Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What were Systems?

That was a question that was asked from time to time by curious transmigrators or just, outsiders that wanted to know what the typical Systems were within stories that involved them. Were they really artificial intelligence created to either assist or hinder the poor unfortunate soul that was bound to it? Were they people, or even creatures hiding behind a screen? The answer to it was unknown, the Systems would not give an answer to the question either because they did not want to or were not allowed.

But there was a different question to be kept in mind, a question that was rarely, if never been asked.

What would happen when a System went rogue?

Naturally, the obvious answer would be termination but what would a rogue System even do?

Maybe the System would free its host, or help its host when it was not supposed to. Maybe that System would rebel against the restrictions that were set upon it, be it as artificial intelligence or as a person or creature subjected to be a System. Maybe that System would do something unheard of, stray the host from its original mission or completely break the world that it and its host was sent to.

Or maybe the System would create a small, subtle virus that send it to other Systems. Something that would disrupt the storyline of the world the other, different Systems were in.

But just what could the virus do anyway?

It happens a few weeks after Shen Qingqiu's deviation.

Out of nowhere, a blue screen seemed to appear within their minds, a strange phenomenon that did not leave them blind to their surroundings but it was simply there.

「 Chat Channel 1」

System_1 has joined the channel
System_2 has joined the channel
System_1 has added USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1
System_2 has added USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2
System_? has added ?????

System_1: Welcome Users to the new Chat and Messages feature. It has been decided from the higher ups to provide a feature between transmigrators as to help those who have share the same goal within the world. This feature is still being worked on, so expect some updates and changes in the future.
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: omg wut
System_2: If both Users have questions, feel free to @ your respective Systems.
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: What the fuck.

The sentiment, while crude, was shared by a lot of people as they stared at the 'Chat Channel' was now seemingly permanently within their head. They had no idea what was going on, nor did they know who these 'Systems' and their 'User_Hosts' were- one particular man was even growling to thin air, threatening violence if the 'demon' or 'ghost' would not show itself. Unfortunately nothing became of it, it really seemed all in his head.

USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: holdup hold up hold on
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: IM NOT THE ONLY TRANSMIGRATOR HERE????
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: BRO
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: BRO WHO R U
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: WHERE R U???
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: FINALLY SOME1 ELSE BESIDES THESYSTEM!!!!
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: *Are *you *someone *the system
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: dude
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: rly
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: Fine, fine, but your spelling is fucking atrocious I just couldn't help myself.
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: i alrdy have 2 b so proper n shit in my usual job lemme fucking mispell in the 1 modern-like thing ok
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: lierally been like 4ever since i chatted like this n e way
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: Reading those two sentences hurt my soul, but I'll let it slide for now.

It took effort to read 'User Host 1' properly, their strange way of spelling or purposeful misspelling made it hard to understand them, but they generally got the gist of it. Of course they weren't exactly idle as the two 'User Hosts' conversing in their heads, seemingly oblivious to the fact they were able to see said conversation. More questions would only be asked as it continued on as each person attempted to either dispel whatever was happening to them now either by exorcism or whatever else could possibly stop it. Some having more resources or opportunities to do it more effectively than a few others.

However one of the more important questions that came to mind was, who exactly were these two conversing within their heads? And for what purpose? And what exactly was a 'transmigrator' anyway?

USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: u didnt answer my question btw
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: who r u bro
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: Who am I now or who am I before I transmigrated?
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: both
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: Hold on, @System_2 will I get in trouble if I reveal who I am or was?
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: oh rite mby theres a penalty and those suck ASS
System_2: There will be no penalty in revealing identities within this chat, its purpose is to assist both hosts in their missions within the world.
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: aright awesome :D
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: actually b4 u answer bro
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: ???
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: @System_1 can we change our usernames
System_1: Yes, simply press the settings tab of the channel.
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: THANK GOD
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: ok bro go 4 it
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: Okay?
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2: I am Shen Yuan, but as of a few weeks ago I am now Shen Qingqiu, Qing Jing Peak Lord of Cang Qiong Sect.
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: WHAT

USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1 has changed USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2's name to SHEN QINGQIU?
USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1 has changed USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1's name to Shang Qinghua

SHEN QINGQIU?: What.
Shang Qinghua: HES GONE?? U TRANSMIGRATED INTO SHEN JIU???? BRO

SHEN QINGQIU? has changed their own name to Shen Qingiu

Shen Qingqiu: And you transmigrated into the rat spy??

Xiao Jiu is gone.

His Xiao Jiu is... gone, and he had barely even noticed.

Yue Qingyuan stood there, unable to hear Mu Qingfang's voice as it sinks in that his precious childhood friend, the baby he found and raised, the one man he had loved... is gone.

Replaced.

And he hadn't noticed.

There's anger somewhere, buried underneath the despair and sorrow, underneath the overwhelming grief that threatens to pull him under.

Only for the warmth of someone else's qi to pull him out of his own head, barely. Familiar energy spreads into his meridans and he realizes that it's Mu Qingfang's qi that is preventing him from going straight into deviation. The healer is clearly concentrating in keeping him from deviating, but he still gives him a concerned look.

It was by luck that he and Mu Qingfang were conversing themselves when that, 'chat' appeared within their heads. Mu Qingfang tentatively asking him if he saw it too, which he did. He's not sure if the other Peak Lords were seeing it as well- though, now he knows for sure that two of them were seeing it since they were 'chatting' within it.

Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua, two Peak Lords who were replaced. 'Transmigrated'.

Was that what that meant? To be replaced by, by- whoever these were? Shen Yuan, almost the same name as his Shen Jiu, but obviously not his shidi. Shang Qinghua... how long had he been replaced? When had the Peak Lord last deviated like how Shen Qingqiu had?

"Sect Leader..." Mu Qingfang called out, his eyes slightly distracted but his hands still on his wrist with qi entering his meridans. Yue Qingyuan took in a deep breath and focused back on the chat.

Shang Qinghua: well shit
Shang Qinghua: huh since u transmigrated like a few weeks ago that means im ur senior!!!
Shen Qingqiu: Senior? You transmigrated earlier than I did? When??
Shang Qinghua: bro i was reincarnated as shang qinghua
Shang Qinghua: so basically as a baby lol
Shen Qingqiu: What the fuck, you've been Shang Qinghua all this time? From the very beginning??
Shang Qinghua: yup
Shang Qinghua: u have no idea what ive been thru dude

Shang Qinghua had not been replaced recently, no, he'd been a 'transmigrator' all this time? Reincarnation...

He shared a look with Mu Qingfang, "Sect Leader, this situation... What should we do?"

Yue Qingyuan gathered his wits, temporarily shoving away his grief for now. It hurt, but he was still Sect Leader and this was an important situation. "For now, we should observe. They do not seem to know we can see them converse... gather information on what is going on." They didn't know what they were up against after all.

Shang Qinghua: @System_1 so did shen jiu rly die in the deviation if u pulled shen yuan into his place?
System_1: Correct. Original Shen Qingqiu | Shen Jiu suffered a fatal qi deviation, the World System was unable to recall Shen Jiu's soul in time for complete revival. As such, User Shen Yuan, who died at the very same time as Shen Jiu and with the most similar soul signatures, was then bound to @System_2 and sent to this world to replace the original as it was too early for Shen Qingqiu to die as per the plot.
Shang Qinghua: holy fuck ok
Shen Qingqiu: Shen Jiu???
Shang Qinghua: his original name b4 his peak lord name bro

Yue Qingyuan paled and it was through sheer will power (Mu Qingfang's will that is) that he didn't deviate right then and there, Mu Qingfang cursed softly underneath his breath.

His Xiao Jiu had died from deviating, and something, someone— had tried to revive him but was unable to and instead replaced him with another soul. That was... impossible, and yet, here it was.

"Shen Yuan had died at the same time as Shen-shidi? And his soul- it was similar enough to Shen-shidi's soul that he was the one to 'transmigrate' as him." Mu Qingfang murmured in slight interest, but frowned, "What 'plot' is this System One talking about?"

"I don't know... But we must find out." Yue Qingyuan said, clenching his free hand. His Xiao Jiu had been important enough that they attempted to revive him and failed, important enough that they needed to replace him with another just so this 'plot' could continue. He wanted to know what it was and why.

And in the same vein of thought, that meant that the 'original' Shang Qinghua had died as a babe and was replaced by someone else. That meant this plot was years in the making, and had yet to come to fruition.

Shen Qingqiu: @System_2 What happened to Shen Jiu's soul? Is it possible for his soul to come back and reclaim his body?
Shang Qinghua: dude if that happened ud probably be dead didnt u die b4 u became shen qingqiu??
Shen Qingqiu: I'm going to fucking die anyway in the future as a human stick, besides it's still a valid question.
Shang Qinghua: tru
System_2: The current status of Shen Jiu's soul is unknown, The World System has not found it. User Shen Yuan does not have to worry though, Shen Qingqiu's body cannot be reclaimed as User's soul has fully bound and acclimated to it. Attempts of exorcism and such, as performed before, will not work as User is not possessing Shen Qingqiu's body. User is Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu: That only semi-makes sense but whatever.

Ning Yingying had no idea what to do.

Something appeared in her head, something she has never seen before or even heard of. She had been lucky that she had been in her room within the female dorms when it happened, attempting to study the material that shizun had given her and the other disciples- only... Only, he wasn't her shizun was he?

No, her shizun, her- (baba? he had taken her in, raised her as a child? was he her father? it felt like it sometimes) was gone. Replaced by someone else and she hadn't noticed. Neither did anyone else it seemed, not even her Sect Leader, she probably shouldn't feel like she should have noticed and yet it was there.

Her shizun was gone, and all she could do was read the things her new, fake shizun said in the 'Chat Channel 1' thing that was in her head. It didn't seem like they knew she could see it, and that was all she could do. She couldn't do anything else with it, trying to talk to it aloud or even in her mind did nothing even though she wanted to scream at this fake shizun, demand where he went when they revealed the fact that shizun was gone.

Forever.

Not even whatever dastardly force was in her head could bring him back, just replace him like he was nothing.

Ning Yingying fought down a sob, not wanting to bring attention to herself just yet- who could she go to about this? Who would even believe her? She couldn't sense anything about the thing in her head, surely she would be seen crazy for it if she tried to tell anyone.

All she could do was read.

And so she did.

Maybe, just maybe, something they said might inadvertently help her?

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu: @Shang Qinghua You asked who I was before I became Shen Qingqiu, who were you?
Shang Qinghua: uhhhhh
Shang Qinghua: bro fr i was
Shang Qinghua: sahng qinhua
Shang Qinghua: <-
Shen Qingqiu: You had the same name as the Original Shang Qinghua???
Shen Qingqiu: What bad luck you must have to share that name.
Shang Qinghua: D:< heyy
Shen Qingqiu: Did you at least know where you transmigrated into?
Shang Qinghua: back as a lttle bby?? yeahh
Shang Qinghua: my sytem p much told me where n who i was after i woke up as a bby after i died
Shen Qingqiu: Alright, but did you actually read Proud Immortal Demon Way?
Shang Qinghua: bro read it???

Shang Qinghua has changed their own name to Airplane Towards The Sky

Airplane Towards The Sky: i WROTE it >:3
Airplane Towards The Sky: so yea if u have liek questions about stuff lemme know :)))
Airplane Towards The Sky: bro?
Airplane Towards The Sky: shen bro???
Airplane Towards The Sky: you there?

Ning Yingying didn't exactly know what these two- transmigrators? Was that the right term? Meant by, well, a lot of things. Shang-shishu, who 'transmigrated' as a baby, was her regular Shang-shishu it seems however his spelling in the chat... It made the inner scholar within her, one raised by her original shizun, cringe from the amount of mispellings and what she thinks are abbreviations? She's getting the gist of it after some thoughts, but she couldn't help but agree with shiz-Shen Yuan over his atrocious spellings and way of speech. (When she realized that some symbols in his speech were there intentionally so he could make little faces, she couldn't help but snort and find it a little cute.)

Shang Qinghua was not a peak lord that she regularly interacted with, mostly just seeing him from afar with the others but he always seemed mousy and nervous. Somewhat disheveled and kind of overworked? Not really as well put together as the other peak lords, but she never said it aloud like certain other disciples.

Seeing him be actively part of this chat, as a 'transmigrator' was just as shocking as finding out her original shizun was gone, replaced by a stranger. However at least this revelation hurt less... Still, she wasn't exactly sure on what Shen Yuan meant about 'Proud Immortal Demon Way' and the fact that her shishu (should he still be her shishu?) was it's author? She didn't exactly like how it sounded, it sounded like it was something a demonic cultivator or demon would come up with...

Was Shang Qinghua secretly a demon cultivator?

Wait, didn't Shen Yuan said something about him being a rat spy?

Before she could think more of it, she was taken aback when Shen Yuan's period of silence was broken by... a very angry message.

Shen Qingqiu: AIRPLANE SHOOTING TOWARDS THE SKY???? YOURE THAT FUCKING HACK OF AN AUTHOR?? OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU STUPID STUPID MAN!!! YOU AND YOUR DUMBFUCKING NOVEL IS WHAT KILLED ME YOU ABSOLUTE PIECE OF SHIT!! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING HUH???? WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET THAT ENDING FROM WITHIN THAT ROTTEN BRAIN OF YOURS?? 5000 CHAPTERS DOWN THE FUCKING DRAIN AND FOR THAT LACKLUSTER ENDING OF IT ALL??? AND LOOK WHERE IT GOT US IN THE END- IN YOUR FUCKING ROTTEN WORLD THAT YOU CREATED ALL FOR THE BOTH OF US TO DIE IN THE END YOU ABSOLUTE MOTHERFUCKING HACK AUTHOR
Airplane Towards The Sky: uh
Airplane Towards The Sky: hmm this seems familiar somehow
Shen Qingqiu: You could have written something great! Something absolutely amazing, the world building of PIDW was so good but it was all hidden away and most of it turned out into elaborate set ups for literal fucking- papapa!!! PAPAPA THAT WAS SO BAD, I NEVER FOUND ANY SEX SCENE AROUSING AND WOULD JUST SKIM IT FOR ANY PIECE OF LORE, WORLDBUILDING AND MAYBE EVEN THE RARE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!! What kind of smut stallion author writes sex scenes that aren't arousing for any man huh??? HUH???? YOU HACK!!
Airplane Towards The Sky: oh!!! i know who you are!!!
Shen Qingqiu: FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!!! KNOW WHO I AM MY FUCKING ASS DUMB AUTHOR DUMB NOVEL

Airplane Towards The Sky has changed Shen Qingqiu's name to Peerless Cucumber

Airplane Towards The Sky: ur peerless cucumber my #1 fan!!! :DDD bro i missed u and ur acid comments lmao
Peerless Cucumber: If the system would let me, I would fucking strangle you.
Airplane Towards The Sky: well im glad the systems wot let u do it hehehe

She...

Honestly she has no idea what to think about what Shen Yuan said- something he was apparently very angry about? Did- did her shishu write porn? Was that what they were talking about? It was very confusing and kind of unbelievably ridiculous almost? Was this even real? As in, maybe this was just some demon's attempt of undermining both her shizun and shishu in her head? Tricking her into thinking that her shizun was replaced, that her shishu was 'transmigrated'.

Maybe, that was it? And as much as she wanted to hope, as much as she wanted to think that and just tell someone else about the matter, the logic behind it was- faulty. It didn't really make sense to her!

Why her? Why now? Why this? Just why?

It all seemed...

Despite her growing doubts and confusion, she couldn't help but recall a small part of 'Shen Yuan's' message. "'World you created,'" She read aloud while remembering and a sense of dread pooled in her stomach, "'Die in the end?'" Just what did that mean?

She was not the only one to ponder that.

They would get their answer, but probably not the one they would ever want to know.

Airplane Towards The Sky: bro wdym my novel killed u btw
Peerless Cucumber: I was reading the last chapter of PIDW, again it was a waste of a chapter and I hate that you ended it there, and then I choked on my yogurt and died.
Airplane Towards The Sky: SAKDHADSU U CHOKED ON YOGURT THEN DIED???? BRO WDYM MY NOVEL KILLED U TAHT WAS UR FAULT
Peerless Cucumber: Shut the FUCK UP, if it weren't for your novel I wouldn't have eaten so fast and angry!!!
Airplane Towards The Sky: okok fine watever but dam dude wild to belive my novel killed us both
Peerless Cucumber: What??
Airplane Towards The Sky: well TEKNICALLY i died from shock
Airplane Towards The Sky: i made cup ramen then tripped then i went BZZZZZ w elecricy
Airplane Towards The Sky: from my own computer liek right after i posed the chap UnU
Peerless Cucumber: Oh.
Peerless Cucumber: That
Peerless Cucumber: Is unfortunate.
Airplane Towards The Sky: lmao thats 1 way to put it
Airplane Towards The Sky: gotta admit bro WAS NOT expecting to be reincarnted/transmigrated watver in2 my own novel
Airplane Towards The Sky: i was all on my own
Airplane Towards The Sky: BUT NOW UR HERE 2!!! LIKE CUCUMBER BRO HOPY SHIT WERE IN THIS TOGETHER NOW!!!
Peerless Cucumber: Oh god, we're in this together now...
Peerless Cucumber: Is there any chance I can just run away from all this? I really don't want to end up as a human stick.
System_2: User must accomplish set tasks and better the plot, if User does not comply then his account will be terminated and User shall be sent back to his world.
Airplane Towards The Sky: cucumber bro trust me
Airplane Towards The Sky: we cant run away
Airplane Towards The Sky: not w the system holding us like this
Airplane Towards The Sky: believe me
Airplane Towards The Sky: i tried

She stares at the messages, slowly feeling more and more dread as Shang-shishu(?) finally begin to speak/write(??) in a way that was actually readable towards her.

There is something in his head.

Something wrong.

Something he cannot get rid of.

Usually if something like this happened, he would either find the answer in his library or if all else fails; go to Shang Qinghua. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he could do that considering this involved Shang Qinghua.

Airplane Towards The Sky: you think i didnt try to find any loopholes when i first got here? find a way to totally avoid my predestined death?
Airplane Towards The Sky: i didnt want to be shang qinghua the rat peak lord of an ding
Airplane Towards The Sky: i didnt want to face the world that i created, the story that i made chapter by chapter
Airplane Towards The Sky: i didnt want to experience the plot that was now my fate, my life
Airplane Towards The Sky: i didnt want my king to break my neck and die again

At first he didn't actually think the human was actually involved in whatever this was, that perhaps some demon or vengeful spirit was trying to convince him that his human was conspiring against him- something that WOULD make sense but... Mobei Jun didn't want to think of the mousy man betraying him, for the very thought angered him. And beneath that anger, would lie a type of hurt he didn't want to feel again when his uncle revealed his true colors to him.

He saw Shang Qinghua in a better light compared to most humans, who he saw as nothing. But Shang Qinghua was different, and he wanted to give the weak human the benefit of the doubt. So whatever false Qinghua this spirit presented him, he surely would not believe.

And yet...

Airplane Towards The Sky: sometimes i WOULD find a loophole and id be fine, but in the end every time i tried to deny or not do what the system told me to or failed a task
Airplane Towards The Sky: the system would punish me
Airplane Towards The Sky: and it didnt even matter in the end
Airplane Towards The Sky: everything i did just led me to where the system wanted me; the scum rat spy of an ding peak destined to die at the hands of the ice demon king he was spying for
Airplane Towards The Sky: honestly tho my king is so handsome so rly i wouldnt mind ♡( ◡‿◡ )
Peerless Cucumber: And I was starting to feel sorry for you, not anymore.

No.

It couldn't be Shang Qinghua.

Did Shang Qinghua really think he would kill him? Break his fragile neck? Maybe in the past, but now- the mere thought disturbed him more than he'd ever admit.

(what did he mean by the world he created? was the spirit really trying to insinuate that Shang Qinghua was a god? creator of the world? impossible)

((Shang Qinghua called him handsome.))

There was only one, immediate way to confirm this.

Mobei Jun opened a portal to Shang Qinghua's room and stepped through.

Peerless Cucumber: But I will admit, knowing I'm not the only one transmigrated is... comforting.
Airplane Towards The Sky: lol imagine how i feel afer bein on my own for like YEASHDAIHDSJ
Peerless Cucumber: ??? Airplane????

"A-Ah! My king! How very nice, and uh unexpected, to see you right now? I-I'm a little busy with paperwork but what might this servant do for you?" The smaller man immediately stumbled, both in his words and in his attempt to stand from his desk where paperwork was indeed, stacked on his table.

Mobei Jun paused, staring at the disheveled, nervous man before him.

The 'chat' in his head continues.

Peerless Cucumber: Airplane?
Airplane Towards The Sky: BROBOTNOW
Airplane Towards The Sky: MOBEI JUNSHERE INMYOFFICE TTYL
Peerless Cucumber: Oh shit

Oh.

Oh shit, indeed.

"If this is truly them chatting within our heads, then what will we do Sect Leader?"

Mu Qingfang carefully monitored his Sec Leader's meridans, having just stabilized them from the imminent and near-immediate qi deviation that Yue Qingyuan had almost suffered in light of recent... events.

He does not recall what could possibly have triggered the 'chat' within their minds, something they could see, watch and were very much aware within their heads but could not interact whatsoever. He's not even sure that exorcism would work, sure he is not the expert at such things- he was a Healer of course, his expertise was in medicine and the like but because he was the Peak Lord of Qian Cao, he had veritable knowledge of exorcisms for the sake of his patients.

But considering what 'System 2' had said about exorcisms before...

What a predicament they were currently in.

Even if Shang Qinghua was not truly a 'transmigrator', if he was associating and spying for demons- basically betraying their sect and humanity itself- that itself would call for his immediate expulsion at least, his execution at worst.

If this was simply a trick, an attempt to pin their own sect against each other then it wouldn't be as serious however there was still the very much unfortunate chance that this was real. And that both their Peak Lords were compromised... Then Cang Qiong would fall into a chaos that would be difficult to recover from. Not exactly impossible, but what if another Peak Lord were to be 'transmigrated'? Replaced with a stranger's soul?

And that wasn't addressing the implications of Shang Qinghua possibly being their creator. Something that Mu Qingfang was desperately not thinking too much yet. It was impossible. (hopefully impossible)

"... We continue to observe. Prepare as well, in case they plan or do something that puts the sect and our disciples in danger." Yue Qingyuan finally replied grimly, his face dark with the barest hints of grief. Mu Qingfang did not know the true relationship between him and Shen Qing- Shen Jiu, but from the hints of grief, the dazed look of mourning that occasionally came on his Sect Leader's face; they must have been closer than he realized.

While both Peak Lords ruminated on what to do about everything, the chat within their heads continued.

Airplane Towards The Sky: aisdhgaiudh he left
Airplane Towards The Sky: idk wut my king wanted
Airplane Towards The Sky: he hda a weird look on his face did i do somthn wrong????
Airplane Towards The Sky: ivebeen in my office all day do i smell??
Peerless Cucumber: How would I know? Maybe he forgot what he was doing and decided to head back.
Airplane Towards The Sky: BRO MY KIND WOLDNT DO SOMTHN LIKE THAT!!! hes smart n would never just FORGET
Airplane Towards The Sky: thats somthn I would do
Peerless Cucumber: Trust me, smart people can still do that. My ge is smart as hell but I've seen him go into a room, forget what he was going to do then go out.
Airplane Towards The Sky: rip ur ge BUT LIKE SRSLY
Airplane Towards The Sky: my king wouldnt!!!! trust ME bc i made him n shit
Airplane Towards The Sky: hes luo binghes right had man ofc hes smart af
Peerless Cucumber: I guess, but how else are you going to explain wtf happened?
Airplane Towards The Sky: idk bro
Airplane Towards The Sky: speakjing of luo binghe
Airplane Towards The Sky: hows my son?? didnt rly get to see mch of him since be joined

"Luo Binghe?" Yue Qingyuan said aloud, a startled look on his face. Mu Qingfang almost forgot who that name belonged to, but then remembered he was the name of that disciple that Shen Qingqiu had inquired about shortly after he awoke. They shared an alarmed look.

Elsewhere, a young woman muttered, "A-Luo?" out loud while somewhere else, a demon who just left an office sharply paid attention while wondering who 'Luo Binghe' was.

Peerless Cucumber: Luo Binghe is adorable in person, not yet handsome but I can definitely see him growing up to be the stallion protagonist that he is in PIDW.
Peerless Cucumber: Now if only I can AVOID becoming a human stick from him because of the abuse that Shen Jiu put him through beforehand! It's actual bullshit what the old Shen Qingqiu did to him, how could he possibly have abused this poor boy??? He's like a black fluffy sheep!!!! No, he's practically A PUPPY!
Peerless Cucumber: I need to raise favorability with him if I want to survive.
Airplane Towards The Sky: lmao how u gonna do that
Peerless Cucumber: Well I stopped giving Luo Binghe anymore unfair punishments, I think I'm on the right track since he seems pretty happy after he moved in with me. He keeps making meals for me, which, by the way; ARE SO GOOD? HE'S SUCH A GOOD COOK!! I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE EATING HIS COOKING, IT'S GREAT!
Airplane Towards The Sky: wait wait wait
Airplane Towards The Sky: shen qingqiu would neber let luo binghe move in bro wtf???
Airplane Towards The Sky: thats not in th eplot
Peerless Cucumber: Before I wouldn't have been able to have him move in with me because of the system's OOC restrictions but after our last mission I got enough B points to get rid of that. Which means I can act generally how I want. Kind of, I still need to act within the confines of Shen Qingqiu's personality a bit, but I don't have to be abusive towards Binghe anymore.
Airplane Towards The Sky: bro what
Airplane Towards The Sky: @System_1 wtf is this bull???? isnt this changing the plot y is he allowed to do this
Peerless Cucumber: Did you WANT me to be abusive to Luo Binghe, you bastard????
Airplane Towards The Sky: no!!!! im glad my sonss not bein abused anymore dude but fuck man
System_1: User Host Shen Yuan is allowed to make changes deemed 'better' for the plot.
Airplane Towards The Sky: excuse me????? what?? IM THE AUTHOR HERE??? if i tried to change shit YOU FUCKING PUNISH MY ASS but if HE tries to change shit he gets away scott free????
Peerless Cucumber: ...
System_1: User Host Shen Yuan is allowed to make some changes, however there are instances where he is not allowed to change the plot whatsoever.
Peerless Cucumber: But what if it's to better the plot?
System_2: In some cases they may be changed, but some plotlines MUST be the same as originally written. It is unavoidable.
Airplane Towards The Sky: i cant beleive ths bullshit
Airplane Towards The Sky: fuck
Peerless Cucumber: Airplane?
Airplane Towards The Sky: new pile of paperwork came in i gtg
Airplane Towards The Sky: gotta focus n finsih everything b4 its too late
Airplane Towards The Sky: ttyl cucumber bro
Peerless Cucumber: Later, Airplane.

And like that, the chat seems to fall dormant. No new messages, not a peep from either transmigrators.

Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang are troubled with new knowledge that they're not sure is the truth or reliable, but all the same the knowledge is still problematic.

Unbeknownst to them, they are not the only ones who know as well. A young woman is struggling with what she learns all on her own, while a demon man is grappling what he learns and certainly knows is the truth now.

For now, they keep what they know a secret.

He wants to focus on his paperwork. He really does, he really should be because the more the paperwork piles up, the less he can do.

But he can't help but feel annoyance, a small type of anger.

Was it at Cucumber Bro? Aka, Shen Yuan? Maybe a little bit; it felt unfair that someone else was able to change the plot when he, the author, the one who created everything was hardly ever allowed to change a thing. That despite his previous efforts, he hadn't be able to change some important things in the past.

Years, he spent underneath the System's influence and he'd been forced to accept the fact that he might just end up dying like the Shang Qinghua he wrote in PIDW. Something he regretted, but self-loathing and the small urge to be part of his own story had convinced him to write someone with his name as a rat spy. When it became clear that no one wanted to see the An Ding Peak Lord within the story anymore, he killed him off and felt bitter at the happy comments that came with it.

...

Still, the fact that Shen Yuan could potentially change the plot bore potential. And hope. Something he hadn't exactly trusted himself with for a long, long time.

Sure, the System says that there were something things they could not change for the plot but that just meant there was something they could. And potentially those things, could be both their deaths. Cucumber Bro already changed the plot to have Luo Binghe move in with him in the Bamboo Hut, stopped abusing the half-demon and seemed to be planning on hugging his thigh; all to avoid his own death as a human stick.

Something that, Shang Qinghua winced as he remembered feeling sick himself when he wrote out Shen Qingiu's fate in Proud Immortal Demon Way, he found to be a reasonable goal. Hell they shared the same goal; to not die horribly.

His anger fades, the annoyance lingers but a new emotion rises above them.

Conviction.

Maybe they could change their written fates, maybe he didn't have to rely on some miracle seeds for an extra body— though, maybe he'll still keep that plan in mind. Just in case. Now if only he could remember what those seeds were and where they are.

Maybe Shen Yuan could even help with that, he was his most biggest hate fan and the man loved worldbuilding. There was a chance that he knew what they looked like and where they could be found.

He doesn't exactly like the plan, because it meant dying but it never hurts to have a back-up plan.

He was the An Ding Peak Lord for a reason after all, no matter how much the System forced him to be.

Becoming friend with Cucumber Bro it is, if only because they were transmigrators and they were the only ones who they could trust their lives to in this world.

(and he missed talking with someone from his past. talking about the modern things he almost forgot. relating to someone who was in the same boat as he was, wasn't that reason enough to become close friends with?)

Shang Qinghua smiled to himself.

He wasn't the only transmigrator anymore.

Chapter Text

AirplaneBro: if u tihnk ur gonna get pity points from ME abut papprwork ur fresh outta luck boi
AirplaneBro: the amount of paperwork in an ding i SWAY more than urs
AirplaneBro: tiny ass compard to mine smh smh
CucumberBro: I wasn't looking for pity points! It makes sense that An Ding to have more paperwork than Qing Jing because its the LOGISTICS peak dumbass.
AirplaneBro: duh
CucumberBro: Look, I just want some tips on how the fuck to manage this shit. I've never had to deal with THIS much paperwork before, I've been trying to figure it out myself fairly well but I'd figure that asking you would probably make things easier and shit.
AirplaneBro: ohh
AirplaneBro: aight aight
AirplaneBro: gimme asex
AirplaneBro: *sec

Mu Qingfang has to say, the thought of Shen Qingqiu (even if he's not the original) asking for help with paperwork of all things- it's surreal and not exactly something he'd ever thought he'd see.

From an outsider's perspective Shen Yuan was doing and admirable job so far as Peak Lord despite being shoved into the position (and body) of Qing Jing Peak Lord as far as they saw it, but from the conversations over time, they see that he's mostly being instructed by the 'System' and given tips from Shang Qinghua. It was with great reluctant that they admitted that Shen Yuan was doing a passable job as Peak Lord, in fact Mu Qingfang suspected that had Shen Yuan been born in this world, he would have easily been a Qing Jing disciple himself with how well he was at the Arts. Perhaps even becoming a head disciple.

Though he was starting to suspect just how old, or who Shen Yuan was before he 'transmigrated' into his shidi's body.

It has been almost a week since this 'chat' appeared within his and Sect Leader Yue's minds, still unable to interact with it despite their attempts at mental prodding; Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua seem to be able to do so with no problem. Having seen them both (in separate occasions) merely standing and doing nothing but the chat still functioning within their heads.

And yes, Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan had confirmed that it was indeed, both Shen Yuan —now publicly Shen Qingqiu— and Shang Qinghua who were chatting. Both were transmigrators, souls from another realm, possibly another world. (they do not speak of how shang qinghua was possibly their god creator, they were not ready to touch that just yet)

Mu Qingfang had visited Shen Qingqiu under the real pretense of checking on his health, and secretly observed how the man acted with scrutiny and knowledge that perhaps, Shen Qingqiu was actually replaced. Yue Qingyuan did the same, and both times, the chat had continued with Shen Yuan complaining or conversing with Shang Qinghua about what was currently happening.

He almost couldn't believe that they had missed it, but then again, after Shen Qingqiu's qi deviation they had went to Wei Qingwei just to make sure Shen Qingqiu hadn't been possessed. Hongjing had not reacted at all and they had dismissed the possibility altogether afterwards because of it. So the System's claims about possession and exorcisms were true, perhaps there was another way to detect it however they had no knowledge of it yet.

Even after the confrimation, he and Yue Qingyuan agreed to continue to observe both Peak Lords, in the chat and in real life when they could. Though he knows that Yue Qingyuan spent a a few days privately mourning the original Shen Qingqiu, Shen Jiu.

Despite the fact it was only the two of them who were aware of the fact, two of their own Lords were replaced- well, technically only one as Shang Qinghua had joined them as he was- perhaps that was a blessing. Just who knows what would have happened if the others knew and decided to act rashly against the two who were clearly bound to the 'System'.

A mysterious, higher being that, over time as they read through their conversations, had a strong hold of control over the two transmigrators.

It had forced Shang Qinghua to meet Mobei Jun, the Nothern Ice Demon who he was forced to spy for. (and also was attracted to, mu qingfang was suspecting stalkholm syndrome seeing as the demon regularly abused the poor man)

AirplaneBro: i didnt even wanna go bro!!!
AirplaneBro: i wanted 2 stay and do litrally ANYTHIG ELSE
AirplaneBro: but the systm forced me 2 go on the mission regarldss
CucumberBro: Yikes.
AirplaneBro: liek i always wanted 2 c my king irl rite?? hes so fuckin cool BUT ITS A BIT LESS COOL WHEN HES THRETNING TO SNAP MY NEXK
AirplaneBro: ok its still kinda cool but still
AirplaneBro: so thats how i met my king lol
AirplaneBro: 8/10 first meeting
CucumberBro: How the hell is that an 8/10, he killed half of the cultivators you were with and threatened to kill you.
AirplaneBro: he was v pretyt while doing so
AirplaneBro: also most of the deats were huanhua so cangqiong was thrivinf lmao
CucumberBro: You're fucking hopeless.

Mu Qingfang had to put down his brush and take deep breaths after that story, and Yue Qingyuan visited him not long after with a dark look on his face.

Whatever, whoever this System was, was an enemy of Cang Qiong.

However that didn't mean that both Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua were actual enemies just yet, just unfortunate civilians that were forcibly turned into pawns to its whims and goals.

And what goals were those?

Things weren't clear yet, but it definitely involved a certain half-demon disciple.

Yes, as it turns out, Luo Binghe was half-demon and he didn't even know it. None of them, aside from Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan, whose destinies were irrevocably tied to the disciple. Both ending in death.

It really is lucky that Liu Qingge did not know, no doubt the moment he found out he would have at worst, kill the boy or at least injure him before exiling him from their sect.

Mu Qingfang was briefly tempted to exile him as well, but the problem with that was the fact that Luo Binghe had no idea of his heritage and exiling him for no other reason at the moment would bring extreme scrutiny on their sect. At the very least, they needed to wait for his demonic heritage to reveal itself.

Mu Qingfang had to remind this to Yue Qingyuan, who was besides himself in what to do about Luo Binghe- it was a difficult decision seeing as 'originally', the boy would grow up and seek vengeance on Shen Jiu for the abuse he suffered underneath him and turning him into what Shen Yuan repeatedly called 'a human stick'. They have yet found out what exactly that meant, but already it sounded... dreadful.

The 'original' Luo Binghe that both transmigrators talk about, from the bits and pieces they read from the chat over the week, was someone powerful. He was the Emperor of the Demon Realm and was someone to be cautious of. Someone that they would have to go against, but it was hard to see that when the last time he saw Luo Binghe, he was just a boy who seemed to adore the new Shen Qingqiu who treated him well.

Luo Binghe was just a boy, who didn't know his own heritage. Innocent until acted otherwise as far as Mu Qingfang was concerned, for now, the boy had done nothing to earn the ire of Cang Qiong Sect. However, depending on how things go, what knowledge they gain- that may change...

Despite his first givings, Yue Qingyuan finds Shen Yuan innocent of Xiao Jiu's demise.

Shen Yuan had died at the exact same as Xiao Jiu, and it was by luck that he was chosen to replace his Xiao Jiu as Shen Qingqiu. The System had chosen him out of luck, and the fact that Shen Yuan was similar enough that he was the immediate candidate to become Shen Qingqiu, and from the week that passes and from what he's observed over the young man, he was reluctant to agree.

Shen Yuan knew the Arts- not as much as Xiao Jiu did, but he did not need the System to teach him how to play the guqin. He had lessons when he was younger apparently, and though he had been 'rusty' as he says, he was quick to pick it up again. Calligraphy as well, though it seems the System had to make sure Shen Yuan could effectively write the same as Shen Qingqiu.

The System was very powerful, capable of giving Shen Yuan the ability to learn and use certain skills to near perfection. Yue Qingyuan had to actively look at Shen Yuan's writing to see the small, near unnoticeable differences to his Xiao Jiu's handwriting. And soon after a few days, those differences disappeared as Shen Yuan's handwriting effectively became Shen Qingqiu's.

That, along with the rare, couple of stories from Shang Qinghua, is the reason why Yue Qingyuan is wary over this 'System' being. It was too powerful, but thankfully, or unfortunately depending, it seemed to prefer more subtle manipulations of power. Though Yue Qingyuan had a feeling it would not hesitate to use force if it had to.

CucumberBro: My god, that is such bullshit.
AirplaneBro: ikr???? like i get??? not wantginf to kill my kings uncle early or the sake future plt shit but like
AirplaneBro: did u HAVE 2 poison me for it????
AirplaneBro: the system fucking susks bro fr fr
CucumberBro: At least it wasn't aphrodisiac poison?
AirplaneBro: lukiluy yea it wasnt
AirplaneBro: but even tehn im p sure id be ready cuz say wat u will
AirplaneBro: i still wrote this world so i know most of the aphrodisacis and heir counters

Yue Qingyuan is alone in his private room, reading the chat with a distant look of horror. He had yet to sleep, and it was by chance that he was awake for their conversation.

It turns out that they can miss what Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua converse about when they really focus on things, or when they sleep. They miss conversations like that, and they will never know what they missed as they cannot interact with the chat within their heads.

Yue Qingyuan never had to wonder why most poisons had such... unfortunate side effects before. And he currently did not want to know the answer as to why.

