Chapter Text
Shen Qingqiu hastily kicked off the remaining shredded immortal binding cable clinging to his foot as he broke into a run. Sha Hualing was yelling something behind him but he didn’t dare turn back and see her and Luo Binghe. He kept running out of the hall and into the woods, heart pounding as he escaped.
That was close. That was too close! Luo Binghe had been right there. Shen Qingqiu knew the chances of getting identified were low in his new plant body, but could they truly be considered low when he was dealing with the protagonist?! Luo Binghe wasn’t dumb, he was the immortal protagonist and an all-conquering demon lord for a reason.
Even worse, the voice of the System booting up was still echoing in his head. Turned out switching bodies did not get rid of the real villain of this world. At least the System didn’t seem to be running right as it wasn’t demanding anything of him yet, which meant Shen Qingqiu could do what he wished for a while.
And what he wished to do was get as far away from the blackened OP protagonist as possible.
The first thing on his very short list of things to do--besides survive, of course--was to make sure those he just rescued from Sha Hualing were alright. After double-checking that no one was following him, he headed back to the garrison town where he met up with Yang Yixuan and Liu Mingyan and accepted their invitation to the tea shop.
All was going well until Lu Liu started gossiping about a potential romance between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu found himself without an appetite.
Yang Yixuan's face was clearly expressing a fun concoction of shock and horror over the completely made-up tale Lu Liu was spinning, but he was undoubtedly interested, even leaning in subconsciously. If the situation wasn’t sickening, Shen Qingqiu would feel inclined to poke fun at the stoic Liu Qingge’s sole disciple for being the gossipy type.
The story was escalating and Shen Qingqiu coughed behind his fan to try and get the conversation to stop.
It went unnoticed from the crowd gathered at their table, apart from Yang Yixuan, who glanced his way with his head tilted.
“Elder, is the story bothering you?”
Is it not supposed to bother him?!
Something must have shown on his gaze because Yang Yixuan stood up like he was about to get into a fight with Lu Liu for speaking. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened momentarily before Yang Yixuan turned away from the table, not fighting anyone.
“We don’t need to stay here if Elder wishes not to,” Yang Yixuan said. Shen Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, getting up as well.
Liu Mingyan was still enraptured by what was being described, but she tore her focus away for a moment to look at Yang Yixuan and Shen Qingqiu.
“I think I should return to Cang Qiong,” Yang Yixuan told Liu Mingyan who nodded. Yang Yixuan paused and turned to face Shen Qingqiu. He bowed to him, causing Shen Qingqiu to blink in surprise. “Elder saved me from that witch. If he chooses to, it would be an honour to have him accompany me to Bai Zhan Peak.”
Huh. It had been a while since Shen Qingqiu went to Bai Zhan Peak, and he knew how difficult an invitation was to get considering how they treated intruders. He hadn’t been planning on going to Bai Zhan Peak originally, let alone Cang Qiong Mountain so early, but if there was anywhere that he’d be safest from Luo Binghe, it would be snuggled up right next to Liu Qingge and his weirdly bloodthirsty disciples.
Shen Qingqiu smiled, returning the short bow Yang Yixuan gave him. “Yes, that sounds good.”
Staying in Bai Zhan couldn’t be so bad, right? It may not be home like Qing Jing Peak and it’s bamboo forests, but maybe it could be? Who knew, maybe Liu Qingge somehow acquired an eye for beauty in the past five years. He took in a disciple, an event Shen Qingqiu did not see coming whatsoever, so who’s to say he couldn’t learn to plant a non-violent flower or two around to spruce up the place?
Shen Qingqiu knew it was just wishful thinking, but still…
Liu Mingyan bid farewell to Yang Yixuan before bowing her head in gratitude to Shen Qingqiu, drawing him out of his thoughts. Then, unaware of Shen Qingqiu’s exasperated expression, she eagerly turned back to the story being told.
