Beyond The Stars

Yue Qi, dragging blood covered seething feral teen Shen Jiu to the Peak Lords: "this is Xiao Jiu, he is my friend and he saved my life and killed a demonic cultivator. Can we keep him? Pretty please"

Qing Jing Peak Lord, deciding adopting a malnourished teenager he literally watched on magical cultivator television kill several disciples and then his own master, like that's not going to stab him in the back: "dibs, lmao, this'll be hilarious."

Writes the name Xiao Jiu (not Shen Jiu, it's important for the hilarity) in the book where the disciples names are recorded ...but not the characters for Little Nine. Because of homonyms. Instead the book reads his name as 晓咎 (Xiǎo Jiù).

This character for Xiao means the dawn/daybreak or to understand. The character for Jiu means to fault/blame, or Misfortune/Disaster. Poetically his new legal name can be translated to "Dawn of Disaster" or "To Understand Misfortune". Very in character. But why is this funny? Its funny my friends because of this.

Disciple, waving cheerfully: "Yo, Xiao Jiu! Are you heading to the library?"

(Intent, respectful: "Greetings, Ominous Harbinger of Doom! Shall we study?")

Shen Jiu, stops dead in his tracks, fan snaps shut and his eyes narrow into slits: "Kill yourself."

(What he heard, insulting: "Yo, Little Trainwreck! Off to read some books?")

And, because of this ...For the rest of his life he is referred to as Xiao-shixiong or Xiao-fengzhu. He has to keep a straight face as he's basically called a hot mess to his face all the time and because he's never certain if his sect mates are calling him little senior brother/or our little peak lord or not.

And it's all Yue Qi's fault. Forever. It does not matter if the qijiu misunderstanding gets cleared up because Shen Jiu is going to kill him for telling everyone his name is Xiao Jiu.

We barely know anything about Madagascar pre-500CE. We don’t even know whether the island had a permanent population before then, despite finding a bunch of much older signs of temporary human presence.

Malagasy mythology makes mention of the vazimba, a “precursor” ethnic group that might or might not be distinct from Madagascar’s current population.

The point is, we do not know.

So you were in Madagascar when the pyramids were being built in Egypt, i.e. during one of the most obscure, most undocumented parts of Madagascar’s human history?

Just a random bit of meta, but the Warm Red Pavilion isn't at the foot of Cang Qiong Mountain.

It's located in a remote town that is almost a half-day journey by sword. SY!Shen Qingqiu visits the brothel in (English) Volume 2, Chapter 12: Zhuzhi (web chapters 52-53) with Zhuzhi-lang, and he's recognized by one of the women there, who says that SY!Shen Qingqiu (currently in the mushroom body) looks familiar. When SY!Shen Qingqiu leaves the town, he has to rent an immortal sword to fly to Cang Qiong Mountain, and it takes him no more than half a day to reach (the foot of) the mountain.

The only other time the Warm Red Pavilion is mentioned is in Volume 4, (English) Chapter 24: Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu (web chapter 91). In Part 4, a Bai Zhan disciple traveled to a "small, remote town for a task," and he just happens to see SJ!Shen Qingqiu entering the brothel. After their confrontation--and after SJ!Shen Qingqiu beats the disciple--the disciple returns to Cang Qiong Mountain where he complains to Liu Qingge, who then flies to the town in order to confront SJ!Shen Qingqiu.

If SJ!Shen Qingqiu is visiting brothels at the foot of Cang Qiong, they're not the Warm Red Pavilion--because the Warm Red Pavilion is located away from Cang Qiong Mountain.

(It's possible the town is located between Huan Hua Palace and Cang Qiong Mountain, as Zhuzhi-lang carries SY!Shen Qingqiu to the town after rescuing him from Huan Hua Palace, and SY!Shen Qingqiu doesn't mention needing to cross Huan Hua territory on his flight from the town to Cang Qiong Mountain.)

I think it's especially interesting that SJ!Shen Qingqiu is traveling all the way to this remote town to sleep/relax in the Warm Red Pavilion, because it isn't just a short excursion. This is SJ!Shen Qingqiu choosing to take a nearly half-day journey each direction in order to sleep. It's possible that he's visiting multiple brothels depending on where he is (e.g., visiting Warm Red Pavilion when he's taking care of a task in that area, visiting a different brothel near the mountain when he's not out on a job). But if he's primarily visiting the Warm Red Pavilion, that says a lot about him, and his need for comfort from women, that he's taking a full day away from his duties and schedule solely for travel in order to sleep at a brothel where he can feel safe.

