Chapter 1
Luo Binghe has read enough novels to kind of understand the situation that he is in. Mind you he isn’t a reading type person, he’d rather go to the gym or arcade or watch a movie if he’s really board. Most of the novels he has read are really more for work purpose then for entertainment. Like if it’s worth investing in or not. Donghua and drama production is expensive, and he'll never hear the end of it if he can’t make at least twice as much profit out of it.
Tian corporation has invested in its fair share of C-dramas and donghuas; romance, action, suspense etc. So it is fair to say he has also read his fair share of novels.
All of this is to say that when he regains his memories of a previous life in the body of a ten year old next to the cold corpse of an old woman, he only semi freaks out about the corpse and not his predicament.
Looking around at the small hut and his malnourished tiny body leaves no room for speculation on his current situation. He died. That’s it. He died and got reincarnated and now he remembers his former life. That is the start of 30 to 35 present of transmigration novels atleast. Hell he probably even knows what story this is if the cheap jade pendant on his neck is anything to go by. Since most people re-incarnate in stories they've already read and so far he's only read one novel that heavily emphasised on a cheap jade pendant that he can think of, he’s probably in “Proud Immortal Demons Way” or PIDW for short. Ironically he shares a name with the protagonist of this novel as well.
Bloody hell. He should have sued the author for defamation. He definitely reincarnated in the body of the protagonist. There’s no doubt about it. Not with the pendant, the dead old lady and the rundown cottage that he currently inhabits. For fucks sake, out of all the novels he just HAD re-incarnate into a badly written yellow book didn't he? Just his luck. And who ever reincarnated as the bloody protagonist? Reincarnated villains and side characters are a dime a dozen but the protagonist!? The bloody protagonist!?!? The one responsible for all the events in the first place?! What kind of Bullshit nonsense is this?!
Fine. Fine whatever. He can work with this. It’s not like he has to follow the perverted plot of this story and get some 6000+ wives and concubines. Nor does he need to combine the realms and cause a multitude of economic and social calamities to “make a place for himself" as the author not so subtly implied. Right. He can do this. He can just keep to himself and avoid all the life-threatening situations. Not like he has any desire for power or glory or whatever. And he knows how to read and write, so he can probably find a job somewhere in this old timey setting. Wash some dishes for a meal and sweep some floors for a place to sleep, it'll be like that time he spent on the road with nothing but the clothes on his back after his old man kicked him out and told him to get his shit together. Easy.
And if he can avoid a decades worth of abuse then all the better.
With a half formed plan in mind Luo Binghe decides he'll first bury this body's foster mother(the woman deserves this much at least after taking care of him for so long, even if her memory in his head is fuzzy at best) and then leave the city to find work somewhere else. Anonymity is probably better then for people to ask exactly how he know how to read and write. He can pass of as a fallen noble if people don’t already know of his humble upbringings.
___X___
The war against the demons lasts for half a decade before the cultivators are forced to surrender. With one of the four great sects destroyed and the mortal king captured and imprisoned, not to mention all the small sects that were destroyed, the immortals are forced to yield and agree to a conditions of the heavenly demon lord before anymore damage can be done to the mortal and immortal realms.
Currently the sect leaders and peak lords of the remaining three great sects and grand general of the human army await the arrival of the heavenly demon lord. Within the conference hall of one Huan Hua, the first to fall or rather surrender to the demon emperor. The palace is over run by demons and even cultivators who chose the demons side then to fight for their own.
The atmosphere is tense. No one knows what the ruthless demon emperor could demand or how they are going to survive from now on. If they’d be allowed to keep their lives or not.
The large doors to the meeting hall opens with a loud bang, forcing all heads to turn to the sudden intruder. There dressed in the finest of silks stands the heavenly demon emperor looking refined and regal as the rumours speculate. The sigil on his forehead burning bright, indicating his heaven parallel powers.
The demon emperor strides into the room, taking his place at the head of the table. His generals shadowing his every step. He sits down at the front of the table and looks at everyone with bright unnatural red eyes.
