Chapter Text
A ground shaking BAM echoed around the castle, alerting everyone inside.
Shen QingQiu dodged and duck, his movements were quick and easy as if he knew exactly what Luo BingHe would strike him with. Luo BingHe let out a loud growl, swinging Xiu Mo. Shen QingQiu easily weaseled out.
Luo BingHe furrowed his eyebrows deeper, getting angrier and angrier, his eyes focused solely on Shen QingQiu as his actions became more erratic and wild.
Shen QingQiu never once attack him, he just dodge and duck. Luo BingHe growled, "Stop running away, coward!"
Shen QingQiu's forehead vein popped slightly but he just stayed silent. With each steps Luo BingHe took, Shen QingQiu retreated as many.
Shen QingQiu finched. His back touched a wall.
Luo BingHe smirked, "You're mine now!" he swung Xiu Mo upwards. Shen QingQiu sucked in deep breath, spitting out a rock, flying like a bullet straight into Luo BingHe's eye.
The demon growled, covering his eye mostly just by pure surprise. Shen QingQiu swiftly ran passed him, heading towards a different direction.
"Get him!!!!"
Demons turned towards Shen QingQiu, charging at him. The peak lord swung his fan, cutting a few upfronts before jumping on the others to keep running.
Shen QingQiu ducked into a dark room, catching a breath.
Screech, scratch, screech, scratch.
"Shizunnn~~~ Where you are?~~~~~ You know you can't run away from me forever~~~~"
Shen QingQiu slowed his breathing, taking in only small breaths. In mere seconds a red dot glowed in the middle of the room, lighting the whole place up. "Found you." Luo BingHe threw a chair nearby at Shen QingQiu before charging at him.
Shen QingQiu ducked downwards and dodged his punch, squinting his eyes at Luo BingHe's punch created a hole on the wall. He turned and ran outside, heading out the hallway.
Shen QingQiu ran, dodging and slicing every demon that tried to stop him. As he ran, he noticed a big door, looking fanciest out of all the other doors he ran by. Without much thought, Shen QingQiu ran in, slamming it closed.
He breathed in and out heavily, leaning on the door as he listened to see where Luo BingHe was when a rustling inside made him sucked in a breath. Slowly turning himself to the inside of the room, he spotted a dark figure sitting in the middle, back hunched.
Noticed someone was inside, the figure slowly looked up, its forehead glowed a weak blue color. Shen QingQiu squinted his eyes, how unlucky, he ran into Mo BeiJun out of all people.
"Who... is... there...?"
Shen QingQiu furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't tell who it was? Shen QingQiu contemplated if he should answer or not when Mo BeiJun spoke again: "I know you are here."
Shen QingQiu gulped silently, taking in a soft breath, adjusting his voice. "My king?"
Mo BeiJun's head snapped upwards hearing that voice. "Shang QingHua?"
Shen QingQiu chewed on his lower lip, considering. "My king, why did you do that to me?"
Mo BeiJun flinched, lowering his head slowly, slumping his body. "Lord Luo BingHe ordered me to.. I had to.."
Shen QingQiu went a bit more daring. "Why did you kill me? After everything?"
Mo BeiJun's body shook slightly. "I have to.."
"I loved you, my king."
"I had to.."
Shen QingQiu licked his lips. It was working. It was a scummy tactic but it worked, Shen QingQiu had never been that good of a guy anyway.
"I loved you, my king. I really did."
"I had to... I had to..."
"Be with me, my king."
"Shang QingHua..."
"Come to the other side with me, I'm waiting for you. I've always been waiting."
"I will... I will...."
Shen QingQiu coldly looked on as the ice demon created an ice blade in his hand, raising it. "I'll come to you, Shang QingHua... I'll come to you..."
As the ice melted, the demon's body collapsed, becoming limp. Shen QingQiu let out a breath, slowly heading closer to the demon. He checked breathing and pulses, confirming that Mo BeiJun had in fact taken his own life.
He glanced over at a table nearby, filled with notes and writings. Some notes were carefully written while the other was wild and hard to read, not to mention strangely colder than the neatly written one.
