Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Shen Yuan sniffed before wrinkling his nose, stepping away from the corpse of the man who had tried to grab him. There was still blood on his claws, crimson and tacky and reeking. Carefully, he stepped over the body so he could wash it off at the nearby riverbank. He was about to meet the protagonist, Luo Binghe, after all! Shen Yuan couldn't scare him!

Kneeling down, he washed his hands off in the murky water, then splashed off his face for good measure. As he did, Shen Yuan tried to focus, focus, focus until he could feel all of the demonic features slipping back under his skin. Black claws turned into soft white nails, pointed ears became rounded, and sharp teeth filed down into nubs. A quick check over and Shen Yuan was pleased, even if his core felt itchy and his senses muffled from the change.

It would be easier this way.

Stepping away from the water, Shen Yuan took one final look at the slaver. He'd already raided his pockets for anything useful, the few bits of copper stuffed into the thin brown robes he had on. No one would miss a disgusting pig like this, so no need to bother trying to hide him. Wild animals would come and take care of him in time, anyway.

After picking his way out of the forest and back onto the dirt road once more, Shen Yuan took a deep inhale. The slightly spiced scent- it was still close! Luo Binghe was still nearby!

Shen Yuan walked down the dirt road for a long time, the shadow of Baiyinan City falling over him as he approached. The main walls were still a sichen's walk away, but already there was the smattering of run down clay and thatch huts on the city's outskirts. He didn't meet anyone on the road, it was the middle of the day and the poor folks here were likely all working, but he still whipped his head back and forth as he kept tasting the air.

A fluffy head of brown hair, barely held back by a thin string, bobbed nearby. A small boy kneeling halfway in the chilly water, a shirt worth more than his life in his hand, which he was scrubbing in the river. Shen Yuan watched him for a few moments, confirming with the System that was him, before he made his way over.

"Hey!"

The boy flinched, whipping around, pulling the half clean robe from the water and further soaking himself. Big brown eyes stared at Shen Yuan with suspicion, which stabbed the transmigator in the heart- poor little thing! He was so young and already having to guard himself!

Shen Yuan squat down next to him when he was close enough, eagerly drinking in the scene: Luo Binghe, maybe about four years old, already working himself to the bone in a vain attempt to do anything to help his poor mother. He felt himself smile, which made Luo Binghe inch away from him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, even though he knew the answer. Shen Yuan had been the one to call out, after all.

"... laundry." Luo Binghe said, still tense.

"Mn. My name is Luo Yuan." Shen Yuan lied, as he stared the other boy. The boy with curly hair and star filled brown eyes that matched his own. "Do you want to split a pork bun with me?"

The Unnamed Washerwoman actually did have a name, it turned out. Since this was a fully fleshed out world, now, not a trope filled novel. Her name was Lai Ying, and she was maybe in her late thirties. This era was rough, so time hadn't been kind to her. While not old by modern standards, she was getting up there in age for a poor, single, sickly woman. A shame, since she would have been rather pretty if she had ever had the chance to be properly fed.

Lai Ying knew something was wrong with him, but Luo Yuan always stuck to Binghe's side and kept him safe during the day, so she said less about it. She had still opened up her home to him, after all, and watered down the already thin rations even further to offer him a few bites of food in the morning and at night.

Luo Yuan only found the dull and ragged kitchen knife at his throat after he started sneaking extra money into the little hidey hole under the floorboard. Him 'finding' rabbits, birds, and other small animals to supplement their poor diet had been tolerated before this. He had been helping hang the laundry to dry, Luo Binghe down by the river. Lai Ying loomed over him, but even as he stared into her face, she just looked scared. Her hand was trembling where she gripped the knife's worn handle.

"What do you want with him?"

Luo Yuan glanced at where Binghe would be, half hidden by tall reeds. They didn't have long to do this.

"Xiao-he is my brother. My blood brother."

The woman took a stuttering breath and shook harder.

"... but only by half. He's not like me." A half truth. A half lie. He tried not to feel insulted when Lai Ying let out a relieved noise.

Luo Yuan continued to mess with the robe he was trying to hang, pretending as if the knife wasn't still pressed against his neck.

"I just want to be with him. He's all I have, now. I won't hurt him." Luo Yuan finished his fiddling, looking back up at the woman and offering her the smallest smile he could. "Or you."

Lai Ying must have found some sort of answer in his eyes, as she silently cursed and removed her hand. She didn't say anything else, just turned and quickly walked back to the sad little hovel the three of them lived in. Luo Yuan watched her go, then turned back the laundry he still needed to hang.

It was never brought up again.

After Shen Yuan died, he had woken back up.

A lot of that he could skip over. Transmigration stories were familiar enough, and since becoming Luo Yuan he had worked to compartmentalize a lot of his feelings. He couldn't mourn himself and what he could have been if he never thought about it.

A System error had him waking up as a child instead of whatever canon character it failed to shove his wayward soul inside of. A rounding error, something that Luo Yuan knew damn well was not supposed to exist. A boy who had died long before the story was ever supposed to take place, so unremarkable his grave hadn't even had a marker.

Demonic Cultivators had stolen demon bones to use for some nefarious ritual, waving a life giving artifact around as they chanted and spilled blood on the array they had carefully crafted. Only, the dormant blood parasites deep inside of the bones had woken up instead of whatever they wanted to summon.

Luo Yuan doesn't really remember much of it. Agony, for one, and screaming. So much screaming. Then he was sitting naked in a pile of blood that wasn't his own as the bodies around him twitched and cooled.

He didn't cry about it. Luo Yuan placed any feelings about it deep inside of a box and buried that box where he would never have to deal with it; right next to the box that held his feelings about his old life.

Full demon, half Heavenly. Luo Yuan wasn't even an NPC, but instead something that was supposed to be stay dead and gone. Just a speck in his father's life, meant to fully round out a named character's backstory in this living world. The System hadn't explained it very well, even seemed a bit confused on what to do with him.

So Luo Yuan decided the best course of action was to seek out his half brother, the very protagonist of this world.

A shame he was physically seven.

Luo Yuan holds Binghe close when they find their mother. The woman had been getting sicker and sicker for a while, even the extra nutrition and coin he brought not enough to help her. The System had not allowed Luo Yuan to fully drag them out of poverty, so he was forced to watch her slow decline despite knowing the ending.

Luo Binghe presses against his side, crying big, fat, tears as he clings to Luo Yuan.

Luo Yuan sniffs and wipes his own face. It still hurts, even though he knew it was coming. In the end he'd grown to care about her, too.

He's the one who handles her funeral rights, makes sure Lai Ying's body is taken care of so her spirit can rest. Luo Yuan is the older brother, after all, so he has to look out for the sweet kid boy under his care. The boy who now only had Luo Yuan as his family.

They can't stay in this city. The plot won't allow them. Packing what few belongings they have, Luo Yuan takes a ten-year-old Luo Binghe's hand and they both leave behind the only life one of them have ever known. Far, far, in the distance, so far that Luo Yuan can not hope to see them, there is a mountain where Luo Binghe will suffer.

A golden thread, offered by the System, leads them there.

The morning of the Disciple Selection is hot and sweltering. They had only arrived the night before, bare feet throbbing and coated in dust. Luo Yuan had found them a covered-enough spot in some brush by the road to rest. Binghe is sullen, picking at his nails, while Luo Yuan sits behind him and does his best to tame his mass of curly brown hair into something sensible.

"Hurry up and eat. You'll need all your strength today, didi." A fresh pork bun, specially bought just for Luo Binghe, still sits in his hands. The younger boy seems more interested in holding it than eating, despite how hungry he must be. Money had been tighter than normal for a while, now. The System hadn't wanted this to be easy for either of them.

"I don't want to leave you behind, gege." It's an argument that Luo Binghe has been using for the last two months, a scab he refuses to stop picking. Luo Yuan takes a subtle glance at the System timer as it ticks ominously down.

"You're not, Xiao-he. I'm just too old to Cultivate." And a full blooded demon, which he keeps to himself. No matter how good his suppression was, Cang Qiong's alarms would go off before he even made it to Heaven's Eternal Stairway. "I'll stay right here in town, so you better visit and tell me everything you've been learning."

"Gege...." Binghe turned to face him, his big doe eyes already starting to water. Lethal! Not fair!

"Don't cry." Luo Yuan started to scrub his half-brother's face with his sleeve, doing his best to clean him up with the provided waterworks. Binghe's lower lip only wobbled, so Luo Yuan knew he had to pull out the big guns. Sighing softly, he leaned back and looked down. "Binghe... remember what A'niang wanted?"

This had his brother tense up, squeezing the bun hard enough it almost split.

"She.... she wanted us to come try out."

"She did. I'm fifteen now, so I'm not allowed. But you're the perfect age to Cultivate, Binghe! You're going to get into the Sect, then become super famous and rich for us both." Luo Yuan grinned, trying to lighten the mood, then reached out and pinched one of Binghe's cheeks. The boy scrunched up his face and slapped his hand away, making Luo Yuan laugh. "So eat up! Next time I see you, you better be in disciple robes!"

Binghe still didn't look too convinced, but he did start eating. Before long, Luo Yuan was sending him off to officially sign up with the dozens of other kids his age. He didn't need help, which was great! Luo Yuan had worked had to teach his little brother how to write, read, and basic arithmetic. Harder when they were on the road for the last couple of years and had no materials, but he thinks he had done a good job.

When it's time to start up the steps, the first unofficial test, Luo Binghe turns and offers a determined nod paired with a timid smile.

Luo Yuan watches his brother's back until he's just a speck, then sighs and turns to head into town. The System cheers and awards him some points, but he ignores it in favor of finding a place to hunker down. He's homeless and a stranger, but this town sees enough foot traffic that hopefully no one will bother paying him much mind.

Luo Binghe was counting on him stay close, after all.

Chapter Text

Luo Yuan thinks that maybe Binghe's protagonist halo rubbed off on him, which was great! After scraping by in Baicong for a few weeks, an old man who runs a small bookstore offers him permanent work in exchange for a room to sleep in. Ling Bo is a portly little man with a pot belly and a balding head. He was more wrinkle than person, hunched over and slow as he walked with a cane to keep his balance. He ran the shop by himself, his wife long passed and only child having died a few years prior. He had no other living family to help care for him.

Luo Yuan would clean the shop, load and unload stock, and (after Ling Bo realized he was handy with numbers) assist with the ledgers. The old man didn't make too much, his shop catering towards mortals, but that was fine with Luo Yuan. It wasn't luxurious but he had a place to rest his head! He was also alright to take any of the unsold books and read them, granted he didn't damage them and put them back when he was done. Cultivator foot traffic being uncommon in the store also made hiding easier by a long shot.

Of course, that didn't take too much time out of his day and Luo Yuan did still need to eat. There was no kitchen in the shop, so he had the costly burden of buying premade meals. Most free time was spent working odd jobs for whoever was paying. Baicong was a busy and bustling place given the proximity to Cang Qiong. There was always some lesser noble would pay for a strong body or a merchant who would pass you a coin or two to unload boxes. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

It helped that Luo Yuan was a demon, even if never dared to lift his disguise even in private.

Luo Binghe had been on the mountain for four months before he saw him again. Luo Yuan had been busy the few days before he showed up, a festival on the way which meant lots of extra work for those willing to take it. He'd been running himself ragged for the last two weeks but his purse was jingling in appreciation.

Luo Yuan had been able to afford exactly one letter sent up the mountain, and that was last month. Just a quick update to his brother on where he was, how he was doing, and telling him where he would be come festival time. He'd also send up a small care package; nothing fancy but all things he was sure Binghe would appreciate.

In PIDW, Luo Binghe had always found festival times the most relaxing. The disciples were provided the day off, only needing to do their chores, and were free to leave the mountain for a few hours to enjoy themselves. Luo Binghe never had, having no money and fearful of roving packs of bullies. This time, though, would be different!

Binghe is so scrawny and tiny in his Qing Jing robes, looking around with his big shiny eyes at the various lanterns lining the street and the crowd of people as they crush together, laugh, and talk. The air smells like sizzling pork belly and Luo Yuan is so excited that he can't help but jump the boy when he's close enough.

"Xiao-he!"

"Ack- Gege!"

Luo Yuan had sneaked behind him and grabbed him, pulling the twelve year old against his chest to squeeze tight. Luo Binghe had started struggling instantly, calmed down when he realized who it was, then started struggling again with pink cheeks and a pout. Luo Yuan can't help himself, laughing at his brother's embarrassment as a few people watch them as they pass.

They chat about what they've both been up to. A lot of the stuff Luo Binghe says Luo Yuan already had an idea of, but it does seem to be going slightly smoother than PIDW canon. Binghe is still dealing with Senior bullies and too many chores, but since he didn't have to learn to read he had realized something was weird about his Cultivation Manual on the second day. The Head Disciple had reluctantly given him a new one, he said, when it was pointed out. Luo Yuan is quietly pleased.

He gives details about his own, much more mundane, life. The bookshop he lives in, the various chores he does for people around town. Luo Yuan proudly shows off the plain beige cotton robes he's wearing- low quality, but still cotton! And he had bought them all on his own, too!

Luo Yuan treats his brother to some festival foods and buys him a new ribbon for his hair. It's not much but Binghe still seems thrilled to receive the gifts. Since Binghe has an address, now, he promises to write. Then, much too soon, Luo Yuan is watching as his brother heads back up the steps towards his Peak once more.

Luo Yuan sighs, glad that he's doing better, but knowing that his little brother is still hiding things from him.

They still don't get to see each other all that often, but Binghe does write and Luo Yuan writes back when he can afford it. Every few months his younger brother is allowed out for a night and they spend it together, trading stories. The town accepts Luo Yuan as a reliable and hard worker; it's weird to go out of a morning and have people smile and wave to him.

The System ticks down in the corner of his eye and Luo Yuan doggedly ignores it.

It's just after Binghe's fourteenth birthday when he comes down the mountain with bruises he can't cover up. He tries to play it off as a training accident, but Luo Yuan knows they're not, and after a lot of goading and plucking and pestering Binghe breaks down into tears and spills it all.

The bullying, his apathetic and uncaring Shizun, how he's forced to do so many chores he struggles to keep up with his classes. Luo Yuan seethes inside but only gently dabs some medicine on a few of the rougher spots. He had dragged his brother back to his borrowed room as soon as he had saw him just for this.

"Xiao-he, you need to start hitting them back." From what Luo Yuan had gathered from Binghe's story, and what he could remember of PIDW, Qing Jing had partly eaten him alive because he was so sweet and polite. The rich kids up there only saw someone who was both weak and below them, therefore perfectly within their rights to stomp on. "If they want to treat you like a dog, you remind them that dogs bite."

His sweet, adorable, little brother hunches his shoulders inwards and sniffles. The last of his tears are drying on his cheeks, the salt tracks already chapping them.

"But... Yuan-ge... Shizun says that-"

"Fuck him!"

Binghe gasps, affronted, as if he hasn't heard Luo Yuan say just about every swear in every combination by this point. He takes advantage of his brother's shock to continue, capping the pot of medicine and forcing it into the teen's hand. Luo Yuan is already hopping up, walking over to the small shelf in his room, back turned to Binghe. He pretends to mess with the books there and hides his palm as he covertly slices into it. It doesn't hurt, not much did, and the blood wells and shifts to harden into a little ball.

"Binghe, I know that this guy is your Shizun, filial piety or whatever, but if he's treating you like shit you can ignore him. Sure, you might get in trouble, but you're just as important as the rich pricks on Qing Jing. If you keep biting back, eventually they'll see you as 'too much work' and leave you alone. Until then, they're just going to keep fucking with you."

Luo Yuan stole a string he was using as a bookmark and tied it to the blood-bead he had made. It looked like bright red glass, perfectly smooth. When he sat back down, cross legged, in front of a pouting and miserable Luo Binghe, he tied the bead around the boy's wrist as a bracelet.

"And if your 'Shizun' has anything to say about it, tell him that your Gege told him to come kiss the smelliest part of his ass."

Luo Binghe had looked up, still upset but eyes shining. The smallest of giggles left him at the crude expression, making Luo Yuan relax just enough to grin back.

"What's this for, Yuan-ge?" Luo Binghe turned his wrist back and forth, allowing the bead to catch the evening light as it filtered through the window.

"I got it from a Cultivator who was passing through!" Luo Yuan lied. "It's supposed to be a good luck charm. It might keep those assholes from bothering you."

Luo Yuan was actually hoping to use his blood mites to help Binghe heal up. Luo Binghe's own blood was dormant right now. The idea of infecting someone, even his own brother, grossed the the demon out; this was the better option.

"Are you sure I can have it? Don't you need it?"

"Nah, it sounds like my favorite little brother needs it more." Luo Binghe pouted when Luo Yuan brushed him off, but he just reached out to ruffle his sibling's curly hair until Binghe was trying to shove him away. Luo Yuan blew a raspberry at him and soon enough the two of them were play fighting on the floor of his room. After they had tired themselves out, and Luo Yuan wanting to be precocious about Binghe's bruises, he pushed himself up and offered the boy his hand. "I'm starving! Let's go get some dinner."

It was pretty much only festivals that Binghe came down and today had been no different. Outside the cool winter's day was alight with celebration. He didn't actually know what was being celebrated, Airplane's worlduilding was confusing and disjointed, but it was interesting to see all the people out and about.

Luo Yuan had just passed a hot, fried scallion cake to Binghe when there was a voice.

"A'Luo!"

Both of them turn from where they had been standing, a teenage girl in Qing Jing robes was down the street. She had her hand raised, waving to draw their attention, a bright and shining smile on her face. She was pretty, with adorable round cheeks. Her light brown hair was done up in rings on the side of her head, bright orange ribbons decorating them.

She practically bounded over to the two of them, almost losing the half eaten stick of tanghulu she was clutching. When she was close enough, cheeks pink from the cold and the run, she latched onto Luo Binghe's sleeve, then turned his big brown eyes up to Luo Yuan with obvious delight.

"A'Luo! Is this the brother you always talk about?" The girl beams, bouncing on her heels.

"One of your friends, Xiao-he?" Luo Yuan shoots Binghe a look, feeling smug. Ah, it would be so fun to tease him! "You must be... Ning Yingying? Didi wasn't lying when he said you were super cute...." He lightly elbows his brother in the side, the boy's face flaming red up to his ears. Ning Yingying giggles and covers her mouth with her hand, pink further flushing her cheeks.

It's fun to do a little flirting and teasing, but Luo Yuan knows his place. Ning Yingying will be Luo Binghe's very first wife, so he does his best to gently pair the two of them together. If he wasn't so greedy with the time he got to spend with the boy, he might even find a way to vanish so the two of them could spend the rest of the evening on awkward teenage courtship. Ning Yingying got to see Binghe whenever she wanted and Luo Yuan only got one day every three or four months. Sue him.

Ning Yingying is nice and bubbly, but she's just as airheaded as he had always gathered from PIDW. It's cute how she can coax Binghe out of his shell, the protagonist laughing and smiling even though his face must hurt from the bruising. She drags them from cart to cart, admiring and commenting loudly on the quality (or lack thereof) of everything she sees. Just window shopping, but it feels friendly and easygoing. Luo Yuan parts with more copper than he had intended, unable to resist passing along a few silly trinkets his brother's way.

Of course, since this is PIDW, this easy camaraderie can't last. Luo Binghe and Luo Yuan usually stuck to the 'poorer' side of town during festivals. It didn't have as much excitement or as many shows and shops as the main, central, 'rich' side of town but it had enough for the two of them to enjoy. It helped that most of the other disciples tended to stick to the rich parts, so they had never had any problems with the 'roving packs of bullies' that the OG Protag wanted so badly to avoid.

But in following Ning Yingying around, they wander from the 'safe' area and right into the danger zone. Later, Luo Yuan would ask himself why the girl was even hanging out with the poors to start with, but for now he's too busy focusing on the three boys who are baring down on them.

"Shimei!" One had called out, and then all three had come running. The adoring looks given to Ning Yingying had quickly melted into disgust when they saw who she was hanging out with. Luo Yuan couldn't place or name the two lackey NPCs, but the plain faced boy who was glaring at him and Binghe was surely Ming Fan. Luo Yuan is taller than him, which makes the young man straighten his back and try to tilt his chin up. When he speaks again, his voice is coaxing, but the insults are clear on his tongue. "Shimei, Shizun has had us looking all over for you. Let's go back to Qing Jing together. You never know what sort of trash might be out."

His eyes flick up and down Luo Yuan as he says 'trash', but the demon just rolls his eyes. Ming Fan would have to do better than that if he wanted to bother him. Ten-thousand page flame wars had hardened his heart to any petty insults thrown his way. At his side, though, his poor, soft hearted brother tightens his fists at his side and shakes with barely contained rage at the implication of someone insulting his big brother. It's cute but really unneeded.

It also doesn't escape the notice of Ming Fan and his goons.

"Aw, but I want to stay with A'Luo and Gege!" Ning Yingying grabs Luo Binghe's arm to hang off of. The 'gege' is much too familiar since they only just met, but she had insisted on calling him that all night since 'A'Luo was her friend and that meant Gege was her friend, too!' He'd just went along with it. Now, though, the term only makes Ming Fan's cheek twitch as he grinds his teeth together. "They're just so much more fun that Da-Shixiong."

Ning Yingying sighs as if this is truly an egregious crime, either not noticing how the words inflame Ming Fan or not caring. She keeps clinging to Luo Binghe, regardless, no more than a pretty limpet. Ming Fan tenses further, his shoulders going up to his ears as his face turns a furious smattering of red, white, and purple. The goons behind him seem to know what this means, one not-so-subtly cracking his knuckles as they both take steps forward.

"You-!" Ming Fan reaches for Binghe.

Luo Yuan snatches his wrist before he can touch him. Ming Fan whips his head to face him, eyes bulging in surprise, but then a snarl come over his face. By this point, the crowd seems to have realized that an altercation is about to happen, so people are moving away to avoid and watch from a safe distance. Ming Fan tries to jerk his hand away, but Luo Yuan squeezes tight enough to grind the delicate bones together.

"So you," Luo Yuan steps forward, in front of Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying, crowding Ming Fan so he can loom over him. Luo Yuan is pretty tall for his age; poor Binghe, who hasn't quite hit his growth spurt yet, only comes up just past his shoulders. Ming Fan is closer to Luo Yuan's age, but the demon still has half a head on him. "are the one whose been bullying my brother."

Luo Yuan allows Ming Fan to finally pull his hand free, but he stays close to him, in his face, glowering down at him with as cold a look as he can muster. It must be effective, since even though Luo Yuan is a 'mortal', Ming Fan is the first one to step back. There is a quiet 'Yuan-ge....' from behind, Luo Binghe tugging lightly at his sleeve. Poor boy is likely worried that his big brother is going to get hurt. Ha.

"This must be the lowly peasant who raised Disciple Luo." Ming Fan sniffs and tries to look superior, even as he cradles his wrist to his chest. Luo Yuan didn't break it but it would sure as hell be bruised and sore. "This one supposes that the saying is true that 'filth breed fil-"

Ming Fan doesn't get to finish since Luo Yuan haymakers him in the face.

Luo Yuan is careful to hold back most of his strength, he doesn't want to kill anyone, but Ming Fan makes a very satisfying yowl as his nose crunches under his fist. He hits the ground, face already swelling and mouth agape, as the other two boys try to leap to his defense. Luo Yuan kicks one firmly in the nads and headbutts the other, taking both of them down. His body was kind of OP.

His smile is vicious when he leans down to snatch Ming Fan up by the front of his robes, hauling him up with one hand so they're nose to nose. The teen is forced to stand on the tips of his toes. Luo Yuan feels exhilaration rushing through his blood. Its always like this, when he fights; the demon in him relishes in this sort of violence. He'd never understood how Luo Binghe in PIDW had described it until he felt it himself. It was addicting in a way that had the sensible, human soul afraid.

"Call me whatever you want, but if my little brother's name leaves your mouth again, I'll beat the taste out of it." He hissed, almost friendly. "You and your idiots are going to leave him alone and do your own fucking chores from now on, got that? If he comes down that mountain covered in bruises again, I'll scale the fucking cliffs if it means finding you."

"Y-you! Shizun will-"

"I don't give a fuck what your 'Shizun' had to say about it!" Luo Yuan snarled, truly disgusted now. He tossed Ming Fan back onto the ground. The boy's eyes widened, flicking over Luo Yuan's shoulder as his face paled considerably. "Let him float down from his high pedestal to walk with the 'filth' like me! I'll tell him what I think of him to his fucking face!"

Behind him, Binghe whimpered.

Then:

"Will you, now?"

Luo Yuan whipped around, his curly hair flying. While most of the street had cleared out, the most beautiful man that he had ever seen was standing in the middle of it. He looked like a painting come to life, or like a fairy had dropped down from the moon just to grant them all one sweet vision of purity. Green and teal silk robes flowed around him like clouds, and his long, ink black hair looked silky and immaculate. A fancy silver guan sat atop his head. An expensive, hand painted fan was waving idly in front of him, doing nothing to hide the frown on his face. The only thing to mar this image was the expression which was as icy and cold as a frozen over lake in winter.

Luo Binghe had his head down and was trembling in place, while Ning Yingying was frowning with concern next to him. A quick glance back at Ming Fan showed the vindictive smile on the teen's face. He guessed that the little idiot thought that all of Luo Yuan's big talk would shatter in the face of Shen Qingqiu himself.

But it wouldn't. Luo Yuan held his head high and tried to look just as superior in his cheap, cotton robes he had barely afforded. With all the grace he could muster, he took a few sure steps closer to the man. Out of reach, but he still glared up into that frigid gaze with all the righteous fury of someone who had called for this man's castration multiple times. It annoyed him that Shen Qingqiu was taller, but he reminded himself that this body wasn't done growing yet to help nurse that wound.

"I will." He proudly declared to the quiet street, unflinching from the Immortal's gaze. Shen Qingqiu's face revealed nothing.

"What would you say to him, then? Go on." A dare, a continued offer to this farce of a dance.

"Well, the first thing I'd let him know is that he's a dogshit teacher." There was a another whimper from Binghe, what he assumed was a soft plead for Luo Yuan to shut his fucking mouth, but he was too steamed up. This was a tirade that had been begging to come out for years but there had never been a physical person there to take it. Until now.

"You presume you know more than an Immortal Master?"

"I don't have to presume anything when I can see it for my damn self." Luo Yuan jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Proof is right there, for the whole city to see." Luo Yuan smiled, and it wasn't friendly at all, as he extended his arms at his sides in a show. There were still people not-so-subtly watching with wide eyes. "Those three are Qing Jing Seniors? I'm just a mortal and I put them on their asses."

"Qing Jing is the Scholar's Peak. Perhaps the Bai Zhan Peak Lord would provide Disciples, if you were looking for a fair fight."

Luo Yuan scoffed out a laugh.

"What about the lot of them bullying their Shidi? Is that what Qing Jing prides itself on? Raising a bunch of lazy slouches who get off on stepping on people they think are lower than them? What happens when they become proper cultivators with that sort of attitude and power?"

Shen Qingqiu doesn't reply to that one, but his eyes do flick over to land on his three Seniors; two of them still writhing in the dirt. Emboldened, Luo Yuan takes another step forward. He doesn't get in Shen Qingqiu's face, but he's close enough to catch the faint whiff of lavender, rosewood, and incense clinging to his robes. He hates that it smells good.

"And most egregious, Shen Qingqiu, is that those three young men tried to intimidate and bully me and my little brother so they could drag Ning Yingying away. What sort of man would I be if I allowed three aggressive, spoiled men who I don't know to take her somewhere alone? What does it say about you that you taught them that was okay?"

Shen Qingqiu seems to react to that, his nostrils flaring as he sucks in a sharp breath. He looks like he wants to hit him, which is fine. Let Shen Qingqiu hit him. Luo Yuan would hit back, even if it broke his cover. Even if he had to snatch Luo Binghe right then and run, it would be so satisfying.

"They are Disciple Ning's Shixiong." Shen Qingqiu finally answers, voice tight with fury. The icy lake of his dark eyes burns with pure rage under all of that frost. Luo Yuan smiles, because he knows he's won.

Still, he can't resist rubbing more salt into the wound.

"That doesn't answer my question, Lord Shen."

Silence hangs thick and heavy in the air. Shen Qingqiu looks at Luo Yuan like he wants to kill him, leave him as nothing more than a splatter of blood on the ground. But he only snaps his blade-like fury towards Ming Fan and his goons, surging forward with controlled grace to slide around Luo Yuan without touching him. For his part, Luo Yuan just continues to grin with his malice.

"All of you! With me! Now!" Shen Qingqiu barks out as he continues down the street. The fan has been raised to hide all but his hate filled eyes. Ming Fan and his lackeys squeak out a 'yes, Shizun!' as they all stagger to their feet. Ning Yingying is frowning, clearly lost in some thought, but she rushes ahead to cling to Shen Qingqiu's sleeve. Luo Binghe steps up beside Luo Yuan; he looks conflicted and he's teary eyed again.

"You didn't have to do that." He says, quiet.

Luo Yuan quickly scrubs the tears from Binghe's eyes before he starts properly crying, then can't help but gather him into his arms for a quick hug.

