Just a few months post Shen Qingqiu's Qi Deviation and subsequent extreme personality shift, while searching for monster tracks on a nighthunt, White Lotus Luo Binghe finds a plant that produces a sap that when lathered on your hair during washing, straightens it.
(Something from a later chapter of PIDW Airplane wrote in for Binghe to present to an eventual wife with curls she'd hated (Airplane projecting a little, that man has the same curls, fight me.))
Binghe, recognizing what hes found from books in Qingjing's library, is extremely excited! He's been told time and time again by people on the street and the old version of his Shizun that his curls are unsightly, and now he'll have a leg up on getting his Shizun's approval and affection and love- Plus he'll now look far more respectable at his Shizun's side! He collects up every specimen of it he can find in the area, and later washes his hair with it thoroughly, and the results are pin straight, smooth and shiny strands! He looks the perfect image of beauty!
The next time Shen Qingqiu sees him, he does a double take, almost not recognizing Binghe in his periphery. Binghe is expecting praise, and compliments for his improved appearance. And Shen Qingqiu does say his hair looks nice.
He also looks sort of...upset? Binghe knows his Shizun, and his Shizun isn't hiding the heartbroken glances as well as he thinks he is. He hesitates momentarily before patting Binghe's head after lunch, and there's no thoughtless petting.
Shen Qingqiu is very insistent that it does looks good, It's merely that this master had thought Binghe's curls to be quite cute, so he understands Binghe wanting to experiment and grow past that, and that Binghe liking how he looks and feels is most important. Furthermore, that Binghe shouldn't care what this old man thinks anyway, shouldn't the opinions of whatever young lady Binghe surely has his eye on matter more? But to Binghe, the message is loud and clear.
Binghe throws out the whole pot of sap off the mountain. His hair starts curling back up over the course of the week, and Binghe watches Shen Qingqiu's confusion and poorly hidden delight escalate in real time. If Shizun likes his curls, then Binghe will embrace them! Perhaps Binghe will ask Shizun to help him brush his hair even, as a win-win for them both.
To everyone else, there was a weird week where Shen Qingqiu's favorite disciple's hair was suddenly straight and then both of them seemed low-key miserable about it for the following week. They just assume he was cursed or something.
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