Work Text:
Shen Qingqiu shivered, too tired to fight the chill that ran through him. At least he was also too tired to make much sound at it. What sound he did make was a raspy breathy thing not that different from how his panting sounded anyway. He didn’t even have the comfort of the bamboo rustling outside to keep him company. Oh no, this all happened because he just had to go to Jinlan City and deal with their stupid plague.
This sucks. He thought normal Without-A-Cure flareups were bad. Instead, oh no, let’s make it 10 times worse.
Mu Qingfang thought it was several things all interacting exceptionally badly. Apparently a rare but not entirely unheard of event. At least Shen Qingqiu knew the exact moment that he had encountered the aphrodisiac. Qiu Haitang had been less than subtle about ‘tripping’ and coating him in the shimmering powder she had ‘found’ and decided to bring the famous Mu Qingfang.
Unfortunately Shen Qingqiu had no idea when he had encountered the truth serum beyond that it was before that. It had been why he was seeing Mu Qingfang at all in fact. It had also led to him telling one Qiu Haitang flat to her face that he not only rejected her offer to dual cultivate with him, he had no interest in dual cultivating with any woman. She had dropped the remaining bag of powder while staring straight at him.
At the very least, Liu Qingge had dragged her off somewhere with absolute fury written across his face before Shen Qingqiu was forced to elaborate. He couldn’t risk admitting it was because clearly every woman worth looking at was reserved for the protagonist’s harem. It… would have only gotten worse from there since Qiu Haitang also had the whole ‘ruin Shen Qingqiu’s reputation’ thing going on in the original.
The world had started spinning before Liu Qingge got back. Apparently that particular combination of truth serum and aphrodisiac managed to set off Without-A-Cure and a whole host of other problems. At least they all seemed to cancel out the lethal nature of each other… even if he felt like he was dying.
Unfortunately because of everything together, they hadn’t been able to come up with a decent and quick solution either. He couldn’t just jump into cold water to solve the aphrodisiac because of Without-A-Cure flaring up and his sudden inability to use cultivation to avoid hypothermia. He couldn’t take the cure for the truth serum which would just kind of put him out until it wore off because the aphrodisiac may require him to do something and if he was unconscious he wouldn’t be capable of it. Not to mention the dreams it might induce. Without-A-Cure just made everything worse because he couldn’t even circulate his qi for any kind of relief.
It was a hard call if the worst part was the constant vertigo or the ice cold chills. Even laying down, with as many comforters and blankets and basically anything soft anyone could track down didn’t really solve either of those problems. Mu Qingfang didn’t want to administer any kind of strong medicine for fear it would make it worse, and Liu Qingge had hovered making some kind of mumbled and half choked off inquiry until Shen Qingqiu snapped at him to get out and do something useful like find the source of the plague. It… mostly worked. Liu Qingge popped up with annoying regularity to interrupt Shen Qingqiu’s wallowing and to clear Without-A-Cure’s rapid and sudden flareups.
Thus, when the knock came, Shen Qingqiu snarled. “Liu Qingge! I’ve already told you to get out!”
Oh… shouting had been a bad idea. Shen Qingqiu groaned as what fractional attachment he had managed to find clinging to the bed disappeared. Great, perfect. He hadn’t even managed to get rid of his overbearing watchdog by the sound of doors sliding open. They were probably going to light the lamps again too, which would be just great. With any luck Shen Qingqiu’s fumbling around to get them turned off so that the rays of too bright and definitely not steady enough light stopped stabbing him in the eyes and head.
“And if it isn’t Liu-shishu but Shizun’s precious disciple?”
Shen Qingqiu gave a somewhat dry laugh, regretting it as spots danced across his closed eyelids. “Of course.” For a moment… Shen Qingqiu debated on if maybe it had reached the point where he was hallucinating. Maybe… maybe not. He wasn’t sure which way was worse and honestly… at this point… who cared. Kill him. It couldn’t be worse than this… Hell, go ahead and rip off his limbs. If he didn’t have a leg he couldn’t feel the cold intermittently stabbing him like thousands of needles right through skin, muscle, and bone. He’d had broken bones before, he’d take every bone in his leg and foot breaking over this misery.
“Shizun won’t even turn to look? He’s clearly awake.” Footsteps were crossing into the room, towards the lamp. At least it didn’t turn on, instead Binghe made a slight curious noise. Good, Shen Qingqiu had managed to break it even if the main goal had just been turning it off.
