Work Text:
Shang Qinghua has many regrets.
His regrets range from minor annoyances to epic disasters depending on how badly they affected him and everyone in the blast range of his bad decisions. And considering that he’s living his second life now, he has managed to acquire quite a lot of regrets.
He regrets not backing up his first draft of Proud Immortal Demon Way, just as he regrets bowing to the whims of his fans and letting his masterpiece become a trashy stallion novel. He definitely regrets that tattoo he got while drunk on a dare from someone who wasn’t even really a friend. And that’s without even counting the regrets he has acquired in his new life.
The thing he regrets the most, though, is something simple. So elementary he wants to go back in time and punch himself in the face for not considering how it would come back to bite him in the ass. Not that, mind you, he could have foreseen ending up in his own novel as a cannon fodder character who appeared in a maximum of five scenes before getting killed off. But well, he digresses.
As he sits in on one of the monthly Peak Lords meetings and nurses his growing headache and fights to stay awake, Shang Qinghua laments to himself at the injustice of this world.
The one thing he regrets the most is trying to satisfy his favourite black powder fan by eliminating the one thing that could have made this experience more bearable. The one and only thing that got him through high school and later college.
Coffee.
Sweet, wonderful coffee. Oh, how he misses it! Nothing compares to that heavenly taste and the rush of energy it gives you when you need it the most. Even that jittery feeling that makes you think you’ll climb out of your skin is sorely missed. Just thinking about coffee makes Shang Qinghua feel more rejuvenated (probably because of the placebo effect, to be honest) before he remembers that, unfortunately, it doesn’t exist in this world.
And it’s his fault.
Because he tried to make the novel more historically accurate to satisfy his fans.
Clearly, listening to his fans was a very bad idea. Who cares if a xianxia novel has inaccuracies and anachronisms as long as he gets to profit from them?
Shang Qinghua sighs mournfully. He really should have just ignored his fans (and antis) and added coffee to the plot. And potatoes. Damn, does he miss his French fries. He’d kill to get a nice burger and fries from McDonald’s! He misses his junk food so much! Where are his chili dogs and chips and sodas when you need them? Where is his internet? Why didn’t he include air conditioning? It can get so unbearably stuffy in the middle of summer that it makes Shang Qinghua want to cry.
He sighs again. A quick glance out of the window informs him that it has already been more than three hours since the meeting began. He can’t be certain since he didn’t include clocks in his novel either. Telling the time by looking at the sun is hard! Why did he have to make his characters suffer like this for the sake of credibility?
Alas, the meeting was still going strong and he couldn’t leave until he presented the quarterly reports.
If only some people — not pointing fingers or anything, *cough* Lang Qingye, Zui Xian Peak Lord, and Wang Qingchen, Ku Xing Peak Lord, *cough* — could just stop arguing over whose fault it was that Ku Xing disciples had gotten drunk on Zui Xian’s wine then maybe, just maybe, Shang Qinghua could finally deliver his report and then feign an emergency on his Peak to escape the rest of this meeting. Or maybe he would just faint. That would work too. Only after he’s finished with his report, mind you, because he’s sure that they’d resuscitate him if he fainted before he got around to it.
Oh god, and now that this argument has been resolved, Yue Qingyuan has started up his usual bullshit again. Why did Shang Qinghua write him to be such a doormat again? A wet noodle has more of a spine than Zhangmen-shixiong does! Does he ever pause to consider how his ridiculous spending affects the sect’s finances? Does he ever think about how much paperwork it takes for these kinds of requisitions to go through?
No! Of course not! Why would anyone care about this kind of stuff?
And it’s all up to Shang Qinghua to manage these… these children! That’s right! Children with their incessant squabbling and fistfights and incorrectly filled-in paperwork and even worse handwriting! Why does he have to put up with this shit? At least Shen Qingqiu makes an effort to only submit perfect paperwork unlike the rest of these hooligans who think furniture grows on trees!
A polite cough interrupts Shang Qinghua’s uncharitable thoughts.
“Shang-shidi?” asks Yue Qingyuan.
What?!
It takes a few seconds for Shang Qinghua to notice that the room has become eerily quiet. He glances up to see that everyone is staring at him with various degrees of shock painted on their faces.
Fuck.
Did he say that last bit out loud?
How much of that did he say out loud???
Judging by the foreboding silence that suddenly enveloped the room, yes, he did, in fact, say that out loud. And looking at the various degrees of murderous intent on some of the Peak Lords, his commentary wasn’t appreciated. Like, at all.
Fuck.
Even Shang Qinghua is unsure of how he manages to escape the consequences of his loose tongue and sleep deprivation-induced rant.
Well, that’s a bit of a lie. He used his foolproof method of fainting on command to get away from the immediate fallout. It’s a valid strategy, okay? If it works, it works, and he will not have anyone saying otherwise, least of all his System.
Of course, his System still docked him points for that despite his stellar reasoning, but the thing was out to get him anyway so he didn’t let that minor hiccup drag his mood down too much.
Waking up to the sight of Mu Qingfang’s concerned face in the infirmary is almost enough to make Shang Qinghua feel bad for worrying the medic. In between subjecting himself to a health exam and fielding prodding questions about the state of his cultivation — which, rude! How come everyone so readily believes that his fainting spell was due to being on the verge of a qi deviation? — Shang Qinghua manages to figure out that he didn’t vocalize his entire rant. In even better news, he doesn’t need to flee from the sect in shame for badmouthing the sect leader.
He might want to avoid his fellow Peak Lords for a while, though. You know, just to be on the safe side.
As far as Shang Qinghua is concerned, there is one positive outcome from this fiasco that he discovers after he’s released from Qian Cao’s tender care: the other Peak Lords begin treading lightly around him. He wouldn’t necessarily say that they’re nicer to him, but they have stopped bugging him about every little problem, and miraculously the paperwork he receives starts to be somewhat legible. It’s such a nice change that Shang Qinghua is almost moved to shedding tears of joy. (Okay, that’s a lie, he totally cries. Zhou Chunhua, his head disciple, is definitely going to judge him for it forever.)
But apart from some Peak Lords becoming more tolerable (and others completely avoiding him), nothing much changes for Shang Qinghua. His days are still filled with endless paperwork, his disciples still cause him grief whenever they manage to mess up an order, and his King still gives him heart attacks when he appears in his office in the middle of the day.
(The bright side of Mobei-Jun’s visits is of course that in the summer months, his presence serves as a portable air conditioner since he chills any room he enters. On the other hand, being forced to clean up the ice and snow left in his King’s wake is a chore that he doesn’t particularly like, especially in the winter.)
Shang Qinghua feels better about his very public melt-down once it becomes apparent that it doesn’t have any impact other than slightly improving his day-to-day life.
