Work Text:
“Shizun, today this Lord found out demons have this rather silly celebration called “Vale of Tines’ Day celebration”. It is said the holiday was named after a famous demonic consort of a cruel and cold War General who only figured out how much he cared about his forgotten Consort on the day of their death. Isn’t that just silly? Who could- Hah. Who could do a thing like that?”
Luo Binghe’s words are met by silence. Shen Qingqiu keeps his head turned to the side as if avoiding his gaze. It saddens Luo Binghe to see it, but he supposes Shizun would be unhappy to hear such words from him of all people. Keeping that in mind, he decides to continue the story in hopes of the tale catching his Shizun’s attention and finally making him look at Binghe.
“Now this all happened quite a long time ago, and the exact details are long lost by now. It is not known whether the Consort was a man, or a woman, or something else. An ice demon, a board demon, or even a creature of the Abyss. Many have their theories, but the one thing they all agree on is that they must have been a real beauty, the likes of which was unparalleled at the time. They were called Vale of Tines.”
Luo Binghe kept looking at his Shizun every now and then in hopes of his Shizun giving him any sign of paying attention. Sadly, either his storytelling was lacking or Shen Qingqiu was simply still too disappointed in him to show signs of listening.
“This Lord had looked into the Tines, and it seems to have been the name of the tribe the Consort belonged to. Some say it was the War General’s tribe instead, but why would the Consort be named ‘Vale of Tines’ and not “The Tine’s General’s Consort”?”
His only answer was a lock of hair falling across Shizun’s face. There must be a draft getting in from somewhere; he’ll have to find where it comes from and patch it up lest some pests come crawling through it.
“As mentioned earlier, this story is actually a tragedy, which is why this one had found it strange that the demons consider it their greatest love story. Oh! Has this Lord mentioned? Vale of Tines’ Day is a celebration of love! It is said that the War General and Consort Vale were originally from warring tribes who couldn’t stand each other. Vale was a feared warrior as well! The two tribes had faced difficulties from a third invading tribe and decided to work together to preserve their lands from the incoming threat. This deal was sealed with a marriage between the two warriors, whose unity in this act was supposed to represent the unity of the two demonic tribes.”
This story always made him wonder if two tribes with a long history of hatred from both sides could come together like that and abandon their hate; could such a thing happen between the demonic and the cultivation world? Better yet, what if such a thing had already happened before- Life would have been quite different for his Shizun and him then, wouldn’t it? He wished he could ask Shen Qingqiu about his opinion on the matter.
“The War General’s tribe had a tradition where the person marrying into the family had to give up their weapons and abandon the path of the warrior, which Consort Vale resented from the depths of their soul. The tales of the shouting matches and fights the two had could be a tale of its own! In the end, they settled down for the good of their tribes, and Consort Vale worked as an advisor to the General behind the scenes. If anyone were to ask them about their opinion of the other during those days, they’d lack a single positive thing to say about the other. They called each other’s clans ruffians and brutes. Their ways of life unfilled and cultures lacking. The approaches to marriage poor and cold. But when another would dare to utter the same words, they’d meet the full wrath of the same person whose words were dripping poison not a moment before. Don’t you find it ironic, Shizun? That they kept saying one thing and showing another? Reminds you of someone, wouldn’t you say~?”
Shen Qingqiu’s face remained stern and cold, almost unfeeling. Luo Binghe supposes he wasn’t in a joking mood at the moment. That’s alright, Binghe doesn’t feel like joking much these days either.
“The War General used to brag, you know? Said he’d get a harem of lovels to replace the Consort as soon as the war was over. One for each night of the year, so he never has to see their face again. The Consort would scoff at his words and ask him to get all of that and one more in case one of them gets sick, and he has to seek them out instead. Such cruel words those two were dropping, don’t you think? This one doesn’t think they really meant it, though. This Lord thinks they were simply trying to make each other jealous and seem like they don’t care for each other in fear of getting hurt…”
It’s odd, he thinks, the world seems quite blurry all of a sudden. He discreetly wipes his eyes, hoping for once that Shizun doesn’t actually look at his face. What an odd thought that.
“One day, near the end of the war, the enemy forces flooded the General’s home, hoping to catch him unprepared and asleep. To their surprise, what they found wasn’t the General but Consort Vale taking a stroll through the gardens under the light of the moon, looking more like a flower spirit than a demonic consort. Consort Vale wasted no time yelling for their attendant to get the General before they took out the weapon they kept hidden on their person all this time. For the War General’s culture may have called for the Consort to abandon their weapons, but Consort Vale’s tribe had no such notions to follow.”
His Shizun always seemed so cold and unapproachable to others. Always keeping things behind his thin face and never letting anyone know what brings him joy, which stories make his eyes shine and eyebrows twitch from annoyance because of the actions the characters in the story take. Shizun thought Luo Binghe didn’t know about the yellow books he kept under his bed or behind the bookshelf in his room, completely forgetting Luo Binghe was the one who cleaned the whole house. So silly this Shizun of his, thinking others would judge him for wanting to read of adventures and romance and love and all the pleasures worldly and not such things bring. But Luo Binghe knew, and so he kept on describing the tale of the doomed lovers, for he knew his Shizun was just as much of a romantic at heart as Luo Binghe himself.
