Chapter Text
There was a note left for Shen Qingqiu on his desk, written in Emperor Yue’s handwriting with the seal of Cang Qiong Empire emblazoned on its front. Shen Qingqiu quickly read it and grumbled a little as he let the note fall back on top of the desk. It made no sound as it hit the wood, though the weight of its contents was like a piece of iron in Shen Qingqiu’s middle.
“Shizun?” said Luo Binghe, coming up to stand beside him. The pale green fabric of his imperial guard’s uniform shone in the morning sunlight, contrasting with the small, red demon mark on his forehead. “Is everything all right?”
Shen Qingqiu picked up his folding fan and flicked it open. Luo Binghe was only a few years younger than him, but Shen Qingqiu still had to look up to face him properly. “The delegation from Huan Hua is arriving today, and His Majesty has requested that I be there to greet them.”
He didn’t quite manage to hide the nervousness in his tone. Relations between Cang Qiong and Huan Hua had been strained for the past while. Asking Shen Qingqiu to be one of the people greeting the delegation was akin to putting a flashing, neon-red target on his back.
Luo Binghe’s eyes hardened. “Doesn’t Emperor Yue usually send one of his consorts to greet delegations?”
In spite of the sudden direness of Shen Qingqiu’s situation, his heart lightened at the thought that Luo Binghe cared enough about him to worry. He nodded and said, “His three consorts will be there, too. The people Huan Hua are sending must be important, if even Worthy Consort Liu has agreed to meet with them. You know how he is with diplomacy.”
Requesting Shen Qingqiu’s presence there was strange, since he was only Yue Qingyuan’s courtesan and not an official member of his imperial harem. Adding to that, he wasn’t even the person that Yue Qingyuan thought he was.
Shen Yuan transmigrated into this world and became ‘Shen Qingqiu’ a few months ago. It didn’t take him long to figure out that he was in the world of the last novel he read in his previous life, Proud Immortal Demon Way. The new Shen Qingqiu wasn’t all that bothered about suddenly finding himself as a character in a fictional world.
What he lamented over was that he transmigrated into the worst antagonist in the novel’s entire roster.
That didn’t mean that he was the final BOSS that the protagonist had to defeat to get his happy ending. No, Shen Qingqiu was just a cannon fodder villain who was meant to cause some trouble, and then die via execution. The original Shen Qingqiu had been so vitriolic that 99% of the imperial court hated him, and Shen Yuan still hadn’t managed to smooth out all the wrinkles in his horrible reputation.
“I suppose I should get ready to go out,” said Shen Qingqiu, failing to hide the mournful tone in his voice. He had been looking forward to another quiet day in his palace with Luo Binghe, but that would have to be postponed until after the Huan Hua delegation was settled.
When Shen Qingqiu put down his fan and picked up a comb, Luo Binghe stepped forward with a soft smile.
“Allow this one to help Shizun with his hair,” he said. Shen Qingqiu readily handed the comb to him.
Once, Shen Qingqiu would have balked at getting Luo Binghe to do this sort of servant’s work for him. Luo Binghe was the protagonist of the novel, after all; he was only disguised as an imperial guard as part of the plot. But Luo Binghe always seemed so happy to do little things like this for Shen Qingqiu, so he permitted it.
Shen Qingqiu sat down in front of his mirror, and Luo Binghe carefully brushed out the tangles in his hair. Luo Binghe’s hands were those of a warrior’s, and Shen Qingqiu was well aware that he could crush almost anything with his strength, but he was always gentle whenever he did this. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes, focusing on the feel of Luo Binghe fixing his hair in his usual style to ground himself.
Luo Binghe was actually the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire, but he was disguised as an imperial guard to learn more about the Demonic Empire’s human allies. His experiences here were an important part of his character arc, as they influenced his decisions in the future, when he had to deal with the novel’s political plot developments.
And, as with most story arcs in Proud Immortal Demon Way, the Cang Qiong chapters also had a lengthy romance subplot. The love interest at this point in the novel was Qiu Haitang, the ward of King Lao Gongzhu of Huan Hua. She was introduced as Yue Qingyuan’s fiancée in an arranged marriage, and before falling in love with Luo Binghe, she had to deal with all the intrigue that came with being a part of the Emperor’s harem.