“Binghe, this master isn’t capable of telling up, down, or sideways right now. If he tried to get up he’d at best fall off the bed.” Which would be downright embarrassing.
The footsteps came closer. “Shizun is… unwell?”
“What was Binghe’s first clue?” He didn’t mean for it to sound quite so bitter. Actually, he hadn’t really meant to say it at all but the truth serum worked in spurts and jolts. Well, at least he could somewhat narrow it down to blurting out thoughts. That turned the list from a million options to 600,000. Perfect.
The bed groaned slightly as Binghe sat on it. Shen Qingqiu at least put some effort into keeping his lovely pile of blankets although against the protagonist’s strength… Actually, it might not have been the protagonist’s strength. It was possible a small child could overpower him currently. “Binghe, this master is cold.” Not that the blankets had been doing anything to help. He could still sound reprimanding though.
He could feel the warmth radiating from Binghe as he leaned over. It was probably why Shen Qingqiu felt the need to uncurl just enough that Binghe could catch his wrist. “Oh…” Warmth radiated from the light contact, the ice banished from around his wrist and circulation starting to flow through it again. So the ice is from the aphrodisiac? Or was it just because Binghe was a Heavenly Demon?
[ System Activation successful!
Physical confirmation, universal key: Luo Binghe
Download and installation of update complete
Thank you for continued subscription! ]
Oh goodie. Kill me now. The System seemed harsher and brighter than usual, ringing in his skull and making him hyper aware of how pain pushed through him with every beat of his heart.
In the dim light he could faintly make out Binghe’s scowl. “Why hasn’t Mu Qingfang fixed this?” Was Binghe… offended?
“Too many causes. The cure for one might make another worse.” Shen Qingqiu was not proud that he shifted slightly, curling closer to Binghe until there were little points of warmth elsewhere. Too bad it didn’t seem to work through cloth. Trust Proud Immortal Demon Way to look for excuses to get naked.
Binghe made some slight sound, drawing his arm back. Shen Qingqiu was definitely not proud of the oh so slight whine, his hand following the warmth. “It’s okay Shizun.” Buckles unclasped, and then Binghe was reaching back for him. In a moment of being able to actually balance and function, Shen Qingqiu had gotten his own bracers and outermost layer off. Thus, it was with minimal effort that Binghe laid their forearms together. “This disciple is here.”
The ice retreated all the way up to his elbow.
It couldn’t be comfortable, leaning over him like that. After a few moments just to enjoy the feeling of relief from somewhere, Shen Qingqiu cracked open an eye. He groaned a moment later, tucking closer to the mattress as he was forcibly reminded that the world was a blurred spinning mess.
“Shizun?”
“Down, Binghe.” He mumbled. “Lie down.”
He didn’t have the mental energy for why he still had the arm that Binghe had carefully laid his against. He didn’t even have the mental energy to determine if this Binghe was actually real or not. Well… he was probably real if the System had woken back up. Still, he was helping and that was all Shen Qingqiu cared about at that moment.
Binghe started to draw back slightly, Shen Qingqiu frowning. He caught hold of Binghe’s arm, fighting off the shiver as the ice started creeping back down his arm. “Down, Binghe.”
“Shizun, this disciple doesn’t understand.”
He huffed, considering. “Lie down on top of this master.” So that he could be warm, so that he knew he wasn’t floating off or thrashing around.
“Shizun is sure?”
He did his best impression of baring his teeth, which might have just looked like a grimace. Still, Binghe shifted. Careful to keep touching Shen Qingqiu the entire time he coaxed Shen Qingqiu onto his back. At least, he was pretty sure it was his back by the fact that it was pressed against something solid. Then Binghe stretched out on top of him.
Binghe weighed a ton, and must have gained both height and width. He covered Shen Qingqiu, his arms holding some of the weight until Shen Qingqiu impatiently tugged at him. Then all of Binghe was holding him down and it was enough that he gave a very heartfelt sigh of relief. He was still cold but he finally had that weight, that comfort that it wasn’t the room spinning,, that there was nowhere for him to spin off to.
“Shizun.” He shuddered at the warm breath on his ear, tilting his head so that when Binghe spoke again it would cover as much skin as possible. “Is this okay Shizun?
