Chapter Text
Shen Qingqiu's life was in ruins.
Well it was sure about to be.
...
The Water Prison within Huan Hua palace was already making Shen Qingqiu dread what was to come. He'd done so much in an attempt to change his fate. He had really done so much in order to change everything.
And it was all gone to waste.
Everything he'd done is going to go to waste.
He was screwed. So, so screwed and fucked.
But he had been so nice! He really had been! The one thing he did wrong, well he was forced to do it! It was that or his own death, and well, who didn't want to prolong their own death? Shen Qingiqu certainly wanted to delay that for as long as possible, not because he exactly feared it, but because it was going to be at the hands of the darkened and no longer innocent Luo Binghe! He wouldn’t even get to die quickly, no, Luo Binghe decided that out of all the characters in PIDW he’d eventually kill, he would specifically only keep Shen Qingqiu alive once he hunted him down.
For the sole purpose of torturing him!
It was a fate that in the world of PIDW, nobody wanted to ever think of dying at his hands.
Well in a way it would (could) be a good thing. For one, if they died a quick and simple death at the hands of his blade, Xin Mo, it wouldn't be the best way to go, but considering the alternative you'd be lucky since it was quick.
Shen Qingqiu's fate however, was already decided for, well according to him.
He'd be interrogated in the Water Prison, and would soon be turned into a human stick, and thrown into a pickle jar.
Unable to cry, to speak.
To plead for help.
His tongue would be cut off. Nothing would save him at that point.
Though it was quite strange that he was only bound by the Immortal Binding cables, and not hung by a ring around his waist, or in the jar that he knew oh so well and had earnestly memorized after reading similar lines over and over again. There were no chains either, just the cables. Knowing his impending doom, this was pretty decent treatment for someone who was about through something worse than death.
(Truthfully, while reading the novel, he believed that the original Shen Qingqiu deserved to be more than turned into a human stick. He was one of the fans who advocated for his castration. Although upset by this, he was also quite pleased with the bastard being placed into a pickle jar. It seemed like a well-deserved method of torture for such lowly scum.)
(He preferred his version of the story where the original was castrated instead of HIM)
So, was that a bad or a good thing for him to be held back solely by the cables?
____________
Cold water splashed down onto Shen Qingqiu, forcing him to jolt up and look around. His vision was blurred, and he hurriedly blinked in an attempt to regain his vision. But to no avail, his vision remained dark. The sudden rush of coldness caused him to tremble,
The Water Prison was already cold and wet enough! Was it really necessary to make it worse for him?
Eventually he began regaining his senses, and his vision at last cleared.
A maiden was standing in front of him. She held a metal whip.
Gah! Who the hell is this? She must be one of Luo Binghe’’s wives! She’s come to torture me!
I didn’t do anything wrong this time! I’m not the actual scum villain! Why can’t anyone understand that? Is it truly so difficult?
“If you’re awake, don’t play dead. I have some things I must ask you!”
So demanding. Wait, is she…
Ah the Little Palace Mistress.
I’m fucked.
“I don’t think the Little Palace Mistress should be doing these sorts of tasks. Why not leave this to one of the disciples of Huan Hua palace? It’d be much more convenient to you.”
IE; Spare me the bloodshed of that damn whip!
“So knowing my title means you know my reasons.” She said, eerily calm.
She paused, sucking in a deep breath of air.
She’s so gonna yell at me haha-
“You are a traitor! And you are so vile, treating everyone you know with such cruelness! You have helped the demon realm, and for that, you shall pay!”
The whip slammed down on the ground, aimed right at Shen Qingqiu.
Why does she wield such a deadly whip? This is unsuitable for anyone, but especially her!
Shen Qingqiu quickly rolled away from the whip, he may have no spiritual qi to his aid, but he’d trained enough in this world to be more athletic than most. It was one of the only pros he had discovered after transmigrating to the world of PIDW.
The next swish of the whip came fast, and this time it nearly struck him. The wind slashed his clothes, but he remained unharmed.
However, now he was backed away to the edge of the platform.
Oh crap.
He internally braced himself for the impact, closing his eyes and trying to protect his face.
It did not come.
He felt no pain.
“Eh?”
The Little Palace Mistress’s whip wasn’t even close to touching him.
Because Luo Binghe had grabbed it! He had basically spared him from this fate and was preparing to subject him to a much worse one!
Fuck fuck fuck.
Why why why why why WHYYY?
“What are you doing?”
The Little Palace Mistress seemed just as startled by Luo Binghe as Shen Qingqiu, her eyes widening with shock. Luo Binghe held the whip tightly in his hands, his expression angry and nearly that of a murderer looking at their next victim. His tone was cold and harsh, and he definitely wanted an answer quickly.
To Luo Binghe, she was a spider that had bitten his dog and needed to be stepped on.
“I… I was going to interrogate him-”
“Do you not remember the joint trial?”
“He deserves it! What is so wrong with me punishing a sinner for his actions!?! He colluded with the demon realm, and he’s hurt you! He deserves this for what he’s done.”
