Chapter Text
No matter what anyone seemed inclined to think, Shen Qingqiu was doing fine.
Sure, Binghe was in the Abyss, slowly levelling up in order to return and tear Shen Qingqiu limb from limb, and sure Qing Jing peak felt empty without his little sheep around, but it was fine. Shen Qingqiu had a mushroom body in the works, that would hopefully save both him and Cang Qiong from complete destruction.
People who claimed Shen Qingqiu wasn’t doing well were worrying for no reason. His hours seated in front of Binghe’s sword mound were purely meditative! Cultivators meditated all the time, so why was Shen Qingqiu doing it in front of the sword mound of his very much alive and suffering disciple such a big deal?
Others told him they were concerned because he no longer left the peak. This was expressly untrue, seeing as his martial siblings dragged him away from Qing Jing all the time. Or at least it felt like all the time. Time seemed to run away from Shen Qingqiu these days. An inevitability really, seeing as Shen Qingqiu was on a deadline before Binghe’s return.
Shen Qingqiu supposed he should also specify that the “martial siblings” dragging him off peak almost entirely consisted of a singular martial brother.
Liu Qingge had always been stubborn, ever since Shen Qingqiu met him in the Ling Xi caves. Stubborn enough to consistently show up on Qing Jing peak multiple times a week. Sometimes with slayed beasts. Sometimes with trinkets he thought Shen Qingqiu would like. Most often with fans Shen Qingqiu had dropped somewhere.
Liu Qingge was also the only one stubborn enough to force meals down Shen Qingqiu’s throat, even when he wasn’t very hungry, thank you very much!
Shen Qingqiu had to admit that the stubbornness, despite being annoying at times, was an attractive trait in the way Liu Qingge wielded it. Though most things about Liu Qingge were attractive, Shen Qingqiu supposed. From his cute blush after being teased, to the fierce loyalty toward his home and martial family. All A+ attributes!
Hell even Liu Qingge’s attributes that wouldn’t seem to be attractive managed to be endearing. An awkwardness with words? That was okay, Shen Qingqiu was happy to talk enough for both of them! And it just made the words Liu Qingge said that much more meaningful! An “act first, think later” attitude? It may get them in trouble sometimes, but it also emphasized how strong Liu Qingge really was.
Liu Qingge was as reliable as they came, which was why when Liu Qingge was declared missing at the last peak lord meeting, Shen Qingqiu felt his stomach drop.
Everyone on Cang Qiong knew that Liu Qingge was liable to be off the mountain for long periods of time, so if he was being officially listed as missing, then something was very wrong. Apparently, a missive from Liu Qingge to Zhangmeng-shixiong, had stated that he was expected to return to the sect almost a month ago. And since then, not a word.
Shen Qingqiu had actually noticed the other’s absence before the peak lord meeting, but had convinced himself that Liu Qingge was simply on a longer mission.
He supposed his increase in Without a Cure flare-ups were attributed to the lack of Liu Qingge cleansing his meridians. It wasn’t like Liu Qingge to forget those appointments, even if Shen Qingqiu often did these days.
Still, Liu Qingge being missing threw Shen Qingqiu off kilter more than he’d expected. He knew Liu Qingge was strong. The Bai Zhan Peak Lord was a skilled and brave warrior, capable of fighting off most threats in this world.
Even so, Shen Qingqiu felt worried.
Liu Qingge had been fated to die early on, so maybe this world was taking the chance to right the wrong Shen Qingqiu had interfered with? The System didn’t seem to indicate that the world was programmed that way though.
But if Liu Qingge was gone. Was dead. Well, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure what he would do. Just thinking about it made him feel queasy and a little faint. Obviously because he and Liu Qingge were good friends, and Shen Qingqiu didn’t want anything to happen to his good friend.
As such, Shen Qingqiu had insisted he be permitted to join the search for Liu Qingge. The first mission he himself had asked to join since the Immortal Alliance Conference.
“Qingqiu-shidi is still recovering,” Yue Qingyuan had said upon Shen Qingqiu’s request. Because of course he had. “Qingqiu-shidi should remain in the Sect. Though perhaps if Shidi were to research the Wishing Stone, that may aid in locating Liu-shidi. That was what Liu-shidi was searching for prior to his disappearance.”
The Wishing Stone? That piece of trash plot device from PIDW? The one that would grant “righteous wishes” for something of equivalent value, but was so picky that all who had requested something from it were struck down and killed almost immediately?
The Wishing Stone that, of course, Luo Binghe had used to save dying Wife #233 in exchange for Luo Binghe’s ability to have children. Which had been insane by the way, until Luo Binghe had somehow absorbed the Wishing Stone, nullifying the cost for Wife 233’s life, but also keeping her alive.
All that to say, the whole arc had amounted to nothing.
“This one knows of the Wishing Stone,” Shen Qingqiu had stated. “Why was Liu-shidi looking for it?”
The object was so picky in its requirements that likely only the protagonist would be able to successfully strike a deal with it. If Liu Qingge had found it…
Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang had shared a look.
“Liu-shixiong wished to keep that private,” Mu Qingfang had replied, which had only made Shen Qingqiu even more curious and anxious.
Anyways, no matter how much he had tried to negotiate, no one seemed willing to allow Shen Qingqiu to join the search party.
Well, fuck you guys too!