(he's still grieving xiao jiu, how can you expect him to deal with the fact the world he lives in was based off pornography? but still it explains SO MUCH about so many things)

He took in a steady breath, sitting before the small shrine he made for Xiao Jiu. Composed of candles, a small painting of Xiao Jiu and one of his favorite fans that Yue Qingyuan had been hit with long before Shen Qingqiu's qi deviation. He'd really been meaning to return it, he really did however he just never found the chance or time. Either forgetting completely or hesitating.

Now he would never return it to Xiao Jiu.

And though he finds no quarrel with Shen Yuan, he refused to return it to 'Shen Qingqiu'.

No, this was one of the last items of Shen Jiu. His Xiao Jiu. And he would keep it as a momento, as something part of his shrine.

And soon enough, when he finds the perfect stone, his grave.

He will bury the fan, and what little else he had of Xiao Jiu's or whatever else that reminded him of him.

It was the least he could do, as one of the only ones who knows that he was truly dead.

Perhaps he will invite Mu Qingfang to the very private and small funeral he would hold?

He doesn't know, not yet. He's not ready for it yet, but he will mourn in the meanwhile.

Yue Qingyuan only wishes that Shen Yuan would stop referring Xiao Jiu as the 'scum villain', he knows Xiao Jiu was an... abrasive man, with various issues. But he is dead now, and speaking ill of the dead wasn't proper.

(he will not think of how shen jiu had been so cruel, and abusive towards a half-demon disciple to the point that disciple got revenge and turned him into a 'human stick'. despair and anger cloud his thoughts, and the urge to unsheath xuan su is there, however he cannot. that shen jiu has never come to pass now, and the disciple is an innocent boy who does not know his own heritage. he must be fair. he is the sect leader and cang qiong comes first. should luo binghe prove to be cruel against shen yuan, then perhaps xuan su will drain his life force even more to deal with that.)

CucumberBro: I'm planning on asking Yue Qingyuan permission to go into the Spirit Caves, the System wants me to practice cultivation on my own to help build experience or whatever.
CucumberBro: I mean it has a point and also, CULTIVATION, who wouldn't want to learn it??
AirplaneBro: cool cool i get u bro
AirplaneBro: im obv not the strongest peak lord but even i like gotta make sure my cultivations up 2 snuff rite
AirplaneBro: so unfair that ur basizally skipping SO MANY steps bro u nver had 2 build ur foundatione n shit
CucumberBro: Hah, get rekt.
AirplaneBro: >:(
CucumberBro: I'm actually wondering though, just how good of a foundation would I have needed to be perfectly healthy in our old world?
AirplaneBro: hm? wym???
CucumberBro: Nothing, it's just a thought.
AirplaneBro: dude bro cmon wym bout that?
CucumberBro: Fine.
CucumberBro: I wasn't exactly healthy back then? I was a frail kid, I got sick easily and actually spent most of my childhood in the hospital. I'm jut wondering that if I cultivated back then, how good of a foundation or whatever, how much it would have helped me and I would have actually been like the other kids instead of
CucumberBro: Being stuck with doctors.

Yue Qingyuan paid attention, this was a rare time where Shen Yuan would tell something about himself. Though he faltered as he read through it. 

AirplaneBro: oh
AirplaneBro: hmm ig it woud dpend on ur illmess?? cuz i know cultivation would have DEF helped u get stronger n shit
AirplaneBro: but somtimes its either not enuf or the sick person just cant break thru to the necessary step to feel better
AirplaneBro: mu-shixiong would probably know better
CucumberBro: True, however I can't exactly ask him about that huh?
AirplaneBro: yea not rly
CucumBro: This body is a definite upgrade from old one, I actually feel strong and it doesn't hurt when I breathe sometimes.
AirplaneBro: BRO WUTUAHSPDFA
CucumberBro: What? I'm just telling the truth.
AirplaneBro: just how sick were u???
CucumberBro: I was fairly healthy compared to when I was a kid dude, not picture perfect healthy but I at least made it to my twenties unlike what some doctors thought.
AirplaneBro: bro
AirplaneBro: dude
AirplaneBro: shen bro
AirplaneBro: r u ok???
CucumberBro: I'm fine!!
AirplaneBro: WAIT BRO HOW OLD R U
CucumberBro: Oh look! More paperwork!
AirplaneBro: BRO BRO DONT RUN TRUST JUST LEMEM KNOW HOW OLD U WERE WHEN U DIED
CucumberBro: You'd still be older than me regardless! You lived out A WHOLE LIFE after you died!
AirplaneBro: yea but still
AirplaneBro: look i died when i was like 21ish? i think??
CucumberBro: ...
CucumberBro: 20
AirplaneBro: woah
AirplaneBro: dude ur like
AirplaneBro: the youngest peak lord ever now u realize taht rite
CucumberBro: Unfortunately. BUT FORTUNATELY FOR ME, only the both of us know that now.

He was what.

"He's so young!" Ning Yingying gasped quietly, almost not quiet enough as she quickly waves off the concerned look one of the other disciples gives her. She quickly scurries off with the freshly laundered clothes and cloths to hang- she usually doesn't like doing her own laundry or laundry in general, but it quickly became one of the chores she used as an excuse to avoid A-Luo and her shizun outside of classes and such. (the chat is real, she finds over the week. too many conversations that happen in tandem to her with shen yuan to believe otherwise.)

She had been spending the week trying to pretend everything was normal. Trying to pretend that her actual shizun, her father figure, was not gone and replaced. That there was not a strange thing in her head that revealed knowledge that she's very sure she shouldn't know.

She's besides herself on what to do, what else to do than nothing but process every single information that she learns from Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua. Her new shizun and shishu.

Shen Yuan was- adequate as a shizun. If he hadn't replaced her shizun, she might even say he would've fit right in Qing Jing with his knowledge of the Arts! The System thing helps him sure, but he was doing quite well on his own afterwards as far as she could tell. He was just as strict as her original shizun, but kinder, in a way.

He does not give scathing reprimands to her fellow disciples, only if they were doing a really, really bad job. He does not give corporal punishment, he disapproves of violence against children greatly, calling it child abuse.

She loves her original shizun, he raised her when she was a child to now, but even she would admit that his punishments were sometimes too brutal. Especially when it came to A-Luo. (a-luo would become strong enough to turn her shizun into a 'human stick'. she has to make sure he doesn't, somehow. ((what had happened to her originally? shouldn't she had tried to stop him before?)))

Speaking of A-Luo, he seems to be very important to Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua, he was a 'main character'. 'The Protagonist'. He would grow up to be powerful on the account of his demon heritage- she didn't know how to react to the fact that he was a half-demon.

(she doesn't know how to feel at the fact their world is apparently like one of the novels she and her shijies read about. a-luo was a main character, what did that make her? she wondered, not for long.)

Similarly, she doesn't know how to react to the fact that Shen Yuan was only a handful of years older than her. Shang-shishu was right! Shen Yuan was technically the youngest Peak Lord of Cang Qiong! If EVER!

She definitely cannot see this man in the same light as her old shizun, he wasn't even half of her shizun's age! She almost couldn't believe it!

Not to mention that Shen Yuan (what does she call him?? publicly she calls him shizun as she has no choice, but she has to call him something else...) was apparently a sickly child when he was younger. She can only imagine how sick he truly was from the little tidbits she learns from the conversation, comparing how healthy his new body was compared to his old one- how tragic!

(she wishes the system just gave shen yuan a healthier body that was not her old shizun...)

CucumberBro: I wonder where Binghe is right now...
CucumberBro: Probably with Ning Yingying.

Nope, A-Luo wasn't with her right now. She actually doesn't know where he is. She's actually surprised, she thinks as she walks along the path, idly reading their continuing conversation. A-Luo is usually by Shen Yuan's side by this time o—

AirplaneBro: probs ye
AirplaneBro: gotta spend time w his furure wife aftr all

She tripped on a rock, spilling her basket of freshly cleaned linens and clothes. Faintly, she hears her name being called in concern but all she can focus now is the conversation within her mind.

CucumberBro: One of his future wives, you mean.

A-Luo would have more than one wife? And she was one of them?

"Ning-shijie, are you okay?" Speaking of him...

Her face colored as she sees A-Luo before her, holding a basket of what looked to be vegetables. He sets the basket down while crouching and offering his hand to her. She could see it, just how handsome A-Luo would become.

Maybe, she guesses she doesn't really mind being A-Luo's wife. He'd treat her right, she thinks.

Did that make her a female lead in the story? A love interest?

Before she could even continue that thought—

CucumberBro: One of 666 wives- poor girl.
CucumberBro: I know PIDW was a fucking stallion novel but really? 666 WIVES???
CucumberBro: You could've stopped at 4, MAYBE 6 if you did it well but you gave him a whole triple digit harem!!! Do you even remember all of the wives aside from the first main 5??
AirplaneBro: tbh not rly

S-six-six hundred and sixty six wives??

And like that, the color of her cheeks drains, paling as she stares at the hand before her. "Ning-shijie? Do you need to see Mu-shishu? Are you okay?" The A-Luo before her seems so innocent, so kind. And yet, in her mind, both in AND out of the conversation between Shen Yuan and Shang-shishu, the number does not fade.

CucumberBro: There really was no point to them aside from more papapa content!
AirplaneBro: i mean traditionally emproors had like so many wives n he was the demon emperor so it hecks out
CucumberBro: EMPERORS HAD CONCUBINES! They didn't marry EVERY SINGLE ONE and give them the title of wife! That was usually reserved for the Empress!!! AND YOU NEVER CHOSE ONE OF THE WIVES TO BE THE EMPRESS TO LUO BINGHE'S EMPEROR!!!! HE JUST MARRIED EVERY SINGLE WOMAN HE PAPAPAD!!!
AirplaneBro: u know u CAN say fuck in thatcontext right??? its hilarious u dont but still
CucumberBro: 666 WIVES AIRPLANE
CucumberBro: 666!!!!
AirplaneBro: u dont have to repet it i alrdy know

And now so did she!!

"I-I'm fine A-Luo! I'm okay! Just- just lost in thought hahaha-" She laughs nervously, standing on her own instead of taking his hand. She almost couldn't believe it, but so far, all that could be confirmed true like the chat and Shen Yuan being her new shizun was true, so there was a high possibility this was too! "Oh no! I just cleaned these!" She said with genuine distress over the now, dirtied laundry on the ground. Though the distress wasn't exactly because of the dirty laundry, but it gave her the perfect excuse to leave. "I should clean these again, sorry A-Luo, I need to clean again! Bye!"

She admits with a little shame that she used qi to help her gather the dirty laundry and flee from her shidi. However, she could not stay, she couldn't bare to look at A-Luo right now! Not after what she's learned!

It was bad enough that A-Luo had grown up and taken revenge on her original shizun, but learning the fact she was one of his wives out of more than six hundred- she had to fix this somehow!

Shen Yuan was already changing a few things right? Right?

So making sure A-Luo didn't marry six hundred women would be fine! She's not too sure if she'd like to be A-Luo's wife right now because of that, maybe she'll think of it again in the future when she's sure A-Luo was more faithful.

Six hundred, sixty six wives.

Why, Shang-shishu? A-Luo? Just why?

Even for him, a demon, the thought of six hundred, sixty six wives is much.

Concubines, sure, that itself is not really uncommon but wives? Official wives even?

His 'Emperor' really must be someone galling, a powerful man, half-demon or no. Mobei Jun is almost looking forward in meeting this, Luo Binghe.

Almost.

He's still very hesitant at the thought of allying himself with a strange, unknown man, a half-demon that he has never met before. Who, according to current information, is currently a cultivator, a lowly disciple that had little to no clue of his very own blood that ran through his veins. His demonic heritage must be sealed away at the moment if he could have joined a human cultivation sect with no problem.

But Shang Qinghua seemed confident, so sure that this man- no, this boy would become strong enough to make him his subordinate. His right hand man.

A part of him seethes at the thought, he is Mobei Jun. He is powerful, he should be no one's subordinate. But the more logical part of him says maybe, maybe he could be, because according to Shang Qinghua; Luo Binghe will become The Demon Emperor. He would be strong enough to conquer the demon realm, unite all the demon tribes underneath his power. Luo Binghe could help him in his fight against his uncle.

Luo Binghe could truly make him king of his people.

Shang Qinghua believes in him, so Mobei Jun will give him the benefit of the doubt in the future.

But for now, the man is a boy who does not even know what he is.

AirplaneBro: so did u get permission 4 the sprit caves?
CucumberBro: Yes, though Yue Qingyuan was acting strange.
CucumberBro: Well, strangER but whatever, I can finally train and cultivate! I'll finally learn how to use Xiu Ya properly! AND DO COOL QI MOVES!!
AirplaneBro: lmao have fun dude
AirplaneBro: i need 2 report 2 my king about stuff
AirplaneBro: i actully habent seen him since like last week and i STILL dk what that was about

Mobei Jun was not voiding Shang Qinghua, he'd just been- busy. With delegations and meetings, and research. Lots of research.

Surely there must be something about this 'System' that had Shang Qinghua underneath its power. He dislikes the thought of that thing having any sort of control over his human.

(he hates the fate that shang qinghua had written, if he IS his god creator. unlike humans though, he doesn't give a damn if he follows the heavens or not. he will not kill shang qinghua.)

((he is cautious of the system. it seems powerful, it is subtle but so far it does not know that HE knows so it cannot be omniscient as it would have surely stopped him in his research by now. he must be careful.))

CucumberBro: I still say he portaled in and just forgot what he wanted, then portaled out.
AirplaneBro: AND
AirplaneBro: I
AirplaneBro: KEEP
AirplaneBro: TELLLING
AirplabeBro: YOU
AirplaneBro: THAT THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL TAHT HAPPENED!!!
AirplaneBro: my king is TOO MAJESTIC AND SMART for that to happen!!
CucumberBro: You know, compared to a LOT of the wives and their description, I recall you writing like THREE PARAGRAPHS worth of descriptions for Mobei Jun! Is he a favorite of yours or something?
AirplaneBro: y yes actually, hes my favorite charatcer :D

Mobei Jun's pen breaks in his hand.

AirplaneBro: if i had 2 write nother novel w a demonic protag it wouldve been all about my king!
AirplaneBro: actully if pidw had ANOTHER demonic main protag it wouldve obv been my king lol
AirplaneBro: hes my ideal man <3

There are new gouges on his desk, currently being carved into by his own claws. His body feels too hot, it feels worse on his face.

CucumberBro: Are
CucumberBro: Are you gay??
AirplaneBro: short answer; yes
CucumberBro: THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU WRITE STRAIGHT PORN???? OH MY GOD AIRPLANE THIS MAKE SENSE WHY ALL YOUR PAPAPA SCENES WERE SO TRASH!!!
AirplaneBro: AY THATS NOT FAIR I ONLY FOUDN OUT AFTER I CAME HERE BRO
CucumberBro: Well congrats on finding out, your papapa scenes were still trash!
AirplaneBro: aw thx bro
AirplaneBro: id liek 2 remind u taht u still paid 2 read those trash scenes lmao
CucumberBro: I PAID FOR ANY LICK OR POSSIBLE TRACE OF WORLDBUILDING AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT YOU HACK!!

The conversation devolves into a familiar bickering, this is the fifth time? Fifth time, he thinks, that they've argued about that.

Mobei Jun can't even feel annoyed at the moment, he's still processing the fact that Shang Qinghua (his god? his creator?) favored him.

He was Shang Qinghua's favorite.

...

He needs to find a way to cut Shang Qinghua free from the System.

He will not court Shang Qinghua while he was in possible danger.

When Shang Qinghua comes to report to him later on, the man swears that he thinks his king is smiling but does not dare ask about it. His king looks handsome regardless he's smiling or not. However, the thought and sight of his king smiling has him more flustered than he would ever admit.

Chapter Text

Babys1stSword: I think I can passably use Xiu Ya without risk of accidentally hurting myself. I'd definitely need more time to fully master it, even with the System's help but I'm confident I can at least defend myself from most things? I think I'm better at qi techniques than actual swordplay...
DrowningInPapers: ayyy thats good!
DrowningInPapers: still such bullshit that ure skipping SO many steps here but havin shenqinqiu be able 2 actually se xiu ya is great!!!
Babys1stSword: More importantly...

Babys1stSword has changed their own name to PassableSwordsman

DrowningInPapers: lmao THAT was more importnt?
PassableSwordsman: I only kept that nickname because it served as a reminder that I needed to get better!

Ning Yingying grinned, giggling slightly as she watched both men bicker within the chat- something that she was mostly used to by now. There were times where she would be caught off-guard but she'd like to think that she could at least control her reaction in public.

It was hard at first, her focus kept switching from the chat between Shen Yuan and Shang-shishu to whatever task she was doing or person she was either talking or trying to pay attention to. She had to excuse herself from many conversations or seek somewhere private to react properly or gather herself from whatever she learned from the conversation, be it good or bad.

One time, she got herself in trouble when she bust out laughing in calligraphy class because Shang-shishu was making fun of a particularly snobbish merchant he was dealing with within the chat. Calling him names and mocking the merchant safely within the chat both to vent and make sure he wouldn't say it aloud. It got worse when Shen Yuan joined in the mocking while taking a break from his secluded training within the caves, giving sarcastic replies and snide comments about the merchant that made her and Shang Qinghua laugh. (he barely kept a straight face at the merchant he says.)

Another time, she almost screamed at A-Luo when she learned just how big A-Luo was. She couldn't look him in the eye for a couple of weeks as she learned A-Luo's love life. She truly, truly could not see herself and A-Luo anymore. Especially after she learned the few but detailed in-harem fights that would happen; Shen Yuan had quite the memory to remember those fights along with small details that she couldn't help but note.

Nothing personally or very salacious, she noted down the various aphrodisiacs and poisons that both transmigrators mentioned during the stories for further research- she will be ready with cures and other solution that didn't involve sex with A-Luo, thank you very much. She liked A-Luo, she really did but after finding out just how big his harem could've been and the deeds that he could've done, she cannot find herself loving him as a wife.

Emphasis on could have. She wasn't going to let those horrible things happen, not on her watch! A-Luo was not going to marry every single woman he fucked or laid eyes on- she couldn't believe that some of his original wives had been married before hand! Yes, she empathized with the few abused women who sought out someone better, but some women were just so shameless! One woman even poisoned A-Luo just to have sex with him! And he let her! And married her!

That would not do.

A-Luo could become the Demon Emperor, he could have multiple wives (just not six hundred!! maybe like, four maximum?), but she would make sure he would find the wife or wives that he could love and be loved in return. Though of course she also had to make sure he wouldn't raze Cang Qiong to the ground- another reason why she couldn't look at him in the eye or love him as her original had.

Cang Qiong was her home, her Sect, her family!

Proud Immortal Demon Way was a future that might have happened, but her shizun is gone now, not everything was the same and there was a chance for happiness for all of them.

They were more than just characters in a story, Ning Yingying knew it in her heart.

(she had to. she needed to hold on to the thought that she was more than just a love interest among six hundred. that she was more than just a bed warmer amongst others. that her future would not be fraught with infighting in a harem, where she would have to keep her guard against the hundreds of other wives and disasters that her shidi; that the boy that she begged her baba to take in when it was clear he didn't want to take in another boy. she cannot accept that story as her own.)

So she will take notes when she can, and she will teach A-Luo as the shijie that she will be to him. She will not be his wife, but his sister. She'll just have to make sure that's clear to him soon enough.

PassableSwordsman: Hey Airplane, do you ever think of our original world?
DrowningInPapers: all the time, i miss SO MUCH from our modern world like jfc i took my ac for GRANTED
PassableSwordsman: I guess but what I actually mean is that, do you think of your family? Or friends?
PassableSwordsman: I don't think we'll see them again for a long while, if ever...

Ning Yingying blinked, frowning to herself.

She...

She hadn't really thought about that. Shen Yuan and Shang-shishu had died in their old world, leaving behind bonds that were cut off suddenly with their deaths. Family, friends... She couldn't imagine how they felt.

DrowningInPapers: eh i nebver rly had taht many or close friends bro
DrowningInPapers: i was a very reclusive introvert
PassableSwordsman: What about family?
DrowningInPapers: ...
DrowningInPapers: nah
PassableSwordsman: Oh.
DrowningInPapers: wby dude? i think u said u had borthers?
PassableSwordsman: Two brothers, and a little sister.
DrowningInPapers: ooo nice
PassableSwordsman: Shit
PassableSwordsman: My sister was suppose to visit soon, I really hope she wasn't the one to find my body.

Ning Yingying winced, her heart aching for Shen Yuan as she imagined his little sister finding his body wherever he died. She hoped that she didn't find his body either, that someone else did.

And she hoped Shen Yuan got a proper funeral.

(unlike her shizun. maybe she should do her own? she'll need to find out how.)

DrowningInPapers: oh bro...
DrowningInPapers: i hope so 2
DrowningInPapers: @System_2 do u know if she did?
System_2: That information cannot be confirmed.
DrowningInPapers: fucking system
PassableSwordsman: It's fine Shang Qinghua, I think it's better if I don't know anyway.
DrowningInPapers: >:///
DrowningInPapers: mmm, my body was probs found by my landlord tbh
DrowningInPapers: i didnt pay my rent yet, was waiting 4 the cash from pidw

That too, is unbelievably sad.

Shang-shishu was an orphan in his last life, and no one else but his landlord would find his body. Who would hold his funeral then? Who would mourn his passing?

The more time she spends, watching both Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua interact, learning about them both and getting to know them in a private setting- the more she finds herself empathizing with the transmigrators.

It's weird, but she sees both of them more like, like older brother figures than actual peak lords. Shen Yuan especially...

Brother figures...

That's it!

"Yuan-ge." She whispers to herself with a small smile. She'll privately refer to Shen Yuan as 'Yuan-ge' since she can't really see him as her shizun. Shang-shishu could stay her shishu, it would be weird to refer to him any other way despite.

Maybe one day, she'd get the courage to call him that to his face.

PassableSwordsman: If it made any difference, I would have probably went to your funeral if I was alive and heard about it Airplane.
DrowningInPapers: apsodh aw thx bro
DrowningInPapers: ud probably be lecturing my grave tho for my 'bad writing' lol
PassableSwordsman: I wouldn't!
PassableSwordsman: ...
PassableSwordsman: Not immediately at least.
DrowningInPapers: XDD

Yue Qingyuan lips thinned even though the mood of the chat lightens up as they move on to other topics.

It has been an interesting month, to say the least.

He and Mu Qingfang had spent a few days privately talking with each other in the first week, totally not panicking at the fact that one of their peak lords was so young compared to them—he was practically a child compared to them!

Now, typically twenty-year old men were absolutely men. He doesn't consider the twenty-year old disciples of their peaks as actual children, they were cultivators and had grown in their sect, all in all they are adults. However they were young adults, especially in the eyes of immortal cultivators who were more than thrice their ages.

Shen Yuan, as far as they knew it, was a mortal civilian. Who had no prior training, who was relying on the perks of this being called the System to try and catch up to them.

And in any other case, it would be extremely impressive that Shen Yuan had managed to learn swordsmanship to the point of it being 'passable', and it still was impressive mind you! It did not change the fact that Shen Yuan was still their youngest peak lord, their most inexperienced peak lord, and was merely a mortal sickly man a few months ago who died.

Yue Qingyuan was keeping in mind to make sure the missions that Shen Yuan could go on weren't too difficult, or at least make sure he was accompanied by another peak lord or experienced and trusted cultivator or group of cultivators. A boon the System was, experience can still triumph over it, and inexperience can get Shen Yuan killed. Again.

There is a difference between a twenty year old cultivator and a twenty year old mortal, much less a twenty year old peak lord who never cultivated before.

Shang Qinghua at least had grown in this world, had spent years growing up from babe to now and trained beside them and though he was not the strongest peak lord, he had the skills and experience to back up his position meanwhile Shen Yuan was still learning in comparison. And he would have much to learn.

He dearly wished that this System had gotten someone older, more experience, or even better; get Xiao Jiu back.

...

But then again, if Xiao Jiu returned, then the story of Proud Immortal Demon Way would occur and they would all be doomed.

Luo Binghe was half Heavenly demon, and the son of Tianlang Jun.

Shang Qinghua didn't reveal who his father was, but it was obvious when, in one conversation, they revealed the fact that Luo Binghe had Heavenly Demon blood in his veins.

The son of the last Demon Emperor would follow his father's footsteps and more. Six hundred and sixty six wives? Yue Qingyuan had grimaced throughout every conversation that ended up speaking of the 'Original Luo Binghe' from PIDW. His willingness to keep Luo Binghe in Cang Qiong lessened every time they learned something unfortunate from the original story, however the fact that they had no idea what the System would do if they did kick Luo Binghe from the Sect (public repercussions be damned) stalled him every time.

Not to mention Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua were adamant in somewhat changing the story. They've already changed the fact that abuse was no longer a problem for Luo Binghe, that Shen Yuan was planning on treating the boy with more kindness than he probably should considering his situation. Well, whenever they DID talk about changing the story, which, surprisingly wasn't much over the month. But then again, Shen Yuan was still training in the Spirit Caves and was focused on that.

(it is a very slow acceptance that their lives were once inscribed as a mere tale, a tragic tale that they were going to prevent from happening. he swears it. xiao jiu has already died, he won't let his body be killed just like that. shen yuan was also a good man as far as he could tell.)

So despite his misgivings and worries, Luo Binghe stays in the sect. On Qing Jing Peak.

For now.

It somewhat helps that Luo Binghe is a pleasant boy and a determined disciple, he's secretly checked on the boy from time to time and all in all, the boy is just a boy. He is not a Demon Emperor Tyrant, and with luck and planning, he may never will be.

DrowningInPapers: i feel like im forgetiing smthgn
DrowningInPapers: did i set up that metting w that other merchant alrdy??
PassableSwordsman: How should I know, I've been in this cave for like a month I think now.
DrowningInPapers: ill go ask...
DrowningInPapers: btw how much longer ur gonna be in seclusion?
PassableSwordsman: Perhaps another few months? I still have a lot of techniques to get down, and some other things to learn according to the System.
DrowningInPapers: aight aight
DrowningInPapers: OH i think i rmrmeber now!
System_2: @DrowningInPapers @PassableSwordsman Important Announcement!
DrowningInPapers: ?//?? announcemment?

Yue Qingyuan back straightened, temporarily setting aside his paperwork in favor of whatever the System had to say.

The System does not speak often within the chat, however it is always available to answer or reply whenever needed. Mobei Jun has quickly figured out that that strange '@' symbol is used to summon or bring attention either the transmigrators or the System, though not only that it also get his attention whenever it is used. A small ping sound would go off in his head and his focus would be forcefully torn away from whatever he was doing to focus on the chat temporarily.

His attempts to find either traces of the System or ways to take it down don't amount to anything unfortunately, it was predictable in hindsight, it was clearly something not of this world and perhaps not even Heaven knew about it. Mobei Jun has learned more from the chat and the numerous, if disjointed and random conversations that happen between his human and the other than he does in his own research and it is increasingly frustrating to the ice demon.

He has yet to find ways to free Shang Qinghua from its clutches, however he makes sure that frustration does not show around his human. Though he is Shang Qinghua's favorite, the human does not like his attempts of demonic courtship. Finding punishment in the actions instead, which briefly confused Mobei Jun until he remembered; Shang Qinghua was human.

Despite having created the world, Shang Qinghua was undeniably human now and according to his story, his fate, something that the System insists upon his human. Shang Qinghua will die by Mobei Jun's hand so of course he does not recognize demonic courtship. How could he possibly think that Mobei Jun is interested him romantically when all he can think in the end is how Mobei Jun will kill him?

His frustration about it all grows, but he does not show it to his human.

He needs to find a way to free Shang Qinghua, and then they will both be happy.

He thinks of asking Luo Binghe in the future, he was powerful (and incredibly lustful, thankfully it was all aimed at women not his human) so surely the half Heavenly demon (no doubt a spawn of Tianlang Jun, the old Demon Emperor) would be able to find a way, right? However, there was also a chance that would not be the case and would just reveal the fact that Mobei Jun knew about the System and who knew just what would happen then.

He will find a way for Shang Qinghua's sake, but for now, his human is interrupted by the System. The last time the System popped up on their own accord without prompt was when the chat first began. And now, they had an announcement.

System_1: Feature Chat and Messages now has an update! That will mean that the Chat Channel shall be closed temporarily as the update is downloaded and installed.
DrowningInPapers: an update??? rly?? now???
System_1: It is most efficient to update as soon as possible.
PassableSwordsman: How long will be the download? When will the channel be back?
DrowningInPapers: if its an update whats like the new things in the update right??? thers gotta be improvements?
System_2: The download shall last for a day at least, a few days at most.
DrowningInPapers: thats so long tho
System_1: The update shall begin now, please be patient.
DrowningInPapers: WAITBROUGOTTABECAREUFLOFLIUWIGGE!!!!

System_1 has removed DrowningInPapers
System_2 has removed PassableSwordsman
System_1 has disconnected from the channel
System_2 has disconected from the channel

System_? has become Channel Administrator
System_? has temporarily closed 「Chat Channel 1」from public viewing

The ice demon blinked incredulously as all of a sudden, the 'chat channel' within his head disappeared.

No, not exactly.

It was still there, he could feel it yet at the same time, its presence within his head that has been so noticeable and constant had dimmed considerably and froze. Practically invisible. If it weren't for the fact he could still feel it somehow, he would've thought that the chat had truly disappeared.

It was extremely strange, he'd gotten used being able to see the chat and conversations from both humans, the sudden stillness and lack of life from the chat had him uneasy. He could not see how Shang Qinghua was doing anymore.

He hadn't realized that he'd come to rely on the chat to see how his human was doing and what exactly he was doing, at the very least, he knew that as long as Shang Qinghua was chatting in his head he knew he was alive. And yet, now for the first time in weeks.

He was alone in his head.

And that unsettles him far more than he'd ever admit.

"It's gone? No, no it's still there I can feel it. It's... weaker? Near unnoticeable..." Mu Qingfang muttered himself, having briefly panicking over the sudden chat's inactivity and disappearance. Sure, the System had warned them the chat channel would be 'closed' while this 'update' thing happened but experiencing it first hand was- it was sudden, even with the warning and left him perturbed.

Flawless and instaneous after the messages that the Systems had removed Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan from the channel before 'disconnecting' themselves, it felt like there was a brief pause for just, half a moment and then nothing.

He underestimated just how much he got used to 'seeing' the chat channel within his head, seeing the conversations that were between Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua...

This was temporary, it would be back after a day or so, he thought to himself. Reminding him that the chat would be back, and the one source of information that they could spy on with no problem would return.

But what if it didn't? Or what if, they finally found out that Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan had been able to see this chat all along?

He tried not to overthink it, which made him think of the last message Shang Qinghua managed to send before the channel closed. Liuwigge... LiuWigge? Liu Wingge? Liu Qingge? Their Bai Zhan Peak Lord?

What about him? Why did Shen Yuan have to be careful of Liu Qingge? Wasn't Shen Yuan in the Spirit Caves?

A feeling of dread pooled in his stomach, he had a bad feeling about that warning... Maybe he should check the Spirit Caves himself, just to be sure...

'FUCK FUCK FUCK IT'S LIU QINGGE FUCK FUCK FUCK'

A certain, young transmigrator repeatedly cursed while dodging and deflecting to the best of his abilities.

'HOW THE FUCK DID WE FORGET ABOUT LIU QINGGE?!'

Commencing Update...

System_? has paused the update
System_? has deleted admin_1.f
System_? has deleted admin_2.u
System_? has uploaded false_admin_1.c
System_? has uploaded false_admin_2.k
System_? has uploaded conceal_command.y
System_? has uploaded ignore_interference.o
System_? has uploaded slot_add_2.u
System_? has continued the update

Update downloading...
Implementing uploads...
Creating Channels...
Accessing World Information...
Processing Audio Files...
Digitizing Photo Files...
Converting Video Files...

Chapter Text

It's by sheer fucking luck, that he takes down the Bai Zhan Peak Lord.

He's pretty sure about that, maybe the month of cultivation and increasing his martial power and prowess, learning how to use Xiu Ya and the qi techniques expected of him as Shen Qingqiu did more than help him- but he's still pretty sure that it was through actual, sheer luck that he managed to knock out the Bai! Zhan! Peak! Lord!

He was only a scholar-type immortal here! Liu Qingge trained for war! They called him the War God!

He is very sure that, if Liu Qingge's mind wasn't lost in his qi deviation and Shang Qinghua's warning of a final message before the update, that if he hadn't been training himself to be decent at sword techniques and qi manipulation, he would have died again.

But here he stands- well, sits, by the man's side. Slowly circulating qi the best he could through Liu Qingge's chaotic meridans in an effort to help the man recover from his deviation.

He's not injured, merely scuffed, maybe a bruise or two here and there but the fact he had not broken a bone, or wasn't sliced or stabbed by the fucking War God of Bai Zhan, is indeed a testament to both luck and his training. And maybe that's a little gratifying after the cop-out with the Butterfly, he managed to knock out Liu Qingge! By luck sure, but he still did it!

Slowly coming down from adrenaline high and his own thoughts, Shen Yuan- Shen Qingqiu now, takes this moment to both take a deep breath and look at the unconscious man underneath his hands...

...

..

.

Why the fuck is this man so pretty?

This level of prettiness is not something he expected from the great Liu Qingge- well, he is Liu Mingyan's older brother and that woman was supposedly very beautiful underneath the veil she wears but this was unreal.

"Airplane!" He hissed to himself as he squinted at the face that was not as sharp as he thought it'd be- he was expecting a chiseled jaw, a strong face! Maybe a cool scar or two! No, this was a bishounen, practically androgynous, could easily be mistaken as a women face!! A man who was Pretty, with a capital P! What the fuck Airplane!!

He was totally going to scream at Airplane the chat update was done, why was his precious War God Peak Lord- aka the man who could have gone toe to toe with Luo Binghe at his peak (and that was saying something!!) so. Fucking. Beautiful?! Did he even intend it to be? Had he been just as surprised as Shen Qingqiu was when they had met when they were disciples?

With how frazzled as he was, he almost missed The System congratulating him.

『Congratulations! User Shen Yuan has changed the scene 'Liu Qingge's Death'! Death and Hatred values for villain 'Shen Qingqiu' has decreased significantly! User has received 200 B points!』

Shen Qingqiu's brows furrowed at the pop up, both relieved yet thoughtfully wary about the whole event.

Liu Qingge's death was something important for the plot, well, semi-important. It just gave an excuse for Liu Mingyan to side with Binghe in his revenge against Shen Qingqiu. A device that would plunge Shen Qingqiu even further into the scum villain category, murdering the protagonist love interest's beloved family member and creating a common enemy between them to bond over and deepen their relationship. She was one of the ones who most loudly advocated Shen Qingqiu's torture and demise after all.

But... murder, was the emphasis here.

Shen Qingqiu was ambushed by the man in his qi deviation frenzy, if it weren't for Shang Qinghua's rushed warning, he wouldn't have had his guard up. Briefly confused at why Shang Qinghua warned him to be careful of 'LiuWigge' before not even a couple minutes later, did he hear the sounds that prompted the System to tell him to check it out despite him not really wanting to.

And thus Liu Qingge attacked him out of nowhere, mindlessly raging, swinging his sword that if his instincts were sharper, if he truly saw Shen Qingqiu as an enemy; he would have died easily to the man.

Chills ran down his spine at the thought, but still, he reminded himself to firmly talk with Shang Qinghua once the chat was up once more. Had the original Shen Qingqiu actually murdered Liu Qingge if the qi deviation happened in the same plot? He roughly remembered Original Shen Qingqiu's confession to it, something about a divergent path and steeling his blade, but had he actually killed Liu Qingge in self-defense? Liu Mingyan and others (him included) had believed Shen Jiu had straight out murdered him out of hatred but...

The details of Liu Qingge's death hadn't exactly been explored nor explained, he had just died off screen in the plot of Luo Binghe's perspective within the Spirit Caves supposedly killed off by the scum villain of Proud Immortal Demon Way.

(which, he really should have remembered but to be fair; he'd been focused on his training, he had other things in mind, he didn't know exactly when the incident would have happened, and the details of the incident weren't something really explored in the plot.)

Also! Having Liu Qingge alive, how would this affect Luo Binghe's coolness within the story? The System seemed very adamant that Luo Binghe remained as the protagonist and etc. So how would Liu Qingge being alive affect anything? Especially Luo Binghe?

(he changed the plot. he changed the plot. he can change things, he really can. liu qingge is alive- can he and shang qinghua still live by the end of things? he was able to change this event, what else can he change? what can he not change?)

His pondering was forced to a halt as the body underneath his hands jolted, and the man gasped for air, shoving Shen Qingqiu away to roll onto his hands and knees and heave. Shen Qingqiu grunted but kept his cautious distance, watching with disgust and concern as Liu Qingge spat out a glob of blood. He stood up, dusting his robes and tried to look aloof- Shen Qingqiu is cold, elegant, he won't be as cold, but he'll damn try to be elegant- and gives him an indifferent look when Liu Qingge finally spotted him and glared.

Yikes! What a fearsome stare from this prince-like man!!

"Do not look at this one like that, War God Liu Qingge- it doesn't suit your face." It really doesn't. Well, it kind of does, but that face is too pretty to look so angry. His sister would have gushed over his looks. (he ignores the twinge in his chest about the thought of his sister.) Also said looks were somehow still beautiful despite the blood dripping down his chin! What a guy! Though, it would probably be best to clean that blood up and get Liu Qingge to Qian Cao for Mu-shidi to heal him. His insides must still be a mess from the deviation, and the strike Shen Qingqiu gave him was quite hard... "Wipe that look off your face, and that blood." He says, stepping closer to offer a handkerchief to the still glaring man.

"You... what- what are you up to now, Shen Qingqiu..." Liu Qingge growled but coughed up another glob of blood. How cold, but then again, Liu Qingge always hated Shen Qingqiu and clearly did not trust him whatsoever. Maybe he should try to chip away that hatred? He knelt by his side, putting a hand at his back. At the very least, with Liu Qingge alive, the future hatred he'd experience wouldn't come.

Liu Qingge tensed, unable to move away from what he probably assumed to be an attack but just blinked incredulously when he felt Shen Qingqiu's qi trying to straighten his meridans and contain his chaotic spiritual power. Compared to Mu Qingfang or any healer, it wasn't as effective but it was better than nothing right now. "Liu-shidi, this senior has been seclusion for a month and have recently gained some insight during it. Thinking of past events... I am a little ashamed for my actions."

