Season of Recovery and Preparation [Open]

[xiaoxiuya]

Who: Shen Yuan's CR group, as well as anyone else who'd like share a prompt or start a thread!
What: Recovering from the shitstorm that was December and avoiding new trouble wherever it finds him XD
When: Throughout December, see thread headers for details
Where: Outpost Haven, the Willful Machine, and elsewhere around Trench

Content Warnings: Discussion of the Sleeper Farm and related events, other content warnings TBD.

Comments

Group Chat - December

[xiaoxiuya]

[peerless_hobo has logged into channel: Sword Wizards and Mike.]

[peerless_hobo has changed the channel name to The Staying Out of Trouble Club.]

Well, congratulations to all of us for surviving November! I know it was really tough, what with the city turning into a living Escher painting, rampaging Beasts in the woods and rampaging people in the streets, but with a little valor and a lot of luck we pulled it off! Go us!

Hopefully December will be significantly less crazy, yeah?

text | un: duty

[martyrofduty]

Glad you are doing better.

December will be differently crazy.

[xiaoxiuya]

Boooooooooooss, no! I had hope that December wouldn't be crazy at all, and now it's gone! No hope at all.

(￣ε(#￣)

Let me guess, every month in Trench is crazy, am I right?

text: un: tenskulls private

[stayscared]

So much for staying out of trouble. Is it a three strikes and you're out kind of deal, or am I going to get kicked immediately?

[jokes make it all better, yes?]

Hey. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you in time. My head wasn't on straight, and that's a bit of a shit excuse coming from me, but it's just what it says on the tin, no bullshit.

You're okay, right? Because surviving November? That's one way to put it.

private

[xiaoxiuya]

[Aw, Mike-bro. Of course they're not going to kick you out, what kind of a question is that? Even a joke it's not very funny. Shen Yuan gets why he made it though, so he tries to respond in kind --]

For his transgressions, Mike-xiansheng must spend at least two weeks taking especially good care of himself, eating well, and keeping his head down. He won't be further penalized as long as he's making an honest effort to stay out of trouble, but failure to comply will result in punitive measures. Level One is receiving tea from Jin Guangyao while he looks at you sadly. Mike-xiansheng doesn't want to know what about Level Two.

In all seriousness though, I'm doing fine, so don't worry about it anymore, okay? You went through something way worse than me, I wasn't even conscious the entire time Xiu Ya and I were in that place. So really I should be asking you, are you okay? I know Jin-ge and Lan Xichen went to check on you, but...is there anything I can do?

text to all | un: wheninlanling

[poorlittlesange]

[to demonstrate that December will not be less crazy, Jin Guangyao logs into the group chat a few days into the start of the month to, regrettably, update them on his latest crisis.]

Greetings. Until the winter storm passes and we are able to dig our way out of the snow, I am unfortunately trapped inside the ancient temple north of town that the other Sleepers here with me allege once was devoted to Mother Mercy. However, please do not trouble yourselves on my account, as we appear safe for the moment and have plenty of provisions.

text | un: cleansingsong

[baiyueguang]

I am glad to hear A-Yao is safe. I hope the trip has otherwise gone well?

text: un: tenskulls

[stayscared]

[mother mercy? no idea who that is, but sounds fine, right?]

How many are with you? I'm assuming it's a good, reliable group, yeah? (You know, adventurous, capable types.) Let us know if the "moment" changes.

[huh. snowed in to an ancient temple? that's starting to sound like a recipe for two different sorts of plots, both bad. but this could just be his own projection - he isn't going to bring up examples.]

[xiaoxiuya]

Goodness. I'm sure Jin-ge has the situation well in hand, but if things start to get out of control over there let us know, all right? This one is feeling quite recovered, so there's no reason why Lan-gongzi and I couldn't come and extract you.

mike already thinks they are a couple

[stayscared]

[just very formal and old school about it. look at those emotes! look at those looks! you've seen them, right? the looks they give each other? he can't be the only one seeing it. and even if he is, he assumes he isn't.]

locked to cultivator-bros | un: shen yuan

[xiaoxiuya]

Before I run out to buy one myself, does anyone happen to have a calligraphy set I might borrow? And possibly some letter-writing paper? I'm attempting to do a favor for Mike-xiansheng.

[Possibly he should have made sure he'd have all the tools ready to hand before he agreed to do the favor. Oh well! It's fine, it's for Mike, he'll make it work on that basis alone.]

locked to cultivator-bros | un: cleansingsong

[baiyueguang]

I have a number of different types of stationary to choose from depending on your needs and a fine calligraphy set. If Shen-gongzi requires other art supplies, please, let this one know.

