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The Choice was upon him. After years of struggle, of defiance, of trying everything he could think of, Shen Qingqiu was about to break and throw his beloved white lotus disciple into the Endless Abyss.
[Warning! The critical quest “The Endless Abyss and Endless Hatred, a Sky Filled with Crystal Frost and Tears of Blood” has officially begun! If it is not successfully completed, twenty thousand protagonist satisfaction points will be deducted!]
[Time Remaining: 00:22:17]
Less than half an hour, at most, before Luo Binghe experienced the ultimate betrayal from his trusted Shizun.
Shen Qingqiu bit his lip and tried to hide his shaking hands.
“Shizun,” Binghe said quietly, the demonic mark on his forehead glowing bright red, “this disciple can explain.”
When Shen Qingqiu remained silent, his disciple started babbling with tears gathering in his eyes about how it was Shizun himself that said that even demons could be good, how race did not define whether one was innocent or evil, but Shen Qingqiu barely listened.
Yes, he had asked Binghe whether he wanted to become strong and the boy said yes, unknowingly giving tacit consent.
Yes, he knew Binghe would survive the Abyss and come back stronger.
Yes, he knew the punishment for failure to complete the mandatory quest was immediate execution.
…And yet.
He couldn’t do it. When the time finally came, he just couldn’t. His beautiful white sheep’s eyes were slowly filling with tears the longer he remained silent, and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t force himself to say a single harsh word to the boy he raised with all the love in his heart ever since he unlocked the OOC function.
His head was a mess. Thoughts whirled in his mind and he distantly noticed he was on the verge of a silent mental breakfown, but he still couldn’t force himself to continue to wear the cruel mask of the Original Goods, Shen Jiu.
He would rather spend the remaining twenty minutes of his life soothing and reassuring his disciple.
Funny.
Once, when he was still Shen Yuan, he had mocked the old literary classics that described ‘noble warriors’ and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for their country, their liege, or the morals they believed in. Wouldn’t it make more sense to bend than break? At least that way they’d always have a chance to make up for past mistakes or failures, as long as they survived the current crisis.
But now he knew. He knew exactly what they must have felt.
‘I’m sorry, my ancient ancestors. I didn’t understand before. Not until I was asked to make a choice myself.’
[Time Remaining: 00:19:46]
Shen Qingqiu sighed, relaxed his shoulders, closed his eyes and turned his face towards the skies.
Death before dishonor.
So be it.
After all that struggle and dilema, that was his final choice. His heart wouldn’t let him choose otherwise - he loved this white lotus of a protagonist too much to do anything else.
When he opened his eyes and looked back at the poor boy, he saw the tears his dear Binghe could no longer suppress and shook his head ruefully.
“Come here, you foolish child,” he smiled and opened his arms.
Binghe’s breath hitched. For a second, he hesitated, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. And then he jumped into his Shizun’s arms like the sticky child he was.
“Shizun, Shizun, Shizun!!” he mumbled and squeezed Shen Qingqiu, burying his teary face in the crook of his neck.
“Shh, it’s alright, it’s alright. I don’t hate you, I don’t blame you, you’re still my precious Binghe, no matter what you are,” he whispered as he carded his fingers through his disciple’s fluffy hair and the boy only squeezed him tighter and cried harder.
[Time Remaining: 00:15:33]
Aah. Fifteen minutes left in this world. Well, it was fun while it lasted. At least he had spent those years in comfort, doing what he liked, surrounded by his friends and students. And this end wasn’t too bad either. He could go in peace, knowing Binghe would be safe. No need to fight for survival in the brutal and horrifying Abyss. As soon as Shen Qingqiu died, he could go and rejoin his sect-mates and Elders. Everything would be ok, and no one would even notice-
He froze.
Binghe tensed up as well in response and lifted his teary eyes to look his Shizun in the face.
Shen Qingqiu grabbed him by the shoulders and stared at him intensely. “Binghe. Can you hide your demonic mark and qi?”
Binghe blinked, then scrunched his face in concentration. The glowing mark on his forehead flickered for an instant, but then returned in full glory, glowing brightly. Unmistakably marking him as a Heavenly Demon.
