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Shen Yuan wanted a refund for this absolutely shitty transmigration experience.
First, The System had barely managed to tell him that he had transmigrated into Proud Immortal Demon Way, a web novel he loathed more than anything else, before it started to spout error messages and popups. It had been bad enough that it felt like his head had nearly split in two. It felt like it lasted for hours before The System informed him of a workaround it had generated. He woke up, sprawled on the ground in some random town, with a neon blue window requesting permission to start a beginner mission to reunite him with the plot.
Though he was skeptical at first, given that this was the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way, he eventually decided to accept. If he could help out Luo Binghe, it would be worth it, wouldn’t it? Besides, all the cool and exciting things happened around the main plot, so it would make sense to follow the plot. All he had to do was avoid falling into the category of canon fodder, villain or rival, and he would be fine. Sure, Luo Binghe only had one male friend in Proud Immortal Demon Way, but that could change with a little kindness, right? If he was early enough in the plot, maybe he could even prevent Luo Binghe from falling down a dark path.
So, with a little reluctance, Shen Yuan had accepted the mission.
Which had been a terrible mistake.
Look, how was he supposed to know that The System’s idea of reuniting him with the plot would be to have him get kidnapped by a bunch of demonic cultivators? It hadn’t even been something he could fight or prepare against, he just had a bunch of generic looking bad guys surround him out of nowhere, seemingly summoned in by The System. That had been so unfair. It was only after he was surrounded by a bunch of adult demonic cultivators that he realized he was a teenager, with limited cultivation abilities himself.
Now he was gagged, bound in immortal binding cables and locked up inside a closet because the demonic cultivators had assumed that the teen they had kidnapped was possessed or a demon in disguise based on the confusion surrounding how they got there. They weren't entirely wrong, but still felt completely unfair. At least he had made a scene when they had dragged him off, that should have made it too difficult for the cultivators to really do anything – the couldn’t get their hands on supplies, nor would it be wise to murder their victim when there were already so many eyes on them.
At least, Shen Yuan hoped they would be reluctant to murder him after that scene.
It was obvious that the peace wouldn’t last very long, since the brief moments were he heard the demonic cultivators conversing revealed that they had only sinister intentions for him. They had no idea what Shen Yuan was, just that there was something weird about him (his kind regards to The System for that fuckery) and they wanted to run some experiments on him. Though he didn’t recognize what they discussed, none of the ideas sounded particularly friendly.
At first, Shen Yuan had been a little stressed and very freaked out by the whole situation, especially with all the implied threats of what was to come. After a few hours that fear had slowly faded into sheer boredom. The way he was bound in the closet was uncomfortable, it was dark, there wasn’t anything to look at or focus on. Not to mention that he was hungry, tired and his body was covered in bruises and injuries from the kidnapping. All in all, it hadn’t been enough to keep his mind desperate for some kind of stimulation, anything that could be a distraction.
At some point he had dozed off.
Without access to a clock or a window to track daylight, it was impossible to figure out how long he had rested for before he had woken to the sound of a loud crash. Shen Yuan tensed where he was inside the closet as the sounds of a battle echoed throughout the building. Metal clashed against metal, screams and threats echoed around the room. It lasted both far too long, and yet was over painfully quick.
Then it was silent.
Shen Yuan felt wound up like nothing else, he had no idea what had happened and there was no way for him to know without risk. Bound in immortal binding cables, even if he knew how to use the abilities his level of cultivation seemed to imply he had there was no way he could use those abilities in this state. Combined with being locked in a closet, there was no way to gain any information.
The lack of knowledge made it hard for him to figure out what to do. He had no idea who won – the demonic cultivators or whoever had fought them. And even if it was the enemies of the demonic cultivators, there was no guarantee that they would want to help him. They could be even more dangerous than the demonic cultivators that he had just been kidnapped by. At the same time, a part of him wondered if there was a possibility that this could be a way The System wanted to throw him into the plot – by being rescued by the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect.
Really, it wasn’t like he had any options. If he kept himself hidden, he’d likely be trapped in that closet until he died from thirst. So, after a moment to gather the courage to do something that was only slightly less likely to result in death, Shen Yuan shifted his bound hands to knock against the closet door. It wasn’t particularly loud, but he had to hope that it would be enough to get someone’s attention.