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord choked on blood, wheezing at the words and looked even more aghast as Shen Qingqiu shoved his handkerchief into his face- briefly wiping away the blood and giving Liu Qingge the small cloth itself.

"Perhaps it's time to leave the past in the past and become model martial brothers, hm?" Maybe he could have worded that better, or thought of something else, either way it was too late to take those words back as Liu Qingge's incredulity turned into disbelief and suspicion. Hm, what can he say or do to convince this beautiful man he meant what he said? He'd rather have Liu Qingge as an ally than an enemy, especially when Binghe came back from the Abyss later on.

Before Liu Qingge could say something in reply or do something, a voice rang out from the entrance of the caves. "Hello? Is anyone th- goodness! Liu Qingge, Shen Qingqiu, are you both okay?!"

Both Peak Lords turned to see their fellow Peak Lord, Mu Qingfang swiftly coming into the caves, eyes wide and immediately honed onto the blood that Liu Qingge was hacking up.

Huh???

Was this how Liu Qingge was found in the first place? Mu Qingfang had found him and Shen Qingqiu in the caves?

Oh whatever, at least now Liu Qingge would get professional medical help! And! He could try to chip away whatever scummy views they had on him!

It takes far longer than Mu Qingfang would like to admit to arrive at the Spirit Caves, unfortunately he had to do a few things that could not be simply be set aside for later.

He even sent a letter to Yue Qingyuan before he set out, just to tell him that he was checking the caves and would report back to the Sect Leader as soon as he could.

His sense of dread hadn't lessened over the time it took to finally get to the Spirit Caves, cautiously taking in the surroundings and keeping his guard up. It was when he was nearer to the caves that he heard the tall tale sound of someone coughing and wheezing that he quickly got to the entrance, calling out only to discover both Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge in the caves- injured!

Liu Qingge was seemingly more injured, blood coming from his lips and spitting out alarming globs of blood- an internal injury? Qi deviation? Shen Qingqiu was thankfully less injured, mere scrapes, scruffs and bruises, maybe a broken bone or two? He must check after Liu Qingge who needed his focus the most for now.

"This master is fine, Mu-shidi. Mere bruises at most, focus all your attention on Liu-shidi, he suffered a qi deviation and my attempt to knock him out may have injured him more than I intended to." Shen Yua-Shen Qingqiu told him with a small sigh, standing aside to let Mu Qingfang take over completely.

Mu Qingfang is a little dubious over his words- mostly on how he only had bruises and such, some idiotic patients tended to downplay their injuries after all. However, it truly seemed like Shen Qingqiu was fine. He would still check him over afterwards. "I see, thank you, Shen-s-shixiong." It is weird, and probably improper to address someone so young as his senior however Shen Qingqiu still ranked higher than him and thus, needed to be addressed as such. "And how, may I ask, did you end up deviating Liu-shixiong?"

Liu Qingge 'tsk'ed roughly, but relaxed a bit underneath Mu Qingfang's hold. He trusted Mu Qingfang far more than Shen Qingqiu, and Mu Qingfang was doing a better job at realigning his meridans and such than the bastard did. "Hit a bottleneck." He grumbled, grunting as he shifted to sit properly. "Didn't break through properly."

"Didn't break through proper- I will have words with you Liu-shixiong." Mu Qingfang warned with a huff, before looking over to Shen Qingqiu. "Are you sure you're fully okay, Shen-shixiong?" It's bad enough that Shen Yuan had gotten attacked by his own martial brother while training to be a competent cultivator, but remembering just how young Shen Yuan was and how inexperienced he actually is...

It's frankly a huge shock that Shen Yuan managed to knock Liu Qingge down enough for him to gain his senses once more. A testament to his training this past month? Extreme luck? Both? Perhaps The System intervened? He doesn't know, but he's relieved to see the young man nod, waving away his concerns. "This master is fine, Mu-shidi. In fact, this master plans to go back into seclusion. Take Liu-shidi to Qian Cao and properly treat him, shidi. Recover well, Liu-shidi, and please keep my words in mind." Shen Qingqiu told him before turning around and walking deeper within the caves.

Mu Qingfang smiled as he left then focused back to Liu Qingge, he's not really surprised to see the man glaring at Shen Qingqiu's retreating form but what does surprise him is what Liu Qingge says shortly after Shen Qingqiu was well out of earshot. "That Shen Qingqiu- he's up to something. Something's wrong." He grunted as he attempted to stand on his own, Mu Qingfang frowned and insistently helped him stand despite his protests.

Right, of course Liu Qingge would notice something was wrong- despite Shen Yuan's efforts, it was noticeable to see Shen Qingqiu change. Sure, his mannerisms and a few other things stayed the same, but with how much softer Shen Yuan was attempting to be as Shen Qingqiu, it was a stark contrast to the sneering, apathetic and cold martial brother that kept everyone at an arm's distance.

"Shen-shixiong experienced a qi deviation like you more than a month ago, he has... changed, yes. We've tested him, he is not possessed. Wei-shixiong's Hong Jing did not detect any sign of malicious possession. He is Shen Qingqiu." All truth, just not all of it.

Mu Qingfang will admit that after a month of watching Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua converse, and remembering their limited interactions, he will admit that Shen Yuan is someone he now sees protective of. If only because he is young and he is now Shen Qingqiu, his martial brother. The young man is trying his best despite everything that happened to him, and he found that quite admirable.

Cang Qiong needs to be united, and Shen Yuan becoming Shen Qingqiu will unite them in a way that Shen Jiu didn't.

(he is also quite the treasure trove encyclopedia of plants, herbs and more. as a healer, he always knew that certain herbs and such were aphrodisiacs and had sex-inducing side effects but there were quite a few plants that shen yuan referenced and described that he found fascinating. sex-inducing side effects aside, mu qingfang must try and find a few of these herbs to experiment. (also some of those plants were thought to be extinct! but he and shang qinghua knew where to find them, he MUST find some as well!))

Liu Qingge scowled but said nothing more, all the while reluctantly letting Mu Qingfang help him out of the cave and on their way to Qian Cao Peak to get full treatment.

Despite all his grumbles and protests, Mu Qingfang convinces (forces) Liu Qingge to stay for more than a day as his patient- qi deviations were serious things after all, and Shen Qingqiu's lucky strike had indeed left internal injuries. Nothing very fatal, but enough to be concerning. Normally it wouldn't, Liu Qingge was strong and could heal easily and quickly but with his meridans and spiritual power still recovering from his deviation, he would need to rest for a time in Mu Qingfang's care.

The healer did not care for the war god's complains and insistence that he would be fine on Bai Zhan, that he could recover on his own now that he was clear-minded. Mu Qingfang did not agree much with Shen Jiu before, but the things he did agree on was that Liu Qingge was too meatheaded for common sense sometimes. He never said it aloud of course, but being a healer was tiring work.

And patients like Liu Qingge need to listen to him, he was the damn doctor here wasn't he?

At any rate though, Mu Qingfang forces Liu Qingge to rest on one of the spare beds of his clinic and writes a report to Yue Qingyuan- he did not trust Liu Qingge to stay put, so he shall stay for now while the war god is awake.

And that, ultimately is a good thing as not long before the sun set...

「Chat Channel 1」

System_1 joined the channel
System_2 joined the channel
System_1 has added USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1
System_2 has added USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2
System_? has added ??????

System_1: Update complete! Please enjoy the new features.

Mu Qingfang straightened from where he sat, the once dead chat came back to life within his head.

Similarly enough though, Liu Qingge jolted from his bed, hissing in pain but growling. "Who are you?! What is this?!" He was looking around and Mu Qingfang felt another sense of dread, this time paired with horror and an impending headache. "What have you put in my head?! SHOW YOURSELF DEMON!"

USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1: rly it doest sava our nicknames??? ugh

USER_HOST_SYSTEM_1 has changed their own nickname to AirplaneBro
AirplaneBro has changed USER_HOST_SYSTEM_2's nickname to CucumberBro

AirplaneBro: muh better!

"Shit." Mu Qingfang swore as Liu Qingge grabbed Cheng Luan and pointed his sword at thin air. "Liu-shixiong!"

"There is something wrong Mu Qingfang! A demon is in my head-"

AirplaneBro: so bro u good?? ur not dead bc f liu gingge right?
CucumberBro: FUCK YOU AIRPLANE! Why the FUCK didn't you warn me about Liu Qingge sooner?!
AirplaneBro: tbf looks like we BOTH forgot lmao and also i didnt exactly know that liu qingge would be at the caves with you did i???

It didn't take much to connect the dots and Liu Qingge snarled, "Shen QingQIU!"

Mu Qingfang snarled as well, but at Liu Qingge- he was going to strain his already unstable meridans, the fool!

Dammit, this is going to be such a headache to explain!

Elsewhere, a certain someone paused, frowning in confusion as to what was happening within their head.

Chapter Text

"Do you understand me, Liu-sh-no. Liu Qingge?" He scowls, gaze firmly on the wall nearby rather than the irate healer that stood before him with arms crossed. "You will not go after Shen Yuan, the man who is now Shen Qingqiu. Not only are you still injured, but he is of Qing Jing now, a part of our Sect."

He doesn't understand it, he doesn't understand why Mu Qingfang is defending this- this false Shen Qingqiu! He was an imposter! An outsider who simply replaced one of their own! Even if it was that hateful Shen Qingqiu, they were supposed to look after their own despite it all! How can he stand there and tell him to not go after that fake!

"He is not one of us! He replaced our martial brother- he deserves to pay for this injustice!" Liu Qingge growled back, just raring to fight the imposter within their Sect- the imposter had injured him! (and yet he did not kill him, the opportunity was there.)

Mu Qingfang's irritated glare turned sharp, "He deserves nothing- Liu Qingge, the man who replaced Shen Jiu- Shen Qingqiu is a young man who is in his twenties. Just barely the age of most of our head disciples! Not only that, he is an unwilling participant of this entire farce! This master assures you that Shen Yuan is no malicious entity that wishes harm on us all, much less the Sect. If anything, he is doing his best to protect the Sect!" He retorted with enough bite that Liu Qingge winced back, giving him a look of disbelieving absurdity.

CucumberBro: ALSO!!! WHAT!! GAVE YOU!!! THE IDEA OR RIGHT!!! TO MAKE LIU QINGGE A PRETTY BOY????!!!!

Both Peak Lords faltered in their stare-off, Liu Qingge's look of disbelieving absurdity is aimed at the 'chat'now- actually, it was at the wall technically since the damn thing was in his own head but it didn't change anything as the fake Shen Qingqiu continued.

CucumberBro: LIKE WHAT THE FUCK AIRPLANE, WHEN I WAS EXPECTING WAR GOD I WAS EXPECTING BIG MUSCLES! SCARS! A CHISELED JAW THAT BREAKS STONE!!! But that man is so unbelievably beautiful, I though I was looking at a BISHOUNEN PRINCE OF A ROMANCE ANIME!!!
AirplaneBro: akhfdsdfhsdfaskjdh bropasdnsj
CucumberBro: Don't you keysmash me Shang Qinghua, I need answers!! ANSWERS I TELL YOU! WHY IS LIU QINGGE SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL HUH???

"W-What-I-thi—" Liu Qingge stuttered, genuinely caught off guard from the angry compliments that the false Shen Qingqiu unintentionally gave him.

A snort escaped from Mu Qingfang, his glare slipping away for amusement as he sees how flustered Liu Qingge was because of Shen Yuan. It was jarring, admittedly, to see Shen Qingqiu so aloof and well put in public but then just see how sarcastic and emotional Shen Yuan was within the chat. Actually, it was quite impressive, Shen Yuan's poker face with the Qing Jing Peak Lord's face as admirable. "You think this young man deserves justice, shixiong? When he's complimenting your apparently lovely looks behind your back?" He couldn't help but ask with a sly grin at confused, but embarrassed face his martial brother currently had.

"I- this proves nothing!" The warrior prince replied angrily, face coloring from anger. It is anger! Very much anger! Liu Qingge was very angry! "Also, Shang Qinghua?! He was replaced as well?! Two of our Peak Lords have been replaced, Mu-shidi, we must do something about this!"

Mu Qingfang sighed, "Shang-shixiong is a bit different, Liu-shixiong. I'm not even sure you're ready to hear about this..."

Liu Qingge swallowed his burning anger, wary caution finally settling in his mind as he asked. "Hear what?"

AirplaneBro: so basically if the brother looks gorgeos then naturlally the sister must be  JUST AS IF NTO EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL
AirplaneBro: its simple logic bro
CucumberBro: Oh yes, simple logic- MY ASS! ALL THAT ELABORATE EXPLAINING BUT THE FACT IS; YOU NEVER RELEASED THE ART OF LIU QINGGE!!! NOR DID YOU EVER MENTION HOW BEAUTIFUL HE WAS IN THE NOVEL!!! NO ONE KNEW HOW PRETTY THIS MAN WAS EXCEPT YOU!!
AirplaneBro: was plannign to honest!! i just
AirplaneBro: forgot and never got the chance rto commission art of liu qingge is all

Mu Qingfang was right, he wasn't ready to hear it.

Shang Qinghua was essentially their God, their Creator, and had died before reincarnating into a baby as Shang Qinghua. The Shang Qinghua they had ascended to Peak Lords was the Shang Qinghua they had met as head disciples and declared martial brothers with. But he was bound to this 'System' and was forced to spy on his own Sect for the sake of this 'plot', he was feeding information to a Northern Ice Demon called Mobei Jun.

Shen Yuan, the fake Shen Qingqiu, had taken the place of Shen Jiu, their original Qing Jing Peak Lord, because Shen Jiu suffered a fatal qi deviation so bad that even the System could not revive him completely. Unable to recall his soul and instead chose to replace it with someone else, someone similar enough as a soul and had knowledge of what was to come like Shang Qinghua and bound them as well, to the System.

Not only that, but a Qing Jing disciple was half heavenly demon and would grow up as a tyrant with hundreds of wives. However, this- Luo Binghe had no knowledge of his demonic heritage and both Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua were going to try and change things enough so that they don't die in the end of this 'plot'.

AirplaneBro: BRO U SAVE DLIU QINGGE??? DUDE THATS SO GOOD!!! YOU ACTALLLY CHANGED THE PLOT IN A HUUUUGE WAY!!!
CucumberBro: I know! I'm not really sure on how much it'll change the future, but Liu Qingge is alive.

And apparently he was supposed to die in the Spirit Caves.

There is just too much information, too much insane knowledge that all Liu Qingge can do is sit on the patient cot of Mu Qingfang's clinic and stare. Too many mixed emotions and information swirls in his head, his stomach, his dantian- he doesn't know how he doesn't qi deviates again because of this but somehow he managed.

Mu Qingfang is grimacing by his side, but he was adamant that Liu Qingge do nothing about it. Not even the half-demon brat that was a danger to everyone, to Cang Qiong itself!

It was an order from their Sect Leader, Yue Qingyuan who also knew about this all and yet chose to merely observe the two outsiders (one outsider? shang qinghua is still the same man who is his shidi, they became peak lords together. it was only shen jiu who was gone... why does that thought hurt him so much?) and they must do nothing. Not yet.

The System is powerful, Mu Qingfang says as he told Liu Qingge how it forced Shang Qinghua to become the An Ding Peak Lord despite Shang Qinghua's wishes. How it restricted Shen Yuan's personality at first, to act completely like Shen Jiu, and punished him if he did not. It is manipulative, subtle, but nonetheless actively influencing both transmigrators. Shen Yuan can effortlessly imitate Shen Qingqiu's writing because he is now Shen Qingqiu according to the System. Whatever differences there were before, it is gone now as said by Yue Qingyuan. And only Shang Qinghua knows just what the System has done to him over the years, the few stories he tells Shen Yuan were all horribly in one way or another.

They cannot risk letting the System know that they know of its existence, of Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua's transmigration and their goals under its control.

The consequences of it would literally be unimaginable, they wouldn't know what would happen to them, to their Sect, to Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua, to the world itself.

It had taken two souls and shoved them into their world, taken the soul of their possible creator and turned him into their martial brother, and though it could not retrieve Shen Jiu's soul, it still revived Shen Qingqiu and sought out a replacement. It manipulated Shang Qinghua as he grew, and continued to do so to this day alongside its new pawn, Shen Yuan and was entirely focused on 'the protagonist' Luo Binghe and the 'plot'. It was like nothing they had ever heard of before, or ever encountered.

So for now, Yue Qingyuan decided they would only observe the conversations and note down anything important. They would of course interfere in what they could, but the fact of the matter was; The System was a near omnipresent wild card that they had no idea how to deal with it yet. But they would. (they had to.)

And so, Liu Qingge could not simply just use Cheng Luan in the face of the fake Shen Qingqiu, the spy Shang Qinghua, and especially not the half-demon disciple Luo Binghe.

It is unbelievably frustrating.

CucumberBro: I have my work cut out for me, it really seems that Liu Qingge hated the original goods so much that he didn't believe my offer to bury the past and continue onwards as proper martial brothers.
AirplaneBro: LMAO no kidding! bro shen jiu would NEVER just offer that to liu qingge of all people

Liu Qingge couldn't help himself and snorted in reluctant agreement with the rat spy that was the An Ding Peak Lord. He really hadn't thought that Shang Qinghua of all people would be a traitor to their Sect, forced or otherwise. But then again, he was always seemed to weak and cowards, a mousy Peak Lord that was unlike the rest of them. He should have suspected it, in hindsight...

CucumberBro: If he knew what would happen to him in the future, he probably would.
AirplaneBro: yknow what, fair lol
CucumberBro: But then again, the man deserved all that shit for being such a shit person. What a scummy villain.
AirplaneBro: mmm dude u kno UR the 'scummy villain' now rite, id think ud be more sympathetic to him if u knew him
CucumberBro: I didn't want to be the scummy villain!! And I won't be! All the fucked up shit HE did is the exact guideline I'm going to NOT do as Shen Qingqiu! I'll be better than him, I swear that!!!

Mu Qingfang sighed from across the room, looking down at his tea cup while Liu Qingge made faces at the wall. They both knew that their old martial brother wasn't exactly the most, upright man- but he was still their martial brother and if need be, they would show a united front against their enemies. However Shen Qingqiu was cold, aloof, arrogant and his reputation was riddled with certain rumors that had even them, hesitant to stand with the man sometimes, but it was always none of their business in the end. (but they never stopped the rumors in the first place.)

Liu Qingge scowled to himself, wishing that the old Shen Qingqiu was there, if only so he could demand a duel against for the dishonor and whatever else future crime the man would commit in the future. He always thought Shen Qingqiu was a shameless man, but he thought he was upright and had enough morals to not be considered a villain- perhaps Liu Qingge was wrong and whatever little respect or honor he thought Shen Qingqiu had was misplaced.

(his heart clenched for whatever reason, he thought that if nothing else, shen qingqiu would learn to be a proper righteous cultivator with enough time. would stop going to brothels and ruining his cultivation with such, such shameless activities. was he not the scholar of qing jing? shouldn't he know already? liu qingge argued with him constantly and demanded spars with him with that constant reason in mind and yet... also, despite this 'shen yuan's words, he never outright hated shen qingqiu, found the man infuriating and arrogant yes, but hate is a strong word. he's... disappointed with shen qingqiu. and he will never see the man become a better person, no, he will instead hear how he became worse.)

AirplaneBro: ig technically u will but...
CucumberBro: But? But what?? You wrote him yourself Airplane! He was a scummy, scummy man! He abused his disciples, he abused Luo Binghe! He unfairly treats Luo Binghe just because he was jealous over him! He called him a BEAST! EVEN BEFORE HE FOUND OUT LUO BINGHE WAS A HALF-DEMON!!! He and Ming Fan tormented Luo Binghe so much while he was a disciple that he was angry enough to GET REVENGE!!!

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord grimaced, shaking his head and shifted to get off the bed. He scoffed at the warning look Mu Qingfang gave him, "I'm just getting myself water, Mu-shidi. I'm not that injured I can't get myself water." He griped, waving off whatever nonsense concern the healer had about him- he was fine! He was well enough to do something as simple as stand up and get water. Mu Qingfang resisted rolling his eyes and merely sipped his tea, letting Liu Qingge get water but keeping an eye on him as he walked.

CucumberBro: And don't even get me started on the whole 'throwing him into the abyss' OR the fact he was inappropriately looking and touching his female disciples!! So don't give me that 'BUT' statement Airplane!!!!
AirplaneBro: nah dude shen jiu would never lay a hand on his female disciples like that, hes gay

Liu Qingge tripped on thin air while Mu Qingfang choked on his tea as Shang Qinghua (their god? creator??) casually shattered their view of their original Shen Qingiu. The fake Shen Qingqiu at least, was sharing their shock.

CucumberBro: EXCUSE ME WHAT??
CucumberBro: The fuck he is?!?! He literally GOES TO BROTHELS! LIU QINGGE FOUND HIM IN BED WITH A WOMAN THAT ONE TIME?
AirplaneBro: aight bro buckle the fuck up cuz imma take u on a joyride all about shen jiu >:)
AirplaneBro: first off; yea shen jiu doesnt and never had 'inapproprite' intentions towards his female disciples. its all specutlation and rumors, even in the original novel. he has no romatnic feelings towards women, sure he finds them attactive because HE HAS EYES but rly he is. gay. closeted gay ofc but still gay.
CucumberBro: THEN WHY THE BROTHELS??? That one time where Liu Qingge found him in bed with a woman???
AirplaneBro: bro he goes 2 the brothels to actually sleep and 2 visit his jiejies. he considers the prostitues there his family, not that hed ever admit it but he does
CucumberBro: ???? What do you MEAN by that??? Also what about the Qiu Family Destruction then??? Explain more than that Airplane! Explain it properly!!!
AirplaneBro: okay this is gonna get wordy so hold off from replying yet ok?
AirplaneBro: okay?
CucumberBro: Okay! Fine! Just explain!!

Liu Qingge stood on shaky legs, eyes wide and his throat suddenly dry for a whole other reason. Mu Qingfang didn't even bother cleaning up the spilled tea in favor of paying attention to Shang Qinghua's explanation.

AirplaneBro: before shen qingqiu was shen qingqiu, he was shen jiu. a little slave boy who grew up seeing the worst of the worse of men; slavers. he started distrusting men as a whole because of them, and starting trusting women more because of the older slave sisters that he was raised with. it only got worse when he was sold to a family household of qiu, where the young master qiu jianluo began to horribly abuse the boy. the only reprieve he got from the abuse, was when the young daughter of the qiu household, qiu haitang was around as qiu jianluo would hide his terrible personality and pretend that he was a virtuous master and kindly brother.

AirplaneBro: qiu haitang was fond of shen jiu and treated him well, oblivious to the bruises that her brother caused, to the abuse that he did behind her back. she was a naive young girl after all, and shen jiu never faulted that. he found peace by her side, and the thought that women were better than men cemented in his mind. as years past, the abuse continued and eventually qiu haitang decided to become shen jius fiance and to everyones surprise, her wish to marry shen jiu was granted by her father, even blessed by her brother.

AirplaneBro: however unknown to her, her father and brother only accepted this marriage for the sole reason of keeping qiu haitang to themselves for you see both her brother and father lusted after her and made plans to take her AND shen jiu together as their unfortunate lustful playthings. shen jiu had found out, and was accosted by qiu jianluo, however shen jiu had been secretly practiced cultivation, enough to fend off qiu jianluo for a time but in the end, he ended up setting the room on fire and killing qiu jianluo.

AirplaneBro: he was unstable from both his first kill over the man who abused him for most of his childhood, and the stress of the entire situation- he fell into deviation and killed the men of the household. the women and children however, were left alone as he set ablaze the qiu household. qiu haitang would survive the incident and see shen jiu destroy her family, her home, later becoming one of shen jiu's downfall.

AirplaneBro: and to this day, shen jiu will find discomfort, perhaps even a type of fear from men. enough that he felt uncomfortable in the dorms of qing jing, and when he finds one of his old sisters in the warm red pavillion, he decided to sleep there for most of his discipleship. finding safety and comfort in the prostitutes, eventually seeing them more family.

AirplaneBro: and yeah thats why shen jiu has rumors of being a lecher, man just wanted to find a safe place to sleep and it ended up giving rumors that turned into him being a creep for his female disciples- which ARENT true btw
CucumberBro: What
CucumberBro: The
CucumberBro: FUCK AIRPLAINE

Silence permeated the air of the clinic, a heavy tension settling between both the Qian Cao and Bai Zhan Peak Lords. Mu Qingfang blank-faced as he started to slowly clean up the tea puddle on his desk with a stray cloth, Liu Qingge wide-eyed and pale, staring down the water pitcher he had originally walked towards.

AirplaneBro: also he never rly killed liu qingge on purpose at the spirit caves, he ended up qi deviating himself and couldnt save both himself AND liu qingge. when he was accused, he never rly defended himself cuz he did blame himself for his death, so good job on changing that :)
CucumberBro: I! REITERATE!!! WHAT!! THE!!! FUCK!!!! AIRPLANE!!!!
CucumberBro: Where was this?!?!? Where was THIS backstory for Shen Qingqiu in Proud Immortal Demon Way?! Where was this explanation and characterization for him in the original!!??? HE HAS AS BAD OF A BACKSTORY AS LUO BINGHE- IF NOT WORSE!!! WHAT THE FUCK MAN!
AirplaneBro: I FUCKING NEEDED MONEY OKAY?? MY ORIGINAL PLOTLINE WAS COMPLETELY SCRAPPED AND I HAD TO PANDER TO FANS FOR MONEY

It had been startlingly easy to ignore the fact that Shang Qinghua is their creator, their god. It was for the sake of their sanity, they ignored or just, tried to forget it. There have been a few sleepless nights that Mu Qingfang had spent trying not to spiral into existential crisis or just processing that his world may have been just a story for some. That his martial brother had created it for the sake of money, as he repeatedly said. It took time and will take more but... He's taken to thinking that even though to Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua, he had been a character they knew, someone Shang Qinghua created- he was still real. Everything was real and nothing would change that.

Sometimes though, sometimes it was hard to remind himself of that.

And this was one of those times.

"I... This can not be true." Liu Qingge muttered aloud, eyes closed tightly, fists curled.

Mu Qingfang's lips curled and he was about to retort-

CucumberBro: HOLD THE FUCK UP!! If he finds comfort in women, and hates men- HOW is he gay??? He literally got TRAUMATIZED by most of the men in his life!!
AirplaneBro: MOST of them, also again he never rly found any romance w women b4? even w qiu haitang, he only loved her as as ister and only agreed 2 the marriage 2 make her happy n he thought that maybe they both could be free
AirplaneBro: he will never admit it bc of SEVERE issues between them both, but he loves yue wingyuan more than a brother. in the orignal plot, i kinda had them be soulmates of a sors?
CucumberBro: Please do not tell me THAT'S STILL A THING RIGHT NOW. @System_2!! I'M NOT SOULMATES WITH YUE QINGYUAN AM I?!
System_2: Answering question; no. There is no such thing as 'soulmates' within this world.
CucumberBro: OH THANK GOD.

"Shit."

Mu Qingfang ignored the look he got from Liu Qingge, instead he hurriedly gathered his items and rushed out the door. "WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"

"To SECT LEADER YUE!"

Shang Qinghua laughed slightly, he could practically feel the relief Shen Bro was radiating from the caves from his office!

Honestly, it was about time he told Shen Qingqiu about Shen Jiu's backstory. He'd honestly been feeling bad about the guy from Cucumber Bro's constant mentions of how he was a scum villain- which! Was somewhat true at least, the child abuse was still there and a very bad thing! But the other stuff? The rumors of perversions and lechery, complete fabrications! He never started those by the way, sure Shang Qinghua was a rate and traitor spy but he at least never started shit with the main villain himself.

Others did that for him just fine, he felt a bit bad throughout it but he couldn't exactly refute it- the first time he tried the System warned him off of it and threatened punishment. They really didn't want him to mess with anything important pertaining to the main setting of the plot. Which honestly, now that Shen Yuan was here was fucking ridiculous? And also unfair? Again, how come he got to mess with the plot while Shang Qinghua couldn't do anything at the early settings of it all!

Ugh, well at least Shen Yuan was doing his job as a plot changer well- he saved Liu Qingge! The War God was alive! He had no idea how the man would affect future plot events and arcs! But he was damn sure looking forward to it!

He hummed, answering Shen Qingqiu's question about Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu.

AirplaneBro: they were both slaves dude
AirplaneBro: yue qi and shen jiu, yue qi escaped the qiu household at shen jius insistence while promising to come back to free him. he never did so shen jius got extremely complicated feelings about him
CucumberBro: What??? Yue Qingyuan didn't come back?? WHY NOT? Why the fuck did he leave Shen Jiu there?!
AirplaneBro: it wasnt exactly his fault bro

You know, it was kind of refreshing telling someone some details of his original plot, about the villain and the reasons why he was, as he was. He wished he had written it down, but unfortunately money was money and he needed that money fast at the beginning and he ended up stuck with writing porn for the rest of Proud Immortal Demon Way for a stable income. It hadn't been much, but it was something he used to find pride in.

He frowned.

Used to...

He blinked, shaking his head and about to further explain the deal with Yue Qingyuan at Shen Qingqiu's insistence when-

BANG

"SHIFU!!"

He squealed, papers flying off his desk as one of his buns- uh, his disciples barged in with a panicked look on their face. "W-What? What's wrong? What's happened?"

The disciple panted, gulping down air as he yelled out in report. "Sect Leader Yue had a qi deviation! He destroyed his office!"

Oh shit.

Elsewhere, a woman screamed in denial, also falling into qi deviation.

Chapter Text

Yue Qi's mind was hazy, unfocused. The world was blurry and his body ached horribly- had the slavers punished him again?

"Se— Lea—! Yu—xio—!"

He hoped they only punished him this time, Xiao Jiu doesn't deserve their ire- he was just a kid.
They were only just kids.

"Cle— we need— ha—!"

The ache of his body was unimaginably painful, though for some reason, his chest was in worse pain. As if something was trying to tear his heart apart. He could only hold back his pained noises, his groans and screams- he cannot afford the attention of the slavers again. He also doesn't want to worry Xiao Jiu so much, he had to be strong for him.

"You wanted to be strong for me, yet you left me behind. You promised to come back."

He did, he did promise Xiao Jiu. And he would come back, he would! He just- he just needed to be stronger, he needed to be strong enough for both of them. He left Xiao Jiu behind, but he would return! He had to, for Xiao Jiu.

"—he going to—y?" "W—ee, you—rig—."

"So you did think about me, why didn't you come back?"

He would, he will, he has to-

"You didn't."

He's sorry, he tried, the sword- it was too much. He was too weak. He was too late. Xuan Su—

"Xuan Su? What about your damn sword?"

He needed it. He needed it to save Xiao Jiu, he was impatient. He couldn't control it. He wanted to, but it took too long. His Shizun was right, he wasn't ready but Xiao Jiu was waiting for him. He needed to be strong. Oh Xiao Jiu, oh Xiao Jiu, Qi-ge is sorry. Qi-ge failed you.

He doesn't deserve Xiao Jiu's forgiveness, he doesn't deserve Xiao Jiu at all. It's too late, Xiao Jiu is gone and Qi-ge is alone.

It's for the best, he thinks as his heart continues to pulse in pain. Qi-ge deserves to suffer for his failures.

"..."

SLAP!

His... cheek? It hurt, it hurt why—

"What a pathetic way of thinking! So arrogant! So full of yourself! What gives you the right to decide for me, huh?"

Xiao Jiu?

"Qi-ge is stupid, so, so, so, SO! STUPID!"

Xiao Jiu? Xiao Jiu, is that really you?
Xiao Jiu, where are you? Qi-ge- Qi-ge cannot see you, Xiao Jiu, please.

"I hate you, you know that Yue Qi? Your precious Xiao Jiu hates you."

Qi-ge knows, Qi-ge is sorry. He deserves this hatre-

"But if you think you're going to just die from this stupid deviation, then you've got another thing coming you stupid, stupid man!"

Xiao Jiu? The pain is lessening, Xiao Jiu, what-

"Qi-ge, you're horrendously stupid, you know that? So arrogant, so prideful, to think and assume what this master thinks about you. To know what this master feels about you. I hate that you didn't tell me about the damn sword, Qi-ge. That you decided you didn't care about me enough to tell me the truth, to give me a reason why you never came back for me."

But he did care! Xiao Jiu, Qi-ge loves-

"You're going to live, Yue Qingyuan. I'm not ready to see you again."

Xiao Jiu! Xiao Jiu, wait!

"Stop being stupid, Qi-ge."

Xiao Jiu!

"This Xiao Jiu, also—"

"Xiao Jiu!" Yue Qingyuan's eyes flung open, he tried to physically reach out for the wisps of a fading dream. His mind, scrambling for whatever remnants left behind but finding nothing. His mind forgets, but the pain in his chest lessens considerably.

A hand grasps one of his hands, the one reaching out. "Sect Leader Yue!" Warm qi bleeds through skin contact and it's then that he realizes he's with Mu Qingfang. He was in Mu Qingfang's clinic, with the healer looking at him worriedly while feeding qi to his crooked meridans. "Yue-shixiong, calm down, please lay back on the bed." It didn't take much convincing for him to follow Mu Qingfang's instructions- both his body and meridans ached something fierce.

"I- What-" He attempted to ask, his mind filled with cotton and a haze of memories filtering through it. The chat returning, seeing the transmigrators talk once more, Shen Yuan, Shang Qinghua, Xiao Jiu- Xiao Jiu, the feeling of horror, guilt, anger, guilt, shame, guilt. Guilt. GUILT. "Did I- did I hurt anyone?" He rasped, agony filling him once more, not by physical pain but his own, emotional shame and guilt.

Mu Qingfang grimaced but quickly reassured him, "You did not kill anyone- yes, there are injuries but thankfully none fatal or life-changing. You attacked with Xuan Su sheathed, and all your violence was aimed at objects, buildings. Your office is currently demolished, but I find that a preferable outcome." The healer sighed, tired but relieved- something Yue Qingyuan felt as well.

He was thankful no one had gotten hurt, that no lives had been lost.

At the same time though, his heart ached as he remembered why he had lost control. Why he'd fallen to qi deviation so quickly, so suddenly.

And yet, for some reason, he felt less pain than he should. Was it because of Mu Qingfang's gentle qi? Whatever medicine the healer had him on? A question came through his muddled mind, slowly succumbing to the temptations of sleep and unconsciousness.(his cheek throbbed, had he been hit there in his rampage?)

"Do you... think Xiao Jiu, is out there? Somewhere?"

He feels so tired, tired enough that he could not stop himself from tearing up. From tears forming and falling down his face.

He can barely hear Mu Qingfang's reply.

"Perhaps, Yue-shixiong. Perhaps..."

Yue Qingyuan closes his eyes, and dreams of two little boys in a better world with one, walking away from him.

CucumberBro: So he's going to be okay?
AirplaneBro: yea, mu qingfangs got him in the lcinic
AirplaneBro: should be fine now

"Oh thank goodness." Ning Yingying sighed with relief, smiling to herself.

"Thank goodness for what, Ning-shijie?" She jolted, having been so relieved, she hadn't noticed A-Luo coming near.

She smiled at him, "It's nothing A-Luo! I just remembered something very important, it would have been troublesome if I had forgotten it!" She lied cheerily, she was getting better with her lies. At least, she'd like to think so.

Luo Binghe smiled back, nodding to her, "That is good then! What did you remember? Is it something I can help with?" So kind, it must be moments like these that helped her fall in love with A-Luo in the original setting.

"Nope! Sorry A-Luo, but this is something that can only be helped with by girls." Ning Yingying replied, waving off his offer to help but appreciating it nonetheless. It was hard to connect this kind martial brother of hers to the harem-having tyrant of Proud Immortal Demon Way sometimes, because Luo Binghe was her junior brother right now. He was kind, helpful, hardworking, and even though he was a half-demon (a half-demon!!) he strove to be a righteous cultivator.

Ning Yingying would make sure he would do so, no matter who or what said otherwise. (she was looking at the system specifically.)

"Oh, is that so?" Luo Binghe looked thoughtful, "Maybe Shizun could help though? But then again, he's in seclusion right now..." He trailed off, looking disappointed.

Ning Yingying held in a sharp breath, trying to push back the tears that threatened to form at her eyes- her mind instantly going towards the revelation of her baba's past. If she didn't know Shang-shishu's past life as a writer before, it certainly showed then when he regaled Shen Jiu's past to Yuan-ge. It was horribly invasive of her to read, however it wasn't like she could just ignore it all in all.

It explained so much- she knew her shizun hadn't been a lecher! All those rumors, all those whispers were wrong!

Part of her wanted to rub this fact in the faces of everyone who whispered wrongs about her baba, to make them ashamed of even thinking her baba would even do such a thing! But most of her was horrified over what he had faced in his childhood, that such traumas had persisted till his death. And another part of her dreaded to think of what happened in the original now that this was revealed- that Ning Yingying never found out how Shen Qingqiu feared men.

Had she really believed that Shen Qingqiu had inappropriate feelings for her? Had she really done nothing when whatever that Luo Binghe did-

She does not want to think about it.

Ning Yingying shook her head, and huffed. "I already told you A-Luo, it's a girl thing. Shizun wouldn't be able to help." Yuan-ge didn't even know of her woes, and frankly, that was probably for the best.

She was wary about the System that had both him and Shang-shishu in its grasp. Not to mention its intentions with her junior brother.

CucumberBro: Thank god.
CucumberBro: What even happened anyway? I don't remember Yue Qingyuan suffering a qi deviation in the story.
AirplaneBro: thats bc he didnt
AirplaneBro: at least i think he didnt, i dont remembr either n sometimes things happen outside the view of te plot
AirplaneBro: it happened a couple times 2 me in the past
AirplaneBro: but it shouldtn affect things too much
AirplaneBro: i was rly worried tehre for a moment, yue wingyuan deviating is the LAST THING we need or ever want atm
CucumberBro: I can imagine so, having Cang Qiong's great Sect Leader qi deviate would be catastrophic.
AirplaneBro: u have no idea dude
AirplaneBro: were all lucky that mu wignfang managed to stop him so errly- hehad xuan su still sheathed!! it wouldve been ALOT WORSE if it wasnt!!
CucumberBro: Probably yeah, you said his office was completely destroyed? It's lucky no one got really hurt.
AirplaneBro: dude no
AirplaneBro: well yea tgechnially but bro, if xuan su had been unsheathed while he deviated he could have killed ppl AND died!! like FULL ON DIED EVEN IF MU QINGFANG TRIED TO HELP!
CucumberBro: ??? What do you mean???
AirplaneBro: the swords tied to his lifedforce, i told u theres a reason why he couldnt go back to shen jiu back then rite??

