Chapter 1: 1: Bingge POV
Summary:
Nodding, Luo Binghe stated, “As you know, the first time this Lord met you, he asked you to come with him.” The other Luo Binghe bared his teeth again. “My second visit here, I asked you questions. About your life as Shen Yuan.”
“…Go on.”
“This one did some digging,” he admitted, “and found out how to find the Shen Yuan of my universe.”
Luo Binghe discovers a clue to finding his future husband, Shen Yuan.
Chapter Text
There was nothing useful in this worthless place.
Luo Binghe kept a hand on Xin Mo as he stalked through the abandoned palace, peering around with narrowed eyes as he searched for the library. This was not the first visit back to the Endless Abyss he had made recently—in fact, it was the fifth, and so far, another waste of time.
He couldn’t fight the scowl that rose to his face.
He had thought that this abandoned palace of his ancestors—Heavenly Demons—would come up with something. Inch by inch, he was exploring the Endless Abyss. He had already gone far, a vast comparison to what he had seen when his old Shizun had pushed him in.
Of course, the thought of Shen Qingqiu made him think of the other Shen Qingqiu. The one he had been fortunate enough to meet, alongside the pathetic other version of himself.
Shen Qingqiu. Shen Yuan.
He was determined to find the Shen Yuan of his reality.
He would claim that happiness he had a chance to glimpse.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned down the winding hallway and opened a large door, which creaked ominously as he did so. The room inside was pitch black, so he lifted a hand, a ball of spiritual light centered over his palm and illuminating his surroundings.
Another dead end.
He was getting more and more incensed the longer he had to stay here. He already was worried he was running on borrowed time; any delay was unacceptable.
He relentlessly made his way through the dark, dusty hallways and meticulously entered every room he came across. Nothing of interest had been left behind, and he wondered not for the first time if the entire palace had been looted, including the texts. He was searching for specific volumes—or, at least, specific topics—but had come up with nothing. The first four palaces had priceless treasure, to be certain, and he had pocketed some of it to add to his own wealth. But there were no signs of the knowledge he was seeking.
He knew the Endless Abyss would contain the answers eventually . It was the only locale left—he had already hunted throughout the merged realms and came up with nothing.
The frustration was enough to make him bare his teeth, fury racing through him. Why had everything he wanted been so easy to obtain previously, and yet, now that he was desperate for answers, it eluded him as surely as the happiness he hoped to obtain? It was unfair.
He unsheathed Xin Mo as he stood back in the center of the palace, the great winding staircase in front of him, ready to create another spatial rift to go home.
Then he noticed Xin Mo was glowing softly; not as vibrant and full of power as it did when he filled it with qi, but lightly, as if…
He held it up, his brows coming together, before looking at the ground he stood on.
It didn’t take long for Luo Binghe to elect to pierce it down into the flooring in a spontaneous decision. The floor broke, causing him to fall through the old wooden planks. Some of them had been sharpened from the break and many splinters had impaled themselves to his robes, and a few to his hands. He was covered in a layer of dust now, as well, and had dropped Xin Mo. Overall, it was the most undignified he had appeared in years.
He stood up and brushed the dust and splinters off, bending down to pick up Xin Mo. He lifted his palm up to light the area up again.
As he had suspected, there was an entire secret floor. Peering around, keeping Xin Mo next to him, he was now in what appeared to be a large storage room, with loads of crates and shelves sporadically sitting around the room. He was thrilled to see bookshelves tucked in the corner of the room, and immediately made his way towards them.
After searching through each title one by one, he picked up the last book on the last bookshelf, and sucked in a breath, hope blooming through him when he read the faded words on the cover.
This must be why Xin Mo reacted the way it did before. This is surely what I’ve been looking for.
The title of the book read “Sword Edict of World Destruction.”
He quickly returned home with a spatial rift, straight to his chambers, avoiding his wives and servants. He had barely interacted with them as of late and had no interest in their probing questions about what he had been up to. They had seemed to sense this and had left their Lord be, to his relief.
Sitting at his desk, he opened Sword Edict of World Destruction , Xin Mo lying on the table in front of him. It was dormant for now; he felt nothing amiss but kept a wary eye on the sword regardless as he flipped through the passages.
Where…is…it…
… there .
Holding the book up to the light of the lantern behind him, he read the page with narrowed eyes.
“ The Sword of World Destruction has the power to cut through space and time. This heavenly official does not guess as to how that power has been attached to the sword; this one guesses it has undergone many, many experiments of questionable design. The Sword of World Destruction is as the name implies; a weapon of mass destruction that the sword seems to revel in.
It’s too dangerous, and yet, this heavenly official finds himself unable to hold back from the use of it. It could easily be used to conquer the world or to save it. Xin Mo always seems to lean towards the first. One would have to be exceptionally strong to ignore the calling of darkness the sword emits.
This one has discovered Xin Mo’s spatial rifts can do so much more.
If it fell into the wrong hands there would be nothing to stop him. ”
There it was; the author of this book, which Luo Binghe had come to realize was more of a memoir or journal than a scholarly novel, had kept referring to himself as a “heavenly official.” Luo Binghe had never heard the term before in this world.
He was beginning to suspect this author was not from this world. Or, if he was, he was from a time so long ago that nothing and no one was left to tell its story.
“ Xin Mo’s spatial rifts can be used to destroy or merge realms. It can also be used to find anything you desire, as long as you have a piece of it with you and perform an array. The array is as follows: ”
Luo Binghe sat back with a frown at this. A piece of…Shen Yuan to find him?
Did such a thing even exist?
The array itself was not nearly as complicated as he had thought it would be, as he scanned through it. Yet, it required a piece of Shen Yuan. Where would he even find something of his? He hadn’t known where to find him as of yet in his reality.
In his reality.
There was, however, another reality he could easily visit to get a piece of Shen Yuan. If it would even count, as Shen Yuan was in possession of the body of Shen Qingqiu.
Still, it was the only lead he had.
Luo Binghe kept his hands behind his back as he walked towards the Bamboo House, a pleasant smile on his face.
He didn’t want to cause any issues with the Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe of this reality.
As he walked up the path, he saw the blur of a figure in black racing towards him, and he knew this would not be taken as a friendly visit.
And why would they believe it to be, he thought wryly.
“Wait!” he called out to the other him, raising his hands in the air. “This Lord is not here to cause any trouble. I need to speak to Shen Qingqiu.”
The other Luo Binghe pulled to a stop in front of him, rage twisting his expression as he looked at him. “You said the same thing last time! We won’t fall for these lies again!”
Luo Binghe sighed. He really shouldn’t have expected this would be easy. “This Lord promises he is not here to cause you or shizun any trouble. Here.” He unceremoniously yanked Xin Mo out of its sheath, causing the other Luo Binghe to tense, before throwing the dark blade to the dirt.
The other Luo Binghe stared at him, then at the ground. He seemed at a sudden loss for words, before he bent down and, with the sleeve of his black robes covering his hand, grabbed the sword carefully.
Luo Binghe didn’t bother telling him that would do nothing against the negative effects of Xin Mo. He would’ve figured it out upon grabbing the sword.
“ Why are you back?”
He kept his hands clasped behind his back, and looked at the other impassively. “I need a piece of your husband’s hair.”
“ Excuse me? ”
“Binghe, what’s going on?” came the voice of Shen Qingqiu, who appeared from the path behind Luo Binghe. He looked at him warily.
“Shizun, he wants a piece of your hair! This disciple doesn’t trust him at all!”
Luo Binghe turned around to face Shen Qingqiu, pulling his hands from behind his back to give him a shrug. “This Lord gave him Xin Mo and has no ill intent towards either of you. I want to talk and beg for your assistance.”
Shen Qingqiu frowned at him, eying the sword now in his husband’s hand, and said, “Both of you to the Bamboo House. This master does not want an audience.” There were no disciples nearby yet, but the worry was understandable. From what Luo Binghe vaguely remembered, the disciples would all be in classes around this time. That was probably what Shen Qingqiu had been doing.
Shen Qingqiu walked past Luo Binghe and made his way towards the Bamboo House. The other Luo Binghe immediately followed him, casting a sharp look at Luo Binghe.
Inside the Bamboo House, the other Luo Binghe poured some tea for himself and Shen Qingqiu before sitting close to him, glaring at Luo Binghe. Luo Binghe gave an amused snort that he had been left out, unsurprised, but said nothing.
Xin Mo was tucked beneath him like a discarded paper weight. The sight was almost sad.
Shen Qingqiu sipped his tea before setting it down, regarding Luo Binghe cautiously. “You might as well tell us what’s going on. You said you needed…hair?”
Nodding, Luo Binghe stated, “As you know, the first time this Lord met you, he asked you to come with him.” The other Luo Binghe bared his teeth again. “My second visit here, I asked you questions. About your life as Shen Yuan.”
“…Go on.”
“This one did some digging,” he admitted, “and found out how to find the Shen Yuan of my universe.” He reached into his robes, causing the jumpy Luo Binghe to leap up from his seat and grab the hilt of Zheng Yang at his waist. Ignoring him, Luo Binghe pulled out Sword Edict of World Destruction and offered it to Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu took it from him, his eyes darting from the cover to Xin Mo.
“As shizun can tell from the title, this text includes guides to the powers of Xin Mo. This Lord has been studying it, and there is a passage that includes how to cut a spatial rift to someone using an array.”
Shen Qingqiu flipped through a few pages. His eyes lit up. “This is incredible, actually. This master has never heard of or seen such a text before, even from … I wonder if Airp—Peak Lord Shang Qinghua knows about this text. He has to, otherwise… And you say there’s an array to go to someone using Xin Mo? Fascinating…”
“Shizun…” the other Luo Binghe sounded sullen.
Luo Binghe leaned forward before Shen Qingqiu could answer his disciple and said, “This Lord understands there has been…bad blood between us. This one has no intention of causing any further trouble for you.” He eyed them, then added, “This one will require Xin Mo eventually. Maybe…a blood oath would reassure you of my intentions?”
They both frowned, and Shen Qingqiu stopped the other Luo Binghe from speaking with a light pat on his forearm before saying, “This master has not dealt with a blood oath, although he is familiar with them. What would this Lord do with a blood oath?”
“This Lord would want to promise that he intends no harm to you, your Luo Binghe, and anyone else. This Lord is here to seek a piece of your hair…and potentially some advice.”
“Shizun, don’t trust him,” the other Luo Binghe said with a glare.
“Binghe…” Shen Qingqiu looked at him askew. “You know what a blood oath is.”
“This disciple does,” he agreed, “but he still doesn’t trust him . He probably has some way to get out of it.”
Luo Binghe scowled. “A blood oath would bind to my life force. You think this Lord would be stupid enough to break it?”
“This one doesn’t think there’s a limit to this Lord’s stupidity,” he retorted.
Luo Binghe started to stand up, furious, and Shen Qingqiu held up a hand. “Hold it. Honestly, you two…I can barely stand one of you…” Ignoring the other Luo Binghe’s deeply wounded look, he said, “A blood oath would be sufficient, fine. If you agree to my specific terms.”
“What terms?”
“This Lord must not use the hair I give him for anything other than the array specified in this text. He will not directly or indirectly harm myself, this Luo Binghe, or anyone in this world.”
Rather simple, but straight to the point. Luo Binghe nodded easily. “I accept those terms.” He didn’t plan on doing anything with the hair other than use it for the array, anyway.
The other Luo Binghe didn’t look especially happy, but looked at Shen Qingqiu as he inclined his head. “Alright. In that case…”
After Luo Binghe swore the blood oath with blood from his left palm, the other Luo Binghe seemed to settle down (at least, a tiny bit), and Shen Qingqiu lifted his hand to his head. With one delicate pull, he held out a long black hair for Luo Binghe to take.
Luo Binghe’s hand trembled just slightly as he took the hair, exhaling a long breath. “This Lord is grateful shizun is willing to help him.”
Shen Qingqiu inclined his head slightly. “This master…he can tell this Lord is being truthful. He wants to help. The past is forgiven.”
Luo Binghe had never loved the man more.
The array was drawn in his blood, roughly in the shape of a circle with many designs drawn in between, rather like a spider web. Shen Qingqui’s singular black hair sat in the center. Luo Binghe, underneath his black robes, was also covered in an array. It was necessary to keep his soul anchored, as Xin Mo would pull him as far as necessary to find who he sought. If he didn’t protect himself, his soul could easily be shredded.
At least, that was what the text said. It sat nearby on the hard floor of Luo Binghe’s personal chambers, open to the page that detailed the spiritual array he had to perform. Xin Mo sat next to it.
Now that everything was set up, Luo Binghe leaned back into his calves from where he knelt in front of the array, exhaling. He felt…oddly nervous, now that he had gotten to this point.
He could only hope that it would take him to Shen Yuan, and not the dead body of Shen Qingqui of this world.
He peered at the text one last time, double-checking everything was correct, before standing up and reaching a blood-stained hand towards Xin Mo.
With one sharp slash, he cut a spatial rift directly over the hair. Xin Mo glowed a fierce red as he pierced it down, and he paused, eying it cautiously. Sword Edict of World Destruction had not specified this would happen, and his instant thought was something had gone wrong.
However, he looked through the spatial rift and saw a completely new world.
Large, strange…creatures were racing past each other, and humans walked past them without a second glance. Towering buildings, taller than Luo Binghe had ever seen, reached for the sky, and it was loud .
Well, Shen Qingqui wouldn’t be in this world, that was for sure. So, it seemed Xin Mo had taken him to Shen Yuan after all, to this strange world that Luo Binghe instantly remembered Shen Qingqui describing from his past.
He sheathed Xin Mo and stepped through the spatial rift. A group of humans near him stopped walking and gawked at him as soon as he appeared, their eyes bugging out.
“That…he just suddenly appeared!” one of them exclaimed, sounding amazed. “That’s some trick, man!”
“Wow! How did you do that?!”
“Can you do it again? Wait…is that a sword?!”
“What the fuck are you wearing, man? Wait, he does have a sword, the fuck?! He must be some sort of magician, maybe?”
Luo Binghe looked at them, bewildered, before turning on his heel and walking away. The humans hesitated from where they had been left before seemingly deciding not to pursue him further.
Now that he was here, he had to find Shen Yuan. He…he had no idea where to even start. It seemed Xin Mo hadn’t taken him directly to Shen Yuan. It must have taken him a certain distance nearby, instead.
How troublesome. He briefly considered if he could potentially upgrade the array. Of course, he didn’t want to cut directly on top of Shen Yuan—then he would be a cut-in-half Shen Yuan. That wouldn’t be good at all. He also had no idea how to work with arrays and was worried he would cause bigger problems if he messed with it.
Striding through this luminescent city, he looked all around, his interest piqued despite his singular goal. What he had assumed were creatures actually appeared to be unfeeling, hard objects that had a human being sat in front, their eyes set forward with a blank, bored expression. Many humans were flowing in and out of large holes in the ground that had stairs leading down, and some were sitting atop dual-wheeled devices that they seemed to be steering.
Luo Binghe set a hand on Xin Mo as he stalked down the street, looking around for Shen Yuan. If Xin Mo had deposited him in the middle of this area, then he had to be close. After touching Xin Mo’s hilt, however, he hissed and dropped his hand, looking down.
It had burned like hot coals. How odd. Frowning, he carefully touched the hilt, ignoring the pain, and lifted the sword a few inches out of the scabbard.
Xin Mo’s blade was glowing red, just as it had before during the array. Luo Binghe stopped walking abruptly, and the blade also abruptly stopped glowing. His frown deepened, and he started moving forward. Again, the glow and the burn.
How odd. This must be a way for Xin Mo to lead him to Shen Yuan.
He decided to continue going after testing a different direction that Xin Mo did not react to. Eventually, it led him to a large building with the stamped words 上海市宝兴殡仪馆 above the entrance. He studied it closely, the Chinese dialect one he was unused to, before he understood.
Shanghai Baoxing Funeral Parlor.
Luo Binghe stared up at those words, a thousand emotions swimming through him before he glanced down at Xin Mo. It was burning so hot he was sure his palm would have a mark to show it, and upon checking, it was indeed glowing bright red.
This…this couldn’t be right. Why had it taken him to a funeral parlor?
Shaking his head, he took a shallow breath and entered the building. There was a long line of people. Eying it, he sighed and took his place in line.
The great Emperor Luo Binghe. Reduced to standing in line because his sword was having a tantrum.
Really, he wondered not for the first time how he had got here.
After what felt like an eternity, he was brought up to the desk. The assistant looked at him with a large smile. “Hello, how can I help you?”
“I’m looking for someone. His name is ‘Shen Yuan.’”
She bent down over a luminous, vaguely square-shaped object, her fingers tapping. “Shen Yuan…Shen Yuan…”
Luo Binghe stood there in silence as she continued whatever she was doing. He assumed she was somehow finding him using whatever device she was peering at.
“Oh…” she looked up at him, sympathy written there. “It says in our records he was cremated six months ago and the remains were given to his family. Were you a friend?”
Cremated six months ago.
Luo Binghe must have gotten a dark expression on his face because the sympathy on her face twisted to fear. “Um…sir, I’m sorry. I wish I had better news for you. Hadn’t you…expected…something of the sort if you came to our establishment?”
Still, Luo Binghe said nothing.
He felt nothing.
What would be the point?
Luo Binghe knocked on the door in front of him, labeled with a crisp 4 .
There was the sound of shuffling inside before a young, attractive woman opened it. She seemed startled to see him standing there, her jaw dropping. “Um…uh…h-hey. What…can I do for you?”
He gave her a small, pleasant smile. “Are you Shen Xue?”
She blushed prettily. “I am. Why, who are you?”
“This—my name is Luo…Zhi. …I was friends with your brother, Shen Yuan.”
“Oh.” Her cheery demeanor dimmed slightly. “Yes, of course. Why don’t you come in?” She moved to the side, allowing Luo Binghe to step inside her apartment.
Shen Xue, rather like Shen Yuan had, lived in a rich, comfortable apartment on the outskirts of Beijing, China. Her environment reflected her wealthy, spoiled upbringing—there was hardly a speck of dust anywhere in sight, and the apartment, whilst large, was filled with lovely furniture and decorations.
Luo Binghe had spent hours last night familiarizing himself with this world and Shen Yuan’s life. He had even changed into clothing befitting the world he was in, wearing black pants and a “t-shirt” that had the words Live Laugh Love , whatever that meant, on it. The shopkeeper had seemed gleeful when he handed him the outfit.
Hunting down Shen Xue hadn’t been as easy as he had expected, but here she was, hopefully with the ashes he needed.
Shen Xue was dressed in casual, loose clothing, and the slight messiness of her hair hinted she had woken up recently. The smell of cooked meat and eggs filled the apartment, and she led him to her white, spotless couch, waving him down to sit. “Do you want anything to eat? I just made some breakfast, but I made a little extra since I was hungry.”
Luo Binghe shook his head. “No, thank you.”
She stood in the middle of the large room for a moment, her fingers tapping the side of her thigh nervously before she took a seat near him on the couch. “Well…where did you meet my brother?”
Luo Binghe had been prepared for any such questions. He had discovered in this world, masters and disciples were entirely different. He arranged his expression into one of sad remembrance. “We went to university together, years ago.”
Shen Xue pursed her lips, her eyes dropping. “I see. I’m sorry you couldn’t see him again after.”
Luo Binghe leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “…Shen Yuan meant a lot to me.” He closed his eyes. He wasn’t entirely faking it at this point. He did care about Shen Yuan, even if this entire interaction was for his own purpose.
“Is there…anything of his I could look at? To reminisce?”
Opening his eyes, he saw Shen Xue regarding him anxiously, wringing her hands. “I…” Her gaze flitted to a small vase sitting atop the fireplace near them before landing back on him. “I could go check. Excuse me.”
Luo Binghe buried his smile. Ah. She had unwittingly given it away.
That vase held Shen Yuan’s ashes.
Shen Xue left down the hall, presumably to go find something of Shen Yuan’s to show Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe didn’t hesitate before snatching the beautifully decorated vase and slipping out of her apartment.
Back at his chambers, he felt wildly out of place wearing the clothes from Shen Yuan’s home world. He pulled them off and cut his forearm with a knife, dipping his fingers into the oozing blood.
The array from before had been scrubbed clean. Slowly and carefully, Luo Binghe re-applied the array on the floor and on himself to the instructions of Sword Edict of World Destruction . He turned the vase holding Shen Yuan’s ashes and poured a part of it out onto the circle of the array. Pulling his robes on, he tucked the book inside his lapels and took up Xin Mo.
He refused to believe Shen Yuan was truly dead.
The other Shen Yuan had transmigrated into Shen Qingqui upon his death.
With this logic…he believed that Shen Yuan had transmigrated as well. Obviously, not into this universe’s Shen Qingqui, as he was long dead, but surely he was somewhere .
The spatial rift opened, and Luo Binghe stepped through it into another world.
Chapter 2: 2: (Past: 6 Months Earlier) Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
“Hello, my name’s Xie Lian. You crashed through the roof of Ghost City’s Gambler’s Den and we brought you here to make sure you made a full recovery. That was three days ago.”
I…I what?!
(Past: Six months previously) Shen Yuan wakes up in a completely different xianxia world.
Notes:
Pronunciation Guide for non-Chinese speakers:
SHANG QINGHUA: Shhahnn Ching-hoo-ah
QI RONG: Chee RohneIf any of these pronunciations are incorrect, let me know so I can fix them. I am not fluent in Chinese, although I have started learning it!
Chapter Text
Shen Yuan didn’t remember dying.
His whole life, he had walked the edge of death. He hadn’t expected to live past eighteen, so when that birthday came and went, he had been surprised, but not hopeful.
He hadn’t expected to live past twenty. Then it became twenty-two. He never truly expected he would live long; his health was deteriorating, and got worse every year. His family had forced smiles on their faces every time they lit candles on his birthday cake, even as he knew, just as they knew, that birthday could very well be his last.
And then, it was his last.
At the crisp age of twenty-three, a year after his (third) expected demise, he did die. He had been rushed to the hospital after having a massive seizure, yet nothing could be done. He passed in the hospital room where his sister Shen Xue had been tearfully reading passages to him from his favorite web novel, Proud Immortal Demon Way .
He couldn’t die any faster, really. Really, Xue? That’s the book you chose to read to me in my last moments? Disrespectful, quite honestly.
There was endless darkness, and he floated, listening as she sobbed next to him, clutching her laptop. The girl was still reading to him!
He couldn’t technically speak, but in his irritation, he spat, “Dumbfuck author, dumbfuck novel!”
From the darkness around him, a mechanical voice startled him.
[ Activation code: “Dumbfuck author, dumbfuck novel.” System automatically triggered. ]
The tone reminded him of Google Translate.
“Who is this?”
The voice came from all directions.
[ Welcome to the System. This System operates— ]
The mechanical voice cut off, and there was a loud, horrible grinding of what sounded like metal machinery malfunctioning. Shen Yuan flinched involuntarily. He couldn’t escape the sound, as it was echoing all around him.
[ Welcome to the Syste—Welcome to the System. This—Welcome to the System. This System operates in line with the design—Welcome. ]
“What the FUCK is going on?!” Shen Yuan yelled.
Abruptly, the grinding sounds dissipated. Shen Yuan removed the palms from his ears (not that it had helped, anyway) and looked around the darkness cautiously.
The Google Translate voice spoke again, this time without any issue.
[ Welcome to the System. Apologies, valued user, for that interruption. This scheduled programming has experienced a data crash. The planned vessel “Shen Qingqiu”, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak, has been canceled due to termination. Rerouting… ]
…Shen Yuan was no longer floating.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying in a comfortable bed, wearing loose, period-dated white robes. He appeared to be in a well-decorated, expensive room. Although, he was alone.
Sitting up, he grimaced and clutched his head as he was hit with dull pangs. “Ouch.”
Right after he said that, the door opened, and Shen Yuan leaped back in the bed, his back hitting the wall, as a creature of horrifying appearance walked in. The creature was slightly hunched, its lower jaw separated and hanging down by a singular part of the corner of its mandible, its teeth black and rotten, black drool oozing from its gaping maw, missing one of its eyes, the other eye dangling out of its socket, and yet…
Was it wearing a servant’s uniform?
Shen Yuan said nothing, petrified, as the creature shambled towards him. He pressed so hard against the wall that the pressure was beginning to hurt his back.
The creature stopped in front of the bed and reached its arms out…
A steaming cup of tea was now offered to Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan stared at the cup of tea and the creature holding it out to him. Bewildered, he peeled himself off the wall and reached a hand out to take it. “I…um…”
The…servant reached a mangled, fleshy hand up to its jaw and pushed it up. He spoke slowly, moving his jaw to enunciate each word. “Chengzhu…will…be…here…soon…”
Shen Yuan was at a loss. “…Chengzhu?”
The servant had dropped its jaw back and didn’t give him another backward glance before he left the room. Shen Yuan clutched the teacup, his mind racing.
Okay… he must have transmigrated. That was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with. He had transmigrated into a strange xianxia world. One where apparently creepy ghouls doubled as servants and served tea.
He felt very, very nervous. He had no idea where he was or what to expect, and by the time his door opened again, his tea had gone cold.
The most beautiful man Shen Yuan had ever seen walked into his room, and he inadvertently almost fell backward on the bed. The man wore pristine white robes with a bamboo hat slung behind him, his long, black hair mostly loose around his shoulders, and a gentle smile on his pretty face.
Shen Yuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Never before had he seen a person so impossibly attractive! It was unfair!
“Hello, my name’s Xie Lian. You crashed through the roof of Ghost City’s Gambler’s Den and we brought you here to make sure you made a full recovery. That was three days ago.”
I…I what?!
Shen Yuan must have had quite the expression on his face, because Xie Lian made a pacifying gesture with his hands and said, “I know it’s a lot to take in. Where did you come from? Hua Cheng hasn’t seen you around before.”
“I…” He blinked at Xie Lian a few times, rubbing the top of his head. “I remember…dying.”
“Ah.” Xie Lian took on a sympathetic expression, sitting on the edge of the bed. He stayed silent for a moment, then said, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Ah, well…” Shen Yuan coughed and looked away from him. “It wasn’t anything…spectacular. I’d expected it for a long time. I was sick.”
Xie Lian nodded. “I understand. Well…if you need more time, you’re welcome to stay here.”
He didn’t know what he “needed more time” for, but he gave the man a grateful look anyway. “I appreciate that. I have no idea what to do now. I didn’t even expect to get a second chance.”
Xie Lian gave him a curious look at his last words. “A second chance…well, in a way, I suppose you’re right. What’s your name?”
“Shen Yuan. What do you mean by ‘in a way?’”
Before Xie Lian could reply, there was a loud grinding noise that had Shen Yuan hunch over and place his palms over his ears, wincing. The grinding noise was achingly familiar.
[ Activating… ]
“Shen Yuan? Are you alright?” Xie Lian looked at him, alarmed.
[ Warning! OO—Warnin—Warning! ]
Shen Yuan groaned. “You don’t hear that?”
[ Hello, the System has entere—Hello—Warning! ]
“What’s going on, gege?”
“I don’t know. We were having a conversation when he suddenly seemed to be in a lot of pain…”
Shen Yuan pulled the palms from his eyes, trying to ignore the strange grinding noise. Xie Lian was now standing a few feet away from the bed, concern stitched on his features, and behind him stood a taller, imposing figure in red. This man was as handsome as Xie Lian was beautiful, with long black hair and a small braid tied with a red bead at the end, and he wore an eyepatch over his right eye. A wicked-looking scimitar hung at his waist with an eyeball towards the hilt, seemingly staring right at Shen Yuan.
Everything about him screamed “I’m dangerous! Don’t mess with me!”
