Chapter Text
Ugh…my head..where the hell am I?
And why the hell was everything so damn bright!?
Where was he, anyway? And since when was his hair so silky and lo- wait.
Why is his hair so long? And what is he wearing- simple white robes that billowed around his sleeves and body, fists digging into the bed in confusion.
He let go and shakily raised them to his face as he smiled in hysteria. Ah. Of course he wouldn’t just be reborn normally after he died a stupid add death of choking on a bun mid-rant about that hack author’s shit writing. Shen Yuan winced, rubbing his eyes as he blinked at the sunlight seeping through blinds, long strands of glossy black hair falling around his face. Wow, at least he seemed to be born in a body whom’s owner must’ve cherished their hair. He nodded absently in approval before snapping out of it and slapping his cheeks.
He hissed at the sting- “Ow.” He had to have transmigrated somewhere, right? This room- err hut seemed..oddly familiar to him. And so did the robes he wore around his body now- speaking of which, he retired the sash around his waist, securing it.
Ah how convenient. Just one turn of his head and there was already a mir- was he in fucking Proud Immortal Demon Way.
Right there, almost taunting Shen Yuan with its western style to induce historically-inaccurate rage, reflected his appearance a face he didn’t expect to match his own yet the expression mirrored shock.
His legs were long, almost deceivingly as slender with no muscle, but he could feel the strength in this body, but what stunned him wasn’t his shockingly yet expectedly striking good looks.
This body seemed young- maybe just a year shy of twenty-four years, although young and tall his youthful face was noticeable despite the softened sharp angles of his cheekbones and jaw.
Although he could sense the strength hidden inside..he could also sense a strange feeling of fragility at the same time. As if mocking the strength he does possess, he is far weaker than he has the right of expecting better strength.
It was the face. Those eyes, a faint remembrance of imagery flitting through his mind as he recalled words describing the face he bore now, cold and distant as glaciers, sleeker than a boa’s scales in their brilliant yet dull reflection of pale-green jewels.
Only now, it seemed to have soften from his expression twisting that handsome and beautiful face, light reflecting a lively shine in his eyes, instantly distinct from how…the original antagonist of PIDW had been described. Despite the lean and elegant body he bore, it was ridiculously smooth as silk. Was he reborn as the goddamn Scum Villain of PIDW, Shen Qingqiu?
…
..what the actual fuck!
If he really transmigrated, where the hell is his so-called System, huh? Did it fuck off without him??
As if it were a rehearsed timing meant to be comedy, it was not, however, at all amusing when the system he had been mentally cursing out had suddenly appeared as a blue screen, a shrill ding alerting it’s presence right next to his ear, causing Shen Yuan to yelp and tumble off the side of the bed, previously secured robes loosening as his hair laid splayed about his face and the floor.
He sighed.
Damn it, what now?!
He flinched when a young voice came knocking on his door- scrambling to hastily throw on extremely familiar robes that must’ve been the uniform of the Qing generation’s disciples, because it was down to every bit of detail described in the earlier chapters before fucking Airplane tossed away all that juicy story and world building implicitly promised and shoved unnecessary amounts of papapa and suffering upon poor Luo Binghe.
Managing to smooth and tie his hair back into a bun, long slender fingers unused to the deft skill of a body he had just newly acquired as his vessel, just as Shen Qingqiu had been described to consistently don- he picked up a rather curious hairpin he caught in his peripheral vision.
A simple wooden hairpin yet it was plated in thin jade, a silver chain dangling from the end with a hanging translucence of a pearl with just a single little bamboo leaf inside.
For some reason, something in his chest squeezed with a faint, incomprehensible, pang. He stared at it in confusion at the(his?) body’s reaction to the innocuous little accessory, then sighed as he quickly undid his hair then redid it with the hairpin secure…and slid his hand around a fan that had him strangely transfixed.
Cranes. Beautiful, elegant cranes were painted over the paper fan. He slid it into his sleeves, hidden from view as he recalled his current issue with said issue muffled and yelling something through the door.
”Yuan-shidi! We’ll be late, come on! Mu-shixeong needs to check your body and how your head’s doing!”
