Shouldering the protagonist's annoyingly long actor's lines, taking on an opera longtao role and getting paid minimum wage. [1] This is exploiting a laborer, you can't deny it!
Out of selfishness, Shen Qingqiu managed with some effort to raise his hand and touch Luo Binghe's head. Luo Binghe's originally stubborn and unbending gaze cooled, as though a handful of clear spring water doused his anger.
Shen Qingqiu smiled and said: "However, you don't need to dwell on it too much. If you have no way of becoming strong, I'll be by your side and protect you."
Letting Luo Binghe become that future monstrously big Immortal Demon BOSS of the Three Realms wasn't as good as letting him remain as a sympathetic little white flower. Shen Qingqiu didn't mind at all taking him under his wing and taking care of him for a lifetime.
His thoughts were simple and pure like this, though if it reached the ears of other people then it immediately might not be the same case. Luo Binghe was already completely stunned.
There had never been someone who had expressed such a straightforward and warm commitment towards him before.
Though the world was large, how many people could say 'you don't need to become strong, I'm here and naturally won't let you be bullied?'
And they weren't empty words. Shen Qingqiu saying he would achieve it meant he would achieve it. Several times, he had already proven with his actions that he'd rather be injured himself than let Luo Binghe receive the slightest harm.
Moreover, the affection in these words seemed too much. After the tide of warm feelings slightly subsided, a hot sensation quickly climbed up Luo Binghe's face.
Shen Qingqiu coughed for a moment. He painfully found out that he couldn't cough blood in the dream and held up his arm: "Well. First, help me up."
Luo Binghe felt the place where his wrist was held felt different, as though a trailing tingling feeling was left behind. Immediately, he realized he was thinking too much and scolded himself in his heart. He was really being disrespectful to Shizun. He hurriedly readjusted his thoughts.
Suddenly, a voice abruptly rang out. That old-sounding voice cried "Hey," and interestedly said: "This brat was actually able to break this old man's enchantment. Definitely not a simple person."
That voice seemed to come from within the valley, reverberating. It surrounded the two people and they were unable to tell it came from which direction. Shen Qingqiu was elated: This stage's BOSS had finally shown up! That is to say, if the good relations scene was finished, he could get off work! Quick, quick, quickly come BOSS, quickly take away the protagonist!
Luo Binghe hadn't fully helped up Shen Qingqiu when his gaze flashed with vigilance. The Dream Demon showing up when Shen Qingqiu was injured made the situation greatly unfavorable. He made up his mind: if the Dream Demon wanted to make a move to kill, even if his own strength was weak, he still must have the strength to delay the other side and strive to leave a slim chance of survival for Shizun.
He had only just made up his mind when that voice continued: "You, come over. Let this old man take a look and see what kind of young hero has this kind of skill."
Luo Binghe watched Shen Qingqiu. Before the master spoke, the disciple should not take the initiative to speak. Shen Qingqiu's mood wasn't bad and he had the intention of baiting him a little: "The other person is asking this young hero. What is your response?"
Luo Binghe's face was entirely red. He turned and said: "Breaking through Elder's enchantment is all due to relying on my Shizun's power. I don't dare to be called a young hero."
The voice snorted and seemed to be disdainful.
Shen Qingqiu knew why he snorted. This was Luo Binghe's dream, so Luo Binghe could only rely on his own strength. Though he blocked a hit for Luo Binghe, at the end he still had to rely on Luo Binghe quickly regaining sanity for the enchantment to break.
However, Shen Qingqiu was too lazy to explain and already knew how things would develop from here. He asked: "Is Your Excellency Elder Dream Demon?"
The voice said: "This old man will allow this brat to come over, but I don't want this common Cang Qiong Mountain sect cultivator to come over. Let him sleep first."
As expected, the situation was exactly the same as it was with Ning Yingying in the original work. Other than this person Luo Binghe, they would all be pushed out by the Dream Demon.
