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Chapter Text

For the last year since Shen Qingqiu helped Binghe stop mashing together the demon realm and the human realm, life has actually been good. It hasn’t been full of monsters or demon lords or creepy palace masters wanting to imprison him in their stupid creepy dungeons. 

Shen Qingqiu has been able to find peace in his day to day for the first time since Binghe went down to the abyss. That was until Yue Qingyuan approached him for tea last week but wouldn’t give an answer as to why the head peak master of Cang Qiong wanted to see him. In other words… What the fuck did he do and how did Yue Qingyuan find out???

Shen Qingqiu sits in his room and contemplates what the fresh hell he’s done that has gotten his master’s attention enough for him to ask that they have a private meeting in his office. Around him the bamboo house is completely tidied and clean, thanks to a certain subservient disciple that is still trying to curry favor after the last few years of terror he reigned over Cang Qiong. 

“Does Shizun wish for tea?” Asks said disciple, sitting properly at the other side of the low table. Luo Binghe’s curls were rather tame considering the humidity outside, the weather was on the cusp of turning for the worse, leaving a damp wetness to the air that made the skin sticky and curly hair spring into pinwheels. 

“Not now, Binghe.” He said softly, frowning a little at the letter in his hands. Yue Qingyuan had a significant relationship with Shen Jiu, and it had been eating at him lately that he was not that man. He wondered if Yue Qingyuan was expecting his former childhood friend to be closer since the revelation of their past was made partially public during the fighting from last spring. “This master is tired. Perhaps you could draw this one a bath?” He asked, not glancing away from the elegant writing of his master to the eager man across from him. 

In this world that Airplane had created there were some things that just didn’t make sense. One of those things was the gender roles and hierarchies of Proud Immortal Demon Way . Based on the information Shen Yuan knew before entering the book and from his own experience since transmigrating- it was very uncommon for a beta like himself to have an alpha like Luo Binghe trail after him so eagerly. Even as his Shizun it was a bit odd. After they managed to stop the two realms from colliding though, Luo Binghe had been very obedient and willing to listen to his master. Perhaps it was the embarrassing admissions made in the heat of the moment, but that didn’t mean anything, right? Saying he trusted Binghe to save the day had been… well. He’d definitely not be reiterating those words again without something to hide behind certainly. 

“Yes, Shizun.” Replied Binghe before rising from the table where he was doing his paperwork. Usually Shen Qingqiu had kept paperwork in his office farther up the peak near the training halls, but today had been bad weather and he’d sent Binghe to fetch them for him. 

If it is not too much hassle, this one would appreciate that Shen Qingqiu joins him for tea next Wednesday to discuss a private matter. It would be best to leave your loyal disciple behind, as he is still under speculation from the rest of Cang Qiong at the moment. 

-Yue Qingyuan

The note wasn’t very formal, meaning it really was for his eyes only. After reading the letter again, Shen Qingqiu sighed and held the letter up to his candle and watched the parchment catch fire. He let it burn, placing the paper in the dish of ashes and incense where it crumpled as it burned, flaring up for just a few seconds before falling apart and burning out. 

With the evidence done with, he stretched out under the table, even with a cushion the low table was a little hard on the knees. He hummed in satisfaction as his joints clicked before getting up. It was the beginning of autumn on the peak, and outside was reflecting it in the hazy humid coldness that seeped through the bamboo house walls. It would be time to take out the heavier blankets, especially for Binghe who still insisted he was happy with his small room and futon set up. The floor was just made of wood, and even with the stove burning to keep it warm and comfortable, it was still cold in the mornings. 

Shen Qingqiu drew his hands behind his back as he slipped on his shoes and opened the sliding door. He looked about the scene in front of him, a heavy fog was crawling up the mountain side, carrying with it a damp heavy scent of trees and grass and water. The trees that encapsulated the small bamboo house were starting to change as the cold weather took its turn. He didn’t step off the patio of the bamboo house, simply looking outwards at the beautiful landscape as small groups of disciples wandered by in twos or threes. It was evening now, classes were finished for the day and they were likely on their ways to dinner. It was weird to not quite recognize the students this year, yet so much had happened since he’d chosen any students… It wasn’t strange to say he had lost a bit of touch with the goings on of Cang Qiong peak during his adventures the last few years. 

He took a deep breath again, taking in that mossy wet scent. It was welcoming, reminding him of when he taught his little white lotus of a student his forms and how to cultivate a golden core. Those were the days. Before Binghe was presented as an alpha. Before he’d begun demonic cultivation. Before… everything. 

Shen Qingqiu still felt sad for those days lost. It felt like they had gone by far too fast. His darkened lotus had grown like a tree that had been very well insulated during the winter. Kept warm and able to continue growing bigger every moment, until the end of winter when it was stronger and taller than its other fellow trees. The wind blew a particularly chilly breeze his way, making him shudder and hide his hands deep inside his sleeves. 

“Shizun, the bath is ready.” 

“Ah, thank you Binghe.” 

As he began to soak, the softest whispers of pattering rain danced over his head against the roof. 

--

Wednesday morning Shen Qingqiu got dressed and made sure he took special care to look nice for his master, fussing in the bronze mirror until Binghe came over and guffawed at the mess he’d made of his own hair. 

“Just… Fix it. Please.” He asked, and Binghe did. Righting the hair crown and fixing any loose bits of hair that were supposed to be tied up in the bun on his head. Shen Qingqiu only felt pleased once it was to his liking, feeling antsy about every last detail. 

He’d just finally gotten to know peace again! Shoot him for wanting this meeting to go well! For all he knew, he was about to get discovered as a transmigrator! He’d been having nightmares about it since he got that letter last week. 

“Shizun is worried?” Asked Binghe as he retrieved Xiu Ya from its place and handed it to his master. 

“I…” Shen Qingqiu hesitated before deciding that it was best to keep it to himself. “No, I just wanted to present myself properly for my Shixiong. Why don’t you see if you can find the thicker blankets in that chest while I’m away, it is beginning to get colder outside, afterall.” Shen Qingqiu knew that the task wouldn’t take very long, but it was a good distraction for Binghe while he was gone. 

“Will you be gone for long?”

“I’m not sure, Zhangmen-shixiong did not say. I will be back before sundown.” 

“Should this one prepare dinner then, for when you return?” Binghe asked, seeming unhappy that he wasn’t fully in the know of what was going on. He didn’t like that since being restricted to the bamboo house after the events of last spring, he couldn’t roam as he pleased. Especially when his Shizun left him at home like a maid. 

“Mn. That would be nice, Binghe.” Hummed Shen Qingqiu, smiling minutely before gathering his things and taking his leave. It would take a few minutes to climb the stairs and pathways up to Yue Qingyuan’s office. 

When Shen Qingqiu arrived, Zhangmen-shixiong was already waiting at the low table with an elegant tea set placed out for them to use. He’d never seen this set before, it looked like it was from the southern regions, with its white and blue patterns emblazoned with golden insignias and characters. 

“Did Shen-shidi find his way alright?” Zhangmen-shixiong asked as Shen Qingqiu took his seat. Quietly he opened his fan and nodded, hoping to look much more composed than he felt. “Very well. That is good to hear.” He hummed before waving off the servants that stood in the room with them and had shown Shen Qingqiu to his place where he sat now. Xiu Ya was laid on the floor beside him, its scabbard catching the dim light of the candles in the room. All the doors were drawn shut, leaving the room a little darker than it usually was for midafternoon. 

The air was very serious, making Shen Qingqiu want to squirm under those keen eyes watching him precariously. 

“Let us begin, then.” Yue Qingyuan said, waving his sleeve and beginning to pour the tea for his guest. “There is something I need of you, Shen-shidi. I understand that you have been recuperating since the events at Maigu Ridge…”

Ah. So this is what this is about… He’s still nervous about having Binghe on the peak…

“Yes. But I am doing much better now, Zhangmen-shixiong needn’t worry himself.” He answered while accepting a cup of tea politely. 

“That is good to hear. And Luo Binghe, he is… settling in well?”

“Mn. If you mean to ask if he is staying out of trouble, then yes.” 

Zhangmen-shixiong laughed softly, shaking his head and bringing his tea to his lips for a taste. Only then did Shen Qingqiu take a sip as well. “I’m glad to see he is being obedient then. I’m sure it is hard for him as well, being restricted to the peak and bamboo house.” 

“He endures it well.” Replies Shen Qingqiu. “He’s been very remorseful for his actions. I believe parts of his disobedience to the peak began with a bout of misinformation, after falling into the abyss as a child, he came to misunderstand his Shizun. I apologize for the trouble we have caused Zhangmen-shixiong.” 

“No need, please. Shidi doesn’t need to apologize.” Zhangmen didn’t let him finish his bow, stopping his salute before he could continue farther. “That is not why I asked you here today, Shen Qingqiu.” 

Shit! He said my full government name. I’m in deep shit!

“Thanking Shixiong, then.” He put his arms back in his lap, waiting for his demise. “What is it that this one can do for you?”

“Well therein lies the issue. I need a peak lord to investigate something, but it must be discrete. And they cannot be an alpha or omega, due to the nature of the mission.”

“And with everyone else busy preparing for the next Immortal Alliance…” Shen Qingqiu nodded, already knowing where this was headed.

“Shidi understands then, that this one has no choice but to ask you, will you go on this mission for me?”

Instantly, a box appeared before Shen Qingqiu. One he had gotten into the habit of not seeing so often. God fucking dammit!

[Accept Moon Thistle Harvest Mission] [Yes] [No]

He curiously tried to recall any missions from the main plot that they had missed up until now or that he’d patched up. He couldn’t remember any bonus content either. Huh. Well, why not? He had Binghe on his side now! That meant that the powerful main character halo also transferred to himself right??? As long as Binghe was there, it seemed he wasn’t likely to die right? Thinking this, he selected. [Yes]

“Of course, it is my duty after all.” He bowed slightly with an incline of his head. “Please, do tell me the details, Zhangmen-shixiong.” 

[Moon Thistle Harvest Mission Accepted!]

[+10 B points!]

Well isn’t this going to be interesting. I kinda thought the system was gone since it hasn’t appeared in months.

[The system was in hibernation during the recuperation process from Maigu Ridge. The system cannot go anywhere. The system is always here.]

What.

[The system has an update for you. Do you wish to accept and download files?]

Shen Qingqiu stared into his tea while Zhangmen-shixiong detailed to him his new mission, trying not to look irked at the chirpy voice of the system informing him he had a… a DLC?? To download??? He looked at the box floating over his tea and refrained from the tired sigh that wanted to waft out of his body. There was no option to say no either, so he really had no choice, did he?

[No, it is a required update.]

Fucking hell.

--

As he left Zhangmen-shixiong’s office later that afternoon, Shen Qingqiu finally let out that annoyed groan he’d been holding in. He wanted to throw a temper tantrum. He was finally at peace! Of course the system came back! How foolish had he been?!!!!

Only slightly furious, he marched back to the bamboo house, scroll in one hand, Xiu Ya in the other. The wind was cold again today, and it bit at his cheeks as he made his way back to the house. His mood was more than sour but he tried his best to hide it from Binghe who helped him set the table for dinner and offered to run another warm bath for his Shizun. Perhaps he didn’t hide his irritation as well as he thought. 

That night he laid in bed, listening to the crackle of the wood stove that kept the house warm. It was still damp and chilly but Binghe had brought out the thicker winter blankets as he was told, and it made it easier to settle down. Although… That box was still at the top of his vision. 

[New Update Downloading… 67% Complete.] 

Just how big is this DLC? Jesus!

It had been downloading since he’d accepted the new update back in Yue Qingyuan’s office. Shen Qingqiu glared up at the floating box until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. By the time he drifted off, it had only gone up by 4%. 

[New Update Downloading… 70% Complete.]

[New Update Downloading… 73% Complete.]

[New Update Downloading… 75% Complete.]

--

By Friday he was already packed and prepared to leave at dawn, tiptoeing around the bamboo house so as not to wake Binghe. He left his disciple a note on the table, claiming he was going to visit Shang Qinghua about a mistake in Cang Qiong’s papers for the new incoming students. It was better than trying to convince him he could go on a mission by himself without Binghe trailing behind! 

Binghe wasn’t even technically allowed to leave the mountain, as part of his punishment he was to stay there for the next two years repenting under Shen Qingqiu’s guidance and supervision. Mostly because everyone else was either scared of him or wanted to kill him. As it was, he was the only one left at the end of that long discussion (see: argument) about what to do with Binghe after everything ended. The man was a freaking demon lord okay?? If he didn’t want to listen he didn’t have to, but he did; for his Shizun. He seemed eager every day to repent for his actions to his teacher and the rest of the peak. After four months, he’d been doing quite well, there was no reason to tempt him. 

Thus, Shen Qingqiu took off into the shadows before twilight, glad that Binghe had also taken out his warmer robes when he’d been taking out the blankets on Wednesday because there was a frost in the air. Clumps and clusters of crystalized water clung to the grass and trees, a beautiful spider’s web was covered in frosty lace by the patio of the bamboo house that he noticed just before taking flight on his sword. 

Xiu Ya was quick and silent, alighting easily outside the barriers of Cang Qiong and taking him away in minutes from the peak. 

[New Update Downloading… 99% Complete.]

[Moon Thistle Harvest Mission Started!]

[Dragon Wing Moon Thistle Collected 0/15]

--

Shen Qingqiu was going to kill Airplane the second he saw him. What kind of fucking joke of a plant was this thing?? And why was it so hard to get a hold of???

[Dragon Wing Moon Thistle Collected 11/15]

The banner overhead had a counter and whenever he found one of these glowing prickly plants it would ding with a new count. The area he stood in was a moss wetlands type of scene. It was mostly water, but in said water were water ghouls that would try to drag you into the water (made that mistake twice already thanks) and drown you with their grubby pale hands. To say that Shen Qingqiu was soaked would be an understatement. The wet murky water was dripping from him in every way possible, making it hard to grip Xiu Ya as he slashed at the pathetic little demons trying to latch onto him like leeches. Then there were the fucking sprites, because why would there only be one demon guarding these weird glowing plants?

The sprites came in differing shapes and forms, some looked like fairies while others looked like a shadow with glowing eyes straight out of a horror movie. Each time Shen Qingqiu found one of the fifteen plants he had to harvest from this murky pit of grossness, he had to fight off at least one or two of these creatures. It wasn’t like it was difficult, but it was definitely more of a hassle than he’d anticipated it being. Not to mention that these plants, the Dragon Wing Moon Thistle, were uncommon in most regions so he had to travel deep into the southern part of the demon realm to find what he needed.  

“Easy little sprite…” He coaxed a beautiful tiny humanoid creature away from the root while trying not to let his exhaustion show. She giggled and fluttered around him, her nude body glowing with her sparkling wings. Her voice sounded like a wind chime, tinkling softly as he grabbed the plant from the ground. Yet, the moment that stupid thorny plant was pulled from the wet cold ground, her image fluttered and changed. “Not again…” He complained to himself, bracing himself with Xiu Ya as the once beautiful miniature woman quadrupled in size and attacked him with sharp little teeth and claws. “OW!” 

Determined, he managed to fight off the now bat-sized angry little demonic sprite. Shen Qingqiu grumbled to himself as he stuffed the weed into his qiankun pouch. 

“Stupid sprites. Stupid weeds. Stupid-- Stupid me! Why did I think this would be easy?” He muttered, stepping back out of the swampy mess and back towards the shore of the pond-like wetland that he had been trudging through. His feet were cold, wet and going numb. Not only was he soaked to the bone, but even in the southern reaches of the demonic realm, it was still the beginning of autumn- which meant that with one small breeze he was shaking in his boots. 

With a huff, Shen Qingqiu pulled out a soggy talisman, using his spiritual energy to activate it and instantly dry himself off with a flush of hot air. It wouldn’t be lasting long, as he would need to find three more of those weeds though. Every time he seemed to dry off, after picking about five or so of the plants, he would get pulled down again by a water ghoul or something like it. In the southern territories of the demon realm there were more beast-like demons, much like the animal kingdom. 

He looked up at the sky. It was nearly dawn again. He’d been hunting down these weeds all day and night. He didn’t know if it would be worth taking another break or if he should try to just power through it to get home. 

Next time Yue Qingyuan asks me to go on a stupid little mission I’m definitely taking Binghe! He thought, pulling his robes closer with a shiver. Even the talisman couldn’t stave off the inevitable chill of being soaked through over and over again throughout the night. He took a moment to circulate some more spiritual energy to warm himself. The last thing he needed was to get sick. 

Shen Qingqiu glanced at his achievement bar, which marked the 12th Dragon Wing Moon Thistle gathered. Above that bar was another progress bar that was frozen. 

[New Update Downloading… 99% Complete.]

Still, the bar hadn’t shown any progress! What the heck was taking so long? And what was this new update anyways?? At first he hadn’t cared, but now he couldn’t help that his curiosity was piqued. Maybe it was a new mod? Maybe he could stop having to do so much paperwork? Maybe it unlocked skins?? He could try different looks?

A cough interrupted his thoughts, bursting past his lips as the wind blew past again. With a shudder he sighed, he needed to finish this quickly before Binghe started misbehaving at home!

--

Ding! [Dragon Wing Moon Thistle Collected 15/15]

[Congratulations! You’ve completed the Moon Thistle Harvest Mission!]

[+5 B Points!]

Chapter Text

The relief that Shen Qingqiu felt after harvesting the last of the Dragon Wing Moon Thistle could be compared to how he felt when the world you know- didn’t explode back on Maigu Ridge. He was still fairly dry actually, but from the knees down he was soaked with the murky water of the surrounding marshes. The reeds tangled with his boots and made it hard to move about properly, resulting in a few trips and falls while harvesting the last of the weed. 

“Finally… finished…” He heaved, feeling a bit breathless as he let himself flop down on the damp grass of the shore. It was nearly afternoon by now, and he needed some sleep before he could trust himself to fly back to the mountain. Shen Qingqiu hoped there was an actual reason that Zhangmen-shixiong had sent him for these plants. Otherwise he would be a very unhappy man. The breathless feeling stayed even after he circulated his qi a few times, making him frown. That was odd. Hopefully these plants didn’t have any properties that would make him ill. Yet… just as he thought that…

“Airplane bro… I’m gonna ki- ACHOO!” He cut himself off with a loud sneeze and then cough. Great. If the weather didn’t kill him or these stupid thistles- he was going to strangle that damn author! A box lit up under his nose as he sniffled, wishing he had another one of those drying talismans on him. 

[New Content Downloaded! Update Pending…] 

Didn’t it just take like five days to load that shit? What do you mean it’s still pending?!

With the little patience that he managed to still have, Shen Qingqiu dragged himself to his feet and started looking for a small shelter he could rest beneath for a few hours before heading home. Another cough rattled through him and left an achy feeling in his chest. Great. He was definitely getting sick, if not from the plants than from this awful cold and wet weather!

Another ping on his dashboard lit up, notifying him of the items in his inventory. 

[New Item Unlocked! Look at it now?] [Yes] [No]

Curious, he opened the inventory. Inside were a few items he already had, but a new shiny button was at the bottom, indicating a new object had been added. It didn’t look like much, but he opened it anyway. 

[New Item: Black Cloak] [+0 Armor] [+1 Stealth]

This cloak is made of high quality fiber! Resistant to most weather, it makes a great shield against the elements when camping, traveling or lost! When worn, this cloak can help the user hide in shadows and dark alleys. Equip to use.

[Equip?] [Yes] [No]

It wasn’t necessarily nice enough for Shen Qingqiu to count it as a reward for all his hard work (that was something that Yue Qingyuan owed him big time). But Shen Qingqiu didn’t hesitate to equip the black cloak. It reminded him of the fancy black robes that Binghe wore nowadays. It was a heavy warm fabric that was just perfect for his current situation, as he shivered his way into the sleeves and pulled the clasp tight to close the front, Shen Qingqiu pulled up the hood as well and looked around for a place he could rest. Luckily there was an outcropping of rocks near the marsh which had enough of a ledge to it that he could sit underneath incase of rain. 

Shen Qingqiu coughed again, sniffling a bit as well as he pulled the cloak close around himself and buried his face into the sleeves. It smelled faintly of fresh soil and soap, of cedar and something… other that he couldn’t identify. But it was a comfortable smell, reminding him of the bamboo house where he would be able to fully rest once he could make it home. 

The last thing he thought before falling asleep was wondering if Binghe had behaved well while he was gone. The last thing he needed was to deal with trouble when he got home. Never again was he going to say that being a beta was a blessing! What kind of silly mission was this?? Why was it that Zhangmen-shixiong needed a beta peak lord to do it? And with discretion? Just what exactly had he just spent two days searching and harvesting???

--

It’s the wind that wakes him, biting through even the warm layer of the black cloak. The sun is starting to set when he tries to stand up, achy and sore from being curled up in one position for so long. Shen Qingqiu groans as he stretches, feeling a little better. He yawns a little before pulling out Xiu Ya to fly out of the marshes. Hopefully this is the last time he has to visit the southern reaches of the demonic realm for a while!

A new box crops up in front of him as he climbs onto Xiu Ya, a cough stealing away his breath. 

[Update Approved by System.]

[New Downloaded Content Available!] 

Finally! He smiled, clicking the box as Xiu Ya raised him higher over the trees slowly, preparing to take off towards home. For a moment Shen Qingqiu hovered there, reading over the updates but he didn’t see anything special or any DLCs. Disappointed but not surprised, he sighed before beginning his trip home. 

[New Downloaded Content Available!] [Read More] [Remind Me Later]

It popped up just as he was over the last of the marshes and passing over the forests of the southern realm. Shen Qingqiu hastily pressed the Remind Me Later option as the first few droplets of rain began to fall. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He growled at the skies. As if they heard him; suddenly the skies seemed to break apart as a torrent of rain began falling. “ You’ve got to be kidding me!” He cried out. Already he felt like his head was full of cotton balls and couldn’t quit coughing. His body was sore and cold. And now?? NOW IT WAS POURING RAIN!

See this as the last time that he ever accepts another stupid mission, B points be damned!!! Shen Qingqiu coughs again and winces at the pain in his chest as he does it, shielding himself from the rain with the cloak as much as he can. It’s hard but he manages to make it out of the demonic realms before disaster strikes. 

[New Mission Unlocked: In My Time of Need]

The box is the only thing that Shen Qingqiu can see through this horrible rain, its faint glow the only thing that helps him stay straight as he tries to get out of the storm. Even this so-called ‘protection against the elements’ black cloak is soaked through! He doesn’t really have the time to be reading about a new quest right now, so he swipes it away, only to lose his balance. At this exact moment two things happen: Shen Qingqiu falls off his sword, and Without-A-Cure starts to act up again.

FUCK!

Shen Qingqiu feels his heart drop to his stomach the moment his foot slips against his own sword. He can’t catch himself. He begins to fall. And fall. Farther and farther, reaching for Xiu Ya who won’t answer his call, plummeting downwards to the trees below. All he can do is brace for impact seconds before he crashes. The only thing that saves him is that his qi has fluttered back to life upon impact- saving his bones from breaking. 

Shen Qingqiu doesn’t even get the chance to scream in terror, thinking this is possibly his very real end- the system had to kill him off since he had survived the initial plot of PIDW!

The landing is hard . He can barely wheeze in agony as every fiber of his being feels like it has just broken into many many little pieces before stars start to dance before him. 

“..Sh…it…” He curses seconds before the darkness absorbs his vision. Xiu Ya embeds itself into the ground a few feet from where Shen Qingqiu’s body has crash landed, a small clearing where he landed on a grassy plain somewhere in the demonic border realms. 

Looks like I won’t be home in time for dinner… He thinks before the last of his consciousness fades to blackness. 

-

“Does Shizun wish for tea?” 

Shen Qingqiu blinks slowly, staring at Luo Binghe, a small cute Binghe. He’s about 14 years old here, a few years before he was presented as an alpha. Those chubby cheeks look so pinchable! And those eyes! Look how wide and innocent they are! Shen Qingqiu feels like crying at the sight of his sweet little lotus!

“Shizun?”

“Hm?” He blinks again and looks around them. Their surroundings are just a plain white background, random shapes and figures walk by but they have no definition. It’s hard to understand where he is, exactly. “Binghe… Where are we?” He asks, accepting the tea being poured for him. He feels like there is something he’s forgetting. Something critical. It’s like a white space in his memory. 

“Shizun has been looking very thoughtful lately. Can this disciple ask what Shizun is thinking about?”

As he speaks his lips don’t quite seem to move with his words. Shen Qingqiu frowns, staring hard at the figure in front of him. Something is… not right here. Again he looks around them. 

“Is something wrong, Shizun?”

“I… I don’t know…” He answers, feeling fuzzy and confused. He doesn’t recognize where they are, but he also feels like he should know this place. Frustrated, he rubs his eyes hard, trying to focus on the figures walking by them. 

“Shizun?” 

