Dear system, is it gay to sleep with a guy? And no it’s not the scum villain!

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/56037604.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System
- Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Relationship: Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu/Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu
Characters: Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu, Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu's Family, Shen Jiu
| Original Shen Qingqiu, Original Characters, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect
Peak Lords, Luo Binghe, Ning Yingying
Additional Tags: Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu and Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu are Not
the Same Person, Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu Deserves Happiness,
courting, neither of them know it tho, SY’s sister is playing matchmaker,
hidden identity, SJ is hiding his, Oblivious Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu, SJ
and the warm red pavilion ladies, Past Rape/Non-con, idiots to lovers,
Friends to Lovers, Marriage, accidental hidden marriage, Accidental
Baby Acquisition, Trauma, Character Development, no beta we die like
Shen Yuan, Misunderstandings, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, ’I didn’t know
where else to go trope’, cuz I eat that shit up, Fluff, Fix It
Language: English
Series: Part 3 of Scumcum fics cuz I love them
Stats: Published: 2024-05-20 Completed: 2024-12-23 Words: 109,590
Chapters: 43/43
 Dear system, is it gay to sleep with a guy? And no it’s not the scum
villain!
by Panpan37

Summary

Shen Qingqiu meets a strange man on a mission. The man is calm, weirdly friendly, and
single handedly gets them out of being kidnapped with absolutely no cultivation. Obviously,
Shen Qingqiu needs to investigate this guy and see what’s up with him. He’s way too
suspicious!

Shen Yuan doesn’t think anything about when he got kidnapped but luckily had read up on
the beast that got him. He meets a stupidly pretty boy—curse book characters born unfairly
hot!—and continues to see him.

Nothing can go wrong, right?

 Chapter 1

If you asked Shen Yuan how he ended up in this situation, he would have no answer for you.

One moment he was with his little sister trying to catch butterflies, the next a hoard of
butterflies swarmed him and he passed out! The next thing he knew he was tied up in a little
cocoon.

Well, at least his face wasn’t covered, that was his only savior.

Now if he could only get out of this cocoon, he could get back home!

Now, Shen Yuan isn’t a cultivator or anything of the such, but he is a huge reader. And from
the dozens of bestiaries he had memorized over the years, he knew exactly what he was
dealing with and how to easily solve it.

Flocking butterflies—what attacked him—were highly allergic to ants. Yes, like the little
things you see on the ground literally everywhere. Put out a little bit of food and bam!
Everywhere.

And luckily, Shen Yuan had food on him. So if he could just get out of these bindings a bit
and toss out half the food for the ants to find and wait for them to come for the rest, he’d be
set. Besides, the ants also find these cocoons highly nutritious and eat right through them.

Unfortunately, Shen Yuan couldn’t find a way out of these stupid things.

He was surrounded currently by a group of crying and anxious people who were also in the
same situation as him. It was really annoying.

Shen Yuan sighed and flopped up against the wall behind him, feeling defeated.

Except that was when he saw his chance.

Against the wall of whatever cave he was being held in was a sharp part of the wall sticking
out. If he just moved around a bit, he could get his hands free. Just his hands, so that those
butterflies didn’t see he was potentially escaping and just decide to eat him right away. That
was something he’d read they would do.

It took a few minutes of squirming, but finally, he got one of his hands free.

He grabbed the bread he was going to eat with his sister in his robe pocket, ripping it in half.
Once he was satisfied, he threw himself around so that he could toss the bread outside the
cave.

The butterflies were outside right now trying to find more prey, so he would be find doing
this.

“W-What are you doing!?” A man shouted when he saw Shen Yuan throw out his bread.
“Trying to attract ants,” Shen Yuan explained, trying to maneuver himself back into his
original position so nothing looked suspicious to his captors.

He had seriously been captured by butterflies.

The man who asked about his actions looked at him like he was a crazy man, then started
laughing and crying.

Who’s crazy now?

Whatever. Might as well wait for the ants.

‘Hey system! Anything you can do to help me out here!?’ Shen Yuan called out to the weird
Robot God that brought him and his family here five years ago.

[Users mission remains the same. Heal the heart of the Scum Villain to prevent the shattering
of the protagonist’s!]

‘Wow, you’re such a great help,’ Shen Yuan thought with a roll of his eyes.

Five years ago, when Shen Yuan was twenty, he and his family died in a plane crash while on
a trip to see family in America.

It took about a year for them to adjust and come to terms with the fact that after death, some
weird Robot God called the ‘system’ transported them into the shitty webnovel Proud
Immortal Demon Way! And it was asking them to ‘heal the scum’s villain’s heart?’ As if! He
had no heart to begin with!

While the whole family was tasked with it, none of them really cared other than Shen Yuan.

Only Shen Yuan had read PIDW. Only he understood the gravity of the protagonist not
becoming blackened.

And the system wouldn’t even let him tell his family what would happen if they didn’t
succeed!

If he tried to tell of everything Luo Binghe was destined to do in the original work, his throat
would close up and he literally couldn’t say a single word! He even tried to write it out once,
but the system made everything he wrote ineligible!

Eventually, Shen Yuan decided it was more trouble than it was worth. They’re not cultivators,
so as long as they don’t get caught in any of the trouble relating to the world’s merging, they
should be okay….

In theory.

You know what, let’s go back to being kidnapped by butterflies! Bai-mei, Chao-ge, and Hao-
ge are sure to think his current predicament is hilarious, so he’ll be forced to tell them all
about it.
Honestly, his two older brother are the ones really winning out here with this whole
transmigration. They both got married last year, lucky bastards!

Now it was just him and his Meimei, but she was only twenty—old by this times standards,
but that was still his baby sister!—and even with the two of them, their parents were already
trying to kick them out.

After the first year of getting their barings together, the family had tried to return things to
normal. Their parents bought three houses, one for each of their sons who had already moved
out back before the crash. By now Shen Bai and their parents were over each other, so she
spent half her time at Shen Yuan’s house, she used to alternate, but now their other brothers
are married so she’s stuck with him.

Honestly, Shen Bai is probably happy he’s been kidnapped. Now she gets his house to
herself.

He wouldn’t put it past her.

As Shen Yuan was monologuing, the butterflies returned.

With a pretty boy! Wtf!?

How is it fair that a man can be that pretty!?

Look, Shen Yuan knows he not ugly, he’s been complimented for his looks before, but this is
a different level!

Shen Yuan would also like to note he is not admiring and NOT gay, he is simply shocked.

[if that is what User 002 wants to believe!] the system piped up.

‘How come you only talk when I don’t want you to!? Shoo!’

Ugh this was going to be a long night.

Can these stupid ants hurry up!?

Shen Qingqiu hated undercover missions like this.

A pack of flocking butterflies had appeared, kidnapping about a dozen people in the last few
days. While the butterflies travel together, they hunt in separate groups, and only return to
their lair when brining back prey. So if one were to kill a group of flocking butterflies, it
wouldn’t have solved the problem since there would still be more. And it wouldn’t tell you
where the victims were being kept.

And so getting kidnapped was the best option.

It didn’t make it any less annoying.

He had been knocked out my the butterflies poison so he wouldn’t be awake to see where
their lair was. He woke up wrapped up in a cocoon just as he expected.

And also as expected, he still had his sword on him.

This would be easy.

Shen Qingqiu scanned the room to see what he was dealing with. There had been ten reported
butterfly attacks, but who knew how many of those were reported out of paranoia or how
many weren’t reported at all.

‘Eleven people. Twelve counting myself,’ Shen Qingqiu observed.

Everyone in the room was acting as normal people usually did while kidnapped. They were
scared and anxious.

All except one.

One man was calm. If anything, maybe a little annoyed.

‘Why isn’t he scared? Does he know something useful? I need to find out more before I act,’
Shen Qingqiu decided, scooting over to where that only calm person here was sitting.

The man stared at him curiously as he made his way over, but gave no words or signs of
protest.

“Do you know how suspicious you are acting? Someone might assume you were a demon in
disguise,” Shen Qingqiu pointed out to the man once he came over.

The man just laughed.

“Why does it matter that I’m acting suspicious? You’re acting the same way,” the man
responded slyly. “My name is Shen Yuan, by the way.”

How naive…and such a carefree smile.

“Do you give your name to everyone you meet?” Shen Qingqiu asked, his voice sounding
very judgmental, but on the inside he was a little curious.

Shen Yuan just huffed. “You know it’s rude not to say your name when someone gives you
their’s.”

And Shen Qingqiu could tell him who he was. Tell him he was a peak Lord, the Xiu Ya
sword. What real reason was there not to?

‘Men don’t smile like that to just anyone,’ a voice in the back of his head reminded bitterly.

But Shen Qingqiu was a powerful immortal now. He was above those thoughts and stares. It
didn’t matter if men or women reacted that way to him, whether it was purely trying to be
friendly or more sinister.
He didn’t care.

Yet…

“Shen Jiu. That’s my name.”

Why could he not shake that horrible feeling? The feeling of his body not truly being his.
Being up for the taking. The feeling that it was dirty no matter how many times he scrubbed
himself raw in the bath.

He didn’t want this Shen Yuan, who smiled like that at him, so openly, to know who he was.

“Well then Shen Jiu, how did you end up in here?” Shen Yuan asked, hoping for some actual
conversation with the one sane person here.

“I was trying to buy vegetables from the market when a butterfly landed on my finger. Next
thing I knew dozens were swarming me and I woke up here,” Shen Jiu lied easily, having this
story ready long ago.

“Ah, that’s terrible. I was on a picnic with my little sister when she wanted to catch a
butterfly. I caught one and then I was here,” Shen Yuan explained.

“Your sister must have been quite frightened,” Shen Qingqiu noted, feeling for the girl.
Watching her brother get attacked by Flocking Butterflies couldn’t have been fun.

“Maybe at first, but she’s probably over it by now. I’ll bet she’s at my house eating all my
food,” Shen Yuan sighed.

“You have that little faith in your sister?” Shen Qingqiu questioned, narrowing his eyes at this
stranger assuming the worst of his little sister.

“No, it’s that she had too much faith in me. I swear that girl thinks I’m invincible. I fell down
a hill once and she didn’t even bother to come down to check because she was so confident I
was fine.”

“Were you?”

“Unfortunately,” Shen Yuan sighed dramatically. “Honestly I hope to get hurt in her presence
one day just so that she’ll at least try and help me out once in a while.”

“Maybe if you actually seemed scared in a life or death situation she’d worry more,” Shen
Qingqiu countered.

“I wouldn’t be so calm if I didn’t have a way out,” Shen Yuan said with a roll of his eyes.

“You have a way out?” Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrow at this weird stranger, finally getting
what he was hoping for. So calm and unserious, yet Shen Yuan seems to know all. Even a
way to save himself with no cultivation whatsoever.

Shen Yuan grinned at him, then stared at the floor.

“They’re finally starting to trickle in.”

What?

Shen Qingqiu looked down at the floor to find what he least expected.

Ants.

The number one predator to Flocking Butterflies.

“How-!?”

Just as Shen Qingqiu was about to question this stranger, Shen Yuan turned around, revealing
a hand that he had somehow gotten out of his cocoon. In said hand, a half piece of bread lay.

Shen Yuan tossed the bread on the floor, letting the ants get their fill to bring back to their
queen.

“The butterflies should be back any minute. There aren’t enough ants for them to realize their
presence yet, so they’ll all come back in here to try and eat us. Then the ants will attack once
their numbers grow.”

“How do you know that so certainly?” Shen Qingqiu asked, highly suspicious of this Shen
Yuan before him.

“A bestiary I read. I have it memorized, so it was easy to recall what I needed once I realized
what kidnapped me. The bread and sharp rock was pure luck, I’ll give you that. But based on
the butterflies hunting patterns the past few hours, they leave for an hour. Based on the sunset
outside, it’s been an hour since you got here,” Shen Yuan explained to Shen Qingqiu, like it
was no big deal.

When he gets back to the peak, Shen Qingqiu will have to send someone to investigate Shen
Yuan for a bit. He doesn’t trust this man one bit.

But of course, the butterflies did just as he said and returned right as they stopped talking.

They also didn’t notice the ants starting to trail in.

Just as Shen Yuan predicted.

Shen Yuan was just grinning ear to ear like a little kid who convinced his family to get his
favorite food for dinner.

If this man really is innocent, Shen Qingqiu would have lots of questions about what he does
in his free time.

This is his mission, but he won’t even have to use his sword. How weird.

It took almost thirty minutes for all the ants to find their way inside the cave. It became hard
to see them as the sun set finally, but thankfully his advanced cultivation helped him see more
clearly in the dark.

It was when the sun set the ants finally realized their favorite food was near.

After that it then took another thirty minutes of assuring the people around them the ants
would do them no harm and simply wanted to eat the silk adorning their bodies currently. It
helped some calm down, but also made others worse.

Of course, Shen Yuan stayed calm.

But finally, they were all freed.

“Everyone, I live near these woods and know the way back to town. Please follow me!” Shen
Qingqiu directed to the scared group behind him.

“Great!” Shen Yuan smiled, happily following Shen Qingqiu with no suspicion.

Is he dumb??

Whatever, that’s not important now. Just get everyone to town and you can go back to the
sect and report this mission. Then investigate Shen Yuan.

Then this annoying outing will be done for good. Forgotten of once all reports were in and
every loose end was tied.

Spoiler alert, things don’t end so easily.

 Chapter 2
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

When Shen Yuan had gotten home, as expected, his sister was waiting in his kitchen while
eating all his food.

“Yuan-ge! You’re back!” She exclaimed, her mouth full of a meat bun.

“No thanks to you,” he shot back, giving her an annoyed glare.

“I knew you would be fine! And look, here you are, completely unharmed.

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes at his sister, snatching a meat bun off her plate and eating it. He
was hungry! Being kidnapped for a few hours didn’t give him time to eat exactly.

As his sister happily hummed like nothing had happened, Shen Yuan had a thought.

It was a reoccurring thought. One that he never tired to think about, yet thought about all the
time.

He hopes when him and his siblings all grow old, Shen Bai dies first. He hopes she never in
her life will have to see him in a vulnerable state he can’t get himself out of. He doesn’t want
that overwhelming confidence about how amazing her gege is to shatter one day.

Shen Yuan doesn’t like to think about death, especially his family’s, but any time his little
sister gives him those adoring eyes or she acts so sure that Shen Yuan will be alright, he
always thinks that same thought.

He hopes he can always be someone Shen Bai can look up to.

Shen Qingqiu had been in a terrible mood lately.

He normally doesn’t sleep well on his own, this much was common, but recently he had been
staying up trying to find anything suspicious on that man Shen Yuan. He even looked into his
family.

But no, not one single thing that stood out. Minor things here and there that honestly made
him look even more innocent because it wasn’t like he had a picture perfect record. He was a
completely normal person.

Who didn’t act normal at all.

Shen Qingqiu just knew there was more than the story than just reading bestiaries. (Which, to
his utter annoyance, did check out when looking at what money typically got spent on in that
household.)

Shen Yuan was an anomaly, and he had no evidence that let him keep looking for answers.
He would have to let it go.

So instead of endlessly lashing out at his useless disciples in his tired and easily angered
state, he decided to go buy books.

Specifically books on cultivation.

Why? Because he had just accepted a disciple that actually seemed promising. If he kept up
how he was doing, the boy could easily become head disciple.

So now he was down the mountain buying supplies for the little boy, Ming Fan.

That was really just an excuse, though. He could make anyone else do this job, no problem,
but he needed a break. Besides, this gave him a chance to spend the night with his Jiejie’s and
actually get a good nights sleep.

So off to the bookstore he went.

There was a specific one in town that held what he was looking for. It was an everything
shop, per se. The items there ranged from fantasy to yellow books to learning materials. Shen
Qingqiu went there for teaching materials and the occasional novel for entertainment.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t a man with much free time, but when he did, like anyone, he enjoyed
getting sucked into a fantasy world and forgetting about real life.

He blames one of the girls that lives at the Warm Red Pavilion who grew up on the street
with him. Lihua-jie. She always told the most amazing stories, easily immersing him in
anything she spoke of. She became a storyteller there, very fitting for her. Shen Qingqiu
loved to listen to her, the way her voice flowed so naturally to craft exact emotions she
herself wasn’t feeling. She was the one who created his love for fictional worlds.

Maybe if Ming Fan does become head disciple, he’ll have a bit more free time. As an
investment in the future, it wouldn’t hurt to buy a novel today while he’s there.

So, as Shen Qingqiu walked through the doors, he decided to add one more book to his list.

First, Shen Qingqiu made his way to the cultivation section, easily cycling through the fake
material to find the actual manuals he needed. He grabbed two that he thought were
sufficient, then headed over to where the novels are held.

As he walked over, he heard two voices conversing, almost making him turn around. He
could pretend to browse until they left.

Until the conversation caught his attention.

“What about this book gege? I keep hearing people talk about how good it is. You’ve read it,
right? What did you think of it?” A female voice asked. Asked her brother, apparently.
“Definitely not, put that back right now,” the brother scolded, the books sounding like it had
been taken from the girls hands.

‘Was it a yellow book?’ Shen Qingqiu wondered to himself from behind the book shelf.

“Why not?” The girl wondered.

“Because I’ve read it and it was terrible. It tricks you, gives you a compelling story with
complex characters. The love interest has good chemistry with the main character. Everything
you could want. The only problem is the main character promised herself to god and tells the
love interest that if they’re together, they can’t sleep with each other. He goes with it at first,
but the moment she lets her guard down he beds her against what she says! And the author
defends it by saying it’s ’character development because she needed to find out she liked it.’
Bullshit! That’s sex with no consent, and we both know what that is. So no, you’re not
reading this,” the brother explained to her.

The brother was swinging the book around during his rant, so Shen Qingqiu got a chance to
look at the book he was speaking of.

He recognized the book. It had been recommended to him, and he was considering buying it.
He probably would’ve and been none the wiser until that part came up.

Shen Qingqiu was no idiot, he knew what the world thought when they went over two people
sleeping together. He’s read some of the works that come from his Qi-Shimei’s peak, all
absolutely disgusting. How people can gush of one-sided sex and people being held against
their will, captives, in those situations, was beyond him. Those people didn’t go through that.
They had no idea what it felt like.

They didn’t know the feeling of never being truly clean. They didn’t know crying and
screaming and begging for the other person to stop, to no avail. They didn’t understand the
pain, both physically and mentally. They didn’t know, yet still had the audacity to write about
it like that. Like it was fun.

Shen Qingqiu knew public opinion. So why was this stranger going against it so blatantly.
How did he know the truth, when so many others didn’t? Why didn’t he think it was
‘romantic’ also? Was this man like him?

Shen Qingqiu decided to take the risk. He needed to see who this man was.

It was Shen Yuan.

Of fucking course.

Why was it always him who went against everything Shen Qingqiu had declared as fact?
Why was he different. Shen Qingqiu looked into him. He had no reason to be.

“Huh? Shen Jiu? Funny seeing you again! You made it home safe after the whole butterfly
thing, I assume,” Shen Yuan commented, a smile on his face as he put back the book he had
been holding.
His sister was behind him, looking for other books.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but hear your book review to your sister. I actually had that story
recommended to me but this is the first I’m hearing that it’s bad. Would you mind explaining
your opinion?” Shen Qingqiu asked, needing more.

He had to know what set Shen Yuan apart from the world.

“Oh, sure, if you don’t mind. Sorry if I rant a bit, I get pretty into book reviews,” Shen Yuan
laughed nervously.

“It’s fine, I asked for your opinion after all.”

Shen Yuan went on a whole explanation about how that scene in the book is the finalizing
factor to the twos relationship, when in fact, it should’ve been what ended it. He talked about
how all of the boundaries the main character set up were disrespected by someone who was
supposed to be her lover, and how that was in no way romantic. Said how if he were the main
character, he would’ve run away first thing next morning. Maybe even killed the guy since he
was an obsessive type.

Shen Qingqiu was fascinated.

He had never heard another man say these views. Maybe some had them, yes, but they never
spoke of them so loudly. Shen Yuan was proud to say this trope disgusted him, not caring
who heard.

Honestly, if someone disagreed, Shen Yuan seemed to type to argue until the other person just
gave up entirely.

Why? Why him? Why now?

Why was Shen Qingqiu hearing this so late?

“Then do you have any books you recommend?” Shen Qingqiu asked, nodding his head as
Shen Yuan finished his explanation.

This seemed to make Shen Yuan light up even more, and his sister shot Shen Qingqiu a
warning glance, letting him know he walked into dangerous territory.

That was fine. Shen Qingqiu had to know more.

Shen Yuan was an anomaly. He needed more. His study had only just begun. He had a
conclusion with no real evidence. Obviously his original way of searching failed. Now he
would grasp at any straws he could.

Shen Qingqiu would have Shen Yuan figured out one day. That he can swear on.

Shen Yuan grabbed a few books from the shelves, explained the basics of the plot and why he
liked it. He always put the book back after, but Shen Qingqiu mentally marked where every
single one was.
 Shen Yuan ended up showing him five books before his sister finally got one of her own.

“Gege, have you read this one?” She asked.

“No, I haven’t,” Shen Yuan replied with a slight frown, like that fact concerned him.

“It looks good. I’ll let you know how it is,” the girl decided, dragging her brother to where
the clerk was.

Shen Qingqiu waited for them to leave, then grabbed all five books Shen Yuan told him
about.

He bought all of them then left.

‘I wonder what everyone will think when I tell them about the strange man named Shen Yuan.
I’m sure they’ll be pleased to know men like that actually do exist, not just in story’s they
have to make up themselves. Those other men dilute the ones they create. They create for
audiences that don’t understand, leaving those who do to the side.’

Shen Qingqiu hated men like that.

But apparently, Shen Yuan did too.

Chapter End Notes

😭
Hey does anyone know how to make it so words have lines through them? Like what
code to use in AO3? Finally figured out italics but I’m still learning

As always I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know if there’s any obvious
mistakes so I can fix them!
 Chapter 3
Chapter Summary

Hey guys little note is that for these book clubs I will be using actual books/series that I
have read! Some will be portrayed in a good light while other badly, and while no names

don’t agree with my opinion pls don’t come at me 😅

of books will be given for the bad ones, if you recognize it from the description and

(But if you read any of the ones I say are my favs and enjoy I’d love to know!)

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

For the first time in the years that Shen Yuan has transmigrated into PIDW, he had made a
friend.

He didn’t really have friends back home either, but that was because he was sick. He doesn’t
get sick anymore, so he didn’t really have too much of an excuse. Besides, they’d been here
long enough to move on and get to know people. His older brothers had both gotten married
and started families already.

(Shen Yuan loved doing reading time with his two nieces and nephew. They were so
adorable.)

But now, he thinks he can say he’s made a friend!

Friends are people you hang out with in your free time after all. Shen Jiu had asked if twice a
month they could do a little book club over tea or wherever they wanted to go to discuss.

His parents were also extremely pleased with this.

“You’re finally becoming social A-Yuan! And it’s someone with your interests, that’s great!”
His mother chirped at their monthly family dinner. His sister, brothers, their wife’s, and kids
were all there.

Shen Yuan prayed for when the kids got a little older and could be ditched at the kids table.
He loved kids, don’t get him wrong, but after a while you get over all the screaming and
crying.

“What did you say his name was?” Chen Min, his oldest brother, Shen Hao’s, wife asked. She
was currently holding their daughter in her lap, Shen Hao carrying their son.

“His name was Shen Jiu. Oh! I don’t think I told you. I got kidnapped by Flocking Butterflies
two weeks ago,” Shen Yuan said abruptly, realizing what circumstances he met Shen Jiu
under was never discussed.

His father started choking on his food while everyone looked at him in shock.

“Fucking accident prone kids…” his mother sighed, putting her head in her hands.

“Fucking! Fucking!” The oldest baby at the table, Shen Hao’s son, immediately started
shouting after hearing the word. Repeatedly.

The table once again filled with silent horror, and the focus was quickly taken off Shen Yuan,
thankfully.

His family was hectic enough something like being kidnapped only deserved about a few
minutes of focus before something else came up.

How it had always been, and probably always will be.

“Hey Shen Jiu!” Shen Yuan called out once he entered the restaurant they agreed to meet at.
Shen Jiu was early, obviously, so he had been waiting patiently for the other to arrive.

He was right on time, so Shen Jiu had nothing to complain about yet.

Shen Jiu waved Shen Yuan over, the two of them sitting across from each other at a low table.
A worker of the establishment came over and filled up some tea for Shen Yuan, as he did
earlier for Shen Jiu, then left the two alone in a little corner.

“So you said you read one of the books this one suggested?” Shen Yuan asked, remembering
to speak formal around people he didn’t know.

“Yes, this one did,” Shen Jiu answered with a hum.

“Which one!?” Shen Yuan couldn’t help but shout a bit, his eyes glittering at the chance to
discuss one of his favorite books. He had even unconsciously leaned over the table to Shen
Jiu’s side.

Shen Jiu was a little disgusted by this obvious display of emotions, but he took a deep breath
and chose to ignore it.

He had invited Shen Yuan out for this ‘book club’ as an excuse to find out his secrets. (Shen
Jiu knew Shen Yuan was hiding some sort of secret. That was for sure. People aren’t just this
good natured without a reason.) Since he had instigated this meet, he couldn’t act like it was
unwanted just by some excitement.

“I started with the series ‘I Love Amy.” It was an interesting take on the typical yandere
trope. This one will be honest, I really didn’t have any hope of how it could work out in an
enjoyable way at first, but it actually was cute. Typically cutsleeve romances are too..well, a
lot of things. Not my first choice, basically. But this series was pleasantly sweet,” Shen Jiu
began giving his honest but vague review to start off with.

“I know right!? I totally agree with what you said about cutsleeve romances too, I tend to also
stay away. It was my sister who read this one first and then recommended it. The start was
concerning, definitely. I couldn’t tell how one-sided the relationship would be or how much
Amy would get taken advantage of, but it really evened out in the end. After I finished it
easily went into my top ten,” Shen Yuan explained.

“I do feel a bit for Amy’s old friend. She was clearly in love with her too, but she never got to
say it before it was too late,” Shen Jiu pointed out.

“Yes, that trope always breaks my heart so much! But I’m also happy Amy ended up with
Bibi instead, since they both went through a lot of needed character development together. I
don’t think that would’ve happened if she ended up with Camilla,” Shen Yuan said.

Just as Shen Jiu was about to ask a question, a server came over to ask their order.

Both of them just ordered a few appetizers, mutually deciding to keep it light while they
talked.

“Why do you think that character development is so important though? It’s not like anything
would’ve happened if Amy and Camilla ended up together,” Shen Jiu asked, wanting to know
Shen Yuans opinion.

“Why? That’s a dumb question,” Shen Yuan said pointedly, sipping his tea.

“How so?” Shen Jiu inquired, his eyebrow twitching as he kept his anger to a minimum.

“Because Amy’s mom leaving her to die leaves her insecure her whole life! Without Bibi she
would still just be a shell of herself. Bibi gave her confidence by seeing her as such an
important person.”

“Why couldn’t Camilla have done the same thing for her?”

Now, it seemed, the two were in a silent battle of wits.

Who best understood the characters and could read between the lines to infer alternate fates.

“Because Camilla was too close to her. Their families were extremely close, and so was their
relationship. Amy would never open up about something so big to someone so dear to her for
fear of being rejected. It had to be Bibi. She was the perfect person who was friends enough
with her yet also could leave her life without such a personal effect. They had only met that
year, after all,” Shen Yuan claimed, crossing his arms and staring straight at Shen Jiu.

“Don’t you think Bibi would’ve killed Amy if she tried to leave her?” Shen Jiu shot back, not
letting Shen Yuan win that easy.

“At what point of the book are we talking? In the beginning yes, middle, still yes but it would
be a tougher decision for Bibi, and no at the end. Bibi knows people she wants don’t belong
to her by then. I believe she would let Amy go if that was what she wanted. But she would
never push her away like Amy would be fearing when talking about her past, as we see in the
book,” Shen Yuan argued.

“And what of Peter? Wouldn’t Bibi just turn her obsession back to Peter if Amy was gone?”

“Bibi didn’t love Peter,” Shen Yuan pointed out.

“I didn’t say love, now did I? I said obsession. ”

“By then Bibi would know the difference. She wouldn’t go back to Peter when she knows she
doesn’t love him,” Shen Yuan concluded.
“And what do you think the difference between love and obsession is, Shen Yuan?”

Shen Yuan blinked in surprise for a moment at the question, but then seemed to realize its
importance to the conversation, so his face scrunched up a bit in thought.

“This one thinks….” Shen Yuan began carefully, piecing together his thoughts. “This one
thinks obsession is wanting something for selfish desires, while love is more pure.”

“You don’t think they’re both selfish?” Shen Jiu pushed. He certainly thought they both were,
but love was also something he hadn’t experienced. Only brotherly love with Qi-ge.

“They both can be selfish, but I believe that when it comes down to it, love is not one-sided.
When you love someone, you want the best for them, for them to be happy. Of course, you
also wish for them to be happy with you , but sometimes that’s just not how it works out. And
if you really loved a person, you would learn to come to terms with that. But with obsession,
you don’t think of the other persons feelings, just your own. You decide they will be the
happiest with you, even if that’s not true,” Shen Yuan determined, his expression extremely
serious.

Shen Jiu sat in silence for a moment, taking in his words and going over them in his head. Of
course, he knew the text book difference between these two feelings, but for someone to so
strongly contrast the two, leaving no room for doubt or argument, made his chest feel a little
lighter.

At least one person believed there was a difference.

Shen Jiu gave a small smile at Shen Yuan, taking a sip of his tea. Right at that time, their food
came, so the two took a few moments of silence to get their plates ready and begin eating.

“You certainly have an interesting opinion. You do well at backing it up,” Shen Jiu
complimented.
“‘Interesting?’ I feel like everyone knows the difference between love and obsession.” Shen
Yuan frowned, staring at Shen Jiu in a bit of confusion.

“They may know it, in the back of their minds, but lots choose to ignore the difference. They
tell themselves what they’re doing is out of love while it’s actually out of obsession.
Knowing the difference isn’t really important, it’s acting on the difference,” Shen Jiu said, his
teaching tone returning unconsciously as he lectured Shen Yuan on his own opinions.

“Acting on the difference? What does that mean?” Shen Yuan questioned the phrase he
hadn’t heard before.

“It means that if you know one flower is red and one is blue, even if you want the red one to
be switched, you still say it’s red,” Shen Jiu simplified.

“Oh! That makes sense. Shen Jiu, are you a teacher, by chance?” Shen Yuan asked, derailing
the conversation.

“I am. How did you know?”

“The way you speak. And when you were in the book store, you were holding children’s
manuals. What do you teach?” Shen Yuan interrogated.

“I teach arts. Reading, writing, poetry, music. Whatever fits in,” Shen Jiu described.

“So that’s why you’re so good at these types of discussions! Do you ever do this with your
kids? To help them understand the books they read? My teacher used to all the time,” Shen
Yuan recalled fondly. He had always been a fan of Language Arts.

“On occasion. But it’s mostly the kids discussing with each other and then writing an essay
on their opinions,” Shen Jiu told him.
“Do you like creative or research essays more? I prefer research,” Shen Yuan questioned.

“I prefer to write research essays, but grading creative ones are more enjoyable.”

“That makes sense,” Shen Yuan laughed, grabbing another bite of the meat bun in front of
him.

“What about you? Do you have a job?” Shen Jiu asked, remembering he had a goal here. He
knew the answer to the question already, but he wanted to hear it from Shen Yuans own
mouth to see if there was any inconsistencies.

“I don’t have a job. On occasion my father or brother will send over some excess paper work
they have to do, but normally I just sit around. It’s why I read so much.”

“If your brother gets paperwork why not you?” Shen Jiu inquired. This was a fact that
available to him in his initial investigation, so he was immensely curious on why only one
brother got left out. Specifically, the one he was now interested in.

“Well, I was actually born pretty weak. I’m all healed now, but my parents still treat me like a
fragile child. It doesn’t help that I get kidnapped commonly…” Shen Yuan started grumbling
about his misfortune after that, but something he said caught Shen Jiu’s attention.

“You get kidnapped frequently? ”

Is he cursed?

“Yep. My parents even checked me for curses a few years ago. But I’m totally curse free, just
apparently extremely unlucky,” Shen Yuan sighed.
 “It’s a good thing you’re so well versed in monsters, then,” Shen Jiu said, instead of the
million other questions he now had.

“That’s actually why I got so into them. I’m not a cultivator or anything, so I couldn’t protect
myself with anything but knowledge. Luckily that is readily available, unlike swords and
powers,” Shen Yuan chuckled, not knowing the person had very accessible spiritual powers
and a famously powerful sword.

“Yes, that is as good as a weapon as you can get sometimes,” Shen Jiu agreed, ignoring the
slight guilt he felt for lying to someone so gullible.

Knowledge was power, for sure. And if Shen Yuan had more of it on cultivators, he would
know the one before him was no mere ‘teacher’ but actually an immortal master.

Shen Jiu didn’t feel the need to enlighten Shen Yuan on this fact.

He didn’t need to know now, and he should never know. Shen Jiu and Shen Qingqiu would
stay separate. Their identity’s, their lives, and who they interact with.

(Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu fought over the bill for a bit at the end, eventually decided they
would switch off who payed every meeting to keep peace.)

Chapter End Notes

I hope you enjoyed this and if any obvious mistakes are present, please let me know!
Constructive criticism is always welcome <3
 Chapter 4
Chapter Summary

Ok guys I think I’ve got an idea for how the beginning of this fic is gonna go. It’ll
basically be one specific emotion picked for character development discussed via book.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

For some reason, the book store Shen Yuan frequents decided they should add a tea shop to a
connected building. This was to encourage readers to buy a book, buy some tea, then read
while drinking. It paints a relaxing picture.

Relaxing if you ignore Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu bickering.

They were two months into this routine of arguing over tea, so the workers knew to seat them
off to the side where they’d be less likely to bother other customers.

A month ago, Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu had come to a compromise. The first meeting of the
month they would read a good book and talk about why they liked it. The second meeting,
however, they would read a bad book and discuss what was wrong with it.

(Second idea curtesy of Shen Yuan, of course.)

Today was the second meeting of the month. The book they were discussing shall not be
named, but it was bad.

It was also a book commonly praised—which is why the two have decided to keep the name
to themselves.

“Honestly, the author thinks that turning back time means everything that happened in the
first lifetime just goes out the window!? She abused her daughter, forced her to work hours
on end to support the two of them, and then spent all the money the daughter earned on wine!
And then she sold the daughter off to some old disgusting noble so that they could have
power. But she couldn’t even do that since she got the daughter executed! Yet everyone wants
to talk about how it ‘wasn’t her fault’ and that she’s ’better now.’ Bullshit! She doesn’t
deserve redemption for that. Even if she did, she doesn’t deserve forgiveness from the
daughter,” Shen Yuan spat.

“But the daughter doesn’t know all that she did to her in her past life,” Shen Jiu pointed out.

“She still abused her in this lifetime though! The whole beginning, the daughter was terrified
of her, and even assumed her mother had stolen her money and ran away without her! I can’t
even imagine what happened before that for a young child to think their mother did that to
them.”

“I think the husband should’ve found out what she had done. I can’t imagine he would
forgive her. He thought of the protagonist as his own daughter after all. Her brother also
would’ve been livid,” Shen Jiu agreed.

In truth, when Shen Jiu had read this book, he had been pissed. It was so unrealistic in how
fast the mother was forgiven. The way she regretted her actions. She only regretted it because
it had gotten her in trouble too! She didn’t truly love her daughter, she just wanted the best
for herself. Besides, the husband would’ve been more likely to kill the mother before entering
a contract marriage with her. Peasants that propose a threat can be easily disposed of, Shen
Jiu should know.

Bad actions are bad actions. People don’t get ‘redemption arc’s’ in real life. They don’t
deserve it.

Not him or anyone else.

People act like they do because of certain things. If you regret that decision, too bad. Now
you have to live with it. Begging for forgiveness or ‘turning back time’ is just weak.

For once, however, Shen Yuan doesn’t feel the same way.

“I think she should regret her actions, but it’s much better if all she can do is wallow in self-
pity while the one she abused thrives. She doesn’t get to thrive too. Besides, regret makes
revenge all the sweeter. It’s not satisfying if the perpetrator doesn’t regret what they did,”
Shen Yuan argued.

“What if they truly don’t regret it? You can’t force someone to wish they acted a different
way. See their errors. If someone says they regret something, that means if they could go
back in time, they would change things. But people can’t do that, so now you know someone
wronged you for no reason, since they would never do it if they could choose. If you were
abused your whole life and get told sorry at the end, would you be happy they saw the error
in their ways or be upset they didn’t realize what was wrong earlier? When it could’ve helped
you?” Shen Jiu shot back, pulling up personal points.

If that bastard Qiu Jianluo had ever dared to say he regretted all he did to Shen Jiu, Shen Jiu
would stab him a million times over out of pure rage.

Regret means your decision was pointless.

No one wants to be a pointless decision.

Shen Jiu would never say he regretted all those he’s killed. That would mean their death
served no purpose.

Because all their deaths did serve a purpose. They forced him to grow stronger. Stronger than
anyone ever thought he could be, he did it all out of pure spite.
“I…I had never thought of it like that,” Shen Yuan admitted, staring at Shen Jiu in shock for a
few moments.

Shen Jiu couldn’t have possibly known Shen Yuan’s thoughts at the moment. He could’ve
never known they were about him.

Or, well, not about Shen Jiu. Shen Qingqiu.

‘Is that why the scum villain never says he regrets abusing Luo Binghe, even during his
torture? Was it because he didn’t regret it, or because he thought saying such a thing would
be weak?’

But unfortunately, both were left in the dark about how much let so little the two knew about
each other.

It was later that night, Shen Qingqiu sitting in his office, when Shen Qingqiu thought once
more of the conversation he had earlier.

A knocked sounded on his door. Shen Qingqiu already knew who it was just by the knock.

Yue Qingyuan.

Shen Qingqiu begrudgingly got up from where he was grading disciples poetry to let the sect
leader into the bamboo house.

“Hello Qingqiu-Shidi,” Yue Qingyuan greeted with his usual smile.

Shen Qingqiu hated that fucking smile more than he hated himself. Almost more than he
hated Qiu Jianluo. He wanted it permanently erased from his Qi-ge’s face. It erased who he
actually was. Shen Qingqiu hated it so, so much.

“What is it that the sect leader needs today?” Shen Qingqiu responded with a glare, flicking
his fan open.

Go away, go away, go away, go away, go away, go away, go away, go away, go away, why
don’t you just leave me alone

“This one was hoping to see if Shidi was open to talking about why he asked for two days of
leave to go down the mountain every month,” Yue Qingyuan questioned.

“You already approved the request. Why do you need to know now?” Shen Qingqiu shot
back, his teeth gritting silently.

“It’s just that this one had been hearing rumors about-“ Yue Qingyuan began.

Shen Qingqiu slammed the door shut.

“Xiao-Shen-Shidi!” Yue Qingyuan cried out when he was immediately rejected.

“The rumors are wrong, now get off of my peak. If you are just here to accuse me of things
then go away.”

He knew what rumors he was talking about. Everyone seemed to think twice a month he was
going down to see his Jiejie’s.

There was a sharp intake of breath heard from outside, then a silent retreat.

Once Yue Qingyuan was gone, Shen Qingqiu very-elegantly threw his brush across the room,
causing it to snap and splatter the wall in ink.

That same pit in his stomach returned after talking with Yue Qingyuan, as it always did.

What wasn’t usual, however, was the thought that rang in his head when recalling all the
times this has happened.

‘It would be better if all she could do was wallow in self-pity. Besides, regret makes revenge
all the more sweeter. It’s no fun if the perpetrator doesn’t regret their actions.’

Shen Qingqiu let out a bitter laugh.

If only Shen Yuan knew…

If only he knew how much worse regret is. Regret means actions are pointless. Yue Qingyuan
regretting leaving Shen Jiu and never giving him another thought means everything they built
before worthless. Yue Qingyuan regretting it but never explaining means Shen Jiu is
worthless to him. Regret makes actions sting so much more.

Shen Yuan and his perfect little life. Perfect little family. Born rich with everything. He
would never understand. He would never be Shen Qingqiu. Would never understand how
terrible regret truly is. How much of a toll it takes on the person the regret is directed at.
Regret isn’t one sided. Everyone suffers because of it.

Shen Qingqiu will never regret.

Regret is weak and pointless.

[Scum Villain’s heart +15 blackness! User is moving in the opposite direction!]

Shen Yuan was trying to read when he read the message from the system.

How the hell did the Scum Villain blacken even more? Shen Yuan hadn’t even interacted
with him!

[actions taken by user can cause indirect effects to those around him!] the system explained
to him.
 ‘Great. I’m screwed even if I don’t interact with the main plot.’ Shen Yuan sighed.

[this just means user should try harder to make direct effects to the Scum Villains heart!
Those are easier to control outcome wise <3]

‘Put that heart shit away,’ Shen Yuan snapped in his mind, shutting the system out.

Sometimes, times like now, Shen Yuan really regrets getting on that that’s plane. He regrets
doing whatever the hell forced the system to bring him and his family into PIDW. He regrets
not getting to live his life before and not getting to rest peacefully now.

Shen Yuan is someone who is constantly full of regrets. He can’t help it. They just happen.

He would never wish for anyone else to have his mindset. To overthink every action into
regretting it.

Maybe Shen Jiu was right. Maybe being regretful was weak.

Made sense. Shen Yuan had always been on the weaker side. Physically and mentally.

Shen Yuan regrets being weak too.

See? It’s a constant cycle.

Chapter End Notes

SJ: SY will never be me

SVSSS SY: I wish man

 Chapter 5
Chapter Summary

It’s gotta get worse before it gets better

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Liu Qingge was suspicious.

Shen Qingqiu had been continuously going down the mountain twice a month and not
returning until the morning after. The sect leader said when Shen Qingqiu proposed the idea,
he had a legitimate reason, but Liu Qingge wasn’t buying it.

The last time Liu Qingge was suspicious of Shen Qingqiu going down the mountain, he
found him at a brothel.

So obviously, Liu Qingge decided to investigate.

He didn’t want to go against Zhengmen-Shixong, but he knew Shen Qingqiu and him had
some weird secrets. And because of said secrets, Yue Qingyuan always relented and gave
Shen Qingqiu whatever he asked for.

(Thankfully, Shen Qingqiu only uses this tactic when he really wants something. He doesn’t
seem to like the sect leader very much. Otherwise, who knows what Shen Qingqiu would do
with that power.)

But that just makes his whole situation even more suspicious. Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t go up
to Yue Qingyuan unless it was serious.

Liu Qingge wasn’t getting anywhere in his attempts at talking with the man, so now he had
decided to follow him.

Liu Qingge had followed Shen Qingqiu before. He knew how to make himself unnoticed.

Liu Qingge wasn’t sure why Shen Qingqiu got off his sword so early. He wasn’t expecting it,
and almost revealed himself. Luckily, he stopped himself just in time, but it was still a close
enough call to make him wary.

Shen Qingqiu walked into an establishment, and Liu Qingge felt his anger flare up, assuming
it was another brothel.

So why was it just a simple bookstore?

Was it a front?

It seemed further investigation was necessary.

Liu Qingge quietly and calmly made his way over to this ‘bookstore,’ making sure he wasn’t
obvious. He peeked inside to make sure Shen Qingqiu wasn’t anywhere near, then slipped in.

Liu Qingge pretended to browse, watching out for his martial sibling and anything that
looked questionable.

…..

It was just a bookstore.

‘Could this be the one day he was buying supplies for his disciples?’ Liu Qingge theorized
desperately.

Speaking of Shen Qingqiu, Liu Qingge had completely lost him in this store.

He walked around for a few minutes, now even more confused as to what was going on.
Finally, Liu Qingge realized there was a tea shop connected to the bookstore.

Where he finally saw Shen Qingqiu again.

And….someone else?

“Excuse me sir….c-could this one be of any help to you today?” A woman squeaked from
behind him, taking Liu Qingge’s focus off of Shen Qingqiu and the mystery man.

“This one was wondering if the man in green over there comes here often?” Liu Qingge
asked, deciding this was as good a chance as any to get some information.

“Oh yes! The one in green, Shen Jiu, and Shen Yuan, the one across from him, come here
twice a month, always on the same day! Are you joining their book club, sir?” The girl
explained happily, misunderstanding his intentions.

‘So this is where he goes? Why?’

“Thank you for the information,” Liu Qingge said simply, bowing slightly then walking out
of the establishment.

He had been trying to spy on Shen Qingqiu, but all he found was a book club!?

And why were they just sitting there complaining about books?

“Making the two of them love interests ruined the entire story. It would have been just fine if
it never existed. Who could enjoy raising their lover?” Shen Qingqiu scoffed, flipping
through the pages of a book with an annoyed expression.
“Seriously, who thinks an age gap like that is okay!? That’s his mom basically. What’s she
gonna do when she has an actual kid with him? He’ll probably see the kid as competition and
be a terrible father. And if she keeps marrying her kids that says enough about her….” The
man across from Shen Qingqiu, Shen Yuan, agreed.

It’s not a conversation Liu Qingge thinks he wants to listen in on anymore.

Liu Qingge knows it’s impossible to make sense of Shen Qingqiu, so he leaves, all of his new
assumptions intact.

And because Liu Qingge can never make sense of Shen Qingqiu, he doesn’t realize he got
caught.

“Gege, what book are you reading now?” Shen Bai asked her brother, seeing the pile of
books by his side.

She had barged into his house unannounced, as usual.

“Do you remember that show from back home, Bungo Stray Dogs? Apparently it’s a series
here. I wanted to read it to see how it ended,” Shen Yuan explained.

Shen Yuan didn’t have the energy to explain it was this month’s book club book. He hadn’t
updated his family on the fact that the meet ups had turned frequent. They were kinda
obsessive when it came to him and going outside. And, well, meeting people.

All things he never did before.

Shen Yuan will never say he’s happy he and his family died back then. But he will say he’s
grateful he at least got some perks in his second life.

Made it a tiny bit worth it.

If he fails and they all die once again, at least this time he can say this time he lived a little.

Shen Yuan wanted to be optimistic about this situation, he really did. But it seemed like the
only notifications he ever got were negatives. The scum villain seemed to be getting worse by
the day.

Shen Yuan had no clue what he was doing! And every time he asked the system for advice he
just got really ambiguous reply’s!

Honestly, if this didn’t get better any time soon, Shen Yuan might just give up.

Besides, how can a nobody with no relationship to the scum villain change him? And no way
in hell was Shen Yuan gonna try and meet the guy!

[Scum Villains heart +5 blackening] the system chirped out.

‘Just kill me now.’

“Why were you following me today?” Shen Qingqiu demanded. Once he got back to the
mountain, he waited until a good time and corned the Bai Zhan peak lord so that they’d be
alone.

Shen Qingqiu knew why he was being followed. He knew it was because his martial siblings
had no trust in him whatsoever.

But he wanted to hear it come out of Liu Qingge’s own mouth. He knows that trips him up.
He doesn’t like to admit his faults.

Because he was wrong today. He’s wrong almost every time, but today he actually knows.
Shen Qingqiu knows Liu Qingge can’t understand why he visits brothels. He also knows
there’s no way in hell he’ll reveal that information.

But today. He was at a bookstore. Having tea. Discussing literature. Just like the peak lord of
the scholar peak would. It’s perfectly in character. Perfectly normal. Perfectly respectable.

“I-“ Liu Qingge began, caught off guard by the sudden approach of Shen Qingqiu. But
unfortunately he stopped himself and didn’t just blurt out the first thing that came to his
brutish mind.

“You know trust is something we’re supposed to have here. It’s always preached. Who can
you trust if not your martial siblings? Assume the worst of everyone and soon you’ll get their
worst,” Shen Qingqiu sneered, flicking open his fan and giving Liu Qingge an open look of
disgust.

Liu Qingge’s nostrils flared at Shen Qingqiu’s accusation, but there was nothing he could say
in protest.

Today, he was wrong.

Not Shen Qingqiu, him.

Liu Qingge would like to say he would have apologized if Shen Qingqiu didn’t have a little
outburst, but honestly, he’s not sure if he would have.

It’s Shen Qingqiu. One right doesn’t make up for ten wrongs.

Shen Qingqiu is a bad person. He has yet to prove himself otherwise in Liu Qingge’s book.

So instead of apologizing like he should have, he angrily turned away and stormed off to go
destroy some dummy. Shen Qingqiu wasn’t deserving of his time.

Shen Qingqiu hated Liu Qingge. He was glad to know at least the feeling was mutual.
 Shen Qingqiu had no doubt Liu Qingge would leave him to die one day if the situation ever
arose.

Shen Qingqiu knows deep down he would probably try to save Liu Qingge if need be.

Shen Qingqiu would leave him to die too.

[Scum Villain heart blacking total: 300/500]

Chapter End Notes

I’m sorry this took longer than usual! I was at a camp all week for a school trip, then I

tournament 😅
had a birthday party, then I had all the work I needed to make up, then I had a

I promise the next chapter will be longer and more meaningful! I really just wanted to
get this one out
 Chapter 6
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

[Scum Villain heart blackening total: 300/500]

‘WHAT!?’ Shen Yuan shouted mentally, falling off his bed into the floor.

[Scum Villain heart blackening total: 300/500] the system repeated in its same monotone
voice.

‘What was it at when I first got here!? what happens when it gets to 500? Why was I never
told there was a limit before!?’ Shen Yuan shrieked, still in his head so he didn’t wake up his
sister in the other room.

[before you actions started to effect the Scum Villain, he was at 250/500. If blackening gets
to 500, User and his family will get sent home!]

‘What did I do that added fifty points!? You should’ve said all of this earlier!’

[System recommends having a more positive impact on the scum villain]

‘No shit.’

Shen Yuan didn’t want to know what smiley face he’d get presented with today, so he closed
out of the system before it could respond. He ignored the notification ding in the background.

Instead, he rolled on the ground a bit and groaned, then decided to shut himself in his room
all day and read.

No matter how much Shen Bai knocked on the door or tried to drag him out, today he was
going to wallow in self-pity and read about someone who has a worse life to help ground
him.

‘I need a new coping mechanism…’ Shen Yuan thought distantly, lowering the book onto his
face.

Or he could just suck it up like usual. Yeah, that seems like a better idea.

“Soooo, what’d you think of the series?” Shen Yuan asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Shen Jiu hadn’t been able to do the last meeting, said he had some teacher conferences, so
that gave them extra time to get through more than one book luckily.
“I thought it had a very interesting story. All the characters were well thought out and all
rather complex. I liked it,” Shen Jiu explained.

“For sure,” Shen Yuan agreed divulging into all the complicated plot points and how they
related to the characters. Eventually, however, he got the point that he asked for Shen Jiu’s
opinion.

Shen Jiu wasn’t sure if he could give his honest opinion.

“The abuse cycle in the story is so interesting. Mori wants power and does whatever he can to
get it. As a result, he abuses multiple children. One of which being Dazai. Then Dazai goes
on to ‘train’ Aktagawa which is really just abuse. Then Aktugawa does the same to Kyoka.
And besides Mori, none of the characters you can truly hate because you empathize or
sympathize with all of them. Even after knowing what they’ve done, you understand so you
feel like you can’t say anything on it.”

Shen Jiu didn’t want to comment on this topic.

“But me personally, I have a bit of hate for almost every character in here, because they’re all
flawed. I’ve never believed in the whole ‘forgiving someone’s present actions because of
their pasts.’ It may be why they acted that way but it’s no excuse. Abuse is abuse and it’s a
punishable act.

“I mean, the abused becoming the abuser trope is unfortunately very realistic, but you have to
think of it from a different prospective. I say always view it from the victim in this situation.
For example, Aktugawa. He was abused, which is why he does the same to Kyoka. But what
did Kyoka do to deserve that treatment? Aktugawa certainly didn’t deserve what happened to
him either, and his present actions still doesn’t justify what Dazai did to him, but now he’s no
longer a victim but a perpetrator.

“If I was a victim I think I’d attack anyone who defended my abuser ‘just because he had a
tragic background.’ Like grow up, this is the real world. The only attack an abused person is
allowed is whatever the hell they do to their abuser. Now that, by all means go all out, they
totally deserve it. But no innocent person needs to get caught in the cross fire. Because, as we
see here, it just creates an endless cycle,” Shen Yuan ranted, not taking any breaks even for
water.

Shen Jiu knew everything he just said was right. Most of the time, Shen Yuan was right.
Today wasn’t different. Even on a topic he didn’t know personally, he understood its effects
well enough to make an educated and reasonable point.

Shen Jiu knew this, but still, deep down in his bitter resentment, he still wanted to argue.

He knows what he’s done because of his past. He knows most of it is unforgivable. He
doesn’t care.

He doesn’t want to care either. He would do it again and not feel a thing. He probably will do
some of those things again.
But just as Shen Yuan said, it’s not justified.

But what does it matter that it’s justified? No one will call him out on it. All peaks are
allowed their own forms of discipline. Even if Qi-ge Yue Qingyuan knows how bad his
‘discipline’ gets, knows the jealousy it stems from, he’ll never call him out on it.

Because he ‘understands.’ Just as Shen Yuan said, he’s one of those people who excuse
present because of past. Yue Qingyuan understands better than anyone else, yet somehow
worse than anyone too. Of course he’d leave Shen Qingqiu alone to his own devices.

But he shouldn’t.

Shen Yuan knows it. Deep down, Shen Qingqiu knows it, and deep down Yue Qingyuan
probably knows it too.

It appears only one of them has a Shen Yuan to call them out for such a thing, however.

“Then what do you think the person should do? These victims are being put in charge of
children they clearly don’t know how to take care of. But this is obviously not a situation
they can get out of,” Shen Jiu commented, deciding to keep it simple.

Too much would probably scare Shen Yuan off.

“I’d say interact with the child that is so obviously a trigger as little as possible. People can’t
just heal in the blink of an eye, but they can watch out for things that will make them worse.
Of course, I know that’s not as easy as I’m making it out to be, but there’s some cases where
the person just goes out of their way to give themselves trouble. Whether it’s because they
think they deserve it—which they never do, people always deserve the best—or because
they’re determined to compete and be better than the child now present,” Shen Yuan said,
expertly making his point.

This time, he stopped to bite a meat bun, waiting for Shen Jiu’s input.

Shen Jiu wasn’t fond of this topic of discussion.

After a minute of seeing that Shen Jiu wasn’t going to chime in, Shen Yuan decided to
continue.

“What I personally think is the most unfortunate is when a past victim has people around
them that can help and they either leave their friends in the dark or if their friends are the kind
that defend any action that victim takes just because they were previously a victim. Neither
helps the person. Both can even make them worse.”

So, so much worse.

But Shen Yuan won’t ever know that.

“You definitely make good points,” Shen Jiu complimented, not knowing what else to say.
His whole body was tingling uncomfortably. There was an anxious feeling in the pit of his
stomach that kept flaring up, his mind continually warning him that Shen Yuan was on to
him. That he would be outed. Not just as a peak lord, but as everything else.

“Thanks A-Jiu,” Shen Yuan laughed before turning beet red, realizing accidental nickname.

Shen Jiu stared at the man, his eyes wide.

This was too much in one day for him.

“Ack! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! My brother just found out he’s having another kid and they were
joking saying they would name it Jiu since with my siblings then the grandchildren the baby
would be the ninth so we’ve been calling the baby ‘A-Jiu’ recently and that’s your name so it
just slipped out! I’m sorry!” Shen Yuan rambled, the words slipping off his tongue as fast as
lightning.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Shen Jiu assured him awkwardly so Shen Yuan would stop causing a
scene.

“You don’t?” Shen Yuan paused, looking up at Shen Jiu like he was the most confusing
puzzle he’d ever laid his eyes on. “Then…you wouldn’t mind if I kept calling you that, right?
I already know I’m gonna keep slipping up from now on.”

Shen Yuan laughed anxiously, waiting for Shen Jiu to reply.

Shen Jiu shrugged.

“We’ve known each other for almost five months now. It doesn’t matter to me,” Shen Jiu said
simply, sipping on his tea.

“Ah, thank god,” Shen Yuan muttered under his breath, his shoulders slumping in relief.

“Well, I suppose it’s time for me to get back,” Shen Jiu announced after that moment of
awkwardness. He got up and turned to walk away, but decided to face the table one more
time. “Goodbye, Yuan.”

Shen Yuan froze, then turned beet red once again.

Shen Jiu chuckled to himself, smiling smugly at the tease, then walked off in a much better
mood than he was in just a few moments ago.

A few hours later, at home and in bed, Shen Yuan finally decided to reopen the system.

Inside, he finds a whole bunch of notifications.

[Scum Villain heart blackening +15]

[Scum Villain heart blackening +15]

 [Scum Villain heart blackening +5]

[Scum Villain heart blackening +20]

[Scum Villain heart blackening -20]

[Scum Villain heart blackening total: 335/500]

‘What the hell did I do!?’ Shen Yuan cried out in confusion, once again staying up all night.

He really didn’t understand the scum villain. And how the fuck he had any effect on him.

And where did the -20 points come from???

Chapter End Notes

SJ: sorry I’ve got conferences this week

SJ (in reality): taking disciples down the mountain to learn how to kill basic monsters
 Chapter 7
Chapter Summary

Parenting advice expect neither of them are parents lol

EDIT: I forgot to add italics and edits to this last night but they’re up now 😭
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Yuan, you have a sister right?” Shen Jiu asked suddenly once he and Shen Yuan were done
with their book discussion. Today was one of their good books, so they simply talked about
what they liked. Since they had extra time today, Shen Jiu felt it was fine to bring up a
question he had.

He may or may not need some help.

And Shen Qingqiu would never ask for help. Especially not from his sect siblings.

But Shen Jiu had no real problems with asking Shen Yuan.

Shen Qingqiu was a little desperate for help. Things were not looking good right now.

“Yeah, a younger one. Why?” Shen Yuan asked curiously, putting down the rice he was about
to eat.

“I have this new student, a little girl. She’s my only female student and much younger than
everyone else. I obviously can’t treat her like all the older boys but she gets upset when I go
easy on her. Do you think you could give me some advice?” Shen Jiu explained.

“Yeah that’s fine! You’re gonna have to be more specific on what you need help with though.
I can only do scenarios,” Shen Yuan replied.

“For essays, she’s still too young to know full proper grammar, but I don’t know if going
easier on her grading because of that is helpful or not.”

“For essays, I’d say a happy medium. Your whole thing is arts, she needs to learn it. If she
thinks where she’s at now is perfect then she won’t ever improve, but if you grade her on the
same scale as everyone else it might discourage her. Until she’s old enough, I’d say make a
whole other grading scale for her. But you also said she doesn’t like that, so one, keep it
hidden from her, and two, progressively get more strict so she feels the greater need to grow,”
Shen Yuan recommended.
“What if it’s too fast?”

“Adjust the pace to her learning abilities. But if you know she can do better on an
assignment, don’t hold back on grading. It’ll make her spoiled if you do.” Shen Yuan was
reflecting maybe a little too much on his sister’s behavior there, but it’s fine. “Besides,
holding her to a certain standard will give her a sense of pride in her work as time goes on.”

“Hm, I suppose you’re right,” Shen Jiu nodded. It would be nice if Ning Yingying became
better than everyone. She was only twelve, towards the younger side when it came to
accepted disciples. But that just means he had more time to train her.

If Ming Fan proved to be useless in the end, she’d be a great backup.

“My other problem is sword fighting,” Shen Jiu confessed.

He planned out how he would explain this part for days. He didn’t want Shen Yuan to
discover his whole identity.

Shen Yuan would obviously leave after that. Just like Qi-ge.

“Sword fighting?”

“Yes. I have some self defense curriculums that I teach along with the four arts. The girls
parents signed her up for that too, but I don’t know how to treat her fairly there. She’s the
youngest and the only girl. I’m still teaching her sword forms do she’s not ready to actually
practice dueling, but she’s already begging to try. When she’s learned enough, though…”

“You don’t want her to get all beat up, but she’ll definitely realize if the boys are going easy
on her, right?” Shen Yuan finished, guessing where this was going.

“Essentially,” Shen Jiu nodded.

“That one’s tough, but I think until she’s in her teens, probably at fourteen, it would be better
to go easy on her. Even if she doesn’t like it, her safety should come before her preferences,”
Shen Yuan advised.

“Then how do you take care of a pouting little girl?” Shen Jiu demanded, revealing his real
question.

“Redirect,” Shen Yuan replied immediately, staring at Shen Jiu with an extremely serious
expression.

“What?” Shen Jiu asked, confused.

“She’s sad she can’t sword fight? She shouldn’t be sad, you have her favorite candy for her.
She’s upset the boys are going easy on her? Promise it’ll change when she’s older. ‘To help
time go by until then, why don’t we go to a festival?’” Shen Yuan illustrated, using his own
experience.

“Did those things work on your sister?” Shen Jiu questioned, doubtful.
“Like a charm. Trust me, my parents did it all the time with my sister. She’s five years
younger than me, and I’m the youngest out of my brothers. She always wanted to do what we
were and got shot down. Those are my magic words right there,” Shen Yuan bragged.

Should he brag about his family’s tactics to trick his sister her whole life? No, probably not,
but it’s fine. Taking care of children always involves some fibbing. Like the tooth fairy.

“Thank you for the advice. I’ll be sure to put it to good use,” Shen Jiu said, bowing his head
slightly.

“No problem, A-Jiu! Let me know how it goes.” Shen Yuan smiled at Shen Jiu, his
expression entirely sincere.

Shen Jiu wonders what Shen Yuan would say, if he knew who he was. Would he accuse him
of trying to prey on his only female disciple like Qi Qingqi was hinting at? Would he give
him backhanded words about how he shouldn’t be around young girls since he frequents
brothels?

Shen Jiu wonders how Shen Yuan could smile so brightly. So easily. He does it to everyone.
People he knows who walk in, the servers, to Shen Jiu. It was so unbelievable that someone
could simply be like that. Shen Jiu had still yet to discover any hidden secrets. It wasn’t
important to him anymore. Shen Yuan was just that simple.

Too simple for a world so complicated.

Yet it was a smile that showcased his naivety. The world hadn’t attacked him, even with his
minimal defenses.

Why? Why did Shen Yuan deserve that and not him?

Shen Jiu couldn’t help but be bitter.

Yet at the same time, he couldn’t hate Shen Yuan. The man who gave him honest words,
smiles, opinions. Who didn’t openly or secretly scorn him, didn’t over analyze his every
word to twist them into something bad.

Even if it would all probably be gone if Shen Yuan knew who he truly was, he couldn’t help
how he felt. Because Shen Yuan didn’t know, and Shen Jiu wasn’t planning on ever telling
him. He would keep things just like this.

Simple.

Shen Jiu didn’t mind simple. Not one bit.

“Shimei, what did you get on your first essay?” A disciple asked her eagerly. There was a
small crowd around the girl who had just gotten a paper back. She was eagerly soaking up all
the attention, practically vibrating as she waited to turn the paper over and see her marking.
Her Shizun watched by his desk across the room, pretending to be grading other papers.

Ning Yingying knew her Shizun was actually awaiting her reaction. Shizun had been making
sure she was adjusting well since she’d shown up.

Ning Yingying had heard some pretty nasty rumors about her Shizun when she first arrived,
but she always argued with those who dared to say such words. Her Shizun was the best! It’s
not his fault he doesn’t always show how much he cares!

She had been taking writing classes for weeks now, and a few days ago written her first essay.
She had just gotten it back, so she couldn’t wait to see what grade set the tone for her future.

She flipped it over, anticipation caught in her throat. Everyone around her held their breaths.

It’s a B-.

Ning Yingying sighed at the passing grade, then anxiously read over all the comments her
Shizun made.

Most of them were about sentence structure and how words flowed. Some spelling here and
there. Overall, a B-, just as the paper said.

Some disciples next to her argued that the grade was a bit too harsh, while she heard some
whisper that Shizun went really easy on her.

She wasn’t really sure what to believe, so she decided to hop up and walk over to her Shizun,
essay in her hand.

Once she got to his desk, she put the essay on his desk and immediately fired her questions.
“What about the sentence structure was off? How can I do better?”

Ning Yingying was a extremely passionate girl. She wanted to be the best.

“When you wrote standalone sentences earlier, they were much better than what was written
here. Just because you’re writing an essay doesn’t mean your quality lowers. Every sentence
should be given as much thought as a single one would. That poem you wrote, you thought
through every line extensively, correct? This is the same. I expect to see that next time,” Shen
Qingqiu explained easily.

“Oh. Ok!” Ning Yingying grinned, looking over her essay for how she could rewrite it
immediately.

“Shizun, if I get an A, can I start sword fighting?” Ning Yingying attempted to bargain.

“When you learn all your sword forms you can fight,” Shen Qingqiu corrected, looking back
down at the essays he was pretending to grade.

Even though he pretended not to pay attention, he couldn’t help but see the girls pitiful pout.

‘Don’t crack,’ Shen Qingqiu reminded himself, steeling his will.

 Then he remembered what Shen Yuan said.

‘Redirect.’

“When you get your first A, this master will buy you some candy from down the mountain.
How does that sound?”

Instantly the girl lit up.

Hm, it does work.

Shen Qingqiu will be sure to tell Shen Yuan.

“Gege! Can I borrow one of your cook books? I wanna try and bake some cookies!” Shen
Bai begged to her brother.

“No. Last time you started a fire. The time before, you burned the cookies to a crisp,” Shen
Yuan argued, shooting down her request.

“I won’t improve unless I keep at it!” Shen Bai shot back.

“Then practice at your own home. Don’t ruin mine.”

Shen Bai tried to give him puppy dog eyes, but it wasn’t going to work on him.

“If you want treats so bad, I have some leftovers from my lunch at the bookstore today. Have
at it,” Shen Yuan said, shooing his sister off and going back to his book.

“Thanks Gege, you’re the best!” Shen Bai giggled, digging into his kitchen.

Redirection. Works every time. Doesn’t matter if they’re twelve for twenty.

Chapter End Notes

SY: wow, SJ is such a great teacher, doing all of this for his student!

SJ with literally every other disciple: man fuck them kids.

(It’s ok tho cuz they’re guys. He’s just a feminist too early for his time)

Also in honor of me listening to Tortured Poets Department by my queen Taylor Swift

while I wrote this entire chapter, no one can argue with me that ‘Who’s afraid of little
old me’ is Shen Jiu’s song. I take no arguments. It just is. Listen to it and put Shen Jiu in
and you’ll understand.
 Chapter 8
Chapter Summary

This chapter is not been proof read yet, so bare with me for any grammar issues

EDIT: chapter has now been edited for mistakes! <3

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“A-Jiu, you know that festival going on next week? Would you want to go with me?” Shen
Yuan asked once today’s book discussion wrapped up.

“Oh, I’ve heard about that. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to get any time off from
work. If that changes, however, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Shen Jiu explained.

“Yeah, just let me know!” Shen Yuan said, laughing it off awkwardly. His face flushed a bit
at being turned down, and he mentally chastised himself.

‘My one year where even Shen Bai can’t go with me…oh god this is so embarrassing! I
shouldn’t have even brought it up at all!’

“Will your family be attending?” Shen Jiu asked, seeing how embarrassed Shen Yuan was at
being turned down.

To be fair, Shen Jiu could take the time off if he wanted, but despite how often he met with
Shen Yuan, he couldn’t bring himself to fully trust him. A festival just for fun would bring his
guard down. It was too crowded of a place. The thought of roaming the streets not as a peak
lord but just as a person…. didn’t exactly bring up fond memories.

But he still felt a bit bad, since Shen Yuan obviously didn’t have any other friends. Shen Jiu
didn’t need to have digged into his past to figure that out.

“My family is going, yes, but with other people. It’s fine though, I’ll just tag along with
someone. I’m sure one of my older siblings would love an extra eye on their kids,” Shen
Yuan told him, brushing it off.

Shen Jiu nodded, deciding now was a good time to leave. Things were getting a bit awkward.
“Would anyone want to take on this mission in a few days?” The sect leader asked after
explaining the details.

“I’ll take it,” Shen Qingqiu responded without even thinking. He flicked his fan open and
immediately covered his face just in case someone saw the flicker of a scowl as he surprised
himself.

‘Did I really just do that?’

Yes. Yes he did.

“Great. I have the file for the mission right here,” Yue Qingyuan responded with a smile,
pulling out a file, as promised.

The mission Shen Qingqiu had just accepted? A mission about some demon infiltrating
human festivals and poisoning foods. One taking place at a festival in a few days. The same
day Shen Yuan is going.

‘Time to go write a letter.’

Shen Qingqiu groaned internally, but no one here knew that, obviously.

And how the hell was he supposed to complete this mission while spending the festival with
Shen Yuan?

“Qingqiu-Shidi, make sure to stop by this one’s office before you leave. I have an antidote to
the poison seen in this case. It’ll be a good backup,” Mu Qingfang called out when the
meeting commenced.

“This one will.” Shen Qingqiu bowed his head slightly, then made his way back to his peak.
In a better mood than usual after meetings, but still in a bad mood overall.

“So you managed to get the time off after all,” Shen Yuan chuckled when he finally met up
with his—only—friend.

“Yes,” Shen Jiu hummed, his words short and simple.

“Don’t be so dull with me A-Jiu! We’re at a festival, lighten up a bit,” Shen Yuan reminded
him with a light shove.