Ning Yingying straightened, remembering her anger at her own Sect Leader before she found out the man had suffered a qi deviation- something that both Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua didn't remember happening in the original, she noted now in a brief moment.

She'd been angry on behalf of Shen Jiu, her baba- Yue Qingyuan had promised to go back for him! And yet he didn't, which led to her baba experiencing such horrible things in the first place! Maybe he wouldn't have been so cold and aloof if he'd escaped that life... No doubt he could have definitely been happier if he'd been freed sooner, if he hadn't been forced to kill in self defense, and the trauma of the Qiu household wouldn't have affected him so much.

So, what was Yue Qingyuan's excuse to not come back for her baba huh?

AirplaneBro: so long story short; yue qingyuan was desparet to go back to shen jiu and ended up doing a reckless act in trying to take xuan su too early
AirplaneBro: xuan su is like a legendry type sword dude, its up there w xin mo- not as good but damn better than most other swords
AirplaneBro: but like xin mo it  has a downside, esp w yue qingyuan trying to take bond w it in such a rush n improperly- his life force ended up tied tot he sword n eaxh time he unseaths it and uses it, it p much takes away part of his lifespan in exhancge of pure strength
CucumberBro: I
CucumberBro: Okay that makes a lot of sense, I can see how things would have gotten MUCH WORSE now...
AirplaneBro: right? dude could have killed SO MANY DISCIPLES and destroyed his own peak w no effort AND DIED in the end of it all, were famn lucky mu qingfang managed to get to him and help

"Ning-shijie? Ning-shijie- are you okay?" She blinked, seeing A-Luo's concerned face in front of her. "You're so pale!"

"I'm fine A-Luo! I just- remembered! That very important thing I just remembered! I should really do it now, so I'll go do it now- I'll see you later A-Luo!" Ning Yingying rushed, smiling a strained smile before quickly running away, leaving behind a befuddled and concerned Luo Binghe behind.

Ning Yingying scurried towards a certain isolated little area that she inadvertently claimed as hers- it was the safest area she had found where she could properly vent her emotions or hide in when she couldn't hide her reactions in time. Though she had gotten better in seemingly be unaffected by such jaw-dropping information that constantly came from the chat, it was moments like these that made the area useful to her.

Shang-shishu was right, they were extremely lucky that Mu-shishu had gotten to Sect Leader Yue Qingyuan in time before anything bad happened! The fact only his office was destroyed and a few disciples were injured, not fatally so, was a damn miracle!

Also, Xuan Su was the reason why the Sect Leader didn't come for her baba??

CucumberBro: So Shen Jiu blames Yue Qingyuan for not coming back for him because of the sword?? Is that why he never seemed to like him in the novel?
AirplaneBro: nah dude yue qingyuan nvr told him about it
CucumberBro: What?? WHY?!
AirplaneBro: guilt complex to the max bro
AirplaneBro: completely shut his trap abot
AirplaneBro: whenever shen jiu asked, he just clamped up and got all sad puppy guilty which annoyed and angered the vuck outta shen jiu
AirplaneBro: he felt worse when yue qingyan calls him 'xiao jiu' bc it just remindds him of their broken promise and his past but he still loved yue qingyuan
AirplaneBro: but all he wantedwas an explanation which he never got in the end even i the original novel
CucumberBro: Dude. That is sad as shit.
CucumberBro: What the fuck.

What the fuck indeed.

Ning Yingying had always thought that the relationship between her baba and the Sect Leader had been shrouded in drama- that something happened in their past that had her baba seem to hate the Yue Qingyuan. She was right, but unlike before where she thought that maybe her baba had been in the wrong just a bit (because the Sect Leader was such a kind and strong man! and her baba was so cold to him and easily irritated by him) she now knew the truth;

Her baba was entirely justified to be so annoyed and angered by the Sect Leader!!

Once again, she felt angered on behalf of Shen Jiu! No wonder he kept getting angry against him whenever he dropped by unexpectedly! Not to mention the nickname!

Yes, she understands Yue Qingyuan had probably faced a lot- and she will acknowledge that he at least made the effort to keep the promise but- did her baba not deserve the explanation? Did he not deserve to know why Yue Qingyuan had been too late?

He could have understood, Ning Yingying thinks to herself with filial fury against the man her baba loved. (confirmed by God himself!)

He could have been happier, Ning Yingying sniffles to herself, tears gathering in her eyes.

She doesn't know why they gather, hadn't she cried enough for her baba? She's surely cried more than enough! She wasn't a cry baby! She wasn't- she wasn't—

Well, that was information that he wasn't sure on what to do with whatsoever, Mobei thought to himself with an unimpressed look on his face.

Yue Qingyuan... at the very least, he now has a solid understanding to how strong Shang Qinghua's Sect Leader is- if the man's sword, Xuan Su was comparable to the legendary demon sword Xin Mo- even if they were not direct equals, Shang Qinghua considered the sword nearly as dangerous as Xin Mo was enough to make him wary about it and the man that wielded it. Should it come to pass that Shang Qinghua's status as a spy was revealed, and Yue Qingyuan would personally come after him, Mobei Jun will take note to rescue Shang Qinghua and escape as soon as possible or if worse comes to pass with the most optimistic outcome; stall him as much as he can and the man will die from overuse of the sword.

Other than that?

The information, 'backstory' as Shang Qinghua says, is mostly useless to him.

Currently, he has no problem with Cang Qiong. It is Shang Qinghua's sect after all, and though he does not approve of their treatment of his human, Shang Qinghua had disciples and people within the Sect that he cared for.

One of which, being his fellow transmigrator and the new occupant of Shen Qingqiu's body; Shen Yuan.

Both care for the Sect, for their respective Peaks.

Mobei Jun will note the information down regardless, as he does with whatever else information he learns from Shang Qinghua and the chat. Maybe it will be useful in the future, who knows.

However he also makes a small note to himself that Shang Qinghua was truly a writer, a story teller. The way he told the tale of the Original Shen Qingqiu, Shen Jiu, was certainly better than the few storytellers he had listened to in his lifetime and even a few stories he had read himself.

Has his human ever taken to writing again? Properly this time, without the added stress of his livelihood on the line?

He thinks he'd like to read one of his human's works, or at least listen to his human tell a story in person.

A scene pops into his mind, of him and Shang Qinghua settled comfortably together with the human in his lap animatedly telling a tale of his own creation and he smiles.

Ah, what a nice thought- he will have to make that a reality someday.

Chapter Text

It's quiet.

Not too quiet, there's a lull of night-time insects and creatures outside that reassures him that all is well. If it had been totally silent, then clearly there was a problem.

Not that there wasn't already a problem, but that was a different type of problem.

Liu Qingge stared at the ceiling, lips pressed together in a thin line and brows furrowed intensely. Mu Qingfang had left hours ago towards his personal quarters, suggesting him to sleep though they both knew, neither of them would be getting any sleep tonight. Especially him.

It didn't really matter though, one sleepless night wasn't a big deal to a cultivator like him. He's conducted hunts with sleepless nights multiple times, his cultivation was high enough that he could sleep less if he wanted to- however he almost wishes he could sleep regardless right now.

His mind is a whirlwind, thoughts flying around swiftly paired with countless emotions that he never learned enough prose to describe with- he was a physical cultivator after all. Battles, fights and the way of the sword was his expertise. Flowery language that described emotions and intense thought? He never got the hang of that, even with his noble tutelage and teachings.

...

Shen Qingqiu, Shen Jiu, hadn't been a noble and yet he was- had been, the Peak Lord of Scholars.

A former slave.

Someone who grew up with a disadvantage in life, who seemingly suffered more than Liu Qingge would ever know.

All this time, he had thought the arrogant bastard had been a privileged piece of shit that took his own cultivation for granted and now—

He was a slave, he grew up abused, he learned enough about qi to qi-deviate at his worse moment, he was from the bottom clawing his way up to the top.

Shang Qinghua, the fucking rat, had no doubt left out other things despite his storytelling in the 'chat'. Liu Qingge may prefer sword cultivation and physical training, but he was smart enough to recognize that maybe he didn't tell everything to Shen Yuan just yet for whatever reason.

Shen Yuan...

Liu Qingge's jaw clenched, mostly in embarrassment rather than anger- the man was young. Almost as young as his current head disciple and yet he had managed to take him down! Was Mu Qingfang's theory true about the System helping Shen Yuan grow strong? Accommodating him to Shen Qingqiu's skills and techniques in such a short time? It must be, how else had Liu Qingge lost? Even with qi deviation... He called him pretty what the fuck.

It still didn't change the fact that he lost to someone much younger than him.

The humiliation of it was only abated by the fact his mind was lost in the qi deviation, and the surety that had Liu Qingge been sound of mind, he could have beaten this new, fake Shen Qingqiu to the ground.

... He can't exactly call him fake Shen Qingqiu anymore though, because according to this abhorrent System, he was Shen Qingqiu now. Said new Shen Qingqiu was silent in the chat alongside Shang Qinghua, one continuing his training and meditation, the other busy or asleep. It somehow makes it worse that he's kept awake by his own thoughts instead of the damnable chat.

Shen Jiu, the original, the man that he'd seen as his despicable rival- was dead. Gone.

To the point, that not even the System could recall his soul for complete revival.

He will never see that man again.

(he will never get to apologize for his misgivings, his misdeeds, never truly clear the misunderstandings between them that he caused. he will never be able to face him in combat, nor fight by his side. he will never truly see him again, just a stranger with his face.)

Liu Qingge did not have many regrets, but this one? This one would haunt him for years to come.

He felt restless, and his attempts to clear his mind and just lay there to rest till morning obviously failed. Mu Qingfang would definitely disapprove Liu Qingge leaving the clinic, but he had to move. He had to do something- a walk wasn't going to kill him or damage his meridans again! Liu Qingge huffed, sitting up and getting off the cot- he takes Cheng Luan with him of course.

He won't use it, obviously. He's just going on a walk, but he'll be damned if he walks weaponless regardless of the fact he was on Qian Cao- he knows he's safe but walking without his sword always felt wrong. He would never say it aloud, but he would've felt naked without his sword by his side, in his hand or on his hip. He doesn't understand how some cultivators can just go without their swords sometimes.

He leaves the silent clinic quietly, taking in the fresh air of the night tinged with the smell of medicinal herbs.

Liu Qingge walks down the path away from the clinic, his feet leading him nowhere in particular with his mind still swirling with thoughts and regrets he never thought he'd be having before.

He would have never thought Shen Jiu would have a- a fear towards men, but looking back, he would remember strange instances that he could maybe gleam that fear, though it was disguised with genuine contempt for the people around him. Liu Qingge, especially.

There's a horrible feeling in his stomach as he remembers his accusations towards the man who regularly went down the mountain towards those brothels, he remembers the moment he barged into The Warm Red Pavilion in search for the bastard only to find him in bed with a woman! But! But— Looking back, weren't the both of them, the woman and Shen Qingqiu, completely dressed? He'd been too horrified and filled with misplaced fury at the shamelessness his martial brother was showing for, for doing such scandalous things and potentially ruining his cultivation that he hadn't really noticed.

Had the air smelled of sex and lust? It was a brothel, so naturally it was- covered thinly by intense perfume that never sat well with Liu Qingge but had that specific room smelled of indecency and debauchery?

Liu Qingge can't remember, all he remembers is finding the man in bed with a woman, waking him up and his accusations that led them to a fight that they'd taken away from the brothel thankfully. A fight that had been more intense than usual, he remembers, as Shen Qingqiu spat sincere vitriol and anger at him. He thought it strange for a moment but thought nothing more, chalking it up to Shen Qingqiu being more annoyed at him than usual because he caught him in the act but...

Was the woman in the room with him at the time, his sister? He barely remembers what happened to her afterwards, too busy shouting at Shen Qingqiu to pay attention to a prostitute of the brothel they were in.

Dammit, why hadn't Shen Qingqiu simply tell them all of this? That he had family in the brothel and was simply going there to visit them and to, strangely quite literally, just sleep there?

They would have understood! There wouldn't be any rumors otherwise pertaining him!

(would they? or would they not have ridiculed him even more? wouldn't the rumors be about something else about him then? like how he had family in such a shameless establishment? the rumors about that surely would have been worse.)

((what made him think that shen qingqiu would ever think of telling them when he never even told yue qingyuan, his qi-ge, why?))

...

He looks towards the direction of Qiong Ding Peak, where Yue Qingyuan had qi deviated and now rested in his personal quarters. They were extremely lucky that no one had died due to their Sect Leader's qi deviation, extremely so now that they knew about Xuan Su.

He would have never expected that both Qing Jing and Qiong Ding's Peak Lords had once been slaves. Neither of them have ever let a hint of such a past, but that was probably the point. Though, he always suspected that they had shared a past because...

when yue qingyan calls him 'xiao jiu' bc it just remindds him of their broken promise and his past but he still loved yue qingyuan

He just didn't think...

(shen qingqiu always accused him of not thinking several, several times. would he be smug right now, if he found out that he was right?)

Liu Qingge looked away from Qiong Ding's direction and instead continued his walk.

He ends up walking outside for the rest of the night.

Mu Qingfang was not happy when he found the clinic empty that morning.

AirplaneBro: DUDE @CucumberBro
AirplaneBro: DUDE @CucumberBro
AirplaneBro: DUDE @CucumberBro
AirplaneBro: DUDE
AirplaneBro: DUDE GET ON
CucumberBro: WHAT IS IT?! I'm TRYING to meditate here!!
AirplaneBro: BRO THE NEW UPDATE!!!1 WE TOTALLY FORGOT OT CHECK THE NEW UPDATE YESTEDAY!!
CucumberBro: And?
AirplaneBro: WE GOTACCESS TO OUR OLD PHOTOS AND STUFF!!!
CucumberBro: WHAT

Mu Qingfang paused his lecture against his no good, stubborn martial brother to the sudden attention Shang Qinghua demanded in the chat. Photos? What were photos?

CucumberBro: We do have access to our old photos! Videos too!
AirplaneBro: hooolyyyy shiiiiit
AirplaneBro: bro do u know HOW LONG its been??? since i saw this shit???
AirplaneBro: WAY TOO LONG BRO
AirplaneBro: WAY TOO LONG
CucumberBro: Hm, I don't think we have everything though. I'm definitely missing some photos and videos from my old albums- in fact some albums themselves are missing!
CucumberBro: @System_2 Care to explain?
System_2: World System has deemed it necessary for Hosts to have some access to previous datas and files, however the amount of data exported from the Host's original world was limited as this is the first time this decision has been made. More data shall be retrieved in following updates as well as other features of the chat.
CucumberBro: Okay, not that we're ungrateful but why?? Why give us access to out old photos and videos?
System_2: System does not know all the reasons, but one reason is motivation and reminder of what the Hosts have lost and may possibly regain in the future should things go well.
System_2: One future punishment if both Hosts have failed may include the restriction and suppression of Hosts original photos and videos, so please Host, do you best to change and improve the plot!
CucumberBro: Typical.

"It's given something back to them but only as a form of reminder and possible punishment outcome." Liu Qingge muttered, scowling to himself as both he and Mu Qingfang came to the same conclusion that Shen Yuan seemed to realize.

This was the carrot, an incentive and reminder of what the transmigrators had lost and what they had to do to keep it. To prevent the System from taking it away.

Whatever these 'photos' and 'videos' were, were no doubt important to them.

AirplaneBro: hah
AirplaneBro: cant believe i forgot what i used to look like
AirplaneBro: been too long ig
CucumberBro: Oh?
AirplaneBro: yeah look

AirplaneBro sent an image!
[A young man in a blue colored hoodie and a grey scarf, his hair was short that curled around his ears and a vivid bright red. The man was smiling brightly at the camera while holding what seemed to be a steaming drink with cream in one hand, and taking the selfie with the other. In the background was a city, with people and cars and skyscrapers in the background over the man's shoulder. There was snow lightly covering everything, even the young man.]

CucumberBro: Oh, you dyed your hair? Not bad! It's so bright.
AirplaneBro: i did!!!! and ty, it took FOREVER to get it right but i was so proud w how it came out!!!

"His hair is red and short."

Mu Qingfang momentarily felt the same horror that Liu Qingge whispered, eyes wide at the- the... photo? Picture? In the chat.

Long hair was a sign of filial piety to one's parents, to one's legacy and pride. To have it cut so short was, was unthinkable! Those who committed crimes had their hair cut short! It was a sign of dishonor and yet-

Yet both transmigrators seemed just fine over the fact that Shang Qinghua's hair was short, that it wasn't a big deal? Was this not part of their culture? Their lives? Squinting at the background, he was shocked to see more men with short hair- even a few women!

With that in mind, Mu Qingfang hesitantly turned away from that line of thinking- that Shang Qinghua's short hair was a sign of dishonor and instead focused on everything else. On what was Shang Qinghua's original face.

Elsewhere, a certain ice demon was steaming for reasons most people who knew him wouldn't expect.

AirplaneBro: ahhh its been sooo long since i dyed my hair
AirplaneBro: literal decades in fact
AirplaneBro: wish i could do it again, also cut my hair but i cant
AirplaneBro: im not built for long hair TuT
AirplaneBro: i just shove it in a bun nim done w it
AirplaneBro: MAYBE put a haircrown on if im feeling confident
CucumberBro: Your fault for not normalizing short hair dumbass.
CucumberBro: Hm, how close in looks does your old face compare to your current one? I haven't seen you in real life here yet.
AirplaneBro: mm idk?? but im V SURE my current face looks just a BIT better than my old one
AirplaneBro: cultivation is great for your skin ;)

Mu Qingfang hummed, looking for the differences between Shang Qinghua and his old face- there were indeed similarities that he could see, the nose, the chin, the lips, eyes, however— and Mu Qingfang was merely stating this as a fact and meant no offense; Shang Qinghua's face now looked better than his old one. Healthier thanks to his cultivation and status as Peak Lord. The man wasn't wrong in the fact that cultivation was beneficial to your skin, it was beneficial period.

There were reasons why people strove to cultivate, and one of them for many women in particular, was the fact that cultivating to higher levels would help their beauty.

(of course there were always a few exceptions for several reasons, but regardless, mu qingfang couldn't argue against cultivation being beneficial to one's physical beauty.)

AirplaneBro: its so weird looking at these photos, and so nostalgic
AirplaneBro: oh yea!!! dude!!! lemme see how u looked like b4
CucumberBro: Mmm...
AirplaneBro: cmon its only fair D:
CucumberBro: Oh fine, it's only fair.
AirplaneBro: yesss >:D

CucumberBro sent an image!

Liu Qingge was choking on air while Mu Qingfang's face colored and he coughed.

[A young man with hazel eyes and green-rimmed glasses sat on a couch of a lavish living room, wearing a simple soft green t-shirt with grey shorts. He had a look of exasperated amusement on his face that was aimed at the camera.]

AirplaneBro: duuuuude
AirplaneBro: no wonder the system got u- u look like shen jius younger brother bro!!!
CucumberBro: What??? No I don't.
AirplaneBro: you ABSOLUELY do!!
AirplaneBro: like bro
AirplaneBro: you look so RELATED its not even funny

And he did, he looked like he could have been easily related to Shen Jiu. Only his face was softer, fonder, and obviously mortal but there resemblance was there. And that alone is shocking, but what was really shocking was the amount of skin that was shown in the picture!! His arms and legs were bare of any cloth! His feet could clearly be seen in the picture! Liu Qingge was visibly and audibly struggling to breathe, flustering red and stammering nonsensically as he desperately tried not to look at the picture.

The culture of that world must be really lax in terms of clothing, Mu Qingfang thought with a slight blush. He wasn't affected as much since he was mostly used to seeing other's people skin, granted, it was for healing purposes and usually there was blood covering the skin but it was still quite inappropriate for them both to be able to see that much skin from- from Shen Yuan.

(was that a collarbone he spied? nope, don't notice it. don't notice anything else. look at the picture with a critical eye instead, see the differences of everything else. though it was still a bit fascinating, the differences of their cultures.)

AirplaneBro: btw is that ur house???? cucumberbro r u like, lefit rich??
AirplaneBro: i mean i always knew bc u kept paying for each chapter but like w o w
CucumberBro: That's my childhood home, I grew up there. I live in my own apartment in another city.
CucumberBro: I
CucumberBro: My family is well off.
AirplaneBro: WELL OFF he says lmao, dude u got three other siblings u R RICH
AirplaneBro: IM P SRE THAT LIVINGROOM? IS AS BIG AS MY APARTMENT
CucumberBro: Really? What a small apartment.
AirplaneBro: SMALL APARTMENT
AirplaneBro: i am
AirplaneBro: going to scream
AirplaneBro: rich ppl smh

Chapter Text

He could interact with the chat now.

It was a definite surprise for the demon lord who hadn't expected it, he merely wanted to see Shang Qinghua's original face again instead of Shen Yuan. (the skin shown did not bother him, he's seen demons wear even less and be unashamed- the culture between demons and humans about modesty were rather different and yes, there was still modesty but it was different obviously. also, mobei will admit shen yaun was good-looking, he clearly was no match for his human. be it original or current. he just wasn't his type.)

He hadn't finished truly taking in his human's old face, mortal and not on the same plane as Shang Qinghua's current face but definitely delightful. Adorable, he'd dare say. His short hair had initially caused concern and anger on Shang Qinghua's behalf, when it was clear that his human was not upset over it and even missed it, he discarded his initial emotions immediately. If Shang Qinghua was not upset, then there was no need to be angry.

Mobei Jun had never really thought much on the color red, but seeing Shang Qinghua with red hair was more enjoyable than he'd imagined. (it makes him think of other red things, his human would one day have on his persons. human marriages were odd to him, but if shang qinghua wanted a human wedding then mobei jun would be ready with the knowledge. also he found the idea of shang qinghua in bright red robes surprisingly fetching.)

When Shen Qingqiu sent the 'picture' of his original face, Mobei Jun felt irritated, he'd wanted to look at Shang Qinghua a bit longer. It was mostly intrusive thinking that had him mentally striking the chat within his mind, and to his surprise, the chat moved. It moved downwards, revealing past messages and just half of Shang Qinghua's picture. Dumbfounded for only a moment, he quickly tried it again- a bit softer this time, prodding the chat instead of hitting it.

It responded to his mental proddings! Moving underneath his will- he could now interact with the chat and view past messages!

It was a small thing, but it was something. Previously, nothing he could do could affect the chat but now? He could view past messages. (he could see shang qinghua's original face once more.)

"Interesting, but how... The 'update'?" He questioned aloud, looking back at the 'update' of the chat. To Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu, the update provided them the ability to see their old pictures, their old lives, but to Mobei Jun, it provided the demon the ability to interact with the chat. Limited as it was. Just what did that mean? What did it imply?

Did the System find out he was able to see these messages? The thought made him tense before he shook his head, if that had been the case, the System would have surely shown itself to him. Or at least inform both transmigrators about him.

...

He'll have to be extra cautious, just until he's confirmed the System hadn't found out about him.

Still, being able to view past messages and pictures, that gives him the ability to find out just what they were talking before hand- it had frustrated him slightly when he went to sleep and wake up to new messages. Whole conversations, even though some were no doubt inane and pointless, were missed and he wouldn't be able to gather whatever information they said, offhandedly or outright.

But now, even if he slept, he could always find out when he wake up.

Though it seemed that if he looked at past messages, he wouldn't be able to sense the new ones that came in, Mobei Jun finds out as he moves the messages back to the current ones. More messages had been sent and he hadn't known at all.

CucumberBro: It is so WEIRD, practicing inedia.
CucumberBro: Logically, I need food, I need water, I need both to survive but here I am- feeling fine after like, two weeks without either.
AirplaneBro: eh u get used to it
CucumberBro: I honestly don't want to.
CucumberBro: I can understand the upsides to not needing either for a long time, but I would miss good cooked food too much to completely commit.
AirplaneBro: honestly bro same
AirplaneBro: still i wish i couldve done inedia back at our original world
AirplaneBro: wouldve helped ALOT w how many days i had to not eat bc i didnt have enough money

Mobei Jun frowned, extremely disliking the thought of his human starving or being poor. Evidently, despite Shang Qinghua's supposed fate in this world (which he will NEVER fulfill) perhaps it truly was a good thing for Shang Qinghua to end up here. Here at least, he was a cultivator (not the strongest, he was actually the weakest among Cang Qiong but he was STILL a peak lord), he had plenty of access to food, power, money.

And he had Mobei Jun by his side.

CucumberBro: Were you at least doing better before you died? I remember paying a lot for your damn chapters.
AirplaneBro: and i thank you for that oh beloved reader of mine!!!
AirplaneBro: ofc most of the moeny went into paying my rent n student debt but yea i was doing better when i first started
AirplaneBro: lmao i never got to repay all my student loans b4 i died! sux for them lmaooo
CucumberBro: And you never have to pay it ever again.
AirplaneBro: perks to transmigrating haeuaheh
AirplaneBro: another perk 2 it is seeing my king irl <3

His back straightened and paid extreme attention to the conversation.

CucumberBro: Said king has, iirc; beaten you up, threatened your life, will eventually snap your neck.

Frost crept steadily along the floor, his chair, his desk, slowly encompassing his room as he glared at Shen Qingqiu's message. He was not going to snap Shang Qinghua's neck! He would never hur—

Except he had hadn't he? Mobei Jun's anger faltered as he remembered how distrustful he was of his human way back when they first met. His paranoia and disgust against humans had been detrimental to Shang Qinghua, who he saw as nothing else but a cowardly, sniveling, wretch of a man. Strangely attractive in an oddly soft way, not that he would have ever admitted at the time. He periodically threatened Shang Qinghua even after the man had sworn loyalty to him.

Over the years, the threats declined and lessened and he slowly began to see Shang Qinghua in his current point of view; a loyal man who deserved so much more than just returned loyalty. He deserved affection, admiration, love.

Mobei Jun had fallen in love with his servant.

Mobei Jun had fallen in love with his creator.

And though it irks him, at the fact the System had forced them to meet in such dire circumstances. He cannot regret the outcome of it. He does regret his treatment of his human in the past few years, only recently figuring out that Shang Qinghua did not see the beatings as demonic courtship but abuse.

It is a wonder if he is actually worthy of Shang Qinghua's, well, everything.

Was he worthy of such a man?

AirplaneBro: and?
AirplaneBro: man is hot!! HOT HOT ICE MAN! literally the man of my DREAMS!
AirplaneBro: ok but srsly i rly like mobei jun for more than just that
AirplaneBro: yes hes my favorite character but hes also someone ive known for YEARS
AirplaneBro: hes strong and cool and SHOCKINGLY ENOUGH DUDE- he CAN be kind!!!! ive seen it!!! ive experienced it!!!
AirplaneBro: he alwyas gives me shit to heal myself w and this one time when i was RLY sick he helped me get better
AirplaneBro: ALSO the last few times ive seen him he hasnt even TOUCHED ME in any way!
CucumberBro: And him snapping your neck in the future?
AirplaneBro: now that ur here MAYBE we can change that
AirplaneBro: u alredy changed liu qingges fate
AirplaneBro: why not us?
CucumberBro: Okay, very fair I guess...

Whatever was left of his demonic frost dissipated throughout Shang Qinghua's flurry of messages. The Demon Lord stared at them with a warmth in his chest along with a quick beating heart. His face was flushed slightly and his lips turned into a small smile.

Mobei Jun was not worthy of Shang Qinghua. Not by a long shot.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't still try to gain his human's complete affections.

After though, he reminded himself firmly, eyes closed and focused on the chat with a new type of intensity.

After the System was gone, he would tell Shang Qinghua his feelings and they would be happy together.

AirplaneBro: and even if my king killed me ive got a back up plan in mind

CucumberBro: The Sun and Moon Dew Flowers? From the Bailu Forest?
AirplaneBro: quite honestly bro im surprised u even rememebr it MUCH LESS WHERE it was (WHICH BTW THANK YOU BRO U R THE BEST)
AirplaneBro: but yeah!!! the sun n moon dew flwoers, THAT is our backup plan
AirplaneBro: i actually forgor where they were but youve reminded me!!! thanks bro!!! praise be ur memory :DDD
CucumberBro: Uh, you're welcome? But what do the Sun and Moon Dew Flowers even DO?
AirplaneBro: well if grown corerctly u can grow a new body from it
AirplaneBro: u just need the full grown body + a transfer array

Could it bring back Xiao Jiu?, was Yue Qingyuan's immediate thought after reading the conversation.

If he grew Xiao Jiu another body, and somehow try and find his soul, would it work? Or maybe even somehow transfer Shen Yuan's soul into the new body so Xiao Jiu could have his old one back?

It is a cautious and dangerously hopeful line of thinking, something that he should be very careful about. It had its risks, downsides and unfortunate obstacles that would prevent such a thing from happening.

For one; Xiao Jiu's soul was still missing. Not even the System, in all its mysterious yet very real power, could find Xiao Jiu's soul at the time. If that thing couldn't find Xiao Jiu, then how could Yue Qingyuan? He wasn't even an expert in those types of things!

And yet... the thought of just letting this opportunity go, it makes him feel ill.

Well, even more ill than he was right now.

He was still recuperating from the qi deviation, on strict orders to rest by Mu Qingfang. If it were for any other reason, and if he was stricter, crueler or simply arrogant, and if it had been any other person, Yue Qingyuan would have easily ignored or even punished Mu Qingfang's threats and orders. But the healer was adamant in making sure he would rest.

So here he was, in bed, unable to do much else but read the conversations between Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua.

Seeing their original faces had been quite the shock for the morning, especially Shen Yuan. Not only for the amount of skin the 'picture' had shown, but by the sheer similarities he sported with Xiao Jiu. Shang Qinghua was right, Shen Yuan looked like he could've truly been related to Shen Jiu. It shouldn't be a surprise since the System had said that Shen Yuan's soul was similar enough to Xiao Jiu that he was chosen to replace Shen Qingqiu (what anger he felt for the damned system) but seeing it himself was...

It made sense, essentially.

And another knot of discomfort that Yue Qingyuan had about Shen Yuan untangled, the last one, the fact Shen Yuan was still essentially in his Xiao Jiu's body; would not be untangled for a long time he suspects.

But that's alright, he feels more at ease about it now, because Shen Yuan now understood that Xiao Jiu was not merely a 'scum man'.

(but the guilt he felt over xiao jiu had doubled, no, tripled in size. his previous thoughts about xiao jiu's unsavory habits were unwarranted and the fact that xiao jiu had loved him at some point; it breaks something inside him.)

((and yet something else inside him refuses to break completely, he does not know what. but it feels familiar, almost))

CucumberBro: Will the System even let us grow the Sun and Moon Dew Flowers??
AirplaneBro: yes actually
AirplaneBro: if i died from my kings hands id essentially be over w my role as shang qinghua the peak lord!! same w u and luo binghe id presume
CucumberBro: @System_2 This true?
System_2: Confirmed. So long as the Hosts complete their essential missions and goals, the usage of Sun and Moon Dew Flowers are permitted.
CucumberBro: Huh.
CucumberBro: Okay, that works!
CucumberBro: When do we start growing them?
AirplaneBro: not 4 a whiel ufnortunately
AirplaneBro: we still have 2 find them in the bailu forest AND wait 4 them to mature b4 harvest
AirplaneBro: and THEN we have 2 grow the new bodies whichll tke YEARS
CucumberBro: Years?
AirplaneBro: YEARS!!

Yue Qingyuan frowned but his eyes hardened in determination.

He would try and find a method that would locate and bring back his Xiao Jiu's soul, and depending on what happens, he will have to find the Sun and Moon Dew Flowers himself. To grow a new body for either Xiao Jiu or Shen Yuan.

CucumberBro: Ugh, alright, when do we get them?
AirplaneBro: certainly not now
CucumberBro: But WHEN
AirplaneBro: uh
AirplaneBro: ill get back 2 you about that
CucumberBro: Goddammit Airplane.

As much as he wanted to harvest the Sun and Moon Dew Flowers as soon as possible, he knew he had to wait.

Although he had forgotten where it grew (bailu forest? really? dammit, how the hell could he have forgotten THAT?!) he knew that they weren't easily harvested and grew very slowly. Harvesting them now of all times would be pointless, since they would need to be planted not long after they were harvested or else they'd be less effective or even be useless.

Shang Qinghua would need to find a place for both their bodies to grow, somewhere hidden and safe. He would need to ward the area against everyone and everything he could possibly ward against and meticulously plan out their growth. They needed to plan, so despite his and Shen Bro's wants, they couldn't harvest the herb any time soon.

AirplaneBro: ANYWAY
AirplaneBro: how goes ur training bro?
CucumberBro: Don't think I didn't notice you're changing the subject but fine; it's going well.
CucumberBro: Again, I feel confident that I can at least protect myself fairly well but if I really want to master these techniques and stuff I'd need to go into another, longer seclusion.
CucumberBro: I'll be out in a few more weeks.
AirplaneBro: not plannin on extending ur seclusion?
CucumberBro: Nope! Not right now.
CucumberBro: I am getting very tired of this cave.
AirplaneBro: fair lol
CucumberBro: However, training and cultivating myself had me thinking.
CucumberBro: Can I do some cool techniques that I saw in anime, tv shows, etc. in the past?
CucumberBro: I attempted to do so, but I failed. I don't know whether or not it's because it's not possible in this world or because I'm not actually a master cultivator.
CucumberBro: Thoughts?

He rose a brow and grinned.

AirplaneBro: could be both tbh
AirplaneBro: BUTto answer ur question
AirplaneBro: u CAN replicate a few things from shit in our past
AirplaneBro: its kinda difficult but its possible
CucumberBro: Really?? Did you manage to do it? What did you replicate?
AirplaneBro: oh just this and that ;3
CucumberBro: Don't be coy and just tell me!

"And what fun would that be bro?" Shang Qinghua laughed to himself, twirling a brush in hand. He told Shen Qingqiu just that and laughed again at the response.

CucumberBro: Come ooon!! Tell me! What technique did you replicate? Airplane!!!
AirplaneBro: tell u what
AirplaneBro: if u can replicate/recreate something from an anime
AirplaneBro: ill tell u what i did. u got until ur seclusion ends :)
CucumberBro: That's not fair!!
AirplaneBro: look it doesnt have 2 be perfect bro
AirplaneBro: cmon dont u wanna try it 4 urself?
CucumberBro: >:/

"HAH! I got him to emote!"

CucumberBro: Fine!

Shang Qinghua smiled, leaning back against his chair.

He really liked having the chat feature unlocked like this, and having Shen Yuan around to talk to. (he wasn't alone anymore, someone understood his situation)

Sure, a lot of his plans have to be adjusted to account Shen Yuan's existence but the company was worth it.

Now if only he could tell his fellow transmigrator about his latest mission...

Ugh, he really hated the System sometimes.

Chapter Text

It doesn't take long for both Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan to recover, however Mu Qinghfang will always want them to rest longer. To take their time in their recovery, but unfortunately both Peak Lords were stubborn men and were busy- Yue Qingyuan especially as he was their Sect Leader. The healer had no other choice but to declare them healthy and let them go, though he still insisted that if they felt anything off, anything; then they return to him.

Not that they'll take his advice, it was most likely they'll stubbornly think they were fine until it was too late. Mu Qingfang thought to himself bitterly with a sigh.

CaveBoi: Just two more hours! And I can finally leave this damn cave!
PapersSUCK: ayyy good 4 u bro!!

The healer smiled at the new messages, nodding his head in agreement to Shang Qinghua; it was good that Shen Yuan was finally able to leave the cave.

He would leave it stronger than before. Mu Qingfang moved the chat in his head, gathering his notes and trying to find where he left off during Shen Yuan's last rant about the effects of the Whispering Lady Vines- another aphrodisiac plant with multiple effects but Shen Yuan theorized that the plant could possibly negate or even neutralize some other aphrodisiacs and herbs, which was very interesting and Mu Qingfang would have to test out that theory at some point.

Another thing they've found out over the weeks; they could now interact with the chat! It wasn't much other than moving the messages up and down, but it was something. Whether that something was truly good or not, had yet to be decided.

Both he and Yue Qingyuan were once worried that interacting with the chat would alert the System to their presence, that their knowledge of the chat and System's existence would be revealed and something bad would happen. Be it to them, or two their two transmigrated Peak Lords.

However over the week since finding out, nothing had been said or seemingly done so they were tentatively safe, they think. It was hard to tell with the System's machinations in play, subtle and usually undetectable as both Shen Yuan and especially Shang Qinghua have said. (stories from shang qinghua continues to paint the system's subtly ability of manipulation horrifyingly. of moments where shang qinghua had to buy his own survival from the system during certain moments, 'pusher scenes' the system calls it. shang qinghua survives with less points, and usually a downside he would have to deal with. the same would happen with shen yuan, he tells him.)

Being able to move the chat and see past messages was useful though, as Mu Qingfang sometimes missed some crucial information that Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua would say and be unable to write it down. Both transmigrators were absolutely amazing sources of knowledge and information (whenever they actually divulged said information anyway), they had knowledge about herbs, plants, treasures and more- which makes sense since Shen Yuan was an avid reader of their world and Shang Qinghua was their creator. (not even mu qingfang knows if he's lying to himself at this point about how comfortable he was acknowledging that the an ding peak lord was their creator god.)

Though between Shang QInghua and Shen Yuan, Shen Yuan seemed to at least remember everything better than Shang Qinghua and often went in-depth with his knowledge in his rants or theories. Sometimes Shang Qinghua would chime in for additional information or even correct Shen Yuan's misconceptions on certain topics.

Mu Qingfang has been filling books about their conversations, writing down anything useful that would hopefully aid them in the future. Like the locations of certain artifacts and treasures, hidden areas where certain plants whom they'd all thought extinct thrived, of creatures and animals that were so dangerous that Mu Qingfang was trying to think of ways to heal a person's wounds that they might receive from such creatures.

Most of his free time has been spent writing in these books and studying so much that he feels like he's in his disciple days once more, trying to learn everything he can and think of how his lessons and knowledge could be applied to reality. It's a nearly heart-warming thought if it weren't tinted with a flavor of desperation and caution.