Shen Qingqiu wasn’t a fragile baby! He wasn’t a damsel in distress needing to be locked in a tower. He was a peak lord!
So, with a big mental middle finger to the haters (AKA his martial siblings who cared for his wellbeing), Shen Qingqiu had packed a bag and snuck off in the night. His own personal search for Liu Qingge.
The man had helped Shen Qingqiu for years, so now it was Shen Qingqiu’s turn, permission or no. He needed to stop Liu Qingge from finding the Wishing Stone and being killed for the sole crime of not being the protagonist.
Shen Qingqiu flew atop Xiu Ya, staying as low to the ground as possible, given his recent Without a Cure flare-ups. This worked in his favour, seeing as within the first four hours, Shen Qingqiu had his spiritual energy blocked twice. Neither crash had been too bad. His robes had gotten dirty, and sure it was painful, but Shen Qingqiu had gone through worse.
To be honest, having to walk for portions of the journey when he had a perfectly viable sword to fly on was the most annoying part.
At least Shen Qingqiu had a general idea of where he was going. He also knew the name of the town closest to the Wishing Stone, Moonlit Tree Village (yes it was that on the nose), and how to enter the Secret Realm if needed. He just had to find out where that was.
He stopped at a couple different villages on his way, inquiring with the locals about how to get to his destination. The first two villages hadn’t heard of Moonlit Tree Village but the third had, and offered detailed directions on how to get there.
Shen Qingqiu felt more hopeful after getting proper directions, though the worry for his Liu-shidi didn’t abate.
Hopefully Liu Qingge would be at Moonlit Tree Village. Or someone there had at least seen him.
It was about a five day journey, all in all. Shen Qingqiu stayed in inns three nights and camped the others (though with what he packed, the term “glamping” was probably more apt). Each night he pondered how Liu Qingge of all people could have gone missing. His mind drifted to qi deviations and the mess Liu Qingge had been in when Shen Qingqiu had first met him.
He tried not to think about already losing his White Lotus, and how empty Cang Qiong would feel if Liu Qingge was gone too. It made Shen Qingqiu feel heavy all the way down to his soul. Or maybe he was just feeling lethargic from bad sleeps away from his bed, haha!
Shen Qingqiu had to shake his head and will the bad thoughts away.
Liu Qingge would be fine. Shen Qingqiu would find out that his shidi had just gotten distracted pursuing some amazing beast and had lost track of time. No Wishing Stone, no offscreen death. Happy endings for all (except Shen Qingqiu, who was destined to die horribly)!
When Shen Qingqiu touched down in Moonlit Tree Village, he was a little worn out, but mostly intent on immediately getting clues about Liu Qingge’s whereabouts.
Upon his arrival, the villagers that saw him went wide eyed in wonder at his appearance. The mud streaked on his robes must not hurt his image too much then.
“Master Cultivator, you honour us with your presence,” a tall woman greeted him with a bow.
Shen Qingqiu nodded at her.
“This master appreciates your welcome,” Shen Qingqiu replied, eyeing the area for anything suspicious.
“Is there anything this humble one can assist with?” she asked genuinely, not seeming skeevy in the slightest.
“Yes, actually. This master is looking for his shidi. Has another cultivator from Cang Qiong passed through here recently? Handsome, striking, serious, and a mole under his eye?”
The woman nodded readily.
“There was indeed a Cang Qiong cultivator around here nearly a month ago,” the woman said, then seemed to consider something. “Though he was never seen again after interrogating the village chief.”
So Liu Qingge was here.
This was both good and bad news. Good news because Shen Qingqiu was on the right track. But Shen Qingqiu’s chest clenched at Liu Qingge coming this close to finding the Wishing Stone.
Nope, no more fixating on worst case scenarios. Shen Qingqiu already did that for everything else in his life, but he refused to do so now.
He would live in denial as long as possible, like someone watching an episode of anime named after their favourite side character who was totally expendable and an easy means to traumatize the main character.
Schroedinger’s Liu Qingge! Unless proven otherwise, Liu Qingge was alive and thriving.
“Thank you for your assistance,” Shen Qingqiu said.
The woman offered some additional services, a room and food, but Shen Qingqiu politely declined.
If Shen Qingqiu wasn’t mistaken, tonight was a full moon, which was the only time one could enter the secret realm housing the Wishing Stone. What good timing! It also meant Shen Qingqiu only had a couple of hours before he needed to find the right tree to actually enter the secret realm.
With a prayer to his tired body that yearned for a mattress, but yearned even more to confirm Liu Qingge’s safety, Shen Qingqiu headed toward the nearby forest.
The trees here were massive in stature, clearly as old as many of the immortals that roamed this world.
It took an alarming amount of time to find the correct tree, even with the knowledge of what he was looking for. By the time he found the tree, in its fully symmetrical glory, the moon was high in the sky.
Shen Qingqiu did have to wait a little too long for his liking to actually enter, as it took time for some of the clouds to clear, but as soon as even a sliver of moonlight hit the tree, Shen Qingqiu was jumping through the illusory trunk and into the secret realm.
Another time Shen Qingqiu would have properly admired the unique properties of the secret realm. That time was not today.
Shen Qingqiu was instead almost knocked to the ground by a large amount of demonic energy flooding the surroundings, accompanied by frustrated growls coming from the shrine at the end of the path Shen Qingqiu found himself upon.
