Shen Yuan is, of course, a sweetheart of a cat that is totally, entirely, wasted on that acerbic Peak Lord who named him.
That is, of course, until a demon attack on the sect includes the use of True Heart Vial Rose and shows exactly what Shen Yuan is thinking.
Which happens to be rampant and increasingly creative expletives as he hisses, batting fiercely at the downed demon.
"Fuck your mother!" the cat yeowls, scratching at the demon's eyes. "You dogshit, peh! Curse your family! Your ancestors and descendants should feel shame having you in their bloodline!"
He quickly changes gears as he runs over to Shen Qingqiu, rubbing against his legs. "Jiu-ge, Jiu-ge~ That thing is filthy! Hurry and salt this wretched corpse lest it spreads some sort of miasma!"
Shen Qingqiu is, of course, more than a little pleased to do exactly that.
Shen Yuan, it seems, is utterly unaware of the fact his thoughts are understood. It doesn't help that he doesn't actually understand much of human speech (yet), so even if he's understood, he can't do the same for them. And that means he's very honest about whatever he thinks at all times.
"Is this supposed to be a gift? It's crude. It's bloody. It's exactly the kind of thing that dogfight Bai Zhan Peak would consider a prized possession. Its liver should be impeccable for qi restoration, and its bones, once in a fine powder, can help heal meridians. It's a good gift. Jiu-ge should take it." It's that commentary over the large corpse sitting outside the bamboo house that A) helps Shen Qingqiu realize it's not a threat and B) realize who it came from.
Also, apparently the cat has some sort of instinctual knowledge of beasts like itself. How curious.
"Going out of their way to misunderstand. Hmmh. Don't mind them, Jiu-ge. They aren't worth the effort. A waste of space and breath, they are."
The Peak Lord can't help a little laugh as he agrees, watching the cultivators accosting him turned red in the face at being dismissed by a cat.
"Aiyah, what am I going to do with you..." He purrs softly as he helps Shen Qingqiu calm from another, increasingly infrequent qi deviation. "You can't keep getting hurt like this. If you can't stop, I guess this Yuan will have to watch over you for as long as I live."
If Shen Qingqiu starts looking into how to help a cat become a spiritual beast after that, well, that's no one else's business.
"Jiu-ge cultivated demonically first. Of course cultivating the spiritual way only will cause an imbalance! Qi is qi, none is good or evil on principle, just like people and demons. Jiu-ge should keep using demonic cultivation to balance his energies! Fuck Wu Yanzi, there's tons of demonic cultivators better than even those from 'righteous' sects!"
If Shen Qingqiu begins improving in leaps and bounds, well, that's also his own business.
By the time Luo Binghe arrives, Shen Qingqiu is much more settled in himself and doesn't bother spiting Liu Qingge by taking a promising, fluffy-looking child on the day to pick new disciples. Though, Shen Yuan starts trailing over to Bai Zhan to go stare at the child, and in turn, Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge end up spending more time around each other...gross.
"Aaa Jiu-ge, don't be so shy. You clearly brought that Thousand Silver Teardrop Tea to help Qingge-ge through his bottleneck. Why act like this, ah? You're so hopeless. I suppose this cat will have to keep you company forever. Haaah."
Well, there are times he mildly wished A'Yuan would shut up. But his thoughts do end up getting the other peak lords to relax more around him.
Liu Qingge, having heard the cat's thoughts time after time, starts talking to Shen Qingqiu and treating him better. Repulsive. Do it more.
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My name is DP, and this is an 18+ blog in that you might encounter some NSFW or explicit writing and a lot of gore/body horror/guts on the outside lovingly described from time to time.
I write for: Naruto, DC, ATLA, SPN, BNHA, BTS/kpop, Teen Wolf, SW (mostly prequel/EU/Clone Wars), GOT, and HR. I'm open to most things and the list will eventually expand. (Anything colored I actually have published. Everything else is in the drafts.)
If you'd like to ask me to alpha or beta, send me a DM and we can chat. Depending on what you're looking for and how long the fic is, I'm more than happy to consider it!
Published Works Under the Cut:
Spillover series - post-Kamino AU - WIP - 4/?
Things never couldâve stayed the same after Kamino. All Might didnât simply pass on his legacy; his retirement created an event horizon that neither Midoriya nor Bakugou could return from. This time, howeverâfor this point of no returnâthey have adults willing to intervene on their behalf.
[Or: A hospital visit changes things for the great.]
This is a series of one-shots that explores a bit more adult intervention without taking the characters out of the action. Very hurt/comfort, very Talking Through Your Shit.
Go Back On and Make Good series - Time Travel AU - WIP - 1/5
âDuty will ask all of you for everything, if only so that someone will give it. Pray to the gods that it isnât you and accept my pity if it is.
Because it is pitiful, and no one will let you forget it.â
(The real story of Kakashi Hatake is written down, sealed, and stored in its entirety at the back of the Hokageâs wartime bunker. Konohaâs Rokudaime becomes a figure of legend. No one knows their name, their face, or when they became Hokage, but no one else is allowed to hold the title. Rumor has it that they were a past Hokage brought back to life. They donât realize how right they are.)
Massive 5-part Naruto Peggy-Sue. I started this years ago and am still in the process of cleaning up the first fic so I can continue it. It's not dead, but it hasn't been updated in a while. I swear I will get there lmfao.
Heist Me Up - Canon Compliant? AU? idk - WIP - 1/?
It starts, like most of Ochakoâs better ideas do, as a bout of envious window shopping. Shouto would like to state for the record, though, that he was on board from the word go, and is always down to break the law. He just figured that he could help Ochako snag a few goodies along the way.
The Hero Commission stuff and the finding family stuff, well. Heâs still processing it. Ochako just laughs and ropes Izukuâs mom into filing the lawsuits because theyâre both nice like that.
Crack fics that explore a chaotic Ochako & Shouto brOTP.
How We Win the War - Modern Magic AU - WIP - 8/?
Namjoon lives in transition. Always in the now, the present that never looks back and never plans for tomorrow. Heâll do anyone a favor for a price and only comes up for air in the niches he scatters around the globe. He doesnât want a coven. He lives in-between and eyes forward.
[Or: Namjoon needs a new apothecary. The coven that runs it wonât seem to leave him alone.]
Inspired by Up We Go by Oh_Hey_Tae. (Definitely go read that.) This fic has entirely gotten away from me, and the hours spent on research hopefully doesn't go to waste.
To Steal Our Seoul - Modern AU - WIP - 1/?
Youâve heard success stories, youâve heard the tales of bright-eyed kids making it big on nothing but faith and ramen noodles, clutching a dream tighter than they ever did their sense. But do you have time for the failures? Time for the deep crevasse of those that slipped on the ice and fell through the mile-deep cracks?
Sometimes we need sacrificial lambs, not heroes.
State secrets arenât so secret anymore, and a handful of dreamers are going to get sucked in and never find their way back out. They canât let their Seoul die, not when it took so much blood to find it in the first place.
âBearing that in mind, the question which remains to us is this: what is humanity? What do we have to do to keep humanity as one thing and not another?ââHan Kang, âHuman Actsâ
Stand-alone fic for BTS/Mamamoo. Modern AU with a bit of a twist. Gets really political and fucky, though I've only got one chapter out right now. Also heavy on research.
Sworn and Razed - Anakin Has a Twin!AU - WIP - 1/?
Tatooine is where memory goes to die. The galaxy leaves junk in their sand to never be dug up again, including the bones of Outer Rim slaves. Her fatherâa man Mama has never talked aboutâhas no grave and no name, no stone or marked plot like the dead on real planets do. Lukka shears the flesh from bones when His sands rip across the horizon, the only vulture His winds.
Mama tells them early on how it is: your name is your memory, and youâre remembered as long as there are folks that still say it. Donât forget the names of the people you love; donât forget; donât forget; you wonât forget Mama, will you, Tan-Tan?
Zeynatan will have a grave even if itâs the last thing she does, even if she has to dig up a thousand tons of rock. Nobody will forget her name; theyâll have to write it into their history books and carve it into their marble statues.
Obi-Wan Kenobi left her in the desert to be forgot. Took her brother away from her. Surely hoped the twin suns would burn away her memory, her spite, her rage.
And Obi-Wan Kenobi will die for it.
Based on the tumblr post by @/wizardarchetypes's childhood OFC.
our duty, a killer - Canon Compliant - WIP - 1/2
Tim had a list. He made it after his first outing as Robin, when Two Face had Bruce and Dick, and Tim didnât know if he could save both. Heâd revised it over the years, changed his mind and reassessed the order, but one constant remained: Dick Grayson wasnât on it. Dick Grayson could not be lost.
