Chapter Text
Shen Qingqiu sighed, flicking his fan shut with a sharp snap. The corpses of the demonic beasts were already beginning to rot, filling the clearing with a sickly-sweet stench. He had no reason to linger. The mission was done. The sect would expect his report.
And yet his gaze returned to the thing nestled at the base of the ancient tree. A child, impossibly small, impossibly delicate, its skin smooth and unblemished as if the world had not yet touched it. Around it, the thick black roots of the plant curled protectively, pulsing faintly with lingering spiritual energy. A telltale sign of something unnatural, something that should not exist.
Rootbound Offspring. That was what the ancient texts called this plant. A remnant of forgotten cultivation practices, a parasite that fed on energy—spiritual, demonic, human, it did not care. It took and took and took until, eventually, it bore fruit: an imitation of life. Not quite human, not quite demon. Something between.
Shen Qingqiu knew what he should do. Rootbound Offspring was forbidden for a reason. Left alone, the creature it produced could grow into anything—an empty puppet, a soulless husk, or worse, a monster. This was why cultivators destroyed the plant on sight. Why they made sure nothing crawled from its roots.
Shen Qingqiu tightened his grip on his fan.
He hated this. He hated the hesitation crawling up his throat, the way his body resisted the simple act of turning away. Why should he care? If it had been an adult creature, something fully formed and capable of wielding power, he would have cut it down without a second thought. That was what Cang Qiong had trained him to do, after all.
To be precise. To be efficient. To act without hesitation. The sect had no place for those who wavered.
Cang Qiong Mountain, with its gleaming halls and carefully polished righteousness, was filled with hypocrites. They took in disciples, raised them with flowery words about honor and duty, but the moment someone became inconvenient, they cast them aside. He had learned that lesson young.
What would they do if he brought this child back? Oh, the righteous ones would call for its destruction, warning of the dangers of the Rootbound Offspring’s creations. The “gentler” ones, the ones who still pretended at kindness, would debate, delay, talk in circles until the choice was made for them.
None of them would see a child. They would see a thing.
The infant stirred. Its tiny fingers flexed before relaxing again, breath slow and even. For all its unnatural origins, it was quiet, peaceful—unaware of its own existence.
Shen Qingqiu exhaled sharply. Tch. What was he doing? Standing here, indulging in sentimentality? Ridiculous.
He turned. Took one step away. Then another.
And then, cursing under his breath, he turned back.
A sharp flick of his fan severed the plant’s roots from the earth. The blackened vines shriveled instantly, the connection broken.
The child did not stir. With a scowl, Shen Qingqiu bent down and picked it up. It was warm. Too warm. Lighter than he expected.
“Troublesome thing,” he muttered.
The source was dead. The child was his problem now.
***
Shen Yuan had read about transmigration before. He had seen it in novels, in manhua, in web forums filled with passionate debates about the best and worst ways to wake up in a different world.
Some people got sent into powerful protagonists, blessed with cheat-like abilities and destined for greatness. Others woke up as villains, but at least they had status, wealth, and the chance to redeem themselves before their tragic end.
He, on the other hand, had woken up as a literal, screaming, useless baby.
And not just in any world—in Proud Immortal Demon Way.
A world infamous not for its deep character writing, nor for its masterful storytelling, but for being one of the most ridiculously obscene stallion novels in existence.
Even now, buried in the hazy mess of infant instincts,
Shen Yuan could vaguely recall how it had happened. Choking. His stupid brother yelling at him to stop eating so fast. His vision going dark as he keeled over like a tragic side character in a manhua. And the last thing he ever saw? His phone screen still glowing with the text of Proud Immortal Demon Way, right in the middle of yet another graphic scene.
Oh, he had hated those scenes.
The protagonist, Luo Binghe, was an absolute monster—not just in battle, but in bed. There was no escaping it! Every few chapters, some new jade-skinned beauty would appear, only to be conquered within minutes. Shen Yuan had barely been able to skim past the endless paragraphs of Luo Binghe’s absurd stamina before another one cropped up.
And yet… the world itself had been interesting.
Buried beneath all the excess, all the highly questionable anatomy descriptions, there was an actual story. The cultivation system, the sects, the creatures—it had all been strangely compelling. Shen Yuan had found himself reading for the plot, begrudgingly invested despite his suffering.
And now he was in it. As a baby. A baby currently being held by Shen Qingqiu.
Through blurry infant eyes, Shen Yuan could barely make out the man’s face, but he knew. That stiff posture, that elegant but constantly exasperated expression—yep, that was definitely Shen Qingqiu.
The Shen Qingqiu.
The scum villain. The man who would one day torment Luo Binghe, only to be thrown into endless suffering for his crimes.
