Work Text:
“So… You got a dog?” Shang Qinghua finally addressed the little, fluffy thing happily laying on the peak lord Shen’s lap and clearly enjoying the moment. Shen Qingqiu’s fingers were gently stroking the black dog’s soft fur, traveling all the way from the head to the tip of the tail and sending the little thing into a blissful relaxation. Now and then the dog moved, snuggling against the man and looking up to him with pure devotion in those bright, bead-like eyes.
“Hm, no”, Shen Qingqiu replied lazily, “I just have a habit of allowing all kinds of strays to sit on my lap.” The dog huffed at that, looking almost concerned for a moment.
“Your sarcasm is not working”, Shang Qinghua noted and leaned slightly over the table to see the dog better. His curiosity was met with an unnerving stare and low, warning growling. Although just a small disapproving sign from Shen Qingqiu stopped the growling immediately and made the dog act almost overly-sweet toward its master and to ignore the other peak lord, Shang Qinghua decided that he had seen enough and it was definitely safer for him to remain in his place on the other side of the low table. Like, the dog was small, but those teeth were definitely sharp looking! And yes, Shang Qinghua was a peak lord but he was the peak lord who was expected to stay indoors and deal with the paperwork. A determined little dog could take him out if it tried hard enough.
“Coward”, Shen Qingqiu said.
“Well, I heard from your little duckling disciples that you have had that dog for a while already”, Shang Qinghua noted, “plenty of time for you to teach it where to bite to bring a man down.”
“Excuse me”, peak lord Shen said, feigning offense, “this is a scholarly peak. The brutal violence lives on another peak, as you should be aware, and this master does not teach…”
“All your disciples have swords.”
“...If the pen is not enough, one might need something sharper”, Shen Qingqiu admitted, changing his words in one breath with such ease that it wasn’t hard to think that he was rather skilled in speech and one could even believe that he had always meant to say that and nothing else, “many of the beasts can’t read.”
“So you have taught that dog to bite, haven’t you?” Shang Qinghua asked.
“No, I haven’t”, Shen Qingqiu replied and then continued before he was asked to explain why he sounded like he was avoiding the question, “I didn’t need to, because he had learnt that himself prior to finding this master.”
“...You took in a dog that bites people?”
“A person”, Shen Qingqiu said, “he has only bitten one person and that wasn’t his fault. If Liu-shidi could just stop kicking doors in when he arrives at places that are not his home, he wouldn’t have been attacked and made to run around the peak.”
“...You took in a dog that bites peak lords?”
“Of course”, Shen Qingqiu replied, “Liu-shidi deserved it and this poor thing was crying. I couldn’t leave him there on the cold and rainy night.” He continued to pet the black, little dog while looking exactly like an immortal master should. Calm, elegant, otherwordly… Maybe a little bit evil, now that Shang Qinghua thought about it. Wasn’t this view in front of him exactly fitting for a villain? Or… Well, he guessed it should be a white cat instead of a black dog, but still. Well done with picking up the right man to play the role, system!
“Whatever you are snickering about, stop it immediately”, Shen Qingqiu said, giving his fellow peak lord a disapproving look. The dog looked disapproving too.
“Yeah sure, whatever”, Shang Qinghua said, still amusing himself with the thoughts of Shen Qingqiu acting like a proper cliche villain, “so is this the next step in your widow era or…?” The accused man’s expression hardened immediately, his disapproval even more clear as his hand started to reach for the fan he had placed on the table in order to have free hands to pet the dog and drink tea.
“I do not-”
“Yeah, yeah, as you say, bro”, Shang Qinghua waved his hand, feeling brave because his fellow peak lord had a dog on his lap and therefore couldn’t leap over the table to attack him. Although that dog was now baring his teeth and starting to growl again while slowly moving up, the previously soft looking eyes were threateningly locked on Shang Qinghua. Well, Shen Qingqiu had never said he had not taught the dog other dangerous tricks besides the biting that had apparently come in as a pre-installed skill. “Uh. Bro. Your dog…”
“You make him nervous”, Shen Qingqiu said, his hand returning to pet the dog that immediately became docile again and laid down, “poor BingBing.”
“...You named him after…?”
“I have no interest in hearing your insignificant opinions”, Shen Qingqiu said, looking away. The dog looked away too, perfectly imitating its master and showing the dissatisfaction so deep it should have been impossible for a dog to feel. And even worse, Shan Qinghua knew he was the reason for and the focus of the little dog’s bad mood. Although, why should he be concerned about a dog’s feelings? Did dogs even have feelings?
