Chapter 14

He had no idea how long he slept, but when Shen Qingqiu finally clawed his way back to consciousness, he felt more dead than alive.

The sight of the familiar, almost intimate white silk canopy above him confirmed he was in his own room at Qing Jing Peak.

He took a breath, intending to stretch, when the door opened and a figure entered.

Ming Fan was carrying a tray. Seeing his master awake, he slammed the tray onto the table and immediately began wailing.

"Shizun! You're finally awake!"

Another figure stood just outside the door. Luo Binghe hovered on the threshold, seemingly wanting to enter but hesitating.

After a good long wail, having thoroughly dampened a section of the bedsheet with his tears, Ming Fan turned and snapped at Luo Binghe. "Why are you still standing there? Don't you know the sight of you sickens Shizun?" He then turned back to Shen Qingqiu. "I don't know what's gotten into this brat. He insists on standing there like a wooden post. Won't leave no matter how many times I tell him to scram!"

Shen Qingqiu waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine. Let him be."

"I... I'll go inform Senior Martial Uncle Liu, Sect Leader, and Martial Uncle Mu right away!" Ming Fan blurted out. "They said to tell them the moment you woke!" With that, he scrambled to his feet and bolted out the door.

It seemed he really had slept a long time... Yue Qingyuan was already back. As for "Martial Uncle Mu," that had to be Mu Qingfang from Qian Cao Peak. Qian Cao Peak specialized in medicine and healing arts; his presence was a given.

Luo Binghe stepped aside to let Ming Fan pass. Even after the other disciple had vanished down the path, he remained, his gaze fixed intently on the room, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Shen Qingqiu slowly pushed himself upright. "If you have something to say, then come in."

Luo Binghe obeyed, stepping into the room. Suddenly, with a heavy thump, he knelt at the foot of the bed.

Shen Qingqiu: "......!!!"

System, wait a minute? What's going on? I just took a nap! Why has the world shifted into this strange mode upon waking? Just how long did I sleep? Is it ten years later already?

After kneeling, Luo Binghe lifted his head, his gaze blazing with a fervent, almost painful intensity. "This disciple begs Shizun's forgiveness for his past ignorance and foolishness."

The words "ignorance and foolishness" were the last terms anyone would ever associate with Luo Binghe!

"This disciple previously believed Shizun did not care for him. It was only after the third match that I finally understood Shizun's... past considerations."

Shen Qingqiu internally shook his head. No, no, no. Your original Shizun genuinely didn't care. He genuinely wished you were dead, really... But, what exactly did you understand about my 'considerations'? Do tell, I'm quite curious myself!

But Luo Binghe chose not to elaborate further. Instead, he said with solemn sincerity, "From this day forward, this disciple vows to serve Shizun with all his heart and strength, obeying your every command."

Shen Qingqiu looked at him with a complicated expression.

So saving him once makes him forget all the past beatings and abuse? Is his favorability meter really this easy to max out?

Of course, he couldn't possibly comprehend the tortuous inner journey Luo Binghe had undergone.

Shen Qingqiu was silent for a moment before saying, "It's good that you understand. Rise."

Even though I don't understand a single bit of what you, Bing-ge, have supposedly comprehended.

Luo Binghe slowly stood up, but still refused to leave. Instead, he seemed slightly awkward, as if there was more he wanted to say. Shen Qingqiu asked, "Is there something else?"

Luo Binghe said, "Shizun has slept for many days. Now that you've just woken, I wondered if you might have an appetite?"

Strictly speaking, Shen Qingqiu had long since passed the stage where he needed to eat. But he couldn't resist the primal call of his stomach. The mere mention of food made his eyes gleam with a predatory green light. "Yes. Very much so."

Luo Binghe immediately dashed to the kitchen. For the past several days, he had been preparing a fresh pot of congee every few hours, and now his efforts finally bore fruit. He returned with a steaming bowl, helped Shen Qingqiu sit up properly, and attended to him with a solicitousness that bordered on the obscene—he was just short of spoon-feeding him. A faint shiver ran up Shen Qingqiu's arm. He took the spoon himself and ate a few mouthfuls, noticing Luo Binghe still standing by the bedside, watching him with eager, expectant eyes.

Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment, then had a sudden realization. With a touch of dignified approval, he said, "The flavor is quite good."

"Quite good" was a massive understatement. The Qing Jing Peak lineage, true to its name, favored a "pure and bland" aesthetic, which extended even to its cooks. After eating their fare for so long, Shen Qingqiu felt his taste buds were on the verge of atrophy. The bowl in his hands, though also congee, was on an entirely different level—likely due to seasoning and technique. Snow-white rice, finely chopped scallions, savory minced meat, and perfectly julienned ginger, all at the ideal temperature.

How I've missed this. Shen Qingqiu nearly wept with joy.

Hearing the praise, Luo Binghe's eyes instantly sparkled. "If Shizun likes it, how about this disciple prepares different dishes for you every day?"

Shen Qingqiu promptly choked on his congee.

Luo Binghe hurriedly patted his back. Shen Qingqiu waved him off, indicating he was fine.

He was just... a little horrified.

Luo Binghe's exceptional culinary skills were one of his ultimate weapons for charming women. Shen Qingqiu never imagined he would have the honor of tasting "Luo Binghe's Special Cuisine," a privilege reserved in the original work for only a handful of key harem members.

Even more horrifying was that line! The line, "I'll make you something different every day," wasn't that what Luo Binghe used to sweet-talk those young ladies into happily joining his harem?

You can eat random things, but you can't say random lines!

Seeing Shen Qingqiu's strange expression, Luo Binghe grew slightly anxious. "Does Shizun... not like it?"

Who in their right mind would refuse a free, expertly cooked meal? Shen Qingqiu put on a gentle, amiable smile. "This master likes it very much. You may handle such matters from now on."

Finally, no more bland gruel! As the esteemed leader of Qing Jing Peak, surely I'm entitled to a decent private kitchen!

Receiving this affirmation, Luo Binghe's demeanor instantly blossomed like spring sunshine. Watching him, Shen Qingqiu felt an inexplicable itch in his hand, a sudden urge to pat the boy's head again. Does Bing-ge's head possess some special magnetic field? Why else does my hand keep acting on its own?

After sending away a beaming Luo Binghe (who had just been conscripted into free labor), Shen Qingqiu tapped on the System.

"Is the Endless Abyss plotline absolutely mandatory?"

System: 【If Luo Binghe misses the "Endless Abyss" plotline, Coolness Points -10,000.】

Hearing that number clearly, Shen Qingqiu felt the familiar, habitual urge to cough up a mouthful of blood. He touched his lips after the imaginary spray. Ah, well. You get used to it after spitting up enough times.

It made perfect sense. If Luo Binghe wasn't pushed into the Endless Abyss, he couldn't acquire his golden finger—his cheat abilities. A protagonist without cheats? What kind of enjoyment would that bring?

Therefore, the Endless Abyss plotline was absolutely mandatory. And as the book's number one scumbag, the most despicable villain, the glorious task of executing this mission naturally, inevitably, and unquestionably fell to him.

He couldn't help asking one more time, a sigh of regret escaping him, not yet ready to give up all hope. This little sun-like Luo Binghe was destined to fall and become that dark, cold-blooded youth of the demon race. Not even a transmigrator like him, who should have cheat codes, could change that fact.

He... was destined to be the man who would palm-strike the protagonist into the Endless Abyss, thereby launching the legendary journey of a generation's ultimate cheater!

This job really had no future.

Don't do it? Minus 10,000 Coolness Points. Instant, irreversible death.

Do it? Once Luo Binghe acquires his golden finger and turns dark, he would absolutely, without a doubt, come for revenge.

The usual benefits were lousy too, working hard for meager pay... What kind of mess was this?!

Luo Binghe had barely left when several of his martial brothers arrived to check on him.

Shen Qingqiu was lying in bed, a racy novella hidden inside the cover of a classic text on morality. Seeing Yue Qingyuan enter first, he calmly closed the book, tucked the novella under the blanket, and displayed the moral classic's cover. He made to get out of bed, but Yue Qingyuan hurriedly stopped him. "Don't move. You shouldn't be on your feet right now. Just lie still." He turned to Mu Qingfang behind him. "Martial Brother Mu, please examine him again."