Seeing that he had dropped his hands and was looking at the two of them, Xie Lian cleared his throat lightly. “Are you alright? What happened?”
The screeching made it hard for him to concentrate, and he squinted at him. “I’m…I don’t actually know. If you can’t hear it…” He grimaced. “Something is being very loud in my head. And it keeps making odd statements…it doesn’t finish them either.”
As if on queue… [ Hello! Warning!—The System has entered— ] And on and on.
The taller man narrowed his eye at him and crossed his arms. “How long has it been since you died?”
Shen Yuan was taken aback. He glanced at Xie Lian. “You said…three days I’ve been here?” Xie Lian nodded. “In that case…unless I lost any of my memory, I’d say around then.”
“This is an adjustment phase, as a new ghost,” the man in red told him. “How we feel, how the environment reacts to us is completely different from what you’re going to be used to as a human. Especially if you have powers, they might just be surfacing as well. Were you a cultivator?”
Abruptly the grinding stopped. Shen Yuan, however, didn’t react to the sudden relief, his eyes fixed on the man. “What did you call me?”
The corner of the man’s mouth twitched upwards. “A ghost. You are aware you’re still dead, right?”
Shen Yuan laughed. It didn’t sound convincing. “A ghost? No, surely I just transmigrated…” he trailed off when he saw neither of them were laughing. Xie Lian looked sympathetic, the other man amused.
“You aren’t breathing, if you haven’t noticed. Isn’t that interesting?”
“San Lang, be easy on him,” Xie Lian scolded. He turned his sympathetic smile on Shen Yuan. “I know it’s a lot to take in at first. San Lang…ah, Hua Cheng, I mean. He is also a ghost. In fact, he’s the ruler of Ghost City. We’re currently in Paradise Manor, his personal residence.”
“ Our residence, gege,” Hua Cheng corrected with a smirk, causing Xie Lian’s cheeks to tint pink.
Shen Yuan pinched himself on the forearm, his eyes wide. Hua Cheng caught the movement and laughed, shaking his head and turning away from him.
“If you want some advice, ghostie,” he said over his shoulder, “I’d go have a conversation with the boss of the Gambler’s Den. He might have an idea what you’re going through right now.”
After taking a few hours to calm down, Shen Yuan decided to take Hua Cheng’s advice. Which is how he ended up standing in front of the gigantic red building known as the Gambler’s Den.
This building was extraordinary in its grand and imposing style: its columns, roofs, walls, and everything were painted a magnificent bright red, and the floors were covered in thick, exquisite carpet. Crowds flowed in and out of the doors, and loud, excited voices boomed from the inside—very lively.
On the two pillars at the entrance was a set of couplets whose calligraphy was wild, clumsy, and frenzied. The left said “Money Over Life,” and the right said “Gains Over Shame.” On the top horizontal beam, it said “HA HA HA HA.”
Shen Yuan had never been in a gambler’s den; his health had never truly allowed him much freedom, and his family was rich. What use was gambling if you had money already? He supposed there could be a thrill to it, of course, but he never understood the appeal.
Still…he strode inside the building.
In the main hall of the Gambler’s Den, the crowd was packed in from wall to wall. Innumerable heads were moving, and laughter and desperate cries alike choked the air. Shen Yuan immediately felt overwhelmed, but he shoved the feeling down, crossing his arms in a vain attempt to keep to his bubble.
He had only taken a few steps into the crowd when a man in a laughing mask stepped in his way. “Gongzi, do you need any help? I’ve never seen you in our establishment before.”
Shen Yuan looked at him, bewildered. “What? Oh, no—I’m not here to gamble. I’m—”
He was interrupted when some patrons nearby turned to him from their nearby games, laughing loudly, and one of them cackled, “Not here to gamble? You came to the wrong buildin’ then, ‘ya passed the one o’er by the boar. The beauty salon !”
They all roared with laughter, and Shen Yuan’s ears turned pink. He looked at the attendant helplessly. “Um…I just need to speak to the boss of this place.”
It was impossible to tell what the man’s expression was beneath the mask. “All good, gongzi. Ignore them—they couldn’t tell what’s up from what’s down with how much they’ve had to drink. You want to speak to the boss? Very well. Come this way.”
The attendant led him through the crowd with ease, ignoring the rambunctious behavior around them. Shen Yuan kept a curious, wary eye on the patrons around him.
Inside and out, the Gambler’s Den was exceedingly extravagant and stylish but not at all tacky; it was a building rich with taste. The attendant brought Shen Yuan to the very back of the main hall to a long table that was packed like sardines with guests. Behind the long table was a screen curtain.
“The boss sits behind there most of the time,” the attendant told Shen Yuan, pointing at the screen curtain. “He took over the establishment from Chengzhu a few years ago.”
As they approached the screen curtain, Shen Yuan was beginning to feel more and more apprehensive. Why exactly had Hua Cheng wanted him to meet with the boss of Gambler's Den? He hadn’t exactly seemed as if he actually cared about Shen Yuan’s wellbeing.
“Boss, this gongzi wants to speak to you.”
“Alright. Send him in.”
The attendant obediently guided Shen Yuan behind the screen curtain. There was a handsome, proper-looking man (or, what appeared to be a man…Shen Yuan wasn’t sure anymore who was ghost and who was human) with mousy-brown hair, round cheeks, and ornate blue robes accented with black with silver detailing.
Despite the quality of his robes and the innocence of his good looks, he had a nervous quality about him, like a rat venturing out from a hole.
He was peering at Shen Yuan impassively and seemed to be waiting for him to speak first. Shen Yuan crossed his arms again and decided to just throw it all out there from the get-go. “Hello…your Chengzhu told me I should speak to you. I recently became a ghost, I’m actually not from this world originally. I—”
The boss sat forward when he heard “not from this world originally”, his eyes lighting up. “Wait. You’re not from this world?”
“Nope.”
With a huge smile, the boss leaned back in his cushions and patted the spot next to him. “Why don’t you tell me all about it, ge?”
With a bemused expression, Shen Yuan sat next to him. “Alright. Well, I’m originally from a world called Earth—”
“NO FUCKING WAY! That’s where I’m from too!”
“Look man, I already told you, that sort of shit just doesn’t sell.”
Shen Yuan rolled the die between his fingers before flipping it into his palm. Four. “It was a waste of what could have been an amazing story. You’re just a coward.”
“I had bills to pay, dude. Not all of my fans were as rabid about lore like you were. They wanted naked ladies. I had to give it to them.”
Shen Yuan’s face twisted as he glanced at the boss of Gambler’s Den, Shang Qinghua. “See, even now. You had to make it a stupid joke.”
“Says the guy that called himself Peerless Cucumber .”
“You weren’t any better bro!”
Both ghosts were lounging on the cushions behind the screen curtain of the Gambler’s Den. Shen Yuan had begun to routinely visit him at least once every few days, outside of the exploration he had been doing of Ghost City. He hadn’t seen Hua Cheng outside of the first interaction they had, but he did see Xie Lian every day, as he was still staying at their Paradise Manor.
It had already been a few weeks since he had found himself in a completely new world and discovered he was an undead ghost. He had spent so much of his mortal life reading about the cultivation world, and he had always dreamt of having spiritual qi and riding on his sword like distinguished cultivators did.
Now he had demonic qi (not much of it to write home about, either), was immortal (in the sense of living for eternity, not immune to death—well, second death), and never needed to eat or sleep (he still indulged in both occasionally, however) ever again. It was…different from what he would have wanted when reading xianxia novels.
He should have been ecstatic. Shang Qinghua was. But he was now facing the opposite of what he had dealt with his entire mortal life. He had expected to die and move on to the afterlife. Now he essentially was living forever.
He had no idea what he was going to do now. He had never thought that far ahead.
“My username was a work of art,” Shang Qinghua drawled, sprinkling some melon seeds in his mouth. Chewing, he added, “Ya’ know, being the boss of a gambler’s den is cool and all, but I really do miss writing. I was thinking of starting it up again. You think people would read texts written by an author called ‘Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky?’”
“Fuck outta here. Why am I here?”
Their conversation was interrupted when one of Shang Qinghua’s attendants stepped up to the screen curtain. “Boss, Chengzhu and Dianxia are both here and want to speak to you and gongzi.” Shang Qinghua leapt to his feet immediately, his face whitening at the mention of his boss.
Shen Yuan felt apprehensive, but also stood to his feet. The attendant led the two of them through the crowd, guests barely giving them a second glance since, at the same time, a person completely covered in white gauze, like a mummy, screamed and raced for the exit. “NO! I CAN’T! IT’S WRONG!”
He raced out the doors, past the other attendants who had begun chasing him, still screaming his head off, echoing down the endless street of Ghost City. Evidently, he had made a bet and lost.
Shang Qinghua shook his head. “They never learn.”
The three of them arrived at the front doors and watched as the man collided directly into Hua Cheng.
“He’s definitely dead now,” Shang Qinghua added.
Although a large man had just slammed straight into him, Hua Cheng didn’t budge. He looked cool and collected as he gripped the screaming man by the back of his collar and lifted him up. “Any last words?”
The man abruptly stopped screaming. Then he fell to the ground in a heap. Hua Cheng didn’t give him another glance as he stepped over him and strode to them.
“I thought you said Xie Lian was here too,” Shen Yuan said to the assistant, curious.
“His Highness had an urgent matter to attend to,” Hua Cheng drawled, overhearing. He came to a stop in front of them. “He’ll be joining us later.” He waved his arm expectantly and began walking down the street, clearly anticipating them to follow. They did.
Shen Yuan, at this point, had learned that the insanely beautiful Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of a long-dead kingdom. He hadn’t been very surprised—the Prince always radiated a sense of grace and wisdom that he assumed only royalty could convey. He himself, of course, had been the third son of a wealthy family, but he didn’t pretend to know up from down when it came to his demeanor. After all, he had spent most of his mortal life wasting away from multiple diseases and issues while playing video games and reading terrible web novels all day. And now he was making friends with the author of one of them while living in the world of what could have been a terrible web novel.
At least Proud Immortal Demon Way wasn’t actually real. He doubted he would have lived long in that setting.
He had been surprised to learn that Xie Lian was a god. That revelation had nearly made him spit his drink out when Shang Qinghua had told him. I have tea with a god every day! What the fuck!
Gods, he had learned, were actually called “heavenly officials” in this world. He hadn’t met any other heavenly officials as of yet, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to change that. Xie Lian was exceptionally kind, but he had heard from Shang Qinghua that was not the norm for the gods. And most people, actually. Apparently, heavenly officials typically didn’t get along so well with ghosts anyways. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were an enormous exception, and one that wasn’t widely approved of. Simply tolerated.
The thought of the couple as he followed Hua Cheng further down the street made him consider his own romantic prospects. During his mortal life—gods, it was still weird thinking of it that way—he had gone on dates, for sure, but had never fully taken it seriously due to his failing health. He didn’t want to make anyone a widow before he passed. Not that he even thought he would make it to a wedding. Living to twenty-three had been surprising enough.
Still…he might be a ghost now but he essentially had all the right…parts. His body was mostly unchanged, which seemed to be an exception amongst ghosts, as from what he had observed, most of them had distinguishing features that defined them as undead. He wryly thought of the servant that helped him at Paradise Mansion.
“Alright, get inside,” Hua Cheng ordered, and Shen Yuan blinked, refocusing on the present.
They had made their way back to Paradise Mansion. He supposed that was to be predicted. Hua Cheng did most of his business here at his residence or at Gambler’s Den. The latter is less frequent now, though.
Inside, he led the two of them to his office and closed the door behind him. “Sit.” Shang Qinghua immediately sat, sweat beaded on his temple, and Shen Yuan followed suit.
Hua Cheng looked at Shen Yuan first. “I know we have not been as closely acquainted, but His Highness and I wanted to offer you a position as a part of my staff.” It could not have been more clear this was Xie Lian’s doing, not Hua Cheng, but Shen Yuan said nothing as he continued, “This position is essentially to assist Xie Lian and I with missions outside of Ghost City.”
Shen Yuan asked dubiously, “Why would you want me to go with you? I have no experience with my powers or, well, basically anything.”
Hua Cheng looked as if he agreed, but replied, “His Highness has been getting to know you recently. His Highness likes you. He wants you to learn and gain experience. These missions are training.”
“Oh.” Shen Yuan guessed he had been wondering what he would do now that he was immortal. Hesitantly, he said, “In that case, yes. I accept.”
Shang Qinghua gave him a concerned look but said nothing. Hua Cheng turned to him. “And you’re going with him.”
“What? Why ?”
Hua Cheng looked at him coolly. Shang Qinghua threw his hands up hastily and added, “Sorry, yes, of course I’ll go. What about Gambler’s Den?”
“I’m still the master of Ghost City,” Hua Cheng said, his tone definitely cold now. “I can handle Gambler’s Den. Xie Lian can explain to you both the details of the mission. He should be back any moment.” He stood up and gestured to the door.
They waited near the front entrance of Paradise Manor, ignoring the pretty, barefooted women dancing nearby and singing. They seemed intent on ignoring them too, at least.
“You didn’t even ask about pay,” Shang Qinghua muttered to him, crossing his arms. “You just instantly accepted the job.” There was a distinct note of judgment in his voice.
“He said Xie Lian wanted to help me learn. I don’t see anyone else offering to do that. If I’m going to be a ghost I might as well not be a shitty one.”
“You’re going to be a shitty ghost regardless if you train or not, I hate to break it to you.”
“I really don’t know why I'm hanging out with you.”
“You’re stuck with me now. Too late to back out.”
“I think it’s just because you’re the only person I know from home. If I found anyone else, I’d be gone in an instant.”
Their bickering stopped short when Xie Lian walked through the doors. He was dressed in the same outfit as he had when meeting Shen Yuan, except his usually pristine, white robes now had smudges of dirt and—was that blood?
He gave them a somewhat solemn wave. “Shang Qinghua, Shen Yuan, I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
“It wasn’t a problem,” Shen Yuan said with a polite smile. “Hua Cheng told us you had a mission for us?”
“Yes, that’s right. We shouldn’t speak here, though. Come with me and I’ll tell you the details as we walk.”
He led them through the twists and turns of the palace—areas Shen Yuan had not perused yet—before stopping in front of a set of doors. A statue of a wily, beautiful woman stood in front of the door, holding a jaded plate. Xie Lian pulled out two dice from his lapels. With a smile, he tossed the dice onto the jaded plate.
Two sixes. Xie Lian exhaled softly. “Even though I borrowed some of San Lang’s luck, I still get worried.”
Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan exchanged a look but said nothing. Xie Lian pushed the door open and walked inside. They followed apprehensively.
Inside was a long tunnel stretching through a cave. Torches were dimly lit, flickering slightly as a cool breeze blew past, causing Shen Yuan to shiver as they passed. The door ominously shut behind them with a resounding bang .
Xie Lian looked back at them as they walked, the tunnel slowly arching downwards. The torches cast an orange glow across his perfect face. “Now that we’re away from curious ears, allow me to explain. You both know of the Four Calamities. Hua Cheng is one of them. He is known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower. One of the Calamities is sealed below Tonglu Mountain…he was the Heavenly Emperor for over a thousand years, named Jun Wu.
The third Calamity is known as a Supreme ghost called He Xuan. He…has had a…complicated history with the heavens. He’s otherwise known as Black Water. His whereabouts are also unknown, and he isn’t the reason we’re going on this mission. The Fourth Calamity, Qi Rong, is our mission.”
Shen Yuan said, “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of the Calamities. But…what exactly is a Supreme? I haven’t heard that mentioned before.”
In regard to the monsters, demons, and ghosts that caused great turmoil within the Mortal Realm, the Palace of Ling Wen (the foremost civil goddess of the heavens) had categorized them based on their abilities. The ranks were as follows: fierce, malice, wrath, and supreme.
A “fierce” murdered one, a “malice” could murder a sect, a “wrath” could slaughter an entire city. As for the most fearsome “supremes,” once they were born into this world, they were destined to bring ruin to nations and people and complete disorder everywhere.
There were only three known Supremes left in this world: Hua Cheng, Black Water, and the imprisoned Jun Wu.
“Does that make me a fierce rank, then?” he asked after Xie Lian finished explaining.
Shang Qinghua nodded silently as Xie Lian said, “Yes, but only because your powers haven’t truly been revealed yet. You don’t have much demonic qi that I can sense, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow in strength. I wanted you along for this mission so you can try and delve into those powers.”
“What about you?” Shen Yuan asked Shang Qinghua.
“I don’t have much power either.”
At this point, they had been walking through the caves for quite a while, and up ahead they could see, highlighted by the glow of a torch, a kneeling statue of…was that Xie Lian? Said heavenly official shook his head, disappointed. “He doesn’t change.”
There was nothing behind the statue except the jagged wall of the cave. Shen Yuan frowned, confused. “It’s a dead end?”
“I doubt it,” Xie Lian said. “I’m sure the answer has to do with this statue.” He crouched beside the statue, placing a hand above its bowed back. “…I’m not sensing any demonic qi, but best to be on our guard.”
“Your Highness,” Shang Qinghua said, “Why exactly are we looking for Qi Rong? What happened?” Shen Yuan had wondered this too.
Xie Lian cautiously ran a hand over the statue as he spoke. “Qi Rong…well, he isn’t a Supreme, as I said. But he does cause a lot of trouble, and…well, he’s my cousin. He’s a despicable person but some part of me will always feel responsible for him…I guess.” It was the most uncertain he had heard of Xie Lian.
“Anyway, he somehow managed to capture another heavenly official recently. This is a rescue mission.”
Being able to capture a god…and he wasn’t even a Supreme? Maybe he had underestimated Qi Rong. He was one of the Four Calamities.
“Any heavenly officials I know?” Shang Qinghua asked. He shot Shen Yuan a look as he did so, mirth in his eyes even as his expression was carefully neutral.
Xie Lian looked up, apologetic. “I’m sorry, it’s classified. I can bring you both but I can’t divulge too much information.” Both of them shrugged.
“Your Highness,” Shen Yuan said as a thought struck him, “I know you want me to learn how to use my powers, but you’re…well, obviously…not a ghost. How do you plan on teaching me? Is Hua Cheng going to be joining us?”
“Not for now,” Xie Lian replied absentmindedly, then looked pleased as a faint click sounded. “Ah, finally. Of course, he hid the button there…”
The stone wall began to lift up towards the roof into a hidden slot, making an unpleasant grinding noise. It gave Shen Yuan deja vu, goosebumps on his arms as he remembered the System. He was very grateful it had not reappeared since that first day.
Beyond the now-open wall was a large clearing, faint torchlight flickering throughout. They could hear the sounds of high-pitched laughter. “HA HA HA HA HA! YOU THINK SOMEONE WILL COME AND SAVE YOU? YOU’RE A DUMBASS! WORTHLESS GOD TRASH! HA HA HA HA!”
Xie Lian sighed. He looked at Shen Yuan, evidently tuning out the crazed ghost in the distance. “Anyway…I’ve been married to the most powerful Supreme ghost for decades. I can help you, don’t worry. I wouldn’t have brought you along otherwise. Shang Qinghua, the same goes for you.”
“I know how to use my powers,” Shang Qinghua interjected, voice small. “I just don’t have a lot…”
Xie Lian cleared his throat lightly. “Mm. Of course.”
The three of them began walking towards the sound of the yelling. Qi Rong was gleeful in his taunts, his maniacal voice echoing throughout the large chamber.
“HOW DO I KNOW NO ONE IS COMING? YOU’RE STUPID! AN IDIOT! THIS IS THE CALIBER OF GODS THEY HAVE NOW? HA HA HA HA! MY USELESS TRASH COUSIN WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO GET THAT DOOR OPEN! HA HA HA!”
“He is very loud,” Shen Yuan remarked.
Another sigh. “He’s been like that since we were young.”
“What exactly did you have to…” Shang Qinghua hesitantly began asking, but the heavenly official flushed and shook his head, causing the shorter man to fall silent with a cough.
“Doesn’t matter,” Xie Lian said quickly. “He just thinks he knows me too well. Now, Shen Yuan…I want you to close your eyes and feel out the energy within you…you can hold Shang Qinghua’s hand while we walk, don’t worry.”
Shang Qinghua wiggled his eyebrows at him at the suggestion, holding his hand out. Shen Yuan sighed but took it, clutching a little tighter than was necessary as he closed his eyes.
“...Ouch. Does he have to hold my hand?” he whined to Xie Lian, who laughed softly.
Shen Yuan focused on cultivating his energy as they made their way closer to Qi Rong. His obscene yelling hadn’t stopped the entire time. He didn’t enjoy being blinded when there were enemies around, especially a homicidal insane Calamity whose throat never seemed to get hoarse, but he listened to Xie Lian as the heavenly official quietly instructed him on how to harness his qi.
“‘Oy! BOSS, INTRUDERS!”
Shen Yuan snapped his eyes open as Shang Qinghua yanked him forward, following Xie Lian closely as he led the way deeper.
“WHO? WHO’S THERE? COUSIN CROWN PRINCE?! NO FUCKING WAY! YOU’RE HERE?! SHIT!”
In the deepest part of the clearing, a pale, skinny ghost stood waving his hands frantically in front of him. He had long black hair that kept falling in front of his angular face. He was handsome in a “run far away” kind of way, and Shen Yuan’s first impression upon seeing him was of a praying mantis. He had a crazed expression on his face.
Behind Qi Rong was a battered-looking wooden cage, barely large enough to fit the exasperated-looking person inside. Several of Qi Rong’s ghosts stood nearby clutching various weapons and eying the three of them warily.
“Shen Yuan, direct your qi and force it outwards, concentrating on what you want to do with it.”
“SHUT UP! You fucker! Why did you come?! Wait—DID YOU TOUCH THE STATUE? You pervert! PERVERT! PERVERT! Out of anyone I never expected YOU to—”
Xie Lian waved his hand and the ghost flew back, smashing into the wooden cage. He looked at Qi Rong, weary. “Don’t you ever get tired of speaking all this nonsense?”
Qi Rong spluttered against the wooden cage, his face red with rage. “You just wait! Mount Tonglu will open again and I, Night Touring Green Lantern, will become a supreme! HA HA HA! You will be fucked!”
“Mount Tonglu won’t open again,” Xie Lian said. “It can’t anymore.”
Shen Yuan, who had been concentrating on focusing his qi as Xie Lian had said, finally waved a hand and a sharp wind knocked Qi Ring away from the cage and against the hard wall of the cave with a loud splat . His eyes widened.
“Great job,” Xie Lian praised him. “Can you try and open the cage holding our friend there?”
It took a moment, and then the cage burst open, showering the area with wooden splinters. The ghosts near the cage had been rushing them with their weapons raised when they were suddenly covered head-to-toe and fell over. The heavenly official inside the cage was untouched. He stood to his feet. He was tall and handsome, with long black hair tied in a ponytail and flowing dark blue robes.
“…Thank you.”
Qi Rong had gone silent, and Shen Yuan wondered if he had passed out. Xie Lian strode to the other heavenly official and began untying his wrists, of which some strange golden thread was looped. It must be enchanted to block the powers of whoever it had bound.
“What exactly happened?” Xie Lian asked, his tone polite, pulling the thread away and pocketing it. He went to check on Qi Rong as the heavenly official rubbed his wrists, a grumpy expression on his handsome face.
“…I don’t want to talk about it right now. Can we just take Green Ghost and get out of here?”
Chapter 3: 3: (Back to Present) Bingge POV
Summary:
“We can’t possibly defeat Bingge!” The other cultivator’s wail echoed from the back.
Luo Binghe finally finds Shen Yuan.
...Things go to shit.
Notes:
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Back to the present, whoop whoop!
Also, in this fic, Shen Yuan is going to be a bit on the..."darker" side. As in, he hangs out with ghost crowds (he is a ghost after all), gambles, drinks, etc...yes he even has some piercings! (not facial though, I don't think it'd be his style) After all, he is working with/for Hua Cheng and he lives in Ghost City. That's part of the reason I have the tag #Demon Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu.
Chapter Text
Stepping through the spatial rift, Luo Binghe found himself standing in the middle of a road surrounded by a forest, the moon high in the sky and shining an eerie yellow light. He looked down both sides of the street, his brow creasing. There was absolutely nothing nearby except for the empty road he stood on.
He forgoed sheathing Xin Mo. From the moment he stepped through the rift, he knew this was not his world but a different cultivation world—there was lingering demonic and spiritual energy near where he stood, leading off into the forest. The combination made him wary.
Luo Binghe was grateful the array had worked. While he had hoped Shen Yuan would still be alive, and had just transmigrated somewhere—just as the other Shen Yuan had transmigrated into Shen Qingqiu—a small part of him had been uncertain about what to expect. Now that it was confirmed his future husband was here, in this world…
Straightening his back, he set off into the forest, following the demonic and spiritual energy. At first, he had been troubled at the thought that there might potentially be another heavenly demon in this world. He might be the only heavenly demon in the world he had conquered, but that didn’t have to be true for other worlds. His brows knit together as he clutched Xin Mo harder, the demonic qi seeming to shudder within the ancient blade, aching to be released.
The demonic and spiritual energies didn’t seem to be from the same character, as far as he could tell now. So, worrying about another heavenly demon (at least, for now) didn’t seem to be productive.
As he continued forward, with his sharp hearing he began to hear in the distance what sounded like…
Was that the sound of drunken laughter and music?
Why would Shen Yuan have gone here? He hadn’t seemed like that kind of person from what Luo Binghe could tell of his life on Earth, and of the Shen Qingqiu he had met. Unless…maybe he had been kidnapped…by a demon? Something with evil, demonic qi. After all, why else would there be pure, spiritual energy alongside it? He must have been dragged out here for some unknown reason.
Luo Binghe frowned, feeling concerned, and hurried his footsteps even more. He couldn’t let anything happen to Shen Yuan. He had already found his ashes in another world; he didn’t want him to die, again . His hand unconsciously touched the small vase in his robes at the thought.
He was still far away. He couldn’t even see where the music and drunken laughter were coming from. It gradually became louder as he rushed ahead, clenching Xin Mo in a white-knuckled fist.
Far sooner than he normally would have arrived, he came to a stop a good distance away from a large inn ahead of him.
There were a few characters lounging around the entrance, unknown bottles swinging from their hands. Some were lying down, unmoving, while others were tumultuously singing, belching every once in a while. Most of them reeked of booze and there was sporadic hiccuping.
One of them seemed to spot Luo Binghe rooted to the spot. “‘Oy, what’cha doing standin’ ov’r there?” His words were slurred so heavily Luo Binghe could barely make out what he was saying. “‘Ya missed all the fun. ‘Urry, ‘urry, there might— hick— be some left!”
What was going on? What…what had Shen Yuan gotten himself dragged into?
Ignoring the people sprawled in front, the one nearby still squinting at him, he strolled to the door of the inn and shoved it open. The stink of alcohol was even stronger inside, and his boot landed on something with a distinct crunch . He looked down. It was a singular die.
Many more people than should be acceptable were all inside the inn, some slumped over each other, others snoozing face-planted on the floor. The smell of demonic qi was so strong that Luo Binghe wanted to pinch his nostrils shut. Ignoring the overwhelming scent, he stepped amongst the bodies and limbs before freezing, his eyes locked on a few people in front of them.
Yes, he had definitely stumbled into some nefarious demonic den. Some of these people weren’t people—they were demons and ghosts! He pointed his sword at the ghoul in front of him, inhaling sharply. “Where is Shen Yuan?”
The ghoul was half-awake, its half-drooping face sluggishly turning to look up at the intruder to find a black, terrifying-looking sword point aimed right between his eyes. With a barely audible gulp, he felt as if the liquor evaporated from his system immediately as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, his hands going into the air.
