Characters / The Scum Villain's Self Saving System - Main Characters

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong - Character Index
Main Characters | Four Main Sects | Demon Realm and Other Characters

Shen Qingqiu (沈清秋) né Shen Yuan (沈垣)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Wu Lei (animation)
Voiced by (Japanese): Daisuke Namikawa (animation)

Aliases: 《Peerless Cucumber》 | 絕世黃瓜, Cucumber Bro (黃瓜兄)
Sword: Xiu Ya | 修雅

In his previous life, Shen Yuan had been well-off growing up, and he'd basically qualify as a modest example of a second-generation rich kid. His two older brothers had been set to inherit the family business, and he'd doted on his little sister. The entire family had been very close.

From early on he'd known, that even if he idled the rest of his life away, he'd never want for food. Perhaps due to this carefree upbringing, devoid of either competition or pressure, he came to believe ranking in the top ten of a competition was good enough, so long as it had more than ten people.

Therefore, he'd never understood what scum villains like Shen Qingqiu were thinking as they dug their own graves.

The lord of Qing Jing Peak, and the "scum villain" of the In-Universe novel Proud Immortal Demon Way, as well as the actual protagonist of the story.

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• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: He likes petting Luo Binghe on the head to show his affection, both when he was a disciple and after they get together.
• Affectionate Nickname: Once the two get more acquainted, Shang Qinghua starts referring to him as "Cucumber Bro".
• Animal Motifs: Luo Binghe likens Shen Qingqiu to a crane in the extra.
• Apologetic Attacker:
  • When he's still getting the hang of his abilities, he apologizes to a qi-deviating Liu Qingge and asks him not to hate him if he accidentally kills him while trying to subdue him.
  • He mentally apologizes to Luo Binghe a lot due to the System forcing him to put the boy in rough spots for the plot, especially when he's forced to push Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss.
• Atrocious Alias: Downplayed. He attempts to go by his online username Peerless Cucumber once he comes back to life but soon begins reconsidering it after everyone in the room decides that they must have misheard and get very confused trying to figure out what he "actually" said.
• Badass Bookworm: He's inherited the original Shen Qingqiu's fighting skills, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the story's monsters and their weaknesses on top of that.
• Becoming the Mask: At first he just treats it as him playing the role of Shen Qingqiu, but over time he does genuinely become a good and honest mentor to the Qing Jing Peak disciples. He becomes very attached to the other peak leaders, greatly admires his shixiong Yue Qingyuan, and even bristles whenever anyone insults Cang Qiong. He also never refers to himself as Shen Yuan once he transmigrates and fully embraces his new identity as Shen Qingqiu.
• Beneath the Mask: A good source of the novel's humor comes from Shen Qingqiu acting composed and regal on the outside, but in his mind he's either snarking or cursing up a storm, having a major Freak Out, arguing with the System, or everything in between.

• Better to Die than Be Killed: Shen Qingqiu believes that Luo Binghe is coming to kill him as revenge for pushing him into the Abyss. In order to avoid this fate, he grows a backup body and self-detonates his own golden core.
• Character Tic: He tends to hold his fan near his face when showing off, hiding his expressions or just trying to calm down. Also another is when he pats Luo Binghe's head, or slaps the other's forehead with his fan when he's angry or trying to stop Luo Binghe from saying something embarrassing to him.
• Cool Teacher: He's a much softer, kinder teacher than the original Shen Qingqiu. During a visit to Qing Jing Peak, Shang Qinghua notices that the disciples no longer have faces "full of great bitterness and deep resentment". When his disciples get into a fight with a group of Huan Hua Palace disciples over his reputation, Shen Qingqiu intervenes to protect them, despite being on the run at the time.
• Cuteness Proximity: When around Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu is always tempted to pat his head, but is initially unable to do so under the System's OOC restrictions. In an extra, Shen Qingqiu cannot help but want to constantly pinch Luo Binghe's cheeks when he qi deviates and is stuck in the body of a child.
• Deadpan Snarker: Almost every chapter has him deriding the unsavory aspects of the In-Universe novel with a dry and sarcastic undertone.

• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Implied with his real life before he transmigrated. He was a rich kid living off his parents' money, but was still incredibly bored; and despite his constant critiques at Proud Immortal Demon Way, it did seem to be the only thing he invested himself in. When he transmigrates into the novel, he suddenly becomes brighter and more eager to explore the world and its unused lore.
• Distressed Dude: Despite being a powerful peak lord, Shen Qingqiu gets kidnapped or endangered a number of times over the course of the story.
  • He's knocked out while in pursuit of the Skinner Demon and wakes up tied up and shirtless. He exploits Luo Binghe's protagonist Plot Armor to get a ceiling beam to crash down upon the demon in response to his peril. This also ends up freeing Luo Binghe who then manages to cut through Shen Qingqiu's bindings.
  • He gets poisoned by Without a Cure while defending Luo Binghe from an attack. No longer able to use his spiritual energy, he plans to self-destruct and take Sha Hualing with him to protect the sect. Thankfully, Liu Qingge arrives in time to save him.
  • After being imprisoned in Huan Hua Palace's Water Prison, he manages to escape with Gongyi Xiao's help—unbeknownst to him, Gongyi Xiao does so because he mistakenly thinks that Luo Binghe has taken advantage of his imprisonment to assault him.
  • Sha Hualing slips some of Luo Binghe's heavenly demon blood into Shen Qingqiu's food and drink, which Luo Binghe is able to track and control from inside of him. Unaware of his true identity after Shen Qingqiu's Resurrection Gambit, they plan to use his Dew Mushroom body's boundless spiritual qi to balance Luo Binghe's demonic qi. Though after Shen Qingqiu helps Liu Qingge take his corpse away from Luo Binghe, he looked ready to kill him right there. He's rescued by Zhuzhi-Lang, who's able to use his own heavenly demon blood to combat Luo Binghe's.
  • After rescuing him from Luo Binghe, it turns out that Zhuzhi-Lang has no plans to let him go. He plans to take him to the Demon Realm so that Shen Qingqiu will be spared when Tianlang-Jun destroys the four major sects. Shen Qingqiu manages to escape by paying the women at a brothel to boil all the realgar wine in town—the weakness of all snakes and snake demons like Zhuzhi-Lang.
  • Shen Qingqiu surrenders himself to Luo Binghe when he sieges Cang Qiong Mountain specifically to capture him. Three days later, he's captured by Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang who summon his soul back to his original body in the Holy Mausoleum. Luo Binghe breaks into the Holy Mausoleum to rescue him, but his father and cousin ultimately manage to make off with him again. Eventually, Liu Qingge manages to track them down. In the fight that ensues, Zhuzhi-Lang has a change of heart and sides against his uncle just this once, helping suppress Tianlang-Jun's blood inside of Shen Qingqiu. Thus, Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe, and Liu Qingge are able to get away.
• Does Not Know His Own Strength: When he first transmigrates, it takes him a little while to get used to his abilities, and he worries that he might injure the people he's not trying to harm. He gets better after meditating for a while.
• Drama Queen: In contrast to his aloof, elegant outward demeanour, his internal monologue is exceptionally dramatic. It's upped to eleven in the donghua where his voice always seems on the verge of cracking out of sheer frustration and confusion over the System's whims.

• Euphemistic Names: Shen Yuan's online ID was Peerless Cucumber (cucumber being as a euphemism for a penis). He also attempts to use it as a regular alias later in the story, though he almost immediately regrets it.
• The Faceless: In the donghua the viewer never gets to see the full view of his original face. However, the manhua does show his original face.
• Fanboy: Although he will vehemently deny it, he has a real soft spot for Luo Binghe even before he transmigrates into Proud Immortal Demon Way, buying up every chapter that came out because he wanted to see Luo Binghe get the happiness he believed he deserved. When he does transmigrate, he lowkey fanboys over Luo Binghe and praises his skill, appearance, and good heart. It's also very telling that he read Proud Immortal Demon Way for the plot, and not for the porn.
• Fatal Flaw: He assumes that the characters of Proud Immortal Demon Way will continue to act exactly like how they did in the original canon even after his transmigration — however, this assumption influences many of his actions. While his suspicions are not without reason, it is also what causes him to not consider how others might think or feel differently about what he does, which contributes to what is already a severe case of misunderstanding among the cast.
• First Love: In the revised story, Luo Binghe doesn't fall in love with any of the women who would have been in his harem and instead is only interested in Shen Qingqiu.
• First-Name Basis: When Shen Qingqiu first transmigrates, he tells Ming Fan to bring him "Binghe", calling him by his first name. Ming Fan is unsettled by this because the original Shen Qingqiu usually called Luo Binghe things like "little beast" or "ungrateful brat", rarely ever even calling him by full name, let alone by first.
• Friend to All Children: Shen Qingqiu had a younger sister he doted on in his previous life, and he couldn't help but form a soft spot for the younger Luo Binghe even with the knowledge that he may be killed by him in the future. He also treats the disciples in his peak with kindness and respect and in turn gains their Undying Loyalty. In Luo Binghe's dream illusion where he conjures up a child version of himself Shen Qingqiu's first instinct is to go and comfort the crying boy and try to calm him down.
• Genre Savvy: He's highly knowledgeable of common stallion novel tropes, so much so that he can't help but mourn how poorly they were utilized in Proud Immortal Demon Way. On the bright side, he uses his knowledge of said tropes to exploit certain situations or characters in a way that favors him.

• Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: He heavily insists he only likes women and couldn't possibly swing the other way. Either nobody ever explained bisexuality to Shen Qingqiu, or he is that deep in the closet.
  Yes, Shen Qingqiu insisted he was still straight! His willingness to read a stallion novel like Proud Immortal Demon Way was rock-solid proof!
• Heroic BSoD: After pushing Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss, Shen Qingqiu is noticeably grief stricken afterwards. He builds a sword mound for Luo Binghe's shattered sword and spends much of his time standing in front of it. Despite others doing their best to console him, it takes a while before he is able to return to some semblance of normal.
• Humble Goal: When not hugging the protagonist's thigh in order to live, Shen Qingqiu had no further plans for the future besides being left to his own devices to pass the time by reading, continuing to cultivate and maybe even finding a girlfriend. After he comes back to life, he plans on roaming the world and finally getting to play around when he wasn't allowed to because of the System.
• Hypocrite: While he'll tear the novel a new one, there are comments in-universe that point out he was still buying up each chapter that came out despite him being incredibly critical over it.
• Iconic Item: He is almost rarely seen without his fan in hand, which he uses to fan himself or hide his face behind when his emotions starts to crack on the surface. Once he comes back to life, it's one of the first things he searches for as he doesn't feel complete without it.
• Idle Rich: In his previous life, he mentions being a second generation kid with two brothers, one sister and a family who owns a company. He could literally just live off of his parents money and not have to worry about anything, but he does admit that this lifestyle left him incredibly bored which lead him to reading webnovels and especially Proud Immortal Demon Way.
• If It's You, It's Okay: He isn't aware of Luo Binghe's growing romantic feelings towards him and considers himself straight, yet starts to reciprocate his feelings over the novel. While he'll deny his feelings at times, it's clear that he has come to genuinely love Luo Binghe.
• I Am Not Pretty: He refers to himself as an old man and doesn’t get what makes an old master like him attractive to the protagonist. This is despite being in the body of an immortal cultivator who Shen Qingqiu himself acknowledged as appearing youthful and attractive when he first transmigrated.
• Insecure Love Interest: Most of the time, he's unaware of Luo Binghe's growing romantic feelings because he believes he's still the black lotus of the original canon. When he does realize the other's feelings, he's not sure why Luo Binghe would like an "old man" like him.
• Instant Expert: While attempting to learn cultivation, Shen Qingqiu learns that the spells and sword techniques that were already learned by the original Shen Qingqiu come naturally to him. He still trains and meditates, intending to fully master cultivation and achieve immortality.

• Last Words: His final words when he detonates his golden core and apologizes to Luo Binghe for pushing him into the Abyss serves as an Ironic Echo to the words Luo Binghe in the original canon said to Shen Qingqiu.
  Shen Qingqiu: Everything that's happened in the past, I'll repay it all to you today.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He has long hair, as is typical for the setting, and according to Shen Qingqiu himself after having transmigrated, his face is "fine-featured", and he "could more or less be considered beautiful."
• Master Actor: Downplayed. After reading over six thousand chapters worth of a novel, he has a good grasp on how Shen Qingqiu acts in which he's able to emulate it to the System's satisfaction. When he's still unable to unlock the out of character function, he's able to change his character's actions without triggering the out of character alert too often. That being said, the others do notice the changes in "Shen Qingqiu's" personality, and they simply don't mention anything since they prefer his new self.
• Motor Mouth: In the donghua he talks incredibly fast in his internal monologue.