Or at least that’s what he thinks before he’s forced to realize that maybe his caffeine-deprived rant managed to fuck him over when Zhou Chu announces that Shen Qingqiu is waiting outside his office.
Shen Qingqiu.
The scum villain of his novel. Someone who has absolutely no reason to interact with Shang Qinghua outside of mandatory meetings or missions, much less come to his office personally.
Shang Qinghua manages to unfreeze enough from his shock to gesture to his disciple to let his fellow Peak Lord in before he goes back to his panicking. Did he forget to send some supplies to Qing Jing Peak and their lord decided to deal with him in person? Or was there some urgent request that needed his attention?
Shen Qingqiu strides into the room as if he owns it, all aloof coldness and elegant gait. His face is as if carved in marble, perfect and unreadable. If he is angry at Shang Qinghua, he can’t tell because nothing shows through his impeccable façade.
Shang Qinghua barely remembers his manners and invites his unexpected guest for tea. He wasn’t raised in a barn, thank you very much. The fact that Shen Qingqiu actually accepts the offer of tea comes as a surprise. He’s never done that before! Not that Shang Qinghua has many occasions to treat his shixiong, but this is the first time he has seen Shen Qingqiu accept tea… ever!
“Shang-shidi, Qing Jing Peak requires some new guqins and pipas for the disciples. This shixiong has brought you the forms,” Shen Qingqiu says while holding out the aforementioned forms.
Oh.
A request! His fellow Peak Lord isn’t here to murder him because he managed to offend him somehow. That’s such a relief!
Shang Qinghua sags slightly in his seat as his panic drops to reasonable levels. Right, he’s the An Ding Peak Lord, he can handle a simple requisition for new musical equipment! It’s kind of strange that Shen Qingqiu came to his office himself instead of sending his head disciple (or any other disciple for that matter!), but maybe he just wanted to expedite the request. Who knows. Certainly not Shang Qinghua.
“Of course, Shen-shixiong!” he agrees enthusiastically. Shang Qinghua isn’t even pretending to be pleased. Of all the Peak Lords — no, of all the cultivators on the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect — only one has ever elicited this kind of reaction from him. Shen Qingqiu has truly earned his reputation as a peerless scholarly master! His calligraphy is flawless, worthy to be displayed in museums if only such things existed in this world, and his reports are concise and to the point, always a treat to read! Shang Qinghua has never had to chase him down for missing signatures or misfiled documents, and most important of all: the paperwork was always on time! It’s astounding how many of the other Peak Lords can’t be bothered to file correctly or make impossible demands then act all disappointed when they don’t receive their equipment on time!
Shang Qinghua takes the forms handed to him and briefly skims through the pages. As expected! The forms are impeccable, not a word out of place! The characters are crisp and clean, not a smudge in sight! Truly amazing! He holds the Holy Grail of paperwork in his hands carefully and beams up at their author.
“I’ll get it to our requisition team right away, Shen-shixiong!” he reassures the man. “You’ll have the instruments at your Peak by the end of the week!”
In his distraction, Shan Qinghua never notices how Shen Qingqiu’s expression loses a bit of its usual harshness and is instead replaced by quiet contemplation.
It’s the first Peak Lords meeting since the disastrous one where Shang Qinghua insulted everyone and then fainted in self-preservation. He’s hoping that this one will prove to be less… eventful. It’s really bad for his heart to have so much stress piled on him.
The start of the meeting isn’t auspicious at all, what with him barreling through the doors, late and winded from running. Don’t look at him like that, Zhangmen-shixiong! It’s not his fault that he’s late! He had to deal with an emergency in the storage warehouse because someone had the genius idea of storing flammable materials next to fireworks. Why didn’t he add fire safety lessons in his worldbuilding?
Thankfully, aside from his messy arrival, the meeting proceeds as normal. He’s pretty sure that they haven't forgotten his previous outburst but everyone seems content to pretend that it didn’t happen which suits him just fine. There’s less fighting too! Although he wouldn’t put it past them to have had their fight before the meeting, at least they’re not wasting everyone’s time. What usually would have been a three-hour meeting takes less than two hours to finish. It’s a miracle! Maybe Shang Qinghua should yell at people more often if that’s the results he got from his tantrums.
He’s cheerfully packing away his scrolls when someone practically manifests in his blind spot. Startled, Shang Qinghua fumbles with the scrolls in his arms and only manages to catch one while the others spill on the floor.
He drops down to pick them up and is surprised when he sees someone’s hand grasp one of the scrolls that had rolled away and extend it to him. He reaches out gratefully to the proffered scroll and his eyes follow the hand back up to its owner.
“Sh— Shen-shixiong!?” he stammers out in shock.
It is indeed Shen Qingqiu standing in front of him in all his glory. His face is as impassive as always and he looks the picture of gracefulness even while crouching down next to him.
Shang Qinghua’s mind screeches to a halt.
Did Shen Qingqiu, the elegant and refined scholarly Peak Lord, just crouch down to retrieve a scroll? And not even his own scroll but Shang Qinghua’s?
Shang Qinghua mechanically adds the scroll to the pile in his arms while he waits for his brain to reboot. Is he dreaming? This just seems like the kind of high school AU trope where a schoolgirl drops her books and a handsome young man helps her pick them up. Is that what is happening?
Wait a second… Why is he the girl in this scenario!?
No, stop it brain, he’s getting ahead of himself. This is not one of those novels. His martial brother must just be… trying to be nice?
That sounds even more unrealistic.
Aha! The scroll must have gotten in Shen Qingqiu’s way and he picked it up instead of side-stepping because…
Nope. Still nothing. What is happening, System? Isn’t this too OOC? Help!
The System stays frustratingly silent. In the absence of any useful input from the damned thing, Shang Qinghua has to fend for himself. As with any other time he feels like panicking, he defaults to the manners his shizun drilled into him and calmly — well as calmly as he can — thanks his martial brother for his help.
Shen Qingqiu merely nods politely in response and brings up his fan to his face. His normally cold eyes dart to the side and when Shang Qinghua furtively follows that gaze, he finds Yue Qingyuan. The sect leader is standing frozen with a strange expression on his face like he's debating whether an interruption from his part will be well received by the present company.
Shang Qinghua understands then. Shen Qingqiu must be avoiding Yue Qingyuan by making conversation with him! It all makes sense now! Well, never let it be said that Shang Qinghua isn't a reliable martial brother. Don't worry, Shen-shixiong, this shidi will help you however he can!
Shen Qingqiu is the one to initiate the conversation, and if that isn't an indication of how much he doesn't want to talk to the sect leader, then Shang Qinghua will eat his own scroll!
