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Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu was supposed to be at a Peak Lord meeting, the first one for the Qing generation. He was not at that meeting. Instead, he was standing outside of the Warm Red Pavilion because he decided he wanted better company.

But when he entered the brothel, he feared he wasn't going to find it there. Instead of greeting him, the jiejies were huddled together, cooing over something in Qiqi's arms.

He contemplated running out and going to the Peak Lord meeting as a latecomer, but Qiqi caught his eyes before he was able to escape. She darted up to him and confirmed his suspicions. In her arms was a baby.

The ugly little thing had its eyes opened wide as if it couldn't believe every little thing it was seeing. That look could've probably gotten him a couple of coins if it was a beggar, but Shen Qingqiu's cold heart would not be moved by the little parasite. Probably just a few months old, and it already was leaching off of others.

"A-Jiu! A-Jiu! Do you want to hold him?!" Qiqi got closer, ready to hand over the baby, but he quickly stepped out of her reach. He had just gotten some new robes fitting the title he recently earned, and he was not going to get some baby vomit on it.

He looked at the brat and sneered. "No thanks. This master has better things to do than entertain the company of a little beast."

Another one of the girls, A-Li, chimed in. "Like entertain the company of whores?"

Shen Qingqiu sniffed. "Please, the lot of you have more intelligence than the brutes up in the mountain. This master is sure that the other Peak Lords have more in common with the sniveling brat than you do."

"But he's so cute!" Qiqi countered. The little monster started gurgling at the praise. It had as much eloquence as Liu Qingge's usual grumblings.

"This master would take your word on that." Shen Qingqiu didn't want to be here with the baby. All that innocence and lack of understanding of the cruel world pissed him off. Where did that thing even come from?! None of the girls were pregnant the last time he was here.

The Madam answered his unasked question. "A-Yuan was left outside the door in a basket. One of the girls noticed him when she left to do some chores this morning."

"A-Yuan?" he asked but winced when he saw the Madam smirked. He was the top tactician in his sect, and he was still falling for her traps.

"There was a note left with him. There wasn't much on it, but it did say his name." She handed him a piece of paper, and out of courtesy he took it. He raised an eyebrow at the calligraphy.

【Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times!!! Please take good care of little A-Yuan!!! We promise a happy life for those who take care of him!!! 】

Ignoring the nonsensical message, Shen Qingqiu traced a finger through the words. The calligraphy was perfect, too perfect. Even he wouldn't be able to write as well as the note. Why was such good calligraphy wasted on a piece of parchment left with an abandoned baby? Was the writer even human?

But he didn't detect any demonic qi anywhere, not from the note nor the baby.

And what did it mean when it said it 'promises a happy life for those who take care of him'? Leaving a baby at a brothel was already weird enough, especially when his parents could just sell the boy for some extra coin if they couldn't afford to keep him.

The child might end up being more trouble than he was worth.

"You're not keeping the little beast, are you?"

Qiqi's smile fell off her face. "This… is not a good place for a child to be raised in. If we could, we want to give him a good home." And they would probably need his help. Hard to give away a baby to someone just looking to fuck some whores, and they would probably sell the baby behind their backs anyway. Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu had better connections and would have an easier time finding someone looking to adopt while he traveled on night hunts.

As much as it irked him to give the little beast a happy family life, he owed his jiejies for all they did for him. Even if it was abandoned, the little parasite got itself into a lucky situation by doing absolutely nothing.

However, as Shen Qingqiu looked into the child's green eyes, a nasty little idea popped into his head. Maybe there was a way the little brat could earn his help.

oOoOo

"Hold this."

A small bundle of cloth was forced into Yue Qingyuan's arms. He didn't have time to see what was being given to him, but it didn't matter. Anything Xiao Jiu gave him was precious.

So imagine his shock when the bundle in his arms began to move.

Yue Qingyuan looked down and gasped. He was given a child, one that couldn't be more than a few months of age. The dozing baby squirmed in his arms before settling down. They rubbed one of their fat cheeks against his robes and sighed.

Yue Qingyuan was already in love.

"Xiao-," he cleared his throat. He didn't want to ruin this moment. "Shen-shidi, who is this?"

