Chapter Text
As an ardent consumer and critic of xianxia and wuxia literature, Shen Yuan did not often take time to go outside or offline. His parents, when they bothered to talk to him, gently encouraged him to go see what the world had to offer. His meimei had said, less delicately, that he needed to “touch grass,” even if she agreed with the rage-filled comments he left on whatever web novel he was reading at the time. He decidedly feigned ignorance of the meaning of the phrase.
Part of his lack of quote-unquote “grass touching” was due to the continued fragility of his health. The rest was a result of his introverted nature and shut-in tendencies. His er-ge occasionally took it upon himself to drag him out of the house and to some upscale eatery or some overpriced store, and that was about as much in-person social interaction he could take from anyone outside of his family.
He made up for his tendency to sequester himself away, in part, by reading stories with interesting worlds and rich and varied settings and creatures. He wondered, on occasion, about the quality of life of the creatures that defied the laws of nature with their very existence. Surely some of their enormous horns had to give them neck problems, or their body-to-wing ratio made them unable to fly!
He'd been to a zoo (once) and seen his er-ge's small, quivering dog on several occasions (and stayed very, very far away from it- it was vicious), so he knew what he was talking about! His lacking practical experience was very well supplemented by whatever information he could find online.
One thing he'd never admit, though, was that he was actually a little terrified of most animals. It was one thing to admire their pictures and learn about their diet, habits, and native environment. It was another entirely to find oneself face-to-face with an erratic, unpredictable creature that could move and breathe and- gods forbid- touch him.
The universe was doubtlessly laughing at him when it shoved his soul into a new body.
He didn't realise where he was at first. One moment, he was being unapologetically murdered by food- how mortifying- and the next, he was staring up at the ceiling of an ancient residence, a man in traditional clothing bustling around at his bedside. The air was heavy with the scent of herbs and incense, and Shen Yuan groaned. He felt like he'd been hit by a vehicle.
“Ah, Lian-shidi is awake,” the man said, grasping Shen Yuan's wrist with clammy fingers. Shen Yuan only just stopped himself from making a face at this. If he had transmigrated, which he was becoming increasingly certain of, he didn't want to cause concern by acting uncharacteristic of the original goods, whoever that might be.
A thread of something chilled and foreign crept up his arm and into his chest and abdomen, cycling around and then exiting the way it came. That confirmed to him that he was likely a cultivator, though which novel setting he'd found himself in was still unclear.
“You gave your students quite a scare,” his shixiong continued, a light, scolding edge to his voice. “You were bitten by a Three-Headed Green Valley Serpent that had escaped its enclosure, and its venom sent you into a qi deviation. A rather severe one, at that. You're lucky Shen-shixiong had been passing by when he did. He very well might have saved your life.”
That's a stupid-ass name for an animal. Wait, Shen-shixiong?! He couldn't mean…
What were the odds he was in the very novel he'd just read? Cold dread built in his gut, and he asked, “Mu-shixiong?”
“Mn?” Mu Qingfang, Peak Lord of Qian Cao replied absently, scribbling something down in a notebook he'd procured from his sleeve.
I'm so fucking screwed, Shen Yuan thought, squeezing his eyes shut. Mu Qingfang was saying something, but his thoughts were too frenzied to pay him any heed, which he'd probably regret later. But right now he just needed to… adjust. They'd definitely know something was up if he leapt up and started screaming in terror. He held his breath for a few seconds before slowly releasing it. Maybe if he wished hard enough, he would wake up back in the real world, where there were no vengeful, ruthless, bloodthirsty protagonists that would eagerly raze Cang Qiong to ashes and ground him into paste.
He did not wake up in the real world, where he was sickly but mostly safe from mutilation, being set on fire, or dismemberment.
It turned out that Lian Qingliu was the Peak Lord of the Beast Handling Peak. His name had been mentioned all of one time in Proud Immortal Demon Way (there had been a commenter who had tallied up each time the minor peak lords had been mentioned). Poor Lian Qingliu had only been mentioned upon his death, where he had been, in a cruel twist of fate, torn apart by beasts that Luo Binghe had brought with him from the Demon Realm.
The details of his death had been unusually grisly and detailed for Airplane. Shen Yuan suspected he'd had a bad week; most of what he'd written that week had been unusually graphic in its depictions of violence. He recalled applauding his better-than-usual prose before tearing into that hack author for not mentioning the peak lord in any amount of detail previously.
What greeted him in the (bronze) mirror was in line with what little fanart of the guy had existed. His body was tall- so, so tall- and broad, packed with enough muscle that he could probably wrestle a rhinoceros and come out victorious. Fortunately, it wasn't in the uncanny bodybuilder way that he always saw pictures of online. His arms and torso were adorned with old scars, pale pink and silver tissue stark against his well-tanned skin.
