Chapter Text
Things became a bit muddled there at the end. Shen Qingqiu could remember feeling guilt and bone-deep sadness overlaid by acceptance. From now on, he would give whatever Luo Binghe wanted from him and accept anything he gave.
Ah well, he thought, “Dying together” also meant being “together.” Perhaps it was for the best—after food poisoning, self-destruction, and having his soul involuntarily ripped out of his body, Shen Qingqiu had finally found a death he was okay with. Anything was okay, as long as it was Binghe.
His newfound enlightenment was immediately doused by the chiming, automated voice of the System.
【ERROR: Fractured power source. Now initiating self-saving system.】
Shen Qingqiu’s face cracked. What did “fractured power source” mean? Wasn’t Luo Binghe the power source? He was even less certain what the self-saving system meant, but if it was something made by the System, then Shen Qingqiu was already wary.
【Transporting host to a previous save point. Good luck.】
There were save points?! Shen Qingqiu almost coughed blood as Luo Binghe was lost from his arms, another feature of Maigu Ridge’s bleak landscape as Shen Qingqiu himself slipped into an inky void. The only thing there besides him was a System loading bar locked at 3%. Shen Qingqiu attempted to prod the System for more information, but every time he received the same message.
【Please wait. Accessing save point.】
Shen Qingqiu stared hard first at the message and then at the loading bar, which remained at 3%. The text remained the same, although Shen Qingqiu could almost swear that the characters glared brighter the longer that he stared back at them. His gaze was unwavering. He wished there was something more interesting to do in this void than have a one-sided staring contest with his sadistic machine god as he tried to forget what madness, abject misery, and heartbreak looked like in his former disciple’s face.
He blinked.
【97%...100%. Accessing save point.】
As suddenly as he was pulled into the void, he was spat back out again. The abruptness of the change and the influx of physical sensation made his head spin, and he faltered where he had apparently been in mid-step.
“Elder Shen?” a vaguely familiar asked. Shen Qingqiu’s head jerked to the side, where he was met by the gaze of a Huan Hua Palace disciple who had been dead for over five years. His face was youthful and respectful, albeit slightly creased by concern. He did not look like someone who would be dead before the month was up. “Is Elder Shen alright?”
Shen Qingqiu’s right hand twitched. He couldn’t look down at it without bringing the hand to Gongyi Xiao’s attention, but quickly taking stock of the situation—Gongyi Xiao, the red-light district, empty streets suppressed under an aura of despair. Unless the System had found new ways to torture him (and this may or may not count), he was in Jinlan City.
【Location: Jinlan City】
…Right.
So, the previous save point was Jinlan City? Why there? The System had gone offline after Luo Binghe entered the Abyss and came online when they reunited here, but it had also gone offline when he self-destructed and came online after they reunited again, so shouldn’t that be the previous save point? Maybe it had to do with the “power source,” which (if he was right) had something to do with the state of Luo Binghe’s primordial spirit. It had taken a beating in the five years between his self-destruction and the sprouting of the Sun and Moon Dew plant, so it would make sense for the System to go back before that to the last time he and Luo Binghe connected.
…By the time Shen Qingqiu woke up, had it already been too late to save him? If so, his self-destruction was an even greater miscalculation than he thought.
“This elder is alright. We should hurry if we want to catch up.”
Shen Qingqiu and Gongyi Xiao walked into the brothel, and Shen Qingqiu went through the motions of sending Gongyi Xiao to one side while he searched the other. Of course, Shen Qingqiu knew they wouldn’t find anything on the first floor, so he used that time to argue with the System.
System, load the jade Guanyin.
【Key Item: Jade Guanyin Pendant can only be used once.】
I know that!
【Host has already deployed this key item at Maigu Ridge.】
The System, for all its mechanization, seemed to be mocking him like a child who was particularly slow on the uptake. Shen Qingqiu’s eyebrow twitched, and he opened the next door with a little more force than necessary. Isn’t it a continuity error if the pendant disappears?
【In the novel <<Proud Immortal Demon Way>>, the protagonist loses the pendant to fellow disciple Ming Fan. Therefore, it is not a continuity error to lose an item that is already lost.】
If this is a save point, then all stats—including the inventory—should have been restored.
【…】
【Loading key item. Please wait.】
Useless. Truly useless.
Finally, there was the sound of movement from the floor above, and Shen Qingqiu and Gongyi Xiao took to the stairs in time to hear a young, gentle voice say, “It’s no trouble.”
The first time around, Shen Qingqiu had been startled and afraid, so he froze and tried to escape, only entering the scene when he got caught. This time, Shen Qingiu’s heart sped up from expectation and relief, and he climbed up the stairs slightly too fast to be dignified in a non-emergency situation.