“Shang-shidi looked preoccupied at the meeting,” Shen Qingqiu says. “Is there something bothering you?”
His tone is even and Shang Qinghua can’t even begin to guess at what the other man is thinking.
He notices that he’d been staring in silence for too long so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. “Coffee!”
Shen Qingqiu lifts a single delicate eyebrow at him. “Oh?”
Feeling his life drain out of him and his cheeks color pink in embarrassment, Shang Qinghua continues to dig his hole with bullheaded determination.
“Yes, coffee! I’ve been trying to find it, but I’ve had no luck so far! It’s a tragedy! I need coffee to live!”
If anything, Shen Qingqiu’s face becomes more skeptical as he continues to listen. His lifted eyebrow reaches new heights while the other one rushes to join it in its ascent. Shang Qinghua is rather impressed, if not a bit intimidated by this fascinating sight.
“And what exactly is this… coffee?”
Shang Qinghua brightens in joy. Finally, someone he can complain about the absence of coffee to! His martial brother will likely run away from the conversation as soon as it’s safe to do so (read: once Yue Qingyuan leaves the room), but in the meantime nothing is stopping Shang Qinghua from waxing poetics about the wonders of coffee! The invigorating smell of dark roasted coffee beans, the smooth taste of pure energy in a cup! All the drinks you can make from a handful of ground beans, from espressos to salted caramel frappuccinos, mochas and lattes, cappuccinos and even simple black coffees!
Against his expectations, Shen Qingqiu listens attentively to everything he says and manages to look interested in the topic. He even asks questions to learn more about the magic plant he longs to find as well as the process of making coffee, all the way from growing the coffee plant to brewing the perfect cup of coffee.
Shang Qinghua doesn’t even notice when Yue Qingyuan ultimately leaves, so engrossed is he in extolling the virtues of coffee to his interested audience. He likewise doesn’t notice when Shen Qingqiu steers him in the direction of An Ding Peak while they continue talking until they part at the gates exchanging cordial farewells.
Shang Qinghua starts seeing his scariest martial brother everywhere after that.
Shen Qingqiu suddenly develops the habit of coming personally to drop off paperwork (even the stuff that could have been handed off to a junior disciple!) or coincidentally catching him when he’s running errands around the sect. Shang Qinghua is beginning to suspect that one of his disciples may be spying on him and providing his location to the Qing Jing Peak Lord. How else could the man so reliably know when he’s at his office or dealing with an inventory issue on Qian Cao Peak?
(Shang Qinghua is actually kind of, maybe, possibly proud of his sneaky disciple, but at the same time, he’s also a tiny bit concerned. How come they manage to sneak around without him noticing anything amiss? It’s unsettling! He’s supposed to be the spy character but his disciples are better at playing ninja than he is. So unfair!)
It’s on one of Shen Qingqiu’s impromptu visits to his office that Shang Qinghua screws up big. Too big to be able to cover it up, for sure.
You see, he’s been working on a novel, the very first one since he transmigrated into Proud Immortal Demon Way! With people making a token effort to fill out their paperwork properly, he suddenly came into a lot of free time! Almost too much to know what to do with! It was during one of these lulls between deadlines that an idea for a new novel came to him. A tale of love and heartbreak, endless loyalty and cruel deceit. A story recounting a war in heaven and a rescue mission to hell. He could already see the scene pan out clearly in front of him: the main character would be a transmigrator, an ordinary girl who ends up stuck in the cultivation world in the body of an insignificant side character that dies in the first chapter to provide a tragic backstory for the protagonist. She would survive that accident, of course, but she would ultimately decide to move away from the action and settle down in a small village to avoid the plot. Oh, but the adventure wouldn’t end there! That wouldn’t do, not at all. It’s in that little village that she’s going to meet a handsome demon lord (not that she’d know that at first!) and save his life after he’s injured in a trap set by a neighboring cultivation sect. Of course, his transmigrator wouldn’t be bound to a pitiless System that threatens her whenever she tries to change the plot. He’s a merciful author after all, unlike some entities he knows (*cough* the System *cough*).
He’s actually quite proud of his first draft! While he hasn’t completely plotted out the conflicts yet and hasn’t even decided on a reason for the demon love interest to fight against the original protagonist beyond typical demon-cultivator animosity, he feels like his characters are a lot more fleshed-out than any character he’s written in the past.
And, unlike Proud Immortal Demon Way, this will be a real cultivation novel with an actual plot and compelling characters. Absolutely no needless papapa involved! (There will probably still be some papapa but only reasonable amounts! Plot-driving and character-defining moments only, he swears!)
He’s really improved his prose and he’s being mindful of not creating giant plot holes that you could drive a truck through (as his favourite anti-fan once said). His new novel is well on its way to becoming a masterpiece!
But that doesn’t mean that it’s ready for being read yet! Why are you picking it up, Shen-shixiong?!
Shen Qingqiu — because he’s not a psychic despite what his disciples say — can’t hear his silent screaming and continues to idly pore over his rough draft. His avid gaze is fixed on the manuscript as he turns the pages with painstaking care.
“Is this yours, Shang-shidi?” the man finally asks just as Shang Qinghua is about to try to steal back his manuscript.
What does he answer? He can’t say he picked it up from the street, it would be too unbelievable! It’s obviously his handwriting on the manuscript and it even has a little drawing of an airplane doodled on the corner of the first page, the same doodle that had made its way onto some of his financial reports in the past. Shen Qingqiu had even commented on them once, declaring that his attempts to draw birds were truly abysmal.
With no way out of this situation, Shang Qinghua replies in the affirmative with a slightly shaky nod.
Shen Qingqiu hums noncommittally as he continues to peruse the novel.
“This shixiong has found several errors in the text,” Shen Qingqiu says, scaring the crap out of Shang Qinghua at the unexpected sound. ”I’ll take this manuscript and correct them on my Peak. This shixiong will return it at the next meeting.”
And with that, the draft disappears into the confines of Shen Qingqiu’s sleeve as the man himself takes his leave.
What the fuck just happened? System, it’s not funny! I think the scum villain is broken!
System?!
Shang Qinghua spends the next two weeks nervously looking around for anything strange. Did Shen Qingqiu suspect him of being a traitor and confiscate his work to look for clues of his misdeeds? He doesn’t think he wrote anything incriminating but the whole situation is making him understandably anxious. Maybe he should have used a human as the love interest instead of a demon lord? Is it considered treason to write a romance book between a cultivator and a demon?
Oh no! How much has he mentioned about the modern world in the novel? He thinks he did a good job of avoiding anything strange like cars or planes but what if he missed something? He doesn’t have the greatest memory when it comes to his writing, so anything is possible!
