#he's got binghe on the brain he can't help it

[scribblestatic]

I hope y'all had a good 4/20. Anyway, here's more Sheepzun.

---

Finding his way out of the caves was much easier than going in. The flow of qi seemed easier for him to discern, and his senses were stronger. How curious! He was sure he'd be able to sense predators much easier now.

He cloaked himself in his qi and snuck out the caves, ensuring no one was looking at or for him. This time around, it seemed he had enough qi to do so easier than before, not feeling any pull or strain on his meridians.

He was a right chuffed lad, all things considered!

Shen Yuan made his way back to Qing Jing Peak without much of an issue. Disciples didn't seem to sense his hiding. Those with stronger cultivation did seem to look around, a tad unsettled if anything, but overall, none of them saw through his illusion.

It also helped that he was a prey animal who preferred to not leave things up to risk or chance when being careful was a perfectly reasonable option.

As he travelled, he noticed that the season seemed a little different. A tad on the warmer side than he last remembered. He had entered a few days after spring began, and the flowers he remembered were supposed to bloom seemed to already be at the end of its blooming cycle...

Was it the end of spring? Goodness, time flew!!

Thankfully, not an excessive amount of time passed since, upon making his way out of the forest near the woodshed, Luo Binghe didn't look too much taller. Yes, at the very least, only a few days or weeks had passed.

Hearing Shen Yuan's purposeful rustling, Luo Binghe's slightly pointy ears almost seemed to twitch. Then, he turned around quickly, eyes wide and swiftly becoming watery with unshed tears.

"Shizun!!"

Shen Yuan huffed, amused as the boy, sticky as ever, ran up to him and immediately hugged him around the neck.

"Shizun! Shizun, you came back! Shizun!!"

'Who do you keep calling out for, ah? I'm right here,' Shen Yuan thought.

Luo Binghe went still.

"...Shizun?"

'Yes?'

The boy suddenly let go of him and leaned back, staring right into his eyes. Then, slowly, like the flowers he missed bloom at the start of spring, Luo Binghe's smile spread across his face in a vibrant flourish.

"Shizun!! Shizun, you can talk now?!"

Shen Yuan paused, blinking.

'...You can hear what this one is...saying.'

"Yes, I can! I can finally understand you, Shizun! Has my cultivation gotten better? Is... Is this because of what you taught me?"

I don't know, what the heck?! This is scary!!

So, if he was actually thinking as though he was speaking to Luo Binghe, then the boy would actually hear it? After all, he wasn't responding to his thoughts now. Was this because he taught a spirit creature's Dao to a human that he became Dr. Dolittle? That's an entire genre change!

...Whatever that was supposed to mean! Who even was Dr. Dolittle?!

'...Indeed, it seems likely. However, this one admits that this is the first time he's taught this Dao to a human,' Shen Yuan replies, his mind in utter disarray and panic. 'As much as you are a student, this ram is still learning himself.'

There's no precedent for this! I'm sorry, Binghe! This ram is only about a year old!

Luo Binghe looked as though the meaning of the Dao was explained to him in elementary terms, as though he made a huge mental breakthrough with his words alone.

"I see... Thanking Shizun for his knowledge and education all this time!"

He bowed so respectfully, Shen Yuan immediately felt like a terrible saber-toothed wolf dressed up like a newly born spirit lamb to prey on the little human's trust.

But, well, he was at least somewhat honest just now. He really was also a student in all of this.

'This ram thanks you as well. Even through our language barrier, you've been an exemplary student. Now that we can understand each other more freely, we can further improve your cultivation.'

"Yes, Shizun! I'm looking forward to it!"

Shit.

[More under the cut, this one just got kinda long]

----

Okay, so, it wasn't all that bad.

One, it really was much easier to speak with Bing-lamb, and the boy seemed to flourish further under his his verbal guidance. He didn't really have to say much, though. Whatever Luo Binghe lacked in prowess, he was steadily making up for it in motivation.

All Shen Yuan had to do was correct him a little here and there based on whatever kind of strange animal instinct he had that said,

'This stance is a little off. Keep you knees elastic. Firm, but ready.'

or

'You must connect with your surroundings and hone to your senses. Humans, as predators, rely strongly on their eyes. But you must learn to use your nose, ears, and touch as well.'