Shen Yuans seen Shen Jiu get very animated when talking about books he hates and why. At
first, he was simple and chose to question Shen Yuan rather than give his own opinion, but
now if Shen Yuan even attempts to interrupt him he gets a death glare.
Shen Yuan didn’t care. In fact, he was happy someone else got as into books as he did. It was
rare to come by. And even if he did, they didn’t usually share such close opinions and tastes
to him.

But because he’s seen that unreserved side of Shen Jiu, he wishes the man would be that open
more often.

“Is there somewhere you’d like to go first?” Shen Jiu asked, walking off without Shen Yuan.

“Let’s grab some sweets!” Shen Yuan suggested, jogging a bit to catch up with Shen Jiu who
had rudely left him behind.

“Shouldn’t dinner come first?” Shen Jiu questioned, looking back at Shen Yuan with a raised
eyebrow.

“It’s a festival! If there’s a time to eat dessert before dinner, it’s here.” Shen Yuan rolled his
eyes, this time speeding up in front of Shen Jiu, grabbing his wrist to drag him off to a
tanghulu stall.

Shen Jiu watched Shen Yuan grab his stick of tanghulu then pay in a state of detachment.

He still hadn’t figured out how to split this mission between hanging out with Shen Yuan and
finding the demon behind these attacks. What would he do if the demon suddenly appeared
while he was with him? He couldn’t just pull out his sword and attack in front of him.

He didn’t want him to realize he was Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu enjoyed his unwind time that he spent with Shen Yuan. When he could just
forget about all the annoying aspects of his life and pretend to be a whole other person. It was
like when he spent his nights at brothels. It was an escape.

“A-Jiu, do you want any tanghulu?” Shen Yuan asked, breaking Shen Jiu away from his
thoughts.

“No. I was going to get moon cakes from the next stall down,” Shen Jiu answered, making
his way over to the stall in question.

“Careful, if we constantly disagree on foods we’ll go to almost every stall in this place,” Shen
Yuan laughed, biting off a strawberry.

Wait.

That’s it! They could just hover around all the stalls until he found one that seemed
suspicious!

Of course, they wouldn’t buy from all of them, he didn’t need either of them falling victim to
this demon, but Shen Jiu was picky. Shen Yuan knew that. He would just pretend to consider
the items served at the stall. If there was nothing wrong, he’d move on.
The demon was bound to slip up eventually. And when it did, Shen Jiu would be there. He’d
make Shen Yuan go buy him something a few stalls away, yell about a demon being near and
make everyone scatter, then he’d attack.

That should work. Even if Shen Yuan wanted to come back for him, he would be swept up in
the crowd.

Finally, Shen Jiu had a set plan.

Shen Yuan wanted him to not be so dull? Fine, he’ll be as bitchy as he needs to pull this off.

Shen Jiu paid for his moon cake, thanking his easily masked face for hiding the smirk he
almost revealed.

“Now what should we do?” Fireworks are in another hour or so, so we have time to just roam
around,” Shen Yuan explained, taking another bite of his treat.

“We can shop a bit. I haven’t eaten anything yet besides this moon cake so I’ll see if I want
anything else,” Shen Jiu decided, leading the way.

“So how is that little girl you were talking about adjusting? Did the grading scales work? I
know you said the redirection was great,” Shen Yuan laughed.

“She’s doing fine. The grading scale is helping her a lot. Fortunately she’s improving at a
steady rate, so I think within a year she’ll be on par with everyone else,” Shen Jiu informed
him.

“That’s great! When girls are younger they’re usually a step ahead of the boys so she’ll do
amazing.”

“She’s definitely a handful, though. I’ve started limiting her sugar related rewards because
she’s so hyper on her own. Even for morning classes she’s just a ball of energy,” Shen Jiu
ranted.

Shen Jiu enjoyed ranting to Shen Yuan. It never gave him that all-consuming pit in his
stomach that he felt with others.

Honestly, it made Shen Jiu wonder sometimes. It was like his entire life was one giant
domino effect. One thing caused his next action, then the next, and the next. For example,
that pit in his stomach. All it ever did was make him more angry. He hated the feeling. If his
martial siblings were to give adjectives to describe him, almost all would probably add
‘snappy’ in their first three.

But Shen Yuan? It would probably be in his top ten.

Shen Jiu is a naturally sharp tongued person. That was something he’d picked up extremely
early in life. But he thinks only two people in his life who wouldn’t accuse his every word as
being malicious would be Yue Qingyuan and Shen Yuan.
How pathetic a person he hasn’t even known for a full year yet compares to someone he’s
known his whole life. He knows him better in nine months than his martial siblings who have
known him for almost a decade at this point.

Whatever, that’s not his problem. Shen Jiu is more than happy to keep his circle small and
closed off.

“It’s definitely going to be difficult in the beginning, but watching her succeed under your
instruction is sure to be a rewarding feeling,” Shen Yuan responded with a smile.

“So I’ve been told.”

“Oh hey, look at all the fans at that stall over there,” Shen Yuan pointed out, guiding the two
over to where he was looking.

“Hm, they have some quality pieces,” Shen Jiu noticed, being extremely picky with the fans
he used.

Shen Jiu let himself be guided to the stall and decided to browse a bit. They had time, and his
shopping plan would be more believable if he actually bought something.

“What colors do you like A-Jiu?” Shen Yuan asked, his eyes scanning the fans laying out
before him.

“Green,” Shen Jiu responded, his critical eye judging everything he was seeing to find the
perfect fan. Then he had a thought. “What about you, Yuan? You always try to hide your face
with books when you’re embarrassed. I think a fan would be a good purchase for you.”

“You think so?” Shen Yuan questioned, his gaze falling on Shen Jiu’s face.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t,” Shen Jiu responded curtly.

Shen Yuan laughed, “yeah, that’s a good point.”

“So? Colors?”

“Probably a simple white one. It would go with everything,” Shen Yuan commented.

And then before anyone knew it, the two were looking for fans for each other instead of
themselves.

Shen Yuan looked around until his eyes landed on a green fan with a small design in white on
the right side. It was two stalks of bamboo with three cranes flying over it. A beautiful sight.

At the same time, Shen Jiu found a white fan with branches of a cherry tree covering half of
it. The design was in black, keeping it simple but elegant.

The two looked at each other, about to announce they had found the perfect fan, then realized
what happened.
A wordless decision was made.

They bought the fans for each other.

Naturally anyone in this situation would have done the same, so they saw it as no problem
and simply handed each other their respective fans once the transaction was complete.

Shen Yuan immediately flicked his open, flapping it around a bit to get used to the feeling.

Shen Jiu, meanwhile, opened his fan and began his usual practice of hiding half his face from
the world.

“We got these fans at a good time, it’s stupidly hot for nighttime,” Shen Yuan remarked,
using the object in his hand to cool himself off.

“It is summer,” Shen Jiu reminded him, keeping his eyes peeled for any suspicious food
stalls.

Nothing so far.

Shen Jiu was especially wary of the dessert/sweets stalls, since those seemed to be the ones
the demon was using as a cover most often.

“Yuan, I’m going to get some glutinous rice balls,” Shen Jiu announced, remembering that
was what was served at the most recent attack.

“Alright!” Shen Yuan called out, the two of them getting separated a bit by the crowd.

Shen Jiu made his way over to the stall and inspected the food contents very carefully.

He couldn’t sense any outright demonic energy, so it seemed he’d have to take this a step
further.

“Could this one just have one rice ball please?” Shen Jiu asked.

“Of course!” The man working the stall replied, handing his order over.

Shen Jiu used his spiritual energy to test any poisons or demonic presence, but found none.

Just normal rice balls it seems.

No matter, that just means he gets to eat them.

Shen Jiu took a bite and he wormed his way back into the sea of people, finding his way back
to Shen Yuan who was staring at some stall carrying dolls.

“I’m back,” Shen Jiu announced, walking up behind Shen Yuan.

“Hey A-Jiu! Sorry, I’m just looking at these to see if my sister would like any of them. Her
birthdays coming up,” Shen Yuan explained.
“Your sister likes these sorts of dolls?” Shen Jiu questioned, staring doubtfully at the dolls.

A mixture of classic horror stories, basically. Some were even demonic creatures, all in plush
or porcelain form.

“Yep. It’s strange but she’s been into them since she was a kid. Has a whole collection by
now,” Shen Yuan laughed, picking up a doll of a Faking Fawn and examining it carefully.

“These two items are sold together,” the stall owner told the two men, holding up another
Faking Fawn doll.

The porcelain doll Shen Yuan was holding was the Faking Fawns true form, which would
probably give most children nightmares. The one the stall owner was holding was its ‘faking’
form that its most commonly seen in to draw in prey.

Shen Yuan seemed to debate over this fact, then ultimately decided to was a necessary
sacrifice. He paid for both, then the two walked away.

Once they got out of eyesight from the stall, however, Shen Yuan handed the more child
friendly doll to Shen Jiu.

“Do you want this? You could give it to one of your disciples. I know my sister would
probably just throw it out,” Shen Yuan said.

‘Hm. Ning Yingying is starting to learn about demonic beasts, so maybe this could be a good
motivator to her.’

“Sure, someone will take it,” Shen Jiu decided.

“Thanks.” Shen Yuan grinned. “Do you want to go get a seat for the fireworks? They should
be starting soon.”

“Yes,” Shen Jiu answered without thinking.

He still hadn’t found the culprit of the demon attacks!

But he had also been keeping an eye out this entire time, and no demonic presence had shown
up whatsoever. And it’s not like this demon showed up to every festival. Perhaps Shen Jiu
was just so unlucky he didn’t overlap with the demon.

That would mean he’d have to come back. This time alone.

That would be annoying.

In a last ditch effort, Shen Jiu continued to scan the stalls as they walked, but he everything
continued to be entirely normal.

There were benches up on a hill that families were sitting only a few steps away from where
the market ended, so the two made a short trek to find a good spot and sat down.
“A-Jiu, how much time do you think we have until the fireworks start?” Shen Yuan asked
after a minute or two once they were seated.

“Around five or ten. Why?”

“I’m getting a bit hungry so I was gonna run down and grab a snack real quick. Do you think
I have time?” Shen Yuan explained.

“You should. Just make sure to pick a short line,” Shen Jiu answered.

“Alright! I’ll be back in a minute!” Shen Yuan sped down the hill, almost tripping—Shen Jiu
held up his fan to hide his laugh—and then was out of eyesight.

Shen Jiu was left in relative peace. Sure there was critters and families all chittering around
him, but it wasn’t at him, so he was calm. He could easily block them all out and enjoy the
beautiful night sky before it exploded with color.

Shen Jiu had had a pleasant night so far. Even if he knew before the demon wouldn’t show up
tonight, he probably still would’ve gone with Shen Yuan.

Shen Jiu had decided months ago that Shen Yuan was pleasant to be around. Perhaps
‘refreshing’ would be a better word, actually.

But tonight solidified that opinion. Even when not discussing books over tea, even in another
setting, Shen Yuan was still the same person he knew.

It took a few minutes, but just as promised, Shen Yuan was back with his snack. He plopped
down next to Shen Jiu after racing up the hill, taking a huge bite of his tangyuan.

“You made it,” Shen Jiu joked.

“Shut up,” Shen Yuan shot back with an eye roll, his mouth half full.

“Swallow your food,” Shen Jiu commented in disgust.

Shen Yuan made a mocking gesture with his hands, immediately going in for another bite
after he finished the last one.

“How did you get tangyuan so fast? The last stall we passed that had some was a while
back,” Shen Jiu asked with gritted teeth, trying not to snap at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan looked up at him confused, swallowed his bite, then immediately answered, “what
do you mean? I got this at the second to last stall at the end there.”

“No, that was a stall that had sesame balls,” Shen Jiu argued. He knows. He was observing
everything.

“Huh? Then how….” Shen Yuan was about to say his piece, but then the world suddenly got
dizzy, and the next thing he knew, he was out cold, falling on top of Shen Jiu.
 ‘What the hell!? What’s going on?’ Shen Jiu thought frantically. Laying Shen Yuan down
carefully then snatching up the fallen tangyuan for inspection.

Demonic energy.

‘That’s why no one knows exactly what food stall the demons running. He’s using some type
of magic to constantly change it!’

Shen Jiu’s hands flew to his pocket, grabbing the antidote Mu Qingfang gave him earlier.

He sat Shen Yuan up a bit, forcing his jaw open and feeding him in liquid that would save his
life. He clamped the boys jaw shut with his hands and waited until he unconsciously
swallowed. He inspected just to be sure Shen Yuan got everything, then slung him over his
shoulder. He rushed over to a tree nearby and laid Shen Yuan up against it, facing away from
the market.

“Stay here,” he commanded, ignoring the fact that Shen Yuan was very much passed out.

He calmed his nerves, telling himself Shen Yuan would be fine since he was given the
antidote almost instantly, then ran down the mountain screaming one thing as loud as he
could:

“Everyone get out of here! There’s demons!”

He unsheathed his sword, stopping in front of the demons stall.

The fireworks began just as the screams started. A true symphony.

Chapter End Notes

PLS READ

😭
so instead of my usual like 2 updates a week it’s going to be 1 per week for this next
month because my life is crazy rn

I’ve got summer school (I’m not dumb I just want extra credits I swear) which starts at
7:30 and and it’s just 6 hours of dancing, definitely not for the week (or if your not a
dancer aka me) and pre-season for my sport is starting up so I have practices and then I

😭
have weight lifting twice a week after so like half the days I’m running from 7:30 to
7:30 just working out and it’s leaving literally no room to write

🙏
I almost passed out while finishing this chapter to pls have mercy on me and if I don’t
update I’m not dead and will try to get the chapter out as soon as possible!
 Chapter 9
Chapter Summary

Got so worried about how I have no time to write during the week I decided to speed run
chapters during the weekend lol. Don’t listen to me guys, updates are apparently just
going to be super random for a month,

(Also thank you all so much for the well wishes, it means so much <3)

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Qingqiu was currently face to face with the demon. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, to he
exact.

It was a demon who took the skin of its killed prey, then used that fake skin to lure in more.
They didn’t usually go near human settlements, since humans were pretty low in their list of
enjoyable food, but every once in a while one with unique taste popped up.

They were a pain to deal with. It was hard to tell whether the person was simply possessed or
a skin suit. Those tricked into thinking they were involved in a case of possession were
quickly killed.

Shen Qingqiu, as the peak lord of Qing Jing, obviously knew the difference just by looking.
And even if he didn’t, the illusion magic just proved he was dealing with was a Wolf in
Sheep’s Clothing.

If Shen Qingqiu hadn’t been here, Shen Yuan would’ve become this demons next meal and
lifeless puppet.

And considering how he accepted this mission because it related to Shen Yuan, Shen Qingqiu
would surely take one about him going missing.

Then he would’ve had to kill a demon wearing Shen Yuans face.

‘Aim for the heart.’

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothings only weakness was its heart. No matter what body it used, that
much was its own. The only similarity.

‘Kill it now.’
“It doesn’t matter that you caught me!” The demon cackled. “Even as a cultivator, I’ve
consumed dozens of humans! I’m more powerful than-“

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t listening. He was already swinging his sword.

Right in the demons heart.

“…you…how….?” The demon spluttered, purple blood falling from its mouth, ruining its
human facade.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t answer any of his questions. He felt zero need to. Instead he just
watched as the human disguise melted off the demon, its true form now visible.

Shen Qingqiu could still hear the screams of those running in the distance. The first round of
fireworks hadn’t even finished yet.

And already, the demon was laying dead at his feet.

“Pathetic,” Shen Qingqiu spat, stomping hard on the demons head. He twisted his foot too,
just for good measure.

‘This stupid fucking demon. Now he knows how it feels to have your night ruined. This piece
of shit doesn’t even deserve to rot in hell. That’s for demons that can actually accomplish
something. Useless bastard. I would tell him to go fuck himself, but he’s probably too dumb to
even do that.’

Just as Shen Qingqiu was mentally cursing the demon below his feet, a squeak from behind
make him instantly turn around.

A little boy, obviously a beggar, was sitting on the ground, clearly trying to back away. When
he saw the peak lords crazed expression turn his way, he gathered enough wits to get up to
run away, screaming as he went.

‘They can all go fuck themselves.’

Shen Qingqiu scoffed, kicked the demon once more, then quickly sped off to Shen Yuans
direction.

The peak lord found Shen Yuan in the same position he left him in, breathing a small sigh of
relief.

He knew in Shen Yuans currently state, he couldn’t just get up and walk away, so if he was
gone, only bad possibilities remained.

Once again, Shen Qingqiu slung Shen Yuan over his shoulder, but this time he also hopped
on his sword, flying towards Shen Yuans house.

Shen Qingqiu had never been to Shen Yuans house, but he knew where it was because of his
previous research on the man. But that was all Shen Qingqiu needed. He would be there in
minutes.
In was dark out, the breeze whizzing past the two as they flew. A welcome feeling during the
humid summer air. But Shen Qingqiu didn’t have the time to think about that right now.

Shen Yuan was knocked out. He couldn’t think of anything.

‘Useless, useless, useless,’ Shen Qingqiu scorned, but he wasn’t sure if he was talking about
Shen Yuan or himself.

Probably himself.

Shen Qingqiu flew as fast as Xiu Ya would take him. He was higher than any tree, but made
sure he could still see the houses below. He couldn’t accidentally miss Shen Yuans house.

Shen Yuan needed more of that antidote. Once every ten minutes for the first hour, then once
every hour for another eleven hours, then once in the morning and once at night. That was for
two weeks.

Seven minutes. It’s been seven minutes so far since Shen Yuan passed out.

One more minute until Shen Qingqiu should reach Shen Yuan’s house. Then he’ll have two
minutes to set him down and give him the medicine.

He could do this. If he can deal with dozens of bratty children, this was a piece of cake.

Shen Qingqiu is not a healer. Things like this have never come easy for him.

He could see the house. He could finally see the fucking house.

Xiu Ya swept down, taking along the two people on it. Shen Qingqiu fought the urge to just
jump off the sword once it was close enough to the ground, but he had no clue how Shen
Yuans body still infected with the poison would react. So instead, he waited until the sword
touched the floor to get off.

He opened the door with as much grace as someone in a horror movie, slamming it shut
behind him.

He didn’t have time to bring Shen Yuan to his room. The kitchen table will have to work for
him today.

Shen Qingqiu laid Shen Yuan down on the table a little harsher than he would’ve liked. But
that wasn’t important right now. As long as he didn’t die, it was fine if Shen Yuan came out
of this with a few bruises. He wasn’t a doctor anyway.

He made sure Shen Yuan was leaning upright so he didn’t choke or anything, then once again
forced the liquid down his throat.

Nine minutes had passed. He was fine.

Now to keep this up.

“Gege! Wake up! Are you okay!?”

Shen Yuan groaned as he was shaked awake by a far away voice.

His head was pounding and the world was spinning when he opened his eyes. His chest felt
like he had just gotten some intense heartburn, and his body felt like jello.

Basically, he felt like shit.

Honestly, he hasn’t felt like this since his first life. He didn’t have his illness anymore, so he
had no clue what caused whatever the hell is happening now.

It took him a second to register the voice that was talking to him, but he realized it was his
little sister. Her voice was rather nasally. She must’ve been crying.

“A-Bai?” He mumbled, struggling over the words. The world still wasn’t fully in focus yet,
but he could make out a few figures.

“Don’t talk sweetie. Just lay down and take some of this medicine. It’ll make you feel better,”
he heard his mother’s voice tell him. He felt her soft hands smoothing over his body and she
nudged him upright to drink some weird tasting liquid.

“What…happened?” Shen Yuan asked, the world finally coming into focus. He was
incredibly lost about everything that happened since the festival. He had got some tangyuan,
then he couldn’t remember a single thing.

“You got poisoned by a demon. Luckily a cultivator was nearby and saved you. He came by
and told us this is the medicine you need and how often you’ll need it. You’re stable now, and
should fully recover,” his father explained in a soft tone.

“Oh,” he mumbled, moving into a state of shock.

“How could you get poisoned Gege!? That’s too far, even for your luck!” Shen Bai cried, the
tears in her eyes evident.

“Haha…you know me.” Shen Yuan gave her a smile, the same one he always used to show
when his sickness flared up. It’d been a long time since his body went into this natural
reaction, and he can’t say he likes the reminder of how things used to be.

“Honestly child, you know just how to worry us, don’t you?” His mother sighed, hugging
him close.

Shen Yuan felt his chest lighten up a bit, despite the added pressure of his mother’s body. He
won’t deny the attention felt nice, even if it wasn’t in the circumstances he would’ve wanted.

“Your brothers are going to stop by later to check on you, okay? A-Hao and A-Min made you
a nice blanket you can rest in. A-Chao went a bought you some books to read while you’re
recovering. How does that sound?” His father said to him.
“They made the blanket that fast? Hasn’t it only been a night?” Shen Yuan asked.

“It’s been two days,” Shen Bai corrected.

If Shen Yuan had the ability to shout, he would’ve. But he knew his body wouldn’t be
capable of that, so instead he just widened his eyes an impossible amount.

“Huh?” He peeped.

“We’ve been taking care of you since yesterday. We woke up to a cultivator knocking on the
door saying you got poisoned. I really thought the worst in that moment. Thank goodness for
that cultivator. He stayed with you all night to give you the medicine! Poor child said he
didn’t want to risk it and leave you alone until the morning,” his mother ranted, her eyes
starting to tear up too.

“Who was it?” Shen Yuan asked. He had no recollection of anything after his poisoning.

“We’re not sure. We never got a name before rushing over,” she sighed, shaking her head
sadly. “I’ll be eternally grateful to that boy, though.”

‘Huh. I guess being in PIDW gave me the prejudice that cultivators were bad. I guess not all
of them. Scum villain giving all of them a bad rap.’

“Has anything else major happened?” Shen Yuan asked, wanting to be all caught up before he
fell back asleep.

His family eyed each other nervously, but didn’t say anything.

“What is it?” He asked again, now worried.

Next thing he knew, the system was before him, reading the Scum Villains stats.

[Scum Villain heart blacking total: 400/500]

Once again, if Shen Yuan could shout, he would’ve scared all birds in a five mile radius.

“How!?” He yelled, his voice quiet and cracking, instead.

It was at 300 last time! It had been moving up and down a bit, but it was as usually around
there. How had it gone up 100 in two days!?

“We’re not sure what happened, but…” Shen Bai told him, her voice trailing off.

Shit. They were so, so screwed.

Why does nothing ever go right for him!? UGH!

Shen Yuan flopped back down, deciding to just sleep this off. He would forget about when he
woke up.

Thankfully, sleep was no issue in his weakened state.

Shen Yuan awoke to the sound of his door opening.

“Chao-ge? Hao-ge?” He called out once he woke up a bit. His parents said those two were
going to come by and check on him anyway.

No one answered.

“Hello?” He tried again, wondering if no one heard him because of his messed up voice.

When he once again got no answer, he got a little anxious.

Shen Yuan decided to go check it out.

Don’t get him wrong, he knew this was a terrible idea. He couldn’t even walk without
hanging onto a wall. He couldn’t speak properly, and he was currently surviving off of
magical medicine.

Basically, if he was getting robbed, the robber probably wouldn’t even need to tie him up to
get him out of the way.

But still! Shen Yuan’s unwavering will shall prevail!

It took a few tries and all of Shen Yuan’s accumulated upper body strength, but he eventually
got off his bed. He wobbled to his wall, the inched towards the door.

The door knob took another few tries, but he managed to open the door.

However, he did not plan what would happen after his entire support flew sideways as the
door opened.

Next thing Shen Yuan knew, he was making out with the door.

Just his luck.

‘I think it’d be more merciful to just kill myself at this point…’ Shen Yuan thought dejectedly.
He flipped around on the floor, hoping to see something that would help him get up. Instead,
he gave face to face to what looked like a letter.

Huh???

Shen Yuan reached over and snatched up the paper, ripping it open and scanning its contents
carefully.

‘It’s from A-Jiu!’ He thought excitedly. He hadn’t heard from him since the festival. He
wasn’t entirely sure if Shen Jiu made it out okay, but he definitely remembers A-Jiu never
had the tangyuan that poisoned him, so he assumed he was fine. If anything, a problem that
could wait until he could properly use his hands.
 ‘Shen Yuan,
I’m writing in hopes you are going better. I was very grateful to hear the cultivator was able
to heal you properly. Let me know when we can meet up next. I completely understand if you
can’t come to our next few book club meetings. Don’t feel pressured to respond immediately,
I know you’re still recovering.
Shen Jiu.’

Shen Yuan smiled softly at the letter, stashing it in his sleeve. He now had new motivation to
get up off the floor!

“Didi? Are you awake?” He heard Shen Chao call out as he opened his front door.

Um. Well this is embarrassing.

Well, at least someone will help him off the ground.

Chapter End Notes

See if this was a LBH x SY fic some pappapa would’ve solved everything 🙄
Too bad we gotta do things that hard way around here
 Chapter 10
Chapter Summary

IM ON THE GRIND THIS WEEKEND 💪💪

(I’m probably gonna go MIA until Friday)

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“How did the mission go?” Yue Qingyuan questioned Shen Qingqiu once the peak lord
walked into his office.

It was the afternoon after the festival. Shen Qingqiu had been out all night, the bags under his
eyes proof of the tiresome affair. Shen Qingqiu had been given a grace period to rest and then
write his report, which he currently had in his hands.

“One person was poisoned by the demon, but they are fine now and the demon is dead,” Shen
Qingqiu explained, handing over the paper where all the details were written.

Obviously, not all the details, but everything that Yue Qingyuan needed to know as the Sect
Leader.

“This is one glad everything turned out okay,” Yue Qingyuan responded with his usual guilt
stricken smile that he seemed to reserve specially for Shen Qingqiu.

“Yes,” Shen Qingqiu gritted out, wanting to leave immediately.

The two men stared at each other, both with so much to say but no actual words to use, before
Shen Qingqiu finally couldn’t do it anymore. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door
behind him.

Yue Qingyuan didn’t even flinch.

Shen Qingqiu was exhausted.

But being exhausted still didn’t excuse him from his afternoon classes. It didn’t excuse him
from the essays he needed to grade. It didn’t excuse him from receiving a report from the hall
masters about how the disciples were while he was gone.

Being exhausted just made all of those activities much more miserable.
“Shizun! How did your mission go? Did you see any cool monsters?” The girl by his side
chirped as they walked out of classes.

“It was fine. This master fought against a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” he told the girl, his fan
covering his face as he strolled leisurely.

“I thought those don’t go near humans?” Ning Yingying questioned, remembering the
bestiaries she’d recently read for homework.

“Not normally. But sometimes they do appear. Which is why it’s important to always assess
what kind of monster you are dealing with before attacking,” Shen Qingqiu reminded her.

“Of course!” Ning Yingying nodded, tugging her hands into fists, making an adorable sight.

Shen Qingqiu gave her a small smile.

As always, Ning Yingying beamed at the sight.

Kids have never been something Shen Qingqiu had thought about. He’d never had the luxury
to. But now, as he watches the little girl before him, he wonders what it would be like to have
a daughter.

But in the back of his mind, Shen Qingqiu knew he wasn’t cut out for kids. He knew he
would end up messing up how to raise them. Then he would make a mini him, which is the
worst possible outcome.

Besides, Shen Qingqiu knew children thrived better with two parents. He wouldn’t be enough
on his own. And it’s not like there was someone who would choose to be with him.

“Yingying,” Shen Qingqiu called out, remembering Shen Yuan all of a sudden.

“Hm? What is it Shizun?” Ning Yingying asked curiously, cocking her head to the side a bit.

“This master saw something he thought you’d like while at the festival last night. If you get
an A on your test about beasts, this master would be inclined to give it to you as a reward.”

“Really!? What is it Shizun!?” She exclaimed happily, trying to coax an answer out of Shen
Qingqiu.

“You’ll find out if you get an A,” Shen Qingqiu replied, not revealing his gift.

Ning Yingying pouted, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t give in.

“I’ll get an A, just you wait!” She promised with a wide grin, showcasing the tooth she had
recently lost.

She really knew how to tug on his heartstrings.

“Now then, this master needs to get some grading done. Go eat with your martial siblings,
dinner should be ready,” Shen Qingqiu told the girl, shooing her off once they neared his
bamboo house.

Shen Qingqiu watched Ning Yingying walk off before making his incline up the stairs.

When Shen Qingqiu was a disciple, he hated how many steps it took to get to his Shizuns
abode. But now that he lives there, each step gives him a sense of security. A boarder
between him and everyone else.

It took about five minutes for him to reach his front door. There was no locks like how most
houses were, just tailsmans. The bamboo house was bare, never quite a home. This peak—
mountain even— had never truly made him feel accepted, so he felt no need to pretend.

But there was one difference in his usual order today. A lone white fan.

Shen Yuans fan.

It was forgotten in the chaos of last night. Even Shen Qingqiu had forgotten about it. But he
had flown back over the festival area to make sure nothing was still wrong. While there, he
found the fan abandoned on the floor of when Shen Yuan fell.

Shen Qingqiu had stashed it and went back to Cang Qiong. And now it was sitting on the
shelf next to his bed, sticking out like a sore thumb.

Making him think of Shen Yuan whenever he looked at it.

One friend. He’s made one friend in his life besides Qi-ge. He made friends with him under
normal circumstances. They have a normal relationship where they talk about books.
Everything is simple. Entertaining. Enlightening, even.

One friend, and he let him get hurt under his watch. Shen Yuan was poisoned, the one thing
he was watching out for all night. How could he have let that happen? Shen Qingqiu was the
peak lord of Qing Jing, yet he couldn’t even protect one person? While looking out for
danger too.

Shen Yuan was alive and would make a full recovery, according to Mu Qingfang, but he
shouldn’t have been in this situation to begin with.

Shen Qingqiu had been derailing since last night. He had been by Shen Yuans side until he
was sure he was safe. He put on his untouchable cultivation act and went to his parent’s
house. (Shen Yuan luckily has their address written down on the counter.) he told them of
their son’s predicament. He saw their horror stricken faces and knew he had failed.

He wanted to scream at the gods above. They had finally given him the strength he needed to
survive, but it was useless when necessary.

If something happened to Qi-ge, would he fail just like this?

Shen Qingqiu was a cultivator. His body didn’t need sleep.

But his mind did.

However, Shen Qingqiu was no fool. He knew himself. He knew if he tried to sleep tonight,
the only thing that would await him was nightmares.

There was only place he could go tonight, that was for sure.

Shen Qingqiu was tempted to just leave the essays for another day, but it was daylight
outside. He couldn’t leave let. And since he didn’t want to go insane waiting, he decided to
mindlessly grade.

Even on Ning Yingying’s paper, he just marked it up and put it to the side. He didn’t truly
read it or take any of its contents in.

Shen Qingqiu needed to escape.

Do when the moon finally showed its light, he made haste to leave. He grabbed his fan, robes
he could easily change out of, and some money, then was on his sword and off the peak.
Then, before anyone saw him, he was off the mountain.

He didn’t stop until he was at his destination.

Warm Red Pavilion.

He slipped in through the doors, going straight for the counter where he knew the owner
would be.

“Madame Zhang,” he said with a nod.

“Ah, A-Jiu, you’re here today. Lucky you, Lihua’s free right now. I’ll see if there’s any other
girls available to keep you company,” Madame Zhang responded with a smile.

“Just Lihua-jie would be fine,” Shen Qingqiu told her. Tonight didn’t need any of the flare
and gossip. Just rest.

“Then follow me.” She waved Shen Jiu over, taking him to the room he was most familiar
with in his establishment.

They walked up the stairs and made their way down the hall to the very last room.

The only place he felt safe. Accepted. Like a person.

Lihua opened the door after Madame Zhang knocked, her face quickly going from confusion
to excitement when she saw Shen Jiu.

No words were exchanged. She simply grabbed his wrist, pulled him inside the room, then
shut the door behind her.

Shen Jiu finally felt like he could breathe.

“A-Jiu, what’s brought you here today?” Lihua asked him as she gave him an almost bone
crushing hug.
“It’s…a long story,” Shen Jiu admitted, melting into his Jiejie’s touch.

Lihua had grown up on the streets with him. They weren’t exactly the closest, since he didn’t
let anyone but Qi-ge close to him. But Lihua knew how to handle all the smaller kids. Shen
Jiu had respected her, and even grew fond of her when she helped him steal some food.

He had been especially bitter and rude the week she got sold off to this brothel.

When Shen Jiu found out Yue Qingyuan had betrayed him, wasn’t coming back for him and
was instead living the high life as a cultivator, he had let his emotions take control. That was
how he found himself at the Warm Red Pavillon for the first time.

He wanted to believe not everyone from back then hated him. Wanted to get rid of their past.

When Lihua had first saw him again, she hugged him so hard he actually stopped breathing
for a bit.

After a few more visits he had made friends with the other ladies here. They hadn’t originally
believed a client was here for anything other than traditional services, so they doubted Shen
Jiu. But they soon realized he really was only here for comfort and accepted him with open
arms.

Shen Jiu had offered to pay for his Jiejie’s freedom multiple times. But she keeps denying so
that she can stay with everyone here.

‘I’m already almost old enough to get kicked out. Once I’m at that age, then I’ll let you take
care of me, okay A-Jiu?’ She had said back then.

Shen Jiu knew it was her choice. He wasn’t going to push it. Instead he decided to wait.

“What’s the story A-Jiu? I’m all ears,” she soothed, settling both of them on her bed.

“Shen Yuan for poisoned last night,” he blurted out, turning to see Lihua’s shocked
expression.

“Oh dear, how did that happen?” She asked softly, her face morphing into worry.

She obviously knew Shen Yuan by name. Shen Jiu had talked about him to her enough times.

“We were at a festival. I was there for a mission. I was watching out for a demon poisoning
foods. Yet I still let him…”

“Is he alright?” Lihua asked him.

“Yes. He’ll make a full recovery because I had the medicine on me and gave it to him in time.
but it shouldn’t have happened at all.”

“A-Jiu, you can’t control who gets attacked by demons. The only thing you can control is if
and how you help them. You did your job and now your friend will be alright. That’s all that
could be asked of you,” Lihua comforted, taking Shen Jiu’s hands in hers. The candles
lighting up the room illuminated her kind face and gentle features.

“I could’ve done more,” Shen Jiu argued pathetically.

“Maybe you could’ve. But you didn’t, and you can’t turn back time. And there’s no need to.
Someone was harmed, yes, but he’ll heal. In a few years, he’ll probably forget about it. Or
maybe he won’t forget, and he’ll forever joke about it. How would react to those jokes?” She
asked him.

“I….” He doesn’t know. He’d probably snap at Shen Yuan and say it wasn’t funny. And Shen
Yuan probably wouldn’t bring it up after that once he realized it affected Shen Jiu too.

“You can’t think properly when you’re tired A-Jiu. Sleep for the night and we can’t keep
talking tomorrow if you want to.” Lihua smiled at Shen Jiu, looking totally sincere.

Shen Jiu felt inclined to believe her.

Shen Jiu stood up from where he was sitting on the bed to take off his outer robes, Lihua
already in hers. Lihua set up the bed for the two of them to sleep, pulling out her cat stuffed
animal that she slept with.

Shen Jiu had bought that for her when he found out how much she liked cats. He hopes that
when she finally agrees to leave this place, he can get her a real one.

“A-Jiu, would you mind blowing out my candles?” She asked, settling into her usual side of
the bed.

“Mhm,” Shen Jiu responded, walking around to blow them all out. He could technically just
use his qi, but he was too tired for that.

Finally, he walked over to his side of her bed, laid down, and was out like a light.

And just like every time he was here, he had a deep, dreamless sleep.

Lihua was right, he needed to sleep before he did anything.

He was now back at Qing Jing. He decided to look over his grading to make sure he didn’t
slip up while he was so out of it. He found two mistaken marks, then decided to write Shen
Yuan a letter.

He knew healing would take some time. Meaning their meeting next week probably won’t
happen. Maybe even the one after. But he had to make sure Shen Yuan knew he understood.

For how quick witted the man could be, he got surprisingly anxious over little things like this.

So before anything started, Shen Jiu was addressing anything he thought would be a problem
in the near future.
 He got up and opened his window, calling out to one of the messenger birds on the peak.

He handed over the letter and watched the bird fly off into the distance.

And now to wait.

[Scum Villains heart blackening -30]

Chapter End Notes

Some backstory, character development, and romance hints, aren’t you guys getting fed
rn

We’re at 20k words woohooo

 Chapter 11
Chapter Summary

🙃
Ran out of motivation to write, decided to read this BL manhwa id saw a few days ago,
and twenty chapters later I had all the motivation I needed

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Yuan is finally better.

Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan are both pleased with this fact.

Shen Yuan was so over rotting in bed! He hated being sick, hated it, hated it, hated it!!

He hated the memories that come with it.

But now he was finally back at the bookstore, Shen Jiu sitting in front of him, the two of
them chatting about the books they’d read while Shen Yuan was recovering.

Shen Yuan had read mostly bad ones.

“And why would you do that?” Shen Jiu questioned.

“Because I wanted to feel something,” Shen Yuan replied with a shrug. He was being honest
too! The medicine he had to take basically numbed everything. If he didn’t feel rage he was
worried he wouldn’t feel anything!

Shen Jiu gave him a disappointed look but made no further comment.

“Any books you actually enjoyed?” Shen Jiu asked.

“Yes but I’m not trying to get judged so that book stays between me and the Gods.”

“You-“ Shen Jiu began.

Then he thought about it.

“Fair enough,” he concluded.

“How about you?” Shen Yuan wondered aloud, resting his head in his hand.

“I read one book that I disliked,” he admitted, flipping his fan open to prepare for the
atrocities that were about to exit his mouth.
“You’re not one to read bad books,” Shen Yuan pointed out, now intrigued. “How’d you find
it?”

“It was on a shelf full of recommendations. It was all filled with books of a specific genre I
liked and the worker said it was one of her favorites. Apparently what I get for visiting
another book shop rather than this one was absolutely no consent! Drunk touching! The
victim was asleep! I have no clue how far it went since I closed the book and burned it right
after that scene,” Shen Jiu scoffed, raising his free hand animatedly.

Shen Yuans face scrunched up in disgust, a fact that pleased Shen Jiu inwardly.

At least someone in this horrid world had basic human decency. His sister too, from the few
interactions he had observed between the two.

“What kind of genre was it?” Shen Yuan asked.

“A transmigration one. It was a cutsleeve novel, a type of book I don’t really frequent, but the
worker insisted it was good.” Shen Jiu scowled as he remembered the trickery that had gone
on a few days prior between him and the clerk.

Since he was scowling, he didn’t notice the way Shen Yuan seemed to tense at the word
‘transmigrate.’

“You….you like transmigration novels?” Shen Yuan asked, his voice unusually tense.

“Yes, I’m quite fond of them. It’s fun to imagine yourself in a different world.” Shen Jiu
shrugged, taking a sip of his tea.

This time it was Shen Yuans turn to whip out his fan and hide his face.

Shen Jiu stared at the man suspiciously. He knew Shen Yuan only brought out his fan when
he had something to hide.

So what was it now?

“Tell me,” Shen Jiu demanded, not trying to play any games right now. He hadn’t been in a
good mood since the book incident.

“It’s nothing!” Shen Yuan assured, immediately putting his fan down to pretend nothing was
wrong.

“Don’t lie to me,” Shen Jiu warned, giving Shen Yuan the same look he gave to disciples
trying to skip out on chores.

“It’s um…I…” Shen Yuan stuttered, racking his brain for a believable excuse.

He was good at lying! Stupid teachers being able to see through lies….

“It’s just my sisters a big fan of cutsleeve novels and always talks about them, so I always get
a bit of second hand embarrassment when people bring them up,” Shen Yuan explained,
making up the excuse as he talked.

Shen Jiu gave him a look that said he didn’t believe his words, but he stopped prying.

Shen Yuan internally sighed with relief.

“Anyways, I get what you’re saying. Based on what my sisters told me, that kind of stuff is
really normalized in cutsleeve novels, even more than in anything else. She’s always
complaining about how hard it is to find a normal story. I don’t get why it’s such a popular
trope,” Shen Yuan said, switching back the subject.

“The most unfortunate part was that I was actually enjoying the story. It was about a boy
transmigrating into a side character of a romance and accidentally seducing the male leads. It
was more of a comedy than a romance. But then one of the love interests took advantage of
the main character being black out drunk. And the main character didn’t even care the next
morning! He just brushed it off like nothing happened! Which is totally unrealistic, might I
add,” Shen Jiu huffed.

“Ah, since it was a comedy they thought they could get away with pretending it wasn’t a big
deal?” Shen Yuan summed up. He had unfortunately also read books like that. They were
never funny after.

“People truly have no empathy. They think these kinds of situations are amazing since they
view it from the attackers side. And they make it so the main character enjoys such things,
but in reality no one does. They think they would until it’s happening to them. Then they’d
know how it actually feels.”

Shen Yuan observed his friend once again talking about this subject and finally came to a
realization.

One that made him feel extremely dumb, embarrassed, sad, and even a little mad.

Shen Jiu had obviously been through this kind of thing before.

Shen Yuan doesn’t know how far it went, but the way Shen Jiu’s tone darkened and his face
contorted while talking about rape and sexual assault wasn’t just like someone who had basic
empathy and common sense. It was someone who was a victim and was disgusted by his
experiences being romanticized.

Shen Yuan doesn’t know how it took him this long to realize this, but all it did was leave him
with a twisted feeling in his stomach and questions he knew he didn’t have the right to ask.

He should pretend he doesn’t know.

Shen Jiu obviously doesn’t want him to know, so he would play along. Just like how Shen Jiu
knew he was lying earlier but didn’t ask any further questions.

“Hopefully one day these authors will realize,” Shen Yuan agreed, his tone softening a bit.
 “It’s not just the authors. Everyone else needs to realize it too. If the people demand
something, the authors will be forced to write it so they can make a living,” Shen Jiu pointed
out, pinning the blame on everyone.

“Yes, that’s definitely true,” Shen Yuan sighed.

“But obviously that’ll never happen.”

The utter disdain in Shen Jiu’s voice really made Shen Yuan feel even worse.

“You can’t control everyone, but you can control yourself and the people you surround
yourself with,” Shen Yuan told him, ripping off one of those stupid inspirational quotes adults
used to tell him when he was a kid.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Excuse you, I’m always right!”

“Well…” Shen Jiu gave him a look, causing Shen Yuan to puff out his face in annoyance.

“You could at least pretend every once in a while!”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Shen Jiu idly sipped his tea, watching Shen Yuan simmer in rage
with an amused expression.

“There’s no fun for me!” Shen Yuan shot back.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Selfish bastard!”

Chapter End Notes

Sorry about the shorter chapter! I really only had one thing to write about here so once it
was done I decided to end it here
 Chapter 12
Chapter Summary

Old lady Wingman

1

SY and SJ
0

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“A-Jiu, do you have extra time today?” Shen Yuan asked as the two finished up their usual
book club meeting.

It had been two month since Shen Yuan had come to a realization about his friend’s past. At
first he wanted to avoid the topic since it was obviously something sensitive. But A-Jiu
brought it up on his own after stumbling upon another book with sexual assault in it. Shen
Yuan decided Shen Jiu needed an outlet to vent his anger towards the topic and had no
problem with hearing about it. So he let things go as they did before.

“I don’t have anything going on after this, no. Why?” Shen Jiu responded.

“I’ve got to get all my Christmas shopping done and going alone sucks ass. Can you
pleaseeeee come with me,” Shen Yuan begged.

His sister had once again ditched him this year for her new mystery guy, so Shen Yuan was
relying on Shen Jiu to help him not get scammed at the market.

“Fine. Only because I need to buy gifts too,” Shen Jiu decided, the two standing up to get
going on their new errand.

The first year Shen Yuan and his family transmigrated to this world, they were shocked by
the fact that Christmas was still a thing here. Well, not Shen Yuan, he knew that bastard
Airplane was so dumb he pretended modern holidays existed in ancient times. A holiday for a
religion that didn’t even exist yet, might he add!

But nevertheless, the family was able to continue with their usual winter activities because of
Airplanes poor writing.

But back then, things were simple. It was his parent’s job to buy them gifts. He’d get one for
his siblings and call it a day.
However now he’s an adult. Now he has two nieces and a nephew all under the age of five.
Now he has to continue and pretend santa is real and buy a million gifts for them.

Holidays as a kid is the best. Holidays with kids….

Anyways, now he’s on a mission to please toddlers with Shen Jiu by his side.

“Who are you buying gifts for A-Jiu? Your students? Family?” Shen Yuan asked, attempting
at conversation as the two walked.

“I don’t give gifts to my students. I just receive them.”

‘Regina George much????’ Shen Yuan thought offhandedly.

“But my work is doing a secret santa with my m- coworkers,” Shen Jiu explained.

“Ah,” Shen Yuan exclaimed, now understanding. “Did you get someone good at least?”

Shen Jiu’s face darkened, signaling that no, he didn’t.

“…who did you get?” Shen Yuan questioned carefully.

“My boss,” Shen Jiu revealed.

“Oh shit, that’s a lot of pressure,” Shen Yuan remarked.

“Hm,” he agreed, leaving the rocky relationship between him and his ‘boss’ unsaid.

“Well do you at least know what he likes?” Shen Yuan pried, pulling Shen Jiu over to a stall
with children’s toys.

“Not anymore,” he grumbled under his breath.

“What was that?” Shen Yuan asked, turning his head around to face the man.

“I said I don’t.”

“Then probably getting him something generic would be best- hey how much is this?”

“Ten yuans,” the shop owner explained.

“Ten yuans for this quality? Five would be adequate for mere blocks that look like they’ll fall
apart after being thrown once,” Shen Jiu cut in, finding the price mentioned outrageous.

He spent most of his childhood on the streets, so he knows how stall owners will up their
prices for richer looking customers. He’s also good at accurately determining the quality of
products.

Hm, no wonder Shen Yuan invited him.

“Ah, my lord-“
“This one is right, aren’t I? Yuan, don’t pay any more than five.” Shen Jiu sent a glare over to
Shen Yuan who was standing to his right.

Shen Yuan has had this exact experience with his sister about a million times by now, but that
glare being sent his way seemed much more scary when it was Shen Jiu.

So he handed the stall owner five yuans and grabbed the blocks.

“Well you’re sure good at this,” Shen Yuan joked.

“And you’re obviously a pushover,” Shen Jiu replied smoothly.

“That’s why I needed you as backup.”

“Are you normally this useless?”

“Well considering my sister needs to help me every time I go shopping, yeah,” Shen Yuan
laughed sheepishly.

Shen Jiu glared at him and exhaled deeply.

“Now you have to help me pick out my gift,” Shen Jiu negotiated.

“Got it,” Shen Yuan chuckled, agreeing to the terms.

“My boss is an extremely simple man. Almost as if he has no tastes whatsoever,” Shen Jiu
explained. He didn’t explain how he used to know everything the man liked.

“Does he teach any subjects?” Shen Yuan inquired, hoping to get more clues to what this
‘boss’ might like.

“Sword fighting,” Shen Jiu answered.

“Maybe some sword polish?” He suggested.

“That might work. I’ll see what options the stalls have,” Shen Jiu decided, mulling over the
idea.

It’s simple, but there’s no way Yue Qingyuan would hate it. And it would eventually be put to
use, so he knows it’s not a pointless gift. He just hates how sword polish is the best he can do
for the man he survived hell with. Who helped raise him. Who he used to consider a brother.

So sword polish.

“Do you think for a baby the gift should be for the child or more for the parents? Like a
stuffed animal or a new bottle?” Shen Yuan questioned, staring at a stall completely dedicated
to baby items.

“The baby. Pick something you know the child likes,” Shen Jiu advised.
“How am I supposed to know what a baby likes?” Shen Yuan complained, picking up random
items and staring at them like they’d personally offended him.

“I don’t know! What have you seen it sucking on lately?” Shen Jiu shot back.

Shen Yuan sighed at the pointless argument, picked up a random rattle, then decided to
purchase it.

“Alright, two down, one to go. Why don’t we go look for that sword polish first while I
brainstorm more gift ideas,” Shen Yuan recommended.

“Alright,” Shen Jiu shrugged, letting Shen Yuan guide him to the stall with sword
maintenance items. He wasn’t very motivated to buy this gift.

Shen Yuan hummed a tune Shen Jiu had never heard as they walked.

“Oh! There’s some silk over there! Give me a second A-Jiu I need to go buy my brother and
sister in law their gifts,” Shen Yuan told him before rushing over to the stall with various
silks and cloths.

Why Shen Yuan was buying silks for his brother was beyond him.

But whatever, he just needs to buy this damn secret santa gift.

Honestly he would’ve preferred Qi Qingqi over Yue Qingyuan. Even Liu Qingge would’ve
been better! At least he could buy a suitable gift for that brute!

But no, he had to get Yue Qingyuan.

They even all had to reveal who they got for their secret santa when they give the gift! So
Yue Qingyuan will open his gift and know it’s from him. He’ll give him that damn expression
he always wears around Shen Jiu. If he has to see that look one more time he swears he’ll self
destruct!

[Scum Villains heart blackening + 15]

‘I thought I turned you off!?’ Shen Yuan thought frantically, almost jumping out of his skin at
the sudden notification.

[you turned me back on when you were poisoned <3]

‘MUTE.’

[ :( ]

If Shen Yuan wasn’t in public, he’d probably have the urge to throw something.

Why does the stupid scum villain need to have moral problems every ten seconds!? Seriously
this guy needs a chill pill! The main storyline shouldn’t have even started yet and he’s
already this bad.
“Fifty yuans,” the stall owner charged when he gave her all the items he wanted to purchase.

Luckily, the one stall he could trust was this one. The lady who owned it was an older woman
who was very fond of his brother. He had always been into sewing back at home, but out here
it wasn’t normalized for men to do a job like that. Once they got here, he no longer had a
teacher. But fortunately for him, he met Yang Xiu, who agreed to take him under her wing.
Yang Xiu had grown to know his brother Shen Hao and the rest of his family, so he knew she
wouldn’t try to over charge him.

If anything, she would give him a discount, so he made sure to sneak an extra ten yuans as he
paid her.

“I see your here with a friend today,” Yang Xiu exclaimed with a friendly smile.

“Ah, yes. That’s Shen Jiu. The two of us have a little book club where we discuss books
we’ve read. We’re Christmas shopping today,” Shen Yuan told her.

“That’s lovely dear!” Yang Xiu gushed.

“Yeah, it’s nice to talk to someone with similar interests,” Shen Yuan replied honestly.

“Hehehehehe, your brother said something similar when he first met that girl Chen Min. I’ll
tell you, I’m so happy those two met. They said when their little girl gets older they’re going
to send her over to me for lessons. Oh I just can’t wait! When you get old like me teaching
you youngsters is all you can look forward to.”

Shen Yuan almost choked, but decided not to, quickly changing the subject.

“Shen Jiu is also a teacher! He teaches the four arts, hahaha…”

“Oh really? That’s lovely!” Yang Xiu smiled.

Just when Shen Yuan wanted to die, Shen Jiu came over to save him.

“I got the sword polish. Do you have any new gift ideas?” Shen Jiu asked as he walked over
to Shen Yuan, stopping at his side.

“Hello dear! A-Yuan here tells me you’re a teacher. How old are your students?” Yang Xiu
questioned, not even leaving a second for introductions or formalities.

“I teach teenagers,” Shen Jiu answered, easily slipping into conversation with Yang Xiu.

Shen Yuan stood awkwardly as Yang Xiu and Shen Jiu exchanged their teaching experiences,
holding the rolls of silk.

Well. Now he has time to come up with another gift idea.

 ”Got everything you need?” Shen Jiu asked once he was done with talking to Yang Xiu. At
some point, Shen Yuan had left to buy his remaining gifts, but Shen Jiu had become engaged
in a very entertaining conversation, so he left Shen Yuan to fend for himself.

“Yep. I may have got a bit scammed at the end, but it’s all good.”

“You never cease to amaze me,” Shen Jiu muttered in disbelief.

“I’m assuming you’re saying that in a negative connotation,” Shen Yuan threw out there.

“Wow what could have given it away?”

“Well thanks for today.” Shen Yuan gave Shen Jiu a warm smile, waving him off, his bags
gift bags in his hands.

“Yes, when I didn’t need to defend you and your spending idiocy it was pleasant.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Well good luck to you at your secret santa,” Shen Yuan laughed.

“and I hope your nieces and nephews all enjoy their toys,” Shen Jiu replied.

“those brats better.”

The two exchanged a sarcastic smile. At least they both felt the same about their holidays
next week.

Well, in spirit they would get through it together.

[Scum Villain heart blackening -5]

Chapter End Notes

Next chapter is Christmas 😝😝

Edit: OMG ITS JIUYUAN WEEK IM GETTING SPOILED WHO WAS GONNA
TELL ME
 Chapter 13
Chapter Summary

IT HAS BEEN EDITED WOOHOO

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Dude Perfect Christmas Stereotypes: Family with babies.

“A-Yuan! You’re finally here!” His mother greeted as he walked into the door.

“Hi mom, where should I put the gifts?” Shen Yuan responded as he gave her a side hug, half
of his body being used to carry things.

“Everyone’s in the banquet hall. There’s a corner where all the gifts are sitting, you’ll see it,”
his mom told him.

“Alright. Thanks.” Shen Yuan made sure nothing dropped as he continued inside, eventually
coming across the hall.

It seemed he was the last to show up, embarrassingly.

His oldest nephew, Shen Bao, came running up to him when he entered, trying to make a
grab at the presents in Shen Yuans hands.

“Oh no you don’t,” Shen Yuan smirked, bringing the gifts out of the toddlers sight.

The three year old pouted, attempted to climb up his leg, but his father came over and
dragged him away.

“Hao-ge,” Shen Yuan greeted brightly.

“Sorry about him Yuan-di. Getting a little sister didn’t really help with his concept of
personal space,” his older told him with an apologetic smile.

“Here let me help you with these,” Chen Min, his sister in law, said, grabbing a few presents
out of his hands.

“Thanks Min-jie.” Shen Yuan followed his sister in law over to the gift corner his parents
were talking about, setting down everything in his arms.
“Mommy,” a child’s voice called out, tugging on Chen Min’s robes.

“Yes, Chunhua’er?” Chen Min asked, picking up her one year old daughter.

“Mommy! Hungry,” the baby complained.

“We’re going to eat soon dear. Everyone’s here now so it’ll only be a few minutes,” she
comforted her daughter, giving the baby a small boop on the nose.

The baby in her arms giggled, her pouting put to a stop.

“A-Yuan, could you hold Chyou’er? She’s supposed to be napping right now but she just
won’t sleep. Dad called me to go help bring out food and Kexin’s at home sick,” Shen Yuans
second oldest brother, Shen Chao, came over to ask him.

“Is she alright? Is it a sickness relating to the pregnancy or something else?” Shen Yuan
questioned, immediately taking the five month old into his arms.

Shen Chao’s wife had a much harsher pregnancy than Chen Min, so everyone was worried
about this second child. Her health was always back and forth right now, so she couldn’t
attend the dinner.

“It’s relating to the pregnancy, according to the doctor. She’ll be okay, but she needs to rest. I
was supposed to stay home with her, but she insisted I go, so I figured taking Chyou with me
would at least give her a few hours to herself,” Shen Chao informed him, rushing off to go
help bring out food.

Shen Yuan felt for Zhao Kexin. He knew what it was like to have a sickly body that didn’t
agree with your wants.

But the sound of his niece starting to cry in his arms took him away from that thought.

“Shhhh, Chyou. Hey, it’s okay. I look similar to your dad, right? Don’t cry,” Shen Yuan
rambled frantically, being terrible at taking care of babies. Toddlers? kids? teens? Yes.
Babies? Hard no.

In testimony to that, all Chyou did was cry harder.

“You have to rock her,” a little voice beside him suggested, pulling on the hem of his robes.

“Hm?” Shen Yuan asked, looking down at Shen Bao.

“When Chunhua-Mei was really little mommy and daddy would rock her to make her stop
crying. It still works sometimes,” his nephew explained matter of-factly.

“I’m taking your present back if this doesn’t work.” Shen Yuan glared, starting to slowly rock
the crying baby.

Shen Bao stuck his tongue out at him, scurrying back to his mother’s side.
Shen Yuan continually rocked his niece until her cries started to taper off bit by bit, and after
a few minutes, the girl was completely silent.

‘Guess that nap time finally kicked in….’ Shen Yuan guessed, taking a breath of relief.

Once the baby was asleep and quiet in his still rocking arms, Shen Bao slinked back over, his
eyes expectant.

“Yeah yeah, there’s money in my bag,” he informed the greedy child with a roll of his eyes.

His nephew giggled and ran over to where Shen Yuan’s stuff was sitting. Shen Yuan
distracted his older brother and sister in law while he got robbed by their son.

“Ge, I think you’re too much of a pushover with Bao’er,” Shen Yuan complained once he saw
the boy stash the money in his robes.

“He’s still too young to have any real interests, but he’s already over basic punishments.
We’re waiting for him to have something he likes to take away when he’s bad for now,” Shen
Hao reasoned.

“He’s three Hao-ge. Can’t you just tell him ‘no?’” Shen Yuan asked skeptically.

“We’ve been trying, but that boys too smart for his own good,” Chen Min sighed.

“If he’s that smart why don’t you start some schooling for him? If he likes it you can take that
away,” Shen Yuan suggested.

“Maybe some classes would help him…” Shen Hao muttered, his wife nodding in silent
agreement.

“Yuan-di! How’s Chyou? I don’t hear crying at least,” Shen Chao exclaimed, slapping his
younger brother’s shoulder.

“Shhh! You’re gonna wake her up!” Shen Yuan loudly protested, nodding towards the
sleeping baby in his arms.

“That girl doesn’t wake up for anything, trust me,” Shen Chao laughed, taking the baby back.

True to his word, the baby didn’t even scrunch her face at the loud noises.

“Well she adapted fast,” Shen Hao joked.

Shen Chao rolled his eyes at his brother’s tease, turning around to leave the room. “I’m
putting Chyou’er down for a nap, I’ll be back.”

“Everyone, we’re eating now! Where’s Shen Bai?” His mother called out, clapping to get
everyone’s attention.

“Haven’t seen her,” Shen Yuan said, taking his usual seat.
“That girl I swear…” his mother cursed under her breath, rushing off to Shen Bai’s room.

“Well things are calmer this year it seems,” their father joked as he sat down.

“I think that’s just because Shen Bai’s missing,” Shen Yuan snarked.

“Hey you know she appears when spoken of,” Shen Chao added, walking back into the
banquet hall.

Shen Hao and Chen Min laughed as they got their two kids situated at the table.

Things were rather calm….

“SHEN BAI, YOU ARE GROUNDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!” A voice down the
hall shouted.

“YOU’RE SO UNFAIR!” Another voice screamed back.

The calm before the storm, apparently.

Indistinct shouts were heard down the hall, everyone at the table exchanging nervous glances.

Well, not the two kids, but they don’t count.

“What do you think she did?” Shen Chao whispered, despite the fact that there was no way
Shen Bai and their mother could hear them.

“Something relating to a boy, probably,” Shen Yuan decided.

“Why is that your first thought?” Shen Hao asked curiously.

They all knew he was closet to Shen Bai, so usually, his judgement on her was most accurate.

“Because she’s been ditching me lately for one. She didn’t go to the festival with me, she
couldn’t go Christmas shopping, ect. So it’s probably him,” Shen Yuan shrugged.

“Huh? She said she went to the festival and Christmas shopping with you though,” his father
revealed.

“Huh?” Shen Yuan choked, realizing he had just been used as an excuse by his sister to sneak
out. “How could she have been with me at the festival if I got poisoned!?”

“She said she left early!”

“So she’s been sneaking around with a guy for months and no one knew? Well, except A-
Yuan,” Shen Hao said, summarizing what just happened.

“She said you guys knew!” Shen Yuan defended.

“Well someone’s grounded for a while,” Shen Chao determined.

“And you’re telling your mother what you just said when she comes back,” his father
announced, staring directly at Shen Yuan.

Now he’s gonna get in trouble too! No fair!

Ugh. He hopes A-Jiu’s having a better holiday than him.

Dude Perfect Christmas Stereotypes: Corporate Christmas.

“Alright, is everyone here now?” Yue Qingyuan asked when Shang Qinghua finally walked
in.

As usual, he was disheveled and rushing.

“Looks like it,” Qi Qingqi nodded, taking a look around the room.

“Alright should we exchange gifts or eat first?” Yue Qingyuan questioned the crowd.

“Gifts,” Qi Qingqi announced, getting no arguments.

“Alright then. Shimei, why don’t you start the secret santa and say who you got?” Yue
Qingyuan recommended while everyone began to take their seats.

Qi Qingqi stayed standing, pulling out a wrapped gift from her sleeve.

“This one had Shang-Shidi,” she revealed, walking over to her martial sibling.

“Oh! Thanks,” Shang Qinghua said with a nervous laugh, taking the gift from Qi Qingqi’s
hands.

“Are we opening them too?” Shang Qinghua asked as Qi Qingqi went to go sit down.

“That should be fine,” Yue Qingyuan smiled, his answer as ambiguous as always.

Shang Qinghua decided to set the tone by just opening it.

“Thanks for the ink Shijie,” Shang Qinghua said as he opened the gift, his expression
remaining his usual anxiety ridden mess.

Qi Qingqi nodded in response, a slight smile at her gifts praise.

It seemed everyone had gone with practical gifts this year. That’s good.

“This one got Liu-Shixiong,” Shang Qinghua explained, grabbing his own gift.

Shang Qinghua was about to get up to walk over to Liu Qingge when the man in question
decided to get up first, taking the gift from Shang Qinghua’s hands.
Shang Qinghua had the expression of a startled hamster. How pathetic.

Liu Qingge didn’t walk back to his seat, instead opting to open his gift in front of Shang
Qinghua.

‘Perhaps it’s to throw it back at him if the gift isn’t any good. Wouldn’t that be amusing,’ Shen
Qingqiu thought dryly.

“Thank you for the sword polish, Shidi,” Liu Qingge said in reply to the gift.

‘Sword polish!? Shit!’

Maybe practical gifts weren’t the best idea.

“This one got Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge revealed, looking as upset about it as Shen Qingqiu
was. The both of them slightly glared at each other but said nothing.

Honestly, if he didn’t even have the decency to address him as his martial brother, why
should Shen Qingqiu give him the respect of one?

“Here,” Liu Qingge grumbled, shoving the gift into Shen Qingqiu’s hands.

“It’s not going to fly away, Shidi,” Shen Qingqiu told him with a roll of his eyes.

Liu Qingge’s nostrils flared, but he made no show of moving back to his seat.

Well. Guess he has to open the gift now.

Shen Qingqiu elegantly unwrapped the brutes horrible wrapping skills and stared in mild
shock at the gift before him.

It was a book.

A murder mystery, or something similar, it would seem.

Shen Qingqiu glanced back at Liu Qingge, a million questions in his mouth, but then he
remembered something.

That time he followed him to his meet up with Shen Yuan.

Obviously the man now knew he liked to read things other than his peaks curriculum.

For some reason, that brute putting actual thought into a gift for him made him even more
upset. Especially because of how he acquired the information of his tastes.

How annoying this was turning out to be.

But instead of blowing up at Liu Qingge like he so desperately wanted to, he gritted out a
nearly silent, “thank you,” and waited patiently for his Shidi to go back to his seat.

Thankfully he did, so now it was Shen Qingqiu’s turn to say who he got.
 Great.

“This one was given Zhangman-shixiong.”

Unlike Liu Qingge, Shen Qingqiu didn’t made a show of his gift, simply gave it to Yue
Qingyuan and left back to his seat.

Everyone watched to see what the sect leader was given—mostly so that if it was something
good they could copy it next year if needed—with anticipation.

Unfortunately, it was anticlimactic.

“Apparently, Shang-Shidi and I had similar ideas this year.”

Everyone slinked back in their seats disappointed, but no one saying anything.

It was a practical gift. What could they say?

“Thank you Shidi,” Yue Qingyuan smiled. He acted like Shen Qingqiu had just given him the
entire world as a present, while, in reality, it was just simple polish.

Shen Qingqiu hated Christmas parties.

He hoped Shen Yuan was enjoying himself more than he was enjoying his time here.

Chapter End Notes

Did I write almost all of this in one day? Yes. Did I write half of it at school, the other
half in the middle of the night, and part of it at work? Also yes.
Am I ashamed? Honestly yeah, I really have no life.
 Chapter 14
Chapter Summary

Back to books

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Jiu was perplexed.

For Cang Qiong mountains secret santa between peak lords, Shen Qingqiu had been gifted a
book by Liu Qingge.

The person on the mountain he hated most.

That annoying, insufferable, idiotic, brutish, dense hypocrite….

Had gifted him a book he actually enjoyed.

When he was given the book, he had thrown it aside without a care. But then he met up with
Shen Yuan for their usual meeting. Then Shen Yuan reminded him it was his turn to pick a
book. So he decided to just throw it out there.

At least he could make fun of it with Yuan.

At least, that was his original goal…!

“That was such a good book! Where did you say you got it again?” Shen Yuan asked
cheerily, the two of them finally reconvening after finishing the book.

“My coworker gifted it to me for our secret santa,” Shen Jiu gritted out, not being able to
deny the book was enjoyable.

Not just enjoyable, one of the best books he’s ever read!

Why? Why did it have to be Liu Qingge who introduced him to it!?

“Give them my thanks. I haven’t read all that much murder mystery myself, but if they’re all
like this I might just have to start! Great storyline, unreliable narrator who tricks you, even
plot twists! I was honestly at the edge of my seat at the end of that book.” Shen Yuan sang the
books praises while grabbing some snacks blindly.

“I too got tricked by the books plot twist. It was definitely unexpected. I also think how the
author wrote Alicia was very realistic. Yes there was some unprofessional behavior in the
book by the therapist that wouldn’t have happened in real life, but overall everything played
out in a reasonable manner,” Shen Jiu added.

“Seriously! The beginning I was wondering what the hell was happening and by the end my
jaw was on the floor!”

The books in question?

‘The Silent Patient.’

Shen Jiu had enjoyed that stupid book so much he showed up to the bookstore early today so
he could find more books like it.

So far he had found ‘The Cellar’, ‘Then She Was Gone’, and ‘The Reappearance of Rachel
Price.’

All of which he was planning on reading with Shen Yuan.

Look, Shen Jiu wasn’t someone who gushed over sappy romances. He mostly read them to
prove to himself someone else out there didn’t think rape and assault was romantic. He had
never stuck his toes into the pool of Mystery’s, whether it was murder, maybe more
psychological, or even just straight up horror. He tended to stick to fantasy.

But after this book, he felt like he had been depraving himself his whole life. He needed
more.

Obviously—Shen Jiu wasn’t a fool— he knew this book was of the higher quality in the
genre, but he was hoping these next few would be too. He had put a lot of care into picking
them after all.

Shen Jiu had read many books in his life. Every once in a while he’d have a thought about the
book after finishing it, but never like this. He couldn’t stop. Even during his lessons, he found
himself recalling the book while the younger disciples were quietly copying poems.

This had never happened. Shen Jiu couldn’t tell if he enjoyed it or not.

So he’s doing more research. If he has the same experience a few more times, he’ll be able to
determine his feelings on the matter.

“I’ve always found unreliable narrators so enjoyable! The feelings you have when you realize
you can’t just naturally trust everything they say and you have to rethink everything you’ve
just read. Or when you read a line and you know the narrator thinks it’s correct, but you know
it’s actually wrong. Now that’s a feeling you can’t replicate with anything else!” Shen Yuan
laughed, his eyes alight with amusement and passion. His hands moved around animatedly as
he talked.

Aka his usual behavior when talking about books.

But the moment he caught Shen Jiu staring for more than a second, the fan Shen Jiu had
boughten for him was instantly raised.
Shen Jiu let his mouth tilt up on amusement himself as he watched the man’s reaction. He
had most of them memorized by now, as he did with everyone he interacted with in his life.

But similar to how he knew exactly how to make Liu Qingge blow up for his own
entertainment, he also knew just how to make Shen Yuan squirm in his seat.

At first he did it to regain the power in a conversation, whenever Shen Yuan started rambling
too much, if he said something that reminded Shen Jiu he was a sheltered rich kid, or when
he tried to tease Shen Jiu for whatever reason. But now it was more for his own enjoyment.
Shen Yuan was a little too easy to mess with.

But at the same time, the simplicity of it never failed to help him remain calm.

Shen Jiu doesn’t regret taking on the mission with the Flocking Butterflies, he’s found.

“Yes. Unreliable narrators are quite interesting. Especially when you analyze their behaviors
and piece together why they would lie to themselves,” Shen Jiu agreed.

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before things got a little uneasy,
so Shen Yuan jumped to their next topic of discussion.

“So any ideas for the next book?” Shen Yuan asked hopefully, re-alighting the conversation.

“Isn’t it your turn?” Shen Jiu reminded.

“Yeah, but you’ve obviously got sucked into this genre, so I figured I’ll let you take the lead
for a few books to let you explore,” Shen Yuan explained.

That’s….weirdly thoughtful.

“What happened?” Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes at Shen Yuan, already sensing something was
wrong.

Shen Yuan isn’t ‘thoughtful’ when it comes to books.

Shen Yuan was a simple man. He doesn’t break character like this for no reason.

Shen Yuan looked around awkwardly, letting out a deep sigh. He explained briefly, “I got
grounded for unknowingly helping my sister sneak around.”