Oh, what it is to be needed, how it is to love that which is not.
I read this post by @/diushek and I have been inspired.
EDIT: IT'S THIS POST BY @deikshen, their username changed!
Their post and mine aren't really all that related save for parts of the premise, but still, I'm thankful for the inspiration so I'd like them to get attention.
--
Shen Yuan as a spider demon(?).
In his last life, since he had a lot of free time, he, of course, dove headfirst into webnovels. But, he also grew up fixing his little sister's toys and had found out that he enjoys sewing. He was rather sickly, so it wasn't like he had much else to do.
So, he learned how to fix dolls, then design clothes for dolls. Then, he designed and made a dress for his meimei to wear for a school play, and he's spiraled out of control since.
He especially went wild while reading PIDW. Airplane was so neglectful while describing clothes, so of course, he had to design what he thought they would look like!! And, if it just so happened people would spend money to buy his outfits for their professional make and relative historical accuracy, sure!
Then PIDW ends terribly, Shen Yuan writes his last hate post, and he essentially dies from rage (his already weak heart couldn't beat properly in the end).
And the next time he's aware of himself, he's sitting neatly in the center of a well-woven web.
He can't see very well, but he can feel vibrations all over the place. He'd thought to put on his glasses, but couldn't seem to...put them on. Somehow, he knew they weren't around.
He also knows that he's quite terribly hungry.
So, he doesn't think twice when he feels a vibration in his web and he crawls over to a struggling creature. He can feel the qi coming from it, whatever it is. But that doesn't matter for now. It's just food.
And he's hungry.
So he injected his prey and began to slurp up the remains.
This continues for an indeterminate amount of time. Making webs, catching and consuming prey, moving to new areas when he decided the area was getting too crowded or was unsuitable. The more plants he finds, the more he appreciates the environment, and he tends to stick around them longer until he must move.
A little ticking clock in the back of his head seems to tell him he should be dead. That his life was extending beyond its usual limits.
However, that wasn't really something he cared too much about. Instead, if he wasn't trying to sate his deep, nearly endless hunger, there wasn't much else he cared to do. Not even the thought of reproducing enticed him.
Though, a part of him was bored. If he had something to read, that would be nice, but he had nothing. So, he'd just have to mull over a story he remembers from somewhere, a hateful little thing that, despite all its faults and failures, drags back into his mind once more.
At least playing around with plants helped a bit, moving the seeds and testing the soil with thin limbs and senses beyond anything a human has.
Some time later, he finds a little cavern with strong qi. He decides that would be nice to stay in since the plants around it are plentiful and full of energy, and he makes it his home. He connects the various webs he makes to his home web, able to feel the pull and location of each web to hunt, capture, and take it back to a much safer, more secure place.
He finds his mind becoming a bit clearer the longer he stays there. Eventually, he even finds that his eyesight is getting better as well. Although he was perfectly fine feeling through vibrations, the colors around him are quite interesting as well.
Eventually, one day, he feels something pull on one of his webs. As usual, he goes out to wrap it up. But, as he approaches his prey, it calls out to him.
"Wait! Wait! Please spare me!!"
Shen Yuan pauses. If he tries to focus his vision a bit...the form of this prey looks a bit human, doesn't it? Huh. When did humans get so small? He could've sworn they were bigger before.
"Please, I just... I just wanted the fruit!!"
The fruit...ah. Yes, he'd included a few nearby trees in his web at some point. Hadn't they just been little branches? Hm. Time sure does fly.
Shen Yuan focuses his blurry vision on the being in his web. Indeed, it seems to be human. A man, if he recalls...yes. A grown human male.
Humans... He thinks of them neutrally. Humans are not exclusively good or evil, but some tend to act more one way or another. In the end, they're just another animal trying to survive and live well.
However, that shouldn't come at the expense of stealing his fruit! He eats those because they're tasty! He brought the seeds with him when he moved from his last place and he planted them himself. They're his plants...his trees! No one else had the right to take from it.
Apparently, he lets some of this thought out, a whithery, faint hiss singing from between his fangs.
"Thieeeef..."
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please, let me go, and I won't come here ever again!"
Hmmh. Not likely. If a human came this far, then it was possible there was some sort of issue with their own food. Couldn't the humans tell that he owned this area? Well...he did hide his webs well so prey could fall into his traps.
Even so, he doesn't think there's a village or anything close to this place, so this human was likely desperate enough to come out and pursue the fruit from his trees to eat. What was more likely was that the human would wail about his presence and bring trouble back with him.
So, he had a few options.
1. Release the human foolishly and wait for them to encroach on his domain.
2. Eat the human, then wait to see if anyone would come looking for him. This would possibly lead to more problems.
3. Let the human take a fruit, to make them indebted to him...but he can't just do that out of kindness. Humans could try to take advantage of him, or maybe hunt him anyway.
4...
Equivalent exchange. Bartering. If he sets this up as something where he and the humans mutually benefit while keeping the humans indebted to him, perhaps they would be less likely to see him negatively. They would also maintain a healthy fear of him.
Goodness, he was coming up with such good ideas just from encountering a single human. Perhaps associating with them a little wouldn't be so bad.
"...Free you. Fruit...but. Paaaay..."
The man trembled in his web. It was getting rather difficult to resist eating him. Such squirming enticed his senses.
"P-Pay? Pay how??"
"...Stoooory."
The man stumbles and mutters, but eventually, he starts telling a story from his village. It's just some sort of child's tale.
Even so, it's not boring.
"Hmm... Poor quality..."
The man starts pleading again as he approaches, but his pleas quiet as he, instead of wrapping him up, starts untangling the human.
"The main character...no personalityyy. Milquetoast. The princess. Even more flat. No motivation. Cookie-cutter character. The bear. Foolish. No protective instiiiinct. Elementary. 2/10."
He ends his critique while placing a webbed bag of fruit in the man's hands.
"Begone."
The human obeys.
And just as Shen Yuan expected, that same web triggers just a few days later.
This time, it's a human female. She's not as tangled in the web as the man was, having stopped fighting as much early on.
She has two heartbeats, but is terribly thin. The human male had been quite thin as well. Why?
"Lord Spider, this lowly woman is sorry... Please, may this one...tell you a story?"
"Hmm..."
Shen Yuan settles down, curling his limbs close, and waits.
She tells a story that's better than the one the male told him. Her heart skips and jumps at points, especially when the main characterâa woman this timeâexperiences hardship. This is quite clearly a story close to her heart.
It's full off happiness and grief. A marriage collapsing from the death of her lover, and a family who refused to support her for being barren. She fights and fights and fights, and carves a place for herself. Just when she thinks she's found happiness, a tragedy strikes. A famine. And she, having exhausted everything she had, dies.
"Hmm... Interesting. Bold protagonist. Hardyyyy. Faces a dogfight world. Should ask for heeeelp. Husband. Tragic. Death too soooon. Loved the main character. Left her behind. Family. Cruuuuel. Mindless. Women are not jusssst for breeding.
"Hmm. 7/10. Too sad, realistic still."
He adds some grasses with wisps of qi coming from it to her bundle.
"What is this?" she asks.
"For the baaaaaby."
She seems to startle at that, though he's not sure why.
"...Thanking Lord Spider."
She leaves before he has to tell her to go.
...
After that, humans become a regular enough visitor that he leaves a string with leaves on the end for them to call for him. Surely, they're stuck getting caught in his webs. More importantly, he's tired of having to rearrange them every time. They really leave his webs a tangled mess.
As the season warms further, they come with more stories. Many are quite terrible and not worth his time. He gives them fruit regardless, because at least they have staved off his boredom.
They've decided on calling him Lulin Zhizhu (çťżćäšä¸ť - lÇlĂn zhÄŤ zhÇ - Lord of the Green Forest). Or, simply, Zhizhu.
Apparently, his webs were keeping the villagers safe? The food he'd been catching had a taste for human flesh (not that he didn't, but still), so by eating, he had been helping them without intending to. That apparently made him more reverent to them, and they put more effort into their stories based on how he rated them.
Fan Zhenzhen (ččč - FĂ n ZhÄnzhÄn), the second human who told him a story, quickly became one of his favorites. She told the best stories, real ones, that brought back emotions he felt had been taken over by instinct for a long while. He wouldn't say he treated her better, but he did make sure to cultivate more of the grass for the child growing within her.
