Chapter Text
It takes a few more days, but Shen Yuan finally feels like a human being again! One who isn't going to faint like a Victorian maiden if he tries to do anything more taxing than gingerly making his way around the house. He really pushed too hard by going to see Binghe while he was still technically on bedrest, haha!
Thankfully, Liu Qingge's clearing of his meridians helped him perk back up and get over the exhaustion from that particular expenditure of energy. As an additional bonus, Shen Yuan has enough extra energy that he can spare some to deal with the minor bruises from his fight with Shen Qingqiu. They're gone well before Mu Qnigfang comes by at the end of the week to release him from his mandated bedrest.
Shen Yuan is a little nervous that Mu Qingfang might notice anyway—he was able to sense the scarring in Shen Yuan's abdomen from his forcible splenectomy! Airplane never delved into Mu Qingfang's skills other than marking him as the greatest healer in the jianghu!—but if Mu Qingfang notices anything amiss, he doesn't say so.
"Congratulations to Shixiong on his recovery," Mu Qingfang says at the end of the check-up, smiling at him. "Liu-shidi sent me a report, as requested, but were there any concerns on Shixiong's part?"
Shen Yuan is so busy trying to imagine what a report from Liu Qingge would look like—he's a man of such few words in Shen Yuan's experience that it surely can barely have been considered a note, much less a report—that it takes him a moment to realize he needs to respond.
"Oh, no, it was fine," he says. Barring Shen Yuan's unsuccessful attempt to get him to stay for tea so he could get to know him better, but that's well outside of Mu Qingfang's purview. "Liu-shidi's help was much appreciated, and I don't foresee any problems."
Halfway across the room where he'd slunk in at the beginning of Shen Yuan's check-up, Shen Qingqiu snorts. Quite ungracefully, as it happens.
Shen Yuan pointedly ignores this interjection, as he has ignored so very many other things since their fight.
A silent cold war has been going on in the bamboo house. Shen Yuan refuses to be the first one to break that silence. Oh, he'll have to talk to Shen Qingqiu again someday, especially with the mission that's been assigned to him by the System, but Shen Qingqiu isn't getting a damn thing from him before Shen Yuan decides to tackle the side of the mission that has to do with Shen Qingqiu specifically.
No matter how much Shen Qingqiu pesters Shen Yuan, constantly having to be in the same room as him, Shen Yuan isn't going to speak to him until he gets some kind of a concession or an apology. Shen Qingqiu is going to have to speak first—and even then, it's going to take more than apologies for Shen Yuan to bother with him.
"That's good to hear," Mu Qingfang says, not turning a hair at Shen Qingqiu's interjection either. "If that ever changes, either you or Liu-shixiong should let me know immediately, so that we can arrange for someone else to take over your care."
Mentally, Shen Yuan groans at this prospect. So much fuss about this! It was stupid of him to get poisoned, yes, but Without-A-Cure hasn't killed him yet. He feels so much better already. With Mu Qingfang's medical expertise, how could Shen Yuan be anything other than spectacularly well taken care of?
Outwardly, he nods. "Thanking Mu-shidi for his efforts," he says, as is appropriate. Then, in the hopes that it will bear more fruit than his attempt with Liu Qingge, he asks, "Would Mu-shidi care to stay for tea?"
Mu Qingfang smiles at him. "I'm afraid I'm due for rounds back on Qian Cao soon," he says apologetically. "However, I'm usually free shortly after wushi, if Shen-shixiong would like to visit."
"That would be wonderful," Shen Yuan says. See, Shen Qingqiu? He can get along with the other Peak Lords! Plus, this way he'll also get to explore the sect a bit more. So far—other than Qing Jing, obviously—his main experiences have been the Lingxi Caves, Qiong Ding (for a Peak Lord meeting or in the middle of a demonic invasion, respectively), and being discharged from Qian Cao's healing halls.
“Don’t strain yourself, obviously, but you’re able to resume normal duties. Try to keep it light at first, just in case. You’ll need to map out your new limits,” Mu Qingfang advises.
“Where does sword flight fall amongst that?” Shen Qingqiu asks.
Mu Qingfang hesitates, before saying slowly, addressing Shen Yuan, “I would recommend against sword flight for the time being. Until we’ve a better and more complete understanding of how Without-A-Cure will affect you, it’s safest not to take any chances.”