Shen QingQiu took hold of Mo BeiJun's face, inspecting his eye, finding it completely greyed out. It seems that after killing Shang QingHua under Luo BingHe's order, Mo BeiJun, filled with grief and guilt, locked himself away, crying about him, trying to recreate everything that Shang QingHua used to do, acting as if the other was still alive.
Shen QingQiu took a couple of steps towards the bed, pulling the blanket downward.
Under the blanker was not a bed, it was an ice case with see-through glass on top. Shang QingHua laid lifeless inside, his body still looked healthy and intact like it had always been. If you overlook the bluish skin, it looked like Shang QingHua was just in a deep sleep.
Shen QingQiu silently opened the case, pulling Mo BeiJun's body inside, laying him next to Shang QingHua before closing the case and pulled the blanket back up.
This was all his fault. If he hadn't been horrible to Luo BingHe, if he hadn't mistreated him, if he hadn't imprinted so much pain into Luo BingHe's heart, he wouldn't have killed everyone in Cang Qiong Mountain sect, wouldn't have damaged the his most loyal servant by killing his happiness, wouldn't have driven himself to madness.
The door was burst open, slamming itself onto the walls, cracking it slightly. Luo BingHe growled at him from afar. "What are you doing here?"
Shen QingQiu kept his eye on him as he moved. Luo BingHe did similarly though his own was darting left and right, finding something.
"Mo BeiJun is gone."
Luo BingHe snapped his eyes back at him. "What have you done to him?!"
Shen QingQiu raised an eyebrow, "What have I done? What have you done?"
I'm sorry.
Luo BingHe growled, tightening his grip on Xiu Mo. "What have you done to him?!"
I'm sorry.
Shen QingQiu smirked, "You forced him to kill something that brought peace and happiness to his stormy heart. And you asked me what I've done?"
I'm sorry.
Luo BingHe's eyes widened, his nose scrunched up as his brows furrowed deeper. "Shut up!"
I'm sorry.
Shen QingQiu let out a cold laugh, "You've done it! You've killed him! You've killed him long before he could even die!"
I'm sorry.
Luo BingHe covered his ears, "Shut Up!!"
Shen QingQiu laughed madly, "The only person who cared for you, not for your dick, was killed by you! Hahahahaha!!!!!"
I'm sorry.
Luo BingHe glowered at him, "SHUT UP!!!!" He swung Xiu Mo. For some reason, Shen QingQiu felt no fear as he saw Xiu Mo's blade inched closer and closer to him. He closed his eyes, this was good, kill him, let him atone for his sins.
"Shizunnnn~~ I hope you like the fooooodddddd~~~~"
Shen QingQiu snapped open his eyes, dodging away from Xiu Mo's blade.
"I really miss you. Did you miss me?"
Shen QingQiu pulled a couple of papers on the desk nearby at Luo BingHe. The demon growled, tearing it off, swinging Xiu Mo at him.
"Shizun! Look what I can do!"
Shen QingQiu rolled away from the blade, ignoring a section of his hair that got cut off as he grabbed a chair nearby and chucked it at him.
"Shizun, do you love me?"
Shen QingQiu took out his fan, swinging it, pushing Luo BingHe back slightly purely from surprised.
"I love you."
Shen QingQiu turned his back and ran out, slamming the door closed and he bolted. He couldn't afford to die now, he couldn't afford to let himself get stained. Different than before, he has something, someone. He has someone to care about, someone to talk about, someone to touch, someone to kiss, someone to hold, someone to love. Someone who loves him. He can't just die.
Luo BingHe punched a hole through the wall, chasing after Shen QingQiu. As they ran, Shen QingQiu widened his eyes. A dead end!
He turned to change direction was Luo BingHe was already right behind him.
Shen QingQiu squinted his eyes, he raised his fan but Luo BingHe slapped it out before slamming his wrist onto the wall, pinning it there.
Luo BingHe glared, "As expected, your other arm couldn't move." He chuckled coldly, "You really are my Shen QingQiu, aren't you?" He smirked, raising Xiu Mo. "You can't run from me now."
Shen QingQiu's pupil shrunk as he furrowed his brows, watching as Xiu Mo got swung downwards.
His eyes widened. From right above his head, the wall cracked open. A fist flew out, landing square on Luo BingHe's face, making him flew backward a few feet.