“What did His Lord want?” he asked, his voice an octave higher than usual, his words shaky with fear—not booze.
Luo Binghe was very low on patience. “Shen Yuan. This Lord has been searching for him. His trail goes straight here.”
The ghoul blinked. “What do you want with Shen-jun?”
Luo Binghe was expressionless at the honorific. “This Lord has no reason to share his business with the likes of you,” he said coldly to the ghoul. “Tell this Lord where he is and your suffering will be kept at a minimum.”
The ghoul was shaking. “No, Xianjun, please!”
Luo Binghe moved to press the point of his sword into the ghoul’s face when the sword was abruptly flicked out of his hand and stabbed into the far wall, an inch above a passed-out demon. He lifted furious eyes and was momentarily stunned.
Although the person in front of him was obviously inebriated, his stunningly beautiful face was cold, his dark green eyes fixed on Luo Binghe. He had silky black hair that must typically fall to his shoulders but at the moment was in a loose ponytail, the hairstyle somewhat messy and uneven. He wore elegant white and teal robes, slightly wrinkled—probably from his activities here at the inn—and the top of his head went to the bottom of Luo Binghe’s chin. Jade and black jewelry was running along his ears, some of it dangling. Something dark was peeking out of his robes on the left side of his slender neck. His facial features…he looked like he would have been a blood relative of Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Yuan.
He was pulling the ghoul back from Luo Binghe, his sharp eyes flickering over his figure. He sounded guarded as he said, “You…who the hell do you think you are?”
Luo Binghe understood something, then. Shen Yuan was not in danger of these demons. In fact, he seemed to be…in charge? He was pulling the ghoul back protectively, and…he had also flicked Xin Mo out of Luo Binghe’s hand, much, much easier than he should have, if he had transmigrated into a human cultivator, like Shen Qingqiu.
Also…if he had transmigrated, why did he still look similar to Shen Qingqiu? Did this world have its own version of Shen Qingqiu, and he had transmigrated into him? Then again…he seemed to still go by Shen Yuan. Luo Binghe was at a loss. And Shen Yuan was still backing away from him with the ghoul.
He cleared his throat. “This Lord apologizes for threatening your…subordinate.”
Shen Yuan was aggrieved. “He’s not my subordinate! But, who are you? Why did you suddenly come in and start attacking everyone?”
“This Lord was looking for you.”
Shen Yuan had pulled the ghoul behind him. He crossed his arms, looking cautious. “Why me? Who are you? ”
“My name is—”
“Bro!” Another cultivator had appeared behind Shen Yuan, seemingly from the kitchens, interrupting Luo Binghe. He looked terrified. “That’s—that’s Bingge!”
Shen Yuan stumbled backward a step. “ What? Luo Binghe?! I thought you said he wasn’t real!”
Luo Binghe narrowed his eyes, and the corner of his lips downturned. “How could this Lord not be real? Who is this? ”
“Don’t answer him,” the other cultivator said hurriedly to Shen Yuan, who had opened his mouth. “I doubt he’s here for any good reasons! He’s after you! ”
“Why the hell would he be after me?!” Shen Yuan said, a touch of panic in his tone. He looked all around at the slumbering, drunken ghosts. “What the fuck did I do?!”
“I don’t know! We need to get out of here!”
Luo Binghe tried to interrupt at that moment, but the other cultivator shoved Shen Yuan, hard, toward the back where he had come from. Shen Yuan let his… friend? …push him to the back. “What about the others!”
“We can’t possibly defeat Bingge!” The other cultivator’s wail echoed from the back. Luo Binghe began running after them, feeling extremely irritated. “They’re dead anyways if he’s here! What did you do , Cucumber-bro?!”
“ I! Don’t! Know! ”
Luo Binghe lifted a hand as he raced for the back of the inn and Xin Mo flew into his hand. He would murder that other cultivator. He had come and ruined everything . Luo Binghe hadn’t even had a chance to explain why he was looking for Shen Yuan! Now he thought Luo Binghe was after him, and not the good kind of “after him!”
He didn’t want to chase them down but had no choice. The other cultivator had convinced Shen Yuan that Luo Binghe was there for nefarious reasons. He doubted he would stop and let him explain.
And what had he been doing with a bunch of demons, anyway?!
The two cultivators were racing deeper into the forest, but their steps were stumbling slightly. Ah, right. Both of them were stinking of booze—he doubted they would even be able to run very long. As he ran, he hesitantly sheathed Xin Mo, not wanting them to have more of a reason to fear him racing after them.
“Wait!” He tried calling after them. “This Lord just wants to talk to Shen Yuan!”
They were racing far faster than he had expected but he was still gaining on them. Then he heard Shen Yuan in the distance say, “Yes, Your Highness, he’s after us right now! Okay, okay, yes Airplane, after me , apparently. He threatened one of the ghosts and—”
He stumbled and face-planted in the dirt. Shang Qinghua did not stop for him, yelling behind him, “I’m sorry, Shen Yuan! I don’t want to be a stick!”
Luo Binghe caught up to him as he was trying to push himself off the ground. His movements seemed heavy. Luo Binghe caught his wrist before he could reach inside his robes. His wrist was cold.
Panting slightly, Luo Binghe said, “Will you not hear what I have to say?!”
Shen Yuan looked up at him with his beautiful, scared face. “I—uh—I swear I didn’t mean to do—whatever I did! I—I—don’t think I’ve even met you before! What—what do you even want with me?! I—”
Luo Binghe yanked him to his feet. He opened his mouth, but then a surge of powerful spiritual qi flooded the area around him like a blanket, and the fingers he had gripping Shen Yuan’s wrist became searing hot. Cursing, he dropped Shen Yuan’s hand, but then reached out for him again, feeling panicked. “Wait—!”
He was knocked to his feet before he could grab him again. It wasn’t Shen Yuan, and his immediate thought was that the cowardly cultivator had come back to help him out after all. Furious, he sprang to his feet, but a kick to his chest caused him to soar backward, landing on his back with a thud .
“I think that’s quite enough,” an amused voice said above him. Luo Binghe peered at Shen Yuan to see another man next to him, roughly about the same height as Luo Binghe, dressed in red robes. His one eye narrowed at him. “This is him?” He directed the question at Shen Yuan, who nodded numbly, his eyes fixed on Luo Binghe.
He moved to get up but a searing pain on his chest caused him to swear again, unmoving, and he saw a silver butterfly sat atop his pectorals. “What is this?!” he exclaimed, outraged. “A butterfly?”
“Who is he?” the man asked Shen Yuan.
“A half-demon emperor of another world. He’s…very powerful. I don’t think—”
Luo Binghe had gripped Xin Mo and with a sharp yank, he swung the sword out, a slash of energy cutting across from him. The butterfly shattered into millions of tiny fragments, and the newcomer’s brows came together as he took half a step back.
“This is my territory. You shouldn’t have been able to do that, so easily.” His eye landed on Xin Mo. “Is it the sword? A powerful weapon, then…”
“Chengzhu,” Shen Yuan said, nervously. “We should probably leave.”
“Don’t,” Luo Binghe said, the word coming out with more of a bite than he intended to. He pointed the sword at the ground. “This Lord would not hurt Shen Yuan.” He left the rest of his intention unsaid; he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt “Chengzhu” if it came down to it.
“You won’t have the chance,” the other said. He still sounded infuriatingly at ease. He gripped Shen Yuan’s forearm and, before Luo Binghe could take a single step forward, threw a die on the floor. They vanished, the die with them.
Luo Binghe stared at the empty spot where they had been a second ago.
Everything had gone poorly, immediately. Just as he had hoped to avoid. Now he seemed to have placed himself firmly on the hit list of whoever was working with Shen Yuan. And Shen Yuan was terrified of him and thought he wanted to hurt him.
Then he remembered. Oh, right.
The other cultivator hadn’t left with them.
The other cultivator had gotten far, but not far enough. Luo Binghe easily snatched up the mousy smaller man, his legs kicking below him like a spoiled child.
“Mercy, Lord Bingge, mercy!” he cried.
Luo Binghe continued holding him up by the back of his collar. “This Lord has some questions for you.”
“Okay, okay! I’m an open book!”
“Be quiet,” Luo Binghe snapped. “Who are you? How do you know who I am?”
The cultivator’s already pale face whitened further. “I—I—” He licked his lips, his eyes flickering around anxiously. “I-I’m—Shang Qinghua! And—and, I’m not from—from this world!”
Luo Binghe’s eyes narrowed. “You are like Shen Yuan?”
“Yes, yes! H-how do you know him , anyway?!”
“This Lord will be asking the questions. Do not speak unless spoken to.”
“Y-yes, sir!” His eyes widened when he realized he had spoken without being asked a question, but Luo Binghe ignored his fear, instead letting go of his collar. He crumpled to the ground with a small groan.
With his teeth gritted, Luo Binghe furiously asked, “Why did you tell Shen Yuan to run?” He had been so close to smoothing the unfortunate situation with the ghoul over with Shen Yuan, and then Shang Qinghua had made his husband leave for fear of his life. It was unfair .
Shang Qinghua covered his head with his arms, cowering. “Everyone knows you’re a powerful d-demonic emperor!” With a long list of grudges, he left unsaid.
“This Lord has never met Shen Yuan before,” Luo Binghe said impatiently. “He was meeting him for the first time. You judged the situation too quickly.”
Shang Qinghua looked up at him from his fearful pose. He looked as if he wanted to cry but no tears would come out. Sweat was pouring down his face as he said nothing, evidently smarter than Luo Binghe had given him credit for.
“This is what’s going to happen,” Luo Binghe said to him, looming over him with a menacing air. “You will help me secure a meeting with Shen Yuan, any which way you can. If you don’t do this, I will kill you. If you try to run, I have ways to torture you that will make you beg for death. Do you understand this Lord?”
Shang Qinghua immediately fainted.
“Wh-what exactly do you want me to do?” Shang Qinghua asked him, scuddling behind him as Luo Binghe led him back the way they had come; out of the forest.
Luo Binghe didn’t dare put Xin Mo away. Demonic qi still hung in the air, and, curiously, he realized part of it was coming from the small cultivator behind him. He stopped and turned on his heel, nearly causing Shang Qinghua to run into him. He eyed him, frowning, as he realized something.
“Are you a ghost?”
Shang Qinghua looked as if he was going to faint again. “Y-yes. Shen Yuan is, too. We live over at—Ghost City…”
Shen Yuan…is a ghost?
Luo Binghe stumbled back a step. He must have looked horrified, because Shang Qinghua shrank away from him, whimpering. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“He was supposed to have transmigrated!”
“Transmigrated? Supposed to ?”
Ignoring the smaller man—ghost—Luo Binghe turned and kept walking. He felt…well, he didn’t actually know what he felt. A dozen emotions were racing through him. Shen Yuan was a ghost . How could this have happened? Surely, he was supposed to have transmigrated, as the other Shen Yuan had transmigrated into Shen Qingqiu??
No wonder he was hanging out with a bunch of demons and ghosts, drinking freely. He was already dead—why would he worry about something as mundane as drinking too much? Why would he mind hanging out with fellow ghosts? He was one! He also seemed to have been someone of relative importance, as the ghoul he had threatened had seemed to respect Shen Yuan.
The thought prompted him to ask Shang Qinghua, who was hugging himself and staring at the ground, “Who was that other man, the one who took Shen Yuan away?” He paused, then added, “Shen Yuan called him ‘Chengzhu.’”
“Chengzhu? You met Chengzhu?” At Luo Binghe’s glare, he coughed. “His name is Crimson Rain Sought Flower…um, Hua Cheng. He’s a Supreme ghost and the ruler of Ghost City…”
“He’s also a ghost?” Seeing Luo Binghe look so suspicious and displeased, Shang Qinghua shrank away from him again.
“Yes…yes…all of Ghost City is ghosts…well, the majority are…” It’s why it’s called Ghost City, Bingge!
Luo Binghe reached out and grabbed Shang Qinghua by the back of his collar again, dragging him as he began to walk back towards the road.
For the first time since his childhood, he felt lost and small. This new world…there was evidently much more to it than he would have expected. It was already so different from his world. And Shen Yuan had been here for six months . Luo Binghe was the newcomer.
He didn’t like it.
“How did Shen Yuan become a ghost?”
Shang Qinghua licked his lips nervously as he stumbled alongside Luo Binghe, his collar still in his iron grip. “He died in his home world…just like me. We’re actually, ha ha ha, from the same world, funny, right…”
“You’re both from Earth?” Interesting.
“Ah, you know Earth? Um, yeah, we’re both actually from a city called Beijing…I had never met him there, though, we just met here when he showed up…”
“Tell me the details.”
Shang Qinghua hurriedly launched into an explanation of the events, wringing his hands together and looking around nervously as he did so. At the mention of Shen Yuan agreeing to work for Hua Cheng, Luo Binghe scowled but didn’t interrupt.
When Shang Qinghua trailed off into silence, Luo Binghe said nothing, the silence stretching on as they marched. After a few minutes, they arrived at the long road he had first stepped onto from his spatial rift.
“What road is this, Shang Qinghua?”
“The road that leads to Ghost City…we’re a few miles away, right now, but if you’re wanting to find Shen Yuan immediately, that’s most likely where he’s at…”
Luo Binghe let go of his collar. “Enough.” Shang Qinghua fell silent. “No, Shang Qinghua, this Lord will not be going to Ghost City,” yet , he didn’t say, “This Lord wants you to tell him everything you know about this world. And then you will help me get close to Shen Yuan.”
Shang Qinghua nodded miserably, but before he could verbally state his assent, both Luo Binghe and him hunched over, gasping. Shang Qinghua clutched his head and groaned. “What…what…what’s this…what are you doing…”
Luo Binghe had actually dropped Xin Mo. Panting, his eyes clouded with pain, he looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowing. “It isn’t…this Lord’s doing…” he managed to say, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to bend over and pick up Xin Mo again. “It feels like…”
As if a volcano was erupting, or an earthquake was shaking the land, everything around them began to quiver. The entire area around them was agitated, just as they were, rumbling sounds coming from deep within the earth. The pink-tinted morning sky morphed, becoming a dark, fiercely glowing red, just as the mark on Luo Binghe’s forehead.
The trees nearby shook off millions of leaves, and many trees began to topple over, snapping at their base as easily as twigs. Some looked as if they would fall straight onto the road Luo Binghe and Shang Qinghua were standing on, and Luo Binghe, his entire body seizing with pain, managed to set Xin Mo up for sword flight, yanking the small ghost onto the sword with him.
Shang Qinghua began to fall off instantly, and Luo Binghe snapped, “Grab on! Tight! There is something wrong!”
His body shaking, pain lacing through him like a backward drug, Luo Binghe lifted into the air, narrowly avoiding a large fir tree that plummeted right where they had been standing. Shang Qinghua was panting, his face planted against Luo Binghe’s back, his arms wrapped weakly around his waist. Luo Binghe soared high into the air, the ominous red glow of the sky bathing the area menacingly.
“This has never happened before?!” Luo Binghe yelled through the noise.
He heard a feeble whimper and took that as a “no.”
He felt blood dripping from his eyes and cursed loudly. He had no idea what was causing the environment to react this way, but it was causing both Shang Qinghua and him to have qi deviations. He wouldn’t last on Xin Mo.
“We need to leave,” he roared, right before Xin Mo unexpectedly tilted and they began to plummet to the ground.
Chapter 4: 4: Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
“What do you mean, system activated…” Shen Yuan groaned, his temple pounding so hard he felt as if his head would explode. “I thought my system was already activated…”
Shen Yuan comes up with a plan and the System comes back to life.
Chapter Text
Hua Cheng and Shen Yuan arrived back at Paradise Manor. Hua Cheng seemed thoughtful, his hand on his scimitar as he pulled Shen Yuan via his forearm deep into the manor. Shen Yuan let himself be pulled, his thoughts racing.
If his heart could beat, it would be pounding.
“Tell me about this half-demon emperor.”
Shen Yuan barely knew where to start. Floundering, he said, “Well…Shang Qinghua wrote a web novel called Proud Immortal Demon Way when we both lived in the other world…the main character, his name was Luo Binghe. That half-demon emperor we saw is the final form of Luo Binghe. He’s—half heavenly demon, half human. The world he rules over…he merged all the realms, and he has an enormous harem of wives…
Anyways, Shang Qinghua and I didn’t realize the world was real. It was just a story, you know? I remember following it as he updated it…Well, the sword he carries, it’s called Xin Mo. It has the power to create spatial rifts, but it’s costly. It’s why he had such a large harem, he has to manage it using—um, well, using dual cultivation…”
He looked at Hua Cheng awkwardly. The ghost didn’t react. He looked deep in thought, staring ahead as he pushed open the door to his office and pulled Shen Yuan inside, closing the door behind him. Hua Cheng sat down behind his desk, lacing his fingers together and leaning back leisurely.
“If you didn’t think he was real, it isn’t surprising to me you never mentioned him,” Hua Cheng said eventually. “What does he want with you?”
Shen Yuan gave him a hopeless look. “Chengzhu, I genuinely have no idea…”
Hua Cheng waved him off. “Alright, alright. His Highness should be here soon.”
Knowing Xie Lian was coming caused Shen Yuan to perk up. “Really? Great.”
Hua Cheng looked over at him evenly, his eye narrowing. “It most likely isn’t safe for you to be here in Ghost City. If your demon emperor is smart, he will have already captured Shang Qinghua.” He sighed. “When I said I could manage Gambler’s Den, I didn’t want to go back to doing it full-time…not enough time to spend with gege.” The last part was barely audible as he muttered to himself.
Clearly, Hua Cheng did not expect Shang Qinghua to live very long. “He isn’t my emperor,” Shen Yuan corrected with a shudder. “Chengzhu…will Ghost City be okay?”
Hua Cheng gave him a cold smile. “So long as I am here, Ghost City will always be okay. After His Highness drops you off somewhere safe, he will be staying with me over the next few upcoming weeks to help.”
“I thought he lived here full-time?”
Scowling, Hua Cheng shuffled some of the papers on his desk. “We alternate,” he said finally, sounding sullen. “He has heavenly duties, so I can’t expect him to live here permanently. Most of the time, he does, though.”
They were both silent for the next few minutes as Shen Yuan shuffled uncomfortably in his chair. It didn’t even seem as if Hua Cheng was doing anything, really—he just kept shuffling papers around, expressionless, which Shen Yuan assumed was the most amount of anxiety the Ghost King would show in front of him.
Shen Yuan had no idea what he was supposed to be feeling right now. Terror? Impending doom? He sat before a Ghost King, however, who was married to a god, and both of them seemed intent on protecting him. Did he…did he want anyone to suffer on his behalf though?
What did Luo Binghe want, really?
He hadn’t seemed as if he wanted to harm Shen Yuan, though—he just was trying to find him. Why, he had no idea. Maybe something in his world had read his fortune and it included Shen Yuan? Maybe he had his own vision?
Luo Binghe appeared to recognize his physical experience, to an extent. Maybe he wanted Shen Yuan because he looked like someone else he knew? The recognition had been minimal, but there. Who did Shen Yuan look like that Luo Binghe would recognize? Unless he had visibly appeared in a vision?
Shen Yuan wondered where Xie Lian would take him that was “safe.” Was there anywhere that would be safe against Luo Binghe, the terrifying demon emperor who wielded the space-breaking evil Xin Mo? He doubted it…he had already shattered part of Hua Cheng’s power in Hua Cheng’s domain . That was pretty much unheard of in this world. If you were in another power’s realm, your powers tended to be muted and some parts were cut off in general. He knew that Xie Lian was an exception to this, but when heavenly officials came to Ghost City and its surrounding areas, they weren’t even able to access the communication array.
He had been pleasantly surprised to learn of the communication array, all those months ago. A very useful tool, indeed; it had probably saved his life earlier in the morning when he called out to Xie Lian. Hua Cheng had given him his verbal password but…well, it was too embarrassing for Shen Yuan to use, so he tended to talk to Xie Lian.
Speaking of the devil, Xie Lian opened the door and stepped inside, causing Hua Cheng to perk up. “Gege!” he said, his mood significantly improved. “We have a situation…”
Xie Lian moved to Hua Cheng’s side and took his hands, a smile on his face. “You told me over the communication array, has anything else happened?”
“No,” Hua Cheng said, “I just needed to see gege.”
Xie Lian smiled at him, bending down to press his lips against his husband’s.
Shen Yuan felt very much like an intruder as they both smiled at each other, and he looked at his feet, kicking them idly, his cheeks coloring. He greatly envied their relationship and could see why Hua Cheng was obsessed with Xie Lian. The heavenly official crown prince was sweet and very beautiful and was head over heels for the Ghost King.
He hoped to have that kind of love himself, someday. If he survived this new danger.
Softly clearing his throat, Xie Lian pulled away and took a step back, still holding Hua Cheng’s hands. “I can do that. Is there a place you had in mind?” Apparently, they had spoken privately in a communication array when embracing.
“Since gege asks,” Hua Cheng said, pulling his hands away and reaching into his desk. He pulled out a large brass key. “There is a small cottage near the South Sea, on the shore. Black Water…we felt it would be best to have multiple outposts between our two realms. He has a similar residence in Ghost City.”
Xie Lian took the key. “Has there been any word on Black Water?”
Hua Cheng shook his head. “No. He’s been missing for so many years now…something might have happened to him.”
Black Water, one of the Four Calamities. Shen Yuan remembered, during that mission with Xie Lian and Shang Qinghua, that Xie Lian had also mentioned he was missing. And…he had said he had a complicated history with the heavens. Grimly, Shen Yuan wondered if maybe he had a run-in with the heavenly officials who had a “complicated history” with him.
“His curse is still dispersed, though, right?” Xie Lian asked, curious. “What if Shen Yuan needs to escape through the sea…”
“His curse is no longer there, gege is right. Still…the South Sea might not be the best option for escape.”
Xie Lian turned to face Shen Yuan fully. “Get your belongings and any supplies you might need and meet me back here. We should leave soon, in case Luo Binghe shows up. We need to be able to cover up your tracks.”
Shen Yuan nodded and moved to obey the crown prince instantly.
He had walked down the hall when everything around him began to shake. It reminded him of the earthquakes he would experience back home in Beijing, and he braced his feet on the floor. The shaking was intense, however, and soon he was knocked off his feet, Paradise Manor rumbling so much that he was certain it would collapse around him.
Struggling to his feet again, he ran down the hall to the front entrance, panic racing through him. Then, horrible pain hit him so hard, throughout his body, and he crumpled again to the ground, groaning pathetically. It felt like the drugs that would sometimes be pumped into his IVs at the hospital; burning and rushing through him, feeling as though his veins were being lit on fire.
Dust and pebbles abruptly began to fall around him. With wobbling legs, he stumbled to his feet and incoherently kept going, hoping he could make it out of the building before Paradise Manor became rubble. For once, he was grateful he lived outside the manor now, since his first thought was it might be isolated to the building. After exiting the front entrance, however, he quickly realized how wrong he was.
Ghost City was in chaos. Ghosts and other characters were clutching their heads, rolling around on the floor, and wailing, clearly in as much pain as Shen Yuan was. Everywhere was shaking and crumbling to the ground, and in the distance, Shen Yuan saw the building he lived in sink to the floor.
“What’s happening?!” a ghost near Shen Yuan whimpered. “Is Chengzhu upset?”
The pain flared up higher, and Shen Yuan also sank to the ground near them, his forehead against his knees.
He didn’t see Xie Lian and Hua Cheng exit Paradise Manor before the building collapsed not long after. Ghosts near Shen Yuan were screaming, and those who weren’t in so much pain were running around in panicked circles, shouting, “Chengzhu! Help!”
As worried as Shen Yuan was, he knew Hua Cheng was a Supreme ghost and Xie Lian was a god, a heavenly official. They wouldn’t die to a building collapsing on them, although they could be injured.
Still…Shen Yuan, through his pain, wondered if this was the work of Luo Binghe. Had he managed to figure out how to merge the realms of this world already? Or was he using Xin Mo or some other spiritual weapon or entity to cause this to happen to Ghost City?
The…earthquake…attack…whatever it was, finally came to a shuddering halt, and then Shen Yuan reared back for a whole new reason.
[ System activated! ]
[ Protagonist presence detected: System updated! Things are as they should be now! ]
[ Achievement unlocked: “World Reset!” ]
World what now?
“What do you mean, system activated…” Shen Yuan groaned, his temple pounding so hard he felt as if his head would explode. “I thought my system was already activated…”
[ The System was unable to be fully activated due to a corrupted memory drive. The return of the protagonist, Luo Binghe, rebooted the System and allowed a full update. No more glitchy System, valued user! You’re welcome! ]
“Corrupted…is this about that nonsense you told me months ago? About Shen Qingqiu?”
[ Your planned vessel, Shen Qingqiu, had been the original destination for this valued user. Unfortunately, the timing anticipated by this System had been incorrectly identified, and the original vessel had perished. Instead, the valued user gets to experience a different path. How exciting! ]
Yeah. A different path. He was a ghost now.
Still, he thought that was infinitely better than being Luo Binghe’s scum villain teacher. “Okay…now what is that you mentioned before? About a ‘world reset’? That sounds bad.”
[ Would you like to view your achievements? ]
Infuriating thing. His head in his hands, the pain receding slightly, Shen Yuan grumbled, “Sure. Fine.”
[ Achievements unlocked are as follows: “No vessel, no problem!”, “First mission!”, “Power creepin’”—ongoing achievement, “First mission complete!”, “A familiar friend in a new world”, “Our hosts are ghosts!”, “First crush—me-wow~”, “Beauty enthralling, temptation unmatched”, “Playing hard to get, oh boy!”, and “World Reset.” ]
Shen Yuan was speechless for a minute as he read each achievement, his eyes snagging on a few. Finally, he sputtered, “What is this?! What are some of these? Can you go into more detail, System?!”
[ System is unable to elaborate on achievements until after story completion. ]
“Okay, what is the story completion right now, then?!”
[ Story completion is at 29%. Keep working hard, valued user! ]
Shen Yuan made an obscene gesture at the pop-up, the vein of his forehead throbbing dangerously. Someone lightly cleared their throat, the sound familiar. “Shen Yuan, I know things are bad right now, but surely, there is no reason to make that kind of gesture at me…”
Xie Lian was standing in front of him. He looked more drained than he did earlier, and his normally clean white robes were covered in dust and debris from Paradise Manor. Evidently, he had been in the building when it collapsed.
Shen Yuan looked at him sorrowfully. “Sorry, Your Highness. It wasn’t anything to do with you…”
“I know, I know,” Xie Lian reassured him, holding his hands up. The red string on his long digit seemed to absorb the light from the red sky above. “We really should be going…Hua Cheng and I have no idea what that was, and that is…very worrying.”
“I suspect it might have to do with a certain someone,” Shen Yuan said grimly. “I’m not sure how he did it, though…”
“If that was the case, with a disaster this large in scale, there should be a hint of the kind of energy utilized,” Xie Lian said as he took Shen Yuan’s hand, causing him to blush slightly. “My instincts are telling me this has nothing to do with the demon emperor. It’s something more large-scale.”
He pulled a die out, identical to the one Hua Cheng had earlier. “Hang on. I haven’t done this in a long time…” He tossed it to the ground, exposing a single dot, and then they vanished.
Opening his eyes, Shen Yuan saw he was standing in front of a single-story house made of smooth, black wood. There were no windows. Xie Lian released his hand, pocketing the die and pulling the same brass key from earlier out of his lapels.
“Here,” he said, his tone apologetic. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer…I need to go check on the state of things after what just happened. Will you be alright?”
Shen Yuan just blinked at him. “Why are there no windows?”