“This is perfect.” He mumbled, his hands coming up. “Please forgive this master if his hands are cold.” Layers and layers of fabric, adornments, belt. Still, he managed to find where the layers parted, his fingers brushing against the skin of Binghe’s waist.
Binghe himself jolted. “Shizun!?”
Shen Qingqiu just hummed. Binghe hadn’t moved away, leaving him nice and trapped as warmth seeped into his fingertips. “Sorry if it’s cold.” He shifted slightly, tucking himself further into the safe pocket of space. “So cold.”
He made a sound of protest when Binghe shifted, pulling his weight up and reminding Shen Qingqiu that the room was spinning. Worst fair ride ever.
“Please give this disciple a moment, Shizun.”
Metal and fabric was rustling, buckles clicking. Then Binghe was shrugging out of the outer layers of his robes. The belt and adornments followed. Then Binghe was there again, guiding Shen Qingqiu’s hands to where the inner robes hung open and oh… on that was so much better. His arms slid around Binghe, pulling the pair flush against each other.
Binghe’s arms did the same, even as Binghe’s weight returned. For a while… Shen Qingqiu was allowed to just stay like that. Deeper, steadier breaths returned, and the cold was finally starting to fully retreat. It left him so exhausted, the slight shivers probably from overstraining himself.
“Shizun?”
“Mn?” He had been drifting somewhat, blissful darkness starting to close in. Binghe shifted slightly, pressing his lips to Shen Qingqiu’s temple. “Sleep, Shizun. This Binghe will be there to meet you.”
***
The bamboo house was quiet, and not near as warm as he wanted it to be. Shen Qingqiu sighed, leaning against his favorite reading nook, book dangling from his fingers as he watched the truly impressively detailed bamboo forest sway in the early morning.
“Shizun?”
His eyes drifted to Binghe. Not his little white lotus, though… not an intimidating darkened figured like he had expected. Instead his precious Binghe looked… hurt and concerned. The expression on the man’s face marred the truly handsome looks and full figure. It made him look smaller, it made him look like he had in that moment Shen Qingqiu didn’t want to remember.
He tilted his gaze away to the forest. “Binghe’s words didn’t sound intimidating enough for them to be an intentional threat.” He’d have to up his game a little bit. Hazards of speed running things I guess.
“Shizun, they weren’t a threat.” Binghe closed the distance, sitting on the far side of the nook. Oh so carefully, he took Shen Qingqiu’s hand. The book was just gone. Ah, the beauty of dreams. “This disciple is glad to hear Shizun speak clearly in his dreams.”
He raised an eyebrow at Binghe. “What?”
“In reality, Shizun is slurring badly.”
Shen Qingqiu blinked. He was? “Since when? Binghe seemed to understand.”
“Shizun’s shout was clear, but not after that. Shizun… what happened that put Shizun in such a state?”
He sighed, laying his head against the window frame. “Too many things.”
“Shizun please. Allow this disciple to prove himself by helping Shizun.”
Shen Qingqiu blinked, frowning at Binghe. “Prove himself?” What the hell did the darkened protagonist need to prove? In fact, it was everyone else that had to prove themselves worthy of Binghe’s attention, or perhaps lack of attention.
“Yes, Shizun. Please allow this disciple to prove to Shizun that he is still good, that he is still worthy. He will prove to Shizun that his demonic heritage doesn’t matter.”
What in the world was Binghe on about? “Of course Binghe’s demon side matters.”
The hold on his hand turned tight, the edges of the dream a bit fuzzier. “Shizun-”
He’d like to say it was panic. It very well might have been as he felt the edges of the dream dissolving. Reaching out he tapped Binghe’s forehead, right on the faintly glowing demon mark. “Heavenly Demons are immune to most things. Poisons, venoms, aphrodisiacs, truth serums. Not a single thing this master currently suffers from would have even come to Binghe’s attention as a potential problem.”
Some complex emotion passed over Binghe’s face. “Then… this disciple should have been subjected to them all, not Shizun.”
He snorted, leaning back.
For a few moments he was allowed to enjoy the blissful relaxation. Then Binghe tugged his sleeve slightly. “Shizun had not told this one to get out.”
