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In Shen Qingqiu’s defence – if it even counted as that, at this point – there is just something about seeing Binghe in trouble that seems to immediately short-circuit all the normal functionings of his brain.
“Binghe!” he shouts before the assailant’s bifurcated body – a snake-tailed mooncreeper, infamous for its ambush mode of predation – has even hit the ground. “Are you alright?!”
Binghe’s eyes go wide and Shen Qingqiu rushes towards him. And then he stumbles, collapsing onto the ground in a heap. “Ah, Shizun… it was only a scrape…”
Shakingly, he slides his sleeve up his forearm. Kneeling at his side, Shen Qingqiu hisses at the sight of the gash, deep enough to offer a glimpse of white fat. Before he can think twice he’s pulling out his qiankun pouch. “Stay still. Shizun will bandage it and provide Binghe with medicine…”
When he halts, Luo Binghe’s lip wobbles a little. “Shizun…? Ah, is it worse than this disciple thought…?”
Shen Qingqiu hits him upside the head with the bandage roll. “You…!” His teeth gnash, cheeks flaming. “Just heal yourself already, you absolute menace!”
Luo Binghe sighs long-sufferingly, but now that he’s looking Shen Qingqiu can clearly see the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. The bastard. “But Shizun was treating this disciple with such care and affection…!”
“If you want care and affection you can get it without scaring me…!”
“Shizun was scared?”
Ugh. How is he supposed to maintain his entirely-justified indignation when his hopeless husband is all but wagging his tail like an overgrown puppy?!
At last, Binghe chuckles, nudging his shoulder into Shen Qingqiu’s. “This husband apologises. It caught me by surprise when Shizun responded like that all of a sudden…!”
Shen Qingqiu retrieves his fan from his other sleeve and covers his face. “Be quiet. This master… responded on instinct.”
Fingers curl into one hanging sleeve. “Shizun was treating his husband’s body like the most precious of treasures. This husband doesn’t see any reason not to speak of it.”
Shen Qingqiu sighs. He certainly does not groan. Binghe chuckles again, eyes dancing.
“Ahh…” Binghe continues, eyes sliding down to the little pot of balm Shen Qingqiu had retrieved and then immediately discarded. “This is a little nostalgic, isn’t it, Shizun?” His head lowers so he can look at Shen Qingqiu through his eyelashes. “It is reminding this one… of the day we first met.”
Nodding immediately, Shen Qingqiu hums. “That’s right. When I offered you the…”
His words trail off for the second time in two minutes. Instead of embarrassment, Shen Qingqiu is flooded with panic.
“Ah, that is…!” That wasn’t the first time we met – not from Binghe’s point of view!! He coughs, raising his fan once more. “Yes, ah… that day, um, with the tea…”
Wait.
Isn’t that a really horrible memory, actually…?! Why would Binghe be bringing that up now?!
“Um.” Shen Qingqiu covers more of his face, sweating bullets. “Er… this master apologises grievously for that event, Binghe… Ah – what, what about this scene right now caused Binge to think of it, ah?”
Binghe blinks at him.
Crap. He’s acting super suspicious right now, isn’t he?! After all this time, they’re not going to test him for possession and throw him out of the sect, are they?! He’s been doing this job for years!! Not long by the standards of an immortal, maybe, but still…!
Binghe’s expression turns neutral. “Yes, of course… that day, when I first came to meet the leader of Qing Jing Peak, Shen Qingqiu.”
The way he says Shen Qingqiu’s name sounds a little weird. Is Binghe already starting to think of him differently, now that he’s been reminded of the way Shen Qingqiu used to treat him…?!
But Binghe merely hums, eyes fluttering closed. “Such a long time ago… Shizun, if this one might be granted an answer to this disciple’s humble question.”
“O-of course…!” Shen Qingqiu bullshits, heart racing.
“Shizun…” Binghe toys with his own sleeve as though deep in thought. “On that first day that I encountered Shen Qingqiu…” he says slowly, “what was Shizun’s impression of this one?”
Shen Qingqiu opens his mouth and then closes it.
How to answer…?! Ack, he’s never really thought through what he’d say if Binghe ever asked why he used to treat him so badly… only that he’d of course confirm in as many words as it takes that Binghe never once deserved it!! Hell, Binghe had never even asked for an explanation for the whole Abyss business: why this, now?!
“This master…” Shen Qingqiu’s throat is hoarse; he coughs. “This master… hmm.”
But Binghe, for some reason, is faintly smiling.
“...to be entirely clear for Shizun,” Luo Binghe murmurs, as though sharing an intimate secret, “this disciple would rephrase: on the day that this Luo Binghe first ascended Qing Jing Peak to meet its master… what was husband’s impression of him?”
...that’s literally the exact same question!! Binghe, why are you speaking with such strange emphases?!
“This master…” Shen Qingqiu’s eyes narrow, flummoxed but unable to think of anything else to say. “This master… saw great potential within Luo Binghe… however…”
Binghe’s shoulders are shaking. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t understand yet, but already has an urge to punish this little brat in some way or another already.
“Shizun…” Even the way he said this sounded strangely condescending…!! “It’s all right. Shizun doesn’t need to pretend.”
Now Shen Qingqiu was entirely confused. “Pretend…? Binghe, this master isn’t pretending anything at all He has always thought him special.”
Binghe beams, but raises an eyebrow. “I see. And so the first time Binghe and Shizun met…?”
Shen Qingqiu winces. “Ah… I, um, treated Binghe very badly–”
“No. Shizun didn’t.” Binghe shakes his head.
“I truly, very much did – Binghe never deserved any of that–!”