With a dip of his head, Xie Lian threw the die onto the ground, his eyes closing as he disappeared. Shen Yuan turned to the cabin, sighing. What was he to do now?
Going closer to the cabin, he saw there was barely legible calligraphy on the poles flanking the singular door of the cabin. It seemed to match the crude handwriting that was on the Gambler’s Den. Hua Cheng , he thought. No surprise there—this was his “outpost” to Black Water’s realm, after all.
The thought of the missing Supreme ghost made him nervous, and he began peering around the building, checking his surroundings. Black, vicious waves were slamming onto the dark sand about ten bu behind the cabin. It looked incredibly imposing, so Shen Yuan didn’t dare go closer, remembering that the water was under Black Water’s control. Missing or not, he didn’t want to risk becoming fish bait.
Taking the brass key, he entered the cabin dubiously. It was pitch black inside—as expected of a house with no windows and nothing lit inside—so he held his index finger out with a tiny flame at the tip, lighting multiple lanterns and candles situated around the place he could see from the light of the entranceway. The interior was decidedly not cozy; there was little to no furniture, and the entire house was all one room. The furniture was bland, one hundred percent only there for its function, and not decoration. Shen Yuan supposed that no one needed decoration in an outpost designed to keep watch on your neighboring realm.
He desperately needed a bath. He also needed to sleep; whatever that disaster was, it affected his demonic energy, and he felt exhausted. Ghosts typically didn’t need to sleep except for that.
Surely Luo Binghe would not find him here.
Worried he had jinxed himself, he sighed as he began to prepare a bath. Hello, solitude. It’s nice to see you again.
After his bath, Shen Yuan laid down on the hard mat to get the rest he needed to recover his energy. Unfortunately, he was extremely uncomfortable on the hard mat beneath him. He had gotten used to his “apartment” in Ghost City, with material comforts to help him fall asleep as needed.
He had always liked cuddling, ok?! And he greatly missed the custom-made body pillow he had in his “apartment” that Shang Qinghua had not hesitated to laugh himself hoarse over. Even in Beijing, he had a body pillow of one of his favorite characters that he would hug tight at nighttime. Shen Xue, his sister, had always made fun of him for it whenever she visited his tiny apartment, but he hadn’t minded. She had lots of things he loved to poke fun at, as well.
The thought of his sister placed him in a somber mood as he stared up at the black ceiling.
He missed his mei-mei. For the first time in months, he felt the harsh pangs of heartache, and he screwed his eyes shut, sighing.
The faint pain in his chest melted away as he found himself standing in his sister’s apartment.
Surprised, he blinked, looking down to see he was wearing clothes he would typically have worn when back on Earth; comfortable and worn black sweats with some sort of baggy sweatshirt. He had never found himself to be attractive; he was passable, he alleged. He could get by without feeling overly conscious, for sure, but anything too revealing and he felt like a wet sponge.
Especially when he started dragging the oxygen tank around. And needed a cane most of the time. Often, he was so out of breath and exhausted just from walking around his apartment, so leaving became less and less of an option.
Still, he remembered his sister’s apartment fairly well, and it hadn’t seemed to change much. Although…this was a dream. He supposed he wouldn’t even know if her apartment had changed, anyway.
He moved to walk forward and froze when another form flickered into view, sitting on Shen Xue’s couch.
Luo Binghe.
He…didn’t look good, for an all-powerful demonic emperor. He was covered in scarlet, his beautiful curly hair now matted in some places, and there were countless cuts all across his body, slicing into his robes and giving him a tattered appearance. His demon mark was still present, but it didn’t glow as it did the last time Shen Yuan saw him—dimly, since he had been intoxicated—and his right arm was sagging against his side.
Shen Yuan blinked, and Luo Binghe looked effortlessly perfect again. God dammit, why did he have to look so good ? Why couldn’t Shen Yuan be that handsome?
“What was that?!” he blurted without thinking, staggering forward a step. Then, after realizing what he had done, his already ghostly-white face paled further, and he stepped back.
Luo Binghe was watching him carefully, still sitting on Shen Xue’s pristine couch. “This Lord isn’t sure what you mean.” His dark eyes were like eternal voids as Shen Yuan stared at him, feeling drawn in.
“You—you looked…unwell,” Shen Yuan said hesitantly. He was afraid to move as he realized now exactly what was going on.
Luo Binghe had sucked him into a dreamscape world. One he was controlling, most likely. Shen Yuan didn’t see why it wouldn’t be him.
Luo Binghe lounged back on the couch, lacing his fingers together, seemingly perfectly at ease. The movement and how relaxed he appeared reminded Shen Yuan of Hua Cheng. “This Lord is perfectly fine. Although, it is nice to see Shen Yuan worrying over this Lord.”
Shen Yuan’s jaw dropped at the outrageous statement. “I’m not worried about you! It was—just natural curiosity!”
Luo Binghe continued peering at him, the corner of his mouth twitching. “As Shen Yuan says. Now, this one is sure you have realized what is happening.” He waved a hand. “Shen Yuan is in my dream world.”
“I know,” Shen Yuan said slowly, wary.
“This Lord wants to emphasize his objective is not to hurt Shen Yuan. He brought you here to have a conversation since we were unable to continue it earlier. Your…friend, this one believes he gave you the wrong impression of my intentions.”
Shang Qinghua…Shen Yuan exhaled. “Did you hurt him? Where is he?”
Luo Binghe was impassive. “Shang Qinghua is fine. This one let him go.”
Shen Yuan felt more nervous. His instincts told him Luo Binghe was not telling the truth about Shang Qinghua.
He glanced behind him and saw there was no door to the apartment, and his back was close to the wall—he couldn’t back up any further. Luo Binghe was still fixedly observing him, his posture still relaxed, waiting for Shen Yuan to say something further. He had left room on the couch, but Shen Yuan didn’t trust him.
Luo Binghe had said his “objective wasn’t to hurt Shen Yuan.” What did that even mean? Why was he so focused on a nobody like Shen Yuan? His whole body was full of nerves. There had to be more to it.
“Why were you looking for me?”
“This Lord hasn’t stopped looking for you,” Luo Binghe said softly, his black eyes consuming Shen Yuan. “He…I’m not sure I can give you an answer, yet.”
Ripples of unease were running along Shen Yuan’s back. He wrung his hands, looking around the apartment desperately for a way out, mindful that Luo Binghe was noting his every move. He didn’t need to sleep this much if this was what he would face. He was in a remote place no one knew about except for Hua Cheng and Xie Lian…and maybe Black Water, but he wasn’t worried about the Supreme Ghost King randomly showing up. He was still missing.
Still, Luo Binghe shouldn’t know where he is. He also doubted Shang Qinghua would know. The only way Luo Binghe would be able to find him is with some nefarious spell or if he managed to get it out of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
Whilst he knew Luo Binghe was extraordinarily powerful, Shen Yuan was positive the heavenly official and Supreme Ghost King would beat him in a fight. After all, he had heard from Xie Lian what had happened with White No-Face, the first Calamity. He had posed as Jun Wu, the emperor of the heavens, and Xie Lian had rivaled him in power in the end, after his cursed shackles had been removed. The tale had impressed Shen Yuan, who couldn’t hide the admiration in his eyes whenever he looked at Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
“What are you thinking?” Luo Binghe asked, standing. Shen Yuan shuffled back, his back properly against the wall.
“What did you do to Ghost City?” Shen Yuan shot back, cool sweat on his temple.
Luo Binghe paused in his advance. “What happened to Ghost City?”
“You…you don’t know?” He doubted it.
“This Lord has been situated around the inn he met you at,” Luo Binghe said cautiously. He didn’t move from where he stood near Shen Yuan. “The day before, there was an environmental catastrophe that caused devastation to the area. Is that what Shen Yuan is talking about? It also impacted Ghost City?”
Worried he had given up too much information, Shen Yuan ran a hand through his shoulder-length waves, feeling tremendously stressed. Hesitating, he said, “…yes. Similar destruction occurred at Ghost City, and whatever it was seemed to agitate everyone…”
“As if your qi was being stripped from you, piece by piece?” Luo Binghe pressed.
Shen Yuan was stunned. “Yes…you felt that, too? I thought it might have just been gho—” he cut himself off, looking at Luo Binghe timorously. He wasn’t sure revealing himself as a ghost was a good idea. If Shang Qinghua hadn’t already blabbed to the demon emperor.
Luo Binghe’s face darkened, and he stepped closer to Shen Yuan. “Shen Yuan. This Lord is aware you don’t trust him. But, it’s of the utmost importance that you tell me where you are. Something is going on with this world—it isn’t safe, this one can sense something is going to happen. It won’t just be humans affected.”
The last sentence. Ah, yep. He knew Shen Yuan was a ghost. Fucking Shang Qinghua, you coward.
Still…
“What do you mean something is going on?” Shen Yuan asked, his brows coming together.
Luo Binghe stepped closer, and Shen Yuan stiffened. He was directly in front of him. “Shen Yuan can’t tell? The very essence of this world has shifted…it’s different from when this Lord arrived. This Lord is unsure what, exactly, has shifted, but what we all felt, what the very environment around us felt…that was a massive qi deviation of the world itself.”
Shen Yuan’s eyes had widened. Was that why he had been left with little to no power and had been in so much pain? “Are you saying that every single person went through a qi deviation?”
Luo Binghe smiled ruefully. It was an odd expression on his handsome face. “You were right, Shen Yuan.” He took a step back, to Shen Yuan’s relief, and then waved his hand downwards. Luo Binghe’s form seemed to ripple for a moment before his previously haggard appearance returned. “This Lord felt the effects of the world’s qi deviation quite personally, as you can see.”
Shen Yuan’s hand unconsciously wrote to his mouth, his hand shaking marginally. “What…what exactly happened?”
I knew you were lying, Bingge!
With another swipe, Luo Binghe’s form flickered back to unparalleled flawlessness. “This one sees no reason to lie. He fell off Xin Mo when he was high in the sky, witnessing the world’s destruction.”
That…
“I thought heavenly demons healed quickly,” Shen Yuan said hesitantly.
Luo Binghe had stepped closer and was now leaning slightly over Shen Yuan, his forearm resting against the wall. He really was much taller than Shen Yuan. He shrank lower, feeling like a cornered rabbit. Luo Binghe’s mouth curved upwards.
“Shen Yuan is worried about me.” His eyes twinkled, and Shen Yuan felt aghast. What are you playing at?! “This Lord is recovering, don’t be anxious.”
“Okay, okay,” Shen Yuan said, rushed, as he ducked out from Luo Binghe’s claustrophobic-inducing arms. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, Luo Binghe. You clearly have some sort of motive, but you won’t say what it is. You’re looking for me, and won’t say why. You won’t tell me anything more than the barest information. I have a right to be anxious. It’s—”
Before he could continue to tell the now-expressionless demon emperor off, the dream world vanished, and he woke up with a start.
Had Luo Binghe just booted him from the dreamscape?
What the hell had just happened?
Before he could continue to worry, there was a loud knock on the front door, and Shen Yuan rose to his feet. Exhaustion was still dragging him down, but he ignored it, slipping another robe on before moving over to the front door and yanking it open.
Xie Lian stood outside, his bamboo hat placed on his head. Shen Yuan just noticed there was heavy rainfall in the surrounding area. He stepped to the side so Xie Lian could walk in, greeting him. “Hello, Your Highness.”
“Sorry to disturb you. I know it’s late,” Xie Lian said. “Although…Shen Yuan, not to give you any further cause for concern, but you should probably check who’s at your door before you just open it like that…”
Shen Yuan flushed, embarrassed. “Oh, right…And it’s alright, Your Highness. I had just woken up anyway…”
“There is a protective array placed on this house,” Xie Lian told him as he sat down on one of the hardwood chairs. “It’s strong enough that only Hua Cheng and I can enter uninvited.”
Shen Yuan nodded, one of his hands clenching his outer robe. “Is there a reason for His Highness’ visit?”
“Yes, unfortunately. Shang Qinghua just reappeared at Ghost City. He told San Lang and me of an encounter he had with Luo Binghe recently, and I thought you should be informed.” He launched into a detailed description of the said encounter, and by the end of it, Shen Yuan felt slightly nauseous.
“Your Highness…I just had a dream with Luo Binghe…” At Xie Lian’s concerned expression, he hastily said, “Don’t worry, I’m fine, it’s fine…but, I don’t know if Shang Qinghua or I mentioned it, but Luo Binghe can enter your dreams and manipulate the environment you’re in…and he also has a dream demon under his employ.”
He described the dream, stumbling over some parts. Xie Lian listened attentively, his brow creased ever so slightly.
“I cannot even begin to guess what he wants with you,” he said finally after Shen Yuan trailed off. “You and Shang Qinghua know him better than San—Hua Cheng and I do. Do you know if he has a way to track you here?”
“I don’t know of such a thing,” Shen Yuan said doubtfully. “But, who knows…”
Chapter 5: 5: Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
"That is how I became a Supreme."
Shen Yuan gets an unexpected visitor.
Notes:
Pronunciation Guide for non-Chinese speakers:
HE XUAN: Hu Ssh-ann
If any of these pronunciations are incorrect, let me know so I can fix them. I am not fluent in Chinese, although I have started learning it!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Shen Yuan knew he should try to sleep more, but after dealing with the dreamscape and Luo Binghe the night before, he refused to lie back down for shut-eye. The exhaustion yanked on him heavily as he sat inside the dark cabin, listlessly bored as each minute passing by felt like an hour, dark circles no doubt materializing under his eyes.
The brief moments Xie Lian showed up were a welcome respite but they unluckily were just that—brief. Most of the time, Shen Yuan found himself meditating and trying to work on his cultivation, wanting to strengthen his demonic qi as much as he could. After a certain amount of time, however, he startled awake after dozing off in the middle of meditating and reluctantly found himself with not much else to do.
He was leaning against the wall, staring at the ceiling, his eyelids drooping incessantly, when an idea struck him and his eyes snapped open fully. He still had some spiritual power, so he cleared his throat and spoke Shang Qinghua’s verbal password, hoping to connect with him via a communication array. Alas, he had overlooked exactly how he would be required to contact him…
“Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky…your beauty…makes me cry,”—He was cringing extremely hard, he had forgotten how stupid Shang Qinghua’s verbal password was—“You’re so yummy, y-you taste like pie…”
Shang Qinghua, I hate you. Are you a toddler, honestly? Rhyming with one word, and saying stupid shit like that…I honestly hope you don’t answer…
As expected for a dumbfuck author. At least Shen Yuan’s verbal password wasn’t childish nonsense.
He crossed his arms, still staring at the ceiling, sighing. He was truly desperate for any kind of entertainment if he was willing to say Shang Qinghua’s verbal password and speak with him through a private communication array.
It didn’t seem as if Shang Qinghua was going to answer, anyway, so Shen Yuan pushed himself off the wall with a sigh, leaning forward on his knees in his tucked sitting position.
Did he want to avoid Luo Binghe to the point he would be isolated for who-knows-how-long out in this cabin? It had only been a brief amount of time and he already was feeling bored to death, and lonely. He hadn’t struggled with loneliness to this extent when he lived alone in Beijing; he still had friends, even if they were online, and he kept himself busy on the internet. Reading, playing video games.
Damn, he really missed video games.
Shen Yuan felt a little sour that there wasn’t even a single novel he could read to pass the time.
He was zoning out in thought, hunched over his bent legs when Shang Qinghua’s voice reverberated around him. “Cucumber-bro? Did you reach out to me? How are you, man? Are you alright? Where are you?”
He fired all of these questions off in one breath, and Shen Yuan was taken aback, even as he relaxed a little. “Airplane. Shang Qinghua, it’s—it’s alright, I’m fine. I’m…somewhere safe. I can’t tell you where, I’m sorry, man. I just…I know you were captured by Luo Binghe and I always forget about the communication array, otherwise, I would have reached out sooner…”
“It’s all good,” Shang Qinghua said hurriedly. “I’m lucky to be alive…I one-thousand percent expected Bingge to kill me, dude. He was furious at me…then that terrifying storm happened and I got away…”
“I thought he let you go? That’s what Xie Lian told me.”
“If Bingge didn’t kill me and I managed to walk away, that’s letting me go,” Shang Qinghua clarified. “Are you sure you can’t tell me where you’re at? Dude, I’ve been worried…”
Shen Yuan paused at this, his eyebrow twitching. There was a long pause. “Qinghua…is he using you to try and find out where I am?”
A nervous laugh. “N-no, no! I would never betray my Cucumber-bro like that…come on. Fine, don’t say, don’t say. It doesn’t matter…listen, not that I’m trying to kick you out of here, but you should probably save your powers…Don’t you also know that people can sense spiritual energy? Ha, ha, ha…Cucumber-bro, really…”
“You are acting sketchy as hell, dude,” Shen Yuan told him. “You’re working for Luo Binghe, I get it. He probably threatened to make you a stick otherwise, hm?”
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…Shen Yuan knows Bingge well, just like me…Cucumber-bro, you…you aren’t listening…It isn’t just Bingge you should worry about in this world, bro…think about your powers right now…”
With narrowed eyes, Shen Yuan stopped speaking, drawing his demonic qi tight inside himself. There was a heavy feeling of foreboding in the air, now.
The rain from the night before had stopped earlier in the morning, but it suddenly started again, the loud spattering noises making Shen Yuan feel even more nervous. There was a distant clap of thunder a few moments later.
Shang Qinghua said nothing else, so Shen Yuan cut off the communication array. He stood to his feet slowly, agitated, moving over to the hard mat and pulling the blanket around himself. He must have looked quite the formidable figure…sat on a sleeping mat with the blanket up to his chin, his eyes darting around.
Another clap of thunder sounded, and then a heavy knock on the door echoed it, causing Shen Yuan to jump.
Petrified, Shen Yuan said nothing, his mind racing. Was Xie Lian back? Or was it Hua Cheng? Has Luo Binghe found him?
…or was it another evil creature that had sensed his energy as he used the communication array?
The heavy pounding started again. “Crimson Rain Sought Flower, I know you’re in there. Let me in, for fuck’s sake.”
…they were looking for Hua Cheng?
Shen Yuan stood up on slightly quivering legs, dropping the blanket down to the mat and cautiously walking to the door. Remember, Xie Lian said only he and Hua Cheng could get inside without permission. I’m safe here as long as I don’t open the door. Should I even let them know I’m here, or should I pretend no one’s home?
“I still have my key,” the voice continued, sounding increasingly impatient. “I can sense your evil qi in here. Just open up, or I’m coming in anyways.”
He had a key?!
Shen Yuan gulped and yanked the door open, expecting the worst. Instead, he was face to face with…an incredibly handsome man, although soaking wet from the rain. How are so many people in this world so fucking attractive?
The man—no, wait, this was a ghost , that was evil, demonic qi—had snow-white skin, a sharp forehead, and deep brows. His long, straight black hair (or, at least, Shen Yuan assumed by the texture it was straight, but the wetness from the rain made it hard to tell) was tied up into a ponytail, and he was dressed in black robes. He was about half a head taller than Shen Yuan, and his eyes were fixed on him with barely concealed shock, burning into him like ice.
If he had a key…Shen Yuan now understood.
This was the Supreme Ghost King Black Water Submerging Boats. He Xuan was no longer missing, it seemed.
“Who the hell are you?” He Xuan asked, sounding bewildered, his deep brows furrowed. “I thought it would be Crimson Rain Sought Flower…”
“Uh, no,” Shen Yuan said, suddenly feeling awkward. “I’m staying here temporarily…”
He Xuan ignored his words and shoved past him, eying the interior of the cabin. “This place still looks like shit. Hua Cheng really doesn’t try sometimes, huh.” He turned back to regard Shen Yuan, his icy eyes looking him up and down in a way that made Shen Yuan feel strangely exposed. “You still haven’t said who you are. Or why you’re here.”
Shen Yuan was rooted to the spot by the front door. He was so confused he momentarily forgot to be afraid of the sudden appearance of one of the Four Calamities. “Um…it’s as I said, Hua-chengzhu is letting me stay here temporarily…I’m kind of being hunted…right, um, my name is Shen Yuan…”
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt strangely shy around Black Water.
Clearly, He Xuan did not share the sentiment. He collapsed on one of the chairs, ringing his ponytail out on the floor, apparently uncaring he was making a watery mess. “Hunted? Care to elaborate?”
Shen Yuan finally shut the front door. There was a lot of water around the entranceway now, but he ignored it, moving to sit cautiously near the Ghost King. “A demonic emperor called Luo Binghe. He’s very powerful and is looking for me for some reason. Hey, Black Water, can I ask…”
He Xuan looked at him sharply and he trailed off. Clearing his throat, Shen Yuan demurely placed his hands in his lap and avoided looking at the sodden ghost.
Unpredictably, He Xuan spoke up. “You were going to ask where I’ve been, is that right?”
Shen Yuan glanced at him and nodded tentatively. He Xuan pulled his outer robe off with a sigh. “Crimson Rain Sought Flower mustn't know.” He looked at Shen Yuan, deadpan. “I lost my powers.”
Shen Yuan blinked, stunned. Out of anything He Xuan would say, he hadn’t expected that .
“How did you lose your powers?” he asked, mystified.
He Xuan’s face darkened, his expression turning dangerous. “Why would I tell you? I don’t even want your precious Chengzhu to know.” He eyed Shen Yuan like he regretted saying anything and was thinking of cleaning up the mess.
“Wait, wait,” Shen Yuan said hurriedly, raising his hands in the air placatingly. “Alright, I’m sorry I asked.”
He Xuan’s appearance didn’t lighten, but he didn’t leap to his feet and strangle Shen Yuan, so he counted that as a win. Instead, the Ghost King said, his voice low, “I’m seeking a way to regain my powers and learn again. For a Supreme to be this weak and vulnerable…” He laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound.
Shen Yuan cocked his head, his eyes unfocusing from He Xuan. Weak and vulnerable…he was weak and vulnerable compared to Luo Binghe…
But…what if he could find a way to get exponentially stronger?
As strong as a Supreme?
“I came here to hide out for a bit,” He Xuan continued, kicking his feet forward and leaning back in the chair, his arms coming up behind his head lazily. “Until I can figure out a way to recuperate my powers…” he chuckled dourly.
“Black Water,” Shen Yuan said, hesitantly, for he did not want to piss off the ghost again, “How does a ghost become a Supreme?” At He Xuan’s narrowed look, he hastily added, “Since you lost your powers, I mean, maybe that would be a way…” He didn’t particularly want He Xuan to know he was now considering becoming a Supreme, himself.
He Xuan was silent, his eyes still narrowed on Shen Yuan suspiciously. Eventually, he said, “A ghost used to be able to become a Supreme through the kiln in Mount Tonglu. The gates would open once every few centuries. …That is how I became a Supreme.”
“Why not do it again?”
“Why are you trying to help me?” He Xuan asked, scowling. “I don’t trust you. You shouldn’t trust me, frankly. But, to answer your question. The kiln shattered decades ago when White No-Face was trapped under Mount Tonglu. It is no longer a source of power to power up ghosts.”
“Is there another way?”
“Not that myself or anyone I know is aware of.”
Shen Yuan fell silent, not saying anything more. He didn’t want to make Black Water any more suspicious than he already was. As he sat and brooded, he flinched when a pop-up appeared in front of him, with that gratingly familiar Google Translate voice.
[ Advanced quest issued. Location: Unknown. Quest: Become a Supreme Ghost King. Please click to accept. ]
Shen Yuan was stunned. “System? What the fuck is this quest?”
He Xuan had his eyes closed as he lounged back in his chair, his long, pale fingers laced against his abdomen. Shen Yuan was relieved to see his conversations with the System still seemed not to affect others.
[ Advanced quest issued. Location: Unknown. Quest: Become— ]
“I know, I know!” Shen Yuan exclaimed, irritated. “I read it the first time! I’m asking you what the quest means! How am I supposed to become a Supreme? Black Water just said it was impossible!”
[ This System does not understand. ]
“How can you not— argh! ” Shen Yuan threw his hands in the air before burying his face in them. “I would love to become a Supreme, System. A power-up might just be enough to keep me from being Luo Binghe’s shiny new toy. But one of the three Supremes just told me it is no longer…” he trailed off as it occurred to him. “Are you saying there’s another way to become a Supreme than Mount Tonglu?”
[ … ]
Feeling frustrated, Shen Yuan leaned back in his chair, pulling his hands from his face and side-eying the Supreme Ghost King near him. Seeing the ghost continue to rest peacefully—Shen Yuan wasn’t stupid enough to think he wasn’t paying close attention to him, however—he closed his eyes and recited Shang Qinghua’s verbal password in his head once again.
This time he responded instantly, his mousy voice loud in Shen Yuan’s mind. “Cucumber? You alright man?”
Shen Yuan hesitated. Did he want Shang Qinghua to know about Black Water? Or…had he known about him already? He had been warning Shen Yuan of letting his qi be sensed by others nearby…
“Don’t you already know?” Shen Yuan mentally asked him, flatly.
“…ha ha ha…I’m unsure what you mean, buddy…”
“Cut the bullshit, Airplane . Just whose side are you on? I thought we were friends, yet you seem to be throwing me to the wolves. How long have you been working with—you know ? ”
“Okay, fine,” Shang Qinghua said anxiously. “Alright, I knew Black Water was nearby. He ran into me recently when I was running from Bingge and I told him about the outpost…I also might’ve suspected you would be there…”
“ How?! Did you spy on Hua Cheng or something? He said only himself, Xie Lian, and Black Water knew about it! How did you know about it? Did Black Water randomly mention, ‘Oh yeah, Crimson Rain Sought Flower has a cozy little outpost near my lair, haha’?!”
Shang Qinghua was silent for several moments, to Shen Yuan’s growing irritation, before he said, sounding nervous, “Cucumber-bro, you didn’t read my writing in the beginning, right? You were a late reader.”
“That’s right…” he said suspiciously. He had binge-read the entire web novel over the course of a week when he discovered it. His routine that week had basically been; wake up, eat, shower, read web novel, eat, read web novel, eat, read web novel, and sleep. Repeat. He had gotten nothing else done.
“I thought so, ha ha ha…Oh god, you’re going to kill me…ha ha…”
“Just spit it out,” Shen Yuan said exasperatedly, eying He Xuan as the Supreme squinted his eyes open and sat up.
“Well, it goes like this, Cucumber…Um. This world was originally my web novel’s setting! Some of these characters didn’t exist, though, I’m pretty sure I would have remembered Xie Lian and Hua Cheng…ha ha ha…But everything else, including the terrain, were my original ideas…”
Shen Yuan was speechless. He had been watching He Xuan out of the corner of his eye, the ghost looking directly at him with thinly veiled suspicion, but he tore his gaze away with an incredulous expression as he stood up from the uncomfortable chair and began to pace nearby, his mind in sudden turmoil.
How had Shang Qinghua written these worlds to be real ? Was he secretly a god himself? Or was he lying? Shen Yuan couldn’t figure out a reason he would lie to him, though.
Did he work for the System? Or was the System a strange part of Shang Qinghua?
“Cucumber…Shen Yuan? I know that was a bombshell but please say something…”
He Xuan had stood up from his chair and was eying his pacing with a frown. “What’s the issue?”
Shen Yuan stopped walking in troubled circles and gave him a barely concealed nervous smile. “Nothing’s wrong…just dealing with…confusion,” he finished lamely. Mentally, he said, “What the fuck, man. How the fuck is your writing becoming real? Did you give your soul to the devil?! Is he real too?! I need some answers, man.”
“I don’t know either, man, I’m serious,” Shang Qinghua complained. “How do you think I felt when I woke up here after dying in our world? Then seeing that my motherfucking demon emperor who is insanely powerful and evil is real and after my best friend?!”
