and get some feeling back by getting the blood flowing through it again.

Shen Yuan peeked his eyes open and looked at his reflection again. He felt absolutely drained after using so much qi, but the results were worth it in his opinion. The only thing he would need to work on were the wings when he finally had the energy for it.

Shen Yuan mentally started making a list of things he would need to do to get to that point. To keep up this look meant the continuous use of qi. If he wanted to look like this all the time and somehow manage to hide his wings he would need to work on his qi usage. He would need to use it wisely and expand its capacity so he could hold this form for longer periods of time.

Before Shen Yuan could delve too deeply into the matter however, he felt a pair of hands on his wings. 

Shen Yuan flinched and almost landed face-first into the water. Luckily enough the hands that had startled him in the first place caught him before he soaked the only robes he had. Turning around, Shen Yuan made eye contact with the perpetrator. 

“This one apologizes! I didn’t mean to startle you!” Luo Binghe seemed to have a lot of energy for someone who had just woken up. “They just looked super soft and pretty…” Luo Binghe mumbled, somewhat embarrassed. 

Protagonist! You’ve pet my wings before when I was in the other form! Why is it any different now, hah!?

“Ah…it’s alright. Thank you for catching me,” Shen Yuan replied with a small smile.

Luo Binghe’s cheeks became dusted in a light blush and he fiddled with his fingers awkwardly before continuing to speak. “What are you reading?”

“What?” Shen Yuan who hadn’t been expecting the question at all replied dumbly.

Instead of giving him a verbal response, Luo Binghe just pointed to the small blue cultivation manual on the ground in front of him.

“Oh!” Shen Yuan replied as he realized what the question was referring to. “It’s a cultivation manual.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes instantly lit up. “Is it really? Why do you have one of those? Where did you even find one? What’s it say?” 

Question after question poured from Luo Binghe’s mouth and Shen Yuan struggled to keep up. “Alright, alright, calm down,” he said in a placating manner. “It’s meant to help me learn how to control qi and keep a human form,” Shen Yuan explained calmly, although a small ruffle of feathers on his back reminded him of something. “Er- mostly human form. I’m sure I’ll get it eventually though, all it takes is some practice.”

Luo Binghe nodded his head vigorously. “What’s it say?” He asked again.

Shen Yuan opened his mouth to explain it to him but stopped himself short. He forgot the protagonist still didn’t know how to read, which came back to haunt him when he joined Qing Jing Peak and he couldn’t tell a real cultivation manual from a fake one.

What if…Shen Yuan killed two birds with one stone? 

“Why don’t I teach you?”

Luo Binghe gave him a questioning look, not quite understanding the question.

“To read I mean,” Shen Yuan explained. 

“Shen Yuan would really be willing to teach this one how to read?” Luo Binghe asked excitedly.

Shen Yuan nodded his head. “This is the only book I have though, so we’ll have to use it as an example.”

 He was sure it wouldn’t hurt much. In fact, it would do Luo Binghe good. He would be able to keep up with his work as a disciple if he knew how to read and write, plus he would have the basic idea of what cultivation is. If Shen Yuan did this right then Luo Binghe wouldn’t have to worry about a fake cultivation manual since he would know something wasn’t right.

Shen Yuan flipped to the first page of the cultivation manual and pointed at the first character. Luo Binghe leaned over to get a better look and began drawing different characters in the dirt next to them as Shen Yuan explained what each one meant. If both of them blushed later after realizing just how close their faces were, it was no one’s business.

Chapter Text

Binghe was gone more often than not nowadays. Originally this had worried Binghe's mother, but she began to notice a change in his mood as well. He seemed happier than usual, for reasons he wouldn't tell her. Not that she ever really had the opportunity to broach the topic or sit Binghe down to talk about it.

As glad as Song Yan was that her son was obviously happier, she had to admit she was rather curious. If Binghe had made a friend, and that was the cause of his happier mood, then she had no clue who it could be. She knew for a fact that it wasn't the boys from town; that was a fact.

No matter how much Binghe tried to deny it, she knew that he didn't get along with any of the boys in town, and no matter what he said, she knew those bruises weren't because he tripped or fell. She knew it was those other boys, but no matter how much she wanted to do something about it, she knew she couldn't. For one, Binghe continued to deny it, and second, realistically even if he told her, there was likely nothing she could do about it. And so it would remain a touchy subject that they both were too afraid to broach over dinner...