“Huh?”

“My sister’s been sneaking around with a guy lately and using me as a scapegoat. I didn’t
realize and ultimately got in trouble too!” Shen Yuan huffed angrily.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Shen Jiu questioned.

“My parents took away my extra spending money for the month because they don’t know
I’ve been borrowing from the library. I feel less guilty about not telling them about my
loophole if you pick the book,” Shen Yuan admitted.
Shen Jiu gave Shen Yuan a disappointed look, hoping to convey he was expecting more.

“Yeah I know! It’s just that I always feel bad when I go against my parents.”

“You’re an adult who lives on his own. I think you’ll be fine this one time,” Shen Jiu
attempted to reason.

“It’s not that I think they’ll find out!” Shen Yuan shot back. “It’s about my own morals. I
don’t like to go against my parents if I don’t have to. But I also don’t want to just ditch you,
so im betraying their trust. It’s more about me than them, to be honest.”

“A parent’s job is to raise you and then release you off into the world. If they still have that
tight of a hold on you maybe it’s time you distance. It won’t do you any good,” Shen Jiu
recommended.

“A parent’s job doesn’t just magically disappear once you turn eighteen! I’m not attached to
my parents nor are they overbearing. But if they see the need to step in to enforce discipline
they will. Obviously it doesn’t happen much anyone since, as you said, I’m an adult who
lives on his own. But everyone needs help every once in a while,” Shen Yuan argued.

“Yes but-“

“And I was keeping things from them relating to someone who still lives in their house. If
you don’t think I am someone my parents have a right to discipline, you can’t say they don’t
have a right over my younger sister, can you?”

“Well didn’t I kick a nerve,” Shen Jiu muttered, a bit annoyed.

“Look, even if I have complaints about my parents every once in a while, they’re still the
amazing people who raised me with all the love, care, and support they could. If I denied that
just because of a minor disagreement with them that would be betraying the person they
raised me to be,” Shen Yuan explained, a little too seriously.

“Yes, yes, I understand,” Shen Jiu said with a roll of his eyes, putting an end to this
conversation.

He was a bit uncomfortable.

He didn’t know how a family was supposed to run. He didn’t know how parents were
supposed to raise their children. He didn’t understand the loyalty a child felt towards their
parents. It’s not his fault he never experienced any of the things Shen Yuan thought of as
common sense.

But he supposes he also had no right to comment on this subject.

“Okay, this is totally awkward. How about we just pick the next book?” Shen Yuan
practically begged, hating the now stuffy atmosphere.

Shen Jiu flicked open his fan and nodded, taking out the three books he’d found.
 “Since it’s technically your turn, decide between these,” Shen Jiu commanded.

“Um. How about ‘The Cellar?’ I’ve heard lots of praise for the author of this one, so if we
like it we’ll have plenty more of hers to read,” Shen Yuan suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Shen Jiu agreed with a shrug.

“Alright then. I’ll see you in two weeks?”

“‘Sounds good to me’” Shen Yuan mimicked playfully.

Shen Jiu glared back, but there was no real hostility behind his gaze.

That was certainly something only reserved for Shen Yuan.

In his normal routine, Shen Yuan checked the system before he went to bed to see if there
was any updates in the Scum Villains mental problems.

And because the world hates him, there of course was.

[Scum Villain Heart Blackening +5]

It wasn’t a huge number, no, but still.

Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.

And the winner right now was definitely Shen Qingqiu, not him!

[Scum Villain Heart Blackening Total: 365/500]

Shen Yuan flipped over in bed, screamed into his pillow for a moment, then drearily flipped
around, grabbing the book on his dresser next to him.

‘Just read about people who have it worse than you,’ he chanted as he opened the book.

Luckily, this book was even crazier than the last one, so Shen Yuan quickly forgot about his
problems on favor of focusing on the protagonists.

It was easier that way. No him, no Shen Qingqiu, no Luo Binghe, no Cang Qiong Mountain
Sect, no demons, no monsters, no transmigration, no system, no death, no nothing.

Just a boy and his silly little book.

That was all this should’ve ever been.

Chapter End Notes

The books I said here are some of my favorites lmao. If you’re interested in murder
mystery’s or psychological mystery’s, I would recommend the books mentioned here
and literally all of Natasha Preston’s books.

My favs for her would be

The cellar (noted here)
The lake (first one I read of her and convinced me to buy all the rest of her books
The lost (almost wrote a fanfic about this book)
The island (had me immersed the whole damn time)

I can give more recs for anyone who wants it, I’ve read almost every murder mystery
out there lmao
 Chapter 15
Chapter Summary

SY changing the plot one book club at a time lmao

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“So what did you think of the book?” Shen Jiu asked, waiting for Shen Yuans opinion before
he gave his own. As always.

“This one really got me, oh my gods. The fact that we got the perspective of the kidnapper?
The way he kept justifying his actions and claiming he was the good guy? And the fact that I
truly didn’t know if this book would have a good or bad ending. I’ve heard that some of her
other books don’t have happy ending so I was so scared! I swear I had an adrenaline high for
a solid ten minutes,” Shen Yuan gushed, happily singing the books praises.

“The contrast from the beginning to the end is what really got me. The way she was no
longer afraid of horror movies, how at first she didn’t recognize the name Lily but by the end
she didn’t recognize the name Summer. The writing was great, the plot was actually
interesting, and nothing was glorified like in some other books,” Shen Jiu agreed.

“And the story between Rose and Clover was so complex! Imagine the guy you’re dating
turns out to be a serial killer, wants you to join him, and then kidnaps you and makes you one
of his ‘flowers’ when you say no. Their interactions were so heartbreaking,” Shen Yuan
sighed, recalling some of the books events.

“She was a great character. She gave up her livelihood to protect those girls, then eventually
gave up her life for it.”

“I actually liked the boyfriend in this one too! That’s definitely new,” Shen Yuan joked.

“As much as the story was incredibly sad, the relationship Summer had with her brother and
boyfriend was at least heartwarming,” Shen Jiu commented.

“More books should use this as an example!” Shen Yuan huffed. “There was like twenty
pages of romance in total between the main character and her boyfriend, yet it’s beat out
about half of all the romance novels I’ve ever read.”

Shen Jiu nodded his head in agreement. He never thought a book like this would be
comforting in a way, yet here he was.
He had again seen a book put the main character in a terrible situation where she was
kidnapped, psychologically tortured, raped, almost killed, and the author actually called
attention to how all of these are horrible things. Every time he read a new one of these books,
he felt something in his heart start to calm a bit.

He was also starting to think he liked the feeling of getting hung up on a book. It was a good
distraction, that was for sure.

“Hey A-Jiu do you know what time it is?” Shen Yuan asked suddenly, seeming to remember
something.

“Almost three, why?”

“Oh shit!” Shen Yuan cursed, jumping up out of his seat.

“Are you okay?” Shen Jiu questioned, a bit startled by Yuan’s reaction.

“I totally forgot I was supposed to meet up with my sister today! I said at three but the book
was so good we ran over…” Shen Yuan frantically explained, packing up all his stuff and
leaving some money on the table to help pay for today.

“You paid last time,” Shen Jiu reminded, taking out his own money pouch.

“Right! Thanks! I’ll see you in two weeks!” Shen Yuan called out as he dashed off.

Shen Jiu sighed as he watched the boy take off, flagging the waitress over so he could pay.

Shen Yuan was rushing through the crowded street, trying to remember exactly where Shen
Bai wanted to meet him. It was around here somewhere….

‘It was by a shop, right?’ He wondered, slowing down to look at his surroundings.

In his defense, Shen Bai had been extremely vague about this meet up!

He made his way through the dense crowd carefully, looking for anyone that looked like his
sister, but unfortunately for him, no such person came into his line of sight.

At least, not before he got shoved into an alleyway.

“Hey-!” Shen Yuan shouted as the crowd moved him unwillingly, but no one heeded his call.
Instead, he was left standing alone waiting for an opening to re-enter the busy marketplace.

Why’d his sister have to pick rush hour to meet up!?

“What? Are you gonna go crying to your mommy now? Hahahaha!” A voice laughed a bit of
a distance away.

‘Huh?’ Shen Yuan thought, looking around to see where the noise came from.
It seemed the alley he ended up in actually led to somewhere and wasn’t just a dead end, so
he decided to check it out.

What could go wrong?

His family would kill him if they knew he was making another stupid decision.

The alleyway came to a fork, so Shen Yuan waited for the voices to speak again.

It didn’t take very long, antagonistic snickers and small grunts of what seemed like pain
could be heard from his right, so he made haste to follow.

Look, Shen Yuan had no confidence in his fighting skills, but for some reason, his body
would occasionally move on its own. He blames that fact that he spent his childhood inside
or in hospitals.

It could also possibly be his own stupidity, yes, but if Shen Yuan isn’t good at anything, he’s
at least good at excuses.

It was a few more moments before Shen Yuan finally came face to face with the voices.

Four little boys stood before him. Well, three stood, one was on the floor curled up into a
ball.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” Shen Yuan shouted, startling the three boys who
were attacking the poor thing on the ground.

“Huh? Who are you!?” One of the boys, who Shen Yuan assumed was the leader, shot back.

“This one is named Shen Yuan. I’m sure you’ve heard that name before right?” Shen Yuan
replied, a smug air around him.

The three boys froze when they found out who he was, their eyes widening impossibly wide.

“Y-Your lying!” One of the other boys argued.

“Oh? Do you want to test my words? Tell me your family names and we’ll see if the Shen
family knocks yours down a peg or two,” Shen Yuan told them, kneeling a bit to stare into the
little boys eyes.

The boy who tried to fight him started trembling, his two friends grabbing him and taking off.

“Hmph! That’ll teach those brats,” Shen Yuan huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he
glared at the figures running off.

Then he heard a sniffle below him and remembered why he was here.

“Ah! Are you alright? They didn’t hurt you too bad did they?” Shen Yuan asked, crouching
down to the boy with messy curly hair.
Huh. He hasn’t seen curly hair since back home.

The boy before him scrambled away until his back hit the wall, his pupils blown so wide his
eyes were completely black. Terror was all Shen Yuan could see on the child’s face.

Shen Yuans gaze instinctively softened as he smiled at the boy, hoping to find comforting
words. “It’s alright, I don’t want to hurt you. I wouldn’t have stepped in if that was the case,
now would I?”

The boy was still trembling, but his pupils slowly shrank as his guarded stance unfolded bit
by bit. He hugged his knees to his chest as he watched Shen Yuan carefully.

As if to not spook a small animal, Shen Yuan kept completely still as he watched the small
boy get more comfortable.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Shen Yuan asked carefully once he deemed the timing appropriate.

The boy looked down at himself, only taking his eyes off Shen Yuan for a second, before
slowly nodding.

“Do you have any medicine? Where do you live? I’ll walk you home,” Shen Yuan offered,
still making no movement.

“You don’t have to,” the boy croaked, curling in on himself a bit more.

“If you don’t want me to,” Shen Yuan agreed softly. “But do you have any medicine or
bandages? You got cut up pretty bad.”

He shook his head.

“Here, I’ll buy you some medicine from the market, okay?”

“No! I’m okay, really-“ the boy waved his hands frantically to get Shen Yuan to stop, but he
was already up off the ground to find some proper healing supplies,

“Do you wanna come with me or stay here?” Shen Yuan cut him off.

“I….” A pained expression came over the boy and he looked to the ground, looking deep in
thought. But eventually, he made his mind. “I’ll go with you.”

“Okay,” Shen Yuan smiled. “Stay close to me, it’s pretty crowded right now.”

Unlike his advice, as the two walked through the alley, the little boy stayed about six feet
away from him the entire time.

That was, until, they were at the end of the alley, facing the market.

And all the people.

Shen Yuan had stopped and waited for the boy to catch up to where he stood. He turned
around to see the worried expression on his face, waiting for the kid to make the first move.

It took about to minute for the child to make his decision, but eventually he walked over and
clutched onto Shen Yuans robes.

Shen Yuan beamed at the child’s show of trust in him, finally taking off to the marketplace
once again.

This time, however, he actually knew where he was going.

Back when they first got here and weren’t sure if Shen Yuan was actually cured or not, they
made sure to memorize with him where the nearest stall containing medicine was. So it didn’t
take much for Shen Yuan to weave through the crowds to where he intended to go.

The kid held onto his robes tight as they walked around, clearly not used to such a busy
place.

Luckily for both of them, however, the stall he was looking for was only a few minutes away.

“Hello Shen Yuan!” The stall owner greeted, now knowing Shen Yuans face by heart after all
of his parents worrying.

“Hello,” he responded. “I need some medicine for cuts and pain.”

The owner of the stall looked down at the child attached to his side and immediately
understood.

“Here you go. And here’s your medicine too. Your parents let me know ahead of time that
you’d be needing it this month,” the stall owner told him, getting out the necessary items plus
some meds for illness.

“Huh? But I-“ Shen Yuan began, confused, before the man gave him a look, flicked his eyes
downward, then back up to Shen Yuan.

Oh. He understands.

“Ah, thanks. I almost forgot,” he fibbed, taking the bag of pills and salves, handing over
some money.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” Shen Yuan directed with a light nudge, getting the boy and
his side moving again.

Well. Shen Bai could wait until tomorrow to see him.

“I…I live close by here. Thank you.” The boy he had given the medicine to bowed deeply,
tightly clutching the bag in his hand.
“Hey, no problem! Also, that medicine in there for me, I totally forgot I already bought some
a few days ago, so I don’t need the extra. If you ever get sick just take a spoonful of it every
morning and night until you get better. I promise it works like a charm!” Shen Yuan assured,
waving off the boy.

“Thank you again,” the kid muttered. His head still hadn’t raised, but either a drop of sweat
or a tear dropped to the floor,—who was he kidding he knew it was a tear, but let the kid save
some face!—telling him all he needed to know.

“You’re welcome. Can I at least get to know your name before I go?” He chuckled, looking
down at the kid fondly.

“Ah…this one’s name is Luo Binghe.”

No fucking way.

No fucking way!!!!!

Thank God Luo Binghe was still staring at the floor because he would’ve seen the panicking
Shen Yuan who took a second to hide his reaction.

“Goodbye, Luo Binghe,” Shen Yuan said, fighting off the urge to just run away. His fan had
been whipped out and was now covering the bottom half of his face.

“C-Can I know my lords name?” Luo Binghe blurted out, raising his head a little bit to look
Shen Yuan in the eye.

“Oh dear, didn’t you hear my yell at those kids earlier? This one is named Shen Yuan,” Shen
Yuan replied, feeling himself smile involuntarily.

“I know….I just wanted to hear it myself,” Luo Binghe admitted, his face flushing bright red.

‘Awwwww!!! White lotus protagonist! Wait no, Shen Yuan, don’t get distracted!’

“It was nice meeting you, Binghe. If we see each other again I hope it will be under better
circumstances.”

Well, technically, he was supposed to be trying to hug the scum villains thighs, yes, but this
was a rare chance to get on the good side of the protagonist! He had to take it!

“Yes! I’ll make sure of it!”

‘Ack! My heart!’

Okay, if he doesn’t leave now he was screwed. He better make a run for it!

Goodbye adorable not-yet-blackened protagonist!

 “Mom,” Luo Binghe whispered, nudging his mother awake.

His mother groaned slightly, wiping her eyes as she rose up from her bed.

His mother had been sick for a few weeks now. She was getting worse by the day and
recently had to stop working all together.

But now he had medicine for her.

“I have some medicine for you. I ran into a nice gege who had extra. He said you should take
it once in the morning and once at night. Try it,” Luo Binghe explained, holding the spoon up
to his mother.

“Are you sure?” She asked, her voice hoarse and weak.

“Yes. We can trust the medicine,” Luo Binghe promised.

His mother sighed softly, before having the spoonful.

“This should make you feel better,” Luo Binghe said again, not sure if he was trying to
comfort himself or his mom.

“Thank you sweetie.” His mother smiled at him before lying back down, falling asleep
almost instantly. Her body was exhausted from fighting off her illness.

Maybe if she was better she would’ve seen all the patched up cuts and bruises her son was
sporting.

But she wasn’t well enough for that yet, laying down asleep in her bed.

The bed Binghe had almost begun to consider her death bed.

But maybe not anymore.

Chapter End Notes

Street kids SY had charmed/helped heal: 2

Shen Bai waiting for her brother to show up be like: 🧍‍

♀️
 Chapter 16
Chapter Summary

😈
SJ’s had like 15 chapters of character development (good and bad) so now it’s SY’s turn

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

He heard crying.

Who was crying?

As Shen Qingqiu rounded the corner, he got his answer.

He had just recently finished lessons, so after organizing the disciples assignments that he
had decided to grade at a later time, he thought it would be pleasant to go on a stroll.

The snow seemed to have stopped for the week, so it was safe to walk around by now.

Shen Qingqiu used to hate winter. They would always be torturous. At least three kids always
died during it, the rest the barely suffering through.

But now he had money and power. Now he had quality clothes and food to keep him warm.
Now he had actual shelter to protect him from the unforgiving weather.

So to make a point of that success, he liked to be outside as much as possible during the
colder months. Because of that, a short walk seemed enjoyable.

The cold biting at his face helped ground him, reminding him that the cold still existed even
if it couldn’t break through his defenses. It reminded him that even though he had now
cultivated to the point of being an immortal master, he was still human.

On another level from his disciples, but not yet at the top.

However, he would definitely say he’s closer to the top than whoever was crying in the
middle of the bamboo forest. They hadn’t even strayed too far off the stone path, so their
sniffles could easily be heard.

So now here he was, standing before a little girl, crying with a book in hand.

“Ning Yingying, why are you crying?” Shen Qingqiu questioned, crouching down to the girl.
“Ah, Shizun. Sorry about this one’s unseemly appearance, this one was just reading a book. I
wasn’t expecting it to be so sad though….”

At the end of sentence, her sniffling continued, seeming like she began to remember what she
was reading about.

“Is that the book you chose to write your report on?” Shen Qingqiu asked, recognizing the
title.

“Mhm,” she responded, wiping off her tears.

“Well it seems you’ll have plenty to write about then,” Shen Qingqiu said, pushing himself
up.

“Shizun, do you like sad books?” Ning Yingying called out to him as he turned his back.

“It depends, but typically, yes I do. Why?” Shen Qingqiu turned back around to look at his
disciple whose tears had now dried up.

“You should read this one when I’m done! It’s very good!” Ning Yingying grinned.

“Alright. But don’t expect to find this master crying because of it,” he responded with a small
nod.

“Hehe, of course not Shizun!” Ning Yingying giggled, opening her book back up.

‘Maybe Shen Yuan would enjoy the book. This week is his pick, but Yingying won’t be done
with it by then anyway.’

“You wanna read this? It certainly isn’t your usual genre,” Shen Yuan commented when he
laid eyes on the book before him.

‘Kill the Villainess.’

“One of my students recommended it to me. She wrote her report on the book, and it seemed
interesting enough. I caught her crying while reading it, and she described it to be quite
intense with its themes,” Shen Jiu explained.

“Huh, five star review I see.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, expression my family says sometimes. It means others gave good reviews about what
you’re about to read or watch,” Shen Yuan laughed awkwardly.

Shen Jiu shot him a skeptical look, but didn’t comment on it any further.
“It’s not too long, so there should be no problem finishing it before we next reconvene,” Shen
Jiu said, taking a sip of his tea.

“Yeah, it’ll be done by then easy,” Shen Yuan agreed, looking at the rather thin book.

That was what he said.

So why was he sitting here, the night before he saw Shen Jiu again, with only a few chapter
read.

Look, okay, in his defense! Um. In his defense, he, uh.

Maybe he can’t do this.

Maybe if he just pretends he read it tomorrow, Shen Jiu won’t suspect anything.

No, that won’t work, Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu talk evenly about the books they read. If he
only says a few words in agreement, Shen Jiu will immediately catch on.

And there’s no way Shen Jiu will accept his reasoning for not reading it.

‘It’s not like I can just go in there and say ‘when I see something that I think is gonna make
me uncomfortable I just stop reading.’’

‘he’ll definitely make me read it after! He’ll have me read it using some excuse about how if I
read books about his trauma with him I’d had to read something like this!’

Something that will make him think about things he’d rather ignore.

What if I had truly transmigrated into this world. What if I had died from my illness like I
was supposed to and woke up as a whole new person. What if I didn’t come here with my
family and was all alone.

….there’s something Shen Yuan hasn’t told his family. Something he doesn’t plan on ever
telling.

When he first came to PIDW with his family, the System spoke to him. Not in the
announcement that it gave him and his whole family together, but separately.

‘This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. You should be alone. Well, I can still make do with
this. Operation Heal The Scum Villain loading…’

His family had all heard the mission. But they didn’t hear anything before it.

He was supposed to be alone. If he was alone, then what would have happened? If he was
alone would he have….

He picked up the book and threw it.

Look, Shen Yuan has read plenty of other transmigration novels, but the ones he read always
acted like the whole dying and leaving your family behind thing was nothing.

But this book didn’t. The whole plot was her trying to return home. She even succeeds, which
he knows because he read the ending right when he realized what kind of book this was.

Shen Yuan is not someone who reads the end of books. It’s against his morals.

But he had to make an exception here.

He understands what Shen Jiu’s student had meant when she said ‘intense themes.’ there was
nothing different here, no. What made it stick out was that fact that they didn’t skim over any
details. They had a deep dive on everything. They went deep into Eris’ character. The ‘new’
her and the ‘original.’

The new girl didn’t want to be Eris. She just wanted to go home to her family. The new girl
attracted unwanted attention, obsessions, even, from others. But all she wanted was to go
home.

She set up a plan to die, just to go home.

Shen Yuan thinks that if he were in her situation, he’d be too much of a coward to plan his
own death like that. He would just accept his fate at that point.

He needs to finish this book. He knows that. But.

But
What
If
That
Happened
To
Him
?
?
?
?
?
?

Would he know what to do? Could he survive on his own? How would he live after the
storyline if he did manage to survive? He’s a good actor and liar, but what if someone found
the difference between him and the original inhibitor of the body he stole. Would he be the
only person from his world? If he died, who would find his body? If he died alone, would it
be from illness or something else like the plane crash?

If-if he had-
‘I need to get up. I need some water. I need some rest. I need A-Bai. I need mom. I need dad. I
need Hao-ge. I need Chao-ge. I need Shen Jiu. I need help. I need to calm down. I need
someone.’

“…gege? Why are you throwing things?”

There was a knock on his door. He could hear it creak open.

Who was there? No one should be in his house. Doesn’t he live alone? He needs to get out.
He should respond to them. He should speak. He needs-

“Gege!”

Someone was hugging him.

Why were they hugging him? Who were they? Is he in danger? They feel warm. He needs-

What does he need?

“Gege, count down from ten for me. Please.”

Okay.

Ten,

Nine,

“Out loud, Gege. Count down with your voice.”

Voice. Right, his voice.

Ten.

Nine.

“Shen Yuan! Use your goddamn words!”

…..

There was pause, but eventually, he didn’t find his voice, buried under the lump in his throat.

“Ten.”

He was Shen Yuan.

“Nine.”

He was with his sister.

“Eight.”
She’s Shen Bai.

“Seven.”

She’s here because she’s grounded and fighting with their parents.

“Six.”

His parents are here too.

“Five.”

He’s not alone.

“Four.”

Nothing bad ended up happening.

“Three.”

So there’s no point in worrying about what ‘could’ve been.’ Only what ‘is.’

“Two.”

He can’t bottle things up until the glass overflows.

“One.”

He needs to finish that book.

“I’m sorry A-Bai, I don’t know what happened,” Shen Yuan apologized once he came back to
his senses, rubbing the head of his sister who was holding onto him tightly, her head buried in
his shoulder. She was trembling slightly, trying to hold in her fear.

Shen Yuan never wanted his sister to lose faith in him. To see him weak.

“Gege, don’t read that book anymore,” Shen Bai mumbled into his shoulder.

“I need to-“

“No. I said no,” she said firmly, shaking her head.

“Meimei, I can’t keep running away from this,” he admitted, slowly pushing her off him.

“What is it? Tell me and I can help you!” Shen Bai begged. “You never tell anyone anything,
then you have a major freak out every few years, then the cycle repeats. You hold it all in
until it explodes. Please just tell me.”

“No. I can’t tell you A-Bai.”

“Why not!? What’s so bad that you can’t tell me. Do you think I’ll hate you if you admit
something to me? How could I hate you. You’re the only one who’s always there for me.
What kind of a sister am I if I’m not here for you!?” Shen Bai shook him to try and get her
point across, tears easily streaming down her face.

“What kind of an older brother am I if I just show you how weak I really am? You wouldn’t
see me the same and I wouldn’t be able to live with that!” Shen Yuan admitted, grabbing the
arm Shen Bai was shaking him with.

“How can I know you’re strong if I’ve never seen you weak?”

Shen Yuan froze, rendered speechless. But his sister ignored him and continued her verbal
assault.

“You go outside alone and get kidnapped. You go outside with one of us and still get
kidnapped. Do you realize how much that has to happen for us to get completely desensitized
to it!? That stupid System thing took away your illness, but it’s still making you pay a price.
It’s not letting you live! Yet all you do is grin and bear it! I hate it! I hate it so much, but you
just act like everything’s okay! No matter what anyone does to hurt you, you try and
understand the why. You’re so judgmental to villains in books, yet the ones in real life you
completely gloss over! I hate it! I hate how you always try to be the mediator even when the
matter affects you! You’re such a people pleaser it makes me wanna scream! So why don’t
you just fucking tell me what’s going on!?” She screamed.

That’s it. No other adjectives other than scream.

“You guys weren’t supposed to be here too,” he blurted out before he could even process
everything Shen Bai said.

“Huh?” She panted, out of breath from her outburst. “What do you mean?”

“When we first died and the system showed up. It talked to me separately. It said that I
should’ve been alone and that our current situation is a backup plan. I…I shouldn’t have
gotten to stay with you guys…”

Shit, now he was about to cry too.

“W-What? But that’s impossible. You can’t leave us. You can’t leave me,” Shen Bai pleaded
desperately.

“Shhh, I didn’t, it’s okay. It’s just….it almost happened.”

“You can’t leave me!” She sobbed, throwing herself onto Shen Yuan once more.

“I know, I won’t. I promise,” he swore, running his fingers through her hair.

“Don’t make…d-don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she hiccuped.

“I don’t,” Shen Yuan reassured, even though he couldn’t tell the future.
 But he had hope, and he had a will.

Whenever Shen Bai needs him, he’ll be there for her.

“If….if you want to finish t-the book, then you have to read it next to me.” Shen Bai glared at
him, but it wasn’t anything threatening due to her current state.

“Of course.”

And Shen Yuan never breaks his promises to his little sister.

“So how did you like the book?” Shen Jiu asked, starting to conversation as usual.

“I think it was a little much for me,” Shen Yuan admitted, attempting to laugh everything off
awkwardly.

He hoped his eyes weren’t still puffy and that the bags under them had faded.

“Why?” Shen Jiu questioned, suddenly very alert and interested.

“Just the whole trope of being separated from your family and doing everything and anything
to return to them. I mean, she even killed for it. She readily died. She made others suffer, all
to return. I have a bigger family and I’m very close to them all, so that one definitely hit a
little closer to home,” Shen Yuan revealed, even though all of it was the pretty version. Not
what was actually going on.

“Hm. That makes sense.”

He didn’t sound like he believed him though.

Whatever, that doesn’t matter right now.

“What about you? What did you like?”

Redirection. Like he said, it always works.

“My favorite part was when Eris killed the crown prince because he tried to assault her.”

Haha, that’s very Shen Jiu.

If he had transmigrated, would he know what was ‘really him’?

Chapter End Notes

 😭
Spent my weekend reading, decided to finally take ‘Kill the Villainess’ off my stupidly
long TBR, and let me tell, that shit was SOOOOOO good

I will admit I cried AT LEAST 5 times, but I think that’s just a testament to how good it
was. I was 10/10 recommend it to anyone who likes manwha!
 Chapter 17
Chapter Summary

Guys ignore the fact that these bitches should totally be dead in this situation, I didn’t

💀
realize how bad hurricanes were until I looked up how fast the winds usually are during
them and ummmm we were already 3/4th done by then so

Just call it cultivator magic!

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Is it just me, or did it just get super cloudy?” Shen Yuan commented suddenly when the
current conversation ended.

“Hm?” Shen Jiu questioned, taking a look out the window himself. Outside, he saw the once
blue sky was now a dark gray, an angry grumble releasing from it.

“Oh shit, maybe we should pack up early,” Shen Yuan recommended.

“That would probably be a good idea,” Shen Jiu agreed, the two of them getting up to leave.

Shen Jiu waited by the exit for Shen Yuan to pay, since the two of them always saw each
other off before going their separate ways.

“Do you have everything?” Shen Jiu questioned before they left, as per habit by now.

“Yep. Come on, we should leave before the rain actually starts.”

And just because he said that, of course it started raining right then.

“Ughhhhhh,” Shen Yuan groaned, throwing his head in his hands.

“Do you have an umbrella?” Shen Jiu asked him, looking around the shop to see if they had
any extras laying around.

He didn’t even think to bring his. It was such a clear day.

“I didn’t…” Shen Yuan responded, a frown on his face. “Shit, I’ll probably get a cold now.”

‘Oh right, Yuan was a sickly child,’ Shen Jiu remembered when he heard that. Even if Shen
Yuan was healed, spending your whole childhood sick makes you automatically weaker than
those who grew up healthy.
“I’ll bring you home, just in case,” Shen Jiu decided.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that! Really, I’ll be fine-“

“Last time you were in a situation that could be potentially dangerous, the second I left you
alone you got poisoned. I’m taking you home,” Shen Jiu demanded, grabbing Shen Yuans
wrist and leading him outside the shop.

“That was different! Besides, you still need to get home too!” Shen Yuan defended, trying to
shake Shen Jiu off.

‘I just fly back to Qing Jing. It’ll be minutes for me and I can go above the clouds,’ Shen Jiu
thought to himself. He didn’t say so out loud, of course.

“I’ll be fine,” Shen Jiu assured, not revealing where his confidence stemmed from.

“If the rain gets worse, you’re staying with me until it calms down. I’m not just gonna leave
you to fend for yourself. Got it?” Shen Yuan shot back, finally starting to use his feet and not
just get dragged along.

“Alright.”

He won’t need it, after all.

“Try to stay up against buildings to get at least some cover. How far is your house from
here?” Shen Jiu directed.

“About ten minutes walking,” Shen Yuan explained.

“Okay. We’ll be drenched, but nothing too bad should happen. This should be the worst of it,
so as long as it stays this way or calms down a bit we’ll get back,” Shen Jiu said, doing the
mental math.

It was currently pouring, but for a storm that came out of nowhere immediately, it would take
a few hours if it was going to get worse. Ten minutes would be fine.

“A-Jiu, I can’t really see well, the rains getting all over my glasses. Do you know the way to
my house?”

“It might take a bit longer than ten minutes, but I can find my way.”

“I just realized, I never gave you my address. You said you showed that cultivator that saved
me at the festival where I lived,” Shen Yuan pointed out suddenly.

“Shen Yuan. Your family practically owns this town. Of course I know where you live,” Shen
Jiu reminded him.

…that’s not why he knows. He had spies gather as much information on him as he could. But
Shen Yuan doesn’t need to know that.
“Oh. Right,” Shen Yuan laughed, forgetting his own status.

‘Fucking rich kids,’ Shen Jiu mentally cursed, even though a voice in the back of his head
knew there was no real malice to his thoughts. Maybe to other nobles, yes, but not Shen
Yuan.

“Uh, is it just me or this storm getting even worse?” Shen Yuan panted, now having to fight
against the wind with every step. It was a good thing Shen Jiu was holding his hand, because
he couldn’t even see that far ahead of him. He would’ve gotten lost immediately.

“Come on,” Shen Jiu huffed, tugging Shen Yuan into an alleyway.

There was a small cover where they were standing, if there two crammed together. The house
next to the alley’s roof was releasing the falling water just a few inches in front of them.

The two caught their breath for a moment, Shen Yuan clearing on his glasses—an effort spent
in vain, since the moment they step back into the rain he’ll be rendered blind again—while
Shen Jiu looked around to see what the hell was happening.

This wasn’t a normal storm.

He could get behind clear skies turned to rain. It may be rare and today’s was faster than
typical, but it’s not unheard of. But in the span of five minutes, an entire hurricane had
shown up.

That doesn’t just happen in the blink of an eye.

Years of experience told Shen Jiu this was most likely the work of demons.

Shit.

“You can not let go of my hand while we walk. Got it? You’re going to stay close and we’re
going take multiple breaks so we get can to your house safely,” Shen Jiu directed, looking
Shen Yuan in the eye.

“Yeah, got it,” Shen Yuan breathed, looking around anxiously.

“I don’t know how this kind of storm came to be so soon, so we need to be extra careful. It’s
not safe out here.”

“I could tell,” Shen Yuan shot back, still looking nervous.

“Just follow me and you’ll be fine. Come on.” And with that, he tugged Shen Yuan out of the
alleyway, the two of them back in the danger zone.

Shen Jiu couldn’t see anything in front of him, so he was relying on the houses lining the
streets.

From the street they were on, they would have to go straight for five minutes, turn right at the
fork in the road, walk straight for three minutes, then the last two minutes would be and
uphill trek with nothing lining to road to help them. They would simply have to trust their
ability to walk straight in the heavy wind.

Now, would those times be exact? No, the wind was giving them quite the delay. But with
those default time frames in mind, it would help them not get lost.

“Hnngh!” Shen Jiu grunted when a tree branch flew at him.

“Are you okay!?” Shen Yuan shouted when he felt Shen Jiu abruptly stop. He was shouting,
but it could still only be faintly heard.

“Yes!” Shen Jiu yelled in response, his cultivator body saving him from something that
probably would’ve knocked Shen Yuan out.

Good thing he was in front.

Once he got Shen Yuan safe, if no one showed up he would have to go fight this demon
himself.

How annoying, and on his day off too.

They began walking again, this time a bit slower since Shen Jiu was now on guard for stray
debris.

They managed to get another two minutes without anything major, but then Shen Yuan
slipped something—the street was beginning to get flooded, so who knew what debris was
floating around the ground.

“Ack!” Shen Yuan yelped as his grip loosened.

“Hey!” Shen Jiu shouted back, turning around and grabbing Shen Yuans arm with both hands
now. “Come on, there’s an alley here!”

The wind changed directions at that point a bit, shifting the way they were trying to move, so
the two were practically shoved into the alley.

“Hah…..ugh,” Shen Yuan huffed, clinging to the walls to try and steady himself. Shen Jiu
was next to him, practicing a similar stance.

“This is gonna take longer than ten minutes,” Shen Jiu explained solemnly, coughing up
some water he accidentally swallowed.

“I could tell,” Shen Yuan panted, now grabbing at his sides.

“Are you okay?” Shen Jiu gave him a worried look. He didn’t want to have to use his sword
and reveal he was a cultivator after all this time—going strong after a year—but if he needed
to he will. He’s not sure how much of a help it will be, plus it’ll be extra hard to control with
two people in this weather, but he would make it work.

“I’m fine, just need a minute,” Shen Yuan assured, his breathing starting to even out a bit.
“We’ll walk for three minutes then take a break. That should be a good enough system,” Shen
Jiu decided.

“Okay,” Shen Yuan agreed, standing up straight to get ready and walk again.

Alright, two more times on this street, three more times on the next, then hope for the best on
the final stretch.

There was a few more slip and lots of debris that hit Shen Jiu while they walked, but they
eventually cleared the first street.

“Halfway done,” Shen Yuan huffed, half squatting while he caught his breath.

“We’ll make it back at this pace,” Shen Jiu assured, talking to Shen Yuan and himself a bit.

“Yeah,” Shen Yuan agreed, also seeming like he just wanted to tell himself that.

There was a few beats of what would’ve been silence if the winds weren’t almost deafening
as the two just breathed. In and out. Steady pace.

“Ready?” Shen Jiu asked.

While in the alleyway they could at least save their voices a bit because of the fact they had
to stay pressed together if they wanted to attempt and dry off. Therefore the shouting could
be toned down to just a bit louder than a usual tone. More like Shen Jiu’s voice while he was
directing disciples.

However, Shen Yuan didn’t get to voice his reply, a loud roar overlapping and completely
cutting him off.

Shen Jiu readied into an athletic stance, ready to pull out his sword and attack, while Shen
Yuan froze completely. Shen Yuan slowly turned his head to Shen Jiu and stared at him with
wide eyes. In comparison, Shen Jiu’s gaze had completely hardened as he was now on guard.

‘If I need to reveal myself, I will,’ Shen Jiu decided in his head once again, shoving Shen
Yuan behind him just in case he had to attack. The demon was sniffing around, obviously
looking for the humans he was smelling.

‘Five, four three…’ Shen Jiu started counting, reaching for his qiankun pouch where his
sword was being kept.

But just as he was about to open the pouch, another roar came around the corner. This time, a
humans.

‘Never thought I’d see the day I was happy to see Liu Qingge,’ Shen Jiu thought, almost
deliriously. He couldn’t help the sigh of relief that left his mouth when he saw the brute
running at the demon.

“Why’d you sigh? Why is there yelling? What’s happening!?” Shen Yuan shouted not being
able to see out of the alley due to Shen Jiu blocking him with his body.
“A cultivator is here. We can wait for him to fight off the demon and move it somewhere
else. They probably won’t fight here because there’s so many houses. Just wait for a minute
I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

That fucking brute better move away from the houses. He doesn’t have the best track record
with that.

Thankfully, his martial sibling seemed to have some sense today, so the fight quickly started
to move into the nearby woods.

Shen Jiu waited another minute just to be sure they wouldn’t end up back here, then grabbed
Shen Yuans wrist and took off.

One more street, then they’ll be on the way to Shen Yuans house.

“Is all that yelling normal!?” Shen Yuan shouted as he listened to the fight happening in the
woods. Even through the storm, Liu Qingge and the demon he was fighting could be easily
heard.

“Probably!”

“That’s not very reassuring!”

“I’m not a cultivator, how should I know!?” Shen Jiu yelled, deciding not to look back just in
case Shen Yuan could see through his words.

Even though he probably couldn’t see him in this fog.

“Ah!” Shen Yuan shrieked all of a sudden. Shen Jiu was just about to ask him what happened
when he felt the weight of a body crash into him from behind, the both of them falling into
the flooded street.

Shen Jiu grunted as he hit the floor, Shen Yuan falling directly on top of him. Water splashed
everywhere around them, and if they hadn’t been soaked before, they would’ve been now.

“Sorry, I got hit by something,” Shen Yuan groaned, slowly getting up. Falling was the easy
part, finding your balance with winds going at least seventy miles an hour was much, much
harder.

In the end, all Shen Yuan managed to do was fall on his butt, so it was up to Shen Jiu to stand
and help out his friend.

Thankfully Shen Jiu was a cultivator, so he could actually get through this.

It did take a minute though.

But after much struggle, the two of them were able to get back on their feet and walking
again.
After that mess up, the two took another good ten minutes to get through the last street. Now
they were standing in an alley dreading the uphill trek with no breaks they were about to take.

“Do we have to?” Shen Yuan asked, half joking and half serious. He wasn’t sure if he could
make it.

“We can wait here for a bit longer. We need all the strength we can get if this is gonna go
well,” Shen Jiu explained, checking his qiankun pouch to see what kind of medicine he has
on him.

Shen Yuan has a weaker constitution than others. Just being inside during a hurricane could
probably give him and cold. But being inside one? Not the mention all the bruises and other
injuries he’ll have. He probably doesn’t realize he has them yet due to the adrenaline, but he
will. Just like with the poisoning incident, Shen Jiu would need to help him out.

It could be worse. No one’s broken anything yet.

“We can’t be out here any longer. It’s now or never.”

“Are you sure?” Shen Yuan asked nervously.

“Yes, come on.” Shen Jiu’s hand found its position on Shen Yuans wrist once again, and then
the two were off.

It should take them five minutes to get up this hill, then it’ll be fine.

“Is your sister staying with you today!?” Shen Jiu yelled at Shen Yuan, wanting to know if he
should look out for anyone.

“No!” Shen Yuan responded.

Alright, they’re on their own.

‘If we stay by the tree line here, I can grab the trees when I need to steady myself. It’s not the
safest, but it’s the only option there is,’ Shen Jiu strategized, putting his practical skills to use.

He slowly maneuvered so that the trees weren’t in their way or in a position that flying
branches couldn’t hurt them, then put his full effort into going as fast as he could.

There was about a minute or two of slow but steady movements before the wind seemed to
pick up even more, causing a branch to separate from its tree and come flying at Shen Jiu.

Shen Jiu’s stumbled, but he made sure he went in the direction of a tree that he could grab
onto, taking Shen Yuan with him.

He reached out his palm, getting himself back on balance. He didn’t want to waste time nor
stay in a potentially dangerous area for too long, so once he deemed himself steady, he
quickly let go. He pushed himself back to the path with Shen Yuan, the two of them stopping
for a minute to get a sense of direction.
But just as they were about to get going again, a loud cracking noise took up their attention.

Turning their heads to the side, they could faintly see the tree they had just been holding onto
break free from the ground, going flying by the force of the wind.

‘We need to get going.’

This felt like when a mission that young disciples were on goes drastically wrong. He needed
to get Shen Yuan to his house. They were in danger out here.

Shen Jiu pushed his body at a rate that would have been sprinting if not for his situation.
Here, it was a slow walk, yet it took the same amount of effort.

He could tell Shen Yuan was getting tired. He wouldn’t keep up at this rate.

But they were almost there….!

“Shen Yuan, if you stop right now this hurricane will be the least of your problems!” He
screamed, looking back and hoping that would get his point across.

“G-Got it!”

Well, his legs didn’t stop moving, so Shen Jiu will have to take his word for it.

It took another two minutes, but finally a house came into view.

“We’re here!” Shen Yuan exclaimed from behind him.

Shen Jiu turned the knob, and the door swung open wildly, swaying with the wind. The two
were almost thrown inside as they let the wind finally take control. Shen Yuan fell straight to
the floor while Shen Jiu used the last of his strength to close the door.

Once everything was closed and the winds howl was just a distant tune, the two both
collapsed onto the door, creating puddles where they lay.

“Achoo!”

Shen Yuan broke the silence.

“There’s that cold,” Shen Jiu commented, a playful smirk on his face,

“T-that…” Shen Yuan tried to defend himself, but his trembling body made his voice stutter.

“Come on, we both need baths and warm clothes.” Shen Jiu walked over and helped Shen
Yuan up, letting the man lead him to where his bathroom was.

“We’re about the same size, so you should have no problem fitting into my clothes,” Shen
Yuan told him as he took some clothes out of a wardrobe.

“You should bathe first. You already have a cold,” Shen Jiu recommended, taking the robes
from Shen Yuan.
“Are you sure? You can go.”

“I’ll be fine,” Shen Jiu assured. “I’ll make some soup for both of us while you’re in there.”

“Alright. Thanks A-Jiu.” Shen Yuan flashed him a smile as he retreated to the bathroom.

Okay, so he needs to get all his medicine out and ready, then make some soup. He’ll leave
once Shen Yuans asleep.

Shen Jiu grabbed a towel and mostly dried himself off as he walked into the kitchen. He took
out his qiankun pouch and grabbed everything he needed. He applied some of the salve to
himself since he got a bit cut up from all the flying debris. He took the brunt of it while
standing in front, but his body also heals much faster.

Now soup.

Can Shen Jiu cook? No. But it’s soup, so how hard can it be?

…..

Hard, apparently.

Thank god Shen Yuan seems to be as hopeless as him in the cooking aspect of life, so he had
a few papers lying around containing basic recipes.

Shen Yuan had some eggs, so Shen Jiu settled on making some egg drop soup.

He was halfway through it when Shen Yuan came out of the bath, telling him he’d finish
making it while Shen Jiu cleaned himself up.

Well, Shen Jiu wasn’t exactly complaining about getting his cooking job switched. It was
needlessly difficult.

Shen Jiu entered the bathroom, locating where the soaps and oils were so that he could get
clean along with warm. He would take a much longer bath once he got back to his peak, but
this would do for now.

Now, Shen Jiu isn’t someone who needs sleep often, but when he slipped into that warm
water after being stuck outside in the rain, he nearly passed out. He managed to fight it,
however, quickly distracting himself by washing his hair.

If Shen Jiu stayed in the bath longer than he originally intended, that was no one else’s
business.

Once Shen Jiu felt refreshed enough, he got out and changed into the dry clothes awaiting
him, wringing out his hair a bit before leaving the room.

“I finished the soup!” Shen Yuan told him, a proud look on his face at the achievement.
 “Did you see the medicine I put on the table? Take that and use the salve for your bruises,
alright?” Shen Jiu directed, taking a seat at the low table and taking the bowl that was given
to him.

“Did you have some already?” Shen Yuan asked, looking at the salve

“Yes I did.”

Shen Yuan relaxed a little at that, finally trying the soup.

“I should definitely touch up on my cooking skills,” Shen Yuan laughed after having a sip.

“As should I. I didn’t realize how hard cooking was until now. And that was just soup.”

The two of them look at each other knowingly, then chuckled as they sipped at their mediocre
creation.

Shen Jiu felt a warm feeling in his chest as the two of them sat at the low table eating
together, but that was probably just the soup warming his cold body.

“Alright, you can sleep here, and you already know where the bathroom is if you need to
later. If it’s not comfortable, you can have my bed, it’s really no problem for me,” Shen Yuan
explained, pointing to the makeshift bed he put together with blankets and pillows.

“This should be fine for me,” Shen Jiu replied, taking a seat on the pseudo bed.

Besides, he wasn’t planning on actually sleeping here. He can’t sleep around other men.

He was just going to lay here and wait until Shen Yuan falls asleep. Then he’ll leave a note
making it seem like he left early in the morning when in reality he didn’t stay over at all.

Shen Yuan should pass out pretty quickly given how much energy he used today. So until
then, Shen Jiu can just lay down.

He’ll just close his eyes for a bit…..

He won’t…..fall…..

He fell asleep.

Chapter End Notes

 🤭
They took little steps for 30k words, so I think it’s finally time for them to take a few
leaps

(Honestly I could easily write another 30k words of them having little by little character
development but I don’t wanna bore you guys)
 Chapter 18
Chapter Summary

Sorry this chapter took forever lol summer school ended so I went on vacation and for
some reason this chapter was a pain in the ass to write but it’s here finally!

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

He…..he fell asleep!?

No, that’s not possible. Shen Jiu can’t sleep with men. He physically can’t. His body doesn’t
allow it. It stays on alert whenever there’s one around, enough so that he couldn’t sleep
unless he was hit with a pollen or drug.

But Shen Yuan didn’t drug him, that he knows for sure. Did he get hit with some pollen while
they were in the storm? But he’s not feeling any after effects.

Could he have actually fallen asleep…? Could it be because of how unthreatening Shen Yuan
is? He’s not a cultivator and Shen Jiu’s heard his views on unconscious sex—what was that
other weird name the man had called it?—loud and clear multiple times.

But his body actually accepted that and allowed itself to rest?

Did he truly trust Shen Yuan that much?

He’s known Shen Yuan for a year and a half now. Their friendship hasn’t spanned too far out
of their book club. Little things like that festival a few months ago or shopping together if
they both brought up needing things from the market.

But did those things translate to this level of trust? Shen Jiu didn’t think they did, but
apparently body didn’t agree.

“A-Jiu? Are you awake?” Shen Jiu heard a door open and then a yawn emerge from it,
watching Shen Yuans stretching form make his way towards the living room.

“Yes,” Shen Jiu bit out, still not sure how to feel.

Shen Yuan walked over to his kitchen, grabbed two tea cups, then began to make tea for the
both of them.

Shen Jiu decided to take that time to once again gather his thoughts.
Except with how jumbled everything was right now, it was hard to find one specific thing to
reflect on like he wanted. He was sure meditation would solve this in an instant, but he
couldn’t risk revealing his identity.

“What kind of tea do you like?” Shen Yuan asked as he pulled out some different flavored tea
leafs.

“Whatever you have is fine,” Shen Jiu responded, not in the mood to care.

Shen Yuan glanced back at Shen Jiu in a bit of worry at his cold attitude, but Shen Jiu didn’t
notice.

Now that things had ended up at his house, would Shen Yuan try to invite him back? Would
he try to advance their relationship because of the situation? He could trust Shen Yuan in
their usual, predetermined, predictable, carefully crafted environment. But this was a whole
new ball game. Would things change?

“A-Jiu…? Are you alright?” Shen Yuan asked as he sat down beside his friend, handing him
some tea.

“Yes,” Shen Jiu replied immediately, grabbing the tea from Shen Yuan and elegantly taking a
sip. He knew he was perfectly composed, as he typically was in high stress situations. His
mask wouldn’t break.

“You look pretty stiff…your face always freezes up whenever you get uncomfortable,” Shen
Yuan explained, reaching him hand out to touch Shen Jiu’s wrist.

Shen Jiu didn’t flinch Shen Jiu pulled back from Shen Yuan before he could touch him,
glaring at the man.

Shen Yuans eyes widened before something seemed to click in his brain, horror filling his
demeanor.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t even think about that! I promise I was in my room the entire time last
night! I can go buy one of those truth items cultivators sell if you don’t believe me! How
could I do that after everything we’ve talked about?” Shen Yuan jumped back, waving his
hands frantically in the air.

Shen Jiu couldn’t say he trusted Shen Yuan. He wanted to, it was a natural response, but he
just couldn’t. “I believe you.”

Shen Yuan sighed in relief, but he continued to look at Shen Jiu like he was some fragile
maiden.

“What!?” Shen Jiu snapped at the man, hating the look he was receiving.

“Nothing, nothing,” Shen Yuan swore, but Shen Jiu didn’t trust him.

The way he was acting, his reaction, like he knew exactly what Shen Jiu was talking about.
Like he knew why he would be worried about something like that.
Almost like he knew.

Did he know?

Shen Jiu clenched his jaw, slowly set down his teacup, then sprung into action.

“When did you find out!?” Shen Jiu grabbed Shen Yuan wrist harshly, staring into his eyes
like a madman. The one thing, the one thing he wanted no one to know! He couldn’t care less
if Shen Yuan found out who he was anymore. He would switch out which fact about himself
the man found out any day. Why did it have to be this?

“It wasn’t like I went looking or anything!” Shen Yuan defended. “I would have to be an idiot
if I didn’t figure it out after talking to you for over a year! It’s not like I care!”

“Why not!? That’s something you should care about! You should scoff and call me weak for
not fighting back!” Shen Jiu shouted before he could think.

“Shen Jiu.” Suddenly, Shen Yuan was much more calm, once again staring at Shen Jiu like he
was made out of glass. “You’re not weak. I’ve never thought of you that way, not once. If you
were truly weak, I would’ve never met you since you wouldn’t be able to talk about your
opinion on something that affected you so personally and deeply. If you were weak, you
wouldn’t have gotten that cultivator to save me at the festival. If you were weak, we wouldn’t
be back here and would still be stuck in that storm. That happening to you doesn’t define you.
It only defines whoever attacked you.”

A deafening silence.

“And what would you say if I told you I killed him? Would you think of me as evil or scary?”
Shen Jiu whispered finally, slowly letting go of Shen Yuans wrist.

“I would say you have every right to act as you did in response. Haven’t I said this before?”
Shen Yuan grabbed his teacup again, sipping it like nothing of note was happening.

“Why? Why are you like this!? No one else is like you. Tell me why you can say that like it’s
nothing special!” Shen Jiu demanded, the fire coming back.

“Because I have common sense?”

“It’s not that simple!”

“Why can’t it be? I was raised in a loving household that taught me correct morals. My father
lead by example and my mother told me what was and wasn’t acceptable behavior. I listened
to them and live my life going about however I see as correct. In a world like this, the most
important thing is to find someone whose morals match your own. Everyone has different
views, but why should you be around someone you never see eye to eye with? That’s why I
spend my time around you, and I’m sure it’s why you do the same in turn.”

Shen Yuan was a man who wasn’t typically serious, that was something Shen Jiu had learned.
But right now, Shen Yuan hadn’t said a single word just to say it. He meant it.
“Y’know A-Jiu, you’re in a pretty unique situation. As a teacher, you have to power to shape
these kids morals. Don’t you think it’s great to help create a generation that can be at least a
bit better than the last?” Shen Yuan was smiling at Shen Jiu, acting like he had the best job in
the world. Like teaching those snot nosed brats was a gift.

Yet Shen Yuan almost made him believe it.

“It’s not that easy,” he protested.

“Well obviously it won’t be some overnight fix. And it won’t be perfect either. But at least
it’s something. You have the power to make sure what happened to you doesn’t happen to
anyone else,” Shen Yuan reasoned.

Despite Shen Yuans words, Shen Jiu remembered a thought he had once. A thought he had
been living by since then.

‘Only when I see others unhappy can I myself feel happy.’

Is there really another way to be content? To enjoy life? If there was, shouldn’t he have found
it way before now?

Should he be happy that he possibly found it now? People would say that, but all he can feel
is bitter because of how late it is. How is it fair that everyone else gets to enjoy their life and
he never did. He doesn’t just want the scraps, he wants a redo.

“Look, I’m not naive enough to say this is something you can just solve with a few words. If
it was, you would never be in this situation to begin with. But what I’m saying is that you
didn’t deserve what happened to you and that it’s not too late to forget about all that and start
anew. At least think about it for me. Please.” Shen Yuan didn’t try to grab Shen Jiu’s hand
this time, but he did scoot the tea cup closer to him in a sort of peace offering.

Shen Jiu scoffed and turned his head to the side, but he didn’t say know like he originally
intended.

He would give it more thought. At the very least.

For Shen Yuan.

“I should go,” Shen Jiu told him, getting up off the floor.

“Of course. Hopefully your house is still in good condition after all this.” Shen Yuan smiled,
picking the tea up off the floor.

“Make sure to eat. You used a lot of energy last night,” Shen Jiu reminded him as he grabbed
his stuff.

“You need to eat too! We were both in that storm.”

“Yeah, but you’re weaker.”

“And you were in the front, so you got hit with the most debris. Take care of yourself,” Shen
Yuan argued.

“Alright, alright.” Shen Jiu waved him off, leaving through the front door.

He needs to see Lihua-jie tonight.

“What were you doing yesterday?”

Shen Qingqiu had finally got back to Cang Qiong a few minutes ago, attempting to go back
to his bamboo house and get read to for the days afternoon classes. Unfortunately, when he
walked up to the door, Liu Qingge was waiting for him, obviously pissed.

“And what exactly do you mean, Liu Shidi?” Shen Qingqiu sneered, attempting to go around
the man, but to no avail.

“Yesterday at that town. You were there because it was your day off. You’re always there.
Why didn’t you fight that monster?” Liu Qingge demanded.

“Because I wasn’t in the position to,” Shen Qingqiu answered simply.

“What does that mean!? Do you not carry your sword on you!?” He argued.

“Of course I do. This one is not an idiot Shidi,” Shen Qingqiu shot back.

“Then what were you doing!?”

“Might this one remind you towns typically have people living in them. This lord was
helping someone return to their home. Sometimes I think you forget being a cultivator is
more than just fighting monsters. I put the safety of a civilian above stopping the storm. I was
going to stop the monster after, but then you showed up and there was no need. Does that
satisfy you?” Shen Qingqiu glared at Liu Qingge, wishing the man would just give up
already.

“You don’t smell like yourself,” Liu Qingge stated suddenly, scanning Shen Qingqiu’s
person.

“Excuse me?” Is he a fucking dog?

“Those aren’t your robes.”

“They’re in my qiankun pouch. Do you take me to be so invincible that not even my clothes
can get wet in a hurricane?” Shen Qingqiu inquired.

“You-!”

“And since you apparently know so much about me, then you shouldn’t be surprised by that
fact that I bathed somewhere that wasn’t here. I can’t just magically transport my usual
bathing products now can I?” This time, Shen Qingqiu stopped caring about appearances and
shoved Liu Qingge to the side, slamming the door behind him. He heard some more shouting
for a minute, but ignored it.

Shen Qingqiu hopes that when they all pass on their titles of peak lords, Liu Qingge ascends
early on. That way Shen Qingqiu can spend the rest of his life away from the man until he
dies and rots in hell. Once they all leave this place, he’ll never see that man again.

But there’s still probably another decade or so until then, unfortunately.

“A-Jiu! How were you in that storm yesterday? That’s your day off when you see that Shen
Yuan boy, right? You’re not hurt are you?” Lihua asked him as the two of them settled into
her room.

“Well…yesterday. Yesterday Shen Yuan and I got stuck in the storm,” Shen Jiu admitted.

“What!?” Lihua let out a horrified gasped, instantly patting down Shen Jiu for any injuries.

“Any bruises I got have already healed, don’t worry,” Shen Jiu explained.

“But still….” She pouted.

“How did you all fare yesterday?” Shen Jiu questioned, changing the subject.

“Nothing big happened. It was only the afternoon so we weren’t too busy. Those who were
here just stayed with us for the night, but most of them intended to do that originally, so it
was nothing much,” Lihua shrugged.

“That’s good.”

“A-Jiu, what’s wrong?” Lihua asked him after a beat of silence passed. She could tell there
was something weighing Shen Jiu down from the moment he walked in, but she was hoping
he’d tell her first.

“After the storm, I fell asleep at Shen Yuans house.”

“Did you do anything to you!?” Once again, Lihua was checking him for marks or injuries.

“No,” Shen Jiu told her.

“Good. If he turned out to be two faced I was gonna give him a piece of my fists,” Lihua
explained boldly, smacking her hands together.

“Jiejie…”

“What? I need to stick up for you!” Lihua embraced Shen Jiu in a suffocating hug until the
other couldn’t breathe. Only until a small smile broke out on Shen Jiu’s face did she let go.
“That’s what I like to see,” she said, a smile forming on her own face.

“I just didn’t think I trusted him that much yet,” Shen Jiu explained.

“Well you didn’t think so, but obviously you did. This seems to just be the push you needed
to realize it,” Lihua giggled, pinching Shen Jiu lightly.

Shen Jiu scowled at her, turning away.

“Come on A-Jiu, don’t be like that,” she laughed. “You’re too stubborn to realize it, but this
is a good thing, I promise. You both were with each other while you were vulnerable and
didn’t betray each other’s trust. There may not be some huge change after this like you’re
probably thinking, but you two will at least be able to open up to each other a bit more now.”

“What if I’m fine with how things are right now?” Shen Jiu questioned.

“Then things can stay how they are. To change a relationship takes two. You can just keep
meeting up twice a month like before. It’s just that now you know if some crazy situation
happened again, you have a safe space you can go,” Lihua advised him.

“You make it seem so simple,” Shen Jiu replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Because it is! You don’t need to over complicate this if you don’t want to. It’s up to you how
you want to move forward.”

“How can I be so sure things will stay the same?”

“What could have possibly changed in one night where you both simply slept?”

“He knows. He knows about why I can’t sleep around men,” Shen Jiu blurted out.

“How’d he find out!?” Lihua shouting, coving her mouth due to her sudden reaction.

“He said he’d known for a while because of our meeting. Apparently the way I talked about
rape seemed too personal,” Shen Jiu conveyed.

“So he’s known for a while?” Lihua asked.

“Yes.”

“Then why are you so scared of a shift in his behavior?” She inquired once again.

“Because now I know he found out! I blew up at him,” Shen Jiu revealed, not meeting
Lihua’s eyes.

“Did you leave after that?”

“No, we talked it out a bit, but still.”

“Shen Jiu.” Lihua’s voice took on a more serious tone, her hands finding Shen Jiu’s as she
squeezed. “If I’ve found out anything on Shen Yuan based on what you’ve said, there’s no
 way he would treat you different over this. He obviously knows how personal and sensitive
of a topic it is, so if you have a strong reaction to it, he knows he can’t be upset. You think
he’s a good person, I’ve heard how you talk about him. I trust you and your judgment. If you
don’t trust yourself then trust me.”

“Are you sure?” He asked again, still not sure.

“I’m positive. If I’m wrong, then I won’t dress you up for a month. Promise.”

Shen Jiu’s eyebrow twitched as he remembered all the times Lihua and the other girls forced
him into their frilly skirts and caked his face in makeup.

He would obviously let them do whatever they wanted, but if he could get out of it for a
month, he wasn’t going to complain.

“Alright, deal.”

Now, to see if Shen Yuan really was who he said.

Chapter End Notes

Not beta read yet so sorry for any mistakes!

 Chapter 19
Chapter Summary

SY and SJ discuss classic literature because why not

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Romeo and Juliette? You want to talk about them?” Shen Yuan questioned, looking at Shen
Jiu doubtfully.

“My students are currently studying it, so I thought it would be an interesting topic of
discussion,” Shen Jiu explained.

“I mean if you want to, sure. I haven’t read it in a bit so I don’t remember every little detail,
but I can hold up in a conversation about it at least,” Shen Yuan warned.

“I don’t think it’s a story where every little things matters all that much,” Shen Jiu replied,
brushing off Shen Yuans memory issue.

“Alright then, hit me. What do you wanna talk about first.”

“How about your improper language to start,” Shen Jiu sniffed haughtily, glaring down at his
friend.

“What, I can’t be casual around you? How terrible of me, I must have misunderstood our
relationship,” Shen Yuan sighed dramatically.

Shen Jiu smacked Shen Yuans hand, lighter than when he was disciplining disciples, but still
hard enough to get his message across.

Shen Yuan just laughed it off, grabbing snacks as he did.

“To start, what do you think of the love story between the two main characters,” Shen Jiu
decided.

“Oh, that.” Shen Yuan rolled his eyes as he reminded himself of the books contents, even
using the movies to refresh his memory. “I think the story shouldn’t be advertised as one that
speaks of love. I mean, the start of it is Romeo saying he’ll never love again after his past
girlfriend or whatever dumped him. Then he sees Juliette and immediately falls in love! That
is not how love works. It’s obviously how flimsy their love really was because of how
everything ended. ‘Star crossed lovers’ my ass! That’s just two dumb kids thinking
everything would go their way just because they wanted it to. Then when it didn’t, they had
the over reaction of a century! Those two had no chance together, even if they didn’t die.”

“Their love was flimsy, yes, but what makes you think their decisions were rash?”

“You don’t think they were?”

“Oh no, I completely agree with you,” Shen Jiu explained. “I just wish to know the thought
process behind your opinion.”

Shen Yuan blinked at him owlishly before a soft laugh emerged from his lips. “Alright, but
you already know I don’t hold back.”

“Of course I do. What fun would it be to tear apart books with someone who can’t express
himself?” Shen Jiu smirked.

The two met each other’s eyes, sending a silent message between them.

“Well since you’re so desperate to hear what I have to say, I suppose I can tell you.” Shen
Yuan flicked open his fan as Shen Jiu openly rolled his eyes.

“I mean, the two weren’t allowed to be together, so they hid their relationships from their
parents and everyone dear to them, except for the priest. A relationship where they grew so
used to hiding things, they obviously started to hide things from each other. Not intentionally,
no, but it still happened. Honestly, it’s more sad than pathetic. Two people who loved each
other more than anyone else died because they didn’t talk to each other. And not only did
they die because of their lack of communication, others did too. Not only did they cause
themselves harm, but they harmed others too. Rather selfish if you ask me,” Shen Yuan
scoffed.

“Yes, I suppose it is sad that such tragedies can happen because of something so simple as not
using your words,” Shen Jiu agreed, not sure why there was such an uneasy feeling in his
heart.

“That’s why it’s the first thing kids are taught. It may seem like nothing but communication is
actually extremely important!” Shen Yuan noted.

“But sometimes it’s inevitable that misunderstandings occur,” Shen Jiu pointed out.

“Yes it does happen, but unless someone’s dead, it’s always better to talk! Pride or anything
else aside,” Shen Yuan argued.

“You’ve obviously never been in a situation like that then,” he scoffed.

He….he really wanted to justify miscommunication, didn’t he? It was because of him, wasn’t
it.

“Maybe not anything life altering, but I have three siblings, so I would say I definitely have
encountered scenarios where I didn’t want to talk to or made up with them because of pride.
Not to be the extent in this book, no, but I’m not oblivious to the feeling either,” Shen Yuan
reminded.

“Sometimes not talking to someone if what’s for the best,” Shen Jiu defended.

“If you have the luxury to, yes. But that’s not typically how the world works. If you can’t
ignore them, you have to talk it out.”

Shen Jiu chose to no longer speak on this topic.

“See, like that. You can’t just ignore me! You have to talk it out. C’mon A-Jiu, what’s
bugging you?” Shen Yuan questioned, throwing the question back at his friend.

“That’s none of your business,” Shen Jiu warned.

“If it’s none of my business you can at least pretend to not take whatever I say personally,” he
pointed out.

“Or you could pretend not to notice,” Shen Jiu recommended with a glare.

“Well last time I pretended you found out I knew and freaked out, so I decided to be more
straightforward with you,” Shen Yuan shrugged.

Shen Jiu’s eyebrow twitched at the reminder, but he chose to not say anything on the topic.
As Lihua said, it takes two to advance a relationship, and by extension, their conversation
topics. If he wanted Shen Yuan to let things go, he would eventually.

“Okay, whatever, I get it, I’ll shut up. But I stand by what I said. Romeo and Juliette’s
relationship could’ve been saved if they talked to each other and those around them. If they
were just a bit more patient and didn’t react to situations rashly. So if you’re ever in a
situation like that, don’t be like them.” Shen Yuan made sure to hold his eye contact with
Shen Jiu as he spoke his piece, hoping his message would be received.

“I-“

“This is where Shizun usually goes on his day off, right? I hope he’s not too mad about us
intruding…”

No way.

No fucking way.

There was no way he just heard Ning Yingyings voice here. Not here.

“Why would Liu Shishu lie about that?”

And Ming Fan.

“Come with me for a minute,” Shen Jiu directed, shooting up off the chair and dragging Shen
Yuan along with him.
“Huh!?”

“Shut up!” Shen Jiu told him through gritted teeth.

There was a back exit here. It just led to an alleyway that was a dead end, so they was no
where really to go, but it would hide them for the moment.

“Shen Jiu what is going on-“

“I told you to be quiet!” Shen Jiu was taking no chances, so he used his hand to smother Shen
Yuan until his muffled complaints died out.

“You’re sure he’s not here?” Ning Yingying asked.

“Maybe he already left? Or he isn’t here yet,” Ming Fan theorized.

“He left a while ago though. He couldn’t not be here yet. I think we may have missed him!
Let’s go look at the shops,” Ning Yingying told him.

Not until Shen Jiu heard their footsteps leave the bookstore did he finally remove his hand
from Shen Yuans mouth.

“Alright what the fuck?” Shen Yuan demanded immediately.

“Sorry. My students came in there looking for me. I didn’t want to deal with them,” he
explained.

“Why’d I have to get dragged along!?”

“Because you don’t know when to stop talking. You’d reveal me instantly.”

“Excuse me!?” Shen Yuan protested.

“You’re not the best at reading social cues. You ramble when you’re nervous and something
tells me presented to preteens shooting you a million questions would only end well for my
students. I taught them after all.”

“Don’t try to brag right now. I’m still upset.” Shen Yuan crossed his arms with a humph,
turning away from Shen Jiu.

Was he seriously about to play this game? With Shen Jiu? Who had been basically just eating
snacks and sweets with him for a year and a half?

Alright then. Quick fix.

“I heard this place added Dragons Beard Candy to their menu…”

“I don’t fold that easily,” Shen Yuan defended.

But his voice wavered just a bit.

 “And that sale on almond cookies.”

“Your paying today,” Shen Yuan bargained.

“Of course,” Shen Jiu responded smoothly, smiling in that innocent yet terrifying way.

“Deal.”

Alright, Shen Yuan wasn’t mad anymore.

“But remember when I said you need to talk to people about problems? This would’ve been a
great time to practice that,” Shen Yuan nagged as they walked back inside.

“And now would be a good time for you to learn self control. It seems we can’t all get what
we want,” Shen Jiu shrugged.

“Annoying prick,” he shot back.

“Useless slob,” Shen Jiu replied coolly.

“Do you always have a stick up your ass?”

“Do you always have something to say about every little thing?”

“I do actually.” Shen Yuan gave Shen Jiu a little shoved right before they went to their
respective seats, giving him a playful smirk.

“I think I’ve learned that by now.”

“Great. Don’t forget it.”

“Do not wink at me.”

“Hahaha! You should see your face A-Jiu!”

Chapter End Notes

It’s pretty telling that I’ve been able to easily relate AT LEAST ten books to these two
idiots. Hyper fixations prevail ig
 Chapter 20
Chapter Summary

Tension but make it sexual

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Qingqiu hadn’t slept in two weeks.

This was a fact he was becoming very aware of. He was at his limit. He needed to rest.

“Peak Lord Shen, Peak Lord Su, this is the last day of our meetings yet we still have yet to
reach any solid conclusions,” The Palace Master reminded them as the three sat down for
another life draining debate.

The matter was about this year immortal alliance conference. The usual woods they use
currently was having issues due to some hybrid demon being born and disrupting the
ecosystem. All the animals were currently adjusting and much more angry than usual, so
sending the disciples in there would be too dangerous.

Cang Qiong was hosting this year, but as usual, Huan Hua Palace put the most money into
the event, so now Cang Qiong’s strategist and Beast Tamer were here to come up with a
solution.