Shen Qingqiu smirked triumphantly. "That is Shen Yuan. Our son." The other Peak Lords in the room gasped. They were just finishing a meeting when Shen Qingqiu stormed in and handed him the child. Shen Qingqiu was also supposed to be a part of the meeting, but he never showed up. They now knew why. "You will take responsibility of course. Won't you, Sect Leader?"

Yue Qingyuan set his gaze back down at the baby. He was now completely awake in his arms, probably roused by the noise from the other Peak Lords. His eyes were a soft shade of green, a bit different than Shen Qingqiu's vibrant eyes.

As much as he wanted to say otherwise, Yue Qingyuan never laid with Shen Qingqiu. Maybe this child was Shen Qingqiu's, maybe he was not. That didn't matter. What did was that he wanted Yue Qingyuan to be the father.

A wide smile crept across his face. Was Shen Qingqiu finally forgiving him? They could finally be a family once more, this time more intimate. "Of course! I will begin preparations for our wedding immediately!" Xiao Jiu was going to look stunning in red. He could imagine it already.

Shen Qingqiu looked taken aback for a moment, but he skillfully took control of his composure. "Good," he managed to say before snatching Shen Yuan out of the Sect Leader's arms. "A-Yuan needs to be fed. I will go over the wedding preparations with you later." Shen Yuan gurgled at Shen Qingqiu, reaching up at his new father. He pretended to not hear it and left the room.

As the other Peak Lords watched as Qing Jing Peak Lord leave with an excitable baby in his arms, Qi Qingqi leaned over and whispered in Mu Qingfang's ear. "Was Shen-shixiong ever pregnant?"

The doctor shook his head. "He probably picked up some random orphan to trap the Sect Leader into a marriage."

Qi Qingqi felt her blood boil. She didn't understand why Yue Qingyuan allowed that scum to get away with everything. No one deserved to be trapped in a marriage, especially not with him.

However, she knew better than to speak up about it. The Sect Leader wouldn't listen to their valid concerns. He never did when it came to Shen Qingqiu.

Only a bull-headed moron would try.

"Zhangmen-shixiong!" Liu Qingge roared. "That Shen Qingqiu is tricking you into raising some whore's child! You can't let him get away with this!"

The Sect Leader's pleasant demeanor immediately shifted, and the room felt colder all of a sudden. He was still smiling, but it was obvious that he was no longer happy. "Shen Yuan is my son, and I will not tolerate any slander aimed at him. This master will forgive you this time, but shidi will do well to remember to watch his words in the future." The message was clear: Yue Qingyuan was backing up Shen Qingqiu's lie, and he expected all of them to do the same.

Liu Qingge flushed red and mumbled out an apology. He was probably going to antagonize Shen Qingqiu later anyway.

Qi Qingqi sighed. While she thought the Sect Leader was making a bad decision, it was his bad decision to make. Maybe this won't end horribly and that weird tension between him and Shen Qingqiu would finally go away.

Before leaving the hall, everyone made sure to congratulate Yue Qingyuan on his future marriage. All the Peak Lords were solemn and didn't look happy about it, Shang Qinghua being the exception.

"Congrats on your engagement!" He had a wide shit-eating grin. Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky couldn't believe it, his ship was now canon! Of course, he could've made it canon when he was still alive, but he didn't think his audience would appreciate him giving the scum villain any wins. He did write some pretty popular fanfiction during his free time on his alt account. Toxic yaoi did numbers.

"Thank you, Shang-shidi. I do have a favor to ask of you." Yue Qingyuan clasped his hands together.

Oh no, that meant he was going to give Shang Qinghua more work. He took it all back! He prayed for the engagement's downfall. "Surely the Sect Leader doesn't expect me to help with the wedding preparations." He shuddered at the thought of bridezilla Shen Qingqiu.

Thankfully Yue Qingyuan shook his head. "I got all that covered, although it will be a lot of work. What I need from you is to set aside a budget for the wedding, plus some help covering my other duties."

Shang Qinghua reluctantly agreed to help, he doubted he had any choice in the matter. He should've known being the captain of this ship would entail more work. This was the last time he got involved with the relationships of his characters!

Although, he couldn't help but ponder over this new plot point. Shen Yuan never existed in PIDW, but the System didn't speak up about his presence. He wondered if the baby's existence would cause any major deviations from the plot…

Probably not! He doubted the System would let things change that much.

oOoOo

Shen Qingqiu didn't know if his plan went perfectly or horribly. All he wanted to do was use the brat to make Yue Qingyuan look like a dead-beat dad, but instead, he instantly claimed the child and even agreed to a marriage!