It didn’t take long for the closet doors to be thrown open.
After a moment for his eyes to adjust, Shen Yuan noticed that the one who had opened the door was a young man, roughly about the age of his own body. It was hard to tell, he hadn’t had access to a mirror. The young man was also the most unfairly prettiest man he had ever seen. He looked more like a charming young master who arranged flowers and plucked farewell willow branches than a warrior that was capable of taking on demonic cultivators.
The young man looked shocked at the sight of him – which, fair, it’s not like its common to find teenagers tied up in closets. At least, he really hoped it wasn't, but Luo Binghe's experience in the novel said otherwise. Still, the way he stared at Shen Yuan’s face had him wanting to shift further back into the closet. It wasn’t the expression of a hero doing a noble rescue. He didn’t know how to describe it, just that it didn’t reassure him. Did he have something on his face, what did he do to earn the intensely aggressive look?
Only once the young cultivator seemed to snap out of his own shock did Shen Yuan realize exactly who he was looking at. The cultivator had just barely brushed his hand against his sword and it only took the handle for Shen Yuan to recognize him (and to realize just why he was so unfairly pretty). All his headcanons for this character's appearance could be tossed into the trash apparently. The blade was Cheng Luan, which was the sword the Bai Zhan War God, the Peak Lord Liu Qingge.
Though Liu Qingge had never appeared in Proud Immortal Demon Way, Liu Mingyan had discussed her brother many times. He was described as an upstanding, righteous and noble cultivator, a warrior who refused to back down from any challenge. Though he was often more focused on find a challenging opponent, he was someone who cared about keeping people safe, even if he didn’t always come across as someone kind based on his more blunt nature. Any doubt Shen Yuan had melted away, he was confident that at least he would be freed.
With little hesitation, he lifted his bound wrists for Liu Qingge to free.
The future Peak Lord didn’t need to be told twice, he easily sliced through the ropes around his wrists, before he moved to free Shen Yuan’s legs without being asked. Liu Qingge took a step back after that, but it wasn’t that important as Shen Yuan reached up to remove his gag and spat out as much as he could with a dry mouth. The taste had been horrible, and he didn’t really want to think about it too much. Once he was done, he offered a smile to Liu Qingge, which seemed to surprise him. Honestly, he looked at Shen Yuan like he had just grown a second head.
“Thank you, Gongzi,” Shen Yuan said as he rubbed at his wrists, “I don’t have any way to pay you back, but I really am grateful.”
“You…” Liu Qingge started, but he cut himself off with a shake of his head, “Are you cursed?”
“I don’t believe I am. Why do you ask?”
Liu Qingge continued to stare at him, and Shen Yuan had a horrible thought. Shen Yuan hadn’t seen his face, he had no idea what he looked like or who he was. He figured he was just transported into the body of some kind of no-name NPC that didn’t matter. Especially once he saw a young version of a future Peak Lord – surely nothing interesting would happen before the protagonist was born, right? But now he was worried that he was someone recognizable. And not in a good way, based on the earlier glares he received.
Immediately, Shen Yuan ran through as many different bullshit plot lines, plants, beasts and artifacts that could help get him out of whatever trouble The System had shoved him into.
Thankfully, Liu Qingge asked a question that reminded him of a plot line that provided him with an easy get-out-of-jail-free card, “Do you… do you know… who I am? Or who you are?”
There was a wife plot that appeared late into Proud Immortal Demon Way, one where a demonic cultivator woman (who was really just a discount edgy Liu Mingyan) was fighting against Luo Binghe. After he slowly tried to bond with her, despite her reluctance, he managed to reach her enough to break free from the control of demonic cultivators. Unfortunately, doing so completely destroyed all her memories related to who she was as a person prior to being put under a dangerous spell. Fortunately for her, the Heavenly Pillar of The Protagonist had been enough to fix her memories. Because of course it was.
Either way, it meant that her actions prior to breaking free weren’t her own, and that was what Shen Yuan needed to get away with anything this body's previous owner might have done.
“I… no, I don’t, Gongzi. I'm sorry, I don’t recall anything prior to a few days ago,” Shen Yuan lied.
