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Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu hesitated for a moment then forced himself to ascend the small number of stairs that led him to Mu Qingfang’s personal study and workshop. It was where his fellow Peak Lord could often be found if not seeing to other duties and where the man’s disciples had directed Shen Qingqiu when asked. The air around the building always smelled herbal (but in the way that you knew would be good for your body but bad for your tastebuds) and Shen Qingqiu avoided visiting when possible as it had a way of clinging to one’s clothes.

But there was no getting around this visit; not if he wanted to have any dignity left after tomorrow’s Peak Lord meeting. Between the sensation of Luo Binghe showing up unannounced (a decade older and his spouse) several days prior, the news of his disciple Luo Binghe moving out of the bamboo house today, and the “sudden” end to Shen Qingqiu’s poisoning, he was going to need all the face saving techniques available to make it through the all-day meeting.

Shen Qingqiu braced himself before knocking on the door frame and calling out in an even tone, “Mu-shidi? It’s Shen Qingqiu.”

There was a marked pause in sounds coming from inside then a sudden opening of the door in front of him, causing Shen Qingqiu to have to suppress a flinch.

The man had to have flash stepped to the door, which was a bit much.

His young husband had only managed to cure him of a hereto known uncurable poison that the foremost medical expert in their world had been puzzling over for more than a year in less than a day due to a heritage that absolutely no one else can learn about. No biggie.

Oh god, this was going to be awful.

“Shen-shixiong! Please, come in. Is this about Without-A-Cure? Is shixiong feeling unwell? Has he fainted again since our last conversation?”

“Thank you, Mu-shidi,” Shen Qingqiu said demurely, stepping into the building and followed Mu Qingfang’s solicitous movement towards the public sitting area. “This one has thankfully never felt better, though is indeed here to speak to Master Mu of Without-A-Cure.

“More specifically,” he continued, taking a seat at the table and working to keep his expression neutral but not hostile, “this one requests that Master Mu confirm for this one’s record that the poison is cleared from this one’s system entirely.”

Mu Qingfang stared at him. “Begging Shen-shixiong’s pardon, but this shidi must have misheard.”

“To be blunt, Mu-shidi, I’ve been cured and must ask that you state as much officially at the Peak Lord meeting tomorrow. I am willing to share some things with you as my doctor, but trust that you will share my health status tomorrow without details due to the… rather personal nature of the cure.”

Shen Qingqiu hid his face but not completely, allowing a blush to heat his cheeks.

Shen Yuan did not take to subterfuge easily and his face was exceptionally thin. Yet, the only plan he had been able to come up with to avoid people questioning too much into why Luo Binghe was able to cure him was to draw attention to the embarrassing, scandalous details of how he was cured. Even with several additional days to think it over since his initial conception of the plan during a conversation with Liu Qingge, he had yet to think of anything that would work as well as a distraction.

Shang Qinghua hadn’t been able to come up with anything better either in a brainstorming session that Shen Qingqiu would honestly rather forget. Encouragingly, the creator of this messed up world did endorse the theory of the plan, especially with the rumors he was keeping tabs on about Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe that were swirling around the Sect.

(Shen Qingqiu did not consult his disciple, despite the insight that Luo Binghe may have had on the situation. It wasn’t so much a conscious decision, more the fact that neither of them had addressed out loud the fact that both knew Shen Qingqiu had had papapa with an older version of Luo Binghe. Shen Qingqiu was doing his best to Not Think about the fact that his disciple almost definitely thought he was in love with him and Luo Binghe had stated outright that Shen Qingqiu’s older self had thankfully put him off propositioning him until he was older. If it was something that remained unaddressed indefinitely, Shen Qingqiu would not complain.)

In any case, so much of his plan and Luo Binghe’s safety rested on him acting as embarrassed as possible during this conversation. The self-consciousness and discomfort were coming naturally to him, but he hated showing less than a composed exterior.

Between this, the mountain of grading he had to work through that morning, and the process of watching Luo Binghe’s things be moved out of his home, Shen Qingqiu was having a spectacularly shitty day.

Mu Qingfang was staring at him. Shen Qingqiu looked away and let the silence stand.

Eventually, the other Peak Lord said, “If this Mu Qingfang could please have shixiong’s wrist.”

Shen Qingqiu removed his arm guard and outstretched his hand. He surreptitiously monitored Mu Qingfang’s reactions from the corner of his eye, watching as a frown formed then deepened on the man’s face as steady, cool spiritual energy carefully traced his meridian system.

After several long moments, Mu Qingfang withdrew his energy and released Shen Qingqiu, but didn’t say a word. Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat, “Did shidi find anything amiss?”

“…This one will need to confirm his findings with a blood test, but it appears that shixiong was correct and it no longer ailed by Without-A-Cure. At all. There was no trace of the poison to shixiong’s meridians outside of some damage to his spiritual veins that could be corrected with time and attention.”

Shen Qingqiu started to smile but the now scowl on Mu Qingfang’s face stopped him. “…Is this not good news, Mu-shidi? Shidi’s expression is troubled.”

“There is no trace of the poison in shixiong’s body as far as this one can tell, which is unusual with a poison as persistent and invasive as Without-A-Cure. When exactly was shixiong treated last?”

Fuck. Shen Qingqiu didn’t realize that there might be something to medically indicate something unusual. “…Five days prior.”

“So, when shixiong’s adult disciple was here,” Mu Qingfang said blandly.

Shen Qingqiu pulled is wrist back. “Luo Binghe was no longer my disciple but my husband.” Mu Qingfang looked at him steadily like he was splitting hairs and it was Shen Qingqiu’s turn to scowl. “They are entirely different.”

“What is the manner through which Shen-shixiong was cured?”

Shen Qingqiu looked away from him and said quietly, “Dual cultivation.”

“Impossible. If the answer was so simple then this one would have suggested it as a solution long ago.”

Shen Qingqiu winced and went back to hiding his face. “This one cannot explain why, only that his husband said dual cultivation was the cure and it worked. This one did not question it.”

“…a strange man told shixiong that dual cultivation was the cure to his poisoning and he did not question it?”

“Binghe wasn’t strange to this one and this one had no reason not to believe him.”

He could hear the judgment in the silence that followed. Which, considering all the information he was leaving out? Fair enough.

At length, Mu Qingfang said, “Wait here,” and left the room. He returned less than a minute later with writing materials and a scroll that Shen Qingqiu recognized as one of the many he used to take notes on. “This shidi is going to ask shixiong some questions. Understanding that shixiong is a… private person, they will likely be uncomfortable. However, this one respectfully asks that shixiong answers in full for the purposes of this one’s investigation as things may not be as shixiong thinks.”

“…Will what this one says remain confidential?” Shen Qingqiu asked, voice tentative.

“For the most part, yes. This one must submit a report to Sect Leader Yue on shixiong’s condition, but otherwise Master Shen's information will remain as secure as anyone else’s.”

Shen Qingqiu made a show of frowning down at his fan for a moment, but knew he had no other option. And that last statement was a double-edged sword. This wasn’t modern times and if one was particularly determined to look at someone else’s medical records now, it wouldn’t be that hard to do so, especially if the one curious was another Peak Lord. There was a 70% chance that anything salacious Shen Qingqiu told Mu Qingfang would be leaked after the Peak Lord meeting tomorrow, which was unfortunately exactly what he was counting on.

“This one understands. Mu-shidi may begin asking questions and this Shen Qingqiu will do his best to answer.”

Shen Qingqiu had fucked up.

He needed to find Binghe.

He needed to find Luo Binghe right now.

That was the only thought on Shen Qingqiu’s mind as he flew back to Qing Jing Peak after his conversation with Mu Qingfang. In planning for that interrogation session, Shen Qingqiu had been way too focused on mentally bracing for his own embarrassment and, once again, forgot to think things through on two points.

First, he had mentioned that his disciple knew the cure because he was told by his future self in order to keep things consistent with what he had said to Liu Qingge. It never occurred to him that Mu Qingfang would want to ask Luo Binghe about the cure! But his own unwillingness to even think about his disciple and the topic of papapa meant he forgot that not everyone felt the same aversion as him! It had taken every last ounce of his willpower to not react when Mu Qingfang sent a note out with a disciple to summon Luo Binghe to him in the middle of his questioning.

They hadn’t had time to prepare for this!! He had no clue what Luo Binghe was going to say! Fuck!

Second, because he had mentally separated the two Binghes, it took until a question about Luo Binghe’s… anatomy that had Shen Qingqiu recoiling in refusal to answer for him to realize that whatever leaked would obviously get back to his disciple. But of course it would! Just because they weren’t the same person to him didn’t mean that anyone else would think that way! Besides that, of course Binghe would be impacted by the rumors; they were about “him.”

He had done his best to limit the information given to be solely about him, but he wasn’t able to succeed the entire time and goodness knew what Mu Qingfang was inferring from his silences on certain things that would end up in his file.

In short, Shen Qingqiu was an idiot who needed to do some serious damage control, starting with an overdue conversation with Luo Binghe.

By the time he arrived back at Qing Jing, Luo Binghe had already left to answer the summons.

Shen Qingqiu had an internal freak out about that for a while and had only talked himself down in time for dinner. To his surprise, Luo Binghe came in at his usual time with a smile on his face. “Good evening, Shizun.”

“Binghe!” Shen Qingqiu jumped up and was by the boy’s side before he could blink. “We need to talk.”

Luo Binghe blinked at him in surprise, startled but not bothered by his urgency as Shen Qingqiu closed the door and threw up a sound barrier. “This one is at Shizun’s disposal. This one hopes it was not too presumptuous, but there is an extra set of dishware to allow for this one to speak at length with Shizun over dinner as this one no longer sleeps here to linger late.”

“Of course, of course. Binghe is always welcome to eat with me. And you can stop that; the barrier’s up.”

Luo Binghe beamed at him before he looked away to set up the table for their dinner. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask, A-Yuan.” Cute bun, Shen Qingqiu thought before shaking that thought away. “What would A-Yuan like to speak about?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed as he sat at his usual spot at the table, Luo Binghe taking the side adjacent to his own rather than across from him. “Unfortunately, it’s about my visit to Mu Qingfang today.” He looked down and it was like it was his first time actually seeing the food in front of him. “Oh, Binghe! This looks wonderful, not that that’s a surprise; everything you make is delicious.”

“Thank you, but perhaps A-Yuan should try it before giving out compliments so easily,” Luo Binghe said, unable to hide his pleasure at the statement as he put some pork and vegetables into Shen Qingqiu’s bowl.

The first bite didn’t disappoint, the spicy-sweet-savory of the flavors bursting over his tongue in a wave, just the right amount of heat to give it character but not leave him scrambling for the rice. He moaned in appreciation.  “Absolutely perfect, Binghe! You really could open a restaurant with your recipes,” Shen Qingqiu said, missing the way Luo Binghe had started staring at him as he completely forgot about what they were supposed to be talking about and dug in.

Shen Qingqiu paused when he realized Luo Binghe wasn’t eating and took the time to put some of the vegetables and cuts of meat he knew the boy preferred into his bowl. “What is Binghe waiting for? Eat, eat.”

“…Would A-Yuan like to talk later, then?”

“Oh… right.” Shen Qingqiu sighed and took a moment to chase down his last bite with some tea. “Seems a shame to ruin such a meal, but Binghe was right about us having limited time. You should still eat, however; you had a busy day.

“First, how did your move go? Are you settled in?” Shen Qingqiu’s voice became more subdued the more he talked. “No problems, right?”

“Everything is fine, A-Yuan. I will miss sleeping here, but you needn’t worry about me. People still are looking at me strangely, but I doubt that’s going to stop anytime soon.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed. “About that. I’m afraid the staring may get worse after my visit with Mu Qingfang today…

“Binghe, I want to start by apologizing.” Shen Qingqiu shot him a sharp look to stop the immediate protest that came from Luo Binghe’s mouth. “No, I’m serious. I made a plan to talk to Mu Qingfang about my… previous poisoning that did not adequately take into account how it would affect you. In truth, I was too embarrassed to talk to you about it because of… what the cure entailed. You had said that you knew and I didn’t want to push. In an effort to make sure no one looked too far past the surface to land on the fact that you’re not entirely human, I tried to draw attention to myself. My shortsightedness meant that Mu Qingfang summoned you for questioning without warning and that I have no idea how whatever information that leaks evolves to come back to you.

“I was trying to protect you but just ended up leaving you out of a decision that you probably could have helped with and with an outcome that directly impacts you. That’s not okay, and I’m sorry.”

Luo Binghe sighed beside him and a hand grabbed his. “A-Yuan is punishing himself too harshly. Though this Binghe appreciates the apology, I’m not upset. A-Yuan is forgetting that we grew up in different worlds and the actions he took sound perfectly reasonable, if a little too self-sacrificial to me. I will always prefer working with you, especially on something that involves my being a demon, but A-Yuan has no need to apologize.

“In fact, this Binghe is more worried about whatever A-Yuan felt the need to divulge about himself than anything else. What did A-Yuan say?”

Shen Qingqiu flushed, “That’s definitely not appropriate dinner conversation!”

Luo Binghe was still holding his hand. “Would A-Yuan tell this Binghe after dinner, then? He does not have to.”

“I… maybe.” Shen Qingqiu was flustered, torn between not wanting to talk about it with Luo Binghe but not wanting him to hear about it from someone else either. “I am tired and may not feel up to it."

“Okay.” Luo Binghe squeezed his hand one more time than released it. “And A-Yuan need not worry about my conversation with Mu-shishu. It was pretty straightforward.”

“It was?” Shen Qingqiu started eating again, happy to have the air clear between them.

“Yes. He asked what I knew about the cure and, knowing to keep my demonic status a secret, I said that Yuan-ge had told me it required dual cultivation with me. When he asked, why me, I just said that we were fated to be together and that’s why it worked… A-Yuan?”

Shen Qingqiu was lucky he had yet to put his next bite in his mouth because he otherwise would have choked on it. His mind was static at the moment, completely turned to the wrong station to pick up this frequency.

Binghe had told Mu Qingfang what?

“A-Yuan? Was that wrong? I thought it would be something that they would have no way of checking to refute but also be a plausible way to get around why Mu-shishu hadn’t come across the solution before! This Binghe is sorry and–“

Okay, Binghe was freaking out. He needed to pull it together.

Shen Qingqiu put down his chopsticks and reached over to take Luo Binghe’s hand, much closer to him than his head for the go-to head pats. “Binghe was exceptionally clever and did nothing wrong. This Shen Yuan was surprised, that’s all. I didn’t think to lie outright.”

Luo Binghe’s hand, holding his back, suddenly stiffened. “A-Yuan thinks this Binghe lied?”

Shen Qingqiu took in the stricken look on Luo Binghe’s face and thought, oh shit. Sighing, he gently rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb and said, “I don’t know if I can believe in both fate and free will, Binghe. I like to think that we can make our own destiny. Yet, if anyone could make me believe in fate, it’s you; otherwise, this Shen Yuan wouldn’t be here, right?

“Besides,” Shen Qingqiu pulled away from him and focused on his food, “Binghe need not be so quick to bind himself to this old man. He may come across someone better suited for him than me.“

Luo Binghe didn’t respond for a long moment. Realizing what he just said and how revealing that was, Shen Qingqiu laughed awkwardly and said, “Don’t listen to me, Binghe. I’ve had a long day and was feeling maudlin. Eat, eat.”

“Shen Yuan.” Shen Qingqiu startled at the use of his full name and hesitantly looked up at Luo Binghe. The boy was staring at him, face set in determined lines, black eyes piercing and entirely serious, back straight and fists clenched on the table. The expression was not that of a boy, but a man. “You are wrong.”

Luo Binghe then relaxed and picked up his chopsticks again. “What did A-Yuan do today?” he asked, tone normal.

Shen Qingqiu, though feeling wrongfooted, answered and their dinner progressed as usual. Luo Binghe cleaned up, helped him with his hair after his bath, and then left for the evening. He didn’t ask about Shen Qingqiu’s conversation with Mu Qingfang and Shen Qingqiu, thoroughly at his limit, didn’t offer.

Luo Binghe did shyly ask for a hug before he left. Softhearted, Shen Qingqiu allowed it and personally took an inordinate amount of comfort from the short embrace. The hug did wonders to soothe some lingering anxiety, but it didn’t rid him of feeling slightly unsettled. Something had shifted that evening, an awareness that he didn’t feel ready to acknowledge.

Sixteen was far from an adult, but maybe his disciple wasn’t a child anymore, either.

Oh, dear.

His last thought before sleep was something about being in trouble, but he slipped into darkness before it could fully register.

Hate was a strong word, but Shen Qingqiu really, really, really didn’t like the monthly Peak Lord meetings. He knew they were important for joint decision making or whatever, but he would much rather be teaching his disciples or cultivating alone than deal with the shitshow that was their glorified staff meeting.

Considering that the vast majority of the people attending also signed the order that forced Luo Binghe out of the bamboo house, he wasn’t feeling particularly inclined to be around them for any amount of time, let alone an all day meeting about budgets and cultivation world happenings followed by a tedious but politically necessary dinner.

Oh, and Yue Qingyuan was going to be there. And, as their seating for the day was ordered by ranking, Shen Qingqiu sat the closest to him.

This was not fine.

The only reasons he wasn’t glaring at everyone like a pissed off cat was the congee that Luo Binghe left him that morning (the increased chore list that came with living in the dormitories keeping him from joining in person) and the fact he could now essentially text Shang Qinghua through the monstrosity of a meeting.

Expression frostily peeking from behind his fan, Shen Qingqiu tried to keep himself from running from the room.

SQQ: Is it too late to fake my death to avoid this meeting?

In his peripheral vision, he saw Shang Qinghua jolt in surprise and spill some tea over himself, babbling to the nearest Peak Lord about being clumsy and to not mind him.

A corner of Shen Qingqiu’s mouth rose.

SQH: holy shit this actually works

SQH: and yeah, considering how YQY is staring at you, I would say it’s too late

SQQ: damn

SQQ: and YQY doesn’t exist

SQH: …bro he’s leading this meeting how’s that going to work?

SQQ: don’t care. the man can choke

SQH: scary

SQQ: you good to plan treason now or what?

Shang Qinghua began to loudly cough and it took everything Shen Qingqiu had not to start laughing.

“Shen Qingqiu.”

Shen Qingqiu blinked the rest of the room back into focus and found that Liu Qingge was standing by his side. He let the frost in his expression melt and smiled slightly at the only other person he had no qualms about seeing today in this room. “Liu Qingge. I’m sorry, I was lost in thought. Did you say something?”

“Not yet. Just wanted to check… I wanted to see if you had had a chance to visit Mu Qingfang?”

“Yes, I remember your ultimatum, Liu Qingge,” Shen Qingqiu said dryly.

“That’s not why–“

“I’m teasing you; I know you’re just concerned,” Shen Qingqiu said, smile widening a little. He got a notification from Shang Qinghua but minimized it with a flick of his eyes. “And yes, I’ve spoken with Mu-shidi. As I suspected, I’m fine. No irreversible damage or anything.”

“Good. That’s good to hear.” Some tension flowed out of Liu Qingge’s stance and Shen Qingqiu realized how wild everything that had happened must be to him. The unmistakable care that his newly named friend showed warmed his heart.

“We have a few minutes before the meeting starts, I think. Why don’t you sit, and we can catch up?”

“Order. This shxiong calls this meeting to order.”

Shen Qingqiu’s smile became strained. “Of course, if now doesn’t work Liu Qingge is always welcome to visit Qing Jing Peak at another time.”

Unlike some people.

Liu Qingge frowned at him in mild confusion. “We can just talk later in the day. No need to schedule something.”

“Works for me.”

Liu Qingge went to his seat and Shen Qingqiu ignored the sensation of being stared at and took a graceful sip of tea. He made sure to swallow before checking his messages.

[+10 B-points for pettiness!]

SQH: I’m down with treason

SQH: whoa hello what’s going on with you and LQG???

SQQ: ?

SQQ: We’re friends

SQH: Friends like we’re friends or like sexy friends?

SQQ: We’re not friends

SQH: Bro, yes we are?? You messaged me first

He had a point.

SQQ: Fine. We’re friends.

SQH: Yessss

SQQ: and I refuse to acknowledge the phrase “sexy friends”

SQQ: though adult Binghe said that he thought LQG was interested in me? Unlikely

SQH: IDK he may have a point

SQH: hey are you listening to YQY?

SQQ: absolutely not, why?

SQH: …you might want to look at the agenda

Shen Qingqiu reached for the folder given to every Peak Lord that he hadn’t touched that contained the agenda and other meeting materials.

Right away, he saw the issue that made Shang Qinghua flag the document.

There was an entire section of the day dedicated to him talking about what he learned about the future from Luo Binghe.

SQQ: as you can see, this man has me fucked up (fucked up)

SQH: god yes meme at me

SQH: but for real what are you going to do?

SQQ: I’m going to try and act like Shen Jiu

SQH: Oh shit!

SQQ: Hold my flower.

SQH: I got your flower, boo! Fuck ‘em up!

Perhaps they were, in fact, friends.

[+15 points for friendship!]

Shen Qingqiu frowned and thought at the System, Why did I get points for my friendship with Shang Qinghua and not Liu Qingge?

[Host is not being entirely honest with Liu Qingge about himself and thus does cannot gain friendship points for interactions with him.]

Fair enough. Binghe knows who I am and we speak all the time. Do I get friendship points with him?

[Host is not currently earning friendship points with the Protagonist because his relationship with the Protagonist is not platonic.]

What the fuck.

Yes it is?

[...]

Never mind. We'll agree to disagree.

[...If Host says so.]

Shen Qingqiu closed that window.

After reviewing the agenda as written, Yue Qingyuan asked his customary, “Are there any objections or additions to the proposed agenda?”

“This Qingqiu has an objection,” Shen Qingqiu said, tone dropping a ball of tension into the room. He turned his eyes slowly to Yue Qingyuan and saw the careful expression of his face.

“Yes, shidi?”

“This shidi objects to the section reserved for this one talking about information regarding a future that may or may not come to pass. As this one plans to share nothing, this one suggests reallocating that time to something productive or perhaps using that time as a recess if we truly insist on being here all day.”

There was a moment of stunned silence when Qi Qingqi interjected, “Peak Lord Shen cannot be serious.”

Shen Qingqiu leveled a steady look at the finely dressed Peak Lord. “This one is entirely serious, Qi-shimei. Sharing that knowledge would serve no constructive purpose and would likely hinder the work this one has begun to change events.”

“No constructive purpose!” Peak Lord Wei retorted. Shen Qingqiu tried but quickly gave up on remembering his given name. “Shen Qingqiu, are you really so arrogant as to think you know best about everything? To think that only you should hold this knowledge of the future.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t bother looking at him. “No. But this one knows that what came to pass in this master’s husband’s timeline must be avoided to save lives. The fewer variables, the more likely this one's knowledge remains relevant. If this one deviates too much from that timeline, then the knowledge becomes useless. Or did shidi not think as to what effect other’s actions may have on the future?”

Shen Qingqiu glared generally at the room and stated, tone final, “Qing Jing Peak is that of scholarship and strategy; let this Peak Lord do his job.”

There was a moment of silence as people stared at him and Shen Qingqiu stared back, cold and imperious. Then Yue Qingyuan said, “That’s not good enough, Qingqiu-shidi.”

“It’s going to have to be, Sect Leader Yue. This one will not say anything further; to linger on this will only waste time. Take it off the agenda.”

There was an uproar from several Peak Lords, one of whom questioning the entire incident and the fact that Shen Qingqiu acknowledged a husband, before Liu Qingge cut through the clamor. “Shen Qingqiu, you should tell them.”

He regarded is the man who seemed pained. “Tell them what, exactly, Liu Qingge?”

“What you told me. Or, at least, what Luo Binghe told me.”

The room was quiet as people looked between them. “To what end?”

Liu Qingge sighed. “I understand why you won’t say anything, but that’s because you explained it to me. They don’t know the stakes, what you’ve already done. They’ll back off if they know.”

Shen Qingqiu narrowed his eyes, “I think you underestimate others' curiosity, my friend. But I trust you’ll be careful in your words... Say what you think is necessary, then,” he finished with a dismissive wave of his fan.

Liu Qingge nodded seriously to him and said to the room, “Shen Qingqiu in the other timeline died to save the Sect.” Several people sucked in shocked breaths. “The Luo Binghe from the future told me this directly. I don’t know through what means he was resurrected, but he managed to do so at great personal cost. And, when Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe left the Sect the day of the incident, they had taken steps to prevent a plague that would have killed thousands of civilians.

“Shen Qingqiu would not have shared this with me if Luo Binghe had not done so already,” Liu Qingge said, looking around the room. “When I asked about it, he said that he feared being blamed for failing to prevent something despite his best efforts. He feared failing to save lives that would be lost due to his inaction. His silence is not arrogance, but he is willing to sacrifice much to not see his work hindered, including your valuations of him and his own life.

“I second his objection and ask that the agenda item be removed in favor of more productive conversations.”

Shen Qingqiu’s back muscles unclenched at the mini-speech and he nodded at Liu Qingge in thanks, pleased that he hadn’t misjudged placing his trust in him.

He had just picked up his teacup, waiting for Yue Qingyuan to respond, when Peak Lord Wei said, in flippant fashion, “So you’re fucking him, too?”

The teacup shattered in one hand while his fan broke into splinters in another. With bloody fingers that had Mu Qingfang getting up and rushing over to his side with a medical kit, Shen Qingqiu looked right at the man and hissed, “Excuse me?”

The other Peak Lord, uncaring of the dropped jaws around the room, huffed and said, “Oh, come on. Were we really not going to talk about the fact that you’ve been living with a disciple who apparently grew up to be your husband? For over a year? And now Bai Zhan is jumping to your defense? Your disciple moved out so you’ve moved on to an actual adult–“

Liu Qingge was across the room and had Cheng Luan at Peak Lord Wei’s throat. “You dare impugn our honor? You dare make such baseless accusations?”

“Baseless? He–“

Mu Qingfang, picking porcelain out of his hand, asked quietly, tone almost apologetic, “Does shixiong want this shidi to say anything? They may not believe shixiong, but if this one explains the Without-A-Cure…”

…Shen Qingqiu really wasn’t looking forward to this, but a scandal was what he wanted, right? “If Mu-shidi thinks it can help the situation. This shixiong unfortunately finds himself too outraged to think clearly at the moment.”

“Very well, Shen-shixiong.” Mu Qingfang cleared his throat loudly and looked around the room. “Peak Lord Wei is gravely mistaken about Peak Lord Shen’s character. I say this not as Shen Qingqiu’s colleague but has his doctor.

“Part of this one’s announcements for the day were going to be confirming that Shen Qingqiu’s Without-A-Cure poisoning had been, in fact, cured.” The room was utterly silent, and Shen Qingqiu was doing a good job of not looking at anyone, chin raised but eyes glaring at a spot on the far wall. “This shidi was of course pleased to see a sudden change in shixiong’s health for the better but was concerned about the unknown cure. This shidi’s investigation came across a few conclusions that are relevant to the accusations lobbied against Peak Lord Shen and are currently being shared with Peak Lord Shen’s reluctant permission.

“First, there is a not insignificant possibility that, prior to Luo Binghe’s time traveling incident six days ago, Shen Qingqiu was a virgin.”

“Bullshit!” Peak Lord Wei said with similar sentiments echoed around the room. “Shen Qingqiu notoriously visited brothels before his qi deviation. There is no way he–“

“If the Peak Lords would allow this one to finish?” Mu Qingfang said blandly. “Perhaps if shixiong could call this meeting to order?”

Yue Qingyuan, who Shen Qingqiu refused to look at, said in an authoritative tone. “Enough. Liu-shidi, lower your weapon. Everyone, Mu-shidi will explain his findings uninterrupted, unless someone has something constructive to add.”

There was a surge of spiritual energy around the room that was as familiar as it was troubling because it meant that Yue Qingyuan had placed his hand on Xuan Su’s hilt. Everyone listened, though Liu Qingge remained standing by Peak Lord Wei.

“Thanking shixiong,” Mu Qingfang said before continuing. “As Wei-shidi said, Shen Qingqiu prior to his qi deviation 19 months ago was known to visit brothels throughout the city. This shidi investigated his previous habits–“ Shen Qingqiu turned and stared at him because what– “and found that all those who remembered him only spoke of his kindness and his refusal to accept carnal services. It seems that Shen-shixiong went there for information gathering and, at times, to sleep, treating all those working there with the utmost respect.”

Mu Qingfang switched his focus to his other hand, using spiritual power to search through his flesh for pieces of wood. It was difficult not to flinch, for more than one reason.

“This investigation, paired with some of the more personal details shared by Peak Lord Shen that this one will not share, leads this one to conclude that it is unlikely Peak Lord Shen had had consensual intimate relations since entering the Cang Qiong Sect as a disciple. There is a possibility that such relations were never had. In any case, to Peak Lord Shen’s memory, he was a virgin.

“This conclusion directly refutes any assumption that Peak Lord Shen had been intimate with any disciple, let alone Luo Binghe despite their cohabitation.”

Yue Qingyuan added, “Additionally, the adult Luo Binghe said that Shen Qingqiu refused his courtship until the other was 25 years old. When this shixiong spoke to Qingqiu-shidi about disciple Luo’s moving, he was greatly insulted by the idea he would abuse his position over him to be physically intimate with the teenager.”

Shen Qingqiu was not going to give that man credit considering he had damn near yelled the sentiment in his face only a few days ago in order to get it through his fool head.

Liu Qingge said, “Shen Qingqiu after his qi deviation would never intentionally hurt any of his disciples, especially Luo Binghe. And, as my disciples can attest, suggesting that Shen Qingqiu would hurt them in the despicable manner you stated earlier would earn you nothing but Qing Jing disciples’ ire. You, and everyone who thought otherwise and spread information to that effect, owe him an apology.”

Yue Qingyuan sighed, “Liu-shidi, not now. Mu-shidi, please continue.”

“Second, Without-A-Cure was directly and entirely cured by dual cultivation with an adult Luo Binghe, despite all sources saying that dual cultivation would not work."

Shen Qingqiu was back to staring at the far wall, hands still bloody and unable to hold a fan. Face bare, he felt heat begin to fill his cheeks and climb up his neck.

Mu Qingfang continued, “This aspect remains a mystery. Both Shen Qingqiu and disciple Luo Binghe were told by their alternate counterparts that the cure was dual cultivation, though disciple Luo provided a stated reason as to why it could only work with him as opposed to Shen Qingqiu’s theories.

“Peak Lord Shen’s theories were based on experiences: his emotions involved, the marital relationship they mutually acknowledged, and his own comparative innocence in the realm of carnal activities. Disciple Luo’s reasoning was that he and Peak Lord Shen are tied by the red string of fate and that is why dual cultivation with him alone could have cured Peak Lord Shen.”

SQH: HOLY SHIT

SQH: BRO?? WTF

SQQ: kill me

SQH: sorry but LBH would probably kill me if no one else in the room beat him to it

SQQ: is it too early for wine?

SQQ: I hate this

SQQ: Binghe was smart to think of something to tell MQF that he couldn’t question but ugh

SQH: …I think he had other reasons but sure

SQH: also did you tell MQF and did MQF just tell everyone that you’re in love with LBH?

SQQ: …maybe

SQQ: some could read it that way

SQQ: God knows I told that man worse things to keep him from thinking of the possibility that Binghe is a demon. This is the sanitized version.

SQH: omg

SQH: forbidden romance, student-teacher relationship, angst with a happy ending, 60k words

SQQ: DO NOT

SQH: I won’t I won’t it was just for the meme

SQQ: considering how both of us got into this world, it’s not funny airplane

SQH: fair

Time to reel this disaster in.

“You know,” Shen Qingqiu stated in the silence that lingered after Mu Qingfang finished talking, “this one cannot help but find humor in the fact that this one is working his hardest to save the lives and livelihood of every single person in Cang Qiong Sect, yet has to allow his doctor to share extremely personal information publicly in order to not be labeled a predator.

“Not that it is any of your business, but this master has spoken frankly with his disciple and made it clear that no relationship beyond that of teacher-student may exist between us while he is not yet an adult and has not left the Sect. That is all this one will say on the matter.

“To the issue of the agenda item, too much is in motion. The only thing this one will say is that the perseverance and safety of Cang Qiong remains a priority. If all goes according to this one's plans, things that can be prevented will never occur while everything else is mitigated.

“This one cannot explain why or how the time travel incident happened, nor does this one think that matters. This Qingqiu intends to use his knowledge to his best ability. Much must change, though this Shen Qingqiu hopes it will only be for the better.

“Are all the splinters gone?” Shen Qingqiu asked Mu Qingfang. The man nodded and Shen Qingqiu called on his not inconsiderable reserves of spiritual energy to close the numerous wounds in his hands. “Thank you, Mu-shidi, for your attention and words. Thanking Liu Qingge and Sect Leader Yue for their input as well. If Wei-shidi has something further to say to me about my friendship with Liu Qingge, he is welcome to take it up with either of us at another time. This one humbly requests we go back to the meeting.”

[+20 B-points!]

Yue Qingyuan cleared his throat and asked, “Are there any objections to removing the agenda item related to the time travel incident from the agenda?” No one responded for a beat. “Hearing none, the agenda item is removed. If there are no further objections, let us proceed to any announcements.”

Oh, God. They hadn’t even started the announcements yet.

Shen Qingqiu took a spare fan out of his sleeves, opened it, and did his best to tune out the meeting around him as he and Shang Qinghua talked about dealings with demons.

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan had had a trying day, to say the least.

He had done his best to ignore the stares and whispers from his fellow Peak Lords that kept turning to him despite the packed if tedious agenda for the day’s meeting. Then again, their attention may have repeatedly strayed back to him precisely because the meeting was so dull that they felt the need for a distraction and not everyone was as blessed as he to be able to secretly message a friend. It certainly didn’t help that the most interesting and scandalous part of the day happened first thing in the morning, giving people all day to ruminate on the revelations surrounding Shen Qingqiu.

His lack of interest in the working women (and men) in the brothels and apparent virginity.

A virginity that was lost after dual cultivation with a grown disciple.

A disciple that he had previously lived with and admittedly had feelings for.

Feelings that may or may not be connected to the fact he and Luo Binghe may be fated lovers.

Fated lovers who had somehow earned the ire of the Sect Leader who had rather publicly gone out of his way to separate them.

And that was before you threw Liu Qingge and his open support of Shen Qingqiu into the mix.

Even Shen Qingqiu could only stay oblivious to his surroundings for so long. Dinner had been unbearable without chemical assistance, and, despite his known low tolerance, Shen Qingqiu had turned to the free-flowing wine for help in maintaining his composure.

It had probably kept him from decking Wei Qingwei (at some point he was reminded of that dolt’s name), which would have been out of character and caused even more fuss around everything.

The last thing this disaster needed was more fuel to the fire. There would be more than enough of that once Mu Qingfang’s notes from his visit the day before leaked.

The end result of all this was Shen Qingqiu stumbling up the steps to the bamboo house, feeling unsteady in more ways than one. To his surprise, the candles were already lit and the door was opening before he could touch it.

“Shizun?” Luo Binghe greeted him, big eyes blinking in concern at him like the white lotus he was, waiting to welcome him home like Shen Qingqiu half expected to never happen again. “Is Shizun all right?”

Not Shizun, he wanted to say automatically but the words stuck in his throat. He was his Shizun, his teacher. This Luo Binghe wasn’t his husband and likely would never be. He was sixteen; it would be wrong to rely on him like he had his counterpart.

But goddamn, Shen Qingqiu needed a hug.

“W-what’s Binghe doing here so late?” Shen Qingqiu asked, voice rough with repressed emotion and swallowed words.

“…This Binghe knew that Shizun would likely be tired after his meeting and dinner and wanted to make himself available to assist Shizun however needed.” Luo Binghe said slowly, looking Shen Qingqiu over critically. Shen Qingqiu felt fragile, exposed, and so very lacking. He flinched when Luo Binghe’s gaze lingered on his shaking hands and hid them behind his sleeves. “If Shizun would come inside? This disciple can prepare some tea for him.”

Tea. He could do tea. Shen Qingqiu nodded and moved inside the house. When Luo Binghe closed the door behind him, he automatically put up a sound barrier out of habit for when they were alone in the bamboo house now.

Luo Binghe must have felt the change in air pressure or something because he stepped closer after Shen Qingqiu removed his shoes and walked the smallest of ways into the dwelling. “A-Yuan,” he started, voice low and soothing. “What wrong? Please, let this Binghe help.”

A-Yuan? What’s wrong? An older Luo Binghe had asked him, days ago. Husband, please. Let me help you. Let me take care of you.

Shen Qingqiu froze in his tracks, hand coming to his mouth to stifle the sudden sob that escaped his chest, loss and intense longing stabbing through him. Luo Binghe was in front of him in a heartbeat, hands holding him up and eyes frantically scanning his face.

Shen Qingqiu felt like the worst kind of scum for being weak enough to lean on his disciple like this, but there was nothing for it now. Luo Binghe was Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu could never turn him away.

“Binghe? Could I… Could I hug you?”

“Of course.” Luo Binghe was already opening his arms to him as he said the words and Shen Qingqiu didn’t quite fall into him, but it was a near thing. His knees collapsed but Binghe caught him, holding him close as Shen Qingqiu ended up sitting on his heels with Luo Binghe kneeing upright before him, face buried into a wide but still lean shoulder.

Luo Binghe leaned back a little and Shen Qingqiu made an embarrassing sound of protest only to calm when pressure from his hair suddenly eased as Luo Binghe removed the ornamentation from it. His hair now free, Shen Qingqiu asked weakly, “Could Binghe hug me, too?”

Luo Binghe’s arms came around his shoulders and held him tight. “For as long as A-Yuan wants. I’m here. I’m here.”

Shen Qingqiu snuggled closer, breathing in his familiar scent as a hand stroked his hair, and the pain in his chest dulled to something manageable.

They stayed like that for a long while, Luo Binghe murmuring quiet assurances that he was there, that he wasn’t alone, that he was happy to be able to support him. After some time, Shen Qingqiu exhaled and so much of the tension that he held melted away.

There was a light pressure on his head, almost as if Luo Binghe had kissed him, when his disciple said quietly, “That’s it, A-Yuan. You’re okay, you’re safe. Your Binghe has you.”

A tremor rocked through him and Shen Qingqiu had to fight tears as he thought, but you’re not my Binghe. Not yet, maybe not ever.

He shouldn’t be doing this. He shouldn’t be curled into his disciple like this, crying because Luo Binghe would probably never love him the way he wanted. He didn’t want the taste of another life the other had given him but this Binghe, who smiled at him and cooked for him and greeted him when he came home.

The one who now all of Cang Qiong knew he had feelings for.

Oh, God, but he had to tell him. He had to tell him what he had said to Mu Qingfang tonight, before he could hear his confessions, somehow twisted by someone else.

But how could he? How could he bear for him to know how he felt when he was Luo Binghe, protagonist of this fucked up harem novel he had started reading as a teenager, number one eligible bachelor desired by so many and he was just… Shen Yuan?

But maybe that was a personal problem. It was his job to make sure Luo Binghe grew into his potential, to ensure he was kept safe and well trained before going into the Endless Abyss, after which he would emerge a demon lord. What he decided on then wasn’t Shen Qingqiu’s business now, and he couldn’t think like that.

He should just enjoy what he had while he had it. And what he had right now was a disciple that cared far too much about him for him to be acting this foolish.

Shen Qingqiu squeezed Luo Binghe one last time and pulled away. Eyes down, he said, “Thank you, Binghe. This one apologizes for his unseemly behavior.”

“A-Yuan.” Luo Binghe’s tone was serious again and Shen Qingqiu was startled by the hand gently but firmly guiding his face up until he met those fathomless black eyes. It was the same expression that had startled him the night before, though his mouth softened as a thumb brushed away some rogue tears. “Never apologize for your feelings to me. A-Yuan need only be himself around me and I would take all of him as he is. You spend so much of your time taking care of me; allow me to return the favor.”

Shen Qingqiu felt adrift in that gaze. “I’m Binghe’s Shizun. It’s my job to take care of you.”

Luo Binghe looked at him for a long moment. “Does A-Yuan only care about me because he is supposed to?”

“No! Of course not!”

“I didn’t think so,” Luo Binghe said lowly. His hands came to either side of his face, cradling it like it was something precious, like Shen Yuan was precious.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were wide, and his lips parted unconsciously. Something darkened in Luo Binghe’s face that made his heart stutter before it disappeared, and his expression relaxed to one of familiar, near-innocent fondness. Luo Binghe lowered his head until their foreheads alone touched.

“Let this disciple take care of his Shizun, A-Yuan. Please.”

Shen Qingqiu unthinkingly raised his hands to cover Luo Binghe’s own and said, “Okay.”

A short while later found Shen Qingqiu gathering his thoughts as he finished a warm bath. He was feeling a little better after the hug and Luo Binghe’s vehement, repeated assurances that he was more than happy to support him when he needed it. It helped to wash the day off and he couldn’t help thinking that he had overreacted to the situation. He had expected something similar to happen, even if he never imagined just how bad the situation would be to experience.

Still, there was no need for him to have worried Binghe and the boy’s concern was as clear as his care. Shen Qingqiu found himself smiling slightly at the memory of his disciple’s fussing, warmth suffusing his chest as he dried himself and dressed. He really didn’t deserve his sweet bun and felt he owed him some explanation of what just happened, in addition to telling him what he had told Mu Qingfang.

Shen Qingqiu was still apprehensive about that conversation, but some part of him was reassured by Luo Binghe’s behavior over the past week and that evening in particular. Despite his own concerns with his age, Luo Binghe was acting more collected than Shen Qingqiu could have hoped in the face of everything that had happened. He could probably trust him to act just as mature in this conversation as well and it was his own thin face that kept him from having a frank discussion about… things.

The boy was still far from grown, but he deserved better than Shen Qingqiu going over his head and treating him like a child. If he was mature enough to support Shen Qingqiu like he had, then he was mature enough for this talk.

Or at least… an edited version of it. There was no need or desire for him to get specific about certain activities.

When Shen Qingqiu emerged from the bathing chamber, Luo Binghe was in his bedroom, pouring a cup of what smelled like his preferred blend of calming tea on the vanity. He looked up and asked, “Is A-Yuan feeling any better?”

“Yes, thank you, Binghe.” Shen Qingqiu approached him and pat his head, some other unknown tension in him melting when he leaned into the touch. Sticky, he thought fondly. “For everything.”

“Thank you for allowing me to help you,” he said shyly as he put the teapot down and reached for a comb. “If you would please continue to indulge me, I would help with your hair.”

Shen Qingqiu huffed in amusement and turned towards the bronze mirror to allow Binghe to begin. He picked up the cup, enjoying the warmth seeping through his hands, and asked, “Why does Binghe enjoy doing my hair? I find the task tiresome.”

Luo Binghe paused. “Tiresome? Is A-Yuan not used to taking care of his hair himself?”

“No, I did. It’s just, where I am from, its more common for men to have short hair. Perhaps the longest mine ever got was to my shoulders when I was a small child, but nothing like this. And you didn’t answer my question.”

Luo Binghe remained still for a moment longer and Shen Qingqiu almost turned around to look at him directly, but he eventually resumed the methodical movements of his hand and said, “I was only surprised. I like doing A-Yuan’s hair because it’s a way he relies on this Binghe and no other. He trusts me to see him undone the way he trusts no one else.

“This Binghe was very happy when A-Yuan first asked for his assistance, because Shizun has never asked for aid in preparing for the day and this Binghe took it as a sign that they were close. Now that this Binghe no longer lives here, he looks forward to doing this for A-Yuan as often as he allows.”

Shen Qingqiu frowned at his slip into more formal language and puzzled over it for a moment before dismissing the concern. “I didn’t think of it like that, but you’re right and I would probably only ever ask Binghe to help me with this.”

Luo Binghe drew in a sharp breath and paused before saying, “Hearing that makes this Binghe so happy. This Binghe would only ever want to help A-Yuan.”

Shen Qingqiu frowned in confusion. “Really? Are you sure—”

“Only A-Yuan.”

“Um, okay. Thanks. Anyway, speaking of trust, I feel like I owe you a bit of an explanation about what happened.”

“A-Yuan shouldn’t feel he owes this Binghe anything.”

“Well then, I want to explain, Binghe. It involves you too, in any case, since it goes back to what I told Mu Qingfang yesterday. I don’t want Binghe to be unprepared for the rumors or believe something false. There is… unfortunately a lot that could be twisted in malicious ways.” Shen Qingqiu’s voice faded out as his eyes lowered and his cheeks heated. This was another hard but necessary conversation and he was really getting tired of those.

But, despite what Luo Binghe said, he deserved to know and Shen Qingqiu did in fact owe it to him.

“This one will listen to anything A-Yuan has to say,” Luo Binghe replied, voice even and probably meant to be reassuring. His hands were steady as they worked through sections of his hair, progress steady and grounding.

Right. Well, where to begin?

“The. The reason I was upset today was that many Peak Lords spent a lot of time today gossiping about this master. Specifically, t-the news of my poisoning being cured and the fact that, prior to that, I was. Entirely inexperienced.”

Luo Binghe’s hands tightened on his hair briefly before relaxing and resuming their movements.

Shen Qingqiu was looking at his hands, tea now resting on the vanity once more, unsipped.

Quietly, voice just above a whisper, he continued. “Additionally, Mu-shidi said that he did not know why my cure was effective but told everyone our differing accounts. How Binghe had suggested we are tied by fate, and how I. How I said it was special to me.”

“Special?” Luo Binghe prompted quietly, and Shen Qingqiu flinched.

“B-because it was my first time and that I acknowledged him as my husband. And how.” Shen Qingqiu gripped his robes tightly and barely managed to get out, “How I feel about Luo Binghe.”

Luo Binghe was frozen behind him and anxiety rose in Shen Qingqiu. “Not that I expect anything from Binghe; he has his whole life ahead of him and–“

Before Shen Qingqiu could blink, Luo Binghe had come around to his side, lifted his face up, and kissed him.

!

Shen Qingqiu didn’t even have time to process what was happening before Luo Binghe pulled away, glaring at him. Hand still on his face, he said, “Shen Yuan, this Binghe apologizes for kissing you and likely making you uncomfortable. I need you to understand something: I love you. When I told you I would not approach you as a disciple, that was for your comfort, not my own. If this Binghe had his way, he would never leave your side and we would bow to each other tomorrow. There is no one else for me, only you.

“I know you don’t believe me, that you probably won’t until I am old enough that you see me as an adult. But I know I’m serious. I will do my best to respect your boundaries, but you must know that hearing you doubt my regard for you is probably the fastest way to make me lose control of myself. Even if you never believe me, please don’t say so in front of me.”

Shen Qingqiu blinked up at him, taken aback, lips tingling as if from an aftershock. “Oh.”

[Congratulations! Congratulations! Con–]

Shen Qingqiu force-closed the System interface, small frown coming to his face because what just happened?

Luo Binghe released him and smiled. “A-Yuan is adorable. Pleases me greatly to hear that A-Yuan cares for this one; he was only concerned that those feelings were reserved for his older counterpart alone.”

Shen Qingqiu’s face turned red. “Of course not! I mean, I don’t want to do… adult things with Binghe and I never considered the possibility of us being together before the switch but… everything else…”

Luo Binghe hugged him. “Thank you, A-Yuan. Even if we never get around to dual cultivation, just being beside you and your most important person would make me the luckiest person in the world.”

Staunchly ignoring part of his statement, Shen Qingqiu lifted a hand and pet Luo Binghe’s hair. “This Shen Yuan would be the lucky one.”

Luo Binghe tensed against him then tore himself away, taking up a section of his hair again. “Binghe?’

“Apologies, A-Yuan,” Luo Binghe said, voice lower than Shen Qingqiu expected. “I felt the urge to kiss you again and had to move away.

“There were other things you wanted to tell this Binghe?”

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and gave Luo Binghe an account of the day. He finished some minutes later, with Luo Binghe doing one last pass through his hair with, “But my fear is that, in retelling, the information I gave Mu Qingfang privately will twist. I don’t know exactly what he has written down and how it can be open to interpretation.”

“What did A-Yuan say to Mu-shishu that Mu-shishu did not share?”

Shen Qingqiu hesitated before sighing and thinking to himself, You knew this was coming. “I. Binghe, this one hopes… I don’t mean any harm by telling you this.”

“I know.” A hand squeezed Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder reassuringly. “A-Yuan would never hurt this Binghe willingly. This Binghe wants him to feel comfortable saying anything to him, even if it’s about his experiences with his older counterpart.”

“Oh, well. I don’t know exactly what made Mu Qingfang investigate whether or not I could actually be a virgin, but I can guess. It probably came from me describing how intimate everything felt and that I couldn’t imagine doing such a thing with anyone I trusted less than Binghe.”

When Luo Binghe made no indication that what he had said disturbed him, Shen Qingqiu continued, feeling just a bit more comfortable. “Mu-shidi additionally did not share the fact that I don’t know how to define how I’m… attracted to people, but I think my world may have more categories than here. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever really been interested in doing anything with a woman. Women are more… abstract concepts of beauty to me, I think, than people to be intimate with. And men are… well. Before the switch I didn’t think I could be interested in men.”

“So A-Yuan is only attracted to this Binghe. As an adult, I mean.”

“…I don’t know.” Shen Qingqiu admitted, subdued. He hadn’t put a lot of thought into his sexuality, really, outside of having to come to terms very quickly with his attraction to an adult Luo Binghe. But he was designed to be the most beautiful man in the world; what other choice did he have, really?

“That’s okay, A-Yuan. I was just trying to understand. I think it’s okay not to know.”

Shen Qingqiu took a sip of his lukewarm but still soothing tea. It gave him a moment to brace himself. “I appreciate that, Binghe. I didn’t tell Mu-shidi anything about my… experience beyond the first round, but I don’t know what he could have concluded from my silence.”

“First round?”

Yes, this tea was delicious, the right blend of rosehips, chamomile, and passionflower. “Yes, since it only took one for the cure to go into effect.”

There was a moment of silence that made Shen Qingqiu aware of what he was not saying, but was obvious all the same: they had kept going for the sake of it rather than any medical purpose.

Oh, geez.

“And what was the cure, exactly?” Luo Binghe asked, voice strained. “Yuan-ge had said it required dual cultivation with a heavenly demon, but did not provide further details.”

…Shen Qingqiu was too sober for this conversation. But, he had told Mu Qingfang and of all the things that would be the most embarrassing to become common knowledge, it was this. Not that Shen Qingqiu felt that his actions were shameful just… did everyone need to know?!

“Um. The cure specifically requires a heavenly demon to… finish inside his partner.”

Shen Qingqiu’s face was on fire.

There was another charged moment of silence before Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat again. “Anyway! Mu Qingfang asked a lot of questions about mechanics I refused to answer. The only other information he has of significance that he did not share publicly today is that I enjoyed it.

“Now, the important things I kept him away from,” Shen Qingqiu straightened, feeling a far cry more comfortable with this topic, so much so he would physically fling himself towards it if he could. “I kept out any mention of Binghe being part demon, of course, despite the fact that he was either in partial or full demon form for… most of it.”

“What?”

Shen Qingqiu looked up and caught Luo Binghe’s eyes in the mirror. The bronze was nowhere near as reflective as the silver mirrors he was used to, but it seemed liked the boy was truly shocked. “As an adult, Binghe expends some energy to seem either fully human or fully demon at any given time. How could I claim to care for him and not take him as he is?”

Luo Binghe made a wounded noise and, before Shen Qingqiu could voice his concern he found himself in a tight hug from behind, his disciple’s face against his neck in a way that felt a little too close. He said, voice watery, “Thank you, A-Yuan. Thank you.”

Shen Qingqiu pat his head, confused. “I didn’t do anything, Binghe.”

“You care; that’s enough. That’s everything.”

On a scale of “small splinter” to “literal end of the world,” Luo Binghe would categorize the crisis he was having as a relatively mild “Liu Qingge is standing too close to his Shizun like a pet waiting to be praised.”

That was Luo Binghe’s position, thank you very much.

But in all seriousness, he was dealing with a lot of feelings he didn’t know what to do with and he didn’t know who to talk to about it.

It was late by the time he hugged Shen Yuan goodnight and left to let his future husband Shizun sleep. Most were asleep, so Ning Yingying wasn’t an option.

Meng Mo got really snarky whenever Luo Binghe talked too long about his A-Yuan. Since he wasn’t already sticking his nose in the situation, Luo Binghe would rather not bother with him.

And Shen Yuan? Shen Yuan was the cause of his crisis, this tumult of feelings. For all he wanted them to be the closest two people could be in the world, he couldn’t share this with him.

Oh, Shen Yuan.

At a loss, with no one to rely on but himself, Luo Binghe headed back to his shared dorm room to meditate, hoping the exercises would help him clear his mind enough to actually think.

Because he hadn’t thought about the impact Shen Yuan’s upbringing may have had on him beyond not seeing Luo Binghe as an adult.

Because he had so very much to lose and he refused to screw this up. He felt unprepared, like he needed to plan things out more, though he never could have imagined this.

Because Shen Yuan already admitted to loving him, even if it wasn’t the way Luo Binghe loved him yet.

He hadn’t intended on being so blunt with his feelings so soon but seeing his Shen Yuan upset drove him to the edge of his control. He felt powerless to help him yet like the strongest person in the world for being there for Shen Yuan. Now, now, he was nearly jogging in his haste to find a quiet place to calm down and not attempt murder on one of the many who dared make his A-Yuan cry. Either that or turn back around to the bamboo house and convince Shen Yuan that he wanted him more than his next breath. His beautiful, kind, brilliant A-Yuan, who could somehow not see Luo Binghe’s devotion after everything.

He had kissed him.

He shouldn’t have, but even that forbidden touch, that soft connection of lips, hadn’t been enough. And, fuck, but if Luo Binghe heard Shen Yuan doubt one more time in front of him how much he cared for him, he didn’t know if he would be able to stop himself from pushing him against a wall and kissing him and–

Luo Binghe needed to–

 …requires a heavenly demon to finish inside his partner.

He needed–

…I enjoyed it.

He–

How could I claim to care for him and not take him as he is?

Gods, but Luo Binghe wanted nothing more than to–

“Oi, beast!” Luo Binghe stopped just outside the entrance to the dormitory and shot a dark look at head disciple and currently the only one bold enough to insult him so openly after Shen Qingqiu began treating him well. Ming Fan stepped from around the corner of the building as if he was doing patrols and said, “What are you doing coming back so late? It’s after curfew.”

“Answering shixiong, Shizun only recently returned from the Peak Lord meeting and this disciple wanted to ensure he didn’t need anything. This…” Luo Binghe paused just as he was about to gloat (tastefully) about the fact Shen Qingqiu chose to rely on him rather than his head disciple when a thought occurred.

If he had learned anything over the past week, it was perspective. He knew now what it looked like when someone was jealous of his connection with Shen Qingqiu. While he doubted Ming Fan felt the desire to taste their Shizun’s moans that had seeped into Luo Binghe’s bones, he could tell the boy wished Shen Qingqiu relied on him more.

While he would rather die than betray his A-Yuan’s trust, maybe some things could be shared. A common enemy or ten, for example.  

Luo Binghe cleared his throat and quickly continued. “Shizun was… frustrated after dealing with the other Peak Lords all day. This one made him a calming tea but Shizun… this one shouldn’t say.”

Ming Fan puffed up his chest. “I am his head disciple. While you wormed your way into his favor somehow, it’s still my duty to see to Qing Jing. If something happened with the other Peak Lords that would impact our behavior towards their Peaks, I should know!”

“Shizun would know best but…” Luo Binghe scowled. “Many disrespected Shizun, despite the work he does for the good of the Sect. This lowly one does not know the details, but nearly every Peak Lord with the exceptions of Peak Lords Liu, Shang, and Mu… And Peak Lord Wei was especially vicious…”

Ming Fan gasped. “They would dare talk down to Qing Jing Peak!? We are ranked second for a reason! And our Shizun has done nothing to warrant their disrespect! How could we tolerate it!?”

“Shizun did not want to make a fuss and have it interfere with his work…”

“Well, Shizun is wise and above such petty squabbles, but this disciple is not. Yingying will… Those Peak Lords will regret their choices!”

“Begging shixiong’s pardon, this one must wake early to prepare Shizun’s breakfast and is leaving first.”

Ming Fan waved dismissively at him, thoroughly preoccupied with the thought of paying back the insult to their Shizun. Luo Binghe hid his smirk and silently made his way up to his dorm room.

With the other Peak Lords handled, Luo Binghe could dedicate himself to what really mattered.

Shen Yuan.

He was about to have a few very busy days, indeed.

Chapter Text

It didn’t quite hit Shen Qingqiu until the next day that Luo Binghe had kissed him.

His disciple had kissed him.

He had more than enough things to be concerned with, but, after having happily consumed Binghe’s morning congee, it was all he could think about.

How inappropriate!

Did he like it?

Did that matter?

No, at least it shouldn’t! Luo Binghe was his student, full stop. Kissing was very much not okay!! He caught him by surprise and took his first kiss from–

Oh, God. Unless he was wildly misinterpreting his and Ning Yingying’s relationship in this timeline, that was Binghe’s first kiss.

He had to just sit with that thought for a bit.

Okay, this was definitely somehow his fault.

Shen Qingqiu had known he was relying on Luo Binghe too much, that he was too weak to resist the siren call of comfort he had gotten during the brief hours he had a spouse to claim. Now that he had a taste of what it felt like to be held in simple affection, he craved it, specifically from the person he cared for above all others.

But that person was someone he had absolutely no business wanting anything from.

On some level, Shen Qingqiu acknowledged what Luo Binghe had told him the night before. The boy… the young man thought he loved him in a way that probably felt real and intense to him. It had driven him to take the mad step of kissing him to get him to stop talking when Shen Qingqiu tried to ensure that his own inappropriate feelings put no pressure of reciprocation on him.

A not insignificant part of him wanted to accept his words at face value, to believe that Luo Binghe would always choose him if given the option.

The problem was that Luo Binghe didn’t even know his other options. And once he did… if Shen Qingqiu let himself believe that Luo Binghe truly loved him and he changed his mind after he had the chance to experience life away from him, how could he bear it?

What about Shen Yuan was even worth coming back for?

That thought left Shen Qingqiu cold. He did his best to shake himself out of it and get on with the rest of his fairly packed day, but his heart wasn’t in it. More than one disciple had tentatively approached him and inquired after his health, which left him feeling even worse for causing them concern.

But his thoughts just wouldn’t give him peace.

It was his fault for taking advantage of Binghe’s willingness to indulge him. Should he stop allowing himself to get close to him at all, completely cut off all physical contact?

Even the possibility left him feeling almost despondent and, for right or wrong, he discarded it as something he couldn’t deny himself, never mind the effect the decision would have on Binghe.

So much for a strictly student-teacher relationship, huh.

It was a relief to leave the Peak after midday, his mood not enough to ruin his appetite and waste Luo Binghe’s hard work in the kitchen (even though the accompanying note about wishing him good health made him feel like scum).

He was en-route to Jing Xue Peak which specialized in arrays and talismans when he got a message from Shang Qinghua. He looked around the clear, open sky, and thought it was safe enough to open it.

SQH: hey bro you okay?

SQQ: ?? yeah why?

SQH: heard you weren’t feeling well?

Shen Qingqiu gaped at the screen only he could see.

SQQ: What?! How?!

SQH: well I’m a spy, right? I generally know what happens in the sect but my disciples started observing you closer after LBH came to get me like a week ago and we’ve been hanging out

SQQ: your disciples are spying on the sect for you?

SQH: not *spying* spying. Just like keeping me informed on things for logistic purposes

SQQ: they’re spying

SQH: …

SQH: Anyway! What’s going on? I’m here if you want to talk!

Shen Qingqiu sighed and gave it real thought. While he didn’t quite feel comfortable divulging everything to Shang Qinghua despite their declared friendship, who else did he have to talk to about this besides Binghe? And what would happen if he kept relying on Binghe alone?

(What would happen when Binghe left?)

SQQ: okay. Thanks, I guess

SQQ: …It’s about Binghe. He kissed me last night.

SQH: !! Congratulations…?

SQQ: No! No congratulations!!

SQQ: He’s my student! My 16-year-old student!!! The only people he should be kissing are people his own age who are not his teacher!

SQH: Yeah, but would either of you be happy if he did that?

The sentence was like a punch to the gut. He was nearly at Jing Xue but he descended to nearby cliff to perch on solid ground, the open air around him suddenly feeling none too safe and dangerously thin.

Because no, he would not be happy if Luo Binghe started kissing other people at all. But it also wasn’t his place to stop him.

SQQ: …no

SQH: Okay then just let him know that wasn’t okay because of the age difference/teacher thing and you’re good, right?

SQH: When did he even have the chance to kiss you? I mean this is the best possible way, but you’re not the most approachable person.

SQQ: …we spend evenings together. He cooks our dinner and seems happy to spend time with me until I go to sleep. He was brushing my hair for the night as I explained what I said to MQF. I thought he didn’t react well when I mentioned I had feelings for him but he kissed me as I was telling him that I didn’t expect anything from him.

SQH: …

SQQ: what?

SQH: there is so much to unpack there I don’t even know where to begin

SQH: how much time to do you have?

SQQ: not much, I’m heading to Jing Xue to start research before our meeting with MBJ tomorrow

SQQ: we still good for that?

SQH: yes, my king will be there, don’t distract me though

SQH: let me get this straight. You, the person who singlehandedly ended his hell of living with SJ as his master and continues to welcome him into your inner sanctum, told my protagonist with major abandonment issues that you’re in love with him but don’t expect him to feel the same?

SQQ: …more or less?

SQH: bro

SQH: bro you’re lucky the only thing he did was kiss you

SQQ: No! No talk of Binghe doing… anything else! Binghe is baby, the cutest bun!

SQH: …if I’m recalling correctly you were fine with him doing a lot more than kissing at 17

SQQ: I was 16 at the time! Of course I was more okay with it!

SQH: Wait wait whoa back the fuck up

SQH: 16! What were you doing reading my web novel at 16?!

SQH: Wait, how old are you now??

SQQ: Age checks on websites are a joke, Airplane. And I was there for the monsters and Binghe, not that mess that came later.

SQQ: I died at 19, so I’m about 21 now. Hard to say with the shifting dates between death and rebirth.

SQH: Jesus I’m talking to a baby

SQQ: Hey! I’m an adult!!

SQH: A Child.

SQQ: NO

SQH: oh God I’m having a crisis. Do you know how many times I almost told you “Luo Binghe won’t fuck you” in response to your more pointless criticism? I almost said that to a teenager?

SQH: oh the irony when you consider that statement NOW

SQH: the internet is such a mindfuck, God.

SQQ: all my criticism had basis

SQH: yeah yeah but you were also a troll who was cruel because it was fun sometimes

Guilt gathered in the pit of his stomach, confronted with the person who was no longer just a name on the other side of the screen but was actually kind of his friend.

SQQ: …you’re right and I’m sorry. I knew you worked hard to get that content out. I shouldn’t have been that mean to you just because I didn’t like it. You didn’t owe me that.

SQH: no no! I mean I appreciate the apology but really no need for it now. I could tell that it was based on frustration from how much you cared about the characters and world and it hurt more because I could actually see your points a lot of the time. But I had bills to pay and needed food, so I put that ahead of actual quality, which I won’t apologize for.

SQH: Besides, there were times when I could tell it wasn’t really about me, but more about you and whatever you were going through. With how dedicated you were to it, I kinda got the sense you didn’t have a lot else going on?

SQQ: …yeah. I had always been sick and I probably directed what I was feeling about that at you sometimes

SQH: and you were a teenager. Wow that puts so much into perspective.

SQQ: Can we come back to the present, here? You were going to unpack my situation or something?

SQH: oh yeah

SQH: yeah that boy is gone on you don’t know how else to say it

SQH: look, to write him, I had to fundamentally understand him

SQH: between what I saw of you and adult LBH and what you told me?

SQH: LBH? Would probably worship the ground you walked on as long as you kept treating him well. And he holds grudges like no one else except for maybe SJ

SQH: well maybe not, since you stopped that before it went too far

SQH: Anyway, unless you actively push him away, he’s going to adore you for life. He won’t even look at anyone else because you’re giving him all the love he craved since his mother died.

SQH: He never needed 3000 beauties, or an empire or any of that really. He just needed love and when he couldn’t find it he tried to manipulate and force it into being. LBH here doesn’t have that issue.

Oh.

Oh.

So… maybe he had a chance?

SQH: and with him being 16… yeah I stand by my statement you’re lucky that all he did was kiss you

SQH: sorry, but why did him kissing you make you feel bad enough for it to show? I got a report that your Peak was near frantic with concern.

SQQ: it wasn’t the kiss so much as what it meant

SQQ: I was

SQQ: I was honestly nervous about letting myself rely on Binghe being there for me in the future, thinking he would meet one of his wives and move on

SQH: WHAT

SQQ: so thanks this was actually helpful

SQH: No wait for real you thought he would what go into the Abyss and what? Forget about you?

SQQ: …

SQH: that’s real fucking dumb

SQQ: gee thanks

SQH: not in a mean way but, like, you tore me apart for writing LBH a tragedy because you cared about his happiness that much but you can’t see that you’ve set yourself up to create his happiness here

SQH: you literally cultivated the power to make him happy and can’t see it

SQQ: I’m leaving now

SQQ: tell your disciples to stop spying on my Peak

SQH: oh so you don’t want to know what other juicy intel I picked up?

SQQ: …yes but not about my disciples unless they’re in danger or something. They deserve their privacy.

SQQ: and your spies need to be trained better if they didn’t inform you I spend my evenings with Binghe

SQH: hey! Leave my minions out of this! They’re doing the best they can!

SQQ: minions?

SQQ: like those creepy yellow things from America?

SQH: *sigh* no no cucumber bro like Q’s minions in MI-6!

SQQ: what

SQH: you know, like 007? The spy movies?

SQQ: …

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t deal with this particular brand of weirdness today, but he had to ask.

SQQ: you think of yourself like James Bond, Airplane? Really?

SQH: no no, the quartermaster! Nerdy twink in the most recent ones, shipped with 007?

SQQ: none of the words you’re saying make sense to me and I prefer it that way

SQQ: I’m going to go work now

SQH: okay okay good talk, see you tomorrow with LBH

SQQ: …thanks again

SQH: anytime bro!

Shen Qingqiu continued on his way to Jing Xue Peak feeling a lot lighter than he had earlier in the day. Maybe things wouldn’t have to fall apart when Binghe went into the Abyss?

Luo Binghe was not having a great day.

On one hand, things were going well. Ming Fan had already told Ning Yingying about A-Yuan being bullied and she’d tracked him down to get the fuller story. With Ning Yingying sufficiently mobilized, it didn’t take long for the entire Peak to start feeling animosity towards most of the rest of the Sect. The feelings were only heightened by their Shizun’s reported low mood: he wasn’t angry, he just seemed sad was the rumor, which only made the ire of Qing Jing worse.

Ning Yingying was doing something about contacting disciples at other Peaks (NOT Bai Zhan, though, she had standards), but Luo Binghe wasn’t following that development closely.

Because, on the other hand, his A-Yuan was sad and he couldn’t help him.

He had tried to rush through his chores and work to carve out even a few minutes of the day to see his A-Yuan in person before dinner, but to no avail. By the time Luo Binghe was free, Shen Yuan had already left for his planned research session on Jing Xue Peak, working on figuring out how to free his birth father from his horrible prison. Even when feeling down, his A-Yuan managed to do things for him, even when he really should have taken time for himself since he wasn’t feeling well!

Truly, Luo Binghe didn’t deserve him.

With more time on his hands, Luo Binghe did his best to ensure that their dinner was full of A-Yuan’s favorite comfort foods and rounded off by some of the desserts that he often just didn’t have time to craft.

Armed with this offering, Luo Binghe headed over to the bamboo house at his usual time, anxious to see his love and wishing he could have done more to support him during the day. Shen Yuan wasn’t there, but there was a note on the table for him that said he was running behind but would be there soon.

Luo Binghe set the food on the table with talismans to keep hot things hot and cold things cool and, for lack of anything else to do, he started tidying up. Shen Yuan wasn’t a messy person, but he often didn’t mind the day-to-day accumulation of working. He did his task and left it once he was done, worrying about coming back to the mess later. Since Luo Binghe had lived there, he had taken to ensuring that later never came for his Shizun, making sure everything was neat and ready for him to use as much as he could. It was harder now that he wasn’t living in the bamboo house and could only really check in at mealtimes, but it was something small he could do for him, so Luo Binghe did it.

It was just as he was straightening the last of Shen Yuan’s bushes but before he got to dusting that he heard the door open to the house. “Binghe? Is that you?”

He quickly made his way to the main room, tension in his chest easing at the tired but satisfied expression on Shen Yuan’s face. He smiled at him when he came into view and Luo Binghe’s chest filled with warmth. “Shizun, welcome home.”

Shen Yuan’s smile widened and Luo Binghe loved him so, so much.

“Thank you, Binghe. How was your day?”

The door closed behind him and Luo Binghe felt the subtle shift in the air that signaled that Shen Yuan had put up the privacy barrier around the house. He stepped closer to him and said, “It was fine, A-Yuan, but I was concerned when I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you all right? Do you need anything? Can I do anything to help?”

Shen Yuan sighed and reached out to pat his head, hand gentle and lingering. “I’m okay, Binghe. Thank you, I just had a long day.”

“Would you tell me about it?”

Shen Yuan hesitated and his eyes shifted away from him, causing an alarm bell to ring in Luo Binghe’s head. “I would be fine telling you some of it, but I would rather not dwell on things I can’t change for now.”

Luo Binghe outwardly accepted this and ushered his A-Yuan towards the table, but his mind was whirring. His spirits were lifted by Shen Yuan’s appreciation for the food he had prepared, but, as he spoke about the awkwardness of going to Jing Xue and working after the Peak Lord meeting the day before, he couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

It was only after Shen Yuan seemed truly relaxed, about halfway through the osmanthus jelly that Luo Binghe had specially crafted for him, that he tried to get more clarity. “I’m sorry that your visit was difficult, but that occurred in the afternoon. Does A-Yuan not wish to share what ailed him this morning?”

Shen Yuan froze and Luo Binghe couldn’t help continuing after a moment. “Did… did this Binghe do something to upset you?”

Shen Yuan seemed to stop breathing for a moment and a rock fell in Luo Binghe’s stomach. Oh.

Panic began clawing at his throat. He was trying so hard! What had he done wrong to upset Shen Yuan so much that he couldn’t hide it? He was lucky that he was allowed to still cook for him, let alone sit and talk with him as they had been. How many chances would he have before he screwed up once too many and he lost the chance to be by his side? Would Shen Yuan give someone else a chance to take care of him better than Luo Binghe could?

His eyes burned at the thought and he scrambled to reposition himself and kowtow to the man he would give everything for. “This lowly one ap—”

“Binghe, Binghe, stop.” Gentle but firm hands settled on his shoulders and pulled him upright. Luo Binghe dared to look at him and was equal parts surprised and relieved to see concern there. “Binghe need not apologize so fiercely. In truth, I don’t know what to say about how I felt this morning without sounding silly, especially since I’ve had a chance to gain some perspective on it. Yes, it was in relation to something you did but no, it wasn’t your fault. At least the reason I was upset was nothing you could have helped.”

“…Oh.”

“…Why was Binghe so upset just now?” Shen Yuan asked, worry furrowing his brow as he gently wiped away the tears that had escaped his eyes.

Luo Binghe looked down again, embarrassed by his own lack of control now. “This one was also being silly and would rather not say.”

Shen Yuan sighed and stopped touching him. Luo Binghe’s eyes shot to him in alarm only to find Shen Yuan looking at him with a complicated expression. “If. If I shared what I was upset over this morning, would Binghe perhaps be more comfortable saying? That way we could both be silly together.”

Luo Binghe nodded and couldn’t help saying, “I doubt A-Yuan was as ridiculous as he says.”

Nervous laughter escaped him and Shen Yuan played a little with his remaining dessert. “Well, I was. Considering how Binghe kissed me last night and feeling bad for relying on him so much. Not because Binghe hasn’t proven himself reliable, but because I was afraid of relying too much on someone who’s going to leave.”

Luo Binghe stared at him. “A-Yuan, leaving you is not my choice. And I am coming back, after the Abyss. I would always come back for you.”

Shen Yuan’s cheeks were filling with red. “…I didn’t know that.”

Luo Binghe could do nothing but stare. Nothing safe, anyway. Climbing on top of the other man and kissing him was decidedly not safe.

After a long moment of silence in which Shen Yuan’s face grew increasingly flushed, he said hurriedly, “Well, Shang Qinghua contacted me and got me to talk to him a bit and told me I was being incredibly stupid, so I’m trying to stop doing that. What did Binghe feel silly over?”

Luo Binghe blinked and decided that them not touching was no longer tolerable. He reached out to take one of Shen Yuan’s hands and reverently pressed a kiss to the back of his knuckles. Shen Yuan drew in a sharp breath but didn’t shake him off, so Luo Binghe kept holding his hand as he looked up into his shocked face and said, “A-Yuan was indeed sillier that I ever thought him capable.”

He felt a little better after hearing A-Yuan’s (ridiculous, mildly infuriating) insecurities and managed to continue with, “I fear many things, A-Yuan, not the least of which being banished from your side. I know you have… other options in choice of a spouse–“

“Huh?”

“–and that you are interested in me at all has to be the result of lifetimes of good karma. I would hate to see you upset, let alone be the cause of it. Having your regard feels like the greatest gift in the world that I did nothing to earn, and one I fear losing.”

“…You thought I would stop caring for you if you upset me?”

“…I’m not sure I was doing so much thinking as feeling at the moment because it sounds unlikely now that you’ve said it.“

“More than unlikely, Binghe,” Shen Yuan said gently with a squeeze of his hand. Then, surprisingly, he laughed. “Oh, we’re both so, so stupid. We’re sitting here, worried about the exact same thing!”

Luo Binghe drunk in his mirth with relief. “We are?”

“Yes! You know, I only have some idea who you might say are my ‘other options’ for a spouse, but I can name at least a couple hundred women who were part of your harem in another timeline?”

…What the fuck? Oh, Luo Binghe didn’t like that at all. “And you know about them, because you read about them and that Luo Binghe…”

Shen Yuan hid his face while saying, “I skipped as much as I could, honestly! But, um. Yes. Anyway! The point is that you being interested in other people is very, very real to me, Binghe.”

Yep, Luo Binghe was not a fan.

“Not me, A-Yuan. He wasn’t me and I doubt the me I switched places with was him, either.”

Shen Yuan smiled a little. “Yes, I know you’re very different, but that doesn’t change the fact that, for years, the Luo Binghe I knew spent most of his time gaining power and collecting women like in-game achievements.” At Luo Binghe’s confused look, Shen Yuan grew flustered and said, “Sorry, something from my world. Erm, collecting women like they were objects rather than people. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around Binghe being satisfied with just one person, let alone that person being me.”

Luo Binghe scowled at that. “From what A-Yuan and Yuan-ge has told me about that version of Luo Binghe, he wasn’t satisfied, either. But he also never had the approval let alone care of his Shizun.”

“No, he did not. I don’t think Shen Jiu was capable of it, really. That man should not have been put in charge of teaching let alone the care of children.” Shen Yuan shook himself and said, “My point is the first version of Binghe I was exposed to was far from perfect and I still cared deeply for him even in the abstract. While you are different, Binghe is Binghe. I have seen you at your worst–a worst that hopefully you never get pushed to in this timeline–and I still choose you.”

Luo Binghe is absolutely reeling from this, but Shen Yuan took his stunned silence as something else, and he sounded more subdued as he said, “But you don’t know me the same way; you can’t have. Was it really so ridiculous of me to have my insecurities?”

“…A-Yuan, I started loving you more than a week ago.”

“…Thank you?”

Luo Binghe sighed at the adorably awkward response. “I started loving you when I thought that you were Shen Jiu. I had seen past the pain I thought you had caused me because of your actions later and had forgiven you enough to love you. You were enough for me to love you at something worst than your worst. How can you still doubt me?”

Shen Yuan’s eyes were incredibly wide. “…Oh.”

Emboldened, Luo Binghe came closer and lightly touched Shen Yuan’s face. “That said, I would be honored to know you. I want to know about your world and how you grew up. I want you to feel okay being utterly yourself, even when it doesn’t fit the elegance you project in public. Even though you can’t see me as an adult yet, I do want you to see me as safe to be around. Seeing you as Shen Yuan for the past week has only left me wanting to know more and I am so, so grateful for the privilege. Won’t you let me know you, A-Yuan?”

They were close, so close and Luo Binghe loved it, lived for it. Shen Yuan’s eyes were dark now and Luo Binghe worked to memorize the exact shade of them in this moment. Mine, he thought. Say you’re mine.

Shen Yuan’s hand came up to touch his and he leaned into Luo Binghe, their foreheads touching and breaths mingling. “Binghe should not kiss this Shen Yuan.”

Unfortunate but expected. “I won’t.”

“…Yes.”

“Yes to what?”

“Binghe will know me as much as he wants.”

“All of you, then.”

Shen Yuan laughed lightly, breathlessly. “Greedy.”

“…Maybe. Is A-Yuan going to punish this Binghe for it?”

Shen Yuan closed his eyes and pulled Luo Binghe into a hug. “I could never punish Binghe for being himself.”

Turned out that Luo Binghe’s day was pretty damn great after all.

Chapter Text

After the roller coaster of the past few days, Shen Qingqiu desperately needed this meeting with Mobei-Jun to go smoothly.

Things weren’t bad, per se. He and Binghe had cleared the air last night on their own insecurities with their relationship and Shen Qingqiu actually felt pretty good about that. The morning had his disciples all obviously on their best behavior out of concern for him and noticing that made him feel cared for rather than guilty. He had procured a small bag of melon seeds for Shang Qinghua as a thank you for getting him out of his own way the day before, not that he had any particular need to revisit that conversation now that the issue was resolved.

Shen Qingqiu even went so far as to take the initiative to reach out to Liu Qingge about his offer to help him. Not that he planned on telling him about any of his meetings with demons, but he did need someone at the Peak Lord level to sharpen his skills against now that he suddenly had access to a bunch of spiritual energy again. It wasn’t like he had the time to seclude himself for another 3 months to meditate with everything going on and giving the man something tangible to do would buy him some time before Liu Qingge started snooping on the other things he was doing. He would take his help when he could, but pretty much up all his time would be dedicated to getting Tianlang-Jun out of prison and other wildly treasonous activities with demons it wouldn’t do to bring the other man into. Shen Qingqiu feared he had already told the other Peak Lord too much by even mentioning the fact he was working with demons. Liu Qingge had no reason to suspect what exactly he was up to, but that didn’t mean he had to help him figure it out, either.

So things were going pretty well. He just… really couldn’t take something going wrong. When he had tried to figure out what exactly Shang Qinghua hoped to gain from this meeting, he had shrugged and mostly requested backup for bringing Mobei-Jun up to speed on why they were suddenly friends. When Shen Qingqiu pointed out the possible dangers of them all meeting in person, Shang Qinghua had just waved them away. Apparently Mobei-Jun wouldn’t care to blackmail Shen Qingqiu for having secret ties to demons or bother with outing Binghe as a demon once he made it clear he preferred to be in the Sect for now and why.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t the most convinced, but Shang Qinghua had done him enough favors that he had earned a little trust when it came to his interpretation of his favorite character and maybe future husband.

Shen Qingqiu liked to think he learned from his mistakes, so he took the time to talk to Luo Binghe some in preparation. They had agreed that Shen Qingqiu would go in first to explain things as diplomatically as possible and ensure that Mobei-Jun wouldn’t do something drastic like try to break Binghe’s demonic seal right after meeting him. Then Luo Binghe would come in to corroborate the story, his very presence giving credence to one of the harder to believe aspects of the story: the existence of a hereto-unknown Heavenly Demon.

Yes, Shang Qinghua had argued that Mobei-Jun would find Luo Binghe’s existence more incredible than actual time travel. Go figure.

So prepared, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe flew to An Ding Peak on their swords after lunch. When they were two minutes out, Shen Qingqiu messaged Shang Qinghua.

SQQ: Almost there. You ready for me to come in?

SQH: um yeah sure

SQQ: …you okay?

SQH: yeah, haha

SQH: just kinda forgot how intense he gets sometimes

SQH: he’s been staring at me for a while and I’m trying really hard not to vibrate out of my skin

SQH: oh Jesus he just asked me what I was looking at and started scowling when I said I was talking to you

SQQ: …is he the jealous type?

SQH: I have no idea!

SQQ: Airplane, you wrote him.

SQH: He didn’t have a love interest!!

SQH: hell, I’m not convinced he has one now!

SQQ: …feels like that’s something you would know?

SQH: oh, like you’re one to talk

SQH: please get here fast so he has something else to pay attention to

Shen Qingqiu landed in front of Shang Qinghua’s home, Luo Binghe coming to a stop not far from him. He sighed and said, “Binghe, it appears your Shang-shishu needs my assistance sooner rather than later. Are you still okay with what we discussed?”

Luo Binghe bowed to him, hair mussed from travel in a way that was both adorable and made Shen Qingqiu itch to fix it. “Yes, Shizun.”

“Very well,” Wary of possible eyes on them, Shen Qingqiu only allowed himself a perfunctory pat on the head before casting the communication spell between them. Silently, he said, “I’ll call you in when we’re ready for you.”

They had practiced using the spell once, so Luo Binghe thankfully did not yell as he mentally responded, “Yes, A-Yuan.”

It was a shock to hear his name like that when they were in public, but Shen Qingqiu had plenty of practice at not reacting to things externally. He opened his fan, nodded to his disciple, and moved forward to knock on the door.

He barely got one knock in before it flew open and Shang Qinghua physical pulled him in by the front of his robes. Shen Qingqiu stumbled forward, none too pleased. “Shang Qinghua,” he stared off, warning in his tone.

“Shen Qingqiu!” Shang Qinghua exclaimed, pulling him in with a nervous edge of desperation and shutting the door none too gently behind him. “Come in, come in.”

“A-Yuan!” Luo Binghe said in his head, sounded worried.

“I’m okay, Binghe.” He soothed mentally while pulling himself out of the other man’s grip. Aloud, he said, “You seem nervous, Shang-shidi.”

“Who, me?” Shang Qinghua chirped, nearly wringing his hands. “No, of course not, why would you say that?”

Shen Qingqiu stared at him.

SQQ: take like 3 deep breaths bro you’re going to pass out.

He saw Shang Qinghua’s gaze go unfocused for a second then he did actually take a few slow breaths, the easing tension causing his shoulders to drop from where they started creeping up to his ears.

“Thanks, bro.”

“Don’t mention it. Here, this is for you." Shen Qingqiu held out the bag of melon seeds and watched Shang Qinghua take them like they were all that was keeping him together.

"Sainted person. How did you know?"

"How do you think? Come on. I’d rather not leave Mobei-Jun waiting longer than necessary.”

“Right.” Shang Qinghua put the bag away for later and took one more big breath then led him to one of the two closed doors off from his living area. He opened the one on the left wall to reveal his office and the once sealed-off qi of a very powerful, probably pissed off ice demon.

The man was exactly how Shang Qinghua had described in his novel: tall, pale, and brooding. He was certainly handsome, understandably so as Shang Qinghua had made him his literal ideal man. What was less attractive about him was how he looked over Shen Qingqiu then glanced away dismissively, only to resume staring at Shang Qinghua as if he was making a point.

Okay then.

Adult Luo Binghe had brought him up to speed on the basics of the Mobei-Jun/Shang Qinghua disastrous courtship and he could definitely see what he meant by, “Things would have gone a lot smoother if Mobei remembered that his stares are not as eloquent as he thinks they are.”

Indeed.

Shen Qingqiu, being marginally familiar with the silent obsession of a high-level demon’s courtship after hearing about everything that happened in his husband’s timeline, didn’t take offense to it. Instead, he simply bowed to him, showing him the respect that such a lord called for. “Greetings, great Mobei-Jun. This Shen Qingqiu is honored to meet such an esteemed lord and an important person to his friend, Shang Qinghua.”

That got his attention.

SQH: bro, bro what are you doing?

SQQ: the only way he listens to a word I’m about to say is to show up front that I’m important to you but not a threat to his position in your life, idiot

SQQ: also yes, can confirm he thinks you’re his love interest

SQH: ??? how do you know?? You’ve been here two seconds

SQQ: both Binghes filled me in

The man spoke, voice low and making some mammalian instinct in him quiver, “This Mobei-Jun would find Peak Lord Shen’s greetings more amenable if he would refrain from speaking privately with this one’s subordinate for the duration of this conversation.”

SQH: oh shit!

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched but he nodded in acknowledgement. “Very well. This one with refrain from sending him messages while we are both in this room.”

Mobei-Jun inclined his head. “Acceptable.”

Shen Qingqiu got the distinct sense that this man was not one for empty pleasantries, so he decided to cut to the chase and dropped most language formalities. “This one knows Shang Qinghua has appraised Mobei-Jun of why we wanted to have this meeting. To be blunt, I needed his expertise with demons to help free one from a cultivator-made prison and he didn’t want you to doubt his loyalty and devotion to you. While… fairly abrupt, I consider him a friend and would not like to jeopardize his relationship with you. I don’t particularly care to interfere with your plans and hope we can agree to at the very least a stance of non-interference with each other.”

“…Peak Lord Shen is rather different than how this Mobei-Jun expected.” Shen Qingqiu minutely raised his eyebrows. “Is it not the mission of human cultivators to… exterminate demonic influences in their world?”

Shen Qingqiu allowed his lips to curl into something not particularly friendly. “I don’t share that failing. I view demons as different than humans, but people deserving of respect all the same. I am intimately aware that demons have the capacity to feel just as much as humans, if not more so.”

Mobei-Jun’s eyes glowed for a moment as he held Shen Qingqiu’s gaze and mild surprise broke the frosty indifference. “Intimate indeed.” Shen Qingqiu felt himself blanch but worked to keep his face neutral at the rather horrifying implication that Mobei-Jun could somehow– “Is your lover the one you wish to free?”

The words were said blandly but Shen Qingqiu wanted to start screaming. Binghe! He thought at his very much out of reach husband. You didn’t say anything about demons being able to tell about our relationship?!

“A-Yuan? Did you say something?”

“No, Binghe. I’m fine.” Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and said to the demon lord, “No. My… husband is not in need of a jailbreak.”

“A Peak Lord married to a demon. This Mobei-Jun would think he would have been informed of such an occurrence before now.” A big hand reached out and gripped Shang Qinghua’s shoulder, solid but not crushing as far as Shen Qingqiu could see.

Nonetheless, Shang Qinghua jumped into the conversation like that was his cue. “I would have told you as soon as it came to pass, my king. Only, it hasn’t yet. Not in this timeline at least.”

“Explain.”

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat again and offered, “Nine days ago, a man claiming to be my husband from the future appeared and proceeded to raise a great deal of chaos within the Sect. Part of that chaos was properly introducing me to Shang Qinghua as someone with special knowledge and a future friend. He just so happened to be a half demon.”

Mobei-Jun stared at him. “And Peak Lord Shen believed this man.”

“Yes. He had switched places with himself, coming eleven years into the past. In the future, he often worked with you and that was how he knew Shang Qinghua would be a person to trust with my project. The switch only lasted one day and my husband was once again… my disciple. I had known he was a demon but had sought to protect him. His identity remains a secret from everyone else in the Sect until I can ensure that his birth family can shelter and protect him better than I can.”

Shen Qingqiu raised his chin and said with as much easy confidence as he could muster. “My disciple and I know that nothing can happen between us while he is not yet an adult or while I am his teacher. But in the other timeline, we were separated at the Immortal Alliance Conference due to your plans. We were planning to use it as an opportunity for him to seek is birth family in a way that would not be suspicious in this timeline. He would be able to be with them when his demonic seal broke fully rather than alone.”

Mobei-Jun was still staring at him and Shang Qinghua had a point about it being unnerving. But Shen Qingqiu had trained to remain unflappable under pressure and waited for the other man to respond.

Shang Qinghua, however, did not have the temperament to let the tense silence remain. “My king, while I hope that you consider Shen Qingqiu’s position favorably, I was also thinking that maybe we could… work together?” Mobei-Jun’s eyes shifted to him, a minute movement that may have been a silent question. “My king has yet to hear who Shen Qingqiu seeks to rescue…”

Mobei-Jun looked at him as if demanding an answer and Shen Qingqiu had already responded once too many to his silent order to talk. He just looked blandly at him until his mouth twitched in some expression that was too fleeting to decipher and asked, “Who does Peak Lord Shen seek to free and why would that matter to this Mobei-Jun?”

Shen Qingqiu’s mouth curled. “Tianlang-Jun, last emperor of the demon realm. Mobei-Jun, how has the chaos in the South been affecting your territories? Would it not be better if someone you had a connection to could put them back in order?”

Mobei-Jun’s eyes widened then narrowed. “The previous emperor was a friend to this one’s uncle who challenges this Mobei’s right to rule. Why would his release work in this Mobei’s favor?”

“Why would I bother to free him at all?” Shen Qingqiu countered. “While he was falsely maligned and imprisoned by the Huan Hua Palace Master” –Mobei-Jun’s lip curled in such instinctual hatred that Shen Qingqiu almost stuttered in his speech but caught himself soon enough– “I have a much more personal reason for wanting to see to his release. The reason he was villainized and imprisoned in the first place related to Tianlang-Jun’s relationship with a Palace disciple that resulted in the birth of my disciple and possible future husband.”

SQH: Bro, what? That’s a different tone than yesterday!

SQH: Something to share, hmm?

“Impossible,” Mobei-Jun said, but not like he really believed it.

“It’s been sixteen, nearly seventeen years since Tianlang-Jun’s imprisonment, Su Xiyan’s sudden death, and Luo Binghe’s birth. I assure Mobei-Jun, it’s very, very possible. My disciple will need to be trained to use his Heavenly Demon birthright away from the limitations of the human cultivation world. Who else could I trust him to but his own family, the only other Heavenly Demons in existence?

“I will train him in spiritual cultivation safely here, so he will have that arsenal at his disposal as well as any skills he gains through training with his family in the demon world. Luo Binghe, when he is grown, will be one of the most formidable beings in the world and a very good ally to have.”

Shen Qingqiu said this with the absolute conviction of knowing he was right, of having read the results of Luo Binghe’s ability and ambition unchecked, of having felt that power tempered into something touchable in his arms. Binghe, when he was an adult, would be magnificent and terrifying and exactly the kind of person Mobei-Jun would want on his side.

He lowered his fan to allow the other demon to read his surety and watched the seed of the idea plant itself in his mind. When you were a king, you had to think long term.

And Mobei-Jun very much wanted to remain a king.

“Would Mobei-Jun like to meet Binghe?”

“A question first.” Shen Qingqiu nodded his assent. “The man you called your husband. Was he the heir to the demon realm, then?”

Shen Qingqiu smiled and it wasn’t a friendly one.

SQH: scary!

“No, Mobei-Jun, because he was the emperor outright.”

Mobei-Jun wanted to meet Binghe.

Luo Binghe did not know what exactly was to come during this meeting, but he knew for a fact he and Shen Yuan had different goals going in. For as complicated as things were, there were some things that he viewed as very simple.

His goal, at the end of everything, was to be happily married to Shen Yuan. For all that he was happy that his Shizun had someone he could rely on that wasn’t him or Liu Qingge, he couldn’t help but fear the closeness that Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua would no doubt continue to cultivate while Luo Binghe was away. He saw Shang Qinghua as a little foolish but far from a fool, and only a fool would not admire Shen Yuan the longer they knew him.

His solution: make sure Shang Qinghua was married off as soon as possible. Preferably to someone who would not have an issue with Luo Binghe being essentially demonic royalty so that nothing would impede his non-romantic relationship with Shen Yuan.

Luckily, the man’s future husband in the other timeline was both a demon and someone Luo Binghe was about to be introduced to.

A-Yuan had mentioned many things when he spoke to him about preparing for this upcoming meeting, primarily focused on planning for worst case scenarios and making sure he was comfortable going into it. But he had neglected to tell him explicitly anything about Shang Qinghua and Mobei-Jun’s relationship in this timeline and Luo Binghe was going to exploit that oversight for all that he was worth.

When his A-Yuan called him in, Luo Binghe couldn’t help first finding the man with his eyes, taking in the careful but calm presence he was projecting. His fan wasn’t hiding his expression, so Luo Binghe had the privilege of watching both his eyes and mouth soften as he entered.

Mine, something in him screamed, vicious and base, but it was distant. Shen Yuan would be his if he was careful. He wanted to be his; now he just had to make sure that didn’t change.

Luo Binghe’s attention shifted then, rather belatedly, to the biggest physical threat in the room. He took in the sharp, assessing gaze of the ice demon seated beside Shang Qinghua and bowed to him with more respect that he showed anyone excepting Shen Yuan himself. “This Luo Binghe greets Mobei-Jun, demon king of the northern territories. It is an honor to meet the husband of this one’s Shang-shishu.”

Shang Qinghua loosed a choked-off squeal.

Luo Binghe was watching Mobei-Jun at the time and saw his eyes widen, his stillness going from that of waiting to outright shock.

Luo Binghe froze in turn, only halfway risen from his bow, hands still cupped in front of him. “Did Shang-shishu not say?” He bowed again, this time to Shang Qinghua. “This lowly disciple apologizes sincerely. Shang-shishu’s future self only mentioned how long he and Mobei-Jun had been associated. This one should not have assumed your marriage so long as that.”

Shang Qinghua’s internal screams were eloquent despite being silent.

From the corner of his eye, Luo Binghe caught Shen Yuan throwing a sharp glance to Shang Qinghua. His voice was still softer than when he was pretending to be Shen Jiu as he said, “Binghe, come sit.”

“Yes, Shizun.” Luo Binghe straightened from his bow and quickly came to Shen Yuan’s side, a bit closer than he should be as a regular disciple to their master. At this point, Luo Binghe was comfortable with the fact that he could never be considered anyone ordinary by his A-Yuan and thought the breach of propriety in this space would be alright.

To his greatest pleasure, Shen Yuan leaned towards him as he settled, a small enough move to be unconscious but significant enough to be marked by those present all the same.  

Mine, purred that part of himself that craved security in a way that his human upbringing would have balked at. Once, not long ago, he would have balked at himself and the impulses, pushed them away as only a dangerous trait to control. But Shen Yuan had made it clear he accepted him for himself, accepted him at his worst and most demonic, and still wanted him. Now, he had no reason to deny himself or pretend that the yet-slumbering aspect in his blood and brain was not there.

So he let the thought come to the forefront of his mind as he looked at A-Yuan before firmly locking down any part of him not dedicated to playing the contrite disciple.

Shen Yuan was looking at the couple across the table as he cleared his throat and said placidly, “Mobei-Jun, when my disciple traveled to that alternate future, that timeline’s Shang Qinghua had spoken to him at length about certain things. As I understand it, he had been married to that timeline’s version of you for some time. My husband had also mentioned your relationship in the alternate timeline, but I was leaving that to you both to figure out in your own time.”

Mobei-Jun looked surreptitiously at Shang Qinghua, who in turn was staring at Luo Binghe with something like surprise and betrayal. Mobei-Jun said, voice deep and imposing, “Shang Qinghua, you were aware of this.”

It wasn’t a question but Shang Qinghua jumped and started visibly shaking. “Y-yes, my king. Luo Binghe told me during the time travel incident in an effort to convince me he was from the future and not going to hurt me.”

The temperature in the room dropped as Mobei-Jun asked, voice rumbling, “He threatened you?”

Luo Binghe had a moment to feeling very, very vulnerable because he doubted that it would matter to the other demon that he was not the same person. Shen Yuan seemed to have the same reaction as he started to reach out for him. He pulled back the telling gesture when Shang Qinghua rushed to say, “No, no! He was actually pretty polite about it, did his best to reassure me because of my connection to Shen Qingqiu and, well, you, my king. I was only, um.” The man visibly stalled.

Shen Yuan offered quietly, “Expecting the worst from a heavenly demon suddenly appearing?”

Shang Qinghua nodded rapidly. “Yes, exactly! Not every day one of those just strolls into your office, unannounced!”

Mobei-Jun was looking between the peak lords, eyes narrowed. “Indeed. So, you knew he was a heavenly demon just by looking at him? Yet, only you are aware of his existence here, besides Peak Lord Shen?”

“…Yes.”

Mobei-Jun stared at the man a moment longer as the other wilted under his gaze before saying, “We have much to speak of. Later.”

“Yes, my king,” Shang Qinghua said, deflated as Mobei-Jun turned his attention back to Luo Binghe, eyes glowing and aura flaring.

“Hn,” the demon grunted. “A demonic seal, as Peak Lord Shen said. But that is not all this Mobei senses from you.”

Despite the vulnerability he had felt only a few moments prior, his demonic instincts snarled at being assessed as such. He inclined in head in acknowledgement. “Mobei-Jun is perceptive. You have likely sensed my… tutor, of sorts. “

Suddenly, Meng Mo was very present at the front of his mind. You had better not be talking about me, kid. You may not call me master, but I am you teacher and you will show me some respect.

Luo Binghe winced minutely and Shen Yuan sighed beside him. “Ah, you must have sensed Meng Mo, Mobei-Jun. My apologies for the oversight; Binghe is not neglecting his studies in demonic cultivation entirely while here. He won’t be sent to the demon realm completely ignorant of your world.”

Wait a second; he knows about me?