Shen Qingqiu frowned, eyeing her suspiciously. He had originally been planning on escorting the two out of this place, but it seemed Liu Mingyan would stay a while longer. Not to mention, now that Shen Qingqiu was thinking about it, Liu Mingyan really didn’t need the extra protection at this point. Apart from being a female protagonist, she was also Liu Qingge’s sister. Shen Qingqiu nodded to himself as he followed behind Yang Yixuan out the door. She could handle herself.
To make the trip to Cang Qiong mountain easier, Shen Qingqiu rented a sword to fly on. The rather plain-looking sword would do the job just fine, but while he flew alongside Yang Yixuan, he found himself missing the familiar brilliant shine of Xiu Ya. It was never his sword to begin with but it was still his. The knowledge of knowing Xiu Ya had shattered when he had breathed his last breath five years ago on that rooftop made his heart sting a little. It was such a nice sword...
Shen Qingqiu glanced at the 17 year old next to him. For some reason, he never considered how much of a difference 5 years would make. Probably because Shen Qingqiu didn’t think he’d be underground for 5 years, but someone had to bury him underground too well.
That reminded him, if he met Shang Qinghua anywhere, he’d make sure he knew personally just how OP his new form was. Then again, it might have become common knowledge that Shang Qinghua had colluded with demons. Which meant he would most likely be banished and residing in the demon realm. If Shang Qinghua was in the demon realm, he should feel quite fortunate because Shen Qingqiu wasn’t planning on going anywhere near that place.
“...Elder? Elder?” Yang Yixuan’s voice drew Shen Qingqiu out of his elaborate fantasy of beating up Shang Qinghua.
“Hm? Sorry, I had been thinking of...something.”
“No worries. I was just wondering if you had any more stories to share of my Shizun?” Yang Yixuan asked, an excited gleam in his eyes.
Shen Qingqiu let out a small huff of amusement. It was endearing to see how much Liu Qingge’s disciple admired and looked up to him. Shen Qingqiu was initially worried because he didn’t know how good of a teacher Liu Qingge would be--he wasn’t exactly the patient and nurturing type--but it seemed he must be doing something right from how Yang Yixuan turned out.
“Ah, sure I do...let me think.” Shen Qingqiu idly tapped his fan against his chin, feeling the poke of his torn beard still barely holding onto his skin. He had interacted with Liu Qingge a lot, certainly more so than any other peak lord. Especially after he got poisoned with Without A Cure and relied on his common visits to clear his meridians. However, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t share any anecdotes from those visits. That would make it too obvious as to who he was.
Shen Qingqiu frowned, he had to tread carefully now. Reveal too much and his identity would be revealed.
“Your Shizun is a very capable fighter. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any monster that exists that he hasn’t fought.” Shen Qingqiu nodded to himself as he spoke, being vague as possible was definitely the way to go. It seemed to be working because Yang Yixuan was nodding enthusiastically, absorbing whatever he said like a sponge. Shen Qingqiu laughed a little, continuing, “I think it’s safe to say monsters probably tell scary stories about him, haha, they tell their young to eat humans head first or Liu Qingge will get them!”
Yang Yixuan laughed goodnaturedly in agreement beside him, puffing his chest out in pride at the praise his Shizun was receiving.
Their laughter settled down into silence and Shen Qingqiu glanced over at Yang Yixuan, a frown settling on his face.
Unable to hold it back any longer, Shen Qingqiu spoke: “So, your Shizun. I...It’s been a while since I saw him last. How is he?”
Yang Yixuan looked back at Shen Qingqiu with a puzzled furrow to his brows.
Shen Qingqiu waved his fan dismissively at his look. “I know I already asked when we first met, but you only answered how he was doing in regards to Luo Binghe. I want to know how he is doing.”
Yang Yixuan's eyes softened momentarily at him for the care he showed for his Shizun’s health and wellbeing. Shen Qingqiu was not surprised, he doubted Liu Qingge had a lot of people worrying about him. The soft look vanished shortly after and was replaced with a resolute look.