He slid his gaze to Binghe, one eyebrow raised. Of course he hadn’t told Binghe to get out. Foremost, it wasn’t like Binghe was going to listen to any of his orders. He couldn’t even get Liu Qingge to listen to him and the man owed him a life debt! Moreover, Binghe was actually helping him even if Shen Qingqiu hadn’t given much thought to why.
“Could it be that whatever is affecting Shizun is even affecting him here… or perhaps… he doesn’t want to send this Binghe away again?”
He sighed, letting his eyes drift closed. Could you be tired in a dream? Could you sleep in a dream? “This master never wanted to send Binghe away.” After a moment he sighed. “It isn’t bad enough to have everything fighting… this master also has to suffer the effects and side effects, and not even consistently.”
“Shizun… didn’t want to?” The grip on his hand was tight enough that had they been in the waking world it may well have hurt. Binghe was also staring at him wide eyed.
[ Warning! Host may not reveal any aspect of the System! ]
He internally rolled his eyes. Keep jump scaring me like that and Mr. 200 IQ over here will figure out there’s something causing it.
Outwardly he set his head against the frame again, watching the bamboo. A perfect mask for his sudden internal debate. What the hell did he tell Binghe? He knew the hopeful tone in Binghe’s voice. He definitely wasn’t going to leave it alone so what excuse did Shen Qingqiu come up with since he had stupidly blurted something out already. Could he distract Binghe? Could he lie his ass off in a dream? Would he be able to with the stupid truth serum?
“Did Binghe find it? Did he find control of his demonic side in the Endless Abyss?”
Binghe’s eyes widened. “Yes, Shizun.”
He nodded slightly. Okay, he could play off that and be the kind of terrible but not outright betraying teacher! “Good. Then Binghe found power, as well? The kind of power he always sought?”
The grip tightened and then as if he had forgotten that it was a dream and that Shen Qingqiu couldn’t feel the pain of it, Binghe released his hold. “Shizun… sent this Binghe down as… training?”
Suddenly Binghe was standing, Shen Qingqiu fighting to make it look like he was just tiredly and mildly watching. The demon lord started to pace. “All this time… then why did Shizun say those things!”
He ran a hand down his face. Excuse, excuse… Ha, I have the perfect scapegoat. “Shang Qinghua.”
Binghe stopped, “What?”
“Shang Qinghua was right there. It was unknown who else was around… Liu Qingge arrived moments after the Endless Abyss closed. This master couldn’t risk… He had to try and get his message across to Binghe who was hurt and in a whirlwind while also balancing not being executed for helping the demons who had already killed so many…”
“Shizun stabbed this one. He turned Xiu Ya on his own disciple!”
He winced. “This master… is sorry. He really thought Binghe would step back.” Who just let themselves be stabbed?
“So… Shizun doesn’t hate this disciple?”
He sighed. “Who could hate Binghe?” His precious lotus, his little white sheep. Ah, there was the grief that he barely kept hidden these days.
He started slightly at the hand grabbing his chin, forcing him to stare into red tinged eyes. “Shizun does not hate this disciple?”
He wanted to squirm away. Far too intense! But he could feel fingers digging into his jaw, his cheeks. He still put a hand against Binghe’s forearm. Could he even hope to break this hold? He couldn’t look at Binghe right now. Not when he could feel the stupid serum kicking in. Thank the heavens it hadn’t reacted to his outright lie earlier. “I don’t.” The pressure in his throat released at the same time that Binghe loosened his own grip. He let his gaze fall, staring at his lap. Like magic the book rematerialized for him to fiddle with.
“This master isn’t sure there’s anything Luo Binghe can be or do that would actually disgust this one, or make him turn away. He didn’t want to then… he could never do such a thing again.” The edges of the dream shivered, Binghe frowning at them.
“Shizun has nightmares about the Immortal Alliance Conference?”
“Mn.” Why deny it to the dream demon standing in front of him. After all, it was probably one of those nightmares trying to intrude.
“So Shizun won’t send this one away again?” Binghe settled far closer in the nook, staring at him. “Shizun swears?”
He let his shoulders fall, head leaning back. “It isn’t so simple…”
“This one is practiced at hiding his demonic traits. He has been accepted by Huan Hua as their… officially its guest. They suspect nothing of this one’s heritage. Shizun never mentioned it, and this one can guarantee that Shang Qinghua will not say anything as it would risk his own affiliations.”