• My God, What Have I Done?: Just because his mission from the System tells him to push Luo Binghe into the abyss, it doesn't mean he's okay with doing that or enjoyed hurting his disciple. After that event, Shen Qingqiu is visibly depressed for a few good months.
• NEET: It's implied he was neither studying nor working before he transmigrated. Being a son to a rich family certainly helps and he looked to be around his twenties when he died.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Many of the good things he tries to do for Luo Binghe or others come back to bite him in the ass one way or another. Save Luo Binghe from Elder Sky Hammer? Now his cultivation is out of whack due to the Without a Cure poison. Stop Gongyi Xiao from killing a peaceful snake creature? They're later revealed to be Zhuzhi-Lang, who forcefully tries to drag Shen Qingqiu away so he wouldn't be a casualty in Tianlang-Jun's plans and kills Gongyi Xiao for trying to hurt him in the past. Self-detonate his golden core to save Luo Binghe from Xin Mo?. It leaves him in a deep depression and creates a feud between him and Cang Qiong Mountain Sect because he refuses to hand over his shizun's corpse.
• Oblivious to Love: It takes him a good long while to realize that Luo Binghe is in love with him, despite the many, many signs, such as Luo Binghe repeatedly, 'accidentally' falling into Shen Qingqiu's arms during training and his jealousy over Shen Qingqiu wearing Gongyi Xiao's outer robe. Part of his confusion stems from the fact that the original Luo Binghe had treated the original Shen Qingqiu very differently. Another part stems from his heteronormative worldview, which keeps him from even pondering the possibility that Luo Binghe could be attracted to a man, all the way up until Luo Binghe actually kisses him.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: He acts stupider than he actually is at times in order to play a situation to his advantage. Played straight in the "Airplane" extra where he pretends not to understand the forms Liu Qingge was teaching him, causing him to bring out every Bai Zhan disciple he could find to demonstrate as a subtle way of punishing the Bai Zhan disciples for bullying his disciples.
• Online Alias: He went by Peerless Cucumber online and even attempts to use it again when he comes back to life.
• Papa Wolf: He gets very protective of his Qing Jing Peak disciples and will not be kind to those who harm them in any way. When the Palace Mistress starts attacking them he can't stand aside as he jumps into protect them. Even the disciples of Bai Zhan Peak aren't spared from his wrath as he pretends he doesn't understand the techniques Liu Qingge is showing to him as they spar, which leads Liu Qingge to drag out every disciple to demonstrate, causing them to deal with more punishments.
• Petal Power: Controlling leaves and petals is one of the few abilities Shen Qingqiu can use when he's first transmigrated, though he can only use a few leaves at at time. By the time of the extras, he's become powerful enough to control thousands of leaves and petals at once.
• Photographic Memory: Downplayed, but he has exceptional memory of the novel's story and lore, and is as knowledgeable as the author himself.
• Preferable Impersonator: Shen Qingqiu isn't as good as he thinks at impersonating the original Shen Qingqiu. In one of the extras, the other Peak Lords are shown to be bewildered by his uncharacteristic behaviour. However since all the possession tests came out negative and the old Shen Qingqiu was a Jerkass, they continue as normal.
• Reverse Arm-Fold: He often folds one arm behind his back while holding his fan, even when he's fighting.
• Rich Boredom: He lived an incredibly comfortable life before he transmigrated where he could have anything he wanted and never had to work if he so wished. This of course lead to him feeling unfulfilled and incredibly bored of life, only finding some bit of joy by hate-reading Proud Immortal Demon Way.
• Secretly Selfish: Downplayed. On the outside, "Shen Qingqiu" has suddenly become more patient and magnanimous. But in reality, Shen Qingqiu is adjusting his character's personality to ensure that Luo Binghe will not resent him and want him dead. That being said, while Shen Qingqiu is acting out of self-preservation, he's also more altruistic than he makes himself out to be. He's often kind for kindness's sake and even risks himself to save others on several instances, despite his claim that his priority is self-preservation.
• Selective Obliviousness: He tends to ignore details that go against his view of how Luo Binghe as the mighty stallion protagonist. For example, he's continuously shocked and confused when Luo Binghe misses an opportunity to have a romantic moment with one of the women who were his love interests in the original novel, and it takes him a long time to accept that he has no interest in them. He also has a hard time noticing or accepting his own feelings. When Luo Binghe yells at him in the Holy Mausoleum, it has to be pointed out to him that he's been crying, and he then decides to himself that they're only tears of pain.
• Shipper on Deck: He gets excited when Luo Binghe interacts with any female character who would eventually join his harem in the original canon. The irony is that Luo Binghe thinks that Shen Qingqiu has taken a liking to said female character, much to his jealousy. He also seems to be a fan of Luo Binghe and Liu Mingyan as a couple as he tries to get the two together.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Not out loud, but his mental voice loves to cuss, all the more so when he's stressed.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Downplayed as he doesn't linger on it, but once he learns more of Shen Jiu's past as well as his relationship with Yue Qingyuan, the narration indicates at Shen Qingqiu feeling pain at just how sad it all was and laments on how the words meant for Shen Jiu were never going to be heard by him. And in general, while it can't be said he likes Shen Jiu, he has come to see him as the complicated person he was who was dealt a really bad hand in life instead of being the one-dimensional "scum villain" who deserved to be castrated. He even saw a parallel between his relationship with Luo Binghe and Yue Qingyuan's relationship with Shen Jiu, noting how simple communication could've gone a long way for them both.
• Uke: Or shou, in Chinese terms. He's the bottom and the more passive, submissive sexual partner in his relationship with Luo Binghe. He's Oblivious to Love, slightly shorter than the fully grown Luo Binghe, and the more 'feminine' of the two, often placed in the role of the 'female lead' (in his own words) in contrast to Luo Binghe's hyper-masculine stallion protagonist. Downplayed by Shen Qingqiu being the older mentor figure to Luo Binghe and the less emotional of the two.
• Unreliable Narrator: The novel is told in Shen Qingqiu's perspective. He has a tendency to misinterpret the motivations and feelings of others, such as his obliviousness towards Luo Binghe's growing feelings towards him. He's sometimes unaware of his own feelings as well, such as when it's not revealed that he's been crying until Luo Binghe points it out to him in the Holy Mausoleum.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Shang Qinghua never refer to themselves as friends and most of the time he's ribbing the author himself over his poor writing for Proud Immortal Demon Way. Yet, he does seem to care for Shang Qinghua a bit as he is willing to listen to the other's concerns when he ran away from Mobei-Jun.
• When He Smiles: When he's not forced to act in character by the System, he's noticeably gentler looking when he smiles, especially in the donghua when he looks after a young Luo Binghe. Later on after confessing his feelings, Luo Binghe admits that his shizun doesn't smile often or laugh, and he loves it when he does.
• Who Writes This Crap?!: Even after being put in a Show Within a Show, Shen Qingqiu frequently snarks about Proud Immortal Demon Way's writing. Everything from the setting to the characterization to the poor naming of mystical plants gets lambasted by him at some point.
• Worf Had the Flu: After being inflicted with the "Without a Cure" poison, Shen Qingqiu's qi circulation gets impaired. While he has his powers, there are times when he will suddenly have trouble using them even with constant medication. Downplayed in that while this leaves him vulnerable in multiple fights, he still manages to pull through one way or another. This problem goes away after he's resurrected in a new body.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Shen Qingqiu's constant belief that Luo Binghe is the same stallion/harem protagonist who hates "Shen Qingqiu" leads to about 90% of the novel's misunderstandings.