Really, it wasn’t even much of a lie – he had no idea who this NPC was and what he had done prior to Shen Yuan possessing the body.
“Your memories have been tampered with? What do you know?” Liu Qingge questioned.
Shen Yuan dug through his memories for any descriptions of what it had been life for that one-off wife to break free of that terrible spell.
“I… It feels like I’ve been asleep for years, like I had been drowning in my own mind. A few days ago, I… it felt like I finally surfaced. I woke up somewhere I didn’t recognize, surrounded by people I didn’t know. I tried to run, but they caught me,” Shen Yuan answered, “I don’t know anything beyond that. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, Gongzi.”
Liu Qingge stared at him for a long moment, before he nodded, seemingly making up his mind. After that, he seemed to have noticed that Shen Yuan was still on the floor inside the closet. With a moment of hesitation, he held out a hand for Shen Yuan to take. He accepted easily with what he hoped was a grateful smile. Liu Qingge pulled him up with little effort, which had his face warming.
That was when the lack of food and water had caught up with Shen Yuan.
The wave of dizziness surprised him, but luckily Liu Qingge had lightning fast reflexes. A hand was wrapped around his waist and another grasped his shoulder to slowly lower him down to a chair of some kind. Once he was settled, the hands were removed before one shifted to his wrist. It was incredibly weird to have someone check his meridians for the first time – he remembered that all the novels he read that it was intimate, but nothing could have prepared him for the feeling. He tried not to shiver at the intimacy.
Shen Yuan looked away, “Sorry. I don’t remember when I last ate. Or had any water, really. Considering the immortal binding cables… Am I even a strong enough cultivator to practice inedia?”
“You should be,” Liu Qingge answered before he reached to his belt and pulled out a water canteen from what must have been a Qiankun pouch, “Here. Drink.”
“Thank you, Gongzi,” Shen Yuan said as he accepted the water.
The water was refreshingly cool that Shen Yuan practically inhaled it as he drank from the canteen. He had to force himself not to drink the entire thing, not wanting to seem selfish to a future Peak Lord – no need to give himself a terrible reputation before he even got to the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. When he finally reached what he believed was enough for him, he handed it back to the other young man.
Liu Qingge returned the water canteen to his Qiankun pouch, “My Shizun and a few other disciples from my peak are in the area. I can take you to them, my sect has healers who can tend to you.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Thank you, Gongzi,” Shen Yuan said, before remembering he’s supposed to be a clueless amnesiac, “Peak?”
“I’m from the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. It’s separated into twelve peaks. My Shizun is the Peak Lord of Bai Zhan, the peak for warriors, but there are others with different specialties,” Liu Qingge offered the unneeded explanation.
“No wonder Gongzi was to fight those demonic cultivators all by himself,” Shen Yuan praised, “I wish I could have seen it. But, ah, there is one more thing I’d like to know. May I have Gongzi’s name?”
Shen Yuan doubted that he had earned his courtesy name yet if he wasn't yet a Peak Lord.
Liu Qingge paused before he answered, “Liu Feng.”
“Liu-gongzi then. I wish I could give my own but…” Shen Yuan trailed off, since he was still playing amnesiac.
“You may not know your name, but you can choose something to be called for now,” Liu Qingge said simply, “Does any name stick out to you?”
Though Liu Qingge’s tone had that odd edge to it, Shen Yuan figured his words would provide a good enough excuse to using his own name, “I suppose… Shen… Yuan?”
Liu Qingge nodded at that, though his expression was complicated, “Right. Shen-gongzi then.”
“Ah, you don’t need to refer to me so respectfully, Liu-gongzi. Especially when we don’t even know if that’s my name,” Shen Yuan countered with a friendly smile.
“You call me ‘Gongzi’, I’m only returning the title.”
Shen Yuan nodded as he pulled himself to his feet. Liu Qingge was already so cool, even before he had ended up as a Peak Lord, it was no wonder why he had to be killed off in Proud Immortal Demon Way. Even though he wasn’t fussing over Shen Yuan after what was a shitty experience, he was still kind enough to take him to his Shizun and to potentially get medical treatment. Hopefully, it would take long enough to get to the doctors that they wouldn’t be able to disprove Shen Yuan’s story.