Shen Yuan wilts a bit, try as he does to keep from doing so. Flying is so cool! He isn’t really banned from that for the rest of his transmigration, is he?! Even with the poison, he’s probably going to live a fuck of a long time, at least if the likes of his (martial) brothers and his determined little disciple have any say in the matter!
“We’ll keep reassessing,” Mu Qingfang assures him quickly. “It may simply mean that you have to travel with an escort.”
Shen Yuan could cry tears of blood. That’s not the reassurance you seem to think it is, Mu Qingfang! He can feel his dreams of exploring all the hidden realms, abandoned ruins, and secret corners of the jianghu, as described in Airplane’s shitty yet captivating worldbuilding, go up in smoke.
He has to hope that the Original Goods got some traveling done in his years as a rogue cultivator. If Shen Yuan is lucky, he’ll get some memories of interesting sights instead of, you know, more murder attempts.
“That’s fine,” Shen Yuan says bracingly, determinedly avoiding thinking about his lack of travel plans in favor of goals that are nearer to the future. “That’s what the Rainbow Bridges are…for.”
Fuck.
He’ll be able to visit Mu Qingfang without a problem, because it’s the connections to Qiong Ding that are broken. Shen Yuan won’t be visiting Yue Qingyuan any time soon. Not under his own power.
His hands fist together in his lap, but he refuses to glare at Shen Qingqiu for seeing and then springing that trap. Shen Yuan won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to Shen Yuan. Bastard.
Fuck it. He’s a Peak Lord. He’s sure he can bully a disciple or even a hallmaster into using their spiritual sword to take him to Qiong Ding. If worst comes to worst, he’ll fly himself.
…Maybe he’ll take an escort in that case, though. Just in case his qi cuts out on him at an inopportune time. He can pretend he doesn’t know the way and needs a guide…?
Would that be more or less embarrassing than having someone carry him on their sword? After all, it’s not like the whole sect doesn’t know that he almost died during the invasion. He can play on that sympathy if it will help him progress his System-given quest. And piss off Shen Qingqiu.
“That’s fine,” Shen Yuan says again. “I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, then.”
There are a few more pleasant noises between them all—well, between Shen Yuan and Mu Qingfang, and Mu Qingfang directs some at Shen Qingqiu even if he doesn't return them—before Mu Qingfang departs. The cold war resumes.
Being able to take up his duties again will be nice. Shen Yuan hadn't been fully folded into Qing Jing before he and Shen Qingqiu departed for the Lingxi Caves, but he's been using part of his prescribed bedrest to draw together plans regarding Luo Binghe’s education, in and amongst other things. Obviously Luo Binghe’s already doing much better than he was by this point in the web novel; that's the power of the Protagonist with access to a proper cultivation manual and the proper ability to attend his classes!
There are still plenty of topics that Luo Binghe won’t be able to cover on his own. A lot of it Shen Yuan can leave to the hallmasters to handle, since that's the point of them and he's made sure that Luo Binghe is able to attend his classes, but Shen Yuan can still contribute. If nothing else, he knows an ungodly amount about the flora and fauna (...mainly the fauna) of this world. Plus whatever secrets and skills the Original Goods left rattling around in his brain. Ha, he and Luo Binghe can have little studying sessions together. He did warn Luo Binghe about that before taking him on as his disciple!
Pointedly ignoring Shen Qingqiu, Shen Yuan drifts through the bamboo house and back toward his room. He thinks he'll check in with several of the hallmasters today, really get a feel for the class structure on the peak. As an added bonus, he can double-check that Luo Binghe is caught up after his week-long unauthorized visits to Qian Cao.
Shen Qingqiu doesn't say a word to stop him.
Luo Binghe has spent the past several days trying to focus on his classes while not going out of his mind with worry about Shizun.
He shouldn't have left Shizun alone in that pavilion. What if he needed help getting back? What if Luo Binghe made his health worse? He hasn't been seen around the peak since then, so what if Shen Qingqiu locked him away in the bamboo house and Luo Binghe is never going to see him ever again—?
Kid, calm down, Meng Mo says from the back of his head. He sounds simultaneously exhausted and annoyed. Your precious shizun is awake, but that poison was meant to be fatal for anyone human. He's still recovering. You know that.