"What about taste, Shizun?"

'There are some things a mouth shouldn't touch. We can build up to that as you learn more.'

Though, perhaps he asked such questions because Shen Yuan occasionally found himself chewing on Luo Binghe's clothes. It was more affectionate grooming for the boy than anything, honestly. But he was also a prey creature rather than a human, so it could be excused as such.

Two, after Luo Binghe's lessons with the human instructors, Luo Binghe would sometimes ask him for questions and clarification as he did the pile of chores constantly assigned to him. What was with all these duties, anyway? Weren't all of the disciples supposed to do these things? They were working too hard on purpose, but why?

Anyway, despite not being a human, it turned out Shen Yuan could read quite well. He wasn't sure where he'd learned such a skill, but it was nice to see it be useful. So, because Luo Binghe's questions never got answered in class, as the boy's Shizun, he took it upon himself to do his best to help.

It meant he sometimes had to get a bit creative with how he explained things, but he was doing well enough, it seemed.

Of course, there were limits to what he could do.

As a ram, teaching the four arts was mostly out of the question. Give him some paints and he could maybe bang something out on a canvas, but he had no guarantee it would look like anything useful or recognizable. Same for a guqin or calligraphy.

Go...well, if the pieces and board were big enough, maybe. But anyway, he had his limitations. Not that Luo Binghe seemed to see any of them. With the way Shen Yuan loafed and Luo Binghe sat in front of him, his workbook open, one would think he'd hung the moon.

It was...admittedly very nice to be so appreciated.

Also, getting petted. He'd stopped for a bit after they first spoke, but Luo Binghe did it by accident again later. When Shen Yuan stayed quiet without scolding the action and slightly shifting his head closer, well, he got the picture.

And snacks. Luo Binghe didn't have access to a full kitchen for reasons he didn't understand, but Shen Yuan just knew. The day he had kitchen privileges, it was over for Qing Jing Peak. They'd become Qing Jing Restaurant or something.

Although he still had to be careful, he found he was actually starting to enjoy living the way he was now. He didn't feel the need to look over his shoulder as often, Prey and predator, bridging the gap, huh? What a lovely story.

As Luo Binghe improved, keeping his sheep shizun a secret, several more months passed. Spring turned into summer, into fall, into winter, into spring, into the touches of summer heat once more.

Over that year, Luo Binghe grew taller and broader. His shoulders were starting to fill out, his hands and feet better sized for his body. From his experience working with his shizun's hair-like wool, he learned how to take care of his own hair better, the curls becoming shinier and tamable, no longer as difficult to pull into a ponytail. He also learned all the little nooks and crannies of Qing Jing Peak after going foraging with his shizun, and the mountain climbing and hunting he'd done for himself.

He'd thought his shizun would be against him hunting the birds and other creatures on and around the peak, but though he never partook himself, he was ambivalent.

'You are human. Even sheep eat meat when necessary. For you, it's even more so. This ram shan't fault his student for doing the best for himself.'

And so, with his own hunting skills built up, despite still living and sleeping in the wood shed and lacking some of the more artistic prowess of his sect siblings, he's grown considerably in strength, speed, and build. As he sometimes heard his shizun murmur, 'Born to Bai Zhan, raised to Qing Jing, manages both.'

Meanwhile, Shizun himself...

Luo Binghe had visited Xin Ya Peak before, alongside some of his sect siblings. He'd seen what spirit sheep normally looked like--fluffy, with slightly curved horns, and a nice sheen to their wool. Not particularly tall--mostly reaching around their knees or thighs.

Shizun, however, drew much more regal of a figure. His wool was less fluffy but somehow even softer. He was taller, too, reaching up to the bottom of Luo Binghe's chest. His horns had grown out considerably, to the point they were curling outward. Unlike his farmed comrades, Shizun was exceptionally fastidious. Though, it likely helped he was not locked into a barn or kept around mud. So, he was not only impeccably clean, but he kept a long, undocked tail that swayed behind him with his steps.

He kept his wool a beautiful shade of ivory white. The only discolorations were the slightly green tones that occasionally hung onto his stomach and legs from loafing on the grasses around the bamboo forest and the ever-present blood red huadian on his forehead. Moreover, after Shizun had returned from wherever he'd gone, his eyes had changed. Irises that were once a striking brown had become a soothing blue-green color, much like the peak colors of Qing Jing.