"Yes I did. What sort of big brother would I be if I let anyone be mean to you?" That clearly included Shen Qingqiu.

They couldn't speak more, though, as Binghe was forced to run off to catch up to his Shixiong and Shizun. Luo Yuan watches him go as he bites his thumb until it bleeds. As subtly as he can, he flicks exactly three drops- one for each of the Seniors. They fly through the air, hitting cuts from the beat down. He'd like to get Shen Qingqiu, too, but thinks that an actual cultivator might catch on. Better not to risk it.

Blood Mites were really fucking creepy and he hated using them. At least between those and the bead, Binghe would be much safer.

When they're out of sight, Luo Yuan catches a flicker of movement from the System. It heats up in his mind, the equivalent of a computer's fans picking up speed out of nowhere. A loading bar hits 100%, vanishing fast enough that he can't catch it.

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Is all he can see before it fades out, going back to the count down till Binghe will be forced to enter the Abyss.

Luo Yuan forces it out of mind so he can head home.

Chapter Text

There is only one brothel in this part of the city, a well cared for establishment called 'The Warm Red Pavilion'. Luo Yuan wasn't interested in the brothel for the usual reasons most men were. Maybe it's his modern day sensibilities, or maybe it has something to do with him dying a virgin in his first life. He's always had this sort of romantic notion of sharing his first experience with someone he loves.

But, well, the brothel. People didn't avoid it, per se, but it was certainly harder for them to find extra hands to work when it was needed. Some folks acted weird about money when it came from the hand of a whore since they knew exactly what that whore had to do to get it. It just meant they tended to pay more and Luo Yuan didn't really care where the money care from. It spent the same.

While he wasn't really a regular, Luo Yuan was there often enough to recognize and be on friendly terms with the madam and a few of the girls. They'd flirted with him a lot when he first started coming, which had flustered him, but he still always made himself laugh it off as he let them down. While some still teased, they'd sort of learned to leave him well enough alone. Even if he was interested in any of them, he couldn't afford to buy out any contracts. And, like, getting himself a pretty woman was one of the few ways that Luo Yuan figured he could get himself killed.

See, it wasn't that he had forgotten who Luo Binghe was or who he would become in all this time. His original desire to meet him was mostly to protect his own ass! It was luck that he'd managed to slot himself into the role of 'protective older brother'. The sort of character he was, Luo Binghe would ripped through him if they had met as adults no matter his intention. But as his older brother, and someone who loved Binghe fiercely, there was only two ways he could fuck up the safety he had grabbed for himself: betray Luo Binghe or get married.

The betrayal thing was easy. Luo Yuan didn't have any want for power of riches, he just wanted to be by his brother's side. Luo Binghe was lonely in PIDW, Xin Mo keeping him unable to form real bonds and attachments. His closest friend had been Mobei-Jun, and that guy was a super ice queen; he couldn't even feasibly imagine the two of them chatting for fun. He sort of hoped that maybe he could keep Luo Binghe a little more down to earth, so to speak, so he wouldn't be as fucking miserable.

The marriage thing was sad, but fine. He'd never been really interested in it in his last life, sort of just assuming eventually his parents would get tired of his shit and find him a nice girl to settle down with. Luo Binghe would break up marriages to get the girl and no woman would be able to resist Luo Binghe's charms. If he found a wife, no doubt she would cheat on him with Binghe eventually, and then some fallout would happen where Binghe would be forced to kill him. So, easier just to play stag and act like he was an Asexual King rather than risk it. This led to him saying things like:

"Ah, you know I'm not interested in women." Luo Yuan chided Lin Jie. She was one of the younger courtesans, a girl around his age. She was very pretty, always wearing these sheer pink and cream outfits, but he knew better than to encourage her. He was helping her change out the sheets on the various beds, which he worked very hard not to think too much about. Lin Jie kept being the most adamant about trying to sway him in all these months.

"It's such a shame, too. Yuan-ge is so handsome." She sighed as if this was truly a bother, but Luo Yuan just snorted and shook his head.

"Is Wei Ba upstairs?" Wei Ba was one of the older courtesans. She was beautiful and refined, but right now she wasn't serving any customers. This was because she was heavily pregnant, her stomach round and fat. Unlike most of the women in her situation, when she had found out she had resolved to keep it. But, she was an 'older' woman (meaning she was in her mid thirties) and despite giving birth once before (or so he had been told) this pregnancy had been very rough on her. It was unclear if she would even survive it.

Wei Ba was also very kind, almost motherly, and sort of reminded Luo Yuan of Lai Ying. He was soft on her, so when he visited he tried to bring her little tricks and treats he could afford or dig up on his own to help her in any way he could. A shame he couldn't just go slaughter some beasts for her, since he still needed to keep his cover as a 'human'.

Lin Jie said that she was, not like Luo Yuan could imagine her waddling anywhere else honestly, so after they finished gathering all the laundry he waved to her before hopping up the stairs to see her. The Warm Red Pavilion had three floors- the bottom where the women entertained, the middle where the women 'entertained', and the top where they actually lived. There was some sort of array set into the wood grain to keep people from just wandering up to the third floor but it didn't really work on Luo Yuan; he was invited up there anyway. It did always sort of tingle as he passed through it, though.

It was the middle of the day so most of the women were sleeping for the long night ahead, but a few of the girls were out and about as they ate, did chores, or just relaxed. He stopped to chat with them while he had the chance, just some quick greetings. All of them were pretty nice and didn't seem used to many guys treating them like, well, people. He thinks in his old life he would have been weird about them, but after growing up poor in this life he didn't let himself dwell too much about it.

When he was done, Luo Yuan stepped down the hallway towards Wei Ba's room. The door was closed, no sound coming from behind it, but he still gave a soft knock. He didn't want to wake up any of the other women in their rooms and Wei Ba had been having trouble sleeping for a while now. If she was resting, he would just leave his gift behind and tell some of the other girls what it was.

"Come in." In the end he didn't have to worry about that, though, since the soft and warm voice of the woman trailed faintly from inside. Luo Yuan cracked open the door and slipped in, then frowned when he realized he was not the only guest that Wei Ba was seeing.

Wei Ba was sitting up in her bed, various pillows at her back to keep her comfortable. She looked wan and weak, dark circles under her eyes, but she was still just as lovely as she always was. Her long brown hair was pinned back and she wore soft oranges and pinks. A low table had been pulled to her bedside, upon which sat a teapot and a tray of untouched food.

Sitting on one of the pillows next to Wei Ba's bed, refined and elegant as the last time Luo Yuan had seen him, was Shen Qingqiu. The Peak Lord looked hateful as he glowered at Luo Yuan for daring to... interrupt? What the fuck was Shen Qingqiu doing bothering a pregnant and sick courtesan? Was he the father? Or worse, got some sick kick from fucking pregnant women?

Well, he wouldn't let himself be chased out by a pervert, so Luo Yuan just shot him a nasty look before pointedly ignoring him.

"Sorry for bothering you, jiejie." Luo Yuan stepped closer, reaching into the pocket of his robes to pull out a little package wrapped in thin, brown paper. He nodded to Wei Ba and offered it to her. A thin, fragile hand took it, slowly lowering it to her lap to unwrap it. A few little green pills stared back at her, one of which she picked up and rolled between her fingers with a hum.

"What's this for?" She asked, voice still faint.

"I helped out that big apothecary a few days ago and they gave me those. Said they're good for nausea." Luo Yuan did not tell her that he had asked for some specifically and took those instead of a monetary payment. He didn't want her to feel bad about the gift.

"A'Yuan is too kind. Please, sit and have tea with us."

Luo Yuan didn't really want to spend any time with Shen Qingqiu of all people, but maybe if he was cunty enough he could make the guy leave. Wei Ba could, potentially (ew) miss out on a customer, but she was too weak for that anyway! If he was the baby daddy, then why the fuck wasn't he the one buying her medicine? The fucker had more than enough money to afford it!

So, all for the sake of Wei Ba, Luo Yuan knelt down and sat on the pillow across from Shen Qingqiu. The man was still glaring a hole through him, but Luo Yuan just made a face and turned back to Wei Ba. They actually have a polite, if stilted due to the tense atmosphere, conversation for a while! Just long enough for the two of them to catch up; he only came by for work every few weeks, after all. Wei Ba and the ladies here usually had prime gossip, and since Luo Yuan was a nobody and all over town anyway people sort of forgot he was there and talked about shit. She also liked to read the same books that he did! She, for some reason, actually enjoyed the shitty romances, though.

This was all going fine and well until Wei Ba tried to pull Shen Qingqiu into the conversation. The man had been sitting quietly and looking at Luo Yuan like he was trying to explode his head with his mind the whole time.

"A'Jiu, A'Yuan read All Quiet In The Moonlit Chambers. Why don't you tell him what you thought of the love interest?" There was a flash of mischief in the woman's brown eyes, but it was so rare to see her not in pain that Luo Yuan ignored it. He was prepared for whatever dogshit that was about to come out of Shen Qingqiu's mouth-

"Hm." Shen Qingqiu flicked his flinty gaze between Wei Ba and Luo Yuan. He pursed his pink lips for a few moments before coming to some decision. "Chen Ling could have done much better. The man was a horrid person who didn't deserve her affection, much less the feeble attempt at a redemption at the end."

-well, Luo Yuan had expected dogshit, but what the fuck was that?!

"What are you saying?! Mo Yang was the best part of that stupid book!" Luo Yuan felt offended that this man, who was apparently a Scholar, had the literary depth of a shallow puddle. What the fuck! Shen Qingqiu furrowed his dark brows, which only encouraged Luo Yuan to continue. "The 'redemption' at the end was pretty dumb, but only because it wasn't needed at all! That last chapter threw away the appeal that anyone could have in that whole, stupid novel! It was artistic cowardice!"

Luo Yuan slapped his hand on the table for emphasis. At his side, Wei Ba gave a soft giggle. Shen Qingqiu glanced at her again, quick, and must have taken some sort of cue. His face firmed up into his 'ice queen' look and he straightened his spine, looking like the teacher you hated right before they reamed into the class.

"Mo Yang murdered, lied, cheated, and stole all his life before reaching his undeserved, lofty position. He was nothing but detritus who could only latch onto Chen Ling and drag her down into the muck with him. She should have chosen Lan Jue; he wouldn't have hurt her as much as Mo Yang did."

"Oh, a Lan Jue stan, I should have known." Luo Yuan clicked his tongue and sighed as if Shen Qingqiu was stupid, because he was, and missed how the man mouthed 'stan?' to himself. "Mo Yang did do all that... and he should have done it more!" Luo Yuan let that sink in before defending his airtight case. "He was abused, lied to, and treated like shit his whole childhood! Then, what, he finally lashes out and suddenly he's the villain? And Lan Jue was complicit! Like, sure, he also had a rough childhood, but wasn't he Mo Yang's best friend? He treated him like shit after they met back up and- what? Mo Yang was just supposed to be grateful for that prick? He never even explained what happened during the Sun Spear Campaign!"

"That's-" Shen Qingqiu shook his head, as if he couldn't believe the truth bombs that Luo Yuan was dropping on him. "That's ridiculous. Even if one could pity or, heaven's forbid, sympathize with the man, he was still awful."

"That makes him the more interesting character! Chen Ling didn't like him in spite of all his flaws, she accepted him and loved him as he was! That's why the last chapter sucked ass! It tried to shove all this... unneeded character development on him to make him seem like this more palatable person. It took all the venom out of him and made him, like, way less interesting."

"Unbelievable." Shen Qingqiu muttered, looking some cross between disgusted and concerned. Before he could say anything more, Wei Ba burst out laughing. It was loud and warm, making tears prick in the corner of her eyes and leaving her out of breath when she was done.

"Ah, didi! Isn't A'Yuan so funny?"

Didi????

Luo Yuan couldn't see any resemblances between the two, but it might explain why Shen Qingqiu was in here to start. It sort of just opened up more questions than it answered, though, and Luo Yuan wasn't ready to put that much thought into The Scum Villain of all people. If this was true in PIDW, it did paint the whole 'lecher who visits the brothel' in a totally different light- But! Not thinking about it!

"A'Yuan! Are you still with Wei-jie?" Lin Jie's voice spoke up from the door, followed by a small knock. Luo Yuan startled, hopping up. He had work to do! Shit!

"Oh, sorry!" Luo Yuan quickly gave Wei Ba a wave. "I gotta' go! See you next time, jiejie!"

"Goodbye, A'Yuan. Do visit again again, soon." Luo Yuan was already half out the door. As he was closing it, his heightened senses picked up- "You know, A'Jiu, he often tells us he isn't into women." all conversational. Why was she telling the Scum Villain he was Asexual? Well, whatever!

He needed to go get all the sheets washed and hung up if he wanted to get paid.

The System gave a loud 'ping!' in his ear, making Luo Yuan sit up from where he had been kneeling in the dirt. Spring hadn't quite sprung yet, so it was still frigid outside. Still, time was money and he was mostly immune, so he had agreed to come out this morning and pick herbs for the apothecary again. He dug through half melted slush so he could get to the velvety green leaves, content with his progress as he slowly filled the basket on his back.

Sharpening his sense, Luo Yuan tried to listen for anything amiss. He was, and he was just being honest, the most dangerous thing in these woods right now. It just didn't hurt to be cautious! Plus, the System never made any noise or did anything unless something stupid was about to happen.

Very faint, there was a soft noise from further in. Luo Yuan looked up at the sky; it was still pre-dawn, so a few stars were still dappled here and there as the sun rose. It wasn't quite light out, so the thick treeline only showed the promise of shadow and darkness if he dared to venture inside.

It was probably a monster or, worse, some type of demon skulking around. There was the off chance that it was someone who needed help, but that was pretty low. This wasn't that far from Baicong, so not too much tended to venture out here. Luo Yuan thought about just leaving but then he heard the whimper again and sighed as he got up. Damn him and his curious heart.

As expected, the thick underbrush was hard to navigate. It was lucky that Luo Yuan still had his enhanced demonic vision or he might not have seen what was wrong.

It was Shen Qingqiu.

The man was laying in a small clearing, a bed of some pink and white flowers almost hiding him from view. Except, it wasn't... normal. God. Had Shen Qingqiu been wife plotted???

This was the sort of thing that was described as happening more than once in PIDW, though Luo Yuan had never expected to see it happening himself! This was some shit for Binghe to deal with! God, was Binghe here somewhere? Was the world trying to wife plot him with Shen Qingqiu for some reason? What the fuck was happening on that mountain?

Well, sorry Shen Qingqiu, but you couldn't have his little brother! Luo Yuan would just have to stop this in its tracks!

Stepping into the clearing, Shen Qingqiu didn't look quite like himself. He was wearing tight fitting, dark robes in just a few layers for one. His hair had been piled up in a tight bun, though parts of it had come loose to frame his face and tangle like silky down between the petals of the flowers. Two thick, green vines had his wrists forced together and held above his head. The top of his robe had been forced open, revealing one pert pink nipple, which was being ravaged by the body of another, sticky vine. The tip of that one was in his mouth, keeping his lips wide apart, some sort of sweet smelling liquid dripping down his chin. His face was flushed and pink, eyes hazy and teary.

Down below, another set of vines had his legs spread open and hips lifted just off the ground. Only, thankfully for them both, it looked like the plant hadn't figured out how to get into his pants, yet. There was just another slime covered vine that was doing the equivalent of rutting against him, the wetness sticking to his- WOAH okay, that was a fucking boner.

Shen Qingqiu sniffed and let out another whine, one single tear being coaxed to slide down his cheek. Instead of 'sexed up and loving it' it just sounded pathetic which... fair. This sort of thing was only hot on paper, not when it was actually happening! The poor guy probably felt totally violated. After that final noise, his head lolled to the side and the tension left his body, making the nasty plant redouble its efforts.

Luo Yuan took great pleasure in ripping them all from the ground. One of them tried to grab him, but he was a Heavenly demon! The slight flush he felt was burned out of his system before it could even risk becoming anywhere near a problem. After he had killed the plant and freed Shen Qingqiu from it, he knelt down at the man's side and wondered what the fuck he could do. Like, he was fine, but Shen Qingqiu was obviously in some sex pollen related fuck or die situation. Chancing touching the tiniest bit of his qi, Luo Yuan found it absolutely turbulent and his golden core feeling so hot it might melt inside of him.

What could he do? Luo Yuan certainly didn't want to fuck him! Especially when the guy was unconscious!

Shen Qingqiu made a noise of pain in his sleep, his face pinched. Soft pants left his mouth and he writhed against the dirt.

Other than his pillar, Luo Yuan's Heavenly Demon side was kinda useless right now. The blood mites couldn't help with this! Yet, what about his other demon half?

Luo Yuan still wasn't really sure what his other half was, honestly. His best guess was some sort of flower demon, though he couldn't even begin to pin down what kind. He'd never messed with that side of himself as much as his Heavenly half, anyway. He just knew he had to brush these little black seeds out of his hair every morning and his dick was weird.

If he didn't figure out something then Shen Qingqiu was going to die. There was a vindictive little part of him that thought that was a good thing, but watching it happen was a whole other ballgame. And, it was stupid, but all he could think about was how delighted was that Wei Ba had been to tease her didi.

Sighing, Luo Yuan mentally turned towards the System.

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Luo Yuan looked at his meager R-Point collection then down at Shen Qingqiu, mentally clicking the 'yes' option. There was another 'ding!' as his head felt really tight and stuffy and like he had to sneeze. When it passed, Luo Yuan had a pretty good idea what he could do- and knew more about his weird dick than he really wanted to know. Ugh. Also, his saliva could be paralytic? The hell?

Leaning back, Luo Yuan opened his mouth as wide as he could and reached way back into his throat. He, apparently, didn't have a gag reflex which was. Interesting. But not important! There was this weird cluster that he could feel back there, like a strange sponge. Nestled in the 'sponge' was these squishy, soft... seeds? Sacs?

Well, whatever they were, he plucked one without any issue. Luo Yuan took a chance to look at it, finding a weird little clear thing filled with what looked like honey. It was some nectar his body produced and was a panacea sort of deal. Super gross!

With one hand, Luo Yuan tilted Shen Qingqiu's head back and opened his mouth. His lips practically fell open for him, and he accidentally brushed his thumb over the lower one. It was still slick from that slime, but it was plush and soft. He quickly put that out of mind and squeezed the seed over the human's mouth. A few thick drops of the nectar passed his lips, and Luo Yuan tossed away the empty husk into the bushes. Mildly curious, he sucked the residue off his fingers, finding it to be sweet.

The pained expression slowly fell away from Shen Qingqiu's face, leaving it relaxed and open.

When he wasn't glaring at someone, Shen Qingqiu was actually really pretty for a guy! He looked really... soft. It was the only way that he could really think to put it. If he had been in the modern world, there would have been women lining up at his door just for the chance of a date!

The effect was really only marred by the state of him. Looking at the tentacle residue and his rumpled clothes made Luo Yuan feel kind of gross. Also, when would he wake up? Should he just leave him out here?

But then, someone else might find him, and if he was still out... ugh, no, he couldn't do that to the guy, even if he was a piece of shit. Sighing, Luo Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled out a spare cloth he kept on him. It was usually for wiping away sweat, but if Shen Qingqiu wanted to complain about it later that was on him.

Careful not to touch any skin, he wiped the gunk off Shen Qingqiu's chest and then did his best to pull his robe closed. He couldn't do much about that without moving him, but at least it gave the guy a little more dignity. When he was done, he started to wipe his throat, chin, and face off from the slime.

"How did you get in this situation, anyway? Aren't you a Peak Lord?" Luo Yuan mused to himself, sighing when the man was all clean. Resting his elbow on his knee, Luo Yuan leaned onto his palm and closed his eyes. He just relished the sounds of nature, the wind rustling the leaves, and focused on distant birdsong as they started to rise for the chilly morning.

Oh yeah, it was still pretty cold out. Fine for him, sure, but wasn't Shen Qingqiu soaked with that weird vine fluid? Was he cold? Could Immortals get cold? What if Luo Yuan had went through all this effort and then Shen Qingqiu froze to death because he was an idiot who didn't know if Immortals could get cold?

Grumbling to himself, Luo Yuan dropped the basket and undid his robe top. He didn't wear as many layers, but he would still have on an under robe and his pants, anyway. Luo Yuan was in the middle of flaring it out to cover Shen Qingqiu with when he opened his eyes back up, to make sure he actually draping it over the man.

Shen Qingqiu, so silent Luo Yuan hadn't heard a thing, had half sat up on his elbows. He was staring at Luo Yuan with these wide, confused dark eyes- it made him look cute! Like! How a girl thought a puppy was cute, obviously! And it surprised Luo Yuan just as much as it must have surprised Shen Qingqiu, since he froze like a deer in headlights. His robe finished fluttering in the breeze to gently lay on the other, though it was still held in Luo Yuan's hands.

"What-" Shen Qingqiu blinked, and that seemed to hard reboot him to remind him that he was The Scum Villain, since his face went from weirdly adorable (like a kitten! Not in a weird way!) to certified Grade A bitch in all of a second. His voice sounded wrecked, which was fair given a shitty tentacle had been rammed down his throat not even fifteen minutes ago. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you'd get cold?"

Shen Qingqiu looked at him like he had grown a second head, then his face darkened.

"Leave."

"Uh- but, are you sure you're good, you were-"

"I said to leave."

"Fine, fine! See if I help you again!" Luo Yuan jumped up, shoving his arms back into his robe and grabbing the basket as he went. He stormed off back the way he had came, putting the stupid Immortal out of his mind.

And to think he had wasted 300 whole R-Points on the guy!

Shit got weirder after that.

It seemed like no matter what Luo Yuan was doing or why, he kept running into Shen Qingqiu! Mostly it was around town, but occasionally it would be while he was in the woods collecting shit for people! The conversations never lasted all that long, and usually they just argued with one another, honestly. And! Luo Yuan was pretty sure he had met at least one of the other Peak Lords! He didn't know which one, but there had been a man with a model's face and a beauty mark of all things one day while Luo Yuan had been fishing.

Well, "fishing" was probably a generous word for what he was doing. One minute he was trying to wrestle this giant fish out of a lake he had found, the next Shen Qingqiu was hauling his soaked ass out of the water by the back of his robe like a scruffed kitten. And his fish had gotten away!

Shen Qingqiu had said he was 'lucky to be alive' and told him he was stupid because 'that fish was highly venomous'. Luo Yuan told him to mind his own business because he had almost had it and he was sure he could have sold it enough to get another set of robes!

Then the guy had come over like a bull charging and tried to join in by yelling at Shen Qingqiu. Which would have been fine! Except he was acting like the Qing Jing Lord was picking on Luo Yuan, which wasn't what was happening!

So Luo Yuan had told the guy to fuck off and mind his business, then continued to argue with Shen Qingqiu until it was too late for him to crawl back into the water after his fish. Spoil sport.

And it was always shit like that! Luo Yuan is half up a tree trying to grab a mushroom and then Shen Qingqiu is there, mocking him. Luo Yuan is at the brothel cleaning and Shen Qingqiu is there, pestering him while he's trying to work. Luo Yuan is trying to buy himself a new outfit and then Shen Qingqiu is there, telling him why all the ones he likes (AKA can afford) suck ass. Luo Yuan is handing a few of his hard earned copper to some poor beggar kid and then Shen Qingqiu shows up to give him shit about it for some fucking reason. God, the guy was insufferable. Did he not have shit to do on his fucking Peak?

As if he thought Shen Qingqiu's absence into existence, the guy doesn't show up for a whole month. Luo Yuan won't admit that he starts looking for him after a few days. In fact, Ling Bo, who was his frequent ear these days when he was at the shop, had asked him why he didn't just avoid Shen Qingqiu if they seemed to dislike each other so much. Which... well, he just wouldn't get it! Whoever avoided the other first was the loser, and Luo Yuan just didn't want to lose to Shen Qingqiu of all people.

But what if Shen Qingqiu was avoiding him? Didn't that mean he had won?

It didn't really feel like it.

Luo Yuan doesn't know why he feels so dissatisfied.

Chapter Text

The Warm Red Pavilion was in a panic.

Lin Jie had shown up banging on the bookshop's door in the middle of the night, startling Luo Yuan awake. She was half crying, unsure what to do, and had begged him to please come try to do anything. Of course he had thrown on a robe and went after her!

Wei Ba had went into labor and... well, it was going really bad. Most doctors were refusing to come out since it was a brothel, which was beneath them, or they wanted an outrageous fee for 'convenience' which they just couldn't afford. The only one who had bothered to come took one look at Wei Ba said her and the baby were a lost cause then left. A few of the women there had seen births before, but there was just so much blood. Wei Ba was pale as a ghost and crying in agony and there wasn't anything that anyone can do for her.

Luo Yuan has given her medicinal herbs and considered her a friend, but he's not a doctor. There isn't much he could actually help with, either.

But, it seemed like... maybe Wei Ba just... wanted him to be there with her. Most of the women are still working since it was the middle of the night, and the ones that were free were doing their best. Luo Yuan's been sitting behind her, helping keep her upright, while one of the other girls was between her legs. Wei Ba had stopped yelling, only letting out a dull and constant groan of pain as she writhed. Her eyes were getting more and more glazed over and-

Luo Yuan can't do this.

He'd never see his mother again, and then Lai Ying was gone, and he just-

Luo Yuan squeezes his fist at his side until he can feel heat seeping into his palm. No one notices as the drops slither across the floor to join the puddle of blood under Wei Ba; he thinks less of how his blood mites enters her and more about the fact he'd just infected her. He can feel them spreading out and latching into her insides. He hates the feeling, hates it so much, but he tries to press and poke and do anything to keep her alive.

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So many? But, god, yes. Yes, he'll fucking do it! The System 'pings' and then Luo Yuan is doing his best to hammer Wei Ba's insides with the mites. Make the pain end, make her stop bleeding out, maybe even save the baby if he's so lucky.

Wei Ba whimpers and then collapses against him. Luo Yuan's heart is in his throat.

A wet, watery cry.

"It's a boy!"

Wei Ba is exhausted, but Luo Yuan can feel from the inside out how she's still breathing. He does his best to wipe the sweat off of her clammy brow, but it seems like she can barely keep her eyes open. The baby, mostly cleaned off and wrapped in a towel, is pressed into her arms. With the last of her strength, Wei Ba pulls the babe to her breast so he can try and suckle. Luo Yuan politely looks away, even though he had been holding the naked woman for the last hour at least.

Eventually she must be cleaned up enough, as one of the courtesans has him pick her up and help her into bed. It's a good thing he's strong enough that he can do it really easy, since he didn't want to jostle her given all she's been through. The baby is tiny and Luo Yuan isn't sure that's normal. He's also positive that the baby is now infected with his blood mites, too, having caught them like some fucked up STD. Eugh.

Everything is mostly settled down when there is a commotion at the door. Ning Yingying, of all people, is bursting inside. Her eyes are filled with tears and her face is all splotchy; she's also bruised up. She half throws herself to the floor by Wei Ba's bed, loudly sobbing as she takes the woman's hand.

"A'niang! They- they said you were-"

"Shhhh... A'niang is fine, baobei." Wei Ba can barely speak, but there is a serene look on her face as she peers down at the babe still latched to her chest. "Look, you have a little brother, now..."

Shen Qingqiu steps inside a moment later. The man looks busted, even worse than Ning Yingying, smattered with bruises and cuts and wrapped in bandages. He is probably not supposed to be out in the state he's in. There is a wildness to him, too, as if he's not all put together, as if he doesn't even care.

While not as dramatic about it as Ning Yingying had been, he, too, ends up kneeling at Wei Ba's bedside. Not as close as the girl and he doesn't hang off the woman and cry, but he's looking at her with the shock and awe of a man who rushed here expecting a body. Luo Yuan feels a little proud of himself.

This also all feels very personal. Even if Wei Ba had invited him here, Shen Qingqiu is still her brother and- woah, Ning Yingying was her daughter?? Talk about a lore drop! It was always unclear where she came from in PIDW, but it had always been assumed she was just a random noble like most of the other kids on Qing Jing. This added so much depth to her character!

And the whole rumor about Shen Qingqiu grooming and preying on her... that was either a lot worse or had been total horseshit. Like, just an uncle doting on his niece who had... oh, fuck. If Luo Yuan hadn't stepped in, Ning Yingying would have been made an orphan, wouldn't she? And then Shen Qingqiu her only relative.

Luo Yuan slips into the hallway and goes to sit in the main room. None of the girls are up there right now, all of them busy, working, or trying to clean up he would guess, but he still sinks into one of the plush cushions on the floor and tried to calm down. This had to have been a major plot deviance and he hadn't even known it. Fuck, what did this mean?

He's tired of thinking too much about it after a few minutes because he's just tired in general. Usually he hates taking the day off, these ancient times were far less conductive to that sort of thing for many reasons, but he's exhausted enough that Luo Yuan thinks he might. Just as he's almost convinced himself to head back to the bookshop and catch a few more winks, Shen Qingqiu floats from the hallway's entrance. The man stops in the archway and stares at him for a long time before joining him at the table.

"You look like shit." Luo Yuan can't help but comment. Shen Qingqiu gives him a look.