Mu Qingfang had already treated Shen Qingqiu once during his coma. This was likely a follow-up. Shen Qingqiu offered his wrist politely. "I trouble you, Martial Brother Mu."

Mu Qingfang seemed slightly taken aback, then nodded. He sat by the bed and placed his fingers on Shen Qingqiu's pulse point. With his medical skill as the Peak Lord of Qian Cao, diagnosing even the most puzzling ailment and deciding on a course of action should take but a moment. Yet, he took his time, feeling the pulse carefully for a long while before finally withdrawing his hand with a grave expression.

Yue Qingyuan asked, "How is it?"

This concerned his cultivation foundation. Shen Qingqiu didn't stand on ceremony. "Can this poison be cured or not?"

Liu Qingge, who had been standing by, flicked his sleeve and sat down at the table with a derisive snort. "It's called 'Incurable.' What do you think?"

Shen Qingqiu sighed. "Then, Martial Brother Mu, just tell me straight—how many years do I have left? Months? Or days?"

Mu Qingfang shook his head. "While it is 'Incurable,' it can be suppressed."

His voice was calm and measured, yet Shen Qingqiu felt like he'd hit the jackpot.

This poison, though named "Incurable," could actually be cured.

Because in the original work, during that... climactic Immortal Alliance Conference, a delicate and graceful junior martial sister from another sect had also been infected with this strange demonic poison.

The key point was—she was one of the protagonist's women.

Have you ever seen a harem protagonist novel where the male lead lets one of his women die from a strange poison?

If you have, then that's an unqualified harem protagonist!

That's a failed harem novel destined to flop for eternity!

The cure was also simple! Let's review the original plot development.

Due to the irresistible force of the plot, the graceful junior martial sister, in order to save the male lead whom she had just met less than an hour before, fell victim to a demon's underhanded trick and contracted the strange poison. Luo Binghe felt an inescapable responsibility and thus took on the heavy task of finding the antidote for her.

The very mountains where the Immortal Alliance Conference was being held happened to contain a miraculous flower that had grown for a thousand years. Sorry, I can’t remember what kind of flower or grass it was specifically, Shen Qingqiu thought, because The Proud Immortal Demon Way had at least a hundred different kinds of miraculous plants, and every single one of them was at least a thousand years old. Throw in miraculous herbs and miraculous trees, and who the hell could remember all the names?

Xiang Tian Da Fei Ji, do you think these miraculous flowers are cabbages on a clearance sale? Have some respect! Let them retain a shred of their rarity and dignity!

Luo Binghe believed this legendary flower would certainly cure Junior Sister Wanyue of her poison. He went through hell to pick it for her—the picking alone took three days (thirty chapters). During those three days, while plucking the flower and fighting monsters, the two of them exchanged meaningful glances and built a deep, revolutionary friendship. As Junior Sister Wanyue’s poison grew deeper and her delicate body grew weaker, Luo Binghe finally succeeded. Overjoyed, they immediately had her eat the flower raw.

But it didn’t work! The poison remained!

Their hearts sank into despair. The girl thought, “When a person is about to die, they must leave behind some memories to make this life worthwhile. I don’t have many days left anyway, so I won’t suppress my feelings any longer.” Taking advantage of her weak, delicate state, she pushed Luo Binghe down…

Luo Binghe put up a token resistance before yielding with the reasoning, “She did this for me. I can’t bear to refuse her last wish.” And so he half-heartedly complied…

So, how was the poison cured?

After the passionate scene, the girl’s poison was naturally cured!

Shocked? Cliché? Far-fetched? But it felt good, didn’t it? So good it was shocking—hahaha!

It was because Luo Binghe was a half-demon, of course. And the demonic half of his bloodline was passed down from the First Holy Demon Emperor himself—the ancient Heavenly Demon bloodline! A tiny bit of strange demonic poison wasn’t even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. During their passionate encounter, Luo Binghe had already absorbed and digested every last trace of it. He even absorbed the nutrients from the miraculous flower the girl had just eaten raw, boosting his cultivation yet again—damn it all!