If Shizun is still recovering, then shouldn't Luo Binghe do more to help? He was only able to slip into the kitchens to make congee for him that one time, but maybe if he—
"A-Luo, I'm sure Shishu is fine!" Ning Yingying says. "He's got Shizun looking after him, doesn't he? And Mu-shishu, and I saw Liu-shishu here the other day, I'm not really sure why he was visiting..."
Yes, Luo Binghe is aware of all the visitors. The whole peak is, and has been gossiping profusely about them. The other boys in the dormitory have been giving Luo Binghe Looks, obviously hoping he might saying something about it, but he doesn't have any more details than the rest of them. No matter what they might think, his meeting with Shizun after he returned to the peak had very little to do with his own recovery and significantly more to do with Luo Binghe himself.
Not that, even if that conversation had moved toward Shizun's health, he would have shared any of that information with his martial brothers. Shen Yuan isn't their shizun, so they've no right to know anything. It’s Shizun’s business! And Luo Binghe’s, sometimes.
...At least the gossip around Shizun is favorable. Qing Jing doesn't know him well, not yet, so they only have a limited number of impressions to go off of. His contributions during the invasion of those demons bolstered his reputation quite nicely. Luo Binghe feels smugly proud of that, beneath the squirming shame that exists to remind him how Shizun's injuries then were because of Luo Binghe.
He just wishes there was something to do to help. Or, at the very least, that he could see Shizun and be assured of his health.
The fact that Shen Qingqiu hasn't come to kill him yet does indicate that Shizun is alive, but nothing more than that. The concern is driving Luo Binghe mad.
"Can Yingying help?" Ning Yingying asks him.
Luo Binghe forcefully drags his thoughts back to the current conversation he's supposed to be holding. He and Ning Yingying are in one of the smaller practice clearings, supposedly going over sword drills together after their lunch break. In reality Ning Yingying is the only one making even a token effort at doing so. Luo Binghe is too in his own head to be actively practicing.
"Thank you, Shijie," Luo Binghe says, trying for a smile. Going by the look Ning Yingying gives him, it wasn't a particularly good one. "I don't...know what—”
"Binghe?"
Luo Binghe whirls, heart in his throat. Beside him, Ning Yingying turns too, but Luo Binghe has little attention to spare for that, because it's Shizun! Shizun is here! Quiet as ever, easily able to sneak up on two disciples who weren’t paying attention to their surroundings.
"Shizun!" Luo Binghe gasps.
Shizun glances between Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying, a tiny smile lifting his lips. "Hello, Binghe," he says warmly, and then, "Hello again to you as well, Disciple Ning."
"Greeting Shishu!" Ning Yingying says with great cheer, giving a polite bow.
"Practicing together, are we?" Shizun asks. "Or, well, it looks as though Disciple Ning was practicing..."
Luo Binghe flushes, scuffing at the ground with one foot.
"Aish, no need to give me that guilty look," Shizun says. "Who is it that won the demons' competition for us?"
"It was Shizun," Luo Binghe says immediately and loyally.
Shizun blinks, obviously having not expected that. "Binghe won the final match."
"And Shizun won the second," Luo Binghe says stubbornly. "If the demons were honorable, they would have left then and there, when Shizun won the tournament for Cang Qiong."
Shizun blinks again, then laughs. He pats Luo Binghe on the head. "All right, all right," he says, indulgent. "Whatever Binghe says."
"Is Shishu feeling better now?" Ning Yingying asks. "A-Luo was worried!"
Luo Binghe flushes even deeper. It's true, but Ning Yingying didn't have to say it so blatantly!
"Much better," Shizun says. "Your Mu-shishu cleared me for light duty yesterday. I spent some time getting to know the peak better, but it seems our paths didn't cross."
Luo Binghe could have spent time with Shizun yesterday? That's so unfair!
"What's with that frown?" Shizun asks.
Luo Binghe hastily wipes his face blank again and says dutifully, "Nothing, Shizun."
"Hm," Shizun says, and, "Well, I was going to ask Luo Binghe if he wanted to accompany me to Qian Cao, but if he doesn't feel up to it..."
