LiuJiu Week

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Liu Qingge/Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu, Original Liu Qingge/Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu Characters: Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu, Liu Qingge, Original Characters, Zhuzhi-lang Additional Tags: LiuJiuWeek2026, LiuJiu, Red string of Fate - with a twist, Shen Jiu’s fantastic self-esteem, Shen Jiu being brilliant, but also so very stupid, shifting pov’s, Liu Qingge is called Liu Mingyu here, (He is not named successor yet), Nor is Shen Jiu successor yet so he isn’t named Qingqiu either, Amnesia, Permanent Memory Loss, Reassessing one’s life, SJ leaves CQMS, Mentions of whipping and similar punishments but nothing happens on screen, Liu Qingge is stubborn, Shen Jiu is also very stubborn, Attempted Forced Marriage, Abduction, Ace/ace relationship, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Low/no libido ace, succubi, Succubi Poison, Marriage of Choice, Choices, Do not post to another site, do not feed to A.I, Not Canon Compliant with Cang Qiong Shan Ji | The Legend of Cang Qiong Mountain Summary:

Shen Jiu stares at the red thread of fate connecting him to the most brutish of all the brutes of Bai Zhan. What does this mean? Why is this happening? And who could ever think Shen Jiu would want to be tied to the noble brat of a brute for life?

Shen Jiu decides to…do something about it. This has consequences - consequences that leads to Shen Jiu leaving Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, and Liu Qingge going after him.

———————————————————————

They walk in silence.

The rain soaks their clothing, weighing them down as the ground is swallowed in a shallow river. The water washes away the last traces of their fight, droplets rippling along their skin and draining the last of Shen Qingqiu’s anger.

He doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to be this.

He doesn’t want to but there’s nothing he can do beyond walk, hand in hand, with the idiot he calls brute.

He calls shidi, sometimes.

He pulls Liu Qingge along the wide open streets. By this weather, no one will bother with them and that’s why he walks under the pouring rain.

He knows no one will pay attention.

But the cold has always seeped so easily into his veins, making his bones feel like shattered glass; brittle yet vain.

The path is long to the foot of the mountains and even longer along the staircase, the bridges and the forests. The rain never stops, the thunder brews under a thick veil of clouds above; the sun is dull and gray; it’s never enough to warm him anyway.

His hand is warm. Despite the cold, despite the rain. Of course, it would be. There’s nothing wrong with him, unlike with Shen Jiu.

It should hurt. Maybe it does. He’s not so sure anymore.

All he’s sure of is that warmth spreading from their intertwined fingers into his hand. Into his arm. Maybe further.

The only part of him that feels.

Shen Jiu walks in silence and his fingers tighten on that hand, somehow warmed by the sun as if they stood above the clouds. As if he too belonged there.

His fingers tighten too, and his thumb brushes almost fleeting across Shen Jiu’s knuckles.

They walk in silence, under the rain.

———————————————————————

‘’D-don’t approach!’’

Liu Qingge should have never trusted this conniving bastard! How is it that they ended up here even though he had sworn they would find a better place to rest!

The ladies of the pavilion regard him like young girls staring at stray puppies along the road. He is astonished he isn’t being thrown out but still! He cannot let them… entice his shixiong no matter if he decided now, out of all times, was appropriate!

They giggle and coo at him, apparently finding his baby face cute. It’s good. They’re too distracted to see the feeble body behind him; he could still make a run for the back door he just entered.

‘’Jiejie…’’ a soft whine escapes Shen Qingqiu’s mouth. Why would he take them here?! He— sounds in pain…

Something shifts within a few of the older looking ladies. One of them, tall and graceful like a weeping willow, frowns and gets closer. At the same time another one cocks her head to side before expressing shock and turning to whisper in a younger girl's ear.

He was going to run before she could get to him, but Liu Qingge stands surprised at the woman’s swift pace when she catches his arm to prevent his flight.