Luo Binghe was just as surprised, though he probably shouldn’t have been. I guess so, though he’s never mentioned you.

Mobei-Jun was now staring at Shen Yuan like he had done something interesting. “Peak Lord Shen is unsurprised that his disciple has another master.”

“I don’t.” Luo Binghe interrupted before Shen Yuan could say anything. “No matter who teaches me now or later, Shizun is the only one I will call master.”

“Binghe…” Shen Yuan trailed off and Luo Binghe turned to see him looking off-balance.

“No one else could ever be worthy of the title,” Luo Binghe responded, voice lower than anticipated and, to his delight, flustered Shen Yuan. The other man pulled up his fan and looked away, but not fast enough to hide his blush entirely if one knew where to look.

And Luo Binghe knew where to look.

Shen Yuan focused his eyes back on Mobei-Jun and said, voice stiff with control, “I was aware of Binghe learning demonic cultivation from another since it began more than a year ago. I would have said something long before now if I had disapproved.”

Huh, Meng Mo grumped contemplatively before fading back to his default presence when he was observing but not actively engaged Luo Binghe’s life.

Mobei-Jun was quiet for a long moment, eyes intense and on Shen Yuan long enough that Luo Binghe felt the urge to lean closer to him, before he nodded once, decisively. “Peak Lord Shen has convinced this Mobei to not interfere with his plans. Further decisions must wait until this Mobei can speak with Shang Qinghua alone.”

Shang Qinghua whimpered but Shen Yuan nodded serenely. “Thank you for taking the time to meet. Shang Qinghua, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“But Cucum-“

“Tomorrow, Airplane. We’ll show ourselves out.” Shen Yuan insisted as he stood. Luo Binghe followed and they both bowed before leaving.

Luo Binghe remembered their ongoing communication spell. “A-Yuan, what’s an airplane?”

Shen Yuan sighed and silently responded as they walked out the house, “It’s a machine from my world. It can carry people or things through the sky without spiritual energy. I called Shang Qinghua that because that was how I referred to him in our original world, though it wasn’t his real name.”

Luo Binghe thought on that for a moment as they walked further away from Shang Qinghua’s house. Then Shen Yuan winced and said silently, “Binghe, pause for a moment as I respond to your Shang-shishu.”

He frowned as Shen Yuan’s gaze became unfocused and mildly discomforted. “A-Yuan, I did not mean to cause his trouble…” Sure, he hadn’t particularly cared if he did, but that wasn’t his intent going into the meeting.

Shen Yuan’s expression softened, and he patted Binghe’s head. “I know you didn’t. It was something we didn’t talk about beforehand, and we should have. This master will take any blame for the trouble that arises from this.”

That certainly wasn’t what Luo Binghe had wanted. “A-Yuan should take no blame for this one’s actions. While I did not mean to cause him trouble, I did mention his marriage on purpose.”

Shen Yuan blinked back into focus and stared at him. “Why would Binghe do such a thing?”

Luo Binghe ducked his head shyly. “Shang-shishu helped this Binghe a lot in the other timeline and he is happy he and A-Yuan are already friends here. I only… I wanted to make sure you stayed friends in the future, no matter what happens.”

“And that involved telling Mobei-Jun about their marriage in another universe?” Shen Yuan asked, confused enough for a small furrow to appear on his brow, mouth pouting cutely.

“A-Yuan, I–“ Luo Binghe’s eyes shifted to just beyond Shen Yuan to catch a couple of An Ding Peak disciples looking at them strangely. Then he realized that, for all that they had been talking, it had been through the spell and not out loud. From an outside perspective, they were just standing close together and staring at each other without saying a word.

Luo Binghe cleared his throat and stepped half a step away from him. “This disciple apologizes for his behavior, Shizun,” he said verbally, loud enough to be heard by others but still a normal enough tone.

“What—” Shen Yuan cut himself off and cut his eyes to the side. “Enough. We need to return to Qing Jing,” he said aloud, removing Xiu Ya from its sheath.

“Yes, Shizun.”

They were mounted on their respective swords and zooming through the air in little time. Luo Binghe tentatively resumed their silent conversation. “A-Yuan, I wanted to ensure that Shang Qinghua would not have any barrier to being your friend, that you would have someone whether here or in the demon realm you could rely upon. I thought it… couldn’t hurt if that person was also married.”

“Oh.”

Shen Yuan didn’t say anything further as they arrived back at Qing Jing Peak and the bamboo house. Luo Binghe had grown increasingly nervous with his silence, but Shen Yuan pulled him into a hug the moment they had privacy. With the sound barrier up and the communication spell ended, Shen Yuan said, “Binghe, thank you for telling me the truth. I think this time things will work out with little consequence because Mobei-Jun had already begun the courtship process to Shang Qinghua’s obliviousness, but mentioning things that happened in that timeline are dangerous. And sometimes people knowing what may come to pass will prevent that very thing from happening. I can’t reprimand you in part because I don’t know what I will do when I’m in your position. You will run into a number of your alternate’s wives over the course of your life, even over the next year, and I don’t know how I’ll react.

“I will say you have absolutely nothing to fear when it comes to Shang Qinghua and I. We have shared experiences, yes, but in a way that makes me utterly unwilling to even consider him a possible partner. That and he is actually old enough to consider me a child. While our lived experiences only differ by five years, he’s about five decades older than I at this point.”

Luo Binghe’s face was happily buried against Shen Yuan’s shoulder, but he turned his head to say, “I mean no disrespect, but he doesn’t act like it. Not even from what I saw in the other timeline.

“And I will be more careful, though I admit to not… thinking as clearly when it comes to you.”

Shen Yuan pulled away to look at him. Luo Binghe, loathe to lose the close contact, took his hand and rejoiced when he didn’t pull away. “Binghe could always talk to this Shen Yuan? I got the sense from listening to how the other timeline went that many things could have been fixed if they had just spoken to each other.”

“And for the things I wish to say but cannot?” Luo Binghe asked before he could stop himself. This was dangerous territory and he was far too drawn in by Shen Yuan’s casual affection. The other man was again visibly confused and Binghe knew that reminding him of his physical desires would do him no good. He decided to stop while he was ahead and pulled away first. “Never mind, A-Yuan. I must go finish a few chores before I begin dinner.”

“What? Oh.” Shen Yuan backed away more fully and seemed abashed. “Sorry. And thanks, for coming today.”

“A-Yuan has done nothing to apologize for and I was happy to be there.” Luo Binghe bowed and left to take care of some of the many things on his to do list before he gave voice to the need growing inside him.

Shen Qingqiu felt vaguely unsettled after Binghe left, like he had missed a step in the dark on stairs he had taken a thousand times.

Thankfully, Shang Qinghua came through with a distraction before he could contemplate it further.

The man had been panic-texting him throughout most of meeting after Binghe’s explosive introduction and it had taken everything in Shen Qingqiu not to snap at the man to calm the fuck down. He had done his best to advise him in the spare moments he had brain space for that, but then Shang Qinghua had been distracted by Mobei-Jun being none too pleased about him basically texting Shen Qingqiu in the middle of their discussion.

And wasn’t that a trip and a half. They needed to work on their external responses when they did this if they wanted to remain stealthy.

But back to Shang Qinghua and his crisis.

SQH: I LIVE

SQQ: I didn’t have any doubt of that considering everything but what happened?

SQH: well my king left

SQH: turns out he was courting me? Sort of? Didn’t seem super aware of it though so I take heart in not knowing it was happening either

SQQ: what.

SQH: guess he was still nervous about me being human

SQH: which, considering what humans had done to him, that was fair

SQH: and he thought I was afraid of him because he was a demon not because of you know, the fact he used to hurt me before he realized I really didn’t like that

SQQ: wtf

SQH: anyway we’re okay

SQH: DID have to tell him I was aware of a third timeline where LBH grew up evil and extremely violent

SQH: kinda sorta implied that would happen if you stopped caring about him or somehow died

SQH: so considering he knows how hard it is to kill a heavenly demon and he’s decided not to kill LBH outright he has a vested interest in keeping you alive now. Didn’t seem concerned about you not caring about LBH and hello? Can we talk about you two for a second?

SQQ: hold on, MBJ KILLING BINGHE WAS AN OPTION??

SQH: Well no because he’s the protagonist and the System wouldn’t have let that happen but it’s good that he reached that conclusion on his own right?

SQQ: Shang. Qing. Hua.

SQH: Anyway! You and my son. Are very painfully obviously a thing.

SQQ: He’s not your son

SQH: I literally created him next point

SQQ: Binghe and I have an understanding but we’re not a “thing”

SQQ: I’m not over the fact that you thought MBJ would kill Binghe??

SQH: I knew it wasn’t going to happen for plot reasons and I wrote the original plot I knew he would be fine

SQH: and that understanding is most definitely a Thing

SQH: you went from hardass Peak Lord to actual blushing maiden the second he said something to you

SQH: and LBH was WAY too comfortable looking at you like he wanted to eat you in front of other people for that not to be normal for him

SQQ: 1. No I didn’t

SQH: You did!

SQQ: 2. He didn’t look at me like that. He doesn’t think of me like that

SQH: BRO

SQQ: He doesn’t!

SQQ: We talked about it and everything! He knows nothing can happen between us while he’s my disciple and a teenager.

SQH: …can’t believe I have to break it to you but not being able to have something doesn’t stop you from wanting it

And for the things I wish to say but cannot?

Shen Qingqiu stared at the screen, Shang Qinghua’s words mocking as Luo Binghe’s question echoed in his mind. Was he missing something? Probably. But when it came to physical intimacy between himself and Luo Binghe, his resolve was unwavering. What they had now was the extent that they could be together, too close by a wide margin but not yet crossing The Line. What else could he even do in this situation?

SQH: Look I’m not saying that to freak you out, but from what you told me, you’re kinda treating him like a husband? And from what I saw today he’s kinda acting like one too.

SQQ: WHAT? I don’t treat him like I did the other Binghe.

SQH: …afraid to ask but say more words. How are they different?

SQQ: Binghe does NOT touch me the way the other Binghe did. At all. He’s affectionate but not… like that.

SQH: anything else?

SQQ: …he’s not as shameless when he talks to me

SQH: uh huh

SQH: anything else?

SQQ: …I don’t speak as freely with him as I would his adult counterpart

SQH: …that’s it?

Shen Qingqiu was trying to avoid saying things too bluntly but it looked like Shang Qinghua wasn’t trying to let him be polite. He would try one last time.

SQQ: Can you just trust me when I say I don’t treat him like I did adult Binghe?

SQQ: Physically, at least.

SQH: Oh okay you were a slut for him

Shen Qingqiu stared at the screen in shock but… was he wrong? He quite literally climbed into the man’s lap every chance he got and had co-initiated those rounds of sex that they had very enthusiastically.

SQH: and I say that with the highest respect if my novel didn’t make that clear we respect slutty behavior within reason in this household

SQQ: omg

SQH: But for real my point is that *LBH* of now probably isn’t aware of that fact and to him you’re probably accepting acts of courtship that’s in turn accepting him as your husband even without the marriage

SQH: he’s not just a teenager with a high sex drive (I know, I wrote him) but a demon with awakening instincts and a fixation on you that you’re not discouraging

SQQ: do you have a point to this psychoanalysis or no?

SQH: just for you to understand what you’re stepping into here I guess

SQH: if you fully understand and are still good to go, then congrats on your future marriage. But better to know that now

SQH: have you considered what would happen if YOU changed your mind?

SQH: you’re not the only one that can be hurt by your relationship you know

SQQ: that’s not going to be a problem

SQQ: but if you want to talk future marriages, where are you with MBJ?

SQH: not sure but it would be enough if he could decide for sure if he actually wants to stick his dick in me I want to be mentally prepared for that

SQH: never mind. Now that it’s confirmed he actually is interested I’m prepared mentally, just not physically.

SQQ: …

SQH: too much?

SQQ: I am so sorry I asked

SQH: might as well get over your prude tendencies now bro

SQH: you’re committed to this course of action? You better prepare now for the pressure bomb of pent-up frustration LBH’s going to be once he gets out of the abyss

SQQ: I will NOT

SQQ: Shang Qinghua. I still have to teach Binghe. I have to see him every day.

SQQ: As far as I’m concerned, he’s a white lotus until he goes in the abyss. White lotuses don’t think of their teachers like that!

SQH: …you’re young but surely you’ve heard the phrase “hot for teacher”

SQQ: I hate you so much

SQH: No you don’t! I’m going with you to see ZZL tomorrow so you can’t hate me

SQQ: I could just be using you for your knowledge?

SQH: Nah, we’re friends now. If we weren’t you wouldn’t have asked about MBJ or stayed after I mentioned wanting to get dicked down.

SQQ: oh right, I can leave

SQH: Bro!

SQH: Oh well. See you tomorrow!

Shen Qingqiu closed the interface and ignored the System giving him more points for friendship.

His mind was thoroughly preoccupied with repressing some information for his own sanity.

Chapter Text

Against his better judgement and self-preservation, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but look out for signs of what Shang Qinghua had reported seeing. To his… something he’d call relief, Luo Binghe did not look at him with anything other than attentiveness and quiet admiration throughout their evening together. No signs of hidden lust or barely-restrained desire. His white lotus remained as such from the time he returned to him with their meal to when he hugged him good night and left.

Shang Qinghua must have just been imagining things. There was no way Binghe liked him like that. It was puppy love, if anything. Something to grow out of with age and experience.

Even that thought felt infantilizing when he was working hard to see his disciple as a reliable, not-quite adult. Okay, maybe it was just… innocent adoration without a hint of desire?

The point was Binghe didn’t want to do anything untoward with Shen Qingqiu. Which was exactly as things should be and something that Shen Qingqiu did not want to change.

Still, he found himself looking for evidence that his assumption was wrong, that Luo Binghe wanted something from him that he was oblivious to yet was apparently obvious to others.

(And hadn’t his husband alluded to his early desires as a disciple when he was here? And that was certainly without encouragement from his counterpart, without knowing they might marry, and that Shen Yuan had already–)

Yet there was no evidence that he could see in Binghe’s actions and Shen Qingqiu retreated behind his plausible deniability once more, the foundations now full of cracks that would get increasingly difficult to ignore.

But that was a worry for another time.

Shen Qingqiu had known his confrontation with Yue Qingyuan would come back to bite him on the ass.

Sometimes, he hated being right.

“Repeat that.” Shen Qingqiu demanded the Qiong Ding disciple, who had started the interaction looking comfortable with his message but now was questioning his very existence in the face of a pissed off Peak Lord.

“S-shizun sent this lowly one to tell Shen-shishu that his request to leave the Sect today with Shang-shishu and his personal disciple has been de-denied.”

That motherfucker.

“This Peak Lord supposes Sect Leader Yue had a perfectly valid reason for not sharing his… decision before this moment.”

The disciple quivered where he stood and bowed low to him. “This disciple could not dare to explain the actions of his Shizun. This-“

“Get up.” The poor kid hesitated but Shen Qingqiu wasn’t feeling particularly friendly. “Now. This master does not have time for this. Tell your Shizun that his message has been delivered and this master will be speaking to him about it tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes, Shishu!” The nameless disciple straightened and then fled like he was being chased. He was not.

“Shizun,” came a much preferred voice. The anger had not completely left his expression as he looked at Luo Binghe, but he thankfully did not flinch as he met his eyes. “What will we do?”

Shen Qingqiu fanned himself idly before pulling out Xiu Ya. “Leave as planned, of course. Yue Qingyuan must have missed the fact I was not seeking permission but rather letting him know we were leaving as a curtesy.”

“Erm, Cucumber-bro, maybe we shouldn’t–“ Shang Qinghua started to mumble only to quiet himself at Shen Qingqiu’s stare.

“We are not screwing up this plan just because Yue Qingyuan is being an ass. If he calls you on it, just say I forced you. He’s always so ready to believe the worst of me that I’m sure you won’t even get a slap on the wrist.” While he didn’t have the same shared history as Shen Jiu with the man, he felt he’d earned at least some bitterness after everything. “Are you helping or not, Airplane?”

Shang Qinghua sighed and pulled out his sword to mount. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Besides, he’d probably be angrier if I’d let you go off with Luo Binghe alone when I could have come with you.”

Binghe, who had just joined him on Xiu Ya due to the distance they had to fly, stiffened. Shen Qingqiu sputtered and said, “Binghe and I are not–“

“I know this, you know this. Yue Qingyuan doesn’t fully believe it. And the rumor mill certainly would not.”

Shen Qingqiu put his hands on Luo Binghe’s shoulders as he swallowed and looked away. Before they took off at a speed, Binghe asked, “Shang-shishu, what rumors?”

Oh, geez.

Shang Qinghua’s visible discomfort on his own sword made Shen Qingqiu prompt, “Airplane-bro?”

“…someone broke into Mu Qingfang’s office and looked through medical files a couple of days ago,” Shang Qinghua blurted in a rush. “I only found out about it this morning. I haven’t heard a specific rumor yet but…”

That would change.

“…You think it was him?”

Shang Qinghua frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know. But I think if he knows they were looked at he would probably seek them out himself.”

That made little sense to Shen Qingqiu, but he hadn’t created the man. He decided he had thought more than needed about Yue Qingyuan for the morning. “Enough. This is a problem for later. We have a long journey to complete.”

“Alright, compartmentalization. I can do that.”

They started their journey at a much slower pace than Luo Binghe would be able to manage in his prime. As such, they were only about 10 minutes into their journey of well over 2 hours when Luo Binghe reached up, touched Shen Qingqiu’s hand, and cast the communication spell. For all that he had been shown it only a few days prior, he did well enough that his voice was clear as he spoke, “A-Yuan?”

“Yes, Binghe?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm? Why would Binghe be sorry?” He was silent for a long moment, long enough that Shen Qingqiu began to worry. “Binghe?”

“I don’t want you to be in trouble with the Sect Leader,” he said, tone distraught in a way that caught Shen Qingqiu by surprise. “A-Yuan is already doing so much for this lowly one, I could never deserve or repay any of it. And now, with Sect Leader Yue and these rumors, Shizun really will be troubled because of this Binghe.”

“Oh, Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu picked up a hand to pat his head, then thought better of it and used it to pull him into a precarious embrace. Xiu Ya, bless it, didn’t even wobble at the shift in weight as Shen Qingqiu hugged Luo Binghe. “It’s not your fault. I’ve made my choices and Sect Leader Yue has made his. And I don’t want repayment; you owe me nothing for this, any of it. Because that’s not how lo–“ Shen Qingqiu caught himself, cursed himself, continued. “That’s not how caring for someone else works, okay? None of this is your fault.”

Luo Binghe’s hands on the arm around him tightened at Shen Qingqiu’s slip. “But it’s because of me.”

“Causation is not the same as fault, Binghe,” and he said his name like an endearment.

A notification came in and Shen Qingqiu opened it as a reflex, without really meaning to.

SQH: ummmmmmm

SQH: y’all want to be alone or something?

Shen Qingqiu tensed and carefully let Luo Binghe go to put his hands neutrally back on his shoulders.

SQQ: Binghe was upset, I hugged him

SQQ: is there something wrong with that?

SQH: Look *I* believe that

SQH: I know your intentions are as pure as driven snow

SQH: But I’m not everyone. And if shit is about to hit the fan back at the Sect, you might want to think about how you act around each other more carefully.

“A-Yuan? Are you okay? Your grip is starting to hurt.”

His hands loosened enough to be barely touching him at all. “My apologies.”

“What happened?”

Shen Qingqiu wanted to be upset, wanted to scream a little for what Shang Qinghua kept. Implying. But he was right, and he was likely the only friendly warning Shen Qingqiu was going to get about how people would see them.

SQQ: Point taken.

SQQ: Thanks.

“Shang-shidi was just telling me something I needed to hear but didn’t want to. Binghe, we need to talk about how we treat each other in public.”

By the time they landed in Bailu Forest, Luo Binghe knew neither he nor Shen Yuan were in the best mood for meeting with Zhuzhi-Lang. They were both tired, Shen Yuan from flying them both so far and Luo Binghe from maintaining the unfamiliar spell for such a length of time. Shen Yuan’s mental voice had been increasingly subdued during the flight and Luo Binghe would have given much to see his reactions as they navigated how they treated each other.

At one point, his A-Yuan said, almost to himself over the mental link, I didn’t realize how much we touch each other. Considering that those touches were sometimes the only reason Luo Binghe was able to control himself and not beg his Shizun to offer more of himself, the thought of them disappearing entirely was extremely alarming.

That had led Luo Binghe to explain how important it was to him that Shen Yuan touched him without mentioning the consuming desire he had for his teacher. His efforts seemed successful, even earning him a cherished head pat, but it was beginning to feel like lying by omission.

What other choice did he have? Both Shen Yuans made it clear they did not (perhaps could not) handle Luo Binghe wanting the things he desired. Still, at least he was allowed some measure of closeness as of now. if they weren’t careful and it somehow got out that Luo Binghe was taking liberties with Shen Qingqiu? Well, first his lovely Shizun would be labeled a predator, which was just incorrect. Second, the touching altogether might cease! What if Yue Qingyuan actually got wind of the fact they spent their evenings together, alone, and found a way to stop that?

Well, that would maybe give Luo Binghe a chance to accelerate one of his plans to get ever closer to Shen Yuan. But he wasn’t ready to move forward with that and valued the opportunity to take care of his A-Yuan directly too much to give it up easily.

Anyway, negotiating just how long was too long for them to touch and look at each other in public drained Luo Binghe, leaving him nearly despondent as they hiked through the forest. He’d noticed Shang Qinghua looking between them apprehensively and not glaring at the man took some effort. He knew that Shang Qinghua was just a messenger that was actually on their side, but it still felt like payback for Luo Binghe revealing his alternate’s relationship with Mobei-Jun.

In the long term, he had probably helped them remain as close as Luo Binghe wanted. In the short term, Luo Binghe was annoyed at the other Peak Lord’s interference.

As they finally reached the designated clearing, Luo Binghe tried to pull himself together.

It didn’t help.

One moment, Luo Binghe was taking in the beauty of their surroundings, looking for any sign of the first blood-family he would remember meeting. The next, he was surrounded by an impenetrable qi barrier and his Shizun was holding a green snake right behind it’s opened maw, Xiu Ya floating unsheathed beside him and at the ready. Shen Yuan’s eyes were glowing, power and fury in every line of his body.

“I expect,” he hissed at the snake, so very beautiful that Luo Binghe felt like he had ascended. “There is. An explanation for this.”

The snake wiggled and Shen Yuan tossed it away. It hit the wall of the enclosure hard but did not show any visible injury. Not that Luo Binghe could see it well as Shen Yuan took up space between them like he would act as a physical barrier in addition to the spiritual one he raised around him.

“Oh!” Shang Qinghua exclaimed. “I know what happened! Shen-shixiong, wait, don’t kill him! It’s just a misunderstanding!”

“Well?” Then, suddenly, Shen Yuan sighed and said, “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Zhuzhi-Lang. What did you expect me to do when you attacked my disciple with no warning? And, just so we’re clear, I want you and your uncle alive and well; I don’t need you to be so in order for Luo Binghe to succeed. The only reason you are not already dead is that you seemed reasonable during our last meeting and this action would not qualify as such. Now, nod if what my colleague says is correct. Shang-shidi?”

“Shen-shixiong is so scary!”

“Airplane.”

“Right. Um, so Zhuzhi-Lang didn’t believe you and adult Luo Binghe about the time travel thing, right? Well, it’s one thing for a younger person to show up looking like Luo Binghe and another for them to be the same person. Zhuzhi-Lang is quite venomous, but other Heavenly Demons would be unaffected by the bite. So it was just a test to see if he really was the same person at the start, to see if he could trust us to follow through.”

A beat passed and Shen Yuan relaxed minutely. “Does Binghe being immune require his demon blood to be awake and active? Would the venom have broken his seal early in order to activate it? No, no biting unless you can both convince me that it would not hurt him and with his permission. Am I understood?”

Another beat. Then Shen Yuan straightened from his defensive stance in front of him and dropped the qi barrier around him. Xiu Ya remained unsheathed and floating, but Luo Binghe didn’t mind that. In fact, he didn’t mind much of anything at all, still reeling from his A-Yuan’s protectiveness and the effect it was having on him.

“Shizun?”

“Yes?”

“Please marry me.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes were wide and astonished as he whipped his head around to stare at him. Shang Qinghua seemed to be choking somewhere nearby. It would have been the perfect moment for Zhuzhi-Lang to strike if he was going to, but nothing happened as Shen Yuan gaped at him, still irresistible even in his unguarded imperfection.

Luo Binghe held his gaze if only to prove he was serious and dropped to both knees. “I know we cannot wed yet, not for years, but I cannot help but ask now, not after that display.”

“You did not just say that to me. I can’t, what dis- no, I can’t do this today. Ask me when you’re older. Get up.”

It wasn’t a no. Luo Binghe got up.

Shen Yuan shook himself physically then shot Shang Qinghua a warning look. He unflurled his fan and made a show of fanning himself nonchalantly. “Zhuzhi-Lang, this master finds himself at his personal limit for unexpected occurrences and must ask that we move on to talk of getting Tianlang-Jun out of prison. Are you adverse to this master using the mental communication spell between us so that you can better participate in the discussion?”

Luo Binghe finally looked at his cousin fully and was disappointed to see the long green snake coiled partially around itself and staring at Shen Yuan as it deliberately moved its head up and down. He was underwhelmed by his appearance, though his A-Yuan had warned him that the demon’s true visage was rather… a lot to take in the first time. His older self had warned him that Zhuzhi-Lang once back on his feet could be looking to win Shen Yuan’s favor, but it was hard to feel threatened in that way by a physical snake.

Luo Binghe was no judge of reptiles but Zhuzhi-Lang seemed… well groomed? He didn’t know. He was long and green with yellow eyes and seemed more interested in Shen Yuan than Luo Binghe. Luo Binghe didn’t blame him; he was objectively the right person to look at, it was only by necessity that Luo Binghe ever looked away from him.

“Because my hus– erm, never mind. This master must touch you in order to cast the spell. Is it easier to communicate for you in this form or your other?” Zhuzhi-Lang reared back a little, opening and closing his mouth slowly in a way that somehow conveyed hesitation. “What is it? You don’t want this one to touch you? My apologies for– oh. That’s not it?”

The snake was shaking its head back and forth, hard enough that a good portion of its non-coiled body was swaying. At Shen Yuan’s continued look of incomprehension, Zhuzhi-Lang drooped and set about untangling himself, slithering closer to Shen Yuan but slowly, deliberately non-threatening.

Then he changed.

Luo Binghe was doing his best to maintain a non-reaction at a visually harrowing mashup of reptilian and humaniod. Shen Yuan seemed unbothered by his appearance. “Okay. Please excuse this master’s touch for a moment. I am going to do my best to state what you think at me first so Shang-shidi and Binghe understand, then I will respond. Is that all right?”

Luo Binghe’s cousin nodded, and Shen Yuan reached out and touched his head, seeming to lightly pet where a deep green demonic marking sat on his forehead. Zhuzhi-Lang must have said something to him, because Shen Yuan startled then fully pat him on the head with a familiar gentleness.

Zhuzhi-Lang looked like he might cry, which would have been unfortunate.

Shen Yuan, to Luo Binghe’s shock and dismay, sat in front of his cousin on the soft earth. Zhuzhi-Lang also seemed surprised, rearing back as if in fear. Shen Yuan frowned at him and said, “We may be here a while. I might as well get comfortable, no?”

Well, where his Shizun went, never let it be said Luo Binghe did not follow. He sat beside him and said, “Hello, Zhuzhi-Lang. It is nice to be able to properly meet you.”

Zhuzhi-Lang finally looked at him and he seemed to nod. Shen Yuan said, “He greets you. He says you look like your mother, but you have your father’s eyes.”

It is the first information anyone had been able to give about his parents that had not been tragic. Luo Binghe inexplicably felt tears come to his eyes, then felt the familiar comforting presence of a hand in his. He bowed shallowly to the demon. “Thank you, cousin.”

“You are most welcome, cousin.”

Shen Qingqiu was grateful things began to go smoothly after they all sat down and began to talk through preparations. There were certain elements of the plan that would be impossible to predict without Zhuzhi-Lang’s input, but it was necessarily simple.

Without being able to use the Sun Moon Dew Flower, they were going to rely on the fact that Tianlang-Jun was nigh unkillable and let his original body heal the damage done to it in due time.

This necessitated them a) getting Tianlang-Jun out of his prison safety, b) ensuring that the cultivation world would not be alerted to the jailbreak before they could make a clean getaway, and c) ensuring they had a safe place to stay so he could recover.

Point B was almost scarily easy. What was a time period when the cultivation world would be too distracted and/or busy to respond to a possible jailbreak? The Immortal Alliance Conference that Mobei-Jun was working to sabotage.

Point C was a bit more difficult. They could set up a nearby safe house for them with protections from detection, but it would necessarily leave Shen Qingqiu’s and Shang Qinghua’s spiritual signature all over the place and they would be executed if the cultivation world discovered what they had done, no matter their explanation. Zhuzhi-Lang offered them sanctuary in the demon world once Tianlang-Jun had recovered, but they both pointed out they needed to be alive to claim that safe haven. Zhuzhi-Lang didn’t seem convinced but didn’t push. Shen Qingqiu, remembering the tale of his second death post-transmigration due to the resurrection spell at the Holy Mausoleum, especially stressed his desire to stay alive.

The other option was Mobei-Jun being there to portal them out of the area. It would put them in Mobei-Jun’s debt, but Shang Qinghua felt surprisingly comfortable with saying Mobei-Jun would just want his right to rule secured over his uncle. Zhuzhi-Lang thought this would be easily done, but couldn’t commit until he could speak with Tianlang-Jun. As they had yet to get Mobei-Jun to agree to this course of action, that suited them just fine.

All that left was Point A. Shen Qingqiu had a solution, but it would take some explaining.

“The exact plans and arrays that went into building Tianlang-Jun’s prison are not easily accessible without raising all kinds of suspicions even for a Peak Lord. That said, tearing things apart is often so much easier than building them. If we tried to dismantle the arrays layer by layer, we would probably set off interlocking traps that would no doubt bury Tianlang-Jun deeper in the prison while also alerting the cultivation world to what was happening.

“But for arrays this big and this permanent, the array needs a physical anchor to hold together. It’s a flaw in any working this large and it’s part of the reason they’re so rare. All you need is a cultivator with enough knowledge of arrays and powerful enough to parse intricate spiritual workings in order to permanently destroy it. On that anchor, there will likely be a carved array that holds the entire thing together. So much that is physical can be destroyed with the right application of pressure.”

SQH: it’s the Death Star

Not thinking and actually pretty excited about this work, Shen Qingqiu nodded and said, “Exactly like the Death Star.”

“Pardon?” Luo Binghe asked.

Could Master Shen explain what a “Death Star” is? Zhizhi-Lang asked in his exceedingly polite voice. He really was very sweet; it almost made Shen Qingqiu regret threatening him and throwing him into a rock wall earlier that day.

Almost.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help flushing. “This master apologizes, Zhuzhi-Lang, Binghe. It is a reference to a famous local story from Shang Qinghua’s and my… hometown. Shang-shidi had mentioned it silently to this one and this master forgot himself. Essentially, it was a weapon of mass destruction that had one flaw put into its design by someone forced to build it. The flaw made it possible for the heroes of the story to destroy it before it could hurt other people, but it required inside knowledge that they had to steal.”

Ah, this one understands. Yes, like this Death Star, then.

SQH: I just watched Shen Qingqiu explain Star Wars to two demons

SQH: I am thriving

SQQ: I hate you

SQH: I believe that less and less every time you say it

“Shizun, if this requires the kind of inside knowledge that your Death Star did, then will destroying the array network then point to you as the culprit?” Luo Binghe, the dear, asked fretfully.

“I have an alibi for my research already worked out, Binghe. And no spiritual energy of mine will go into the destruction of the anchor.” Before Shang Qinghua could finish his squawk of indignation, he continued. “In fact, if things go to plan, very little spiritual energy will have to be used at all. Just enough to set the spark, so to speak, with the evidence lost to debris.

“Shang-shidi,” he started with a somewhat devious smile. “How many fireworks can you safely order as head as An Ding Peak? I think it’s time for us to invent something called gunpowder.”

Shang Qinghua stared and stared at him. “You’d cause a cave in or mudslide.”

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. “I’m betting the anchor is placed somewhere based on the Palace Master’s arrogance, so well outside the prison and perhaps somewhere on display. It’s not like anyone but a master cultivator would have a clue what they were looking at anyway. And we can calculate for the mudslide issue. It wouldn’t do to end the array then physically trap Tianlang-Jun.”

“…We would have to test it. Privately. And safely. I won’t have your entire Peak, Liu Qingge, and Yue Qingyuan coming after my hide because you blew off an arm in an explosion.”

“Excuse me?” Luo Binghe asked.

“I don’t look kindly upon being maimed either. But it would work.”

“Do you get the consequences of introducing a substance as volatile as properly made gunpowder to society?”

Shen Qingqiu switched to English. “They don’t have the scientific principals to test it yet. It would be a one-time thing, and I doubt we would need a lot of it.”

Shang Qinghua threw up his hands and answered in kind. “Would like to see you say that to Mu Qingfang’s face. Just because it’s not modern chemistry doesn’t mean it doesn’t fucking work. It’s three ingredients! It’s not that complicated to puzzle through! And humanity eventually figured it out and look where it got our world.”

“That’s only classic gunpowder, modern additives make it more stable and predictable… It’s not a nuclear weapon or even nitroglycerin. Our opponents are cultivation sects, not scientists. If we can get Mobei-Jun to do the portal out, maybe we can get him to clean up the anchor site as well so there’s limited residue.” He switched back to Chinese after catching sight of Luo Binghe’s expression. “The point is I know no other way to destroy the anchor physically that can’t be protected for. You can’t build a safeguard against something that doesn’t exist yet. And it doesn’t, not in the form we can make it.”

Shang Qinghua stared at him. “Why do you know how to make explosives?”

Shen Qingqiu waved his hand away. “Science project I got too invested in, and this is tame considering what cleaning agents can do when mixed together. Do you have a better suggestion for destroying the anchor?”

Peak Lord Shen, if I may?

“Please, go ahead, Zhuzhi-Lang.”

It sounds as if you plan to physically destroy the anchor rather than dismantle any of the arrays. And you mentioned needing a small amount of spiritual energy. Would it help to mix spiritual and demonic energy to further obscure the identity of the cultivator who lends their aid?

Shen Qingqiu relayed his question and answered, “Perhaps. We would have to work to ensure that the spiritual and demonic energies did not cancel each other out or, if the point would be to have them react explosively, do so prematurely prior to the key moment in time. But the idea has merit. Maybe… maybe that’s the spark.”

Could Master Shen explain, please?

“Yes, of course. Because of the timing and ensuring that all cultivators are distracted and that the three of us have an alibi, we cannot be there. We can’t trust another cultivator to be pulled in to help. But gunpowder needs a catalyst, a spark for the reaction to begin. If the spiritual energy was imbued into the gunpowder prior to transportation and we ensured that the spiritual and demonic energy did react to cancel each other out but with a volatile reaction… if we could engineer it so that the result was greater than the sum of its parts…”

Shang Qinghua sighed. “It could work. It’s twisted enough that no cultivator not from… our hometown would think of it.”

If Master Shen and Master Shang agree that no harm will come to Junshang and it will free him, then I will play any part necessary.

After relaying his words, Shen Qingqiu said, “Thank you, Zhuzhi-Lang. Now, about–“ Luo Binghe squeezed his hand, which he had at some point started hold and hadn’t stopped. “Yes, Binghe?”

“Shizun must also not come to harm. Shang-shishu said testing would be dangerous…”

Shen Qingqiu softened at his quiet but intense look of concern. “I’ll be careful. I promise you I’ll be careful.”

Mentally, Luo Binghe said as he squeezed his hand again, “Please do so, A-Yuan. Your Binghe would be lost if anything happened to you.”

Shen Qingqiu felt his heart further melt, only to remember that they were not alone and the boy had actually fucking proposed to him earlier that day for reasons that still escape him, so he pulled himself back together. Rather than answering the silent plea, Shen Qingqiu patted his head lightly and returned to business. “About preparation. Zhuzhi-Lang, my relationship with the Sect Leader has grown… contentious recently and I am unsure when I will be able to return to the forest. Is there some other way I can contact you?”

I will need to make the journey back to where Junshang is imprisoned. Now that a plan is in place, I feel comfortable returning to him with news. It will take me about a month to travel there, but I will not leave afterwards. Meet me there. I will find you as you search for the anchor.

“But how will you know when we arrive?”

As long as your altitude is not too high, my scouts will alert me.

“Scouts?”

Master Shen, I respect you a great deal. As for Junshang’s offspring and my cousin, I felt it inappropriate for any but myself to test Luo Binghe for poisoning. But I am not defenseless, even in this state.

From barely a meter away, a brightly colored snake slithered from the grass, causing Shen Qingqiu’s fear to spike but also say aloud, “There is a snake that is with Zhuzhi-Lang right beside us. No one panic and attack it.”

Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe froze and carefully did not move.

It was part of why I was surprised you were willing to sit on the ground, at our level.

Shen Qingqiu swallowed and responded silently, I respect you enough for us to come into these dealings as equal as possible.

Master Shen has treated me better than any excepting Junshang has in my long life, even after such a short period of time. I agree with Luo Binghe and would urge Master Shen to take care of himself.

There was something exceedingly sad about that admission, but they didn't have time to unpack all that. Is that why your scouts did not attack me when I grabbed you?

Partially. But I also expected such a response from you. If Master Shen is indeed to marry Luo Binghe, then such a reaction was natural. You were almost like a high level demon whose chosen mate was threatened.

Shen Qingqiu froze, not fully understanding that last sentence but understanding enough. “Nothing is decided.”

Of course, Master Shen, Zhuzhi-Lang said and for the first time Shen Qingqiu could detect a hint of patronization. He must ask again when he is older.

Time to go!

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and stood. “If there is nothing else, we do have a long journey back to the Sect. Zhuzhi-Lang, anything you would like to express before I end the communication spell?”

Just my sincere gratitude for your and Master Shang’s hard work. You have given me hope and comfort when I have been longer than I care to remember without either. I recognize and will remember the risks you have taken for us.

I know you do this for Luo Binghe, Master Shen, Zhuzhi-Lang continued at Shen Qingqiu’s instant reaction to downplay his part in this. Yet, the effect of your efforts remains the same. Thank you. You have my unending gratitude.

Shen Qingqiu’s voice was strangled as he dutifully relayed the message. At the end, he bowed to Zhuzhi-Lang. “This master wishes Zhuzhi-Lang safe travels and hopes he remains well on his journey.”

He ended the spell. Zhuzhi-Lang transformed back into a brilliant but otherwise ordinary snake as Luo Binghe and Shang Qinghua both stood and brushed themselves off. Shen Qingqiu used a minuscule amount of spiritual energy to expel the dirt from his robes.

To his surprise, Zhuzhi-Lang seemed to shyly slither up to his side and waited, head not an inch from his hand. “Oh, do you want a head pat?” Zhuzhi-Lang swayed and nodded. Shen Qingqiu obliged him.

“Shizun…” Luo Binghe whined a little and Shen Qingqiu looked at his face to see a pout, only familiar because he had grown used to seeing it in a face eleven years older.

“Don’t tell me Binghe is jealous?” His answer was a more advanced pout that Shen Qingqiu hated himself a little for finding adorable. “Ridiculous,” he said, while finally freeing his hand from Binghe’s to give simultaneous head pats to two demons.

A snicker had him saying, “Not a word, Airplane.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Cucumber-bro. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu would love to say that things proceeded normally and did not go downhill after his little trio left Zhuzhi-Lang.

Unfortunately, that would be an utter lie.

First, Shang Qinghua was only able to make it partway back before his spiritual energy got dangerously low.

“I’m sorry, Cucumber-bro,” Shang Qinghua had said shakily after they landed in the middle of nowhere. The man was barely conscious, but he was being a good sport about it. “I’m unfortunately one of the least powerful Peak Lords. Not all of us can be the peerless Shen Qingqiu.”

It was clearly a joke and Shen Qingqiu was too busy being worried about the other man to even feign offense. “Shut up and get on Xiu Ya. Binghe, I’ll need you to ride Zheng Yang; not back to the Sect; only far enough for us to find a town to stay in for the evening.”

“No, no, no, that would be bad,” Shang Qinghua said, hand weekly clutching at Shen Qingqiu’s sleeve. “Yue Qingyuan will already be pissed. If we don’t come back tonight he may not let you leave for another six months. And the rumors–“

“Shang Qinghua, I am not about to get us all killed because the Sect Leader will be angry or because of stupid rumors. You need rest and Binghe cannot fly all the way back.”

“Rumors killed you.” Luo Binghe made a low sound of distress and Shang Qinghua winced. “Well, they made Shen Jiu’s downfall much, much easier. Believe me, I want nothing more than to fall asleep right here, but words have power, okay? Trust me on this. We can’t stay out overnight, not with what is about to happen.”

“…Shizun, this disciple thinks Shang-shishu may have a point,” Luo Binghe said cautiously. “With the troubles Shizun will already be facing, this disciple begs Shizun to listen to him, if only to ease his own struggles. This Binghe will do his best to fly the whole way.”

SQQ: Stop scaring my disciple

SQQ: you know he’s sensitive to talk of me dying

SQH: gee I wonder why

SQH: It’s not like I just watched him propose to you or anything

Shen Qingqiu would ignore that.

“I will not have you getting hurt… but I will take your points. It’s still mid-afternoon; we can take a break, eat something, then resume the trip. Shang-shidi will fly with me for the first leg with Binghe on Zheng Yang. Binghe, the instant you begin to feel unsteady, tell me and we will land. After a short rest, I will fly us the way back on Xiu Ya. I don’t know if I could make it from here with all of us, but partway should be fine.”

Luo Binghe bowed and took that as his cue to being unpacking some of the food he had prepared before leaving that morning. They probably should have eaten before leaving Bailu Forest, but none of them were keen being caught in the area by Huan Hua Palace and opted to leave instead.

Shen Qingqiu was tired and they still had so far to go, but the food at least was good. Binghe was very good at making sure he was fed, after all.

Unfortunately, the teenager’s reserves of spiritual energy could not be as reliable as his cooking skills.

Almost an hour in, past the time Shen Qingqiu had started watching his disciple’s posture out of the corner of his eye in concern, Luo Binghe called out to him, “Shizun? This disciple is weak and must ask that we land soon!”

Shen Qingqiu waited until they were on the ground to praise him for his endurance; there was no need to yell more than was necessary.

But that brought him to the second problem: safely carrying an exhausted, half conscious Peak Lord and a just-as-tired-but-holding-on-disciple through the air at a safe speed. In the end, it took nearly twice as long to make it back to Cang Qiong as it took to arrive at the Forest.

No one was particularly steady when Shen Qingqiu handed a slumped-over Shang Qinghua to his attentive disciples. He and Luo Binghe stayed long enough to ensure that he was alright apart from physical and spiritual exhaustion before being shown out by his head disciple.

With some questionable judgement, Shen Qingqiu decided they would fly back to Qing Jing in a matter of minutes rather than take the hour trek on foot on the Rainbow Bridge. He figured he could fly himself and Luo Binghe back with only a small amount of pain. The very thought of walking that far back was intolerable.

They made it back safely, but Shen Qingqiu was embarrassed to say that he stumbled precariously when they landed, Luo Binghe barely catching him before he faceplanted into the dirt.

To his mortification, some of his disciples saw this and ran over to him, beside themselves with concern. A chorus of his title greeted him and he painstakingly fixed his expression and straightened. He stood tall as he did his best to reassure the lot of them, Luo Binghe a silent but steady presence by his side. He hadn’t stopped touching him, only shifted to support him through a courteous hold on his arm.

Shen Qingqiu would have shaken him off, remembering their agreements from earlier in the day, but he wasn’t convinced that he wouldn’t fall over without that touch.

His disciples dispersed and at least pretended to give Shen Qingqiu privacy has he physically sheathed Xiu Ya and almost drunkenly walked towards the bamboo house.

“Is Shizun sure he is well? Is there anything this disciple can bring Shizun once we make it to the bamboo house?” Luo Binghe asked him quietly as they walked, arm quickly coming around to support his waist as a root appeared in the path where he was sure none existed before.

“No, Binghe. I’m fine. Thank you, but this master will just prepare for bed. Is Binghe feeling alright?”

Luo Binghe made a derisive sound in his throat. “This lowly disciple is fine, was only exhausted of spiritual energy. This one apologizes for not being able to–“

“Shen Qingqiu.”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Enter: third problem. Or perhaps, if they were really going chronologically for the entire day, the first. Problem zero, if you will.

Shen Qingqiu lifted his head to see Yue Qingyuan rise from his seat on the bamboo house’s steps in the dying light of the day.

“Sect Leader Yue.”

Shen Qingqiu did not bow, in part because he was not in the mood for pleasantries, though mostly because he wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t fall over in the attempt. The best he was willing to even try for was nodding his head in acknowledgement.

He felt Luo Binghe sketch bow while not lessening his steady hold on Shen Qingqiu at all. “Sect Leader.”

Shen Qingqiu said, voice as strong as he could make it, “This master did not expect to see the Sect Leader today. In fact, he recalls telling Qiong Ding’s disciple that he would speak to the Sect Leader tomorrow.”

Yue Qingyuan was not looking at Shen Qingqiu, but rather where Luo Binghe was doing his best to physically support him. He would have pulled away at the attention, but it was all he could do not to shake from exhaustion even with the help. Every moment he spent on his feet was a victory in self control, so he would take what he could.

“Yes, I received that message. And, as I suspected, you disregarded my disapproval of your trip.”

“This master did not and still does not recall asking permission for a day trip. Protocol did not demand as such, only that the Sect Leader is informed. Or has protocol for all Peak Lords changed in the past day?”

Yue Qingyuan said nothing and Shen Qingqiu had to lock his knees to keep from collapsing, leaning more on a thankfully steady Luo Binghe. Finally, he lost patience and snapped, “Excuse this master’s bluntness, Sect Leader, but this master is only standing by grace of his disciple’s strength. Is there a pressing matter that requires this one’s attention before tomorrow afternoon? If not, this Qingqiu must ask the Sect Leader to–“ get the fuck off my Peak “–wait until this one can come to Qiong Ding to discuss the apparent misunderstanding of Sect protocols, if not tomorrow than another day.”

And what the fuck are you doing, waiting outside my door? Don’t you have, I don’t know, a goddamn job to do or something?

Yue Qingyuan finally looked at Shen Qingqiu’s face, saw then exhaustion there, and ignored it. “I’m afraid this discussion cannot wait, Peak Lord Shen. But it would be best if we have this conversation inside; there is no need for you to stand, especially when you need assistance to do so.”

“Fine,” Shen Qingqiu said, and Luo Binghe very carefully helped him walk past Yue Qingyuan, up the steps, and into the house.

Because of the bamboo grove, the house was darker than other buildings would be at this time of day. Luo Binghe carefully helped him remove his shoes and sit at his table before busying himself with lighting candles for the night. The boy kept casting attentive, worried looks his direction and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but be buoyed by the action. Binghe never made him feel anything less than cared for and he appreciated that immensely.

“This master is fine, Binghe,” he reassured quietly.

Luo Binghe met his gaze then lowered his eyes. “Yes, Shizun.”

“Leave us,” Yue Qingyuan said from where he stood by the entrance. He was obviously the interloper in the space and Shen Qingqiu dearly wished him gone.

A mutinous expression passed over Luo Binghe’s face and Shen Qingqiu quickly said, “Thank you for your help, Binghe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He felt better now that he was sitting and tried to convey that there was no cause for concern. Luo Binghe still seemed resistant, but he was still the little white lotus that Shen Qingqiu adored, so he only hesitated half a second before bowing to him. “This disciple was pleased to be of assistance. Good night Shizun. Sect Leader.”

…Shen Qingqiu would have to talk to Luo Binghe later about saying Yue Qingyuan’s title like most people would say asshole. It wasn’t like he didn’t empathize with the impulse, but Binghe should wait until he was known demonic royalty to be so blatant about it.

Yue Qingyuan did not respond or even glance at Binghe as he took is leave, choosing to scrutinize Shen Qingqiu. His response was to simply take out his fan and stare back.

He expended more concentration than was pretty on making sure his fan covered most of his face with a steady hand.

Then, to his great alarm, Yue Qingyuan raised a familiar privacy barrier around the bamboo house. Rather than the feeling of safety that came when he was stuck inside a barrier with Binghe or even Shang Qinghua, this use of qi immediately made him feel trapped.

“Well?” He snapped, doing his best not to show his growing distress. “What’s so pressing about Sect procedures that couldn’t wait for another day?”

“Peak Lord Shen cannot possibly think this is about protocol,” Yue Qingyuan said stiffly, stepping further into the room but not sitting at the table. He was taller than Shen Qingqiu in any situation, but now he loomed over him.

Shen Qingqiu wondered if this was supposed to intimidate him rather than piss him off.

“If the Sect Leader could cease prevarication and state his reason for being here and putting up a qi barrier, this one would be greatly obliged,” Shen Qingqiu said coldly.

“Peak Lord Shen was insubordinate today with Luo Binghe.”

“First, this master was no such thing. This one was told a request had been denied when no request was made at all, and this master is above arguing Peak Lord procedures with a disciple sent as a messenger. Second, what exactly does this one’s disciple have to do with anything?”

“Don’t play coy, Xiao-Jiu.”

“If Yue Qingyuan insists on calling me, he must at least use my name, which is Shen Qingqiu, not Xiao-Jiu. Or has he already forgotten our last discussion on the matter?”

Yue Qingyuan looked at him steadily, with a hint of pity. “Just because Shen Qingqiu has forgotten who he is does not mean I have or ever will.”

Okay, now they were going to fight.

But no, because he literally did not have the energy for that, no matter how much outraged filled him.

“Well, now that we’ve established that you don’t have the barest shred of respect for me as a person rather than a memory that only you have, what do you want?”

Yue Qingyuan seemed stricken, like he was the one out of line here. “How could you–“

“Actions speak louder than words. Now get to the point. I am too tired for your useless guilt today and am beginning to lose my temper.”

The Sect Leader just stared at him a moment and Shen Qingqiu was well beyond his limit of tolerance for anything that wasn’t sleep and maybe Binghe doing his hair with silent care. He barked a harsh sound that was only in the general vicinity of a laugh. “You know, I thought we were friends? After my qi deviation, you were so kind and willing to listen and help. I knew something was off in our interactions, how you treated me, but I was willing to look past it. But it turns out you were just waiting for me to turn into someone else and you never liked me in the first place.”

That was unfair. He was a transmigrator and Shen Jiu was dead and Yue Qingyuan had no idea. But Shen Yuan was out of fairness and sympathy and just wanted to fucking sleep.

“That’s not true,” he finally said, unhelpfully.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched but he took a long, long breath and said, “This master refuses to argue with the Sect Leader on this topic. If the Sect Leader could state his grievances succinctly, that would be ideal.”

Yue Qingyuan was quiet long enough, simply staring at him forlornly, that Shen Qingqiu was working up the irritation to start actually yelling. Before it could get to that point, Yue Qingyuan’s eyes hardened and he straightened his spine. “I heard that, following the Peak Lord meeting, Mu Qingfang’s medical records were broken into. I spoke with him today and he said that it was clear that Qingqiu-shidi’s file was examined. At my insistence, I looked at the documents myself to better understand what rumors could arise from the incident.”

Shen Qingqiu fought with himself to show just enough reaction, to hide vulnerability because he was with someone he was fighting with, yet also hide his lack of surprise after Shang Qinghua’s warning. Not to mention that he had gone into that meeting with Mu Qingfang expecting that the file would be looked at.

He said nothing.

At length of reading whatever he could from Shen Qingqiu’s measured reaction, Yue Qingyuan asked quietly, “How much time does Qingqiu-shidi spend with Luo Binghe?”

“This master will not answer that question.”

“…You refuse.”

“Why answer when this master suspects that any non-zero amount will be met with the Sect Leader’s disapproval?”

Yue Qingyuan frowned at him with confusion for a moment before moving on. “Do you know what your disciple said to Mu-shidi?”

“…This master knows only what Mu-shidi said in the Peak Lord meeting.”

“Yes, Mu-shidi was very restrained in reporting the results of his investigation.” Unease shot down Shen Qingqiu’s spine and he was afraid he knew now why Yue Qingyuan put a privacy barrier up.

Shen Qingqiu decided to try a different tactic, because frosty reception and open anger were not speeding this along. He closed his eyes and rested more of his weight on the table. “Asking the Sect Leader to get to the point.”

“Very well, then. Does Qingqiu-shidi know how his disciple described their connection?”

Enough with the fucking questions! What the fuck do you want from me? Shen Qingqiu sighed. “This master can only imagine with the utmost respect?”

“Eagerness, Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe was utterly delighted to be tied to you intimately by fate, could not wait until he was able to step into the role of husband for you.”

“…And he knows he cannot court me until he is an adult and no longer my disciple,” Shen Qingqiu said, too tired to play at respectability, especially for this topic. “Yue Qingyuan, I am once again asking you  to state plainly the goal of this conversation. The master frankly has other concerns more pressing than the possibility of his disciple courting him at a future date.”

“Like what?”

Shen Qingqiu looked at him incredulously. “What exactly do you think I did today? Leave the Sect to have an illicit tryst with my still teenaged disciple, with Shang Qinghua just coming along to watch? Did you not listen when I said there were important things I was working to prevent the other day? I am trying to prevent life ending as we know it, and you are keeping me awake because of something Luo Binghe said to our Sect doctor?”

Yue Qingyuan just looked at him and Shen Qingqiu felt for the Original Goods, really, he did. “Has Yue Qingyuan always made a habit of assuming this one has the worst of intentions?” Shen Qingqiu scoffed and continued, “I suppose you’re good at informing me how others will see me as a monster.”

The other man flinched. “Xiao-“

“Don’t! As you will not say, I will take the liberty to assume you were going to ask me to stop spending time with Luo Binghe. My answer is no. Binghe remains my personal disciple until he leaves the Sect or offends me to the point that I remove him myself. He has done nothing wrong, and he is the only one in this timeline who can help me save all those I wish to save. He is the only one I trust enough to assist me, and that says just as much of the people around me as it does him. Now, I must ask that you kindly leave my Peak and not investigate my personal medical files in the future. It is a violation I lack the energy to speak on fully at the moment.”

“Or what?”

Shen Qingqiu looked at him, utterly at loose ends. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to. Though, I have an inquiry of my own: what will it take for you to leave me alone and not interfere with my work? Because I keep stressing the fact I’m trying to save us all and it seems to have no effect on you.”

Yue Qingyuan’s expression was unreadable as he said, “Tell me what you are trying to prevent. I would swear on Xuan Su to tell no one else. If it is as dire a situation as you suggest, I will take you at your word and not interfere in your work.”

Shen Qingqiu was tempted, deeply so, if only to see the look of horror on the man’s face as he fully grasped the consequences of three realms colliding into one, of a mass extinction event for which he would have no other frame of reference (what other choice was there for humanity in a realm of gods and demons?). But he had no reason to trust the man in front of him and was far too exhausted to consider it fully.

He settled on, “I will think on the matter. There are some merits to it. But, to be blunt, Yue Qingyuan, I don’t trust you. I don’t trust you to believe me, I don’t trust you to trust my judgement, and I don’t trust you to respect me when I say to stay away from a dangerous situation. I trust you only to do what you think is right, regardless of anyone else, no matter if it damns us all. There is something heroic and tragic in that, but our world does not need a tragic hero; it needs a villain to do the dirty work to save us. And who is better suited for that role than this Shen Qingqiu?”

Yue Qingyuan was staring at him like he had never seen him and Shen Qingqiu winced. He had been awake far too long; he was starting to wax poetic. Shen Qingqiu closed his fan and rubbed at his eyes, an open gesture that he hoped would get the man moving, would remind him that ultimately, Shen Qingqiu was just a man who needed rest.

He was desperate for the man to leave, desperate for the ability to just close his eyes and drift into sleep safely. Perhaps it was time for desperate measures.

“Please go, Qi-ge.”

Yue Qingyuan made a sound like he had been punched so hard it physically staggered him. Shen Qingqiu didn’t have to feign his surprise at the reaction, eyes open but staring blankly at the table. “I don’t know why I just called you that,” he said quietly, sounding lost, playing his part.

“I would do anything,” Yue Qingyuan said, pleaded, as he came to kneel on the other side of the table. Shen Qingqiu allowed him to begin to take his hands as he continued, “Anything you need, Xiao-Jiu, just–“

He snatched his hands back like he was remembering himself and snarled, “Then leave.”

Yue Qingyuan finally, finally left.

With the sounds of the night once more filling the bamboo house, Shen Qingqiu nearly collapsed with relief. With shaking hands, he removed his hair ornamentation and did his best to loosen his robes without moving.

He gave up in short order, thinking it enough to be completely horizontal. Barely after he had stilled on the hard floor, he was asleep.

Luo Binghe did not know how to leave well enough alone, not when it came to his A-Yuan, and most certainly not after having been forced to leave him with a man didn’t care he couldn’t even stand on his own.

So about half a shichen after being dismissed from his side, Luo Binghe returned to find the bamboo house quiet. Light was still coming through the paper windows, so Luo Binghe took his chance and knocked on the door. “Shizun?”

No response. Luo Binghe carefully opened the door and peeked in. What he saw made him throw open the door with a cry and nearly fly in, panic clawing at his throat.

Because, in the middle of the floor, barely any distance from where Luo Binghe last left him, laid his A-Yuan, looking pale and disturbingly unmoving. His hair was free and it was clear that his robes were loosened at the collar, but those were the only outward changes he could see to his appearance.

His panic eased as he saw the steady rise and fall of Shen Yuan’s chest, the man clearly just deeply asleep upon closer inspection. But the resulting adrenaline made Luo Binghe crumple at his side and bow his head, tears of relief escaping. He couldn’t bear it, he couldn’t bear it if something had happened to him.

Luo Binghe had been far from quiet with his entry, but his A-Yuan slept on, only the smallest frown crossing his brow when Luo Binghe could not contain a sob. He was so vulnerable, lying there. How could Yue Qingyuan leave him like this?!? Or exhaust him to the point that Shen Yuan would prefer the floor to his own bed?

He shook himself. If Shen Yuan couldn’t take care of himself, it would be Luo Binghe’s privilege to do so, as much as he had been allowed before.

Luo Binghe closed the still open door to the house and set about readying everything for the evening. He blew out the candles and turned down the bed. He set out things that Shen Yuan used in the morning to dress on the vanity.

He steeled himself to make his Shizun more comfortable.

Luo Binghe pressed his luck, but he knew a hard boundary when he saw it. Shen Yuan never appeared before him in fewer than two opaque inner robes. (Yuan-ge had for a brief, shining moment in his memory, been absolutely bare but it wouldn’t do to think about that right now.) That was still far more undone than anyone else got to see, but Luo Binghe would do his utmost to not abuse the chance he had been given.

Three layers should be fine, no?

That still left at least two layers of robes to remove, his belt, the socks, the arm guards and vambraces.

He had never undressed him before.

Kid, I cannot believe I am helping you, but believe me when I say you leave the socks alone. You touching his bare legs can lead nowhere good.

Luo Binghe made a strangled noise in his throat at the thought of it and had to take a moment to calm down. Thank you.

Don’t mention it. I’m serious. Meng Mo faded away from his consciousness again, just as suddenly as he had appeared. Just this once, Luo Binghe could appreciate the intervention. The last thing he wanted was to disrespect his A-Yuan.

Luo Binghe did his best to turn off his mind as he carefully loosened and released his vambraces, untied and slowly pulled off the arm guards, revealing pale wrists and delicate veins under thin skin. Shen Qingqiu didn’t stir, barely reacted to the shifting fabric on his skin. Luo Binghe pushed the urge to place his mouth against those veins down, down until he could move on to the next item.

His belt.

It was easily undone, not as easily removed. Luo Binghe attempted to place his hands on Shen Yuan’s slender waist to angle him enough for it to slide from under him, but quickly abandoned the effort at the slightest touch.

Too dangerous.

Instead, Luo Binghe left the belt lying open on the floor and worked to carefully maneuver the two outer-most layers of Shen Yuan’s outfit from around him and down his shoulders enough for them to slide off his arms when he lifted Shen Yuan from the floor. It worked, but Luo Binghe’s careful yet too clumsy jostling caused the remaining layers to gape, showing him Shen Yuan’s collarbone in all it’s elegance and the long, full line of his neck.

Gods.

Luo Binghe shook himself once more, berated his lack of concentration, before bracing himself. He carefully, tenderly draped Shen Yuan’s arms around his neck and used every bit of strength in him to pull the man into his arms. Shen Yuan stirred enough to make a half-sound of inquiry before cuddling into his neck with a sigh.

It was a small, unconscious gesture, something Shen Yuan was unaware of and likely wouldn’t remember, but every bit of Luo Binghe was singing with joy. Shen Yuan knew his scent, knew he was safe with him! A cultivator’s instincts were finely honed and Shen Yuan, down to the very core of himself, saw Luo Binghe as safe.

The realization and somewhat blind hope made the walk to Shen Yuan’s bed feel far too short. He gently laid him out, taking care to support his head as it settled on one of his strangely soft pillows. His neck felt too small in his grasp, and he had the agonizing pleasure of having Shen Yuan shiver as he carefully slid his hand free.

He needed to get out of there.

Luo Binghe trusted his A-Yuan to make himself more comfortable in his sleep and didn’t dare straighten any of his limbs. Instead, he simply covered him with the blankets, tucked him in, and left the room before he convinced himself it would be fine to kiss his forehead.

What remained was thankfully easy, just handling the laundry and tidying up. When he extinguished the last of the candles and finally shut the door of the bamboo house behind him, Luo Binghe sighed in relief. His A-Yuan was safe and as comfortable as Luo Binghe could make him; that was good enough.

Luo Binghe walked back to the dorms, trying to ignore the need that made itself known in his blood the moment he realized he would have to disrobe Shen Yuan. Unfortunately, dorm life did not offer the most privacy and, it being just before curfew, there were still plenty of disciples milling about.

He wondered if any of them would look at him differently when whatever rumors emerged from A-Yuan’s medical file.

“A-Luo!”

Well, there was one person he knew he could trust to be on his side.

“Shijie,” he said with a smile as Ning Yingying bounded up to him.

“You came back from checking on Shizun, right? Is Shizun feeling well?” Ning Yingying was frowning in concern and Luo Binghe noticed the ambient noise around them drop significantly. News had traveled fast about the state their Shizun had returned in and everyone was apparently anxious for news.

“Shizun is resting now. The Sect Leader…” Luo Binghe scowled and used his newfound power for good. …good being a relative term, of course. “Sect Leader Yue was far too callous with Shizun, demanding he speak to him upon his return. Shizun is strong, but to not even let him rest…”

Ning Yingying gasped in outrage and several people broke out into whispers. Luo Binghe’s shijie drew herself to her greatest height and said calmly, “So, we hate him now.”

He adored her.

“Yes, Shijie. I think we do.”

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu woke up slowly, in bed but not quite comfortable, yet not bothered enough to actually do anything about it. He was too hot, like he was wearing too many layers and… why the fuck was he wearing socks to bed?

Also, hadn’t he fallen asleep on the floor?

It was a bit of a blur, if he was honest.

…He had overslept, hadn’t he?

Fuck! He sat up and did his best to jump out of bed. He looked down at himself, baffled at just how much he was wearing, and becoming aware of a minor crick in his neck.

But by rights, that crick should be a lot worse, because he now distinctly remembered giving up and falling asleep on the floor.

What even–

Oh. There was only one person who would think to check on him last night, one person who would go out of their way to make sure he was comfortable to the point of disrobing him, even to such a minor degree. And, if he was being honest with himself, only one person he would be remotely comfortable finding him in such a state then taking steps to set him to rights.

Binghe, of course.

This thought was only confirmed as he began moving around and found his things in order, just as he liked them, and the laundry hamper empty. Shen Qingqiu hadn’t even woken up! He was tired, yes, but shouldn’t he stirred when someone entered the house…? What if it hadn’t been Binghe?

Note to self: don’t get to that point of spiritual exhaustion again.

Shen Qingqiu hurried to make himself presentable, washing up quickly and dressing in a haze of remembering the class he was supposed to be teaching.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why didn’t anyone wake me!?

Well, okay, that answer was obvious. With how worried his disciples were when he and Luo Binghe returned, word had probably gotten around that he needed rest or something. But he hadn’t made substitute arrangements for the classes! Sure, Qing Jing had other teachers, it would have been impossible for Shen Qingqiu to oversee everyone’s education directly, but they took his lead! What was happening!?

Shen Qingqiu stumbled out of the house and walked hurriedly towards the classrooms. Judging but the light, it was edging past mid-day and–

[Would Host like to activate a scenario pusher to earn 50 B-points now with more point opportunities to come?]

Shen Qingqiu thought at the System, still speed-walking, Why the hell would I do that after yesterday!? I want things to be as smooth sailing as possible.

[It would increase the Protagonist satisfaction levels long-term.]

Tempting but… Binghe is happy enough, thanks.

[It would give Host peace from Sect Leader Yue for a few months and possibly lead to him permanently leaving Host alone?]

…way to bury the lede. Yes, activate it.

[Scenario Pusher: Qing Jing Revolution Activated!! Secret Optional Plot Lines How the Turntables… and Loved Unto Destruction are now unlocked! Thanks to Host for his hard work and–]

Wait a fucking second, they’re called what?

[–continued use of the System! Please enjoy this experience to its fullest to unlock hidden achievements! Host has unread notifications. Would Host like to read them?]

No, hold on, explain yourself! What do you mean by “Revolution”? And nothing was said about additional plot lines!!

[Host is aware how actions can have rippling consequences, especially in a time travel situation. If this System told host of all the consequences of his decisions before he did them, Host would never do anything… : (]

Don’t pout at me; you’re not Binghe, so it doesn’t work. System, explain–

“Shizun!”

Shen Qingqiu blinked out of the daze he had fallen into to argue with the System to look to the disciple greeting him with a bow.  She was one of his own recruits from the last round of selection, so she had none of the fear-induced hesitation around him that some of the older disciples had. “Greetings, Disciple Tang. Are you well?”

The girl straightened from her bow and nodded eagerly, earnest brown eyes blinking up at him. “Yes, but is Shizun well? We were all so worried yesterday… is Shizun feeling well rested now?”

These children… Shen Qingqiu sighed and lightly pat the girl’s head. She beamed at him like the simple affection was a gift. “Yes, this master is fine; he only needed some rest. This master wishes his disciples would focus more on their studies than this master’s well-being.”

“But we have, Shizun!” Disciple whined a little. “The teachers and Ning-shijie and Luo-shixiong and Ming-shixiong have made sure everyone continued with their studies. But Shizun surely knows that Qing Jing could not behave normally if Shizun is unwell? It would be impossible!”

Shen Qingqiu frowned at this. “Where are your elder disciple siblings now?”

She jumped happily to attention. “This disciple was heading to the practice fields before and will lead Shizun now.”

They started walking again at a slower pace that Shen Qingqiu was used to, but he made sure to give his attention to the child speaking rapidly to him about her studies. It reminded him so much of how his little sister would just blossom the second he made it clear he listened to her when she was young, and he delighted in being able to brighten his disciples’ days in this small way. Most of his disciples were good eggs, really, especially once he nipped the bad habits Shen Jiu encouraged in the bud; giving them some of his time was the least that he could do.

Still, he hadn’t forgotten about the System. He would properly interrogate it later.

[Host… ;_;]

Later.

Even with the slowed pace, they arrived at the practice fields in short order and his young disciple went to join her age cohort in drills. Ning Yingying was rather appropriately leading that one as she was not the best in sword work but had unparalleled ability to help walk students through foundational concepts in a way that would stick. All of the disciples with her looked at her like she had hung the stars, which probably didn’t hurt.

Ming Fan was leading routine drills with the largest cluster while Luo Binghe was overseeing a small sparing group.

Considering how open the area was, it didn’t take long for one of the disciples to notice him and the entire operation to be interrupted by greetings and bows. Shen Qingqiu waved them off. “This master’s disciples were doing an exemplary job managing themselves. Don’t let this master’s presence interrupt that.”

“Shizun,” Ning Yingying began, voice loud enough to carry over the field, “forgive this disciple’s impertinence, but is Shizun well? Yingying and all of Qing Jing was worried when Shizun did not arrive for class this morning. A-Luo said that Shizun just needed rest and to not bother him, but is Shizun truly well?”

Shen Qingqiu suddenly despaired for any future illness he had if this was how they all reacted when he overslept.

[…the disciples saw Host nearly unable to walk yesterday…]

Hush, you.

Shen Qingqiu sighed and said, “While this master appreciates the concern, he is well after resting and thanks each of you for handling yourselves. It is a comfort to this master to know his disciples are so capable without him.”

“Oh, don’t worry about us, Shizun! And it was A-Luo’s idea!”

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows and looked at a visibly abashed Luo Binghe. “Oh? It was, hmm?”

Luo Binghe flushed bright red, utterly adorable, and Shen Qingqiu had to raise his fan to hide his smile. He started walking towards him as Luo Binghe managed to say, “Th-this disciple was happy to assist Shizun even in this small way. And in no way acted alone!”

Cute, he thought. “Of course not. Still, thank you, Binghe, for all your help, yesterday and today.”

Shen Qingqiu patted his head and Luo Binghe simply bowed to him. Remembering himself, Shen Qingqiu turned back to the many eyes on them and walked over to give Ming Fan and Ning Yingying head pats and direct thanks as well.

As he pulled away from Ning Yingying, with half a mind pondering the triumphant look in her eyes, he said, “Okay, back to drills, everyone. Show this master what you’ve learned.”

The peace that followed lasted about 15 minutes with Shen Qingqiu watching his disciples practice with only one or two gentle corrections to form here and there, before there was another interruption.

“This disciple greets the Sect Leader!” Ming Fan called out far too loud, almost as a warning.

Shen Qingqiu froze as he sensed Yue Qingyuan somewhere behind him. Automatically, his eyes sought Luo Binghe to ensure he was far enough away from the Sect Leader to be considered safe. Binghe’s eyes met his, the concern he felt mirrored and oh, maybe Shen Qingqiu was in the biggest danger here.

He had been too tired and angry to really feel other things the night before, but he remembered the fear of being trapped with him, of having the other man ask him or what when asked to leave and not continue to violate his privacy.

He did not want to be alone with Yue Qingyuan.

The realization hit him like a truck, and he did his best to school his face to cold neutrality. To his despair, he saw some of his older disciples flinch as they looked at him.

How much of Shen Jiu’s coldness was out of sheer survival instinct? And how much did the reactions to his personality just reinforce that as the only safe way to live?

After having experienced the only “kindness” that was offered to him in Cang Qiong by an adult from Yue Qingyuan, he really was starting to feel for the man. Not nearly enough to excuse his actions against people who had never harmed him or especially children, but Shen Yuan thought he was starting to understand him more.

He could reassure his disciples later; he had to deal with Yue Qingyuan now.

Several seconds after Ming Fan’s announcement and Qing Jing’s disciples bowed in well-ordered unison to the Sect Leader, Shen Qingqiu finally turned around. For some reason, Yue Qingyuan smiled at the frigid expression on his face, like he was encouraged rather than put off.

Oh, that was bad. Unease curled in his stomach and he fought to remain unruffled externally.

Shen Qingqiu barely bowed his head to the man, keeping his eyes on him. “Sect Leader.”

“Peak Lord Shen. You are looking better today.”

No thanks to you, asshole. “Is there an emergency to which this Peak Lord must attend? If not, this master would remind the Sect Leader that he is unwelcome on Qing Jing Peak.”

Yue Qingyuan sighed and walked a step closer. Shen Qingqiu stood his ground because Shen Jiu would have, but it was a near thing. “Could we speak privately?”

“No, we may not. This master is busy and does not have time to divert his attention for anything barring an emergency. Surely the Sect Leader knows his way back to Qiong Ding?”

It was utterly silent on the practice field, which made Shen Qingqiu all too aware of the waver in his voice. He cleared his throat and reached for the control that Shen Qingqiu was known for.

Yue Qingyuan’s expression was disappointed. “This one came to apologize for his actions.”

“Then write a letter,” Shen Qingqiu snapped, tension filling him as Yue Qingyuan took another step closer to him.

“You wouldn’t have read it.”

“Of course not. The Sect Leader has failed too many times to respect this master or his wishes for this one to believe any apology not backed up with action. Just as the Sect Leader is failing to respect this one’s request to leave at this moment. Any apology made now is meaningless and this master refuses to pretend otherwise.”

“Have you remembered anything else?’

Shen Qingqiu was so bewildered by this non sequitur that he couldn’t help saying, “What?”

“You called me Qi-ge yesterday,” Yue Qingyuan said lowly, “the way you used to. Have you remembered anything else, or does it take something else to trigger the memories?”

Oh, fuck.

Shen Qingqiu may have made a mistake. If Yue Qingyuan thought his precious Xiao-Jiu was just a matter pushing Shen Qingqiu beyond his limits, then he was in real, literal danger.

Shen Qingqiu felt himself blanch and he ground out, “This one has no additional memories, but shares an ardent desire with his past self for Yue Qingyuan to leave him alone.”

Yue Qingyuan reached out towards him and Shen Qingqiu broke. He gave ground and slapped his hand away with his fan, not quite able to hide the fear in his voice as he said, “Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again.”

Gasps emerged from around them and Shen Qingqiu was abruptly reminded that they were surrounded by his disciples. Shit, but he needed to pull it together, if only for the kids around him. Movement from the corner of his eye started to draw his attention but Yue Qingyuan said, “Xiao-Jiu’s… afraid of me?”

“For the last time, that is not this master’s name! And this master would like to see how the Sect Leader would react when threatened with torture in an effort to erase everything you are just to restore everything you were.”

“That’s… that’s not what I–“

“This master does not care what the Sect Leader’s intentions were! The Sect Leader would claim to care about this one, yet fail to consider that this one does not want to be what he once was! This one never wants to regain the memories he lost if it meant he would mistreat his dear disciples again or lose the relationships he has built since then. That’s not even to mention the very–“ I shouldn’t mention the apocalypse in front of the children– “important thing that this one is working to prevent! So, yes, Yue Qingyuan, I have reason to fear being alone with you and your very touch because you would rather make me worse than see me fix myself without you!”

Shen Qingqiu was yelling by the end of it, shaking with his emotions because he couldn’t fail to drive this home, otherwise he would always be looking over his shoulder for a Yue Qingyuan hell bent on reviving memories that Shen Yuan has never possessed.

A familiar, gentle touch had him flinching only to relax less than a second later. Luo Binghe lightly rubbed his back before coming to stand in front of him. He did not bow, nor did his tone contain any civility as he said, “Sect Leader, this disciple must ask that you leave Qing Jing Peak as his Shizun has repeatedly requested.”

Yue Qingyuan looked at his disciple and Shen Qingqiu felt a new surge of fear at the near-hatred in his gaze. No, not Binghe. “You–“

“This disciple must echo her shidi and request that the Sect Leader leave Qing Jing Peak!” Ning Yingying said, coming to stand beside Luo Binghe but angled so that Shen Qingqiu could see the tears on her resolute face. She stood tall and her usually kind eyes were harder than Shen Qingqiu thought possible as she placed herself in the line of fire of the most powerful man she had likely ever met for him.

Ming Fan came to flank Luo Binghe’s other side. “This head disciple must also request that the Sect Leader take his leave.”

As one, the rest of Qing Jing seemed to take a step forward, closing around Shen Qingqiu to protect him from their Sect Leader.

Shen Qingqiu had to blink away the tears that suddenly filled his eyes.

“We won’t allow the Sect Leader to hurt Shizun further,” Luo Binghe said, like that was something that disciples could actually decide. But he was the protagonist for a reason and when Luo Binghe took a stand like this, everyone believed it, even Shen Qingqiu.

Yue Qingyuan looked at Shen Qingqiu with an infuriatingly helpless expression. Shen Qingqiu just stared back with studied indifference. “Just go, Yue Qingyuan. And don’t come back.”

He left.

Luo Binghe watched Yue Qingyuan leave with violence in his heart until he heard his A-Yuan clear his throat awkwardly.

Right, he had more important things to worry about.

He turned around to see Shen Yuan looking overwhelmed. He swallowed twice before saying, “This master believes it would be most prudent to dismiss class for the day in lieu of an afternoon dedicated to self-study and rest. This master must retire for the moment but… sincerely thanks his disciples for the support. This master also apologizes for such an interaction; it is this master’s job to protect his disciples and that any of you felt the reverse was called for is a disgrace.”

“Shizun, please, please don’t apologize to us!” Ning Yingying cried beside him, lunging forward to grasp Shen Yuan’s sleeve, tears of outrage still on her face. “It is an honor to return even a fraction of the protection and care that Shizun provides each of us. This disciple apologizes for not understanding sooner the struggles Shizun faced with the Sect Leader!”

“That was not for…” Shen Yuan started before being drowned out but the sheer volume of voices agreeing with Ning Yingying. There was a fragile edge to his expression and Luo Binghe wanted to get his A-Yuan away from it all.

“Shizun said he is tired,” Luo Binghe said and people quieted. He bowed to Shen Yuan and continued, “Please do not worry for your disciples today, Shizun. We will look after ourselves.”

“Right. Thank you.” Shen Yuan hesitated like he wanted to say more before giving up and walking towards the path to the bamboo house. Disciples parted for him with respectful bows as Shen Yuan fled and Luo Binghe wanted nothing more than to follow.

When Shizun was on the edge of the practice fields, almost out of sight, Ning Yingying said quietly, “A-Luo, don’t just stand here! Shizun shouldn’t be alone right now and you’re the only one with a chance of comforting him.”

“But what if Shizun wants to be alone? And what about Yue Qingyuan?”

Ning Yingying wiped at the tears on her face and scowled. “I’ll handle the Sect Leader. You can take care of our Shizun. Just be there for him; I don’t think he’s had someone to rely on for a very, very long time.”

“…She’s right,” Ming Fan said begrudgingly. Luo Binghe stared at him, flummoxed. “What we just saw… put a lot into perspective, okay? Look, I don’t like you, I never will, but what Shizun needs is most important. I hate to say it, but I think one thing he needs is you.”

Luo Binghe could hardly believe this, but he felt the need to say, “Shizun and I are not…”

“For now,” Ning Yingying said. “And now is not forever. But now is the time for you to stop talking to us and go after our Shizun.”

Luo Binghe went, running after Shen Yuan with the feeling that they had nothing left to hide, not from other Qing Jing Disciples at least. Between Ning Yingying and even Ming Fan, the rest would fall in line. Any assumptions as to why Luo Binghe would be running after a hurt Shen Qingqiu would be entirely correct.

Shen Yuan was already in the bamboo house by the time Luo Binghe arrived, a privacy barrier up and blocking his way. Luo Binghe had just watched a powerful man disregard all of Shen Yuan’s boundaries and he refused to do the same.

He would ask and if he was rebuffed, he would just wait until he was let in. Or he would go and prepare food as he was relatively sure Shen Yuan had yet to eat for the day.

Luo Binghe gently fed his qi along the outside of the barrier, a caress and a question that Shen Yuan would understand.

Nothing happened for a moment, then a gap just larger than his size opened in front of him. Luo Binghe slipped through and made it into the bamboo house.

Shen Yuan was not in the front room, so Binghe walked towards the open bedroom door. “A-Yuan?”

Clothes were strewn about on the floor in a haphazard path to the bed where a lump was curled under the covers. His voice was rough as he said, “Does Binghe need something?”

He walked towards the bed and knelt beside it, not bold enough to sit without being offered. “Only to be here for you.”

Shen Yuan made a broken sound and a hand reached from under the blankets towards him. He took the hand in his only to be startled as it started pulling him closer. “A-Yuan?”

The hand stopped and then started to let him go. “Sorry.”

“No, please!” Luo Binghe held on. “Just tell this Binghe what A-Yuan needs, and this Binghe will do it.”

“…could Binghe hold me?”

“Here?” In your bed?

“Yes?”

Gods, have some mercy on this poor demon. “This Binghe has been doing drills and is dirty.”

Shen Yuan started to let go again. “If you didn’t want to–“

“No, just! Just let me… could this Binghe at least wash up and borrow some of A-Yuan’s clothes while he is here? This Binghe is happy to hold A-Yuan as long as he desires, but fears making him uncomfortable.”

“Binghe, I don’t care. I just need–“

“Okay. Let me remove the outer robe at least?”

“Fine,” Shen Yuan said like it was a personal affront and the hand disappeared back under the covers.

Luo Binghe did his best to think extremely unsexy thoughts as he removed his outer robe and let it join so many other clothes on the floooo–UnSexy Thoughts! His A-Yuan was sad! Yue Qingyuan had frightened him! Those things were not okay!!

His dick, rather unfortunately, did not care. It was too concerned with Shen Yuan’s discarded clothes and the fact he was asking him to join him in bed to worry about the pesky “whys” of it all.

Okay. He could work around this.

Luo Binghe sat on the edge of the bed and, making sure his body was angled away from Shen Yuan, lifted the covers. Shen Yuan was facing away from him on his side, wearing one inner robe at least, but it was unclear how much else. Luo Binghe slipped under the blankets to join him, looping his arm around his waist to pull him in while keeping his hips well out of the way.

Shen Yuan shuddered and clutched his hand to his chest like it was the only thing keeping him together. Luo Binghe tried to give him a reassuring squeeze, though he was unsure how effective it was considering he was keeping so much of himself away from him.

They were quiet for a long time, enough time for Luo Binghe to fall into a half-meditative state. Every time Shen Yuan shuddered, Luo Binghe hummed and nuzzled his shoulder and Shen Yuan would relax again. He didn’t know what to say or if Shen Yuan would want to talk, so he didn’t try.

All this meant that when Shen Yuan eventually emerged from the blankets and turned towards him, Luo Binghe’s arousal was not the most obvious thing about him. His A-Yuan’s eyes were rimmed with red and there were tear tracks over his nose and along his temple. His lips were bitten red and his checks were flushed and his hair was mussed and it wasn’t fair, how beautiful he was like this.

When he turned around, Luo Binghe he moved to his back and waited for instructions. He already was exactly where he wanted to be; he wasn’t going to mess this up by assuming anything else. Shen Yuan looked at his patient expression, opened his mouth, then simply laid his head on Luo Binghe’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist. Binghe moved so that he was holding him as he had asked, one arm around his back and a hand coming up to stroke his hair.

Shen Yuan melted into him finally and Luo Binghe ventured, “A-Yuan need not talk about what happened if he does not wish to, but this Binghe would listen if he did.”

A-Yuan cuddled closer and sighed. “I messed up again, Binghe,” he said, sounding exhausted. “I keep messing up.”

Luo Binghe leaned up and said against his forehead (it wasn’t a kiss! It wasn’t!), “How does A-Yuan figure?”

“Well, my first mistake was while you were in the other future, in not planning for the fact that people don’t like me and won’t give me the benefit of the doubt. Then I couldn’t think of a lie good enough to hide the fact I had been cured before running into Liu Qingge. I talked to Mu Qingfang without consulting with you. I couldn’t stop Yue Qingyuan from removing you from the bamboo house and now he thinks that I…”

Shen Yuan shuddered again and Luo Binghe just held him closer, not knowing where to even begin to comfort him beyond this.

Eventually he said, “Binghe, he wouldn’t leave yesterday. I had asked him so many times and he eventually asked what I would do if he didn’t leave and I was tired, so tired. I didn’t know what else to do! He put a qi barrier so I was trapped in the house with him and I had no energy left to stand let alone fight him off and he just wouldn’t leave!”

“I know, I’m so, so sorry, A-Yuan,” Luo Binghe soothed, absolutely fucking livid. How dare that man make his precious A-Yuan feel like this? How dare he push him when he was already vulnerable, then make him blame himself?

“Nothing was working! I tried being cold and then I tried being mean, but it didn’t matter! So I… I tried being his Xiao-Jiu.” Luo Binghe went felt a chill go through him at this but Shen Yuan kept talking. “Not that Shen Jiu would have done anything but vomit at the act, but it worked. I called him Qi-ge, acted confused, then he actually left. But now he thinks that if he pushes me, he can get his person back, a person that hadn’t existed decades before I got here, I think. He would hurt me, convinced he was helping his trapped childhood friend. But Shen Jiu is gone and I won’t pretend to be him beyond what will keep me alive.

“I hate knowing what he did to you, to so many disciples here. I hate it, Binghe. And while nothing will ever make what he did excusable, Shen Jiu had a hard life and Yue Qingyuan’s helpful patronization breathing down his neck as his only available comfort in Cang Qiong. I hate what he has done and the fact that his actions will always be associated with me, but I can’t hate him, not anymore.

“How can Yue Qingyuan not see what he’s doing! They were slaves! Does he think wielding quote unquote ‘benevolent’ power over him would ever win Shen Jiu over to his side when even to me it feels like a cage? That’s not love, that’s possession and he doesn’t get it!

“But worse than any of that… Binghe, what if he tries to hurt you? He read my medical file yesterday. The reason he came to talk to me in the first place was to tell me to stay away from you. He knows I… if he tried to hurt you because of me, I don’t know what I would do, Binghe. I really don’t. I can barely live with myself, making you go into the Abyss, even knowing you’ll survive it. But if he… because of me, I…”

Shen Yuan was crying, full on sobbing into his chest now, half curled into himself, and Luo Binghe was crying with him. He didn't know how to process half the information he was given, but he understood enough to shed tears, too. Because, of everything his A-Yuan shared, of course he was most concerned for Luo Binghe and not himself. Of course he was carrying the weight of his responsibilities and of everyone else’s actions alone.

He loved this foolish, brilliant man so very much.

He was going to kill Yue Qingyuan.

Luo Binghe did his best to pull himself together and started to talk in a low, soothing voice. “A-Yuan, beloved, listen to me, okay? You are not forcing me to go into the Abyss. It is not your decision, nor is it your fault. Anything Yue Qingyuan does is his decision, not yours. Didn’t you tell me just yesterday that causation is not fault?”

Shen Yuan was still crying, but had calmed a little at the question. “Well, yeah. But that’s different.”

Luo Binghe rubbed at his back and felt the tension slowly begin to leak out of the other man. “How?”

“It’s my job to protect you, Binghe. It’s my role as your teacher to make sure you are safe and trained enough to survive in the Abyss. I mean, you would have survived it anyway even if I actively hurt you, but I would never want that.

“At the end of the day, this world is yours, this story is yours,” Shen Yuan's voice was calm now, but he sounded exhausted and… sad. “I’m trying to make things as easy as possible for you, not put more obstacles in your way. Yue Qingyuan is one of the only people who has enough power over me in society that would make it harder to protect you. I would do it, of course, but it comes with consequences that could affect you.”

“…A-Yuan, what about you?”

“I’m not important.”

Luo Binghe tensed, the wrongness of that statement causing all kinds of havoc to his system. “Look at me.”

“Binghe, I–“

“Shen Yuan, look at me.”

Shen Yuan hesitated then shifted to prop himself up enough to look down at Luo Binghe. The uncertainty in his expression under the tears tore him apart. How could he doubt me still? How could he not know?

Luo Binghe lifted the hand not on Shen Yuan’s back to gently wipe away his tears before cupping his cheek. “Listen to me. You are the most important thing in the world. No, I’m serious. You say this is my world, my story. But, A-Yuan, the only thing I want is to be with you. That is the only thing I need.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes were wide and shocked. “But, your family–“

“Would be nice to have, but I have lived without one before.”

He swallowed audibly. “What about the power? Of ruling the demon realm?”

Luo Binghe shook his head. “I wanted to be strong enough to protect myself, people who had been weak like me, and then you. I mostly want to be able to keep you safe, make sure you’re happy. Power that can’t help me do that means little to me.”

A complicated expression crossed his face, but he was no longer crying Luo Binghe would count that as a win. “But what do you want for yourself?”

Luo Binghe knew, at the very core of himself, that Shen Yuan did not want an honest answer, not from him. He would do the next best thing.

“I want a lot of things, A-Yuan, but I need my most important person to be safe and, if it pleases him, by my side.”

“Binghe,” Shen Yuan sighed his name like it was the sweetest treat as he shook his head. Then he laid back against him and said, “You’re ridiculous, you know?”

Luo Binghe hummed and hugged him tight. “Maybe. A-Yuan doesn’t mind, so it’s okay. But to go back to what you said, this Binghe would not call your actions mistakes. You made decisions and are dealing with the consequences of them; isn’t that just living?”

Shen Yuan was quiet for a moment before he said, “Well, yes. But I could have made more strategic decisions, right?”

“This Binghe cannot think of better ones for the situations A-Yuan was in. Can A-Yuan?”

A long moment passed and Shen Yuan eventually said, “A few, but they somewhat made sense at the time. And I can live with my decisions but would hate if anything I’ve done came back to hurt you. If Yue Qingyuan…”

Binghe sighed. “Yue Qingyuan will not hurt me. If he tries, I will never blame you for what he’s done. But he won’t hurt me while I am still a disciple because he will have no reason to politically. When I get out of Abyss and come back for you, he won’t be able to hurt me.

“My biggest concern is for your safety, A-Yuan. We both know that I would fall apart without you.”

“You say that, but Binghe is strong,” he mumbled, stretching up to nuzzle his neck and rather obviously breathe in his scent in a way that Luo Binghe would have a difficult time ignoring soon. “Binghe would be fine without me.”

“No, A-Yuan,” Luo Binghe said, remembering tales of other worlds where he had nearly or actually destroyed everything for want of this man’s love and taking them as prophecy. “I would not.”

Shen Yuan hummed noncommittally and his head migrated to Luo Binghe’s chest. He rubbed his face against him like a cat scent marking him and okay, this was getting a bit– “Binghe knows how I feel about him, right? Even though I can’t say it now?”

The time spent and the trust shared and the smiles and laughs and comfort and care and treason and–

That’s not how lo–

He knows that I–

“Yes, I know,” Luo Binghe says, voice tight with control because the man he loved was laying on top of him implying he loved him back! Was he not supposed to react!? “Why can’t A-Yuan say it, if we both know?”

“It’s wrong. Binghe’s too young,” Shen Yuan said, yawning as he snuggled closer. “And I’m his Shizun.”

Luo Binghe would have pointed out that it felt pretty damn right and oh, he was in his bed, but he wasn’t one for self-sabotage. His A-Yuan was voluntarily falling asleep on him, and Luo Binghe did not want to ruin that experience. Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “A-Yuan? What about the question I asked yesterday?”

“Hm? Question?”

Luo Binghe felt his heart race as he asked again, “Will you marry me?”

Shen Yuan huffed a laugh before he mumbled, barely audible. “Not yet. But Binghe? To anyone else, I would say no.”

With that, Luo Binghe lost the chance to ask further questions as Shen Yuan was asleep.

Later, after Shen Yuan had woken up and promptly seemed horrified with himself, Luo Binghe left to cook them dinner. While at his favorite burner, he was accosted by a worried Ning Yingying. As everyone else had left him alone, he didn’t mind it so much.

“I won’t say much and don’t tell the others but… Shizun is scared, Yingying. I think he’s really scared what Yue Qingyuan may do.”

Ning Yingying’s mouth was a flat line of discontent and her eyes were resolute as she said, “Don’t worry, A-Luo. That man will be afraid to even look in the direction of Qing Jing Peak by the time I’m done.”

Luo Binghe was in awe of her. “But how?”

She smiled serenely, her eyes turning vicious. “It was before you had arrived here, A-Luo, but one of the first things Shizun taught me was to use whatever limited power I had to my advantage. ‘If you can’t win, cheat. If you can’t cheat, change the game. If you can’t change the game, destroy the playing field and take what you can get to survive. The most important thing is that you survive.’

“I can’t win or cheat against a Sect Leader in terms of sheer strength. But I can change what it means to win.”

There was no mercy in her lovely expression, and it made Luo Binghe comfortable enough to say, “Yingying, I will kill him for what he did to Shizun.”

Ning Yingying patted him on the head and said, “That’s good, A-Luo. In the meantime, I can make him suffer.”

Chapter Text

After a rather harrowing emotional two days, Shen Qingqiu was happy to pretend like they never happened and proceed with business as usual. Yes, he had kind of had a major falling out with the Sect Leader in front of the entirety of Qing Jing Peak and yes, he had rather forcibly cuddled his disciple then proceeded to have a minor emotional breakdown on him. But that was then! And he was doing just fine now, thank you!

Okay, he had maybe started having nightmares about suffocating. Also, he may have some anxiety around being alone. But like? That was completely normal! Haha… ha.

“Hate to tell you, bro, but that shit isn’t normal. Like, it’s normal as in it’s a trauma response, but also not normal because it’s a trauma response. Do you, uh, want to talk about anything? Maybe?”

“Nah.”

“Are you sure? Because it looks like you went a few long rounds with Bai Zhan and lost every one.”

“Thanks, Airpalne.”

“I’m serious,” Shang Qinghua said, and Shen Qingqiu had to look away. Even he had a limit for playing things off in the face of such sincerity. “You didn’t even look this bad after carrying Luo Binghe and I back on Xiu Ya the other day and that’s saying something. When was the last time you slept? Like peacefully.”

Shen Qingqiu stared down at his tea blankly and finally conceded. “…Five days ago.”

It had been an exceptionally long five days.

“…Isn’t that the day that Yue-shixiong came to Qing Jing?”

“How do you–right, spy, of course.”

“Well, that helps sure, but there are some rumblings about the Sect Leader that are starting to pick up some steam. A lot of them pretty fucking alarming and I invited you over so I could ask about them face to face, but then you walked in looking like you got run over by a truck. Which, to be sure, is still stupidly gorgeous, but now you look fragile, bro. I’m genuinely concerned here. What happened between you and Yue Qingyuan?”

Shang Qinghua was staring at him with the open concern that Shen Qingqiu had gotten used to seeing on his disciple’s faces as he walked around the peak and taught. Luo Binghe had taken to making hearty and fortifying soups that took hours to prepare after the second day, his panic increasingly evident even as he tried to seem calm around him. The concern from everyone was too much to take at times, but it was better than the hours of being alone he usually had during the day and throughout the night. When the nightmares got to be too much (even when he could fall asleep), even restive meditating remained elusive, his body unwilling to fall into a less than vigilant state.

Without sleep or the ability to meditate for rest, Shen Qingqiu attempted to focus on other things. He could meditate with Xiu Ya to better bond with the sword, work on the talismans he was creating for the Immortal Alliance Conference, or just the usual work that came with the job of Peak Lord. But now that his hands shook when he held a brush too long, he focused on sword work as big movements still seemed to be in his wheelhouse, Xiu Ya and his cultivation keeping him steady when his body would have faltered.

He had even stooped to asking the System for help, setting a pseudo-alarm for the house that had given him some peace of mind, enough to fall asleep even. But the System could only give him dreams, not take them away, so the sleep was not the best.

Shen Qingqiu knew this wasn’t sustainable but was at a loss as to what to do to fix it.

Maybe talking would help. Not much else had.

“…Airplane, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much would you say Yue Qingyuan wants his Xiao-Jiu back?”

Shang Qinghua seemed confused but answered, “Do you mean Shen Jiu or like… how he sees Shen Jiu?”

Ah, so he understood the difference. Well, that made sense, considering he had created their fucked up dynamic then failed to bring it into the original story for some reason. “The latter.”

“12.”’

Shen Qingqiu shuddered and closed his eyes painfully. “That’s what I thought.”

Then he told him, doing his best to leave nothing out, of the interactions he had had with Yue Qingyuan. He started with the one immediately following the Time Travel Incident since it felt important.

He ended with, “Binghe helped calm me down after, but I keep having nightmares about not being able to breathe. And being alone has become… difficult. I’m always listening too hard to everything and I can’t relax! I’ve tried mediating and exercising and working, but nothing helps! Thank goodness Binghe is pretty much never alone, otherwise I would be even more of a wreck. I know I’m worrying my disciples and poor Binghe will drive himself to exhaustion trying to cook me increasingly elaborate and soothing soups, but I’m at a loss here. It’s stupid that I can’t just get a grip but–“

“Okay, stop,” Shen Qingqiu stopped. “This all explains several things. I don’t think it’s stupid. I do think not sleeping is making it harder for you to deal with everything. I also think you need help and there’s nothing wrong with that. Have you been able to really rest since you saw him last?”

“…yes. Once, when I was with Binghe.”

Shang Qinghua was staring at him. “You were with…”

“I didn’t mean to!” Shen Qingqiu rushed to say. “It just after it happened and I was crying and Binghe was there. I told him what happened and he was just… really kind and sweet and easy to fall asleep on.”

Shang Qinghua gaped at him before shaking his head and waving the topic away with his hands. “We’ll come back to that. Have you told anyone but Luo Binghe and I everything that’s happened?”

“No. And Binghe doesn’t know about our fight about him moving out.”

“Oh. That explains why he hasn’t tried to kill him yet.”

“What? Binghe wouldn’t try to kill him?”

“Bro, you are literally… never mind. Something else to come back to. I think you need to tell at least two other people what happened: Liu Qingge and Mu Qingfang.”

Shen Qingqiu felt his hackles raise at the suggestion of going to the doctor because of this. “No, not Mu-shidi.”

“Why not? You need to sleep and he can help you do that.”

“…I’ve had a bad experience with sleeping pills, okay?”

“You had…” Shang Qinghua cleared his throat and said gently, “Okay, no sleep medicine. But he could give you some tools to help calm you down, right? Or maybe behaviors that can help you cope with anxiety. That, and he’s your best chance of getting you out of attending the next Peak Lord Meeting in two weeks if you need to. I don’t think being forced to sit next to the Sect Leader all day will help you right now.”