"No!" Luo Binghe bursts out. "I mean—yes! I—wherever Shizun wants to go, this disciple will also go!" A heartbeat for the first part of that sentence to process, and then Luo Binghe is blurting out, "But if Mu-shishu cleared Shizun yesterday, then why...?" Is Shizun having a relapse already?!
"It's only for a visit," Shizun says calmly. "Mu-shidi invited me for tea. Since Luo Binghe made himself such a fixture on Qian Cao, this master thought he might like to visit once more, outside of such a stressful situation.”
Oh.
Luo Binghe should probably be embarrassed by that half-hearted almost-scolding, but he's unrepentant. It hadn't helped anything, having Luo Binghe waiting about in Qian Cao, but it made him feel better, being so close to Shizun. Meng Mo would have found him wherever he was; at least on Qian Cao, Luo Binghe was there to make sure their bargain was upheld and present from the moment that Shizun woke up again.
Hm. On the same line as that, Luo Binghe wonders if Shizun is also angling to get him checked over after what happened with Meng Mo and Luo Binghe’s dreamscape. Shizun checked Luo Binghe himself, merely telling him to report to Qian Cao if he noticed any other aftereffects, but perhaps he changed his mind...?
That's a bad idea, kid, Meng Mo says. You'd have to be a demon of my power to notice the cradle seal locking your heritage, but it’s no good letting anyone try to check for other demonic energies, especially if they know they’re supposed to be looking for a dream demon!
Is Elder Meng Mo saying that a demon of his power can't hide himself from a cultivator's senses? Luo Binghe shoots back.
Luo Binghe can feel Meng Mo puffing up in annoyance, a distinctly strange sensation. Luo Binghe sends the mental image of a particularly sharp-edged grin his demonic tutor's way and Meng Mo subsides with minor grumbling, retreating even further back into Luo Binghe's mind where he seems to live most of the time.
Shizun will tell him if he needs to let Qian Cao look him over. If he does, Luo Binghe is fairly confident that Shizun will have a plan in place, just in case there is danger of Luo Binghe being outed. Then again, according to Meng Mo, if they find anything wrong with his system it would be Meng Mo himself rather than Luo Binghe’s heritage, which means Luo Binghe can simply throw Meng Mo under the cart and plead innocence.
(There's another little burst of prickly annoyance from Meng Mo.)
Shizun will protect him, if it comes to that.
"Yes, Shizun," Luo Binghe says. "This disciple will gladly go to Qian Cao with you!"
"Good," Shizun says. He hesitates very briefly before asking, "Would Disciple Ning care to come along? I'm sure I could get you the proper permissions should you need it."
Despite her occasional flaws, despite the danger that Ning Yingying always seems to find herself drawn into (or creates, often dragging Luo Binghe into said danger at the same time), Ning Yingying is still Luo Binghe's best friend and the best shijie he could ever hope for. Before Luo Binghe can even begin to figure out how to surreptitiously plead for her to say 'no' without Shizun noticing, Ning Yingying is already saying cheerfully, "That's alright, Shishu! Yingying already has plans for the afternoon!" Then, because it's still Ning Yingying, she turns to smile proudly at Luo Binghe, offering him a not-at-all subtle wink before darting off. "Have fun, A-Luo! Bye, Shishu!"
Yingying, Luo Binghe thinks, in mingled fondness and exasperation.
At least Shizun doesn't seem to take any offense. He only seems amused as he says, "I suppose Disciple Ning doesn't want to have to spend all afternoon with this stuffy old man. Is Luo Binghe sure he doesn't have other plans like Ning Yingying does?”
Luo Binghe brushes off this teasing and earnestly replies, "This disciple's plans are to spend the afternoon with Shizun."
Shizun flutters his suddenly open fan in front of his face, but it does nothing to disguise the pleasure he takes at those words. "Come along then, Binghe," Shizun says, turning to lead the way toward the Rainbow Bridge.
Luo Binghe trots along faithfully behind him. They get several stares as they cut through Qing Jing; whether because Luo Binghe is accompanying him or because Shizun is making a point to be seen, they are eminently visible. Fortunately, Shizun sets a brisk pace, so it isn't long before they're off Qing Jing and on the Rainbow Bridge. Luo Binghe eyes Shizun's sword, but doesn't breathe a word of it; Luo Binghe doesn't have a sword of his own, after all, so of course they have to take the Rainbow Bridge.