Also, the woman with the pipa recognizes SY!Shen Qingqiu, who is in the mushroom body. The pipa player must've seen and spent time with SJ!Shen Qingqiu quite a bit before the transmigration (~10 years before SY!Shen Qingqiu's visit) in order for her to see a guy who looks 30%-40% like SJ!Shen Qingqiu, and to think that it's SJ!Shen Qingqiu. The only other people who seen mushroom!SY!Shen Qingqiu and recognize him and his similarity to SJ!Shen Qingqiu are Luo Binghe and Zhuzhi-lang. So the pipa player must've known SJ!Shen Qingqiu quite well, which means SJ!Shen Qingqiu must've traveled there pretty regularly during his years on Cang Qiong Mountain.

By day Luo Binghe is human, but by night he's a demon. He's locked in a tower awaiting true love's kiss to break his curse

What he doesn't know is that the one who placed his curse was his scum fairy god mother!

Shen Yuan is reborn into said scum villain, and tries to change the story and avoid his fate of turning into bubbles!

Luo Binghe's tower is guarded by a fierce dragon, who is easily seduced by Shen Yuan's talking hamster companion

He frees Luo Binghe, and tries to bring him to the palace so he can kiss his true love and break his curse, and said true love is the palace mistress

She is shocked to see it in a miniaturized SQQ, but perhaps its a habit, an instinct, a reflex, to shift at least a little bit to better shield and hide whoever Reacts Like That. It was so quick and sudden!

Seeing/feeling the reaction to THAT. Little SJ calming slightly when he is better hidden from everyone else, or flinching when one of the Men try to peer around her, or start Shouting. Clinging less tightly when she steps back, herding him away from everyone else and closer to a wall perhaps, maybe leaning against her a little but breathing a little more calmly. Trembling even as he hides it desperately, she can still Feel it that close.

Yeah. All her hackles are up, Very Sus, but. She's not Stupid! Something is Very Very Off and she damn well wants to know What Is This Shit! What the fuck!

If nothing else, she's not gonna get answers by letting all these Stubborn Men crowd this petrified small being hiding behind her. Shoo! Back off!

Just asking his name would clue them in that at the very least he does not remember becoming Peak Lord, or even Head Disciple. Asking if he knows their names and not even getting their old personal ones puts it even further back.

But what would he even say to such questions when he only knows being a frightened young slave child? Only sees Fancy Masters around, asking him Questions, at least someone being Cranky/Mad/Hostile? The closest thing to servants present are Also Fancy! (Disciples) That doesn't help him figure out what's going on!

If QQQ asks, tho, he'd probably use very respectful lady-you-don't-know-but-is-Fancy sort of titles and such. Whether or not he feels safe, she's the safest person in the room, to him, so he's got the sense to automatically be nicer/polite. He's spitting mad at everyone else's existence right now, but being too vocal about that carelessly can get him Killed and he'd Know That.

If their Head Disciples are present or nearby, perhaps LMY has stepped closer already. For good or ill, that scrawny shrunken Peak Lord is clinging to her Shizun. Best be close to help in whichever direction this goes, hm? Having TWO jiejies essentially bracketing him? SJ is a bit wide eyed by now. Overwhelmed. This is Very Scary and A Lot!

Ofc, having LMY that close is gonna set off LQG even more. Man is NOT helping. Too cranky, too loud, too openly angy. But if anyone can tell him to Be Quieter and have it Work, its probably his baby sister. (Agreeing with his concerns or not, Gege is Not Helping!) Which. Earns some more wide eyed awe from baby SJ. Fancy Jiejies are maybe also Cranky BUT can and did make the Men back off and quiet down?! He'll put up with them being cranky and mean at him if they keep being so effective at keeping the Men away! He's scared and traumatized and a Survivor! Better sharp tongued cranky Jiejies than Men! Especially Fancy Masters!

Female servants, slaves, and even family members of Masters couldn't always do anything to help him, wouldn't risk it or even be Nice, but they generally didn't hurt him. So QQQ being harsh and cranky at first isn't entirely a shock or a dealbreaker, even if its less than thrilling. As long as she doesn't try to shove him back at the Men, even if she rips her skirts out of his hands and doesn't want him touching her... as long as she lets him stand with her between little SJ and the Masters he'll take it.