The arm retreated before two arms punched through the wall, barely missed his arms. They wrapped themselves tightly around Shen QingQiu, pulling him back before pulling the wall out, kicking at Luo BingHe who got knocked back a couple more feet.
Before Shen QingQiu could react, his face was pulled into a familiar chest. Hard yet not stiff, soft yet not mushed, the perfect combination. Shen QingQiu immediately wrapped his arm around him, pulling him closer.
"You did amazing, love. It's okay now, I'm here for you." Luo BingHe, his Luo BingHe comforted lovingly, giving soft kisses on the top of his head.
Shen QingQiu lifted his head up. "How did you know?"
He smiled softly, "I have my Shen QingQiu senses~" He got knocked on the head.
It was originally Shen QingQiu's plan to split up. He feared he might still have the other Luo BingHe's demon blood inside of him, if he were to be tasked to save 'Shen QingQiu', he might mess it up before even starting it. Because of such, Luo BingHes went to find and save 'Shen Qingqiu' while he went and create a distraction.
Shen QingQiu shifted his eyes to look behind Luo BingHe, spotting 'Luo BingHe' having his eyes wiped and his head gently patted by a different version of himself. He couldn't help but cringe.
His Luo BingHe laughed at his reaction, turning to 'Luo BingHe', "MeiMei, Calm down. I think you're scaring my partner~"
'Luo BingHe' whined, turning to then, "Stop teasing mee!"
His Luo BingHe chuckled, turning back to Shen QingQiu, "Aren't you going to ask me if I'm okay like the other you?~"
Shen QingQiu squinted his eyes. "I don't do unnecessary things." since both knew nothing could bring trouble for Luo BingHe.
The other Luo BingHe finally shoved the heavy wall off of him. He let out a loud animalistic growl. All four of them snapped their heads back towards him.
Luo BingHe pulled Shen QingQiu behind him, 'Luo BingHe' took out his own sword and stood side by side his Luo BingHe.
"You bastards are starting to piss me off!!!!" He swung Xiu Mo at them.
His Luo BingHe swiftly took out his own Xiu Mo, swinging it, creating a huge explosion as two blades slammed onto one another. All three Luo BingHes charged at one another, even the other Shen QingQiu jumped in yet Shen QingQiu couldn't move a muscle.
Shen QingQiu looked around. This room was brighter than most rooms that he had been through but it was still dimly lit, a prominent smell of blood and sex was radiating in the room.
The best looking room in this whole castle is a room that was used mainly for sex.
His Luo BingHe smirked looking at the other struggling to fight with all three. "Heard many things about you, scumbag." The other demon glared at him. "The shizun that was once yours," a strange smug glee showed clearly in his Luo BingHe's eyes, "Is now married to me."
The demon laughed coldly, "What's so fun with marrying a demon in human clothe anyway? Do you know what he had done?"
Luo BingHe slammed the other on the wall, kicking the demon's Xiu Mo away, pushing his own at its neck. "I know what he did. But do you know what's fun?" Luo BingHe's smirk became more prominent. "He loves me."
The demon growled, "You're just falling for his trap. Open your eyes, a scum like him doesn't know what love is."
Luo BingHe rolled his eyes, "I think you're the one who doesn't. As an almighty demon lord with so many women licking your feet, which one really loves you?" The demon's pupil shrunk as it glowered at him. "Everyone who 'loves' you all wants something from you. Riches, pleasure, power. And do you know what my Shen QingQiu wants from me? Nothing. Look around you, beast, in this castle filled with so many demons and people running around, always throwing loving words at you, compliment you, serve you but when something actually goes down. Where are they?"
Luo BingHe let out a cold laugh, a laugh that was an exact copy as Shen QingQiu's laugh just moments ago. "You lost Luo BingHe, you lost everything! Hahahahaha!!!" Luo BingHe shook his head slightly, smirking at the demon in front of him. "But really, did you ever had anything to lose?"
The demon let out a loud growl, landing a punch on his face in which he returned twice as hard. The demon was able to throw the sword out of Luo BingHe's hand but 'Luo BingHe' quickly started attacking it from behind.
The demon was beaten and beaten and beaten. Blood and wounds were being ripped open, hair was being pulled, clothes were all tattered. Before long, what was of him was a pile of bleeding mess.