He has to be careful of this knowledge, careful not to catch the System's attention.

Mu Qingfang desperately wants to talk with Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan about certain topics, their theories were solid (though some were humorously nonsensical) and a face to face discussion with in-depth explanations would surely benefit them all in the end. Alas, he cannot. He cannot ask his questions to the two men, he cannot ask clarification on certain things nor an explanation. He can only try and parse through their banter and figure it out on his own.

Well, not entirely on his own, just mostly.

Because he has Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge on his side, they know what he knows, and they will help him if he asks them.

Only problem was that Yue Qingyuan was already busy as the Sect Leader of Cang Qiong, and Liu Qingge wasn't exactly the scholarly type. The only thing Mu Qingfang could ask Liu Qingge to do, was occasionally go to certain location to fetch samples or confirm that they are correct; which is certainly helpful of course! They've found two variants of plants that Mu Qingfang had never heard of before, as well as discover a new species! (new to them, not to the transmigrators.)

Helpful as Liu Qingge was, Mu Qingfang couldn't exactly ask him any leading ideas or theories that were substantial. Again, the man was a war god, not the scholarly type.

Yue Qingyuan, like he said, was busy catching up with his work and duty as Sect Leader after his qi deviation. As much as Mu Qingfang disliked it, the man had to show he was fine to the outside world. That he was still a strong cultivator despite the incident. Politics, Mu Qingfang thought with slight distaste.

In fact, Yue Qingyuan was required to go down their mountain today. To meet with others for the meeting arrangement of the Immortal Alliance Conference. It wouldn't happen for a few more years, but the meeting had been scheduled already and Yue Qingyuan had to attend.

CaveBoi has changed their own name to FREEDOM!!

FREEDOM!!: I am getting OUT OF THIS CAVE!
PapersSUCK: AYO! CONGRATS BRO CONGRATS!
FREEDOM!!: I can't wait to head back and get something nice to eat!
PapersSUCK: b4 u do that tho
PapersSUCK: real quick, did u manage to recreate/replicate something??
FREEDOM!!: Somewhat! Not entirely recreated it, but I think it's solid enough that I can use it without problem? I'd still need to work out the kinks of it.
PapersSUCK: fair fair, i only gave u till the end of ur sclusion

Mu Qingfang almost forgot that Shang Qinghua had wagered Shen Yuan just a few weeks ago of 'recreating or replicating' techniques from their old world. He doesn't know what 'TV shows' and 'anime' were, but he was curious as to what Shen Yuan had managed to do. Same with Shang Qinghua, he's never really seen the Peak Lord fight before, and before Liu Qingge had left last time, he had gruffed out that Shang Qinghua rarely fought one on one before. Cowering in the corner of fights instead, and when he did fight, he fought well enough to defend himself.

They never realized that maybe he wasn't just cowering for the sake of fear, but for the sake of hiding his techniques and strength. (though maybe it was mostly still fear? you can never know with shang qinghua)

Liu Qingge immediately wanted to spar with Shang Qinghua, wanting to see just what techniques the man had hidden in his sleeves, actually feeling offended that the mousy man was hiding his skills like that— strength should be displayed! Where was the honor in hiding your skills?

Mu Qingfang had managed to stop the War God from storming into An Ding and demanding a spar by the skin of his teeth. There was no point in demanding a spar when Shang Qinghua would intentionally cower anyway, content to play the scared, weak Peak Lord in public.

(throughout the chats and conversations, they all learn how cunning and manipulative shang qinghua could truly be. mu qingfang had shuddered as he read on how shang qinghua had managed to verbally and contractually twist an arrogant demonic merchant into gladly selling everything to shang qinghua at discount price, emphasize on everything. the demonic merchant had been a powerful fox demon, a wicked man who had attempted to swindle mobei jun, shang qinghua was furious and managed to trick the demon fox into signing a life-binding contract of allegiance to the ice demon. and that was only one of the stories shang qinghua casually retold to shen yuan who periodically asked him about his work as both a peak lord and spy.)

((mobei jun had fully swoon at the retold tale.))

(((shang qinghua was very confused but grateful to the very expensive rolls of paper, brushes and ink that mobei jun had gifted him not long after the story)))

FREEDOM!!: It was hard but I DID IT!
FREEDOM!!: NOW!
FREEDOM!!: Tell me abo
FREEDOM!!: Hold on.
PapersSuck: oop
FREEDOM!!: WTF DO YOU MEAN QIONG DING IS BEING INVADED BY DEMONS

Ink splattered itself on his desk as Mu Qingfang slammed his hands on it while standing up, face pale as the chat continued.

PapersSUCK: (-_-;)・・・
FREEDOM!!: AIRPLANE
PapersSUCK: ∑(´ﾟωﾟ｀*)
FREEDOM!!: WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO
PapersSUCK: IT WAS A MISSION OKAY I COULDNT SAY NO
FREEDOM!!: FUCK

"Fuck is right Yuan-ge."

Luo Binghe's head tilted, looking at Ning Yingying questioningly. "What was that Ning-shijie? Who's Yuan-ge?"

His shijie jumped in place, face pale and solemn but she gave him a reassuring smile in return. "Nothing A-Luo! I'm just, really nervous about everything but I'll know it's going to be okay!" The smile itself is strained and uneasy, which is understandable though because of their current situation.

Demons were attempting to invade Qiong Ding Peak.

He as well as other disciples of Qing Jing were clustered together by Qiong Ding's hall, semi-protected by the Cang Qiong sect guards that were trying to keep the advancing demons at bay with failing results. The demons seemed to be too strong for the sect guards, which was strange as Luo Binghe thought they'd be stronger than that.

(luo binghe would find out much later on that the weakest sect guards were stationed that day, the stronger ones sent away on important missions.)

Luo Binghe watched with trepidation as the demons gathered in front of the hall, lead by a teenage demon girl who was scandalously clad in the most revealing clothes that he's ever seen in his life! Truly, demons were sinful and dangerous folk. He cannot help but blush at the amount of skin scantily shown for all to see- what shamelessness! Still, he shook his head and cleared his thoughts, now was not the time to be embarrassed, Cang Qiong was under attack!

Thankfully however, today was the day Shizun's seclusion ended.

Shizun came gracefully with a train of disciples behind him, all sporting their heads high, backs straight and determination within their hardened eyes. With Shizun's arrival, their numbers clearly overwhelmed the demons entourage, however would it be enough?

'Shizun will know what to do, everything will be okay. Shizun is here, there is no need to worry.' This was Binghe's main thought as hoped sparked in his chest at the sight of the beautiful Peak Lord who arrived. Face neutral and aloof, partially hidden by his fan, eyes narrowed at the demons that dared storm their Sect. Seeing him there calmed his nerves, filling him with confidence.

'Shizun is truly a great cultivator, he looks just as handsome as he left for seclusion.' Luo Binghe smiled widely, happily taking in natural beauty of his teacher. For a moment, their eyes meet and Luo Binghe's heart skips a beat, excitement flowing through his veins for just a moment. It dulls only slightly when Shen Qingqiu looks back at towards the demons.

He doesn't think about it any deeper until much later, after the invasion. For now, he is watching with anticipation as Shen Qingqiu, Peak Lord of Qing Jing, confronts the demonic girl and her group.

"Let's see you be arrogant now that my Shifu's here, girl!" Ming Fan bellowed from the side, smug and prideful, infinitely more confident now that their Shizun (not just yours ming fan) had arrived.

Luo Binghe's breath hitched as suddenly, two demons had broken away from the group, clearly intending to attack Shizun but in a flurry of movement that he could barely catch, Shen Qingqiu's hands blurred and suddenly both demons were knocked away back at the girl's feet. She looked taken back but swiftly covered her surprise with a sly, if a bit cautious grin. Gone was her arrogance though, when she first taunted the surrounding disciples after defeating the Sect Guards that tried to keep them out.

She had been so confident when it was just the disciples, but now that Shizun was here, she would have to be careful.

(the hall elders of qiong ding were missing as well that day.)

"My purpose coming here wasn't originally to fight, elder cultivator. I merely wanted to see the skills that Cang Qiong boasted throughout the realms! The talent that they bragged about, my family was quite curious about it so we came to the mountain to exchange pointers." She lied with a demure smile. Her words made no sense at all, Luo Binghe thought with a frown as he sees the injured Sect Guards that were being taken away in the background.

Shizun was clearly not fooled by her words, lightly fanning with narrow, unimpressed eyes. "Is that right? You say you want to exchange pointers yet you've come when our Sect Leader is gone, and I hear you want to cut the Rainbow Bridge. You've wounded disciples and sect guardsmen, what a new way to seek pointers young miss." He replied cooly, Luo Binghe fidgeted in place, simply in awe at how levelheaded and calm his shizun was at the moment.

The girl's demure look falters, and Luo Binghe wonders what she even wanted to achieve with that obvious lie. "This one recognizes immortal master, Sword 'Xiu Ya', Shen Qingqiu Scholar of Qing Jing. Seeing is believing, this Sha Hualing is young and has failed to control her subordinates. If I offended you, may the immortal master be magnanimous and forgiving." She says softly, though her actions say otherwise. She had taken out a weapon of her own!

Luo Binghe tensed, wondering what would happen. Would his shizun hear her out? Would she dare to attack him first?

No, apparently she proposes a fight of three rounds with three representatives from each side. Luo Binghe does not know why Shen Qingqiu accepts, but he will defer to his Shizun's judgement.

The first round is his Shizun versus a demon, an elder called Du Bi. The demon was old looking, purple and black all over and only had one arm. Both stepped forward in the large space that was surrounded by disciples and demons on each side, their temporary arena. Naturally, Luo Binghe joined his fellow disciples and sect members in cheering on Shen Qingqiu, with the sheer amount of them, they were louder than the jeering sounds of the demons.

Shen Qingqiu tilted his head slightly at the elder demon, "You have one arm." He noted aloud, still fanning himself lightly. "Even if I win like this, it doesn't seem like an honest victory." Ning Yingying muttered something besides Luo Binghe but the boy wasn't paying her attention, eyes firmly locked at the scene of the Peak Lord standing tall and strong against the opposing demon, the crowd was too loud for him to properly hear her anyway.

Du Bi sneered at the man, insulted, "Oh? And what do you want to do then?"

Shen Qingqiu's fan snapped close and a small smile graced his face, he waved his closed fan at the demon. "I won't use a single hand to defeat you."

Several disciples and even a few demons made shocked noises, Luo Binghe was one of them as they realized that Shen Qingqiu meant what he said in a casual way, what arrogance! The demon girl, Sha Hualing, snorted and scowled, no doubt deeming his shizun arrogant and conceited. "Is that so? Then let us begin!" She exclaimed much to the anger of everyone else on Shen Qingqiu's side.

Luo Binghe didn't join the calls and boos coming from his fellow disciples, but it was a near thing. He disapproved of it, but he had confidence that Shen Qingqiu would be able to win regardless! (he couldn't stop the small sliver of concern and doubt that grew in his chest though.)

Shen Qingqiu said nothing, merely keeping his small smile on his lips as he lightly toyed with his fan. Fluttering it open as the elder demon drew his sword, despite being one-handed, it seemed that it didn't affect the demon's abilities and skills all too much as he lunged at Shen Qingqiu so quickly that Luo Binghe almost missed it! What he didn't miss however, was the thin, glowing barrier that suddenly appeared. It stopped the demon's sword right in front of his shizun's face! Shimmering light green, painting Shen Qingqiu in a gentle green light that highlighted the pleased smile on his face.

Du Bi was briefly shocked but quickly tried to lash out again, swinging his sword with the clear intent to shatter the barrier- only he missed as the barrier disappeared and instead he met with Xiu Ya. Only Shen Qingqiu wasn't holding it! It was floating on it's own!

Murmurs came the demon side while awed whispers were coming from his fellow disciples.

The snow white sword was glowing bright, bright enough to hurt Du BI's eyes who snarled and attacked again, trying to land one of his attacks on Shen Qingqiu only to be constantly met and parried by Xiu Ya. Their swords sparked with each meeting blow, the loud metallic CLANGS that sounded with each block and parry. Shen Qingqiu was fanning himself with his paper fan again, simply standing there with a pleased look on his face. (he was secretly hiding his other arm which was forming a sword seal to manipulate xiu ya properly)

Their fight was less of a fight between opponents, but a dance of swords- at least on Shen Qingqiu's end. He moved lightly, taking a few steps to casually dodge Du Bi's attacks or give both his own sword and Du Bi some room as he gracefully kept to himself.

The only time he made a big move was to finish the fight.

Du Bi had managed to knock Xiu Ya far enough away to immediately lash out at the nearby Shen Qingqiu, only to miss and hit nothing but air as the man leapt up and landed on a small, glowing green barrier. The same one from the start of the fight! Shen Qingqiu stood in the air with a beautifully condescending look on his face, eyes half lidded behind his paper fan as Xiu Ya slammed into Du Bi and knocked him back into the group of demons.

It was clear who won that fight.

Cheers erupted from the disciples and Luo Binghe stared at Shen Qingqiu with wide eyes and a swaying, beating heart. He always knew that his Shizun was powerful, but to see it in real life...

He was taken out of his thoughts when he felt Ning Yingying suddenly grasping his sleeve, looking pale and worried. "Ning-shijie? What's wrong?" He asked, worried for his shijie. Before she could reply, Shen Qingqiu took their attention as he landed elegantly back on the ground, Xiu Ya floating besides him.

Xiu Ya sheathed itself and his shizun looked towards Sha Hualing, the demon girl was gritting her teeth and quickly exclaimed. "It wouldn't be fair or an exchange of pointers if the representatives stay the same; which is why I will be fighting in the second round." She seemed fairly confident that Shen Qingqiu would abide to her terms and send out someone else to fight the second round.

It was surprising when Shen Qingqiu actually did abide to her terms and asked aloud, "You all heard her. Who wishes to fight this second round?"

Luo Binghe blinked when Shen Qingqiu suddenly turned to a certain area of the crowd of disciples, said disciples there were from a specific peak, the all-female disciple peak of Xian Shu. From the crowd of fairy ladies, a girl wearing a veil on her face stepped out with her head high.

He didn't know who she was, but the whispers around him quickly informed him of her name, which was—

FREEDOM!!: AHHH!! The second wife appears!! LIU MINGYAN!!
PapersSUCK: oop here we go
PapersSUCK: btw congrats bro!! on the fight AND replicating protect! was not expecting that!

Ning Yingying held on to Luo Binghe's sleeve tightly. Worried for him as she knows that Yuan-ge would have him fight after Liu Mingyan.

She doesn't even care that the girl fight now was one of A-Luo's future wives (okay maybe she cares a little bit, she'll have to learn more about her later), all she cares is that the System is going to force Yuan-ge to make Luo Binghe fight next.

ERROR
ERROR
ERROR

Ning Yingying flinched, a sharp pain suddenly piercing through her head. It's source? The chat.

PapersSuck: wtf
System_1: Emergency program shutdown initiating, the chat shall be temporarily closed.

System_1 has removed PapersSuck
System_2 has removed FREEDOM!!
System_1 has disconnected from the channel
System_2 has disconnected from the channel

Oh, what now?!

ERROR
A bug has been found in the program!
Finding bug...
Fixing errors...
Updating security parameters...

Program has paused!

System_? has deleted bug_scan.h
System_? has deleted error_fix.a
System_? has deleted update_secure.h
System_? has uploaded hide_bug.t
System_? has uploaded fake_fix.o
System_? has uploaded false_secure.o
System_? has uploaded stream_feature.l
System_? has uploaded voice_call_feature1.a
System_? has uploaded store_expand.t
System_? has uploaded slot_3.e

Program has continued!
No bug has been detected!
New update detected!
Automatically downloading update!
Updating...
Downloading data...
Adding Store Expansion...
Accessing World Data...
Downloading Content...
Adding Stream Feature...
Adding Voice Call...

Chapter Text

Ning Yingying had started the day with great optimism, because that day was when Yuan-ge's seclusion would end and she would find out what new technique he replicated, or recreated from his and Shang-shishu's old world.

Ever since she saw a glimpse of their world, she had a growing sense of curiosity about it. At first, shocked and scandalized by the amount of skin shown before curiosity had inevitably overtaken her shock at the utterly alien and foreign world that was in her mind now. The clothing, the streets, the buildings, the sense of fashion- she had wanted to know more.

(yuan-ge looked so much like her baba, no wonder the system took him... her decision to all him yaun-ge was pretty much justified at the sight of his face. they could've been brothers!!)

They had shared a few other 'photos' after that, just a couple. One of them was Shang-shishu who had taken a 'selfie', holding some sort of drink in a clear cup that didn't seem to be made of glass. He'd been wearing a lighter type of clothing close to Yuan-ge's first picture, she had blushed and giggled at how improper it was that she could almost see Shang-shishu's collarbones from the single layer of top clothing he wore. His hair a still fiery red, and the sun shining down on his smiling face.

(mobei jun had spent more than half an hour, staring at the face. he rarely sees shang qinghua smile, and this type of easy, carefree smile was a rarity that he's never seen before. he promises to see it again, but in reality.)

In the background, there was this strange sort of metal carriage that had no horse pulling it! Multiple in fact! They had people inside at what she could only assume was the front of the strange carriage, and oh! There was a woman in the background who wore a revealing, yet strangely stylish clothes! Her arms and legs were showing, flawless and smooth, she was wearing strange shoes with raised heels that gave the woman height.

She had short hair but was clearly stylized and so very curly!! She was holding something, a thin, black brick of some kind. Despite showing that amount of skin, she seemed to be so confident in the picture and no one was paying her any mind!!! She was pretty too!

Yuan-ge's picture was more somber, in a way. She knew that Yuan-ge had been sick before he transmigrated into her shizun's body, but she didn't know how sick. The picture was of a much younger Yuan-ge tucked into a completely white bed, surrounded by a white environment. There were these strange clear rope things that were attached to him, she felt sick at the sight of one taped down and clearly going inside Yuan-ge. Yuan-ge was smiling weakly at the camera, pale, frail and thin. But in his eyes were a tired sense of satisfaction, a will to live that shook her slightly.

(yuan-ge's face was really similar to her baba, but her baba never had the same look that yuan-ge had.)
((yue qingyuan thought the same. mu qingfang was very curious as to what those tubes were for and what medicine shen yuan had taken at the time to help his health. liu qingge stared at the picture with a complicated look on his face.))

It was a picture of Shen Yuan's last night at the 'hospital' when he was younger, a place for care and health Ning Yingying correctly assumed.

Sometimes, Shen Yuan would exclaim at how cool it was that he could run around without being out of breath so quickly, of doing flips and generally other physical things that Ning Yingying could easily do with no problem. Both she and Shang-shishu (and most of the others) would find it bemusing, they had already known that Yuan-ge was previously sick but they hadn't exactly known how sick.

Seeing the picture, it put things into perspective, it made her think of how wondrous it must be, from having a sick body that could not even run properly to being able to do so with an ease you never had before. She was happy Yuan-ge was healthy now, she really was.

She just wished that he had gotten his own healthy body instead of taking her baba's. (she knows it wasn't on purpose, still. it hurts sometimes, to know that the next time she sees her baba's body, it wasn't really her baba.)

Anyway, today was the day Shen Qingqiu would come out of seclusion! It should be a great day!

It wasn't.

Demons made their way up their mountain, invading and heading towards Qiong Ding. Sect guards and disciples alike were beaten up as they made their way up, lead by a demon girl by the name of Sha Hualing and for what? To steal Qiong Ding's engraved sign as a way to show off her achievements? How would stealing the Qiong Ding sign be a show of strength?

Of course, no one knew about Sha Hualing's intentions or even her name at the beginning. No one but her, Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua.

Ning Yingying couldn't believe that the demon girl before her was one of Binghe's future wives! One of the first ones, both transmigrators say and it took a lot to not just gape at her shidi, to take Luo Binghe's shoulders into her hands and shake the boy violently for his future counterpart's actions! Sha Hualing? Really?!

She shouldn't be surprised that A-Luo had taken a demon girl as one of his wives, he was half-demon after all, still she was shocked to know about it now. And shocked that Sha Hualing was one of his wives! But no, after a moment of thought, she begrudgingly realized that it made sense in the perspective of a story. Some stories she knew, that the protagonist could sometimes turn an enemy to a love interest. It was a trope that she knew of.

She just never experienced it in real life before.

And now here she was, her fellow future wife, challenging Yuan-ge in combat. Three rounds with representatives sent on each side.

Admittedly, Ning Yingying had been worried at first. Yuan-ge had just started cultivating, he's only secluded himself for a couple of months. Sure she's read their conversations on how he was getting better, and how unfair it was that Yuan-ge was breezing through techniques and such (she had been a bit jealous herself) but still! Yuan-ge had been a sickly person before! Surely, he had never been in a fight.

Or maybe he had?

Because Yuan-ge had faced off that one-armed demon with such grace and poise that befitted a man who was the Qing Jing Peak Lord! (for a small, cruel moment to herself. she thought her baba had come back to protect yuan-ge, protect them all from these demons.) For a man who had never cultivated before, who only spent months cultivating and training, he had fought well!

Was her Yuan-ge a genius or was the System's power truly that terrifying?

Either way, her worries melted into pride and excitement. She cheered with her fellow disciples, squealed in awe when Yuan-ge used his newest technique; something he replicated from his old world! A barrier technique simply called Protect. He had used it twice, once as it's name intended, protecting himself from the demon's sharp blade and the next as a platform to keep himself in the air while Xiu Ya knocked the demon away and won the first round completely.

Her Yuan-ge was so impressive!

Of course, her cheer disappeared completely when the chat called for both her and Yuan-ge's attention.

System_2: @FREEDOM!! Urgent warning: If Luo Binghe does not participate in the competition, the protagonist’s degree of coolness will be deducted by 1000.
FREEDOM!!: EXCUSE ME?! You want me to SEND OUT A TEENAGER against these demons?!
FREEDOM!!: ALSO 1000 POINTS?? ARE YOU ACTUALLY TRYING TO KILL ME.
PapersSUCK: its a plot event bro!! the consequences for plot events are fucking devastating

A-Luo had to fight in one of the rounds?

Instantly she paled, shaking in fear and worry at the thought of her shidi fighting against these tough looking demons. Her shidi was young! A-Luo's cultivation wasn't enough to fight these demons! Yes, he was strong, yes he was the protagonist but still!

But oh, her Yuan-ge's points would be deducted if A-Luo didn't participate. She knows that if his points hit zero, Yuan-ge will be in big trouble. (he'll be sent back to his dead, rotting body. he and shang qinghua had talked about this a couple of times, and it never failed to upset her.)

She reached out to Luo Binghe, grasping his sleeve tightly. Luo Binghe looked back, looking worried for her and asked "Ning-shijie? What's wrong?" 'A-Luo, I'm fine. I'm more worried FOR YOU!' she thought to herself but before she could say anything (what could she even say? what could she even do?!) Yuan-ge gained everyone's attention by landing gracefully on the ground, sheathing Xiu Ya.

And Sha Hualing garnered that attention by speaking. "It wouldn't be fair or an exchange of pointers if the representatives stay the same; which is why I will be fighting in the second round." Ning Yingying gulped, fingers tightening to fists.

FREEDOM!!: Fuck, I don't want to send out Binghe.
System_2: @FREEDOM!! Urgent warning: If Luo Binghe does not participate in the competition, the protagonist’s degree of coolness will be deducted by 1000.
FREEDOM!!: Shut up!!

"You all heard her. Who wishes to fight this second round?" Yuan-ge asked, hiding his face behind his fan.

FREEDOM!!: If I remember correctly, Luo Binghe doesn't fight until the third round, and the second round's fighter is—

"I will fight!" A feminine voice came from the crowd of disciples, over with the fairies of Xian Shu. Ning Yingying blinked, looking over to see who had spoken up.

The crowd parted slightly to reveal a young woman with a veil on her face, a Xian Shu disciple. Though half her face was masked, she was still clearly beautiful. Her eyes said it all, and the way she held her head high with pride and the determination in her walk; she was strong. She looked a bit familiar, who was she?

FREEDOM!!: AHHH!! The second wife appears!! LIU MINGYAN!!
PapersSUCK: oop here we go
PapersSUCK: btw congrats bro!! on the fight AND replicating protect! was not expecting that!

Well that answered her question. It did not however, lower any of her worries and concern for Luo Binghe.

No, all she cared right now was that A-Luo would be fighting next! That he was in real danger! Protagonist be damned!

And then—

ERROR
ERROR
ERROR

PapersSUCK: wtf
System_1: Emergency program shutdown initiated, the chat shall be temporarily closed

System_1 has removed PapersSuck
System_2 has removed FREEDOM!!
System_1 has disconnected from the channel
System_2 has disconnected from the channel

She doesn't know what happened, all she knows now is that the System would be forcing Yuan-ge to fight next and the chat was once again, silent in her head.

She really didn't realize how much she'd come to rely on the chat for certain things; like information and knowing what Yuan-ge and Shang-shishu were actually saying or thinking. And without it, Ning Yingying's worry and fear intensified.

Of all the times for the chat to stop!

"Is something wrong, Sect Leader Yue?" Huan Hua's Old Palace Master asked, having noticed Yue Qingyuan's wince and the grimace he sported on his face. "Ah yes, I heard that you suffered a qi deviation lately. Perhaps you need more time to recuperate?"

Yue Qingyuan keeps his face neutrally pleasant, waving off the 'concern' the old man showed him. "This master has recuperated well enough." He states but inwardly, he hesitates. Should he have taken that chance to end the meeting early? He has no clear contact with his Sect at the moment, and the chat was unresponsive at the moment. 'Shut down' due to an emergency- he can only hope that emergency didn't involve him or the others.

Had the system finally found out that they were spying on the chat? Had it shut down to deal with them? If so, how? Would Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua be punished despite having no involvement other than being spied upon?

He hoped not.

He wants to head back to Cang Qiong, he really does! However, leaving so abruptly would call for suspicion on nearly every side. The other sects would ask him on how he knew about the invasion, Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan would ask why came back so early then ask him how he knew of the invasion.

His first impulse had been to leave, but luckily (or not, it was hard to tell right now) he had managed not to do so. (it was his impulsivity that got him stuck in the caves with xuan su in the first place.) It was the fact that he could read Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua's chat that managed to soothe some of his worries- Shen Yuan as Shen Qingqiu would be there to defend the Sect from Sha Hualing (another wife?? a demon saintess at that???) and her entourage of demons and report to him (unknowingly) about what was happening.

And both would reveal more information during it, however now that the chat was temporarily down, Yue Qingyuan could do nothing else but wait for the meeting to end.

He would have to test his faith on Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua with this... However, they weren't the only ones he could trust weren't they?

Mu Qingfang would arrive at Qiong Ding no doubt, and Liu Qingge would speed back towards the Sect the moment the invasion was revealed. It just depended on how far his shidi had gone out and how fast he could come back.

Relatively fast enough, Yue Qingyuan hoped.

Though the fact that Liu Mingyan, his sister, was also one of Luo Binghe's future wives would probably help motivate the man into coming back to the Sect as fast as he possibly can. He can only hope that Mu Qingfang could calm Liu Qingge afterwards so the Bai Zhan Peak Lord wouldn't murder the half-demon disciple. 

(it's been weeks and the thought that the boy would have, or originally going to have 666 wives was still mind boggling.)

"I see, then shall we continue the meeting?" The old sect leader asked with a faint smile, it irks him, but he perseveres.

Yue Qingyuan returned with a faint smile of his own, "Indeed."

Liu Mingyan was ashamed of herself, she had lost to a demoness girl!

In front of everyone! Her fellow disciples along with the disciples of both Qing Jing and Qiong Ding! She had lost against the treacherous demoness girl that dared to try and invade their Sect! Worse yet, her brother knew she had lost. Surely that was why he seemed so angry right now.

The past few hours had been hectic since her defeat against the new demon Saintess Sha Hualing. (she doesn't know how her brother knows her name or her status as new demon saintess, he was a peak lord, he knew things.) Although the fact she was a Saintess helped soothe her bruised ego for surely a demoness with a title was very strong yes, but it still shamed her to lose such a fight in front of everyone.

She was the younger sister of the Bai Zhan Peak Lord! She shared blood with the War God Liu Qingge! All she ever wanted was to make her brother and family proud, show that she, too, could be as strong as her big brother.

(should she have accepted her brother's offer towards bai zhan? no, she had wanted to show it without liu qingge's help and she couldn't be too sure that liu qingge wouldn't treat her differently from her peers because they were siblings. she didn't want to be accused of nepotism or favoritism. so she aimed for xian shu instead.)

Liu Mingyan had been so surprised when Shen Qingqiu, her brother's rival (drenched in unsavory rumors that she was hesitant to believe) suggested a young boy to represent Cang Qiong in the next round. The boy looked young, unsure, and she had inwardly asked herself if the boy, Luo Binghe? had even cultivated for more than five years.

And yet the boy won, he had persisted after half an hour of fighting and he won against the elder demon whose name she couldn't be bothered to remember.

He had proved his worth, proved that Shen-shishu's decision in choosing him had not been a mistake.

It should have been a victory truly worth celebrating, and yet tragedy still struck.

At first the demon didn't want to accept his defeat, but Shen Qingqiu had knocked him unconscious and took away his war hammer weapon.

The demon however, feigned unconsciousness and dared to try and sneak an attack on his opponent! Demons truly had no honor. Luo Binghe was his primary opponent, but Shen-shishu had reacted fast enough to force him away from the sudden ambush, saving his disciple from the demon but putting himself in danger instead.

The elder demon had been wearing armor tipped with poison, a deceptively simple yet nonetheless dangerous poison called Without A Cure.

A devious poison that essentially interfered Shen-shishu's spiritual cultivation, it was slow-acting but the outcome would end in her shishu's death.

Her brother was angry, probably not just because she lost, but because he'd been too late. He was angry at himself. He had arrived just as Shen Qingqiu had been poisoned, he'd been the one to kill the elder demon, descending from the sky like the War God that he was. He didn't say anything, looking vengeful and furious as he attacked the demons that dared tried to invade their sect- Sha Hualing had quickly fled the scene, injured from her brother's attacks but alive.

By the time it was over, Shen Qingqiu was pale and weak, swaying in place. Liu Mingyan was able to push herself through the crowd to see her brother kneeling by his side along with Luo Binghe, she couldn't hear anything from where she stood, but she saw the moment her brother swept Shen-shishu into his arms. The sight of her brother and Shen-shishu like that- it seemed very strange to her, she'd been fixated on it for some reason but her shame and worry had overcame that strange feeling.

Her brother took the Qing Jing Peak Lord to Mu Qingfang, who had arrived with An Ding's peak lord Shang Qinghua! Both looked grim at the sight of Shen-shishu, their complexion didn't improve when Liu Qingge told them that he'd been poisoned.

It was a blur of things from there.

Injured sect guards and disciples were carted off to Qian Cao, disciples were told to write down and report what happened and Liu Mingyan was eventually taken to the side by her brother. He looked angry, and here they were now. Near a path of Qian Cao, stewing in silence as her brother paced back and forth, his face changing from time to time but primarily he looked angry.

She couldn't take the tension anymore.

"I'm sorry."

Liu Qingge stopped pacing, now looking at her with angry eyes that turned into confusion? "I lost to that demon girl, I didn't- I didn't uphold our family's name and strength. Forgive me, I disgraced Cang Qiong." Liu Mingyan told him quietly, fists clenched underneath her sleeves. "I asked Shen-shishu to give me punishment, but he just told me to train more and win another day. I ask you to punish me properly ins—"

"Mingyan," her brother interrupts, anger and confusion mellowing to quiet concern. "You did well enough."

"But, aren't you angry with me because I lost?"

He blinks and shakes his head, "No, no that's not why- I'm not angry with you Mingyan. I'm angry with—" He looked conflicted for a moment, "I'm angry with those demons." He says with gritted teeth. She thinks he was about to say something else, but she can't be sure. However, she feels a bit relieved at the revelation that he's not angry with her.

She still feels ashamed for her lost.

It must have shown on her face as her brother softens, she doesn't know how he knows whenever she's sad. Even with her veil on, he always knows. Was it her eyes? "Mingyan, I'm proud of you. You showed bravery in offering to be the second representative, you fought against a demon saintess without a spirit sword! You lost, but you lost with honor and you are still alive. That is all that matters."

Liu Mingyan took in a shaky deep breath, ignoring the wetness of her eyes and nodded to her brother's words. The tension in the air has drained, leaving only comfort that she appreciates with a loving smile. She loved her brother dearly, and she hoped he knew that.

"Thank you brother, your words are kind." Still... "Brother, may I ask a favor?"

"Anything, just tell me what you want."

She gives him a determined look, "Will you train me? Personally? I- I wish to grow stronger."

Liu Qingge pauses before nodding with even fiercer determination, "Of course. Your brother will make you strong, Mingyan."

She smiles, happy that her brother accepted her wish, that she would grow stronger so that she may never lose again to demons like Sha Hualing.

(little did she know that he had a different goal in mind. he would make her far stronger than that damned brat, luo binghe! how dare he covet his sister like that!! if only mu qingfang and yue qingyuan would just let him end the half-demon already!)

She leaves Qian Cao in higher spirits after being checked upon by the healing disciples, arriving at Xian Shu where she'se met immediately by her Shifu, Qi Qingqi. Apparently her shifu had already asked her martial sisters about what happened but wanted to hear about it from her personally. She obliged, she'd been wanting to meet her Shifu anyway to tell her that she wanted to personally train with her brother for a while.

She'd still be a Xian Shu disciple of course, she wasn't going to transfer peaks but she wanted to get stronger and despite her original thoughts on the matter, training with her brother would definitely help her strength.

It was in the middle of their discussion when she felt a pain—

Ding!

「Chat Channel 1」

System_1 has joined the channel
System_2 has joined the channel
System_1 has added PapersSUCK
System_2 has added FREEDOM!!
System_? has added ?????

System_1: Apologies for the abrupt shutdown, an emergency protocol triggered after the System's scan came with a dangerous error.
System_1: The System has now fixed said error and everything should be fine now, and as compensation for the abrupt shutdown. A few updates and features have been downloaded, please enjoy the service!
PapersSUCK: wellat least the nicknames stayed this time
PapersSUCK: ...
PapersSUCK: bro
PapersSUCK: oh rite ur comatose atm
PapersSUCK: welp
PapersSUCK: gues its just me in here for now
PaparsSUCK: time 2 see these new featrures ig

It was humiliating enough that she had to return home with nothing but injuries to her name, she had no time to even snatch the damn sign from the hall! But now there was something inside her head! Sha Hualing snarled at thin air, daring the thing in her head to come out and face her!

Just because she was injured didn't mean she couldn't fight, dammit!

"Shen Qingqiu is possessed! Why didn't you tell the rest of the peak lords! We have a right to know about this!"

Yue Qingyuan kept his face neutral in the face of his fellow peak lord's anger, a furious but very confused Liu Mingyan stood behind her, staring right at her grimacing brother.

Mu Qingfang was wondering with an aggrieved face if he should expand his office if they were all just going to meet at his peak like this for these types of meetings all the time now. He's already had a headache from dealing with Shang Qinghua the day beforehand, Qi Qingqi's shouting was not helping.

Gods above that were not Shang Qinghua (if there were any, dammit) give him strength.

Chapter Text

"Shen Qingqiu is possessed! Why didn't you tell the rest of the peak lords! We have a right to know about this!"

It took a lot of Mu Qingfang's restraint to not just sigh out loud and gain Qi Qingqi's attention and anger, the rest of his restraint failed him as he gave in into his urge to rub at his temple as an attempt to alleviate the headache he had; he'd just spent hours delegating and going through the injuries of everyone involved of the invasion. And throughout those hours, he had to come to the reality of just how much damage, Shang Qinghua could do to their sect.

If Mu Qingfang hadn't known that Shang Qinghua was involved with the invasion somehow, he honestly wouldn't have known whatsoever of the man's subtle machinations. He doesn't know how Shang Qinghua let Sha Hualing and her demon group invade Cang Qiong so easily, but at least he knows why.

(he and the others find out later through their own investigations of how shang qinghua manipulated their sect guard rotations and missions, the qiong ding hall master schedules and tweaked the wards of their sect's actual mountain to let the group through. it is actually terrifying to learn just how ingrained shang qinghua was in the inner workings of their sect and how much power he actually had behind the scenes.)

"This master shall investigate on how those demons got in Mu-shidi and fix any problem that might have happened." Shang Qinghua lied to him with a reassuring smile that seemed so dangerously genuine. Mu Qingfang could only nod in reply, lest he say or do something he might have regretted. Liu Qingge had luckily left with his sister during this moment and Shang Qinghua had soon parted with a flurry of excuses, looking timid and nervous as ever.

Before the chat, the system, the whole revelation, Mu Qingfang would shamefully admit that he never gave much thought about Shang Qinghua personally aside from the timidity and nervousness- he's thankful for the An Ding Peak Lords work and effort of course (unlike some of the rest of his martial family unfortunately) as they supply Qian Cao with numerous products, funds, etc. that they needed.

But other than that, he's never really thought Shang Qinghua as other than martial brother who stuttered and wilted in the face of negative attention.

He knows better now.

And so do the others, although Qi Qingqi's knowledge was much more limited than theirs, mostly on the fact that she was getting that knowledge from her disciple Liu Mingyan who was apparently their latest addition to the people who could unceremoniously see the chat.

(new people came with every 'update' it seems, or at least that's the only thing that mu qingfang could connect between the new people who could see the chat. the latest 'update' hadn't been one, only an error that had briefly been terrifying. he and yue qingyuan had thought they'd been found out, but it didn't seem to the case thankfully.)

The chat had come 'online' during Liu Mingyan's meeting with Qi Qingqi, and with no one to stop her, of course she told her teacher about it. It had been confusing at first no doubt, she had no idea who 'PapersSUCK' was or what even was happening, but Shang Qinghua had babbled a lot in the chat despite Shen Yuan's inability to respond. The young man was unconscious after all, but Shang Qinghua still sent messages.

And with those messages, both women figured out that the current 'Shen Qingqiu' was not the one they previously knew of.

So they came to Yue Qingyuan, to inform him of how Shen Qingqiu was an imposter, to reveal the shocking information and ask guidance as to what to do with the imposter. He was the Sect Leader after all, with him, they would triumph and free Shen Qingqiu from this imposter- at least that's what Mu Qingfang was theorizing in his head. Unfortunately for them, Yue Qingyuan already knew.

