Chapter Text
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I have no beta.
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The matron of the Warm Red Pavilion stared him down as he stood uncertainly. It was obvious that she recognized him if only slightly, and seemed displeased with him. Though he didn't actually know why she seemed annoyed.
"Your Shizun has been missing you for three years and yet you've been alive and well this entire time?" the old woman said, eyes blazing and lips severely thinned. "Why are you here and not with him?"
Luo Binghe flushed to the tips of his ears, having not expected that to be the first thing out of her mouth. In fact, he hadn't really been expecting much of anything. "I was actually trapped in the Abyss this entire time and only just managed to escape."
She was silent for a moment, before saying, "And why aren't you with Shen Qingqiu? Are you not the 'most sticky and adorable white lotus' he spent so much time fussing over? Why seek out a brothel of all places when you have a sect and a master up the mountain?"
His heart fluttered. Shizun had been talking about him? Had told the matron that he was an 'adorable white lotus'? Shizun had been actually been saddened by... what he did and missed him the entire time he'd been gone? Was it possible that Shizun might still accept him if he tried to go back?
"I- this disciple- I want to see Shizun... but I'm scared," Binghe admitted, not caring much about propriety at the moment.
"Why? That man would never harm you willingly."
Willingly...
Binghe huffed, not liking the feeling of expressing his deepest insecurities to someone he barely knew. At the same time, how else was he supposed to get the help he needed until he was ready? "...Because a demon lord broke the seal on my demonic heritage and then Shizun threw me into the Abyss despite saying he didn't hate demons." His eyes were welling up with stinging tears and his chest felt tight. "I want to be with Shizun but if he truly hates demons then how can I make him love me again when I'm like this?" It wasn't as if he could seal himself away again. He was a Heavenly Demon and that was that. There was no escaping it now.
It seemed the matron had nothing she could say in response to that, though he was relieved to see that there was no disgust on her face. His true heritage didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. He was just another potential customer in her eyes. He supposed, for a woman of her particular experience, the thing that mattered most was having enough money to stay alive. Who cared who or where it really came from?
Strange how a brothel was the most accepting place he'd ever stepped foot in. Sad how that was the simple truth of his life. Not even his time in a sect had been totally free of prejudice and suffering.
Eventually, the matron sighed, looking no more prepared than he for this conversation. "That man sings your praises in the only way he can, because he's so easily embarrassed by showing emotions. He's done nothing but talk about you as if you're still alive. It's made the members of his sect nervous because they think he's experiencing some form of psychotic break and is incapable of accepting your death. Yue Qingyuan himself came down to ask us to just 'play along' with his shidi's issues because at least he seemed happier that way."
"He's been mourning like an abandoned wife!" one of the prostitutes across the room yelled. "I don't know what the specifics of your relationship was with him, but that man has been listless without you and his visits have become more frequent to make up for your absence." Around her, a group of woman tittered in response as they indulged in their evening repast, finally free of the annoyance of their usual guests.
The matron's nostrils flared. "Get back to your food, HuaHua, or you can go clean something if you have so much free time on hand! The rest of you better be focusing on yourselves if you don't want to end up mucking about outside!"
The woman flushed and turned around, shoving a piece of chicken into her mouth to keep herself busy. The rest of the women all returned to their own food and gossip, smirks on their faces as they did so.
The matron settled down once more, looking less annoyed now. "Though she spoke out of turn, she wasn't wrong. I doubt Shen Qingqiu hates you as much as you think," she told him, her entire manner accepting no nonsense or arguments. "However, if you're intending to hide out here for whatever reason, you will work. I will not have you distracting our guests or hindering the our workers as they do their jobs."
Luo Binghe nodded frantically, eager to stay on her good side. "I can even pretend to be a woman if it'll make it easier on you!"
She sent him a queer look, eyeing him up and down closely as she evaluated his appearance. "Is this some sort of demon skill?"
"I met a Shapeshifter in the Abyss and she taught me some life-saving skills," Binghe gushed, excited to show someone what he'd learned. Said Shapeshifter had been amazing and knew so much about human and demon bodies! "I've been using this skill on and off for the past month to get about safely. I can change my hair color and eye color too! It's really amazing to witness!"
It took little effort for him to focus, but when he opened his eyes once more, he was much shorter and slighter in frame. His shoulders were no longer broad and his chest had grown a pair of breasts of a decent size in his opinion, to make him more shapely. His hands and wrists had thinned out, and his hips had become more rounded. As for additional changes, he'd been given a deep explanation into women's bodies and how to emulate them effectively if necessary. Overall, he thought he'd done a really good job at blending in!
The matron stared him down, a look of deep boredom on her face that made him feel incredibly self-conscious and a bit sad. None of that had impressed her at all. She was nothing like Shizun who would have rushed to reassure as disciple doing something remotely different than what was expected of them. "You look exactly the same as before, just shorter. At least hide the red mark and straighten your hair out to change it up a little. If you don't want to be found out instantly, you'll be smart about it and not just use the same exact face."
Oh. Right. He should have thought about that.
Binghe glanced at the bronze mirror behind the matron and watched as his facial features shifted a bit, narrowing his jawline and raising his cheekbones a bit. The mark of his demonic heritage vanished and the sharp angle and thickness of his brows softened considerably. "Is this better?"
"You look like your own younger sister. You're hopeless. Now go back to the kitchens and get the schedule from the cook. Shen Qingqiu has done nothing but extoll the virtues of you skills in the kitchen and we might as well benefit from it while we can. Perhaps you can share any recipes you have as well so we can improve our business in the future."
Something inside of him warmed at that. Even when he was so conflicted and hurt, he couldn't help but cling to any sort of kindness his Shizun seemed to show him. Either to his face or to others. He just wanted Shizun's approval and love so much that he was willing to take anything he could get.
"Shang Wei, take him where he needs to go!" the matron ordered, causing one of the nearby women to rush to her feet and gesture for Binghe to follow. He bowed and headed off.
"You also need to think of a name for yourself while you're here," the matron called after him. "I don't care what it is so long as it's simple."
"Jing Ziyi!" he called back.
Luo Binghe could embody joy and cuteness just fine if he needed to. He could keep up a façade for as long as possible. At least until he could determine Shizun's feelings about him and what he should do after that.