“Shizun is strong and determined! Just because that bastard beats him, doesn’t mean Shizun loses! Nothing can defeat him, he gets back up stronger than ever and goes back!”
Well. Shen Qingqiu supposed his determination was a good thing. Liu Qingge wouldn’t be Liu Qingge if he lost his fighting spirit.
Shen Qingqiu breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
“Mm!” Yang Yixuan agreed.
Shen Qingqiu looked forward again and took in the familiar sight of Cang Qiong’s mountain peaks. A heavy thick layer of mist surrounded the peaks to add that extra mystical factor Airplane wrote in. It was always nice to read descriptions of Cang Qiong mountain--despite how short those descriptions were because that bastard author would instead spend his word count describing wife #???’s breasts instead. Those short paragraphs of Cang Qiong didn’t do the real view justice, if he had enjoyed reading them then it was even better to actually see it.
In any case, his Qing Jing Peak seemed to be doing well. A glimpse through the mist showed his bamboo forests standing tall and waving gently in the breeze. Nothing visible seemed to have changed and it wasn’t burned to the ground or anything so Shen Qingqiu considered that a win.
Due to the air defense formation surrounding Cang Qiong Mountain, Shen Qingqiu had to switch over to Yang Yixuan’s sword as his rental sword would send him flying back. Yang Yixuan moved forward on his sword, giving Shen Qingqiu plenty of space which he was thankful for as he sent his rented sword back.
With them together on his sword, Yang Yixuan steered their path away from Qing Jing Peak, heading towards Bai Zhan. Shen Qingqiu felt a pain of remorse at him leaving his peak, but toughened it out and kept a neutral air around him.
They flew down to land on Bai Zhan Peak and Shen Qingqiu took a moment to be surprised. He didn’t know why he thought he’d immediately be surrounded by Bai Zhan disciples pointing their swords at him. This wasn’t Xian Shu Peak where Shen Qingqiu’s presence alone would get him violently thrown off the mountain. Still, it was strange that no one was up in arms over a stranger suddenly being among them.
Then again the flight had taken some time and sunset had settled on the mountain, perhaps everyone was asleep already?
“I’ll have a room prepared for Elder to stay in,” Yang Yixuan said as he began leading Shen Qingqiu on foot.
“Thank you…” Shen Qingqiu trailed off as he glanced around. To say Bai Zhan Peak was empty would be a lie, there were a few people and the odd disciple around that stared at Shen Qingqiu with unconcealed suspicion, but beyond that, it seemed almost abandoned. “If you don’t mind me asking, where is everyone?”
Yang Yixuan frowned as he gave the place a quick once over like he didn’t even notice it was pretty much empty. “Every time Shizun comes back from Huan Hua Palace, he increases the training regime. And he spars with us more often. I guess a lot of Bai Zhan disciples are either resting or taking missions away from the peak.”
Shen Qingqiu sighed to himself, doing a little shake of his head. No, no, Liu Qingge...be a little nicer to your peers, would you?
Yang Yixuan stopped walking and turned to face Shen Qingqiu. “Would Elder like to meet with Shizun?”
Would he? It had been five years since he saw him last, not to mention Liu Qingge wouldn’t even recognize him in his new body.
“It has been a long time since I met with your Shizun, I’m afraid it’d be more of an introduction than a meeting if you took me to see him,” Shen Qingqiu said with an awkward laugh added.
Yang Yixuan tilted his head. “Eh? I’m sure he’ll remember, you make it sound like you two are close. And if he doesn’t then I’ll just introduce you.”
Ah, Yang Yixuan, you are not the brightest. You’re far too trustworthy of a stranger.
“Is your Shizun accepting visitors at the moment?”
Yang Yixuan’s face grew complicated and he glanced away in the direction of where Liu Qingge probably was.
“Uh.”
