Chapter Text
Shen Qingqiu did not believe in miracles.
Or at least that's what he had scoffed at a wide-eyed Shang Qinghua, still in disbelief that not only had Shen Qingqiu managed to return to Qing Jing Peak after a run-in with the cunning protagonist in one piece, he had also weaseled out of Qiu Haitang’s grievances by staunchly feigning unfamiliarity. It came naturally to him after all, since this Shen Qingqiu had never laid eyes on his alleged fiancee in his life.
Privately, Shen Qingqiu had been playing a little victory jingle and mouthing fucking jackpot to himself every few hours. It was a miracle, that's what it was.
After their awkward (and terrifying!) encounter traipsing over rooftops, and choking-the-lifeblood out of his shizun, Luo Binghe had vanished from the face of the earth. The narrative. Potahto, potaeto.
Idly, Shen Qingqiu tapped his finger to his throat. Luo Binghe had looked well; healthy, backlit by the poor light of a lantern dying out in that alleyway. Shen Qingqiu couldn't claim to have focused on a great many things then, with with his breaths coming in short gasps and airflow constricted and the System’s [Would the Host like to select mission . . . Yes/Yes] blocking half his view (not to mention the awful robotic shrieking!), but he could tell that Luo Binghe had grown into that handsome young stallion Proud Immortal Demon Way promised, the last of the baby fat that had clung stubbornly to his white lotus self lost to the Endless Abyss.
Really, that should have been the only real difference; his hair was still the same, a few strands sticking out left and right from the humidity and the chase, and his brows delicate on his rather determined face.
But there was one other thing that stood out starkly from his bright-eyed white Lotus days: Luo Binghe’s countenance was now crumpled; from his eyebrows pulling together wretchedly and mouth frozen in the middle of his demands, like he couldn't decide whether to continue the same line of questioning or not.
When Shen Qingqiu thought back to that, his chest twinged unpleasantly.
Why wouldn't it?
After all, Luo Binghe had also fed his master a healthy dose of his OP blood. Tracking, papapa, sculpting, spa, healing—you name it! Heavenly Demon Blood was the ultimate cure-all and the ultimate weapon. It was precisely because of this that Shen Qingqiu, while throwing a silent party in his mind after the news of Luo Binghe’s disappearance spread like wildfire the very next morning, didn't care to celebrate too much like some two bit villain. He was better than that.
He didn't celebrate too much even after the sower rash debacle. There, even without the dashing Luo Binghe, the NPCs at Huanhua Palace had given Shen Qingqiu’s scum villainy even more fuel and straight up entertained the accusations of him puppeteering the sowers. Of course, Mu Qingfang had then immediately busted their operation by exposing Shen Qingqiu’s own sower infected arm. Thanks for that, Shidi!
And then less pleasantly, Mu Qingfang had followed him around like Shen Qingqiu was an overexcited child who'd touch just about anything without supervision ( embarrassing, but bearable).
The protagonist’s disappearance had singlehandedly overshadowed every other event of the day anyway. The Huanhua disciples ran around like headless chickens who’d lost their master, and poor Gongyi Xiao was trying his best at wrangling them. So all in all it was easy to call the sowers a case of Demons-framing-an-esteemed-Immortal and fly back to Cang Qiong with a new disciple for Bai Zhan in tow.
Shen Qingqiu had initially been a little confused to see that scrawny kid hovering around them on their arrival to the mountain, lost in his own thoughts about his postponed death and Luo Binghe—only to find out that he had been with them throughout the entire journey back! Good for you, NPC kid! Master Liu didn't accept just anyone as a disciple, you know!
Needless to say, despite the Huanhua disciples' panic, and Shang Qinghua’s loud musings, Shen Qingqiu himself hadn't pored over Luo Binghe’s sudden desire to make himself scarce. If the protagonist could crawl out of the Endless Abyss two years early, what else couldn't be changed to fit this new narrative’s whims? This Shen didn't mean to brag, but clearly the Binghe he raised had perfected his sword forms and straightened his stance out compared to the Original Goods, and he was such a master in combat that he'd freed himself from hell early. Who was to say that he wasn't off having an advanced wife plot or two? After all, there were so many of those in this world, and Shen Qingqiu didn't need to know the details.
He wouldn't be made privy to those details. Because Luo Binghe only considered the scum villain of this world important enough to shove some blood into him and hunt him down later.