The moment it seemed as if he'd be welcomed back with open arms, he was going! He didn't care how long it took, he was going to make Shizun love him again and he was going to be the only disciple his Shizun ever needed.
His heart fluttered longingly in his chest at the thought of things going back to what they used to be.
He missed Shizun so much.
Shen Qingqiu was glad to be off the mountain, if only so he could avoid all the looks of pity everyone kept sending him. He wasn't mourning! Just because he was wearing white robes now did not mean he was mourning! There was nothing to mourn because no one needed to be mourned!
That was a lie, his precious little white lotus was being blackened at that very moment and would lose his cute little innocence!. He'd pick up the most evil sword in the world and then it would steadily corrupt his mind and harm him in irreversible ways and there would be no true way to stop it sans destroying the sword itself. Binghe would be on the verge of Qi Deviation practically all the time with that damn thing on his back at all times.
And why was any of this happening? Because Shen Qingqiu was a coward who hated pain, and the System would have punished him if he didn't throw the boy he cared about most, into hell on earth. He could have just died and let Binghe live in comfort, but he chose himself in the end. Like an asshole.
Perhaps he should have just taken the death as it was and let Binghe lived as comfortable of a life he could manage until his seal eroded by itself. Then maybe he could have simply left of his own accord and found his own way in life.
"A-Yuan, you're here early."
"Ayi," he said, greeting Madam Yan of the Warm Red Pavilion with a firm embrace, "I'm so glad to see you. People have been getting on my nerves so terribly as of late and I desperately needed somewhere to escape from it all. I've been on the verge of violence for the past two days!"
Now, it might come as a shock to know that the matron knew his real name, but it had actually been a very interesting situation in which the truth, or at least part of it, had come out.
On one of his many visits after learning about Shen Jiu's information network and familial relationship with the people of the local brothels, the matron of this particular location approached him and asked for his real name. He'd been so shocked and had tried, very poorly, to wave away her question, but she wouldn't have any of it.
"I know you aren't Shen Jiu," she'd told him plainly, eyes boring into his own. "You're too soft-hearted to ever be him. And I know he Qi Deviated quite some time ago. I won't ask what happened or even who you are, but I'd like to at least know the name of the man wearing A-Jiu's face."
The System had forbade him from telling her anything beyond the fact that his name was Shen Yuan and that he was twenty-two. If he tried to tell her anything else, it would impose some sort of penalty on him and he was terrified of what exactly that meant! So he simply had do what he could with what he had and hope for the best, and that no one asked too many questions.
So here he was again, having done as Shen Jiu apparently had, and turned to the brothel for comfort. And everyone knew!
A lot of things had been left unexplained about the character of the main villain in PIDW, as no one really want him to be humanized, but Shang Qinghua, the idiot, had very much assured him that everything he learned from the senior sisters ad aunties at the brothel, was true. He'd written so much extra information about all of the characters but because people always chose papapa in the polls, he never ended up sharing any of it. And it seemed as if this version of PIDW had decided to use even random thoughts or notes Airplane had made, as world-building information.
Shen Jiu was assaulted repeatedly by males his entire life. He was a slave child who was too pretty and was sold into the ownership of greedy, abusive men. His distaste for men came from terrible personal experiences. And the main contributor to his agonizing experience, had been affectionately called 'A-Luo' by his younger sister, which did not help endear Luo Binghe to him in the future. In fact, Luo Binghe even looked somewhat similar to Shen Jiu's former master and it triggered the man on a constant basis.
None of this excused his terrible treatment of Binghe, nor the racist belief that demons were merely beasts and should be exterminated, but it explained so much.
It also explained Yue Qingyuan's obsession with letting Shen Jiu get away with everything. His connection to the man's past was also a very tumultuous one. Something that Shen Jiu could never forgive, but something he also didn't know the full story of according to Shang Qinghua. Both died in the original story without ever airing their true grievances and pasts to each other. They were supposed to get together in the end but the fans and their obsession with fucking poorly written sex had to go an ruin it!
As Shen Yuan was a very different person, he didn't have all those pains weighing down on his heart. So despite his efforts, he really hadn't fooled anyone with his act. They'd tested him apparently. Shang Qinghua had to be there for several of the tests and said all came back negative for possession. So everyone just accepted that Shen Qingqiu had forgotten his painful past and that lack of pain from those memories made him a better person.
He felt bad for Yue Qingyuan, but there was nothing he could do about it unless the man said something himself. For him it was just a waiting game.
A cup of steaming tea was placed in front of him, and he realized he'd seated himself at the usual low table off to the side of the main entertainment area. Madam Yan was kneeling opposite him, looking frosty but no less concerned. "What did the fools up top do to earn your ire this time?"
"They just nag so much! If I was really mourning a loved one like they're all claiming I am, then constantly bringing it up wouldn't actually help me move on!"
Maybe he was forgetting himself but at least here, in the safety of the brothel and among the workers he'd gotten to know so well since coming to this world, he could be as close to himself as possible. No fancy speech patterns or need to remember some useless 'position' he had. To make things even better, everyone here was aware of Shen Yuan's real age, which made him younger than a majority of the workers in the Warm Red Pavilion.
They tended to like doting upon him as a result, and understood whenever he accidentally slipped out of his Peak Lord persona.
Madam Yan honestly didn't care so long as he wasn't insulting the brothel or the people inside. She let him throw minor tantrums even because they both shared equal annoyance for Cultivator behaviors.
"And they refuse to believe you when you say you aren't in mourning?" she asked, pulling a small flask of wine from her sleeve so she could pour it into her own cup. She tended to do that when Cultivator business began to wear on her nerves. This was a record time for her to bring it out! "Cultivators really don't seem to be too bright, hm?"
"I regret agreeing with you."
A new pot of tea was placed on the table between them, and Shen Qingqiu looked up in confusion as he hadn't sensed anyone coming near. They had to have been walking incredibly silently as a result.
For a moment, it was almost as if he was looking at Luo Binghe. His traitorous mind even believed it for a second, and his heart reacted by getting very excited. But it took little effort to realize that while the young woman serving him was beautiful much like Binghe was, she was far too female to be him. She was clad in the standard attire for a female sex worker of the times and lacked the wild curls that Binghe had been so widely known for. Her hair had been done up with small jewels and strips of cloth, exposing the softness of her pale throat as she gave him a very welcoming smile.
While beautiful, he just felt like her hair should be curly. Like Binghe's hair. It would just make more sense with her face.