Luo Binghe (洛冰河)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Shen Dawei (animation)
Voiced by (Japanese): Yūki Kaji (animation)

Sword: Zheng Yang | 正陽, Xin Mo | 心魔

The male lead of this novel, Luo Binghe, was neither the kind who started heroic and invincible, like a proud dragon of the heavens, nor the kind who was a loser, a good-for-nothing without merit— yet he managed to trend with tens of thousands of readers on Zhongdian Literature, inspiring countless other male fantasy novels to follow in his footsteps.

He was the kind of lead who was pitch-black, dark and vicious, though before his heart blackened, he was the kind who suffered misery after misery.

A disciple of Qing Jing Peak, and the protagonist of Proud Immortal Demon Way.

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General Tropes:

• Affectionate Nickname: Ning Yingying, his first and only friend among the Qing Jing Peak disciples, refers to him as A-Luo. In the original Proud Immortal Demon Way, she's one of the most prominent love interests in his harem.
• All of the Other Reindeer: Luo Binghe is despised and envied by his master, the original Shen Qingqiu, who encourages the rest of his disciples to bully him. In the original Proud Immortal Demon Way, Luo Binghe eventually returns to Cang Qiong Mountain and takes revenge on all his past tormentors.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Both Luo Binghes show attachment to those who showed them kindness back when they were a mistreated disciple.
  • In the main story, Luo Binghe quickly grows to love Shen Qingqiu after he begins showing him kindness, justifying to himself the abuse that the original Shen Qingqiu had put him through. Though angry and betrayed, his love for Shen Qingqiu never falters even after Shen Qingqiu throws him into the Endless Abyss.
  • Downplayed for the original Luo Binghe. He spares Ning Yingying from Qing Peak's fate because she was the only disciple there who was ever nice to him, but she still ends up one love interest among the many women in his harem.
• The Charmer: He's very good at charming and manipulating others post-blackening. He uses his charisma to become the star of the Huan Hua Palace Sect shortly after escaping the Abyss. The original Luo Binghe also charms countless women and convinces them to join his harem.
• Chick Magnet: As a stallion protagonist, he's designed to be incredibly attractive to women. Even as a young disciple, he gains the attention of the girls around him without even trying. In the original canon, he amasses a harem of almost a hundred women.
• Desperately Craves Affection: Both iterations of Luo Binghe crave love and affection, though the original Luo Binghe does his best to hide it.
  • Shen Qingqiu hypothesizes that Luo Binghe's longing for affection is one of the reasons the latter clings to him so quickly and for so long. Given his tragic backstory and how he has severe abandonment issues, he may not be too far off the mark.
  • The original Luo Binghe, despite spending much of the original Proud Immortal Demon Way adding woman after woman to his harem, after seeing the kindness and affection Shen Qingqiu displays towards his Luo Binghe, he's extremely jealous and can't help but issue a plea for Shen Qingqiu to go back with him to his reality.
• Determinator: Though Luo Binghe suffers through countless hardships, he never gives up. After being thrown into the hellish Endless Abyss, not only does he survive there for years, he escapes and rises to power as ruler of the Demon Realm. In the main story, after Shen Qingqiu dies, Luo Binghe spends five years trying to bring him back. During this time, he expends enormous amounts of spiritual energy to preserve his body and fights Liu Qingge over and over again to keep the body by his side.
• Dream Weaver: The Dream Demon Meng Mo teaches him how to manipulate dreams during his disciple days.
  • After Shen Qingqiu escapes from the water prison, Luo Binghe seeks him out through dreams and drags him into a nightmare.
  • After Shen Qingqiu's death, Luo Binghe uses his dream realm to recreate memories of his time with him on Qing Jing Peak.
  • During the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra, the original Luo Binghe uses his dream powers to look through all of Shen Qingqiu's memories, giving him the impression that he had dreamed all night of his past memories.
• Elemental Motifs: Some of the donghua's official posters feature him surrounded by and holding a fist full of fire, befitting of his fierce, masculine, and destructive demon lord persona.
• Facial Markings: After Mobei-Jun removes the seal suppressing his demonic heritage, Luo Binghe gains a glowing red mark upon his forehead, signifying that he's of heavenly demon descent.
• The Gift: Even before he unlocks his heavenly demon heritage, Luo Binghe is simply an extraordinarily talented youth. During Cang Qiong Mountain Sect's recruitment trial, he's immediately pointed out by Liu Qingge to be the most talented young prospect. Jealousy over his talent contributes to the bullying and abuse he suffers from the other disciples and the original Shen Qingqiu. Justified as Luo Binghe is, In-Universe, designed to be the overpowered wish-fulfillment protagonist of a badly written web novel.