The humans steadily grew stronger and meatier...perhaps tastier, but he'd lose his stories if he ate them. Eventually, whatever blight affected their village abated a bit, and they could once again start growing their own food.
Instead of abandoning him, they brought him some of the food as an offering.
"Hmm...famine," he murmured, his way of speech having improved from socializing. "The sickness. Still in the fields."
"Sickness?" a farmer asked.
"Yes. The plants, victim to illness. They will not grow well." He leaves for a moment to get something. It seems they learned his habits, as they're still waiting when he returns. He drops another plant he cultivated within the realm of his webs. "Crush these. Spread them. The fields and the water."
The farmer and his offspring bow low to the ground. "Thanking Zhizhu for his wisdom!"
The offerings they bring after that show markable improvement, and the name they gave him sticks even harder.
Of course, they continue to tell him stories, as that's the most important thing they can give him. He becomes quite settled with hearing them speak and starts to absentmindedly weave little things related to the stories they tell him.
At this, Fan Zhenzhen approaches with another idea, her stomach rounding out with child.
"Zhizhu, this lowly one apologizes for being impertent. As the days grow colder, this feeble woman fears the chill of winter more than the hunger of famine. For her next story, may she instead receive some of your silk?"
"Silk...for clothes."
"Yes, if this lowly one may ask of Zhizhu."
"Hmm... Tell the story."
So she does. As with the others, it too delves into the life of the main character, who is now a powerful figure in her village for her ability to weave. Her weaving helped the villagers trust the nearby forest god, who was frightening but gracious, wild yet magnanimous. She talks about how the character was once sold by her family to be a maid elsewhere, and how she's learned to survive and come up to her current position.
As she does, Shen Yuan eyes her. The vibrations from her voice gives him a good view of her body and shape. He unconsciously, mindlessly, weaves a coat for her.
It's thin. Surely not enough to stave off winter's chill. So, when she finishes and he gives his rating, he gives her both the thread she requested and the thin coat.
It is, according to her, magnificently beautiful. In turn, Shen Yuan can't help but feel a little puff of pride in his abdomen.
Cale, through some failure of magical shenanigans, becoming half cat. Like, cat ears and tail, but not actually a cat beastkin.
It was supposed to turn him completely into an animal and reduce him into nothing but a mindless creature, but bro is so full of ancient powers and stuff, that wasn't gonna work. It wasn't fully ineffective though, so now he's a catboy (catman?) for a bit.
At first, they don't really notice much of a difference between his usual self and his current part cat self. He looks as haughty as ever, with the fluff of fur where his human ears were leading up to the large red ones on his head that looked, frankly, quite majestic alongside his long-furred tail. His ears and tail twitch and shift outside his control, showing his emotions much more than his expression ever would, but otherwise, there's not much more to say than that.
Except, they start actually looking at what his cat parts are saying.
For one, even when he is lounging lazily, his ears are almost always pointed in their direction. He's very often paying attention to them or at least using their voices as background ambience.
His tail swishes calmly whenever he's listening to them. Especially the children. It shows that he's not just attentive, but very content, even enjoying himself.
He doesn't suddenly get more fastidious about himself getting wet or dirty or anything, but he does start brushing up against people.
It appears to be an utterly unconscious move on his part when he first does it, pushing against Choi Han for a moment before moving past him. On and Hong immediately stiffen, eyes wide, and Ron also raises a brow, though the others don't catch on yet.
On briefly tests her theory, walking up to him and leaning against him in her human form while he's talking to Rosalyn. Without batting an eye, a long red tail brushes around her and he rubs her head, easily leaving his scent on her just as easily as she's left hers on him.
Then, as though to punctuate their discussion, he leaves his conversation with Rosalyn off with a parting flick of his tail around her leg and a light brush past her as he walks in the opposite direction. Not enough to shove but enough to put his weight lightly against her. It would've been odd had Rosalyn not had the context On so kindly and silently provided, leaving the witch feeling very much chuffed instead.
(This was also a surprise to Alberu, who ended up with Cale deciding that his head looked like a great place to put his own. Which is exactly what he did when looking at a paper the prince was about to show him, the redhead basically draping himself all over his back.
"Dongsaeng."
"Yes, your highness?"
"Pray tell, what are you doing?"
"Reading."
"Does that require you to use your beloved hyung as furniture?"
"No, it does not."
Cale didn't move for another five minutes.
Alberu didn't have him move despite his complaint.)
Even Ron gets the treatment.
It's cautious, as the man always is with the assassin. And he's never been particularly touchy with him or Beacrox. And yet, Cale finds himself holding something being handed to him a touch too long, his wrist able to rub against the Molans in a way that seems to calm him, judging by the little satisfied narrowing of his eyes when he does it. Cautious and tentative, but still wanting to do it. The Molan patriarch and his son notice it. Neither say anything. But, if Ron adds a little honey into the lemon tea the next time he makes it, well, that's neither here nor there, is it?
...
Also, Cale purrs easily. It doesn't take much for him to feel happy or pleased.
He's embarrassed by it, but Cale grows to just deal with his overactive motor.
One trigger is Beacrox's food. He likes tasty food, after all. Just a whiff of its scent has him purring in anticipation of the taste, especially if it's meat (cats being obligate carnivores has indeed increased his meat intake).
Another is when the kids are talking to or around him. Watching them having fun, enjoying life. Sometimes, they'll just be yappin, and all of a suddenâprrrrrr. They'll look over and see Cale covering his face with his hand.
Since this is now the third post of Spider Shen Yuan, I'll make a masterpost for it. It'll be linked at the end.
Also, fun fact I just found out, but the word for spider in Chinese is čč (ZhÄŤ zhĹŤ), and, as you know, Shen Yuan's title (given to him) is Lulin Zhizhu (çťżćäšä¸ť - lÇlĂn zhÄŤ zhÇ - Lord of the Green Forest).
And, like, I know they're two different words because zhĹŤ and zhÇ aren't the same. But also, I chose to use ZhÄŤzhÇ because it's close to Shizun (ĺ¸ĺ° - ShÄŤ zĹŤn), both of which mean master, though Shizun is teacher-master and Zhizhu is lord-master, the latter of which, when using a different word, is also Zhizhu (spider).
FUCK I'm good. Coincidences are on my side on this one.
...Also, if they were to mispronounce his title, he could also be Pearl/Bead of the Green Forest (çś ćäšç - LĂšlĂn ZhÄŤzhĹŤ), which I think is cute.
---
The demoness does not take kindly to one of her guards being killed.
In retaliation, she demands that the demon guards use their full power to capture and imprison him.
However, Shen Yuan has not been living and growing for...who knows how many years...without preparing for eventually finding himself in a battle with more intelligent beings than the typical monster.
Using his legs as toothpicks, he stabs each little morsel she sends his way, setting some aside as his little minion spiders wrapped them up to eat later and eating others immediately.
His carapace is quite strong, and his eyes, though lidless, aren't mere weak points some game character could mash until he was destroyed. He has near 360 degree vision with almost blind spots unless he just really isn't paying attention. And since he's paying attention, he makes sure that, even if they haven't hit him yet, he sprays webs to disable the more spiritually-inclined demons staying further back.
When a stronger one approaches, he scuttles out of range, large but extremely mobile. After all, he's covered his entire neck of the woods in his webs, whether visible or nearly imperceivable to the naked human (or demon) eye.
He started as an orb weaver, but over the years, he's adapted to different styles of webs. It's a requirement of the strong to adapt to their surroundings, after all.
Eventually, most of the guards are reduced to little web-covered bags, wriggling futilely to escape, and the demoness, with a few remaining soldiers, cowers as her continued orders start to sputter out.
With a few calculated maneuvers, he causes the presence of the humans to slip from their minds, eventually concealing them in a corner with protective webs. So, even if it occurred to any of them to attempt to use human hostages, they were now out of sight. And taking their eyes off the very real threat in front of them was incredibly unwise, anyway.
Webs thicken. Bodies hang in strong, thick, grey sacks. Little spiders with even smaller legs team together, following under a single spider's orders.
Shen Yuan strategically spins something between a funnel and a sheet web, trapping the remaining demons within. Fire-retardant as his webs are, even trying to burn them proves futile.
The demoness, her guard captain, and the last three demon guards watch in visible terror, squirming deliciously. He's used quite a bit of silk, so he's feeling hungry. Watching them twitch tickles a little part in his brain that says he should bundle them up, nice and tight...