Does Liu Qingge ever accept visitors?
“I can just bother him in the daytime, no need to see him tonight.” Shen Qingqiu waved his fan dismissively, ignoring the twinge of disappointment he felt.
Yang Yixuan scratched the back of his head, shooting Shen Qingqiu an apologetic smile. “I’ll take you to your room.”
The good thing about the room Shen Qingqiu was staying in was that it was clearly meant for guests--he was worried he’d have to share barracks with Bai Zhan disciples, that or see if Liu Qingge had room in his heart and residence to offer him a blanket and spot on the floor. Shen Qingqiu didn’t even think a guest room like this would exist and it seemed Bai Zhan Peak forgot as well from how dusty the place was.
Shen Qingqiu circled around the open space, waving his fan at the larger piles of dust and watching the dust particles scatter. Yang Yixuan was still standing in the doorway when he turned around to face him.
“It’s good. It will do,” Shen Qingqiu told Yang Yixuan, thinking that was what he was waiting for.
Yang Yixuan nodded and did a short bow. “Ah, one last thing Elder…”
Shen Qingqiu tilted his head indicating him to continue.
“We have an outdoor bathing area just south from the training grounds...if Elder wishes to he can go. It should be empty since it's late.”
Shen Qingqiu blinked twice. Right...when was the last time he even bathed? More than five years, that’s for sure.
A hand came up to awkwardly touch his face and Shen Qingqiu winced when the hand came back dirty. He didn’t even want to know how well or horribly his fake beard withstood the sword flight back.
Yikes. That’s embarrassing.
“Yes, I think I should...thank you.” Shen Qingqiu awkwardly hid the dirtied hand behind his back.
Before departing, Yang Yixuan smiled at him in response but it came off as more of a grimace. Shen Qingqiu stood silently alone in his room for five seconds before rummaging through the room for any clean robes to wear.
He finally found a set of robes that wasn’t completely moth bitten or dusty. They were, of course, Bai Zhan Peak’s design and colours, but Shen Qingqiu figured all the more for helping him blend in.
Although they looked to be a bit big for him. This new body of his took after his original one which meant he was more on the lanky and short side. Not as short as Shang Qinghua however, Shen Qingqiu would be devastated if he lost the ability to gloat over his height and had to look up when speaking with him. In any case, if he ended up swimming in the robes, he’d just go ask Yang Yixuan to find some that actually fit him tomorrow.
Carrying the extra set of robes, Shen Qingqiu snuck to the outdoor baths, avoiding the odd person loitering around. It wasn’t like he had to sneak around, he just wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict with them.
Shen Qingqiu hopped down from a roof, darting around the edge of the training grounds and heading south towards an outcropping of trees.
In the forest, he was met with an eerie silence blanketing the area that was only broken by the sound of rushing water in the distance. Following the noise led Shen Qingqiu further into the woods and down a slope until he encountered possibly one of the most beautiful views in the entire PIDW universe.
What kind of bathing area is this?!
The outdoor bathing area could also be described as a spring of sorts. There were several small pools of water spread out around the clearing, all linked together. The little waterfalls connecting each pool formed a heavy spray that covered the area in a thick mist. Shen Qingqiu squinted, but couldn’t see the other side of the spring through the mist.
He scrambled down the rest of the slope until his feet touched the naturally smooth rocks surrounding the baths and he was standing on the edge of one of the pools. Shen Qingqiu took a moment to feel the spray of water against his face and admire the view for a while longer.
It was serene and beautiful, sure to clean both body and soul, but there was just one thing bothering him...why the fuck was this on Bai Zhan Peak?! He’d get Qing Jing for the potential scene with Ning Yingying, he’d get Xuan Shu Peak for Liu Mingyan, he’d get it literally anywhere else but here!
What in the world were Bai Zhan Peak disciples doing to get this kind of bathing area? Bai Zhan produced fighters, and fighters only. How were they supposed to appreciate the beauty of this place if they only used it to wash all the blood and grime off of themselves?!