When he arrives at the dreaded meeting, Shen Qingqiu is already in the room, studiously ignoring Yue Qingyuan by going over his own notes. Shang Qinghua breathes out a sigh of relief to see that the other Peak Lord is already preoccupied. Nobody looks at him with suspicion either — or more suspicion than usual, he should say — so Shang Qinghua is reasonably certain that his illicit activities haven’t been discovered yet. As long as Shen Qingqiu isn’t planning on springing it in the middle of the meeting, he should be fine. He hopes so, at least.
Shang Qinghua gradually starts to relax as the meeting proceeds as usual. Nothing of note is discussed apart from a new feud forming between Bai Zhan Peak and Qian Cao Peak disciples — who knew that Qian Cao Peak disciples could be so vicious when they felt wronged? Shang Qinghua doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to face them without shuddering in fear.
As if to spite him, as soon as he thinks he’s in the clear, Shang Qinghua sees Shen Qingqiu approach like a predator stalking its prey. Held carefully in his hands is a suspiciously familiar bundle of papers. Shen Qingqiu extends the bundle letting Shang Qinghua confirm that it is indeed the draft that Shen Qingqiu absconded with last time. The manuscript is liberally marked with red ink and just from the first page he can see that they are all corrections or notes crammed into the tight margins. It reminds Shang Qinghua of his high school essays — he’d never been the best student, so he was quite used to this sight.
Shang Qinghua detaches his gaze from his draft when Shen Qingqiu coughs to get his attention.
“This shixiong has read your manuscript. The original world the heroine hails from is quite interesting, but this shixiong thinks you should elaborate more on the differences between our worlds. It would make for a compelling study of our own world in contrast with a fictional one. Moreover, while the premise of the story is original, the overall writing needs more refinement before it is fit for publishing.”
Oh.
Oh.
He read it? And he liked it???
Shang Qinghua doesn’t know what to think. He had fans in his last life, of course. Proud Immortal Demon Way was pretty popular, in fact, and even with all the detractors, plenty more liked the story despite all the flaws it had. It isn’t new for him to receive positive feedback.
But this. This feels different. He can’t even put his finger on what makes the difference. It just feels more sincere somehow. More validating.
He feels his eyes sting but he bravely holds back his tears. This is not the time to cry! He’s receiving feedback from his very first fan in this world, he can’t miss even a second of this!
He straightens up in attention and looks up at Shen Qingqiu's fan-concealed face. If his martial brother notices his moment of inattention, he doesn’t mention it. He simply proceeds with eviscerating Shang Qinghua’s novel, one scathing comment after another. Shang Qinghua is certain that any other author would be running away by this point, but it’s like music to his ears. Oh, the sweet sounds of criticisms, he missed them so! The plot is being ruthlessly ripped apart by his very first reader in this world, and he practically vibrates with excitement when the man mentions how the betrayal plot is “surprisingly adequate and quite unexpected for such a novel”. It’s not so different from some of the forum comments he’d received in his previous life and that fact just makes him happier to absorb the constructive — if perhaps harsher than strictly necessary — criticism.
It’s the most fun he’s had in a long time, Shang Qinghua reflects once back at his Peak. The talk with Shen Qingqiu had given him plenty of ideas and he needs to write them down now before he loses his train of thought. He sets down the corrected manuscript on his desk and retrieves some blank paper and his favourite brush and grinds his ink before settling down comfortably for a long writing session.
He can’t wait to see what Shen Qingqiu will have to say about his second draft!
If having Shen Qingqiu periodically visit him on his Peak counts as a strange occurrence, then the surprise arrival of Xian Shu Peak’s Qi Qingqi is positively mystifying in comparison. So mystifying that Shang Qinghua chokes on his tea and spills the rest on himself when she walks into his office unannounced.
“Uh… what brings you here, Qi-shimei?” Shang Qinghua cringes as soon as he finishes his question. Did that make it sound like he doesn’t want her here? It isn’t like he’s particularly against her presence, but why are all these Peak Lords showing up randomly in his office all of a sudden? Does he have to worry about something? Has someone dumped Peak Lord catnip all over him while he wasn’t paying attention?
Shang Qinghua surreptitiously wipes the front of his robes with his sleeve but it’s a futile endeavour at best since there’s absolutely no way that Qi Qingqi didn’t see his little accident.
Qi Qingqi doesn’t answer his question, seemingly content to settle down in the seat in front of him. Zhou Chu, the perfect angel that is his head disciple, arrives with a pot of freshly prepared tea and an extra teacup for his unexpected visitor. She even brings some more melon seeds for him as well as other snacks arranged beautifully on a fancy plate. Ah, he doesn’t know what he’d do if she ever left her position. An Ding Peak would surely burn down in mere hours without her quasi-omniscient presence.
Qi Qingqi waits until his disciple fills their cups and excuses herself before she takes a slow sip of tea and sets her cup down without a sound.
Shang Qinghua is prepared for just about anything except for what she actually says.
Qi Qingqi fixes him with a serious expression on her face. “You shouldn’t let Shen Qingqiu bully you, Shang-shixiong.”
Shang Qinghua, who had lifted the cup to his mouth, chokes on his tea for the second time today. Even worse, this tea is scalding hot! If he hadn’t been a cultivator he would have burned himself for sure!
He puts down his cup before he does any more damage to himself or his robes. It’s only after he’s finished coughing that he actually registers what his martial sister said.
When did Shen Qingqiu ever bully him? He thought he was getting along better with the Qing Jing Peak Lord now. And it’s not like they were ever enemies, unlike Shen Qingqiu’s very public mutual animosity with Bai Zhan Peak’s Liu Qingge.
Shang Qinghua vaguely notices that Qi Qingqi continued talking while he was indisposed so he attempts to tune back in before she catches on, but somehow what she says doesn’t make any more sense than it did at the beginning.
“... even if he’s Qing Jing Peak’s Lord, that doesn’t give him the right to look down on his junior martial siblings,” she says.
He continues staring at her dumbfoundedly. He’s confused. What is she even talking about? It’s great that she’s worried about the well-being of the sect, but how does it concern him in particular? And what exactly does she have against Shen Qingqiu?
“What are you talking about? When did Shen Qingqiu ever bully me?”
“He made you cry at the last meeting, Shang-shixiong. You don’t have to pretend that it didn’t happen, everyone saw it.”
“What are you talking… about…” Shang Qinghua trails off, mortified.
Oh my god! Did they actually see that? He thought he did an excellent job of hiding his tears of joy at finally having a good editor! Does it mean that everyone saw him crying? And they all thought that Shen Qingqiu was bullying him?!
Finally, he can’t take it anymore. In an act of bravery — or was it foolishness? Definitely foolishness, what is he even thinking? — that surprises even himself, Shang Qinghua interrupts her mid-sentence.