Would he eat them now? Or, perhaps, he should save them for later. Little morsels, qi and blood thrumming through their veins, physical and spiritual.
He lowers himself into the funnel he made, his limbs stretching out, reaching for them.
Surely, they will beâ
"...T...There once was a demon..."
Shen Yuan stops suddenly, his legs twitching.
The guard general clears his throat.
"There once was a demon, long ago, who fell in love with a human. A cultivator."
Oh. A story.
Yes.
Yes, Shen Yuan likes stories.
Clearing the hungering fog from his mind, he pulls back, limbs curling in as he watches intently. Listening.
The demon general tells the story of the ill-fated demon and their love for a cultivator. By all intents and purposes, it seemed it was destined to be one-sided.
However, when the cultivator discovers the demon, it turns out she recognizes him. The demon in the story had once saved the human cultivator, and, desiring power, she pursued cultivation so she could stand side-by-side with the demon one day.
They spent many centuries together. But then, the cultivator was made into a god. Drawn up to the celestial realm, the cultivator left the demon behind, and the demon cried out in anguish.
Hatred stewed in the demon's heart over the cultivator's broken promise, and he shot up toward the heavens, ripping into the celestial realm, even as the spiritual qi poisoned him. He ripped and tore through heavenly beings and gods alike, finally coming face-to-face with the goddess that abandoned him.
However, the demon, who still loved the goddess despite it all, could not bring himself to kill her. So, he jumped down from the celestial realm, returning to the demon realm.
Having spent so much time killing gods and spiritual creatures, he was forever altered by the experience. Spiritual qi polluted his body, but he adapted to it, having spent so much time with the cultivator and learning her ways. Determined to not die from qi poisoning, he circulated the spiritual qi and demonic qi, meshing them until it became his own.
Thus, he became the first Heavenly Demon. A demon not even the gods could deny.
That phrase...ah.
Ah, yes. He's heard that term before. From the story he couldn't forget.
Something about this story, about the origin of heavenly demons, didn't sound quite right. A little nigging at the back of his mind. But now wasn't the time to ponder on that too much.
"Hmm... A very interesting story. Of promises broken and power gained. From where did you hear such a tale?"
"My...mother. Used to tell this one of the story," the general stiltedly replies.
"Is it accurate?"
"As far as he knows."
"Very good. This spider very much liked it."
He crawls up higher and begins tearing into the makeshift funnel. Other smaller spiders also begin to tear it apart, unraveling it enough in one spot that something of a door split open in the thick weaving.
"He shall let this group of demons go as thanks for the quality and depth of the story."
But, as the guard captain begins to bow, the little demon princess speaks up, her voice shaking.
"Wait! You! You said you'd make a dress for Li-er!"
Shen Yuan tilts his body, much like one would tilt their head.
"The miss seems to misunderstand. This spider has decided to show her and the remainder of her entourage grace for the quality of the story told to him. However, the story was not only told by the guard captain, but it served as repayment. The story was an expense owed, not one given in return for something else."
He lowers himself closer to the ground, hanging lazily by a single gleaming thread, what little wounds he had already closed and scarred over. The other spiders move around, once again revealing the sky, which has grown naturally dark. The moonlight shines off his round, focused eyes.
"The miss told a story when she arrived. A hateful little tale. About how I, the one recognized as lord of the forest he helped grow, had committed a slight against a nameless little demoness for bestowing gifts upon those who asked for them appropriately. This little miss threatened me, in my domain, with slavery and servitude, to be treated as little more than a slavering beast good only for the produce of its body."
His fangs flex, and she steps back.
"And so, this spider was slighted. Severely. And in return, this spider began to take. And take. And take some more. To take what was owed to me, with due interest."
The withered body of Shen Yuan's first victim lies crumpled on the ground.
"This spider was merely rectifying your sin."
The guard captain extends an arm in front of the lady, but he keeps his gaze low, not daring to look him directly in the eyes.
"...But this guard was wise. He paid this spider with a marvelous story that appeased this one very much. And so, not only has this one decided to let him live, but he's decided to let the little miss and the rest of her guards live as well. A steal, one could say. Five, for the price of one."
He chuckles, light, airy, and rumbling all the same.
"Tell this lord, guard captain. Has this one not been quite magnanimous?"
The captain swallowed thickly, then he lowered himself to one knee. The remaining guards, the ones not bleeding out or cocooned, swiftly followed suit, smelling deliciously of tears, sweat, fear, and salt.
"The Great Spider has been most gracious to us. We thank him for his mercy."
"See," Shen Yuan says, fangs flexing in a poor mockery of a smile. "He understands well."
The little demon princess looks around her, seeming to finally get out of her head and understand what she was dealing with. Her fingers then clutch into her dress, nearly ripping it with her nails... But she slowly lets go, then tucks her hands into her sleeves as she gives a slight bow.
"...Li-er...understands. Thanking this...the Great Spider...for his guidance."
"Hmmh."
Shen Yuan starts losing interest quite quickly. Ruoxing and Miyun are still hiding behind the web he made for them, and with it being dark, they need to head home soon. It's past time to wrap this up.
"This one is a bit surprised this has all turned out the way it has. No demon has been so disrespectful toward me in quite some time. Though, this one supposes, if he knows not your name or title, he shan't expect you to know his. But worry not, worry not. Tis now water under the bridge.
"Though, it is quite late now... Since you no longer owe this spider your lives, perhaps we can barter on much better terms now."
"What would you ask of us, Great Spider?" the guard captain asks.
"The humans you brought with you. Return them to their village. They've garnered this spider's favor, so he shan't tolerate any harm coming to them. This forest can be quite thick and treacherous at night."
"And...in return?"
"The miss shall have her dress."
See? Isn't he so kind?
Miyun won't have to go back home, being led by spiders she's clearly terrified of judging by how she's kept her eyes quite firmly shut for the last few minutes. Ruoxing can show his superiority by helping her get home, even after being attacked by demons. And the little demon princess can have the dress she wanted! Everyone ends up happy.
"...How long should we wait for the dress, if this lowly one may ask?"
"Oh, it should be done by the time you return tonight. This spider wouldn't imagine you all being welcome to rest amongst the humans after such a debacle."
The guard captain doesn't reply, instead looking toward the demon princess. She purses her lips, but eventually, she responds.
"Then, Li-er shall guide the humans home and return. Does the Great Spider need this one's measurements?"
"No. This one has had quite enough time looking at you to acquire them."
Her lip twitch as some indignation returns to her expression. "Should Li-er take this as an expression of lechery?"
"Not at all. Doesn't the young miss also marvel at her food before consuming it?"
As though remembering she was, indeed, almost eaten, she finally shuts right up.
--
The demons do, indeed, return Miyun and Ruoxing home without incident. Perhaps it was because he had his little helpers trail them the entire time, waiting for even a single slip-up or twitch toward taking their anger out on them. Thankfully, they've lost enough lives that day and don't intend to lose any more.
When they return, as promised, Shen Yuan presents the demon princess with a qixiong ruqun, using yellow and other pastels to complement her pink skin (he's been getting into dyes more recently, and he has the fruit to do it). She is immediately enamored by it, but her gaze trails to the webs and the splatters of blood on the ground, and any overt excitement is immediately quenched.
Shen Yuan doesn't feel bad for her, not really. He does feel some sympathy, but lacks any empathy for her situation. If she'd simply come and told a story for her dress, no blood would've had to been spilled, and no lives would've had to be lost.
The dress, which could've simply been paid for with a story, was paid for in blood that wasn't her own. And she would have to face any ire from demons whose family members failed to return due to her own foolishness.
After showing them to the other route, the one that doesn't pass by the village (the one where he's greeted the occasional passing demon), he sends them on their way.
He doesn't expect to see them again, but the little demon princess comes back to commission more clothing, approaching the demon route entrance to his general domain. And this time, she comes with stories.
He comes to learn her name, Xu Meili (莸 çžä¸˝ - XÇ MÄilĂŹ). She's the fourth daughter of some demon general serving a higher lord, but she's basically the equivalent of some human noble, not that Shen Yuan would say that.
Apparently, upon seeing him, they were under the impression he really was just some beast, unaware he was Lulin Zhizhu.
Demons were generally seen as more respectable if they had a more bipedal, humanoid appearance. After all, many weaker demons would cultivate for centuries just to acquire a human form, from huli jing to demonic plants. The fact Shen Yuan still wore a quite monstrous appearance would fool most supposedly decent demons into thinking him a mindless creature.