Perhaps spirit animals needed less effort to attain godhood. Luo Binghe could believe it. After all, his shizun appeared like a god nowadays.

'Binghe' he'd hear, his soft and elegant voice calling out to him in the dewy mornings.

He would look up to see his shizun returning from some place he'd found his wild breakfast, leaving him to sleep longer because, as the ram said, he was a growing boy and needed it more.

The sun would peek out at just the right time to shine on his arrival, making him look ethereal, even if he was holding moss in his mouth.

'Have you eaten yet? If not, add this to your food today. It has absorbed quite a bit of yin qi. Considering your yang constitution, it will help promote more internal balance.'

Shizun places the stringy, thick moss in Luo Binghe's waiting hands.

'This is called Qiyan Root, despite not being a root at all. Strain and boil it twice for the best effect. You can also dry some of it for medicinal use. It should taste quite nice in an herbal tea.'

His shizun hummed in consideration as he tilted his head, long white lashes against the fur of his cheeks.

Luo Binghe couldn't help but wonder what his shizun would look like as a human. He was quite the handsome animal, much like one would compliment a horse for its strong physique and beautiful sheen. Surely he'd be a handsome human as well.

Though, wondering such a thing would have to wait. It was time for morning chores, then his lessons could begin in earnest.

It was after one such set of lessons with his other teachers, when he was chopping wood with his shizun at his side that the ram suddenly raised his head with a frown.

"Shizun?"

'...The air feels different. What do you sense?'

Having learned his cultivation mostly from a spirit animal rather than a human, Luo Binghe honed his senses and listened. Indeed, the peak seemed quiet. Too quiet, however.

"Something's not right... Shizun, I'll be back."

'Be careful, Binghe.'

The boy nodded in return before he ran off, Shen Yuan staying behind as he tried to better understand what this energy fluctuation actually was.

Eventually, curiosity and concern won out over wariness, and he concealed himself as he headed toward the rainbow bridges separating Qing Jing from the other peaks.

There, he found several demons cracking away at the bridge between Qing Jing and Qiong Ding. Several were smaller demons with tiny horns and large machetes in their spindly hands. They were accompanied by a larger, more boubous demon in a loincloth, using an axe to slice and wear away at the energies keeping the rainbow bridge connected.

A siege? But this is Cang Qiong, one of the most powerful sects! How could these demons have the gall?!

Shen Yuan wasn't aware of the politics that came with running a peak, so, of course, he was unaware of the peak lord's absence. Several lords were away--more than honestly permissible--leaving the little lamb-like disciples without their guard dogs. Though, judging from the coordinated actions of the demons, the little troupe he was looking at was the least of his worries.

Binghe!!

If he was running this way, then surely he would've encountered the demons! But he could smell no blood or anything from his student. Perhaps he already passed through before they arrived. After all, behind the troupe, he could see several groups of demons destroying the bridges and leaving the peaks isolated...

No, not all the peaks. Qiong Ding.

Something about this scenario struck him as...oddly familiar.

But he shoved that thought aside. Now wasn't the time for excessive questioning! His student was in danger!

As much as he liked to believe he prepared Luo Binghe for combat in some meaningful way, he would never overestimate his teaching abilities. He's a ram for fucks sake, how could he be much better than human teachers and their opposable thumbs?!

Not letting up his concealing qi, he began running across the bridge, heading straight for the small crowd of demons.

Though they couldn't see him, his weight and trotting seemed to alert them as they turned his way. Cruel smirks spread on the imps' faces as they raised their weapons and prepared to strike.

Deciding not to conceal himself anymore, he instead focused his qi on his attack, suddenly appearing before them. For some reason, they seemed surprised despite already preparing to attack him.

His qi-filled horns collided with one of their machetes, causing it to crack and shatter. Milliseconds later, the same cracking and shattering came from the imp's ribs.

Gritting his teeth, he flung his head to the right, throwing several of the imps off the cracking bridge. But he still had some momentum and wasn't done yet.

Facing the bulbous demon and its large axe, he charged up as much as he could, enough that his horns began to glow dimly.

The demon bellowed as it swung the axe, intending to split his skull. But Shen Yuan was faster.