His face wasn't bad at all- he was handsome in a rugged, masculine way- but not ethereally beautiful as cultivators were often described. He had dark eyes, thick wavy hair, and freckles scattered across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose from countless hours spent in the sun. Another old scar, one that looked like it had been carved deeply into his skin, curved from his right temple to his ear, which had a chunk missing from its helix.
“You can do this,” Shen Yuan whispered to his reflection, trying to muster any semblance of confidence. He stared intensely into his(?) own eyes and gave an impassioned pep talk that made him feel a little bit better. He was fortunate nobody walked in on him during this and found himself furiously whispering to himself. If they had, it likely would've gotten him unceremoniously dragged off to see Hong Jing to be checked for possession.
Once he'd finished, he decided that if he was going to be peak lord, he might as well look the part. He tied his hair up into a practical bun, ignoring the few flyaway hairs that escaped. His meimei loved to come over to get her hair done, and he'd dutifully follow whatever hair tutorial she'd found. She'd always griped that his fingers were more dexterous than hers. The robes he found were cut to allow a range of movement, and most were made of a slightly coarse, breathable material.
He spied some finer silk robes stashed away in a wardrobe closet- which was anachronistic, but Airplane had put things such as tomatoes and potatoes in his novel, so clearly he hadn't cared- and an elaborate silver guan. He suspected the finery was typically reserved for peak lord meetings or visiting other sects.
He had soft leather vambraces that he tied carefully. They were a beautiful reddish-brown colour and carefully decorated with etchings of plants. He knew high-level cultivators tended to wear metal vambraces for martial purposes, but his job probably made leather the more practical option. There were a few scratches in the material that had probably been inflicted by talons. He shivered in distaste. He hoped that whatever had made them stayed far, far away from him.
Once he deemed himself presentable and ready to face the wider world of PIDW, he took one more deep breath in. He went to open the door, and pushed it open with the amount of force he-as-Shen-Yuan would've had to exert to do so. Unfortunately for him, Lian Qingliu was built like a brick shithouse and was a physical cultivator to boot. The door went flying and exploded into several pieces.
Ah, he thought despairingly, staring blankly at the splintered remains of his poor door. That might be an issue.
[User shouldn't be so forceful. It will make people suspicious.]
Shen Yuan stared at the small, transparent screen hovering before him.
System? he prodded hesitantly. From what he'd read, they tended to be either incredibly helpful or downright sadistic.
[(* ^ ω ^) Correct! User 002, Shen Yuan, has been bound to the role: Lian Qingliu- Peak Lord of Ling Shou Peak.]
Shen Yuan resisted making a face of disgust at the kaomoji. There was something insidious about it.
Are there any quests I have to complete that are integral to the main storyline?
The System seemed to mull this over for a moment before answering.
[User has no obligations, other than retaining his role as Peak Lord. User was considered for another role prior to his role assignment, but there were some issues when this System attempted to deposit his soul in the alternate vessel.]
What other role?
[Shen Qingqiu, the Xiu Ya Sword and Lord of Qing Jing Peak.]
A chill of foreboding went down Shen Yuan's spine. This thing was definitely evil if it was willing to allow an innocent person to be turned into a human stick. Things could've been much worse for him, and that he'd avoided such a grisly fate made him sigh in relief. He'd take getting torn apart by animals over spending years being tortured and slowly dismembered any day.
Is there any OOC function I need to be aware of?
[Lian Qingliu was a very minor character, without any defined attributes in the novel beyond his identity as lord of his peak. Here, however, people will know him to be jovial, outgoing, and gentle to both children and the beasts he oversees. Any discrepancies in his behaviour will be dismissed as lingering effects of his qi deviation! (o･ω･o)]
Would this by any chance include discomfort around animals?
[...]
[Is User afraid of animals?]
What's with this judgemental tone?! I wouldn't say I'm afraid! Shen Yuan protested, finally moving from where he'd frozen and picking his way to the remains of his door. I'm just… reasonably wary of them in person.
He was scooping up the splinters of wood when he heard a long, mechanical sigh in his head. It was hard not to feel offended.
[User was always so vocal about the quality of the creatures of this world. This System's Admin thought getting to interact daily with such beasts would lend to an enjoyable experience for User Shen Yuan.]
Does this interaction include…waste removal?
[Indeed it does! User is in charge of overseeing the wellbeing of the people and creatures that call this peak their home! Responsible waste disposal is included in his duties!]
Shen Yuan was ready to spit blood, or maybe qi deviate again. He was unable to do either of those things, unfortunately. Instead, he simply tried to explode the System with his mind.
He'd failed on several occasions to keep houseplants alive. His er-ge and meimei had kept giving them to him despite their terrible fates. How was he supposed to keep a bunch of living beings from being killed or starving to death?
He dropped the pile of destroyed door splinters on his porch and sat heavily beside it, head in his hands.
The System made a quiet ding and he could suddenly see it on the inside of his closed eyelids. Great, he couldn't escape it by refusing to look at it.
