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Running away from the celebration on Cang Qiong, hand in hand with her tearful disciple, had a funny sort of exhilarating feeling to it – like Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe were beginning an adventure together. Even though the story was over! The System had said so! Shen Qingqiu had successfully plugged plotholes, improved the story logic, and changed the genre, though she still wasn’t sure what female readers could find sexy about a story featuring two women.
But the story was done! Now Shen Qingqiu was just an old teacher dotingly following her best student, setting out into a life that could look however they wanted it to.
Luo Binghe seemed to pick up on that same feeling anyway, of adventure or whatever it was. A gleeful, open smile lit her face even as the remains of her earlier tears made her eyes shine spectacularly. The protagonist truly was an unmatched beauty! Shen Qingqiu was honoured to get to follow her, after everything.
Of course, running away wasn’t quite the same thing as having a plan and a direction. When Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe were far enough from Cang Qiong to be sure they weren’t being followed by unreasonably irate cultivators, Luo Binghe came to a stop. Shen Qingqiu, a bit flustered, followed her example a few moments later.
“Where would Shizun like to go?” Luo Binghe asked, smiling winningly down at Shen Qingqiu. Who gave you permission to be so much taller than your teacher, young miss! Shen Qingqiu thought reflexively. And using that height against her! She felt somehow too muddleheaded to think of a reasonable response.
So what tumbled out of Shen Qingqiu’s mouth was just: “With Binghe.” Luo Binghe promptly began to cry again, so Shen Qingqiu had to pat her head comfortingly, and between one thing and another the two of them ended up sitting together on the ground beneath a tree, Luo Binghe curled up with her head in Shen Qingqiu’s lap, as Shen Qingqiu ran her fingers repeatedly through that lush head of hair.
A person could easily lose themself in the sensation of Luo Binghe cuddled so close like this, Shen Qingqiu thought. The warmth and easy nearness, the sense of connection, the trust Luo Binghe was showing her – it all made her feel so warm inside that the feeling might almost burst out of her.
“Shizun,” Luo Binghe eventually murmured, her lips sweetly parting. Shen Qingqiu’s fingers snagged a little, as if on a knot in Luo Binghe’s hair, even though her hair was silky-smooth and well combed.
“What is it, Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu said, her voice coming out a little breathless.
Luo Binghe’s eyes crinkled charmingly at the corners as she smiled up at Shen Qingqiu. “I would be happy like this forever, but Shizun deserves elegance and comfort. May I find a suitable inn for us to stay at?”
What a thoughtful disciple! But Luo Binghe must certainly have a demonic palace by this point. She didn’t succeed at merging the realms – no need to dwell on that point – but she was ruler of the demonic realm. Was her palace the same as the one Shen Qingqiu knew intimately from PIDW? Everything else had changed so much that differences seemed probable. Suddenly Shen Qingqiu was desperate to see her Binghe’s version.
“Doesn’t Luo Binghe want to show me the place she’s built for herself? It’s all right if you want to show off a little, you know.”
Luo Binghe startled, her head jolting in Shen Qingqiu’s lap, eyes flying wide open. “Shizun wants – that?” she said, her voice gone high and tremulous. Silly girl, didn’t this master say she would follow you anywhere! Shen Qingqiu pulled out her fan to give Luo Binghe a light tap on her shoulder. Luo Binghe melted back into her position of comfort. Much better.
Now, though, Shen Qingqiu became conscious of the warmth of Luo Binghe’s head against her thigh. Wasn’t this terribly intimate? She was struck with a strange double image: a memory of friends from Shen Qingqiu’s teenage years, lying all over each other and cuddling up close during sleepovers, and a memory of a particular piece of fanart of Bing-jie with one of her many men, lying with her head in his lap in just this way, teasing him coquettishly.
Shen Qingqiu shifted a little in place. “Take us to your palace, Binghe,” she said firmly. Luo Binghe beamed upwards at her, then moved fluidly to stand and offered Shen Qingqiu a solicitous hand up.