• Half-Breed Discrimination: Luo Binghe is hated and mistrusted by most of the humans who discover that he's half heavenly demon. He's thrown into the Endless Abyss by the original Shen Qingqiu after he learns of his demon heritage, and though he doesn't mean it, Shen Qingqiu uses the same excuse. When the story behind his birth is revealed at Zhao Hua Monastery, the cultivators present are similarly appalled. Shen Qingqiu also mentions that in the original novel, many other demon lords had been displeased with Luo Binghe's human heritage, hindering his rise to power in the Demon Realm—an issue which he generally resolved with violence.
• Happily Adopted: He was adopted by a loving washerwoman when he was a young child living on the streets. His mother spends almost her entire life savings to buy a jade Guanyin pendant as a protection charm for him, but gets scammed into buying a fake. After her death, Luo Binghe keeps it on his person and is heartbroken when he loses it in a fight against his bullies. Later in the story, he refuses to acknowledge his birth mother Su Xiyan, telling everyone that his mother had been a washerwoman.
• Human-Demon Hybrid: His mother was a human cultivator and his father was a heavenly demon. After his demonic heritage is revealed during the Immortal Alliance Conference, Shen Qingqiu throws him into the Endless Abyss. Fortunately, due to the powers that come with his heavenly demon heritage, he's able to survive and he becomes the ruler of the Demon Realm, much like his father before him. His dual heritage also means that he has two cultivation systems, one with spiritual qi and the other with demonic qi. This allows him to use both attack types, but becomes an issue when Xin Mo causes his demonic qi to surge and disrupts the balance within his body.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Though neither iterations of Luo Binghe have any trouble obtaining power or charming others to their side, ultimately what they want is genuine love and connection.
  • After Shen Qingqiu transmigrates and begins to show him kindness, Luo Binghe becomes very attached to him. He would do anything for his love and approval and grows jealous when Shen Qingqiu shows attention to others. At Mai Gu Ridge, when Luo Binghe's mind has nearly been taken over by Xin Mo, he laments that no one would ever choose him, that they all want to throw him away. He attempts to destroy the world by merging the Human and Demon Realms so Shen Qingqiu will have no choice but to stay by his side.
  • Though the original Luo Binghe has ultimate power and a massive harem of women—everything a stallion protagonist "should" want—deep down he's still unsatisfied. The "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra shows this when he gets jealous of Shen Qingqiu's relationship with his Luo Binghe, and hates that this version of himself has a shizun who truly and genuinely loves him.
• Intimate Healing: As a heavenly demon, he has a natural resistance against poisons and is even able to absorb poisons from other people during sex. This even applies to the poison known as Without a Cure, which is otherwise incurable.
• Lineage Comes from the Father: Luo Binghe's father, Tianlang-Jun, is a heavenly demon, the most powerful and noble bloodline of demons, and the Saintly Ruler of the Demon Realm. Luo Binghe eventually inherits his position, not to mention the myriad of powers that come with being half-heavenly demon. His mother, on the other hand, is initially only mentioned to be a human disciple from a righteous sect who dies giving birth to Luo Binghe. Subverted later on when it's revealed that his mother, Su Xiyan, has an important legacy as well. She was once the head disciple of Huan Hua Palace, and the Old Palace Master makes Luo Binghe head disciple specifically because of his obsession with her.
• Meaningful Name: He was given the surname "Luo" after the Luo River, where he had been found drifting as a newborn baby. It had been one of the coldest days of the year, with the Luo River being "choked with thin ice", hence his first name Binghe, which translates to "icy river".
• Momma's Boy: He truly loved the washerwoman who adopted him as his own mother and keeps the fake Guanyin pendant she bought for him after her death. His last moments with her was him telling her to rest while he gets her some food.
• Moses in the Bulrushes: Su Xiyan, dying after giving birth from absorbing the poison the Old Palace Master had given her to force an abortion of her half-demon child, sets Luo Binghe adrift in the Luo River to give him a chance of survival. Luo Binghe is rescued by a group of fishermen, and after spending a few years on the streets, he's adopted by a kind washerwoman.
• Parental Abandonment: He never knew his father (who was sealed under a mountain) or his mother (who died after giving birth to him) growing up. His mother set him adrift in the Luo River to give him a chance of survival right before she died.