Shen Qingqiu’s role as a character was to make Qiu Haitang’s life hell. The original Shen Qingqiu was so jealous of Qiu Haitang’s position that he did everything that was typical for a brainless, two-dimensional scum villain. He spread baseless rumours about her past, bribed her servants to give her rotten food, and even tried to poison her tea. That last action was the most poorly thought-out, since he did it in front of witnesses, including Luo Binghe. Trying to harm the protagonist’s love interest in front of him was a certain death wish! Predictably, the plot came to kill the original Shen Qingqiu in the end, and he was promptly forgotten in the next chapter when the protagonist moved on to another story arc.
The current Shen Qingqiu planned to do none of the drama-inducing things that the original did in the novel. He was going to employ the same strategy he had been using for the past few months: keep out of the imperial harem drama and stay the fuck away from any critical plot points. This way, Shen Qingqiu could escape the original’s fate of execution.
It was a simple yet foolproof plan!
It was only twice that Shen Qingqiu broke that rule to interfere in plot-related events. The first was when Worthy Consort Liu had a qi deviation that almost killed him, and Shen Qingqiu had stepped in at the last minute to save his life. The second was when Luo Binghe first arrived at the imperial court, about a week after Shen Yuan’s transmigration.
The first time Shen Qingqiu laid eyes on the protagonist was in the part of the imperial garden that was open to palace guests. Luo Binghe had been standing beside a pavilion by a small lake, and his green uniform almost blended into the background. That did nothing to hide his beauty, though. He made the rest of the garden look like a child’s watercolour painting, and Shen Qingqiu’s breath caught as he realised who he was. Who else could have an air about him like that, other than the protagonist?
It was a moment later that Shen Qingqiu realised he had been silently staring. He shook himself out of it and made to walk away when he heard what the person standing next to Luo Binghe was saying to him.
Luo Binghe was assigned to guard a visiting noble from Huan Hua, one of the novel’s minor characters. The only notable thing about this noble was that he had a deep prejudice against demons, especially those who had human and demon parents like Luo Binghe. Indeed, he was currently ranting at Luo Binghe about how armed demons shouldn’t be running around the imperial court, no matter that they went through the same training and testing as any other guard.
Luo Binghe’s expression was impassive, but the irises of his eyes and the demon mark on his forehead were starting to glow red. Shen Qingqiu’s grip on his fan tightened at the sight of that.
The penalty for a demon losing control of their powers in the imperial court was a considerable number of lashes. The Luo Binghe of the novel still bore the scars from that incident.
Apart from being the precedent to a boatload of angst in later chapters, this scene also held importance for Luo Binghe’s character development. As the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire, nobody ever dared to insult Luo Binghe. There was Sha Hualing, a demonic princess who teased him a lot, and Mobei-jun, who always told him the blunt truth even when it hurt—but nobody outright mocked Luo Binghe or his demon heritage as the Huan Hua noble was doing now. This scene was the starting point of Luo Binghe’s self-doubt, which spiralled into him trying to merge the human and demon realms. It was an act that eventually led to him being crowned undisputed Emperor.
But this Luo Binghe was not yet the OP demon emperor from Chapter One-Thousand-Something of the novel. Right now, he was just a young man out of his element, being forced to listen to a stranger insult him and his parents. Shen Qingqiu was already moving towards him before his last two brain cells activated and told him this was an abysmally bad idea.
The Huan Hua noble was saying, “It’s bad enough that His Majesty is accepting demons to train as imperial guards, but to hire you, the product of a coupling between a human and a demon… It’s common knowledge that demons are cunning beasts who only care about themselves and their own gains. That a human was foolish enough to lie with one of them when they have no ability to love is unthinkable!”
The garden was mostly empty at this time, with only Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe and that noble here. The noble probably thought that he was free to spout whatever nonsense he wanted since there was nobody here ranked higher than him to punish him for it. But Shen Qingqiu didn’t need rank to deal with people like him.
Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat, giving the noble the proper greeting when he and Luo Binghe turned to him. Luo Binghe’s gaze bore into Shen Qingqiu with confusion, while the noble gave him an appraising look that seemed to crawl over Shen Qingqiu’s skin like insects.
Shen Qingqiu straightened from his bow with a proud bearing and kept his gaze locked on the noble’s. In a cold voice that was wholly incongruent with what was expected of a courtesan, he said, “I think that’s quite enough from you.”
The noble spluttered. “You—insolent servant! Don’t you know who I am?”