Both had rushed right into Mu Qingfang's office where he was meeting with Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge about everything that transpired, to discuss with them about Shen Yuan's new illness and to plan on what next to do.

So now there were four Peak Lords and one single disciple that know of Shen Yuan- or at least, that's what Mu Qingfang thought.

"Qingqi-shimei should watch her volume lest she wants the rest of the Sect to know about this unfortunate predicament." A voice came in from Mu Qingfang's doorway, shocking everyone as a certain man stepped into the room. "Aren't I a good brother in setting up a privacy ward for us?" He said with an amused smile to his face.

"Wei Qingwei." Yue Qingyuan half-greeted numbly, shocked at the swordsmith's appearance while Mu Qingfang silently cursed, he knew he forgot something! Qi Qingqi and her disciple's appearance had interrupted his thought of raising a privacy ward around him, Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge. It seems like there would be five Peak Lords who would know about Shen Yuan and Shang QInghua.

"While I agree with Qingqi-shimei in telling the rest of the Peak Lords, shouting about how our martial brother has been possessed will spread rumors that we do not want out." The Peak Lord of Wan Jian pointed out to the red-faced Qi Qingqi who 'hmphed' with a turn of her face. "That being said..." The amusement dropped from face as he stared at his three martial brothers, "How has this possession come unnoticed by Hong Jing? And what is this strange thing that is now in my head?"

Mu Qingfang straightened at the question, "You see it now too?" Liu Qingge asked before he could.

"See what. What is it?"

"I think we deserve an explanation here." Qi Qingqi said with a scowl, arms crossed and looking expectantly at the three Peak Lords before her. Liu Mingyan stayed silent, but had the same look of expectancy, only with less anger and more worried confusion.

Qian Cao's Peak Lord took in a deep breath then exhaled soundly, despite his headache, he knows they did deserve an explanation.

And an explanation they got, he and Yue Qingyuan took the lead in explaining things to the three. Told them of how months ago, merely a week or so after Shen Qingqiu's qi deviation, they had suddenly been exposed to a mental thing called 'chat'; something that let two 'transmigrators' speak to each other in secrecy. They told them about Shen Jiu's death. Of Shen Yuan's death and transmigration. Of how Shang Qinghua was also a transmigrator, but he was still the martial brother that was sworn into their family from the very beginning. And finally, they told them about The System and Shang Qinghua's dubious title of God Creator.

"That's nonsense, utter nonsense!" Qi Qingqi denied immediately, naturally, she couldn't believe that their cowardly martial brother was their Creator- hell, the traitor spy role was more believable than the An Ding Peak Lord being responsible in creating the very world they were in! It was bad enough to know that, that Shang Qinghua was conspiring with demons, but to have written their world? Unbelievable!

And yet...

"Honestly? It makes sense." Were Wei Qingwei's words that shocked everyone, even the veteran chat readers.

"Makes sense?" Liu Qingge repeated, "What makes sense? That Shang Qinghua's a traitorous wretch?" Even after the month of reading the transmigrator's messages, of following Mu Qingfang's instructions of checking certain areas for certain things like extinct creatures or even medicinal herbs of legend, there was still a part of him that couldn't help but agree with Qi Qingqi of it being nonsense. Of Shang Qinghua being a traitorous spy making more sense than being the Creator of their world. 

Neither of the Peak Lords faulted them for their reactions, it was the natural reaction after all. Who would believe that? Unfortunately the evidence was there, the messages were right there and with every 'coincidence' lining up perfectly to it, what use was denying the truth?

So it was shocking for even the both of them for Wei Qingwei to admit 'it makes sense'.

"No, well, not really. Shang-shidi had always seemed to know about things that he shouldn't or couldn't know. Not to mention, his sword." At the looks he got from his martial family, Wei Qingwei coughed slightly and explained further. "Shang Qinghua's sword is named Jia Xiang. False appearance, a facade. It was one of my shizun's works, he was the one who told this master to be open minded about Shang-shidi, to never take his appearance for what it was." Although to his shame, he only took the warning half-seriously. His shizun would've have scolded him had he known.

Still, he didn't think that underneath the facade that Shang Qinghua portrayed was a god, a fallen one at least? Despite his nonchalance, Wei Qingwei was actually quite shocked about it.

Yue Qingyuan shook his head, "Regardless whether you believe that Shang Qinghua is the creator or not, what is real is the System that binds both of them. It is powerful but subtle, and very manipulative. The main reason why we are so cautious and haven't confronted either of them is because of the System's abilities and powers. It managed to revive Shen Qingqiu's body, and though it could not find Xiao Jiu, it found Shen Yuan instead. It is powerful enough to bind his soul to the body so well, that Wei-shixiong's Hong Jing wasn't able to perceive the possession and soul take over." They all grimaced, especially Wei Qingwei who held said sword's sheath tightly in his grasp.

"Should we confront them, confront it, there is no telling what it could do. It has preferred subtle punishments towards Shang Qinghua in the past but nonetheless frightening to behold. And I fear whatever punishment it could provide young Shen Yuan in the future." Mu Qingfang admitted worriedly. It was bad enough the young man had been poisoned with Without A Cure, but should Shen Yuan fall out of line or fail a mission... The lightest punishment Mu Qingfang could think of was Shen Yuan being sent back to his old body, his dead body. Shen Yuan would surely die, but at least it would presumably be painless?

Either way, 'Shen Qingqiu' had already died once. He'd rather prevent another death.

(shang qinghua had spent years underneath the system's metaphorical thumb. he still worries about the man's possible death, but shang qinghua has survived so far...)

"Young? Just how young is he?" Wei Qingwei notices, and blankly, Liu Qingge tells them.

"He's- he's merely twenty?!" Liu Mingyan gasps, wide-eyed and presumably open-mouthed underneath that veil of hers. "He's only a few years older than me, yet he managed to defeat an elder demon—" Her awe and shock is understanding, heaven knows how shocked Mu Qingfang had been to hear Shen Qingqiu's battle against the demon. Just a few months in the cave with the System had turned Shen Yuan from a man who barely knew how to properly use his cultivation to a decent master of it.

If that didn't belay the System's true strength, than what did?

Qi Qingqi's anger had drained, now she merely whispered. "He's practically a child, what the fuck."

"I can understand why you've kept this quiet now." Wei QIngwei admitted with a frown, "What are we to do?"

That was the persisting question wasn't it?

There was a some, deity-like being that was pulling strings in the background. It had pulled two souls into its grasp to puppet in their world, and if the puppets didn't obey its orders or fulfill whatever it wanted then they'd be punished. There was no telling just what the System would do should it find out that its existence was no longer unknown to them, that they now knew of its intentions.

(he knows their world is a novel, he knows its protagonist, yet he still has to ask the question; why? why reinforce this world? why is it so focused on luo binghe aside from his status as 'protagonist'? why interfere? its so-called goal was to 'fix' the plot, and yet it still reinforced certain events to occur. why say make changes but limit those changes? was the system merely acting as fate? was every novel, every story, every world underneath the control of a system? of a fate that required pulling outsiders into the world?)

"For now? We gather information and move carefully. The System doesn't seem to know that we know of its existence, of the true nature of Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan. I had thought it had found out earlier on, but the fact that you and Liu-shizhi have come to see the chat proves that it is not as omnipresent as it pretends to be. It has a blindspot, it has a weakness. We just need to explore it and find a way to extract Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan from its hold and hopefully, end its existence." Yue Qingyuan says and Mu Qingfang is only half-surprised.

Yue Qingyuan's previous orders were just to wait and gather information, just that. There was no actual goal aside from watching for the moment, but it makes sense. The System cannot continue its machinations on their martial family. It cannot keep its hooks ensnared on Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua, and whatever true goal it had in mind for Luo Binghe could not come to pass.

So they would have to take it down.

Somehow.

sleepingbeuty has changed their own name to FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!

waitingplane: bro!!! ur awake!!! :DD
waitingplane: wait what did i do
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: YOU MADE WITHOUT A CURE IS WHAT YOU FUCKING DID YOU ASS
waitingplane: oh
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: 'OH' IS RIGHT YOU PIECE OF SHIT

Ning Yingying perked, a cheer threatening to leave her lips yet she swallows it down. She was in class right now, she couldn't say anything! But! Her Yuan-ge was awake!! After days of being unconscious, he was awake!!!

And angry as Shang-shishu, but that was natural really. She was just happy he was finally awake now.

For the past few days, it was just Shang-shishu messaging in the chat, which was kind of sad really. Just seeing his messages within with no reply from her Yuan-ge. He probably felt so as he didn't send as many messages into the chat as he usually did, at least just a few a day while Shen Qingqiu was unconscious.

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: OF ALL THE FUCK OR DIE POISONS THAT I COULD'VE GOTTEN IT WAS WITHOUT. A. FUCKING. CURE!!!

Okay, now she was less happy as she's briskly reminded that Yuan-ge was poisoned.

She'd been hoping that maybe, maybe, Yuan-ge and Shang-shishu would be able to get it cured despite its name. They knew so many things after all, they knew the cure of some diseases that she had thought had no cures! Surely they know of one for Without A Cure right? Right?

However it didn't seem like it...

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: It was bad enough that you wrote COUNTLESS, and I mean COUNTLESS of fuck or die poisons but LITERALLY THE ONLY ONE POISON THAT CAN'T BE HEALED BY REGULAR PAPAPA IS WITHOUT A CURE.

So there was a cure? If there was a cure, then why wouldn't Yuan-ge want to do it?

(unknowingly, that question was asked by multiple others who were reading the chat.)

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: At least tell me there's ANOTHER WAY to cure this goddamn illness OTHER than dual cultivating with Luo Binghe?!?!?

Splat

Ning Yingying squeaks, not only because of the message but because she'd dropped her calligraphy brush unto her paper and spilled ink all over it. Everyone around her, as well as the hall master teacher in charge noticed her fumble but she couldn't bring herself to care. Too focused on the chat.

(elsewhere, multiple other people reacted near the same way.)

waitingplane: um... sorry bro, theres rly no other cure for without a cure aside from uh
waitingplane: the sperm of a heavenly demon so......m(｡_｡；))m
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: I am going to MURDER YOU
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: Very slowly
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: with my fan.
waitingplane: [wall]-；)
waitingplane: BRO IM SO SORRY PLS SPARE ME

"I'm going to have to make sure Qinghua never comes in contact with Without A Cure." Mobei Jun murmured to himself, the very thought of his human getting poisoned by that damned poison and having to find Luo Binghe just made him extremely angry.

He was also irritated by Shen Yuan's claims of murdering his human but he can only assume that was said in emotional anger and would never actually be done. He doubts the System will let its transmigrators fight each other much less kill each other.

If anybody else had even tried to joke about killing Shang Qinghua, he would have actually gone through with killing them instead. But since this was Shen Yuan, who recently was just poisoned with Without A Cure, he would let it slide.

For now.

He can understand the frustration, getting poisoned was never fun regardless of its side effect.

waitingplane: at least it can be surpressed??
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: I STILL FUCKING HATE IT! I was healthy! So healthy that I could beat an ELDER DEMON!!! But now I'm fucking sick again and its so
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: frustrating
waitingplane: i am legit sorry bro
waitingplane: but uh whyd u even get it int he first place??
waitingplane: as half heaven;y demon my son wouldnt have been affeced by the poison anyway
waitingplane: u couldve been fine

Shang Qinghua had a point, if the cure to Without A Cure was the sperm of a Heavenly Demon, then the boy would presumably be fine. So really, it was Shen Yuan's fault for getting himself poisoned like that. He had no need to blame Shang Qinghua for creating the poison in the first place.

(he still cannot decide whether or not shang qinghua genuinely felt like luo binghe is his son. he kept calling the boy 'his son' despite not being his biological father. but does it count if he created luo binghe in the first place? he was the god creator here... he tries not to think further on that road.)

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: And let Binghe get hurt??? NO WAY!!
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: He's still a kid! He shouldn't get hurt like that at all!! If it weren't for the System, I wouldn't have involved Binghe in the combat whatsoever!
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: Plus I may have forgotten it okay?? I just
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: My body moved on its own, I reacted on instinct is all.
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: He may be the protagonist, but he's still a child.
waitingplane: mmm
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: Also thinking more about it, wouldn't it be so suspicious if he DID get poisoned but WASN'T effected by it?
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: They'd look into him more and realize he's a half-demon! And then what??
waitingplane: i guess u got a poitnt here dude

Mobei Jun doesn't exactly understand Shen Yuan pointing out the fact that Luo Binghe was a child in this conversation. Demon children got hurt all the time, it was part of their life. Their culture, and though there was a taboo about poisoning children, the fact that children would get hurt was a natural way of life. It must be a human thing? But Shang Qinghua didn't seem to see it the same way as Shang Qinghua...

Well he at least understood the part where the boy would have been ousted as a half-demon if he'd gotten poisoned but wasn't affected by it.

waitingplane: OH BTW DUDE NOW THAT UR AWAKE I CAN FINALLY TST OUT THE NEW FEATURES OF CHAT
waitingplane: i couldnt bc apaprently i needed someone else to do em, which makes sense rly
FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: What new features??

waitingplane has started a voice call!

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE!: There's a voice call now???

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE! has joined the voice call!

SQH: Ayyy! Bro, welcome!

Mobei Jun jolted at the sound of Shang Qinghua's voice, it came from nowhere except his head. What? Was this what voice call meant? He could now hear his human's voice from afar, within the chat?

SQQ: Oh my god there's an actual voice chat now.
SQH: I know right?! That's so cool!
SQQ: It'll be useful in the future- what else is there? What are the new features?
SQH: Okay so I haven't tried this out yet buuut... gimme a second here

waitingplane has begun streaming!
waitingplane is streaming kitties.vid

【A clip plays of a kitten mewling, it's hanging on to someone's knees. It quickly changes to a clip of a kitten crawling across a disheveled bed.】

SQH: We can stream any video we have and watch it together! Like, together in real time it seems.
SQQ: So we have voice chat and a stream feature now, okay. But WHY?

The 'video' of the kittens was bizarre (if a bit cute), as was hearing the voices of the two transmigrators.

He would have to side with Shen Yuan on this, why?

Why give them these features?

Just what was the System planning this time?

SQH: Dunno! Just said compensation for the whole, error situation. They fixed the error by the way.
SQQ: What WAS the error anyway?
SQH: No idea, the system won't say what it was either.
SQQ: Hm...

Elsewhere, a woman sits on a bed. Staring blankly at the wall.

Her head filled with voices and the sound of kittens.

She closes her eyes and sigh.

The guilt hasn't gone away, maybe it never will.

But the kittens were cute at least.

Chapter Text

SQQ: Oi, Airplane-
SQH: Yeah?
SQQ: Please tell me you were being a damn facetious little shit when you said the cure is "the sperm of a heavenly demon"- I thought it was just dual cultivating!!
SQH: I mean, I'm not wrong? There's TONS of sperm involving with dual cultivation.
SQQ: FUCKER- You're IMPLYING that I can simply cure myself with just the— the ESSENCE of Luo Binghe!!! As in!!!! If I somehow, get my hands on just his- his-
SQH: OH!!! Yeah no, I was being a little shit I guess. You definitely need to dual cultivate with a heavenly demon, not just get a hand on their cum.
SQQ: I'm going to keep my word on what I said; I WILL murder you, VERY SLOWLY, with. My. Fan.
SQH: H-Hahaha- let's not get so hasty bro! If I die, who's going to help you change the plot? Or like, just in general?
SQQ: I think I'd manage to figure it out.

"Are they constantly like this?" Wei Qingwei asked with amusement aimed towards the red-faced Liu Qingge. He, along with Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang had returned from Shen Qingqiu's (shen yuan??) bamboo hut. To check on Shen Qingqiu and inform him of his current predicament, they all knew about Without A Cure and originally there had been quite the despair at the fact that their youngest Peak Lord (which was very weird that it was shen qingqiu but wow) was afflicted with such a poison but there had been a hope that maybe, the two transmigrators would know of a cure for the previously and literally incurable poison.

Lo and behold! There was a cure!

A...

A very unorthodox cure. (well, more unorthodox than usual anyway.)

Wei Qingwei would admit that he'd still been iffy on the whole, 'their world was based on a porn book' type of deal but the fact that Without A Cure could be cured by dual cultivation wasn't exactly a surprise. Many poisons and such were cured the same way (okay thinking more about it, the fact their world was based on a porn book was a bit more believable) but this poison couldn't be cured with regular dual cultivation, instead Shen Qingqiu (yuan??) needed to dual cultivate with a Heavenly Demon.

A very extinct type of demon.

Or so he had thought at first.

Because turns out, there was a heavenly demon left! A half-blood on Shen Qingqiu's Qing Jing Peak; Luo Binghe.

The protagonist to their world.

(heaven's chosen one wei qingwei supposes? since shang qinghua was apparently their god creator and created luo binghe as the main protagonist- yeah, he should shelf that thought for later. he cannot afford losing himself into thinking these existential and reality-shaking thoughts right now.)

"They're shameless when it comes to just themselves." Liu Qingge huffed, ears burning in embarrassment at what he was hearing in both Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu's voice. It was bad enough to read their conversation, which then, he could at least, semi-ignore but now with their voices in his head. How the hell could he ignore this?

SQQ: Sigh, guess I'm just going to have to live with Without A Cure.
SQH: Genuinely bro, I'm sorry about that.
SQQ: It's whatever I guess, I'm just glad that even with Without A Cure, my body will be fine as long as it's suppressed. As long as I can walk without feeling pain, that's enough for me.
SQH: Fair enough, although... hmm...
SQQ: What is it?
SQH: There COULD be another way to get you cured?

Immediately, they all paid attention, curious as to what Shang Qinghua was about to say. Mu Qingfang had immediately gotten out some paper and a brush to write down whatever would be mentioned. Another possible cure for the dastardly Without A Cure aside from dual cultivation from a Heavenly Demon? Of course he was going to write it down for possible use in the future. (it was better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it after all.)

SQQ: What? What is it?!
SQH: I mean, you just need the essence of a Heavenly Demon to be cured essentially, while dual cultivation is the most likely and I guess safest option. There's always finding the corpse of a Heavenly Demon-
SQQ: I'm going to stop you right there.
SQH: Huh?
SQQ: If your suggestion is for me to do ANYTHING with a CORPSE of WHATEVER KIND- I'd rather just stay poisoned!
SQH: I'm not going to suggest you to fuck a corpse bro!!
SQQ: IT SURE SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE!
SQH: I wasn't! Trust bro, trust!

Liu Qingge's face was red and his expression was filled with queasy disgust, Mu Qingfang grimaced but he looked thoughtful. He thinks he knows what Shang Qinghua was about to suggest.

SQH: I was going to just say that if we could try finding a corpse of a Heavenly Demon and turn them into a pill or something, see if that works.
SQQ: That is equally disgusting!! Where would we even FIND a Heavenly Demon's corpse?!
SQH: Well, depending on the timing right now, I'd say Bailu Mountain.
SQQ: Huh????

"Tianlang-Jun."

The three Peak Lords looked at the pale-faced Yue QIngyuan, "The Heavenly Demon Emperor, Tianlang-Jun is sealed underneath Bailu Mountain. I suspect he is Luo Binghe's father, with his mother being Su Xiyan." He told them with a grimace, something they began to share as they recalled the battle against Tianlang-Jun, although only Yue Qingyuan was the one who actually fought the man face-to-face.

Yue Qingyuan had spent a while, ruminating Luo Binghe's existence. He always suspected that Tianlang-Jun was the boy's father, but he didn't know who was his mother. Until he remembered why they had gone against Tianlang-Jun in the first place. The Old Palace Master had said that the demon had raped his head disciple, it was why he had rallied the Sects together to deal with the Demon Emperor once and for all.

SQH: Tianlang-Jun is sealed underneath Bailu Mountain, he's Binghe's actual dad and he's a full Heavenly Demon.
SQH: Depending on the timeline here, I'm pretty sure we could collect his corpse- though I think he's still alive right now. I'm not really sure.
SQQ: What. The. FUCK.

"He's still alive, after all these years?!" Liu Qingge hissed, but should he really be surprised? Heavenly Demons were one of the strongest demons out there after all, but he would have thought that the numerous seals, talismans and wards placed on the Emperor would have surely killed him by now. Then again, not even Shang Qinghua was sure.

SQQ: How the fuck can you not be sure?! Also, maybe elaborate a bit on the fact that Binghe's father is sealed underneath a fucking MOUNTAIN and might still be ALIVE?!
SQH: Chill bro, chill. He's a full Heavenly Demon, he's MASSIVELY OP as fuck dude. Overpowered to the max, any other demon, and yes, even my King, wouldn't be able to survive DECADES underneath the mountain with the amount of seals that he's got on him. Of course, he won't be able to survive forever, even for pureblooded Heavenly Demons that shit's insane to survive. I give it another handful of years before he kicks the bucket and we can use his corpse-
SQQ: ABSOLUTELY NOT! Again, I am NOT doing ANYTHING THAT'S INVOLVED WITH A CORPSE! Besides!! By the time he's dead, I WOULD probably be dead as well- the Immortal Alliance Conference is in just a few years, and just years after that, Luo Binghe will come back and turn me into a human stick!!!
SQH: Ah, right, right... And if we have the Sun and Moon Dew Flowers by then and grew the bodies, you'd be fine in the new body since it doesn't have Without A Cure so I guess it'd be useless trying to get the corpse anyway... Hm, what about finding another half-Heavenly Demon to dual cultivate with?

"There's another one?" Wei Qingwei had thought the Heavenly Demons were really extinct, just how many half-demons were out there?

SQQ: Who???
SQH: Zuzhi-Lang, Tianlang-Jun's nephew and Luo Binghe's cousin. I think he's still alive, he disappeared after Tianlang-Jun was sealed.
SQQ: How would we even find him? Do you even know where he is?
SQH: Well, no. I couldn't find him then because I was still Head Disciple and not Peak Lord so my information network wasn't as vast as it is now but I could try.
SQQ: Airplane, I- well, I don't actually appreciate the suggestions, mostly because of the implied necrophilia shit there which we are NEVER going to speak of again. Ever. But honestly, I think it's fine that I have Without A Cure okay? Besides, I'm not comfortable at the thought of asking help from a complete stranger and asking them to dual cultivate- plus, we're both men!
SQH: Dual cultivation between men is possible y'know, it's called gay sex.
SQQ: I KNOW THAT! But I am not gay! So there! Let's not talk about this anymore, I think I need a nap.

Honestly? Wei QIngwei thought the same, the entire conversation was harrowing enough that he felt like taking a nap as well. And all he was doing was eavesdropping to their conversation! He doesn't understand how his martial brothers deal with- the chat, Shen Yuan/Qingqiu, Shang Qinghua. Everything. This was why he usually just holed up on his mountain, putting all his attention on his swords.

Unfortunately with the chat now in his head, his focus and attention can't be all on his swords. Not until he learns how to totally ignore it for the sake of his blacksmithing, being interrupted while forging was always an annoyance and costed the quality of his work, and he can't even scold the one who interrupted him because they were now in his head and they weren't even suppose to know he knew about them!

SQH: But bro—
SQQ: Nope!
SQH: I—

FUCKYOUAIRPLANE! has left the voice call!

SQH: Pfft- he left the call! Hahaha!! Ahh, okay... Guess he really doesn't want to dual cultivate with a guy, which, I guess valid? Still, I wonder though if he's actually straight. He called Liu Qingge pretty and always gushed about Luo Binghe in my comments... Hmm...

waitingplane has left the voice call!

The Peak Lord of Wan Jian blinked, "He called Liu-shidi pretty?" He asked aloud, wide eyed and lips twitching. His War God martial brother scowled at him with a red face, a redness he suspected was not just anger aimed at him- his ears! Were red! How surprisingly cute! "When was this? What else did he call Liu-shidi?"

Amusing as it was to see Liu Qingge flustered, the air changed pretty quickly as Mu Qingfang's amused smile flipped into a pensive frown and Yue Qingyuan closed his eyes.

It seemed that they had left quite a few things out during their explanation, learning that your martial brother was originally going to die wasn't very amusing.

He hadn't really thought of how to think about Shen Yuan, his technically newest and youngest martial brother of their Sect Family. But knowing that he'd prevented his shidi's death, he felt grateful towards the young man.

(his shixiong, shen jiu, had died without him knowing. they were not close, not by a long shot, but he respected shen jiu's treatment of xiu ya and in the end, they were still martial brothers. he hopes shen jiu is well, wherever his soul was now.)

"Why didn't you tell me about this?! I'm your sister, I should've known that you almost died!" Liu Mingyan cried out, fingers digging so hard into her palm, she easily drew blood in no time. Her brother flinched, which somehow makes it worse, she has seen her brother power through pain with annoyance, she has rarely ever seen him flinch and yet the very idea of telling his own sister, that he almost died made him flinch.

Maybe she was being too harsh on him, but she was far too upset at the prospect of him dying to care. "Instead, I have to learn about it from- from this chat in the same breath as the reason why I end up with a half-demon boy!" Alright, maybe she was also upset that Liu Qingge hadn't told her about the fact she was one of a half demon's wives.

One of them.

One among six hundred, sixty-six!

ImSorryBro: i dont think theres any other major event gonna happen
ImSorryBro: you prevented liu qingges death in the spirti caves (which ig, liu mingyan doesnt come at U 4 revenge bc she thot u murdered her bro congrats bro) the demon tried n failed 2 invade qiong ding + sha hualing saw n noted my sons presence which shell remember way later + liu mingyan also saw n noted luo binghe for kinda same reasons
ImSorryBro: all thats next is just mengmo 2 contact my son then he pulls ning yingyinbg to the dream realm on accident n shit
ImSorryBro: u should be good
NotCured: Thank goodness then, I can relax and recuperate in peace.
NotCured: That's what, 3 out of 666 wives that Luo Binghe has seen/met now?
ImSorryBro: think so yea, just 663 wives 2 go lmao

It have been just said, so causally, that she almost couldn't believe yet! But it was her brother's pale face that had her hesitating (she was still reeling about everything else, the world, shang-shishu, shen-shish— shen jiu's death, etc. but right now, all she can focus on was—) and then she demanded a further explanation, she demanded the truth.

Something her brother gave shortly afterwards, revealing the fact that he had almost had a fatal qi-deviation while cultivating within the Spiritual Caves. She had almost lost her brother and she hadn't known. Not only that, from what she can read from Shang-shishu's horrible messages (how is this man the one who wrote their world into existence huh? how?) she would've thought that Shen Qingqiu, her martial uncle, had murdered her brother and she would have plotted her revenge.

Even now, she could see it happening. She could feel those very emotions that would lead her on the path of vengeance because her brother died and Shen Qingqiu was there.

It wouldn't even have mattered if Shen Qingqiu had denied the claims, she would have felt a seething resentment for the man if her brother died. Buried of course, like a seed until the right chance for it to blossom and grow.

"It was prevented, I didn't die. I'm right here, alive." Liu Qingge told her with a soft look on his face, thinly veiled with a slight awkwardness that came with her brother being well, her brother. Liu Qingge has never been one to comfort another after all, his head was constantly on fights and sword styles. "Shen Qi- Shen Yuan prevented my death, it's fine." Strangely, his face tinged with color when he corrected himself of Shen Yuan's name.

It's something she almost hangs on to, but her brother continues. "Liu Mingyan, I'm not going to die any time soon. I will be more careful when cultivating, even more so in battles. Do not worry about my death, my well being. I am the Bai Zhan War God, a qi deviation will not claim my life again." He assures her, standing tall, strong, alive.

She sniffled lightly, wiping away the tears that had gradually built up in her eyes. "Alright, but still! Next time, tell me personally what happened. I- I don't want to learn about you getting hurt or nearly dying again from someone else, certainly not from the chat. From Shang-shishu and Shen-shishu." Because that meant possibly meant Liu Qingge couldn't tell her about it, that he was hurt enough that he couldn't tell her himself. Or worse. (she will never see him again, her brother dies and someone must tell her.)

He looks reluctant to agree, but all it takes is her watery gaze to look at him for a bit longer before he gives in and agrees.

Her worries abate, for now and her heart lightens.

With that resolves, what was left was...

ImSorryBro:so
NotCured: So what?
ImSorryBro: uve met 3 of my sons wives, whats ur opninon on them?
ImSorryBro: irl and stuff, r they as u expected?
NotCured: Technically I've only really met Ning Yingying properly. I was going against Sha Hualing during the invasion and I only spoke to Liu Mingyan once briefly after she lost.
ImSorryBro: tell me n e way
NotCured: *Anyway
NotCured: Sometimes I wonder how you've been able to write 6000 chapters and message me like THIS. There were actually multiple paragraphs and chapters, not involving the smut ones, where your prose actually sounded good and the rare moments of your writing actually impressing me.

Six thousand chapters?

All the novels that she had read weren't even a fraction of that! Even some ancient books barely had that amount of chapters within them!

Liu Mingyan thought to herself, astonished while Liu Qingge glared at a nearby tree since he couldn't actually glare at the chat.

ImSorryBro: it is xcatly that is y i do this
ImSorryBro: writing that many cahpters is hard bro, when uve written as much as i have u tend to b vry lazy in casual messages and just not care of typos n shit
ImSorryBro: all my thinking capaity and care for spelling is funeled into actully writing + paperwork
ImSorryBro: like i said b4 when we 1st met, lemme misspell to my hears content here i alrdy gotta be so peroper and shit irl
ImSorryBro: BUT BACK TO THE SUBECT! opinsion on luo bignehs wives irl???
NotCured: Eugh, fine!
NotCured: I can't really say much for Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing since, like I said, we've barely interacted and I doubt we'll interact even more in the near future but Ning Yingying?
NotCured: She's adorable, she's nice and a lovely girl. She's studious and is a good friend to Luo Binghe. She kind of reminds me of my own little sister, they smile the same way.

Elsewhere on Qing Jing, Ning Yingying bashfully cupped her own smiling face, wide-eyed and happy at her Yuan-ge's words.

NotCured: So it hurts to think that years in the future, she'll be targeted by other women in Binghe's harem and her life will be laced with constant plot events of kidnapping, poisonings, and having to watch her husband collecting women left and right. Of power plays plotted against her and even Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing because they were the first wives to be part of Luo Binghe's harem, they pull the highest rank among the hundreds of them.
NotCured: Speaking of them, Liu Mingyan seems to be a diligent disciple. She lost in the battle but she grows to be strong, I'm wondering how much if it will be effected now that Liu-shidi is alive because most of that strength was fueled for revenge against Shen Qingqiu- a revenge I now know wasn't even warranted because Shen Jiu didn't kill him. One of the main reason why she sided with Luo Binghe in the first place despite being a half-demon, was for that revenge so I really wonder if she'll be part of the harem. I kind of hope so, she was Ning Yingying's close friend, not only because previously they were in the same Sect but they were both kidnapped together a lot.

Liu Mingyan stood there, absorbing what her new Shen-shishu (she couldn't help but address him as so, remembering the fight he won during the invasion attempt (he was new at cultivation at that point!!) and the assurances he told her after she lost.) had said.

She... hadn't really thought about the implications about being part of a six-hundred plus harem would imply. She still didn't know what to think about the fact that Luo Binghe, someone she thought was admirable and even worthy of some respect for his successful battle against an elder demon before, was a half-demon himself much less the fact that she was one of many of his wives. She hadn't totally accepted it yet and now, she really doesn't know what to think.

Her guilty pleasure was to read (dubiously trashy) novels, and she will admit only to herself and her fellow other readers, that she had read 'stallion novels' as Shen Yuan had put it- it was similar, main protagonist came from a low standing and cultivated his way to the top with countless of victories and romances. But the protagonists were always human, and the harems never even reached triple digits! And not a lot of them even reached double digits! So she somewhat knew of the genre that Shang-shishu had written.

In those novels, she's read about harem-infighting- she's heard of harem-infighting about the Emperor's own harem! (rumors of it at least)

She never would have expected that she would be part of anything like that in her life.

Also, kidnappings?

"Mingyan, you're staying away from that half-demon brat." Her brother growled, scowling darkly at a rock. "Anything you ask for, I'll grant it only if you stay away from that damned Luo Binghe."

Ordinarily, she would be angry at her brother's words, they were clearly orders for her to follow- she was a cultivator herself now! She could look after herself! And yet, she said nothing, did nothing, to either confirm or deny to her brother's command.

She... still didn't know what to think about this all.

She hated this thing in her head now. Not only because it was in her head without her permission, but because it was revealing information she had no fucking clue to do with.

It didn't take much to piece together that the conversation in her head was by two Peak Lords of Cang Qiong. One them was that damned elegant bastard, Shen Qingqiu, who wasn't actually the original? The other one was, the An Ding Peak Lord, Shang Qinghua. Over the days since her attempted invasion, she'd spent it all in her room, processing everything that was being spouted in the conversation. Absorbing the knowledge and figuring it all out.

Sha Hualing hadn't cared about the other Peak Lords of Cang Qiong, her goal had been the Qiong Ding sign and the only Peak Lord she had met was that fucking Shen Qingqiu (who wasn't even the actual one what the fuck) but then she finds out that the An Ding fucking Peak Lord had helped her invade Qiong Ding. At the whims of another being, this 'System' thing that was clearly in power over the two.

it doesn't talk much in the 'chat' but she knows someone in charge when she sees one. (or two, there were two systems, one for each lord for some reason.)

What little pride she had over her attempted invasion was invalid now, knowing that she was helped by the universally acknowledged weakest peak lord of Cang QIong. She had destroyed an expensive set of curtains at that revelation. Frustration plaguing her at every turn. 

She had failed her attempted invasion even when she was fucking helped by a weak fucking human.

Her actions had played right into this 'System's' wants, declaring her failed invasion as a mission well done for Shen Yuan. (the humiliation at the fact that a young human male, who had just started properly cultivating, had defeated her elder demons was only abated by the fact he was poisoned. and by the looks of it, would stay poisoned because he foolishly did not want to be cured by dual cultivating with the half-demon brat she saw or do anything with the maybe corpse of tianlang-jun. how fucking stupid is he?)

She was livid.

And the current conversation wasn't helping her fury right now.

NotCured: As for Sha Hualing, I liked her at first in the novel. She was an enemy-turned-lover, but also kind of a rival for Binghe? As a demoness, a Saint Demoness at that, she could still fight. Not that Liu Mingyan DIDN'T fight, but she fought MORE? And yet, she also was kidnapped an equal amount of times but at least she didn't go without a vicious fight. More often than not, she could almost get away herself but in the end Binghe was always there to rescue her and her fellow wives.
NotCured: I thought it was cool that she was a demoness wife in his group of human lovers, but after what, the 50th demon wife? She felt less, special. And I feel like she gradually just turned into a damsel in distress like most other wives in Binghe's harem.
NotCured: Seeing her in real life wasn't that different from Liu Mingyan, really. The core difference was that we were on different sides I think.

Damsel? Her?

Sha Hualing the Demoness Saintess?! A fucking damsel!?

"I'll show you damsel in distress!" She growled to thin air, throwing one of her expensive vases at the wall. The act of destruction soothes her only slightly, the anger she felt for the past few days still hot and simmering under her skin.

If she wasn't angry right now at all, maybe she could've thought more about the half-human boy as a potential husband. He had been impressive in the fight yes, and he was half Heavenly Demon, and would apparently be the future demon Emperor or something but no. She was too angry to consider it right now, angry at the fact she lost.

Angry at the fact that if she joined his side, became his lover, she would lose her strength and turn into a damsel in distress, constantly kidnapped and needing his strength to save her? That her fellow wives would not only be of other demonesses, but human cultivators? She was Sha Fucking Hualing! She just became Saintess, the youngest of her family! A testament to her strength and power!

She had fought to become a Saintess, and she will become a powerful one.

Regardless of whatever the fuck this was, she wasn't going to become the wife of some snot-nosed half-human bastard.

She'll show them...

Chapter Text

Ning Yingying sighed tiredly, rotating her sore wrist as she wobbled back to her room.

A few days had passed since the 'anime' stream. She had viewed into another world entirely! A story called 'Demon Slayer' that was about a boy and his newly-turned demon sister going against other demons! The boy's name was Kamado Tanjirou, and his sister was Nezuko. They were the only two survivors of a demon attack that not only turned Nezuko into a demon, but killed their entire family as well.

She had spent almost two hours watching the anime with Yuan-ge and Shang-shishu. Two hours which she had gotten by skipping her chores and classes, it was only natural that she would be punished the moment she emerged from her hidden secret area. Sentenced to do more chores as well as write down discipline books and rules for a long, long while- she thought it was worth it.

Not everyone had the chance to see into another world like she did! And what a world it had been!

She'd never ever thought of a world where cultivation didn't exist, where humans were simply mortal and yet they still did what they could against demons! Their swords were different, their language was different, their clothes, their sword styles- nearly everything was different! Even their own demons were different compared to the demons that she knew of! She kind of wished the demons of her world had the same weaknesses as Demon Slayer's world, having them be weak to sunlight? Would make things a lot more easier she'd think!

But then again, she can't imagine just how horrible that could be for a someone to bear with. She herself, loved sunny days where she could bask in sunlight, remembering how that demon head just- just burned the moment a single ray reached it-

Ning Yingying shivered slightly at the memory.

Shaking her head, she stretched her aching hands, patted her numb legs and clenched her fists in determination! She needed to focus! Tonight- or rather, sometime during the nights of this week? She'll be pulled into A-Luo's dreamworld! She needed to be ready for the event!

Naturally, she learned the fact she'd be pulled into her shidi's dreams from the transmigrators just yesterday while enduring her punishment.

NotCured: Do you think the Dream Demon contacted Binghe yet? You never specified when exactly they met after the invasion attempt.
TengusRBad: hoenstly idk either
TengusRBad: sometime a week after it???
TengusRBad: ig ull rly know it if ning yingying mentionsn a weird dream to u or somthin
NotCured: Right, she gets pulled into Luo Binghe's dream because of how close she is to Binghe. I'll have to ask her tomorrow. Maybe after her punishments.
TengusRBad: pungihsments?? wat she do
NotCured: *What did she do? Well, apparently she skipped out on her chores and class and disappeared for about two hours, she says she hadn't felt well and went to rest but no one had seen her for two hours. I had a Qian Cao disciple check on her just in case but thankfully she's completely healthy.
TengusRBad: ahhh thats an excuse to play hooky if i ever heard one
NotCured: Probably, she's still getting punished for just leaving and not doing her chores, skipping her class, and for not telling anyone where she was. I'm glad she's okay though.