He looked down at the sleepy baby in his arms. "This is all your fault." His original plan was to have A-Yuan 'die', while actually handing him off to another family. Many children didn't survive childhood, so what was one more? But if he lost him so soon, then Qi-ge might call off the wedding…

Gah! He didn't even want to marry him in the first place! No doubt it would be a loveless marriage filled with guilt. But… being the Sect Leader's spouse could earn him some benefits.

Okay, new plan. He would keep A-Yuan until he was married, then give the brat away, and live the rest of his life in luxury. His jiejies would be proud that he was able to snag a high-standing man as his husband. In the meantime, he would probably have to learn how to take care of a baby.

He sighed. "This master was right to think that you would be nothing but trouble." But the baby ignored him and dozed in his arms.

He refused to think it was cute.

oOoOo

The day of the wedding came on a cool fall day. The trees were nearly bare as they prepared for the approaching winter.

No one expected the day to come so soon. Yue Qingyuan worked himself ragged in order to marry on the closest auspicious date. He pushed himself as far as he could, even going nights without sleeping, but it was all worth it. Shen Qingqiu was worth it. The Sect Leader was half-dead on his feet, but he still had the biggest smile on his face.

Most of the wedding preparations went off without a hitch. Shen Qingqiu could be meticulous about things such as flower arrangements and their wedding robes, but he wasn't as bad as Yue Qingyuan expected him to be. He was probably too distracted by little A-Yuan to try to make Yue Qingyuan's life harder over shades of red.

No, the biggest issue that popped up was their families, or more specifically, the lack of them. Yue Qingyuan would say he was fairly close with his martial siblings, but he had never opened up about his past. They all probably assumed that he came from a well-off family, both he and Shen Qingqiu. It was probably shameful for them to have no one to bow to, not even a tablet. Thankfully, the other Peak Lords had enough tact not to mention it (Most of them. He saw Qi Qingqi step on Liu Qingge's foot when the Bai Zhan Peak Lord opened his mouth in the middle of the ceremony).

Yue Qingyuan hardly paid them any attention. His eyes were stuck on his bride. Shen Qingqiu looked gorgeous in red. His usual cold beauty was replaced with some warmth, most of it being directed at the small boy in his arms.

Shen Qingqiu had changed in the past few months. Subtly, but Yue Qingyuan noticed. He became a bit more patient, a bit less scathing. He would stop himself from admonishing disciples too harshly the moment he noticed A-Yuan fussing, and he had even gotten in fewer fights with Liu Qingge lately. He was still Shen Qingqiu, but his edges were less sharp.

A-Yuan, who was also dressed in red, was the most dashing little boy in the world. Yue Qingyuan was happy to be his father, even if part of himself dreaded it. He didn't have any good examples of what a good parent looked like, and he worried that he might mess it up. He already hated himself for failing Xiao-Jiu. Failing A-Yuan too would be too much.

But the way A-Yuan looked at him, the carefree smile on his little face, and the constant excitable babbling, gave Yue Qingyuan hope. He would protect his son, his Shen Yuan, and he would do it with Shen Qingqiu by his side.

After the slightly awkward ceremony, all the Peak Lords were ready for the celebrations. Sure, they might have not been happy that their Sect Leader was marrying the scummiest man on the mountain, but hey! Alcohol!

Shockingly, Shen Qingqiu stayed around as everyone partied. Yue Qingyuan thought that he would've left the first chance he got, but he sat by as the Peak Lords came up and gave their reluctant congratulations. Sure, he ignored them all in favor of playing with little Shen Yuan, pretending like the baby's indecipherable ramblings were more intriguing than what his martial siblings had to say, but A-Yuan's charm was so powerful that the other Peak Lords weren't miffed by Shen Qingqiu's behavior. Even Liu Qingge gave a little wave to the toddler instead of picking a fight.

Yue Qingyuan could've done without the pitying looks sent his way. They hardly made for a romantic sight, no 'I love yous' shared, nor any kisses given. A loveless marriage, that was what it seemed to the others. But it wasn't. He saw the way Shen Qingqiu side-eyed him, the way his sneer was replaced with something softer. He no longer covered his face with a fan to hide his anger and instead used it to cover up blushes.