It also didn't help that, although Lulin Zhizhu was known in little whispers around certain demon communities, for him to be worshiped as a god by humans, they thought he would surely have a human form.
Though, as Xu Meili explained with trepidation, she wasn't using that as an excuse, but merely explaining what she'd thought. That, Shen Yuan could appreciate. As long as she learned her lesson and didn't waste anyone else's lives with her misunderstandings.
Speaking with her, the demon guard general, and other visiting demons helped him immensely. Their stories, while often more bloody and teeming with resentment, were just as pleasing, if not sometimes more so. When he was in a particularly vindictive mood, a demon's story often settled better than something lighter, more forgiving, and human.
He also gained better insight into demon culture... And the fact demons weren't exactly sure how to categorize him. His qi wasn't exactly spiritual, but it wasn't exactly demonic either. In fact, it was that strange mixture of qi that led the demon guard captain to tell the story about heavenly demons.
He was under the impression the spider perhaps was one.
Unsure whether to confirm or deny, Shen Yuan didn't do either. After all, he was pretty sure he wasn't a heavenly demon, but honestly? He didn't know.
So, he'd let the rumor mill roll on that one. Not that he left his forest anyway. Never really saw a reason to get out much when the spiritual and demonic beasts trailing through the forest were plenty enough to fill his stomach. He also had visiting villagers and demons to sate his desire for knowledge. Being a homebody suited him just fine.
--
Han Miyun (éŠ čéŤ - HĂĄn MĂŹyĂšn) couldn't quite shake her fear of spiders, so she didn't come back to see him. That being said, it wasn't as though she wasn't grateful. Ruoxing came to visit several times after, seeming even more chummy with Shen Yuan than before, carrying baskets full of mantou and a scroll with a story she wanted to tell him.
When he asked what she wanted of him, Ruoxing said she wanted nothing, and it was simply a gift.
Feeling uncomfortable receiving something without giving in return, he sent Ruoxing back with fruit and qi-infused grass.
This apparently set off a give-a-thon, as Ruoxing swiftly became a willing pack mule between Miyun and Shen Yuan.
"You know, Zhizhu, perhaps you could come out of the forest and visit," Ruoxing hums one day.
Although Shen Yuan's cephalothorax doesn't lend well to expressions, apparently, he had a *look* in his eyes that made the young man fall over laughing.
"You don't have to reject it so strongly! I understand, I understand!"
"This one didn't say anything."
"Forgive me for being impudent, but, Zhizhu, you looked like a cat facing the sea just now."
Listen, it wasn't that Shen Yuan hated the idea of leaving the forest, okay? He simply liked where he was, surrounded by little spider servants that benefited from the fruits of his prior labor and served him in return. He had food, shelter, and visitors. What more could he want?
Traveling to new places...did kinda sound nice But then who would be there to exchange food for storieeessss the spiders could do that. They could. The little ones could possibly take written works and exchange them for other items, like silk, clothes, leather, or whatever else was available.
But still, he could've very well trudge around in his big spider body. That was just begging for every cultivator under the Sun to try to exorcise him or something. He'd have to cultivate a humanoid form. And he...
Did not...really want to?
Mmh.
For some reason, whenever he thinks of a humanoid body... More accurately, of himself within a humanoid body, he thinks of a compressed chest. Of weak limbs. Of heavy breathing, white walls, and monotonous beeping.
He thinks of breaking out in rashes from poor air conditions. Of laying on the floor in a porcelain room, trying to absorb the coolness to combat the heat ravaging his body. Of using some sort of device to support a weakened left leg because his heart wouldn't work right...
Yes. A humanoid body would surely be uncomfortable.
If that meant he had to stay right where he was, so be it.
--
Time passes like that, with demons becoming more frequent visitors on their side and the humans doing what they've always done.
The spiders, although still smaller and with lesser power than he has, seem to be developing more thoughts of their own. Although utterly loyal to him, they also begin acting on their on imperative if he hasn't given them any orders.
One of his older servants, a jumping spider, seemed to take on something of a managerial role. After molting several times, growing larger, and gaining more intelligence, she began collecting stories and making exchanges based on previous examples of his habits.
As it turned out, she had developed a demon core already? Well, it wasn't quite a demon core. She had mostly spiritual qi instead of demonic qi, so she was more suitable for communing with humans.
It seemed that, due to the very instinctual drives they had, coupled with typically being reviled by humans, developing to such an extent was a rarity (of course, that meant Shen Yuan was an outright cryptid).
Through some quiet understanding between them, Shen Yuan ended up naming her. She seemed to accept the name Zhuzi (ç ĺ - ZhĹŤzÇ - Little Pearl) well enough.
She's rather helpful, especially when someone arrives with a story but he's already occupied with someone else. It doesn't happen often, but with both humans and demons now associating with him more frequently, as infrequently as that can be, having someone else help does wonders.
Fan Zhenzhen visits from time to time, sometimes to tell stories, other times to simply be around him. Sometimes, she'll ask questions about a plant, animal, or some other thing she's seen or heard of.
Of course, Shen Yuan doesn't mind simply sharing knowledge. With all the fantastical creatures in the world, he's quite charmed by them, so talking about them is time well spent. Especially for someone like him, who is simply a spider and doesn't have a job.
As she grows older, she comes to visit a bit less. A little disheartening, yes, but he understands. It makes the times he does see her all the more meaningful.
Fan Ruoxing grows older, and eventually, he marries Han Miyun. He arrives the day before his wedding and gives him a cup of sweetened black tea. It's so small, it's barely anything to him. It tastes fantastic regardless. Shen Yuan sends him off with a wedding gift basket of fresh vegetables, spices, and a poncho shawl to match Miyun's.
On the day-of, Shen Yuan sits in his cave, feeling a bit unsettled.
It's not like he really wants to be down in the village. He likes his quiet, relative solitude. Moreover, what human would want a huge spider at their wedding with their arachnophobic wife? He'd be nothing but a disturbance.
Zhuzi, who ventured out with her smaller, less conspicuous body, watched the wedding from the nearby tree line. He silently gave her more Thrice-Bloomed Yuzu after she relayed the festivities to him.
She did the same thing when Fan Ruoxing's first daughter came into the world.
100 days later, he, Miyun, and Meixiu (çžĺŽż - MÄixiĂš) came to visit, although Miyun was never once able to look up. Even still, after telling him a story, Shen Yuan blesses their child, hoping that her life is as bright and plentiful as the 'beautiful constellations' in the night sky.
He also gives them some of the same yuzu he would give Zhuzi, though he directs them to dilute it. After all, it's very qi-rich and could be a bit much for her developing spiritual veins. Fan Meixiu had the spiritual strength and potential to become a cultivator, after all.
A year and a few months later, and they visit with their second and third children, twins. Qinglian (č˝ťč˛ - QÄŤngliĂĄn) and Jiahao (厜蹪 - JiÄhĂĄo) didn't quite have the same spiritual potential, but Shen Yuan wished they would lead meaningful, fruitful lives nevertheless.
With more mouths to feed and more care to give, visits to him become less frequent. Again, quite disappointing, but to be expected.
The same goes for the little demon princess, Xu Meili. Some demon politics and intrigue take up more of her time, and despite being one of nine children, the fourth daughter, eighth out of the nine, she was the one who apparently found the most auspicious husband. This was, according to her, partially due to her many spider silk clothes.
Since she was going quite far away to be with her husband, future correspondence would dwindle. But she does, in that rough tone of hers that she could never quite get rid of, tell him that he would be welcome if he ever decided to step out of his "resplendent hovel".
And so, for the first time in years, Shen Yuan finds himself without his typical visitors.
And he feels alone.
...hmmh.
Maybe cultivating a humanoid body wouldn't be the worst thing to do.
----
For future parts, see the Masterpost (´â˝`ĘâĄĆŞ)
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THE WORLD SHAN'T STOP ME, tho do excuse me if some of the stuff seems short. I got tired of writing some parts over again lol.
Spider Shen Yuan, aka, continued creaturfication of the twink.
--
More people ask for silk so they can use it for repairing clothes, making rope, and other necessities. It's stronger than iron and softer than a silkworm's well-treated cocoon. They use it for rope, integrate it into their utilities, everything. And it's such an iridescent color, very enchanting to look at.
Considering the thick forest and the mist that flows through it, perhaps someone could mistake them as a village visited by a god responsible for clouds, capturing rays of light and stringing them into form for their favored worshipers.
But, well, no. It was a spider.
A spider that, despite the agreement and the comfort many people came to have with him, they never quite forgot that he was a beast. Of course, that was well and good enough. Their relationship was built on mutual respect with some reverence built in.