Needless to say, it wasn’t going well.

It had been two weeks of discussion, yet no new venue had been decided.

“This master still believes it would be best to use the dark woods. We can just create a barrier
to block off the deeper parts with monsters too powerful for the disciples,” Shen Qingqiu
reasoned.

“What if the barrier collapses? What if a demon too powerful isn’t cut out of the barrier and
attacks? This conference is a test of strength not survival skills. Some will die, yes, but that’s
because of their own lack of power, not because of our poor insight,” The Palace Master
argued.

“If we put them in the original arena, the weaker demons will go feral. They will be fighting
each other and will attack much more ferociously. We can’t put the disciples through that, it’s
nothing like what they’re prepared for,” Su Qinghu, the beast taming peak lord, explained to
him.
“Peak lord Su-“

“Do not argue with this master on his specialty,” Su Qinghu warned. It seemed the amount of
disrespect he could take had run out.

“Listen, we could sit here and talk about ‘what if’s’ for another two weeks or we could pick
the best case scenario. Obviously none of these will be perfect, but we need an answer soon,”
Shen Qingqiu told the old man.

Shen Qingqiu hadn’t been sleeping because he didn’t trust anyone here, but he had barely
even meditated because of the Palace Master. He couldn’t say exactly what it was that
disturbed him so much, but just couldn’t feel comfortable around the man.

“Might this master also remind the Palace Master that this year Cang Qiong is hosting, not
Huan Hua. You get to have a say because of all your help financially, but this is ultimately
our decision. So make yours.” Su Qinghu glared at the palace master across the table from
him fiercely.

The palace masters eyebrow twitched, but he seemed to have finally made a choice. “The
dark woods should suffice.”

“We thank you for your help,” Shen Qingqiu said with a nod. He stood up from the table after
that, his martial sibling following behind.

The two made their way to the hallway, happy to finally get to leave this place.

“This would have been over much faster if you had decided to use today’s attitude earlier,”
Shen Qingqiu pointed out harshly.

“Shen Shixiong knows this one doesn’t like to argue with others. It’s why this master prefers
to handle a peak of animals rather than people,” the antisocial peak lord answered.

“Shidi realizes he has disciples, correct?”

“They also chose to spend their time with the animals than this master, thankfully.” Su
Qinghu smiled at him, causing the Qing Jing lord to scowl.

“I think Shixiong would also enjoy a peak like that rather than his own,” Su Qinghu hummed.

“This master is perfectly content where he is,” Shen Qingqiu shot back.

“Is he?”

Su Qinghu smiled softly at Shen Qingqiu for a moment before turning around.

“This one will see Shixiong at our next meeting, then.”

And with that Su Qinghu walked into the room he had been staying at, leaving Shen Qingqiu
alone in the hallway.
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t like people. Especially not ones like Su Qinghu who think they know
everything.

At least he’ll get some sleep tonight. He missed his meeting with Shen Yuan which was
supposed to be yesterday, so he couldn’t go meet with Lihua either. Hopefully tonight he
could go and get at least some rest.

Shen Qingqiu had finished up everything he had missed from his two week absence that he
couldn’t take with him for the rest of the day. His disciples had been overall pretty well
behaved, the hall master teaching them new sword forms that had taken up most of their
focus for the two weeks.

Lihua always tried to make it so that she had no customers when he came by, either finishing
up with them as fast as possible or being allowed to not serve anyone for the night.

But tonight wasn’t when he usually came, so he had no idea if he’d be as lucky.

He really hoped he would be.

“I’m terribly sorry A-Jiu, but Lihua is currently serving a customer right now,” Madam
Zhang told him at the front desk. “One of the other girls could serve you if that would work?”

“Who’s available tonight?”

“Dandan, Biyu, and Shu are the only girls not serving anyone tonight,” she informed him.

‘Shit, I don’t really know those three.’

Shen Jiu was panicking on the inside, but he still made sure to be polite. “This one will be on
his way then. I’m sorry for bothering you guys on such a busy day.”

“I’m really sorry A-Jiu. If you want to come back tomorrow I can-“

“No, it’s alright.” He flashed Madam Fen a smile before walking out of the establishment.

Shit. What was he going to do?

‘“It’s just that now you know if some crazy situation happened again, you have a safe space
you can go.”’

That was what Lihua said last time. But…

Could he really? What if he was asleep already? What if he was reading what happened last
time wrong and he would get kicked out. What if he wouldn’t want to see him anymore after
he saw how weak he really was?

And was he really going to a man’s house as a safe space?

But what else could he do in this situation?

So before he could think too much on it, he pulled out his sword and was flying towards Shen
Yuans house.

He had no excuse of a hurricane today. This would prove if Lihua was right. If Shen Yuan
was who he said he was. If he could be trusted.

Oh shit he was really doing this.

Shen Jiu stood by the door and contemplated for a good five minutes before he finally
knocked on the door.

There was a few beats of silence before he could hear Shen Yuan scrambling out of bed and
around the house.

“If you’re a robber I don’t have any valuables!” Shen Yuan shouted through the closed door.

“Shen Yuan. It’s me, Shen Jiu.”

He heard a click before the door opened.

“A-Jiu? What’re you doing here?” Shen Yuan asked when he saw Shen Jiu.

“The place I was supposed to stay at tonight isn’t available. Could I stay here?” Shen Jiu
explained, leaving out some details.

“Why can’t you go back to your house?” He questioned.

“The neighborhood I live in….sometimes the amount of men that live there..” Shen Jiu
couldn’t think of a good word to explain his situation.

“Oh! Yeah, come on in. Does that bed I made last time still work? I could probably make
something else if it wasn’t comfortable,” Shen Yuan assured, ushering him inside.

“I’ll take whatever you have. I’m not picky.”

“Alright, I’ll get that bed ready.” Shen Yuan rushed off to the same closet as last time and
gathered extra sheets and pillows.

“For someone who lives along you sure have lots of extra supplies,” Shen Jiu commented off
handedly.

“My little sister stays over a lot. This is what I give her whenever she does,” he explained as
he grabbed the pillows.

That reassuring him a bit, for some reason. It’s probably because it was a girl who had used it
before him.
“Do you not wanna see me or do you want me to stay? My sister always switches so I figure I
should ask,” Shen Yuan laughed awkwardly.

“Do what you want.”

“You know you get really stingy when you’re upset,” Shen Yuan pointed out as he grabbed
some tea cups.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Case in point. What kind of tea do you want?”

“Green tea,” Shen Jiu replied while he fixed up the sheets and blankets to how he liked it.

There was a minute or two of silence as Shen Yuan fixed up the tea for the both of them.

“Do you mind if I sit here and read for a bit then? I’ll leave you alone when I go to bed,”
Shen Yuan asked as he sat down Shen Jiu’s cup.

“You’re staying up? This late?” Shen Jiu questioned as he sipped the tea. It was fresh so it
was still a bit hot.

“This is early for me,” Shen Yuan told him with a cheeky grin.

“No wonder your mind is so messed up. You never give it time to rest,” Shen Jiu’s sneered in
response.

“Look at me, helping you out of the goodness of my heart, and this what I get in return,”
Shen Yuan complained pitifully.

“Maybe if you said that seriously I’d be inclined to feel bad for you.” Shen Jiu rolled his eyes
at his friend’s idiocy.

Shen Yuan stuck his tongue out at him before leaving to retrieve his book.

‘He let me in. I guess Lihua-jie was right.’ Shen Jiu thought to himself wearily. This no sleep
thing was really screwing up his senses. One moment he was on complete guard, then the
next someone could break in and he probably wouldn’t notice.

Right now he was feeling like the second one.

“Got my book! It’s not the one we’re gonna discuss next week, I already finished that,” Shen
Yuan told him as he walked back to the couch.

“I assume it’s some trashy romance then?” He asked the man, already knowing by answer.

“You bet. This shit sucks to far!” Shen Yuan complained.

“I’m gonna stop you there before you rant. I’m going to sleep,” Shen Jiu advised, knowing
what happens when Shen Yuan starts talking.
 “Fine,” Shen Yuan sighed. “Good night!”

“Night.”

“Am I a talking stage? You can say two words! It’s not that hard,” he huffed.

“A what?” There he was, using his weird phrases again. Shen Jiu wishes Shen Yuan would
explain them.

“Nothing, nothing.”

But as usual, he doesn’t.

“Don’t read for too long,” Shen Jiu told him.

“Okay mom,” Shen Yuan replied sarcastically, splaying out on the couch and opening the
book.

‘My little sister couldn’t possibly be this cute.’

“Shen Yuan,” Shen Jiu began carefully. “What the hell are you reading?”

“People said it was really bad so I wanted to see how horrible it actually is. I mean, the title is
enough to make me cringe in itself.”

“Do you read to punish yourself?” He questioned, fully serious.

“It’s more fun this way.”

“There is no way I would ever believe that,” Shen Jiu argued.

“The last book we read was too good. I need to get mad at something or I’ll go mad.”

“Go to sleep Yuan.” This time, Shen Jiu rolled over and chose peace.

And sleep. He slept well.

Chapter End Notes

Basketball tournaments do wonders for my posting schedule damn

 Chapter 21
Chapter Summary

Character development caught in 4k 📸

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“That was a cute book. For once,” Shen Jiu summed up, actually impressed with Shen Yuans
choice for once.

“It’s my sister’s all time favorite. She read it as a little kid and it got her into reading. She
forced me to read it a few years ago and I thought it was good. Barely remembered it so it
was nice to re-read,” Shen Yuan told him.

“It’s a good message for kids. Interesting beginning, mystery filled middle, then surprising
ending. I might make my students read this one, actually,” he hummed.

“Hopefully they like it then.” Shen Yuan smiled at Shen Jiu, taking some pastries from their
shared snack plate.

The second book of the month had been one called ‘Time of the Fireflies.’ It was a more
children aimed book. It’s about a girl named Larissa who receives a mysterious phone call on
an old disconnected princess phone in her parent’s antique shop. She gets led to a lake where
fireflies surround her and bring her to the past. Specifically, her families past. That’s how she
learns her family is cursed and how to stop it.

“I can understand why the girl would be jealous of her maid receiving a gift too, but it’s not
like it upstaged hers. A pony over a doll? I do think her family getting cursed because of a
mere doll is a bit much, but I suppose the doll was just the straw that broke the camel’s back,
if you will,” Shen Jiu noted.

“A children’s feud that killed,” Shen Yuan said sadly. “But that’s why stealing is never okay!
Karma bit her in the ass is what happened.”

“But her family was cursed after that. One person from every generation had to die. The
curse had to be stopped.”

The book wasn’t set in a world with cultivators, or even any powers whatsoever, so it was up
to the main character to find the solution to the curse.

Before she dies.

“Obviously the message is very forward, stealing isn’t okay and stolen items should be
returned, but there’s a deeper meaning if you look into it, for sure.” Shen Yuan pointed out.

“And what would that message be?” Shen Jiu questioned.

“Breaking the cycle. Larissa’s family got stuck in a cycle, but it was rooted back so far that
no one knew how it started and how to end it. Larissa found out what started the curse and
ended it. Some people would think that it’s not her responsibility since it wasn’t her fault, and
they’re right. But if she lets it continue into the next generation, then it does become her fault.
She knew what was wrong so she looked into fixing it. Her family isn’t cursed anymore
because she made things right,” he explained.

“You make it sound like this book was focusing on abuse,” Shen Jiu said distastefully.

“Obviously it’s not that kind of cycle, but it’s an umbrella type topic. It’s doesn’t matter what
kind of cycle you’re in, just that you break it. The solution doesn’t change,” Shen Yuan
argued.

“Yes but the motivation to break a curse is much greater than the motivation to break a chain
of abuse,” Shen Jiu shot back.

“Playing devils advocate are we? Okay then, how’s this? It doesn’t matter what kind of tea
you’re having, fact is they all need to cool down before you can drink them. Doesn’t matter if
the tea is black or green. Unless you want it be burned, that is. But no one really wants that,
do they? Well, I suppose some do, but that’s a separate issue,” Shen Yuan explained, using
his favorite form of teaching: analogies.

“Those both take the same amount of time to cool,” he pointed out.

“Would you rather me use fire and tea? I can, but my point still stands. If you want to touch
fire or tea, you must wait until they’ve cooled. If you want to stop a cycle, you must take the
necessary actions to break it,” Shen Yuan compared.

“And what do you think those actions are?” Shen Jiu asked, a hint of annoyance floating off
his words.

“Well in this case, the way to stop the curse was to return the doll. Plain and simple. For
abuse, either not having children or treating said children better than you were treated would
be appropriate,” Shen Yuan claimed.

“It’s not-“

“‘Not that easy?’ You say the same thing every time A-Jiu, get a little more creative.” He
stuck his tongue out to drive his point home. “Of course it’s not easy. But that doesn’t mean
you just give up. Don’t always give into your first thought. Ask yourself if what you’re about
to say or do is really necessary,” Shen Yuan recommended.

“Hm. I suppose,” Shen Jiu agreed, sipping at his tea.

“Why can’t you ever just agree with me from the start?” Shen Yuan complained with a frown
—more of a pout if he was being honest.

“Because it’s more fun this way. It doesn’t hurt you to use your head every once in a while.”
Shen Jiu smirked.

“You think I don’t use it!? I read even more than you!” He pointed out angrily.

“Quality over quantity,” Shen Jiu replied smoothly.

“You suck ass.”

“You wish.”

“Excuse me!?”

Shen Jiu laughed at his friends shrieking, preparing possible responses for whatever Shen
Yuan was going to shoot at him when he regained a semblance of his composure.

He’s found he rather likes this routine.

He had been teaching the disciples tailsmans.

It was simple explosion spells.

How the fuck did this kid manage to screw it up!? The most basic of the basic, and he spills
the ink and destroys his whole stack of papers he was supposed to practice on.

No one else got injured, but some close by got their robes sullied by the ink. It was truly a
pitiful sight.

Honestly, a disciple as useless as this can’t even hope to learn by normal instruction. He
might as well give him a few lashes in the small chance it beats some sense into him.

Yet for some reason, as Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan closed and slowly made his way to the
child trembling in fear of his Shizun’s wrath, he remembered something.

‘Don’t always give into your first thought. Ask yourself if what you’re about to say or do is
really necessary.’

…..

“Twenty laps around the peak. When you’re done, you’re on firewood duty,” he bit out
harshly, barely believing his own words.

Apparently, his disciple didn’t either since he just sat there in silent shock.

“Do you wish to upset this master further? Perhaps you’d prefer a harsher punishment?” Shen
Jiu questioned the child.
“No! Of course not Shizun!” The kid bowed quickly, practically jumping to the floor.

“Then go. Now.”

“Yes Shizun!”

His disciple sped out of the room, on his way to do his laps.

That specific child has terrible stamina anyway. Maybe he can kill two birds with one stone
with this punishment.

….he really was going soft.

He blames Shen Yuan.

“Gege, what have you been doing to help out that villain dude so much? You were screwing
everything up before but now it’s actually looking hopeful!” Shen Bai chirped happily as the
two sat down on Shen Yuans couch.

“Huh?” Shen Yuan asked, not understanding.

“The heart blacking points? They’ve gone way down recently!” She explained.

“They have?” He had muted the system and forgotten to check it in a while.

He opened up the system, a new notification popping up as he did:

[Scum Villain Heart Blacking: 200/500]

[-50 blacking points! Keep up the great work user 002!]

That was today’s, at least. Over the past two months, however, 100 points had been lost in
bits in prices.

It had been at 350. Now it was at 200.

What the hell did he even do!?

Don’t get him wrong, this was great! But just a little confusing. He needed to know what he
was doing so he could continue! He was indirectly helping Shen Qingqiu’s evilness
somehow.

Was it when he helped Luo Binghe?

Maybe that was it. It made the most sense considering everything he’s done recently. Aka
nothing.

[System cannot tell User 002 how to help the Scum Villain. User must figure it out on his
own <3]
 ‘Fuck you and your stupid hearts!’

[ :( ]

Shen Yuan closed out of the system with a sigh, turning his attention back to his sister.

“Things are looking up! This is a good thing,” Shen Bai assured.

“There are, it’s just…it feels too fragile of a peace for me to be completely comfortable,” he
explained worriedly.

“Don’t think too much Yuan-ge. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” His sister smiled at him
while she patted him on the back.

Hopefully this peace sticks.

Chapter End Notes

Long car rides 🤝 this chapter

Guys I’m going to Disneyland tomorrow!!!
 Chapter 22
Chapter Summary

A 5+1 chapter!

Aka 5 times SY tried to initiate physical contact, +1 time it actually worked

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Jiu is not a touchy person. This is something Shen Yuan has become aware of in the
year and eight months he’s known the man.

In that time, Shen Yuan has also realized why that is. It is a very valid reason, so Shen Yuan
—who is also not that touchy of a person—makes it a point to try to avoid physical contact
with the man.

So it really wasn’t on purpose when he hugged Shen Jiu suddenly.

It had started two weeks ago at there last book club meeting. They had gotten off topic and
Shen Yuan began complaining about how he had been looking for a certain bestiary to no
avail.

Shen Jiu had told him he was pretty sure he’d seen the log at his work and might be able to
borrow it and lend to Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan was excited by the chance, but made sure not to get his hopes up. Shen Jiu wasn’t
even sure if it was there. And even if it was, he might not be able to let Shen Yuan borrow it.

But today, as there meeting ended and they walked out, Shen Jiu remembered the book he
brought along, handing it over to him.

“Just finish it by our next meeting and there should be no problems,” Shen Jiu assured him as
he handed the book over.

Shen Jiu’s face lit up when he got his hand on the book. After all, this specific volume was
made by his favorite author, had species in it that couldn’t be found in any other logs, and had
a whole section on demon folk where it divulged into their culture. It was so fascinating to
read!

It was a natural reaction. He hadn’t meant to throw himself on the man.

He hadn’t realized the issue until after he said his thanks, Shen Jiu tensing in his hold.
But just as Shen Yuan was about to let go a profusely apologize, Shen Jiu relaxed in his
hands. He didn’t hug him back, but he made no move to push him off. He sighed for a
second, as if accepting his fate. Could he….could he have liked the hug!?

Shen Yuan let go, giving Shen Jiu a calculating look.

What’s the best move here?

“Haha, sorry about that A-Jiu,” he chuckled.

“It’s fine.” Shen Jiu turned away from him, immediately taking off.

Tsundere alert!!!!

Oh Shen Yuan is so taking advantage of this new information.

Shen Jiu would obviously never admit to having liked to hug, and will probably never initiate
physical contact unless it’s a situation like the hurricane.

Shen Yuan now has a new mission! He will get Shen Jiu to at least hold his hand! Of his own
free will! No coaxing or initiating from him!

Look, maybe it seems like an unrealistic plan, yes, but Shen Jiu really isn’t one to talk about
his own problems. He also won’t talk about his wants, which in this situation the two seemed
to be connected. If he can trust Shen Yuan enough to stay at his house overnight, he can learn
to trust him with some simple touches, right?

And before you say anything, Shen Yuan isn’t an inconsiderate dick! The whole point of this
is that Shen Jiu will decide whether or not he wants to hug or things like that! Shen Yuan
obviously won’t force any of it.

Now then, to begin this experiment!

Attempt #1

“Thank god your student and my sister have birthdays around the same time. Otherwise I’d
need a yearly excuse to get you to shop with me,” Shen Yuan laughed as he and Shen Jiu
walked around the busy market.

“Please trust me when I say I would not be here unless it was necessary,” Shen Jiu swore.

“So thank god it is!”

“You’re an imbecile,” he sneered.

“Aw, thanks so much A-Jiu! You always know just what to say,” Shen Yuan retorted, taking
the insult in stride.
Shen Jiu sighed heavily, but didn’t push it anymore. He knew Shen Yuan would just laugh off
everything he said anyway.

‘Yingying said she wanted more hair ribbons for her birthday this year. What did she say her
new favorite color was? Orange?’ Shen Jiu contemplated while he looked at the stall full of
girls accessories.

“Excuse me, do you have this pin in any other colors?” Shen Yuan asked the stall owner
beside him, holding up an expensive looking hair pin. There was a ruby in the middle of it,
little bits of it speckled around the top—aka the spot that would be visible while someone
was wearing the pin.

“Yes of course! There’s also one with emeralds and….” The stall owner began to explain,
taking Shen Yuans attention elsewhere.

So he was on his own for this one.

Great.

….

What the hell does a thirteen year old girl want for her birthday!? Does she actually want
ribbons or was that just a spur of the moment answer? Could she have changed her mind by
now? What if she did want it but the ones he got she hated?

Why was this so hard!?

“Yuan. If a thirteen year old says she wants orange ribbons for her birthday, does she actually
want them?” Shen Jiu decided to question, not trusting himself on this. Shen Yuan has a
sister. He should know this.

“Typically, yeah. But since you’re her teacher she’ll probably love anything you get her,”
Shen Yuan assured, turning his attention back to the pins being presented to him.

Right. Ning Yingying will probably like it because it’s from him.

Right?

He scanned the stall for the ribbons, finally seeing a pair of two orange strands both made
from the same smooth silk.

Ning Yingying had become obsessed with hair lately. She would rope in whatever disciple
was near to practice hairstyles on them, even attempting to get Shen Qingqiu himself to
become her doll. He always refused, but getting her something this practical het cute would
definitely please her.

“Excuse me, how much would it be for these two ribbons?” Shen Jiu questioned as he
grabbed the items.

“Twenty yuans,” the stall owner responded.

‘Hm, and actual fair price for once. Impressive.’ He thought, amused.

Shen Jiu handed over the money just as Shen Yuan seemed to decide on a pin.

He picked out a pin with beautiful pink sapphires littering the top. A tasteful choice,
especially for Shen Yuans usual color blindness in quality and looks.

“A wonderful choice! This specific pin is four hundred yuans,” the man told Shen Yuan.

“Four hundred!?” Shen Jiu exclaimed, outraged. He threw the stall owner a disgusted look
before stopping Shen Yuan from paying. “At the highest you should be paying is three
hundred.”

“Ah, my lord-“ the man attempted to defend, but Shen Jiu wasn’t having it.

Was the fair price on the ribbons supposed to be an attempt at a distraction?

“Shen Yuan. Pay him and we’ll be on our way.”

Shen Yuan handed over three hundred yuans before walking off with Shen Jiu.

“Honestly A-Jiu, how can you just tell what an items worth by only looking at it?” Shen Yuan
asked, upset he never received this power.

“How can you not?” Shen Jiu responded, not understanding how someone could be as
clueless as Shen Yuan.

“Whatever. I need to go get my meds for this month, wanna come?” Shen Yuan sighed,
brushing off the issue.

“What illness do you even have?” Shen Jiu is still unaware of what ailed his friend.

“When I was a kid, like, everything. I had lung problems, heart problems, I was extremely
fragile since I was constantly bedridden. But it slowly got better and better every year. Now
I’m just weaker than most people. I typically get sick every season change and the works,”
Shen Yuan explained.

“Hm, that’s rather unfortunate. At least you got better,” Shen Jiu hummed as the two walked
through the dense crowd.

“Yep,” he agreed.

Only his family knows he shouldn’t have recovered. Only his family knows why he healed.
Only they know he was supposed to die.

The crowd was getting more and more packed as the moments passed. Shen Yuan and Shen
Jiu were getting shoved almost every second.

But Shen Yuan is an opportunist. He could use this.

“A-Jiu, should we hold onto each other? I don’t wanna lose you in the crowd,” Shen Yuan
recommended as he narrowly avoided a person.

Shen Jiu seemed to contemplate this for a moment, then found a better option.

“There’s a clearing up there. We’ll be able to escape the crowd.” Shen Jiu led Shen Yuan to
where he was talking about. And of course, just as promised, there was a pocket.

Okay, fail.

Till next time!

Attempt #2

Shen Jiu was once again at Shen Yuans house.

He used to go to his Jiejie’s two times every month on his day off. Sometimes he still does.
But a lot of times, he uses one of his days off to stay over at Shen Yuans.

He didn’t mean for this to happen. It just kinda did.

But he didn’t mind just sitting here and reading. It wasn’t calming, since the books they chose
were usually anything but that, but it was comfortable.

The two of them were currently sitting next to each other on the couch, enough space for a
small dog to fit between them.

The two were currently reading a book about a fictional character named ‘Alexander
Hamilton.’ There was a play on the character that was currently very popular, so the two
decided to read the book first. Truthfully, Shen Jiu couldn’t care less, but Shen Yuan was so
excited when he saw the book in the store, he had to read it.

They had even thought of watching the play for their next meeting. It was an amusing enough
prospect, so if the book was entertaining, he would give in.

The current problem at hand was that Shen Yuan was a very vocal reader. Little gasps and
mumbles sounded from him every few minutes. And every time, Shen Jiu’s curiosity got the
best of him and he looked over to see what page Shen Yuan was on. Eventually, the room of
the small dog was gone. One more inch and the two would be touching.

‘It’s takes two to change a relationship’

Just as Shen Yuan snorted and Shen Jiu was about to scoot over that last inch, Lihua’s words
rang through his head.

This was exactly what he said he wasn’t going to do! He has a stronger will than this!

So he decided to stand up.

“Huh? Where are you going A-Jiu?” Shen Yuan asked in confusion as he looked up from the
book.

“The restroom.”

“Oh, you know where it is, right?” Shen Yuan questioned, his face flashing with
disappointment for a split second.

“Yes,” he responded simply, walking off.

Once Shen Jiu left the room, Shen Yuan sighed.

A failure, once again.

Attempt #3

“You’re still scared to eat tangyuan?” Shen Jiu questioned suddenly when he saw Shen Yuan
eyed the bowl of dessert being served the a nearby table.

“Hey, it’s not my fault! One poisoning is enough for me,” Shen Yuan shot back.

“Tangyuan is common. you’re gonna see it everywhere. Might as well get used to it. I’ll order
some,” Shen Jiu decided, raising his hand slightly to signal for a waiter.

“Wait! Don’t do that!” Shen Yuan is not someone who gets over things by being exposed to
them. He typically avoids them at all costs! Respect people’s coping mechanisms A-Jiu!!!

But the waitress had already seen Shen Jiu’s hand before Shen Yuan could smack it down.
Now she was walking over to them. Shit!

“Shen Jiu!” He hissed under his breath.

“What? It’ll help, I promise,” Shen Jiu assured.

“Maybe for you! But not for me!” Shen Yuan argued.

“I’ll try it first, okay? I promise it won’t kill you.” Shen Jiu rolled his eyes, whispering in the
waitress’ ear as she came over.

“I hate you. I hate you so much,” he swore.

“Good for you. The doors that way.” Shen Jiu pointed to the exit of the cafe, looking
doubtfully at Shen Yuan.

He won’t do it.

“I hope it does poison you. Then you’ll know how it feels.” Shen Yuan gave a nasty glare,
even raising his fan to give extra space between them, but he didn’t leave, just as Shen Jiu
thought.
The two bickered back and forth for a while after that, but then the fateful food arrived,
causing the two to go silent.

“You’re eating first,” Shen Yuan reminded him after a moment.

“I’m letting it cool for a second.”

Shen Yuan stared suspiciously at the glutinous rice flour like he was a detective.

“Shen Yuan. There’s nothing wrong with this one. The one you had before wasn’t even
tangyuan to begin with, just straight up poison.”

“Shut up and eat it!” He snapped.

“Alright, alright.” Shen Jiu shrugged off the harsh tone and grabbed one of the tangyuan with
his chopsticks and plopped it into his mouth.

The two sat in silence for a moment as nothing happened.

“See?” Shen Jiu said once he swallowed the food.

“I…” Shen Yuan couldn’t think of any words. Despite the proof of perfectly good food in
front of him, the pit in his stomach remained. His hands shook a bit as he attempted to reach
for his chopsticks.

Shen Jiu stared at Shen Yuans pathetic attempts at eating, making a decision with a sigh.

Shen Jiu made a reach for Shen Yuans chopsticks just as Shen Yuan worked up the courage to
do the same.

The two stopped just as their hands were about to touch.

Shen Yuans face went pink and the two retracted their hands instantly.

“W-what were you about to do?” Shen Yuan asked hesitantly.

“I was going to feed you since you’re acting like a child. Then if you die I get in trouble for
murder since I gave it to you,” he explained.

Shen Yuan’s soft pink flush turned to a deep red as his fan immediately found its way in front
of his face.

But he made no protests.

So once again, Shen Jiu reached for the chopsticks and grabbed a piece of tangyuan.

Shen Yuan slowly lowered his fan, still flushed.

“Are you going to chicken out?” Shen Jiu mocked harshly.

Shen Yuan bristled at the jab at himself, squeezing his eyes shut and opening his mouth.
Shen Jiu fed him the piece of tangyuan, back up after the job was done.

Again, they waited for a few moments, but nothing happened once more.

“See? You didn’t die,” Shen Jiu told him smugly.

“Shut up.”

Shen Yuans never been more humiliated in his life!

Total fail!

Attempt #4

They went to go watch Hamilton.

Shen Jiu gave in.

The book on the man’s life was actually pretty interesting, and the play was written by and
staring the same person, so Shen Jiu was interested.

It was stupidly good. So much so it baffled him Shen Yuan picked it.

“Gods I love Hamilton. I know A-Bai’s gonna want to watch that when she finds out about
it,” Shen Yuan said, more to himself than anything.

“I thought your sister was still grounded from sneaking around with a guy?” Shen Jiu
remembered suddenly.

“Yeah, but she’ll find a way,” Shen Yuan answered.

“Maybe your parents should invest in tailsmans if they want your sister to not sneak out so
much,” he recommended.

“They tried, but it mostly just inconvenienced the servants more than anything. She still
found a way out.”

Maybe Shen Yuan’s sister should be checked for secret cultivation.

“That girl could be a pretty good assassin or something with her skills. She should really
apply herself elsewhere,” Shen Yuan commented offhandedly.

“Why was assassin your first idea?” Shen Jiu judged.

“Because she’d probably enjoy it. She’s a little messed up in the head.”

“Oh so it’s a hereditary trait. Good to know.”

“Shut up!”
Shen Yuan turned away with a huff, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Shen Jiu said with an eye roll.

“Yeah well you-“ Shen Yuan had a really great retort, he swears he did. Unfortunately, he
didn’t get to say it as his foot came face to face with a piece of wood lying on the ground.
This is what he gets for not paying attention, he supposes.

Shen Yuan shrieked a bit as he fell, alerting Shen Jiu of his current predicament. Shen Jiu
reached out to grab him out of instinct but hesitated for a second.

A second too long because before Shen Jiu could decide if he really wanted to grab Shen
Yuan’s hand, the man in question was already kissing the ground.

Come on A-Jiu! You could’ve had this mental crisis after helping him!

Worst failure yet.

Attempt #5

“You’re going to my house again today, right?” Shen Yuan asked Shen Jiu as the two of them
got up to leave the bookstore.

“I was planning on it, yes,” he answered simply.

“Alright, just checking! I told my sister she couldn’t come over today so I was making sure it
wasn’t for nothing, haha.”

Oh right, Shen Jiu has never met Shen Bai. Shen Yuan talks about her so much it feels like he
has, but truthfully, he has no clue what the girl even looks like.

He also knows a lot about her from when he looked into Shen Yuans family over a year ago.

He’ll probably meet his sister soon, won’t he?

Well, that’ll be a problem for future him. For now, he’s going to read and sleep. He hasn’t
slept since their last meeting anyway. He was tired.

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu chatted as the two walked the usual path back to Shen Yuans house.
The short walk always reminded them of the storm a few months ago, but they ignore the
memory.

“Move to that side of the street, Yuan. I hear dogs fighting in the alley up there,” Shen Jiu
told him as he started to move to the left.

“You can hear that from here?” The alley was still pretty far. Just barely in eyesight.

“You just have terrible hearing,” Shen Jiu defended.

Shen Jiu had learned a while back that simple gaslighting worked rather easily on Shen Yuan.
Being weaker than most others made it easy for Shen Jiu to brush off his advanced senses as
‘normal.’

In truth, neither of them were normal. They were in fact on opposite sides of the scale when it
came to their abilities.

Shen Yuan followed Shen Jiu to the other side of the road, none of wiser.

As they got closer, Shen Yuan did in fact hear dogs fighting. Their aggressive barks were
loud and rang through the streets. Whimpers could be heard every so often, but it was mostly
the sound of attacks.

Shen Yuan looked over worriedly, only catching a glimpse at the two dogs before forcing
himself to look away. He was a dog lover, so he didn’t want to traumatize himself.

The two walked a few more steps before a loud cry erupted from the alleyway, sounding like
one of the dogs had lost the fight.

Shen Yuan felt a pang of sadness in his heart, assuming the dog who lost was now dead, or
would at least be in a short amount of time.

The world can be a cruel place.

“Just keep walking,” Shen Jiu reminded when he saw Shen Yuan slow down.

“Right, sorry.” He picked up his pace to catch up to his friend.

Maybe since he was so focused on that mission he didn’t notice the dog emerging from the
alleyway.

Shen Jiu, however, had his eyes trained on the mutt, waiting for its move and deciding what
could be potential counters.

After a moment of sniffing and looking around, the dog clocked that two humans were
nearby, its gaze staring intensely at the two of them.

Then it ran towards them.

Or, more specifically, Shen Yuan, who was lagging behind a bit.

Since he had been watching and waiting, Shen Jiu had enough time to grab Shen Yuans robes
and throw the man behind him.

Shen Yuan yelped as he got thrown, attempting to steady himself so he didn’t fall straight on
his ass.

During that effort, he missed Shen Jiu use a bit of his spiritual power to attack the feral street
dog.
Shen Jiu hated dogs.

The mutt in question whimpered as it was thrown, scampering off as it realized it was up
against too fearsome of an opponent.

“Are you alright?” Shen Jiu asked, turning around to a dazed Shen Yuan.

“Yeah,” he mumbled in response.

“You need to be more careful,” Shen Jiu berated. “If you were paying more attention or
keeping up with me the dog wouldn’t have gone for you.”

“It still probably would have…” Shen Yuan knows his luck. The dog would’ve attacked him
no matter what he was doing.

Shen Jiu sighed, but gave up.

“Let’s get going.”

‘Wait….didn’t Shen Jiu throw me out of the way just now? Does that count as physical
touch?’ Shen Yuan wondered as he replayed the event.

But no, upon further inspection, the man only grabbed his robes.

Come on! Even in a situation like this!?

You know what? Shen Yuan gives up.

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu were once again together. Specifically, in Shen Yuans home.

It was evening, just before dinner. Shen Yuan was just starting to get hungry as Shen Jiu
sipped his tea and played with a puzzle.

Where he found that puzzle, Shen Yuan isn’t sure. but he’s enjoying it so that’s all that
matters.

And Shen Yuan had strict no touching orders so cooking tonight was up to him.

Shen Jiu reminded Shen Yuan of a cat sometimes. That puzzle was like yarn to him. He could
sit there and play with it for hours no questions asked.

Shen Yuan laughed to himself as he walked outside to go grab some firewood for when he
would start cooking.

Shen Jiu was left with his puzzle. He was very content right now.

Warm tea and a simple brain game. Who could for more? Not Shen Jiu.
But unfortunately the world hates him so much that he can’t even have such simple luxuries.
It didn’t even take five minutes of Shen Yuan leaving his sight for something to happen.

With his advanced hearing the sound of Shen Yuan’s muffled shout was as clear as day.
Obviously, Shen Jiu had to go investigate it.

……..

At this point, Shen Jiu was more annoyed than surprised.

There was Shen Yuan, getting actively kidnapped by a demon. In his own home.

He might as well go with him.

The demon locked in on Shen Jiu’s presence after he knocked out Shen Yuan with some type
of venom. Shen Jiu knew what kind of demon this was and that the venom it just injected in
Shen Yuan only made him sleep and had no harmful side effects. There would’ve been a
problem if it did.

So he let the spider like demon come over and knock him out too, since that made everything
easier.

Shen Jiu is not a guy with many friends. So why did he have to find the most accident prone
one?

Shen Jiu awakened with a bit of a headache, but that went away as the venom and sleep wore
off.

He squirmed around a bit to find out what kind of situation he was in so he could brainstorm
how to get out of it.

He was tied up with some vines, but they didn’t have any thorns on them. They were simply
being used a rope. The bindings were tight but overall no real threat. Shen Jiu could break out
of this in seconds.

Behind him, he felt someone begin to stir, assuming Shen Yuan was waking.

“Oh shit not again…” Shen Yuan groaned once he woke up and took on his surroundings.

“Is this your normal?” Shen Jiu asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“A-Jiu?” Shen Yuan asked when he heard his voice. He couldn’t see behind him and the two
were currently tied up back to back.

“The one and only.”

“Sorry about this,” Shen Yuan apologized, immediately taking the blame.
“Buy me a puzzle later and I’ll forgive you,” Shen Jiu threw out there.

Damn, he really liked puzzles didn’t he?

“I’ll buy you one, promise.”

“So do we just sit here now? You’re the more experienced one at this,” Shen Jiu asked, acting
like he was clueless when it came to demon kidnappings.

“Yeah. I don’t exactly remember what kind of demon kidnapped us, so I don’t have any good
escape plans yet,” Shen Yuan explained.

“It looked like a heartless widow to me,” Shen Jiu told him.

“Are you sure?” Shen Yuan frowned at the information. He wasn’t very familiar with that
specific demon.

“Yes I’m sure. And I’m also sure we should be fine for a while. It’s currently mating season
for the animals, so we’re probably a sacrifice for a potential mate. But heartless widows don’t
come out until morning, so they should all be gone for some hours,” Shen Jiu said, recalling
all he’s read about this demonic spider breed.

The miniature version of those spiders are quite common in Qing Jing, so he knows lots
about their habits.

He also knows how to easily kill them.

Shen Yuan seemed to relax behind him with that knowledge, and due to the fact that Shen Jiu
knew about the spider. At least one of them could be useful right now.

There was an awkward silence after that for a few minutes as the two just sat there.

The silence was broken by Shen Yuans stomach growling, however.

Hey, in his defense he never got to make or eat dinner! He can be hungry!

Shen Yuan immediately flew into conversation after that, doing everything he could to
distract Shen Jiu from such an embarrassing noise.

Shen Jiu didn’t judge him though. Normal humans need their three meals. Being hungry after
skipping one was normal. So he made no comment on what he heart and simply entertained
Shen Yuan nervous rambles.

But eventually the sun set and Shen Yuans words became fewer and slower, the sleepiness
catching up to him.

“We can sleep in shifts,” Shen Jiu recommended as he felt the other man begin to doze off
but force himself awake.

“Are…” Shen Yuan yawned loudly, “are you sure?”

 “Yes. Now sleep.”

Shen Yuan didn’t need to be asked twice, quickly passing out.

‘Alright, now that he’s asleep….’ Shen Jiu broke out of his bondage and reached for his
qiankun pouch, grabbing Xiu Ya from it, ‘time to kill some demons.’

Shen Yuan woke up to the sensation of being rocked. Or bounced. He’s not sure which to be
exact.

“A-Jiu?” He mumbled sleepily as he opening his eyes a smidge.

He was currently being carried on Shen Jiu’s back, apparently.

“Go back to sleep, Yuan,” Shen Jiu told him.

“How’d we get out?” He asked. He wasn’t quite sure what he got out of, just that he was
stuck earlier.

“The vines around me were quite weak. The self defense classes I teach also mean I know
how to break free of simple bindings. Then I mimicked the Heartless Widows predator, a
Three Headed Falcon, and untied you once it ran off. I’m taking us back to your house to
don’t worry and go back to sleep.”

Shen Yuan didn’t really take in half of what Shen Jiu said, he just knew he got an explanation
and it sounded like it made sense, so he believed him.

He could analyze it tomorrow.

‘Also….doesn’t this count as voluntary touching?’ Shen Yuan wondered to himself as he

slipping back into a dream.

Another thing to think about tomorrow.

Shen Yuan was very happy the next morning.

Chapter End Notes

bcs of what Lihua said about advancing relationships takes two be like ‘😰😰
SJ in this chapter catching onto what SY was trying to do and attempting to avoid him
’

Also him completely giving in at the end

 Chapter 23
Chapter Summary

For anyone wondering I’m planning on most likely ending this is around 25k words so
probably another two months until it’s completed

(Hoping nothing goes haywire that is…)

Shorter chapter as more of an introduction for what’s to come rather than real plot

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Bai is pissed.

Her brother’s been completely blowing her off lately! First when they were supposed to meet
up at the market, and now when she wanted to sleep at Shen Yuan’s house for the night!

He said no! What reason does he have to reject her!? He’s never done that before!

And based on what she found when she came over a few days later, there was evidence of
someone else staying over….

And using her stuff! Her favorite gege’s replacing her!

Is it because she started sneaking around with a guy? She can explain, she swears!

But this isn’t about her. Right now she’s going to get to the bottom of whatever’s happening
right now.

She’s going to find whatever girl was trying to corrupt her sweet brother!

And she doesn’t mean that in the weird incest kind of way, she promises. It’s just that Shen
Yuan hasn’t realized his true calling in life yet. Aka dick.

So until then, she’s determined to scare off anyone trying to tell him otherwise!

From what she knows, Shen Yuan goes outside two times a month. He gets all his shopping
done those days. But these are also the days Shen Bai suspects her brother has been meeting
up with someone, so now she was trailing him.
She watched from afar as her brother walked into his favorite bookstore, the largest one on
the area. She’s been there with him a bunch of times, so she knew the place well.

She waited around five minutes after her brother entered the store to follow him inside. After
five minutes he’s usually made his way far enough inside so she wouldn’t be spotted
entering.

Shen Bai wasn’t sure if the person her brother met up with would be here, but she could wait
as long as needed.

“Shen Bai! Is there anything I can help you with? Your brother’s over at the cafe if you
need-“ a worker walked over to Shen Bai when they noticed her. She was a constant patron
and her family basically owned this town, so she was always approached when walking in.

But that wasn’t her worry currently.

“Is my brother with anyone!?” She asked immediately, hoping to get help from an insider.

“Uh, yes,” the worker answered nervously.

“How long has it been since the two started hanging out? How often do they meet?” Shen Bai
questioned.

“They’ve been meeting twice a month for almost two years now…” the worker told her,
feeling like she was revealing something she shouldn’t be.

‘Two years!?’ Shen Bai thought to herself, aghast. She’s way too late to stop anything now!
No wonder her brother ditched her for this new girl!

“Please don’t tell them I’m here!” She begged, bowing deeply to prove how desperate she
was.

“A-alright…” the worker complied, sighing a bit. She felt guilty for betraying the shops two
most frequent customers, but she’s sure they’ll understand. Shen Yuan will, at least. It’s his
sister.

The worker led Shen Bai over to a spot where she could spy on Shen Yuan and his friend
while the other two couldn’t see her. Shen Bai thanked the worker with some money as the
worker then ran off. She probably didn’t want to be involved in Shen Bai’s schemes.

Fair enough.

Shen Bai could see her brother’s face clearly, he seemed seeming like he was listening
intently to whatever the girl in front of him was saying. Definitely new for her brother, he
wasn’t keen on others opinions. But apparently he’d been listening to this girl for nearly two
years, so he’s probably used to it.

She wanted to see what this girl looked like, out of both plain curiosity and so that she could
keep spying easier. It took a bit of shuffling before she finally got a clear view.
Okay, the person she was looking at was certainly very pretty, but without a doubt that was a
guy.

Omg. Did her clueless gege finally come to his senses!? Forget ambushing this she was all
for it! She’d even be their wingman no problem!

But first she needs to make sure they’re more than friends. Obviously she can’t ask because
her hopes aren’t that high for her brother, so she’ll just need to watch and infer.

“Woah! A-Jiu you have to try the chefs special, it’s so good!” Shen Yuan gushed after having
a spoonful of whatever soup was in front of him.

‘A-Jiu’ didn’t seemed convinced by her brother’s words, his face scrunching up a bit.

Shen Yuan took another spoonful and held it out to the man in front of him, hoping he would
try it.

“Are you trying to feed me?” The other asked with a disgusted tone.

“You did it to me last time!” Her brother argued.

The man sighed and accepted the spoon into his mouth.

“That’s disgusting,” he commented after a moment.

“What!?”

“I’m not fond of mushrooms.”

Her brother glared at him but just rolled his eyes at the man’s picky response.

Oh they were so gay.

Now sure of her conclusion, Shen Bai had a new goal: using this man to convince her brother
that he was into guys. He had been in denial for over twenty years, so obviously it’d take
more than a few words.

Also, neither of those two seem to realize what their behavior implies. She’ll have to wait a
bit and have some nudges in the right direction before being direct with either of them.

“Okay….I can use this…” Shen Bai muttered to herself as she formulated a plan in her head.

She’d let them have their fun for a few hours, but she was gonna show herself tonight. She’d
need to integrate herself into this mess somehow after all.

Shen Jiu knew they were being watched earlier at the bookstore, but it wasn’t anyone he
knew or a cultivator. The person left pretty quickly too, seeming more like whoever it was
was just trying to confirm something rather than spy.
No one else had approached them after, even when Shen Yuan and him went to the market to
buy one of Shen Yuans brothers a birthday gift. He had another nice conversation with the
lady who worked at the silk stall so he didn’t mind.

The two made their way back to Shen Yuans house since today was a night Shen Jiu stayed
with him with no disturbances. Even for the first few hours where the two read their new
book, nothing out of sorts.

So of course he was surprised when the door suddenly burst open just as the two were
finishing dinner.

“Gege! When were you gonna tell me about your boyfriend, huh!?” The girl, Shen Bai based
on what she said, demanded as she came inside.

Shen Yuan choked on his tea in surprise, but Shen Jiu wasn’t sure if his sister breaking in or
her calling Shen Jiu his ‘boyfriend’ was why.

“Shen Bai!? What are you doing here!?” Shen Yuan shrieked at the sight of his sister once he
stopped choking.

“You kicked me out. I wanted to see why,” the girl pouted, sticking her hands on her hips.
She was very obviously a spoiled young mistress.

“So ask me!?” He defended.

“Like you would’ve told me! I heard you’ve been seeing this guy for almost two years! Not
once did you think to mention it to me!” She argued.

“You’ve been sneaking around with a guy too! I didn’t tell you because I don’t trust you right
now,” Shen Yuan told her.

Shen Bai gasped like she’d been spit on. She turned her back angrily on her brother with an
audible ‘humph.’

‘Did I disappear?’ Shen Jiu wondered distantly as this scene played out.

Shen Yuan was angry at his sister’s actions for a few moments before he sighed deeply and
giving up.

“Shen Jiu, this is my little sister Shen Bai. Shen Bai, this is my friend Shen Jiu,” Shen Yuan
introduced, sounding like it pained him to do so.

“Hello,” Shen Jiu greeted, not wanting to be rude. Shen Yuan was very close to his sister, this
whole scene just proved it, so he figured it would be best if she liked him.

“Hello to you too,” she answered politely, like the her whole fit from before never happened.
“So you’re friends with my brother? Did he bribe you with anything? I hope being his only
friend isn’t too much pressure.”
 Shen Jiu snickered a bit, raising his fan as Shen Yuan spluttered. His sister was the worst!
This was exactly why he didn’t tell her about Shen Jiu!

“It’s no trouble,” Shen Jiu assured.

“Just hoping you know there’s always an escape if you need it “ Shen Bai explained.

“I’ll be sure to remember.”

“A-Jiu! You’re supposed to be on my side here!” Shen Yuan protested.

“I have to play it safe. Security is always important,” Shen Jiu reasoned with a shrug. Shen
Yuan shot him a glare, but it didn’t sway him.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t very good at fostering relationships in his usual setting, so he tried to
save them as Shen Jiu while in town. It seemed to work. Apparently people liked Shen Jiu
much better than Shen Qingqiu.

Yet for some reason that only seemed to happen after he became Shen Qingqiu. Once he
closed himself off, people wanted to see him open. It had to be a trap, since no one had
respected such behavior before.

“So you have a book club with my brother?” Shen Bai asked him.

“Yes. It’s just the two of us but since we have very similar tastes it works out. It’s nice to
discuss books with someone so opinionated,” Shen Jiu relayed.

“Tell me about it. Yuan-ge never shuts up when it comes it books,” his sister sighed.

“It’s good to be passionate about something,” Shen Jiu told her, defending Shen Yuan.

“I suppose,” she shrugged, accepting his answer.

She was still trying to test him a bit.

Well he had passed today’s test. He stayed calm and polite even when in a sudden situation
where she acted bratty. Now she can start her true mission.

Operation get these two to realize their feelings is a go!

Chapter End Notes

Schools starting soon I’m not ready 😢😢

Guys I was coming up with a new fanfic idea and when thinking of a background ship I
came up with NYY x ZZL. Obviously some circumstances but do you guys fw them? I
feel like they’d be cute
 Chapter 24
Chapter Summary

And so the courting begins….

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

A year ago, when Shen Yuan got poisoned, Shen Jiu had set up a fake address for himself.
That way, the two could communicate via letters without Shen Yuan finding out his identity.

Apparently, Shen Bai was also quickly let in on the loop of this fake address. How she forced
her brother to reveal such information was beyond him. He stared disbelievingly at the paper
in his hands, addressed at Shen Jiu.

It was currently Shen Qingqiu reading said letter. He hated getting his two lives mixed up.

But there was nothing he could do about this, and he couldn’t fight the pang of anxiety in his
chest at the fact that Shen Bai was writing him. It could only be about Shen Yuan, so why
wasn’t he sending out this letter? Could something have happened to him? He was extremely
prone to accidents.

Shen Jiu had even checked him for curses, despite the fact that the man told him he’d been
checked before. Multiple times. But he didn’t trust whatever wandering cultivators the Shen
family found. He was the Qing Jing Peak Lord. He was certainly more capable than whoever
had previously checked him. After all, how could someone be so unlucky?

But that night, after Shen Yuan had fallen asleep, Shen Jiu checked him.

Yet there was nothing. Not a single curse.

It didn’t make sense. It shouldn’t be possible for a normal person to experience so much.

But there was nothing Shen Jiu could do about it besides stitch a talisman into Shen Yuans
robes. The talisman he used had a connecting one that Shen Qingqiu kept in his office. It
would alert him if Shen Yuan was in danger.

But it hadn’t gone off.

So what could Shen Bai possibly need?

Shen Qingqiu carefully opening the letter and read its contents.
‘Dear Shen Jiu,
As you probably know, my brother is a very lonely person since you’re his only friend. I
haven’t had as much time to hang out with him recently, but I’ve seen how happy he is when
the two of you spend time together. So if it wouldn’t be too rude of me to ask, could you
possibly hang out with my brother outside of your book club? For example, going to dinner
with him afterwards, hanging out at festivals, ect. I think the extra outside time would be
good for his health. Winter is coming up and he always takes it harsher than the other
months.
From Shen Bai.’

Hm. This was certainly something to think about.

Shen Qingqiu was aware of the fact that Shen Yuan lacked human companionship, and the
fact that he didn’t fare all that well during winter. Last year and the year before he had to
cancel one of their meetings because he developed a cold.

He supposes this isn’t too much to ask. It’s not like Shen Qingqiu would mind the extra time
together either.

Their next meeting is one where he’s staying the night with his Jiejie’s, not Shen Yuan, so
he’ll save this plan for later.

“Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?” Shen Jiu proposed just as Shen Yuan started to
complain about hunger.

“Huh?” Shen Yuan asked, not seeming to understand.

“Food. Not from here. Would you like to get some?” He dumbed down with a sneer.

“I’m not stupid I know what you meant!” Shen Yuan shot back. “But-well, why?”

“We both have shitty cooking. It wouldn’t kill us to have a quality meal for once,” Shen Jiu
informed him.

“If you want to yeah, I’m up for it,” Shen Yuan agreed with a nod.

“Good. Then let’s go. I want to try the restaurant Yang Xiu’s son owns,” Shen Jiu said,
shrugging his outer robe back on.

While talking with Yang Xiu, the lady with the silk stall, Shen Jiu had heard her brag of her
son’s cooking skills that turned into a career. She claimed he was very talented, and she had
made lots of decorations for her son’s restaurant when it first opened. Shen Jiu wanted to try
it.

“Oh! I’ve been there a bunch of times, the foods amazing!” Shen Yuan praised, following
Shen Jiu’s lead of adding to the amount of layers he was wearing.
They usually just stay in once they get to Shen Yuans house, so they had no problems getting
rid of a few layers and get ready to sleep earlier.

“You’ll have to recommend a few dishes to me then,” Shen Jiu decided as the two made their
way outside.

It was a crisp fall evening outside. Orange red leaves crumpled under their feet as the two
walked down the path, the chill wind dancing into their robes and making them grateful for
the newly added layers. Soon, scarfs and gloves would need to be added to their outside
attire.

“So A-Jiu…” Shen Yuan hummed, thinking up a conversation for their walk. “How’s work
going? You haven’t talked since you opened that new puzzle, so I haven’t heard any work
drama lately. Aren’t you boring.”

Shen Yuan was teasing him, obviously, but Shen Jiu still tensed a bit.

The last week had been one of the worst weeks of his life. Two weeks ago when Shen Jiu had
gone to sleep at the brothel, Qi Qingqi, of all people, had barged in and lost it at him.

Apparently, Liu Qingge had failed to catch him so much lately he sent Qi Qingqi in his stead.

And of course Qi Qingqi blabbed to anyone who would listen. Oh gods, that woman was
annoying. She just wouldn’t shut up about ‘catching him in the act.’ Hah! She acts like she
saw him actually fucking his Jiejie instead of having tea with her.

No one would shut up about it. Liu Qingge had just started to simmer down after everything
that’s been happening lately, but now he was back on his ass about everything. Yue Qingyuan
came bothering him too, warning him about how his actions reflected on the sect, blah blah
blah. They wouldn’t reflect on the sect if people knew how to keep their mouths shut.

His disciples had been either extra wary of him or extra disrespectful. It was all in secret, of
course, but Ming Fan and Ning Yingying always reported their words to him. The two always
felt so wronged when people ‘spread lies’ about him. It wasn’t a lie that he was at the brothel,
no, but what he was doing there was just a figment of his martial siblings sick and twisted
imaginations.

Shen Jiu had spent every night staring up at the ceiling and waiting for today since then. He
didn’t even get to sleep that night, so it’s been a month since he got solid rest.

He wasn’t going to tell Shen Yuan that though, of course.

So instead he told a simpler story. “One of my students started dating a girl from another
class. He thinks he’s being secretive, but everyone knows. My students set up a betting pool
for how long they’ll last.”

Shen Yuan snickered as he told the story, asking little questions here and there while Shen Jiu
gave more details.

It was nice to pretend this was height of his problems. A man could dream.
“Shen Yuan!” A voice greeted them when the two walked into the establishment.

“Yang Yuze,” Shen Yuan smiled back.

This must be Yang Xiu’s son. Shen Jiu could see the resemblance. They both had the same
toothy smile.

“How funny! You just missed your brother,” Yang Yuze explained with a laugh as he led the
two of them to a table.

“Really? Hao-ge or Chao-ge?” Shen Yuan asked curiously.

“Shen Hao,” Yang Yuze responded.

“Too bad we missed them,” Shen Yuan noted, sounding like he didn’t mean it one bit.

Was he fighting with his brother?

Yang Yuze took their tea order and walked away, so Shen Jiu decided to ask.

“Why didn’t you want to see your brother here?”

“Ah, you caught on. Guess I can’t get past you A-Jiu,” he laughed nervously.

Of course he can’t. Shen Jiu is actually Shen Qingqiu, Peak Lord of Qing Jing, aka Cang
Qiong’s strategist. How could such a simple thing like his close friend’s body language trick
him?

“It’s not like I don’t want to see him, it’s just that I don’t want him to see you.”

“My, am I such a disgrace to you?” He joked at Shen Yuans poor choice in words.

“No!” He immediately replied. “I just don’t have any actual friends besides you, so my
family can get a bit obsessive about it. If they knew how much I hang out with you they’d
never leave either of us alone. You’d be invited to every family gathering and I’m sure you
don’t want that.”

Really? That seems like an over exaggeration for a book club.

‘All that because we’re friends? Are they truly that trusting? Considering that fact they built
most of their current empire I figured the Shens were smarter than that. Or is their faith in
their youngest son really that low?’ Shen Jiu wondered to himself when he heard this new
information.

“It would have been amusing to watch you flail when you saw your brother though,” Shen
Jiu mused, already picturing Shen Yuans over the top reaction.

Shen Yuan bristled at his words, getting ready to counter when the tea they ordered arrived.

Saved by the bell.

“Besides, my older brothers got a nightmare little kid. He’s three and I already think he’s
going to take over the world. My brother and sister in law already started giving him classes
because it’s the only thing he wants to do. Plus it’s also the only thing they can use as
punishment that he listens to,” Shen Yuan explained, dumping his family lore on Shen Jiu.

“How is he a nightmare?” This was an interesting sounding kid.

“He’s just way too smart for his age. If he does something for you there has to be a reward.
On Christmas he gave me advice on how to stop a crying baby and grabbed three yuans from
my bag in return. He’s a little con artist. He’ll probably make a great merchant,” Shen Yuan
theorized.

Shen Jiu huffed in amusement at the story. He couldn’t imagine taking care of a kid like that.
How much of a pain it would be. Most of his own disciples were like that, sure, but they were
all kids and respected him enough to fear his punishments. Besides, cunning teens was
different from cunning toddlers.

After that the two mostly laughed and gossiped about random parts of their daily lives. At
first it was only Shen Yuan using more personal information for his stories, but by the time
they were ordering dessert, Shen Jiu found himself explaining peak lord drama. It was veiled,
obviously, so Shen Yuan wouldn’t know who he was talking about. But still, it was nice to
get these stories off his chest.

Hm. Shen Jiu supposes hanging out outside of their usual meetings wasn’t all that bad either.
They’d done it before, but he wouldn’t mind it becoming a regular thing.

“There’s a festival next month for winter starting, we should go after our meeting on the
fourteenth,” Shen Jiu told him, formally inviting the man.

They hadn’t been to a festival since….that whole shit storm, but they could try again! In a
non-demon infested one this time.

Shen Yuans eyes lit up at the idea of fun, agreeing immediately.

“I won’t get poisoned this time,” Shen Yuan joked, giving Shen Jiu a little shove as they
walked back to Shen Yuans house.

Unlike how he originally thought when he imagined Shen Yuan joking about the whole
situation, there was no pit in Shen Jiu’s stomach. Instead, he smiled light heartedly and
shoved Shen Yuan back.

He could get used to this. It was a nice charade.

[Scum Villain Heart Blackening: -40]

‘Forget you! Did A-Jiu ask me on a date or am I being totally crazy!? This is ancient China,
so things like this probably weren’t seen as dates, right? This was probably nothing to A-Jiu,
 right!?’ Shen Yuan asked himself frantically as the two laid in the living room, attempting to
sleep. Shen Yuan was currently trying to not flip around on the couch.

Shen Jiu was asleep on the floor next to him. Breathing in and out evenly. Peacefully.

Shen Yuan was feeling anything but peaceful.

He wasn’t gay! He didn’t think Shen Jiu was either….but. If he was, he was going to have to
turn him down! And Shen Jiu was the only friend he has! He didn’t want to lose him if he
wasn’t being too paranoid.

He’ll have to ask Shen Bai later. She’ll know for sure. Shen Bai always helped in situations
like this.

Yeah, she was definitely the solution.

Chapter End Notes

SY: ‘oh no, what if SJ is gay! I’m not gay so I don’t wanna hurt him…’

The fandom: the fruit cup has spoken. He’s still in denial. Bring out the pathetic guys
 Chapter 25
Chapter Summary

One domino starts to tip. Will he take the other out with him?

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Shen Bai, would you call me crazy if I said I thought A-Jiu was courting me?” Shen Yuan
blurted out one day when his sister was over at his house.

Shen Bai instantly perked up at the words, ditching the doll she was testing for possession.

“Why do you say that?” She asked sweetly.

“He keeps taking me out to places. He always insists on paying too since ‘he’s the one who
suggested it.’ We’ve gone out to eat, we’ve been to festivals, he even went exploring in the
forest with me so I could add some doodles to my bestiaries. But I can’t tell if that’s just my
modern standards talking or not. Do you think it’s just casual?” He explained, giving his
sister a pleading look. He didn’t want to ruin his friendship over a misunderstanding after all!

“Yuan-ge, you know courting methods are different here than back in the modern world. For
starters, it’s called courting rather than dating! Since they’re basically different things, I think
it’s hard to base his actions on them,” Shen Bai surmised.

“Yeah…you’re probably right.”

Hey! Why did he sound disappointed!? This was good news!

“Why do you sound like that? Did you want him to be courting you?” Shen Bai inquired,
moving in close to question him. Her eyes were glinting mischievously, telling Shen Yuan he
was walking into dangerous territory.

“No!” He assured, his hands flying around frantically. “I just….I um…I feel bad! I feel bad
since he’s doing all of this for me and I’m giving him nothing in return!”

Yeah, that was it!

“Hmmmm….” His sister pondered in thought for what to do in exchange for the ‘dates.’

‘Okay, I know dates are a foreign concept in ancient China, but what is actual courting?
Come on Shen Bai, you’re courting someone! What do you guys do!?’ Shen Bai asked
herself. She wasn’t as caught up with courting practices as she thought she was…
Wait! Gifts!

“You should send him some gifts as thanks!” Shen Bai suggested carefully.

She Bai may not know all of this world’s courting methods, but Shen Yuan knew practically
none!

According to Shen Yuan, this world was from a porn book, so ‘dating’ or ‘courting’ wasn’t
what was featured. Things were more straight to the point than that. Her two oldest brothers
were the ones who had to go out into the world and discovered how to woo someone here,
and that knowledge was passed onto her. Shen Yuan never really cared about any of that, so
he was left out of the loop.

Was she manipulating both Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan? Yes. But it was for the greater good!

“What kinds of gifts?” Shen Yuan asked.

Hook, line, and sinker!

“Well if he’s doing all this for you, it shouldn’t be some cheap trinkets. Something nice to
show your appreciation!” Shen Bai explained to him.

‘The whole point of courting is to show the person that you can take care of them. That’s why
expensive gifts are more customary. We’re a wealthy family! No better time to show it off but
now!’ Shen Bai decided.

“Yeah, you’re right. I think I have a pretty good idea on what he likes by now. Should I send
the gifts to him or give them in person?” He asked.

“In person, definitely! I mean, if you have to deliver them that’s fine too, but in person is
more—“ Shen Bai paused, stopping herself from saying romantic. “More respectful!” She
decided with a nod.

Shen Yuan hummed and nodded along, seemingly agreeing.

Shopping for Shen Jiu was kind of like shopping for Shen Bai. He liked elaborate and fancy
robes—not feminine ones per se, but he liked the floaty elegant ones they passed. He liked
the hair accessories and fans he scouted out for his sister. He also enjoyed more practical gifts
related to his interests, like magical bookmarks that flew into the book when you closed it. Or
—something that Shen Jiu had actually bought for himself—a special ink that screeches
when the recipient of the letter doesn’t finish reading it or skips over lines.

Shen Yuan wasn’t sure if Shen Jiu used that ink on his students or his colleagues. Or both.

But the point was that he’d been shopping with Shen Jiu for two years now. He knew what
things Shen Jiu’s eyes lingered on but he thought better of buying. What harm would it do if
he bought them for him with his sister?

He’s sure Shen Jiu would like them!

Shen Jiu sitting at their usual table, waiting for Shen Yuan to arrive.

Things were the same as always. They were going to talk about this week’s book.

Everything was simple. The same. Shen Jiu may have been a bit worried about his
relationship with Shen Yuan growing more than he was comfortable with, but things seemed
to calm down lately. Sure they had fallen into a new rhythm, but it was a rhythm nonetheless.

At least, those were his thoughts before Shen Yuan walked in.

With. A. Courting. Gift.

When did they get to this point!? Did Shen Jiu miss a chapter!? He’s pretty sure he did!

And since when was Shen Yuan so forward!?

“….Yuan. What’s that?” He asked hesitantly as Shen Yuan sat down.

“A gift,” he responded simply, like he wasn’t confirming Shen Jiu’s fears. “It’s for you! You
keep taking me out to places so I felt I had to pay you back.”

Oh. Oh thank god.

So why did his heart ache a bit at this explanation?

“Thanks. Should I open it now or…?”

“Open it now! I don’t mind.” Shen Yuan leaned over a bit to see what Shen Jiu’s reaction to
the gift would be.

Shen Jiu carefully unwrapped the present, acting like the type of person who saved and
reused wrapping paper.

Inside was a jewelry box. And very nice one at that. Of course, it wasn’t gaudy or something
some young mistress would own, no, but it was certainly of a high quality. Shen Jiu wasn’t
sure why Shen Yuan had gotten him this, but it wouldn’t be a useless present, so he was fine
with it.

“Look inside, don’t wait!” Shen Yuan urged.

‘This isn’t the gift?’

Shen Jiu curiously opened the lid to check what was inside. It was a hanfu hair crown. A very
expensive looking one at that.

Shen Jiu was not poor, nor was he stingy with his hard earned money. But growing up as a
street rat made him very aware of what a pointless purchase was. Something like this was
definitely only something some rich young master like Shen Yuan would buy.
Yue Qingyuan had bought him many similar things over the years. They were all apology
gifts. Unless they were excessively expensive, Shen Jiu threw most of them out. Otherwise
he’d get some occasional gifts from people trying to get in his good graces. Those he used,
since he had no reason not to, but he would never actually go with the bribe attached to them.

But this…this was a simple thank you gift from a friend. He had never received one of these.
Someone had spent money on him with no real strings attached. Shen Yuan wasn’t expecting
anything but a ‘thank you’ in return. Even if Shen Jiu told him he hated the gift, he was sure
Shen Yuan would just pout and tell him to keep it anyway. Then he’d buy something else.

It made Shen Jiu’s chest feel warm and tingly. He wasn’t sure if he liked the feeling or not,
but it was all encompassing.

He could feel people around them staring. He knew they were all assuming they were
witnessing someone receiving a courting gift. But he felt no need to correct them. To even
tell Shen Yuan how is actions were coming off as. There was a small, selfish part of Shen Jiu
that hoped Shen Yuan never realized how he was being perceived and kept giving him gifts.

“Thank you, it’s very nice,” Shen Jiu told Shen Yuan after his moment of silence. Shen Yuan
was anxiously awaiting his thoughts, and he lit up at the positive feedback.

“Anyways, let’s get started on today’s book,” Shen Jiu coughed, shifting under Shen Yuan
bright gaze.

“Oh yeah! I mean, the premise was totally unrealistic, I mean, a human cultivator and a
demon king? Never would happen. But I have to appreciate the realistic ending, no matter
how sad,” Shen Yuan noted, switching into ‘book ranting mode.’

“It was a very sad ending, yes. Even more unfortunate since you know in the back of your
head the entire time they can’t work out,” Shen Jiu agreed.

“And then she got pregnant! That’s as serious as you could get! But he’ll never even know
because she went to her master first…it’s so sad since it’s painfully obvious she was
groomed. She fell in love with another and her master just couldn’t accept that it wasn’t him
she chose. Even after, when it was him or her child, she chose the child. This is why everyone
hates leachers!”

Shen Jiu didn’t flinch, he wasn’t an idiot. But hearing Shen Yuan say someone was a leacher
gave him painful reminders of his real image outside of this little book club.

“Yes, that is why,” he answered, trying to hide the bitter taste in his mouth.

“It’s too bad people out there are actually like that,” Shen Yuan sighed.

“Have you ever met one?” Shen Jiu asked curiously.

“No, not me. But there’s been all those rumors lately. Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t
heard them! I leave my house twice a month and I know them,” Shen Yuan whispered, like it
was some type of secret.
He almost laughed.

Those rumors were about him. Of course he had heard them. Everyone had seemed to have
decided he was preying on Ning Yingying lately. apparently the revisit to the brothel a while
ago was what sparked this idea.

But Shen Yuan didn’t know that. No one here knew that. After all, here, he was just Shen Jiu.
Nothing more, nothing less.

But the world seemed to like to remind him that he could hide all he wanted, things would
catch up to him eventually.

“Yes, I’ve heard them.”

“I hope that girls okay. It’s always hard for them to tell or escape when someone comes at
them from a young age. Especially when it’s someone they look up to,” Shen Yuan babbled
further.

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Shen Jiu thought, clenching his fist under the
table.

Except he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t even believe the thought. Shen Yuan did know what
he was talking about. Lots of times when girls get preyed on, it’s when they’re young and by
someone of status who can most likely get away with it.

It’s just that what he was talking about wasn’t that. He just had no clue.

And Shen Jiu couldn’t tell him that.

“Good thing it’s a fictional story,” he said instead. Despite his heart wanting to say practically
anything else. To just explain. Explain to the one person who will listen.

“Yeah. The real demonic emperors been sealed for a while, so that’s probably why someone
actually had the nerve to write this without fearing for their life,” Shen Yuan laughed.

Yes. It’s all fiction.

For Shen Yuan, at least.

“Shizun! Is your hair piece new?” Ning Yingying asked as she trailed Shen Qingqiu, per
usual. What was new was the side glances disciples would send them when they thought they
were being sneaky.

He didn’t punish his disciples for glances, but whenever someone tried to come up to Ning
Yingying and talk to her about the situation they’d get lashes. He’d cut back on physical
punishments lately, but this was a matter that required that kind of attention.
Ning Yingying didn’t understand what everyone was trying to tell her, and the way everyone
was looking at her was really messing with her. She’s always hated being left out, something
she’s experienced a few times since she’s the only girl on the peak. He hadn’t even realized
how big of a problem this whole thing was until Yingying came crying to him one day
because she didn’t understand why people were being weird to her.