It was a dream come true. His martial siblings didn't see it, but as long as he and Shen Qingqiu did, then that was all that mattered.

The party lasted until it started to get dark, and that was when A-Yuan was yanked out of Shen Qingqiu's arms by Qi Qingqi. He looked ready to murder her.

She didn't care. "This shimei will gladly take over babysitting the little angel for the night."

Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth. "This shixiong does not remember asking." If he had Xiu Ya on him, he would've pulled it out.

Their martial sister tsked. "You can't have a baby around when you consummate your marriage. I'm sure Shen-Shixiong can survive a night without his son."

Shen Qingqiu hid his face with a fan, hiding another one of his adorable blushes. Yue Qingyuan couldn't help but blush too.

Theoretically, they already had sex to conceive A-Yuan, so consummating their marriage seemed redundant at this point. However, it was still traditional, so they were expected to do it.

Yue Qingyuan had no idea if Shen Qingqiu was even interested in lying with another man. He always was averse to their touch, Yue Qingyuan once upon a time being an exception. He would not force him to go through with it, but the Sect Leader could not stop himself from imagining what it would be like if he said yes. Shen Qingqiu seemed more experienced, so would he be on top? Or would he let Yue Qingyuan take the lead? Or maybe they would take turns…?

At this point, Yue Qingyuan's face was flaming. Shen Qingqiu noticed that the sect leader was incapacitated at the moment, so he took control of the situation.

"We will pick up A-Yuan first thing in the morning. If I find a single hair on his head out of place, then I promise you that this Lord will make your life miserable." The threat didn't faze Qi Qingqi in the slightest and she bounced away with their son in her arms. A-Yuan didn't look distressed, so Shen Qingqiu allowed it to happen.

Yue Qingyuan recovered and stood up from where he sat, reaching his hand out for Shen Qingqiu to take. Shockingly, Shen Qingqiu took his hand and allowed the Sect Leader to help him up. Together they headed to Qiong Ding Peak, and to Yue Qingyuan's surprise, Shen Qingqiu never let go of his hand.

It didn't take them long to make it to Yue Qingyuan's home. Huh, home. Yue Qingyuan never considered his house that way before. It was always an office to him, a place where he worked and sometimes slept. Usually at his desk. Thank god he got a new bed before the wedding, the old one must have been very dusty.

It was probably overly presumptuous of Yue Qingyuan to think that he and Shen Qingqiu would share a bed, but even if they didn't have sex, Yue Qingyuan would love nothing more than to fall asleep with Xiao Jiu in his arms.

That wasn't the only renovation he made on his house. He turned one of his unused guest rooms into a nursery for A-Yuan. He might have gone overboard with the number of toys, but A-Yuan deserved nothing but the best. Shen Qingqiu might scold him about it later, and Yue Qingyuan looked forward to it.

The made their way into their home, and as soon as the door to their home closed, Shen Qingqiu pounced on him. Their lips clashed violently together and Shen Qingqiu held him against the door as his tongue probed Yue Qingyuan's mouth. It was his first kiss. It wasn't gentle nor slow, but neither was Shen Qingqiu, and that made it perfect.

Yue Qingyuan moaned as Shen Qingqiu bit his lips, just barely managing not to break the skin. No doubt his lips would be heavily bruised by the morning.

Shen Qingqiu pulled away from him and started pawing at his robes. Yue Qingyuan broke out of the haze from the kiss, remembering that he needed to say something. "We don't have to do anything. I won't force you to have sex with me now that we're married."

The mood shifted immediately. Shen Qingqiu's hands fell to his side and balled up into fists. They shook in anger. "Of course. Hah. Why would the great Sect Leader want to do anything with me? As always, you are too cowardly to say what you want!"

Fuck, he said the wrong thing again. He never seemed to have the right words when it came to Shen Qingqiu. "That's not what I-"

"Shut up!" Shen Qingqiu spat out. "And here I thought you wanted me, to actually have a life with me now that I'm no longer Xiao Jiu. But I guess you figured that being with that street rat was no different than being with the Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak. As always, I'm a stain in your perfect image."