Oh, God. The Peak Lord Meeting. He had already sat through the last one ignoring the weight of his stare but the thought of doing so now…

“Hey, hey!” Shang Qinghua said, jumping up and coming around to steady him after he swayed in his seat from the sheer rush of NO that he felt. “Going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen, okay?”

Shen Qingqiu took a deep, slow breath and said, “Okay. Good thinking.”

“I know, rare! But it happens,” Shang Qinghua joked, though his expression sobered quickly. “No objections to telling Bai Zhan?”

“…why do you want to tell him?”

Shang Qinghua left his side to go back to his seat, looking at Shen Qingqiu contemplatively. “Well, no question he would be on your side, especially once he gets a look at you like this. Between him and Mu Qingfang, I would say they have the best chance of convincing Yue Qingyuan to actually stay away from you. Heard that Mu Qingfang was pretty much strongarmed into showing Yue Qingyuan your file and he’ll be pissed about how the information was/is being used. Liu Qingge is probably the only one that has a chance of winning an out and out fight against Yue Qingyuan, so he’s the best physical protection you can get until Luo Binghe grows up. He won’t give a damn about hierarchy if he thinks protecting you is the right thing, which it is.”

An odd, almost hostile expression crossed Shang Qinghua’s face before it smoothed out. “I’ll do what I can on that front, too, but we both know my word isn’t worth much in the Sect. For what it is worth, I’m sorry you have to deal with Yue Qingyuan being a dick.”

“…thanks. And thanks for like… listening.”

“Yeah, of course, bro. You good with talking to Liu Qingge about this? I can be there if you want support or something.”

“…no, but thank you.” Shen Qingqiu wasn’t looking forward to explaining everything again, but he couldn’t reconcile who he was supposed to be with relying on Shang Qinghua in front of others in this way. The fact that he would ask for help at all with something like this was incredibly OOC; the Original Goods had rather been tortured than admit he was wrong or ask for help after all.

Sure, it had killed him and kind of led to the end of the world, but that was who Shen Qingqiu was. Shen Yuan wouldn’t go that far, but he still had his pride. And, despite his… reactions to things, Yue Qingyuan hadn’t actually done anything to him, right? Not yet, at least. It wasn’t like he wanted anything to happen, but what did he have to go to the others with, really? Dark circles and some bad dreams?

Would they even believe him?

He could get through a staff meeting, right? It wasn’t like he would be alone with him…

“Alright, just let me know, okay?” Shang Qinghua’s expression was still too earnest, and Shen Qingqiu had to look away.

“Sure.”

“Cool. Now, back to my son.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched. “He’s not your–“

“He’s 100% going to try–and because he’s the protagonist, successfully–to kill Yue Qingyuan for what he’s done to you after he gets out of the Abyss,” Shang Qinghua spoke over him. “I am baffled by how you don’t understand that.”

“Why would he?! As heir to the demon realm Binghe couldn’t just go around killing Sect Leaders on a whim!”

“He would consider it justified! Bro! How did he react if the villain of the week threatened his wives and made them cry?”

Eliminate them with extreme prejudice.

“…Okay, but I’m not his wife? Even if we marry eventually, I would never be his wife.”

“No, you would be his only spouse, his empress-to-be! Don’t look at me like that; it’s a genderless title! Stop getting hung up on the language. The point is that you’re, for the purposes of the story, not his tormentor but his love interest. You’re a love interest who–very understandably–was frightened by another man, menacing and after your affections, with power over you. Luo Binghe was able to comfort you because of the other man. Does that sound familiar to you, bro?”

Shen Qingqiu paled at the insinuation. “Are you saying I’m Yingying?”

“Yeah, but times, like, a million. Ning Yingying was his first wife for a reason, but the one who time traveled didn’t have a harem, right? I doubt your disciple will either. And you are, even as Cucumber-bro and not Shen Jiu, an extremely different person than PIDW’s Ning Yingying. There’s more weight to it if you need his comfort than if she would, but even that’s not the point.

“The point is you won’t be one of 3000. The point is that he never loved any of his wives the way he loves you. Yue Qingyuan would have died for getting you, Shen Qingqiu, to a state of crying on Luo Binghe before you started having trouble functioning because of him. Now he would be lucky to die quickly.”

…Shen Qingqiu was tired and rubbed at his temple. “Okay, so Binghe might be thinking of killing him.”

“Might be–“

“What exactly do you want me to do with this information, Airplane-bro?” He asked, only to wince at the slip into the familiar moniker.

Shang Qinghua sighed and shook his head. “I guess that’s up to you. I mostly was just offended by how much you underestimate what Luo Binghe would do for you after so many flames from you about the people around him being idiots.”

“Hey, I managed to raise all of Qing Jing’s intelligence and wisdom stats!”

“You’re deflecting but I’ll allow it. Time to go back to the fact the last time you slept well was with your disciple.”

Shen Qingqiu blushed suddenly, the rush of blood almost making him dizzy. “Don’t say it like that!” He hissed.

“Have you considered that maybe that’s how you can sleep again?” Shang Qinghua asked, ignoring his outburst.

“No! That would entirely inappropriate! I can’t just pull my disciple into bed every night because I need to–“

“Wait, wait.” Shang Qinghua waved his hands and stared at him. “You let him cuddle you to sleep in your bed?!”

Oh, right. He had left that out before. “…Yes? But it was completely innocent!”

“…”

Shen Qingqiu hated it, but his blush flared at the blatant doubt on Shang Qinghua’s face. “It was! Look, I’ll even as the System as a neutral observer.”

System, can you display your screen so that Shang Qinghua can see it, too?

[…Host, that may not be the best idea.]

Can you or not? Spend the points needed for that or whatever, as long as it doesn’t exceed 50 points.

[…activating Projection! Thanking Host of unlocking this System feature! User 001 can now see Host’s System interface for this session!]

The translucent screen shifted and grew larger, so both he and Shang Qinghua could see it. “Holy shit, bro! How come your System lets you do things like this?”

“Never mind that. System, how would you describe how Luo Binghe comforted me following my last confrontation with the Sect Leader?”

[Answering Host: the scene was very intimate, with the Protagonist physically soothing Host as he cried. Host was preoccupied and the Protagonist did his best to give the Host what he needed despite his own distraction due to circumstances.]

Shen Qingqiu frowned. “Distraction? What distraction?”

[Answering Host: Protagonist Luo Binghe was distracted by Host’s state of undress, the setting of his bedroom, and close physical proximity.]

“Bro! You weren’t wearing clothes!?”

“I was wearing clothes! Just… less than I normally do.” …It was less than anyone but an adult Luo Binghe had seen him in voluntarily, but he had undressed to be comfortable while he was alone! It wasn’t his fault that Binghe had come to find him after that! “System, did anything untoward happen between Luo Binghe and I?”

[Requesting definition of “untoward.”]

“Did anything occur that was inappropriate for the nature of my relationship with Luo Binghe?”

[Answering Host: nothing occurred outside of the parameters of Host’s developing romantic relationship with the Protagonist.]

“Ha!” Shang Qinghua exclaimed, pointing at him.

“I’m not in a romantic relationship with Binghe!”

[…Host.]

“Shen Qingqiu’s System,” Shang Qinghua said, “what is the role of Shen Qingqiu in the story?”

[Thanking User 001 for activating his free trial of System Co-Op Mode! Answering User 001: Host has manually rejected the role of Scum Villain in favor of selecting the Lover’s Halo! While this change is not finalized until after certain locked events and the completion of various plot lines, Host has made significant strides towards the realization of this change!]

“Hate to break it to you, but the System says you’re wife-coded, bro.”

Shen Qingqiu threw his fan at him. Shang Qinghua unfortunately ducked as Shen Qingqiu force-closed the System. “Forget all of that. Anyway! What were we talking about?”

Shang Qinghua pouted at him but Shen Qingqiu was unmoved. “I was trying to help you figure out a way to get to sleep. Have you tried sleeping with anyone else?”

Shen Qingqiu pulled out a spare fan (he always kept at least two in is qiankun pouch) and opened it to hide his face. “I have not tried falling asleep with anyone else near, no.”

Shang Qinghua rolled his eyes at him, “Oh, you know what I mean. You may want to try that to see if it helps. You may just need someone you trust there; you may not have to be as cuddled up as you were with Luo Binghe. It wouldn’t be weird, you know; Shen Jiu had trouble sleeping alone sometimes, too. If you need something, you need something.”

“Yeah, but horrible things had actually happened to him.” Shen Qingqiu mumbled.

“What was that?” Shang Qinghua asked, eyes narrowed.

“Nothing. I’ll try sleeping with Binghe in the room for a couple of hours tonight, to change as few variables as possible. Even though he’s not an OP demon lord yet, I still feel the safest with him, I think.”

“…Bro, that’s the cutest shit I’ve ever heard,” Shang Qinghua said, sniffling a little as he helpfully slid the thrown fan back over to Shen Qingqiu.

“Shut up,” Shen Qingqiu said without any heat. “Don’t listen to me, I’m delirious. Can we change the subject now? You mentioned something about rumors earlier? What’s been happening?”

Shang Qinghua looked at him steadily then shook his head, “Nope, not sharing until I know you’ve talked to Liu Qingge and Mu Qingfang about your situation. It’s nothing harmful to you and you’ve got enough on your plate, I think. And don’t think I didn’t hear that little mumble of yours. Just because the worst hasn’t happened to you doesn’t make your reactions to things any less real. Listen to your senior on this.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched again. He had been leaning towards not actually telling them anything, but still, that was his decision to make. “I’m not a child.”

“Yeah, I thought that too at, what, 21? The sky won’t fall if you don’t know everything right now. Take care of yourself first, then worry about the rest. I promise I’ll tell you if some nasty rumor comes up about you.”

Shen Qingqiu wanted to fight, but he was really fucking tired. And he was getting tired of being tired. He sighed and added, “Or Binghe.”

“Yes, yes, you or the protagonist. One track mind, I swear.”

Shen Qingqiu would ignore that last bit. He fanned himself slowly and changed the subject. “Have you been able to make any progress on our project?”

Shang Qinghua sighed and nibbled distractedly on a melon seed before saying, “Yeah, kinda. Took me a bit longer to recover than you from that day and I have my usual work, but I’ve managed to message my king that I need to speak with him and ordered some supplies that should be here within the next couple of weeks.”

Shen Qingqiu look at him, really looked at him, and noticed rather belatedly how he wasn’t the only exhausted person in the room. For all that he mocked him, Shang Qinghua had a lot on his plate as An Ding Peak Lord outside of their (okay, it was really Shen Qingqiu’s) scheming. While part of it was definitely deserved as the architect of this hell world, all of it wasn’t.

“…You know, one benefit of being unable to sleep is I’m rather caught up on my paperwork. If you need it, I could help you?”

Shang Qinghua stared at him, eyes wide and astonished. “Bro, you mean it?”

He sighed, “Yes, I’m serious.”

“No take-backs.”

“Yes.”

“For real?”

“Airplane.”

To his utter horror, Shang Qinghua’s eyes became shiny with tears. “You’re the best, Cucumber-bro.”

Shen Qingqiu waved his fan dismissively then hid his small smile. “Just bring me some things you think I can help with.”

It took all of five minutes into expense reports for Shen Qingqiu to question his decision. “What the fuck is this?”

“I know.”

“Is this Chinese? Are these characters?”

“I know.”

“How are you sane?”

“I’m not, if I’m being honest.”

“Understandably so. Who submitted–Liu Qingge!”

“I know he was properly educated! I think he just makes a random disciple write the report than he signs it off. That, or he could actually read the chicken scratch.”

“This is unacceptable. I’m seeing him tomorrow and–“

There was a large crash as the door to Shang Qinghua’s house burst open, revealing the derelict Peak Lord in question. While Shang Qinghua squawked in indignance about his door, Shen Qingqiu was rather used to this kind of entrance. “Ah, just who I was speaking of. Liu Qingge, explain yourself.”

The man frowned at him, the already-present furrow in his brow deepening in confusion. “What?”

“I have seen better script from my youngest disciples. I can see from your signature that you have better handwriting, so the only explanations left are that you can somehow read this mess and thus saw no problem with it, or you knew it was illegible and passed it on to Shang-shidi anyway. Which is it?”

Shen Qingqiu had unintentionally fallen into his lecture voice that always got his wayward disciples to correct their ways. It seemed to work at least a bit on his shidi, leaving Liu Qingge somewhat flustered as he came up with a response.

“That’s not… that’s not why I’m here. Shang Qinghua, why are you making Shen Qingqiu do his work when he is clearly ill?”

Shang Qinghua sputtered, and Shen Qingqiu snorted. “Like he could make me do anything. I volunteered to help him, as I would help you by tutoring your disciples in some basic writing skills. Really, shidi, this is concerning. If you had brought to my attention their lack of literacy earlier, I would have been happy to step in.”

A… disturbingly pretty blush crossed the other man’s face. “I… that’s… wait, no. Shen Qingqiu, why aren’t you resting? You look tired and your disciples were concerned that you were overworking yourself. I went to your Peak to talk to you about something and half a dozen of them stopped me to ask if I could help you.”

“My disciples did what?”

Liu Qingge sighed and came further into the room. “Don’t be mad at them; they were clearly worried and understandably so. Can you even stand?”

“Of course, I can; how do you think I got here? And what were you coming to speak with me about that couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

Liu Qingge looked to Shang Qinghua, who had at some point managed to maneuver himself into a protected position behind Shen Qingqiu. “Don’t mind me!” He squeaked. “If it’s about what I think it’s about, then I already know more than you.”

Liu Qingge certainly wasn’t pleased by Shang Qinghua’s words, but Shen Qingqiu was just confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Shen-shixiong, I think Liu-shidi is referring to the same reason I asked to speak with you today. About what happened between you and the Sect Leader.”

Oh. That was unfortunate.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t in complete control of his expression and wasn’t sure what Liu Qingge saw in his face to say, “So something did happen.”

“Erm…”

System, is there something to get me out of this situation?

“Shen-shixiong,” Shang Qinghua said, coming around to see his face, “you said you would tell Liu-shidi and Mu-shixiong what you told me. You said they would let them help you.”

SQQ: What the FUCK are you doing?

SQH: Getting you out of your own way

SQH: don’t think I didn’t hear those mumbles from you earlier

[Yes, there is a scenario pusher available for this event. Would Host like to activate it for 50 B-points?]

“You trusted him with this?” Liu Qingge asked, hurt edging into his tone enough to convey his unspoken and not me?

Yes, activate it.

“Liu Qingge, it’s not like that. Look, I should–“ Shen Qingqiu stood quickly, only to stagger as black danced around his vision. He registered sounds of alarm before everything abruptly cut out with the exception of a beloathed mechanical voice.

[Scenario pusher activated! Thanking Host for using the System! ^_^]

Like so many times in the past week, Shen Qingqiu jerked awake, the sound escaping his mouth both a gasp and a piercing sob. His hand flew to his throat as he gulped down air, tears streaming from his closed eyes. He struggled to calm his breathing and reassure himself he was alone and–

He wasn’t alone.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flew open as they frantically searched a room that quite obviously wasn’t his bedroom, but rather a private examination room on Qian Cao Peak. He looked to where his qi had warned him of another’s presence and was somewhat relieved to see it was just Mu Qingfang standing hesitantly at the room’s threshold. His expression was full of concern and professional assessment. Shen Qingqiu realized that his hands were still at his neck.

He lowered them and worked to compose himself as much as possible. He deliberately slowed his breathing and wiped at his eyes. His hands were shaking, but he ignored that as he straightened and moved to place his feet on the floor. “Mu-shidi,” he greeted, voice decimated to a rasp.

“Shen-shixiong. May this shidi come closer to examine shixiong?”

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and nodded. Mu Qingfang closed the door behind him and approached before gently taking his wrist. As Mu Qingfang began running familiar qi through his system, Shen Qingqiu asked, “What happened? Why is this master on Qian Cao Peak?”

Clearly distracted by his work, Mu Qingfang said, “Shixiong fainted upon standing. While Liu-shidi prevented further injury by catching Shen-shixiong, he was concerned and brought shixiong here. Liu-shidi also said that Qing Jing’s disciples reported shixiong not feeling well for a number of days, and that shixiong’s ailment may have something to do with the Sect Leader. When this shidi gave Shen-shixiong spiritual energy to bring him back to consciousness, Shen-shixiong slept on for perhaps two ke before waking just now.

“Master Shen, this reaction is indicative of both severe fatigue and an inability to remain asleep. Is there some reason Shen-shixiong did not come to this shidi for aid earlier?”

“…This one did not wish to bother Mu-shidi with such a trivial matter.”

“Master Shen.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched but he suppressed a full wince at Mu Qingfang’s disbelieving tone. He sighed, too tired to prevaricate for long. “What was this master to say, Mu-shidi? That the most this master has been able to sleep before nightmares force this one awake is half a shichen? Or that somehow this master has been unable to mediate to rest, too aware of every sound and unwilling to make himself vulnerable? And for such a trite reason as–“ Shen Qingqiu cut himself off and closed his eyes. “No, Master Mu. This Peak Lord could not have come forward with his struggles when there was still a chance of them resolving privately.”

A rouge tear escaped his eye and he quickly wiped it away, annoyed as the pathetic picture he must have made. Thank God he had disabled the OOC lock! He would have surely had negative B-points by now!

“The matter Master Shen refers to as ‘trite’ is that of Sect Leader Yue visiting Master Shen after the Sect Leader had read his medical file?” Mu Qingfang asked carefully, the healing energy he had been sending him pausing in its journey.

“Yes.” There was movement at his side and Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes to find his doctor kneeling beside him, head bowed as if in penance. “Mu-shidi, what–“

“This one apologizes to Master Shen for allowing the Sect Leader to read his file. If this one had known–“

“Mu-shidi, get up! I know very well how little Sect Leader Yue respects me and my privacy to know that he would have looked at it regardless of your permission. I also know Mu-shidi did his best to stop him, but Yue Qingyuan used his authority as Sect Leader to look at it anyway. There was nothing Mu-shidi could have done and the Sect Leader’s actions are his own.”

“Shen-shixiong is too kind,” Mu Qingfang said, still on his knees for some reason, which was really starting to alarm Shen Qingqiu. “This shidi is undeserving of his grace. This shidi has been a fool to not put together the evidence of shixiong’s difficulties before this moment and will strive to do better.”

Isn’t this a bit much for a couple of days of light sleep? Mu-shidi, what the fuck are you talking about?

“…Pardon?”

“Does Shen-shixiong have the sense that having someone he trusts there as he sleeps would soothe him?”

A thrill of unease shot through him. Did Shang Qinghua say anything about his sleeping with Binghe? Surely not, right?

He stayed silent and opened the messenger, only to find he had missed a few messages as he had slept.

SQH: bro, wtf!?!

SQH: please say sike

SQH: oh shit you’re actually out

SQH: are you okay???

SQH: okay before you get mad, I was dragged here not by choice

SQH: also only told them the bare minimum to keep LQG from killing me

SQH: are you sure he doesn’t like you bro? He keeps looking at you like he does

SQH: uhhh YQY’s here you just stay asleep okay?

SQQ: what the fuck

SQQ: I’m awake are you on Qian Cao?

“Shen-shixiong?”

Shen Qingqiu shook himself and closed the window, wary of using it while trying to actively hold a conversation after meeting with Mobei-Jun. He said tentatively, “This one is uncertain how much Master Mu knows… but this one did accidentally fall asleep peacefully while his disciple was near once. He did not leave this one’s side out of concern for this one’s well-being the entire time.”

“This disciple was Luo Binghe?”

“…Yes. Mu-shidi, really, please get up. There is no need for such a display.”

“Shen-shixiong feels safe with Disciple Luo?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Mu Qingfang sighed but finally rose from the floor. “Shen-shixiong cannot recall now, but before his qi deviation he would visit brothels somewhat frequently. As this one revealed at the last meeting, investigation has borne out that these visits were for information gathering and, most importantly, to sleep. This one can only conclude that shixiong’s issues are far from new but have only arisen again due his disciple being removed from his home and Yue-shixiong’s actions making Shen-shixiong feel unsafe once more. This suggests this incident is far from the first time Yue-shixiong has violated Shen-shixiong’s privacy to the point that he feels unable to sleep peacefully.”

“Not just my privacy,” Shen Qingqiu mumbled under his breath, but Mu Qingfang froze as the words registered. He sighed again thinking, well, I’m already here. “Master Mu is correct in his conclusion that Yue Qingyuan has taken actions to make this one feel unsafe in his own home. To be completely honest, this one feared that drawing attention to such actions would be a fruitless endeavor as Yue Qingyuan is generally held in high regard by others and this master is… not. But, if Master Mu is willing to hear this one out–“

“Yes.”

“In that case… Yue Qingyuan wishes to restore this master’s lost memories against this master’s wishes and has demonstrated a willingness to push this master past the limits of his endurance. This stated desire and other actions have proved to this master that the Sect Leader does not respect him as an individual. To be blunt, I’m afraid he would hurt me in an effort to restore memories that I do not want and fear the consequences of regaining.

“I also fear that he would hurt my disciple if given the chance because of our possible future relationship. He trapped me in my home when I was too weak to walk to try to pressure me to stop spending any time with him and threatened to not leave after I had repeatedly asked him to do so. He didn’t care–“

“Shizun?” Shen Qingqiu stopped talking as an unfamiliar voice called from the hallway, swiftly accompanied by a polite but urgent knock. “Shizun, this disciple apologizes for interrupting, but there is a disturbance outside that requires your intervention.”

“Thank you, Disciple Xu. This master will attend it presently.” Mu Qingfang turned to Shen Qingqiu and began carefully withdrawing his spiritual energy from him. “Shen-shixiong, this shidi apologizes from the interruption. You are well, just in need of rest. Please, stay here as I see the issue.”

“Of course,” Shen Qingqiu demurred as Mu Qingfang released him and withdrew from the room. The second he was alone, Shen Qingqiu once more opened his thread to Shang Qinghua.

SQH: oh shit

SQH: yeah, I’m here

SQH: unfortunately

SQH: don’t come out here

SQQ: was just talking to MQF he’s coming out

SQQ: wtf is happening?

SQH: uh

SQH: news kinda traveled fast about LQG carrying you here unconscious

SQH: you didn’t look too good bro

SQH: and you know who showed up

SQH: and LQG was talking to him calmly to the side but like very clearly keeping him from coming to see you

SQH: but now they’re like… about to fight?

There was a distant crash that Shen Qingqiu heard from his examination room.

SQH: scratch that

SQH: The girls are fighting!!

Shen Qingqiu wanted absolutely nothing to do with this. Wishing Master Liu the best of luck with kicking Yue Qingyuan’s ass!

SQQ: …I do not see it

SQH: MQF is out here threatening to sedate them both but they

SQH: oh

SQH: oh shit

SQQ: what

SQH: LBH’s here

Shen Qingqiu was on his feet and running before the sentence even fully registered. It didn’t matter that Binghe was the protagonist and literally untouchable because of the plot. It didn’t matter that he was exhausted or not even recovered from his little fainting spell. Adrenaline filled him and drove him forward faster than he could even register his surroundings. He may have passed one or two Qian Cao disciples, but he didn’t care because the thought of his Binghe being anywhere near an actively hostile Yue Qingyuan was utterly unacceptable.

Shen Qingqiu stumbled to a stop after he made it outside and a wave of spiritual energy staggered him further.

“Shang-shishu!”

Shen Qingqiu’s head snapped to the side, Binghe’s voice a homing beacon. His disciple was holding a slumped over Shang Qinghua. Shen Qingqiu was by his side with less than a thought, carefully handing Shang Qinghua off to a few industrious Qian Cao disciples. “What happened?”

“Shizun! Are you… Shang-shishu put up a barrier to protect us disciples from the backlash of the Sect Leader’s strike, but I think it was too much for him,” Luo Binghe said frantically, his gaze flicking over him betraying his concern for him more than others.

His statement made Shen Qingqiu look around. There were a number of Qian Cao disciples that had taken interest in the apparent conflict between the Sect Leader and Liu Qingge and now were without adequate cover. There were wards around the main buildings inlaid into the foundations to prevent damage, but they could only take so much.

What the actual fuck were they doing?

Shen Qingqiu turned to where Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge were standing, Cheng Luan and Yue Qingyuan’s back-up blade locked together as Liu Qingge of all people were telling Yue Qingyuan to stand down. But Shen Qingqiu knew the feel of the spiritual energy that had hit him and knew that Xuan Su hadn’t remained completely sheathed for the duration of their fight.

No wonder Shang Qinghua was out.

Mu Qingfang was across the way, staring at him in utter disbelief as he maintained a barrier protecting another group of his disciples. He shook his head at him, but that didn’t change what Shen Qingqiu knew he had to do.

He looked back at Binghe and pat his head. “Stay hidden, Binghe. This master will handle this.”

“Shizun!” Luo Binghe grabbed for his sleeves, but Shen Qingqiu dodged him and moved forward.

“Yue Qingyuan!” He shouted, hoping to distract him.

It worked.

Yue Qingyuan looked at him and Liu Qingge chose that moment to push him away. The Sect Leader stumbled but Liu Qingge did not press his advantage. Rather, he fell back and came to stand between them, his back to Shen Qingqiu. “What are you doing awake?” Liu Qingge asked.

“Never mind that. Why are you two fighting?”

“He was insisting on seeing you while you were asleep. Mu Qingfang, Shang Qinghua, and I all disagreed. He didn’t take no very well.”

Fuck. Fuck. Shen Qingqiu felt nauseous but said, “Thank you. But I am awake now and this cannot continue. Move aside and get the disciples to safety.”

“I’m not leaving you to face him alone, Shen Qingqiu.”

“This isn’t a debate and this can’t be solved with swords, not against him. Do as I say.”

Liu Qingge’s expression twisted but he stepped aside and let Shen Qingqiu have a clear line of vision to Yue Qingyuan. The Sect Leader had watched the quick interaction between him and Liu Qingge closely and now stared at him with disturbing intensity.

“Sect Leader.”

“Peak Lord Shen.”

Shen Qingqiu could feel the adrenaline high of learning Binghe was in danger fading and knew he couldn’t let this discussion drag. “This master heard the Sect Leader wanted to see him. Does the Sect Leader have an explanation that can justify his show of force around numerous disciples over such an aim? Or has he experienced a qi deviation and taken leave of his senses?”

“Liu-shidi challenged my authority. Duels have occurred over less.”

“No, I didn’t. I said you couldn’t see Shen Qingqiu without his permission, and he wasn’t awake to give it,” Liu Qingge shouted from behind him.

Yue Qingyuan’s gaze shifted to glare at Liu Qingge only to focus to something like hatred on someone closer to Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu stepped instinctively into his line of sight. “This master has told the Sect Leader countless times that he is unwelcome on Qing Jing Peak and around this master due to his demonstrated lack of respect for his person. This Peak Lord can only thank Masters Mu, Liu, and Shang for doing their best to uphold this master’s wishes when the Sect Leader has taken every opportunity of late to disregard them.”

Yue Qingyuan was the picture of frustration as he said, “I am trying to help you.”

Bullshit. Bullshit.

Enough politeness. He didn't have time for it.

“No, you are trying to own me.” Yue Qingyuan flinched like the words were a physical blow. “You are trying to punish me for not being what you want, like some misbehaving pet. But I am not yours. I will never be yours, no matter if I recover memories I do not want.”

Yue Qingyuan seemed little more than an animated statue, stricken like Shen Qingqiu had said something unimaginable. Then his gaze shifted once more to Shen Qingqiu’s right and what, who he saw there seemed to ground him. “You wouldn’t be saying this if not for Luo Binghe.”

Shen Qingqiu located Binghe with his qi (Did I not tell you to stay hidden?! Binghe, why did you choose now to rebel!?) and then pulled on it to flash step in front of him. “Binghe time traveling has only revealed your true feelings towards me. It is not Binghe who has repeatedly violated my privacy and boundaries. It is not Binghe who makes me feel unsafe. Do you hear me? It is not Binghe. I will never be yours. There is no memory, no power, no sum of money to make me willingly tie myself to you, because you have proven you cannot respect me. And that is no one’s fault but your own.

“Now, be an adult, apologize to Mu Qingfang for the disturbance you have caused on his Peak, and get lost.”

Yue Qingyuan made a sound like he had been stabbed but Shen Qingqiu didn’t care. He was now relying on his cultivation to stay steady at this point. He hoped that Yue Qingyuan took his obvious use of qi as a display of power rather than a desperate attempt to stay standing.

Yue Qingyuan looked around as if just noticing that they had an audience that represented a third of the Sect’s Peaks. He cleared his throat and said calmly, “Mu Qingfang, this Sect Leader will make amends at a later date for this incident.”

“Yes, the Sect Leader will, but not just to this master,” Mu Qingfang said, letting the barrier protecting his disciples drop.

Yue Qingyuan looked around at all the eyes on him and ended up looking at Shen Qingqiu once more. Shen Qingqiu said, “There’s nothing you can say to make this better. Just go and stay away from me.”

“…Understood. Xiao-Jiu says to get lost, and this Qi-ge obeys.”

Shen Qingqiu began to snarl, “You–“ but Yue Qingyuan took to his sword and fled the scene. And not a moment too soon.

A familiar hand touched his back just as Luo Binghe said, “Shizun? Are you well?”

“Catch me.”

“Wha–“ but Shen Qingqiu had passed out before he could even finish the word.

“Shizun!” Luo Binghe cried as he cradled an unconscious Shen Yuan to his chest. His poor heart at once ached with love and anguish for the man in his arms. He had been worried, so worried for days as he watched his A-Yuan grow increasingly worn thin. He had done his best to give him what comfort he could and Shen Yuan had appreciated his efforts, but it hadn’t been enough.

Hearing from a An Ding disciple (one of the Peaks that Yingying had made contact with) that their shizun had only just been carried off the Peak by Liu Qingge had been a physical blow. Ming Fan and Yingying had both sent him to find out what had happened and to be there as the representative of all of Qing Jing.

He hadn’t expected to arrive to a fight on the medical peak.

Shang Qinghua had barely had time to reach him and say, “You shouldn’t be here. Shen-shixiong will–“ before he cut himself off and threw up a barrier to protect everyone around them from the backlash of a blow meant for Liu Qingge from Yue Qingyuan’s spiritual weapon. The hit seemed to take a lot out of both Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan, but Shang Qinghua had been the one to collapse. He had done his best to protect the disciples from suffering the same fate, so Luo Binghe was grateful enough for that.

But then his A-Yuan had arrived, looking pale but determined as he assessed the situation. He had taken control of the crisis, managed to fight off Yue Qingyuan without even unsheathing Xiu Ya, only to trust Luo Binghe to catch him as he fell.

Gods, he just!! He loved him so much!!!

“Shizun, please,” he begged, holding him close, doing his best not to stagger under the unexpected weight.

“Let me take him,” Liu Qingge said holding out his hands. Luo Binghe glared at him and shifted back a little. “You can’t carry him that far and Mu Qingfang needs to treat him now.”

Luo Binghe knew he was right, but he resented him for it. Liu Qingge took his slight relaxation as an opportunity to easily place Shen Yuan in his arms and begin moving towards the nearest building.

Luo Binghe needed to work hard so he was strong enough to carry his A-Yuan when he needed him. He promised himself he would be able to soon enough but watching the love of his life be carried away by another man because of his weakness in the meantime fucking sucked.

He followed closely behind, unwilling to leave him, and no one stopped him. Liu Qingge carried Shen Yuan into a private patient room and Mu Qingfang quickly took his place at Shen Yuan’s side, fingers on his delicate wrist.

“He’s fine, just more tired than when you first brought him in, Liu Qingge. This master will revive him enough that he is conscious but sleeping, but not attempt to wake him. He needs rest.”

“Did you manage to talk to him? Before… that?”

Mu Qingfang sighed and said, “Yes, and it is as Shang-shidi said and we had feared. We–“ he looked at Luo Binghe “–should speak of this privately. Disciple Luo, this master spoke to Shen-shixiong and has some idea of a way you could help him rest. Would you be able to stay by his side, close at hand as he sleeps?”

“Yes. Mu-shishu. This disciple is willing to do anything he can to aid his Shizun.”

“Indeed. Liu Qingge?”

The Bai Zhan Peak Lord threw him a suspicious glance but followed Mu Qingfang out of the room. The door was closed behind them, leaving Luo Binghe and a sleeping Shen Yuan alone.

Binghe didn’t know when they would be back, but he sat on the floor beside the bed and took Shen Yuan’s cool hand. “Shizun, please rest well and get better.”

Shen Yuan didn’t stir.

Luo Binghe took a meditative posture on the floor beside him and went through foundational exercises meant to strengthen qi. There was no time like the present for him to work towards being the spouse his A-Yuan needed!

But, not very long into his mediations, Luo Binghe heard a distressed whimper from behind him. His eyes flew open, and he turned to see a frown on his A-Yuan’s mouth and his breath coming faster.

He was having a nightmare.

At a loss for what else to do, Luo Binghe threw a quick glance at the door and then reached for his Shizun. One hand went to lightly pet his hair the way that always managed to soothe him, while the other followed his instincts and positioned itself so that his wrist was before Shen Yuan’s nose.

The furrow that had marred his brow smoothed out quickly and Luo Binghe couldn’t help whispering, “Your Binghe is here, it’s okay. Sleep, A-Yuan.”

His A-Yuan slept on.

A similar process happened twice more before Shen Yuan sleepily pulled him to sit beside him on the bed and maneuvered himself to use his thigh as a pillow.

Not long after this happened, Mu Qingfang returned with raised eyebrows at their position. “Mu-shishu, Shizun pulled this disciple into this position while asleep during one of his nightmares. As it seemed to help Shizun, this disciple dared not disturb him,” Luo Binghe quietly said, hands raised from where they had naturally started to stroke Shen Yuan’s hair.

“…Right. How many times would Luo-shizhi say he has interrupted one of Shen-shixiong’s nightmares?”

“At least thrice.”

Mu Qingfang blinked at him. “It has only been… And how did Luo-shizhi do so before assuming this position?”

“…this disciple would touch Shizun’s head as Shizun often does with this one and said a few soft words. And…”

Mu Qingfang sighed. “I know you respect your Shizun. I know how you feel about him, and I need you to be honest with me because this is about his health. What else helped?”

“…this disciple made sure Shizun could… smell this one.” At the look on Mu Qingfang’s face, he said, “Just by putting this one’s wrist in front of his nose at first! Other times when this disciple had to help Shizun when he was tired or asleep, Shizun seemed to find comfort in this one’s scent.”

Mu Qingfang was staring at him, gaping really. After an awkward moment, he said, “Luo-shizhi’s… scent calmed Shen-shixiong.”

“Is… there something wrong with that, Mu-shishu?”

“This…. I have never heard of such a thing.”

“Oh.”

Kid, stop talking.

What? Why?

Starting to think that the scent thing is a demonic rather than a universal trait like I thought.

Oh, gods. Oh, fuck.

Don’t freak out; I highly doubt the doc knows about that as it’s pretty particular to mated demon pairs, which are rare as most high-level demons go the route of having harems. But, at the very least, he’s going to think you and Peak Lord Shen are incredibly weird and co-dependent. Which you are, but that’s neither here nor there.

Thank you for telling me, Luo Binghe said, trying to be grateful for the helpful bits and ignore the unnecessary commentary.

Wait.

Are you saying that Shizun is already responding to me like I’m his husband?!

…I’m not explaining this to you right now. Focus on not outing yourself as a demon.

Right, okay.

He could do that.

“Luo-shizhi, come here. I want to test something.”

Careful.

“But, Shizun…”

“We won’t let him wake; I’m just trying to test what level interaction he needs to continue sleeping.”

Luo Binghe saw himself with little choice but to obey. He painstakingly rolled Shen Yuan away from him, not liking the frown that immediately appeared on his face. “Shishu…”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. Make sure he’s facing away from where you were sitting.” Luo Binghe settled Shen Yuan on his back and moved to stand.

Nothing happened.

“It may take a moment for his sleep to be disturbed. Though, I suppose that him sleeping peacefully through the night would be its own fascinating result. Now, tell me about the other times Shen-shixiong seemed soothed by your scent.”

Make it about Peak Lord Shen needing comfort and nothing under your control. And have it start with Yue Qingyuan’s harassment of Peak Lord Shen a few days ago.

Luo Binghe followed his advice, leaving out any undressing of Shen Yuan on his part and the exact setting of where he had comforted him last. A complicated series of looks crossed Mu Qingfang’s face as Luo Binghe gave a barebones account of being there for Shen Yuan after Yue Qingyuan had read his medical file. There was a lot he couldn’t read, but Luo Binghe recognized the guilt on his face. He made sure to emphasize how Shen Yuan felt about his medical file being read without his consent at least once more after that.

At length, Shen Yuan began to stir, plagued by dreams. When Luo Binghe approached him, Mu Qingfang said, “Try with just your scent.”

Luo Binghe hesitated but Shen Yuan was in distress; what other choice did he have?

He put his wrist before his nose. It took longer than Luo Binghe was used to, but Shen Yuan did calm and remain asleep.

Mine.

“Interesting. Okay, now come back here. Next, we’re going to try it with something that smells like you. While we wait for the nightmare to come back–“

“Mu-shishu, forgive this disciple’s ignorance, but is there nothing to be done to prevent the nightmares in the first place?”

“Yes, but those solutions will take time and need Shen-shixiong’s cooperation. This is just to make sure Shen-shixiong can rest and be well enough to pursue a more permanent solution. Now, the initial reason I came here was to see if Luo-shizhi was hungry or needed a break.”

Luo Binghe opened his mouth to lie but his stomach betrayed him by growling at the mention of food. “…Yes, Mu-shishu.”

“There should be one of my disciples in the front room; ask them for directions to the dining hall and facilities. Shen-shixiong should be fine to sleep long enough for you to take care of yourself.”

“Yes, Mu-shishu. Should this disciple leave something on his person here for Shizun in case he stirs while this one is gone?”

“Yes, that would be good. Do you have a handkerchief or something similar?”

Luo Binghe did. And, when he returned barely two ke later, Shen Yuan’s face was all but buried in that scrap of fabric, insanely adorable. Mu Qingfang was in the room, brush flying across the page as he took notes. “It worked, but I don’t think that will hold Luo-shizhi’s scent for very long. Could Luo-shizhi stay here for the duration of Shen-shixiong’s rest as we test this?”

“Yes.” Luo Binghe had sent a message to Ning Yingying, updating her (and therefore everyone else) on Shen Yuan’s condition and letting her know he would stay with him as long as he was allowed. “Though, Mu-shishu, could we wake Shizun and ask if he is okay with testing him for… anything?”

“…Yes, that’s a good point. You can wake him.”

Mu-shishu, did you not think of this before?!

…

Luo Binghe didn’t make a fuss, but (lovely, beautiful, brilliant) Shen Yuan did.

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu really could only handle so much.

Learning that he was unconsciously relaxing to Luo Binghe’s scent alone to the point it prevented his nightmares was one thing.

Finding out from someone who wasn’t Binghe was just a step too far.

“Mu-shidi, this master must thank you for your… attention to this matter. But this master must also decline doing any further testing as to the extent of this one’s… reaction to his disciple’s presence.”

Mu Qingfang looked at him like he could see right through him. “Shen-shixiong, there is no need to be embarrassed. While certainly… unusual to say the least, we had already established that Luo Binghe makes Master Shen feel safe.”

“Shizun said that?” Luo Binghe muttered to himself in an undertone that couldn’t escape a cultivator’s hearing. Shen Qingqiu blushed and raised a fan to hide it.

“There is some logic to your reactions. With Disciple Luo now being out of your home for a few weeks–more than enough time for his scent to disperse from common areas–and the Sect Leader’s recent actions, it makes a certain kind of sense that Master Shen would be calmed by Disciple Luo’s presence.”

Shen Qingqiu highly doubted that was the case as Binghe typically spent hours each day in the bamboo house, but he didn’t think now was the right time to bring that up. If Master Mu could land on an explanation that didn’t involve his feelings for his disciple, then who was Shen Qingqiu to stop him?

“Of course,” Mu Qingfang continued, “this could also be related to Disciple Luo’s claim that you are tried together by fate, but there is no way for this master to test that particular theory. What this shidi can test is whether Shen-shixiong is reliant on Disciple Luo or if another’s intervention will help. This shidi has already tested Shen-shixiong’s reaction with his own wrist to no avail, so shixiong’s criteria must be particular. Is there anyone who makes Shen-shixiong feel as safe or safer than Disciple Luo?”

This was! Too much!!

Shen Qingqiu did not answer, only hid further behind his fan.

“Master Shen, this shidi does not ask to embarrass you or as a judgement on your affections. This shidi simply wants to know if there is another that could calm shixiong and help him sleep through the night. Liu-shidi, perhaps? Or Shang-shidi?”

Fuck, but the last thing he needed was for other people to know about his reaction to Binghe!

“No, just. This… this master feels safest with Luo Binghe.”

He heard a sharp intake of breath from where Binghe stood but Mu Qingfang just nodded. “This shidi suspected as such. For what it is worth, this one apologizes for signing onto the order that forced Disciple Luo from shixiong’s home. If this one had suspected the Sect Leader’s true motives or how important to shixiong’s mental health having someone he trusted close at hand was, this one would have objected to the move.”

True motives?

Not my problem today!

“This master appreciates that, Mu-shidi. While he is also certain that there is much to discuss, this master must cut this conversation short due to his fatigue. As no others need to be brought in for testing, this master is assuming he and his disciple are free to return to Qing Jing?”

Mu Qingfang looked at him suspiciously and said, “Perhaps. This shidi has a treatment plan in mind that would allow for Shen-shixiong to return to Qing Jing today. Shen-shixiong would be forbidden from working for a period of at least three days, during that time he would rest and partake in restorative activities. As Shen-shixiong seems unable to relax alone now and barring any objections from Disciple Luo, Luo Binghe would spend that time with him. It would allow Disciple Luo to temporarily return to his lodgings in Shen-shixiong’s home on my medical order.”

Okay, this sounded great. But there had to be a catch. “But…”

“After these days of sustained rest, Shen-shixiong would only return to light duties until cleared by this master. This clearance would depend upon Shen-shixiong speaking with this shidi, perhaps multiple times, to address the root cause of his nightmares and anxiety.”

“That problem is easily solved, Mu-shidi; tell the Sect Leader to stay away from this master.”

Not a muscle in Mu Qingfang’s face twitched as he paused before saying calmly, “That remains to be seen. While this shidi will do what he can to ensure that the Sect Leader respects shixiong and stays away from him, he also thinks that there is more to shixiong’s troubles than just the Sect Leader.”

Well, YEAH! I’m kinda juggling a lot!! None of which I could really talk about with Mu Qingfang. What would I even say? Hi, Mu-shidi! I’m not actually your shixiong but just some internet troll who died at nineteen with no real life experience except being chronically ill who now is teaching, committing treason, and trying to prevent the fucking apocalypse! Oh, and I’m in love with my disciple who is sixteen and also secretly a demon who’s responsible for causing said apocalypse! I have no fucking clue what I’m doing and Yue Qingyuan being a fucking creep is just the straw breaking this poor millennial’s back!

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched, but he said nothing.

“Shizun,” Binghe started tentatively as he stepped closer to where Shen Qingqiu sat on the bed. “This disciple thinks Mu-shishu may be able to help. This one was far from Shizun’s only disciple to worry for him this past week. This Binghe wants nothing more than for Shizun to be well and, while he is honored Shizun thinks so highly of him, fears he may not always be available when Shizun needs him.

“Please, Shizun,” Binghe continued as he went to his knees before him. His expression took on the worried, near frantic look that had been apparent far too many times over the past couple of days. “Please consider doing as Mu-shishu suggests.”

“What are you doing? Get up, Binghe! Why are you so dramatic!?” Shen Qingqiu lowered his fan and tried to pull Luo Binghe back to standing.

Binghe pouted at him, refusing to move from his place. “This disciple is just worried about–“

“Yes, yes, I know. Wipe that look off your face; don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing!”

“But Shizun…” He pouted harder, tears coming to his eyes now.

I thought I had escaped this madness when the other Binghe went back to his timeline!? How did my disciple learn this???

Shen Qingqiu sighed, defeated. “Fine, I’ll do it. But seriously, get up; you’re embarrassing us both.”

“Yes, Shizun. Thank you, Shizun.” Luo Binghe stood, eyes still shiny but face something close to content. Shen Qingqiu tried to glare at him, but it was hard to maintain. In the end, he just pursed his lips and patted his head.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Yes, Shizun.”

“Who taught you to do that?”

“Do what?”

Mu Qingfang cleared his throat, making Shen Qingqiu freeze. His expression was extremely bland as he said, “If shixiong is decided, then we can move forward with this treatment plan?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed and removed his hand from Binghe’s hair. “Yes, with the caveat that this master’s work to address things that happened in the other timeline must not be hindered. While some things are flexible, others are not and this master must not miss a key moment to act.”

“That is acceptable. Please give this shidi a few moments to write up his official recommendation. Would shixiong like this shidi to call for Liu-shidi for assistance in getting back to Qing Jing Peak?”

Shen Qingqiu frowned. “Why would you call Liu Qingge? I can make it just fine for a flight of less than a ke.”

Mu Qingfang looked at him like he had lost his mind. It was beginning to feel familiar. “Shixiong has passed out from exhaustion twice today. This shidi cannot see the logic in having him fly home without support. Liu-shidi would be happy to help.”

“This master has already slept peacefully today longer than he has for most of the week.”

Luo Binghe made a small, distressed sound and Mu Qingfang gaped at him. “We indeed will have much to discuss. Accepting Liu Qingge’s assistance is now part of this treatment plan due to shixiong’s demonstrated disregard for his own health. This shidi will return shortly.”

Mu Qingfang left the room with a look of determination on his face and shut the door behind him. Luo Binghe took his free hand almost immediately. Quietly he said, “Shizun, why didn’t you tell me things had gotten this bad?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed and put away his fan. “I didn’t want to worry you, Binghe, not when there was nothing to be done.”

“But there was something! I can help you, we know that now. And I have been worried, so worried about you. A-Yuan,” he said, the name a whisper, “did you think it was easy for me to watch my most important person fall apart in front of me, all while claiming to be fine? I nearly had a heart attack when I heard that you had needed to be carried here today, but I wasn’t surprised by the news.

“Please, please, let this Binghe help you. Let Mu-shishu and the others help you,” Luo Binghe begged him, tears once more in his eyes and Shen Qingqiu felt awful. He had known that Binghe, that all of Qing Jing really, had been concerned, but this… this wasn’t what he had wanted.

“Okay, Binghe. Okay,” Shen Qingqiu pulled him into a hug that was returned fiercely. “I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted was to worry you. I’ll do better.”

Binghe hugged him tighter only to pull back a moment later. “Thank you. And I’m sorry, I know Shizun is dealing with enough without this one crying on him.”

“Sweetheart, no,” Shen Qingqiu said, the words out before he could really process them. He gently wiped at Binghe’s face. “I made you feel this way and I should know how my actions affect you. You shouldn’t feel the need to hide from me, hmm?”

Luo Binghe nodded then caught and held Shen Qingqiu’s hand to his face, taking obvious comfort in the simple touch. “Okay. Still, Shizun has been through a lot today and we don’t know when Mu-shishu will return. Would you like to rest for now?”

An escape to more conversations! He would take it! “Yes, thank you.”

“…Could we hug again before you sleep?”

Shen Qingqiu was a soft fool because his heart could still melt at such a shy request. And melt it did. “Of course.”

Luo Binghe pulled him in again, but this time seemed to guide Shen Qingqiu’s head down. He ended up with his nose almost pressed against the skin of his neck. Heat flared in his cheeks as it became clear that his hug was more for his sake than Binghe’s but he had already lost so much dignity in the span of just a few minutes. Why fight this last bit?

Shen Qingqiu lightly nuzzled him and breathed deeply, unable to deny the feeling of calm and home (and, distantly, something like mine) that Binghe’s scent invoked. It was comfort and safety after too long without consciously feeling either and he was so tired and–

Shen Qingqiu was asleep.

Luo Binghe wasn’t expecting his A-Yuan to just… fall asleep in the middle of their hug, but he did manage to catch him before the man could fall over. He did his best to carefully and gently lay him out comfortably as he thought at Meng Mo, I think you should tell me about mated pairs now.

Yeah, fair enough. Meng Mo came to the forefront of his mind and crossed his arms. Look, it’s not my fault that humans don’t have this type of reaction to their partners. And I thought that the other versions of you would have warned you about it if it was a problem for them. Then again, considering Peak Lord Shen’s willful ignorance of how you’ve always felt about him, maybe that was my mistake.

Meng Mo, I’m more concerned about the fact that my scent apparently just knocked out my future husband without warning. Is this harmful to him?

What part of the term “mated pair” seems like it would be harmful to Peak Lord Shen?

I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking! Luo Binghe frowned as he brushed some hair away from Shen Yuan’s sleeping face.

Fine, I’ll start at the beginning. It is not well known, but a lot of low-level demons actually mate for life, a harem being a mark of both status and raw power. Many mid- to high-level demons find the idea of having only one spouse to be barbaric, a return to baser instincts that they have evolved out of.

This changed about an eon ago, well before I was born, but only in certain circumstances. One of your ancestors, perhaps your great-great grandmother, found and married a demon that she declared her equal and only spouse. By all accounts, they were obsessed with each other and, while the demon was powerful in her own right, your otherwise controlled ancestor would go nearly feral at any threat to her wife. She declared them a mated pair and anyone who dared mock them for their choice would be mocked in turn for needing to perform evolution when she was simply evolved.

Your bloodline has thinned through the generations, but heavenly demons were once were closer to gods than anything else that existed in the demon or human realms. She was one of the last that had the ability to bend reality through sheer will. Your ancestor, through love and power, created a new category of relationship that could tie people together on a level yet unseen. She was only the first of what became a series of high-level demons of her generation to come forward with such a claim.

As emperor, your ancestor recognized the trend and made it an official, though now archaic, legal relationship. These pairs were devoted to each other and could not be married off without their consent or that of their partner. This caused several political problems, but your ancestor could be extremely persuasive with a sword.

Since wars have managed to kill off a good number of demonic lineages, the recognition of mated pairs has fallen out of fashion. Harems were no longer a status symbol but a way to reproduce quickly in a population with a notoriously low birth rate. The only time this didn’t hold true was with the heavenly demon line. The fact that your father was uninterested in forming a harem even for political reasons caused quite a stir during his reign, but it wasn’t entirely surprising.

Luo Binghe drew in a sharp breath. Does that mean… do you think that my parents were…

Meng Mo frowned. I don’t know, kid. I’ve never been part of this kind of relationship, so there’s a lot that I can’t tell you about how they work.

Here’s what I do know. Unlike “fate,” mated pairs must choose each other on every level of their being in order for the relationship to form. They are attuned to each other physically, to the point that their partner’s scent can affect their emotions. The bond must also be deliberately sealed through active participation of both spouses, though I am not sure through what means. I can guess that it involves sex, though.

If your parents were one of these pairs, I doubt that they completed the bond. Or, at least, I hope they didn’t.

Why’s that?

Because your father would have been driven uncontrollably and violently insane by your mother’s death. If that were the case, I would advise that Master Shen abandon his plan to release him because the man would be too dangerous to be free.

So, to go back to your original question, no, Peak Lord Shen cannot be harmed by the bond between you as of now. Your scent, even with his dulled human senses, is probably like being wrapped in a warm blanket to him. If you complete the bond and you died, however, it would break his mind, probably instantly triggering a qi deviation that would kill him.

Luo Binghe tried to mentally convey his sheer horror at that idea. Why would I agree to do that?!

I don’t know either. But enough nearly undefeatable demons had made the choice to do so in the past without regrets, so there had to be something to it.

Luo Binghe stared blankly at his A-Yuan and tried to imagine a world without him.

Then he stopped, because that way indeed lay madness.

Is there anything I need to be careful of now?

Again, not sure. But my best guess is that you won’t be able to complete the bond with him until your demon blood and all your powers are active. If you were able to get Peak Lord Shen to agree to do it, that is. By that point, you should be able to talk to your family about this.

…Is this why I sometimes look at him and some part of me thinks “mine?”

Pardon?

Luo Binghe explained that how it felt when he could feel his demonic instincts stir, particularly around Shen Yuan.

Meng Mo looked deeply disturbed. Not trying to alarm you or anything, but that’s not supposed to be happening. Your seal has a timer on it that can be partially broken with significant demonic energy to allow some access to your powers, but full access is supposed to be blocked for your own safety. I would guess that your mother herself put that seal there to protect you from being overrun with energy you couldn’t control and to keep you safe behind a mask of humanity. I don’t know what would happen to you (and by extension me) if your seal suddenly broke before you were ready for it.

If your sealed powers are trying to come online to complete the bond with Peak Lord Shen, then I would suggest you stay away from him.

Shen Yuan began to frown, but Luo Binghe soothed him in a matter of seconds. Do you have another suggestion? One I am actually willing to do?

…Not really as Peak Lord Shen has already put significant limits on your relationship.

There was a brief knock at the door before Mu Qingfang stepped into the room again and sighed. “How long did it take Master Shen to fall asleep after this master left?” He asked quietly.

“Less than five minutes, Mu-shishu.”

Liu Qingge followed him into the room, looking mildly windswept and distinctly uncomfortable with Luo Binghe’s position. Mu Qingfang said, “And he wanted to fly back himself? Unbelievable. Liu-shidi, Luo-shizhi, your job over the next three days is to ensure that Shen-shixiong rests and rests well. He is not to be disturbed by Sect matters unless there is an emergency that cannot be handled without him. If he begins fainting again or shows other signs of illness, call this master for assistance. If the Sect Leader shows up, he is not to interact with Shen-shixiong, not until Shen-shixiong has given his express permission and the Sect Leader has shown himself capable of behaving like a man rather than a...”

An expression of rage passed over Mu Qingfang’s face, there and gone in an instant. “No matter. Liu-shidi will escort Shen-shixiong to our appointment on the fourth day. Luo-shizhi, it would likely help him if you were available afterwards as this master suspects we may cover some difficult topics.” He held out two rolls of parchment to Luo Binghe. “Here is my treatment plan for Shen-shixiong upon waking, as well as a medical excuse for your temporary relocation to the bamboo house. Liu-shidi?”

Liu Qingge stepped forward and towards the bed. “Move.”

Luo Binghe got up, but he wasn’t happy about it. “Liu-shishu could at least wake Shizun before moving him so he’s not startled by his position.”

“Fair enough. Shen Qingqiu, wake up so I can take you home,” he said, increasing his volume and lightly kicking the bed to jostle Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan groaned and opened his eyes to narrow slits. “Can I help you?” he asked, clearly irritated.

“Yeah. Stay still.” Liu Qingge leaned down and scooped Shen Yuan easily into his arms.

Shen Yuan yelped and flailed a bit. “Let me go! I can walk!”

“You can barely stay awake for 5 minutes. Just relax and go back to sleep.”

“Liu Qingge! Will you leave me no dignity?”

“What dignity is lost in receiving the help you need? Besides, you should have thought of that before letting yourself get to this state.” Shen Yuan opened his mouth to argue but Liu Qingge bounced him a little in his arms, causing the man to cling to his robes. “Shen Qingqiu. Let me help you.”

Shen Yuan glared at him before finally looking away. “Fine. But just this once,” he said indignantly before closing his eyes and leaning his head on Liu Qingge’s shoulder.

“Of course. Thank you for your cooperation,” Liu Qingge said sarcastically, but Luo Binghe recognized the soft look on his face all too well and he didn’t like it one bit.

Didn’t you say mated pairs were devoted to each other? Luo Binghe asked Meng Mo.

Sure did. Doesn’t mean they were necessarily monogamous, though.

Luo Binghe blindly started to follow Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan out of the building, only vaguely aware of the scowl on his face. Don’t like that.

It’s not for you to like, kid. If it makes you feel any better, Peak Lord Shen is even more oblivious of Liu Qingge’s feelings for him than yours.

It doesn’t… though I guess that explains how my ancestor’s… mate? Partner? How she was married to another woman and still had descendants.

Oh, no. By all accounts, they refused to touch anyone else.

But…?

Meng Mo sighed and began to fade in his mind’s eye. Do you really think that such a thing as naturally lacking the necessary equipment would be a barrier to two high-level cultivators, spiritual or demonic, who wanted to reproduce? Both of those women are your biological ancestors, I was just referring to the born-heavenly demon by a different term as I don’t know their names for ease of understanding.

Does that mean that… one day, A-Yuan and I could…?

Can’t believe I’m saying this, but my apologies to Peak Lord Shen for bringing this to your attention. No more lessons today. I’m tired.

Thank you!!

Yeah, yeah.

Meng Mo let him be and Luo Binghe had more than enough to think about.

Shen Qingqiu had gone back and forth about pretending to be asleep when they had arrived back to Qing Jing. On one hand, he didn’t want his disciples to think he was sicker than he was, the memory of Binghe crying from worry still fresh in his mind. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure if he had the face to be awake and carried by Liu Qingge like some romance novel heroine.

This decision was taken away from him as he ended up falling asleep in transit.

He woke as he was being set down on something soft and known: his bed. He blinked his eyes open to see Liu Qingge glaring at his boots for some reason. “Is there a problem, Qingge?” He asked, voice rough with sleep.

The man drew in a sharp breath and blushed, looking at his face then away quickly. It was kinda cute, how flustered he was from an innocent question. “Your shoes.”

“Hm?” He looked down and saw that his boots were still on his feet. “Oh. I’ll take care of those and prepare for sleep.”

“Right. Okay. Your disciple has your treatment plan for your review, but he stopped at the dorms to drop off his temporary lodging transfer and I think to update your disciples on your condition.”

“Ah, alright.” Shen Qingqiu sat up and took off his boots. He set them aside and looked at Liu Qingge who was clearly struggling with wanting to say something. “Thank you for your help. I can take it from here.”

He stood too quickly, but Liu Qingge steadied him before he could even blink the dots from his eyes. “Be careful!” he scolded, tone completely at odds with the expression on his face or how gentle his hold on him was.

“I’m fine, just stood too fast.” Shen Qingqiu shook him off and started to carry his boots to the front room.

Liu Qingge followed. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“Just because you’re not poisoned anymore doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It doesn’t mean there aren’t people who care about you and are available to help you when you need it, not just when you want it.”

Shen Qingqiu froze, boots by the door but Liu Qingge behind him. This felt familiar. “Liu Qingge–“

“I caught you,” he said, “when you fainted. I didn’t know what was happening, or what you were hiding, but it didn’t matter and I caught you anyway. How many times will I have to do it before you trust me to be there for you?”

Shen Qignqiu whirled to face him, feeling on edge at yet more emotions. “I do trust you! But what was I supposed to say?! The Sect Leader said some vaguely menacing words and scared me so now I can’t sleep? I’m afraid Yue Qingyuan is going to hurt me and now I don’t like being alone? Was that really enough to go off of?”

“Yes! For me, it would have been!”

“Oh.” Shen Qingqiu stared at him, eyes wide. Then, to his utter mortification, they began to leak tears. He turned his back to him, but not before he saw the surprise on the other’s face at his reaction.

“Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge began only to pause. He stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Qingqiu. You’re safe. I won’t let him hurt you.”

Maybe Shen Qingqiu was just tired, but the words made him bring up a hand to muffle a sob. Liu Qingge squeezed his shoulder awkwardly, but it served to ground him a bit. Shen Qingqiu’s voice was annoyingly watery as he said, “Don’t. Don’t say that. You can’t mean it, not with how strong he is.”

“Bullshit. I said it and I mean it. Yue Qingyuan isn’t invincible, and you’re not doomed. He won’t touch you ever again, okay?”

Shen Qignqiu wiped at his face then turned around. Liu Qingge’s expression was serious and sincere. “I. Thank you. It is difficult to speak of some things, but I am trying to rely on you more. If Shang-shidi hadn’t called me to An Ding Peak today, I would have told you something when I saw you tomorrow as planned.”

“And what would you have said, Qingqiu?” he asked quietly, stepping forward. “When I arrived to spar and saw you in this state?”

Shen Qingqiu looked away from him. “I–“

Luo Binghe opened the door, barely a meter from where they were standing. Shen Qingqiu saw him see their proximity and Shen Qingqiu’s red-rimmed eyes, and knew he had to do damage control.

He cleared his throat and stepped away from Liu Qingge. “My sincerest apologies for my outburst, my friend. I cannot thank you enough for your support today, but I think it is past time that I get to sleep.”

“Right,” Liu Qingge said slowly as he moved back from Shen Qingqiu and towards his own shoes. “I’ll just leave you, then.”

Don’t sound so suspicious, Master Liu! Shen Qingqiu thought. If Airplane is right and I’m Yingying, I’m Just trying to make sure Binghe doesn’t put you on his imaginary hit list for hurting me!

“Thank you. Binghe, come in. You have my treatment plan?”

“Yes, Shizun. One moment.” Binghe threw a dirty look at Liu Qingge but seemed to move past him easily enough.

Shen Qingqiu turned further into the house but was stopped by Liu Qingge saying, “Rest well, my friend. Remember what I said.”

“Thank you and goodnight, Liu Qingge.”

There was a strange moment of hesitation on Liu Qingge’s face and he opened his mouth silently for a moment before he simply said, “Goodnight.”

He closed the door behind him, but Shen Qingqiu was already walking towards Luo Binghe.

Mu Qingfang’s orders really were simple: Shen Yuan would sleep until he couldn’t anymore then only partake in leisure activities while awake for the next three days.

This gave Luo Binghe a lot of time to think with the at once intoxicating and steadying presence of Shen Yuan at his side.

They had come to an agreement that first night that Luo Binghe would sleep in his old room, but that it didn’t make sense for him to avoid Shen Yuan’s bed while he was awake. They had already crossed that bridge once, so Shen Yuan had little resistance to the idea as Binghe was (more than) okay with it.

As they had returned from Qian Cao around mid-afternoon that first day, Luo Binghe was able to see firsthand how infrequently the dreams seemed to bother Shen Yuan while he was in his arms and draped across his chest.

He truly made his A-Yuan feel safe by simply being there.

On one hand, that was amazing and humbling. On the other, it wreaked havoc on Luo Binghe’s thoughts, leaving him preoccupied and feeling more like the beast Shen Jiu claimed he was than ever before. Shen Yuan would sleep innocently, trusting him, and Luo Binghe couldn’t help but notice how beautiful, how responsive to his touch he was. He would lay awake as Shen Yuan clung to him, would sometimes contentedly murmur his name when he got close to waking, and struggle to not think about tracing his features with his hands, about how his body felt against his, about how his instincts at times roared at him to take.

Luo Binghe wouldn’t. He would never touch him without his permission and did his best to ensure Shen Yuan didn't notice just how much he enjoyed being in his bed. But he couldn’t stop his thoughts all the time and his dreams were filled with–

–things that would never be a reality if he scared off Shen Yuan by the sheer amount of desire he carried.

Anyway. He had other problems.

He knew he had to tell Shen Yuan about Meng Mo’s suspicions about them, that they had started forming a bond that would tie them together on a level he didn’t understand. Shen Yuan deserved to know. Yet, at the same time, he feared telling him. So much of Shen Yuan’s relationship with him was built on denial of feelings, both from Luo Binghe but apparently also himself, that could make Shen Yuan uncomfortable if confronted with them directly.

How would he deal with having that denial stripped away, with given solid proof that not only do they love each other, but every part of them had actively chosen each other? The likely existence of the forming bond between them would lay bare their truest wishes to be together. And while Meng Mo suggested that it would only reach its fullest potential with a physical joining, it spoke to a relationship that went far beyond physical; it seemed to be a joining of souls.

And, on some level, Shen Yuan wanted that with him.

It was so much beyond anything Luo Binghe had imagined, the state of simply being wanted in return its own kind of euphoria. Shen Yuan loved him. Shen Yuan loved him.

But he still didn’t trust Luo Binghe to love him in return. Would knowing about mated demon pairs end that doubt, or just send him further into denial?

He agonized over that question as he struggled to find a suitable time to tell him over the next couple days. The last thing Luo Binghe wanted to do was further cause Shen Yuan stress or ruin the peaceful atmosphere that had saturated the bamboo house.

Incrementally, Shen Yuan looked better and better as he rested either at Luo Binghe’s side or surrounded by the comfort of his scent. The rest of Qing Jing and Liu Qingge remarked upon this when Shen Yuan left the house, generally increasing the mood of the Peak. The visible change in their Shizun’s health transferred some of Qing Jing’s good will to Luo Binghe. While the other disciples didn’t know exactly why Luo Binghe had all but disappeared from classes to take care of Shen Yuan (and Binghe had refused to give any but the barest details on this to even Ning Yingying), they had somehow learned through rumors that it was related to Shen Yuan feeling safe around him.

A rumor that said the very feeling was the reason why Yue Qingyuan had him removed in the first place, rather than out of actual concern for anything he and Shen Yuan had been doing.

He was (he suspected deliberately) kept out of the loop on what rumors were circulating and what exactly Ning Yingying was doing in order to focus on Shen Yuan’s health (which was an accurate representation of his priorities in any case). Still, the general sense he had was that Qing Jing was ready to kill the Sect Leader on sight. Not that they would have been able to actually succeed, but he didn’t think that mattered to them.

He understood he impulse.

That said, he happily concerned himself primarily with his A-Yuan for his designated days of rest. Shen Yuan took to leisure like it was his natural state of being and Luo Binghe realized just how Shen Yuan had been doing for him of late.

Yes, he was right to hold off on sharing the complicating factor of a demonic bond between them, even if just for a few days. But the more time passed and the more frequently he was reminded just how he loved and wanted him, the more Luo Binghe’s silence weighed on him.

But if it gave Shen Yuan a few days of peace, then it was a burden that Luo Binghe was willing to bear.

Binghe was hiding something from him.

Which on the surface was fine; Binghe was more than welcome to have his own inner life, as expected of the Protagonist. But whatever it was seemed to both involve Shen Qingqiu and be bothering him. Shen Qingqiu was supposed to be relaxing, but it was kinda hard to ignore how his near constant companion for three days looked like he was stopping himself from saying something.

This was especially alarming, considering the things (cough-marriage proposals-cough) that he had no issue saying freely.

He didn’t want to push but it bothered him that something was bothering Luo Binghe. Not wanting to ask but unable to think of anything else to do, Shen Qingqiu tried a different tactic on his last day of enforced rest.

“Binghe, you’ve seemed stressed. How about some music, hm?”

Luo Binghe, who was reading a poem anthology Shen Qingqiu had assigned for classes that week, looked up, startled. “Sure, A-Yuan. Would you like me to fetch a guqin from storage?”

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. “No, bring me mine, if you would?”

Luo Binghe stared at him. “A-Yuan would… play? For this Binghe?”

“You didn’t think I would suggest you relax by asking you to suddenly perform something, did you? I’ll play whatever you like.” When Binghe didn’t move and just kept gaping at him, doubt began to creep in. “Of course, Binghe need not listen if he does not wish to. It was just a thought I had to give back some of the peace that Binghe has granted me these few days.”

“No! I, I would be honored. I’ll be right back!”

Luo Binghe got up somewhat unsteadily and rushed to retrieve the dark wood guqin from Shen Qingqiu’s room. While it wasn’t designed to be a spiritual weapon, the instrument was beautiful and of very high quality. It could still channel musical cultivation, but Shen Qingqiu primarily used for its original purpose.

Binghe set it down reverently before him and Shen Qingqiu plucked a few notes to make sure it was still in tune. Then he asked, “Is there anything Binghe would like to hear?”

“If. If this Binghe could choose. Then could A-Yuan play something from his world?”

“Hm.” Shen Yuan, as a son of a wealthy family, had been forced to study the qin as a child as one of the activities he could do without wearing himself out. Most of the songs he learned were in the traditional styles that wouldn't be out of place here, but there was one song he remembered that he had learned specifically to please his grandmother while she was alive. She was mildly eccentric who he remembered loved her grandchildren with a depth that touched him. They had all competed for her ever-generous approval and learning this song (one of her favorite foreign language songs) had been his biggest effort in that endeavor. “Most songs from my world would need to be specifically arraigned for the guqin and would probably just be easier to sing. But there is one song I know. I’ll put up a barrier as the sound, style, and even language don’t match this world.”

“A-Yuan will sing?”

He raised his eyebrows. “If that’s alright?”

Luo Binghe nodded his head quickly, eyes vast in his face.

They had ceased putting up the privacy barrier as it would have been an impractical energy drain with Luo Binghe there nearly constantly, but they did speak in quiet tones to avoid being overheard. This, however, definitely called for it.

He put up the barrier and began a qin rendition Elvis Presley’s “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”

Shen Qingqiu sung the English lyrics softly, not used to using his voice in this way but not disliking the sound.

He hadn’t played this song in years, but the arraignment had been something simple enough that he could play it as a child. It was easy now with the skills he had inherited as part of being Shen Qingqiu, and his mind to wandered back to his grandmother and the delight on her face when he had painstakingly played it for her the first time.

(She had hugged him then told him to go back to Chinese musicians after, but that was neither here nor there.)

She had died within a year of that private performance. It had been a very long time since he had thought of her. Shen Yuan found himself smiling wistfully at the memories, because now he was dead, too. He supposed there was something beautiful about this, about how he was able to carry this memory into his next life.

He hoped his family was well.

He finished the song and finally looked up at Luo Binghe. To his horror, Binghe was staring at him with tears running down his face. “Ah! Was it that bad?”

“A-Yuan!” Shen Qingqiu found himself nearly tackled to the floor in a hug with his face buried against his shoulder. “It was beautiful, you’re so beautiful. I love you so much, please marry me?”

…I guess he liked it.

Shen Qingqiu laughed lightly, bringing up a hand to lightly pat his head. “You’re adorable. I already gave you my answer to that question, Binghe.”

“When is considered old enough again?”

“Whenever you decide to come back to me after the Abyss. But! You had better not rush through it. You getting hurt by acting recklessly in an attempt to get out faster will upset me more than waiting a few more months.”

Binghe wiped at his eyes and rested his chin on his shoulder, arms still around him. “So A-Yuan is comfortable in the knowledge now that this Binghe will return for him?”

Shen Qingqiu froze. “…should I not be?”

“You should! I.. you…” Luo Binghe’s expression turned serious, and he pulled away. “A-Yuan, there is something I must tell you.”

SQQ: SHANG QINGHUA!!

SQH: uh oh

SQH: am I in trouble for something?

SQH: I didn’t do it! I swear!

SQQ: Exactly! You didn’t do it!

SQH: uh…

SQQ: What are demon mated pairs and why am I just finding out about them now?!

SQH: what are WHAT?

SQQ: omg

SQH: no, wait! I think I remember something from like a super old outline? It certainly never made it into the final story?

SQQ: And why not? This is key heavenly demon lore that would have been cool if OG Binghe went on a quest to find out more about his family.

SQQ: much better than him going on a quest just to get a random artifact and like 5 more wives he didn’t love

SQH: your complaints about Bingge’s quest lines have been noted. Many times.

SQH: And I ended up scrapping it because 1) I lost that outline in a hard drive crash and 2) it became clear the people didn’t *want* him to have one person that he was tied to. People wanted a harem so I gave them a harem.

SQH: can you imagine the comments if I had Bingge learn about this, realize he didn’t love any of his *many* wives like that, and been forced to re-evaluate his life? No, thank you!

SQH: seriously though I lost it so long ago I only have the vaguest idea what it would even be

SQH: how do you know about it?

SQQ: …

SQQ: HOW DO YOU THINK?

SQH: Oh.

SQH: Fair.

SQH: Wait, is that why LBH moved back in with you?

SQQ: it’s temporary but yes. MQF found it fascinating that I could stay asleep if I could smell him

SQQ: Which is embarrassing af, by the way.

SQQ: Do you think MQF knows that Binghe is a demon because of that?

SQH: Don’t know, sorry. I doubt it because even I forgot it existed and it’s an obscure demon thing.

SQH: hell you probably know more about it than I do at this point

SQQ: I don’t know much, only what Meng Mo was able to tell Binghe

SQH: but you’re like… okay with it?

SQQ: what do you mean?

SQH: …

SQH: no weird feelings about what the bond implies about you two?

SQQ: oh well it’s not like permanent yet right?

SQQ: Binghe has room to change his mind

SQH: BRO!!!

SQQ: What??

SQH: I can’t anymore. Omg I’m going insane. This is going to be the thing that drives me truly insane.

SQH: I can’t do this today. I’ll talk to you later.

SQQ: Airplane?

SQQ: Airplane???

SQQ: What did I say????

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu stared at Mu Qingfang within the other man’s office, the two of them sitting across from one another with a privacy barrier activated for this room alone.

Mu Qingfang looked back, the pleasant and patient expression on his face unwavering.

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and tried to get the show on the road. “Mu-shidi wished to speak to this one before clearing him for his normal duties. What is it exactly that Mu-shidi wished to discuss?”

“This shidi would like to help shixiong reach a place where he feels settled enough to sleep without aid. While the issue only arose with the Sect Leader’s interference, several of shixiong’s actions and statements spoke to longer-term stress that this shidi thinks is the underlying cause of his anxiety and nightmares.”

Shen Qingqiu continued looking at him, without saying a word.

Mu Qingfang then said, gently, “Luo-shizhi will not always be there to assist shixiong.”

Shen Qingqiu flinched hard, his hand’s movement making his fan creak with strain. He closed his eyes. “This master is aware of that.” All too aware.

Shen Qingqiu did his best over the past few days just let himself enjoy Binghe’s presence while it lasted. Luo Binghe’s seventeenth birthday was approaching rapidly, and each day brought them closer to the Immortal Alliance Conference. Their days together had always been limited, but now Shen Qingqiu felt the passage of time keenly.

He believed now that Luo Binghe would come back for him after the Abyss, that he wouldn’t be forgotten once his disciple could experience life outside of the Sect again. He couldn’t help but doubt still that it would be with the intention of marrying him and only him as Binghe claimed.

Yes, now there was the revelation about them beginning to form a demonic bond that would tie them together as a mated pair. But even after Binghe had explained to him what it meant, Shen Qingqiu saw the loophole. Of course he had chosen Binghe once he realized he was an option; he had felt a connection to Luo Binghe as a character, he adored his disciple now, and the taste of what they could be together that one day only left him aching for more. And it was reasonable that every part of Binghe had in turn chosen him because he didn’t have anything to compare it to.

That would change and soon. And, despite what Shang Qinghua and even Binghe himself had said, Shen Qingqiu just didn’t get what was so great about him to make him Binghe’s choice. It would tear him apart if Binghe chose him in ignorance and came to regret it later. To watch his Binghe wonder then know he could do better than Shen Yuan, or even just to wait with certainty of an outcome that wasn’t guaranteed… it would break him.

He wasn’t sure that Binghe choosing another anyway wouldn’t have the same effect, but it would be different, would be so much worse if he let himself believe only to be proven wrong with time. If Binghe came back from the Abyss and still wanted him, well. Then all bets were off. But until then…

“Shen-shixiong?”

Shen Qingqiu blinked his eyes open to see Mu Qingfang looking at him with some concern. He smoothed his face of any expression. “This master apologizes, Mu-shidi. Did shidi say something further?”

“…Not yet. Shixiong, this shidi has the sense that we must speak of uncomfortable things at length, but speaking of personal things in formal language can be difficult. Would shixiong feel comfortable with us using casual language in this space?”

“If Mu-shidi thinks it will help, then I won’t object. Mu-shidi may use my name, if he would prefer.”

“Thank you, and I ask that you do the same, Shen Qingqiu. I also know that, after what happened the last time you trusted me with sensitive information, my notes did not remain as secure as I had hoped. I sincerely apologize for that. In an effort to make you more comfortable with speaking freely, I swear complete confidentiality of what you say to me, as long as I do not think you are going to hurt yourself or others. Nor will I take notes on the specifics of what you say.”

Shen Qingqiu was back to staring. “Mu Qingfang, that is quite a list of concessions.”

He shook his head, expression kind. “No, it is the bare minimum I can do. I want to help you and for that I will need you to trust me. I have already failed too many times to keep your confidence. You need not suffer in silence, Shen Qingqiu. You need not suffer at all. You aren’t alone but for your disciple. Please, let me prove that.”

“Oh.” Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and put away his fan slowly to give himself something to focus on. “I. That’s. There is still much I cannot say regarding the other timeline, not until certain events pass but… I will try to talk about… everything.”

“Thank you. That is a big first step and thank you for trusting me with that.

“Now, where would you like to begin?”

Luo Binghe waited for Shen Yuan to return from his appointment with Mu Qingfang.

He shared a rare moment of comradery with Liu Qingge as they shared a distressed look of concern over Shen Yuan’s blank expression when they had arrived.

He patiently waited for Liu Qingge to finally leave, then silently opened his arms to Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan all but threw himself at the offered hug, face buried into his neck and shudders rocking his frame.

“Binghe,” he whispered after a long moment. “Turns out dying and coming back is kinda traumatic. I think I’m a little fucked up. Will you stop loving me because of it?”

Luo Binghe startled at the curse but just hugged him tighter and gave the only answer he could. “A-Yuan, I could never love you less than I do now.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what about that first (therapy, he could call it therapy) session caused the change, but rather than weekly (as Shen Yuan assumed was normal for this kind of thing), Mu Qingfang asked him to come back every three days. He basically cleared his schedule as much as possible for him, which was at once nice but a bit concerning. In any case, Shen Qingqiu found that talking helped him realize and process things that he had pretty much ignored out of necessity before.

It hurt, but in a good way.

He wasn’t joking about not being able to talk about a lot of things, however. Anything about his first life, being a transmigrator, Binghe being a demon, or the work he was doing to change the future; all of that was out.

Surprisingly, that still left a lot to talk about. Not the least of which was reconciling Shen Jiu with his own identity and the stress of being responsible to first his peak then later changing the future with no warning. Shen Qingqiu thought it was going well enough, though Mu Qingfang sometimes couldn’t hide a flash of horror or anger at something he said.

All this meant that his responsibilities remained rather light. He felt well rested and used the time to do several things, including training with Liu Qingge as he had initially planned to get used to his improved access to spiritual energy. As Liu Qingge’s cultivation relied on fighting, he found himself sparring with his friend every other day on average. Even though he lost their bouts, Shen Qingqiu found himself having fun.

Liu Qingge meant well but the man could be so tense and awkward! He was still serious, but he only seemed fully comfortable with himself when he was fighting. It was good to see, and Shen Qingqiu made it a bit of a game for himself to get the other man to lighten up a little. It was just so easy to tease him! No one could have resisted the urge to troll him a little!!

But, as Liu Qingge had once told him, he had other things to do besides play around with Shen Qingqiu. He found himself hanging out with Shang Qinghua who had recovered quickly after passing out the other day. He did his best to help out with some of the man’s paperwork and struggled to remember all that he could about gunpowder, but they mostly ended up just talking. It was nice to speak to someone from his world and it felt so, so good to be able to argue about the shows and books that had been such a big part of his life before his death. Even with Shang Qinghua not always remembering the details (that was what 35+ years living in a xianxia world would do to you), it was still wonderful to have a reminder that yes, those existed, that was real.

Of course, he couldn’t spend all his time imposing on other Peak Lords. He still taught some classes and oversaw his disciples’ training. His evenings were always full of sharing dinner and spending time with Binghe, who now slept in the bamboo house on the days Shen Qingqiu had therapy on Mu Qingfang’s order.

All this still left Shen Qingqiu with some time each day to himself.

It was during one of these times a few days before the next staff meeting that he received an unexpected visitor while meditating.

He was working on communicating with Xiu Ya in his bamboo forest when he felt another Peak Lord approach. He withdrew from that mental state carefully, still not quite able to enter and exit as freely as a true master would have done. Then he opened his eyes and found Qi Qingqi looking at him like a riddle to solve.

“Good afternoon, Qi-shimei. May this shixiong assist you in some way?”

Qing Qingqi narrowed her eyes at him further and crossed her arms. “Shen Qingqiu. You are a difficult man to get ahold of.”

He raised a brow at her and followed her more casual tone. “I have barely left Qing Jing. I wouldn’t even call myself busy, these past two weeks. Has shimei been attempting to speak to me?”

Her lips were pursed. “Yes, for a week now. Your disciples claimed you were either off peak, ill, or unavailable. I was only able to find you today because my head disciple managed to persuade your lot and her brother that I’m not actually out to hurt you.”

“My disciples and…” Shen Qingqiu sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “My apologies, Peak Lord Qi. My disciples and Liu Qingge seem to have taken a turn for the overprotective recently. I will speak with them.”

He sighed, stood so they were on even ground, and unfurled his fan in a practiced manner. “What did Peak Lord Qi wish to speak to me about?”

She looked at him with sharp eyes before nodding to herself. “I heard you were ill and wanted to see how you were doing.”

He responded blandly, “Shimei wished to check on this master out of concern.”

“No, not just that,” Qi Qingqiu stood to her full height and raised her chin. “I heard something about you that I wished to verify myself. I try not to put much stock in rumors, but if they were true then I would have judged you unfairly for many years and been fooled by someone else. And, while distant, you have been nothing but kind to me since your qi deviation.

“I cannot return to the past, but I can do better in the future. If I have been unjust to you, I would like a chance to start our relationship anew, if Peak Lord Shen is amenable.”

Shen Qingqiu was doing his very best not to gape at her. This was… unexpected but he wouldn’t turn it down! Qi Qingqi was very well respected and would be a good ally to have. “I am far from opposed, Qi-shimei. Though I can’t help but wonder what rumors exist that would induce you to make such an offer…? In any case, would you like to speak in the bamboo house? I’m sure my disciple left me some snacks that I would be willing to share with you.”

Some tension left her shoulders. “Very well.”

They were quiet for the duration of the trip to his home and Shen Qingqiu took the opportunity presented.

SQQ: what are these rumors?

SQH: huh?

SQH: bro I’m with MBJ I may have to get back to you later

SQQ: fine but QQQ is here, asking me about them??

SQH: idk what she heard but I heard nothing harmful about you or LBH

SQH: actually they’re kinda making you the sect poor little meow meow

SQQ: WHAT

SQH: g2g l8r

SQQ: NO COME BACK AND EXPLAIN WTF THAT MEANS

Shang Qinghua failed to answer by the time Shen Qingqiu and Qi Qingqi arrived at the bamboo house. He gestured to the snacks Binghe had left him on the front table and reached for the kettle. “Please, help yourself. Tea, Peak Lord Qi?”

“Yes, thank you.” He set about heating the water and heard her make a surprised sound. “These are remarkable.”

“Aren’t they? I am eternally grateful to have such talented disciples who are willing to make their teacher food.”

“Your disciples made this?!”

“Well, one disciple. Luo Binghe has taken it upon himself to make my meals. Insisted, really. As Qi-shimei can tell by the quality of these small things, I would be a fool to refuse.”

She was quiet for a long moment as he prepared the leaves. Shen Qingqiu didn’t think anything of it until he brought over the ready tea and saw the hard expression on her face. “Is something wrong?”

“Luo Binghe. As in the disciple that was removed from your house. The disciple you marry.”

Shen Qingqiu paused then calmly poured their cups of tea, setting the first before Qi Qingqi. “Binghe was removed from my house. In the other timeline, yes, he is the one my alternate married. That is yet to be determined here.”

She stared at him like he had a few screws loose in his head. “The boy voluntarily cooks your every meal like this and– never mind. Is it true that he has been moved back to the bamboo house?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed in the delicate scent of the tea, tried to let it calm his nerves. “Yes, but only part-time, on Mu-shidi’s order to help with my recovery.”

Qi Qingqi took a careful sip of her tea, eyes on him the entire time. “I don’t want this to be an interrogation, so I will explain to you what I’ve heard and you can point out any inaccuracies. Acceptable?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded.

“Two weeks ago, you, your disciple, and Shang Qinghua left the sect to take care of business related to preventing a possible future event. All of you were exhausted upon returning, particularly you and Peak Lord Shang, to the point of needing assistance to walk.” She paused and Shen Qingqiu inclined his head.

Qi Qingqi took a deep breath. “Yue Qingyuan,” she paused when Shen Qingqiu flinched, eyes ever-observing. She cleared her throat and continued, voice gentle. “The Sect Leader was here when you arrived and spoke to you alone. During that conversation he said or did something that made you afraid to be alone with him. He confronted you the next day in front of your disciples, where you repeatedly told him to leave you alone, and to not touch you again. He did not leave until your entire Peak demanded it of him.

“Your health rapidly declined over the following days until you fainted into Liu Qingge’s arms on An Ding Peak. He carried you unconscious to Mu Qingfang, where our Sect doctor was able to revive you. Before that could happen, Yue… the Sect Leader arrived and insisted on visiting you while you slept.”

Shen Qingqiu flinched again. He hadn’t quite gotten to processing that little fact with Mu Qingfang yet and, honestly, what the fuck.

She continued.

“The Peak Lords present refused, and the Sect Leader came to blows with Liu Qingge over this, to the point that he used Xuan Su around Qian Cao disciples and the patient building.” Qi Qingqi hesitated, as if waiting for him to object, but he just took a careful sip of tea. “You were drawn from your sick bed to the commotion. You berated the Sect Leader for endangering the disciples present, told him to once again leave you alone, and mentioned how he made you feel unsafe and disrespected. He left, then you collapsed again.

“Since that day, your disciple has been able to at least partially return to the bamboo house, you are seeing Mu Qingfang regularly, and Liu Qingge is acting as your bodyguard.”

“…I wouldn’t go so far as to say bodyguard, Qi-shimei.”

“…That’s it? That’s your only objection?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed. “It all sounds rather dramatic when you lay it out like that, but what you said was accurate for all the detail it was missing.”

She blew a long breath out and drained her tea. Shen Qingqiu poured her another cup as she said. “Let’s get detailed then. You accused him of wanting to own you, of violating you on Qian Cao.”

Shen Qingqiu blanched at her phrasing. “That’s… the wording there is a bit much. I did say he was acting as if he owned me. I said he violated my privacy and my boundaries. I didn’t mean to suggest… I mean, he hasn’t touched me, not really. Not yet.”

He didn’t mean to say those last words and quickly moved on. “To be clear, I fear his touch not because I think he wants to force himself on me… intimately, but because he has tried to seize on moments when I am physically weakened to force me to make a decision I did not agree with or divulge information I cannot share. I said something to him in one such moment that made him think that my lost memories could be restored if he physically pushed me far enough, even if that stress meant discomfort or pain.

“I do not know how my former self treated you, Qi-shimei. I make no excuses for my… his behavior, and I cannot give a justification that can satisfy the many wrongs he committed against individuals. As you said, we cannot change the past, only do better in the future. I do not wish to remember the things that made me him, but the Sect Leader wants that above all else. I think he would rather return to the days I apparently relied on him alone to the detriment of all other relationships. Well, he thinks my former self relied on him; I have my doubts based on his treatment of me.”

 Qi Qingqi was back to staring at him, expression becoming increasingly angry as she said, “He’s trying to isolate you. Your disciple time traveling and revealing himself as your future husband just gave him a reason. And he used the rest of us to give it legitimacy.”

‘…Peak Lord Qi, Binghe and I truly are not together as a married couple are.”

She looked at him strangely then waved that away. “Yes, yes, you’ve said this, though I think that may not be as true as you think.” What? He thought. “And Mu Qingfang wouldn’t have ordered him back here if he was in any danger from you. But why did Mu Qingfang order him back? Is it true it’s because he makes you feel safe?”

People know that??? “…Correct. While I am working on a long-term solution with Mu Qingfang, he stays here part time to ensure I can rest.”

“…Better than a brothel for the Sect’s reputation at least.” She took another of Binghe’s confections. “Well, I have more questions, but that’s enough to convince me I was, in fact, wrong about you. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that the Sect Leader has put you in this position. What are you going to do at the Peak Lord meeting? No offense, but you don’t exactly seem like you’re in a place to see him again.”

“I will be skipping the next meeting with a medical excuse, but plan on attending next month’s meeting,” he said calmly.

“Wise choice.”

“Now, a question of my own, Qi-shimei. What exactly made you decide to talk to me?”

Her expression hardened, eyes turning fierce in a way that mildly terrified him. “I dislike bullies, particularly men who use the power granted them by society to force themselves onto others with impunity. I thought that you had been sexually assaulted and the possibility alone made me reconsider how I’ve treated you in the past. Don’t mistake me; I am grateful that you do not recall having that experience and I pray you never did. Still, that was why I wanted to talk. I’ve known far, far too many women who had survived such an atrocity and know that such an incident can impact one’s behavior long term without help. The fact that you are a man did not make such a violation any less horrific. If I had missed that about your relationship with the Sect Leader, I didn’t know how much of my previous judgements held true.

“A number of our colleagues consider my personality to be brutal, mostly because I’m a woman. I had previously thought you were one such man who looked down on me because of my gender. Perhaps you had just been that dismissive of everyone, and perhaps you had reason to be.”

“Qi-shimei, I have it on good authority that I was not a good person before my qi deviation. I hurt people.”

She stood and looked at him directly. “Yes, but I should have judged your actions alone, not through a filter of fallacy. And there was never a time where you weren’t a difficult person while in the Sect. None of us cared to recognize that as the sign of hurt that it was. Hurt people hurt people, and maybe if someone other than Yue Qingyuan… but no matter.

“I have high standards for people that I associate with, Shen Qingqiu, but I hold myself to them. The fact that losing your memories alone caused such a shift in your personality, the fact that the Sect Leader has taken such steps with you… you deserved a chance that I never really gave you.”

“Well, then.” Shen Qingqiu stood and unfurled his fan. “How did I fare against your standards?”

He quirked his mouth a little to the side, hoping that she was like his eldest brother and would appreciate mildly combative banter.

Her lip curled lightly, but her eyes were laughing as she said primly, “Barely adequate. But acceptable.”

“An honor, I’m sure.” He raised his fan to hide his smile and said nonchalantly, “You know, I’m sure with advanced notice, I could ask Binghe to prepare enough food to share. A lunch or tea service, perhaps. And a chance to talk of things not related to Sect Leader.”

“…I can be available in a fortnight.” She turned and Shen Qingqiu began walking her out the door. “Just tell your head disciple to not give me the runaround next time, hmm? I understand the instinct now, but I am not going to jump through hoops for a lunch. Still have not forgiven you from stealing her away from me in the selection, by the way. You may have forgotten, but I have not. She would have made an excellent addition to my peak.”

“Yes, I will talk to… wait. Are you speaking of Ning Yingying? She’s not my head disciple.”

She gave him an unimpressed look. “It was her that Disciple Liu had to convince I meant you no harm and her that all the disciples listened to when I arrived. Stop being a fool and give her the title.”

He made a considering noise. “It appears I have missed much of what has been happening on Qing Jing while ill. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and for the suggestion, Qi-shimei.”

“You are welcome.” Qi Qingqi stepped outside and turned to look back at him. “Rest. Get better. The Sect Leader won’t bother you anymore.”

Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth to question that last, only to decide he didn’t want to know. Instead, after a moment of hesitation, he said, “Thank you, for visiting. And for the chance. Take care.”

She left and Shen Qingqiu retreated to his room to collapse on his bed, suddenly exhausted. Why did that conversation take it out of him?

Oh, well. At least he got another ally and possible friend out of it. He would need as many as he could get in case his string pulling behind the scenes was discovered.

SQH: okay I’m free

SQH: now officially being courted but sadly I remain unfucked

SQQ: …there were so many other ways you could have said that

SQH: efficient though

SQQ: ugh

SQQ: well congratulations on your relationship with the demon king

SQH: thanks!

SQH: he gave me this amulet to wear that will let me visit him at his palace without getting frostbite! Pretty neat huh?

SQQ: …yeah actually that is

SQQ: can you show me the next time we meet or is this a super secret demon courting thing that’s just supposed to be between you two?

SQH: nope I can show you!

SQH: though you should know how demonic courtships work a bit before LBH gets around to publicly courting you later

SQH: well, officially publicly courting you and not just whatever you’re doing now

SQQ: …

SQQ: speaking of heavenly demons

SQH: still can’t believe you’re like this but go on

SQQ: did you ask MBJ about helping out TLJ?

SQH: yeah, he seemed open to it, but wanted more information about TLJ’s reactions

SQH: he kinda unfortunately has likely been conscious but trapped for the past 17 years, so we’ll be able to talk to him if we can get into the prison

SQQ: yikes

SQH: yeah

SQQ: alright, that’s fair I guess

SQQ: now, about those rumors…

SQQ: I know I told you I didn’t want to know right afterwards because I had a lot to deal with but I think I should know now

SQQ: especially since apparently people think I was attacked

SQH: Sure thing. I only didn’t say because you asked me not to.

SQH: Yeah, YQY didn’t exactly make it easy on himself being so obviously obsessed with you to your visible distress. No one has outright accused him of rape, but it’s definitely crossed some people’s minds. SJ didn’t exactly hide how much he hated how YQY lingered around him and it’s making people connect dots

SQQ: did he? Hurt SJ like that?

SQH: no, no he didn’t

SQH: I personally don’t approve of rape as a tragic backstory plot device. SJ’s life was already so fucking shitty that I couldn’t justify that specific trauma.

SQH: he probably was threatened with it at some point which is still bad, but no, I didn’t give him that particular hell. He had enough issues with bodily autonomy without needing to go to that extreme.

SQQ: okay good to know

SQQ: what else am I missing

SQH: well it’s pretty widely speculated now that YQY forced LBH from your house to get you alone rather than out of concern for propriety. People have made a connection between SJ going to brothels to sleep (yes, that detail from your file finally leaked) and you looking so exhausted the day everything happened on Qian Cao

SQH: this all dovetails into speculation about your poisoning being cured. Well, mostly the story of how you were poisoned for LBH’s sake and then “cured by LBH’s love”

SQH: Some focus is on the how, but a lot of people seem taken with the romance of it? And they’ve pretty much accepted as fact that LBH is your soulmate

SQH: which makes YQY’s attempts to separate you come out like he’s literally fighting fate to keep you apart

SQQ: …it does sound like a soap opera when you put it like that

SQH: More than a soap opera, bro. It’s an epic love story in the making! Right in their own Sect!

SQQ: just trying to live my life here with minimal stress

SQH: …and between hiding LBH is a demon, committing treason, and saving the world, how is that going for you?

SQQ: …I need a nap

SQH: understandable

SQQ: anything else I should know?

SQH: no I think those are the major things

SQQ: okay I’m going to sleep now

SQQ: thanks and congratulations again

SQH: thanks bro! I’m really happy!!

SQQ: that’s good. You deserve it

SQH: Bro!! <3

It was rare that Luo Binghe had the free time to sit with other Qing Jing disciples and watch Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge’s “training sessions.” Despite their frequency and the fact that Shen Yuan welcomed an audience in the hopes that his disciples would learn something from watching two Peak Lords fight, Luo Binghe had to balance classes, chores, and cooking for Shen Yuan (which was a privilege, not a chore!) all while making sure he was free in the evenings. It didn’t leave him with a lot of time during the day for that kind of distraction.

But today was different. Shen Yuan had had a difficult session with Mu Qingfang the day before and had clung to him after returning home. He hadn’t shared what the session had been about, and Luo Binghe didn’t push. A-Yuan had acted like nothing had happened that morning but had hugged him longer than usual before they had left the bamboo house. All of that made Binghe reluctant to leave his side and he had asked Yingying to find someone to cover his responsibilities for the day so he could stay close.

Now he watched as Liu Qingge in turns helped coach Shen Yuan through accessing the limits of his spiritual energy and clashed with him in fast but somehow relaxed spars. At times, it seemed they were in their own world, speaking in shorthand about what the energy felt like and how best to respond to it. At others, Shen Yuan would look over at his disciples and explain the problem he was having more fully so that they could understand the theory of it, even if they were years of cultivation away from ever encountering its practice.

And when they fought…

Oh, Binghe fell in love with Shen Yuan again and again, mesmerized by the way his hair and robes elegantly followed his movements. Xiu Ya shone in the sunlight, flashing with speed and grace as it danced around and met with Cheng Luan. The spars never lasted more than a few minutes, but the two Peak Lords flitted across the practice fields, testing Shen Yuan’s spiritual energy. It was an impressive spectacle, made all the more affecting for how Luo Binghe knew that his A-Yuan was new to cultivation, yet could still hold his own and look so good doing so against Liu Qingge.

Luo Binghe, unfortunately, also noticed that Liu Qingge did not remain oblivious to Shen Yuan’s charms. Twice, Shen Yuan said something to him with a teasing tilt to his mouth, and Liu Qingge hesitated, giving him time to evade a maneuver with a laugh. His eyes lingered tellingly on Shen Yuan’s face when he turned to explain a concept.

It would have been enough to make Luo Binghe jealous if not for two things. One, Shen Yuan, the darling man, remained completely oblivious to the effect he had on the other Peak Lord. Two, every time he looked over towards his disciples, his face lit up as his eyes landed on Binghe in a way that felt so, so good.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a shichen and Luo Binghe regretted that he couldn’t attend these sessions more.

Of course, something would happen the day he was here.

“Luo-shixiong,” came a voice from beside him. It was Disciple Ye, one of A-Yuan’s more ruthless recruits who had been watching the matches with a sharp eye. “Who is that?”

She gestured with a scowl to someone dressed in Qiong Ding colors approaching the practice field on their sword. “One of the Sect Leader’s disciples. Let this shixiong handle this, shimei.”

“Should this one inform Shijie?”