He’s sure Shen Yuan would understand that after that he’d bring out the harsher punishments.

Since then, Ning Yingying had cheered up a bit, but she still was sulking every once in a
while. Any time that happened, he’d give extra assignments to his students.

“Shizun? Hello?” She called out again when Shen Qingqiu didn’t answer her.

“Ah, sorry about that Yingying, this master was lost in thought for a moment. But yes, you’re
right, this is a new hairpiece. It was a gift,” he explained easily.

“It’s very pretty!” She complimented cheerfully.

“Thank you,” he hummed.

“Shizun, you’ve been getting a lot of gifts lately. You got another new hair piece a month
ago. Is the sect leader giving you things or someone else?” She asked innocently.

Ning Yingying knew the sect leader tried to buy Shen Qingqiu’s forgiveness by now.

“No, it’s from a friend,” he explained, shutting down her original assumptions.

“Shizun has a friend?” She chirped, now very interested.

“Can this master not have friends?” He asked teasingly.

“Of course Shizun can have friends!” She retorted, her cheeks puffing up adorably. “You just
never talk about any friends.”

“Well this master actually does have a friend. He’s been giving me gifts lately.”

“Like…like for court-“

Ning Yingying got lightly smacked on the head with Shen Qingqiu’s fan before she could
finish.

“No. Nothing like that is happening.”

“Oh…” the girl deflated, but she very quickly found something else to catch her ever
wandering attention.

Which was why Shen Qingqiu thought he was safe.

“Do you want them to be courting gifts?” She asked as she went to inspect a worm on the
ground.
 Shen Qingqiu froze for a moment, taking in the words.

Did he?

“This master is not a romantic,” he lied. He was.

“Aw,” she pouted. “I wonder what someone of Shizun standards would look like?”

They’d probably look like a young master who wears glasses and loves to read.

Chapter End Notes

Next chapter is the fun one…

 Chapter 26
Chapter Summary

EDIT: IM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO PUT THE ITALICS LAST NIGHT

wanna re-read the chapter for more effect if recommend 😭 😭😭 if you
Hey guys, a little note for this chapter in names! This chapter features SJ’s brothel
Jiejie’s, not just Lihua. For the names, if the girl has ‘-Jie’ after her name, that means
she’s older than SJ, but if there’s an ‘A-‘ before the girls name, that means she’s
younger! (I don’t think that’s how the actual terms are used, it’s just how I’m using them
here)

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Things are going well.

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu seemed to have fallen into a routine. Shen Jiu takes Shen Yuan out
of the house (on a date) and in return, Shen Yuan buys him a thank you present (a courting
gift.)

It’s been three months since that happened.

Shen Bai thinks she might just go insane.

‘Get them to start courting each other and they’ll catch on, I said. Manipulate them to do
what the other sees as the most romantic and they’ll realize their feelings, I said. But no!! It’s
been three months and these two idiots are still oblivious! They’re practically sitting on each
other’s laps and spoon feeding each other in front of me while they fight like an old married
couple. And they still don’t get it!?’ Shen Bai screeched mentally at the image before her.

She was going to lose it.

“Meimei, what do you think?” Shen Yuan asked, pulling Shen Bai into their petty argument
about who knows what.

“What do I think?” She felt her eyebrow twitch, all sense lost in her. “I think you two
couldn’t take a hint if it punch you in the face and broke your nose!” Shen Bai stood up from
her seat, seething. Her patience had finally run out.

But who could blame her!?

“Uh….what?” Shen Yuan asked helplessly.

“You two! You two have been courting for months. I tried every which way to get you two to
realize it and you just don’t! Look at you two! Just look at yourselves for one fucking second
and see the picture you paint. Either confess or get out of my face because I can’t take
another second of both of your guys’ mental gymnastics!” She shrieked, storming out the
front door.

…..

The two did as she said at looked at each other, sitting at the low table, limbs intertwined as
they were fighting to feed each other and both blushed furiously, jumping back.

“I-I-I’m sorry!” Shen Yuan stammered as he went bright red.

Shen Jiu was basically frozen at this realization, everything they’d been doing lately, all the
facts he’d tried to ignore, all suddenly crashing into him.

“I….” He what? “I have to go!” He decided, standing up abruptly and dashing out of the
house.

He left Shen Yuan sitting there dumbly.

Shen Yuan continued to sit there dumbly until his sister walked back in a few minutes later,
her expression stony.

“So? He ran away, Yknow,” his sister kindly pointed out.

“Yeah I could see that!” He huffed, snapping out of his trance.

Oh shit, Shen Jiu had been courting him.

Oh shit, he had been courting Shen Jiu back!!!

But—but he’s not gay! He didn’t think Shen Jiu was either! He obviously had trauma relating
to men so why would he be into them?

“Shen Yuan. You like him. He likes you. You can sit there and jump around those two facts
for however long you want but thats the plain truth you realize at the end,” Shen Bai told
him.

Shen Yuan is not gay. Sure he’s never been with a woman before but that’s just because he’s
not the most attractive, not because he didn’t like them! If any woman came up to him
wanting to be more than friends, if he liked her he way definitely say yes!

And just because he’s never liked a girl that way didn’t mean he wasn’t straight either! He
had just never been more than friends with one. Hell, he had never even been friends with
one. The closet he’s had to becoming friends with the opposite sex was reading time in the
hospital when all the kids would gather around to listen to children’s stories. There were girls
there, but they’d barely interact, too busy trying to not die.
It’s just that he’s never had the chance! And it’s not like he’s ever looked at a guy and been
like ‘I wanna hit that.’ Sure some guys are pretty and sure he’s never looked at a woman like
that either but that’s just because he’s a respectful human being!

Shen Yuan was not gay.

He had read proud immortal demon way! That should make him the straightest guy alive!

[if user wants to go by that form of logic, then he is most definitely a cutsleeve since the
author of the novel is.] the system piped up unhelpfully.

Airplane shooting towards the sky way gay!? The man who made the most shameless stallion
novel porn was gay!? If that guy could be gay then…

Shen Yuan…he wasn’t…he’d never…

But he couldn’t deny the fact that whenever Shen Jiu bathed at his place and came out
smelling like his oils and wearing his clothes the satisfaction he felt.

He couldn’t deny the way the only time he’d ever genuinely looked at someone and
appreciated their beauty not just as a fact or an opinion or out of envy, but as a want, it was
when he looked at Shen Jiu.

Oh what the fuck, who was he kidding with the stupid crossed out thoughts? The first thing
he thought when he saw Shen Jiu was that he was pretty! He had definitely been attracted to
him.

But that didn’t make him gay….right?

Besides, Shen Jiu wasn’t gay either!

“He knew you were courting him,” Shen Bai explained the moment he started to feel a bit of
clarity. It seemed she wanted him to truly go insane.

“How?” He asked, his voice coming off much more needy than he would’ve liked. But he
had to know if Shen Jiu was aware. If this whole time, he accepted the courting. If he
accepted Shen Yuan…

“By this words standards, the simplest form of courting is giving gifts to show off your
wealth. To indirectly boast how you can take care of your partner. That’s what you’ve been
doing. For months. Everyone knows. Shen Jiu knows, the bookstore workers knows, hell,
even Yang Xiu from the silk shop knows. He may not have said yes to you, but he definitely
hasn’t said no.”

Oh.

Shen Jiu…wasn’t apposed to the courting.

When Shen Yuan thought about, Shen Jiu really wasn’t all that bad of an option. He had a
stable job, the two got along great, he had an enjoyable personality, he was smart and
sensible, he shared a similar moral code to Shen Yuan. He was also very attractive.

If…if someone like that wasn’t apposed to him, then would it be crazy to look into it more?
To hope for more?

Did that make him gay?

Just now, Shen Bai’s words actually register to Shen Yuan.

‘You like him and he likes you.’

Oh.

Oh.

Okay maybe he might be a little gay.

“There we go! Now, do you have any idea where your boyfriend could’ve run off to?” Shen
Bai questioned when she saw Shen Yuan sober up and come to his senses.

In his haste, he didn’t even fight Shen Bai’s address of Shen Jiu. He liked it.

‘Where would A-Jiu go if he was feeling anxious, distressed, or just had a big shock?’ He
thought to himself, going through all the conversations he and Shen Jiu have shared.

One place checked out.

“I’ll be right back!” Shen Yuan said, shooting up from the ground.

“Wait! It’s dark out gege, it could be dangerous! Let me call the family carriage to take you
whenever you want to go,” Shen Bai reasoned, sitting her brother back down.

“But that’ll take too long….”

“It’ll be faster than traveling on foot,” Shen Bai retorted, already calling out to her messenger
bird.

…Shen Yuan will question that at a later date, when he had less pressing issues to worry
about.

Right now, all that matters is Shen Jiu.

Shen Jiu practically jumped off his sword when he neared the brothel.

Today was supposed to be one of his days that he spent there, actually, but the brothel was
closed today. the reason it was closed was because a cold went around and got almost all of
girls sick, so they were forced to close temporarily. They had mostly healed up by now, but
some were still contagious.
So he had planned to stay with Shen Yuan.

And now he was back here.

Shen Jiu banged on the door.

“This lowly one is sorry to inform that the brothel is currently-“

“Madam Zhang, can I come in? I’m sorry but it’s urgent,” he pleaded, interrupting the
woman before him.

“A-Jiu? Are you okay?” Madam Zhang asked worriedly, guiding him inside.

“I….” He trailed off, not sure how to explain.

“Here, sit down and I’ll call out the girls. Everyone’s almost healed by now so you shouldn’t
get sick.” Madam Zhang sat him down at the low table in the middle of the room. He was
currently in the main hall, that when the brothel was open, would normally be bustling with
customers and girls. But today, it was completely empty.

Shen Jiu spaced out in the time that he was left alone, but Madam Zhang returning with tea
and a few girls snapped him back into the present.

“A-Jiu, what happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Lihua told him, looking
anxious.

Shen Jiu had seen plenty of ghosts before. He had never been particularly phased by them.
This was a much more serious matter.

He sipped his tea in deep thought as he pondered how to explain this situation. As he did,
more girls made their way into the room, creating their little community.

“Shen Yuan and I have been unknowingly courting!” He blurted out after

“You didn’t know….?” A-Shu, one girl he was close with, mumbled in surprise.

“How was I the last to realize!?” Shen Jiu bristled.

“A-Jiu, you really didn’t know?” Lihua-jie asked.

“Well…I knew that was what it looked like…but the gifts were just thank you’s for when I
took him out,” he defended.

“……”

All the girls were silent.

“Well…did you want him to be courting you?” Yaling-jie piped up.

Shen Jiu could feel his face grow bright red, instantly pulling out his fan in embarrassment.
“Okay, so you wanted him to be courting you, that’s for sure. But did you want to court him?
Those are two very different things,” Madam Zhang brought up, being the voice of reason for
the group.

“I….” Yes? No? He likes Shen Yuan. He wants to spend more time with him. But does he
want to spend his whole life with him? “I trust him.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Lihua pointed out.

“Yes, this one knows that! I just need a minute to think. I came here right after everything
went down,” he snapped, his hand just barely trembling. A lot was happening right now,
okay?

“How did everything go down?” A-Shu questioned.

“His sister got mad at us for being oblivious and basically screamed at us that we’d been
courting for a few months,” he told them weakly, feeling oddly shy about the situation. He
was smart! He run a peak based on smarts! He shouldn’t have overlooked this!

“Yes, that certainly must’ve been frustrating. Just listening to your rants were so painfully
obvious,” Lihua sighed, earning a glare her way.

“I would like to court him,” Shen Jiu admitted, realizing he’d known in the back of his head
he’d been doing it from the beginning. The moment that letter from Shen Bai came was when
he started, and he had no problems with it.

“That’s a good start. But…do you want to marry him? Marriage has a lot of parts to it. You
can sleep around him, but could you sleep with him. In, well, that way,” A-Zhao asked him.

“T-that’s-!” He spluttered, not expecting her to bring that up yet.

“A-Jiu, it’s a good question. Are you really comfortable enough to go all the way with him?
If not, then you shouldn’t marry him,” Lihua-Jie advised.

Shen Jiu lowered his head a bit and thought. Now, Shen Yuan was very vocal about being
against rape and he’s even told him crazy quotes before, (‘consent it sexy’-Shen Yuan) but
would that view crumble when he actually got the power to act otherwise? He doesn’t think it
would, since Shen Yuan complaining about boundaries being broken was what originally
drew Shen Jiu towards him. But yet, his heart wants to beat out of his chest in anxiety at the
thought of Shen Yuan on top of him.

He was scared. He was scared that the one person he trusted not to hurt him might. He
doesn’t want to put Shen Yuan in a position where he could prove him wrong. Then things
could remain simple and perfect in Shen Jiu’s head. He doesn’t want reality to ruin things.

“A-Jiu, you can be scared, that’s fine, that’s normal. But are you thinking about ‘what if’s’ or
do you genuinely believe that boy would try and hurt you?” Lihua-Jie inquired, sliding her
hand over Shen Jiu’s.
“He wouldn’t do that,” Shen Jiu mumbled. He didn’t even need to really think about it, he
just knew.

But that was even scarier.

“You like him! He obviously likes you! What’s the problem? He even knows a bit about your
past so you don’t have to explain things to him,” Yaling-Jie said.

“He doesn’t know I’m Shen Qingqiu.”

Crickets.

“Oh.” All the girls were staring at him in disbelief and anxiety.

“What does….what does he think of Shen Qingqiu?” A-Zhao asked worriedly.

“What everyone else thinks,” Shen Jiu responded bitterly.

“A-Jiu you have to tell him. Promise me you’ll tell him,” Lihua-Jie demanded.

“I will,” he swore, not specifying when he’d tell Shen Yuan.

“Alright. You two just need to talk to this out. Do you want to go back or stay here and talk
later?” Madam Zhang questioned.

“I’ll-“ Shen Jiu didn’t get to stay his choice before knocks sounded on the door.

“Does no one understand that closed means closed?” Madam Zhang cursed under her breath,
walking over to the door.

While Madam Zhang walked away everyone started gossiping again about Shen Yuan and
Shen Jiu.

“We’re closed-“

“This one is sorry for intruding, but is Shen Jiu here?” A breathless voice interrupted.

“….”

Silence rang out in the brothel.

1
2
3

“He’s in here!” Lihua-Jie responded after three seconds of being dumbstruck. She forced
Shen Jiu to stand up with her as they made their way towards the door.

A disheveled Shen Yuan was standing at the door, looking around anxiously.

He calmed down when he saw Shen Jiu, however. A smile could even be seen.
This was Lihua’s first seeing the famous Shen Yuan, but she approved just by the love sick
look the boy gave Shen Jiu.

“Why don’t do two go talk upstairs?” She recommended, nudging Shen Jiu out of his shock.

“Uh yeah, we should talk,” Shen Yuan agreed, giving Shen Jiu a look that said ‘lead the
way.’

Shen Jiu led the way.

Shen Yuan was obviously unaware the room had just walked into was Shen Jiu’s private one,
but Shen Jiu figured that was something to explain later. There were more important matters
at the moment.

The two sat at the low table after carefully closing the door, occasionally glancing at each
other. Every time, their faces would grow hot and the two would look away.

Shen Yuan whipped out his fan before speaking. “I, um, I thought about what my sister said
earlier. The two of us talked and I decided that if you were okay to continue courting, I
wouldn’t be opposed either,” Shen Yuan explained slowly, like if he messed up the words this
whole moment would crumble.

“I would like to keep courting too, if we are both of the same opinion,” Shen Jiu nodded in
agreement.

“Oh thank god,” Shen Yuan sighed, relief flooding his face. “I was so worried you wouldn’t
want to court me and that after this whole thing you’d never want to talk to me ever again
and then you’d move towns or something and I’d never see your face or-“

“Shen Yuan, breathe,” he reminded as he watched his….what are they now? Whatever, he
watched Shen Yuan ramble nervously.

“Yeah, sorry A-Jiu,” Shen Yuan laughed awkwardly, taking a deep breath.

“I would like to discuss some things with you before we officially get into this, however,”
Shen Jiu warned before Shen Yuan got too excited.

“Huh? Yeah, what is it?” He asked.

“There are certain things that I need to make sure we both agree on before we commit to
anything.” Shen Yuan nodded along, understanding what he was getting at, so Shen Jiu
continued. “If we are to court, my intention is to marry. Is that yours?”

Shen Yuans face went aflame again, but he didn’t shy away from the conversation, not even
bringing out his fan. He stared Shen Jiu head on and agreed confidently. “Yes, that is my
intention.”

“Alright. Next, for my work, I must be there all day. I could only come to your house at night
and my two days off, there’s no exceptions to that. I also take trips sometimes so we could go
without seeing each other for up to a few weeks every once in a while. Is that something
you’d have an issue with?”

“No, my father had to travel a lot for his work too, so I understand that. Besides, sometimes
couples need time away from each other to keep things calm and healthy,” Shen Yuan
answered with a shrug.

“If we got married I wouldn’t have any family to attend or do our bows to,” Shen Jiu told
him, moving onto his marriage rules. Those were the most important anyway.

“That’s fine. My family would be there, though. I am very big on family as you know so
that’s something you’d have to put up with,” Shen Yuan explained, putting his own rules in.

“I have yet to have any issues with your family so that’s not a problem for me.”

“Also, I would prefer if you moved in with me instead of the other way around,” Shen Yuan
decided.

“I was planning on that too, so no issues there,” he agreed. “Do you like pets?”

Shen Jiu would like a cat.

“Unfortunately my sisters allergic to cats and my parents are both allergic to dogs, so pets
would have to be a no,” Shen Yuan said.

Hm, not a dealbreaker, so it’s fine. He’ll just visit the one he’s going to get Lihua when she’s
out of here.

“Another thing, for consummating the marriage, I want you to be on top,” Shen Jiu revealed,
pulling out his fan for this one. He has a bit too thin of a face to just openly talk about sex.

Shen Yuan gave him a flabbergasted look that made Shen Jiu raise his eyebrow.

“Ah, sorry, sorry! It’s just, based on your experiences, I thought you would want to be on top
is all,” Shen Yuan explained hurriedly.

“If I am to trust you enough to marry you, I must be able to trust you with this.”

Shen Yuan blushed again, but this one was softer, his face a bit more open and understanding.
He looked like a little boy finally being allowed in the kitchen while his mother cooked. It
was new to him, something he couldn’t previously do, but now he was trusted with a bit of
responsibility, so he was doing his best to not let anyone down.

It helped solidify Shen Jiu’s opinion on the matter. He believed in Shen Yuan.

And Shen Yuan believed in him.

 (We believe in you too!) the brothel Jiejie’s cried from outside the door where they were—not
so secretly—hiding.

[Scum Villains Heart Blacking -50]

[Scum Villains Heart Blacking Total: 100/500]

Chapter End Notes

😼
Me after writing this chapter

Anyways hope you enjoyed these two idiots! They haven’t yet revealed everything, but
they’re getting there!
 Chapter 27
Chapter Summary

KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Yuan had a problem.

The problem? He wanted to kiss Shen Jiu. Why he couldn’t? He’s never kissed anyone! He
can’t mess this up! What if he was such a bad kisser Shen Jiu decided he didn’t want to be
with him anymore?

But it’s not like he could wait for Shen Jiu to kiss him! It’s usually up to Shen Yuan to initiate
physical contact, so this would be up to him too.

He can’t screw this up!

It’s just…how does one even go about kissing? Based on the media he’s consumed, it’s
supposed to be during some super romantic moment, but how can someone tell when that
moment is? Some might say, ‘It just happens’ but no, it doesn’t!

This is bullshit! Shen Yuan wants a refund! Or at least an instruction manual!

“Come on Yuan, we’re gonna be late,” Shen Jiu said as he tugged Shen Yuan out the door.

As usual, during Shen Jiu’s day off, the two would go out together. Typically they stuck to
their normal routine of the bookstore and then dinner later, but this week was the first of
spring, so a festival was going on. Of course the two would check it out.

Shen Jiu had checked earlier to make sure there was no suspicious activity at today’s festival
before he took Shen Yuan with him. Luckily, he found no reports and sensed no demonic
energy around, so the two planned their outing accordingly.

Shen Yuan had bought the two of them matching robes for the occasion, making sure Shen
Jiu’s usual sharp green colors were a softer earthy shade. They both put their hair half up with
hair pins they have both gifted each other a few weeks ago. It was obvious they were a
couple, which made Shen Yuan excuse himself to his room for a minute to calm down.

But who can blame him? This was him basically saying Shen Jiu was his! In front of the
whole town and even those who are coming over for the festival! Everyone was gonna see
that he bagged the prettiest guy ever! Shen Jiu even rivaled the protagonist in looks for sure!
“Sorry A-Jiu, my hair just got messed up,” he explained as he got pulled out of the house.

“If you didn’t roll around in your bed screaming into a pillow that wouldn’t have happened.”

….ouch.

“At least pretend you can’t hear me do embarrassing stuff!” Shen Yuan begged pitifully.

“Hmmm,” he hummed thoughtfully for a moment. “No.”

Shen Yuan sobbed in his heart. Shen Jiu was so mean! You’d think officially dating would
make him nicer, but no! He’s just meaner!

‘Whatever! A festival is a perfect time to have a romantic moment topped with a kiss! Tonight
is my chance!’ Shen Yuan thought, hyping himself up. ‘Just gotta avoid my family…’

The festival is big enough that they shouldn’t have any problem with that…

“What’s the plan for tonight? Do you want to shop around, eat snacks, or something else?”
Shen Yuan asked.

“I was thinking we could play some of the games stall owners tend to put up. We could even
win a fish,” Shen Jiu joked, leading Shen Yuan to where the games were located.

They hadn’t been over here in the three times they’ve gone to festivals together, so this
should be fun!

“Well then why don’t we start with the ring toss? Fish are pretty low maintenance and the
ones from festivals always die pretty quick,” Shen Yuan recommended.

“You’re keeping the fish if either of us win,” Shen Jiu told him sternly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shen Yuan brushed off, knowing he had basically no chance of winning. He’d
never won them back in the modern world and his luck in this one was dog shit. He had no
shot.

“One yuan for three tries!” The stall owner explained as Shen Yuan fished over the money.

The game was similar to ring toss back in the modern world where you had three red rings
that you had to land around a bottle. The bottles were slightly different of course, and it was
plastic rings instead wooden ones, but the rules remained the same.

He threw the first ring.

Miss, obviously.

“Two more tries!” The lady laughed as she went to retrieve the ring.

Shen Yuan threw the next one.

It was closer, but still a miss.

“I’m telling you, I suck at these types of games,” he laughed, turning around to Shen Jiu.

“Oh really?” Shen Jiu answered, his voice having a mischievous edge.

Shen Yuan quirked his eyebrow at the ominous sounding message but decided to ignore it,
throwing the dumb ring.

It was on track to miss, just as the others, but then the wind picked up and blew it onto the
bottle!(?) how the hell!? The wind completely died after too!

Shen Jiu was sporting a smug smirk as Shen Yuan was handed the fish in the small bowl.

“I don’t know how you did that, but I’m gonna get you for it,” Shen Yuan swore, glaring at
his boyfriend.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” he hummed in response, looking away.

Shen Yuan ‘humphed’ and sped up to lose Shen Jiu.

“Yuan, let’s play this,” Shen Jiu called out from behind Shen Yuan, forcing him to stop and
turn around.

“That?” Shen Yuan questioned doubtfully, staring at the most rigged game to ever exist.

That stupid barrel toss game! The one where the ball needs to stay in a sideways bucket. It’s
almost impossible to win!

“Yes. I know how to win, promise,” Shen Jiu swore as he went to go stand in line to play it.

“When we get back to my house each of us has to take a shot for every game we fail,” Shen
Yuan decided, adding consequences to their fun.

“Alright,” Shen Jiu said slyly, like he had full confidence in himself.

After a few minutes Shen Jiu was up to play, handing over three yuans for one ball. Huge
stuffed animals were presented as prizes (really airplane??) just like at a modern festival or
fair.

Shen Jiu tossed the ball carefully, looking like he calculated everything down to the move of
his pinky finger.

It landed in the barrel and spun around a few times as Shen Yuan held his breath.

The ball inched towards the edge of the barrel, but because the world just had to prove how
terrible Shen Yuans luck was, it stayed inside. Shen Jiu actually won! What the hell!

“This one would like the cat,” Shen Jiu told the stall owner who looked shocked.

“O-of course!” The man rushed around once he snapped out of it to grab the large cat
hanging proudly by the stalls sign.
“So, what’s next?” Shen Jiu turned to look at Shen Yuan with a lazy smirk while Shen Yuan
looked outraged at this injustice.

“I’m gonna get you! Just you wait!” Shen Yuan had won that first game!

….Shen Yuan did not in fact ‘get him.’

He didn’t win any other games! Shen Yuan won five more! Why does the world hate him so
much!?

“Looks like someone’s gonna have to take a few shots later,” Shen Jiu hummed mockingly.
He was holding multiple stuffed animals in his arms.

“You’re a cheater! I don’t know how, but you are!” Shen Yuan accused. Could Shen Jiu
control the wind? No, he’s not a cultivator, but this clearly wasn’t fair!

“If you can prove I cheated, I’ll gladly take the shots instead,” Shen Jiu replied easily.

That means he’d covered his tracks! Sly bastard!

“I can-“

“Uncle Yuan!” A high pitched voice cut off his schemes, kicking him in the ankle.

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu both stopped in their tracks to look down at the tiny child claiming
to be Shen Yuans nephew.

Oh shit! He was his nephew!

“Shen Bao? What are you doing here? Where are your parents?” Shen Yuan questioned,
crouching down to the toddler apparently alone at a festival.

“I dunno,” he answered simply, not seeming to care that he was lost.

“Do they know where you are…?”

“Nope! I ran off to play games when Chunhua started crying and took away mommy and
daddy’s attention,” Shen Bao informed him.

Shen Yuan was a little dumbstruck at the smarts from his four year old nephew. But he had
always been a bit strange, so it was nothing new.

“Alright why don’t you take my hand and we’ll go look for-“ Shen Yuan began, standing
back up, but as usual, it seemed Shen Bao had his own agenda.

“Who’s that?” The boy questioned, pointing to Shen Jiu.

Shen Jiu was currently giving Shen Bai a very pointed look that many would find
intimidating, no matter their age. Shen Jiu wasn’t very fond of snot nosed brats, after all.
“This is my….er, friend, Shen Jiu,” Shen Yuan explained delicately. Shen Bao blabbed unless
bribed. If he said Shen Jiu was his boyfriend, Shen Bao would announce it to the whole
family in seconds.

Shen Jiu turned his glare towards Shen Yuan when he lied about their relationship, but Shen
Yuan powered through it. Currently, this toddler was much scarier!

“You two are together aren’t you. Like how my mommy and daddy are together. That’s why
you haven’t mentioned him since the first time you hung out with him,” Shen Bao noted,
much to Shen Yuans shock.

Hell, even Shen Jiu looked a bit surprised!

“How do you even remember that…?” Shen Yuan muttered.

“Daddy has very low hopes for you and auntie Bai. He keeps tabs on who you mention
because of that. His office is easily accessible,” Shen Bao explained smoothly.

Was Shen Yuans jaw on the floor? Yes. For multiple reasons.

“If you don’t want me to tell on you then you better pay up,” Shen Bao demanded. Holding
out his hands expectantly. If you forgot about what he wanted, this could’ve made for a very
cute scene.

Except it wasn’t!! His nephew was a psycho!

Shen Yuan muttered a string of curses under his breath as he reached for his money pouch.
He handed over ten yuans with a glare.

“I bet you aren’t even lost, are you? Go terrorize your auntie or something. She has a lot
more secrets than me to monopolize,” Shen Yuan recommended. He attempted to shoo off the
kid to wherever he came from. Possibly even back to his sister in laws womb if that was a
thing! Refund please!

“I already saw Auntie Bai. I even got fifty yuans from her,” the kid snickered.

“Fifty!?” Was his sister made of money!? He was only four! The only good thing about his
scams was that he didn’t understand currency yet!

“As you said, Auntie Bai has more secrets.” He winked, like that wasn’t creepy at all.

“What the fuck is wrong with my family…oh my god….” Shen Yuan mumbled in disbelief
as Shen Bao scurried off happily.

Shen Jiu was a mixture of impressed and annoyed. He would hate to be that kids parents.

“Why don’t we go back? We can watch the fireworks from your house,” Shen Jiu decided,
dragging a shell shocked and slightly pissed Shen Yuan away.
It wasn’t until the two returned to Shen Yuans house that Shen Yuan remembered his original
goal for that night! That brat ruined the whole romantic mood! It could’ve been the perfect
kiss under the fireworks too!

Ugh. Total fail.

Shen Yuan had his five shots. Shen Jiu only had one.

Fuck this!

The two had gotten ready for bed before they took the shots so they wouldn’t have to worry
about anything else after. They could just go to sleep. Shen Yuan had set up Shen Jiu’s
makeshift bed and everything. They’d both washed up to get the festival germs off of them.
Shen Yuan once again felt a warm buzz when he smelled Shen Jiu’s hair oil—Shen Yuan’s
hair oil, to be exact—but he chose to ignore that as usual.

The only problem was that after five shots, the urge to ignore that warmth was fading.

He wasn’t drunk! He wasn’t that much of a lightweight, come on! It’s just that…random
things like wanting to hold Shen Jiu close were starting to surface from the back of his mind.

Well…they were dating, so it’s not weird for them to do that, right?

“Shen Yuan,” Shen Jiu warned when he felt his boyfriends presence next to him by the low
table. “You aren’t allowed to touch the puzzle. You know that rule.”

“Can I not touch you?” He asked, wrapping his arms around Shen Jiu’s waist as he rested his
head against his shoulder.

It was late alright! He’s tired! Sue him!

He may have taken a small sniff of Shen Jiu just to confirm that the two had shared soaps and
now smelled the same. But it’s not like Shen Jiu noticed, so it’s fine!

Shen Jiu, in fact, did not notice anything because he was currently short circuiting.

He and Shen Yuan had shared physical contact before. It was a newer development, sure, but
it had still been a few months since they established this new detail to their relationship. It’s
just….neither of them were super touchy, so it had never really been explored by the two!

“You can keep doing your puzzle,” Shen Yuan mumbled.

“I thought you were still reading,” Shen Jiu said, desperately thinking of something to say.
His face was staring down but he wasn’t taking in anything thing there. His hands moved
around dumbly as if acting like he was still focused on the puzzle.

“I was, but then I remembered Shen Bao and got too pissed to read,” he grumbled, his fists
tightening in Shen Jiu’s robes.
“Oh yes, your nephew…”

“You know, if he’s going to steal money from me because we’re together, then we should at
least act like a couple,” Shen Yuan decided, speaking the words he’d been thinking of for
weeks.

…you know, maybe he was a bit of a lightweight.

“Like what?” Shen Jiu croaked, completely stopping everything.

“Sleep in my room instead of in the living room tonight. Pretty please?” Shen Yuan
whispered in his ear.

‘When did Yuan get so forward!? Is this seduction!? Is he even capable of seduction!?’ Shen
Jiu’s mind was racing, somewhere in the back of his head he was wondering if giving Shen
Yuan alcohol again would be a good idea or not.

Still, he got up and followed Shen Yuan to his room. Shen Yuan looked very pleased with this
action, so how could he say no?

Shen Yuan crawled in first, still knowing to be considerate enough to let Shen Jiu have the
side not against the wall for an easy escape. Sure Shen Jiu was also an earlier riser than him,
but that was only if he stayed the whole night. He may not have the clearest head right now,
but he still understood that this is something Shen Jiu could be uncomfortable with and had
every right to back out of. Just the fact that he considered it made Shen Yuan happy.

It was late, so the two were already pretty tired. But they couldn’t find it in themselves to
look away from the other, lying side by side, about to fall asleep.

It’s not like either of them ever had doubts they were a real couple, it’s just, right now felt
very, very real.

Look, Shen Yuan had read a million romance novels before. He knew they all talked about
the two main characters sharing a romantic moment with just the two of them, whether they
were alone or just forgot about the rest of the world around them. Shen Yuan had hoped
tonights festival would spark that magical scene.

Well, he may not have gotten the place right, but it seemed like tonight was perfect for a first
kiss.

So, the two wrapped in blankets cuddled up against each other, leaned in and shared their first
real moment of intimacy together.

Now, Shen Yuan had never kissed anyone before, and if Shen Jiu had, it hadn’t been
willingly, so they were both a little sloppy. Shen Yuan may have also been a bit drunk.

So while it wasn’t everything Shen Yuan had hoped for, it was everything and more than he
could’ve dreamed of.
Chapter End Notes

GUYSSSS I GOT A NOSE PIERCING IM SO HAPPY (I was so scared to do it but it

was worth it)
😭
My mom is jumping for joy she’s wanted me to get one for yearssss
 Chapter 28
Chapter Summary

Somebody start playing Hurricane from Hamilton

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Qingqiu was stuck with the brats that called themselves his disciples.

He always hated training days.

But unfortunately these days were necessary for disciples growth, so here he was.

He had a handful of kids at his side today, but the only ones he really cared about were Ning
Yingying and Ming Fan. His group was sent down the mountain to take care of three headed
crocodiles that had infested the lake next to the town under Cang Qiong.

It should be an easy enough mission. Take care of the crocodiles and leave. While the
creatures were big in numbers, they were pretty weak. Only the fact that they had three heads
made them a threat to common folk.

“Shizun! If I kill a crocodile can I get some tanghulu?” Ning Yingying chirped up as the
group walked through the forest towards the lake.

“If you kill one then yes,” Shen Qingqiu agreed.

Ning Yingying beamed while Shen Qingqiu continued to keep his face neutral.
Overindulging the girl wouldn’t help with the rumors.

“Shizun, how many three headed crocodiles are estimated to be at the river?” Ming Fan
inquired once the river was in eyesight.

“The report said around thirty,” he answered. Today he was basically a walking report. He
wouldn’t take any action, but he could answer whatever questions the kids had on the
mission. It was simple enough. Based on their questions, he shouldn’t get too annoyed.

“Ming Shixiong! You can’t take my kills today!” Ning Yingying demanded as the group
walked.

“When have I ever done that!?” Ming Fan defended.

“Last mission! That ghost spider was mine!” The girl huffed.
“That wasn’t on purpose! It was coming at this one so obviously I killed it!” Ming Fan shot
back.

Ah, children fighting. Music to his ears.

The group made their way to the river, the problem clearly visible. Crocodiles were
swimming around in the water, some sitting on the edge of the lake too. None of the creatures
three heads had noticed them with their silent footsteps.

Shen Qingqiu stood to the side as his students came up with a plan, glaring in their direction
only if someone said something particularly stupid. But otherwise, he just observed.

He was genuinely starting to consider making Ming Fan his head disciple soon. How he took
charge of his martial siblings on these types of missions was what he currently had to make
that kind of choice.

So far, it was looking good for the boys odds.

“We need to lure the three headed crocodiles out of the water! They’ll be easier to fight that
way,” Ming Fan explained to the group.

“But how are we supposed to do that?” Ning Yingying questioned.

“We start by attacking the ones outside the water. When the others feel and see that
disturbance, they’ll leave the lake to help their kin and attack us. We’ll need to be on defense
and kill them off before they can get too close, however,” Ming Fan directed.

Ning Yingying and the other disciples took in his words and contemplated if they made
sense, eventually deciding to agree on his words.

Ming Fan set up a formation for the disciples with him based on what he knew of their skill
levels, cleverly putting Ning Yingying on the very edge. That way she wouldn’t get much
action, but what crocodiles she did have to fight would be hers to fight solely, giving her the
kill she wanted.

Hm. Shen Qingqiu gives him extra points for that move.

Well, now to watch how this goes.

Ning Yingying was very happy with today’s mission.

She got two kills! Two! She doubled how much beasts she’s ever killed on one mission
alone! And now she gets tanghulu for it!

She skipped by her Shizuns side, her fellow martial siblings following behind. Everyone was
in a good mood since they had been successful today and got a reward for it. Shizun was
happy that everything had gone off without a hitch too! It truly was the perfect afternoon.
So maybe she had gotten a little over excited…but who can blame her with the current
mood!? It’s not her fault that she saw a stall selling the most gorgeous hairpins that she just
had to check out!

Okay…maybe it was her fault when she turned around and realized everyone was gone. And
became painfully aware that she didn’t know this town at all.

Maybe just a little bit her fault.

But! She’s just turned fourteen so she’s way more responsible now! So responsible that she’s
going to get out of this by herself!

….and by herself she means finding someone to help her. But she’s doing that on her own!

Ning Yingying stood awkwardly by the stall for a good few minutes until she found her
target!

And young woman in either her late teens or early twenties walked by the stall, not seeming
to have anywhere urgent to go. She was pretty and looked nice, so Ning Yingying decided to
strike.

“Excuse me miss!” She called out, tugging on the girls sleeve. The girl stopped and looked at
her curiously, so Ning Yingying continued. “Do you live here?”

“This one does live in the town. Why?” The woman answered her question either one of her
own.

“This disciple got lost from her Shizun and was hoping for help!” Ning Yingying explained
pitifully, bowing down.

“Ah. Alright then, this one will help you,” the girl smiled, guiding Ning Yingying out of her
bow. “My name is Shen Bai. What’s your name?”

“This disciple is named Ning Yingying!” She cheerfully responded.

“Do you have any idea where your Shizun was heading? What does he look like? Would a
name help me find him?” Shen Bai asked her.

“Shizun was looking for a tanghulu peddler or stall that serves some. This one’s Shizun is the
Qing Jing Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu!” Ning Yingying bragged proudly. “Shizun is tall with
long black hair that’s usually half up and he was green eyes and always looks mad! Oh! And
Shizun is wearing green.”

‘Oh shit, this girls Shizun is Shen Qingqiu? That’s the villain we’re supposed to be ‘healing!’’
Shen Bai thought in shock. ‘Wait…this could be a good opportunity to find out some
information on this guy and help out Yuan-ge! He’s been doing most of the point gathering
after all.’

She had really lucked out here!

“I know where tanghulu is typically served. Follow me.” Shen Bai started walking off,
looking out of the corner of her eye to make sure the girl was following. Luckily she was.

The two girls scanned around as they walked for green robes and long black hair. The long
black hair was a pretty generic trait they were seeing around, but the green robes helped them
determine who wasn’t Shen Qingqiu.

And then…

“Shizun!” Ning Yingying cried, rushing off to where a hint of green could be seen.

Shen Bai followed so that she could be sure Ning Yingying didn’t just run to random guy in
green and possibly get kidnapped. But fortunately for the girls luck, the man seemed to be
surrounded by children wearing uniforms that matched hers, so Shen Bai could assume she
had found the right guy.

Shen Qingqiu turned around at Ning Yingying’s call, so Shen Bai eagerly awaited the reveal
for the infamous peak lord.

But instead of some old teacher she saw….Shen Jiu!?

Shen Bai’s jaw dropped as she watched her brother’s boyfriend start scolding Ning Yingying
for running off on her own.

“This disciple is sorry!”

“What if someone tried to take you!?”

“Young Mistress Shen helped me find my way!” The little girl defended, turning to bring the
still shocked Shen Bai into things.

When Shen Qingqiu saw her, his expression changed drastically.

“Shen…Jiu?” She asked in disbelief.

“Huh? Shizun, do you know her? That’s not your name!” Ning Yingying helpfully chirped
up.

“This master knew her before he became a peak lord,” he lied explained.

“Shen Jiu,” Shen Bai forced through gritted teeth. Can this one talk to you for a second?
Alone?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded, having the gall to look ashamed!

Shen Bai stormed off into an alleyway near the stall they had been at, not caring to look back
at Shen Qingqiu. He could’ve not been following, but she trusted the man knew that action
would have consequences.
Shen Bai stopped once she felt they were far enough into the alley to not be heard by some
ease dropping kids, then sharply turned on her heel to glare at the man before her.

“You’re Shen Qingqiu?” She demanded.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Why were you keeping it a secret?”

“I’m sure Shen Bai has heard of my amazing reputation.”

“Is it true? Do you sleep around with women? Are you preying on Ning Yingying? Is my
brother just a fun little game to you? An experience to see if you’d ever swing the other
way?” Shen Bai fumed, stepping closer to Shen Qingqiu.

“No I do not sleep around with other women. I’ve discussed why I go to brothels with your
brother already. He understands. I have not and never will prey on Ning Yingying. The
reason being because I am exclusively into men. I always have been, which is why I’m with
your brother,” he answered carefully.

“Does my brother know? Does he know you’re Shen Qingqiu?”

“…no.”

“You need to tell him,” Shen Bai informed the man.

“I know. I just haven’t had the chance to,” Shen Qingqiu said awkwardly.

“If you don’t say anything I will,” she threatened.

“Please don’t,” he asked. “He needs to hear it from me. Just give me time to find the right
moment.”

“Look, my brother isn’t the biggest fan of Shen Qingqiu, as most people are. When you tell
him, he’s gonna be surprised. You need to give him a moment to adjust after you’ve been
lying to him for so long.” Shen Qingqiu looked pained when she called him a liar. “He’ll
need a day or two to wrap his head around it, so don’t get all offended if he does. Just wait
and then come back. You’ve already gotten him to fall for you this much, he most likely
won’t break things off for this.”

“I understand.” Shen Qingqiu nodded at her words.

“You better. I won’t play mediator this time. This is your problem that you need to solve,” she
told him harshly.

“I will solve it,” he swore.

“Soon,” Shen Bai reiterated.

“Soon,” he agreed.
 Alright. Soon, the lie would be up.

Chapter End Notes

Hey guys little note but today was first day of school! (😢 ) so with that on top of
practice I’m not sure yet what my schedule will be and by extension my posting
schedule, but I will do my best to have this fic finished by the end of September at the
latest!
 Chapter 29
Chapter Summary

ITS HERE FINALLY 😭

so sorry about the wait school decided to run me over this
year, so i could only work on this during the weekend

But I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

(No one curse my bloodline this time pls)

Edit: 9K WORDS?? WHOOPS NO WONDER IT TOOK SO LONG

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

‘Xiao Jiu has been changing lately.’ Yue Qingyuan thought to himself as he sat in his office
with a stack of paperwork.

It had been little changes, but if you were compare Shen Qingqiu from two years ago to now,
it was easy to tell the difference. Most of their martial siblings obviously didn’t know Shen
Qingqiu well enough to notice, but he did. He always noticed these little things about Xiao
Jiu.

Whenever Shen Qingqiu had been around Yue Qingyuan, he had been much less snappy.
Now that was something everyone noticed. He was still rude, if that magically disappeared
he was sure Qi Qingqi would throw a party, but everything seemed watered down lately. Like
he thought a bit more before slipping a snarky remark someone’s way.

And there’s the deal with his disciples.

Shen Qingqiu had never been fond of children. That much had been true throughout his entire
life.

So it was no surprise his Xiao Jiu had built up a bit of a reputation for himself as a teacher.

He was a much harsher teacher than most, many saying he was even worse than Liu Qingge.
But now, everyone said the two were on par for that title.

That may not seem like a lot to most people, but to Yue Qingyuan, who knew Shen Qingqiu,
this was definitely something. It was good, of course! But it didn’t just appear from the
goodness of his heart, Yue Qingyuan could be sure of that.
‘So what could have caused this?’ He pondered while glancing over missions he was
supposed to be approving and sending out at tomorrow’s meeting.

Yue Qingyuan signed the paper he was staring at with whatever names came to his head,
putting it aside.

Then he saw it.

A mission requesting Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu.

An unknown demon a few towns away was stealing people from the town. More specifically,
young and pretty people were going missing. It seemed like a skinner demon, which normally
wouldn’t require two peak lords, but there was something about this mission. There was no
demonic energy wherever other cultivators that had been called on the mission looked. One
wandering cultivator even went missing herself.

Was it a coincidence that the two peak lords most notorious for their faces and beauty were
called for this mission? Probably not.

Well, the two of them have been getting along a little better now, right? They didn’t
immediately argue whenever they saw each other, so Yue Qingyuan would call that progress.
This mission could be good for them!

So just as the paper requested, he wrote down Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge’s names at the
bottom.

Shen Qingqiu was pissed.

Why the hell did he get put on a mission with just him and the brute! Yue Qingyuan knows
they don’t work well together!

At least Liu Qingge looked equally upset about this as the two walked into the town.

According to the file handed to both of them yesterday, six people had gone missing here,
with no perpetrator in sight. Five normal citizens and one cultivator. One victim had been a
man so obviously gender wasn’t an issue here. It was more based towards looks. First
assumption would be a skinner demon, but no evidence of one has been found yet.

This was bound to be annoying.

“First we need to find traces of any demonic energy around,” Shen Qingqiu directed,
knowing Liu Qingge probably wasn’t listening.

Liu Qingge gave him no version of an answer to his words, but he started to use his Qi to
look around, so that was a start.

Shen Qingqiu joined him and scanned the area for anything faint, but nothing could be found.
“Let’s split up and look,” Shen Qingqiu decided.

Liu Qingge grunted in agreement, so the two took off on their own.

Shen Qingqiu called Xiu Ya to help him investigate, having the sword fly around and inspect
the side of town he’d assigned himself. It’s simple but boring work, just filtering out his
surroundings for a speck of qi. Little bits of spiritual energy pollute his results, likely the
cultivator who was called to the town before. It’s a bit weird to physically feel a dead persons
—okay, not confirmed dead, but it’s most likely— remaining presence, and the fact that he’s
doing the same thing as her in her last moments, but he ignores it.

In the end, he finds nothing. It’s suspicious, but if the brute found something then he can pass
it off.

Hopefully Liu Qingge was done with his search by now. They had lots to do today, so they
couldn’t waste time just scouting around. Especially if it’s fruitless.

Shen Qingqiu decided to save time and send Xiu Ya off to find the brute, then followed the
sword to him. It saved him the annoyance of having to listen in for Liu Qingge dumb grunts
to find the man.

The town the two found themselves in was mostly farmland. One street held a few stalls, but
most of what was grown here got exported to the next town over, a bustling marketplace. It
was nearing the end of winter, but the weather had managed to calm down. No storms should
come until spring rain. This town specifically was a bit warmer than most areas, all the snow
having already melted. The air around him still threatened to give him frostbite if he dared to
remove one of his layers, however.

After walking through the small town for around fifteen minutes, he saw his martial sibling
looking at the ground like it had personally wronged him.

“Have you found anything?” Shen Qingqiu asked as he walked up behind the man.

Liu Qingge looked up at him, his face twisted in frustration, giving Shen Qingqiu his answer
without any words.

“No,” he still answered anyway.

“This one didn’t find any traces of demonic qi either,” Shen Qingqiu explained.

“So it’s not a demon,” Liu Qingge smartly realized.

“Someone here is responsible for the missing people. And they can even take down a
cultivator,” Shen Qingqiu hummed, going through a game plan. “Let’s start with the victims
families. They’ll help give us something at least.”

“Hm,” Liu Qingge grunted in agreement, his usual reaction.

…if whoever is doing this can take out cultivators, maybe they’d do him a favor and target
the brute next.
‘Who should we visit first? Perhaps the family of the original victim? We have to visit that
boy’s family too, since he’s one of the odd ones out in the lineup of who was taken. And we’ll
need to talk to whoever called the cultivator in….’ Shen Qingqiu summarized as the two
walked.

“If we need to stay the night there’s an inn a few minutes from here,” Liu Qingge informed
him. Shen Qingqiu was about to respond when Liu Qingge decided to piss him off as early
into the mission as possible. “There’s no brothels, but I’m sure you’d manage to find one
somewhere.”

Shen Qingqiu really hopes that brute is this mystery killers next victim.

‘It’d be best to have a room ready for tonight just in case. While we’re there we can ask for
directions to some houses to get this mission started.’ Shen Qingqiu thought to himself,
decided to find the inn himself and not ask his Shidi where it is.

After about five minutes of silence, Shen Qingqiu arrived at the inn.

“Excuse me, two rooms for the night please,” he asked when he walked up to the desk a man
was standing behind.

“Of course! Oh, are you two masters the cultivators that got called for all the missing kids?”
The man exclaimed as he handed two keys over to Shen Qingqiu.

“Yes,” Shen Qingqiu nodded, deciding to snatch this opportunity of conversation to get the
needed information.

He held onto the keys to the room in case Liu Qingge tried to run off without hearing
anything the inn keeper told them. If he was completely clueless, this whole mission would
become that much more insufferable.

“We just all feel so bad for A-Li. When her daughter went missing, we all just thought she’d
run off with another merchant for a few days. The girl had a bad habit of messing around
with men for her own entertainment. But then she never came up, and poor A-Yang went
missing so then we knew something was wrong,” the inn keepers wife had appeared and
joined in on the gossip.

“This A-Li…her daughter was the first one missing?” Shen Qingqiu confirmed, ignoring Liu
Qingge awkwardly squirming behind him.

“Yes, poor thing,” she sighed.

“Could you give this master directions to where she lives? My Shidi and I are going to get to
the bottom of this, we promise,” Shen Qingqiu said soothingly, only half faking. The woman
was sweet, so of course he should comfort her.

“She lives three houses down from here! She’s the house with all the potted flowers, you
can’t miss it,” the woman replied happily.
“Alright. This master thanks you for your help.” Shen Qingqiu bowed slightly before turning
around to get going. Whether or not Liu Qingge followed would be his problem.

“Don’t just leave like that!” Came an angry shout from behind him. Seems the brute followed
him after all.

His mistake.

“Well if you’re not going to do anything useful I don’t see why you should be brought along.
Why don’t you go stay in the room or something. There’s no monsters around here, but I’m
sure you’d manage to find one somewhere,” Shen Qingqiu snarked, throwing Liu Qingge’s
own words back in his face.

Since Shen Qingqiu was a petty man, he pulled open his fan and turned his head to see how
Liu Qingge’s face turned every different color out of rage.

Well, at least that made him feel a bit better.

Anyway, he needs to compose himself for this next part. He can’t walk into a grieving
mother’s home with a smug smile. He needs to be serious and apologetic. He makes sure to
take a deep breath before he knocks on the door.

There’s only silence for a few moments, but just as Shen Qingqiu’s about to leave thinking no
one’s home, he hears some faint shuffling. Someone is coming.

After a few moments, the door opens with a slight creak. Before him is a short woman with
tired, almost dead eyes. Her robes were simple and messy, a few layers too short to quite
meet proper etiquette. Her hair was unpinned and ruffled, making for a pathetic sight.

Shen Qingqiu felt a pang of pity.

“Excuse ma’am, are you Fen Li? Fen Jing’s mother?” Shen Qingqiu questioned, knowing the
answer just by looking at her.

Fen Li nodded, her eyes distant.

“We’re cultivators sent from Cang Qiong. If we could bother you for some details about your
daughter’s disappearance?”

“The last one couldn’t do it. Why are you two any different?” Fen Li spat.

“Hopefully with your cooperation we can get to the bottom of this. This master won’t claim
to be any more competent than anyone else, but he does want to solve this case and bring
everyone at the very least closure,” Shen Qingqiu explains, once again bowing.

Fen Li glances at Liu Qingge, who can’t do anything but awkwardly bow too.

“Alright,” she sighs, opening her door wider and leading them inside.
“This master knows his Shidi is a brute but do you honestly know no manners?” Shen
Qingqiu hissed as the two followed her. “If you had taken any longer to bow she wouldn’t
have let us in! If you’re going to stand around uselessly at least follow my lead.”

Liu Qingge looked at him in outrage, but both of them knew he had no leg to stand on in this
argument. He really just needed to listen to whatever Shen Qingqiu said.

Liu Qingge couldn’t hide how revolting he thought the idea was, but he offered no protests,
so whatever constipated looks he gave Shen Qingqiu didn’t matter.

Fen Li sat down at the low table in her living room, the two peak lords following her
example. They sat directly across from here, as far apart from each other as they could.

“I don’t have tea,” she told them bluntly.

“It’s no problem. We’re not here to make friends now are we?” Shen Qingqiu mused.

Fen Li stared at him skeptically, but nodded for him to continue.

“Can you tell us about your daughter’s behavior prior to her disappearance? Was there
anyone bothering her?”

“Why are you asking that? This is a demon attack! That’s why you damn immortal masters
got called here! Do you know how much we all had to pay for your bullshit? And the last girl
even got herself nabbed too so we had to pay more for you two!” Fen Li raged, slamming her
hands onto the table.

“There’s no evidence of a demon in this entire town. This was a man made crime,” Shen
Qingqiu revealed.

“….what?” Fen Li whispered, her voice trembling. “No one here would do that. Even the
towns lord is a good person! Crimes like that don’t happen here!”

“That’s not what the evidence says,” Liu Qingge told her, not exactly helping the situation.

“Liar! You’re all liars!” She screamed, shooting up onto her feet. “My daughter wouldn’t just
get taken by anyone! She was strong, you hear me? Strong! Stronger than any of you spoiled
masters could ever hope to be! Only a demon could’ve taken her!”

“Ma’am-“ Liu Qingge began, but Fen Li just kept cursing at them.

“Liu Qingge. We’re clearly not welcome here, so we should leave. There’s others we can
interview,” Shen Qingqiu advised, standing up from where he was seating.

Liu Qingge didn’t need to be told twice, quickly getting up and making his way towards the
exit.

Shen Qingqiu waited for him to leave before he gave Fen Li one last piece of advice.
“Sometimes,” he began, looking back to making sure Fen Li was listening, “humans can be
even worse than demons.”

Then he walked out of the door.

Liu Qingge was waiting for him outside.

“What now?” He grunted, obviously unnerved from the first grieving mother.

No wonder he only works with beasts.

“We could go in order from here, but this master thinks it would be more fruitful to go
straight for the odd one out in our list of victims,” Shen Qingqiu decided.

“The cultivator?” He asked, not understanding Shen Qingqiu’s words.

“No brute. The boy,” Shen Qingqiu growled, glaring at the impressively stupid man before
him.

Liu Qingge just glared back.

They really didn’t work well together. What was Yue Qingyuan thinking?

“Go back to the inn and ask where his home is,” Shen Qingqiu sighed into his hands, putting
his Shidi to work.

Liu Qingge stalked off, leaving Shen Qingqiu to his thoughts.

The door creaked open behind him.

“Whoever did this wasn’t alone,” Fen Li declared from behind him.

“What makes you say that?” Shen Qingqiu asked, not turning around to face her.

“I told you my A-Jing is strong. No woman could’ve taken her down. But she also would
never trust a man enough to leave herself vulnerable around one,” the woman explained.

There was silence as Shen Qingqiu took in those words. Of course, if attacked by too many,
anyone could fall victim to anyone. But this was too hidden to be a group act. But at the same
time, too much evidence was missing for just one person to be covering the tracks. And Fen
Li’s idea made sense. A girl getting someone’s guard down while the real perpetrator
attacked.

“Hm. Thank you for the help.”

“My….my daughter wears a ring,” Fen Li told him with no context. “It’s very nice,
expensive too. She got it from a merchant she ran off with once. One time, she had stolen the
red dye I was using to make robes and stained her nails with it, back when she was a child.
After that, it was all she’d ever wear. The man had given her a ring with a gem that matched
the color perfectly. If you can’t bring her back to me, please, at least bring that ring back for
me.”

Shen Qingqiu turned to look at her. Fen Li’s face was desperate, not hiding anything.

Shen Qingqiu knows the feeling.

“At the very least, the ring will be returned to you,” he swore.

“Could you tell me something, immortal master?” Fen Li asked, continuing to conversation
for some reason.

“That depends on what you ask,” he answered.

“Have you ever loved someone?” She questioned.

Shen Qingqiu was caught a bit off guard, but he could understand her thought process for the
injury. It’s not like it’s some crazy question, so he could answer it.

“I used to have a brother. I loved him.”

“Ah, so you understand that at least. Have you ever loved someone else? Not in a familial
way, I mean.”

“…I have.”

“So you understand what I’m going through? I lost her father years ago, and now I’ve
probably lost her. Everyone’s been saying I’ve gone crazy, but they don’t know what it’s
like,” she whispered, her voice trembling as her fists clenched. She still maintained eye
contact, however.

“You know what I think?” Shen Qingqiu asked with a sigh, already feeling like this was way
too long for a deep conversation than he was comfortable with. “I think I know where her
daughter gets her strength from.”

Fen Li continued staring at him, unmoving.

“I’ve got the address,” Liu Qingge called out, walking towards him.

“Ah, this master needs to take his leave now,” Shen Qingqiu informed Fen Li.

Fen Li didn’t answer.

Shen Qingqiu left with Liu Qingge.

He’ll leave her to cope however she wishes to.

“Lead the way,” Shen Qingqiu told the brute as they walked.

“What did she want to talk about with you?” Liu Qingge asked.
“She told me her daughter had a red ring she wanted returned to her if her daughter is dead,”
Shen Qingqiu explained.

“That’s all?”

“The only part with importance.”

“….”

“….”

Well that had gotten awkward fast. This is why Shen Qingqiu hates deep conversations. They
always leave something to be desired after.

Unfortunately for the two of them, they spent the next ten minutes in awkward silence.

But eventually, Liu Qingge stops in front of a house, signaling that they’ve arrived at their
destination.

Shen Qingqiu walks up to knock on the door, Liu Qingge standing a safe distance away.
Hopefully this time he’ll be polite.

The woman who answers the door is much quicker to the job and Fen Li. Almost instantly
she runs and opens it, the disappointment on her face clear and she sees Shen Qingqiu and
Liu Qingge.

It seems she was hoping it was her son who’d returned.

“Hello ma’am, are you Wang Diu? Wang Zhao’s mother?” Shen Qingqiu asked.

“I-yes. I am. Who are you?” She responded, a little surprised.

“This master is Shen Qingqiu. Behind me is my Shidi Liu Qingge. We’re from Cang Qiong
mountain and investigating your son’s disappearance,” he informed the woman.

“Oh! Come in, come in, I’ll make you masters some tea!” Wang Diu ushered the two of them
inside, running off to her kitchen to make them tea as promised.

She was much calmer than Fen Li, Shen Qingqiu noted. But that was also probably relating
to the difference in how long their children had been missing. For Fen Li, it had been months.
But for Wang Diu, only three weeks have passed since her son’s gone missing. She still has
hope, unlike Fen Li.

“I hope the tea is to your liking, immortal masters,” Wang Diu told them as she took her seat
across from them at her low table.

“Thank you,” Shen Qingqiu said as he took a sip of the tea.

“What questions do you two have for me?” She asked them.
“Was there anyone that was bothering your son prior to his disappearance?” Shen Qingqiu
repeated the same question he had for Fen Li, hoping this time he wouldn’t get blown up at
for explaining that this was a crime rather than a demon attack.

“No….why?” She asked, not understanding yet.

“Our investigation so far has proved that these disappearances weren’t the acts of demons but
rather a human.”

Wang Diu gasped, her hands instantly coming up to cover her mouth.

“Who…who could do such a thing!?” Wang Diu cried in horror, tears starting to spring to her
eyes.

Shen Qingqiu thinks he likes Fen Li better than her. He wasn’t very good at comforting
people.

“We’re hoping to find that out,” he answered her.

“There truly wasn’t anyone bothering him. My son can be a bit feisty so most people know
not to mess with him. He’s never been the biggest or the tallest but he’s never been one to
back out of a fight. He’d play dirty if he had to, so he’d always win,” Wang Diu explained.

“So your son was more of a ruffian?” Shen Qingqiu analyzed.

“Oh no, the opposite actually. He was called the towns flower,” she chuckled. “My little boy
was prettier than most of the girls here. He didn’t like it as a kid but as he got older and all
the girls gave him attention, he did all he could to hone his looks. It paid off too, my son has
a fiancé. Oh he’d been so happy the day he met her. Even more so when she accepted his
proposal.”

As Wang Diu lamented on the memories of her son, Shen Qingqiu took in some important
details.

“Who is his fiancee?” He asked.

“Her name is Sun Chen. She’s very pretty. Her and my A-Zhao were the envy of the town I’ll
tell you,” Wang Diu bragged proudly.

“Sun? Like Sun Zhi?” Liu Qingge piped up.

The latest victim. And the only cultivator.

“Yes, she’s actually A-Chen’s cousin. Sun Chen was the one who called her cousin in to
investigate the crimes. Then she went missing too…my poor A-Chen’s been devastated at the
double loss,” Wang Diu sighed pitifully.

“So Sun Chen had a connection to both the victims?” Shen Qingqiu asked, just to confirm.
This really seems like someone they need to speak to now.
“Yes,” Wang Diu nodded in agreement. “But you won’t find her at home. She’s working.”

“Working? Where? Even now?” That’s suspicious behavior to Shen Qingqiu.

“Ah, yes, the girls always been a bit of a workaholic. She serves directly under the towns
lord, his only personal servant. She was alone in her house for a week after my son went
missing, then before she could even come out her cousin went too. After a while she couldn’t
take the loneliness anyone and decided work would distract her from everything. The lord
offered her more time off, but she wouldn’t take it. I don’t really understand it but I mean like
at Fen Li. I’ve learned everyone copes differently.

Well, he supposes that’s true.

They’re still going to interview her though.

“Could you tell us a bit about this towns lord?” Shen Qingqiu inquired, having heard his
name a few times today.

“Oh yes, Lord Kong is a very generous lord. Not like the one in the next town over I’ll tell
you that.” Wang Diu’s tone had taken a more casual and gossipy tone as she discussed Lord
Kong, so Shen Qingqiu took it as a good sign. “He’s been recently widowed last year. He
loved Lady Song so dearly, it was truly tragic. They married when she was fifteen and he
waited ten years for her to finally bear a child. There was lots of difficulties along the way,
many miscarriages, but Lord Kong never strayed. He didn’t take any other wives or
concubines. It seemed his patient waiting finally bore some fruit two years ago when the two
announced their pregnancy.

“But then the night when she gave birth came. Everyone went to bed hoping to find out if a
boy or a girl had been born, but instead we all awoke to the tragic news that Lady Song and
the baby died! Lord Kong was devastated and hasn’t been seen much lately, and he even
hasn’t remarried! He’s truly such a faithful man.”

“What an honorable person,” Liu Qingge agreed.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t respond.

Seemed way too fake to him. A man acting like that? Yeah right.

But he supposes every once in a while there are exceptions, so he doesn’t speak on his
thoughts.

“Lord Kong lives at the top of the towns hill, correct?” Shen Qingqiu asked.

“Yes,” Wang Diu replied.

Alright. He could investigate both of his suspects at once.

“Come on Liu Qingge. Let’s go pay a visit to Sun Chen and Lord Kong.”
“Lord Kong is this way, immortal masters,” a servant said as he led them inside.

Shen Qingqiu scanned the manor as he walked, looking for any signs of possible struggles or
escape routes if needed. He could never just fully trust a noble, a man too, without real reason
to.

“This master is sorry about his late arrival,” Shen Qingqiu told the man, trying to pry some
information out of him. “His report for help was urgent, but we had to interview others first.”

“There is nothing to apologize for!” The servant assured. “Lord Kong was obviously wary
about the disappearances, but since he’s still so upset about the lady’s death, it wasn’t first
priority. But then Sun Chen’s fiancé went missing so he had to bring in some cultivators.
Then the cultivator went missing, so he had to get serious.”

Hm. A plausible story.

“We will get to the bottom of this,” Liu Qingge said seriously, almost making Shen Qingqiu
roll his eyes.

“The Lord is in this room,” the servant stated as he stopped walking, pointing them to a door.

Here it is. First impressions of who he thinks did it. Hopefully, as his personal servant, Sun
Chen was in here too.

The door opened.

Inside….wasn’t exactly who he expected, to be honest.

There was a middle aged man and a young woman inside, both looking calm and a bit
worried. But not in a guilty way, in a genuine worry for the victims kind of way. Lord Kong
was a round man with a mustache and a kind face wearing a tired smile. Lord Kong kind of
reminded Shen Qingqiu of Mu Qingfang. Except, well, fat with wealth.

Sun Chen, on the other hand, was a beautiful young woman with a slim body. She had a calm
and mature face, reminding him of Liu Mingyan, the brutes sister.

Alright, they pass the first impression portion of this interview, but Shen Qingqiu wasn’t
going to just ignore his instincts. He was Cang Qiongs strategist, and had been for years now.
His intuition was usually right by now.

“This master is Shen Qingqiu, peak lord of Qing Jing,” He greeted with a bow.

“Liu Qingge. Bai Zhan.”

‘Well don’t waste any words now brute,’ Shen Qingqiu thought as he mentally rolled his eyes.

“This Lord thanks the generous masters for coming to our aid,” Lord Kong told them.

Shen Qingqiu nodded, getting ready to question them.

“Sun Chen, was Wang Zhao acting weird before he went missing? Like he had been possibly
cursed by something that made him leave? Or do you think whatever took him did it
suddenly?” He questioned, deciding to not reveal that they thought a person committed this
crime.

Shen Qingqiu saw Liu Qingge eye him, realizing what he’d done, but he ignored him. He
couldn’t be too obvious.

“No he was acting completely normal. That last day…” her sentence tapered off as her face
shifted into one of melancholy. “He was so happy. He had no idea.”

“So you don’t think he was possessed?” Shen Qingqiu asked again, confirming her answer.

“No.”

“Alright then. Lord Kong, could we move onto you for a bit?” Shen Qingqiu turned his
attention to the noble who was helpfully patting Sun Chen’s teary form.

“Of course.” Lord Kong nodded in response, his face growing a bit more serious.

“Have you noticed any suspicious actively lately or heard any rumors? This master is aware
that you haven’t gone out much lately, but as the lord surely some things have reached your
ears?” He framed his words a question, but it was really more of a statement. As the Lord of
the town, it was his duty to watch over these things.

“From what I’ve been told, most of the victims were last seen near the forest,” Lord Kong
explained.

Shen Qingqiu glanced over at Liu Qingge, signaling to him that they would check out that
fact. Liu Qingge nodded.

“Has anyone reported seeing the demon that took the victims?”

“No. No one has been able to find anything.” Lord Kong looked and sounded apologetic
about that fact, and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t find any trace of a lie in his words.

So whoever was doing this was leading the victims to the forest to attack so they could frame
a demon attack. This was a well thought out crime, that’s for sure.

“Is there anyone in the town that had a grudge against some or all of the victims? That’s
could’ve contacted the demon?” Shen Qingqiu decided this conversation wasn’t really going
anywhere, so he changed his questions up a bit. Hopefully wording it like this would point to
someone.

“Overall, most the victims were well liked. If I had to think of a reason that group would be
targeted, it would be someone jealous of their looks. I had a connection to the last two, but
I’m the only one. I’m sure that’s why your two are here anyway,” Sun Chen pointed out.

“Yes that is why we’re here. We just hope to get to the bottom of this before anyone else goes
missing,” Shen Qingqiu claimed.
“Of course. We don’t want anyone else to disappear. It’s why I wrote a request to Cang
Qiong,” Lord Kong smiled weakly.

Shen Qingqiu took a sip of the tea put out in front of him. He needed to think about this.

According to these two, no one had any outward grudges against the victims, and only their
looks gave them a connection.

He needed more.

But where could he find it?

He’s pretty sure if he looked hard enough he could find something here, but he has no
evidence against Sun Chen and Lord Kong. This isn’t a normal demon attack, this involves
people, so he can’t be reckless.

For now, he has to retreat. Look in the woods to see if they missed anything and try to worm
his way back into this estate to keep looking.

“We need to go check out the forest now. Would Lord Kong and Sun Chen mind if my Shidi
and I come back tomorrow and keep talking?” Shen Qingqiu said, starting to clean up his
area.

“Of course, of course! what time should we be expecting our immortal guests to arrive?”
Lord Kong inquired cheerfully.

“Around noon, if that works for you. We’ll do some more investigating in the morning,”
Shen Qingqiu relayed.

“Everything will be ready by noon,” Sun Chen replied.

“Thank you for your time.” Shen Qingqiu bowed as he got up, before walking out the door.
He hoped his Shidi would follow.

Liu Qingge did. The two left.

The feeling Shen Qingqiu just couldn’t seem to shake didn’t.

Shen Qingqiu had asked the inn keepers wife last night about any one of note she thought
should be interviewed.

It wasn’t eventful. No one had any grudges. One Sun Chen had a connection to more than
one victim. Everyone here is perfect and would never do that blah blah blah.

Shen Qingqiu was a little stressed. He hated this town. He wanted to get this over with a soon
as possible.
“Brute. If anyone offers you food at the Kong estate deny it. It’s best for us to be on our
guard,” Shen Qingqiu advised.

“Why are you so against them? There’s no evidence that says those two have anything to do
with this,” Liu Qingge glared.

“And there’s no evidence to say they didn’t. I’m simply being wary of our only lead here. It’s
always better safe than sorry,” he shot back.

“You’re the one who told me if you assume the worst of someone you’ll get their worst,” Liu
Qingge argued.

“There’s a difference between these two situations you brute! Being suspected for murder
isn’t the same as being suspected of sleeping with someone! I’m the one with the people
skills here so until it’s time to attack something you’d do well to listen and stay put,” Shen
Qingqiu snarked.

Liu Qingge bared his teeth, but Shen Qingqiu looked away, deciding not to deal with this
today.

They soon arrived at the Kong estate.