She sees Shen Qingqiu and gently takes his face that was pillowed on Liu Qingge’s shoulder, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

‘’Didi?’’

Didi??

Before Liu Qingge can understand, she has already brought her hand to his shixiong’s forehead, cheeks, neck and now she attempts to shove it down his clothes and that’s too much!!

‘’O-Oi!’’ The little war god shields his poor shixiong’s virtue with all his short might and glares fiercely at her; nevermind that the woman clearly knows Shen Qingqiu.

She looks at him with a cold indifference that reminds him of someone.

‘’Heavens, he’s burning! What happened to him?!’’ She still attempts to get his shixiong but Liu Qingge evades as best as he can, bristling like an angry wet kitten.

A few whispers erupt through the hall as the girls wonder what’s going on.

‘’Poor thing.’’

‘’Is it really Jiu-ge? He’s so tiny.’’

‘’Is that the guy that bothers him all the time? He has the same mole.’’

‘’And dumb face.’’

They all stare at him with barely disguised contempt while they talk. But an angry shout soon puts a complete stop to the gossips as another woman, older than the others but nevertheless beautiful, shoves past them.

‘’Out! all of you! Get back to work!’’

‘’But—‘’

‘’Nothing! You!’’ The madam points to one of the younger girls, ‘’Go prepare a bath!’’ The girl nods vigorously before rushing to complete her order, not wanting to anger this fury further.

‘’I want to help—‘’ the willowy woman says but is cut off immediately.

‘’Nonsense! You have things to attend to.’’

‘’I—‘’

A blade sharp look is enough to silence her. She gets up dejectedly from the floor and returns to her previous affairs, though not without taking a few concerned glances back.

Now, the intensity of those knife-like eyes is directed purely at Liu Qingge, who squirms underneath the gaze of a predator much stronger than him at the moment. The madam approaches, even faster than the other woman and effortlessly swipes Shen Qingqiu from Liu Qingge’s back. When he understands what’s happened, he’s powerless to do anything but protest.

‘’Don’t touch him!’’

With his shixiong in her arms, the madam had been distracted assessing his condition but now she pins Liu Qingge in place.

‘’What did you do to him?!’’

‘’Huh?!’’

Liu Qingge has never been good with sudden questions.

‘’Why are you two like this?! And why is he sick?!’’

‘’I uh—‘’ Instead of getting mad, he scrambles for an explanation. Maybe she can help them after all…

‘’We were on a mission and there was a mirror and…uh… we fought in the rain and we had to stay in a stable for the night and— where are you going?!’’

As he tried to explain the situation, the madam simply went. She started walking in the brisk steps of a woman who knows where she’s going, while Liu Qingge, with his short and tired legs, struggles to follow.

‘’Taking him to a proper room.’’

What?!

‘’What!’’

‘’Why are you following?!’’ She stops briefly. ‘’I won’t throw you out because at least you had the decency to bring him here instead of leaving him rotting in the rain. But I won’t allow you to do any more harm to him!’’

What??

‘’What?’’

‘’Are you an idiot?!’’ She yells before muttering, ‘’well, isn’t that just what A-Jiu said.’’ Then returns to her walk along the dimly lit corridors.

Incense mingles with the scent of the rain outside, permeating through the open windows. And the battering sound of thunder covers their footsteps.

Soon, she enters a brightly decorated room, barring him from entry.

———————————————————————

Mother used to tell him that when someone has a nightmare you have to talk to them; so your voice can guide their souls back to softer dreams.

-

In his slumber, Shen Qingqiu shivers.

At first, Liu Qingge had paid it little mind, deciding that it was good payback for fighting him and berating him and— and being annoying!

But then he remembered how sick Shen Qingqiu had been earlier. And now, settled on nothing but damp, half rotten straw, with his laboring breath and a body so frail it could break at any time, his most hated shixiong shivers, again.

Liu Qingge pouts.

‘’You should have taken my robe when I offered it to you.’’

He gets a bit closer, careful not to wake the man or he will get another earful of nonsense.

