Chapter Text
Shen Yuan went from his vision fading to gray as his lungs burned to hearing someone calling his name. He found it odd as no one had been in his apartment besides him for a long time. Also… what happened to that choking thing?
He blinked his eyes open and found himself looking up towards the ceiling that was far more natural than the pristine white of his apartment’s painted drywall. He turned his eyes towards the source of the voice and was startled to see a man in ancient robes staring at him with concern.
“Disciple Shen, can you understand me?”
Oh. So he had died, then.
And now he was in a work of fiction of some sort, either wuxia or xianxia.
Okay. He had read transmigration novels. He could work with this. He was a disciple? Great! He could ask more questions than an adult wood.
“Excusing this disciple’s ignorance,” he tried timidly, “but to whom is he speaking?”
The man froze and he asked carefully, “You do not remember me?”
“No, sir.”
“Do you know your name?”
Shen Yuan was wary of any divine entity popping up and calling foul, but he had nothing else to go off of besides being called Disciple Shen. “This one is Shen Yuan.”
The tension in the man’s shoulders eased a little, making Shen Yuan wonder which story he actually was in. He couldn’t recall one that had a key character who shared his name. “Do you know where you are?”
“No, sir.”
“I see,” the man (a doctor?) said. “I must inform your Shizun of this development, but I will answer some of your questions in hopes that it will jog some of your memories. I am Peak Lord Mu Qingfang of Qian Cao Peak in Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. You are a disciple of Qing Jing Peak that recently had a qi deviation. Your Shizun brought you here once he realized how seriously you were injured. Do you recall the name of your Shizun?”
Wait.
Wait, what!?! He was in Proud Immortal Demon Way!?! With the last name SHEN?!
Oh, this was bad. Panicking, he offered, “This one’s Shizun is Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu, the Xiu Ya Sword.” Mu Qingfang stared at him in disbelief, which was not encouraging. “Please pardon this disciple; was that not correct?”
“No, it is not,” he said, frown on his face as he stared at Shen Yuan like he had just done something very interesting. “The Xiu Ya Sword, as you called him, is Shen Jiu and he is the right hand of Sect Leader Yue Qingyuan. Do you know him in another context?”
Oh, fuck. But, also, what the fuck? So he was in the right world (too many characters had the same names and positions), but he also was not in Proud Immortal Demon Way. What was the deal here? Was he in a weird fanfiction universe or something?
And, if Shen Jiu wasn’t Shen Qingqiu here, then who led Qing Jing Peak? And what had happened to the S-tier protagonist, Luo Binghe?
“This one cannot recall,” he hedged, having learned enough to start keeping his mouth shut.
“...confusion such as this is to be expected after such a serious loss of memory,” Mu Qingfang tried, tone soothing and at least reassuring Shen Yuan that not all was lost. “Is there any other name that stands out to you?”
…he couldn’t not ask, alright. “Lord Luo Binghe?” he said tentatively.
Mu Qingfang’s eyebrows shot up and Shen Yuan realized he had fucked up again. “Lord Luo Binghe? That’s the title and name that stands out to you?”
“This disciple apologizes,” he said quickly. “He means no offense–”
“Calm, Disciple Shen,” Mu Qingfang soothed. “What is your relationship to him?”
“...this one does not know,” he said, going for discretion as the better part of valor. “Should this disciple know him?”
“Well, yes. Peak Lord Luo Qingdong is your Shizun. It curious that you recalled his birth name rather than his courtesy name, however.”
What? He…
He couldn’t deal with this. “This disciple would like to rest, if that is okay, Peak Lord Mu?”
“Of course,” he said, putting two fingers to Shen Yuan’s wrist and… sending energy into him briefly. “You are in recovery and rest is the best for you. I will update your Shizun on your condition shortly.”
“Thanking Peak Lord Mu,” he said as he laid down and closed his eyes in an effort to get the man to leave his room. He heard movement, and then the door opened and shut. Only then did he roll over and bury his face in his hands.
He was Luo Binghe’s disciple on Qing Jing Peak. Shen Qingqiu wasn’t Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe was Luo Qingdong, and Shen Yuan was…?
What did Mu Qingfang mean by asking him about his association with Shen Jiu? He knew they shared a last name but that was just a coincidence, right?