"I'm headed out for more water mama," Song Yan heard Binghe call out to her as he grabbed the water bucket and headed away from where they were washing clothes together.

"Ah!" Exclaimed Song Yan, surprised at having been pulled out of her own thoughts abruptly. Although they already had quite a lot of water, Song Yan didn't argue. "Be back soon Binghe!"

"I will!" Binghe called out, already bounding down the path to the small stream where they got their water from. Song Yan watched as Binghe disappeared from her line of sight and began to grow even more curious.

Their store of water was at an all-time high recently. They really didn't need so much, and Binghe didn't need to constantly be using his energy going back and forth from the stream to collect more, but he seemed genuinely happy to do so. And he spent such a large amount of time there before coming home.

 Perhaps, if Binghe's new friend wasn't in the town like she thought, then maybe...maybe this new friend was at the stream where Binghe went to collect their water from.

Before she knew it, Song Yan was finishing the laundry as quickly as possible. It had been a few minutes since Binghe had left by the time she had finished, but it's not like she didn't know where she was going; it used to be her job to fetch the water before Binghe was old enough to take over, and she and Binghe had both always preferred the stream over the well in town. Although, she admits this was most likely due to separate reasons.

She feels a little guilty about practically following her son but...she just wanted an explanation as to where her son was disappearing to. Was that really such an awful thing to wonder about?

Dear little white lotus...is this truly the effects of the protagonist's halo?! How have you learned so much so fast? 

Barely any time has passed since Shen Yuan had begun teaching Binghe how to read and write and he was already making such large strides in terms of progress. What a prodigy! The protagonist should give himself a pat on the back! Chinese was one of the most difficult languages to learn.

"Binghe is doing really well!" Shen Yuan complimented Luo Binghe with a large grin. This boy really did deserve some praise!

"Many thanks, Yuan-ge..." Binghe turned a bright red, obviously embarrassed by the praise.

Shen Yuan should really compliment him more...to help build up his self-confidence of course! That, and he was actually a little fun to tease. Such a cute little bun!

"Mn," Shen Yuan acknowledged the thanks before pointing to another character. "How about this one?" Shen Yuan decided to go over some basics first, and so they were currently reviewing the number system.

Binghe looked down at the characters Shen Yuan had written out in the dirt: "二十五." 

"Èr...shí...wǔ..." Binghe pronounced the pinyin for the characters carefully. "Ah! Twenty-five?" Binghe looked away from the characters and up at Shen Yuan for confirmation.

"That's right," Shen Yuan smiled and reached up to give Luo Binghe a pat on the head; another habit Shen Yuan had picked up whilst teaching Binghe. It had been an accident the first time, and Shen Yuan had profusely apologized for it at first, but Binghe had just brushed it off. In fact, the protagonist even seemed to enjoy it, so Shen Yuan decided to give the little fluffy-haired sheep head pats as a form of positive feedback from then on.

Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan continued to review numbers together, but Binghe really did seem to recognize all the characters for them properly at this point. 

Shen Yuan put the stick he was writing with down, "Binghe is really a fast learner. We'll have to move onto something else next time...maybe dates if Binghe's amenable to the idea? It's a good way to build off of what Binghe's already learned."

"Whatever Yuan-ge thinks is best, this Binghe is happy to agree to!" Shen Yuan could practically envision a fluffy dog tail wagging behind Luo Binghe.

Shen Yuan was overcome with an immense feeling of joy. What an amazing way to spend his days...teaching the protagonist how to read and write, and either lazing about under the sun next to a calming stream or learning cultivation in his free time when he wasn't hanging out with the protagonist. It was in all honesty...quite nice. It felt almost domestic in a way.

Shen Yuan smiled at Binghe warmly who turned a light shade of pink that went unnoticed by Shen Yuan. "Binghe-"

The snap of a branch cut off whatever Shen Yuan was going to say and startled both of them out of the atmosphere.

Wait...Atmosphere? What atmosphere? There was no 'atmosphere' of any sort going on between him and the protagonist! And if there was, it was one a proud teacher would have with their star student! An atmosphere of utmost pride and respect! Yes sir!