It was the same as before. Nothing special or suspicious. A servant was waiting for the arrival
at the door.

“Would Master Shen and Master Liu like any food? Or is just tea alright?” The servant asked
as they walked.

“Just tea is fine,” Shen Qingqiu answered, sticking to his rule of no food. He didn’t look at
Liu Qingge, but he could practically feel whatever face that brute was making.

The servant walked them back to the room they had been in before, rushing out to go get the
requested drinks.

“Welcome Master Shen and Master Liu! Did you two manage to find anything else?” Lord
Kong asked when they sat down.

“Not much. We still haven’t been able to locate the demon or where it’s been attacking,” he
said truthfully, only leaving out the fact that they hadn’t found anything because there wasn’t
a demon to begin with.

But other than that fact, they truly had nothing. He’d probably be fine with leaving the lead
of Lord Kong and Sun Chen behind if they had any other leads. But they didn’t, so he had to
work with what he had.

“You’ll find something soon,” Sun Chen encouraged with a light smile.

Shen Qingqiu nodded in her direction in thanks.

The servant returned with the tea, serving Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu. Sun Chen and Lord
Kong already had tea cups before them, so they didn’t get any of the tea.

“What kind of tea is this?” Shen Qingqiu asked as he held the cup to his lips.

“Yellow tea. We always have some on hand for when important guests stop by,” Lord Kong
explained.

Shen Qingqiu hummed, taking a sip. He’s never had this flavor of tea before, since it doesn’t
grow near Cang Qiong and he doesn’t care enough to go searching for it.

Liu Qingge’s face scrunched up a bit as he stared at the tea.

“Is the tea not to your liking, Master Liu?” Sun Chen worried as she saw Liu Qingge
continue to stare at the cup without taking a sip.

“My family likes yellow tea. It’s too sweet,” he responded simply, putting the tea down.

It’s too sweet for him? He really must have no tolerance since the tea only had a hint of
sweetness. It was even a little bitter.

Shen Qingqiu was about to comment on this fact before a glint of something caught his
attention.

Sun Chen had bent over to replace Liu Qingge’s tea with hers, since he obviously didn’t like
it. Sun Chen’s sleeves had been covering her hands before this, so Shen Qingqiu didn’t see it
before, but now he did.

A bright red ring. An expensive looking one too.

Shen Qingqiu narrowed his eyes at the girl, but she didn’t seem to notice. If she did, she just
maintained her usual calm smile.

There is a chance that, as his personal servant, Lord Kong had gifted that ring to the girl. He
could’ve boughten it for her or it could’ve been something of his late wife that he passed on.

But those were what ifs. The fact was Sun Chen was wearing one of the identifying factors of
the first victim. Fen Jings ring.

Shen Qingqiu was contemplating how to go about this when a huge crash and lots of screams
broke him from his train of thought.

Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge both jumped up from their seats, on guard immediately.

“Stay with them!” Liu Qingge shouted before running out of the room. Clearly, he was ready
for his moment to finally attack something. And was probably tired of Shen Qingqiu.

“Do either of you have an idea of what that could’ve been?” Shen Qingqiu questioned,
looking around the room for escape routes if he needed to get the two of them out of here.
“The only time we have crashes like that is if crates fall, but this was different!” Sun Chen
told him frantically. She started to worry at her thumb, once again showcasing the ring.

He couldn’t hold it in. “Sun Chen, where did you get that ring?”

“Hm?” She said, dropping her hand from her mouth. “It was a gift from Lord Kong a few
months ago.”

So it was a gift.

“Could this master take a look at it?”

“Of course,” she nodded, rolling up her sleeve a bit.

Shen Qingqiu took a step.

His knees buckled. He just barely stopped himself from falling.

‘What just happened?’ He tried to walk again, but the same thing happened. He was starting
to get dizzy too.

“Master Shen!” Sun Chen exclaimed, rushing over to help him stand up straight. When had
he started swaying?

‘Xiu Ya…’ he called weakly, hoping the sword could help him get steady.

The sword didn’t come. Why didn’t Xiu Ya come?

Shen Qingqiu looked around the room and saw Lord Kong holding his sword, a talisman
slapped onto it. When did that happened?

“Let me go,” he demanded, but the words were loose, like his body was trying to figure out
how to work.

“Master Shen, you can’t even stand on your own. How could I just let go?” She asked, her
usual smile plastered on her face.

It felt fake. It was eerie. Her hands felt dirty. He felt dirty. She needed to let go.

Shen Qingqiu started to get frantic, looking around the room wildly. His body felt like jello
and his mind was jumbled so bad he could barely remember his own name.

He was here with someone, right? Where was that person? Why was he alone. Why did he
get left with the murders?

“That’s not your ring,” he had the mind to splutter.

“No, it’s not,” Sun Chen agreed sweetly.

Dirty dirty dirty, he felt so dirty she needs to let go-

“I wonder what I’ll get for helping Lord Kong bring you in?” She giggled, admiring the ring
on her finger. “Wang Zhao paid off all my debt and my stupid cousin got me the money to get
out of this awful town. With you, I’ll be able to live rich somewhere in the city.”

Well that was one confession. That means it’s Lord Kongs turn, wasn’t it. Any other time,
he’d be able to stop the stupid monologues people seemed to have, but not today apparently.

“This Lord is sorry Master Shen, it’s just that cultivators are so fun to break.” He didn’t
sound sorry in the slightest. he seemed more giddy than anything.

Shen Qingqiu felt chills run through his body.

“Fen Jing was fun, she was so feisty. She made me think they’d all be like that. But then they
weren’t. It was far too boring. But Sun Chen’s boy, he seemed like fun. She gave him to me
pretty easily, so it was an easy deal. But all of his fight completely died when I said who sold
him out. It wasn’t fun anymore. And then that cultivator came…now that was fun. Her
beauty, her fire, it was all perfect. But she couldn’t take it in the end. She stopped being
pretty, so I had to get rid of her, like all the others. But you…I think you’ll last a while,” Lord
Kong explained darkly, a sick grin taking over his features.

Dirty. Dirty. So dirty.

“Even Song An. My lovely wife. I kept telling her if she had the kid it would ruin her
elegance. I kept giving her the same tea to kill the demon ruining her beauty. But she caught
on. She didn’t tell me and wouldn’t take the tea. And then that bastard did what I always
thought it would. I even warned her. That thing survived and Song An didn’t…! I gave the
demon to a servant to get rid of. I couldn’t even do it myself,” he cried pitifully.

‘Sick and twisted old bastard.’ Shen Qingqiu thought bitterly.

“After that last cultivator, I just knew I had to get more. And who hasn’t heard of the
unparalleled beauty of the Bai Zhan and Qing Jing peak lords? It was so simple to get you
both out here too. I spent all last night deciding which of you would fit best. Of course
Master Shen fit every category. It was natural choice.” Lord Kong was back to grinning ear to
ear, his attention finally turning fully to Shen Qingqiu.

Lord Kong started walking towards him. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t hear what he was saying
anymore.

Sun Chen was grabbing something from her sleeve. It was red.

Through his fogged mind, Shen Qingqiu assumed it was the ring she was wearing, but then
he made out that it couldn’t be, because that was on her hand. This was…

Oh shit. Immortal binding cables. If she got those on him, he was screwed.

‘Shit shit shit, I feel so dirty, she needs to let go- I can’t let her tie the rope shit shit-‘

And then everything stopped. If he was in the right state of mind, Shen Qingqiu would’ve
registered the explosion of Qi he just set off.
Qi deviation.

Makes sense for the circumstances, he supposed.

Shen Qingqiu looked around the room and saw Lord Kong and Sun Chen slumped against
the wall. His sword was on the ground, the talisman gone.

He used the wall to move towards Xiu Ya, slowly walking towards the sword.

He stumbled and fell to his knees, despite how hard he was trying to stay upright. If he had
the strength, he would’ve thrown his fist on the ground in frustration. But he couldn’t, so his
face just scrunched up as he snatched his sword.

He should do something else before he leaves, right? What is it though….

‘The ring! I promised Fen Li I would return it to her if nothing else.’

So Shen Qingqiu steeled himself to walking towards Sun Chen, using Xiu Ya as a cane.

Once he got to Sun Chen, he let his body collapse in on itself so he could grab the ring from
her unconscious body.

‘Now to get back up…’

[For the sake of Shen Qingqiu’s dignity, the system shall remove this part of our story :)]

Shen Qingqiu was eventually up, once again using Xiu Ya as a cane.

Using one of the escape routes he had located previously, Shen Qingqiu snuck out of the
estate, making sure he’d be gone before those two woke up.

‘It’s not safe there. I need to go somewhere safe. Where is safe?’ He asked himself as he tried
to steady himself on his sword. He needed to get out of here. It’s not safe.

No. Before that, Fen Li. She needs this ring.

Shen Qingqiu stayed as low to the ground as possible, which proved to be a good idea since
five minutes in he fell.

But—after a not going to be mentioned amount of time—he got back up and continued flying
on his sword.

He’s sure he made quite the scene as he flew through town, but that was a problem not
drugged Shen Qingqiu would worry about. Currently, the only thing on his mind was that he
needed to return this ring.

‘Potted plants. Potted plants. Look for the plotted plants. Where are they?’

And then finally, he saw them.

To say that he crash landed would probably be putting it nicely.

“Master Shen?” Fen Li opened her door as she heard the sound of a crash in front of her door,
surprised to see a fallen Shen Qingqiu. Who was probably a little injured from all his
accidents.

Shen Qingqiu held out the ring, not exactly sure what face he was making. He was still too
drugged to care.

Fen Li’s face fell as she saw the ring, nodding as her eyes filled with tears.

“Are you hurt?” She whispered as she took the ring from him, cradling it to her chest.

“Drugged,” he heaved, unsteadily trying to get back on his feet.

Fen Li’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of him.

“I have something that can help Master Shen! Please wait a moment!” She exclaimed,
rushing back into her house.

‘Safe. Somewhere safe. I did this. Where is safe? I need somewhere safe. Or someone. Who is
safe?’ Shen Qingqiu kept running through the same question, his mind going a million miles
a minute. Yet he was getting nowhere with his thoughts.

Shen Qingqiu isn’t sure how much time passed after that, but eventually Fen Li returned with
some tea in her hands.

‘No more tea..’ he thought to himself.

“Please drink this master Shen. It will help. It replenishes strength. At least until you can get
somewhere to have food and rest,” she encouraged, bringing the cup to his mouth.

For some reason, he accepted it.

In a distant part of Shen Qingqiu’s mind, he acknowledged how much calmer Fen Li was
right now than yesterday. He supposes it’s the closure.

Shen Qingqiu is forced to finish the cup, but he will admit his limbs started to feel a bit less
like jello. His mind was still a foggy mess, but he could finally fly to wherever he decided
was safe.

Fen Li helped Shen Qingqiu back to his feet as he got a feel for his body again.

“Thank you, Master Shen. I could never repay you,” Fen Li told him with a bow.

He probably should’ve said something, but his tongue and brain weren’t really connecting
right now, so he just nodded his head in response.

Then he climbed onto his sword and took off to wherever his body took him.
He crash landed once again. It still wasn’t pretty.

“Shen Jiu!?” A voice shouted in concern, running out of the house they ran out.

‘Oh. I went to Shen Yuans house.’ Shen Jiu realized as he took in his surroundings.

“Are you okay!?” Shen Yuan asked, crouching down next to him.

“Drugged,” he answered unintelligently.

Shen Yuan gaped and him while he helped him up. He gave Shen Qingqiu his sword to hold
himself up while he put Shen Jiu’s arm about his shoulder so the two of them could walk into
Shen Yuan’s house.

A qi deviation like the one he was currently having was stress induced, so once he calmed
down it would go away.

But first he needed to be calm.

“I’m going to bring you to my room and then I’ll make some food, okay? I’ll get some coffee
too. Those two things should help. Then some sleep will flush the rest of it out of your
system hopefully. Do you want to have a bath?” Shen Yuan was staring at him, his eyes full
of so much concern it made Shen Jiu feel like he was downing in it.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling, however.

“No,” he had the mind to answer. A bath seemed like too much effort. He couldn’t do it
himself without accidentally drowning, and he couldn’t bother Shen Yuan with something
like that.

“Alright. Is there anything you want besides what I mentioned?” Shen Yuan asked.

“No.”

“A-Jiu, what’s your name?”

“…no?”

Shen Yuan flashed him a look of panic, before leading Shen Jiu to his room. He leaned Shen
Jiu on his shoulder as he opened the door, quickly helping Shen Jiu onto the bed.

“I’ll be right back. Lay down A-Jiu,” Shen Yuan recommended before leaving, his shuffling
feet audible through the open door.

After that, Shen Qingqiu slipped in and out of consciousness, to be completely honest. He
remembers Shen Yuan giving him the promised food and coffee, but they seemed so far away
from each other. He remembers Shen Yuan rubbing his back after he threw up, getting rid of
most of the drug still in his system, and then he remembers soup after that, so he assumes
Shen Yuan made him some.
All he truly knows is that the next time he woke up, it was dawn.

‘Shit, how long was I out for? I got here around evening, maybe even earlier than that. And I
made Shen Yuan take care of me. I should apologize to him. Maybe I can make breakfast? He
doesn’t wake up this early usually,’ Shen Jiu thought to himself, getting out of bed.

It took him a second to regain his bearings after being incapacitated yesterday, but he was
quick to get the hang of things.

Shen Jiu knew how to make congee since it was such a common breakfast food in Qing Jing,
so he decided that would make a good choice this morning.

Alright to the kitchen!

Shen Yuan isn’t sure when he fell asleep last night, but he apparently passed out in his spare
bedroom.

According to where he woke up, that is.

Shen Yuan smelled food when he woke up, so he assumed Shen Jiu had made something.
Hopefully that meant he was well enough now to move around and the drug was all gone.

And that the qi deviation was over.

…they needed to talk.

Shen Yuan got out of bed and decided to just go straight to Shen Jiu, not bothering to make
himself presentable first.

That was the last thing on his mind right now.

He grabbed the item that gave it all away and continued walking out.

She Jiu was in the kitchen with some congee.

“Good morning,” he greeted.

“Morning.”

Shen Jiu raised an eyebrow at him, knowing he hated when someone responded with an
abbreviated phrase.

“Shen Jiu, last night, how did you get drugged?” Shen Yuan asked, mentally thinking one
thing to himself:

‘Please don’t lie.’

“Someone I’m not on good terms with apparently dislikes me more than I originally
thought,” Shen Jiu shrugged.
“Shen Jiu please don’t lie to me,” Shen Yuan told him, his voice cold.

Shen Jiu’s eyes widened a fraction, before he stared at him with confusion.

“If you’re not lying then tell me the name of this sword,” Shen Yuan demanded, tossing out
Xiu Ya.

Shen Jiu looked shocked at the sight of the sword, memories of last night probably flashing
through his head.

“I-“

“It’s called Xiu Ya isn’t it?” Shen Yuan finished for him. “And you were flying on it earlier.
Probably flying back from a mission, weren’t you? A mission you got sent on because you’re
a cultivator, not a plain old teacher. But you’re not just any cultivator, you’re a peak lord.
Your name isn’t Shen Jiu. It’s Shen Qingqiu, isn’t it?”

He framed it as a question, but it was all really a statement.

The lie was up.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, his voice cracking involuntarily.

“I was waiting for the right moment-“ Shen Qingqiu tried, but Shen Yuan wasn’t taking
excuses for an answer.

“‘The right moment!?’ Do you know how many times could’ve been ‘the right moment!?’
Maybe back when we first met? Maybe when we started having book clubs? Maybe when we
decided to start courting and sat down to tell each other everything about ourselves and our
lives!?” Shen Yuan shouted, his anger now back in full force now.

“I thought if you knew it would ruin it,” Shen Qingqiu explained frantically.

“Not telling me ruined it!” Shen Yuan shot back. “When was your ‘right time’ going to be?
When I was on my death bed? Or no, would it be when I started growing old and you stayed
the same age because you’re fucking immortal!”

Shen Qingqiu just stared at him wordlessly.

He couldn’t say anything to defend himself. He knew he had been pushing this off every time
it came up. But he really didn’t want Shen Yuan to find out this way, he really didn’t.

[Scum Villain Heart Blackening +50]

Shen Yuan pressed mute. He didn’t care about the stupid points. The fact that the system
knew what he was doing from the beginning and never said anything was only pissing him
off more.

“You’re healed now, so go back. Go back to your nice little mountain and go lie to someone
else,” Shen Yuan bit out, turning his back on Shen Jiu- no, Shen Qingqiu.
 “Yuan let me-“

“Go back!”

There was silence for a few deafening moments.

Shen Qingqiu picked up his sword and left.

Chapter End Notes

Welcome to Panpan37’s account, where long chapters mean bad things ❤️

Gonna be honest the whole murder mystery thing came to me when I was thinking of
hurt/comfort scenarios for SJ/SY and then had a lightbulb moment. And then decided to
make it hurt/comfort/hurt again…

(Also sorry to Didyoupraytoday I went a little off script here but I was just feeling the
angst lately)
Anyways not exactly sure when the next chapter will come out but hopefully in less than
2 weeks this time
 Chapter 30
Chapter Summary

Had the pull out the ten hour loop of ‘I bet on losing dogs’ for this one 🙏
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

[Scum Villains Heart Blackening: 450/500]

Shen Yuan stared blankly at the notification, not getting up.

He didn’t care about that anymore.

Maybe he was naive to think he could be ever be happy.

In his first life, every good moment was followed by the reminder that it wouldn’t last. That
he wouldn’t make it past twenty. Knowing that, it was hard to truly feel joy about little
things. He always thought it cruel, for him to be given everything but nothing at the same
time.

All he had ever wanted was a normal life. One where he didn’t need to read about other
people who got to go outside and make friends and actually live. He hated being weak. He
hated having to stay in the hospital. He hated being bedridden. He hated all the medication he
always had to take just so that he would wake up another day. He hated how much of a
burden he was to his family, the only people he cared about.

He hated how he couldn’t even get peace in death.

He hated whatever Gods existed that put him in this situation. He hated the system with every
fiber in his body.

He hated how he was finally happy for once. How he finally had a future to look forward to.

He hated how it was all a lie.

From the very beginning, there was no ‘Shen Jiu who taught the four arts.’ It was all fake.
For once in his life, he truly believed in something, and it all crumbled.

He hated watching his siblings build up their lives like normal people. He hated the feeling of
being left behind.
And then one day he wasn’t. Then one day he had someone by his side too. Someone he
could talk to, someone who got along with his sister. Someone who he could imagine a future
with, and when he did, no thoughts of everything that could go wrong came to him. He
wasn’t worried about his illness anymore. Shen Jiu had seen every side of him, so he wasn’t
worried about scaring him off by being himself.

He wasn’t worried about what was apparently the inevitable.

He was so stupid. How could he have missed the connection between Shen Jiu and the
notifications? ‘Indirect effect?’ Who was he kidding?

Well, he was kidding himself, apparently. He was always good at lying to his mind to make
his heart shut up after all.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ he cursed in a chant, repeating it until he knew just how naive he
was.

Shen Jiu…Shen Jiu had shared so much about himself, Shen Yuan never thought he could’ve
been lying about who he was.

Out of everyone it could’ve been, Shen Qingqiu? The scum villain? The one who abused the
protagonist, killed Liu Qingge, and led to the downfall of Cang Qiong?

Why did it have to be him?

Why did he have to fall in love with the one person he shouldn’t have?

Shen Yuan rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.

The bed still smelled like Shen Jiu.

Shen Yuan had simply been alternating between watching the points slowly tick upwards and
pretending the world didn’t exist. His family had tried to stop by a few times because of this
fact, but he ignored them all. He refused the explain the points and what happened.

They were worried. He knew he was being selfish. They had families here to worry about
too. If the score reached 500, they’d all die.

But he just couldn’t bring himself to care.

Besides, it’s not their job to fix this crappy story. It never was and it never should’ve been
their responsibility. His responsibility. If everything goes to hell for everyone else, why
should he care? He was simply a viewer to this whole thing. The person who comments from
behind the screen.

If the points reach 500, he’ll just ask the system to kill him and leave everyone else. They
have lives to live after all. And he’s never been scared of death. It was been such a constant in
his first life he’d come to terms with the fact that everyone expires one day.
Maybe if the systems punishment for reaching 500 points is just to live in this crumbling
world, he could ask Luo Binghe to spare his family. He helped him once, so it should be a
fair enough trade.

Or maybe the protagonist would immediately kill him for knowing Shen Qingqiu. For having
the chance to change him and failing.

He wouldn’t blame him.

Shen Yuan flipped back around.

[Scum Villains Heart Blackening: 450/500]

‘Oh, it hasn’t changed yet.’

He heard a knock at his door.

His family was back.

Shen Yuan can’t ignore them forever, he supposes, so he gets out of bed that still smells like
A-Jiu to go let them in. He walks into the living room and sees a puzzle laid out on the
ground, incomplete still.

Shen Yuan had to tear his eyes away from the pieces lying on the floor.

He opened the door halfway, so his family couldn’t see the mess his house had become.

“A-Yuan!” His sister exclaimed when he finally opened the door, trying to push her way in.

He blocked the way.

He knew he was being rude. He knew he was acting selfish. But he just couldn’t bring
himself to open the door. To let them in.

Shen Bai’s eyes widened in surprise and hurt as she stared at him, before backing up a step.

“A-Yuan….what happened?” His mother asked, her voice full of worry.

“I….”

He what? He still hadn’t even told his parents about Shen Jiu. How could he explain he’s
been meeting up with someone for over two years now? That’s he’s had a boyfriend for
months? That said boyfriend had been hiding his identity the entire time and was actually
Shen Qingqiu, which is why the points when up by 400?

So he didn’t explain. He didn’t know how.

“Gege…is this about…” Shen Bai began, looking around anxiously.

He nodded.

Shen Bai knew after all. He could trust her with this. He didn’t need to explain-

“Did he not tell you?” She breathed, eyes wide as she realized what happened.

-what.

“You knew?” His voice cracked as he stared at her, the only other person he thought he could
fully trust.

“He said he was going to tell you-!”

He slammed the door shut.

Shen Bai felt her heart drop. She hadn’t meant to keep a secret from Shen Yuan, especially
one this huge.

“Shen Bai…what?” Shen Hao looked at her with surprise. Shen Yuan had never gotten mad
at her. Not once. Even when he probably should have.

“I messed up,” she said, staring at the floor, fighting off tears. She had really screwed things
up this time.

“Shizun, it’s your day off. Are you not going down the mountain?” Ning Yingying asked as
she started sweeping around the bamboo hut.

“No, this master is not.” How could he?

“But you always go!” She protested, stopping what she was doing.

“Not today. This master has too many things to do,” Shen Qingqiu stated, staring at the
poetry he was supposed to be grading.

In truth, he hasn’t touched any of the papers he was supposed to grade by now. He couldn’t
focus on anything.

He couldn’t go down the mountain to see Shen Yuan, but he was too embarrassed to visit any
of his Jiejie’s either. Lihua warned him that he needed to tell Shen Yuan the truth, yet he
didn’t.

It was his fault. He made his choice and was now paying the price. How could he go crying
to someone after all of this?

“Shizun! You haven’t been doing any of your work, that’s why you have so much!” Ning
Yingying huffed, dropping the broom and stomping over to him. “This disciple is worried
about you, Shizun! Hallmaster Ming even had to take over your class yesterday!”
 “This master hasn’t been feeling great recently,” Shen Qingqiu told her. “A few months in the
Lingxi caves meditating should solve it though. I’ve already sent the request to the Sect
Leader.”

“Huh!? You’re leaving!?” She cried, her eyes widening.

“I’ll be sure to get you a present before I go, don’t worry-“

“I don’t care about presents!” She shrieked, her face twisting into one of outrage. “All you
ever do is give me gifts or take me out somewhere! You never explain things or actually give
me what I want! This disciple is worried and wants Shizun to stay! All Shizun is doing is
running away from his problems! Shizun is a coward!”

Ning Yingying ran out of the bamboo hut, forgetting her broom.

Great, now everyone was mad at him.

Liu Qingge hadn’t returned since the last mission either, so all of the other peak lords were on
his ass about what happened and wondering where he was.

Annoying. It was all so annoying.

Shen Qingqiu wished a hole would open up right now and swallow him whole so he didn’t
have to go through this any longer.

He shouldn’t have let his curiosity get the best of him. He should’ve left the one pure person
left in the world alone. Now he had gone and tainted him because he just couldn’t stay away.
Couldn’t admire from afar.

He shouldn’t have believed he was worth saving. If Qi-ge couldn’t accept him, why would
Shen Yuan? He had been too naive, letting wishful thoughts get the best of him.

He has all he needs on this mountain. He shouldn’t worry about selfish wants beyond his
reach. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, he always knew Shen Yuan and him
wouldn’t work out. They were too different. They lived in different worlds.

Gods he was so stupid.

But in a few days, he would go to Lingxi caves, and he could pretend the last two and a half
years never happened. When he came out, Shen Yuan will have forgotten about him and they
both will move on with their lives.

It’s for the better anyway. After all, why would anyone ever love a scum like him?

Chapter End Notes

At first I started writing this and I was like, ‘but is it that serious?’ And then I saw the
word count, WHICH IS 20K OVER WHAT I ORIGINALLY INTENDED FOR THIS
FIC, and was like ‘yeah, it IS actually that serious’
 Chapter 31
Chapter Summary

A btw if you haven’t picked up on this fact cuz it might be confusing in this chapter, SJ
refers to himself as Shen Qingqiu if he’s putting on a mask and doesn’t feel comfortable
enough to be himself. He refers to himself as Shen Jiu if he DOES feel comfortable
enough to be honest and himself.

Also Liu Qingge reveal next chapter promise

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Qingqiu was going to the Lingxi caves tomorrow morning. Yue Qingyuan had approved
his request, he had written all the lessons plans for the time being, and he still had a million
problems he wanted to ignore.

Ning Yingying was still mad at him. Nothing he was doing to cheer her up worked. He just
hoped she’d be over it by the time he got out.

And then there was Liu Qingge.

It’s been a week since the mission, and the man still hasn’t returned. It’s a bit concerning,
actually.

He’ll probably be back eventually. Who knows what monster could’ve distracted his small
attention span? Or maybe he was still trying to figure out what to do with Sun Chen and Lord
Kong. He’s not used to dealing with actual criminals, after all. It’s usually Shen Qingqiu who
takes care of them.

Whatever, it’s not Shen Qingqiu’s main concern. Right now, he just wants to forget about
everything. Forget about the last two and a half years. Forget about Shen Yuan.

But before that, he should probably sleep.

One night of rest before he meditates for who knows how long. He’s not leaving until he’s at
peace, and with everything that’s been going on lately, that could easily take a year or two.

Just in case, he’s prepared lesson plans for up to two years. That’s should be enough.

Shen Qingqiu isn’t great at sleeping, but it’s been three weeks since he got a solid nights rest.
He’s going to pass out any minute now.
So Shen Qingqiu laid down on the bed that never made him feel safe, and closed his eyes.

At the opportunity of rest, his mind took advantage instantly, Shen Qingqiu’s body
completely shutting off.

Hopefully, he would have a dreamless sleep.

The world is never so kind as to give Shen Qingqiu want he wants.

He had been there, in the shed. Qiu Jianluo had walked in. Qiu Haitang left, so he was alone.
There was a sword, and then there was fire. His body ached, but he couldn’t heal himself. He
was weak. He hated it. The fire was hot. It burned him a bit. Qiu Haitang was hidden in the
bushes. She had passed out from shock.

The two of them alone, alive-

Shen Qingqiu woke up with a gasp.

He took in his surroundings and steadied his breathing, cursing under his breath.

He hadn’t had a nightmare in over two years.

He was truly so pathetic.

Shen Qingqiu lowered his head, staring blankly at the white sheets beneath him.

How had he become so dependent on Shen Yuan?

A drop of red fell onto the white sheets, ruining its pure color.

And then another. And another.

‘What…?’ Shen Qingqiu wondered, lifting his hand to his face, searching for where the blood
originated.

His nose was bleeding.

Shen Qingqiu doesn’t get nosebleeds anymore. He’s cultivated to a high enough level things
like nosebleeds or colds don’t affect him.

The only reason he would be having one is if he was about to have a…

Qi deviation.

Shit!

There’s no way Mu Qingfang will let him go to the caves if he knows about this. Besides, it’s
not like he’s particularly excited by the prospect of Mu Qingfang inspecting him. He never
goes to the man unless it’s life or death.
This-he can take care of this on his own.

Shen Qingqiu stumbled out of bed, going for a drawer that held a bottle of pills. Those will
help. Mu Qingfang has gifted him those a while back.

He had to use one hand to steady himself as he opened the drawer.

Where was it? He shoved the other contents of the drawer around in search of the bottle, yet
he couldn’t find it.

‘What the hell? Where is it?’

Then he remembered something.

Ning Yingying-she-two days ago.

‘Shizun needs help! He should go see Mu Shishu!’ The girl had argued.

‘This master is fine,’ he told her, turning his back to the girl.

He heard her shuffling around the room, grabbing something and huffing.

‘Fine then! Shizun can suit himself!’ Then she barged out of the house.

She had been standing right here. She’s seen him take those pills before. She knows what
they are.

She wanted him to go see Mu Qingfang.

‘Damn it!’ He mentally cursed, racking his brain for something he could do. His mind was
racing, and his thoughts were becoming fogged. If he didn’t act fast, he could already tell this
would be a troublesome qi deviation. Ones that happen in a quick session are always like
that.

He needs to go somewhere where he can calm down and feel safe.

Where does he feel safe?

‘No-I-I can’t. He doesn’t want me there anymore,’ Shen Qingqiu tried to rationalize as his
body involuntarily called for Xiu Ya.

But what else could he do?

Somewhere in the back of his head he knew there was another option, but he just couldn’t
think of it. There was only one name coming to his mind:

Shen Yuan.

‘Fuck it.’
He shoved open the door of the bamboo hut and jumped on his sword.

Despite his earlier plans, he was now going to see Shen Yuan again.

Shen Qingqiu knocked on the door, his breathing growing ragged. It was the middle of the
night, so who knew if Shen Yuan would even answer.

‘Maybe he’s passed out and won’t even the door-‘ Shen Qingqiu silently hoped, but the door
opened before he could even finish the thought.

Of course he would open the door. By the looks of it, Shen Yuan hasn’t even gone to sleep
yet. That man and his fucked up sleep schedule.

“…Shen Qingqiu,” he greeted slowly, taking in Shen Jiu’s mussed up form.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

The two of them locked eyes. Shen Qingqiu watched as Shen Yuans resolve wavered bit by
bit. The man then tried to look around for god knows what, and then he eventually broke.

“Come in,” he said, sounding like the words pained him. He opened the door wider and made
room for Shen Qingqiu to stumble inside.

“How do you take care of qi deviations?” Shen Yuan asked, walking towards his kitchen.

“It hasn’t taken full effect yet. If I can calm my body in the next few minutes I’ll be fine,”
Shen Qingqiu explained, positioning himself on the couch to meditate.

“I have herbal tea,” Shen Yuan offered after he rummaged through his cabinets.

Shen Qingqiu hummed in response, taking in the house he had at some point deemed his safe
space. He couldn’t tell why or when this happened, it just did.

Yet after everything that happened last time, he couldn’t fully relax. With Shen Yuan’s gaze
always on him, like the man is waiting for him to do something, a meditative state just can’t
seem to find him.

Even the tea doesn’t help, which is new for him.

‘What is wrong with me? I did all of this because I thought being with Shen Yuan would make
things better and it’s not-‘

That was when he saw something he missed before.

On the low table and scattered on the floor.

His puzzle.

Shen Yuan had left his puzzle be. Safe and sound. Despite everything.
Shen Jiu closed his eyes and began meditating.

That was all he needed. Just a hint that he was wanted.

Once Shen Jiu felt a qi deviation was no longer a threat and that his meridians were calm, he
stopped meditating and opened his eyes.

It was morning now, he noticed. Early still, the sun was just rising, but it had been a few
hours.

Shen Yuan was sitting at the low table, tea and food sitting before him. He was still awake,
which was new for him. He likely hadn’t gone to sleep at all last night.

Shen Jiu felt a pang of guilt for being the obvious reason for why that happened.

“Thank you for letting me stay here,” Shen Jiu said suddenly, breaking the carefully crafted
silence and alerting Shen Yuan that he had woken up. Shen Yuans head snapped up at him
when he heard his voice.

“Ah…No problem,” he responded awkwardly, shifting in his seat.

They both stared at each other, saying nothing.

“Look A-Jiu-Shen Qingqiu, I, uh….we need to talk,” Shen Yuan decided, breaking eye
contact as he started talking. “I haven’t been completely truthful with you either, and I know
you have a lot of shit hidden that’s hard to talk about, so I got a truth potion. If you want to
talk come here and drink the tea with me. If not, you can leave. But if you leave, next time, I
won’t let you in.”

Shen Yuan started looking at him again. He didn’t say anything more, but his eyes expressed
everything he didn’t speak.

‘Please don’t leave,’ his eyes begged.

That was all he needed. The hint that he was wanted.

When Shen Jiu left today, he wanted to be able to return. He really, really wanted to.

Shen Jiu sat down at the table. He downed the tea.

Shen Yuan followed his example.

“Try to lie” Shen Yuan recommended after a few beats of silence.

“My favorite color is r-“ Shen Jiu attempted to fib and say it was red, but his mouth started to
autocorrect, a little painfully, to the truth. “Green.”
His eyes widened a bit realizing how good of a truth serum Shen Yuan bought, panicking a
bit at what he might reveal.

“Do you want to go first or me?” Shen Yuan questioned.

“I’ll go,” he sighed. If he didn’t talk now, he might never.

Shen Yuan nodded, giving him the floor.

“I did lie to you. My name used to be Shen Jiu, but after becoming a peak lord my name
became Shen Qingqiu.”

“Why did you lie?” Shen Yuan asked, the words flying off his tongue the second Shen
Qingqiu finished talking.

“I…was scared of your reaction. Like the one last week. I knew it would happen so I kept
putting it off,” he answered, lowering his head.

“If you had told me it wouldn’t have been that bad. I would’ve been upset that you lied, yeah,
but I wouldn’t have stayed mad. I probably would’ve stormed my way into your peak after a
few days to apologize.” Shen Yuan was staring at him fiercely, his voice not stuttering one
bit.

The fact that he said all of that even with the truth serum boosted Shen Jiu’s spirits enough to
keep going.

“Why did you come back?” Shen Yuan added.

Oh. He didn’t really want to answer that.

But the idea of lying made his spiritual veins thrum painfully, reminding him of what he’s
doing right now.

“I tried to sleep last night, and I had a dream about my childhood. Before I was a cultivator I
was…a slave.”

Shen Jiu watched carefully as Shen Yuans eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Then he
watched as the shock morphed into horror at the reveal, his hands going up to cover his
mouth.

“I was eventually bought by these people, the Qiu’s, and I was there for a few years until I
couldn’t take it anymore. The young master was the one who abused me behind his sister’s
back, and he tried to marry us so that he could keep his sister with him forever. I snapped and
went into a qi deviation, killing everyone. Well, I saved Qiu Haitang.”

“No way…” Shen Yuan breathed, his mind going a million miles per minute.

‘Qiu Haitang, A-Jiu’s finance in the original story. The one that speaks out about how Shen
Jiu killed her family for no reason and then joins Luo Binghes harem. It wasn’t for no reason.
She unknowingly betrayed the one who saved her!’ Shen Yuan thought with dread. She’s still
out there. Later, she could come back and try to ruin Shen Jiu again.

That man was the one who did all the horrible things to Shen Jiu. He’s why Shen Jiu can’t
sleep alone. Can only rest with him or at the brothel. Why he hates men. That’s the bastard.

“After I left there, I was with a demonic cultivator for a bit who taught me how to steal and
kill mostly. Then at the immortal alliance conference I saw someone I used to know. I killed
the demonic cultivator and left with the other person, and he took me to Cang Qiong,” Shen
Jiu admitted.

“Who did you meet with?” Shen Yuan asked.

None of this was in the original story. He had no clue what was going on for once.

“Qi-ge,” he answered before thinking. He panicked when Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows in
question. “I grew up with another boy on the streets before we got separated.” The words
were flowing out of his mouth before he could stop them. He didn’t want to say this. “After I
got sold, he said he would come back for me and never did. Then after I escaped I reunited
with him and found out he had become a successful cultivator in the mean time, completely
forgetting about me.”

“Do you still know him?” Shen Yuan asked. Since Shen Jiu was a powerful cultivator now
too it was a likely scenario.

“Yes. Now he’s my sect leader,” Shen Jiu bit out, desperately wanting to shut up.

Once again, Shen Yuan stared at him in shock as his jaw went slack.

“Oh shit,” Shen Yuan breathed, all the puzzle pieces clicking in his head finally. The original
storyline between the two of them that never got properly explained now made so much more
sense. So much that it made Shen Yuan wanna cry.

“Are you about to cry!?” Shen Jiu exclaimed, taken aback by Shen Yuan reaction.

“Why did the story have to actually make sense!? Now it’s basically a tragedy!” Shen Yuan
complained.

Shen Jiu looked at him in confusion.

“Ah…it’s my turn now isn’t it?” He laughed nervously, wiping his eyes and wondering if it
was too late to back out now.

“Talk,” Shen Jiu ordered. He had said his piece, now it was time for Shen Yuan to answer his
questions.

“Um, so, would you believe if I said I died before? And I remember my last life? Well of
course you would I can’t lie right now,” Shen Yuan rambled a bit.

Now it was Shen Jiu’s turn to be surprised.

“And that, well, in that last life I was raised in a completely different world without demons
and cultivators and it was way more futuristic than this society and that where I used to live
this place was just a book? And that my whole family got brought here too because we died
together in an accident.” Shen Yuan was fidgeting as he told his story, his eyes never staying
in one place for more than a few moments.

“A story?” Shen Jiu asked carefully, attempting to take in everything Shen Yuan just said.

“Yes, like a fictional world people read about. And you were in that book as the bad guy. The
main character is a boy you haven’t met yet and you abuse and he’s actually half heavenly
demon so he comes back for revenge and kills you and destroys Cang Qiong and combines
the three realms and lots of other bad things. Well, good for him, bad for everyone else.
Except his wives. He had lots of wives at the end. Ning Yingying is one of them,” Shen Yuan
explains quickly.

Shen Jiu would like to claim that he is a very composed person.

He was not very composed at the moment. he probably looked closer to a fish out of water.

Shen Jiu wanted to claim this was unbelievable. But deep down, he knew some of it was
pretty realistic. Yes he would abuse a disciple. Yes lots of disciples have tried to get revenge.
Yes the only male access Ning Yingying gets is her martial siblings so it makes sense she’d
get with one someday. But a demon? A heavenly demon at that? There’s no way he wouldn’t
be able to tell. That the entire sect would be fooled and brought to its demise.

But Shen Yuan physically can’t lie right now. Whether that’s the exact true story or not, Shen
Yuan remembers a past life where this world he lives in is fiction. And in some ways, that
does make sense. Shen Yuan knows so much normal people don’t know about the world.
About demons and cultivators. It also explains why he thinks so differently from everyone,
the very thing that drew Shen Jiu towards him.

It was all because of this?

“That’s why I was so shocked when I found out who you were. I was trying pretty hard to
stay away from the main storyline and yet all this still happened,” Shen Yuan told him
sheepishly.

“When is this ‘storyline’ supposed to take place?” Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes as he scanned
Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan believed all of this to be true, but was it really?

“How old is Ning Yingying?” He asked.

“She’s turning fourteen next month.”

“A little over a year then. She’s fifteen when the protagonist first shows up,” Shen Yuan
explains.

“If this is all true, tell me something about the storyline that is true to Cang Qiong. That only
you would know,” Shen Jiu demands.
“Well-“ Shen Yuan chokes as the system denies him talking about Liu Qingge’s future qi
deviation. “Haha, can’t say that…”

“Excuse me?”

This was a truth serum. They have to say everything.

“Um, I kinda have to dance around this because I can’t outwardly say this but I wasn’t
brought here by pure chance. Something dragged me and my family here. I can’t say some
things and have to do others because of it,” Shen Yuan said carefully, taking a moment to
think through every sentence before he said it so the words weren’t flagged by the system.

“So you are cursed?” Shen Jiu panicked. If it was a curse so powerful it could bring souls
from other worlds and hide itself from an immortal master, what else could it do?

“Yeah…” Shen Yuan began, but quickly tried to under exaggerate the situation. “But as long
as the complete the mission it gave me I’ll be fine! It’s really no big deal because I can’t die
until then. Yeah I’ve been kidnapped but I’ve learned how to deal with that by now.”

“What’s the mission? What happens if you fail?”

“…”

“Shen. Yuan. What. Happens. If. You. Fail?”

“Death? I think. That’s what it’s kinda been hinting at lately…” Shen Yuan shifted
awkwardly, avoiding Shen Jiu’s eyes.

“WHAT!?” Shen Jiu shouted, immediately shooting up from his spot and going over to check
Shen Yuan. There had to be at least a hint of the curse on him, right? If it’s lethal it can’t be
hidden that well!

“You won’t find it. My parents have tried so many different ways the first few years we were
here. They’ve given up by now,” Shen Yuan sighed, offering up his wrist with no argument.

“I will find it,” Shen Jiu decided, searching everywhere.

They sat there for a good ten minutes, Shen Jiu trying every trick he knew of.

“A-Jiu, you gotta give up. I’m telling you, I’m fine,” Shen Yuan assured.

“For now maybe. But how can you guarantee this will last?” Shen Jiu asked.

“Um, if you don’t abuse anyone? The whole point of this is to change the original story,”
Shen Yuan explained.

Shen Jiu’s eyes widened at this, understanding what the curse was.

“So if I don’t do what I’m supposed to you’ll be fine?” He asked hesitantly, hoping he had
the right conclusion.
 “Yeah pretty much,” Shen Yuan nodded.

“And what do I do besides abuse some disciple?”

“I’m not allowed to say. I can’t talk much about the original storyline. But I can warn you
about things! If you listen to me we can both get out of this alive,” Shen Yuan grinned at him.

“You’re not taking this nearly as seriously as you should be,” Shen Jiu glared.

But he didn’t say no.

Shen Yuans grin grew wider.

“This can actually work…” Shen Yuan theorized.

“So does this mean we’re…good again?” Shen Jiu questioned.

Shen Yuan looked like he completely forgot about that part, blushing a bit. “Yeah. We’re
good.”

“Good, because I’m not leaving until this wears off.”

“Stay as long as you want.”

Chapter End Notes

I WAS HAVING A GOOD FREAKING DAY TODAY, I DID MY HAIR AND

SCHOOL AIR DIDNT RUIN IT, I HAD A CUTE OUTFIT ON, I ACTUALLY
BEFRIENDED MY FRIEND CRUSH AND I STARTED TALKING TO A BOOK
EDITOR TO GET MY BOOK PUBLISHED. BUT GOD SAY NUH UH AND

😭😭
APPARENTLY MY LASH DAY HAD TO BE TOO GOOD AND GAVE ME A
FUCKING STYE
 Chapter 32
Chapter Summary

Child.

Oh and Liu Qingge I guess

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Brute? You’re finally back?”

Liu Qingge was tired. So, so tired. He’d been tired for over a week now.

He blames the man standing before him: Shen Qingqiu.

“Take it. I don’t know what to do with it,” Liu Qingge claimed, shoving what he was holding
into his Shixiongs hand.

“What is—LIU QINGGE WHY DO YOU HAVE A BABY?”

It’s been a long week and a half.

Ten days ago….

Liu Qingge was sitting beside Shen Qingqiu.

Liu Qingge doesn’t like Shen Qingqiu. Never has, never will. This whole time they’d been on
this stupid mission, his martial sibling was being extremely obnoxious, and quite frankly,
narcissistic. As usual, he couldn’t trust anyone and dragged Liu Qingge through the self made
drama.

Liu Qingge’s been itching to fight something.

And then a crash rang out through the manor. Liu Qingge jumped at the chance to get out and
finally use his sword. He told Shen Qingqiu to stay with Sun Chen and Lord Kong while he
checked things out.

Liu Qingge will later come to regret that decision.

Liu Qingge rushed into the room where the crash originated from, pulling out Cheng Luan
and inspecting.

There was no one in the room, but what looked like an explosion had apparently gone off.

The door slammed shut behind him. He spun around to see what had happened, but the room
was completely sealed with no windows, so a gust of wind couldn’t have closed it. He
walked over to opened it and couldn’t. Someone had locked it with a talisman on the other
side.

Shit! And now he and Shen Qingqiu were split up! That bastard had been right about those
two!

And wasn’t that painful thing to say? The only thing Liu Qingge hates more than Shen
Qingqiu is the way he’s always correct. He was stupidly good at his job, so there was nothing
anyone could do about him, despite how much he tarnished the sects reputation.

“Come out and fight me!” Liu Qingge demanded, banging on the door.

“Immortal master, no one is stupid enough to do that,” a voice on the other side answered. A
man, by the sound of it.

“I can break down this door easily!” He growled, slashing Cheng Luan down on the wood.

Nothing happened. Not even a single splinter.

“Immortal Master Liu, this room has as much wards and tailsmans on it as probably the
entirety of Cang Qiong,” the man explained helpfully.

“This is a spiritual sword, that doesn’t matter,” Liu Qingge argued.

“The tailsmans and wards in the room cancel out your swords power. It worked on the last
cultivator too, so there’s no doubt about it. Put a normal sword up against a warded door?
This humble servant is afraid Immortal Master Liu will need outside help to leave this room.”

“Then let me out.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that,” the man chuckled.

“Then why bother telling me at all!?” He shouted, attempted now to kick down the door.
There was still no effect.

“Immortal Master Liu, you want to leave this room, correct?”

Liu Qingge was about to say the obvious answer, ‘of course,’ when he heard another
explosion. This time, coming from the room he just left.

“Let. Me. Out.” He needed to get back there and help out Shen Qingqiu! That’s the reason
they get paired up! Shen Qingqiu does the lead up while Liu Qingge fights whatever beast
they got sent to take down. He can’t just be stuck here completely useless!
“This humble servant will let you out if Immortal Master Liu agrees to help,” the man
explained after a beat of silence.

“What do you want?” Liu Qingge asked. If it’s something he can do, he’ll agree. He just
needs to get out of here.

“I’m sure Master Liu has heard of this families history. About Lady Kong and her baby. But
there’s something that was left out, I’m sure. Lady Kongs son survived the birth. Just barely.
So Lord Kong gave me the child to get rid of, as this family’s longest standing servant. But
this servant must admit that he couldn’t bring himself to kill the child. I had sworn my duty to
protect the Kong’s, so I went against the orders. And now all of Lord Kongs crimes are going
to catch up to him, so I’ll no longer have any way to protect the child. Thats where my deal
comes in. if you agree to take him and find a safe space for the child to live, I’ll let you out of
this room,” the servant said, dumping a lot of information at once on him.

Well this certainly put in a difficult situation.

Look, Liu Qingge isn’t good with kids. When his sister was born, the only thing he ever did
for her was make her cry. He much preferred her when she showed up at Cang Qiong a
mature preteen that didn’t drool everywhere. And this specific kid belongs to the person
they’re here to take down. Who does he even know that would take care of the kid?

His parents were out of the question, they’re way too old. He’s not close to anyone else in his
family besides his sister, and she’s also out of the question. The only people he knows live at
Cang Qiong, so they wouldn’t be able to care for a baby.

But leaving the baby at some random orphanage wouldn’t be good. There’s too much that
could go wrong. Maybe he could find some random civilian that would be willing to take him
in? It would probably have to be someone who already has kids and wouldn’t mind one more.
Or maybe someone with no kids so one wouldn’t overwhelm them. Some couples can’t have
kids, so they might want to take him.

But these were all solutions that he had no clue how to achieve, however. He didn’t know
anyone, so therefore he couldn’t say if the random person he left the baby with was good or
not. If he agrees to this, he’s promising the baby will live a good life. How can he guarantee
that outcome?

But what else can he do right now? He has to get out of this room.

“Fine. This one swears he will find the kid a good home if you let me out,” Liu Qingge
promised.

“Alright. When this door opens, I will be gone. Only the baby will remain. His name is Taio.
His family name won’t matter for long, but that is what Lady Kong wanted him to be called,”
the servant informed him.

Liu Qingge backed up as he could feel the qi surrounding him become unsteady, the wards
breaking one by one. Slowly, the room lost its guards, then his sword regained its powers,
and then the door finally gave way.
Liu Qingge fought the instinct to kick down the door in his usual fashion, remembering the
supposed child waiting on the other side.

And lo and behold, there was a baby, looking to about a year old propped against the wall
when he exited the room. The baby was swaddled in a light blue blanket that seemed to have
little clouds embroidered into it. The baby was currently asleep despite the chaos going on
around him. Despite the fact that every single person in this household threatened his
existence.

Liu Qingge picked him up.

The baby didn’t stir. His eyes only scrunched a bit before the relaxed once again.

Liu Qingge held the child tightly in one arm, making sure he could feel the small form
pressing against his side clearly, before making his way to the room he’d started in.

Inside he found Lord Kong and Sun Chen passed out, the room in disarray.

Shen Qingqiu was nowhere to be seen.

‘Shit, where is he? Is this an illusion or something? Are they trying to make me think he ran
off while they secretly kidnapped him?’ Liu Qingge thought to himself, tracing Shen
Qingqiu’s qi in the room.

…it was everywhere. The explosion he heard was likely cause of a qi deviation. One that
then knocked out these two.

That’s definitely not good. Liu Qingge redoubled his efforts on looking for where Shen
Qingqiu was. Obviously, he was no longer in this room, so he needed to find where he left
from.

Liu Qingge traced Shen Qingqiu to one the of windows, seeing it wide open. He walked over
and continued to follow the trail his Shixiong left behind in hopes of locating him to help.
Unfortunately, he didn’t trust himself to ride on his sword while holding a baby, so he had to
walk. He hoped that didn’t ruin his timing too much. It shouldn’t, considering if Shen
Qingqiu was in the middle of a qi deviation so he probably can’t use his sword either.

Liu Qingge followed the qi until he was standing before a house. The house in front of him
was littered with potted plants and flowers in front of it, almost like a gate.

Fen Li’s house.

‘So this is where he ran off to…’ Liu Qingge thought distantly as he went to knock on the
door.

Fen Li answered the door, tears streaming down her face as she sniffled openly.

Liu Qingge’s eyes widened at the pitiful woman before him, one that had previously spat fire
at him. “Fen Li, are you alright?”
“Of course I’m not fucking alright. I just got my daughter’s death confirmed.” Fen Li was
going steady at the beginning of her sentence, her voice a low hiss, but then she choked on a
sob, and she broke down once more. Liu Qingge watched as she clutched a red ring tightly to
her chest, not sure what to do.

“Where is Shen Qingqiu?” He asked, not knowing what else to say.

“That boys long gone. He got drugged so he ran off to his loved one,” she responded bitterly,
like the thought of someone getting to keep their special person made her want to take them
away personally.

Grief is a strange thing. It’s too complicated for Liu Qingge. If something ever happened to
make him grieve, he thinks he’d just fight something until the feeling was gone.

Wait-how the hell did Shen Qingqiu take off if he was drugged and in the middle of a qi
deviation??

Liu Qingge’s head started to spin, but the sound of a baby crying snapped him out of it.

Fen Li and Liu Qingge looked down at the child, both equally confused by it.

“Who…?” Fen Li questioned.

“An abandoned child. A servant asked me to find him a home while this master was in
investigating Lord Kong and Sun Chen,” he explained, keeping the baby’s heritage a secret.
Even he knew that spelled disaster.

“What are you going to do with him?” She asked.

“Was gonna see if anyone where wanted him,” Liu Qingge answered with a shrug.

Fen Li snorted. “No one in this shitty town is in that position. Half of it is gonna lose their
jobs now that Lord Kong is guilty. The other half is grieving and or doesn’t have the money
to take in a brat. Try another town,” Fen Li told him strictly.

“Where? And how do you know it was Lord Kong? Did Shen Qingqiu tell you?”

The baby was still crying. Liu Qingge didn’t know how to stop it.

“It was easy enough to piece together even though that boy didn’t tell me. And as for him,”
she looked down at Taio, “I can’t help you there. I don’t do kids anymore.”

Liu Qingge isn’t good with people, so he chose to ignore the heartbroken tone Fen Li had
when she said those words.

“I at least need someone to watch him while I round up Lord Kong and Sun Chen. Their
crimes call for execution. I need him with someone during that,” he explained.

“Will it be public?” Fen Li’s eyes lit up when he mentioned the future deaths of Sun Chen
and Lord Kong.
“It can be. Is that better?” Liu Qingge didn’t really see the significance in the difference.

“Yes,” she breathed, like a dragon would breathe fire. “Bring that child to Wang Diu, taking
care of another baby will probably distract her from the news that her boy is actually dead.
She won’t want to watch Sun Chen get executed anyway,” Fen Li said. “I’ll spread the news
that the kidnappers have finally been caught.”

Fen Li acted like her entire life had led up to this point as she took off screaming the one
behind the towns horrors had been caught.

Liu Qingge did as she told him and went to Wang Diu’s home.

He slowly knocked on the door, prepared to be the bearer of bad news.

Wang Diu opened the door in an instant, looking at Liu Qingge with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Did you find him?” She whispered.

“This master regrets to inform you of your son’s passing.”

Liu Qingge watched as Wang Diu deflated, horror slowly etching onto her face as she broke
down at the realization.

“The kidnappers have been caught. Your son’s fiancé, Sun Chen, led him into a trap. She’d
been working with Lord Kong to kidnap people. They’ll be killed in a little for their crimes,”
Liu Qingge said bluntly.

Want Diu’s jaw dropped at his reveal, her hands quickly going over to mouth to cover her
mouth.

“Would Lady Wang be open to watching over a lost child who got caught in the crossfire
until this master finishes his work?” He asked, bringing out the—once again—sleeping baby.

“I….”

“Whatever your answer is alright. This master just doesn’t know who else to ask,” Liu
Qingge admitted.

“I’ll watch him.” Wang Diu’s expression hardened as she reached out to take the baby,
looking like she was on a mission.

“His name is Taio,” he informed before leaving to round up the criminals.

The crowd cheered as Liu Qingge cut off Sun Chen and Lord Kongs heads. Fen Li cheered
the loudest. But Liu Qingge recognized some others that he and Shen Qingqiu talked to, other
families torn apart by these two. He saw how happy they were to have a vengeful end to their
daughter’s stories.
Liu Qingge had no problems killing monsters, so dealing with these two was really no big
deal. Their screams and cries for mercy simply went in one ear and out the other.

He left the bodies there for the townspeople to deal with, leaving the two in the people’s care,
like they deserved.

Liu Qingge hopped on his sword, enjoying the luxury while it lasted, and landed in front of
Wang Diu’s home once more.

For the last time, hopefully.

He knocked on the door, waiting for Wang Diu to return the baby to him.

It took longer than when she first opened the door, no longer a waiting mother.

“Welcome back, Peak Lord Liu,” Wang Diu greeted as she opened the door. Taio was in her
hands, awake now, but still calm.

“What do babies eat?” He had never been in charge of feeding them.

“Master Liu…have you ever taken care of a baby?” She asked hesitantly, like she was hoping
for something not likely.

“No,” he stated.

“Ah…why don’t you come inside? This old woman might have some supplies you need.”
Wang Diu walked back inside her home, gesturing for Liu Qingge to follow. He did as he was
told, making his way farther into her house than he had been before. She explained how
babies diets needed to consist on soft foods and what to avoid as choking hazards.

“I have some diapers in here that Taio’er is going to need. I also have a pair of robes in here
that will fit him. They used to belong to my Zhao’er, and I planned on giving them to him
and A-Chen when they had their first child. But now I have no use for them now, do I?” She
lamented with a sad smile. She looked a moment away from breaking down.

Liu Qingge isn’t good with handling emotions, especially not other people’s, so he just
nodded and took the things being handed to him.

“He needs a diaper change soon anyway, so I’ll show you how to do it.” Wang Diu took Taio
from him and set the boy down, undoing his tiny robes and revealing the diaper he was
already wearing. She instructed Liu Qingge to watch her carefully as she put the new one on,
having him repeat the steps after she finished.

It was a bit complicated, but nothing worse than putting on some of the more elaborate robes
he has to wear on occasion, so he figured it out. By the end, the baby was giggling about how
the touches ‘tickled.’

Liu Qingge had no clue how babies developed, so he didn’t know if Taio was speaking a lot
or too little or even a normal amount for his age. He seemed to understand basic sentences
and questions, giving one words answers.
 “Thank you,” he bowed, taking back the child. He still had no idea what he was going to do
with it yet, but he prayed an epiphany would hit him on the way back to the sect. If not, he’d
ask Mu-Shidi.

“Good luck, Master Liu.”

“You too.” Liu Qingge figured she needed a bit of luck right now too.

Liu Qingge left the house, starting his trek back to Cang Qiong. On his sword, it would only
take a day. But on foot/carriage, it should be around a week of travel.

One week with this baby.

….He is definitely not as prepared as he should be for this.

Chapter End Notes

I split this chapter in 2 because I have a bunch of hectic things planned between Liu
Qingge and Taio’er, and I didn’t want this chapter to take forever. I also figured doing
this would be easier for my motivation lmao

orders/warning to my town 😭
Guys the AO3 authors curse is getting to me why is half my area on fire and evacuation
rip those is California
 Chapter 33
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Liu Qingge had decided on his next course of action.

The next town over was a very busy marketplace that was sure to have someone that could
lend him a carriage.

There should also be an inn and some restaurants that the two could get settled in before they
take off. It’ll take seven days on carriage. But that’s once he actually gets to the town. On
foot, it’ll take him a day to get there. One day on foot through the woods with a baby.

Shen Qingqiu was so fucking lucky he left.

Liu Qingge was holding Taio in his arms, alternating which hip the baby sat on whenever one
side got tired. The slight jostling of the walk seemed to have put Taio to sleep for the time
being, so Liu Qingge had been given about thirty minutes of peace.

The peace, of course, did not last.

He was walking through the trail in the woods that merchants used to travel when he heard an
inhumane growl.

Liu Qingge sent out a burst of qi to try and pin what monster was about to attack, finding it
was a Yao and thankfully not an actual demon.

But still. How was he supposed to fight with Taio? He couldn’t put him down, that was much
too risky. Many monsters ate children, and had ploys like this to get the parents and child
separated so another monster of the Yao’s pack would sneak up and grab the unattended baby.
Liu Qingge was no Shen Qingqiu, so he couldn’t name every fact about every monster he
faced, so he had no clue if the monster before him enjoyed human children.

Better safe than sorry, he decided.

‘There’s no way to get out of this without the kid waking up…’ Liu Qingge realized sullenly.
Well, some sacrifices need to be made sometimes. Besides, a Yao will be an easy kill, only
taking a few moments.

Liu Qingge switched Taio to him non-dominant side and unsheathed his sword, standing still
until the Yao approached him first. He couldn’t just jump into battle like he normally did,
after all.

After a few more seconds of growling, a two headed wolf emerged from the bushes. It took
once look at Liu Qingge and pounced.

Liu Qingge side stepped the wolf as it jumped towards them, easily stabbing it as it flew.
He completely ignored the animal carcass now lying on the floor and bleeding out, holding
his breath and praying he was smooth enough with his attack that Taio didn’t rouse.

He waited three seconds. One. Two. Three. He held his breath and waited.

But the kid stayed asleep.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“WAHHH!”

‘I can’t do this…’

Liu Qingge made it to the town with both him and the baby in one piece, by some miracle.

It was just as bustling as it was described. It was currently night time, but pearls lined and lit
up the roofs of houses. Stalls were still up and running despite the bright moon hanging
overhead, and loud cheers could be heard as a man shoved a sword down his throat. Looking
around, he could see a brothel on the distance, leading guests their way during their prime
hours.

Liu Qingge had originally wished Shen Qingqiu was here to help him, but seeing the brothel,
he decided he might be better off alone. At least he knows he can’t rely on anyone else
instead of having the false hope that he could.

Liu Qingge needed to find an inn for the night, so he walked up the a vendor not entertaining
any customers at the moment.

“Where’s the nearest inn?” He asked.

The man had his back turned to him when he came over, so he jumped slightly at the question
and spun around.

“D-down the street and to the left!” He quickly explained, pointing Liu Qingge in the
direction of said inn.

Liu Qingge nodded at the man and went on his way.

“Lights! Lights!” Taio babbled as they walked down the well lit street.

“Yes,” he responded.

Taio giggled at his correct assessment, looking every which way to take in the unfamiliar
place. He’d most likely never left his town before.

Taio kept babbling about other things on the way to the inn, but after his initial guess, he
didn’t get any other landmarks correct. Because of that, Liu Qingge kept his mouth shut. He
figured telling the kid ‘no’ was harsh, so he opted for no answer at all.
Finally, Liu Qingge and Taio made it to the inn.

“One room please,” he told the woman at the desk when he walked over.

“Of course!” She smiled, grabbing a key from one of the desks drawers. She handed over and
keys and waved off Taio who was trying to grab for her.

People were much friendlier when he had a child attached to his hip, he observed.

His room was on the second floor of the inn, so he readjusted Taio to put him in both his
hands and trekked up the slightly uneven stairs.

Taio giggled as the stairs bounced his small body, enjoying the ride. Of course he had to
hyper right when they were going to retire for the night.

Well, at least the kid can crawl around to his hearts content without any dangers here. He’ll
tire himself out eventually.

…hopefully.

Liu Qingge decided to entertain the kid a bit since he was in a playful mood, throwing him
over his shoulder while he unlocked the door with his now free hand.

“Up! Up!” He shrieked excitedly, hoping for more fun.

Liu Qingge walked into the room and decided to humor Taio some more, tossing him up in
and the air and catching him. He had full confidence that he’d catch the kid every time, but,
just in case, he stood over the bed as they played.

After a few minutes, Liu Qingge decided it’d be best to take off some of his layers and get
ready for his eventual rest, so he put Taio down on the bed and walked away for a second.

It was only a second.

He didn’t even get one second of peace before the kid started bawling.

Liu Qingge shoved a few layers off his body as quickly as possible then rushed back to the
kid, checking him over for some kind of injury. He could be crying for a reason other than
abandonment after all.

A quick check revealed he was in fact crying for a different reason.

Someone needed a diaper change!

Liu Qingge prayed to his ancestors that he wasn’t about to disgrace his mother and got this
right. Wang Diu had showed him how to do this, so he would figure it out!

Liu Qingge laid Taio down on the floor and took off his diaper, discarding it to the side for
now. He pulled a new, clean diaper from his sleeve and set about putting it on the baby.
He could do this.

It took two tries, but hey, he actually got it!

Now what to do with the old one…?

As Liu Qingge went over his options, Taio’s eyes started to droop, laying down finally
starting to get to him.

Liu Qingge didn’t want to push his luck, so he simply scooped up the child and laid him on
the bed, leaving the room to throw out the dirty diaper.

Thankfully, he’ll be able to get some rest tonight. He’s going to need to for the coming week.

Apparently, the baby didn’t completely ruin Liu Qingge’s….charm…so he quickly found a
traveling merchant happy to take him to Cang Qiong. Of course this meant they’d have to
stop in all the towns the merchant had business in first, but Liu Qingge had no problems
there. It would give him time to let Taio let off his excess energy from being cooped up in the
carriage.

He couldn’t wait to get back to Cang Qiong. He still had no clue what to do with the kid, but
he figured someone there could give him some good ideas.

Zhangman Shixiong always had wise ideas for problems, so maybe he could ask him. Or his
sister might know a good option. He just needed some help.

Liu Qingge sat back in the carriage and sighed. They’d be in here for a few hours until they
stopped to each lunch. Liu Qingge had bought some baby food at a stall this morning to
prepare for the trip back home. Liu Qingge can easily stick to the food times, but he doubts
the kid can, so he has some of the food on him.

Taio’s crawling around the carriage seat, giggling every time they hit a bump.

The kid keeps himself entertained for a good forty minutes, much to the thanks of Liu
Qingge’s sanity.

But unfortunately, that didn’t last forever.

“Up! Up!” The kid demanded, smacking his hands against Liu Qingge’s thigh.

“Alright,” Liu Qingge said, picking up Taio from under his armpits and into his lap

Taio grabbed around for whatever he could reach, wrinkling Liu Qingge’s robes. He wasn’t
as stingy as some of the other peak lords about his appearance, but it was still pretty
annoying.

But it wasn’t nearly as irritating as when Taio finally got his hands on his hair.
And yanked.

“Stop.”

The baby stopped pulling.

Liu Qingge calmed. A bit too early.

Taio shoved his hair into his own mouth, his muffled giggles erupting through the carriage.

“Taio!” Liu Qingge grabbed the kid and attempted to remove him from his side, but that only
caused screams of protest.

“No! No! NO!!” The baby shrieked, flailing in his arms.

“What do you want?” Liu Qingge asked.

“Hair!”

“You can’t have my hair. It’s mine.”

The sniffles almost broke his resolve, but no! Liu Qingge wasn’t going to sacrifice his well
being for the kid.

The cries for much closer to breaking his resolve.

The bite was what finally did it.

“Alright! You can have it!” He slotted Taio back into his lap and the baby went back to
eagerly tugging and sucking on his hair like it was the best toy in the world.

How do people do this for eighteen years?

Well, he won’t be here for much longer. Six more days and this kid will only ever show up in
his nightmares.

Liu Qingge does not want to speak about those six other days.

It was hell. A nightmare. The worst thing he’s ever experienced. No trial will ever compare.
Qi deviations? Bottlenecks in his cultivation? This kid makes them seem like a dream.

His only saving grace? Something he remembered while cursing Shen Qingqiu’s name for
ditching him, qi deviation or not.

He remembered a conversation he’d overheard between the man and Fen Li. It was obviously
something he wasn’t supposed to hear, but his heightened senses from being a cultivator
rendered that fact useless.

“Have you ever loved someone?” She questioned.

Shen Qingqiu was caught a bit off guard, but he could understand her thought process for the
injury. It’s not like it’s some crazy question, so he could answer it.

“I used to have a brother. I loved him.”

“Ah, so you understand that at least. Have you ever loved someone else? Not in a familial
way, I mean.”

“…I have.”

Shen Qingqiu said he loved someone. Liu Qingge had no clue of that person was still in the
picture, but based on Shen Qingqiu’s recent boost in mood this past two years and all that
time off he’s been taking, Liu Qingge would say it’s a safe bet to think they are.

So in repayment for leaving, Shen Qingqiu and whatever girl he was in love with can take the
kid!

And that was how he found himself here: his hair a mess, his robes wrinkled and slobbered
on, and a baby in his arms.

“Take it. I don’t know what to do with it,” Liu Qingge claimed, shoving what he was holding
into his Shixiongs hand.

“What is—LIU QINGGE WHY DO YOU HAVE A BABY?”

“The mission,” Liu Qingge hissed, letting go of Taio the moment Shen Qingqiu grabbed him.

“Brute. Where on the mission did you get this baby?” Shen Qingqiu asked again.

“Lord Kong, it’s his baby. He gave it to a servant to kill and the servant disobeyed the orders.
Then the servant gave it to me,” he explained.

“And now you’re passing the brat onto me?” Shen Qingqiu spat, looking down at the kid in
barely disguised disgust.

“Back then, you said there was someone you loved, right? You two take him,” Liu Qingge
told him.

“You-!” Shen Qingqiu spluttered at the realization Liu Qingge heard that conversation. His
face grew red, and with his hands full, he couldn’t cover his colored cheeks with his fan like
he wanted to.

“This one will help you with whatever you need as far as setting things up. If you need more
days off I’ll tell Zhangman Shixiong,” Liu Qingge swore, praying Shen Qingqiu accepted this
deal.

“And how bad is this kid if you’re doing all this to pass him on?” Shen Qingqiu inquired with
narrowed eyes.

“He’s not perfect, but I’ve seen worse babies. This one just can’t take care of him.”
That was a lie. He’s only seen one other baby than Taio, and that was Mingyan. She was
much better behaved than Taio.

“Fine then. You’re going to tell Yue Qingyuan that you were gone for an extra week because
you found some cave rich in spiritual qi good for cultivating and I’m going to take a year off
to ‘meditate.’ If you can’t do that, then I won’t take him,” Shen Qingqiu said, coming up with
a quick plan.

He’d already set everything up for his trip to the Lingxi Caves. Still taking the time off
wouldn’t hurt anyone. Besides, if Liu Qingge expects him to take in a snot nosed brat, he’ll
help him spend extra time with Shen Yuan.

“Done,” Liu Qingge agreed immediately.

“Alright then. I’ll take him.”

Well, he might not. If Shen Yuan doesn’t want him, then this brats going straight to the
orphanage.

Honestly, he was half hoping that would be Shen Yuans answer. Then he would simply get
the year off for just the two of them to be alone.

But of course, Shen Yuan has too much of a conscious to abandon an orphan.

“Oh my! What’s his name A-Jiu? We’re taking him, right?” Shen Yuan instantly decided
when he heard about the boy’s circumstances.

“Taio,” he answered.

“I wanna hold him! Look at how cute he is,” Shen Yuan gushed, reaching out for the drooling
bundle. “Hello Taio. What do you say about becoming Shen Taio, hm?”

Shen Taio giggled and tried to squirm out of his blankets and onto Shen Yuans chest.