Shen Qingqiu knew his name and temper, and that was pretty much it. The novel’s minor antagonists were as forgettable as splotches of dirt on a wall.
He raised an eyebrow at the noble. “You are someone who mistakenly believes they have the right to look down on demons. Who are you to make such harsh judgements on demons and the humans who love them?”
Luo Binghe’s parents, Tianlang-jun and Su Xiyan, did not marry for political reasons. They had been madly in love while they were alive, and their relationship was supposed to be a contrast to the protagonist’s many endeavors into romance. No matter how many people fell for him and how many people he seduced, Luo Binghe never found someone to give his whole heart to and get their heart in return. Shen Qingqiu could understand why the author, Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky, wrote it like that. It was a way to let the novel fans have their own headcanons on who Luo Binghe’s endgame love interest was. A messy way of going about it, sure, but Airplane was a messy writer.
Still, it was sad that with all the romance-focused chapters in Proud Immortal Demon Way, Luo Binghe was never meant to find True Love with the capital letters.
With this thought like an anchor in his chest, Shen Qingqiu sneered at the noble from behind his fan. “Who says that demons are incapable of feeling love? Demons have hearts just as much as humans do. It may be true that some demons never fall in love, but that’s not uncommon for humans, too.”
The Huan Hua noble’s face twisted, but Shen Qingqiu just gave him his iciest glare, unfazed. The original’s face was perfectly sculpted for this sort of villainous showdown. It was kind of a waste that he wasn’t a more major antagonist with a bigger role, like pushing the protagonist into an abyss. But that would mean that Shen Qingqiu’s potential fate would be much worse than mere execution, so in a way he’s pretty glad he’s so insignificant.
The noble pointed an accusing finger at Shen Qingqiu and opened his mouth to shout something, but a hand shot out to catch his wrist. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened and he lowered his fan a little.
Luo Binghe’s grip around the noble’s wrist was so tight that his knuckles were white. The noble blanched and seemed to remember that he had just been insulting a demon, who had enough natural strength to squish his ribcage like it was a paper lantern.
His gaze flicked between Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu. With a huff that betrayed his terror, he said, “Release me at once!”
Luo Binghe complied, and the noble turned away, leaving with an imperious flick of his sleeves. Shen Qingqiu let out a breath and went to stand in front of Luo Binghe.
This close, the effect of the protagonist halo seemed to intensify. The sunlight filtered through Luo Binghe’s eyelashes and made his eyes look like they were shining with starlight. His features were softened by what seemed like surprise; he was probably shocked that Shen Qingqiu wasn’t exactly the way his reputation portrayed him to be.
Don’t worry Luo Binghe, he thought, this Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t do anything to get in the way of your plot-determined destiny!
Unlike the original Shen Qingqiu, he wasn’t a raging ball of machiavellian jealousy. There was no chance he would actually antagonise Qiu Haitang or any of the protagonist’s love interests.
Luo Binghe said with a salute, “This one thanks Lord Shen.”
“I am not of the noble classes, so there’s no need to address me so formally.” Shen Qingqiu slowly fluttered his fan, taking in all the details of the protagonist. He couldn’t help it, okay? He had never met a protagonist before!
“Lord Shen deserves the utmost respect,” insisted Luo Binghe.
Shen Qingqiu should bid goodbye to the protagonist and leave. Getting involved with Luo Binghe wouldn’t amount to anything substantial, since the protagonist had little to do with the original Shen Qingqiu’s death. Yet there was a part of Shen Qingqiu that hesitated. He remembered reading about how Luo Binghe knew so little about human culture that he ended up making quite a few blunders in the novel’s first few chapters. That created conflict for the plot, but it had also evoked second-hand embarrassment in Shen Yuan while he was reading. He was sure that it must have been much worse for the one actually going through it. On top of that, Luo Binghe also had to deal with more prejudices, attacks, assassination attempts and so forth.
Maybe… Shen Qingqiu could help him out a little bit? Just to pave the way for the protagonist to reach greatness without losing too much face?
He put his fan down fully and tilted the corners of his lips up. “What do I call you?”
Luo Binghe swallowed. “This one’s name is Luo Binghe.”
Using the same name as the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire… The fact that nobody in Cang Qiong figured out Luo Binghe’s true identity before the Big Reveal was such a plot hole that Shen Qingqiu had left a lengthy comment on the novel about that.