"As if you look much better." Is said with a sniff. Reaching into his sleeve, Shen Qingqiu produces a small jug of wine of all things. He uncorks it, the look on his face daring Luo Yuan to comment on it, and lifts it to take a drink. When he's done, Shen Qingqiu wipes his mouth with the back of his hand like some uncouth animal and scoots it across the table for Luo Yuan to take.

Luo Yuan has never drank in this life and didn't drink more than the rare champagne flute in his past one. But, fuck it. If there was ever a night to get a little tipsy it would be this one. It's not like his Heavenly demon blood would let him have any real fun, anyway. Lifting the jar up, Luo Yuan is surprised by how sweet it smells. When it hits his tongue it's fruity and floral, more like he took a big swig of juice and without any of the expected burn.

That seems dangerous. Before he's tempted to chug it and make an ass of himself, he places it back on the table and scoots it back over to Shen Qingqiu. They sit in silence for a while, just passing the jar back and forth. At one point Luo Yuan is starkly reminded of his meimei talking about indirect kisses, but he cuts that off at the pass before it can fester. Maybe the alcohol was already going to his head.

When the jar is empty, they sit for a bit, neither of them sure what to say.

"I thought you were avoiding me." Slips out, almost without him meaning to say it. Luo Yuan doesn't know why he does, anyway. It's not like he could change anything if Shen Qingqiu did. And why would he, anyway? It's not like they were...

"Hmph. As if you missed me."

"I don't have many friends."

Fuck, they were, weren't they? Him and Shen Qingqiu, against the fucking odds, were friends. His stomach felt like it flopped sideways when he realized.

"Friends." Shen Qingqiu huffed, as if that was the funniest but also the saddest shit he had ever heard, but then sat quiet for a few beats as he scowled down at the table. "There was a demon attack on the Sect a few weeks ago. This one has been... indisposed."

Shen Qingqiu motions down at himself, at how he's still all fucked up. Luo Yuan feels his heart go into his throat. A demon attack. That could only have been Sha Hauling.

"Binghe! My brother, is he-?" It feels stupid to panic, Luo Yuan knows that Luo Binghe would be alright, but he can't explain the wild terror in his chest anyway. To know that his sweet, kind, gentle baby brother had gotten hurt just-!

"He's fine." Shen Qingqiu is quick to reply, raising a hand like Luo Yuan was a horse who needed calmed and not a worried older brother. "Disciple Luo received a few bruises and broke a rib, but his Cultivation is high enough that he is already mostly recovered."

Luo Yuan wasn't fully convinced, but he does let that soothe him some. While Shen Qingqiu could be lying, bruises and a broken rib isn't near the mincemeat Binghe became in PIDW. It also seems like he's receiving proper medical treatment instead of being expected to go curl up in the wood shed and lick his wounds. Huge improvements all around.

They sit in a more awkward silence, then. Usually the two of them are biting and sniping and ribbing each other, so a pleasant (even if more serious) conversation is unfamiliar ground. Luo Yuan could pick at the man and get him riled up, but something about tonight just doesn't feel right.

"... thank you." Shen Qingqiu bites it out like the words physically hurt him to say, scowling at the table between them. "For being here for her."

There are a lot of words left unsaid, there. If Wei Ba had died, then... well, Luo Yuan is just glad he was able to help, even if he had to keep it to himself.

"She's a good woman."

"Hmph." Shen Qingqiu huffs out a bitter breath. "Few people would say that about a whore."

"I'm just better than most people, then." Luo Yuan snips back. Shen Qingqiu raises a brow but doesn't call him on his outrageous claim. Maybe the alcohol has burned into his brain a bit, since his tongue feels loose when he asks: "How come you don't... get her out of here? Aren't you rich?"

Shen Qingqiu lifts his eyes to glare at Luo Yuan, though it feels calculating rather than malicious. His cheeks are sort of pink, the color vibrant as it burns against his pale skin. Tipsy, maybe, since there isn't that glassiness to suggest he's drunk.

"I offered. She refused." A pause. Shen Qingqiu smiles, but it's ugly and sardonic. "The Jianghu is not kind, Luo Yuan. Cang Qiong strictly bans slavery of all forms and she would still be considered my propertly." He spits the words as if they disgust him. "I would be stripped of my title if anyone found out."

"But... she's your sister. Wouldn't they care about that?"

"... perhaps. But even if they excused me, what happens when they find out my sister was a slave? What would they assume about me?"

It wasn't a confession, not really. But Luo Yuan already knew... a little about Shen Qingqiu from PIDW. He'd murdered his fiance's older brother in cold blood, then murdered the rest of the men in the household before burning it down. Qiu Haitang had claimed him to be an uplifted slave, treated kindly by her family. Taught to read, write, well fed, and even allowed to marry into nobility. It seemed like the sort of life that you would read love stories about.

Shen Yuan, in his life before, had never really thought too much about it. With all the other crimes against him during the great trial, that hadn't even been the most disgusting or damning. But now, as Luo Yuan, didn't that seem a bit weird? Shen Qingqiu was an acerbic, frustrating person to deal with but he didn't seem like the sort to just go on murder sprees for fun. Especially if he was being given a golden life on a silver platter! Like, he seemed more like the type to have you murdered but have the blame fall on someone else. The guy was smart, even if he was a dick.

But maybe he had just never thought too hard about it because:

"I thought cultivators were supposed to be above that kind of thing."

That was one of the core tropes in Wuxia and Xianxia as a whole. After you started Cultivating, it didn't matter where you came from. At least, that was the ideal. Now that Luo Yuan thought about it, wasn't that kind of a breaking point in most Cultivation stories? Hell, Luo Binghe had been treated like shit for being a poor orphan in PIDW! Or even if they did ignore birth, the stronger would usually stomp on the weaker just because they saw it as their right to do so.

"Hmph. Naive." Was all that Shen Qingqiu replied with.

Lin Jie poked her head from the doorway; the poor girl looked exhausted, her robes rumpled and hair half loose down her back. She gave a tired and pleading smile to Shen Qingqiu.

"Jiu-ge, Wei-jie was asking after you."

They don't say 'bye' or any other pleasantry to each other. Shen Qingqiu just gives Luo Yuan one last, considering look before he stands to trail after Lin Jie. Luo Yuan feels even more drained than before, his head full of too many thoughts. He excuses himself so he can head back home and catch a bit more sleep.

'Jiu'... 'Ba'.... yeah, this world would do everything it could to tear down a slave who had dragged himself out of the mud, wouldn't it?

The next time Luo Binghe is able to visit, the boy has this sort of sad pleading hidden in the back of his eyes. He's not all beaten up, even looks more well put together than normal, but he's got that sort of tight, worried smile like something is eating at him. Luo Yuan had been around him long enough to know that his little brother is desperate to speak to him, and it's not just about the cool new Spirit Sword he proudly shows off.

Zhang Yang! Right there!

But Luo Binghe is as anxious as a puppy who just pissed on the floor, so Luo Yuan had to contain his fanboy excitement.

Luo Yuan buys them a nice dinner and they head back to his bookshop. It's still pretty early, so they stop and chat with Ling Bo as he closes up, then head back into the relative privacy of his room. He'd splurged on some noodles with thin sliced duck eggs, veggies, and even a few mushrooms- nothing super fancy, but better than what he usually ate! Luo Binghe had admitted in a letter, once, that the food on Qing Jing was much to be desired when it came to 'flavor', but still the boy is picking at his noodles as if he hardly wants them. He must be really worked up.

Luo Yuan can only stand to watch Binghe snip his noodles in two with his chopsticks for so long before he heaves out an melodramatic sigh and puts his bowl down in front of him; Luo Yuan still didn't have a table in here, so they'd both just been sitting cross legged on the floor while facing each other.

"Okay, you're moody. Did one of your girlfriends break up with you?"

"One of my... what?" Luo Binghe blinks, then his face flames up bright red when he registers what Luo Yuan said. "Gege! I don't have-! Ugh!"

"Ah, so worried about how to ask a girl out, then. I see, I see." Luo Yuan nodded as if he knew anything about that, relishing that at least Luo Binghe was looking far less sad even if he was getting mulish. It was so much fun to tease your siblings! "Well, if Xiao-he has any questions, he can always ask Gege."

"As if you know anything about romance." Luo Binghe mutters. He, at least, properly gets a big slurp of his noodles instead of just wasting them. The brat studies Luo Yuan while he chews, mischief blooming behind those star-filled brown eyes. That always meant trouble! As expected, when he speaks again it's with this false sweet cadence. "Yuan-ge, this filial younger brother would never presume to court before his older brother was wed. Perhaps this one should assist Gege in finding a match?" He blinks, his eyes intentionally wide, owlish, and cute. His lips twitch upwards, smug. "Ning-Shijie stills talks about how handsome, strong, and thoughtful that Yuan-ge is. Should I put in a good word?"

Luo Yuan splutters and chokes, almost knocking over his bowl. An errant splash of the thin, brown broth manages to escape to soak the scuffed wood of his room.

"NO!" Luo Yuan doesn't mean to yell, but how can he not?! He coughs and doubles over, wheezing as he thumps his own chest. There is a worried 'Ge?' but he quickly waves off Binghe before he can start fretting.

Binghe, Luo Yuan isn't interested in any of your future wives! And certainly not the very first one! The childhood sweetheart, the only person to show him kindness during his harrowing time on Qing Jing Peak-! That was the best way to have his head on the chopping block in the future!

"Binghe. Xiao-he. Bingbing." When Luo Yuan straightened up, managing to get his breath back, he leaned over to clasp one of his brother's hands between both of his. "You never have to worry about finding me a wife! Your older brother isn't interested in women."

"You're not?"

"I'm not."

Luo Binghe tilted his head, studying Luo Yuan as if a lot of things just clicked into place. Which was great! As long as Luo Binghe thought that he was Asexual, then he would be forever in the clear! Maybe he'd even get to meet some of the cooler wives, like Liu Mingyan, since he wouldn't be seen as a 'threat' in the harem!

But, just in case, maaaaaybe it was time to change the subject!

When Luo Yuan pulled his hands back, be quickly ducked in to give Luo Binghe a 'karate chop' right on the top of his fluffy head. Luo Binghe made an affronted noise, as if that had even hurt, but Luo Yuan continued his dastardly assault by pinching one of those adorable cheeks.

"Binghe, we've stalled enough! What's bothering you?"

Luo Yuan let go when Luo Binghe slapped at his hand and his cheek was sufficiently red, the boy pouting as if he was being terribly bullied. The slightly raised mood instantly dimmed again, Luo Binghe heaving a world weary sigh as he looked down at the floor.

"Ge... do.... do you think that demons are evil?"

Huh?

"Huh?"

Where had that come from? Was it- oh! Wait! Sha Hauling's attack! Meng Mo had started hitching a ride right after that, revealing Binghe's demonic heritage. The old geezer was probably in there right now, watching through Luo Binghe's eyes. Creepy.

"S-sorry, the question isn't important, you don't have to-"

"Woah, woah! Wait, I was just surprised!" Luo Yuan frowned, then scooted across the floor so he could throw his arm around Luo Binghe. The teen had looked like he was about to haul ass out of there, which was exactly NOT what Luo Yuan wanted to happen. He squeezed Luo Binghe tight against his side, patting his arm. Relief flooded him when Binghe leaned his weight against him and sniffed, but didn't otherwise run off or start crying. "Binghe... I don't think that demons are evil."

"You don't?" Luo Binghe peered up at him, his face pinched. "But... demons are violent. All they do is hurt and kill the people around them. Some even eat human flesh, and they're just-!"

Luo Yuan booped Binghe on the nose, stopping the boy before he could work himself up further. It also made him adorably cross his eyes.

"Binghe, humans are violent. Humans hurt and kill the people around them, too. Hell, some people even eat human flesh! And! They eat demons, too!" Demonic Cultivation in PIDW had been no joke.

"But... but.... it's different." Luo Binghe crossed his arms and frowned down at his half-empty bowl, not really seeing it. Petulant, as he grasped with what Luo Yuan was trying to tell him. Poor kid had probably come down here expecting his older brother to tell him how awful and terrible he was and didn't know what to do.

"I'm sure there's just as many 'good' demons as their are 'good' people. We just don't have the chance to ever meet the 'good' ones, do we?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the Demon Realm can't be some... murder pit. Nothing would survive! There are probably towns like this one, with demons who run shops, who are farmers, who work in all sorts of jobs... if not happily, at least content in what they do. But what sort of demons want to cross over to our Realm and cause problems?" Luo Yuan could admit he was on a bit of a tangent, now, but all of this was important lore for a functioning world! He started to tally things off on his fingers as he got more excited. "Nobles trying to make a name for themselves, criminals with nowhere else to go, or the desperate. Then they come to a town like this one and wipe it out, since they don't care about us little peons just trying to survive."

Luo Binghe's face was still scrunched up, but Luo Yuan continued while he was on a roll.

"Now, lets's say that the two of us were demons, and that this little town was exactly the same except everyone was a demon, too... If some Cultivator rolled up looking for a fight, do you think they would care that we were just minding our business? Because, as far as I know, Cultivators only go into the Demon Realm so they can... make a name for themselves, if they're criminals, or desperate."

That had Binghe turn his head to really consider Luo Yuan's words. He didn't know if he had convinced Luo Binghe fully to not hate himself, but maybe he could chip through some of the self loathing. He grinned down at the boy, who, in the end, just sighed again and shook his head.

"Ge, you're really strange. You probably shouldn't tell anyone else, that."

"Yeah, probably not. I bet if your Shizun heard me, he'd call me a moron."

Reluctantly, Luo Binghe pulled out of the embrace and picked his chilled food back up. Luo Yuan scooted back over to his spot, too.

"Now! Tell me in person about Ming Fan and his friends shitting themselves in the middle of class...." Luo Yuan grinned, secretly smug. That baby "book" from the System had taught him he could stimulate much, much more than just pain.

When his younger brother left, he was pleased that Binghe's steps seemed just a bit lighter than they had been before.

Chapter Text

"Yahtzee!" Mei Li cried out, the succubus bouncing in delight as she clapped from her victory. Her absolutely back breaking bare chest wobbled like jello with each movement, but all Luo Yuan could focus on was his own score sheet. The rest of the ladies around the table were groaning.

"You're cheating!" One of the other succubus hissed out as she reached for the cup and the dice. Luo Yuan didn't know why she was complaining, since she wasn't in dead last like he was! Had been, for the last four games!

The whole cavern shuddered, screaming suddenly coming from the entrance. A few of the older succubi rushed in, all of them also naked and bouncing like they were about to black their own eyes with chest weight alone. Luo Yuan sighed and leaned his elbow on the wooden table, a silent relief trailing up his spine. Finally.

Right on the demon's heels was that really pretty but angry looking guy who followed Shen Qingqiu around sometimes. He had this big, white sword out which was glowing faintly with qi. The girls that had been playing games with Luo Yuan were screaming now, too; all of them were rushing deeper into the maze of caverns they had carved out for themselves.

The guy's eyes stopped on Luo Yuan, face twisting into confusion when he grinned and waved at him.

"Why are you here?" Shen Qingqiu hissed out, stomping into the abandoned room with his fan out. He wrinkled his nose as he waved it in front of his face, likely trying to waft away all the potent aphrodisiac that absolutely filled this place to the brim.

"I got captured?" Wasn't that why they were here to investigate? A whole fucking trade caravan going missing?

Shen Qingqiu scoffed and rolled his eyes like Luo Yuan was stupid.

"Where are the rest of the men, then?"

"Oh." Luo Yuan looked behind him, frowning at the caverns. He'd been doing his best to block it out, but with his enhanced demonic hearing there was still a lot of unfortunate squelching from back there. "Somewhere down that way getting ridden like horses."

Shen Qingqiu looked absolutely done with his shit, but the angry man stepped forward and pointed his sword right at Luo Yuan's neck. He let out an indignant squawk and raised his hands up.

"And why are you here and not there?" The man growled out.

"I'm not into women! Whatever they've got burning isn't doing anything for me!" A lie, in part. Heavenly Demons were immune to just about every poison out there except for aphrodisiac, and even those weren't as effective. Whatever his other demonic half happened to be, it was immune to aphrodisiac poisons while being susceptible to everything else (or so the System claimed). Instead of genetics fucking him over, he'd lucked out and was just... completely immune to everything. The succubi had seemed pretty confused about it, too, but had also just accepted his half assed excuse of being Asexual at face value.

The angry man and Shen Qingqiu shared some type of look, but in the end the Qing Jing Lord stepped forward and pushed the blade away from Luo Yuan's neck with the end of his closed fan.

"Liu Qingge, this man is a mortal. He's just stupid, not a danger."

"Hey!" They both ignored him, Liu Qingge (and wasn't that a fucking shocker!) grunting as he pulled back. He was still suspicious, however, as he glanced around.

"He was in here playing games with them."

Shen Qingqiu looked down at the table, still covered in their makeshift Yahtzee! board and scattered dice. He closed his eyes and took a very deep breath as if he needed to center himself. When he glared back at Luo Yuan, his whole expression was as icy as deep winter.

"Why," Shen Qingqiu's hand trembled as he gripped his fan tight. "were you playing games with the succubi?!"

On his last words, Shen Qingqiu's voice rose into a half shout, and he started to smack Luo Yuan with his fan over and over on his head. It hurt, but Luo Yuan could tell the other was holding back. He could also take it since- well! Either way, he made another offended noise and started slapping back at Shen Qingqiu's hand, only half successful in defending himself. He felt an odd, pleased curl in his stomach that he very swiftly put out of mind.

"Stop! Stop!" When Shen Qingqiu relented, he snapped his fan open and smoothed out his robes. It was like the man had never been violently assaulting him at all. Not even a single strand of hair out of place! Not fair! "I was bored! What did you want me to do?!"

"I-" Shen Qingqiu opened and closed his mouth, looking like a prissy fish before his lips thinned into a furious, white line. "Luo Yuan, what do you mean you were bored?"

Huffing, Luo Yuan finally got to his feet, not liking how the other two men loomed over him. It didn't help much, since they were both stupidly tall Xianxia men and he wasn't finished growing yet (or he hoped he wasn't, at least).

Liu Qingge was giving both of them a weird look, but neither noticed.

"Since you're too dense to figure it out, let me paint you a beautiful picture with my words, Qingqiu. We can use our imaginations." A pause, just long enough to build unneeded or wanted tension. "You're a handsome and strapping young man who needs coin! You happen to find a well paying job, just help haul some goods to the next town over, then come right back- three days, tops, with food and board provided! You accept and all is going well but- oh no! Foul demons besiege you and your companions, dragging all of you back to their cavern!" Luo Yuan is dramatic about it. He knows he's being dramatic about it. It is pissing Shen Qingqiu off which is exactly what he wanted. "Succubi, looking to drain all of your hot, juicy sexual qi! Only! You're not ensnared by their feminine wiles, so they can't bump and grind with you! What shall you do?"

"Luo Yuan-"

"Shhhh!" Luo Yuan shushes Shen Qingqiu, waving his hands at him for interrupting. "They won't let you leave, but they don't want to kill you. You're just a soft, pathetic little human who can't fight them, either. So, what do you do? Do you sit in the corner, tied up, needing help to go piss?" Luo Yuan pointed over to the very corner the succubi had wanted to leave him in. "Or, do you play dice games until a big, strong, handsome cultivator comes to rescue you?"

Shen Qingqiu struck like a snake, whapping Luo Yuan on the head again.

"Idiot."

"The succubi are probably getting away." Liu (fucking!) Qingge spoke up, face twisted in some look between pity and concern as he eyed Luo Yuan. Well, he was supposed to be dead by now Luo Yuan was pretty sure, so he could keep his opinions to himself.

A frustrated sigh left Shen Qingqiu.

"Fine. Let's go!" Was ordered, which Liu Qingge didn't seem to appreciate very much. The War God charged forward regardless, sword at the ready once more. As Shen Qingqiu passed Luo Yuan by, he poked him in the chest with his fan. "Stay here."

Then they both vanished down the tunnel.

Luo Yuan sighed and sat back down at the table, cleaning up the game.

It's not like he couldn't have escaped or even that he wanted to lie. It was just easier to go with the flow of things. Sure, if Luo Yuan had been in any real danger he would have fought his way out... but the last few months, it almost felt like he was being put in these situations... by the System?

It would happen one of two ways: kidnapping or wife plot bait. If it was a kidnapping, then Luo Yuan would get randomly abducted by a demon, demonic cultivator, or even just plain bandits! Nothing that could actually hurt him but certainly put him in a tricky position if he outed himself. The first few times he had been actually alarmed! That was, until he realized the pattern.

Before Luo Yuan could be put in any real danger, Shen Qingqiu would happen to show up and rescue him.

At one point, Shen Qingqiu was carrying him, still tied up, away from a burning building. This had been the fifth or sixth time something like that had happened by this point. The Peak Lord had glared down at him and said something to the effect of:

"It's like you're doing this on purpose."

"You caught me. I'm a fair damsel and I want you to save me." Luo Yuan had replied, mostly to keep his stomach from swooping. He thought it was maybe how regal that Shen Qingqiu appeared as he looked down at him, or maybe he just felt weird being carried around by another guy so easy- but he had felt squirmy and sick that whole time. Inadequacy, maybe?

Shen Qingqiu's face had twitched and he looked at Luo Yuan like he might kill him. His cheeks had even gotten blood red, he'd been so mad!

The wife plot bait was way worse, though. It never happened to Luo Yuan, poor Shen Qingqiu having to endure the humiliation instead. Overall they were less flashy but way more disturbing. It usually went down like:

Luo Yuan would be on some task, by himself, when he would come upon Shen Qingqiu in dire straights. Clothes half ripped off, hopped up on some sort of sex pollen or papapa poison, and in a compromising position he wouldn't be able to escape from on his own. He was super lucky that Shen Qingqiu was always, by the time he found him, half out of his mind, too; his whole identity as a demon would have been discovered a long time ago if the Peak Lord wasn't! It had gotten to the point that Luo Yuan started keeping spare clothes on him, just in case.

After getting Shen Qingqiu stable, he'd sit with him until he woke up, then endure whatever questions that the cultivator had. He didn't run Luo Yuan off like that first time, at least.

Somehow the man seemed fragile after every one of these encounters. Like he needed extra time to pick up and piece together these broken shards of himself and put himself back together. They usually didn't talk much during these particular episodes, just sat in each other's company until the tension passed.

"Not many people would do what you do." Shen Qingqiu had said, once. There was still that metaphorical glass in his hand, having not quite made himself whole yet. He wasn't looking at Luo Yuan, his eyes fixed on something only he could see in the far distance. "If anyone else found me-"

Shen Qingqiu didn't finish and they both pretended his voice hadn't started to shake.

"It would be wrong. To take advantage of you like that."

"No one would blame you." At that, Shen Qingqiu had sounded so resentful. A touch of pure mania was in his trembling tone. "They would say you had helped me, were just curing me."

"... has.... has anyone....?"

"... no. Not... this way." A pause. "But they would have been rewarded, if they had."

Luo Yuan hadn't know what to say to that. On this particular instance, Shen Qingqiu had been oozed on by some jelly monster. Most of his clothing had melted off, so Luo Yuan had given him the spare set he had on him to wear. They were sitting under a tree, looking down from the small hill they were resting on, the sun setting on the horizon. These sorts of scenarios always happened in more private, intimate places. As if no one else was allowed to see Shen Qingqiu so vulnerable except for him.

There was the urge to hug him, then. Shen Qingqiu, dressed in his clothing and without all his finery, seemed much smaller and softer than usual. Luo Yuan couldn't explain why, he'd just... felt like the guy needed it. Only, he was also pretty sure that if he tried that Shen Qingqiu would maul his face off like an angry leopard.

So Luo Yuan went for the next best thing. They were already sitting side by side, Shen Qingqiu's knees curled to his chest while Luo Yuan was more stretched out. Reaching over, slow to not startle the man, he draped his hand over Shen Qingqiu's where it laid in the grass. He twitched but didn't pull away which was a good sign. When the man relaxed, Luo Yuan gently curled his fingers around Shen Qingqiu's palm

"They shouldn't be." Luo Yuan decided, finally responding after the long pause. He kept his voice gentle, the atmosphere too delicate for boisterous or joking remarks. Shen Qingqiu didn't respond, but he did curl his own fingers around Luo Yuan's. Their only point of connection.

It probably would have looked bizarre to anyone else, two guys holding hands, but Shen Qingqiu was his friend! If he couldn't comfort him with a hug, this was the next best thing! It wasn't strange, and neither was Luo Yuan getting that weird demonic squirming in his stomach again, or how he could only seem to focus on how cool and soft the man's skin was.

None of this was weird.

Chapter Text

"Qingqiu, you don't have to do this."

Shen Qingqiu continued to glower.

"You have more kindness in your heart than you think."

"Do you think this master a fool?" The Peak Lord hissed out.

"You can stop this, Qingqiu. You have the power to stop this. Choose love."

There was the loud click! as a black weiqi piece was placed on the board, echoing with finality. Luo Yuan groaned and fell backwards into the borrowed pillows of the brothel room they were sharing. With that one move, Shen Qingqiu had fully collapsed the very epic and powerful combo he had been working on to win the war effort. This was clearly because Shen Qingqiu was a cruel and heartless man and not because Luo Yuan was absolute dog ass at this game.

When Luo Yuan had arrived to work that morning, Shen Qingqiu had already been present. He'd spent the night there, from what could be gathered, taking an evening away from the Peak and his duties to spend time with his sister and nephew. The man had still been a little sleepy eyed and slow, frowning at him pointedly when he had barged in to collect the sheets. The only word that Luo Yuan could think to properly summarize the sight was cute.

When he'd come back to deliver the now-clean wash, Shen Qingqiu was still there. It was closer to evening, just a few hours until the Warm Red Pavilion opened to the public, but he was still huddled up in Wei Ba's room and keeping to himself. Fully cleaned up and dressed in his full regalia but with no intent to leave. Something about him just seemed tired, so Luo Yuan didn't want to poke or prod at him as he usually did. Wei Ba was busy and little Yao'er was with some of his 'Aunties', which left the man by his lonesome.

Luo Yuan had intended to just head back home as per usual after he collected payment, but Shen Qingqiu had been extra pathetic looking. So, he had reluctantly handed a few of his hard-earned coins back to the matron and asked for two meals and some tea to be brought up. She'd raised a knowing brow at him, but he'd been quick to wave her off before heading back upstairs.

When Shen Qingqiu had reluctantly let him into the room, Luo Yuan had dragged out the weiqi board and challenged him to a game. They'd spent the last while nibbling on dinner, snipping at each other, and playing round after round of weiqi. At least Shen Qingqiu seemed to be having a good time totally thrashing him.

Luo Yuan was busy setting the board back up for another match when there was a fluctuation in the ambient qi around them. Shen Qingqiu tensed and Luo Yuan only paused before pretending he hadn't felt it. A few moments later the door was forcefully thrown open, Liu Qingge standing in the entrance like a man ready to kill.

"Shen Qingqiu, you-!"

Luo Yuan flicked a white weiqi piece at him. It uselessly bounced off his chest, then thumped to the floor. That had the man quiet, befuddlement on his face, as he stared down at the still rattling stone as if it had personally offended him. When he pouted- pouted!- back up at Luo Yuan, the hidden demon just snorted.

"Lower your voice! The ladies up here are trying to rest." Luo Yuan scolded. Shen Qingqiu had pulled out his fan and was hiding most of his face with it. Liu Qingge kept frowning as he kept staring at Luo Yuan, clearly trying to place where he'd seen him before.

"You're sleeping with Shen Qingqiu." It sounded almost like an accusation. Luo Yuan was so stunned for a moment that he wasn't really sure how to respond.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Was what Luo Yuan finally said, snarky, turning to look at Shen Qingqiu. The man only glared at him from over his fan. There would be no help from that front, so he rolled his eyes and nodded back at Liu Qingge. "I'm still learning the rules, but I'm fairly confident that weiqi doesn't involve having our dicks out."

Also! What the hell, Liu Qingge?! Luo Yuan was clearly a man! He might not have been very bulky or muscular, but he was a dude! Why the hell would Shen Qingqiu come to a brothel to sleep with a guy? If Shen Qingqiu actually came here to have sex, which Luo Yuan knew he didn't, there were plenty of pretty flowers for him to pluck!

Liu Qingge was stunned into silence, a 'shameless!' mumbled from his lips as his cheeks heated up. Like some blushing maiden! Ha!

"Why," Shen Qingqiu cut in, before this circus could gain more clowns. His voice was dripping with malice. "are you here, Liu Qingge?"

The War God scoffed, remembering that Shen Qingqiu was indeed present, and looked down his nose at his fellow Peak Lord.

"Yue-Shixiong sent me to fetch you."

That answer just darkened Shen Qingqiu's already foul mood. The man looked like he was about to explode, which surely couldn't have been good for anyone. Luo Yuan was already standing up and sliding between the two men before he put too much thought into it. He flexed his hands in a 'shoo, shoo!' motion at Liu Qingge as he stepped towards him.

"Qingqiu will go home soon, so you can leave! Message delivered!"

Liu Qingge leaned away from Luo Yuan but otherwise didn't move. The sudden, violent image of him grabbing the man and tearing a limb off flashed through his mind, fueled by demonic heat in his belly. All because Shen Qingqiu was his- ... friend! His friend! Luo Yuan was so disoriented as he almost missed Liu Qingge replying.

