The so-called protagonist's treatment was that even if he stepped on dog shit, he'd still find a cheat or elixir of life hidden inside.
Shen Qingqiu's memories of this caused his face to change unpredictably. He even ignored the people beside him and Yue Qingyuan had to call him several times before he returned to himself: "What?"
Mu Qingfang passed over a piece of paper to him: "Every month continue to take these four medicinal herbs while circulating your spiritual power strongly. This poison shouldn't affect you seriously." After a moment, he said: "Only, I'm afraid elder apprentice-brother Shen will occasionally encounter a blockage in using or circulating spiritual power in the future.
The other three people in the room all paid close attention to his expression.
For cultivators, encountering a blockage in circulating spiritual power was a very terrifying problem. It was especially so during a duel between two master cultivators; one mistake could take a life. Though as everyone knew, Shen Qingqiu was already very satisfied with this result.
For someone with a scum villain role like him, encountering an odd poison like Without A Cure but still being able to live afterwards was already giving him a lot of face!
Even if he knew that he only needed to pa pa pa with the protagonist to cure the poison, could he? Could he? Hahahaha...
Yue Qingyuan sighed: "If I had known, I wouldn't have gone down the mountain to personally arrange the Immortal Alliance Conference. Even bothering Qingqiu..."
Shen Qingqiu slowly said: "The Immortal Alliance Conference was already a big matter that all the sect heads were supposed to arrange. Elder apprentice-brother, how could you not go? This time we can only blame the Demon Realm people for being despicable and cunning, and myself for not being careful. Elder apprentice-brother, you should never blame yourself."
If he didn't make things clear now and things went wrong, according to Yue Qingyuan's character, he might never go down the mountain again. Even the fall of Cang Qiong Mountain sect was a possibility. Who knew that on the other end, Mu Qingfang said guiltily: "No, it's my wrong. If it wasn't because I failed to discover the Demon Realm people's invasion and wasn't able to accompany martial brother Shen, it wouldn't come to this."
Shen Qingqiu felt his head swell even more at this troublesome matter. All three people were in a complete muddle and doing their utmost to say that they were the one wrong. Liu Qingge was expressionless as he faced towards the window and looked outside. He waited until they finished laying blame on themselves to drink a mouthful of tea and say: "This matter shouldn't be said to anyone else outside the Twelve Peak Lords."
As the number one sect and one of the Twelve Peak Lords, it would not be good if this fatal weakness were to be known by others. All three people naturally understood.
Yue Qingyuan was still worried and asked: "Qingqiu, will you feel that the burden of a Peak Lord will be too heavy?"
If it were the original Shen Qingqiu, he would be eighty percent suspicious of what □□ Yue Qingyuan wanted to do. But now, Shen Qingqiu understood that he was truthfully worried that he would be overly pressured and wouldn't attend to his own health. He held up a hand and said: "Sect head elder brother, you don't need to worry about me. I won't waste away to that degree." He smiled, then continued: "Right now I am able to steadily get better and cultivate even if the poison is still there. I am very satisfied."
They also talked about the problem of the demon invasion. Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang were the first to step away and leave. The former had a rare angry expression and was preparing a large-scale plan for the Human Realm to suppress the demons, looking for major sects to participate. The latter continued to think about a way to solve the poison. Silently sending them off, Shen Qingqiu found them quite funny but also felt warm and happy.
These Cang Qiong Mountain sect fellow members, although everyone had different characters and there were those who got along well and those who got along badly, they all had a united heart. Though separated into Twelve Peaks, if something happened, they were truly a dependable family. The original goods really had a brain drowned in water [1] to perversely slaughter his own sect members.
His happy mood didn't last for long before Liu Qingge put down his long-cooled tea. Lightly, he said: "If it wasn't because you don't have ghostly qi on your body, I would definitely suspect that you are possessed."
Leaving behind these words, it sounded like they just wouldn't get along.
To some extent, your guess would be very accurate...however, these words would require Shen Qingqiu to have eight hundred points of courage to say out loud, so he could only laugh wordlessly.