‘’You said you didn’t need it.’’ His frown deepens, ‘’Didn’t need me.’’

Almost nose to nose, he can hear the way Shen Qingqiu’s lungs whistle in an unnatural way.

‘’You’re so stubborn…’’

But when he finally touches him, intent on sharing his body heat, the proud and aloof Qing Jing peak lord whimpers; like the child he is right now. And used to be.

Liu Qingge’s heart lurches in his throat at the sound, as this abandoned lonely child’s body is wracked with increasingly violent shivers.

How many times had this happened before… he thinks.

How many times did Shen Qingqiu sleep outside in the cold with a fever or go multiple days without eating…

Never in his life has he been gentle with others but he does his best to take his shixiong in his arms. Somehow, Liu Qingge maneuvers him onto his torso, with his shixiong’s head settled right under his chin. Despite his first protest at being touched, Shen Qingqiu went willingly, as if someone had done this before.

In his slumber, Shen Qingqiu shivers.

And shivers.

And shivers.

The shivering doesn’t stop with the warmth shared between each other. From this close, Liu Qingge hears muffled cries of pain or terror. He doesn’t know. He’s afraid to know. He brings his hands around his shixiong’s back like he did before, trying to soothe him and thinks of something to say.

‘’I’m sorry…’’

He searches for something. Anything.

‘’I was wrong…’’

And searches for more, but nothing comes to what Shen Qingqiu would surely call his battle damaged mind.

Urgh! Words are stupid anyway! He wasn’t good at this when it was Mingyan, he’s not going to be good when it’s… him!

He will apologize properly when they’re out of this mess. For now, maybe, he should just recount one of his hunts.

In his slumber, Shen Qingqiu shivers, but for a different reason this time.

———————————————————————

Sat atop the short stone wall of a run down stable, sheltering from the pouring rain, ragged breathing breaks through the solemn rumbles of thunder.

The rapid rise and fall of his shixiong’s chest should truly be his only focus here. It’s his fault for being brash and fighting in the cold, as he always does when things concern Shen Qingqiu. All he should be concerned about is the burning heat ravaging his shixiong’s veins and the large sweat droplets rolling over his body.

And yet, he cannot help himself from burning up too at such close proximity with a man he thought he hated for so very long.

‘’This is all your fault.’’ His shixiong says before coughing once.

It is. And this is the price he pays for it.

‘’Mn… I’m sorry, shixiong…’’ he responds quietly. He feels shy after realising all this time he knew so little and behaved so arrogantly about it. Shen Qingqiu’s hair feels soft against his neck every time his shixiong moves, even minutely.

‘’What are you calling me shixiong for?!’’

Embarrassed, he doesn’t know how to explain. It just wouldn’t feel right after he learned so much, against Shen Qingqiu’s will, to continue disregarding propriety without a grudge.

‘’Shixiong got sick because of me, so I thought…’’ he trails off, doesn’t want to reveal any more.

At his lack of response, Shen Qingqiu glares from underneath his dark lashes. He is emaciated, empty handed and has the face of a ten year old but this look is one that has always made Liu Qingge’s heart stir in an incomprehensible way.

‘’That you’d finally learn to respect me?! Now?!—‘’ a violent coughing fit wracks his shixiong’s lungs and he topples over Liu Qingge’s chest, grasping his robes for support. Liu Qingge wraps his arms around the frail figure at a loss for what to do.

Without any cultivation, the best way to heal him would be medicine. But Liu Qingge has none and Shen Qingqiu refuses to try and find a doctor looking like this. He doesn’t understand why, but there are many things he doesn’t understand.

Instead, he rubs his shixiong’s back in what he hopes is a soothing way. Whether it be physically or emotionally.

‘’Shixiong shouldn’t scream. It’ll make it worse…’’

He decides, for now, that he will ignore the ridges and marks he feels under the thin fabric.

