Chapter Text
Liu Qingge looked down at the fan, its guard and ribs made of smooth ivory. Liu Qingge had no doubt that if he opened it there would be some breathtaking scene of mountains or clouds hidden on its leaves. His fingers tightened slightly before he forced himself to unclench. He rubbed his thumb on the guard, imagining for a moment that smooth ivory was instead soft skin.
Then he scoffed, shaking the thought out before it could take root in his mind and wreak havoc on his already fraying self-control.
Long hours had already been wasted by wishful what-ifs.
Liu Qingge called a disciple over and shoved the fan at him, ordering him to deliver it to Qing Jing. He spent considerable effort trying not to bark at the foolish idiot for almost dropping it in his haste to grab it.
Then, he turned around and left.
Got on his sword and flew away.
It was hard leaving the sect, it took everything in him to keep his sword in check when its natural state of being demanded it does as Liu Qingge pleased, as Liu Qingge wanted.
And oh how he wanted.
Liu Qingge flew for hours, further than he had the day before, and the day before was more than the day before that.
Each day he pulled at the strings that grabbed hold of his ankles, pretending that if they were red it was from how he would have bled if they were real.
He set up camp in a ruin he never heard of.
Night came quickly and he was soon staring up at a sky full of stars.
They were brighter here, as though the stars wanted to make up for the lack of light.
It was beautiful.
It was lonely.
It was just Liu Qingge with nothing but his sword to keep him company.
Just the way he had always liked it.
A decade before, Liu Qingge would have been happy to know that his life was still as adventurous as he had started it.
Yes, he would have loved to know it was just him, his sword, and any enemies he could track down.
Liu Qingge closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.
“This world sucks” Shen Yuan hissed. The System, unhelpful as always, only gave a shrugging emoticon.
[ System is unsure why Host would expect anything otherwise ]
Shen Yuan pushed himself up, gritting his teeth as his ribs ached from the movement.
He needed to move, and he needed to move quickly.
[ The GLITCH is spreading ]
Shen Yuan nodded his head to show he understood but didn’t speak, focusing more on leaving the area as quickly as he could.
[ Left ]
Shen Yuan immediately rolled to the left before pushing himself back to his feet and running away. Right below where his feet had been, a white hole filled with purple, red, green, and blue sparks swallowed the surrounding ground, spreading faster than most could run.
Judgment of the Gods.
That's what the locals had taken to calling the GLITCH.
Shen Yuan knew better though.
[ At the rate the GLITCH is growing, Host has four months to find a new Protagonist before this entire world is destroyed ]
“It’s not that fucking easy and you know it. Stop riding my ass if you're not going to be helpful. Besides, if you could point me to someone protagonist-worthy, we wouldn’t be having this issue,” Shen Yuan sneered, ignoring the searing pain in his side as he sprinted as far away as he could get.
[ A Protagonist that is not Born must be Made. Every other potential character in Proud Immortal Demon Way that could have held the title without much effort, is either long dead or no longer worthy ]
“What, so I should just take some random stranger off the street and train him into becoming a Protagonist? That’s fucking stupid,” Shen Yuan said, his steps slowing to a stop as he noticed the GLITCH settling down. Shen Yuan dropped to the ground, his feet collapsing underneath him as he panted for air.
[ At this point, Host is out of options ]
“How would I even find someone? Everyone around for miles is dead from the last major GLITCH,” Shen Yuan gasped out, still desperately sucking in air.
Then, ominously, the System blinked.
[ Not everyone ]
Shen Yuan paused.
He suddenly realized where he was.
The Ruins of Yuanwang.
Luo Binghe had a semi-important arc here.
Ning Yingying had been poisoned and fated to die, no antidote could save her and even the Heavenly Pillar was no use.
Eventually, Luo Binghe discovered the Ruins of Yuanwang.
There were only two rules in the Ruins of Yuanwang. One, only the worthy could find it, and two, once you made your wish, you could never make another.
The Ruins would bar you from entering again.
Shen Yuan got up on shaky legs and stumbled his way in.