“Perhaps.” Ning Yingying probably already knew someone from Qiong Ding was arriving (she seemed to know everything). “Leave it for now.”

Luo Binghe walked forward to intercept the disciple as Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge continued one of their bouts. He bowed shallowly, eyes assessing the stranger. “This disciple greets you. Is there a missive for this one’s Shizun?”

The other disciple, a different person from the one that had faced Shen Yuan’s annoyance before they had visited Zhuzhi-Lang, bowed in return but was watching the fight behind Binghe distractedly. “Greetings. This one has a message to deliver and was instructed by his Shizun to deliver it to Peak Lord Shen directly.”

“Shizun is busy. This one will give him the message.” Luo Binghe said, meaning I don’t give a fuck what your Shizun wants.

The other disciple, perhaps a year older than Luo Binghe, blinked at him in surprise. “Qing Jing disciples would have this one disregard an order from the Sect Leader?”

“This one cannot speak for all of Qing Jing, but this disciple finds the order insufficient reason to interrupt his Shizun.”

He gaped at him. “To whom is this disciple speaking?”

“Disciple Luo Binghe of Qing Jing Peak.” The instant he said his name, the expression of the other boy shifted to that of distaste.

“Oh. You’re Luo Binghe. I was told to look out for you.”

Luo Binghe narrowed his eyes. “If Qiong Ding’s disciple has something to say, he should simply say it.”

“It’s of no consequence,” he said, but Luo Binghe clearly heard, You’re not worth the effort. “I will carry out my task as given.”

Qiong Ding attempted to step around him, but Luo Binghe held out an arm stopping him. He cut his eyes to the boy and said slowly, “You will not.”

Luo Binghe had never fought a disciple from the diplomacy peak before. He wondered how he would fare.

“Binghe? Is there a problem?” Shen Yuan called from behind him, a little out of breath but still in good spirits.

“No, Shizun.”

“Yes, Peak Lord Shen,” the irritating disciple said primly. “This one has a message from the Sect Leader to deliver to Shen-shishu and is being stopped by this disciple.”

“Disciple…?”

“Disciple Zhou Lian of Qiong Ding Peak, Shen-shishu. Greetings also to Liu-shishu.” He said, backing away from Luo Binghe enough to bow properly.

“Right. Disciple Zhou, just give the missive to Disciple Luo. This master will read it in due time.”

Told you.

“This one respectfully cannot do that, Peak Lord Shen.”

“…And why not?” Luo Binghe turned to find Shen Yuan looking at the other disciple with some consternation. Liu Qingge was waiting at his side, Cheng Luan still naked in his hand. A few other disciples were watching from the sidelines fretfully; it seemed no one was happy with word coming from Yue Qingyuan.

“The Sect Leader told this one to deliver the message directly to Peak Lord Shen. And the message was not written down as Shizun feared Peak Lord Shen would not have read it in time.”

“In time for…? Never mind. What is the message then?”

Zhou Lian straightened his spine and said clearly, “Shizun has reviewed Peak Lord Shen’s medical note that would excuse him from the Peak Lord summit tomorrow and found it invalid. He expects–“

“Yue Qingyuan did what?” Liu Qingge demanded, stepping forward past a pale Shen Yuan. Luo Binghe rushed to his side but didn’t touch him, aware of where they were and who they were with. “He can’t do that!”

“Actually, he can, Liu-shishu, according to Sect Protocol–“

“Enough. Liu Qingge, a Sect Leader can choose to ignore Qing Cao’s medical recommendations, but it’s rarely done because good Sect Leaders know to respect the expertise of their Peak Lords.” The Qiong Ding Peak disciple gasped but Shen Yuan gave him a sharp look and silenced any objection. “What else does the Sect Leader have to say, Disciple Zhou?” he asked, cuttingly.

The boy seemed to be second guessing himself under Shen Yuan’s cold gaze. “Shizun expects Peak Lord Shen to attend the meeting tomorrow as is his duty now that he is no longer ill.”

“He is still sick!“ Liu Qingge insisted.

The other disciple seemed unconvinced. “Then why was Peak Lord Shen fighting with Liu-shishu if he is unwell?”

“You–“

“Leave it, Liu Qingge,” Shen Yuan interrupted with a hand raised. “It will do no good to argue with the messenger. Though Disciple Zhou is bold indeed to disrespect so many Peak Lords with one question.”  

Shen Yuan let that statement hang long enough for the outsider to be shaken by its implications. “If that is all, then you are dismissed. Tell the Sect Leader that his message was received.”

Disciple Zhou seemed to realize it was past time for discretion and quickly took his leave. Luo Binghe didn’t particularly care, too concerned with how Shen Yuan was dealing with this when he was already having a hard day. “Shizun…”

“I’m okay,” he said quietly before clearing his throat. “Apologies for the interruption, Liu Qingge. Shall we resume?”

Liu Qingge was hesitant. “Shen Qingqiu, should we not fight this?”

“The battle is already lost, my friend, and I am unwilling to devote more energy than necessary to the Sect Leader’s actions. Now, I think I have a least two ke left before I must leave to teach a class. Another round?” Shen Qingqiu asked, drawing Xiu Ya by hand.

Liu Qingge seemed unconvinced but wisely did not argue. “If you want a fight, I’ll give you one.”

“Good man,” Shen Yuan said as he turned back towards the practice fields. But the movement was too close to Luo Binghe and he felt a hand brush his, the touch fleeting and hidden by their robes.

…Just like that, any plans Luo Binghe may have had to leave Shen Yuan’s side for anything except getting him food and drink vanished. His A-Yuan needed him, and there was no where else he would rather be.

Shen Qingqiu did not dissolve into a panicked mess. He did not scream or cry or simply leave Sect for a less stressful environment. After Liu Qingge left, he held it together and got through the rest of his day. He taught his music class, made sure to let the other teachers know he would need his calligraphy class the next day covered, and worked to appear unruffled by the change in plans.

For that, he was proud of himself.

But underneath the surface, Shen Qingqiu was desperately not thinking about the fact he had to spend all the next day near Yue Qingyuan. He had only been able to start talking about his interactions with the man the day before with Mu Qingfang, recalling those moments in detail for the first time since talking to Shang Qinghua about them weeks prior.

It had been more difficult than expected. Shang Qinghua at least understood Yue Qingyuan as his creator, so some things hadn’t needed to be said. But with Mu Qingfang, a man who probably had more insight into Shen Qingqiu’s mind than he had bargained for when he had offered to be his therapist, asked him for his thinking on why certain things happened. And, after spending half a month coming to a mutual understanding of how Shen Qingqiu “saw himself” as two different people pre- and post-qi deviation (in a way that wouldn’t get him labeled as insane or tested for possession again), it had been rough explaining how it felt to have someone he’d once thought of as a friend willing to do anything to bring another version of himself back.

A version of himself that he didn’t particularly like and could never forgive for his actions.

And that was before they could really dig into the whole “definitely tried to see you while unconscious” thing.

But he couldn’t pretend like everything was fine forever. Binghe, the dear, was never fooled. Oh, he did his best to go along with Shen Qingqiu’s act, but he had been hovering near him all day before the news about the Peak Lord meeting broke, and after started silently offering calming teas and small snacks when he could. It wasn’t much different from how he usually acted around him, but it was enough to have him near, offering but not imposing support, seeing through his act but not calling him on it.

So when the day did finally end, when he could let fall apart, he had no qualms about letting Luo Binghe be the one to catch him.

It was later in the year now and the light faded so much faster in the bamboo house. Shen Qingqiu hugged Binghe tight in the dimness of late afternoon and let his touch and scent calm the part of him that was panicking at the thought of seeing Yue Qingyuan again. He had known he would have to, was planning on attending the meeting a month from now, but tomorrow felt too soon and he felt worse than unprepared for it.

“Are you sure you have to go, A-Yuan?” Binghe asked him quietly, hands rubbing soothing circles into his back.

“Yes, I’m sure. Though I’m not sure about why this is happening. It was one meeting! He could have let me stay here. What could he have to gain from me going tomorrow? Does he have something planned?”

Binghe hugged him tighter. “I don’t know, I’m sorry. But he wouldn’t hurt you in front of everyone. Even he wouldn’t dare that. And you won’t be alone, right?”

“…I won’t be. I just…” He pulled away and sighed. Binghe didn’t fight him, but he did take his hand. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to pretend to not be affected by him. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction but, Binghe, I’m not Shen Jiu. I don’t know if I can pretend to be angry when I’m scared for that long.”

Luo Binghe drew in a sharp breath and squeezed his hand. “If I could, I would never have you fear anything, A-Yuan. Is there anything I can do to help you? Anything at all?”

Dwelling on the next day would not help him, he knew that. And Binghe was right, he wouldn’t be alone tomorrow. But dread was starting to settle in his stomach and he didn’t know if he would be able to ignore it. “Distract me?”

Luo Binghe froze. Shen Qingqiu looked at him and was startled to see him being stared at with an intense, unreadable expression. It really had gotten dark in there, he noticed distantly, and Binghe seemed to lean towards him. “How would A-Yuan like to be distracted by this Binghe?”

Something about his voice made him shiver, but the question was perplexing to him. He frowned and said, “I don’t know. Talk to me? Though, we should sit. No need to stand in the middle of the room.” Luo Binghe closed his eyes and seemed to take a deep breath, concerning Shen Qingqiu. “Binghe? Are you alright?”

He blinked his eyes back open, expression clear and open as he said normally. “Fine, Shizun. I’ll light the candles.”

“Alright…” He wondered at the shift in Binghe’s mood before letting it go. If Luo Binghe wanted him to know, he would tell him. “Well, is there anything Binghe would like to speak of? Or maybe I could tell you a story from my original world?”

Luo Binghe started going around the room with a match as Shen Qingqiu settled at the table. “Hmm. There is one thing this Binghe has been wondering about these past days that Shizun could tell him.”

Why am I Shizun all of a sudden? “Yes?”

“Does Shizun recall the song he shared with this Binghe a few weeks ago?”

“Of course, though why is Binghe using my title? Did I do something to upset you?”

Luo Binghe startled and turned to look at him. “No, A-Yuan did nothing wrong. I call you by your title all the time?”

“Not here, not when we’re alone. I… sorry, just overthinking. Never mind. What is it that Binghe wanted to know?”

Luo Binghe frowned and shook the match out. He came over, sat on his usual side of the table, and picked up Shen Qingqiu’s hand before turning his face into his wrist, obviously breathing in his scent. The action was sudden and so intimate that Shen Qingqiu blushed, viscerally reminded of the bond they had begun forming. He parted his lips to say something, but no sound emerged.

Binghe looked at him calmly. “I was just distracted, A-Yuan. When I’m distracted, I use your title because that is safest without a barrier raised. I didn’t know it would worry you, I’m sorry.”

Shen Qingqiu brought out his fan and raised it, looking away but not reclaiming his arm. “I was just being silly. There’s no need to apologize. Erm, what did you want to know? About that song.”

Binghe lowered his arm and intertwined their fingers. “Well, it was sung in what I think is the language I have sometimes heard both A-Yuan and Yuan-ge speak to Shang-shishu. Is that right?”

“Hn. It’s a language called English. I learned it in school over many years.”

“I enjoyed hearing you sing a great deal and was thinking about it. Could A-Yuan tell me what the words in that song meant?”

Shen Qingqiu froze.

Oh, I have made MISTAKES!!!

“Ah, well. About that. The song. The song that I played for you.” His face was on fire.

“…Is it something bad? It just sounded so pretty–“

“No, nothing bad just…” Shen Qingqiu sighed. He should have known this was coming but it really hadn’t registered to him. And now, that song in particular, was just so very embarrassing to talk about. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

“Why would I laugh?”

“It’s a little… just don’t laugh.”

“I won’t.”

“…It’s called ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.’” Luo Binghe’s hand spasmed in his and Shen Qingqiu was still safely hiding behind his fan. “T-the lyrics repeat a lot, and some concepts might not translate well. But, um, this is what the lyrics were: Wise men say only fools rush in…”

He went through the song haltingly, stopping before he got to the final repeating verse, interpreting as best as he could without writing anything down. Beyond gasping at the line Take my hand / Take my whole life, too, Luo Binghe didn’t react in any way that Shen Qingqiu could discern from behind his fan.

He finished his interpretation, feeling flayed and exposed, and cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, um. That’s the song.”

Binghe didn’t say anything. He let go of his hand gently and Shen Qingqiu heard him move as if to stand. Shen Qingqiu moved his fan a bit to peek nervously at him only to widen his eyes as Luo Binghe dropped first to his knees then to a kowtow. It was a position of desperation, of supplication, and it immediately alarmed him. “Binghe, what are you–!”

“Please.” Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what to say, too shocked to do anything but stare. After a moment of silence, Luo Binghe repeated himself. “Please.”

“Binghe! What are you even– I won’t talk to you like this. Get up.”

Luo Binghe raised himself up and the seriousness in his expression made Shen Qingqiu swallow whatever he was thinking of saying. “Shen Yuan, you know exactly what I am asking you. Please, consider saying yes.”

Oh.

“Why?” Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help asking, only to scramble to make something sensible out of the question. “Why now, why can’t we wait?”

“Because you once asked me what I wanted for myself and I refrained from answering because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. But every day, every minute, I love you more, I love you so much it hurts, and I can’t hide it. The truth is, the one thing I want for myself is to be your husband, your partner. To be your closest confidant and your safest place, your home. I am yours and I want you to be mine more than I want my next breath.

“It doesn’t matter to me that we wouldn’t be able to bow to each other for years. I know some part of you still sees me as a child and I respect the boundaries you have put on our relationship. But this, promising ourselves to each other this way, is something I can’t deny craving. I love you. I want you. Would you be mine and allow me to call myself yours? Please, please, would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”

…He was so, so weak to him.

“Binghe would have to ask me again when he got out of the Abyss.”

“I’ll ask you everyday if you want me to.”

“…We wouldn’t be able to tell anyone, except maybe Shang Qinghua.”

Luo Binghe’s face lit up. “No one else.”

“This doesn’t change anything else about our relationship.”

“Of course.”

Fuck it.

“…Ask me again.”

“Shen Yuan, will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

[CONGRATULATIONS!!! CONGRATU–]

Not now.

Luo Binghe smiled, bright and blinding like the sun, and launched himself at Shen Qingqiu. He caught him in a hug and held him close. “Thank you,” Luo Binghe said, voice watery. “Thank you.”

“Binghe’s crying?”

Luo Binghe pulled back and Shen Qingqiu found his face cradled in gentle hands. Luo Binghe’s eyes were overflowing with tears, but his smile was so wide it looked painful. “I’m happy, A-Yuan. I’ve never been so happy. Shen Yuan, A-Yuan. Beloved, betrothed.”

Shen Qingqiu thought they had a couple more hurdles to get through before they could be officially engaged, but that didn’t seem important at the moment. Because… well, he was happy, too.

 “Beloved,” he repeated, lightly pressing his forehead to Binghe’s. “Betrothed.”

His happiness carried him through the evening and into the next day. Though he probably shouldn’t have, Luo Binghe stayed in the bamboo house through the night. This meant that he was at Shen Qingqiu’s side as he fell asleep and was there in the morning to help him prepare for the day, which was nice. He was nearly giddy as Binghe carefully did his hair for the day and all through breakfast, smiling to himself only to have to hide it away.

Luo Binghe didn’t bother hiding his joy, his grin apparent every time Shen Qingqiu looked at him, gentle eyes rarely leaving him.

“You can’t look at me that way in public, Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu had said at some point. “Not if we want to keep this a secret.”

“But we’re not in public now, A-Yuan. There’s no one to complain if I look at my intended like he is the best thing in the world.” Shen Qingqiu had blushed and Luo Binghe had replied, “You’re adorable.”

It was painfully domestic and incredibly cheesy and Shen Qingqiu thought he understood what Binghe meant when he said he loved him so much it hurt.

But as he flew towards Qiong Ding Peak, the dread he had nearly forgotten about made itself known again. He sought another distraction.

SQQ: hey are you already at the staff meeting?

SQH: yeah, why?

SQQ: …so I kinda forgot to tell you I was being forced to attend

SQH: WHAT

SQQ: I know right? YQY SUCKS

SQQ: so I’ll be there soon and it would be great if you could be seen monopolizing my time until the meeting started

SQH: asjklf

SQH: alright

SQH: how are you feeling about this?

SQQ: not great

SQQ: Binghe did a great job distracting me but now I’m kinda dealing with all the negative feelings about being around YQY that I’ve been avoiding

SQH: did he now?

SQH: and that was surprisingly astute of you to say

SQQ: being in therapy helps

SQQ: …I actually have something I wanted to tell you but you have to keep it a secret

SQH: OH??? (gods I wish I could add emojis here) (just imagine a series of eyes looking at you)

SQQ: maybe that’s a System upgrade

Shen Qingqiu arrived on Qiong Ding. He noticed a number of the disciples looking at him, so he steeled his spine, unfurled his fan, and strode forward towards the meeting hall.

The conversations in the room immediately quieted upon his entrance. Great, he thought, walking slowly but purposefully to his usual spot. He nodded at Qi Qingqi who had given him a double take upon entry. Mu Qingfang had been quietly arguing with Yue Qingyuan at the front of the room, which only gained in conviction after Shen Qingqiu arrived. Liu Qingge had been across the room when Shen Qingqiu had entered, yet quickly found his way to his side.

“Shen Qingqiu.”

“Liu Qingge. How are you?”

“Fine. Are you sure you need to be here?” he asked quietly, rather obviously placing himself between Shen Qingqiu and the Sect Leader as he sat down.

“The Sect Leader can make my work difficult,” he whispered, leaning into him and hiding his words with his fan. “You know how much it matters that I am not interrupted. Besides, I’m sure I have been through worse he could possibly throw at me in a public setting. Thank you, though. I know you’re concerned.”

Liu Qingge looked at him intently. “Any time. You know I have your back.”

Shen Qingqiu smiled at him and did his best to ignore the feeling of being stared at and of his skin wanting to crawl off his back. “As I have yours. Speaking of which, I have not completely forgotten my offer to tutor your disciples in some basic writing skills. Actually, let’s talk about those reports you’ve been submitting to Shang-shidi, hmm?”

“Uh…”

“Shen-shixiong!” Shen Qingqiu straightened and looked to his other side where Shang Qinghua had plopped himself down beside him, looking a little manic. “Our last conversation had been interrupted. Sorry, Liu-shidi, this one must borrow Shen-shixiong for a moment.”

“No problem.” Liu Qingge threw a cold look towards the front of the room but stood and went to where he usually sat in short order.

“I was trying to help you, you know.”

“We can come back to that. Check the log.”

SQH: Excuse me, hello???

SQH: come on bro I know LQG is pretty but you can’t just leave me hanging like that???

SQQ: It’s your fault he’s pretty

SQQ: and Binghe proposed again

Shang Qinghua’s eyes widened next to him, and he gestured dramatically.

SQH: twice in one month, the boy is determined

SQQ: it was actually the fourth time but that’s neither here nor there

SQH: bro what?

SQH: Never mind. And?

SQQ: …this time I said yes

SQH: OMG

Shang Qinghua’s eyes went wide and he immediately threw himself at him with a hug. “Holy shit, bro!”

“Shang-shidi, remember yourself!” Shen Qingqiu snapped, closed fan lightly hitting his head

SQQ: do you not know what the word secret means???

SQH: right right sorry

SQH: CONGRATUALTIONS THOUGH!!!

He pulled back from him with a sheepish expression on his face, shuffling away. “Sorry, sorry!”

“Idiot,” Shen Qingqiu murmured fondly.

SQQ: Thank you.

SQQ: it’s not official, obviously

SQQ: I know I’m crazy. Binghe’s only 16 after all

SQH: he’s almost 17

SQQ: don’t help, that’s not much better

SQQ: nothing else about our relationship has changed but… I’m happy

SQH: I’m happy for you ahh

SQH: I bet LBH is over the moon

SQQ: yeah

SQH: well don’t just sit there! Tell me everything! I want details!!

One of Shen Qingqiu’s hands involuntarily clenched when Yue Qingyuan said, “Order. This shixiong calls this meeting to order.”

Shang Qinghua caught the flinch. His eyes narrowed to something hostile as they glanced past him. “We’ll catch up later.”

SQH: Don’t worry about the meeting. I’ll tell you if there’s something you need to respond to.

SQH: There’s no need for you to even acknowledge him, okay?

SQQ: Okay

Shang Qinghua returned to his seat and Shen Qingqiu’s attention was immediately captured by Mu Qingfang stopping in front of him. The silent concern in his eyes was familiar now. “Shen-shixiong?”

“This master will be fine, Mu-shidi,” he said back quietly.

As he often did, Mu Qingfang wordlessly called his bluff. Shen Qingqiu could only close his eyes and shake his head minutely. There was nothing for it now; he was here, wasn’t he?

I’ll be fine because I have to be.

“Of course. Shen-shixiong will tell this shidi if that changes,” Mu Qingfang demurred before bowing and turning to his own seat.

He could feel his stare.

SQQ: Airplane…

SQH: tell me about the engagement

Shen Qingqiu did, opening himself to well-earned ridicule and embarrassment to pretend to be literally anywhere else. Shang Qinghua did tease him for the song choice and lamented how clueless he was for not realizing how stupidly romantic it was, but it was kind all the same.

He couldn’t completely ignore his surroundings and he at times listened to what the other Peak Lords were saying. In the first part of the day, the only thing he had been prompted to say was that he had no announcements, and that made it easier to drift in and out.

Thankfully, he didn’t feel Yue Qingyuan’s eyes on him the entire time, that would have driven him insane. But it was often enough that, even with Shang Qinghua providing a distraction, he was nearly shaking with tension by the first break mid-morning. It had been all he could do not to actually run from the room when the break was called, muttering something about needing fresh air.

Mu Qingfang found him first. “Go home.”

“I’m fine.” He couldn’t leave, not now. He wasn’t doing great, but if Yue Qingyuan saw that he couldn’t even stand to be in the room with him like this? That his very presence was enough to upset him to this degree? Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what the other man would do and didn’t particularly care to find out. So while all he wanted to do was go home and hide in the bamboo house, he couldn’t do it.

“Qingqiu, you are clearly not.” Mu Qingfang stared at him for a moment before sighing. “You’re going to be stubborn about this? Fine. Do you have something on you that… in another context could help you sleep? A handkerchief? Anything?”

Shen Qingqiu blushed but shook his head. He wasn’t to the point of shamelessness yet to just start carrying around Binghe’s scent like that! It would be too much!

“Fine. It’s not healthy for you to be in distress like this for long periods of time. I have some herbs on me that can help calm you. I’ll give them to one of the servants to brew into a tea for you and you will drink all of it. Understood?”

“Yes, Mu-shidi. Thank you, Mu-shidi.”

“Better thanks would be if you actually went home, but you’re welcome.” Mu Qingfang turned and marched back inside the meeting hall, leaving Shen Qingqiu a moment to himself.

He took several deep breaths of the cool air. Calendars didn’t match up to those from his world exactly, but he thought they were somewhere in November by now. And while his cultivation kept him from feeling the cold as he would have otherwise, the sharpness of the air did help clear his mind and ground him.

He could do this. He had friends here. He was okay.

Okay.

Shen Qingqiu rolled his shoulders and went back inside. Yue Qingyuan was thankfully distracted by Liu Qingge arguing with him quietly this time, so he didn’t have to worry about him at the moment.

Of course, he wasn’t alone for long. Before he could sit, Qi Qingqi approached him. “Shen-shixiong.”

“Qi-shimei.”

“I was surprised to see you here,” she said leadingly, but with a private tone. “I know you haven’t been feeling well.”

“Yes. Yet, here I am.”

“You said you had a medical excuse from Mu-shixiong.”

“I do.”

“Then– oh, that ass,” Qi Qingqi said emphatically with a scowl and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t stop a small snort of amusement.

“Well said.”

She sighed then shot him a sly look. “It’s a good thing that Shen-shixiong seems to have so many other Peak Lords around to take his attention. I never realized how close he was with Shang-shidi, for one.”

Oh, no. “Qi-shimei–“

“Hey, I get it. With so many choices, why settle for just one?” she asked with a sharp smile.

“I feel there’s been a misunderstanding. I have made a mistake somewhere.”

“Welcome to being my friend, Shen Qingqiu. You really didn’t think I was just going to watch the circus around you and not say anything, hm?”

“What circus?”

She stared at him incredulously for a moment before a strange light lit up her eyes. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Never mind about that. Does your offer to lunch still stand for next week? I’m eager to see if your disciple’s cooking holds up.”

Shen Qingqiu bristled at that, welcoming the new topic. “Of course it will. Binghe makes the best food I’ve ever had.”

“You can only remember living for two years.”

“I’ve had dinners here each month, at restaurants in towns and at merchant’s manors while on missions. Binghe’s food has all of that beat.”

Qi Qingqi had a wry smile on her face. “I guess I’ll have to see for myself. You know, I’ve never met your disciple, only heard things about him. What’s he like?”

Shen Qinqiu couldn’t help smiling a little. “He’s–“

“Order. Let us resume the meeting,” Yue Qingyuan said and the smile dropped from Shen Qingqiu’s mouth. Right. He had forgotten where he was for a moment, which was an achievement.

Oh.

“Thank you for the conversation, Qi-shimei.” He said, realizing what she had deliberately done.

“I’ll find you at dinner,” she replied, just a little smug as she turned away.

Shen Qingqiu sat down and went back to doing his best to ignore the meeting. A few moments in, a servant placed a fresh pot of tea on his table and poured him a cup. A glance at Mu Qingfang confirmed that he had sent it, so Shen Qingqiu dutifully began to drink.

The liquid was bitter, with a strange sour note that made him almost spit it out on instinct. It was only through pride alone that he kept himself from audibly gagging.

Traditional medicine. Ugh, give him modern pills with candy coating any day.

Still. It was this or basically having his fight or flight response activated for 8 more hours. He chose the foul liquid.

It was warm but thankfully not scalding, so he tossed back cups of it as fast as he could without making it obvious that was what he was doing.

SQH: Bro, are you okay?

SQQ: Yeah. Just this medicine is fucking disgusting

SQQ: It’s supposed to help me relax, though.

SQH: ah, alright. Anyway

SQH: good to see you have more people on your side btw

SQQ: I think QQQ and I are friends now

SQQ: she called YQY an ass out loud and it was excellent

SQQ: why can’t I curse again?

SQH: I mean, you could, it would just be really OOC

SQH: SJ saw cursing as a lesser man’s tool. He had preferred to eviscerate people with too accurate words rather than resorting to cursing.

SQH: He was vindictive like that.

SQH: wanna think of ways to curse YQY without using curse words?

SQQ: YES

Time passed like this, and Shen Qingqiu definitely started feeling the effects of whatever drug Mu Qingfang had given him. He didn’t feel drunk, per se, but we was a lot more relaxed with his situation. Sure, he was here against his will, but they were in front of some of the most influential people in the cultivation world. He had strategy, fighting, logistics, medicine, and weaponized femininity on his side. Yue Qingyuan wanted him here for some reason? Nothing the lot of them couldn’t handle.

He also was feeling… a little looser with his words.

SQQ: how much do you want to bet that what set YQY off was reading that I happily got off on a dick that wasn’t his?

SQQ: like I would have even been able to get it up for a guilt-ridden fool that was in love with SJ, let alone enjoy myself enough to get off

Shang Qinghua started choking on nothing. The conversation that had been something about some minor conflict between Peak Lords paused as everyone turned to look at Shang Qinghua. Shen Qingqiu smirked.

“Do you have something to add, Shang-shidi?” Yue Qingyuan asked dryly.

SQH: wtf did MQF GIVE YOU???

SQQ: idk but it’s fun

Shang Qinghua shook his head quickly. “Not a thing. Please ignore me.”

“…Perhaps its time we break for lunch.”

SQQ: hey hey pretend to be YQY for a second for me

SQH: …okay

SQQ: Yue Qingyuan.

SQH: Yes?

Shen Qingqiu looked at Shang Qinghua, who looked from Yue Qingyuan at that moment to focus on him.

SQQ: Bitch.

Shang Qinghua barked a laugh only to cover his mouth. Shen Qingqiu smiled, but it wasn’t a nice one.

SQH: you asshole

SQQ: thank you

“…is there something you wish to share with the rest of us, Shang-shidi? Shen-shidi?”

Shang Qinghua quickly shook his head but Shen Qingqiu was feeling bold. And pissed off.

For the first time that day, he deliberately turned his head and looked at Yue Qingyuan. There was a flash of surprise and satisfaction on his face for the briefest instant. That disappeared quickly as Shen Qingqiu looked him up and down, quirked his mouth and said, “Absolutely nothing.”

He turned his head dismissively and focused his attention on more important things, like taking another sip of tea. The medicine Mu Qingfang gave him was long gone, now replaced with a light, floral tea that tasted expensive. There was the hint of the unfamiliar in it, but it was a welcome reprieve after the bracing medicine.

There was a moment of silence throughout the room for a moment, then one of the minor Peak Lords that had been arguing said, “Shen-shixiong is quite bold today. And more disrespectful than this lowly one has seen in years.”

“Oh?” Shen Qingqiu looked at the other man with half lidded eyes, feeling somewhat on edge, like a slumbering tiger that had just been awoken from his nap. “Is that so. Well, this one does not wish to make more trouble for himself than he already has. Who has he disrespected and what is the suggested price of recompense?”

The Peak Lord sputtered. “The Sect Leader, and by extension the entire Sect! You challenge his authority with your blatant disregard for his position.”

Something in Shen Qingqiu broke.

Any lassitude and playfulness he had been feeling vanished and he closed his fan with a snap that made half the room flinch. He looked at Yue Qingyuan again and saw his expression was stricken, like something unexpected and unpleasant was happening. “Well, Sect Leader? Would you say I am insubordinate, when I am already here against my doctor’s orders at your insistence? When you know exactly what grievances I have against you?”

Yue Qingyuan visibly steadied himself and, rather perplexingly, glanced at then away from Shen Qingqiu’s table. “Not to the point of insubordination, no. But Shen-shidi has certainly challenged my authority these past weeks.”

“Shixiong, what are you doing?” Mu Qingfang asked, and Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure who he was talking to.

He didn’t care.

“Why am I here today, Yue Qingyuan?”

“Because I am your Sect Leader and my care for you has never been enough.”

“What does that even–“

“Shen Qingqiu, what are you working so hard to prevent in the future?”

He opened his mouth to tell him to politely go to hell. That wasn’t what came out.

“I’m trying to prevent the merger of the three realms, resulting in the complete destruction of the cultivation world and decimation of the human population.”

No one breathed.

Shen Qingqiu paled.

“Why did I just say that?”

Shen Qingqiu remembered the glance at his table. He stood up and stumbled away from his place setting, tea spilling with his movement. He watched the liquid fall with dreadful realization.

“Mu Qingfang, what–“

“Shen-shixiong, I would never–“

“Of course, he wouldn’t,” Yue Qingyuan stood and Shen Qingqiu looked at him in horror. “Mu Qingfang is an excellent doctor and goes through great pains to see that you are cared for, Xiao-Jiu. Of course, he would give you something for stress while here, likely a plant he had just gotten replenished in his stores. One that relaxes the user, lowers their inhibitions, and makes them more susceptible to substances such as the Essence of Clarity.”

A weak truth serum that would have been nearly indetectable in small doses, made more potent by another herb.

Shen Qingqiu stared at him, numb from shock. “You drugged me, is what you’re saying.”

“Technically–”

“No, no technicality! You just admitted to drugging me!”

“There are no ill effects to it’s use, Shen Qingqiu. It only forces the user to speak the truth.”

“What is wrong with you to not see that forcing me to do that is harmful?! Do you really think having everyone know there’s a possible apocalypse on the line is helpful?! Do you have any idea how damaging that knowledge is, how many people my silence was protecting?”

“If you had shared anything with me, I wouldn’t have had to go this far.”

“No, don’t you dare try to make your decision my fault! Take responsibility for your own actions! And why would I ever have trusted you with this?”

“Who else did you trust with this?”

“I’ve told no one. This is not something you just put on other people, especially with no warning!”

“What’s Luo Binghe’s role in this?”

Shen Qingqiu bit his tongue hard enough that blood filled his mouth, but he stopped himself from saying, he’s the one destroying the world. What he does say is, “I’m leaving.”

He turned to go, but Yue Qingyuan was suddenly there. Shen Qingqiu evaded him and was suddenly across the room.

The Peak Lord who he had been arguing with for a moment and Peak Lord Wei were blocking the exit. “Move.”

Peak Lord Wei shook his head. “Peak Lord Shen has challenged the Sect Leader’s authority. This one sincerely apologizes, shixiong, but Peak Lord Shen cannot leave until the challenge is resolved. Nor can any other Peak Lord interfere, no matter how contrived the circumstances.”

“But I haven’t–“ Shen Qingqiu cut himself off and threw up a barrier to physically block Yue Qingyuan from touching him.

He was on the other side of the room again. “Let me go.”

“No. What’s Luo Binghe’s role in your future?”

He couldn’t win a fair fight against him. Yue Qingyuan was taller, stronger, and far more skilled than he was in both cultivation and sword work. He didn’t have his stamina nor his drive, but he did have spite, the cold hard truth, and no other option.

“As my husband.”

Yue Qingyuan hesitated, off balance for half a second, and Shen Qingqiu struck.

In less than a blink, Shen Qingqiu had the edge of his fan pressed against Yue Qingyuan’s neck, a small trickle of blood marring his collar. He was breathing heavily from the amount of spiritual power he used to pull off the maneuver quick enough to avoid being countered, and he knew his eyes were glowing with the energy. But he had the equivalent of a blade to the other man’s neck and Yue Qingyuan in his overconfidence was empty handed.

“Kneel.”

Wide-eyed with parted lips, Yue Qingyuan slowly knelt before him. Shen Qingqiu kept his weapon steady and his expression cold.

“You wanted the truth, so I’ll give you the truth. I am Shen Qingqiu. I do not answer to the name Shen Jiu. I do not remember anything in this life before my qi deviation. I do not want to remember anything from before my qi deviation. I am not yours. I will never be yours. You once asked me what would happen if you kept violating my privacy and boundaries. The answer is I will leave, and you will never see me again. I don’t need you.

“Luo Binghe and I are not together as a couple now. But if he asks for my hand in marriage when he is an adult, it is his.” Shen Qingqiu leaned down and glared directly into his eyes, wanting to make sure he knew how serious he was. “If you ever attempt to harm Luo Binghe for this or any other reason, I will kill you. Say you understand and mean it.”

Yue Qingyuan swallowed and blood flowed down his neck a little faster. “I understand.”

“You will leave me alone. You will not interfere with my work. You will not visit me if I am ill. You will not step foot on Qing Jing Peak unless explicitly invited by me or in a genuine emergency with the fate of the Sect on the line. You will not contact me for anything except Sect related business, and then you will conduct yourself with the respect worthy of our stations and as a colleague. You agree to this, with all these Peak Lords as witness.”

“I agree.”

“If you ever drug me like this again, I will kill you.”

“I understand.”

“You will never touch me again.”

“…I agree.”

Shen Qingqiu stepped away and flicked the blood from his fan onto the floor. He released the energy he had channeled into the paper fan using the same technique he used to make simple leaves razor sharp and fanned himself lazily. “I believe it is time I take my leave for the day.”

Liu Qingge cleared his throat purposefully, drawing Shen Qingqiu's attention. He had already risen to his feet, but hadn’t interfered in their conflict. In fact, his robes were slightly askew in a way that suggested he had been held back. Slowly, deliberately, he gave Shen Qingqiu a formal, deep bow. “Sect Leader Shen.”

Shen Qingqiu blanched. Each Peak Lord in turn rose to their feet and greeted him by the same title. Yue Qingyuan bowed from his knees and intoned, “Sect Leader Shen.”

WHAT?!

[Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times!! Optional Quest Qing Jing Revolution: Complete! +500 B-Points!]

Chapter Text

“Excuse me?”

Shen Qingqiu’s quiet inquiry traveled through the room.

No one answered for a beat then Yue Qingyuan slowly got to his feet. His expression was unreadable as he said, “Shen-shixiong challenged this one’s authority as Sect Leader and undeniably bested this one in single combat. Shen Qingqiu is now the Sect Leader of Cang Qiong Sect.”

That was when the mental screaming started. It kind of made it hard for Shen Qingqiu to think.

SQQ: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

SQH: Bro…

SQQ: aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

SQH: Bro calm down

SQQ: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“No.”

Yue Qingyuan looked at him strangely, “…No?”

“That makes absolutely no sense, and this master cannot accept it. This master does not recall challenging Sect Leader Yue for the right of succession and finds the claim impossible. When was a formal challenge issued?”

Wei Qingwei stepped forward and said, somewhat apologetically, “Yue-shixiong implied that Shen-shixiong’s previous actions amounted to a challenge to his authority. Shen-shixiong then stated a credible grievance against Yue-shixiong’s use of power, which was responded to by an initiation of physical confrontation. This one considered the formal challenge begun at that moment.”

“…Shen-shixiong,” Qi Qingqi started slowly. “This shimei also interpreted your actions as a credible challenge to Yue-shixiong’s authority when he admitted to drugging you. It was unacceptable behavior and Shen-shixiong as second-ranked Peak Lord thus was in a position to take over as Sect Leader if Yue-shixiong could be bested in combat.”

People were nodding in agreement. The mental screaming was increasing in pitch.

Shen Qingqiu tried again. “If the Peak Lords would recall, this one remembers nothing beyond the past two years. Where in the Sect rules is this listed?”

“Sect Leader Shen would have had no reason to review it recently,” Yue Qingyuan said. “But it is an old rule that underlies the foundation of the Peak ranking system. The past few generations of Peak Lords simply chose to not battle for changing the Peak ranking. If a legitimate challenge to authority was issued of the next ranked Peak, and that challenge was found credible by a majority of the Peak Lords, then a trial by combat would be conducted, with the winner of that trial taking the higher rated position. A legitimate challenge can be issued on a number of grounds, including incompetence, an abuse of power, or personal insult. It acts as a buffer from outsiders taking over the Sect through a simple trial by combat, but also is an internal check on Peak Lord or Sect Leader behavior. You remain Peak Lord of Qing Jing, but the change in ranking between our positions makes you the Sect Leader.”

Shen Qingqiu stared at him in utter horror. “What of formality, of intent? No challenge was officially declared, and this master had no intention of taking over as Sect Leader. This master was only defending himself and was not aware that a challenge of this nature could even be issued.”

“This was certainly more casual than most other rank challenges, but formality is not a requirement. There is nothing of intent in the rules, only interpretation by other Peak Lords.

“There is also the issue of acknowledgement, Sect Leader Shen,” Yue Qingyuan continued, the bleeding from the thin line Shen Qingqiu had cut in his neck slowing as he used spiritual energy to heal the damage. His robes were stained in a macabre pattern that Shen Qingqiu struggled not to fixate on in that moment. “Every Peak Lord, including myself, acknowledged you as Sect Leader. The only other way for someone to take over as Sect Leader barring retirement or death in office outside of a succession challenge is unanimous agreement of all other Peak Lords. While you do not remember taking your Peak Lord oaths, you are bound by them still and must adhere to Sect rules. According to two different Sect Protocols, you are now Sect Leader.”

“This Peak Lord does not consent to this!”

“The Peak Lord in question does not get a vote, with the assumption that they would always vote themself into power. Even though that is not the case here, the rule stands.”            

SQQ: WTF WTF WTF WTF

SQQ: EVERYONE HAS ME SO FUCKED UP RIGHT NOW

SQH: Cucumber-bro, maybe you should just go with it?

SQH: think of all the things you could do as sect leader

SQQ: MORE LIKE THINK OF ALL THE EXTRA RESPONSIBILITY I WOULD HAVE NO FUCKING THANK YOU

“If everyone could excuse my bluntness, but, Yue Qingyuan, this is ridiculous! You don’t get to harass me half to insanity, drug me, then somehow trap me into taking your job because I had the audacity to defend myself!”

Yue Qingyuan sighed. “To be similarly blunt, Shen-shixiong, I did not expect to lose my position today either. There is nothing either of us can do about that now.”

BullSHIT.

“We’ll see about that!” He looked around the room and cleared his throat. “My fellow Peak Lords, allow me to list all the reasons at least one of you should rescind your acknowledgement of this one as Sect Leader, with the knowledge that I am still under the influence of a gods-forsaken truth serum. Most of you don’t like me and, worse than that, half of you don’t respect me. You all now know that I am working to avert the end of life as we know it and being Sect Leader would be rather distracting! There are many things I have not told you about the other future and I will continue to keep my secrets! My memories begin two years ago, and I have no idea what goes into being Sect Leader! I am sick and seeing Mu Qingfang thrice a week for treatment! I have admitted to being in love with one of my disciples! I don’t want to be Sect Leader!”

SQQ: THAT’S YOUR CUE AIRPLANE

SQH: I don’t know bro I think you would do a good job

SQQ: SHANG QINGHUA

SQQ: I AM SECRETLY ENGAGED TO THE FUTURE RULER OF THE DEMON REALM HELLO???

SQH: okay but that is like years off?

SQH: also #powercouple

SQQ: NO

The Peak Lord of Jing Xue Peak, Zhao Qingchen, cleared her throat. Shen Qingqiu perked up, knowing that the last time they had spoken (when he began research on arrays and talismans) the Peak Lord had been borderline hostile to him. “My fellow Peak Lords, this one would like to address some of Shen-shixiong’s concerns. This master has never been friendly to Shen Qingqiu following his qi deviation and puts forward these thoughts as a somewhat neutral observer.

“This one is greatly alarmed by the news that Shen-shixiong has been working to advert such an occurrence as major as realm convergence on his own, yet understands why he chose to keep this a secret to avoid causing mass panic. In hindsight, this master believes we all would have been better off living in ignorance, though that is a topic for another time. The point is, this master would argue that Shen-shixiong exercised reasonable and far-sighted judgement in keeping aspects of the future from the people, including each of us, who did not need to know. That judgement is far better than Yue-shixiong has displayed in the past month.”

Shen Qingqiu’s spirits sunk as he realized that this was someone arguing in favor of him being Sect Leader.

“To address other points, this master has personally observed Shen-shixiong’s willingness to learn and adapt to new knowledge in the questions he asked this master in the course of his research. This one admits to having… concerns about Shen-shixiong’s relationship with his disciple, but would argue that he is not disqualified from serving as Sect Leader on the basis of ignorance or secrecy.”

What.

“I’ll speak as someone who has been publicly antagonistic to Shen Qingqiu in the past,” Wei Qingwei spoke up again, causing Shen Qingqiu to turn towards him with wide eyes. He was starting to get dizzy. “A lot has been said and revealed in the past month. Hell, within the past ke. I don’t trust Shen Qingqiu on a lot, but I do know how to judge based on people’s actions. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but Shen Qingqiu stopped a conflict on Qian Cao Peak a couple of weeks ago involving Sect Leader Yue while visibly ill out of concern for the disciples around him, no?”

No one contradicted him because no one could. Shen Qingqiu’s mind went from high pitched screaming to shocked silence. He was utterly speechless.

“That’s what I thought. Now, Shen Qingqiu, at what age would you consider your disciple an adult?”

“Eighteen with significant life experience outside of the Sect. Twenty without,” he answered automatically.

“And how old is Luo Binghe now?”

“Sixteen. He’ll be seventeen next month.”

“Did you consider your disciple in a romantic light before he was sixteen?”

“No! I didn’t even think I could be attracted to men until an adult Binghe began ki– erm. Began treating me like his husband.“

He was back to internal screaming. His face felt hot.

“…Well then. That covers a good number of concerns I had about you and your disciple.”

SQQ: AIRPLANE-BRO PLEASE!!

“…This master rescinds his acknowledgement of Shen Qingqiu as Sect Leader for the purposes of breaking unanimous acknowledgement,” Shang Qinghua said. He sounded like his teeth were getting pulled, but Shen Qingqiu would take what he could get!

“Thank you!” Shen Qingqiu exclaimed.

“On what grounds?” Wei Qingwei asked curiously.

“He does not wish to have the position and this one is concerned about his stress levels with so many competing responsibilities.”

To his surprise, Qi Qingqi said, “That’s not good enough.” She looked at Shen Qingqiu, resolute and unflinching. “My apologies, Shen-shixiong, but I can’t let this stand. It was obvious that you had established a mental link with Shang Qinghua at the start of the meeting to communicate with him throughout. A mental link that you have likely not broken and that you are probably using to pressure him to change his answer. For all that you profess to not want the job, I have yet to hear any real argument that you would not be suited for the role. As for your other responsibilities, you won’t be alone. You can delegate when necessary to get everything done.

“Additionally, I cannot ignore the fact that Yue Qingyuan shamelessly drugged you in front of all of us. He took advantage of your medical condition–knowledge that he had because of his position as Sect Leader–and used your treatment against you. In addition to his conduct since the time travel incident, he has shown a willingness to abuse his power in a way I must object to. I must. Would you ever have gone so far as to drug any one of us?”

“Of course not,” he answered, lips numb.

“Then already you are better suited to lead us than Yue Qingyuan. Even with Shang Qinghua’s dubious change in opinion, you remain Sect Leader by rank challenge. And I would argue that you would be the better Sect Leader for us now.”

Shen Qingqiu felt so much that he felt nothing at all. He looked at Yue Qingyuan, then had to blink hard to focus. “You’re ranked second. Challenge me.”

Yue Qingyuan closed his eyes and shook his head. “I won’t.”

Shen Qingqiu was this close to screaming. “The one time I ask you to do something besides leave me alone and you won’t do it!? Why not?!”

“Because Qi-shimei is right. I grew too arrogant and crossed a line today. Anyone here would have grounds to accuse me of an abuse of power, and you’re the only one I would have willingly yielded to even without your fan at my neck. Even while sedated and distressed, you were able to remain clearheaded enough to defeat me. I have no legitimate grounds to challenge your authority, Shen Qingqiu, and no moral standing left to begin to claim the position of Sect Leader.”

“It was a fluke.”

“It wasn’t. You were in a weaker position, so you used what you could to your advantage to survive. That is so very like you, Xia- Shen Qingqiu. Don’t worry about other challengers; no one will ever get through me.”

Shen Qingqiu looked around the room, trying to make eye contact with his friends but they all seemed on the opposite end of him on this. Couldn’t they see this would be a disaster?! Him? As Sect Leader??

Out of other options, he looked at Mu Qingfang. “Mu-shidi, I’ve been ill. You know I can’t take this on.”

Mu Qingfang shook his head. “Shen Qingqiu, you have managed the impossible these past two years. What are you so afraid of with this?”

Paperwork!!

“That I won’t be good enough. That I’ll get people hurt.” Shen Qingqiu answered, cursing the drug still affecting him. He shifted his stance in an attempt to rebalance himself.

“You care. You care so much. I know you are more than good enough for this. I honestly consider you one of the most capable people I know, and I won’t pretend otherwise, Sect Leader Shen.”

SQQ: there has to be SOMETHING

SQH: one thing

SQH: if you tell them that Binghe is a demon, that you know this and love him anyway, that you’ve been working to free his father from a cultivator-made prison, they would back down

SQH: but you know the consequences of that

He could save himself from this fate, but only if he hurt Luo Binghe and blew up everything they had been working for in the process.

It wasn’t even a question.

“It appears I have no choice. I accept the position of Sect Leader of the Cang Qiong Sect.”

Everyone bowed to him again and Shen Qingqiu needed to leave. The room began continually spinning and he was getting nauseous. He said, only half aware, “I must return to my Peak to begin to make other arrangements for my work during the transition period. This meeting is adjourned with all matters tabled until we can gather once more. More urgent issues can be brought to my attention directly.”

Yue Qingyuan bowed to him again and said, “This one will prepare what is necessary to allow for a transition of power. Would Sect Leader Shen be able to begin meeting with this master tomorrow?”

Finally, finally, fear broke through the calming effect of the medicine Mu Qingfang gave him and everything stilled. Of course, he would have to meet at length with Yue Qingyuan to know what the hell he was supposed to be doing as Sect Leader and to be brought up to speed. Of course, this would force him to spend time with the other man because anything else would be irresponsible.

Even in losing everything to him, Yue Qingyuan somehow got exactly what he wanted.

[…If Host faints, he will lose 100 B-points.]

Fuck your mother! You said that taking the scenario pusher that led to this stupid fucking plot would have him off my back for MONTHS! What the fuck is this then???

[Host is correct that the scenario pusher that initiated Optional Quest Qing Jing Revolution would have led to Yue Qingyuan being forced to no longer interact with Host for a long period of time. The subsequent scenario pusher that Host activated on An Ding Peak, publicizing his illness and creating key opportunities for conflict, led to this moment. There is no need for rude language.]

I’ll fucking show you rude–

Meanwhile, the rest of the room had a moment to absorb what Yue Qingyuan said and watch Shen Qingqiu go deathly pale.

“Oh, hell no,” Shang Qinghua said, stepping forward to come to Shen Qingqiu’s near-catatonic side. “No way am I just going to watch us force Shen-shixiong into both taking on more responsibility and spending an extended period of time with his abuser.”

“I haven’t–“

“You have! Your fixation on him is an unhealthy obsession that would make any reasonable person feel unsafe to be the object of. You have tried to control him and have shown multiple times that you don’t give a damn what he wants. Today alone you engineered a situation in which he would take a sedative that would make your drugging of him more effective, proceeded to drug him, and only then did you initiate a physical confrontation with him. The fact that he still beat you doesn’t erase what you have done and like hell am I going to just watch you set another trap for him and not do anything about it!”

Shen Qingqiu, like everyone else, was staring at Shang Qinghua as he yelled at Yue Qingyuan, the smaller man shaking with the force of his emotions.

Yue Qingyuan gave Shang Qinghua a surprised, maddeningly wounded look. “I really was just going to help him with–“

“Wasn’t born yesterday and I don’t believe that. Oh, maybe you mean that now, but how long would those good intentions last if you finally got the access to Shen-shixiong that you’ve been denied for the past month? And if I don’t believe it, I know Shen-shixiong doesn’t either.”

Yue Qingyuan looked at Shen Qingqiu and flinched at whatever expression was on his face. Shen Qingqiu was so far beyond the ability to control himself to that degree. The fear that had flooded his system left him utterly frozen and he didn’t have the energy to claw his way back to poise. He was tired, so fucking tired.

He thought he may have started swaying, but honestly couldn’t tell.

Luckily, he didn’t have to say anything at that moment as others began to react. Liu Qingge and Mu Qingfang both came to his side. Liu Qingge guided him gently to a nearby seat that Shen Qingqiu all but collapsed into. He said while Mu Qingfang put his fingers to his wrist, “Shang-shixiong is right. You don’t get free access to him now just because we acknowledged that he is a more deserving Sect Leader than you.”

Mu Qingfang cursed and began transferring grounding spiritual energy to him. Shen Qingqiu felt marginally steadier as Mu Qingfang called out. “Sect Leader Shen is having an adverse reaction to the substances he ingested due to stress and is currently in shock. Which is why you don’t mix substances freely in the first place. The logistics of the transition will be decided at another time, but Yue Qingyuan will not be allowed to speak with Sect Leader Shen alone.”

Yue Qingyuan startled at Mu Qingfang’s vehemence. “Mu-shidi–“

“No. This is the second time to my knowledge you have used my care as a doctor for Shen Qingqiu to hurt him. I am so angry with you on a professional and personal level that I can barely speak, Yue Qingyuan. I would suggest you start writing a detailed transition guide, because after this I don’t think you’ll be seeing Shen-shixiong for his own health for a long time. Liu Qingge.”

“Understood.” Liu Qingge moved slowly so that he was within Shen Qingqiu’s line of sight and asked gently, “Can I take you home? You need rest.”

Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth, closed it. Tried again. “Wait.” He looked beyond him to where the other Peak Lords were standing, some looking more concerned than others. “Don’t publicize this change yet. I will make an announcement in due time after I recover, but I need to understand the public fall out this will cause first. We cannot appear unstable, disorganized, or weak to outsiders during the transition.”

“Does your mind ever stop?” Liu Qingge asked.

At the same time, Qi Qingqiu bowed low to him and said, “As the Sect Leader commands.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded and looked at Liu Qingge. The Bai Zhan Peak Lord picked him up easily into a careful princess hold and Shen Qingqiu just about fell asleep immediately. He resisted, however. “Mu-shidi, is it safe for me to sleep? Or should I try to stay awake?”

“The Sect Leader should sleep if he is able. He should also drink water when he is conscious. This master will be along shortly with a restorative pill to assist him.”

“Thank you. Everyone is dismissed.” he said before closing his eyes and resting his head on Liu Qingge’s shoulder. His friend seemed to hold him closer and he felt them begin moving without delay.

Soon enough, they were moving through the cool air and Shen Qingqiu started to shiver. He tried to focus on circulating his qi to warm himself up, but it just made him shiver more. “S-sorry. Don’t know why I’m so cold.”

“Don’t apologize. You’re not cold, you’re in shock, remember?” Liu Qingge said in that gentle yet gruff way of his. “What do you need?”

Nothing. “Binghe.”

Goddamn fucking truth serum.

“How long does this stupid Essence of Clarity last?” he complained out loud, hiding his face behind his hands. Liu Qingge had stiffened against him but his hold hadn’t shifted.

“…You really care about him.”

“Y-yes. That hasn’t changed.”

“Could I ask you something?”

“…if you want. I can’t stop you.”

Liu Qingge hesitated long enough that Shen Qingqiu wondered if he was going to ever ask his question. He laid there, shivering and unable to sleep, for several minutes as they got closer and closer to Qing Jing.

Eventually, Liu Qingge asked, “Why haven’t you used your fan when we spar?”

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help a small chuckle. “That’s it? That’s what you want to know?”

“Hn.”

He smiled at him a little and felt Cheng Luan shake beneath them for some reason. “Because you are my friend and I have never tried to kill you. My fan is a weapon of last resort and it’s not for prolonged fighting but for surviving. If I’m using my fan in a fight, it means I’m prepared to kill the other person. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I would let you.”

“What?”

“I mean you should practice using your fan in combat. You had the element of surprise today, but people will learn that you took down one of the strongest cultivators of our generation with an ordinary paper fan. I would be happy to train with you while you learn to use it effectively.”

“Oh. Alright, if you’re sure.”

“I am.” Shen Qingqiu hummed his agreement then shivered again. Liu Qingge suddenly said, “I’m sorry.”

“Hm? What for?” Liu Qingge hesitated again and Shen Qingqiu risked motion sickness to look at him. There was a deep frown on his face, but that was all he could tell from where his head rested. He didn’t dare attempt to move with how precarious the world felt. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes again and continued, “My friend, I am too sick to open my eyes and attempt to puzzle out your meaning from your expression. Please, just say what you mean.”

He snorted. “You, telling me to be straightforward. Fine. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe after I promised I would be able to. I was unprepared for Yue Qingyuan to do that and others prevented me from intervening when he began attacking you, but that is no excuse. You trusted me to keep you safe, and I failed you. I’m sorry.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed and squinted his eyes open. He reached up and gently pat Liu Qingge on the head. Then he lowered his hand and closed his eyes, shivering hard even after such a small exertion. “Silly shidi. No one expected he would go so far, and I know you couldn’t have interfered once it became a challenge. It’s not your fault and I don’t blame you. I couldn’t.

“I still trust you and was hoping that you would be able to be there at least some of the times I will have to have meetings with him. Despite what Mu Qingfang said, I will have to meet with him and soon to discuss Sect-related matters. Could you do that for me?”

“Of course, whatever you need.” Liu Qingge held him tighter for a moment then relaxed as they began to lose altitude.

“Thank you.”

“…Qingqiu, you know that it won’t be kept a secret, right? There’s no way.”

For a wild moment, Shen Qingqiu panicked and thought that he was talking about his engagement to Binghe. Then, it clicked that there was no way he could know that and relaxed. “You mean realm convergence? No, probably me being Sect Leader? I fully expect the entire Sect to know before sundown, Qingge. Do you know how many servants were in that room, never mind the fact that people couldn’t hold onto juicy gossip if their lives depended on it. I told people to keep it a secret because someone had to remind them to not go announcing it to the wider cultivation world and to seem like I was somewhat competent despite being half conscious. I appear sick and weak, so I had to act strong.”

“…That’s insane.”

“It is. Just another part of why I didn’t want to be Sect Leader. It’s more than a job, it’s a lifestyle. I can’t be myself anymore in public; I have to be the Sect Leader. I wouldn’t be surprised if the stress of it killed me.”

“I won’t let it. Me, the other Peak Lords, your disciples, we’ll help you.” He paused and said, “Do you know why I jumped at the chance to be the first to acknowledge you as Sect Leader?”

“No, I honestly have no clue.” Shen Qingqiu heard the rustling of leaves around them, signaling they were getting close to the end of this journey.

“Because I think that you are smart and kind and good, and I think everyone would be better off if our leaders were good people. You are strong and, as Mu Qingfang said, you care. Our relationship wasn’t great before your qi deviation, but the one of the first things you did after was save my life. You forced me to rethink everything and maybe… in another life, we… never mind that. The point is, I will be your staunchest supporter because I believe in you, Shen Qingqiu. I am proud to call you my Sect Leader, and my friend.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what to say to that as Liu Qingge landed. He walked up the steps to the bamboo house and Shen Qingqiu said, “Put me on my feet,” Liu Qingge paused before doing just that, carefully setting him down like he was made of glass. Rather than opening his door, Shen Qingqiu turned when he was able and pulled Liu Qingge into a hug. He felt the other man jolt in surprise and he simply offered, “Thank you for being my friend.”

Liu Qingge shuddered and, just when Shen Qingqiu was about to pull away, hugged him back.

After a nice moment, Liu Qingge pulled away and opened the door to the bamboo house. “Let’s get you settled, then I’ll send you your disciple.”

“Thank you.” Shen Qingqiu removed his shoes and moved into the house. He had noticed that Liu Qingge hadn’t said anything about the whole end of the world revelation, but he certainly wasn't going to bring it up. A thought occurred and, rather than heading to his bedroom, he poured himself a cup of water. “Would you send me my… actually send me three disciples: Luo Binghe, Ming Fan, and Ning Yingying. I think it’s time we had an important conversation.”

“…Shen Qingqiu, you are literally in shock right now. I don’t think it’s a great time to be doing anything but resting.”

“Your complaint has been noted. I know what I’m doing, okay? Please, just do this for me.”

Liu Qingge looked at him and then sighed. “Yes, Sect Leader.”

“And don’t tell them about the Sect Leader thing. Just let them know that I need to talk to them urgently. I’m not sure what time it is exactly, but you may have to pull them out of class.”

“I’ll need to tell them something. Neither of us are supposed to be here right now; they’ll know something is wrong.”

“That will just incentivize them to hurry up. I don’t actually want to be awake for long, but this must happen now.” He sat at his table and drank the cool water, shivering. “Hopefully by the time I’m done Mu Qingfang will have arrived with the restorative pill.”

“You’re impossible,” he said, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Drink more water and don’t move.”

Liu Qingge left, closing the door behind him. Shen Qingqiu waited until a moment after he could no longer hear his steps to stand carefully, walk to his bedroom, and just fucking scream into his pillow.

He let himself have maybe a full minute of hysteria before he painstakingly pulled himself together and lit the braziers in the front room and his bedroom. He knew he was just cold from shock, but it was a cool day and it would probably have been uncomfortable for his disciples if he hadn’t lit them.

With nothing left to do, he sat down at the front table again and unfortunately started thinking again. Never, never had he imagined that he would be Sect Leader. It was something he and Binghe had not planned for and he needed more information before he could even begin to guess how this would change things.

God, but he was tired. He needed a nap.

He would sleep, he promised himself. He just had to do this one thing first.

Shen Qingqiu did his best to clear his mind and meditate as he sipped at his water and waited.

Luo Binghe was in his advanced calligraphy class when Liu Qingge suddenly arrived at the door, startling Teacher Shi and all the senior disciples in the room because he wasn’t supposed to be here. “My apologies for the interruption, but Shen Qingqiu needs to speak to Disciples Luo, Ming, and Ning. It’s urgent.”

Panic was immediate. Luo Binghe stood quickly, heart racing in his chest. “Is Shizun well?” he asked.

“…He’s awake.” At the rumble of frantic concern from the entire room, Liu Qingge sighed. “He’s not dying or anything, but he is not well. He shouldn’t be awake but is insisting on speaking to the three I mentioned before resting.”

Teacher Shi shook herself and gave a quelling look that silenced the whole room. “Don’t just stand there; go to Master Shen. The mess will be taken care of.”

Luo Binghe bowed hastily to her and all but ran out of the room, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan close at his heels. “Liu-shishu, what has happened?” Ning Yingying asked, the concern in her voice palpable.

“Not here,” was all he said as he started striding away. He wasn’t much taller than Luo Binghe, but he was almost jogging to keep up with him. Poor Yingying was jogging. He waited until they were on the path through the bamboo forest to say, “I didn’t want to alarm anyone else listening, but Yue Qingyuan gave him something that made him sick. No, that’s too fair. Yue Qingyuan outright drugged him with a truth serum that is reacting poorly with the medicine Mu Qingfang prescribed him.”

“What?” Ning Yingying said for all of them. Luo Binghe stumbled, nearly blind with rage and concern. He didn’t wait for further explanation; he just started running, Shen Yuan’s name a mantra in his mind.

He threw open the door to find Shen Yuan sitting pale but calm at the table, a small cup of liquid in his hand and the pitcher they used for water on the table. He blinked at Binghe, seemingly startled, before he sighed. “What did he tell you?”

“Shizun was drugged,” Luo Binghe said, only half remembering to remove his shoes before flying to Shen Yuan’s side. “Shizun,” he said, voice trying to convey all he wanted to say but couldn’t with the sounds of the others approaching at an urgent but less frantic pace than him.

“I’m okay, Binghe,” Shen Yuan said softly, hand rising. Luo Binghe knelt beside him and happily accepted the head pat as he struggled to contain the urge to throw himself at the man. “We’ll talk more later, okay? I mostly just wanted to see you,” he added with a whisper.

Luo Binghe looked at him. “Shizun…”

“I know. Later.” Luo Binghe heard the others begin to climb the steps to the house and he pulled back to a more proprietary distance. He was still within reach of Shen Yuan (he wasn’t sure if he could force himself farther from him when he was still so worried), but he was no longer obviously in his personal space. “Thank you, Qingge.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you. You should probably head to your Peak, beat the rumors there if you can.”

“Alright. Send for me if you need anything. And get some rest, Qingqiu.”

“I will.” Liu Qingge gave Shen Yuan one long look, shot Luo Binghe an unreadable one, and then left, closing them all in.

Shen Yuan finally looked at Ming Fan and Ning Yingying who had already risen from their greeting bows. “Please, sit. No one is in trouble, and this master would like this conversation to be as easy as possible.”

They exchanged a glance and sat side by side on the opposite end of the table. “Is… is Shizun well?” Ming Fan asked hesitantly.

“This master will be fine with some rest and is currently waiting for Master Mu to arrive with some fortifying medicine. This master is simply experiencing a state of shock, which has already received some mitigation treatment. Rest is necessary, but this master thought a conversation needed to be had first.

“Binghe,” he said and Luo Binghe went to attention. “You will not repeat anything that is said in this meeting to anyone outside of this room. Understood?”

“Yes, Shizun.”

“Ming Fan… A-Fan, Yingying, this master hopes that you both will be honest in this moment. Something has happened and this master must have a clear understanding of matters before moving forward comfortably. This master is not here to punish or judge actions taken, only to learn and act accordingly. Do you both understand?”

They both bowed low to him from their positions. “Yes, Shizun.”

“Good. Now, which of you is actually this master’s head disciple?” They both froze. “A few days ago, this master was alerted by Peak Lord Qi that things were not as this one expected on Qing Jing Peak. In the time since, this master has observed similar inconsistencies himself. This master was planning on approaching you each individually to discuss the matter, but things have changed rapidly and this master needs to know now: who is this one’s head disciple?”

Neither of them moved and Shen Yuan sighed. “Please, both of you, rise from your bows. This master is neither angry nor disappointed, just curious.”

Ning Yingying slowly rose, but Ming Fan threw himself into a kowtow. “This disciple has failed his Shizun!”

Shen Yuan said, voice tired, “Ming Fan, did you not listen to a word this master just said?”

“Ning Yingying is the one who deserves to be head disciple!” Ming Fan continued from the floor. “All the disciples, including this lowly one, hold her in the highest regard. She is more competent, well respected, and a much better thinker than this one could ever aspire to be.”

“Ming Fan, don’t talk down on yourself like that!” Ning Yingying hissed.

“And she’s so kind, too! The youngest disciples adore her! And–“

“A-Fan, stop. This master gets the point. You may rise.” Ming Fan slowly raised himself back up to sitting, face mottled from distress. “Yingying, how would you feel about being this master’s head disciple officially?”

Ning Yingying’s face was the picture of genuine shock. “Sh-shizun?” Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows to prompt her response and she quickly kowtowed to him. “Such a title could only be an honor, Shizun! This Yingying could never deserve such a position.”

Luo Binghe opened his mouth to argue against that, but Shen Yuan shot him a look that stopped him in his tracks. “Head Disciple Ning, get up. This master has much to cover and limited energy to do so.”

Both Ming Fan and Ning Yingying burst into tears. Shen Yuan sighed. He was doing a lot of that. “Will you both please calm down? Yingying, I’m not just going to throw you to the wolves. A-Fan, I am not discarding you. You have served me well for many years, both before and after my qi deviation. What kind of master would I be if I ignored that or failed to acknowledge the character your loyalty, honesty and willingness to step aside speaks to?”

Luo Binghe was happy he had a reason to keep quiet. His A-Yuan was far kinder than he would ever be.

It took a moment for them both to quiet and Shen Yuan started swaying unsteadily. Luo Binghe moved without thought and placed a gentle hand on his back. He was shivering. “Is there anything this disciple can get Shizun to help him feel better? Warm tea, perhaps?

Shen Yuan flinched hard enough that the water in his cup sloshed a bit. “No, thank you, Binghe. Water is fine for now.”

“Perhaps Shizun should rest?” he asked leadingly.

“In a few moments. There is something I must tell all of you.”

Shen Yuan closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he was every inch the powerful Peak Lord that had enthralled Luo Binghe. “Ning Yingying, as of now you are officially the Head Disciple of Qing Jing Peak. You are the presumptive heir to my position and I will begin training you as such.

“Ming Fan, you will guide Yingying in her duties to Qing Jing but also act as my secretary. You are the point of contact through which people will have access to me and oversee keeping my schedule in order. You will also be the first to look through all correspondences addressed to me, which will be no easy task.

“Binghe, I need you to continue as you have been, acting when possible as my personal aide. I need you to ensure I continue eating and sleeping normally, and to be my sounding board when necessary.”

Luo Binghe exchanged a loaded look with Ming Fan and Ning Yingying. He said, “This one will provide anything Shizun needs that is in his power to give. But, forgive this one’s impertinence, what has changed to have Shizun make these decisions now?”

“Qing Jing Peak is no longer ranked second, but first. I am the Sect Leader of Cang Qiong Sect, as acknowledged by all Peak Lords as of half a shichen ago.” They all stared at him before dropping into bows. “Oh, stop that. I’m talking to you because I need your help for this little mess of a transition to go smoothly, not for you to bow and scrape to me.”

“Shizun, what happened?” Luo Binghe asked.

“I won’t go into details for now, but Yue Qingyuan drugged me, which is the deciding factor of why I am ill at the moment. He admitted as such, I denounced his actions, he attacked me, and I won the fight. I was unaware at the time, but that sequence of events equated to an official rank challenge that left me in charge of the Sect and Qiong Ding in the second ranked position. I argued against such a decision, but it is done now. I am the Sect Leader and there’s apparently nothing I can do about it.”

Shen Yuan shook himself, but Luo Binghe caught the dejected tone in his voice. He longed to take his hand and pull him into a hug. Instead, he leaned closer to him and gently pressed his hand more solidly against his back.

“How will Peak Lord Yue be punished for his actions?” Ning Yingying asked, serious and fierce expression on her face barely concealing her righteous fury.

“Yingying, I’ve been drugged and am currently in shock. I haven’t thought that far.”

Ning Yingying bowed. “This disciple apologizes, Shizun. Shizun should rest. Does he have any orders for this Yingying or Ming Fan?”

Luo Binghe noticed his name was absent from that question.

“Tell the disciples about the change in ranking, but they are not to discuss it with anyone outside of the Sect, preferably no one off-Peak. I’m sure there will be rumors about what occurred in the Peak Lord meeting today. Monitor what is said to report back to me when I ask. Unfortunately, that’s something I’m going to have to keep abreast of now. Find someone to cover my classes for tomorrow; I have a feeling I will be unavailable.”

“Yes, Shizun.” They bowed and then rose to their feet.

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Shen Yuan called and Mu Qingfang opened the door. “Ah, right on time.”

“Why are you awake?” Mu Qingfang asked, clearly dismayed and Luo Binghe’s worry spiked again.

“I needed to handle something that is now taken care of. Ning Yingying, Ming Fan, you’re dismissed.” They both bowed one final time and hustled to leave. Luo Binghe neither moved from Shen Yuan’s side nor stopped touching him. “Mu-shidi has the medicine he mentioned?”

“Yes.” The others left and closed the door behind them. Mu Qingfang came into the house, reaching into his pack to bring out a small pouch. He handed it Luo Binghe. “One pill every shichen with water but only if he is awake. What he needs now is rest. You do not leave his side, even through the night. You are to skip your classes tomorrow and stay with him while he’s on the Peak.”

Luo Binghe nodded as he took the pouch and Shen Yuan said dryly. “I’m right here, you know.”

“He takes better care of you than you do! You said he would be your husband–” HE DID WHAT? Binghe thought, “–in the future and you’ve been treating him as such anyway!

“And you! I told you to leave! I told you to go home!”

“I, that’s…” Shen Yuan trailed off and held out a hand. Luo Binghe dutifully extracted a pill to give him. “You did tell me to go home. I’m sorry, I didn’t listen.”

“Don’t apologize to me! Not when he. Not when he used the medicine I gave you to hurt you.” Mu Qingfang’s expression crumpled and he dropped to his knees. Head bowed he said, “I am sorry. I am so sorry.”

Shen Yuan sighed again and lightly offered Mu Qingfang a brief head pat. The other man startled but didn’t move away. “What is it with my shidi offering unnecessary apologies to this shixiong today? I’ll tell you what I told Liu Qingge: what Yue Qingyuan did was his own decision. To blame you for what happened would be to blame you because you are a good doctor. Look at me.”

Mu Qingfang looked at him and Shen Yuan took the pill offered with some water. Luo Binghe filled his cup again when he lowered it. “See? I still trust your medicine and your expertise. I still trust you. We’re okay.”

Mu Qingfang searched Shen Yuan’s face for a moment before he shook his head. He took Shen Yuan’s wrist and said, “Sect Leader Shen is too kind. I will transfer you some spiritual energy to aid your recovery process, but the only thing you are to do tomorrow besides attend our usual appointment is rest. Even with your cultivation level, the strain you put on your body today could have serious consequences if you are not careful.”

“Fair enough. I have questions about what happened after Liu-shidi and I left, but I am beginning to lose focus.”

“Unsurprising. Has shixiong had a chance to ground himself using Luo Binghe’s scent yet?”

“No, but I want to,” Shen Yuan said, and Luo Binghe stared at him, distantly feeling his demonic instincts perk up in interest.

Mu Qingfang was also staring at him. “Did shixiong mean to say that?”

“No. How long does it take for Essence of Clarity to wear off?”

“Depends on the dose, unfortunately. On its own, a normal dose would wear off in about a shichen. In combination with the medicine I gave you and the likelihood that Yue Qingyuan gave you more than necessary… probably no more than a day.”

“…I am really starting to hate that man.”

Starting? Luo Binghe thought, bewildered. No matter; he hated Yue Qingyuan enough for the both of them.

“Yes, well. I can’t blame you at this point,” Mu Qingfang conceded.

Shen Yuan, still receiving a steady stream of spiritual energy, stopped shivering. “Did he say anything after we left? Maybe about why he thought it was a good idea to drug me in front of everyone?”

Mu Qingfang sighed. “Apologies, Shen-shixiong, but this one did not think to ask. I left shortly after you and Liu Qingge to retrieve these pills from my storeroom. I know no more than you.”

Shen Yuan hummed in understanding then looked at him. “Binghe, I realize that your day has been severely interrupted. Is there anything you need to take care of?”

Luo Binghe resisted the urge to do many inappropriate things and said calmly, “Shizun, there is nothing more important than seeing to your health. Any responsibilities this one had, Yingying will see that they are handled.”

Shen Yuan sighed. “Yes, I appreciate that and you. But have you eaten? I would hate if Binghe neglected himself for my sake.”

Binghe opened his mouth to say he was fine but Mu Qingfang jumped in, saying, “Disciple Luo, it would be best if you made sure you were well fed before Shen-shixiong began resting. I fear his nightmares may be particularly troubling today and would prefer if you were there to comfort him directly rather than through proxy. Sect Leader Shen has already been through much stress this day; if he can get uninterrupted rest, then that would be best.”

Shen Yuan looked at Mu Qingfang strangely. “Why do you think my nightmares will be worse?”

The doctor’s expression was bland as he said, “Sect Leader Shen’s nightmares emerge from a well of stress and trauma. Does he think that today would not exacerbate his issues?”

Shen Yuan looked away from him, silently accepting.

Though it pained Luo Binghe to leave his A-Yuan for even a moment, he knew it was for his beloved’s own good. He left to eat lunch and brought some things back for Shen Yuan that wouldn’t spoil quickly in case he got hungry through the rest of the day.

By the time Luo Binghe had returned, Shen Yuan was alone and prepared to sleep, hair released from his crown and robes down to the two he slept in when Luo Binghe was there. He was staring blankly at the mirror when Luo Binghe walked into his bedroom, food left on the front table.

“A-Yuan.”

Shen Yuan turned towards him, expression lost. Luo Binghe didn’t hesitate and walked forward to take him into his arms. From his seat, Shen Yuan loosed a sob in relief as he held him back just a fiercely, face buried into his upper abdomen. “Binghe.”

“My love, are you feeling any better?” Shen Yuan nodded. “Come rest. I’m not going anywhere.”

Rather then letting him go, Shen Yuan clung to him tighter. “A-Yuan?”

“I don’t want this,” he said. “Binghe, I never wanted this. I didn’t even know it was possible until everyone started calling me Sect Leader.”

Luo Binghe thought of insisting that Shen Yuan rested, knowing he needed it. But if he also needed to talk, then he didn’t want to interrupt him. “A-Yuan knows this Binghe will listen to anything he wants to say. But could we move to the bed, that way A-Yuan could at least rest his body as he speaks?”

“…Okay.” Shen Yuan pulled away from him and looked up, expression an equal mix of distress and trust.

It was too much for Luo Binghe and he thought, Maybe. Maybe, if I ask… “A-Yuan, could I. Could I kiss your forehead, please?”

Shen Yuan’s eyes widened and he nodded silently. Luo Binghe wouldn’t dare push for more. He lightly, carefully cupped Shen Yuan’s cheeks in his hands and pressed his lips to the center of his forehead, hoping that it conveyed even a fraction of the affection he had for the other man.

“I told him…” Shen Yuan started, fingers hesitantly caressing the back of Luo Binghe’s hands. “I told him I would kill him if he ever attempted to harm you. I said it in front of everyone, Binghe.”

Luo Binghe gasped, and he felt his demonic instincts roar because Shen Yuan was his, his, his. It was the same feeling he had watching Shen Yuan defend him from Zhuzhi-Lang’s initial attack, the feeling that drove him to propose, even when all logic said that he shouldn’t. Now, that feeling made the soft affection that filled him turn sharper and demanding. “A-Yuan must know how hearing that makes this Binghe feel.”

“Cared for, I hope.”

“Among other things. But come to bed; Mu-shishu said you had to rest.”

Luo Binghe took Shen Yuan’s hands and pulled him to standing. He led him to the bed and let Shen Yuan climb in first. He removed his outer robe and didn’t think he would ever be over the thrill of being able to crawl into bed beside him, knowing he was wanted there. Shen Yuan barely waited for Binghe to lay down before he was cuddled against him, shuddering as he buried his face against his neck and was able to breathe in his scent fully.

Luo Binghe loved it when Shen Yuan did that, when he took comfort from something that was so uniquely his, as was his right as his beloved, his mate, his (future) husband. It pleased every part of him and was one of the few things that made his more demonic affections turn soft, even if for a moment.

He responded by holding him close and pressing a brief kiss to his hair. Shen Yuan completely relaxed against him and Luo Binghe settled in to meditate, fully expecting his love to be asleep after everything.

To his surprise, only a minute or so after they laid down, Shen Yuan said, “He put a truth serum in my tea. He knew being there would upset me to the point that Mu Qingfang would sedate me, and he only thought about how that could make his drugging me more effective. Who does that?”

Luo Binghe hugged him tighter and stroked his hair. He felt moisture against his neck–tears. “Oh, A-Yuan.”

“I thought I was safe, Binghe. I thought that, if he was to hurt me, it would be something that would be straightforward. Not, not that. I-I thought we had been friends, once, yet he would… and I don’t even think he gets that it was wrong. He did it in front of everyone else like he wouldn’t be caught. Or like it wouldn’t matter if he was.”

“It matters, my love,” Luo Binghe murmured soothingly. “Even if he did it in secret, it would have mattered. He never should have treated you like that.”

Shen Yuan sobbed and hid his face against Luo Binghe’s shoulder. “All I did was refuse to answer one question and he tried to grab me but I couldn’t let him. I never want him to touch me, ever. And now that I defended myself, that I didn’t let him win, I have to be Sect Leader. All because Yue Qingyuan just couldn’t fucking let Shen Jiu go, couldn’t let me be me and not him.”

“Then he’s a fool. My A-Yuan is too precious to be anyone else, and he is a fool to not see that.” Shen Yuan didn’t immediately answer. “I promise, I will kill him for how he has hurt you.”

Surprisingly, Shen Yuan laughed. “I’m serious.”

“Oh, I know that, beloved,” he said wetly and Luo Binghe’s pulse jumped at the word. “I am only laughing because I had thought of the possibility before and was torn about it. Now, I couldn’t ask you to spare him even if I wanted to without being a hypocrite, could I? I told him I would kill him if he even tried to hurt you. How could I expect you to do any less now after what he has done to me?”

“…I would spare him if you and you alone asked.”

“…ask me when you come back to me.” Shen Yuan wiped at his face then paused. He propped himself up on an elbow and looked at him seriously. “If I asked you to not destroy the world, to not merge the realms when you could, would you listen?”

Luo Binghe wiped gently at a stray tear on Shen Yuan’s beautiful face and said, “How could I destroy a world with you in it? No, if I decided to destroy the world, then you would be beyond asking. I can deal with losing you by your own choice, A-Yuan, but after everything the world has stolen from me, if it took you, too…”

Shen Yuan looked troubled. “Binghe, I’m not going to die. But if I did, you wouldn’t have to end the world. You could choose not to.”

“I don’t even think it would be a choice, A-Yuan. If you think your death wouldn’t drive me insane, even with our bond incomplete, you are underestimating your power over me.” Shen Yuan was frowning at him. “Do you love me less for that?”

“I feel like I should… but no, Binghe. I don’t love you less. Even knowing everything that happened in the first timeline, knowing what you’re capable of, I don’t know if I could.”

Mine.

Luo Binghe raised himself up and kissed his forehead once, twice more. He laid back down and said, “Come and rest, my love. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to ask you anything that serious while you still can’t control yourself.”

Shen Yuan snuggled against him and seemed to relax. He reached for Luo Binghe’s hand and took it. “You needn’t apologize, Binghe, though I appreciate it. And we’re already at this point; if you want me to remind you I love you, you only need ask.”

“…that’s a dangerous thing to tell me.”

“Is it?” he nuzzled sleepily into his neck and gods, but he really had not clue what he was putting him through, did he? “How so? Binghe should never doubt that he is loved.”

“A-Yuan,” Luo Binghe whispered, voice strangled. “Please, I can only hold back so much.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

He’s sick! He’s on like three different drugs right now! I already have gotten him to allow forehead kisses. Anything else would be too much!

“…nothing that can’t wait. Sleep, A-Yuan.”

He slept and Luo Binghe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry from frustration. He worked to consciously relax his body, but he knew that meditation would be nigh impossible after that conversation.

But he did have another project to work on.

Meng Mo, he mentally called and the dream demon appeared in the forefront of his mind. I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands.

You don’t say, he said sarcastically.

Is something wrong?

Are we just going to ignore the fact that you are cuddling the bloody Sect Leader of Cang Qiong Sect? Do you have any idea the political implications of you two marrying each other? Of a human Sect Leader being your mate?

…Will politics change the fact that we are a mated pair?

No, of course not.

Then I’ll worry about that later. I’m not going to not marry him because of his job. The only thing that could keep me from him is his own choice, freely given. Everything else is secondary. And he seems happy right where he is.

Meng Mo threw his hands up. I give up; you’re both impossible. Fine, you don’t want to talk consequences of this. What did you call me for?

I would like to practice my cultivation; I have the perfect incentive for becoming proficient in dream magic as soon as possible.

…You know you won’t be able to invade Yue Qingyuan’s dreams without full access to your powers, right? And even then, it wouldn’t be a done thing; he’s too strong.

Then I have other things I can use it for. Besides, Luo Binghe stroked his A-Yuan’s hair and smiled cruelly, I won’t know until I try.

Chapter Text

To his humiliation, Mu Qingfang had been right, and Shen Qingqiu found himself jerking awake twice from a nightmare while sleeping in Luo Binghe’s arms. He had been forced awake by dreams several times since he began therapy, but never when Binghe was still close enough to touch.

To his surprise, the experience seemed to bother Binghe more than him. After he had helped calm him the second time, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t ignore the rage that Binghe couldn’t quite hide.

“Does Binghe want to talk about why he’s angry?” he asked gently, turned towards him as he laid on his side. “He doesn’t have to.”

“It’s nothing to worry you, A-Yuan,” he said, look softening as he brought up a hand to lightly stroke Shen Qingqiu’s still-damp cheek. “I’m mad at the situation, that you suffer at all. That I can’t help you more.”

“You help me more than you know,” he said. By the light in the room, it was late afternoon. “Go get some air, Binghe. I’m not going to sleep right this second and walking off some of your energy may help.”

He frowned. “Are you sure? Mu-shishu said I shouldn’t leave you…”

“I’m sure. I’ll be okay.”

Luo Binghe searched his face then hugged him, nose against his neck. “Alright. Is A-Yuan hungry? I gathered some small things earlier, but I could make us a larger meal.”

“…Something light would be nice. Could you make congee?”

“Of course, anything you want.” Luo Binghe released him and turned to climb out of bed. It stirred something Shen Qingqiu didn’t want to look too closely at to see him stand and pull on his slightly wrinkled outer robe, but he watched him all the same.

“Thank you, Binghe.” Luo Binghe tuned back to look at him still in bed and smiled. He leaned over and pressed a lingering, endlessly affectionate kiss to his forehead.

“Anything for my A-Yuan.”

Luo Binghe gave him his medicine to take before leaving and Shen Qingqiu rolled onto his back to stare up at his ceiling. What a day…

He saw that Shang Qinghua had sent him a message and opened their chat.

SQH: hey text me when you can and let me know how you’re doing

SQQ: I’m awake and alone now. Binghe left to make food.

SQQ: I’m not great but definitely could be worse

SQH: anything I can do to help?

SQQ: I mean you’ve done enough for me I think

SQQ: Thanks for stepping in earlier. I really appreciate it.

SQH: No problem. I do think you would make a good Sect Leader, for what it’s worth.

SQQ: Didn’t you call me a child last month?

SQH: well you *are* 21 bro and like, a fresh 21

SQH: but you’ve also been through some shit and have managed to keep your cool

SQH: and you’ve somehow managed to rehabilitate my scum villain’s reputation to something like a romantic hero

SQH: you had some help with that sure, but you managed to bring QQQ, MQF and LQG to your cause; SJ could never have done that

SQH: and of course you were pretty fucking badass today with your fan! Didn’t know you had it in you!

SQH: you had a few people shook but good thing LBH wasn’t there to see it he might have jumped you

SQQ: huh?

SQH: …you’re killing me

SQQ: anyway, thanks I guess?

SQQ: I’m here now and have a few minutes. Can you tell me what happened after I left?

SQH: You and LQG left, MQF not far behind. YQY high tailed it out of there before anyone could talk to him

SQH: no one lingered exactly, though QQQ did stop me to talk which was odd

SQH: she’s kind of scary in a way that you two being friends makes sense. Same chill but will stab as a warning vibes you can give off when pissed

SQH: it’s too early to really report back on how people are reacting. I will say that my Head Disciple didn’t look as surprised as I expected when I told her, so maybe the fact that you’re Sect Leader was spread before you even officially accepted. A good portion of my spy network comprises of the non-disciple servants on each Peak, so that would track.

SQQ: …maybe don’t talk to me about spying for MBJ so openly? I need some plausible deniability here

SQH: …fair enough

SQQ: I have Yingying listening for rumors too so between you two I hope I’ll have a pretty good picture

SQQ: she’s my head disciple now, btw

SQH: NICE! I like the sound of Sect Leader NYY. Much better than Sect Leader MF.

SQQ: …you have a point there

SQQ: you’re the author. Any suggestions as to what I do now? MQF has me resting the rest of the day and tomorrow, but I will feel better planning what I can when I can.

SQQ: I still want us to go meet ZZL and TLJ in two weeks. I want us to be as punctual as possible with that so that they don’t have too much time to doubt that we’ll follow through. What do I need organized to make that happen?

SQH: That timeline is going to be tight. Bro, if MQF told you to rest, I think you actually need to do that?

SQH: the work will be there in two days. Take care of yourself first so you can start fresh.

SQQ: I’m resting plenty, Binghe is seeing to that. But it’s not like I have Weibo I can just scroll through; my mind needs to be doing *something* between all my naps

SQH: why don’t you play some music?

SQH: that worked out well for you last time

SQQ: …I would throw something at you if I could

SQH: don’t like to be reminded of your secret engagement?

SQH: and here I thought you were so eager to meet with your in-laws

SQQ: …omg I didn’t think about that

SQH: yep you’re going to meet your father-in-law

SQQ: MAYBE future father-in-law

SQH: …what?

SQQ: Binghe has to ask me again when he comes back, remember?

SQH: and he will

SQQ: …

SQH: SHEN QINGQIU

SQH: THAT BOY WORSHIPS YOU. HE WANTS TO DO FAR MORE THAN MARRY YOU, YOU IDIOT.

SQH: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE PHEROMONES BRO!

SQH: YOU’RE A MATED PAIR!! THAT DOESN’T EXACTLY SPEAK TO A FLEETING INTERST HELLO???

SQQ: stop yelling at me

SQQ: Binghe *can’t* be interested in me right now, okay?

SQQ: do you know what MQF told him to do? Not leave me alone while I was sleeping all night.

SQH: …

SQQ: Our Sect Doctor basically told my disciple to SLEEP BESIDE ME. MQF gave him, not me, instructions for my treatment and told me to my face, in front of Binghe, that I’m already treating him like he’s my husband.

SQH: what ARE you telling him in your therapy sessions

SQQ: We haven’t even gotten to talking about Binghe honestly

SQH: …

SQQ: The point is that I HIGHLY doubt MQF would have told Binghe to stay with me if he thought there was any possibility of something happening between us. Which is good because Binghe is SIXTEEN.

SQH: I think you’re missing the point here actually

SQH: LBH being interested doesn’t mean anything has to happen

SQQ: but he’s not interested

SQQ: I’ve been looking for signs since we last talked about it. And he doesn’t want me.

SQH: …

SQQ: Like that, I mean. He doesn’t want me like that.

SQH: …

SQH: feel like I just stepped in something that you haven’t processed yet so I’m going to let it go. But maybe think about how you might be projecting? Because that reads a bit like projecting to me.

SQQ: I’m not! I don’t want him to want me!

SQH: I’m not saying you do.

SQQ: Then wtf are you saying?!?

SQH: hey hey I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.

SQH: I was just saying that things are complicated and that it would be okay to not take everything on at once. You’ve got a lot to worry about and you maybe don’t need to worry about this particular thing right now? You’re right in that MQF wouldn’t put you in that situation if he had any doubt about your intentions and I don’t doubt them either.

SQQ: oh

SQQ: sorry for snapping

SQH: don’t worry about it, you’ve had a really rough day and I pushed when I shouldn’t have

SQQ: doesn’t make it okay though

SQQ: I am sorry and I know you mean well

SQH: Really, don’t worry about it. Do what MQF told you and rest. Work and existential questions can wait. LBH wants to take care of you? Let him take care of you.

SQQ: okay thanks

Shang Qinghua didn’t reply but Shen Qingqiu stared blankly at their chat log, mind a buzzing numbness that slowly faded into individual thoughts.

I don’t want Binghe to want me, right? It’s completely fine that he doesn’t.

Does he?

Am I taking advantage of him? Is he only helping me out of obligation?

No, no he seems okay, but… what if he wasn’t? He knows he can say no to me, to staying with me, right?

What if he doesn’t? Is that why he was really angry earlier? He didn’t seem mad at me, but was he?

Binghe’s been doing so much for me… too much? Am I burdening him, just like I did with my–

“A-Yuan? Are you okay?”

Luo Binghe had initially been pleased to return to the bamboo house and see that Shen Yuan had elected to remain resting while he had been away. But, seeing his lost and vaguely devastated expression from his bedroom’s threshold, he thought that maybe there may have been another reason Mu Qingfang had told him not to leave his side beyond helping him sleep.

If there was one thing Luo Binghe hated, it was seeing the man he loved in distress.

He rushed to his side as Shen Yuan blinked and blanked his face, but it was too late. Luo Binghe had already seen his pain, could read the vulnerability in his eyes, and would not be easily fooled. Unthinkingly, he asked, “A-Yuan, what’s wrong?”

“I’m worried that I’m taking advantage of you and that I’m a burden to you.”

There was a moment where they both stared at each other with wide, surprised eyes. Luo Binghe was still processing the sheer nonsense his love had just said when Shen Yuan groaned and hid, covering his face with his hands and curling in on himself.

Embarrassed, like what he just said wasn’t the most insane thing Luo Binghe had ever heard.

Oh, he was still drugged. He really felt that way.

What the fuck?

Luo Binghe knew he had to say something. He came closer and knelt near the edge of the bed. He reached out slowly and lightly touched Shen Yuan’s hand as he said gently, “Shen Yuan, it is my honor and privilege to give you any support I can. You could never be a burden to me, do you understand? Never. I feel angry and sad that you have been hurt, that you keep being hurt, and that I am not yet strong enough to protect you. Yet, I am so happy that you would rely on me to be there for you, that you let me take care of you as much as I can.”

Shen Yuan, face still flushed, shyly and rather adorably peeked at him from behind his hands, as if testing the veracity of his words. Luo Binghe moved his hand to brush a feather-light touch along his temple and continued, words careful, “This Binghe can only express confusion over the idea that his A-Yuan is taking advantage of this one. Have I not made it clear how I enjoy being by your side? How I long to give you anything you could possibly desire? If anyone is being taken advantage of here, it is not me.”

When Shen Yuan blinked wide eyes at him again, it was in astonishment. “But… your age, our positions…”

Damn my age.

“A-Yuan, if I had been able to stay with my a-niang, I may well have been married by now.” A complicated look crossed Shen Yuan’s eyes, his brows furrowing. It clearly wasn’t a happy, and Luo Binghe chose to see that as displeasure at the thought of him marrying anyone else. “My love, I have proposed to you, have done my best to make sure you are comfortable with me. I hoard any affection I receive from you and give mine as freely as I dare. What can I do to convince you I want this, that I want to be here, with you?”

Shen Yuan sighed and took his hand. To Luo Binghe’s surprise and pleasure, he closed his eyes and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the back of his hand. “Binghe has done nothing wrong, nor failed to do anything right. My… my brain was just being mean to me, I think. You know you can say no to me, right? That if I ever ask something of you that you don’t want, or if someone like Mu Qingfang assumes you will do something for me you are not comfortable with, you can refuse for any reason?”

“I know. Do you know there is little you could ask of me that I would refuse? That I can’t think of anything you would ask of me that I would not eagerly give you?” Shen Yuan stared at him. “I do not fail to refuse doing things for you because I feel forced or obligated, A-Yuan, but because I don’t want to say no. I love you. You need me; of course, I would do anything for you.”

“Oh.”

Precious, silly man. Luo Binghe squeezed his hand and smiled a little. “Do you still want to eat? I have congee waiting on the table for us.”

Shen Yuan nodded, pressed another kiss to Luo Binghe’s hand (which he was trying not to freak out about–was that allowed now, could he return the gesture?), and sat up. “Thank you,” he said, tone heavy with meaning.

“Anytime, and I mean that.” Luo Binghe caught him in a hug when he came to the side of the bed before he could stand. He kissed his forehead and said, somewhat teasingly, “And tell your brain to stop being mean to the most adorable person in the world.”

Shen Yuan blushed but still managed to say, “My brain is never mean to Binghe.”

Then he turned his head and kissed Luo Binghe’s forehead in return. It was short and shy, and it was all Luo Binghe could do not to tackle the man solidly back into bed.

Helpless to do anything else, Luo Binghe hugged him close again and said, “Thank you for letting me love you.”

Foreboding slithered through Luo Binghe’s veins as he waited for Shen Yuan to return from his session with Mu Qingfang. He busied himself with the laundry and tidying the house, knowing that the sessions were short, and he needed to be around. Still, nothing was effective at taking his mind off of the Incident that happened that morning, and the potential fallout.

He really, really should have known that sleeping cuddled against Shen Yuan would cause a particular… reaction. How could it not when his dreams had become one of the few places he could not control his thoughts and they were all filled with images of the man. But he had been so happy to be there at all, so proud in his ability to take care of his special person, that the consequences of him sleeping hadn’t occurred to him until far too late.

Too late meaning he had woken with his mouth to Shen Yuan’s neck, his hand gripping his hip, and in the process of grinding himself against him. With Shen Yuan’s voice cutting through his mental fog, telling him to wake up and stop!

Luo Binghe had thrown himself out of bed and into an immediate kowtow, begging forgiveness for the disrespect, absolutely terrified that Shen Yuan wouldn’t feel comfortable around him anymore, that he wouldn’t see him as safe.

Shen Yuan, with his usual forgiving nature, tried to soothe him of all people, telling him it wasn’t his fault, that he was asleep and clearly not in control of his actions. Still, he couldn’t meet Luo Binghe’s eyes for the rest of the morning and kept fidgeting around him, even as he finally gave him a full account of the day before over breakfast. He only gave him a cursory head pat as he left with Liu Qingge (who now rarely bothered to take him to the meetings with the doctor personally, but appeared concerned for Shen Yuan’s health).

Would Shen Yuan tell Mu Qingfang about what happened? Would the doctor rescind the medical order that allowed Luo Binghe to stay in the bamboo house part-time? Had he unconsciously managed to push Shen Yuan away when all he wanted was to keep him close?

Then again, perhaps he was being arrogant. Between the drugging, the sudden ascension to Sect Leader, and Yue Qingyuan trying Shen Yuan’s already frayed nerves, he had more than enough to talk about with Mu Qingfang.

Still, Luo Binghe half convinced himself that he should leave. If not for Mu Qingfang’s order that he stay by Shen Yuan’s side, he would have. The very last thing he wanted was to cause Shen Yuan stress and–

Luo Binghe heard familiar voices approach and he snapped himself back to the present situation. Shen Yuan sounded fine as he chatted about… training?

“–maybe start in about a week? Between the transition and everything, I imagine that I’ll be too busy to draw up a proper schedule and–“

“Qingqiu, it’s fine. We’ll figure it out and I’ll be around to help.”

“Thank you, Qingge. I really do appreciate it.”

Luo Binghe had noticed, of course, how Liu Qingge and his A-Yuan had shifted to calling each other by their courtesy names of late, showing their deepening relationship. He comforted himself with the knowledge that no one else, not even Shang Qinghua, knew him by his birth name, let alone had leave to use it. Now though, hearing their intimate tones when he had felt unsure of his position with Shen Yuan all morning rankled.

Liu Qingge grunted in acknowledgement and said, “You can count on me. Your disciple know you’re doing this for him?”

Luo Binghe froze, any petty jealously withering as Shen Yuan answered, “Not yet. I need to speak with him on a few things, actually, but wanted to clear it with you first, make sure you’re available. Thanks for the ride, my friend. I really was fine, Mu-shidi confirmed it, though I know you were concerned.”

“Yeah, well. Can’t be too careful with our new Sect Leader.”

“Please don’t remind me.” Shen Yuan opened the door and stepped in, face immediately brightening when he saw Binghe waiting for him at the table. Then he blinked and looked away again with a slight blush that he was too slow to hide completely with his fan.

Oh.

Oh.

Luo Binghe rose from his seat at the front table and bowed in greeting, instinctually hiding his expression. He doubted he could pull off the near child-like adoration that his A-Yuan had come to expect from him. “Welcome back, Shizun. Liu-shishu.”

“Thank you, Binghe.” Luo Binghe rose and saw Shen Yuan looking back at Liu Qingge. “There is something I must discuss with my disciple privately, but I will see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll bring whatever materials Yue Qingyuan has been able to write up about your duties. And I would like spar again tomorrow, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I may not have time, but I’ll try.”

“I’ll take it. Qingqiu,” he bowed. Then, to Luo Binghe’s surprise, he turned his gaze to him and nodded slightly. “Luo-shizhi.”