The thought should have simply terrified Shen Qingqiu, but it sent a strange electric buzz through his skin instead. Did he develop some sort of weird adrenaline rush after having been chased by the protagonist and escaping once without any premium torture packages?
And like so, Shen Qingqiu went about his day, waiting for his inevitable death. There was nothing more for him to do; their one plan of action had been the Sun and Moon Dew Mushroom bodies, and their development period at the rate Shang Qinghua had been tending to them was a solid five years. Either Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes to Luo Binghe sneaking into the Bamboo House through his sideroom’s window and whisking him away to the Water Palace, or he died painfully of qi deviation attempting to dive into an undeveloped Mushroom body.
Whatever his fate was, it could wait until Luo Binghe finally made his move. Or, Shen Qingqiu thought optimistically, this wifeplot could take two more years and restore the years the impromptu Abyss Comeback shaved off the narrative, and then everything would be right back on track.
“Ah, Shizun!” Ning Yingying’s gentle surprise jolted Shen Qingqiu out of his schemes and hopes. “Shizun is… heading that way?”
Shen Qingqiu paused by the stone path, and evaluated where it was that he was going. He hadn't thought much of it, he had been too deep into his hopeful fantasizing that his feet had automatically taken him to the most scenic parts of Qing Jing, with the flowers in full bloom and stones racked on top of each other for the most agreeable energies. A sword mound sat innocuously past this beautiful clearing, but not many people appreciated this spot like Shen Qingqiu did. It was almost a shame—if Shen Qingqiu hadn't started calling it His Spot in the privacy of his own mind. What others didn't know wouldn't hurt them, and kicking up such a fuss about my spot and your spot like a kindergartener would only hike up the view’s value, making it go from an underground niche spot to a tourist hub. Shen Qingqiu had learnt better than that, thanks. This was why, instead of telling Ning Yingying about how it would be good for her circulation to sit next to the north east of the sword mound with its impeccable feng shui, Shen Qingqiu dipped his head in acknowledgement.
Ning Yingying’s lips twisted. “Surely Shizun isn't going… there anymore.”
Young Lady, so you were already aware of your master’s spot? Surely you weren't coveting it for yourself?
“Shizun, this disciple… if this disciple may make one request, and have only that request fulfilled for the rest of her life and be happy, then it would be this: Shizun must eat. He must not starve for someone who does not want to associate themselves with us or our Qing Jing Peak anymore. To humiliate Shizun by not returning like that, acting like you haven't cared for all of—”
“Ning Yingying!” Shen Qingqiu snapped. Ning Yingying’s mouth clicked shut, but it was still set in a defiant line. Truthfully, Shen Qingqiu had anticipated this turn of events; he had after all staved off his disciples’ unnecessary worry and assumptions that he meditated or drifted off in His Spot all the time only to ‘mourn’ his dead lamb (Ha! If only they knew about how Shen Qingqiu had stabbed that little sheep of his in the heart and splintered it into pieces for the abyss to chew up!). He knew someone would bring Luo Binghe up, and that they'd do it pejoratively. He would even have bet on Ming Fan. But for Ning Yingying, Binghe’s Honored First Wife, and a gentle soul to say it first!
“Disciple Ning must observe courtesy. Your Luo-shidi moving on from the sect will not affect Qing Jing Peak’s honor in any manner. It is not unheard of for disciples of a certain sect to—”
“—’seek refuge'! Thats what that insufferable Palace Mistress said! When Shizun—”
“—transfer to another after exhausting all there is to learn from their previous masters.”
“Not unheard of, it is treacherous!” Ning Yingying muttered under her breath. Then she looked at Shen Qingqiu, sighed long and hard like she'd just run thirty laps around the mountain, and bowed deeply. “Begging Shizun’s forgiveness, Yingying went too far. But please consider having your lunch at the halls with us instead of boiling out there in the sun. Yingying and her shixiongjie would greatly appreciate it.”
Boiling–!
“This master was under the impression that Yingying had already asked for the one thing she'd want her shizun to grant.” Shen Qingqiu said dryly, whacking her perfunctorily with his fan.
“But shizun will never grant this disciple her wish, and so she is forced to ask for other mundane things,” Ning Yingying got out quickly, bouncing away before Shen Qingqiu could get another whack in for the impertinence. These youngsters really had no respect for their seniors!