If this weren’t Bai Zhan Peak this would definitely be constantly full of tourists from all around visiting. But no, Bai Zhan Peak exclusive only.
And that damned author didn’t even write such a pretty location in! This place was amazing, it would have made a great romance scene between Binghe and X female lover, but nowhere in the 6666 chapters of PIDW did it mention this area.
Shen Qingqiu supposed there was a reason for it. After the original Liu Qingge’s death, Bai Zhan Peak wasn’t really relevant anymore, so he never got to learn this kind of place existed.
Huh...maybe I should have visited Liu Qingge more often. Shen Qingqiu thought to himself as he stripped himself of his mud-covered clothes, piling them up on the stone ledge before stepping into the water.
He sucked in a sharp inhale of air at how frigid the water was. It wasn’t freezing, but it certainly wasn’t the usual warmth of the baths Luo Binghe always prepared for him. Shen Qingqiu took a moment to adjust to the temperature before venturing further in up to past his waist, splashing some water up to wipe the mud and leftover whiskers still clinging to his face.
The water settled and Shen Qingqiu glanced down at his reflection. Goodbye, beard disguise. Hello, face that is really too similar looking to Shen Qingqiu’s.
Shen Qingqiu shivered and ducked underwater. He surfaced shortly after, standing at full height again as he wrapped his arms around his shivering body.
Actually, now he was starting to understand why this place belonged to Bai Zhan Peak. It was like another trial of strength just to stand long in these waters!
A breeze picked up, biting at every bit of skin above the water. It felt like needles pricking his skin and Shen Qingqiu quickly circulated his qi to warm his body up.
Suddenly another frigid chill passed over him, but this time it wasn’t caused by the wind. Every hair on Shen Qingqiu suddenly stood up as a killing intent washed over him. He went to leap out of the pool and onto the ledge where his clothes waited, but a cold metal against his throat stopped him in his tracks.
Shen Qingqiu sucked in a sharp intake of air, holding it as he went deathly still. Bai Zhan disciples were ruthless, and maybe this sword at his throat was inevitable, but it still felt incredibly unfair! Let a man bathe in peace before trying to kill him!
Yang Yixuan! You lied! You lied to this elder! He said no one else would be bathing, what idiot disciple is bathing at this hour?! Shen Qingqiu cried inwardly.
Shen Qingqiu stood frozen, arms raising slowly in a placating manner like he was being held at gunpoint. His gaze drifted to the side to try and get a glimpse of the idiot disciple standing behind him.
The breath Shen Qingqiu was holding released shakily as his eyes landed on the hand holding an all too familiar hilt.
Cheng Luan! That was Cheng Luan pressed against his throat! Which meant the one holding the sword had to be the owner.
In a way, the moment suddenly became oddly nostalgic. The first time Shen Qingqiu had met Liu Qingge, he had tried to attack him. Kinda funny how similar this was.
Shen Qingqiu let out a small huff of amusement through his nose.
There was silence, then Liu Qingge moved. The sword pressed at his throat kept the same pressure as Liu Qingge shuffled around to face him. It was honestly quite impressive.
Liu Qingge stopped in front of Shen Qingqiu, getting his first look at his face. The hostile glare Liu Qingge had been giving the intruder suddenly faltered as a flicker of recognition flashed across his face.
The harshness of the blade against his throat lessened significantly as Liu Qingge’s grip went lax. Shen Qingqiu blinked up at Liu Qingge, giving him what he hoped was an innocent expression.
“Sh...Liu Qingge,” Shen Qingqiu began, mentally kicking himself. How did he already almost blow his cover by calling Liu Qingge Shidi? It wasn’t that difficult!!
Liu Qingge frowned. The spark of recognition vanished and was replaced by one of vitriol. Shen Qingqiu trembled a little as the barely-there blade returned to its place snug against his throat.
