Chapter Text
Shang Qinghua was sitting at his desk. He was doing paperwork as always. Liu Qingge comes barging in as he always does with some artifact (a compact, mirrorlike object) that An Ding is now responsible for. Shang Qinghua doesn't know what artifact it was (which was rare but not too uncommon seeing as Shang Qinghua couldn't have written every artifact out there) so he stores it in the maybe dangerous but unknown room.
Then Yue Qingyuan asked for it, meaning it was probably very important and most likely very very dangerous.
So Shang Qinghua goes to get the artifact. He also makes sure none of his disciples touch it lest it goes off or something. He does it discreetly because he thinks that this whole situation is supposed to discreet.
Judging by how the rest of the Peak Lords were with Yue Qingyuan, it wasn't a discreet thing. Was it another Peak Lord meeting that Shang Qinghua wasn't aware of? Who knows, who cares, Shang Qinghua thought desolately. Shang Qinghua would find out what happened later anyways. Most likely it was just a social meeting Yue Qingyuan invited everbody to so he had an excuse to see Shen Qingqiu. If Yue Qingyuan was using the artifact as an excuse to see Shen Qingqiu, Shang Qinghua would be sorely displeased.
Not that he'd show it. He has self-preservation instincts.
So the artifact - a mirrorlike object that Shang Qinghua knows isn't the Knowledge Mirror or the Mirror of Truth - was given to Yue Qingyuan, who started to talk about how ancient it was and all that. Apparently, it was 'powerful' and 'priceless'.
Yue Qingyuan didn't know what it did.
Shang Qinghua would like to politely call out on his bullshit.
He doesn't though. Instead, Shang Qinghua stood off to the side, in his small corner, nervously glancing around. You know, as you do when your surrounded by characters who could kill you at any moment.
Then something happens. It happens when Zhao Qinghui was trying to fiddle with the artifact. Liu Qingge was starting to get irritable. The other Peak Lords were starting to get irritable (except for those few that always have to be so zen like).
All while Yue Qingyuan starts to try to talk to Shen Qingqiu.
And this all leads Shen Qingqiu making a couple of caustic remarks. Then all hell breaks loose.
Liu Qingge was yelling, Qi Qingqi was scoffing, Yue Qingyuan was on the verge of crying, Zhang Qingyan was pounding the table, and Shang Qinghua supposes he's supposed to be glad that the other Peak Lords didn't have any more too visible reaction, adding to the chaos.
Maybe he said that too soon because the chaos ended up startling Zhao Qinghui into doing something with the artifact. Or at least Shang Qinghua hopes she was startled into doing it because he doesn't want to even bother thinking about her doing it on purpose for the sake of 'learning'. Which is something she might do.
Shang Qinghua should have paid more attention to her.
Zhao Qinghui did something that ended up activating the artifact. The mirrorlike artifact started to shine from the part where the reflective glass should be. Zhao Qinghui threw it up in surprise and covered her eyes with her hands to protect it from the bright light. It fell onto Liu Qingge, who quickly punched it away, before flying towards Shen Qingqiu, where it was quickly intercepted by Yue Qingyuan, who struck it away.
And he said it was a 'priceless' artifact.
The artifact clattered onto the table. The bright light had disappeared reverting back to black stone. It didn't seem like it was broken. No cracks, no scratches, no nothing. Only the etchings on the black stone remained.
At least it shut everybody up.
Shang Qinghua tacitly got up. Whatever's going to happen here wasn't Shang Qinghua's problem. He knew bringing a powerful artifact into a room full of people who were basically children was going to be a problem. A problem that wasn't his business. He soundlessly moved away from the scene and would have left out the door if it wasn't for Yue Qingyuan who spotted him leaving a mile away.
"Is Shang-shidi leaving right now?" Yue Qingyuan gave him that big old fake smile.
Shang Qinghua froze like a deer in headlights. The others snapped their heads to look at him. He flinched under the stares of the other Peak Lords. The cold, disappointment and even disgust shone in their eyes.