He didn’t wait for Luo Binghe to acknowledge the farewell before he turned and flew away on Cheng Luan. Odd.

Shen Yuan closed the door and entered the house. “No need to look so confused, Binghe. Your shishu values me as a friend and knows that you go above and beyond to make sure I am well. He is very honorable and likely wanted to make sure you knew your work was appreciated.”

As a friend, he thought, knowing full well that was far from the entire truth. Okay, Shizun.

“If Shizun says so. Is Shizun well? He wishes to speak to this Binghe about something?”

Shen Yuan’s fan was still raised, but he got a little furrow between his brow that indicated his displeasure at something. Then, Luo Binghe felt the subtle shift in energy around them that indicated that his Shizun had put up a privacy barrier around the house. “I’m fine, Binghe. Master Mu said I should finish the medicine he gave you and continue to rest today, but that I will be fine to resume light duties tomorrow. And yes, I need to talk to you. It’s nothing bad, just… something I need to understand.”

“If A-Yuan would like.” The furrow smoothed out and Luo Binghe wondered at that. Did it really bother him that much to hear Binghe call him by his title? He didn’t want to show him anything less than respect and there was nothing else he could call him around others. Yet, he didn’t want to do anything that displeased him.

Luo Binghe fretted over this as they sat at the table, and he offered Shen Yuan a cup of water. He had explicitly asked for one at breakfast that morning and, after hearing the full story, Luo Binghe figured he must be wary of drinking tea. While part of him was upset that Shen Yuan didn’t fully trust him not to drug him, it was hard to hold onto that with the other man still suffering from the effects of the truth serum by the time he left to speak to Mu Qingfang.

“What do you want to talk about?” He prompted gently after a moment of looking at Shen Yuan and Shen Yuan looking at the table.

“I’m… trying to think through where to start. But perhaps… I had a conversation with Mu-shidi today. You know I started seeing him regularly due to my nightmares, but now it has turned into therapeutic sessions to help me process what’s been happening and how I’m responding to things.”

Shen Yuan looked up and met Luo Binghe’s concerned eyes. “Today was the first time I talked about you and our relationship. And how I have been assuming things that are likely not true. Mu Qingfang suggested I speak to you about a few points directly and I agreed. With so much happening I… I want us to be okay. And I think that means I must deal with the truth of things, not just what would make me most comfortable. It wouldn’t be fair to you, and you deserve better from me.

“So, with that in mind, would you mind answering a question for me?”

Luo Binghe was feeling a lot of things at the moment–nerves, joy, concern, love, fear–but could only respond with, “Of course.”

“Are you attracted to me? Physically, I mean.” Color rose to Shen Yuan’s cheeks as his eyes flicked away but seemed to settle back on him with some difficulty.

Luo Binghe was confused.

“A-Yuan… wishes to know if I am physically attracted to him,” he said slowly, because there had to be something else there, right? Some hidden meaning that he was missing? Yes, he did his utmost to ensure Shen Yuan didn’t feel burdened by the extent of his desire for him but he had to be aware it existed.

Shen Yuan’s blush deepened and he fidgeted with his fan, no longer able to meet his eyes. “It’s perfectly fine if Binghe is not! I don’t want to make you feel bad for not–“

“I am. I am very attracted to you,” Luo Binghe interrupted, voice strained, his A-Yuan’s embarrassed fumbling making it difficult for him to stay on his side of the table, to not reach out and just touch him. “I thought A-Yuan was well aware of this and was confused by the question.”

Shen Yuan froze. “Ah. I. I didn’t know.”

Prove it to him, his demonic instincts whispered. My mate should never doubt he is wanted.

Stop that, he told them with some difficulty because gods, he wanted to.

“I had been looking for signs that you were,” Shen Yuan continued, thankfully oblivious to Luo Binghe’s internal struggles. “But I didn’t notice anything until. This morning. You had. I thought it was just a random dream common at your age but you. Before I could wake you, you said my name.”

Who else would I be dreaming about?!?

It was Luo Binghe’s turn to blush. “I won’t apologize again because you asked me not to. But I truly would take it back if I could. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable around me.”

“But have you felt uncomfortable around me?” Shen Yuan countered. “I’ve been treating you like you were incapable of those feelings and now…”

“I would not change how we treat each other now, A-Yuan,” he said, fervent. “I know you don’t feel the same, that you would be uncomfortable with our relationship being as… as I hope it could be once we can marry. I don’t think you understand how incredibly grateful I am that you allow me to hug you or that you reach for me in return. I… I really like being able to offer and receive comfort from you. I love being able to love you to whatever extent you allow me. Please, don’t minimize the best part of my days because of something as small as this.”

“…so, you have felt uncomfortable.” Luo Binghe’s face must have twisted because Shen Yuan raised a hand and continued, “I really am trying to understand, Binghe. Do you remember last month, when you comforted me after the Peak Lord meeting and I said I didn’t know how to define how I was attracted to people? I realized today that it’s not just that I don’t quite know how I feel, but that I also have an extremely limited understanding of what other people feel.  That, and I don’t understand why anyone would be attracted to me.”

Shen Yuan was looking at the table shyly again and Luo Binghe was nearly vibrating with the need to touch him

Prove it, prove it, prove it, his instincts urged.

Shut up, he snapped at them. It felt weak.

“Please, understand. There was never a possibility of interest for me in my first life. Here, I was reborn into an objectively awful person who hurt a lot of people. I’m. I know you love me, but I’m not a good person, Binghe. I lie, I’m lazy, selfish, manipulative. I look better here than I did in my first body, but that’s a low bar. I–“

“Shen Yuan.” He stopped. “If you continue to talk down about the person I love more than life itself, we are going to have a problem.”

Shen Yuan blushed again, glanced up at his scowl then away again with a grimace. “Right, back to the point. I only recognized personally two people that have been interested in me: your alternate self and Yue Qingyuan. Your alternate self had already been married to my counterpart and was admittedly a bit insane because of his attachment to him. The way he showed his attraction to me was blatant, consistent but also… very kind. He knew I was unfamiliar with that type of relationship and treated me accordingly… to a certain point.”

Shen Yuan had a small smile on his face that made Binghe absolutely burn with jealousy. He realized then that Shen Yuan didn’t just care for the other version of himself, but that he loved him. He loved him in a way that he would not allow himself to love Binghe for years. He wanted to scream and cry and hide his A-Yuan away from any other man. He–

–watched the smile and all color fade from Shen Yuan’s face as he continued. “Yue Qingyuan made his interest known the morning after your day in the future. He. He didn’t touch me, but he crowded me against the wall, angry that I would acknowledge any version of you as my husband. He didn’t deny he wanted to marry me instead. His attraction to me was displayed every time he looked at me after that, with the anger that I would dare choose you over him, and with proprietary disappointment when I didn’t act as he expected. He looked at me the way some assholes look at their wives; like they are property meant to be available to them with no choice in the matter. He–“

Shen Yuan cut himself off and shook his head, hands clenched around his fan and a tightness to his mouth that spoke to the level of his distress. Jealousy had long been overtaken by anger at Yue Qingyuan, but all of that was tempered by the need to comfort Shen Yuan. He lightly touched his hand, a gentle offer, and Shen Yuan reached back for him. He intertwined their fingers and shot him a look of soft gratitude that made him ashamed of himself, just a little.

What use did he have of jealousy? He was the one who got to be with this Shen Yuan, who would never have to doubt his love for him or feel his betrayal. The other him was with his love for but one day; Luo Binghe would be with him forever.

“Anyway, I had been looking for signs that you were… interested in me. I only had those two experiences to measure against and you weren’t acting like either of them. On one hand, it was a relief, something for me to not worry about or manage. On the other… It bothered me. I didn’t let myself realize it until today but, it really bothered me that I thought you didn’t want me.”

“…And now that you know that I do?”

Shen Yuan frowned and did the thing where he started to look away but clearly forced himself to look him in the face as they spoke. “I. The effect of the drug is weaker now, but it’s still there. And I honestly am not completely comfortable with how we are now.

“No, listen, Binghe,” he said, holding fast to Luo Binghe’s hand as he moved to pull away, unable to hide the hurt and devastation he felt. “Listen to me. I love you. I love you so much. But you are sixteen! I am your teacher. I have happily agreed to marry you. That is wrong, okay? Where I am from, that is cause for social ostracization for being a predator! Being with you makes me so happy and sometimes I feel like I’m a monster for it! I love you and I can’t be with you. Everything about us, every interaction between us right now must first and foremost be your choice because my only comfort in allowing myself to be happy with you is that you want this, too. That you want this enough to ask for things. But it’s also not fair of me to put that responsibility on you.”

Shen Yuan was crying and so was Binghe. What else what he supposed to do upon hearing that the man he loved felt like scum for daring to be happy with him? How else was he supposed to react to the knowledge that loving him hurt him, and the very real potential he felt from this conversation that things would change for the worse if he didn't intervene?

“I don’t care about what you consider fair to me,” he said, voice watery but not willing to let what they had now go without a fight. “I care about you being happy. I’ll take responsibility for this because you are worth that. This is not your world, A-Yuan, it’s mine, and if I make you happy, let me continue doing that.

“Hear me: you are not a monster. You may feel like one, but you’re not, okay? Monsters throw food on and beat a child for daring beg for scraps to give his dying mother. Monsters abuse the people they are supposed to care for just because they can. Monsters prey on their disciples and poison them when they choose another. You are kind, you are my salvation, and I want all of you for the rest of my life.”

Shen Yuan covered his face with his free hand’s sleeve and sobbed, but he didn’t let go of Luo Binghe’s hand. He refused to just sit there, so pulled away from his grip but made sure to come to his side and pull him into an embrace before he could process the move as rejection.

Shen Yuan leaned into him, still hiding his face, and tears were still running down Binghe’s eyes. He pressed on, “You are mine, Shen Yuan. I will let you go if you wish, but only if you truly want it, do you understand? Not for concerns over propriety or your sense of right and wrong. We will be together in a limited sense now, as we have been, but I will publicly court and marry you the moment I can. There is nothing in the three realms that will change that.”

“You can’t know that.”

Luo Binghe shook him gently, but he wanted to fucking scream. “Yet, I do. You are precious, irreplaceable, and you make me so, so happy. I would be a fool to do anything but marry you. Do you think I am stupid, Shen Yuan?”

He shook his head and wiped at his face. “Binghe’s very smart.”

“Then trust me to know this. I love you. I will always love you.”

“I don’t understand why, but. But I’ll try to believe it,” Shen Yuan said quietly.

Prove it, prove it, PROVE IT!

“Would A-Yuan like this Binghe to explain?”

Shen Qingqiu’s head was a mess, confused by all the emotional whiplash of the last fifteen minutes and the truths he was saying with only a modicum of control. He no doubt looked a mess, face blotchy and eyes red from crying.

He was just a mess. And he wanted to not be anymore. If Binghe would help him understand, would help him not feel this way anymore, he would accept it.

“Okay.”

Binghe stilled then sighed. He unwound his arms from around him and pulled back enough to look at him. A gentle hand on his face guided him to return the look.

Shen Qingqiu was surprised to see the serious look that Binghe sometimes got that always caught him off guard. It was a look that reminded him more than his words and actions that his disciple wasn’t a child anymore, not really. Dark, intense eyes still wet with tears took him in and he said, voice low and even as his thumb lightly brushed his tears away, “A-Yuan, I find myself unable to exercise the level of control I usually have around you. When I say I will explain what you mean to me, I mean I plan to do it with both words and actions. I will not cross any of the boundaries you have set, but I very much want to show you that I want you. May I still explain to you why I love you? May I prove it to you?”

Shen Qingqiu blinked at him then puzzled over that. He wasn’t thinking the clearest, his head lost in a thick fog, but he said he wouldn’t cross any of his lines, which included a lot of kissing and anything sexual. He was reassured by the fact he stopped to clarify he was okay to go forward, especially since he thought they would just be talking. He reached up and likewise wiped the tears from Binghe’s face as he said, “I trust you. Go ahead.”

Binghe closed his eyes and shuddered for a moment. Then he focused on Shen Qingqiu again. Both of his hands came up and cradled his face, and Shen Qingqiu dropped his to his lap. “A-Yuan, my A-Yuan,” he began, voice soothing. “It is hard to put a name to all the parts of you that made me fall in love with you, that has me falling deeper and deeper every day. But I will do my best to ease your mind.”

He leaned forward slowly and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You say you are a bad person, but you are very bad at being cruel, my love. You smiled at me in that carriage, and it felt like the sun had risen for the first time since my mother had died. You believed in me, that I could win during the demon invasion, when I didn’t believe in myself. You saved me, were poisoned for me, and you never blamed me for it. All while pretending to be the man who had only ever offered me pain and humiliation.

“But this is not about individual events.” Binghe pulled back a small distance so he could look into his eyes. His hands lowered to take both of Shen Qingqiu’s. “Others had shown me kindness and warmth, but you offered me a home. You showed me I was worth something, told me as much as you could to not hate myself for being a demon.”

Binghe raised one of his hands and turned it over so he could kiss his palm, the look in his eyes daring him to look away. Shen Qingqiu didn’t, feeling somewhat hypnotized. When Binghe lifted his head to talk, Shen Qingqiu used the same hand to lightly touch his cheek.

Binghe held his hand in place and leaned against it as he said, “A-Yuan would be graceful and elegant in public, enough to turn anyone’s head, but showed parts of himself to me in private. I saw the humor, the casualness, the slight indolence, and only wanted to learn more.”

Luo Binghe turned his head to breathe deeply at the thin skin of his wrist, the action finally spurring a blush to rise to Shen Qingqiu’s face. It was just… so intimate.

Then, he straightened and raised his hand to Shen Qingqiu’s hair. He leaned forward to give him better access as Binghe said in the same soothing tone, “Me falling in love with you was inevitable, but the moment it happened was the first time you asked me to help you with your hair. I had never seen you so vulnerable, so undone, my love. You trusted me with the task, gave yourself over to my care, and I was lost.”

Luo Binghe pulled the main pin from his hair and took down his crown. Silently, he worked, putting any pins and ornamentation on the table beside them, until Shen Qingqiu’s hair pooled around him. It was always nice to have his hair down from the formal style he favored, but it did make him feel more exposed.

He didn’t know what to say, if anything, so he was content to wait for Binghe to continue. He did feel a bit more centered, strangely more disheveled but less of a trainwreck. It was oddly more intimate having Binghe take his hair down while sitting in front of him, but that didn’t bother him. To his very core, Luo Binghe meant safety to him. There was nothing here to flee from.

“Did you know that tending to hair is one of the most intimate things two people can do for one another here?” Shen Qingqiu froze. Luo Binghe brushed his hair back from his face and began… playing with it? “The only people who have leave to tend another’s hair is their servant, their close family, or their spouse. You had told me I wasn’t a servant, and I was well past the point of ever considering myself one of your children. It had me thinking about the possibility of being your husband, of ensuring you were well fed, well groomed, and had your every need satisfied, every day. I realized there was nothing I could ever want more. I was fifteen.”

He thought, oh. Oh, this is my fault. “Binghe, I–“

“I know now you didn’t know, A-Yuan,” he said gently. “It doesn’t matter. If it was not this, it would have been any of the number of times you trusted me to take care of you in a way you never would have asked anyone else. You take care of everyone, but I’m the one you trusted to take care of you. Being worthy of being your husband was a distant goal, almost a dream, for me to work towards. But I was working toward it, well before I went to the future and woke up beside Yuan-ge.”

Luo Binghe had come to kneel taller than him and he tilted his face up to meet his suddenly more intense gaze. “A-Yuan, do you know you’ve been wearing my mark all day?” Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened and Binghe slipped his fingers from under his chin to just inside the high collar of his robes. He pressed on a spot lightly and a thrill shot down Shen Qingqiu’s spine, a flush filling his face. Before he could speak, Binghe moved his hand away back to his face. A hand was still playing with his hair, fingers combing through the long strands. “I like that. I like it more than I suspected I would after I saw Yuan-ge covered in similar but much more aggressive marks. A-Yuan is always so kind to me, giving me gifts like I’m the one doing him a favor.”

This… was beginning to feel precarious. “B-Binghe…”

“Finding out your identity was a revelation, my love,” he said after Shen Qingqiu failed to say anything other than his name.  He shuffled forward and sat back on his heels before leaning into him, ending with his forehead against Shen Qingqiu’s with his eyes closed. “To find out you hadn’t tormented me, but had done everything in your power to save me from Shen Jiu but also myself. To learn all what Yuan-ge was willing to do for his Binghe, what you would do for me, it’s… There is nothing, no one that I could ever hold in higher esteem.

“Because I fell in love with you, but you chose me first. You once died while angered by what could have been my fate, then came here and did your best to ensure that I could be happy.” Binghe’s breath ghosted over his mouth as his hand gave a solid yet gentle push on his chest. Shen Qingqiu was already leaning away, startled by the near-kiss, and the unexpected push knocked him off balance. Luo Binghe caught him by the front of his robes in a surprising show of strength, but it seemed to deliberately slow his descent more than anything else.

He didn’t know where this was going but trusted the process. He straightened his legs from under him, surprised to find that Binghe had already swept his hair out of the way, and laid down completely when the hand on his chest urged him to relax. Luo Binghe searched his face for a moment as if checking if this was okay and Shen Qingqiu nodded.

A besotted expression crossed his face before he focused again. He leaned over him and began tracing the lines of his face, starting with his jaw. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes. “I know you would likely disagree with me about your actions those early days, A-Yuan. That you would say you were just trying to stay alive when a different man’s story would have ended with torture and death. But would you deny that you cared for me, that you did your best to reduce my misery if not outright make me happy?”

“No. I t-tried.” Shen Qingqiu whispered back, stuttering as Binghe’s fingers lightly traced his lips.

“I could tell, and that made a world of difference to me. And, to my greatest honor and pleasure, you’ve kept choosing me.

“I was worried, you know, when Meng Mo first mentioned mated pairs.” Luo Binghe reached across him to take his hand and Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes. He paused to kiss his hand, then Shen Qingqiu let him press it to the floor beside his head. “You hadn’t been sleeping, yet my scent seemed to be able to knock you out without warning. I learned how it could help you. And I learned what it meant that a bond was formed in the first place.”

He squeezed his hand then brought his own to the side of his neck, more exposed that it was before from the fall. The touch was a solid one, not squeezing but just very there. He felt Binghe’s thumb below his Adam’s apple and he felt it even more when he swallowed heavily. His heart skipped a beat and he watched Luo Binghe’s face darken as he felt to change in his pulse. “Bing–“

“I know you don’t understand what it meant for me to hear that you had to choose me in order for the bond to form, so, please, allow me to explain. All my life, I have felt unwanted. I loved my a-niang, but she could not erase the fact that she found me, seemingly abandoned in an icy river that I would not have survived if I was human. When she died, I truly had no one else. I lived on the streets, did my best to survive to be taken into a cultivation sect, only to be treated as lower than trash, less than human once here. A beast, Shen Jiu called me, and did his best to ensure I felt like one every waking moment.”

Binghe’s expression softened to something sweet and damn near poetic.

“Then you arrived. And you chose me. Across lifetimes, you chose my happiness, my safety, my future. And you choose me every day.”

Shen Qingqiu was just about melted into the floor at the words and the slightly awed tone of voice. It was why he didn’t immediately startle when Binghe suddenly straddled his waist, both hands now lightly holding his wrists beside his head. “I did. I do,” he answered softly, though some part of him was smashing an escape valve to this interaction. “I will.

Okay, okay, he loves me! I get it! Time to get up now!! Yelled the part of himself that was raising the alarm about their position.

He’s literally only touching my wrists. I wanted reassurance and he’s actually getting through to me after a month of me not quite believing it. This is fine. He thought in rebuttal.

Binghe’s hands moved to hold both of his, but he kept most of his weight off him as he leaned over and said, breath brushing the exposed skin of his neck, “And now you're my mate. And, gods, but your scent.”

Binghe nuzzled into his neck, a move that Shen Qingqiu often found himself doing when they were cuddled close and, oh.

Shen Qingqiu shivered and sucked in a silent breath as sensation radiated from where Binghe’s face lightly pushed against him. Luo Binghe was touching him far less that Shen Qingqiu was when he did this while they were cuddling, yet… Is this what that feels like?

“You smell like everything I’ve ever wanted, but never thought I would get,” he said, his breath feeling so much more tangible than before. Shen Qingqiu lightly pressed up against the hands holding him down. Binghe paused, and offered a momentary resistance, then all pressure ceased as Binghe sat up, hands releasing him. “A-Yuan?”

Shen Qingqiu blushed, but did not move. “I, um. I believe you, now. Thank you. For explaining.”

Luo Binghe stared at him a moment longer, considering, before his mouth quirked to the side, slightly teasing. He said lightly, “But A-Yuan, I’ve only explained part of why I love you. I’ve said nothing about how attracted to you I am.”

The slight smirk he had dropped into his more serious, intent expression. “You should never doubt that you are wanted, should never question that all my best dreams are about you.”

Shen Qingqiu flushed further and looked away. “…I believe you.”

“But you still don’t understand.”

“I. That’s. I think this is a conversation that we, um. Should not have like this. And maybe not right now.” And maybe not until you’re back from the Abyss.

“…Another time then. Thank you, for letting me explain what I could. For trusting me to do it like this.”

“…It was certainly effective.” Luo Binghe smiled down at him, hands resting on his splayed thighs and– “Could you. Get off, please?”

Binghe raised his eyebrows at him.

“I meant! You know what I meant!” Shen Qingqiu blustered, face bright red. Binghe, the jerk, laughed, though he did swing a leg over to kneel beside him.

“Of course, A-Yuan. Anything you want.” Shen Qingqiu sat up and went to run away, but Binghe caught him in a hug from the side. Gently, he said, “Thank you for talking to me, Shen Yuan. I’m happy we got this cleared up. I learned a lot.”

“…Me, too.”

Binghe let him go and stood before Shen Qingqiu could get his bearings. “If A-Yuan is feeling well, this Binghe will go and prepare lunch?”

Some time alone! “Yes, that would be good.” Shen Qingqiu still wanted to talk to him about a training schedule, but that could wait until they had food in front of them.

It was already November. The Immortal Alliance Conference was in August, and Shen Qingqiu suddenly had a large time-suck on his schedule that would keep him too occupied to oversee Binghe’s preparations the way he had originally intended.

“Thank you, Binghe,” he said, removing the privacy barrier he had raised around the house.

“I’ll be back soon, A-Yuan.”

Luo Binghe left, and Shen Qingqiu immediately put his head into his hands. That was certainly… a thing.

When did Binghe get so smooth?

He had a familiar haha, I’m in danger feeling, but he didn’t want to look to close at that. In fact, he didn’t want to process a lot of that conversation. He knew now that repressing was just advanced procrastination, but he was a little overwhelmed here! He understood now that Binghe loved him, was in it for the long haul, because what else could he be after a story like that. But he had said too much and Binghe had responded by saying even more and he was done with complicated emotions for the day.

Maybe he should take a nap. Binghe’s pillow should still smell like him, so he would probably be good on the nightmare front?

Yeah, a nap sounded like his speed.

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu wanted to die.

Well, not really. His death would cause a lot of problems and it meant he wouldn’t be able to see Binghe or Airplane-bro or any of his other friends. And he would miss out on excellent food and some much-anticipated comeuppance for a few key individuals.

“Why do we need to do a formal investiture? Don’t I have enough to do?”

It was now several days after that… enlightening conversation with Binghe and he was pleased to say that they seemed to be back to how they were before… Binghe’s dream. His own nightmares had eased up a bit, so he usually only woke up once during the night with Binghe’s scent keeping him calm. Everything was settled there.

That was good, because damn near everything else had promptly gone to shit.

Turned out that not only did people not keep his new position a secret, but word got out about the apocalypse that he was working to advert. There was a low-level panic spread across the Sect that made Shen Qingqiu nervous; the more people were thinking about a problem, the more likely they would connect the dots about how a problem arose. And people in a mass panic tended to be annoyingly meddlesome and less inclined to logic. So, day one of being on the job as a Sect Leader, Shen Qingqiu had to get the basics down as to what his job actually was while trying to keep a Sect full of narrative cannon fodder from behaving like panicked toddlers.

Not the best start. He’d used a good hunk of B-points to get pointers on what to do and say like dialogue options in a fucking video game.

It had worked, so he wasn’t complaining that much. Though he did feel compelled to turn System notifications back on after that, which was its own trial.

One of the consequences of all this was that he had already cemented a reputation for being cold but competent. He had very little patience for other people’s anxiety over something they A) should have never learned about, and B) needed to stay out of because he very much had it under control. Ning Yingying, who took to head disciple duties like she had been born for it, told him as such and had overall been very helpful in informing him about general Sect gossip and rumors. He hadn’t known how plugged in she was to that sort of thing, but he was grateful for her support now. In any case, the reputation was something he could lean into, so he did, happily forgoing tedious formalities for the sake of efficiency when it made sense.

In the days following that trial by fire, he’d been reading through document after document, quickly getting over his aversion to tea out of sheer desperation for caffeine. To make matters worse, he had received formal acknowledgement of the transition from other leading Sects, the first congratulations message from Tian Yi Overlook. It was cautious, if optimistic.

The one from Huan Hua Palace, covered in passive aggressive condescension and pleasantries that weren’t pleasant at all, made him want to burn the missive to ash.

After receiving something from Zhao Hua Temple and a few minor sects, Yue Qingyuan presented preliminary plans for a formal, public investiture ceremony.

(Yes, he was working with him now. Binghe had been quietly livid that Yue Qingyuan would dare breathe Shen Qingqiu’s air but had deferred to his judgement. All his friends had raised some kind of alarm at the idea and Shen Qingqiu honestly never wanted to see him again, but he was a pragmatist and he needed informed help.

He did make it clear that no funny business would be tolerated with a crisp, “I am the only thing standing between you and a protracted, painful death. Either respect me as your Sect Leader and an individual, or get out.”

Either Yue Qingyuan would start acting like he had some sense, or he would let Binghe kill him. In speaking with Mu Qingfang, he had realized that part of him blamed himself for Yue Qingyuan’s behavior and that he still had expected him to act on some level like he cared about him. After the whole drugging thing, he left himself no such illusions. Yes, he had taken over the life of someone Yue Qingyuan was attached to. No, that wasn’t his fault. No matter what, Shen Qingqiu was committed to abdicating all responsibility for his foolishness and didn’t have the patience to be delicate about just how much the outcome didn’t bother him.

If he died, he died. It was no longer Shen Qingqiu’s problem.

Yue Qingyuan had stayed and seemed to be on his best behavior. Shen Qingqiu was on his guard, but he had made himself useful at least.)

Yue Qingyuan sighed. For the first time since he started arriving to help, they were alone, Liu Qingge’s protective presence absent to handle his own neglected responsibilities. They were in his make-shift office in an under-used classroom, Shen Qingqiu unwilling to welcome the amount of work he suddenly had into his home. The space was open and sunny, but it was easy to install silencing talismans on the walls, making it an ideal working space to maintain his sanity but still be available to his Peak. He and Yue Qingyuan had already been speaking a shichen at least and this was just the latest point of contention. Shen Qingqiu had questioned why the Sect Leader’s duties were set up the way they were, finding the entire thing inefficient with far too much on his and Shang Qinghua’s heads once he got a sense of how things worked. After extensive questioning, Shen Qingqiu had an idea of a restructured administration to propose to all Peak Lords, but that would have to wait.

Because Yue Qingyuan seemed to want to have him… crowned. In public.

No, thank you!

“It would give Shen-shixiong public legitimacy. As the previous Sect Leader, seeing this one give Shen-shixiong the symbols of the office and demonstrating that this is an uncontested transfer of power will go a long way to earning the respect of other Sect Leaders. Shen-shixiong cannot ignore inter-sect relationships.”

Shen Qingqiu rubbed at his eyes. Yes, he was now well aware of the trade and cooperation agreements between the Sects that he was expected to maintain. “And what about the fact that I don’t remember any of them? Unless I missed something, we didn’t exactly publicize the extent to which I qi-deviated.”

“Shen-shixiong’s health was an internal Sect matter at the time, and one that was thankfully handled by Mu-shidi. A faulty memory is to be expected after such an event, but all of Cang Qiong has faith in Shen-shixiong’s ability.”

“It seems like an unnecessary expense.”

“Cang Qiong’s coffers can withstand ensuring its Sect Leader is given due respect many times over. This one will happily provide a budget to prove it.”

It made him wary that Yue Qingyuan would go out of his way to suggest the event, but unfortunately it seemed like a good idea. Shen Qingqiu hated that it was a good idea.

But one thing he learned early on in the process was to take things as they were and move on with them after at least some due diligence. It had tangible benefits and he couldn’t articulate a good enough reason to not go forward.

They were going to have a stupid coronation.

“Fine. Who would need to be invited?”

“Major and minor sect leaders Cang Qiong has ties to–“ Shen Qingqiu scowled unthinkingly. “Is there something wrong with that, Shen-shixiong?”

…Shen Qingqiu hadn’t told him anything about the other timeline. Hell, he hadn’t really talked about it with anyone outside of Binghe and Shang Qinghua. But, in order to do the job Shen Qingqiu needed him to do, he unfortunately would need to tell Yue Qingyuan something.

Maybe he could solve a possible problem or two in the process.

“I can’t be around the Huan Hua Palace Master for any substantial length of time.” Shen Qingqiu looked at Yue Qingyuan directly. “In the other timeline, he sought to discredit me, advocated for my execution, and was a large, contributing factor to my alternate’s death. Well, one of them, at least.”

Yue Qingyuan was frozen, pleasant expression not matching the blankness in his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“I have many of reasons to hate that man, some of which I cannot speak of. One is the course of actions I know he’s inclined to related to my death. He was apparently quite gleeful to have me tortured before my trial. Another is that to discredit me he brought up some ancient matter that I only have the barest details of from Binghe. Something about a Qiu… Qiu Haitang, perhaps? Binghe wasn’t too clear on the story because of his mental state after witnessing my alternate’s death was… unstable. I didn’t ask as I planning to avoid the inciting incident that would put the Palace Master and I in con… Yue-shidi? Yue-shidi, are you well?”

Yue Qingyuan snapped out of his blank stare into the middle distance, his smile losing the menacing quality it had had only seconds before. He stood abruptly. “Please excuse this one, Sect Leader Shen. This Qingyuan must take his leave, but will send a guest list, possible dates, and budget estimates over soon for approval. Sect Leader Shen,” he said with a bow and quick turn to leave.

“Wait.” Yue Qingyuan paused at the threshold. “Yue Qingyuan, I know we have had a… difficult time recently. But please ensure you are well. Mu-shidi is still upset with you, but he would not turn away a patient in need.” Hm, too OOC. He cleared his throat. “You’re finally being helpful and you being unwell would set back the transition.” Better.

Yue Qingyuan turned his head and said softly, “As Sect Leader Shen says. This shidi hopes the Sect Leader takes care as well, knowing this shidi will handle all that he can.”

[+50 B-Points for manipulation!]

Yue Qingyuan left. Shen Qingqiu waited a solid minute after he couldn’t hear his footsteps to sigh and shake his head. One stone, many birds.

Now about that proposal…

Luo Binghe carefully balanced their meal on one hand as he opened the door to the bamboo house. To his surprise and pleasure, Shen Yuan was already waiting for him at the front table, looking up with a smile as he entered. He put down the document he had been holding and said with some relief, “Good evening, Binghe.”

He bowed as best he could. “Shizun. Is Shizun ready for the evening meal?”

In the two weeks Shen Yuan had been acting as Sect Leader, he had been so consumed by work that he had forgotten to eat several times. Luo Binghe often found himself setting up food in the bamboo house only to have to retrieve Shen Yuan from his office so he could have a break. Unfortunately, when Binghe had asked about Mu Qingfang’s order for Shen Yuan to remain on light duties while receiving treatment, Shen Yuan had responded that this was light duty, considering he had delegated all is usual Peak Lord responsibilities to the other teachers and Ning Yingying (with Ming Fan supporting her).

While worrying, Shen Yuan assured him that things would calm down soon and he made a point to reserve at least a shichen each evening to eat and spend time with Binghe before sleeping. Binghe hoped that some of the stress would decrease soon for Shen Yuan’s sake, maybe after his coronation the following day. He knew just how much Shen Yuan was worried about how other Sects reacted the change, wanting to make sure that no unforeseen problems arose. He was also stressed about how the ceremony meant they had to delay the trip to see Zhuzhi-Lang and Tianlang-Jun, despite the fact both Binghe and Shang Qinghua had assured him that Zhushi-Lang knew that they would have a difficult time getting away and would be unbothered.

Shen Yuan was just plain stressed. Binghe did his best to help by making sure to bring him food at mealtimes and checking on him if he thought he would have a particularly difficult day. This rather unfortunately meant he had run into Yue Qingyuan several times and Binghe didn’t bother hiding his hatred of the former Sect Leader.

The feeling was obviously mutual, but neither of them said anything.

(It probably helped that the rest of Qing Jing was on his side, even knowing only a fraction of what Yue Qingyuan had done to their Shizun. Everyone, from Ning Yingying to their youngest shimei, hated the former Sect Leader. Shen Yuan had communicated to everyone via Yingying that Yue Qingyuan was making himself useful and to not give him a hard time while on the Peak, but it would be an understatement to say that Qing Jing was a hostile environment to the man.)

In any case, Shen Yuan needed a break, and all the support he could get.

“Yes. Please, come in and close the door behind you; you’re letting the heat out.”

“This disciple apologizes, Shizun.” Luo Binghe closed the door behind him and felt the privacy barrier around the house automatically raise thanks to the talismans on the door and every external wall. It was a simple solution to their privacy issue that neither of them had thought of prior to Shen Yuan setting up an office to conduct high-level Sect business in a relatively public space. Still, it activated the moment the door was closed, and Luo Binghe felt comfortable saying, “It’s good to see you already here, A-Yuan. I was worried I would need to remind you to come home again, though I see you’ve brought some work with you.”

“Binghe is worrying too much over this Shen Yuan,” he countered as he shuffled his scrolls to the side and Luo Binghe came further into the house. “I was just reviewing a proposal I hope to put forward next week at the Peak Lord meeting that will make my life easier.”

“Oh? What is the proposal, if you could say?”

Luo Binghe served them both as Shen Yuan launched into an explanation of forms of governance from his world and a need for specialized Peaks to take up related offices for Sect administration. He mentioned something called a… a cabinet? And ministers? Luo Binghe was only half following what he was saying, honestly, far more concerned with ensuring that he was eating enough to be satisfied and content to just listen to him talk.

Shen Yuan eventually noticed that Binghe was sneaking food into his bowl. Not that he was pretending to be stealthy, but that wasn’t the point. “Binghe, stop that. I’ll barely be able to finish this and… oh, I’ve been talking for a while, haven’t I?”

“It is no concern, A-Yuan. I like hearing your thoughts and learned about many things in listening to you speak.”

He lightly blushed and took a sip of his tea. “Still, I want to know how you’ve been. How was your day?”

“It was fine, normal. I’m still recovering from my last training session with Liu-shishu, but think I learned a lot. I feel like I understand the current course work. I also had some time today to train with Meng Mo.”

Training with Liu Qingge was… informative. Shen Yuan had made the arrangements in a display of constantly being more concerned with Binghe’s advancement rather than his own need for rest. On paper, the Bai Zhan Peak Lord as both the most accomplished fighter and Shen Yuan’s friend was the best person to train him in combat in preparation for entering the Endless Abyss. In reality, Liu Qingge did not understand why he was training him, and he had a few unspoken yet clear issues with Binghe that he tended to work through in training. Luo Binghe knew that his older counterpart had easily bested the Peak Lord the day he was there, and Liu Qingge seemed intent on defeating him yet remained unsatisfied every time he did so. Binghe also got the sense that the other man didn’t quite know how to teach someone else outside of a practical demonstration. That worked with Shen Yuan as they were of a similar power level and seemed to understand each other to a certain extent, but it left something to be desired in how he approached Binghe. After the hands-on instruction and attention to detail that Binghe had received from Shen Yuan, the differences were glaring.

Oh, and Liu Qingge was obviously envious of his closeness with Shen Yuan. Admittedly, the man seemed to have taken a firm stance of non-interference when it came to his and Shen Yuan’s relationship, but sometimes he swung a bit too quickly or looked at him with frustrated confusion when Luo Binghe fell. It felt very much like a why-would-he-choose-you look. Yet, he knew he wouldn’t complain about it. The training, while difficult, was actually helpful and he had certainly had worse while on Qing Jing.

Besides, he thought it was good to know how the other Peak Lord fought in case he had to kill him one day.

“Binghe is alright?” Shen Yuan asked, clearly latching onto his first sentence with some concern. “Do I need to ask him to go easier on you?”

Like that would have him doing anything but dying of embarrassment. “I’m fine, I promise, A-Yuan. I’m not hurt, just unused to that kind of intense physical training. It’s been going well.”

“Okay, if you say so. Let me know if you would like me to step in?” Binghe nodded. “Have you been able to do anything fun? I know your position on Qing Jing is rather… complicated. But you seemed close to Yinying?”

Complicated was certainly a word. While he was no longer bullied or even looked at with the potential for violence after Ming Fan publicly supported him when Yue Qingyuan confronted Shen Yuan that day on Qing Jing, he didn’t quite fit in with everyone else. The older disciples, with the exception of Ning Yingying, clearly remembered tormenting him happily before their Shizun’s qi deviation and didn’t quite know how to treat him now that he was the favorite. Disciples in his cohort had learned to stay away from him early on to avoid drawing Shen Jiu’s ire and had already formed close relationships with each other. The youngest ones, the ones that Shen Yuan recruited, oddly had developed a weird (but sweet) kind of hero worship for him. They still preferred Ning Yingying (which was the objectively correct choice, shijie was the best), but to them Luo Binghe was the disciple that single-handedly beat a high-level demon and was helping the Shizun they adored stay healthy.

And that was before he threw in their reactions to seeing his alternate self. Before Shen Yuan said while drugged that he would marry Binghe when he was an adult in the moment that he ascended to Sect Leader.

(And not a day went by that Luo Binghe wished he could have seen that moment with his own eyes. Just imagining his Shen Yuan with a weapon to Yue Qingyuan’s neck, telling him that he would marrying Binghe… he lost moments at a time whenever the thought about it.)

Anyway, despite Shen Yuan’s insistence that they weren’t together now (which was… splitting hairs but Binghe wasn’t about to disabuse him of the notion if it meant nothing changed between them), the other disciples seemed confused as to if they were supposed to treat him like their martial brother or their Shizun’s spouse. Not exactly conducive for making friends, especially since he knew he was going to have a rather abrupt exit from Qing Jing in less than a year.

But he still had Ning Yingying, at least.

“Shijie’s been busy, A-Yuan, though I did speak briefly to her yesterday. She was excited for the ceremony tomorrow.” Luo Binghe took a sip of tea and frowned. “It has been difficult to talk to her, not just because we are all busy. It’s hard, with me hiding so much from her.”

Shen Yuan looked at him, troubled but considering. “I can see that. I don’t want you to be lonely, Binghe. I know your time here is limited, but you deserve to have friends. She really cares about you. Maybe, if you trust her, you could share some things with her?”

“Like what? There’s so much I can’t say, that would jeopardize our plans, your safety…”

He was frowning now. “I think Yingying has grown into a very capable, compassionate young woman. I’ve been impressed with her as my head disciple, but I also know that, at her heart, she is deeply loyal. In the first timeline, she was the only one here who showed that version of you kindness. She mourned him when Shen Jiu threw him into the Abyss, and ended up being his first wife.” He raised a hand as Luo Binghe opened his mouth. “I know that you have a very different relationship now, and she honestly seems to be a different person than the one I read about. I mean that as a compliment. I said that to make the point that I don’t think she would react poorly to you sharing that you are a demon with her.”

Luo Binghe stared at him with wide eyes. “Oh.”

“I don’t know how you would feel with her knowing and I won’t pressure you either way. I know now how good it is to have a friend that you don’t have to hide who you are with. I have Shang Qinghua, but you don’t have anyone like that. I want you to know that maybe you could. I would also be willing to be there if you wanted support in sharing this with her, but that’s just an offer.”

“I. It has hurt, to not be able to talk to her. But not just about this.”

Shen Yuan was pensive. “I see. It would probably be hard to just mention the fact that you’re a demon and not talk about the alternate timeline or what we’ve been doing.”

“And I don’t want her to think I’m dead if she doesn’t have to while I’m in the Abyss.” That would be too cruel, and it would be good for Shen Yuan to have at least one person on Qing Jing who knew the truth.

He winced. “Yes, that’s a good point. We can talk about what you can and can’t share, I think. Though, one thing that she must not know is that I’m not Shen Jiu. I’m not sure how she will react, but the more people who know the more likely I am to step over a line that will get me killed.”

Luo Binghe was mildly offended. “I would never do something that would jeopardize your life.”

Shen Yuan sighed, “I know that, my love. I was just explaining why she can’t know something Qinghua does.”

Ah, okay. Good. Luo Binghe continued, “I trust her and I think she would be on our side, but we could probably ask her if she would be willing to swear a binding oath of secrecy. And I think it would be good if I could tell her either here or in your office, with privacy talismans activated.”

“Okay. Let me know when you would want to tell her and if you would want me to be there.”

He… really wanted to tell her. He missed talking to his shijie. “Could we tell her now? I could fetch her after I clean the dishes?”

Shen Yuan paused. “I. There are some things I wanted to speak to you privately about after dinner. And I think that there are some things she shouldn’t know before the ceremony tomorrow for the sake of keeping the peace between Sects. Would you mind waiting until tomorrow? Or maybe the day after, as the banquet is likely to go long?”

Luo Binghe tried to hide his disappointment. “Yes, I can wait.”

“I’m sorry, Binghe. I didn’t think you would want to speak to her now,” Shen Yuan said, truly apologetic. “I’ve just noticed that’s she’s quite protective and even… a bit vindictive when people she cares about have been hurt. I haven’t missed the way she looks vaguely murderous anytime I mention Yue Qingyuan. I don’t think she could know your story, could know what happened to your parents, and not look at the Palace Master like he’s filth tomorrow. I mean, he is, but we have to act like we don’t know that.”

That… was a very fair point. He still could hardly wait to speak to her, but he understood why they should wait at least. “Okay, A-Yuan.”

“That actually brings me to the first thing I wanted to speak with you about tonight. Are you finished eating?”

Luo Binghe had been done for a while, eating most of his meal while Shen Yuan was still talking about the changes he wanted to make to how the Sect was run. “Yes. If A-Yuan is done, this Binghe could clean up before we talk?”

Shen Yuan glanced at the scrolls he had set beside the table and said, “Yes, that would be nice, thank you. I have something to show you.”

Shen Qingqiu was a little nervous.

He had already started the evening off on the wrong foot, offering something Binghe clearly wanted only to tell him (yet again) that he would have to wait. It was a spur of the moment suggestion! He really had thought that Binghe would want to think about telling Yingying his secrets more before making a decision!

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only way he was going to disappoint the young man today. He just hoped the other two things he offered would make up for it.

Luo Binghe returned in short order and Shen Qingqiu decided to jump in the moment he was seated beside him. “As I alluded to before, Binghe, the Huan Hua Palace Master will be in attendance tomorrow. I received confirmation that he will be here with his daughter and head disciple.”

Shen Qingqiu took a big, fortifying breath and said, “I realized today that meant that you could not attend.”

He looked stricken. “A-Yuan?”

“I want you to be there tomorrow, I do, but I remembered what Zhuzhi-Lang had said. Binghe looks just like his mother, but with his father’s eyes. Su Xiyan, who the Palace Master was obsessed with, and Tianlang-Jun, who the Palace Master hated. I have no doubt that man made sure to look at your father before sealing him in his prison. He would take one look at you, realize your age, and know exactly who and what you were, Binghe. If word has gotten out about the time travel incident, that we’re close, then he’ll know that I am aware you are a demon. And then everything would go to hell.”

“Oh,” Luo Binghe said, looking at the table. “I was really looking forward to see you crowned. But I understand. You’re right; it’s not worth the risk.”

Shen Qingqiu’s heart ached, and he took his hand. “I’m sorry, Binghe. I wish I had thought of it sooner. The banquet will be far less enjoyable without you there. And I know the food will be worse than if you had made it.”

“Don’t worry about it, A-Yuan,” Binghe said, raising his hand up to kiss the back of it. “Once we are married, we will attend many banquets together.”

This guy… Shen Qingqiu blushed and looked away. “Right. Well, hopefully the next thing I want to talk to you about will make up for it, a bit.”

Shen Qingqiu took his hand back and worked to unroll a scroll with his notes. “I hope Binghe does not think I overstepped, but I had been working on a small side project as a break during these past weeks related to him. This… well, here.”

Shen Qingqiu found the spot with his results and put it in front of Binghe. As his disciple looked at the paper, he said softly, “I know that Binghe may have had a tradition with his a-niang that I don’t want to diminish in any way. She may not have birthed you, but she was your mother and loved you; that’s important. But. I also know that Binghe could not have known the day he was born. In my world, in my time, the day of one’s birth was something to celebrate. Shang Qinghua did not have a particular date in mind when he first thought of you, but he knew that you were born sometime close to but before Mid-Winter. So I looked at records from the year you were born to see when it was cold enough for the Luo River to be partially frozen and– Binghe?”

Luo Binghe was staring down at the paper, at the dates he had circled, seemingly unaware that tears were flowing steadily from his eyes.

Shen Qingqiu started to panic a little. “It’s not. It’s not much. Please, feel free to ignore it. I just thought–“

Shen Qingqiu had reached out to begin to take the roll of parchment back but Binghe’s hand came down on his, stopping his movement. “You did this? For me?”

“En. There. There were two possible dates. I thought maybe you would know which was closer based on something your mother had told you. If not, I thought you should be able to choose.”

“This one,” Binghe said softly, pointing to the earliest one, corresponding to what Shen Qingqiu understood as December 8th. “That’s my birthday. I have a birthday now.”

He was still quietly crying, and Shen Qingqiu squeezed his hand. “You always had one; I only helped you know what it was. Speaking of things that are already yours...”

System, give me the Jade Guanyin.

[…Is Host absolutely certain he would like to use this one-time use Special Item now?]

Yes. I was selfish to keep it in the first place. Now, this Binghe would rather die than hurt me. Just give me the damn thing already.

[Host, this System thinks you should reconsider.]

Give it to me, NOW.

[…Deploying Special Item: False Jade Guanyin.]

“A-Yuan?”

He took a deep breath and reached into his sleeve. He pulled out the pendant and set it on top of the parchment. Luo Binghe let out a guttural cry as he reached for it and took it in hand. “What? How did– A-Yuan!”

Shen Qingqiu had shuffled back and bowed low to him in apology. Luo Binghe scrambled to pull him upright as he said, “This Shen Yuan sincerely apologizes to Luo Binghe for failing to return the pendant to him earlier. This one has no excuse and is ashamed of his–“

Luo Binghe covered his mouth with his hand. Shen Qingqiu blinked at him. “Stop apologizing,” Luo Binghe said, that intense look to his eyes that Shen Qingqiu had learned to be cautious of. “I know you had a reason for not giving it to me earlier. What was it?”

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and Luo Binghe lowered his hand. “I originally thought that if I gave it to you at a moment where you would have killed me, it would have saved my life. I no longer think you could ever harm me. I realized I had yet to give this back to you today when I was confident in my calculations of your birthday.”

Luo Binghe gave him a very complicated look then closed his eyes. He took two, three deep breaths then looked at Shen Qingqiu, the emotion in his eyes almost seeming to physically pin him in place. “I am going to go for a walk. I cannot be around you right now.” Pain lanced Shen Qingqiu’s heart but ceased when Luo Binghe gently put a hand to his face. It was shaking. “Not because I am angry with you. I want to kiss you so much I can’t think. I want nothing more than to take you to bed right now, do you understand? But I can’t, so I will go away and come back in bit to help you prepare for sleep.”

Shen Qingqiu could do nothing but stare at him with wide eyes. Binghe stood and looped the pendant around his neck. “Thank you, Shen Yuan, for your thoughtfulness, your love, and your trust. I appreciate you. I love you. I will be back soon.”

Binghe walked to the door, put his shoes on, and left without looking back at Shen Qingqiu. When the door closed gently behind him, Shen Qingqiu blushed in a delayed reaction. Guess he liked it.

[…Protagonist’s satisfaction level: +1000 points!]

Shen Qingqiu recalled the date. He only had a few days’ notice; he hoped he would be able to find a suitable gift for him in time.

It was the last birthday they would be able to celebrate for a while, after all. He wanted to make it a good one.

There had been a point in Shen Qingqiu’s life when he had lamented not being able to attend functions with his family in their upper-crest circles. He had thankfully gotten over that in his mid-teens, but now he was having a moment of understanding just how fucking dumb young him was.

Because this shit sucked.

The coronation ceremony was straightforward enough, he supposed. Thankfully it wasn’t as big a to-do as he had been picturing, nothing like what emperors got in period dramas. It was just him saying a few rehearsed words as an oath of office, Yue Qingyuan as the previous Sect Leader stating formally he recognized Shen Qingqiu as the rightful leader, and Yue Qingyuan pinning a guan fancier than Shen Qingqiu usually wore to his hair. Now that he understood the intimacy of fussing with another’s hair in this world, part of him rankled at the thought of the other man touching him that way. But the ceremony itself, done before a sea of mostly unfamiliar faces, was harmless enough.

No, it was the required banquet afterwards that had Shen Qingqiu questioning if his presence was really necessary. Because it turns out he really hated big parties like this, especially as the center of attention.

[Host realizes that his wedding to the Protagonist, as a major Sect Leader and heir to the demon realm, will be much larger than this, yes?]

…

That was very firmly a problem for future him. He was just trying to survive this moment.

The System did have a point that this gathering was relatively small. To save on costs, Shen Qingqiu had made sure Yue Qingyuan requested that invitees only bring two guests with them at most. This meant some had brought their spouse and a bodyguard, their heir and head disciple, their second-in-command and an elder, or any combination of the above. Apparently, this limitation was insulting to some more used to traveling with larger entourage, but Shen Qingqiu told Yue Qingyuan to spin it as a new Sect Leader not wanting to be ostentatious or something like that. They had to provide accommodation for all these people overnight and like hell he was going to rack up the price of putting up a small town for the sake of celebrating a position he didn’t even want.

To be fair to their guests, each Peak also only was allowed to have two representatives beyond that of the Peak Lord, with the two from Qing Jing being Ning Yingying (as head disciple) and Ming Fan (as second-ranked disciple, hastily prepared after Shen Qingqiu’s revelation the day before). More than one person from Cang Qiong had been surprised to see Ming Fan there when they clearly expected (and anticipated) seeing the now-infamous Luo Binghe. Shen Qingqiu had brushed off inquiries by simply saying that Qing Jing was represented by its highest-ranking disciples and no one was bold enough to question him further.

In any case, Shen Qingqiu spent a good portion of the afternoon going around being introduced to people he “really should know.” Unfortunately, the best person to guide him through the process was once again Yue Qingyuan, so he was stuck by his side for more than an hour. Shen Qingqiu kept a small, minimally polite smile on his face as he tried to frantically catalogue the information he was given about people (and he may have cheated by asking the System to keep a log for him but shhhh), but wow, he hated schmoozing. Thankfully, he remembered the advice his parents had given him about speaking to people at these kinds of events and made sure to ask each person about themself, getting at least one personal detail to remember them by (or at least, for the System to have next to their name so that Shen Qingqiu could pretend to be thoughtful when he spoke to them next).

That said, he did have to remind Yue Qingyuan that no, they were not friends, at least once during the evening. It had started with one or two sharp glances when he leaned too close. Then Yue Qingyuan had put his hand on his back to ostensibly guide him somewhere and Shen Qingqiu had to raise his fan to say in a private tone, “Shidi appears to be asking to become an amputee. Is this shixiong mistaken?”

Yue Qingyuan didn’t invade his personal space after that.

All in all, not too bad. After initial introductions were done, Shen Qingqiu all but told Yue Qingyuan to go be away from him and began to mingle himself, usually with someone from Cang Qiong coming to his side for the remainder of what he mentally called the meet-and-greet period. They made it to dinner without incident, through which Shen Qingqiu did his utmost to remain utterly polite and correct as he was seated with their guests of honor. He couldn’t even text Shang Qinghua for fear of being distracted and miss something that would offend one of their “illustrious” guests! The tense atmosphere and stuffiness (and the food) made him long to just be back in his small bamboo house with Binghe, but needs must he supposed.

After dinner, there was another period of socializing and drinking, supposedly a much more informal reception. Shen Qingqiu had unfortunately been forced to drink to several toasts to himself throughout the course of dinner. Despite taking the smallest sips possible, he still found himself more intoxicated than he would like after the meal. And as the guest of honor, he couldn’t exactly leave first without a reason.

It was at this point that things began to go sideways for the evening.

It started with him noticing that people were really interested in introducing their companions to him. Particularly their young companions.

It didn’t bother him at first. He mostly asked how their studies were going, something neutral and completely normal, before wishing them luck and moving on. But it got weird after a while.

Eventually, Shen Qingqiu thought to ask for a second option, after a head disciple from a minor sect seemed to ask if he was busy later. In a way that even he realized there was something funky going on.

SQQ: Airplane, do you know why my guests seem intent on leaving me to talk with their younger plus ones?

SQH: …

SQH: no but I can guess and you don’t want to know

SQH: just get out of there

SQH: and assume that everyone knows you’re involved with one of your disciples

Oh, no.

Oh, no no no!

SQQ: I think I’m going to be sick

SQH: please don’t be

SQH: It’s probably nothing like super insidious. They likely are looking to arrange a marriage or something. Having that kind of tie to you as a Sect Leader, even if the disciple was your second spouse or concubine, could have completely changed the status of a family. Yue Qingyuan explicitly stated early in his tenure that he wasn’t interested in forming ties through marriage. You have not.

SQQ: I DIDN’T REALIZE I HAD TO SAY IT

SQQ: I HAVE BEEN CRYSTAL CLEAR THAT I’M NOT WITH BINGHE BECAUSE I DON’T CONSIDER HIM AN ADULT

SQH: rumor is a big game of telephone, bro. Though I am sorry, that’s a real fucked up thing to experience.

Well, stick a fork in him, because Shen Qingqiu was done for the night.

Of course, this was the moment that the Huan Hua Palace Master found him.

Oh, geez.

“Sect Leader Shen,” he said, both his daughter and his head disciple, Gongyi Xiao, at his side. The Palace Master bent his neck while the others bowed in greeting.

Shen Qingqiu bowed his neck in return, praying this man would be brief. He did not have the patience for dealing with him. “Palace Master. I hope you and your companions are enjoying the evening. I was just about to retire, but I wish you and yours a restful night.”

“Ah, so soon? I was hoping to have a moment to speak with you further. With the beginning of a new era, it is important to maintain or even strengthen the ties between cultivation Sects. We can never be sure what the demonic hordes are planning. And you have yet to speak to my head disciple as you have so many this evening.”

Oh. Oh, I need to leave right now, or I will cause an inter-sect incident.

Shen Qingqiu’s polite, slight smile felt strained. He looked at Gongyi Xiao, vaguely remembering him from both PIDW and the tales from the other timeline, and nodded slightly to him. “I am sure that the young master is quite accomplished for his age. Huan Hua’s curriculum is renowned, and I would expect nothing less than excellence from its head disciple. Yet, I’m sure the well-informed Palace Master has heard of my recent health problems. While I must leave to tend to my condition, I am sure my fellow Peak Lords, particularly Peak Lord Yue, are more than capable to ensuring Cang Qiong’s guests are tended to.”

“I’m sorry to hear your health issues are still ongoing,” the Palace Master said, full of sweet faux sincerity. “I had thought that with such a well-revered doctor in residence as Master Mu, you would have been able to recover by now. Though, you are quite brave to admit such a weakness and I cannot help but respect it.”

SQQ: get me out of this or send me help

SQQ: otherwise I will kill this man

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath and the smile from his face dropped completely. “How informative, to learn that the Palace Master considers being ill a weakness. Or perhaps it is admitting to being ill and knowing one’s limits? I am but human, Palace Master. I have no qualms admitting to that.”

SQH: oh fuck

“Human indeed,” the Palace Master said deliberately, a kindly, venomous smile on his face. “Speaking of which, I have heard a great deal about a certain disciple of yours and your very human attachment to him. Disciple Luo, was it? Is he not in attendance? I’m sure my daughter and disciple would be interested in meeting him, if he was so great as to catch your eye.”

Oh.

Oh, so they were doing this then.

Okay.

Shen Qingqiu felt something like a switch flip in his brain and he was suddenly on edge. It was a familiar sensation, something he had felt in that pivotal Peak Lord meeting. He felt predatory. He felt dangerous. And he was going to tear this man apart for daring to speak Binghe’s name.

He smiled slightly and felt his eyes become heavily lidded as he looked down at the shorter man. Both the Little Palace Mistress and Gongyi Xiao shivered, probably meaning he had lost control of his qi and dropped the temperature a bit immediately around him.

“Have you? Well, my top ranked disciples are here to represent my Peak, with my other disciples tending to their studies and any duties they have. Although, if we want to speak of disciples that are not here, perhaps we should speak to your own. While I have only just been able to re-learn about the Sects since my qi deviation, I did hear talk of a very accomplished disciple from Huan Hua Palace with the family name of Su? Su Xiyan, I believe. Whatever happened to her?”

Try me, bitch.

The Palace Master’s face went through a series of colors and his daughter snapped, “Honored Disciple Su was fatally injured while battling a heavenly demon. She died heroically many years ago.”

“Ah, is that so? My condolences. Perhaps it is best we keep the names of those absent out of our conversations about the future,” he said smoothly, with his steady gaze never leaving the Palace Master. “I often find that words spoken behind others’ backs are–“

“Sect Leader Shen!” Shang Qinghua said, coming to a sudden stop at his side, putting on a show of being out of breath.

“You interrupted my conversation with the honorable Palace Master, Shang-shidi,” he said, but it was in the harsh yet teasing tone he often ended up taking with his fellow transmigrator.

He bowed low to him, then more shallowly to the outsider. “This shidi apologizes, Sect Leader Shen, Palace Master, but there is an issue that requires the Sect Leader’s immediate attention.”

“Does Sect Leader Shen not have others who could handle a problem in his stead?” The Palace Master asked, obviously livid at being caught off guard in the conversation and taking an easy jab at him.

“I’m not certain how Huan Hua is run, but so early in my tenure I prefer to learn from experience and look at any major problem personally. I again wish you and yours a pleasant night, Palace Master. Shang-shidi.”

Shang Qinghua bowed again, but Shen Qingqiu did not. He strode away, following Shang Qinghua’s lead with his head held high until he was out of the room.

[+40 B-points!]

Once he and Shang Qinghua were behind a closed door, he kind of just collapsed in himself and put his face in his hands. He said, making sure to uncover his mouth enough to be heard, “Thanks, bro.”

“Anytime. What happened? You kinda looked pissed?”

“…a lot of things but I kinda lost it when he mentioned Binghe’s name. Like he even as the right to think about him.” He felt his eyes flash at the rise of qi from his rage, but he quickly reined it back in. “So, I brought up Su Xiyan and told him that maybe we should not talk about people who weren’t there.”

“…Holy shit.”

“Yeah. Not expecting to have good relations with Huan Hua while he’s still Palace Master.”

“Well, at least it won’t be for long.”

“Yeah. Only we know that though. In any case, I was already planning on having Yue Qingyuan handle anything that involves speaking to the man. Now I have the perfect excuse. Just a small blunder for a new Sect Leader. Of course, it makes sense to send a more experienced diplomat in his stead to repair relations he so clumsily damaged.”

Shang Qinghua was staring at him. “You know, you’re kinda scary.”

“Thank you. Now, let me go make my excuses to deal with this ‘emergency’ so I can actually go home. Excellent thinking, by the way.”

“I have my moments.”

They went back into the banquet room and Shen Qingqiu took a central position at the head of the room. Using his qi to amplify his voice, he said softly, “Excuse me, if I may have everyone’s attention briefly?” The noise in the room died down after a moment and, when it seemed that he had the attention of the majority of the guests, he bowed shallowly and continued. “There is a Sect matter that requires my immediate attention. Additionally, my health condition has left me fatigued and sadly unable to continue for the night after I see to the issue. I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for attending this evening. I and Cang Qiong appreciate the show of support. I look forward to working with your groups and continuing to grow our prosperous relationships. I bid everyone a good evening and hope you all have safe journeys home tomorrow.”

He made sure to lower his fan enough to make his slight smile of gratitude visible. The room bowed to him, with several people calling out well wishes or good night.

[+10 points for charm!]

Odd metric, but whatever.

Shen Qingqiu left the room in short order, through Mu Qingfang caught up with him quickly, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan close at his heels. “Shen-shixiong, do you need medical assistance?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed and motioned his therapist closer. He whispered to him, fan raised to hide the movement of his mouth, “If I don’t leave now. I may end up causing another inter-sect incident. I’ve already soured relations with Huan Hua. I’m fine, but if you want to leave, you could use treating me as a convenient excuse.”

He leaned away and Mu Qingfang blinked at him. Then he said, “This one is always ready to assist the Sect Leader. Please, lead the way.”

A wise man indeed. “Thanking Mu-shidi. Disciples Ning and Ming, you may stay if you wish. I trust you both to conduct yourself in a manner honoring Qing Jing. That said, you are also free to retire.”

They looked at each other and bowed to him. “These disciples will stay and report to Shizun tomorrow. Praying Shizun rests well,” Ning Yingying said as she rose.

“Very well.”

With that Shen Qingqiu was finally, finally, free of his first event as Sect Leader.

Luo Binghe didn’t know what to expect as he prepared to finally share some of what had been going on with Ning Yingying with Shen Yuan by his side. Honestly, after overhearing an argument between him and Yue Qingyuan today, he had been more than willing to postpone the conversation.

(Binghe, carrying Shen Yuan’s lunch, heard Yue Qingyuan through the smallest crack in the door to his office, breaking the talismanic seal say, voice strident, “How did you manage to damage the Sect’s relationship with Huan Hua so quickly, Qingqiu? I thought you were going to stay away from the Palace Master!”

“Don’t you think I tried,” Shen… Shen Qingqiu’s cold voice came through, piercing and direct. “I tried to leave that conversation well before it came to a head. But was I supposed to let him insult me in our first real interaction? Was I meant to not respond as he deliberately pushed beyond the limits of polite conversation?”

“Sometimes, yes, that’s what diplomacy requires.”

“Well, it seems I continue to get myself in trouble for being unwilling to be quietly stepped on for the sake of propriety, doesn’t it?” There was a tense pause and Luo Binghe chose that moment to knock, effectively ending the conversation.)

His Shen Yuan looked tired and stressed, but he was still insistent on not pushing back the conversation more, especially after Luo Binghe admitted shyly that he wanted him there for part of it.

So here they were, late in the afternoon the day after Shen Yuan’s coronation, sitting in Shen Yuan’s office. He was planning on continuing to work after the conversation and Binghe was going to get started on dinner. Yingying arrived promptly at the requested time and was surprised to see Binghe there. When Binghe closed the door behind her, he made sure it was sealed (he had told Shen Yuan already about the security breach) and felt Shen Yuan put up his own barrier for the room for his own piece of mind.

“Shizun, A-Luo,” Ning Yingying said, bowing to Shen Yuan but looking at Binghe oddly. “Shizun wished to speak to this Yingying.”

Luo Binghe came to sit next to Shen Yuan as he answered, “It’s more that Binghe wanted to talk to you and I’m here for emotional support. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course.” She sat before them and Luo Binghe immediately poured her a cup of tea. “A-Luo, what is it? You know shijie is always here to help you.”

That warmed Binghe’s heart and reassured him. “I know, shijie. I… I wanted to tell you about a few things that have been happening, that Shizun and I have kept secret because it would endanger both of us if it became public. We both trust you, and I missed being able to speak with you freely. I asked Shizun to be here as I thought it would be hard to say without help.”

She looked between them and finally settled on meeting his stare with a sober, serious expression. “I appreciate that, A-Luo. If it’s dangerous… would you like this Yingying to take an oath of secrecy? I don’t want to do anything that would put you or Shizun in danger.”

Oh, but he loved her. “If shijie wouldn’t mind…”

She was already reaching her hand out, palm up. Shen Yuan reached out and let his hand hover above hers. Their qi flared as Ning Yingying swore to never reveal anything said here to outsiders without express and explicit permission from Shen Yuan or Luo Binghe. Shen Yuan accepted the oath and that was that.

When it was done, Yingying pulled her hand back and asked, “Are you and Shizun already a couple?”

Shen Yuan, who had been taking a sip of tea, promptly started choking. He sputtered as he brought a napkin to his face, “No!”

Luo Binghe winced at her. It’s complicated. I’ll talk to you about it later, he tried to convey.

“My apologies, Shizun, A-Luo. Just, with the rumors, it made sense…”

“What rumors?” Luo Binghe asked.

Ning Yingying looked mildly uncomfortable. “Well, I mentioned to Shizun in my report earlier…”

Shen Yuan sighed and put his face in his hands. “You can tell him.”

She bowed from the neck to him. “Shizun. A-Luo, many parties arrived at the investiture ceremony and reception yesterday bringing disciples around your age or a little older in an attempt to… catch Shizun’s eye. They hoped to form a marriage alliance between them and Cang Qiong by contributing to Shizun’s... harem. Shizun being Shizun, many found themselves amendable to the idea after meeting him, thinking him cold yet very kind.”

Before Luo Binghe could begin to even process this information, Shen Yuan said quickly, “I was only ever polite and I never expressed interest in anyone at that party. I also told Yue Qingyuan to make it as clear as possible to everyone that I am not open to a marriage alliance of that kind and that I will never be, though I will apparently have to answer such inquiries personally to be sure I don’t offend the wrong person. I am still sick at the thought that people brought their disciples and children to… but no matter. It was an unpleasant time.”

“…There’s more, Shizun,” Ning Yingying said tentatively. “Someone has started a rumor that you were a hulijing and charmed a number of the men you spoke to.”

“How?!” Shen Yuan looked horrified and devastated. “I didn’t do anything!”

Unfortunately, Luo Binghe knew how, and he knew that Shen Yuan’s definition of “nothing” or “small” could differ greatly from whoever was on the receiving end of his attention. And that he had little idea of just how alluring he was. While Binghe knew he wasn’t interested, his A-Yuan appeared to have broken a number of hearts the night before.

“This Yingying cannot explain it, Shizun, and apologizes for her failure.”

Shen Yuan sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “Yingying, please don’t. Thank you for attending last night and telling me your insights. It’s important that I know what is said about me, even if I don’t like what it is. But, enough about me. Binghe, you had something you wanted to share with Yingying.”

She looked at him, her expressive brown eyes compassionate, and Luo Binghe said, “Shijie, I’m a half-demon. My mother was a cultivator and my father is a heavenly demon.”

Her eyes widened in surprise but narrowed quickly. “So that’s how the other you was able to defeat Liu-shishu so easily. Thank you for telling me, A-Luo. I’m happy you knew that you trust me with this.”

“…Shijie’s not mad?”

She smiled at him and it was so, so kind. “How could I be? I’m your shijie, aren’t I? And A-Luo is my favorite shidi–but don’t tell the others.”

Luo Binghe couldn’t help himself. He got up and went to give her a hug, eyes stinging with tears. She returned the embrace fiercely. “Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been so afraid to tell you.”

“A-Luo is A-Luo. You’ve been a demon this entire time, right? Why would I treat you differently now? Oh!” She pulled back and looked between him and Shen Yuan. “This will cause problems for you and Shizun! When did Shizun learn that A-Luo was a demon?”

Luo Binghe looked back at him to see a small, satisfied smile on his face. “I knew before the demon invasion, Yingying. That was why I picked Binghe to fight; I knew he was the only one from Qing Jing who could survive and win.”

“But that means…” She looked rapidly between them then seemed to follow another thought. “Shizun knew early on, but if people found out A-Luo’s a demon, then Shizun lost all plausible deniability of knowledge with the Time Travel Incident.”

Shen Yuan’s smile widened, clearly proud. “Very good, Yingying,” he praised gently.

“Will A-Luo have to hide what he is forever?” Ning Yingying fretted and Luo Binghe melted.

“No, he won’t. Binghe?”

She looked back at him, and he explained, “Yingying, something is going to happen at the Immortal Alliance Confernce. A high-level demon will force a large number of demons into the hunting grounds with disciples during the tournament. Shizun cannot stop this. Right now, I have a seal on my demonic heritage that my mother put there after she gave birth to me. She did it because she was dying from poison and likely wanted to make sure I could pass as a human. But at the Conference, something will happen that will break my seal, and I will have to leave for my and Shizun’s safety. It will look like I am dead. I’ll really be in a… let’s call it ‘advanced training program’ in the Endless Abyss, after which I will be able to escape to my living family members…”

He explained why none of them knew of his existence before the Time Travel Incident. He also backtracked a little to explain what happened to his parents and that they were working to free his father.

“…But, after I’ve escaped the Abyss and have found my father, I’ll be able to return to Qing Jing. I plan to court Shizun as the crown prince of the demon realm, not a former human disciple.”

She was gaping at him. Which was fair. Shen Yuan calmly sipped his tea, watching her closely for a reaction, thankfully looking unperturbed by his declaration of intent.

After a long moment, she shook her head and waved her hands in the air. “A-Luo, that is a lot to take in. This Yingying has so many questions but first,” she looked up, eyes intent, “how can I help?”

Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe smiled at her.

After talking some more with Shen Yuan, Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying left him to his work. Ning Yingying followed him to the kitchen, quiet, and said once they got there, “Can A-Luo do the privacy barrier that Shizun uses?”

Luo Binghe had never tried and didn’t want to risk it. “No, but I do know a way to communicate silently?”

“Do that then. It will make it easier to talk while you cook.” He reached out and touched her hand, casting the spell that Shen Yuan taught him.

“Shijie?” he asked silently.

“A-LUO!” she responded, mentally screaming in a way that made him wince.

“No need to scream, Yingying. Just direct thoughts to me with your normal tone like you would if you were talking to me.”

“OH, OKAY! SORRY, I’LL WORK ON IT!”

“Closer.”

“HOW About now?”

“Much better.”

Ning Yingying seemed pleased with herself before she looked at him closely as he began gathering vegetables to wash. “Good. Now tell shijie everything that you couldn’t say around Shizun.”

He looked at her with wide, watery eyes. “You’re the best shijie ever.”

“I know. Afterwards, I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to. Oh, this is such a convenient way to communicate! No worry about being overheard or people walking in. Okay, sorry. Now, talk.”

So.

A lot had gotten blown out of proportion.

Several major things were a mess. He was answering multiple missives a day politely turning down someone trying to set him up with teenagers with something that got across not looking but if I was they are way too young, very kind young person though I wish them a bright future.

He had his first Peak Lord meeting to lead in a handful of days. During which he would no doubt have to address the elephant in the room about that looming apocalypse that he’s avoided telling them any details about and the whole fall out from his stupid reception.

Half the cultivation world were talking about him being a fucking hulijing (even though most of people talking didn’t believe it, enough did that it was…)

But he couldn’t control any of that.

What he could control was trying to make sure Binghe had a good birthday.

The problem was, he had no idea what to get him. He wasn’t good at gift giving! What did Binghe need? Nothing, as far as he knew. What did Binghe want? He had no clue!

He wanted to give him something meaningful and long-lasting, but everything he thought of was too trite or wouldn’t be ready in time if he commissioned something, or was too dangerous to give him before it was known he was a demon.

At wits end, he asked for help.

SQQ: hey quick question. You have a minute?

SQH: yeah what’s up

SQQ: what should I get Binghe for his birthday?

SQH: you

SQQ: …

SQH: I’m so serious right now. He literally would not ask for anything else.

SQH: Spend some time with him or whatever. Maybe do something special together.

SQQ: oh okay yeah I can do that

SQQ: thank you!

Shen Qingqiu made Binghe’s birthday an extra rest day for everyone to make sure he was free, and he was committed only working a half day himself. When he told this to Ning Yingying, she gave him a knowing look and said, “I’ll make sure A-Luo is available in the afternoon, Shizun.”

Ning Yingying had taken to speaking a bit more casually to him in private (with his permission) after that long, revealing conversation with Binghe. He quite liked it, the formalities of this world sitting strangely in his mouth at times now that he had leave to speak casually with so many people.

He didn’t bother denying it. “Thank you.” When she didn’t get up to leave, he prompted, “Is there something else you wanted to speak of?”

“Could this Yingying please have permission to visit Xian Shu Peak that day?”

Shen Qingqiu smiled at her, figuring she was about the age where having other young women to be friends with was something she would want. “Of course. Allow me to write Peak Lord Qi so she is aware that you are coming. Have fun.”

Now, after having attended his usual (though now only twice-a-week) session with Mu Qingfang and battled through one mountain of paperwork, Shen Qingqiu’s heart leaped as Binghe opened the door to the bamboo house, large tray of food balanced on one hand. “Good afternoon, Shizun.”

“Hello, Binghe. Happy birthday.” Luo Binghe grinned at him. Shen Qingqiu stood quickly to help him with the tray and carried it over to help set up the table.

He closed the door behind him. “Thank you, A-Yuan. How was your work this morning?”

They had discussed the plan for the day; it wasn’t like he could hide the fact that he no one would be working or studying on his birthday. Luo Binghe, as Shang Qinghua had guessed, was thrilled at the idea of spending an uninterrupted afternoon with Shen Qingqiu. Lunch proceeded as any other meal between them, full of easy conversation and comfortable silences.

And that didn’t sit quite right with Shen Qingqiu. This was supposed to be a special day for Binghe!

Luckily, he had an idea of how to make this better.

After telling ensuring that Binghe left their dishes to someone else to clean up for once, he waited for him to return before saying, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to get you a physical gift for–“

“A-Yuan never needs to worry about that,” he interrupted, reaching out to take his hand. “After what he has given to me, has returned to me, he could never get this Binghe another gift and this Binghe would still be grateful.”

Shen Qingqiu huffed. “Yeah, well, I still want to get you things. And, since I won’t be able to be with you for several years, I want to at least do something for you.”

He blushed and steadied himself. It made him a bit uneasy, but not uncomfortable and this was something that could have staying power, something no one else could give him: information and experiences.

“Binghe may ask me 10 things. They could be questions or requests, and I will do my best to fulfill them today. You do so much for me, all the time, and I want to make sure that I do things for you, too. Especially today.”

Rather than happy, Luo Binghe looked troubled. “I would accept anything you would willingly give me, but A-Yuan. Beloved. You do so much for me. You do things for me constantly. Just because you think they are small things doesn’t mean that they are. And I do things for you because I love you and want to take care of you as much as you allow me. We do things to make each other happy; you don’t need to do more than you already do. In fact, there are times that I worry that you do too much and don’t look after yourself.”

“…I just don’t want you to feel like I’m taking you and all you do for me for granted,” Shen Qingqiu said quietly.

“I don’t,” Binghe reassured him, gentle and sincere. “I swear, I don’t.”

“Okay.”

Luo Binghe searched his face, concern clear in his eyes, and asked, “May I begin making my requests, now?”

“En.”

“Please, go take a nap.” At his nonplussed expression, Binghe continued, “I’ve been worried about how stressed you been. Now that you’ve have some time, I would like you to rest.”

No, wait, this wasn’t what I meant! “I. I thought that we may be able to do some things together…”

“I will happily hold you as you sleep if you want me there, as long as you get some sleep.”

Well.

“Okay.”

He took a nap for the first time since recovering from shock, relaxed with his hair loose, his robes few, and his Binghe cuddled against him. When he woke, refreshed to a very happy Luo Binghe, he admitted that maybe he had needed that.

Still, Binghe had nine more things to request. And Shen Qingqiu was determined to make sure he got what he wanted.

“What other requests do you have, Binghe?” he asked, as he pulled on another layer to sit atop the ones he was sleeping in. He didn’t think they would leave the bamboo house; one more layer over the two he slept in seemed fine.

“I was thinking about what to ask you as you slept, A-Yuan,” he said, hands stilling his movements then reaching up to gently tie his hair back with a simple ribbon, ensuring it was out of his face. Thoughtful. “Perhaps we should sit in the front room? I’ll light the candles.”

Shen Qingqiu hummed in acknowledgment and put on water for tea while Binghe ensured they had enough light. Soon, they sat together, the soothing blend that Shen Qingqiu preferred in their cups, and Luo Binghe asked. “Would you ever be interested in having children?”

Shen Qingqiu stared at him because what? “Um, do you mean adopting?”

“…not particularly.”

Shen Qingqiu kept staring. “Binghe, unless I am misunderstanding something, neither of us are capable of carrying children…?”

“We are. We could, if you wanted that someday, too.”

Luo Binghe wants to have children. Biological children. With me.

Shen Qingqiu’s brain was not accepting this input.

“I don’t know. I never considered the possibility that I would be able to have children in the future and never gave it a lot of thought. I. I like children, but being a parent is something different. Outside of the many questions I have about the mechanics of the two of us… making a child together, I don’t know if that’s something I’ll want. I’m sorry.”

Luo Binghe couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he said, “A-Yuan, there is no need to apologize. I wanted to know how you felt and you gave me an honest answer. I would appreciate it if you gave it more thought over the next few years? We have plenty of time.”

Perfect! He’ll just shelve that thought then.

“En,” he said, desperately ignoring the sudden image of an adult Binghe playing with a baby that looked like him.

Moving right along.

“Another question: what do you miss most about your original world?”

Shen Qingqiu frowned as he thought. “It’s not just one thing. I miss some food that only existed there because they weren’t anything natural or came from plants that don’t exist here. There was a substance called chocolate that I truly miss eating. I miss some things that came with modern technology, such as advanced indoor plumbing. And showers! Taking baths all the time is such a hassle after a lifetime of showers. The Internet. Endless entertainment and distraction. A lot of it was trash, but it also was able to put the best of the world at your fingertips. Simplified characters.”

He paused for a moment and added, more subdued. “I miss my family. We. We weren’t the closest, but they loved me. I know my death would have hit my mother and meimei hard, and I do regret that.”

“Oh.”

Binghe was quiet for a moment long enough for Shen Qingqiu to begin questioning if he had said something wrong. Then Luo Binghe admitted, “I’m thinking through the questions I have and am trying to understand the boundaries of this gift. A-Yuan, what am I not allowed to request?”

“Binghe may not ask me to… do something age-inappropriate with him. Or something that would harm either or both of us.”

Luo Binghe stared at him, intent expression that Shen Qingqiu had come to understand as acute interest taking over his face. “But may I ask you questions about certain activities?”

Of course, he found the loophole immediately. True Protagonist energy, Binghe. “If you’d like.”

Luo Binghe sat up and his eyes brightened like… well, like it was his birthday. Mission accomplished, he supposed.

Shen Qingqiu opened his fan and hid behind it at his eagerness.

“What is one thing that you did not experience sexually with my alternate that you would hypothetically be interested in exploring at some point when I return from the Abyss?”

The cheek…

Shen Qingqiu’s blush flared, but he ground out between clenched teeth, “Performing oral sex.”

Luo Binghe made a choked sound and Shen Qingqiu wanted to be anywhere else. “I didn’t think you would actually…" He cleared his throat. "A-Yuan, you said that you enjoyed having sex. Could you please explain two things besides the physical pleasure that you liked about it?”

Shen Qingqiu took a steadying breath and said, strained, “I liked feeling wanted and being allowed to want. And I liked trusting that I could lose control, that I didn’t have to make decisions, and still be safe.”

That gave Luo Binghe pause and he seemed to hesitate a moment before saying, tone jarringly soft, “One last question on this: are you opposed to the use of Immortal Binding Cables during sex?”

That made him look at Luo Binghe in utter shock. “How did you…” The dark look in his eyes, saying he was committing this information to memory with great relish, had Shen Qingqiu retreating back behind his fan. “I am not opposed,” he managed.

He heard Binghe take in a shaky breath. Then he said, “Thank you, A-Yuan. I know you usually avoid the topic and I appreciate you answering those questions for me. I have another, for my seventh request: is there anyone besides me you would consider allowing to court you, if they asked?”

Despite the bright flush across his face and neck, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help peeking at Binghe over his fan in confusion. His expression was calm but serious now. “No. Binghe is this about those requests Yingying mentioned? I promise you; I want nothing to do with them.”

“It’s not about that specifically, A-Yuan. I was just remembering your promise to me when I returned from the other timeline. You said that you would allow me to court you, no matter your relationship with others. I was wondering if you had another person in mind for your second husband.”

“What? No! Why would I ever bother if I had you?”

Binghe smiled at him, satisfied. “I feel the same. A-Yuan, would you please brush my hair? I would like to get started on dinner soon, and may look unpresentable after laying down.”

Shen Qingqiu looked at him strangely. “You look fine, Binghe,” he said, only to abruptly realize that had nothing to do with what he was asking. “But I would be happy to see to your hair. You’ll have to tell me how to handle it; I’m unfamiliar with caring for hair with any wave or curl to it.”

Luo Binghe absolutely beamed at him. “Of course.”

In short order, Luo Binghe sat at Shen Qingqiu’s dressing table and he quietly and joyfully instructed him on how to tend his hair. It was a surprisingly relaxing task, brushing another’s hair with intention. Binghe’s hair was soft and thick, a fluffy mass that Shen Qingqiu loved patting in normal circumstances. This was somehow better, made all the more meaningful for the message he knew Binghe took from it.

They had stopped talking at some point and Shen Qingqiu checked what he could of Binghe’s expression in the mirror. He seemed to have his eyes closed with a soft, blissful smile on his face. He looked so very happy, and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help smiling in response.

What was a little embarrassment when it meant he could put that look on his face?

As Shen Qingqiu was finally smoothing his hair back to put it in his usual ponytail, Binghe said, “A-Yuan, could I request something to happen later? Perhaps in a few weeks’ time?”

“Yes. What is it?”

Luo Binghe hesitated and that gave Shen Qingqiu pause. After he was so bold with other requests, what could possibly make him hesitate?

“I’ve been working hard to train more with Meng Mo. I’ve progressed enough to begin to construct a dreamscape or stabilize one that already existed, but what I can do now is limited with my seal still intact. But Meng Mo thinks I’ll be able to construct a stable dreamscape with some light support from him soon.”

…He still hadn’t said what he had wanted. “And Binghe would like me to join him in one of these dreamscapes?”

“Yes, but for a particular purpose.” Shen Qingqiu finally stopped fussing with his hair and Luo Binghe turned to look at him. “Would A-Yuan be willing to join me in a dreamscape and show me what he looked like in his first life?”

Oh.

Shen Qingqiu blanched. “Why does Binghe wish to see this one like that?”

“I want to know every part of you, that’s all. You know what will look like in the future. Am I wrong to wonder what you looked like before?”

“Binghe, I was–“ skinny, unkempt, unhealthy, plain “–not as I am now. I don’t want you to think of me differently.”

To his surprise, Binghe frowned. Scowled, really. “Do you think it matters to me what you looked like? Do you think I would love you less if you looked different?”

Shen Qingqiu flinched. “I just… there was a reason no one liked me in my world, Binghe. My appearance was never my priority and I wasn’t gifted with natural looks. And I was sick for so long…”

“And you survived! Do you think me so vain that… never mind. I don’t want you to do something that makes you uncomfortable.”

Binghe got up and started to walk out of the room. Shen Qingqiu caught his hand and stopped him. “I think the world of you, Binghe. I just don’t think the same of myself.”

Luo Binghe stopped and looked back at him, emotions flying across his face. Then he stepped closer and hugged him. “My A-Yuan is silly, but should know that he can also say no to me about things not related to intimacy. We both can say no to things. Please, don’t worry about it further.”

He didn’t mean to make him upset. Was this really such a big deal? What he looked like then wasn’t what he looked like now. And what he looked like now was unlikely to change drastically. If he found his former self ugly, then they could just never talk of it again.

If, no. Because Binghe loved him as he did, did he really think him original appearance repulsive enough to have that overturn their history? He had been average, no more or less. And hadn’t he seen more mis-matched pairings between couples in his world than his original body and Binghe?

“…I’ll do it.”

Luo Binghe pulled back, wary. “Shen Yuan…”

“No, it’s okay. I was being silly, and I trust you to love me no matter what. It’s not fair that you don’t know something as basic about me as what I looked like. It’s not like I’m a different person, only that I’m in a different body. I can do this.”

He still looked uncertain. “Alright. But A-Yuan knows he can change his mind, right? I find I like teasing you, but I never want to cause to real stress, my love. If this is too hard for you, we just won’t do it.”

Darling boy. Shen Yuan hugged him closer and said, “Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll change my mind.”

He kissed his forehead lightly before pulling away.

Shen Qingqiu made it about two steps before Binghe caught his hand this time. “Something else?”

“…my last request. For my birthday. That you can refuse, and I won’t ask for anything else,” Binghe said, expression direct even as color dusted his cheeks.

“What is it, Binghe?”

“Just once, may I kiss you?”

The thing about having bright line rules is that a division between what is allowed and what is not feels arbitrary once a certain threshold is reached. Even if Binghe would have been around, it made little sense for him to agree to his courtship on the day he turned eighteen and not his last day of being seventeen. Yet, that didn’t make the lines created by the rules that mattered any less uncrossable.

Shen Qingqiu did not want to and would not sleep with Binghe in the euphemistic sense. He would not touch him in a way that suggested otherwise, nor allow Binghe to do such things with him. Even if his desires somehow changed, he was the adult in the situation; it was his job to say no.

But kissing was not papapa. And Luo Binghe was now seventeen. Shen Qingqiu had known in offering this gift that Binghe may well have asked this of him. He already had an answer prepared and had done what was needed to come to terms with it internally.

“You may.”

Luo Binghe’s jaw dropped in a funny way. But he sobered quickly and pulled himself together as he stepped into Shen Qingqiu’s personal space.

Not wasting any time, he put a gentle hand on his cheek raised himself to the balls of his feet to lightly brush his lips against Shen Qingqiu’s.

It was barely a touch, so slight that Shen Qingqiu half thought he missed it, but Binghe seemed awed. “Thank you, A-Yuan. I’ll go–“

Oh, Shen Qingqiu did not run a mental obstacle course to become okay with kissing Binghe once for that to be it. It was his birthday, and this was his last wish. Shen Qingqiu could do better than that. He would.

“That was not a kiss, Binghe.” As he leaned down, he whispered, “This is.”

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan was kissing him.

Shen Yuan was kissing him.

It was all Luo Binghe could think as he returned the soft, relaxed pressure of the other’s lips against his. Gone were his machinations, guided by information from the other world’s Shang Qinghua about weakening his beloved’s resistance to him, that had gotten him to this point. Quiet were the lessons Yuan-ge had so helpfully given him on kissing and physical intimacy. Absent were the lines of advice from his counterpart about ensuring their shared loved stayed happy and content.

Because his A-Yuan was kissing him, and nothing could have prepared him for the feeling, the sheer joy of it. He gasped involuntarily and Shen Yuan stole his breath away, pressing closer so that their lips molded into the space created by their joint parting.

Shen Yuan’s fingers lightly stroked his jaw and Luo Binghe finally found the ability to respond further, tilting his face and body more firmly into the touch offered. Shen Yuan gave ground with a pleased hum, retreating to where Luo Binghe pushed but not releasing him.

Emboldened, Binghe opened his mouth further and deliberately, lightly ran the tip of his tongue over the lip caught between his. To his greatest pleasure, Shen Yuan didn’t pull away but lightly nipped at Binghe’s lip in return. Far from warning him off, Luo Binghe read it as playful, interested.

Binghe pushed against Shen Yuan further, bringing his arms up to circle Shen Yuan’s neck as he sought to even their heights by lifting his heels. When Shen Yuan pulled away slightly, it was only to change the angle of the kiss, one hand still on Binghe’s face while the other seemed to steady him at his side.

Euphoric from his touch, this intimacy, Binghe pressed on, pressed his luck, and opened his mouth yet further. He dared to lick into Shen Yuan’s mouth, flicking his tongue just past the ridge of teeth, getting a first taste of what it was to be inside him.

Some part of him expected this to be the thing Shen Yuan balked at, that would make him pull away and draw a line. Luo Binghe would have been content with that. This first real, mutual kiss was already beyond what he had anticipated in his many-layered plan to get as close to Shen Yuan as possible before the Immortal Alliance Conference, both in terms of duration and intimacy. And, as he had seen time and time again, Shen Yuan more readily accepted a course of action he had previously allowed.

But Shen Yuan did not pull away chastely. He did not draw back and deny them.

He moaned low and the hand on Binghe’s face moved jerkily to the back of his neck, holding him in place. His tongue met and slid along his, creating a sensation that was nothing short of revelatory.

It was like Luo Binghe had been struck by lightning, fire flooding his veins and seizing control of him. Restraint burned away and the floodgate to the passion he had painstakingly locked away opened.

He thought he may have growled. He was sure that Shen Yuan made a small, almost pleading noise in response that had to be the most arousing sound in existence.

He wasn’t sure how exactly, but from one moment to the next he had Shen Yuan pushed against the wall of his bedroom. The technical number of kisses they had shared at this point was utterly immaterial, neither of them seemingly capable of moving away from each other for longer than it took to suck in a harsh gasp of air.

One of Shen Yuan’s hands was buried into the hair at the back of his head, no doubt messing with the neat ponytail he had only just finished. One of Luo Binghe’s hands squeezed at Shen Yuan’s waist. One hand of each held the other, fingers intertwined and pressed against the wall by Shen Yuan’s head.

Luo Binghe’s head was utterly empty of any concept that wasn’t Shen Yuan’s name, affirmations of love, and not-quite-human claims of possession. He wasn’t thinking clearly when Shen Yuan began sucking on his tongue and he pressed himself entirely against him.

Despite the near disaster his libido had caused only a couple weeks prior, Binghe forgot to care about the fact that he was aroused. If he was being honest, some part of him wanted Shen Yuan to feel his effect on him, wanted to prove to him that he was desired, wanted to convince him to let Binghe do something about it.

In the haze of pleasure that came with pressing himself against his teacher, his love, his mate, he noticed that Shen Yuan was hard, too.

Before he could react beyond the rush of triumphant delight, Shen Yuan froze. Ever attentive, Binghe stopped moving as well and finally broke their kiss. He pulled back to see an extremely attractive flush to Shen Yuan’s face and a shocked, almost stricken look in his wide eyes.

“A-Yuan,” he asked softly, roughly, gaze drifting inexorably to the man’s lips, wet, red, and slightly swollen from his kiss, their shared love given form.

“Stop,” Shen Yuan gasped out, breath seemingly caught in his throat. “We need to stop.”

“Okay.” Luo Binghe carefully put some space between them and released him. Shen Yuan’s fingers seemed reluctant to leave his hair, but he let him go as well. Determined to make this as smooth as possible, Luo Binghe raised a hand slowly to Shen Yuan’s face and said as his thumb lightly traced his bottom lip, “Thank you for my birthday gifts, A-Yuan. I am truly grateful, and will go prepare our evening meal now.”

“H-hn.” He responded awkwardly, still leaning against the wall. “Happy you liked them, I… Wait. You’re going to the kitchens. Like that?!”

“Like what?” Shen Yuan’s face flushed further in embarrassment, and he made a hilariously inelegant flail towards Binghe’s abdomen, eyes fixed somewhere over Binghe’s shoulder. Confusion melted into bemusement. “Ah. No.”

Luo Binghe was planning a detour to a very secluded part of the bamboo forest. If the relative cold didn’t fix his problem, he figured all the new information he learned about Shen Yuan would make the trip a short one indeed. He doubted Shen Yuan wanted to know the details of his plan, however, and chose discretion.

His sweet A-Yuan was still clearly uncomprehending, but just as obviously unwilling to question him further. “Um, okay. See you, then,” he said weakly.

Luo Binghe left, gait as normal as he could manage. Just before he closed the door of the bamboo house, he heard Shen Yuan exclaim, “System, don’t reward me for that!”

Hm.

Shen Yuan never talked directly about the mechanism that brought him to this world and still exercised a sick kind of control over his life. Luo Binghe hadn’t known what to make of it, mostly grateful to the entity for bringing Shen Yuan into his life and initiating the time travel incident that started them on the path they were on now. But he didn’t like how voyeuristic it seemed to be. And he didn’t like how, under a general air of antagonism, Shen Yuan seemed genuinely afraid of it.

Perhaps he should view it as some kind of capricious god. If that was the case, all the more reason for Luo Binghe to work harder to become strong.

Gods could fall; his very existence proved that. And if Shen Yuan’s god decided to torment him or take him away from Luo Binghe, then he would just have to figure out how to kill one.

In the meantime, he would file away the fact that Shen Yuan seemed to get some kind of reward for… something involving him? A concept to keep in mind at least.

[Host needs to be more careful. Protagonist overheard Host’s complaining about a reward and is now thinking of killing this poor System.]

Is that supposed to make me feel bad?

[Host is cruel! This System has gone out of its way to give Host ample opportunity to earn points and maintain Host’s account. ;_;]

…Thank you for helping me stay alive, I guess? Though, you literally are monitoring Binghe’s thoughts and are omnipotent. Seriously, he can’t pose any threat to you.

[This System is far from omnipotent. And Protagonists break rules all the time; it is unfortunately a character trait.]

Okay, then do what I did and make sure Binghe doesn’t have a good reason to kill you.

[…This System has no current plans to torture Host or separate him and the Protagonist.]

Those were his thoughts? That’s so sweet!

[Host.]

Easy solution! You be nice to me and Binghe won’t have to break the metaphorical fourth wall to find you!

Also, how did he hear me respond? I’ve talked to you directly in front of other people before and no one noticed?

[Host rarely speaks out loud when responding to this System as he did here. No points were deducted because the Protagonist was made vaguely aware of this System’s existence by Alternate Host. This System merely wanted to remind Host to be careful in his words.]

Got it. Thank you for the reminder.

[…]                                                                           

What? I can’t be polite?

[…Host is welcome.]

Shen Qingqiu could barely look at himself in the mirror after The Kiss debacle. He had mentally prepared for one short, sweet kiss! Not… whatever THAT was! What the hell was wrong with him?!

Thankfully Binghe didn’t make a big deal out of it. In fact, he seemed to have taken a page out of Shen Qingqiu’s book and pretty much acted like it never happened? Outside of a couple of times Shen Qingqiu caught him looking at his mouth, he didn’t seem affected at all by what had happened between them.

Which was… fine. Normal. Preferable even.

(Are you sure? A thought that sounded a lot like Mu Qingfang’s Qingqiu-stop-bullshitting-me tone often followed that line of internal reassurance. It was much more easily ignored than the doctor himself and that is just what Shen Qingqiu did.)

He had other things to worry about.

Most immediately being the first Peak Lord Meeting he would preside over as Sect Leader.

He had thought a lot about how he wanted to order the day. He had spent hours crafting the agenda and preparing the materials. He had run his plan of action by Shang Qinghua who had enthusiastically approved, eager apparently for Shen Qingqiu to lean into his “boss bitch” era. Whatever that meant.

Shen Yuan was meant to be Shen Jiu. And he thought that Shen Jiu would at least agree with how he intended to approach this meeting.

They had insisted on giving him power. They would have no room to complain about him using it.

Of course, he knew that if he wanted people to actually implement his policies, he would have to act with some tact. Shen Yuan was much better than the Original Goods as Shen Qingqiu at not immediately offending people. Still, it would be out of character for Shen Qingqiu to appear as anything but a strong, composed leader.

This meeting was important. It would set the tone for the rest of his tenure, more than those first difficult days or even his first public appearance. So much of his job was his ability to really lead now. Convincing everyone he was capable of that without significant oversight would hopefully leave him with freedom to get things done.

Of course, they had to address the elephants in the room: realm merger and relations with Huan Hua Palace. Shen Qingqiu planned to lean into his growing reputation (within the Sect, at least). He would be cold and competent. Direct.

Absolutely misleading.

This was all smokescreen, after all. He didn’t know how the Immortal Alliance Conference would play out. He didn’t know how his colleagues would react to learning that Binghe was a demon in the future. It certainly would be grounds to remove him from his post if not kick him out of the Sect. Hopefully at that point he would have somewhere else to go, and maybe the work he did would be argument enough for them to be against killing him for treason outright (assuming Binghe let him out of his sight).

Anyway, he’d banked on putting off conversations about external relations until he began talking of his restructuring proposal. It naturally would come up in conversation, and he didn’t want to have too many people looking into the finer details of his conversation with the Palace Master.

He would put realm merger, and anything to do with the alternate timeline, first. Hopefully, that would be distracting enough to leave people inattentive to all that he was changing.

The Peak Lord meeting was held on Qing Jing Peak for the first time. There wasn’t time to erect a new banquet hall or any of the facilities for hosting large gatherings already in place on Qiong Ding Peak, but Shen Qingqiu preferred being on his home turf. In fact, he was opposed to any new additions to Qing Jing outside of a more formal office space where he could hold smaller meetings. Shang Qinghua had more than enough to worry about without overseeing any kind of major construction project, and it made a certain sense for any large, public gatherings to be hosted on the politics peak. (That, and Shen Qingqiu wanted Qing Jing to remain insulated from that kind of event as much as possible.)

A large classroom that Shen Qingqiu usually used to teach music was painstakingly cleaned and prepared by his disciples and servants for the meeting. The small tables for Peak Lords, transported from Qiong Ding, were arranged in the usual manner, but Shen Qingqiu just used their newest teacher’s table as his desk rather than asking for the more ornate one Yue Qingyuan had sat at.