The walk through the small town wasn’t that long, all things considered. Liu Qingge easily navigated the streets, and Shen Yuan just decided to stick as close as possible so they wouldn’t get separated. Still, he found his eyes wandering at the sight of all the delicious food at different stalls, even though he refused to make a request. He didn’t have any money, and he didn’t have the face to demand Liu Qingge buy him some food, so he dealt with just watching. He’d probably get food later. Hopefully.
As they walked through the streets, The System popped up and tried to fix its error around the backstory he gave. Apparently he wasn’t supposed to say any of the things he said, but The System was forced to help said lie anyway since it was The System’s own error that led to him needing to use such lies. Since his newly chosen backstory that he was trying to roll with involved him being under a curse where he was controlled against his will, he needed to be given some martial abilities. Apparently, The System had originally provided him with a certain fighting style but that wouldn’t work anymore, so it was providing him with options.
So, after Shen Yuan looked through all the options provided, he picked one that seemed more focused on avoiding getting stabbed.
Did Shen Yuan know exactly how it worked?
No, but it was better than having nothing.
It was obvious when the approached the place the Bai Zhan disciples had stayed at, since there were a bunch of Bai Zhan disciples running through sword drills and other, various training exercises. All very impressive and exactly what he would have expected from a peak that’s entire purpose was just to be excessively badass. The strange thing that caught Shen Yuan’s eyes, and had him shifting closer to his new companion, was the attention he received. Confused glances were to be expected, of course, but the dirty looks and glares he occasionally received didn’t seem fair.
“Uh, Liu-gongzi, did I do something wrong?” Shen Yuan nervously questioned.
Liu Qingge didn’t even look back, “Just ignore them.”
That was the end of that, since before Shen Yuan could say anything else, a woman approached with a ferocious expression that sent shivers down his spine despite the look not being directed at him. It was obvious from the elegant but practical way she dressed that this must have been the previous Peak Lord of Bai Zhan Peak. Or rather, this was the current Peak Lord of Bai Zhan Peak. They had barely gotten a passing mention in Proud Immortal Demon Way, so Shen Yuan was definitely curious.
“Liu Feng,” the woman’s voice was clipped as she stood before the two, her gaze only flicking to Shen Yuan for a moment, “Care to explain where you were?”
“Shizun. I heard there were demonic cultivators in the area kidnapping people, and investigated,” Liu Qingge answered.
The Peak Lord tilted her head, “And why couldn’t you wait for your martial siblings to join you? Or for me, for that matter.”
“If I waited, they would have bolted and their victims likely killed,” Liu Qingge stood taller as if challenging her, “There are more pressing matters. I found someone who was a victim of the demonic cultivators. He claims to have lost all his memories.”
Just like that, the Peak Lord turned her attention to Shen Yuan, her expression curious and cautious in equal measure.
Shen Yuan offered a smile he hoped didn’t betray his nerves, “I am very grateful for your disciple’s help, Daozhang.”
“Right,” the Peak Lord said, “Would you care to explain what happened?”
As much as it was phrased like a question, Shen Yuan was pretty confident that it was just a polite demand. Either way, he complied and repeated the lie he had given Liu Qingge, though with more detail as he recalled more and more from that one mini-arc. The Peak Lord regarded him with a hard to read expression, which made it difficult to figure out if the lie was believable. At least the Peak Lord wasn’t reaching for her blade, so that had to mean something?
“You said you want to go by the name ‘Shen Yuan’ for now? Is that something you came up with on your own?” the Peak Lord questioned.
“I did. Is there something wrong with the name? I can change it,” Shen Yuan nervously offered.
Had it been a mistake to use his original name?
The System never told him what this original body’s name was, how was he supposed to know?
The Peak Lord shook her head, “No, I was just curious. Shen Yuan, would you like to come back to the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect?”
“If I am allowed to, and it causes no problem for you Daozhang, I’d be more than happy to,” Shen Yuan answered.
The Peak Lord scoffed, “Oh, it absolutely will, but I don’t care. I’ll send someone back the sect, Hong-shidi should look over you as soon as he can. I should probably inform the sect leader as well. She’ll want to be prepared.”