This… wasn’t what he remembered being described in PIDW. The Wishing Stone was a demonic relic, sure, but its energies weren’t described as oppressed or anywhere near this strong.
Whatever, this wouldn’t be the first time thing in PIDW that differed from the world Shen Qingqiu found himself in, and it wouldn’t be the last.
With a tight grip on Xiu Ya, Shen Qingqiu trudged forward, breathing through the thick demonic presence, and towards the shrine.
The grunts of anger got louder as Shen Qingqiu approached. The ground shook, and crashing sounds joined the upset voice within.
Damn, some demon in there was pissed. Like, Shen Qingqiu after reading a new PIDW chapter level of pissed.
Too bad Shen Qingqiu was pissed as well. He’d already lost his Binghe, and he wasn’t about to lose his Liu-shidi just because some angry demon was rampaging around his next clue to Liu Qingge’s whereabouts.
With a steady hand, Shen Qingqiu pushed the doors to the shrine open and took a step inside without a second thought.
Okay, maybe he should have opened the door a little slower, because wow the demon was right there. Like a meter from the door. Facing Shen Qingqiu.
Wait…. That wasn’t a weird demon, that was…
“Liu-shidi! Thank goodness you’re okay!” Shen Qingqiu exclaimed, a smile forming unconsciously at seeing Liu Qingge alive.
Liu Qingge froze, wide eyed and looking more disarmed than Shen Qingqiu had ever seen him.
It allowed Shen Qingqiu a second to look at him.
His robes were torn beyond recognition, matted with blood and dirt. That, somehow, was the most normal looking thing about him. His eyes were wild and… glowing? His clawed hand was holding a sharpened stone, and his pointed ears twitched. Oh, and don’t forget about the glowing demonic huadian blatantly placed on the center of his forehead.
And not just any demonic huadian! A very specific huadian for a very specific kind of demon.
A fucking Heavenly Demon.
What. The. Fuck?
“Liu-shidi, what happened, you’re--” Shen Qingqiu started, but Liu Qingge was quickly turning around in an effort to hide himself.
“What are you doing here?” Liu Qingge’s voice sounded rough, hands twitching at his side.
Shen Qingqiu’s brain was doing loops trying to figure out exactly how this had happened, but Liu Qingge’s voice steadied him somewhat. It was also said so bluntly, that the tiny fear that this wasn’t Liu Qingge, but instead a near identical looking demon, extinguished instantly.
“Looking for you. Liu-shidi has been missing for a while, and this master couldn’t stand by while Liu-shidi’s safety was in question,” Shen Qingqiu answered.
A self-deprecating laugh came from Liu Qingge.
“Well, you found me. You can return to the sect now,” Liu Qingge said, voice tight.
“This shixiong isn’t just going to leave!” Shen Qingqiu balked at the stupid suggestion. “Tell this shixiong what happened so this one can help.”
“Get out of here, I have things handled.”
“Out of the question,” Shen Qingqiu stood firm.
Liu Qingge, the leader of the “I hate demons” fanclub, had turned into a demon himself, and from one look it was clear he was not doing well. Shen Qingqiu wasn’t going to leave him, no matter what Liu Qingge had to say. This wasn’t something Liu Qingge could battle alone.
Shen Qingqiu was already making plans in his head. This changed everything after all. They couldn’t stay in this secret realm for long, as they would need to leave to eat and drink (could Liu Qingge even practice any kind of inedia right now?). And from what Shen Qingqiu had sensed earlier, Liu Qingge still needed help settling his demonic energies, so maybe finding somewhere secluded and without any precious wildlife would be good to start?
Shen Qingqiu knew about heavenly demons from PIDW, so surely he could figure something out? Shen Qingqiu couldn’t think of anything that turned a demon to a human off the top of his head, but the Mary Sue items in this world were endless.
After a moment Liu Qingge’s shoulders went from tense to resigned, and he finally turned back around, facing Shen Qingqiu with demonic features on full display. His eyes flickered to Xiu Ya then back to Shen Qingqiu’s face.
“Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge said, expression tight. “Before anything, I just have one question.”
Shen Qingqiu had far more than one question, but he nodded, allowing Liu Qingge to voice whatever was weighing on him.
Liu Qingge might want to ask Shen Qingqiu about his new demonic status? Shen Qingqiu was familiar with almost every demonic species after all. Or perhaps he wanted to keep his condition a secret? Or ask where they should hide away while they figured this out?
“Are you still inflicted with Without-A-Cure?” Liu Qingge asked.
Oh. Uh, that wasn’t what Shen Qingqiu had been expecting.
“Yes,” Shen Qingqiu replied a little dumbly.
It felt like the wrong answer when Shen Qingqiu watched Liu Qingge’s face crumble into despair. There was another influx of demonic energy, and Liu Qingge, master of standing firm, trembled. Shen Qingqiu had never seen Liu Qingge look defeated before, and it startled him how much he hated it.
Liu Qingge’s clawed hand reached up and tugged at the collar of his own robes, pulling the destroyed fabric away from his chest, as though it would provide more space to breathe. It made the usually put together Liu Qingge look even more anguished.
“Without-A-Cure is still manageable though,” Shen Qingqiu tried to reassure, taking a step closer to Liu Qingge.
Liu Qingge didn’t answer right away, just looking away from Shen Qingqiu like he was ashamed of something.