• Parody Sue: Luo Binghe is a parody of the stallion novel protagonist, a genre of male-targeted power fantasy. The original Luo Binghe is the protagonist of a long and poorly written web-novel who conquers the three realms, gathers a massive harem of women, and takes violent revenge on everyone who ever slighted him. Deconstructed as Shen Qingqiu slowly realizes that none of it actually makes Luo Binghe happy. This is even more evident in one of the extras where the original Luo Binghe finds himself jealous of the main couple's relationship, despite his harem of countless beauties.
• Real Men Cook: Luo Binghe is an amazing cook, a skill which he uses to seduce women into his harem in the original Proud Immortal Demon Way. The main story's Luo Binghe shares this skill, though he only cooks for his shizun.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: When he starts using his demonic powers, his eyes become red, which is a sign you should start running.
• Sex God:
  • The original Luo Binghe is an extremely experienced and talented lover, having slept with countless women, many of whom join his harem. When he travels to Shen Qingqiu's universe and is mistaken for his Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu is shocked and aroused by his sudden sexual prowess, having never felt that way with his own sexually inexperienced Luo Binghe.
  • Subverted for the main story's Luo Binghe. Based on the original Luo Binghe's sexual prowess and the expectations of the stallion novel genre, one would assume he'd be similarly skilled. But this version of Luo Binghe has never touched anyone but Shen Qingqiu, nor did he ever dream of touching anyone else. As a result, he struggles to pleasure Shen Qingqiu without accidentally causing him pain, and the latter notes that his skill is downright atrocious.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: During his years as a disciple, he wears white robes, and Shen Qingqiu affectionately thinks of him as a "little white lotus". After emerging from his fall into the Endless Abyss, he wears black robes, symbolizing that his heart has been blackened.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Several people note that he and his mother Su Xiyan look a lot alike. This especially catches the attention of the Old Palace Master who has an unhealthy obsession with Su Xiyan, even after her death.
• Supreme Chef: A consistent trait of Luo Binghe is his amazing cooking, which he used to seduce girls in Proud Immortal Demon Way and to please Shen Qingqiu in the main story.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's tall with dark hair, dark eyes, and being a stallion protagonist, he is, of course, incredibly good-looking. After returning from the Abyss, his robes are black too. At one point, Shen Qingqiu calls him "tall, dark, and deadly."
• Teacher's Unfavorite Student: Luo Binghe is despised and abused by the original Shen Qingqiu out of envy for his talent and more fortunate circumstances. The very day Luo Binghe is accepted onto Qing Jing Peak, Shen Qingqiu starts their relationship off by casually throwing his cup of tea onto his head. Things don't improve from there.
• Through His Stomach: Both Luo Binghes use their delicious cooking to win the affections of their love interests. In the original Luo Binghe's case, it's mentioned that he's coaxed multiple spoiled young ladies into his harem with his cooking. As for Luo Binghe in the main story, he only cooks for his beloved shizun.
• Tragic Keepsake: He carries around a fake jade Guanyin pendant, which was a gift from his deceased adoptive mother. She had saved for a year and spent almost all their savings to buy him a protective charm, and her health deteriorated after she learned that it was a counterfeit.
• Trauma Conga Line: His mother dies after giving birth to him and he's set adrift on the Luo River, where he would have frozen to death had he not been saved by a group of fishermen. He spends his first few years on the streets before being adopted by a washerwoman. His adoptive mother is kind to him, but they're poor and mistreated by their employers. His mother passes away, and he becomes a disciple on Qing Jing Peak where he's bullied by his peers and abused by his master. Finally, his teacher throws him into the Endless Abyss, the hell-like liminal space between the Human and Demon Realms. Justified in that he's the in-universe protagonist of a stallion novel, and his tragic childhood is designed so that the audience can feel immense satisfaction when he rises to the top and takes revenge on all those who had tormented him in the past.
• Unique Protagonist Asset: Luo Binghe's one of a kind half heavenly demon heritage grants him some very useful powers including regenerative abilities and blood mite manipulation, plus the ability to use both spiritual and demonic qi. On top of that, he has the ancient mystical Xin Mo sword which Shen Qingqiu refers to as his "golden finger" (Chinese internet slang for a protagonist's overpowered weapon or ability).
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As a Qing Jing Peak disciple, he's a sweet kid who only wants to make his teacher proud of him. After said teacher pushes him to the Endless Abyss, he becomes far more violent and emotionally-unstable. Both versions of Luo Binghe eventually try to merge the Human and Demon Realms, a hugely destructive act not far off from destroying the world.