Shen Qingqiu had loved Binghe's curls. It wasn't often he came across such a unique hair type in his life and had always been fascinated by anyone who had hair that wasn't pin-straight. He'd always wanted to play with such hair, but hadn't ever had an opportunity to do so.
One of his favorite things about the designs Airplane had commissioned of Luo Binghe for his chapters, was how he always had wild, untamable hair compared to anyone else he was usually featured with. Characters in period-typical stories tended to all look relatively the same, but not Luo Binghe! And the real Luo Binghe's hair was just like those commissioned art pieces showed, but still managed to be nice and soft at the same time.
But this woman was not Luo Binghe, despite the similarities. It was unfair of him to hold a stranger to a standard that no one else could hope to reach. After all, Binghe was the protagonist and had the halo to prove it, so of course it would be impossible to emulate him to the fullest. Shen Qingqiu's fanboy nature truly needed to be controlled better so he'd stop disappointing himself by having too high expectations of others.
He was being unfair and it was wrong.
"Thank you," he remembered to tell the young woman, since he still had manners even if they weren't perfect. "I hadn't realized I was running low on tea." He must have drunk a lot while thinking.
Her long, such incredibly long and thick lashes, fluttered invitingly? Or maybe there was something in her eyes? "Peak Lord Shen is most welcome. This Ziyi hopes you enjoy it."
Madam Yan cleared her throat, and young Ziyi flushed. She bowed once to her boss, and then twice to Shen Qingqiu, and scurried away as fast as her robes would allow her to. He did not take note of how tight the layers were around her backside. No. No way, no how. He had better manners than that. he was above such things.
"I've never seen her before," he murmured, trying to subtly clear his throat in the process. "Is she new?" Very new to be precise. She wasn't there two weeks ago during his last visit. Shen Qingqiu knew all the brothel workers by name and face after all.
"A homeless orphan with nowhere to go," Madam Yan said plainly. "She's a good cook and very good at cleaning. Claims to be great at guqin and xiao, plus mending and gardening as well. She is also reasonably intelligent. Jing Ziyi came to us as a last resort a few days ago and has been working for room and board."
Hm... Perhaps he needed to increase his donations to the brothel. At least so she could get some fitting robes like all the other workers. Not that he minded a nice view but still, all the other people in the brothel got to have workwear and daywear and they even got to have breaks and days off. It would only be fair to make certain she had the same options as everyone else.
Brothel though it may be, but everyone was treated pretty well, especially under Shen Jiu's care. One thing the man did right was treat the sex workers well when no one else would. Shen Qingqiu had no problem continuing that mission. He could help and therefore did.
"So, Ayi, what have you got for me this week?"
"Bai Zhan idiots have been creating more of a ruckus in the region than anyone would like. They've caused irreparable damage to the Golden House not because they made use of the services there, but because they were incapable of defeating some monster or what have you, and ended up chasing it into the town and destroying several homes and businesses in the process. And then instead of owning up to it and apologizing or offering to pay for the repairs, they just went on their way with the carcass."
He'd need to have a talk with Liu Qingge it seemed. The man was surprisingly sweet under his prickliness and he'd no doubt see to it that whatever inappropriate behavior his disciples were committing, would stop forthwith. Also, Cultivators truly needed to learn how to keep their battles away from civilian populations. Thank goodness his disciples didn't cause such problems. They were capable of handling dangerous situations without putting innocent lives in total peril.
"I'll talk to the other Peak Lords about it," he promised as he poured himself some of the new pot of tea. "Yue Qingyuan will cave if I tear up even the slightest about it."
Madam Yan snorted. "He's a hopeless case."
Shen Qingqiu lifted his cup in salute and took a long drink...
...It tasted just like Binghe's tea.
What the fuck?
[-50 Points for straying from the plot.]
I didn't even do anything!
[Host should remember that Luo Binghe needs to become the all-powerful Protagonist he is meant to be.]
I know that! Why am I losing points out of nowhere?!
He never received a response from the System, which was bullshit.
"Was I imagining it or was Shizun really looking at me a lot?" Luo Binghe asked the moment things calmed down for the evening. There were no more guests save for those who rented rooms and had gone to sleep already. The main hall was cleaned and prepared for the next day and the prostitutes had begun to prepare themselves for bed so they could get to working brought and early. Their schedule was much like his own had been up on the peak.
Madam Yan rolled her eyes. She was seated at a low table and was evaluating the the earnings of the day, versus what they'd technically lost in terms of supplies. In order to not fall behind, the finances had to be tended to daily just to be safe. The Warm Red Pavilion, while popular, could not afford to fall behind in any area. It was the longest lasting brothel in the region after all, with a deep history to it. There was a reason for that and Madam Yan had been there the entire way.
"You look almost exactly the same as before, Luo Binghe. It's obvious that he noticed and was completely sidetracked by it."
Since she obviously knew a side of his Shizun that he didn't, he would take her word for it. And if it was indeed the case, then it had to mean that Shizun was very attuned to Binghe's presence, even when he didn't look exactly like himself!
This could be a very good thing! He just needed to learn how to use it to his advantage later on. Shizun was actually a very emotional person, he was just so easy to embarrass that he tried his best to hide those emotions.
"Do you think I'll be able to get close to Shizun like this?"
"Keep cooking him food he's familiar with and he'll recognize you before you even get the chance to fulfill whatever your desire truly is," she warned him as she separated the silver and gold ingots from each other. "That tea was obviously something you've made for him before and he recognized it with ease. Do something different for once."
"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Madam Yan," he murmured, trying to think of what to do to now arouse Shizun's suspicions while still getting near him. Perhaps he could make some new sweets? Shizun like sweets even if he'd lie and say he didn't.
"Stop overthinking things!" the old woman told him, face a mask of annoyance like it always way. "Just make food you haven't made for him before. Goodness, you'll make me a drunkard yet."
"But you already drink wine multiples times a day," he pointed out, having seen her little flask that she liked to use with her tea. She tended to keep it hidden in her robes either in her sleeves or between her breasts. Depending on the people she had to deal with daily, she could end up using the entire thing in one sitting.
"Out!" she hissed, pointing a severely sharp-nailed finger toward the back rooms. "Go annoy someone else with your drivel!"
He did as ordered, giggling as he went. It was fun to get on her nerves. more fun that aggravating Liu Qingge had been.