Well, Shen Yuan was now worried that he had already fucked up somehow.
“Thank you, Daozhang,” Shen Yuan answered instead.
“Jiang Tianzhu. I’m the Peak Lord of Bai Zhan Peak,” the Peak Lord answered, “Liu Feng, since you decided to rescue Shen Yuan, you can be the one in charge of taking care of him.”
“What? Why?”
“First, you decided to run off on this Night Hunt on your own. I chose to actively monitor how my entire peak handles a nest of Giant Sword-Tailed Serpents for a reason. Second, you’re going to be the next Peak Lord – you will get into situations where you’re alone and have to take care of civilians on your own, this is good practice,” Jiang Tianzhu explained.
Shen Yuan perked up at the mention of monsters, “Giant Sword-Tailed Serpents? You’re going to send your disciples to fight Giant Sword-Tailed Serpents? They tower over even full grown men, and the blades on their tails are strong enough to wipe out a forest in a single swipe. And while its venom isn’t fatal, it can leave even a cultivator paralyzed for days. A full nest of them would be a very difficult challenge.”
The two cultivators stared at him for a long moment, but Shen Yuan wasn’t too worried about the fact that he had slipped up. The curse that wife had been under allowed her to retain the information of things she had learned. As long as he was able to convince someone who knew about that curse that he was cursed, they’d probably just assume that the demonic cultivators were using him for their own gain and taught him about beasts and monsters to further their own goals.
At least, he hoped.
He really hoped he hadn't just fucked up majorly.
“Until you get cleared by the Qian Cao Peak Lord, you’re not getting anywhere near beasts unless absolutely necessary,” Jiang Tianzhu stated instead of questioning him.
“Yes, Jiang-daozhang,” Shen Yuan agreed.
Liu Qingge huffed, done with this distraction, “I’d prefer to spar as my punishment.”
“I’m not kicking your ass right before a night hunt. However, depending on how well you take care of Shen Yuan will determine how much I hold back next time we spar,” Jiang Tianzhu offered with a smirk.
Shen Yuan wasn't sure whether he was more amused or exasperated, that sounded like Bai Zhan Peak.
“I want to fight you with my spiritual power suppressed,” Liu Qingge replied.
Shen Yuan tried not to stare in shock – he really should have expected someone who grew up to be the Bai Zhan War God to be completely insane like that.
Jiang Tianzhu shrugged, “Impress me and perhaps I will grant that request.”
After that, Jiang Tianzhu turned and walked away, likely to send a message back to the sect about Shen Yuan’s circumstances. That left Shen Yuan with Liu Qingge, his apparent babysitter for the time being. He tried not to wince at the thought of his care being a literal punishment for the other, but it couldn’t really be helped. He just had to try not to annoy the other.
Liu Qingge glanced at him, “You need food. And clothes.”
“Ah, food would be nice, but you don’t need to worry about my clothes. The ones I am wearing are fine,” Shen Yuan countered.
The clothes he wore weren’t anything luxurious, of course, but they weren’t terrible. A bit of patchwork mending here and there, but no signs of fraying or tears, nor was there any dirt or strange stains. The colors were plain and dull, but that wasn’t anything special. Of course, the clothes made him stand out against the many layered and very fine cultivator robes the Bai Zhan disciples wore, but that wasn’t necessarily a problem. Perhaps he should have something to tie back his hair, but that was the only thing he would have considered a need.
“We’ll get you new clothes,” Liu Qingge argued with a tone that suggested he wasn’t asking.
So Shen Yuan just offered a smile, “Well, if you insist, Liu-gongzi.”
Liu Qingge nodded, before he led Shen Yuan to the inn they were staying in. He was instructed to bathe while Liu Qingge handled getting him some food, which he found agreeable. The bath may not have been a modern bath, but it felt great for his bruised and aching body. However, he knew he couldn’t linger, so he washed up as quickly as possible. The motions where almost natural, it seemed he inherited the muscle memory of this from the body's previous owner. That was nice, it would be embarrassing if he had to ask for assistance in the bathroom because he was too used to modern bathing supplies.
