Chapter Text
“So… what do you want to do with the- your body?” Gongyi Xiao asked hesitantly once Shen Yuan had finished explaining everything to him and A-Shuang.
“What even is my life,” Shen Yuan couldn’t help muttering to himself. “Well, I guess I don’t need it anymore, so…” he trailed off thoughtfully. At first it had definitely been uncomfortable, but he’d ended up getting used to that body, especially after getting back all of those childhood memories. And it had felt nice to feel strong and powerful, which was something his current body seemed incapable of.
Somehow able to figure out all of Shen Yuan’s thoughts just from looking at him, Luo Binghe was the one who suggested, “We could find a way to put you back in that one, if you’d like.”
Shen Yuan shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know.” He glanced curiously at Luo Binghe. “Does it bother you when I look like this? I know you already knew I’m a man, but before I looked like that.” He gestured towards the lifeless body on the ground as if Luo Binghe might be confused. To be fair, Shen Yuan was still confused by it all. How could he have looked like a supermodel in his previous life and then look like… this?
Luo Binghe just shook his head. “Whatever you look like, you are still Shen Yuan. What would make me most happy is knowing that you are happy and comfortable in whatever form you choose.”
Shen Yuan felt his cheeks turn pink. “Oh.”
“You don’t have to decide right away,” Luo Binghe told him. “We can preserve that body for as long as you need. Perhaps we could even look into a way for you to easily switch back and forth, if you’d like.”
It was nice to know that there was no pressure to make a choice now. And that there might be more choices available to him than he’d considered. “Thank you.”
Luo Binghe gave him a long look before nodding once. “Of course.” Then he quickly summoned Mobei-jun and gave him strict instructions on keeping the body in a cold room with preservation talismans, which would at least hold it until Luo Binghe could take a longer look.
As more Huan Hua disciples emerged from wherever they’d been during the incursion, Shen Yuan couldn’t help thinking that it was a good thing they’d already decided who they wanted ruling this place, because he didn’t think that they would all believe him about being the Little Palace Mistress while in his current body. It was also a good thing that the other body was removed before too many people could see it and freak out, though the corpse of the Old Palace Master remained where it was. Luo Binghe didn’t want anyone to think that there was a chance of Huan Hua continuing to be run as it had before.
“Are you really leaving?” A-Shuang asked suddenly, pulling away from where she’d been standing very close to Gongyi Xiao. “For good?”
Shen Yuan shook his head. “We’ll be back,” he promised. “You couldn’t pay us to stay away. But it’s probably best for everyone if Binghe and I step back for a little bit. To make sure that there’s no perceived competition for the throne.”
A-Shuang nodded understandingly, then threw herself forward to hug Shen Yuan. “Don’t stay away too long. This is your home.”
“Don’t slack on your training while we’re gone. You won’t have to wait on me hand and foot anymore, so there’s no excuse for not improving.”
She raised one eyebrow. “And when you get back?”
“If you’re not officially a disciple by the time I get back then I’m going to have to have a serious talk with the new sect leader.” Shen Yuan crossed his arms over his chest and gave Gongyi Xiao a faux warning look.
Gongyi Xiao chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry on that account. A-Shuang has already more than earned her place in this sect.”
Shen Yuan smiled. “Good.” Then he leaned closer to speak in a stage whisper to A-Shuang. “But if you decide you don’t like it here, there will always be room for you at Binghe’s place.”
He felt one of Luo Binghe’s arms wrap around his waist, and Shen Yuan leaned up against Luo Binghe’s side without having to think about it. “You haven’t even been to the demon realm yourself yet, and you’re already inviting over guests?” The blatant amusement in his voice made it clear that he did not care in the slightest.
Shen Yuan grinned up at Luo Binghe. “Well it’s not like my husband would make me look bad by saying no now, right?” He felt his face flush as he said that, but was somehow able to continue looking at Luo Binghe without actually bursting into flames.
It was almost difficult to remember how Luo Binghe had looked at him on the first day Shen Yuan had (re-?) awoken in this world. It was just so different from the warmth showing in his eyes now. “This husband does have some trouble saying no to his spouse,” he admitted, sounding far too pleased about it. The warmth faded somewhat, but did not disappear, as Luo Binghe turned to Gongyi Xiao. “There is one other thing. Qin Wanyue- She was too close of an ally to the Old Palace Master, and tried to cause great harm.”
Gongyi Xiao gave Luo Binghe a searching look. “I assume you have evidence of this?”
“Yes,” Luo Binghe answered in a tight voice. Shen Yuan reached out to give him a supportive pat on the arm.
“And what do you suggest I do, if I rule against her?”
“Take her head,” Luo Binghe suggested callously.