Some notes on January

[xiaoxiuya]

[On the 28th of December, Shen Yuan @'s the entire group chat --]

All right everyone, first of all let me apologize for not having this up earlier, and not having more concrete data ready. It was my intention, around the beginning of the month, to go through archived network posts from last year and talk to some Sleepers who were around back then, but then I also decided that for the sake of my mental health I needed to move out of the barracks post-haste, and so between house-hunting and work I had significantly less free time than I'd anticipated! Sorry about that. Still, a little warning is better than no warning at all, so here's what I've been able to gather --

January is patronized by the Pthumerian Madam Generosity, who also apparently owns and manages the Red. She will be celebrating the new year (yes, the new year begins in mid-winter here; no, I don't know why) with parties at the Red every odd-numbered evening throughout January, and it's believed that these parties can reduce corruption. This part is common knowledge, you might have already seen the fliers for it. Additionally, however, it seems that locals and Sleepers partake in a ritual called The Shedding Ceremony, in which discarded skin is burned in tribute to Madam Generosity -- I'm afraid I haven't been able to confirm any more details than that.

What concerns me, however, is that while all of the above was going on, a number of Sleepers were also replaced, apparently by alternate versions of themselves. Some people woke up with no memories of their lives in Trench, while others had their memories but had been altered in some way, such that they woke up a different age or gender than the one they'd had when they went to sleep. The majority of these effects were temporary, with most lasting only a few days and all but a few Sleepers returning to normal at the end of the month.

Now, I'd hope that if I'm replaced, any alternate version of me would not be so rude as to mess with my life or friendships in any permanent way, but just as a precaution I'm transferring administrative access to this group chat over to Xiu Ya, who will have the power to mute or temporarily ban members if needed. If you would also like to restrict your alternate self's access to this group chat or the rest of your account, please contact her before the 31st so she can make the necessary changes.

Hopefully this won't be too weird. :/ Oh, and as a final note I saw some posts about a large snake monster wandering the city last January, so be cautious of any snake trails you see that appear to have frozen the surrounding snow into ice. Unfortunately that's all I have, so...good luck, everybody. Hopefully we won't need it.

un: tenskulls

[stayscared]

[mike will take a moment to reread this and think about all his different ...selves. is he going to get surprised with a new one? is that something he should start worrying about? three of his memories align in more ways than not ...but the fourth is bleaker than the rest for a few reasons. that guy ...that guy barely leaves his shitty long island apartment. he's scarred inside and out. he draws all the drapes. can't abide the sunset. certain colors make him dizzy. he's unhealthy in ways he can and cannot pinpoint. his career as a writer is over. every phone has been removed. (nine, this is nine) the lights are always on and the nightmares come, regardless. his daughter does not exist.

what if there's something worse?

since he can sometimes manifest something out of nothing, here goes: maybe he can speak it into existence.]

Your "that's all I have" is a lot. There's not a box to check to opt out of all that, is there?

I'm going to give that a hard pass.

[yes, a joke, because he is terrified.]

First Week of December

[xiaoxiuya]

Outpost [closed to Duty]

[xiaoxiuya]

August, September, October, November -- December. Four, going on five months he'd been living in the outpost, and what did he have to show for it? A job, sure, a few friends, but...compared to what a packrat he used to be, this seemed kind of bleak. He hadn't just been living in a curtained-off section of the barracks for three months (and before that, a corner of the ruined church), he'd been living out of his backpack all that time as well. And while it was essentially just another kind of qiankun bag and could have theoretically held anything he could fit through its mouth, all he'd actually put in it were...

The robes he'd brought with him. Additional clothes that he'd purchased piecemeal, all of them appropriate for work and little else. Hygiene products, and those the bare minimum. His memory box. And stored outside the backpack, he had his omni, Xiu Ya, his fan, and exactly as much bedding as he needed to keep out the cold. And that was all.

For fuck's sake, he hadn't even put anything up on his walls. Where had all this minimalism even come from? Was it some kind of sign of maturity, that he'd grown up a little while he wasn't looking? Or had he been so busy surviving that he'd forgotten to actually live? Or how did you even confirm something like that either way without looking completely pathetic?

[martyrofduty]

Despite the walls only being cloth, Duty knocked and waited for a response before entering. Everything looked about the same. It had for some time. It continued even after the person Yuan originally feared and sought refuge from left. Duty hasn't counted the hours spent accompanying Yuan around Trench for safety, but he hasn't in some time. It's convenient to work certainly, and Duty has no difficulties fitting in checking on him.