The next morning, Madam Yan presented him with a contract that he hadn't been expecting to receive. "While a bit late, this is still a business and we still need to work things out," she said promptly. "You will be available on the floor for anyone asking. If they want music, you play something. If they want poetry, you quote something. If they want a dance, you move your hips appropriately. However, while you may offer many skills, sex is not one of the requirements."
The contract in question went into detail about the jobs expected of him on the daily, but how those duties could be ignored if a patron pays for his presence. He was allowed to offer anything involving music, dancing, and speaking. He could serve food and alcohol and could clean up after the patrons. He could not accept payment related to sexual favors. While it could earn him a lot of money, Madam Yan had decided that he wasn't meant for such things. Something about no training, knowledge, or experience.
Having his... virginity so deeply scrutinized was embarrassing, but how could he be blamed?! He was saving himself for Shizun! Outside of his own hands, only Shizun was allowed to touch him in such a way!
As for the contract, it went on to say that the Warm Red Pavilion would retain half of any of the earnings he generated and he could keep the rest. This way he could technically make a living instead of just eating, sleeping, and working every single day for the foreseeable future.
Every day he was to work no later than haishi, but when he started working would actually depend on circumstances that day. Typically though, he was not to work before wushi which was actually pretty decent. If he wanted more hours, they have to talk that over and figure something out.
However, the one absolutely no-arguments point, was the moment he 'decided to pull his head from his ass' and return to Qing Jing Peak, their business deal was over with no expectations of any sort from either side.
Basically, when he wanted to go home, he could. It was a nice thing to add in there.
Without hesitating, he signed in the best script he could manage, and finished it off with a small thumb print of blood for good measure. His word was solid as stone and he would prove why.
"This disciple doesn't know why Madam Yan tries to pretend that she's mean and heartless, but she should know that she's failing at it."
Her left brow twitched in aggravation at his taunt. "I can always have you go and tend to the horses in the stable. I'm sure shoveling shit all day would help drive home the fact that I'm dead serious and not one to be played with."
"Madam Yan is the meanest person I know!" he chose to say.
She gave a self-satisfied nod, a smirk working it's way across her face. "And don't you forget it. Now get to the kitchen and begin preparing the meals for the afternoon."
Despite his situation, he had to say that he was actually extremely lucky. Madam Yan was no doubt treating him well because of Shizun, so in the end, despite what had happened, Shizun was still protecting him in a way.
Shen Qingqiu was back at the Warm Red Pavilion, much sooner than he'd been the last time he'd returned. In fact, he'd felt an urge to come back as soon as possible, though he couldn't really see why. Usually he'd come once every two weeks or so, but it had only been a week and he was already making the trip down. He felt the stress on his shoulders just melt away the moment he walked through the doors. So maybe people had just been getting on his nerves so severely that he needed rest and relaxation sooner than normal?
"Should you be coming here alone all the time?" Madam Yan demanded the moment he stepped through the main entrance and out of the downpour going on outside. Thankfully, he had a cute little hat Ning Yinying had made him so the water didn't get him wet. Truly a sweet child. To thank her, he'd actually eat every single thing she cooked him for the next week, and not throw it out once she was gone. Stomach pain was worth it to see her smiling like she used to before her future husband had to fall into the Abyss because the System was a bitch.
Madam Yan had her hands on her hips and looked like she wanted to throttle him for some reason. "You're still poisoned and yet you intend on making this trip alone every single time without even telling anyone where you're going? And to make it worse you did so in the rain this time? What if you become ill?!"
Something in his chest warmed at her concern. She was worried for his health because he was still suffering the effects of Without-A-Cure and sometimes it got pretty bad. He'd even fallen off his sword before, but the fall hadn't really hurt so he didn't really care much. But knowing that so many people seemed to worry for his well-being made him want to cry. But he couldn't do that because it would just be so embarrassing! He didn't know what Shen Jiu's face looked like when too emotional and he didn't want himself or anyone else to find out!
"t's okay, I'm fine," he said with a casual wave of the hand. "Liu Qingge came by yesterday to see to the poison and I feel much better as a result." he even flexed his muscles dramatically just to show off a bit.
Her deadpan stare made him feel like an idiot. "You should have him bring you if you plan to come more often in the future."
A snort escaped his throat before he could manage to stop it! Bring Liu-shidi to a brothel?! While Shen Qingqiu was definitely easily embarrassed, that man would no doubt expire if exposed to the gorgeous men and women who were often paid to have sex with customers! He'd lose his mind even being near such a place and try to make excuses on why he couldn't go in. Honestly, it'd be pretty funny and he was considering it now just for the laughs.
"Or bring that Sect Leader of yours. I'm certain he'd do it in a heartbeat."
"No!" There was much he was willing to tolerate from Yue Qingyuan but the Puppy Eyes of Doom were not it. He'd get all worried and guilty and begin to blame himself despite none of it being his fault. Inadvertently - maybe even deliberately? The man's true thoughts were a mystery - the man would end up guilt-tripping Shen Qingqiu through tears alone and then he'd start feeling bad.
Look, Shen Qingqiu was weak to tears from beautiful people, okay? It wasn't just Binghe and his crocodile tears that moved his old heart. Anyone could apparently do it. And by the way, it was so unfair that everyone in this bloody world seemed to be so beautiful while crying! What the hell, System? What the hell, Airplane? Why did everyone have to be so heart-stoppingly gorgeous?! Where was the fairness for the average people like him and Shang Qinghua, huh?
Anyway, of all people who he could have escort him to the brothel, it would never be Yue Qingyuan. That would just be mortifying on a whole new level and he didn't want to deal with that.
"Or you could even bring that annoying rat man you've been complaining about for months," Madam Yan went on to suggest with a shrug.
His snort this time was even stronger than the last! Enough to hurt his throat! Shang Qinghua being called a 'rat man' was the best because it fit him so well! "Ayi, please never change! You're the greatest!"
"Of course I am."
He was soon escorted to his usual table where tea was set up and payment was exchanged as per usual. Several scrolls of information passed between hands as Madam Yan went into detail about what information her workers had collected that week, plus whatever drama was happening in other brothels relatively nearby. It was a lot to go through.