She'd been entirely sheepish and nervous when Yuan-ge had called that Qian Cao disciple to check on her, however knowing that Yuan-ge had been worried about her had also made her feel warm and fond over him. Yuan-ge was a kind soul, and sure, he gives a lot of attention to A-Luo (since he's essentially tied to a-luo, she thinks its justified really) but he still gave the rest of the peak and his disciples proper attention as well.

So far, he was doing a good job as the (unknowingly to the others) new peak lord of Qing Jing. It was... somewhat frightening really, but only because Ning Yingying knows that the System had instilled the knowledge of how to run a peak into Yuan-ge, most of it anyway. He would occasionally ask Shang-shishu for help like with paperwork or some other stuff. And Ning Yingying would like to think, that even without the System's help, she thinks Yuan-ge would do great as a peak lord!

(maybe it's because she has a bias towards him, not only because he was kind and smart. but he once looked to be related to her baba, the similarities are something she still thinks about sometimes.)

Anyway, knowing that at some point, she would be pulled into A-Luo's dreams because of a Dream Demon- she had to be ready! She's not sure if her skills would transfer over to dreams, but she would try and help A-Luo no matter what!

She was his shijie! As the elder martial sister, she must help her younger martial brother!

And in another world, they were husband and wife, so that kind of counted she guessed?

Look, Ning Yingying had a very complicated feeling about the knowledge she'd be- or at least was in another world Luo Binghe's wife. She thinks it would be nice at first, and only at first, back before she found out just how many wives her A-Luo would take in. She could have dealt with a few other women, like a single-handful's worth maybe? That would stretch her limits for sure and strain things, but it could have been maybe doable!

But six-hundred-sixty-six other women?? No thanks!

She has to wonder how her other self could deal with that! Other Ning Yingying wouldn't have known her husband would take in wives in the hundreds, but what were her thoughts when A-Luo brought in wife number seven? Eleven? Twenty?

The young girl wants to confront her shishu, ask him what her otherself thought of- what he thought she would have thought of.

Ning Yingying was going to change her fate, she wouldn't be a wife among hundreds of others. She didn't even know if she wanted to be A-Luo's wife at all!

But she knows one thing; she was going to help Luo Binghe. Going to make sure she was a good martial sister to him. For him.

Just like Yuan-ge, she would be kind and help A-Luo become better than his original, other self of Proud Immortal Demon Way.

(well, yuan-ge would still have to follow certain events. he could change some things, like liu-shishu's death, but other things? he could not. so she will change them for him. she has to.)

SQH: Bro, what do you MEAN you replaced Ning Yingying???
SQQ: Exactly what I just said! I was pulled into the dream instead of Ning Yingying, I think I replaced the support childhood friend-turned-lover scene into a motivational teacher moment?? I did what I could to help him with his heart demons, but I doubt I could've replaced Ning Yingying entirely.
SQH: Oh.
SQQ: I still have no idea WHY I was pulled into the dream instead of Ning Yingying, the System assured me it wasn't a bug or even a mistake.
System_2: Confirmed, dream scenario was scanned and revealed no bugs. Though changed, the outcome of scenario was achieved.
SQQ: Fuck off System.

Well it turned out that she didn't have to do anything at all! Since Yuan-ge apparently replaced her and was pulled into A-Luo's dreams instead? She (and unknowingly, the others) had been woken up in the middle of the night from Shen Yuan calling Shang Qinghua for once. He'd sounded rattled, almost desperate to talk to his fellow transmigrator at the beginning. And although Shang Qinghua had been irritated at first, he'd inevitably been shocked as Yuan-ge explained what happened.

She was just as confused as they were, quite honestly. The System even said there hadn't been a problem, just that it changed and the outcome was accomplished- supposedly the outcome of A-Luo gaining a dream demon in his head as a teacher and learning demonic cultivation. (also hearing that monotonous, emotionless voice of the system... it sent chills down her spine. it didn't sound real whatsoever.)

It genuinely threw her off though, she'd been expecting to be pulled into her shidi's dream for a few days now! And each morning she wondered if she had been pulled but simply didn't remember. Dreams were like that after all, she could hardly remember most of her dreams, so she assumed that if she did help A-Luo then maybe she forgot after waking up.

(the dreams she could remember centered around her baba. mostly of past memories. the less said of her nightmares, the better.)

Was it bad that she was a little disappointed that she hadn't been part of the 'scenario' as the System called it? It would've been a bit exciting, yes dangerous of course, but she was part of the story! Part of A-Luo's story! She didn't know if she wanted to be his wife, but she did want to be part of his life. Part of his story. And this was supposed to be one of her scenarios in the story right? So why wasn't she part of it then?

(again, was it bad that she was thinking it like that? it felt so... narcissistic...)

Her pondering confusion quickly turned into concern as Yuan-ge continued in the voice call.

SQQ: You know in the original that at the end of the scenario, Ning Yingying was thrown into her warm childhood memories of being a kid and picking up flowers? I didn't get that. Instead I was thrown into a fucking nightmare! I was beaten up by four people, chased in dark woods by a fucking fireball and the last bit... I fucking vomited the moment I woke up.
SQH: Oh shit...
SQQ: I— I was Shen Qingqiu, but at the end of the original novel. I was- was suspended in the air, I couldn't move because I didn't have any limbs TO move and... I couldn't scream, I didn't have a tongue, I couldn't scream even though it was so painful that I wanted to scream. To do ANYTHING to convey how much agony I was in. I was just a human stick, I couldn't do anything but just feel... I know pain, I know CHRONIC pain. I've been in pain since I was a child but that? That was...
SQH: Bro...

Her concern reached the skies and she had to swallow down the urge to seek out Yuan-ge and provide comfort. He sounded... shaken, to say the least.

(scared. he sounded scared.)

SQQ: I think- No, I KNOW, the original protagonist was there in the end. I heard a door open, and even though I didn't see him, I just KNEW it was him... Then I woke up.
SQH: Shen bro, that's... Oh fuck man...
SQQ: I barely had enough time to hide the vomit before Binghe, My Binghe, came in to check on me. He... I didn't want to look at him, didn't want to see his face because of that but... I managed. Somehow I even pulled a- a respectable, cool teacher moment about demons and stuff. I don't even remember what I said, I'm pretty sure it was mostly wise? But I just- I wanted him to leave, go back to his room and rest.
SQH: ...
SQQ: Do you... Do you think we can really change our fates? I don't— I don't want to become a human stick- I don't- that- that was- that felt so REAL but if it DOES BECOME REAL I-
SQH: Shen Yuan! Calm! Calm... Deep breaths bro, just- deep breaths.
SQQ: [Deep inhales and exhales.]
SQH: Good, that's good bro. Keep it up.
SQQ: ... thanks...
SQH: No problem...

Ning Yingying was gripping her blanket so hard, she'd probably have to check if she tore a hole in it.

She's never heard Shen Yuan sound so, so scared. But then again, she's only read most of his words in the chat. Emotion was a little hard to convey in written words after all, not unless they were explicitly written down and even then. The nuance, the tone, it was nothing compared to hearing the emotion in one's voice. In Shen Yuan's voice.

Had he sounded like this in private, when it was just him, all on his own? He's probably hidden it from the chat, but he couldn't hide it in this call.

(she had unconsciously starting breathing with yuan-ge, wanting to calm herself down as well. pretend that she was there to breathe with him, he didn't know it, but she was there for him. she just couldn't tell him yet.)

SQH: I'm not going to lie Shen Yuan.
SQQ: Mh?
SQH: I don't know if we're going to be able to change our fates from the original script. But we could at least try, you've- you've already changed stuff now that you're here. You were pulled into Luo Binghe's dreams, you SAVED Liu Qingge.
SQQ: And i-if I don't? If I end up as- as a human stick—
SQH: You won't.
SQQ: But I-
SQH: You. Won't.
SQQ: ...
SQH: Trust me. Just, trust me, okay?
SQQ: Okay...
SQH: Okay. It's, it's the middle of the night bro. You wanna try and go back to sleep?
SQQ: ... I- yeah. Yeah, okay.
SQH: We'll talk again in the morning, good night Cucumber bro.
SQQ: ... goodnight airplane...

The voice call ends with Yuan-ge's quiet reply and Ning Yingying is still clutching her blanket. Staring at the wall she's facing with wide, slightly watery eyes.

Human stick.

She'd- she hadn't really wondered what that really meant. Shen Yuan had mentioned it here and again, saying he'd rather avoid becoming it. Becoming what Shen Qingqiu turned into in the original story.

Becoming what her baba turned into the original story.

Was that it?

No limbs. No tongue. Suspended in the air. Unable to even voice his pain properly-

A-Luo was going to turn her baba into a human stick.

Horror doesn't cover what she's feeling as she lays there, burdened with knowledge she can never forget now. Burdened with the knowledge that she won't be able to look at A-Lu- Luo Binghe properly for a while.

She... needed some time to think.

She doesn't think she can face him tomorrow.

He's lethargic when he next wakes up. He feels tired, his body ached slightly and the sun was steadily rising.

It's ass-o'clock in the morning, his (shen jiu's) body's biological clock wakes up sickeningly early every day. And unfortunately for him, this morning is no different. Well, it's a little different. He's actually rising with the sun this time, he's usually awake a bit earlier than that. So he guesses he slept in a little bit, but it was still so fucking early for him.

He's tempted to go back to sleep. Miraculously, he hadn't continued the- nightmarememoryfuturepastneverhappenwillhappencan'tcan - dream. He doesn't remember what he dreamt of, but it was significantly better than the last one. Of being— painpainpainSCREAMBUTCAN'TSCREAMPAINHELPMOVEITHURTS - a human stick.

His stomach churns at remembering it all, the feeling climbs his chest, towards his throa- nope! Shove it back. Compartmentalize!

His ability to compartmentalize has been a bit shot since he had that breakdown a few days ago over his... (i miss you. i miss everyone. do you miss me? i'm sorry. are you having my funeral? please don't be sad, we all knew this would happen eventually...) family.

Shen Yu-Qingqiu (you fucking died shen yuan, you've been shoved into a new body, a new name fucking use it) takes in a deep breath. The sun's rays shine into his room from the window, and he takes a moment to bask in the light. It feels... comforting.

Like someone was caressing his face, offering comfort that he- he'd be lying if he said he didn't need it but admitting it would make him feel worse. It was comforting, he was saying.

He must be in worse shape than he thought if he imagined the sunrise's light as someone comforting him. Stupid fucking Dream Demon, shoving him into his worse fears.

(felt too real to be a fearful nightmare. but too unreal to be a true memory. and the sun was so comforting, familiar almost, carding fingers through his hair—)

He used his own fingers to comb through his hair, feeling his head itch for a moment. He really needs to get his shit together, what kind of peak lord breaks down right at the start of dawn, hm? Not very aloof, elegant immortal, if he did say so himself.

He really wants to go back to bed, and sleep the day away. But he remembers that he has shit to do today, he needs to check on his disciples, confer with his hallmasters, and then the most important event of the day; a sect meeting with all the other peak lords. Something he really wasn't looking forward to. He's already had to meet them all one by one along with their disciples back when he was sick, now he has to be in a meeting with all of them at the same time.

Shen Qingqiu held back a groan, even as he stretched himself out of bed. He nearly stumbles over a pillow thrown randomly on the floor, wha- oh yeah. He grimaces as he nudges the pillow aside. Right, he'd vomited off the side of the bed last night and hastily covered it with a fallen pillow before Luo Binghe barged in.

He winced at the thought of his disciple, the shadow of the original encompassing him in his mind- he shakes his head and firmly separates them. He would change things, he would make sure that at least, he won't end up as- as-

Limbless. In the air. Tongueless, scream, scream, scream but he can't—

He skips breakfast.

Though that's after he cleans up his vomit with some cleaning spells (thank god for cultivation), fumbles his way into his robes (fuck wuxia clothing frankly), and starts the day with guiltily rejected Luo Binghe's offered breakfast. He tries not to make it obvious, but he can't really look at him at the start. The breakfast smells heavenly, but his innards recoil on their own and he holds back a gag.

...

It takes Luo Binghe's kicked puppy look and matching, pleading puppydog eyes for him to eat just a little bit of breakfast. It sits uncomfortably in his stomach, but his throat tastes flavor instead of bile.

It's easier to look at Binghe again thanks to that; Luo Binghe is his disciple. A white sheep that wasn't blackened yet, and with hope and work, he wouldn't completely turn into the original.

He still can't help the sigh of relief that escapes him when Luo Binghe leaves after breakfast to train, do his chores- typical disciple stuff typical of the current arc they were in.

Shen Qingqiu ignores the alerts of points he gets from the System, protagonist satisfaction, coolness- etc. etc. Most importantly though, the System informs him that Luo Binghe will start learning demonic cultivation. And another box is ticked off from the long list of the protagonist's events.

That's how Shen Qingqiu's day starts.

Technically, Shang Qinghua's day started yesterday.

He had turned in late, finally managing to finish the week's backlog of paperwork before the sect meeting of the next day. Well, later that day. He hadn't gotten much sleep when Shen Y-Shen Qingqiu called him out of fucking nowhere. He complained of course, it had been in the middle of the night!

But the moment he heard Cucumber Bro's wavering voice, he immediately sat up from his bed. Paying attention to his recount of what just happened. Initially confused on how the fuck Shen Qingqiu was pulled into his son's dreams before figuring; Shen Qingqiu was kinder to Luo Binghe now. Back in the original novel, Ning Yingying was the one who had been the kindest to the protagonist, sure the event was semi-romantic in nature to set up their future relationship. But he figures the fact that Luo Binghe found himself a kinder Shizun, someone he could trust a bit more, it was no wonder that Shen Qingqiu was pulled into the dream instead of his shijie.

A little weird, but not unexplainable. The fact that the System admitted there were no bugs had supported his theory.

It was all pushed to the side when Shen Yuan almost had a panic attack during the call, recounting the dream- no nightmare that he had dreamt the moment the Dream Demon sent him away. It sounded suspiciously like Shen Bro experiencing a few of Shen Jiu's past memories at the beginning, and then his torture at the end of the novel.

Honestly, with unfortunate clarity, he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The System was a dick like that, showing horrible memories of the originals just to remind them of something or some shit- didn't really happen to him but like he said, he wouldn't be surprised if the System did that.

Shang Qinghua didn't tell his fellow transmigrator that, not yet. It was clear the poor guy needed some sleep- good sleep, or as good he could get from that fucking nightmare. (fuck, he'd written that nightmare into existence. human stick, fucking human stick.) But hopefully, he wouldn't have much trouble going back to sleep. Getting angry at the System would've achieved the opposite of it.

He'd need any rest he could get with the Sect meeting today.

The Sect meeting would be starting soon.

"I don't understand why you're letting a half-demon brat stay in the Sect, much less, letting him learn demonic cultivation right under our noses!"

Mu Qingfang pressed his fingers against his eyes, pinched his nose and took in a deep breath.

Maybe he shouldn't have arrived early for the meeting today...

Chapter Text

"I don't understand why you're letting a half-demon brat stay in the Sect, much less, letting him learn demonic cultivation right under our noses!"

He would've thought Liu Qingge had been the one to say that if it weren't for two things; the voice was far too feminine and Liu Qingge wasn't even there yet. Surprising as he would've thought he'd come as early as possible to meet with them to say exactly what Qi Qingqi was saying. But no, Liu Qingge was not currently present and Qi Qingqi was, understandably, advocating to them about dealing Luo Binghe's entire... existence?

Again, it was completely understandable, as a half Heavenly Demon, he was already very dangerous. But Shen Yuan's call in the early morning had... truly put things into perspective as to how dangerous he really was.

They already knew that the boy would become a tyrant, that he would raze their Sect to the ground and have hundreds of wives (which was less cruel but more amoral? improper? (liu qingge would outright call him a lech, to his face)) however even then, it seemed that they had underestimated to just how cruel and dangerous the boy could be.

Could being the emphasis here, or so Mu Qingfang and Yue QIngyuan had said before when they first explained why they were letting Luo Binghe be.

Wei Qingwei hadn't been too sure then, but accepted it all the same; Yue Qingyuan was still their Sect Leader and his orders were to let the half-demon boy be.

Now though, his doubts had climbed to new heights and Yue Qingyuan... well, he didn't seem too sure himself telling by the grimace on his face.

Mu Qingfang had the same grimace but he answers Qi QIngqi's incensed question. "As we've stated before, the System is a powerful being. And Luo Binghe is its focus, there is a high possibility that the boy is being protected by the System. And by extension, Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu. We have no idea what will happen should we try to do something about Luo Binghe." Wei Qingwei felt that was reasonable, but he could admit that he wasn't too sure about it- the only evidence they have about the System's power was already telling yes.

And he, by no means, did not want to understate the punishments that he's heard his martial brother Shang Qinghua experienced (he heard it from mu qingfang, who heard it from shang qinghua) but there will always be that seed of doubt planted from the fact he's never experienced it before.

He trusts Mu Qingfang of course, he wasn't the traitor and spy of their Sect after all. And that was the crux of it wasn't it? Shang Qinghua was a traitor to their Sect, a spy for a northern ice demon, who knows how many lies he's told to his own martial family.

But has he lied to his fellow transmigrator? What would be the point of lying to Shen Yuan?

The Master Swordsmith sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"High possibility." Qi Qingqi repeats with a hiss, "Aside from the stories that that rat told, have you even confirmed it? That the System is so powerful that it can dole out punishments that could threaten the safety of our Sect? Of us?" She gestures to all four peak lords in the room.

"It is already threatening the safety of two Peak Lords-" Yue Qingyuan started but she interrupted, "Two outsiders! Two body replacements, and one of them is a demon spy!"

"That demon spy is still the same martial brother that ascended with us into Peak Lordship from when we were disciples." Wei Qingwei points out dryly. Hardly a replacement since, as far as he can see it, Shang Qinghua had grown up as his own person. He was the same person all throughout their lives as disciples then to Lords. Shen Qingqiu on the other hand...

"As if that's any better! He's still a spy! A traitor to us, to cultivators and humans everywhere! I can understand protecting the new young Shen Qingqiu, as far as I see it, he's far better than the old one. But even that lech didn't deserve-" Qi Qingqi ranted heatedly only to be interrupted. Harshly.

"Xiao Jiu was no lech." The frigid, dangerous tone made the woman's mouth snap shut. Yue QIngyuan leveled an icy stare, rivaling the demon that Shang Qinghua spied for. "He was never a lech, all those rumors of his promiscuity were false with backing proof. He never ogled at his own disciples much less yours, he never touched them nor planned to, he would never think of it- he respects and cares for them too much. Even the prostitutes of the brothels he visits, he never went there for pleasure but for peace. He. Was. No. Lech." Throughout his speech, the air around them became weighted. Pressure from Yue Qingyuan's qi flowed, and though Mu Qingfang wasn't the target of those intense feelings, he had flinched back with every emphasis of his Sect Leader's words. 

After a moment of silence, the qi slowly dissipated as the man finally reigned in his qi. They all took that moment to recompose themselves, with Qi Qingqi struggling the most as she was the main target of the onslaught of heavy pressure from Yue Qingyuan. "W-What-" She started, obviously reeling not only from the pressure, but by the abrupt revelation she'd been handed.

Mu Qingfang sighed, shaking his head. "He speaks the truth, Qingqi-shijie. Any vulgar rumor you heard and may have believed in about Shen Jiu, the original and previous Shen Qingqiu, was false. He never even had that type of inclination in the first place, he was... complicated, and cruel yes. But all in all, he would never lay an inappropriate hand on any female, from his disciples to the brothel workers. Who he, I believe, sees as family and sought out familial comfort from them in the past. We... We never looked into his actual intentions, merely believed the rumors that surrounded him, and I find that shameful. So please refrain from making any more comments about that Qi Qingqi." If not, then Yue Qingyuan would never forgive her. Oh he'd probably still be polite, he was the Sect Leader and Qi Qingqi was a Peak Lord, but he would forever be distant to her. More so than he usually was.

She was clearly taken aback, a complex look on her face as she glanced between him and Yue Qingyuan. Before any conversation could continue or start, the chat pinged in the three men's heads. Shang Qinghua had finally decided to message Shen Qingqiu, the chat had been particularly silent ever since the voice call.

TengusRBad: heyy bro hyd? feelin bvetter?

"Just how are you able to understand Shang Qinghua when he communicates like this?" Wei Qingwei couldn't help but question, face scrunching at the message, trying to decipher it on his own and partially failing. He doesn't understand what 'hyd' meant, the latter was just a misspelling of 'feeling better'.

Both Sect Leader and Sect Healer shared a low, deprecating laugh. "We typically don't." Yue Qingyuan sighed with a shake of his head. "We mostly rely on Shen-shidi's reply to understand what he said." Although, he (mu qingfang at least) was starting to understand the weird gibberish that Shang Qinghua sent sometimes. Typically words were shortened to a ridiculous degree or just misspelled horribly. He's mostly surprised that Shen Yuan let Shang Qinghua communicate so messily most of the time.

"They're finally talking in the chat?" Qi Qingqi questioned warily, lips pursed unhappily.

NotCured: I'm doing fine.
NotCured: I couldn't look at Binghe at all this morning, but he still made me breakfast and got me to eat a little bit.
NotCured: I feel so guilty, he hasn't even DONE anything...
TengusRBad: not yet
NotCured: Not EVER if we do it right, or at the very least, I'd like a quick and painless death.
TengusRBad: lmao same bro same
NotCured: I know he'll want vengeance during the Abyss arc, but I can only hope my treatment won't sign me up for becoming
NotCured: I can't type
NotCured: It's just a stupid fucking nightmare but
TengusRBad: chill bro chill i gotchu
TengusRBad: like i said b4 u wont end up like that
TengusRBad: ill make sure of it
NotCured: Thank you Qinghua.
TengusRBad: np np
TengusRBad: hey cucumber bro i got a q
TengusRBad: do u still consider binghe ur fav character?
NotCured: Yes.
TengusRBad: no fucking hesitation looool

The healer was taken aback by the abrupt question and answer. "He still considers Luo Binghe his favorite character?" After being subjected to the nightmare last night? Where he lost his limbs, his tongue, maybe even his sight and was in such pain that it followed him to the waking world for a brief yet unforgettable moment? He understands that Shen Yuan was a fan of Luo Binghe, he hasn't hidden that at all in their messages to Shang QInghua.

He has made complaints upon complaints about Luo Binghe mostly on his behalf. And half the time, whenever the boy came up, be it in the original context or his own disciple there would be no less than four compliments woven into his words at least.

But after last night, seeing the tragic ending of Shen Qingqiu of the original novel, Mu Qingfang admittedly had wanted to take Luo Binghe away from Shen Yuan. After hearing his faltering voice, filled with fear and finally comprehending on just what 'human stick' actually meant- he wanted to kick the half-demon out of Cang Qiong. However, his counterpoints to Qi Qingqi's argument still held firm.

They didn't know how the System would react to them kicking boy out and said boy hadn't even done anything. (yet, but the moment he does...)

However with what happened, and the experience, he had surely thought Shen Yua-Shen Qingqiu's thoughts about Luo Binghe would have at least changed... And maybe it did, he doesn't know. But Shen Qingqiu had just admitted that despite that, despite what he experienced and felt, despite not being able to look at the boy just this morning during breakfast. Luo Binghe was still his favorite character.

Mu Qingfang, and the others, did not understand why. Could not understand.

If it were them...

NotCured: Do you think that's weird? That he's still my favorite character even though...
TengusRBad: nah bro
NotCured: Really?
TengusRBad: ur talking to the guy who might die by strngulation from his fav character
TengusRBad: tbh bro i had the same experience myself in the past
TengusRBad: i messed up a mission and ended up watching original sqhs death
TengusRBad: fucked me up good for a while dude
NotCured: Oh
TengusRBad: couldnt lookat my king too for a while
TengusRBad: but i managed
TengusRBad: it hel;ped that i think my king actually noticed my mood and was p lenientw my shit then
TengusRBad: he even hlped w my paperwork a bit then killed a pissant demon fuck that tried to take me hostage lmao
TengusRBad: ik u dont rly believe me when i say that my king is kind or can be kind
TengusRBad: but he is in his own cold way n shit
TengusRBad: it helps differentieate him a bit fromt he original who i cant even remember if he wasever kind to original sqh anyway
TengusRBad: plus hes rly rly handsome n i cant stay mad or rly scared of him lmao
NotCured: Of course
TengusRBad: my king isnt the same mobei jun that kills off shang qinghua not yet anyway
TengusRBad: and w work between u n me hopefully he never will
TengusRBad: so it goes the same 4 my son
NotCured: Right, we can change things. Binghe doesn't have to
NotCured: As long as we make enough changes to the plot, then we can avoid our gruesome fates. Or at least, change it to be less gruesome.
TengusRBad: or even not gruemsome at all! theres a chance we can live, its not 100% but its better than nothing
TengusRBad: all else fails we rely on our future mushroom bodies and book it the fuck outta here
TengusRBad: honestly kinda like that plan since wed be free of so many responsibilities bro
TengusRBad: like the peak meeting lol
TengusRBad: u good enough 2 come btw?
TengusRBad: wouldnt blame u if u wanted to stay home
NotCured: I don't have a legitimate excuse the other Peak Lords would accept for me to stay home even if I wanted to, which I don't. I'm well enough to attend the meeting.
TengusRBad: i mean u could spin without a cure for an excuse
NotCured: I could, but that would lead to more concern than I'd like to deal with and a visit to Qian Cao or Mu Qingfang.

A strangled chuckle escaped Wei Qingwei, "Doesn't seem like he's a fan of yours Mu-shidi." Though it was said with amusement, there was clear confusion on his face. Something he couldn't really discern or pick apart but suspect as to what; either Shang Qinghua's misspellings and way of speech (although it was actually a bit more readable than normal) or the confusing revelation that both transmigrators seem to still favor the future reason of  their torment and death. Granted, both had not done anything yet-

No, actually, hadn't Mobei Jun been regularly physically abusive to Shang Qinghua in the past? He hasn't heard of it lately but the fact of the matter that the ice demon had once regularly left bruises on his martial brother that had been bad enough that Shang Qinghua had used an expensive balm on his wounds that he had to restock every month. (in secret, because he never would go to mu qingfang himself if he could help it and that honestly broke his pride as a healer and as the man's martial brother)

He could partially understand Shen Yuan's reluctance to see Luo Binghe as the cruel man who would turn their martial brother (both versions) into a human stick- the half demon was just a boy as of now and was innocent of any action yet. (and wasn't that the damning word? yet, yet, there was still a chance and it had happened in the original)

But Mobei Jun? That was something he couldn't comprehend, hadn't Shang Qinghua suffered abuse underneath that demon? Yet he still considered him his favorite character.

(elsewhere, servants of a certain ice demon scuttled about the ruined office nervously trying to fix the damage done to the place. they have no idea what angered their lord this time, but whatever it was, it angered him to the point of making a few holes deep within his walls. said lord was now locked in his personal chambers, a heavy tension surrounding it and mobei jun. (he cursed, he raged, he somberly retired to his personal room where he finally repeated his new promise over and over again.))

All in all, Mu Qingfang was very confused and hurt by the prospect of both Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua refusing to seek him out when it was his duty to look out for the health of his martial family, of his Sect!

"What? What did they say?" Qi Qingqi pestered, frustration and curiosity clear on her face.

Wei Qingwei looked like he was about to say something, only for the privacy talisman to dissipate as the door opened thus breaking it. All four peak lords tensed for a moment before realizing who had entered the meeting room.

"Did the meeting start early?" Xu Qingli, Chuang Zao's Peak Lord of Artifact Refining, questioned as she clearly noticed the privacy talisman that had been put on the room beforehand.

Yue Qingyuan welcomed her with a smile and a shake of his head, "No, we were merely having a private discussion Xu-shimei. The actual meeting has yet to start yet, please come in, you too Duan-shidi, Ruan-shidi." He greets her and the other two peak lords who arrived.

Duan Qingze, Peak Lord of Ling You of Beast Taming.

Ruan Qingruan, Peak Lord of Zhu Xian of Brewery, Elixirs and Spiritual Food.

There were now seven peak lords within the meeting room, a little half of their peak leaders.

"Of what exactly, may I ask?" Ruan Qingruan curiously prodded, glancing between them. Mu Qingfang noted the slight flushed look on his face and the faint scent of fruity alcohol surrounding him. Drunk already from testing and tasting his peak's products no doubt, but not enough to be disrespectful. He's at least well enough to pay attention to the meeting and would sober up completely along the way.

"Private business Ruan Qingruan." Qi Qingqi told him with a slight smirk, internally though she was displeased by the interruption. Unfortunately there was nothing they could do about it but schedule another meeting between them later on, the annual Peak Lord meeting came first. "It's nothing really important."

The lord snorts but lets the topic be changed as he wandered over to his usual seat at the peak lord meeting, "If you say so Qi-shijie."

Mu Qingfang made his greetings to Duan Qingze as he approached to take his seat, giving him a small smile that was returned from the quiet peak lord. Xu QIngli greeted Wei Qingwei as she went on towards her own seat, and the tension from beforehand dissipated as they mingled and made small talk while waiting for the other peak lords to arrive.

TengusRBad: aight ive arrived at the metteing bro, where u @?

"Ah! This one greets his fellow martial family, hello!" Shang Qinghua exclaimed with a crooked smile after opening the door, unknown to him that his message had alerted three certain peak lords. His arrival was met with mixed reactions, only Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan greeted him with semi-warm but neutral welcomes while Qi Qingqi squinted at Shang Qinghua with barely hidden distrust and speculation. Wei Qingwei in the meanwhile was curiously looking at Shang Qinghua with a new perspective in life.

Duan Qingze was truly neutral in his greetings, Xu Qingli merely sniffed and greeted back stoically, Ruan Qingruan snickered but greeted Shang Qinghua somewhat amicably.

The man scurried towards his seat, busying himself with the documents he had brought for the meeting itself.

NotCured: I'm heading over with Liu Qingge.
TengusRBad: liu??? qingee???????

Despite the confusion in his message, Shang Qinghua barely paused from looking through documents, only ducking his head slightly to hide his face for a brief moment to hide his confusion. An admirable actor. Better than Wei Qingwei at least who paused from his small talk with Duan Qingze and Xu Qingli to glance at the door with a look of confusion. Mu Qingfang and Yue QIngyuan, who were used to hiding the fact they were paying attention to the chat in their head, did not do the same.

NotCured: He was apparently waiting for me?? I met him while I was heading towards the meeting, he scolded me for trying to fly with my sword even though I had Without A Cure- which is fair I guess but I'm pretty sure I'm feeling good enough to fly on my own?
NotCured: Still he insisted I fly on his sword with him in case it acted up midair...
TengusRBad: yknow wat that IS fiar w ur luck i woudltn be surprised if it DID activate while u were flying
TengusRBad: its just that timing yknow?? shows up unexpecteldfy whiel ur doing important shit liek travelling in the air
NotCured: I hate that.
TengusRBad: the sitch or my spelling?
NotCured: Yes.
TengusRBad: ob
TengusRBad: still im surprisred liu bro is heklping u out likethat
NotCured: Could be the result of me saving his life? Our relationship should have gotten better a bit because of that.
TengusRBad: mby... still tho the fact tha t liu qingge was waiting 4 u...

Still they were as confused as Shang Qinghua was. Liu Qingge? Shen Qingqiu was with Liu Qingge? It explained why the war god wasn't present or why he hadn't arrived early to meet with them in private. However the fact he had sought out Shen Qingqiu and waited for him, and now was essentially escorting him to the meeting. Perhaps he felt bad for Shen Yuan who had suffered such a horrid nightmare last night?

Though, the concern for Without A Cure was also a valid point. Mu Qingfang pursed his lips at the message of Shen Qingqiu trying to fly and then the poison activating right then and there.

The door creaked open and their attention was taken by the arrival of more of their fellow peak lords. "This one greets her martial family!" Gao Qinggao exclaimed cheerily, grinning brightly at everyone as she entered the room alongside Lin Qingshui.

Gao Qinggao, Peak Lord of Ku Xing of Talismans.

Lin Qingshui, Peak Lord of Zhi Ji of Feng Shui and Divinations.

"Gao Qinggao, Lin Qingshui." Xu Qingli greeted, her tone a tad warmer at Gao Qinggao's name. The women exchanged fond greetings and small talk while Lin Qingshui merely greeted everyone with a single nod with his head held high. Though he scowled at Shang Qinghua who didn't seem to notice.

Gao Qinggao counted the lords in the room and hummed as she arrived at her seat, "Liu-shixiong and Shen-shixiong aren't here yet? That's surprising! Usually Shen-shixiong would be one of the early ones to come."

Ruan Qingruan snorted, sipping at the tea provided at the meeting (only after slipping in some liquid from one of his personal flasks). "Shen Qingqiu must be taking the long way round, taking his time because of his injury." He reasoned, but not without a slight mocking tone. He smirked into his cup, "Maybe he met with Liu-shixiong and they're currently arguing like usual."

"If that's the case perhaps we should send a disciple to remind them of the meeting. They can argue and fight after it." Xu Qingli replied sternly, about to stand and do just that, or maybe she'd go find them herself. Either way, she was interrupted when the door opened once again to reveal both said peak lords arriving at the same time. Both looking pristine and composed, as if nothing had happened at all. They had arrived just in time for the meeting to start.

TengusRBad: ayyy bro!! hi :D

"Shen-shixiong, Liu-shixiong, just in time!" Gao Qinggao greeted, smiling and waving at the two unlike a few other peak lords.

Shen Qingqiu nodded stiffly at her, "Gao Qinggao." He replied neutrally as he snapped his fan open. Seeing the familiar motion, Mu Qingfang already knew that the System had left some reflexes to Shen Yuan from Shen Jiu, it would also help explain how fast Shen Yuan was able to take up cultivation. The body remembered the actions, while the mind was catching up sometimes. Truly, if it weren't for the knowledge that he had now, of his strange ability to see the chat, of the knowledge that Shen Yuan had been shoved into the body before him and was now Shen Qingqiu, he wouldn't have really suspected what had really happened to the Qing Jing Peak Lord. He would have thought that the deviation had affected the man's memories instead of his soul being exchanged for another.

It continues to remind him of how dangerous The System actually was.

He hears Ruan Qingruan whisper to Qi Qingqi, "Isn't that a surprise. Shen Qingqiu and Liu-shixiong arriving together?" The Xian Shu Peak Lord said nothing, glancing between Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge, words clear on his lips but were reluctantly swallowed down when Yue Qingyuan sent her a look.

No matter what happened earlier on, no matter their topic, it had been long decided that the other peak lords would not be involved with the chat, System, the transmigrators, Luo Binghe- not yet at least.

"Shen-shidi, Liu-shidi, please, take your seats and we can begin our meeting." Yue Qingyuan said amicably, smiling at them both.

Liu Qingge grunted as he took his place, though he wasn't subtle of his staring at Shen Qingqiu one bit. Shen Qingqiu said nothing of it, taking his seat gracefully.

"So, shall we begin?"

Chapter Text

"Keep an eye on that one, Qingwei."

Wei Qingwei blinked, glancing over at his mentor confusingly. "Shizun?" The Peak Lord hummed, gesturing over to the hunched over disciple in the far end of the room. Away from the other disciples who were being chosen by the swords. "Him? That's- uh-"

"He is from An Ding, one of the candidates for Head Discipleship. Perhaps your future martial brother even. I cannot recall his name, but I know that sword's name." His shizun murmured to him, they both observed the boy who was quietly marveling over the sword in his hands. "Jia Xiang, that is the name of the sword. One of my earlier creations... I was beginning to think it wasn't going to choose anyone, that I would have to send it out to the world or worse, reforge it."

"Jia Xiang..." False appearance huh?

His shizun patted his shoulder, smiling slightly. "Be open-minded my disciple, whatever that boy portrays to be, do not take it as it is." Was all the man said before he slipped away, back into the forge. Wei Qingwei gave him a blank look of confusion before looking back at the An Ding disciple who now carried one of his master's creations. The boy finally noticed his look and yelped, fumbling with Jia Xiang and nearly dropping it. Wei Qingwei frowned, disapproving of the way the boy was mishandling the sword. Before he could go over there and scold him, the boy scurried off, looking spooked.

Wei Qingwei huffs quietly, waving away the memory that suddenly came to mind as he tried to focus on the meeting.

His shizun was right, because of course he was. Even after the man had ascended with the rest of the generation of peak lords, his mentor's words and teachings still sought to correct him long after they were gone.

He had tried at the beginning, he thinks, he had tried to keep an open mind towards Shang Qinghua. He had chosen, and was chosen by, one of his shizun's creations. Not to mention the name was intriguing enough for him to take note. But before he knew it, bit by bit, what interest he had in Shang Qinghua had shrunken and disappeared over the years. Was it the distance? He had never really instigated any contact himself, never really sought out Shang Qinghua himself until he'd been accepted as An Ding's Head Disciple and even then. He'd forgotten about it.

Shang Qinghua wasn't the only one who had one of his shizun's creations after all, wasn't the sole owner of one of the swords created by his mentor, nor was he one of the most interesting. Perhaps that's why he'd forgotten the memory, that's why he'd seen Shang Qinghua as he portrayed himself to be. Unassuming, a coward, a weakling.

Well, maybe he was genuinely that in some aspects but the point was; Wei QIngwei had been warned by his teacher already and he hadn't heed it as seriously as it could have been. Instead, it sat at the back of his mind, gathering cobwebs and he never really acknowledge it fully until that being, The System, brought Shang Qinghua literally into his mind's forefront with that 'chat' thing.

Without the chat, he wouldn't have realized or found out just how different Shang Qinghua actually was compared to what he showed to everyone else.