A being that would be executed on sight by any ‘righteous cultivator’.
And there were hundreds of those in the Gorge, surrounding them on all sides.
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened in horror. Was that the reason the System gave such a harsh penalty for failure? Because refusal would… kill the protagonist??
“We have to hide you!” he exclaimed but even as he said it, he knew it was hopeless. There was no way they could smuggle Binghe out of the Gorge, under the noses of the entire Immortal Alliance whose Elders were doing a thorough sweep for any demons and demonic beasts right this moment. And if he, a random normal person, could track the Skinner demon by their qi less than a month after transmigration, there was no way they’d be able to shake hundreds of skilled master cultivators off even if they did manage to get out of the Gorge.
Binghe must have known it too because his eyes filled with fear that mirrored Shen Qingqiu’s own.
[Warning! The critical quest “The Endless Abyss” is in progress! If it is not successfully completed, forty thousand protagonist satisfaction points will be deducted!]
[Time Remaining: 00:11:08]
Shen Qingqiu’s breath hitched as he turned to stare at the portal to the Endless Abyss.
No.
No way!
Not after he already accepted his death rather than cause his beloved disciple such pain! Don’t you dare tell him the Abyss was Binghe’s only way out! System, what the fuck!?
[ (￢_￢;) ]
[Time Remaining: 00:10:31]
Binghe blinked. Sniffed. Wiped his eyes then followed his Shizun’s flabbergasted gaze to look at the portal as well.
He froze.
“Do… Do you think…? Should I…?”
Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and clutched Binghe’s shoulders tighter.
As much as he hated it, there truly didn’t seem to be another choice.
“...Yes.” He cursed the System in his mind once again. “There is no other option. If you can’t hide your demonic qi and the Heavenly Demon mark so perfectly that it can escape the scrutiny of the entire Immortal Alliance, then you need to hide yourself until you can. The Gorge is filled with cultivators, including Elders and Peak Lords, who are all on high alert for anything demonic. If your demonic heritage is revealed now, everyone will point fingers and turn you into a scapegoat. The Abyss… is your only way out of this. If you are to survive this… then you need to jump in.”
Binghe gulped and stared at the living nightmare in front of his eyes. Roiling darkness spilled out of the portal in a way that made it appear almost hungry .
[Time Remaining: 00:08:12]
Shen Qingqiu pulled him into a hug again.
“Listen. I know it looks hopeless, but you can do it. You are strong, brave, incredibly talented and now have the advantage of your demonic qi as well. If anyone can survive the Abyss, it would be you.”
Binghe peeked up at him from behind his eyelashes and blushed. “Do you really think so?”
Shen Qingqiu nodded.
“And you don’t hate me?”
He gave the boy a pained smile. “As if this master could ever hate his Binghe.”
Despite the tense situation, the stress and the looming darkness behind him, Binghe lifted his eyes and smiled at Shen Qingqiu with all the light and love in his beautiful maiden heart.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried. His hand lifted to gently pat Binghe’s head, then he leaned in and placed a soft kiss right over the demonic mark on the boy’s forehead.
Binghe sighed and closed his eyes. When he next opened them, they gleamed with so much light that Shen Qingqiu struggled not to look away.
[Time Remaining: 00:05:53]
“You really need to go, before any cultivator tracks your energy and finds you here.” He took the qiankun pouch from his belt. “Take this with you. There are some spare supplies there that should help. Use whatever you wish.”
“Yes, Shizun!” The boy still stared at him with a smitten smile as if Shen Qingqiu was the only light in his life.
He gently extricated himself from the strong grip this little protagonist had on the front of his robes. “Now go.” He patted Binghe’s fluffy hair one last time. “And return to me safely.”
Luo Binghe smiled.
Then jumped into the Abyss, willingly.
[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the key quest, “The Legend Begins: Luo Binghe’s Fall and Rebirth.” Reward: Protagonist satisfaction points +10,000.]
[Due to extraordinary circumstances, a new point value has been activated: Luo Binghe’s Affection points. Affection points +50,000.]
