Chapter Text
Zhuzhi Lang was not supposed to be alive. And not just because he was a creature that wasn’t supposed to exist in this world, a hideous mix of two creatures never meant to mate. No, the more pressing reason he was not supposed to be alive was because, well, he had literally died.
That was why his current situation seemed so absurd. Zhuzhi Lang, through much effort, has found himself very much alive. Since waking in the holy mausoleum and being only semi - conscious, waking groggily every few days to Junshang standing over him and saying things he couldn’t hope to catch in the state he was in, he has found himself in the human realm’s Zhao Hua monastery. While it wasn't a huge shock to find Junshang healing in the human realm, it was mildly surprising to Zhuzhi Lang that the cultivators of Zhao Hua monastery would go so far as to heal Junshang and let him stay. However, he was excitedly told by Junshang shortly after fully coming to that he had cleared his name in the human realm and was free to do as he pleased after he was fully healed.
His current situation was one where he was being forced to rest by both the cultivators of the monastery and Junshang. Zhuzhi lang had tried to get up once, near the beginning of his stay, and had swiftly fallen unconscious after only doing a few mild chores around the monastery. He did, after all, owe these cultivators a minor debt for allowing him to stay with them. Depts and chores aside, his body was now unsettlingly weak. Apparently so little of his body had been left and he had been dead for so long that it was a miracle that the mausoleum had even worked on him at all so this weakness for a time was to be expected. Even while resting he had to keep a somewhat half human half snake form. Whilst it wasn't his original form it made it so his bottom half was fully snake and so that even the upper half of his body was covered in ugly splatterings of scales and his eyes stayed a muted yellow with slits for pupils. Among so many humans he would much rather keep a fully or mostly human form to avoid stares of disgust or just stares in general. Too much attention was never a good thing.
Luckily the only people he encountered were only medics who seemed to look at everything with the same eyes, medics see many things so it was no surprise this mutated body of his would not phase them, and Junshang. Junshang had come to his bedside near daily and even though Zhuzhi Lang had long told him he did not need to, he insisted he had nothing better to do anyway. Junshang told of everything that had been going on lately between the two realms while he was dead.
At least whatever he thought was interesting. His favorite subject was the apparent “surge” of human-demon relationships - notably his half-demon cousin and master Shen, Mobei Jun and Shang Qinghua, and Sha hualing who had married both Ning Yingying and Liu Mingyan. The second one came as the most shocking to Zhuzhi Lang. He really would never have thought the cowardly peak lord would answer to the ice demon’s courting. As Junshang had criticized in some of his books, demons courting humans their way could never end up well (it had for the two of them though and that really was none of his business even though Junshang thought it all of his).
The other things Junshang had told him about were just that, his books. He told Zhuzhi Lang of the new publishing houses printing more exotic and scandalous works. Notably Regret of Chunshang and other works of the same author. Junshang had even gifted him many of these new human-demon romance books to glance over but Zhuzhi lang had only skimmed over a few before having to put them down, blushing down to his shoulders.
And that was how Zhuzhi Lang had been spending his days (perhaps about a month now) since being awakened from the dead and being put on bed rest.
Currently he was lying down in the bed provided to him or more accurately curled up into a ball with many snakes ranging from the length of his pinky to the length of a human leg surrounding him. Just as he was about to start nod off once more, he heard light footsteps approaching his door.
“Oh dear nephew,” Tianlang jun exclaimed whilst entering Zhuzhi lang's room, “Have you yet finished any of the novels I left for you? It’s so boring here without them I couldn't imagine you would have anything else to do.” Tianlang jun continues sprawling out on the small couch beside Zhuzhi lang’s bed.
“Ah my apologies Junshang, I’ve only just skimmed half of the books you brought me, most of my time is spent recuperating my strength so I can get back to your side and start being useful again.” Zhuzhi Lang said. He really did feel quite worthless sitting around all day not being able to help in the slightest. It didn’t help that resting like this, unable to do much and trapped in a less than human form, reminded him too much of the time Junshang was sealed under the mountain not very long ago.
“Don’t be silly now Zhuzhi Lang, I’m no longer the reigning demon lord and you're no longer a newly human snake demon. You should go out and have fun!” Tianlang jun exclaimed and then quickly added, “Perhaps you could even find yourself a lover like the characters in the books I tell you about. Maybe even a human lover! I know you enjoyed the company of that Shen Qingqiu and I’m sure there are other cultivators out there you’d like even more than him.”
Zhuzhi Lang felt his normally cool skin heat up at the mention of those scandalous books and the notion that he should find himself a lover, “Surely Junshang jests, there aren’t many out there who would willingly spend time in my presence, nor do I feel the need to find someone who will. And I truly did not hold any affections for master Shen besides the urge to repay my debt to him,” he said hurriedly. If Junshang got into his head that Zhuzhi Lang needed to start dating, who knew what he would do to get Zhuzhi Lang a lover. Just the idea of being set up with random cultivators and demons made Zhuzhi lang’s skin crawl. What was worse was that if Junshang really insisted he would have to go along with it.
It wasn’t that he was repulsed by the idea of having a lover, it was just that it was hard to imagine that there could be a person that he would enjoy spending his time with and that would in return enjoy spending time with him.
“How could that be, even my life got a bit brighter when my dear, fierce Su Xiyan came into my life,” Tianlang jun reminisced before going on, “It’s settled then, you’re going to find yourself a lover as soon as your healed enough to do so so you can go on your own way and live a romantic life with your future lover,” Tianlang jun finished. He looked very satisfied with the conclusion he came to as he pushed himself out of his slouched position on the couch (his arm shot out at a weird angle as he did, looking like it was about to pop right off) and strode out of Zhuzhi Lang’s room.
Zhuzhi Lang helplessly held up a hand at his retreating form before setting it back down in defeat. Junshang had insisted and now he had to very soon find himself a lover.