Shen Yuan gave Luo Binghe a warning look. No matter what else she might have done, he knew full well that she had meant something to Luo Binghe for some amount of time, and if he acted in anger now, he might come to regret it later. So he offered his own suggestion. “Lock her in the Water Prison. But also maybe think about changing the prison so it doesn’t feel quite so, er, evil.”
“You can help me with that once you get back,” Gongyi Xiao said with confidence.
Shen Yuan nodded. “Deal.” Then he left Luo Binghe to discuss the future of Huan Hua with Gongyi Xiao, while Shen Yuan went to check on his little disciples. He would have to write up some lesson plans to make sure they wouldn’t miss out on their education while the sect was being restructured. It would give him something to do while other details were being figured out.
,,,
To not infringe on Gongyi Xiao’s claim to the sect leader’s seat, Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan took off pretty quickly, only staying long enough to make sure that there had been no serious injuries amongst the people of Bai Lu who had assisted them. It was less than a week after the Old Palace Master’s death that they left Huan Hua.
They took the long way around to get to the demon realm, just as Shen Yuan had requested (though he could practically feel Xin Mo pouting at being benched from one of its main powers). Actually, thinking about Xin Mo allowed Shen Yuan to realize that the sword really hadn’t acted up too much recently. The handful of minor monsters they’d encountered didn’t seem like nearly enough to feed the demonic sword’s bloodlust, so what was up with that?
At Shen Yuan’s request, Luo Binghe nervously handed over his sword so that Shen Yuan could study it closer. “It traveled between worlds just to save me,” Shen Yuan murmured. “And no offense, but I don’t think it acted out of any loyalty towards you.”
Luo Binghe shook his head. “I wouldn’t think so, no. That blade has served me well, but only when I keep an iron control over it.”
Shen Yuan pulled out his own sword, and laid it side by side with Xin Mo, looking at the similarities and differences between the two. When paying such close attention, it was hard to miss the fact that the little chip in Shen Yuan’s sword seemed to have gotten a little worse from use. “Shoot, I’m probably going to want to get this fixed sooner rather than later. You know, the Huan Hua sword smith had mentioned that I might be able to find some kind of unique materials that could make for a stronger sword. Maybe I can find something like that, just to patch this before it actually weakens the blade.”
Luo Binghe hesitated for a moment before saying in a soft voice, “I might have something that would work.”
Shen Yuan looked up at his husband curiously, already mentally running through a list of all the cool rare items Luo Binghe would have found by this point, assuming that any of those parts of the story had managed to stay on the rails when nothing else managed to. “Oh?”
Luo Binghe nodded slowly, and Shen Yuan could tell from the look on his face that his next words weren’t going to be too light hearted, so he straightened up and gave Luo Binghe his full attention, patiently waiting for what Luo Binghe wanted to say. “You may already know this, but Xin Mo wasn’t always my sword, I only discovered it while trapped in the Endless Abyss. Before that, I had another.” Of course Shen Yuan already knew about Zheng Yang, but he did not interrupt, since he could see how difficult this was to talk about. Instead, he reached out and gently cupped his hands around both of Luo Binghe’s. “One of the rare things my parents seemed to agree on was that I was too young to have a spiritual weapon of my own yet, but they also did not want to leave me unprotected or wait too long for my training. So even though I could not carry it around outside of our home, I did still have one. I called it Zheng Yang, and when my cousin was able to find me, he helped me retrieve it. I used it throughout my time on Cang Qiong. That day when I was pushed into the Abyss, Zheng Yang was shattered. I assume Shen Qingqiu must have destroyed whatever pieces remained. But at least one shard fell with me.”
Zheng Yang being destroyed when it was a gift from Luo Binghe’s tragically murdered parents was so much worse than when it had just been from a rite of passage he’d gotten during his training! Shen Yuan silently cursed the dead Old Palace Master several times over, and wished they could bring him back just to make him really feel some pain before dying again.
With a small smile to indicate that he would be okay, Luo Binghe gently pulled his hands free. He reached up his sleeve to pull out a small pouch, and held it out to Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan accepted it with all the respect such a moment deserved, and carefully opened the pouch to look inside. Nestled among soft velvet was a small piece of sharp metal.
While he looked at it, Luo Binghe continued, sounding a little more nervous. “I apologize if I’m overstepping; I know how personal a spiritual weapon is, and there are many more powerful materials out there that I could help you find instead-”
Shen Yuan threw his arms around Luo Binghe’s shoulders, hugging his husband tightly. It only took a moment before Luo Binghe returned the hug. “If you’re really okay with losing this last piece of Zheng Yang, then I would be honored to take it.”