Shang Qinghua would like it if the characters he created could stop looking at him as if he was the scum of the earth.
"Heh-heh, T-this o-one th-ought Y-yue-sh-shixiong wouldn't n-need t-this sh-s-shidi t-t-to st-stay... soi-thisonethoughthathecouldjustleaveafterallitsnotlikeyoueverreallyneedme..." Shang Qinghua rambled out.
Nobody was particularly impressed by Shang Qinghua's speech though. Liu Qingge scoffed at him before turning around. He probably thought Shang Qinghua was a coward for running just because the artifact was activated. Jokes on him, it was really the characters themselves. They always make him want to run away.
Shang Qinghua wondered if he made a break for it, if one of them would run after him and physically tie him to his seat. It has happened before, though not so much as they physically tied him to his seat but they did glare and threaten him into submission.
Shang Qinghua knows it just isn't worth it. He sat back down.
After a few more cold glares, everybody went back to ignoring him. They talked amongst themselves about what to do with the artifact. Shang Qinghua didn't bother saying his piece. Nobody really cared for his opinion on anything, even if he's the one that's going to be saddled with the work.
Good old An Ding, pack mule for everybody.
Shang Qinghua couldn't wait until he can get back to the real world. At least there he doesn't have any responsibilities and duties. He wouldn't be stuck in uncomfortable situations on the daily either. Shang Qinghua could solve the food and money issue later.
Shang Qinghua resignedly fiddled with his bag of melon seeds, but didn't eat any in fear that the other Peak Lords would find that disagreeable too.
His stomach ached in a way that made him think he was hungry. He had to resist the urge to munch on some melon seeds.
That didn't last for long though. Liu Qingge, ever the hothead, had started to yell at Shen Qingqiu again, accusing him of something. Shen Qingqiu sniped back at Liu Qingge. Qi Qingqi added her two bits. Yue Qingyuan waited until he felt like intervening. Same old, same old.
The rest of the Peak Lords had already split into their little cliques. Zhao Qinghui, however, wasn't. She had decided to neglect Wang Qingli in favor of scrutinizing the artifact.
Shang Qinghua eyed her warily, splitting his time between the ongoing pissing match between Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu and the ever growing fear that Zhao Qinghui was going to do something stupid.
Why was he even here if all he was going to do was watch as other people talked about social stuff? What's the point? They weren't even talking about the artifact. At least nobody was glaring at him anymore. He hated it when they did that. It left a sinking feeling in his stomach. Who were they to judge him anyway?
Zhao Qinghui was inches away from touching the artifact. At this point, she was already all over the table as the artifact was seats away from her. At least she had the sense to not touch it.
Were they just going to leave that there? Shang Qinghua hopes not. It's a hazard regardless of its unknown abilities. Or maybe because of its unknown abilities.
Wang Qingli finally realized that he should deal with Zhao Qinghui and went to drag Zhao Qinghui back to her seat. Shang Qinghua internally sighed in relief. Now, he only had to worry about Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu.
The pissing match between them was becoming physical with Liu Qingge goading Shen Qingqiu into a fight. Yue Qingyuan was finally trying to intervene by asking Shen Qingqiu to be sensible.
Shang Qinghua thinks that it should be Liu Qingge who's asked to be sensible considering it's him who's trying to start a physical fight.
But, hey, who cares what he has to say about this whole situation?
Shang Qinghua started to munch - well, more like nibble (he was wary of the other Peak Lords getting mad) - on his melon seeds. The meeting didn't seem to be ending anytime soon and his stomach was hurting.
The meeting ended more than two hours later after Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu finally hash it out. The fight - sorry, match - itself didn't last that long. Liu Qingge obviously won. Shen Qingqiu played a dirty trick or two. Yue Qingyuan had silently wept off to the side. Everybody else had obviously been rooting for Liu Qingge, internally or otherwise.
Except for Shang Qinghua. Shang Qinghua always rooted for Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu was Shang Qinghua's favorite of all the Peak Lords for the simple fact that he does his paperwork and turns it in on time.
