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Shen Qingqiu let out a long sigh as he led the way further into the bush. Him and Luo Binghe had been assigned to a haunting in the forests around this city, something about young girls disappearing when they walked through these woods.
He stole a glance at the disciple trudging along behind him. His little lotus had been awfully quiet this whole trip- it was frightening. Thinking back, Binghe had been acting strangely lately. Quieter? Subdued? Neither of those seemed quite it. It was more like he was concentrating on something really important, but Shen Qingqiu was at a loss on what that could be. It was much too early to be anything related to the Immortal Alliance Conflict, maybe something to do with his harem? Although he has been avoiding Ning Yingying lately.
Mulling it over as he continued forward, he almost misses a clicking sound from behind. Almost…
Quick as lightning, he draws his sword and turns his body- only to be met with no one but his disciple staring at the ground.
“…Binghe?”
“This disciple apologizes, it won’t happen again.” Luo Binghe chokes out, sounding absolutely miserable.
Shen Qingqiu lowers his sword and steps forward. The protagonist trembling in sight of no danger? What is happening?
“Binghe, tell this master what’s wrong.”
“It’s nothing. Shizun need not worry himself.”
The older man cupped the other’s head, moving his face till their eyes were locked. “Ah, child. All this time and you think you can still lie to me. Now please, what’s wrong.”
Binghe’s face went through a variety of emotions, Shen Qingqiu had a hard time picking any out, but he ended up just shaking his head and repeating that he was fine. Reluctantly turning back around, Shen Qingqiu racked his brain for what could be causing the younger such distress.
When he heard the clicking the second time, he glanced behind him to a flustered Binghe rattling off apologies. By the third time he no longer turned around. Just puzzled on what his disciple was doing.
The noises didn’t seem to provide any practical use, and it wasn’t a habit he was familiar with. He mentally checked over the plot of Proud Immortal Demon Way but came up empty. Maybe he should take him to see Mu Qingfang.
Once Binghe let out the one clicking noise, it seemed he couldn’t stop. Time after time a sharp sound emitted from behind him.
“This master requests that his disciple is quiet, and would like to remind said disciple that we are hunting a demonic spirit.”
There's a moment of pause before Luo Binghe replies, grunting out a “yes Shizun.”
A twinge of guilt crawled its way through Shen Qingqius chest, yet before he could say anything a searing pain on his cheek interrupted him. His eyes trace the tree-line for where the arrow came from, while Luo Binghe checks over the arrow itsself.
“Is Shizun ok?”
“Yes Binghe, now please follow me.” The older man stalked through the forest, watching his surroundings. The ghost wasn’t particularly good at hiding, it took them barely 10 minutes to track her down.
Shen Qingqiu found her villain speech about how she was abandoned by her fiancée on her wedding night and now steals away young girls with promising romantic futures very boring. It’s way too early for this to be used as a wife plot and so incredibly cliché. A woman turning evil because of her love not being requited? How feminist. Not like he expected better from a stallion novel, of course every female character had to revolve around men.
He feels bad that this is the fate she’s trapped to, but there’s not much he could do. So he waits, bored, but giving her the decency of letting her finish her speech.
Binghe however, seems to have no such patience.
“Fuck you.” The disciple blurted out, before his eyes went wide with horror. Shen Qingqiu is given no time to discipline him before the ghost attacks. A shrill sound pierces his ears as the she devil lunges forward. His body is moving before his mind has caught up, Xiu Ya piercing into nothingness as the ghost warps around the blade.
Dammit. Dammit to hell.
Binghe is forced backward by the brunt of the attack, the ghost having enough physical impact on the world around her to manage that. The teen tries to defend himself, but against an opponent whose body isn’t tangible there isn’t much he can do. The protagonist hasn’t risen to the level where this would be child’s play, but luckily Shen Qingqiu is here with talismans.
The low level ghost isn’t a match for the talismans he drew, evident by how she withers around on the ground. Another shrill shriek escapes her lips as she desperately tries to remove talisman from her back.
“Now what do we do.” Binghe asks, staring down in a daze. Shen Qingqiu’s reply is cut off by a whistling sound followed by a series of clicks. For the first time tonight, he pauses- thinking back on his sister Meimei. The guilt he felt earlier nearly doubles- but there is no way he’s right. That wouldn’t make sense… much less be canon.
He starts his next statement carefully. “This master will take care of the exorcism. And when we return to the hotel he has some questions for his disciple.” Binghe wilted under his words, so he continued. “His disciple need not worry, he isn’t in trouble. But something clearly ails him, and this master wishes to help.” He reached out to pat the younger boy on the head, ruffling his hair. Binghe doesn’t respond, just stares down at the floor.