“Luo Binghe.” The name flowed easily from Shen Qingqiu’s tongue. It was a familiar name that he had seen in writing so many times before, but this was the first time he actually said it aloud. “Would you like to be my personal guard?”
“Yes!” said Luo Binghe, almost before Shen Qingqiu even finished. When Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened a little at the outburst, he took a step back and cleared his throat. “What this one means to say is that he would be honoured to serve Lord Shen.”
Huh. Shen Qingqiu had been prepared to list off arguments as to why it would be a good idea to accept a position guarding him rather than some other, more important person. Luo Binghe must be agreeing so readily because Shen Qingqiu was the first person to be nice towards him during his time in Cang Qiong.
“Good.” Shen Qingqiu gestured with his fan. “Come, I’ll show you where you can ask for a transfer in duties. Someone else can guard that Huan Hua noble.”
After that little incident, Luo Binghe became Shen Qingqiu’s personal guard. Since Shen Qingqiu didn’t want him to call him ‘Lord Shen,’ Luo Binghe took to calling him ‘Shizun.’ They weren’t officially master and disciple, but Shen Qingqiu allowed the moniker since he did see himself as Luo Binghe’s mentor, steering him away from any political blunders he might make in the future.
Now, Shen Qingqiu turned to give Luo Binghe a small, grateful smile when he finished with his hair, and Luo Binghe almost dropped the comb. For a stallion protagonist, he was really clumsy sometimes. It was kind of adorable.
He wouldn’t always be this innocent, though. One day he would depart from Cang Qiong for good, and his journey would change him from a white lotus to the all-powerful Demon Emperor who would conquer the two realms. Shen Qingqiu would never see him again, since the protagonist would be too busy ruling his empire and spending time with the characters in his imperial harem.
The thought of Luo Binghe having so many spouses made Shen Qingqiu’s lungs twist themselves into complicated knots. Instead of dwelling on that, he stood and made his way outside, Luo Binghe trailing behind him.
Shen Qingqiu’s residence was the smallest palace in the furthest corner of Yue Qingyuan’s inner court. He had to walk the whole length of the imperial garden to reach the court’s main entrance where the Huan Hua delegation would be arriving. The sun painted the flowers of the garden in a myriad of pretty colours, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t pause to admire any of them.
With every step he took, the leftover pieces of ‘Shen Yuan’ fell away to make room for all the layers of his ‘Shen Qingqiu’ persona. He made his elegance into a weapon. He forged his reputation into a shield. The half-smile on his face was replaced by a cool look of derision, paired with narrowed eyes that seemed to be perpetually glaring. A glacial wall seemed to slam down around him, a warning to anybody who dared to come near him. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t afford to be too close to anyone, so he kept everyone in Cang Qiong at arm’s length.
Everyone but Luo Binghe, that is. Luo Binghe’s presence in Cang Qiong Empire was only temporary, so Shen Qingqiu didn’t need to worry about accidentally lighting the wick of a feud with him. Every time he built up his walls, he made sure that Luo Binghe was inside them, too. It was somewhat comforting, to have at least one person with whom he didn’t need to put on an act for.
Along the way, Shen Qingqiu passed by a few concubines and servants who didn’t even try to hide the disdain in their faces at the sight of him. Being a cultivator, Shen Qingqiu heard what they whispered about him, but he paid them no heed. They were just like NPCs that spouted the same few lines every time they were clicked on. Why should they bother him?
A sudden movement from Luo Binghe brought Shen Qingqiu out of his thoughts. They were only halfway across the imperial garden by now, but Luo Binghe was standing still, his arm outstretched in front of Shen Qingqiu. His hand was loosely closed around something. When he opened it, a pale pink blossom from one of the trees lining the path lay gently on his palm.
“The flower almost hit Shizun on the head,” Luo Binghe explained. Then, with a swift movement, he brushed a stray hair from Shen Qingqiu’s face and tucked the flower in his ear. “This one thinks that it would suit Shizun’s appearance today.”
Of course, Shen Qingqiu had to look his best when meeting important people from Huan Hua! He smiled at Luo Binghe from behind his fan. “Thank you, Binghe.”
The protagonist was really thoughtful. Shen Qingqiu was sure that when Luo Binghe finally got a meet-cute with one of his love interests, he would have no trouble seducing them.
Someone behind them gasped. Shen Qingqiu turned to see one of the palace servants openly gaping at the flower in his hair, but before Shen Qingqiu could ask what was wrong, another servant hurriedly pulled them away. He could only shrug and continue walking.