[Calculating changes in relationship . . . 14% 37% 63% 88% 100%]
[New feature unlocked: Relationship tracking!]
[New! Relationship updated to: Friendly.]
[New! Relationship updated to: Favorite.]
[New! Relationship updated to: Beloved.]
[New! Relationship updated to: Fated.]
[New! Relationship updated to: Obsessed.]
[New! Relationship updated to: One True Love.]
[New! Relationship updated to: Soulmate.]
[ERR!]
[Warning! Due to excessive Affection points, Relationship status is now locked. Luo Binghe’s Affection value is no longer able to drop or increase. Relationship status locked as: ‘Soulmate’. Please be aware that the User will no longer be able to start a relationship with anyone other than the Protagonist.]
[Please continue to work hard!]
Soulmate… Soulmate… Soulmate…
System?! What the fuck is going on?? Since when did his little white lotus see him in… that light?
[ ♡( ◡‿◡ ) ]
[Please continue to work hard!]
SYSTEMMM!!
Shen Qingqiu hid his scowl behind a fan and tried not to glare at the sectmaster, Yue Qingyuan. Not to glare too much.
“I. Am not. Insane.” He fanned himself harder.
“No one ever said you were, Shen-shidi,” Yue Qingyuan soothed. “But it’s been months since… It’s been months. Even if the boy did survive the fall as you said, there is no way he could still be alive now.”
“You don’t know Binghe like I do. The boy is strong and-”
“It’s been months, Xiao-Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan softly countered. “It’s time to lay his memory to rest and choose a new head disciple. You can’t keep waiting for him forever."
Shen Qingqiu looked down at the teacup in front of him.
The worst part was that if he hadn’t known that Luo Binghe would survive the Abyss, he would have probably agreed. The situation did seem hopeless. But there was no way in hell he would replace the head disciple now when he knew that the boy, now a young man, was definitely coming back.
“It hasn’t even been a year yet. I will keep on waiting.”
Yue Qingyuan sighed, took a sip of his tea and gave up trying to convince him.
Just as well. Shen Qingqiu already had enough trouble trying not to cry as he imagined his poor innocent white sheep all alone in the Abyss, suffering under an endless onslaught of monsters. He had no energy left to spare arguing with the sect leader.
Poor Binghe… He hoped the boy was coping with the brutal torture of the Abyss well.
“So is this the sort of romance Shizun likes?” Luo Binghe muttered as he pulled one of the trashy but popular books from Shen Qingqiu’s pouch. “I would have thought he’d be more into classics.”
It was time for his daily break from training to suppress his demonic aura. The Abyss turned out not to be too bad, when one knew what they were doing… and Luo Binghe knew exactly what he was doing, thanks in huge part to his Shizun’s teachings. And the annotated compendium of demonic beasts that his Shizun carried in his pouch. Among other things.
The pouch was full of useful stuff, don’t get him wrong. But among all those useful supplies, the things Binghe treasured the most were his Shizun’s personal effects.
Every day, once he finished his training, he allowed himself a brief break to go over them. Shizun’s favorite spare fans. Various herbs, flowers and scented oils. His favorite tea and tea-set. Lesson plans for him and the other disciples (the plans for Binghe were always harder and better thought out than for the others and Binghe’s heart jumped every time he thought how much more effort his Shizun expended towards him and his education than the other disciples). The comb he sometimes used to fix Binghe’s hair. And the trashy romance novels.
Those were probably the greatest surprise to Binghe. Every other page had some dramatic reveal, a new monster or plot threatening the main couple, and so so so many love confessions.
Binghe turned the page and struggled not to blush as he imagined the main couple on the pages replaced by him and his Shizun.
“It’s been almost half a year,” Shen Qingqiu muttered to himself as he stared at the repaired Zheng Yang on his desk.
Half a year without his beloved white lotus protagonist. Half a year without his constant company, the tea and sweets he always prepared just for his Shizun, half a year since his improved cultivator’s hearing last heard him softly breathe in the adjacent room.