“What are you doing here.” Liu Qingge demanded, tone allowing no room for Shen Qingqiu to dance around the answer.
Oh, how Shen Qingqiu missed the days when he could raise a finger and gently push the blade away while chiding his shidi to stop messing around.
“...bathing,” Shen Qingqiu replied blithely, daring to express a small cheery smile.
Liu Qingge’s scowl deepened, alongside the sword against his neck.
Okay! He’s serious! For some reason, Shen Qingqiu’s brain wasn’t working quite right.
Shen Qingqiu’s expression turned serious, replying in a steady tone: “I met your disciple down by the border to the demon realm. He invited me to stay in Bai Zhan for a while. I came here to bathe, that’s all, I promise.”
Liu Qingge didn’t move, continuing to glare at Shen Qingqiu.
“...ask Yang Yixuan if you don’t believe me,” Shen Qingqiu added.
Liu Qingge huffed, glancing to the side in a way that if it was anymore exaggerated it could have been considered an eye-roll. He stepped back out of Shen Qingqiu’s space, Cheng Luan finally leaving his throat.
Shen Qingqiu breathed out a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping forward. Phew, Liu Qingge can really be scary sometimes. And now that Liu Qingge wasn’t threatening to kill him, Shen Qingqiu could actually see him properly. Shen Qingqiu’s thought process fizzled out to nothingness as caught sight of Liu Qingge’s bare chest. Ah...scary and naked.
Shen Qingqiu stared wide-eyed and disoriented with a tight smile plastered on his face because he had no idea what other expression to make. He was pretty sure his eyebrows were in his hairline at his point and Liu Qingge was moments away from drowning him, but he couldn’t stop staring.
It wasn’t his fault! Liu Qingge had seen him in his inner robes on several occasions, but not once had Shen Qingqiu ever seen him outside of his Bai Zhan sect robes.
And now that he was without them, he could very much see what they were hiding. Shen Qingqiu knew Liu Qingge was bound to be ripped--this is a stallion novel for god's sake!--but to this degree...Luo Binghe, move over! You’ve got competition!
Apart from how defined his chest was, there were scars littered all across his chest and shoulders, leading to most likely even more on his back. Some scars were a faded pink and looked several years old while others were still fresh. Shen Qingqiu felt an ache in his chest, his gobsmacked staring becoming one laced with concern. Was he the reason for some of these? If it was true that Liu Qingge had been fighting Luo Binghe for who knows how long over his corpse, it would be impossible for him to not gain battle wounds.
Despite standing waist-deep in freezing cold water, Shen Qingqiu found himself feeling quite warm.
Ah, where’s my fan…? Shen Qingqiu thought frantically, glancing behind Liu Qingge to see if he could spot his fan among his pile of clothes.
“Can you fight?” Liu Qingge asked, his question being ignored by Shen Qingqiu who was having a mini crisis.
Did he somehow forget his fan back in his room? Would it be too much if he asked Liu Qingge to go find his fan and return it?
At Shen Qingqiu absent-mindedly spacing out, Liu Qingge crossed his arms, getting annoyed.
“Hey!” That snapped Shen Qingqiu out of his stupor and he looked up to meet Liu Qingge’s stern gaze. “Are you good at fighting?”
“Er… yes? No! Well, I can, but certainly not as good as you,” Shen Qingqiu blabbered out. What the hell is wrong with him?! Was it this new form that caused him to lose all sense of poise and aloofness? He was starting to sound like that wreck of an author every time he was around an authority figure.
“Hm,” Liu Qingge said, eyeing him suspiciously before apparently losing interest and turning away.
Shen Qingqiu watched flabbergasted as Liu Qingge began walking away, heading further into the springs. He almost called out to him to wait so he can check him over for any newer wounds in need of healing but held back at the last second.
Shen Qingqiu shivered and made the conscious decision to utilize self-cleaning talismans from here on out.