Then Luo Binghe paused. A funny expression worked its way across her features. “Shizun will have to forgive me for the mode of transport,” she said, a little morose and a little defiant. Too cute! Shen Qingqiu forgave her immediately.
Besides, Shen Qingqiu knew perfectly well how cool Luo Binghe’s – oh. Ohhhh.
When the two of them had destroyed Xin Mo on Maigu Ridge, Shen Qingqiu had been thinking about the importance of saving Luo Binghe from that sword’s malign influence. Of course she knew that Xin Mo was Luo Binghe’s golden finger, that so much of what Luo Binghe accomplished in PIDW was facilitated by Xin Mo, but Luo Binghe herself was too cool for Xin Mo to ever overshadow her. And the power of instantaneous travel was so ubiquitous in Bing-jie’s adventures that it was easy to forget that the power wasn’t intrinsic.
Fuck! Shen Qinqqiu broke the protagonist!
The defiance was slowly leaching from Luo Binghe’s expression, leaving behind only the moroseness. Shen Qingqiu had hesitated too long. “It’s fine! Of course it’s fine!” she hastened to say, but Luo Binghe seemed to look almost pained. “Shizun is generous of spirit,” she said softly.
There was no way to respond to that. Shen Qingqiu remained silent.
After a moment, Luo Binghe nodded firmly. “This disciple has been given an instruction and will obey,” she said.
A moment later, Shen Qingqiu felt her heart turn over in shock: a huge, sturdy figure was suddenly standing next to her, looming close and cold into what had been the cozy intimacy of master and disciple.
Shen Qingqiu was perfectly aware that Mobei-Jun had become Luo Binghe’s trusted subordinate, thank you. She was only a little startled for a moment, that’s all! Anyway, that’s what a fan was for. She held hers in front of her face, trying to get her breathing to calm down a little. She didn’t need to get Binghe all alarmed over her for nothing!
Too late. Luo Binghe pushed Mobei-Jun back and clutched at Shen Qingqiou’s sleeve, looking at her with big pleading eyes. “Shizun?” she said intently. “Just say the world and I will send Mobei-Jun away forever. Are you – what’s wrong, Shizun?” Luo Binghe’s voice sounded a little wavering, a little raw. Silly girl!
“It’s fine,” Shen Qingqiu said. “Don’t worry about it, Binghe, go on.”
Luo Binghe looked dubious. Mobei-Jun continued her usual habit of cold severity and silence. Shen Qingqiu, feeling awkward, waved her hand in an impatient gesture to get on with things.
“As Shizun wishes,” Luo Binghe said, subdued but firm. She nodded once; Mobei-Jun made a quick, sharp gesture which parted the shadows of the tree behind them to create a seeming portal to nowhere. Mobei-Jun’s power truly was incredible to see! Shen Qingqiu took a few steps closer so she could lean in and examine the details of the portal, but before she could learn anything, Luo Binghe scooped her up in her powerful arms, cradling Shen Qingqiu to her – to her chest – as they went through the portal together.
Shen Qingqiu, dazed by the sudden relocation, found herself struggling to focus on anything but Luo Binghe’s firm abs surmounted by her full, soft chest. She could feel Luo Binghe’s heartbeat as it throbbed, strangely fast, against her own body.
“Right!” Shen Qingqiu said, a little too loud. She detached herself from Luo Binghe. How embarrassing, losing her focus like that for no good reason! She coughed slightly and pulled out her fan again, looking anywhere but at her disciple.
The room they were in was fabulously decorated, actually. Was that piece of art on the wall depicting a fight with a three-headed spider-vulture? How thrilling! Shen Qingqiu couldn’t resist examining it more closely. The painting was masterfully done. Such elegance and energy in the brush strokes! Such a sensitively balanced composition! And the spider-vulture, of course, was the star of the piece.
Shen Qingqiu remembered reading about Luo Bing-jie’s defeat of the spider-vulture in PIDW but she hadn’t done the monster credit when she’d imagined it herself. Airplane’s hackneyed prose had let her down, as always.