Honestly, Duty expected Shen Yuan to find housing more to his liking by now.

"How are you?" Duty asks seriously. After the Sleeper Farm and everything they can do, after the harm that can leave with a person even if little physically happened, the question is serious. No trite morning exchange. No social nicety. He stares intently at Yuan, expecting an answer. Expecting the truth. If less comes out, if Yuan hides anything that truly matters, Duty trusts Xiu Ya to let him know.

text: un: tenskulls

[stayscared]

I believe I have lost the challenge, but as compensation (and dues) to the club, I offer Nie Huaisang three cardinals.

[just pretend there is a small rat photobombing the second picture.]

Winter Mourning -- Closed to Lan Xichen and Duty

[xiaoxiuya]

Part One -- Mean Girls

The Immortal Alliance Conference was sometimes called 'the meeting of the heavens' and it wasn't an unjust comparison. Representatives of each of the four great sects and the countless lesser ones, immortals and high-ranked cultivators of every stripe all gathered to converse and compete, whether in the realms of diplomacy, combat, or couture. The effect was not unlike a xianxia Coachella.

It made a disappointing sort of sense, Shen Qingqiu reflected, as he and his fellow peak lords left their horses and carriages behind and arranged themselves to enter the main meeting hall. If everyone was dressed to the nines, on their best behavior with their best foot forward, then no one would really stand out, either. This was still technically the ancient world, after all. Truly outrageous behavior would reflect back on the perpetrator and their entire sect.

Still, he thought Cang Qiong made a good showing for itself despite all that. What other sect could boast twelve immortals, united in strength yet each without peer in their chosen specialities? Most of them weren't exactly hard on the eyes, either. If Shen Qingqiu himself thought they were impressive, and sometimes still struggled with the idea that he was part of their ranks, then surely any reasonable person, not having any idea how hard he was fronting, would be struck speechless with their glory.

Unfortunately, the world was full of unreasonable people. Across the hall, two young beauties from a minor sect -- who would, in a decade's time, become Wives Number 56 and 57 in Luo Binghe's harem -- watched as Yue Qingyuan paid his respects to the Master of Huan Hua Palace. The younger of the two was properly dazzled by the gathering, but her elder sister merely frowned into her wine and murmured, "I'm surprised he had the face to show up."

"Who?" the younger asked, surprised. "Sect Leader Yue?"

"No," the elder snorted. "Shen Qingqiu."

[baiyueguang]

For a moment, Lan Xichen feels almost at home. He walks serenely between the cultivators that are all eagerly anticipating a Night Hunt, boasting of their prowess before the festivities truly kick in, with all the little underhanded jabs that speak of much deeper tensions cracking under the surface.

He was never a great political schemer, but he understood the ins and outs of such matters.

This is, of course, not his home. He's coming to realize more quickly when he's been brought into a memory; quickly guessing it is likely Shen Yuan's as he is the only other cultivator he's a aware of not from some version of the same world as Lan Xichen. Everything is just off enough for him to realize that; names he doesn't recognize, sects he doesn't know, etc, etc. Regardless of all that, to the casual observer, he doesn't seem remotely out of place amidst the immortals and enjoys his time observing the memory until...

"Who? Sect Leader Yue?"

"No. Shen Qingqiu."

He looks up at the mention of a familiar name and finds he can put it to a familiar face, and smiles.

He glides through the crowd, curious if Shen Yuan will be able to see him, and if he does, whether he'll recognize him or not.

"Shen-gongzi," he greets with a fond smile, rounding his arms into a bow. "Good evening."

[xiaoxiuya]

(Shen Qingqiu smiles placidly, but not at Lan Xichen. His gaze is directed at another cultivator, dressed in Huan Hua Palace's golds and yellows, who's come up to greet the peak lord and humble-brag about the monsters he and his cohort had captured for the great melee. And why shouldn't he? Hadn't Shen Qingqiu lent his expertise several times over letter, advising the cultivators in charge of the capturing how best to do this or that? All that knowledge he'd brought with him from reading the original novel might as well go to good use!)

(Meanwhile, the two young ladies from before are still whispering to each other, their voices carrying...oddly, in this dream-like memory space. Though the two are clearly keeping their voices low, and none of the cultivators around them show any signs of hearing, their words reach the ears of Shen Yuan’s unacknowledged guests quite clearly…)

Seeing that her junior wasn't following, the elder of the two women frowned and said, "Haven't you heard? They say that ever since his last qi deviation, he acts as though he'd been possessed!"