“Liu-shidi, this shixiong doesn’t know what happened, but it’ll be okay. This shixiong will help,” Shen Qingqiu tried again.
“That’s not--!” Liu Qingge started, demonic energy spiking as he yelled. “I don’t need your help! I’m the one that failed. Again.”
Liu Qingge’s other fist clenched hard enough to shatter the rock he’d been holding, which seemed to only make him angrier. Blood dripped from his hand, though the wounds sealed up just as quickly. His piercing stare fell upon Shen Qingqiu once more, this time in anger.
“Why have you not moved to strike me down? I’m a demon now! A mindless beast!” Liu Qingge exclaimed. “Draw your blade, Xiu Ya sword!”
Shen Qingqiu frowned.
“Liu-shidi is Liu-shidi,” Shen Qingqiu stated resolutely.
“Am I even your shidi when I am no longer a cultivator? I have no spiritual veins! No core! Only the burning senses of a demon!” Liu Qingge yelled. “You are a cultivator. You are meant to end demons.”
“This shixiong cares for Liu-shidi no matter the form he takes. This shixiong will not hurt you,” Shen Qingqiu said, dropping Xiu Ya to the ground to show his conviction.
He felt like he was answering the “would you love me if I was a worm” conundrum, and the answer was obviously yes. A little Liu Qingge worm would be super cute!
The words seemed to stun Liu Qingge, who still looked somewhat disbelieving. It was obvious how raw and vulnerable his shidi felt. It hurt Shen Qingqiu to watch.
“But I’m a demon,” Liu Qingge said again, voice weaker this time.
“Before anything, you’re Liu Qingge, and that’s all that matters to me,” Shen Qingqiu replied.
The anger began seeping out of Liu Qingge, but the devastating and upset were still there. Shen Qingqiu wished he could do something. That he could fix whatever had happened. That he had one of the thousands of magical fix-all deus-ex-machinas this world contained in his back pocket. But he didn’t.
So instead, Shen Qingqiu stepped forward, and before Liu Qingge could protest, Shen Qingqiu wrapped his arms around him. He squeezed Liu Qingge tightly.
He had so many things he wanted to say. About how demons weren’t all that different from humans. That everyone would still support him no matter what had happened. That Shen Qingqiu was on his side. Hell, even that being a heavenly demon was pretty fucking cool.
But he opted to just hold Liu Qingge. For long enough that, eventually, Liu Qingge reciprocated and held Shen Qingqiu just as tightly. Liu Qingge shook in Shen Qingqiu’s arms, his fingers curling into Shen Qingqiu’s robes. Liu Qingge’s demonic energy was still going wild, but Shen Qingqiu never even thought about letting go.
Slowly and carefully, Shen Qingqiu lowered both himself and Liu Qingge to sitting, holding onto Liu Qingge the entire time. It was more comfortable at least, even with only some moss to cushion the stone ground.
Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure how long they embraced, but eventually Liu Qingge fully melted into Shen Qingqiu’s touch. His face buried itself in Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder, and his breathing evened out. Shen Qingqiu rubbed soothing circles into Liu Qingge’s back, kind of like what he would do for his meimei after a rough day at school.
The air still felt fragile, but not like Liu Qingge was near the edge of an emotional abyss anymore (ouch, too soon). Shen Qingqiu also let himself fully breathe. Liu Qingge was in his arms, and alive. He hadn’t died of some other qi deviation somewhere. Shen Qingqiu hadn’t lost him as well.
Everything was going to be okay. Or as okay as things got in the world of PIDW.
It was even longer before Liu Qingge finally let go, looking at Shen Qingqiu with the softest expression Shen Qingqiu had ever seen on him.
“Is Shidi feeling better?” Shen Qingqiu asked.
Liu Qingge nodded, a flush of embarrassment on his face, making Shen Qingqiu smile.
There was the Liu Qingge he knew and loved (in a normal guy to guy kind of way).
“Now, Liu-shidi need not answer if he isn’t ready, but this shixiong would like to know what exactly happened,” Shen Qingqiu prompted.
Liu Qingge grunted in affirmation.
He took another couple of moments to gather himself, then spoke.
“It’s all the Wishing Stone’s fault,” Liu Qingge growled. “It tricked me and turned me into this. I should have known better than to trust a demonic relic.”
Wait, Liu Qingge had found the Wishing Stone? Had made his wish and survived?! That wasn’t what Shen Qingqiu had expected.
“This one knows that the Wishing Stone is extremely fickle in which wishes it deems worthy,” Shen Qingqiu explained. “Though this shixiong has never heard of it turning a cultivator into a demon before.”
How peculiar. Perhaps it decided that for Liu Qingge, becoming a demon would be a fate worse than death? No, that didn’t seem right either.
“What was Liu-shidi’s wish, by the way?” Shen Qingqiu asked.
That knowledge was important to figuring things out. Yes, Shen Qingqiu was also dying to know, and had been curious since finding out that Liu Qingge was seeking the Wishing Stone.
Liu Qingge looked embarrassed all over again, and mumbled something under his breath.
“What was that?” Shen Qingqiu asked.
“For the cure. To Without a Cure,” Liu Qingge repeated, loud enough for Shen Qingqiu to hear this time.
It was Shen Qingqiu’s turn to blush a little, because holy shit.