[This System thinks Host must have hit their head at some point...(¬_¬")]

No one asked for your opinion! Silence from the peanut gallery!

[(-_- #)]

"Binghe, who's this?" the quivering voice of a woman brought Shen Yuan back to attention. Oh crap...it wasn't an animal but another person. And apparently, they knew Binghe somehow? Wait- 

Don't tell him-

"Mama!" Binghe stood up quickly. Oh shit...Shen Yuan stood up slowly, worried he'd startle the woman. He knew how bad this must look. He was very obviously a demon after all.

"A demon..." Binghe's mother sounded faint. Ah...this wasn't good. What if in her worry for her son's sake, she sent a missive to a cultivation sect to have him exterminated?

"I promise it's not what it looks like!" Binghe stood up for him. "He won't hurt me!"

Binghe's mother watched on in stunned silence as she watched her son stand up for some random demon.

"He's even teaching me how to read and write! He-"

Binghe's mother cut him off. "Binghe."

Luo Binghe stilled. "If you trust him..." she took a deep breath. "Then I do as well." Luo Binghe looked as if he was about ready to let out a huge sigh of relief. "But-" Shen Yuan saw the breath catch in his chest.

"I need to hear it from him first," she looked over at Shen Yuan and addressed him directly. "Promise me that you mean my son no harm and I won't go running to the nearest cultivation sect."

Shen Yuan stilled.

"Mama!" Binghe sounded affronted. "He would never-"

"I promise miss," Shen Yuan cut Binghe off with a serious look on his face. "In fact, I would do all I can to protect him."

Shen Yuan doesn't know when he had decided this was a goal he would live by for the rest of his life here in PIDW, and yet, he knew deep down that he meant the promise that he had just made. 

Luo Binghe's mother smiled and walked up to Shen Yuan slowly before pulling him into a hug, which managed to surprise both Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan greatly. "You really make my Binghe happy..." she whispered for only Shen Yuan to hear.

"I'll hold you to your promise. Please continue to watch over my Binghe for me...Can I trust you with this?"

Shen Yuan hugged her back. "You can trust me."

Chapter Text

They seemed to have fallen into quite a comfortable routine. Luo Binghe would come to the stream to fetch water and have Shen Yuan spend a little bit of time teaching him how to read and write before being sent on his way. Better yet for the both of them, Binghe no longer had to lie to his mother about why it took so long for him to fetch water, and Shen Yuan could tell the honesty was doing poor sweet white lotus Binghe well. Shen Yuan is sure Binghe had hated lying to his mother, so it really was for the best that the truth was up in the air now. 

And with no negative drawbacks either! Song Yan came by once or twice to try to get to know Shen Yuan, claiming she wanted to get to know Luo Binghe's new friend, and she seemed to have no problem with him being a demon. Shen Yuan is sure that in and of itself will help the protagonist with self-worth issues rooted in his heritage in the future...

Luo Binghe's mother had also decided to give him some version of a shovel talk the one time they were left alone together to drive home that she'd hunt him down if he hurt her son, but after that, it was completely smooth sailing!

"And what's this one?" Shen Yuan pointed out another character to Luo Binghe as he began to wrap up their lesson.

Luo Binghe stared at the character Shen Yuan had scratched into the dirt intently before replying confidently. "It's the character for morning."

Shen Yuan nodded his head. "Binghe will have to slow down or else your Yuan-ge will quickly run out of things to teach you. Binghe already knows how to identify and write the proper words for numbers and units of time!" Shen Yuan lifted the back of his hand up to his forehead dramatically, "What a smart student this teacher has."

Of course, the titles had started as a joke, at least to him, but they continued to use them offhandedly during their lessons and occasionally outside of them as well. Binghe, much to Shen Yuan's surprise, had been the one to implement them in the first place. 

Was calling him such an endearing term such as Yuan-ge not enough for the protagonist!?

The first time Luo Binghe had called him "Shizun," Shen Yuan swears he could've dropped into a dead faint. He did  not  want to be called the same thing as the scum villain that Luo Binghe hated so much in the future, thank you very much!