For a moment Binghe considered him and his distinct lack of a reaction. “Shizun already knew Shang Qinghua had connections to the demon realm.”
“This one found out Shang Qinghua’s true identity and nature in the aftermath of the Immortal Alliance Conference.” The buzz in his throat settled. It was entirely true after all. Shen Qingqiu gave an oh so faint smile. “This master nearly strangled his martial sibling in anger.”
Binghe smiled in return although it seemed only partially real. “So there is no reason Shizun couldn’t accept this one back.”
He gave an oh so faint rueful smile. “And Binghe’s obligation to the demon realm as the last Heavenly Demon and rightful ruler?”
Binghe blinked, and then frowned. “This one isn’t the last Heavenly Demon.”
Hold up… what? Shen Qingqiu sat up slightly. “What does Binghe mean?”
“The southern emperor is also a Heavenly Demon. A full Heavenly Demon by the name Tianlang-jun. His right hand is his nephew, the half Heavenly Demon Zhuzhi-lang.”
For a long moment Shen Qingqiu stared. “Tianlang-jun is free!?” He was supposed to be locked up under a mountain. Yue Qingyuan had helped put him there!
Binghe shifted. “He seems to be… partially free. There are some odd discrepancies in the reports this one gets but… he is most definitely restoring the imperial palace.”
Shen Qingqiu groaned, running his hands down his face. He needed to talk to Shang Qinghua. Binghe’s father wasn’t supposed to make any kind of appearance!
“That’s even worse. Binghe definitely can’t allow him to go unchallenged.” He would win right? He had to win… he was the protagonist!
“This one can find a way to balance both.” Binghe lightly touched his arm, tugging at his sleeve. “If Shizun would accept this one back then… he’ll work hard to make sure that the demon realm is under one ruler and has orders not to cross into cultivator territory without official reason.”
Shen Qingqiu shook his head slightly. “Binghe would be under so much strain…”
“This disciple will be fine! So long… so long as he can see Shizun…”
“Why would Binghe even want to?”
Binghe looked downright hurt. “This disciple always wants to see Shizun.”
Great… somehow he had literally thrown Binghe off a cliff and the man was still a sticky sheep. It… could be so much worse. “Alright… alright… we’ll figure something out.”
“So Shizun won’t send this one away?”
He shook his head slightly. “No.”
“Even though this one is half demon?”
“Even though Binghe is half demon.”
He wasn’t expecting the tug, and this dream definitely wasn’t his by the kiss. He would never dare dream of kissing Luo Binghe. Yet… yet…
Maybe there was an aphrodisiac that would affect Luo Binghe. And it had bled over into the dream realm. Which… actually that would make sense. It would certainly explain why, after a moment, Shen Qingqiu made a slight noise and kissed back.
Binghe drew away, Shen Qingqiu blinking dumbly at him and… wow… okay… that happened.
Binghe was smiling oh so softly. “This one is going to wake us up now.”
He nodded slightly, bracing himself for the chill.
***
Binghe wasn’t putting near enough weight on him. Instead the man was lifted up on one elbow slightly, brushing his hand down Shen Qingqiu’s cheek. “Shizun?”
“Mn?”
Binghe leaned in, pressing his lips to Shen Qingqiu’s forehead and just… didn’t that feel nice. It chased away a good portion of the cold that nipped anywhere he wasn’t touching Binghe. “Shizun is affected strongly by an aphrodisiac, yes?”
He nodded slightly, chasing the warmth when Binghe made a slight motion. Ah, Binghe was untying Shen Qingqiu’s robes. Ah! Shen Qingqiu caught the wandering hands. “Binghe.”
“This one will only go as far as Shizun is comfortable. He will be warmer, the more skin contact there is.”
“Binghe is affected too, it seems.”
For a moment Binghe hesitated, then shook his head. “No, Shizun. This Binghe isn’t affected.”
“But… but Binghe is… he kissed this master?”
“Mn. This one dreamed of such an opportunity for years.” Another light brush of the lips, this time to the cheekbone. “He would like to do it again, if Shizun is alright with it.”
Years? What… how… but… but Luo Binghe was straight! He had a harem of hundreds of wives and never even looked at a man! Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth, then closed it. This was obviously the same setting as Proud Immortal Demon Way but… how come it felt like he didn’t know the story anymore?
