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Luo Binghe wouldn't call himself his master's favorite, at least not in front of others. Some might say it's because of the humility his Shizun had instilled in him, but the truth is, Luo Binghe didn't need to say it. It was obvious he was the favorite.
At the beginning of this arrangement—Luo Binghe living under the same roof as his master, cooking his meals, sharing his space—he felt he was walking toward an uncertain future. What guarantee did he have that his master's personality wouldn't change again due to the whims of fate? How could he be sure he wouldn't wake up one day back in the woodshed and not in his comfortable bed just a few meters from the room of his dearest person? The tension of the first few months was unbearable, but now, after years under the care of his beloved Shizun, he felt a self-confidence he had never experienced before in his life. It was this confidence, the security of his role beside his master, and the comfort of recent years that led him to commit that terrible mistake.
It was a class where he was in the company of his shijie, Ning Yingying, and his “shixiong,” Ming Fan. This class was special because Shen Qingqiu had offered to teach it, unlike most classes where the position was assigned to other masters. Here, they would learn the making of more advanced talismans, capable of defending and protecting them from mid- to high-level demons. On the eve of the Immortal Alliance conference, Shizun was making sure all his disciples were prepared.
Binghe was normally an expert in talismans, as well as in other areas; he had no problem following the finely drawn lines made by his shizun's delicate hand on each strip of paper.
But he was simply greedy, too greedy for his master's attention.
“Ah, Binghe, you made a mistake in this section,” Shen Qingqiu pointed out, his sweet and kind voice coming from behind. Binghe instantly turned around with a regretful expression.
“Shizun, I’m afraid I don’t quite understand this part of the stroke. Could you help me?” he asked. No sooner had he heard the question, Shen Qingqiu was at his side, taking his hand, which was holding the brush, and guiding it across the paper.
Ming Fan made a muffled noise a few chairs away, but hey, who cared?
The warmth of his Shizun’s hand mingled with his own, and together they slowly traced line by line of the talisman while his face was so close to his own that he could count every eyelash framing his beautiful eyes. His Shizun's voice explained the meaning of each line on the talisman. Binghe listened, planning to review the information later. Right now, his mind was filled with nothing but Shizun, Shizun, Shizun.
"Look, Binghe, you drew the line correctly this time. Good work." A palm rested on his head and stroked his curls. Luo Binghe wished that hand would never leave, that it would touch his cheek, descend to his lips, and trace a path across his entire body.
Shen Qingqiu's proud gaze and caress made him feel like that young disciple again, newly arrived on the mountain, who only wanted to make his mother proud and find a master who was wise, powerful, and as gentle as she had been.
It was this series of thoughts that made him utter that word.
Because at that moment, Binghe didn't respond with his usual "Thank you, Shizun."
No. A simple, but short, "Thank you, A-niang" escaped his lips.
The pats on his head stopped, and Shen Qingqiu's placid eyes widened. The classroom fell into a deathly silence; not even Ming Fan, who would seize any opportunity to tease and criticize him, dared to utter a word.
In those few seconds that felt like an eternity, Binghe didn't know what to say. How could he fix this?!
"Shiz-" he began to say instinctively, but at the same time, Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and stood up abruptly.
"I want to see your talismans done at the end of class. If you have any questions, ask Master Han. This master... is going for a walk."
Shen Qingqiu vanished quickly as if a three-headed, venomous hyena were chasing him.
“A-Luo…you shouldn’t worry, I also called Shizun ‘Mom’ once,” Ning Yingying whispered comfortingly.
“Really??”
“Yes, but I was 10 years old then, but I guess even at this age one can get confused!”
“You’re not helping, Shijie.”
“Could you just shut up already?! And keep Shizun away from your perversions!” Ming Fan shouted, this time silencing everyone again.
Luo Binghe didn’t have the courage to answer back this time.
He spent the whole day without seeing a trace of his Shizun. The sun had set and dinner was ready. Binghe didn’t know how much longer he could wait before his heart broke.
Like a flame of hope, familiar footsteps were heard outside, and soon the silhouette of his shizun appeared at the bamboo house. Shen Qingqiu had barely stepped into the room when Binghe was kneeling at his feet, clutching the hem of his robes with trembling hands as he sobbed his apologies.
“Shizun, shizun, this disciple is at a loss for words to apologize for disrespecting you. This—this disciple is willing to accept any punishment Shizun wishes, just don't take me away from your side, please, please—”
“Binghe shouldn't kneel before this master, it was…just a misunderstanding.” Shen Qingqiu took him by the shoulders so they were face to face, but even then, Binghe didn't dare lift his face. A cold, soft hand cupped his chin while another dried his tears with the sleeves of his robe.
Through his tears, Binghe saw Shen Qingqiu's gaze; there was no trace of anger in it. He looked at him with as much love and gentleness as ever.
"Binghe is so attractive. You can't let others see you like this." He murmured while still drying his tears.
"Mn, I only show this side of me to Shizun." Only Shizun deserves to see his weaknesses. The rest of the world would only take advantage of him. This world was full of selfish people who wouldn't hesitate to hurt others for their own gain.
But not Shizun.
Shizun took him in his arms and raised him with such love and dedication that it could only be compared to a mother's. Even though they weren't related, Binghe considered him family, the most important person in his life, the one he loved with all his heart.
“This disciple is so happy that Shizun isn’t angry with him,” Binghe murmured as he shamelessly hugged Shen Qingqiu, his face buried in his chest where he could clearly hear his heartbeat.
Shen Qingqiu returned the hug, humming a calming song famous in his world to soothe his little white lotus, trying his hardest to ignore the bright blue square on his periphery.
NEW MISSION!
OBJECTIVE: SOLVE THE PROTAGONIST'S MOMMY ISSUES
REWARD: 10,000 B POINTS!!
ACCEPT? OR DECLINE?
With the Immortal Alliance conference just a few months away and the reward being the exact amount of points he needed to avoid the Abyss…
Shen Yuan wanted to curse the system to the moon and back!! Wasn’t it embarrassing enough to be called mom once in class? (btw why was he, A MAN, called mom?? What about dad??) Now they want him to, somehow, cured the famous stallion protagonist mommy issues that not even 3000 wives could solve in the original work!
In spite of that, maybe, just maybe, he could save his little sheep from the Endless Abyss.
It was a shot in the dark, but it was worth it just to have Luo Binghe safe and happy as he has been for the last years.
With Luo Binghe already drifting off to sleep in his arms, Shen Yuan pressed accept.