He had tried to refuse the title, but Binghe, being the protagonist, had the most unbearable (read: irresistible) puppy dog eyes ever. And Shen Yuan, as much as he hated to admit it, was completely defenseless against them. 

Therefore he proposed a different title that Luo Binghe was quick to accept. "Laoshi."

It seemed much more appropriate in Shen Yuan's opinion anyway. He wasn't some "master," immortal or otherwise, and so refused to use it. Just "teacher" was fine, and Binghe agreed, seeing as Shen Yuan was in fact, the one teaching him how to read and write. 

It's why he had insisted upon the so-called nicknames in the first place. So while Luo Binghe continued to refer to Shen Yuan as Laoshi, Shen Yuan referred to Binghe as his student throughout their lessons. Although Shen Yuan suspects that Luo Binghe means it in a much more serious manner than Shen Yuan does when jokingly using the titles...

"Yuan-ge," Binghe's voice brought Shen Yuan back to the present. "This one has to bring the water back now and help his mother finish with work."

"Ah, alright." Shen Yuan watched as Binghe stood from where he had been sitting next to him on the grass. Binghe walked over to the bucket, already filled with water, and began to leave.

At least before Shen Yuan had a great idea and blurted out his next sentence without thinking. "Could I help Binghe with his work?"

Luo Binghe froze before he could take another step to leave. He turned around to face Shen Yuan. "Yuan-ge...Is that really safe?"

"As much as this student would appreciate the presence of Laoshi, is it not too out in the open? There's no forestry around the Luo River to properly hide Yuan-ge should someone stumble upon us," Luo Binghe's reasoning was sound.

And yet...Shen Yuan wanted to help. He also wanted to see more of the world around him instead of constantly worrying about being spotted and poached the second he stepped foot out of his hiding spot next to their stream.

"Do people come out to the Luo River often?" Shen Yuan asked, trying to find a hole in Luo Binghe's logic. He truly felt like he had cabin fever and he wasn't even stuck inside. He just wanted a change of scenery, that's all.

"Not really...It's a bit of a ways away from the town so most people don't venture there unless they have to," Luo Binghe said.

"So..." Shen Yuan's voice trailed off before his face broke into a grin. "There's not actually that high of a chance of this teacher being spotted by someone other than Binghe or Binghe's mother?"

Luo Binghe remained silent for a moment as he contemplated Shen Yuan's words. "As long as Yuan-ge believes he will be safe enough," Luo Binghe smiles, agreeing with Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan jumped to his feet happily before running over to Luo Binghe and snatching the bucket from his hands before he could do anything about it, making sure not to spill any of the water. "Perfect! Then I'll start helping by carrying the water back!"

Luo appeared taken aback by his forwardness for only a second. "Yuan-ge, you don't need to do that!" Luo Binghe reached for the bucket, but Shen Yuan kept it away from his grasping hands.

"Let this teacher be useful Binghe," Shen Yuan chided lightly. "I want to be helpful and carrying a bucket is really the least I could do."

"Laoshi has already been much more than helpful to this Binghe," Luo Binghe muttered under his breath, quietly enough that Shen Yuan couldn't hear what he said.

"Mn?"

"It's nothing Yuan-ge," Luo Binghe smiled ignoring Shen Yuan's questioning hum.

After that, Luo Binghe reluctantly let Shen Yuan carry the bucket as they walked down the path toward the Luo River.

Once they had reached the river, Shen Yuan put the bucket down somewhere out of the way so it wouldn't accidentally get knocked over while they worked and could still be carried back to Binghe's home once they had finished for the day.

Shen Yuan greeted Binghe's mother and asked for an assignment he could work on. He was then given some extra equipment and told how to handle them to properly wash clothes.

Shen Yuan had instantly gotten to work, setting up his little workstation next to Binghe's so they could talk while they worked. Shen Yuan sat to the left of Binghe, and while Binghe's mother was sitting and working on Binghe's right, Shen Yuan still had interesting conversations with her as well, making sure she was never left.

As an adult stuck in a child's body, which he still hadn't completely absorbed and properly compartmentalized yet (He's sure that will bite him in the ass later when it gives him an existential crisis), he knew how it felt to be left out of conversations by people who were younger than him and didn't want Song Yan to feel the same way he felt when it happened to him.