"I am not leaving without Shen Qingqiu." Whatever patience he had previously had for Luo Yuan's antics was waning, especially since he was being bossed around. Frowning, Luo Yuan really wanted to shove Liu Qingge down and drag him out of there by his hair. Instead, he tried to think of the few details that he actually knew about the guy to try and run him off.

Liu Qingge hadn't actually appeared in PIDW. He'd been mentioned once or twice offhand as existing, died, and from that point forward all the info you received about the guy was secondhand from other characters. Mostly from Liu Mingyan, and she had always talked about how her brother was a man bound by his own righteous ideals and honor. Maybe he could attack that angle?

"If you want him, you're going to need to beat me up!" Luo Yuan declared, loud and proud. Liu Qingge took a half step forward, like he fucking would, but Luo Yuan continued. "And won't that look good? The Bai Zhan Peak Lord almost killing some mortal? I thought you Orthodox Cultivators had rules about lording your power over helpless wimps!"

Liu Qingge's face scrunched up, but he did relax. Yeah, Cultivators weren't supposed to bully mortals! Hell, he was pretty sure that was most of the reason that Shen Qingqiu let Luo Yuan get away with as much as he did. Even if his reputation was already circling the drain, it would look pretty bad for him to just harm or kill a mortal. Didn't matter if they were mouthing off or not, he was supposed to be the bigger man and wield his power responsibly.

"Fine."

Then Liu Qingge backed away, storming off to go bang rocks together or whatever the fuck a Bai Zhan warrior did to train. When Luo Yuan saw him clear the end of the hallway closed the door, then walked over to flop back down on the pillows. A great, world weary sigh left him.

"What was his problem?" Luo Yuan muttered, not really expecting an answer. What he did get was a fan whipping him on the top of the head, hard enough to sting. That only made his muffled demonic core itch as he acted all insulted.

"Fool. Why do you insist on snarling at anyone who could kill you without lifting a finger?" Shen Qingqiu was furious, lips pulled up into a high enough sneer to show the pink of his gums. "Do you not value your own life, Luo Yuan? Or do you simply think yourself immune to harm?"

He struck him with his fan again, which had Luo Yuan give a 'Hey!' of indignation as he tried to bat the man away. Shen Qingqiu's face grew redder and redder as he continued to work himself up into a proper fit of pique. Luo Yuan would freely admit that he was baffled by the strong reaction. Shouldn't Shen Qingqiu be happy that he had gotten Liu Qingge to leave him alone? Where was all of this coming from?

"Or do you think so little of this Lord that you assume he needs a peasants help?" Oh, and Shen Qingqiu's voice was venomous when he said that. Enough so that a grain of hurt actually unfurled in Luo Yuan's chest, which was quickly smothered by a spike of anger that suffused in his gut.

"Maybe I fucking do!" Luo Yuan snapped back, baring his own blunt teeth. "What the fuck would you have done? Talked big game then let him bully you in leaving? One of us has to have a spine and it certainly isn't you!"

Shen Qingqiu recoiled, hurt flashing briefly across his features before they smoothed over as frosty as ice. Instead of backing off further he surged forwards again, grabbing Luo Yuan's collar to drag him closer. All Luo Yuan could seem to focus on was how they were nose to nose.

"You think so highly of yourself, Luo Yuan. Yet all you are is a weak, talentless man who hangs his hope on an even weaker, more talentless younger brother." There was an actual, physical chill in the air when Shen Qingqiu spoke, his tone slow, calculated, and frigid. Every word was meant to carve into Luo Yuan's chest, meant to tear out his heart and make him hate. It made his blood boil, made him want to bite.

"Do not," Luo Yuan snatched Shen Qingqiu by his collar, taking great pleasure in wrinkling the delicate silk in his fist. "bring my brother into this."

As soon as he growled that out, Luo Yuan knew exactly what the statement was: blood in the water. Much like a shark, Shen Qingqiu latched onto that weakness with intent. A smile, cruel and jagged, carved across his face. There was a dark satisfaction as he lowered his voice, almost sweet, the mocking curl of it worming under his skin with every hot breath. Luo Yuan wanted to punch him.

"He'll most likely die at the Immortal Alliance Conference." Shen Qingqiu's free hand, the one not digging into Luo Yuan's robes, trailed a finger along the demon's jaw. It was a gentle caress, like one might give to a lover. It slid down to the point of his chin, which was tilted back so they were forced eye to eye. "It would not be a great loss for this Master. Perhaps even a boon. Trimming the unneeded fat from my Peak without me having to dirty my own hands."

Luo Yuan took a sharp breath, unable to do more than listen as conflicting emotions blended his insides. All at once he was reminded, starkly, that Shen Qingqiu was the villain. It didn't matter what they were to each other, that they were friends. Shen Qingqiu was still a bitter, resentful, vile person who hated Luo Binghe for existing. While he might not have abused the half demon like he had in PIDW, he still didn't give a single fuck about him.

"It was a shame that you encouraged him to stand up for himself. My methods would have been better for him. Hardened him enough to survive." Shen Qingqiu continued.

Luo Yuan's brain was melting. Demonic wants trying to rise to the surface, the sheer horror of what he was hearing, the anger on Luo Binghe's behalf, the knowledge of what could have been- it was all mixing into a horrid soup of fury and inaction as he fumbled for what to do, for words to stab into the other's chest just like Shen Qingqiu was doing to him.

Let it never be said that Luo Yuan wasn't willing to hit below the belt during an argument.

"Do you think it makes them happy?" Luo Yuan hissed out, the words leaving him as soon as the idea popped in mind. Shen Qingqiu's gaze narrowed, likely thinking this was him giving in. That Luo Yuan was about to show his underbelly.

The Peak Lord cocked his head to the side, placidly curious, waiting for his triumph.

"Whoever left all those fucking scars on you. Do you think it makes them happy that you're just like them?"

Shen Qingqiu went still, not even breathing, face going from the hateful smugness to wounded.

Luo Yuan had seen the man naked enough times, by now, to have seen the marks on him. Horrid, crisscrossing things that lined his back by the dozens. Whip scars. Just one of those things neither of them talked about, one of those lines they both respected each other enough not to cross.

Except Shen Qingqiu had started this. It was his own fault that Luo Yuan was ending it.

Luo Yuan realized he was panting, then. Shen Qingqiu was close enough to taste, the lingering traces of incense, lavender, and whatever natural musk sticking tight in his throat. Every heart beat sang a chorus of bite, bite, bite in his ear. To sink his fangs into the smooth, soft skin and leave marks behind so everyone would know he belonged to-

The door slid open.

"Didi? A'Yuan?"

Wei Ba, Yao'er on her hip, was standing there. She looked horrified and concerned. All at once the tension bled out of the room. Luo Yuan let go of Shen Qingqiu, followed by Shen Qingqiu shoving Luo Yuan back.

There were no more words, Luo Yuan just picked himself up from the ground and gave one last, nasty look to Shen Qingqiu as he left.

Fucking prick.

Shen Qingqiu was avoiding him. That was alright since Luo Yuan was avoiding him, too.

His days were empty and boring and Luo Yuan hated that. Without even realizing it, he'd somehow allowed his days to center around his frequent meetings with the Peak Lord. There was no going into the woods with the vague idea he'd find Shen Qingqiu tied up. No misguided kidnappers were snatching Luo Yuan off the street so he could await being rescued. Luo Yuan only did his rounds in town, did his jobs, and then went home. He even still visited the brothel, though it was strictly business, now. He'd greet and be polite to whoever approached him, but there was no more lingering around on the vague hope of seeing a flash of green and teal.

It felt empty and lonely and stupid.

He had more important things to worry about, anyway. Like the impending countdown for Binghe to be thrown into the Abyss. Luo Yuan had been avoiding thinking about it since it popped up, but the timer was ticking down and making him an anxious mess. Loathe as he was to admit it, the frequent visits from Shen Qingqiu had helped soothe that ache, had made Luo Yuan forget for a little while. Without the Peak Lord, all he saw were the numbers constantly running down, no matter what he did.

The System would not allow this to be skipped, much like how it hadn't allowed Luo Binghe to stay off Cang Qiong.

Binghe hadn't been able to come off the mountain for the last festival. He'd written a letter beforehand, saying that Shizun had banned all participants in the Immortal Alliance Conference from 'slacking off'. Luo Yuan was entirely convinced it only happened since Shen Qingqiu was being a petty prick about their argument.

Luo Yuan drowned the blanket he was washing, hoping that would soothe some of his building frustration.

It wasn't for the brothel today but for one of the noble families that lived in town. Their regular washer was ill and Luo Yuan had been fine to take the job. It wasn't much pay but it was something to do. He'd hiked a ways away from town with the basket to be on his own; he wanted to freely beat the stains from the expensive fabrics with rocks without judgment. It was a hot summer day, the sun beating down on his head making sweat gather in his hairline. The water only helped so much, too. This river was wide and deep enough that if he dared to venture too far from the shore he'd surely be swept away by the rushing tide hidden under the tranquil waters.

The very last robe was being squeezed dry when there was a rumble strong enough to knock Luo Yuan off his feet, followed by a great explosion of rock and debris a ways away. Down the river, some sort of massive and monstrous beast had crawled from the woods and was writhing and spitting as it swiped massive claws at three, darting specks harassing it. The creature was huge, even from this far away it could be seen clearly, looking like some horrid mix of a lamprey and a mandrill. It probably had some stupid name but Luo Yuan couldn't remember it, though he did know it was dangerous for it to be this close to town.

The wise thing to do was leave. Luo Yuan was already done with his washing and there were clearly Cultivators taking care of it. He wasn't a hero and didn't need to risk outing himself for this.

Instead, Luo Yuan left the basket behind and trailed up the river so he could get a better look at the fight, hoping to figure out what the hell that thing might be.

Luo Yuan found a rock he could hunker behind to watch from a distance. The creature was massive, easily three stories tall for a modern day comparison, and when it screamed it let out this pulse that made his ears ache. One of the Cultivators Luo Yuan didn't know, a man in sage greens and creams that was mostly hanging back. One was Liu Qingge, who was being the most aggressive, keeping the monster pushed back and off balance with powerful sword glares and strikes. Last was, of fucking course, Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu was flying above on his sword, circling around the beast to toss out powerful talismans or hit weak points when Liu Qingge made openings. While the monster was on the defensive, it wasn't a one sided beat down. It would swipe out with claws or try to stomp or lash with feet and tail.

The beast was bloodied and panting when it all went to shit. The fighting, for the beast, went from mere furious battle to a desperation to stay alive. It started to thrash erratically, shrieking and pulling out everything it could muster as it tried to get away.

One sudden, jerky swipe of its paw caught Shen Qingqiu in the air, slamming him into the ground with enough power to leave a crater. Xiu Ya clattered in the dirt a ways away. For a brief moment, Luo Yuan felt a twisted vindication. Fuck him, since he had been such an ass. Fuck him for not allowing Luo Yuan to see Binghe one last time before the Abyss swallowed him.

Then he realized that Shen Qingqiu wasn't getting back up.

That thought crossed his mind, opening up a dark pit in his stomach, when the monster lashed out again. The unknown Cultivator had been trying to get to Shen Qingqiu while Liu Qingge was trying to push it back, but it surged forward instead. It staggered into the river, shattering the rock of the bank around it. The monster fell far deeper than it had anticipated, going all the way down to its hips, and shrieked and clawed wildly at the dirt as it tried to haul itself back out of the water.

One of those massive claws raked right over where Shen Qingqiu was. Luo Yuan could only watch in horror as the bleeding, unconscious man's limp body was dragged into the water with the rubble. He sank like the rocks joining him, his pale robes vanishing quickly from sight as the depths of the river engulfed him.

Luo Yuan's mind was static.

There was no thought. Luo Yuan had never learned to swim in his last life or this one, but he found himself darting from his hiding spot as fast as he could. There was a concerned shout, but it was just background noise as Luo Yuan threw himself into the river. The water churned around him, fully sucking him under, but he kicked and did his best to sink downwards. The light faded behind him, leaving only the bubbling darkness at his front. His lungs burned, but he twisted a bit of his natural demonic qi to try and do anything to stay under a little longer. To push a little harder, go a little faster, see a little more.

Sank all the way to the bottom of the river bed, Shen Qingqiu laid like a discarded statue. His long robes and hair flared around him to shift and move with every wave, circling around him like a halo. His pale lips were parted and no bubbles escaped them.

Luo Yuan grabbed him by his shoulders, pulling Shen Qingqiu close to his chest. Then he started the process of dragging the both of them back to the surface, even as his lungs ached and body struggled. His human disguise was about to shred at the seams, unable to keep the power he needed held back for much longer.

When he surfaced it was with a gasp, the tang of blood coating his tongue. Liu Qingge had mostly slaughtered the monster down the river, and it was bleeding to stain the water a frothy pink. Luo Yuan ignored that, dragging both himself and the Qing Jing Peak Lord onto the sandy river bank. He half collapsed next to him, coughing up water, and furiously willed his body to not implode.

"Qingqiu-!" Left him in a rasp, as he cupped the man's pale cheek in his palm. It was freezing. Shen Qingqiu wasn't breathing.

A shock of ice crawled down his back. Luo Yuan didn't want him to die.

His mind was static again. Luo Yuan as moving before he could put too much thought into it. This, at least, was practiced from his old life. Forcing himself to sit up, Luo Yuan threaded his fingers together to press his doubled-up palms down just under the man's chest. CPR! He'd taken classes for this, in another life! His certification was about thirteen years out of date, but-!

The System flashed in his eyes in some message and there was the roar of the beast behind him, but Luo Yuan only focused on the beat of a song whose name and lyrics he could not remember to keep time. Then, sucking in a huge breath, he forced Shen Qingqiu's mouth open to breath deep into his lungs.

"Please, please, please-" Was the whispered prayed from his lips when he started chest compressions again. There was some sort of new commotion behind him, yelling, but Luo Yuan's face was hot and all he could feel was the drag of water down his face.

Another kiss of life.

Shen Qingqiu's whole body spasmed. His lips parted weakly, then he stated to cough. Luo Yuan pulled back and helped Shen Qingqiu curl over onto his side so he could hack and choke out all the water that was drowning him. The man's body trembled and he seemed so small, soaked like he was. After he was empty, Shen Qingqiu's vision went hazy and he lost his strength. He collapsed on his side but he was still breathing, which was what mattered.

Luo Yuan scooped him into his arms, one arm under his knees and the other behind his back, hefting him up. He was careful to cradle Shen Qingqiu's head against his chest, so it didn't loll about and cause him more pain when he woke up later. The unknown Cultivator and Liu Qingge were hovering, but Luo Yuan just rushed over to the two of them and dumped Shen Qingqiu into Liu Qingge's arms. The man grunted in surprise but didn't drop his Shixiong.

"Take him back to the Sect, please, someone- someone needs to look at him, he needs-" Luo Yuan knew he was rambling, could feel that maybe he was shaking, now, too, as adrenaline started to crash.

"What... what was that technique you used-?" The man in cream and green tried to asked. His voice was calm and gentle, soothing, but all Luo Yuan could focus on was his ugly little mustache and how Qingqiu was still so vulnerable-

"It doesn't- please, just take him back! I don't want Qingqiu to die, please, don't let him die!" Luo Yuan's breath hitched and he realized his vision had been blurry and wobbling this whole time. His face was still hot and he sniffed, then wiped his cheeks on gritty palms.

"Hm. Mu-shidi." Liu Qingge shook his head, then pointed with his chin in the vague direction of Cang Qiong. "We should go."

The man, Mu-Shidi (Mu Qingfang?), frowned and looked between Liu Qingge, Luo Yuan, then finally at Shen Qingqiu. He nodded, then the two men were but specks on the distance as they flew above the clouds.

When Luo Yuan was alone, he squat down right where he was and gripped his own hair tight in both fists.

Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

He didn't want Shen Qingqiu to die.

Luo Yuan didn't want the Scum Villain, the man who was destined to be torn part in the Water Prison, to die.

A week before the conference, Luo Yuan made his move.

Shen Qingqiu had still been MIA. Luo Binghe had been allowed to come down the day before he, the other participants, and everyone else attending started the trek to Jue Di Gorge. He'd made sure to dote on the boy, teasing him fiercely the whole time, and made him promise to stay safe so he'd come back. Those words had felt hollow on his tongue, as the System had still been ticking down in the corner of his eye the whole time.

That night, after Luo Binghe had returned to Qing Jing, Luo Yuan stood in his room for a long time before making himself move.

He'd been preparing for this for weeks, now. A cheap bag filled with tasteless but filling rations and a few other basic survival supplies. Not enough, just what he could afford. The last of the money he had worked so hard for these last few years was placed on the table in his room, a simple letter giving only thanks but not answers to Ling Bo. When he was sure he could stall no more, Luo Yuan left.

The System sold him an overpriced map which he followed through harsh wilderness. Unlike the traveling group from Cang Qiong, who would be forced to take the winding roads due to the carriages and horses, Luo Yuan just cut right through thick forest and untouched land. It wasn't fun, and sometimes things tried to attack him, but in the end he hobbled to the edge of a barrier and managed to push inside.

Luo Yuan was quick to flee forwards, deeper into the gorge, knowing that someone would surely sense the disturbance and investigate.

The monsters here had sense enough to avoid him, perhaps able to tell he was an apex predator. Luo Yuan slipped into a small, hard to spot cavern and huddled in the back. It was pitch black inside, hard even for his enhanced vision to see, but he only leaned his head against the wall and forced himself to rest while he waited.

Three days later, the qi changed as young Cultivators flooded into the gorge. Luo Yuan pulled himself from his half meditative daze and packed what few things he had bothered to take from his bag.

That night, demonic energy exploded. This was followed by the screaming.

Luo Yuan felt guilty as he tore through the forest, careful to avoid Cultivator and beast alike. Everyone in here were just kids and they were dying- but. But Luo Yuan needed to find Binghe. He couldn't leave Binghe alone. Couldn't just abandon him.

Something twisted and corrupt started to pulse from further ahead, the energy so strong and noxious it almost brought Luo Yuan to his knees.

Flames danced in the darkness, bright oranges and yellows lighting up the distance bright enough for daylight. The shadows of the trees stretch on the ground like grasping hands trying to desperately crawl away from the hell that was being unleashed. Luo Yuan fought with the power as it burned across his skin to push forward, go faster.

When Luo Yuan burst into the clearing, ice coated every surface in thick shards. There was no Black Moon Rhinoceros-Python, yet there was evidence that some sort of struggle had still happened here. Blood coated the ice in places, bright and vibrant with freshness, as huge gouges sliced into the earth.

The most important thing was Luo Binghe. And in front of him, Shen Qingqiu.

The Abyss was already opened, a great rip in reality itself, bleeding heat and fire. It was a jagged and ugly scar, a wound that tainted the earth. Luo Binghe was backed against the edge, tears glistening in his eyes, sword shattered at his side- and his demonic Zuiyin, that heavenly demon flame, stark and bright against his forehead. The words were lost with distance, but he was clearly pleading with Shen Qingqiu.

Luo Yuan couldn't see Shen Qingqiu's face, his back to him. His sword was in his grip, raised with intent but not stabbing yet. He seemed thinner since he'd seen him last, more haggard in how he held his shoulders. Yet it seemed he was not moved by Luo Binghe's plea, since he took a step forward and started to raise his blade.

"BINGHE!"

The cry tore from Luo Yuan's throat, high and desperate. He kicked forward, pushing all the speed he was able into his legs to help churn them into action.

Manic, Luo Yuan found that everything seemed to move in slow motion. He ran towards Binghe, while at his shout Binghe had twitched and turned to face him, shocked. It left him open to the incoming attack from Shen Qingqiu. Yet, Shen Qingqiu had also flinched, head turning just enough for Luo Yuan to catch one shocked, steel eye. He still flowed into the motion of his sword, even as his hand seemed to try and jerk upwards.

Luo Yuan flung his arms around Luo Binghe's neck. Spiritual steel pierced flesh.

At first he only heard Xiu Ya slicing. A wet squelch, followed by the snapping of delicate bone. Luo Yuan took a soggy breath as he looked down at Luo Binghe, whose face had twisted into terror. His heart seized, fluttering at an intrusion. Only when the blood started to leak from his lips did Luo Yuan glance down.

Peeking just barely out of his chest was the tip of Xiu Ya.

Luo Yuan felt his heart spasm, pain erupting through his body as the shattered organ gave out. A struggling gasp tried to enter his mouth, only causing more agony. His legs gave first, body tipping forward and forcing Binghe to try, and fail, to catch his weight. They both kept going, kept falling.

Before Luo Yuan's vision fully faded, as the Abyss was still taking them, he caught one look behind him. Shen Qingqiu's face was the picture of horror and regret.

Then he was gone.

Chapter Text

Quiet sniffling greets Luo Yuan when he is forced back into consciousness. His chest hurts, his back hurts, his face hurts- his everything hurts. The air stinks like bitter smoke and sulfur, like rotting, scorched flesh all wrapped up in one pungent and gag inducing perfume. A headache throbs in his skull, making Luo Yuan unable to think through the pounding. He'd rather not talk about the effort needed to force his gummy eyes to open.

He's on his side in some cave, he thinks. Unfamiliar yellow-white rock stares back at him, cracked and gritty where it's half buried in dusty, red earth. There is a tacky feeling down his front and back, making his robes stick as if crusted to his skin. It takes a few moments for his vision to stop spinning, so he can look around.

There isn't much in here but his eyes catch on objectively the most important. Luo Binghe is huddled up at the far edge of the rounded cavern, face pressed to his knees and arms wrapped tight around himself. He's covered in blood, not all of it his own Luo Yuan would guess, his previously white and green robes stained a rusty red. His hair has come loose, wild around his shoulders, half of it matted to his skull with mud. His little brother is crying, shoulders trembling and shaking, even as he tries to keep the sobs stuck in his throat. It hurts to watch.

"Binghe." Luo Yuan's throat is raw and graveled, drier than it ever has been in his life. He almost doesn't recognize his own voice, it's so bad. Still, Binghe freezes, then slowly looks up. His brown eyes have turned red, two glowing points in the darkness to match the one on his forehead. They're puffy and rimmed from his sobbing, but there is only wariness there instead of hope.

Luo Yuan licks his chapped and cracked lips. He tastes blood and dirt and salt, but he still groans as he tries to shift and push himself up. His arms are weak and tremble under him but he manages to get slightly more vertical than before. His head swims, so he closes his eyes and waits for it to pass. Luo Binghe is otherwise silent, though Luo Yuan can sense him slowly rising to his feet.

"Why are you crying?"

Luo Binghe doesn't answer. He only stands there, a predator unsure if it should strike, and flexes his hands at his sides. His eyes are locked onto Luo Yuan, not even blinking.

"Gege-" Relief, hope. Then his voice cracks, darkens. It's forced, Luo Yuan knows the cruelty in his tone is only masking the hurt. "Who are you?"

His mind reels for a moment, confused. Unable to quite grasp the threads of the conversation.

"... Luo Yuan? Your brother?" He doesn't know what else to answer. Luo Yuan winces and tries to sit up further, this time managing to make it so he's sitting on his ass. Leaned back, forced to balance on the wall, but at least he's not fully on the ground anymore.

"Prove it."

Luo Yuan's brows furrow, then realization slowly slides into his aching skull. Oh! Oh oh! It was one of those things, then! Okay! He wracked his brain, trying to come up with something suitable. Something that some spirit possessing his body would never know.

"When you were five, you had that phase where you kept catching frogs so you could kiss them. You thought one might be a prince and would fall in love with A'Niang."

A long thread of silence.

"Gege!" Luo Yuan lets out an 'oomph!' when he finds his arms suddenly full of Binghe. The young man had practically tackled him, pulling his sore and exhausted body into a hug tight enough to crush. His younger brother is crying again, barely holding back the loud sobs that Luo Yuan knows he wants to let out. He pats his back and weakly holds Binghe in return, waiting for the half demon to center himself and catch his breath. Eventually, he manages to pull away and wipe some of the tears and snot off his face so he can really appraise Luo Yuan.

"You... how are you alive? Gege, I... I watched you die. And you... you're not like...." Luo Binghe lowers his head, as if ashamed, and flexes his bloodied claws in his lap.

Well, if Binghe expected Luo Yuan to be shocked or appalled he was a demon, he would just have to keep waiting! Groaning, Luo Yuan pulled himself to his feet. He was already feeling more stable. Binghe reached for him, either to stabilize him or pull him back down Luo Yuan wasn't sure, but he just brushed his younger brother off.

"Haven't done this in a while, so just give me a...."

Luo Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep, focused breath. His core, having been dampened for so long by his human disguise, twitched as he fully tapped into it for the first time in over thirteen years. It felt sort of like an onion being peeled, layer after layer of his deceit being stripped away. When he finally pressed all the way through, it was with a sheer relief he never knew he needed. A pressure being alleviated, a long suffering itch being scratched.

Luo Yuan sighed and felt his body shift into what it was always supposed to be.

Sharp teeth, long dark claws, and pointed ears all in a match to Binghe's. Luo Yuan knew his Zuiyin was not the same as Binghe's, instead being a soft pink that curled like a soft flower between his brow. Pink lotus petals fell from his head, where various small flowers bloomed from his thick, wavy hair.

Groaning in relief, Luo Yuan felt sluggish blood mites kick to life in his chest, working overtime to knit his ailing body back together. An ear twitched as the distant wailing of the wind grew stronger, smell and taste and sight all improving even past the preternatural he'd already had. When the full transformation was completed, he held out his arms at his sides and did a little twirl in place, somehow managing to not lose his balance and crash back down.

"Ta-da~." Luo Yuan gave his best jazz hands. Luo Binghe's mouth was agape, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Ge... you... you were a demon this whole time?"

"Yeah." Walking over, Luo Yuan ruffled his younger brother's crusty (ew) hair under his palm. "Did you never think it was weird how I just showed up one day and said you were my brother?"

"I..." Luo Binghe's cheeks flushed a very adorable pink and he hunched his shoulders. It made Luo Yuan want to pinch him. "I thought it was like how A'niang was A'niang, but she wasn't...."

"Nah," Unable to resist, Luo Yuan grinned and grabbed one of Luo Binghe's cheeks. He gave it a solid pinch until his brother felt bullied enough to slap at his hand. "we share the same dad."

Luo Binghe took on a contemplative look, then. Likely trying to recall exactly how the two of them had met, all those years ago. Luo Yuan couldn't remember all the hard details- and he had been older! Luo Binghe had just been four, so who knew how fuzzy it all was for him.

Either way, he must have brushed it off in the end. Which was great! Luo Yuan wouldn't have to bullshit some excuses about how he even knew he existed or found him. The latter was mostly thanks to the System, anyway, and he wasn't sure he could get away with some bland claim of 'I sniffed you out!' even if it was technically true.

"So.... where are we?"

Luo Binghe's face fell. Huddling to sit next to his brother, Luo Yuan dropped back to the ground and leaned against the wall. Binghe explained what all had happened since they had fallen. Almost as soon as they had hit the ground, poor Binghe had been besieged by horrible and powerful monsters the likes of which he had never seen before. He had fought not just for his own life, but also in a desperate attempt to get Luo Yuan's 'body' somewhere safe enough to properly bury. He was grateful, since it would have been a lot fucking worse to wake up alone and torn to shreds.

They really were in the Abyss...

Luo Yuan had anticipated this, but he really wasn't looking forward to what they would need to do in order to get out of here. It was lucky for them both that he had transmigator cheat knowledge. In PIDW, it was only after wandering around and powering up for over a year that Luo Binghe even learned of Xin Mo. Then he had spent the next four years fruitlessly chasing down ever rumor and whisper until he finally found the cursed sword. Luo Yuan already knew where the sword was and how to get there! No need to waste all that time!

And! Luo Binghe had him for backup! The protagonist wouldn't be enduring all of this by himself! There had been so many situations that Binghe could have avoided if he just had one person he could rely on, and Luo Yuan was certainly honored to step into that role!

For now, though, they were both still recovering from the shock of the fall. Luo Yuan threw his arm around his brother's shoulder and pulled him under it, squeezing him against his side like he used to do when he was smaller.

"We'll get out of here, Xiao-he." Was promised.

Shen Qingqiu pushed Luo Yuan back, crawling over him with the slick slide of his damp body. The man giggled, chewing a plush lower lip between his teeth until it was shiny and flushed. Silky, inky hair draped over him like a curtain, blocking out the dim light of the cavern. His weight was heavy but comfortable as he settled his body between Luo Yuan's legs, keeping their chests pressed together.

Cocking his head to the side, Shen Qingqiu peered down with a bubbling promise of heat blazing in those deep, dark eyes. A sweet pink tongue trailed over his lips, Luo Yuan unable to pull his heavy, weary eyes away as he followed the motion. The Peak Lord let out a gentle little breath, the warmth of fluttering over Luo Yuan's cheeks.

A blink, then Shen Qingqiu had captured his mouth. A slimy hand found his cheek, the other man tilting his head back enough to lick at the seam of his lips. A startled noise left Luo Yuan, yet all he could taste was honey sweetness when the man took advantage- his hot tongue lapping into him. Luo Yuan's face got hot, cheeks burning, as his bubbling and syrupy mind realized this was his first kiss.