Liu Qingge had gone searching for the Wishing Stone to help him??? After Shen Qingqiu had told him endless times that he was fine.
Liu Qingge really thought that the most righteous wish was to help the scum villain? It was far too sweet. Too noble. It made Shen Qingqiu feel a little too warm. But just as quickly, Shen Qingqiu felt a wave of guilt.
It was his fault that Liu Qingge was like this. That he was hurting so much, to the point where he expected Shen Qingqiu to kill him. All for trying to help Shen Qingqiu in the first place!
Although Liu Qingge’s heartwarming intentions were not the only reason Shen Qingqiu was blushing.
It seemed that… the Wishing Stone had deemed Liu Qingge worthy and had actually granted his wish.
Because the cure to Without a Cure… definitely required a Heavenly Demon.
Shen Qingqiu felt his mouth go dry, as his eyes raked over Liu Qingge. Definitely not imagining certain things! Nope!
“Not that it matters, since the Wishing Stone is a lie,” Liu Qingge spat, expression curling back into that previous anger, borderlining on despair.
Shen Qingqiu looked down, unable to meet Liu Qingge’s eyes.
Fuck. Shit. What was he supposed to do? Shen Qingqiu wanted to reassure Liu Qingge that he hadn’t fallen for some trick, but Shen Qingqiu also didn’t want to tell him the truth and have him feel like he needed to… you-know-what with Shen Qingqiu.
Liu Qingge, peerless in body and face, upholding the highest of virtues, shouldn’t force himself for Shen Qingqiu’s sake! It was wrong. Even though Shen Qingqiu was sure Liu Qingge would be an excellent lover! Attentive for sure, as he always was for Shen Qingqiu in their daily lives. And strong was a given.
In fact Liu Qingge could likely hold someone up and just fuck them like that, no support needed. Just his partner’s legs around Liu Qingge’s waist as he moved them with his strong arms and hips. Not that Shen Qingqiu had imagined anything of the sort before! It was a given, seeing how easily Liu Qingge could toss a grown man around. Shen Qingqiu would know.
There was also the fact that Liu Qingge was a good listener. Definitely a good trait for a lover. Oh, and Liu Qingge’s little blush when he was embarrassed probably ran down to his chest. Not to mention that Liu-shidi had quite a nice voice. He probably made irresistible noises in an intimate setting. And those were just the first things that came to mind!
Why was Shen Qingqiu running through the list of Liu Qingge’s desirable traits again?
“Shen Qingqiu?”
Shen Qingqiu startled and looked up at Liu Qingge, only to quickly look away when he remembered what he was contemplating.
He… he should tell Liu Qingge, shouldn’t he? Surely it would lift Liu Qingge’s spirits, and Shen Qingqiu would ensure Liu Qingge did not feel pressured to papapa. Because of course neither of them wanted to do that! Haha, not these two hetero brochachos.
“You know something,” Liu Qingge stated in the middle of Shen Qingqiu’s deliberation time.
Shen Qingqiu bit his lip, dragging his gaze back to Liu Qingge’s imploring stare.
And, well, that face kind of made his mind up for him.
“Has Liu-shidi figured out what kind of demon he is?” Shen Qingqiu asked, pulling out a fan and tapping it against his knee.
Liu Qingge’s brow became pinched.
“No.”
“Well,” Shen Qingqiu said, then paused to inhale. “If this shixiong isn’t mistaken, Liu-shidi appears to have been transformed into a heavenly demon, one of the most powerful demons in existence.”
And the coolest! Liu Qingge was already way too cool before, but now he had the coolness powers of the OP heavenly demons on top of that. Coolness squared!
Liu Qingge’s eyes flashed with recognition, likely from the previous demon emperor Tianlang-Jun, but after a mere second his eyes were narrowing all over again.
“And?” Liu Qingge pressed.
Shen Qingqiu lifted his fan so it covered most of his face.
Well, here goes nothing.
“Without a Cure, actually does have a cure… related to heavenly demons,” Shen Qingqiu said tentatively, trying to ignore how Liu Qingge’s mouth fell open.
Oh god, he didn’t want to say it. This was silly. Why was he even explaining this? It wasn’t going to amount to anything.
It was too late though, since Liu Qingge had already put his hands on Shen Qingqiu’s shoulders, face a little too close to Shen Qingqiu’s, and was staring at him imploringly.
“There is?” Liu Qingge exclaimed. “Why didn’t you say so sooner? Tell me what it is!”
Liu Qingge, no need to sound excited! You’re just going to be disappointed when you learn what it is.
“It is not something Liu-shidi will be interested in,” Shen Qingqiu tried.
“Tell me what the cure is,” Liu Qingge repeated.
Shen Qingqiu bit his lip a little harder, waving his fan as he tried to think of any way to say this without making things awkward. Should he try to tell a joke first? Hey Liu-shidi, how about that airline food? No, terrible idea, airplane jokes were just going to remind Shen Qingqiu of Shang Qinghua. Also, Liu Qingge didn’t even know what an airline was!
Shen Qingqiu took one more deep breath.
“Dual cultivation with a heavenly demon. That’s the cure,” Shen Qingqiu said stiffly.
Oh god, he said it! Had someone prepared a nice rock for him to hide under? Or even a whole ass boulder, preferably! He would happily take up a new life as Patrick Star.