He watched the little dog that was so comfortably laying on Shen Qingqiu’s lap and seemed to be fully bonded with the man who was so gently petting the soft fur. So far Shang Qinghua had not thought much about Shen Qingqiu’s new pet and today’s visit had been due to another issue he wished to speak about. The first time he heard the news was when a young disciple, who Shen Qingqiu had sent over to deliver the budget proposal that should have been handed in like several weeks earlier, chatted about the new, adorable puppy with some An Ding Peak disciples they were friendly with. Shang Qinghua did not think much of that then, because the overheard gossip from little disciples rarely had any value, but only a day later an addition to the budget proposal landed on his desk and Shang Qinghua had to make a trip to Qiong Ding Peak to ask the sect leader if they really should increase Shen Qingqiu’s yearly budget by 20% to cover the incredibly costly food and elixirs he was planning to feed his new dog. The answer was yes. Shang Qinghua was not sure if Yue Qingyuan really had no idea how much it actually cost to keep a dog or if he just habitually accepted and granted anything Shen Qingqiu asked for. Anyway, not Shang Qinghua’s problem so he accepted the proposal on the sect leader’s behalf and silently congratulated his bro for successfully scamming them all.
The third time he heard about the dog was also the first time he actually saw the infamous little dog that had become the beloved pet of the peak lord Shen. That happened at the beginning of the peak lords’ meeting and although he only had time to get a few glances, it was hard to not notice the new addition. Shen Qingqiu had strode in, accompanied by his head disciple and a small, black dog that happily trotted after him and with confidence hopped on Shen Qingqiu’s lap, staying there quietly during the entire meeting like a well-behaving little dog should. It was almost cute how the little head reached over the table and the bead-like eyes scanned the papers while the ears twitched toward whoever was speaking. Like the dog was participating in the meeting, although of course normal dogs couldn’t understand human speech or had the intelligence high enough to converse about budget, night hunts and the next year’s plans. Well, at least the dog knew it had picked the smartest person to follow because it wagged its tail when others agreed with Shen Qingqiu and stared at them fiercely when they did not.
Seeing that the little dog seemed to have a positive effect on peak lord Shen, Shang Qinghua had been mostly happy that his fellow transmigrator and favourite anti-fan had found something to distract himself from all the mourning he swore he was not doing although everybody could see it. He wasn't the only one who noted Shen Qingqiu’s improved condition. The sect leader was greatly pleased and specifically ordered the kitchen to bring refreshments for the dog as well, Liu Qingge seemed to think it was all right to be attacked by a little dog now and then so long the said little dog kept Shen Qingqiu happy, and Mu Qingfang had nodded approvingly and mentioned that animal companions were beneficial for those with poor health. Even more pleased the doctor had been when the dog had later accompanied its master for a scheduled health check and paid a lot of attention to what he had been telling the peak lord well-known to have a non-chalant attitude toward his own well-being. Surely a completely normal dog couldn’t really read the medical notes and listen to the conversations but it surely was an auspicious sign that the new companion looked like it was deeply interested and quite concerned about these matters. Hopefully that would encourage peak lord Shen to take better care of himself.
So Shen Qingqiu’s little dog had been widely accepted and praised by other peak lords. Even if the dog seemed to not care for anybody else than its master, it continued to try to pick up a fight with Liu Qingge and barked loudly at anybody getting too close to Shen Qingqiu, it clearly was precious and would be a great help to the peak lord it had chosen.
But now Shang Qinghua looked at the dog a little bit more and his eyes narrowed when the doubt sneaked in his thoughts.
“It looks like a Pomeranian”, he noted slowly, “those come in black?”
“Of course”, Shen Qingqiu replied, “Pomeranians come in many different colours and, additionally, I do not believe that the rules of our previous world apply in this one, considering how certain acts of sexual type are considered to be effective and completely acceptable medical methods here.” He spoke freely, believing that the sealing talismans kept away any eavesdropper that would dare to be overly interested in the private conversation between two peak lords.
“You know, I never wrote Pomeranians in this world…”, Shang Qinghua noted, “it is a European breed. None of that in ancient China, you know. Shouldn’t Pekingese or something like that be more accurate?”
“Hm, you mean that ancient China was widely populated by demons, and having a pleasant walk in the woods ruined by a specific type of stupid plants was a common issue?” Shen Qingqiu asked and snorted, “like you cared about the facts and authenticity. I bet you don’t even know what proper research is.”
“...I did watch dramas and browse some threads…”
“My point exactly”, Shen Qingqiu said and looked displeased as he continued, “you should have read my feedback more carefully. I sent you links. Some were good ones. Proper research from leading scientists, you know.”