Shen Qingqiu suddenly felt his head hurt, and he collapsed.
Luo Binghe was extremely shocked. He hurriedly supported him and called: "Shizun?"
The Dream Demon said: "No need to worry. This old man only sent him into a dream within a dream, letting him sleep deeper. You, come over quickly!" This time, it could clearly be heard that the voice came from a dark cave in the west.
Luo Binghe couldn't wake Shen Qingqiu. He laid him lightly on the ground, then turned towards the voice: "I will call this Elder Shizun as a mark of courtesy, so please do not make things difficult for my Shizun."
The Dream Demon smiled and said: "Brat, I saw your memories. This Shifu doesn't treat you well. Why don't you let me just get rid of him? This is me helping you."
Most of the memories he saw were interactions between the original goods 'Shen Qingqiu' and Luo Binghe. Those memories truly made up the majority of the total memories though...
Luo Binghe shook his head: "Shizun isn't like what Elder thinks. If nothing else can be said, Shizun is Shizun, he can treat me however he wants. As a disciple, I cannot disrespect this."
If Shen Qingqiu could still hear at this time, he would need to roar in his heart: Luo-ge, I hope after you're blackened you will still remember these words you said! [2]
The Dream Demon snorted: "Pedantic! The Human Realm's Righteous path is always this kind of hypocrisy. Who cares whether he is your master or not, whether you respect him or not. Once someone angers me or harms me, I kill them! He clearly knew your cultivation wasn't enough to deal with Tian Chui and still sent you out. This kind of intention, can it be you can't see clearly?"
Luo Binghe said indifferently: "At that time, even I didn't believe I would be able to win. Shizun believed in me and not only gave me the opportunity, but also encouraged me during the fight. At the end, I truly did win."
There was another sentence he only said silently to himself in his heart: To save me, Shizun blocked two attacks for me. He truly treats me well.
The Dream Demon also looked at some memory fragments. He did not understand Shen Qingqiu this person, and didn't want to dwell overlong on this problem. But towards Luo Binghe, his attitude was very satisfied: "Brat. You're a man of strong passions and strong will."
Luo Binghe said: "Not as good as Shizun treats me, ten thousand times over."
If the Dream Demon had a mouth, it would have long since started twitching. He decided to change the subject.
Undecided for a moment, the Dream Demon said: "This old man feels that on your body, there is something very extraordinary. I don't know what it can be."
Luo Binghe was slightly surprised: "There's something on me? Even you can't see it?"
The Dream Demon laughed mischievously: "I can recite my ancestral line right here, but for someone even more outstanding than this old man to seal something in your body is not an impossibility."
Luo Binghe was shocked.
The Dream Demon wouldn't throw away the face gained from many centuries just to run over here and trick a young boy in his first decade like him. He couldn't help but say, disbelieving: "This Elder's meaning is that what is on my body... is related to demons?"
The Dream Demon laughed: "How is it? Unsatisfied? Are you in a hurry to make a clean split from demons?"
Luo Binghe's shock didn't last too long. His thoughts revolved very quickly. He was silent for a moment, then strongly said: "Demon Realm people do many evil things and have harmed my Shizun many times. Naturally, I cannot have a relationship with them."
The Dream Demon said gloomily: "Brat, do you dare say three words without mentioning that Shizun of yours? This old man guesses that your next sentence will be to ask this Elder if there's a way to get him out of here?"
Luo Binghe smiled wryly: "Even if I ask, will Elder tell me?"
The Dream Demon laughed ha ha: "It isn't that this old man isn't willing to tell you. It's that this old man really doesn't have the power. If you can't even discern reality, why talk about getting out? If it wasn't because I couldn't figure you out, brat, I would have already killed both of you. There wouldn't be this dragging things on for half a day business. Do you think this old man is very leisurely?"
Luo Binghe didn't speak.
What he thought was: If you don't even have substance anymore and are only a bunch of shadows acting as a parasite on other people's dreams; if you aren't leisurely, who's leisurely?