[Don't worry User! This System will download some files to help you adapt to your new role. You'll be the best peak lord this peak has ever seen!]
Shame it'll all be destroyed, Shen Yuan mused to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose and pointedly ignored the download bar that lingered in his periphery when he opened his eyes. He noticed a bit of dirt and tiny slivers of wood under his fingernails, and dug them out with a sigh. At least the skin of his palms was so thick and callused that none of the splinters had managed to impale him there.
He hadn't been in any state to partake in physical labour in his past life. He'd also been fortunate enough as a fuerdai to not have to work if he so chose. His da-ge and er-ge had both been involved with the family business, and his meimei had been studying to become a marine biologist.
He had eventually gotten tired of lying in bed most of the day without doing anything, so he'd put out some offers and became an editor for a few authors online. His ‘professional’ work was much more reigned in than his lengthy posts on PIDW , but that didn't make it any less effective. It was nice to see his advice heeded, especially when it made a story better. He didn't bluster at Airplane for nothing, after all. His world and characters had potential.
Shen Yuan only allowed himself a few more moments to mope before he strengthened his resolve and got to his feet. His legs were still shaky and his body still felt like it had been smashed by several boulders, but the pain wasn't bad enough that he was going to pass out- or so he hoped.
He marched resolutely down the path from his house to the rest of the peak. He planned as he went. He would take today to get oriented with his peak's layout and his role as its lord. His usual duties were undoubtedly being covered thanks to his qi deviation.
Shen Yuan drifted along the stone paths, passing a myriad of different environments and enclosures. Part of the mountain consisted of verdant, sprawling fields of soft grasses and wildflowers. Insects fluttered lazily between the blades of grass and the flowers’ stems. Small herds of grazing creatures roamed the expanse, calling to each other with bleating cries. Another part was a thick, but controlled forest. The undergrowth and foliage was carefully maintained for easy traversal and relative visibility, and there was decent space between the trees, which were a blend of coniferous and deciduous. On the forest floor, leaf litter intermingled with soft mats of fragrant needles that had fallen from overhead. He saw a few figures trot by a good ways past the tree line, but he drew no nearer to investigate.
Pools and streams were scattered about Ling Shou, their banks lined with rocks, sand, and water-loving plants. Lotuses carpeted the edges of some of the pools, and iridescent dragonflies hovered over the water's surface before flitting away. He did get near enough to a small, shallow pool to see a few fish darting around, half the size of his pinky finger and with delicate, gossamer fins.
He spied a few fences marking off the edges of various paddocks, though their height and construction material varied.
At the top of the peak, there was a large collection of stone and wood buildings, with neatly tiled roofs. Disciples, hallmasters, and teachers alike bustled along the paths, and a few called out greetings to him. He returned them as best he could. He asked the System for their names, but it was still displaying that damned progress bar, which was slowly but surely creeping closer to completion.
Very helpful, he sighed. If he saw anyone leading an animal, he hastened to move out of their way without being too obvious about it.
Shen Yuan eventually found his way to Lian Qingliu's office. It was a small building, but the stone was unsullied and the wood polished. He managed to open the door without breaking it, this time. He hoped he wouldn't have to constantly modulate his strength for the rest of his life like this.
The inside of the building was reminiscent of a professor's office. A sturdy wooden desk was back near the far wall and had a few baubles besides the brush, inkstone, and two piles of paperwork. A plethora of bones, hides, feathers, and bundles of fur were nestled alongside countless books on the tall wooden shelves that took up most of the wallspace. Between the shelves were various colour sketches of beasts and their internal anatomy, and lists regarding the care of some… more difficult species that were kept on the peak.
Shen Yuan was so engrossed in examining a diagram of a Finned Blue-Scaled Aquatic Cat- it was a Vaporean, hack author- that he didn't notice someone had entered until he felt something lightly smack his shoulder.
He startled, and jumped about a foot in the air. An elegant man in pale green robes regarded him with an arched eyebrow and a thoroughly unimpressed look. His hand was wrapped around the jade guard of the very fan that had just been wielded against Shen Yuan.
“Lian-shidi is doing well to undermine this shixiong's efforts to keep him alive. Mu-shidi told you that rest is an essential part of recovery, did he not?”
His tone was icy and dripped with derision, but he wasn't entirely wrong. Mu Qingfang had probably said something about rest, but he'd been too busy spiralling in terror to pay attention to whatever he'd said before departing. Still, Shen Yuan could only gape at him. Another cheery ding sounded as the System finished its download.
Awful timing, he mustered, unable to cease his staring. He probably looked like an idiot.
[User has found Shen Qingqiu! Congratulations! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧]
The fuck you mean, congratulations?!
“Since shidi has misplaced brain cells it appears he could not afford to lose, I'll get straight to the point,” Shen Qingqiu said, breaking the mortifying silence between them. He grinned, a sharp thing with teeth. “You owe me a favour, and I intend to collect.”