His Luo Binghe picked the other up by his hair, dragging him towards Shen QingQiu. "In the end, he is more your enemy than mine. The last blow is your call, love." Luo BingHe raised the other up by his hair.
Shen QingQiu stared at the demon in front of him.
This demon killed his sect.
Shen QingQiu's eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper.
This demon killed his disciple.
Shen QingQiu's fist curled in tighter.
This demon killed his martial family.
Shen QingQiu lowered his head, biting his lower lip, his body shook slightly.
This demon ruined him.
Shen QingQiu sucked in a breath.
This demon...
Shen QingQiu dropped down on two knees, kneeling in front of the horribly injured Luo BingHe.
was ruined by him.
His Luo BingHe widened his eyes, "What are you doing?!"
The demon in his hand chuckled, chuckles then turned to laughter, laughter then turned to pure manic laugh before slowly lowered its own volume, turning into a totally different sound. Sobbing. The demonic lord who slept with 600 women, who controlled both human demonic world, who has the whole world in his own hands sobbed loudly.
"Why does it always have to be me?! What have I ever done?! Why?! Why couldn't I be one of you asshole?! Why is it always me who had to suffer?! Why am I the only one who met a scumbag?! Why am I never allowed to be happy?!"
He sobbed loudly in front of Shen QingQiu. Shen QingQiu could feel each and every tear drops that dripped on his head. He bit his lower lip, "I'm sorry."
The demon stopped his sobbing for a short moment before letting out a loud scream, swinging its leg, kicking him in the face, stomping on his head, kicking the side of his face. Shen QingQiu made no sound nor effort to dodge. He just sat there and took it.
His Luo BingHe moved to stop the other but Shen QingQiu grabbed his ankle, a clear sign telling him to not move. Luo BingHe furrowed his brows deeply, looking at the person that he loved so dearly being kicked till bruises and blood became more and more prominent and wasn't allowed to move was painful. Luo BingHe bit his bottom lip, averting his eyes. Even 'Luo BingHe' couldn't watch.
"You asshole! You scumbag! You lowlife! You animal! Why did you come back?! To show me how much of a better life you have now?! To show me how much happier you are with a different Luo BingHe?! To spit on my face the fact that no matter what I try doing for you, you'd rather run away from me?!!!"
The demon wiggled himself out of Luo BingHe's grasp, jumping onto Shen QingQiu, punching his face, his nose, his head, his stomach, his chest but because of how horribly beat up his own body was, the punches couldn't do anything critical to Shen QingQiu.
"Why am I the only one who couldn't meet a good shizun?! Why am I the only one who had to meet a man who hates just because of his own jealousy?!" His body shook slightly as he took Shen QingQiu's shirt into his fists. "I have all of this land for what?! You're fucking right! I lost, I lose everything! I lose my mother! I lose my martial family! I lose my sect! My parents....! My real parents...! They have never even wanted me! They would rather kill me off and leave me to rot!!!! Even my own shizun died on me just to be with a different me!!!!!"
The demon sobbed, his tears dripped down so much a section of Shen QingQiu's shirt was fully soaked. "I never had anything... I never had anyone..." He curled himself smaller and smaller. "I hate you... I hate you... I hate you... I hate you...." He sobbed "Why couldn't you have been kinder to me... Just a little bit... I only ask for a little bit.."
The demon's eyes suddenly widened, staring dumbfounded at the person below him place a hand gently on his head, slowly ruffling his already wild hair. "Because I'm useless. Because I'm a scumbag. I've taken what you deserve to have. I took away the happiness you should be allowed to have. All my fault, not yours. I'm sorry."
The demon's tears welled up more as its tightly clutched hands slowly released Shen QingQiu' shirt. "Shizun!!!" He burst into tears, curling into him into a fetal position as he sobbed into Shen QingQiu's chest. Shen QingQiu gently patted his head as his Luo BingHe helped him sit up.
As Luo BingHe watched the demon sobbing into Shen QingQiu's chest and reminded himself of what 'MeiMei' was told him about his own shizun, Luo BingHe had a thought. Out of all of them, he was the luckiest one. Sure, his shizun might not have been the most gentle nor the most talkative but both of them trust each other fully, both love each other fully, both know the other from the inside out. If he had to go through being kicked into the Endless Abyss, spend years down there all by himself and continuously being misunderstood by Shen QingQiu, he might have become another 'MeiMei' and if he had to go through constant suffering with no hint of true happiness like the Luo BingHe that his Shen QingQiu originally abandoned, he would be driven himself crazy too.