Though his natural disposition was warm, this was a fact...
The Dream Demon didn't know that Luo Binghe was criticizing him in his mind and spoke again: "I said I am powerless, however, that doesn't mean I don't have a way."
Luo Binghe was surprised. He probingly asked: "Elder, are you willing to tell the way?"
The Dream Demon lectured: "This old man can not only teach you how to suppress him, but can also teach you even more things."
Luo Binghe understood.
His heart fell. His voice had cooled when he spoke: "You want me to cultivate in the demonic path?"
"What's wrong with cultivating the demonic path? If you can cultivate the demonic path, that thing layered on your body will bring you great benefit. Cultivating at a pace as rapid as a thousand li a day and standing above over ten thousand peoples; these things are not only words. Even becoming a supreme Immortal Demon is nothing difficult!"
Hearing his last sentence, Luo Binghe's heart moved.
Cultivating at a pace as rapid as a thousand li a day, becoming a supreme Immortal Demon. That... should be the strongest existence?
Very quickly, he immediately rejected that idea.
Shizun loathed demons the most; if he wasn't able to resist the Dream Demon's temptation and fell into a crooked path, how would he be able to face Shizun?
Whether Shen Qingqiu is heartbroken or angry like thunder, neither of those things are what he wants to see himself.
"No." Luo Binghe flatly refused.
The Dream Demon smiled coldly: "If you aren't willing to learn from me, I'm afraid you won't be able to suppress the demon energy on your body. Right now, it's hidden deeply and it can't be seen, so it's all good. But this old man can feel that seal on your body has become weak. Wait until one day the seal is broken, the evil comes out, and a band of demon slayers surround you including your good shifu; how will he treat you?"
Mentioning the things that Luo Binghe had the most misgivings about, his face sank: "Elder Dream Demon, I am only a minor cultivator. Why must you force me to cultivate the demonic path?"
This question was really on point. Other than the author, no one was clear exactly why all the outstanding and high-level experts were all crying for the protagonist to become their disciple/inheritor/son-in-law.
No, actually, probably a great number of authors also had no way of knowing the answer to this eternal mystery.
"Brat, you don't know how to appreciate a favor! This old man sees that you are peculiar, not even wanting my lost body of knowledge by taking advantage of my vanished fleshly body, vanished like smoke and dispersed like clouds. How many people would beg for this kind of opportunity and it wouldn't come even if they begged!"
Luo Binghe's face was expressionless. The Dream Demon saw that he didn't he respond and was suddenly filled with an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, when Luo Binghe opened his mouth, there was a hint of an unfathomable smile.
He leisurely said: "Why is this Elder so anxious to teach me? I'm afraid it's not only because you aren't willing for your lost body of knowledge to be without a successor?"
The Dream Demon secretly shouted, not good!
—End Chapter 18—
[1] Opera longtao (龍套): Longtao can be used to refer to a specific kind of Chinese opera costume or to an opera actor playing a walk-on role. The longtao costume has dragon designs and is usually worn by soldiers or attendants.
[2] Luo-ge: The suffix '-ge' means 'elder brother/brother.' Can be used between actual brothers, good friends/acquaintances, or in some cases as a matter of politeness. I'm keeping this part as is because it really sounds better in Pinyin as opposed to the translation. Plus, there's an extra at the end of the novel in which it's important because 'Luo Binghe' gets called 'Bing-ge' vs 'Bing-mei.' The suffix '-mei' means 'younger sister/sister.'
TN (because I couldn't resist): Um… Binghe. You do know that you really can't go a paragraph without mentioning Shizun at least once, right? Right?
Anyway, here're the two confuzzling lines I mentioned in the original Chinese:
[加戲敢不敢給派盒飯啊魂淡!?]
[背著主角又臭又長的台詞,拿著龍套又乾又薄的工資.剝削勞工有木有!]