"No!" the younger gasped, stunned. Her senior nodded, and continued, "They say it really is as if he’d become an entirely different person. His sect's tried to hush it up, of course, but that just proves that something strange happened behind closed doors."

"I thought you were going to bring up his Without a Cure poisoning," the younger said, shocked. "Did his qi deviation come after that, or --?"

"No, before!" her elder said, grinning fiercely.

Part 2 -- Wagers and Favour

[xiaoxiuya]

People came, people went, and in due time the barrier to Jue Di Gorge was opened and the competitors were allowed inside. The silver mirrors came to life, displaying the procession with a fidelity that would have put HD TV to shame, and a cultivator with shaven head and Buddhist-orange robes clapped his hands and said, “The grand melee of the Immortal Alliance Conference has begun, my friends! Shall we make our predictions now?”

Of course these predictions didn’t have anything to do with divination! But these esteemed seniors were much too dignified to participate in the competition themselves, and so they had to find other ways to make their own fun. Straightaway several people clustered around the cultivator who had spoken, naming their favorites and placing their bets, while many more began to chatter excitedly. Everyone had their own theory for who would place in the top spot, but already there were clear favorites: the head disciple of Huan Hua Palace was one, and Cang Qiong’s own Liu Mingyan was another – only natural, for a younger sibling of the renowned Liu Qingge, even if she was training on a different peak – but then there was also –

“Luo Binghe,” said a cool, crisp voice. Shen Qingqiu stood at the edge of the crowd surrounding the orange-clad cultivator, and now with a little help from his cultivation he contrived to speak over the chattering crowd without actually raising his voice. Once he was sure he had the bookie’s attention he said normally, “This master will place five thousand spirit stones on my disciple, Luo Binghe.”

It must be mentioned that this amount really was extremely high! Everyone else was placing bets of a few dozen or maybe a hundred spirit stones at most, but Shen Qingqiu figured that since the outcome of the Immortal Alliance Conference was a done deal anyway, he might as well benefit from it. He could use the spirit stones as a nice little nest egg, for when he inevitably had to pick up sticks and flee for his life.

The bookie coughed awkwardly. “Ah, Peak Lord Shen, Immortal Master Shen!” he exclaimed. “Such confidence in your disciple! He must be truly exceptional – doesn’t Sect Leader Yue agree?” And it was clear from the somewhat desperate look he gave the man who had come to stand by Shen Qingqiu’s side, that he was seeking help dealing with an immortal who had quite possibly run mad.

This ‘Sect Leader Yue’ was of course Yue Qingyuan, master of all Cang Qiong’s twelve peaks and ‘zhangmen-shixiong’ to the other eleven peak lords. If one were to judge by his looks alone, they would say that his position was indeed well assigned; he seemed to exude power and authority, and yet the look on his face was calm and his features were kindly, especially when he had Shen Qingqiu in his sights.

“I agree completely,” he said quietly; unlike Shen Qingqiu, he didn’t have to resort to any cheap tricks to make himself heard. When Yue Qingyuan spoke, people simply listened. “In fact, I will place this bet on my shidi’s behalf.”

This caused even more of a stir. Just as it was below these masters’ dignity to take part in the competition, so it was beneath the sect leaders’ dignity to take part in the betting – but here Yue Qingyuan was, doing it anyway! The poor bookie really didn’t know what to say or where to look. In the end he accepted the bet just so the two of them would go away and leave him alone.

Shen Qingqiu was also a little confused by this turn of events, and though part of him was reluctant to look a gift horse in the mouth he also felt that with stakes like these, it was important to lay everything out as clearly as possible. So, as the two of them found places to sit beside one of the silver mirrors, he diffidently coughed behind his silk fan and asked, “Zhangmen-shixiong, if Luo Binghe should lose –”

And Yue Qingyuan replied, “I will pay, shidi.”

“Ah,” said Shen Qingqiu. “And if he wins, the spirit stones…?”

“Will be yours, shidi.”

“Ah. Many thanks, Zhangmen-shixiong.” Shen Qingqiu fanned himself rapidly, beyond embarrassed by the sect leader’s largesse. Yue Qingyuan was always like this, and Shen Qingqiu didn’t get it all, but he couldn’t refuse either!

After a moment, however, Yue Qingyuan also coughed diffidently, and said, “Speaking of your disciple, shidi…”

“What about him?” Shen Qingqiu asked.