“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Shen Yuan laughed. “But seriously A-Jiu? Ditching me with a
baby?” He sighed, looking at his boyfriend disappointedly.

“Actually,” Shen Jiu began, a smile spreading on his face. “I have a year off.”

Shen Yuans eyes widened before he also broke out into a grin, moving to give Shen Jiu a kiss
on the lips.

“You’re finally using that head of yours for some reasonable schemes.”

“You only say that because this benefits you,” Shen Jiu said with a roll of his eyes.

“But of course. I’m a selfish man, after all.”

‘You’re anything but,’ Shen Jiu thought to himself with a smile. It was one of those smiles
that spread warmth all throughout his body.
 He had been getting those much more often lately.

Chapter End Notes

Next chapter is meet the parents! 🤭

Street kids/orphans Shen Yuan has charmed count: 3
 Chapter 34
Chapter Summary

Meeting the parents. I’m sure that no drama will happen….

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

For some reason, Taio’er had designated Shen Yuan as his baba and Shen Jiu as his A’Niang.
When the child first decided this, it endlessly pissed off Shen Jiu, so Shen Yuan had been all
for it.

But now, with Taio’er’s clear favoritism for Shen Jiu rather than Shen Yuan, he had some
protests himself.

“Taio’er, A-Jiu’s making dinner for us, you need to stop clinging,” Shen Yuan advised, trying
to detach the child from his boyfriend.

“No! No baba!!” Shen Taio screamed in protest, clinging to Shen Jiu’s robes.

Shen Jiu glared at the baby now wrinkling his clothes, but Shen Taio didn’t seem to care
about Shen Jiu’s indifference towards him. He just kept clinging.

“Yuan, he’s your kid too, you gotta be forceful sometimes,” Shen Jiu told him when he saw
Shen Yuan give up. He didn’t want this sticky child on him either!

“He barely gives a crap about me! All he ever wants is you, always calling for his A-Niang
the second you leave!” Shen Yuan huffed.

Recently, the two (Shen Yuan) had been making an effort to not curse in front of child since
he liked to repeat words. For all that he clung to Shen Jiu, he seemed to only ever repeat what
Shen Yuan said.

Shen Jiu sighed and dropped the lettuce he was currently trying to cut and removed Taio’er
himself, handing the whining baby over to Shen Yuan.

Taio’er glared at Shen Yuan who simply returned the look. But since he’s petty, Shen Yuan
decided to stick his tongue out for good measure.

“Oh yeah, I’m going over to my parents for dinner tonight. They said we needed to have
some meeting before our monthly dinner next week. I think it’s about my sister and her
mystery boyfriend, but it could also be about me and you, so just be ready for anything,”
Shen Yuan advised as he went to lay Shen Taio down in the crib they bought him recently.
Shen Jiu hummed from the kitchen, signaling he heard Shen Yuan, so he continued to tuck in
Shen Taio.

Shen Yuan wasn’t sure if he wanted to be included in his family’s antics or not.

Shen Yuan met up with his sister before he went inside, decided to scheme with her before
they went into the lions den.

“Well this is definitely about me,” she noted as they went off to the side. “But you’ve been
suspicious lately too. The whole thing with the points with it suddenly going up like crazy
while you were sulking, and then they suddenly went back down and you were happy again.”
As Shen Bai talked, she brought out the system, revealing what the current points were at.

[Scum Villains Heart Blackening: 50/500]

“A lot happened at once…” Shen Yuan defended.

“Yeah well you didn’t tell anyone anything, and I’m the only one who actually had a clue to
the situation. So I’m gonna take a wild guess, you two are back together?” Shen Bai
deadpanned.

“Yeah,” he responded sheepishly.

“Then you’re gonna get roped into this whole ‘meet the parents’ that I suspect is coming,”
Shen Bai told him with a pat on the back.

Then they walked in.

The whole family was already waiting.

The only big differences between the Shens monthly dinner and family meetings like this
were two things. One, was that fact that kids weren’t allowed to this one. This was an adults
only party. The second, these only happened if there was truly a need for an intervention with
someone in the family.

Shen Bai had been the center of these meetings multiple times. It wasn’t anything new for
her. But for Shen Yuan, this had only happened one time, and it was when they had all first
transmigrated since he was the only one with knowledge on the world they were now stuck
in.

But this was very different. He could feel nerves eating him up from the inside out.

“Come on you baby,” Shen Bai said with a shove when his pace started to die down. He
ended up stumbling into the main hall where his family was waiting, his sister walking in
calmly behind him.

“There you two are. We thought we’d have to go hunt you down since you didn’t want to
show up,” his mother explained with a chilling smile.
He was so fucked.

Shen Bai and Shen Yuan went to go sit down at the huge table, everyone else noticeably on
the opposite side of him and his sister.

“Let’s start with A-Bai,” His mom decided, and all eyes turned to her.

Shen Yuan never realized how good his sister’s poker face is before. She really wasn’t gonna
crack until they pulled out evidence.

“You’ve been sneaking around for over a year by now. You’re obviously with a guy,” their
mom said matter-of-factly.

“How do you know it’s a guy?” She shot back.

“Shen Bai, we don’t care who they are,” their father chimed in, leaving out the ‘yet’ he
seemed to want to say. It didn’t matter yet. That would come later. “We all just want to meet
who you’ve been dating, since it’s obviously serious if it’s been going on this long.”

“Yeah Meimei, at this rate you’re gonna marry the guy before we even get to see him!” Shen
Chao chimed in. His wife, Zhao Kexin, elbowed him a bit from where she sat beside him, but
her face looked like she agreed with the sentiment.

Shen Hao nodded along with Shen Chao, Chen Min next to him looking lost in her own
world while she knitted.

“Then what do you want me to do?” Shen Bai asked, giving up on arguing.

“Bring him to dinner next week,” their mother ordered.

Shen Bai nodded beside him, sighing to herself.

“Now….”

All eyes turned to look at him.

Shen Yuan gulped.

“Are you going to tell us what the hell happened two weeks ago?” His mom demanded.

“Uh, do I have to?” He asked.

The glares he got for that told him that yes, he does have to.

“I was…going through a breakup, I guess?” The situation was complicated, he wasn’t sure
how to answer it the question accurately.

“You’re dating someone!?” Shen Chao exclaimed in surprise, the rest of the family looking
just a shocked.
“Yeah um, we’ve been dating for about half a year. But I’d known him for two years before
we started dating offically,” Shen Yuan explained.

“Something tells me that ‘officially is important…” Shen Hao sighed.

“Oh it is!” Shen Bai piped up.

“Shut up!” He hissed, shoving her a bit.

“No you shut up!” She shoved him back.

“Stop, both of you,” their father said harshly before they tackled each other. Then he coughed
and redirected the conversation back. “Shen Yuan, bring him to dinner next week too. We’ll
make it a meet the family day. And any other secrets better come out then too.”

So he should probably bring Taio’er next week too then…

“You both understand?” Mrs. Shen demanded.

“Yep!” They both responded, scared of their mother’s wrath.

“Good, we’ll see you next week then.”

Shen Yuan was a bit worried.

His mother was going to kill him. Seven times over. He was so dead.

A boyfriend? Okay, that’s fine. But a baby?

He was gonna get murdered.

Maybe Shen Bai can go first….she’s probably got more and worse secrets than him. His
nephew had said as much.

“A-Jiu wait here for a bit, I wanna go over the plan with my sister,” Shen Yuan directed to
Shen Jiu who was trying to keep Taio’er from jumping off the seat and onto the floor.

“Aw, are you ashamed of me?” Shen Jiu joked sarcastically.

“No, but I don’t want Shen Bai to know about Taio’er yet,” he responded right before getting
out of the carriage.

It seemed his sister had the same idea as him, already waiting outside her carriage.

“So how are we doing this?” She asked him when he approached.

“I was thinking we go in and have them wait in the hallway and we can bring them in one by
one to meet everyone. Their questions will probably take a few minutes and more than one
person being there will just cause chaos,” Shen Yuan explained.
“Okay, that should work. I can’t wait to see what they say about Shen Jiu,” she laughed.
Leave it to her brother to romance the guy they were sent here to fix.

“So we’ll go in and they’ll stay back,” Shen Yuan reiterated.

“Mhm,” she agreed with a nod.

“Then you’re going first!” Then he ran off, without giving Shen Bai a chance to argue, since
he was a great brother.

“Alright A-Jiu, we have a plan,” Shen Yuan relayed to Shen Jiu as he opened up the carriage
door.

“What if Shen Taio starts crying while we’re waiting in the hall? Won’t that give it away?”
Shen Jiu asked as he passed the baby over to Shen Yuan so he could exit the carriage.

“Taio’er’s gonna be a good boy for us today, right? You’re gonna be a good boy?” Shen Yuan
looked down and switched his tone of voice as he ticked the baby in his arms.

“Good! Good!” Taio laughed.

“See, he’ll be fine,” Shen Yuan smiled.

Shen Jiu rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t even understand what you asked him.”

“He can, I’m sure of it.”

“Just hand me the brat so we can get out with this meeting,” Shen Jiu muttered as he snatched
Shen Taio from his boyfriend’s hands.

The two of them walked inside the manor that was seemingly devoid of any servants, but
Shen Jiu could sense the guards and maids wondering. They just simply weren’t in the places
the family was gathering for probably privacy reasons.

“Okay, you stay here. I’m not sure where Shen Bai will put her little boy toy but if you see
him, you probably don’t need to talk to him,” Shen Yuan advised.

“Taio’er, say bye to your baba,” Shen Jiu commanded to the baby squirming in his hold.

“Baba!” Shen Taio chirped, then made some gurgling sound that Shen Yuan was going to
accept as a goodbye.

And then Shen Yuan walked into the battlefield.

The grand and sparkling battlefield.

Look he was rich okay? He could pretend he was actually entering some wasteland. It’s a
metaphor. Please understand the metaphor.
Shit, he was talking to himself like some invisible audience was listening again. That means
he way more anxious than he originally thought.

Well, at least this time the table wasn’t set up so only Shen Bai and Shen Yuan were on one
side. But they were seated next to each other, four spots notably empty.

Shen Yuan contemplated how he wanted to do this, then decided it’d be best if he and his
sister sat on the edges and their boyfriends next to each other rather than next to a family
member.

Everyone at the table gave their greetings as he walked over, but they all seemed to have their
own conversations they were whispering about. Speculating, scheming.

About him. Oh gods this is terrifying.

Thankfully, he only had to stew in his paranoia for a few moments before Shen Bai also
walked into the room, taking her seat. She caught onto Shen Yuans plan and took the edge
seat dutifully.

“We’ll serve food once everyone is here,” His father explained, giving them a look that said
‘where are they?’

“Figured you’d want to meet them one by one so you could question to your hearts content
with no problems or confusion. Don’t worry, I already agreed to go first. You can come in
now!” Shen Bai explained the agreement she and her brother had come to before calling out
to her boyfriend.

“Well someone’s out of your league…” Shen Hao muttered in surprise when Mr-hunk-
known-as-Shen-Bai’s-boyfriend walked in.

Seriously, this is what writers mean when they say ‘tall, dark, and handsome!’ And yes, this
is ancient China, obviously dark isn’t the fitting vocabulary to use, but that’s never what the
author means when they say those words. They’re just referring to someone with dark hair,
which fits here.

This dude could totally be a model in modern day!

Honestly, what’s crazy is that Shen Yuan couldn’t tell you any unique features on this man,
its just he had all the basic things you’d see on an everyday person but his was seemingly
enhanced. His long black hair was just like everyone’s, but it’s was so much more silky!
Normal dark brown almond shaped eyes, but they looked both sharp and soft, like they’d
change completely based on who the man was talking to. He had a sharp-literally perfect-
jawline that would only be described on booktok.

And also, if the robes were anything to go off of, the guy was fucking rich.

“No way you pulled him,” Shen Yuan said, in agreement with his older brother.

“Why do none of you have any faith in me!” She complained, cozying up to her boyfriend
with a pout. He gave her a comforting pat on the back and politely smiled at the family.
“Hello, my name is Lin Qiang,” he greeted, bowing his head.

‘Weird…I swear I’ve heard that name before-‘

“Like the Prince!?” Shen Chao squawked.

Oh. That’s where he’s heard it from.

Wait what!?

The matching expressions of shock everyone was wearing would’ve been funny if it weren’t
for the situation.

“Shen Bai!” Their mother hissed. “This is something you mention to your family!”

“Yeah well you guys were gonna make a big deal out of it and you know my three month
rule. I didn’t want to say anything about it before then,” she explained with an eye roll.

“I told you. I told you we were going to need to prepare that dowry for her. I knew she was
going to run away and find some rich gullible guy to cling to one day. You didn’t believe
me,” their father complained, giving their mother a look.

Their mother looked like she wanted to faint from shock still. Maybe anger in a few moments
when she collected herself.

“How did this….” Shen Yuan waved his hand around Lin Qiang, “happen exactly?”

“Well, it’s actually really romantic!” Shen Bai gushed. For his part, Lin Qiang actually had
the grace to at least pretend and be embarrassed by all this. “I ran away one day, like usual,
and then I came across this wandering cultivator and like totally pissed her off. She made this
whole big deal about being some ‘immortal’ and that I should respect her, and I obviously
pissed her off some more, so then she demanded a fight. But obviously I needed some time to
prepare for that! So I decided to go through some shady looking alleys until I finally saw
him!”

Shen Yuan already felt like this story was fever dream.

“He was all cloaked and there were other people, and he fought off this whole group without
any help! So I asked him for a little bit of help in training me to fight this cultivator and he
agreed!”

“I feel like you’re leaving a lot of information out of this!” Shen Yuan complained.

“Yeah, yeah I don’t have time for the full version,” she waved off. “And then after training
for a while I found out who he really was but we were friends by then so it didn’t really
matter. And over time we fell in love!”

“…and that person you were supposed to fight?” Their father asked in a concerned tone.
“Oh I totally lost! Let me tell you, cultivators are no joke! But I did get a few hits in so I’ll
call it a win! Anyways thank god for healing potions and the such cuz I only needed to week
to get better. That’s the week I disappeared, remember? Qiang took really good care of me! It
was super romantic!” Shen Bai told the story of how she got the crap beaten out of her like it
was her honeymoon, but the family had grown used to her antics by now.

“You know what, if you’re fine with dealing with her, have fun,” their mom decided, having
enough.

To give Lin Qiang credit, he didn’t seem the least bit concerned about Shen Bai’s personality.
He just kept rubbing her back as she snuggled closer lovingly.

It was kinda off putting. No one in the family is super touchy feely. Not him, not his parents,
and not either of his brothers with their wife’s. They’re all more private with that sort of stuff.

Well, to each their own.

Seeing how the story died down, the family went into the questioning phase, asking Lin
Qiang everything they could think of.

“What’s your relationship with your family?”

“Good, if not a bit estranged. No bad blood, just that work keeps us apart usually.”

“Why did you fall in love with Shen Bai?”

“Because she got to know me and like me for myself, not because I was a prince.”

“Do you plan to marry Shen Bai?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want a big or small family.”

“I’ve never really cared but Shen Bai was clear that she wanted three kids exactly, so that’s
also what I would like.”

“Would you both come to the monthly family dinner or would you be too busy for family
time?”

“We would do our best to come every month.”

“What’s your favorite thing about Shen Bai?”

“Her humor.”

“What would you say your best qualities are?”

“I’m very good with kids, at a high level of martial arts, and am a good leader.”

Well that answer created a perfect segway to the most important question:
“Is it true that your older the brother, the crown prince, is currently sick and seems to have no
hope of getting better, making you the future crown prince and king?” Shen Hao was the one
who finally asked what everyone was thinking.

“That is true.”

That was confidential information, but the Shen’s were a high standing noble family. Of
course they knew things like that.

“So you think you’re ready for that role and can be a good king?” His father asked.

“My brother’s health has always been spotty. I’ve been prepared my whole life to take over
him if ever needed, like now. I have enough experience and confidence that I can successfully
lead,” Lin Qiang answered smoothly.

“And what about Shen Bai? Do you think she can help you lead?” Their mother asked.

“Not yet, but she’s been learning, and I think that at the pace we’re at, by the time we actually
have to rule, she’ll be a perfectly fine queen.” Lin Qiang smiled at Shen Bai, like he had full
confidence in her, which made her beam.

Well, it’s not like any of them doubted Shen Bai. She’s like Elle Woods. If she wakes up one
day and decides she’s going to law school, you bet your ass she’s getting in. It’s the same
with being queen.

But they needed to be sure that Lin Qiang believed in her too. He gave an honest answer, so
he passed.

“Are we done? I’m over being judged. Gege’s turn!” Shen Bai stated with a huff.

Shen Yuan glared at his sister as all eyes turned to him.

“Fine,” he sighed. “Your turn A-Jiu.”

“Shen Bai, you know A-Yuan’s boyfriend, don’t you?” Shen Chao asked.

“Yep!” She smirked.

“Well, not everything,” Shen Yuan mumbled, his nerves coming back.

She eyed him curiously for that, clearly wondering what could’ve changed in two weeks.

Shen Jiu walked in as called, a half asleep Shen Taio in his arms.

“Huh!? When did you two get a kid!?” Shen Bai exclaimed in shock.

“You were right, your brother would show you up,” Lin Qiang noted when he saw Shen Jiu.

“Second Prince Lin Qiang,” Shen Jiu greeted formerly when he saw the man.

“Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu,” Lin Qiang nodded back.

“Sorry, I just hallucinated, did you say Shen Qingqiu?” Their mother asked, staring at the
System window that had popped up in the corner, showcasing the Scum Villains Heart
Blacking points.

It was currently at 50/500

He watched as things started to click for his family, why the points went down so fast and
then shot back up right when something happened to Shen Yuan.

“Now how did this come to be?” Shen Chao asked, throwing Shen Yuans words back at him.

“The kid or A-Jiu?”

“Start from the beginning,” Chen Min recommended helpfully.

“Well we first met when I got kidnapped by Flocking Butterflies and he was on a mission to
get rid of them. He told me his name was Shen Jiu and I got us out of the situation. Then we
met again at a bookstore, talked about books, and eventually decided to make a book club!
We’ve been having the book club for two and a half years now and dating for five months,”
Shen Yuan recounted.

“And what was that whole freak out you had three weeks ago about?” His mom asked.

“I found out he had been lying about his identity,” Shen Yuan said sheepishly, deciding to
grab the now wide awake Taio’er as a distraction.

“And why did you keep the fact that you were really Shen Qingqiu a secret for so long?” His
father questioned a bit harshly.

Unfortunately, his family had a bit of a prejudice against Shen Qingqiu due to well…
everything. The only reason they’d been transmigrated was because of him after all.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard of my rather unpleasant reputation. I was worried if I told Shen
Yuan who I was during our friendship it would ruin it, and then we were courting, which
made the relationship we had all the more important. I didn’t want it to crumble, but then the
truth did finally come out, and we thankfully talked everything through,” Shen Jiu explained.
Compared Lin Qiang’s heartfelt words, Shen Qingqiu’s resting bitch face definitely wasn’t
the best, but Shen Yuan knew he meant what he was saying.

“Okay yeah, yeah I know all of this, where’d you get the kid!?” Shen Bai demanded, growing
impatient.

“This is Taio’er, and on A-Jiu’s last mission he got left orphaned, and after being passed
around a bit, came to us,” Shen Yuan told them, propping up Shen Taio on his lap and waving
the baby’s hand.

“You dumped him with a kid!? You only get two days off a month!” Shen Bai complained,
glaring at Shen Jiu.
“Actually, I have the year off. After that, Taio’er will hopefully have adjusted well enough. I
will also be getting more days off after I return.”

“How’d you get a year off?” Shen Bai asked doubtfully.

“Technically, I’m mediating in a cave my martial sibling found after our mission for a year,”
Shen Jiu corrected smugly.

“Let me guess, that’s the guy who handed you the baby isn’t it?” Shen Chao assumed, hitting
the nail on the head.

Shen Jiu nodded.

Now that everything was cleared up, they moved into their pre-determined set out questions.

“What’s your relationship with your family?”

“I don’t have a family.”

Everyone besides Shen Yuan gave Shen Jiu as suspicious glance, leading him to explain
further.

“I’m an orphan.”

“Oh! I’m sorry,” his mother said with a gasp, having been the one who questioned him
originally.

“It’s no problem,” Shen Jiu responded.

“Why did you fall in love with Shen Yuan?”

“We had very similar ideals and morals and got along very well.”

“Do you plan to marry Shen Yuan?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want a big or small family?”

“I’d prefer a small one, but it’s up to Shen Yuan since he’ll be home the most.”

“Would you come to our monthly family dinner?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your favorite thing about Shen Yuan?”

“How opinionated and honest he is.”

“What would you say your best qualities are?”

 “I’m well read, opinionated, and intelligent.”

“And do you believe you can always make Shen Yuan happy?” His father asked this one, like
it was a carefully selected comment.

“Well I can pay for his books.”

Shen Yuan elbowed Shen Jiu who smiled and then answered truthfully.

“I will always do my best to make Shen Yuan happy and try all I can to amend any mistakes I
make,” Shen Jiu swore.

His father nodded, accepting this answer.

“Does this mean we need two dowries?” His father muttered, not at all to himself.

“Dad!” Shen Yuan blushed furiously.

Everyone laughed at him while his mother decided to fan the flames of his embarrassment.

“It’s okay sweetie, we can easily acquire two bridal robes,” she laughed.

“Really!? We wanna play this game? Taio’er, who’s your baba and A-Niang?”

“Baba,” Shen Taio stated while clinging to Shen Yuan. And then, “A-Niang!” As he tried to
crawl over to Shen Jiu.

Shen Jiu also flushed at this, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as Shen Yuan did.

“That’s because he had the boy first!” Shen Bai defended, siding against her brother.

Why was everyone ganging up on him!

Shen Yuan looked pleasingly at Shen Jiu, but he simply turned his head and pretended he was
dead. The traitor!

I guess you could say all’s well that ends well, unless you’re Shen Yuan.

Chapter End Notes

😅
Good thing we’ve already established Shen Yuan’s gay cuz there’s no way he could
defend the paragraphs he spent praising Shen Bai’s boyfriend

The whole story between Shen Bai and her boyfriend is an Easter egg from one of my
other SJ/SY fics ‘Shen’s Band Together’ but if you haven’t read it, a btw is that the
cultivator SB fought was the previous QJ peak lord
 Chapter 35
Chapter Summary

A proposal?

A MARRIAGE proposal!? 🫢🤭
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

After everything had gotten situated with Shen Yuan’s family, things got a lot easier.

Twice a month the two would still go out to the bookstore and debate like usual, while Shen
Taio stayed with one of Shen Yuan’s siblings or his parents. At home, Shen Yuan and Shen
Jiu alternated between who cooked—even though they both could be a lot better—and who
cleaned. They fell into an easier routine of taking care of each other and Shen Taio.

And before Shen Yuan knew it, he and Shen Jiu had been officially dating for a full year.

Or, as Shen Bai likes to say, three years; but neither of them knew until recently.

Basically, life was good. Taking care of an almost two year old wasn’t easy by no means, but
it was definitely never boring. And every time things got a little too much, he had A-Jiu to
take over for him, and vise versa.

Home life was definitely great. And his night life with Shen Jiu…well they weren’t married,
so they never went farther than some heated kisses and touches, but that’s still a big step up
from before!

Shen Jiu still had five months with him like this, but Shen Yuan was already starting to feel
like that wasn’t enough time. He wanted more. He wanted things to stay like this forever. He
knew Shen Jiu had to go back to work, obviously. But Shen Yuan wanted it to be guaranteed
he would come back after every mission and hardship.

To put it simply…Shen Yuan was paranoid.

Why? Because of one man, actually.

Yue Qingyuan.

When Shen Yuan first found out who Shen Jiu actually was, his mind went straight to all the
bad things that he’s done. Then once things got sorted out, he thought of Shen Jiu’s fate in the
original book. That was a thought he didn’t indulge very much, since it twisted his gut in a
way that made him want to cry.

But last night, he dreamed about it. He thought all about the ending of the book after he woke
up from the image of A-Jiu’s limbless body terrified.

And while thinking, he remembered something. Or, better said, someone. Yue Qingyuan, the
sect leader of Cang Qiong, that obviously had some sort of past with Shen Qingqiu. Who
jumped into a trap knowing how it would end when he got sent Shen Jiu’s legs by Luo
Binghe. And then Shen Qingqiu, who finally died by absorbing the shards of Yue Qingyuan’s
broken sword.

Clearly, the two of them had something going on! It was something he’d theorized along with
dozens of other fans while reading, but nothing was ever revealed and the thought quickly
escaped his mind after death.

But now, sitting here beside A-Jiu, he was nervous.

Shen Yuan knew lots of things. He was pretty confident in his plan to get Luo Binghe away
from Shen Jiu and keep the both of them out of trouble. He had lots of information on that
aspect of the book. He could meddle successfully.

But this was uncharted territory. And just as serious and Shen Jiu’s possible death.

He needed to be sure A-Jiu wouldn’t be swayed!

So the idea and mini plan Shen Yuan had been previously pushing to the back of his mind
now took front and center. The most important!

Before the five months where A-Jiu had to go back to work, he was gonna marry him!

“What do you need, A-Yuan?” Shen Li asked when she opened the door to find her youngest
son standing outside.

“Mom, how did dad propose to you?” Shen Yuan blurted out the moment his mother stopped
talking.

Mrs Shen widened her eyes in surprise as the most likely reason for that question clicked.
“Come in,” she said, then tugged her son inside and slammed the door closed.

“Haoyu!” She shouted for her husband, already coming up with ideas for the wedding. She
ignored all the concerned servants and stormed her way into her office, shoving all the papers
she was working on to the side and getting a brand new piece of parchment ready.

“What is it!?” Her husband asked frantically as he burst into the room, unsure on what was
going on.

“A-Yuan wants to get married,” she stated simply, directing her husband to her side.
Luckily he recognized the situation’s importance and immediately followed.

“Now then, when did you decide you wanted to propose to Shen Jiu?” Shen Li questioned
her son. This was very important, and very different from her other two sons situations. They
had both been political marriages that both families decided on. A proposal was a talk with
the girls parents and some gifts and promises sent their way.

But her A-Yuan was marrying for love! And Shen Jiu had no family to bribe, so their gifts
would he going directly to the source. The proposal had to be well thought out too! Nothing
overlooked!

“Well, there’s someone at his work that I’m pretty sure has romantic interest in A-Jiu. And
I’m not saying I don’t trust him! But I’d feel a lot better if when he went back to work the
two of us were completely promised to each other. I can’t just let him run away last minute!
We have a kid!” Shen Yuan explained.

“And you’re sure you love Shen Jiu enough to spend the rest of your life with him?” Her
husband asked.

“I do. I know his best and his worst qualities, and I still want to fall asleep next to him every
night. I want to wake up next to him every morning. I want to raise Taio’er with him and
have a family together. I want to be able to overcome any hardship because I have him at my
side. I really, really want to marry him,” Shen Yuan confessed. He would normally have too
thin of a face to say such words, but he was discussing proposing marriage to his boyfriend in
private with his parents. What other time would he be honest but now?

Shen Li nodded in approval at her son’s answer, seeing her husband do the same.

If their shy son was willing to admit all of that, then they have no objections!

“If you propose within the month we can have the wedding ready in three months, give or
take. Robes, venue, food, guests, and all the such. But you need to do the proposal part on
your own. Buy a ring for the two of you and then prepare plenty of gifts for when he says
yes! He’s marrying you, so he needs something to soften the blow,” she joked, watching as
her son’s face flushed in annoyance.

“Mom!” The boy complained.

“I don’t think you have time to whine. Get to planning! This has to be romantic!” Shen Li
huffed, shooing her son out of her office.

“Tell us when you propose! We want to watch!” Her husband called right before she shut the
door.

“Ahh, young love,” Shen Li gushed, walking up to Shen Haoyu.

“It’s too bad they’ll never be on our level, will they dear?” He replied with a smile,
intertwining their hands.

“Hm, what a pity for them,” she sighed contently.

Her babies had really all grown up.

Shen Yuan had ordered the rings. Just two simple gold rings that would tie the two of them
together.

In actual ancient China, rings signifying marriages weren’t a thing. But in Airplanes shitty
world, rings were given to first wives or favored concubines. In Luo Binghe’s harem, only
the main wives like Ning Yingying or Sha Hualing were granted rings, unlike only named
one time characters.

Rings were more of a status thing, to be exact.

So of course he would have one with A-Jiu!

But rings aside, there were more pressing issues at the moment.

Gifts. What would A-Jiu like?

Shen Yuan had been giving him courting gifts for a while now, and he had discovered A-Jiu
didn’t really like jewels, which is normally customary. But he couldn’t get him simple things
like a puzzle or a book either! It had to be perfect, something practical but also something
that made Shen Yuan feel like he was spoiling Shen Jiu effectively.

He had a few ideas floating around, but he needed to be extra sure.

So Shen Yuan decided to visit the people who knew A-Jiu best.

He visited Warm Red Pavilion.

So now here he is, in a private room upstairs surrounded by girls who eagerly had lined up to
help him.

“So what brings you here A-Yuan?” Lihua asked him sweetly.

“I was hoping you guys could help me with some gift ideas for A-Jiu,” Shen Yuan explained,
awkwardly, not used to being surrounded by women.

“What sort of gift? I’m sure A-Jiu would like whatever you give him!” One girl chimed in.

“Don’t lie to him, you know how picky A-Jiu is,” another girl laughed.

“Well I’m planning on proposing, so it can’t be any old gift….” He mumbled.

The room went dead silent.

“You are!? Start with that!” Lihua exclaimed with a gasp, everyone flying into a panic.

“That means we need to get congratulation gifts too!” A girl yelled. Shen Yuan couldn’t tell
who, since everyone was currently rushing around the room.
Well, everybody except Lihua. She was still in her seat. She was obviously contemplating
what she would be buying Shen Jiu as a present too, but she did so in silence unlike everyone
else. Perfectly dignified just like Shen Jiu probably taught her. Or maybe it was the other way
around.

“I know you’re looking for something unique for this, but I think it would be best to just give
him something you know he likes. Some nice robes and a fan. Maybe throw in a guan or
hairpin to match the robes. And they have to be green, since that’s his color. Size and things
like that don’t matter to him as much as aesthetic. Oh! And….” As Lihua rambled on about
all the things Shen Yuan would probably like he took mental notes and thought of all the
places that he could purchase such items.

“You should get him his favorite tea too!” Another girl—A-Zhao, he recognized—added
suddenly, plopping back down in her seat.

“And sweets to go with it! You know A-Jiu has a huge sweet tooth!” A-Shu continued,
sliding in behind A-Zhao.

“What’s his favorite tea?” Shen Yuan inquired, now putting together how he could do this
proposal.

“I’m not sure what it’s called, but lavender based from the north. It’s really expensive and
hard to make, but Yue Qingyuan bought some for a peak lord meeting once and A-Jiu fell in
love with it. That’s the only other time he’s had it and he said he can’t find where the man
bought it from. We tried to look into it once and it was like the tea didn’t exist. But if you get
it for him he’ll say yes instantly!” Lihua chuckled with a supportive pat on Shen Yuans
shoulder.

Bribery is a good start, they have a point.

“I think I know someone who can get their hands on that tea,” Shen Yuan hummed, finalizing
everything.

“We believe in you! You guys better come see us after the wedding so we can give our gifts!”
A-Zhao told him.

“I will,” he promised, getting up to leave. He had lots to plan!

Most of what the girls told him to get Shen Jiu was simple enough to be attained/put on order
within a few days. The only thing that he truly had to go through some trouble to procure was
that damn tea.

He was starting to think it might not exist just like the girls had said. But he also knew that if
it was easily accessible the tea obsessed Qing Jing Peak Lord would have it on hand at all
times. Even his older brother and parents couldn’t find the tea when he asked them!
So since desperate times call for desperate measures, he was currently using all of his
recourses.

“What did you want to meet with me about again?” Lin Qiang asked.

Was he about to bribe the future emperor to get him some tea? Yes, yes he was. And he didn’t
have enough shame to care.

“I’m looking for a tea. I hear it’s lavender based and very sweet from the south. No matter
where I look I can’t seem to find it,” Shen Yuan sighed, explaining his situation.

“Ah, I know what tea you’re speaking of. It’s very rare and hard to make, only available to
the most upstanding noble families or cultivation sects. Extremely hard to procure, even for
me. Only my parents have access to how much tea we get,” Lin Qiang explained.

“I have a deal for you,” Shen Yuan began, watching Lin Qiang’s face start to grow interested
in the conversation. “If you can get me some of that tea, I’ll help you when you propose to
Shen Bai. Since I’m the only one who knows about and has seen her list of her dream
engagement and marriage, constantly updated from when she was twelve to now.”

“Go on.”

“I’ll tell you everything on that list that she wants and expects, and make it seem like they
were all things you just assumed she wanted.”

“How much tea do you want?”

“However much you can get without it being a problem,” Shen Yuan hummed.

“I can get you enough to hold an entire banquet and still have some left over,” Lin Qiang
swore.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Shen Yuan smirked.

“Of course,” Lin Qiang smiled back.

Shen Jiu has been suspicious these last three weeks.

It’s not anything serious, but it’s been just enough to raise Shen Jiu’s senses. He wish he
could spy whenever Shen Yuan went out—which has been a lot lately—but with Taio’er to
look after, he was stuck at home.

What was even weirder was that when Shen Jiu spent the night with his Jiejie’s and
complained about the situation, they said it was probably nothing and brushed it off. They
always side with Shen Jiu and his worries. But not this time. It seemed they were in on
whatever was happening.
That at least made him feel better about the possibility of Shen Yuan being unfilial, however
small that concern was.

But then what else could it be? Maybe some absurd gift Shen Yuan decided he needed?
That’s happened before, but this has been a much more extreme version of that.

Whatever, he’ll think about this later. Today he’s going to the bookstore with Shen Yuan to
discuss their latest read. Shen Yuans siblings were coming over to watch Shen Taio while
they were out, and he would get to play with his cousins. Today Shen Jiu would get to relax
and enjoy himself.

The two men walked into the bookstore and Shen Jiu immediately noticed how empty it was.
He checked the sign to make sure it wasn’t closed, but he saw the sign say open and workers
walking about, fixing up displays and restocking shelves.

‘Weird. Is there something going on today that I didn’t know about? Is that why no one is
here?’ Shen Jiu wondered as the two walked to the cafe, which was also empty aside from the
workers.

“Huh, no one’s here,” Shen Yuan noted, speaking Shen Jiu’s thoughts. At least he thought it
was strange too.

They sat down at their usual table and took out today’s book up for discussion; a cute
romance called ‘Not Sew Wicked Stepmother.’

It was another transmigration story that brought up the main characters original body
throughout the story, so some nights Shen Yuan attached himself to Shen Jiu’s side, but other
than that it was fine. The main character becomes the original female leads wicked
stepmother who’s destined to die, so she tries to mend her past with the daughter. Things go
well, the main character loves her adorable step daughter and uses her skills as a stylist from
her previous life to make cute dresses for her.

Then there was the actual romance aspect, which was a bit more complicated and the actual
main plot.

“They both had problems that carried over from their past to their current relationship, but
they were both slow and did what they could to ease into things. I thought the two of them
were super cute!” Shen Yuan decided firmly.

“Yes, I think the way they handled his trauma was very healing and reasonable. He trusted
her to not hurt him like his previous wife did, and she made sure to not overwhelm him in her
touches. Of course that caused for miscommunication later down the line when he actually
fell in love with her, but it was set up accurately,” Shen Jiu said in an appreciative tone. They
had finally found another book that handled rape and sexual assault correctly, and even rarer
was that it was a straight relationship where the man was the victim. That usually goes
downhill in book portrayals, but he gave credits to this author for how she wrote things.

“This book was definitely a breath of fresh air,” Shen Yuan nodded in agreement. “Good plot,
interesting characters and meaningful backstories that explain their actions, and lots of
redemption arcs! The main character was such a good person she turned those around her
good too!”

“I did find that interesting how she seemed to have that effect. It was sweet to read about,”
Shen Jiu said.

“Are you two ready to order?” The waitress asked as she walked over to the two of them.

“Hm? Oh yeah!” Shen Yuan replied, glancing back down at the parchment that held the
cafe’s menu. “Can we just get the special for today?”

“We?” Shen Jiu questioned with a frown.

“You’ll like it, I promise!” Shen Yuan swore, handing the menu back to the woman who was
all smiles.

Like she knew something.

Was Shen Jiu the only one not in on something? First his Jiejie’s and now this? It can’t be a
coincidence.

“Shen Yuan, whatever you’re hiding just spit it out now,” Shen Jiu demanded.

Shen Yuans eyes widened in surprise at being caught, before his grin turned sheepish.

“Alright, you caught me. I have a gift for you,” Shen Yuan admitted.

So he was right, it was another one of these situations.

Shen Jiu sighed and held out his hand expectantly.

Shen Yuan reached for the qiankun pouch Shen Jiu had gifted him a few months ago and
reached inside, taking out a wooden box. He handed it over to Shen Jiu who opened it
immediately.

“A fan?” He wondered aloud as he looked at the gift, taking it out from the box and flicking
it open to inspect. It was beautiful green with a white outline of a cat on one side, which
could either be what faced the holder of the fan or who they’re talking to, the decision of the
user. It was obviously a good quality and the initials carved into the wood proved this had
been made by Shen Jiu’s favorite artisan.

Hm, not bad.

By the time Shen Jiu had managed to become pleased with this new addition to his ever
growing fan collection, the tea came out, smelling soothingly of lavender.

So far, Shen Yuan was one for one, so Shen Jiu will decide if he’s two for two.

He set down the fan and grabbed his tea cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a small careful
sip.
He almost dropped his cup in surprise after that first sip.

It-it was that tea. The one that Yue Qingyuan had brought to a peak lord meeting once and
could never be found by anyone ever again.

Where had the bookstore gotten this?

Or…no, where had Shen Yuan gotten this?

Shen Jiu glared at the man who was pretending to stare intently at the book sitting in front of
him.

“Shen Yuan…”

“Oh look there’s desserts!” Shen Yuan exclaimed not very subtly, redirecting Shen Jiu’s
focus.

Shen Jiu stared at the waitress carrying all of his favorite sweets.

“Am I forgetting some type of anniversary?” He asked, now a bit worried he had forgotten
about something rather than been left out.

“No, I just wanted to do this,” Shen Yuan explained, grabbing a random dessert and eating it
without seeing what it was to have an excuse not to talk.

Shen Jiu looked at him suspiciously. “If that’s true then I know there’s more. What else do
you have?”

Shen Yuan made a grab for the tea, once again distracting his mouth.

“This isn’t the pacing I planned,” Shen Yuan complained.

“You clearly haven’t met me if you thought I would let this go perfectly according to your
plan,” Shen Jiu scoffed.

Shen Yuan laughed fondly when he said that, so Shen Jiu rolled his eyes and stuffed his face
to ignore the fondness growing on his own face.

“I have a few more things…” he confessed, grabbing the qiankun pouch again. This box was
a bit smaller, more square shaped than the last.

Shen Jiu opened the box to find a silver guan, again of very nice quality made by a famous
artisan.

There’s definitely something going on.

But just what is something Shen Jiu will worry about after he opens the gifts. No need to be
ungrateful.
Once he out the guan to the side Shen Yuan grabbed yet another gift, this one wrapped with
paper and much bigger in size than the other two. Clearly the gifts were following an order.

Shen Jiu now unwrapped the most gorgeous set of emerald green robes with gentle flowery
designs stitched onto the sleeves. It was different from his peak lord robes, more luxurious
than that, and obviously not made for everyday life or the idea of battle. They were robes
befitting of Shen Yuans status, but after seeing his plain everyday robes for so long, Shen Jiu
had forgotten just how influential his family actually is.

Well, the tea should’ve been the first giveaway to that. Even the Sect Leader of Cang Qiong
could barely get ahold of it.

Shen Jiu was starting to get nervous. Shen Yuan had brought out another smaller box, but if it
was supposed to up this, what could it be?

Shit he really needed something to pay back Shen Yuan.

“This is the last gift, I promise,” Shen Yuan said, sliding the box his way.

Shen Jiu took a few more sips of the tea, a flavor that some would consider sickeningly
sweet, but perfect for his tastes, then calmed himself before opening the box.

Inside it laid two gold rings. Simple things. One obviously for him. The other probably for
Shen Yuan.

Which meant…

“A-Jiu, we’ve been dating for almost a year and known each other and grown together for the
past three years, we have a kid together, and in the time you’ve been living with me, I
realized their was no one else I wish to spend my life with rather than you. Would you do me
the honor of marrying me?” Shen Yuan asked delicately, reaching across the table for one of
Shen Jiu’s hands to hold.

Oh. So that’s why he’d been sneaking around lately. He must’ve already told all the girls at
the brothel of his plan. And he probably made sure no one would be in the bookstore besides
them today, didn’t he?

All for him. To propose. Because Shen Yuan wanted to marry him.

He wanted to marry him. Shen Jiu. Shen Qingqiu. The infamous peak lord feared and
despised by everyone.

He knew all of this and still wanted to marry him.

Yes, Shen Jiu wanted to marry Shen Yuan, but seeing it the other way around was a bit
unbelievable.

“I-of course I will!” Shen Jiu exclaimed, his face heating up. He made a grab for the fan Shen
Yuan had just gifted him—an engagement gift—to cover his face. The cat side was facing
Shen Yuan.
 Shen Yuan sagged in relief then chuckled at Shen Jiu’s still shocked and embarrassed form,
sliding the rings on both of their fingers.

The workers around them all cheered in celebration at watching their regulars finally seal the
deal.

“Oh god everyone knew about this didn’t they,” Shen Jiu realized numbly.

He had thought it was weird all of Shen Yuans family had wanted to babysit today, but he
chalked it up to them being, well, them.

They were probably waiting there to congratulate them.

The thought that they all supported this made Shen Jiu feel and warm inside, which was
weird. Shen Jiu didn’t like that feeling. But he couldn’t hate it enough to push it away.
Instead he let the warmth envelop him as Shen Yuan finally pulled away after adorning the
two of them in matching rings.

Shen Jiu had been presented with rings once before, and it made him qi deviate and kill an
entire household. This was a vastly different feeling.

He supposes it’s not all that bad of a feeling after all.

Chapter End Notes

Guys this is such a random note but I need someone to write this specific interaction or
give recs if it’s already been done cuz I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately:
If SJ and SY ever actually met I feel like SJ would actually like SY because he’s the
only one who knows about his past and doesn’t pity him for it. Cuz like with YQY he
knows so he does nothing whenever SJ did terrible things in canon cuz he was guilty
and felt SJ didn’t know any better so he just let him get away with everything. But with
SY he literally says that SJ’s actions aren’t excused because of his past. He thinks it
sucks it happens but that SJ continuing the cycle was his choice. And since SJ hates pity
I feel like he would appreciate that view. Like he would still obvious hate SY for a
multitude of other reasons and be like ‘you don’t get it cuz you didn’t live it’ but unlike
how he shuts of YQY completely, I don’t think he would do that to SY (someone debate
this in the comments with me pls I could go on for days)
 Chapter 36
Chapter Summary

Two things:

1: this chapter is a fade to black. I’m a teen and not comfortable with writing smut so if
you wanted that from this fic, read smut and then come back and pretend

2: sorry about the shorter chapter! I really only had one thing I wanted to get through
with it and I wanted it get it out by the end of the weekend, so I cut it a bit short. But I
hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

‘Since when was planning a wedding so stressful?’ Shen Jiu thought in despair.

Shen Jiu had been run ragged alongside Shen Yuan with all the planning for their wedding in
a few days, and Shen Jiu hadn’t even had the time to worry about this.

He had apparently been designated as the ‘bride’ since he got proposed to, so decorations and
gift ideas all fell on his shoulders for what he wanted. He had to tell them how many people
he wanted to come, and if he had any family he wanted to bow to.

He didn’t want a big wedding, just Shen Yuans immediate family, aka everyone he’d already
met plus any aunts or uncles or cousins he hadn’t. But he didn’t want them to invite every
distant relative they had. He sure as hell wasn’t going to bow to anyone, and he was going to
invite a few of the brothel girls. He’ll pay Madam Zhang in advance to let a few of them off.

So far, planning wise, everything was going great on his end.

But other than planning, he was slowly turning into a wreck.

He knows Shen Yuan won’t take advantage of him on their wedding night. He’ll stay true to
everything he’s said over the years. And Shen Jiu had already decided that this first night
needed to start with Shen Yuan on top. He needs to be able to trust him.

But he was still scared. He hadn’t done this since he was with the Qiu’s. He wasn’t good at
trusting people, especially men. He was worried this was all going to blow up in his face after
everything he’s done to build it.

He really, really, wants Shen Yuan to be everything he says he is, but he can’t fully take his
word until that night. And because of that, he was scared, no matter how much he tried to
hide the fact.

But it seems Shen Yuan’s caught onto that fact.

He had been sat down in their room, Shen Yuan sitting next to him with a worried expression.

“A-Jiu, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird lately,” Shen Yuan asked, clasping their
hands together with a squeeze.

“I’m worried about our wedding night,” Shen Jiu admitted, not seeing any reason to hide it.
Shen Yuan already knew about the Qiu’s and his past. He’ll understand why he’s hesitant.

“Look A-Jiu, the plain truth is that my life is completely in your hands after this. I’m not a
cultivator or a demon, I’m a normal human who’s been ailed by constant sickness. If you
really wanted to kill me you could do it with a flick of your hand. You have the power here,”
Shen Yuan explained, attempting to sooth all of Shen Jiu’s worries. Worries that have
followed him through his entire life after the Qiu manor. The need to be in control of his life
and body being fulfilled bit by bit.

“And why exactly would you trust me like this? You’re perfectly aware of all I could do,”
Shen Jiu asked, not understanding how a person could be comfortable with such lack of will.

“Because I trust you. I trust that you wouldn’t do that to me unless I really deserved it. And
you’re only here because you trust me enough to think I won’t ever be in that position.
Marriage is all about trust,” he answered easily.

Oh.

He supposes he does trust Shen Yuan. He’s shushed the little voices in the back of his head
that always tell him not to for so long they’ve faded.

He truly trusts this man.

It was an enlightening realization, that he already had believed in Shen Yuan so much. Before
they had met, and even at first, he didn’t trust that someone like Shen Yuan could actually
exist. It still marvels him sometimes.

But they’re going to go through this, and everything will be fine. Shen Jiu believes that.

“Alright then. I suppose I won’t run away last minute this weekend,” Shen Jiu smirked,
earning himself a light smack on the hand.

“I’ll hunt you down if you try,” Shen Yuan vowed.

“Like you’ll be able to find me,” Shen Jiu scoffed.

“No, but A-Taio will. He always knows exactly where you are, even when you hide. He’ll
have you tracked instantly,” Shen Yuan stated with confidence.
Shen Jiu rolled his eyes, not denying that their little brat always crawls straight to whatever
room he hides himself in when he needs a break. Then he cries ‘A-Niang’ until Shen Jiu’s
will wilts and he comes out.

Shen Jiu smiles fondly at the memory, knowing that now there’s two people in his life that
want him around.

“Just imagine how much of a nightmare he’ll be when he can finally walk. The more you
walk away the more his determination grows. All he ever wants to do is stand, claiming it’s
for his ‘A-Niang.’ I’m so jealous,” Shen Yuan laughed, cuddling up to Shen Jiu with no
jealously in his voice.

“Mhm, sure you are.”

Shen Jiu is excited to get married.

If Shen Jiu thought planning his wedding was stressful, getting ready the morning of was like
a nightmare. He was just a bundle of nerves covered in red.

He had been awoken along with Shen Yuan by his future mother and father in law breaking
into their house. Shen Yuans mother dragged Shen Jiu away while his father stayed behind,
claiming they were there to help the two get ready.

And true to their words, Shen Jiu was led into a carriage that drove him back to the main
Shen Manor. Servants crowded around and helped Shen Jiu dress in the million layers of silk
his in laws had prepared for the special day. Shen Jiu was once again reminded of the Shen
Family’s status simply by the weight of his wedding robes. Looking in the mirror was another
story entirely. Shen Jiu had never seen such beautiful pieces of silk in his entire life.

Shen Jiu was too shocked to speak when he first saw his attire for the day, and then he
couldn’t speak when the servants started applying his makeup.

Shen Jiu never would’ve guessed he would have a traditional wedding before meeting Shen
Yuan. As a street rat, he never even thought he’d get married. Then at the Qiu’s he knew he
was going to get a simple swept under the rug marriage that would probably only consist of a
short ceremony and a wedding night. Then as a peak lord, the idea of marriage once again left
his mind.

But now, here he was, getting dolled up to go meet his husband.

‘Husband.’ The word sounded in his head. It sounded nice, if a bit surprising. Or, maybe the
fact that he was referring to the word so fondly was the real shock.

In a few hours, he’d have a new family. It wouldn’t just be Shen Yuan and Shen Taio at his
side, he’d have family dinners to attend every month, cousins to leave his kid with, people he
could turn to.

Shen Jiu felt incredibly warm. Maybe it was all the layers.
While some servants worked on Shen Jiu’s face, others took to combing and styling his hair
in a design so intricate Shen Jiu didn’t even know how to explain it. All he can confidently
say about it was that it was left half up-half down by the end. And that there was lots of
uncomfortable pins stuck for both aesthetic and to keep the hair sturdy.

After two hours, he felt properly pampered and ready to just go out there and get this over
with.

Well, not before one more thing.

After giving Shen Jiu a teary-eyed look and telling him he looked amazing, Shen Li ran off to
go be with her son, as was customary.

It would be at this time that his Qi-ge would’ve walked in and gone to bring Shen Jiu out, but
his Qi-ge was gone, leaving Yue Qingyuan behind. Shen Jiu had no business with Yue
Qingyuan besides Sect problems.

So instead of the family he’d started with, he was here with the family that actually stuck
with him.

“Oh A-Jiu…look at you!” Lihua squealed in excitement as she pulled him into a bear hug,
careful not to wrinkle his robes.

“A-Jiu’s the prettiest bride there is,” A-Shu gushed, getting a nod in agreement from Yaling-
Jie. They were the only three who had the money to pay for the day off, so they were who got
to accompany him.

“I’m not sure when but at some point it switched from Shen Yuan being the bride to me,”
Shen Jiu complained half heartedly.

“Well it’s obvious you’re marrying into his family, rather than the other way around, so it just
fits better,” Lihua-jie commented helpfully.

“Plus Shen Yuans cute, but you’re pretty, obviously you’d be the bride!” Yaling-jie stated, not
so helpfully.

Shen Jiu didn’t have his fan on him to cover his rising blush, so instead he just flicked the
veil over his face to hide.

The three girls giggled at this, causing Shen Jiu to join them.

He was happy on his wedding day alright, sue him!

“Come on A-Jiu, you’ve gotta get married!” A-Shu exclaimed, taking Shen Jiu’s hand and
rushing out of the room and into the hallway.

‘I’m getting married….’ Shen Jiu thought, a smile slowly forming on his lips. ‘I can’t wait.’
Overall, the wedding went well.

The two did their bows and drank the wine and socialized the appropriate amount. Then after
two hours of being with the family Shen Jiu was itching to take the heavy wedding robes off,
so he used Shen Taio as an excuse and finally went home with Shen Yuan.

He went home with his husband with their son in his arms.

Shen Jiu had never been happier in his life.

Of course he would never tell Shen Yuan that. But he would make it obvious that he was
content, so that was enough.

It didn’t take too long for the carriage to bring the three of them home, Shen Jiu wanting to
collapse in relief when he stepped inside.

“Let’s put him to bed first,” Shen Yuan whispered with a kiss to Shen Jiu’s cheek, taking
Shen Taio from his hands and walking over to the baby’s room.

Shen Jiu followed behind, splitting up with the two and walking into his and Shen Yuans
shared bedroom.

It was time for his wedding night.

The nerves were back again, but thankfully not as bad as the other day, when Shen Jiu almost
considered running out. It was just that now things were very real.

Shen Yuan walked back into the room, the vibrant red of his robes catching Shen Jiu’s eyes.
The man walked over to his now husband who was sitting on the bed waiting, going in for
another kiss, this time on the lips.

“Are you ready?” Shen Yuan asked, knowing that tonight had been what Shen Jiu was most
scared about.

Shen Jiu nodded, trying to reel in some confidence.

“Well, I don’t know if you can tell or not, but I’m a virgin,” Shen Yuan joked with a smile,
“so I’m gonna need you to tell me what to do. If you like something or not. We’ll go slow to
get the hang of it. And if things don’t end up working tonight, we’ve got a million more
together.”

Try. Shen Yuan just wanted him to try.

He can do that.

Shen Jiu woke up the next morning exhausted.

 It took a few moments for yesterday’s memories to come back to him, but once they did, he
burned bright with embarrassment and a bit of shame.

In the end, he wasn’t able to go all the way with Shen Yuan.

They both got off and did some other things, but traditional style sex was just a bit too much
to start off with.

Shen Yuan had no problem with this, once again reiterating that they would be together every
night to try again from now on, and that they’d get there eventually.

Shen Jiu was ashamed, but not unhappy, which was a new combination for him.

Well, with marriage, there will be lots of new things, that’s for sure.

Chapter End Notes

YGY the entire time that day: I have a feeling something just happened, but I don’t
know what….
 Chapter 37
Chapter Summary

Baby steps

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu had been married for three weeks now.

Things have been going well. Shen Yuan claims this is just how marriage is, but Shen Jiu is
more of a realist and thinks this is just what people call the honeymoon phase.

Shen Jiu hopes it never ends.

Currently, Shen Yuan was playing with Taio’er, encouraging the one and a half year old to
take a step or two from the spot he was standing at.

The three of them had been playing this game since before the wedding, so Shen Jiu had
given up. The kid will walk when he wants to, clearly.

So now Shen Jiu sits doing his puzzle listening to Shen Yuans voice leading Shen Taio
distantly. What he was doing probably couldn’t actually be called listening, since he only
took in a word or two they said, but he knew that they were speaking.

And then the sound stopped.

It was one of those situations where it takes a second to realize the sound you had going on in
the back of your mind went quiet, so Shen Jiu almost turned too late.

“A-Jiu…” Shen Yuan whispered, like if he talked too loud he’d ruin it.

Shen Taio was walking. It was slow and wobbly, but he was doing it.

The two parents both stared in awe as A-Taio made his way towards Shen Jiu at the low
table.

And then, when he was halfway there….

He fell on his butt.

Shen Yuan winced as he waited for the cries to start, but surprisingly, nothing happened.

Shen Taio just stood back up and kept wobbling over.

Shen Jiu was so proud!

Of course, his face stayed mostly neutral, as it usually did, but it was definitely softer and
even held the hint of a smile!

“A-Niang!” Taio’er cried in victory as he plopped down next to Shen Jiu.

“You did it,” Shen Jiu praised, tugging the baby into his lap.

“Baba!” Taio’er called out. “Did it!”

“You did!” Shen Yuan exclaimed, clapping his hands and sliding in next to the two of them.

Shen Taio giggled and started clapping his hands too, looking awfully adorable.

Shen Jiu pinched his cheeks. He had to! It was too compelling.

A-Taio gave him a whine for the action, but it was quickly dissolved by another fit of giggles
as his baba congratulated him. The little brat was quickly growing into a compliment fisher.

Well, with a father like Shen Yuan, it’s no wonder. That man will drown the brat in praise for
just the slightest things.

“I think Taio’er deserves a treat for this, don’t you?” Shen Yuan asked playfully, questioning
both the baby and his husband.

Shen Jiu smiled and nodded while Shen Taio squealed at the prospect of a gift.

“I’ll go to the market and get him a new stuffed animal,” Shen Yuan decided.

“Yes!” Shen Taio cheered, bouncing around so much he fell to the floor with a ‘humph!’

Shen Taio loves stuffed animals; thankfully not the scary ones Shen Bai loves, but the cute
ones meant for babies. Shen Yuan and his sister had been giving A-Taio all of their old stuff
when they realized the boys love for them.

If Shen Yuan were to guess, he thinks the love stemmed from the fact he spent his first year
of life locked away and not allowed outside, so now anytime they take him out or bring him
back something that symbolizes the outside world, the boy gets so excited.

But most of what he had was hand me downs, so Shen Yuan was gonna get him something
nice and new!

Hm, maybe he’ll get him a panda! He really likes the one Shen Bai gave him a few months
ago.

Alright it’s settled! A new panda for A-Taio!

“Don’t get scammed,” Shen Jiu warned.

“I won’t.” He will.
Shen Jiu stares at him skeptically, knowing that Shen Yuan hadn’t been allowed to shop on
his own for his entire life due to his gullibility.

“Mhm. Don’t come crying to me when the inevitable happens.”

Shen Yuan was determined to not get stolen from today!

While it may happen…every time, he believes in himself! Shen Yuan will prove everyone
wrong!

Besides, all he’s gonna do is buy a stuffed animal. He’s bought dozens of those. He’s got the
average price of one pretty much down. Maybe he’ll be a bit over charged, but it’s just like
tax in the modern world!

The only real problem is that if he does get ridiculously overcharged, he isn’t too keen on the
idea of actually arguing with the shop owner.

He’ll deal with that if the problem arises, no need to fret for now!

(Shen Yuan will never admit to it, but he knows he has a very scam-able attitude. He’s not
proud, but he’s self aware.)

Shen Yuan decided to stop off at Yang Xiu’s shop before getting the panda plush since he
currently had a set of baby clothes on order for Shen Taio that he wished to see the progress
on. (He may or may not also try to buy a new outfit while he’s here.)

“He took his first steps! That’s wonderful,” Yang Xiu congratulated as she pulled out her
currently unfinished work. There were dozens of pins stuck everywhere to showcase where
future stitches would go, and Shen Yuan was pleased.

Shen Yuan easily let himself be talked into a celebratory outfit for his sons first steps—he put
up zero fight and and even encouraged it, but be exact—so he picked out some yellows he
liked and pulled out his coin purse to pay.

And look, Shen Yuan may have grown up as a coddled rich kid, but he also grew up as a rich
kid, so when he saw the blur running at him the moment his money became visible, he easily
dodged.

Yang Xiu gave an annoyed click of her tongue as she watched whoever just tried to rob Shen
Yuan get grabbed by him in retaliation.

Who he came face to face with was a shocked and scared little girl.

‘Aw, this poor girl!’ Shen Yuan thought with pity. His biggest weakness, street kids!

Shen Yuan thinks he has the right to say this, since his husband was a former street kid, and
his favorite character and protagonist is still one at this point in the story.
“Ah, you need some money, don’t you? Here, this gege has some coins to spare. Don’t go
sharing this with everyone, okay? Only those who you want to. You must be more careful
with you who try and steal from! Don’t always just judge based on appearance. I know I
don’t look like I can catch you, but the richer someone looks the more guarded they probably
are. Is someone else helping you? It’s too dangerous to try this alone,” Shen Yuan lectured to
the dazed child who was too shocked to even run away. She accepted the money he handed
her like she hadn’t even registered what happened.

“I…I have help,” she muttered, her face going red with embarrassment and a bit of shame.

“That’s good. But they didn’t do a very good job today. You both need to think these things
through a bit more. Here, I’ll give you a little extra for him.”

“Shen Yuan, don’t reward her for this kind of behavior,” Yang Xiu scolded, attempting to
intervene.

“She doesn’t have a choice!” He defended, handing her another coin.

“My brother is very good at his job! He even told me not to try and steal from you, but I
didn’t listen!” The girl defended suddenly, Shen Yuan’s words finally clicking in her brain.

“Then you need to listen to him more! Tell him to come here so I can give him some advice,”
He huffed.

“Shiwu-di doesn’t like to come out…” she explained hesitantly, looking off in the direction
the boy was likely hiding for clarification.

“Alright, then you just need to start listening to him more often. Can this one trust that you’ll
do that?” Shen Yuan asked expectantly.

“Gege can count on this Shisi!” The girl declared.

“Then you be careful,” he warned before turning back to Yang Xiu.

“This is why people take advantage of you,” the old woman stated coldly.

“You don’t have to be so harsh about it,” he frowned.

“Someone has to be harsh if you won’t.”

“Okay, okay, here’s your money. Don’t tell A-Jiu I was here,” Shen Yuan told her simply,
sliding the payment for the new robes her way.

She rolled her eyes but readily accepted his money.

This wasn’t that bad! He hasn’t been scammed yet, but he’s definitely spent a lot more money
than he originally intended…

Shen Jiu didn’t need to know.

Anyways, the original task, aka the panda stuffed animal!

He had a favorite stall from his childhood that he decided to go to, since they had high
quality plushies that would last through the baby and toddler phase.

If they could last his sister, they could last anything.

The stuffed animals should all be 25 yuans. In theory.

“Young Master Shen!” The stall owner greeted when Shen Yuan walked up. “A gift for the
little one?”

Shen Yuan nodded and smiled, staring the all the stuffed animals on display and looking for
the pandas.

Finally, his eyes came across a group colored in black and white furs, calling out to him.
They were all the standard size for stuffed animals, looking perfect for an almost toddler to
shove into his mouth and throw around and cuddle at night.

Shen Yuan grabbed for a panda and held it out to the stall owner. “This master would like this
one, please.”

“Of course! That will be thirty yuans,” he was told.

Well, he’s had worse upcharges before. Five yuans won’t kill him.

Shen Yuan grabbed for his coin purse and was about to pay the man when a voice spoke up
beside him.

“Thirty yuans!? That’s such a scam! This is worth ten at best! Maybe fifteen!”

Shen Yuan down to see the little girl from earlier, Shisi, complaining to the stall owner at his
scam. A little boy, presumably her brother going off of looks alone, was nodding along.

“Ten!?” The stall owner exclaimed, offended and upset.

“It’s just a stupid doll! Nothing special about it. Most kids would throw this out within a
year!” Shishi shot back.

The stall owner turned to look at Shen Yuan for help, not knowing how to fight street rats.

“You two are over exaggerating. This is worth twenty yuans, just like he said,” Shen Yuan
scolded gently.

Shisi turned to him to argue, but her brother, Shiwu, tugged her back. It seemed he
understood what happened.

Hm, smart kid.

“Here you go, this one is sorry about these two,” Shen Yuan said as he handed the twenty
yuans over to the stall owner who huffed.

“Honestly, these street kids, dirty little bastards,” the stall owner cursed, not at all to himself.
In fact, he made direct eye contact with Shisi as he spoke.

Appalled by the man’s horrible attitude being displayed so openly, Shen Yuan nudged the two
children who helped him away to start walking.

He didn’t get out of earshot before the stall owner realized what had happened and tried
yelling at him that he still owed ten more yuan.

“Thanks you two, now I’ve gotten a discount,” Shen Yuan chuckled as he walked with the
kids.

“How could gege fall to such an easy trick after catching me!? That’s an insult to my name!”
Shisi complained.

“Well he used a technique this master is weak to. You two tried to outright steal money from
my hands. That’s very different from what that man tried to do, isn’t it?” Shen Yuan
explained.

Shisi and Shiwu exchanged glances while Shiwu began to look lost in thought. Then after a
moment he looked up, having found the answer to whatever he was contemplating.

“So gege is weak to confrontation?” Shiwu guessed.

Spot on! Damn.

Shen Yuan smiled awkwardly, giving the boy all the answer he needed.

“Then could gege buy this Shiwu and his sister some lunch?” Shiwu asked slyly.

“Sure, why not?” Shen Yuan answered.

Shisi’s eyes lit up when she realized what her brother meant and lined up her arsenal.

“So gege’s a father? Is gege married too? How many kids does gege have? How old are
they?” She asked in quick succession, taking a gulping breath when she was done.

“This gege is a father to a boy who’s going to be two in about four months. I only have one
child and am married to my husband,” Shen Yuan told them as he scanned the market for a
stall selling food.

“How does gege have a child is his husband’s another man?” Shisi asked, confused. Shiwu
also looked lost, but he elbowed his sister for being so careless in her words.

“A-Taio is adopted,” Shen Yuan explained.

The two children shared a look of enlightenment, nodding in understanding.

They were so cute!

Finally Shen Yuan decided on a stall selling meat buns that he knew wouldn’t hurt his weak
stomach. Hopefully it wouldn’t hurt the children’s stomachs either, since they didn’t eat much
by the look of things.

“Three buns,” Shen Yuan ordered as he walked up to the stalls owner.

“Thanking gege!” Shisi exclaimed happily when they stood off the side and waited for their
food.

Hopefully these kids didn’t go back to their little group and tell them all that he was weak to
begging. It would not bode well for Shen Yuan’s wallet.

Or, the other likely scenario: Shen Jiu would never let him out of the house again.

Things were peaceful for a few moments before the silence was broken by a frantic little girls
practically crashing into Shishi.

“Shisi-mei! Shiwu-di! They’re looking for you two! They know you’re gone! If you come
back now we can pretend you were just in the back alleys but we have to go-“ the frantic
child stopped her rambling as she looked up and noticed Shen Yuan for the first time. She
looked a bit terrified.

“Add another meat bun to my order,” Shen Yuan called out.

Yeah, his wallet isn’t surviving.

“I’ll take a beating if I can get some real good first,” Shisi sniffed coldly.

“But-“ the girl tried to reason, but was cut off.

“Shisan, it’s okay. Shisi’s right, we haven’t eaten real food in two weeks. We’ve barely even
gotten scraps lately!” Shiwu argued.

Shisan looked torn between safety and hunger, but her stomach seemed to answer her own
question with a loud growl.

The girl burned bright red as she tucked herself behind Shisi out of embarrassment while
Shen Yuan laughed lightheartedly.

“Shisan, this is gege! Gege, what’s your name?” Shisi asked, removing Shisan from her side
to introduce her to Shen Yuan.

“This gege’s name is Shen Yuan.”

“Shen as in…” Shiwu mumbled, his eyes slowly widening. “As in the house on the hill!?”

‘He must be referring to my parents house,’ Shen Yuan assumed.

“Yes, like the house on the hill,” he smiled.

Shisi’s jaw dropped in shock while the other two stared at Shen Yuan like he was an alien.

In reality, he was just rich, but to these poor kids, there wasn’t really a difference.

“Rich gege has a son!” Shisi chirped up once her shock wore off. Pretty fast, actually.

“Really? How old is he?” Shisan asked, her interest piqued.

“He’ll he two in four months,” Shen Yuan answered.

Shisan’s eyes glowed.

“She likes babies,” Shiwu chimed in helpfully.

“Really? I might have to call you in for babysitting someday,” Shen Yuan joked with a laugh.
“They’re cute until they’re your own.”

Shen Yuan was engaging Shisan in a conversation about his son until the meat buns were
ready, so he made a grab for his order and handed them out to the kids.

It was while handing out these meat buns that he noticed the scheming look on Shiwu’s face.

Shen Yuan knows scheming faces very well. His sister’s a master at scheming. His husband is
literally a master at scheming. He knows the face by now.

“What does gege and his husband do for work?” Shiwu asked.

The question seemed innocent enough, so Shen Yuan indulged to see where this was going.

“This gege doesn’t work. My husband is however a cultivator, so he’s gone a lot,” Shen Yuan
said.

“Is gege’s baby a handful since gege’s husband is gone a lot?” Shiwu continued.

Where was this going? “Yes…”

“Perhaps gege would benefit from some babysitters,” Shiwu threw out there, nudging the two
girls at his side.

‘Ah, I get it now. They want me to buy their contracts so they can be live in babysitters.’

“Well, I don’t know if my husband…” Shen Yuan’s voice drifted as he looked down at the
three pairs of puppy dog eyes staring through his soul. Begging him to take them him.

This is why you don’t tell kids what your weaknesses are!
 “Shen Yuan,” Shen Jiu began, not even sure what to say as he stared at his husband who just
walked in with three new kids after being gone for longer than he was supposed to.

“…yes?” Shen Yuan responded, claiming innocence.

“You’re never going out alone, ever again.”

“Yeah I figured.”

Chapter End Notes

You thought the accidental child acquisition tag was done being used? WRONG

Number of streets kids SY has charmed: 6/6 mission complete!

Name meanings:
Shisan: 13
Shishi: 14
Shiwu: 15

Another Easter egg character in this chapter 🤭 the Shen family is now complete
 Chapter 38
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

At first, Shen Jiu was against the three new brats Shen Yuan brought into the house.

“You’re going back to work soon and I’ll be all alone with Taio’er most days! I need the
help,” Shen Yuan had defended.

While Shen Jiu could easily express his distaste for the kids, he couldn’t exactly argue his
husband’s point.

So they had stayed.

It had been a week before Shen Jiu actually accepted them, though.

Shen Yuans family had wanted to meet the new additions to their household, so they took the
three to the monthly dinner. Everyone had loved the kids, and even decided to give them new
names. One’s more meaningful than numbers.

Shisi had been granted the name Shen Qi, Shiwu became Shen Ru, and Shisan had requested
to keep her family name, since she remembered it. She went back to being Mo Lai.

That night, however, it had rained significantly, so of course Shen Yuan ended up with a cold.

There was no way Shen Yuan could be around Shen Taio, since they didn’t want him getting
sick. But Shen Jiu had to take care of Shen Yuan, which left him less time for the almost
toddler.

So the three kids took over, like promised.

“You just had to get sick, didn’t you?” Shen Jiu grumbled as he forced the medicine down his
unwilling husband’s throat.