A disease seemed to be spreading in a village down south, which would need to be seen to immediately. And up north there was some kind of animal that was killing civilians at an alarming rate while also mutilating livestock. The Peak Cultivators of the area had refused to do anything about it after having determined that it was a bear of some sort. Therefore, as it wasn't an evil monster, it didn't matter to them what it did. You know, who cared about the common folk, right?
Shen Qingqiu really hated human greed so much. The biggest flaw among Cultivators was how little they seemed to care for non-Cultivators and their plights. And yet the majority of their livelihoods came from work done by the common folk. No respect for the working class average people, but still willing to use them and their labor. Yeah, definitely the usually mark of privilege which he was also guilty of, he was aware. He simply tried to be more mindful and self-aware than others cared to be at such a point in time.
"I will go in person to handle these issues myself," he told Madam Yan, since it was obvious no one else was going to do it. "No payment required." If it was just a bear, he'd just have to kill it. Liu Qingge would probably like to go on an adventure to kill an overgrown animal anyway. He'd probably keep the head and mount it on a wall or something. And if it was actually a monster that was similar to a bear, the man would be even happier.
"At least someone cares," was the old woman's only response.
Young Jing Ziyi seemed to appear then, looking even more like Luo Binghe than she had before since she was garbed in robes of light green and white. It was almost a slap in the face and made his breath catch for a moment. He missed his little white lotus and his cute, adoring expressions and excited bouncing in place. "Would Peak Lord Shen like something to eat?" Jing Ziyi asked as she placed a pot of tea and two cups down for them to use.
"Uh... if it's no trouble." He was actually hungry as Ming Fan's cooking was... not good and Ning Yingying really shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a kitchen, though he appreciated their efforts. Shen Qingqiu hadn't eaten well since Binghe- Since he had to go away.
"No trouble at all, Peak Lord Shen," she simpered, winking once and then flouncing away as if that was normal behavior.
He didn't know hos he was supposed to feel about that. It wasn't as if he was used to being flirted with. Not by anyone. In his first life he had been wealthy but nothing special to look at. No one came sniffing around looking to date him because he hadn't had anything to offer as a sickly shut-in. He'd never even kissed a girl!
Sure, Shen Qingqiu had read about kissing and flirting before, and obviously had read a lot of papapa scenes in his young life thanks to the internet, but he'd never done any of that himself nor been subjected to it! How was he supposed to react?
Maybe it was because he, as a Peak Lord, was technically rich and could therefore provide for others? That was certainly an appealing piece of information to many people, right?
"She needs to work on her performance," Madam Yan frowned. "No one of any real sense would fall for that act."
Oh. That made so much more sense. She wasn't necessarily flirting with him to try and get with him, she was just working on her skills as a sex worker because she was new to the brothel. Even so, he didn't think he'd be able to give any advice on how to improve herself. It wasn't as if he knew how to flirt. He could do many things, but that wasn't one of them.
Shen Qingqiu was lame and not cool, and he was very aware of that fact. Painfully so. Kids had made it a point to drive that fact home many times over the course of his school life. "I'm pretty sure a lot of people would fall for it," he said, trying to lighten the woman's judgment. After all, Jing Ziyi was a beautiful young woman and many men were easily swayed by a pretty face and a pair of decently-sized breasts. She probably wouldn't have to do much to get what she wanted.
Madam Yan snorted. "Then they are fools."
True.
Jing Ziyi returned with an entire platter of foods ready to eat. Almost as if she'd been expecting his arrival, which was insane because he had deviated from his usual schedule! So many things should not have been ready to eat so soon! It made no sense
"Peak Lord Shen has yet to taste this lowly one's cooking. I'm hoping he likes it," she said softly, surrounding him with many dishes of food that he most certainly wouldn't be able to eat alone. Some of it was food he hadn't had in a long time and the rest were things he'd never seen before. Plenty of meats he could see and they smelled so good his mouth watered instantly!
"I'm sure it'll be great if it's anything like that tea you make," he told her, trying to keep his smile friendly but not overly inviting so she didn't get any ideas of propositioning him or even practicing such things on him in the future.
He wasn't very comfortable with it. Not when she looked so much like his little sheep! It would feel so awkward to be attracted to a Binghe look-alike! He was not attracted to Binghe, he was just very aware of how attractive Binghe was! Big difference. So no, he was not attracted to her at all!
"Would Peak Lord Shen like to relax to some music?" Jing Ziyi asked. "This one is quite adept with her hands."
Was he imagining the suggestiveness in her tone? That was a sex joke, right? He wasn't quite so virginal to not know that! She was suggesting that she could use her hands for something else! He brought his fan up to cover his face, in hopes of hiding the blush threatening to permanently stain his skin red!
"I'm certain your skill is beyond reproach," he chose to say as it felt very neutral and couldn't be taken as an insult nor as an invitation for papapa.
She scampered away and returned with a guqin of incredibly high quality, and he could tell, just by how expertly her dainty hands situated it, that he was in for one of the best performances of his young life. And he was far too impressed by her fingering.
She really was adept with her hands.
Shame! His mind shouldn't wander like that!
But they were so soft and pretty. He wanted to touch them.
No!
The song she'd chosen to play was composed for a small poem called "Little Flower Pink" in simple terms. It was not about a flower. The flower was just used as a metaphor for something else entirely.
While it was an immaculate rendition of the song, and her voice reciting the poem was lovely, he was just a little too embarrassed to look anywhere except at her hands. Singing about such things so brazenly in the middle of the day! Even in a brothel! His face felt like it was going to combust!
The soft, soothing tone of her voice complemented the song well, and the suggestive way in which she said, "Stroke the petals open and give a light kiss," made him want to hide his face in his hands!
He'd read Airplane's terrible papapa scenes! All three thousand seven hundred and fourteen of them! He should be able to handle this! It was just a song. Just a song... about sex.
Madam Yan was looking at him like he'd disappointed her entire ancestry and descendants all in one go. She had a unique ability to make people feel foolish with a simple quirk of the brow. The Master of Deadpanning if you will.
When the song finally settled, Jing Ziyi aimed a beautiful smile his way and asked, "Does Peak Lord Shen like it?"
"It was a... very special performance."
"This one thanks Peak Lord Shen for his kind words. Perhaps, if the Master so wishes, this lowly one can play for him any time he visits?"
He took a long drink of her frankly perfect tea, and nodded. "I'd enjoy that." His throat was dry and his voice came out sort of scratchy. Fuck.