“I was sure my laptop would explode if I clicked any of those”, Shang Qinghua said.
“I might have been tempted to send some of that kind as well.”
“...But I really did not write anything about Pomeranians. All the other additions-”
“Improvements.”
“...Are related to the things I did write on drafts or at least planned to write at some point so why would there be pomeranians?”
“Filling the holes you left, of course”, Shen Qingqiu said, “and you left many of those. You didn’t even describe Liu Qingge’s appearance. Such a beautiful man and you didn’t give him even a single word of appreciation.” The little dog, who honestly was one of the cutest dogs either of the peak lords had ever seen, seemed to not be happy to hear about possible competition for peak lord Shen’s attention. It looked up, eyes large and pleading as it whined pitifully. Shen Qingqiu’s heart was immediately moved and he picked up the dog, lifting it closer.
“Ah, such a fine dog… Crying at this old man”, he said and kissed the dog’s forehead. The whinnying stopped immediately as the little dog froze in shock for a moment. Shen Qingqiu seemed to not think that such a reaction was at all strange or maybe he didn’t even notice that moment of surprise that quickly turned into joy and neediness. The little dog whined again and squirmed, the front paws reaching for Shen Qingqiu like trying to hold on him and the fluffy tail wagging wildly. The esteemed peak lord, who usually hid his expression and thoughts behind a fan, now smiled openly and leaned in to give the dog another kiss. Shang Qinghua expected to see his friend receiving a face washing, and that thought honestly amused him a lot. Shen Qingqiu was always so serious and liked to glare at people who were not his disciples so it would have been fun to see proof that he could be silly too. It was just too bad that he couldn’t take photos for blackmailing.
Although, it turned out there was no blackmailing material available at all. The little dog seemed to not understand what dogs were supposed to do when their master’s face was in easy reach, and instead of licking it simply just repeatedly poked Shen Qingqiu with its nose. The dog’s nose was somewhat cold and wet but the immortal master was not really bothered by that. He humoured the dog for a while, muttering nice words to it before turning to throw a warning look at Shang Qinghua.
Fine, bro, he would keep quiet about this, Shang Qinghua sighed inwardly.
But seeing the little dog continue acting so not-dog-like did not ease his doubts.
“Are you sure it is… You know, a real dog?” he asked, making a face so that his fellow transmigration would easily catch on what a not-real dog would be. Shen Qingqiu raised his brow and snorted, his hand still busy with petting the little dog.
“You think I wouldn’t make sure that a little dog found in the middle of a very challenging night hunt wasn’t actually a horrible demon in disguise?” he asked, sounding almost insulted.
“...Uh…”
“He walked straight through the protective arrays”, the peak lord continued, “if he was not a real dog, he wouldn’t be able to enter the mountain at all.”
“...Are you sure that is enough to prove that?” Shang Qinghua asked, not sure what he should think about this man using their protective arrays as research tools. Especially because, if he recalled right, that night hunt in question had taken place about a three days' travel away. So if the protective arrays were Shen Qingqiu’s only way to test the little dog’s true identity, he had apparently spent days in the company of a possibly-very-dangerous-demon pretending to be a dog and been completely fine about that.
Somehow, even the little dog seemed to be quite disturbed by that lack of survival instincts. The attempts to share little kisses ceased and it settled back down, looking at Shen Qingqiu with big, innocent eyes that seemed to beg for something.
“Of course”, Shen Qingqiu said, “your stupid book did not have anything that hunts people by pretending to be cute, little Pomeranians.” He ignored the concerned looks in favor of squeezing the little paws.
“My book did not have Pomeranians at all”, Shang Qinghua sighed, “so it could still…”
“No”, Shen Qingqiu cut him off, “Bingbing is a perfectly fine and obedient little dog. Him being similar to a Pomeranian is just an improvement added to counter all the mess you created. A cute addition against all that lewdness you insisted on creating.”
“But why Pome-!”
“Tsk”, Shen Qingqiu’s voice started to gain the harsher tone that should hint the company that it would soon to be time for them to leave the esteemed peak lord alone, but Shang Qinghua habitually ignored such gestures from his fellow townman, “do you really have to get stuck on that? Of course he looks like a Pomeranian. The inspiration clearly needs to come from somewhere more.. sensible source, and this lord just happened to dream of some memories from long ago just a week or two before Bingbing showed up.”
“...And that is not strange at all…?”