After Shang Qinghua finished that mental mindfuck, He Xuan said, “You are obviously lying,.” His face was dark. “I will not tolerate being lied to.”
Shen Yuan ran his hand through the waves hanging at his shoulders, sighing. To He Xuan, he exclaimed, “Alright, yes, I was dealing with something. Not as if you don’t know anyway, considering he…I’m speaking to Shang Qinghua.”
He then turned to Shang Qinghua, “Fine, fine! Whatever, man, just don’t keep anything else like that from me, I already feel like my time is ticking, any information can be useful…Speaking of information. I wanted to ask: is there a way to ‘power up’ as a ghost without needing to go into the kiln, since that’s no longer an option?”
Shang Qinghua choked. “Are you wanting to become a Supreme?! ”
“ If you say anything to Luo Binghe or ANYONE, I swear to god—”
“I won’t, I won’t,” Shang Qinghua said quickly. “I promise. You asked the right person, though. Yes, there is a way. It won’t make you a Supreme, Shen Yuan—only Mount Tonglu can do that. Unless? I don’t actually know. I only know of this method because it was a scrapped plotline I was going to use in the original draft I made, but decided against it because it felt too cliche…”
He Xuan watched Shen Yuan with his arms crossed, his eyes still narrowed. He had seemed to figure out they were having a conversation over the communication array and was waiting for Shen Yuan to finish.
Sighing again, Shen Yuan said to Shang Qinghua, “Alright, what is this method, then?”
Even if it didn’t outright make him a Supreme-level—he knew that would not be an instant change, since he was still low in power and skill—it would still take him further toward his goal. It would have to do, for now. And, knowing that He Xuan was working with Shang Qinghua, he would hear about it, which made Shen Yuan nervous. But, maybe he could utilize the Ghost King and work with him, as he had brought up before. They could help each other…
“There’s a mirror, called ‘Cloud Spirit Looking Glass.’ Yes, yes, I know; no need to say anything, okay? Don’t laugh. Anyway…if you know the destination, you can step through the glass as you would a portal, and enter another dimension. Inside is a waterfall, the waters when brewed into a tea with a specific plant give you an insane burst of power. It might not be Supreme-level power, but you would go up to wrath level, at the least, which is still insane.”
“Does anyone else know about it? How do we know the mirror is safe to use?”
“As I said, you need to know the destination,” Shang Qinghua reminded him. “Not the destination of the mirror, but the destination as in, the dimension. If you keep it in mind when you press on the mirror, it’ll work like water and you’ll slip right through. Nothing happens if you don’t think of the dimension. In my draft, I had a seer discover the mirror’s special magic and tell Bingge about it. Otherwise, there is nothing in this world that describes it as being special.”
Shen Yuan thought about this new information, sinking back down onto his chair. He Xuan crossed his arms. “You mentioned it needs to be brewed into a tea? What’s the plant? Why do you always insist on everything taking multiple steps in your stories? Why can’t it be simple?”
“It’s called good writing, Cucumber…not that you would know. You think my readers would want to read such mundane shit? The plant is, um…Aw, shit, what’s it called again…We’ll come back to that. I need to tell you where to get the mirror. It might not be fun…it’s far away from where you’re at, and high up, and there might be monsters…”
“Just fucking tell me, man.”
“No need to be rude, man . The mirror is at the summit of—oh yeah, Yu Jun Mountains. Too many places to keep track of…There should be a large temple. Or a shrine? I don’t remember, but it has the mirror.”
“You’re the author, how do you not remember these things…fine, so, I need to travel to this building at the top of the mountains and retrieve a magical mirror. What does it look like?”
Shang Qinghua ignored his jab. “It should be pretty big since it’s a portal, and it’s expensive looking—oh, and should have clouds on it, of course. Other details, I don’t know. It’s been too long…”
“Alright…anything else I need to know?”
“Yeah, I remembered the name of the plant you make the tea with. It’s called ‘Dusk Serpent Vine,’ and, well…”
Hearing his hesitation, Shen Yuan frowned. “What?”
“It’s under Mount Tonglu,” Shang Qinghua said reluctantly. “Which is, pretty much buried under lava and ash now…and there’s Jun Wu…but yeah, it’s in the underground city. Oh! And it bites.”
“It bites? ”
“It’s called ‘Serpent Vine’ for a reason, bro. It’s a venomous plant. I had quite the active imagination, you don’t have to tell me.” He sounded proud of himself.
“Okay, alright, so, magic mirror, then dangerous, suicidal mountain with a terrifying, powerful Calamity locked underneath. With plants with poisonous bites. What could go wrong?”
“Venomous,” Shang Qinghua corrected him, but Shen Yuan was already pulling himself out of the communication array, a massive headache pressing down on him.
He Xuan had waited impatiently for Shen Yuan to finish his mental conversation with Shang Qinghua. He scrutinized Shen Yuan carefully as he turned to him and began to explain everything he had learned from Shang Qinghua. There wasn’t a point in keeping him in the dark, anyway; Shang Qinghua was wrapped around his little pinky! And Luo Binghe’s! The man was a rat, never mind a mouse.
You're in way too deep, Airplane , he thought wryly.
Pledging allegiance to two different OP demon lords? That couldn’t be good; Black Water may be powerless right now, but that would change when he drank the tea alongside Shen Yuan. Or whatever else the ghost had up his sleeve. Shen Yuan completely expected Black Water to be lying to him—an all-powerful Supreme Ghost King had to have other resources he wasn’t sharing.
Maybe, if I get close to him, I can learn more. After all, the System did give me a quest to become a Supreme…it wouldn’t give me that kind of quest unless it was doable, right? Or is it just doable in the future?
Surely, this quest isn’t doomed to fail?
After relaying everything, He Xuan was silent for a long time. Long enough to make Shen Yuan feel nervous, although he had gotten better at shoving his nerves down since he was practically living with constant anxiety at this point.
Eventually, the ghost said, “I see.”
That’s it?
“You haven’t heard of this mirror, right?” Shen Yuan asked carefully.
He Xuan was unreadable. “I have not. And I have been alive for several centuries.”
“Do you believe Shang Qinghua?”
“Yes,” he said instantly. Shen Yuan blinked. “But I don’t trust him. He could easily be leading you astray.”
Shen Yuan laughed apprehensively. “This isn’t really for me, it’s for you…”
He Xuan’s unblinking look read, Sure, Jan.
“I want to get more powerful,” Shen Yuan finally confessed, knowing Black Water was seeing right through him. “But, having you as an ally might not be a bad idea. I work for Hua Cheng, sure, but the more powerful friends I have, the better…”
“Everyone wants power,” He Xuan said, impassive. “You suggest we officially partner up and go on this quest?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
Notes:
Black Water Submerging Boats He Xuan—I honestly love him. I know he did horrible things in TGCF, okay. But, awful things had happened to him as well. I think he is one of the most interesting characters from TGCF. I wish we got more of him in the series!
Thank you for reading!
Chapter 6: 6: Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
“He Xuan!” he shouted, forgetting to keep his identity under wraps. He rushed before Black Water, ignoring the disciples, his pale face whitening further.
He Xuan was hunched from the pain, blood gushing from his wounds.
Shen Yuan and He Xuan get closer as they travel, and upon entering Gao village, they experience some difficulties.
Notes:
Pronunciation Guide for non-Chinese speakers:
HOU XUAN: Hoe Ssh-ann
YANG YUAN: Yahng Yoo-ann
If any of these pronunciations are incorrect, let me know so I can fix them. I am not fluent in Chinese, although I have started learning it!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
With the matter settled, Shen Yuan and He Xuan decided to set off that evening to begin the long and potentially treacherous journey to gain more power.
Neither He Xuan nor Shen Yuan had many belongings to speak of, besides He Xuan’s dark sword which caught Shen Yuan’s eye immediately. He was a sucker for cool weapons, like Hua Cheng’s scimitar E-Ming, but he had never felt comfortable enough to ask his boss if he could see it. Xie Lian had described it to him once, briefly, but hadn’t mentioned how one comes across an amazing weapon such as E-Ming.
Shen Yuan was nervous to be leaving the outpost, but hoped that Luo Binghe would, at the very least, have to catch up quite a ways before meeting them on the road. Shang Qinghua would surely tell him where Shen Yuan was going, even if he wouldn’t mention Shen Yuan’s goal of becoming a Supreme. And even then, he doubted it would take long before Shang Qinghua would break.
Shang Qinghua was essentially being pulled in three different directions by three equally difficult and powerful masters (albeit, Black Water’s power was obsolete right now) and Shen Yuan didn’t understand how he was doing it.
He Xuan and him could be walking into a trap, for all he knew. One where Luo Binghe was lying in wait, knife and fork ready. He sweated at the thought, but knew he had no choice—not unless He Xuan suddenly decided to trust him entirely and share his thoughts.
Hm, might be worth a try at least to become his friend…
He Xuan had been walking forward with his hand on the hilt of his sword, uncaring about him or their surroundings, which currently was rolling, sandy hills. Shen Yuan walked nearby, his long sleeves covering his hands as he kept them together.
“Mr. Black Water,” Shen Yuan said, breaking the silence between them as they walked. He Xuan shot him an icy look, and he cleared his throat. “What exactly should I call you?”
“He Xuan is fine.”
“You aren’t worried people will recognize your name?” Shen Yuan asked.
The ghost frowned. “That name isn’t well-known. But I suppose if it got back to Crimson Rain Sought Flower…”
“Maybe we could just change up your family name…?” Shen Yuan suggested dubiously.
“Fine. Around others, call me Hou Xuan.”
“Hou Xuan, huh…” Shen Yuan looked at him thoughtfully. “You chose that name awfully fast…”
Ignoring him, He Xuan said, “If you work for Hua Cheng, he’ll know your name as well.”
“Oh, uh…around others you can call me…Cucumber— oh god what am I saying —I mean, call me…Yang.”
He Xuan gazed at him with lowered eyebrows. “Yang Yuan?”
Shen Yuan put his face in his hands, sighing heavily. “I’ve never been good at coming up with things on the spot.”
“It’s fine. Adds…character.” The bastard was definitely laughing at him, Shen Yuan could hear it in his voice.
He couldn’t help his own smile as he pulled his hands away, and saw He Xuan was looking at him curiously. Upon seeing Shen Yuan’s glance, he turned forward again.
“Would you rather call me Yuan’er?” Shen Yuan asked, clasping his hands behind his back and smirking at the Ghost King.
He Xuan said nothing, still looking forward, and Shen Yuan laughed. Yes, he definitely felt a bit more at ease with Black Water now. The ghost seemed to have a semblance of a sense of humor, which was a relief.
Both of them were ghosts, and therefore able to avoid the need for food and water, although they did occasionally stop for rest as they traveled. Shen Yuan was a bit surprised to see the roads were so empty, and they did pass the occasional empty village or two.
“Do you know what happened here?” Shen Yuan asked He Xuan after they had passed another empty village with no sign of life. No signs of ghosts or evil qi, either. Black Water didn’t seem particularly surprised.
“This is Yong’an,” He Xuan replied. “Ghost City isn’t too far from here. The villagers probably left a long time ago for fear of being too close.”
“Ghost City isn’t that bad…” Shen Yuan muttered. He Xuan just shook his head, his eyes narrowing.
They had been traveling for several weeks, stopping only briefly. Xie Lian had tried to check in with Shen Yuan a few times, and although Shen Yuan felt bad, he continued to ignore the pings from the communication array. He would get back to him eventually, he just couldn't right now...
Hua Cheng hadn't attempted to reach him outside the first time, then he had gone silent. That made Shen Yuan incredibly nervous, but he hoped it was just because Xie Lian had told him he wasn't responding. Overall, he felt terrible for ignoring the both of them, but didn't want them to get too involved with his situation.
They came across a large village up ahead. They had been lucky enough to avoid travelers or any trouble on the road, but upon coming up to the outskirts of this village called Gao, Shen Yuan was worried that might not be the case this time.
The village seemed to be having some kind of street market, with dozens of merchants set up with street carts and a large amount of different kinds of merchandise. Many of the merchants were pulling random passersby to their carts, or calling out to them. Everyone appeared to be mostly human, which was unsurprising, but concerning to Shen Yuan; he knew that Black Water didn’t look wholly human, and if you looked at Shen Yuan close enough, you could piece it together even if he did pass as human at first. Bustled together in the middle of the wide, busy street was a large group of what appeared to be sect disciples.
“Should we go around?” Shen Yuan asked.
“No need,” He Xuan replied, sounding at ease. “We need supplies regardless; we’re about to cross into the desert.”
Right, that was something Shen Yuan had forgotten about. Ghosts didn’t always fare so well in bright sunlight, and that was all they would deal with in the Gobi desert. Direct sunlight weakened them greatly, and enough of it could harm lesser ghosts—like Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan considered the matter with a frown. “Do you think we might be able to join a caravan?”
“Maybe, but they would head in the opposite direction of Yu Jun Mountains, most likely.”
If only Shen Yuan had a sword. Then he could fly all the way there. He sighed, glancing at He Xuan’s sword at his waist. He noticed the look, raising an eyebrow as they walked further into the village and towards the sect disciples. “What is it?”
“I know you don’t have power,” he began, keeping his voice low. The ghost’s face immediately darkened, but he continued anyway, “I do. Not much of it, granted, but I could use your sword to fly us part of the way there, and then we don’t have to worry—”
“No.”
Shen Yuan ran a hand through his hair, feeling disgruntled. He had thought Black Water would trust him at least a tiny bit at this point, considering they had been traveling together for several weeks now. Sighing, he dropped his hand and said, “Sorry I mentioned it. I just don’t want us to get caught up in one of those nasty sandstorms.”
He Xuan softened his expression. “My sword…it’s not exactly easy to use. I wouldn’t ask that of you. We can make it through the desert.”
Shen Yuan was curious, but just then, a street vendor nearby darted in front of him and took his hands, his face beaming as he pulled him eagerly toward his stall which appeared to have a bunch of paper talismans and cheap charms. “Come, young master! Come look at my wares! Protection charms against the evil ghosts, you can get no better!”
The man let go of his hands and turned to grab some of his items up for sale, but He Xuan kicked him hard, and the man went tumbling to the ground with a cry. He Xuan was scowling, and the man sat up from the ground, looking furious and scared.
“Now then, what was that for?! Why’d you kick me?! Is it because I touched your friend? I won’t do it again, okay!”
Shen Yuan looked at He Xuan with a bewildered look, but the ghost ignored him, grabbing Shen Yuan’s sleeve and pulling him away from the merchant. Shen Yuan shot an apologetic look at the merchant. “Sorry, sorry! We’re, um, running late for, uh, an important meeting!”
“What kind of trouble is going on over here?”
He Xuan and Shen Yuan stopped as a few sect disciples appeared from the crowd of hagglers. They were dressed in bright red robes with the insignia of a scythe on it. He Xuan looked at them crossly, and one of them said, “Hang on…”
Shen Yuan looked back at the merchant, who had stood up from the ground and was brushing dirt off his clothes. He looked angry. “Young cultivators! These two are causing trouble for no reason!”
“We are not,” Shen Yuan protested. Floundering, since He Xuan was saying nothing and simply looking at the disciples with a dark look, he said, “We’re simply passing by this village! We are simple travelers, nothing else—”
“Lies!” one of them shouted, pointing at Black Water, causing Shen Yuan’s stomach to sink. “You two are clearly ghosts!”
At the word “ghosts” nearby villagers and travelers began to yell, running away from them hurriedly and pointing. The merchant now looked stunned. “I was trying to sell charms to ghosts? What do you take me for?! Ghost City troublemakers coming all the way up here!”
Shen Yuan groaned, rubbing his forehead as he considered his next steps. Black Water, why?! Why did you have to start shit!
“Say something, Hou Xuan,” Shen Yuan muttered to him.
He Xuan appeared as if he would rather bite off his own arm, but he raised his voice above the commotion. “I didn't mean to offend you, merchant. I was protective of my friend here.”
Friend, eh? Although the situation at hand was serious, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but feel a bit cheery that the ghost king thought of him as a friend. His efforts had been working!
“Yeah, right,” one of the disciples said, sounding disgusted. “As if ghosts could properly care about each other. We won’t let you get up to anymore mischief!”
“Yeah! Ghosts aren’t to be trusted!”
“Wait until shifu hears I caught a ghost…”
“You don’t catch these kinds of ghosts, silly, you just disperse them…”
Shen Yuan and He Xuan were vastly outnumbered. There had to be at least ten disciples here, and he wasn’t sure his meager powers would be enough to get them out of there, especially since he didn’t have a weapon!
He Xuan was gripping the hilt of his sword, casting his eyes around threateningly. Before he could make a move, one of the disciples yelled, “Stop!”
At his command, the disciples who had been getting themselves worked up immediately stopped, looking towards the speaker. He looked to be a little older than the others, and there was a cinnabar scythe huadian between his brows. He must be the leader of this expedition.
He stepped forward. “These two have done nothing wrong, besides the taller senior kicking the merchant. He has already apologized, and clearly they don’t want to cause anymore trouble. If the two seniors are willing to pay the merchant, I don’t see why we should give them any further grief.”
One of the disciples scoffed and muttered, barely loud enough to be heard, “Zhu Chang, you would defend ghosts?”
Shen Yuan reached inside his robes to pull out his money bag to pay the merchant off. Thank the gods for this kid, he thought wryly, sighing.
He Xuan reached out and gripped his wrist. “I caused this; I will pay.” Ignoring Shen Yuan’s shocked look, he pulled out a simple black money bag and handed some joss paper to the merchant, who was eying them both suspiciously.
“This isn’t cursed, is it?” he asked them bluntly, clutching the money, his eyes bugging.
“No, no,” Shen Yuan said hurriedly. The merchant still didn’t appear satisfied, but under the watchful eyes of Zhu Chang, he shuffled back behind his stall.
Zhu Chang turned to both of them. “Why are ghosts so far north of Ghost City? In the broad daylight in the middle of a village? Don’t ghosts typically travel at night?”
“Typically, yes,” He Xuan said coldly.
“We’re traveling somewhere,” Shen Yuan said, feeling relieved the situation appeared to be settled. “We don’t really need to, uh, rest or anything, so we’ve just been following the road…”
“If you keep going north, you’re going to cross into the Gobi desert,” Zhu Chang said, and he beckoned them to follow him. He glanced at his fellow disciples. “I’ve got this handled.”
A few of them shot glares at him, but they dispersed, and gradually the villagers cautiously reappeared on the street. Zhu Chang led them down the road, warning them of the Gobi desert.
“Were you planning on getting any supplies?” he asked them politely.
Before Shen Yuan or He Xuan could answer, one of the disciples appeared from the side of the crowd, his sword out, rushing toward Shen Yuan. He had a crazed expression on his face and was screaming, “DIE, GHOST SCUM, DIE!”
Shen Yuan had no time to react. He braced himself for the stabbing pain, wincing his eyes shut, but then there was a wet squelching sound and someone spat. He opened his eyes to see He Xuan had stepped in front of him and taken the saber clean through his left side. Blood was now splattered all over his black robes and he gripped the saber with his hands, preventing the young disciple from moving it.
“He Xuan!” he shouted, forgetting to keep his identity under wraps. He rushed before Black Water, ignoring the disciples, his pale face whitening further.
He Xuan was hunched from the pain, blood gushing from his wounds. He gave Shen Yuan a small smile. “It’ll be nothing, don’t worry.”
“Like hell it’s nothing!” Shen Yuan exclaimed. He looked at the disciple who had stabbed the ghost. “Pull it out!”
The disciple was also pale. “I can’t—he’s holding it!”
“Zhu Jing, you’re horrible!” Zhu Chang said, shoving the other disciple away as he took over gripping the hilt. He Xuan let go of the blade, and Zhu Chang yanked it out, causing more blood to spurt from the wound. He Xuan's hands had deep slits from gripping the blade. “Everything was fine! Why did you have to attack?!”
Shen Yuan was still feeling panicked. Not only was that sword wound meant for him, but then Black Water had gone and taken the attack for him! He supposed that either way, they would need to scatter their ashes before anything permanent could affect them, but still! What the fuck!
Shen Yuan had the ghost put his right arm over his shoulders and walked them toward the closest inn. Zhu Chang kept close by, seeming distressed. “Ghost seniors, I really am sorry, our clan has been so disorderly since the death of our Sect Leader, and they’re always looking for an excuse to fight…”
Shen Yuan felt exhausted. “Can you help us get set up with a room?”
“Of course,” the boy said, rushing ahead.
“Why did you take that hit for me?” Shen Yuan mumbled to He Xuan. “I’m like you, I can’t die without the ashes…”
“It was instinct,” the ghost admitted, wincing.
He said nothing else, so Shen Yuan let the matter drop temporarily, sighing. He felt really bad.
“Good gods! What happened?!” the innkeeper exclaimed as they walked in through the entrance. “Do I need to call the nearby cultivators?”
“No, thanks,” Shen Yuan rushed out. They’re the ones who stabbed him in the first place!
Zhu Chang was nowhere to be seen, so Shen Yuan reached into his now blood-stained white and-teal robes and pulled out his money pouch. “How much did the room cost?”
“No, no, the young cultivator insisted it was on him,” she said, ignoring his pouch and leading them up the stairs of the inn. “Can I bring you seniors anything to eat or drink?”
“Lots of wine, please.”
He set Black Water on the bed. “Now, listen, I know you just said we were friends but I have to check your wound…”
He Xuan closed his eyes and waved a hand in permission, so he tore off his robes, exposing the wound on his left side. Thankfully, it didn’t appear to have hit any bones, although the sword had seemed to have jagged edges and had torn his tissue and skin harshly.
Shen Yuan concentrated and focused on re-knitting everything back together, sweat beading on his temple, his pale face turning pink with the effort of using his minimal magic to heal the Ghost King. After it was done, only a scabbed skin wound was left, and he collapsed on the bed next to He Xuan, his forearm over his arms, panting.
[ Completed first healing, B-Points +100. Protagonist satisfaction points +100. ]
Whatever. He was too tired to care about whatever the stupid interface was saying to him. He wished it would go back to being broken.
“Nice work,” He Xuan said from beside him. “You know, you seem to do well with the powers you already have.”
“It wouldn’t be even close to enough,” Shen Yuan said as his heavy breathing subsided.
He Xuan turned his head to look at him. His white face was dotted in sweat and he looked especially fatigued. “Why does it need to be more? Power is important but not everything.”
This is a contrast to his previous thoughts , Shen Yuan mused. Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door. “Seniors, I brought wine and food.”
Shen Yuan perked up, sitting up from the bed. His previously half-up hair was now about his shoulders messily. He Xuan was staring at him, so he quickly fixed it into a short ponytail before going toward the door.
“Thank you, miss,” he said as he took the plates. She gave him a sweet smile before leaving, and he shut the door behind her, walking back to the bed.
“Shall we eat here?” he suggested, and He Xuan just raised his eyebrows before taking a cup of wine and downing it.
“Probably best to be careful with the alcohol,” he said to him. “You’re still healing.”
“I’m a—ghost,” he said dismissively. He had probably been about to say “Supreme” before remembering he had no powers. “I heal quickly.”
The two shared their meal in silence and He Xuan had multiple cups of wine before setting it to the side and lying back, his hands behind his head.
“You might be a ghost but you should probably get some rest before we head into the Gobi desert,” Shen Yuan said to him, standing up from the bed. “Plus, we’ll need supplies and more robes…I can go get some while you rest.”
He Xuan looked doubtful. “You used up most of your energy healing me. You should also rest. We can get supplies tomorrow.”
Shen Yuan hesitated, then reluctantly got back into the bed and settled near the ghost. “Alright, I guess.”
Both slipped into sleep, the promise of tomorrow weighing heavily in the air.
Notes:
DON'T WORRY! LBH x SY IS ENDGAME!
—
My heavily referenced art of ghost Shen Yuan
Description of Shen Yuan (from Chapter 4 in LBH's POV):
Although the person in front of him was obviously inebriated, his stunningly beautiful face was cold, his dark green eyes fixed on Luo Binghe. He had silky black hair that must typically fall to his shoulders but at the moment was in a loose ponytail, the hairstyle somewhat messy and uneven. He wore elegant white and teal robes, slightly wrinkled—probably from his activities here at the inn—and the top of his head went to the bottom of Luo Binghe’s chin. Jade and black jewelry was running along his ears, some of it dangling. Something dark was peeking out of his robes on the left side of his slender neck. His facial features…he looked like he would have been a blood relative of Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Yuan.
Chapter 7: 7: Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
The sun had now drifted completely out of sight, bathing the area around them in moonlight. It made He Xuan’s extremely pale skin glow, to Shen Yuan’s fascination.
“Isn’t that obvious?” He Xuan asked, and he pulled up a chair to sit next to him. “You want someone to care. I’ve proven to you that I do care.
Shen Yuan and He Xuan are joined by the group of disciples as they travel through the Gobi desert. Shen Yuan dreams.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shen Yuan didn’t think he had slept so well in months. He snuggled closer, letting out a small happy sigh, appreciative of the warm, solid pillow he was hugging.
Then his eyes snapped open as he realized where he was and just who this “pillow” was.
Flushing bright red, he scrambled away from He Xuan, who still had his eyes closed and thankfully hadn’t seemed to notice the impromptu-cuddle session. They were both wearing two thin robe layers, although He Xuan’s still had blood stains peppered amongst his left side. The ghost must’ve been exhausted from his injury if he hadn’t woken up to Shen Yuan’s abrupt movement and gasp; he normally woke up if Shen Yuan breathed too loudly, if he slept at all.
Shen Yuan was suddenly suspicious that the ghost knew but was trying to save his thin face. Huffing slightly, he swung his legs off the bed and grabbed his blood-soaked robes. Damn, they were utterly ruined. He would need to get more robes, or perhaps get lucky enough to find cleaning talismans while they stocked up for the desert.
Ugh, the desert. He grimaced as he finished pulling his boots on and slipped out of their shared room, hoping to grab something to eat to help refill the last of his energy. His hair still hung loosely at his shoulders, but meh, he was tired. He’d put it up into an appropriate style before they left the inn.
“Senior!” a voice called out from the tables pushed near each other in the corner of the first floor of the inn. It was Zhu Chang, surrounded by other sect disciples. He was smiling, but when he caught sight of the bloodied robes it fell flat and he winced.
Shen Yuan knew he didn’t paint the pretty picture, with his messy hair and his bloodied robes. Of course the sect disciples had to be here. He nodded toward Zhu Chang.
“Senior, how is Senior Xuan doing?”
Ah, so he remembered his name? Did he remember his family name? Not great. “He’s doing better.”
Shen Yuan smiled at the boy as he approached their table. A few of the sect disciples leaned away from him, blatant mistrust and occasional disgust on their figures, but he entirely ignored it. He knew ghosts weren’t seen favorably by anyone in the cultivation world. Or the general populace, really. Ghosts were only really accepted by other ghosts; it’s why he had made his home in Ghost City and decided to make friends with them.
It hadn’t always invited good habits, but he had enjoyed their company, and he did miss hanging out with Shang Qinghua and their other buddies. Getting shit-faced drunk wasn’t something he had been able to do in his previous life, and participating now gave him a sort of thrill he loved. It had been the same when it came to getting his ear jewelry. Not something he would’ve been able to do in the past, but exciting and he felt it insinuated his features.
Now, the tattoo, though. He mainly kept that hidden, and was grateful he had decided to get it on his back, where it was mostly out of sight underneath his daily robes. He didn’t regret it, but it was certainly a decision he wouldn’t have normally made. Shang Qinghua had a similar one on his back. It had been a rebellious decision but a fun one. The other ghosts he hung out with had many tattoos and body jewelry. It seemed to be the culture of ghosts in Ghost City.