The exorcism went by quickly and soon they were off again. Luo Binghe had resumed his quiet concentration. Shen Qingiu studied his face as they made their way back to town. His facial expression was eerily similar to Meimei’s own face when she would suppress her tics.
He still remembered the day they first appeared. The humiliation she went through. So much of Binghe’s behavior reminding him of that. But if it was Tourettes- not that he’s even completely sure, he’s no doctor- why the hell did the protagonist have it?? He didn’t have tics in the original novel? What changed to lead him to develop a disability?
But then he started worrying. He knew how his sister was bullied, and Binghe had already gone through so much…
He shook his head, he can’t worry about that right now. Step one is figuring out if it even is Tourettes, or if it’s some kind of nerve damage. Either way, his disciple is being sent straight to Mu Qingfang when they get back to the sect.
But, baby steps. Shen Qingqiu gestured at an open seat in the room they had rented before promptly taking his place across the table. Luo Binghe sat where he had been directed.
“Shizun I’m sorry. This disciple has been most unruly- and caused issues on our mission today-“
“Binghe-“
“It won’t happen again! This disciple will accept any punishment offered as he knows he’s in the wrong-“
“.. Binghe-“
“Shizun may whip him or send him back to the shed. He may up his chores and never take him on a night hunt, he may-“
“Luo Binghe!” Shen Qingqiu snapped, leading the others jaw to bolt closed. “Let this master ask you a few questions before you rattle on such nonsense, is that okay?” Binghe nodded, so he continued “Please tell this master what Binghe believes he’s going to be punished for?”
“For making obnoxious sounds despite being told to be quiet… an-and cursing out the ghost.”
“Did Binghe mean to do that?”
“Excuse me?” He looked up, confused.
“Did Binghe intentionally sabotage today’s mission. Or was something else happening.”
The teen took a moment before responding, “This disciple really didn’t mean it.”
“Please enlighten this master on what exactly happened.”
“Th-this disciple… This disciple really didn’t mean to say those things. He felt.. compelled? Like his body was moving on his own.”
“How long has this been going on for?”
“A couple weeks now. It’s not just noises. Sometimes my neck jerks or I hit the air. I… I really don’t know why. This disciple has tried is hardest to keep it in. But he isn’t always successful, and when he is that just seems to make it worse in the long run.” Tears began to form in his eyes as he continued, “I’m sorry I’ve failed Shizun.”
Shen Qingqiu let out a sigh. “And why did you not come to this master immediately.”
Shaking his head, the younger continued, “The disciple checked himself for possession throughly” Shen Qingqiu mentally checked that off his list of causes for Binghe’s ailment, “so it seemed this disciple was merely broken. I worried about Shizun’s reaction. I.. I didn’t want to be cast out.
“You silly boy.” The peak lord ruffled his disciples hair “This master would not cast you out. He is merely worried for Binghe’s health. There will be no punishment- as long as Binghe can meet two conditions.” Seeing his disciple nod, he continued, “One. Upon returning to the peak Luo Binghe will accompany this master to see Mu-shidi.”
“Yes Shizun.”
“And two. Binghe will no longer refrain himself from making these uncontrolled movements.” He remembers the pain it caused Meimei, the genuine unhealthiness of it all. He was not about to put the protagonist through that. No way. Not THE Luo Binghe. That seemed to surprise the boy in question, so he followed up by saying, “If Binghe is correct in his assumptions, then it seems to serve no real good.”
“But isn’t it annoying?”
“This master cares more about Binghe’s health than whether or not he’s annoying.” This set the protagonist off the edge as he began bawling, everything he’d been holding in bursting out at once, little clicks heard between his sobs.
Shen Qingqiu made his way behind Binghe, wrapping his arms around the teen. The boy whipped his body around and buried himself into the immortal’s robes. He vowed then and there to make sure Luo Binghe got the help he needed.
Darkly, his brain shifted over to Meimei again. He remembered how she was bullied, how the world casted her out. He swears he will protect Binghe from that fate.
He holds his disciple tighter. Luo Binghe will not suffer any more than what’s unavoidable. He will make sure of it. If he must fall in the Immortal Alliance Conference, then Shen Qingqiu will make sure he falls knowing he is not less then, for his demon blood or his tics.
And so he cradles his disciple. This kid, who even though he is destined for greatness, will suffer much misfortune. And he vows to protect him from harm. And he vows to make sure he won’t hurt more than he has too.
Distantly, he wonders how Meimei was doing.