Shen Qingqiu looks back to the young boy in front of him at the low table but the figure is gone. The scenery has changed and he’s sitting in the bamboo house. A grown up Luo Binghe stands next to the table with a tray of food and tea. 

“Binghe…” He says, feeling lost. Wasn’t Binghe just there? Pouring him tea?

“Shizun. Please eat this, you will feel better.” Promises the man beside him. 

“Thank you, Binghe.” He mutters, picking up his chopsticks before pausing. This still felt… wrong. Something wasn’t quite right. His head felt so fuzzy though, it was hard to distinguish what was actually happening to him. “I don’t feel good.” He says, dropping the chop sticks as a wave of nausea floods through him. 

“Shizun is sick?” Binghe is kneeling beside him now, looking worried and reaching for him. Shen Qingqiu coughs, gagging hard and holding a hand out to fend off Binghe’s advances. He feels sick, horribly so. He needs… he needs fresh air. It’s suffocating in this room! He feels so trapped that in his flurry to throw open the doors of the bamboo house he knocks over the food Binghe prepared.  “Shizun?!” His voice carries after Shen Qingqiu. 

But Shen Qingqiu is frozen on the patio of the bamboo house. This isn't right! Something is wrong! Why is it… why is everything so white? What are those figures walking around?

“Shizun come back inside.” Calls Binghe. Or is it Binghe? Is his mind playing tricks? Another demon lord tricking him? But - 

The world spins around him as he staggers off the patio and into the crowd of blurry shadowy figures. His head hurts, his chest feels tight and it’s hard to breathe. Is he having a panic attack? What is going on??

“Shen Qingqiu!” The Maybe-Binghe calls his name from behind but all Shen Qingqiu can think is to run. Get far away! Something is wrong! Something is… something important is happening here!

It feels harder and harder to breathe, like the white space is enclosing on him and suddenly Binghe is in front of him, looking the same as he did just a few days ago when he’d seen him. Without thinking Shen Qingqiu dives forward into him. This has to be the right Binghe! This has to be…

“Something is wrong. I don’t have time to explain but something is really wrong and there was a you from before and the other and then I…” He rambles to the man in front of him. Panic crawls up his throat again, choking him and hurting his chest. He feels like he might throw up. 

“It’s okay Shizun, Binghe is here. It’s alright.” That gentle voice felt familiar. Finally something that felt real in this weird dream.

Ah. That was the problem! Clarity filled his senses and he looked up at Binghe again, studying him. “This… this is a dream?”

“Mn. It is. Sorry if I scared Shizun. I got worried.” Binghe looks apologetic enough, bowing to his master. “I needed to speak with Shizun.” 

“Ugh… I was so worried…” Shen Qingqiu holds his throbbing head. It hurts so much…

“Is Shizun… alright? You seem…”

“No. No I… I can’t remember why but my head is killing me. And I feel… I feel so…” Shen Qingqiu cringed as another wave of nausea flooded his senses. Something was wrong. He needed to tell Binghe something, he was sure. But what was it?

“Shizun? Do you remember where you are?”

“Where I am?”

“This is a dream, where did you fall asleep? Binghe will come get you.”

“Fell… asleep?” He cringed at another wave of pain and crouched as if that action would drive out the pain. “It hurts… Binghe, it hurts!”

“What hurts? Do you remember what happened before you fell asleep?” Binghe’s face looks worried, crouching down so he’s on the same level as his master. 

Fell asleep… Did he do such a thing?

“I… I don’t know. I was flying back from the southern border… I had a mission from Zhangmen-shixiong… The rain was… cold…” A shudder pushed through his body as another wave of pain warped his sense of reality. 

“Okay. It’s alright. It’s alright, Shizun.” Promised Binghe, but he didn’t sound like it was. He sounded… angry? “I’ll come to you, just don’t move.”

A sudden, blessed blackness consumed the rest of the dream, taking all the pain away with it. Falling into a deeper slumber, Shen Qingqiu was able to welcome the nothingness with open arms of relief. 

-

“..n! Shizun!” A voice beckoned him to wakefulness. 

The peaceful blackness started to disappear and agony began burning in every inch of his being. Shen Qingqiu wanted to scream from the pain but was unable. Slowly he dragged open his eyelids and squinted at the rain pelting down over them. Them? 

“Shen Qingqiu!” Binghe. That’s right, the dream. Binghe had come. Everything would be alright now…

“Mn…” He grunted in acknowledgement, anything to stop that awful yelling. Hands were on his cheeks, and the man over him looked tearful and soaked to the bone from the rain. It was cold enough that Shen Qingqiu just felt numb. He couldn’t think straight at all. Overhead, in the clouds, a box flashed in front of his eyes. 

[New Mission Unlocked: In My Time of Need] 

Great. Just what I needed.

Seeing his gaze drift away from him, Binghe tapped at his cheeks again, anxiously trying to get the attention of his Shizun. Shen Qingqiu blinked away the raindrops and squinted at the man overtop of him. “Bing..he..” He croaked, cringing at the loudness of his own voice. Everything felt loud, dizzy, and overwhelming. He’d rather just go back to sleep. The sleep had been much better…

“Shizun, you need to stay awake for me okay?” Binghe took off his outer layer, draping it over him. That didn’t make much sense since they were both soaked to the bone but Shen Qingqiu appreciated the gesture either way. 

“Head…” He muttered, trying to raise his hand to hold his forehead. Oddly, he couldn’t seem to summon any strength to move. “What happened…?” He asked, feeling like the world was just a swirling mess around him. 

“You’re okay. It’s alright now.” Binghe answered, how was this an answer?? Shen Qingqiu just felt more and more confused. Suddenly they were off the ground, or he was at least. Binghe had picked him up in a princess carry, which if he wasn’t completely delusional right now might have been embarrassing. For now, he found himself aching for warmth, pressing his face against the semi-dry inner robes of Binghe’s clothing and feeling a shiver run through his entire body from head to toe. Once the shaking began it wouldn’t stop, even when he tried to nestle in closer to that warmth that Binghe gave off. 

“I’m sorry.” Shen Qingqiu said softly, feeling the sway of Binghe’s gait as they began to move. 

“What are you sorry for? Hm? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I lied. I said I would be home for dinner today in the note…” 

“It… It’s alright Shizun.”

“Mn. It’s cold.” He said, trying to steal more warmth. There was a strange sound of tearing loudly beside them. It made his head ache something horrible, and he cringed from the sound into Binghe’s shoulder. “Urghhh…” He groaned. 

“Sorry Shizun, Xin Mo can’t control its sounds.”

“Xin Mo?” That had been locked in his study for the last four months. Binghe had barely touched the thing other than to meditate and practice controlling the demonic energy flowing off the thing. Otherwise it was kept in a special chest with sealing talismans on it for the duration of his repentance on the mountain. 

“Sorry, Shizun. It was an emergency.” What kind of emergency would need an evil sword? Instead of asking he just nodded, head aching and cold from the rain. The constant white noise of the rain dissipated suddenly as Binghe began to move again, suddenly it was extremely quiet and all he could hear was Binghe’s breathing and heartbeat. It was enough that he began to nod off again. A gentle shake stopped that from happening though. “Sorry Shizun, I can’t let you sleep until you’ve been seen by Mu Qingfang.”

“Mu Qingfang?”

“Yes, Shizun had an accident. He needs a doctor.”

Ah, so that was why everything hurt. “What happened?” He asks Binghe, feeling so very tired in this warm embrace. 

A weird scent strikes the air, like a match burning right under his nose. “Shizun should know what happened. Think hard, and then you can remind Binghe.” 

That didn’t sound very fair. If Binghe knew, why was he asking? Just thinking of thinking about anything hurt his head. He let out the most uncharacteristic whine, hoping to sound pitiful but instead got a huff from him instead. Binghe was laughing at him? How dare-

“I’ve been waiting since I got your message. Bring him in.” Mu Qingfang’s voice jostles him. The room they enter is a familiar one. Mu Qingfang’s office has been painfully familiar these last few years. 

“He’s all confused, doesn’t know where he is or what’s going on. Is it poison? A curse?”

Mu Qingfang stepped into view as Binghe laid Shen Qingqiu out on the cot. Shen Qingqiu tried to sit just but no one would allow him to. Everything hurt, so that was fine with him. 

“Let’s take a look, shall we? Shen Qingqiu, do you remember what happened before you collapsed?”

Collapsed? He was sure he’d just fallen asleep… 

No, that wasn’t quite right…Something definitely happened.

“I… There was a mission from Zhangmen-shixiong.. I was collecting herbs…” And then what? His memory gets foggy after that. “It… it was raining.” He said slowly as he tried to piece it all together. 

“How long were you in the rain? Do you remember?” Mu Qingfang is checking his meridians and frowning before looking over to a servant. “Get me some clean clothing for him, and warm blankets. His temperature is very low.” The nurse nodded and left with two other young disciples. “He needs out of these wet clothes. You too, Luo Binghe. You’ll be no good if you get sick as well.” Mu Qingfang checked over the rest of Shen Qingqiu’s body making sure nothing was broken before letting the man slowly sit up on the bed. 

“I think I fell.” Shen Qingqiu says as he thinks about it more. Now that it was just him and the doctor, he didn’t feel as much pressure to get things correct on the first try. 

“Well you certainly did. Quite a fall, if I may say, considering the state of your memory. My guess is you were trying to fly home in the rain.” The tone was a little accusatory but it was lost on Shen Qingqiu who just nodded. That sounded right. 

“I hit my head.” He says in agreement. Mu Qingfang sighs and starts feeling the back of his head for a bump or injury. 

“I wouldn’t be shocked if your illness acted up as well. Without-A-Cure is still in your body, remember. I’m surprised Zhangmen-shixiong sent you on a mission alone, knowing that.”

“He said it was… It was supposed to be discreet. That he needed a peak lord who was a beta…” God he just wanted to go back to sleep. He blinked slowly at the doctor who started to piece things together. 

“Well so much for being discreet, I won’t be shocked if half the peak knows by tomorrow. You should have seen that disciple of yours when he confronted Yue Qingyuan. He’d been teaching the younger students when that Binghe of yours marched right in and nearly shook that old man to death. Something about a dream realm and missing dinner. I don’t know. But it was quite the scene.”

Shen Qingqiu groaned, the coldness in his bones combined with the aching pains and sore head just were too much to process all of this. “Can’t I just sleep this off?”

“I’m afraid not. Looks to me like you have a concussion. Which means you can’t sleep for longer than a few hours at a time to avoid falling into a coma. If you do, there’s the risk of you never waking up.” Mu Qingfang, whether he meant to or not, was really good at scaring the shit out of his patients. 

“How is he?” Asked Binghe, who was just reentering the room as the maids came back, carrying with them thick blankets and warm clothing for their patient.

“It could have been much worse. His qi was able to protect his body from most of the harm.”

Binghe sighed in relief and helped Shen Qingqiu dress from where he sat, too unsteady to stand just yet. “How do you feel, Shizun?”

“Tired. Sore. Cold. Very tired…” He said, finding himself leaning into Binghe’s warmth as he was helped into dry clothes. Mu Qingfang and Binghe talked for a long time before finally someone stopped nudging him whenever he dozed off on Binghe’s shoulder. At least he was home now, that was the worst of it over. 

So why was that new quest still displaying overhead?

Chapter Text

Yue Qingyuan stood in his office looking out  where Mu Qingfang had just left. The sliding door was left open, the late morning light seeping into the cracks of the floorboards. The guilt in the pit of his stomach wouldn’t soothe itself. He couldn’t sleep until he’d heard of Shen Qingqiu’s return. He should have sent a few beta disciples with him. 

He sighed, drawing his hands behind his back before pacing out to the patio and down one of the stone trails that led up to the main halls. Even with the events that occurred, there were still duties to attend to, and he would have to make sure to retrieve the herbs from Shen Qingqiu before it was too late.

Yue Qingyuan tried his best not to frown as he thought of the requirements of the mission. Someone of high enough authority to pass through the demonic realms, someone who was a beta, someone who wasn’t involved in this year’s Immortal Alliance Conference… it really hadn’t been much of a choice for him. There weren’t many others that he trusted like Xiao-Jiu. He’d needed someone who he knew would do the job without question and with finesse. He hadn’t in all his years even thought that Shen Qingqiu would have such an accident out there alone. 

“Someone’s looking awfully guilty this morning,” commented Qi Qingqi, her voice carrying a deceptively playful tone. She was always outspoken and rarely visited the peak, keeping mostly to herself. 

“I see you are early. I meant to receive you this afternoon.”

“I heard what happened. I figured the cat was out of the bag, and that it was best to try and cover our tracks as best I could by using this as an opportunity to visit. Of course, I am also here to receive the order I placed with you.”

“Yes there were some… issues with retrieving the Dragon Wing Moon Thistle, our Shen Qingqiu had quite the accident.”

“Of course he would. Do you forget that he’s still got the Without-A-Cure running in his veins? Why wouldn’t you send someone like Liu Qingge? He’d have done it in half the time anyways.” She huffed, shaking out her lilac sleeves. 

“Qi Qingqi, you know that Liu-shidi is an alpha. That would not have been a good outcome if one of the plants were to affect him.”

“Well, what about that Shang Qinghua? All he does is pester me for paperwork!”

“An omega. Really, there was no one else that I could have sent, unless we were to leave this up to the disciples. I recall someone demanding I send my best, after all.” 

“Ah but— Oh… This really didn’t turn out well for you. I heard a rumor from the servants. Something about a certain ex-disciple breaking down your door when his poor Shizun wasn’t home for dinner? How sweet…” She laughed, her tone sarcastic as she drew to a stop as their path ended by a cold spring on the back side of the mountain. Yue Qingyuan didn’t bring many people back here; it was his private space. 

“Hm. It does seem that something more is happening there. I will keep an eye on them. No need for this mistress to worry about them. They’re still young, after all. And you have your own peak to worry about.”

“Yes. Speaking of which. The Moon Thistle, I’ll need it by next week if we wish for it to be ripe enough to be used. The girls are ready. It is time for their presentations, before the Immortal Alliance. I can’t have them sitting out this year. We’ve been overlooked for too long. They are really great fighters, I want to display them properly. Otherwise, what kind of Shifu would I be?” Qi Qingqi hummed, watching their reflections as petals from the foxglove tree drifted over the water. They usually only flowered in the spring, but this one had bloomed late spring and into the summer, its bright pink and purple flowers falling prematurely due to the frost. What was left of its branches was sparse, but there were still a handful of flowers that blew off with the breeze. 

“Very well. I will have it delivered by Mu Qingfang. He will likely want to be on standby should anything happen.”

“You know we don’t allow men into our sect, Zhangmen-shixiong.”

“Perhaps one of his female disciples then?”

“…Perhaps.” 

They continued to watch the foxglove tree quietly until Qi Qingqi decided she had enough sightseeing for one day. She handed Yue Qingyuan a small lilac fabric pouch that jangled with coins before leaving, thanking him for his services. 

Yue Qingyuan stayed a bit longer, hoping perhaps that if he stayed long enough that his guilt over Shen Qingqiu’s condition would go away. 

It didn’t.

—

Shen Qingqiu coughed before he was even awake, brought into the world of the living again by the rasp of his own throat. He groaned, cringing at the sound and trying to roll over in his bed. He felt too cold yet sweaty at the same time. Those stupid plants definitely were the culprit. 

“He’s still resting. Apologies, Zhangmen-shixiong,” a soft voice said far away from where he laid. 

“I’m afraid this cannot wait, Binghe.” There was a long silence, one that came with the aggressive onslaught of scents battling for dominance. It was all too much-- lords knew that opening his eyes was too much. 

“He is in no condition for visitors,” insisted the alpha at the door.  Thank goodness for Binghe. Yes. Chase away all those awful noise-making people!

“Then, my apologies for the intrusion. I must speak with your master about the mission he went on. It is quite time sensitive.”

There was another long silence, in which Shen Qingqiu tried to go back to sleep but the throbbing of his head and the powerful scent of two alphas arguing quietly at his door didn’t help it at all. He coughed again, cringing at the pins and needles feeling in the back of his throat and chest. 

“Let him in, Binghe,” he croaked, slowly pulling himself upright. He looked as awful as he felt, if their looks were anything to go by. His hair was down, a bit greasy from not getting washed in the last few days. He pulled the blankets up around his shoulders with a shudder, huddling like a child in the middle of his bed. He didn’t glare at Yue Qingyuan, that wouldn’t be fair. But Shen Qingqiu did cough a little pathetically just to rub it in. 

Yue Qingyuan entered, bowing in respect before sitting at the edge of the bed. “Would Binghe give these two masters a moment?”

Binghe looked like he was about to argue but Shen Qingqiu waved him off. “I think I’d like some soup, if there’s any left,” he said, giving his disciple a task to do. 

“Then, excuse me,” Binghe said, looking tight in the shoulders and face. He’d been awfully grouchy since Shen Qingqiu came back. He hadn’t expected for him to be so upset by a simple cold! Shen Qingqiu sighed, looking up at the swaths of fine white and green silk that hung over his bed, sheer enough for the light to filter through. Most of the windows and doors had been closed to allow him to rest in the peaceful darkness. With the door open and a lantern lit beside his bed, Shen Qingqiu felt like he had to squint to see clearly. 

“You don’t look well, Xiao-Jiu. Should I fetch Mu Qingfang?” Ah there was that name again. He really wished Yue Qingyuan wouldn’t call him that. But it seemed that sometimes it just slipped out of him, as if he were stuck in the past. 

“It’s alright. He was by earlier. He gave me some tea and a pill that will help with the concussion, apparently,” Shen Qingqiu rasped, feeling like his skin was too tight and soggy. He felt damp but cold, tired but awake, sore and stiff. “Is this about those herbs?” 

“That’s right. I understand that your accident might have impaired how much you were able to collect but…”

“Mn. I understand. It’s in the qiankun pouch by Xiu Ya’s stand.” He pointed, dropping his arm prematurely because it felt so heavy. This was more than just Without-A-Cure acting up. This was a full on flu! He coughed harshly again, and smiled when Yue Qingyuan patted his back gently. 

“Thank you, shidi. I’m really happy to hear you made it back alright.” He stood and retrieved the pouch, opening it partially to eyeball the goods inside. He tied it back shut and sighed, returning to the bed. “I feel awful for sending you alone. I should have remembered your condition. I would hope you would accept this one’s apology.” He begged, raising his hands to salute and bow. 

Alarmed, Shen Qingqiu stopped the master from bowing, shaking his head even though that made it feel twice as bad as before. “No no. Zhangmen-shixiong needn’t apologize. You told me what the mission was. I should have asked to bring some students or someone along.” Someone like Binghe, an all powerful demon lord who now that I think about it— couldn’t he have just made one of his underlings do this mission for us?! Ah — you idiot!

“Very well. At least allow me to reward you for your efforts.” He fished out a small lilac-coloured bag of gold from his robes, handing it to Shen Qingqiu. “This, and I will have your duties taken care of while you recuperate. It is the least I can do.”

Shen Qingqiu studied the bag, trying to place where he’d seen that insignia before that was drawn on the pouch. There was only one character in PIDW that had such strong purple and lilac motifs though. Of course this had to do with Qi Qingqi and her Xian Shu Peak. Although he didn’t know the effects of the Moon Thistle, Shen Qingqiu knew she was a very cunning woman. He’d only met her one time since the end of the main plot, when she had been visiting the mountain for some reason. She was very outspoken and frank with her words. She didn’t ignore taboo things, having jumped at the chance to know more about the Maigu Ridge events and why Luo Binghe was being kept in their sect despite everything that happened.

What does a peak lord of an all female warrior sect need with 15 Dragon Wing Moon Thistles? Is she creating a poison to kill off any men that approach her shimeis?? 

Overhead the new mission still loomed, unread details below it. He waited until Yue Qingyuan took his leave before opening the message he had ignored earlier. 

[New Mission Unlocked: In My Time of Need]

Due to unfortunate events, User has contracted a terrible virus! In the user’s time of need, you may choose one character to help you during your illness! Once chosen this cannot be undone. Please choose wisely. [Choose Character] [Remind Me Later] 

Well it was fairly obvious who he was going to choose wasn’t it? Luo Binghe came back just as he finished reading, warm soup on a tray with some water and bread as well. 

[Choose Character]

He clicked on the option and scrolled for Binghe’s name. Huh, it was only alphas on this list, that was odd. 

[Selection: Luo Binghe] [Yes] [No]

“I hope he didn’t bother you too much.” Binghe said, closing the door behind him and returning the room to only the dim lantern light that emanated from beside Shen Qingqiu’s bed. He brought the tray over and began preparing the low table for dinner. 

“Mn. It was fine.” Shen Qingqiu said, tucking the purple pouch into his sleeves before he was seen with it. He clicked the [Yes] option. Who else would he let take care of him like this? Liu Qingge? 

He almost laughed at the thought of that man trying to gently help him out of bed and over to the low table like Binghe was doing now. He felt weak in every muscle, and it painfully reminded Shen Qingqiu of his life before transmigrating. The weakness, the bouts of nausea and illness… He hadn’t thought that immortals like himself could even get sick like this. 

“Does Shizun want a bath tonight?” 

“Mn. I feel gross.” He agreed, making small talk (read: listening to Binghe talk) as he ate. It took a while to stomach everything, but he managed to get it down. 

“Mu Qingfang sent you some tea as well. He said it should help the migraines for the next two weeks until your concussion goes away.”

“Ah, that’s good. We should make some after I bathe.” He hummed, already longing for his bed again.

Later, soaking in a nice hot bath, Shen Qingqiu let Binghe wash his back and hair, combing through the tangles until it was soft and silky and clean. He barely remembered getting dressed, let alone drinking the bitter tea before he went back to sleep. His body felt wrong. Like he’d just transmigrated for the first time, getting used to his body’s long lithe frame and height. Something just felt off, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He was laid in bed, looking at all the updates again, trying to see if there had been anything interesting; when Binghe came back into the main room. 

“Shizun, do you know what this is?” He asked, holding something up in the lantern light. It looked like some kind of leaf or something. “It was inside your robes from the accident. It smells strange so I was worried it was one of those herbs you were collecting. You never said if they had weird properties like that Sun and Moon Dew Mushroom…” 

Shen Qingqiu motioned for him to bring it closer, and Binghe did, holding it precariously in a handkerchief so as not to touch it. It was indeed one of the leaves from the Dragon Wing Moon Thistle. It no longer had that ethereal glow to it, and it’s thorns and thistles looked battered, likely from being crumpled inside his robes. 

“Ah… This is what I was collecting. But Zhangmen-Shixiong said that as long as only betas touch it, nothing will happen.” He explained, picking it up from the cloth and showing Binghe it was harmless, to him at least. 

“Are you sure this isn’t what made Shizun sick?”

“I’m sick because I was out in the rain for two days,” he teased, putting the leaf on the bedside table. “I’ll be fine once I sleep some more.” 

“But..”

“Binghe, let it be. And don’t touch it if you see any more, I’m not sure what it would do to an alpha like you.” He hummed, yawning a little as he reached over to put out the light. The moonlight was peeking through the window’s curtains now, they didn’t really need this light on if they were going to bed. At least, that was what Shen Qingqiu planned. 

Binghe let the matter rest finally, frowning at the plant and picking it back up with the handkerchief once his Shizun was asleep. The leaf had been trapped in the neck of Shizun’s collar, which lined up with the scratches he saw on the back of his neck near his scent glands when he’d been washing his hair. 

“Sorry, Shizun.” He whispered, pocketing the herb. Something just didn’t quite feel right to him. He’d have someone he trusted look at it, just in case. He didn’t want Shizun to find out though; otherwise he might think that Binghe didn’t trust his word. 

That night Binghe met with Shang Qinghua at the edges of the sect grounds. He was still bound by his word not to leave Cang Qiong Mountain. But he knew someone who could get him in touch with Mobei-Jun if he needed to. Hence that scrawny little omega that Shizun seemed to like despite his strangeness. He didn’t know why Mobei-Jun kept him around either, but the weird man did seem to know a lot about the plant. 

“Ah, this is a really uncommon plant! I’ve never seen one in person.” Shang Qinghua said, leaning in to look closer at the handkerchief. 

“So? Is it what made him sick? Is there anything I should do?” 

“Ah no, Shen Qingqiu is a beta right? These are only known to affect omegas and alphas. Essentially they carry a natural toxin that can trigger a heat or rut. It doesn’t happen every time. Though, it does happen enough that some commoners have a different name for it that’s rather crude called the Shining Seed Weed… Because of um…” He drifted off, turning pink. “It's errr… properties…”

“Properties. Like causing a rut or heat? Why would Yue Qingyuan need Shizun to go and gather these?”

“Perhaps he was looking to keep them in their medical supply? I mean, you do know that if someone doesn’t present by the proper age they risk the chance of going feral. Maybe they have some disciples this year that need to induce their presentation.”

“But all the Qing Jing Peak students have presented.” He could tell that by just walking about the peak. Young kids never knew how to control their scents after presenting, and Binghe had to hide his irritation whenever a student brushed paths with his Shizun. 