Also, if Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu were in the same cohort, then what the actual fuck had happened to the original timeline? Was Luo Binghe also emperor of the demon realm? Did the sect even know he was a half-demon?
Did he have a System-like thing to help guide him through this mess? Explain to him the background? Hello?! Anything out there to explain what the fuck this poor millennial is dealing with!?!
Nothing.
Right, okay. He was starting from nothing, but he knew a couple of key things. Qian Cao was still the medicine Peak, so that likely meant that Qing Jing was still known for scholarship. Shen Yuan wasn’t a genius or anything, but he was certainly no slouch. He had been raised in a rich family, so he knew the basics of the four arts (enough to not embarrass them in front of their judgy peers). He hadn’t been able to finish university (as he had died at the ripe old age of nineteen), but he had been studying Chinese Literature and had been lucky to have private tutors all his life (seriously, his family was big on their children’s academic achievements, even if it had to do with their third, otherwise useless, son). He thankfully wasn’t starting from scratch when it came to scholarship.
As for martial cultivation…
He prayed that his body came with insane muscle memory or some shit because otherwise he was cooked. Hopefully he would be able to blame his ostensibly comprehensive amnesia for any “obvious” thing he forgot.
What a fucking mess. It did beat being dead, though.
Shen Yuan held onto that thought as he did his best to relax and truly rest. He would definitely need his energy for what was to come.
Luo Binghe, courtesy Qingdong (but he hated that name and thus didn’t think of himself as such), had listened neutrally as Mu Qingfang detailed the prognosis of one of his quieter disciples. Shen Yuan, after receiving pointed teasing over his rumored familial ties to the loathed but respected Shen Jiu, had kept his head down and focused on his work. He had done well but never exceptionally and had never been one to cause problems. It was part of why it took so long for anyone to notice that he had begun qi deviating and partially explained the seriousness of its effects afterwards.
He certainly felt bad about it, having taken the young man under his wing and failing to protect him as he should, but there was nothing to do now but be better in the future.
He couldn’t help but be intrigued by the confused conclusions the young man had shared with his shidi. Shen Jiu being Shen Qingqiu and Peak Lord of Qing Jing? Over Luo Binghe’s dead body.
Luo Binghe being nobility of some sort without a courtesy name? That was fascinating, especially as it was much closer to the truth than anyone (except possibly Shen Jiu, but the odious man had no proof) thought. He was a Heavenly Demon, which meant by definition he was demonic royalty for all that he hadn’t taken the throne. He had never had the means or motivation to reclaim his family’s place in demon politics for all that he had disappeared for a few years after coming of age to get his demonic abilities under control. He had returned more competent than ever and his Shizun had been wise in naming him his undisputed successor even as he hated the name granted to him.
(Qingdong? Really? Remind him yet more of winter than his own name?
Ridiculous.)
He was the second in command of a top cultivation sect, and they didn’t even know he was a demon. It was kind of funny, when he thought about it, and he didn’t mind the rather simple life of taking care of his disciples and intervening when he thought the Sect was about to decide something stupid in Peak Lord meetings.
Yet his quiet, amnesiac disciple, upon first waking, hinted that he knew about Luo Binghe’s secret. He wasn’t threatened by it, especially as Mu Qingfang emphasized how scared the young man had been when thinking through what he thought he knew, but it was something to think about and keep an eye on.
Shen Jiu did take a special interest in the boy when he arrived at Cang Qiong and Luo Binghe scooped him up. He understood it; they had the same family name and looked alike enough to be siblings for all that they couldn't be. But Shen Yuan had never shown anything but wary respect to the older man and Shen Jiu hadn’t pushed the issue for all that Binghe knew he kept abreast of his achievements. In fact, he was sure that the man was informed of Shen Yuan’s qi deviation after Luo Binghe brought him to Mu Qingfang. If Shen Yuan knew, was it because Shen Jiu had told him his suspicions?
Unlikely, but a thought to keep at the back of his mind.
He left Qian Cao Peak to allow his recovering disciple to rest, already thinking of how he would respond to the recent developments. At the very least, he had a disciple that he would need to retest for all of his skills so he could best support his recovery going forward. He owed it to him to try after inadvertently letting his qi deviation get so bad, and he had a lot of work in front of him.