Putting more force in his back legs, he jumped forward, tucking his front legs close to his body. His curved horns rammed against the demon's chest, the bones giving way under it. It let out a choke, then it spit up blood as the wind moved around them.

When the demon fell back, Shen Yuan blinked, realizing he was going butt up.

With a surprised bleat, his legs stretched out as the momentum had him flopping on his back above the demon's head. At least it was on solid ground! Dirt, even!

He wiggled, then quickly got himself up, shaking the dust off his head. Reorienting himself, he realized he was on Qiong Ding Peak. Huh... He didn't think the demon was so close to the land there, but maybe he miscalculated.

Anyway, Binghe!

Worried about his student, he quickly ran off to find where he was, concealing himself behind a cloak of qi once more.

Of course, Shen Yuan missed several things.

For one, the imps and demons had not noticed him at all. What they had noticed were several Qing Jing disciples arriving with their swords drawn.

Secondly, the machetes and axes the demons held were not supposed to crack so easily to a ram's horns. They were made with reinforced metals to be sturdy. A regular spirit sheep would've long lost its horns and skull to them.

Thirdly, the largest demon on the bridge had indeed been standing further away from Qiong Ding Peak, and Shen Yuan hadn't miscalculated. He just didn't realize that his body, weighing over 160 kg (352.7 lbs) plus the force of his qi-powered forward thrust was, even by physics standards, enough to blow a large demon backwards by several meters and shatter their collarbone on impact.

He'd turned his body into a literal battering ram.

Lastly, the Qing Jing disciples, whom the demons actually saw and prepared to fight, were able to witness the entire event, and were now staring, wide-eyed, at the large, mystical, disappearing sheep.

...But those were concerns for the future Shen Yuan.

[gurggggleburgle]

throwing my hat into the should bingqiu be parents ring to say No. Neither of these adults should be parents but for wildly different reasons until they've had like 10 years post cannon to work shit out.

This is because these idiots have so much shit to work out between them and if you threw a kid in there any point before the story ends and well after I can't see this going well.

Reason 1) Have you ever met someone in their early 20s who has been in an on and off again mess of a relationship that clearly needs couples therapy? I have. Don't

reason 2) Everyone keeps being all Luo Binghe would be absolutely jealous of whatever baby ends up in their acquisition and I would like to say FALSE. Binghe's hatred of any babies is tangential to age and adoption vs weird mpreg vs where in the timeline. For example if Shen Qingqui acquires a baby pre abyss at 17ish and said child is in an age range of 7-15ish he's gonna be jealous because that's an age range where this kid could potentially compete with him any younger and you're bordering toddler territory which is about in the same range as literal baby. Where this kid could get his room. If it's a baby tho he doesn't hate the baby. It poses no threat. It's a bonding experience.

If anything he's absolutely more worried about the kid being a secret love child with Liu Qingge or some other threat.

The same applies also minus that last caveat if he ends up teen pregnant. This version of child snatching is weirdly the one I think they'd be the best with even tho they absolutely should not be doing that.

Meanwhile if Shen Qingqiu acquires or has Luo Binghe's kid while their in the abyss then Qingqiu is gonna be a mess of a parent if it is full straight up baby. The man has the domestic skills of a boiled potato. He probably is leaving most of this baby's care to Ning YingYing and Ming Fan by virtue of having to actually do his own paperwork now and other tasks. Like he loves the kid but.... like let's be real liking children and being nice to them does not a good parent make. He's probably panicking and demanding help every five minutes driving them all insane. Meanwhile if Binghe finds out about this kid and it's not his specifically he's gonna lose his shit because it means Shizun's got himself another malewife and he bets it's that whore Liu Qingge. And if Cucumber man let's it slip then Lou Binghe is never letting that child leave his sight. He is acquiescing that kid. And if that child is not a baby he will go into panic mode because that's his REPLACEMENT. Shizun got a new fluffy child to dote on.

Again if Luo Binghe somehow ends up pregers when he falls into the abyss I will say he will become the most disturbingly devoted parent possible and both cherish and resent the child and be absolutely feral about it. If he finds one down there he probably takes care of them and is kind because like Luo Binghe is a fucking orphan. He knows what it means to suffer without parents. If he sees a small demon kid named 4 balls (the long lost brother of 6 balls) or something he's not gonna abandon them to die.