Fan Zhenzhen's relationship with him was much closer to that of a devout follower, it seems.
That was the only way he could explain her standing in the snow of winter, bundled warmly in fur coats and thick boots, her cheeks pink from the chill as she held her infant.
"He is Ruoxing. 'Like a star.' Because of Zhizhu and your blessings, he was born safely."
(čĽć - Ruò XÄŤng)
Shen Yuan's largest two eyes focus intently on the child, who coos and gurgles, unable to move in his warm swaddle. He smells like milk, and looking at him evokes memories of a life he perhaps had begun to forget. If he'd been a little girl...
"Zhizhu, this lowly woman has a request. As payment for today's story, please bless this little boy, that he may have a good fate."
"...Mm. Commence."
This time, Zhenzhen tells a story about her husband, the man she'd lost just a few months before. She talks about how they met in their old village, he being a known playboy and she being a stalwart visitor.
It was through communication and budding love that he decided to marry her. But his family didn't approve. While he wasn't exceedingly rich, he wasn't a commoner either. His family was relatively affluent, and his marriage to her was seen as a slight, like someone trying to pull themselves out the mud by hugging someone else's thighs (not the term she used, but it felt right to think of it that way). This disdain toward her only became stronger when she failed more than once to have a child.
But her husband loved her. Defended her for as long as he could, even after they cut him off from his wealth, sabotaging his business and saying they would only return his earnings if they divorced. He was stubborn, though, and refused. He even began doing hard labor to try to feed the family, eager to make a living.
It was during that hard labor that a bull went awry. He was gored in the stomach by its horns, and he was made bedridden. He suffered in pain, but he tried to recover for his wife. They spent his last days cuddled in his bed when she was home from work. One morning, she woke up, and he was gone.
But, he hadn't left without leaving her a gift. A little star in her stomach.
...Having gained the ability to speak more clearly, Shen Yuan murmurs his dissatisfaction with her family. Whispers little curses, that they would never know peace for what they did.
But he turns his words around upon the request for a blessing.
This isn't just a story to critique. There's a little boy here, and she wants him to bless him.
He's just a spider, however. How could he do something like bless someone? Even so, her story had been genuine, full-hearted, and overall, not yet a tragedy. If this boy lived well, she said, she would consider her life and success.
In the face of that, he must repay her for the tale she told.
"...Burn brightly, little star. Stay true to your path, young stallion. May you weave a tale that blesses those who bless you, and curses those who curse you. Be firm, and be kind."
He gives her a little woven blanket for the child, and Fan Zhenzhen, with tears in her eyes, bows as low as she can manage with the babe in her arms.
As she leaves, Shen Yuan wonders how he knew the boy was born during a Fire Horse year.
...
Winter turns to spring, and spring to summer, and so on.
The seasons change, and Shen Yuan receives many stories, from enchanting and thorough to boring and benign. Regardless, he continues to trade with them as he always has.
Little spiders that once had nothing to do with him were steadily coming under his control. After eating the insects that would try to eat his plants, it seemed their little minds connected to him, and they went out of their way to follow his will.
His own qi was also getting stronger, and his abilities more numerous. Cultivation and meditation became second nature to him. Along with his diet of qi-dense fruit and spiritual and demonic creatures, he felt like his skin was growing a tad thin on himself. For sure, it would be time to molt within the next few years.
As that time approaches, he watches as Ruoxing grows. He goes from being held in his mother's arms to holding onto her hand as he toddles beside her, to walking on his own and bowing to him when his mother does.
He also starts telling him his own stories. As a toddler, of course, it was mostly nonsense babbling, but it had been more entertaining that some of the half-assed attempts a few other villagers tried. The older he grew, the more his stories took shape, although the characters didn't always make sense and the plot could change at a moment's notice.
Shen Yuan, being himself, couldn't help but lightly critique the stories with genuine intent. After all, a child raised with too much praise and not enough guidance could quickly become a fool. He wasn't nearly as tough on the child as he was on the adults, so he was clearly just teaching him the elements of a good story.
...Apparently these critiques caused a slight shift in how Ruoxing saw him.
While Fan Zhenzhen revered him, Fan Ruoxing seemed to see him like some sort of uncle.
That was probably what explained the boy's reliance on him for decidedly human issues.
"I don't know what to get Miyun for her birthday. But I really want it to be nice. Zhizhu, what do you think I should get her?"
Ruoxing, now a young teenager, is cutting into some wood, trying to sculpt something, but clearly not trusting that whatever he made would be enough for her. He gazes up at him hopefully, as though he's a reclusive neighborhood uncle and not a giant spider that could quite literally eat him whole.
Being a spider notwithstanding, he also had never mated, not in this life or the one he feels he may have lived before. As such, he was, quite literally, the worst being to ask for romantic advice.
"...This spider cannot be sure what little Miyun likes. Xing-er would know more. However, a gift given with heart and meaningful intent often means the world to those receiving it. Perhaps Xing-er could recall something little Miyun finds of particular interest?"
"Erh...she likes clothes, I think. Not the hemp ones. I'd want to give her something fancy. She's the eldest daughter, so she works hard. She deserves something nice to wear, like A-niang has. You know, A-niang still wears the coat you made for her. She only ever wears it in the house..."
He sits up straighter, as if in realization.
"A coat! Zhizhu, if I, ahâ" He clears his throat. "If this servant tells Zhizhu a story, could he make a coat for Miyun?"
"...It...would be difficult. The coat this spider made for your mother was done in her presence, where this one could see and hear her, measure her. Little Miyun does not visit this spider, so he cannot make a coat to fit her. Unless. If Xing-er describes her well, perhaps he can make one anyway."
Ruoxing hums, his fingers pausing on whatever he'd been sculpting.
"Well...she's older than me by three months, but she's a little shorter than me." He illustrates this by holding his hand horizontally, just a bit above his chin. "Her hair is dark brown, like chestnut skins. She's not pale like some ladies in the big town, but she's really pretty."
Shen Yuan had really meant for the boy to describe her size and features more, but he didn't stop Fan Ruoxing as he started waxing poetic about her personality and beauty.
The more he listened, the more he decided against anything particularly fitted. Something like...a poncho. Yeah. A poncho-like cloak that can fit over her clothes. Something that looks nice, but not so nice that she'd get robbed or accused of theft...
By the time Ruoxing finished, stuttering to a stop with a red face, Shen Yuan had finished most of it.
"Hmm... Heartfelt. Earnest. This one thinks this gift could use a personal touch."
Per his suggestion, Ruoxing carved the wood into a triangular, rounded pin with a hole through the base. Shen Yuan wove thread through the hole, making the pin into a clasp, and had a small hole on the other side of the shawl-like cloth. Pushing the pin through that hole would secure the shawl around her shoulders.
"Thanking Zhizhu for his guidance!"
"Mm. You guided yourself to this. May your gift be received well."
Fan Ruoxing grins eagerly before running off. He only just remembers to turn back and bow in respect before making his way down the hill.
Humming, satisfied with himself, Shen Yuan crawls through his webs, back to his cave for him to relax and meditate in peace.
...
And despite his efforts to accommodate their economic status, it seemed he still made Miyun's poncho shawl too nice.
A few weeks later, a demoness stands where humans usually would, surrounded by demon guards. She has her hands on her hips, glaring up at him. Her eyes are a bright yellow, hair black and skin pink-toned. She wears long, silken clothes that are, honestly, ill-fitted for trouncing around his forest, gold vambraces and necklaces denoting her status.
"This is what you said made your coat? This dumb beast?"
She sneers at her captives, one of whom is Ruoxing. He leans near a shivering girl, who, by the looks of her and the shawl on her body, is Miyun. However, she doesn't seem to be shaking completely from fear, judging from her furrowed brows and severe expression. Fan Ruoxing does his best to shield her, but with his own arms caught and held tightly, it is difficult to do so.
"It probably can't even speak. Ugh. Whatever. Human, how does Li-er make this...thing...produce the silk to make my clothes?"
"...What does the miss want?"
She turns back to him, eyes wide with clear shock. The demon guards also stiffen, becoming more wary of him. They point their swords and spears in his direction.
Miyun flinches in fear, toward him, her eyes shutting tight.
Ah, he probably understands now. Is she arachnophobic? No wonder she never visits. Quite understandable.
"Oh... So it speaks." The demoness huffs, putting her hands back on her hips. "If you understand this girl, listen well. There's no reason for a mere human to have such clothing. This benevolent one shall give you the opportunity to rectify your sin. Make her a beautiful dress, and she shall let you live."
