[Scum Villain Fanfic] The Writing Adventures Of Liu Su Mian Hua

#4: Just like in the novel

Mingyan, Qiaohui, Xiuying  and a few other disciples managed to get to Qiong Ding Peak just before the demons could fully destroy the Rainbow Bridge that connected all the peaks. The sight they met was total chaos with no elder around. The demons led by a teenage girl were wreaking havoc and nothing could be done about it. Suddenly a mob of disciples was spotted moving towards the audience hall with cheerful faces. Upon closer inspection it became evident that the mob was surrounding Qing Jing Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu who had been in the Lingxi Caves for a while – what a perfect time to return. Mingyan didn't know much about this person but she was aware that her brother and this Peak Lord didn't get along. Xian Shu Peak disciples also joined the mob and reached the audience hall.

Qing Jing Peak was known for its focus on scholarly arts, and its Peak Lord just seemed to be an embodiment of everything that the Peak stands for. Mingyan admitted that no matter what her brother thought about this person, Peak Lord Shen was a refined, sophisticated and sensible human being. The way he dealt with the cheeky Sha Hualing and the match against Elder Du Bi, where he fought without using his hands had a deep impact on Mingyan. After witnessing that match, Shen Qingqiu became a cool person in Mingyan's eyes, despite what others had to say.

In the second match, Mingyan was chosen to represent Cang Qiong Mountain Sect against Sha Hualing. The manner in which this girl spoke and acted annoyed Mingyan. She was unrestrained in all aspects – something Mingyan found herself unable to be. Mingyan used all her strength and might to teach this demon girl a lesson, but failed miserably. The demon girl proved to be far more powerful than her. Mingayn was no match for her. She walked up to Peak Lord Shen and knelt before him "This disciple has lost and disgraced the mission. I request that Martial Uncle Shen punish me." she said. This was the only way she could pay for losing the face of her Sect. She also felt dejected at not meeting the demands of someone she looked up to. "You undertook this responsibility and burden; it was not easy on you. Having lost this time, pay attention to your martial arts and just win back another day." Peak Lord Shen smiled. When she heard that, Mingyan made a firm resolve: to become strong, to become an equal match for Sha Hualing, nay even better than her, and to win everything back one day.

The third match was the deciding match. The demon girl chose Elder Tian Chui to represent the demons. This giant demon held a huge hammer and had spikes on his armour which were covered in a poison that had no cure – just as expected of the Demon realm. Peak Lord Shen chose one of his disciples this time – Luo Binghe. Nobody had heard of this disciple but it seemed like Qing Jing Peak disciples were not happy with the decision. This Luo Binghe was not the Chief Disciple of the Peak, he was a frail-looking teenage boy with an innocent face. Mingyan didn't understand this choice, the little boy with no skill was being brutally abused by the gigantic demon. But the boy never gave up. After half an hour of being painfully beaten up, the boy actually won! Nobody expected this outcome other than Peak Lord Shen. Mingyan still couldn't figure out why this teenager was chosen but she had a newfound respect for QingJing Peak and admiration for Luo Binghe. Watching a tiny weakling defeat a giant certainly moved hearts.

After "exchanging pointers" Sha Hualing was asked very politely to get lost by Peak Lord Shen. The demon girl vented her feelings by cursing and hitting Elder Tian Chui who had brought shame to her family. Cang Qiong Mountain Sect disciples were busy rejoicing in their victory and crowding around Luo Binghe - the hero of the match. Nobody expected what came next. Tian Chui charged towards Binghe with his hammer. Mingyan and others could only scream and watch in horror. Only Peak Lord Shen was swift enough to stand before this giant demon and make him unconscious, that too with just his paper fan! "Losing the competition and you want to kill? My division's disciple isn't for you to bully!" he said. He even enquired if Luo Binghe was alright - Peak Lord Shen truly cared for his disciples.

That didn't stop the demon at all, Tian Chui made a second attempt to kill Luo Binghe - to crush him with his body. This time too, Peak Lord Shen was quick on his feet. His Xiu Ya Sword left its scabbard and charged against the demon, but the demon didn't stop even when a hole was made in his body. Tian Chui kept rushing forward and eventually Peak Lord Shen had to use himself as a shield to protect Binghe. The demon was ecstatic at his success, Peak Lord Shen was calm and Luo Binghe seemed horrified, more horrified than anyone else present. He immediately picked up Xiu Ya and held it against the demon's neck, demanding him to spit out the cure for the poison that had harmed his Shizun. Mingyan watched the entire scene with rapt attention. She had only one thought in her head: "I have seen this somewhere..." There was truly no cure for the poison and Sha Hualing tried to use the situation to her advantage and make one final winning move. Luo Binghe was in a bad state when he heard that the poison truly had no cure. Peak Lord Shen was still calm. It finally came down to one last battle. Binghe insisted that he be allowed to take the attack in his Shizun's stead but Peak Lord Shen didn't take any of that. He pushed Binghe aside and readied himself to receive Sha Hualing's attack in spite of being injured and poisoned. Just as the attack was made, Liu Qingge appeared on the scene and countered it. The demons were then chased out of the Sect by Chen Luan Sword and the disciples.

Based on her brother's opinion and hatred towards Peak Lord Shen, Mingyan had never expected Liu Qingge to come and help the other to mitigate an attack or stabilize his deteriorating condition. She had never actually seen them interact, only heard about their sarcastic interactions from others. Maybe Liu Qingge actually held Shen Qingqiu in high regard. His speech was still cold though. Peak Lord Shen couldn't stand anymore and collapsed on the ground. Luo Binghe was constantly by his side and held him before he could fall. Peak Lord Shen laid down on the ground, weak and powerless, the opposite of his image at the beginning of the match. Binghe simply kept calling out to his Shizun with a painful expression. He was the reason for his Shizun's current state, he was saved by his Shizun, not once but twice! Peak Lord Shen raised his hand with a lot of effort and patted Binghe's head. "I knew...... you would definitely win." he said. Those words seemed to have left Binghe frozen. Peak Lord Shen lost consciousness after that – it was as if he had gathered all his remaining strength only to utter those words to his disciple. Luo Binghe broke into bitter tears that he had been holding back all the while, but he never left his Shizun's side, not even when Liu Qingge carried his Shizun back to Qing Jing Peak.

That was when it hit Mingyan. The 'shielding one's beloved by blocking a dangerous attack with one's body', the 'threatening to kill the one who harmed one's beloved', the 'crying unconsolably at the side of the injured loved one'.... she had seen them all before. Only the 'tight embrace followed by "I will never let go of you, no matter what dangers come our way"' was missing. All of these were scenes from 'Love Across Borders' – a novel depicting the sweet love story between a Crown Prince and a General of two enemy kingdoms. Except in reality the General was a distinguished Peak Lord and the Crown Prince was a disciple of said Peak Lord. The parallels filled Mingyan with excitement. There was a possibility: Did this Master-Disciple duo, unbeknownst to the people around, have something going on between them?