Liu Qingge continued: "Saving me in the Ling Xi Cave was already incredible. As for the matter of the Demon Realm attack this time, you almost got killed saving a nameless disciple. Suffering damage from strong poison and blocking your spirit power should have made you angry, but you are indifferent instead. Doing these things is not strange, except that you have been the one to do them. It doesn't make sense."
Shen Qingqiu didn't want to talk with him at all about the problem of his own OOC character. He called Ming Fan inside to switch to new tea and leaned back, smiling: "Nameless? That's only for now. You watch, Luo Binghe will make you shocked."
Liu Qingge remembered Luo Binghe's name and said: "It's that young boy? His foundation [2] is quite excellent. But someone with this kind of good qualification is picked by the big sects in the hundreds if not thousands every year. There's not a single one who can stand out among others to the end."
That's why I say you don't understand! You haven't opened your eyes! There's no way for you to understand the high sense of superiority set by the plot!
Shen Qingqiu kindly advised him: "Believe me, he is definitely different. I dare to say that Luo Binghe will definitely have great achievements in the future. I hope that apprentice-brother will guide him if he has the opportunity in the future. It's absolutely not a trade that'll lose you money."[3]
What if Liu Qingge became a stumbling block in Luo Binghe's path and they faced off? What if he was chopped ka ca [4]and KO-ed!
For everyone's good, it was necessary to remind Liu Qingge.
The Shen Qingqiu of the past didn't have many words and was absolutely cold. Whenever he had to open his mouth, he was cultured and sourly envious. His wording matching as though in poetry and carefully neat. But ever since Shen Qingqiu unfroze the OOC function, all kinds of vernacular words would slip out from time to time. Even the Liu Qingge who didn't know what OOC was couldn't listen any further. He swept his sleeves out and left.
Ming Fan was half-dead with depression. He had only gone to change tea yet was forced to hear good words being spoken about Luo Binghe by Shen Qingqiu, who was the person who shared his enmity. His heart felt stuffy to the point it was as though 'the person we cursed as a little bitch and whose home we happily wrecked, we suddenly became fellow CP members.'[5] With an evil heart he decided to do evil things to others. Energetically, Ming Fan found the Luo Binghe who was pondering over what to make for Shen Qingqiu to eat tomorrow morning. He was suddenly right in Luo Binghe's face and shouted and scolded loudly, then commanded: "Go chop firewood for me! Chop eighty bundles! Fill the woodshed! Go fetch water! The water jars in your apprentice-brothers' rooms are all empty, are you blind and can't see?!"
Luo Binghe was puzzled: "But, apprentice-brother, where do I sleep if the woodshed is full?"
Ming Fan's foot stomped the ground and his spittle flew: "Isn't there flat ground right here? Can't you sleep here?!"
"Apprentice-brother, I just filled the water jars in the rooms today..."
"The water isn't fresh, redo it!"
If it had been in the past, Luo Binghe's heart would have felt a little wronged or had some grievances. But now his heart was much different.
In his eyes, all these things were training experiences for him.
He already had such a good Shizun who, for his sake, could even give up his own life (...). What kind of experience couldn't he accept? What kind of bitterness wouldn't he be able to eat?
Luo Binghe didn't say anything else and immediately turned his head around to do his tasks.
Ming Fan saw him like this and didn't feel any happiness from bullying, instead feeling even more stuffiness in his heart. While walking, he cursed: "I really don't know what part of this stinking brat came into Shizun's eyes, for Shizun to treat him with such special interest. What great achievements, what dog shit difference from others! Even if Shizun has been blinded by this stinking brat, Martial Uncle Liu won't guide him. Pei..."[6]
Though he walked while muttering curses, his voice wasn't loud. However, of course the Luo Binghe whose cultivation improved rapidly and whose five senses were naturally good would hear. Although Ming Fan's words were broken up, most of the key words could be caught. Luo Binghe immediately could clearly guess most of it.
So it turned out that Shizun talked about him like this in front of Martial Uncle Liu...
In a place where he couldn't see, there was someone who looked so well upon him. This kind of feeling was very wonderful.
A current of warmth suddenly coursed through his heart, surging stronger and stronger, gradually wrapping his entire body.