Meanwhile if it's like new item obtained: small child! about water prison and after or one is found out to be mpreg.... I mean Luo Binghe would triple on his imprison Shen Qingqiu for the sake of the baby if it's him. For himself I think he would either tragically walk away and say the baby is all he gets as a piece of Shizun's love or it's like more desperately clinging and waiting for SQQ to cave. Any adopted child at this point is a threat. Our boy's brain is too far gone for that. Child's must be acquired before this point or risk softlocking your game. Also side note depending on where in the timeline Yuan gets pregnanté you can make an incredibly angsty but also comedic argument about abortion as that is certainly one way to take care of it.

Post cannon children can be acquired and this will not make Luo Binghe jealous. Man will see any kid as an extension of his and Shizun's love immediately post cannon. He's not jealous of the baby. If anything they're vetting the baby's playmates. He insists on breast milk long past it being required. You have to get a daypass to even look at this child. The baby has nappies worth more than your house. Man would be a disturbingly protective parent. He would be the one to spoil the kid rotten.

Our trust fund protagonist would have to be the moral compass on this and that is funny and terrifying

Reason number 3) they would be those hoa and pta parents. their kid would be the asshole child in the school who everyone knows they can't bully.

[the-music-maniac]

The songs Power by Isak Danielson and Religion also by Isak Danielson are Bingliushen songs and I need to TALK about it before I EXPLODE.

Specifically, the lyrics reminds me of how Liu Qingge likely feels about Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe respectively, set specifically in my brain during that transition period between when Lqg knows he loves Sqq (and also is just starting to catch romantic feelings for lbh) but is not with them yet. Lmao almost a staple in the slow development of bingliushen, that relationship development angsty period of time.

I'm gonna try to keep this (relatively) short so instead of looking at the whole song I'm gonna pick and choose the parts I think apply the most.

Power by Isak Danielson:

So this song. My god, this song killed me when I first listened to it, even just on its own. I didn't need to connect it to a ship to feel so many FEELS about it. It just has a very strong yearning but helpless to do anything about it, kinda vibe. It's so....resigned?? And bittersweet and it drives me feral. Also, melody-wise, I appreciate that even though it's a sad song, it has a kinda higher energy feel to it, a strong slow drum beat later in the song, and that spices things up a little. I personally tend to get slightly bored with low energy slow songs.

Even at the first few lyrics:

I still look at you with eyes that want you When you move, you make my oceans move too

If I hear my name, I will run your way

Can we say that we love each other

Can we play like there ain't no other

If I hear my name, I will run your way.

So, we hear it, yes? I think what strikes me about Liu Qingge in all the fics I've read about him, and even in the source material is how steadfast and reliable and devoted this man is. He really does arrive anytime Sqq calls or needs his help. And plus "can we play like there ain't no other", is really just Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge meanwhile, watching them happy together.

It's my desire that you feed

You know just what I need

You got power, you got power

You got power over me

I give my all now, can't you see. Why won't you set me free? You got power, you got power

You got power over me

The gist of that is of course. The yearning. And the whole, we don't have a choice about being in love or who we love. Especially applies to the "why won't you set me free" line. And I think it's kind of a given that when you love someone, they just have power over you; power to hurt you, power to make you happy, it's just unavoidable.

The last part of the song:

You're the one that seduced me, lured me in with your beauty, now I know that you used me

So I don't take this line literally because I fully believe sqq is too fucking oblivious to purposely seduce someone. *Car salesman noises* This bad boy can fit so much compartmentalization in it and all that.

However, this line to me just has that bitter type of resentment to it, that, I know you didn't do this on purpose but regardless, I somehow keep coming back to you, and I somehow feel used and hurt and it makes it worse because I can't be mad at anyone but myself. It isn't your fault I fell for you. And it makes it all the more painful that I can't blame you for it.

During the song (and honestly explaining it verbally is gonna sound hella stupid so please just go listen to the song it's linked up there) there's one line that keeps getting repeated in the background: "I'm ready now", and it repeats twice here before continuing onto the next line:

All you did was confuse me

You're no longer what I need, touch me slow, feel my heart bleed

So therefore, in this line, I kinda set this as a situation where maybe Lqg has already sorta started something up with bingqiu, but it still hasn't developed into a fully fledged relationship regardless. Lqg knows at this point that this arrangement is probably temporary, knows whatever they're doing right now is self destructive, likely not good for him, "you're no longer what I need, touch me slow feel my heart bleed" but regardless he's kind of. Ready to except whatever they'll give him because this is all he believes he can have ("I'm ready now"). Regardless of if it is what he needs, it is all he wants, even if it's killing him.