“Shen-shixiong isn’t bullying me!” he declares in the firmest tone he can manage. “If anything it’s the other Peak Lords that bully me by dumping paperwork on me and not completing their requisition forms properly. Shen-shixiong is helping me with a personal project, and for the record his input is indispensable! I vastly prefer his presence over anyone else’s!”
“Shang-shixiong—”
Shang Qinghua slams his hands on his desk, scattering his brushes and irreparably staining the report he was working on. “If you’ve come here to disparage our shixiong without due cause, then you can get off my peak right now, Qi Qingqi.”
It’s probably only because of the shock of seeing him yell that Qi Qingqi leaves without kicking up a fuss.
Shang Qinghua slumps down in his seat. Aiyah! That was terrifying!
A knock on the door causes Shang Qinghua’s already racing heart to pick up speed. For a moment, he thinks that Qi Qingqi must have come back, but the voice beyond his door reassures him that it’s only his disciple. Zhou Chunhua — such a reliable disciple! — slides into his office with a new pot of freshly brewed tea and two more teacups. When Shang Qinghua tries to interrogate her on the reason for the additional cup, she only smiles widely and responds that he’ll have a guest soon. She ignores his prodding questions as she quickly and efficiently cleans up the spilled documents and then departs with the long since cold tea set.
Shang Qinghua understands what she meant when Shen Qingqiu arrives not long later. He has a complicated expression on his face. His brows are furrowed in thought, but he doesn’t share what weighs on his mind with him. Shang Qinghua ultimately decides to abandon this line of questioning in favor of enjoying tea with his shixiong.
It doesn't quite dawn on Shang Qinghua until well after his stand-off with Qi Qingqi that he may have, possibly, become friends with Shen Qingqiu. This realization hits him suddenly while editing his novel when he catches himself thinking that Shen Qingqiu would love these particular worldbuilding elements that he added or how he would roast the new villain until Shang Qinghua finally figures out a fitting backstory for them.
It's a startling realization, but at the same time, it feels completely natural. Of course, they're friends. What else could they be? Why else would they pore over his unfinished novel and bitch about their fellow Peak Lords over tea and snacks every week?
Once the thought worms its way into his head, there's no getting it out. He made friends with the scum villain of his original novel! He never got to explore the misunderstood villain angle while writing Proud Immortal Demon Way, so the general public isn't aware of the scum villain's true nature, but he, as the author, is fully aware that Shen Qingqiu's bad reputation is mostly the product of jealousy and misunderstandings. He certainly wasn’t a saint but his refusal to explain himself (oh why did he have to write such a prideful character?) was the main cause of his downfall in the novel.
Well, Shang Qinghua will not let this stand! That man is his friend! His very first actual friend! He won’t let his friend be tortured to death just because he’s shit at communicating and let his past trauma influence him into abusing the protagonist! He may have been an asshole in the novel, but more and more Shang Qinghua comes to the evidence that this Shen Qingqiu is more closely based on his original draft. His friend doesn’t deserve that fate!
But how can he change the fate of the scum villain without his System enacting punishment for deviating from the plot? After all, outright changing the plot only results in docked points and he doesn’t have enough B points to survive the penalties imposed by the System for messing up the plotline.
It’s a question that troubles him for the rest of the week. No amount of subtle — and not so subtle — prodding of his System makes it give up any secrets. Honestly, at this point, he’s debating if it’s worth it to try to find a way to eject the System from his mind into a corporeal form just so he can punch it in the face — or whatever the equivalent of a face would be for it.
(The System, predictably, isn’t very happy with this line of questioning and demonstrates its displeasure by giving him a sudden headache.)
Unexpectedly, Shen Qingqiu is the one to, almost literally, hand him the answer to all his problems on a silver platter.
It happens during one of their editing sessions (and he has a real editor now! Like a real author! How cool is that? And his editor doesn’t even hate him like his beta-reader from college!).
“Your villain is boring. No motivation, no goals, nothing to drive him forward! It isn’t enough for a story to have an interesting protagonist, the villain must be someone who can act as a foil to the protagonist. If the reader can’t put themselves into the villain’s shoes, how can you tell a truly compelling story?”
He’d agreed with Shen Qingqiu at the time, of course. What he said made a lot of sense in retrospect, and it’s something that he’s heard before from his harshest critics. It’s very hard to create a good villain, though! But like his friend said, a good villain makes a good story, otherwise where would be the fun in a protagonist easily defeating the big bad evil guy?
Wait a second.
A good story needs a good villain, that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? And isn’t his overall goal to improve the quality of writing in this world? Wouldn’t it make sense then for him to, let’s say, improve the villain?
To make a more engaging villain he would need to be relatable, someone with motives that the readers can understand and connect with. Just look at the MCU! Nobody cares about the likes of Obadiah Stane since he’s a creep with shitty motivations, whereas Loki is a lot more popular, sometimes even more popular than Thor! And he gets his own redemption arc, how cool is that! Isn’t it then in everyone’s best interests for Shang Qinghua to polish up Shen Qingqiu’s tarnished reputation? Increasing the complexity of the scum villain character would result in a better overall story and in turn highlight the protagonist’s virtues. Right, System?
[Host...] says the System.
You know I’m right! Making the scum villain more impressive will definitely create more drama for his future trial if nobody expects it, System! That’s the only reason for this, he swears! (Not that he has any intention of letting the accusations actually happen. There’s still a lot of time before Luo Binghe is scheduled to enter Cang Qiong. Plenty of time to change Shen Qingqiu’s fate for the better! After all, earning enough cool points would give him leeway to change future events! Shang Qinghua promises to use this chance wisely to save both his best friend and himself from an untimely death!)
The System remains silent giving him the distinct impression that he’s being ignored. Oh well, it didn’t outright ban his plan so Shang Qinghua takes it as both permission to proceed with his plan and an admission of his genius. If he does a little happy dance in the privacy of his office, well that’s between him and the System.
Now comes the difficult part. How exactly is he supposed to accomplish such a difficult task as that of rehabilitating the scum villain?
Shang Qinghua gets the chance to launch his first plan into motion at the next interpeak meeting.
He comes to the meeting early instead of running in last and thus has the luxury of choosing his seating before anyone else has the chance to. He’s glad that this piece of worldbuilding made it into the novel because otherwise it would be significantly harder for him to execute his plan.
He’s actually quite proud of the thought that went into his decision to not have assigned seating during these meetings. Aside from the Sect Leader, everyone is free to choose their own spots. He’d planned it this way in the novel so that every Peak Lord could have an equal chance of having the Sect Leader’s ear, but also so that he could reinforce the idea of Shen Qingqiu being a selfish and arrogant person for always claiming the seat to the right of Yue Qingyuan.