Past the large courtyard was the main entrance, and there was already a flock of courtiers waiting there. Shen Qingqiu half-expected to see Huan Hua’s carriages rattling on the path on their way inside already. Yue Qingyuan and his consorts weren’t here yet, though, and it was still rather early.
Shen Qingqiu sighed and stood at the very back of the gathered crowd. He thought that he would be able to stand here quietly and flee with Luo Binghe at the first opportunity, but then the three consorts and their retinues of servants and guards started to arrive.
Noble Consort Qi Qingqi, with her sharp eyes and equally sharp aura, was the first to catch sight of Shen Qingqiu. She cut a straight line through the courtyard to Shen Qingqiu, and the crown on her head glinted like the blade of a knife.
She said without preamble, “Emperor Yue told me you would be here. I thought you would wear something more severe.”
Qi Qingqi was the top-ranked consort in Yue Qingyuan’s harem. She was one of the people that the original Shen Qingqiu had targeted in his schemes, but the relationship between them seemed to be a bit more complicated than mere rivalry. It was alluded to several times in the novel that Shen Qingqiu had done some sort of favour for her. The current Shen Qingqiu still hadn’t found out what it was, since Qi Qingqi always rejected his invitations to tea and only deigned to interact with him when it was unavoidable. At least she wasn’t the type to have him murdered in his sleep.
“Noble Consort Qi.” Shen Qingqiu greeted her with a bow, and then he flicked his fan open as he straightened. “Is there something unsatisfactory about my outfit today?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it.” Qi Qingqi raised an eyebrow. “That’s my point.”
What, did she think that Shen Qingqiu would wear something scandalous and offend the Huan Hua emissaries? Or did she expect Shen Qingqiu to wear one of the robes that Yue Qingyuan gifted him and try to stake his claim on the Emperor’s affections?
The current Shen Qingqiu didn’t delude himself like the original one did. Yue Qingyuan’s heart would never belong to him, so there was no point in trying to stir up drama.
Luo Binghe, standing behind Shen Qingqiu, made a displeased noise that only he could hear. Shen Qingqiu looked up to find what caused that and saw that Worthy Consort Liu Qingge had arrived. The way he walked suggested that he was a seasoned warrior, which made sense since he was the son of Great General Liu who commanded most of Cang Qiong’s armies. He saw Shen Qingqiu and strode over to stand beside him and Qi Qingqi.
When Shen Qingqiu first transmigrated, he tended to avoid Liu Qingge, knowing that the original Shen Qingqiu had bullied him the most out of all the other characters. Shen Qingqiu had been too late to undo most of the things that had been done, but he had been able to save Liu Qingge from a qi deviation that had almost killed him. That seemed to make Liu Qingge forget all his past misdeeds, and they were sort-of maybe friends now.
Liu Qingge didn’t return Shen Qingqiu’s small smile, but the austerity in his eyes vanished as their gazes met. “You’re here.”
“His Majesty requested my presence,” said Shen Qingqiu, slowly fanning himself. Someone of Shen Qingqiu’s status couldn’t defy a direct order from the Emperor. “It is likely that he wishes for me to entertain the guests.”
Shen Qingqiu’s main job as Emperor Yue’s courtesan was to make an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere at banquets and other social events. With his extensive knowledge of classical literature, he could provide intellectually stimulating conversation, and he could both paint and play chess. Moreover, he was trained in poetry recitation, dancing and musical performance.
He also, supposedly, had skills when it came to sexual favours. Luckily, nobody was interested enough in the original goods to want to get into his bed.
Virtuous Consort Mu Qingfang was the last of the consorts to get to the entrance, and he saluted politely before joining in the conversation. “Shen-shixiong, I heard the news yesterday evening and was wondering if you were all right.”
There was genuine worry in Mu Qingfang’s voice. Shen Qingqiu’s starting relationship with him wasn’t as bad as it had been with Liu Qingge, but it was a neutral, distant sort of relationship like that between a doctor and a patient. Shen Qingqiu managed to score some points with Mu Qingfang when he helped him find some rare herbs for the medicines he worked on in his free time.