“You’re saying it like—“ Shen Yuan coughed violently, a mixture of choking and his cold, “I
chose this!”

“You did, didn’t you!? You knew I doubted those brats use, so you did this to prove them,” he
argued.

Shen Yuan was about to argue when he sneezed into his handkerchief, then groaned, then
stared at his husband like he would be fine if someone stabbed him in that very moment. In
that exact order.

“Yes, this was all according to my master plan,” Shen Yuan croaked, his voice hoarse and
nasally.
Shen Jiu rolled his eyes and handed Shen Yuan some warm water sweetened with honey to
help his sore throat.

As he took the cup away from his husband, a soft knock sounded on the door.

“Jiu-gege, where’s the new baby food? Taio’er just ran out of the old one,” Mo Lai asked
politely, barely opening the door enough to see her face.

Shen Jiu sighed. “I’ll show you.”

Shen Yuan pouted at his husband leaving, but Shen Jiu ignored him.

Shen Yuan got much too clingy while sick.

Shen Jiu walked outside the room and made sure the house was still in good shape, but
everything was fine. Shen Qi and playing peep-a-boo with A-Taio while Shen Ru cleaned up
the mess the baby had made with his toys. Other than the area they were in, everything was
clean. No dirty dishes or visible messes. The kids were doing their job.

The three promised to be like servants, watching the baby and cleaning as long as in
exchange for warm clothes, a roof over their heads, and three meals a day. Obviously Shen
Yuan was going to be much more generous than that, but Shen Jiu had agreed to the
compromise. He didn’t do charity work. These brats would earn their meals.

Seeing things run smoothly even with the four children unsupervised, Shen Jiu let his mind
focus solely on his sick husband. He grabbed the medicine Shen Yuan would need to take in
about an hour and told one of the kids to make some soup later tonight.

Shen Ru, Shen Qi, and Mo Lai were pleasantly obedient. Sure they’d cuddle up to Shen
Yuans coddling whenever it was an option, but they also headed Shen Jiu’s orders efficiently
enough.

Kind of like how Shen Yuan getting sick right now was a grounding sort of thing for Shen
Jiu, reminding him that marriage was not in fact all sunshine and rainbows, him giving the
kids jobs reminded them that they were actually in a home working towards a fulfilling
lifestyle. The children may sometimes think this is all too good to be true, but every demand
Shen Jiu gives reminds them that no, this is in fact real. That they have a job that is giving
them the life they dreamed of.

This is all apart of the dream life. For all of them.

“A-Jiu it’s cold,” Shen Yuan whined once Shen Jiu opened the door.

“Stop your complaining, you’re burning up,” Shen Jiu said harshly. Still, after setting down
the supplies he’ll be needing later on the dresser, he slipped into bed to cuddle his husband.

He’s an immortal cultivator, he can’t get sick.

Shen Yuan was mostly pliant in Shen Jiu’s hold, but he started squirming after about ten
minutes.
“What?” Shen Jiu questioned, staring down at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan furrowed his eyebrows in thought for a second, then turned his back to Shen Jiu.

“Are you mute now too?”

“You told me not to complain,” Shen Yuan reminded him.

Shen Jiu groaned in frustration. “Gods, can you be any more childish?”

Shen Yuan flipped back around, arching an eyebrow and silently asking if Shen Jiu wanted
the answer to his question.

“Never mind, forget I asked.” Shen Jiu chooses peace.

“That’s what I thought.”

Luckily for Shen Jiu, the medicine he forced Shen Yuan to take earlier had sleep inducing
elements, so Shen Yuan knocked out shortly after this conversation.

Shen Ru and Shen Qi were pretty average, in Shen Jiu’s opinion, but Mo Lai was heaven
sent.

She could cook and was great with Shen Taio. Sure the other two could clean and entertain
the baby, but Mo Lai possessed the skills this household was lacking.

So to nurture this skill—cooking especially—once a week, Mo Lai would get sent to the
main Shen estate and get trained by the staff.

She seemed to enjoy the classes, and the reports they were receiving were all positive, so they
kept up this new routine.

But Shen Jiu knew it was going to end soon. For him, at least.

Disciple selections were in a month. He was technically already supposed to be back from his
meditation, but he kept putting it off. He needed to be back in two weeks, at the very latest.

It’s just that he never wanted to leave here. To leave this life he had built with Shen Yuan. Yes
it would still be here when he got back every night, but still. It wouldn’t be the same. He
wished he could just leave his life as Shen Qingqiu behind.

But he couldn’t, he knew that.

“How did Jiu-gege become a cultivator?” Shen Qi asked one evening at dinner.

Well this definitely wasn’t a child friendly conversation.

“I was brought to Cang Qiong and deemed fit to be apart of Qing Jing,” He explained,
leaving out lots of details.
“What made you worthy?” Shen Ru piped up, also interested in the conversation.

“My spiritual veins had lots of potential,” Shen Jiu told them.

“What are spiritual veins?” Mo Lai questioned.

“A power force everyone has. Some people are more powerful than others, so those people
can hone their abilities and become cultivators.”

“A-Niang’s powerful!” Shen Taio huffed happily.

“You’re right A-Taio,” Shen Yuan said with a smile, patting the boy on the head.

He also used the baby’s distraction to place some vegetables into Shen Taio’s food, but the
act didn’t go unnoticed, leading to a screaming child.

Shen Yuan sighed in defeat and took out the broccoli, calming A-Taio down.

“How do you know if you have powerful spiritual veins?” Shen Ru further prodded, barely
even waiting for Shen Taio to stop screaming to continue the conversation.

“Another cultivator would check by feeling your wrist,” Shen Jiu explained.

“Could Jiu-gege check us?” Shen Qi begged, starry eyed.

Well, they say children idolize older role models in their life, so it makes sense they’d wanna
see if they could become cultivators.

“Come here.”

Mo Lai was sitting closer to him, so she got there first, eagerly holding out her wrist. Shen
Jiu took it in his arms and let a trickle of Qi go through her body.

Mo Lai shuddered a bit at the feeling but made no complaints, sitting patiently.

“You’re perfectly healthy, but not at the level needed for a cultivator,” Shen Jiu informed her.

She pouted but got over it quickly, moving back to her seat and finishing her food.

Shen Qi was next, practically vibrating in her spot. Shen Jiu took her wrist and did the same
thing he did to Mo Lai.

Except this time, he could actually feel something. Some potential. It wasn’t the barely there
kind either, it was strong.

“You, come here,” Shen Jiu commanded, calling Shen Ru over.

The boy looked at bit concerned at the call while his sister made a grumpy face at not being
told her results.

Shen Ru’s veins felt the same. They were both very powerful.
The twins weren’t exactly necessary to their daily life, as stated earlier. They could easily do
something else with their lives more effectively.

Shen Jiu may have found their real calling.

“Disciple selections are in a month,” Shen Jiu said, still not telling the two their results. “You
two should try your luck.”

The twins jaws dropped.

“Are you sure?” Shen Yuan asked.

“They both have high potential and are at the prime age to start cultivating.” Shen Jiu ignored
the bitter feeling in his chest at those words. “They would likely get brought on as disciples
by one of my martial siblings.”

“Who would take us?” Shen Qi questioned eagerly.

“You two have very different energies. You would go to different peaks. Shen Qi, you’re Bai
Zhan, no doubt about that. Shen Ru, you could probably go to either Qiong Ding or Qian
Cao.”

“What if no one picks us?” Shen Ru worried.

“Well for Bai Zhan, those who want to enter do, is the motto. I don’t like to bother myself in
their matters, but I believe it’s as straight forward as that. As for you, Shen Ru, if none of my
martial siblings wanted you, you could pretty easily find a place on my peak,” Shen Jiu said.

The two children’s eyes glowed at the prospect, glancing over at each other excitedly.

“Are you two gonna leave me…?” Mo Lai cut in, sounding a little heartbroken.

Remembering their companion, the two rushed to reassure her.

“Of course not! If we got in, we’d send you letter every day! And that’s even if we get in!”
Shen Qi exclaimed.

“Jiu-gege’s a peak lord, you could visit whenever!” Shen Ru chimed in.

She looked desperately at Shen Jiu, who simply nodded.

“Everyday?” Mo Lai asked.

“You can slit our throats if we don’t!” Shen Qi swore.

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu exchanged worried glances.

A bit extreme, but hey, it works.

It seems Shen Jiu will get to take a bit of this life back with him. Of course, his martial
siblings will never know their relation if Shen Jiu can help it.
Side story: Shen Bai’s wedding

Two months after Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu got married, the crown prince finally succumbed
to his illness and died, leaving his young brother Lin Qiang as the new crown prince.

Shortly after the death of their first son, the Emperor and Empress arranged a meeting with
Shen Yuans parents to discuss the marriage of their two children.

Things went swimmingly, apparently, since Shen Yuan got a surprise visit from Lin Qiang the
next day to hold up on his end of the deal. He wanted Shen Bai’s updated list of her dream
engagement details.

The talk lasted two hour. Plans, places, and people were organized.

And ten days later, it was all executed, with Shen Bai happily saying yes.

So now, seven months later and nine months after their marriage, Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu
were getting ready for a royal wedding.

All the kids were being watched by a group of servants belonging to the main Shen estate.
Mo Lai is the oldest, so they hoped she’d keep watch of everything.

A servant had come by and done the couples hair and makeup, leaving them to change into
an appropriate outfit for the event.

Shen Jiu only had one set of robes that would fit an occasion as special as royal wedding,
especially one where he’s apart of the brides family. Those robes are the ones Shen Yuan got
him as an engagement gift. He had yet to wear the emerald set, but was looking forward to it.

Shen Yuan was similarly wearing a fancy set of green robes, since they matched his
husband’s attire.

Sometimes, the Shen family’s wealth shocked him. Today was one of those moments.

And to think, they were marrying into even more money. The Gods clearly have favorites.

But he can’t deny that he enjoyed the benefits of marrying Shen Yuan. These were truly
immaculate robes.

And if the way Shen Yuan looked at him when he saw him wearing them was anything to go
off of, his husband thought the same.

“A-Jiu looks amazing,” Shen Yuan smiled.

“When do I not?” Shen Jiu replied, half-sarcastic.

Shen Yuan laughed and guided his husband towards the carriage waiting for them, but tried to
sneakily steal a few glances along the way.
 “Are you feeling sick? You look a bit red, Yuan,” Shen Jiu teased as they began their journey.

Shen Yuan flushed and lightly smacked Shen Jiu’s leg with his fan, turning his face away.

Shen Jiu snickered as they went, sitting back and relaxing.

The wedding was long and exhausting.

Thankfully, all Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu really had to do was sit and look pretty. Maybe
mingle a bit.

But still, the wedding took all day. It was tiring.

And with the way Shen Yuan couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off him, Shen Jiu was relieved
to finally be back.

Mo Lai and Shen Taio fell asleep as soon as they got to bed, Shen Taio having already been
asleep for an hour.

But just in case, Shen Jiu set a silencing tailsman on their bedroom door.

Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu had been married for nine months, and they still hadn’t gone all the
way. They had almost gotten there two months ago, but at the last second Shen Jiu panicked.
Due to that, Shen Yuan had been careful not to push things.

Right now, however, holding back seemed to be the last thing on his husband’s mind.

“Someone’s eager,” Shen Jiu teased as he took off a layer of his heavy robes.

“How could I not be when you look like that?” Shen Yuan asked, taking in Shen Jiu’s form
for the hundredth time that day.

“Aren’t you lucky?” Shen Jiu joked. “You know, most people, if they ended up in your place,
would be begging to trade.”

“They clearly haven’t seen you like this then,” Shen Yuan argued.

“Most are too scared to even look me in the eye.”

“Good. That means I get to keep you all to myself,” Shen Yuan stated, kissing Shen Jiu
deeply.

That was the first night the two went all the way.

Chapter End Notes

Me trying to right a sexy moment *insert that awkward emoji from TikTok*

Guys wish my luck I have day one of finals for my sport tomorrow 😓
Btw the side story at the end is not really plot relevant and takes place later than most of
this chapter is set!
 Chapter 39
Chapter Summary

Really short chapter, but this was really all there was to tell this chapter

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“There’s some good prospects this year,” Qi Qingqi commented as the peak lords watched
the children before them digging holes.

“Qi-Shimei is right,” Yue Qingyuan agreed, glancing over the group. His eyes landed on a
specific boy thoughtfully.

‘He seems to be considering Shen Ru. That’s good.’ Shen Qingqiu thought as he watched the
sect leaders gaze. Mu Qingfang also seemed to be eyeing the boy, but seeing Yue Qingyuan
interest made him look away.

After a few moments of contemplation Yue Qingyuan called over the disciple he had brought
with him and told the boy to bring Shen Ru over.

Shen Qingqiu snapped open his fan to hide the smirk growing on his face.

“Liu-Shixiong keeps staring at two children. Would you perhaps like to take them to your
peak?” Wei Qingwei asked with a hum, following Liu Qingge’s eyes to where two children
sat digging.

“Those who wish to come to Bai Zhan will,” Liu Qingge stated.

Shen Qingqiu was a bit worried Liu Qingge would be put off by the prospect of two new
disciples and would only take one. Shen Qingqiu was ready to snatch the boy next to Shen Qi
if needed. Luckily that wasn’t the case, so Shen Qingqiu continued to observe the children.

Shen Qingqiu had had enough of children for a lifetime. He wasn’t planning on taking any
new disciples.

Shen Qingqiu watched Yue Qingyuans disciple tell Shen Ru to stop digging and to come with
him. Shen Ru excitedly followed the disciple away from the examination area.

Shen Qi watched her brother get selected and jumped into action.

“W-where are you going!?” The boy next her stuttered in surprise as he watched her get up
and walk away.
 “To tell that disciple over there to show me where Bai Zhan Peak is,” she declared.

“But don’t they have to pick you? Not the other way around?” The boy questioned in a quiet
voice.

“I’m going because I think I’m worthy. Do you think you’re worthy?” Shen Qi asked.

The boy stared at her in wonder, contemplating her words.

Then,

“I do!”

“Come on then.”

And so Shen Qi and the timid boy with messy curly hair took off the Bai Zhan.

The boy will later be known to Shen Qingqiu as Disciple Luo Binghe, but for now and even
in the future, the boy was just another face on Cang Qiong.

No longer the ‘little beast’ who ruins everything.

[Scum Villain Heart Blackening: 20/500]

[Mission: Stop The Original Storyline: is a success! System grants users 100,000 B points!
Keep System unmuted for future side quests! ;)]

“Shizun! You said I could finally get a Shidi or Shimei this year!” Ning Yingying pouted as
she and her Shizun walked back to Qing Jing empty handed.

“Maybe next year Yingying. No one there was Qing Jing material,” Shen Qingqiu told the
girl.

Ning Yingying sighed and kicked a rock as they walked.

Shen Qingqiu ignored her. He had a toddler back home to worry about rather than some
snotty pre-teen. Those things were much more important to him.

Chapter End Notes

There’s gonna be a time skip after this!

 Chapter 40
Chapter Summary

Guys we’re officially at 100k words so 50k over what initially intended to write 😓😓
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Jiejie!” Shen Taio cried out once he saw his older sister, Mo Lai, walk in through the door.
“Tell Baba to let me out of time out!”

Mo Lai looked at the four year old stomping in the corner angrily, then to the older man who
was reading calmly on the couch, completely ignoring the whining child next to him. He was
clearly used to such a display.

“Why is A-Taio in time out, hmm?” She asked as she set down the groceries she went out to
buy.

“My blocks fell so I threw them and started screaming…” Shen Taio mumbled as he played
with his hands, not looking Mo Lai in the eyes.

“I think Taio-di got the punishment he deserves for throwing a fit,” she decided as she put the
vegetables she bought away.

“See, I told you your Jiejie would agree with me. If your A-Niang was home you never
would’ve dreamed of throwing a tantrum…” Shen Yuan sighed, finally putting the book
down to help Mo Lai put groceries away.

“Qi-Mei should get back from her mission today, correct?” Mo Lai asked as they moved
around the kitchen.

The past three years, the twins had kept up their promise to send Mo Lai a letter everyday. the
only times they couldn’t was during missions, which was Shen Qi’s current situation. Mo Lai
missed her.

“She’ll be back today,” Shen Yuan confirmed.

Life had gotten easy these last three years. Shen Yuan had a stable life with his husband and
kids. He raised Shen Taio with the help of his husband and Mo Lai, and he’s currently
helping Mo Lai grow into a young woman. The other two Shen Yuan left up to their Shizuns
and his husband.

Shen Ru and Shen Qi seemed to be having the time of their lives, to be honest.
Shen Ru had recently become head disciple at Qiong Ding. Apparently, he had been taking to
the whole cultivator thing well enough to be noticed. Shen Qi on the other hand was having
more fun beating people up, not caring for titles. She would send letters of all the fights she
had every day, much to Mo Lai’s dismay.

She even mentioned Luo Binghe from time to time! He seemed to have taken to Bai Zhan
well, actually learning the ropes. He wasn’t necessarily close with Shen Qi, so he didn’t hear
a lot about him, but they were accepted at the same time, so the two children were friends.

And besides missions, Shen Yuan got to see his husband every night, and on his days off. He
will admit the time apart makes their close moments all the more sincere.

And another good update was that Shen Bai was going to be crowned empress in a month!
Everyone has been planning lately, and Shen Jiu still needs to talk to the sect leader for the
time off.

So far, life was peaceful.

Which is why Shen Yuan shouldn’t have been surprised when Shen Jiu had dropped the
bomb on him when he got home:

“My martial siblings want to meet you. They found out we’re married finally.”

“Oh shit….wait, how’d they even find out!?”

Truthfully, it was a pretty stupid reason.

“Shizun! When are you going to grade our paintings?” Ning Yingying questioned as the two
of them walked.

“After today’s peak lord meeting,” he explained as he idly waved his fan.

“That’s today?” She asked with a hum. “What’s it about?”

“It’s our normal monthly one. It should be mostly on new budgets since Xian Shu has a big
project going on.”

“Okay! Have fun Shizun!” Ning Yingying waved him off.

“Shijie! This one needs help with my homework!” A high pitched voice called out from a
distance.

“Coming Zhou-Shimei!” The girl happily ran off the go help the Shimei she finally got,
reveling in every moment of respect the ten year old girl gave her in return.

Shen Qingqiu was proud of himself for snagging the girl. He could tell Qi Qingqi wanted her.

Well, you snooze you lose, as Shen Yuan says.

Shen Jiu made his way to the hall where the monthly peak lord meetings took place, early as
usual. Only Yue Qingyuan was there.

“Ah, hello Qingqiu-Shidi,” Yue Qingyuan greeted.

“Hello,” Shen Qingqiu responded as he dipped his head.

He took is seat on the right hand of the sect leader, as always.

The two of them sat in silence as the rest of the peak lords trickled in over time. After fifteen
minutes, Shang Qinghua rushed inside and took his seat, leaving no one missing.

And so the meeting began.

“This paper is new budgets…” Shang Qinghua explained as he passed out documents, just as
Shen Qingqiu expected.

Shen Qingqiu zoned out for a while since nothing spoken about today directly related to him.
His budget was the same as always. Shang Qinghua has always been too scared of him to
lower it. Sometimes, the coward gets so scared he raises it.

Shen Qingqiu tunes back into the conversation when it gets so off topic he worries, but then
wishes he stayed in his own world.

“But what do you want in a man, Wu-Shimei?” Qi Qingqi asked the beast taming peak lord.

“If I were ever to get married, my husband can’t have more than three wives, me included.
And I would have to have a ring! I would only marry if I was guaranteed to be valued
through the relationship,” she answered.

“Three? If I ever married I would be the sole wife,” Qi Qingqi declared.

“And that’s why you’re not married,” Wei Qingwei joked.

Qi Qingqi threw her ink brush at the man with a huff. “And my ring would have to be very
flashy,” she finished.

“Really?” Wu-Shimei hummed. “If I ever received a ring, I would want something more
simple. Like Shen-Shixiongs ring! That’s a nice simple yet good quality one.”

All eyes snapped over to Shen Qingqiu.

“His…ring?” Shang Qinghua squeaked, staring at Shen Qingqiu’s hand. The one holding his
fan was bare, but the one sitting on the table…

“No way you’re married!” Qi Qingqi accused in shock.

“Are you actually?” Liu Qingge questioned. He sounded surprised, but more calm than
everyone else. He was the only one who knew Shen Qingqiu had a lover, after all.
“Is that really anyone’s business?” He avoided the question, but he didn’t deny their
accusations.

“Since when!?” Yue Qingyuan cut in, uncharacteristically frantic.

“Three years. Again, why is this of any importance?” He responded in a disinterested tone.

“Because you’re you!” Qi Qingqi defended.

“Excuse me?”

“Hey guys this is a shock but we shouldn’t-“ Mu Qingfang attempted to keep the peace, but
then Yue Qingyuan got involved so he easily gave up.

“Who is she!?” The sect leader demanded.

“What family is she from?” Liu Qingge asked, also interested.

“I-“

“We need to meet her!” Qi Qingqi decided all of a sudden, cutting off Shen Qingqiu’s attempt
at explaining.

‘Fine, let these bastards be surprised then,’ Shen Qingqiu thought bitterly as he was
reminded on why he never told anyone he got married. Obviously it wasn’t a secret, since he
wore his ring everyday, but he certainly didn’t announce his updated status upon his return.

“When would you like to meet them?” He asked.

“Tomorrow,” Yue Qingyuan said immediately.

‘Tomorrow? Seriously? You all could at least to pretend to be normal, caring martial
siblings,’ Shen Qingqiu mentally scoffed.

“Tomorrow then,” he sneered.

Tomorrow, everyone will realize just how well off Shen Qingqiu really is. They’ll know he
doesn’t need any of them.

Shen Yuan was nervous, to say the least.

He was going to Cang Qiong! For real! He was gonna get interrogated by all the peak lords
and be around a bunch of super powerful cultivators who all hate his husband!

(Expect for Yue Qingyuan, but Shen Yuan was pretty sure the man was in love with his
husband, which was worse.)

Shen Yuan prayed he didn’t get eaten alive.

He also prayed he didn’t fall off this damn sword! Why was flying so scary!? If his husband
let go him in he’d be dead in seconds!

“If you think you’re going to fall, you will,” Shen Jiu said from behind him in his teacher
voice. Clearly, he had told his disciples this many times before.

“If you drop me I will haunt you for the rest of your days,” Shen Yuan threatened with a hiss
as he simultaneously leaned back into his husband’s embrace. Shen Jiu was holding him
securely around the waist.

Shen Jiu hummed in acknowledgement, tightening his arms around Shen Yuan.

“Be ready, we’re going straight to the meeting hall. Everyone will probably be there already.
Don’t give them anything to go off on, they want to attack,” Shen Jiu warned.

“Thanks for the comfort.”

Shen Jiu must’ve felt his eye roll, since he arms loosened around Shen Yuan.

“Hey!” Shen Yuan cried as his husband laughed.

“You’ll do fine. They can’t do anything to you because of your family,” Shen Jiu reminded
him.

Well that’s true at least. Thank god he’s rich and is sister is going to be empress!

As the two of them got closer to landing, Shen Yuan to see that Shen Jiu’s words held true
and that all the peak lords were standing and awaiting his arrival.

Well this is embarrassing…

They land while Shen Yuan feels eyes boring into his soul, his husband helping him get off
Xiu Ya.

“Is this a joke?” A woman asks. Qi Qingqi, Shen Yuan assumes. She always hated Shen
Qingqiu in the book.

“This is my husband, Shen Yuan,” Shen Jiu said, completely ignoring his Shimei. Shen Yuan
bowed politely at his introduction and whipped out his fan the moment he came up.

“Hello,” he said.

“Since when were you a cutsleeve?” A man asked with no decorum.

Well, actually, he was the only one who seemed at least slightly calm, so he at least there was
that. Also, why the hell was he so pretty!?

“This one fails to realize how sharing that fact about myself was ever relevant, Liu-Shidi,”
Shen Jiu hissed, bringing out his own fan.
LIU QINGGE!? NO FUCKING WAY.

How could airplane have killed off a beauty that rivaled even the protagonist!? And why was
the War God so beautiful!? Is this what Liu Mingyan is supposed to look like? No wonder
she wears a veil!

As Shen Yuan internally sobbed at this injustice, Shen Jiu lead him inside the meeting hall for
the questioning to begin.

They sat down at a large circular low table, his stop next to Shen Jiu’s. They were separated
from everyone else’s seats just enough to be noticeable.

Well, it’s not like he wasn’t expecting this.

“So, how did the two of you meet?” Yue Qingyuan asked, his face scrunched up in a way that
told Shen Yuan he was fighting off demons to stay calm and polite.

“We met about five years ago when I got kidnapped by flocking butterflies and A-Jiu had
been given the mission to get rid of them.” Did Shen Yuan need to call his husband ‘A-Jiu?’
No, he just wanted to piss off Yue Qingyuan.

And it worked. Spectacularly.

“Did you know who he was?” Qi Qingqi questioned, like it was the only logical solution.

…well technically yeah she was right.

“I did not.”

“Aha!” She sat back in her seat, triumphant.

Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Look, he knew his husband wasn’t the most agreeable person, but it didn’t help when
everyone refused to agree with him! Being surrounded by people like this, it’s no wonder he
acts the way he does.

(Shen Yuan does not condone the abuses committed by his husband. This umbrella category
only refers to Shen Qingqiu’s martial siblings)

“Meeting is one thing, sure, but how did you two come to dating?” Another man brought up.
Going based on characters who actually talk in the original, Shen Yuan was going to make an
educated guess and say this was Wei Qingwei.

“We actually had a book club that we met up for twice a month!” Shen Yuan informed the
peak lords cheerfully. “A-Jiu and I got close after talking about our opinions after a while.
Then we started hanging out even more and eventually started dating.”

“That sounds too simple,” Liu Qingge argued with a frown.

“Real life tends to be more simple than stories make it seem. I suspect the only love most of
you have seen is from storybooks,” Shen Yuan commented with a chuckle.

His husband seemed to hold back a snort at his words while everyone switched their looks to
glares.

He had to make his stance clear! Nobody here respected his husband, so why would he
respect them? He wasn’t some angel. And seriously, these people didn’t realize Shen Jiu was
married for three years. This is clearly a situation to take sides in.

“That was quite the rude remark, Shen Yuan,” a man with a mustache who, by process of
elimination, was most likely Mu Qingfang, warned with a tight smile.

“Then please, prove me wrong,” he responded with a shrug.

“……”

Crickets. Yeah, that’s what he thought.

Shen Yuan made sure his smug smirk was slightly visible even with his fan covering his
mouth. Then he continued, “any more questions?”

“Plenty,” Yue Qingyuan grit out. “What makes you think you deserve to be with Shen
Qingqiu? That you won’t be a distraction or enemy?”

“There isn’t anything I need from Shen Jiu. I just want his time, love, and attention.” And I
get it, unlike you!!

Shit, he’s turning into too much of a hater. The Shen Qingqiu effect is real.

“And what’s that supposed to mean? Marrying a peak lord can give you fame, money,
connections, ect. You’re saying none of those entice you?” Qi Qingqi defended.

“My sister’s getting crowned empress next month. I truly don’t need any of those things,”
Shen Yuan revealed with a condescending smile.

Oh he’s totally pulling off this Shen Qingqiu attitude!

Jaws dropped from the peak lords before expressions could be controlled at that piece of
information.

“You’re…that Shen?” The short squeamish peak lord Shen Yuan instantly clocked as Shang
Qinghua whispered in shock.

“Pretty convenient, huh? Neither of us had to change our last names,” Shen Jiu said.

“Alright new question. Shixiong, are you a gold digger?” Wei Qingwei asked. His words
sounded like a joke, but he seemed totally serious.
“Shidi please-“ Mu Qingfang attempted to keep the peace, but Shen Qingqiu was already
offended, so things were going to get messy.

“Yes, Cang Qiong’s second in command married for money,” he shot back in a sarcastic tone.

“Hey, I asked a valid question considering the circumstances!” The other peak lord argued.

“We married because we both fell in love. Why is that so hard to believe?” Shen Yuan sighed.

“He goes to brothels!” Qi Qingqi piped up, deciding to make all her reasons as to why Shen
Qingqiu is a bad husband known.

“Which is something we discussed and came to an understanding on before marriage, I assure

you.” They actually talked it though at said brothel! “And I can also assure you that my
husband has always been a cutsleeve, so there wasn’t much to talk about.”

“He has the worst personality you’ll ever meet!” She tried again.

“Really? This one finds my husband very easy to get along with,” Shen Yuan hummed.

“What Qi-Shimei meant was what qualities do you appreciate in Shen-Shixiong?” Mu

Qingfang, ever the peace keeper, explained.

“That’s not—“

“A-Jiu and I have very similar morals, interests, and love language. A-Jiu is very well read so
it’s easy to hold meaningful conversations with him, but it’s also easy to just lounge and play
music together. He’s also a great parent—“

Yue Qingyuan choked on his tea when he said that. Whoops.

“Parent?” The sect leader echoed. “To children? You two have children?”

“Four actually,” he explained with a laugh.

Shen Yuan swears the table cracked a bit from how tight Yue Qingyuan was gripping it. He
was still smiling, of course, but even Shen Taio could probably tell the man was upset.

“Haven’t you only been married three years?” Shang Qinghua spoke up, the math not adding
up.

“You’re asking that like we could biologically have children,” Shen Jiu sneered. “We have
four adopted children.”

“Wait, backtrack, you said you’ve been married three years, but weren’t you in seclusion
three years ago?” Mu Qingfang brought up.

“Why don’t you ask Liu Qingge that,” Shen Jiu sneered.

“Hey! That was supposed to be a secret-“ Liu Qingge hissed.

“Well they know now,” Shen Jiu shrugged in response.

“Liu Qingge?” Yue Qingyuan prompted.

“The mission you sent the two of us on three years ago ended with me having getting hod of
a baby and I knew he had a lover so I said I would tell you he was mediating in caves we
found if he took the kid,” Liu Qingge explained quickly, looking away in shame.

Yue Qingyuan looked speechless. “We’ll…we’ll discuss this later.”

“That’s one kid. What about the other three?” Wei Qingwei asked.

“They’re teenagers, they needed a home so we provided. Two of them are out of the house by
now, however,” Shen Yuan told them.

“We’d like to meet them too,” Yue Qingyuan demanded.

“I know, they’re coming. Should be here soon,” Shen Jiu dismissed.

“Well then since we have time here, I’m requesting time off next month for my sister-in-laws
coronation,” Shen Jiu said.

“…yes, of course,” Yue Qingyuan granted, sounding completely defeated.

“Fucking simp,” Shen Yuan whispered in English. He knew everyone here had heightened
hearing, so he didn’t trust speaking regularly.

Again, someone choked at his words.

‘No way they understood that. Who…’ Shen Yuans eyes landed on Shang Qinghua who was
choking on some melon seeds.

“Did you just call him a simp!?” He whispered shouted back in English.

Now it was Shen Yuans turn to have his jaw drop.

“How the hell do you know English!?” Shen Yuan exclaimed.

“No way! You’re a transmigrator too!? So that’s how you fucked up the whole story!” Shang
Qinghua said in shock.

“Translate please?” Mu Qingfang asked politely.

“Ah, sorry. This one was just surprised to hear someone knows that language. I had thought
only my family still remembered it,” Shen Yuan explained with an awkward laugh.

“Yeah, haha…”

“Shang Qinghua, you and I should speak after this! I want to know where you learned my
family’s native language.” Shen Yuan was smiling, but his words were really more of a
threat. This guy was obviously a PIDW fan, and most of those people sucked ass.
“Or we could just talk here-“ Shang Qinghua attempted, but one glare from Shen Qingqiu
made him shut up instantly. “Sounds great!”

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, breaking everyone away from the current thoughts.

“Shizun, this one and Qi-Jie brought guests,” Shen Ru announced as his opened the door.

“Bring them in,” Yue Qingyuan said, his interest turning to the doorway.

In walked Mo Lai, holding Shen Taio’s hand.

“This one’s name is Mo Lai,” she announced with a bow. Then she nudged the toddler at her
side. “Come on Taio’er, introduce yourself.”

“My name is Shen Taio!” He smiled, bowing so far he almost fell over. Luckily Mo Lai
caught him.

“Awww,” Qi Qingqi cooed.

“A-Niang!” Shen Taio yelled happily as he came barreling over to Shen Jiu’s lap, per usual.

“A-Taio, you’re old enough to not have to sit in my lap anymore,” Shen Jiu chastised. It
didn’t have much of an effect since he just moved the boy around so he would be more
comfortable. Mo Lai walked over and sat next to the three of them.

Most of the peak lords looked like they were using every bone in their bodies not to laugh,
and if the look Shen Jiu gave everyone was anything to go off of, they’d lose all those bones
if they so much as chuckled.

“This one presumes these are the two still living with you?” Mu Qingfang asked after he
regained his composure.

“Yes,” Shen Yuan answered.

“And the other two?” Liu Qingge questioned.

Shen Yuan turned around and glanced at his two remaining children.

Shen Ru and Shen Qi walked over and sat by their side.

“You two!?” Liu Qingge exclaimed in shock.

“Yuan-gege and Shen-Shibo took me and Ru-ge in! They even named us!” Shen Qi explained
while grinning from ear to ear.

“You haven’t come to visit in forever!” Mo Lai complained as she snatched Shen Qi into a
bear hug.

“These are our kids,” Shen Yuan told everyone, finalizing things.

Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge looked like they were both about to qi deviate.
“Shizun…?” Shen Ru worried.

“Why was this kept a secret?” Yue Qingyuan inquired helplessly.

“I don’t support nepotism,” Shen Jiu explained with a sniff.

“You’re running extra laps,” Liu Qingge said, leaving no room for argument.

Except for the fact that the look Shen Qi was giving Liu Qingge said she was going to argue
the whole way back to Bai Zhan.

“Is there anything else you wish to discuss?” Shen Yuan asked as he waved his fan languidly.

Yue Qingyuan looked like he was thinking long and hard, but couldn’t come up with
anything.

“No,” he sighed.

“Great. We’ll be going then.” Shen Yuan stood up, took his toddler from his husband lap and
into his arms, then walked out of the hall.

“Baba! Can I get a fan for my birthday?” Shen Taio begged when the two of them walked
out.

“We’ll see,” Shen Yuan answered as he lowered the toddler to the ground.

“Yay!” He cheered, knowing that was actually a yes.

Shen Jiu then walked out with Mo Lai. With the door open, he could see Shen Qi getting
berated by Liu Qingge and even Shen Ru getting a talking to by their masters.

“Would you two like to see Qing Jing?” Shen Jiu inquired, already knowing the answer
would be yes.

“Let’s go then, Master Shen,” Shen Yuan joked.

“Shizun, who’re they?” Ning Yingying asked as she saw Shen Qingqiu walk in with three
new people behind him.

“This is my husband, Shen Yuan, and two of our kids, Mo Lai and Shen Taio,” her Shizun
explained.

“What!?” She cried. Shizun had a daughter her age!? This girl was gonna steal him! And
since when was her Shizun married!? He denied having a relationship last time she asked!
Was she not worthy of being told!?

Ning Yingying did not sleep that night. She spent all of it scheming.

But that’s Shen Qingqiu’s problem for another day….

 “I’m sorry, you’re the author of this shitty story!? Shen Yuan shouted, shooting up from his
seat and getting ready to beat the man in front of him.

Airplane Shooting Towards the damn Sky! The man he’d cursed for the last decade! There’s
absolutely no way!

“Ack! Bro, stand down! Who were you anyway!?” Shang Qinghua cried as he hid under his
desk.

“Peerless cucumber.”

“Oh shit-“

Shang Qinghua may not have come out of that conversation completely unscathed…

Well, not his problem!

Shen Yuan hummed happily, a new pep in his step due to the fact he finally got the beat up
the man he said he’d jump for the past decade.

But of course, since the world hates him, something came to ruin the mood.

“Shen Yuan,” a voice greeted him.

“Sect Leader Yue Qingyuan,” Shen Yuan responded, bowing his head politely.

“This one would just like to express that if I hear you ever did something to Xiao Jiu-“ he
began, but Shen Yuan wasn’t going to have it.

“Yes, yes, if I do something to A-Jiu this whole mountain will attack me. But he’s not your
‘Xiao Jiu’ anymore. He’s my A-Jiu, and I know he only responds to one of us. So if this
warning is coming from anyone that isn’t a martial sibling to Shen Jiu, then tell him that he’s
too late. And that he lost,” Shen Yuan said coldly, glaring at Yue Qingyuan. “Enjoy the rest of
your day.”

Yue Qingyuan watched him walk away, he could feel it.

Chapter End Notes

Anyways if you guys can’t tell YQY is my least fav…

❤️
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and it lived up to everyone’s standards! I know you all
were excited for this
 Chapter 41
Chapter Summary

Picnic! (Gone wrong)

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“This is really how you want to spend our anniversary?” Shen Jiu asked for the hundredth
time as he and his husband walked through the dense forest.

“Of course! This is a chance to see all the animals I’ve read about in person without getting
kidnapped by them!” Shen Yuan reasoned.

“Alright,” Shen Jiu sighed. If this was what Shen Yuan wanted to do, he would provide.

Besides, it was nice to just sit back and observe the animals and plants rather than fight them.
Being surrounded by the lush greenery with an excited Shen Yuan by his side was even
peaceful, in a way.

Shen Yuan had made it a game halfway through to see which of them could correctly name
the most things. Shen Yuan was winning currently, but not by a lot.

(Shen Jiu blames his current loss on the fact that almost no plants and animals in this area are
dangerous, the type of flora and fauna that he tends to study more. Not because his husband
is better read than him.)

“In theory, there’s a clearing in about a mile if we keep following this path. Then we can set
up for our picnic!” Shen Yuan said with a grin.

After meeting another transmigrator, Shen Yuan got a little talkative about the world he
originally came from, which Shen Jiu happily promoted. He wanted to hear about this
advanced yet without cultivation world.

Of course he also inquired about the marriage culture from Shen Yuans homeland, which was
where term picnic first came to Shen Jiu’s vocabulary. It sounded like a fun idea, so now here
they were.

Shen Taio and Mo Lai were left with Shen Chao, Shen Yuans second oldest brother. Since his
wife was sickly when Shen Taio first came into their lives and he couldn’t do much to help,
he was always the first to offer babysitting when needed.
“Ooh look-wait never mind those are poisonous,” Shen Yuan called out from a bit in front of
Shen Jiu. He immediately caught up and pulled his husband back from whatever plant caught
his interest.

“If it’s poisonous then don’t touch.” Shen Jiu hissed, glaring at the plant. Snapping berries,
they looked like. If you got past their teeth and ate them, they would set off a sex pollen in
you.

Best to keep Shen Yuan away from those. Sex pollen is not something he wants to deal with
today.

After walking for another fifteen minutes, the two of them make it to the clearing—that does
actually exist, thank you very much—and Shen Yuan got everything set up.

He had done his best to make a traditional picnic lunch, but without sandwiches, he knew the
attempt would be futile.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Shen Yuan commented as they both sat down and settled in.

“No children around really is a blessing,” Shen Jiu sighed.

Shen Yuan laughed at that, agreeing easily. “They can definitely be a handful at times.”

“Yue Qingyuan started writing me reports on Shen Ru. The whole point of giving him away
was that he wouldn’t be my problem anymore,” Shen Jiu grumbled as he bit into a dumpling.

“How’s Shen Qi doing? She seemed like she was gonna fight her Shizun back there,” Shen
Yuan asked.

“All those brats always fight him, it’s normal. From what I’ve seen, she’s fine,” he informed.

“Well that’s good.” Shen Yuan smiled, once again enjoying how slow things seemed to be
moving. He could hear the birds chirping and leaving rustling as animals moved through
them. The sun was shining through the leaves in the clearing and warming Shen Yuan. He
could sit back and watch his husband relax—and look ethereal—while closing his eyes and
enjoying the moment.

Shen Yuan wishes this could last forever.

Instantly after that thought, however, he hears the ding of the system appearing. Way to kill
the mood.

[This System thanks user to accepting his newest mission: Happy Ending With The Scum
Villain, Forever And Ever!]

‘Hey what the fuck!? I never accepted that! I just said I wanted this moment to last!’ Shen
Yuan shouted in his head. He didn’t want another mission! The last one was hell enough!

[User said the trigger words to unlocking this side quest!]

‘So it’s a side quest and not a full mission?’

[User understands!]

‘Fuck you and whatever you’re about to do,’ Shen Yuan swore before looking down at the
blanket bitterly.

“What’s up with you?” Shen Jiu asked, seeing Shen Yuans now sour face.

“The thing that brought me and my family here…it gave me a new mission,” Shen Yuan
admitted, his voice hesitant. He didn’t know what the System had in store for him.

“What’s the mission?” Shen Jiu asked, narrowing his eyes.

“It was to have a happy ending, forever. I don’t know what forever means…”

“Forever as in your forever or my forever? Because we have very different life spans,” Shen
Jiu noted, bringing up the conversation Shen Yuan didn’t like again.

“I don’t know,” he responded dully, trying to disassociate like usual.

“Well we’re going to find out,” Shen Jiu decided, standing up from his seat.

“Wait no-“

Too late, Shen Jiu was already dragging him up with him.

“You said your family gets these quests too, correct? Do you know if they also received this
new command?” Shen Jiu inquired further.

“It sounded like it was directed towards me personally but I can’t be sure-“

“Then let’s go ask them.”

“Shen Jiu! We can wait a bit! The last mission took almost a decade to finish!” Shen Yuan
argued as his husband willfully pulled him along the path after cleaning up their picnic area
in an instant (he threw everything into a qiankun pouch.)

“Maybe you can wait, but some of us feel the need to take charge when a God tries to control
their husband’s life.”

Well damn. Fine, you win A-Jiu.

Shen Yuan let his husband pull him down the path they took to get here, the calm mood from
the previous moments completely shattered. Fucking System, ruining everything per usual.

Like he was counting sheep, Shen Yuan recounted all the plants and animals he and his
husbands were naming on their way here.

But for some reason, there was a plant he didn’t recognize. It was almost in the middle of the
path, its flower petals cloying around each other. Two flowers to be exact, looking like they
were intertwined at the root. Huh. How could he have missed something like that before?

Shen Jiu didn’t seem to pay any mind to the flowers, continuing trudging on.

“A-Jiu, that flower…” Shen Yuan began, but never got to finish his thought.

It was hard to talk after being pelted in the face with pollen, after all.

‘Shit! Am I finally gonna fall victim to sex pollen? After all this time?’ Shen Yuan cried
mentally as he coughed.

“What the hell!?” Shen Jiu cursed, swatting the cloud of pink away from his face. He then
glared down at the plant to see what he was now probably infected with, but for the first time
since he was a disciple, his mind supplied him no answer.

“What…is that?” Shen Yuan wondered, also at a loss. That’s weird, he knows pretty much
every plant in this damn series. Well, accept for one’s Airplane kept in his drafts. Which,
after his talk with the author, was a few.

He doesn’t know this flower. That, um, well, that’s not good. Shen Yuan doesn’t like this
helpless feeling of not knowing that he’s experiencing.

“I don’t think it’s sex pollen,” Shen Jiu noted after the moment of silence. He wasn’t feeling
horny, and Shen Yuan didn’t seem to be feeling anything of the sort either.

“Then what could it be?” Shen Yuan asked.

Shen Jiu tested his cultivation. That was still there, so that was good.

Shen Yuan called for the System. Still there.

They looked at each other. No differences physically.

A feeling of unease settled over the couple.

“Come on,” Shen Jiu decided, pulling out Xiu Ya. “We’re going to Qian Cao.”

Uh oh. This isn’t good.

“What did Shixiong say the flower looked like?” Mu Qingfang questioned, pulling out a few
books.

“Two white flowers curled around each other and connected at the root,” Shen Qingqiu
explained, sitting beside his husband.

Mu Qingfang opened one book and flipped through the pages, murmuring something to
himself that Shen Yuan couldn’t quite understand.
 “It could be…no..not that…but…or maybe..” the healer muttered and he continued to flip
through his books.

Then he finally settled on a page and started reading in earnest. The man’s expression became
complicated, which worried Shen Yuan.

Then suddenly, as Mu Qingfang read the last passage of whatever plant attacked them, his
face turned shocked.

“What?” Shen Qingqiu hissed. He didn’t like that look. Not one bit.

Mu Qingfang looked up at the couple, schooling his expression. He talked slowly, carefully.
“Shen Yuan, Shen Qingqiu, it seems the two of you now have a connected lifespan.”

“What!?” Matching cries of confusion could be heard from the two men sitting in the healers
office.

“Or, put differently, Shen Yuan, you now have the lifespan of an immortal cultivator.”

[Mission: Happy Ending With The Scum Villain, Forever And Ever! Is currently in progress.
;)]

Chapter End Notes

my big plot twist 😭

You guys kept talking about this in the comments and I was worried you would all guess
y’all are too smart for me

Anyway next chapter has a big of angst so be ready! 😋

 Chapter 42
Chapter Summary

Sorry about the long wait for this chapter guys 😭

Life got crazy (I got a girlfriend!) but I had break this week so luckily was able to finish
this. Just one more and this wild ride will be done!

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

At first, Shen Yuan didn’t know how to feel.

All his life, no, both of his lives, he’s been mortal, with a mortal life span. He also had no
reason to wish for more.

But then he ended up with Shen Jiu, who was actually the immortal master Shen Qingqiu.
The man had quite literally turned his life upside down.

So, on that train of thought, Shen Yuan was happy.

He would get to stay with Shen Qingqiu, the man he was very much in love with. Neither of
them would grow old, and they would do it together. Neither of them will die without the
other.

Somewhere in Shen Yuan, the part that acknowledges he actually has problems, he’s very
happy that he won’t die alone. The scare with his family and the system telling him he
should’ve been alone traumatized him to an extent only his sister knows.

But then he remembers his sister. And his family.

Who are very much mortal, just like him.

He’s not going to die.

They will.

Can he handle that?

“How am I supposed to tell everyone about this? And something so huge just because of one
small flower…?” Shen Yuan muttered in horror.

“You don’t have to tell them just yet. You can wait and come up with something. But just
know that I’ll be by your side when you’re ready,” Shen Jiu comforted.
“But-“

“No buts, Yuan. Now you have all the time in the world.”

“They don’t.”

The two of them shared a look, leaving Shen Jiu sighing.

“If you’re not calm, they won’t be either,” he said, dragging Shen Yuan into their house. The
kids won’t be back for another hour or two.

Shen Yuan sat on the couch, continuing his existential crisis, while Shen Jiu went about and
made tea like it was any other day.

Because for him, it is. Really, this didn’t affect all that much. The only thing it did was
guarantee him a future with his husband.

Come on! Since when did the villain have more plot armor than a random citizen!? No fair!!

Shen Yuan was still cursing out the Gods of this world as Shen Jiu sat beside him with two
cups of tea.

It was a set his parents had gifted them for their wedding.

They have lots of things from his family. Will it hurt every time he looks at them if he
outlives them?

“If you want to cry do it before Shen Taio and Mo Lai get back,” Shen Jiu recommended.

Well, when he says it like that, how can Shen Yuan refuse?

So the next thing anyone knew, Shen Yuan was sobbing into his husband’s shoulder over the
fact that they were now connected by more than marriage.

Look, he’s not good with emotions. Never has been, probably never will. Cut him some
slack.

At least Shen Jiu is holding them together. He’s not great at this kind of thing either, but he’s
doing good at being a quiet comfort.

“You have a family meeting next Friday. Do you want to tell everyone then?” Shen Jiu asked.
his voice was almost soft. If the man was capable of such a thing, this was closest he’d ever
get.

Shen Yuan sniffled, then thought about it.

“Y-yeah,” he replied.

“Be ready by then. That’s all you need to do.”

Then Shen Jiu was gone into one of the rooms in their shared home, doing who knows what.
He really needs to figure this out.

Look, Shen Yuan’s never been all that great at planning things out. He’s a master
procrastinator, some might even say.

Which is why he finds himself at his family meeting with no plan.

He debates on just leaving the whole thing up to Shen Jiu to explain, but eventually decides
against it. This is his family, and therefore his problem. He needs to explain himself.

Right, great plan, now what.

Ahhhhhh!!!! Just kill him now!

Wait actually, no, don’t do that. That would take out Shen Jiu too.

Wait! What if he gets murdered!? Wouldn’t that kill Shen Jiu too? They’re connected, but
he’s the weak link!

No, stop. Breathe Shen Yuan. Breathe.

Yeah. He can’t do this.

“Ow!” He complained suddenly. He turned his head to see Shen Tiao with a chunk of his hair
in his hands.

“Baba looked sad,” he explained.

“So you pulled my hair!?”

The boy nodded, like this made total sense to him.

Shen Yuan turned to Mo Lai for help, but the girl smartly looked away.

Shen Yuan wants to roll over and die. Instead, he just sighed dramatically.

“Baba needs to grow up!” Shen Tiao claimed, metaphorically stabbing him.

“You, brat, are five. Don’t tell me to grow up!” He argued.

Shen Taio stuck his tongue out at him. That little..!!

After saying the mantra he’s memorized after becoming a father, ‘don’t fight a child,’ they
arrived at their destination.

The Shen’s main manor.

“You ready?” Shen Jiu asked as they got out of the carriage.
“Um…sure,” he responded awkwardly, trying to bury his nerves. It wasn’t working.

As he walked into the house, it felt like the walls were slowly closing in on him with every
step. Yet at the same time, if he thought of running, it felt like he was in a never ending ocean
with no escape.

Oh he’s so screwed.

“There you guys are! Now that everyone’s here, we can finally start eating!” Shen Bai said
happily as she watched her brother walk in with his family.

“Shen Bai. Don’t be a glutton,” their mother warned.

Shen Bai, future empress, stuck out her tongue in response.

“Shen Taio,” Shen Jiu said in a warning tone as he saw the boy about to copy his aunt. Shen
Jiu then glared up at Shen Bai for being a bad influence.

Things were…normal, so far.

“Now then, anything important happen since the last time we all met up?” Their father asked,
talking business.

Crickets could be heard as everyone initially looked around to pass on the burden of speaking
about their life.

“Yuan-di looks suspicious,” Shen Chao noticed. “What’s up?”

Well that was quick.

Shen Yuan looked to his husband for help, but simply got a nod of approval.

“Well, on our anniversary last week, we went out for a picnic, and came across a flower…”

“Well that’s ominous. What kind of flower?” Shen Hao asked.

“…one that tied our life forces together.”

Shen Yuan watched as the words clicked for his family, then how their faces quickly morphed
into shock.

“H-huh!? What does that mean!?” Shen Bai asked frantically.

“As long as Shen Jiu lives, I’ll live too, since he has the longer lifespan,” Shen Yuan
answered.

“But he’s an immortal!” His mother pointed out.

“Exactly. I’m technically immortal now.” Shen Yuan made sure to avoid his family’s eyes,
scared of what kind of face they all would be making.
“You’re gonna live forever with Jiu-gege?” Mo Lai questioned, also hearing this for the first
time.

“Yes.” Shen Yuan nodded.

“That’s not fair!” She exclaimed.

Shen Yuan was taken aback. She wasn’t who he was expecting problems from.

“Jiu-gege checked Taio-di and said he had enough potential to become a cultivator! Ru-ge
and Qi-jie are both cultivators so they’ll live forever too! I’m the only one who’s getting left
behind!” The girl scrambled out of her seat and quickly ran out of the room, teary eyed.

Shen Yuan felt frozen. What should he say? All Mo Lai said was true!

“I’ll go talk to her,” Shen Jiu sighed, getting out of his seat. “You talk to them.”

As his husband walked off, Shen Jiu stared warily at his remaining family. Who were all
staring at him in varying levels of shock.

“So when we’re all old and dying, you’ll still be the same age as now and perfectly fine?”
Shen Chao asked first.

“That’s what the doctor from Cang Qiong said.”

“Haha, Yknow Gege, you always would get mad at me for acting like you were immortal, but
now you actually are. Way to prove me wrong,” Shen Bai said sarcastically. She even threw
in an eye roll! This is serious Meimei!

“Are you okay with being immortal?” His father asked.

“Yes, but I don’t want to watch you guys die and leave me behind,” Shen Yuan replied
honestly.

“Even if we leave you behind, you won’t be alone. Mo Lai said it herself. You have Shen Jiu,
Shen Ru, Shen Qi, and Shen Taio if all goes well,” his mom explained with a smile. She
looked like she was pretty sad about this, but also happy. It was weird how conflicting her
emotions seemed.

How conflicting everyone’s are. Even his own.

“Look,” Shen Bai cut in through the growing silence. “We’re not kids anymore gege. I’m
gonna live my life with Lin Qiang, Chao-ge is going to live with Kexin-jie and their kids.
Hao-ge has Min-jie and their kids, and mom and dad have each other. We all have our own
lives ahead of us. Now you can live happily with Jiu-ge without worrying about an early
death. Sure it’ll be sad for a while after we die, but we still have so much time ahead of us
before that! And you’ll always have Jiu-ge by your side.”

“You’re really not worried about this? At all?”

 “Well, this is just between you and me,” Shen Bai gestured for Shen Yuan to lean in close, so
he followed, “but while Shen Jiu might not be your lover in every universe, I’ll always be
your sister. Me, mom, dad, Chao-ge, and Hao-ge, no matter what lifetime, what world, what
universe, we’ll always be together. That I can promise.” Shen Bai smiled at her brother, her
face assured.

She wasn’t exactly wrong either. They had died and moved universes together, but they were
still just that, together.

“Thanks A-Bai. I needed to hear that,” he smiled, feeling his eyes getting foggy.

Shen Chao gasped dramatically at the sight. “Shen Yuan. Are you crying? Because of us?
Your lovely siblings?”

“No!” he huffed in response, turning his head away quickly.

His family laughed at the scene, letting the big announcement that Shen Yuan had been so
worried about, melt away with little conflict.

Shen Jiu eventually brought back a puffy eyed Mo Lai, who apologized for her outburst. She
also made them promise to teach her some basic cultivation so she wouldn’t be left out
anyone.

Shen Jiu agreed easily, and the dinner went back to its easy flow.

Shen Yuan…really feels like he’s been blessed. He doesn’t think this happiness can ever fade
in this new life, with his family, old and new.

Chapter End Notes

Shen Bai after the dinner: okay gege, I gave you my dream wedding sheet, so now I
need to give you my dream funeral!

SY: concerned but nodding along.

 Chapter 43
Chapter Summary

Now that finals are over, let’s wrap this story up!

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Shen Yuan was pacing around the room like he’s never paced before.

It had been four hours since he’s last seen his sister. When he had been with her then, she had
been nine months pregnant.

And then her water broke.

Shen Yuan had been listening to his sister cry in the waiting room with his family since then.
His mother and Shen Bai’s husband, Lin Qiang, had been in the delivery room.

“Yuan, sit down. You look like a fool,” Shen Jiu stated, glancing up at his husband.

“But-“

“She’ll be alright. There’s some of the world’s best doctors in there.” Shen Jiu would know,
he even forced Mu Qingfang out here.

(The doctor was more than happy to build relations with the royal family, but that was beside
the point.)

“I’m alright! I just…can’t really sit still right now,” Shen Yuan decided, continuing his
pacing.

Shen Jiu sighed and gave up.

The rest of his family was just as stressed, but no one else was showing it as much.

Don’t get him wrong, Shen Yuan was very good at encasing his feelings in a small box and
ignoring it for however long was necessary. But this, this was his sister’s first kid! He had a
right to show how anxious he was.

But eventually, his sister’s crying tapered off.

And was replaced by a new voices screams.

When the door opened, their father was the first allowed inside. That much was obvious, but
the brothers all stared at each other after he left.

Which of them would get to go in first..?

The answer was to be expected, but Shen Yuans pride still swelled when his mother called
him inside first. He shot a triumphant look his brothers way before following.

Inside, he found his sister, looking exhausted but healthy. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he saw the baby, swaddled in layers of silk, sleeping peacefully in its mother’s arms.

Shen Bai chuckled weakly when she saw his face, urging him by her side.

“Meet Lin Huang. This little guy is the future of this empire. Isn’t that crazy?” She asked
fondly.

“He doesn’t really look like you,” Shen Yuans pointed out. The baby looked like a raisin still,
but from the features peaking out, the kid looked a lot like his father.

“Doesn’t matter he got my eyes,” Shen Bai was quick to defend. She said the words proudly,
like they were the only thing she wished for.

“Don’t baby’s eye colors tend to change sometimes?” He teased.

“Only sometimes!”

“Can…can I hold him?” Shen Yuan asked carefully. He only had brothers, so he obviously
wasn’t apart of their wives intimate moments right after giving birth like he is now. His own
children were adopted, so he had never experienced this before.

It was enchanting in a weird way, like all his fear had melting away to awe. He curious about
the being that had caused Shen Bai so much trouble yet joy in the last nine months.

“Be careful,” Shen Bai said, handing the fragile human his way.

Shen Yuan secured his hold around the baby, little Lin Huang, staring down at the small body
in his arms. It was only as big as his forearm. The small form had no ability to do anything
but scream, cry, and sleep.

Yet just like with his own kids, he felt ready to kill anyone and everyone for the person in his
arms.

“Hi little guy,” Shen Yuan whispered.

The baby opened his eyes, matching emeralds staring back at him.

And just like that, the second generation of the Shen’s was official, despite the fact that no
one was sure they would survive.
Surviving and thriving is a nice feeling.

“What would I even do with my freedom? I have no family or husband to stay with. I can’t
possibly support myself based on the money you give me.”

“Would you let me buy your freedom if I told you I knew a job that would be perfect for you?
You wouldn’t need me to support you with it, and you already have all the skills necessary.”

“And what could that job possibly be?”

“My nephew needs a music teacher. Who better to teach him than the Qing Jing Peak Lords
best student?”

Shen Jiu looked at the only woman he’s truly considered his sister. Sure Shen Bai was in
sister in law, bound my marriage, but his relationship with Lihua didn’t need a clear title.

She stayed by his side, even when Qi-ge left. She stayed here, and accepted him with open
arms no matter the occasion. She helped him.

So he wanted to help her.

“I…I don’t know,” Lihua-jie responded carefully, looking pained at leaving all she knew
behind and starting over. Learning to live off her talents rather than her looks.

“Ah, you know, my son just recently found this stray cat, dark as the night. I told him we
couldn’t keep him because Yuan is allergic, but if you’ll be staying here, I suppose we’ll just
have to leave it to the streets..”

“How much will the position pay?”

Got her.

Shen Yuan liked Qing Jing Peak. It was beautiful, after all. Lucious greenery took up his
senses, a plant in his line of sight no matter which direction his head turned. And not just
green—though that was the vast majority—but vibrant pinks, purples, and blues of highly
reactive plants littered the forest and gardens. The stone pathways made Shen Yuan feel like
his was in a fairy garden.

And it was his husband’s territory.

Today was a bright summer afternoon, and Shen Yuan was currently in Shen Qingqiu’s
bamboo hut supervising five children.

Four were obviously his kids. The fifth, you ask?

Luo Binghe, the protagonist of this whole world.

Who was still an undeniably adorable white lotus!!!

A few months ago, when Shen Yuan was at Cang Qiong and was looking for his daughter
Shen Qi, he ended up running into the little bun. It was the first time he had seen him since he
caught him being bullied in an alleyway, and he looked much happier and healthier. Shen
Yuan was pleased.

When Luo Binghe recognized who he was, he turned into a crying mess of thank-you’s and
gratitude. Apparently, the medicine Shen Yuan bought had cured his mother’s illness and
saved her, so Luo Binghe wished to repay him.

Shen Yuan didn’t know how to handle the boy, even more so when Shen Qi showed up and
got into a brawl with the boy for being a ‘crybaby.’ And for trying to suck up to her gege.

Shen Yuan had been terrified when he first saw this, worried the girl had made an enemy out
of the OP protagonist, but apparently all the fighting and name calling was normal on Bai
Zhan. Any show of weakness got you jumped.

Not super healthy, but it’s not Shen Yuans problem to deal with.

(It is. This is the mindset of one of his kids. He chooses to ignore this.)

But after the fight ended—Shen Qi won because she caught him off guard and emotional—
Shen Yuan had come up with a way to be paid back.

And so on days like today, when everyone is at the mountain, Luo Binghe cooks for Shen
Yuan and his family.

Shen Qingqiu is currently at a peak lord meeting, which is about to end. Shen Yuan should go
pick him up. The sun is going to set soon, and Binghe is just about done with their dinner.
Once he’s done, he’ll take Shen Qi with him back to Bai Zhan, and Shen Ru will make his
way back to his own peak.

Things are simple. Shen Yuan is very happy with his current life. He has a loving husband
and family.

He just has one problem: he’s insecure.

This is not a new problem. Shen Yuan could always tell someone ten things wrong with him
at any given moment. But when he’s on Cang Qiong, and he sees how people stare at his
husband, the insecurity takes a new shape. It creates a hole, that only one thing can fill.

That one thing? Attention. Specifically from Shen Jiu.

As the doors to the peak lord meeting open, Shen Qingqiu is, as usual, the first to walk out.
He’s wearing his usual annoyed expression, like everything he’s just heard for the last hour
and a half was the dumbest shit anyone’s ever spat at him.

But his face smoothes out as he catches Shen Yuans gaze. He calms, idly walking over to
where Shen Yuan is standing.
“Yuan,” he greets, his voice almost soft. “Did you walk or did someone fly you over?”

“Shen Ru dropped me off,” Shen Yuan explained.

“Alright,” Shen Jiu nodded, pleased the one who brought him was on the ‘ok to fly Shen
Yuan around’ list. Said list expanded to Ning Yingying, Ming Fan, Shen Ru, and Shen Qi.

“Lets go then. That boy that Shen Qi is friends with cooked again tonight, correct? Do I need
to console Mo Lai on her cooking skills again?”

“Haha, I think she’s just accepted defeat for now,” Shen Yuan laughed, watching his husband
pull out Xiu Ya for them to depart on.

“Hey! Shen Qingqiu!”

Unfortunately, a sudden shout kept them on the floor.

“What.”

‘Oooo how heartless A-Jiu!’ Shen Yuan snickered internally, watching Shen Jiu’s face
quickly grow annoyed once more.

“You said we would fight after the meeting!” Liu Qingge shouted.

“Hm, did I? Well sorry, but I must return to my peak with my husband. Perhaps some other
time,” Shen Jiu waved off, turning his attention back to Shen Yuan.

Something else Shen Yuan learned over time—he learned nothing, Shen Qi told him—was
that Liu Qingge seemed to have a little crush on Shen Qingqiu. The man was too hardheaded
to ever realize such a thing, and the way he went about such feelings didn’t exactly make it
obvious to anyone else. But to a girl whose two biggest role models were the Qing Jing and
Bai Zhan Peak Lords and studied their every interaction, it was eventually deciphered.

He wasn’t a threat. Shen Yuan knew this.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t still jealous. Cang Qiong was a battlefield for all he cared about. I
mean, who could withstand Shen Qingqiu’s charm!? It was only natural everyone was drawn
to him, just like they are to the protagonist!

Rings aren’t enough to claim his husband to everyone here.

Shen Yuan was still lost to his schemes as Shen Jiu grabbed him and put him atop Xiu Ya. He
was dead to the world the entire flight back to Qing Jing.

What finally woke him up was when they landed.

“A-Jiu, do you think you could grant Shen Taio’s wish and let him sleep in the dorm rooms
tonight. Mo Lai can go with and watch him,” Shen Yuan suggested, trying to hide his
intentions.
“Why?” He asked as they walked in.

“Hm? Oh, no reason!”

Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes at the obvious lie, but said nothing else, besides:

“Shen Taio, you can sleep in the dorms tonight. Mo Lai, watch over him please.”

“Really!? A-Niang, you promise?” Shen Taio squealed at his wish being granted, running
around the room in excitement.

“So you guys finally gave in, huh?” Mo Lai sighed, gearing up for a night of sleepless
babysitting.

Shen Jiu quietly apologized while Shen Yuan grabbed everything Shen Taio would be
needing for the night.

“Remember to get some actual sleep tonight, alright? And try not to be too much of a bother
to the disciples or your sister,” Shen Yuan scolded.

“I won’t Baba! I promise!”

Shen Yuan prayed he wouldn’t regret this in the morning, tossing his kids out the door before
his senses came back to him.

“So, what’s your problem?” Shen Jiu asked as he changed into his sleeping attire, not even
looking at Shen Yuan.

“Ummm, I…”

“Spit it out.” Well at least he was looking at him now! Shen Jiu was glaring, but well…it
counts!

How does he even put this into words?

“C…Come over here,” Shen Yuan asked, praying for confidence.

Shen Jiu raised his eyebrow at his husband’s strange antics, but complied nonetheless.

“So?” Shen Jiu inquired once he was sitting next to Shen Yuan on the bed.

Shen Yuan truly didn’t know how to speak his emotions, so he decided to act on them
instead. He grabbed Shen Jiu’s wrists and kissed him hard and rough, knocking the man
backwards onto the bed.

Hopefully that expressed his words well enough.

“Here?” Shen Jiu asked breathlessly once the kiss let up.

“Especially here.”
Shen Jiu gave an amused smirk. “Alright.”

It was a good thing they kicked the kids out…

Luo Binghe had never had an easy life, but never a horrible one either.

Yes he was poor, and he went through lots of bullying as a child. But he had a loving mother
to get him through all of it. When things started looking grim, a mysterious patron came to
help him, and things got better. Nowadays, Luo Binghe is training at Cang Qiong at Bai Zhan
to get strong and provide for his mother. He was able to repay that patron from all those years
ago, and he actually has friends! To Luo Binghe’s standards, his life was perfect.

So of course something like this had to happen.

He was currently at the Immortal Alliance Conference, an event he had been training years
for! This was where all his hard work would be recognized!

But then demons attacked. Not the ones that were supposed to be here, but ones too strong
for just disciples.

The abyss had opened up, releasing terrible calamities. Luo Binghe did his best to fight them
off, but he was injured and had watched some of his fellow martial siblings die.

He thought it couldn’t get worse.

But then that ice demon had shown up.

Luo Binghe…he was a disgusting demon. He didn’t even know it! How can this be correct?

His Shizun was here, staring his disgraceful heritage in the eye with disgust. Or was in
indifference? His Shizun was always hard to read. But he knew for certain that his Shizun
wouldn’t stand for this. How could he? His disciple was a heavenly demon!

“Shizun, I swear I didn’t know!” Luo Binghe cried. He didn’t want his Shizun to think he
was behind all of this.

“I know,” Liu Qingge said, cold as ever. “You’re not the type for schemes.”

Well ouch…wait, not important!

“Go in there.” Liu Qingge pointed at the hole in the earth behind where Luo Binghe was
standing. The boy felt a chill run down him despite how hot the hell next to him was.

“T..there?” He whispered, terrified.

“It’s where you belong. You’re a demon. You won’t get anything out of this world,” Liu
Qingge explained.
 “But…!” Luo Binghe tried to argue, but his Shizun cut him off.

“Go down there and get strong. Once you do, come back and fight me.”

Did he sound…excited!? Luo Binghe has to be hallucinating! But..shouldn’t he take

whatever lifeline is thrown at him? Besides, he really wants to fight his Shizun. if he goes
down there, will he really have a chance to beat him?

“I’ll write to your mother to tell her what your situation is,” his Shizun assured.

Luo Binghe was still scared. He still worried. But now he had resolve.

“Shizun, I won’t disappoint you!” Luo Binghe declared.

“You better not.”

Luo Binghe looked at his master one last time, feeling pride at the man before him believing
he could do this.

Then he jumped into the abyss, a smile on his determined face.

He would face whatever challenges lie below, then come back and face his Shizun once and
for all!

Luo Binghe didn’t have a perfect life, but he couldn’t say he hated it either.

There’s a legend in China, one that derives from its golden age. The start of the golden age is
widely accepted as when Empress Shen Bai married into the royal family. Her progressive
thinking forever changed the country, and her children carried on her legacy for generations.
Of course, a time as hopeful as that would have many myths and folktales.

The most famous is the case of The Green Immortals.

It’s said that an immortal couple, typically dressed in green robes, will sometimes save poor
street kids and give them a better life. The kids they usually save have high spiritual powers
and become immortals themselves, after the teachings of the wise masters.

It’s a famous tale, told to encourage those with no hope to keep fighting on, because one day
The Green Immortals may save them. It’s said that the two have a small army of saved
children who are all loyal to them.

They even say the famous immortals are related to the wise empress, having the surname
Shen.

Chapter End Notes

Mo Lai lives out her mortal life after marrying a kind farmer and having a family of her
own

Who got emotionally attached to this story?? Me, I did! I’m so sad it’s over 😭
I have so much Thanks to Didyoupraytoday for letting me use this story idea, I truly
didn’t mean to write this much and for this to get so big, but it was such a fun journey!

❤️
I’m so thankful for everyone who read and this and had patience for me dying out at the
end here cuz of school. I really hope you all enjoyed!

Another big announcement 📣 I’m publishing my own original series soon! If any of
you guys enjoyed my writing style, in February-March (will update when I have an
actual date) my first book ‘I Accept The Role Of Villainess’ under my pen name Ally

❤️
Chris will be released on Amazon and Kindle! It would mean the world if you all could
support when I do, especially if your a fan of the villainess/isekai genre!

Again, thanks to everyone for following along and I hope you all have great holidays!

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