With time, the other Peak Lords had learned that it was futile to even fight for the seat that Shen Qingqiu had claimed, not only because they would earn Shen Qingqiu’s ire but also because the air around Yue Qingyuan became eerily chilly when Wang Qingchen had tried to claim it once when he had an important matter to discuss with the sect leader.
Arriving first to the meeting gives Shang Qinghua a chance to claim the seat next to Shen Qingqiu’s usual spot. He carefully sets out his notes on the desk and is working on grinding up his ink when the other Peak Lords start to trickle in.
The first to come in is Lang Qingye, the Zui Xian Peak Lord. Despite being in charge of the alcohol production peak, Lang Qingye is a man who doesn’t like being late. In fact, he doesn’t even like being on time. He’s practically the personification of the old saying ‘Early is on time, on time is late, and late is inexcusable’. It would be a commendable trait if it didn’t mean that Shang Qinghua had to force himself to get up at an ungodly hour just to get to the meeting room before him.
Lang Qingye looks visibly startled at finding Shang Qinghua already present but he composes himself quickly enough. They greet each other politely before going back to their own affairs.
The others come in groups of two or three, some already deep in conversation or barely contained disputes. Most of them appear at least somewhat surprised that Shang Qinghua arrived there before them, but even more interested by his choice of sitting arrangement.
When the Qing Jing Peak Lord himself walks in, he doesn’t let any reaction show and proceeds to his seat as if nothing was different. His aloof expression softens ever so slightly when Shang Qinghua salutes him enthusiastically. Shen Qingqiu sits down next to Shang Qinghua, his every movement the picture of elegance.
In direct contrast to the lofty image that Shen Qingqiu presents, Shang Qinghua practically bounces in his seat in barely contained excitement.
“Shen-shixiong, Shen-shixiong! I finished rewriting the last chapter, your suggestions were so useful! Do you have time sometime in the future to go over it with me again?”
“Good morning to you too, Shang-shidi,” Shen Qingqiu says in a tone that makes it clear that he’s reprimanding him for his lack of manners. “This shixiong has the afternoon free if that is suitable for you.”
Shang Qinghua nods eagerly. “Yes, that works perfectly! Oh, you remember my head disciple, right? She just came back from visiting family and brought back with her some lychees that her parents grow. You have to try it when you come by, I’m sure you’ll like it!”
Shen Qingqiu hums an affirmative and busies himself with his meeting notes. Shang Qinghua gleefully ignores the stares that his little exchange with Shen Qingqiu have garnered him.
The meeting is, as usual, only a few unwise words away from devolving into a full-on brawl — whether it would be a verbal or physical fight remains to be seen. Typically, Shang Qinghua’s report takes place towards the end of the gathering. However, this time, Shang Qinghua has a self-imposed task to accomplish, so he intervenes before everyone’s attention wavers too much.
“Zhangmen-shixiong,” Shang Qinghua says, “a great misfortune has befallen our regular supplier of stringed instruments and they won’t be able to provide our sect with any instruments in the future. A new supplier will need to be found, with equal or greater quality of wares, naturally. May this shidi be granted two weeks off the mountain to investigate the current market and ensure that this tragedy wasn’t the result of some sort of sabotage?”
“Of course, Shang-shidi.” Yue Qingyuan acquiesces with his signature gentle smile. “Shidi is a credit to his sect for being so thorough in his dealings. You may take whatever resources you need for this task.”
Shang Qinghua hears someone groan but he pays it no mind. Yue Qingyuan’s willingness to provide whatever Qing Jing Peak needs — or more accurately, whatever Shen Qingqiu needs — plays right into Shang Qinghua’s plans.
“You flatter me, Zhangmen-shixiong,” he demurs before turning toward Shen Qingqiu who is looking at him strangely. “Will Shen-shixiong do me the favor of accompanying me? His expertise in the four scholarly arts would be invaluable for the selection of a new supplier.”
Shen Qingqiu fans his face casually. “If Shang-shidi insists, then this shixiong will, of course, gladly accompany him on his mission.”
Yue Qingyuan’s gentle smile remains plastered on his face, giving the illusion of perfect civility. However, Shang Qinghua detects a touch of frostiness lurking in his eyes, making him shudder involuntarily. Scary! Why did he write the Sect Leader to be such a yandere for Shen Qingqiu?
Well, at least his plan to reveal Shen Qingqiu’s nicer side worked perfectly. Soon, his tarnished reputation will be a thing of the past!
The mission with Shen Qingqiu goes off without a hitch. It turns out to be a lot easier than Shang Qinghua expected!
There was a reason Shang Qinghua had chosen this mission in particular. Aside from giving him the convenient excuse that he needs Shen Qingqiu’s musical expertise to get him on board, there is also the fact that he miraculously remembers what happened in the original plot!
Well, okay, he doesn’t remember everything about what he wrote, but he does recall enough details to improvise the rest.
After all, he’d been really excited about this wife plot! He had big plans for it!
Or at least he did until he had to scrap most of the arc because his fans weren’t interested in a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery. Such a shame…
Anyway, the plot involved the daughter of an instrument maker who was disgraced after failing to provide the promised instruments to Cang Qiong and fell into poverty soon after. Her grievances against Cang Qiong Mountain Sect was one of the things that she and Luo Binghe bonded over in Proud Immortal Demon Way (besides the papapa, that is). There was supposed to be an investigation where Luo Binghe got to show off how smart he is by discovering the sabotage that had happened years before his birth. Mystery, drama, convoluted plots and conspiracies! Shang Qinghua had it all planned out!
In the end, most of the plot ended up being thrown out, but Shang Qinghua remembered the main plot points, including the identity of the saboteur. Not that he ended up needing it since Shen Qingqiu solved the mystery almost single handedly! Whatever you want to say about the Qing Jing Peak Lord, his intellect is undeniable.
Shang Qinghua barely needed to lift a finger to help along the mission which left him plenty of time to work on Shen Qingqiu’s PR campaign. Arranging for people to witness Shen Qingqiu in action and consequently spreading tales of his virtues was particularly inspired of him, Shang Qinghua thinks, metaphorically patting himself on the back.
As a bonus, the grateful instrument maker even gives them a discount for saving his livelihood. Shang Qinghua can practically see the money they’ll be saving on their commissions, it’s great!
It’s a double win for Shang Qinghua. Ha, take that, System!
Let the record show that Shang Qinghua doesn’t appreciate getting waylaid on his way to the An Ding Peak artifact warehouse! Especially not by the War God of Bai Zhan Peak, Liu Qingge.