Shen Qingqiu thought back to Mu Qingfang’s question. He had to rack his brain for a bit before he remembered what had happened yesterday evening. One of Yue Qingyuan’s servants had come by and said that the Emperor would be unable to join Shen Qingqiu for dinner—again. Shen Qingqiu had never interacted with the man since he transmigrated; Yue Qingyuan seemed to be doing his utmost to avoid him. The original goods probably would have thrown a fit at that, but the current Shen Qingqiu didn’t feel anything in particular.
He hid his indifference with a flutter of his fan and a practiced smile. “His Majesty is a busy man. Of course this one is okay with him cancelling something as small as dinner plans.”
There was a crease between Mu Qingfang’s brows, and it only seemed to deepen when he glanced at the entrance where the Huan Hua delegation would arrive any minute now. “If shixiong says so.”
It always surprised Shen Qingqiu to hear the term ‘shixiong’ being used to refer to him. Mu Qingfang often used it, and occasionally so would Liu Qingge and Qi Qingqi. Shen Qingqiu supposed that they all went to school together with the original goods, and that theory fit with Shen Qingqiu’s considerably high cultivation level. He couldn’t fathom how a courtesan managed to do that, though. He wasn’t even sure courtesans were allowed to cultivate. The original Shen Qingqiu probably blackmailed someone to get a position as a student in whatever elite school the others went to.
“We can spar later,” Liu Qingge suggested.
Shen Qingqiu let out a quiet laugh. Over the past while, he had figured out that whenever Liu Qingge asked to spar with him, it was usually to distract him from something distressing.
“Maybe another day, Worthy Consort Liu.” The slight regret in Shen Qingqiu’s voice wasn’t feigned. It was fun to accept Liu Qingge’s offers of sparring since Shen Qingqiu never participated in any night hunts, but he had to remember that Liu Qingge was an OP fighter who was leagues above Shen Qingqiu. “I’m still sore from last time.”
Liu Qingge blinked hard at his words before wrenching his gaze away, his face reddening.
“Whenever you want,” he said, as if he wasn’t an imperial consort with a tightly-packed daily schedule.
Sometimes Liu Qingge acted really strangely. Shen Qingqiu supposed it was because when Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky was creating him, he discarded all of Liu Qingge’s socialising points in favour of fighting points.
Luo Binghe coughed; Shen Qingqiu made a mental note to bring him some tea once they were finished here.
Qi Qingqi looked exasperated. “The Huan Hua delegation should be here soon. Emperor Yue wants you to stand beside us, Shen Qingqiu.”
As they walked to their places at the front of the waiting crowd, Mu Qingfang said, “Perhaps this is a good sign for Shen-shixiong. It could mean that His Majesty wants to make him an official concubine.”
The polite smile on Shen Qingqiu’s face stiffened. Luo Binghe’s head snapped around to face Mu Qingfang so fast that Shen Qingqiu worried he might have pulled a muscle.
Shen Qingqiu didn’t quite know what upset him just now, but he still reached back and took hold of a piece of Luo Binghe’s sleeve between his finger and his thumb. He hoped that it would be enough of a warning. Right now, Luo Binghe wasn’t a crown prince, and he couldn’t speak out in front of the Emperor.
As for Shen Qingqiu, he had no reason to worry. Yue Qingyuan would certainly never want to marry him.
Qi Qingqi scoffed. She seemed to agree with Shen Qingqiu’s thoughts when she said, “I doubt it. If that was what Emperor Yue wanted, then he should have done so before today.”
Shen Qingqiu used his fan to hide the confusion on his face. “Why is today so important, Noble Consort Qi?”
Liu Qingge and Mu Qingfang both looked at Shen Qingqiu with surprise, while Qi Qingqi’s voice took on a hint of pity. “His Majesty didn’t tell you? She’s one of the people coming from Huan Hua today.”
“She?” Shen Qingqiu repeated. A feeling of dread began to settle in the pit of his stomach like he had just swallowed a block of ice.
Qi Qingqi was about to say something else, but then Yue Qingyuan and his entourage arrived. Everyone, including Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe, dropped into bows. Those in his path parted for him like water. Yue Qingyuan’s robes today were among his finest, and the crown atop his head was as grand Shen Qingqiu imagined Luo Binghe’s future crown to be. He had a handsome face, accentuated by a gentle smile, and yet Shen Qingqiu was certain that he would be terrifying when angered.
Yue Qingyuan’s eyes passed over the crowd in a steady line, only faltering when they reached Shen Qingqiu. His gaze lingered on Shen Qingqiu’s face as he walked closer, and there was something small and almost pained about his expression.