Shen Qingqiu tried to ward off the incoming headache. Of course, he'd known that Ning Yingying often had no filter. People mistook her soft voice and gentle mannerisms to mean she would be politer than most, but he didn't think it was this bad.
And how had her opinion of her dear A’Luo soured this much? He didn't take her for the tsundere type but maybe this time…
The Shen Qingqiu of the past, lost in thought once again, had no way of knowing that when he returned to the Bamboo House far into the evening, he would catch Ming Fan’s disappointed eye, and abruptly remember how he hadn't fulfilled the peak's youngest shimei’s request and quicken his pace.
❆⋆⁺₊❅.❅
The crispness of Autumn on Qing Jing Peak gave away to the winter chill. The cold hadn't sunk its claws into the bamboo yet, but they were already dozing off, preparing to lay dormant for the long winter months. It was when he flicked away the last of a shrivelled, particularly determined leaf off his robes that Shen Qingqiu awoke from his metaphorical slumber frolicking around Cang Qiong Mountain.
Passing his final days in this sect so serenely like he was an idiot from some sitcom! The system might as well start its drafts for the Suite Life of Shen Qingqiu screenplay!
Shen Qingqiu hadn't cared at first when the protagonist jumped ship for his new mission; his grudge-o-meter for his new and improved Shizun must have been lower than the original, which was why he left Shen Qingqiu alone at Jinlan city anticipating the worst. And maybe Shen Qingqiu had henceforth resolved to not blow his plot relevance out of proportion, because if the protagonist didn't care about leaving him untortured for a few more months, then who was he to complain?
Then a week had passed, where the delegations from Huanhua returned with empty news and the Little Palace Mistress’ temper worse for wear. Shen Qingqiu had been instructing a starry-eyed younger disciple he hadn't quite seen in a while then, blissfully unaware and wanting for nothing. Two more weeks of this, and the demons under Mobei Jun had been dispatched far and wide, looking for the newly minted Southern Demon Emperor. Many hadn't seen Luo binghe establish himself with their own eyes, for some of the duels had been carried out in private by the protagonist in a hurry to get the proceedings over with, and so there was naturally unrest in the area without the unified ruler's firm hand.
They would have to find him and bring him back, lest the factions that considered war tedious need to engage in combat again— or this was what Shen Qingqiu thought, until Shang qinghua lamented to him over tea that there was really no sign of their new Demonic Emperor anywhere in the Southern realm, and that it was impossible to scour the Northern one with the same enthusiasm because of the terrain. He'd then asked Shen Qingqiu to remain patient, because the protagonist was the protagonist after all, and if he didn't want to be found he simply would not.
Shen Qingqiu’s tea had grown cold, and remained untouched.
A month and sixteen days in, Huanhua Palace's official search parties had, on paper, closed Luo binghe's case. Like a flickering star that left you recovering from the aftershocks, Luo binghe's stint at Huanhua had finally ended.
“Bro, if you ask me,” Shang Qinghua was saying now, munching on something. Shang Qinghua had a peculiar habit of carrying around what he called a little snack tucked into his belt within easy reach, and he seemed to be trying to convert Shen Qingqiu into his methods too.
Look, Shen Qingqiu enjoyed the occasional melon seeds, and he didn't say no to snacks on the road, but it's not like he had had to carry them.
The first thing Luo Binghe had done after getting his hands on a qiankun pouch was turn himself into a portable snack container. Even as a teenager he had the presence of mind to not have it hanging nonsensically from his belt, crammed into a poor excuse of a handkerchief like some others. Call Shen Qingqiu spoiled, but a pack of store-brought goodies after the protagonist's heavenly lotus cakes was especially upsetting to the tongue, and Shen Qingqiu was absolutely not the kind of person to tolerate displeasure when it came to the finer things in life.
“Earth to Cucumber-bro?” Shang Qinghua snapped his fingers, and Shen Qingqiu flicked his fan close in attention. “Yeah, well. I wouldn't worry about them putting an end to their search, you know. They're still going at it in the shadows, trust me.”
“And why would they do that for someone who’s barely been in the sect for a few months?” Shen Qingqiu raised a brow, although this was largely a rhetorical question. Why wouldn't they chase the shadows Luo binghe cast when they got to experience him in his entire splendor? This was the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way, the world revolved around the protagonist. Even in the original work had Huan Hua been obsequiously cooperative with Bing-ge. Why would it change now?