Or was it? Did CPR count as a kiss?

Something about that thought plagued Luo Yuan, even as Shen Qingqiu traced all his teeth and tried to suck on his tongue with an expert's precision. Hips ground against hips, the drag of wet scales making Luo Yuan shiver at the friction through his makeshift robes. Shen Qingqiu stilled subtly and rutted against him harder, as if unsure of what he had felt.

A hand trailed down Luo Yuan's front, rubbing at the space between his legs, trying to coax him to-

"Wait-" Luo Yuan pushed Shen Qingqiu away, then, even though all he wanted was to sink into him. His mind felt heavy and strange, but there was alarm bells blaring. "-I'm not-"

Shen Qingqiu had leaned back, pouting down at him with tears collecting at the corners of his lashes, hurt at the sudden rejection. His body was bare, Luo Yuan's eyes instantly lowering to the man's exposed chest-

Clarity slapped Luo Yuan in the face.

Shen Qingqiu did not have tits. He especially did not have tits as big as his fucking head.

Not-Shen Qingqiu gave a coaxing little chirp. Luo Yuan shoved his hand right between the fucking boulders this thing was packing, claws ripping through leathery hide. It shrieked in shock and agony, flailing and scratching at him in desperation, but it was much too late: Luo Yuan had already shoved his whole arm through its torso, gore exploding out the other side.

Luo Yuan shoved the dying creature off of himself, whatever illusion it had used breaking to reveal its true form. Vaguely humanoid, with long, matted and swampy hair. Some sort of fish hybrid, from what he could guess, its body covered in flaky patches of dull brown scales. The worst part was the face- it didn't have one. It was a flat, fleshy surface with some sort of spongy texture. He felt sort of ill as he realized he had no idea what that thing had been shoving into his mouth.

Pulling himself to his feet, Luo Yuan peered around the black lake in the middle of the cavern he and Luo Binghe had been traveling through. The Eternal Warren was filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures like this, but still Luo Yuan hadn't expected to fall into such a trap.

Nearby, another one of those creatures was on top of Binghe. 'Kissing' him, it looked like, as the creature would occasionally make these odd gurgling sounds. This ones illusion was not affecting Luo Yuan, so all he saw was Luo Binghe's fingers entangled in the ratty mess of moldy and mossy hair as he tried to pull it closer.

A flare of rage lit in Luo Yuan's gut. He stomped over, grabbing the creature by one of its legs and dragging it off of his brother. Luo Binghe looked just as dazed as he had felt, blinking stupidly where he lay, but Luo Yuan ignored him. The creature let out a horrid gurgling howl as Luo Yuan started to spin in place, hefting the creature upwards. Like a disc thrower, he picked up enough speed to hurl the creature at one of the nearby cavern walls. It hit with a wet thump, splitting open like a ripe watermelon.

A noxious, rotting scent filled the air, making Luo Yuan wrinkle his nose. Gross!

Grabbing Binghe's hand, Luo Yuan helped haul his brother to his feet. By this point, Binghe was shaking his head as if to physically dislodge the confusion. When his eyes cleared, he glanced over at the thing that had been on top of him and made a face.

There was a gurgling from the black lake behind them. Luo Yuan saw more of those creatures slowly sticking their heads from the water. He sent a meaningful look towards Binghe, who nodded- then the two of them were dashing deeper into the caverns. Their bare feet made loud squelching noises when they hit the ground, the soaked refuse of decaying plants protesting the rough treatment.

Later that... well, Luo Yuan didn't actually know if it was night or not, they'd been underground for so long. Just that they were both tired and hungry, so it was time to rest. The two of them had tag teamed an Upright Cavern Lizard, felling the huge thing to eat. Luo Yuan had been excited that it was basically an oversized raptor, up until it had tried to rip his throat out. Now, however, he and Luo Binghe just sat next to each other in the little alcove they had found and carefully bit down into the meat of the not-dinosaur's thigh.

The Eternal Warren was always damp and wet, so they hadn't been able to make a fire for months. It was horrible, but their Heavenly Demon constitution made it so they could eat whatever. Sinking his sharp teeth into the raw and bloody meat, Luo Yuan did his best not to gag at the metallic and gamey taste. God, what he wouldn't give for a heating plate and some salt.

"Ge," Luo Binghe spoke up, suddenly. He had been sort of in his own head since the encounter with the hypnotizing creatures earlier. One of his free claws worked to finish slicing the hide from the lizard, not looking at Luo Yuan as he worked. Luo Yuan gave a 'hm?' for him to continue, his cheeks too stuffed to properly respond. "how did you break free from the spell we were under? Was it something to do with you other half?"

Luo Binghe had been subtly questioning him on his non-Heavenly Demon side for a while now. It was getting harder and harder to skirt around the issue. Luo Yuan just knew he was some sort of plant, but not what he actually was. He'd also sort of half implied that all the weird knowledge he had was from that part of him; the System would literally murder him if he did otherwise, after all.

At least this one he wouldn't have to lie!

"Nah, it had- uh." Feeling his cheeks heat up, Luo Yuan thought about exactly what had happened earlier. It was because... it had used Shen Qingqiu's face! And then given the man tits! Fuck, why had it been Shen Qingqiu at all?! What the hell!? Luo Binghe was still watching him, though his lips had quirked up when he realized how red that Luo Yuan had gotten. Traitor!

"It had...?" Was pressed. Dammit, Binghe, let your older brother save some face!

"It..." Luo Yuan closed his eyes and tried to appear unaffected, even as his cheeks stayed hot. He could do this! Luo Yuan was supposed to be the cool older brother, after all! "It didn't get rid of its... chest."

Luo Binghe made a noise like he understood completely, nodding.

"Ge doesn't like women, so the dissonance snapped him out of the spell."

"Mm-hmm." Luo Yuan hummed quickly to agree, cramming another bite of meat into his mouth to avoid directly answering.

Of course, this could not be the end of his suffering.

The two brothers has just escaped The Eternal Warren and had been traveling through The Wasteland Furnace when they met more shape shifters. Only this time, they weren't secluded to the mind alone. He and Luo Binghe had been temporarily separated, and Luo Yuan found himself backed up against a massive, skeletal spine as three Shen Qingqiu all circled him. What the absolute fuck?!

He'd been tied up by these weird vines and was having trouble getting free. Not because Luo Yuan was distracted or anything! Two of the Not-Shen Qingqiu kissing and giggling and grinding on each other were not that interesting! He just couldn't look away for the same reason that people watched a car crash was all!

"Master, please fill us with your see- ....?" One of the three Not-Shen Qingqiu said, a hand lowering to clap between Luo Yuan's legs. It glanced down where it was currently squeezing his nothing, as if it couldn't understand what it was not feeling. "What-?"

About that time, Luo Binghe dropped from the top of the giant skull they'd all been sheltered behind. The Not-Shen Qingqiu who had been trying to find his weird dick was now missing his head, becoming a spurting fountain of bright purple blood. Luo Binghe snarled and grabbed one of the other two that had been fondling Luo Yuan, then his face twisted as he realized who all these creatures had taken the form of.

Binghe turned and gave him an absolutely scathing look.

"I don't know either! Just- get me free!"

Before long, all of the Not-Shen Qingqiu were left as smears in the cracked and charred earth. Luo Yuan's face had refused to cool down as they both walked away from what remained of their attackers. Luo Binghe was clearly curious, but in the end the both of them were more than happy to let this particular hiccup pass by.

Except.

It kept.

Happening!!!!

Why the fuck was Shen Qingqiu of all people haunting him down here?! And it was always the same shit! It couldn't be, like, anything normal! No, it was always in these weird papapa plots! Luo Binghe had gotten trapped in plenty of those during his time in the Abyss in PIDW, so why were they all targeting him instead?! With Shen Qingqiu as his honeypot, no less?

And! Even worse! Every time it happened, Binghe would give him these increasingly judgmental looks! Come on, protag-bro! It wasn't his fault that this was all happening!

By the time that he and Binghe had reached The Absence, Luo Yuan was about to tear his hair out.

At least with this particular challenge it didn't seem like there was much chance for random sex pest monsters to harass them. The Absence was this massive wall of ice. It was dozens of kilometers thick and so tall that even if you tilted your head back and squinted, you'd never be able to see the top. A perfectly vertical surface, too, and patrolled by these horrible creatures that looked like western dragons, only skeletal and frozen in eternal rot.

Of course, they needed to reach the top. The only way up was to climb, which left them constantly exposed to the frigid elements, having to worry about dragon attacks, or losing their grip and splattering so hard they became a fist pink mist. The only saving grace was, occasionally, there would be small caves carved into the ice. Things lived there, so it was like a fun gacha of finding a monster, but at least they did have places to occasionally rest!

Luo Yuan was flopped onto his part of the fur from the Spiked Festering Wombat he and Binghe had killed to claim their current hidey hole, stretched out as he waited for his blood mites to knit all his new punctures back together. Stupid wombat. The pelt sort of reeked, but by this point he'd smelled worse and he appreciated any distance between the solid ice floor and his body.

Binghe had managed to get a small fire going using some loose material they'd collected during all their travels. The two of them had been climbing for months now, but at least the end was in sight- as soon as they made it to the top, it would just be one last journey across the Echoridge before Binghe could claim Xin Mo and get them the fuck out of here!

"I'll take first watch." Binghe spoke up from where he was poking at the fire. Luo Yuan groaned, wanted to argue, but he was too exhausted. Instead, he was out like a light.

A dream.

Luo Yuan only became vaguely aware of it when the System hummed in his brain. By this point, he had met Meng Mo a few times. Hell, there had been one stretch in The Eternal Warren where he had been the only thing able to relay messages between him and Binghe. The Dream Demon had offered the same deal of learning dream manipulation to him as he had Binghe, but Luo Yuan had refused. Dream manipulation was too cool for a second rate Heavenly Demon like Luo Yuan, plus he didn't want to step on his protagonist brother's toes. The System also seemed to really dislike his presence in Luo Yuan's mind. It was kind of freaky to watch it stalk the dream demon like some horror movie killer, only for Meng Mo to be absolutely oblivious. So, yeah, probably better for Meng Mo's sake that he didn't stick around in Luo Yuan's brain too much.

Except, Luo Yuan soon found out, Meng Mo was sort of obsessed with digging up his past. He'd come to realize that a lot of the curiosity and pointed questions that Luo Binghe had for him had actually been seeded by Meng Mo. Binghe didn't seem to give much of a fuck about whatever it was he was keeping to himself as long as they stayed together; no more than surface level curiosity, anyway. But Meng Mo was absolutely gagging to get that info!

Luo Yuan watched as Meng Mo worked, taking a backwards crawl through his memories from before their drop into the Abyss. The elder demon made a frustrated noise when he'd reached sort of the end point. The memory of Luo Yuan when he had woken up, screaming and bloodied, and proceeded to claw out the throats of several Demonic Cultivators. Luo Yuan vaguely noted this from an outsider's perspective, the System's humming more like a warning growl as it floated next to him.

They could sort of 'see' was Meng Mo was fighting against the barrier of memories. This was as far back as he could get, after all. Luo Yuan really doubted the System would let him tap into what he remembered from before his transmigration, but wouldn't it be suspicious if there was nothing there?

The System let out a considering beep.

Like a hunter laying a trap, the System allowed a false crack to appear in the barrier. Meng Mo, not even knowing he was being toyed with, dug his claws in and yanked with a cry of triumph.

The scene changed and Luo Yuan found himself watching... himself. Only, this was not a memory of his own. The original body's inhabitant, then? A kid, the age that Shen Yuan had been when he woke up. The boy was tired and ragged, clothes thin and dirty. He was sitting next to a beautiful woman, thick curls hanging down her back and beautiful white lotus flowers in her hair. She was absolutely stunning, milky skin seeming to glow from within. She was haggard, clearly, but it hadn't done much to snuff out her natural beauty. Her eyes were far away, staring dully at the door to their prison.

The two of them were locked away in some dark, fetid dungeon. No outside light shone, only one dull oil lantern that was clearly about to die.

"Baobei," The woman suddenly spoke up, her voice thick with unshed tears. She paused and took a shaking breath. "come here."

The child slowly blinked up at her. He inched closer, as requested, digging his thin fingers into her worn and shredded robes. His exhausted, dark eyes peered up at her, then glanced down to where she was fiddling with something in her hands.

"A'niang knows how to get us out of here, Baobei." The woman- his mother- whispered. She slowly placed the thing she had been messing with aside.

A noose.

The end of it, not the loop but instead the long tail, was slowly circled around the unsuspecting child's neck. He reached up to touch it, curious. Luo Yuan felt his heart start to stutter as horror was dawning on him.

"A'niang will make sure they never hurt you. A'niang will keep you pure." The woman said, voice cracking, with watery fondness. Then she tightened the makeshift rope, crafted of her own robes, around her son's neck. The boy couldn't even cry out more than a shocked gasp, his throat closing as his mother tightened her grip.

"I love you." She said as she choked him, the child fruitlessly clawing at his own neck. Tears spilled from the woman's cheeks, dropping onto his reddening face. "I love you, I love you, I love you-"

Then it faded into darkness.

Luo Yuan opened his eyes, a staccato gasp leaving him. He sat up in one movement, body still tense and flush was adrenaline from what he had seen.

"Yuan-ge?" Luo Binghe had, at some point, sat in a lotus pose by the meager fire. His red eyes scanned the room for any disturbance. Luo Yuan just shook his head and tried to calm himself.

"Tell Meng Mo-" He started, voice rough. -"to stop fucking around in my head."

Covering his face, Luo Yuan tried to center himself and- deal with everything he had just seen. For him to have been reborn as a kid, and since his old body had just been bones before, that meant that his old self had to have died, right? But, it just... it felt different to sort of nebulously know it than it did to actually know what happened.

His old inhabitant had been choked to death by his own mother in some bid for? What, Mercy? Whatever the fuck was happening there, it clearly wasn't good. The two of them were locked up after all. And the noose... if Luo Yuan had to guess, after killing him, his mother had hung herself. Some fucked up annihilator scenario.

Rubbing his face, Luo Yuan accepted pretty quickly he wouldn't be getting back to sleep no matter how tired he was. Scooting off the fur, he sat by the fire and gently shoved Luo Binghe that way.

"You sleep. I can't- I can't anymore."

"... if you're certain."

Luo Binghe leaned over to give him a quick, one-armed hug then shuffled off to the fur to lay down. The smallest of sniffles left Luo Yuan, which made him feel sort of stupid- but it wasn't his fault! He'd just been forced to watch a kid die! That kid might have been himself, but it was still fucked up. In this messed up Xianxia fetish world, no one that he or Binghe had been forced to kill had been a child. It was just- it really bothered him.

Trying to calm himself, Luo Yuan poked at the dying fire with the oversized quill that Luo Binghe had been using earlier. Maybe he could lose himself in the flames and- he didn't know.

Regardless, whenever natural light started to filter into the cavern and Luo Binghe stirred, Luo Yuan was mostly feeling like himself again.

His brother flopped heavily against his side, only allowing Luo Yuan to push at him a bit as he gathered his older brother into his arms for a tight, soul crushing hug. Luo Yuan huffed against his Binghe's shoulder before reluctantly allowing himself to melt into the embrace.

"I scolded Meng Mo." Binghe said, sleep still in his voice. At some point he had started to card his fingers through Luo Yuan's curls, careful to avoid the pink lotus flowers. They'd learned that plucking them really fucking hurt. Luo Yuan didn't say anything, just accepted the affection and told himself it was because he could leech his brother's warmth for himself.

"... is that why you wouldn't tell me you were an Eternal Lotus Demon? Because of what happened?" Binghe's question was hesitant. It also confirmed that fucker Meng Mo had showed him what happened. Probably about his whole revival, too. Luo Yuan didn't answer, since it would have been a lie either way; it wasn't like he even knew he was an 'Eternal Lotus Demon' until right then, anyway.

Binghe must have taken his silence for an answer, though. His brother just hummed and kept holding him long after the last of the embers had died.

They didn't talk about it any more, but Luo Yuan was quietly grateful for Binghe's comfort.

The two of them spent the whole day climbing as they usually did, after, hardening the claws of their fingers and toes to dig into the ice and force themselves upwards. It was slow progress, but my nightfall they had managed to find another hole big enough for the both of them to crawl inside of. After evicting the previous occupant and roasting it for dinner, Luo Yuan found himself haunted by dreams.... again.

This didn't have Meng Mo's stink on it, though, so Luo Yuan wasn't really sure what the hell his brain had suddenly decided to be on. It felt like one of those stupid 'dead wife dreams' that action movie heroes would have!

Except it was all with Shen Qingqiu of all fucking people!

It was memories of the man replaying in no specific rhyme or reason. The two of them arguing, some of the times that the Shen Qingqiu needed saving from wife plots, the various times that Luo Yuan had been rescued from trouble by the Peak Lord. The most clear and prominent was, for some reason, that time that Luo Yuan had given him CPR. It was like the memory kept lingering not on the act itself, or even the context, but only Luo Yuan pressing his mouth against the other's.

Luo Yuan woke up frazzled and confused, the dream haunting him. Luo Binghe had seemed particularly tired the day after, lost somewhere in his own thoughts as they climbed.

After much too long climbing, and losing at least four toes and three fingers between the stupid Skeletal Wyverns and frostbite, the two of them finally made it to the top of the ice. Luo Binghe managed to crawl over the edge first, then held his arm out and helped drag Luo Yuan over. They flopped back and just panted for a while, staring at the vaguely evil-looking sky with its trio of suns beaming down on them. The air was thin up here, but nothing that they couldn't handle.

"Now we have to get down the other side." Luo Yuan said, which made Binghe roll away from him and weakly hit the ice like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

But they fucking did that too!

And then after exploring the frozen jungle that The Absence had kept sequestered away from the rest of the Abyss, the two of them had found Xin Mo right where it had been in PIDW- buried right between the eyes of a massive Sunlight Devouring Antelope, which had been flash frozen. The two brothers had to fight the creature when Xin Mo's raw demonic power revived it. And then... in the end....

Luo Binghe and Luo Yuan fell through the wound in reality that Xin Mo had made. It closed behind them slowly, the sword still clutched in Luo Yuan's grip. For the first time in a little over two years, green grass cradled their faces. Distant birdsong chirped. The air smelled sweet with oncoming summer rain. The sky was blue with soft, puffy, white clouds floating by.

And here was the two Luo Brothers, wearing patchwork scraps of furs and leathers from their kills, coated in blood and gore, and overall just a pungent and unwelcome stain on this side of reality.

The two of them lay in the grass and watched a cloud. Luo Yuan thought it was shaped sort of like a hippo.

All at once, Luo Binghe started to giggle. It was manic and wild and addictive, since just a moment later Luo Yuan joined him. The two of them reached for each other, clutching the other tight, and the small giggles erupted into wild and triumphant laughter.

They did it! They had escaped!

Luo Yuan never doubted that Luo Binghe would get out, but there had been some touch and go situations where he wasn't so sure about his own ability to live. Yet! Here he was! Out of the Abyss, the worst trial that either of them would ever face, and both of them had lived to tell the tale!

Sure, Luo Yuan had to claim Xin Mo instead of Binghe- but he just hated the idea of his little brother becoming a sex crazed pervert because of it! Most of the wives he had claimed had been just to sate the stupid sword, and it's not like his brother needed it to make his harem and be Emperor! Without it, he'd just be able to make clear headed choices and be a better leader! Sure, it was already pulsing and trying to eat away at his mind, but at least the System was keeping it somewhat at bay...

At some point, the approach of Cultivators had them getting up and hiding. Luo Yuan did feel a little bad- Huan Hua Palace Disciples were supposed to find Binghe after his escape, then help nurse him back to health. Binghe would then be able to use them to start working on his revenge! Except, it looked like that chance had just passed them both right by. A shame.

Ah, well, it wasn't like Luo Yuan could hide being a demon like Luo Binghe could. While he could make himself look like a human, he still didn't have any in him to really sell it. He'd be sniffed out pretty quickly if he was even managed to make it past the gates.

Instead, Luo Yuan and Luo Binghe found a river and dunked themselves in it until the water stopped running brown, stole actual clothes from some poor guy's clothes line, and then forcefully borrowed money from a traveling merchant who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Being a brigand wasn't really what he had wanted for either of them, but they needed that leg up. Plus, its not like they had killed anyone or robbed anyone blind! It was just enough to get them a warm meal and some basic supplies in the next town they came across.

Luo Yuan flopped back in one of the two beds of their inn room, little more than a closet with how cheap it had been. The lumpy, straw stuffed mattress felt like heaven after years in the Abyss and... god, actually, when was the last time he had used a bed? All he'd ever had in his room in the bookshop had been a mat he could roll and unroll. Fuck, was it really when Lai Ying was still alive? When he, Binghe, and her all crammed themselves into the small, rickety bed to huddle for warmth?

"What do we do now?" Binghe, who was sprawled out in his own bed, asked. And that really was the question, wasn't it? Luo Yuan just shrugged, even though Binghe couldn't see it. This wasn't his story, so he'd gladly follow whatever his baby brother wanted to do.

"We could... get revenge?" Was hedged out. Their whole survival in the Abyss had sort of dampened the memories of PIDW but, yeah. This was a revenge novel. He'd kind of been ignoring it, but the specter of Shen Qingqiu hung up limbless and miserable stuck behind his eyelids. Once upon a time Shen Yuan had cheered for the man's downfall, but now Luo Yuan only felt kind of sick.

"Does Gege... want revenge?" It was leading, but more questioning than anything. Luo Yuan heard fabric rustling as Binghe rolled over, likely looking to him for some sort of guidance. Fuck, yeah. He was the older brother. Luo Binghe probably respected his opinion!!!

"... no." Luo Yuan sort of deflated when he admitted it. Sighing, he rolled onto his side and met his brother's eyes from across the room. Dark brown, instead of the blood red he'd gotten used to seeing in the Abyss. His own core felt itchy again, where he had been forced to smother down his demonic traits once more. "Do you want revenge?"

Luo Binghe frowned, glancing away briefly as he thought. After a few tense beats, the younger demon shook his head 'no', some of his fluffy curls coming loose to frame his face. That left the two of them to sit in silence for as they mulled over their options.

It was kind of shitty that Luo Yuan had taken that drive for vengeance from Binghe... but this was probably for the best! His brother could make better choices when he started his harem, since a lot of the earlier women had been mostly for strategic connections. Plus, now Cang Qiong wouldn't get destroyed! Which included Shen Qingqiu!

But that didn't mean that Luo Binghe had to be some loser who just roamed around with his more-of-a-loser older brother. Binghe was destined for great things! He was going to be the emperor of the combined realms, the strongest and coolest guy ever to exist! Even if Luo Binghe wasn't shaking hands and furthering his agenda in the human realm, there were still things they could work on!

The System was also humming in silent judgment, still pissed at him for his stunt with Xin Mo...

"... want to go conquer the Demon Realm?"

Chapter Text

It didn't take much convincing on Luo Yuan's part. Luo Binghe was the strongest thing, like, ever and Luo Yuan was at least second or maybe third. Plus, this way they wouldn't have to keep running around in disguise in the human realm! Luo Binghe also deserved his time in the limelight as the Emperor, even if for now it was just one realm and not all of them.

They started with the Northern Desert. A tactical choice- in PIDW, Mobei-Jun's territory was the very last taken over, the ice demon a sort of 'final boss' of the arc. Luo Binghe had taken over starting from the south and working his way up, which gave the Northern King plenty of time to bolster his defenses. The naturally harsh climate was even harder to traverse with a well prepared force to defend it, so the conflict had been a long and bloody one.

In this timeline, Luo Binghe and Luo Yuan had sort of just rolled up and kicked Mobei-jun's ass while he was completely oblivious to their existence. The two of them fed him their blood to ensure his loyalty, gaining a cool new base of operation and an even cooler (ha) right hand man at their beck and call.

They worked their way south from there, grabbing Sha Hauling and her father plus anyone else important. Luo Yuan had sort of expected Binghe to start taking wives at this point, but instead he just seemed happy with their victories. Some of them were hard fought, but in a shockingly quick turnaround of just three months, he and Luo Binghe had fully taken the Underground Palace and had fed almost everyone important their blood. There were still pockets of resistance but they weren't worth worrying about.

It was after the two of them were comfortable and settled in the palace, with robes made of rare demonic silks befitting their stations and riches they hadn't even been able to conceive as children, that problems started to arise.

Luo Yuan would be reading a book in his study when a trembling imp demoness would come forward and ask him a question regarding some sort of political nonsense. Specifically, something that only the emperor should be answering! And every time, Luo Yuan would just give her a puzzled look before saying the same thing:

"I don't know. Go ask Binghe."

This would stop the inquiry for a day or two, then someone else would approach with some similar issue, and this was a back and forth that was frustrating and annoying! When he had his ear to the ground, it really seemed like Luo Binghe wasn't holding court and everything was grinding to an absolute halt!

This came to a head when one of the servants snapped.

It was the same imp girl who always pestered him. She was usually trembling in her boots and looked about to pee or cry (or both), but today she had this sullen air about her. She had asked Luo Yuan some question about grain repositories, but he'd just given the answer he always had.

"No! I need an answer!" The imp demoness screeched, her voice shrill like she had been sucking on helium. She stomped her feet and grabbed onto her hair, which was in two braids, to yank on. "I come and ask you, then you tell me to ask the other Lord! And when I ask the other Lord, he tells me to come to you!"

She let out a shriek of frustration, then seemed to remember herself and dropped to the ground in a kowtow. She was already mumbling muffled apologies into the cut jade floor, but Luo Yuan had put her out of mind. Sighing, hopped up and walked around her and out of the room, trailing out of his personal pavilion to go track down Binghe.

His brother was in the kitchens, which is where Luo Yuan had expected to find him. Ever since they had taken over the demon realm, his brother had taken to various hobbies and indulgences when he wasn't training. Currently, he had been on a big kick of figuring out which demonic vegetables tasted the best when stir fried together. Luo Binghe was standing over one of the huge woks, humming to himself, sleeves pulled back and a cloth around his head to keep his hair pinned, stirring up some slices of vegetables that looked straight out of a kid's comic about aliens.

"Xiao-he!" Luo Yuan walked over and flopped onto Binghe's back, baring his full weight on him. Binghe gave a 'hmmmm?' and peered over his shoulder; Luo Yuan internally cursed his younger brother for getting taller than him. It wasn't by much, but it wasn't fair! "Are you ignoring your court duties?"

"No? Try this." Binghe plucked an oozing purple-grey slice of something faintly potato looking from the pan with his chopsticks, holding it out. Luo Yuan accepted it, finding it to be tangy and sweet but cloyingly so. He huffed and stood on his toes so he could drop his chin on his brother's shoulder to pout.

"Too sweet." He answered, which had Luo Binghe reach for some pots of spices, dragging Luo Yuan around the kitchen like he was a particularly sticky backpack. "Didi, people keep coming to ask me about taxes and crop rotations! I don't know anything about any of that!"

Binghe glanced over at him, still tossing rich smelling powders and sauces into the wok, brows knit.

"Why would that ask me about that? I'm not the Emperor."

Luo Yuan un-stuck himself from his brother, leaning back. With a bit of a nudge, Luo Binghe turned around so he could place his hands on this younger brother's arms and look up at him.

"Xiao-he, I'm not the Emperor. You are."

".... no?" Now, Binghe just seem baffled. "Yuan-ge, this was your idea and you're older than me. Did you not... want to be the Emperor?"

"Wha-! No! I thought Binghe would want to be the Emperor!"

Luo Binghe shook his head, a few of his curls shaking loose from his mane of hair.

"Ge, I don't want to be the Emperor. That's a lot of responsibility and I'd prefer to hone my skills and talents in other ways."

"I don't want to be Emperor, either! I just want to lay around and enjoy being lazy!" His whole second life had been nothing but work and struggle up until this point! Luo Yuan wasn't asking too much to spend the rest of his near-immortal life being a salted fish!

Both brothers frowned and stared deeply into the other's eyes, having a silent conversation. One of them was going to have to give up the flashy 'bother of the Emperor' title that would give them both luxury and the freedom to do whatever the fuck they wanted.... unless.... they could find an alternative solution....

"Binghe," Luo Yuan said, suddenly, his eyes shining. "we should go free our dad."

Tianlang-jun was a footnote of a footnote, named in exactly one line and then never mentioned again. His existence was circumstantial in that Luo Binghe needed to be sired by someone, even if the story never focused on it. The whole three lines you got about the man left more questions than answers, which in turn felt like some dropped plot thread that Airplane just fucked right up and forgot about. The implication that the last full blooded Heavenly Demon was still alive, just trapped to suffer for eternity, was sort of insane. Especially since Luo Binghe in PIDW had not even been curious about the man once after learning where he was.

Getting to Bai Lu Mountain was easy with Xin Mo. Even easier was finding two Mammoth Earth Eating Ants for Luo Yuan and Luo Binghe to ride through the portal. Before any alarms ever had a chance to blare, the two huge, demonic bugs were already half burrowed into the mountain.

When they fell into a small chamber right in the very center of the mountain, the two brothers let their bugs loose to cause problems for whatever cultivators might show up before they could finish this prison break.