Binghe was here, he wasn’t angry, he wanted to come back to Cang Qiong as one of them rather than to burn it down, his father was loose and Zhuzhi-lang had reappeared…
System! Is this still a stallion novel? What in the world had happened to it? Surely… surely the small changes Shen Qingqiu had made would have this much effect right?
[ Answering Host: Phrase “stallion novel” not found in associated with current genre or tags
See silenced notifications? ]
WHAT!? Then… then what tags… Oh god, what had he done? And what about notifications being silenced? Was that why it hadn’t been ringing in his ear?
[ Answering Host: Current Tags Include: Xianxia, Danmei, Webnovel, Fantasy, Ancient Times, Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance, BL ]
Shen Qingqiu had an issue with some of those tags! How is this Comedy? And most important WHAT DO YOU MEAN BL!?
“Shizun? Is Shizun uncomfortable?” Of course the System booted him out when he asked it the question that mattered the most.
The entire problem was that he wasn’t! Moreover if Binghe did move he’d be uncomfortable again. He made a low whining groan. In this position he’d have to take his hands off Binghe’s back to cover his face. He could bury his head in Binghe’s shoulder but that would cause its own issues.
Binghe shifted, a bit of alarm in his voice. “Shizun?”
Heavens above… this man had kissed him and was still calling him teacher. He groaned again. “Binghe is interested in this master?”
“Yes… Shizun.”
Not only had he successfully bent the protagonist, he’d bent the entire world it seemed. Good job! Look at me go! Thought I wasn’t doing enough and in reality it turns out I overshot by 100% and came right back around!
“Shizun doesn’t need to feel pressured. If Mu Qingfang thought Shizun would be fine without intervention then this one is content to just hold Shizun and try to make it a bit less…”
“How is that fair to Binghe?”
Binghe shifted, pressing lips to Shen Qingqiu’s forehead. “Shizun is thinking too much on it. This one considers himself lucky that Shizun would allow him even this much.”
“Binghe promises?”
“Hm?”
“To only go as far… to not… not all the way?” Because he couldn’t. He… fine he tucked his head into Binghe’s shoulder. It was pretty nice there actually, Binghe leaning down so Shen Qingqiu didn’t have to strain. It did make his words muffled though. “This master doesn’t want to… to do that… just because some idiot with a bag of pollen ‘tripped’.” Talk about being even more unfair to Binghe…. And himself.
“Only as far as Shizun is comfortable with.” Binghe shifted, hovering just over Shen Qingqiu’s lips. “Call this one softly, tell him to stop, and he will.”
He nodded slightly. “Okay.” He could do this. He could… he could…
Binghe bit him. Shen Qingqiu gave a somewhat inelegant squawk as Binghe… was this supposed to be a kiss? Where had the soft touch of the dream gone? This was heat and biting and wet and his hands scrambled across Binghe’s chest. What the hell Binghe? Where was the sex god protagonist huh?
Binghe went with the push, panting slightly. “Shizun?”
“Binghe is terrible!” Ah, great timing truth serum. He sighed lying back as Binghe made a slight hurt sound. “Has Binghe never kissed anyone before or something?”
“No. Shizun is the first.”
Well, his hands were free for him to run them down his face before the creeping chill made that harder to do than needed. Goodie me! Look at what you’ve accomplished Shen Yuan! Not only have you bent the protagonist who had a harem of hundreds of wives, you reduced a sex god to a novice!
“Come here.” Binghe immediately lowered himself, Shen Qingqiu wiggling so he could easily take Binghe’s chin. “Less teeth. Like this.”
At least Binghe still had the protagonist ability to pick up things with lightning quickness.
What he didn’t have skill in his did his utmost to make up for with enthusiasm. Robes came off, more and more skin pressed together as Binghe traced his fingers across every part of Shen Qingqiu. No space was left cold or unattended, the nips and kiss of his lips proving to very easily chase away the cold. Binghe’s qi, when it poured into Shen Qingqiu, erased the ache more effectively than any hot spring he had ever been in.
After a bit of reflection, Shen Qingqiu having to be settled from his initial jolt at even the suggestion, and discussion of it… Binghe blood moved through Shen Qingqiu’s body, ensuring that his relief would be true.
Binghe pressed a kiss to just under Shen Qingqiu’s ear, “Forgiveness, this one can’t seem to cure Without-A-Cure like this.”