“Hm. Maybe Zhangmen-Shixiong needed them for a friend? I’m not really sure… But that’s definitely what it is. As a beta this shouldn’t affect him at all. In fact, if anything, he could be having an allergic reaction. Is he itchy and has rashes that look like scales?”

“No. But he’s sleeping a lot, coughing, sneezing, achy and always running a temperature. He insists he’s freezing but he’s actually been running a high fever for the last three days.”

“Hmm… It could be a common cold. Have you tried letting him rest and see if it gets any better?”

Luo Binghe sighed. Yes, he’d tried that. And yes, he’d spoken to Mu Qingfang… Maybe it really was just something they had to wait out. “Thank you, Shang Qinghua.”

“You’re welcome! Tell him I send my regards!” He chirped, pausing before looking back at the handkerchief again. “Are you keeping this? I would love to add it to my collection, it looks like this specimen is faulty anyways. See how it’s not glowing? Usually they carry a residual glow of moonlight for seven days after being picked.” 

“… You can have it.” Binghe said, handing it off to the man who carefully folded it in the handkerchief and placed it in his qiankun pouch. The farther from that plant Shizun was, the better. 

“Thanks! I’ll be seeing you then? Or well, I guess if I visit because you can’t leave the mountain. Right. Uh. I will go. Now. Okay. Bye!” The man was always so awkward that it almost hurt to watch. Binghe walked back to the bamboo house deep in thought. He didn’t have any other reason to suspect that it was anything other than a cold. So why did he feel so… on edge? Like something was about to happen? 

He hadn’t felt like this, with the need to watch over Shizun every single second since the events with the Sun and Moon Dew Mushroom’s second body. He constantly felt like someone or something was about to attack, and it had his inner alpha on edge like he was about to go into a rut. Except his rut wasn’t due for another two months. He’d just had one right after the stress of Maigu Ridge. Alphas that were in control of their gender were able to practice something similar to inedia where they could stave off a heat or rut for several months. Unlike the average person who had a heat or rut every three months, they usually occurred every six months, twice a year. 

Nothing had changed in the last few months. In fact—the last four months since Maigu Ridge had been… kind of perfect. He was able to see his Shizun all day, every day. He was able to go back to how things were before the Immortal Alliance Conference where he’d been pushed into the abyss. He’d been able to prove to Shen Qingqiu that he was a good demon, that his blood had not changed him. He’d earned back that trust. Binghe didn’t want to lose it again.

Chapter Text

In the lowly hours of the morning, before the twilight had settled over the air, Shen Qingqiu woke to the sound of panting. Of desperate, panicked breathing. It was his own. He sat upright with sweat trickling down his face, a chill deep in the pit of his stomach and then a sense of doom lingered over him. 

He looked around his room, still dark from sleep. The room was in order; there was no murderer standing over him waiting for him to wake and see them. There was nothing there at all. He lit the lantern by his bed and glanced to where Binghe was fast asleep on his futon. He quietly crept to his door and slid it closed, hoping the thundering of his own heart wouldn’t wake his disciple. 

A foreboding sense settled over his senses. It wasn’t safe here, it felt... For the first time in his years as Shen Qingqiu, the bamboo house felt… wrong. He tried to calm his breathing, shivering from the cold as he dressed quickly, grabbing the black cloak from his mission. He slid it on, jamming his feet into his boots and left the house like a shadow. 

Not even Binghe, a demon lord, heard his master sweep out of the room in a flurry of panic. He needed… He didn’t know what he needed. Something felt like it was chasing him. He realized far too late that he’d left Xiu Ya behind as he moved through the pathways of Qing Jing Peak and past the rainbow bridge until he reached the back of Qiong Ding Peak. Perhaps some meditation in the Ling Xi caves would settle him. Perhaps… He barely made it to the caves before he became aware of how out in the open he was. He felt defenseless in a way he’d not been in a long time. 

“Breathe…” Shen Qingqiu whispered to himself, hoping to gather courage before pulling up his hood and moving deeper into the forested area behind the mountain. He passed Yue Qingyuan’s cold spring, passed the Ling Xi caves until he found himself in the middle of the woods. The fresh air was helping his panic. But that dream… It felt so real. 

Like someone was following him. Like they could still see him. He had to get away… he needed to hide. Every instinct in him was screaming to hide, to duck down and hide himself but from what, he didn’t know. 

Partially delirious and running on the little bits of food he’d had the night before, he found himself wandering into a clearing with a pond to the side and a large gaping maw of a dark cave. It was nestled between the bushes and trees, looking like a shadow and not an opening. Somewhere where he wouldn’t be found, somewhere safe. Somewhere… Yes. This would do. 

Shen Qingqiu stepped into the cave, still gripping his lantern and began down the narrow corridor, unsure what he would find. The moment the forest was lost behind him a wave of safety flooded through him. The panic began to dissipate as he hugged the cloak closer to himself. 

This wasn’t logical, leaving the house in the early hours and hiding in a cave. It was… animalistic! He wasn’t a frightened animal! So why did he feel like this? Like his heart would crush itself with how hard it pumped. 

[New Location Discovered: Taiji Cave]

Shen Qingqiu dismissed the notification as he entered the main cavern, where there was a large pool and soft mossy flooring. There was nothing here, but it felt… better than the bamboo house. As if in a trance, he found himself perching on the highest ledge of the cavern flooring, looking back out at the entrance he’d come from with his back to the wall. Safe. He sat in lotus pose, sighing as he finally felt less anxious since waking from that nightmare. 

“You’re not crazy. You’re not crazy…” Shen Qingqiu told himself a few times, hoping that if he said it enough times, it would feel true. He’d just taken off into the forest of Cang Qiong Mountain because of a dream. A dream?? It wasn’t even real! But it left something in his bones. A feeling of being watched, of being hunted. It was the worst feeling, being unable to determine where the enemy was. At least here, he knew which way they would come from. There was only one entrance and exit. 

Shen Qingqiu did a few more breathing exercises before falling into a meditation. He wasn’t asleep, so Binghe couldn’t just hop into his head and find him this time. He was safe, from everyone and everything. Nothing could hurt him here. 

“You’re safe…” He repeated as a mantra, eventually relaxing. When he opened his eyes, they caught the light which streamed through a small hole in the ceiling. Other than his lantern, it was the only source of light, flickering against the ripples in the pond which was fairly smooth. The water must have come from deeper within the cave. There were a few fish in it that moved beneath the mirror-like surface. 

Shen Qingqiu still felt that awful chill from before, and his skin was a sticky-sweaty mixture of tackiness. However, he didn’t feel like coughing or sneezing anymore. He felt much better as his mind began to clear. 

He was completely oblivious to the faint glow of yellow around his irises. 

-- 

Luo Binghe sighed and stretched, humming in pleasure when his joints clicked just the right way. He took care to be quiet as he sat up in his dark bedroom. It must still be early then. He yawned, blinking slowly as he registered his closet-sized room. It may not be much but it was his own, and it was right beside… Binghe looked to Shizun’s bed. Instead he was met with his own sliding door. 

That was odd. He never closed that. Frowning, he stood in just his pants and slid open the door. The light that burst through was blinding, making him cringe away at first before shock struck him. He’d slept in? It was long past the hour he usually woke up and began his routine. 

“Shizun?” He called, looking to the messy bed and feeling even more confusion. Where had he gone?

--

“Qi-Shifu sends her regards, Zhangmen-shixiong,” said Liu Mingyan who saluted politely before accepting the qiankun pouch of herbs in the Qiong Ding Peak pavilion. 

“I expect updates on the disciples who take these. I don’t want anything to go amiss. She has promised to let me send these two nurses with you; they are Qian Cao disciples who have worked under Mu Qingfang for the last three years now.” The sect leader gestured to the two senior disciples.

The two women saluted Liu Mingyan; they were identical twins except one wore braids and the other wore buns. “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” they said in unison with a salute. 

“Very well. If it has already been discussed with Shifu, then I believe it will be fine,” Liu Mingyan said. They packed up their supplies and left swiftly, beginning their trip back to Xian Shu Peak where they would be helping twelve girls induce their gender presentations. It would take up to a few weeks for the herbs to take effect, as they couldn’t just dose all twelve girls at once. There was also the chance it wouldn’t work, so they had some extras just in case. 

“Safe travels,” hummed Yue Qingyuan as the ladies left. It was still fairly early in the day, so he decided to make his way down to Qian Cao Peak to check on Shen Qingqiu’s treatment plan. It was worrisome that this illness persisted over more than a few days. 

Except Yue Qingyuan barely got ten steps from where he’d seen Liu Mingyan off when a shout came from the bottom of the stone stairs leading up to the pavilion and a panicked disciple appeared.

“Yue Qingyuan! Zhangmen-shixiong!” The urgency in their voice startled Yue Qingyuan, who turned to the disciple who took the stairs two at a time to reach him. One of Mu Qingfang’s students, it seemed. “Yue- Zhangmen-shixiong!!” He gasped, nearly running into the master as he reached him. The boy was young, maybe 15 years old at most, and looked pale. “Shifu said to get you immediately! It’s Shen Qingqiu!”

Yue Qingyuan’s heart plummeted. “What happened?” He demanded, already moving in the direction of Qian Cao peak. The disciple bustled ahead, still panting from rushing here. 

“Shen Qingqiu is missing!” 

--

At some point, Shen Qingqiu took off the black cloak because it felt too warm in this little cavern. Shen Qingqiu didn’t have to worry about the wind here, and the elements couldn’t touch him. It was a perfect little place, and something about his choice to come here seemed to just… Well, it felt right. The light coming through the opening in the ceiling was brighter now; it was probably coming close to afternoon now. 

That breathless feeling started to return while he was rearranging the cloak on the ground before him before he resumed the lotus position on top of the cloak. That was better. It protected his backside from the rough mossy flooring. 

He could feel something in the pit of his stomach still, though. At first, when he’d woken up it had been blind panic. But now… Now it felt like something more. Warm — almost hot and sinking deeper into his belly. It was uncomfortable, and it hurt a little when he shifted his pelvis this way and that to relieve the pressure. He also couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but there was a strange scent in the cave… something like burnt sugar and overripe fruit. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was a little pungent. 

Shen Qingqiu sighed. The quiet here was perfect. For what? He wasn’t really sure… but it felt good to be in this place. Better than he’d felt in days. For once, he wasn’t feeling nausea or the pain in his body like he’d been carved out of wood. For once, he was feeling like a normal person again. 

[New Achievement Unlocked: Missing In Action]

[+10 B Points!] 

Huh. Weird. I wonder what that’s for.

He was pretty sure that if Binghe, Ultimate Protagonist Alpha Demon Lord Binghe, couldn’t find him, then his nose was broken. Because that was something else that Shen Qingqiu had started to notice, he could smell… himself. In a way he never had before. But it had to be him because there was no one else here. Underneath that burnt sugar and overripe fruit scent there was something soft and airy floating around. It wasn’t the mossy and fresh water scent of the cave; this was more of a cedar and bamboo scent. It was a woody scent, slightly floral and spiked with citrus. Like fresh oranges and chrysanthemums. The menthol-like scent of the flowers cleared his breathing passages with each deep breath, making his cheeks feel warm and pleasant. 

Shen Qingqiu re-settled into his spot again. The longer he spent here the more he felt that he had chosen the perfect place to stay. It felt like staying here was the only place he needed to be. He was just… There was just Something missing. The ground was hard; he should have brought a blanket or something with him to sit on. Or cushions. That would be nice. Like the big red soft ones that he’d seen at the market a month ago when he’d gone down to the town at the foot of the mountain. 

The aches in his back and stomach didn’t seem to go away, no matter how he stretched, but his migraine was starting to alleviate itself. Perhaps due to the bitter tea he’d been drinking night and day from Mu Qingfang. Humming to himself when he finally got his back to click the right way and fix the tension in his lower back, Shen Qingqiu started to wonder what he would do if he got hungry. He hadn’t thought to grab anything when he went out the door this morning. 

[Inventory]

He scrolled down and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was actually a small snack in his inventory!

[Select: Snack Pack] [Yes] [No] 

He opened it. With a small ping and a flash of light, a pouch of dried fruits and nuts and seeds landed in his lap. Shen Qingqiu smiled, not having to hide himself behind a fan without an audience around for once. He dug into the snack, feeling satisfied. He chewed on dried mango slices and sunflower seeds quietly while watching the koi fish in the pond circle around their enclosure. 

--

“You lost him?” Liu Qingge asked, staring blankly at Shen Qingqiu’s precious ‘loyal disciple’ who paced in front of him in Mu Qingfang’s office. 

“I didn’t lose him! Shizun isn’t an object to find or lose!”

“Right. So he escaped. Much better.”

“You—”

“That is enough out of you two,” Mu Qingfang snapped, looking like he was about to throw one of his medical instruments at them from where he was flipping through his papers on his desk. There were more important things than these two arguing over his missing patient. One that had a history of flight and had a minor concussion right now. Gods knew if he was even in his right mind. 

“He started it,” muttered Luo Binghe as he kicked the floor petulantly, glaring at the floorboards like they had the answer. 

“Why don’t you use those… blood things?” Liu Qingge honestly had only come here for a sprained wrist. He hadn’t expected Luo Binghe to barge in during his counsel and start freaking out that his sick Shizun was missing. Missing . Like a dog that had wandered off its rope. 

Luo Binghe made a face. He didn’t like the reminder that he’d forced Shizun to drink his heavenly demon blood.  “I swore I’d never do that to Shizun again,” he said quietly. 

“How are you going to find him? I doubt his scent would be strong enough to follow. It’s always been kind of a faint smell,” Liu Qingge stated, looking at Mu Qingfang for answers. “Is there anything we can even do? We can’t just tear the whole mountain apart for him.”

“If Shen Qingqiu left of his own agency, it’s likely he would come back on his own as well,” Mu Qingfang said in agreement, but that was only if Shen Qingqiu knew what he was even doing! From the descriptions Luo Binghe gave him, Shen Qingqiu was still very ill. That could mean he wasn’t in his right mind. And if that was the case, then it could be dangerous for him to be out there alone, even if Cang Qiong was a fairly safe place. Mu Qingfang rustled through his books on the shelf next, pulling some out and flipping through before pausing. It couldn’t be… that . Could it?

“What is it, Mu-shixiong?” asked Luo Binghe, who saw the glint in the peak lord’s eye. 

“What was that plant you said he’d been collecting again? Moon… Thistle?”

“Mn. He said it was because he was a beta that Zhangmen-shixiong sent him, because betas can’t be affected by them.” 

Right. Betas couldn’t. Mu Qingfang felt a pit in his stomach form before pulling down a blue-bound book from his shelf and opening it quickly. The pages fluttered as he searched for the right thing. 

“What plant?” Liu Qingge asked, feeling out of the loop. Shen Qingqiu was his friend too, afterall. 

“The Dragon Wing Moon Thistle.” Luo Binghe answered, peering over Mu Qingfang’s shoulder. The writing was old, looking almost ancient in some places. There were a few words even Binghe didn’t recognize in there. 

“What’s that for?” Liu Qingge 's question made Luo Binghe’s eye twitch slightly. He didn’t want to go over all of this all over again. Where had Liu Qingge been? Under a rock? Actually… that might be the case. 

The door slid open as a disciple returned, bowing to his master. “Shifu, I have retrieved Zhangmen-shixiong for you,” he said, before opening his eyes and paling at the sight of Luo Binghe staring him down with alpha-red eyes. The boy was frozen for a moment, before Yue Qingyuan nudged him to leave. The boy disappeared quickly, bowing again to all the peak lords present. 

“What’s the situation?” He asked, strolling inside, pausing when he saw the look on Luo Binghe’s face. Staring at him with alpha-red eyes. The man’s inner alpha growled at the aggressive maneuver, but outwardly he smiled at Binghe. “Are you alright, Binghe? Perhaps you would like to step outside for some air?”

“I’m fine. Thanks,” the younger man muttered, dropping the glare and going back to where Mu Qingfang was reading a page in his big book. There was a drawing on the page of a minty teal-colored plant with sharp wedges on its leaves and white roots. It looked like it was glowing. “That’s it,” Binghe said suddenly, pointing to the book. “That’s the plant he had.” 

“Is this to do with Shen-shidi’s mission?” Yue Qingyuan asked, coming in closer to peek at the book but trying to keep distance from Binghe. The alpha was already agitated, and, from the looks of things, he blamed Yue Qingyuan for their situation. 

Mu Qingfang’s face turned grim before looking into Yue Qingyuan’s eyes seriously. Then he looked back to Binghe. “You’re sure it’s this one? Not this one?” He asked, flipping the page to an identical plant that had red veins patterned on it. 

“I’m sure. There was a piece of it in his robes when I was washing them.” 

Mu Qingfang raised his brows, reassessing the man in front of him. “You touched it?” 

“Not directly. It had a weird scent so I wrapped it in a handkerchief,” Binghe answered, feeling the anxiety in his chest bubble with urgency. “What is it, Mu-shixiong?”

Mu Qingfang sighed and slid his finger down the page, reading quietly for a few seconds. He didn’t look happy, in fact there was the faint scent of anger starting to fill the room, a smoky-chalky scent that stuck to the back of the throat. 

“I don’t understand the issue here. What does this have to do with Shen-shidi’s disappearance? He’s a beta, that’s why I chose him for the job,” Yue Qingyuan said, crossing his arms defensively. Why were they all looking at him like this was his fault?

“Because,” started Mu Qingfang who took off his reading glasses and set them on the desk beside the book, “I’m trying to recall Shen Qingqiu’s presentation. He was older than most of our disciples when you took him in. Do you also recall, Zhangmen-shixiong?”

Of course he does. “Yes. He had already presented when he was brought to Cang Qiong.”

“You’re sure of that?”

Liu Qingge’s eyes suddenly bulged as an idea struck him. “You don’t mean… Shen Qingqiu…?”

“What? What are we talking about here? Be straightforward, I don’t have time for this!” Binghe snapped, his scent doubling in output, anxiety wafting off him in waves to the other alphas present. “Don’t you see that this is an emergency? What if he’s out there, hurt, again!”

“Calm, Disciple Binghe,” Mu Qingfang said, placing a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. “You need to stay calm if you’re going to be of any help to us.” 

“Then tell me what’s going on!” He snapped again before taking a breath. He needed to be clear-headed. For Shizun’s sake. 

Mu Qingfang waited a few moments before he spoke, eyeing Binghe to see if he would have another outburst. “I have reason to believe Shen Qingqiu may have never presented, thus passing as a beta. He likely has no idea himself. Which means his symptoms of this mystery illness are then easy and logical to explain.” 

“What are you talking about? He’s definitely a beta. I would never have sent him otherwise,” argued Yue Qingyuan. Mu Qingfang raised a brow. 

“There was no way you would have been able to tell. When a beta presents they don’t experience a heat or rut, they simply develop scent glands and a faint scent. Generally a man in his thirties and unpresented is unheard of. Yet, it would explain all of his symptoms.” 

“But…” Yue Qingyuan said softly, feeling like the rug was being pulled out from under him. That would mean…

“Then Shizun is…”

“That’s right. I believe Shen Qingqiu took off to find a safe place for his heat or rut. Being that he’s over the age of presentation, he’s likely going to be feral when we find him.”

The room was so silent that a pin could have been heard dropping. 

--

Shen Qingqiu started feeling restless as time passed. The peacefulness was starting to dwindle to boredom. Something was missing here. The cave was full of spiritual essence, making his meditation easy and comfortable. The cloak was still laid out beneath him, making himself comfortable and at home. 

The only sound other than his breathing was the steady dripping of water off the stalactites overhead. When a droplet would hit the surface of the pond, it would ripple the mirror-like surface and push out to the outer edges before returning to a smooth plane. It looked so smooth it was like it was solid glass. Vaguely he wondered if he could step on such a surface without falling in. 

The chills were getting worse. First they made him shudder like a flower in the breeze, but then he’d sweat the second he’d pull the cloak back on. Even his outer robes were beginning to smell like sweat from where he’d been wiping it from his face and neck. Shen Qingqiu sighed, undoing his belt and pulling off the outer green robes he had on. He couldn’t decide if he was cold or hot. Maybe he was just shaking, not shivering? Did that make sense?

[New Downloaded Content Available!] [Read] [Remind Me Later]

The system dinged at him. Shen Qingqiu blinked slowly at the pop up. Hadn’t he already read all of the updates? Why did this keep coming up? He clicked the [Read] button. 

[New Downloaded Content Available!]

Patches and updates have been applied after a mandatory system update. Please read for further details. 

[Patches]

[New Missions]

[Design Layout]

[New Items to Unlock]

[New Achievements to Unlock]

[Bug Fixes]

This isn’t what had been shown before, was it? Or maybe he’d decided to read it later and forgotten about it? Whatever the reason, he had the time now. Shen Qingqiu began to read through it, but the Patches section and Bug Fixes didn’t really mean much to him. Parts of it said codewords that he didn’t understand, like [BP Bug fixed. OP status renewed] he knew for sure that didn’t mean the OP as how he knew it. He definitely didn’t feel Overpowered by any means. That was for sure. Or like, what did [CTF Function enabled] even mean??

Either way, he did check out the missions log, which gave him some new little missions here and there that seemed all to just detail the regular duties of a peak lord but made into achievements and missions so that he kept doing them. Things like [New Mission: Papercut Prince] where he had to fill out a certain criteria of paperwork before the end of a week. It also introduced some weekly goals too, which were also pretty boring. 

Shen Qingqiu looked over the design layout function, but it didn’t do much. It only enabled him to pick the colors of the boxes that appeared (sadly there was no way to silence notifications from the system). Overall, it was pretty boring stuff, literally drawing a yawn out of him. It was barely past noon! He couldn’t just sleep now! 

Or could he? 

It’s not like there’s anyone here to stop me. He thought. I could just… use this as a pillow… Shen Qingqiu folded his outer robes into a more cushion-like shape. Then he tentatively laid back against the cloak that was still beneath him. It was more comfortable than sitting on his ass for several hours. 

In just his outer layers, Shen Qingqiu stretched out with his arms behind his head. His body still shuddered now and then, and his temple was still damp with sweat but overall he didn’t mind this so much. He should come here more often. He scratched his neck idly, reading through the rest of the updates with leisure. The back of his neck, between his thighs, armpits and scalp started to itch and when he scratched them they would ache. Perhaps this was part of the fever that Binghe was telling him about last night before bed. He didn’t really know. Right now he was just… So tired…

Shen Qingqiu barely noticed his eyes closing, a sudden heaviness to them as he curled in on his side to get comfortable. A nap couldn’t hurt anything, right? As he began to drift into the dream realm, a slightly familiar crawling sensation curdled in his gut. He thought it was just the regular waves of pain he’d been dealing with. He never thought much of it, groaning a little as it cramped in his belly and made the nausea return. 

Maybe he should go back soon. Binghe was probably upset with him. The thought hurt in his chest, like it was literally breaking his heart. Maybe Binghe would really shout this time, like back in Jin Lan city. The idea only reminded him of memories better left forgotten. Falling asleep was an easy task then, when he didn’t want to think any longer. It was like someone had simply flicked a switch and he was out for the count. 

--

Chapter Text

“It is time. We are out of other options,” Mu Qingfang said to Luo Binghe, who looked like guilt was about to eat him alive. His eyes couldn’t stop their red glow. His anxiety was filling the room even after a cup of Mu Qingfang’s personal tea collection that had valerian root in it to soothe him. 

“I swore… I swore I would never…” He sounded so young, after everything that had happened in the last few years. This was the first time Binghe had shown such vulnerability to anyone but his Shizun. But now… They were at the end of the line. There weren’t any other options to find Shen Qingqiu. 

“I understand this is difficult, Luo-Shidi. But he’s not been seen anywhere in the local area, there’s no scent to track him by, and he isn’t reachable through the dream realm,” Yue Qingyuan listed. Liu Qingge had just returned from the foot of the mountain, confirming that he couldn’t detect their missing friend anywhere.

“I don’t see why you’re having such a hard time, haven’t you done this before?” Liu Qingge asked, oblivious as always to tact. 

Mu Qingfang sighed, poor Binghe was surrounded by anxious alphas. The atmosphere here was really terrible. 

“Liu-Shixiong must recall, when using heavenly demon blood mites, it can cause the patient major harm,” Mu Qingfang said, having done a lot of research on the topic after the Jin Lan city incident. There hadn’t been anything he could do to help Shen Qingqiu then. 

“Well, can’t you control it? Make it not hurt? I thought you were an expert or whatever,” Liu Qingge accused Binghe, who let out a warning growl. Liu Qingge bared his teeth in response, rising to the challenge. 

Of course the two were worried, but if they tried to destroy his office, Mu Qingfang would put a stop to it before his precious scrolls and herb collections were affected. 

“Liu-shidi. Enough. Binghe knows what he must do,” Yue Qingyuan said, trying not to get caught up in their argument. He was already upset with himself; he didn’t want to lose his little bit of patience left on these two younger alphas. 