As she departed with a deep bow, Madam Yan shook her head. "You're hopeless."
"It's not my fault!" He was allowed to be out of his element in unfamiliar situations!
[+50 Satisfaction Points.]
What? From where?
How could he be getting those if they were only connected to Binghe? In fact, wasn't the System supposed to be in hibernation now that it's main power source was so far away?
System?
No response.
Was Luo Binghe's Protag Halo so powerful that even all the way in the depths of the Abyss he could still keep the System online?
Freaky.
What was going on in the Abyss for him to be experiencing satisfaction so strongly that the System had to reward Shen Qingqiu for it?
His mind went blank upon realizing what it could be, and he buried his face in his hands and gave a long and loud groan of dismay. He didn't want to think about his little sheep's sex life!
Watching as Shizun got so embarrassed over things had always been a fun pastime for Luo Binghe. After all, there was just something adorable about the shade of pink the lit up the man's face. And the way it contrasted his eyes and hair was lovely. It also traveled down the slope of his throat in a very suggestive manner. Binghe had many dreams about stripping his Shizun just so he could make him flush everywhere.
Shizun trying to hide behind his many fans in any attempt to save whatever face he thought he had to protect was always adorable. It made him want to bully the man!
And the fan in question, the one he'd been carrying around all this time, was one that Luo Binghe had painted for him specifically.
He knew where every single fan Shizun used came from, and yet the one the man had used both times he'd visited the Warm Red Pavilion since Binghe's arrival, had been the one Binghe had painted for him. Not any of the fans Liu Qingge of Yue Qingyuan had gotten him!
This had to be a sign of Shizun's favor.
There had to be a good reason for why he did what he did! Why else would the man cling to the memory of his so terribly? he still spoke fondly of Luo Binghe and still used his gifts all the time.
Maybe it was pathetic how much he was hoping, but all he had left was hope. He'd rather hope for good things to come than remain depressed and forlorn over things he couldn't change. He also hated being sad.
"You've successfully confused Shen Qingqiu's sexual awakening, congratulations," Madam Yan told him the moment he stopped hiding in the kitchens after the man's visit.
"What?" What did that even mean?
She rolled her eyes. "While he appreciates the beauty of both men and women, he does not want to fuck any of them nor is he interested in courting or marriage. And yet, because of you and this ridiculous play you're putting on, he'd conflicted for the first time. You're attractive and your flirtations have certainly had an effect, but you look like his disciple, who he remembers as a child. It's awkward for him. You might have made things harder on yourself."
Oh. Oh no. That would not do!
If Shizun only viewed him as a child, then the likelihood of him developing feelings for Binghe were incredibly low!
He had to find a work-around in this. Binghe had always been resourceful and resilient. He could find solutions inside solutions if he really put his mind to it! Surely something like this wouldn't hold him back!
He just had to ply his Shizun with good food and good company and then things would work out. Shizun liked being spoiled after all, even if he was too proud to ever admit that to anyone. Luo Binghe knew very well how to take care of him to keep him happy and contented.
Like a good little wife.
Gods, that made him feel so hot under his robes. The thought of being Shen Qingqiu's good little wife who cooked and cleaned for him and took care of him as he worked so hard to teach a new generation of Cultivators. He was just a step away from being in such a position and he wanted it!
If only he could give Shizun children. That would be perfect. He wanted to take Shizun inside himself and create new life with him. He wanted a family with his favorite person.
"Shizun is susceptible to a pretty face. I just have to work harder," he decided with a nod. "I will get on Shizun's good side and when everything is good, I will reveal myself to him and we will talk properly. I promise."
"I'm going to be in the grave before either of you actually learn how to communicate like adults should."
"Rude!"
"Stupid!" she countered.
Luo Binghe laid in the blankets he'd been given in the room he shared with many of the prostitutes in the brothel. Everyone basically knew who he was and knew that he wasn't actually a woman. They also knew about his obsession with his Shizun and therefore no one had to fear that he was going to try and sleep with them in any fashion.
He was literally just sleeping whenever he could, and laying awake whenever he couldn't find enough peace to sleep.
And maybe he got a little excited during bathing times as he thought about what Shizun looked like when he was bathing, but it wasn't as if he'd been obnoxious about it! And he certainly didn't do anything in the shared bedrooms! That would be terribly rude!
...Also, he had no idea what to do anyway.
One thing he could say was that finding pleasure as a woman seemed to be impossible if you didn't already know what to do! When he had his usual body, all he had to do was stroke himself a few times when thinking of Shizun - or do it on and off for several hours just to prolong the experience during some nights - in order find that happy place he'd randomly discovered some time when he started living with Shizun.
As a woman, with all the necessary parts as he was currently making use of, it was as if nothing worked. He didn't understand! How did women even experience pleasure? How did men brag about their sexual prowess if they didn't even know if they'd successfully made their partners feel good if there was no real visual indicator like there were with men? An orgasm as a man was dead obvious but he had no idea what it looked like for women.
As a result, he could not find pleasure like this!
But changing back would take far too much power and he really didn't want to waste it if he didn't have to. What if there was an emergency and he'd tired himself out from shapeshifting too often just to rub one off for a moment?
Besides... he kind of liked being thought of as a woman by the guests. It felt nice in an abnormal way, though the prejudice for his perceived gender was definitely annoying. He'd come so close to punching a man through a wall last week and the desire to do so still burned in his veins even now.
"Your tossing and turning is aggravating," someone to his left said with a yawn. "Either go somewhere else to finally alleviate your sexual urges, or get drunk and go to sleep already."
He sniffled. "I can't even get drunk. My body burns the alcohol out of my system immediately so I'll never know what that's like."
There was a collection of groans around the room.
"And I don't know how to- you know- handle myself when I look like this," he confessed to the dark room, feeling self-conscious. "Nothing feels right. It's all weird and different."
"Gods, you're not just an innocent idiot, you're a virginal idiot," HuaHua, if he was correct, said. "You want Shen Qingqiu to love you and yet you don't even know basic pleasures of the flesh?"
"Well it's easy when you have a penis between your legs! I've never fancied women before so I never thought I'd have to learn how to pleasure them!" he said defensively. "I just want to make Shizun feel good."
Someone groaned and the darkness shifted until the face of a pretty woman with long, braided hair was hovering over him. "Are you of age, because I refuse to give hands-on sexual education to a child."