The next day, after some bland infirmary food that he choked down, a bath, and a change in clothes (that he had to figure out through some embarrassing trial and error), Shen Yuan felt much better. Honestly, him knowing as little as possible about this world was good because any of his confusion or misidentification of people could be easily chalked up to his amnesia. And anything he shouldn't have known now could be attributed to him recovering his memories!
Besides, he decided to focus on the good side of this entire mess. He was a disciple in a cultivation Sect with his Shizun being his favorite protagonist of anything ever! Talk about a win!!!
All he had to do was not be too weird or get kicked out, and he was golden!
Shen Yuan did his best to make himself look presentable before Luo Qingdong arrived to guide him back to Qing Jing Peak. He found a bronze mirror and checked himself over. His hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail because that was all he could manage that seemed composed, and it was a glossier black than he remembered his color being. His features were his own, just smoothed out by a xianxia filter a little. His eyes went from dark, nearly black, brown to the rich brown of fertile soil. And, if he was judging things correctly, he thought he was a bit taller than he was before. All in all, he didn’t look too bad!
It made him feel a bit more confident as the time for Luo Qingdong to arrive approached. Mu Qingfang gave him a quick examination to determine if he should remain on the Peak, but confirmed there was nothing more he could do here. His memory was a lost cause, though Mu Qingfang provided some tips that were supposed to help rebuild what was lost.
Fat chance of that happening! Still, he tucked the information away in case it might be useful later as he tried to shake off the nerves of meeting his favorite character.
Was he still a half-demon in this universe? So many other things were different and he was an accepted Peak Lord. Wouldn’t they have checked for something like that before letting him take over the strategy Peak? Or did his Protagonist Halo protect him from that kind of scrutiny?
Why was Shen Yuan here? Was he meant to play the role of Shen Qingqiu and become a human stick? He hoped not! In fact, he planned to do nothing to provoke that kind of response.
Luo Qingdong was still Luo Binghe and thus the Protagonist! Shen Yuan would do his best to hug his thigh to stay alive!!! Outside of the Dead Parents Trope, no one Luo Binghe had liked had died in PIDW. He just had to become his favorite student and Shen Yuan would be safe!
…but how to do that when he had forgotten however many years of cultivation?
Mu Qingfang had answered his question about his own age with pity, informing him he was sixteen years old. That was plenty of time to buckle down and cultivate to a master level before he reached adulthood. If he worked hard (and used his true age to his advantage), he might even be able to become Head Disciple!
It was a long shot, but Shen Yuan had the power of knowing this was a cultivation novel on his side. No matter how the world had changed, he understood PIDW! He also had deep knowledge of the world’s beasts and plants in a way that could be useful! He had a chance!
Shen Yuan was confident in himself… right up until Luo Qingdong walked into the room.
He.
He really was too beautiful! Aya, how did he not become a harem master here?!? He was just as dashing as the most talented artists had drawn him, but with the charisma of his personality in the flesh!
Luo Qingdong blinked at him, his eyelashes far too numerous to be anything but noticeable around his redwood irises, and cleared his throat. “Right, you forgot. I’m Luo Qingdong.”
Fuck, Shen Yuan! Get it together!
He fell into a quick bow and said, “This disciple apologizes, Shizun! This disciple greets Shizun.”
“Stop that,” the man sighed, his deep voice striking Shen Yuan’s soul. He felt a hand on his shoulder and rose at the slight tug of his robes. Shen Yuan looked up at him and felt small next to his height and broadness. Perhaps this Luo Binghe hadn’t experienced the same hardships as a disciple and that had helped him grow into a more bulky frame? His curly hair was half pulled back the top but otherwise allowed to flow freely down his back, leaving the handsome perfection of his face stark to the world and–
Wait, what was happening?
Luo Qingdong was speaking to him. “We are not so formal on Qing Jing Peak, but that was a good instinct to have. How are you feeling?”
Gobsmacked, honestly!!!
“This disciple is fine, Shizun,” he said, ducking his head. “Only frustrated by his lack of memories. This one will do his best to recover his achievements and the result of Shizun’s efforts.”
“Don’t work yourself too hard; that’s what got you into this mess.” Shen Yuan winced and Luo Binghe sighed, taking his hand off of his shoulder but leaving a warm impression behind. “I’m sorry, Shen Yuan. I didn’t find out you were qi deviating until it was too late to save your memories. Mu-shidi said that you did not know your age?”