“By the time the General entered the courtyard, Consort Vale had already taken down four opponents with nothing but the war fans they usually disguised as mere decoration with which they hid their face. The War General was immobilised for a moment as he watched the elegant movements of his Consort, whose attacks reminded the viewer more of a dance than a battle to the death. He might have stood there for an eternity if said Consort hadn’t screamed for him to snap out of “whatever ridiculous daydreams” he might be having before the enemy severs his head from his neck. That was enough for the General to snap out of the spell his Consort’s moves had put on him and join his partner in battle. It is said they moved together like one being, their actions parallel and swift, never getting in the way of their partner and always having each other’s back. They fought there for hours, unrelenting and certain of their victory, for how could they possibly lose when they were fighting together? This feeling of joy was not destined to last for long, though, because just as the General turned towards the Consort and opened his mouth to declare his love, Consort Vale’s eyes widened, and they pushed the General to the ground.”
He paused there and waited to see if Shen Qingqiu would be just on the edge as the story made him feel, but his Shizun still refused to turn his head towards Luo Binghe and look him in the eye. Fine. He will finish the story regardless.
“What the General hadn’t known was that one enemy had escaped their notice and had hidden behind a pillar out of sight, waiting for a moment to strike. Consort Vale, however, managed to spot the glint of moonlight reflecting on the hidden blade moment before the assassin threw it at the General’s back in hopes of ending his life. The weapon flew over the General’s head, narrowly missing him but not far enough away to avoid cutting Consort Vale’s neck as they tackled the General to the ground. The General quickly turned around and threw his own sword at the assailant, killing him instantly with a blow through the heart. Heart racing, he turned back towards his beloved Consort Vale, but it was already too late by then, for the blade had cut them too deep to stop the precious life-giving liquid from leaving their body. The Consort barely had time to cradle their lover’s face and see that he was alright before their hand fell as the last of their lifeforce left them lying cold in their lover's arms.”
Luo Binghe had to pause there as memories of the worst day of his life kept flashing behind his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to think of anything else to replace those events. Shizun’s words as he embraced him, the look on his face as he fell from his arms. His cooling body as he held him against his chest, the same way the War General held Consort Vale in his.
“The… The General broke that day. They say his spirit fractured and left him a shell of a person, the same way life left his Consort. As he sat there holding them, he kept going over shared events of their life and all the fights and spars they used to have and all the foul words that used to leave their mouths. But he also recalled the good times. He… He recalled the quiet mornings when they’d share a meal. He recalled the chats they used to have late into the night, looking at the moon and wondering just how long this war was going to last. He fondly thought of the many side glances they kept giving each other when they were sure the other wasn’t looking, and the panicked faces his dear Consort Vale made when he caught them in the act. “If I said I’d miss our fights, as poisonous as our words were, what would you say? If I said I like you, what would you do?” But Consort Vale stayed… they stayed still. And cold. And silent in his arms. For Consort Vale was already long gone by then. Long gone just like-”
Luo Bighe had to pause once again. It was getting hard to breathe again, and he could feel Xin Mo’s song getting stronger the longer he kept thinking about-
“Consort Vale was gone. And there was nothing the War General could do about it. Besides, take revenge. And so he took his sword, ripped it out of the assassin’s heart, and vowed to run it through the hearts of everyone who allowed this event to take place.”
He could feel the room’s shadows getting longer and longer. The air getting thicker. A heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders.
“And so he did. The Cold War General became colder still, his face unfeeling, his eyes unseeing except for the rivers of blood he spilled in the name of his beloved partner who left him all alone. And as he finally ran his blade through the heart of the leader of the invading army, on the anniversary of his love’s passing, he dedicated this death to his one love, Consort Vale, Vale of Tine. And so he dedicated a death to his lost love every year on the date of their passing, which slowly over time turned into a tradition of doing an act of sacrifice, revenge, or gift giving in the name of your greatest love.”
He took a deep breath and looked toward his Shizun, lying ever so still, skin cold as ice, and eyes shut and unseeing. It was a silly thing, hoping this one love story would be enough to wake Shen Qingqiu up. For just as Consort Vale never woke up for the War General, so will Shizun never wake up for Binghe. They will both keep lying there, forever asleep and oh so out of reach, while the one who loves them stands guard over them and reminisces about the past and the future they could have had if only things had gone differently.
“The holiday is slowly starting to spread even farther than the Demon Realm, Shang Qinghua tells me. Thought people there have started to call it ‘Valentine's Day’.”
He closes his eyes for a moment, feeling oh so tired. How much longer can this go on? The daily fighting? The many, many failed rituals and magical items and flowers and sacrifices. When will it finally be enough? When will he finally open his eyes and look at his disciple and tell him it will all be alright and-
There’s someone at the entrance gates. He can hear the sound of sword glares and fighting and the screams. The never-ending screams. It seems the pest is back again.
“This one… quite likes that word, Shizun. Valentine’s Day. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? So happy Valentine’s Day, Shizun. I hope we get to spend the next one together.”
Luo Binghe leans down and presses a gentle kiss against Shen Qingqiu’s forehead before picking up Xin Mo and walking towards the exit to the room. He makes one final pause at the doorway, unable to stop himself from taking just one more glance towards his Shizun in hope of seeing him looking back at him with a smile on his face. Such a thing is as much of a dream as the War General’s wishes for Consort Vale as Shen Qingqiu keeps lying there, on those white sheets, unmoving and unfeeling. Cold and gone.
“I’m dedicating today’s fight to you, Shizun. Today’s victory and tomorrow’s search for a way for us to be together again. Wait for me, Shizun, your Binghe will be back before you know it.” And with that, Luo Binghe, the Unfeeling Demon Emperor, the Cold Palace Master, walks towards his next fight, his next victory, another day all alone.