“Elder Shen?!” Maybe he should have expected that his haste would have alarmed Gongyi Xiao, who was already a bit on edge from both the case and his previous misstep, but Huan Hua Palace’s former favored disciple was not the first thing on Shen Qingqiu’s mind.
Luo Binghe turned in their direction, and when their gaze caught, so did Shen Qingqiu’s breath. The first time around, Shen Qingqiu noticed how handsome Luo Binghe had become, but it was overshadowed by Shen Qingqiu’s fear and the perception of concealed malice. This time, he could read the expression for what it was: pleased surprise and gentle hope. “Shizun?”
Shen Qingqiu flicked his fan open in front of his face to keep himself from feeling flayed by the sweet brightness of it. The first time around, he was struck speechless by alarm and extreme caution. This time…he was still speechless! It was like waking from his transmigration and wanting to plead for forgiveness for the original Shen Qingqiu’s crimes, only this time, the crimes were his own, weighted down by the additional guilt of his past (future?) actions that Luo Binghe didn’t and would probably never know about, and the System wasn’t the one holding his tongue. What could he say in such a situation? The conversation he needed to have with Luo Binghe would be better without any audience, much less one from Huan Hua Palace.
Luo Binghe didn’t seem to mind the lack of response, taking in the familiar sight of his green and white Qing Jing Peak robes and the flick of his wrist when he spread his fan. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly. “It really is Shizun.”
“This master came to investigate the plague,” he said, fanning himself slightly. “I am pleased to see that capable hands have already been at work.”
Luo Binghe smiled even wider, ducking his head slightly. Even though Shen Qingqiu said, “capable hands,” his eyes never drifted to the Huan Hua Palace disciples ahead or Gongyi Xiao lingering behind, so it was clear who he was referring to.
One of the Huan Hua Palace disciples scoffed. “Elder Shen doesn’t have to bother with false niceties. Lord Luo already managed to catch the culprit.”
There were undoubtedly several unfavorable comments buried in that remark, but Shen Qingqiu ignored them. He focused on Luo Binghe, his torn sleeve, and the marks of infection dotted against his wrist instead. “Are you alright?”
Luo Binghe pulled his sleeve down slightly. “Shizun needn’t worry about this disciple.”
“Binghe should not take unnecessary risks.” On one level, this could be understood as Shen Qingqiu telling him not to get infected, either ignorant or forgetful about Luo Binghe’s heritage. On another level, Shen Qingqiu wanted to warn him against doing anything that might bring attention to himself and reveal his heritage accidentally. He wasn’t sure which way Luo Binghe heard it, but he nodded obediently anyway.
“This disciple understands. Would Shizun like to see the body?”
Shen Qingqiu nodded and stepped forward, fan still in front of his face. It was good protection from scrutiny, but he also hoped that it would bring focus to the red marks of infection slightly visible at the edge of his sleeve. He would have to convince Binghe not to heal it later; despite its underhandedness, it would be a good trick for later if the infection could convince them that he had nothing to do with the sowers. As he passed through the group of Huan Hua Palace disciples, he noticed that several of them rested their hands on the hilts of their swords. So, a bit underhanded, but necessary.
When Shen Qingqiu cut the cloth away to reveal the red skin, he beckoned Luo Binghe forward. “Do you recognize this type of demon?”
Luo Binghe straightened his posture even further, looking every inch the diligent, starry-eyed disciple. In an even voice, he concisely identified the sower and described its history and function. He was careful to seem informed in a well-read way instead of personally experienced—Shen Qingqiu himself could have given as much information, if not more.
Another Huan Hua disciple, this time a young woman with a spoiled sneer, said, “This Huan Hua Palace disciple heard that Qing Jing Peak was built for scholars, and yet its Peak Lord needed his own former disciple to teach him.”
Shen Qingqiu could ignore an insult, but Luo Binghe couldn’t. “Everything I know was taught by Shizun.”
The little mistress tightened and relaxed her sword grip in turn, as if she couldn’t believe that Luo Binghe was speaking in Shen Qingqiu’s defense.
“Then Binghe should also know that a single sower wouldn’t be able to devastate a city this size in such a short timeframe,” he said. “There are bound to be several more, so no one should relax their guard just yet. Would you give this body to Mu-shidi? He can start working on a treatment while we track down the others.”
“As Shizun says.”
Shen Qingqiu looked at Luo Binghe. His eyes were a shining black without a trace of red, his gaze earnest and steadfast, and Shen Qingqiu felt something squeeze in his chest. He wanted to say something to reassure Luo Binghe that he was happy to see him, but he had never been good with words when it mattered. The Huan Hua disciples still looked like they wanted to skewer him to a wall.
Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth, closed it, sighed quietly, and settled for nodding at Luo Binghe first with a smaller nod to Gongyi Xiao as he swept out of the room. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do for now. Reuniting with Luo Binghe was the bigger priority but the sowers were more immediate; for now, all he could do was make arrangements and wait.