Yue Qingyuan was quite at a loss, but finally he rallied and asked, “Could it be that this Luo Binghe is really the same disciple you held in such disfavor before?” Even having seen Luo Binghe around Qing Jing and in Shen Qingqiu’s house any number of times over the last three years, he really couldn’t believe such a reversal had really taken place!

But Shen Qingqiu found this much easier to handle. He merely smiled and extended a hand towards the silver mirror, directing the spirit eagle on the other side to focus all its attention on following Luo Binghe.

[xiaoxiuya]

The two of them remained sitting there for some time, watching Luo Binghe on the silver mirror. Shen Qingqiu was of course enthralled by his favorite character’s exploits, and while Yue Qingyuan seemed somewhat less interested – several times when Shen Qingqiu happened to glance in his direction, he found that Yue Qingyuan wasn’t even looking at the mirror at all! – still seemed content to sit and keep Shen Qingqiu company.

By the time the sun had set on the first day of the conference, Luo Binghe had already made a name for himself – albeit in an unusual way. While he had slain several powerful monsters, he had also attracted a little train of interested junior cultivators, hopeful little shimei with crushes and would-be sycophantic shidi. It must be noted that this little bad was pretty pathetic; it was no wonder they’d latched onto so dashing and handsome a figure as Luo Binghe, because none of these children had really been prepared for the competition anyway. The worst of the lot was a young lady, somewhere in her early to mid teens, who held up the whole group with her dawdling and complaining about her sore feet. Of course this silly girl, Qin Wanrong was her name, was destined to become one of Luo Binghe’s wives as well.

As Shen Yuan, Shen Qingqiu had always detested Qin Wanrong. She functioned as a sort of malignant appendage on her older sister, not unlike a tumor, always dragging poor Qin Wanyue into trouble. Qin Wanyue herself held the distinction as being the girl to whom Luo Binghe had given his virginity, and though she’d already managed to twist one of her ankles at least she had the basic courtesy to apologize, repeatedly, for slowing him down, and to make herself useful by holding up a glowing night pearl to light the way. What was odd, though, was that while Shen Yuan had always felt the Qin sisters were a waste of space in Luo Binghe’s harem and “Great Master” Airplane-Shooting-Towards-the-Sky’s much-cursed hard drive, Luo Binghe himself had always given every indication of liking them and enjoying their company. In this very sequence, in the novel, he’d used his charm to quiet Qin Wanrong’s complaints, soothing her temper and making her giggle before gently shushing her up. But now he was all but ignoring her completely.

What are you doing, silly boy? Shen Qingqiu thought to himself. Did shizun forget to tell you that a happy wife is a happy life???

Of course he couldn’t help being concerned! But it couldn’t really have been a fault with his teachings, could it? It wasn’t like Luo Binghe had needed anyone to teach him how to handle pretty young ladies in the book! And it wasn’t like he was being outright rude at the moment either, he was just…distant. Uninvolved. On the screen Qin Wanyue was apologizing again, and Luo Binghe gave her a tight-lipped smile. It really was obvious to anyone with even a few points in emotional intelligence that far from enjoying himself, he’d really have rather been anywhere but there!

Maybe he was annoyed with her little sister for crimping his style…?

Part 3 -- A Pain That Can't be Spoken

[xiaoxiuya]

A great many things happened in quick succession – a swift swordflight through the woods, shizun and disciple reunited, a desperate fighting retreat through the woods, the both of them working in tandem to defend the other disciples whilst beset on all sides by horrible, spider-legged demons shaped like severed. Human. Heads! What the hell, Airplane?? And then Shen Qingqiu had a Without A Cure flare-up, because of course he did, leaving him with only his martial arts with which to fight. Fortunately they’d reached their destination around that point, a copse of magical, demon-repelling flowers Shen Qingqiu remembered from the book, but instead of resting like a good boy Binghe immediately tried to pick a fight – with him! His very own shizun! – over whether the flowers could be used to cure Without A Cure – as if he didn’t know the terms of his own poisoning! – and got sulky and pouty about it when Shen Qingqiu shut him down. Binghe, please! Learn to read the room!!

And then: the great rift into the Endless Abyss opened (three days ahead of schedule, even!), releasing a wave of dark qi that knocked out all of the younger disciples, but instead of the boss-level demonic beast Binghe was supposed to fight there appeared…his future sidekick, Mobei-Jun?? Who proceeded to goad Binghe into a fight, actually break the seal on his demonic powers, and then leave again, which was very what?? The seal-breaking wasn’t supposed to happen until Binghe found Xin Mo! Sure it would make it easier for Shen Qingqiu to justify punting him into the Abyss, but all of these departures from canon…on top of all the fighting and a Without A Cure flare-up, it was really straining Shen Qingqiu’s ability to cope! So of course that was when the System showed up.