“But Shizun didn’t do that.” Binghe’s eyes are kind. “Did he?”
Shen Qingqiu stares at him. Binghe stares back.
Binghe’s smile widens, shoulders softening. “Ah… as a child, I was certain that I understood the situation entirely… And then, for a time, believed myself entirely ignorant…”
Shen Qingqiu winces.
“But deep within this Binghe’s heart, I always knew…” Binghe reaches for Shen Qingqiu’s hand, entwining their fingers gently. “That all of that… wasn’t truly you, was it? Shizun?”
The cavern is silent. The System – long dormant – doesn’t make even a peep.
“The day we first met…” Binghe’s other hand reaches down for the medicine pot, turning it over in one hand. “Was the day Shizun offered this disciple medicine. Was it not?”
Shen Qingqiu…
...really, truly does not know what to say…!!
Is it okay to confirm it…?! It seems like Luo Binghe definitely knows, either way, and so maybe it’s okay so long as Shen Qingqiu wasn’t the one to tell him…? System, you aren’t going to be punishing me for something I went out of his way to avoid, right?!
Binghe’s brow furrows. “Is Shizun unable to say it?”
Shen Qingqiu’s throat tightens. “Ah…” His eyes flick around as though searching for a belated pop-up. Binghe follows the movement, increasingly intent. “No, ah… it seems… it seems as though it may finally be all right.”
He meets Binghe’s gaze; his overprotective husband is definitely thinking too much right now.
“You don’t need to worry, Binghe.” Shen Qingqiu squeezes his hand, and though it was Binghe he was trying to reassure, he finds that… he thinks he actually means it. “This master is not concerned. It appears that he truly is free to speak as he wishes, now.”
That doesn’t seem to comfort Binghe as much as he’d have liked. “Shizun has been constrainted from honesty…?”
“No, no. Only…” Shen Qingqiu coughs. “In this… matter. Of… of our meeting. And this master’s…” His eyes flick again, but this time only out of self-consciousness. “Ah… identity. So to speak…?”
In an instant, Luo Binghe’s eyes are wide and hungry. “Yes,” he says, in the tone of voice Shen Qingqiu typically only hears either within the bedroom or immediately before taking an unanticipated trip in that direction.
Awkward, Shen Qingqiu swats him. “What’s that all about, ah?! What’s so exciting about this master being… well…”
Luo Binghe lunges forward, grabbing both of Shen Qingiu’s hands. “But this disciple has known for so many years that Shizun wasn’t who he said he was! All this time, this disciple has only been able to learn from inference about Shizun’s true past… Now, this disciple can know it all…!”
“You…” Shen Qingqiu boggles. “You’re – you’re not bothered at all that I was lying to you…?”
Binghe shakes his head firmly. “To overtake the body of a leader of a righteous sect is unbelievably dangerous! It was entirely sensible of Shizun to not seek to draw attention to himself. But Shizun drew this Binghe into his home, showing him sides of his true self he wouldn’t reveal to anyone else! This disciple has always felt honored – more than honored! – that Shizun would leave such hints for this Binghe to pick up on, to discern his true intentions…! Looking at it that way, Shizun hasn’t been lying to this disciple at all!”
Shen Qingqiu was stunned.
...as he should have expected from the stupidly high-IQ protagonist!!! To someone as smart as that, wouldn’t it seem like all of Shen Qingqiu’s careless slip ups were in actuality evidence of a master plan Shen Qingqiu was secretly running behind the scenes…?!
And so, after some very quick thinking… Shen Qingqiu crosses his legs and nods. “Indeed. Binghe understands it entirely.”
Ahh… his charred little grey lotus of a husband truly could smile just as earnestly today as he had back when he was merely a disciple. (Moe!! So much moe!!!)
“Thanking Shizun for his trust, even when this disciple was a mere child…!” Luo Binghe chirps, beaming like a schoolboy, and tugs Shen Qingqiu forwards into a hug.
Shen Qingqiu snorts. “Still enjoy hugging your master this much, hm?” Binghe nods fervently and Shen Qingqiu chuckles, bringing a hand to pat at the crown of his husband’s head. “Ah, well. Binghe does deserve a reward for putting all of that together…!”
Binghe’s eyes widen. And then raises his head just enough to meet Shen Qingqiu’s eyes.
“A reward for this one…?”
Shen Qingqiu stills. His heart… his [redacted]… suddenly, they were trembling with fear…!
But Binghe really does deserve some sort of comfort after being reminded of all these sad times… and so, hesitantly, Shen Qingqiu nods. “Yes. Whatever Binghe wants.”
Binghe’s eyes go wide. “Then…” he utters breathlessly, clutching almost too tightly around Shen Qingqiu’s waist. “Could this one…”
RIP Shen Qingqiu’s ass for tonight, apparently… Could they at least get out of this dank little cave first, though?!
“...hear all about Shizun’s past?!”
“...hm?”
Binghe’s eyes glitter, just a little watery. “This Binghe has put together as much as he could from Shizun’s hints, but there’s still so much that he doesn’t know, and he’s waited so long to know where Shizun came from…!”
After a moment, Shen Qingqiu sighs with affection. He ruffles Binghe’s hair once again.
“Of course you can, Binghe. You deserve to know more than anyone.”
God it was weird thinking back on his past life at this point; ‘Shen Yuan’ didn’t even feel like his real name anymore. It was painful to think of all that he’d lost, and embarrassing to remember how unimpressive and uncool he’d been before he got dropped into a master cultivator’s shoes and allowed to reap the results of his hard work.
But if Binghe wanted to hear it, he’d tell it. As much of it as he wished.