"I'm over twenty if that helps. What do you mean 'hands-on'?"
The woman, whose name he still didn't know but who had been very nice to him all week, pulled back his blankets and motioned for him to remove his sleeping robes. "We're getting this over with. I'm going to use your hand and you're going to get yourself off. And then we're all going to go to bed and never talk about this ever again."
There was a collection of shifting as people turned away to give him the illusion of privacy. His hand was taken in her larger one, and placed directly over the warmth between his legs. It was wet and slippery, and he squirmed at the sensation of the pads of his fingers trailing over such a sensitive place.
"Get a feel for it," she told him calmly, making his hand rub up and then down slowly. "Learn what you like. Some people like it when it hurts or burns, and some prefer to have no pain at all. This is your body and it's not going to be as easy as one, two, three. It'll take time to get used to it. There is no shame in learning yourself and no shame in whether or not you share someone else's fetish."
She forced him to rub deeper, fingers brushing against something that made him jolt and the heat in his blood to grow even hotter. It was so oddly smooth in between the folds. He wished he could see what was happening but it was too dark and his vision wasn't as advanced in this human form.
"The clitoris. Many men cannot seem to find it for some reason," she noted casually. "When stimulated properly, it can bring pleasure. Many like using their tongues on their partners for additional stimulation. I personally like doing it but not everyone does."
It was just some rubbing. There had been no penetration of any sort yet, but he was so wet. And his body was tingling so much. And he wanted it to last like he tended to do back on Qing Jing Peak. He wanted Shizun.
"It helps if you think of the person you want most, and think about what you want them to do to you and vice versa. If Shen Qingqiu is the one your heart desires, you should have plenty to fantasize about since you lived with him for years."
The thought of Shizun holding him down and doing this to him instead, made his legs tighten up and core flutter with want. Fuck, to have Shizun pleasuring him however he decided, making Binghe just take whatever it was that he had to offer. It's be so arousing.
What did Shizun look like when engaged in sex? Did Shizun like to be on top or on the bottom? Maybe both? Binghe would be whatever Shizun needed him to be. If Shizun wanted him blindfolded he'd do it! If he wanted to tie Binghe up then he could do it! So long as Shizun was touching him he didn't care what happened.
He felt intensely jealous over the thought of Shizun ever being with anyone but him though. But that just meant that he would have to be better so Shizun would only ever remember what it's like to be with Luo Binghe. He'd make Shizun feel so good he'd want nothing more than to be inside of Luo Binghe all day every day for the rest of their lives.
And maybe he'd get Shizun to put a baby in him!
With enough tears he could totally convince the man to do it!
"Now, I want you to try and circulate your Qi while doing this. Since Cultivators like Dual Cultivation, it's best you get used to doing that now to prepare yourself for that. I'm not sure how to do it myself so that'll be up to you to learn. Supposedly it makes the orgasm even better according to many Cultivators I've serviced before."
Binghe hadn't even channeled his Qi for three seconds before his whole body seemed to go numb while practically lighting on fire at the same time. His breathing was almost uncontrollable and his back hurt from the strain of his muscles. All he could think about was Shizun being the one to force his Qi into Binghe's body and then something inside of him just burst in response.
"And that is the female orgasm," she told him, removing her hand and turning away. "Now when you get the urge, go somewhere private and handle it please? Leave the rest of us out of it. Any further questions will have to be asked of someone else. Good night."
Luo Binghe laid there, mind adrift in the numb silence that followed, and all he could really think of, was Shizun using his tongue like the woman suggested, and making Binghe feel good again.
He wanted it so much! Maybe he could use his tongue on Shizun and then get Shizun to reciprocate!
...Luo Binghe never went to sleep, his mind too filled with fantasies to calm down.
"You're distracted," Shang Qinghua noted as they traversed the forest together, avoiding roots and dips in the earth as they walked. There wasn't much sunlight making its way through the canopy overhead, so it was a rather perilous journey.
He hated to admit it, but the little rat was actually pretty observant. Unfortunately, there was nowhere for him to pretend he had to be, as they were all alone out in the woods, farming fucking mushrooms just in case he died as some point in the near future.
Shen Qingqiu sighed and shrugged. "I have a lot of things on my mind lately." Too many things that he didn't want to be there at al to be precise. Things that distracted him from the important stuff!
"I've heard you've gone down to the Warm Red Pavilion a lot lately. A pretty thing catch your eye?"
He glared, not wanting the idiot to know he was right because he became insufferable whenever he could get one up in their little confrontations. Unfortunately, Shen Qingqiu's silence was basically an admittance to whatever Shang Qinghua had imagined.
"Wow! I wonder who could possibly have garnered your attention so thoroughly when you're basically a Binghe simp!"
He gasped. "I am not a simp!"
"You were the biggest fanboy for Binghe and it was obvious to everyone that you wanted to marry him and have his children. You aren't subtle, Cucumber-Bro. you wanted him to dick you down good!"
"I'm straight!"
Shang Qinghua sent him a doubtful look, which he took great offense to because he liked to think that he was as straight as any average heterosexual man in the modern day had been. Boring. Plain. Vanilla if you will. He'd never gotten off on seeing naked men before! Nor had he wanted to see naked men before!
Though to be honest he hadn't really felt much when masturbating to women either.
Maybe he was asexual then? Who knows? He never learned much about that stuff to understand it well enough.
"I'll have you know that the thing keeping me so distracted is in fact a woman from the brothel!" Like it was some sort of ah-hah moment for him. On the fool's end though, it didn't seem to be convincing enough.
"Let me guess... she looks like my son."
His jaw dropped and he wasn't sure what to respond to first. Binghe was definitely not Airplane's son! And Shen Qingqiu definitely wasn't preoccupied with Jing Ziyi simply because she looked like Binghe! There were other reasons! Like her perfect tea and food and music and singing.
Fuck.
Shang Qingqiu's head was thrown back with his ensuing laughter. He was acting like this was somehow the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "That's rich! You claim to not be obsessed with him to the point of attraction and yet the only real woman you've ever felt an interest in looks just like him. You are a mess, Cucumber-Bro!"
"Airplane-Bro, I'm going to stab you if you don't shut up."
"Not even the pain of a stabbing would stop the joy I'm feeling inside!"