He has nothing against the man in general, but if there is one way to instantly get on his bad side, it’s by interrupting him while he’s transporting a very heavy and very unwieldy cursed mirror.
(He vaguely remembers the mirror being the catalyst of one of the wife plots in Proud Immortal Demon Way. Something about a malevolent spirit taking refuge in a magical mirror and manifesting from the mirror dimension to steal their victims’ faces. He might have been heavily influenced by tales of Bloody Mary and other urban legends when he wrote that bit. Thankfully, the spirit inhabiting the mirror has been banished so there is technically no danger, but it wasn’t a task that could be delegated to his disciples. Which explains why he, the Peak Lord of An Ding, is the one left with the task of transporting the face-stealer mirror to artifact storage and properly binding it.)
Well, he reasoned, if his martial brother is so intent on interrupting him while he’s on an important mission, then he should pull his weight and carry the mirror for him! Which is exactly what Shang Qinghua tells Liu Qingge in a tone that invites no argument.
To his credit, Liu Qingge only grunts in annoyance before grasping the mirror in one hand and easily lifting it up. Even encumbered by the large mirror, Liu Qingge manages to look like the cover page of Vogue magazine. Shang Qinghua was likely doing the impression of a crab when he was carrying that damned mirror, but Liu Qingge holds up the thing seemingly without any effort and still looks unfairly pretty while doing so. The injustice of it all!
At least, with the mirror out of his hands, Shang Qinghua feels a lot more charitable as he leads the War God to the warehouse.
As expected, Liu Qingge doesn’t beat around the bush. “Why are you associating with Shen Qingqiu?”
And just like that, Shang Qinghua’s mood drops again. He groans in exasperation. “Oh, not this again! Why is everyone so against Shen Qingqiu? He’s a great person and a better friend. People should stop talking behind his back about things they don’t know.”
“He’s a snake,” Liu Qingge retorts, “you shouldn’t trust him.”
“First of all, you don’t get to decide who I trust and who I don’t. Second, you don’t know Shen Qingqiu like I do, so why should I listen to your so-called advice?”
Thankfully, they arrive at the artifact warehouse then and Shang Qinghua busies himself with disabling the wards to let them in. They proceed inside in uncomfortable silence until finally Shang Qinghua instructs his martial brother on where to place the cursed mirror. Binding it is a matter of minutes and after he’s done, Shang Qinghua ushers his martial brother out as quickly as possible.
Liu Qingge breaks the silence. “You say that I don’t know him, but you don’t know the treacherous things he’s done.”
Oh right, that’s what he’s talking about! Well, time to clear up some misunderstandings, Shang Qinghua thinks while mentally rubbing together his hands.
“Is this about him trying to kill you on the well mission? Because that is so untrue. I would know, I was there after all.”
Liu Qingge frowns. “What do you mean? Are you saying that Shen Qingqiu didn’t try to kill me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! He dispatched a spirit that had snuck up on you, and of course by the time you noticed you only saw his blade because the spirit had already dissipated.”
His martial brother stands at the entrance of the warehouse in perplexed silence as his understanding of the world shifts to accommodate these new facts. Shang Qinghua leaves Liu Qingge to his contemplation.
The notification chime from the System awarding Shang Qinghua points for [‘Increase of Shen Qingqiu’s complexity’ +20] is like music to his ears.
Mission ‘Clearing up old misunderstandings’ accomplished!
Shang Qinghua actually gets to witness the consequences of his self-appointed mission at his next tea date with Shen Qingqiu. He arrives right on time with a rather preoccupied expression on his face. But that isn’t what grabs Shang Qinghua’s undivided attention. The bag that Shen Qingqiu is holding when he walks into the room is what interests him the most. Because he recognizes this type of bag.
It’s a bag of melon seeds! His favorite snack!
Shang Qinghua doesn’t even pretend to possess any dignity as he reaches towards the bag and makes grabby hands at it. Shen Qingqiu parts with the snacks easily, as if he had expected exactly this kind of reaction. Shang Qinghua sighs happily as he opens the bag and promptly starts munching on the delicious treat.
Shen Qingqiu, in the meantime, takes a few moments to settle down primly in his seat before he speaks. “Liu Qingge came to Qing Jing,” he pauses deliberately while observing Shang Qinghua’s face for his reactions, “to apologize. He said that you sent him.”
Shang Qinghua chokes on his melon seeds. “What? I didn’t send him. If he came to you, that’s of his own accord. I just told him the truth about that joint mission with the haunted well. Nothing else.”
“Did you?” Shen Qingqiu arches an eyebrow doubtfully.
“I’m not lying! I’ll have you know that I’ve never told a single lie in my life,” Shang Qinghua says in his defense, you know, like a liar.
Shen Qingqiu’s expression tells him everything he needs to know about how much the man believes him. Which is to say: not at all.
Yeah, somehow, Shang Qinghua didn’t think that would fly, either.
Shen Qingqiu don’t speak on that subject any further, instead they get engrossed in discussing the heroine’s trials to rescue her captured love from the tender mercies of hell.
It takes a grand total of four days — a lot longer than it had any right to be — for Shang Qinghua to realize that something is amiss.
He triple checks all of his paperwork and works himself into a frenzy while doing a thorough inspection of An Ding Peak before he admits to himself that the source of the problem likely won’t be found on his peak.
It’s only when Shen Qingqiu misses their planned tea date that Shang Qinghua finally clues in on what had him on edge this entire time. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t miss appointments. Ever. Tardiness is one of his biggest pet peeves, but missing a meeting altogether? Inconceivable.
Starting to get worried, Shang Qinghua decides to ask around. He starts at his peak first and then expands his search to Qing Jing, but he doesn’t manage to unearth much information. All that he knows so far is that Shen Qingqiu left on a mission at the beginning of the week. Nobody knows where he’s gone to, much less when he’ll be coming back.
The secrecy of the mission in question makes Shang Qinghua anxious enough to bite the bullet and seek out some of his martial siblings for answers.
His first stop is Qi Qingqi’s Xian Shu Peak. Qi Qingqi is someone who likes being in the know and has a finger on the pulse of Cang Qiong’s dealings. It makes her his best bet if he wants to find Shen Qingqiu.
(After their altercation, Qi Qingqi had pulled him aside to extend her apologies for her part in their argument. Shang Qinghua had, understandably, been astonished to receive the apology. She had even apologized to Shen Qingqiu for her baseless accusations! Shang Qinghua isn’t completely sure how, but it seems like his plan was working! A lot better than he was expecting, to tell the truth.)
In the end, it’s Qi Qingqi that gives Shang Qinghua the answer to the mystery of his best friend’s whereabouts.