If Shen Yuan had eyelids, he would certainly lid them.
Instead, he just crawls down a little further, staring at her intently.
"...Tell this one a story."
"Excuse me?"
"Tell this spider a story. It is payment."
"Payment? What need do you have of any sort of payment? The only payment you deserve is to keep yourâ"
"Guuakk!!"
A guard jumped out in front of the demoness. Despite the hard armor on the guard's body, Shen Yuan's leg pierces easily through their torso.
He smells the blood dripping from the demon's body...and can't resist.
It was like putting a prime steak drizzled with butter right in front of him, okay? Sure, he had an audience, but food was food!
So, not minding the iron armor, Shen Yuan's teeth pierce through the chest plate as the demon cries out. He screams in agony as his organs began to liquify, but Shen Yuan's venom acts quickly. Once the demon chokes on his own blood and falls still, he easily sucks up all the guard's innards and qi with a deep, hearty slurp. Not a single thing is wasted, not even the marrow in the demon's bones.
Once emptied, Shen Yuan drops the guard's body like a crumpled carton.
The demoness had stepped backwards, more guards standing in front.
Shen Yuan sighs, then settles in his web.
"Tell this one a story, and the miss may have her dress."
The ram and the Guqin Shifu stand before Shen Qingqiu, the disciples gathered at the sides as they watch the scene unfold.
Shen Qingqiu glances down at the damaged instruments, left in pieces all across the ground. They had not been cheap, though not particularly expensive either. Even so, he was not one to disrespect the tools they received to use for their lessons, and he wouldn't let any miscreants disrespect his peak.
The vile animal may have no qualms about music, but it would learn well today.
He points his fan to the Guqin Shifu.
"Speak."
The man, holding his healing hand to his chest, has regained some of his pride. With that, he somehow manages to speak with a haughty tone, despite having been found cowering and whimpering below mere livestock.
"This one was merely disciplining an errant disciple during qin studies, and the creature burst in the door in an unsightly manner! The vile thing! And it just started going wild out of nowhere! It should be swiftly reevaluated!"
"That's not true at all!" Luo Binghe calls out from the side, and Shen Qingqiu shoots the little beast a glare.
"This lord hasn't called upon any disciple to speak. You would do well to remain silent unless addressed."
"Butâ!"
'Binghe,' the ram hums in that stupidly melodious voice it imagines, 'We should be respectful and wait. Shen-shixiong is a fair and honorable lord. He will hear my side when it's time, but it is not yet my turn to speak. Let's not interrupt. Do you understand?'
It looks like the brat is ready to complain more, but something stops him from speaking further. Perhaps the ram says more, but privately. What a skillful little trick... Able to be heard when desired, though he's heard the creature murmur quietly on more than one occasion, as though its thoughts slipped out. Foolish beast.
"...Yes, Shizun," the boy eventually relents, looking more assured. He then bows to Shen Qingqiu. "This one apologizes, Shifu, for his interruption."
Instead of snapping at the snide little cretin like he wants to, he simply dismisses him with the flick of his sleeve, turning back to the Guqin Shifu.
"Continue."
"A-ah. Yes...yes! And, that creature! It began destroying the qin, saying that they're noisy, disturbing its sleep! That's when I brought out my whip, trying to restrain the thing, but it overpowered me! That's when you came, right on time, Peak Lord Shen! Again, I cannot imagine that Cang Qiong Mountain Sect can learn anything reasonable from a wild animal like this. We should have this beast disposed of immediately!"
The man goes as far as to kick the ram, but not only does the ram not budge or flinch, but it lowers its head, merely turning it toward the teacher. Predictably, the other cowers back.
"See?! It's just a violent thing! It will keep running wild if we leave it be!"
The ram snorts, but says nothing.
Shen Qingqiu doesn't want to mimic the beast, but he feels like sighing similarly.
He's not sure exactly what the entire situation is, but it's very clearly a story full of holes.
For one, the damned ram, for all its presence bothers every hair on his body, didn't ever actually interrupt any classes before. This was the first of such incidents. Moreover, it was very distinctly proven that it has some form of logical reasoning, as it was apparently able to circulate qi to such an extent it could...assist...two middle core cultivators and give supplementary lessons to lagging disciples in certain subjects.
Interrupting a qin class for "being noisy" and "disturbing its sleep" was patently out of character for it, as much as he hates to admit.
Moreover, he'd seen the condition of the door when he arrived. It hadn't been burst in. There was barely a scratch on it aside from what was usual from normal wear and tear.
It was more likely the ram snuck up to the hall to witness something, saw something it didn't like, and interfered.
Shen Qingqiu glances at Qin Bojing, the way Luo Binghe seems to stand protectively close to him, and the waif-like boy's bandaged, pinkened hands.
He thinks of the disciples hanging around the ram, who tolerated, perhaps even enjoyed their senseless twittering as they slogged through one of their poor excuses of a "study session". Thinks of how it managed to wrangle that wretched beast into behaving somewhat decently, not at all like the power-hungry wretch he knows his hiding beneath that childish mask. Thinks of the way the ram pointedly spit out the bloodied whip, despite the ram having not seemed to bleed anywhere itself.
The image is much clearer now. Quite simple, really.
Dumb creature...
That said, it's not as though he wants to let the ram off lightly. It's not faultless, and there's the property damage the account for. But he's not the sect strategist for nothing.
It's just a matter of seeing how it will all play out now.
Shen Qingqiu slaps his fan into his hand.
"From what it seems, the qin class had paused for a case of discipline. Is that correct, Qin Bojing?"
The boy startles, flinching. Judging from the twitch of his brow, some of it seems to be from pain. Strange, if only his hands are hurt.
He nods in affirmation. Shen Qingqiu scowls.
"You have a mouth with which to speak, do you not? Use it."
The boy purses his lips, then manages to mumble.
"Yes, Shizun."
"Yes, what?"
"...Yes, this disciple was being disciplined."
His black eyes stay pinned to the floor, the dark circles beneath his long lower lashes in full view. No matter how neatly the boy arranged his long hair, he would always look gaunt and tired with that kind of face.
"For what were you being disciplined?"
"This disciple was playing poorly, Shizun."
"Which song were you playing?"
"It was...'Three Variations of the Plum Blossom*'. This disciple is slow to learn and apologizes."
"In what way are you slow to learn?"
He can feel the ram gazing up at him, but he continues his line of questioning. The boy is still as he continues staring down.
"It... Right now, this one is having a hard time following Jiang*-shifu's fingers. And the tablature is...dense, and I am dimwitted. So, I keep messing up the notes when I am directed to play. Asking for your graciousness and mercy, Shizun."
The boy bows stiltedly, and not quite low enough to be fully respectful. But he stays bowed, not raising up prematurely, showing his sincerity.
"Hmm. I presume this is the truth, then?" Shen Qingqiu turns to the Guqin Shifu, whose last name is apparently Jiang.
The man had a look on his face that swiftly shifts into something else, but Shen Qingqiu caught the last bit of the expression before he focuses on him instead.
"Yes, Peak Lord! Disciple Qin knows his place well. This teacher was only guiding him in the right path to learning the qin well. I would not allow him to disgrace this peak. But that...wild beast came in here and disrupted everything!"
Said wild beast was being rather patient, all things considered. Few animals were known to stand still quietly for long periods, especially not sheep. But the ram is doing quite the good impression of a very unamused statue, its face blank.
One would be surprised to think the ram could have reduced several guqin to splinters, torn a cultivator's skin with a whip, and left a classroom in tatters. And yet.
"And, what punishment did you give Qin Bojing for his mistakes in class?"
"This teacher merely whipped him, nothing more. When Disciple Qin lost his composure and attempted to retaliate, I had to discipline him further, and he was injured further in the process. That was all. However, it was not my fault he was hurt more than necessary. I believe you understand, Peak Lord Shen."
That earns the man a glare, causing him to recoil. But Shen Qingqiu relents, opening his fan.
"Do you corroborate his account, Qin Bojing?"
The boy's empty eyes close softly.
"Yes, Shizun."
Luo Binghe turns to him sharply, looking affronted, but he manages to not say anything.
Shen Qingqiu hums, then he finally turns toward the troublemaker of the hour.
"Well then. I believe I have an accurate picture of what occurred here. However, it is true that this lord will hear out all sides. So, Shen Yuan, what is your account of what happened?"
