Lotus and the Snake

The World Wide Web

“Saalah? I have a request to ask of you?” Bai Yusheng spoke into the comfortable silence of the private quarters, drawing the other man out of his nightly meditation. He cracked an eye open and looked to where his lover sat on the bed, their hair tumbling wildly down their shoulders. 

“If it has to do with asking my mother for sex advice again, I’m afraid that is going to be a no,” he replied with a note of amusement. 

“Ah, will you ever let that one go?” Bai Yusheng replied with heated cheeks, reaching out for their folding fan. “I am just so used to going to her about everything. She is very knowledgeable and a close friend. Friends discuss such things with one another.” Saalah found it amusing that their face continued to burn hotter and hotter the more they defended themselves, their fan doing nothing to help. 

“Then what is the request this humble disciple can fulfill for you?” He opened both eyes now and stood, stretching with a groan. Bai Yusheng’s eyes dropped for a moment to admire the well-built body before them. It was habit now. They couldn’t believe their good fortune in having Saalah as theirs, though they were sure he saw it the other way around. 

“I need a sparring partner for tomorrow evening. I need to film a training video for Youtube and Li Jun is going to be out of town with Xiu Ying for a few days. I was hoping you could fill-“

“Bai Yusheng,” Saalah stopped them, and they looked up to see his face looking quite confused. “Did you just ask me…to film a video for YouTube? You’re pulling my leg, now, you have to be.” Saalah had been shocked enough to learn that this ethereal immortal, seeming to have been plucked straight from ancient times in their elegant robes and with their impeccable mannerisms, owned and proficiently operated a smartphone. Now they were trying to tell him they had a YouTube? He absolutely could not wrap his head around the idea. 

“I did, yes.” They said patiently, watching the strange expressions flit through the demon’s eyes, as they fought to contain their own laughter at how lost he seemed. “Did I not inform you? I apologize for my oversight.”

“What do you even post on YouTube?” Saalah approached the bed then. “Pull it up on the TV. I need to see this.” He grabbed the remote and gave it to them as he sat beside them. They took the opportunity to settle closer to him, leaning in as they turned the TV on, which also looked incredibly out of place in the mostly traditional style house, and brought up their channel. 

“I post training videos for my disciples. So, when they travel they can still have some guidance and won’t get out of practice. Some even use it as extra practice.” They pulled the channel up and Saalah choked, grabbing their hand to stop them from clicking on a video yet. 

“You have almost 2 million followers, Yusheng!” He looked like his mind was buzzing with questions, and they couldn’t hold back their laugh anymore as he gaped at them. 

“Ah, About that,” they chuckled and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. “I’m afraid a lot of that is…well…” They clicked the video and scrolled to the comments. Saalah felt his soul about leave his body. It was women. All women. So many women. At least he assumed they were all women. And, to be fair, there were true, legitimate comments about the content, sure, but they were almost drowned out by the massive amount of thirst posts flooding Bai Yusheng's comment section. 

“Yusheng,” he started after his mind stopped reeling, looking over to the peerless beauty beside him. “Yusheng, you know they are only following you because you’re beautiful, right? I doubt any of them are practicing sword techniques.” He knew Bai Yusheng was smart, but he worried about their naivety when it came to the worldwide web. 

“You think I’m beautiful?” Bai Yusheng teased, and it was his turn to blush, red rising to his dark cheeks before he could turn his head away. They truly laughed now, the sound making his heart do a flip. Their hand cupped his cheek before drawing his face back to look at them. “I am teasing you. I am well aware of why many of them follow me, but it is inevitable. I wanted to offer the knowledge I have gained to the world. It is unfair to hoard it when I have access to ways to spread it far and wide. There are many who do use these for their intended purpose. They send me their training videos to critique on Twitter and Instagram.”

“Yusheng,” Saalah groaned, meeting their eyes again and looking like he may just sink into the floor. “You have Twitter and Instagram, too?” He could already see the thirst comments on stunning pictures of Bai Yusheng, but he just could not imagine the immortal taking selfies or posing for pictures. It was too much. Who would even be taking them? Li Jun? Xiu Ying? Oh Gods...

“I do. I post pictures I take around the sect grounds of flowers, trees, animals and architecture. Sometimes I’ll take pictures when I travel, too. I often accompany them with some piece of wisdom I've gained over the centuries.” Saalah let out the breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding. Okay. So Instagram was for landscape photography, apparently. That was at least something he could imagine them doing. Bai Yusheng had caught his hand, tugging on it to catch his attention again. “Does this bother you, baobei?”  Their voice held real concern, and he tugged their hand up to kiss gently. 

“No. I’m fine, Yusheng. I’m just shocked. You are practically famous. No, you are! I just didn’t…It was hard enough imagining you owning a phone. This was the last thing I anticipated coming from you. Shizun is  just full of surprises.” His free hand caught the nape of their neck and drew them forward, kissing them suddenly. They gasped but melted into his touch, their eyes fluttering shut. 

    After a moment, they parted slightly to catch their breath, resting their foreheads against each other. “So,” Bai Yusheng started, licking their slightly swollen lips, “Would you be okay doing the video with me? You don’t have to. I can do a different type of training video if I need to.”

“I’ll do it,” he replied, kissing them lightly again. “But only if you follow my accounts. I want to see what you’re posting and support you.” His lips turned up in a teasing smile, and Bai Yusheng couldn’t help crawling up to straddle his lap, their sleeping robe parting around their thighs. They looped their arms around his neck and kissed back.

“Of course. I would love it if you followed me.”

“Wouldn’t I become one in a sea of millions, then?” he hummed, faking a pout. The smile that lit up Bai Yusheng’s face stole his breath away, and his hands caught their hips as they leaned in again, their eyes going hazy in that way they did when their mind was going to much more romantic endeavors. 

“In a sea of millions, there is only one I truly wish to follow me to the ends of time,” they whispered against his lips, and he surged forward, kissing them more passionately this time. If ever there came a time when the world was against this person, Saalah would forever stand by their side, and he could finally accept the knowledge that his Yusheng would do the same.