Shen Yuan startled at the name- that’s his name! Wait but then…then…
Who the fuck is he, if he isn’t the Scum Villain and Peak Lord, Shen Qingqiu? Surely they cannot be that similar-looking for him to mistake his new transfigured body to be that wretched snake’s..right? Right??
For the first time, he prayed helplessly to the gods above then stopped after realizing said ‘gods’ is probably just the author and he scowled then surprised himself with his own expression in the mirror. He gingerly rubbed his face.
He’ll have to get used to this. Before he can think more on it however, the supposedly fellow disciple who should be his junior judging by the name attached to his when he was called, yelled again with a bit more impatience.
“Yuan-shixeong, are you still resting? I know you might be a little tired from that night-hunt yesterday- this shidi is truly sorry for not protecting you properly- but the Peak Lord is returning from his mission! And before that, Mu-Qingfang shixeong wants to check how your head is doing, he’s concerned since you experienced qi deviation.
”Oh, shit- uh…yes, shidi, please be patient. This shixeong of yours is tying his robes. I’ll be out in a minute or so.”
Hopefully that bullshit excuse worked, but that little bit of information piqued his interest. Night-hunt? Was the Shen Yuan, whoever this character was that he inhabited now anyway, a little weaker than he should be, based on who was supposedly his own junior sincerely apologizing for inadequate protection? And qi-deviation… what a nifty excuse he had if he happened to be questioned about his possible changed behavior and speech and he could just blame it on that! Ha!
Although he questioned why he was being referred to by first name- usually it was the surname being used. Don’t tell him it’s because he also shares the Shen name, and it’s to differentiate him from that Scum Villain? Ugh!
…but why the hell was this so suspiciously conveniently sound? Something tickled his spine like foreboding and he shivered. Maybe he was just cold. Yes.
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he clicked the door open, settling an apologetic smile on his gentle expression hoping it wasn’t out of character. Fuck.
..why does this kid look so shocked? His jaw is gaping so wide he has half the mind to try and close it for him! He looks at him with a genuine concerned gaze in his eyes.
”Shidi?” Shen Yuan prodded.
”Huh?- o-oh, yes, sorry Yuan-shixeong. You always hide your face so this shidi was just a little surprised- don’t worry about me, let’s go!”
”W-wait, what do you-“
Anddd he was dragged before he knew it by the shorter yet surprisingly strong boy.
Did this ‘Shen Yuan’ hide his face often? He must’ve done it constantly for such a face of full-on shock, and strangely enough- a choking recognition amidst the puzzled eyes.
He did not have a good feeling about this.
He looked up to the sky as he was led out of his own little house. Ah, transmigration. What a novel wonderful thing to happen to him.
Who was he kidding, what the fuck is going on- scratch that, he wants to know none of this, lest he be swooped into the plot without his consent!
Unfortunately he may be a little bit too late to start thinking about that as the accursed System almost made him whip the fan straight from his sleeves in statement as the stupid ding rang into his ears.
{Current circumstances deemed unexpected and therefore will from now on be improvised. Mission: Fix the plot-holes left behind as ‘Shen Yuan,’ a gentle and quietly-known disciple from the Qing Generation, face constantly hidden behind a veil with no direct answers to any query made.}
{A man who although was not outstanding, was still noted because of his beauty despite the hidden face and had become admired by a few younger juniors despite his lesser strength as a cultivator and senior. He is not known by the antagonist, ‘Scum Villain’ and ‘Qingjing Peak Lord,’ Shen Qingqiu due to previous paths never brushing. He was known to be neutral and although very social, was quick to be critical and sassy with his speech, startling those around him. This part of his reputation had intrigued the Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu, but only as a passing thought of interest.}
{Nothing more has been outlined nor detailed, as this is all that was written as one of many initial drafts of how Proud Immortal Demon Way was intended to have gone and subsequently changed routes. However, it has been noted by the creator that ‘Shen Yuan’ was inspired by a reader and therefore included as a gag but was never official.}
Shen Yuan wanted to cry, someone witnessing his breakdown right here and now be damned! And what about his character being inspired by someone? Who the hell could possibly inspire Airplane to write an extra with an actual personality?!