They carried on for several minutes more, Shen Qingqiu seething to himself while Shang Qinghua giggled every now and them upon remembering some specific detail f their conversation that he enjoyed.
Eventually, things died down enough for them to converse like normal people once more.
"So there's a whore who looks like my son and you're captivated."
"Please use the term Sex Worker," Shen Qingqiu corrected with a glare. "And he isn't your son!"
"Fine, a 'sex worker' or whatever. And he is totally my son! Anyway, she looks like Binghe and has captivated you so much that you're distracted from your plan to literally save your own life if Luo Binghe tries to kill you out of revenge for what you had to do to him. What did she do that's so mind-consuming?"
He sighed. "She acts just like Binghe did... only she flirts. A lot. It's not something I'm used to so I'm a bit uncomfortable with it."
The look his companion sent him made him feel like he'd said something stupid.
"Bro, are you trying to tell me you have no experience with flirtation?"
"Yes."
"You think no one has flirted with you before?"
"Obviously."
They stared at one another for a moment more, Shen Qingqiu confused and Shang Qinghua annoyed, before Shang Qinghua shook his head and continued walking. "You're hopeless."
"Hey, what's that mean?!"
"It means that I can finally understand why the men in your life are so damn frustrated with you!"
"What does that mean?!"
"It means that you are the world's biggest tease and I feel sympathy for all of my brethren who have had to deal with you these past few years!"
"I am not a tease!" What would he even be teasing people about? He minded his own business and avoided having to talk to people at all costs! It made no sense and he despised the joy that Shang Qinghua was deriving from this!
He was going to make Airplane suffer, one way or another.
"Jing Ziyi if you don't control yourself I will make it so you are stuck in the kitchen during his entire visit!"
Instantly, Luo Binghe calmed down. Madam Yan had moments where she was actually scary and he really didn't want to get on her bad side simply because he was too excited to see his Shizun again. It wasn't his fault though! Shizun had promised to come by more frequently and, if things went well, he'd visit every eight days!
That was so many times he'd get to see Shizun! So many chances to get the man to fall in love with him!
"This lowly one appreciates Madam Yan's generosity in allowing me to join your meeting with Shizun."
She rolled her eyes and set up the table on the far left of the main room so it'd be ready for when Shen Qingqiu arrived. That seemed to be his designated spot that they always used when he came by.
And he always came for business!
Never did Shizun try to sleep with anyone and no one tried to flirt with him or get him to purchase their time! It was so strange to Binghe, who eavesdropped with his superior hearing to find out that his Shizun was using the whore houses of the region and those beyond, to keep tabs on everything happening. He had an information network run by prostitutes because it was easy for them to get information from people. Prostitutes were an often overlooked part of society that no on took seriously because of their profession/situation.
Shizun paid the Warm Red Pavilion handsomely and in return, every person inside worked to gather information from their clients so they could pass it along to him through Madam Yan. Enough wine and a pretty face could often make someone spill their entire life's secrets.
It was because of Shizun's generosity that the people of the brothel could live relatively comfortably now and why they were willing to spy on clients for him.
His Shizun was such a good person! Luo Binghe fell more and more in love every single day!
"He's arrived," Madam Yan said, gesturing to the entrance. "Go escort him here."
Binghe bowed and hurried off to see his beloved once more!
Shizun was beautiful as always, the fan Binghe painted for him blocking the majority of his face, but his eyes remained open and just as expressive as always! Those same eyes widened upon noticing his approach, and Luo Binghe had to hold back the intense urge to throw his arms around the man and bawl until he was given the hug he wanted.
As he didn't look like his usual self, Shizun would probably not appreciate being touched. Yet. There was hope for the future though.
Of all the people the man knew, he only tolerated physical contact of the incredibly close nature, from Binghe. And he could usually be guilt-tripped, with tears, into hugging him for as long as Binghe wanted.
Ever since his... exploration of his new/temporary form, Luo Binghe's mind had been filled with nothing but Shizun. He'd been loaned some reading materials by many of the older prostitutes in the whore house, and had read passages that made him hot both up top and down below. And the drawings! Some people were really talented at drawing sexually intimate scenes and Binghe discovered a new... interest.
He liked imagining himself and Shizun in those poses, doing those things. It made touching himself in private even better. before he'd only had a small inkling as to what sex entailed, but now he knew things and he was eager to try them all out!
His artistic skills had always been good, much like his skills in anything he'd put his mind to. He was able to recreate a certain position in extremely realistic detail, using his and Shizun's faces. It wasn't the same art style that was commonly popular these days, but he didn't care. The more it looked like Shen Qingqiu was fucking Luo Binghe into the ground, the better it was.
"Peak Lord Shen, Madam Yan is waiting for you," Binghe said invitingly, waving his arm gently in the usual direction. "This lowly one has prepared your meal already if you're hungry?"
The man's fan rose even higher, almost covering his eyes entirely. He was especially embarrassed and self-conscious today it seemed. Binghe fluttered his lashes a little more dramatically, if only to see that generous shade of pink cover his Shizun's skin.
"I am quite famished, yes. Thank you for your efforts, Jing Ziyi."
"Anything for Peak Lord Shen."
"You can- It's fine if you just call me Shen Qingqiu like everyone else here does. I don't really like being reminded of my status when I'm here because I come here to relax and avoid Cultivators."
Binghe hadn't heard his Shizun be so open about his feelings in a long time. The man rarely ever spoke his mind when it came to his own personal struggles. It was obvious that while Shizun liked the benefits of being a Peak Lord, he did not like the lack of privacy or the drama of the Cultivation World. Binghe could slve those problems with ease! Shizun just had to let him in!
"As Master Shen requests," he nodded with a smile. "Madam Yan also wishes for you to take a nap in one of our many rooms before you head back up the mountain. Simply for her own sanity of course as she doesn't want to be blamed in case something happens on your way back. Definitely not because she worries about you or anything. Certainly not that."
Binghe managed to elicit a snort from his favorite person, and it was an adorable how hideous of a sound it was that managed to come out of such a prim and proper man. It also meant that Shizun was comfortable enough around him to do such a thing. "You better hope she doesn't hear you spilling her secrets, Jing Ziyi. She can get very frosty when people annoy her."
He winked in return. "I know it well, Master Shen." This flirtation with Shizun was the highlight of his day thus far!
And to think, he was going to get to spend more time with him for the next few hours!
A/N: The first is finished!
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