“What isn’t strange in this world”, Shen Qingqiu replied, “tell me then, what do you think this dog is? What kind of demon or spirit could lure this master?” Between them two, Shen Qingqiu had more knowledge on the flora and fauna of this world because of his personal interest and all the hours he had used to research the original novel in order to have the references in his deeply critical feedback correctly stated, and the hours more spent on learning once he landed here himself. However, Shen Qingqiu could only know about everything that had been discovered in the original novel or he had experienced himself firsthand. There were still plenty of things that had never left the drafts, and Shang Qinghua had no idea how many of those things were lurking somewhere right now.
“I don’t know… A heavenly demon, maybe?” Shang Qinghua said and immediately regretted his words. Shen Qingqiu, who liked to claim that he was not mourning for his lost disciple more than what was considered normal, immediately lowered his gaze. The dog whined and pushed the hand that had stopped in the middle of petting.
“Binghe”, he said. The dog stopped whinnying, listening carefully, “Binghe still has two years left.”
“Bro…”
“Bingbing is just a normal, sweet dog, who arrived to bring some joy to this master”, Shen Qingqiu continued, “that’s wall. Just a normal dog. A normal dog that is very handsome and intelligent, but still a normal dog.”
“...Of course”, Shang Qinghua said, holding back a sigh, “just a normal dog… In that case, what are you planning to do with him?”
“I am planning to keep him, of course.”
“But in two years…”
“I will hand him over to Ning Yingying before the time comes”, Shen Qingqiu said, “she thinks Bingbing is adorable and will take good care of him. Binghe will not hurt the dog that is loved by her even if that dog’s previous master was… me.”
“I guess…”
“And until then”, Shen Qingqiu continued quickly, gaining back his normal attitude and even picking up the fan he had earlier placed on the table in favour of being able to pet the dog on his lap better, “until then Bingbing will be a delightful companion, loyal friend, beloved little guard and…” After each word the little tail wagged wilder, so much that it seemed like the whole body of the dog was shaking with it. It was almost comical how the whole happy dance immediately stopped when Shen Qingqiu said the last part. “...and a proud father of a litter or two.”
“Bro, what?”
“Bingbing is a very fine specimen and it would be a shame to not let him breed”, Shen Qingqiu said, “of course he should have girlfriends. Isn’t that true, Bingbing? You want to have girlfriends?” The dog looked quite depressed, but Shen Qingqiu seemed to be certain that somehow that was a positive response. “This master will find you the best girlfriends.”
“Okay, sure”, Shang Qinghua muttered, now almost sure that the little dog must be a real dog. Sure it was still an exceptionally expressional dog, but that did not mean it was actually a demon in disguise or a human cursed in the form of an animal. His protagonist would have not allowed the scum teacher to talk about him like this, that was sure! Shang Qinghua recalled reading about how dogs could be so close to their master that they started to react to human emotions, so everything strange Bingbing did was simply due to Shen Qingqiu influence. With that thought, Shang Qinghua decided that there was no need to talk about the dog anymore and he moved on to the actual reason for this visit. “Ah, I did have a reason to visit you…”
“Other than to enjoy my wonderful company?”
“Yeah, fuck you too, bro”, Shang Qinghua said and missed the highly disapproving look he got from the little dog, “you know… Has your system been… Weird lately?” Although the question made Shen Qingqiu raise his brow, it also brought a deeply thoughtful look on his face.
“Weird how?”
“Like it is almost… scared?” Shang Qinghua replied, “I haven’t done anything, you know, but one day it just suddenly stopped communicating and now I am getting general ‘out of order’ messages no matter what I’m asking.” Shen Qingqiu nodded a few times, tapping the fan against the table.
“Strange indeed”, he finally noted, “but I can’t say much about my system. It briefly re-booted a while back, but then went offline again. An error in the updating protocol, it said and told me to continue enjoying this experience”, he shook his head and continued with an angry tone, “like I could enjoy anything after that stupid thing made me push my disciple to that hell.”
Shang Qinghua thought that Shen Qingqiu was enjoying himself quite well actually. Sure there was the whole mourning and other issues, but he seemed to wholly enjoy his life as an immortal peak lord. He nodded along when Shen Qingqiu moved on and started to explain things he and Bingbing did daily, sounding a lot like a common dog owner that strongly believed that everybody just loved to hear how well little Binbing fetched balls and how smart he was because he had never peed inside the house. The moment Shen Qinggiu pulled out several stacks of paper and announced that he had made some drawings to show, Shang Qinghua knew it was time to leave quickly. “You know, I gotta go now. Have fun with your… new dog training and breeding hobby, I guess.”