Luo Binghe crossed his arms, almost hugging himself for comfort. If he didn’t use the blood mites it might be several more hours until Shen Qingqiu was found. If he did use them, there was a possibility of hurting Shizun even more. He felt sick to his stomach and walked out of the office for fresh air. He closed the door in Liu Qingge’s annoying face when the man looked like he had something more to say.  Binghe just needed a moment. He needed to think . Where would he go, if it were him?

Easy. He’d just go to the bamboo house. But Shizun wasn’t there right now. So that didn’t help him at the moment. Why wasn’t Shizun there? Was it fear? Did he leave to get help? Why hadn’t he called on Binghe for help?

Not that Shizun seemed to be even slightly aware of his feelings. Binghe had wanted him for a long time, even before Maigu Ridge. But the kiss they’d shared, albeit for transferring spiritual power… It had left a mark on him. Shizun’s mouth. Those soft petal lips. His tongue, wet and hot and curiously reaching into Binghe’s mouth.

Shizun… No, Shen Qingqiu… Why would he take off on his own like this? Why wouldn’t he have told Binghe what was going on? How had Binghe missed all the warning signs? This is all my fault, he thought, If only I had heard him leave. If only I had noticed his symptoms. If only I—

Suddenly, Luo Binghe slapped himself. Hard. Focus! Shizun needs you! He didn’t have time to wallow in pity. Binghe breathed in the cool autumn air, held it to the count of four and then released it through his nose. His eyes flickered from red back to their usual brown. There was no proof that this would actually hurt Shizun: that was just what his experience with using his blood had been like so far. If he were extremely careful…

Binghe returned to the office, where Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan spoke quietly over the blue-bound book of medical herbs. Liu Qingge rolled his eyes when Binghe’s met his own. 

“Very well. I will need a few things to pinpoint his location,” said Binghe, knowing that they were already running on borrowed time. His inner alpha was bursting with energy, as if he’d charged himself with spiritual power and then directed it inwards instead of outwards. 

“Tell me what you require,” Yue Qingyuan commanded, summoning a servant to retrieve the items. 

—

Mu Qingfang lit the candles, making sure all the doors were closed so the wind wouldn’t blow them out. Evening was beginning to set in; Shen Qingqiu had been missing for almost an entire day. The tension in the room was taut like a pulled bowstring, ready to fire. 

Liu Qingge leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Mu Qingfang could tell even before he’d diagnosed the man that morning that he hadn't really had a sprained wrist. The way he was holding himself now proved it, as he played with his sword tassel anxiously and unaware that the way he bent his wrist wouldn’t have been possible if it were sprained. He wasn’t very subtle, that one. 

“Is everything ready?” asked Yue Qingyuan, who handed Binghe the last of what he needed. Binghe sat on a cushion at the low table, a map and dagger in front of him. He nodded and took a deep breath inwards. The red demon mark on his forehead began to glow. 

Mu Qingfang took the opportunity to write notes; this was a very rare experience for the doctor and would make a great firsthand account for his research on demonic qualities in half-humans. He watched the way Binghe summoned his spiritual energy into his golden core and noticed the scent in the air changed subtly. Where an acrid anxiety scent had been coming off him in waves, Binghe’s scent became warmer, softer almost. It reminded Mu Qingfang of what it smelled like when they roasted chestnuts over the fire in the winter. A warm, woody scent with slight charring. It was a little nutty, spreading slowly through the room outwardly from the young alpha. 

Yue Qingyuan watched curiously, along with the other two alphas as Binghe reached for the dagger and held out his bared arm over a small bowl that held a mixture of herbs. He’d never seen someone conduct such a ritual. Of course, he also didn’t know any other heavenly demons or half-demons like Luo Binghe. 

Binghe closed his eyes which began to shine bright red again in an almost pulsating light that matched the mark on his forehead. He’d done this crudely before, but this was the first time he was following directions properly since learning how to control his blood in others. Without the ritual he was basically summoning them forward to a life with all the propriety of a dog. Doing it this way was how Mobei-Jun had taught him. Easier for beginners he had said, telling Binghe that without the ritual it was a lot more likely to injure the victim. That was the last thing Binghe wanted to do. 

In a language the other three alphas didn’t know, he muttered a few words, developing into a mantra. Then, when the energy felt like it was bursting from his core and hitting its peak, Binghe opened his eyes again. His eyes glowed brighter than any alpha, so red they almost looked like fire. He placed the dagger against his forearm, carefully cutting a small line into his skin. It bled a few ruby droplets, which he dripped over the mixture in the bowl on the table. Immediately there was smoke from the pile of herbs. 

“Very interesting…” muttered Mu Qingfang who was scribbling away at his notebook madly. His eyes had that light to them, one of a scholar in their element. “Does Disciple Luo  have to do this every time he uses the blood mites?” 

“No,” Binghe answered as he stirred the mixture and then accepted the bandage Yue Qingyuan held out for him. “This,” he said while tying the white cloth around the small cut, “is something I learned from another demon’s records of heavenly demon blood’s properties. It’s supposed to be a more formal way of using the blood to track someone. In theory, he shouldn’t feel anything.”

“I see…” Mu Qingfang said, making note of that as well. He’d never thought about it before, but perhaps Binghe would be open to helping him with his research.

Once the mixture was a wet paste, Luo Binghe picked up the bowl and dipped his fingers into it. Liu Qingge made a face. Demonic rituals were really gross, alright?

Carefully, he wrote Shen Qingqiu’s name onto the map and then his own name. He infused the mixture with spiritual energy as he did so. There was a long pause where nothing happened. And then, just as Liu Qingge took a breath so he could say something— the letters on the page began to move. The characters of Shen Qingqiu’s name crawled slowly over the map, sliding over the edge of the margins and through the eastern sea. It moved over the northern plains and up, up, up until it reached where Cang Qiong Mountain sat. It shifted and moved slightly, like a worm twitching. Then, Binghe infused the spiritual energy into his own name, written on the same paper. His name shifted and moved a bit faster before settling on his own location, Cang Qiong Mountain, on Qian Cao Peak. 

“What does that mean?” asked Mu Qingfang, who was now closer, watching over Binghe’s shoulder. It was truly fascinating to watch. 

“He’s here, still on sect lands,” said Binghe with equal parts confusion and relief. Shen Qingqiu was still on the mountain. The question now was where . “I need another map, one of the peaks, in as much detail as possible,” he said, looking up to Yue Qingyuan. The man summoned a servant again, who took off to collect the desired item from the library. Now they just had to wait. The energy he’d summoned began to dissipate, and the names that had been written in the herbal-blood mixture began to charr the paper until it was just a black blot where their names overlapped on the page. 

Binghe felt different from when he’d controlled the blood mites before. This time his breathing was even, calm. He didn’t have that odd stirring in his own veins like when he had called to his own blood when on that fruitless chase to capture Shen Qingqiu. In fact, he hadn’t felt anything from this ritual, barely even the dagger he’d used on his arm. He’d have to remember to thank Mobei-Jun for access to the royal records. It really had made a huge difference using the rituals of old instead of just winging it like he had been doing. 

“So, he’s been here the entire time?” Liu Qingge asked, looking a little annoyed. He’d really searched properly! They had visited each peak and had visited the Bamboo House. They’d even tried to track his scent (it had been too faint). He felt like they were just chasing their own tail. 

“It would seem so…” Yue Qingyuan agreed, looking just as frustrated. 

—

It didn’t take long for the servant to come back with the correct map. It took even less time to locate Shen Qingqiu’s presence at the back of Qiong Ding Peak. The moment the characters of Shen Qingqiu’s name settled, no longer squirming along like a caterpillar on the paper, Binghe stood up and left the other alphas behind to guffaw at it a few seconds longer. 

They clearly left their stupor soon enough, as Binghe didn’t even make it off Qian Cao Peak before he heard a group of cultivators following suit. Mu Qingfang grabbed a handful of his disciples, who rushed after the rest of the group with satchels filled with medical supplies while two students carried a stretcher between them. 

Yue Qingyuan couldn’t believe that he’d been right there, under their noses all along! And what on earth was he doing so far behind the mountain where most people didn’t go without special permission? Had he been suffering a qi deviation and gone to Ling Xi caves to meditate? That wouldn’t make sense, as Luo Binghe would have noticed such a thing. Was he already feral when he’d left that morning and was now wandering, out of his mind and sanity, into the maze-like cave systems?

No one wasted their time, ignoring the rainbow bridge in favor of their swords and alighting the moment they left the barriers of Qian Cao. Luo Binghe was far in the lead, nearly bursting through the gates of Qiong Ding Peak as he was forced to land Xin Mo. Yue Qingyuan hadn’t said anything about him using it so far, although in the original agreement to his punishment was that he would not use Xin Mo at all, unless it was necessary for balancing his demonic qi. He also hadn’t said anything about Luo Binghe leaving the mountain to retrieve his master either. To be honest, Yue Qingyuan couldn’t see any merit in punishing him when Luo Binghe was just taking care of his shizun. 

“It wasn’t in the Ling Xi Caves,” said Mu Qingfang, who caught up with Yue Qingyuan. Liu Qingge was nearly caught up with Binghe, farther up ahead as they hurried. “But it was close. I believe he might be near that older cavern that collapsed a few decades ago.”

“Taiji Cave?”

“Mn.” Mu Qingfang nodded with certainty. It wasn’t marked on the map, but he recognized the location where Shen Qingqiu’s name had settled into the paper before turning into an inky blot. 

Yue Qingyuan nodded in acknowledgement. Qiong Ding disciples stopped what they were doing as their headmaster rushed by them with a crowd of Qian Cao disciples and peak lord in tow. They could tell something was terribly wrong. Rumors began to spread quickly, becoming more ridiculous as the evening went on. 

“Wait! We need to think about this clearly before we go in!” Liu Qingge’s voice piped up from up ahead, distorted by the forest that Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang were still pushing their way through. Ahead, there was a clearing with a cliff face covered in vines and plants. A deep shadow hid the mouth of a cavern, and to the far right was a pond teeming with spiritual energy. Their presence scared off the nearby animals and critters, as they heard flying and chirping away from their loud entrance.

“You, stay here,” Binghe told his shishu rudely, yanking back the arm that Liu Qingge had grabbed to stop him. “Shizun doesn’t need all these alphas in his face. One of us is enough to confirm he’s inside.”

“You—”

“Luo Binghe, your shishu is right. You should wait a moment,” called Mu Qingfang, who was a little out of breath from all this running. He paused as they all entered the clearing. The Qian Cao disciples hadn’t ever seen this part of the mountain before, and were amazed at how rich the spiritual energy back here was. It filled the air, like a faint type of smoke and could be tasted on their breath. It was an indistinguishable scent making them all a little excited. 

“Why should I? He’s—“

“Luo Binghe. We must be very careful.” Yue Qingyuan was losing his patience and lost his temper for a moment. No one had really seen him like this, his alpha scent anxious and angry, since Shen Qingqiu had self-detonated all those years ago. His tone commanded Luo Binghe’s attention, and for once the disciple was willing to listen, if only because he trustedYue Qingyuan’s instinct to care for Shen Qingqiu, though that trust had lessened given the last two weeks. He’d seen the way the sect leader treated Shen Qingqiu when he thought no one was there to watch. He could tell that he was just as invested in his well being as Binghe was.

“Zhangmen-Shixiong is right. We cannot just rush in unthinkingly,” Mu Qingfang said, having caught his breath. He really didn’t go out much these days, not that he was out of shape, but he had gotten used to not doing all this running around. 

Liu Qingge seemed affronted, but Mu Qingfang knew how they were going to react. He knew that he was probably the only one here that had any  hands-on experience with a feral omega or alpha. He needed to make sure everyone here understood the situation.

Yue Qingyuan motioned for Mu Qingfang to continue. Liu Qingge dropped the arm trying to keep Binghe from the entrance, now that he was certain the younger man wouldn’t slip inside. 

“How many of you have ever seen a feral alpha or omega?” He asked. He wasn’t shocked that Yue Qingyuan was the only one. Even his own disciples weren’t experienced enough. “Okay, and how many of you have heard of what a feral omega or alpha can do? What are their symptoms?” He turned to his students, raising a brow.

“Delirium,” answered one of the older disciples. He was tall and broad shouldered. “Frenzied, defensive, territorial…” He listed off his fingers. Mu Qingfang nodded.

“Um, often they can attack without provocation,” piped up another, she was much shorter and plump. Her head barely reached Mu Qingfang’s shoulder. “And they can shift their fingernails to a claw-like weapon which can break the skin, draw blood and at times be fairly deadly if the omega or alpha is skilled in martial arts.”

“Exactly,” Mu Qingfang said. “That being said, only one of us will be entering the cave, but when that person does.” He paused, looking at each person, “They must be prepared to immobilize Shen-Shixiong.”

“You can’t hurt him!” Binghe cried out, anger flaring into the air around them. His scent was becoming out of control; his eyes were back to shining alpha red.

“We won’t hurt your shizun,” assured Mu Qingfang who reached into his satchel and pulled on some clean cotton gloves. “In fact, I doubt we could if we tried.”

Binghe calmed down a little at that. Sure, Shizun was a very strong and skilled man. But did Mu Qingfang really think that even with four alphas and his four disciples that they couldn’t subdue him? His anxiety was burning high, like his heart might just leap out of his chest and through the cave mouth all on its own. 

Mu Qingfang’s students all pulled out similar gloves, white and made of cotton. They began rustling through their supplies as Mu Qingfang instructed them to prepare for the worst. It was best they were as careful as possible. He looked to Yue Qingyuan, who simply waited for instruction. The scenario was entirely up to Mu Qingfang.

“Tell us what we should do,” Yue Qingyuan commanded.

“Very well.”

Liu Qingge was placed at the entrance of the cave, arms crossed and looking antsy. Now that they had pinpointed the location, he could very barely smell Shen Qingqiu’s bamboo scent. He could tell that Binghe could smell it too, if the way he paced like a mad dog was any clue.

Mu Qingfang gave them all a pair of gloves to wear; they didn’t seem to be anything special, but he said that they were to maintain a clean environment. Whatever that meant. Luo Binghe was clean! He bathed everyday and washed his hands every moment he needed to! But if this would move them along faster, then he would listen obediently. He could smell Shen Qingqiu’s bamboo scent and something sweeter, like burnt sugar in the air. It made something deep in his belly squirm and grow hot. His inner alpha was itching to source out the smell, to take in as much as he could until it was all that there was. He hadn’t been around Shizun’s scent much as the man liked to keep it tightly locked away. But now… Now Binghe could almost taste the citrus and woody scent. The richness of chrysanthemums and burnt sugar, of overripe fruits. 

Binghe swallowed dryly. It bothered him that Shizun didn’t have the chance to choose to expose his scent to all these people. He knew if given the choice, Shen Qingqiu would likely not do so. It was as if someone had placed an inappropriate painting of his master on display for all the others to see. He felt defensive. He felt angry. He… he didn’t know what to do.

“Zhangmen-shixiong, I’ll ask that you go back to the pavilion and prepare a room for Shen Qingqiu to stay for the rest of his rut or heat. I doubt we will be able to transport him very far unless we get him fully immobilized or unconscious,” Mu Qingfang said. Yue Qingyuan didn’t look happy but he did as he was told, turning with a shake of his sleeves.

“It will be done,” he said, before leaving the clearing.

One alpha down, two more to go. Mu Qingfang sighed. “Liu-shixiong will watch the doorway, listening for trouble but will not go inside. Luo Binghe will go in, as he is most familiar with his shizun. He sees him the most often, so it should be the least jarring to see Binghe of the three of us,” Mu Qingfang said, choosing to ignore the way Binghe perked up. 

That boy was about as subtle as a stone through a window. 

“What should we do, shifu?” asked his disciples. Three were betas, and  the girl was an omega.

“You will be prepared to treat Luo Binghe’s and Shen Qingqiu’s wounds, when Binghe exits the cave with Shen Qingqiu subdued. We will also have to react depending on his gender presentation. If he is an alpha, Bu Ting will have to go back to the peak immediately because she is omega. It could be dangerous for you.” 

She nodded, understanding. Because if Shen Qingqiu wasn’t an alpha…

“If he is not, it’s possible you three will have to go back too, even though you are betas. Liu-shixiong that includes you too. Too many people, especially alphas, around a feral omega is just begging for trouble,” Mu Qingfang said while they laid the stretcher out beside the entrance. “Disciple Binghe will have to knock him unconscious most likely. Do not be afraid to use force. While feral, his spiritual abilities are increased but uncontrollable. He will not hold back, so you shouldn’t either. You said earlier he didn’t bring Xiu Ya?”

“Yes. It’s still back on Qing Jing Peak. It looked like he left with just what he was wearing.”

“That’s good as it means we won't have to worry about getting sliced in half.”

“What about you two? If he’s omega and you two are alphas, shouldn’t one of these beta kids go instead?” Asked Liu Qingge, who was mostly just mad he might have to leave after all this standing around and searching. That burnt sugar scent was making him feel a bit dizzy. 

“You would have me send in my students to face off a feral alpha or omega alone, Liu-shixiong?”

Alright, so it wasn’t logical. “No…” He answered mulishly. But why did it have to be Luo Binghe who went inside?! He could have done it! At least he could still control his alpha scent when faced with Shen Qingqiu’s enticing scent that lingered outside the cave like a whisper calling them forward. 

“I thought not,” Mu Qingfang replied dryly. “Luo Binghe, you understand what you must do?”

“Yes.” Luo Binghe felt like the longer they stood here the less they accomplished. He bounced on the balls of his feet a little, hands clenching and unclenching. He could handle Shen Qingqiu. They had sparred many times before. Shen Qingqiu never defeated him, unless Binghe backed off and let him. “Go in, get shizun, get out and bring him to you. Then we can take him to the pavilion to stay for the rest of his heat or rut.” 

“Good. Get going, we haven’t all night.” 

Binghe smiled, leaving Xin Mo outside the cave. He walked into the cave with confidence, nearly tripping over his feet as the scent of woody bamboo and oranges exploded on his palate. Menthol-scented chrysanthemums and something sweet, like a perfume crawled into his nostrils and made home in his chest, where it grew tight and warm. He felt like something that was missing had just clicked into place in his chest. His footsteps quickened, following the dark path without a lantern, only needing his demonic qi to see clearly. He could have found him blind. He could have followed that scent anywhere, now that he could smell it so clearly. 

The tight path opened, like a throat opening to a wide stone belly. There, doused in the moonlight that streaked down through a hole in the ceiling, Shen Qingqiu was laying on a perch of stone. An elevated jutting face of rock that was just about 10 chi from the main floor cradled his limp body that seemed to be asleep.

“Shizun?” called Binghe, softly and carefully. Now that he was in the same room, there was no doubt: Shen Qingqiu was an omega in heat.

The very idea sent a thrill through him. But now is not the time! Binghe scolded himself, hitting himself mentally with a chair. Several chairs actually, until the thoughts he was having stopped. The body shifted on the raised platform. Luo Binghe carefully climbed up to the edge, keeping a good distance away. The scent was so overpowering here that it felt like he was drunk on it. He couldn’t help but breathe it in deeply, swallowing dryly around the delicious mouthwatering flavor of Shizun’s scent. It was being burned into his memory; he’d never be able to forget it. 

When he received no answer, he tried to inch closer, watching the sleeping figure carefully. Suddenly Shen Qingqiu shifted, revealing his face from where it had been buried in his arms. His face was flushed and damp and his lips lax. There was a small bit of drool on his cheek, which was rubbing like a cat against the fabrics he laid on. And—

Wait a second. Was that…

It was . Shen Qingqiu was laying on one of Luo Binghe’s cloaks, a plain black garment made of expensive fibers from the demon realm. He’d been wondering lately where that had been, and thought that when he’d found Shizun wearing it back when he’d had his accident that he’d mistaken it for his own but…

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. 

All he can hear is his own heartbeat for a long second. Shen Qingqiu squirmed in his sleep a little, pulling the black fabric against his face again almost like, was he scenting his…

Luo Binghe’s face filled with blood so fast he thought for a second he’d pass out right there. He closed his eyes for a second, committing this moment to memory and breathing heavily through his nose. Focus. He told himself. Please for the love of Shizun’s dignity — focus on the task at hand! Fantasize about this later!

“Shizun,” he called softly again, unable to stop smiling. He was so… Cute. That was the word. In fact, Luo Binghe’s pretty sure that the man invented the word. He was the definition of it, if not. 

“Mn…” A soft noise came from the pile of robes. Not to mention: Shen Qingqiu was only wearing his inner layers! Was this some kind of test from the gods???? How was Binghe supposed to survive this??? “Mmmmrghh…” That soft and lax face began to crumple before his body twitched and seemed to register someone was there. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flew open and in the next second Binghe’s whole world spun violently before he crashed his head against the hard stone, cracking the rock beneath him. 

Shen Qingqiu was on him, eyes bright yellow and teeth bared. Hands were around his throat, claws digging into the skin and drawing blood. His hair draped over them like a curtain of ebony rain. A venomous sound came from deep in his throat, like the sound was ripping itself out from his lungs with disdain. He was furious. He was terrifying. He…

He was beautiful.

“Shizun…” Called Binghe, keeping his scent open and trying to soothe the sour smell of his surprise that he’d let out by accident. He focused on letting out a warm, nutty scent that crawled through the thickness of Shen Qingqiu’s own. “Shizun, can you hear me?” He asked calmly. 

Shen Qingqiu growled angrily at him, snapping his teeth at the alpha when he tried to sit up and locking their legs together. He wasn’t going to let Binghe go anywhere near his nest. He’d already gotten this close—what if he tried something?? The air filled with his fear and anger. A sharp, smokey and sour scent that was still tinged with burnt sugar and overripe fruit. 

Shen Qingqiu’s hands tightened on his throat, and Luo Binghe realized he really would have to push him off, like Mu Qingfang had warned him. For some reason, despite all the warnings, he hadn’t actually thought he’d have to.

Slowly, so as not to spook him, Luo Binghe raised his hands to clutch where the claws dug into his throat. If he didn’t do something, he might actually choke. He coughed a little, gagging at the pressure. “Shizun,” he called again, flinching when the claws dug in more, piercing his skin deeper. It hurt. 

Shen Qingqiu snarled, eyes wide and scared. His hands were tacky with sweat. His whole body shuddered in intervals, like it wasn’t sure if it was cold or not. His entire body was hot, not warm, but hot . Like fire. He was burning up. 

“Shizun, you’re very ill. Let this one take care of you. Binghe will be good,” he gasped out. He knew this wasn’t his master in his right mind. He understood that before all the other emotions floating around; he’d managed to scare the sleeping omega. Which hadn’t been his plan, of course. 

Those yellow eyes were glassy and lost. There was no one behind him. Shen Qingqiu had no idea what he was doing, squeezing harder on the alpha's neck. How dare someone enter his sanctuary? His safe place? Near his nest? How dare they! His canines had fully shifted, sharper than usual and more like a demon’s fangs. Even as he choked Luo Binghe, that nutty warm scent tried to sneak past his defenses. 

It reminded Shen Qingqiu of something… familiar. Something he liked. What would it matter though? If this alpha intruded on his safety? If this alpha was trying to sneak up on him and attack?? It wasn’t safe here anymore! He had to leave, get somewhere else where he could be safe again. 

Luo Binghe bucked his hips to knock Shen Qingqiu off of him but the man was like a python, wrapped around him and choking him with all his strength. At this rate, Luo Binghe might really pass out!

“Sh-Shizun. Shen… Shen Qingqiu. It’s okay. It’s alright…” He squirmed and bucked his hips again, struggling with the peak lord until he finally managed to flip them over. As he ripped those claws away from his throat they caught skin, leaving deep gashes before drawing back to attack again. “Shen Qingqiu!” He snapped louder, exerting his alpha scent a little more. He’d been holding back before, worried of scaring the omega. It was too late for that now, what did he have to lose?

The alpha barked at him, and it sent his instincts into hyperdrive. Not safe! Danger! Alpha! Danger! Run! His thoughts were scrambling to make sense of what was happening before legs locked around his own kicking ones. Binghe sat on him, grappling his master until he managed to catch those sharp claws both by the wrist and pin them down. In the struggle he’d gotten scratched a few times. 

Shen Qingqiu yowled like a kicked street cat, body stiff before kicking and bucking his body desperately to get free. His clawed fingers clenched, digging into his own palms as he snarled again angrily at the alpha on top of him. 

On top of him! He’s going to — This alpha will hurt him! He’ll try to take advantage! He’s going to hurt me! Please no! Please please please please please please! Shen Qingqiu fought harder, headbutting Binghe violently and hard enough to make the alpha see stars. He managed to crawl away, flipping off the edge of the raised peak he’d been resting on. In only his two inner layers, he landed in the koi pond among the rough rocks. It hurt but he was free. His nest was still up there but there wasn’t any time! He’d have to make a new one, after escaping. 

