Chapter Text
When Shen Yuan woke up, he was in a humble little bamboo hut. The place was…calming and it felt very homey and serene. What is this place? Beside him was Luo Binghe, the young man looked shocked and devastated.
“No….Senior Meng Mo wouldn’t dare show me this…. Not now…. Not with A-Yuan…” The teen whimpered, the poor half-demon's shoulders were trembling.
Shen Yuan took the Binghe’s hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Come now, you big cry baby. This is a test from your teacher. Let’s work together and overcome this, just as we did with those powerful abyss monsters, hm?” Shen Yuan, even though he felt bad for Binghe, was extremely curious. This is a chance to see the glorious protagonist’s past. From Binghe’s reaction, it was probably a tragic past. All protagonist go through traumatic experiences in their childhood. It’s one of the things that make them stronger in the future.
“Bend your knees more, raise your hand and level with your shoulders. Foolish boy, always remember that your form is far more important than the strength and intensity you wield your sword. Without the basics, you cannot brute force a sloppy attack!” Came a stern and harsh voice. It was unfamiliar yet Shen Yuan had a feeling he knew who it was.
Binghe’s Shizun.
His Binghe stiffened upon hearing the voice. It was from outside the bamboo hut.
“This lowly dimwitted disciple begs Shizun’s forgiveness! This Binghe will try again!”
“Good, and if this master catches you calling yourself a dimwit, I will punish you accordingly. No student of mine whom I personally mentored will ever be considered dimwitted. Do you wish to humiliate your shizun?”
“NO! Of course not Shizun!”
Shen Yuan listened to the whole exchange. It was surreal to listen to the child version of Binghe and his Shizun. He wanted to go and see but he remained inside the hut and kept his hold of Binghe’s hand. He turned to the other young man who looked like a statue at the moment. “We don’t have to face them if you do not want… we can just stay here, Binghe.” Shen Yuan offered.
“…No, Senior Mo wanted us to go through this. For me to…face the past. We must go.” Binghe spoke up after a long pause, putting on a brave face. Shen Yuan’s features softened, he wanted to give Binghe a hug or a pat on his head but that might just make the poor kid cry. He was already trying to act brave.
“Please…keep holding my hand, A-Yuan…”
“Mn. I’m right here, don’t worry.” Shen Yuan responded as they finally got up and walked out of the small and peaceful bamboo hut. Outside was a field of bamboo. Shen Yuan would have loved to live in a place like this. The endless abyss had its fair share of beauty, but it was of the demonic and macabre kind. THIS place however, was magical, full of life and very peaceful. He assumed this was the place Luo Binghe trained as a cultivator.
Then, he finally spotted two figures nearby. One was holding a sword clumsily, the other was a tall imposing figure. This taller man looked regal in his white and green robes. They certainly both had the same color scheme. When Shen Yuan’s gaze got to the man’s face, he couldn’t help but gasp. Wow, it was like looking into a mirror. They really DO look the same! Except of course this man was human and looked older. No pointy ears, not dragon horns, no fangs, and no dragon tail. He was simply a beautiful man. A peerless beauty and a powerful immortal cultivator. Binghe’s shizun.
“Shizun, this lowly one has a question…” smaller and meat bun faced Binghe spoke up.
“Speak.” Shen Qingqiu responded.
“Shizun, the demons… are they all wicked beyond redemption? Must every last one of them be exterminated?” The little one asked.
“What has gotten into you? Asking such a stupid question?” Came the teacher’s hiss, but the man answered the boy nonetheless. “We cultivators are tasked to defeat demons that plague humans. It is our sworn duty. And there’s your answer."
"O-oh... so demons are all to be exterminated huh?" Binghe looked disappointed and saddened.
His Shizun sighed and shot a cold glare towards Binghe. "Binghe is convincing this master that he really is dimwitted hmm? Have you not listened to what this master just said? We only exterminate the demons that plague humans. Why must we bother with the ones who keep to their own?” with this, Binghe's eyes widened in realization.
Shen Qingqiu then opened his fan and hid half his face with it, closing his eyes as he continued to speak. “Humans are just as if not more wicked than some demons we’ve faced. This master has experienced the worst of mankind, you would count yourself lucky to not have gone through what this master has. For that reason, this master believes that just as humans are capable of pure evil, so are demons… and if we are to go by that logic, there are humans that are good so why can’t there be demons who are good?” He then closed his fan and tapped the younger Binghe’s head with it.
“So, what you must judge is the actions of these creatures. Do they do good? They are to be rewarded or left in peace, if they do bad? They are to be punished. Just like my insolent disciple who would rather chatter with this old man than to practice his forms….” Shen Qinqui then smirked at the boy, who seemed to grow paler and paler by the minute.
“Ten laps around the peak. And after you’re done, fetch me my afternoon tea. Off with you, boy. I do not wish to see your face until you have my tea.”