Liu Qingge, as Shen Qingqiu had assumed he would, had gone bright red in his embarrassment (and anger from the insinuation). The anger must be extreme, given the fact that Liu Qingge’s huadian had begun glowing brightly at Shen Qingqiu’s admission. His mouth hung open and he appeared as though his brain had stopped working.
“Don’t worry, this shixiong would never expect Liu-shidi to force himself to do such a thing! The cure is not worth Liu-shidi debasing himself,” Shen Qingqiu followed up. “This one just thought that Shidi should know that his wish was technically granted, though in a convoluted and unexpected manner.”
“You! Shen-- I don’t-- it’s not debasing to--!” Liu Qingge stuttered out incomprehensibly.
On a normal day, seeing Liu Qingge so flustered would be a treat, and would have Shen Qingqiu poking the man in the face. Today was not a normal day.
“You’re sure that’s the cure?” Liu Qingge managed to say, voice strained and tight.
“This shixiong is sure,” Shen Qingqiu replied, wanting to melt into the ground. More than sure. 666 dreadful PIDW chapters of being sure.
With a strained laugh, Shen Qingqiu tried again to reassure his shidi.
“Seriously shidi, this shixiong knows that you have no interest in this shixiong that way, and this shixiong has no plans to take advantage of you for his own benefit,” Shen Qingqiu said. “This shixiong would never expect anything Liu Qingge would not willingly give.”
There! That should settle things.
No need to dual cultivate, and the two of them could concentrate on brainstorming ways to help Liu Qingge, not Shen Qingqiu.
It would help Shen Qingqiu’s ability to think if Liu Qingge wasn’t still sitting so close. Like close enough that their knees were touching! Which, before, would have flustered Liu Qingge by the impropriety.
It got worse when Liu Qingge scooted closer, a clawed hand wrapping gently around Shen Qingqiu’s wrist, specifically the one holding his fan, and gently moving it away, fully revealing Shen Qingqiu’s face.
Liu Qingge was still blushing, but his expression had become equally determined.
C’mon Liu Qingge! You can’t use your face card like that! It was already SSS+ tier before, and was just as captivating with that handsome mark on his forehead. Way too pretty! Shen Qingqiu might melt under the attention! He had been trying to calm the situation, not make it more intense.
“There is interest. In that way,” Liu Qingge said firmly, eyeing boring into Shen Qingqiu. “And this shidi would be more than willing, if Shen Qingqiu felt the same.”
What?
“What?” Shen Qingqiu verbalized.
Liu Qingge pursed his lips, expression shifting from determination to flustered to decided.
“Let me help,” Liu Qingge implored. “Shixiong doesn’t need to… accept my courtship pursuit, but please allow this Liu Qingge to heal you. I just want to help. I just want you to be happy again.”
Excuse him, what?! Huh???
Shen Qingqiu was pretty sure his heart just exploded. Or maybe it was just beating so hard that it felt like a bomb.
What was Liu Qingge saying? Did turning into a demon make his brain go wonky? Why else would Liu Qingge be offering such a thing? And all to make Shen Qingqiu happy? What the heck was going on?
Surely Liu “Heterosexual Warrior Prince Waiting For His Princess” Qingge, couldn’t be asking to dual cultivation with his previous enemy, and fellow male, Shen Qingqiu? If Liu Qingge had OOC restrictions, surely he would have just broken them. Right? Right??
However, the first word out of Shen Qingqiu’s mouth was not about dual cultivation, but in relation to something else Liu Qingge had said.
“Courtship?”
He must have misheard. Or misunderstood. Because Shen Qingqiu was pretty sure he would have noticed if the ultimate Cang Qiong bachelor (in Shen Qingqiu’s opinion) Liu Qingge had been trying to court him. Shen Qingqiu likes to think his gaydar was good enough to notice if Liu Qingge was interested in men, period!
Liu Qingge’s face was still pink as he nodded, only looking slightly perplexed.
“Since when??” Shen Qingqiu blurted, wanting to die more and more with every passing second.
“The past three years,” Liu Qingge replied, looking exasperated, but still fond. Wait, fond?
Just kill Shen Qingqiu now. He needed the Wishing Stone just to ask it to smite him down. That sounded pretty righteous to him.
But really, what courtship pursuit? Sure, he and Liu Qingge spent plenty of time together as friends. And Liu Qingge had a habit of gifting him anything from dead beasts to things he picked up at the market. Oh, and the Bai Zhan coloured sword tassel that Shen Qingqiu still used. Also that one set of really soft robes that Shen Qingqiu only broke out for special occasions.
…
Oh god, had those been courtship gifts the whole time?
Shen Qingqiu just thought Liu Qingge was a big fan of giving gifts to his friends! How was he supposed to figure out that they were courtship gifts?! Surely no one would have noticed anything so subtle.
But if Liu Qingge was trying to court Shen Qingqiu, and had been for years, then that meant that Liu Qingge liked Shen Qingqiu. And not in a heterosexual way, unless Shen Qingqiu was misunderstanding something again.
“Oh,” Shen Qingqiu said, feeling lost.
What was he supposed to do now? Liu Qingge apparently wanted to court him, which made little sense considering Shen Qingqiu was a scummy villain. Especially when Liu Qingge was amazing enough to pursue people actually worthy of him.
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, I don't have any expectations. I just want to help,” Liu Qingge said, slowly releasing Shen Qingqiu’s wrist. “You shouldn’t have to suffer when there is a willing cure.”