What the hell was that about? Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help the fear that spiked in him. Had he done something to offend the Emperor already? This was—technically—only their first meeting!
Shen Qingqiu’s view of the Emperor was suddenly blocked by Luo Binghe, who had taken a step forward. The Emperor passed them without incident and Shen Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief.
“Shizun,” Luo Binghe said quietly.
“This master is fine, Binghe.” Shen Qingqiu shook his head and searched for something to say that wasn’t I’m terrified of the Emperor ordering my execution. “It’s just that I remembered how the rumours about me have escalated recently. Some people are saying I’m plotting something horrible to steal His Majesty’s affections, like cursing him.”
Luo Binghe raised his eyebrows. Even he could see how ridiculous the rumours were getting.
“Shizun wouldn’t do something like that,” Luo Binghe said firmly. “And if Shizun has to resort to stealing a place in His Majesty’s heart, then Emperor Yue doesn’t deserve him.”
Something twisted in Shen Qingqiu’s chest. “Binghe, you… You shouldn’t speak like that of the Emperor.”
A conflicted emotion guttered in Luo Binghe’s eyes, but he only nodded. He glanced between Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu before taking a step back.
Shen Qingqiu felt somewhat guilty, though he was only trying to help Luo Binghe. When his identity was revealed, he would be able to talk shit about whoever he wanted, just not now!
The sound of carriages drawing near announced that the Huan Hua delegation was here. Shen Qingqiu took another breath and schooled his expression into something cold and cruel again; Luo Binghe watched him silently, still with that conflict in his gaze.
Yue Qingyuan and his consorts gave the proper greetings to the Huan Hua emissaries as they embarked from their carriages, while Shen Qingqiu tried to make himself as invisible as possible.
The last Huan Hua carriage had a different design than the others. There was a somewhat familiar family crest on the side of it, and Shen Qingqiu was still frowning at it when the carriage doors opened and out came the last person he wanted to see.
Qiu Haitang.
She was dressed every bit as regally as Qi Qingqi, perhaps even more so, and her walk was confident as she approached Yue Qingyuan. Shen Qingqiu could only stand frozen as Yue Qingyuan welcomed her to Cang Qiong as the future Empress. The erratic beating of his heart was almost enough to drown out the whispers of the servants behind him. It didn’t help that when Qiu Haitang’s gaze slid from Yue Qingyuan to Shen Qingqiu, the hatred that sparked in her eyes at the sight of him was probably enough to boil him alive on the spot.
Wait, hold on, Shen Qingqiu screeched on the inside. This isn’t part of the plot! Why is the love interest here so early?!
If the plot deviated too much from the canon events of the novel, then how could Shen Qingqiu be prepared?
As if to answer him, a cheerful, robotic voice like a Google Translate knockoff echoed in his mind. It was accompanied by a series of notification screens that blared in his vision like holographic pop-up advertisements.
[Activation code: INCITING INCIDENT, the appearance of the rival character ‘Qiu Haitang.’]
[Please standby while the System activates.]
[Loading 50%... Loading 99%...]
Shen Qingqiu attempted to sort through the chaos exploding in his mind.
‘System’? This world had a System, like some sort of role-playing video game?
He was helpless to do anything but read the next notifications that were shoved into his face. As he did so, panic rose up in his chest, threatening to choke him as if he had just swallowed a gallon of bitter tea.
[System activation successful: Binding the user’s role to: Courtesan to Emperor Yue Qingyuan of Cang Qiong, ‘Shen Qingqiu.’ Weapon: Xiu Ya sword. Special ability: Thousand Leaves and Blossoms.]
[The System apologises for the delay and hopes that you have enjoyed the trial version of ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way.’]
[Due to your successful actions during the trial version, the novel events are now starting. Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!]
[You will now be given an objective to be completed within the timeframe of the novel. Please note that failure to complete the objective will result in loss of all accumulated R-Points. This will result in your account being terminated permanently.]
[Your objective is: Help the protagonist find ‘True Love with the capital letters.’ The System wishes you the best of luck in your quest!]
Shen Qingqiu took a glance at Luo Binghe, who was looking back at him with wide, concerned eyes. Then he looked at Qiu Haitang, who was glaring hard enough to cut a hole in the air between her and Shen Qingqiu, completely ignoring the love of her life standing right next to him.
Shen Qingqiu’s internal screaming was loud enough to shake the System’s notification screens.