He wonders when Shizun will let him get a spiritual sword of his own. He's nearly fifteen. He's made a lot of progress on his cultivation! Surely soon enough he’ll be at a level that Shizun deems high enough for him to try for his sword.
Shizun, who has slowed his pace a bit now that they're away from Qing Jing and dropped back a bit so that he and Luo Binghe are walking side by side.
"How are Binghe's studies coming along?" Shizun asks. It would be conversational—it is, in some ways—but Luo Binghe can hear the underlying question: has Luo Binghe caught up with everything that he was supposed to?
"They're coming along well, Shizun!" Luo Binghe reports dutifully. "This disciple has gone over the subjects that he missed and turned in his missing assignments." And done his meditation, and attended all of his classes after Shizun woke, and practiced what few new sword forms were taught...that last is actually what he and Ning Yingying were doing today, though that was really more because Ning Yingying decided Luo Binghe needed to get some nervous energy shaken out of him rather than because he needed to seriously drill those forms.
Qing Jing is finally returning to normal. The first few days—the entire first week, really—after the invasion, everything was in chaos. No matter what Ming Fan, the older disciples, or the hallmasters did, there was only so much they could calm everyone down. Shen Qingqiu wasn't there to forcibly restore order; everyone else was overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of the invasion.
The hallmasters did their best with the classes, holding them as usual, but there were wide swathes of disciples who didn’t make it to those lessons.
Luo Binghe, obviously, was one of those. Fortunately, he was only one among many; even of those who did attend classes, most everyone's concentration was shot and the hallmasters had needed to review entire portions of that week. It was easy for Luo Binghe to catch up.
What was a week's worth of minimal instruction to catch up to compared to the two years of information he'd had to either learn or relearn in the six months of Shizun's closed door cultivation? Luo Binghe wouldn't say that he's fully caught up with those years, even with all of Ning Yingying's (admittedly somewhat dubious) assistance, but he's so much more advanced than he was previously. He can follow along in the scholarly classes that he attends. As for his martial abilities…
His showing against the demons speaks for itself, he thinks.
"That's good," Shizun says, not sounding particularly surprised. Luo Binghe wonders if he checked in with the hallmasters whose classes Luo Binghe attends when he was making his rounds yesterday. "Which class is Binghe enjoying the most right now?"
Huh. Luo Binghe hadn't really thought about that. The past few months have been enough of a mad scramble trying to get caught up that he never really stopped and considered if he likes any of his classes. He's also not sure what criteria Shizun is looking for here: the subject itself, the teachers involved, the ease at which he is able to complete the materials, how it fits into his prospects on Qing Jing...
Shizun lets out a little huff of laughter. "Binghe is thinking too hard," he chides. "It's all right if you don't have an answer. Let me know some other time, ah? Once you've had enough time to consider."
"What is Shizun's favorite subject?" Luo Binghe asks, resolving to come up with an appropriate answer and get back to Shizun later. Obviously it's important to Shizun to know this and Binghe doesn't want to disappoint him. He's deeply curious about Shizun's answer, though, and whether Luo Binghe should attempt to match him to impress him.
"Well," Shizun says, "Binghe understands that this master was not trained on Qing Jing Peak as he was, but if this master had to pick..."
The journey across the Rainbow Bridge is companionable, Shizun leading the light conversation but always asking for Luo Binghe's opinions. Luo Binghe of course always quickly turns those questions back on Shizun, hungry to learn all that he can about the man. Shizun allows this. On more than one occasion, Shizun seems a little surprised by the answers that he gives, as though he wasn't expecting what dropped out of his mouth, which only makes Luo Binghe more determined to ask him questions. It's helping Shizun! It's helping him remember!
The moment that Shizun starts to show any signs of pain or annoyance, Luo Binghe will immediately stop, but Shizun indulges him in this. Gentle warmth suffuses Luo Binghe's chest.
(He hasn't yet figured out a way to subtly slide the conversation toward food and what Shizun's favorites are, the better to prepare said food for Shizun, but he'll get there at some point.)
Eventually they arrive on Qian Cao. Shizun leads them toward the main healing hall, the one where he spent his convalescence, before pausing to consider it.
"Ah, well," he says after a moment. "Even if Mu-shidi isn't here, someone will surely know where to direct us."
They step inside.