Luo Binghe’s arms tightened around Shen Yuan. “I would not be losing it. Not when you have already promised to stay by my side, remember.”
Shen Yuan pressed his face against Luo Binghe’s shoulder to try and hide whatever embarrassing expression he might be making at the moment. The thought of carrying around a little piece of Luo Binghe with him forever was… nice. When he finally pulled away from Luo Binghe, he said, “I guess we’ll be returning to Huan Hua sooner than we thought.” At Luo Binghe’s raised eyebrow, he elaborated, “The smith there is the only one I’d trust with this.”
“We could go there right now,” Luo Binghe offered, nodding towards Xin Mo.
Shen Yuan thought about it for just a moment, then shook his head. “Nah, that’s alright. It’s not like I can do much with a sword in this powerless body. And besides, I wouldn’t want to interrupt our honeymoon.” He’d meant for it to be a joke, but somehow found his words more sincere than intended when they came out.
Luo Binghe’s eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled. “No, I wouldn’t want that either.” Some of the humor faded from his expression, and he gave Shen Yuan a more thoughtful look. “Shen Yuan,” he started, then paused for a moment like he had to really make sure that each word was the exact right one. “Will you marry me?”
Shen Yuan blinked once in surprise, and then was certain that his face must have suddenly gotten hot enough to fry an egg on. “What?” he spluttered. “But we’re already-?”
“We are the ones who stood there that day and made our bows,” Luo Binghe acknowledged. “But it was not a real marriage. Not like the kind my parents had. One born of love.”
It felt like Shen Yuan’s eyes were going to bug out of his head as he boggled up at Luo Binghe. “You- are you saying you-? Even though I’m-? But-”
Luo Binghe let out a quiet laugh. “I can’t imagine wanting to be married to anyone else.”
This wasn’t the kind of thing that someone should just decide on a whim, and yet when Shen Yuan thought about the way he felt when he was around Luo Binghe, and the way he’d felt when he’d thought that he’d never see Luo Binghe again, he was suddenly struck with absolute certainty that he knew what he wanted. “Binghe, I will marry you. Again.” He felt ridiculous even saying those words, and yet he knew in his heart that this was what he wanted.
Luo Binghe’s laugh was louder this time, and he surged forward to pull Shen Yuan into another hug, before outright lifting him and swinging him around. “As soon as we reach my- our- palace in the demon realm. We’ve already had a big ceremony in front of everyone. This time, I think something more private will do.” Then he paused and tilted his head. “Although I did miss the chance to properly appreciate your robes on our wedding night.”
It would be a miracle if Shen Yuan’s face ever stopped being red at this point. “I still have them if you want me to wear them again.” Then he paused when he realized, “They might not fit, though. This body is definitely taller than that one.”
“We can figure out the details later,” Luo Binghe decided after a moment where it seemed like he might be thinking a little too hard about what Shen Yuan had looked like in his wedding robes. “The important thing is that we do it together.”
If anyone else saw them holding hands as they continued down the road, they would have probably gagged at the sappiness of it all, but Shen Yuan found it impossible to make himself let go. It was only after they’d wandered a little further that Shen Yuan joked, “I guess this makes me your empress now.”
When he dared to peek up, he thought he might combust at the cheesy look on Luo Binghe’s face. Shen Yuan was really going to have to build up a tolerance to his husband (his fiance?) if he wanted this relationship to last. “Yes,” Luo Binghe said after just slightly too long of a pause. “My empress.”
“Do you think people are going to assume that I’m in a harem with Xiao Yuan? Or that maybe you have a fetish for people named Yuan?”
Luo Binghe shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what any of them think. As long as you know that you are the only person I want to be with.”
It was still so strange to hear that from the ultimate stallion protagonist, but Shen Yuan’s stomach fluttered happily. “It’s the same for me,” he said quietly. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone else.” He forced himself to actually maintain eye contact as he said that, which led to him nearly tripping over a little rock in the road.
Luo Binghe easily caught him, and scooped him up into a princess carry like he weighed nothing. “You know, there’s something that has me very excited about our real wedding night.” Shen Yuan raised one eyebrow, and Luo Binghe continued in a smooth voice that sent heat curling through Shen Yuan’s gut. “Well, there is one surefire way to help this body of yours cultivate some power.”
The suggestiveness in Luo Binghe’s voice was too much, and Shen Yuan shoved at his chest without thinking, accidentally pushing himself out of Luo Binghe’s arms and onto his butt on the road. As Luo Binghe helped him back to his feet, neither of them could stop themselves from laughing.
As the two continued meandering towards the demon realm at an unhurried pace, Shen Yuan couldn’t help feeling grateful for whatever power that had allowed him to have a second chance in this world.