Liu Qingge! You were always so prudish, and constantly accusing Shen Qingqiu of being shameless! Now you’ve proposed dual cultivation twice within the span of a couple minutes!
Actually, if it was just dual cultivation, this might be easier! But now there were feelings involved, and non-straight feelings at that. Shen Qingqiu was new to handling non-straight feelings! Not that he was against them.
The more words Shen Qingqiu processed, the smoother his brain felt. Soon his puddle of a brain would be liable to melt out of his ears.
But he had to get it together, at least a little bit. Liu Qingge was sitting across from him, a newly transformed heavenly demon, earnestly waiting for Shen Qingqiu to respond. Respond about feelings and also… dual cultivating.
Shen Qingqiu’s feelings were all very positive toward his shidi! His wonderful and kind shidi who was offering to push aside whatever feelings he seemed to hold for Shen Qingqiu just to cure him. Who had been the most comforting presence at his side during the past year. Who made Shen Qingqiu laugh even without meaning to. Who offered Shen Qingqiu a place where he felt safe. Who had gone on a perilous quest to free Shen Qingqiu from the discomfort that Without a Cure brought.
But Shen Qingqiu was straight. Shen Qingqiu could fantasize about tracing Liu Qingge’s impressive ab and pec muscles with his fingers, but everyone did that. He may be able to fawn over Liu Qingge’s beauty and coo over the cute expressions he could make, but that didn’t mean anything.
Did it?
The more Liu Qingge watched him, waiting for a response with a little fang peeking out from soft looking lips, the more Shen Qingqiu started questioning things.
Maybe it was the weird atmosphere in the shrine. Or the way Liu Qingge was watching him so carefully, offering his heart on a platter. Or even the way Shen Qingqiu’s head had just been overloaded with information and hidden feelings.
Whatever it was, it kind of made Shen Qingqiu want to lean in and kiss Liu Qingge.
Later on, he could blame his actions on the weird situation, or maybe even a self-inflicted testing of his heterosexuality, but he hardly thought much of anything as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Liu Qingge.
Okay, that was a bit of a lie. There was one thought in his head at the time. That thought being that Liu Qingge should never feel unloved or his feelings unreciprocated. It was just wrong!
The press of lips together was warm and soft, despite Liu Qingge’s chapped lips. The way Liu Qingge startled at the contact meant the kiss didn’t last long, but it didn’t stop Shen Qingqiu from realizing that the kiss felt… kind of nice?
Liu Qingge exhaled roughly, following Shen Qingqiu’s mouth unconsciously after the simple press of lips. This was enough for Shen Qingqiu to fully realize what he had just done.
“You! Why did you--?” Liu Qingge exclaimed, sounding breathless.
Good question. Shen Qingqiu was asking himself the same thing right now!
Maybe heavenly demons were innately kissable? Although, Liu Qingge had seemed kissable before too. (The heavenly demon traits didn’t hurt though, objectively.)
It was dawning on Shen Qingqiu that there was only one real conclusion for his own actions and feelings. Shen Qingqiu wanting to kiss Liu Qingge once was normal for any regular straight guy. However, the fact that he kind of wanted to do it again was making him realize a couple things.
In fact, imagining a future where Shen Qingqiu could kiss and fluster Liu Qingge all he wanted, where Liu Qingge continued to stay by his side, sounded kind of nice actually.
And with the much too hopeful look in Liu Qingge’s eyes, Shen Qingqiu only had one answer for him.
“This shixiong… also has very positive feelings for Liu-shidi. And would not be against initiating a courtship,” Shen Qingqiu replied tentatively.
The concept of courting still felt odd, as it was never something Shen Qingqiu had ever considered before. But if Shen Qingqiu were to choose to be with a man, it would obviously be Liu Qingge. Devoted and loyal Liu Qingge. Liu Qingge who cared enough about Shen Qingqiu to trade his humanity for him.
Who in their right mind wouldn’t be swayed by such a man?
Or who knows? Maybe someone else had used the Wishing Stone to turn Shen Qingqiu a little gay? Yeah, that would explain things best.
“Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge said alongside a sharp inhale. Then, with a small quiver in his voice he asked. “Not just because of the cure?”
Could you please stop having him say embarrassing things like this out loud, Liu-shidi? Shen Qingqiu had already deep fried and then burnt his pride to ashes today.
“Not just because of the cure,” Shen Qingqiu confirmed while looking at a super interesting carving on the nearest wall.
There was an explosion of demonic energy all over again, though not as oppressive as earlier. And then Shen Qingqiu found himself engulfed in a tight embrace as Liu Qingge reached forward and pulled Shen Qingqiu into his arms.
Liu Qingge reburied his face into Shen Qingqiu’s neck, and sniffed. Which was kind of weird, but Shen Qingqiu elected to ignore it.
“Even if I’m stuck like this?” Liu Qingge asked, voice muffled.
That at least, was an easy question to answer.
“Even then.”
“But what if we can’t return to the sect?”
“We’ll figure something out.”
Shen Qingqiu was surprised by how calm he felt about that. He hadn’t really thought about how this whole ordeal would affect the plot. With another heavenly demon around, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure how that would change Binghe’s rise to power.
It might help Shen Qingqiu’s odds of surviving if he had a pure blooded heavenly demon on his side. Not that that was something he had even considered until now.