He selected his clothes with care, choosing after some internal debate to wear the guan granted him at his investiture ceremony and his favorite bamboo patterned robe.

People began arriving about 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Thankfully, one of the first was Shang Qinghua, and he was quick to provide distraction after scanning through the documents on his desk.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were planning this?” he asked, seeming a little manic as he grasped the scroll Shen Qingqiu had provided each Peak Lord with the preliminary proposal to their change in roles.

Shen Qingqiu looked at him steadily over his fan, “It needed to be done. Besides, can’t I surprise you with something nice? Your workload isn’t healthy or sustainable, so I tried to make adjustments. We can’t run the entire Sect ourselves, not and have actual lives.”

SQQ: Besides, don’t you have a demon king to pin down?

Shang Qinghua stared at him then dramatically sniffed, like he was tearing up or something. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“Frightening thought,” he muttered. “You need better friends.”

SQQ: …you, too.

Shen Qingqiu glanced away elegantly and nodded at an entering Qi Qingqi, who started making her way over. “In any case, that’s just the preliminary proposal. It will no doubt go through edits before the new system is adopted, hopefully within the next few months.”

“Still, though, this means a lot to me. Thank you,” Shang Qinghua said in a serious tone and, really, it was too much for Shen Qingqiu this early in the day.

SQQ: No problem.

Aloud, he met Qi Qingqi’s gaze and said to Shang Qinghua, “We’ll speak no more of it. Now, Shang-shidi, it appears Qi-shimei would like to speak to me. If you wouldn’t mind…”

“Of course,” he said, jumping as if just noticing the other Peak Lord. He bowed to them both. “Shen-shixiong. Qi-shimei.”

“Shang-shixiong,” Qi Qingqi said with some amusement as Airplane scurried off with his scroll clasped close to his chest like the disaster he was. She looked at him with the same amusement and a slight bow, “Sect Leader.”

“Peak Lord Qi,” he nodded in return. “Is there something on your mind?”

“Yes. I wanted to see if your offer for lunch was still on the table or if you no longer had time for your poor shimei.”

He snorted lightly and she thankfully smirked. “No, my offer has not changed. I plan to be away for the Sect for at least two days next week, but perhaps…”

They set up lunch for a couple of days after his trip to see Binghe’s family, and somehow by the end of that conversation, it was just about time to start the meeting.

Fuck.

Well, here went everything.

Shen Qingqiu waited for the Peak Lords to settle with a drink of their choice before them before he began. He called the meeting to order coolly and quickly went over the agenda for the day. A lot of looks were exchanged between the Peak Lords when Shen Qingqiu mentioned addressing concerns over realm merger and his governance proposal. Yue Qingyuan, who was certainly not told about the plan, was far from the only one who began surreptitiously unrolling his scroll to look at what Shen Qingqiu had prepared before he finished his introductory spiel.

“Are there any questions?”

No one spoke up.

“Are there any announcements?”

A couple of Peak Lords seemed primed to say something but held themselves back with glances around the room.

“In that case, this master wishes to clear the room of all who are not Peak Lords at the moment.” He looked to the servants and a couple of disciples from other peaks on the edges of the room. Shen Qingqiu did his best to sound kind as he said to them, “The following conversation is a confidential Sect matter. This master requests that the servants and disciples in the room return in a shichen and a half at the mid-morning break.”

Those assembled quickly stood and bowed to him, then left the room. Shen Qingqiu raised and activated the silencing talisman he used for his own office, using spiritual energy to ensure that four copies were properly installed on the walls. Then, because of how sensitive the first topic was, he raised his own privacy barrier as extra protection.

“Sect Leader Shen,” began Zhao Qingchen, “is this really necessary?”

“Yes. This master would avoid having mass panic spread through the Sect again by partial information twisted by rumor. The situation is delicate, and with things as complicated as they have become, this master would avoid adding any further considerations to the issues at hand.

“Now, this is how this discussion is going to work. This master will provide you with basic information that is not to leave this room. Peak Lords will have no more than a quarter shichen to ask this master clarifying questions, accepting when an answer is refused, regarding the possible future and the events this master is working to change. Anything discussed during this interval is not to be shared with any outside of this room. That is a direct order from your Sect Leader.

“Afterwards we will move on to further items in the agenda. The time limit is not up for discussion and is already far more than this master thinks is wise. However, this master also recognizes that many Peak Lords have little reason to trust this one, and offers what information he can as a sign of good faith. That being said, there are many issues in the present the Sect must address, and this master refuses to dwell on a future that will never come to pass. After this conversation, the matter is closed for public debate, today and in any future discussion.”

Shen Qingqiu said this with a steady, uncompromising tone, meeting the eyes of each Peak Lord until they either looked away from his gaze or nodded in agreement. When everyone had either backed down or agreed, he lowered his fan to his waist and began the very careful explanation he had thought through.

"There are a limited number of ways that realm merger can occur. Of the ones this master is aware of, it involves a particular ritual with a currently lost artifact at an extremely remote location. It requires the caster to both have immense power and to be more than a little mad. The artifact cannot be reached, nor can it be destroyed by normal means. I have little understanding of the exact ritual that must take place, and I will not share the location where it must happen.

“What I will say is that, in the timeline my disciple traveled to, a party attempted realm merger nearly nine years from now. It failed because cultivators and a few powerful demonic allies came together to prevent it, but at great cost.” That caused a stir through the room, but people kept their tongues, for now. “The political situation that led to this moment was… complicated. Essentially cultivators, including Cang Qiong Sect under Peak Lord Yue’s leadership, made a deal with a demon noble who had managed to consolidate enough power to call himself emperor to prevent the event. Many died, including this master’s alternate self. He was revived, perhaps by Master Mu, but the incident did end his life.”

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath and continued, ignoring some degree of alarm that had managed to cross everyone’s face in the room at some point during his narrative. “With these details in mind, this master set out to prevent what he could. There are two ways this master was aware of, and he has planned for them as much as possible.

“The first, this master has an extended timeline to succeed with, but is currently behind schedule due to his sudden ascension to his current position. This master will seek to address this posthaste, taking regular trips out of the Sect with Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe. These will happen perhaps once a month for the next year at least, hopefully decreasing in frequency once a firm foundation is established. No assistance with these trips is needed or welcome. As previously stated, the situation is delicate, and now each of you is aware of the stakes at hand. Do not test me on this.

“The second, this master has already handled fully, and in a manner than must not leave this room.” Shen Qingqiu paused, appearing to hesitate, then said gravely, “The second route is now tied to this master’s lifespan. As long as I live, realm merger is impossible from that particular avenue. This absolutely must not be shared with anyone else, as a few determined individuals may seek to end this one’s life for that exact reason.”

A lot of people were staring at him with varying degrees of horror. Mu Qingfang put his face in his hands, elbows on his small table and posture suddenly exhausted.

Shen Qingqiu used his spiritual energy to light the first of two incense sticks on his desk and said, “This master will now take questions.”

Instant pandemonium.

People were on their feet, yelling questions at him about the demonic emperor, demonic allies, the mechanics of realm merger, the identity of who would be able and/or willing to merge the realms, and his death. Shen Qingqiu gave the room an unimpressed look then pointedly stayed silent as he watched the stick steadily burn.

It took a couple of minutes for people to calm down enough for Yue Qingyuan to say, “Sect Leader Shen, will you refuse to answer any questions?”

He looked at him then the entire room. “I will answer, but only in an orderly manner. How exactly was this master supposed to pick out a question among the din all of you caused. One question at a time, please, though you are welcome to waste more time if you would prefer.”

Yue Qingyuan looked around the room pointedly and people began to sit. He remained standing. “This one would begin. Sect Leader Shen mentioned his alternate’s death. How did he die and how was he revived?”

Shen Qingqiu focused on his table but answered calmly, “Backlash from preventing the ritual’s completion drove someone near this one’s alternate… who this master will refer to as Peak Lord Shen for the purposes of this discussion, to harm the one they loved the most in the world. Temporarily insane, Luo Binghe killed Peak Lord Shen. This master did not ask details as to his recovery this was a… difficult topic for the elder Binghe and Peak Lord Shen did not give details to my disciple. This master can only assume Luo Binghe immediately realized what he had done and did what he could to anchor his soul until Mu Qingfang or some other doctor could help revive him.”

SQH: YO WTF!!

Oops.

Shen Qingqiu closed the window to not be distracted. The movement doubled as him looking back at Yue Qingyuan.

The man was staring at him slack-jawed, but managed to say, “Luo Binghe was present?”

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows at him, “Where else would he have been if not at Peak Lord Shen’s side?”

“…Peak Lord Shen married Luo Binghe before or after this took place?”

“After. This master thinks Peak Lord Yue should allow others to ask questions now.”

Yue Qingyuan sat down but was clearly reluctant to do so, staring at Shen Qingqiu far too long with a complicated expression to be comfortable. He worked to ignore that, focusing on the next person who hustled to stand.

Unfortunately, it was Wei Qingwei.

“Sect Leader Shen, what information do you have about this so-called demonic emperor?”

Everything.

“Not much, unfortunately. This master did not speak at length about them with either Luo Binghe as the elder was rather… distracted by other matters when he rose to power, and Peak Lord Shen was unable to give a contemporary account of that time period to this one’s disciple. They seemed concerned primarily with the demon realm, but was open to talks with cultivation sects. This master believes perhaps a preliminary trade agreement was in place at the time of the switch, but there were more immediate concerns to discuss in the short time the elder Binghe was here.”

Peak Lord Wei seemed wary but asked, “And why was Peak Lord Shen unable to give a contemporaneous account?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed. “He was dead for five years. Made it rather difficult to keep up with current events. That situation has been dealt with as much as possible at the moment and has no bearing on the present discussion.”

Even Wei Qingwei seemed disconcerted by this statement, sitting with a nonplussed expression.

Mu Qingfang began muttering to himself and rubbing his temples. A problem for later!

Shen Qingqiu glanced at the incense sticks after another long moment of people staring at him. Another moment or two and he would have to light the second one.

Zhao Qingchen finally stood and actually bowed to him. What a nice change of pace. “Sect Leader Shen, could you please say more about the artifact required for the ritual? What is it? And why is it currently unreachable?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded in acknowledgement of the attempt to be polite and said, “This one understands that it is a cursed sword that bears the name Xin Mo. While this master is not aware of its exact location, he has reason to believe it is in the Endless Abyss.”

Shen Qingqiu lit the second incense stick as one of the quieter Peak Lords, Song Qingyue of Qing Wan Peak, gasped. The Peak Lord, who specialized in the more scholastic side of demonology that was usually discarded for Liu Qingge’s more practical knowledge, stood quickly and bowed hastily to both Zhao Qingchen and Shen Qingqiu.

Shit, Shen Qingqiu thought. He often forgot the man existed, in fact had only just learned his name after he became Sect Leader. But if anyone could throw a wrench into the convoluted mix of truth and lies he was spewing, it was this man.

“Apologies, Peak Lord Zhao, Sect Leader. This one fears he misheard the Sect Leader. Xin Mo is a legendary cursed sword, known to destroy its wielder as it craves destruction of everything around it. If it exists, then it has not surfaced in the past 500 years at least.”

Shen Qingqiu gave the man a withering look. “Is Peak Lord Song suggesting that this master’s husband and disciple both lied to him?”

Song Qingyue paled and cleared his throat. “Not at all, Sect Leader Shen. This lowly one only would note for those here that the demon who could claim, let alone master Xin Mo and not be consumed by it would be a threat this Sect had not seen in many generations.”

Unease rippled through the room, but all Shen Qingqiu could think was, Of course, he is. Binghe’s the best.

He raised his fan to hide the slight smirk of his mouth, keeping his eyes neutral.

“The Sect Leader appears unsurprised by this news,” Wei Qingwei said from his seat.

Shen Qingqiu regarded him coolly. “Is there something to be surprised over, Peak Lord Wei? Does it not make sense that a demon who could conquer the demon realm in a relatively short period of time would have such a weapon at their disposal? It begs the question how the sword was transferred from them to the person leading the ritual, but that is something this master cannot answer.”

“Cannot or will not?”

Shen Qingqiu froze, then turned an utterly hostile look to Yue Qingyuan, and lied. “Can. Not. Luo Binghe would have no reason to know the details of such an exchange and neither would Peak Lord Shen, who was rather recently resurrected if this master understands the timing correctly. Does Peak Lord Yue wish to justify his insinuation to the contrary?”

A lot of people were looking at Yue Qingyuan like he had lost his mind, but Yue Qingyuan only had eyes for Shen Qingqiu. “Not at this time.”

“Perhaps Peak Lord Yue should not make baseless accusations on a whim.”

“Peak Lord Yue should apologize to Sect Leader Shen,” Shang Qinghua said, scowl on his face as he glared at Yue Qingyuan from across the room. "Sect Leader Shen has just detailed all he is doing to save this Sect, doing his best to reassure us all that he has things under control at great cost to himself, and Peak Lord Yue insinuates, what? That Sect Leader Shen is somehow the cause of this? That Luo Binghe, his disciple who loves him beyond all reason, somehow would contribute to an event that killed him again?”

Yue Qingyuan scowled back at the smaller man. “No.”

“Then your statements were only meant to antagonize him more than you have already done. Apologize.”

“Enough,” Shen Qingqiu said softly. “Shang-shidi, while this master appreciates your intervention, he is uninterested in meaningless gestures. Peak Lord Yue has made his opinion of this one utterly clear, and what use are words when actions are so eloquent?”

Shang Qinghua bowed to him from his seat but Yue Qingyuan was giving him that disgustingly familiar heartbroken expression. “Xiao-Jiu–“

“Yue Qingyuan! Refer to me as Sect Leader Shen, or do not refer to me at all.”

Yue Qingyuan shut up and bowed low to him. Shen Qingqiu looked away dismissively to the fast-shortening incense stick. “If there are no further questions, we will move on from this topic.”

“I have one,” Liu Qingge stood and bowed to him. “The backlash from the ritual. Was Luo Binghe the only one affected?”

“No, but due to proximity he was the most directly impacted. Again, many people died that day.”

Liu Qingge’s stare was piercing. “But he was by Peak Lord Shen’s side. Was he unaffected?”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t like where this was going, but couldn’t stop now. He had crafted this web of lies, and now he was entangled in it. “No, he was.”

“…did he not attempt to kill Luo Binghe in return?”

“No.”

Liu Qingge was looking at him like he was a puzzle to solve, but then, of everyone, Mu Qingfang started to laugh a bit hysterically.

“Gods. Gods!” he said, looking up for the first time since the discussion began with a horrible kind of knowledge. “You let him kill you. You would rather die than hurt him, so you did!”

Shen Qingqiu said nothing.

Mu Qingfang stood, shaking. “Sect Leader Shen, you said that your life was the price of sealing off one of the ways realm merger could happen. What does that mean?”

“This one does not understand the question.”

“What did you sacrifice to make sure that realm merger would not happen? What do you owe?”

Nothing I wouldn’t already give.

“This master will not answer that, except to say that it will not affect the Sect in any material way in the immediate future.”

“And in the distant future?” Mu Qingfang pushed coldly, furious for some reason.

“Irrelevant.” Shen Qingqiu glanced at the incense stick as it burned its last. “This discussion is now closed.”

“No.” Liu Qingge said, still standing with a hard expression on his face now. “This doesn’t work like that; it can’t. Our Sect Leader can’t say they owe something to some unknown entity then act like nothing is wrong. What have you done?”

Shen Qingqiu raised his chin. “Save you all. The terms of the deal were determined prior to you all forcing me into my current position, and is personal. If it ever comes into conflict with my responsibilities to the Sect or my position as Sect Leader, I will resign. Satisfied?”

“Like this has anything to do with—no, I’m not satisfied!”

“Then learn to live with the disappointment. All of you knew I had secrets when you made me Sect Leader. None of you cared to question what they were over my protestations. Either I am Sect Leader or I am not. If I am not, then I would like to know why I have been led to believe and act as such for the past month, and would like compensation for the stress I’ve been under. If I am, then you will obey me when I say this discussion is over. Which. Is. It.”

They obeyed him, but they weren’t happy about it.

Too bad.

Shen Qingqiu moved on, ignoring the tense atmosphere that lingered. “During this master’s transition, it occurred to him that Sect administration centralized responsibility into the hands of the Sect Leader and the An Ding Peak Lord. While Peak Lords Yue and Shang did an admirable job keeping the Sect functioning under such a system, this master finds it unsustainable, particularly with his competing responsibilities. As such, this master presents this preliminary plan for the reorganization of Sect governance, decentralizing responsibility while maintaining the ultimate authority of the Sect Leader to make final decisions.”

He succinctly outlined his and Shang Qinghua’s current responsibilities, which still took long enough to make more than a few people look uncomfortable. Then he calmly explained reasons why changing the current system was necessary, especially as it relied on the high efficiency of two people.

“This master recognizes that each Peak Lord has their own interests which may not include Sect administration in the least. While each scroll on your tables presents this master’s proposed changes to each Peak Lord’s role, he will personally meet with each Peak Lord over the course of the next month in Peak visits. These visits will provide this master an opportunity to better learn how each Peak functions, as well as give Peak Lords an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and concerns over this master’s proposal. After this period of learning and feedback, this master will present a revised proposal at the next Peak Lord meeting, with the aim to implement a final plan in the new year.

“In addition to minor changes to the role of all Peak Lords, this master also proposes a formal advisory body made up of four to five Peak Lords who would oversee particular aspects of the Sect. Each Peak Lord would become experts able to propose a course of action that the Sect Leader would then approve.

“While we can collectively come to a decision as to what each of these positions would be, this master suggests at the very least there be a Peak Lord formally the point person for the following subject areas: finance, operations, Sect defense, and foreign relations.

“In any case, at the very least, one of these positions must be filled immediately. This master is many things, but diplomatic is not one of them. While this master’s investiture ceremony was a success in many aspects, a personal disagreement between this master and Huan Hua Palace’s leadership caused a rift in Sect relations. While the specifics of this master’s proposal can be discussed in further detail, would any Peak Lord object to the appointment of Peak Lord Yue to that of Foreign Minister? The title is subject to change, of course.”

Yue Qingyuan jolted. “Sect Leader Shen?”

Shen Qingqiu looked at him steadily, eyes as neutral as he could make them. “This master has many personal disagreements with Peak Lord Yue, but cannot deny his professional ability or his demonstrated loyalty to Cang Qiong Sect. What this would mean immediately is that Peak Lord Yue would continue attending planning meetings for the Immortal Alliance Conference, but as a representative of Cang Qiong rather than its Sect Leader. It means he would be the initial point of contact with key Sect partners, and advise this master on policies related to them. This master would still be the ultimate decision maker in major conflicts or contentious issues, but Peak Lord Yue would act as the Sect diplomat. The position would allow him ample time to still act as teacher to his disciples, hopefully taking him away from the Sect no longer than a week out of any given month.”

And, most pleasantly, get you the fuck away from me.

“Would Peak Lord Yue accept the position, or should this master seek to entrust this responsibility to another?”

Yue Qingyuan bowed low to him. “This lowly one would accept such a position and is honored by Sect Leader Shen’s trust.”

“Thanking Peak Lord Yue for his dedication to duty. Are there any objections to such an appointment from the assembled Peak Lords?” No one spoke. Excellent. That’s one massive worry off my plate. “Very well. Peak Lord Yue, please review your scroll thoroughly over the next couple of days. You will need to depart for the next Conference planning meeting shortly, and this master wishes to ensure we have a mutual understanding of the scope and limitations of your role.”

“Yes, Sect Leader Shen.”

“Now,” Shen Qingqiu looked around the room and braced himself. “This master opens the floor to discussion of this one’s proposed plan.”

Luo Binghe did not start the day planning on making an appearance at the Peak Lord meeting. Honestly, he hadn’t!

But then Ning Yingying found him in the library around mid-morning and changed that.

“A-Luo,” she told him silently using the communication spell. They didn’t use it all the time they spoke, only when it was something involving Shen Qingqiu or was sensitive in some other way. “I don’t think the meeting is going well. Shizun tried to hide it when disciples were allowed back in the room at the mid-morning break, but he was arguing with Peak Lord Shang, with Mu-shishu and Liu-shishu seemingly waiting their turn.”

“Shang-shishu?” Binghe had responded, surprised. “But Shizun is close to him. They would never argue publicly.”

“Perhaps argue is the wrong word, but they were both clearly unhappy and speaking quickly to one another. And Shizun… A-Luo, I haven’t seen Shizun look that cold in years. I really think it would help if he could see you. Perhaps you could take him lunch instead of me?”

His A-Yuan needed him. What could Luo Binghe do but agree?

The kitchens were busier than usual as a few cooks from Qiong Ding, who apparently usually prepared the meals for the Peak Lord meetings, filled the space. Luo Binghe made space for himself, saying that he would prepare the Sect Leader’s meal. They looked at him skeptically, but once he gave his name none of them objected.

To break the tension after that odd moment, Luo Binghe inquired after what they were making, working to come across as mature and charming but humble and eager to learn. The cooks, a number of them middle-aged women with one older man (who quickly insisted on being referred to as auntie or uncle), quickly warmed up to him and explained the techniques they were using. Luo Binghe listened intently and carefully followed their instructions, though he insisted on using chicken rather than the richer pork, with a different balance of spices for Shen Yuan.

In between the lessons, he took the opportunity for what it was, explaining how happy he was that the Sect Leader indulged him and allowed him to cook his meals. He loved cooking, he said, and it made him feel closer to his deceased mother. He was still learning, he divulged, but it made him proud to be able to have his Shizun enjoy food he had prepared, and sharing a simple meal with him was the best part of his day. His Shizun looked cold, but he really was so kind, you see.

Sect Leader Shen Qingqiu was a good man, he said without saying to people who no doubt had the ear of a number of servants throughout the Sect. He couldn’t say much, not and pass it off as unintentional, but it was a start.

His meal in the end was simpler, but much closer to what he thought Shen Yuan would like. One of the aunties tasted some of the leftovers from his work and gifted him with a begrudging not too horrible. He considered it high praise.

Luo Binghe left a serving in the kitchen for himself, then went with a mix of servants and disciples to bring the food to the Peak Lords. The disciples from a few peaks gave him double takes, but did nothing to acknowledge him beyond a nod of the head. They all trooped to the room, Luo Binghe near but not at the front of the line with the other disciples.

It was who Luo Binghe heavily suspected was the Head Disciple of An Ding Peak who knocked on the door. Another servant opened it, and politely announced food had arrived.

“Enter,” Shen Qingqiu commanded, and the line of people began to enter.

Shen Qingqiu was not looking at the door but rather the assembled Peak Lords. Imperious, he glared at one of the Peak Lords that was apparently arguing with him, then cut him off. “Enough. Unless the Peak Lord can present new, pertinent information, this master’s decision is final. The matter is closed and we break for lunch.”

He closed his fan with a snap, forcing the other Peak Lord to bow to him and accept his decision.

He looked absolutely regal. What an Empress he will be. My Empress.

“Shizun,” Luo Binghe said quietly. He had the pleasure of watching Shen Qingqiu blink and look at him. In an instant, he was back to being his Shen Yuan, his expression softening and eyes warming. “May this disciple serve Shizun?”

He gestured him forward and said lowly, “Binghe, this master wasn’t expecting to see you.”

Luo Binghe kneeled beside him, and Shen Yuan quickly cleared the space in front of him. “Yes, Shizun. Head Disciple Ning asked this one to deliver Shizun’s lunch. Praying Shizun’s pardon if he is offended.”

“Of course, this master isn’t offended.” Luo Binghe began setting his dishes in front of him. “This looks wonderful. Your doing?”

“Yes, Shizun.”

“Thank you.” Luo Binghe chanced a look at him and was pleased to see some of the tension released from his posture, and a not-quite smile on his lips.

“Anytime, Shizun,” he said softly, then picked up the tray. Shen Yuan stopped him with a gentle hand to his wrist.

“Leave it. It will make clean up easier.”

Luo Binghe looked around and realized that the low trays had been left on the other Peak Lords’ tables. “Oh,” he said, blushing.

Shen Yuan looked decidedly amused now, which Luo Binghe saw as an improvement. He took back his hand and said lightly. “Don’t worry; I prefer eating like this.”

Like we do at home.

Luo Binghe looked at him adoringly, then quickly remembered where he was and hurried to bow to him. “Praying Shizun enjoys his meal.”

‘This master is sure he will. You’re dismissed,” he said gently.

Luo Binghe rose from his bow and turned to leave. A voice stopped him.

“Does he know?” Luo Binghe looked toward the voice and saw an angry Liu Qingge staring down his A-Yuan in a way he did not like. The room quieted quickly as the Peak Lords stared between Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan.

“Excuse me?” Shen Yuan asked, the good mood that Luo Binghe had coaxed into existence quickly fading.

“Does he know what you have done to ‘save us all’?”

“Watch your words!” Shen Yuan, Shen Qingqiu snarled. “Or are you willing to be insubordinate so soon after I’ve begun my tenure?”

“I’ve said nothing to violate your order! But does he know what you have sacrificed for us, for him?”

“Stop talking right now,” Shen Qingqiu ordered. And Liu Qingge stopped talking. But he was not the only one with a mouth.

“This one also wishes to know if Luo Binghe is aware of what Sect Leader Shen has done to himself,” Yue Qingyuan said, immediately putting Binghe on edge. Liu Qingge acted out of concern for Shen Yuan; Yue Qingyuan only ever acted if he thought it could benefit his agenda involving Shen Yuan.

“He’s Luo Binghe?” one of the other Peak Lords Luo Binghe was not familiar with blurted. Peak Lords began exchanging looks and Luo Binghe did not like this at all.

He refused to be used against Shen Yuan in any way. Perhaps he could salvage this interaction before Shen Qingqiu lost his temper.

He walked back to Shen Qingqiu calmly and bowed to him. “Shizun, if this disciple could respond?”

Uncertainty flashed in his eyes, there and gone fast enough that Luo Binghe wasn’t completely sure it had ever been there. “If you wish.”

“Thanking Shizun,” he said respectfully as he rose from his bow. Then he raised his chin and bowed shallowly to the rest of the room. “This disciple greets the Peak Lords assembled. This one is indeed Luo Binghe. To answer Peak Lord Liu and Yue’s questions, this one is indeed aware of what his Shizun has sacrificed and suffered for this one’s sake, both in this timeline and in the other. This one is humbled and grateful for his dedication and selflessness every single day.

“If the Peak Lords’ comments were meant to ensure this disciple was not being led astray, then this disciple hopes they are reassured. If the Peak Lords’ remarks were made in an attempt to sow doubt or divide this Binghe from his Shizun,” he said, looking darkly at Yue Qingyuan, “then they should know they will have better luck shooting down the sun.”

Luo Binghe bowed to the room, then turned and bowed much lower to Shen Qingqiu. “May this disciple return to his studies, Shizun?”

“He may,” Shen Yuan said gently. When Luo Binghe rose, their eyes met, and all he could think was mine.

"Thanking Shizun,” he said clearly before turning and walking out of the room without looking back.

He was curious, of course, what had happened to prompt those questions from Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan. But he could talk to Shen Yuan later.

For them, for the rest of their lives, there would always be a later.

To say that Shen Qingqiu’s day did not go well would be a massive understatement. Not a single Peak Lord ended the day happy with him. A number were upset that he was going to make them actually contribute to the running of the Sect. A few were butthurt that he was being reticent about sharing more information about the other timeline.

The rest, more than he was expecting, were angry with him personally. To use Mu Qingfang’s language, his “reckless disregard for his own safety” and “willingness to abandon the Sect” were upsetting.

Apparently his response of “it didn’t matter then” was not okay and actually cause for more grievances.

Shang Qinghua was mostly hurt that he wasn’t aware of key details about Peak Lord Shen’s deaths. And he hadn’t been told about Binghe all-but promising to destroy the world if Shen Qingqiu died beforehand, so that entire lie was an unpleasant, “super fucking sketchy” shock to him.

Liu Qingge outright wasn’t talking to him. Which was fine because Shen Qingqiu was pretty miffed that he had attempted to bring Binghe into the mix.

Yue Qingyuan could kindly go fuck himself.

Qi Qingqi seemed more or less on his side, though she certainly wasn’t entirely comfortable with things as they were. “You completely redesign our governance system in a month, and you think we’re letting you go over something you’re doing to save the world? Be reasonable,” she had said, unable to hide the worry in her gaze.

Surprisingly, Zhao Qingchen and Song Qingyue took moments to express modest concern over just what their Sect Leader was entangled with, but at they thought to offer assistance any way they could. Shen Qingqiu accepted in a limited capacity, more intending to determine what Song Qingyue knew than work with him. But Zhao Qingchen. Oh, if he could get her to swear an oath of secrecy, she could be very helpful indeed.

Anyway, the rest of the meeting had been an absolute slog. From the debrief of the ceremony and reception, to the fucking endless expenses he needed to personally approve during the meeting under the current system, everything was a debate if not a fight he was now expected to have an opinion on.

And that was before he proposed a new system of inter-Peak conflict resolution.

(Why did people insist on dragging their petty squabbles before everyone!? At any given time 70% of the people in the room had no stake in the matter and just zoned out!)

Dinner may have been the worst of it, and not because anyone yelled at him.

There had been a moment when Shen Qingqiu looked up from his (delicious) food and caught Liu Qingge looking away from him with a troubled expression on his face. It was the first time in a long time that the other man wasn’t in his corner, perhaps the first time since Shen Yuan had first arrived that they truly disagreed on something.

Then Shen Qingqiu realized that it would be far from the last.

And maybe he had taken a path that would burn the bridges he’d so carefully built.

The layers of possible, likely consequences from the lies he had chosen to tell began hitting him in waves. And not just in terms of his martial family.

Even Binghe had not escaped his words unscathed.

The combination of all those thoughts had him fleeing the room as soon as socially acceptable, many new meetings filed away by an uncharacteristically quiet System to remind him of later. He needed to talk to Binghe, because the questions had pushed his lying so much farther than he had expected it to go.

Nothing to do with how he steadied him, and how Shen Qingqiu felt like his world had turned upside down.

Though he may have finally done something to make his betrothed angry with him.

Someone was following him.

Shen Qingqiu stopped on the edge of a pool of moonlight, a good way into the bamboo forest, and turned around. “What.”

“Shen Qingqiu.”

“Liu Qingge.” Both stayed out of their light source. Shen Qingqiu, even with his cultivator eyesight, could barely make out his features. “I’m tired. What do you want?”

“How much of what you said was a lie?”

“None of it,” he lied, not missing a beat.

The other man scoffed derisively. “You see, if I didn’t know you were lying, I would believe you. You were so believable. You never flinched, never made any indication that what you said wasn’t true.”

Shen Qingqiu did his best to not react, but he couldn’t help snapping, “Why are you so convinced I’m lying?”

“Because it doesn’t add up. It doesn’t make sense unless you are lying and hiding far more than you are admitting to. And if you can lie that easily, then how do I know that my friend is real and not some convenient fabrication?”

Shen Qingqiu sucked in a harsh breath, hurt piercing him. Because wasn’t this what he had feared? Wasn’t this exactly what he realized would happen during dinner? “That’s not fair. You know me.”

“I don’t think I do.” Shen Qingqiu’s eyes strained to try to make out more of his expression in the dark, but the faint light between them was blinding. “Tell me something, a truth to correct one of the many lies you told today.”

“What do you want me to say? And would you even believe me?”

“…I don’t know.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes began to sting. “Then I won’t bother. What would even be the point?”

Liu Qingge drew a harsh breath and Shen Qingqiu waited a moment before he began to turn away. Then Liu Qingge said, “Your disciple gave you away. In no world would Luo Binghe be okay with anyone’s claim on your future but his own.”

Shen Qingqiu inhaled sharply, taken aback. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m not, and if you think I am then you’re lying to yourself. I don’t know if he is ignorant of your deal and just blindly loyal to you, or if he knows something I don’t. Maybe it’s both. Either way, you lied to all of us today.”

“You’re convinced and have said that nothing I can say will change your mind. What will you do about it?”

Liu Qingge hesitated then sighed, his breath fogging in the cool air, obscuring his face even more. “Nothing. I mostly wanted to see if you would finally trust me, but I see I was wrong now to get my hopes up.”

Shen Qingqiu’s heart sunk, but what other choice did he have? “Qingge—”

“I don’t know why you chose to do this, but despite this I still believe in you. I still think you think this is the best way to keep everyone safe, no matter the cost to yourself. But I can’t be around you until I figure out how I feel about this.”

Shen Qingqiu’s mind scrambled for words to say as a gust of wind rustled the leaves around them. He had dug this hole; now he had to make a home in it. After a moment, he settled on, “I’ll be here. Goodnight.”

He turned and continued along the path to the bamboo house, but heard a faint response of, “Goodnight, Qingqiu.”

Chapter Text

Luo Binghe looked up from the scroll he was studying, startled by sounds of Shen Yuan approaching quickly. It felt relatively early in the evening, the candles not burned down nearly enough, and he had expected him later as he was essentially acting as host to the post-meeting dinner.

He began rolling up his papers as Shen Yuan threw open the door half-hazard, nearly throwing it off its track. Luo Binghe stood, alarmed. “Shizun?”

Shen Yuan’s eyes found him with near desperation, only to close as his lower lip began to tremble, corners of his mouth turning down. Binghe didn’t hesitate, coming quickly to his side to usher him into the house and close the door behind him.

“A-Yuan, my love, what’s happened? Who’s upset you?” Who must I kill? Tell me and it’s done.

Shen Yuan just sat on the floor and curled in on himself, face in his hands and shoulders silently shaking. Luo Binghe sat beside him, wrapped himself around him the best he could, and pressed a kiss to his temple. “I’m here,” he murmured. “It’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’m here.”

A sob escaped A-Yuan’s throat finally and he turned to curl into Binghe, slouching so he could hide his face against his shoulder. Luo Binghe knew that couldn’t be comfortable, so he slowly, carefully moved to straddle Shen Yuan’s lap.

The man didn’t protest, hugging Binghe tight around his waist and crying quiet tears against his shoulder. Luo Binghe was helpless to do anything but make soothing sounds, stroke his hair, and privately plot a massacre.

After a short time, brief enough for Luo Binghe to doubt that his A-Yuan was actually feeling better, Shen Yuan pulled away and wiped hastily at his face. “Mu-shidi said crying was a ‘healthy release of emotion’ but it doesn’t feel like it right now,” he said, laughing softly at himself. He sobered and looked up into Binghe’s concerned face. “I’m sorry, Binghe. I didn’t mean to put this on you. I’ve just had a hard day.”

“A-Yuan, you know you never have to apologize for feeling what you feel around me,” he soothed, hands coming up to cradle his face. “Would you ever want me to hide being upset from you?”

He frowned. “Of course not. If I can help you, I want to.”

“Then believe me when I say I’m right where I want to be. We can take care of each other, hm?” Shen Yuan hesitated but nodded. Luo Binghe tilted his head down so he could easily kiss his forehead. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Shen Yuan sighed and hugged him around the waist again, tucking his head into Luo Binghe’s neck. “I just… I try so hard to get things right, to make them work, but in the end I mess everything up. Like nothing I do will ever be enough and I’m a fool for trying, but I don’t have another choice. I don’t know if that makes sense…”

“It does,” Luo Binghe whispered, stroking his hair again, recalling so much of his life before Shen Yuan entered it. “I understand.”

Shen Yuan stiffened and hugged him tighter. “Of course, you do. None of that was your fault, Binghe. You know that, right?”

…mostly, but he wasn’t about to derail the conversation to dig into the feelings that Shen Yuan’s words stirred in him. “Yes, but this isn’t about me. What happened to make you feel like that?”

“I… would prefer to not have this conversation on the floor. Let me get ready for bed?”

“Alright.” Luo Binghe waited, but Shen Yuan didn’t move. “A-Yuan, if you want me to get off of you, you need to let me go?”

“Oh, right.” A light blush rose to his cheeks that Luo Binghe couldn’t help but lean in to kiss gently. Shen Yuan’s blush deepened cutely as he let go of him, and Binghe barely resisted the urge to tease him for being adorable as he got up and hurried to the bathing chamber.

Binghe had already filled the tub with clean water that would just need to be heated with qi, so Shen Yuan didn’t need to delay before shutting himself away for a moment. Luo Binghe didn’t begrudge him his privacy, getting up to make sure everything was prepared for his Shizun’s bedtime routine. It was still early,  but that didn’t mean that Shen Yuan couldn’t be comfortable.

Luo Binghe had prepared for the evening as much as possible, bathing and completing any evening chores for the dorms after he ate a hasty dinner. After seeing Shen Yuan so stressed at lunch, he had anticipated staying in the bamboo house that night, and wanted to be prepared to stay at his A-Yuan’s side as much as was needed. It was some work, but he truly loved it.

Between maintaining the bamboo house, feeding Shen Yuan, comforting him, and their evermore casual physical affection, it really was starting to feel like he was his husband. And it was every bit as satisfying as he had imagined it being, even without certain longed-for activities.

But, gods, when he could touch him as he wanted…

Luo Binghe shook the thought from his mind before he got too distracted.

Even now, being with Shen Yuan was a happiness so simple yet deep that he would do everything in his power to preserve it, and kill anyone who threatened it or the man who caused it.

And in the (seemingly unlikely) event that Shen Yuan decided they couldn’t be together romantically, he couldn’t imagine doing anything but protecting him and doing anything but ensuring his happiness for the rest of his life. Luo Binghe, on a level he didn’t fully understand, was his, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

How miraculous that Shen Yuan had also decided to be Binghe’s.

Shen Yuan returned in due time, looking physically relaxed but for a tension in his expression. He was still apprehensive about something, so Luo Binghe knew he should proceed cautiously.

He stood from the bed and walked over to the vanity, expecting Shen Yuan to submit to his usual treatment. Instead, he walked past his chair and pulled Luo Binghe into a hug that was easily returned. He kissed Binghe’s forehead then pulled away, whispering, “I know you don’t want me to apologize, so I’ll just say thank you for being here.”

Shen Yuan sat down, and Luo Binghe stepped behind him, then leaned down to kiss his temple. “Anything for you. Now, what happened today that upset you so?”

Shen Yuan began quietly explaining the convoluted mix of lies and truth he had served to the other Peak Lords about the other timeline and what he was doing now to prevent the worst of it. Luo Binghe mostly listened quietly, humming here and there to make sure Shen Yuan knew he was listening as he prepared his hair for the evening.

The only time he paused was at the end of the narrative, when Shen Yuan explained his responses to the questions Mu Qingfang asked. Shen Yuan, noticing his hesitation, hustled to say, “I’m sorry, but I think they think I promised something important to someone in exchange for preventing realm merger. I didn’t mean to, exactly, but I didn’t know how else to steer the conversation while still making it clear that keeping me alive would prevent it.”

“…A-Yuan, you think that would bother me?”

“…well, yes?” Shen Yuan said haltingly. “I mean, I would hope that they would figure out it was all a lie when you returned with Xin Mo, but a few people might end up thinking that I’m marrying you in exchange for you not destroying the world.”

Luo Binghe put down the section of hair he was painstakingly working through and came around to look at Shen Yuan’s apprehensive face directly. “Do you feel forced to marry me?”

He reared back in shock then reached forward to take his hand. “Of course not. I’m marrying you because I want to, and I love you. I don’t want to imagine life without you.”

His eyes were almost pleading him to understand, to believe him and oh, Luo Binghe did. He believed him so much it took all his self-control not to just kiss him or propose they bow to each other immediately.

Instead, Luo Binghe stepped closer to him, Shen Yuan turning and spreading his thighs automatically so he could stand between them. He cradled his face and leaned his forehead against the other man’s. “The only people’s opinions in this Sect I care about are yours and Yingying’s. Yingying is my friend, almost like my sister. But you, you are my world, A-Yuan. If you know the truth and you choose me freely, what do I care what they think?”

Shen Yuan’s dark eyes seemed all the more so as they met Binghe’s then slowly drifted down. It wasn’t the first time Luo Binghe had caught him glancing at his mouth since their kiss on his birthday a few days prior, but this time he would let him know that he saw it rather than simply let himself be caught doing the same.

He leaned closer to him, tilting Shen Yuan’s face up a bit so that their noses brushed each other and they shared breath for a tense moment. Shen Yuan’s hands came up to cradle Binghe’s but it was just a touch. His lips parted and he leaned just the slightest bit back into Binghe’s space.

That was probably the best he would get from the man. He whispered, “A-Yuan, can I–“

“Ye–“

They kissed, and it was just as exhilarating as Binghe remembered. Shen Yuan didn’t yield as much this time immediately, kissing him back with an undeniable eagerness that made something inside him go absolutely feral.

But they were in the middle of a conversation, and Binghe didn’t want them kissing to be an Event so much as something integrated into their days that Shen Yuan would at some point be comfortable initiating himself. So, with more self-restraint than he thought he had, Binghe didn’t deepen the kiss when Shen Yuan’s slightly opened mouth suggested he would be okay with that.

Instead, he ended their long kiss with two chaste ones (he hadn’t intended to but hey, even he only had so much self-control) and pulled away. “Okay?” He asked. Shen Yuan blinked lovely eyes open and nodded. “Good. I would never turn away a kiss from you, but I don’t want to get distracted, my love. We still haven’t gotten to what’s made you feel so bad today.”

Shen Yuan blinked hard, and it was like intelligence flowed back into his eyes. “We also didn’t get to what’s bothering you. If you weren’t concerned about how the others will view our relationship, then what did I say to Mu-shidi that gave you pause? I’ll get to the rest of what happened after; I want to make sure we’re on the same page first.”

Luo Binghe frowned and asked, “Mu-shishu said that Yuan-ge let the other Binghe kill him. Is that true?”

His brow furrowed, and Luo Binghe had to resist the urge to smooth it out gently with his hands. “Yes. I had to lie about a lot of what happened to my counterpart at Maigu Ridge. I mean, I certainly couldn’t go into the details of how he died, or that it was due to your counterpart’s connection with Xin Mo rather than just regular backlash from the aborted ritual, but that part was the truth at least.”

Luo Binghe stared at him, then narrowed his eyes, something about what he said tickling his brain. “Why couldn’t you say how he died?”

Confoundingly, Shen Yuan flushed and turned his face out of Binghe’s gentle hold. “Binghe…” he started, almost… embarrassed? “I know I told a lot of bald-face lies today, but my face isn’t that thick. Besides, knowing how… drawn out it was would have contradicted my implication that it was a moment’s insanity that led to my alternate’s death.”

Drawn out? Thick face? Luo Binghe backed away from him, dread and a horrible realization that Yuan-ge may have edited his story more than Binghe had been aware of settling in his stomach. “How did he die? How did he kill him?”

Shen Yuan froze, and the blood that had rushed to his face a moment before it fled just as quickly as he turned slowly to look at him. “You… don’t know?”

“No. Yuan-ge just said that he was temporarily insane and mortally wounded him, not how or that it was prolonged. You know?”

Shen Yuan winced. “Yes. He wanted me to know how he had hurt his husband, know how he had messed up before he would… cure my poisoning. But I can see why my counterpart didn’t tell you. It’s a lot.”

Binghe’s eyes widened, afraid of something he couldn’t name. “Will you do the same?”

“No, sweetheart. I’ll tell you. You should sit, though.” Luo Binghe woodenly went to Shen Yuan’s bed to sit on the side. Shen Yuan turned around on the stool to face him but otherwise stayed where he was, a troubled look on his face.

“Binghe,” he began. “I won’t lie to you, but I think your Yuan-ge didn’t tell you details of what happened for two reasons. First, he knew that it would hurt you, and thought that would be unnecessary and cruel. No version of me would ever want to hurt you, okay? And second… I think it hurt him to remember. He made a choice, and he didn’t regret it, but that didn’t erase how the memory could hurt him.

“Do you still want me to tell you?” He asked, careful and loving.

The hurt that had started to fester when Binghe realized Yuan-ge hadn’t been entirely truthful with him eased, but his conviction remained unwavering. “Yes, please.”

Shen Yuan seemed to brace himself as he prefaced, “The other Binghe was partially insane well before Maigu Ridge happened. My counterpart’s betrayal, years in the Abyss, having my counterpart die for him, caring for his body for so long, my counterpart’s inability to just listen to… All that to say, he loved me the way you do, and had that twisted by years of pain and a demon sword there to make his suffering have violent consequences. He… actually had more resistance to the sword than the first version of you, but he was still affected. And Shen Qingqiu’s betrayal and seeming inability to love him as he needed was always a weakness to be exploited.

“Tianlang-Jun started the ritual to merge the three realms, but had lost control of Xin Mo. To get it back under control, that Binghe had to master it and interrupt the merger. But Xin Mo craved violence, craved the destruction the realm merger would cause, and hit him where it hurt the most: not having Shen Qingqiu.”

Shen Yuan closed his eyes with a grimace and took a couple of deep breaths. Luo Binghe stared at him, beginning to suspect where this was going and trying not to absolutely lose it.

Hey, kid, what the hell is happening? I’ve learned to leave you two alone as much as possible for my own sanity, but you’re sending out all kinds of distress signals here.

Shen Yuan pulled himself back together and Binghe absently answered Meng Mo. He’s telling me what Yuan-ge didn’t. He’s telling me how the other Binghe killed Yuan-ge.

Oh, shit .

“Luo Binghe… Xin Mo drove him to take what he thought Shen Qingqiu would not give and he began. He started having sex with him, with no preparation and no regard for the damage that caused. By the time that Luo Binghe regained his senses, aided by Shen Qingqiu freely giving him energy and what comfort he could, he realized what he had done. Shen Qingqiu bled out and died before he could find adequate medical help, but he was revived.”

What in the eighteen hells…

Binghe was still staring at him, but his vision swam as tears fell from his eyes, a chorus of no, no, no in his mind.

Shen Yuan looked up, distress plain on his face when he saw Binghe. He got up and came closer, “Sweetheart–“ Shen Yuan reached out to touch him and Luo Binghe flinched away. Hurt flashed through his eyes, but Shen Yuan just pulled his hand back to himself and sat beside him. “Binghe, please, say something.”

“He raped him.”

He drew in a sharp breath then said fervently. “No, no he didn’t. I chose my words carefully, okay? He had sex with him because Shen Qingqiu consented to it, knowing it was necessary to save the world and likely tired of denying Binghe the love that he felt for him. If he hadn’t consented, I would have said he attacked him, raped him, but he didn’t. Do you understand? He didn’t. It was certainly not what anyone would call ideal, but it was consensual, at least from Shen Qingqiu’s end.”

Binghe started shaking his head. “That’s not the point.”

“Listen, it was an unfortunate–“

“Unfortunate!?” Luo Binghe retorted, nearly yelling as he looked at Shen Yuan in disbelief and stood. Shen Yuan just looked back helplessly. “That’s more than unfortunate, Shen Yuan! He hurt him, literally killed him during sex, and you just say that’s unfortunate! It’s alarming, it’s horrifying, it’s–“ Binghe cut himself off. He bent over as he clutched at his head and gasped harshly. 

His imagination was pretty active, and it served him poorly as images of what that scene must have been like flashed through his mind. He could almost see A-Yuan beneath him as he attacked him, the man he loved comforting him with coaxing words and trying to keep his pain off his face. Luo Binghe would take, and Shen Yuan would give and give and give until he gave his life to save the world and Binghe’s sanity.

Like he would have been able to live with himself after that if Shen Yuan had stayed dead. Even the knowledge that he was capable of such a thing made him feel unworthy of breath.

“Yes, it’s all of those things,” Shen Yuan said gently, robes rustling softly as he came closer and drew Luo Binghe a little out of his head. “It’s awful.”

“He married him after that. Why did he marry him!?” Luo Binghe’s voice cracked over the words, head beginning to swim.

“My guess? Because he loved him. Because, after all the hurt they had caused each other, they were still the only person that made them happy. Certainly not the healthiest dynamic, but it worked for them.”

“What other hurt could Luo Binghe have possibly caused him? Next you’ll say that he actually tortured him at some point.” Shen Yuan was silent. Luo Binghe straightened slowly and looked at him in horror. He began shaking his head. “No.”

Shen Yuan swallowed audibly and said quietly, as if to soften the blow. “Before his first death, Luo Binghe tortured him with blood parasites as punishment for his betrayal. I think it happened sometime around the water prison episode.”

Binghe was still shaking his head. “No, no, no no nononononono.”

He didn’t know what exactly happened after that.

He found himself sitting on the floor with his back against one of the walls, curled up in a ball. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see, but over the rushing in his ears he could hear Shen Yuan’s voice saying, “Listen to me, okay, please, beloved, listen and breathe with me. I’m going to count, in four, hold four, out four, hold four. Okay? Can you do that for me?”

“Huh?”

“Can you breathe, in four, out four, with me? Can I touch you so I can help guide you a bit?” Binghe nodded jerkily, not really understanding but of course A-Yuan could touch him. Shen Yuan put his hand on his chest, which began to rise and fall with the numbers Shen Yuan was saying.

It gave him something to focus on, and he tried to force himself to breathe. After a moment, he became aware of Meng Mo in his head.

Breathe, kid, come on, you can do this.

What’s happening?

You freaked out, understandably. Scared the shit out of me. Now, keep breathing. Once you’ve got that under control, ask for his wrist; your mate’s scent will help.

He kept breathing, and as he felt more grounded, he became aware that he was shaking. “A-Yuan?”

“Yes, Binghe?” He noticed for the first time the watery note in his voice and wiped at his face before looking up. Tears were steadily flowing from Shen Yuan’s sad and scared eyes, hand still carefully pressing Binghe’s to his steadily moving chest.

“Can I hug you?”

“Come here.” Luo Binghe clumsily crawled back into his lap after Shen Yuan quickly shifted to sit against the wall too. Binghe tucked himself into Shen Yuan’s neck and did his best to smell him through his stuffy nose. What he could smell of him was effective, making him all but melt into the other man’s embrace. Shen Yuan held him securely and kissed his head. “I’m sorry, Binghe. I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you sorry?”

Shen Yuan sighed. “I’m sorry the information hurt you. I should have thought of a better way to tell you.”

“Wouldn’t have helped. And I needed to know.” He snuggled closer to him and said, “Shen Yuan, you must never let me hurt you. Promise me you’ll never let me hurt you.”

“…Binghe.”

“No!” He pulled away, hands against Shen Yuan’s shoulders to steady himself. Shen Yuan’s eyes were still wet, but he couldn’t let this pass. He couldn’t . “If I ever try to hurt you, ever, then I’m not me anymore. Even if you think I need it, please don’t ever let me hurt you.”

Shen Yuan sighed again and gently wiped at his tears. “Binghe, I didn’t hesitate for no reason. Relationships are hard, we’re bound to mess up and hurt each other sometimes.”

“A-Yuan, I’m not talking about disagreements or even arguments. I’m talking about abuse, torture, and death. If I ever raise a hand to hurt you, defend yourself, get away from me, anything you need to do to keep yourself safe. The thought of hurting you… the thought of ever hurting you makes me sick. I would rather die than live with that, do you understand? I would rather die.”

Binghe was crying again. Shen Yuan patted his head and said, looking straight into his eyes, “I’ll never let you hurt me. I promise.”

“Please don’t be lying, A-Yuan.”

“I’ll lie to everyone else, but never you, Binghe. I promise that, too.”

Binghe hugged him tight and believed him.

Luo Binghe felt shaky after his episode. He eventually pulled himself together enough to finish brushing Shen Yuan’s hair. The act helped calm him enough that Meng Mo had bid a gruff good night as he retreated back into the recesses of Binghe’s mind. Luo Binghe thanked him and he let himself fall back into the fragile silence he and Shen Yuan had come to exist in.

He must have still looked a mess by the time he had finished, because Shen Yuan did not deny his request to sleep beside him.

It was still too early for Binghe to sleep, but that didn’t stop him from climbing into bed after Shen Yuan. They were cuddled together, clinging to the mutual comfort they offered until their silence felt less strained.

It was then that Luo Binghe was finally able to put into words something that had been bothering him. “A-Yuan, can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer.”

Shen Yuan hummed his assent and Binghe propped himself up so he could see the light frown on the man’s face. “You knew what the other me had done to the other you. You knew, and you still let him touch you. You still fell in love with him.” Shen Yuan’s eyes widened in alarm at this statement but Binghe patted his chest. “Yes, I know. I’m not mad or jealous, at least not anymore. I just don’t understand how. How could you know that and still love him?”

Shen Yuan sighed then turned onto his side, facing Luo Binghe. “It’s… not a simple answer.”

“That’s okay. I’ll listen if you would tell me.”

“…you know I don’t really get attraction. I don’t understand it, and I never really had because I had no reason to think about it. But, for the first time, with him, I felt like something clicked for me, and I knew. 

“But it’s far from just the physical. He was kind, so kind, and he treated me with love that I had never expected to experience. He knew me , knew me as Shen Yuan and loved me because of rather than despite it. After years of pretending to be Shen Jiu, it was refreshing.

“As for what he had done… Binghe, I had never imagined that such regret was possible. His actions broke him, and it was displayed in his every action. I had never been treated so carefully in my life and not have it felt condescending. The very sight of my blood had him-“

Luo Binghe shot up to sitting, staring at him in horror. “He made you bleed?!”

Shen Yuan put his hands over his face and said through his teeth. “I had wanted him to, at the time. I let his claws puncture my skin and those two tiny wounds, healed with a thought, made him panic. Please, calm down.”

Luo Binghe kept staring. “You wanted…”

Shen Yuan’s flush traveled farther than his hands could hide. “I’m not talking about that right now! The point is, he didn’t just say he was sorry he had done those things, again, under the influence of Xin Mo. His behavior reflected his regret even to me, someone he had never harmed. That’s why I let him touch me.

“As for why I fell in love with him,” Shen Yuan continued, voice falling to a near whisper and hands uncovering eyes that met Binghe’s. “Well, he was you. And I would be hard pressed to find a version of you I didn’t love.”

Oh.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Yes, thank you for explaining. You know I feel the same about you, right? That there’s no version of you I wouldn’t adore?”

Shen Yuan, face now uncovered, blushed again. Cute, Luo Binghe thought. Divine. Mine.

“Right. Well, um. Anything else you want to know?”

Yes, but they had already had an eventful evening after Shen Yuan’s long day. “Are you tired?”

Shen Yuan thought for a moment then said, “Yes, but I’m not ready to sleep yet.”

Binghe laid back down and took his A-Yuan’s hand. “Can we go back to our earlier conversation? What happened today?”

Shen Yuan sighed and turned onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He did not let go of Binghe’s hand. “Yeah, I’ll tell you the rest.”

Shen Yuan told him of perceived debts and how his proposal went and getting Yue Qingyuan to leave the Sect regularly. He told him of people’s reactions and their discontent. Of how nothing was easy and he felt like everything he did made enemies.

Then he explained how he realized that his lies meant he may lose the friends he had made. That he may have already lost Liu Qingge among their ranks because of his lying.

Binghe had begun hugging him at some point and hadn’t stopped. When it seemed like Shen Yuan had finished, he shifted to gently kiss the tears on his face and said, “I’m sorry.”

Shen Yuan huffed a short laugh and said, “Me, too.”

“Could you not tell someone the truth like I did with Yingying?” Luo Binghe asked carefully.

Shen Yuan was quiet for a moment before saying with a note of weary sadness, “I can’t. Qinghua knows; that’s going to have to be enough.”

“Why not, A-Yuan?” Binghe asked fretfully. It was clear that having other Peak Lords be on friendly terms with him was good for him. If it meant that even one other person would be there for him while Binghe was gone, who could help him share all the burdens he had taken on, then what could he do but welcome it?

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t trust them when it comes to you. They’re cultivators first and foremost, without me and Airplane’s  perspective on things. I can’t trust them to care for me more than they would hate you for what you are.”

Luo Binghe sucked in a harsh breath and Shen Yuan turned his head to meet his gaze. His hand came up to cup Binghe’s cheek as he continued. “Until I can trust that they wouldn’t kill me for loving you, I have to keep up the lie, at least until you return. Then again, I’m partially protected because of what I said about realm merger, but alive doesn’t have to mean free and well.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes darkened. “If they harm you in any way, I will burn this Sect down.”

Shen Yuan smiled sardonically. “Let’s not get to that point, hm? Besides, if they imprison me now, I wouldn’t be able to protect you. I will risk much, but never you.”

Binghe touched his forehead to Shen Yuan’s. “Don’t risk yourself too much. Your well-being is ultimately mine.”

“I’ll try.”

That was the best Luo Binghe was going to get and he knew it. Still, if Shen Yuan wasn’t going to watch out for himself, Binghe would just have to make sure to watch out for him. 

But what would he do when Binghe wasn’t here?

Shen Qingqiu was on edge and felt particularly unwilling to put up with bullshit today.

It was the day after the Peak Lord meeting, which was successful only administratively. Things moved that needed to move, so it could have been worse.

Unfortunately, the rest had kinda gone to shit.

Then he had that fight with Liu Qingge, swiftly followed by him crying on Binghe again.

After that he had somehow stepped in the one area where his counterpart hadn’t been entirely truthful to his disciple. This was both understandable (he only had him for 24 hours and it would have probably overwhelmed him to learn all the horrible details at once) and shitty (because he had been left to stumble upon this little gap in knowledge and fill it in). Of course, telling Binghe the truth had literally sent the young man into an anxiety attack, and that had been scary to deal with. Luo Binghe had always been so strong and adaptable with him since the time travel incident especially. Seeing him break like that was unnerving, but Shen Qingqiu had done what he could to help.

It hadn’t been enough because, for the first time, Shen Qingqiu had been awoken from a nightmare that wasn’t his own. He had never truly known fear for another until he heard screaming and became aware enough to know that it was Binghe. The young man was begging for someone to stop, stop hurting him before letting out a sound he could only describe as agonized. Shen Qingqiu had shaken him awake as quickly as possible, and had reassured him that he was fine, that he was here, but God.  Gods… that scream would haunt him.

Binghe had fallen asleep soon after that, soothed by his scent and comfort, but Shen Qingqiu found himself unable to do the same. He held Binghe, stroked his hair, and understood why seeing him wake from a nightmare had upset him so much. His mind kept returning to the previous day, fixated on what he could have said and done differently to make things better. It was a fruitless exercise and Shen Qingqiu knew it, but that didn’t stop him from doing it.

At some point in the wee hours of the morning, Shen Qingqiu did drift into a troubled sleep. Binghe actually had to wake him from his own nightmares shortly before dawn, at which point he gave up on rest for the night.

They had moved carefully around each other that morning, wanting to talk but also not, wanting to be close but not overwhelming. Luo Binghe, as he always did, took the first step and said as he secured the pin in Shen Qingqiu’s crown, “Thank you for letting me sleep beside you, A-Yuan. I don’t… I was happy that you were there to wake me up. And I was happy to be there to wake you.”

“Me, too,” Shen Qingqiu admitted.

“Would. Could I maybe…? Never mind. You’re ready,” Binghe said as he stepped away from him.

Shen Qingqiu turned around to look at his bashful expression. “What is it, Binghe?”

“…with you being Sect Leader now, maybe I could move back into the side room?” Binghe said tentatively and Shen Qingqiu’s heart sunk. “It’s just, I’m here so much anyway and we help keep each other calm and… I’m happiest here, with you.”

“Binghe…”

“It’s okay if you don’t want me to!” he hurried to say. “I don’t want you to feel pressured to—“

“Binghe, beloved, stop.” Shen Qingqiu stepped forward and hugged him and let him down again. “Of course, I want you here. But we haven’t exactly been subtle. I said I loved you romantically under the influence of a truth serum. You made it very clear yesterday that you were loyal to me and me alone in front of everyone. It was one thing for us to live together before as master and a disciple in need of a refuge from bullying. It would be another for you to move in with me now, especially unprompted. Do you understand?”

“…no, I don’t. I understand your reasoning and I disagree with it. But I’ll live with it, because you said no and I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to when it comes to things like this.”

The way he said it could have been sullen or derisive, but it wasn’t. It was kind, accepting, and that actually made Shen Qingqiu feel worse. 

He hugged him tighter and kissed his forehead. “Binghe, the second I am able, I will give you everything I can, everything I am.” Luo Binghe’s arms tightened around him as he gasped against Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder. “But I can’t right now. One thing I can do, though, is brush your hair. May I?”

Binghe lit up at the offer and happily accepted. But Shen Qingqiu having to deny him such a simple thing again after everything else that happened had festered into an absolutely putrid mood. It was bad enough that the only disciples that dared approach him beyond respectful greetings after seeing him were Luo Binghe, Ning Yingying, and Ming Fan.

Of course, it made sense that the first meeting of the day was with Yue Qingyuan of all people. 

If he could have postponed this meeting, he would have. He did not have the patience to deal with anything but blind obedience from the other man today. Based on his behavior to date, he doubted he would get that. But Yue Qingyuan needed to leave for the next Immortal Alliance Conference planning meeting within the next few days, and he had suggested the day before that he arrive early to “mend relations” with Huan Hua Palace before talks began.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t unaware of the risks this posed to his plans. Yue Qingyuan had proven unpredictable in a way that had completely fucked with his own forethought. Still, it was better than Shen Qingqiu delaying his trip to see Binghe’s family again. And it was by far the best option for dealing with the Old Palace Master when the other choices were ignoring the man and/or Shen Qingqiu going himself (and possibly killing him on principle).

In any case, Shen Qingqiu was not up to dealing with any of Yue Qingyuan’s bullshit. His goal was to talk to him about his role and get him out of his office as fast as possible.

Yue Qingyuan arrived a few minutes early, cutting into the time Shen Qingqiu had set aside to meditate and center himself before his arrival. His polite knock was followed with him opening the door slightly to hear Shen Qingqiu’s response without interference from the privacy talismans. 

He took a deep breath and bit the bullet. “Enter.” Yue Qingyuan stepped in with a bow. “Peak Lord Yue. Shut the door and come in. This master does not plan to take up much of your time, and has prepared a scroll with my initial proposal for your role.” 

Shen Qingqiu held out the scroll and Yue Qingyuan came closer to take it. He didn’t give him time to respond, continuing with, “Essentially, this master is expecting you to continue our external relations as you did as Sect Leader unless stated otherwise, with the caveat that changes to those policies must have this master’s approval. After each trip out, this master expects to receive a brief summary of events that he should be briefed on, with a detailed list of examples of what to note in the scroll. 

“If any party questions this master’s absence, he expects Peak Lord Yue to state something related to this master’s duties within the Sect. It is not meant to slight others, but is a statement of this master’s dedication to Cang Qiong that he cannot leave, but sends the second-ranked Peak Lord with special permission to attend. 

“Finally, this master is aware that a number of rumors will be circling about this one. Report on them to this master, but deny everything to others unless it would be ridiculous to do so. The list of forbidden topics for Peak Lord Yue to discuss include details of this master’s ascension to Sect Leader, anything to do with the time travel incident, and anything related to realm merger or information divulged to Peak Lords exclusively during yesterday’s meeting. If Peak Lord Yue is asked about the possible formation of a marriage alliance or any such entanglement, he is to make sure it is known this master is not open to such an alliance and no courting will take place until all involved are at least 18 years of age.

“Does Peak Lord Yue have any questions about his role as Foreign Minister?”

Yue Qingyuan stared at him, scroll already tucked away in his sleeve, for a long moment. Then he said, “If this Peak Lord must make a decision quickly, without time to consult the Sect Leader?”

Shen Qingqiu kept his face neutral, but said, “This master expects him to exercise reasonable judgement based on his expertise, then be prepared to defend his decision upon returning to the Sect.”

Yue Qingyuan bowed from the neck and said, “Understood, Sect Leader.”

Shen Qingqiu thought maybe, maybe he had gotten away from this unscathed. “Excellent. While Peak Lord Yue is away, this master would also ask as an extra duty that he keep an eye out for any possible entertainment for the Sect’s New Year celebration. This master has reviewed what is already in place and thought the disciples may want something a bit different. No matter if no such entertainment is found, but no use in wasting a trip.” Yue Qingyuan nodded and Shen Qingqiu finished with, “If Peak Lord Yue has no further questions, he may go.”

“This master still has questions.”

A moment passed of them just looking at each other and Shen Qingqiu felt his eyebrow twitch. “Well?” He prompted, eager to get this man away from him.

“What’s the name of the demon emperor?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched again. “This master stated plainly that discussions on the other future were closed yesterday. This master will accept questions about Peak Lord Yue’s role at this time.”

“Why is Sect Leader Shen going out of his way to protect such a powerful demon?”

Shen Qingqiu glared at him, but internally he was starting to panic. Fuck, but this was a little too close to home. “This master is doing no such thing and must scoff at the thought that he would be powerful enough to even attempt it. Why would a demon of that standing even need protecting, let alone from this master? No, don’t answer that. If Peak Lord Yue only wishes to continue to make baseless accusations, then he is dismissed.”

“But they’re not baseless, are they?” Yue Qingyuan said, eyes steady on him and, oh, this was bad. Shen Qingqiu stood in what he hoped looked like fury rather than a split second to hide his face. He continued, “Sect Leader Shen knows far more than he was willing to share yesterday, and this master can only think of one reason why he would hide such knowledge.”

Shen Qingqiu snarled, “If Peak Lord Yue thinks any reticence in this master’s actions relate to anything other than his stated desire to have few people influencing the future with possibly obsolete quote-unquote ‘knowledge,’ then he should state so plainly. This master does not have the time or the patience to decipher circular speech today.”

“So this has nothing to do with Sect Leader Shen’s connection to Luo Binghe?”

“No, and this master is frankly uncomfortable with Peak Lord Yue’s fixation on his disciple,” Shen Qingqiu snapped, stepping around his desk to have more room to move and gripping his closed fan right enough for the wood to protest in his hand. “Get over it.”

“It’s far from a fixation, rather the ability to observe things clearly,” Yue Qingyuan said voice call but eyes blazing in a way made Shen Qingqiu suddenly aware that they were very alone, and he had been right to fear that. “Your sudden change in behavior towards him after your qi deviation, the older version of him appearing and having such sway over you so quickly after arriving, the fact that he cured your poisoning through dual cultivation of all things—“

Shen Qingqiu interrupted him with a studied caustic laugh, barely able to think past the rather unhelpful mantra of fuck, fuck, fuck in his head. “Was I not thoroughly tested for mind-altering spells for a time after my qi deviation? Did I not already explain how I knew he was my husband? Are you really about to accuse me of treason just because you can’t accept that he’s my soulmate?”

Yue Qingyuan flinched and Shen Qingqiu knew he had found an in. “Even if you were tied together by the red string of fate, it shouldn’t have cured your poisoning. Mu Qingfang would have found some document to suggest that earlier.”

“And why not? Without-A-Cure is a rare, exclusively demonic poison. Mu-shidi is an excellent doctor and researcher, but he had limited access to demonic sources. Binghe being my soulmate makes as much sense as anything.”

An ugly look crossed Yue Qingyuan’s face. “He is not your soulmate. You didn’t even suggest it as the reason behind your cure; he did .”

He was close, so close to getting him to break, to leave. “He is my soulmate. If I’m not tied to him by fate, then nothing that has happened, that I have experienced, makes sense. You can’t prove I’m wrong, and your obsession with fighting fate will be your undoing. You could be better than this, than stooping to this level. Get help, because this has gone too far, Yue Qingyuan. Get help before you are beyond it.”

He looked at him and it was complicated to the point of being unreadable. “And if I could prove that he wasn’t meant for you?”

“Did you not hear the second part of what I said? Stop this! Talk to a doctor, a friend, your gods even. Focus on the Sect, your disciples. Get a hobby that is actually productive! But leave this alone. Leave me alone. And know that my stance on you ever harming Binghe has not and will not change.”

Yue Qingyuan was staring at him, but Shen Qingqiu got the distinct sense that he wasn’t seeing him. “You would kill me, Xiao-Jiu?”

Shen Qingqiu thought a string of unfortunately unrepeatable curses at the man.

“Get out and don’t come back to Qing Jing. If we have to meet in person, we will do so on another Peak,” he said coldly. He walked to the door and slid it open. 

Yue Qingyuan just kept staring at him, unmoving from his stance in front of Shen Qingqiu’s desk. This last non-action lit the fuse that Shen Qingqiu had been fighting to maintain. 

He finally lost his temper.

“You. You are so full of it, I can’t stand it. You claim to care but all you want is for me to be something I’m not. You act like you’re finally going to behave like a rational, respectful colleague, but you really were just biding your time, weren’t you? 

“A toddler has better listening comprehension skills than you! What part of stop calling me that did you not understand the first thousand times?! What is so difficult to understand about leave me alone and don’t ever touch me again and I’M NOT YOURS?!” 

Shen Qingqiu was screaming at him, heedless of his surroundings as he approached the man. There was something… almost satisfied on Yue Qingyuan’s face, and it only served to enrage him more.

He felt his eyes shift to glow with power, out of control the way he had never been as Shen Qingqiu.

“You’re pleased that I’m yelling at you? You’re happy that I’m upset enough to yell? What is wrong with you? This is what you want our relationship to be, you toxic fool? You want a reaction from me? Well, listen closely.”

He lowered his voice and continued viciously. “You really think I won’t kill you? You think I can’t? Do you know what I’ve had to do, what I’ve had to sacrifice these past weeks, months to stop the entire world from ending? Do you have any inkling how much nothing will matter if I don’t succeed? And you’ve done almost nothing but drive me insane! It’s your fault I couldn’t sleep, your fault I felt unsafe in my own home, your fault I’m Sect Leader, and I could kill you for that alone!

“Do you know why I’m even functional right now? Do you know who helped me outside of administrative necessities? Do you know who actually acted like they cared about me? Mu Qingfang, Liu Qingge, Shang Qinghua, Qi Qingqi. All the disciples and staff of Qing Jing, who I can barely even see anymore. And, most of all, Luo Binghe. If you ever touch one hair on Luo Binghe’s head with intent to harm. If you even so much as do something that makes me think you are about to hurt him, I will make sure you are dead long before the realms can merge.“

Yue Qingyuan didn’t look smug anymore and he was viscerally satisfied by that.

“This is your second warning. You won’t get a third. Now, get off my Peak.”

Yue Qingyuan started to walk past him and Shen Qingqiu stared at the far wall, trying to calm down. A thought occurred and he said before the footfalls even made it out of the room. “Yue Qingyuan, remember your duty to the Sect. And don’t do anything ill-advised while away. I have no more patience for nonsense from you.”

“…yes, Sect Leader Shen.”

It took a couple of minutes of steady, even breaths for Shen Qingqiu to realize that he had left the door open during his tirade. And there was somewhat of a crowd at his office door. Because his office was just an under-used classroom. In a building with a lot of other classrooms. Filled with aspiring cultivators.

…fuck.

“Shizun?”

He turned around at Ming Fan’s tentative call and saw nearly a dozen young faces at the door. Shit, couldn’t it at least have been the older ones? 

Shen Qingqiu sighed and tried to smile reassuringly at them. “This master is fine, and apologizes to his disciples for the disturbance. Please, everyone, go back to your classes.”

“Sect Leader Shen,” came a more adult voice and the disciples parted to allow Teacher Shi Feng, their resident calligraphy and reading teacher, through. “If this lowly one could have a moment of time?”

“Of course,” he said, noting the worried expressions on everyone’s faces. He continued archly, “This master wonders why he sees so many disciples who have not yet returned to class.”

They scattered, which was impressive as the corridor couldn’t be more than a meter and a half wide. His mouth twitched with some amusement, but he quickly sobered. He moved to sit behind his desk and said, “The door please, Teacher Shi. No need to not learn from past mistakes.”

She silently shut the door and quickly came before him with a deep bow. Shen Qingqiu frowned, “How may this master be of assistance?”

Still in a deep bow, Shi Feng asked, “Permission to speak freely, Sect Leader?”

“Granted. Please, rise. This master has no desire to speak to the top of your head, and we are well past the need for such displays.” Not to mention that Shi Feng was probably the most blunt person on his staff. If she was tiptoeing around the issue, it couldn’t be good.

She rose and her dark brown eyes were very serious as she said, “Sect Leader Shen, everyone on Qing Jing Peak greatly appreciates all that you have done for the Peak and the Sect. Every person, from the youngest disciple to Old Pei Xuan, knows that you deeply care about this Peak and the people on it.”

Shen Qingqiu narrowed his eyes. “But?”

Shi Feng shook her head. “No but, Sect Leader. Particularly since your qi deviation and coming out of seclusion, you have been instrumental in making sure that everyone has been cared for.” She took a deep breath and continued, “Everyone but yourself.

“Sect Leader, you had worked hard before the time travel incident, but now this one cannot remember a day you have rested that was not mandated by Peak Lord Mu out of medical necessity. Even on the extra rest day you gave everyone you worked for half of it.

“Everyone on Qing Jing wishes to see that our Peak Lord, our Sect Leader, is as cared for as the rest of us are. Your health issues and the stress of your workload has long worried the Peak, but no one said anything out of respect for you. But the other teachers and I have been talking and, Master Shen, the disciples are beginning to get scared.”

No amount of self control could have prevented the stricken look on Shen Qingqiu’s face, the words a blow he was not prepared to deal with after the last 24 hours. Shi Feng saw this and hurriedly clarified, “They are not scared of you, not really, but for you, Sect Leader. The disciples can tell when there’s something wrong. It was one thing when you had to take rest days, because at least they knew you were resting. But now they see the toll on you, on your temper, and they see that you’re not stopping. And that scares them.

“This one knows there is not much to be done about your numerous and taxing responsibilities. But, Sect Leader, on behalf of all the staff and disciples on Qing Jing, this Shi Feng would beg you to not worry about the disciples or the running of the Peak. Please, Sect Leader, rely on your teachers, your senior disciples, and let us take at least this one responsibility off of your plate for a few months at least.”

She finished with a formal kowtow and Shen Qingqiu had no thoughts left. Mechanically, he said, “Please, rise, Teacher Shi. This master appreciates the honesty and will consider this information carefully. He… I have no wish to be a cause of concern.”

Shi Feng snapped her head up, alarmed. “Sect Leader Shen, this one did not mean to offend—“

Shen Qingqiu raised his hand and she stopped. “This master is not offended and thanks Teacher Shi for the offer. Please allow this master time to consider it carefully. Is there another matter to discuss?”

“…no, Sect Leader Shen.”

“Very well. This master believes his outburst interrupted your calligraphy class. Please return to it.”

“Yes, Sect Leader Shen. Thank you, Sect Leader Shen.”

She rose, bowed, and walked out of his office. Ming Fan was already waiting outside to speak to him. He bowed a greeting to Shi Feng then quickly entered the office and did the same to him. “How may this disciple assist Shizun?”

Shen Qingqiu looked at the mess of papers on his desk, his ever-present stack of documents to review, and noted how the light indicated that it was still mid-morning. “Ming Fan, remind this master of any meetings he has today.”

“Shizun only has a Peak visit to An Ding Peak after lunch.”

Airplane. Telling him about the other timeline. Also touring the Peak for the first time.

Right.

“Please contact Peak Lord Shang and ask if he is amenable to pushing this master’s visit to later in the afternoon or rescheduling for a different day. This master feels unwell and is going to rest.”

Ming Fan blinked at him in surprise only to hastily bow and say, “Yes, Shizun. This disciple hopes Shizun rests well.”

“Thank you.”

Shen Qingqiu got up and walked out of his office, knowing Ming Fan would tidy up and secure it. He walked quickly to the bamboo house, greeting busy disciples he passed as normally as he could.

But when he got home, he took his shoes off and removed just enough of his outfit to be comfortable. He laid on his bed, hugged Binghe’s pillow to his chest, and cried.

SQH: hey got the message are you okay?

SQQ: no

SQQ: I feel like shit

SQQ: I’m trying to pull it together before Binghe comes with lunch but it’s not working

SQQ: I keep worrying him and relying on him but he’s 17 and he had an anxiety attack last night I can’t keep doing this to him 

SQQ: and I yelled at YQY because I think he’s close to figuring out Binghe’s a demon and he just is the worst and I’m scaring my disciples and my staff asked me to stop doing things for the peak and I feel like I’m a fucking failure and I want Binghe here but I also really don’t 

SQQ: and everyone’s mad at me and LQG is actively avoiding me and I don’t know what I’m fucking doing anymore I hate it I hate it

SQH: okay I’m coming over

SQQ: what

SQQ: no aren’t you busy

SQH: literally don’t worry about it be there in 15

SQH: I’ll handle LBH just breathe and drink some water or something

SQQ: …what about the meeting we were supposed to have???

SQH: doesn’t matter we’ll figure it out later

SQH: I got you, bro

Luo Binghe was distracted. 

Nothing that happened in common areas of the Peak really remained a secret for long. He had heard of Shen Yuan yelling at Yue Qingyuan from Ming Fan within a quarter shichen of it happening. He had refrained from going to check on him immediately because Ming Fan had made it clear he had gone to rest and hadn’t asked for him, but that didn’t stop him from worrying.

Binghe has resolved to give him some space but also to check on him at lunch. He hadn’t trusted himself with making anything complicated, so he was almost done with a simple lunch of stir-fried vegetables over rice when Shang Qinghua found him.

“There you are! I need to talk to you, and it’s going to have to be quick. It’s about your Shizun.”

Luo Binghe looked at the harried man in alarm and quickly extinguished the fire under the nearly-done vegetables. “Is Shizun okay?”

He looked over his shoulder at the few other disciples staring at him with similar worry and sighed. “He will be.” He then threw up a privacy barrier that just barely encompassed him and Luo Binghe. “But no, he’s not right now. On top of a lot of other things, he’s worried that he’s placing too much pressure on you to take care of him.”

Shang Qinghua waved his hands placatingly at Binghe’s offended expression. He continued hurriedly, “I know, I know, but that’s what he thinks. He doesn’t understand that your worrying is actually eased by doing things for him, that helping him would help you. Cucumber-bro has a lot of hang-ups around, well, accepting love if I’m being honest. A lot of which he hasn’t even realized but it’s obvious if you know where to look.

“He loves you too much, to the point that letting you take care of him can actually become stressful for him. You two are going to have to work out that tension on your own. Right now he needs a friend, not his husband, because he won’t worry as much about bothering me. So, let me bring him food and stay away until the end of the day, okay? I’ll convince him to not do any more work today.”

Luo Binghe was staring at him, mind caught on one thing. “Shang-shishu called this Binghe Shizun’s husband?”

Shang Qinghua blinked at him, nonplussed. “Well, aren’t you?”

Binghe let him take Shen Yuan his food, still worried for his love but knowing that he would be thinking about Shang Qinghua’s words for a very long time. 

Thankfully, things did get better for Shen Qingqiu.

Shang Qinghua had helped talk him down and into the idea that he all but abdicate responsibility for Qing Jing for a while officially. He had functionally done so already, but the decision to make it intentional did ease the guilt he felt for failing to do everything he thought was necessary.

Luo Binghe was surprisingly gracious about not being immediately called to his side when he had been upset. He was worried, of course, but said he was happy that Shen Qingqiu had someone else to rely on implicitly. He had taken to looking at him for long moments thoughtfully, but Shen Qingqiu decided to let him say whatever was on his mind in his own time; he needed a break from emotional crises.

Yue Qingyuan left the Sect as planned the day after Shen Qingqiu’s outburst without any contact that wasn’t called for in the official Peak Lord protocols. He hadn’t forgotten the other man’s words and knew that wasn’t a pot he should leave unwatched for long. Still, it was a relief to have him gone.

He eventually had brought Shang Qinghua up to speed on the other timeline. Airplane had been understanding about the oversight, but also warned that his lies would have consequences he likely hadn’t considered.

No shit.

Things proceeded normally as they all prepared for the trip to see Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang. Shen Qingqiu had prepared small gifts for them both as a sign of further goodwill outside of, you know, showing up with all that implied. Everything was arranged for the Sect, Mu Qingfang reluctantly taking command in case of an emergency with the first and second ranked Peak Lords away.

The only note of concern was that Binghe’s nightmares were not a one off occurrence. About two days before they left, he apparently woke up half his dormitory with his screaming before someone could shake him awake. The screams hadn’t been wordless and he had been panicked when he woke up without Shen Qingqiu nearby.

It hadn’t been a big leap for his disciples to figure out that he was dreaming of something terrible happening to their Shizun. If they hadn’t been scared for Shen Qingqiu’s well-being before the incident, they certainly were after.

Luo Binghe had been apologetic and embarrassed about the entire thing to him, but it wasn’t like he could have stopped it from happening. Shen Qingqiu was primarily concerned with making sure he was okay, and then figuring out some way to make sure he could take something with his scent back to the dorms at night to help calm him.

It was Ning Yingying that came to him to suggest he address all the disciples directly about their concerns. He did so the day before they left, announcing on the practice fields that he was not in any danger currently and that he was working hard to make sure that stayed true. He also said (after speaking with the other teachers, Yingying, Ming Fan, and Binghe) that he was reducing his duties at the moment, especially around Qing Jing. Shen Qingqiu made it clear that this was a temporary move for his health, that he was still their Shizun, and absolutely available to them if they needed guidance.

His little speech seemed well received, the relief from his gathered students palpable. They bowed to him and Ning Yingying promised on their behalf to continue working hard. 

With that, Shen Qingqiu had one major responsibility removed from his shoulders. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one he wanted to give up.

That brought him to their travels.

It had been a physical relief to get away from the Sect, making him seriously question just how long he could stand being Sect Leader. He kept the thought to himself as he, Binghe, and Shang Qinghua went through a somewhat complicated set of precautions to make sure that 1) they weren’t followed and 2) no one would be able to trace their identities back to Cang Qiong where they were going.

By the time they walked into a town within reasonable flying distance of Tianlang-Jun’s prison early in the evening, they had completely changed clothes to be well kept but rough spun. Their hair was put into simple styles, Shen Qingqiu with his excessively long locks in a braid and pinned to his head (there was no way to hide he wasn’t at least wealthy with hair that long and well kept).

(Shang Qinghua had given him and Luo Binghe a funny look while his hair was taken care of, but Shen Qingqiu pointedly ignored him. Yes, he knew the significance of Binghe doing his hair now, but Qinghua knew they were engaged. He could keep his judgmental looks to himself, thank you.)

They had gotten a large room with two beds and a cot at the inn, planning to head for the mountain that acted as the prison first thing in the morning. They were obviously cultivators, but the town was big enough that rogue and Sect-affiliated cultivators likely passed through often enough. They were interesting but not novel, which was just what they had planned.

Things had been going well, though Shen Qingqiu woke up to Shang Qinghua’s shaking him, irritated because he was comfortable and warm. “What?”

Airplane narrowed his eyes at him and crossed his arms. In English, he said, “You’re ridiculous. I can’t wait until I can only join these trips part time because if I had to eat this much dog food on a regular basis, I would die.”

“What dog food? ”

“Qingqiu?” Luo Binghe said, still tired from their travels and cuddled into him. He had taken to calling him his courtesy name when they were in semi-public, keeping his birth name a secret while avoiding his title. “Time to go?”

“That dog food!”

…oh.

“Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu said, hand coming up to pet his hair automatically. “You didn’t go to the cot?”

Luo Binghe hid his face against his shoulder. “Sorry, I fell asleep. It was just so warm and the room is drafty…”

Shen Qingqiu accepted this though Shang Qinghua stalked away in a huff. “I'm too single for this," he mumbled.

“You’re not single,” Shen Qingqiu retorted as he kissed Binghe’s forehead then extricated himself from the bed.

“Might as well be next to you two!”

“Everything okay with you and Mobei-Jun?” He asked, wary of making Binghe feel deliberately excluded. He began pulling on his outer robe, noting the draft that his disciple had mentioned.

“Yeah, I guess. Wish he would say ‘screw propriety’ so he could screw me, but I’m trying to be patient,” he grumbled, thankfully saying the worst part of it in English.

“Well, hopefully that can move faster since you’ll have less work from the Sect soon and at least a couple of days each month you can reserve for him? Or whatever you want to do if you just need some time?”

Shang Qinghua sighed. “Hopefully.”

Shen Qingqiu gave it a beat and asked, “Do you think proposing an official policy around vacations in the Sect would fly?”

“…you’re the best and I love you. As a friend! A friend! No need to look at me like that!!” Shen Qingqiu turned around to see Binghe, now also dressed and glaring daggers at his fellow transmigrator. 

He walked over to Binghe and lightly tapped his head with his closed fan. “Leave your shishu alone, Binghe. You know he didn’t mean it like that.”

“Nothing wrong with making sure, beloved.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed and Shang Qinghua mimed gagging behind him. “Help me with my hair?”

With that, Luo Binghe was sufficiently distracted and Shang Qinghua left to see about getting them some food.

They left after breakfast, walking out of the town in the wrong direction then course correcting once in the sky. They arrived at a mountain absolutely drenched in curated spiritual energy. Shen Qingqiu shivered at the knowledge that this power was what it took to contain Tianlang-Jun. It would be impossible to trick him again, impossible to get the upper hand on him the way that the cultivation world has managed before through a heinous plot. 

And he was about to unleash him upon the world after years of torture.

Binghe shivered from the cold air rushing past them and Shen Qingqiu absently passed him warming energy. 

“Thank you, A-Yuan,” he said over their mental connection and Shen Qingqiu resisted the urge to hug him close. Yes, he was willing to set Tianlang-Jun free for the sake of the boy he loved. Sure, it was also the right thing to do, ending a horrible punishment levied against an innocent man, but he had no illusions about his motivations.

SQH: I have an idea of where the anchor is. Follow me.

Shen Qingqiu did, falling back a bit as Shang Qinghua led them around to the far side of the mountain. In short order, a wide crater came into view, with a white stone obelisk at the base of it.

SQQ: Tianlang-Jun did this?

SQH: Yue Qingyuan

…Fuck.

“Binghe,” he told him urgently over their mental connection as they went to land. “Talk to me and Shang Qinghua before you try to kill Yue Qingyuan. He caused this crater, not your father, and I won’t have you being hurt.”

“…that means you’re giving me permission to kill him, my love?” He had the gall to sound hopeful. 

“Not yet.”

They landed next to the monument and Shang Qinghua said, “This is the memorial for the cultivators who died to put Tianlang-Jun away. If the anchor would be in plain sight, it would be this.”

Shen Qingqiu looked at the thing seeing but not really taking in the characters carved in stone. Luo Binghe stepped forward, head tilted up as he examined it as well. “I know what I’m looking for, but I need to meditate to be able to look properly. Keep an eye out for Zhuzhi-Lang, okay? It’s likely too cold for his scouts to be out, so he’ll probably come himself.”

“Got it.”

“Understood, Qingqiu.”

Shen Qingqiu sat cross legged and dropped into the mental space of calm that allowed him to better perceive spiritual energy. Time became somewhat meaningless as he did this, but after he felt sufficiently connected to the energy around him, he touched the earth, searching. 

What he felt made him gasp in equal parts awe and horror. 

“Qingqiu!?” Binghe’s voice came through, alarmed. He didn’t touch him, but he was close enough that he could feel his energy in a way that was distracting. 

“Fine. Back away,” he managed to say. Binghe seemed to obey him instantly and Shen Qingqiu forced himself to parse the interlocking containment arrays. He was distantly grateful he hadn’t touched the stone itself. It was both obviously the anchor but not just for the arrays.

It was keeping the souls of those who died here tethered to this spot, using their energy to fuel the worst of the work. They died thinking they were doing a righteous thing, so it wasn’t producing resentful energy that could have been more easily manipulated by demons. But what the arrays did, and how they maintained themselves…

It was the most complicated set of spellwork Shen Qingqiu had ever encountered. It was also hands-down the most evil.

He had seen enough.

Shen Qingqiu carefully withdrew his consciousness from the energy around him and back into his body. He found himself shaking, and not from cold. 

“Shang. Qing. Hua.”

“He’s not here, A-Yuan,” Binghe said lowly, and he didn’t sound happy either. Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes to see him staring fixedly at the words on the obelisk, rage on his face. “He went to go make sure there weren’t any patrols near and to try to make it clearer to Zhuzhi-Lang that we are here.”

SQQ: get back here

SQQ: we need to talk

SQH: on my way with ZZL

SQH: what’s wrong?

SQQ: how much thought did you put into the creation of this hellhole?

SQH: not much honestly. It just needed to be something to keep TLJ out of the way from the story, but I didn’t have specifics in mind really 

SQH: I had notes to include him later but you know that never happened

SQH: why?

SQQ: wait. I only want to explain this once

SQH: …okay. Almost there

Shen Qingqiu rolled his neck and stood. “He’s on his way. What are you looking at?”

Luo Binghe took Shen Qingqiu’s hand and said, still staring at the stone. “This passage talks about Su Xiyan. It said she. That he…”

Shen Qingqiu quickly scanned for the passage he searched for and he paled with a mix of rage and disgust. “That’s a lie, Binghe. Your parents loved each other. The Old Palace Master used that love to trap your father and kill your mother in an attempt to kill you before you were born. This isn’t true.”

“I know,” Luo Binghe said, eyes fixated on the characters that comprised the name of the mother he never had a chance to know. “That man must die.”

“Yes.”

“Shen-shixiong!” Shen Qingqiu turned his head and saw Shang Qinghua approach on his sword, cloak pulled tight around his middle in a way he had never bothered to do on the way over. He landed and Zhuzhi-Lang dropped quickly to the ground in the form of a mostly-normal looking green snake.

He coiled himself up tightly and bowed his head to Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. They bowed back and Shen Qingqiu quickly realized that this was not the place to have any kind of extended conversation with a reptile demon.

He started, “Greetings, Zhuzhi-Lang. This master apologizes for the delay in his arrival; many things have changed that have kept him preoccupied. Are you well?” 

The snake nodded and slithered closer, stretching his head out hopefully. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help a small smile and gave him a gentle head pat.

“It’s good to see you, too. Could we perhaps move inside? We are eager to speak with Tianlang-Jun and have much to share.”

Zhuzhi-Lang nodded then slithered closer and seemed to stare at him with intent. Of course, that could just be because he didn’t have eyelids.

Binghe caught on faster than him. He stepped forward and said, “You can ride with me, cousin. My mate will carry us both and shouldn’t be distracted.” 

Zhuzhi-Lang reared back as if in surprise but quickly moved over to climb up Binghe’s arm. Shang Qinghua was rather poorly trying to conceal a laugh. “Something to add, Shang-shidi?”

“Not a thing.”

Shen Qingqiu elected to ignore him. He wasn’t quite angry with him, not now that he knew he hadn’t purposefully written Tianlang-Jun’s prison like this. Still, Airplane definitely wasn’t his favorite person at the moment.

With Zhuzhi-Lang’s silent guidance (by tugging Luo Binghe’s arm towards where they needed to go, gaze intent on the ground), they quickly made it to a narrow and mostly hidden crevice in the mountain. It was barely narrow enough for one person to fit through, but Shen Qingqiu supposed that the prison wasn’t exactly made to allow visitors.

Luo Binghe set Zhuzhi-Lang on the ground to allow him to lead properly. Shen Qingqiu went first, using his qi to provide light for everyone. He has checked the arrays for if foreign spiritual energy would set off some kind of alarm and he found something like that in place, but only for demonic energy. As long as they didn’t activate one of the failsafes deliberately with spiritual energy, they were fine. 

They walked for maybe 5 minutes into the mountain, contorting around rocky outcroppings as needed that Zhuzhi-Lang didn’t need to worry about. The path ended in a chamber larger than Qing Jing’s main lesson hall. In the center of the room was a giant blunted stalactite-like rock formation. Surrounded by a long burned-out containment array, underneath the weight of the mountain, was a bloody figure. 

The image was too macabre for Shen Qingqiu to really process all at once, but he forced his mind to see the current state of the former demonic emperor. It appeared that one arm, his neck and head, and his feet had escaped from the pressure of the rock. He heard him sigh and it was clear that he was still breathing, still very much alive.

It was astonishing, and utterly cruel.

Silently, Shen Qingqiu told Binghe before he followed him into the chamber, “Brace yourself. Your father is in quite a state.”

“Understood, A-Yuan.”

He didn’t, there was no way he could, but what else was there to do but move forward?

Luo Binghe gasped as he took in the demon that had sired him and grasped at Shen Qingqiu’s hand. He squeezed it back in silent apology as they moved further into the room.

When the three cultivators reached the dark boundary of the former array just when Zhuzhi-Lang had slithered close enough to slide against Tianlang-Jun’s hand.

Dark eyes opened and blinked quickly at the light. Shen Qingqiu threw it in the air to hover, lighting the entire cavern softly. Tianlang-Jun painstakingly turned his head to look at them, his face as handsome as it was mockingly cynical. “Visitors, nephew? How novel.”

Shen Qingqiu bowed low to him and heard Luo Binghe and Shang Qinghua do the same. “Greetings, Tianlang-Jun, sovereign of the demon realm. It is a privilege to meet you. This one is Shen Qingqiu, Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak and recently crowned Sect Leader of Cang Qiong Sect.”

Zhuzhi-Lang reacted first, turning in a flash to stare at him directly, tongue flicking. He nodded to him. “With me is my colleague Shang Qinghua, Peak Lord of An Ding Peak and confidant of Mobei-Jun, and my… and Luo Binghe, son of Tianlang-Jun and Su Xiyan.”

“What illustrious and impossible company,” Tianlang-Jun said, his nearly pleasant tone acerbic. “Yes, my dear nephew told me a funny story about Xi… about that woman having my child, but it is not true. She hated me, betrayed me, and would never have bothered carrying my spawn to term.”

Everyone, even Shen Qingqiu, flinched at that. Still, he felt compelled to say, “Binghe is not anyone’s spawn.”

“Touchy subject, Sect Leader Shen? Is the boy not your disciple as my nephew said? Do you have that reaction to all your students or is he just special?”

Shen Qingqiu flinched again and Luo Binghe stepped forward, stepped in front of him, and said, “Father or not, you will not speak to my mate like that.”

Tianlang-Jun seemed to focus on Binghe properly for the first time, then proceeded to just stare at him while his statement hung in the air. Then he said, “Is that any way to speak to the man you claim is your father? So much for filial piety.”

Binghe shot back, “Is that any way to speak of the woman who died so I could live? Who took poison to leave her Sect, to find you, only to find out you were beyond her reach? Did you even care for her at all?”

“Watch your tongue, boy!” Tianlang-Jun snarled as Zhuzhi-Lang gave a warning hiss. Shen Qingqiu grabbed Binghe’s shoulder protectively, urging him back but he stayed his ground. “You know nothing of which you speak!”

“If I’m wrong, if you cared for Su Xiyan, then look at me. Really look at me, and tell me I’m not your son.”

Luo Binghe created light from qi of his own and knelt before his father. The man winced at the light, but he did look at Binghe. He searched his face, glanced over his hair, and Binghe said, “Zhuzhi-Lang told me l looked like her, but had your eyes. That was the first thing I learned about my parents that wasn’t tragic. My name is Luo Binghe. The woman who raised me, my a-niang, named me for the frozen river on which she found me swaddled in bloody rags. I am a disciple of Shen Qingqiu and have been learning cultivation for several years. I have been learning demonic cultivation from Meng Mo for nearly 18 months. My older counterpart cured Shen Qingqiu of Without-A-Cure. 

“I am half heavenly demon, half human cultivator. You said that Su Xiyan would not have had a child if she did not want them. If not you, who else would be my father?”

Tianlang-Jun was still staring at his face, but he breathed, “No one.” It was silent for a long moment as the former emperor tried and failed to lift his arm. He laughed sardonically, eyes becoming shiny. “Either I am your father, or you don’t exist. If you exist, that means that she, that my Xiyan didn’t betray me. It means that she is dead, and has been for… how old are you?”

“…seventeen.”

Tears flowed from the fallen man’s eyes and he closed them, agony on his face. “My love, my light has been dead for seventeen years, and I laid here disrespecting her memory all while our child grew up without us. It would almost hurt less if you didn’t, because that is the reality I have lived with in this forsaken place for nearly two decades. Now, I don’t know if there is enough mourning in the world to earn her forgiveness.

“Even here, I had wished her happiness, made peace with it. But now I learn that she has been gone.”

Tianlang-Jun cried, his tears mixing with his blood new and old. Luo Binghe turned with his eyes similarly leaking, staring at Shen Qingqiu as if he would disappear into the aether, too.

He held out a hand and Binghe all but ran back to him, hugging him for all he was worth. Shen Qingqiu held him back and could think of nothing to say.

A few moments later, Tianlang-Jun seemed to gather himself and sighed. Then he said, “Nephew, do me a favor and help clean me up. I have visitors to greet.”

Zhuzhi-Lang, who had draped as much of himself as possible over his uncle in an attempt to comfort him, turned and immediately began licking up his tear tracks. Odd, but who was Shen Qingqiu to judge?

Binghe released him to turn once again to his father. The man was looking between him and Shen Qingqiu with a mischievous expression. 

Oh no.

“Pardon my earlier words, I was working with false information. So, what was this about you being my son’s mate, Sect Leader Shen?”

Fuck.

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and said, “We at least suspect that is this case. I have had… a difficult time lately and we found out that Luo Binghe’s scent could help calm me. The same is true of my scent for Binghe. Meng Mo was the one who explained the concept to Binghe, who in turn explained it to me.”

“Meng Mo would like me to convey his greetings as well,” Binghe said. “I am acting as his host while he teaches me, and he wants to say that Qingqiu and I fit all the criteria he’s heard of for mated pairs, even with our bond incomplete.”

There was a pause then Binghe continued, “He wants me to say that he agrees with Master Shang about Qingqiu and I being excessive.”

“Oh, wow. He has it far worse than me!” Shang Qinghua said, stepping closer. “I’ll light incense for him.”

“Shang-shidi.”

“…or not.”