“Binghe, is this what it was like?” Shen Qingqiu asked distractedly.
“Yes, Shizun.” Luo Binghe’s low, warmly resonant voice was startlingly close. “The beast put up a terrible fight. I was lucky to prevail.”
“Mmm, I was wondering if this depiction of the legs is accurate, actually – I didn’t think spider-vultures had so many legs. Shouldn’t it only be 16?” Shen Qingqiu leaned in even closer, to peer at how the artist had painted the feathering around the complex leg joints. Beside her, Luo Binghe cleared her throat. Several moments passed in silence, Shen Qingqiu’s attention fully focused on the painting, before she realised that Luo Binghe hadn’t answered the question.
Shen Qingqiu turned. Luo Binghe, is that a blush?! The colour on those maidenly cheeks turned her into a perfect copy of a gentle and innocent flower of youthful beauty, instead of the powerful demonic ruler she was. Shen Qingqiu was fascinated.
“Shizun must forgive me again,” Luo Binghe said, her voice a touch hoarse. Was there something in the air of the demonic realm that Luo Binghe didn’t react well to? Surely she couldn’t be getting sick.
Wait, could she?!
Thoughts of the painting and of the monster it depicted dropped away instantly as Shen Qingqiu turned towards Luo Binghe. “Let me take your pulse,” Shen Qingqiu said, her gaze flashing worriedly over Luo Binghe, looking for any other hints of illness.
Luo Binghe, obedient as always, offered up her pulse point for Shen Qingqiu to wrap her fingers around. Hmm. A little on the quick side, with some odd flutters in the movement of Luo Binghe’s qi, but nothing outside the range of normal, and no hints of lurking instability. Luo Binghe’s control of her dual human/demon qi was masterful.
Shen Qingqiu looked up to Luo Binghe’s face, blinking a little in response to the radiance Luo Binghe always seemed to emanate. Her gaze was caught by Luo Binghe’s own guilelessly shining eyes. The skin of Luo Binghe’s wrist was soft, delicate, precious. The warmth of her body seemed almost to surround Shen Qingqiu.
“What is Shizun’s opinion?” Luo Binghe asked eventually, her voice quiet but rich with the soft warmth of ginger milk pudding. Shen Qingqiu tried to refocus. “What?” she said.
“My pulse,” Luo Binghe said. “Shizun wished to take my pulse? What is Shizun’s judgement?”
“Oh – right. Yes.” Shen Qingqiu couldn’t look away. Luo Binghe was so – well, she was so Luo Binghe, of course. What else could describe her? The intensity of her regard was overwhelming, and her OP natural beauty was enhanced even further with a small sweet smile just for Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu felt dizzy.
“Binghe,” she said. She wasn’t sure what she was saying, what she meant. “Binghe, I –”
“Yes, Shizun?” Luo Binghe murmured. Oh, her face was so near to Shen Qingqiu’s. What was going on?! Shen Qingqiu’s whole self was suffused with a strange tingling desperation.
Luo Binghe’s soft lips, slightly parted. Luo Binghe’s cascade of black hair, still loose from when Shen Qingqiu had combed it earlier. Luo Binghe’s strong shoulders and graceful hands. Shen Qingqiu was pretty sure she was dying.
Somehow, bringing a hand up to gently cup the side of Luo Binghe’s face felt like the only possible thing for Shen Qingqiu to do in that moment. Luo Binghe was really here with her. The future was open; anything could happen.
Luo Binghe kissed her.
Shen Qingqiu’s thoughts dissolved into busy static. Who could have expected this?! So out of nowhere! Was Binghe a – had Shen Qingqiu broken Luo Binghe? And why were teeth so involved in this kiss?
Before she could decide how she felt, an idea arrived in Shen Qingqiu’s mind, fully formed: ah, this must be what the system meant about the genre change.
Well! In that case, there was nothing else to do about it. Shen Qingqiu drew on her experiences from practicing kissing with her high school friends, and kissed Luo Binghe back.
Luo Binghe’s tears bedewed both their faces.