Shen Yuan wanted to scream.
But all that came out was an angry, frustrated gurgle.
Shen Qingqiu frowned down at him. “What, are you already complaining?”
'YES, ACTUALLY! Shen Yuan wanted to yell. Take me back! I demand a redo! Why am I a baby?! Why are you my first NPC interaction?!'
Shen Qingqiu just sighed. “Tch. Troublesome thing.”
You have no idea.
Shen Qingqiu still looked mildly irritated, still held him awkwardly like he was a particularly inconvenient sack of rice. The severed remains of the plant still lay in a shriveled mess on the ground.
But in his head, something new appeared.
A window. A crisp, bright text box floating against the black void of his mind’s eye.
[Welcome to the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" Rebirth System!]
Shen Yuan froze.
No. No, no, no.
[Due to unforeseen circumstances (cause of death: food obstruction, user incompetence), you have been reborn in the world of "Proud Immortal Demon Way."]
[Congratulations!]
'CONGRATULATIONS, MY ASS.'
Shen Yuan twitched violently in Shen Qingqiu’s arms, but it only made him look like a fussy infant.
[As a transmigrator, you have been granted a special role! Would you like to hear your assigned identity?]
'No, I absolutely would not.'
[Your identity is: Rootbound Offspring’S FINAL CREATION!]
Shen Yuan felt his nonexistent stomach drop.
[The legendary Rootbound Offspring plant, forbidden in the cultivation world, is said to birth an imitation of life itself. No one knows what kind of existence it produces!]
[…Until now.]
[Congratulations! That’s you!]
Shen Yuan inhaled sharply. 'I’m a plant?!'
[Half-plant. Technically.]
'Technically?!'
[But don’t worry! You still qualify as human! (Mostly.)]
'Oh, fantastic. Wonderful. That totally made everything better.'
[Now, let’s move on to your unique perks!]
'I don’t want them. Return me to sender.'
[Processing request… ERROR. Request denied!]
Shen Yuan let out a strangled baby wail. Shen Qingqiu gave him a deeply unimpressed look. “Are you always this noisy?”
'YES. BECAUSE I AM HAVING A CRISIS.'
The system ignored his suffering.
[As the first successful creation of the RootboundOffspring, you have unlocked a special trait: Adaptive Spiritual Energy Absorption! This allows you to passively absorb energy from your surroundings, including but not limited to:]
[ • Natural spiritual energy
• Demonic energy
• Human energy. ]
…Wait.
Human energy?
That sounded suspicious. That sounded deeply concerning.
Shen Yuan didn’t even get a chance to panic properly before the system cheerfully continued.
[Your current host has high-quality spiritual energy! To optimize growth, energy absorption will begin immediately!]
Shen Yuan barely had time to process that before he felt it. A strange, instinctive pull, like something inside him was reaching out.
And the nearest source?
Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Yuan felt the rush of energy, the way it subtly siphoned from Shen Qingqiu’s aura. It wasn’t enough to harm him—just a trickle, a faint drain like a mosquito bite.
But Shen Qingqiu noticed.
His brows furrowed slightly. A sharp breath left his lips. His hold on Shen Yuan tensed ever so slightly.
And then, his expression went completely blank.
Shen Yuan froze. Oh no.
Shen Qingqiu’s gaze lowered to him, eyes narrowing. He tilted his head slightly, as if reassessing the deeply suspicious baby in his arms.
“…Troublesome,” he muttered under his breath.
Shen Yuan would have agreed. If he wasn’t currently praying for his tiny, useless life.
Shen Yuan braced himself for the worst. He had read the novel. He knew Shen Qingqiu’s reputation—cold, ruthless, and arrogant. He was the type to kick an injured disciple down a mountain just to make a point. If he realized his new plant baby was stealing his energy, then there were only two possible outcomes:
1. Immediate disposal. Possibly by yeeting him into the nearest lake.
2. Cold-blooded, scientific dissection.
Neither option was particularly appealing.
And yet… Shen Qingqiu just stood there. Staring.
Shen Yuan could feel his tiny plant-core-whatever instinctively pulling from Shen Qingqiu’s energy, taking in that rich, powerful aura in slow, careful sips. It was automatic, like breathing. He couldn’t stop it.
And yet.
Shen Qingqiu did nothing.
He didn’t recoil, didn’t swat him away, didn’t throw him into the dirt like a pest. Instead, his sharp gaze lingered on Shen Yuan’s tiny, utterly helpless body for an excruciatingly long moment.
Then, to Shen Yuan’s absolute horror, he exhaled and muttered, “…Fine.”
Fine?!
Fine, what?!