Just as Shen Qingqiu prepared to call Great Master Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky a hack for his plots being so blatantly main character wank, Shang Qinghua wagged a finger at him, “That's what I'm saying! It's weird isn't it?”
...
Shang Qinghua? Smug instead of stammering out a greasy excuse? Shen Qingqiu didn't like the sound of where this was going.
“Now, my dear Cucumber-bro, not many fans get the honor of finding these little Easter eggs and background reveals. This should have been a special chapter at the end of PIDW for lore drop reasons– but it was too long since the Old Palace Master or any of his generation was mentioned by then that it felt awkward cramming it in.”
“Get to the point,” said Shen Qingqiu, who in reality wanted every tidbit of this Hidden Story arc.
“Patience, patience, I'm getting there! So you know how Huanhua was responsible for corralling the rest of the sects into sealing the Heavenly demon Tianlang-jun?”
Shen Qingqiu gave Shang Qinghua the most deadpan glare he could muster. What about PIDW suggested it had the integrity to give the audience interesting information like that?
Shang Qinghua, who realised that the Peerless Cucumber who could recite the attributes of three thousand different abyssal beasts wouldn't have skipped on any background Heavenly Demon lore, and that if he was being glared at it was due to the merits of his own grand work quickly backpedaled. “Ah, what I'm saying is— of course you wouldn't! Because none of this made it out of the drafts, haha! The Heavenly Demon Tianlang-jun would have been too cool to exist after all! So he stayed in my drafts and died an ignoble death, taking with him Su Xiyan, Luo binghe's birth mother!”
Shen qingqiu, who had been rightfully about to criticize Airplane's inability to respect his own protagonist's skill, skidded to a halt.
“Su Xiyan, ah, the Old Huanhua Head disciple— I saw her at an Immortal Alliance Conference once, you know? Beautiful woman, looks just like my son. Beauty, brains, and brawn— that's when you know there's a catch. The thing was, the Palace master was obsessed with her. Getting close to her was impossible because she was under a tight leash— but one day, this dutiful disciple bit the leash off and ran away! Into a Heavenly Demon’s arms, at that! Huge scandal, you know how it is,” Airplane waved his hand around, and Shen Qingqiu nodded, even if he didn't know how it was. He hadn't even known that Luo Binghe's birth parents would have a face and name to them, and that he would be privy to their story.
“And the old man went ballistic! Made up a bunch of shit about Tianlang jun raping his disciple, poisoned her to abort the baby, locked her up and tricked Tianlang-jun into an ambush yada yada and sealed him. Obviously Su Xiyan wasn't going to take this lying down; she transferred the poison unto herself with her cultivation, made it out and—well, you know the rest.”
This, Shen Qingqiu did. On the harshest day of winter, the Luo river carried a basket weaved of straw downstream. Slapped on with many talismans and layers of silk outer robes thrown over it, it was easy to miss the little thing looking up at the vast sky through his starry eyes, mutton jade skin and a blooming red demon mark perched between his eyebrows fading rapidly hidden in the canopy.
Luo Binghe hadn't shed a single tear alone in that little basket; it was when a group of fishermen fished him out of what he considered his home, covered in those expensive silks they immediately pocketed to sell that the young Protagonist let out a terrible wail, disgruntling the motley crew.
It was as if even a young Luo Binghe had realised that what remained in that basket belonged to someone who valued him greatly and made the ultimate sacrifice, and for a white lotus of Luo binghe's caliber an act like that was worth a thousand repayments.
…
Why was Shen Qingqiu going on about a baby, for God's sake? There were other important things!
“So now you're telling me that the one guy who cares whether Luo binghe lives or dies—other than his wives who haven't solved a single problem in their lives except Liu Mingyan— is the creep that killed his mother?! I thought he was a grandfatherly type! Liu-shimei didn't even bond with Binghe about their shared hatred for her brother’s killer to fix this! No one else cares?!”
“I wouldn't put it like that!” Shang Qinghua said. “His Demonic Retainers are still looking for him too, bro! I've had to oversee their progress firsthand!”
Shen Qingqiu stared. “You do that.”
With that, he left Shang Qinghua behind munching on another melon seed. Unbeknownst to Shen Qingqiu, behind his back, Grandmaster Airplane shooting towards the sky tilted his head.