He could panic over all of this later. For now, he was being pleasantly squeezed in the strong arms of his shidi, with whom he had just entered a courtship.
“Did you want to get out of this secret realm? I’m surprised you even stayed here this whole time,” Shen Qingqiu commented.
“Didn’t want to stay here,” Liu Qingge grunted.
“Then why did you?"
“The entrance was locked by the time I was fit to move.”
Oh right, you could only enter and exit during the full moon.
Shit, how long had Shen Qingqiu been here?
“If we hurry, we can probably still get out before the sun rises,” Shen Qingqiu said.
Liu Qingge nodded against Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder, then pulled away and pushed himself to his feet. He held out a hand for Shen Qingqiu to take, just like he would after a spar, except instead of looking embarrassed, he smiled at Shen Qingqiu.
Good god, smiling Liu Qingge was a nuclear weapon waiting for deployment. There would be no survivors.
Shen Qingqiu reached up to take the offered hand, only to jolt at a very sudden and very painful blockage from Without a Cure.
The pain was sharper than usual, and made Shen Qingqiu grimace momentarily. It was manageable though. Or so Shen Qingqiu thought, until Liu Qingge pulled him to his feet only for him to fall right back down to the hard ground.
Stupid poison! And what was with this timing? Sure, Shen Qingqiu hadn’t had his meridians cleared in a while, but he had already had two flare-ups on the way here and they weren’t anywhere near this bad. The accompanying nausea wasn’t very fun either.
“Shen Qingqiu!” Liu Qingge exclaimed worriedly, kneeling beside him.
Shen Qingqiu felt his useless body shake a little bit, but still smiled at Liu Qingge. The flare-up would dissipate eventually. He just needed a moment to get a handle on himself.
“Just a flare-up, give me a second,” Shen Qingqiu said gently, managing to keep his voice even.
Without thinking, Liu Qingge grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s wrist and tried to push qi into him.
Unfortunately, unlike the usual cool and calming qi, a flood of chaotic demonic energy was pushed into him, making Shen Qingqiu yelp and flinch at its ferocity.
Ah, it seemed like they had both momentarily forgotten about Liu Qingge being a demon. Oops.
Liu Qingge looked far more upset than Shen Qingqiu felt.
“I’m fine,” he reassured, taking deep inhales and exhales.
He closed his eyes, and tried to relax his body. After a couple minutes the sharp pain began fading into discomfort and aching, which was something Shen Qingqiu was more than used to. The nausea was almost negligible now as well. His body still felt weak, but what else was new.
Shen Qingqiu could feel Liu Qingge still kneeling next to him, and the hand still holding his wrist, though now it offered only soothing pressure instead of any passing of energies.
One more moment to rest and he should be able to stand and walk. That was enough. This was nothing to complain about when Binghe was currently going through so much worse.
A beat of sorrow weaved itself into Shen Qingqiu’s heart. He supposed he wouldn’t be able to properly spend time at Binghe’s sword mound for a while now, would he?
He hoped someone would be filial enough to maintain Zheng Yang while he was away. Ning Yingying was Binghe’s first wife, so surely she would have the wherewithal to offer proper respects! Just until she was reunited with the real thing of course.
Though there was just over three years before Binghe was scheduled to return. That should be plenty of time to get Liu Qingge’s situation sorted.
Liu Qingge, who Shen Qingqiu was now officially courting.
Shen Qingqiu blushed all over again. What even was his life? This straightforward stallion novel world was currently anything but “straight”forward.
Another squeeze of his hand helped him recenter.
And as quickly as Liu Qingge helped Shen Qingqiu regain his sense of focus, Liu Qingge threw him off a mental ledge just as quickly.
“I want to help,” Liu Qingge said, a small quiver to his voice, but still sounding certain. “Please, let this shidi cure you.”
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes shot open, coming face to face with a Liu Qingge who was much closer than Shen Qingqiu had expected.
“Now?!” Shen Qingqiu blurted.
It wasn’t that Shen Qingqiu had forgotten the whole thing about Liu Qingge now being a heavenly demon who could cure Without a Cure. He also hadn’t forgotten Liu Qingge propositioning him and confessing his feelings at the same time. He had just kind of, neatly packed the papapa part of the conversation away for later.
Liu Qingge bit his lip, looking at Shen Qingqiu’s mouth for a moment before looking back at his face.
Then Liu Qingge nodded. HE NODDED!
Hadn’t they just started courting? Was it really appropriate to… do something like this so soon?
But within Liu Qingge’s eyes was such a deep pleading, a profound desire, that Shen Qingqiu felt himself being swayed despite himself.
Liu Qingge had searched endlessly and even found the cure to Shen Qingqiu’s ailment. It would be rude to dismiss such efforts. And if Liu Qingge was way too beautiful with his imploring face, then that was just another reason Shen Qingqiu couldn’t find it in his heart to say no.
“Okay,” Shen Qingqiu responded, voice sounding raw even to himself. “Okay.”
Shen Qingqiu supposed he could blame Liu Qingge’s new heavenly demonic attributes for him being stuck in this Wishing Stone pseudo-wife plot.
All he could hope was that the newly adorned heavenly cure hiding in Liu Qingge’s pants wasn’t the size of the heavenly pillar in Proud Immortal Demon Way.