"Xiao Jiu, please listen- "

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Shen Qingqiu turned away from the Sect Leader, his whole body now shaking. "Why were you so willing to marry me? Did you think you could fix me? Make me the perfect little wife for you, so that I will no longer embarrass you? And yet you will not sleep with me. Hah! I guess if you did, you would have to acknowledge the scars I got just for waiting for you."

"Qingqiu- "

"I don't want to hear it." He sounded tired. "We will have our little loveless marriage, and Shen Yuan and I will stay out of your perfect little life. I can show myself to the guest room." Without giving Yue Qingyuan a single look, he began to walk out.

But Yue Qingyuan couldn't lose him again. "NO!" He wrapped his arms around Shen Qingqiu. The Qing Jing Peak Lord struggled, scratching at his arms, but he didn't let go. He couldn't let go. "I wanted you here! I want you in my life! Both you and our son!"

"Cut the crap! You never say what you fucking mean! I'm not stupid! I can read between the lines!"

"There's nothing to read between! I want you; I always have!"

Shen Qingqiu stopped struggling and turned his head to look right into Yue Qingyuan's eyes. "Then why didn't you come for me?"

The words were stuck in his mouth. The guilt choked him. This is what he deserved. Why did he agree to this marriage? All he did was cause Xiao Jiu harm. He couldn't fix the past; he couldn't fix ANYTHING!

Shen Qingqiu sighed, his anger no longer hiding his deep-rooted sadness. He expected to be disappointed, because all Qi-ge did was disappoint him.

"I don't want your guilt. I just want the truth."

"But…" Yue Qingyuan stopped himself.

"But what?" Shen Qingqiu hissed.

Yue Qingyuan swallowed. "But what if the truth doesn't matter. Xiao Jiu still suffered. Qi-ge wasn't there to save him."

Shen Qingqiu pulled himself out of his arms and turned around, just to slap him in the face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the room, followed by silence.

Shen Qingqiu broke it. "Qi-ge is being stupid again."

Yue Qingyuan nodded but stayed silent.

Shen Qingqiu sighed again. "Do you want me in your life?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in his voice.

"Then," his voice sounded shaky, "then you need to tell me. I need to know what was more important than me. What made abandoning me worth it?"

Shen Qingqiu sounded close to crying, and it broke his heart. The last time he saw tears fall from his face was when they were still street kids, and those were crocodile tears to get more money.

Yue Qingyuan was filled with shame. He did this to him. He was so focused on his own guilt that he didn't see how he was hurting him with his silence. Reliving the past, reliving his failure, it scared him more than anything, but he needed to do it. He could no longer keep hurting the love of his life like this.

He began removing his robes. Shen Qingqiu looked to him in question, but he didn't stop him. It was when he finally began removing his inner robes that Shen Qingqiu gasped.

"Qi-ge? What…" His voice trailed off.

"Ugly, isn't it? This is the result of my failure." All across his torso were many thin scars, perfecting mirroring his meridian paths.

Shen Qingqiu hesitantly brushed his hand against one of the many scars. "How did this happen."

Yue Qingyuan's breath shook out and tears clung to his eyes. "Qi-ge failed you. You told me to be careful, but I wasn't. I needed to save you, so I rushed my cultivation. In my quest to become the strongest as quickly as I could, I had a severe qi deviation. In order to save my life, my cultivation was sealed with my sword, and I was trapped in the Lingxi caves for a year. By the time I got out, Qiu Manor had already burned to the ground. I thought I lost you."

He could no longer hold his tears, and they began falling down his face. Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu kept his head down, refusing to look at Yue Qingyuan at all.

He was an idiot. Why did he think he earned Shen Qingqiu's forgiveness when he demanded that they get married? If he wasn't a coward- if he came clean earlier-!

"Qi-ge is so stupid." Shen Qingqiu brought his face up, and he too was crying. Guilt surged through his body; he caused this. He brought his hand up to wipe away the tears, but Shen Qingqiu grabbed it as soon as it touched his face. But he didn't shove it away. He just kept it there.

"I'm sorr-"

"Qi-ge has apologized enough. I'm sick of hearing it."

Yue Qingyuan nodded. "Let me make up for it."

Shen Qingqiu gave him a viscous smile. It contradicted the tears on his face beautifully. "I want three things.” Anything, Yue Qingyuan would give him anything. “First, you will help me raise our son."

That was easy to agree to. A-Yuan was a precious little boy.