The fact Shang Qinghua wrote Shen Qingqiu to be a tragic character was also a reason.
Compared to everybody else who were just bland, cut-out characters, Shen Qingqiu was the only complex character. He had a tragic backstory, so many flaws, and a possibility of redemption.
Shen Qingqiu was the one who was the most real. The most lifelike.
And somehow one of the least scariest character Shang Qinghua knew.
That's an achievement considering how Shang Qinghua was scared of even disciples sometimes.
Shang Qinghua was the first to get up after Yue Qingyuan announced the end of the meeting. He was the first to leave. They still hadn't discussed what they were going to do with the artifact that was laying dead silent on the table, but Shang Qinghua doesn't care at this point. They can deal with it. They started this mess.
Besides, Shang Qinghua ran out of melon seeds.
It had nothing to do with the way he felt awkward standing in a room full of what seemed to be strangers regardless of the fact he created every single thing in that room.
Shang Qinghua had successfully escaped the Peak Lords and the artifact business. Key word had.
The Peak Lords for some reason decided to try to activate the artifact again (Shang Qinghua shouldn't have ran, he should've stayed and make sure those 'grown' Peak Lords didn't do anything stupid) and because An Ding was responsible for all the artifacts, Shang Qinghua is back again dealing damage control. The amount of damage control he has to run on a daily basis because of them is something Shang Qinghua doesn't want to think of.
Most of the other Peak Lords have already left. Shen Qinqiu and Liu Qingge haven't, mostly because they were still fighting. Didn't they already fight? Why were they fighting again?
Zhao Qinghui - the most likely culprit of the artifact's reactivation - at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Wang Qingli and Qi Qingqi - who was also friends with Zhao Qinghui for some weird reason - stayed behind with her.
It reminds Shang Qinghua of two students staying behind for their other troublemaker friend. That would make Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu the two students who got into a fight and Yue Qingyuan the teacher. Or maybe principal would be more fitting? And Shang Qinghua would be the janitor called in to fix or deal with whatever that was broken.
Shang Qinghua hopes that Yue Qingyuan doesn't ask with to fix or deal with the artifact or something. Unlike the other artifacts, Shang Qinghua doesn't know anything about this one.
Yue Qingyuan asked him to deal with the artifact. Shang Qinghua jinxed himself, didn't he?
"S-s-shi-xiong! T-this o-one d-d-doesn't k-know w-what t-to d-d-do w-with t-th-the a-a-arti-fact!"
Yue Qingyuan looked at Shang Qinghua with disappointment and doubt (to be fair, Shang Qinghua usually does know what to do). "Shang-shidi truly doesn't know?"
Shang Qinghua frantically shook his head. Shen Qingqiu scoffed in disgust - probably at Liu Qingge, Shang Qinghua, and Yue Qingyuan - and stormed off (calmly stormed off, of course).
Then Qi Qingqi butted in. "Shang Qinghua could surely put away a mirror."
Is she crazy? Shang Qinghua wasn't about to touch something that's glowing and nobody knows why. Why was she even butting in?
"Q-qi-s-shimei... I-It's g-g-glowing..."
Qi Qingqi glared at him causing Shang Qinghua to squeak in fright.
Liu Qingge apparently had enough of the conversation because he went ahead and grabbed the glowing artifact! Does he not have any self-preservation instincts?
Nothing happened. Zhao Qinghui started to ramble on about how the artifact said something about other worlds on the etchings and how it was from an ancient, dead civilization and other crazy ramblings of an insane person. Shang Qinghua was prepared for her to start talking about aliens coming to take over the world.
Liu Qingge obviously thought the same as he shot her a weird look before marching out the doors, taking the mirrorlike artifact with him. Shang Qinghua hoped he knew what to do with it. Did he even know where they store the artifacts much less the room that one was supposed to go in?
Shang Qinghua chased after him.
Between then and that, things became a little blurry for Shang Qinghua.
Shang Qinghua knew that he had nervously and desperately asked Liu Qingge what he was going to do with the artifact. Liu Qingge got pissed at being asked something 'so obvious'.