“Shizun!” Binghe was hot on his tail, jumping down after him and landing with a splash. 

The fall had left Shen Qingqiu on the ground, but quickly he rose to his feet, desperate to get out of here. 

“It’s just me, okay? It’s alright. I won’t come closer, you’re safe. I promise you’re safe,” Binghe pleaded, wincing at cuts and scratches from those sharp claws. His demon blood was already healing them, leaving fine pink scar-like lines as the fresh injuries closed on their own.

Shen Qingqiu bent his knees, recalling his martial training. If he couldn’t get away then he would kill this alpha! It was a struggle of life or death. If the alpha caught him he’d be trapped, and gods knew what would happen. If he was lucky he’d just be killed. If not…

“Please… Shen Qingqiu, please. I know you’re in there.” Luo Binghe called, feeling like crying. He knew it would be nearly impossible to reach a feral omega when he’d entered the cave. But he didn’t expect it to be so upsetting to see his shizun in this state. Maybe he should have asked Liu Qingge to come in, instead. 

Another waft of that rich scent burst through the air as Shen Qingqiu stumbled a little. An opening! Luo Binghe had learned his lesson. He attacked at the opening, deflecting the defensive blow that Shen Qingqiu shot his way. He grabbed ahold of those white inner robes and pulled, yanking the omega forward and upwards. He flipped shizun through the air, sending him into the ground roughly. The cave rumbled a little with the force, causing the rocks beneath them to crack. 

“It’s me. Please Shizun! ” He begged, guilty for being so aggressive with his master. 

The blow barely seemed to hurt, but it had definitely knocked something loose in his mind, because his glowing yellow eyes flickered for a millisecond. Returning to their usual green for just half of a millisecond.

Bing….Binghe? No. No this was an intruder! An alpha! He was a bad man! He was…

“Shen Qingqiu. I know you’re in there. I know you’re sc—” He dodged the omega's claws, pinning them roughly again, holding so tightly it would probably bruise that perfect white skin. “I know you’re scared,” Binghe continued, “I know. But it’s just me… It’s just your Binghe. It’s alright now. You can relax.”

Shen Qingqiu thrashed against him, biting at his arms that held his wrists and snarling like a trapped tiger. He kicked Binghe as hard as he could in the groin. He wailed angrily and, when that failed, tried to roll them over again, bucking his hips and trying to get free. 

“Please, Shen Qingqiu—” Binghe begged again but it was fruitless labor. His master wasn’t in his right mind. He couldn’t reach him. He couldn’t… He didn’t know what to do. Mu Qingfang had said to ‘immobilize’ him. But how was he going to do this without hurting him?

A sudden idea came to mind. It wasn’t really a very smart one, but it might just work. 

One moment he was thrashing and fighting for his own life and virtue; the next Shen Qingqiu felt like thunder was rushing through his veins and rumbling through his entire body. Binghe had summoned his inner alpha and snarled right back at him, eyes flaring red and bright. 

Panic laced through Shen Qingqiu, who yelped in terror. That face got closer, lunging for him! He’ll bite you! He’ll claim you! You’ll be trapped! Escape! ESCAPE!

Lips crashed into his own. Blood filled his mouth. Binghe pressed in deeper, invading Shen Qingqiu’s mouth with his tongue and laving over those sharp fangs. He made sure the omega swallowed, even as he continued to fight him. Spiritual energy began to transfer from his golden core through his blood and saliva and into his Shizun. If he couldn’t fight Shen Qingqiu physically, he’d do it spiritually. 

Shen Qingqiu gagged, trying to bite angrily as a thumb was shoved between his teeth to keep his jaw open. The spiritual energy was smooth, soft and warm. It reminded him of his nest, of his safe… perfect nest…

Luo Binghe pulled back, licking his lips and feeling like all the blood he had was filling his brain and overloading. He’d just kissed Shizun! He’d—He stopped all thoughts as he blinked and smiled. Those bright yellow eyes fluttered a few times before coming back to a green.

The fighting stopped for a moment. Shen Qingqiu went limp underneath him and looked smaller all of a sudden. “...Binghe?” Asked Shen Qingqiu, feeling confused and distraught. He didn’t even recognize where he was… and why was Luo Binghe holding him down? 

            [Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times!]

[New Achievement Unlocked: Omega Presentation!]

[+100 B Points!]

[+2000 Protagonist Satisfaction Points!]

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu blinked slowly before a migraine began to settle in. He’d been… laying down… and now he…

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck —

What the literal fuck had just happened?

He felt unwell, he felt pain everywhere, he felt so much all at once that it was jarring to the senses. He didn’t really remember coming here, he was soaked and Binghe was holding him down like some kind of animal. 

“Shizun?” Luo Binghe asked tentatively, like he’d made a mistake in whom he had decided to capture and restrain. 

“Who else?” Shen Qingqiu demanded, confused. He had to squint to ease the pain in his head. It was like something… Other was trying to take over. The cave smelled sour, like a scared omega, but he didn’t see one. It was just him and Luo Binghe. They were both noticeably dripping water that was enriched with spiritual essence. He felt exhausted. 

“Shizun!” The alpha repeated, elated and leaping forward to pull him into an embrace. Still confused and missing blocks of the past day from his memory, Shen Qingqiu went stiff, blinking owlishly at the wall behind Binghe. “I was so worried!” Cried Luo Binghe. 

Wait, was he really crying?!!

“B-Binghe…” He didn’t know what to say. He opened his HUD and then blanched at the most recent notification. “What’s going on?” He demanded, closing his eyes. His head hurt , the back of his neck, between his thighs, armpits and scalp also throbbed in unison like someone had stuffed rocks under his skin, a hard and achy feeling that left him feeling anxious. 

“I don’t know how much time we have before you turn back. You’re presenting as a feral omega. We need to get you…” His words were blocked out by the alarm bells that began ringing in Shen Qingqiu’s ears. 

You’re presenting as a feral omega.

A feral omega . 

Omega. 

OMEGA?!!!

[New Achievement Unlocked: Omega Presentation!] 

SYSTEM TELL ME WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON?!

[Shen Qingqiu has been presented as a feral omega.]

But the original flavor was a beta! That was part of his main character traits! It's why he hated Binghe so much! It’s —

[Shen Qingqiu has always been designed as a feral omega. He was on suppressants during the main plot and never experienced a heat. It is because of his mistreatment due to his second gender as a child that he turned feral.]

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. GIVE ME SUPPRESSANTS THEN.

[There are no Heat Suppressants in your Inventory]

“ — y? Shizun? Are you okay?” He blinked away from the HUD notifications and met eyes with the concerned alpha who was still crowding him. He needed to get away from Binghe. He needed…

What did he need? 

[Heat Suppressants are carried within the Store, does the host wish to purchase them?]

Obviously!

[Heat Suppressants x1 is 1000000 B Points]

SON OF A BITCH! FUCK THIS! FUCK THE SYSTEM! FUCK AIRPLANE! FU —

“You’re burning up,” declared Binghe, who started to feel his forehead when Shen Qingqiu didn’t answer and stared at him blankly. “Let’s get you back home before this gets worse.” 

Shen Qingqiu sat up, getting up on his own and shivering at the lack of outer robes. Binghe was a bit drier than him, so the alpha took off his outer robe and offered it to him. 

Now that he could identify that these strange wants and needs were based on omega needs and wants; Shen Qingqiu could tell the warning signs of an incoming heat affecting him. The sensitive stomach, the achy scent glands, feeling lightheaded and having chills while running a fever. 

Most of all, his senses were very heightened. The light was too bright, the smells too strong, the taste in his mouth too sour, his clothes too sticky, and the migraine that throbbed whenever Luo Binghe spoke at normal volume. All signs of major overstimulation from an anxious omega going into heat. 

He took the robe, taking a not-so-subtle sniff and deciding it was better than the acrid scent of terrified omega still lingering in the cavern like a goddamn fart after eating cheese. Shen Qingqiu slid it on top of his inner robes, feeling like he’d start shaking soon with how cold he was. He didn’t have the energy to talk, barely enough to walk. He let himself be corralled towards the entrance, as his eyes began to glow omega-yellow again.

Shen Qingqiu had to hold onto Luo Binghe for support as they left the cavern. He cringed from the light of lanterns when they exited the Taiji Cave. The moment he came out it was a flurry of huffing and puffing from way too many people. He couldn’t help how he cowardly hid behind Binghe, who felt like the only one he could trust… For whatever odd reason. 

With a wave of his wrist, he didn’t hesitate to blow out the obnoxiously bright lanterns with spiritual energy that felt like it was just pouring from his veins. Liu Qingge was there; he was saying something. Shen Qingqiu tried his almighty best to follow but the words were just sounds to him — like he’d completely forgotten how to speak Chinese.

“Why don’t we move him now, while he’s still on his feet. You three, inform Zhangmen-shixiong that he’s…”

“...Better than…”

“...qiu? Hey.” A hand waved in front of him, helping Shen Qingqiu refocus on the situation. He felt warm and fuzzy, like he’d just eaten a freshly cooked meal and was ready for bed. Considering how much he knew about feral omegas, he didn’t quite feel like one. Instead he felt tired, and something else. Anxious for… Something . Like there was something he was supposed to be doing right now. 

—

Luo Binghe watched his Shizun carefully, fully ignoring Liu Qingge who was trying to get Shen Qingqiu’s attention.

“Shen Qingqiu.” Liu Qingge’s hand waved again in front of the omega. Shen Qingqiu looked up at the alpha who was standing a few feet away. Liu Qingge looked really worried, but he was several feet back from where he had sat on a large rock while Mu Qingfang's omega disciple checked Shen Qingqiu over for injuries. Her scent was soft and floral, like lilacs in the summertime. It reminded Luo Binghe of a perfume that Shizun enjoyed. 

Shen Qingqiu looked like he was trying to focus on the alpha speaking to him. His yellow eyes shifted back to green again, looking glassy and confused. Like a lost child. Luo Binghe felt a flood of overprotectiveness wash over him at the sight. 

“I’m going to leave you in-in Luo Binghe’s… care,” Liu Qingge said through his teeth, “But only if you want me to. Otherwise I’m staying.” 

Luo Binghe rolled his eyes at the anxious alpha. He couldn’t understand what was so unclear to Liu Qingge. Shen Qingqiu had clearly already made his choice.

“Liu-shixiong… I’m afraid he isn’t in the mindset to be making decisions like that,” Mu Qingfang said, packing his bag up for travel once he’d checked Luo Binghe out for injuries and saw them healing on their own. 

“ Exactly! ” Liu Qingge growled, taking half a step closer to the omega. “He doesn’t know what he wants. Why should this beast be the one who takes care of him?” 

Luo Binghe’s stomach twisted at the stupid name calling, unearthing memories better left untouched. His eyes flared bright alpha-red.

“I am only here because Shizun wants me here!” He argued from where he was sitting beside Shen Qingqiu on the large boulder. 

“Just because you went in to get him doesn’t mean he’s chosen you!”

Luo Binghe growled slowly in warning of Liu Qingge's implication that he might be taking advantage of his Shizun. 

Shen Qingqiu continued to look completely lost, his gaze falling onto Mu Qingfang for context. The omega shuddered from his wet clothes and pulled the robe Binghe gave him closer. His green eyes flickered yellow again when the scent of two annoyed alphas started up. 

“Surely, that is enough from BOTH of you!” Snapped Mu Qingfang. The two alphas had never heard Mu Qingfang yell before. It snapped them both out of their fighting. 

What no one had expected was the growl, coming from Shen Qingqiu. He had huddled into himself like he wanted to disappear. 

“See, what you did!”

“What I did? You’re the one closest to him! What are you doing, letting out your scent so close to a feral omega?!”

Mu Qingfang started wondering if Taiji Cave was far enough out of the way to hide the bodies of two alphas. 

—

Shen Qingqiu felt like someone had put their hands over his eyes. He was awake and present but he also… wasn’t. He felt his teeth bare and shifted to sharp fangs. He felt a growl bubble out of his chest. He didn’t feel safe, he felt trapped. He needed to escape. He needed to get somewhere safe…

He stood up and slapped the alpha’s hands that reached for him, feeling hyper-aware. He squinted, holding his head as it throbbed. It felt like his head was going to explode. 

“Shizun?!”

“….Shit!”

“Great. Now look at what you two have accomplished. Fantastic. Really, thank you,” Mu Qingfang said sarcastically, holding out an arm to stop Liu Qingge from getting any closer. “Shen Qingqiu…” The beta’s voice got softer, more submissive. He didn’t come closer, but he lowered his head, baring his neck at the shaking omega. “If you can hear me, I just want you to know it’s alright. You’re going to be struggling to resist your new instincts for a few days. I’m just going to help you get back to Qing Jing Peak, alright? To the Bamboo House?”

Shen Qingqiu watched, swiping again at the alpha closest to him when he didn’t move. He pushed Luo Binghe away, who made a sad noise like a child at the action. The two alphas were watching like they didn’t recognize Shen Qingqiu. 

“Would you prefer that?” Prompted Mu Qingfang, who signaled with his palm for the two alphas to back off some more. 

Shen Qingqiu struggled with himself, opening his mouth. He wanted to agree, he wanted to get out of here or go back to the nest he’d built inside the cave. His yellow eyes drifted back to the cave mouth. Liu Qingge stood in the way of the entrance, but the alpha was smaller than Binghe. He could probably take him. Another warning growl reverberated from deep in his chest. He didn’t even know he could make a noise that deep. 

“I understand, there’s a lot of people here. You don’t feel safe, right? Why don’t we take you home?” Mu Qingfang continued to placate him. God fucking bless. Only— something in Shen Qingqiu was demanding he fight. That he defended his territory. 

Shen Qingqiu shook his head, clutching his head and feeling sick. He didn’t want to hurt anyone! He didn’t…

“Hm? What was that?” Mu Qingfang asked, trying to tell if Shen Qingqiu was shaking his head ‘no’ or just trying to clear his mind. 

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath and then let it out. He tried to do it again, gasping when he caught a soft airy scent that began to fill the clearing. No longer was it full of strangers and alphas. It wasn’t his own scent, either. It was something of lilac and clear springs, of fresh air and something airy, of fresh soil and dirt. He could feel something in his belly settle again, like acid reflux that had finally stopped burning. 

The girl, the omega that Mu Qingfang brought with him, approached slowly and with her head low like her master had. “Peak lord Shen,” her voice was gentle. It reminded him of his little sister. Of his mother. Gods, I miss them so much… It was probably the hormones from the heat. It was probably some weird omegaverse stuff that he didn’t understand. 

Whatever it was, it was working. She took a step closer when Shen Qingqiu looked at her, attention drawn in like a siren singing. She took another half step, getting to be the closest to him. He watched her. She watched him back. She was an omega, like him. She wasn’t going to claim him, steal him away or hurt his nest. She was here for… What was she here for?

“We’d like to bring you back to your den… Won’t you come with us?” She asked. For all her bravery approaching a feral and much stronger cultivator, the others knew she was scared from her pale face. Liu Qingge took a half step, but stopped at Mu Qingfang’s arm. “You’re not going to be able to craft a new nest if we don’t leave now, your heat is too close,” she said softly, gently. Like she was speaking to a terrified animal. 

Shen Qingqing breathed in that soft floral and airy scent again. It was grounding. With hints of soil and fresh dirt, it made him feel like he had a little more control, if only for a few seconds. He couldn’t stop shaking, but with effort, he was at least able to open his jaw that locked shut. He nodded once, his wet hair clinging to him and making him feel overstimulated. “..Yes,” he rasped, feeling ill. He blinked hard a few times and his irises flickered back to green again.

“You’re doing such a good job, Peak Lord Shen,” she said and took another step closer, entering his space. Shen Qingqiu flinched a little, but after a long pause he adjusted to her, that same soft floral scent soothing and gentle. It felt safer with her here, with another omega that wasn’t in heat; she’d protect him from the alphas. She’d make sure no one touched his nest. 

He looked back to the cave entrance. It had been such a perfect place. It was just right… Before the alpha had come in. Before they’d tried to make him leave. Before…

“We’ll make sure to gather the nest you made, it won’t be lost,” she said. Like she could read his mind. She knew what he needed. Were all omegas like this?

Except for him, of course. He had to go on and turn feral . He couldn’t seem to ever do anything the right way. A sudden sadness fell over him, sinking into his scent and making the two alphas nearby wrinkle their noses. It was a rainy smell, like when the humidity was very high in summer and it had just rained. It mixed with something sour, like expired milk. 

“Home,” Shen Qingqiu said, or tried to say. He’s not sure if it was understood through the lisp around the new fangs that wouldn’t go away. He could barely move his jaw, and his body felt like it was locking up on him. 

“That’s right. Let’s go back to your den, hm?” Now she was within touching distance, a dangerous place to be. She glanced at her master behind her, who was fairly proud of his student, watching her closely. 

“Mn,” Shen Qingqiu answered, accepting the arm she offered for him to hold onto. The moment he had something to drop his weight on, it felt like his legs were made of jelly. 

“That's good. You’re doing so good, Peak Lord Shen,” she purred softly as his face fell into her shoulder. He couldn’t help it. She felt safe, safe, safe . It felt like no one would be able to hurt him now. It didn’t even matter that the alphas were there, this omega was going to care for him.

—

“Let’s get him ready for transport,” Mu Qingfang said, going to retrieve the stretcher from where it was laid out. 

“We’re going to get you to lay down, alright? Just right beside me, okay?” Shen Qingqiu was hypnotized by the omega. He nodded, his forehead pressed into her shoulder where she cradled his head against her scent glands. Luo Binghe felt a twinge of jealousy spark in his chest and looked back to the doctor, to see if he needed any help. 

“Luo Binghe, go back and get whatever he was laying on or sitting around, that’s his nest,” Bu Ting said, giving orders to her shixiong like it was nothing. Her face was pink, but her stance was firm. Her inner omega felt so protective of the vulnerable Peak Lord in her arms. 

Luo Binghe watched for a moment longer, still a bit miffed that he hadn’t quite been able to reach his Shizun like he’d thought he could. He’d just assumed since he’d responded to his scent that that meant Shizun wanted him close. He wanted to protect Shizun, but even he understood that getting too close right now would just ruin all the progress Bu Ting had made with Shen Qingqiu. He went back into the cave, knocking shoulders with Liu Qingge for good measure. 

Liu Qingge was like a brick wall; it actually kind of hurt to shove him, but Luo Binghe just rolled his eyes, smiling when he made the peak lord shift slightly as if he might lose his footing. The Bai Zhan peak lord growled at him in warning under his breath, but one look from Mu Qingfang made him stop. 

For a beta, the peak lord was fairly intimidating. 

Liu Qingge watched with wary eyes. He’d never seen Shen Qingqiu so… weak. His scent was all over the place, bouncing through so many emotions that it was starting to give the alpha a headache. He hadn’t even thought about bringing an omega with them, so he was glad that the female disciple was able to help. 

“So, you sent Yue Qingyuan to ‘prepare’ a room. That was just to get Zhangmen-Shixiong away, right?” Liu Qingge asked as Mu Qingfang and his disciple helped Shen Qingqiu get settled on the stretcher. The feral omega did not look pleased to be laying down and leaving himself open to attacks. 

“Two alphas was already too much,” Mu Qingfang said, pulling a thin sheet up the length of the stretcher and tucking it in around Shen Qingqiu’s shaking wet body. Even with Luo Binghe’s outer robes, the wet clothing from when he’d fallen into the pond inside the cave was making him shiver. He checked Shen Qingqiu’s meridians while his disciple continued to reassure the anxious omega. 

“So that’s why you sent your other disciples to explain we’re not going there instead?”

“Zhangmen-Shixiong wouldn’t take it out on them, me , though, he just might give me a little punishment,” Mu Qingfang said with a smile, his eyes twinkling with secrets. 

Liu Qingge snorted. This man was a lot more sneaky than he thought. 

“Urgh…” Shen Qingqiu curled in on his side, groaning and holding his stomach. 

“We need to get going. Bu Ting, stay at the head, he’ll need you for reassurance. Liu Qingge, you go ahead to the Bamboo House. We don’t want to be running into anyone on our way there. Make sure to brew some of this tea so it’s ready when we arrive.” Mu Qingfang threw a pouch at him full of tea leaves. 

“I’ll take my leave then,” Liu Qingge said, turning to leave so he could prepare the Bamboo House for Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe smiled as he came out, robes in hand, to see Liu Qingge had left. It only lasted a moment though, when he realized the Bai Zhan war god was just headed to their next destination. 

“Luo Binghe, you go ahead as well. I need you to prepare your Shizun’s room with talismans for privacy, you already know why don’t you? Then get going. And do not fight with your Shishu or I will be changing his treatment plan so that no alphas are even allowed within 50 chi of the Bamboo House.”

Binghe raised a brow. What could he do, really, but obey? He was more worried about Shizun’s health anyways. So if that meant getting along with Liu Qingge for the evening? So be it. He nodded and took off after the other alpha. Finally alone, free of alphas, Shen Qingqiu settled down more. 

“Let’s go.”

—

By the time Mu Qingfang and Bu Ting reached the Bamboo House, Shen Qingqiu’s behavior boiled down to a simmer and the man was barely awake when they helped the man into his bed. He looked so much smaller like that, limp and barely conscious in Mu Qingfang’s arms as he carried the omega inside. 

Liu Qingge procured the tea, setting a cup beside the bed with a warming talisman on it. The herbs were a mix of mango root and thunder god vine, which was a strong contraceptive. It was something most omegas took during their heats, even outside of having sexual relations as it also served to soothe the side effects of their heats. The smell was quite fruity, considering how bitter the tea actually was. 

Bu Ting fussed about the bedroom, kicking both alphas out and taking the robes from Shen Qingqiu’s former nest. She arranged them as best she could around him, and berated Luo Binghe for letting his own scent get mixed into it. To her surprise and Luo Binghe’s supreme pleasure, he informed her that was how it had been when he arrived. 

Liu Qingge’s face twitched with fury, nearly dragging Luo Binghe outside to fight him right there. Mu Qingfang kept them both in line though, kicking them out soundly from the Bamboo House to argue. 

“Would you fetch me an omega disciple? Someone he likes?” Mu Qingfang asked, giving the two a task that hopefully two fully grown alpha men were capable of doing. He slid the door closed as their bickering started up. 

“Are you sure he’ll be alright under their care?” Bu Ting worried as she took the wet clothes out of the bedroom where they let Shen Qingqiu rest. 

“They act like that but they both mean well. When it comes to Peak Lord Shen, they are quite… enthusiastic,” Mu Qingfang said, like he knew something the young omega didn’t. 

“It’s just… they’re both alphas. I wouldn’t speak ill of my shibos but… well..”

“You forget that Shen Qingqiu is feral, even if he was pretty tame coming back here. Those two wouldn’t be able to do anything if they tried, even if they were in their ruts.” 

“I see, there is still a lot for this disciple to learn, then. My apologies.” She bowed, taking the clothing with her to have it dried. Mu Qingfang stayed, sending Bu Ting back to Qian Cao for now. He’d been very impressed, as the woman was usually too shy to speak up— she’d make a fine medical apprentice once she increased her cultivation level. 

It was a few hours before the two alphas were back, looking pretty ruffled and seemingly more cool headed. Ah, thought Mu Qingfang, so they fought it out, better away from the Bamboo House then. In tow, was a female cultivator, whose name was Ning Yingying. She was omega, and seemed terribly anxious about her Shizun. 

“Is he going to be alright?” She worried, twisting her fingers anxiously in her lap. She sat at the low table with Mu Qingfang who was explaining to her the situation. As an omega that Shen Qingqiu trusted, she’d be an important part of the treatment plan for their patient. 

“I believe so. There are many different practices when it comes to dealing with feral omegas, but I feel that Shen Qingqiu hasn’t been too far lost. He should recover once his heat is over.”

“Then…” Her eyes wandered back to where the two alphas were, looking between them meaningfully. “What about taking… care of him?” She asked awkwardly. It was pretty clear from the scents in the house who belonged to this situation and who didn’t, but she couldn’t very well say that in front of Liu-shishu. Her cheeks dusted pink. She’d never had a heat partner before, but from what she understood about the robes Shen Qingqiu had in his nest— the omega had already chosen one, whether on purpose or not. 

“I’ll do it,” Binghe and Liu Qingge said in unison. They both glared at one another with mistrust and outrage. 

“What have I said? If you’re going to argue, do it outside,” Mu Qingfang warned. The two bared fangs but stayed, crossing their arms and huffing. 

“Well,” started Mu Qingfang, pulling out a small journal from his satchel, “to put it simply, Ning Yingying, I will have to be asking for your help to keep him calm until the heat fully takes hold. From then on, the usual techniques for aiding an omega through a heat without a partner will have to be implemented. Although he initially chose Luo Binghe, we aren’t sure that was in his right mind. In order to not disrespect Shen-Shixiong it is for the best that he doesn't take a partner unless there is no other option.”