Keep his perspective in mind: last thing he remembers he’s a slave child and now he woke up surrounded by rich lords. He must’ve been sold! And he doesn’t remember anything in between so they probably drugged him for easier transportation; he’s seen often enough how people completely black out from various substances in the back alleys behind brothels and bars.

Not to mention, given his paranoia (which i believe was already present in his childhood at least to some extent given how vigilant and snappy he was from the very beginning), he probably tends to catastrophise.

Jiu was his slave number, Qingqiu must be what these people renamed him as a marker of their property.

Everyone is screaming, laughing, staring, babbling, pointing, all around him. Even for someone as smart as Shen Jiu, that kind of situation is entirely overwhelming and overstimulating. Especially for a child. He’s basically been teleported into an overstimulation torment nexus. The chaos doesn’t allow him to properly assess the situation. All he can see is that all these rich lords are ogling him like an object, like a toy.

For this part I feel like I’m not familiar enough with his character but i imagine he’d either bolt (and immediately regret it) since all his brain can compute in the moment is that he’s not safe or he’d shut down trying to process the onslaught of information.

Fight (of fight flight freeze or faun) may be his default response but those are levels of human stress response and this is a lot more than what he usually has to deal with. Again, overstimulation torment nexus.

Either way, whatever the men have to say is going in one ear and out the other, simply because it’s too much to process immediately.

Now back to Qi Qingqi; she could explain the situation to him but his (re)actions have peaked her interest and drawn her attention.

That little gremlin may be Shen fucking Qingqiu overall but right now he’s a perfect little window to her hated Shixiong‘s overly concealed past who also happens to spark mild concern of an all too familiar type. He’s clearly not comfortable with all the other Peak Lords so, as a dutiful sect sibling and the only viable option, she simply must step up and take him to stay on her peak for the time being as unbearably awful it may be! Mingyan play along. Besides, Shen Qingqiu is banned not Shen Jiu (I think? I don’t remember when he was banned but most probably past becoming peak lord so this should be correct).

Time for interrogation with quickly growing mixed feelings.

One scenario I’d find particularly interesting requires Shen Jiu to not have a clean cut off if his memories, it’s a bit messier. He’s lacking some memories he should have based on the age his body regressed to and he has some that should be in the future from his perspective.

Now, sexual violence happens extraordinarily often between romantic partners. Qi Qingqi has too often encountered girls who stayed in abusive situations far too long hoping their partner would change only for them to one day up and leave never to be seen again.

Shen Jiu, in his confusion, would keep mentioning „Qi-Ge“ and how they used to cuddle everyday. How it was very nice because of how much older and bigger „Qi-Ge“ was. Very unfortunate word choice à la ✨ miscommunication ✨.

Qi Qingqi doesn’t charge that his memory is all jumbled up. She’s asking leading questions trying to get at a specific topic, doesn’t know anything about his past to cross reference, and Shen Jiu is a very good lier quickly covering up any discrepancies in order to not get into trouble.

Qi Qingqi builds up a very specific image of that „Qi-Ge“ in her mind during her questioning.

And then Shen Jiu drops one „Xiao-Jiu“.

Aversion to touch,„Xiao-Jiu“ despite being told not to call him that 473 times and counting (she had a score board), expensive gifts, apologetic fake smiles, „I’m sorry“s, literal harassment with how often the sect leader stands on the other‘s doorstep, the brothels (hypersexuality as a coping mechanism in response to SA????), the list is looong.

I feel like he’d get quite sad for a good bit, having his decade long suspicions confirmed

Or

Since they barely interacted during all their time as sect siblings, he’d beat himself up over completely missing the signs—in part bc he’s used to mostly seeing this in girls.

Either way the cinnamon roll gets soggy.

Yue Qingyuan clearly having waited for Qi Qingqi to head to Qian Cao to immediately insert himself in the conversation including the healer really doesn’t help his case.

These tags by @bafflednpc we’re left on the rb ending in „What the hell is going on??“ but I believe they fit perfectly with the other two additions in between.

Imagine Qi Qingqi, Liu Qingge, and Mu Qingfan forming a Bean-Jiu protection squad. Yue Qingyuan is trying to find his xiao-jiu, they gotta work together and be faster than the sect leader!

binghe's content does a complete 180 after that, moving from michelin-level recipes to 'cooking on a budget' and 'time-friendly' meals. peerlesscucumber occasionally will send another picture of his poor, neglected fridge and ask for suggestions. luo binghe always fulfills his requests!

This just causes further confusion for the humans on "Why is going on?!"

Caine prefers his newer body