His family would have thrown a fit if they saw how he looked now. The thought transformed his smile into a sad, wistful one before he smoothed his face out.
“Here, sit down,” Zhu Chang implored, dragging one of the chairs over for him to sit. “This disciple is glad to hear that Senior Xuan is doing better.”
“Thank you, Zhu Chang,” he said as he took the seat.
The older teenager pushed some food toward him. “I’m not sure if Senior can eat? But if so, take some.”
“You can call this one Yuan,” he said, picking at the stiff spring rolls. “Ghosts can eat; we just don’t need to most of the time. I wore out most of my energy healing Xuan-ge last night, though.”
He would never, ever admit he just called He Xuan that. But he didn’t want the sect disciples to be suspicious. Zhu Chang nodded at his words and said, “Senior Yuan is wise. Are you planning on going into the desert today?”
Shen Yuan hesitated. Was it wise for the Zhu clan to know? He wasn’t sure, but He Xuan was still absent, so he simply nodded, “Yes, we’re traveling through the Gobi desert to Yu Jun Mountains.”
The other disciples had been mostly quiet, listening to their exchange and picking at their own food, but one of them spoke up, sounding suspicious. “Why are two ghosts like you going to Yu Jun Mountains?”
“Yi-shidi, don’t be rude,” one of the others said, sighing.
Shen Yuan was used to it. He just gave another small, polite smile as he wracked his brain for a potential reason (he did not want cultivators to know they were going after a previously-unheard-of spiritual treasure) and said, “We may be ghosts, but we still prefer to follow our previous traveling cultivator ways. There is some unrest at Yu Jun Mountains.”
Immediately, he regretted it, because Zhu Chang’s eyes lit up and he leaned forward. “There is something going on?”
Shen Yuan floundered, “I-I don’t know the exact details…I just heard a rumor there have been issues…”
“Well then!” Zhu Jing, the disciple who had stabbed He Xuan, exclaimed. Shen Yuan eyed him warily. “We should go with you!”
“Um…”
Zhu Chang nodded. “We’ve been looking for any unrest. Our new Sect Leader wants us to prove ourselves with a proper night hunt.”
They were all so young…Zhu Chang was perhaps sixteen. Did they really go out that young? Shen Yuan had read many, many xianxia webnovels but was surprised to deal with this kind of situation in-person. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised, but he was put out seeing a bunch of tweens and maybe a few older teenagers wanting to go on a night hunt that could potentially be extremely dangerous.
Shen Yuan had no idea how he should decline them, or if it would be better to deal with their company. After all, the longer they stayed with He Xuan and Shen Yuan, the longer they didn’t report directly to their cultivation clan that could cause them problems…or worse, get back to anyone that could cause them even worse problems right now.
Eventually, after sitting silent for a few moments as the sect disciples discussed amongst themselves excitedly and he had a few more bites of the stale egg rolls, he stood up and said politely, “Very well, I will go and inform my companion.”
He began to leave as Zhu Chang called after him, “We’ll meet you outside, Yuan-ge!”
He Xuan was not happy about this development.
“We don’t need a bunch of children skulking around,” he griped as he threw on his filthy black outer robes. He didn’t mention the cuddling session earlier, thank Guanyin. “We can get through the desert just fine.”
Shen Yuan grimaced as he leaned against the wall next to the door. “I know—it wasn’t my decision. They’re insistent on a night hunt and think they’ll find a fierce ghost or monster in Yu Jun Mountains.”
“I know,” He Xuan grumbled, tugging his sword belt on. “Is that child going to be there?”
Shen Yuan wasn’t sure which child he meant, but he said, “Yes. All of them.”
He Xuan’s silence said enough.
Getting the supplies was relatively easy, and Shen Yuan was extremely relieved to come across cleaning talismans. It didn’t take long for He Xuan and himself to be in freshly clean robes. He Xuan had taken a bath before they left the inn, to Shen Yuan’s insistence, and then they met the sect disciples outside of the inn where Zhu Chang was lecturing them on the desert.
“Ah, Senior Xuan, and Yuan-ge!” he said enthusiastically. He Xuan looked mildly disturbed to hear Shen Yuan referred to as such, but Shen Yuan just waved at them as they approached.
He Xuan had purchased a weimao for Shen Yuan to wear, and he found it was already a nice relief from the effects of the scorching sun. His hair was still loose around his shoulders; he had forgotten to fix it, dammit. He Xuan seemed to just be taking the brute force of the sun, to Shen Yuan’s confusion, as the large group began to head down the road that would lead into the Gobi desert of Banyue.
Shen Yuan and He Xuan were walking next to each other, He Xuan’s hand constantly resting on the hilt of his sword. Shen Yuan noted the ghost’s strained expression. He made a hand gesture to the weimao and said, “Why didn’t you also get one of these?”
“I’m a Supreme, I can last longer,” he said dismissively, his voice low as to keep it from the disciples. “If it gets bad, I can borrow yours?”
Shen Yuan was doubtful but agreed. Meanwhile, Zhu Jing, the brat that had stabbed He Xuan, kept glancing over at the two of them with a conflicted expression. After they had been walking for several hours and none of his fellow disciples had dropped dead, he walked over to them and bowed his head.
“Ghost seniors, this humble disciple wants to extend apologies for injuring Senior Xuan before.”
He Xuan was eying him with distaste, but Shen Yuan hesitated to speak up on his behalf. After all, he hadn’t been the one to get stabbed. Eventually, He Xuan said, “Do you always attack first, ask questions later?”
“Well, yes, I was taught ghosts are demons and shouldn’t be trusted. Um, sorry.”
He Xuan looked even darker, so Shen Yuan hastily said, “If you were taught that growing up, it’s understandable, but maybe don’t go running in and stabbing everything before you understand the full situation. Also, I can assure you that ghosts—and demons—aren’t wholly evil, just as humans aren’t wholly good.”
“That makes sense, thank you Senior Yuan, and Senior Xuan,” he said, bowing again.
“You can just call me Yuan,” Shen Yuan said, amused. He didn’t really think of himself as a senior…he was only twenty-three, maybe twenty-four? Barely an adult, really. He knew that most immortal cultivators preferred looking younger though, at roughly seventeen or so. But he wasn’t even a cultivator, he was a ghost. Still, he supposed even a twenty-three ish-old like him could be perceived to be way older than he actually was.
After all, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were over eight-hundred years old! Was it nine-hundred now? He couldn’t remember, honestly. He was amazed they kept track. And He Xuan, the Supreme Ghost King walking beside him…Shen Yuan was pretty sure Xie Lian had mentioned he was at least two-hundred years old. He couldn’t remember exactly how he knew that. Something to do with the situation with the other heavenly officials , he thinks.
“Alright, Yuan-ge,” Zhu Jing said happily, causing He Xuan’s eyebrows to shoot up again. He scampered back over to his fellow disciples with a, “Thank you, Seniors!”
“That better be the last of them,” Black Water said, his voice carefully neutral. Shen Yuan cracked a smile and said nothing.
They walked all day, taking minimal breaks. Although Shen Yuan’s legs were screaming; he honestly was not built for walking or running such long distances. He and Black Water had taken a lot more breaks when alone, and he definitely felt it now, but he kept quiet, only collapsing onto the sand next to the stone road with a relieved huff whenever Zhu Chang called out that they would rest for the night. He Xuan looked irritated at the stop, but seeing Shen Yuan collapsing, he just began to set out some bedrolls, saying nothing, deadpan.
“Sorry, I’m not very good at long-distances,” Shen Yuan apologized as he sat on a bedroll. With the sun so low to the ground, the air began to feel colder, and he wrapped his robes around himself tightly.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” He Xuan said dismissively, setting up his own before also sitting. He pulled out a water skin and passed it to Shen Yuan. “The children are mortal, they can’t last as long regardless. Here, drink.”
“Thanks,” he acquiesced, taking a long drink. He didn’t necessarily need water but he understood why He Xuan offered it to him. “Should we also try and sleep?”
He Xuan thought for a moment, lying back on the bedroll and putting his arms behind his head. “Hm, I guess it’s up to you. Is there a reason you wouldn’t?”
The sun had now drifted completely out of sight, bathing the area around them in moonlight. It made He Xuan’s extremely pale skin glow, to Shen Yuan’s fascination. He sighed, lying back as well, and said, “I guess the person who’s after me…”
He Xuan asked, curious, “Do they have dream powers?”
“Mm. Trained under a dream demon. He already stalked one of my dreams, I’m surprised he didn’t last night.”
“Who is this person? He’s the reason you’re trying to gain more power, too, right?”
Shen Yuan closed his eyes, sighing lightly. “Yeah. His name’s Luo Binghe. He’s a demon emperor from another world, and he’s specifically after me, for reasons I can’t even guess.”
“Do you think he’s coming after us?”
“Probably…” The question made something occur to him. “Are you still in contact with Shang Qinghua?”
There was a long silence that stretched on long enough that Shen Yuan expected the ghost not to respond. Then he said, “Yes. He is my subordinate, after all.”
“Okay, now, I know you can be stingy with your past,” Shen Yuan said, grinning at He Xuan’s derisive snort, “But how did that happen? Shang Qinghua only said you ‘ran into him recently’ when he was running from Binghe, or something.”
After a brief moment, the Ghost King said, “That’s basically what happened. I was on the run and knew the outpost was a safe—if temporary—location for me. Shang Qinghua was running to Ghost City when I came across his path. Even though I have no powers, right now, he still recognized me. I forced him to swear loyalty to me so he wouldn’t tattle to Hua Cheng that I’m back.”
“I thought you were on good terms with Cheng—Hua Cheng.”
“This one has been for the past few centuries,” He Xuan said carefully. “But, without power? If I regain it, I’m still a threat. A fellow Supreme. It never hurts to be careful, and Hua Cheng has always been ruthless.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Shen Yuan said after digesting everything.
“What made you decide to work with Hua Cheng, anyway?” There was a note of judgement in his tone, and Shen Yuan scowled at the night sky.
“He and Xie Lian instantly took me in when I woke up dead,” he said, irritably. “And as a ghost, I’m pretty much unwelcome everywhere but Ghost City. And maybe your place, I guess? But you’ve been gone for so long. I didn’t really have any options but I also did enjoy it. Hua Cheng and His Majesty never gave me anything particularly above my skill level as a wraith, and they even taught me how to use my demonic qi personally. I would be hard-pressed to be anything but grateful to them, honestly.”
Nothing else was said. Shen Yuan reluctantly let himself fall asleep.
There was sand everywhere. Sand and unbearable heat.
Shen Yuan was standing in the middle of a vast desert, one vividly memorable to him. The Gobi desert, of course. The searing winds were blowing light-brown sand everywhere, causing his eyes to squint as he looked around him. It seemed to be barren; there was no one else around him, not He Xuan nor the sect disciples from before. The bedroll he had been sleeping on was missing as well.
He squinted against the scorching sun rays. He was no longer wearing the weimao Black Water had bought him or his teal and white robes, but instead wore the same casual clothes from his previous life. The searing heat was beating down on him, but wasn’t affecting him as it did before. He appeared to be human again; no longer a ghost, to his confusion.
The stone road they had been following seemed to stretch on into the endless desert. He looked into the distance, the dry, heated wind blowing his shoulder-length hair about. After a blink, he thought he saw a figure far ahead on the path walking toward him. They were so distant it was hard to make them out.
Another blink and they were gone. Shen Yuan stood rooted to the spot next to the stone road.
All of a sudden, he felt horrible pain in his chest, and bent over, gasping. It felt as if his stomach was ripping itself apart, and he clawed at his shirt, tears coming to his eyes. The pain was only growing with every second, and he sank to his knees, hugging himself.
Another blink and the desert around him vanished. His knees were no longer resting atop loose sand, but digging into hard, clean tiles. There was a high-pitched, steady beeping sounding nearby and fluorescent lighting was coming from multiple different monitors. Several bags filled with numerous fluids hung on a metal IV pole that was connected to someone lying on the hospital bed, out of Shen Yuan’s vision.
He already knew where he was. He knew what this was. It had been a long time, but he still remembered.
The pain in his chest was still present, but he blinked back the stream of tears and struggled up off his knees. On the table-tray near the hospital bed sat a small vase full of different flowers. He didn’t recognize many of them besides the few roses and lilies. A thick paper card sat open beside the vase next to a tray full of uneaten food and drink that included a small cup of fish soup, diluted juice and diluted honey water. He recognized the food immediately; it had been a part of his “clear liquid foods” that he had been restricted to many times while in the hospital.
He didn’t like remembering this place.
After standing, he saw there was no one in the bed. The door opened, and a nurse walked into his room. She seemed shocked to see him standing there, clutching his chest, his face twisted with pain.
“Oh no, why are you out of bed?!” she exclaimed, snatching a pair of gloves from the wall and rushing forward. She set an arm behind his lower back and hurried him toward the bed. “You shouldn’t be walking around without someone to assist you. It’s easy to fall and get hurt.”
Shen Yuan was distracted from his discomfort but blinked in confusion as she hurriedly helped him into the hospital bed. He didn’t want to be back in this bed. He didn’t. But he didn’t stop her as she helped him lie down and pulled the blankets over him, checking the controls on the side of the bed before stepping back.
As she grabbed a few of the IV lines, she said, “Is there something you were needing? Am I able to help you, now that you’re resting again?”
Shen Yuan glanced down, his eyes half-lidded. He was no longer in his casual clothes; he was now wearing a bland, uncomfortable hospital gown. There was a port sticking out of his lower left arm. The nurse busied herself plugging in the lines, fussing over him as he lied there in mute silence.
There was a knock on the door. “Oh, your family must be here, now,” the nurse said kindly, stepping back now that she had finished. “Don’t worry, the medicine should kick in soon, and your pain should recede. I’ll come check on you again soon.”
She left, exchanging a few inaudible words with whoever had knocked. Shen Yuan assumed it would be his mother or his meimei. Instead, he reeled back into the bed in shock when He Xuan walked in.
Okay, his fever dream was taking a weird turn. He blinked rapidly, his pain temporarily forgotten as he gaped at the ghost who walked in. He even looked exactly as he did in the real world, with his incredibly pale skin and the sense of otherworldliness that only an undead character could achieve. Or a heavenly official, he supposed.
“A-Yuan,” He Xuan said, giving him a small smile as he walked forward and took his hand. There was a tired, concerned crinkling to his eyes that gave away his anxiety. “How are you feeling? How are you doing? The nurse told me she found you out of bed…is everything alright?”
“What are you doing here?” Shen Yuan asked, confused. It was just a dream, but why was he dreaming of his traveling partner and Supreme Ghost King?! In the hospital, concerned over him?!
He Xuan’s brows came together. “What do you mean? Are you feeling alright?” He lifted a hand and felt Shen Yuan’s brow as he asked.
“I’m fine!” Shen Yuan exclaimed, pushing He Xuan’s hand away from his forehead. “Why am I dreaming of you? And why am I back in the hospital? I don’t want to remember that anymore.”
“Isn’t that obvious?” He Xuan asked, and he pulled up a chair to sit next to him. “You want someone to care. I’ve proven to you that I do care. And now you’re confused on what you actually want.”
“I’m not confused about anything,” Shen Yuan seethed, and with a blink, the hospital melted away along with the pain in his chest, and he was now lying on the bedroll beside the stone road. He Xuan was atop his own bedroll, and the moon was once again high in the sky. Shen Yuan froze.
He Xuan sat up and leaned toward him, putting his chin on the back of his knuckles as he grinned at Shen Yuan. “ You’re the one including me in your dream. Tell me—what do you really want?” It was so vastly out-of-character for the ghost that Shen Yuan shivered involuntarily.
Before he could reply, his mouth opening angrily, there was a cold laugh from behind He Xuan. Shen Yuan’s blood ran cold and his eyes snapped up to see Luo Binghe standing behind the Ghost King. He sneered at the ghost below him. “You dream of such interesting things, Shen Yuan.”
He Xuan stood to his feet, his eyes narrowing on the demon emperor. “Luo Binghe, I presume.”
The emperor looked amused, although dark anger flared beneath. “So, this must be the powerless Black Water Submerging Boats. I must be honest—I expected you to be…more.”
With a wave of his hand, gold rings flashing, the ghost vanished. Luo Binghe turned to Shen Yuan, his cruel amusement fading into a more serious expression.
Shen Yuan was incensed. He had barely been containing his anger, and at this point, Luo Binghe had been causing him never ending anxiety and a sharp fear for his life. He had already had his dreams visited once by Emperor Dickhead and here he was again!
“ You ,” he hissed, springing to his feet and pointing a finger at him. “What could you possibly want from me enough to continue bothering me like this! I have done absolutely nothing to you, I’ve already died and come back as a ghost, despised by everyone—”
“You’ve done nothing to me,” Luo Binghe interrupted, stopping Shen Yuan short. “You’re right. But you continue to assume that I’m after you because you’ve ‘done’ something to me. What if you’re wrong?”
Shen Yuan opened and closed his mouth like a fish. After struggling for a few seconds, he said, “I don’t see why else the grudge-holding black demonic emperor of Proud Immortal— ” He cut himself off, catching himself before he said something potentially damning, “I mean, what other reason would you have to come after me?”
Luo Binghe stood there, his glittering black eyes focused on Shen Yuan with an intense focus that made him feel uncomfortable. He was so much taller than him, it was so unfair, and his handsome protagonist halo made Shen Yuan’s anger feel a lot smaller than it was. Damn! “Shen Yuan, you know my story, do you not?”
Shen Yuan’s face reddened. “I–um, what ? What kind of question is that ?!”
Luo Binghe stalked toward him. The moon seemed to cast him in a soft white light that made him appear a lot less intimidating. The corner of his mouth uplifted. “ Proud Immortal Demon Way . This Lord read it when he was on Earth. Fascinating, an entire story written entirely about my own life. And you read the entire thing…did you not, ‘Peerless Cucumber?’”
Shen Yuan’s brain short-circuited. Everything seemed to freeze as his jaw dropped open and he took a stumbling step back, his hands flying to cover his mouth.
Oh. Oh no. Binghe… knew about his internet persona?! No wonder he wanted his hide!
He made a few fractured, guttural noises. Luo Binghe looked satisfied. “As I thought. It was rather easy to search your apartment and discover many interesting things about you.”
Luo Binghe had gone through his apartment?! What?! What?!
“Wh-what? When?” he croaked out, horrified. Goodbye life. Er, second-life?
“When this one went searching for you,” he said, his eyes devouring him whole.
Shen Yuan was struck silent. He clutched his head in his hands. What had he done to catch Luo Binghe’s attention when he was just a mere mortal? What the fuck was happening? What the fuck? What the fuck! How was he supposed to react to this? He needed to contact Shang Qinghua right fucking now!
But no, Shang Qinghua was working for the bastard! God dammit!
Luo Binghe seemed to be letting him stew. When Shen Yuan looked up, the demon emperor had crossed his arms and was continuing to watch him with that same unrelenting intensity.
“Why?”
“Maybe it’s better if I showed you,” Luo Binghe said and with another wave of his hand the desert vanished again.
Now, the two of them stood next to a beautiful bamboo forest. The sun was back, high in the sky, shining pleasantly down onto two figures ahead of them, standing in front of a large wooden house. One of the two was a smaller, beautifully-handsome scholarly man clutching an elegant fan in his hand, a silver-white sword sheathed at his side. And the other…was Luo Binghe?!
“What the—” Shen Yuan burst out, but the Luo Binghe next to him said, “Wait.”
They approached, Shen Yuan keeping a careful distance from the demon emperor next to him. They had been frozen, but once they approached, the shorter, slighter man seemed to come to life as he said, “We shouldn’t keep him here. Would you be able to contain him in your palace?”
The other Luo Binghe had looked dark, anger flickering across his face, but when he looked at the other man his expression softened. “ Our palace, Shizun. What is mine is yours.” At the slighter man’s flush, who also deigned to not respond, he continued, “Yes, I think it could hold him. What about Xin Mo?”
Shen Yuan’s brows knit together as “Shizun” said, “This master replaced the talismans and stored it in the Bamboo House, for now. It won’t be enough, long term. What did the bastard want?”
The Luo Binghe beside Shen Yuan looked at the man with a kind of soft sadness as he spoke. Shen Yuan was beyond confused, and the scene changed to what must be the inside of the demon palace. The other Luo Binghe was standing in front of a small, black cell. He looked cold, his eyes fixed on another Luo Binghe sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cell. He looked calm as he peered back.
“What is going on? What are you showing me?” Shen Yuan hissed at the Luo Binghe beside him. There were too many Luo Binghes!
He didn’t respond, watching the scene in front of them. The Luo Binghe stood in front of the cell said, his voice icy, “I don’t believe you. All you do is lie. You tried to steal my Shizun away from me! ”
The prisoner Luo Binghe did not react. “This Lord is not deceiving you. Shen Qingqiu is .”
“Liar! We don’t lie to each other!” However, there seemed to be an echo of a missing word there that Shen Yuan recognized. It caused a strange twisting in his chest as he saw Luo Binghe’s clear fury—and hurt.
“ Anymore ,” the prisoner Luo Binghe finished softly. “But, he hasn’t stopped lying to you. Have you ever asked why he went from pouring tea on your head, and beating you, to giving you such preferential treatment? More than I ever got from my Shen Qingqiu, that’s for sure.”
He leaned forward, gripping the bars, his black eyes practically glowing in the dim lighting of the cell. There was a glint in his eyes that showed a type of madness that caused Shen Yuan’s breath to catch. “Ask him, then. Ask him, and tell me he has told you the whole truth.”
Their surroundings once again melted away, and Shen Yuan stumbled forward. The Luo Binghe beside him caught his elbow easily. Once he was steadied, he let go, his gaze fixed on another scene ahead of them. Shen Yuan ignored the phantom feeling of the touch at his elbow and turned to look.
The scholarly man, who he now guessed was Shen Qingqiu, was sitting at a table in a study in the demon palace. The warden Luo Binghe was sitting next to him, both of them clutching a cup of tea. He was staring at the table, his brows drawn together, looking miserable. Shen Qingqiu noticed.
“Binghe, are you okay?” he asked with a gentle tone.
Luo Binghe snapped his head up. He looked hesitant, opening and closing his mouth. The teacup in his hands cracked slightly, and he set it down, his hands now trembling.
Shen Qingqiu looked more concerned. “Binghe? Tell this master what’s wrong.”
There were another few moments of silence, then Luo Binghe looked at him, tears building in his eyes. Shen Qingqiu was taken aback as Luo Binghe said, “Shizun…you’re not Shen Qingqiu, are you?”
There was a very, very heavy stillness. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes had widened, and his teacup fell from his hands, shattering on the hard ground. He looked as if he couldn’t breathe, looking at the Luo Binghe sitting in front of him whose tears were now falling freely.
“Binghe…” he began, his voice a whisper. His eyes flickered to the side, and it…it was a look Shen Yuan recognized with a jolt.
“Please, Shizun, tell this lowly disciple,” Luo Binghe begged, still crying.
There was a massive, shuddering breath, and then Shen Qingqiu said, “Alright. I think…I think I can, now.”
The explanation took him a long time. There were many stumbling words, and frequent breaks were taken. Luo Binghe listened, his wet, glittering black eyes focused on Shen Qingqiu’s shuttering expression.
Shen Yuan sank to the ground, no longer able to breathe—or at least, “breathe” as a ghost could. He felt as if his whole world was crumbling around him. His dream continued on, uninhibited, as Shen Qingqiu’s Luo Binghe clutched at his Shizun’s robes, crying into his shoulder. Shen Qingqiu bowed his head over Luo Binghe’s curly head. A few drops fell onto those luscious curls.
“How,” Shen Yuan said. He sounded broken.
Luo Binghe crouched beside him. He looked as if he wanted to reach out but dropped his hand instead. “The Shen Qingqiu of my world has been dead for many years, now.”
“I was supposed to transmigrate,” Shen Yuan whispered. As if in response, his System’s window appeared in the corner of his eye. Just as it had for Shen Qingqiu.
[ Revealing any further information is strictly forbidden. Thank you for choosing the System, valued user! ]
Luo Binghe looked up, his expression stiffening as the dream world began to crumble around them. Shen Yuan continued kneeling, his head bowed, as the System’s presence shattered the dream around them.
“Shen Yuan—” the demon emperor began, but his voice cut off as everything went black and Shen Yuan’s eyes snapped open.
For a long time, he said nothing, staring up at the twinkling stars and the bright moon. He turned his head to look at the supine form of He Xuan, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. With a shaky breath, Shen Yuan slowly sat up, his hand going to his hair as he closed his eyes.
He should have known the conversation with He Xuan would jinx him into another unwelcome visit by Luo Binghe. But then…
Shen Yuan didn’t know what to think. Was the demon emperor trying to get into his good graces? Why, though? Why was he looking for the un-transmigrated version of his Shen Qingqiu; Shen Yuan?
Was he trying to make him a second Shen Qingqiu? A dark shudder went through his body, and he pulled his knees to his chest, his face blanching at the thought. Oh. Oh. That made so much sense…clearly, Luo Binghe thought his Shen Qingqiu hadn’t suffered enough. And, although there was clearly some sort of…friendship? between that other Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu, it wouldn’t matter. Shen Qingqiu was Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe would always hate him and want to torture him.
He was in so much deep shit.
Notes:
weimao = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimao
Chapter 8: 8: Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
Shen Yuan spotted a figure in the distance. A dark figure, barely discernible in the darkness.
“You have a System,” he said eagerly, darkness pooling out of him, grabbing all four of Shen Yuan’s limbs so he was spread out like a star, mid-air. “I will take it.”
Traveling through the Gobi Desert doesn't prove to go as smoothly as the group had hoped.
Notes:
PLEASE READ:
I decided to restructure the fanfic. Some of the chapters have been combined, and expect longer chapters from now on!Sorry, some comments got lost (｡•́︿•̀｡)
I love reading them, so please feel free to comment! I will always respond when I can. Your opinions and love are super appreciated ❤️Thank you for reading, as always ❤️❤️❤️
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TW: SNAKES.
Chapter Text
It was a few weeks later, and the desert continued to stretch on endlessly. Shen Yuan’s mood had sunk as low as the temperature at nighttime, his shaded head bowed. The disciples stuck to their own group anyway, but sensing his mood and the forever standoffish He Xuan, they kept to themselves. Only Zhu Chang bothered trying to engage them in conversation, which seemed to make He Xuan more suspicious while Shen Yuan attempted to respond cheerfully, unaware that everyone around him saw right through his forced act.
“What exactly happened to Yuan-ge?” Zhu Chang finally asked He Xuan a week after dealing with the strange change in mood. He had been used to Shen Yuan’s kind, friendly demeanor, and this flip was disorienting. “Does it have to do with the sun and heat, since he’s a ghost? How come it doesn’t affect Senior Xuan?”
They had been in the desert for a while now, after all. Maybe Shen Yuan was just struggling to deal with it.
He had beckoned He Xuan away from everyone else when he asked, but Shen Yuan had still heard with his demonic ghost hearing. He didn’t react, however, instead just focusing on continuing ahead without letting them know he was eavesdropping. He Xuan was scowling, but there was a concerned wrinkle to his brow he couldn’t smooth out. “This one is simply stronger than Shen Yuan. Don’t concern yourself with him. He’ll be fine.”
Zhu Chang’s worried look didn’t go away, but he left the two ghosts alone. He Xuan didn’t push Shen Yuan on what was going on with him, and Shen Yuan didn’t share. He knew the ghost was observant enough to understand something had bothered his shorter companion, but for a few weeks, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he simply would pass him the waterskin occasionally (Shen Yuan was unsure where he kept getting the water, and assumed he must have extra, or kept finding some…somehow) and set his bedroll out for him nightly, insisting he sleep.