“Ah, how they grow up so fast! First day I’m meeting my son, and he’s already introducing my son-in-law!”

“We’re not married yet.”

Tianlang-Jun rolled his eyes. “Like that matters. Oh no! Sorry, Nephew, it looks like you’re going to have to look elsewhere for a potential spouse. These two cultivators are taken.”

Zhuzhi-Lang halfheartedly hissed at him but Tianlang-Jun ignored him. “You know, Sect Leader Shen. Qingqiu, since we’re family now. The reason I didn’t tell Zhuzhi-Lang to attack you all when you arrived was because he told me how kind you were to him and that he wanted to be your friend? He likes very few people so I hoped that you could have been the one for him, but we heavenly demons tend to be pretty possessive over our mates when we find them. I certainly was with Xiyan.”

Zhuzhi-Lang had taken to hiding his face in a massive pile of his own coils, the poor guy. Shen Qingqiu felt sorry for him, knowing all about relatives meddling in your love life. Luo Binghe said, “You and mother were mates?”

The humor left Tianlang-Jun’s face, but he was sad now rather than angry. “We could have been. I certainly thought that we were. I was actually going to tell her about the concept when I next saw her but…”

He shook his head a little and seemed pained by it. “Good on you for finding a mate so soon, Binghe, let alone a Sect Leader! When’s the wedding? I’m certainly not going to miss it!”

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and said, “Binghe cannot court me until he is eighteen and no longer my disciple.”

Zhuzhi-Lang raised his head to look at him. Tianlang-Jun raised his eyebrows. “It appears you’ve skipped a few steps, Qingqiu.”

Then he pointedly looked down where he was absently holding Luo Binghe’s hand and Shang Qinghua started laughing.

“What’s wrong with this?”

Shang Qinghua stepped forward and bowed to him. “Greetings, Tianlang-Jun. Please allow this one to explain. My dear shixiong here suffered a qi deviation about two and a half years ago that almost completely erased his memories. This one believes he has not familiarized himself with courting standards as of yet.”

Mischief once again crossed Tianlang-Jun’s face. “Master Shang is obviously Qingqiu’s friend. It’s clear why my son has not filled him in,” Shen Qingqiu looked at Binghe with narrowed eyes but he had apparently found something fascinating on the far wall, “but why have you not told him?”

“It’s funnier this way.”

Tianlang-Jun laughed and Shen Qingqiu whipped his head around. “Airplane!”

He shrugged. “What? It’s not like you asked. Besides, you were happy not knowing and ending that would have stressed you out more.”

He couldn’t deal with this right now. Time to get this back on track.

“Yes, well, as funny as that is, I think you would be interested in how we’re going to get you out of here?”

Tianlang-Jun sobered and intelligence shone through his so-familiar eyes. “Yes, Zhuzhi-Lang told me of your plan. I also know that no one, especially not cultivators, does things without the possibility of personal gain. Tell me, Qingqiu, what do you get out of me being free? Especially when even attempting to do so puts you in such a dangerous position.”

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath and said, “Binghe would have family free when he needs them. Your unjust torment would end. You’re unlikely to take drastic, untargeted measures for revenge if you know exactly who is to blame for your imprisonment and Master Su’s death.”

“Not what I asked, Shen Qingqiu.”

Binghe took a step forward but he just pulled him back. “You would likely kill the Huan Hua Palace Master. I’m unfortunately no longer in a political position to do it myself. If you're not interested, I can make other arrangements. I would hope you would be amenable to discussions about possibly trading with the human realm, but I’m not expecting anything. Though I would expect I could go to you for sanctuary after you’re free if I have to leave the cultivation world. I could work as your advisor or something. Mostly, I’m doing this for Binghe.”

Tianlang-Jun’s gaze was measuring. “You also hate the Palace Master?”

Shen Qingqiu remembered their one interaction, what the man had done in the past, what he had done in the alternate futures and asked, “Shang Qinghua, who designed and implemented the arrays anchored to this prison?”

“Um. Best guess would be the Palace Master? He was the publicly aggrieved party and certainly had the expertise.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flashed with rage. “Yes, Tianlang-Jun. I hate that man. He is the closest thing to evil I have ever personally dealt with. I do not use that word lightly.”

A moment of understanding passed between him and Tianlang-Jun, broken by Luo Binghe saying, “Are you done questioning his motives now so we can move onto things that are actually productive?”

Zhuzhi-Lang hissed at him and Shen Qingqiu tapped his head with this fan. “Binghe—“

“No, Qingqiu,” he interrupted, turning to look at him. “He knows you’re my mate and that you’re doing this for me. He also knows that every second you work to get him out for me is a second that could be used to mark you as a traitor. He has everything to gain by us being here, and you have everything to lose. You know where I stand on this.”

“You would leave me like this, son?” Tianlang-Jun asked, tone neutral, and Zhuzhi-Lang hissed again, clearly angry. 

Luo Binghe turned to him, just as upset. “What have you done for me besides get my mother pregnant? Have you made me feel safe? Have you made me a home? Have you given a single damn about me? No! You just said that you half wished I didn't exist because it meant Su Xiyan would still be alive, like it’s my fault she’s dead! And I’m supposed to be fine with my mate risking his life for a family that doesn’t even want me? What is your life to me compared to his? He is my everything and you can’t even be bothered to thank him for being here, for risking himself to save you!”

Binghe was breathing hard, shaking. Shen Qingqiu had hugged him when he said that it felt like they blamed him for his mother’s death and hadn’t let go.

Zhuzhi-Lang calmed and Tianlang-Jun cleared his throat. “I think I need to have a conversation with my son alone.”

Zhuzhi-Lang immediately began moving towards the exit, but Shen Qingqiu asked quietly, “Binghe, do you want that? Are you okay with that?”

Luo Binghe sighed and picked up his hand to kiss the back of it. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know if I’m not or will just walk out.”

“Okay. We’ll be close.” Shen Qingqiu released him and followed Zhuzhi-Lang out, Shang Qinghua close at his heels.

“Wow,” Shang Qinghua said in an undertone. “Talk about first impressions.”

Shen Qingqiu silently agreed, just hoping that Luo Binghe would be fine and could find a way to have a good relationship with his father.

Luo Binghe looked at Tianlang-Jun, belligerent and righteous. How dare he belittle what Shen Yuan had done, was doing for him, for their entire family. How dare he make light of his devotion to Binghe, when that very devotion pushed him to his limits. He was tired, so tired of his A-Yuan not knowing his value, not understanding how precious he was. He could barely tolerate it from his mate; he would be damned if he accepted it from anyone else, even his erstwhile father.

“I am sorry, Binghe,” Tianlang-Jun said, startling him. “Xiyan’s death was not your fault, and I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I don’t wish you didn’t exist, and no matter my reasons that was real shit of me to imply. And I do value what Master Shen is doing. I just haven’t had good things happen in a very, very long time, and all of this is a lot to take in at once and not question. I’m sorry to you both for not making that clear.”

Luo Binghe stared at him, flabbergasted. “What? You didn’t think I would apologize?”

“…I never thought that parents did that. Especially not ones with power.”

“Yeah, well. I've accepted being a parent for barely a ke, so maybe I’m doing it wrong,” he joked. “But in all seriousness, I’ve had a lot of time to think while here. Had to focus on something to stay something close to sane. One thing I remember wishing my mother did was admit she was wrong. Father was absent, as was my sister, Zhuzhi-Lang’s mother, but my mother was present and wise, but often wrong. It wasn’t worth fighting her after a while, and I found an escape in human stories of adventure and drama and love. I don’t regret that, it led me to Xiyan after all and I could never regret her, but I remember wishing she just once owned that she had made a mistake.

“So, I’m sorry. And I hope you and Qingqiu accept my apology.”

Tianlang-Jun was reaching out a hand; all Binghe had to do was reach back.

“I do. Thank you, and I’m sorry for snapping at you. I am… rather sensitive to anything that could threaten his health and may have overreacted. He is a little too comfortable with sacrificing himself, especially for my sake, and I know he died multiple times in the alternate future for my counterpart. I’m trying very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen here.”

Tianlang-Jun looked mildly disturbed. “He… actually died for you?”

“Yes, and once was in relation to something your counterpart did. I only just found out the details of that particular death and that probably wasn’t helpful to learn before meeting you the first time.”

“No kidding. Anything I should avoid in particular?”

Binghe thought about this. Shen Qingqiu asking him directly didn’t change his answer about merging the realms. But Tianlang-Jun wasn’t him, and he had already lost his mate. It was worth a shot.

“Could you please not attempt to merge the three realms out of revenge? The attempt killed both Zhuzhi-Lang and Qingqiu and would have driven the other me insane if Qingqiu had stayed dead.”

Tianlang-Jun blinked at him, astonished. “Should be easy enough, especially with that incentive.”

Luo Binghe sighed, relieved he could tell A-Yuan that this one thing was handled. “Thank you.”

“Least I can do, especially if you get me out of here. I thought I was forgotten, so this entire plot is very unexpected.”

“Zhuzhi-Lang would never have stopped trying to save you.”

“Yeah, he’s good like that. Wish he could have had a better life.”

Luo Binghe didn’t know what to say to that, so he said nothing. Tianlang-Jun was the first to speak again a few minutes later.

“…I didn’t even know she was with child. I didn’t know you were a possibility.”

Binghe looked at him, and saw that he was already being examined. He admitted, “…for most of my life, I didn’t think you would care that I was.”

Tianlang-Jun went to cough, but it was aborted by the mountain on his chest. “I never thought much of having children. I’ve always tried my best for Zhuzhi-Lang, but he treats me more like a sovereign than his uncle. I don’t think I would have been the best father, honestly.

“Still, I would have tried for you, for her. I may have messed up, but we both deserved the chance for me to try. For your mother and I to see you grow up.”

Binghe’s throat was tight and he wiped hastily at his eyes. His parents had wanted him; he had never been abandoned, just torn away from them by fate. And the Huan Hua Palace Master.

A rage that Luo Binghe had always carried deep inside from the hurt of thinking he had been thrown away banked, only to instantly flare hotter for the man behind his hard childhood, behind his mother’s death and his father’s torment. He had known, of course, that it had been the old man’s fault, but something clicked in that moment to make that information feel so much more immediate.

But Binghe had a lot of practice at pushing that particular anger down. So he straightened and met the eyes that were trained on him, so familiar as they were the same he saw in the mirror. “I would have liked that,” he said softly. “Could you tell me about her?”

Tianlang-Jun smiled, really smiled, and he started talking about a woman who Binghe would never remember meeting, but who had loved him enough to die for him.

About 30 minutes after Shen Qingqiu, Shang Qinghua, and Zhuzhi-Lang left Luo Binghe with his father, his voice came through Shen Qingqiu’s mental connection.

“You can come back now, A-Yuan.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, I think it is.”

“Binghe said we can head back,” he said aloud, making sure to keep his voice in a lower register so that Zhuzhi-Lang would have an easier time processing it in his current form. 

“Inside?” Zhuzhi-Lang thought back at him to double check his meaning. He was still a long green serpent, feeling more comfortable being around him and Shang Qinghua like that. Still, it came with limitations, such as the cold being more difficult to deal with and his thought patterns somewhat difficult to translate (the maker of the spell probably didn’t account for communication between non-humanoid brains). They were still able to communicate just fine and Zhuzhi-Lang was able to join in a conversation with him and Shang Qinghua, it was just slower and required more clarification. Still, Zhuzhi-Lang seemed to be in good spirits, perhaps happy to be included, and had asked questions about their lives. Okay, he mostly asked about Shen Qingqiu, but he managed to keep Airplane involved.

To help with the issue of the cold, Shen Qingqiu offered his own body heat to ward off the chill. It was December, after all! On a mountain! He wasn’t sure how cold blooded Zhuzhi-Lang was and had thought to bring a couple of things to maybe keep him warm. But no need to break them out now, right?

All that to say, Shen Qingqiu answered Zhuzhi-Lang with the demon wrapped around and up his arm, tightly enough to not be uncomfortable but also so that his head rested just beneath the furred collar of his winter robe. It was certainly an odd feeling, having a snake slither up him only to settle there, but it wasn’t too bad. Besides, he was against his inner robe rather than his skin which was probably why an ancient human instinct to run hadn’t activated or something.

“Right,” he confirmed as he stood, Shang Qinghua already up and brushing himself up. He shot him yet another significant look, which was really getting on his nerves.

SQQ: why do you keep looking at me like that??

SQH: like what?

SQQ: like I’m missing something obvious, I guess

SQH: well, you are?

SQH: did you notice anything about ZZL during this little break?

SQQ: no? It’s not like he’s exactly in my line of sight.

SQH: …

A strong gust of wind whipped across Shen Qingqiu’s face and he automatically adjusted his hood to better protect the snake demon from the chill.

“Thank. You,” Zhuzhi-Lang thought at him carefully, nudging against his cheek lightly. 

SQQ: he’s been nothing but courteous?

SQH: I’m sure

Shen Qingqiu turned narrowed eyes to the other man and nearly tripped for his trouble. Zhuzhi-Lang tightened around his arm, but it was controlled, almost as if to try to catch him. 

“My apologies, Zhuzhi-Lang. I’ll be more careful.”

“Injured?”

“No, no, I’m okay. Just wasn’t looking.”

“Look.”

Shen Qingqiu chuckled and Zhuzhi-Lang nudged him again. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Shang Qinghua snorted next to him and he said a bit louder, “Something funny, Shang-shidi?”

“Nope! Just eager to get inside.”

Shen Qingqiu was skeptical but had already embarrassed himself trying to understand Airplane. He decided to drop it for now, focusing on completing the short trip back to Tianlang-Jun’s prison. 

They wound their way through the craggy entrance, Shang Qinghua providing their light with a ball of qi. It didn’t take long for Luo Binghe’s voice to filter back to them, nor for the topic of conversation to become clear.

“–played me this song from his childhood and actually sang. I had never heard him sing before but it was so soft and perfect and he’s only like that with me. Just the other day, I brought him his lunch at a Peak Lord meeting and he was cold and commanding, enough to cow the whole room with a word. But when–“

“Binghe!” Shen Qingqiu called, flushed at the effusive babbling coming out of his disciple’s mouth. 

They finally entered the chamber as Binghe turned his head around and stood with a wide smile. “Yes, Qingqiu?”

“What nonsense are you saying? This master is sure your father has no interest in hearing it.”

Luo Binghe hurried to meet him halfway through the room and took his hand, beaming and unrepentant. “This disciple spoke no lies, Shizun.”

A dry chuckle rose from the floor. “On the contrary, Qingqiu,” Tianlang-Jun said with far more humor than Shen Qingqiu thought possible considering his physical state. “I had asked my son about you and he was all too happy to share. Reminds me of how I was when I met Xiyan; unwilling to shut up about her for a minute. Probably drove my nephew insane, not that he would ever admit it.”

He paused, then asked, “Where is my nephew? I don’t hear his slithering.”

“Ah, he’s right here,” Shen Qingqiu said as he lifted his free hand up to his neck and knelt on the floor, hoping to give Zhuzhi-Lang an easy route off of him. It was a fair bit warmer out of the elements, and he thought the demon would want to be free of him. “I was afraid he would be cold outside and offered to help.”

Zhuzhi-Lang nudged at him one last time and said as he slithered out from his collar and from his hand to the floor, “Warm. Comfort. Liked. Thanks.”

Shen Qingqiu nearly missed this between Luo Binghe’s scandalized gasp and Tianlang-Jun’s painful-sounding laugh of utter delight. “Nephew! I never knew you had it in you! And your cousin’s mate, too!”

Zhuzhi-Lang seemed to flinch and, still untangling himself from Shen Qingqiu, deliberately shook his head back and forth. “Not. That. Kind. Friend. Nice. Sorry.”

Shen Qingqiu frowned at the fallen emperor as Zhuzhi-Lang’s tail hit the floor and he stood. Binghe immediately hugged him tight around the waist, whining his name under his breath. Shen Qingqiu absently patted his head and said, “Nothing like that. I just knew that he would be more uncomfortable in the cold and tried to help.”

“Ah, yes, the cold is hardest on his snake forms, but that’s not the only option he has. Nephew, why did you not show our guests your upright-form?”

“Clothes. None.” Zhuzhi-Lang said, mental voice tinged with embarrassment now as he slithered closer to his uncle. Binghe pulled him further away. 

“He says he has no clothes?” He hugged his sticky disciple back in an effort to get them to stop moving.

He heard Shang Qinghua snicker and threw him a dirty look but didn’t want to get distracted by saying anything to him.

“He has clothes, they’re just not very nice. Or made for winter.”

“Ah, well. I could give you some of mine? Just so you can at least join the discussion? Here, you can keep this. I have another one with me.” Shen Qingqiu took off his warm but not particularly fancy winter cloak and, after extricating himself from Binghe, draped it over the slack-jawed snake. “Ending the communication spell now.”

Shen Qingqiu went back to an aggressively pouting Binghe and took out his other I’m definitely someone important cloak. “Come on, Nephew! It would be nice to hear your voice out loud!”

Zhuzhi-Lang seemed to hang his head, defeated, and suddenly there was a rather tall man sitting under Shen Qingqiu’s cloak. From long black hair peered striking slit yellow-gold eyes. “Thanking Masssster Ssshen for hisss generosssity,” he hissed politely, drawing the fabric over himself. 

“Please, think no more of it. Though, that reminds me; I brought you both gifts. Be sure to remind me to give them to you before we leave. But now, business.”

“No, first, I apologize. Qingqiu, I’m sorry if I made you think Zhuzhi-Lang and I do not appreciate the risks you have taken and continue to take for us. We do, and know how instrumental your help is.”

“…Thank you. Appreciated and accepted. Now business.”

Binghe shook his head where it rested against him. “Qingqiu.”

“What? You were more bothered than I was.”

“My love, that’s the point.”

“Anyway, business.” 

Luo Binghe sighed and Tianlang-Jun said, “I think I’m beginning to understand your struggles, my son.”

Ignoring that, Shen Qingqiu pressed on. 

“I had a chance to examine the anchor for all the arrays keeping you here, Tianlang-Jun, and there’s a complication that I didn’t anticipate. In my defense, I didn’t think any cultivator would dare do this on account of how it goes against pretty much every convention.”

SQQ: FYI this is why I was ready to be mad at you earlier

SQQ: the design of this place is fucking evil, Airplane

SQH: aw shit

“Long story short, there are a lot of sadistic arrays that are keeping you here. I won’t go into details because you’re living it but… it’s bad. I knew it would be, but I didn't know that it would be fueled by the souls of those that died to lock you in here, falsely believing they had died for a righteous cause.”

SQH: yo wtf??

SQH: I did NOT make that

Tianlang-Jun stared at him like he had lost his mind. “Righteous cause? Just being a demon walking around is enough to justify this punishment in your world?”

“…no, it’s not. I. I don’t know how to say this gently, but the Palace Master seems to have told them that you had… forced yourself on Master Su, then killed her in combat when she sought to avenge herself.”

“WHAT?!”

Zhuzhi-Lang stood, cloak pulled tight around him and eyes blazing. He had an angular, nearly pretty face with a few patches of scales here and there that shone like emeralds. The most defining feature of his face was definitely his eyes, seeming to take up half the space even when Shen Qingqiu knew it wasn’t true. “Junssshang would have never forced himssself on Mistresss Sssu! Let alone kill her!”

“I know that,” Shen Qingqiu soothed. “But that is the lie that the Palace Master sold and the rest of the cultivation world bought. I’m sorry.”

Tianlang-Jun stared at the ceiling, rage slowly contorting his features. Zhuzhi-Lang walked to his side and sat to take his hand. “So it really is all his fault.”

“Mostly. It is certainly one of the reasons I hate the man and want him dead. But the rest of the cultivation had all too easily believed it. Those in leadership, at least from Cang Qiong, have moved out of their roles, and I doubt all but the senior-most disciples were in attendance. I think that was before my time.”

“It was,” Shang Qinghua confirmed. “I also took no part in this. I think the only major contribution from our generation was Yue Qingyuan. Tianlang-Jun, he’s the one responsible for the crater near where the array anchor is.”

Both Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang looked at Shang Qinghua. “That blow wassss from a disssciple, Master Sssshang?” Zhuzhi-Lang asked, wincing. “Apologiessss for the hissssing. Not ussssed to talking upright anymore.”

“Not bothering us! And yes, he was our generation, and the Sect Leader before Qingqiu.”

Zhuzhi-Lang stared at Shen Qingqiu now, perhaps not blinking because he forgot he had eyelids. “The man who drugged you, Masssster Sssshen?”

“Excuse me?” Tianlang-Jun asked.

“Yes,” Luo Binghe said, tone hard as he continued to cling to him but also turned to look at his family. “He has drugged and harassed Qingqiu. He makes him feel unsafe, and has more than once tried to separate us to keep him isolated.”

“Shixiong has been good about keeping him away,” Shang Qinghua said, somewhat reluctantly. “But even he has described Yue Qingyuan’s behavior as trying to own him. His behavior toward him is nothing short of abusive in my opinion.”

Both heavenly demons’ faces darkened at that, and Shen Qingqiu didn’t even know how they had gotten here. “Back to what I was saying. We need to release the souls safely so that there’s no massive spiritual backlash that either causes you damage or creates long-term problems for the residents in the area.

“It means that there will be more preparation on my end. We’ll have to figure out some way to do a releasing ritual that can happen over a period of time without supervision, that way the destruction can go as planned. But it needs to be done in a way that doesn’t alert the Old Palace Master, and that we have an alibi for it.

“The upside of this disaster is that, once the souls are released, the interlocking arrays will naturally start to weaken. After examining them, I’m pretty sure they’re made to reinforce each other, but on assumption that the souls will be fueling the reinforcement. Honestly, once the souls are released, it would have probably only been a matter of months before your natural build up of energy destroyed them anyway. Of course, that had the district possibility of imploding and dropping the whole mountain on you, so I would still suggest we go the route of destroying the anchor during the Immortal Alliance Conference. Any questions?”

Shen Qingqiu had unintentionally fallen into the voice he used for lectures and flushed the moment he realized that. Everyone was staring at him, though Binghe was distinctly adoring, and he flushed further. He unfurled his fan and hid most of his face behind it. “Is something wrong?”

“Kind and smart,” Tianlang-Jun said, tone teasing. “Qingqiu, are you certain you’re not interested in—“

“He’s sure,” Binghe snarled, actually releasing him to step in front of him.

“Just checking, son, calm down.” Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what was happening, and promptly decided he didn’t need to know.

“Tianlang-Jun, I would like to make a deal with you.”

“Oh?” He asked, looking delighted. “About what, Qingqiu?”

“I’m letting you out of here because of the reasons I mentioned before, but there is more I want from you that we have not yet discussed. I would like to bargain for it.”

“A-Yuan,” Binghe said mentally. “I have already gotten him to agree to not merge the realms. Don’t bargain for that.”

Oh. Well, shit, that was great.

“Thank you, Binghe!!” He thought back as Tianlang-Jun regarded him closely.

“Go on.”

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath and said, “One of the consequences of us knowing the alternate future is that Binghe must enter the Endless Abyss during the Immortal Alliance Conference. The cost of failure is my life. I know Binghe will escape eventually, but what I would ask is that you take him on as your heir and train him as such officially.”

Tianlang-Jun raised his eyebrows. “Bold of you to assume I would even bother being the emperor again. I’m dead for all intents and purposes in the demon realm. I could roam the world as I pleased without bothering with the tedious task of attempting to rule demons.”

Fuck, that’s a good point. Being ruler sucks!

“I will give you something in exchange for that. Do you have a suggestion?”

Tianlang-Jun smiled. “I want grandchildren.”

Shen Qingqiu’s mind blue-screened. Before he had even processed the request fully he said, “No.”

He could tell that Binghe flinched, but Tianlang-Jun just looked at him curiously. “No? But if I am to be emperor with an heir, would it not make sense to continue the bloodline. We are the last of the heavenly demons, after all.”

Shen Qingqiu scrambled to come up with a reasonable explanation. “I… I don’t want any children Binghe and I may have to be created as part of a deal. I want them to exist simply because we want them, on our own terms, in our own time. I would never want them to feel like they were created out of obligation.”

Shen Qingqiu felt Luo Binghe’s eyes on him, but made sure to focus fully on Tianlang-Jun. “Good enough reason I suppose. What’s your counteroffer?”

“I help you find Su Xiyan’s remains, if they can be found. Perhaps, if they are intact enough, you could use the Holy Mausoleum to…”

Tianlang-Jun stared at him like he was both horrible and wonderful, like he was the old definition of awesome. He had just given him hope, and that was a powerful thing. “Done. And for Binghe to be named heir?”

Shen Qingqiu’s face darkened. “I give you all the information I can to help you kill the Old Palace Master, and do what I can to make sure you get to be the one to kill him.”

Tianlang-Jun snorted. “You would have done that anyway. Try again.”

Shen Qingqiu huffed, because it was the truth. He tried again. “Very well. I know the future. I can help advise you once a month while disguised to help you reorganize your government, and look out for any possible threats on an anonymous basis, particularly before Binghe gets out of the Abyss.”

Tianlang-Jun smiled again. “Done. Anything else?”

Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment then said, “Not at this time.”

“Then, I have one of my own, if you don’t mind?” Shen Qingqiu inclined his head. “I get to plan your wedding.”

If Shen Qingqiu had been drinking something, he would have choked on it. “Excuse me?”

“You’re obviously going to marry my son and no doubt into my family. I want to plan the wedding.”

“…this is a non-starter unless Binghe and I have veto power over final decisions.”

“Fine, fine. But! What do you want in exchange?”

“I want to know all the details,” Luo Binghe piped up, sounding excited.

SQQ: kill me

SQH: would go over even less well than the last time you asked bro

SQH: would like to live to be regularly railed by my king

SQQ: why. why are you like this

SQH: you love me

“…I need some time to consider what I would want in exchange.”

Honestly, the thought of planning a wedding, especially one as big and political as his and Binghe’s would need to be, sounded just as appealing to taking a bath with a thousand Shark-teethed Leeches at the moment. If Tianlang-Jun and Binghe wanted to handle it, great! Not his problem! But he really should ask for something…

“Actually, that’s false. A peace treaty between the land under your control and Cang Qiong’s sphere of influence as long as I am Sect Leader. For that, you can go crazy on our wedding with Binghe’s input.”

“Done.”

“Anything else?”

“No, no. I’m quite happy.”

“Oh, Masssster Sssshen,” Zhuzhi-Lang said pityingly. “You have no idea what you have jussst done.”

Oh, dear. 

Problem for future Shen Qingqiu!

“Anyway, about the details of your escape…”

They worked out the minutiae of the plan to the best of their ability. Tianlang-Jun agreed with some persuasion to back Mobei-Jun’s right to the throne over his old friend in exchange for transportation and a safe haven while he healed.

When the worst of it was covered and Binghe, post lunch, had started to fall asleep against his shoulder, Shen Qingqiu called a halt to business. He had no clue how long they had been underground, but his ass was numb and cold from sitting on the floor, and he was also tired. 

“I think that’s a good enough start. I hope to visit regularly, particularly once a month, with Binghe, to update you on progress and give you a chance to talk more. Shang-shidi will join sometimes, but he has other obligations. Would you be interested in what we brought you as gifts? Also, if you need any supplies, just let me know. As long as we can clean up anything that ties you to Cang Qiong, then we’re good.”

“Thank you, Qingqiu, all of you. Yes, I think we would like to see what you’ve brought,” Tianlang-Jun said, sounding tired himself. Then again, when had he last interacted with so many people?

Shen Qingqui pulled out his bag then extracted his items. “I have a large basket lined with a blanket and charmed to always be warm for Zhuzhi-Lang. Apologies; I didn’t realize you could take a more upright form and had only planned for your small serpentine one.”

“No apologiessss needed, Qingqiu,” Zhuzhi-Lang said shyly. He had accepted calling him by his courtesy name only after he had been embarrassed by extending his family name and title too many times. “I am very grateful.”

“Tianlang-Jun, I did not know anything that could make your stay more comfortable while you wait these last months. But I was told that you enjoy romance novels so—“

“Qingqiu!” Tianlang-Jun gasped. “You brought me books?!”

“Yes, and a couple of plays. Qinghua helped me pick them out.”

For some reason, Tianlang-Jun started to get misty-eyed. “You’re my favorite son-in-law.”

Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu spoke at the same time.

“He’s your only son-in-law.”

“We’re not married yet.”

The room was silent for a moment and they looked at each other. Tianlang-Jun unhelpfully said, “I’m not touching that.”

Shang Qinghua, determined to be the least helpful person in the room, burst out laughing.

Shen Qingqiu looked at Zhuzhi-Lang and said, “Thank you for being reasonable.”

The snake demon blinked at him slowly then solemnly nodded. “It is the curse I bear.”

“Binghe?”

“Yes, A-Yuan?”

“Did you happen to remember asking your father details about being a mated pair?”

“…no.”

“I forgot, too. We’ll just have to ask next time.”

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu knew he was in for a rough time when Mu Qingfang had tea waiting for him during one of their therapy sessions. It wasn’t drugged, medicinal, or even caffeinated; just an herbal mix of mint and valerian and other things to make you relax. He tended to pull it out when he was anticipating a difficult discussion.

Well, what else had he expected after the last staff meeting?

“Mu-shidi,” he greeted, ignoring the urge to turn around and walk right back out of the room. “Are you well?”

“Yes, thank you, shixiong. But you know we’re not here to talk about me, hm?”

“…Right.” Shen Qingqiu shut the door behind him and came to sit at his place by the table. Therapy has been helpful, he reminded himself. It’s why my most important relationships are as healthy as they could be at the moment. I am okay with being uncomfortable.

That last was a lie, but he had gotten used to saying it to himself in this space.

“Qingqiu,” Mu Qingfang opened when Shen Qingqiu declined to do so after sitting. “Was your trip out of the Sect productive?”

“Yes, very much so,” he answered with some relief. “There is a complication with my plans, but I hope to come up with a solution within the next couple of months. If all goes well, I’m still on track to avert realm convergence completely.”

“How are you feeling about the complication?”

Shen Qingqiu had long gotten over the cheesiness of answering “how do you feel” questions, especially when he realized he never bothered to acknowledge he felt anything. “Honestly? Angry. Qingfang, what I came across… I would rarely classify anything as evil. But what I saw was. I’m going to end it, but the fact that someone would be willing to do that and still claim the side of righteousness is just… evil.”

“What do you mean?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed and said carefully, “I can’t imagine trapping another person’s soul to fuel torture over a personal vendetta, let alone more than one. And still claim to be a spiritual cultivator.”

Mu Qingfang paled and looked disturbed. “You saw something like this during your work?”

“Yes, and honestly I think the very existence of the thing speaks to a kind of systemic decay in trusted power structures that is overwhelming to even think about. That, despite whoever is nominally in charge, the person with the most prestige or physical power still ends up making the decisions with impunity. And there’s nothing to stop them. Might makes right, right?”

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice and went to take a sip of tea. Mu Qingfang gave him space, and he eventually continued.

“You know I met with Yue Qingyuan before he left for the planning meeting? I ended up screaming at him, and he was glad for it, happy that I was upset enough to yell and utterly convinced I was powerless to do anything to him. He thinks there’s nothing I can do to stop him from doing what he wants and to a certain extent he’s right. He’s more knowledgeable, powerful, and skilled than me in both cultivation and martial ability. If he seriously fought me, I would have no chance of winning let alone defending myself. And I think that’s made him arrogant.

“He’s fixated on Binghe, and that really worries me. If I can’t protect myself, how am I supposed to protect him? He’s so important to me, and I can’t protect him, no matter how I try. And he’s there for me, he’s always there for me, but he had an anxiety attack and has started to have nightmares because I was honest with him. Binghe steadies me, helps me feel sane, but it hurts him. I hurt him. And that’s the last thing I want to do.”

Mu Qingfang was openly staring at him and Shen Qingqiu looked at his tea like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He already felt like he had said enough for them to cover three sessions; no need to bring up feeling like a failure only a month into his tenure as Sect Leader.

“…That’s quite a lot to deal with, Qingqiu,” he eventually said soothingly. “Especially with the stress of everything else on your plate and knowing another version of you died in relation to all of this.”

Shen Qingqiu waved his hand dismissively. “Qingfang, me possibly dying is the least of my concerns. Peak Lord Shen dying is old news to me, and didn’t even happen to someone I know. 

“You know what is concerning? Why did no one tell me I could get pregnant from dual cultivation with another male cultivator? It was by luck alone that this didn’t come up as an issue with the other Binghe! And I had to find out by my disciple asking me if I was interested in having children! How does one even prevent pregnancy with no womb? How would the fetus even grow let alone get out?! Far more worrying to me than some other version of me dying.”

Mu Qingfang gaped at him then he took a sip of his own tea while rubbing at his forehead. “Perhaps we should pick just one place to start…”

Shen Qingqiu and Mu Qingfang spent a good portion of an hour and a half unpacking Shen Qingqiu’s concerns with authority and what that meant to him as a Sect Leader. The discussion was almost philosophical in a way that allowed him to engage with it without giving any damming details about his more treasonous activities. He thought it would actually help him do his job better now that he had come to a place of understanding the moral limitations of his role in a concrete way.

At the end of the session, however, Mu Qingfang insisted on increasing their visits back to the rate of thrice a week. Shen Qingqiu, well aware that the mess he dumped on his therapist's head had been largely avoided during their discussion despite Mu Qingfang’s best efforts, didn’t bother protesting.

He apparently needed more therapy. For the sake of those who relied on him, he would take his ass to therapy.

If anyone were to look at Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying for a moment, they would think they were in quiet contemplation. Just two martial siblings sharing a cup of tea one winter afternoon.

If someone were to look longer than a moment, they very well might reach the conclusion that they were insane or, more correctly, having a silent discussion.

“...everything about what happened with my father, I think,” Luo Binghe finished over the mental channel they had opened for the conversation. He had been bringing her up to speed on the events of the past week or so, and he had a lot to say. He had of course glossed over the more private details of what happened between him and Shen Yuan, still left a lot to cover.

“That’s more than enough!” Ning Yingying responded in kind, silently. “I have a few ideas about how to help, but first, how are you feeling? I know we checked in briefly right after your first nightmare but…”

How was he feeling? Stressed. Anxious. Horny. 

“I’m doing better,” he said. “It’s. It’s nice to know that my parents wanted me and very relieving to know that my family accepts Shizun as my husband. But–”

“Whoa, wait! You’re already married?!” Yingying asked, eyes bugging out of her face as she nearly rose to her knees.

“No! No! Not officially at least,” he said, hands making calming gestures. “I just think of him like that already and slipped. My father also thinks of him as my husband, so I don’t feel too off base.”

“Whew, okay. If you got married without me there, I would be very upset, A-Luo!!” Yingying said, giving him a stern look.

“I know, I know. Of course, this disciple will invite his shijie to his wedding!” he replied with a smile. 

“Good! Now, what were you saying?”

“Oh. Nothing much. I’m still worried about Shizun. He’s working to be less stressed, but then he gets stressed about being stressed! And I know Shizun is happy he’s gone, but I can’t help but worry about what Yue Qingyuan is doing. You know what the Old Palace Master has done, Shijie. I don’t want them around each other and that’s exactly where he is!”

Ning Yingying hummed comfortingly and said, “That’s not good. I was able to chat a little with both of the disciples from Huan Hua. The Palace Master’s daughter… the less said about that spoiled brat the better. But the Head Disciple, Gongyi Xiao, was surprisingly cooperative. I had introduced myself earlier in the day, but he came up to me after Shizun left and wished to convey his apologies for how the interaction between the Palace Master and Shizun had gone. I got the distinct feeling he was one of the many who took a liking to Shizun.”

A dark look crossed Binghe’s face and Yingying said, “Oh, calm down, A-Luo. Anyone with sense knows that he only cares for you in that way. But not many people have sense. I think we can use the fact he likes Shizun to get an ear into what’s happening at Huan Hua. I could start a correspondence, ask him to visit, maybe at some point drop that Yue Qingyuan has been just awful to Shizun, and…”

“Shijie, you’re a genius.”

“I know! But we have to make sure it’s not a disciple exchange or something. Shizun will never want you near the Palace Master, not if you have another option, and I agree. But getting a friendly person on the inside will help. I’ve already made contact with a number of disciples in other Sects; it won’t be odd for me to reach out to Gongyi Xiao.”

Luo Binghe stared at her. “Shijie, when do you have the time to do this?”

“Don’t look at me like that! It helps that I’m Shizun’s Head Disciple and designated heir. Everyone wants to get in good with a possible future Sect Leader. I have plenty of time, especially in the evenings. You know, when you’re with Shizun?” Binghe blushed and she laughed, delighted. 

“I’ve had time to talk to people, but that’s not all I’ve been doing.”

“Right! How are things going with Liu Mingyan?” Luo Binghe asked.

It was Ning Yingying’s turn to blush. “Wonderful. She’s lovely and so creative. And we share some common interests, including something that may help people accept you and Shizun together even though you’re a demon in the future. I won’t say much now as it’s so early, but I’ve been thinking about it.

“One thing we should talk about, however, is making sure Shizun has what he needs now. And see what we can do about Yue Qingyuan.”

Luo Binghe noticed that Yingying had dodged the question about her and Liu Mingyan’s developing relationship, but he didn’t want to push. She would share if she wanted, and she had been worried about Shizun, too.

“I think I know what to do to get Liu Qingge back on his side,” Luo Binghe said. “He cares about Shizun, but he’s hurt that he thinks he lied to him. His concern will outweigh the hurt if he knows about Yue Qingyuan, I think. That, and if I make him doubt that Shizun lied at all. Then he’ll feel guilty over the entire thing and hopefully stop asking so many questions.”

“Hmm. That sounds good, A-Luo,” Yingying said, a contemplative look on her face. “If I could make a suggestion?”

“Of course.”

“Mingyan has talked about her brother some, about how much she admires his strong sense of right and wrong, and his own strict code of accountability. Make him mad first, mad enough to lose control of himself, then undercut his confidence. Not sure how you’ll do that, but just a thought.”

“I have a few ideas and I’ll use whatever is most appropriate when I see him for training tomorrow. It’s going to be a rough time in any case; I have to go to Bai Zhan Peak.”

They both made disgusted faces at each other then laughed. “Ugh, good luck. Now, about getting Shizun more help. Here’s what I know about the other Peaks and where they stand.”

Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying talked about what she knew about others’ reactions to Shizun’s proposal and who would volunteer to take on more significant roles outside of Yue Qingyuan. It went on for long enough that the sun had started to set when Binghe said, “Yingying, I have to go start dinner. Do you want to join me?”

She sighed and stretched. “Thanks, A-Luo, but I can’t. I have a couple of things to see to and want to write that letter to Gongyi Xiao, but this was helpful.”

They cleaned up and, before they left, Luo Binghe thought to say, “Hey, Shijie?”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to be an amazing Sect Leader.”

She grinned at him and said, “Thank you, A-Luo. I hope so, too.”

After preemptively notifying Liu Qingge, Shen Yuan sent Luo Binghe to Bai Zhan Peak for his combat tutoring session out of “courtesy” to the other Peak Lord. Binghe had gone, not wanting to argue with the already stressed man, but he didn’t like it. Sure, Liu Qingge was doing Shen Yuan a favor by helping Luo Binghe, but he would almost rather not accept it from a man who had caused his husband such pain despite claiming to be his friend.

Sure, that wasn’t fair and Shen Yuan had definitely been lying, but Binghe didn’t care. Shen Yuan lied for his sake, and Shen Yuan was his priority; he had no duty to be fair to Liu Qingge.

They had started to work towards a kind of mutual respect over the course of the last month or so of training, which was more than Binghe had ever expected considering where they both stood in Shen Yuan’s affections. Now he had no desire to see the man until he made it up to Shen Yuan, but training was training, and he still needed to work to get stronger.

The stronger he was going into the Abyss, the faster he would get out. The faster he would be able to come back to Shen Yuan and officially make him his.

Luo Binghe arrived at the combat peak just after midday. They had just passed the solstice and the light felt weak on his face. There were a few gray and blue clad disciples at the training dummies to the side of the practice field, but there were even more sitting along the side and looking at their Shizun.

Luo Binghe dismounted from Zheng Yang in front of the stone-faced Peak Lord and bowed to him. “Peak Lord Liu,” he said, utterly polite in a way that he knew annoyed the other man.

“Luo Binghe. You’re late.”

No the fuck he wasn’t. If anything, he was early.

“This one apologizes to Peak Lord Liu. It seems this one had a different understanding of when the meeting time was,” Binghe said pleasantly, still in his bow.

Liu Qingge grunted and said. “No matter. Today I’m going to have you spar with the disciples of your age and older. Only if you beat them will I train you today.”

Luo Binghe rose and fought the urge to snarl at the man. “Consecutively or concurrently, Peak Lord Liu?”

“...consecutively for today,” he said, irritated for some reason. “Huang, you’re first.”

“Yes, Shizun!” A large boy about Binghe’s age stepped forward excitedly. Luo Binghe recognized him from one of the many skirmishes between Qing Jing and Bai Zhan disciples. He often was the instigator of many clashes, followed by peers or his younger martial siblings.

But there was no one at his back today.

They two bowed at each other, then the fight was on.

Disciple Huang moved forward, large and fast but not particularly precise. He used his size to intimidate his opponents into balking, but Luo Binghe had fought bigger. He easily stepped aside and tripped him. Before he could recover, he swept his feet from under him and was up and pointing Zheng Yang at his exposed throat.

The practice field was silent. Luo Binghe wasn’t even breathing hard.

“Match to Qing Jing,” Liu Qingge barked from where he watched from the sidelines. Binghe backed away and the other boy just stared at him. “Huang, get up. Underestimating an opponent because of their size will get you killed. Song, you’re next.”

The other disciple seemed surprised and pleased by his Shizun’s words, jumping up and bowing both to Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge before hurrying away. 

Another boy took his place, tall and wiry. They bowed to each other, and the match began.

Luo Binghe fought through each and every Bai Zhan disciple that Liu Qingge threw at him. He listened carefully to the critiques he gave each of his opponents at the end, knowing that just because the information wasn’t directed at him didn’t mean it wasn’t valuable.

By the eleventh and last disciple, Luo Binghe was tired. The last ones had been older, more experienced, and with their Peak pride to defend, especially as the commotion brought over curious onlookers. They were true fights, with multiple blows exchanged and close calls, forcing him to focus and economize his movements. They had watched him fight, knew how he moved, but he was too out of it to even attempt to incorporate a different style to throw them off.

For the last one, a young man in his early twenties who functioned as Bai Zhan’s Head Disciple without the official title, Luo Binghe stopped relying on his martial ability alone and began using his cultivation to do something beyond operating Zheng Yang. He threw a binding talisman as a feint while he circled the opposite direction and threw down a different talisman, activated with his blood, that created a trap array.

It worked.

The young man struggled against the spiritual energy holding his limbs together before Binghe pointed Zheng Yang at his neck. “You cheated!”

“I’m a cultivator,” he responded, irritated and out of patience. “We all are. Is it cheating to use skills available to us all?”

“We’re not trained to kill other cultivators,” the disciple (Maybe his name was Wen? Binghe had lost track at this point) spat back. 

There was a beat of silence in which Luo Binghe’s anger rose. “First off, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so three moves in. You left your right side open; it would have been easy to distract you with a cut to the side then a cut to your throat. But I didn’t, because we’re sparring. Second, do you really think these skills would not be useful in defense of the Sect? In the real world protecting civilians? Third, I would like to see how well you do after ten consecutive matches. Finally, you should think carefully as to what you imply I’m trained for when your Shizun is helping me train.”

“Enough. Luo, back off. Match to Qing Jing,” Liu Qingge said, finally striding forward. Luo Binghe backed away but didn’t sheath Zheng Yang. He did release the trap array, however. “Wen, he has a point. You were relying on the knowledge that he was tiring, not understanding that would make him improvise. Wounded opponents are often more dangerous because they’re more willing to do something out of the ordinary to survive.

“Luo,” he turned to look at Binghe, begrudging respect in his expression. “You need to work on your stamina. I don’t know what exactly I’m training you for, but I doubt that you’ll get breaks when you want them. It’s good that you don’t just rely on one way of fighting. I understand why you didn’t here, but you need to make sure you can use them consistently together in the real world.”

“Yes, Peak Lord Liu,” Luo Binghe said with a bow, reluctantly thinking that this little exercise had a point.

“Now that you’re warmed up,” Liu Qingge said, the ass, as he summoned Cheng Luan, “let’s get started.”

It was just as brutal as Binghe had come to expect from the other man: blows barely held back, movements a precise whirlwind, and the acquisition of many new bruises. But he got back up every time Liu Qingge knocked him down to the sound of the man explaining to Bai Zhan (and Binghe) where he had gone wrong. He started carefully channeling his qi into his limbs, which incidentally not only steadied him but also helped him respond faster.

“Good,” Liu Qingge grunted as he knocked Binghe down again, harder. “Was wondering when you would figure that out.”

You could have just told me, you absolute– 

“Thanking Peak Lord Liu for his instruction,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Get up and do it again.”

Luo Binghe glared at him and did.

Kid, Meng Mo said suddenly. You sure he’s not trying to push you to qi deviate?

No, he wasn’t sure. But if Shen Jiu couldn’t make him qi deviate after years of aiming for just that, then he doubted Liu Qingge would do it in one afternoon. 

Luo Binghe took a deep breath, focusing on the smooth even flow of his qi through his body, and moved .

“Better,” Liu Qingge said as Binghe actually effectively counted his attack rather than just survived it. “This is what fully trained cultivators do as second nature. It increases your speed and your stamina depends on the strength of your spiritual energy. If you don’t have the basics of combat down before you get to this point, you can injure yourself.”

Suddenly, Liu Qingge disappeared from in front of him and Luo Binghe dropped on instinct, slashing towards where he thought the man’s ankles would be. Cheng Luan blocked him but Binghe managed to scramble upright without getting pinned. It wasn’t pretty and he was panting, but he was still in it.

Liu Qingge looked at him then stood down.”That’s it for the day. You lot,” he looked at his gaping disciples, “go back to doing something useful.”

They all jumped up and bowed, chorusing, “Thank you, Shizun.” Then they scattered.

Liu Qingge ignored them, approaching Luo Binghe. Binghe had released the spiritual energy that had been fueling him and nearly dropped to his knees from exhaustion. “Come on. I’ll take you to Qian Cao for spiritual exhaustion.”

Time to put our plan into action.

“No.”

“What?”

Luo Binghe took a deep breath then forced himself upright. “No. I’m not going to Qian Cao. Mu-shishu will tell Shizun, who will be worried and likely angry enough that he asks you to stop training me with how protective he is. Of course, that could be exactly what you want. Humiliate me enough, and I’ll ask Shizun to stop sending me to you. Hurt me enough and he finds out about it, and he won’t wait for me to ask. Either way you’re rid of me with plausible deniability about it just being training. Right?”

Liu Qingge flushed, anger contorting his pretty features. “Unlike you and your Shizun,” he said lowly, “I have no need to scheme my way around things. If I wanted to hurt you or humiliate you, you wouldn’t have to guess. If I wasn’t fine with teaching you, I wouldn't. I don’t take the coward’s way out.”

“Oh?” Luo Binghe smiled. It was calculated and vicious. “Is that why you never told my Shizun you wanted to court him? Because you’re not a coward?”

Liu Qingge punched him and Luo Binghe let him, falling to the ground with the thought of got him. He cut his cheek on his teeth and spit out some blood onto the practice field. 

Then he got up, smiling with what he hoped were bloody teeth. “Sensitive topic? Understandable. I feel the same way when someone insults my Shizun, especially when he thinks of that person as a friend.”

Liu Qingge crossed his arms. “If you have something to say then say it.”

“Fine. You were wrong to accuse him of lying, especially based on something I said. Yes,” he said, glaring at him, “he told me. Who do you think was there when he came home? Who do you think was there for him to offer comfort when he needed it most?”

“You live with him?”

“No, I don’t, thanks to that stupid order. But I help him, I talk to him in the evenings. And he needed to talk about how one of his closest friends had turned away from him based on the false assumption that I would not allow him to choose his own fate.

“Shizun is his own person, so it’s never a matter of allowing him anything. I’ve made my peace with what he’s had to do, and I admire him all the more for it. Additionally, I would have found a way to live with him having another partner if that person had proven they had the same level of devotion to him that I do. You accusing him of lying based on me respecting his decisions and thus making him feel awful is something I have a problem with.”

Liu Qingge paled and Binghe went in for the kill. “Do you know how hard it was for him to give out the little bit of information that he did? How long he thought about making sure that nothing he said would be enough for anyone to ruin his plans to save everyone? Only for you to go and do that to him? He cares so, so much about saving everyone, but my only concern is saving him. 

“Think long and hard about how much you value him before you come back claiming to be his friend, Master Liu,” Luo Binghe said, stepping on Zheng Yang. “He doesn’t have the capacity for worrying about who is really on his side in this Sect, especially with Yue Qingyuan getting increasingly aggressive.

“Oh. And don’t ever call my Shizun a coward again. For all he’s doing to save you, he deserves better than that.”

Luo Binghe didn’t wait for a response. He bowed from the air then headed towards Qing Jing Peak, hoping that everything would work as he and Yingying had planned.

(Shen Yuan was not pleased when he saw Luo Binghe, fretting over the bruise on his jaw and how he was moving like things hurt. He had reassured him that he was fine and healing. He told him that he and Liu Qingge had had a disagreement, but that everything was fine and the session had been really helpful. Shen Yuan had looked unconvinced and told him to rest the next day, including leaving cooking to others, but hadn’t said he would halt the sessions. Binghe knew he had to be more careful going forward.)

Shen Qingqiu thought this was going well.

He and Qi Qingqi were having their scheduled lunch. Luo Binghe had prepared a more elaborate spread than he would if it was just him and Shen Qingqiu, and it had certainly impressed. 

(Luo Binghe had insisted he was fine cooking for this, that he wanted to cook for this small event, even after the injuries he had sustained while training with Liu Qingge. Shen Qingqiu hadn’t stopped him, but he was adamant that the next time he came back injured from one of their training sessions, he was going to ask Bai Zhan what the hell he was playing at. And if he ever punched Binghe again, no matter the reason, he was going to get punched back by someone his size.)

Qi Qingqi had asked about having Ning Yingying as Head Disciple, and Shen Qingqiu happily heaped praises on the young woman. He ended with, “Thanking Qi-shimei for her suggestion, of course. Yingying has more than proven to be the right person for the job and seems to enjoy it.”

“Anytime. You had a lot going on. Speaking of which, have you noticed that she’s been visiting Xian Shu now and again?”

“Naturally; she asked my permission each time she went. I’m happy she’s been able to make friends.” Qi Qingqi snorted into her tea, laughing. “Am I wrong?”

“Oh, no. She’s been making friends, alright. She also seemed to be spending a lot of time with my Mingyan.”

“That makes sense as two Head Disciples… I’m being foolish, aren’t I?” Qi Qingqi gave an open-mouth laugh, so Shen Qingqiu took that as confirmation. Huh, two of the OG Binghe’s (or, as Airplane called him, Bingge’s) harem members had found love between themselves. Go figure. “Well, good for them. If Yingying is happy, then that’s all I could want for her.”

Qi Qingqi beamed at him. “I feel the same about Mingyan. Yingying is welcome to visit at any time; no need to ask permission in the future. And, yes, I promise to not try to poach your Head Disciple. She would never leave you, even if I asked.”

“Excellent! Mingyan is of course welcome here as well. Perhaps this will encourage more inter-Peak mingling; it feels we’re all so isolated from each other that we’re not actually one Sect. You know, I visited Zui Xian Peak yesterday and it was like I had entered another world?”

Qi Qingqi finished chewing her bite before saying, “That’s true enough. I’ve probably only visited about half the Peaks myself since joining as a disciple.”

“That’s odd, isn’t it? That we don’t interact with other Peaks. It never bothered me when I was just a Peak Lord, but I’ve started thinking about it more since, you know.” He waved his hand dismissively. “How can there be a sense of Sect identity and loyalty if we don’t have a clue what the other Peaks are like?”

She looked at him like he was an interesting puzzle. “Is having a shared Sect identity important?”

Shen Qingqiu thought about it. “Maybe not. I was thinking that connection of the whole would equal loyalty to the whole. Right now, I’m half convinced that a good portion of my disciples would be fine if Qing Jing Peak was a Sect unto itself rather than part of Cang Qiong, particularly when they see Yue Qingyuan. But I suppose that this model has worked for a long time and could very well be one of the strengths of the Sect.”

Qi Qingqi was outright staring at him. “Have you had thoughts like this for a long time?”

Shen Qingqiu shrugged as elegantly as he could. “I never had a reason to think about it before. Between catching up after my qi deviation and everything related to time travel, it was a miracle to feel like I had understood everything that happened in a day.”

She frowned at him. “Yes, I suppose we did just throw you back into being the second-ranked Peak Lord after losing your memory. That was certainly a choice. It worked out, but very easily could not have. I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault or your decision.”

“Still, I didn’t do anything to stop it and I’ll own that. But let’s go back to Yue Qingyuan. Is he still causing you problems?”

“Yes! That man doesn’t know when to stop! It probably wasn’t the best decision to make him Foreign Minister but, Qi-shimei, It’s honestly a relief to have him gone. You know, I ended up screaming at him the other day? And he was happy about it?”

“Call me Qingqi, and that’s concerning. What did you yell at him about, Shixiong?”

“Call me Qingqiu, and he basically implied I was a traitor for not sharing more information, was very worryingly fixated on my disciple again, and called me by that name I hate. Truly, I am mostly concerned about his focus on Binghe. I have no illusions to how long I can stand up against him in an all-out fight, but what choice will I have if he tries to hurt him? I don’t even know what he wants from me at this point.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Is it–”

“Yes, it is! As someone who grew up being told they were always weak, who specifically worked to not be in order to protect herself and others like her, yes, I can say that’s absolutely frightening. It’s okay to say that. And that doesn’t mean that everything won’t be okay,” Qi Qingqi said, reaching out to lightly touch the hand that he had resting on the table.

“Oh.”

“You’re not alone, Qingqiu. If you need a safe place to stay, someplace that Yue Qingyuan won’t look, come to Xian Shu, alright? Bring your Binghe. He wouldn’t look for you there. I sincerely hope it never gets to that point, but you’ll always have somewhere to go, okay?”

Shen Qingqiu stared at her earnest face and had to blink quickly to fight back tears. “Thank you, Qingqi. Really, thank you.”

“You are very welcome,” she said before taking her hand back. “Are you sure leaving him as Foreign Minister is the right decision?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed but happily focused on something that wasn’t emotions. “No, especially since… Qingqi, I’ve told very few people this…”

“I won’t say a word.”

“...But that first death I mentioned that Peak Lord Shen experienced? The one that had him dead for five years? The Huan Hua Palace Master played a big part in making that happen. I hate that man, for a number of things, but that’s certainly one of the reasons.”

Qi Qingqi was back to staring at him. “Are you serious?”

“Completely.”

“Does Yue Qingyuan know this?”

“Yes. I told him prior to investiture ceremony, as an argument against having one as I would have been forced to interact with the Palace Master.” She kept staring at him. “I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to deny the ceremony, so we went forward with it on his initiative.”

“Right. First, what was his reaction to your falling out with the Palace Master after having this information?”

“He berated me for defending myself politely when insulted.”

“What the– okay. Why did you make him Foreign Minister?”

“No one else had the experience and it seemed a natural role for the Qiong Ding Peak Lord.”

“If Yue Qingyuan does not work out as Foreign Minister, I volunteer for the position.”

“What?”

“I am extremely knowledgeable about other Sects and can gather information that a man would often not think was important about them. I am powerful and diplomatic in my own right and people, especially men, underestimate me which would be to the Sect’s advantage. Having me be in such a powerful, public role would attract more women to the Sect.”

“Oh. Well, if you are interested, I don’t see how that would be a problem. With Yue Qingyuan already acting as Foreign Minister, is there another position on the advisory body that you would be interested in fulfilling? Or one you would like to propose that I had not already thought of?”

She seemed nonplussed. “Excuse me?”

“Well, I was naturally going to offer you a position. You are dedicated, capable, and truly caring about the members of the Sect. Additionally, I wanted at least one woman in a position of power as I value a perspective on the world that I just don’t have. I would offer you any position you wanted as I can see your counsel as being extremely valuable, Qingqi, and I know you would excel in any role you chose to take.”

Qi Qingqi blinked at him but eventually said, “If that of Foreign Minister is taken, then I would be interested in managing Sect finances.”

“Done. Shang Qinghua will take care of operations then, and maybe I’ll persuade Liu Qingge to take defense. But enough about business. How have you been doing?”

Qi Qingqi smiled that sharp smile of hers, and told him.

Luo Binghe was so excited he could hardly sleep.

After a few weeks of preparation, Meng Mo had finally told him he was ready to manage the core of a dreamscape himself. It had taken a couple of days of practice for Luo Binghe to open a channel in himself for a third party to access his qi to change aspects of the dreamscape, but after that, they were finally ready to go. 

It had only been about a month after his birthday and a few days before they were due to visit his family again that Binghe finally was able to tell Shen Yuan to expect him to visit as they slept. It luckily fell on one of the (now more frequent) days that Shen Yuan had therapy, meaning he had been planning to sleep in the bamboo house already. 

Binghe had explained the process and what was expected to Shen Yuan beforehand, all of which seemed to have been taken in stride, albeit with a bit of nerves. He was so excited to see his love in his original form, and told Shen Yuan as such. He loved him, he had reassured. Nothing could possibly make him not love him.

When he did eventually sleep and Shen Yuan had figured out how to effectively use Binghe’s qi to change himself in the dreamscape, he found himself proving correct.

Luo Binghe had known, of course, that his A-Yuan was insecure about his appearance. That he thought Shen Jiu’s behavior stained his appeal beyond recovery in his current body. That his original appearance, affected by years of illness, was average at best.

But, looking at the figure in front of him, Luo Binghe realized that Shen Yuan was also a certain kind of delusional.

Because he was beautiful.

The Shen Yuan before him, frozen at the age he had died in his first life, was pale the way that royalty worked their entire lives to be. Big, dark brown eyes framed by thick lashes blinked at him shyly behind glass lenses. Short-cropped black hair fell to just above his ears, a fringe falling into those eyes to be absently flicked away. 

Surprisingly, he did look close enough to Shen Qingqiu for them to perhaps be siblings. There was something about the nose, the curve of their faces, that was similar enough to be uncanny. But something about Shen Yuan’s less severe brows and the shocking fullness of his pink lips warmed the cold beauty his Shizun carried. Peerless, remote perfection had become so very touchable in his beloved’s original form, and oh, Binghe wanted to touch.

His frame was definitely slighter, the top of his head barely coming to Binghe’s chin. Shen Yuan had mentioned something about getting up to a healthy weight earlier, but he looked so frail to Luo Binghe. Narrow shoulders tapered down to an even smaller waist, a pale hand coming up to nervously adjust the wire device on his face.

Never mind what he was wearing. It seemed that Shen Yuan’s world has very different customs around modesty, because Binghe could easily make out the contours of his form. In fact, it appeared the thin shirt he was wearing, barely enough to qualify as underclothes, was adequate covering for his torso. Luo Binghe could make out the slope of his chest just by looking at the green fabric, only layered at the shoulders and arms with an additional gray garment. The pants he was wearing looked like the same material, only in a darker gray.

“-he? Binghe?!”

Luo Binghe snapped out of his ogling and looked up to see Shen Yuan nervously biting his lip, a bright, honest blush on his face. “Yes, A-Yuan?”

“Erm. You’ve kinda just been staring at me for a long time? Could you maybe say something?”

“Can I touch you?” Shen Yuan looked nonplussed but nodded. Luo Binghe stepped forward and carefully cradled that precious face in his hands. He took him in again, and the first thing out of his mouth was, “My love, you look so young.”

It was true, to the point that Luo Binghe was relatively sure he looked older than his Shizun.

“Yeah, well. Died young and everything.”

“And these?” Binghe traced a finger over a prong of the thing on his face. 

“Um, glasses. My eyesight is naturally very bad, so they help me see.”

“Hm. They must not be working.”

Shen Yuan frowned and, unlike with his usual visage, it was accompanied by a slight pout. It was so cute it had to be criminal. “Why do you say that?”

“Because you told me that you looked worse like this. But, A-Yuan, you’re still still the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Shen Yuan blushed again and his lips parted in surprise and, okay. Luo Binghe needed to let go of him, for his own sanity’s sake.

He didn’t.

Shen Yuan looked away and weakly pushed at him. “Stop that. No need to pretend or anything. I know what I look like.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes darkened and tilted Shen Yuan’s face up, willing him to meet his gaze. “No, I don’t think you do. I think this is as good a time as any to come back to our previous discussion.”

“What. What discussion?” Shen Yuan asked, licking his lips with wide eyes. 

Binghe tracked the movement like a predator with his prey, and he realized that Shen Yuan wasn’t very good at hiding how affected he was by his touch. To be fair, he never seemed very aware of it, but now the signs of his desire were obvious . And Luo Binghe was never one to waste an opportunity.

“Me convincing you that I want you, in whatever form you’re in. Look.” Luo Binghe concentrated and a large mirror appeared behind Shen Yuan. He turned him around and stepped up to wrap his arms around him. He felt Shen Yuan gasp, then he reached out a hand and pulled on Binghe’s qi. The bronze mirror became almost like crystal, reflective and astonishingly clear. 

“This. This is the type of mirror that is common in my world,” Shen Yuan mumbled, leaning back against him as he met his eyes in the mirror. 

“Very nice. When we’re married, I’ll see if I can recreate it for our quarters,” he said, relishing in the feeling of Shen Yuan shivering against him. “Now, about your appearance.”

Luo Binghe had moved a hand from Shen Yuan’s distractingly small waist, to trace his jaw, then his mouth. Shen Yuan shakily said, “I-I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

“Oh? Why not?” Binghe said, leaning forward to press a kiss to Shen Yuan’s temple. 

He watched the flush on his face spread to his neck as he said, eyes squeezed closed, “I. I’m not used to. To anyone touching me. Let alone. Let alone someone who looks like you. Who looks at me like you do.”

On one hand, it was a tragedy that no one had ever shown Shen Yuan the attention he deserved, told him he was beautiful and worthy of this kind of love. On the other hand, Luo Binghe was basely, blindingly satisfied that no one else had touched his A-Yuan like this. That he hadn’t wanted anyone else to touch him like this.

“And how do I look at you?” Binghe asked quietly.

“...Like you want me,” Shen Yuan whispered.

“I do. Do you want me to stop touching you?”

“I should say yes.”

Luo Binghe lowered his voice more and murmured, “Do you want me to keep touching you? Within your boundaries?”

Shen Yuan tensed then relaxed against him fully, head tilting back to rest against his shoulder. “Yes,” he breathed.

Satisfaction lashed through him, and he almost, almost turned to kiss him then and there. Wait, his demonic instincts urged, confusing and loud in his head. Wait until he comes to you.

...

Luo Binghe waited, using his fingers to lightly trace the long exposed line of Shen Yuan’s neck. He felt his pulse race, the movement of his throat as he gasped. “Anything you want, my love. If you do not wish to talk of how I want you, shall we talk of something else? Your clothing, maybe?”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Shen Yuan straightened his neck and looked at him in the mirror.

Not a thing. I love the fact I can see the effect I’m having on you so clearly.

Luo Binghe lowered the hand near Shen Yuan’s neck back to his waist, “accidentally” brushing against an already-pebbled nipple pushing against the thin fabric. A-Yuan made a low, startled sound in his throat as Binghe said as normally as he could manage, “Nothing at all. I was just curious as I have never seen clothing like this. Is this what people normally wear in your world?”

He seemed thrown off by the question, shaking his head to focus in a way that made Binghe want to purr in satisfaction. Yes, be distracted by me.

“Um. Not really? I mean a lot of people walk around like this, but it’s pretty casual. This is just what I would wear if I was lounging around my apartment. It’s very comfortable.”

Luo Binghe had an idea. “It looks like it. Could I try?”

“Hm?”

“Could you put me in some clothes like yours?”

“Oh. Sure.”

Shen Yuan turned around to face him, and touched his robes.

Shen Qingqiu felt like he was losing his mind.

He didn’t think being in his original body would have had any impact on his behavior. 

(Though it wasn’t quite his original body; he could tell by the lack of random aches in his joints that at least some of his health problems were resolved in the dreamscape. But… hold on, if that was fine then why wasn’t his vision? Scammed!)

(Anyway.)

To his surprise, he found himself absolutely shook by Luo Binghe’s attention in a way he had never actually experienced while alive. Hell, he hadn’t even been this immediately affected when the other Binghe showed up! Yet here he was, shaking like a leaf just because his disciple was taller than him and talking to him and… touching him and…

What was he doing again?

Oh, right. Binghe had asked him to change his clothes to the t-shirt and sweats that he was wearing.

Focus! He told himself. It’s just Binghe!

It’s Luo Binghe, his mind replied unhelpfully. Yet, it had a point.

Was this a wife plot? Was he in a fucking wife plot?

…Well, no fucking was happening here! Not on his watch!!

Shen Qingqiu forced himself enough to carefully pull on the energy that Binghe had granted him access to (and wasn’t that intimate in a way he didn’t want to think about, being so connected as to use his qi for his own aims). In a moment, Luo Binghe’s disciple robes transformed into. Into…

Shen Qingqiu blinked and awkwardly adjusted his glasses to try to process what exactly he was seeing. His brain seemed offline, but he vaguely registered that Luo Binghe was in a tight red t-shirt and black sweatpants.

“Oh, it is comfortable,” Luo Binghe said with a note of amusement in his voice. “Let me see properly.”

He stepped around Shen Qingqiu and he turned with him, still trying to come up with a cogent thought. Unruly black hair contrasted stunningly against the blood red shirt that did nothing to hide how strong Binghe’s back was. In fact, the t-shirt did nothing but remind Shen Qingqiu that Luo Binghe was one of, if not the, best fighters of his generation right now. He couldn’t recall if he had ever seen his arms bare before, but they were toned enough to speak to his skill with a sword.

Finally, finally his brain spat out a sentence. Unfortunately, it was distinctly unhelpful.

Oh no, he’s hot!

“A-Yuan?” Luo Binghe asked, turning to him and tilting his head a bit so that his hair spilled forward invitingly. There was a glint in his eyes that Shen Qingqiu was beyond understanding, fighting too hard against the thought of how much he wanted to jump him to register anything outside of its presence. “Are you alright?”

Don’t touch me, he thought, eyes uncontrollably flicking between his model-like face and body, his own classical Western sculpture come to life. If you touch me, I’ll break.

Luo Binghe touched his face gently, and he broke.

“Fuck it,” he muttered before grabbing a handful of Binghe’s shirt and pulled him down into a hard kiss. Binghe made a sound of surprise, but didn’t hesitate to kiss him back, hands pulled to his waist like a magnet before drawing him closer. 

Shen Qingqiu pulled away to throw off the glasses smushed against his face, then dove right back in, arms coming up to circle around Binghe’s neck. He made a low sound of pleasure and Shen Qingqiu drank it in gladly.

He felt hungry, starved for his touch in a way that made him half-mad and only half aware of what he was doing. It took very little time for him to climb him like a tree, jumping up to wrap his legs around his waist in a way that had Binghe stumbling a bit before steadying with his hands easily holding his thighs up. Shen Qingqiu then found himself pressed against a wall that hadn’t existed a moment before and couldn’t help the moan that escaped his mouth. Luo Binghe obviously liked it, his hand tightening on Shen Qingqiu’s thighs in a way that forced another sound out of his mouth.

Binghe broke away and both of them panted into the space between him as he managed to say, “A-Yuan, can I-”

“Yes, yes.” He said honestly, foolishly, but what would he deny him in this moment? It was a dream, after all. 

All kinds of things could happen in dreams.

Thankfully, Binghe just started kissing down the side of his face, hands lifting Shen Qingqiu up further to better reach his neck. The show of easy strength just flat did something for him, and he was gasping before Luo Binghe began kissing and sucking on his neck. He was no doubt leaving marks behind that Shen Qingqiu welcomed with an urging hand on the back of his head and approving sounds leaving his mouth.

When he hit a particularly sensitive spot, Shen Qingqiu involuntarily tightened his legs around his waist and whimpered, “Yes, Binghe, yes.”

Binghe growled and sucked harder on the spot. Shen Qingqiu clutched at him, sweating and decidedly too hot. He urged Binghe back up to kiss him properly and half haphazardly began to take off his zip-up hoodie. 

“A-Yuan?” he murmured against his mouth, obviously noticing the movement. 

“This okay?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Binghe said, and Shen Qingqiu wasn’t even sure if he knew what he was agreeing to. Then again, who was he to judge? “Can we move?”

“Yeah.” Shen Qingqiu pulled him back into a kiss only to yelp as the wall disappeared behind him. He clutched, panicked, at Luo Binghe as the fell slowly, controlled onto a forgiving surface. It took a quick glance for Shen Qingqiu to realize it was a clone of his bed. “Binghe!”

“You said we could move,” he said, laugh clear in his tone from where he lay on top of him, his long hair a curtain around them. Shen Qingqiu wanted to frown at him, but found himself smiling instead. 

Binghe’s smile faded from his face and he started staring at him. “What?”

“Gods, you’re gorgeous,” he said before kissing him again. Shen Qingqiu’s thoughts flew the coop once more, though he did have enough sense to pull on Binghe’s qi to change the mattress beneath him to a plush one from his world. 

He moaned as he sunk into the mattress, into the kiss, and his hands began roaming without any real thought. He traced the lines of his back, moaning as running his blunt nails down his clothed spine made Luo Binghe shake. 

While he did enjoy the weight of his partner pressed against him, Shen Qingqiu realized rather belatedly that he had been putting in little to no effort in holding himself up for a while. He pushed him away, and Binghe immediately backed off. “What–”

Shen Qingqiu kept pushing with his whole body, and Binghe turned onto his side then his back with a little more coaxing. He moved to straddle his waist, hands resting on his chest. “This okay?” he asked, squinting because even this distance made Binghe’s expressions hazy for his shitty eyesight.

“Very okay.” Luo Binghe sat up in a distracting show of core strength, meaning he was suddenly sitting very much in Binghe’s lap on top of an even more distracting limb. “Is this?”

It took everything, everything in Shen Qingqiu to not just moan and grind against him. He gasped and trembled and had to squeeze his eyes shut, but he managed to say. “No. No, that’s the line. We can’t, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed. Do you want to stop?”

Shen Qingqiu tremulously opened his eyes and saw Luo Binghe looking at him with such concern, such love, and he gave the only answer he could. “No.” He pushed him back until he was laying down flat and shuffled his way to safer territory. “I love you,” he said, staring into his dark, dark eyes. “And I don’t want to stop.”

Binghe kissed him then, kissed him hard, and it was all too easy to fall back into the pleasurable rhythm their kissing had taken on. It didn’t take long for Luo Binghe to push for more, though, his fingers sneaking under Shen Qingqiu’s shirt to lightly touch his lower back. “This okay? Can I touch you?”

“...nothing below the waist. And, I’ll do you one better.” He sat up and quickly pulled off his shirt to the sound of Binghe sucking in a harsh gasp. “Okay?”

“Fuck yes,” he blurted, hands immediately covering as much of his torso as possible, the very touch electrifying. He didn’t move to kiss him, eyes too focused on seeing all of him in a way that kept even Shen Qingqiu from feeling self-conscious. 

“...you want to do the same or—” Shen Qingqiu was cut off by his own yelp as Luo Binghe flipped them. He knelt upright then tried to pull the shirt off like Shen Qingqiu had. It got caught on his chin and his long hair and wide shoulders, and Shen Qingqiu had to laugh. “Wait, wait.”

He sat up, reached up, and concentrated, and the shirt disappeared. Luo Binghe, muscled and every inch the warrior scholar, blinked at him cutely. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” he said, wide smile still on his face. And because he was already there, Shen Qingqiu put his hands on Binghe’s waist and leaned forward, kissing the skin above his diaphragm while holding his gaze.

Luo Binghe’s face went slack before he pushed Shen Qingqiu onto his back and kissed him. “Can’t do that, A-Yuan,” he mumbled between kisses. “Already want you too much. Don’t tease me like that.”

“Sorry,” he said, realizing only then how he would have looked from Binghe’s angle and feeling embarrassed by it.

Binghe stuck his tongue in his mouth in response, so he supposed he was forgiven.

He didn’t stay at Shen Qingqiu’s mouth for long, kissing down his cheek and along his neck while the hand that wasn’t holding him up mapped his torso. He zeroed in on that one spot again, likely already covered in love bites, and Shen Qingqiu suddenly wanted something more.

“Bite me.”

Binghe didn’t hesitate, setting his teeth against the skin there. The sensation made Shen Qingqiu’s legs come up to close around him and a small, pathetic noise left his throat.

“You like that?”

“Yes.”

He started sucking and biting further down his neck as Shen Qingqiu felt more and more a mess. When Binghe bit at where his neck connected to his shoulder, he begged. “Harder. Please, Binghe, harder.”

He bit him harder, his teeth sinking into his skin as pleasure arced down Shen Qingqiu’s spine. He threw his head back with a shout, clawing into Binghe’s back and hair. He was so inundated with sudden pleasure, he was surprised he hadn’t come (which was definitely weirder in retrospect).

Enough pleasure to mask the fact that Luo Binghe had broken his skin and he was bleeding.

“A-Yuan! A-Yuan, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Shen Qingqiu struggled to focus, mouth moving ahead of his vision. “Of course, I’m fine. A little too fine, really. What…”

Shen Qingqiu finally was able to clearly see Luo Binghe’s face and it made him prop himself up on an elbow and cradle his face in a hand. “Oh.”

Red eyes stared back at him, a matching and familiar red sigil between his brows. Luo Binghe’s lips were stained red with his blood, and between them he could see the tips of fangs that had not been there before.

All sorts of alarm bells should have been going off in his head at the sight, but all Shen Qingqiu could think to say was, “You’re beautiful.”

Binghe kissed him and Shen Qingqiu moaned at the taste of his blood in his mouth. A clawed hand took his and intertwined their fingers. He laid more firmly on top of him, both of them moaning at the skin on skin contact, and–

Shock permeated Shen Qingqiu’s system, and it took him a solid few seconds to realize he was wet. 

“Will you two stop!? Or do I need to get more water? Stupid question.” Another wave of bracingly cold water hit Shen Qingqiu, but mostly Binghe. “Get off of him! We need to talk.”

Luo Binghe grunted but did look over his shoulder. “Could you turn around?”

“Kid, I do not care. I’m not interested in your Shizun. In fact, I’ve seen too much of him thanks to the fact you think about him what feels like every waking moment.”

“Binghe, let me up.” Luo Binghe sighed, but did roll off him. Shen Qingqiu also found himself dressed in the green t-shirt he had been wearing before, only it stuck to his skin because he hadn’t been dried first. 

Some concentration changed that for both him and Binghe, but that made Meng Mo, sounding belligerent and very tired, scream, “Stop doing that! The situation is bad enough!”

“Ah, sorry? Binghe, where are my glasses?”

“Here,” he held out a familiar pair of black frames and Shen Qingqiu smiled at his beloved blur of red and black.

“Thank you.” He put them on and turned back around to see a dream demon looking extremely done with them. “What is the problem, Master Meng Mo?”

“The problem, Sect Leader Shen, is that your twink-like wiles have forced his seal to crack!”

Shen Qingqiu felt all the blood drain from his face.

“Okay, I know I told you to stop pulling on his qi, but could you make yourself go back to how you usually are? He’s not listening to a word I’m saying, too busy staring at you neck, and gods, boy, do you have no restraint?”

“I have nothing but restraint,” Binghe grumbled as Shen Qingqiu changed back into his post-transmigration body. He forgot to change his clothes beyond making sure they fit, so his glasses were still on his face.

Wow, his eyesight really was as bad as he thought, huh.

Not the point right now. 

“What do you mean his seal has cracked?” Shen Qingqiu said, deeper voice taking him a bit by surprise as he put his glasses aside. “I thought that wasn’t possible without demonic interference.”

“He’s a demon! And you’re his mate!

“His demon heritage has been all but scratching at the seal since the time travel incident, since you’ve both consciously claimed each other and became a mated pair. It knows that he’s weaker than he could be right now, knows that you’re here, and it wants out to both protect you and finalize the bond. 

“Then you walk into his dreamscape, his head, where the seal is, pulling on his qi, looking incredibly breakable but also willing to bed him?”

Shen Qingqiu flushed. “We hadn’t–”

“Least of my worries and it would honestly would have been a relief if you had. Feel like I’m getting poisoned by his horniess half the time. And he’s still not paying attention!”

“Yes, I am,” Luo Binghe said simply. “My seal broke, and you’re explaining how while complaining about the direction my thoughts go. I’m listening.”

Shen Qingqiu turned to look at him, and found him already staring back with those red, red eyes. “Binghe, this is important.”

He tilted his head to the side, the spill of his hair just distracting enough to be noticeable. “I’m not saying it isn’t. I’m waiting to hear what the consequences of this are, and what we do about them.”

Fair enough. Shen Qingqiu looked at Meng Mo who seemed to be rethinking his life choices. “Does this mean that other people will be able to detect his demonic energy?”

“Probably only if they’re looking for it. It’s a very small crack, but small cracks lead to big ones. And if it breaks before he’s out of the Sect, well. You’re screwed.”

“Okay. I can make a talisman that will cloak his demonic signature. He would have to be actively using his abilities while someone was touching him for them to detect his heritage, especially if it’s a small leak. How do we prevent more cracks from happening, or keep this one from widening?”

“First, we can’t do any practical demonic cultivation training anymore. Yeah, that got your attention,” Meng Mo said, sounding more exhausted than angry.

“What do you mean?” Binghe asked, standing and stepping closer to Shen Qignqiu’s side.

“Exactly what I said, kid. I can give you theoretical lessons, but you actually practicing your cultivation now is too risky. You would have greater access to your abilities, but the energy flow would erode away the exposed parts of the seal. So, no more practicing. 

“That’s not all.” Meng Mo looked at Shen Qingqiu and said, “No more teasing the kid and no putting yourself in physical danger. You can get away with the sappy domestic stuff, but nothing that gets the heart rate up, if you know what I mean. And definitely no more of whatever you fools were doing just now. Also, you get hurt, especially in front of him, he will lose it. Learn to take care of yourself better and be more careful, otherwise you’ll have more than a visit to your Mu Qingfang to worry about. Understand?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded and Meng Mo sighed in relief. “Someone reasonable. Oh, and you can’t come back to this dreamscape. One horny teenager is more than I can handle; we don’t need two on our hands.”

Shen Qingqiu blinked at him. “I’m 21.”

“If the body you were just in was that age, then I’m a slug-bottomed monkey’s uncle. Now, get out of here. I need to make sure the information got through this kid’s head while he was staring at you in your weird clothes.”

“I wasn’t–” was all Shen Qingqiu heard from Binghe before he woke up.

He stared at his ceiling for about 2 minutes before he rolled over and screamed into his pillow, “Fuck!”

“Ah, shixiong. How–”

“Qingfang! I have a problem!!”

“Oh? Well you know I’m here to help you. What’s wrong?”

“I’m attracted to Binghe!”

“...and?”

“What do you mean, and!?”

“...why don’t you sit down and let me prepare some tea, hm?”

Chapter Text

“...Just say it.”

“Pardon?”

Tianlang-Jun sighed and Luo Binghe braced himself. Their second visit to his father and cousin began well enough, with his family thanking his husband for his previous gifts and Shen Yuan providing them with yet more (clothes and grooming items for Zhuzhi-Lang, a soft pillow and more books for Tianlang-Jun). Shen Yuan had shared the progress of his research on releasing the souls trapped in the anchor and updated them on news since their last visit. 

But it seemed his father was aware there was a rather important topic Shen Yuan was avoiding.

“Qingqiu, I’m trapped, not sense-blind. You two want to tell me why my son is registering as a demon to me when I wasn’t able to feel any such energy a month ago?”

Shen Yuan cleared his throat and Binghe squeezed his hand. They were sitting next to each other across from where Zhuzhi-Lang (in his upright and newly outfitted form) sat and his father lay. They were a couple of paces away, and Luo Binghe had specifically taken off the talisman meant to cloak his demonic signature.

He appreciated the work Shen Yuan had put into it and was grateful that it worked without actually affecting his spiritual cultivation, but it was also a relief to not have it attached to his inner robes. Wearing it felt like some part of him was trapped and struggling to break free, like there was a spot deep in his brain that itched but was impossible to scratch. It made it hard to sleep, and his nightmares had been more persistent the last few days. Shen Yuan had been worried, of course, but Luo Binghe had argued that they should give it a full week at least to see if he adjusted to it.

The only time he took it off now was to bathe, if he was sleeping in the bamboo house (to which Shen Yuan quickly worked to set up a qi-dampening array around that they activated only at night to avoid suspicion), or just before they had arrived at Tianlang-Jun’s prison. There was enough demonic energy here for Binghe to not raise eyebrows, and it was a good test to see if he was detectable by other demons without help.

Apparently he was.

“The seal mother put in place to lock away the majority of my demon heritage has cracked,” Luo Binghe said carefully. 

Tianlang-Jun raised an eyebrow and Zhuzhi-Lang blinked at him. “It cracked. On its own. For no reason. What were you doing when it cracked, son?”

Shen Yuan cleared his throat again and pulled out his fan to hide behind. With just his eyes visible from Tianlang-Jun’s vantage point, he said, “Binghe asked me as a gift for his birthday to bring me into his dreamscape one night once he was strong enough to construct it mostly on his own power. It cracked during my visit.”

“You… visited his dreamscape. And it just cracked from that?” Tianlang-Jun said, mischief entering his tone.

Shen Yuan’s fan wavered and Binghe tried to save him. “No. It cracked when I bit him while he was in the dreamscape.”

“...Qingqiu, I don’t know if you’ve familiarized yourself with courting standards, but I have to say allowing him to bite you even in a dreamscape is purely married-people behavior. Too bad Master Shang had other things to attend to, because I would ask you to bow to each other now with him and Nephew as witnesses.”

Luo Binghe perked up, all for them getting married sooner rather than later, even if they would have to keep it a secret. He looked at Shen Yuan and thought at him through the communication spell, “A-Yuan, you can communicate long distances with Shang-shishu, right?”

“We’re not getting married right now, Binghe!” Shen Yuan thought back with a quick tap of his fan to Binghe’s head.

Out loud, Shen Yuan said, “Ah, I was not aware of that. While I understand your concern, I have already been drugged with a truth serum once. If it happened again and someone asked me about my relationship with Binghe, it would be bad if I answered he was my husband while he is still my disciple and not yet 18. The incident won’t happen again.”

Both Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang looked unconvinced and Binghe added, “I want to be able to publicly court him when I return from the Abyss. I can’t do that if we’re already married, right?”

“Why not?” Zhuzhi-Lang asked, tilting his head to the side a little. “Keep the marriage a sssecret. Jussst one more to add to the many you already keep.”

Luo Binghe didn’t have a good answer for that, and didn’t really want to win the argument in any case.

Shen Yuan sighed and said, “That doesn’t solve the truth serum issue. Will you both be satisfied by us secretly being engaged?”

“...you weren’t before now? I’ve already started planning the public wedding!” Tianlang-Jun said and Luo Binghe couldn’t help perking up again. His father chuckled before either of them could say anything. “Relax, Qingqiu, I can feel your stress from here. I won’t insist that you actually bow to each other, but you should know that I very much think of you as already married and thus my son-in-law. Zhuzhi-Lang, say hello to your cousin.”

Zhuzhi-Lang sighed and said, “Hello, cousssin.”

“...Tianlang-Jun.”

“Call me father!” Luo Binghe couldn’t help grinning at the demon.

“...Tianlang-Jun, there are a few things to talk about related to Binghe’s seal cracking.”

“Not until you call me father!”

Shen Yuan’s eyebrow twitched, but he said through gritted teeth, “Father.”

Tianlang-Jun beamed at him, clearly delighted. “Was that so hard?”

Shen Yuan had a pained look on his face that clearly said yes, yes it was . Binghe was so pleased he could laugh. Instead, he thought to him, “Thank you, husband.”

Shen Yuan gave him a side eye and simply thought back, “You’re lucky I love you so much.”

“I know.” Binghe knew his expression was adoring as he looked at him and kissed the back of his hand. 

His father all but squealed, “You’re both so cute! But what’s this about problems?”

“Binghe’s seal cracking makes it more likely that it will break before the Immortal Alliance Conference, endangering us both. I made a talisman to help mask the energy, but it’s uncomfortable for Binghe and he’s having trouble sleeping with it on. We wanted to see if it was possible for you or Zhuzhi-Lang to repair the crack.”

Zhuzhi-Lang blinked a second time and Tianlang-Jun had a contemplative look on his face. “Come here,” he said eventually, flopping his free hand a bit.

Luo Binghe came forward and took his hand. Foreign, yet not wholly unfamiliar, energy hit his system. Unfortunately, the intensity of it made him panic, and he fought against it. And, because it was clearly demonic energy, like called to like and his demonic cultivation answered.

No, no, NO! Gods, kid, what did I just say! Meng Mo shouted at him as he physically pulled away from his father, falling back into the concerned embrace of Shen Yuan. He was shaking, and turned his head into Shen Yuan’s neck on instinct, seeking comfort.

“...I think it’s safe to say that no, we can’t help,” Tianlang-Jun said, and his voice was troubled. Luo Binghe’s face was too close to Shen Yuan’s skin to turn and see him.

No shit! The crack is bigger now!

Fuck.

“Binghe, are you okay? What happened?” Shen Yuan asked, nearly frantic as he held him tight and stroked his hair. 

Tianlang-Jun said, “I tried to assess the situation myself to get a better understanding of what, exactly, Xiyan did, to see if I could help. I hadn’t expected him to react like any other demon would to an invasion of foreign energy. He fought against me, and if I had been at all skeptical before, I wouldn’t be now. Though weak, the energy was too much like mine for Luo Binghe to be anyone but my son.”

“I’m okay, just startled,” Binghe said as he finally pulled away from Shen Yuan. He turned to look at his father. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to that, and I reacted poorly. Meng Mo says that the crack in the seal is larger now, so I don’t think we should try again.”

Shen Yuan’s hold tightened on him while Tianlang-Jun replied, “Damn. Well, it’s better to know you react to demonic energy that way here as opposed to being surrounded by cultivators, I guess.”

Shen Yuan froze and Binghe could tell where his thoughts had gone. “I think it’s more to do with an invasion of energy than just proximity. I should be fine for things like the Conference, Qingqiu.”

He sighed, squeezing him one last time then letting him go. “We’ll have to test it to make sure. The Abyss opens in the evening on the first day of the competition. We can’t have you being discovered before then.”

“Isss there a way to help prevent further damage?” Zhuzhi-Lang asked, concern clear in his expression as he looked at them.

“...about that,” Shen Yuan started reluctantly. “Meng Mo had some suggestions, one of which was that he couldn’t practice demonic cultivation anymore in secret.”

“Reasonable,” Tianlang-Jun said. “The others?”

Shen Yuan hesitated and Luo Binghe stepped in. “They had to do with Qingqiu, and the fact that he’s my mate.

“The reason Meng Mo said my seal cracked in the first place is that my demonic instincts recognize him as my mate, but know that he’s more vulnerable and that the bond can’t be completed while with part of my abilities locked away. He told us that we had to be careful around each other, and that Qingqiu should avoid being hurt, especially around me. So even if we did get married, we wouldn’t be able to consummate it because that would cause my seal to break.”

“Hm, yes. And, now that you bring up your bond, it makes sense why a bite broke the seal, particularly in a dreamscape,” Tianlang-Jun said thoughtfully.

“Why is that?” Shen Yuan asked.

Both Binghe’s father and cousin stared at him. “You don’t know?” Zhuzhi-Lang asked.

Shen Yuan and Binghe exchanged a look. “No,” Binghe said. “We know very little about being a mated pair beyond the fact that we are one. We know that it makes us very protective of each other, and that there are horrible consequences if one of us dies after the bond is completed.”

“That’s it?!” Tianlang-Jun nearly shouted only to cough painfully as a result. He was astonished, and Binghe didn’t understand why. Who else were they supposed to get the information from?

“Yes,” Shen Yuan answered softly. “We were going to ask you both if you could give us more information during this visit.”

“Well, I can tell you that there haven’t been a lot of demon-cultivator mated pairs, though that’s not surprising. We’re the freaks of the family, son, for falling for humans. But we weren’t the first.

“I had done some research as to what would happen to human mates after the bond was finalized in anticipation of. Of talking to Xiyan about it. It’s a good thing I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have had much else to tell you beyond how it’s completed. But I suppose we can start there.

“Essentially, the bonding is cemented by ritual actions and words between the couple during sex, usually penatrative but this is negotiable, especially if there’s no penis between the couple. It has to involve dual cultivation based around the act, during which they attempt to approach climax together and– really? This is embarrassing you, Qingqiu? What did you expect me to say, exactly?”

Luo Binghe had been mentally taking notes and hadn’t realized that Shen Yuan had gone stock still beside him. He turned and indeed, Shen Yuan’s face was beet red from where he hid behind his fan. 

“Nothing. Please ignore me and continue,” he grit out, flushed and adorable. 

I know another way to get him flust–

Stop that! Meng Mo shouted at him. Pay attention!

I’m listening! He thought back at him. I can look at my husband while listening to someone else talk!

You kind of need to get him to agree that he’s your husband before you keep calling him that.

He didn’t deny it just now!

“Well isn’t this illuminating,” Tianlang-Jun said, cheek in his tone and Binghe looked over to see his father smirking at him. “As I was saying, once the couple nears climax together, one of them bites the other hard enough to draw blood and say a phrase of claiming. As biting and tasting the other’s blood as an act of love is an important step, I’m going to assume that was what finally began to crack Binghe’s seal. 

“The phrase acts as an offer, which the other partner must accept verbally, then the actions are repeated from their end. Once both partners have accepted, they kiss and the bonding is complete once they both reach orgasm. It’s very deliberate, and both partners must be at the height of offering themselves, both in body and energy, to their mate in order for it to work. Any hesitation will mean that the bond will have to be completed at a different time.

“Now, you’re probably wondering why someone would do this, why specifically Heavenly Demons would do this. A bonded mate dying at the very least leads to destructive insanity, if not outright death. As you can see from my current miserable state, we’re pretty hard to kill. Tying our sanity if not our life to another’s existence may seem like a stupid idea, and it would be nothing but a grand romantic gesture if it wasn’t so damn powerful.

“You see, bonding means you not just share lives, but to some extent share abilities. Completing the bond automatically gives both partners a significant jump in power, as well as sharing any vulnerabilities with the trait most likely to ensure their survival taking precedence. For example, a human bonded to a Heavenly Demon would become immune to poison. It also makes it easier for bonded mates to find each other over long distances through some kind of mental link, so permanently separating them is also very difficult. Put simply, bonding alone makes you extremely difficult to kill. 

“But I’ve been thinking this past month about what abilities you would each gain due to your bonding specifically, since I think you’re unique because of Binghe’s diverse bloodline. Binghe, I think bonding will immediately bring you up to Qingqiu’s level of spiritual cultivation. Qingqiu, I think, because Binghe’s part human, that he would give you the ability to cultivate demonic energy without negative consequences.”

Wow. I get it now, Meng Mo said. 

Luo Binghe stared at Tianlang-Jun, gaping and speechless.

Shen Yuan cleared his throat. “Apologies if this is an insensitive question, but this seems too good to be true. How exactly are there so few high-level demons left if they had access to bonding and these kinds of power-jumps?”

Tianlang-Jun looked at him skeptically, then sighed. “It’s a fair question. A true mated pair is rare. Demons are taught to look out for themselves and their families first and foremost. Going so far as to tie your lifespan to someone else is something a lot of demons, even those who thought they could be mates, weren’t comfortable with. As for how those who were bonded died… well a lot of people had to work very hard. Sometimes bonded pairs attacked each other in duels and killed each other off that way. 

“But honestly? Wars. No matter how powerful you are, wars have a way of taking you down no matter how careful someone acts. That’s how most of our family has died, at least.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. But there’s a reason I didn’t care much for the power grabbing conquest. Before Binghe, Zhuzhi-Lang and I were the last of our kind. I didn’t see the point of it. I told those I ruled over to keep in line, and chose to have a good time instead. Best decision I’ve ever made.

“Though you gave me a good enough reason to go back to that. Both of you did. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you. It’s nice to have a future in front of me.”

There was a moment of silence after that and Binghe wished he was paying better attention, but his mind was just stuck on how much safer Shen Yuan would be if they bonded before the Abyss.

“No,” Shen Yuan said suddenly and Luo Binghe turned to see him looking back at him with narrowed eyes.

“Qingqiu?”

“I can feel you thinking, and the answer is no, Binghe.”

“But–”

“No!”

Tianlang-Jun laughed and even Zhuzhi-Lang cracked a smile at that. Luo Binghe was happy someone found this amusing.

Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes at Shang Qinghua. “Airplane, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“It was! No one had any sense of organization or bureaucracy! I have no clue how the hell the Sect was functional before I was Peak Lord! We were getting swindled in like, half our contracts, and short changed on the rest! There was no centralized way to ask for repairs; people would just show up on An Ding and demand things! I had to carrot-stick this lot into filling out forms, Cucumber-bro.”

“...okay, that does sound bad,” Shen Qingqiu admitted to his somewhat manic friend. “It sounds like the fucking worst honestly. Why did you bother, again?”

“The System, man. I had to get this place running and running well by the time Binghe came around and I couldn’t just strong arm people the way Yue Qingyuan can. Had to make it somewhat tolerable to live here, too.”

“Okay, well. Sorry I doubted you and I’m grateful for your work, even though it means I have so much paperwork I can’t even see my desk now.”

“Well, yeah, but that should be going away soon, right? I mean, after the meeting last week, I think you’ve managed to come up with a pretty good solution.”

The last Peak Lord meeting of the year happened the week prior, only days after Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe had returned from seeing Tianlang-Jun, and Shang Qinghua had returned from his first long visit to Mobei-Jun in a while. It accomplished a couple of key things. Shen Qingqiu had successfully run around to every Peak and managed to secure Peak Lords for his advisory board, now officially called a Cabinet. It consisted of Yue Qingyuan, Qi Qingqi, Shang Qinghua, and Liu Qingge. A couple of more conservative Peak Lords spoke in opposition of Qi Qingqi being Minister of Finance because of her gender, but they were quickly shut down.

Liu Qingge had accepted his position as Minister of Defense in writing and they had hardly spoken since their fight. He had looked somewhat conflicted at the Peak Lord meeting when they had met eyes, but he had yet to come speak to him directly. 

He had been trying not to think about what that meant.

“We’ll see. It’s a start, but this isn’t exactly ideal,” Shen Qingqiu responded, referring to the fact he was on An Ding waiting to meet with Yue Qingyuan. Shang Qinghua was going to stay with him for the meeting as he had for the last one with Yue Qingyuan. While not the best defense physically, he knew that Shang Qinghua would have his back and Yue Qingyuan tended to be less on his creepy clown shit when other people were very explicitly watching him (with one notable exception). 

The man was expected to arrive soon, but Shen Qingqiu had come early to catch up with Shang Qinghua. They had talked over their messenger and were up to date on their various adventures away from the Sect (mostly Shen Qingqiu being astonished that bonding did so much and his worries about Binghe adjusting to the cloaking talisman, and Shang Qinghua complaining that Mobei-Jun remained unmoved by his attempts at seduction). Still, it was nice to talk in person. Behind a privacy barrier, of course; no need to have anyone overhear them.

“Yeah, about that. I got a report this morning that he’s been acting strange on Qiong Ding. Distracted, not sleeping, and receiving a large influx of letters the past month or so. Not a lot of details, but he may be planning something,” Shang Qinghua said fretfully.

Shen Qingqiu sighed. “Well, as long as he can hold off on causing problems until after the New Years celebration, I can deal with it. I may have to create a new Cabinet position to deal specifically with event planning because this is not how I need to be spending my time.”

“Fair enough. At least the plans were mostly in place to begin preparations before you suddenly became Sect Leader, with a few of our modifications of course.”

“Right. I have the first set of calculations done to begin testing explosive formulas from the excess fireworks you ordered. With Binghe’s seal now as a factor, we’re going to have to take a number of safety measures.”

Shang Qinghua gave him a side eye. “Weren’t we going to take safety measures anyway?”

“Sure.”

“Bro…”

“I mean it!”

“Why don’t I–” A knock interrupted Shang Qinghua and the two transmigrators both sobered, Shen Qingqiu consciously shifting back to a more formal mindset. He dropped the barrier he had been maintaining as Shang Qinghua got up and moved to the door.

 At Shen Qingqiu’s nod, he took a deep breath and opened the door with, “Peak Lord Yue, right on time. Please, come in. Shen-shixiong is already here.”

“Thank you, Peak Lord Shang,” Yue Qingyuan said. Shen Qingqiu didn’t look up to greet him, more concerned with making sure that there was nothing on the table to give away any of their plans. Any written notes they maintained about their plans were written in a mix of English and simplified characters (though the latter were reserved for concepts/technology that would be utterly foreign to this world). Still, it wouldn’t do to let the other man know that they were maintaining records that had to be kept in code, especially since he had already started thinking that he was more connected to the demon realm than he let on. “Sect Leader Shen.”

Shen Qingqiu glanced up to see him rise from a greeting bow. He met too intense eyes before looking away dismissively. “Yue Qingyuan. Sit down so we can get this done. I’ve read your most recent report and wanted an update on the situation with Huan Hua Palace.”