Shen Yuan was fascinated by the display. This Shizun is a wise man and someone to be admired… but he remembered Binghe telling him that his Shizun loathed demons… so why is this memory showing us otherwise? It didn’t seem like the shizun hated demons, he just had a neutral way of looking at things. Shen Yuan agreed with him, in fact. Since he came from a modern world, Shen Yuan did not really have a black and white view of demons and humans and angels. Real life is far too complicated to simplify everything with black and white and ying and yang.
“I really did believe him that time… I had hoped my Shizun would come to accept my lineage in the future.” The Binghe beside him spoke up. “I wanted to show him how far I’ve gotten in my demonic cultivation… but…”
But?
The world began to shift around them and the black fog once again took them. They were in another unfamiliar place, but the red glow from beneath the ground was familiar… the endless abyss? The scene was chaotic, he felt the presence of monsters and the faraway screams and cries of humans. Cultivator disciples it would seem. So...what is this place? He can see corpses of both humans and demons. It was gruesome, like a warzone that's not meant to be a warzone. Shen Yuan had no idea about the events of the book 'Proud Immortal demon way', but this looked like a pivotal moment in the protagonist's heroic journey. A major canon event, as they call it. Is this... the battlefield Binghe came from before he fell into the endless abyss? In the midst of it all, as he expected....stood the same master and disciple duo. The major characters of this scene.
“How long have you been practicing demonic cultivation?” Came the Shizun’s voice.
“Oh no…. No no…not this… please Senior Meng…. Don’t show this… what even is the point to see this!!” Binghe trembled beside him, he was already in tears. Shen Yuan squeezed the young man’s hand. He felt an ache in his heart as he saw the display before him. He had thought the teacher was a compassionate person who had an open mind…yet here he was condemning Binghe just because he was born different. It did not make sense. Why is this Shizun contradicting himself?
“No. I gave you a second chance against my better judgement. This master is foolish to think this mongrel could ever amount to anything.. even under my strict tutelage, you are beyond help. We are alike, you and I… but in the end, I am ashamed I ever thought of such a thing…”
Shen Yuan felt rage as he listened on. He wanted to break through the mirage and punch this guy on the face for ever saying such things to Binghe. Good sweet innocent white lotus Binghe.
“you’ve proven yourself to be a beast through and through…. You disgust me. I would never associate myself with a filthy demon. Go where you belong, you have no place here, beast.”
That’s it. Shen Yuan let go of his Binghe’s hand and he ran up to the duo. He didn’t care if their both intangible illusions. He got in front of the teenager Binghe, the one he had met for the first time back in Xin Mo’s forest. The boy who fell from the sky. He shielded Binghe and held his arms up to protect him from his Shizun.
“Oh yeah? Well you’re right, he is where he belongs now. By my side! And I will protect him from the likes of you!” He declared proudly. He was surprised that the illusion had no face this time, as if something was distorting it, what a creepy sight. But Shen Yuan had had enough of this party trick Meng mo has cooked up. Using his analysis skill and a bit of help from his system, he broke them all free from the nightmare and in the process, ejected himself from the dreamscape altogether.
Binghe’s POV
“Oh yeah? Well you’re right, he is where he belongs now. He is by my side! And I will protect him from the likes of you!”
Binghe heard Shen Yuan loud and clear. He felt the coldness once again as he was forced to relive this moment. Everything felt numb and cold. The moment his Shizun betrayed and abandoned him, his only living father figure and family… Binghe had lost hope. This was the final betrayal he could take, this would be the final time he’d be thrown and abandoned. He wanted to give up and let himself fall not just from this cliff, but fall onto death’s embrace. He was tired, he wanted to never wake up. He fought for his entire life; he fought to survive on the streets, he fought to be worthy of becoming Shen Qingqui’s disciple, he fought for his approval, and he fought for his honor in this immortal alliance conference… he fought and fought and fought, but where did it get him? Betrayed and thrown off a cliff by his Shizun.
But Shen Yuan broke through the cold feeling. Hearing that gentle voice and those passionate words… he felt his heart beat really fast and a warm feeling spread through his chest. A place where he belongs… and it was beside this unreachable powerful being. No, Shen Yuan isn’t quite unreachable anymore… he felt like home, he felt like… they’re family. Friends, as Shen Yuan would call them. Someday, Binghe wanted more than Shen Yuan’s friendship, more than the privilege to worship him..
He wanted Shen Yuan’s everything.
Greedy he may seem, but after that declaration, how can he NOT fall in love with this young man any more than he already has? Binghe wanted to grow stronger…strong enough to stand beside Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan’s POV
Shen Yuan was in his humanoid form when he woke up and he was in Binghe’s arms. The heavenly demon had his arms wrapped firmly and securely around his smaller waist. Ah, they were back in the waking world. Shen Yuan let out a soft yawn and he turned around to bury his face in Binghe’s lovely slightly exposed chest. Ah, this feels like home. Shen Yuan didn’t care if it was awkward nuzzling up to the handsome protagonist’s tiddies in his humanoid form. They were warm and comfy and he liked hearing Binghe’s heartbeat. It was calming.
Maybe sleeping needlessly and for the pleasure of it wasn’t so bad, as long as he can have Binghe as his personal body pillow.