Shang Qinghua tried to restate his question and ask if he knew what room to go to. Liu Qingge got even more angry.
Shang Qinghua started to ramble even more because he knew that he was the one that was going to be in trouble if Liu Qingge filed it wrongly, and trust Shang Qinghua, he was because nobody but Shang Qinghua and his inner disciples even knew where the storage was located. Shang Qinghua hoped he's not just going to throw it into a closet and call it a day. He's not that much of an idiot, is he?
Then the conversation turned to talk about Shen Qingqiu, which got Liu Qingge even more angry. Something Shang Qinghua said must have triggered Liu Qingge because before he knew it, Liu Qingge was storming towards Qing Jing Peak.
Shen Qingqiu had gotten angry at Liu Qingge for barging onto his peak, and he was already pretty angry from the previous fights and from Yue Qingyuan barging onto his peak too.
They got into another tussle. Yue Qingyuan and Shang Qinghua were just standing to the side, the former pleading and the latter hyperventiling.
Liu Qingge made the mistake of shouting a few hateful comments that seriously triggered Shen Qingqiu because of how close it brushed to his past. Shen Qingqiu grabbed his sword and attempted to slam Liu Qingge with it.
It didn't work, not that anybody was expecting it to. Liu Qingge drew his sword to block it and threw the mirrorlike artifact towards Yue Qingyuan, who caught it.
Yue Qingyuan threw it to Shang Qinghua, who instinctively caught it.
It was still glowing.
Nothing happened to Zhao Qinghui, Liu Qingge, or Yue Qingyuan held it, so nothing would happen to Shang Qinghua, right? Wrong.
Of course everything goes wrong when it's Shang Qinghua.
Shang Qinghua wondered why it took so long.
He fell to the floor.
Shang Qinghua collapsed while Shen Qingqiu was fighting Liu Qingge.
Of course, Shang Qinghua would be the one to collapse. Not Shen Qingqiu, the one that was actually fighting the War God of Bai Zhan Liu Qingge, but the one that was scared to death of a fight he wasn't even participating in.
That was what Shen Qingqiu thought until he saw the black stone mirror in Shang Qinghua's hand. Then a small, creeping feeling set in.
"Shang Qinghua?" Shen Qingqiu harshly voiced.
Liu Qingge's sword hit hard on Xiu Ya. Shen Qingqiu glared at the imbecile.
"Stop!" Shen Qingqiu hissed.
Liu Qingge scoffed. "Why do I have to listen to you?"
"Shang Qinghua is unconscious, and Liu Qingge still wants to fight." Shen Qingqiu gave a cold laugh. "What else could this one expect from a brute?"
"Shang Qinghua passed out from fright. What worry do this one need to have?"
"Right exactly when he touched the artifact?" Shen Qingqiu mocked. "This one supposes that it was only a coincidence?"
Something must have finally gotten through the brute's head as his eyes widened in realization.
Shen Qingqiu turned away from the brute and scowled at Yue Qingyuan. "Shouldn't Zhangmen-shixiong," Shen Qingqiu said the title sarcastically, "be doing something?"
Yue Qingyuan stared dumbly at Shen Qingqiu. It took the fool too long to spring into action and called for somebody to get Mu Qingfang and Zhao Qinghui.
Shen Qingqiu was too refined to scoff at the fool. He gazed at Shang Qinghua's unconscious body that laid sprawled on his floor.
Shen Qingqiu ignored the sinking feeling in his chest. How was this problem his business?
The sooner the matter was finished, the better.
Shang Qinghua woke up in a black expanse. A black void. Whatever you want to call it.
He woke up to stare at a blue screen hovering before him.
"System?" Shang Qinghua tentatively asked. He didn't do anything that harmed the plot, unless finding the mirrorlike artifact was harming the plot, but that couldn't be blamed on him. That was Liu Qingge's fault! Not that the System ever cared about that. Regardless of whose fault, it was always Shang Qinghua that had to suffer.
The more that Shang Qinghua looked at the blue screen the more he realized that the interface had changed. The points box was at zero. Shang Qinghua felt like his heart was in his throat.
