Work Text:
Long, long ago, there was a mystical bamboo forest. It was nestled along the curve of the Luo River. On the outside of the forest, people once spoke of a beautiful, yet mysterious, cultivation master who lived inside. Some of them claimed to hear the eerie sound of his meditation by guqin at night. The notes were haunting and gorgeous – bringing a wistful feeling to all who hear it.
These rumors were eventually solidified when orphans began to seek shelter within the forest. They heard the story of the bamboo master and decided to take a chance. Not even ten years later, some of these children emerged as masters in their field with peerless cultivation and mastery over the four arts.
Not every child who entered found the master, but those who did explained that fairies could not compare to his beauty and the old men on top of mountains had nothing on his wisdom. Yet, he was cursed to stay in his bamboo forest – a curse none of them understood.
As you craft an image of this cultivation master – Master Shen Yuan – you must be picturing someone of incomparable elegance and self-restraint. However, such an image is not perfectly representative of the truth.
While he always showed an elegant and clean face to his students, the inside of his bamboo house was completely different! And to be honest, even though he preached clean and simple meals it was simply because he couldn’t cook anything himself. He really missed the rich and savory flavors of mortal food!!
So, one night, he found himself kneeled by the side of the river. He wore flowing pale green robes and he wept. For his floors were dusty and his bed unmade and he was sick of eating unflavored congee all the time! If only there was someone – other than his students – he could rely on. He’d do anything for a reliable housekeeper!
As the beautiful man cried by his river, the moon felt moved to tears by this display and cried a single turn in turn. This tear didn’t plummet harshly, but floated down until it touched down onto the river with gentle rippling. The tear was bright enough that it lit up the water so brilliantly that it was seen for miles and miles.
Where it landed, a stunning white lotus bloomed. Shen Yuan, understanding that this lotus was a gift from the moon itself and should not be shunned, quickly waded into the river and lifted the lotus in two hands. He brought the lotus into his home and kept it in a low pot of water. He eventually fell asleep on the floor next to the pot.
When he woke up, it was to the sound of a kitten crying nearby him. Which was strange considering he’d never seen a single cat in the bamboo forest. He lifted his head and the guan that had been firmly in his hair a few hours ago clattered to the ground. It crashed and the loud noise had the effect of quieting the cat.
Of course, it wasn’t a cat at all. Shen Yuan’s eyes widened when he saw that inside of the lotus was the tiniest humanoid creature he’d ever seen. It must have been a fairy for how cute it was! With luxurious curls and big black eyes that seemed to accept all, he (Shen Yuan decided, despite the grace and beauty the fairy held, must be a boy) looked up at him. His eyes were red from all the crying he’d been doing and he wiped them away with small fists.
The fairy was most likely the cutest thing Shen Yuan had ever seen. His heart was busy palpitating away in his chest as he gazed upon the tiny creature. The moon really thought to give him something so precious? What good deeds had Shen Yuan done to deserve this when he was a fraud masquerading as a wise teacher!
This little wise lotus started to smile when he noticed that Shen Yuan was paying attention to him. His smile was as blinding as the moon tear-drop he’d come down in, “Shizun!” he exclaimed happily and held out his arms as if expecting a hug.
Who was Shen Yuan to resist? He was no ascended god, yet, that was for sure. He wrapped up the small white lotus in his arms and promised that he’d never let anything befall such an innocent child.
It turned out that not only did Luo (named for the river he came from) Binghe (a name he’d proudly asserted was his own shortly after naming Shen Yuan as his Shizun) excel at cultivation, he also excelled in cleaning and taking care of his Shizun.
He exchanged minor wishes for the ingredients in the nearby village and made delicious meals. He kept the bamboo house clean so Shen Yuan could focus on teaching his students. He was, in short, the perfect little house wife.
Shen Yuan flowered the little fairy with love and the boy grew faster than anyone could have expected. By the second month, he appeared as a spritely young teenager – soon to come into his own.
The disciples who used to be the most favored by the cultivation master were permanently drinking vinegar when they saw how Luo Binghe draped himself off the man’s arms during sword forms and guqin practice.
Despite the disciples’ unhappiness, Shen Yuan could proudly say he was the happiest he’d been since he’d been cursed to live in the bamboo forest. Except for fact that he was still cursed.
When Luo Binghe was on the cusp of adulthood, Shen Yuan decided it was fine to share a small cup of wine with his favorite disciple. With his inhibitions weakened, he told the fairy of how he’d come to be trapped. He spoke of the most wretched part of the mortal realm where curse breaking flower lay. Even his brother had been unable to get this crucial ingredient for him as it was behind so many challenges.
Further, since only the pure of heart could enter the forest, he wouldn’t have been able to deliver it anyway.
The next morning, as sunlight shone into the bamboo house, Shen Yuan woke up alone. His precious fairy had left on a quest to get the ingredient. While Shen Yuan believed in his white lotus, he’d been bereft of hope for so long that he fell into a mourning state. In his perfect bamboo forest, it had been so long since he’d been faced with such true loss.
He was certain that after his white lotus faced the darkest path of humanity and nature, he certainly wouldn’t be the same upon his return. His disciples tried to support him during this long, horrible week of mourning. But they were overjoyed when Luo Binghe returned. His skin was a little more tan before and no longer glowed as it had before – betraying his status as a new mortal – but he seemed just as pure, dressed in whites and pale greens, as before.
Shen Yuan, for the first time, was the one throwing himself over his favorite disciple and cried both for his return and the fairy-status he’d lost. However, Luo Binghe didn’t mind at all.
They promised to never leave each other again and to travel the world hand-in-hand. The next challenge they’d face would be meeting the in-laws.