They all worked well together, and with the help of engaging conversation, an extra person, and Shen Yuan's extra arms, they finished earlier than normal. However, their definition of early, was realistically quite late seeing as the sun had already begun to set.

Shen Yuan stood up and stretched his hands over his head, releasing a sigh as he felt his back pop satisfyingly. "I should really head back now," Shen Yuan covered his mouth as his sentence was cut off with a yawn.

"You know," Song Yan said. "Our house is closer than the stream. It's not much, and would probably be a tight fit, but Shen Yuan could always stay the night with us."

Shen Yuan stilled and a silence descended upon them all as they awaited Shen Yuan's response.

Just then, Shen Yuan heard a familiar ding.

[Mission: Spend a Night with the Protagonist. Possible rewards: +50 B-Points. Please select an option: Accept, Decline]

What's with the misleading mission name!? System, you need to get better at naming things...

[Feedback noted]

[Please select an option]

Well...Shen Yuan didn't actually have a reason to say no...it wouldn't be that awkward sleeping in such close quarters with the protagonist, right? They had become very close with one another, so surely it wouldn't be all that weird. It would just be like brothers or best friends deciding to have a sleepover together! Plus he had the added incentive of more B-Points...how could he say no?

Shen Yuan accepted the mission.

"Thank you for the generous offer," Shen Yuan bowed his head, accepting their offer graciously before following them back to their home.

When they got there, Shen Yuan helped Luo Binghe store the water and put away the bucket before everyone began to get settled down for bed. There were only two bed rolls, one for Song Yan and one for Binghe, so Binghe took the initiative of pulling Shen Yuan down onto his own with him when Shen Yuan was about to lie down on the floor. It was a tight fit, and the blanket didn't cover them properly, but they kept each other warm, and though the bed roll was thin, it was still better than sleeping on the ground, and therefore in Shen Yuan's eyes, the most comfortable thing he's slept on in a long time.

At this point in the day, however, Shen Yuan had used up any qi he had left and was turned back into a hundun as his stores ran out. Binghe however didn't seem to mind this and pulled Shen Yuan closer to his chest, probably enjoying the extra heating source. Shen Yuan knows he definitely enjoyed it as he snuggled closer into Luo Binghe.

At some point in the night before Shen Yuan passed out, he heard the ding of the system awarding him points. And if he maybe, perhaps, definitely hypothetically, purred a little bit before falling asleep, that was between him and the system since Luo Binghe already appeared to have passed out asleep.

His stores of qi continued to replenish themselves while he slept, and if Song Yan woke up and found a very human Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe cuddled up together, she didn't say anything about it.

Chapter Text

Being left alone with one's thoughts after denying yourself the ability to think on difficult subjects really gives you the time to think clearly, whether you want to or not. Difficult thoughts including...just as an example off the top of Shen Yuan's head (no he  definitely  hasn't been ignoring the topic on purpose, whoever told you that was a liar and slanderer), your death one might say.

Shen Yuan's fingers were nimble as he worked with the string in his hands. It was a quiet activity, with only the sounds of nature for company; Binghe off doing work somewhere else. He couldn't be with Shen Yuan at all times of the day, and Shen Yuan knew that, but at least when Binghe was gone he was typically working on increasing his stores of qi. That in and of itself was practically just meditation, which required a lot of mental focus leaving Shen Yuan plenty of time to ignore all his problems.

However, doing something that didn't require a fuck ton of mental focus, and was practically muscle memory to him, left him with plenty of time to get lost in his own head.

Shen Yuan remembers being sick in his last life. Really sick.

He was in and out of hospitals constantly. Hell, in fact, the doctors were surprised that he lived as long as he did; and that's saying something seeing as he died young.

Shen Yuan winces at the thought. It hurt to think about it in a way. He knew it was coming since he was young, but to know that he had actually  died  left an acidic taste in his mouth.

His parents had always been busy people, and Shen Yuan despite being their son didn't know them as well as he probably should have. At first, when he was younger and had originally been diagnosed, he couldn't understand their behavior. One day they were his sweet loving parents and the next it seemed as if it hurt them to even be in the same room as him.