Once Shen Yuan had dried and dressed as best as he could, he was treated to a decent meal. At least, he assumed it was a decent meal based on period dramas he watched and books he read. He wasn't exactly a chef, considering his reliance on microwave meals. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he had a few different options to eat. Shen Yuan tried his best not to stuff his face, but it must have been obvious he had been starved based on the looks he got from Liu Qingge and the other Bai Zhan disciples that walked past. He had to force himself not to shrink in on himself.
Shen Yuan’s failure to completely dry his hair must have annoyed Liu Qingge, because he reached over and dried it with some kind of qi technique. Very cool and classy, but embarrassing for him. It was while he was eating that another Bai Zhan disciple approached the two of them, which was a bold move considering the warning glare he received from Liu Qingge.
“So, you’re Shen Yuan?” the disciple asked.
“Yes?” Shen Yuan looked between the disciples around him, “At least, that’s the name I’m going by for now?”
“And you don’t know about any family?”
Shen Yuan debated on whether or not it would get him punched if he looked at him like he was an idiot, “I mean, I assume I had a family at some point, but I don’t remember anything about them.”
Had they not been informed about his amnesia? That seemed like a pretty important thing to be mentioned about him, considering the circumstances.
The disciple nodded, “That’s probably for the best, they’re probably awful.”
“What?” Shen Yuan nearly choked on his food.
“Ji Jue,” Liu Qingge warned.
The disciple – Ji Jue – shrugged, “What, I’m not exactly wrong?”
Liu Qingge took mercy on his obvious confusion, “Ignore him. You happen to look very similar to someone at the sect. The last name you picked is the same as his. Some of us suspect there might be a relation.”
Shen Yuan tried not to visibly freak out at that revelation. It wasn’t hard for Shen Yuan to figure out exactly who he apparently looked like, based on the hint that he shared a last name. Shen Qingqiu – the scum villain of Proud Immortal Demon Way – was the only person they could be hinting at. No wonder everyone glared at him, though Proud Immortal Demon Way rarely went into the past of the previous Peak Lords it was no secret that Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge had been at each other’s throats long before they became Peak Lords.
“Is that so?” Shen Yuan tried not to give away that he was aware of exactly who they were talking about, “That’s an interesting coincidence.”
Ji Jue gave him a look, “More than a coincidence. You could be his twin.”
“Really? Well, I don’t wanna judge someone I haven’t met yet, and it doesn’t seem nice to talk about people behind their back, so I won't be able to agree or disagree with you,” Shen Yuan suggested with a laugh he hoped wasn’t nervous.
The last thing he wanted was for the people around him was to be compared to the scum villain.
“Ignore it. We need to get you some clothes,” Liu Qingge said as he rose to his feet.
“If Liu-gongzi insists,” Shen Yuan replied.
With that horrifying conversation over, the two of them left the inn alone. Liu Qingge led them through the streets, Shen Yuan followed closely behind so that he could berate The System without needing to pay full attention to his surroundings. It didn’t take long for them to approach a tailor, and though Liu Qingge offered to let him choose his own clothes, Shen Yuan declined. He didn’t want to be too demanding, especially knowing who’s face everyone was reminded of.
The clothes that he ended up with, while not exactly a match to the cultivator robes Liu Qingge wore, were still of a similar quality and were in a deep blue color. Though a different cut and style, they were still easy to move around in all things considered. The challenge came from the hair ribbon, it took a few tries before he managed to tie his hair back into a ponytail – the only reference he had was helping his younger sister with her hair when she demanded him to, and it turned out it was different to tie up your own hair compared to other people’s hair.
“How do I look, Liu-gongzi?” Shen Yuan teasing asked.
Liu Qingge just turned away though, “You look fine.”
Well, he wasn’t sure what he expected, but that seemed to track for the future War God of Bai Zhan Peak.
The more time Shen Yuan spent with Liu Qingge, the more annoyed he became with Great Master Airplane and with Shen Qingqiu for killing him. It wasn’t hard for him to come to a decision – he liked Liu Qingge, so he would stick around. Not only to help protect Luo Binghe when he eventually joined the sect, but to also save Liu Qingge’s life.
All he had to do was get strong enough to protect everyone who needed protecting.