Religion by Isak Danielson:

This one. OOF. It just. The chords and the background chorus and just everything. It's called religion but it really does invoke that type of feeling. And the yearningggg. Anyways, 10/10 song, in general I just really love this artist's music, so this post is about bingliushen but also just a poorly disguised to fangirl about these SONGS AS WELL, MY GOD. Y'all should check Isak Danielson's other songs out too if you get the chance.

Anyways, this one is for sure set in that transition period where Lqg and Lbh really don't know what to make of each other. They're rivals but not really, they're enemies but not really, and they're in that transition not really sure if they still hate each other, truly. Possibly hate fucking each other too. Your headcanon, your choice lmao.

The first line:

Can we say goodbye to, to the lies you told, I know I'm wiser, i've been here before

I believed your stories

At least the blind in me

You gave my eyes, what they wanted to see

I've lost my reality

I've lost everything in me

So this, I interpret as thinking about that time during the 5 years when Lbh and Lqg were fighting over Sqq's body (that is an absolutely ridiculous sentence to say objectively, I'd like to just get that on record). Lqg doesn't think too highly of Lbh throughout all this, and he doesn't trust Binghe. So those first few lines, how Lqg is wiser now, and although Lbh didn't lie to Lqg specifically, regardless he knows that Lbh can be manipulative, he's encountered five years of it. He doesn't trust demons in general very much either which is why I think the "I've lost my reality, I've lost everything in me" would be how he's feeling if/when he enters that kind of "we both like sqq and are hate fucking I guess" kind of relationship. I'm particularly thinking of an amazingly written bingliushen fanfic that is kind of a staple of the ship, Acernor's "Dual Cultivation or Date".

You act like a god, and you're trying too hard but I need it

I was once a believer

Now I'm back to believing

I'm tryna be smart with a stake through the heart, but I feel it

Turning into addiction

Praying in your religion

Religion

Chorus timmmeeeee; but yeah this one gives me even more hate-fucking vibes ("you act like a God and you're trying too hard, but I need it") because Lbh really does act like that, and Lqg is unimpressed but regardless he can't give up this unhealthy friends with benefits type situation with Sqq and Lbh because he still wants them even if it hurts ("I'm trying to be smart with a stake through my heart, but I feel it"). "I was once a believer, and now I'm back to believing" particularly is such a raw line to me, not sure why, but the idea of lqg, acting like a cynic all his life and then, falling for sqq and starting to lose that cynical outlook, only to gain it back once sqq gets married, and then getting that hope back, this time with both Sqq and Lbh?

Damn Lqg really does need like a lot of hugs and therapy though, god.

Future doesn't matter

I'd give it up for you

Even though I know that you'd never do

You know your power, and I know it too

I'll end up in fire, burning with you

I've lost my reality, I've lost everything in me

I think this is the part where Lqg really starts actually realizing that he cares about, maybe even loves Lbh. "Future doesn't matter, I'd give it up for you, even though I know that you'd never do", Lqg realizing that he would give up so much for Lbh but believing that he would never do the same, that his first priority will always be only Sqq.

"You know your power, and I know it too" In my brain this also mirrors how he thinks about Sqq.

"I'll end up in fire, burning with you"

So again, how he's slowly realizing that he'd be willing to sacrifice just as much for Lbh as for sqq, as their particular relationship develops past just love rivals/enemies, and there of course Lqg is going to go through another reality altering crisis, because not only is he in love with TWO married men who are married to EACH OTHER but now one of them is a HALF DEMON LORD, Lqg did not fUcking sign up for tHis, Can't have shit in Bai Zhan

This post is getting really long so Imma end it soon, but the point is these songs fit really well - although maybe it's just my personal experience instead of a universal one. Regardless, this ot3 drives me feral and this song drives me feral and I wanted to write about it. I believe after all this angst fest the three of them sort their shit out and end up in a healthy relationship with each other, but until then. I can't lie, I'm enjoying this grade A angst, 10/10.