“Hmm, it’s odd that he didn’t tell you himself. Shen Qingqiu requested a mission off the mountain from Zhangmen-shixiong and left soon afterwards.”
“What mission? Do you know?” Shang Qinghua asks.
“He really didn’t tell you? That’s surprising,” she muses as she takes a sip of tea. “I believe the mission was to find some magical plant that grows in the demonic realm. I don’t think even Zhangmen-shixiong has received details regarding this plant other than that it possesses some very useful properties.”
She leans forward in a conspiratorial manner. “The strangest thing, though, is that Shen Qingqiu requested Liu Qingge as his mission partner. I knew that they’ve been getting along better lately, but it’s still quite peculiar.”
Shen Qingqiu requested Liu Qingge as mission partner? What in the seven hells is going on?
It’s true that his two martial brothers have been less hostile towards each other after Shang Qinghua’s intervention, but for Shen Qingqiu to willingly subject himself to the Bai Zhan Peak’s War God company… Isn’t that taking things a bit too far?
And who does Liu Qingge think he is? How dare he just… swoop in and try to steal Shang Qinghua’s spot as Shen Qingqiu’s best friend? Just because he’s a peerless beauty and a far better cultivator than Shang Qinghua himself doesn’t mean that he can just swan in and steal his best friend! His first and only friend at that!
Despite himself, a niggling doubt starts to worm its way into Shang Qinghua’s mind.
Would Shen Qingqiu abandon him now that he has other — better — options for friends?
In the end, Shang Qinghua doesn’t come across any additional information about Shen Qingqiu’s secretive mission until the Qing Jing Peak Lord turns up on his doorstep one week after their missed meeting. His lofty appearance is only offset by the large flower pot he holds firmly in his hands.
Before any pleasantries can be exchanged, Shen Qingqiu shoves the potted plant under Shang Qinghua’s nose, leaving him to stare at it uncomprehendingly. When Shen Qingqiu shakes the plant insistently, Shang Qinghua automatically takes a hold of the rather heavy pot.
It’s… a plant. Shang Qinghua doesn’t know what he expected when he found out that Shen Qingqiu was looking for a magic plant — a demonic plant, if the rumors that it only grows in the demonic realm are true — but this plant wasn’t it. There’s nothing overtly strange about the flowering shrub compared to some of the other plants that he’d created for his stallion novel. No fluorescent lights or distinctive odors, no weird movements or certainly no papapa pollen in sight.
Just a simple plant.
Its green leaves gleam in the sunlight and small clusters of bright red fruits surround the entire length of the stem.
Despite the ordinary appearance of the plant, there’s something about that plant that feels familiar to Shang Qinghua. It’s shocking because he had never done much research when inventing flowers to populate this world.
“This is for you, Shang-shidi,” Shen Qingqiu says, gesturing at the plant. “I remember you mentioned this plant some time ago.”
Shang Qinghua examines the plant again, willing his shitty memory to cooperate with him. He mentioned a plant to his martial brother? When did that happen? He’d never been very interested in plants beyond what was needed to create original flowers and trees for Proud Immortal Demon Way. And even then, most of the time he just threw together some words that would sound impressive without necessarily spending any time on researching the plants involved.
Wait a second.
He remembers now! The only plant he ever mentioned to Shen Qingqiu is…
“No way,” he breathes out as he takes a second look at the plant in his arms. If he’s right, then this plant is the solution to his life-long misery, the oasis in the middle of a desert of despair. He looks up at Shen Qingqiu’s expectant face. “You— you found a coffee plant?”
Shen Qingqiu fans himself lazily. “It was an easier task than I expected, all things considered.”
Shang Qinghua tears up. “Is that why you requested the mission? To look for coffee?”
Shen Qingqiu sniffs disdainfully. “Of course, why else would I need to leave my Peak? I found references to the ‘coffee’ plant you described in one of the travelogues in the Qing Jing library. Naturally, your description of this miraculous plant had me curious so I decided to see it for myself.”
“But why did you invite Liu Qingge along on the mission?”
“The brute has his uses and he owed me a favor. The plant was said to grow in the lair of a demonic beast and I knew that having someone of his caliber around would increase the chances of success for this mission.”
Shang Qinghua starts crying in earnest now. That’s the most precious and thoughtful gift he’d ever received! Shen Qingqiu, you truly are the best friend a man could have!
Shen Qingqiu makes a small choking noise and Shang Qinghua turns to eye him in worry. Shen Qingqiu just gapes at him with wide eyes.
Wait, did he start talking out loud again?
He totally did! How embarrassing!
Shang Qinghua hides his face behind the coffee plant in mortification. Him and his loose tongue, it’s really going to get him into trouble one of these days!
Through the foliage, Shang Qinghua witnesses Shen Qingqiu lift his fan higher to hide his suspiciously pink cheeks.
In a voice barely above a whisper, Shen Qingqiu says, “Idiot, you are my friend too.”
Shang Qinghua feels utterly content for the first time in what seems like forever. Life on An Ding Peak has been a lot more peaceful since his initial outburst and subsequent dressing-downs he had to deliver in defense of Shen Qingqiu.
(Although he suspects that Shen Qingqiu may have had a hand in his improved quality of life. He has no proof, of course, but Shang Qinghua is certain that his best friend bullied his way across the peaks to force everyone to be more mindful of their An Ding Peak colleagues. He also strongly suspects that his head disciple has helped her shibo in that endeavor. He wouldn’t put it past Zhou Chunhua to strike fear into the hearts of her fellow disciples in the name of properly filled-out paperwork.)
Interpeak relations have never been as smooth as they are now and he even witnessed Bai Zhan and Qing Jing disciples sparring amiably on two separate occasions!
Shang Qinghua had feared at first that his actions would backfire on him, but as he steadily improves Shen Qingqiu’s reputation, strengthens the bonds between Peak Lords and accumulates B points for his efforts, he begins to slowly allow himself to enjoy this new life. The future doesn’t look as bleak anymore and he’s already planning on how to nudge the plot along to save everyone from the fate that he wrote so long ago.
After all, what’s not to like in his new lease on life? He has a comfortable job with good colleagues and very obedient — if sneaky — disciples, a best friend who is always down to bash novels with him and who is more than eager to edit his works.
Shen Qingqiu’s discovery of the coffee plant also has the unintended side effect of making him famous across the cultivation world. Both cultivators and mortals alike flock to Cang Qiong to purchase the miraculous coffee beans and Shang Qinghua has his hands full with handling the logistics of it all. Coffee had rapidly become one of Cang Qiong’s main exports and a very profitable business venture for the sect.
Shang Qinghua sighs in contentment as he reclines in his seat and takes a sip of his osmanthus syrup latte.
Ah, life is truly good now that he has all the coffee he could possibly want!