"Second, I want us to finish consummating our marriage."

Lust soared through Yue Qingyuan's veins, and he pulled Shen Qingqiu into another kiss. This one was both sweet and salty, just like Shen Qingqiu.

"Men,” Shen Qingqiu said in between kisses, “You're all the same." But he kept pulling Yue Qingyuan in for more.

The Sect Leader moaned. "Xiao Jiu."

Shen Qingqiu pushed them apart. "Never," he panted, "call me that ever again. That's the last thing I want from you."

A part of Yue Qingyuan’s heart broke knowing that he would never be able to use that name again. It was a link to their shared past, but he needed to move on. Shen Qingqiu needed him to move on. "Then, I guess I will have to call you husband instead."

Shen Qingqiu blushed. "Call me whatever you like, I don't care." But Yue Qingyuan could tell that he liked being called that. He would repeat it a thousand times over if it pleased his husband.

After that Yue Qingyuan made sure to fulfill the second part of his promise. That night they traced each other's scars and replaced the sour memories with something sweeter.

In the morning, they would have a lot more to talk about. Uncomfortable conversations about their pasts and hopeful ones about their future. Afterward, they would pick up Shen Yuan and begin their life together as a family.

But for now, they held onto each other and promised to never let go ever again.

oOoOo

"Babababa!" A-Yuan babbled as Yue Qingyuan entered his nursery. The baby was playing with his toys with Shen Qingqiu watching him. Yue Qingyuan picked up his son and gave him a kiss on the side of his head.

"Good to see you too, A-Yuan." He also leaned over and gave Shen Qingqiu a little kiss. "And husband."

Shen Qingqiu smacked him with his fan. "What did I say about acting like a perv in front of our son?!"

Yue Qingyuan laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Shen Qingqiu got so flustered when given affection, even if that kiss was chaste. Yue Qingyuan thought it was cute.

"Hmph! Qi-ge was late today. What was more important than spending time with your husband and son?" Shen Qingqiu would never pout, he would lose too much face, but he might as well have.

"This husband is sorry. Shang-shidi had left the sect due to a family emergency so I had to send some disciples to help aid An Ding." It was common for Shang Qinghua to leave the sect due to some business trips, but he never did it so abruptly.

"Pah! He's probably giving away our secrets to demons or other sect leaders. Qi-ge needs to keep a better eye on that rat." Shen Qingqiu had always been suspicious of Shang Qinghua after surviving that demon attack. As far as the Sect Leader knew, the An Ding Peak Lord hadn't done anything wrong. Still, Shen Qingqiu was a smart man, and a good husband would listen to his spouse.

"Of course. Qi-ge will do as husband says."

"Aba-gu!" Shen Yuan suddenly shouted. He was probably unhappy at the lack of attention.

Yue Qingyuan chuckled and placed him back down. "A-Yuan is right. A-Die will play with him."

A-Yuan cheered and started smashing his stuffed animals together. Yue Qingyuan also picked up a toy, and Shen Yuan made sure to smash it too.

Shen Qingqiu smirked. "If only our other martial siblings could see you now. Their great Sect Leader, unable to go against the whims of a baby." If only they could see them now, a happy family made up of two broken parents and a child who knew nothing of the cruel world. But they were healing, and they would do anything to protect A-Yuan from the worst parts of the realms.

And in the end, wasn't that what being a family was actually about?

Chapter Text

Shang Qinghua was so fucking tired. All he wanted to do was slide into bed and sleep in the next morning.

With the wedding finally over, he could return to his usual tasks instead of covering for Yue-bro. The wedding itself was fun. He shared some drinks with his fellow Peak Lords and cooed at little Shen Yuan, but he knew better than to get too attached to any of them. Soon enough, the System would ensure that things end up as they should. Fate was inevitable after all.

He drunkenly stumbled into the Leisure House, tossing off his outer robes and not caring where they landed. It was a chilly night, so he wanted to get into his nightwear and bundle up in his bed as soon as possible.

But like fate, Mobei-Jun was also inevitable.

The Demon Lord was lazing on his bed without a care in the world. So much for a nice long nap in his comfortable bed. Once again, the Peak Lord of An Ding Peak would be forced to sleep on the floor. It was a big bed too! If only he had the courage to just ask to share. At least the ice demon didn't look injured this time. Shang Qinghua did not want to clean up blood from his sheets on top of whatever bullshit Mobei-Jun was going to drop on him.