Tianlang-jun looked like shit, but that was to be expected when the guy had been crushed under rock for the last... how old was Binghe, now? Almost twenty? So, yeah, twenty years of being squashed! The guy was more a pile of rotting mush than an actual body. An array flared to life around him, making Luo Yuan unable to get too close to see more. Tianlang-jun was, amazingly, moving. Or, well, his eyes were- they were dull and slow, but they did slide from Luo Yuan to Luo Binghe, though any emotions were impossible to parse.

It actually didn't take Luo Binghe, with his dual Spiritual System, long to overpower the array. Then the two of them were smashing the stray rock away and dragging what was left of the man out from under the rubble. Luo Yuan thought he caught a loud hiss, like a snake's, but by that point the three of them were already back in the palace thanks to Xin Mo.

Tianlang-jun looked even worse than he smelled. The two of them had prepared a bed worthy of an Emperor for him, which his loose insides quickly stained and dirtied. Not wanting to look at the mess any longer, Luo Yuan pretended to be a filial son and dragged one of the thick blankets over the man. Gross.

The full blooded Heavenly Demon couldn't talk since his whole face from the nose down was missing. Luo Binghe clearly didn't want to look at that any longer, since he also pretended to be a filial son and placed a damp towel over Tianlang-jun's face, leaving only his eyes uncovered.

"Now what do we do?" Luo Yuan wasn't sure how long the blood parasites would need to fix all that, but holy fuck would he guess a long ass time.

"Maybe if we share some of our blood, it would help?" Luo Binghe hedged. Well, it was better than nothing! So both brothers slices their hands and dripped it on Tianlang-jun's gore. Luo Binghe sat back and started to actively assist the blood parasites in repairs while Luo Yuan went off to fight some beasts to help recover from Xin Mo's influence. He'd need to find a better solution to that eventually, as the System could only do so much to keep the whispering threads at bay.

It took almost a week of concentrated effort, but eventually Tianlang-jun let out a wheezing breath and raised a weak hand to pull one of the damp towels off his now fully formed face. The man still clearly needed a a couple dozen good meals and some more healing, but at least he was more solid than he had been before!

With the movement, both Luo brothers dropped from their lotus positions, which they had been using to help focus.

"Two of my bastards survived, did they?" When Tianlang-jun spoke, his voice was deep and rough with disuse and dehydration. Rolling his eyes, Luo Yuan picked up the pitcher of water he'd had prepared and poured the man a cup, then helped to hold it while he offered the older demon a long drink. It was accepted without fuss, the cup drained dry in a few eager gulps. "Curious that they would bother to rescue me."

Tianlang-jun peered at Luo Yuan only briefly, his eyes mostly snagging on Luo Binghe. It was hard to tell, but there seemed to be something simmering in his eyes when he looked at the younger Luo; resentment, maybe? Well, if he was going to be a problem, they would stick him back in a hole and forget about him if needed.

"These two brothers recently gained control of the Demon Realm, but we feared we would be unfit for the duty of ruling it." Luo Binghe said, far better with his words than Luo Yuan. It was all those years on Qing Jing coming in handy, no doubt. "Father Emperor was the last demon to rule, so we thought he may be better for such a task."

Tianlang-jun let out a long suffering sigh.

"Ah. Neither of you want to be in charge, so you're forcing me out of retirement." Tianlang-jun let out a 'tsk', as if the two of them had dragged him from some island resort paradise instead of having his ass crushed for all eternity as he slowly melted into a pile of putrid slime. Holding out his thin arms, Tianlang-jun tried to raise up further. "Help me up, then. I'd like to take a bath before I'm to be trussed up like a prized hog before the court."

Luo Yuan rolled his eyes but did grab the older man and drag him upwards. Though the flesh was healed, his body still stuck to the blankets as if he had been fused to it. Which, considering how much of his 'insides' had previously been 'outsides' was maybe not too far from the truth. The whole mattress would need to be burned, he decided. There would be no saving it.

The two Luo brothers get their wayward father out of the room on shaking legs, then sit him down so hot water can be prepared. Thankfully, Airplane had never given too much of a fuck about 'realism', so there was a rudimentary pipe system that used a combination of qi and artifacts to make the bathroom appear like a 'modern' one in some aspects. It didn't take long before hot, steaming water was filling the huge tub carved of pure black jade and they were helping the man into it.

It felt a little weird to bath a stranger, but Tianlang-jun was pretty weak at the moment and couldn't do much for himself. Luo Binghe set up behind the man and used the fancy soaps to wash out his dull and dry hair until the water ran clear when poured over his head, while Luo Yuan scrubbed every bit of caked on dirt, blood, and whatever else (ew) off his skin. They had to drain and refill the tub three times before Tianlang-jun was anywhere near clean, though he still had this faint rotting meat scent that nothing could quite cover up. The man was silent the whole time, just observing.

After that, the full blooded Heavenly Demon had been dried with qi and then wrapped up in some of Binghe's spare robes. The man was emaciated so they hung from his frame, but he was similar in built and height to Luo Binghe; Luo Yuan's clothes would have been too small, even if they would have wrapped cleanly around him. A tray of easy to digest foods was sat before him, which the man only stared down into for a long, long time. The spoon for the congee was picked up like one would pick up a blade, his hand spasming around it to form a white knuckled grip before it forcefully relaxed. He tucked into his food with the manners of a bird-boned young maiden instead of a man who had starved for well over two decades.

None of them tried to force conversation. It all passed with this awkward silence, Luo Yuan and Luo Binghe occasionally exchanging looks while Tianlang-jun unabashedly studied them.

"The Pure Moonlight Lotus. You're her son." When Tianlang-jun spoke again, his voice was not as raw as it had been. It rumbled softly instead, a curious hum as he stared unblinking at Luo Yuan. The transmigator just cocked his head to the side, waiting for the man to continue. "The two of you died... over eighty years ago. Hm."

There was a soft accusation there but Luo Yuan just shrugged.

"I got better."

A snorted huff of amusement, Tianlang-jun's lips tried briefly to quirk into a smile before the motion aborted itself when he turned to look at Binghe, instead. A look so cutting it could make one bleed flicked over his younger brother, up and down, and Luo Yuan felt the need to drag the half demon behind him as if to protect him. He didn't, but he really wanted to do it.

"And you." Was spat, as if Tianlang-jun was tasting pure shit. "How is that whore mother of yours? Proud of herself?"

Luo Binghe tensed, his Zuiyin flaring a bright red along with his eyes. Fists tightening, he seemed about to leap over the table on Tianlang-jun. Luo Yuan touched his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, calming the other down minutely. Tianlang-jun, for his part, only took another small bite of the congee that Binghe had prepared him, unbothered.

"Do not speak of our A'niang like that." Luo Yuan warned, drawing the man's dark gaze once more. There was a question there, though he only continued to eat. "Neither of us were raised by the women who whelped us. A kindly human woman was the only mother we ever knew. Whatever bad blood was between Binghe's birth mother and yourself, it is not his sin to bare."

"So she abandoned you, too, then." Tianlang-jun muttered to himself. A sardonic smile crept over his face as he let out another little huff of dry laughter. The spoon clattered loudly in the bowl when he dropped it, suddenly, to lean back. "Fine. I'll take up the title of Emperor and my two sons can live as the spoiled princes they wish to be. But I will destroy those who wronged me when given this power."

Luo Binghe and Luo Yuan's eyes met. The two of them considered for a long time before briefly nodding their consent to the other.

And so, the Demon Realm gained a proper Emperor. His first order was to declare full scale war on the cultivation world at large.

The life of a spoiled prince was promised, but it turns out that a prince who was at war did not have as pampered and lazy a life. There were always some war council to attend, someone trying to gain political leverage in a delicate time. The Underground Palace was always in a flurry of activity, soldiers, spies, and servants rushing to and fro with some vital scrap of information. The Northern Kingdom, despite their previously tenuous alliance, became a stark ally due to Mobei-jun's human pet. Luo Yuan had never met Shang Qinghua, but privately he wondered how long till the ice demon got tired of his slimy ways and killed him.

An ugly snake tried to strangle him in his sleep one night, a massive and fleshy thing that was like a human pulled through a taffy machine to be stretched, but it was easy to subdue. Instead of killing it, Luo Yuan found himself fascinated and dragged the struggling creature to Luo Binghe and Tianlang-jun to show off.

"Ah! Zhuzhi-lang. I had feared you were dead." Tianlang-jun, looking much better after weeks of good treatment, had said, his face lighting up. That was how Luo Yuan had discovered there was another half Heavenly Demon, and he had a cousin! Just what other cool shit had Airplane ignored for the sake of shitty sex?!

That was a whole other aside, however.

Luo Yuan and Luo Binghe had learned, after poking the proverbial bear that was their father, about his horrible and tragic backstory. Luo Binghe would have been, if Tianlang-jun's feelings had been properly returned, a love baby instead of an oops baby (which was what Luo Yuan was). The Heavenly Demon had roamed the Human Realm, fascinated by their culture, until he met a beautiful young woman named Su Xiyan. She stole time away from her sect to be with him, and he had dreamed of making peace with the cultivators so he may make her his Empress.

Until she had betrayed him. After a few months of absence, she had sent Tianlang-jun a letter asking to meet up at a specific spot. Instead of seeing his love, the Heavenly Demon had been ambushed and besieged by the four Great Sects. In a fierce battle, they managed to bury him under Bai Lu Mountain and trap him there.

It truly was tragic.

Luo Binghe, having learned a bit of basic cultivation history while in the Sect, had supplied the version of that story he was told. Even if Tianlang-jun's sealing had been over two decades ago by that point, it was last most current major historical event in the Jianghu as a whole. Plus, with Yue Qingyuan as the shining example of a man who had gone toe to toe with the Heavenly Demon, it was a huge point of pride for Cang Qiong.

So the version that Binghe had learned was thus: After finding the body of his Succeeding Disciple defiled and killed, the Old Palace Master of Huan Hua had sent out a plea for the other Sects to help rid them of the demon who had done so. After much planning, they managed to find Tianlang-jun and his General before they could enact whatever plan to further ruin the Cultivation world, taking him down in a massive battle that saved the Human Realm from demonic subjugation.

Tianlang-jun had snarled at this insult, of course, but Luo Yuan had managed to calm both him and Binghe before the two could fight (again).

So Luo Yuan decided to investigate.

"I knew that something didn't add up." Luo Yuan said, using a dark cloth to wipe the blood from his hands. Luo Binghe, Tianlang-jun, and Zhuzhi-lang were already seated for dinner. Tianlang-jun was already filling his plate, but Luo Binghe and Zhuzhi-lang had been politely waiting for his return. There had been more cultivators captured alive at the border earlier. They had been locked in the dungeon on Luo Yuan's request, just as the last few batches had been.

Ever since Luo Yuan had heard both of the stories, and with his insider knowledge of how Luo Binghe's mother had actually died, the promise of something being fishy was the only thing that was keeping Tianlang-jun from fully heading over the deep end. He'd already mentioned wanting Xin Mo for himself multiple times so he could 'bring true unity to the realms', and once even tried to steal it from Luo Yuan. It was a good thing that Binghe was so sturdy or they might have rushed the bad ending early.

Sitting down at the table, Luo Yuan pushed the drool worthy trays and bowls of food away to make some room, then plucked a charcoal pencil and a scroll from his qiankun sleeves. A few messy scribbles had already dotted the page, but he unfurled to a clean section and started writing out a basic timeline.

"I have good reason to believe that Su Xiyan didn't betray you." Luo Yuan led with, making Tianlang-jun make an ugly face. Zhuzhi-lang sat up, glancing at the paper with a sharp look. "I also think she may have been a victim in all of this, too."

"And how do you figure that?" Tianlang-jun hummed, frowning into his wine, through there was an almost hopeful curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"The timeline doesn't match up, for one." Luo Yuan had finished his writing, a line drawn out with different events labeled. "You were sealed late summer, and you received the letter from Su Xiyan a few days before that, right? So that puts her last letter to you here." He drew smaller slash through the line, labeling it. "All of the cultivators I've spoken with always say the same story: the one that Binghe was taught. Other than some embellishment, none of them are different. But they all say that Su Xiyan was killed a few weeks before the attack, which would have been here." Another line was placed.

"Now, when was the last time you saw her in person?"

"... late spring, early summer." Tianlang-jun answered, the cogs turning slowly in his mind. He was leaning over the table, dark eyes flicking over the paper with every word that was added, as if they could provide all the answers he had ever wanted. His hand was shaking where it was gripping his wine cup, the fragile porcelain gaining hairline cracks. Luo Yuan added his answer to the timeline he was building.

"So, how was Su Xiyan, who was already 'dead', able to send you a letter?" Luo Yuan asked. He let the question linger before he marked another point, much farther down. "But- the real smoking, uh, arrow is sitting at the table with us."

Luo Yuan met Luo Binghe's eyes, who had been sitting carefully still the whole time.

"Luo Binghe was born the middle of winter, where he was floated down a river alone and later picked up by fisherman." A line was drawn parallel to 'Su Xiyan's death' to 'Binghe's birth'. "Where was Su Xiyan during this time?"

The cup shattered in Tianlang-jun's hand, blood welling to drip down his wrist along with the alcohol. He was breathing heavily, but Luo Yuan wasn't done quite yet. When he leaned back to add his final piece, his gentled his voice in some consideration for his father.

"Su Xiyan was a high level cultivator, from both what you and the humans say. She could have used her golden core to scorch Binghe about her womb at any time. But she didn't, she carried him to term and birthed him. Then she made sure that none of the Sects got their hands on him. That doesn't seem like something a woman who only saw you as a tool would do."

"That bastard." Tianlang-jun slammed his fist on the dark wood table, splintering the expensive piece where it landed. His whole body was shaking, a furious, nervous energy. His Zuiyin was blazing, stark red lines crawling slowly down his face, eyes two pinpricks of fury from where they glowed under his fringe.

"It sounds as if Father Emperor has some idea of who could have done this." Luo Binghe spoke up, his voice oddly calm as he watched the man breaking down. A massive surge of demonic energy was rippling from Tianlang-jun, tangible in the room as it swirled in a violent ribbons around him.

"The Old Palace Master." Zhuzhi-lang, normally so quiet, hissed out- both figuratively and literally. He chanced to place a pale hand on Tianlang-jun's shoulder, which seemed to help the man start to gather himself. "We always suspected he had some... perversions for his disciple, but we could never convince Su Xiyan of it."

"He found out about her pregnancy and retaliated, then." Luo Binghe said, voice still flat and even. Luo Yuan gave him a quick side eye, not trusting that serene expression. No doubt he was blaming himself, as his brother loved to do, and they would need to talk about this later. Luo Yuan set that on the back burner for now to focus on the present.

"Not only did he do something to his own disciple, he also lied to the cultivation world at large to get his way. The other Sects were manipulated into attacking you under false pretense." Luo Yuan chimed in. That made Tianlang-jun, who had managed to steady himself enough so his Zuiyin receded, snort.

"They would have leaped at any chance to attack me, regardless."

"Sect Leader Yue is a good man. He wouldn't attack an innocent, no matter who they were, if he knew." Binghe piped back up again, adamant. Luo Yuan didn't know what had changed up on Cang Qiong for him to rally that defense; he'd really only cared about the Sect Leader when he was an obstacle to his goals in PIDW, and not a moment before. When had Binghe even met him, let alone for long enough to earn such high praise?

"Even if they would, none of them would like knowing they were used. All of the Sects lost a great number in the original ambush, didn't they? And I know they've lost even more since we started actively pursuing them." It wasn't something Luo Yuan liked thinking about, but he'd been forced to kill enough by this point he brushed it off. Even if his more modern sensibilities made the idea nausea inducing, he still needed to push forward.

In fact, the idea that all this loss of life had been for nothing just infuriated him more.

"If we can prove that the Old Palace Master lied, that you were unjustly imprisoned, the Great Sects would turn on him like a pack of starving dogs." Luo Binghe finished. They all sat in a long, contemplative silence until even after the forgotten food grew cold.

It wasn't to say that Luo Yuan had forgotten about Shen Qingqiu. It was more accurate to say he was very vehemently not thinking about him. If Luo Binghe didn't want his revenge, then Shen Qingqiu would never be imprisoned and turned into a human stick. If they could get everyone to calm the fuck down and play nice, then no one would drop the Abyss on Cang Qiong when the realms merged, and then he wouldn't be wiped out from that, either.

Luo Yuan had spend many months laying awake in his fancy bed, staring at the ceiling and not thinking of Shen Qingqiu. Not thinking about how much of a disaster their last actual conversation was, about risking his own discovery to save him from drowning, about how he had been stabbed in the heart. If he didn't think about it, he didn't have to worry about it. That was all.

But could you really blame him for keeping his ear stretched for the man? The first thing Luo Yuan had done when his and Binghe's power was secured, but before dragging Tianlang-jun back onto the throne, had been... checking in on him. What had he been doing since the Conference? Was he safe? Did he care at all?

Mobei-jun had delivered the information with his flat and icy cadence as he always did. According to his pet human, almost as soon as he had returned to his Sect Shen Qingqiu had went into closed cultivation in the Xing Li Caverns and had remained there since. The only people who had access to him were Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang; and Mu Qingfang was apparently starting to look more and more frazzled with every passing visit.

It had only been a few months after Tianlang-jun ascended as Demon Emperor that there had been an update. Passed to him during one of the early war councils as if mundane information: Yue Qingyuan himself had requested Shen Qingqiu leave seclusion. Cang Qiong needed its strategist, after all.

Information after was more sparse. Shen Qingqiu was not like Liu Qingge or the more martial of the Sect as a whole. He was someone who stood over battle maps much like Luo Yuan did, arguing with his contemporaries on who to send where. Sightings of him were fleeting, though he always crushed those who directly opposed him with a ruthless efficiency.

It was worse when reports saw him and Liu Qingge together. Shen Qingqiu was a powerful man in his own right, but some time in the last few years he had coaxed the War God to act as his own sword. Entire battalions would be slaughtered long before reinforcements could arrive if the two of them were together.

One of the demonic nobles, a lion-taur sort of creature, had boldly suggested they target Shen Qingqiu. It was the smart move. An tactically sound one. If you took out the smartest mind in the room, it would leave the rest floundering, give them plenty of openings for attack.

Luo Yuan didn't know what came over him, really. Xin Mo had hissed in his ear and then it all went black. One moment the noble had made the suggestion, the next he was standing over his twitching corpse, a spine still dripping as he crushed it in his fist.

No one had dared to suggest anything similar since.

In fact, Shen Qingqiu as a topic was carefully edged around. He was only mentioned in footnotes, and those were with careful looks at Luo Yuan as if they were afraid to tip a delicate balance. It was stupid and he hated it; hated it more since they were right to feel that way. Every time Luo Yuan was reminded that Shen Qingqiu existed, he felt wild and untethered in a way that had his heart thumping and his gums itching. He wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into flesh, to snap his jaws until he tasted blood.

It was a perfectly normal day when Mobei-jun had requested to see him. Luo Yuan had just finished a debate with Tianlang-jun over the most recent terrible novel he had smuggled into the palace and was fuming in his personal pavilion. Binghe had brought him one of his new culinary creations earlier, some sort of crispy and savory fried cake that reminded him of potato mochi. It was rare for Luo Binghe to be in the palace at all, these days. His brother was more and more often joining Zhuzhi-lang in pivotal battles with the big names of the cultivation world.

Mobei-jun was not the sort to visit for pleasure, so Luo Yuan had of course had one of the servants bring him in. To Luo Yuan's surprise, however, the ice demon had brought his human pet with him. All this time, it had seemed like Mobei-jun was almost jealously guarding the Cang Qiong traitor from the court.

Shang Qinghua was a lot sweatier and mousier than he had anticipated. In PIDW, he had been described as being greasy in the same way a used car salesman was. This guy just seemed sort of pathetic, like one one harsh look would have him crying and fainted on the ground.

Maybe Luo Yuan had stared at him too hard, since the man seemed ready to do just that.

"Taizi." Mobei-jun greeted flatly, giving a proper bow to respect his rank but no more. Luo Yuan did not like how he had been essentially bullied by both Tianlang-jun and Luo Binghe to be recognized as the crown prince. The title irked him wholly; it felt like he was stealing the protagonist's due. The only reason he hadn't fought it harder was seeing how delighted Luo Binghe had been to have him accept.

"Speak." It was terse, making Shang Qinghua whimper, but Luo Yuan and Mobei-jun simply had an understanding. There was no need to mince words between them.

"There is news on Shen Qingqiu."

That had Luo Yuan sitting up straight. He'd been practically lounging in his seat before this. There was that itchy feeling again as he locked on to Mobei-jun. Taking his silence as permission, which was appreciated, the ice demon shoved Shang Qinghua forward. The squirrely man stumbled, squeaking in a vain protest, but Luo Yuan could already feel his patience slipping.

Perhaps sensing the violent undercurrent growing in the air, Shang Qingqiu made the wise choice to start talking.

"T-taizi! Three days ago, Shen Qingqiu was taken by Huan Hua to be locked in the Water Prison!"

"What?" Rising like a predator from his seat, Luo Yuan stormed closer to the An Ding Peak Lord and grabbed him by his collar, dragging him close. The man made another pitiful noise and Mobei-jun tensed next to him, but Luo Yuan only loomed over him. He knew his Zuiyin must be blazing, as he could see the bright pink reflection in the human's eyes. "Details. Now."

And so, it seemed that one plot point from the novel had still come to pass.

Shen Qingqiu was framed of working with the demons, then his reputation ripped to tatters while he was already down by one Qiu Haitang. His past as a slave, the murders, whatever other crimes- all piled up on one shit sundae to give the Qing Jing Peak Lord a perfect fall from grace. The claim that he was working with them, the demons, only an excuse to drag him from his pedestal.

In PIDW it had been cathartic. Now, all Luo Yuan could think of was the small, secret glimpses that made Shen Qingqiu a man, a person. Even if he wasn't a very good one, he wasn't some character on a page.

Luo Yuan knew he was losing some sort of rational sense but he couldn't stop it. His Zuiyin itched across his face as the pink flower petals bloomed, curling to caress his cheeks as his fury simmered and built. The lotus flowers in his hair started to hum and shake, a cloud of hazy pollen following him like a storm as he stalked through the palace's halls. Xin Mo was whispering and laughing in sheer delight in his ears, curling sweet words into his brain, even as the System tried to flash warnings in his eyes.

Anyone who saw Luo Yuan paled before diving to get the fuck out of his way.

Court was not in session but there were still plenty of sniveling demonic nobles lurking around in the hope of a crumb of recognition. Tianlang-jun was lounging on his throne, ignoring the sycophants who tried to bend his ear as he read. When Luo Yuan managed to slam the doors open, he sat up and raised a brow.

"WHO DID IT?!" Luo Yuan bellowed, his mouth literally frothing. A foamy white mess spilled from his lips, the flecks sizzling on the cut jade floor. It felt like his blood was boiling underneath his skin. Luo Yuan was just a witness to his own madness, his body seeming to move on its own as he snatched the closest demon by the throat. Some sort of giant scorpion and heron mix, its long and elegant neck dragged downwards until they were nose to beak. The demon's multiple eyes were wide and it trembled under his hand.

Luo Yuan blinked.

Then pain was piercing his skull. He was on his back in the throne room, looking up at the ceiling. Tianlang-jun had a hand splayed over his chest, the strength in the seemingly aloof gesture deceptive. Luo Binghe was leaning over him, worry plain in his eyes, both of his hands cupping Luo Yuan's face as he fed him qi. His whole body ached.

"Back to yourself?" Tianlang-jun said, half conversational.

"What-?" Luo Yuan's throat was dry as a desert, making his tongue stick in his mouth when he tried to speak.

"Gege was having a qi deviation." Luo Binghe explained. There was a small pause before he removed his hands, though neither his brother of father allowed him up just yet. "Do you have any idea what might have triggered it?"

Trying to think was like trying to slog through pudding, but all at once panic seized his chest once more. Luo Yuan barked out a noise and started to squirm, trying to force Tianlang-jun's iron grip off of his chest so he could sit up. When that failed, he instead grabbed for Binghe.

"Qingqiu! They put Qingqiu in the Water Prison!"

"Ah, so it was as Mobei-jun's Consort said." Consort? What? Mobei-jun had a Consort? Well, Luo Yuan could worry about whatever Tianlang-jun was on about later. He was pretty sure that if he didn't find some way to get Shen Qingqiu out of the Water Prison he was going to explode (literally). "Due to Yuan'er's..." Tianlang-jun glanced around the room, which Luo Yuan absently noted looked like a tornado had passed through. "delicate questioning, we can confirm no one here was involved."

"So Lord Shen is being framed. This is also a chance to make us look underhanded; whoever did this is trying to escalate." Zhuzhi-lang filled in, his brows furrowing.

The three other Heavenly Demons exchanged looks over Luo Yuan's head. He still felt half like he was trying to surface from underwater. Tianlang-jun removed the hand pinning him down, then Binghe helped him to sit back up. Luo Yuan realized he was in a small crater that was him shaped.

"If they want to escalate, we will escalate." Luo Binghe nodded to his father and cousin. Flinging Luo Yuan's arm over his own shoulder, Binghe grabbed him by the hip and hauled him standing. Tianlang-jun also rose with the motion, far more relaxed as his lips quirked up into a mean smile. "We can use this."

"Ha!" The Demonic Emperor slapped Binghe on the shoulder, pleased, his wicked smirk widening to show his sharp teeth. "Smart. Well, Yuan'er? How about a little jail break, as a family?"

Chapter Text

The fool had thrown himself at a demon.

The fool had thrown himself at a demon and then fallen into the Abyss.

The fool had thrown himself at a demon and then fallen into the Abyss, but he was already dead because Shen Qingqiu had stabbed him.

Luo Yuan had thrown himself in front of his younger brother in a desperate bid to keep him safe and fallen into the Abyss, but that didn't matter because Shen Qingqiu had stabbed him through the heart.

"Shixiong, you're starting to deviate again."

"Shut up." Shen Qingqiu hissed, from where he regretfully lay against the brute's chest in a bloody heap. He could still taste the blood on his tongue from the previous deviation. Mu Qingfang, ever the professional, did not react to the vitriol almost literally spat in his direction. The doctor just continued to filter Shen Qingqiu's volatile qi with that stupid look of misplaced concern on his face.

Luo Yuan had tried to do what his brother had never done and died for it.

Because Shen Qingqiu had killed him.

"Shen-shidi, this is against Mu-Shidi's recommendation." Yue Qingyuan smiles that pitying smile and has the audacity furrow his browns at him. Shen Qingqiu only raises his fan up higher to hide his sneer.

"So? Does Zhangmen-Shixiong think this one too stupid to meditate?" His tongue turns into a knife before he can even think to stop it. Shen Qingqiu gets the satisfaction of watching Yue Qingyuan flinch. The idiot folds with a closed off expression, that false smile from childhood in place. It only makes Shen Qingqiu feel a little bit of the usual knot that look tends to set in his stomach.

"Of course not, Shidi."

"Then Shixiong will approve my request?" Misplaced guilt does not spare Yue Qingyuan, as much as it makes Shen Qingqiu's insides itch.

"Of course, Shidi."

"Good."

Shen Qingqiu turns on his heels in a flurry of robes and stomps out of Yue Qingyuan's office. He's settling into the Ling Xi Caves within the sichen.

I loved him.

The thought slams into Shen Qingqiu with the force of a punch. It practically knocks the wind out of him, a hiccup startled him chest that he tells himself is not the start of tears. He has not cried since that place and has always refused to do so again.

Pulled from meditation, Shen Qingqiu stares blankly into the dark. There was a rock in his chest that had loosened. Then his heart had squeezed and clenched in such a way to rob his breath. A hand buries itself into his hair, his own he realizes, and he tries to focus on the walls of the cavern he's seated in.

Rounded, blacked, yet stained with blood. The qi here is almost oppressive in how it blankets the clawed and scratched walls. This place always made Shen Qingqiu think an animal had been placed in here and left to die.

It's part of why this cavern is the one that Shen Qingqiu always chooses. He's enough of an animal to suit the environment.

You killed him. the thought continues, unbidden, even as Shen Qingqiu tries to focus on anything else. You loved him but you were the one who killed him.

All you do is hurt the people you care about.

A staccato exhale. Shen Qingqiu closes his eyes tight enough to see spots. He ignores the burning in his eyes and the wetness of his cheeks.

These were things that Shen Qingqiu already knew. He doesn't know why they hurt so much, this time.

"S-shixiong!"

Shen Qingqiu opens his eyes, finding the rat scurrying into his seclusion. Shang Qinghua flinches when he is given a look that shows just how much this is appreciated. Shen Qingqiu doesn't bother to answer him, only watches him to shake and sweat with mild disgust as he waits for whatever problem the An Ding Lord has brought.

"Y-yue-Shixiong requested you end your seclusion early!"

"Why?" The word comes out harsh, perhaps even harsher than intended. Shen Qingqiu does not know how long he's been in here, only that it has at least been a few years. Shang Qinghua visibly flinches as if struck, cowering even, but he does not back down.