As he got older, maybe early teens, did he finally begin to see their logic. They couldn't stand to know him. Not in the sense that they wished he had never been born, but in the sense that, if perhaps they never really knew him or watched him grow, it would hurt a little less when they had to bury their own son.

It hurt at first when he came to that realization after ending up in another hospital; his parents yet again nowhere to be found.

This didn't mean entire abandonment, however. In fact, they readily paid for all the medical bills that Shen Yuan was physically incapable of paying for. He was never short on money because of them, and when he moved out of the house so that they wouldn't have to see him as often, they continued to pay for his apartment and a monthly allowance to do with as he pleased. Shen Yuan wanted for nothing.

Maybe he would've called himself lonely because of how his parents treated him, but he couldn't say he was, and that was all thanks to his siblings. His Da-ge, Er-ge, and Mei-mei.

When his parents never showed up to the hospital, they always did. They were the people that watched him grow and took care of him. There was no one he was closer to in the world than them. But they were tough as well; becoming Shen Yuan's very foundation. They refused to cry in front of him when he inevitably landed himself in the hospital again, instead supporting and encouraging him to get better.

But now, in a fucked up sort of sense, he can understand why his parents might have believed what they did.

He wondered who had found his body. In a twisted sort of way, he just hoped it wasn't one of his siblings that found him.

He hoped the funeral wouldn't be too devastating for them, and he hoped as well that his parent's distancing paid off in the end. Hopefully, they won't be in so much pain now that he's dead. They never really knew him in the first place. They had no reason to grieve him now.

In fact, he was no longer leaching off of their money. Perhaps, somewhere deep down they would be even a little bit happy that Shen Yuan was gone.

Although, he will admit, dying was not the most comfortable thing ever.

He had died directly after he finished reading PIDW. He had landed in the hospital again and needed to entertain himself. The ending, however, with his already sick body, had quite literally angered him to death.

What an embarrassing way to die...

Shen Yuan curses Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky vehemently for his shitty writing as he continues to sort through his thoughts, his idle work nearly completed.

He had actually used some of the points he had gotten from his last mission to buy the supplies from the system. It was just some simple string so it really wasn't that expensive, only costing him 15 B-Points.

Shen Yuan tied a knot to finish it off and looked at his handiwork with a small amount of pride. It was something his Mei-mei had taught him how to make to give him something to do while he was stuck in a hospital that didn't include staring at a screen.

Just then the sound of leaves rustling had Shen Yuan quickly hiding the item behind his back as he jumped to his feet.

The sound stopped as Binghe appeared through the leaves. He looked as he always did; like the picture-perfect protagonist, with not even a single stick in his hair after his trek through the bushes to get to the stream. The only thing different about his appearance Shen Yuan notices is the new jade Guanyin hanging from Binghe's neck.

Shen Yuan eyes it before lifting his gaze back up to Binghe's and giving him a small smile, which Binghe returns easily.

 "Yuan-ge," Binghe says in lieu of a greeting. "This one came for today's lesson."

"Ah of course." Shen Yuan walked toward Luo Binghe. "But I actually have something for you first."

Luo Binghe looked surprised and Shen Yuan didn't give him time to say anything as he removed his hands from behind his back and held them out toward him.

Binghe's eyes began to tear up as he looked at the object held in Shen Yuan's hands. A simple black bracelet. "Happy birthday Binghe."

"How did Yuan-ge know-?"

"I asked Binghe's mom." Shen Yuan's smile softened. "I know it's not much but-"

"No no!" Luo Binghe denied vehemently. "It's more than enough!"

Shen Yuan felt himself go weak as he saw Binghe's tearful eyes. And yet he looked far from upset. In fact, he wore a large smile on his face as he smiled through the tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks.

Shen Yuan is glad he could make Binghe smile like that.

Shen Yuan gently reached for Luo Binghe's hand and slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. Though he admits, it was hard to fight the flush that quickly rose to his cheeks when he realized he had basically just given the stallion protagonist of PIDW a friendship bracelet.

Not that he would know what that was! Thank goodness for small mercies. He's sure Luo Binghe wouldn't let him hear the end of it otherwise.

Shen Yuan forgot to let go of Binghe's hand; an action that went unnoticed by the both of them.

"Happy birthday Binghe."