“...no, Shizun.”
“You have an entire life to recover; go easy on yourself,” he ordered and Shen Yuan couldn’t help smiling up at him. Ah, the Protagonist was so inspiring! Such a good Shizun, not like it was even in doubt! How could Luo Binghe be anything less than spectacular at everything?
“This disciple understands.”
Luo Binghe shook his head at him and turned to go. “Come; I have a Sect to reintroduce to you.”
This was going to be so cool! Best afterlife ever!!!
Luo Binghe didn’t know exactly what was going on with Shen Yuan. Unless there was something truly traumatic in his past that had led him to be so quiet (which, even as someone from a merchant family, was possible) and the forgetting would lead to a complete change in personality, the young man he flew around the Sect on Zheng Yang was not his former disciple.
He was way too exuberant as he learned new things, treating traveling on Zheng Yang as an insane novelty and quickly losing himself in questions about things as they flew around for a bit. He showed way too much interest in the Beast Peak, immediately asking after what kind of monsters they kept and if visiting between peaks was allowed. It made Luo Binghe make a joking comment about him defecting from Qing Jing Peak and Shen Yuan had looked over his shoulder at him with a wide smile and genuinely said, “This disciple would never think to leave Shizun.”
The Shen Yuan he knew harbored no interest in wild animals and was far too circumspect to say anything so bold. His smile was a reserved one and rarely seen. This Shen Yuan…
He would check him more thoroughly for possession, but he sensed no demonic energy from the young man at all. He didn’t seem uncomfortable in the body and had suggested his name was Shen Yuan before Mu Qingfang had asked him anything else.
So if this was Shen Yuan, just a different one from the previous resident of the body, then why was he so happy to be with Luo Binghe? So interested to learn new things, delighted in the mundanities of the world that he should have grown up in?
A Shen Yuan but from a different place? A different time? Yet he knew far too much to be completely unfamiliar… he knew the function of the Beast Peak without Luo Binghe explaining it dealt with monsters rather than livestock. He asked if a certain Peak Lord was on a particular Peak and asked about other disciples in a way that suggested he knew far more than he let on about how Cang Qiong Mountain Sect functioned.
Yet, despite it all, he trusted Luo Binghe to keep him safe so high in the air. He didn’t flinch away from his touch or look at him with anything but admiration. The strangest thing was that there had been recognition in his eyes when Luo Binghe had first walked into the room. The familiar brown eyes had found his face and froze in shock, but not confusion.
He knew Luo Binghe, yet he did not.
A conundrum.
Nevertheless, Luo Binghe sensed absolutely no ill intent from him. He would watch this interloper carefully, but felt a sense of responsibility over him that made no sense but was undeniable. Simply put, Binghe didn’t know the last time someone had been so unabashedly happy to see him. That apparently affected him more than he anticipated.
His negligence seemed to have resulted in the death of his previous disciple, but he had no reason (so far) to fail the one who had taken his place.
When they eventually landed back on Qing Jing Peak and Shen Yuan happily greeted his fellow disciples with an embarrassed explanation of his lost memories and sincere request for patience as he relearned things, Luo Binghe saw his pupils exchange confused looks. Their reactions made Luo Binghe all the surer in his conclusions, but he did intervene.
“Disciple Shen has survived a life-threatening qi deviation. It is not uncommon for memory loss to occur or for survivors to experience personality changes afterwards. He is still your martial sibling; do not let him shoulder his recovery alone.”
A chorus of yes, Shizun had Luo Binghe feeling comfortable enough to leave Shen Yuan in the hands of his other disciples. He watched from a distance as, in real time, they went from concerned, to wary, to charmed by him. It was odd, but he figured Shen Yuan would be fine.
Time would only tell if this was the correct decision, but he had good instincts for trouble thanks to his demonic heritage. Shen Yuan raised no instinctual concerns for him, somehow entirely genuine for how his very existence was duplicitous. Luo Binghe would watch him over time and protect his disciples while privately mourning the young man who had died.
He had learned after the death of his A-Niang that, with death, there was no going back. He could only move forward and do his best to live well. He would do that now and see just what manner of disciple fate had gifted him.