“It is not a hobby”, Shen Qingqiu said but did not bother to insist that they continued their conversation. He waved his hand, the impatient gesture sending Shang Qinghua away and another much kinder one urging the little dog to jump down.
“Does Bingbing need to go to do his business?” he asked from the dog, speaking in a very gentle voice, “we shall have dinner soon… Would Bingbing prefer chicken or pork today? Perhaps something more exotic? This master has heard that some disciples hunted Golden Cry Phenixes. If the meat is prepared right, it will greatly improve cultivation. Would Bingbing like a piece of that?” The dog did its best to let Shen Qingqiu know that Shen Qingqiu should think more of his own dinner, but all the attempts were in vain. When dinner time came, the dog’s bowl was filled with perfectly cooked, expensive meat that indeed boosted cultivation, and Shen Qingqiu didn’t even touch his own meal.
When the night came, Bingbing was placed on the softest pillow and Shen Qingqiu did not sleep at all.
The morning found the peak lord Shen carefully brushing the little dog’s already pristine fur while his own long hair was carelessly tied back.
The training hours were spent with making sure that Bingbing got enough activating and the disciples were correctly mentored, but Shen Qingqiu barely had time or will to focus on his own cultivation.
The lessons were filled with wise teachings and cultivation in both meditation and artistic skills, but Shen Qingqiu’s mind was elsewhere and he let the hallmasters take over most of the teaching duties that he had previously greatly enjoyed.
The evenings were spent quietly with Shen Qingqiu resting in the Bamboo house and relaxing with drawing and reading. Although the little dog was a very willing model, it looked somewhat concerned when Shen Qingqiu’s mission to produce so many drawings of his little dog that it could match the amount of photos a dedicated dog owner in modern times would have in his phone started to feel a little more like an obsession than relaxing pass of time.
The health of the master was nonchalantly ignored by the said master and the medicines were habitually forgotten, but even the slightest sign of discomfort from the little dog sent the peak lord Shen right to peak lord Mu’s door.
The long hours were spent at the sword mound.
Many moments were filled with emotions that threatened to break the little dog’s heart.
Finally, months after the little dog had become peak lord Shen’s beloved companion, Shen Qingqiu suffered a strong enough flare up of Without a Cure for it to send him to bed. Mu Qingfang had been forced to give him sedatives to ensure that Shen Qingqiu got enough rest, and although that wasn’t ideal at all, it also gave Luo Binghe finally a chance. He had to of course wait for all the disciples and peak lords to leave first, but finally after everybody had been ensured that Shen Qingqiu only needed to rest, the little dog had been left alone with its master.
The little Pomeranian looking dog whined softly, watching up to the still figure laying in the bed. A blink, and the dog was replaced by a man with a painful expression in his dark eyes.
“Shizun”, the man whispered softly as he reached to touch the silky hair, and although he looked sorrowful, that single word was filled with devotion, “just a little longer. This Binghe will protect shizun and make everything better.” It pained him to deceive his dear master by pretending to be just a dog, but at the same time he couldn’t stop enjoying the care and love he received when he was in this small, innocent form. Maybe he would have been willing to stay like this too, but there were things he needed to do. He had learnt much from the conversations he had listened in and from the words Shen Qingqiu had whispered to nobody at the sword mound. There was a lot that Luo Binghe did not yet understand and he would need more time to find out the truth, but the most important details had already been revealed.
He had so much to do.
First of all, Shen Qingqiu’s comfort and well-being must be ensured. That was the most important and it included making sure that his meals would be of better quality and actually enjoyed as meals should instead of pushed away after few bites, that he received enough rest and enjoyed his time, and that he wouldn’t need to go and kneel in the front of sword mound for hours every single day anymore.
Secondly, Luo Binghe would have to find a way to gain back the position that rightfully belonged to him and make his master fall in love with him… In his own form.
And lastly, Luo Binghe needed to find out exactly what this despicable thing called “the system” was and how to erase it from existence. Painfully, if possible.
Until he was sure that his master knew that there was no hate between them and would be ready to welcome Luo Binghe back, the demon lord would remain as a loyal companion in his innocent little form. He would work for his goals when Shen Qinqgiu slept, which would now happen more often as Mu Qingfang had forbidden him from abandoning sleep and had threatened to sedate him again if he did not listen the doctor’s order, and during the days Luo Binghe would play fetch, let himself be drawn for ten thousand times, and do everything he could to make Shen Qingqiu forget all about finding any “girlfriends” for his dog.
There was a lot to do, but Luo Binghe was not worried. He had been told that he would excel in anything he set his mind to, and now his mind was fully set on this mission of his.