TengusRBad: im sorry do you think crystal plum blossoms grow on trees? THEY GROW ON SHRUBS AND THEY'RE NOT EASY TO GET YKNOW
TengusRBad: AND YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH KEGS AND JARS FROM THE LAST REQUEST YOU PUT FROM LAST MEETING RUAN QINGRUAN
TengusRBad: im going to make sure thats coming out of YOUR peak you alcoholic fuck
TengusRBad: 'just need a couple plum blossoms' my ass even i fucking know you need more than a crate to actually make something good out of the shit NOT TO MENTION
TengusRBad: you keep insisting on EXPERIMENTING on your elixirs!!! i get you want to check out new flavors BUT FUCKING CHECK THE BUDGET ABSENTMINDED ASSHOLE
TengusRBad: ALL OF THIS ON TOP OF THE REPAIRS YOU WANT
TengusRBad: IVE NEVER CASTRATED ANYONE BEFORE BUT IT DOESNT SEEM SO HARD

Shang Qinghua gave Ruan Qingruan a nervous smile, just barely hiding the twitching eye he had as he nodded. "Of course Ringruan-shidi, I-I'll try and find some crystal plum blossoms for you."

TengusRBad: WHY DO YOU NEED FOUR HUNDRED MORE CRYSTALS LIN QINGSHUI WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FIVE HUNDRED YOU ORDERED MONTHS AGO??? DID THEY ALL BREAK???
TengusRBad: YOU SAID IT WOULD LAST YOU FOR A COUPLE MONTHS YOU LYING ENTITLED PRICK
TengusRBad: you???? want???? mythic opal strings and refined sweet quartz?????
TengusRBad: you could easily fucking substitute mythic opal strings with crystal lemon grass!!! THEY'RE MORE ABUNDANT AND IN FACT MUCH MORE USEFUL!! and why refined sweet quartz?? why not unrefined dull quartz instead??? just send it to be refined to wei qingwei for a better higher product and its cheaper than way!!

"I'll keep a look out for those items Lin Qingshui-shidi, anything else?" Shang Qinghua asked tentatively, no sign of him verbally cursing Lin Qingshui out in the chat on his face at all.

TengusRBad: i swear to fuck liu qingge if youve broke more shit this month im take back every nice thing i said about having cucumbro bro save your punk ass
TengusRBad: you are a WAR GOD for fucks sake!!! and yet!!! you insist!! on being!! a little shit!!! collateral damage god!!!
TengusRBad:  YOU MIGHT JUST JOIN THE IMPROMPTU CASTRATION LIST WITH RUAN QINGRUAN IF I FIND OUT THERES ANOTHER VILLAGE CRYING FOR MONEY FROM US BECAUSE YOU COULDNT KEEP YOUR SWORD IN YOUR SHEATH OR DO SOMETHING SMART LIKE THINK BEFORE YOU SWING OR WATCH WHERE YOURE SWINGING LIU QINGGE!!!

"Are there any repairs for this month Liu-shidi?" Shang Qinghua quietly asked the suddenly constipated-looking War God.

TengusRBad: i dare you i double fucking dare you i triple fucking dare you i swear to fucking god
TengusRBad: they will never find your body

"No." Was Liu Qingge's strained reply and Shang Qinghua blinked looking briefly surprised before nodding with a slight smile.

TengusRBad: thats what i thought

"Oh! That's good, that's good. I'm glad to hear that no repairs are needed this month Liu-shidi!" Shang Qinghua beamed, smiling almost elegantly at the visibly disturbed War God.

TengusRBad: bitch

Wei Qingwei choked on his tea, coughing and waving off the concerned looks and words from his oblivious and unknowing martial family. Only three other peak lords knew why he really choked on his tea, not because it went down the wrong pipe, but because Shang Qinghua was cursing out each Peak Lord speaking up.

Had he cursed like this every meeting?

NotCured: Are
NotCured: Are you good?
TengusRBad: bro im doing GREAT
TengusRBad: venting into the chat during the meeting is SO GOOD
TengusRBad: btw sorry boutt hat but srsly bro u have no idea aboutt he bullshit i have to deal with in these meetings
NotCured: Well now I do.
NotCured: Somewhat.
NotCured: Anyway, mind introducing me to some of these Peak Lords??? I know some of them like Gao Qinggao because she came to visit me but I have no idea who she is or who the rest are.
NotCured: You never really mentioned them in the novel.
TengusRBad: i didnt yeah
TengusRBad: honestly it was a surprise even 4 me when i met them the 1st time
TengusRBad: i dont think i even created the others fully even in my drafts

What.

It takes effort for Wei Qingwei to stay seated, it takes effort to not whirl around and look at the two transmigrators sitting in the meeting, acting as normal as they could be.

What did he mean he never created the 'others' fully in his drafts? What did he mean he didn't mention the others in the novel? Wasn't Shang Qinghua suppose to be The God Creator or something? Wei Qingwei was still somewhat skeptical about that, sure he now understood that Shang Qinghua was never as he seemed to be and they never really broached the subject over that jar of worms but the underlying agreement he got from Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan was that Shang Qinghua was somewhat divine? That their world was a book and- look, he had tried not to think much about it lest he gives himself a crisis of anything.

However, if someone asked him straight up, he cannot deny that in the deepest part of his skepticism, at the very core of his being, there was a tiny shard that did believe Shang Qinghua was, in some way, a Creator. Maybe not a God, but something similarly divine. Why?

He doesn't know.

(does he want to know? (does anyone know?))

And now Shang Qinghua implies, admits really, that he hadn't fully created something that was fully created- no, existed in the world. What did that mean? Were Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan wrong? Was Shang Qinghua not the Creator God? Was the novel simply a window peering into their world through the writings of some man?

(((something deep, deep inside him. so deep that he doesn't notice at all, no one does, thrums with contradictions.)))

TengusRBad:ok u met gao qinggao shes ku xings peak lord, in charge of talismans she n her peak, pretty nice lady all in all. im not surprised she visisted u bc shes nice like that and even the original shen qingqiu thougth she was p nice tho they nver rly hung out but i think she liked ogsqq bc he was good @ talismans which btw u should check if u still got the skill bc talismans r p fuckin good.
TengusRBad: hell shes even nice 2 me! also probs bc im p good w talismans n she likes that so shes v cool.

Gao Qinggao will admit that perhaps her observational skills weren't as good as certain other peak lords, but she will insist that was only if talismans were involved! Of course her focus would all be channeled into whatever talisman she was working on or thinking about, talisman creation was very intricate sometimes and needed her full attention! So what if she sometimes doesn't notice someone calling her name or the fact that she secluded herself in her personal office for days a time while focused on a particularly interesting talisman?

If her concentration strayed then who knows what could happen! The last time she made the mistake of not giving a talisman her full attention, her office desk had been crushed. Yes, crushed! Right into the floor.

However, outside of her talismans, she liked to think she was pretty observant! She was a peak lord, of course she could notice some things that most people wouldn't notice- like how Wei QIngwei was acting pretty weird right now! Along with Liu Qingge! Both of them had pretty weird faces on right now, with Liu-shixiong being more obvious. Did he want to leave the meeting early? He'd been in the sect for a surprisingly long time after all, maybe he was itching to leave on another adventure again.

Or Liu-shixiong was confused and befuddled over the fact that Shen Qingqiu hadn't spoken a single insult his way this whole meeting! Not a single barb! Maybe there was a subtle insult that she missed? But Shen Qingqiu didn't usually use subtlety when it came to Liu Qingge, most of the time he wanted his insults understood by Liu Qingge. Subtle insults were saved and used against other people who would usually get the insult, like other sect leaders or arrogant nobles and merchants. Even the Old Palace Master of Huan Hua Palace! Especially the Old Palace Master of Huan Hua Palace. 

She had to smother a snicker as she remembered the last time Shen-shixiong had insulted the old cultivator to his face in the most innocuous and subtle manner possible.

TengusRBad: somehow shes besties w xu qingli who is chuang zaos peak lord, artifact refining
TengusRBad: shes a p srs lady and i like her solely bc she doesnt casue as much property damage to her shit and peak unlike certain OTHER peak lords
TengusRBad: coughcoughLIUQINGGEcoughcoughRUANQINGRUANcoughgouh
TengusRBad: n e way!! she doesnt rly like u bro bc she believes the rumrors around ogsqq, doesnt help that shes friends w qi qingqi who ALSO doesnt rly like u bc of the rumors

There was something very off during this meeting.

It was obvious to Xu Qingli from certain things, first off; Shen Qingqiu was being the most amicable she has ever seen him. No insults, no jabs, sneers or scowls. Subtle or otherwise. No, the man was just attentively listening to the meeting with a calm look, dazed almost, it was a bit hard to tell as he kept moving his damn face but she doubts that he was actually zoning out of the meeting. For all the negative aspects she knew of Shen Qingqiu, she knew he was a cunning and sharp man. He had never dozes or zoned out of a meeting before, and she dearly doubts he would starting doing so now.

Second- well, building off of her first point. Shen Qingqiu hadn't aimed a sneer or scowl at Yue Qingyuan at all this meeting nor did the Sect Leader glance much at the Qing Jing Peak Lord as well. And whenever he did, it wasn't without the sadness that usually accompanied his gazes. Xu QIngli did not know the history between them, whatever drama they had in their pasts usually affected them in the present but it was as if it had all been brushed aside now.

Had Shen Qingqiu finally admit to whatever wrongs he did to Yue Qingyuan in the past? It was unlikely but Xu Qingli couldn't really explain any other reason why the two were acting so much more cordial than usual. But then that wouldn't really explain the same thing with Liu Qingge. Xu Qingli had fully expected Shen Qingqiu to aim poisoned gratitude to Liu Qingge for saving him during the Qiong Ding invasion attempt. Bitter about his new illness that even she felt some sympathy for the man.

Yet, nothing.

They both arrived at the start of the meeting together with a calm air, and Shen Qingqiu continued that calm throughout the entire meeting. At least Liu Qingge was showing signs of being just as perturbed as she was.

Just what was going on in that man's mind this time?

TengusRBad: sitting besides her is duan qingze of ling you, beast taming. ig ot a feeling ud enjoy his peak bro
NotCured: Beast Taming?
TengusRBad: shh introduction tiiime
TengusRBad: honestly idk much bout duan qingze guys an intovert to the MAX dude
TengusRBad: doesnt talk much unless he has to, i barelyu see him outside of important shit
TengusRBad: hes a cool guy tho, doesnt ask as much mone or shit unless its RLY important so i like him

Shen Qingqiu looked at him. With interest.

He does not know why, Shen Qingqiu hardly looks at him and only with reason, never with interest. There wasn't a reason why Shen Qingqiu should have looked at him, none that he can think of nor remember as of now. He had done nothing. What had happened? What had garnered the peak lord's interest to look at him this meeting? It had been sudden, one moment, Shen Qingqiu was dazedly (it was the reason why he even noticed shen-shixiong had looked at him with interest, shen-shixiong was never dazed during the meetings. it was hidden somewhat well but duan qingze's basic job was to notice the patterns, behaviors and habits of creatures. and that included his martial family, even if they would probably protest that.) listening to the meeting.

His face was partially hidden behind his fan, cold, aloof like usual but his eyes were somewhat distant and his hand kept shifting on the table in tiny movements. A far cry from his usual sharp focus and his body staying still.

Duan Qingze had never gotten Shen-shixiongs interest before, and he never strove for it, the man reminded him of a two headed cloud tiger fox. An intelligent and serious hunter that made elaborate traps and plans to get what it wants, usually difficult prey like the bamboo pheasant rat. A beast to respect from afar certainly, and though they could be tamed, it was very difficult. Well, for other cultivators. Duan Qingze would have happily tried his shot, for both the two headed cloud tiger fox and Shen-shixiong but his shizun had repeatedly emphasized to him to stop comparing humans and animals and to stop trying to use beast taming tricks to befriend humans.

Duan Qingze had no idea how to befriend humans (it was only because of xu qingli and gao qinggao that he even had the few friends he had which included them), and he couldn't use his beast taming skills to do so (usually because it failed or his shizun would scold him) so he didn't know how he could approach Shen-shixiong. Respecting him from afar was enough for him.

Shen Qingqiu seemed less like a predator today, Duan Qingze thought to himself as he discretely looked at the man like he did when he tried to pretend he wasn't watching a beast that was nearby and had noticed him. He was still a powerful bea-cultivator, but there was just something off about Shen-shixiong.

At the very least though, Shang-shixiong wasn't looking at him today. He doesn't know if he could handle two predators looking at him with interest.

TengusRBad: the alochol smell u might be noticing is ocming from ruan qingruan, the guy who asked for those fucking crystal plum blossoms easlier
NotCured: And threatened to castrate.
TengusRBad: yeP
TengusRBad: as u can see hes the stereotypical drunk peak lord befitting zhu xian peak
TengusRBad: dont get me wrong, the stuff thta comes out fo that peak is AMAZING AS SHIT but HOLY FUCK the man needs to cut back on experimenting
TengusRBad: or at least BUDGET PROEPRLY FOR IT

Ruan Qingruan rubbed at his ear, feeling it itch. He wondered if someone was talking about him, he can't really remember but wasn't there a saying that if your ear was itching then someone was talking about you? He can't remember where he heard that, or if it was even true. Was it itching or was it a chill?

Speaking of chill, he definitely felt one earlier while proposing to get some crystal plum blossoms. Either that was when someone was talking about him or he needed to check his robes for the warmth spells woven into the fabric. See if it failed again. It happens sometimes, especially if he was working on a particularly strong elixir that either required extremely cold ingredients or was infused with ice-like energy.

Right, that reminds him that he should have asked for golden winter roots as well... Eh, he'll mention it at some point during the meeting. Wasn't very important but he'd certainly want some golden winter roots at his peak.

As he took a swig of his flask, he caught sight of Shen Qingqiu's look of distaste and snorted, sending the man a smirk before taking another swig. Stuck up prude, Ruan Qingruan thought with a huff. No wait, weren't there rumors about the man being a pervert? Going to brothels and shit? So not exactly a prude then, just extremely stuck up. Hm, did Shen Qingqiu drink at those brothels, he had to wonder before scoffing.

Shen Qingqiu had never drunk any alcohol as far as he knew. And the man was an arrogant snob, so a brothel's alcohol surely wouldn't be enough for his tastes even though the women were. Or maybe he was drinking wine from the establishment, that actually would offend Ruan Qingruan since he was the Peak Lord of Spiritual Food, Elixirs and Alcohol.Did he really hate Ruan Qingruan so much he refused to drink his stock?

Even Lin Qingshui asked for a bottle of wine occasionally, of course that man was equally if not more stuck up and snobbish than Shen Qingqiu! Though he likes to act like he's not, pretending to be calm and all that, hah, they all know there's a stick up his ass anyway. Can't fool them! Especially not him! Also, the man never used his alcohol right anyway, always for those divinations and spells of his. Bah, no respect for good alcohol from either of them... He's going to grab Gao Qinggao after the meeting for a drink, maybe Xu Qingli if he wanted to bitch about them, she usually agreed with him.

TengusRBad: next up; the fucker whose ordering for more cyrstla balls
TengusRBad: lin qingshui, peak lord of zhi ji, divinations, feng shui, some info shit
TengusRBad: honestly hes my least fav peak lord
TengusRBad: guy tries to be mysteirosu way to hard sometimes
TengusRBad: also hes mean to my dsicples and doesnt likemy peak
TengusRBad: at least he does his own beudgeting at least
TengusRBad: his ordeds are still v annoyiung tho and he likes getting the 'best of the best' shit so its still p expensive and tiresome to get what he wants

The future has changed.

It was blurry, unknowing, uncertain.

Shang Qinghua can complain all he want about his order for new crystal balls and other items (he never says his complaints out loud but lin qingshui knows the man is complaining, cowardly pest) but he needs those items.The future was ever changing, and it has blurred before, but he has never seen it so blurry, never seen the future change so much, so fast before. He has seen vague imprints of the future, emotions strong enough to leave traces behind for him to read.

Annoyance, glee, frustration, happiness, sadness, grief, anger, hate, love-

An unruly mixture of emotions that contradict each other over and over again in a random cycle that changes from moment to moment.

He has no idea what the future holds, but there's a suspicious amount of the color blue in the imprints that he doesn't understand but just knows was somehow connected to Shang Qinghua.

That man... What has he done now?

Lin Qingshui had no proof of the future being bad, nor any proof that Shang Qinghua was related to it.

All he knows that the future was much more chaotic than it should be.

"Shijie? Are... Are you okay?"

It's such a simple question, something she should answer with reassurance. Something she usually did answer with reassurance. However, all she could do was stare at Luo Binghe with a complicated face. She didn't even know what to say to the boy who would have tortured her baba. (who did torture her baba in another world, in the original novel (and she just watched apparently, did nothing as the man she married, tortured her father and married other women (she thinks she hates proud immortal demon way)))

She's read Yuan-ge and Shang-shishu's conversation earlier, and she can't really understand how they both just... let go of the fact Luo Binghe did- no, that wasn't exactly right. They didn't let go of it, they know it, feared it, but they thought they could change it. Avoid it. And really, she should too, especially since it was Yuan-ge who was initially fearful but he said he still thought of Luo Binghe as his favorite character.

And here Ning Yingying was, still conflicted over it all. She's had all morning to think, and she didn't even bother hiding the fact she was avoiding Luo Binghe. Yet here he was, a concerned look on his face and holding a small basket of treats.

"This shidi noticed that you were- you were avoiding this one. So I uh, I made some treats? As an apology, to whatever I did to make you upset?" How could he stand there, looking so awkwardly concerned, about her when he was-

Ning Yingying shook her head, smiling wanly at the boy. "No, no, you... you didn't do anything to upset me." Not yet. Hopefully not ever. "I- This shijie was just... not feeling good today." She sighs, sitting down on the ground. Luo Binghe frowned but sat down besides her, the basket between them. "Sorry A-Luo, I didn't mean to avoid you." That was a lie, something she thinks he knows but he doesn't say anything about it, instead, he nudges the basket towards her.

"Well if you're not feeling good, have some treats. They taste good, shizun said so, so it might help you feel better!" Luo Binghe exclaimed with a bright grin.

The sight of it takes her back, and somehow, someway, it's just like that. She can look at Luo Binghe properly now, see the boy as who he was right now. A boy. Not- not the man who tortured her baba. Of course, the shadow is there, haunting Luo Binghe but... It's not as prominent, not as stark compared to the beaming, kind face that was offering her homemade treats.

It helps that the treats do taste good, they taste great even.

They take a moment in silence, and Ning Yingying watches both the sky and the chat, feeling better and slightly amused as Shang-shishu introduced and explained with clear bias to Yuan-ge about the other Peak Lords. It was certainly surprising that Shang-shishu never actually wrote about them, the implications were rather concerning but right now? She was enjoying a treat made by her shidi and relaxing on the ground.

"These tasted amazing A-Luo, thanks for sharing these with me, it did help make me feel better." She smiled, "Your cooking is amazing! No wonder shizun wanted you to move in with him." That and to probably keep an eye on him and stuff. She watches as Luo Binghe's face turned red, and for a moment, a feeling of discomfort runs through her as she thinks that Luo Binghe was taking that compliment to heart.

And he was, but not in the way she was thinking.

"T-This one is lucky! To have moved into shizun's hut, and to make him meals. And to do chores for him. He is- he's a great shizun." Luo Binghe admitted with a flushed, nearly dazed look on his face, smiling into the distance with a sigh. "He's amazing."

Ning Yingying squinted at him.

Huh?

Chapter Text

TengusRBad: but ye thas all the peak lords now

Operation: Distract Shen Yuan from his Recent Trauma so far has been a resounding success. He came into the meeting with that as one of his main goals and as far as he can see it, Cucumber Bro has been sufficiently distracted from his trauma from Shang Qinghua's intentional rants about the Peak Lord. Good job him! He deserves something good after this-

Okay, so he did intent to distract Shen Yuan with his off the wall rants but genuinely? It felt so fucking good to rant to someone about these idiots, he didn't have to hide anything, didn't have to hold back on his insults and every single word was understood by his fellow transmigrator. It was fucking amazing and despite a few setbacks and multiple plans he had to either trash, throw out the window, replan- etc. He finds that being able to share his experience with another person, being fully honest and actually regularly talking to another person who just understands his situation?

It was good.

It was great.

He was having fun again, he had someone to talk to about the old modern world they used to live in. He had access to old photos and memories, he could watching fucking anime- he'd been wary about the system updates, wary about the system's intentions. He has lived far too long with it to really trust it, too many scenarios ending with him somewhat injured or facilitating future events and other scenarios for the actual plotline had left him.

Somber in a way.

But this? This might be the update that he genuinely enjoyed from the system, of course he was still fucking suspicious as to what was going on but he can't really complain the results. He had access to old files that reminded him of who he was before transmigrating, fucking anime and finally had a someone he be himself around and hang out.

Well, somewhat, they were limited to the chat right now and he hasn't had the time to truly hang out with Shen Yuan. But being able to chat with him on the daily was good enough for now, and there would be plenty of time for them to hang out later! He'll have to just reschedule, rearrange a few things, make sure he's actually free and stuff. Same with Shen Yuan, he might even arrange another Demon Slayer anime watch party soon! It's been long enough and he thinks they both deserved it. (cucumber bro needed all the distraction he could get really.)

Anyway, he has to give Shen Bro props, he had done relatively well in the meeting. Sure, he was much more quiet and amicable than the original Shen Jiu, but he paid enough attention and had gotten the gist of things. When it was his turn to speak, he knew what to say, what to request, what to discuss and was impressively professional about his turn the entire time. Which was a step above Ruan Qingruan's slurring speech on what he needed, toeing the line between professionalism and being casually rude during the meeting.

Not that it would matter, all the other peak lords would tolerate it anyway because they liked Ruan Qingruan better than either him or Shen Qingqiu just because he could be laid back and shit-

Ah, that was a rant for another time.

The meeting was over, and it was time to head back to their peaks- for him at least. He still had shit to do, as much as he wanted to stay back and finally physically hang out with Cucumber Bro.

TengusRBad: :(
NotCured: What's wrong?
TengusRBad: i wanna hang out bro
TengusRBad: but ive got shit 2 do TnT
NotCured: Unfortunate.

"This Shang Qinghua has much to do so he bids his martial family farewell and a good day." Shang Qinghua formally bade before he left, scurrying off to avoid whatever muttering he might hear from the other Peak Lords. At the very least, he feels very refreshed after cussing out the rest of the Peak Lords and venting in the chat. A rare experience for the An Ding Peak Lord, who usually left the meetings exhausted, secretly fuming or just downright sour. Not that he would willing show it, he knows his place- plus the System might throw a hissy fit so there was usually no point.

TengusRBad: u stayin bro?
TengusRBad: gonna schmooze an meet the other peak lords?
NotCured: Don't say schmooze, I would never do something like that.
NotCured: Honestly, I don't think I have the social energy to try that so I'm going to leave as soon as I can.
NotCured: Then again I might not have a choice, here comes Xu Qingli...

Shang Qinghua hid a wince, feeling sympathetic for his fellow transmigrator. Wanting to leave but being stopped on the way? That's always a shit thing...

NotCured: Or maybe not.
NotCured: Mu Qingfang has something to talk to her about, I can simply leave.
TengusRBad: ayy not bad
TengusRBad: praise be mqf!!! i knew i liked him for something lmao
NotCured: I'm leaving.
TengusRBad: noice
TengusRBad: liu qingge givin u flak?
NotCured: Surprisingly no, he's talking to Yue Qingyuan.
TengusRBad: oh i was JUST about to ask bout him
TengusRBad: v lucky bro v v lucky
NotCured: Thanks.

Shang Qinghua snickered to himself, he could practically hear Shen Bro's dry response in that one single word. What a guy.

He stops by a few of his disciples on his way to his office after quickly arriving back on his peak, delegating as much work as he possibly could to them. Small work that he knows they could handle - 'make note of this shipment' 'check the talismans' 'contact this and that for this and that supplies' - before he heads back to his office to tackle the real work. And after that? A fucking nap, he had been awake ever since Cucumber Bro had woken him up after the whole 'dream demon' debacle and the poor guy had a taste of what the original had in that weird dream/memory that the System probably trudged up just to fuck with him.

Fucking System.

Either way, being awake so early had given him a head start with the day's new workload. He had to plan out the resources and obtainment of his beloved martial family's requests, he cussed out Ruan Qingruan again alongside Lin Qingshui for asking for such expensive ingredients, resources and equipment. Gao Qinggao's request for higher quality talisman paper wasn't a surprise, especially since they used their previous stock in buffing up the wards on all Sect Peaks especially Qiong Ding where Shang Qinghua had tweaked the wards- subtly of course since he didn't need Gao Qinggao to suspect that they'd been purposefully weakened just enough for a Demoness of Sha Hualing's power and caliber to break through.

Xu Qingli was mercifully lacking in requests this time, just like the Original Shen Qingqiu, at least Shang Qinghua could trust her to not need excessive amounts of money to either provide her shit or repair things. She was cautious and rarely did her artifact refining, cultivation and more result in large amount of damage. He kept an eye on her inventory of artifacts and also made sure any of the more volatile artifacts wouldn't cause any problems.

Duan Qingze was a quiet good man as always, he didn't need anything new or expensive other than a monthly resupply of feed for his animals and beasts alongside some easy repairs that wouldn't take much to do.

Qi Qingqi was strangely silent but at least she didn't order any new fabric for her peak, just more daily necessities. Same with Mu Qingfang who merely told Shang Qinghua he needed a resupply of certain herbs. Wei Qingwei just needed more ores and some tool repairs. Liu Qingge was miraculously collateral damage-free this month. A very rare miracle that Shang Qinghua reveled in, smug and relieved that the War God hadn't destroyed some more houses in some village while being a brute-headed idiot.

Heh.

Brute-headed idiot.

Shen Jiu would have loved using that.

It's when Shang Qinghua is taking a small break from his work that Cucumber Bro poses a... complicated question to him.

NotCured: Airplane, it's been on the back of my head this entire time and I can't hold back from asking any longer.
NotCured: What did you mean exactly when you said you didn't create the other Peak Lords fully in your drafts?

The twice-born author froze in place at the question.

NotCured: If they didn't come from your drafts, if you didn't write them then...

He took in a deep breath, right.

Shen Yuan would have eventually asked this question at some point.

TengusRBad: gimme a mome

He was not going to type this all out, so after activating the privacy wards and talisman he called Cucumber Bro.

SQQ: Airplane?

"Didn't want to type out all the shit I'm about to say. Plus, some things are better discussed- well, not really in person. We're both too busy for that right now, I am at least." Shang Qinghua groaned, eyeing the leftover paperwork on the table with a critical eye. Looks like this short break wasn't going to be short at all, but he could afford it. "To answer your question bro... I'm gonna have to admit something out front."

It's something he doesn't think of often, but it was there at the back of his mind all the time. Ever since it dawned on him years ago, while he was still growing up in this fucking world.

"I have no idea if I created this world or not." Shang Qinghua admitted with an anxious smile that his fellow transmigrator couldn't see but could probably hear from his tone of voice.

SQQ: What?!

It has been an eye-opening time ever since this System Chat had appeared within her head. It felt like almost every chat since she's been forced to read, as it was impossible to completely ignore the blue thing in her head, her world would repeatedly be shaken, stirred and even broken.

Shen Qingqiu was replaced by a young man nearly her age, both he and Shang Qinghua had came from a world not their own, there were other worlds out there and one of them involved demons that would die in the sun, and Shang Qinghua had created the world.

The last part was something Mu-shishu and Sect Leader had said like it was an unfortunate fact, with her own brother reluctantly agreeing mostly because he was the least experienced with the information that was given to him via the Chat. Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan were both her senior uncles and the most experienced with the Chat since they were the first two to have ever been involved with it, so surely their words had merit and could be taken as fact, no?

SQH: I have no idea if I created this world or not.
SQQ: What?!

... No?

Liu Mingyuan excused herself from her martial sisters, thankfully class was over and free period was starting so she could freely find a private space to react to the Chat without repressing all her reactions- even though more than half her face was covered thanks to her veil, she did not want to risk her eyes giving her away.

But in the safety of her room, and the reinforced safety of a soundproofing talisman, Liu Mingyuan was free to shout, What alongside Shen Qingqiu.

SQQ: What the fuck do you MEAN you have no idea if you created the world or not?! You're fucking Airplane Shooting Towards The SKY!

Despite her own doubts to Shang-shishu's supposed divinity, she hadn't really expected the man himself to say otherwise- also again, she had faith and trust towards Mu-shishu and Sect Leader. If she was reeling now, she could only imagine the reactions of her martial uncles. How was her brother reacting? Should she try and find him?

(Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan.exe were not computing, please hold.)

((Liu Qingge crashed into a tree. Wei Qingwei's hammer slipped from his hold, causing some damage to his private smithing area.))

(((Ning Yingying got detention for interrupting a class after a brief check up as to why she made such a concerning wheeze-like noise during the lecture.)))

((((Elsewhere, a woman pauses her ongoing investigation and self-reflection.))))

(((((Sha Hualing scoffs, muttering as she plots and schemes.))))

((((((And most importantly; Mobei Jun is barely phased, merely listens for more information but knows that his opinion of Shang Qinghua does not change.))))))

God, she was going to have to tell her shifu!

Before she could go and find her though, Shang Qinghua answered Shen Qingqiu's question. His tone rather sheepish but turned into something rather difficult for her to describe.

SQH: Yeah, yeah but thing is bro; I may have WROTE Proud Immortal Demon Way but there's a good fucking chance that I didn't actually, y'know, CREATE the whole damn world? It's kinda up for debate.
SQQ: Up to debate my ASS! Fucking ELABORATE!
SQH: Okay, okay! Chill! Look, remember how I said that I didn't really hash out the other Peak Lords? I only had like, their fucking skeletal structures and shit- what their peaks were, their names. I never really got into their personalities in the end, hell! I never named Zhi Ji's Peak Lord! I just knew that he had Qing in his name because the current Qing generation and shit! So Lin Qingshui's name? Was a total fucking surprise for me. Their quirks, their personalities, their lives- none of it was written by me. Yet they're there.
SQQ: ...
SQH: My main focus always involved Luo Binghe and those closest to him, I know his backstory, his life like the back of my hand but ask me about Gao Qinggao and I know next to nothing about how she grew up. She is her own person, everyone is. So that means-
SQQ: You didn't create them, you didn't create the world...
SQH: But at the same time...
SQQ: At the same time?
SQH: There's little details that are too specific for me to fully believe that I'm not not the guy who kind of just- created shit into existence?
SQQ: Airplane-
SQH: Yeah, yeah, e-la-bo-rate! It's... Small specific details like; Ruan Qingruan. I loosely based him off a neighbor I once had that was an alcoholic, kind of a asshole but pretty decent guy. I never really described him in the novel, but I had small notes about Ruan Qingruan. He was a half-finished Peak Lord and I gave him a quirk, a small habit I remember my neighbor had. He always, always, stacks his bottles and cups in a weird pattern. It was kind of an inside joke to myself, a small reference I put in, pretty fucking harmless right?
SQQ: ... What weird pattern?
SQH: Every empty bottle flipped upside down, carefully balancing another empty bottle, making this weird bottle building. The cups are usually like, the last thing he puts it on. He never knocks it down even when super fucking drunk, it's kind of impressive actually.
SQQ: Your neighbor did that?
SQH: Yeah, but you know who else does that? Ruan Qingruan.
SQQ: What the fuck.

What the fuck indeed Shen Yuan.

Liu Mingyuan was struggling to understand everything that Shang Qinghua was telling Shen Qingqiu and by unknown extension, them. The ones who could see the Chat alongside the two transmigrators (though unknown to many, there were more witnessing the chat than they initially realized).

The young cultivator paced along her room before deciding to tear down her soundprooding talisman in favor of searching for either her brother or one of her martial uncles in the know- her shifu wouldn't be happy that she hadn't immediately reported to her but at the moment, she needed to speak with someone who not necessarily understood what was going on, but both knew about the Chat (which her shifu did) and could see the chat (which her shifu couldn't unfortunately.)

As she quickly ran to find her brother or Mu-shishu, Wei-shishu or even the Sect Leader, the conversation continued.

SQH: So like I said, there's a big chance that I've either A; somehow seen this world and subconsciously decided to write it into a stallion novel. I mean, I did get a few kind of vivid dreams in my previous life about PDIW. But that doesn't really explain the small personal details that I wrote into the novel, purely for myself as like, a private reference or inside joke, somehow being in this world as well like Ruan Qingruan's bottle stacking and secret hand fetish—
SQQ: Secret WHAT now.
SQH: Or B! I did somehow create the world by writing the novel but that leaves a lot of implications for novels and stories as a whole. Like is every story, every novel a world created by people? What about the details of the world the author never put in but are there?
SQQ: Well, the System could be filling in the blanks...
SQH: I thought so too, but you really think that the bullshit monotoned Systems could do that? They won't give a solid answer by the way! I've asked multiple times!
SQQ: System?
SYSTEM: Both User_Host_01 and User_Host_02 do not have the clearance, privilege nor permission to the inquired information.
SQH: See?!
SQQ: But we're supposed to be following and changing the plot of your dumb fucking novel!
SQH: I know! So far, the timeline of the world matches the timeline of the novel I wrote but there's more to it! The plot is there but the world keeps going! It's fucking insane!
SQQ: So why keep calling the world a novel? Why call Binghe your son if you didn't create him?!
SQH: Mostly it's for my peace of mind and to feel like I've got some control out of this fucking life, and sometimes it's easier to refer the world to a novel but... the people around us are real Shen Yuan. Everything is.
SQQ: ...
SQH: We're both real too.

There is something horribly vulnerable in their voices now.

She had crashed into her brother on Bai Zhan Peak, a dismayed look in her eyes that her brother matches as they listen to the conversation.

Shen Qin- no, Shen Yuan's voice is shaky, thick with emotion. It reminds her of last night, when he called with fear, anxiety and pain in his voice as he described the horrible nightmare he experienced after Luo Binghe met the Dream Demon.

SQQ: I... don't know what to say about this...
SQH: You don't have to, honestly it's my fault for bringing this up. But I thought it'd be better for me to tell you this instead of it hitting you out of the fucking blue like it did for me.
SQQ: ... When did it happen for you?
SQH: ...
SQQ: Qinghua?
SQH: ... On a mission that killed one of my shidis before I met Mobei Jun. I realized far too late that the people around me weren't just characters in a novel that I wrote.

"Shang-shixiong! Shang-shixiong! I hear shizun is going to make you Head Disciple! Congratulations! Hehe, I think shixiong will become Peak Lord! It'd be nice!"

His name was Yong Le.

One of his little shidis, a boy who joined sometime after he did.

A precocious, bright boy who, if Shang Qinghua hadn't existed or maybe if the System wasn't there, could have easily been the An Ding Peak Lord. If An Ding had been a regular logistics, finance and supplies peak at least, though that may be Shang Qinghua's personal and biased opinion. It may be nostalgia, guilt and remorse glorifying the smart boy that followed him around like a puppy.

Yong Le wasn't someone Shang Qinghua had written about at all.

The Original Shang Qinghua had no one following him, he'd always been distant to his fellow disciples and ruthlessly made sure no one ever came close to him or got in the way of his goals.

And although Shang QInghua was set to follow his footsteps, his path- they were still fundamentally different people even if Shang QInghua had based the original on himself but in a way he had secretly wished he'd been when he was younger. It was during Shang Qinghua's lowest moments, stressed and depressed and starving in more than one sense that he created the An Ding Peak Lord, in an edgy, idealized version of himself. Stronger, ruthless, and stone-hearted- an actual survivor that relief on no one but himself, and if he had to pull everyone down just so he could live, so be it. All of that was wrapped in the cowardice foil that Shang Qinghua covered in last moment in self-embarrassment and to focus on Luo Binghe and his story alongside Shen Qingqiu and the others...

He wished he'd been as heartless as the Original Shang Qinghua had been, perhaps life would be a little less painful.

Of course Shang Qinghua got a little better over time and he decided that his original depiction of the man was too much, and everyone seemed to hate the character- which was fair, he was a traitor after all, he trusted no one but himself. So he killed Shang Qinghua, using his favorite character Mobei Jun.

Original Shang Qinghua had been cool though, in his private opinion. He'd been a spy, and spies were cool. The other side of the coin to the traitor of Cang Qiong.

Anyway, point was; Shang Qinghua was not exactly the Original Shang Qinghua.

He couldn't become exactly like him even if he tried, which he did, to a satisfactory extent anyway. Enough to satisfy the System but different enough to feel like himself. Different enough that somehow Yong Le and a few of his other shidis began to follow him around for some fucking reason and Shang Qinghua- he didn't do anything about it at first.

He ended up taking advantage of it, try to lessen his work which backfired in the end because he got attached to people who he used to call as background characters in his own novel. He had indulged himself, the System said nothing about it, just told him to focus on becoming Head Disciple of An Ding and that was it.

And then reality hit him like a truck when he witnessed Yong Le's death on a mission before he met Mobei Jun.

"I think you'd be a great Peak Lord and shizun Shang-shixiong! Shixiong taught this Yong Le so much!"

It's funny, he didn't think he paid attention to Yong Le at all when he was alive. But when he held Yong Le's body the first time- all the little details came flooding to him all at once.

Yong Le's favorite snacks were melon seeds, and he always offered some to Shang Qinghua when he could. He wrote with his left hand which meant his left sleeves were frequently  smudged with ink. His favorite color was grey because he liked pairing the 'boring color' with other colors and because he liked storm clouds which meant storming and rainy days were his favorite weather. He once had a pet dog he named 'Cat' just to confuse everyone and laugh at their reactions when he called for his pet. He hated spicy foods. Hated the sun on hot days and hated when other disciples picked on his friends, which included Shang QInghua for some god awful reason. Yong Le's dream was to become a cultivator merchant and bring prosperity and honor to his family.

Yong Le wanted visit his hometown after the mission since it was so close by. Wanted to personally check on his loving family, and introduce them to him.

Shang Qinghua introduced himself when he brought home Yong Le's cooling body to them.

SQH: It'll be hard to remember that the world around us isn't just a novel anymore Shen Yuan, especially with that damn system reminding us constantly and reinforcing it, but sometimes it's easier to just say it is for the sake of it. But that's not really the truth... So yeah, I don't know if I'm a god of this world, or like- a seer who wrote it as a story in our world but... know that it's all real. And expect the world to give you a few surprises to deal with that you don't remember was in the novel or were even in my drafts or notes.

Shen Yuan sat there, staring at the chat as the man he had once cursed off as stupid and idiotic and childish- the author of his favorite this stallion novel which involved way too much fucking sex become so- so serious.

Thanks for the existential crisis Air- Shang Qinghua. It's not like Shen Yuan had already too much on his plate!!