Chapter Text
Shen Yuan was going to die. There was no way around it. Any way he looked at it he was simply fucked.
Proud Immortal Demon Way was a shit show of a book. The writing was awful and the only reason he had read it past the first two awful chapters was the rare idea of the protagonist in a blackening novel being an adult from the beginning therefore foregoing copious descriptions of child abuse and mild bemusement from the fact he shared a name with a semi-relevant character. The protagonist Luo Binghe started off as acting Peak Lord of Qing Jing before he was revealed as a demon and cast into the abyss by Sect Leader Yue Qingyuan, but the real intrigue was what happened to his favorite disciple while he was gone! Well, the intrigue before wish fulfillment kicked in and the author decided to jerk himself off via the main character. Luo Binghe’s relationship with the novel’s Shen Yuan was the point of interest for most people before it devolved into endless “once in a lifetime” battles and papapa.
The novel Shen Yuan (or SY) adored Luo Binghe and it seemed like Luo Binghe adored him in turn. SY had been stated to look eerily like the former Qing Jing Lord, Shen Qingqiu, who Binghe had killed in a duel for the rights for Peak Lord when the current generation stepped down. It was implied that he had mistreated Binghe when he was a disciple, but annoyingly the novel never really went into it. Most fans speculated SY was the son of Shen Qingqiu, however any future evidence beyond resemblance and family name was thrown out the window as SY had disappeared sometime while Binghe was stuck in the abyss. The excuse Binghe had heard was that he died while on a night hunt, but since no body was found he was convinced Yue Qingyuan was behind it. Even when at face value every action Binghe took was typical of a vengeful Shizun wanting to give his disciple justice, with the vague connection between SY and Shen Qingqiu the debate on whether or not Binghe’s affection was genuine or a convoluted posthumous revenge plan against his own teacher was one that nearly decimated the forum boards until Airplane suddenly decided to drop the plot point after having Yue Qingyuan die in the most convoluted bullshit way possible to make way for harem drama!
What exactly happened to SY was still a mystery! It never got resolved beyond Binghe fondly thinking of his old disciple when he (rarely) interacted with his children from said harem! It was enough to make Shen Yuan want to scream and demand a refund for his time and mental space this horrible novel had taken up.
And now Shen Yuan was the novel Shen Yuan, kneeled in the dirt and staring despondently up at a pretty shijie with orange ribbons holding out her hand.
He remembered this scene. Binghe thought about it a lot when he first heard of SY’s death. The first thing he did when he fought and slaughtered his way out of the abyss was look for his favorite disciple and he was crushed when he heard the news from his spies. It also helped him bond with his first wife, Ning Yingying, as they held each other in their grief and thought about when he sent her to retrieve SY from the sect entrance exam.
And here he was now. On autopilot he accepted her hand even as alarms started blaring in the back of his mind. Why did he have to transmigrate now right as his exam ended! He could’ve avoided the plot if he was just a little earlier! Ning Yingying was already here which means Binghe took notice of him already and what the protagonist wants he gets! Even if he went to another peak he'd just die for Binghe's revenge! He wanted to weep as Ning Yingying closed her soft, clean hand around his dirt covered and sweaty one and gently began to lead him towards the rainbow bridge to Qing Jing where Binghe would be waiting for them.
“Yuan-di, are you alright? I know the entrance exam is a lot. Peak Lord Luo would understand if you need to sit for a moment before the tea ceremony.” Ning Yingying peered down at him in concern and squeezed his hand comfortingly.
Ahh what a responsible shijie! Surprisingly so! Is this what the wives are like when the protagonist wasn’t around to drop their IQ by 50 points?
Shen Yuan, truthfully, didn’t know how to respond. In the novel SY was always shy and soft spoken, only acting bubbly around his Shizun. Yet maybe, just maybe, if he avoided endearing himself to Binghe just enough to be a regular disciple he could survive? You can’t be fridged if the main character doesn’t care about you enough to care if you’ve died! Even when Binghe had razed Cang Qiong to the ground he had given his Qing Jing disciples the chance to leave or join him so he’d be safe! Unless. Unless SY was just destined to die? After all, it was never stated that Binghe was the reason he disappeared. What if he had an unwritten backstory that meant he died anyways?? Then shouldn’t he endear himself MORE to the protagonist to cling onto his protag halo???