“No other option?” Liu Qingge asked. He’d never heard of such a thing. Luo Binghe leaned in a little, clearly wondering the same thing. Seriously , thought Mu Qingfang, who taught these two sexual health?! Did they skip their classes?!

“If a feral omega contracts heat sickness, it is only curable by dual cultivation, unlike a regular omega. Because he is feral, his qi is already thready, if he were to fall into heat sickness— he could suffer qi deviation. Considering Shen-Shixiong’s health, it would be best to avoid a qi deviation at all costs,” Mu Qingfang explained. 

Ning Yingying’s eyes got wider, more worried and her soft clean scent of mint and grass soured. “Then, if he gets heat sick… He could suffer qi deviation and…” 

And die, was left unsaid. 

Mu Qingfang nodded once. While death is an extreme event, it wasn’t unheard of. Of course, there weren’t many studies on feral omegas— not many people were able to treat them in time before the heat sickness set in. They had been pretty lucky. 

“Should he need a partner, it is likely to be Luo Binghe based on his manner so far. But,” he said quickly when Luo Binghe smirked at Liu Qingge, “he could still change his mind. As we saw at Taiji Cave, he’s still fairly delirious and confused. It’s possible he simply took to Luo Binghe because he was the first alpha he saw.” Liu Qingge raised one brow, scoffing. Binghe’s smirk died right there on his face. “ Neither of you should be allowed inside the Bamboo House, during his heat, unless invited in by Ning Yingying.”

Both alphas deflated, looking at the female omega with laser beams for eyes. Her eyes flared omega-yellow at the clear sign of aggression. She might be below them in status but she planned to protect her Shizun!

Liu Qingge rose to the bait, flaring his alpha-red eyes back at her. Luo Binghe just softened his look, able to appreciate her dedication. Mu Qingfang was ready to have this night over with. He reached into his satchel again and pulled out some talismans for Ning Yingying. 

“They will prevent anyone who is not an omega from entering. Paste them along the doorways of the house and his bedroom after I leave. If it comes to it, you’ll have to destroy them to let anyone inside. Only an omega can destroy them,” he informed her, before flipping through his journal and finding a new page. She accepted the stack of red talismans, setting them on the table in front of them.

For the next two hours, he took everyone’s firsthand accounts of the situation before he kicked out both alphas and began to pack up his things. He made sure Ning Yingying was comfortable and prepared to stay with Shen Qingqiu before exiting the Bamboo House. Those two alphas were having another pissing contest outside. 

Without a word, the older cultivator grabbed the ear of each alpha and dragged them off with him, allowing a peaceful quiet to fall over the Bamboo House. Ning Yingying took to pasting the talismans onto the doorways, watching as a powerful barrier erected when they were suffused with her spiritual energy. 

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu stood in the empty apartment, bracing himself against his kitchen island counter, heaving. He couldn’t reach the cane that had been knocked over by accident. He groaned, the pain flaring up once more in a gnawing throb in his legs. 

“Fuck, not again.” 

This stupid cane would be the death of him. He’d only just got it and here he was knocking it over and hitting things with it. 

He felt helpless as he tried to get his leg to move, to nudge the cane within reach. He tried to bend, to stretch his arm despite the burning pain it scored through his muscles. At least he was alone, his mother had just left an hour before. She’d been talking about getting a roommate for him, someone to keep an eye out as his illness was worsening. 

“Son of a — ” He lost his grip on the edge of the counter. He fell forwards, crashing into the cane and the floor in a heap. “FUCK!” He shouted in frustration. Unwanted tears started to come to his eyes before he swallowed the lump in his throat. He sucked it up, like he always did. His body sucked, but everyone had their problems. 

With more anger than necessary, he pulled himself back up, nearly throwing the cane once it was in his hand. He felt pathetic. Maybe he should look into that roommate. 

“Fucking hell,” he growled to himself before leaving the kitchen to go to his bedroom. Today had been a bad pain day, and all he’d wanted was a glass of water. Fuck the water. He wanted to go lay down and sleep the rest of the day away. 

Ding! His computer pinged loudly as a new email came in. Proud Immortal Demon Way had updated. Hopefully Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky had taken one of his suggestions (read: hate comments) and would continue the plotline about the 300th wife’s back story!

Just as Shen Yuan settled into his ergonomic computer chair, something in the air changed. Something… Didn’t it feel like someone was watching him?! He spun in the chair, turning to check behind him and squinting. No one there, just the cane in his peripheral. He looked up and checked that his webcam was covered too, but the feeling of being watched was still there. Strange…

He clicked the link and opened a new tab to read PIDW. 

The memory faded to black as Shen Qingqiu came to his senses again. He was laying on something soft and warm. It smelled like cedar, bamboo and chrysanthemums. Like fresh soil and something more musky, like sandalwood. It made him feel hot, and he squirmed under the blankets that had been pulled over him. He felt safe and comfortable, in this nest of fresh scents and warmth.

Shen Qingqiu blinked slowly as the sleepiness began to fade. Where am I? What’s going on? Where…

He sat up suddenly and his stomach lurched at the movement. He paled, feeling nauseous as he squinted in the dark room. His eyes flared bright gold as he took in the room he was in. He was in the Bamboo House. He was in his nest. He was safe. He could smell something minty lingering in the air, and he left his precious nest to investigate. He slid open the door of his bedroom, harder than he meant to. Shen Qingqiu had to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight coming in through the windows of the main room, where some female omega was sitting at the low table. 

A growl reverberated from his chest, staring at the intruder. The omega yelped, jumping up and babbling a bunch of nonsense at him. He growled deeper when she tried to approach, but her scent was soft and calm. It smelled like fresh cut grass and mint. She watched him with big eyes, taking him in from head to toe. 

“Shizun?” She called, looking like he was the one intruding— even though this was his den. Just who does she think she is?!

He growled again, nails sharpening into claws. They ripped the paper panel of the doorway. He tore his fingers away from the wall, tearing the paper even more as he did so.

“Shizun, it’s just me. It’s just Ning Yingying,” she said gently, hands up to show she was harmless. She pointed to the low table where there were two bowls of congee and some small side dishes. “Would you like to come eat?”

He looked at the food, sniffing the air. It smelled good; this wasn’t the usual tasteless meals that Qing Jing usually tried to feed him. Binghe must have made them. That thought made his eyes flicker back to green again. A sense of relief washed over him as his shoulders sagged and his nails shifted back from claws to the dull edge they once were.

“Mn.” Shen Qingqiu nodded, feeling a little sheepish at his behavior. It was like he had two people in his brain. One wanted to tear Ning Yingying apart, while the other wanted whatever that sweet aroma was coming from the table of food. He dragged his feet, grateful when Ning Yingying gave him a wide berth. He sat at the table, still squinting at how much brighter it was in this room. It must be past noon. 

“You must be hungry, hm? Eat well, Shizun!” Ning Yingying smiled, sitting back down and starting to pour tea for Shen Qingqiu. It smelled fruity, but when he drank it he made a face. So bitter!

He dug into the meal instead, purring almost at the sight of his favorite dishes laid out for him. Shen Qingqiu barely touched his daikon congee, ignoring the radish-flavored rice dish for the sweeter, fruit-embellished dishes. Both the steamed mountain yam with raw honey, and the asian pear with yuzu peel were flagrantly sweet. Something inside made him crave more of that sugary sticky flavor when it was gone. He mournfully looked back to the congee on his side of the table, feeling sad that there wasn’t more fruit to fill his belly. 

“Is Shizun not eating his congee today? Does it smell bad?” Ning Yingying asked, hiding a smile behind her sleeve when she noticed how he mulishly poked at it with his spoon once the sweets were all eaten. 

“Mmmnn,” Shen Qingqiu hummed cryptically, putting down his spoon and looking around the room. He felt like a stranger in his own skin, in his own home. Everything felt too tight, too sore, too bright. He wanted to go back to his wonderfully dark room for peace. Wordlessly, he sipped his bitter tea until it was gone. Ning Yingying cleared the table quietly, setting the dishes out on the porch for someone to come collect. 

A warm voice murmured to her on the other side of the paper door. Shen Qingqiu’s ears perked at the sound, and he couldn’t help looking over, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man on the other side. Maybe it was Binghe. If he was going into heat, then there was no helping that the alpha was forbidden any entrance. 

His feet and legs burned with a deep ache he hadn’t dealt with in a long time as he got up off his cushion and wandered over to where Ning Yingying was. He was as silent as a leaf on the wind. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned around and came face to face with him. 

“Sh-Shizun! You-hh-Might you wish to rest some more?”

Shen Qingqiu tilted his head to the side; he wanted to see who was outside. He caught the faintest scent of cedar and sandalwood and bamboo. His eyes glowed golden again, and, after his insistent staring, she awkwardly stepped to the side. 

He reached for the door, his clawed fingers ripping the paper as he slid it open rudely. There, with the dirty dishes on a tray, was an alpha male who snapped his head up when the door rattled open. The man watched him, the way Shen Qingqiu did. The man was Luo Binghe, who resembled the little white lotus he once had been — he’d changed into clean robes that were not black and red, but Qing Jing Peak’s white and green colors from his teen years. 

“Shizun? Are…” The man moved back from the tray in surprise, raising his hands as a sign of submission.

“Ah! I really tried to stop him but,” said the hesitant omega behind Shen Qingqiu. She watched them, her anxiety lightly stinking the air. 

Shen Qingqiu sniffed the air again and something in his stomach ached, like someone had punched the air out of his lungs when he caught that warm, nutty scent on the alpha. 

“How do you feel?” Asked Binghe, who rose to meet the feral omega’s eye. 

Shen Qingqiu growled deeply, watching the alpha to make sure he didn’t try to get closer and didn't try to touch his nest. He felt fine . Why did people keep asking him that?

Binghe’s eyes drifted over his shoulder to Ning Yingying and something about that made him angrier. He snarled, stepping in the way of his gaze so he could only look at him, not the omega behind him. She was part of the den now; the alpha couldn’t take her. 

“Ah… Shizun is feeling really overprotective, huh?” Binghe sighed, leaning down to grab the tray of dishes again. Shen Qingqiu watched, tilting his head to the side and longing for more of those sweets. He wondered if Binghe would bring more, observing as the alpha left. 

-- 

Luo Binghe looked back up, flushing at the way Shizun watched him. It was like Shizun could see right through his robes and was looking at his nude body. Those surgically focused golden eyes glowed ominously, like they knew things he didn’t. 

“Are you wondering if he’ll bring us more sweets, Shizun? Were they that good?” Ning Yingying teased from behind him, a smile in her voice. 

Binghe blinked for a second before he processed her words, noticing the way Shizun’s eyes were locked on the tray in hands as if he were hiding more of the mountain yam and asian pear dishes. Without meaning to, Binghe snorted, a small laugh bubbling out his chest. 

“Was it good, Shizun?” He prompted, grinning when those golden eyes flicked back up to his face and then back down to where Binghe held his discarded congee. 

The omega’s face flushed a little before looking away and dipping his head once in a nod, “Mn.” 

“Ah I knew it!” Ning Yingying laughed, her light airy scent of mint and grass drifting around the Bamboo House. 

“Then I will bring some more sweets for Shizun soon. Does that sound good?” Asked Binghe. 

“Mn,” The omega answered again, before squinting at the sunlight. Just as suddenly as he opened it, he slammed the paper door shut again. 

Binghe sighed deeply, smitten.

-- 

The most vivid memories of his past self that Shen Qingqiu still clung to were, ironically, the bad days. The days when he couldn’t get out of bed because he felt like he had the worst flu known to man. The aches. The fatigue. The depression. The feeling like there was nothing he could do, no meds he could take, that would ever free him from the pain. Chronic pain stole that freedom from you.

Fibromyalgia stole things, not just energy or freedom, but dreams too. 

When Shen Yuan was younger, he always dreamed of moving to the wilderness and living off the land. Yes, that was a bit silly. But struggling to get out of bed since he was twelve, sometimes one needed to be a little silly. Sometimes he needed to close their eyes and picture himself and that one kid in their class that wasn’t scared off by all his efforts to discourage him, to convince him that he’s broken goods, and imagine the both of them living off the land like the characters in his favorite novel. 

In this imaginary home, he and the kid would live in a bamboo cottage, like he’d seen them make on the history channel that time he’d been in the hospital for falling down the stairs. They’d have a huge garden. They’d have one of those nice big wooden swings that his grandma’s porch had, close enough to the door that he could make it without any stairs stopping him between his bed and the outdoors. He always imagined that they’d have a bunch of chickens too, not for eating. As pets, obviously. Okay, so the fresh eggs would be tasty too!

But the memories that Shen Yuan should remember had begun to fade with time. The sound of his oldest brother’s voice. The color of his second oldest brother’s Honda that drove them to most doctor’s appointments. The feeling of his baby sister’s arms carefully hugging him on a rough day, so very careful not to hurt him more. The feeling of his dad’s hand and its warmth on his shoulder. 

His mother’s face.

Those pleasant memories blurred on the best days. But there were things from his first life that he remembered like it was just yesterday. The pain engrained itself into his soul in a way he’d carry forever. He’d never forgotten how it felt to struggle to climb out of his bed, to get dressed, to force himself to brush his teeth on the days the depression took hold. The sleepless sleepy nights. The constant headaches, nausea and muscle weakness. Self pity. Those stayed, when he lost all else. When he died a second time — he’d blissfully tried to hope he’d finally forget. But the memories wouldn’t let him go. Like he said, chronic pain stole that freedom. Even when he was no longer in pain, the phantom whispers of nerve-deep aches haunted him like they would strike at any moment. 

And so, here, he laid out on the cot in his bamboo house, trying to sleep away the heavy fatigue that weighed him down. Just like before. His body ached, it shivered with fever as the heat set in. He rearranged the nest, Ning Yingying fed him bitter tea and combed his hair. Her soft omega mint and grassy scent made him think of an apothecary. He wished it would all stop. That everything… Everything would just stop.

--

Ning Yingying combed through Shizun’s hair carefully, humming lightly as the omega dozed in her lap. Since lunch he’d mostly taken to sleeping but she could smell the cloying saccharine smell of a heat getting stronger. It was nearly time for him to start the next phase, and from the briefing Mu Qingfang gave her, it wouldn’t be very graceful. 

“All finished, Shizun,” she said softly, dragging the jade comb through his hair one last time. It was a beautiful comb, decorated with a golden filigree handle. She wondered where he’d gotten it, as it looked more expensive than what the village at the foot of the mountain usually carried. 

“Mmmn,” he hummed in acknowledgement. It was the most he’d uttered lately, like his jaw was locked shut. 

She understood, her first heat had been like she’d been given alcohol for the first time. Warm, dazed and a little ill from the way the world would sway if she tried to walk. 

“Does Shizun wish to take another nap? The worst parts of the heat are going to set in very soon, so if you want to try eating more before it hits…” Ning Yingying offered, remembering the candied fruits that Binghe had brought over earlier while Shizun was sleeping. 

“Mn… Mm mn.” He shook his head very slightly. 

She sighed, wishing he’d allow himself to be taken care of. Shizun had been resisting most of her efforts to take proper care of him. It was frustrating, to say the least. 

Ning Yingying could tell Shizun was in pain, from how he lay still like a stone statue. The way he moved like every ligament was tender. Like his body was crying with each movement. His face wasn’t very thick without his fan to hide behind. 

“Then, should Yingying just stay here?”

“Mhmmmmm…” He leaned into the way her fingers still slid through his hair, reminding her of a cat. Ning Yingying huffed a soft laugh. 

“Is Shizun comfortable like this?”

“Mn.”

“Shizun is quite cute like this, are you sure there isn’t anything Yingying can do?”

Shizun’s hand reached up, shaking and clammy to just hold her wrist. Ning Yingying stopped her petting and waited for the omega to say something but he just pulled her wrist down to his face and pressed his hot forehead against her skin. Ah, she thought, it tickles.

She let Shizun scent her, unable to stop the blush rising to her cheeks. She’d never had a grown man do this, or any adult actually. She’d never had a partner before either, so the only ones that really scented her were her shijies of Qing Jing Peak when she got particularly lonely before or after a heat. She wondered, then, who took care of Shizun when he was lonely like that. Surely, living in the Bamboo House was lonely. Even though Binghe was back now and could care for him, it was clear from how Shizun treated her, another omega, that he’d never ask for this kind of comfort from an alpha. 

Shizun purred deeply as he continued to nuzzle the scent gland on her wrist. 

A certain protectiveness swooped in her stomach, only strengthening over the next hour as Shizun started to curl into himself slowly, getting closer to the fetal position. As he dozed, a sweeter smell began to waft from the master, and Ning Yingying sighed with worry. The most intense part of the heat had begun. 

--

“Please… Please make it stop..!” Sobbed Shen Qingqiu as his body quaked violently. Something sticky dripped from his… nether regions. He curled tighter into himself, a lump in his nest while Ning Yingying’s cool hands stroked his back softly. His body hurt. It made him want to  throw up. It was so bad. Every brush of fabric on his skin was too raw— too much— too— “Please!” He keened, sobbing into the cushions.

“Shhhhh… It’s alright, Shizun. Please stop resisting, the more you resist the worse the cramps will be,” she said gently. Her scent and voice were the only things that tethering his focus as another cramp ripped through his body like a tsunami. 

“AGHHH!” He sobbed loudly, shaking. He couldn’t do this! He couldn’t! No no no no no no! Please no! Don’t bring back the pain from before! 

“Tell me what I can do! Where does it hurt?” Ning Yingying tried, hands still stroking his back. She wanted to make it better, but she knew it would hurt; the first heat was always the worst. Shen Qingqiu clutched his stomach and wailed again, tears wetting the cushions he curled into. 

“Everywhere!” He cried. Her hands stopped petting. “D-Don’t!” He grabbed blindly for that hand, not wanting her to leave. Please don’t! Please! Don’t leave me!

“I’m right here, Shizun,” she promised, coming back and using her palms charged with qi to soothe him again. Her qi was smooth and cold, especially compared to the lava burning in his veins. 

Shen Qingqiu whimpered, going limp under her careful touch. It was like a temporary balm to the burning fire inside him. He stayed curled in the fetal position face down in the nest. Ning Yingying had been very careful not to damage it as she’d been invited into the nest, gently soothing the older omega.  

His erection throbbed angrily but he refused to touch it or acknowledge it with Ning Yingying here. He’d resist this ridiculous heat! He wouldn’t lower his dignity like that!

“It’s going to be alright, Shizun. Let’s practice some deep breaths, okay?” 

Shen Qingqiu sobbed but tried to follow along. It was the only thing he could do. 

--

“There you go… That’s so good, Shizun. You’re doing so well.” Ning Yingying’s voice praised him, holding his cheek and petting it gently. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes fluttered open again, omega-yellow and glowing in the twilight of whatever day it was. He didn’t know anymore. 

A bite of something sweet was raised to his lips and he opened them to receive the treat, barely noticing that he was sitting up in the nest. The flavor of fruit and sugar instead of blood from biting his lip was so good that he moaned shamelessly. 

Shen Qingqiu tried to recall what had happened in the blanks in his memory but there was nothing there. Nothing but pain like his flareups of fibromyalgia before his transmigration. Pain and a fever that could melt icebergs still raged. Ning Yingying offered him another bite. The mountain yam and honey combination was so good. One of his favorites. 

“Mmmnnnnn…” He moaned around the bite, starting to feel another wave of heat swell inside him. He laid down, pulling away from Ning Yingying who spoke to him some more in that soft tone. Ah… He really missed his family. I really…

“Ah, Shizun is crying again. Does it hurt?” She fretted over him, retrieving a cold, wet cloth and pressing it to his forehead. She’d have to tell Binghe to bring more of the pain relieving tea Mu Qingfang had supplied, as they had run out late in the night. 

“Mn.” It did. It hurt inside his chest where his heart throbbed for someone, anyone, to make this pain stop. He missed his family, even though he’d survived the plot of PIDW. What was the point if he didn’t have a family or partner to share this life with? Gods… It was so lonely!

“Where does it hurt this time, hm? Let Yingying help you,” she said soothingly.

The cycle continued. He’d writhe in the nest, sobbing and begging for the agony to end. He’d promise Ning Yingying anything in the world. He’d become delirious. He called her his sister’s name by accident. 

-- 

Ning Yingying took care of him. This was her first time seeing another omega through their heat, especially seeing a rare male omega. She felt bad for him, heart aching as her Shizun begged for relief. Yet that wasn’t the worst of it. 

The worst part was that he’d been running this fever for nearly four days now under her care. If it didn’t go away by the evening, Mu Qingfang would need to come and see if he carried the rest of the symptoms for heat sickness. 

She knew some warning signs, the swollen and puffy scent glands. The constant unrelenting cramps. The delirium. The fever. She’d never seen a case like this before, and wished for someone else to come and help her take care of him. Yet, she knew that wouldn’t be possible because he was feral. 

He growled whenever she even left to go to the bathroom, let alone when she went to retrieve supplies to help him! 

She looked down at her bandaged bicep, recalling the first night. How he’d grabbed her in his sleep when she tried to tiptoe off to the main room to clear the dishes. He’d been so out of his mind that he’d never even noticed that he’d hurt her with his clawed fingers. 

It didn’t hurt now, but it was a firm reminder that this wasn’t just another heat or omega presentation. This was a very powerful cultivator on the cusp of a qi deviation. 

As twilight faded into early morning, she managed to soothe him by monitoring his meridians, brewing more of Mu Qingfang’s pain relief tea, and pushing her own gentle and cool qi into his veins. She felt exhausted by noon, when she heard Binghe drop off lunch. He was careful to rein in his scent, so she only knew it was him by the sounds of his footsteps on the porch and the clink of the dishes on the tray as he set it down. No one else had come by, either thwarted by the two alphas that had taken to guarding the area or due to the obvious talismans sealing off the Bamboo House. 

Ning Yingying laid down with her Shizun in his nest, holding his hot forehead to her chest. She combed through his hair as he cried himself back to sleep. His body shook even while he was asleep, even when she tried humming lullabies to soothe his soul. 

She sighed, beginning to drift off. She’d been up with him all night and into the morning, so she needed a nap too. She made sure Shizun was fully resting before she let herself fall asleep, on full alert for any sounds from the poor omega curled against her bosom. 

--

A gentle tapping on the main door woke him. Ning Yingying was holding him close, his face pressed into her scent glands on her neck. She felt so warm and safe that he cuddled back into the woman, shuddering from that chill that seemed to live inside his bones these days. 

“Ning Yingying?” Called a man’s voice. 

Shen Qingqiu growled, peeking over her shoulder to where the main room was, and through that to the main entrance. Who dared to try and enter his den?

“Ah… Ning Yingying? Could you come out to chat with Mu Qingfang?” Called the voice again. 

Shen Qingqiu growled a little louder, hoping the sound reached the intruder’s ears. They wanted his omega? They’d have to come take her from his nest. He pulled the sleeping omega impossibly closer, pressing her body down and out of sight from the doorway.

There were voices out there, more than one. All male, except one. He wouldn’t let them take her! She was his! She was part of the nest! His nest! They couldn’t…!

“Ah… N-Ning Yingying?” Called a softer voice, gentle and slightly… familiar. 

He still growled, unsure. Footsteps tapped against the wooden porch, climbing the steps and standing outside the door. Trepidation filled him. They wouldn’t really come to take her, would they?!

“It’s Bu Ting, I’m one of Mu Qingfang’s disciples. I’m just going to check on Shen Qingqiu, alright?” The voice said. The door slid open, bringing light into the Bamboo House for the first time in five days. The last few days they had kept the house quiet, dark and cool. The interruption to that norm made a snarl claw out of his throat.

Shen Qingqiu pressed down on Ning Yingying’s body that twitched and then began to squirm a little.

“Sh-Shizun…” She said through her exhaustion. She woke up much faster when she realized the weight on top of her was the male omega. 

“Ning Yingying?” Called Bu Ting, frozen in the doorway. All she could see were two glowing yellow eyes from the bedroom. She had stopped in her tracks when Shen Qingqiu snarled at her. 

“A-Ah, I’m here! I’m fine!” Ning Yingying said quickly, petting her Shizun’s back and beginning to talk gently to him. Shen Qingqiu ignored the omega in his nest, watching the intruder. 

“...Out,” he muttered darkly, glaring at her. 

Bu Ting frowned, resolutely stepping deeper into his den. He growled deeply again, baring his fangs at her. 

“Shizun, cut it out! It’s just Bu Ting!” Ning Yingying said, pushing at him. He turned to glower at the younger omega, still pushing her down to keep her out of sight. If she kept making noise, then they would know she was here. If they knew, then they would take her away. They would take away his family, again!

“It’s alright… He’s just afraid,” Bu Ting said, looking over her shoulder to someone outside the Bamboo House. She shook her head once before making direct eye contact with Shen Qingqiu. 