"Where has Qinghua been?" The Demon Lord's voice was deep and sensual. My king, please have mercy! It would be easier to be scared of him if he didn't make the Peak lord so horny. Ah, who was he kidding? Shang Qinghua could multitask.

He got down on his knees in one of his favorite groveling positions and willed tears to cling to his eyes. Oh yeah, he was a professional at this. "My king! This servant apologizes. He was stuck attending a wedding for his martial brothers."

"Hmm?" Mobei-Jun looked inquisitive. "Did it not occur to you that this piece of information would be important to your king?"

Ah, crap. Shang Qinghua didn't know why, but apparently he fucked up. Since when was Mobei-Jun interested in the mess that is Shen Qingqiu's and Yue Qingyuan's relationship? How did that factor into his plans for revenge and power? Maybe he also liked toxic yaoi. "My apologies, my king. This servant has been busy taking over the Sect Leader's work, it must have slipped my mind."

Mobei-Jun scowled, getting impatient. "Well?" Ah! What a brat! Shang Qinghua ought to spank him!!

Or he would if he didn't value his life. "Well, it all started a few weeks ago when the current Qing Jing Peak Lord, Shen Qingqiu, trapped the Sect Leader into a marriage." Honestly, his poor little meow meow needn't trick Yue-bro, a regular proposal would've worked just fine. Hell, he could've used Zhuzhi-Lang* as their fake baby and the Sect Leader still would've gone along with it.

"Trapped?" Mobei-Jun tilted his head. "How is one trapped into a marriage?" Shang Qinghua wondered why Mobei-Jun was asking so many questions about the marriage. Airplane never gave the Demon Lord a love interest, so there was no way his king was looking to get married. Then again, Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu never married in his book either. Did he have to worry about his king's love life now?!

Shang Qinghua snapped out of those thoughts. This wasn't the time to get worked up over his king's potential life partners. He had a fucking job to do. "Shen-shixiong used a baby. He claimed that an orphan was actually their child in order to force the Sect Leader into a marriage."

The fact that Shen Qingqiu believed he could get away with that meant that mpreg now existed in PIDW. Shang Qinghua didn't remember including it in his story but knowing the System, it probably interpreted one of his passages in a wild way to make it possible.

Mobei-Jun abruptly sat up and got off the bed, startling the Peak Lord. "This king must go." Without saying another word, the Demon Lord opened a portal and left the bedroom, leaving Shang Qinghua all alone.

"WTF?" The Peak Lord grumbled, wondering what that was all about.

At least he got his bed back.

oOoOo

So, in order to marry a human, one must first trick them by using a baby? Mobei-Jun had always found human customs confusing. He thought babies came after a marriage, but apparently not in the human realm.

This was what Qinghua was waiting for. After all these years of courting, and Mobei-Jun never proposed a marriage. He needed to rectify that immediately.

Still, where did one go to procure a baby? He forgot to ask Qinghua where Peak Lord Shen got his child, but Mobei-Jun could figure this out on his own. People have babies all the time, so it shouldn't be difficult to find one.

The question should be what type of baby should he use to propose, human or demon? A human child might be too weak. Mobei-Jun could accidentally crush them beneath his hands, and it was probably bad karma to have the proposal baby die. On the other hand, Qinghua probably couldn't handle the ferocity of a demon baby. Demon children maimed their parents all the time, and Qinghua did not have the same means as a demon to regrow his appendages.

So, not a human or a demon. He would have to find a half-demon. The more he thought about it, the more romantic it sounded. Qinghua would surely be moved that he considered both of their races.

Now that he knew what type of proposal baby he was getting, he knew exactly where to find one. No other demon race fucked humans more than the succubi did. They must have plenty of half-demon children running around. Mobei-Jun was doing them a favor by taking one of them off their hands.

Without giving it more thought, Mobei-Jun portalled to the largest Succubus settlement. It was a well-known village due to the famous succubus that oversaw it: Madam Meiyin. Mobei-Jun met her once when she visited the Northern Palace. She offered to read his love fortune, but he already knew that he was going to marry Qinghua. He declined knowing it would be a waste of time.