"Shizun!! Shizun!!" the other Luo BingHe sobbed onto Shen QingQiu's chest, calling him as such over and over again as he silently comforted him.
"Come back with us." Shen QingQiu spoke slowly, turning to look at his Luo BingHe who gave him a soft smile, telling him it was his call, he would follow him till the end of the world. Shen QingQiu smiled back at him, pulling the other Luo BingHe out from his chest, facing him. "Come to our world. If your martial family is gone, ours can be yours. If your friends are gone, you can make them again in our world. If your parents leave you, we'll fill that role, we'll take care of you."
The other Luo BingHe welled up again, nodding as he sobbed, unable to hold back his tears. He sobbed and clung like a child, even unconsciously turn himself into one too to fully be able to hide in Shen QingQiu's chest. In the dark world when everyone he ever met always cast him aside, someone promised to take care of him, someone was ready to care for him. To him, that was more than enough.
"So now what?" - 'Shen QingQiu' asked as the other Luo BingHe had finally stopped crying and fainted onto Shen QingQiu's chest.
Luo BingHe put a seal on the other Luo BingHe's body, forcing the demonic energy to be in a sleep state and it could not be unsealed by anyone except Shen QingQiu and himself.
"We'll take him back to our world and take care of him. Give him someone that he should have had years ago." Luo BingHe spoke for Shen QingQiu, one of his arms was wrapped around Shen QingQiu's hip who leaned into him slightly.
"I supposed this is goodbye?" - asked 'MeiMei' who seemed to be pouting slightly.
Luo BingHe chuckled, ruffling his head, messing up his head again. "We can meet again." He threw the other Luo BingHe's Xiu Mo at him. "Practice with it so if you ever want to hear this 'brother' talk, you can come over."
"You are just another me! Don't just self proclaim yourself into a brother!"
'Shen QingQiu' chuckled slightly, "I still think it's best if you keep it..."
Luo BingHe shrugged, "If you say so." He took back Xiu Mo, hanging one behind his back while the other on his hip.
Shen QingQIu raised an eyebrow at his look, "Would it overpower you?"
Luo BingHe smiled softly at him, "Not if I'm wielding it."
Luo BingHe helped 'MeiMei' opened a portal to his world, as they bid their goodbyes, 'Shen QingQiu' heard Shen QingQiu asked: "You're not me aren't you?"
'Shen QingQiu' chuckled awkwardly, "Of course not. I'm a different version of you."
Shen QingQiu shook his head, "You're not me." He paused, "But that doesn't matter." He flicked his head over at 'MeiMei', "Just let him feel that you really do love him."
'Shen QingQiu' watched as the portal closed, patting the head of his own Luo BingHe, or who the other two called as 'MeiMei'. He couldn't help but felt a bit strange. He had thought about this once when Yue QingYuan told him the truth about himself but never think much about it since he would start to spiral but after a Shen QingQiu who left his old world but could still meet and face the consequence of him moving the thought came to him again.
'Shen QingQiu' placed a hand on his chest. This body that belonged to a different person with a different past, memories and personalities that had been snatched away by him. The true 'Shen QingQiu'. He couldn't help but wonder where he would be..
---
The other Luo BingHe opened his eyes to be greeted with a dreamscape filled with darkness. He squinted his eyes, looking around, spotting a couple of rips that get opened then closed. Could it be, he was in limbo, the space between worlds?
He rubbed his eyes, letting his body float around the space a while when he spotted a small weak light floating closer to him. When light 'spotted' him, it flew closer, trying 'hit' him but its action just looked like it was bouncing on his chest. He couldn't help but find it kind of funny.
This light gave him a strange feeling, a strangely familiar feeling. When he opened his eyes again, he was laying inside the side room in a bamboo house, soft chirps of birds, whispers of disciples, soft cling clang of someone eating and soft sounds of someone brushing their hair echoed softly around yet in his mind, all he could hear was the name: "Shen Jiu."