“Hm,” That was fine. Shen Qingqiu would have taken even a tenth of relaxation he felt currently. Truly, he was nearly boneless, sinking into the blankets as his hands traced Binghe’s back. “Binghe can do that later.”
“Shizun?”
He hummed, pulling himself up to press them together when Binghe rose to his elbows. “If Binghe wants to that is. This master…” He sighed. “This master’s objection is only to being forced into… that is…” His lips tipped slightly. Who knew he could be so shameless and thin faced at the same time. Tucking his head into Binghe’s throat he tugged a bit and was rewarded with Binghe laying them back down. “Aphrodisiacs are stupid and annoying and the worst plot device ever to try and force two people together. This master wants as little to do with it as possible. He wants two people coming together to be a choice, to be something they both actually want without the interference of a plant.”
“Begging Shizun’s forgiveness, this disciple doesn’t understand.”
He sighed. “There is one known cure for Without-A-Cure. Full dual cultivation with a heavenly demon.”
For a moment Binghe went utterly still, then he made a soft sound. “Ah. It… that is… this one would be most willing…”
Yeah, he kind of got that part when Binghe had slid his pants off and stared like he had just seen the greatest treasure and jewels in the entire three realms rather than Shen Qingqiu nude thank you. He was also plenty aware of how Binghe was carefully holding himself while Shen Qingqiu took advantage of him. It had taken lots of squirming to actually get his leg between Binghe’s, pressing up until Binghe had given a choked off moan and his entire body shook. The ding of the System Satisfaction points had cementing that rather than be killed for this particular plot twist he was instead going to be rewarded for it.
“Mn, once the aphrodisiac breaks.” So that they both knew that it was… that it was really their own choice.
So that Shen Qingqiu would admit to himself that he had wanted Luo Binghe. He’d deal with the fallout later.
“Yes, Shizun.”
“Ah…” He breathed out, letting his hands trail down. “Would Binghe be opposed to… another name?” Binghe sat up slightly, this time Shen Qingqiu not following. He was nodding though, so Shen Qingqiu drew in a slightly deeper breath. “This one would, in spaces like this, would like Binghe to use his name. Shen Yuan.”
Binghe’s eyes widened a fraction, before he smiled nearly as brilliantly as the notification screen that was somehow more points than touching the… well more points than he had gotten in a single go so far. “Yes, A-yuan.”
Binghe made sure to press his lips to every patch of skin he could, whispering “A-yuan” between each one.
The truth serum broke when he managed to convince Binghe to lay on his back so that Shen Qingqiu could offer him a bit of relief. The aphrodisiac broke some time in the early dawn. Without-A-Cure broke just before breakfast.
Mu Qingfang knocked on the door quietly while Shen Qingqiu lay sprawled in his inner robes, hair damp still from the warm bath while Binghe massaged his lower back with careful hands and wisps of healing qi. Shen Qingqiu shirred just enough to start sitting up and ensuring that most of the marks were hidden while Binghe opened the door.
Mu Qingfang, like the wonderful man that he was, looked between the two of them, checked Shen Qingqiu’s wrist while refusing to acknowledge that two of the three of them had distinctly red faces and the third a lazy smile even as he tidied the room, and had then pronounced Shen Qingqiu in better health than he had been in years.
The doctor checked over Binghe rapidly, and then nearly fled. He did at least grab hold of Liu Qingge who appeared just as the other was leaving, dragging the initially confused and then offended War God elsewhere and saving Shen Qingqiu so much face. He would have to thank the man later or maybe just… send him a gift without digging into messy explanations.
He would have enough of that when he showed up at home with Luo Binghe in tow. For now, he rose and waved off Binghe’s help since… he really did feel better. If there was a little soreness that was fine. He was plenty happy to remember how it had felt to be warm, and held, and have Binghe proving that he might be a little into torturing Shen Qingqiu but it certainly wasn’t a kind of torture that Shen Qingqiu minded or would shy away from.
Well… maybe not every night but Binghe had been quite free with his promises to hold Shen Qingqiu as close as he could, to protect him, to love him, to reassure Shen Qingqiu that Binghe always wanted to be there, always wanted to be the one making Shen Qingqiu happy.
He wasn’t entirely sure but he might have broken the System a little when he had quietly whispered back his own promise to do the same.