He wouldn't have put it like that at all, because clearly here Shen Qingqiu was— transmigrated into the role of the scum villain set to be human sticked–caring very much whether Luo Binghe lived or died.
Oh, the life of a fanboy. Nothing Shang qinghua would understand.
❆⋆⁺₊❅.❅
For the next month, Shen Qingqiu idled life away like he always did.
That day he had awoken around Shen Shi[1], checked in on a younger disciple's guqin lesson and made his way to His Spot. The feng shui was as good as ever; although he couldn't hear birdsong anymore due to the winter drafts and pesky migration cycles, he could still feel the rustle of the very few leaves autumn left behind, and the bamboo stalks now fully asleep for the rest of the season.
Shen Qingqiu kneeled by His Spot, and found his thoughts drifting to Luo Binghe as it often did these days; neither Huanhua nor Mobei Jun’s goons had found hide nor hair of the protagonist well into the second month of his disappearance. The old Palace Master clearly knew more than he let on; Sha Hualing had disinterestedly reported a Huanhua Cultivator skulking around the borderlands, which a harried Shang qinghua reported to Shen Qingqiu.
Despite what he knew others thought, Shen Qingqiu was not pestering or bullying the An Ding Peak Lord into doing anything. Shang Qinghua marched up to Qing Jing of his own accord after one or two (maybe three) polite letters enquiring how the search was going, only to throw open the door to the bamboo house and dryly declare, Nowhere.
Shen Qingqiu suspected he liked being the one to barge into rooms and leave dramatically after saying his piece for once, so he let Airplane and his odd superiority complex be. The hack was exhausted from the paperwork pouring in from both ends. Juggling the Demon Realm’s and Cang Qiong’s own three thousand forms was already time consuming, and now in Luo Binghe’s continued absence the former's political landscape was deteriorating rapidly.
Shen Qingqiu suddenly felt himself exhale harshly, and realised that he was angry. He couldn't point out a concrete reason; it could have been the plot forcing Luo Binghe to frolic and probably get stuck in some wifeplot at this critical moment of time for his growth as Demonic Emperor and Huanhua’s head disciple for future arcs, the cold of the earth digging into his knees, Shang Qinghua's prissy mood getting to him after all, or even last week's dinner where he hadn't expected his noodles to have bok choy, because Shen Qingqiu hadn't liked bok choy for as long as he had been alive, and he hadn't had to put up with them when—when Luo Binghe—
This was how Ning Yingying found him, bowed over himself in front of the awkwardly built sword mound in his favorite spot, failing the first lesson any Shizun would teach their youngest disciple: Clear your mind and meditate.
Shen Qingqiu couldn't let this stand. He might have been a lazy second gen in his previous life, but he had some airs to keep here in this one as an Immortal Master! And so Shen qingqiu drew himself up, and nodded at Ning Yingying.
The peak’s youngest female disciple didn't look too enthusiastic about being here. She looked as if someone had asked her to see if a pot was boiling over, only to find that the pot had not only boiled over but had also taken a good chunk of the congee with it.
Just as they were about to pass each other by; Shen Qingqiu, with his chin raised and Ning Yingying, boring holes into her Shizun’s skull, did Ning Yingying ask softly, “If this disciple makes a request, will Shizun listen?”
“When has this master not heard his disciples out?” Shen Qingqiu returned, slowing his pace.
Ning Yingying pouted, something which had looked cute when she was thirteen, but now looked like a charade from a movie that revolved around biting into lemons. “Shizun has always taken utmost care of his disciples, even if they've forsaken him. It is why Yingying will not ask him to stay back or not do as he planned, for Shizun’s single minded focus is often intense.”
To an outsider Shen Qingqiu was perfectly composed, a porcelain mask over his features and the straightest of postures befitting a Peak lord, but inwardly, Shen Qingqiu, if given a keyboard from his previous world, would have spammed ???? in Ning Yingying's direction. First, she shaded him by mentioning Luo Binghe, and then started criticizing her shizun’s work ethic??? What sort of carrot and stick mind game was this???