Luo Binghe glared at the Little Palace Mistress menacingly, his fists clenched tightly around the whip. He yanked it from her hands, and in an instant her whip was crushed into bits and pieces. A pathetic piece of scrap metal, now completely worthless.
“Go. Back.” Luo Binghe commanded.
The Little Palace Mistress was stunned to the point her brain had begun frying.
Shen Qingqiu was repeatedly asking the system why the plot was being all screwed up.
Luo Binghe had this strange aura flowing out of him, almost of… protectiveness?
Shen Qingqiu was oblivious to this as he went back and forth with the system continuously, but the Little Palace Mistress had noticed.
Frustration boiled inside of her, and she lashed out. “Why,.. Why are you treating me like this?! Just let me touch him- “
Her angry cries were cut off by the sizzling sound of her whip in the lake. Luo Binghe had thrown it straight in without any thought. The deathly quiet filled with the hissing sound of the lake made for an unsettling environment.
“This is all for you!” The Little Palace Mistress yelled. She ran out of the Water Prison, Luo Binghe’s eyes following her until he was sure she was gone..
Shen Qingqiu had bore witness to this entire commotion between the two, and was frozen with fear by the entire mess. He quickly X’ed out of the system's screen, focusing on Luo Binghe's every move.
This story is going completely off script! Something's wrong, the system messed all this shit up! Fuck-
His thoughts were interrupted as a churning feeling welled up in his stomach, something moving. He squirmed and wiggled, the feeling extremely uncomfortable. Ah yes, the Heavenly Demon blood could work wonders.
Or in this case horrors as the pain began rapidly increasing, feeling more and more like someone was stabbing him repeatedly Shen Qingqiu winced slightly at the sudden increase, squeezing his eyes shut. The pain was rising, more pain than he'd experienced in quite some time.
"Now you can understand how I felt when you stabbed me, at the edge of the abyss. Doesn't it feel oh so nice?"
He could hear footsteps, powerful and loud ones, approaching him. They were heavy, meant to intentionally intimidate others.
This was it.
He was done for.
Everything he’d done for the protagonist would amount to nothing. The times he’d been nice, caring, kind, and considerate. The times where he’d watch his little white lotus disciple train with his sword, and smiling gracefully knowing he had helped nurture this little lotus.
And then the slightest bit of sadness knowing what that little lotus would become, creating a small ache in his chest of both worry and grief.
Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes tighter.
Then the pain stopped, the footsteps paused.
He opened his eyes and gasped for air, unaware that he had been holding his breath. How odd.
A finger brushed against his cheek, and a thumb forced his head up. He was looking straight into Luo Binghe's red and hate filled eyes. A shiver ran down his spine. Maybe being nice to Luo Binghe in his disciple days had somehow made things worse than they already were.
And then he spoke.
Four calm, genuinely concerned words. The eyes he had been looking at softened all at once.
"Shizun, are you crying?"
Shen Qingqiu was actually crying. Weird, the OOC training he had gone through normally wouldn't let him cry so easily. Why was he crying now? Was it the fear? Death was imminent, but he had mentally prepared himself for this! He should be ready!
So why was he trembling so much?
He tried to speak, but his words could hardly form. He was supposed to be calm and collected, sane too! These were his last moments with the slightest bit of dignity left in him, but he was crying? Luo Binghe hadn't even touched anything besides his face, let alone cut off his limbs! He was being such a baby!
"I… No."
Shen Qingqiu was sure he had lost the last bit of dignity he had left in him. What the hell were those words? They shouldn't have come out like that! This was truly going to be his fall from grace.
Shit shit shit, SHIT! Why am I crying? The system doesn't deduct any points for this. That's totally unfair and besides, a man, even if they're Shen Qingqiu, has to cry at some point in his life! Right? Besides the OOC function isn't active-
[Main Character Satisfaction Points -50]
[(~￣▽ ￣)~]
[The OOC function is no longer active, however, you are still subject to the system's regular deductions.]
What did I even do wrong this time?
Oh right.
[We hope we are giving you the best-]
Shen Qingqiu X'ed out of the System’s window. It was pointless to listen to the System repeat what he had heard so many times before.
Besides, he still had to focus on not crying. Looking like this in front of the goddamn protagonist of the story? How shameless can one be?
A black robe with red lining came up to his face, and Shen Qingqiu pushed himself back instinctively. He was NOT going to give up so easily, his life was at stake here! His dignity was already gone but he should at least be spared the immense pain.
(Okay who was he to talk about being spared? He didn't spare Luo Binghe when he tossed him into the endless abyss, going even farther than the original Shen Qingqiu and stabbing him!)
It's my fault he ended up like this! I could have helped him-
He slipped on the floor, and fell hard onto his back. The extreme dizzying sensation he felt when his head cracked on the solid stone was completely ignored as Shen Qingqiu still fought to keep his eyes open and aware. He'd fight with his own hands and feet if it meant he could at least delay the stick processor, which was Luo Binghe, for a while longer.
But... Shen Qingqiu just lay there. He could hardly lift his head. The only thing he could bring himself to do was to just open his eyes.