“let’s start, shall we?” his eyes look board yet calculating and menacing at the same time, sending chills down every cultivators and mortals spine.
Around a decade a ago the demon world went quiet. There was not a single demon that ventured out into the mortal world. It took the cultivators a while to notice of the strange behaviour, but by then rumours of a demon emperor had already began to circulate among the taravans and brothels. War came upon the them abruptly. First to fall was Huan Hua. Then one of the lords of Cang Qiong was discovered to be a spy. Even with the help of the mortal emperor’s aid, they were out witted. The fall of Bailu Mountain and unification of the former and current demon emperor is when all hope became lost. Even their strongest warriors were to match against the combined demon realm. Even the war god of Cang Qiong was no match for the heavens outcast.
And now here they sit. Defeated and humiliated, they await their sentence.
Shen Qingqiu knew that was coming. Even before word began to spread. The demons were too quiet. The air was to stasised. He’d tried to warn them, but of course they brushed him off. Even Yue Qingyuan just smiled at him condescendingly. What would he know about war. Even during the war he tried to warn them, give ideas on the demons strategies. But he was dismissed. What would the peak lord of paintings and flowery words know about war strategy? By the time they became desperate enough to crawl back to him, it was already to late. TianLang-jun was already freed. Even the gods couldn’t help them now.
Shen Qingqiu could only create wards and talismans to protect his own. He changed his students curriculum to include more martial arts and sold as many art pieces as he could before the war started. And as he sits in this meeting room, he only prays that his jiji’s are safe and unharmed.
“I’ll keep this simple.” Begins the saintly demon emperor “I don’t really want to rule over your lands, so you can keep as is. But all cultivators are forbidden to kill any demon from hence forth.”
Every cultivator stiffens at that. To demand they step backs and let the demons assault them at will while they are unable to protect themselves is insane.
“And how are we to protect ourselves then? You can’t expect us to let the demons kill us with out fighting back.” Some one asks, their voice tense. A monk from Tian Yi by the looks of it.
“I never said that, did I? Must you lot be so impatient?” The demon emperor chides him, clearing at the monk. “you cultivators seem to think the only way to ‘protect’ yourselves is by indiscriminately killing any and all demons that come within your periphery. So I’m sure you’ll be surprised to know that there are other ways to go about this as well.” He scoffs at them. His tone almost reminds Shen Qingqiu of a father scolding their child for being stupid.
“You are to capture the demon alive and bring them to me to punish accordingly. Surely immortal masters and renowned generals like yourselves can manage this much yes?” it is an.. understandable demand, though the chuckle of the demoness behind the heavenly emperor is humiliating.
“I will also need bi-yearly sacrifices, many of my people do need to consume human flesh to survive. You may send us human criminals and traitors that are to be hanged or killed anyway.” Again another reasonable demand. Shen Qingqiu is surprised at the diplomacy of this demon.
“Thirdly, I want a trade agreement with the human realms. You are not allowed to rampage our lands for any herbs or demonic objects that you may need. Instead I have talked with your emperor and am willing to sell these items to you in a fair price, provided that you do the same.” Again, mildly inconvenient but acceptable. This feels more like a peace negotiation more then any war tribute discussion every minute. Was there really any need to go to war for these demands? One look around at the affronted faces of the other cultivators tells Shen Qingqiu that yes, yes there was.
“demons should be allowed to travel and settle into the mortal realm should they so please. In turn humans and immortal are welcomed to travel and settle into the demon realms as well, should they so please.” This interests Shen Qingqiu greatly. This might just let Shen Qingqiu to observe many demonic flora and fauna in their natural habitat! The potential for knowledge with this clause is immense!
Shen Qingqiu has never been this impressed and intrigued by a man like this since Qi-ge during his days as a street rat. Maybe they do not need to stage a rebellion if these are the conditions they have to live by. Maybe there are decent men still out there in the world..
“Oh and I also want the peak lord of Qing Jing peak of Cang Qiong sect as my bride.”
...Shen Qingqiu takes back everything he ever said about this man. He is most certainly no better then any other lecherous power hungry scum-