What Shen Qingqiu expects is for Shen Yuan to explain that it heard Qin Bojing resisting getting whipped by Jiang whatever and that it came in. That it shoved its way through to get to two and stop the punishment, damaging the classroom and the qin in the process.
Of course, how it managed to damage so many qin and why Qin Bojing appears to also be so injured is to be discovered. He has his suspicions as to whom the fault falls on, and it's not the ram.
He's expecting righteous indignation and and raised voice. Perhaps the stomping of a hoof.
Shen Yuan's face remains neutral.
'Do forgive me. This ram is but two years old, so he is still learning. Are you all saying that humans, who proclaim themselves to be superior creatures to mere livestock, will bloody their young over something as trivial as playing a wrong note on a musical instrument, and that action is perfectly reasonable?'
The room goes perfectly quiet.
"...Excuse me?"
'Ah, perhaps this one hasn't explained well. Let me illustrate in a comparatively reasonable manner. Hm...let's say we have a flock of sheep, a pack of dogs, and a family of humans. All are comparatively affluent in their states of living, having ample amounts of food, shelter, and stimulation.
'Now, a youth in each group acts in a way the elders do not like. Let's say they cause overstimulation in one way or another. Again, keeping in mind that all groups have ample amounts of food, shelter, and stimulation, let's look at how each group typically reacts.
'For sheep, we usually allow the ewe to discipline her child. She generally pushes or paws at her lamb to get them to behave. If they continue to act out, she may push the lamb down. Though, generally, we're free-spirited creatures. Active play is usually celebrated in a life that's so short.
'For dogs, the mother will growl or show her teeth briefly at her pup as a warning. Sometimes she may not even do that, just putting her paw on her puppy like a ewe does with her lamb. But, if the pup continues to act out, she may, like a ewe, force her pup to be still by pinning them to the ground for a moment. Perhaps with a bark or a growl as well, depending on the act the pup was doing.'
Shen Yuan hasn't blinked. The qi around Shen Qingqiu's ankles tingles.
'This ram was under the assumption that humans were similar. That humans would simply push or paw at their children to get them to behave, physically or verbally. Then physically or verbally hold them down if they acted further, just for a moment. But what you're saying is that, even for minor infarctions that aren't even bad behavior, like playing a musical note incorrectly by pure learning mistake, you will do the equivalent of pinning your puppy down and savagely bite and bite and bite into their back until they bleed?'
"What-"
The ram's gaze pins Jiang in place.
'Will you find the nearest wire fence and force your lamb's back against it again and again until blood pools against the ground for bleating the wrong sound? Or is that punishment reserved for lambs that are not your own? Because a sheep, a dog, will generally ignore the young of another of our species, or treat it as our own if we're going to acknowledge it. Especially if we open our shelter to it.'
The ram steps forward on splintered wood, its green eyes somehow bright.
'Surely, humans, who have long pursued immortality and education, would not submit to such cruelty and call themselves the species superior to all others on earth. Is this the Dao you form your cores with? Have you ever thought that maybe, perhaps, such things are why it's taking you so long despite your wisdom? Because, despite your natural longevity and capacity for knowledge, you all continue to act in such a rancid manner?'
When Shen Yuan stops moving, Shen Qingqiu is looking straight down at green eyes without retreating, the ram staring unblinking back up at him. Jiang has fallen to the wayside, having lost his footing.
Shen Qingqiu doesn't feel like he can or should look away.
His hand clenches on his fan sharply, a sense of pain squirming uncomfortably in his chest. It's suffocating. Claustrophobic.
Similar to the way men make him feel, but entirely different at the same time. This feels like something else. Something familiar, but old.
Something from inside rather that out. An internal force made external, made into flesh and bone, given a voice he loathes to hear.
"...And what of the qin?" Shen Qingqiu asks instead.
Shen Yuan switches gears quite easily, looking down at the ruined instruments.
'Ah, it's quite regretful. Though, this ram was merely following his nature. When someone uses objects as a shield when I am trying to get at them, well, I ram through it, you see. You ought to be familiar with that aspect of mine...though, I suppose you were half-conscious at that point.'
Shen Qingqiu scowls deeply at the reminder of his most recent shame, a few scant months ago though it was now. But what the ram said isn't lost on him.
"Instruments used as a shield, you say," he hums, glancing to the Guqin Shifu.
The man startles, but when he tries to speak, he finds it difficult to. After all, the ram is staring at him again.
'It was quite fascinating. I've never seen a musical instrument used that way. Humans, when they aren't being crude, brutal creatures, are quite industrious. Musical instruments as shields...very creative! Though, perhaps they should be made out of more durable wood if you all intend to use them that way.'
Shen Qingqiu resists the urge to roll his eyes. His head hurts enough as it is.
Right. So.
The ram heard the beating and went to see what was happening. It walked in on it occurring and tried to stop it. Jiang, using the whip on Qin Bojing, tried using it on the ram, but failed, so he tried using the qin as shields to block the ram's path. However, if the ram couldn't be stopped by two cultivators about to have qi deviations or demons infiltrating the peak, musical instruments wouldn't stop it either. So, that just added up a lot of unnecessary property damage.
Shen Yuan would not be scolded about interrupting the beating (not that no one would try, but, quite simply, Shen Yuan would not allow itself to be scolded for it...perhaps rightfully so). So, it would feel little, if any, shame about destroying the instruments in an effort to stop the beating from continuing.
Shen Qingqiu presses the tip of his fan between his brows, feeling his headache perhaps turning into a migraine.
"...Right then. Qin Bojingâ" he hears the boy shift in attentionâ "You will go see Mu Qingfang at Qian Cao Peak. Luo Binghe and Ming Fan will escort you thereâ"
"W-Wait, Peak Lord Shen! Is there really a need to involve Peak Lord Mu in this matter?"
"...Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, it's-"
'-curious.'
Both humans look down to the ram, who is looking off to the side with its head tilted.
'This ram has just had a curious thought. See, I was listening to the music, and, admittedly, some disciples play worse than others. And when I think of when I began hearing the whip crack, it wasn't when the worst of the sounds were playing. Meaning, I don't believe Qin Bojing is the worst qin player of the bunch, is he?'
Shen Qingqiu smirks.
"No, he is not. That would be Luo Binghe."
'Hm...if that's the case, it's my shortcoming, having hooves for hands. This one will have to ask you for advice, then.'
And that nearly has him drop his fan altogether.
'But that's not what I mean for the moment. What I mean is that I'm starting to question this man's motives for brutalizing Xiao Jing.'
The boy in question lets out a choked noise.
"...Hmh. Lei Meifen*, go toâ"
"Wait, Peak Lord Shen! I assure you, Disciple Qin's injuries can be taken care of on our peak. There's no need to involve-"
'You're so antsy about it, you keep interrupting the peak lord you claim to respect.'
There's a beat of silence, then the door opens as Luo Binghe and Ming Fan begin escorting Qin Bojing out of the room.
"...Lei Meifen. Go to An Dingâ"
"I implore you, Pea-"
Before Shen Qingqiu can say anything, his mouth curled into an ugly sneer, Shen Yuan very suddenly swings his head, slamming his right horn into the man's hip with an audible crack.
The Guqin Shifu drops to the ground with a shrill wail.
Shen Qingqiu, frozen still by how suddenly it happened, remains that way. Meanwhile, the ram tuts, staring down at the bawling cultivator.
"Muh-my, my legs--"
'Oh hush, hush. It's probably just a fracture. Or a shatter. It'll heal.'
He pushes the man's top half onto his back. His legs remain sickeningly limp.
"I-I can'gh-feel--"
'I know. But hey.'
Finally, Shen Yuan smiles.
It's all sweet, pink-lipped malice.
'We have a good reason to involve Qian Cao Peak now, don't we?'
---
animals do not attack without reason.
there is always a reason, no matter how minute it may seem.
*1. ć˘ čąä¸ĺź MĂŠihuÄ SÄn Nòng, Three Variations of the Plum Blossom, better known as Three Stanzas on Plum Blossoms. It's a very famous ancient guqin piece. I've been listening to it on repeat here.
Plum blossoms have long been held in high regard by Chinese for their proud and unyielding character in the face of adversity. This melody praises the emergence of the blossoms in defiance of the bitter cold winter and as heralds of spring. The plum blossoms are also a metaphor and embodiment of those with high moral integrity and who persevere through hardship.
â Guqin World
*2. č JiÇng, surname Jiang from the name of the state of Jiang, in present-day Henan province. No direct translation to, like, a trait or quality.