What kind of reaction was this?! Where was the disgust? The irritation? The immediate decision to throw him off a cliff?! Shen Qingqiu should have been furious! He should have at least looked mildly offended that some strange, cursed baby was siphoning his energy!
Instead, Shen Qingqiu allowed it.
He shifted Shen Yuan in his arms slightly, adjusting his grip as if resigning himself to an extremely annoying long-term burden. His spiritual energy remained steady, controlled—flowing just enough for Shen Yuan to continue absorbing without issue.
Shen Yuan, meanwhile, was losing his goddamn mind.
What the hell is going on?!
This was Shen Qingqiu! The heartless Qing Jing Peak Lord! The man who tormented Luo Binghe just for existing! Why was he letting him do this?! Wasn’t he supposed to be cruel, cold, and deeply unpleasant?!
[Warning! User is experiencing extreme confusion!]
Yeah, no shit!
Shen Yuan was so thrown off by this unexpected reaction that he almost forgot to keep panicking. Instead, his baby-brain instincts did what they did best: they sought security.
And unfortunately, right now, the safest thing in his tiny existence was the exact same person he had been cursing moments ago.
Without thinking, Shen Yuan curled his tiny fingers into Shen Qingqiu’s robes and clung.
Not that he could do much else with his useless baby body, but still. He latched on, burying himself against the soft, expensive silk, instinctively seeking warmth and protection.
…And the worst part? It worked.
Shen Qingqiu sighed. But he didn’t push him away. Didn’t drop him. Didn’t toss him aside like an inconvenient burden.
He simply stood there, holding him like a deeply unwanted package that he had, somehow, decided to keep.
Shen Yuan’s baby brain struggled to process. His memories of the original novel clashed horribly with the reality in front of him. Shen Qingqiu wasn’t supposed to be like this.
But if this was the situation…
Then Shen Yuan knew exactly what he had to do.
Hug. The. Thigh.
He was not getting thrown away. Not by Shen Qingqiu, not by anyone. He was going to be the most adorable, least-executed plant baby in the cultivation world.
Which meant, for now…
He snuggled closer and played innocent.
***
Shen Yuan’s first experience of flying was not great.
Technically, being carried by Shen Qingqiu on his sword was better than being thrown off a cliff. But not by much.
The wind was unreasonable. Shen Qingqiu’s robes were annoyingly stiff. And worst of all, Shen Yuan could feel that tiny, instinctual part of his baby-brain panicking over being so high up with nothing but Shen Qingqiu’s grip keeping him from plummeting to his second untimely death.
He might have been a transmigrator, but he was still a baby, and his stupid tiny hands curled into Shen Qingqiu’s robes on instinct. He hated that it made him feel slightly safer.
Unfortunately, safety was short-lived.
Because right as they approached Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, two figures appeared.
Qi Qingqi and Mu Qingfang.
Shen Yuan instantly knew this was bad.
Qi Qingqi was one of the original novel’s many side characters, but her hatred for Shen Qingqiu had been very well-documented. And now she was standing right in front of them, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, looking as though she was physically restraining herself from attacking him on sight.
“…Shen Qingqiu,” she sneered, looking him up and down.
“You look unusually responsible today.” Her gaze dropped to the bundle in his arms. “Whose child is that?”
Shen Yuan immediately tensed. Oh no. Oh no.
Shen Qingqiu, to his absolute horror, just said, “Mine.”
Silence.
Then—
“WHAT?!”
Shen Yuan would have cringed if he could.
Qi Qingqi looked seconds away from exploding. “Yours? Shen Qingqiu, you—! I knew it! I KNEW IT!”
Mu Qingfang, to his credit, remained neutral. He simply observed Shen Qingqiu carefully, glancing briefly at the child in his arms. “…That seems unlikely,” he muttered.
“Unlikely? Unlikely?!” Qi Qingqi whirled on him. “You know what kind of scum he is! Always sneaking out to the Warm Red Pavilion, disappearing for days, coming back with that smug face—”
Shen Yuan, who still had the memories of a 21st-century man, vaguely recalled that the Warm Red Pavilion was a brothel.
Which meant.
She thought Shen Qingqiu was a whore.
Shen Yuan, spiritual plant baby, former internet troll, and unfortunate victim of transmigration, almost started crying from the sheer secondhand embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu just stood there. Taking it.
He didn’t defend himself. Didn’t argue. Didn’t even look remotely guilty. He just let Qi Qingqi rant like this was something he was used to.
Mu Qingfang, at least, looked a little skeptical. Or maybe it was pity. “Shixiong,” he said carefully, “are you sure—”
“I’m going,” Shen Qingqiu cut him off flatly.