Yue Qingyuan sat across from him as Shang Qinghua sat to his right. “Improving, in this master’s opinion. The Palace Master recently wrote requesting a disciple exchange between our Sects, hoping to strengthen our relationship.” That sounded like a bad idea. At Shen Qingqiu’s narrowed eyes, he continued. “Apparently Head Disciple Ning Yingying had begun a correspondence with Head Disciple Gongyi Xiao, who has since expressed interest in learning more about the Sect.”

“Hm.” Shen Qingqiu hummed, reassured that it sounded like Yingying’s idea. She knew about Binghe’s family and would do anything to protect him; she had to have a good reason for initiating this.

SQQ: thoughts? I’m willing to entertain it since it seems like Yingying wants it.

SQQ: would want more details though. And I can’t exactly spare her right now.

SQH: agreed

“Very well. This master is not opposed to such an exchange taking place in the New Year. This master thinks that a number of disciples can volunteer to visit Huan Hua Palace and would welcome some Huan Hua Palace disciples in turn. However, the exchange must be voluntary, and I think, happen consecutively to best build relations between disciples. Begin negotiations to that effect.”

“This master will do as the Sect Leader commands. However, the Palace Master did wish to request that Disciple Luo be part of the exchange.”

It took everything in Shen Qingqiu to not just yell over my dead body! “Noted, but, as this master said, it must be voluntary. If Binghe wishes to attend, this master will do nothing to stop him.”

SQH: fucking YIKES

SQQ: yeah

“Really?” Yue Qingyuan said, in a way Shen Qingqiu did not like.

“Yes, and we will no longer discuss my disciple. Anything else on Huan Hua Palace?”

“Just a curiosity. The Palace Master recently explained in some detail the conversation between him and Sect Leader Shen at the Investiture reception, expressing confusion over how exactly he offered offense. While this one understands some of Sect Leader Shen’s animosity towards the Palace Master lies in the death of his alternate self, he is confused as to how the Sect Leader knew of Disciple Su Xiyan, let alone that bringing her up would offend the Palace Master to the point of distraction.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Shen Qingqiu blinked slowly at him, mind moving quickly. “Yue Qingyuan, did you not think I would ask others for information about a man I see as an enemy? I lost my memories, not my sense. He was obsessed with her, and, despite the fact she has been dead for twenty years, my informants told me she was one of his sensitive spots. It’s not complicated.”

“Not twenty.”

“Excuse me?”

“Su Xiyan died seventeen years ago, not twenty.”

“...Not much difference to me,” he said, trying not to panic. “My condolences if you were close to her, I suppose.”

“We weren’t close, but I met her a few times.”

“Peak Lord Yue,” Shang Qinghua cut in, thank fuck. “Is there a point to this?”

“Only interesting timing, is all,” Yue Qingyuan said, not even bothering to glance at Shang Qinghua. “Peak Lord Shen, is your disciple not just seventeen?”

“Still obsessed with my disciple, Yue Qingyuan?” Shen Qingqiu said, anger coming to the surface. “Yes, as are thousands of other people. I was told explicitly that Su Xiyan was killed at the hands of a demon. If you are implying what I think you are, then would Su Xiyan’s child not have been taken in by Huan Hua and raised comfortably? Binghe has humble origins, though that does not diminish his value in any way. Your theory makes no sense, and I am tired of you pushing your ludicrous ideas in an effort to… I don’t even know what. But if you try this again, there will be consequences. Understood?” 

SQH: nicely done

“...Yes,” he said, a thoughtful rather than cowed expression on his face.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t talk to this man anymore. “Shang-shidi.”

Shang Qinghua thankfully jumped in and walked them through logistics for the New Year’s celebration in two weeks, including contracts and where relations stood with key merchants. Shen Qingqiu had already gone over the finances for the festival with Qi Qingqi, so the final budget was approved and it was just a matter of making sure things ran smoothly. 

It was really quite effective to have Yue Qingyuan speak with Shang Qinghua, Shen Qingqiu only chiming in to raise an issue or give his approval. An hour after Yue Qingyuan arrived, he was about ready to leave. There was just one more question for them to follow up on.

“Shen-shixiong previously requested that Peak Lord Yue seek out a possibly novel form of entertainment. Has he had any success in that endeavor during his travels?”

“...This master has come across several candidates, but has not yet been able to secure exactly what he has been looking for. Permission to venture out of the Sect next week for one last opportunity to do so?” Yue Qingyuan requested, looking at Shen Qingqiu.

“Granted.”

“Thanking, Xiao-Jiu–”

“Hey!” Shang Qinghua exclaimed, nearly rising to his feet. “Don’t address him that way!”

Shen Qingqiu put a hand to Shang Qinghua’s shoulder and simply said two words to the other man.

“Get out.”

Yue Qingyuan got up, bowed to him, and left without another word.

Shen Qingqiu sighed, raised the privacy barrier again, and put his head in his hands. “I have a bad feeling about that.”

“Yeah, me too.” They looked at each other, then Shang Qinghua got up to retrieve a small bottle of plum wine. “So, you mentioned that Qi Qingqi would be down to take over as Foreign Minister? Sounds like a better idea every day.”

One day about a week after the Peak Lord meeting, Ming Fan knocked at his office door and stuck his head in. “Shizun?”

“Yes, Ming Fan?” Shen Qingqiu responded, brush lifting from the document he had just signed off on.

“Peak Lord Liu is here to speak with Shizun,” Ming Fan said, his face asking what his words did not. 

“Ah. This master has a few moments. He may come in. Thank you, A-Fan.”

Ming Fan beamed with pride as he always did when Shen Qingqiu called him casually. “Of course, Shizun.”

He stepped away, leaving the door open. It was a matter of seconds before Liu Qingge walked through the door. He bowed at him, with a rather alarming, “Sect Leader.”

The formal address made Shen Qingqiu’s throat tighten and he raised his fan to cover most of his face while Liu Qingge closed the door behind him. “Peak Lord Liu. How may this master be of assistance?”

Liu Qingge met his eyes as he walked over and sighed. He sat rather abruptly in front of his desk and said, “I’m sorry.”

Shen Qingqiu just stared at him steadily. “For what?”

“For not believing you. And talking to you the way I did that day. I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I wanted to be sure before I spoke to you freely again. You told me from the beginning that you would tell me what you could, but it would never be everything. I said I respected that, then I didn’t. I said I would be there for you, then I wasn’t.

“I know you’re handling a lot right now. I know I made it harder on you. And I’m sorry.”

“...I forgive you,” Shen Qingqiu said simply, not knowing what else to say. Well, that was a lie. “Now, will you tell me what has been happening between you and Binghe?”

Liu Qingge’s face shut down. “What do you mean?”

“Why exactly did you punch him? He told me that he had said something to deserve it, but I know you have better self control than that.” He wanted to say something about how Luo Binghe always seemed sore after coming back from training with him, how it always took him a day or so to recover. But Binghe had asked him not to, and nothing like that one day last month had occurred since. He was worried, but not to the point of breaking Binghe’s trust to step in.

Liu Qingge looked away. “He didn’t tell you what he said?”

Shen Qingqiu frowned at him. “No, but that doesn’t particularly matter to me. You’re known as a War God, Qingge. You’re better than hitting a seventeen year old because he talked back to you.”

“He– caught me at a bad moment. It won’t happen again.”

“Good.” They sat there for a moment awkwardly before Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and carefully lowered his fan a bit. He admitted quietly, “There. There are things I have wanted to talk to you about. This past month.”

Their eyes met and a moment of understanding passed between them. Liu Qingge wasn’t a man to vocalize these kinds of things, and would never say I missed you, too. What he did say was, “Talk to me now, Qingqiu.”

Shen Qingqiu did.

Luo Binghe was looking forward to the New Year Festival.

The Sect held a big party for all disciples and staff every year on Qiong Ding, complete with exhibitions, stands from local vendors, and fireworks. It was the one time of year the Sect came together for anything, and it was usually pretty fun. He had never attended while Shen Jiu was his master and Shen Yuan had encouraged him to venture out and meet new people. He had also liked that he got to help his A-Yuan dress in the most elaborate robes for the occasion.

That was even truer now that Shen Yuan was Sect Leader.

Today he had dressed him in layers of rich emerald green, dazzling silver, and blindingly white silk robes, too complicated to put on alone, the subtle bamboo pattern matching his fan. His crown was from the Sect vault, a finely crafted and delicate design of silver and emerald. A-Yuan was breathtakingly beautiful, and so very his.

Luo Binghe did not have any such attire, more than happy with his newly issued robes. They were well-fitting and a size bigger than the ones he wore during the time travel incident. Shen Yuan had gifted him a beautiful silver and obsidian hair stick, completely oblivious to its significance as he had lovingly placed it in his hair. Still, the gesture had him nearly vibrating with the need to touch him, though that mostly ended up with Meng Mo yelling at him.

They arrived with a number of Qing Jing disciples in their best robes to Qiong Ding Peak. A few other Peak Lords were already present despite it being two ke before the festivities officially began at dusk.

Shen Yuan quickly left his disciples to their fun as he got to overseeing final preparations, and Binghe happily began to browse the stalls outdoors in a snaking corridor with Ning Yingying. As more disciples arrived and Shen Yuan welcomed them, the area became lively. Yingying eventually went her own way once she had spotted a certain Xian Shu disciple, so Luo Binghe wandered a bit, just taking it in. This was the last time he would be able to attend this kind of festival and be anonymous, so he wanted to enjoy it.

“Hey, Luo Binghe! Happy New Year.” He startled at the sound before he was approached quickly by a couple of enthusiastic Bai Zhan disciples. After he had successfully defeated all the senior disciples that one day, they had gained a respect for him that extended to all of Qing Jing. They started addressing him casually and somehow thought he was cool now? A few had even asked him why he wasn’t on Bai Zhan in the first place, but thankfully none of them were stupid enough to ask if he wanted to transfer over. They knew who he was rumored to be to their Sect Leader, but none of that seemed to matter to them now that they knew they couldn’t beat him one-on-one.

“Ah, thank you and same to you,” he replied easily with a smile. “Did you all just get here?”

“Yeah, Peak Lord Liu left a bit earlier but we just landed. Hey, have you seen any… um. Did you know people are staring at you? Like a lot?”

Luo Binghe blinked and turned to see that, yes, everyone was staring at him.

“Well, Song Zhen, it probably didn’t help that you announced my name like that,” he said lowly. 

The wiry boy ducked his head, but Disciple Huang said, “Why is that a problem? Don’t people know who you are?”

Luo Binghe sighed. “Yes, but most people didn’t know what I looked like. And people mostly know of me. I might as well be one of the exhibits at this point.”

The three boys winced. “I’m sorry,” Song Zhen said. “Look, let me make it up to you. You had any tangyuan yet?”

They plied him with the dish and were on their way. The damage was done, but at least the sticky rice balls gave him something to focus on. 

He eventually wandered into the main hall where a few peaks would be putting on exhibitions a bit later in the evening. Shen Qingqiu was speaking to Peak Lord Zhao near the center of the room and he didn’t want to disturb him. He decided to investigate the overflowing refreshments taking up one side of the giant hall. Binghe idly appreciated the background music as he helped himself to some fruit and surveyed the room again.

It was slowly beginning to fill with people in preparation for the performances, but it was still rather thinly populated. He spotted one of his young shimei and went to ask how she was doing. 

The young girl was effusive and awed with this being her first celebration and asked him enough questions for him to happily answer for a good ke. She spotted some other children and waved at him in thanks before merrily going over to introduce herself. 

“Binghe.” Luo Binghe turned and smiled brightly at Shen Yuan. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes. Shizun. I’ve visited many stalls and talked to a few people. I’m excited for the firework display.”

“Good and yes, I’m hoping that will go well. We certainly ordered enough of them.”

“May I watch the fireworks with you?”

He looked at him strangely. “Of course.” Binghe beamed at him and then something caught Shen Yuan’s eye that made him frown. “I have another problem to deal with, it seems. Have fun, okay?”

“Yes, Shizun.” Binghe bowed to him and Shen Yuan strode over to who he thought was the Peak Lord of Zui Xian.

“So,” a female voice came from beside him. Luo Binghe turned and nodded to a girl about his age dressed in Qiong Ding robes. “You’re Luo Binghe.”

“...yes.” He said, immediately wary of any conversation that started like that. 

“You look older than I thought you would.”

“Excuse me? Who are you, exactly?”

She shrugged. “No one in particular. My friends and I were just curious about you. You know, most of our Peak thinks you’re, like, really young? Like fourteen or something gross like that.”

Luo Binghe’s jaw dropped. “I’m seventeen.”

“Yeah, I see that now. Anyway, I was just curious but also wanted to give you a bit of a heads up. A number of disciples were really against the Sect Leader because they thought you were younger than you are. You coming here is probably helping with that rumor, but don’t freak out if people stare. They’re probably just having to readjust their understanding of our Sect Leader. I hope you and your Shizun have a happy New Year.”

She turned away, leaving Luo Binghe responding with a befuddled, “You, too?”

After that confusing interaction, Luo Binghe turned back to look at the room again and saw that the population had nearly doubled in size. He started moving with a plan to find a familiar face in the crowd, or at least one from the Peaks firmly on Shen Yuan’s side.

At that moment, a hush gradually fell over the room and Shen Yuan’s voice rang through the silence,”Peak Lord Yue. Who is your guest?”

Alarmed, Binghe pushed through the crowd to get to his husband. People were annoyed at his insistence, but let him through all the same once they got a good look at him. 

Yue Qingyuan responded, “Sect Leader Shen tasked this one with finding novel entertainment for tonight’s celebration. Based on his past statements, this one thought that he would not be opposed to bringing in a peaceful demon. May this humble Peak Lord present Madam Meiyin, a highly accurate soothsayer who is quite famous in the demon realm.”

Binghe finally pushed to a point where he could see Shen Yuan, face aiming for neutral, but there was a fury in his eyes that Luo Binghe did not understand. “This master is familiar with such a renowned figure, though he would hardly classify a woman of her skill as mere entertainment. Madame Meiyin, on behalf of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, this Sect Leader welcomes you as a guest who will be treated with courtesy.”

Shen Yuan bowed slightly and Luo Binghe came to the front of the crowd to see a pale, willowy figure in light green robes bow lower. “This one thanks Sect Leader Shen for his generosity and kind words. This Meiyin will honor the rules of hospitality and looks forward to freely sharing her insight with those assembled.”

“Very well,” Shen Yuan said before turning to the rest of the room. “Everyone heard this exchange. Treat Madam Meiyin with the honor and courtesy that upholds the values of this Sect. Today we celebrate beginnings and the opportunity for change. Peak Lord Yue has enabled us to carry on the spirit of the New Year. Remember that.”

The room bowed to him and Luo Binghe watched him raise his chin, almost in defiance.

“Enough talk from this master. Return to your celebrations. Musicians?”

Music started up again and chatter rose among the room. He was close enough to hear Shen Yuan say, “Madam, please feel free to enjoy the celebration.”

“Oh, I will Sect Leader Shen,” she said, voice as coquettish as her face in a way that made Binghe narrow his eyes. “Peak Lord Yue asked me to go around reading fortunes for the New Year for attendees. Perhaps I should start with you?”

Luo Binghe’s hackles raised at her very quick switch to more casual language, but Shen Yuan rescinded pleasantly, “He did, did he? This master would be honored to have your expertise turned to this one later in the evening. Certain matters regarding an upcoming performance requires this master’s immediate attention. Though perhaps Madam Meiyin would be interested in starting with Peak Lord Liu?”

“Oh?” She leaned forward, more into Shen Yuan’s space than Binghe liked. “And which is he?”

“There,” Shen Yuan nodded to where Liu Qingge was surreptitiously beginning to creep away. “Liu-shidi?”

“Oh, my.” Madam Meiyin said, almost immediately cozying up to Liu Qingge. “Aren’t you a pretty one?”

“Shen Qingqiu–”

“Apologies, Liu-shidi. This master really must go.” Shen Yuan fled, turning luckily directly to where Luo Binghe was standing. He seemed somewhat relieved to see him.

He placed a hand on Binghe’s shoulder then turned to the side. He followed his gaze and then glared at an already glowering Yue Qingyuan. Luo Binghe was tempted to make a rude gesture, but Shen Yuan said, “I’ll deal with you later, Yue Qingyuan. Come, Binghe. We need to check on Qing Jing.”

“Yes, Shizun.”

They walked quickly towards where those planning performances were preparing. Shang Qinghua found them quickly, and all of them continued walking until they found the rear entrance of the building and walked right out into the evening. 

Shen Yuan set up a privacy barrier in a dome around them and Shang Qinghua immediately said, “Calm down, bro.”

“Why the fuck is she here! Where did he even find her?!” A-Yuan said, pacing. Luo Binghe walked to him and took one of his hands. He glanced around quickly to make sure they were alone, then offered Shen Yuan a handkerchief that was covered in his scent.

He glanced at Shang Qinghua who said, “Dog food. But do what you need to do, I guess.”

Shen Yuan took the fabric and put it to his face, breathing deeply as he squeezed Binghe’s hand in gratitude. His shoulders relaxed quickly and Luo Binghe said, “What’s wrong? I recognized her name from what I was told about the future, but she seemed like she had been helpful there?”

Shang Qinghua said, “Madam Meiyin is not just a fortune teller; she can actually see the strings of fate. She can not only predict the future, but also can see past any mask. If there is a single person in existence to take one look at you and know what you are, it’s her.”

“And she came with that asshole. How?” Shen Yuan asked, distressed and Luo Binghe hugged him, needing the comfort of touch, too.

“Not sure, but I think we need to focus on what we do now,” Shang Qinghua said. “You made the right call not insulting her, bro. She can get a bit vindictive. Now she’ll hesitate before throwing you under the bus because having a Sect Leader who’s open to being respectful to demonkind is rare as hell.”

Bus? Luo Binghe puzzled at the word, but didn’t want to question it now.

“Right. You’re right. Any advice, Airplane?”

“Be respectful. She would be a good ally to have.”

“...That’s it?”

“Look, we’re already here. Gods know what will happen now. Maybe figure out how Yue Qingyuan forced her to be here? No way she volunteered to come into the heart of a cultivation sect to be entertainment of all things. The vibes are off, bro.”

“Agreed.” Shen Yuan sighed again. “Binghe, could you stay away from her? I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing you.”

“...I’ll stay away from her if she stays away from you.” Shen Yuan opened his mouth and Luo Binghe shook his head. “No, Qingqiu. If she can see strings of fate, what’s to say she won’t start talking about me without knowing I was in the room. If she sees that you’re truly fated to be mine, or even that we’ve begun to form a bond as a demon mated pair, would she not describe your soulmate as a demon? And doesn’t everyone already suspect that’s exactly what we are? I would rather be there next to you if we have to run.”

“...he has a point,” Shang Qinghua said. “Tonight’s dangerous. Push comes to shove, you both get out of here. We’ll find another way to get him into the Abyss besides him competing in the Immortal Alliance Conference. We can communicate long distance, so I’ll be able to keep you up to date on things and help you anyway I can. Hell, I may just come with you and shack up with my King. No way anyone would believe I didn’t know what was happening.”

He had a point. While Shang Qinghua had been a spy before all this started, he really had gone above and beyond to help him and Shen Yuan. “Thank you, Shang-shishu.”

The man blinked at him, surprised. “Of course. Me and Cucumber-bro are ride or die.”

“What?”

“Don’t mind that, Binghe,” Shen Yuan said, patting his hair before pulling away from him. “Okay, we have a plan. Be respectful. If things go south, run.”

“...Question,” Luo Binghe said. “If things take a turn and Qingqiu is in danger, my seal may break. Should I deliberately try to break it in order to cause a distraction?”

NO! Meng Mo said, suddenly coming to the forefront of his mind. Look, you all were handling it and I agreed with the plan, but you should absolutely not do that. You won’t be able to control the energy and may end up hurting Sect Leader Shen.

“No,” Shang Qinghua said urgently. “You’ll injure anyone around you because you need practice to control that amount of energy. Cucumber-bro may be spared because you’re his mate and your instinct is to protect him, but you would pretty much kill anyone else. Also, the moment your seal breaks is probably when you would be most vulnerable as you adjust to the new power. So don’t do that.”

“Remember, Binghe,” Shen Yuan said. “Real power comes from control. The first version of you had so much of it, but it controlled him nearly as much as he controlled it. I know you’re better than that. Take your time, be smart, and you’ll be unbeatable one day, okay?”

He kissed his forehead, and it was all Luo Binghe could do not to pull him into a real kiss. They hadn’t kissed, not since his seal had cracked, and he craved it. But the consequences of Shen Yuan letting himself want him left him skittish, and Luo Binghe did not want to push despite the increasing signs over the past month that Shen Yuan was taking to their lack of contact harder now than before.

Waiting for Shen Yuan to come to him had worked so well before; he could be patient.

“Okay, I won’t,” he reassured everyone.

“Good. Now, I should head back. I can’t actually be seen hiding away now, can I?”

“Yeah, no, not the best idea,” Shang Qinghua admitted.

“The performances are starting soon anyway, and I need to announce them.” 

Shen Yuan dropped the privacy barrier and let go of Binghe completely. The three of them trekked back into the large hall, Shen Yuan stopping to check on the Qing Jing performers while he and Shang Qinghua continued toward the main room. 

He had a thought and asked, referring to the worst version of himself, “Shang-shishu, was she one of his wives?”

Shang Qinghua stumbled and Luo Binghe caught him. He laughed nervously and eventually said, “No. But she was one of his lovers.”

Another reason to stay away from Madam Meiyin as much as possible.

“Thank you,” he said, before turning to disappear into the crowded room. People were beginning to make their way to the space where performances would be happening, though a large number of people were still enjoying the festivities outside. Luo Binghe decided to search for his Shijie, wanting to bring Ning Yingying up to speed since she had more of a read of the general atmosphere. He was more than fine with it; he took care of their Shizun while Yingying handled everything else.

It took several minutes of searching and a few moments of dodging conversations with people who just wanted to get a read on him because of his connection with Shen Yuan, but he did find her in the end. She was holding court of sorts, a number of disciples from different peaks around her with only one directly by her side. It was Liu Mingyan, the veiled beauty and sister to Liu Qingge, who most easily held Ning Yingying’s attention. Yingying gave just enough kind, caring attention to the others around them to keep them nearby, but it was obvious to Binghe that she was mostly concerned with her girlfriend. 

He was sorry to break them up, but he knew she would want to know. Binghe stepped forward and Ning Yingying met his eyes easily. The glance they exchanged was enough for Ning Yingying to leave with a kiss to the back of Liu Mingyan’s hand and a smile to everyone else. Luo Binghe moved back and Yingying followed. She brushed against his hand, initiating the communication spell herself.

“What’s wrong?”

He told her.

“Shit. That fucking..,” She sighed. She only ever cursed silently or when she knew they were utterly alone. “Okay. Thanks for telling me. Whatever happens, I’ll keep an eye out and think on how to spin it to make Shizun come out looking great. And take this.”

Ning Yingyin passed him a qiankun pouch surreptitiously. “What’s this?”

“Some emergency provisions. Since you and Shizun told me about you being a demon, I’ve been gathering supplies for you in case you needed to leave the Sect quickly. It’s mostly from Shizun’s personal account and Qing Jing's supplies. I knew he wouldn’t notice the missing funds and Qing Jing will always support its Shizun, no matter if he had to leave for his own safety.”

Binghe looked at her with wide, shiny eyes, hardly believing she had done this. “Shijie.”

“Hush. No matter what, I’ll be here, okay? And don’t forget to invite me to your wedding,” she ended with a smile.

Luo Binghe, without thinking, said, “Be my sister?”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“I. I’m sorry. I only.” Luo Binghe took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. “Will you be my sworn sister? I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I can’t imagine anyone else I would want to call my A-Jie.”

Her eyes widened then she lunged forward to hug him with a squeal of delight. “Yes, of course, A-Luo!”

He hugged her back, a smile on his face. She pulled away and patted his head. Out loud she said, “Didi.”

“A-Jie,” he replied out loud, beaming.

Yingying ended the communication spell and looped her arm around Binghe’s. “Come on, I can’t wait to tell Mingyan! And I think the performances have started!”

They made their way back, gathering looks from others that they ignored. Ning Yingying found Liu Mingyan near the entrance of the main hall. She raised perfectly arched eyebrows at them and Yingying stepped forward to take her hand excitedly. “Mingyan, have you met A-Luo? We just agreed to become sworn siblings, so he’s my didi now!!”

Liu Mingyan seemed startled, but her expression quickly faded to that of tenderness towards Yingying. Good, Luo Binghe thought. She should be adored. 

“We met in passing, but not formally. Nice to officially meet you, Luo-shixiong,” she said kindly with a nod of her head.

“And you, Liu-shimei,” he said as he bowed slightly to her. He smiled wide. “Especially after I’ve heard A-Jie talk so much–”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Ning Yingying jumped in and both her companions laughed. 

They were interrupted by the arrival of Peak Lord Qi, dressed immaculately in flowing purple and silver robes. “Mingyan, your disciple siblings are performing in less than a ke. Get to the front of the crowd. You two might as well follow her,” she said to them.

“Yes, Shizun.”

“Yes, Qi-shigu.”

“Good. And eat some of the food will you? We didn’t pay for all this for it not to be eaten!” She swept away before they could say anything else.

They exchanged looks, laughed briefly to themselves, then moved to the main performance area. Shen Yuan sat at the head of the room, presiding over the exhibitions alone with the Peak Lords arranged in front of him by ranking, the only ones with proper seating arrangements in the room. Not all the Peak Lords were present, but Shen Yuan stayed for each, applauding the performing disciples with a kind smile. 

It seemed that Jing Xue was performing at the moment, having crafted an intricate, cooperative array that allowed them to visually tell a story with qi. It was impressive, seeing the images of mythical creatures move in front of him in color, but Luo Binghe was distracted. He was on alert for the possible location of Madam Meiyin. He made sure to never be at the front of the crowd, easily looking over Ning Yingying’s head if he needed to.

He stayed there through a number of performances. Xian Shu showcased their dance-like fighting style in a beautifully choreographed spar. Qiong Ding performed a historic humorous debate between politicians. Wan Jian performed a deadly looking dance of swords that clearly required a lot of practice. He even held back through Qing Jing’s performance of two beautifully complex pieces of music with a small band.

What made him come to the front was Liu Qingge’s voice, “What about you, Sect Leader?”

The room fell silent as Shen Yuan’s wide smile of pride for his own disciples faded. “Pardon?”

“You are the only Peak Lord whose expertise fits the atmosphere of the celebration. New Sect Leader for the New Year. Would you not welcome in the year yourself?”

Rumbles broke out throughout the room and Shen Yuan’s expression turned teasing. “Liu-shidi, is this revenge for this master introducing you to our esteemed guest earlier this evening?” The Peak Lord sputtered and Shen Yuan smirked in a way that was honestly way too attractive. “This master jests, though will take this request from his friend on this particular occasion.”

Shen Yuan stood as more excited rumbling swept through the room. Like a moth to a flame, Luo Binghe pushed to the front of the crowd then moved around the area so he could be closer, pulling Yingying with him. The room was abuzz with excitement and Luo Binghe did not know if any version of his Shizun had performed in public like this. Only those on Qing Jing had heard his music during Luo Binghe’s years, and that was a rare treat indeed outside of advanced music classes. 

Shen Yuan sat at a table hastily erected at the head of the oblong performance area and summoned his guqin and a dizi Luo Binghe had rarely seen from his qiankun pouch. He plucked a few strings and blew a few notes to make sure they were in tune. He looked up and immediately found Binghe. He seemed to relax a bit at the sight of him but then looked away quickly. 

He cleared his throat and the room, now more packed than before, fell silent. “Excuse this master for any mistakes; he did not have time to prepare a specific piece for this event.”

With that (completely unnecessary disclaimer), Shen Yuan began to play.

The song was something Luo Binghe had never heard before. He had never even heard anything like it. Astonishingly, as when he played for Binghe alone in the bamboo house, he sang as he plucked cascading, perfect notes from the guqin, his voice deep, soothing, intoxicating. Twice, he stopped singing to pick up the dizi and produce dizzying notes that had Luo Binghe fighting for breath as he stared at his love, enthralled. 

Shen Yuan didn’t look at him, didn’t look at anyone, as he played. His eyes were either focused on the guqin or closed, and it came off as shy and alluring rather than amateurish. But Luo Binghe couldn’t look away as his husband, his mate sang of farewells, journeys, loneliness, and love. He even felt Meng Mo at the forefront of his mind, not saying anything, just listening and watching as Shen Yuan worked his way through the slow, arresting song.

When he plucked the last note and looked up to the crowd somewhat apprehensively, there was a moment of silence before the room erupted into applause. Shen Yuan smiled slightly and bowed his head, his intricate crown and lovely hair swinging with the motion. He quickly put away his instruments and stood.

But the room began to go silent again as one person clapping broke Binghe’s fixation on Shen Yuan. He looked to the other end of the performance area where people were gathered around and spotted Madam Meiyin walking forward, hands coming together in deliberately loud, slow claps and a wide smile on her face.

Fuck. Meng Mo said.

Luo Binghe agreed.

Shen Qingqiu was terrified. 

He tried to make his face neutrally pleasant after just finishing a performance of a song he had never heard of but the System picked in exchange for him performing perfectly. Beggars couldn’t be choosers in this case, and Shen Qingqiu saw the point offering for doing the performance and couldn’t refuse. 

But now, he was faced with a very public confrontation with Madam Meiyin, a woman with the power to completely destroy life as he knew it.

The adrenaline that had started to ebb as his performance finished surged to life as he nodded to their guest. System, he thought. Any chance I can avoid this?

[Not unless Host wishes to raise the suspicions of everyone here. Additionally, this interaction will aid his completion of one of his optional quests.]

Which optional quest?

[Optional Quest: Loved Unto Destruction.]

Ominous, but he would not panic and run off. He knew where Binghe was. They could run if they needed to.

“Absolutely astounding performance, Sect Leader Shen,” the beautiful demon said with a bow. Then she raised and fixed red eyes on him. “Your allure was simply fiendish. If this humble one didn’t know better, she would think you had a little demonic powers yourself.”

Shen Yuan heard Liu Qingge start to growl something, so he hastily said, “This master is aware that Madam Meiyin is quite familiar with a number of alluring people indeed. Thank you for the compliment.”

Unfortunately, that made interest spark in her eyes. “Is that so? Well, perhaps Sect Leader Shen would not be opposed to this one being the final act of the evening? It was part of my explicit duties, actually, giving the Sect Leader his fortune in front of many people.”

“Really?” He asked, tone frosty. He wouldn’t take his eyes off the threat in front of him, but he was going to rip Yue Qingyuan a new one. “To what end?”

“Love, of course. It seems you have a number of people vying for affections. If I may?”

Shen Qingqiu steeled his fine and said, “You may.”

Madam Meiyin stepped forward and took his hand. Despite the gasps throughout the room, he let her and prayed Binghe stayed where he was.

Her hands were small, elegant, and warm. There was a spark of power, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t recoil. “Oh my,” she said, sounding surprised. Her voice traveled through the silent room and Shen Qingqiu was more than aware of all the eyes on him. He worked to appear unbothered.

“Is there something wrong, Madam Meiyin?”

She looked up at him and seemed to really look at him for the first time. Madam Meiyin’s husky yet playful voice started speaking lowly, almost as if to herself, “I have never seen someone as contradictory as you, Sect Leader Shen. Your very existence is salvation, but to love you is an act of destruction. People will destroy their minds, their lives, the world for you, for the chance of you loving them back. And in turn you would destroy yourself for love, even if it damned us all.

“You have two red strings of fate, one of them broken and frayed after years of pain, and another the strongest I have ever seen in my long years. And it leads to someone in this room, but that doesn’t surprise you, does it? Your love will be powerful enough to have anything in the world, but all they want is you.”

The room erupted into whispers and Shen Qingqiu paled. He didn’t react, he had mostly known all this, but feared the Peak Lords making a connection to the Demon Emperor who could master a sword of legend with his soulmate. The confirmation that he and Binghe were literally tied by fate was new, but also not his biggest concern at the moment. 

“But who could it be?” Madam Meiyin questioned. “Let’s find out.”

Another spark of power, stronger this time, traveled up his arm and he recoiled. She held on with surprising strength, saying “Don’t; it only works if I’m touching you.”

“What did you do?”

“Look at your hands.” Shen Qingqiu looked down and saw a red string tied around the finger on which he would have placed a wedding band in his first life. Slowly, inexorably, his gaze followed the filament to the short distance to his wide-eyed disciple. 

“Binghe?” Luo Binghe blinked, looked up at him, and grinned. He stepped forward into the empty space and approached Shen Qingqiu’s side.

“Shizun,” he said, nothing but the purest happiness in his tone. He came forward and, without any conscious thought, Shen Qingqiu reached for him with the hand connecting them. Their hands found each other and the string wrapped around their hands, holding them together.

The room was eerily silent. Binghe raised their brightly bound hands and boldly pressed a kiss to the back of Shen Qingqiu’s, eyes never leaving his.

Heat flashed through Shen Qingqiu and he hurriedly lowered their hands back to their sides. In an effort to look somewhere safe, he turned back to the other demon holding onto him, only to find that she was corpse-pale and staring at Binghe with unfocused eyes. “Madam Meiyin?” He said, voice with an edge now. “Is there something wrong?”

She visibly shook herself and said, “No! Not at all! Your soulmate truly is a talent unlike any I have ever seen, and he loves you more than life. It is rare to find true soulmates like this, and I wish you both the best.”

Madam Meiyin dropped their hands and bowed low to them. He let go of Binghe’s hand and it felt like there was a phantom resistance from the spell. Still, they released each other and Luo Binghe said, “Shizun, if this one could ask Madam Meiyin a question?”

“Go ahead.”

Luo Binghe turned a serious, commanding gaze to the now risen demon. “Madam Meiyin, this disciple is Luo Binghe and has come to understand throughout this evening that you are highly respected across realms. Were you coerced into attending this evening?”

Madam Meiyin seemed to relax at the line of questioning. “Yes. Yue Qingyuan threatened to kill those under my protection and in my heart if I did not attend this evening and read Sect Leader Shen’s fate. I was also meant to give him information about you, but I can simply tell that you will be an exceptionally powerful spiritual cultivator, stronger than even Yue Qingyuan, in the future.”

That was a lie, but Shen Qingqiu appreciated it. He stepped in, “Madam Meiyin, that was done without authorization and this master would like to question you further. Would you mind taking accommodations within the Sect this evening so we may speak privately tomorrow? My Head Disciple would make sure you were cared for.”

She bowed low to him again and said with clear reverence. “Yes and thank you, Sect Leader Shen.”

It was a level of deference reserved for a different title, but he wouldn’t say anything about it. “Yingying.” Ning Yingyin, always close at hand, stepped forward quickly with a bow. “Please see that our guest is comfortable and safe in Qing Jing this evening.”

“Yes, Shizun.”

The small young woman gently led the powerful demon away and the ever watching crowd watched them go. Shen Qingqiu barked out, “Yue Qingyuan.”

The crowd to his left parted with some whispers as Yue Qingyuan emerged from it rather than the Peak Lord seats behind him. He also felt a number of Peak Lords step to the forefront of the room, with the familiar signature of Liu Qingge at his back. Yue Qingyuan stopped in front of him and bowed. 

“Kneel.”

There were sharp gasps throughout the room, but Shen Qingqiu was beyond caring, so fucking angry and just done with this man.

Yue Qingyuan hesitated but did kneel before him. “Do you understand what you have done?”

“This master does not understand.”

“Then I will make it clear to you. Yue Qingyuan, I have warned you multiple times to leave my matters alone as they were not your business and that your attention made me uncomfortable. I have told you to get help letting go of your obsession with me, and with Luo Binghe. You coerced a demon who you yourself stated had done no harm into the heart of the largest cultivation Sect in order to pry further into our lives. You forced a demon to give out possibly sensitive information about your Sect Leader and one of the Sect’s disciples to satisfy your curiosity, betraying my trust and the trust of the Sect. And now you’re out of chances.

“Peak Lord Wei.” He stepped forward and bowed to Shen Qingqiu. “Confiscate his weapons, including Xuan Su.”

Yue Qingyuan paled. “What?”

“You are stripped of your position in my Cabinet as Foreign Minister. You are now on house arrest. You are not to leave Qiong Ding Peak until you have proven yourself reformed from your obsessive behaviors, as certified by Mu Qingfang, unless it is for the monthly Peak Lord meetings. Violation of my orders will result in you losing your position as Peak Lord and expulsion from the Sect. Will you comply, or do I need to find another Peak Lord for Qiong Ding Peak?”

Shen Qingqiu stared steadily down at him, numb and simply waiting for his answer.

Yue Qingyuan stared back disbelievingly, then he looked around. “Will no other Peak Lord contest this?”

Shang Qinghua stepped to Shen Qingqiu’s other side. “No. Your behavior has long been a disgrace. Bringing in a demon to specifically be used against our Sect Leader is beyond the pale. Be grateful you still breathe.”

“Shang-shidi,” Shen Qingqiu admonished coldly, “We mustn’t spill blood at our New Year Festival.”

“Of course. Sect Leader Shen is wise.”

Yue Qingyuan waited a minute more, staring at Shen Qingqiu, but he eventually pulled out his two swords and handed them to Wei Qingwei. “This Qingyuan accepts the Sect Leader’s judgment.”

“Peak Lord Qi.”

“Yes, Sect Leader Shen?” Qi Qingqi said, coming forward to be in his line of sight with a bow.

“Are you still interested in the position of Foreign Minister?”

Gasps rang out from around the room but Qi Qingqiu’s eyes burned with pleasure. “Yes, Sect Leader.”

“It is yours. We will set up a meeting to discuss your transition. The position for that of Finance Minister will remain open until the next Peak Lord meeting, with this master taking on the responsibilities in the meantime. Now, Yue Qingyuan, I think it would be best if you retired to your residence. Everyone else, please continue to enjoy the festivities.”

People just stared at him and he sighed. “This master is quite serious. The only one to suffer from this incident will be the one who caused it. There is no need to ruin the fun for everyone. Musicians!”

Their hired band, who had probably gotten fodder to last the local rumor mill for the next six months, scrambled to take their positions and begin playing. The crowd began to close around the open space of the makeshift area that had been cleared for performances, and the noise rose quickly.

Shen Qingqiu turned and walked away from Yue Qingyuan, Binghe and Airplane-bro at his side. The crowd closed behind them and Shen Qingqiu said, “Binghe?”

“Yes, Shizun.”

“Permission granted.”

“For…” Shen Qingqiu glanced at his soulmate and saw the moment he understood. A twisted grin stretched across his face and he said, “Thank you, my Shizun.”

That was mildly concerning, but also a problem for another day. He had had more than enough stress for a week.

[Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Optional Quest: Loved Unto Destruction is now COMPLETE! +1000 B-Points!]

…I’m so tired.

Chapter Text

“Binghe?”

Luo Binghe hummed in acknowledgement, focusing on finishing up brushing his A-Yuan’s hair for the night. The festival had kept them out late and he knew Shen Yuan especially was exhausted. He personally felt like he was still riding the high of having their status of soulmates confirmed in front of the entire Sect. Sure, he also took vicious pleasure in seeing Yue Qingyuan brought low and finally being given leave to kill him. Those things paled in comparison to the elation of seeing a red string connecting them, pulling them together due to Madam Meiyin’s magic. It had nothing on the feeling of fate binding their hands and Shen Yuan flustered by but accepting of Binghe’s very public claim on him, both by the spell and the presumption of kissing his hand. 

No one would be able to deny that Shen Yuan was his or that Luo Binghe was Shen Yuan’s, not after this night. And every part of him knew it, too. Even through the cracked seal, Luo Binghe could tell that his instincts were extremely happy with this turn of events, settled in a way they hadn’t been since the seal had cracked.

He knew Shen Yuan needed rest, however. He had been quiet and pensive for most of the evening after things had calmed, and he never made any indication that he wanted Binghe to leave his side. He had spoken politely with anyone who came up to speak with him, but it was obvious to those who knew him he was distracted, and Luo Binghe easily read his fatigue as the festival continued. They had left as soon as the firework display had ended, Binghe happily caring for him as much as possible but silently to give Shen Yuan time with his thoughts.

Maybe he was ready to share what had kept him so occupied for the evening.

“I’m tired,” he started, and he sounded like it. Luo Binghe frowned in concern towards the mirror, seeing Shen Yuan’s eyes lowered and brow furrowed. 

“I know, my love. I’m almost done,” Binghe answered soothingly as he picked up the last section of his hair.

“That’s not what I meant,” Shen Yuan said seriously and Luo Binghe froze, suddenly unsure.

He tried not to jump to conclusions. “Tell me, if you want, A-Yuan. I’m here.”

“I know. You always are. And, Binghe, I am so fucking tired of fighting that,” Shen Yuan said, voice suddenly watery as he lifted his hands to cover his face. 

Alarmed, he came around immediately and hugged him close. Shen Yuan leaned into him and shuddered. He wanted to say so, so many things, chief among them stop fighting then , but he didn’t want to push him when he already was clearly at a breaking point of some kind. Something was wrong, and he was asking Binghe to support him. He would do as he needed gladly. 

So he didn’t say a word. He just hummed and stroked his hair. After a moment, Shen Yuan took a shuddering breath and said, “Things could have gone poorly tonight. If Madam Meiyin had been a touch less or more circumspect in her words, if Yue Qingyuan had thought to question aloud why she would show such deference to us after meeting you, if Yue Qingyuan hadn’t so clearly messed up in front of the entire Sect…”

“But things worked out, A-Yuan,” Binghe soothed. “We’re okay.”

“I know. But it feels like we’re always just scraping by, fighting just to stay safe . Every day is so fucking hard and I just. I have to pick my battles. And I can’t fight you anymore. I can’t fight myself anymore.” Shen Yuan’s hands moved so that he was hugging Binghe’s midsection, face pressed against his torso.

Confused, Luo Binghe frowned and prompted, “A-Yuan?”

“Husband.”

Luo Binghe froze, heart stuttering in his chest before it began to race, almost as if to beat out of his chest in an effort to get closer to Shen Yuan. “Say that again,” he requested quietly.

“Husband.” Shen Yuan looked up and Luo Binghe read determination there. “I am tired of saying no to you when I don’t want to. I’m tired of fighting the fact that I don’t want you to leave, and acting like the mornings you aren’t here don’t make my days so much harder to get through. For all that it is necessary, I’m so tired of hiding that I am yours, and you are mine. And I’m tired of being tired.

“I love you. I would destroy myself for you. And if you wish for us to act as if we’re already married, then I won’t deny you because I want that, too. You call me husband, now I will do the same. If you don’t mind.”

Don’t mind? Don’t mind!?!?

Luo Binghe didn’t think. He just moved far enough away from Shen Yuan to be able to lean down and kiss him.

It felt like a long awaited reunion, a homecoming after an overlong trip away. Joy and such love filled Binghe, and he tried to make that apparent in his kiss. A-Yuan, his world, kissed him back with the same fervor, the same relief and surrender that Binghe offered, and it was perfect.

Still, Binghe knew he couldn’t get distracted. Meng Mo had hammered into his head nearly constantly for the past month and a half the dangers of his thoughts, let alone his actions. And, as soon as that thought occurred, he realized that despite Shen Yuan’s response he hadn’t actually asked for permission to kiss him the way he had all the previous times.

He pulled away, but Shen Yuan did not let him go far, hands on his shoulders and body stretching to meet him. “I’m sorry, A-Yuan,” he said lowly. “I didn’t ask.”

Shen Yuan blinked at him then smiled gently. “Sweetheart, you need not ask every time, not anymore. I know we must be careful of your seal, and even without it I would still be uncomfortable doing certain things with you. Still, I would very much like it if.” He paused, then his expression shuttered. He released him and forced himself to pull further back. “I mean. If you want to, I would not turn away any casual affection from you when we are alone.”

Luo Binghe narrowed his eyes at the sudden shift in his behavior, and how he, even in the moment, denied himself the ability to want. “Shen Yuan.”

He looked away and Binghe softened his tone. “A-Yuan. Do you want me to kiss you? Do you want to kiss me? I ask because I never want to do anything you do not want. I don’t want my love to be something you endure.”

Shen Yuan looked back at him, stricken. “That’s not how I feel about it.”

“How else am I supposed to interpret your words? When, outside of the dreamscape, I’ve always been the one to initiate a kiss?” He sighed and pressed a kiss to Shen Yuan’s forehead at the hurt on his face. “I know that’s not what you mean, but I won’t pretend that the idea doesn’t hurt. The idea that you would call me husband and then not feel safe enough to offer your own affection.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes searched his face then he sighed. “I’m sorry. Turns out deciding I was going to stop fighting what I want is harder than actually doing it. I want to be able to kiss you in greeting, to kiss you goodnight, or when I feel like it.”

“No need to apologize, my love,” Binghe said with a smile, elated. “You've already given me so much, and that you’re trying like this is more than I could have hoped.”

Shen Yuan frowned at him then said carefully. “I want. I like touching you and I love when we cuddle. You feel like home to me, and kissing you gives me the same feeling in an instant of being wrapped in a hug for a few minutes. I can hug my friends, but you’re the only one who makes me feel like that, the only one I want to kiss. I… I’m not making sense, am I?”

“I understand, husband,” Binghe said, pleased when Shen Yuan simply blushed at the word. “It’s not sexual to you most of the time. You want to kiss me because you love me and it makes you happy.”

Shen Yuan relaxed. “ Yes .”

“I feel the same. Yes,” he said with some amusement at Shen Yuan’s raised brow, “I also am extremely horny for you and if it weren’t for the issue of my seal I would be actively testing just how much you were comfortable with us doing. But I did not lie when I said that my lust for you is something I’m more than capable of handling on my own. I love you and your comfort and happiness is my first priority. I want to touch you, I want to wrap myself around you and never leave, just because being with you makes me happy. In no world would I deny your kisses just because they won’t lead to us dual cultivating.”

“Oh,” Shen Yuan said. Then he smiled. “Can I kiss you?”

“You never have to ask. My answer is yes.” Shen Yuan’s smile widened to something that made Luo Binghe’s heart fill with quiet wonder, then he gently pulled Binghe down into a soft, lingering kiss. 

When they separated, Shen Yuan asked, “Stay with me tonight?”

“Of course.” The resulting happiness on his A-Yuan’s face was absolutely priceless. “Just let me finish your hair, okay? Then we can sleep. I know you’ve had a long day.”

“Alright.”

It was the work of moments to finish Shen Yuan’s hair and Luo Binghe rejoiced to see that an absent smile on his husband's face in the mirror now. He couldn’t help but smile, too, and he wasn’t sure either of them stopped, even as they fell asleep holding each other close.

Luo Binghe woke up wrapped around Shen Yuan, pressed against his back with his arm over his waist and a hand pressed against his chest. In their sleep, his husband had taken to holding his hand in place, fingers overlapping and subconsciously clinging in a way that had never happened before. His morning arousal was nothing new, but he extracted himself to take care of it without waking Shen Yuan (though he had rolled over to hug Binghe’s pillow, which was adorable). 

When he returned to check on him before leaving to cook breakfast, Binghe took a moment to stare in awe at the sleeping man, heart overflowing and his instincts–freed from the suppression talisman for sleep–rumbled in possessive approval. While his instincts did not often speak to him clearly, they were a part of him that he had worked to understand better. He had come to expect persistent want and a primal need to protect Shen Yuan from them, but it seemed that the events from the night before had changed something important. Whether it was the public revelation that they were soulmates, Yue Qingyuan’s downfall, or the conversation he and Shen Yuan had last night, his instincts registered to Luo Binghe as… lazily satisfied. 

If there was ever a place within the Sect for Binghe to poke at his locked away instincts, it was here with the array activated. He felt Meng Mo’s watchful presence as he turned his attention more towards what he considered a neutral space in his mind, but he didn’t do anything to stop Luo Binghe as he carefully thought at his instincts, We are calm. What has changed?

The use of the plural pronoun felt at once odd and correct. His demonic instincts were not a separate being, but they were decidedly separate . They shared the same desires, the same motivations, yet there was a mutual lack of understanding. He doubted there would be any issues with mental dissonance when the seal was finally gone, but for now, internally, he was a we .

He felt his instincts become more conscious as they conveyed to him, Our mate has accepted our claim and rests safely in our bed.

Luo Binghe mentally frowned. He had accepted us before.

He accepted us, but not our claim. At Luo Binghe’s confusion, there was a shift that almost felt like his instincts had sighed. I have tried to understand my freedom would endanger him, but your lack of understanding makes it difficult to remember. Go think about it before I forget why I should not push for our integration now. Tend to our mate.

His instincts turned away from him, and Luo Binghe blinked back into focus to see Shen Yuan stirring. He walked forward and sat beside him, reaching out to gently brush away some hair that had covered his face. “A-Yuan? Are you awake?”

Shen Yuan groaned but his eyes began to creep open. “Binghe?”

“Who else?” he asked with some amusement.

“Time to get up already?” he asked drowsily as he turned into Luo Binghe’s touch. It was a kind of ease that Binghe had yet to really see from Shen Yuan, an open welcome that he hadn’t even known was missing.

“Not yet,” he said quietly. “I was just going to make breakfast.”

Shen Yuan pouted, actually pouted . “Not hungry. Come back to bed.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened as Shen Yuan pulled him gently back to bed. He wasn’t dumb enough to fight him, not when he reveled at him being like this and this was his favorite place in the world. Shen Yuan hugged him close and sighed happily as he relaxed against him.

Binghe petted his hair and held him close, and Shen Yuan’s breathing evened out into that of sleep in short order. He was still reeling at the shift in behavior when his instincts thought at him, Understand.

Yes, perhaps now he did.

He waited a few minutes, maybe a ke, before he carefully eased his way out of Shen Yuan’s hold. When he started to wake again, he kissed his forehead and said he would be back soon. His husband settled at that with a low sound and fell back into sleep.

Luo Binghe considered this as he went through the motions of getting dressed, disabling the containment array, and walking towards the kitchens. He was ecstatic that Shen Yuan felt comfortable enough to reach for him and that he wanted him so close. But how much had his love been holding back?

He remembered how Yuan-ge had woken beside him before he realized he wasn’t his husband: yawning and rubbing his eyes. Was the label of husband really that important to him to cause such a shift in behavior?

Those questions kept him occupied part way through whipping up some congee until Ning Yingying found him.

“Good morning, A-Jie.” She grinned at the greeting.

“Didi! How is Shizun this morning?”

“Well but tired. He was still asleep when I left.”

“Oh?” She gave him a significant look before reaching out and initiating the communication spell again. “When you left, hm?”

At Binghe’s slight blush, she giggled. “I’m teasing. If you’re both happy, then I am, too. Just don’t push him too hard, okay? And be careful with your seal.”

“I know, I know. But about that… Yingying, how feasible would it be for me to move back into the bamboo house full time?”

He stirred the congee while she thought about it. “I doubt anyone on Qing Jing would say anything. It’s obvious you’re both happier when you stay there and a lot of taboos around the disciple-master relationship fall to the wayside in the face of actual fate. Everyone saw Madam Meiyin’s spell, or at least were told of it. The issue wouldn’t so much be you moving in but Shizun’s insistence that he will not marry you until you’re older.”

Luo Binghe sighed, “Much older, unfortunately, with the Abyss and everything. I’ll ask him again. It’s not like what we do or don’t do will stop people from talking about us.”

“That’s true enough.”

He shook his head and looked at her. “Anything else happen last night? What do you think of Madam Meiyin?”

Ning Yingying’s expression became shrewd. “We can work with her. She knows exactly who you are and doesn’t want to piss you or Shizun off. I think she’ll be a good source of information about what is happening outside of the Sects and the upper echelons of demon politics. That’s good to have.”

Binghe smiled slyly at her. “You’ve already gotten her to agree, haven’t you?”

“Of course, A-Luo,” she said with a smile. “Who do you think I am? Now we just need Shizun to make it official.”

Talking to Ning Yingying made him feel better, and seeing Shen Yuan midway through getting dressed when he returned to the bamboo house lifted his spirits further. “Here, let me help.”

Shen Yuan huffed tiredly and weakly protested, “I can get dressed by myself, Binghe.”

“I know that. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to help,” he said, helping him into this final layer of robes. “Would you like me to do your hair before or after breakfast?”

Shen Yuan sighed but said, “After.”

They sat and tucked in. Their mornings together were often quiet as Shen Yuan slowly became fully awake and Luo Binghe left him to his thoughts. After a while, Shen Yuan paused and cleared his throat. “Um, sorry. For this morning. I only remember some of it, but I think I pulled you back to bed?”

Luo Binghe blinked at him. “A-Yuan, why are you apologizing for that?”

He blushed. “It was just. Rather…”

“Adorable?”

“...pathetic. What?”

“You were adorable. Very cute. You pouted at me, A-Yuan. It was amazing.” Shen Yuan buried his face in his hands and groaned. Then, because Binghe remembered he could, he leaned forward and kissed his temple. “Don’t be embarrassed, husband. I am honored I get to see you like that.”

“Ah! Let’s not talk about it anymore!” Shen Yuan lowered his face, causing some of his hair to fall forward like a dark curtain between them though his blush was still visible. 

Gods , Luo Binghe loved him.

“If you like. I did have something I wanted to ask you about.”

“Yes?”

“Would you be willing to reconsider my moving back into the bamboo house?” Shen Yuan turned to blink wide eyes at him, flush still covering his face prettily. “I was thinking and last night changed a lot. We went from not being subtle to being famously together. I kissed your hand while we were bound by fate, A-Yuan. I stay here nearly half the week anyway, and we’ll never be able to stop people from talking about that. And I sleep better here without the talisman and–”

“Yes.”

“-your nightmares haven’t been a… yes?”

“Yes, husband,” Shen Yuan said with a smile. “I told you I was done denying what we wanted, remember? I want you here for as long as I can have you. Move in.”

Luo Binghe got up and launched himself at him in a hug. “Thank you! Thank you! I love you, A-Yuan!”

He smiled at him, “I love you, too.” Then, slowly, he leaned in and kissed him lightly. “Good morning.”

Binghe grinned back at him. “Good morning.” There was a beat of them just smiling at each other before Binghe said, “Does that mean we can also get married so–”

“Don’t push it.”

Luo Binghe pulled away from where he was cuddled against Shen Yuan with a sigh when a knock sounded at the door. He sighed silently as he watched his husband put up his walls again, once again the Sect Leader that demanded respect. “Could you get the door, Binghe?” he asked quietly.

He squeezed his hand once gently then walked to the door, shaking off his more intimate mood as well. If it was who he thought it was, then he, too, needed to change his mindset. 

As he expected, Ning Yingying was waiting outside with Madam Meiyin, both women looking at him with some surprise. “A-Jie, Madam Meiyin. Please come in. Shizun is expecting you.”

He turned back to a composed Shen Yuan as Ning Yingying said, “Thanks, A-Luo. Good morning, Shizun.”

“Good morning,” Madam Meiyin said politely and Binghe saw her bow out of the corner of her eye.

“Good morning,” Shen Yuan replied, eyes sharp and assessing. “Yingying, the door, please. If everyone could please be seated.”

Yingying made sure the door was closed properly before coming to join them. Both women sat two small tables Shen Yuan had arranged to be set up for them before his desk. Binghe poured them both tea to Ning Yingying’s thanks and Madam Meiyin’s obvious discomfort. Then he took his place beside Shen Yuan as they had discussed for this particular conversation; there was no need to hide here.

Ning Yingying looked delighted at the seating arrangement and Madam Meiyin seemed to tense further. Luo Binghe looked at Shen Yuan and saw his eyes narrow. “Madam Meiyin, did you find your accommodations acceptable?”

“Yes, thanking… Sect Leader Shen for his hospitality. The room was comfortable and his disciples have been… surprisingly kind.” Madam Meiyin said, confusion laced through her tone.

“...if I may ask, why did you hesitate before saying my title?” Madam Meiyin glanced nervously at Ning Yingying and Shen Yuan said, “You may speak honestly in front of Yingying. She has our trust.”

“...This Meiyin is aware of Sect Leader Shen’s possible future titles in the demon realm but decided to use the one most applicable to this time.”

Shen Yuan nodded and said, “I had figured you would know who exactly Binghe was once you properly looked at him. Thank you for your discretion last night.”

Her red eyes flicked nervously to Luo Binghe then she bowed from her neck. “With all due respect, Sect Leader, this Meiyin is no fool. I have no desire to make an enemy out of you or your soulmate.”

“Indeed,” Shen Yuan said blandly.

Luo Binghe added, voice coldly satisfied, “It also served to turn Yue Qingyuan’s request against him and gave my Shizun room to publicly punish him.”

Her face lit up at his words, vindictive pleasure in her eyes. “He is truly being punished?”

“Yes,” Shen Yuan said, picking up his tea cup. “His weapons and position have been stripped from him and he is on house arrest. He will not be coming after you for retribution.

“It raises questions about how he knew to look for you specifically. I know Yingying has already asked you some questions about it, but I wanted to follow up with a few of my own. Madam Meiyin, how well known are your abilities?”

She frowned. “That is a difficult question to answer. In the demon realm, I am well known for my ability to tell the future, but I am unsure how much that translates to being able to see someone’s fate . Considering I mostly concern myself with my… charges, it is not surprising that people would seek me out specifically for matters related to sex and love. I sincerely doubt I am well known in human circles, otherwise I would be hounded day and night. It is part of why I generally prefer border areas; easy access to a sustainable food source with a degree of anonymity.”

“Your charges?” Yingying asked, voicing Luo Binghe’s own question.

“Succubi,” Shen Yuan answered. “I am assuming that Yue Qingyuan threatened them?”

Fury, grief, and hatred crossed her face before it disappeared in an instant. “Yes,” she hissed.

“...did he kill anyone?” Shen Yuan asked gently.

“Yes,” she said, clipped but there was still grief in her eyes before that was hidden away, too. “One of my girls, my A-Ming. She was late from returning to our den and we grew worried. Yue Qingyuan walked in presenting her head, threatening to do the same to everyone unless they either handed me over or I turned myself in. She had refused to tell him, but he had tracked us anyway. And his spiritual energy… I knew I couldn’t fight him, and didn’t want more of my family to suffer. 

“We made our deal: he left us alone and would not tell other cultivators where we were. In exchange, I would attend your celebration to read your fate to see if you were tied to anyone specifically, and to reveal any information I could on Luo Binghe. He said he suspected he was a demon, but did not give me more information than that.”

When she said nothing more for a few seconds, A-Yuan said gently, “My condolences. I know nothing can bring your family member back, but I would like for the Sect to compensate you for your loss and ill treatment.”

She stared at him, shocked. “Is Sect Leader Shen serious?”

“Quite. Is that not standard procedure for when harm is done?”

“Not between cultivators and demons.”

“Well,” he said, taking Binghe’s hand, “I am not the typical cultivator.”

She continued staring at him. Luo Binghe said lowly, “Is that any way to respond to your future empress, Madam Meiyin?”

She flinched and Ning Yingying gasped. Shen Yuan admonished, “Binghe, there’s no need for that.”

“I beg to differ, my love,” he said, intertwining their fingers and then resting their hands on the desk so they were clearly seen. “You are kind, and that is rare in this world for a reason. I know you are more than capable of violence; you did defeat Yue Qingyuan in combat to take your position, after all.”

Madam Meiyin paled at that, and Luo Binghe was pleased. He wasn’t sure how much of why Shen Yuan was Sect Leader had become widely known, but he needed his future subjects to respect his strength on his own merits. Now was as good a time to start as any.

He continued, “People, especially demons , will mistake your kindness for weakness. You know I will gladly kill any who threaten or disparage you, but I know that would upset you if it happened too much. If people respect you, then I won’t have to kill as many people.”

Huh , Meng Mo said to him. So you were paying attention to my lectures .

Shen Yuan huffed but squeezed his hand gently. “Very well, but I would rather not alienate people who can be our allies.”

He looked back at Madam Meiyin who saw the attention and moved to kowtow to him. “Thanking Sect Leader Shen for his generosity. This Meiyin will remember and is at the Sect Leader’s service.”

“Rise,” Shen Yuan said gently and she did. “We have other things to discuss. Tell me everything he said about Binghe.”

She did, and then proceeded to answer all of Shen Yuan’s questions. In the end, they did not have much to go on. Yue Qingyuan had not been inclined to talk with his captive, though Madam Meiyin did offer what insights she had observed. He had relied on his threat being enough to keep her from taking her suspected-fellow demon’s side, and had often slipped into referring to Shen Yuan as “Xiao-Jiu” when distracted. He had asked her if she was capable of restoring lost memories, a question that had Shen Yuan tensing in alarm. She had told him no.

When Shen Yuan asked the general region Yue Qingyuan had found her in, Madam Meiyin had answered with a large town that was in Huan Hua Palace’s territory, though close to the border area with the demon realm. She didn’t know how exactly they were discovered or it was revealed she was with her succubi, stating that her family was always wary of drawing the attention of cultivators, particularly from large Sects. 

None of the information she gave them was comforting, but Madam Meiyin offered to do her best to learn more and keep in touch. She wanted to figure out who had given her away more than they did.

As their meeting concluded, Madam Meiyin stood with a contemplative Ning Yingying. She bowed low to both Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe. When she rose, she said, “Thank you both for your assistance and listening. There is much still in motion, but I will say that you are on the right path to achieve your goals. There will be difficult times, but your bond is strong. Rely on it, on each other, and everything will work out. I wish you well, and will be in touch through Ning Yingying.”

Madam Meiyin bowed to them once more and left. Ning Yingying nodded to them with a smile and followed, closing the door behind her. 

Shen Yuan slouched suddenly with a sigh. He drained the rest of his tea and said, “What a mess.”

“It could be worse, A-Yuan,” he soothed.

“Yeah. I guess we have to take it, right?”

Binghe hummed, then a thought occurred. “Did it bother you? Me, acting a little…”

“Bloodthirsty?” Shen Yuan turned to look at him with a frown. “No. I’ll defer to you in situations of demon politics unless I’m absolutely sure something is wrong. And, sweetheart, you’ve said that you would destroy the entire world if I died. Did you think I would be put off by you speaking of killing someone if they disrespected me? You’ve been asking me for months if you could kill one of my colleagues, and I know what you’re capable of. I’m still here. Besides, I kind of…”

Luo Binghe leaned towards him with interest at the blush on his face. “Yes?”

“...I liked how you stood up for me,” he admitted. “I liked that you were by my side for this. And I think being your empress will be a much better experience than being Sect Leader.”

Binghe grinned at him and couldn’t help leaning closer still to kiss his pink cheek. “I look forward to it. You won’t have to be alone in power; you’ll be my equal, always.”

Shen Yuan smiled, hesitated, then turned to kiss Luo Binghe’s lips. It was chaste, but it still made his heart leap in joy. “I can’t wait, husband.”

Luo Binghe had no choice but to kiss him again. They still had a lot to work through and prepare for, but it was moments like these they were fighting for, an entire future full of them. Binghe never doubted that it was worth it.

With Yue Qingyuan handled and no other major event he had to worry about until the Immortal Alliance Conference, Shen Qingqiu found himself with time to actually get things done .

The New Year Festival itself did not come without consequences. A number of Sects wrote in about the rumors they heard of Yue Qingyuan’s demotion and his courtesy to a demon , to which Shen Qingqiu responded with a resounding, “And?” He understood now the power that Cang Qiong held as a Sect, and knew that very few could actually impact that power in the short term. If he could lead by example in what justice should look like, then he knew a number of Sects would follow suit to avoid angering him. That, combined with his appointment of Qi Qingqi to the position of Foriegn Minister, signaled that him being Sect Leader was far from a nominal change in leadership for the Sect to others. Reactions were mixed, but favorable enough according to his sources (Qi Qingqi, Shang Qinghua, and Ning Yingying) that Shen Qingqiu was not worried about significant backlash. The most trouble seemed to be encouraged by Huan Hua Palace, which was an annoying but temporary hassle.

Tianlang-Jun would seek his revenge soon enough, after all. 

They had yet to find a suitable replacement for Qi Qingqi as Finance Minister (a lot of Peak Lords being only willing to approve the changes to Sect administration as long as it did not affect them), but it was one of the simpler jobs for Shen Qingqiu to reintegrate into his daily tasks. Soon enough, with everyone in place, he finally got a hold on his workload as Sect Leader. About two months into the New Year, he was able to begin teaching a few classes again. While a good amount of work around handling Qing Jing Peak itself and the overall curriculum (with his approval) was handled by his staff and Yingying, being back in the classroom felt like a return to normalcy. 

He had been consulting with Zhao Qingchen under an oath of secrecy around the information he needed about arrays and talismans. The Peak Lord had been alarmed by the specificity of his requests, but it only took a month into the New Year for her to finally approve of his plan for releasing the trapped souls anchoring Tianlang-Jun’s prison array (not that she knew that last detail). 

She had further questioned the talisman designs he had been working on since the time travel incident, and he had begrudgingly told her they for the Immortal Alliance Conference. The most he would say was there was an event he could not prevent, only mitigate, and the talismans were his solution to a no-win scenario. Peak Lord Zhao always entered and left consultations with him stressed, but she was bound by her oath and did what she could to help.

Shen Qingqiu had met with Song Qingyue to be sure the man would not pose a problem to his and Binghe’s plans by knowing too much about Xin Mo. While it was clear he was no threat to them after the first meeting, Shen Qingqiu began meeting with him fairly regularly. While this was partially to ensure he never stumbled across any dangerous information, it also was because Song Qingyue was the first person he had found to share his fascination with demonic flora and fauna. And once Shen Qingqiu had expressed any measure of interest in his work, the Peak Lord had nearly leaped at the chance to talk his ear off about it. 

In the months following the New Year Festival, Peak Lord Song had taken to setting up meetings with him to discuss his latest research, ostensibly about possible candidates for the future demonic emperor, but really to just have one of his peers listen to him. He was obviously encouraged by how he had handled the situation with Madam Meiyin and became more open about wanting to spend more time with him. Shen Qingqiu somewhat pitied him, seeing him as kind but socially inept, and was sure to indulge his discussions probably longer than he should have. It wasn’t a hardship, really, but he had a lot of other things to do. Still, he put Peak Lord Song on a special research mission to learn about the Endless Abyss, thinking it wouldn’t hurt if he could turn the knowledge over to Binghe to study in his spare time.

Luo Binghe was initially happy to hear that he was making a new friend, but that quickly changed after he had walked in on one of their meetings to drop off a snack (read: sneak a kiss in the middle of the day if he had been alone). He said that he hadn’t liked the way Song Qingyue looked at Shen Qingqiu, and how he talked about demons in an academic way was borderline creepy. Shen Qingqiu considered this the next time he spoke to Song Qingyue and thought he did speak about demons in a rather… detached way, but he didn’t see anything particularly alarming about that or how he looked at Shen Qingqiu. He did remain wary of him, just in case, and indulged his tangents less frequently when they were together. After all, he wasn’t about  to ignore the Protagonist’s instincts!

Things had been a little weird with Liu Qingge after the Festival. Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure what exactly had been the issue, but it had just been a feeling. His attempt to ask had come out as a joke about whether the Peak Lord was still mad he had sent Madam Meiyin after him as a distraction during the celebration. Liu Qingge denied it and then denied that anything was wrong before asking to spar with him soon. Shen Qingqiu had let it go, unwilling to push too much on their newly-repaired relationship, and things had gone back to normal soon enough. Binghe had even started returning from training sessions with his Defense Minister less bruised, though he was unsure if that was a sign of Liu Qingge laying off him or Binghe himself getting better.

Qi Qingqi had taken to the role of Foriegn Minister with gusto, prideful in her position but painstakingly professional. Her martial ability was nothing to scoff at and she had had to prove it to more than a few arrogant men. When he had offered to answer the insult to the Sect, she had simply smirked and said it was handled. They had also received transfer applications from a number of adult disciples from other Sects who were women, apparently encouraged by Qi Qingqi’s position and seeking a Sect where they could be valued as people rather than potential spouses. Shen Qingqiu handed those applications off to Qi Qingqi, knowing the woman was eager to accept more women into the Sect but would still be wary of any saboteurs. 

Shen Qingqiu told her to bring in as many as she liked as long as they could find positions for them. And there were plenty of positions available as he had proposed at the second Peak Lord meeting of the year the implementation of a Sect-wide curriculum for all incoming disciples, with an emphasis on basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. Not everyone needed to be able to quote the classics, but Shen Qingqiu did want them aware enough to be able to perform a number of professional positions once they left the Sect. It was still in the early stages of production, but getting teachers who could also aid in training disciples in their martial abilities would be ideal. He hoped a number of transferring disciples would be interested in the role.

Shen Qingqiu had continued seeing Mu Qingfang regularly and frequently for therapy. The man had wanted to talk about Madam Meiyin’s words (particularly the “destroy the world for you” and “you would destroy yourself even if it damned us all” bits) and his feelings around the confirmation that Luo Binghe was his soulmate. As time went on, Mu Qingfang eventually reduced their sessions back to twice a week, helping him find an emotional balance to everything and providing him with a non-judgemental sounding board. He never hid his concern for what all was on Shen Qingqiu’s plate, but he made sure to never push him too far, and Shen Qingqiu appreciated him for it.

Outside of his personal therapy, he had taken issue with needing to clear Yue Qingyuan for returning to duties. He had a personal dislike of the man and knew he wouldn’t be able to provide the care he needed, but also there was no one else he could talk to that would have the ability to both not be intimidated by him and keep the Sect’s best interests in mind. When Shen Qingqiu had suggested he give Yue Qingyuan time to himself to reflect and that there was no rush to return him to active duties, Mu Qingfang had a considerate look on his face and said he would think about it. In the intervening two months, he had only reported giving Yue Qingyuan journaling prompts and meditation assignments, but there was no sign of him being ready to leave house arrest anytime soon.

Yue Qingyuan had attended the monthly Peak Lord meetings, but he had largely stayed silent and people treated him with noticeable distance. Shen Qingqiu knew that isolating him probably wasn’t the best move, but he couldn’t bring himself to really care. Ning Yingying had confessed that she had put in motion a plan to make sure the Qiong Ding Peak Lord remained unthreatening, but hadn’t provided details that Shen Qingqiu hadn’t asked for. He trusted the capabilities of his Head Disciple and wanted nothing to do with Yue Qingyuan; it was a win-win as far as he was concerned.

Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe, and Shang Qinghua had managed to make their regular monthly trips outside of the Sect to visit Tianlang-Jun, Zhuzhi-Lang, and (in Qinghua’s case) Mobei-Jun. Shen Qingqiu’s in-laws had found the entire development with Madam Meiyin fascinating and Tianlang-Jun had once again asked Shen Qingqiu to marry Binghe informally. He had declined, but his protests were starting to become weaker and weaker, the justifications sounding thin now even to himself. It had started to become a running joke from Tianlang-Jun, asking in a number of ways about Shen Qingqiu marrying Luo Binghe before he entered the Abyss. Zhuzhi-Lang and Binghe took pity on him and directed Shen Qingqiu to answer other questions, but it remained a looming issue even as progress was made in other areas.

The situation with Shang Qinghua continued to develop. Their friendship was strong and his fellow transmigrator was effusively grateful when Shen Qingqiu’s proposal for dedicated annual vacation time for Peak Lords went through. The man spent as much time as he could get away with in Mobei-Jun’s realm. On one hand, he was happy to be welcomed by his lord and the staff, pleased to just be around the man of his literal dreams. On the other, he was getting increasingly frustrated by the ice demon’s lack of response to his amorous advances. It had gotten to the point he was questioning if Mobei-Jun was really courting him, and Shen Qingqiu had half a mind to step in and say something soon. He needed to speak to Mobei-Jun soon enough but… he decided to wait another few weeks in case the taciturn man suddenly reached a breaking point without his interference. 

Besides, they had other things to worry about.

They had finally reached the testing stage of their homemade explosives. The last trip to see Tianlang-Jun involved Shen Qingqiu surveying the land around the anchor to best plan out the rather complex array necessary for releasing the trapped souls. It also had given him time to thoroughly examine the monument itself. He made sure not to touch it, but he did what he could to measure its dimensions and determine its geological properties. He adjusted his calculations accordingly, leaning towards being more destructive than less. Tianlang-Jun’s prison was deep enough in the mountain and far enough away from the anchor that he no longer feared rock slides trapping him inside. Tianlang-Jun also had started concentrating the demonic energy that leaked from him into the rock, crushing him, planning on blowing it apart the second the arrays were weak enough. He seemed unconcerned of the damage that would cause, so Shen Qingqiu didn’t worry too much about his own. 

…Maybe that was a mistake.

Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua had traveled to a remote location where Shang Qinghua said there were significant deposits of hard stone around that would be similar to that of the anchor for them to test on. Binghe had been worried, but Shen Qingqiu had done his best to reassure him there was nothing to worry about. When that hadn’t worked, he had brought Shang Qinghua in to convince him.

The results for the first test on a significantly sized boulder shook the ground, and Shen Qingqiu was happy they had taken cover around a cliff. Even at the distance they had stood, the blast would have thrown them back into the rock walls around them.

Shang Qinghua was the first to peek around and look at the results.

“Bro.”

“Hm?”

“We’re not doing that again.”

Shen Qingqiu finished brushing himself off and finally moved to survey the wreckage.

And it was a wreck. The boulder had been reduced to pieces flung across the area, and a small crater appeared where the bomb had been set.

“Too much?”

“You think!?”

“Well we haven’t done any tests on whether spiritual energy and demonic energy will amplify or reduce the reaction.”

“Cucumber-bro.”

“I think we should do another test.”

“Bro.”

“What?”

Shang Qinghua sighed. “Fine. One more test. And we’re standing further back next time.”

“Great!”

“Just… please never become evil? Or if you do, tell me so I can join you.”

“...Okay?”

In any case, their first test was a success. Now it was time to modify their formula and do some experiments with demonic energy. They would need Zhuzhi-Lang for that as Binghe was no longer an option.

And speaking of Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu found himself nearly blindingly happy with their relationship. Luo Binghe had moved back into the bamboo house with little fanfare. The change had probably helped his mood a fair bit; being around Binghe just made him feel settled. He also basked in the ability to touch him when he wanted, the outpour of affection a balm for his frayed nerves. After the stress of the last few months, it felt like exactly what he needed. The fact that Binghe felt the same made it all the sweeter. 

Of course, there was the ever-present issue of Binghe’s seal breaking and the open affection could lead to some… heated moments. As most of their… make out sessions happened after they had prepared for bed, they had agreed upon a system to help keep things in check.

Luo Binghe was welcome to sleep beside Shen Qingqiu but only if they kept things chaste. If things started to edge towards something that could lead to his seal cracking further, he needed to sleep in the side room.

It was a precarious balance, but they managed it, and most nights Shen Qingqiu slept in Luo Binghe’s loving embrace. It was amazing.

And Shen Qingqiu did his best to not think about just how temporary it was.

Luo Binghe was suspicious of the couple dozen disciples from Huan Hua Palace that arrived at Cang Qiong Sect as part of the disciple exchange initiated by Ning Yingying. The disciples, a good mix of ages and genders, were looking at everything on Qing Jing curiously after a number of disciples from different Peaks had come to welcome them into the Sect. Shen Yuan had thought that being greeted by their peers would have set the visiting disciples at ease, and it seemed he was correct. At least half of the visitors dressed in yellow robes were making conversation with Cang Qiong disciples and no one looked particularly disgruntled.

Luo Binghe had opted to remain with Shen Yuan. He was not participating in the exchange and was somewhere between alarmed and irritated that the Huan Hua Palace Master had asked after him specifically. As Shen Yuan (via first Yue Qingyuan and later Qi Qingqi) made it clear that all participants had to volunteer, he was not going to be forced to attend. The Palace Master himself did not make the trip, though one of the male teachers from Huan Hua did accompany the youths. 

The primary authority for the travelers seemed to be the Huan Hua Head Disciple, Gongyi Xiao. Ning Yingying, who had gone down to meet the disciples, was speaking to him with a smile on his face. The… acceptable looking young man had a golden sigil on his belt indicating his status and he was responding kindly to Yingying, though he also appeared distracted. As soon as Shen Yuan came into view with Qi Qingqi and a couple of other Peak Lords, it was clear as to why.

He couldn’t help narrowing his eyes at the other boy, observing him closely from the side as he in turn looked at Luo Binghe’s husband with admiration. While Shen Yuan spoke of creating new ties and fostering a cooperative learning environment, Binghe sized up Gongyi Xiao and decided he didn’t like him.

He would have to make sure his A-Yuan was not pestered by the likes of him.

Shen Yuan finished off his welcome with, “This master is sure each of you is aware of the roles of Cang Qiong Sect’s different Peaks. As agreed upon, you may choose which Peak you will reside on for the next week, with the exceptions of Wan Jian and Ku Xing. Additionally, Xian Shu is only open to young ladies. Are there any questions?”

Huan Hua disciples looked at each other for a moment before Gongyi Xiao bowed to him and said, “No, Sect Leader Shen. This disciple would just like to express our collective gratitude for the opportunity and Cang Qiong’s hospitality.”

The rest of the disciples bowed with him and Shen Yuan smiled behind his fan. “Rise. It is our pleasure. Please, find the disciples or Peak Lord of the Peak you wish to stay on. And have a wonderful week.”

They bowed again to him and most of the group separated into their own interests. Luo Binghe had a moment to feel pity for the two that went with Liu Qingge to Bai Zhan, but he quickly put that out of his mind to deal with the situation in front of him.

Five disciples had elected to stay on Qing Jing Peak. Gongyi Xiao was one of them.

Shen Yuan stepped forward. “Welcome to Qing Jing Peak. Head Disciple Gongyi Xiao, it is good to see you again. Perhaps the other disciples would like to introduce themselves?”

The disciples went through and Luo Binghe absently noted their names, mostly concerned with catching Shen Yuan’s reactions to see if he knew anything about them from the other timelines. The only one that made him react was a quiet girl named Qin Wanyue. She was pretty, and that fact in combination with Shen Yuan’s reaction told Luo Binghe everything he needed to know.

He would be careful to stay away from her. While he had proven a hundred-fold that he was not the Luo Binghe who had a ridiculous harem, there was no need to give his A-Yuan even a moment of pause.

He had other things to worry about. Namely that Gongyi Xiao was apparently flattered that Shen Yuan remembered him months after meeting him.

After they were done introducing themselves, Shen Yuan said, “It is nice to meet you all. This master hopes your stay here is informative. This master teaches rarely now due to my duties as Sect Leader, but trusts his most advanced disciples to make sure each person attends the classes best suited for them. If you three would introduce yourselves, again in your case, Yingying?”

Ning Yingying stepped up to Shen Yuan’s side, with Ming Fan beside her and Luo Binghe on Shen Yuan’s other side. She began.

“Hello again! You know my name is Ning Yingying and I am the Head Disciple of Qing Jing, as well as the Heir to Shizun’s position. I am so happy to see you all. You may call me Disciple Ning, but everyone simply calls me shijie! If you need anything, just let me know, okay? A-Fan?”

Luo Binghe heard Ming Fan sigh, but he said, “My name is Ming Fan. I am the second-ranked disciple of Qing Jing Peak. I act as Shizun’s secretary when I am not in training or class. If anyone would like to schedule a meeting with Shizun this week, they must go through me.”

Well that left him. “My name is Luo Binghe.” He suddenly had everyone’s rapt attention, so he figured that it was common knowledge now that he was Shen Yuan’s soulmate. “I am Shizun’s personal attendant and third-ranked disciple.”

Shen Yuan seemed to relax a little when he left it at that, which both pleased him and made him want to add on something that would rile his mate in the cutest way. He would wait.

“Excellent. I will leave you to your work. Hopefully I will see some of you in my classes this week.” Shen Yuan left and they bowed him away. Luo Binghe watched him go, admiring the shine of his hair, before he turned back to the foreign disciples. A few of them were still staring at him.

Once he was sure Shen Yuan was far enough away, he added with hard eyes, “Shizun is also my soulmate. If you have any weird ideas about that, keep them to yourself. I am pursuing him, and us being soulmates was confirmed by a seer at New Year. All disciples of Qing Jing, but especially me, see that he is healthy and taken care of. If you need something, don’t go to him; ask one of us first. He has more than enough to worry about.”

Ning Yingying cleared her throat with a smile, just as they had discussed with Ming Fan beforehand. “What A-Luo is saying is that Shizun has faced many difficulties these past months. We all are just as protective of him as he is of us. A-Luo is a special case, of course, but we all do what we can to make sure everything runs smoothly. Speaking of which, let us get you assigned to your classes, hm?”

As expected, the visiting disciples responded more favorably to Ning Yingying’s attitude and were thus more likely to seek her out for conversation. This was exactly what they (meaning Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying but Ming Fan had been informed) had planned as she would know best what to do with any information they passed off. The one exception to this was Gongyi Xiao, who gave Luo Binghe a considering look that he didn’t like. He met his gaze evenly. 

While most of the disciples who had traveled were in the older age range, many were put in intermediate classes. Huan Hua didn’t focus specifically on the scholarly arts, so the only one Yingying thought would feel comfortable in classes with the older disciples was Gongyi Xiao. 

Luo Binghe shrugged this off and went about his tasks. After two days, he begrudgingly admitted that, try as he might, he couldn’t find anything wrong with Gongyi Xiao. He was good natured and humble when appropriate. While no expert, he was well read and approached things with a charming curiosity. If Binghe wasn’t convinced that he was romantically interested in Shen Yuan, he could have seen himself becoming friends with him.

Unfortunately, he very much was interested in Shen Yuan. He even had gone so far as to schedule a private meeting with him on the third day when Luo Binghe was scheduled to train with Liu Qingge on Bai Zhan. 

Binghe, now on friendly terms with most of Bai Zhan’s disciples, warned them he was in a bad mood before they started the now-routine onslaught of matches before he trained with Liu Qingge. The two Huan Hua disciples who had chosen to stay on Bai Zhan seemed confused but interested in this development, and were added to his roster.

He defeated each of them in record time, to the mild teasing of the familiar disciples and outright shock of the visitors. Liu Qingge had gone so far as to ask if there was something wrong as he drew Cheng Luan. Binghe simply responded, “Some people don’t know their place.”

The training session left him bruised but feeling much calmer about the entire thing. Gongyi Xiao was in line to lead Huan Hua Palace, and very well could end up taking over after his father killed the Palace Master. It would be good if he liked Shen Yuan and was more amenable to being influenced by him, particularly while Luo Binghe was in the Endless Abyss. Besides, he knew Shen Yuan was far from interested in the other young man. He likely hadn’t even noticed that Gongyi Xiao’s gaze on him was just a little too adoring.

Logic and trust in Shen Yuan did nothing to calm his possessive urges. He would live with Gongyi Xiao being the latest man to fall to Shen Yuan’s charms, but he didn’t have to like it.

Luo Binghe started spending a lot of nights in the spare bedroom.

He had done his best to avoid the Huan Hua head disciple. Luo Binghe over the days had spoken kindly with nearly all the visiting disciples, wanting to be distant but not outright mean or dismissive to them, but dodged Gongyi Xiao’s overtures or sent a significant glance at Ning Yingying to get her to interfere. His A-Jie was amused at his misplaced jealousy but indulged him, right up until she didn’t.

“Disciple Luo!” Gongyi Xiao called out to him on the fifth day of the exchange. They were on the practice field as a collective Peak doing drills as Shen Yuan looked on, taking a short break from his paperwork to check on his disciples' martial progress. Luo Binghe, as he preferred, was overseeing disciple spars while Ming Fan led the general drills and Ning Yingying worked on the fundamentals with the younger disciples. They were expecting a few more disciples to join during the upcoming annual selection, and she worked to make sure a good portion of her group was ready to join with the rest of the Peak soon. 

Luo Binghe kept a close eye on his martial siblings as he answered him. “Head Disciple Gongyi? Do you need something?”

“Perhaps,” the other young man hedged. He had been leading the Huan Hua disciples in their sword drills, but they had all gaped at the organization of Qing Jing. “I was hoping you would be interested in a friendly spar? I have heard of your martial prowess from my fellow disciples and wished to test my strength against you.”

…Luo Binghe wasn’t completely sure he could fight him and not injure him. “I am in the middle of supervising my martial siblings.”

“Ah-”

“Luo-shixiong?” He looked towards one of his older shimei who had paused her match. Sharp-eyed Disciple Ye said, “This shimei believes we would benefit from seeing Luo-shixiong in action. It has been a long while since we had the privilege.”

Others echoed her as all the matches stopped at the prospect of seeing Luo Binghe fight, which was both flattering and frustrating. It also drew Shen Yuan’s attention. “What’s this?” he asked, gaze lighting with interest over his fan as he walked over to them.

Gongyi Xiao and Luo Binghe bowed to him. “Shizun.”

“Sect Leader Shen! This disciple was just asking Disciple Luo if he would be interested in a spar? A few of the Sect Leader’s own disciples have expressed a desire to see such a thing.”

“Hm,” Shen Yuan said before looking solidly at Binghe. His voice softened slightly, as it always did when he spoke to him, as he said, “Binghe? Do you wish to spar Gongyi-gongzi?”

…he could show off for Shen Yuan. That was appealing. “Would Shizun wish to see this disciple spar?”

Shen Yuan huffed and tapped his head lightly with his fan, but he knew the amused curve of his lips. “Insolent.”

“This disciple was wrong, Shizun.”

“Just answer the question.”

Luo Binghe looked at Gongyi Xiao again and saw him watching their interaction closely. “I would not be opposed.”

“Very well. I will judge the match.” Shen Yuan stepped back and there was an excited wave of murmurs from the other disciples. As Luo Binghe and Gongyi Xiao went to stand across from one another, Shen Yuan called, “Are any of you going to be able to focus on your work while this happens?”

Luo Binghe turned and saw pretty much the entire Peak blatantly ignoring their drills to look at them. No one answered, but there were a good number of bows to him in apology. “ Fine . Everyone may watch, but you’ll be doing laps around the Peak for your lack of focus.”

“Yes, Shizun,” the disciples chorused before abandoning pretense and coming over to watch them.

“Give them room,” Shen Yuan ordered and the circle of disciples around them widened. “Best three of five. No talismans or arrays. This is a spar, and I will be cross if either of you seriously injures the other, understand?”

At their nods, he said, “Begin.”

They bowed to each other, then the match was on.

Luo Binghe knew he had the advantage, and went at him like he was Liu Qingge.

He rushed him in a feint then came around to his side. Gongyi Xiao didn’t fall for the feint, but he wasn’t expecting him to. The point was to put him off balance so that when their swords met he would be overwhelmed. 

It worked. Luo Binghe transitioned into a series of swipes that had Gongyi Xiao on the defensive, barely keeping up with him. But he was keeping up.

Hm. Interesting. 

He went to sweep his legs from under him, which Gongyi Xiao had to jump over. He tried to slash down at him but Binghe had anticipated that, parrying his blow and bringing up Zheng Yang in a reverse grip to rest against the other boy’s neck.

“Point to Qing Jing. Reset.”

The crowd around them rumbled excitedly but kept their peace. Luo Binghe walked calmly back to his starting position. Gongyi Xiao was staring at him with wide eyes and his chest visibly rose and fell from exertion, but he also made himself ready for the next round.

“Begin.”

Gongyi Xiao rushed him, but Luo Binghe was used to that. The other young man was just a bit taller than him, but Binghe was wider and stronger, and just as fast. He let him come before side stepping his charge and tripping him. Gongyi Xiao recovered fast enough to not lose immediately, but he soon enough found himself on his back with Zheng Yang pointed at his heart.

“Point to Qing Jing. Reset.”

Luo Binghe offered his hand to Gongyi Xiao and he took it, rising to his feet. “Disciple Luo is quite skilled!”

“Thank you,” he responded before taking his position again.

This had gone on long enough. He didn’t want to give Huan Hua too much information about how he fought, and he thought he had made his point.

Time to end this.

“Begin.”

Luo Binghe channeled his qi into his limbs as Liu Qingge had taught him and moved . Gongyi Xiao attempted to block him, but he had him disarmed within five moves.

No one made a sound for a moment, but then Shen Yuan cleared his throat and said, “Match to Qing Jing.”

The other Qing Jing disciples cheered and Luo Binghe smiled at them bashfully. Shen Yuan came up to them and patted Binghe on the head. “Good job, Binghe. I’m proud of you and how far you’ve come.”

He beamed back at him. “Thanking Shizun!”

Then, to his surprise, Shen Yuan turned to Gongyi Xiao with a smile. “Good show, Gongyi-gongzi. You displayed a great deal of skill as well. I am sure you have a promising future ahead of you.”

The other disciple blushed. “Ah, thanking Sect Leader Shen for his kindness.”

“It is not kindness, simply fact. Our Binghe is an exceptionally talented swordsman. That you lasted so long speaks to your skill as well. Just because you are not a genius does not mean you are not great.” 

Luo Binghe wanted to scowl at this, but Shen Yuan patted his head once more, eyes on Ming Fan. “Ah, it seems I have a meeting to attend. Keep practicing and don’t forget those laps!”

“Yes, Shizun!”

Shen Yuan shot Binghe a small, secret smile behind his fan before he strode off towards his office. Despite their Shizun’s order, it took a while for the disciples to calm down from the excitement, but they got there eventually (running laps did end up helping with that).

Before they broke for the day and Luo Binghe retreated to wash up and begin cooking dinner, Gongyi Xiao approached him again. “That was truly amazing, Disciple Luo. Thank you for indulging in a spar with me.”

“It was no trouble,” Luo Binghe answered. “I hope you learned what you wanted to know.”

“If you don’t mind…” Binghe raised his eyebrows at him and Gongyi Xiao smiled sheepishly. It was annoyingly disarming. “How have you managed to be so strong?”

He shrugged. “Right motivation, perhaps. I plan on courting my Shizun the moment he allows me to when I turn eighteen. I wouldn’t exactly be able to do that if I was not as strong as possible for my age. Soulmate or not, he deserves the best, and that is what I set out to become.”

“Ah, so. That is serious, then?”

Luo Binghe narrowed his eyes at him. “Extremely. Shen Qingqiu is strong, brilliant, kind, and mine , no matter who happens to fall victim to his unwitting charms. Do you understand?”

“Didi!” Ning Yingying called, startling him as she ran into his side with a hug. “Ah, Gongyi-gongzi, is my didi being mean to you? Your match against him really was quite impressive, but you shouldn’t feel bad about losing!”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Gongyi Xiao laughed it off and Luo Binghe wanted to hate him for how likable he was. “We were just talking. But I interrupted his previously planned task. Good evening.” He bowed to them both before trailing after his disciple siblings.

Once he was out of earshot, Yingying hit Luo Binghe’s head. “Ow. A-Jie!”

“Stop intimidating him, A-Luo! We have to play nice, remember?”

“I did play nice! He’s the one who wanted to spar!”

“You couldn’t have let him get one point? For diplomacy’s sake?”

“No.”

Ning Yingying sighed, but Luo Binghe was unrepentant. He figured he had made his point.

(It certainly didn’t help that Shen Yuan greeted him with a hungry kiss that evening. Food forgotten, Luo Binghe had pressed him against the floor until they were both gasping, Shen Yuan answering his inquiry of did you like seeing me fight for you with a breathless yes! No, Luo Binghe did not regret his actions in the slightest.)

Gongyi Xiao seemed to back off from Shen Yuan for the week, so he was grateful the exchange passed without further incident on Qing Jing Peak. There were no major incidents throughout the rest of the Sect, so Shen Yuan had declared this first part of the exchange a success.

Time would tell if the opposite was true, but Luo Binghe had faith in his A-Jie to make it work.

Shen Qingqiu took a fortifying breath before walking once more into Shang Qinghua’s home with the intention of meeting Mobei-Jun. It was only a few days since Cang Qiong disciples had left for Huan Hua Palace, so he had some downtime to take on this little issue. He was not expecting this conversation to go well and knew that his nerves around it had made Binghe worry the past few days, but there was no getting around it any longer.

Because Shen Qingqiu had been keeping a major secret from his best friend, and now he was about to tell him in front of Mobei-Jun, the very reason he had kept it to himself. He wanted to make it up to him and had an idea of how to do that, but he really had no idea how this was going to go.

When he knocked, Shang Qinghua opened the door with a nervous smile. “Shen-shixiong! Come in, come in.”

“Shang-shidi,” he said neutrally as he entered and the privacy barrier snapped into place with the closing of the door. He removed his shoes and said, “Thank you for setting up this meeting.”

“Yeah, no problem, bro. It seemed kinda important…?” Airplane trailed off, the obvious question of why Shen Qingqiu wanted this meeting still left unanswered.

He sighed. “It’s about the Immortal Alliance Conference. I. Some things have been finalized recently, and I need to speak to you about them. It was easier to talk to Mobei-Jun at the same time. Additionally, I hoped to. Be able to do something for you to make up for the fact I have kept this to myself for so long.”

Shang Qinghua stared at him. “Bro, what have you done, exactly?”

“...Let’s go. I only want to say this once.”

“No.” Shang Qinghua caught his arm, a troubled look on his face. “Something’s wrong. What’s happened?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Shen Qingqiu–”

“Airplane, please.”

Shang Qinghua looked at him a little longer, frowning at Shen Qingqiu’s tired expression, but let him go. “Fine. But we’re talking about this later.”

At least you would still be talking to me.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t respond. He followed him to the side room where Mobei-Jun was waiting for them patiently. They both nodded to each other warily while Shang Qinghua settled at Mobei-Jun’s side on the edge of his personal space. 

He said as he sat opposite the couple, “Mobei-Jun, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.”

“Qinghua said it was important,” the demon lord replied. “Sect Leader Shen has taken multiple steps to ensure Qinghua had more freedom to attend to this Mobei and seeks to aid in securing this Mobei’s rule. Answering one request to meet after half a year was a simple matter.”

“Nonetheless, I appreciate it. But we are both busy people, so I will skip to the point of this meeting. I have two things I wish to discuss. First is the Immortal Alliance Conference, and second is your courtship of my friend.”

“WHAT?!” Shang Qinghua said, nearly rising to his knees. “Bro–”

“Let me help you,” he said gently to his friend. “If you like, you can leave for that portion of the discussion.”

“What could Sect Leader Shen possibly have to say about the matter of our courtship?” Mobei-Jun asked, frigid tone matching the look in his eyes. 

“Just ensuring that Mobei-Jun understands some key cultural differences.”

Shang Qinghua’s face was bright red. “Ah. I can’t believe you’ve done this.”

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help snorting in amusement at the meme. He decided to risk sending him one message.

SQQ: I’m trying to get you laid, bro. 

“Fine!” Shang Qinghua said, face buried in his hands. “I don’t need to be here for that. If it works, I’ll owe you one.”

Mobei-Jun scowled at his intended, and Shen Qingqiu said, “No, you won’t. Shall we begin with the Conference?”

“...Very well,” Mobei-Jun said, scowl decreasing in intensity, and Shen Qingqiu wondered if that was his “concerned” expression.

“Excellent.” Shen Qingqiu braced himself and began. “I would like to begin by saying that I have no intention of disrupting your plans to release demons into the competition area. The adult cultivators will have to follow into the warded area to take care of the threat before it can escape to nearby civilians, but you no doubt knew that would happen. If there is a particular adult cultivator you see to enact revenge upon, perhaps Shang-shidi or I can point you in the right direction.

“What I am planning on doing at the Conference is preventing as many disciple deaths as I possibly can.”

Mobei-Jun’s eyes narrowed considerably. “Repeat that.”

“I will be doing my best to save the youngest disciples from harm. Not everyone can be saved, I know that. But the disciples are children or only barely adults. I won’t claim to know your motivations for sabotaging the conference, but I fail to see the satisfaction in the mass killing of youths who can barely defend themselves.”

“Of course you would,” Mobei-Jun snarled. “Self-righteous cultivator to your core, aren’t you? Those you claim to be children are more than capable of torturing my kind, torturing our children for amusement. They will grow up in their taught mindset that demons are meant to be exterminated and nothing more.”

Shang Qinghua was a frozen statue beside him and Shen Qingqiu met the demon’s eyes easily. “No. They won’t grow up like that, because we won’t let them. I don’t know how much news travels, but I assume Shang-shidi told you of our run in with Madam Meiyin? Of how she showed the entirety of the Sect that Luo Binghe is bound to me by fate?”

“...yes, as opposed to the mated pair bond you had begun forming the last time I was here.”

That threw him. “What? That soon… not the point. Everyone knows Binghe and I are bound, and that Madam Meiyin was the harmed party in that interaction. It will eventually be revealed that Binghe is not only a demon, but is in line to be their ruler, and still I will marry him. I have significant influence over how the next generation is taught, and will likely have more after the Huan Hua Palace Master is disposed of by Tianlang-Jun. Once Tianlang-Jun is in power, we will set up a preliminary trade agreement between our realms, creating business ties between humans and demons. And, if Shang-shidi would be interested in taking up an old hobby,” he started, looking at his flabbergasted friend, “perhaps there will be literature giving a broader picture of demonkind. It will take time, but future generations need not be held back by current prejudices.”

Mobei-Jun was staring at him. “You are either fatally arrogant or insane.”

“Maybe. But if I ever decide to have children, they will be of mixed blood. I want them born into a world that has a chance of accepting them. Wouldn’t you?”

That gave the ice demon pause, and he looked out of the corner of his eye at a blushing Shang Qinghua. Shen Qingqiu watched as his friend glanced and looked away from the demon, fidgeting as his flush deepened.