It appeared as a flashing red window, visible only to Shen Qingqiu and his two unseen guests, chiming and displaying the words: Warning! The critical quest “The Endless Abyss and Endless Hatred, a Sky Filled with Crystal Frost and Tears of Blood” has officially begun! If it is not successfully completed, twenty thousand protagonist satisfaction points will be deducted!

Shen Qingqiu was so angry he could have spat blood. “Twenty thousand?” he yelped, “This morning you said it was ten thousand! Every day for the past three years you said it was ten thousand! You stupid fucking Alexa rip-off, what’s with the sudden price hike huh??”

The System said nothing for once, only chiming again while its window began to strobe faster. Shen Qingqiu’s breath hitched in his aching chest, and he began to laugh hysterically, saying, “Not that it matters! It doesn’t matter,” he realized out loud. “Ten thousand, twenty thousand, what’s the difference? I’d need two hundred thousand more years to earn that many points…”

He trailed off, dragging his bloody, dirt-stained hands through his hair. “...There’s nothing I can do,” he muttered, and shook his head once. “Nothing I can do.” He picked up Xiu Ya and pushed himself back to his feet.

All of the younger disciples (and that rat who’d turned up at some point, Shang Qinghua) were still passed out. Good; at least there would be no witnesses to Binghe’s terrible fate.

[xiaoxiuya]

Binghe had fallen into a stupor shortly after Mobei-Jun’s departure, his mind reeling under the sudden access to a part of his own body and spirit he’d never been able to access before. He only began to shake it off as Shen Qingqiu drew near, as though sensing his master’s approach or perhaps simply the danger he was in; whereas before he had greeted his master’s arrival with joy and relief, even though they were beset by monsters on all sides, now his face paled fearfully when he laid eyes on Shen Qingqiu.

“Are you awake?” Shen Qingqiu asked, his voice as still and dark as stone. “Good…very good. Then we can have an honest chat, you and I. Tell me the truth, Luo Binghe: how long have you been practicing demonic cultivation?” It was fortunate indeed that Shen Qingqiu’s memory of this scene in the book was so clear; even if they didn’t fit 100% perfectly anymore, he could still crib from Shen Qingqiu’s lines. If he’d had to think of his own dialogue right now, he really wouldn’t have known what to say…

Poor Binghe, meanwhile, was beside himself with horror. He immediately threw himself flat on his face, kowtowing deeply while he pleaded, “Shizun, this disciple can explain!”

The sight of the protagonist bowing to him, now of all times, was too much for Shen Qingqiu to bear. “Get up!” he snapped, and grabbed Luo Binghe by the collar of his robes, hauling him back up onto his feet so roughly that Binghe staggered back a few steps, Shen Qingqiu following him closely. The Abyss loomed large behind Binghe’s shoulder. “Tell me,” Shen Qingqiu snarled. “Tell me when you began!”

Luo Binghe’s eyes were very large in his pale face; when he’d seen him earlier through the silver mirror, Shen Qingqiu had thought his eyes sparkled like stars, but now the light within glowed only fitfully, like a dying ember. His voice was quiet and uncertain, and it shook as he said, “Two years ago.”

This Shen Qingqiu had already known, but he paused for a moment before saying, “Twp years…No wonder you were able to progress by leaps and bounds, and to such a great extent. You truly live up to your reputation, Luo Binghe. You are gifted with spectacular talent.”

Although he’d meant these words sincerely, his voice was flat and toneless; as he listened, Binghe began to shake with terror, unable to predict what his shizun would say or do next. From the time he was eleven until he was fourteen, Shen Qingqiu had beaten and reviled him daily; but from the time he was fourteen and until now (in other words, from the time Shen Yuan had taken over Shen Qingqiu’s body) his shizun had been so kind to him that he’d nearly forgotten the dark times that came before. Now those memories were rushing back to the forefront of his mind, and he really had no idea what would happen next.

But not even the worst of his tortured imaginings could have predicted that Shen Qingqiu would sigh and say heavily, “But it wasn’t wrong, what that man said just now. The Human Realm is no place for you. You ought to return to the place where you belong.”

For the first time Luo Binghe became aware of the gaping maw behind his back.