"Tianlang-jun has been freed from his prison and retaken control of he demon realm! He's declared war on the humans! Yue Qingyuan says that the Sect needs our strategist, Shixiong!" Shang Qinghua makes a strange face after he's done speaking, brows furrowing. He mutters a quick 'How?' under his breath, then seems to shake it off.

Shen Qingqiu is already rising from where he had been seated on a flat rock.

"Do we know how he escaped?"

"He was freed by a-another Heavenly Demon."

There is a stab in Shen Qingqiu's heart at this news.

The only other Heavenly Demon that Shen Qingqiu knew of had been pushed into the Abyss holding his dead older brother in his arms.

Luo Binghe would surely come for him. With what he had done, Shen Qingqiu almost welcomed it.

Whatever strategist the demons had was crafty. Strange maneuvers you couldn't possibly predict, hard to counter formations, perfectly executed pincher tactics- any winning battle was hard won. They were losing just as many as the demons, though, so it never felt good to snatch away a victory. It was all ruination and carnage, both demon and human alike being left in piles for the crows to feast on.

It frustrated Shen Qingqiu that they didn't know anything about this mysterious demon. It was as if all avenues of information were being cut off as soon as they were mentioned. At one point he had brought up the possibility of a traitor in their midst only to be treated as paranoid; Shen Qingqiu had his own suspicions, but ever since he "happened" to save both himself and Liu Qingge years ago, Yue Qingyuan would hear no "slander" of Shang Qinghua.

Regardless, all they knew of the demon was that he was some sort of plant-based one. Quite rare, with pink flowers in his hair. In high favor with the Demonic Emperor and his son, though there was little else to go on.

Shen Qingqiu didn't have it in his heart to hope. Luo Yuan had always been strange and capable of many things he shouldn't have been, but why would a demon have done so much for him? Would have... cared about him so much? No, surely Shen Qingqiu or any of the other Peak Lords who met him would have realized his true nature had he been.

Leaning back from the map he had been huddled over, Shen Qingqiu sighs. He couldn't think about Luo Yuan right now. He needed to pack. The trip to Jin Lan City wouldn't be delayed for his sake.

The tacky heat of blood oozes down his back. Shen Qingqiu does not give the Little Palace Mistress the delight of seeing him flinch. Shen Qingqiu only keeps his head bowed and braces himself for each strike of the whip she uses against him. The girl's anger seems to be growing with his lack of a reaction.

But what more could she take from him? Shen Qingqiu had already had everything he had worked so hard for ripped from his hands. Even if Yue Qingyuan protested, no doubt that the Old Palace Master would find something to pin on him. It didn't matter if half the things brought against him were falsified; it only mattered that he was dragged through the mud and Cang Qiong weakened, even in the midst of a war.

Besides, this was nothing new for him. While the inclusion of the barbed metal was different, Shen Qingqiu was plenty used to whippings.

He deserved this, too. For what he had done.

So Shen Qingqiu stayed on his knees, not that he could do much else bound as he was, with his head down and eyes closed. Maybe eventually she would grow tired of him and leave.

"Ugh!" The girl shrieked out, unladylike, and put more force behind her next whip strike. "How dare you keep acting so superior after betraying us!"

The Little Palace Mistress seemed to be working herself up into even more of a rage, which had Shen Qingqiu's fists tightening in his lap.

The girl shrieked once more but this time in agony. Shen Qingqiu's eyes snapped open at the meaty sound of a strike, just in time to see the Little Palace Mistress land in a bleeding heap more central on the platform. The metal whip she had been using crunched as steel whined and groaned, then was tossed as to join her.

Shen Qingqiu's breath hitched.

A demon in pink and teal and white with long wavy hair, pink lotus flowers dotted in it. Sharp claws matched sharper teeth. A pink Zuiyin sat between his brow in the shape of lotus petals. He snarled down at Shen Qingqiu, seeming to loom over him in a way he had never done years ago. Pink spores flowed from the flowers on his head, clogging Shen Qingqiu's nose with a heady scent that made him feel ill.

"Shen Qingqiu." Luo Yuan growled out.

"Luo Yuan." Shen Qingqiu replied, as it was all he could think to say.

I loved you his traitorous brain tried to force from stiff tongue. Shen Qingqiu managed to physically swallow it down, tamp those feelings down where they belonged. It was clear that Luo Yuan wasn't... happy to see him.

"Why are you here?" Shen Qingqiu asked instead, as if he didn't already know the answer.

"For you."

Luo Yuan's claws twitched at his sides, as if he was holding himself back from ripping Shen Qingqiu's throat out.

His heart ached.

Shen Qingqiu really took him in. He knew it might be his last change.

How tall and proud Luo Yuan stood as he loomed over Shen Qingqiu, his pristine appearance adding to the threat. Face a half snarl to show off his fangs, eyes cold as they considered the very man who had killed him. The unnatural pink of the Zuiyin added a wicked glow to his handsome features, inhuman with sheer menace. There was no doubt that he could kill him with the same effort it took to blink.

Luo Yuan had come for him.

After the pain Shen Qingqiu had caused, that couldn't be a good thing.

And he knew he deserved it.

Chapter Text

Luo Yuan never really thought about how much he looked like Tianlang-jun until he was forced to look at himself in a mirror.

There wasn't even the distortion of polished bronze. He was shorter, a bit more slender, his face just a little rounder- but otherwise he looked like the man's mini-me, right down to his hair and eyes. Whatever traces of his birth mother had been swept away by the more powerful Heavenly Demon genetics. It made you wonder what Su Xiyan was like for almost none of their father to be present in Luo Binghe.

Tianlang-jun wouldn't allow them to leave until Luo Yuan cleaned himself up. He'd quoted some tired romance tropes as his reasoning, which had went right over Luo Yuan's head. In the end, no matter how he argued and regardless of the anxiety choking his chest, he was forced into his full princely regalia.

Luo Yuan was typically very relaxed with his appearance, but he could admit that he was handsome when dressed up. His robes were pink, teal, and white; the pink matched his Zuiyin and the flowers attached to his head, the teal a nice complimentary color. The white accent was mostly in the lush lotus brocade that covered every layer of his outer robes. His hair had been loosely collected into a half updo, most of his wavy locks draping down his back, with a white jade pin keeping everything in place. He looked every bit the regal crown prince he was forced to be.

When Luo Yuan met back up with his family, they had all dressed to the nines in their own way. Zhuzhi-lang and Luo Binghe's outfits were just as rich and befitting their status, though they were suited more for combat. Tianlang-jun was the shining example of a proper Demonic Emperor, as handsome as he was deadly. He smiled the widest when Luo Yuan joined them, his red eyes crinkling in the corners.

"We all know our parts, then?" Tianlang-jun asked, voice chipper. They all agreed, which had him chirp out the follow up: "Excellent! Yuan'er?"

Xin Mo flared with potent energy in Luo Yuan's palm. A single slash through the air had a wound in reality forming, widening, bleeding. In just a blink, instead of looking at the wrecked throne room they were staring at some empty courtyard. Chilly air spilled through the gap, the air pressure trying to equalize. They stepped through with a fresh snowfall crunching under their boots.

No sooner than did the portal close that alarms flared to life, echoing and ringing. It was the middle of the day, so they'd soon be flooded with Huan Hua Cultivators. Tianlang-jun let out a manic laugh, head tilted back, as he unfurled the raw power in his chest. It was potent and overpowering. It would also drown out Luo Yuan's own demonic signature as he crept away.

One good thing about not joining in on the direct fighting was this: the cultivators had no idea that Luo Yuan existed. Nebulously, sure, but spies had confirmed time and time again that they thought Tianlang-jun, Zhuzhi-lang, and Luo Binghe to be the only three Heavenly Demons. They knew that a strategist who hunkered in the Underground Palace existed, knew he was some sort of plant demon. But that was all they knew.

Smothering his qi, Luo Yuan ducked into the shadows and did his best to avoid detection. Footfall pounded as it passed him, followed by the first earth rumbling shake as the assault started proper. Small snakes slithered at his heels, their eyes sharp as they vanished into small holes and cracks in the walls, scaled stone to slide into cracked windows.

Luo Yuan's destination was downward.

Huan Hua Palace was a maze both in design and scale. It was the richest of the Four Great Sects and also the largest. Each Peak on Cang Qiong might have a hundred or so people housed there at a time, all split up between the staff, disciples, and workers. Huan Hua dwarfed the number of all twelve Peaks combined by at least double, and that was just the disciples alone. It had to be a massive, almost liminal complex just to house all the people it did.

Thankfully, Luo Yuan did have a few PIDW cheats he could use. While seeing everything in person was much different than reading about it, he knew the basics on how to read the intentionally esoteric markers to navigate the place. Luo Binghe had been, in the novel at least, a disciple and later the Palace Master of Huan Hua. Airplane had waxed poetic multiple times on the system to up his word count, enough so for Luo Yuan to still remember the most important bits.

Before long, he was ducking under an archway and trailing down carved stone stairs to descend under the earth.

From above, there was the occasional explosion of power which rumbled the tons of rock around Luo Yuan in ominous promise. It was dark and poorly lit, with tunnels criss crossing into a proper maze. At some point while walking, he felt himself become entangled in an array set up down here; no doubt one meant to confuse and disorient. He clicked his tongue but continued forward, knowing that he would find some answer eventually.

As promised, right as Luo Yuan rounded a corner, he slammed into someone. He barely flinched but it sent the young man stumbling backwards; he was handsome and proper in his gold and cream robes. The two of them stared at each other for just a moment, stunned.

Oh fuck, was this Gongyi Xiao?

"Surrender, demon!" Maybe-Gongyi Xiao's face hardened. He went for his sword, tensed and ready to strike. Luo Yuan darted forward, snatching his wrist and squeezing it until he felt the clean 'snap!' of the delicate bones. He winced as he used his grip to push the boy back, seeing the agony cross his face.

"Sorry!" He said, repentant but not guilty, as he thumped the boy over the head hard enough to knock him out. Probably-Gongyi Xiao dropped like a sack of rice, but a quick check confirmed he was still breathing. If Luo Yuan remembered right, the Head Disciple should have- yes! There! He tugged a jade pendant that hung from Definantly-Gongyi Xiao's belt to keep for himself. Tiny runes had been carved all over it.

As soon as Luo Yuan had it on his person, the whole cavern visually shifted to the left. The constant tug of the array seemed to glide over him as if it were ignoring him. When he pushed forward once more, it actually felt like he was making progress and not just walking in circles.

Before long, there was the sound of rushing water. The air hurt to breath, the sting of the acid making his lungs ache. It was nothing his Heavenly Demon blood couldn't handle- but Shen Qingqiu was just a human! Cultivator or not and- calm down! Luo Yuan had to mentally slap himself to avoid succumbing to the aching beast in his chest like he had in the Underground Palace. Xin Mo hissed in his ear in annoyance.

There wasn't just one platform prison, because of course there couldn't be! Luo Yuan was fighting a losing battle as his demonic core tried harder and harder to protest, demanding him spill blood and destroy. But he still had to stop at each huge room, with equally huge stone bridges, to check each one. Most of them were empty, though he did find a few dull eyed individuals he put out of mind. It would certainly cause more chaos, which would be good for them, if he freed everyone he came across. But, in the end, the way this place was set up he wouldn't be able to do so.

Just as his instincts were rising to a fever pitch once more, Luo Yuan found one platform where the water curtain had already been lifted. Scrambling across the bridge, his chest tightened further when he finally saw his quarry.

Shen Qingqiu was tied up in Immortal Binding Cables in the middle of the platform, but a huge black steel chain was cuffed to his ankles. He'd been stripped of all his finery, dark hair loose around him, with only a single thin white robe for cover. His eyes were closed, face pinched as he was bowed over on his knees- because he wasn't alone. A petite young woman with fierce eyes was standing over him, a jagged metal whip in hand. The white robe was already ripped across the back, fresh blood staining the fabric.

She was saying something, probably to Shen Qingqiu, but Luo Yuan couldn't hear it. Pure fury took him over. The girl was bleeding, unconscious but alive, on the ground in the next blink. The metal whip had been soundly destroyed, less than scrap at this feet. Luo Yuan stood over Shen Qingqiu and tried to calm himself. Now wasn't the time for these kinds of blackouts!

Shen Qingqiu was staring up at him, now, his expression chilly and flat. His sharp, dark eyes bore into him. Those stupid fucking demon instincts rose to the surface. Long forgotten, these particular ones had been left to ferment and rot, bubbling up with an almost violent intensity. There was an ache of relief but it was undercut with the want to sink his teeth into the pale column of exposed throat.

"Shen Qingqiu." Luo Yuan finally managed to growl out, his gums throbbing and throat rough. Shen Qingqiu didn't flinch, only watched him like he used to do when they played Weiqi- trying to guess his moves ten turns before he made them. He swallowed and Luo Yuan traced the motion with his eyes.

"Luo Yuan." Shen Qingqiu's voice was also rough, with dehydration and disuse, but tinged with a forced calm. The Peak Lord licked his dry lips before he continued. "Why are you here?" There was a defiant jut to his chin, despite his position. As if Shen Qingqiu already knew the answer before he even asked the question.

"For you."

His claws twitched at his sides with want to drag the other closer.

Another distant explosion snapped Luo Yuan out of his minor daze. The whole cavern shook, more violently than before, dust and stone raining from above. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he grabbed the iron chains holding Shen Qingqiu and soundly snapped them in his fists. Shen Qingqiu instantly tried to leap up and away when he was freed, but he was as useless as a mortal right now. Luo Yuan was easily able to wrangle him and toss him over his shoulder, one arm gripped tight around him as he wriggled and struggled. The other was free, claws at the ready in case he ran into any more trouble.

When they exited the platform, the curtain of water fell behind them, leaving the unconscious young woman in place. At least she had served some purpose. They wouldn't have been able to leave unless a body was still in there.

Shen Qingqiu was conspicuously quiet as Luo Yuan darted back down the labyrinth he had traveled through. The explosions were getting both louder and more frequent. When a not inconsequential chunk of the ceiling fell just ahead of him, Luo Yuan knew that his time frame to get the hell out of here was rapidly closing.

Danger sense tingled, something that had been honed in the Abyss. It was the warning that kept Luo Yuan's head on his shoulders, a pure white blade taking a few loose strands of hair instead. On instinct, he kicked out. This was barely blocked by the man who had attacked him, but the force of it still sent him sliding back several meters.

A brief pause to parse what was now in front of him.

Liu Qingge was already getting ready to strike once more. A large man in black, white, and silver robes and a massive sword was easing Gongyi Xiao against one of the walls, the man having previously been helping the young man walk. Liu Qingge looked as resolute as he had the few times that Luo Yuan had met him, though it was unnerving to have that steely gaze honed in on him. The larger man's face was handsome, and on a better day it would appear kind. Right now, though, Luo Yuan would already be in the ground if looks alone could kill.

That was Yue Qingyuan, wasn't it?

The Xuan Su Sword, the man who had beaten Tianlang-jun, Cang Qiong Sect Leader, and the only person that Luo Binghe had never been able to beat blow for blow in PIDW.

Not to powerscale in a tense situation, but Luo Yuan knew as a fact that he couldn't defeat either of these men one on one. Of the four Heavenly Demons he was objectively just the weakest. Tianlang-jun was the most powerful, being the only one of them to be full blooded on top of having decades more fighting experience. He was only beaten by Luo Binghe who had the blessing of being this world's center, the protagonist never allowed to lose in any way that mattered. Zhuzhi-lang wasn't quite the powerhouse that his uncle or younger cousin were, but he was still plenty strong. That left Luo Yuan at the very bottom. He wasn't as skilled in battle as Luo Binghe, plus he had a nerf since his non-Heavenly Demon side was the equivalent of a Healer Class. Pitting him against a Fighter and a Juggernaut was just asking for a GAME OVER. You could argue he had Xin Mo, PIDW's Golden Finger, but Shen Yuan didn't actually know how to use a sword! It was as useless as a toothpick in his hands!

"Fuck."

"Release him." Yue Qingyuan's voice boomed, the raw power evident as he reached for his sword. Still in the sheath, but ready to smash Luo Yuan's head concave.

Luo Yuan took in the bad situation in front of him. He glanced over at Shen Qingqiu, who of course couldn't make this easy and was struggling again.

Then he turned tail and ran.

There was a few beats where Luo Yuan must have surprised them but it didn't last too long since, after his long silence, Shen Qingqiu bellowed out: "Don't let him kidnap me, you fools!"

That lit a fire under the two Peak Lord's asses, Luo Yuan having to leap over a low swiped white sword glare. As soon as his feet hit the ground again, he willed the lotus flowers in his hair to unfurl. They weren't as 'charged up' on pollen due to his earlier tantrum, but he still spewed out what he could, leaving a cloud in the tunnel that the others would be forced to travel through. The paralytic might help him.

It didn't seem to be slowing either of the Cultivators down, however. Luo Yuan was channeling all the qi he could to flash step as fast as he was able, but it still felt like Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan were breathing down his neck. There was the occasional slice at his legs or feet, but any long ranged attacks were not launched; likely due to Shen Qingqiu's precarious position. Sweat beaded down his brow as he dipped and ducked down the twisting tunnels, each turn having him narrowly avoid capture.

Of course, a stalemate couldn't last forever.

A strike hit his right ankle. Luo Yuan felt the raw power reverberate up his body in a painful pulse; the bones at the impact site reduced to a fine paste, too. Unable to follow through with his momentum he tumbled forwards. On instinct he both tried to roll to soften the blow, and shield Shen Qingqiu from further harm. This ended with the two of them skidding along the dark stone, Luo Yuan left raw as his flesh scraped and bled from the fall.

Luo Yuan tried to drag himself back upwards, but Shen Qingqiu bashed him in the head despite his arms still being tied by the Binding Cables. It didn't hurt, but it was just enough for a stun. The massive body of Yue Qingyuan was on top of him, then, large hands wrapped around his throat he started to literally crush the air out of him. Liu Qingge dragged Shen Qingqiu away and onto his feet.

The whole cavern rattled with an explosion just above, the walls starting to crack as they gave under the pressure.

Luo Yuan kicked at Yue Qingyuan with his undamaged foot but the man was like a boulder on top of him, unmovable. A choked noise left him as he fought to keep what little air was in his burning lungs. His hands wrapped around the man's wrists in desperation, yanking to try and move them, but his grip was as hard as iron. Forced to look up into his face, all Luo Yuan saw was cold acceptance. Luo Yuan was nothing but an obstacle to this man, one that he was going to destroy.

Maybe it was the lack of oxygen talking, but that was kind of badass.

Little black dots started to fill his vision. Each blink was sluggish. Shen Qingqiu had been released from the Immortal Binding Cables by Liu Qingge, who was urging him down the way they came. Luo Yuan was aware they were talking, but the sound was just white noise when it filtered into his ears. Shen Qingqiu started down the tunnel in a rush. He only paused to turn around once, expression fierce. Their eyes met briefly as Luo Yuan wheezed a final pained gasp.

When he surfaced again, Shen Qingqiu was gone.

No! No, no, no!

Bucking, Luo Yuan gave a ragged growl deep in his chest as he started to struggle once more. It ached, but he couldn't let his- he couldn't let Shen Qingqiu go back! He needed to be safe with him!

In a final fit of desperation, Luo Yuan reached out to swipe his claws at Yue Qingyuan's face. Liu Qingge caught his wrist, the man much closer than he had been before, holding it in a steel grip. Taking that as the best chance he would get, he sunk his claws into Liu Qingge's arm with his other hand. It left behind long, thin, scratches with only trickled with blood- but it would be enough. He followed the motion through by ripping into the delicate veins on his own inner arm, having the blood spurt and gush as it coated Liu Qingge's hand where it held him.

Luo Yuan would laugh if he had air, but the toothy grin of triumph was enough.

Liu Qingge's whole body tensed then he was launching himself at Yue Qingyuan. Not expecting the other man's full bulk or the betrayal, he was knocked off of Luo Yuan. Liu Qingge continued to try and grapple Yue Qingyuan. There were shouts of dismay, but he only rolled over and gasped for breath, allowing himself a few precious moments to recover.

"What are you doing?!"

"C-can't..... control....."

Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan scrabbled in the dirt while Luo Yuan crawled over to the wall. He used it to pull himself to his feet. Trying to control Liu Qingge was a much harder endeavor than he had expected. Between trying to heal himself, chasing Shen Qingqiu, and that he wouldn't be able to keep full hold with the blood mites for long.

His ankle was still crushed and throbbing, his left arm was a limp and bleeding mess, and he was pretty sure something was fucked with his spine from the choking. Still, Luo Yuan hobbled down the tunnel, trying to find the Qing Jing Peak Lord. Agony lanced up his leg and hip with every step he took on his bad foot, but he just grit his teeth and pushed through it.

The promise of fresh air hit Luo Yuan's nose after so long without. Another massive tremor wracked the cavern, sending him slamming into a wall. Stone started to come loose, the first of the Water Prison's death throes. He pushed onwards, following the change of air. Leaning against the wall, Luo Yuan edged forward even with his flagging energy.

The tunnel he was in widened into a large cavern proper, the walls rounded and arcing high enough for the ceiling to fall into shadow. There was a massive pit, clearly dug by human hands, that perfectly circled the whole base of the cavern. Deep, deep below was the blue-green glow of the acid water as it flowed. There was a single walkway across, a stone bridge just big enough for perhaps two people to fit. On the other side, the cavern opened into an entrance, overlooking what looked to be the city that Huan Hua Palace presided over.

"Qingqiu!"

Digging his claws into the wall, Luo Yuan watched as Shen Qingqiu and Gongyi Xiao finished their crossing. There was at least a half a football field between them, like this. Shen Qingqiu whipped his head around, startled, his loose, dark hair moving with the motion. They made brief eye contact, then there was another explosion, louder now. The earth seemed to shift sideways, knocking Luo Yuan forward so he almost toppled over the cliff's edge and into the acid. A whole flood of rubble rained down, massive boulders smashing into the bridge until it crumbled.

Luo Yuan on one side, Shen Qingqiu on the other.

A stupid, desperate thought told him to try and climb the walls to get across- what was all that practice in the Abyss for, if not for this? But he shook that off and could do nothing but watch as Shen Qingqiu turned his back to continue his escape with Gongyi Xiao.

Luo Yuan clawed at the ground, watching Shen Qingqiu until he vanished from sight. His ears were ringing, that strange, anxious panic growing in his chest. Xin Mo was pulsing in his veins, the System unable to fully contain it.

Failure, failure, failure. it hissed in reprimand, urging him to chase.

It took a few seconds for him to break from that downward spiral. Luo Yuan had not failed. His goal had been to get Shen Qingqiu out of the Water Prison, which he had succeeded at. The whole fucking place was also actively collapsing around him, plus he didn't know when Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge would catch up to him. If he wanted to make it out of here, he needed to move. Now.

Turning back again, Luo Yuan retraced his steps. He could sort of sense Liu Qingge. The man might have been unconscious? But he was still moving, so maybe Yue Qingyuan was carrying him. It wasn't a perfect system, but he could try to use that to avoid them. Before long he had circled around and was on new ground once more, but Luo Yuan realized that he was well and truly lost. Worse yet was that a lot of the tunnels had collapsed, forcing him to backtrack and lose more time as he ran like a rat in a maze.

Luo Yuan wasn't sure if it was luck or not that had him finding a staircase. It wasn't the same one he had came down, but he still half crawled up it until he was pushing open the doors that had sealed it closed.

This doorway opened up into a courtyard. All around him was smoke and rubble, the majority of Huan Hua Palace seemed to be on fire, smoke trailing black and hungry into the air. Most of the perfectly maintained gardens and buildings were flattened, what remained standing as if to defy the chaos around them. There were massive holes and grand slash marks taken out of the ground, forming thin chasms or spires of jutting rock. Blood was heavy on the tongue, though from here Luo Yuan saw no bodies. In the near distance, shrouded from view by the bulk of the Palace's inner walls, there were bursts of power so great they were visible to the naked eye.

This area seemed mostly empty, at least. Luo Yuan pushed forward, limping through the ruined terrain. There was a hiss as he passed by a collapsed building, making him pause. A black snake darted from the shadows, curling up his leg and slithering into his clothes. Okay, so at least one thing had gone right. Well, it would if he could make it to his family.

Circling the wall, Luo Yuan tensed. He wasn't the only one, a young woman in gold and a man in sage green and cream robes doing so as well. They were both huddled over a slightly younger girl, who was frothing at the mouth and her whole body twitching and seizing, eyes rolled back in her skull.

Ah, fuck. That was Mu Qingfang. And he was pretty sure the two girls were Qin Wanyue and Qin Wanrong. He wasn't really in any shape to fight anyone and it seemed like both the healer and older sister had been through enough. The younger was, of course, in some active death spiral.

Luo Yuan sniffed the air. Some sort of poison? Scanning the little garden they had managed to hide in, there looked to be all sorts of suspicious plants around. His best guess was that Qin Wanrong had gotten caught in something in the chaos, since he couldn't imagine her being in any direct combat.

There was a glint of steel, thin silver needles in Mu Qingfang's hands, his face grave but calm. Qin Wanyue, already looking like she's been ran over, still had the energy to half pull out her sword. Her expression was fierce and protective, body half hunched over her sister's seizing form.

Luo Yuan put up his one good hand in surrender.

"What happened?" He pointed at Qin Wanrong with his chin, ignoring how his voice sounded like he'd been gargling gravel.

"What do you care, demon?" Qin Wanyue snarled, her grip on her sword trembling.

Luo Yuan shrugged, nonchalant. Inside, he actually really fucking cared, though! These two were supposed to be part of Binghe's harem! One of them couldn't just DIE! If Luo Yuan allowed Qin Wanrong to die, then whenever Binghe married Qin Wanyue down the line, this would surely be brought up as some slight. Then Luo Binghe might be forced to enter some arc that ended with Luo Yuan's head on a spike. He very much didn't want that!

Groaning, Luo Yuan chanced taking a few wobbly steps forward, them knelt down heavily. His whole body felt like it never wanted to move again as soon as he in some semblance of a resting form, which made him want to scream and cry inside. This was all horrible. Why'd he have to become friends with the Scum Villain of all people? Then he could have avoided this whole shit show!

"What do you think you're doing?!" Qin Wanyue hissed, alarmed. Luo Yuan found the sword at his already bruised throat, but he just wrinkled his nose and used the tip of a claw to push it away.

"Do I look like I'm in any state to do anything?" He argued, even though he knew damn well he could have already killed at least one of them. Maybe not Mu Qingfang, but he didn't really want to think about powerscaling again. Rubbing his face, Luo Yuan glanced over at the doctor before nodding down at Qin Wanrong. "So?"

Mu Qingfang was still tense, but he had a composure that was admirable given the circumstances. He didn't take his eyes off of Luo Yuan, but he had moved one hand back to the dying girl between the three of them.

"She's been infected with Dripping Snapdragon Sap." His voice was level, but there was a gravity there. Luo Yuan frowned down at Qin Wanrong, brows furrowing. Yeah, that was one of those poisons that needed some sort of miracle cure. There wasn't anything that Mu Qingfang could really do for her other than make her comfortable until she died.

"Open her mouth."

Thankfully for Qin Wanrong, he was a walking miracle cure! Qin Wanyue tried to argue, but Luo Yuan was already shoving his good hand into his mouth and clawing out of his little sap sacs from the back of his throat. The rough handling from Yue Qingyuan had popped quite a few, but that was more just a 'time' issue than any real problem. When he finished pulling the little clear pouch out, the honey-golden liquid swirled inside. Knowing better than to try and touch the girl on his own, he'd surely lose his hand with how jumpy Qin Wanyue was, he instead extended it in offer to Mu Qingfang. The man's brows furrowed as he delicately pinched the corner, careful not to pop it.

"I'm an Eternal Lotus Demon. My sap is a cure-all."

"The last this Lord heard, that species of demon went extinct well before his time."

"Well, I'm still around." Luo Yuan shrugged, then scooted back so he could force himself to stand back up. It sucked as much as he thought it would. "Use it or don't, I did all I could."

"Where do you think you're going?" Qin Wanyue jutted her sword at him again, though the action was half hearted at best. She looked conflicted, glancing between the sap pinched between Mu Qingfang's fingers and her sister.

"Need to find my little brother." When Luo Yuan limped down the wreckage of the path, it was unobstructed. At least he'd managed to get out of another fight with some weird form of diplomacy. If they didn't use the cure-all, then that was on them; Qin Wanyue couldn't come for his head about it, later! Ha!

Finally Luo Yuan stumbled into the fight proper. Dozens upon dozens of Cultivators, most of them in Huan Hua gold, were being pushed back by the combo of Binghe and Zhuzhi-lang. His cousin was in his massive snake form, his long body circling a wide clearing to keep it blocked off. Binghe was on his back, tossing sword glares and demonic qi at the gathered Cultivators; while not the glory of Xin Mo in the protagonist's hands, the ancient demonic Sword of the Sunrise was an alright substitute. In the very middle of the makeshift ring, Tianlang-jun and the Old Palace Master were clashing over and over, great bursts of energy erupting with each meeting. It was enough to knock a lesser person out, the high intensity of qi practically drowning the area in miasma.