———————————————————————

‘’Fine! You’re better than me! You’re better than me at everything!’’ He screams at the top of his lungs. ‘’You’re better at fighting! People respect you! And you’re even better at being left alone in the streets! Are you happy?!’’

That horrid brute stops Shen Qingqiu’s fist as it swung for his face. Liu Qingge wasn’t content enough on pinning him in the cold mud but now has the audacity to look concerned about it.

‘’No! I’m not happy! Stop fighting me!’’

But Shen Qingqiu isn’t capable of reason anymore. Or maybe one should call him Xiao Jiu, it would be more accurate to what he is right now. After all, he only won fights before because of his tricks and because the others were exactly like him. Dirty, malnourished and weak. As he watches petty young master Liu in front of him, daring to have pity for the wretched creature he’s bullying into the dirt, violent anger bubbles up through him like a spring, and he thrashes in the young master’s grip, screaming.

‘’I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!’’

But all Liu Qingge sees in front of him is a hungry street child, upset at the world that abandoned him. And he doesn’t know what to do.

Well, there is one thing he knows how to do.

BONK!

‘’Ow! What is wrong with you?!’’ Shen Qingqiu finally stops struggling to clutch the spot where Liu Qingge head butted him. Without their cultivation the shock is enough to send both of them reeling in pain. ‘The horrid brute’ as it stands, is rather hard headed when he wants to be.

‘’I don’t want to fight anymore!’’ He blushes in embarrassment. Even to his own ears, Liu Qingge sounds like an idiot, considering his usual brash nature. ‘’Sorry I said all those mean things to you…’’

———————————————————————

The mirror is a foreign sight nestled in between the large red pillars; where dragons coil around their length and light dances from the glowing lanterns scattered within the room.

Wide, tall; with a decorative trim representing flowers and birds that he has never seen before; small quartz fragments, melted imperfections, that sparkle in the lamplight. And completely made of clear reflective glass.

It spreads a bone chilling cold to the touch, when Shen Qingqiu softly runs his knuckles along its surface. Nothing more than a feather-like touch, as he watches his reflection shimmer; trapped within the confines of this strange inverted world.

He hears Liu Qingge approach behind him.

And something changes. The lights flicker as the mirror’s surface ripples, like a drop of water disturbing an ancient pond.

He’s stricken by his image; didn’t expect to see it so very clearly. These are not visions one wishes to remember.

He takes a step back.

‘’Shen…Qingqiu?’’

Startled by the squeaking noise, he turns, horrified to see a distinctly baby-faced Liu Qingge staring right at him.

Fear cannot color his words anymore, so he always settles for anger instead.

‘’Y—You! Don’t get any closer!’’

———————————————————————

Cold whispers echo through the rain soaked street, as two children, one clean and the other dirtied, sneak along the food market path. No one is out to buy anything while the downpour rages; passerbys like merchants return to their houses. Even owners have left their stalls to warm themselves instead. Silence would reign without the pitter patter of water hitting the gray cobblestone. The rumble of low overhead thunder muffles voices like it does footsteps.

‘’You’re doing it wrong!’’

‘’Stealing is wrong!’’ Liu Qingge raises his voice, startling and angering Shen Qingqiu, as usual.

‘’And dying of hunger is good?!’’ The Qing Jing peak lord, now a scrawny child barely older than ten retorts. But without the pageantry he cloaks himself with, all left is exhausted hatred delivered through a harried voice.

Liu Qingge pouts, it would be menacing, if he were any taller than three apples.

‘’We’re not going to die if we skip a meal or two.’’

An acrid glare, followed by a flurry of complicated emotions now startle the brutish young master Liu instead.

‘’Maybe you won’t.’’

Shen Qingqiu doesn’t look back.

Thank you so much to the organisers for creating the fantastic prompts and everything!

Chapter 6: Take Two

A LiuJiu fanfic where both of them reincarnate in PIDW after their deaths.

For Liujiu week 2026

prompt : mistaken perception diptych

Desire, Unmasked