That... It was a serious mistake. I'm practically begging to be tortured at this point with the way I'm acting
"Ughhh."
He let out an annoyed groan, quite frustrated with himself.
"Shizun, what's happening to you?"
Ask your demon blood!
"I'm sorry."
The words slipped out of him so quickly, he didn't even have a chance to think about what he said.
They were words he had been wanting to say for a long time though.
He couldn’t take it back now. Not after he remembered his little white lotus falling into the abyss, looking more shocked than terrified.
‘Oh…’
Luo Binghe's eyes widened, and he raised an eyebrow in a confused manner.
"What?" His voice was cold and stern, with the faintest hint of shock as if he couldn't believe that these words had come from Shen Qingqiu himself. He forced Shen Qingqiu’s face up, their eyes meeting.
Shen Qingqiu's mind went blank for just a second.
Welp. I accept my fate. Luo Binghe, kill me now!
Swift and quick please!
He shut his eyes gracefully and replied, "Nothing. Get on with whatever you were about to do. This Peak Lord accepts his fate."
It was now Luo Binghe's turn for his mind to go fully blank.
This time however, he couldn't even think of any words to say.
What were you supposed to do in a situation like this? Your beautiful and patient Shizun, expecting you to go on and kill him?
And he accepts it so peacefully? He doesn’t even think of fighting the possibility of death or torture?
Not that Luo Binghe ever planned on doing that!
He just was there, staring at Shen Qingqiu's tear streaked face. And he could only hold back the urge to embrace him. All he did was simply stroke Shen Qingqiu's cheek with his sleeve, cautiously wiping away his tears.
Goodbye world! This is it.
Hopefully he'll just turn me into some concubine or something. One can only hope-
"Come with me."
...
..
.
WHAT?
WHAT.
THE.
FUCK.
The colors of Shen Qingqiu's face quickly changed between a ghostly white, green, and bright red in the span of 5 seconds.
"What?? C-can you repeat that?" Shen Qingqiu murmured, still in a daze.
"Come with me, please… I need you to be mine. M-marry me. Love me. Something."
Surely this is some sort of joke.
"No! Why would I come with you?" Unintentionally, the words came out a bit harsh. Shen Qingqiu quickly covered his mouth and quickly said, "A master-disciple mentorship is normal, but a romantic relationship between a master and a disciple is completely out of the question! I-I've known you since you were a child!"
Technically, Shen Qingqiu was only 4 or so years older than him, but Luo Binghe couldn't know that! The body he was in was decades older than Luo Binghe!
"You don't even consider me your disciple. Or do you?"
"That's complicated, Binghe. I don't know. If you want to say so then, yes?"
Shen Qingqiu was completely vulnerable right now, so he had to make sure that whatever came out of his mouth would be able to please the protagonist.
Luo Binghe frowned at hearing his confusion, "Shizun. Do you not believe me? You think I don't want you to join me? Please, I wouldn’t lie about something like this."
Shen Qingqiu would have earnestly nodded, but having read PIDW, he shut his mouth. It was too risky to contradict Luo Binghe in a moment like this, where his emotions could easily overtake him.
But if Luo Binghe was being 100% serious...Then...
Would it be so bad to just go with him?
The Luo Binghe of PIDW had treasured each and every one of his wives and concubines.
If Shen Qingqiu was one of them...
His fate couldn't be worse than some simple public humiliation!
Wait what am I thinking?!? He wouldn't dare accept a man, especially ME, into his harem of 3000 wives!
I'm the scum villain of this damned novel! I don't wanna be, but I am! That is my role. So why am I being offered the chance to become a love interest to the protagonist?
Then again... would I be granted immunity from death?
Total Bullshit! I'll die before I accept that!
I mean not actually! Maybe I'll just think of something else I can do. Or find an escape route-
[Warning! Your plan is extremely dangerous and will result in the deduction of 5000 Main Character Satisfaction Points! Do you wish to proceed with your plan?]
Nonononnonono! Forget it! I'll join the wretched harem!
Shen Qingqiu let out a soft sigh, and looked away towards the ground as he felt the intense gaze of Luo Binghe.
"I'll... Go with you..."
【 ★，°:.☆\\(￣▽￣)//$:*.°★*。Congratulations~~ Satisfaction points +5000!!! Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times!】
"Oh. Really?" Luo Binghe's face didn't show much difference in emotions, but his eyes were dazzling with hope and joy. "I thought Shizun would say no."
His voice was deep, clearly showing that he was almost irritated at Shen Qingqiu's response, but his soft tone near the end hinted at otherwise.
"This Shizun did not say no. I...Said...Yes." Shen Qingqiu let out an exasperated sigh. It was already getting exhausting to keep up the charade of the original Shen Qingqiu, cold, heartless, and clever. Not that he was doing a good job at it in the first place, but at least he could keep calm in most situations.
This was not one of them.
Motherfucker! What did I just sign myself up for?
This guy obviously hates me!
【 System Warning! Please carry out the desired plan of the protagonist, or you will be returned to your original world.】