Luo Binghe didn’t deign to visit again, and, for whatever reason, Shen Yuan felt more at ease knowing He Xuan was lying nearby.
Every night, they had a rotation in terms of who took watch. For the first week or so, He Xuan had laid out a complicated-looking array around his and Shen Yuan’s bedrolls, to Shen Yuan’s (albeit, understanding) exasperation. He had told Shen Yuan it was for “complete protection from the idiotic children who were more likely to hurt them, accidentally or not, than protect them during their ‘watches’” yet, after that first week, he drew the array around the entire camp and began to accept the rotation for what it was. The clan disciples had been bewildered at the array in the beginning, since it only had been around Shen Yuan and the Ghost King’s bedrolls at first, but came to accept it, as they did the presence of the two ghosts in general.
They also didn’t trust him when he began to take a section of the watch. That fear seemed to go away as He Xuan coolly ignored them and sometimes stayed up most of the night, focusing on keeping himself and his sleeping companion safe. Shen Yuan had tried to insist on being a part of the rotation, which He Xuan dismissed as unnecessary; he stated he was completely fine with less sleep, as he was more powerful and had centuries of experience. Shen Yuan did not. After the revelation he had discovered, though, he stopped protesting and simply lied in his bedroll night after night, sometimes resting on the very edge of sleep—light enough where Luo Binghe would not be able to join his dreams, he hoped—but never allowing himself to pass out fully. Although the trek through the desert was entirely exhausting and he sometimes felt as if the sun would burn right through him until the only thing that remained was the weimao and the remains of his sandy robes.
He supposed he would eventually tell Black Water about the dream he had experienced. But, then, that might leave him with some questions Shen Yuan couldn’t answer. Or, if he could get a promise of secrecy from Shang Qinghua, he could talk to him about…everything. It didn’t seem likely, though. Especially since Luo Binghe was entirely aware that Shen Yuan knew, of course.
If the demon emperor’s goal was to slowly strip Shen Yuan of everyone he cared about, it was working. At the moment, Shen Yuan only trusted He Xuan, and even then, it was a flimsy trust, the kind that comes after a pair deals with hardship and doesn’t turn their back on the other. It, ultimately, was a trust of necessity. If he didn’t have He Xuan, he would have no one, and that terrified him.
Eventually, one evening when they were making their camp once again, He Xuan laid his and Shen Yuan’s bedrolls directly next to each other. The Ghost King sat down next to him, seeming to consider what to say, and Shen Yuan just drank from his waterskin mutely, wondering if he was finally going to get questioned.
Ever since he found out he might be a…reincarnation of Shen Qingqiu? A strange alternate version of another Shen Yuan who actually did transmigrate? He didn’t know, but it felt as if his actuality had shattered around him, and he had no idea— absolutely none!— on how to handle his own feelings and view on reality.
“Shen Yuan,” He Xuan began, pausing uncomfortably. Clearly, the Ghost King was not used to having…heart-to-hearts, or whatever this conversation would end up being. “What’s been the matter? You’ve been off for…a few weeks…now.”
Shen Yuan looked at his lap. He involuntarily let out a long sigh. “He Xuan….”
The ghost looked pleasantly shocked to hear him respond, and sat forward indulgently. Shen Yuan had expected this conversation to happen eventually, although he was surprised Black Water had initiated it. He assumed at some point he would break down himself and it would all come spilling out of him, unwilling to continue holding it in.
With another sigh, Shen Yuan looked up at the Ghost King. He was studying Shen Yuan carefully. There were dark rings under his eyes, to Shen Yuan’s surprise. Probably mirrored on his own. Had…had He Xuan also not been sleeping? With his own frown, Shen Yuan said, “I can’t really talk about some things.” Okay, maybe a lot of things.
His vision darted to the left involuntarily. The System did not deign to show itself, so he continued, “Remember Luo Binghe? He visited my dreams again, a few weeks ago. And I found out something.”
He Xuan’s head tilted to the side, his half-loose, straight and long black hair spilling in front of him. “Is that why Shen-xiongdi hasn't been sleeping much?”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you could tell.” Black Water waved his hand dismissively.
“Well. I don’t know exactly how to explain it to you without—” possibly getting in trouble with the damned System which has already threatened me , “—saying too much. I learned something during the dream with Bingge that has turned my life upside down.”
“Bing…ge?” There was a light snort. He Xuan deadpanned, “What did you learn?”
Shen Yuan flushed. “Oh…Bingge is what…um. It’s just the name Qinghua uses. And I can’t say what I learned.”
“I see.”
The ghost said the words entirely devoid of emotion. Shen Yuan lied back on his bedroll with a sigh. For whatever reason, this small conversation was taking his mind off of his depression. He promptly ignored the memory of the dream he had leading up to Luo Binghe’s appearance. Had it all been a part of the dreamscape? Nah. He wasn’t sure Luo Binghe was even aware of Black Water’s presence, and was glad for it. Ignore. Ignore.
“Whatever it is…hopefully he doesn’t bother you anymore,” He Xuan said.
“The worst part is I genuinely have no idea what he could want from me.” The words began to tumble from his mouth like a dam cracking open, complaining. “He’s so cryptic . He insists he wants to do me ‘no harm,’ but what am I supposed to think?! He’s the blackened stalli— demon emperor of a world he was so angry at, he fucked it and everyone up. Don’t get me wrong…I understand the need for revenge! Okay! I’m not against his arcs, actually. I was one of his top supporters when rea— hearing about what he did! I didn’t care about the pap—um, certain scenes, sure. But, needing to control Xin Mo, I get it, even if I think it was entirely excessive to have that many! But, knowing about what he did to…certain characters, how am I supposed to ‘trust’ this guy, especially when he has coerced one of my friends into being his little minion?”
He said all of this quickly, without pause. He felt the need to rush it out of his system—without giving too much away—as He Xuan was pretty much the only “friend” he had right now. Not even being able to reach out to Shang Qinghua for fear of Luo Binghe and Hua Cheng was hard.
He Xuan had also reclined back on his bedroll, his head against his arms. He seemed to really like that casual position. In the greatly dimmed sunlight, Shen Yuan saw him turn his head to look at him. “Sounds like an asshole.”
The abrupt name-calling and curse made Shen Yuan’s mouth quirk up. “Yeah, he can be. But…I just can’t help but feel sympathy for him, at the same time. But, it’s hard to feel sympathy knowing…Well. I-I have a…theory. On what he wants with me. It’s…not good.”
Black Water made a thoughtful noise. “Most characters like that are up to no good; I’m surprised you trust me, for example. You don’t know me at all, or what I’ve done.”
“Well. Not to burst your bubble—” He Xuan looked confused at the phrase, while Shen Yuan forced his tensed muscles to relax, telling himself it’s fine, it’s fine he won’t kill you for this , “—but I don’t necessarily trust you completely. I just trust you not to stab me in the back, at this point. You already got stabbed for me.”
“Mm. I suppose.”
“Hey, aren’t you going to place that array down?” Shen Yuan asked, suddenly remembering the array He Xuan would place before it got dark. The sun was so low there was practically no sunlight left, especially as the moon was tucked behind some dry clouds. It was almost pitch black.
“Right,” He Xuan said. Shen Yuan saw his dim form sit up and push to his feet. “Be right back.”
As he watched the Ghost King walk toward the edge of the camp, Shen Yuan spotted a figure in the distance. A dark figure, barely discernible in the darkness. Goosebumps immediately ran down his entire body and he sat up, his eyes widening. “There’s someone there!”
He Xuan immediately turned toward the figure, and a few of the slumbering juniors in their separate group nearby sat up in alarm. “What?! Where?! Who?!”
The sun disappeared, plunging everything into darkness, and Shen Yuan sprang to his feet, his previous exhaustion disappearing as a large sense of foreboding came over him. “Oh my god. Okay.”
He concentrated, causing a large ball of light glowing a cool blue to spring to life where He Xuan’s bedroll was lying. He saw He Xuan’s sword lying on top of the bedroll. His heart sank.
“Shen Yuan?” He heard He Xuan call.
“Still here!” he yelled back. “At the light! Your sword—”
“ Don’t touch it! I’m coming!”
He already knew that Black Water’s sword was a strong cursed weapon, much like Hua Cheng’s saber. There were reasons he couldn’t touch it, he knew, but he still looked at it for a long moment before turning away. The disciples were all huddled at the light, standing next to He Xuan’s bedroll and peering at him. Zhu Chang, always the reliable one, said, “What’s going on, Yuan-ge?”
“I saw someone—or something,” he said, strained. “It was hard to make them out in the dark, but there was definitely a figure there. Near where Hou Xuan was setting the array. Stay alert.”
Zhu Chang’s face had paled. “We’re near Banyue Pass…”
Shen Yuan remembered Xie Lian mentioning his adventures with Hua Cheng—who had been posing as San Lang—in Banyue Pass. The ghosts there shouldn’t be around anymore, so why would there be any issue?
“I thought Banyue Pass was no longer a…threat,” Shen Yuan said carefully.
From behind the clan disciples He Xuan shoved through them, reaching for the sword lying on the bedroll. His pale face looked even more ghostly in the dim ghost light Shen Yuan had erected. He took Shen Yuan’s arm in a painfully tight grip and pulled him away from the group, ignoring the children entirely.
“That’s not a ghost. That’s a demon,” he hissed in Shen Yuan’s ear.
Shen Yuan blinked. “They’re not the same thing?”
“Would you consider yourself a demon?” He Xuan asked impatiently. “Just because, as a ghost, you have demonic cultivation doesn’t make you a demon. This is a proper, deadly demon and it smells dinner. We need to get out of here. Now.”
He said this all very quietly, but some of the closest juniors had blanched in the lighting. “What do we do?!”
“Aren’t you righteous cultivators?” He Xuan snapped at them, turning on his heel to face them. “This is an evil demon! Do your job!”
“He Xuan, they’re kids ,” Shen Yuan said derisively, his voice low beside the ghost’s head. Raising his voice, he said, “We need more light.”
A few disciples moved to obey him instantly. Soon, there were multiple pockets of light overlapping each other. Shen Yuan stepped closer, pulling his arm out of He Xuan’s grasp, looking at the multitude of scared faces. Although he also felt terrified—he’d have to be a fool not to be—he cleared his throat and said, “It’s alright. We can work together to get out of the desert. We’re going to need to find a way to trap the demon, or at the very least, delay it. It probably doesn’t care about Hou Xuan and I, since we’re both dead. It’s going to want to… feed on you. As a demon, and a powerful one according to Hou Xuan, it’s most likely already having a nice appetizer using your fear. You need to try and push it down as far as you can before we make any moves. Is it coming any closer? Can anyone see it?”
As he had spoken, the juniors had huddled closer to him, and he felt a solid presence pressing close behind him. Now, a few raised their chins defiantly, and the ones toward the back looked behind them. “Wait! Yuan-ge, it’s gone!”
That had to be bad. Shen Yuan paled, his face truly as white as a sheet. He turned to He Xuan, almost chest-to-chest with him. There was no expression on his face, although his eyes were hard. “Hou Xuan, are you able to put an array around our little gang, here?”
There was a heavy moment of silence, then He Xuan stepped away and bent down, sliding his finger over the edge of his sword he pulled out of the sheath a few inches. He began to draw an array. The sand should have displaced it, but as before, his array somehow seemed to solidify the sand below it, causing solid markings. Shen Yuan watched for a few ticks, fascinated by the display of skill, before shaking his head and coming back to it. “Anyone have spiritual weapons?”
He doubted it, since they were so young. Zhu Chang and two others, to his surprise, nodded. “I left it on my bedroll,” one of the three said glumly. The others also looked guilty.
“Always be in the habit of taking your weapon with you,” Shen Yuan unintentionally scolded. There was a scuffle of movement behind him and he glanced back to see He Xuan had glanced at him and almost slipped on the loose sand.
Then he realized and flushed bright red. Ah. He Xuan had left his sword behind earlier to draw the camp array. He had unintentionally lectured him as well.
“Yuan-ge, there’s something at my foot,” one of the younger clan disciples said, his voice trembling. Shen Yuan glanced down at the disciple’s pants and instantly felt his soul leave his body.
Crawling up the leg of the disciple that had spoken was a large snake. It looked like a King Cobra from his home world, with the wide, flat heads, although it had translucent skin that showed its red organs interrupted by black lines. Its swaying tail was a segment of hard, flesh-colored layers (like the tail of a scorpion, hence its name) and ended in a flesh-colored needle.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. “That’s a scorpion snake!”
As he spoke, it disappeared into the inner robes of the disciple, whose eyes had widened and looked on the brink of a panic attack. The disciple didn’t move, clearly smarter than the average person, as Shen Yuan suspected most people would have begun shrugging their robes off in an attempt to get the snake off. All that would’ve done is agitate the snake and cause it to bite. Or possibly sting, in this case.
“Let me see,” He Xuan said, abruptly close behind Shen Yuan, who started. He stepped past and moved to the disciple. Ignoring the disciple’s trembling, he slowly and carefully pulled the robes off of the disciple, revealing his first inner robe. Even though the situation was serious, the disciple turned beet red at the exposure. The snake was curled up against his upper right chest, almost into his armpit. It wasn’t attacking the poor kid, although Shen Yuan wasn’t sure how long that would last.
“There’s more!” one of the other juniors whimpered. Multiple scorpion snakes were crawling toward them from the darkness, lit up by their balls of light.
That was the final straw. The juniors all broke, running out of the newly erected array, scampering into the darkness.
“Wait!” Shen Yuan called out, agitated, but no one did. “You’re going to get hurt! This is what the demon wants!!” Even Zhu Chang, the most level-headed out of the lot, had left!
“It’s not biting him,” He Xuan said to Shen Yuan. He didn’t seem bothered in the least. “Stay in the array. They can’t enter it. As for you, kid…”
Shen Yuan stood close to He Xuan and the clan disciple as the ghost unsheathed his sword. The snake on the disciple’s robe began to wriggle, hissing, but still not biting or stabbing the kid. He Xuan scrupulously raised the sword to the snake. After holding it close to the snake, Shen Yuan’s eyes narrowed as the snake began to wrinkle and shrink. As a last-ditch effort, it attempted to stab its tail into the disciple’s chest, but He Xuan’s sword drained it of its life before it could. It fell to the ground, shriveling up into a black, dry coil.
“What the fuck was that!” Shen Yuan burst out without thinking, too terrified to care he was cursing rather bluntly in front of prude xianxia characters, one of which was a child.
He Xuan didn’t sheathe his sword, although he did let go of the disciple, who stayed next to them, shaking like a leaf and silent. “Why I don’t want you to touch my sword. It’s got…unique properties to it. I don’t need power to manipulate it. It drained all of the demonic energy out of the snake. What a nasty creature.”
“The snakes have to be a way to lure us out,” Shen Yuan said. “They all left…that demon is going to capture all of them…”
“Nothing we can do about it,” He Xuan said. Shen Yuan snapped his gaze to him, but the Ghost King was looking out into the darkness where the figure had stood distantly. One by one, the balls of light next to them began to flicker before vanishing. “We need to wait until morning, then get out of here. Banyue Pass is close?”
“That’s what Zhu Chang said…” Shen Yuan said faintly.
“If we don’t stop, and we go fast, we can make it out of this desert. Banyue Pass is close to the border. Perhaps a day or two. I won’t let anything happen to us.”
“Who do you think this demon is? You must have some kind of idea, a powerful demon of this caliber…”
Black Water said sharply, “I haven’t exactly been around, the last few decades.”
“And there’s no hope whatsoever in saving those kids?” Shen Yuan didn’t believe it.
“There would be too high of a risk. Especially since you haven’t gotten that power increase. And I have no power—yet.”
“Besides your sword! We can’t even try?”
The boy beside them had sunk to the ground, but he looked up at them. Tears were flowing down his pale cheeks. “Please,” he said, his voice breaking. “Please save them. Yuan-ge…”
The snakes were still slithering around the array. Shen Yuan sank to the ground beside him, keeping a wary eye on them. “Even if He Xuan leaves, I’ll still try. I can’t leave them like that.”
He Xuan joined them at their level, squatting, to Shen Yuan’s surprise. The Ghost King glared at him, annoyed. “I’m not leaving you,” he snapped. “How do you even recommend we find them, then?”
Relief shone on Shen Yuan’s face before he could hide it. “Can you use some sort of array?”
“It doesn’t work like that. We don’t even know what’s happening out there. They all ran off, and it’s too dark.”
Shen Yuan thought for a moment, his face tight. He didn't like sitting in this array, like a sitting duck. His worry for the clan disciples was almost overwhelming. Reluctantly, he took a deep breath, and then mentally reached out to Shang Qinghua through his verbal password.
Radio silence stretched on. God dammit .
Crestfallen, he met He Xuan’s eyes. “Do we just have to wait here until morning? Anything could happen to the juniors…”
The ghost stared at him for a long moment, then rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Alright. I can try to save them. Not sure why you care so much, though.”
There was a sniff from the disciple next to them. Shen Yuan reached out and placed his hand on the clan disciple’s shoulder. Leaning in, he whispered, “He’s just a grumpy old man. All bark, no bite. Don’t worry.”
Black Water scowled at their display, but turned away and casually stepped out of the array. Shen Yuan jerked, opening his mouth to demand what the hell the ghost was doing, but the snakes seemed to entirely ignore him.
He Xuan looked back and said, “It’s my sword,” before he continued walking into the dark and disappeared.
“Yuan-ge, Senior Xuan is insane.”
Shen Yuan just smiled weakly at the boy and didn’t respond. Instead, he peered back into the darkness, trying to ignore the snakes slithering next to the array protecting him and the boy. Instead of feeling fear for his own situation, he was beginning to feel nervous for He Xuan—he had said he would “try to save them” and then stepped out of the array. What was he going to do? Was he somehow going to use his sword to find them? What if he ran into the demon?
He Xuan didn’t return all night.
Shen Yuan hadn’t wanted to admit it, but okay. He was scared stiff that the ghost wouldn’t come back. What if he had decided to leave after all?
How could Shen Yuan even blame him? He was right. They didn’t know each other. They weren’t “friends”...even if Shen Yuan had to confess he wanted them to be. The ghost was grumpy but had a kind of charm to him that Shen Yuan endeared to. And he had protected Shen Yuan this entire time, even though they had been strangers not too long ago.
Not even to mention the dream he had…which he still didn’t understand.
The clan disciple had started shivering not long after He Xuan had left, so Shen Yuan pulled him into his arms. The boy hadn’t protested. He looked to be roughly eight or nine. A child!
A child dealing with all of this…Shen Yuan was again horrified. He didn’t understand how cultivation worlds such as this one thought it was acceptable for children to be dealing with these matters. In all likelihood…the other clan disciples might be dead. And Black Water, although Shen Yuan hadn’t wanted to admit either to himself. He really hoped he was wrong. He hoped the juniors and Black Water would come back, dragging the demon’s body behind them triumphantly.
The boy fell asleep midway through the night, so Shen Yuan just continued holding him, keeping an eye on the snakes and the array. A bone-weary tiredness had settled in him, urging him to finally get the rest he had been avoiding since the dream with Luo Binghe, but he ignored it. He needed to stay alert, at least until the morning. He had deduced, based on what He Xuan said, that the snakes would leave when the sun came out. It was a freak of nature, as he was sure that snakes, as cold-blooded creatures, preferred the heat over the cold.
I can’t expect the rules to be the same, he reminded himself dryly.
The boy curled into a ball in his arms, shuddering, and Shen Yuan held him close. The sun finally began to poke above the horizon, and he let out a relieved breath.
Not long later, the snakes that were patrolling slithered away. Shen Yuan watched them go, wary, but they completely vanished out of sight. Relieved, he hesitantly unrolled to his feet, carrying the bundle in his arms surprisingly easily considering how tired he was. Stepping over the array, he scanned around him for any sign of the juniors…or He Xuan. He saw neither.
Shen Yuan spent roughly an entire incense packing all of the clan disciple’s belongings, Black Water’s, and his own into a single one of He Xuan’s space rings he had left with his belongings, which was convenient. Shen Yuan almost wondered if the Ghost King had left behind one of his rings on purpose. He didn’t have a weapon—he just hadn’t found the right one, yet (although now—more than ever—he was realizing how important it was to get one)—so he grabbed one of the juniors’ thin swords. Thankfully, it appeared to be a normal sword, and not one of the three spiritual weapons some of them had mentioned. He didn’t know how it’d react if a ghost touched it. He carefully used the sleeves of his robe to deposit the spiritual swords into the ring, crossing his fingers as he did so that it wouldn’t react even through the silk sleeve.
Strapping the thin sword to his waist, he hoisted the clan disciple into his arms and strode into the desert where He Xuan and the disciples had last disappeared to. The clan disciple was still passed out; he had dozed on the warm sand while Shen Yuan had packed everything.
The disciple stirred in his arms as he strode off. “Hng…Yuan…ge?”
“It’s me.”
“Hm…” The kid blinked slowly before he stiffened in his arms, jolting fully awake. “Senior Xuan…didn’t come back?”
Shen Yuan hesitated, unsure if he should tell the disciple his suspicions that He Xuan had possibly gotten caught up with the demon. Or the snakes, if he had been bit in the darkness during nighttime, sword or not. Instead, he skirted around it, “He’s probably still searching for the others.”
“Where are we going, then, Yuan-ge?”
“I’m following the direction Hou Xuan went,” Shen Yuan responded, shifting the disciple in his arms. He ignored the exhaustion in his limbs. “We might be able to help him, now that it’s daytime. I don’t feel comfortable staying in the array doing nothing. If it starts to become nighttime again, we can return here. By the way, I don’t know your name.”
“Oh…” the clan disciple ducked his head, embarrassed. “Zhu Xinyi.”
“A good name. Here, drink some water.”
After walking for a few moments, Zhu Xinyi said, “Yuan-ge, could you set me down now? I can walk.”
The two continued into the desert, the sun beating down on them. Shen Yuan pulled out his weimao and slipped it on, squinting his eyes and sighing at the blistering heat. He was excited to get out of the desert. It was definitely no place for ghosts to be. He fervently wished that he had just gone around, at this point. He didn’t even know if it would have been feasible, though.
He wasn’t sure where the snakes were during the day. He hoped they wouldn’t come across them.
After walking for half the day, the hunched clan disciple looked up and his eyes widened with recognition. “Yuan-ge! Look! It’s Chang-shixiong!”
Shen Yuan followed the direction of his gaze, his eyes narrowing.
A smaller figure—that of an older teenage boy—was standing in the distance, just far enough where his form was rippling like a mirage in the heat. Shen Yuan frowned, a chill going down his back. He didn’t think that was Zhu Chang…
“How do you know?” he asked. “That could be an illusion. Or the demon…”
“Nonsense!” the boy cried, pulling his hand from Shen Yuan’s and running forward. “Shixiong! It’s Xinyi!”
These idiot kids! Did they want to get killed?
Exasperation and an immense sense of fear filled Shen Yuan. He raced after Zhu Xinyi. “Stop! This is a trap! It’s not Zhu Chang!”
To his surprise (he was used to them not listening), the boy faltered and came to a stop. “But…”
“Look! He isn’t even moving!” Now that they were closer, the figure was still rippling like a mirage, and it was hard to make out what they looked like. They were facing away from them, staring toward the sun in the direction they had been walking toward. It painted a somewhat eerie picture.
“Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll check it out?” Shen Yuan suggested, apprehensive.
“O-okay…”
Leaving the disciple tentatively standing behind, Shen Yuan slowly made his way to the figure.
He knew without seeing them that it wasn’t Zhu Chang. The figure was perfectly still. As he grew closer, he saw that the figure was hunched over to create the illusion of being shorter than they were. They were wearing blood-stained dark robes, although they seemed to be oddly worn on their upper body. Their black hair was tied up into a ponytail in the back.
“Who are you?” Shen Yuan fired straight away, keeping a distance of at least four bu in his caution.
The figure slowly turned around to face him. He jerked back instinctually.
They were clearly a ghost, like Shen Yuan, but they were radiating powerful demonic energy; much as a demon would, of course, which is why Shen Yuan assumed Black Water thought he was a strong demon. With a high nose bridge and thin lips tinted with red that he spread into a close-mouthed smile, he could almost be considered handsome, except for the casual contempt in his eyes as he looked down at Shen Yuan, who was much shorter than him. (Shen Yuan tended to be shorter than most adults he came across, unfortunately.) His left arm was gone, the tattered remains of his sleeve at his shoulder stained a dark red. This must be why his dark robes looked odd from behind; he was missing an entire sleeve and arm!
The figure said absolutely nothing, just smiling at him with an odd expression on his face. Shen Yuan felt goosebumps run down his body and took another cautious step back, repeating, “Who are you? Why did you attack the junior disciples?”
He laughed at those last few words. There was cruel amusement in his tone as he said, “That pathetic batch of children? That’s what you care about?”
“What do you want with them?” Shen Yuan asked, resting a hand on the hilt of the sword.
“Nothing,” the figure laughed again. “It’s you I want!”
“Luo Binghe?!” Shen Yuan immediately blurted with panic. Even though, realistically, he doubted Luo Binghe would take on an appearance such as this.
“Who?” Baffled, the stranger’s smile dropped and he blinked at him for a moment before he stepped toward Shen Yuan. The amusement was gone now, and there was a savage light in his eyes now. “You have something I want.”
“What?” Shen Yuan asked, thrown.
“System,” the figure said, greedy. In a flash, he was now standing in front of Shen Yuan, grabbing his lapels and lifting him into the air. Shen Yuan gasped and attempted to kick at him even as his own mind was going blank. System?! His System?! The System?!
“What…?!” Shen Yuan gasped out as the extremely demonic ghost looked down at him. He avoided Shen Yuan’s kicks easily as he kept him at arm distance.
“You have a System,” he said eagerly, darkness pooling out of him, grabbing all four of Shen Yuan’s limbs so he was spread out like a star, mid-air. “I will take it.”
“Go ahead,” Shen Yuan gasped out as the darkness snuck inside his body, sharp pain spreading through him. “System, what the hell is going on? Who is this guy? How does he know about you?”
[ System is currently down for maintenance. Would valued user like to speak to our AI customer service? ]
The ghost was laughing maniacally, his arm in the air as darkness ripped into Shen Yuan’s body. This darkness felt much different than the normal demonic qi Shen Yuan was used to dealing with. It felt…sinister. Demonic cultivation wasn’t inherently evil, as Shen Yuan intimately knew. This kind of energy…
Of course the System had to be down right now. And AI customer service? What??
“Yes, alright,” he spat out.
[ … Our AI has malfunctioned. Apologies, valued user. ]
“Useless! Piece of shit!”
Meanwhile, the junior was running toward them. “Yuan-ge! Yuan-ge!”
The ghost’s face twisted. “Another one?” With a wave of his hand, a whip of darkness lashed at the junior and he flew backward and sprawled onto the sand. He didn’t get back up.
“Leave him alone!” Shen Yuan gritted out, fighting against his pain. “I don’t know what you mean by System!”
“You lie!”
Shen Yuan thrashed against the darkness twisting inside him, pulling his limbs. He fervently wished he had more power than he had as he attempted to fight back against the darkness with his own meager power. It was hard to summon anything whilst locked into a painful pose and being drowned with evil power. His eyes turned wholly white as he threw his head back, screaming.
“Give me your System!” the ghost screamed, his wild eyes bulging. “I know you have it! GIVE IT TO— ACK —”
Shen Yuan squinted through his pain to see a dark gray sword jutting out through the ghost’s heart. However, as a powerful ghost, this was not enough to disperse him. Ashes were the only way to end a powerful ghost. Even certain lesser ghosts required ashes to be dispersed.