Luo Binghe felt a firm resolve rise from the bottom of his heart and sprout. The two hands holding onto heavy wooden buckets increased in power.
For this matter, Luo Binghe not only had no feeling of being harassed, he'd even revealed a kind of happy and satisfied expression.
If Shen Qingqiu were here, he definitely would have suspected that Luo Binghe was a trembling M inside...[7]
However, even if he were beaten to death, Shen Qingqiu wouldn't know. Because God assisted pigs and because of Student Ming Fan, Luo Binghe's favorability towards him had reached a new high. So he was very pleased with himself and laid down.
Today, the always high and cold Qing Jing Peak almost had even its threshold collapse. Each Peak Lord brought their disciples with them to express their sympathies and to visit the afflicted patient.
Since the Rainbow Bridge had been cut away during the Demon Realm invasion, they were unable to immediately hurry to the scene. The fierce fight was all left to Shen Qingqiu alone to oversee as the sole Elder. The good thing was that they were able to preserve Cang Qiong Mountain sect from demon hands. It didn't matter whether their relations were good or bad in the past, they all had to come and express their appreciation once. Shen Qingqiu took this opportunity to memorize the faces of the Peak Lords he hadn't met before and to establish good relations with them.
At night, he thought to himself: I can finally have a good and peaceful sleep.
After two hours.
...Peaceful sleep my ass!
Shen Qingqiu stood in the middle of a chaotic space of nothingness and looked towards the disappearing horizon in the distance.
Before, he had been smiling inside as he comfortably slipped into dreams on his bed. Who could explain why he had been dragged into this space?!
Shen Qingqiu really wished he could get a gong and ring it to get the system to come out. He wouldn't need to raise his voice in his mind and shout: 'System? Are you online?'
System: [The system provides you with 24-hour service. ]
Shen Qingqiu: 'Where is this? What is the situation?'
System: [This is a dream realm. ]
Shen Qingqiu: 'Of course I know this is inside a dream. Would I be able to see such an abstract scene in reality? I'm asking why I'm here.'
Please, don't let it be what he thought.
But the god of this world really didn't give him any face. He just thought no no and the next second, he saw a figure he couldn't be more familiar with.
Luo Binghe stood in the middle of the wilderness, at a loss.
He also didn't seem to know at all why he would appear here. After a moment of stupefaction, he suddenly saw Shen Qingqiu's figure. In a moment, he quickly became a baby chick seeing a mother hen (what freaking metaphor) and happily ran over.
"Shizun!" He had already been trapped in this world for a long time. Seeing Shen Qingqiu appear, he became excited and called him multiple times.
Once Shen Qingqiu saw him, he knew what this place and scene was.
His mind crazily clamored that it was unscientific! With a calm expression, he said: "I heard, you don't need to call so many times."
Luo Binghe hurriedly said: "Yes. Shizun. How come you're here too? Do you know where this is?"
Shen Qingqiu said: "Of course I know. This is a dream realm." He lazily copied the words of the system.
Luo Binghe asked again: "A dream realm... then why am I here?"
Shen Qingqiu said: "It would be strange for anyone to be here. Only your presence here is normal. This is inside your dream."
—End Chapter 15—
[1] Brain drowned in water (腦子進水): Literally 'brain in water' and another way of saying someone's stupid or witless.
[2] Foundation is quite excellent: Actual characters used are "根骨" or gen gu. Literal meaning is "roots bones." Closest approximation I can find is ling gen or spiritual roots but that's a different set of characters so I'll use 'foundation' for now.
[3] Not a trade that'll lose you money (賠本買賣): Sorta what it sounds like. Means that Binghe's a sure bet.
[4] ka ca: Pronounced 'kah-cha' and is SFX for chopping sound. Usually it implies someone's head getting cut off.
[5] …fellow CP members: CP = Communist Party. LOL. One of the values is group unity, so that means no more abuse. And a lot of awkward. XD
[6] Pei: An expression of disgust. Actual characters were "我呸" which is more like "I pei/pooh" or "I curse."
[7] M: M as in masochist. LOL.