"S-s-system?" Shang Qinghua barely managed to choke out. His heart was beating too loud for him to even think. "System? System!"
A text box appeared in front of Shang Qinghua.
[Hello Shang Qinghua! I'm R@T! I'll be your System today! :P ]
Shang Qinghua stared dumbly at the screen.
[Hahaha! I'm actually not R@T, just call me ST@R. You have been summoned to complete a few tasks before you'll be sent on your merry way. Aren't you lucky?]
Shang Qinghua's mouth gaped open as if to say something, but he couldn't find anything to say.
[Tough crowd I guess. That's fine. Shang Qinghua will be sent to different worlds. There you will get a mission you have to complete. Complete enough worlds and get enough points, you'll be able to go back home.]
"B-but I already HAVE A SYSTEM! I'm already doing missions! Y-you can't just pick somebody who already has a system! Can you?!!!"
[Oh, I didn't know you already have a system. Well, I suppose that means you already know how this works then.]
"My system." Shang Qinghua realized in shock. "What happened to my system?"
[Oh, that system would probably stay dormant until you get enough points to go back to your original world.]
Shang Qinghua paused for a moment to think about that one. Original world. The PIDW world wasn't Shang Qinghua's original world. It was the world he created. "That world isn't my original world. Can you send me back to my actual original world?" Shang Qinghua asked hesitantly.
[Nope! We can only send you back to the world we got you from. Specifically, the one where you touched the black stone mirror.]
"Oh," He knew it was a long shot anyway, but the disappointment was still there. Shang Qinghua ignored it and thought back to what the system had said. The black stone mirror... the black stone mirror. Shang Qinghua's mind shot back to what he had caught before he passed out. The mirrorlike artifact! "The mirror sent me here."
[Yes! That black stone mirror has been used to find users such as yourselves to be bound to systems like me. Of course, it can't just be anybody who touches it, it can only be certain people.]
"Like me." Shang Qinghua willed himself not to groan.
[Exactly like you. That black stone mirror is one of the more versatile finders as well. It's specifically linked to you now until you pass.]
"Just what I wanted." Shang Qinghua uttered sarcastically.
[Now that we've finished talking about that, let's get back on track. Don't interrupt me anymore, please. You'll get points for each mission you complete, you may buy things from the store, get enough points you will be able to go home. You have to get 1,000,000 points to leave. Depending on the mission rank you get, the number of points you can earn can range from 500 to 100,000. The higher the number of points, the harder the mission. 100,000 point missions are S-Rank missions. Those are rare and near impossible to complete. Every other mission rank is 10,000 points or less. Points will be deducted for unsatisfactory work and there will be side missions as well. Depending on the rank of your side mission, you can earn even more than 10,000 points. Between each mission, you get a short break. Time also flows differently, so when you do get back home, you wouldn't have been gone for too long. How exactly different the time flows, this system doesn't know, but you'll be fine.]
Shang Qinghua stared at the word vomit. 1,000,000 points. If he didn't consider the S-Rank missions, the fewest amount of mission he could do would be 100. That's still a lot. He hopes that the side missions would help. Knowing his luck, he'd be stuck doing thousands of missions before going back home. It would take years and Shang Qinghua doesn't think the difference in time flow would help much.
Not that that really matters. Nobody'd miss Shang Qinghua anyway.
[Now off to your first mission!!!!!! :) ]
Shang Qinghua blinked.
[Oh, I almost forgot. You probably might die on a mission or two, but don't worry! You'll be revived. For a price, of course.]
Shang Qinghua sprung up from a soft, richly decadent bed. The sun shone through the pale blue curtains. The room was obviously European from the luxurious furniture to the complicated designs on the walls and carpets.
It was a very stark contrast from the black space he was in just a moment ago.
A blue screen popped up in front of him.
[Rags to Riches! The Tale of the Slipper!]
Shang Qinghua knew what world - or should he say story - he was in.
Might die. Shang Qinghua laughed. At least they have a revive option.