The ghost coughed out blood, dripping down his chin and onto his already blood-stained robes. Then his bloodied mouth spread into a wide smile.
“You think this is enough to stop me? I have been reborn! There is NOTHING you can do against me! ” He cackled, twisting around while gripping the blade with his right hand, swinging He Xuan around with him. Shen Yuan felt a great rush of relief at seeing the group of disciples behind him as he was rotated around, grouped together and watching with wide eyes. They didn’t have weapons, of course, so Shen Yuan was glad they were staying out of the way. Even if, right now, he was also terrified Black Water was outmatched.
He Xuan’s eyes widened at the move and he attempted to twist and pull the blade out, but the mystery ghost had a strong grip on it.
“Reborn? You’re a ghost ,” Black Water spat, and kicked the ghost’s legs out from under him, wrenching his blade free. The stranger sprawled to the ground, chuckling. “You’re not reborn, you’re just full of resentment.”
“ You’re one to talk,” he cackled again. “Aren’t you Black Water Submerging Boats, the Ghost King? You’ve fallen far, it seems!”
The juniors immediately went white at this and a few of them stumbled backward, away from the scene. He Xuan’s eyes flashed at the taunt and he pointed his sword at the ghost’s throat. “Release him.”
The ghost on the ground stopped laughing and he regarded him with sudden stillness, expressionless. “I don’t think so.”
“What do you want with him?”
The ghost looked at Shen Yuan. He was still suspended in midair, his pale face strained, but no longer being attacked by the ghost’s demonic, nefarious power. The ghost regarded him coolly. “You will give it to me.”
“As I said,” Shen Yuan said, his voice hoarse, “You’re more than welcome to take it, if there’s a way!”
“Shen Yuan!” He Xuan shouted angrily. “Do not give up, what are you thinking?! And you —”
He sliced his sword at the ghost’s chest, causing blood to spurt out. “If you don’t want to lose your other arm, release him now .”
The stranger peered down at his bleeding chest then looked up at Black Water, his face twisting again. “This isn’t over!”
Then he just…disappeared. Shen Yuan collapsed to the ground, gasping at the impact, and lifted his head to see the ghost had literally vanished in a wave of black smoke, leaving blood splattered on the sand where he had been laying. There was an intense, lingering demonic qi.
He Xuan rushed over to Shen Yuan, placing his arm over his shoulders and hauling him up. “I shouldn’t have left.”
“The kids…” Shen Yuan breathed out. “Thank you.”
The clan disciples were still standing nearby. They regarded the two ghosts with conflicting faces. Some looked confused, others deadpan. Zhu Xinyi was still lying in the sand nearby. Zhu Chang rushed over to him, gripping his wrist. “He’s alright.”
“The demon said you were Black Water,” one of the children said, their voice quiet.
He Xuan looked at them impassively, his hand around Shen Yuan’s waist tightening. “I am.”
A shuttering of expressions.
Shen Yuan pulled the sword off his waist and tossed it to them. Then he pulled their belongings out of He Xuan’s space ring and set it down as well. The disciples looked at him and the pile of belongings, conflicted.
“I’m sorry we lied to you,” he told them, fatigued. “We really are going to the Yu Jun Mountains. Black Water also just saved you. Can we keep the peace?”
Zhu Chang stepped forward. “You—and Senior Xuan—have been nothing but courteous to us. This disciple thanks you, and Senior Xuan for saving us.” He bowed low. A few of the other clan disciples followed suit.
Then they left, and Shen Yuan leaned against Black Water, sighing.
“It’s for the best,” Black Water said, looking down at him. “They were slowing us down, anyway.”
“What about the snakes? And…I really probably do need to rest.”
“If you stick with me, the snakes will stay away,” He Xuan promised. “We really should get out of the desert as quickly as possible. I don’t want to run into that…ghost again. I can carry you.”
“Oh, no need for that…”
He did end up getting carried, after all.
Chapter 9: 9: Shen Yuan POV
Summary:
The ghost was again staring at him, although this time he was looking Shen Yuan up and down, his eyes gleaming.
“You really do look a lot like him,” he remarked.
A tall person stood in the doorway, wearing bloodied white robes and clutching a large intricately designed fan that had a blurry character on the front of it. The fan looked as if it had been re-pieced together from being shredded. The person was hunched over and most importantly; missing a head!
Shen Yuan and He Xuan make it to the base of Yu Jun Mountains where they stop at Yu village.
—
CW: alcohol / drunk / kissing while drunk (both parties)
Notes:
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/chinese-zodiac-time.htm
For ancient Chinese times of day. MDZS uses this; the Lan clan wakes up at Mao, for example.
—
CW: There is a make out scene. It doesn't go beyond kissing and some love biting, but if you want to skip it, it starts with "Before Shen Yuan could react" and ends with "His hazy".
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
In the weeks of travel following the events of the Gobi desert, He Xuan and Shen Yuan were lucky not to run into any further trouble. The absence of the kids hit Shen Yuan harder than he thought it would; somehow, he had grown accustomed to their steady presence. Thankfully, he had He Xuan with him, though. Even if they didn’t dive into any important conversations besides the ones focused on their mission.
They stayed to the road—if there even was a road, as occasionally they were forced to continue onwards in the general direction of the Yu Jun Mountains, uncertain if they were going the right way—whilst keeping an ear out for anything that could mean future nuisances. So far, they had heard nothing. It seemed as if the disciples had not spread the news of Black Water Submerging Boats; or at least, Hua Cheng and Bingge were not making their move just yet. Shen Yuan hoped it would stay that way.
Now, they had finally arrived at the base of the Yu Jun Mountains. Impressively tall, they didn’t span far but would definitely be difficult to climb to the peak of. Shen Yuan hoped there would be no issue going to the top, but he knew they should rest and prepare before they made the trek. And see if they could get any information from the village at the base of the mountains, called Yu village.
He opened his mouth to suggest they stay at an inn for the night but He Xuan beat him to it. “We should take the night to rest before we go to the peak. Especially with it being dark now.”
Relieved, Shen Yuan nodded his agreement and the two made their way into the village. It was roughly a medium-sized village, not too small or big, and there were a few people hanging around outside. The street market stalls had been closed down, no goods in sight, and the moon was shining down brightly, illuminating the wide, dusty street. There was a man standing near the entrance who eyed them with a frown as they approached.
“Can I help you?” he asked bluntly, throwing something to the ground and stepping on it.
“Where’s the nearest inn?” He Xuan asked before Shen Yuan could, his tone just as unfriendly.
The man’s lips curled in displeasure at the ghost but he jabbed a thumb behind him and said, “Right that way. Down the street.”
“Thank you,” Shen Yuan said, ignoring the man’s sneer as they passed him. He Xuan had a dark look on his face. Once they were out of range, he smiled at the Ghost King soothingly. “Ignore him. It’s nothing.”
He Xuan was clearly grinding his teeth, but he nodded stiffly anyway and quickened his pace. The other few people hanging out on the street didn’t give them a second glance, their heads low as they shuffled down the road. One of them had a straw hat in hand and was wearing grimy, ragged clothing—clearly a beggar—but didn’t even ask them for change as they passed. There was a fearful mood in the air.
“This is strange,” Shen Yuan remarked as they spotted the large, two-story building ahead. It was the only house on the street lit up. “They’re acting strange.”
He Xuan just side eyed them as they walked up to the inn. They both frowned at the thin strips of paper stuck to the double doors of the inn. “Talismans…” the ghost muttered. “Looks like evil qi repelling talismans.”
What the? “We won’t be able to get in.”
He Xuan shook his head. “Even without my powers, I can still let us in, as a Supreme. Just be careful. We should stick around before we retire, see if we can find out any information. It might be useful for…what we came to do.”
“Alright,” Shen Yuan agreed.
He Xuan easily opened the doors and gestured for Shen Yuan to enter with a small bow. Hiding his smile, Shen Yuan entered and found a cozy atmosphere, a large fire burning in the middle of the room with cushions and tables set up all around. A walkway led toward the stairs that must lead up to the rooms. Even with the comfortable ambience, however, there were absolutely no other guests present.
A bored-looking man had been sitting behind the front-entry counter, looking down at a small book, but he snapped it shut and gave them a subdued smile when they entered. “Welcome. How may this humble innkeeper help? Two rooms?” As he spoke, his eyes roamed their attire, his gaze narrowing slightly on He Xuan’s face and sword before he looked at both of them broadly.
Shen Yuan felt a slight flush at the question, his eyes flickering over to He Xuan, who was already watching him. He inadvertently remembered the dream he had that Luo Binghe had interrupted, and felt his flush deepen as he looked away quickly.
This is stupid. We’re both two men and I’m basically a wanted man—er, ghost who is just trying to level up. He Xuan doesn’t even care about me, I’m just a means to an end so he can get his own power back. Maybe he’s thinking I’d make a decent servant in his domain, since I worked for Hua Cheng. Who cares about whatever rooms!!
Seeing that Shen Yuan was silent and staring vacantly at the wall, He Xuan turned to the innkeeper. “We’ll just share one, no need for extra expenses. We also want some food.”
“And wine!” Shen Yuan added morosely. Yeah, he was definitely drinking tonight.
Black Water gave him a bemused look but said, “Alright, and wine. Here.”
After shelling out the amount of money, the two of them sat on some cushions near the fireplace. Shen Yuan sank into his own with a sigh, avoiding looking at the other ghost. The warmth of the fire was pleasant, to his surprise, and he relaxed further, his eyes closing.
“Shen Yuan seems comfortable,” He Xuan remarked, and he opened his eyes to see the other ghost also lounging back in his cushion, although his hand was resting lightly on his sword. He regarded Shen Yuan with glittering black eyes. “Remember what we came here to do.”
Shen Yuan frowned slightly. “Of course I remember.” It wasn’t his fault he was tired, ok? “I’m just resting.”
The ghost hummed his acknowledgement, still studying Shen Yuan’s face. Shen Yuan began to feel self-conscious, his eyes darting away and resting on the form of the innkeeper as he walked toward them with a large jug. “Why did you want to drink tonight?”
“Been a long few months,” Shen Yuan muttered, tracing a finger on the wooden table. And he really wanted to stop overthinking and feeling right now. He missed being drunk, anyway—the last time he had engorged himself was when Luo Binghe had shown up and ruined everything. Before that, he went out with Shang Qinghua and their friends at least once a week. They had even invited Hua Cheng and Xie Lian a few times. They had said no, but it was fun to imagine how it would go with the two immortal gege.
Xie Lian (mostly) abstained from alcohol because of his specific cultivation, which was interesting, but the heavenly official did occasionally partake and Shen Yuan knew he engaged in marital activities—which were also forbidden due to his cultivation—with his husband. One time, he had walked into Hua Cheng’s office to set down a report and…well, he had been sure he would be squashed like an insect, but Xie Lian, although blushing furiously enough to make him tomato red, had talked Hua Cheng down and suggested Shen Yuan always knock, even if he assumed Hua Cheng was out of the city, like he had been told.
The thought had him blushing again, and he attempted to smooth out his expression as the innkeeper set the jug down in front of them with two bowls.
Shen Yuan was a virgin, okay?! He had barely kissed anyone. When he was younger, he was too sick to attend school, so he had been homeschooled. Privately taught by a tutor. So, he barely saw anyone! Even when university rolled around, he took online classes. The one in-person class he took he was forced to drop because he kept getting flare-ups and would be forced to email the professor. Eventually, he had been desperate enough to download some dating apps on his phone, which he had partaken in occasionally, but they had never gone past two dates, and he had only kissed a few of them. He suspected it was a mix of being of average or subpar looks and being especially shy.
The only way he had eventually grown out of his excessive shyness was the internet. Participating in discord and arguing his points online on forums had slowly raised his confidence…although not particularly with the ladies.
Now, unless his ashes were dispersed or whatever was causing him to hold onto the world was released, he would be here infinitely. So, he supposed he had enough time to gain some social skills. He really didn’t want to be alone forever, honestly.
“Can this one ask you some questions?” He Xuan asked after the innkeeper gave a quick description of the wine. Shen Yuan had spaced out, but he was pretty sure it was some sort of flavored rice wine. Pretty cheap and common.
Sweat beaded on the man’s temples. “Oh, uh, sure, whatever questions do the esteemed cultivators have for this lowly one?”
Black Water poured some wine into his own bowl and took a small sip. “We were wondering if there was something going on around here. The people outside seemed nervous about something. And there were some talismans, evil repelling talismans, on your inn doors.”
“Oh, well…they’re worried about the ghost that has been snatching people at night. If the esteemed cultivators are interested, the village chief might be able to give a prize for saving anyone and stopping the ghost.” He lowered his head. “My…my daughter was taken…”
“Can you give any details on this ghost?” Black Water asked as Shen Yuan murmured an apology to the innkeeper.
“Well, not much, honestly…I just know that someone claimed they had seen the ghost and he looked tall and was missing a head? He’s been dragging people out of their homes and into the mountains. Only a few people afterward were discovered and they were shriveled up and dry…” He turned forlorn eyes up at them. “My daughter was taken weeks ago. I’ve lost hope, but if you see her, I will pay whatever I can…”
“When have they been taken at night?” Shen Yuan asked, pouring himself a large bowl of wine. He Xuan sipped his own bowl, eying him again.
“It seems to be roughly zi time,” the innkeeper said, wringing his hands nervously. “People are more careful now that it’s been happening for weeks. As you can tell, we’ve been putting up talismans…”
“Why are people hanging around at night, then?”
“The ghost hasn’t gone after anyone outside of their home,” the innkeeper said, frowning sadly. “No one knows why. My own Pan Zhou was in her room, sleeping…”
Shen Yuan gulped down some of his wine as He Xuan said, “One last question. Actually, two. One, what’s the best way to get up the mountain?”
The innkeeper eyed his sword. “Oh, uh…” Clearly, he expected they could just ride Black Water’s sword. “There’s an old path starting at the base of the mountain. No one really goes up there, though, because the mountains are a dangerous place. If you can’t—that is, it might not be safe to go up there.”
“Thank you for the warning,” He Xuan said coldly. “My other question is this: can you bring us more wine?”
Seeming taken aback, the innkeeper turned with an, “Of course, esteemed cultivator,” before moving to leave. Shen Yuan called after him, “Make it stronger, please, xiansheng!”
Black Water raised an eyebrow at him as Shen Yuan poured more wine into his bowl. “Wanting to get drunk tonight? What about the ghost?”
“We can take separate watches,” Shen Yuan suggested, chugging his bowl again. Ahh, he knew he shouldn’t chug wine, but he was thirsty! He looked up with a grin. “You planning on joining me, Hou Xuan?”
There was now an amused glint in the other’s eyes. “Why not? I haven’t had a friend to drink with in a long time.” As if to prove a point, he also downed his bowl, pouring them both more.
“I thought you were friends with Chengzhu,” Shen Yuan said, staring right back at the Ghost King.
“‘Friends’ may be too strong of a word,” he replied dryly. “We have an…understanding with one another. I don’t have friends.”
Shen Yuan didn’t fight the pout that came to him. “Not even me?”
Black Water set down his bowl before looking at Shen Yuan intensely for a moment. “I’d say you’ve been upgraded to friend.”
Shen Yuan blushed at the fervent look on the ghost’s face and looked down. “That’s good, then. We have been traveling together for a while.”
“What about me?”
Shen Yuan glanced back up. “Of course you’re my friend.”
The innkeeper bustled over before either of them could say anything else, Shen Yuan averting his eyes from the other. The vibes had felt…heavy. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, or what to say, so he was grateful for the interruption. “Here’s the strongest wine I have, esteemed cultivators. Enjoy, let me know when you want to be brought up to your room.”
“Are we able to take the wine to our room?” He Xuan asked before the innkeeper could scurry away.
The innkeeper looked at them, abashed by their apparent licentious behavior, and squeaked, “As you wish!”
Shen Yuan reached for the new jug, feeling apprehensive. Black Water, holding the previous jug of wine they hadn’t quite finished yet and their bowls, whispered to him as they followed the innkeeper, “It’s safer this way. A strong ghost could break through the talismans. This way, it’s harder to get to us.”
Doubtful, Shen Yuan said, “The ghost has been taking people directly from their rooms, though.”
“…I have some talismans to delay them, don’t worry.”
Alright, so be it. Shen Yuan wouldn’t say no to drinking in his bed.
Turns out, “his bed” was also He Xuan’s bed. Shen Yuan went scarlet when they entered the room, turning to the innkeeper, sputtering. “Uh—he—we—ah!”
“It’ll be fine,” Black Water said to him, sitting cross-legged on one of the cushions at the table near the bed. “I can sleep on the floor if it’s a problem.”
The innkeeper hovered anxiously at the door, wringing his hands again. “ Is there a problem, esteemed cultivators?”
He really enjoyed calling them that, it seemed. Shen Yuan turned his red face away from the both of them, sighing. “No, no problem. Thank you.”
After the innkeeper left, shutting the door behind him, Shen Yuan said, “It’s fine, you don’t have to sleep on the floor. I just…anyway. I should have thought to ask for two beds, I’m silly…”
“My fault,” He Xuan said. “Here, let’s drink. I can take the first watch after.”
They drank the rest of the wine. Shen Yuan was fascinated to see a tinge of redness bloom throughout He Xuan’s incredibly pale face. The ghost was again staring at him, although this time he was looking Shen Yuan up and down, his eyes gleaming.
“You really do look a lot like him,” he remarked.
“Who?” Shen Yuan asked, his eyes lidded from the effects of the alcohol. He leaned back against the cushion.
“I can’t say,” He Xuan said, a small smile on his face. He leaned forward over the table. “But he was very beautiful, like you.”
Shen Yuan felt the blood rush to his head. Oh. Maybe he shouldn’t have drank so much. Black Water looked just as intoxicated as he did. He didn’t know what he was saying, he was sure. Probably wasn’t used to alcohol and was spewing nonsense. He smiled back at the ghost, even as he felt embarrassed. “You’re also very…nice looking.”
What an idiotic thing to say. He wanted to bury his face in his hands but didn’t, instead staring right back at the ghost as He Xuan laughed a little, reaching forward to grab a strand of Shen Yuan’s hair. “Is that so? This one is glad Shen Yuan finds him nice looking. Is there anyone else Yuan-er finds ‘nice looking’?”
Shen Yuan’s blush deepened at the endearment, but he didn’t move to pull his hair out from the other ghost’s grip. “Oh…I haven’t thought about it.”
Black Water’s smile widened slightly as he twirled the strand around his finger. “Hm, why don’t you think about it, then?”
Was that…he almost sounded as if he was challenging Shen Yuan. Well! Never let Shen Yuan say he would back down from one! As the resident virgin and peddler of webnovels, he was great at ranking looks! He could make his own hierarchy!
Raising his chin in defiance, Shen Yuan said, “Fine, then where to begin? Well, Xie Lian…he’s definitely beautiful. Almost a woman’s beauty, that one. I was shocked when I first met him, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering he is a god. And Hua Cheng, I never got the appeal of ‘bad boys’ before—and I still don’t, I’m still very much straight, ok!—but he’s got that whole ‘I will kill you if you even look at Xie Lian wrong, and oh, I’m the ruler of hell’ thing going on. He even looks like the handsome devil of hell. Who the fuck wears eyepatches! And that’s just going off the people I know, and of course, there’s Bingge—I mean, Luo Binghe—but I wasn’t surprised to see how hot he was, I mean, Airplane does go on and on and on about how attractive he is, and how women fall over themselves for the chance to get with him. He’s described as the hottest guy in the book! He probably makes straight men gay, honestly. Not that I would be gay for him, of course. He still scares me. And, hm, then there’s—”
“Alright, I get it,” He Xuan said, sounding strangled. He had let go of the strand of hair and had gone more red, to Shen Yuan’s amusement.
“Oh, did you want me to talk about you, too?” Shen Yuan asked, feeling bad.
“No, no, that’s okay,” the ghost said, looking at him with a strange, soft expression. “Hm…”
“What?”
Before Shen Yuan could react, the ghost had scooted closer to him with the speed of an established cultivator and pressed his lips to Shen Yuan’s. Shen Yuan stiffened, his eyes bulging as the Ghost King’s surprisingly warm , full lips pressed against his tenderly. Shen Yuan’s brain proceeded to flat-line as he sat frozen. He Xuan didn’t seem to take that offensively, however, as his tongue ran along Shen Yuan’s bottom lip.
Was this why the ghost wanted to drink in their room?! Shen Yuan felt shocked, but he didn’t pull away, his eyes wide and staring at Black Water’s face pressed up against his. Why is he doing this? I just said I’m not gay! Even if he is…very… very attractive…and seems to be into me… Shen Yuan unwittingly opened his mouth and pressed back against the Ghost King, his hands rising to grip his lapels.
What am I doing? he continued to cry internally as He Xuan’s tongue swept in, searching and eager. I am kissing a Supreme Ghost! Even if he did kiss me first! I am not enjoying it! Nope! Definitely not enjoying it! What the hell is going on?!
Shen Yuan broke away with a small gasp for air, but He Xuan’s hand rose to the back of his head, pulling him in again, deepening the kiss. Shen Yuan made a small noise in the back of his throat as the ghost bent him down over the cushion, his other hand resting on Shen Yuan’s waist.
He was…unfairly good at kissing. Shen Yuan’s head had already been slightly spinning from the alcohol, but the spinning got worse as he found himself panting into the ghost’s mouth.
He Xuan’s hand tightened on his waist, his thumb digging and rubbing through the fabric in a way that felt sensitive and good and made another embarrassing noise come out of him as he wrapped his arms around the ghost’s neck, flushing.
Both of He Xuan’s hands moved to press against Shen Yuan’s lower back, pulling them chest to chest, biting his lip in a strangely pleasurable way. Shen Yuan jerked slightly, his hands moving to grip Black Water’s shoulders, and the Ghost King’s mouth pulled away with an embarrassing amount of saliva connecting them that had Shen Yuan flushing crimson as he moved to kiss the side of his jaw and neck instead.
His hazy non pleasure was interrupted by an explosion from the System.
[ ♬° ✧❥✧¸.•¨✧♡✧❥✧♡✧¨•.❥ Congratulations! ~ ~ Satisfaction points +250 ]
Shen Yuan pushed Black Water, scrambling away and jumping to his feet. His head was reeling from what he had just done. I just made out with He Xuan! A Supreme! One of the four Calamities! He initiated it! Wtf!
He Xuan didn’t seem perturbed by his actions. He reclined back on the cushion he had been leaning Shen Yuan over, a satisfied smile on his face as he scrutinized Shen Yuan. His lips were kiss-bruised. “Everything okay, A-Yuan?”
A-Yuan. The hospital scene once again moved to the forefront of his mind.
“I-I-I’m fine,” Shen Yuan stammered, leaning against the wall and eying the other ghost warily. “I—I’m gonna go get some air!”
He fled for the door, wrenching it open and darting down the hallway for the stairs. He knew he must look like a bit of a mess, with his hair falling out of his messy bun and his face red and also kiss-bruised. It didn’t matter. He needed out of there, out of that room, away from the Ghost King who was making him feel…just feel!
“Wait, it’s not safe!” He Xuan called after him, and he heard the ghost get to his feet and follow him.
It was now about zi time, so the innkeeper had left for his bed, leaving the counter unmanned. Shen Yuan could see the doors to the inn were locked and the candles were put out. The only light came from the fireplace which was still crackling merrily. Shen Yuan pulled at the front doors uselessly, feeling panicked as he heard He Xuan coming. He needed his space, dammit!
There was a crashing sound outside, causing Shen Yuan to let go of the doors and leap back, his heart racing. He heard a deep growl reverberate around him and the fireplace sputtered and went out.
“Shen Yuan?” Black Water now sounded worried. “What’s going on?”
“Th-the—” Shen Yuan began, but then the front doors to the inn smashed open.
A tall person stood in the doorway, wearing bloodied white robes and clutching a large intricately designed fan that had a blurry character on the front of it. The fan looked as if it had been re-pieced together from being shredded. The person was hunched over and most importantly; missing a head!
Shen Yuan did the smart thing: he screamed and ran upstairs.
He heard the person—creature, or whatever it was, maybe a ghost?—hurtle after him, the sounds of furniture smashing and breaking accompanying the movement. Shen Yuan flung out a hand and summoned wind to smash back into the creature, which had been hot on his heels and almost in grabbing—or hitting—range. It seemed to barely do anything, hardly halting the creature as it lunged for him, smashing him with a muscled forearm into the hallway wall and causing a few of Shen Yuan’s ribs to break.
“Augh!” Shen Yuan choked, blood spurting from his mouth. “Wh-what—do you—want?”
“SHEN YUAN!” He Xuan unsheathed his dark sword in the dim lighting of the hallway, racing toward them.
The creature, of course, said nothing. Still gripping Shen Yuan’s throat in a tight grip, it kicked the adjacent wall down with terrifying ease, moving through the empty room and doing the same to the wall facing the outside. This had to be the ghost that was haunting the village. And for some reason, it wanted Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan attempted to summon more wind, feeble as it was, and the ghost simply gripped his wrist and snapped it, causing Shen Yuan to cry out at the sudden pain, his eyes watering. He kicked at the ghost as it jumped out of the building and landed on the street, ignoring his weakened attempts at escape.
Black Water leapt out the building after them and, to Shen Yuan’s shock, landed on his dark sword . His black eyes were flashing with fury as he raced after the running ghost clutching Shen Yuan, lifting one of his hands. A dark spike materialized in mid-air and launched toward the ghost’s legs, barely missing by an inch. Black Water…has demonic energy now?! Or has he had it the entire time? And ghosts can ride swords??
His confused thoughts were interrupted by the ghost spinning him around and shoving its large fan underneath his chin, gripping him around the middle and squeezing his broken ribs, causing more blood to spurt out of his mouth as he gasped in pain. He Xuan stopped short in mid-air, his fists clenching as the ghost threatened Shen Yuan.
“Impressive, but useless,” a voice called out in a mocking tone.
From behind the headless ghost and Shen Yuan stepped out the same ghost from the Gobi desert. He was clutching something in his only hand as he looked at He Xuan, a twisted smile on his face. His eyes were lit up with the identical madness as before. “I’d suggest you stop following us, or your companion might not live to be here another day. Hm, although I suppose ‘live’ isn’t quite the right word, is it?”
Black Water bared his teeth at him but didn’t move.
“Do you like my friend here, Black Water?” the ghost continued, smiling wide. “I’m sure you just love seeing your old friend, hm? Look at what you did to him. It was honestly quite hard attempting to control such a corpse without a head. But it worked out in the end, didn’t it, now that I have this ?”
He brandished the object in his hand, holding it up in the moonlight. He Xuan hadn’t reacted to his words, only narrowing his eyes at the ghost before moving his gaze to the object. It looked to be a large, round, flat metal pendant with marks etched on it.
“I recreated it,” the ghost said gleefully. “Wei Wuxian thought he was the only one, but I did it! Now, nothing shall stop me. Not even you, Black Water. Come, Wudu. We have a mission to complete.”
He Xuan was forced to stay put as the figure, his eyes burning red, gripped the object close to his chest and nodded at the ghost. Still gripping Shen Yuan in a menacing position, the three of them left down the street before disappearing out of sight.
Black Water Submerging Boats, otherwise called He Xuan, otherwise known as Luo Binghe , set off after his future husband.
Notes:
Mhm, yeah, shocker, right? Nah, many of you pieced it together, haha. That's why there was no Bingge POV...
Sorry to leave on a cliffhanger... <(．＿．)>
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