Now, Luo Yuan knew that as soon as he stepped out of the little shadowed (and half destroyed) archway he was in, those cultivators would see another target and branch off to attack him. While he could probably handle it, he was fucking exhausted and really didn't want to. Standing here with his proverbial dick in his hand wouldn't get anyone anywhere, either, so he let out a long suffering sigh.

Dashing forward, Luo Yuan funneled every blood mite in his body to his ankle. It dulled some of the pain, enough so he could kick off an unsuspecting cultivator's head to qinggong through the air. He barely landed on Zhuzhi-lang's back, silently apologizing as he sank a claw into one of his scales to keep from being hurled off. With his bad hand, Luo Yuan gave a 'thumbs up' signal to Binghe, who had been ready with his sword until he realized it was just his brother.

Luo Binghe stuffed two of his fingers into his mouth, using them to let out an ear splitting whistle. Luo Yuan groaned but hauled himself up, wobbling as the air rushed past him. Standing on Zhuzhi-lang like this was like being on the world's worst surfboard, except instead of the ocean it would be angry swords that caught him. He groaned and pushed forward anyway, picking up speed to try and reach his cousin's head.

As soon as Luo Yuan reached it, he kicked off of Zhuzhi-lang's head and sank Xin Mo into the very air. He used his body weight to help him split reality, a huge portal opening which Zhuzhi-lang sped right into at full speed. There was a grunt beside of Luo Yuan, and he looked over to see that Tianlang-jun was latched onto his nephew much the same way that Luo Yuan had a few moments ago.

His father grinned up at him, devilish, his loud cackling the last thing the cultivators would hear as the portal closed behind Zhuzhi-lang's tail. They came to a hard stop in a field with tall, yellow grass. The entrance to the Underground Palace loomed in the distance, but they would have a bit of a hike before they made it.

Zhuzhi-lang shifted back into his human form, the young man panting and scraped up all over. Tianlang-jun was covered in blood but seemed otherwise fine. Luo Binghe was in the best shape out of all of them, though he still had a few bruises and rips in his robes.

Luo Yuan could only collapse to the ground with a loud groan, carefully cradling both his wounded arm and their golden ticket to ending this war.

Tianlang-jun gave a little tsk, then hefted Luo Yuan over his neck like a fireman carry. It was deeply embarrassing but all he could do was flop like a dead fish against his father's neck. His demonic qi was ice cold in his veins, making his teeth chatter was it lashed and thrashed from Xin Mo's draining.

"It seems that Yuan'er had quite the adventure." He teased, which Luo Yuan just groaned in reply. Luo Binghe came over to pass some of his qi to help Luo Yuan recover. Zhuzhi-lang followed behind, on watch and silent.

Luo Yuan was forced on bed rest while he healed. His injuries had been the worst, since he'd basically had a 2v1 with the two most powerful humans in all three of the fucking Realms. It had been just bad luck that Yue Qingyuan, Liu Qingge, and Mu Qingfang (though, less so on his part) were at Huan Hua at all! They had just happened to be there on a diplomacy stint to try and get Shen Qingqiu free with politics rather than what he'd done.

Luo Yuan hated it, especially since he'd been put on 'snake vomit duty' as he was calling it. That black snake that had hitched a ride was one of Zhuzhi-lang's favorites and had a qiankun... stomach. While Luo Yuan had been on his own side quest while the rest of his family were fucking shit up, the snakes had been the real MVPs. They'd used the distraction and destruction to pool together basically everything they could get their mouths around. A lot of it was just old, dusty, and useless- but he was sure there would be scraps of something in here. The snakes couldn't read, but Zhuzhi-lang claimed they could find things by Su Xiyan's scent, even if it was decades old.

So, yeah. He'd been laid up in bed sorting through an assload of old, snake spit drenched papers trying to find something incriminating.

Shang Qinghua had joined him occasionally, guarded by Mobei-jun. The ice demon seemed reluctant to leave the man alone with Luo Yuan for whatever reason, but he could stand in the corner and brood if he wanted. Shang Qinghua was still a greasy, sweaty little man but he was actually very helpful in organizing the documents. He was also on personal 'Shen Qingqiu Updates' duty.

Sometimes he'd catch Shang Qinghua giving him weird looks, but he never said anything. Maybe it was a plea for help? With Mobei-jun breathing down his neck, it's not like the guy could speak freely. Luo Yuan was sure he would be fine as long as he was being useful to the 'Crown Prince', so he shouldn't shake so much.

"Still no sign of him back at Cang Qiong?" Luo Yuan mused, from where he was sat up in bed. Binghe had personally ensured that he was propped up and surrounded by over a dozen of the softest pillows in the Demon Realm. Thank fuck for the OP Heavenly Demon healing factor, even if his was slower. Being laid up for a few days was bad enough, especially with how pathetic that Binghe was being about it. You'd think that he was the one who had been used as a punching bag!

"N-no, Taizi! The Old Palace Master is using his escape as 'proof' that he's working with demons, even though Yue Qingyuan, Liu Qingge, and his own Head Disciple have argued that His Highness was kidnapping him..." Shang Qinghua picked up a stack of papers and carefully shuffled them together, clearing his throat. Nervous, his eyes flicked around the room briefly. "If... if Taizi doesn't mind this lowly one asking... why does he... want Shen Qingqiu....?"

Luo Yuan sucked in a breath to answer, words already on the tip of his tongue.

Only for him to deflate. Sighing, he dropped his papers and leaned his weight against his pillow mountain, covering his face with his hands for a few long moments. Closing his eyes, he just tried to fight with the prickle of foreign anxiety which had nestled to live in his chest since Shen Qingqiu had gotten away from him.

"... I just do." Is what he eventually bit out, voice sharper than he'd intended. Sitting back up, Luo Yuan ignored how Shang Qinghua flinched when he reached for his discarded papers once more. The man squeaked, then audibly swallowed in the silence of the room. Shang Qinghua took a breath as if to hype himself up, glanced over at Mobei-jun, then spoke again.

"M-maybe Taizi could... could.... uh...." Shang Qinghua cleared his throat. What followed was the worst noises he had ever heard come from a human's mouth, and he'd heard some pretty dogshit things. It was sorta like "geeve hhhhh un owfurrrrrrr hhhh cunt re foooooooozuh". Luo Yuan had to put his papers back down to look at him. He could feel how his face was scrunched up. What the fuck? Had Shang Qinghua just tried to place a curse on him?

"Was that the Eastern Avian Clan's Dialect? Maybe... work on it before you pulling it out in public."

Shang Qinghua seemed to collapse inward, then went back to work quietly. That was fine by Luo Yuan, since it gave him silence to ruminate on what little snatches of info he'd managed to learn. Shen Qingqiu hadn't run back to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect when he was set free. Maybe he was worried that they would turn him back over to be imprisoned once more? Or that, since Tianlang-jun had led a direct assault on Huan Hua Palace, that would make Cang Qiong the next target? He'd also managed to hole up in a way that literally no one knew where he was, not even the best trackers in the cultivation world. Shen Qingqiu had essentially went off the grid and vanished in less than a week's time.

That was impressive, but it didn't do anything to solve the gnawing hole eating away at Luo Yuan's chest. Shen Qingqiu had been whipped bloody, dehydrated and possibly starving, mostly naked, and without a weapon when he'd left that cave. Anyone could have overpowered the weakened Peak Lord. They could have him now, and Luo Yuan wouldn't even know.

He traced his tongue over his teeth, taking the time to feel the sharp points under his tongue. His gums throbbed.

"Lord Shang," Luo Yuan spoke up, breaking the silence. An idea was forming on how he might be able to solve this. "when will Yue Qingyuan next be away from the mountain?"

It always itched to hide his demon features. Wearing that human disguise for over a decade hadn't been good for Luo Yuan's core, it turned out.

It was close to midnight in Baicong, the streets dark and empty. There was a chill in the air, one that promised rain. He cut an odd figure in the quiet of the night, dressed to the nines as the prince he was forced to be. Without escort, protection, anything. Perhaps the muggers and thieves could sense that he was off, as no one ducked from dirty alleyways with glinting knives to stop him as he walked.

The first stop had been a little, mortal bookshop.

It had been empty and dusty, long closed. Luo Yuan had found Ling Bo's house after, finding it run down and near squalor. The old man had been curled up asleep by a dying fire, looking far older and thinner than Luo Yuan had seen him last. Too old to run the shop by himself, so no money coming in. But not enough to care for him in his twilight years.

Luo Yuan had left an unsigned letter thanking him for his kindness, all those years ago. It was weighed down on the table with a fat sack of gold, likely more than even some of the nobility who lived in this city held in their coffers. This was the least that he could do for the old man.

With that done, Luo Yuan had made his way to the Warm Red Pavilion. It was in the middle of business hours. The smell of opium smoke mixing with the incense made his nose itch. Dice games were being held in shadowed corners, men losing or winning fortunes in an instant. Many girls, most which Luo Yuan recognized, sat with men at tables or walked the floor as servers. A girl was on stage, playing a pipa to entice.

Luo Yuan smiled at the unfamiliar girl behind the counter, her eyes sticking to his rich clothes.

"Would you be so kind as to fetch the madam for me? This one is here to make a purchase."

If he couldn't find Shen Qingqiu, he'd smoke him out of whatever hole he'd hid in.

Chapter Text

The Underground Palace was named as such since it was, as one might guess, underground. It sat in the middle of a flat plain, only a few sloping hills with sparse vegetation sprinkled around. It didn't have natural defense in the way the Northern Fortress or Western Castle did, but it made this up with wide, seemingly unending vision on all sides. Armies could not hope to plan surprise attacks.

While the Underground Palace did have the seat of the Demonic Emperor in the very middle, to say it was just a Palace wouldn't be correct. There were only four buildings allowed to be built above ground, which were four tall watchtowers. They acted as both beacons for travelers and warning systems, protecting the sprawling metropolis hidden underfoot.

The full expansion of the Underground Palace made it a sprawling mega structure built on shitty world building and even shittier logic. The ceiling bled through both false sun and starlight, keeping it a constant reflection of the outside world as time passed. Luo Yuan could look out the window of his pavilion and watch false clouds cross a false sky as a false breeze caressed his face.

Many demons of all races and creeds, brought together to huddle for safety under the shadow of the Heavenly Demons, lived their lives outside of the actual Palace's gates. It reminded Luo Yuan of an ant hill, almost. Mainly in that there was only one visible opening to enter and exit from, a massive mouth carved downwards to form a smooth slope.

When those foolish enough to attack did approach, they had little choice but to meet them at their front gates. With the watchtowers, by that point they would have long been spotted and reported to those who needed to know.

The guards had been given specific instructions after Luo Yuan had returned from his 'shopping trip'.

By the time Shen Qingqiu made it to the entrance, Luo Yuan was already there waiting for him.

Very quickly any of the more common, weaker demons, those who simply wished to trade, had long abandoned the cobblestone road. A pissed off cultivator looking for a fight was best avoided when you were the equivalent of a single HP fodder, after all. A line of guards stood behind Luo Yuan, various beast demons who bore his personal crest on their armor- the same pattern as his Zuiyin. They were all twitchy and watchful, no doubt eager to spill human blood on behalf of their sworn.

Shen Qingqiu was a vision of fury. His spiritual energy was untethered and pressing down around him, a clear warning for anything weaker to get the fuck out of his way. There was a thick killing intent radiating from him as well, almost palpable. He wasn't in his usual flowing robes, but instead the darker and plainer ones that Luo Yuan had occasionally seen. His hair was up in a neat, high ponytail and his hand was already gripping Xiu Ya's hilt, though the blade was still sheathed. The frigid anger on his face, lips thin and eyes glinting, could have frozen a lesser man.

No words were spoken.

Luo Yuan kept his back straight and proper, though relaxed, even when Shen Qingqiu was basically nose to nose with him. It mildly irked him that he was still shorter than Shen Qingqiu even after all this time, though at least it was only by a few centimeters now.

A hand shot out to fist the robes at his throat, dragging Luo Yuan even closer. Behind him, there was the shwing of swords leaving scabbards. Luo Yuan threw out a quick hand to order his guard to stand down, then folded said hand behind himself. He kept his face impassive and cool.

"Where is my sister?" Shen Qingqiu spat. Luo Yuan felt his claws twitch behind his back, but he quickly fisted them to prevent himself from doing something ill advised. Even under the sweat and work of long travel, the notes of lavender hiding on Shen Qingqiu's skin filled his lungs when he breathed.

"I'll take you to her if you play nice."

Shen Qingqiu snarled, disgusted, and shoved Luo Yuan back. He stormed past him, bumping his shoulder roughly as he went, and started to march inside. Luo Yuan took a moment to calm the heat rising in his blood and turned to follow. A few long steps were needed to catch up to the cultivator so they could walk side by side. The guards all quickly filed in formation around them, a loose circle. Not really needed, but he could appreciate their enthusiasm.

It was mid afternoon, a busy time for the bustling city carved into the rock. Shen Qingqiu was likely one of the few humans, let alone cultivators, to freely (sorta) walk these streets. Given who Luo Yuan was and the strangeness of his guest, many rubbernecking demons would pause to watch them both. Luo Yuan didn't leave the Palace proper as much as his father or brother did, so not many had seen the Crown Prince of the Demon Throne in person.

Shen Qingqiu, for his part, didn't seem to really care about the attention. He did glower at anyone unlucky enough to meet his eyes, but given how demons were that just seemed to make them more interested in him.

No one stopped them when they reached the gates, though the two massive bear demons did tense. As they walked through the buildings and hallways from the outer palace to the inner, anyone who saw Shen Qingqiu did much the same. The closer they got to Luo Yuan's own personal pavilion, the more the anxiousness seemed to settle from the constant roar into a low hum. It was the first time he had felt this calm in... was it years? Before the Abyss, even?

He'd put it out of mind, for now.

There was a shrill cry, which had Shen Qingqiu shove past one the guard and rush inside. Luo Yuan dismissed them, then followed. He found Shen Qingqiu right where he knew he would- kneeling down in his courtyard, a toddler clinging to his robes. Wei Yao giggled and laughed, reaching for his uncle's hands. The boy had been sitting by the fish pond, the Jaded Bead Kitten he'd been playing with relaxed and it lounged next to him. Though, the massive feline was watching Shen Qingqiu carefully, claws occasionally flexing just in case.

"Didi!" Wei Ba rose from where she had been seated, the pink blanket she'd been resting on rumpling under her. Lin Jie stayed where she had been, which was sitting next to Wei Ba, but made a delighted noise as she sat up. The card game they had been playing lay forgotten.

"Wei-jie!" Shen Qingqiu scooped Wei Yao into his arms, then met his sister halfway. He pulled and tugged her about when he was in reach, likely checking her over for any bruising or other signs of rough treatment. Luo Yuan rolled his eyed from where he was watching, leaned against the wooden archway on the porch. As if he would have allowed anything to hurt her.

The two of them leaned in together to speak in hushed whispers, which Luo Yuan was very nice about not stretching his senses to listen in on. Shen Qingqiu's face pinched into a pout when Wei Ba shook her head 'no', motioning between herself and Lin Jie. By this time said young woman had wandered over to join in the conversation, an almost coquettish grin as she nodded along to whatever Wei Ba was saying. Wei Yao was trying very hard to grab Shen Qingqiu's hair so he could, no doubt, try and chew on it.

Shen Qingqiu handed the toddler back to his sister and then whirled around, his expression fierce once more. In a few strides he was on the porch, hands slammed onto either side of Luo Yuan's head and snarling down at him. Maybe he was just going sort of crazy, since all Luo Yuan could think was that he was being Kabedon'd. Where he had been leaning back, Shen Qingqiu now seemed to tower over him. This was made worse when he leaned in, stretching what little height advantage he had in a masterful display of intimidation.

"What is your game, demon?" Shen Qingqiu hissed out, the 'demon' said like the word itself tasted like shit. Like Shen Qingqiu was the one who had any right to be upset about this whole fucking mess. It just made Luo Yuan raise a lip in warning, showing his fangs, but his heart wasn't in it.

"I'm not playing any game, Lord Shen." Was grumbled right back. Shen Qingqiu's fingers twitched by his head, but he only continued to glare down at him.

"You kidnapped my sister, my nephew, and left a threatening letter for my niece." That last bit was news to Luo Yuan. He had left a letter for Ning Yingying so she would know where her family was, but he didn't think it was threatening?

"I didn't kidnap anyone. I legally purchased Wei Ba." And then she had brought Wei Yao with her. His purchase of Lin Jie had been secondary, and just because he had happened to see her while waiting for the madam. She was a nice girl who deserved a better life and he thought that Wei Ba would appreciate someone familiar to help her look after her son.

Shen Qingqiu's face did an ugly thing, a mocking smile stretching across his face. A bitter bark of laughter left him. He clearly had something to say about that answer, but he kept it behind his teeth. His expression darkened again right after, voice lowering. Luo Yuan could feel the moist, hot breaths on his cheeks when the Peak Lord spoke again.

"What do you want, Luo Yuan?" Each word was enunciated carefully, slowly, slick and warm. Condescending, as if Luo Yuan was a particularly stupid child. His eyes trailed Shen Qingqiu's jaw, as he mentally calculated where was best to sink his fangs before shooing that idea back to whatever hole it had crawled from.

"I already told you what I wanted." Back in the Water Prison, before Shen Qingqiu had gotten away.

Shen Qingqiu's cheek twitched, then his whole expression shuttered closed. Calculating, cold, as he assessed Luo Yuan. There was an understanding in the depths of his eyes, his shoulders sagging. Though it was not in relief, the action more akin to a dog who had simply accepted it would be struck rather than lash out.

"And you'll keep them safe? As long as you have it?" A hollow acceptance, voice more on the side of 'bland' than 'flat'. Shen Qingqiu's expression was chilly, empty, wrong. Luo Yuan couldn't explain this attitude flip but he didn't like it. But what more could he say? 'No, I won't keep your sister and nephew safe'? Like some sort of monster?

"Yes."

The hands beside Luo Yuan's head both dropped as Shen Qingqiu leaned back. He still regarded him vaguely, but with his expression so closed off Luo Yuan couldn't even begin to parse what he was thinking.

"Tell me how you want me, then." It sort of sounded like it should have been a joke, but Shen Qingqiu's lips wobbled before he could press them flat. Luo Yuan felt his hackles raise but kept silent, nodding and pushing himself off the wall. A soft 'Follow me.' as he led the Peak Lord away.

Luo Yuan had already had the servants clean out and extensively prepare the room he wanted Shen Qingqiu in. He was a guest, but he was a human and a cultivator. Typically he would have taken him to one of the wings reserved for nobility when they stayed for extended periods but that just didn't feel safe enough. No, he needed Shen Qingqiu to stay within the innermost wing reserved for the royal family, inside of his own pavilion.

The room was likely meant for his future spouse, but it wasn't like Luo Yuan would have one of those. It was the largest set of rooms aside from his own and had been meticulously maintained. A huge bed that at least ten people could fit in, made of the finest and softest materials in all of the Realms. He'd already had numerous robes in dark greens prepared for him, too, though not as many sets as he would have liked; the rest of them would need to come after his measurements were taken. A priceless and enchanted guqin, one that was lost for a few thousand years, was sat up in the corner for him; Luo Yuan had asked Binghe to pick it up for him on his last ingredient gathering trip. Rare inks of all shades sat in neat lines on a large desk, ready to be used for painting. Calligraphy brushes rested in line near them, as well, each one hand carved with blessed dragon bone handles and qilin fur bristles. Books were crammed in shelves, from exotic guides on plants to the stupid romances they had occasionally argued about.

Was any of that good? Luo Yuan had been very exacting when getting this space ready for his friend, but he found himself doubting if Shen Qingqiu even liked any of this stuff. Should he ask?

Shen Qingqiu had stepped inside of the entrance and was quietly looking around. There was some vague interest but his face was still blank. His eyes latched onto the very conspicuous set of doors attached to one of the walls. This place was fit for the Crown Prince's spouse, so it was basically a house in-minature with the different rooms. But... well, those doors were why Luo Yuan was positive on the purpose these rooms held. Those doors connected right to his own bedroom.

Stepping up behind him, Luo Yuan cleared his throat to grab the other's attention.

"I'll send someone to prepare you a bath and to fetch you a meal. When you're more settled, the royal tailor will stop by for your measurements."

Shen Qingqiu didn't reply, only stared at him for a few long moments before turning and sliding the door to his new bedroom open. It shut quietly but decisively in Luo Yuan's face after stepping inside. Luo Yuan let out a sigh, his shoulders drooping, when the Peak Lord was out of sight.

That could have went better.

Why was Shen Qingqiu acting all pissed off, anyway?! It's not like Luo Yuan wanted to keep him here!

.... well, maybe his demon instincts did seem to want that, for some reason, but it was totally normal! He also liked knowing where Binghe and, more recently, Tianlang-jun and Zhuzhi-lang were! It just helped to soothe him was all! He knew his little family felt the same way, since the four of them often checked up on each other! It wasn't weird!

Plus, the Sects were still out to get him! As soon as they could prove that this was all the Old Palace Master's fault, Shen Qingqiu could go back to brooding on his Peak and bitching at children or whatever the fuck he did up there. Was waiting that out here, in luxury and with his own family, not better than living in fear wherever he had been before?

He just didn't understand that man!

Not allowing himself to grumble, Luo Yuan stepped out to go flag down some of his servants as he had promised.

Luo Yuan did have things to do, so he left Shen Qingqiu alone and went to talk shop with the other Heavenly Demons to see if they had uncovered anything. It seemed not, though there was still a whole library's worth of documents to go through. After they had all talked themselves in circles, Tianlang-jun had sat back and only seemed displeased for a few moments before turning to his eldest son.

"I heard your little plan worked, did it?" The older demon hummed, leaning his cheek to rest against his palm. There was a bit of a smirk playing on his lips, which was never a good sign. "Quite the unorthodox way to go about it."

"A show of mental strength over the physical may inspire some of the nobility." Zhuzhi-lang said quietly, though he also let out a small hum of consideration of his own. "Though it certainly seems far more cruel than the typical methods.... Taizi is truly frightening when he wants to be."

It didn't sound like an insult, but Luo Yuan felt himself thrown through a loop anyway. What the fuck where these two talking about?

"What about you, Bing'er? Will we need to prepare more robes for our little Junwang?" Tinalang-jun's tone was lilting and teasing, his grin widening when Luo Binghe wrinkled his nose at whatever was being implied.

"No." Luo Binghe smoothed out his face and picked up his tea cup, holding it in hand like a proper courtly gentleman. "This one can wait until after Gege." A pause. Luo Binghe side eyed him, that little shit, and lifted his cup to his lips. "Though he doe think Gege could do... much better." Then he took a long, judgmental sip.

Tianlang-jun barked out a laugh, leaning over to clap Zhuzhi-lang on the shoulder. The snake demon's lips had also quirked up in amusement, though he seemed much more coy about it.

"Ha! At least we won't have to worry about any infighting!"

Luo Yuan was officially lost. It was clear they were making fun of him, but he had no idea why! And even Binghe was in on it?! The betrayal! Luo Yuan stuck his tongue out at all of them and then snatched up the last mystery meat bun that Binghe had made in retaliation.

After that weird encounter, things just got stranger. By now the general nobility that liked the hang around the palace like leeches knew he wasn't going to deal with their shit, so they tended to avoid trying to suck up to him. Even so, whenever he would pass any of them, they would stop him and give him some formal 'Congratulations'! He had no idea what the hell was going on!

Worst yet was some sort of weird water clock that had been set up in the main pavilion just inside the gates. It was huge and was counting down for about twenty days from then. It looked all fancy and official, though he couldn't even fathom a guess on why or even who had moved it there!

After a frustrating day, Luo Yuan gathered up dinner from Binghe and returned to his pavilion. His brother had refused the offer to eat with him today, saying that he didn't want to 'impose' which made the least sense of all! Binghe, you could never impose on your dear older brother!

A quick check on his mortal guests, who were perfectly fine, and then he returned to his own rooms. Luo Yuan had personally delivered Shen Qingqiu's dinner, though the man was still hiding in his own bedroom so he hadn't actually seen him. Not wanting to annoy himself further than he already was, Luo Yuan just went through his nightly routine.

Luo Yuan was a demon who loved nothing more than to burn the midnight oil. It was one of those habits from his first life that he looked back on fondly. Laying in bed on his side, glasses off, phone pressed almost to his nose with the brightness all the way down, reading until the sun was about to come up. Most of this second life meant being early to bed and earlier to rise, and it had only been recently he had been able to relax in familiar ways.

Yet Luo Yuan was a prince and in the middle of a war, so even now he knew not to push things too far. After his time in the Abyss sleep was often assisted with droughts he had brewed himself, powerful enough for even his natural immunities resist long enough for dreams to take him.

Tonight, Luo Yuan just stared into the darkness above him, watching the canopy of his bed in the stillness. His eyes were heavy but refused to close, stuck wide open as his heart pounded and breaths came short. Panic, though he didn't know why, exactly. His claws had long ago fisted into his blankets, the buttery soft material parting like thin cheese cloth under his nails. Occasionally, the gnawing anxiety in his mind forced him to glance through gauzy material at the door that led to Shen Qingqiu's rooms.

After Luo Yuan had sent him inside he hadn't seen him again. There had been servants to come in- were they trustworthy? Shen Qingqiu was a capable and smart man, but what if someone had gotten the drop on him? Luo Yuan wasn't so ignorant to think that he was liked as much as he was feared by the demonic nobility; would they try to take out their frustrations on Shen Qingqiu? Was he laying hurt, or dead, in the bedroom right now? What if he wasn't there at all? What if someone had stolen him away and Shen Qingqiu was being tortured and Luo Yuan didn't even know?

These thoughts had been plaguing him on repeat since before he laid down, growing and growing until his whole body wanted to shake itself into pieces. The only time that Luo Yuan had felt like this was the rare times he and Binghe had been separated in the Abyss.

Unable to fight himself any longer, Luo Yuan threw his blankets aside and tore from his bed. His bare feet thumped on the ground as he went for the door adjoining their rooms, which he threw open with all the grace of a canon shot. He thought he was hyperventilating, since he blinked and he was across the room, vision swimming, as he was fumbling with the door to Shen Qingqiu's bedroom.

When it opened, his own shadow stretched across the room. Shen Qingqiu was sitting up in bed, perfectly whole, expression closed but wary as he stared Luo Yuan down. He'd clearly been laying on his side before, the blankets rumpled from where he had sat up so quickly. It soothed the wailing animal in his chest to see him unharmed, but the more logical part of him still felt stupid for getting so wound up to start.

Luo Yuan knew he should probably explain himself, it was the middle of the night and he had barged in here in the Xianxia equivalent of his underwear, but his throat felt glued closed. He realized, belatedly, that his claws were digging into the frame of doorway hard enough for shards of wood to dust his fingers. Ripping them away, he panted as he tried to get his body to calm down. Luo Yuan had seen that Shen Qingqiu was fine, so he could just go back to his room and lay back down, and then get some clearly needed sleep.

The idea of leaving this room without Shen Qingqiu made a fresh bubble of panic rise and pop in his chest.

He was crossing the room and ripping Shen Qingqiu from the bed, blankets dragged to the floor, before the thought could properly process. The man made an indignant noise, then snapped his mouth closed. Luo Yuan hefted him up to sling his front over his shoulder, one arm bracing him by the back of his knees while the other rested on his lower back. It had to have looked ridiculous, but all Luo Yuan could focus on was how light that Shen Qingqiu was. He was tall but willowy, whatever muscles he had hiding under his clothes not adding much density. Luo Yuan was already making plans on what he could feed him as he stumbled back to his own room.

Shen Qingqiu was placed with care and consideration on Luo Yuan's own bed. The Peak Lord was tense, breathing heavy, his face pale, but he only laid back and turned his head to the side, looking away from Luo Yuan. He'd buried his fingers into the sheets, knuckles white as he clung to them.

Luo Yuan considered him for a long time, here in his bed, and finally felt the ugly panic start to bleed out of him. A sigh left him as he sat back, grabbing the blankets he'd shoved aside earlier. He covered up all the slips of pale skin that had come free from his rough handling, taking the time to tuck the blankets under Shen Qingqiu so he'd stay warm.

When he was done, Luo Yuan circled around to the other side of the bed and crawled in it to lay down.

This wasn't weird, right?

Like, he was a demon, so he was just freaking out thinking his friend was potentially hurt! And since Shen Qingqiu had been missing for long, Luo Yuan was just being extra paranoid about it? That was really the only answer he could come up with for all this.

Plus, like, sharing a bed with another guy was fine if you were friends! Luo Yuan's bed was massive, too! If Shen Qingqiu's could fit ten people, Luo Yuan's could comfortably host a twenty person orgy. Not that he wanted to have an orgy, and certainly not with Shen Qingqiu in his bed, but-

He was getting off track!

Dragging the blankets back over himself, Luo Yuan turned his back on Shen Qingqiu and just focused on trying to sleep again. Hearing the soft breathing of the Peak Lord was a balm for his nerves; taking a deep breath, Luo Yuan let it all out in one great huff and felt his exhausted body practically melt into the mattress.

Faintly, as he was drifting off, Luo Yuan heard the shifting of fabric as Shen Qingqiu sat up- but he was already sleep before he knew what the other was doing.