Shen Jiu—father of a little Shen Yuan—who never joined CQMS after saving Qi-ge's life, both father and son rogue cultivators now. Shen Yuan is a curious child who quickly turns into a nosy teenager, and Shen Jiu enjoys spending time doing small cultivation jobs, helping his brothel Jiejie, and having a peaceful life with his son.
Over time, Shen Yuan grows large enough to be indistinguishable from Shen Jiu. Just a little bit of their eyes and expressions can differentiate them at a glance. The Meimei in the brothel who don't know them for a long time often refer to them as the Cultivator Twins, and that is a bit of the reputation they have. They are not important enough to attract the attention of large sects, and their low profile keeps them working without problems. Shen Jiu is in charge of making talismans, fighting monsters, and making medicines!! Shen Yuan transcribes manuals, compiles bestiaries, and sells information. Almost any time it comes to gathering plants, herbs or mushrooms, or working with some beast, Shen Yuan will be there to do it!
Eventually and under some circumstances, Shen Yuan ends up poisoning himself with Without-a-Cure- He swears it wasn't his fault!! It was an unforeseen accident, it could happen to anyone! But his cultivation base is damaged, and the only person Shen Jiu knows to help with the poison and create a treatment, is the Peak Lord of Qian Cao, Mu Qingfang.
However, Shen Jiu refuses to introduce him as his son!! He even refuses to get too close to the sect of his own. What's more, even so, he urges Shen Yuan to show up at Cang Qiong Mountain, impersonate him to the Sect Leader and demand that medical help be provided.
... Shen Yuan doesn't believe it will work. But apparently, it really does! Because Zhangmen-shixiong turns pale when he sees him, and he orbits around him as if he wants to hug him, but without making any sudden movements. Shen Yuan does his best imitation of his father, being sullen, hostile, rude and demanding, and it works beautifully. He is sent to receive medical care. Mu Qingfang prepares tonics and medicines, and he will need to visit Qian Cao Peak once every three weeks to have his meridians cleansed.
And, while in Qian Cao, Shen Yuan meets Luo Binghe.
He is a young disciple of Bai Zhan! Cute as a bun, but apparently, he had defeated at least ten of his martial brothers in battle!! So powerful!! Shen Yuan is not surprised to see him sometimes, when he visits Qian Cao for his meridian cleansings; Luo Binghe shines like a wounded sun, and seems to want to get closer to Shen Yuan more and more, always talking, asking, wanting to talk to him. Even if Shen Yuan has to force himself to imitate his father, can't help but smile behind his fan! He's a good, adorable boy!!
The boy is exceptionally intrigued by Shen Yuan, where he comes from, how he became infected with the Without-a-Cure. The boy also seems to be waiting for him, looking at him with barely concealed curiosity, doing meaningless things as if he were waiting for a reaction from him. He pours tea for him and looks at him expectantly, he drops his tray and stands still as if expecting a harsh scolding. But even if he could, Shen Yuan would never scold him! Luo Binghe is a wonderful boy.
Shen Yuan greatly enjoys visiting Cang Qiong just to see him, even if he has to hide his emotions behind his father's mask. Even if he's supposed to be hostile or not too nice. He... He really enjoys the company of the young disciple Luo Binghe. And maybe... Maybe he's considering telling him the truth. He's kind of like, a friend! Right? He thinks he can tell him the truth... At some point. Perhaps after the Immortal Conference Alliance, so that Luo Binghe can fully concentrate on that and emerge triumphant!
(What Shen Yuan doesn't know is that this adorable boy is not a simple young disciple. Luo Binghe was once the Emperor of the Three Realms, a ferocious heavenly demon... who had perished after a fierce qi deviation. Horror! And he had become aware just before Cang Qiong's disciple selection. A cycle of torture repeated endlessly!
But there was no Shen Qingqiu to select him. Instead, he was selected for Bai Zhan by Liu Qingge; Qing Jing's Peak Lord was not even Shen Qingqiu.
... And Luo Binghe is freaking lost. Where is that horrible Shizun of his? He's raised through fights, through steady cultivation, through... friends? Through a good Shizun. He's having a nice new life. It's not like the life he had, but, he thinks, maybe it's retribution from the universe? Giving him what he should have had, not forcing him into a life of suffering and hatred. Luo Binghe is not going to complain about it.
Then, Shen Qingqiu appears. Well, not Shen Qingqiu. Shen Jiu.
Even though he's hostile, there's something... different about him. He's softer. His cutting comments aren't entirely poisonous, and when Luo Binghe speaks, he... listens. He looks at him as if he sees him as an equal, and more than once he found him smiling!!! Behind his fan, yes, but he was smiling!! Luo Binghe doesn't understand. Could this be... the same kind Shizun whose glimpse he managed to get in that other world? Did the universe put him before him, for him, in this world where Luo Binghe is not suffering? In this world, so that Luo Binghe doesn't have so much pain and can instead find peace?
Luo Binghe doesn't know. He only hopes that at the Immortal Alliance Conference, the Abyss won't open up and swallow him up. ... Or just let it happen. Then he can return as a Demon Lord to see if this No-Shizun really still sees him as an equal. If he remains kind, if he continues to smile behind his fan, if his face continues to light up at the sight of him even when he becomes a monster upon exiting the Endless Abyss... Luo Binghe isn't sure what he'll do, but he doesn't think a harem is necessary this time. His No-Shizun alone would suffice.)
(For his part, oh. Shen Jiu has also died and woken up in his own loop of suffering watching the flames of the Qiu estate. And he remembers everything.
This time, however, he welcomed into his the life that Qi-ge had unknowingly given him after a chance encounter, and allowed this life to exist far away instead of joining Qing Jing. He will never go near that cursed sect, nor its demonic disciple, nor all the horrible martial brothers who abandoned him to his fate to be tortured.
Shen Jiu will stay safe. He will survive. It's more than he could do before.
He doesn't mind reliving the past. He doesn't mind sneaking away. He will stay alive, and he will keep his son safe, no matter what he has to do.)