Then, before Qi Qingqi could launch into another monologue about what a disgusting, womanizing beast he was, Shen Qingqiu turned and left.
Just like that.
Shen Yuan, still being held against his chest like the world’s worst evidence, could not believe what had just happened.
Shen Qingqiu. Scum Villain. Cruel Master. The man who should have immediately insulted someone back out of pure reflex.
Had just let someone verbally eviscerate him in public.
And left.
With a baby.
This wasn’t how he was supposed to act.
Shen Yuan wasn’t sure if this was good news or deeply concerning news.
Either way, as Shen Qingqiu hurried toward his bamboo house, Shen Yuan clung tighter.
***
Shen Yuan had been alive in this world for less than a day, and already, he had been:
1. Created by a forbidden demon plant,
2. Discovered by Shen Qingqiu,
3. Accused of being his illegitimate child, and
4. Dragged back to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect without his consent.
And now, he was being left alone on a cushioned chair.
Because after all that effort, Shen Qingqiu had dropped him onto a seat and walked away.
Just like that.
No explanation, no warning, no "Wait here, try not to die"—just plop and gone.
Shen Yuan flailed weakly, which only succeeded in making him look like an angry, oversized larva. His stupid, useless baby body couldn't even let him sit up properly, so he was just slumped there like a tragic, abandoned dumpling.
[Warning! Host has been left unattended!]
'I CAN SEE THAT.'
From somewhere deeper inside the bamboo house, Shen Qingqiu could be heard rummaging around, probably searching for something edible.
Shen Yuan was not optimistic about his chances.
Because unlike Shen Qingqiu’s last set of questionable life choices, this one? This one was deliberate.
Shen Qingqiu knew.
Shen Yuan still wasn’t sure how he knew, but it was obvious: the man had recognized what he was immediately. Had looked at him and known he wasn’t a normal baby, that he was a Rootbound Offspring, a rare and unnatural plant-based lifeform.
And he had still brought him back.
[Analysis: Shen Qingqiu is aware of Host’s true nature.]
'Yes, THANK YOU.'
Shen Yuan glared at the glowing text box. 'How much does he know?'
[Unknown. However, Shen Qingqiu has not attempted to dispose of Host, despite knowledge of Host’s origins.]
Which is weird, right?
Shen Yuan had read Proud Immortal Demon Way. The Shen Qingqiu he knew would never voluntarily keep some weird half-human, half-plant demon baby in his house.
And yet.
Instead of tossing him into a river, or presenting him to the Sect to be dealt with properly, Shen Qingqiu had simply sighed and taken him in.
Which meant Shen Yuan had somehow landed in a very strange alternate version of the novel.
[Host has gained new knowledge! Would you like to open Status?]
Shen Yuan hesitated. Then, deciding he had nothing better to do (since he was still a useless baby who couldn’t move properly) he focused inward.
[Opening Host Status…]
A familiar glowing text box appeared in his mind’s eye.
───『 Host Status 』───
▶ Name: [Pending]
▶ Race: Rootbound Offspring Variant (Human-Plant Hybrid)
▶ Age: 0 (Infant Stage)
▶ Abilities:
• Adaptive Energy Absorption (Passive)
• Golden Core: [Not yet formed]
• Dormant Abilities: [Locked]
Shen Yuan stared.
'Explain.'
[Host is the first successful creation of the Gui Xun plant, a rare and dangerous entity known for its ability to mimic life. Host possesses unique plant-based properties, including passive energy absorption and enhanced spiritual growth.]
Shen Yuan frowned. 'So I’m… basically a spiritual sponge?'
[Correct! Host unconsciously absorbs ambient energy from the environment and living beings.]
Oh.
…Wait.
Oh no.
Shen Yuan suddenly remembered something very important.
He had already absorbed energy from Shen Qingqiu.
And Shen Qingqiu had noticed.
And instead of reacting with the expected amount of horror and rage, instead of kicking him down the mountain, Shen Qingqiu had let him do it.
And now, instead of throwing him away, instead of handing him over to the Peak Lords, instead of doing anything logical, he was in the other room…
Looking for food.
For him.
Shen Yuan did not understand.
This was supposed to be the scum villain! The heartless Qing Jing Peak Lord! The man who tormented Luo Binghe just for existing!
So why was he acting like this?
[Analysis: Unknown.]
Useless system.
Fine. Fine. If no one was going to explain it to him, he’d just have to figure it out himself.
And until then—
Shen Yuan wiggled, trying to make himself look even more helpless and innocent.
He was NOT getting thrown away. If Shen Qingqiu was willing to keep him, then fine. He’d hug that villain’s thigh so hard, the man wouldn’t even think of abandoning him.
His survival depended on it.