As he stepped out of the portal, all of the succubi in the area started giggling. The bolder ones even started removing their clothes, hoping to entice the Demon Lord with their pheromones to steal his qi. Mobei-Jun ignored them all and made his way to the biggest building in the village.

It was a brothel of course, and he scrunched up his nose the moment he was inside. It smelled heavily of perfume and sex.

At a large table sat Madam Meiyin being served a drink by one of her girls. Without asking for permission, Mobei-Jun sat across from her and crossed his arms, as if baiting her to pick up a fuss at his blatant rudeness. She raised an eyebrow but took a drink instead of calling him out.

After taking a small sip, she addressed the Demon Lord. "My, my, the little Mobei prince has grown so much since we last met. How may this Meiyin be of your service?" She spoke slowly and seductively. It was expected; she was a master at getting people into her bed.

Mobei-Jun answered bluntly. "This Lord requires a child."

She looked delighted. "Oh my! This Madam can have one of the girls help you with that right away!"

He nearly growled at the suggestion. "No, this Lord requires a baby that is half human and half demon."

Madam Meiyin sighed in disappointment. "May this one inquire why Lord Mobei wants a half-demon baby?"

He didn't owe her an explanation, but he also didn't want to prolong the conversation. The sooner this was done, the sooner he would be married to Qinghua. "This Lord is looking to marry a human and needs a half-demon baby to trap him into a marriage."

She took a longer sip of her drink. "Baby-trapping, hmm? Lord Mobei sure is… romantic. This Madam is sorry to say that she currently does not have any half-demon babies to give away, but there might be another way for you to get one."

Mobei-Jun gritted his teeth, his patience running thin. "Quit stalling and just tell me!"

The Madam tsked. "Youths today, so impatient. Give me your hand."

Mobei-Jun rather tore off hers, but he was doing this for Qinghua, so he reluctantly gave the seductress his hand. She looked deep into his palm and smiled.

"I see, your fate is connected to a half-demon's. And lucky you, that half-demon was recently born. Let's see… You will find the child floating down the Luo River. Don't dally too long, or another will take your place as his parent." She released his hand after finishing the fortune.

Mobei-Jun got up from his chair. "Payment?"

Madam Meiyin waved her hand. "No need. Lord Mobei will just have to owe this one a favor." The Demon Lord ought to rip off her head for the audacity, but he decided to let it go since she was helping him get married. Whatever favor she wanted in the future would be Qinghua's problem to deal with.

He left the brothel without any farewells and portalled himself right to the Luo River. Now, the Madam didn't say where exactly he would find the baby, but he rather spent his time searching the whole river than waste time socializing with the succubi. He was done dealing with people who weren't Qinghua and just wanted to get this over with.

He spent the next few hours scouring the river. Snow began falling as he searched. A winter baby, what good fortune to have for his future marriage.

Eventually, he spotted a lone basket being guided by the current. He froze the water around it and walked up to it. When he peered inside, he knew he found what he was looking for. Inside was a newborn baby with soft black curls on the top of their head.

The child looked completely human, but Mobei-Jun could feel the faint presence of demonic qi coming from the child. Their parents must have sealed their power after they were born. They were too young to have their seal broken, at least in the brute force way that Mobei-Jun knew. Qinghua was smart. He probably knew some safer ways to break the seal.

He grabbed the baby and teleported them back to the Leisure House. Qinghua was sprawled on his bed, snoring loudly. Mobei-Jun leaned down and roughly shook him awake.

"Mnnm, my king?" The Peak Lord mumbled sleepily, slowly blinking awake. Moebi-Jun didn't wait for him to become less dazed before shoving their child into his arms. Qinghua fumbled the baby before holding them more carefully. "Whaa-my king??"

"That's our child. We are married now." He did it. Qinghua was now his. He was so good at marrying his human.

He got into their bed and ignored Qinghua's sputtering, opting to wrap his arms around the human and cuddle him. He waited for many years to do this. Who would've thought it would be so easy?

oOoOo

His story was ruined. The scum villain was happily married with a kid. The protagonist with very recognizable curls was dozing in his arms. The demon meant to kill him was sharing his bed. WTF, WTF, WTF!!! System!! Help!! What was going on?!?!

【Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times!!! User has unlocked the Found Family Ending!!! This System wishes the user a happy marriage!!! 】

Shang Qinghua was so fucking tired.