{Goal: Do not let Shen Qingqiu discover that you are a transmigrator. However you proceed, you will not be able to reevaluate and undo any decisions made as the plot will be pushed back. Consequences and punishment will be made if ‘Transmigrator Shen Yuan’ does not obey these conditions. Do you accept?}
{Rewards: ????}
His eyes bulged- hiding his face behind his fan with a complicated expression from the junior disciple before he turned away. Shen Yuan’s eyebrows, however, twitched with shaking mixtures of unpleasant emotions.
”You..you’re telling me I have to handle it!? Why!? Why me specifically!? I ranted that this scum antagonist should be castrated! What’s wrong with you!? If they didn’t know what I looked like before, I surely fucked up now, you useless System! You should’ve told me that in the first place!”
He angrily whispered to himself, directed at that incessantly blue-tinted screen glowing in front of the only one he’s aware of can see this.
What karma has he accumulated to deserve this fate?! Huh?! Sure he was lazy, did nothing for his twenty years of life other than read shitty trash novels and write gut-stabbing criticism and hate for the poorly written stories, and died choking on a bun of all things, but what kind of sin was lazing around to deserve being transmigrated to the hell of this specific novel in particular?!
Even the birds sounded as if they were mocking his newfound misery as the clouds seemingly shaped a rather insulting figure in his eyes. ‘Well, fuck you too then.’
’Ah,’ Shen Yuan thought, with a glum look in his eyes. ‘I really just want to go home and sleep and eat some shitty cup noodles.’
If it wasn’t for the fact he had a child with him(he doesn’t actually know how young this apparently one of his shidis’ are, but he’s small and looks utterly adorable. He wants to pinch him, and he’s speechless at the next line of thought saying he wanted to coo over this boy, and it’s cut off only because of abrupt realization of what he was thinking and he’s disturbed of how fast he got attached- he’s only met this kid like ten minutes ago, was he that much more lonelier than he thought he used to be?!), he’d cry tears of blood and rip his luscious hair out. He only decides not to do it because he feels bad when it’s so well taken care of.
He felt like his soul was sucked clean from his body already, and it’s been less than thirty minutes! Or well an incense stick of time in this case, he supposed.
But either way, at least give him some buffs, you damned System! Argh, why the Scum Villain of all people, this batshit insane plotline!!!
Shen Jiu glared, in the direction of his sect. Who the hell was insulting him now? He might even be able to taste the disdain and despair all the way from here.
He’s too tired to deal with this, a scowling sigh twisting his cold detached expression as his fan snapped open, with fine detailed bamboo sticks and leaves speckled over the delicate paper-fan.
Somethjng feels out of place. And wrong.
And why is there a strange ache in his chest that throbbed with a dull pulse he doesn’t recognize at all yet feels far too familiar for it to be comfortable much less than expected?
Ugh. And a certain Sect Leader isn’t exactly helping relieve his irritation with that pathetic expression of a pitiful soaked puppy. And this stubborn brute that for some unknown reason beyond him, tagged along anyway, insisting and atttacking him just to get him to engage in a fight. How crude- it got to the point that Shen Qingqiu was genuinely considering shoving his fan down that crazy blunt idiot’s throat. He could call it one of his so-called ‘dirty tricks’ for all he cares. He’s already had to experience this in his first life and now that he was back he regretted ever even missing something so stupidly obnoxious.
Even if he felt guilt snag like thorns his ribs when he saw Liz Qingge alive and not yet at the point of where he once passed from his qi-deviation he’d tried so hard to save him from. Even if the sickening guilt and grief overwhelmed him when he saw Yue Qingyuan intact, not the ‘corpse’ where arrows had struck reducing even his bones to pulverized liquids and blood, shards of Xian Su glinting in the remnants as if to mock him. In the end, his Qi-ge redeemed himself by following through to his promise all those years ago, even if he hadn’t made it to him breathing.
He did everything he could to get to his Xiao-Jiu. No matter the vile cost it took.
He frowned, looking down at his reflection in a clear puddle of water.
It seems a little different and it makes him feel off-kilter somehow.
His eyebrows furrow in a habitual scowl, and he turns away, advancing towards the mountain.
He’ll adjust. Force it, if he must.
He’s gotten over such minor hurdles before. Nothing different will hinder nor change that fact.
He’s been through much worse and much more complicated.
The phantom sensations of wounds gained from constant torture haunted his soul, even on his majorly healthy and definitely not at all critically injured flesh.
He can still taste iron.