He bristled. Bu Ting slowly and deliberately dropped her gaze to the floor then, a sign of submission. Then he smelled it, a soft airy lilac scent. It reminded him of his mother’s garden. He watched her carefully, stopped at the edge of his nest where he laid on top of Ning Yingying. He only had his inner robes on, and in any other scenario this would be horribly inappropriate. If he had more of his mind, then he’d recognize that he should be feeling shame for his behavior. But he wasn’t in his right mind, and the Qian Cao disciple knew it. 

“Easy…” She said gently as she approached the bedroom door. She didn’t meet his eyes, bared her neck as she spoke and kept her head low. All signs of submission. She wasn’t here to take… to take his omega? Then… What did she want?

“Um… I-I don’t…” Ning Yingying stuttered beneath him. She sounded anxious, smelled like it too. Why? What was scaring her? This other omega? Shen Qingqiu frowned and glowered at the intruder again. “What should I do?” 

“You’re okay. He’s just protecting you. It’s alright,” Bu Ting answered, kneeling beside the bed frame. 

Shen Qingqiu growled again, but it was less fierce than before. He wasn’t sure why Ning Yingying was upset. He wasn’t sure who this stranger was or why he recognized that scent. His arms began to shake from where they held him up over the smaller omega. She was still pressed into the side of the nest and underneath him, completely hidden from the doorway. 

“Shen Qingqiu, can you hear me? I would like to speak with Ning Yingying, is that alright?”

Shen Qingqiu watched her carefully, before noticing her cultivation was much lower. If she tried to take Ning Yingying, then he could easily kill her. Slowly, he began to pull away. He didn’t look away from her though, wary as he did so. 

“Ah- I-I don’t understand why he’s…”

“He’s taken you into the nest, right?”

“Yeah, but when I’ve shared my nest with my Shijie…”

“Yes, but you have never been feral. It’s a little more…” Bu Ting paused, thinking of the right word, “intense.”

“Go,” Shen Qingqiu commanded through his teeth, unhappy with the stranger. His fingers were grasping onto the edge of the nest and Ning Yingying’s shoulder tightly. He didn’t want them to take her!

“I can’t go yet,” Bu Ting said, shaking her head ‘no’.

“Go!” Shen Qingqiu repeated, clenching his fist.

“Ah—Ow! Sh-Shizun, it hurts!” Ning Yingying complained. The faint scent of blood filled his nose and his stomach lurched. He immediately looked down at her, checking her over for injuries, as panic laced through his scent. 

“Ning Yingying, I need you to keep calm, is that something you can do for me?” Bu Ting asked, noticing the way the air shifted. Shen Qingqiu saw the red on his own clawed fingers and all the building panic seemed to explode within him. 

He —

He did that. He hurt…

Ning Yingying was talking, but he couldn’t hear her. He could only stare at where his claws had dug into her shoulder and there was red seeping into her white robe. 

He couldn’t breathe. He —

--

Luo Binghe sat on the porch of the Bamboo House. He couldn’t smell anything through the barrier due to the talismans. Once Bu Ting had entered the bedroom, everything went silent thanks to the privacy talismans. 

So, imagine the kind of shock he got when suddenly Liu Qingge stood up from where he’d been watching through an open door. Even with that warning, Binghe barely was able to catch the omega that ran out of the house dragging a heavy metallic scent of fear with her. 

“Ning Yingying! What — Bu Ting? Come out for now!” Mu Qingfang reacted first, rushing up to the door to see better through the barrier. Bu Ting came out shortly after, looking ruffled but calm. 

“What happened?!” Luo Binghe demanded, not sure if he should check on Ning Yingying or the door. What about Shizun?! What happened inside?!

“Are you alright?” Liu Qingge asked the shaking omega. Ning Yingying pulled back, smelling scared but also so strongly like Shizun that Binghe nearly did a double take. Not even the Bamboo House smelled that strongly of Shizun! H-Had they…?!

“I-I… I’m sorry! I tried! I tried to calm him down but I — A-and he — I-!” She started crying while Liu Qingge froze like a deer in shock. 

Clearly the alpha hadn’t expected anything other than ‘I’m fine’ out of her. 

“He’s getting worse,” Bu Ting warned Mu Qingfang. The doctor was pulling out some bandages to treat the claw marks on her forearm. “He wasn’t going to let her out, even when she’d done so on her own. He thinks we’re stealing her,” she explained. 

Luo Binghe came over to Ning Yingying, pulling her away from the stunned war lord with a roll of his eyes. Seriously, Liu Qingge? Tears are all it takes to make you freeze up?

And the alpha thought he’d be able to take care of Shizun? Ha! He was too weak. Luo Binghe led Ning Yingying back to Mu Qingfang and Bu Ting. 

“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” He asked her, glancing up at the closed paper door where he’d tried to patch up the holes Shizun had clawed into it a few days prior. A sealing talisman had been slapped onto it, barring the door from being opened. 

“I-I-” Ning Yingying was clearly shaken up. There was an older wound on her left bicep, but the scent of blood came from her shoulder where there were five distinct punctures from claws. It was clear where she’d pulled away during the struggle, as it tore the skin in one direction. “I tried to stop him…!” She cried, feeling like she’d failed.

Behind them, inside the house was the sound of what could only be described as the roar of disgruntled wild animal. There were a few crashes as well. Shen Qingqiu was in the main room then. And unhappy, by the sounds of it.

“You did well,” Bu Ting told Ning Yingying and then turned to the other three “There wasn’t anything she could do. He had her in the nest and was trying to protect her from me. He didn’t even seem to realize he was hurting her until I was forced to intervene. I doubt I can go back inside without getting attacked.” Bu Ting explained, flinching when Mu Qingfang tightened the bandage. He then took to fixing up Ning Yingying’s wounds. 

“Shizun would never mean to harm anyone,” Luo Binghe felt obligated to say. In fact, he was sure that was why he was so upset, inside. Another yowl came from the main room. The door shook violently, as if he was trying to escape the house altogether. 

Ning Yingying yelped, ducking off the porch and away from the house. Luo Binghe felt bad for her, but he felt worse for Shizun. Shizun didn’t know what he was doing, who he was hurting. He just wanted to make it stop, to help him make the pain, the distress, the overstimulation… make it all stop. 

“What about before that? How was he doing?” Mu Qingfang asked, following Ning Yingying off the porch to look at the bicep she’d bandaged on her own. It looked a few days old.

“Not great,” Ning Yingying answered. Luo Binghe’s heart sank, that wasn’t what he’d been hoping to hear. He looked to Liu Qingge who was watching him. The man looked worried too, and something about it made him annoyed. The man who couldn’t even handle one crying omega thought he could handle —

Another loud crash came from inside the house. He must still be in the main room, as the privacy talismans were only on the bedroom door. 

—t hat? Liu Qingge thought he could handle a feral omega?

Unlikely. 

Ning Yingying began to explain the symptoms he was showing, and Luo Binghe swallowed. So nothing he’d done, the food, the blankets, the constant checking in with Ning Yingying, the painkiller teas… all of it was for naught. 

Mu Qingfang looked over Ning Yingying’s head to Luo Binghe. “It sounds like he might have no choice then, but dual cultivation.” 

Luo Binghe frowned, but nodded. He knew what needed to happen next, and, as Mu Qingfang went on to explain aloud, Luo Binghe had been Shizun’s first choice. It only made sense that he was the one to go in first. That is… If he thought he could handle it. 

He resisted the urge to laugh. Handle it? I’ve been through hell and back. A vicious Shizun? I’ll be just fine, watch. 

“I-”

“Shut it,” Luo Binghe interrupted Liu Qingge, not looking back as Bu Ting began to break the seals around the door which would allow the alpha into the main room. “I won’t do anything he doesn’t ask for. So, you can shove your worry up your ass.” 

“Binghe! Manners!” Mu Qingfang scolded, but he ignored him. Afterall, he was a fucking demon lord; no one told him what to do. Except Shizun, that is. 

“You — ” Liu Qingge took a few steps forward but Mu Qingfang held him back. 

“Yeah, yeah. We get it, alright?” The last talisman burned blue flames as Bu Ting broke it, and she waited for the banging on the door to cease before unsealing the door. It seemed that even in his desire to escape, Shizun hadn’t even noticed the papers pasted along the doorframes, the sealing talisman keeping him stuck inside. 

“We have to seal you inside, alright?”

“I’m sure if I need out, I can break the damn thing down,” answered Binghe. He was a little pissed, honestly, that these people kept thinking that he didn’t know how to handle the situation. As if he hadn’t been by Shizun’s side the longest. As if he didn’t have a higher cultivation than all of them. 

“Very well,” Bu Ting answered. 

“Be… Be careful!” Liu Qingge snapped before the door opened. 

“I’ll be coming to check up on you two in the morning for an update,” Mu Qingfang said, as if in warning. Luo Binghe nodded, and slipped inside the dark Bamboo House without another word.

Chapter Text

The room was dark, not a single window was uncovered and no lanterns were lit. It reeked of panic in the Bamboo House, a scent that burned the nostrils and stuck to the back of one’s throat. 

At the flash of light when the door opened, Shen Qingqiu lunged forwards. They took her! They took his omega! They stole her! He’d be damned if he didn’t get her back. The light is shuttered just as fast as it shone through the shadows, and he rams into something big and hard instead. 

Shen Qingqiu’s yellow glowing eyes glared up at the intruder. Retreating a few steps, he unleashed his claws and snarled. An alpha! In his den. An alpha waltzed in like it was nothing! How could he let this happen?!

The alpha sniffed the air once, grimacing and then flickering red eyes met Shen Qingqiu’s. An open challenge. Shen Qingqiu growled in warning, taking another step backwards towards his nest. He couldn’t just leave this alpha to roam his den! He could — he could attack the second he looked away! 

The alpha’s voice was warm and deep. It felt like a whisper of a memory wanted to fight through the cloudy ocean of his thoughts, but it was lost in the waves. Drowned out by the screams of anger and hurt and terror. He didn’t know what to do! If he went back to the nest, who’s to say the alpha wouldn’t follow?

It was decided then. 

The omega stepped forward, remembering the tea cup still in hand from where he’d been throwing things in his rage. His eyes never left the alpha, who seemed to be waiting… for something. He didn’t really know what though. 

He didn’t wait to find out either. 

Shen Qingqiu threw the tea cup with precision, using it as a feint to strike the alpha. He landed the attack easily, the alpha hitting the door behind him with a grunt. On his next clawing swipe, the man had learned his lesson. 

In a quick exchange of flurried blows, they moved around the room in flashes of light and shadow. Shen Qingqiu swept his foot and took out the alpha’s feet before grappling him. 

There was a loud sound of surprise from the alpha, his fangs bared and snapping when Shen Qingqiu tried to choke him. The alpha grabbed both his wrists, causing pinpricks of pain. 

Shen Qingqiu yowled and thrashed around when the world tilted and he was flipped and pinned down by the alpha. He squirmed and bit at anything his teeth could reach, catching the man’s arm once and drawing blood. The alpha snarled at him but he snarled right back. 

They grappled with one another several times before finally the omega managed to pin the alpha. His legs were clamped tight around the man, and his claws were gouging his forearms where he held the man down. He had won the first tussle.

For a long moment there was nothing but labored breathing between them. He could feel the growl that came out of the alpha below him but it wasn’t very intimidating, barely a warning if anything. 

Shen Qingqiu tightened his hold, piercing the skin deeper until he could feel the blood drip down his fingers. How dare you enter my den! 

He snarled once more, baring his teeth to bite when the alpha started to struggle against him. He’d kill this man for what he’d done! And then he’d escape this locked room and return his omega to safety!

Lords know what they would do to her without him there to protect her!

“Out,” he said firmly to the alpha. It was hard to talk, like the words were caught in his throat and on his tongue. 

“Shizun…” Whined the alpha. As if he should know him. 

“Out!” He snarled again. His arms were starting to shake from exertion, and he could tell another wave of heat was coming. He needed this man out of his den now.

“Shizun, please.” The alpha’s eyes flicked red and then back to brown. The man suddenly stopped fighting the restricting hold and laid limp as Shen Qingqiu drew in closer, face twisted in a mix of rage and pain. 

“Give back… my omega.” He demanded. It was the most words he’d said in a week. 

“She’s not… Shizun, Ning Yingying isn’t yours to keep,” the alpha said slowly, but Shen Qingqiu refused to believe that. She’d been in his nest; she’d cared for him. She was his. And he’d failed at protecting her! It’s all his fault! They’d hurt her! They’d…

Just like right now. He was hurting another…

Instantly it was as if he’d been doused in ice water. His claws retracted and his irises returned to green. The room was just light enough for him to make out Binghe’s face. He could feel wet and sticky blood all over his hands. 

“I-I…” He trailed off, shaken. Luo Binghe laid beneath him on the floor, limp and submissive. He had scratches on his face and neck, and as he let go of Binghe’s arms he couldn’t make himself look at what was likely a mess of skin and blood where he’d been holding him down. He tasted metal in his mouth, had he bit him?!

“Shizun?” Asked Binghe, watching him very carefully and not moving even when the omega let go of him and sat back. 

“I-,” Shen Qingqiu couldn’t breathe. Oh gods, he did it again! He hurt another person! He was… He was…

“Hey, hey. Hey, Shizun,” Binghe sat up slowly and Shen Qingqiu flinched away from him as the tears brimmed over and started to fall. 

I’m a goddamned monster!

“I-I didn’t…” He tried to say but, really, he had meant to do it, hadn’t he? He’d wanted to kill Luo Binghe. Just for entering their home. He looked around them at the destroyed main room and a sob escaped him.

The low table was smashed in half, one part by the door and the other back by the bedroom door. His tea set gifted to him by Yue Qingyuan was broken, sharp pieces of clay everywhere on the floor around them. The tray with food on it was thrown as well, and there were smears of food on the wall and more broken dishes over there. 

“It’s alright. Don’t look at that,” Binghe’s hand gently touched his face, directing his eyes back to the alpha’s. “It’s alright, Shizun. You’re okay, aren’t you?” 

Shen Qingqiu nodded, feeling safe in the darkness to cry, even if it was in front of Binghe. Once the sobs started he couldn’t stop, choking for air as he cried.

“Then that’s what matters, that you’re okay.” 

“B-But-”

“No ‘buts’.”

“But I-”

“No ‘buts’,” Binghe repeated, pulling the omega closer to comfort him and hold him. At first Shen Qingqiu resisted and went stiff, but he could smell a warm nutty scent under the blood and fear in the atmosphere. It made him feel warm, and soon he could identify similar scents from his nest. It soothed him, and without noticing, he found himself crying in Binghe’s chest. 

Warm big hands slid down his back, pushing aside his wildly tangled and greasy hair. They rubbed slowly down and then back up his back in wide sweeping circles as Shen Qingqiu hiccupped sobs. This… All of it was his fault!

“I’m sorry…” Said Shen Qingqiu when he could breathe again. He was gripping onto Luo Binghe’s robe, and couldn’t get himself to unclench his fists. “I-I couldn’t…”

Couldn’t control myself. I’m a monster. I’m no better than a beast.

“It’s okay, Shizun. Let Binghe take care of everything from now on, alright?” That warm nutty scent got stronger, smelling like roasted chestnuts, cedar and sandalwood. It smelled like home. Shen Qingqiu wanted to curl into a ball and climb into Binghe’s chest, hide within his ribs and cage himself inside so he couldn’t hurt anyone else ever again. 

[Achievement Unlocked: Gone Feral!]

[+25 B Points!]

“Okay.” He nodded, feeling the fatigue start to set in again. He’d been running on an adrenaline high this whole time and now that he was feeling a bit clearheaded, it was like a million stones had been dropped on him. Shen Qingqiu looked down at his hands, too afraid to pull back now that he wasn’t crying as hard or as snotty, he didn’t have the face to look into Binghe’s eyes. 

“Okay. What does Shizun want right now?”

Shen Qingqiu stared at his hands, in the dark room he couldn’t see the blood on them but he could smell it. “A bath,” he answered quietly, cringing as a painful cramp started in his belly again. 

“Alright, then,” Binghe said, and for the first time in days, Shen Qingqiu thought that maybe, it might really be okay. 

--

Luo Binghe drew the bath and got things ready while Shen Qingqiu retreated to his nest. He didn’t want to show it to Binghe yet, he was a bit embarrassed that some of the nest… smelled like Binghe. 

Although Ning Yingying had taken care to explain the whole thing about being omega and what it meant to choose a partner, a lot of it was lost to the heat. The agony had stolen his thoughts. He did remember though, that by adding the man’s scent to his nest he’d already asked Binghe to join him there. 

It’s not his fault the protagonist smelled so good! This is clearly Airplane’s fault!

Shen Qingqiu looked for some clean inner robes to change into after the bath, before coming back out. Maybe it was the talismans on the door to his bedroom, or Binghe was just being polite, but the alpha never asked to investigate the nest. 

“Let me help you out of your clothes, Shizun,” Luo Binghe offered, noticing the way the omega was tense and in pain. “Does it hurt?” 

“Mn. It does.” Shen Qingqiu nodded, letting Binghe help him undress before sinking into the hot water. “Mnnnnnn…” He hadn’t bathed in a few days, too delirious from everything to be able to do it himself and he’d been too scandalized to ask Ning Yingying for help. 

“Is it good?” Binghe asked, a smile in his voice. Shen Qingqiu sank down into the water until just the upper portion of his face was above water. He closed his eyes and sighed through his nose loudly. Binghe chuckled softly before pulling over a stool and settling behind Shen Qingqiu. 

Ever so gently, his hands slid into his hair and began to wash. Shen Qingqiu lost track of time, feeling like a limp noodle as Binghe massaged his scalp and helped wash his back. The cramps weren’t as bad with the hot water soothing his sore muscles. By the end, he could barely keep his eyes open, standing dutifully while Binghe got him dressed again and had him sit down to have his hair dried and braided. It was the most human he felt in the last few weeks. 

He still had a fever, and the chills had come back with a vengeance once he got out of the bath, but his thoughts were fairly clear, considering the past few days. Shen Qingqiu used Binghe’s scent as a tether for his consciousness, settling into that warm protective aura and letting it carry him. 

“Does Shizun want to rest now?” Binghe asked once his hair was all braided. Shen Qingqiu was pliant and worn out, leaning back into Binghe’s chest and just staring at the floor idly. 

“Hm?” He asked, slowly blinking and trying to remember what was asked. He could feel Binghe’s voice more than hear it, the sound vibrated against his back where it was pressed into his chest. “Sleep…” Shen Qingqiu said, unsure if he wanted to just sleep right here or back in the nest. 

Binghe chuckled softly and two big arms came around under Shen Qingqiu’s arms to help him stand. “I’ll take that as a yes. Shizun must be exhausted,” he said, and if his voice could be sweeter it might just compete with the mountain yam and honey from earlier. Shen Qingqiu turned in Binghe’s arms and dropped his forehead onto the man’s shoulder. 

“Carry me?” He asked, knowing he was milking it now. What could he say?? He felt like shit, alright? A big strong man was right here. Why did he have to walk when he didn’t have to???

Luo Binghe hummed in agreement before moving to pick up his master in a bridal carry. Shen Qingqiu sighed, feeling weightless and pliant as he was brought over to the master bedroom. If Luo Binghe noticed his own scent in the nest on his shizun’s bed, he didn’t say anything about it. Or maybe he did, and Shen Qingqiu just hadn’t heard him mention it. He was set down in the nest, the alpha staying at the edge of it and not overstepping. 

“I’ll go clean up, rest well, Shizun.” Binghe’s voice was so warm and low that it felt like a hug. Shen Qingqiu nodded once, eyes drooping without his permission. 

He was asleep before Binghe even closed the bedroom door.

--

Shen Qingqiu didn’t dream that night. Or morning? What time was it when he fell asleep? 

He blinked and suddenly was aware that he was sitting up, but he didn’t remember even waking up. His thoughts felt like sand that he kept dropping through his fingers. He reached out for that strong tether, for Binghe’s scent but it was just a faint smell in his nest. 

Shen Qingqiu groaned, a cramp hitting him and his erection still hurting. Now that Yingying wasn’t here, it was more enticing to try to… Relieve himself. He looked up, the door was still shut, he couldn’t hear anything on the other side, either. Perhaps Binghe was resting too? Maybe he’d gone to get food?

A wave of loneliness hit him. He was alone. Again. Always… Always alone, it seemed. Even when Ning Yingying had been here, that loneliness had hovered overhead. With nothing or no one to stop it now, it crashed down on him. His chest hurt with it. 

He reached down to his erection and petted the area once, over his clothes. It felt amazing. He did it again, settling back against his pillows and cushions of the nest to lay down. The heat addled his thoughts and made time draw out for a long time as he continued to touch himself like that, rubbing his cock through his pants and humming in small noises of pleasure. It felt good, but it was nowhere enough to relieve the ache inside him. 

At some point Shen Qingqiu rolled onto his side and slid his hand inside his pants, shuddering at the sticky wetness between his legs. He was wet… back there. And he didn’t know how to feel about that. But for now he focused on priority number one: his aching cock. It was angry red and throbbing, pre cum dripping from the tip. 

One touch had him nearly crumbling apart, a sob coming out when he wrapped his hand around the length and starting to stroke gently. He felt so sensitive that his whole body twitched when he dragged his thumb over the head to gather the small bit of precum. His thighs rubbed together, reminding him of the wetness there. He curiously let one hand wander while the other stroked his cock. 

The slick that accumulated between his thighs was a viscous jelly-like consistency, watery but somehow still thick at the same time. It reminded him of water-based lube from his homeworld. He could smell an overpowering scent of overripe fruit and burnt sugar again, mixed with a flowery scent of chrysanthemums. 

Using the slick as lube, he slowly stroked down his throbbing cock and moaned a little louder. He flushed, hoping Binghe couldn’t hear him. But then… A weird part of him, the feral part, wished he had been heard. 

Shen Qingqiu was quick to bury that thought. 

He focused on his cock, mind clear for once, and moaned again as he pleasured himself. He began to thrust his hips into his hands, groaning and squirming the closer to finishing he was. He wanted it, he wanted that sweet sweet release. 

Please please please please please please!

“Mnf!” He bit his lip to try and stop the moans but he couldn’t help it, gasping as the orgasm hit him quickly. “A-Ah!” 

His cock twitched in his hands as he came, spurting out hot cum over his hands. He could barely catch his breath, feeling tingly all over. It had relieved the cramps a little, but it hadn’t quite itched that unscratchable crawling sensation deep inside him. 

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flickered to yellow again as the realization set in, to relieve the pain he’d have to… to do this more than once. Perhaps even many many times. He flushed more, but looked down and saw his cock never softened. Shit…

[Achievement Unlocked: Lonely Lover]

[-10 Protagonist Satisfaction Points]

[-10 B Points] 

What the hell?!

-- 

Luo Binghe stoked the fire, as it was a damp and chilly evening. Shizun had been resting for roughly two shichen. He’d cleaned up the main room, setting the broken table pieces by the door to throw away. The tea set was a lost cause, shattered to pieces on the floor. The food hadn’t damaged the walls at least, from where it had been thrown against it, though it had been messy to clean up. 

He sighed and looked over at the door sealed with privacy talismans. He didn’t know how to approach this topic with Shizun, about dual cultivation. He knew he had to do it soon, or risk the chances of Shizun suffering another qi deviation. 

If only we had more time before this happened, he thought. If only he could have tried to warm Shizun up to the idea, if only he’d known that Shizun was an omega…

Things could have been different. It didn’t feel fair to do this while he was sick. It felt like a betrayal of trust. And Binghe just couldn’t force himself to breach it.

As day turned to night, he had cleaned the Bamboo House until it was spotless, trying to think of a way to get Shizun coherent enough to get his consent to dual cultivation. What if Shizun didn’t even see him that way? What if…

No, he’d definitely used Binghe’s cloak in the nest. That had to mean something . Right? 

But maybe it was that he saw Binghe as family? As a little brother? His mood instantly dropped and he glared at where he’d been scrubbing the floor. Hopefully, that was not the case. 

You didn’t kiss your little brother on the lips to transfer spiritual energy, like at Maigu ridge. You didn’t kiss your older brother either, like he had in Taiji cave. You certainly didn’t get sent in by a doctor to dual cultivate with a family member! 

At the very least, he had to try. The question, now, was how?

He sat there, pondering it for a long time while he gathered dirty clothing and things that needed to be sent outside to be washed. With the door sealed, although he could probably break it, Binghe was going to wait until morning to prove that he could do as told. And maybe rub it in Liu Qingge’s face that he was more than able to take care of Shizun.

A sudden rattle of the bedroom door surprised him. Luo Binghe looked up from where he’d been sitting to glance over. And then did a double take as all the blood in his body tried to rush to both his head and his dick at the same time.

“Sh-Shizun?”

Indeed, it was Shizun. It was Shizun, and he was barely clothed, inner robes parted at the neck and gaping open. He didn’t wear pants, and the robes did nothing to hide his erection. The man’s eyes were glowing gold again, and his face was flushed in the lantern light. There was a determined look on his face, almost angry and upset. 