How was he doing, he wondered.
Was he healthy? Was he safe? Did he manage to find enough to eat in that cruel, cruel place?
…Did he start to hate Shen Qingqiu after being forced to go through so much suffering?
The worst part was that he couldn’t even check his status since the System was now in maintenance mode.
He bit his nails and stared at the Zheng Yang sword some more, wondering if his beautiful white sheep would ever want to use it again, now that he’d have the OP golden finger, Xin Mo.
He truly hoped Binghe won’t start hating him once he picked the Heart Demon Blade.
He missed his Shizun so much it was unbearable.
His only consolation was that thanks to the demonic energies of the Abyss, his cultivation progressed at an astonishing rate, and he gained better control over his powers every day. His new sword was useful and once subdued, listened to his wishes well. And since Luo Binghe’s dearest wish was to get the hang of his newly discovered demonic powers so he could return to his Shizun… He could feel himself improving almost daily.
But he was still a long way off from being able to fool master cultivators like the sectmaster. He had to stay longer, if he wanted to rejoin his Shizun.
At least he found a temporary way to cope with his yearning. Even if it was a bit embarrassing.
You see, he had made a precious discovery in his Shizun’s pouch when he looked through it for some spare clothes after his own were torn almost to shreds in a monster attack.
“Oh for-! Again!?” came the disgusted scoff of Meng Mo from within his mind.
Binghe lifted his head and pronounced clearly with as much dignity as he could muster. “If the Senior doesn’t like to see what this disciple is doing, perhaps he should withdraw further into this disciple’s psyche.”
He could feel Meng Mo’s eyeroll. But the Dream Demon withdrew, not willing to subject himself to Binghe’s ‘coping mechanism’. Which suited Binghe just fine.
He squeezed himself through his pants and took a deep whiff of his Shizun’s scent that was left on his spare underwear.
One year after Luo Binghe’s fall
Shen Qingqiu turned towards Shang Qinghua. “Maybe we should look for the Sun-Moon Thousand-Dew Mushroom after all. …Just in case.”
Shang Qinghua lifted an eyebrow at Cucumber-bro and wondered how someone could be this oblivious. Then he shook his head. “Fine by me. I don’t think you’ll ever need it but it would be a good idea to have a backup plan if my king ever gets a bit too angry with me.”
Shen Qingqiu lifted an eyebrow at Airplane-bro and wondered how someone could be this oblivious.
One year, eight months after Luo Binghe’s fall
Shen Qingqiu sat at the table in his Bamboo House, calmly sipping tea.
For some reason, it didn’t taste as good as he remembered. It was his favorite blend, but even though Ming Fan prepared it excellently, it was still… lacking something. When his Binghe prepared the tea, it always somehow tasted better.
He sighed.
Would he get to taste the tea prepared by his beloved Binghe ever again?
Suddenly, he heard some minor commotion outside. Many voices were raised, shouting over each other. Shen Qingqiu stood up with a sigh, intending to go check who was making a mess of his peak.
He didn’t get very far.
Luo Binghe strolled down the path towards the Bamboo House as if he had only left yesterday. But the changes in him couldn’t have been more obvious.
Tall and muscular, he had finally grown into his own body. Dressed head to toe in menacing black cultivator robes instead of the white and pale green he always used to wear. On his back, a chilling blade of pure black.
And when he saw Shen Qingqiu… his face split with a wide, bright grin. The exact same he always wore. The beautiful, loving smile of his pure white lotus.
“Shizun!” he called out and ran towards him.
“...” For a moment, Shen Qingqiu had no idea how to react. Could this be true? Could Luo Binghe truly hold no anger towards him? Was it possible that his beautiful white lotus survived the Abyss?
Then he realized that he did not care anymore. Fate, plot, the system… none of that really mattered. As long as he had his Binghe back, he would deal with the rest, gladly.
He opened his arms and let the younger man hug him as much as he wanted.
Whatever happened next, he was sure they could deal with it.
Now they only needed to calmly, rationally, sensibly discuss what Binghe meant when he thought of them as ‘Soulmates’.
The End