His head was aching, but thankfully the pain made the smile he looked up at Ning Yingying with seem bashful and nervous rather than stiff. “This one is okay. Apologizes for worrying Shijie.”
“What’s a shijie for if not worrying?” She grinned at him conspiratorially. “If you’re nervous, don’t be. Lord Luo doesn’t care all that much about how the tea turns out. He just likes seeing people squirm before he lets them run wild.”
Shen Yuan felt the tension in his shoulders lessen as he heard that. Yeah, that sounded like the main character. He wasn’t worried about the tea that much, SY was a street rat but Shen Yuan had years of stuffy family gatherings under his belt, just fretting over his game plan. So far all it came down to was this:
- Don’t throw up or faint at the sight of Luo Binghe
- Don’t spill tea on him
- Be cute and endear himself to him
- ???????
- Survive and profit
At this point, Shen Yuan was just about resolved enough to leap into the abyss with Binghe if it came down to it. Such a filial disciple was way more interesting than a dead one, right? He nodded at her while keeping his eyes down and clutching her hand in thanks. He will play the reserved and adorable young disciple as if his life depended on it because it very much did!!
They came to a stop in front of Binghe’s bamboo house where Ning Yingying gave him a playful push and a lilting ‘good luck’ before bouncing away. Caught off guard from both the shove and his surprisingly frail body, he stumbled a bit forward, hitting his hands hard against the door to catch himself from face planting. Fuck!! Bad start!! Binghe totally heard that!! He tried his best to transition that into a meek knock, but honestly there was no coming back from that!! Especially as he heard a chuckle from inside.
“Come in.”
What the fuck. What the fuck??? Who sounds like that? The protagonist was truly the protagonist with a voice that smooth!! Who allowed this? Now he understands the harem, if he was a girl just hearing Binghe’s voice would be enough to make him want to marry him! He carefully, and quietly, opened the door and kneeled in front of Binghe with his head bent deferentially.
“This one greets Shizun.”
“Mn,” Binghe hummed, how did that even sound that hot, truly a protagonist worthy to be a stallion-, “What’s your name?”
“This disciple's name is Shen Yuan.” He glanced up through his eyelashes to try and get a read on Binghe’s reaction.
Something dark and unreadable flickered across his eyes as he studied him and it took everything in Shen Yuan to not shudder. After a terrifying moment, Binghe’s lips curled into something that could’ve been a smile if it didn’t feel so dangerous. “Yuan’er then. This Shizun eagerly awaits to see his disciples' efforts.”
Taking that as his queue to start the tea service, he wobbled onto his feet and almost fled into the kitchen to avoid that heavy gaze. Did he read their relationship wrong? No, no. Binghe definitely cared about SY in the novel, but that relationship didn’t spawn overnight. Of course he had to work for it. He mentally talked himself off the ledge of a panic attack with a nod and stared at the tea selection in front of him before selecting one he knew Binghe was fond of and prepared it to his liking. As he set it before his Shizun he couldn’t help but watch nervously, chewing on his lip.
Binghe took a slow sip, meeting Shen Yuan's eyes as he did so and causing him to turn his gaze onto the floor self consciously. There was silence for a moment before Binghe chuckled and raised a hand to tilt his head up by his jaw. He squeezed his face, causing his fingers to press uncomfortably against his cheeks and Shen Yuan’s lips to form a pout. He let go and watched in amusement as he barely resisted the urge to rub his aching jaw.
“Yuan’er had good tastes.” Binghe praised and set the cup back on the table in front of him, settling back down from where he reached for the younger boy.
Shen Yuan felt his face heat up and he quickly ducked his head. “This disciple thanks Shizun.”
Binghe’s stare settled uncomfortably on his shoulders and wow Ning Yingying was right he really must like seeing people squirm because Shen Yuan kinda wanted to crawl out of his own skin as the moment of silence stretched on.
“Welcome to Qing Jing Peak.”
With that, Binge placed a set of disciple robes and a cultivation manual in his arms with the instruction to wash up and find his way to the dormitories. If Shen Yuan heard an amused chuckle as he all but fled out of the bamboo house, then well. At least the protagonist was the only one who could laugh at his expense.