There was only one reason why Ning Yingying would assume he was going away: One and a half months ago, Shen Qingqiu had packed his bags right after gliding into the bamboo house from Jinlan city. There was no saying when the vengeful protagonist would decide to go after him once and for all, and despite everything Shen qingqiu was fond of some of the things he'd collected over the years:
- A nice brocade overrobe from Xian Shu
- A few painted fans his disciples had gifted him (notably including a fan Luo binghe had accidentally spilled soup while working on his amateur rendition of Qing Jing Peak and hastily overcompensated for by painting bamboo over it)
- A hairpin made from the hide of the Purple Praying mantis Liu Qingge had wrestled the beast for, and the odd trinket from the Sect Leader.
These were all Shen Qingqiu's and Shen Qingqiu’s alone, and it didn't make sense to let them rot here when he would be away from this body and this mountain.
Ning Yingying continued, “But this disciple humbly requests Shizun not to neglect himself over the course of this journey, and come back with his mind at peace, regardless of whether A'Luo is in tow or not.”
Shen Qingqiu halted entirely, shoulders drawing up to his ears. It felt like he had been struck with lightning like one of those cartoon gimmicks where a lightbulb popped up when a character solved a problem. Ning Yinggying thought…
“This master…” Shen Qingqiu trailed off, a million lightbulbs flashing around him.
In his heart, he rapidly took back everything he'd said about Luo Binghe's wives not being able to problem solve. Ning Yingying here had given him a solution, and introduced it to him as a problem!
“Shizun…?” Ning Yingying called, bewildered. “Is Shizun… smiling…?”
Shen Qingqiu didn't try to school his face into something resembling respectable. He pat Ning Yingying on the head reassuringly, and started power walking to the bamboo house.
There was no use confirming or denying anything. Ning Yingyjng had made up her mind and there was very little Shen Qingqiu could do to persuade her of the opposite.
This was the first time it would work in his favour.
Shen Qingqiu was going to find Luo Binghe himself.
❆⋆⁺₊❅.❅
“I'm going to find Luo Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu announced to the room at large, feeling smug. He didn't slam the door open like Airplane would have, instead choosing to give it a gentle push, and let it swing open the rest of the way itself.
The light rushing into the room from the open door made Shang Qinghua throw an arm over his eyes in pain.
“Just put that scroll down—Cucumber bro?!” He winced, knocking away a few scrolls from his stash. “You're going to what? Why don't you take that from the top ’cause, look here, this trading company that popped up in the east is—”
“I'm going to find Luo Binghe, and you have to tell me where not to look,” Shen Qingqiu said slowly, as if to a child. Since Shang Qinghua had all the reports, it wouldn't be too hard to narrow down one or two places both demonic influence and Huanhua Palace might have neglected.
Shang Qinghua's face cycled through a million different expressions, and even in the dim light with all the curtains drawn shut Shen Qingqiu could guess what most of them meant, a healthy dose of WTF being the winner of the race. Instead of expressing any of those however, Shang Qinghua only steepled his fingers, and said, “You do know what you're doing? You're scheduled to be human sticked the moment he gets his paws on you while you're alone. And even then…. Even then you want to find my son?”
The Are you crazy? hung in the air.
“What are you even so worried about, ah? Luo Binghe's the protagonist—he's the top dog! We're all in his story! He'll live no matter what, but I can't say the same for you or me, Cucumber-bro. Why are you acting like a mother who lost her son at a pool? Think! Did you and my son develop a stronger bond than I thought?”
Shang Qinghua had meant this as a friendly jab, and a desperate appeal to someone's common sense. He was completely innocent.
But Shen Qingqiu, who had worked himself up about this due to the countless mourning widow allegations whispered between his disciples, rounded on him brandishing a fan. Tch! It was only obvious that Shen Qingqiu would have a different relationship with the white lotus he raised! It meant nothing else!
“Mercy, mercy, master Shen!” Shang Qinghua pleaded obnoxiously. “I'll aid you in killing yourself in peace, show mercy on me now!”
“I'm not killing anyone, let alone myself. I, ” Shen Qingqiu sniffed primly, settling on the floor opposite Airplane. “Am going to find Luo Binghe. And you're going to help me.”
Shang Qinghua dropped his head, producing a qiankun pouch that looked like it would burst at the seams any second, and rummaged through it for the Northern Demon Realm’s sealed away scrolls.
He finally spoke wearily. “You don't say.”
❆⋆⁺₊❅.❅ ❆⋆⁺₊❅.❅
(1) Around 3PM-5PM [ ↺ go back]