Luo Binghe stood, but didn’t know whether he was to approach or not. He’d been hoping that when the omega woke up, that they’d be able to talk. At least this time, he wasn’t being attacked but… well, he wasn’t quite sure what exactly was going on.

“Shizun?” He asked again, frozen as the omega approached him slowly like a prowling tiger. His eyes glimmered with golden light. 

Shen Qingqiu got close enough to touch, and after a short pause, his hand reached out to Luo Binghe. His jade fingers brushed a curl behind Binghe’s ear before trailing the finger down the man’s throat. 

Binghe swallowed nervously. He clenched his hands at his sides and remained still as a statue. He wanted to speak, to ask what Shizun was doing, if he knew what he was doing. If he knew how devastatingly seductive he looked right now with parted petal lips and glassy yellow eyes and bared skin. 

The room was getting hot. 

“U-Uh… Sh-Shizun did you sle- ah!” He was pushed suddenly and fell to the floor, shocked by the sudden force. “Um- I-” 

He looked up from where he sat in confusion on the floor, staring up those long exposed legs up to the obvious tented robes almost level with his face. 

“Binghe,” said Shizun, soft and breathless. 

Binghe’s brain felt like a boiled egg. He couldn’t- couldn’t think… He- It- Shizun- 

Shizun slowly knelt in front of him, crawling forward a little until he was hovering over the alpha. This close, Binghe could feel his breath on his face. He could smell that cloying saccharine scent of an omega’s heat. He could also smell Shizun’s scent, strong and warm. 

“Um- W-wait a se-sex- I mean! Uh! S-secon..d?” He tried to nervously retreat but the man on top of him followed, until they laid together on the floor, Shizun’s knees settling his body down on either side of Binghe’s hips. 

“Alpha…” Shizun purred, burying his face into the man’s collar and humming as his hands began to wander Binghe’s body without permission. 

Binghe’s boiled egg brain exploded. 

What was he supposed to do now!? He couldn’t very well take advantage of-of- Where is that hand going????!!

“I-ah- Sh-Shizun, wait a second-” He protested but it died off as lips pressed against the sensitive skin of his throat. Soon after a hot wet tongue laved over the memory of a kiss on his lips. 

“Mnnn…” The omega purred and shifted, sitting heavily on Binghe’s hardening cock and rocking slowly. “Alpha…” He whispered again, scenting and kissing Binghe’s neck. 

“We can’t…” Binghe said, trying to muster the strength to push the delirious omega away. Wasn’t this what he’d wanted? For Shizun to want him?

No. No, this is different. I don’t want it if it’s like this.

Binghe closed his eyes so he wouldn’t get distracted by the pale shoulder that was peaking out of his unkempt robe. Forcefully, he shoved the omega back and held him there. “Stop. Stop it, Shizun.” 

Shizun’s face turned from frustrated to angry and dejected. His scent soured and his eyes flared brighter. “Please,” he slurred through his fangs that had dropped again, indicating he was deeply lost to his heat. 

Binghe flashed his own alpha-red eyes back, trying to cement his resolve. 

“No. You’re not… Shi-Shizun isn’t in his right mind. This isn’t right,” he said nervously, trying not to twitch as wandering hands started to slide into his robes to touch bare skin. “I- H-hey! Listen to me!” He growled, flipping them over so he could pin the omega’s hands to the floor. His own robes were now looser, gaping at the chest much like Shizun’s. 

“Alpha…” Whined the omega, eyes looking teary and begging. He panted from where he was laid on the floor, spreading his legs and whining again. Binghe flinched when he felt those pale jade legs try to wrap around his middle and pull him down onto the omega. 

“You…” He stuttered, eyes red. His body was vibrating with nervous energy. What the fucking hell was he supposed to do here??!!!

“Mnnnn…” Prompted by the inaction of the alpha holding him down, the omega started to gyrate his hips upwards, seeking some kind of touch that would relieve his erection. “Please..!” Shizun moaned, biting his lips until they were red and wet. Binghe stared at him, trying to think clearly as the omega tried hard to seduce him. 

“I-I can’t… It… This isn’t right. I don’t want to hurt Shizun or disrespect him,” he argued. But he was a weak man, and let himself be wrestled down by those strong bare legs to press into the omega. He groaned as the omega writhed against him eagerly. “Sh-Shizun…” he bit out, furrowing his brow. 

“Want it…” Whined the feral omega, trying to lean up to scent him again. 

Binghe’s eyes fluttered as he let himself be touched, trying to think clearly. The effects of the omega’s scent made his boiled egg brain stop functioning entirely. “I need to hear you ask, while you’re coherent. A-And then Binghe will help. Alright? I just… I can’t…” 

He bit his lip until he could taste blood. It was only then that he got an idea. 

It worked back in Taiji cave, right? Would it work this time too?

Binghe sighed deeply before he reached out to feel for his demon blood inside the needy omega. When he found what he was looking for, he began to try and activate them in a similar way he would to heal. The omega under him twitched and whined again, bucking his hips against Binghe desperately. 

“Want..!” He slurred beneath Binghe while the disciple tried to clear his shizun’s mind. “W-wan…” The omega moaned wantonly, legs tightening as he felt the alpha’s erection pressing into his own. 

Binghe swallowed nervously, hands shaking where they were trying to hold the omega down. Just a little more… Please hold on, Shizun!

Suddenly those glittering golden irises fluttered back to green and the man went limp again. Binghe loosened his grip, using one hand to brush the hair out of the man’s eyes. 

“Shizun?”

The omega’s eyes closed for a few seconds before lifting open, and blinking slowly. 

“Binghe…” He said softly, voice hoarse as if he’d just woken up. The erection pressing against him twitched but didn’t go down. “Binghe…” he repeated, his eyes fluttering again, turning gold before returning once more to green. It didn’t look like he had much time to do this. 

“I need you to tell me,” Binghe said, holding his shizun’s cheek gently to make the man look at him. “I need you to tell me it’s okay, before the heat takes control again. If we don’t dual cultivate you might qi deviate. But I— I can’t do it unless Shizun says so.” 

“Mn.” Shen Qingqiu presses his face into the warm hand on his cheek, nuzzling the skin. “Binghe.” He repeats the same thing, frowning when the alpha doesn’t move. He takes a moment to properly consider what the man said and then blinks slowly again. His irises seem to be fighting between gold and green. 

“Shizun, I need you to tell me if it’s okay or not.” 

“I… I’m scared,” Shen Qingqiu says slowly, looking up at the alpha and feeling nothing but need and desire. He couldn't tell if those thoughts were his or the heat. His mind felt like soup. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I wish this was different… I wish we had time to talk about it but… Please, just tell me if it’s alright. I will respect your choice.” 

The omega was quiet for a few minutes, before his knees tightened around Binghe. He looked down between them and then away, color filling his face before nodding once. “I—“

Binghe held his breath, unsure of what Shizun would say.

“If it’s Binghe…” Shizun said slowly, like his tongue was too heavy to speak, “If it’s you… then… then it’s good.” 

“It’s okay to dual c-cultivate?”

“I- yes. D-didn’t this master just… just say that?” Shen Qingqiu looked back up at Binghe, eyes searching and watery like he might cry. “If it’s Binghe then it’s alright,” he repeated, biting his lip again and then looking away. 

Heat filled the room and Binghe breathed deeply again. “Alright. Then… Then should we move or..?”

The omega’s eyes fluttered and Binghe watched him carefully for an answer. “Mn,” he hummed, looking back up to Binghe’s still-red eyes. “We… The room. T-to the… My nest,” he muttered, turning more and more red as he spoke. 

Binghe closed his eyes to try and steady himself. Patience, Binghe!

“As Shizun wishes,” he answered but neither of them moved for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes. 

Shen Qingqiu’s wrists are freed from Binghe’s hold, and he slid them up the man's shoulders to his neck, holding onto the back of it before pulling Binghe closer with a determined look. 

“Wha—“

Shizun pulled him down into another kiss. The boiled egg brain in Binghe’s head exploded for a second time.

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu pulled back just as quickly as he’d dove into the kiss, nervous for the reaction he might get. Was that too much? He wondered, yet barely had a chance to think further as Binghe’s hand pulled him back for another kiss. And another. And another. And —

Ah… I might have underestimated Binghe’s willingness to go along with this…

[New Achievement Unlocked: Seductive Shizun!]

[+20 B Points!]

[New Mission: Hanky his Panky]

Binghe’s lips were rough, bitten to pieces and his kisses were more teeth than lip but Shen Qingqiu warmed at the touch anyways, feeling a smile dig into his cheeks like it was carving itself out of his flesh from the inside out. Something about this just felt… right. It was like all the pieces were slotting together. 

“Shizun…” Binghe panted, still partially on top of him and his lips were wet and red from their kisses. 

“Binghe,” he replied, trying to tamp down his grin. Why the fuck was he so happy right now? It was like he just snorted cocaine or something. Was he going to die???!! System???!

[Host’s vitals are stable. Host is not in any danger of dying at the moment.]

“Shizun I-I…” 

Shen Qingqiu looked up at Binghe and could see his eyes were back to brown. They were glassy, like the protagonist was going to cry, and Shen Qingqiu pulled back a little, holding his disciple’s cheeks. Nervous of what he might say, Shen Qingqiu frowned and opened his own mouth before Binghe could continue.

“I’m sorry, I just- I thought-”

“No! No! I mean! Yes! I do-!”

“-and maybe this is too far-”

“I want it! I just- You- Agh!” Binghe threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“...and it…isn’t what you… meant?” Shen Qingqiu’s voice petered out as he felt even more confused. Did Binghe want him or not?! And if he didn’t what the fuck was all that kissing about?!! I swear I can’t seem to figure him out!

With a determined look, Binghe grabbed Shen Qingqiu by the shoulders and huffed loudly. “I want you, Shizun. All of you, any piece of you that I can have. I want to take care of you, I want to help you, I want… I want you .” 

Shen Qingqiu’s face felt warm, but he was sure there was no way that Binghe’s face wasn’t going to erupt into flames. 

“You…” He tried to say something, anything, but he was unable. “How long has Binghe felt like this?”

It wasn’t the answer Binghe wanted, he could tell by the way the alpha deflated a little. Guilt twisted his gut as another wave of cramps and heat began to trill through his bones. He sighed, cringing at the awful feeling. 

“We can talk later,” decided Binghe, who seemed to recall what exactly was going on. 

“Mn.” Shen Qingqiu nodded, that hazy feeling starting to settle into his bones again. “As long as it is with Binghe… Then… I w-want to…” He muttered, but he knew the demon lord heard him, the way his slightly pointed ears twitched at the confession was more than enough. 

With a sudden yelp, Shen Qingqiu was picked up by the alpha, both their robes in different states of disarray as they moved into the master bedroom. “B-Binghe!” He grabbed at the man’s shoulder and neck for something to hold onto before he was placed back in his nest. 

“Allow this lowly servant to help you, Shizun.” Luo Binghe’s eyes were dark, and the scent coming off the alpha changed to something warmer, hotter and his voice was almost scalding Shen Qingqiu when it crawled in his ears and settled in his belly. Shen Qingqiu could feel the heat force a shiver out of him even as he reached for Binghe’s hand and pulled, bringing the man into his nest. 

“Very well, please take good care of this master,” he hummed, smiling softly up at Binghe who very carefully crawled over the edge of the nest and settled beside him. Binghe’s body fit perfectly, like he belonged there, like the nest was made for him all along. 

“As you wish,” Binghe purred, before leaning in and kissing him. His lips were warm and softer this time. Shen Qingqiu shuddered again, unabashedly moving in on the alpha and relishing in the heat that seemed to radiate from the man. 

“Mnn…” Shen Qingqiu hummed into the kiss, pulling Binghe closer until he could blindly wrap a leg around him. He was still hard, still keyed up, and his awareness was fading. 

Hands, big and warm, slid up and down his back before traveling towards his chest and cupping the supple flesh there. He moaned softly against Binghe’s mouth, curiously reaching out to taste more, to touch more, to just… he needed more. 

Shen Qingqiu lost track of time, the world faded away until all there was, was Binghe, Binghe, Binghe.

By the time his robes were removed, the omega’s eyes were yellow again and his desire for touch was more aggressive. He pressed Binghe into the bedding and crawled onto the alpha, leaning down to mouth at the man’s scent glands while hands pet his body like it was to be marveled at. Like he was made of glass. 

I am not fragile!

He grabbed the offending hand and forced it to grab tightly at his hips, biting the lip of the man and growling softly. He was not a weak and fragile mate; he would show this alpha that. 

“Shizun…”

 He growled again, glaring down at his victim. 

“Shen. Shen Yuan,” Shen Qingqiu demanded, baring his fangs when Binghe hesitated. 

“Ah… Sh-Shen Yuan…” Satisfied, Shen Qingqiu rolled his hips to reward the alpha for obeying. “A-ah… Mn…” Binghe’s hands tightened on his hips until it felt like they would bruise. Yes. Good.

“Good boy,” he muttered. Binghe’s face was tomato red, looking like he was holding onto Shen Qingqiu for dear life. 

[Achievement Unlocked: Kinkshame? I’ll Show You Shameful!]

[+100 Protagonist Satisfaction Points!]

He made quick work to divest Binghe of his robes, tearing a belt here and tie there. When the man was naked Shen Qingqiu settled back into the alpha’s lap, began to roll his hips again and moaned as he leaked slick onto the alpha. 

Binghe groaned, a deep and vibrating sound that he could feel under his palms that slid up and down his chest. Shen Qinqiu bit his lip, throwing his head back in pleasure as he rocked against the alpha, his desperately hard cock rubbing against Binghe’s bigger, fatter dick. Heavenly pillar? More like Hellish battering ram!! How the fuck was that fitting inside him?!!

The last bits of his rational mind flew out the window though, as fingers began sliding down his ass and beginning to rub against the furl of muscle between his cheeks. The touch was electric and had him falling forwards, diving down to Binghe’s neck where he could hide his face as a particularly loud moan fell from his lips. 

“Ah! A-ah!” He panted, arching a little to get those fingers closer to him, to get them inside. “Mnn…”

A probing finger tested the waters, smearing slick as it pressed inside. It felt odd, at first. But as the tip of Binghe’s finger pressed deeper, the odd feeling was soon replaced with the briefest feeling of relief.

“Yes..!” He moaned, moving his hips a little to feel that touch deeper. He needed it… needed it d-deeper! “Mn!”

“Is it okay, Shi-Shen Yuan?” The omega nodded, lost for words as the finger started to thrust gently like it was searching for something deeper inside. He moaned, unable to hold back as he panted open-mouthed against Binghe’s neck. 

It wasn’t… wasn’t enough!

“More,” he begged, squeezing around the finger inside him and twitching when Binghe abided his wishes as he added a second digit.

“Still okay?” He asked again. Shen Qingqiu nodded feebly, trying to get used to the new sensation when suddenly — something inside him felt like fireworks —

“A-Ah! There! R-right — ” He begged, clenching around the two fingers inside him. “AH!” He cried when Binghe hit that place again. And again. And again. “Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!” He began to warble, sharp rushes of pure pleasure and relief chased away the cramps and pain he’d been suffering through for days on end. “Yes! Yes! Y-Ye- MN! Mnnnnnn!” 

“Shen Yuan is liking it? Is it good?” 

“G-good! Bing-” He twitched violently before taking his dick in hand and stroking a few times. “Close! So close!” He sobbed. 

“You’re doing so well, Shen Yuan.” 

“Please!” He cried, screwing his eyes shut as he stroked faster and the fingers thrusting inside sped up to match his rhythm. “O-Oh! Y-Yes! Yes! Yes! Mn! Binghe!” He couldn’t think, he couldn’t speak he couldn’t-

Couldn’t breathe-

The world whited out completely for a moment. 

His scalp felt prickly and cold, and something was petting his cheek.

“Mn…” He blinked slowly, but all he saw was Binghe. It was all he needed. He closed his eyes again, sighing as he clenched around the fingers inside him. That lonely feeling that was weighing down his heart and making him feel so very empty… finally it felt like some of it was going away.

“Better?” Asked Binghe’s voice. Shen Yuan nodded, feeling another wave of heat push through him. He could feel the slide of Binghe’s fingers still inside him. His cock was still hard. 

“En,” he muttered, feeling heavy and loose. His toes still tingled with that boiling feeling in his blood from his orgasm. 

Binghe smiled at him, and it was beautiful. Just like him. Luo Binghe had really grown up into a beautiful man. He laid down on Binghe’s chest, purring and nuzzling the alpha’s neck before he was being pressed down into the bed and looking up at him instead of down. 

“Would Shen Yuan allow this one to please him?” He asked, eyes full of mischief. 

“Mn…” He agreed, feeling like a limp noodle now that he’d had another orgasm worked out of him. The others when he’d been alone had been nothing like that. If Binghe could make it happen again?? There wasn’t a way in hell he’d deny him. 

His mind began to drift, slowly being swallowed back down by that feral beast inside of him. He remembered touches, gentle and careful—treating him like he might break. 

He remembered being angry, furious even, at the thought that his mate saw him as such a weak being. He knew that they shared their first time while he was out of it, because he couldn’t shake the tearful look out of his mind of Binghe’s face as he orgasmed. 

It was really a pretty picture. 

Shen Yuan shifted and hummed, feeling nice and full and warm inside and out. He opened his eyes and slowly took stock of where he was, what was going on. Binghe’s cock was deep inside him, so deep he could feel it in his belly. It was a hot throbbing feeling but it wasn’t moving, just resting inside him and plugging him full of Binghe’s spend. 

He shifted a little, reaching behind him to feel for Binghe’s warm body and take the hand of the limp arm that held him close. There was a deep snuffling sound behind his ear before lips pressed into his skin again.

“Shen Yuan is so warm inside,” murmured the alpha. 

Shen Qingqiu’s face grew hot. He didn’t really recall telling Binghe his birth name. 

Shameless!!

“Mn…” He slid his hand down Binghe’s arm until he could grasp his fingers and intertwine them with his own. 

Immediately the alpha twitched and grasped them together, kissing against his swollen scent glands on the back of his neck. “Shen Yuan is feeling better?”

“Mn. Binghe has taken good care of this master.” He answers in the same quiet tone, feeling soft and pliant. 

Shen Qingqiu feels Binghe start to pull out and whines shamelessly. Even while his face turns an alarming shade of red he squeezed down on Binghe’s length. “Stay.” 

There was a short pause before Binghe pressed back in and— Oh. It was so good.

He hummed at the full feeling, that empty hole in his chest finally seemed to be filled in for once. He was no longer alone. 

“As you wish, A-Yuan.” 

A-A-A-A-YUAN?! He might actually combust right here. The only people who called him that were Er-ge and Da-ge from his previous life! 

“Binghe is really shameless…” he complained but just got a small laugh in return. 

“It was you who asked me to call you this.” Shen Yuan didn’t need to look back at the man to know he was smiling; he could hear it in his voice. 

“Ah… Th-this master was… Was lost to the heat so…” 

“Does it bother you? Shall I not use it?”

“…”

“Hm?”

“I-it is fine. When we are alone.” 

“A-Yuan is so generous.” 

“M-Mn.”

—

The night passed in a blur. Sometimes he was there, mentally, other times… It was a strange sensation. Giving your body up to someone else’s care was something that he associated with doctors and medicine and hospitals. It wasn’t something that he thought could ever feel this right and good and warm and oh—

“Mn! B-Binghe!” He gasped, deep in the throes of heat as he moved on top of the demon lord. He rocked up and down quickly, like if he slowed down he’d explode. He needed it— deeper! Deeper! More!

More!

“Shhh I’ve got A-Yuan. It’s alright.” That soft voice told him. And gods—he wanted to do anything to hear more of that soft, safe and warm voice. It swelled around him like a cloud of heat and suddenly his body was bursting and imploding and—

Sometimes when Shen Qingqiu finally thought it must be over, that it must be the end of it all finally—that was when the feral part of his new presentation snuck up on him and stole the spotlight. It was in those moments that he was clawing and biting and keening and snarling at Binghe. 

It was like sharing the Xbox with your younger sibling except you didn’t want to and you were both wrestling each other for the controller. 

“Please!” He’d keen but he didn’t know what he was begging for.  He just needed his alpha to fill him. To be there for him. To touch— 

“Mnnn.” That deep growl from under him, behind him and at his lips. 

Everywhere he turned the alpha was there and took care of him. 

It felt so safe. So warm so—

“A-Yuan is crying? Shhh… Shhh… It’s alright…”

“ Alpha… ” He whined, when the man had left for something. He’d left the nest for maybe a second at most but it was too much to be alone right now. To not have him in his space and holding his fiery skin.

“I’m right here,” purred the alpha and it all washed away again into a sea of memories and thoughts and feelings and oh gods—was he ever going to be the same again?

Shen Qingqiu contemplated, in the eerie abyss inside his mind where he was slowly losing his battle to the feral beast inside him; at what point is change a bad thing? At what point was it a kind of murder? 

He didn’t know the answer. 

—

A cool wet cloth brushed down his sensitive body, making him shiver as the air hit the wet skin and cooled his body. He flinched at the touch, feeling like he’d been peeled like a mandarin and left raw to lay limp in his nest. 

“Mu-Shidi will be here soon. A-Yuan should try to put on his inner robes,” murmured Binghe, the owner of the hand that was still wiping him down. 

“Mn—cold!” He complained, shrinking away from the cloth.

“I know, I’m sorry. This Binghe is only trying to clean you up.”

“Mn…” He hummed and drifted for a while longer until someone was guiding his arms into a silky light green robe. It was the softest he’d ever worn and it was for that reason that it didn’t feel like it was chafing on his skin like everything else did. 

“There. A-Yuan may rest now.” That warm voice told him. 

It was only at the very edges of his consciousness that he remembered grabbing onto that hand— whispering for him to stay.

—

“His fever seems to be gone, and he’s clearly let me close so I’m not too worried that he’s still feral.” Mu-shidi’s voice woke him, and Shen Qingqiu blinked rapidly to gain awareness of his surroundings. He was in his nest. He was dressed, Mu-Shidi was checking his meridians. His wrist looked so small and pale in the man’s hand as cool streams of qi filtered into his body. 

“He’s been having less and less waves of heat since the first time we dual cultivated,” reported Binghe, whose voice was farther away than Shen Qingqiu would have liked. He blearily searched for the alpha, spotting him outside the nest and dressed. 

“Ah, Shen-Shixiong is awake?” Called Mu-Shidi. 

Shen Qingqiu nodded as everything came back and hit him at once. 

He’d—With—And then they’d—And now—

Suddenly his face was so red that Mu Qingfang was worried he might really qi deviate this time. 

“Shen-Shixiong? How do you feel?”

“F-fine… I—“ He squeaked, embarrassment wasn’t enough of a word to encapsulate how he felt. Mortification, perhaps. 

“I see. Well, Shidi will see himself out then. Shishu will be back with some more tea later, so make sure he's drinking all of it. This master doubts the peak lord would be pleased to have pups right after his first heat,” remarked the medical cultivator, making sure Binghe understood with an arched brow. The alpha looked a little disappointed but nodded obediently. 

P-p-p-p-pups??? Him??? He—

Shen Qingqiu was pretty sure his eyes rolled back in his head before he went back to sleep. 

—

“How are you feeling?” 

“This master feels as if he’s lost a limb with everyone pestering him with this. I am fine. I feel fine, Zhangmen-shixiong.” 

Yue Qingyuan sniffed, seemingly unhappy but kept his thoughts to himself. 

The sect leader had requested his company a month after the heat had taken hold. No longer feral, Shen Qingqiu sat at the low table with the sect leader as they shared tea. There was nothing the man could do to offer his sympathies about an honest mistake and well — some good had come of it… in the end. 

“And that disciple of yours? He’s… following his punishments?” Yue Qingyuan’s eyes seemed to glimmer at the prospect. 

Shen Qingqiu nodded with a sigh. “Other than that one instance with Xin Mo he is doing well. He’s even taken on some extra duties, helping this master with grading the papers of the newer students and teaching some classes that the head disciple isn’t ready yet to teach.” 

“Hm.” 

“It’s been, dare I say, peaceful. I’ve been enjoying Binghe’s company.”

“Mn. I heard tell of that…”

“Zh-Zh-Zhangmen-shixiong!” He turned red, unable to hide fast enough behind his fan. 

“Ah, sorry Xiao Jiu. This one forgot how thin-faced you are.” The sect leader doesn’t seem sorry at all, smiling wryly for a moment before sipping his tea. “Although as your mate — ”

“ZHANGMEN-SHIXIONG!”

“Ahh.. alright, alright.” 

Their bickering was heard through paper walls where the servants sighed in relief. They’d been worried that their sect leader wouldn’t take the news well, but apparently teasing his younger martial brother was enough payment for losing out on being a potential mate for the ethereal fairy peak lord of Qing Jing. 

All in all, let's just say Mu Qingfang was happy to hear he didn’t have yet another alpha to wrangle. One Bai Zhan peak lord was enough for him, thank you!