Tropes that apply to Luo Binghe in the original Proud Immortal Demon Way:

• Ambiguously Bi: Although he has a harem of wives, in the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra, he tricks Shen Qingqiu into thinking he's his Binghe and almost coerces the other into having sex with him. While in part, his actions spring from a desire to humiliate the two, he's shown to be extremely jealous of the relationship between Shen Qingqiu and his version of Luo Binghe, unable to understand why his Shen Qingqiu had only ever treated him with cruelty.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: Shen Qingqiu describes him as having "a dick longer than the heavens", and his innumerable sexual conquests throughout Proud Immortal Demon Way prove that he knows how to use it. As expected of a stallion protagonist.
• Chekhov's Gunman: He's briefly encountered by Shen Qingqiu during the Punishment Protocol sequence after Shen Qingqiu fails the mission at Zhao Hua Monastery. He reappears for a major role in the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra, where it's revealed that the System did not create a simulation of the original Luo Binghe; rather, it transported Shen Qingqiu to the universe of the original canon. This allows the original Binghe to migrate to Shen Qingqiu's universe after Xin Mo acts up again.
• A Darker Me: He's basically what Bingmei could have become again were he not given genuine love and affection and his darker tendencies weren't kept in check.
• Dimensional Traveler: He travels to Shen Qingqiu's universe on accident in the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra.
• Evil Wears Black: He's a Villain Protagonist who shows no mercy to his enemies and conquers the three realms with his legendary Evil Weapon. He wears a black robe ever since he escaped from the Endless Abyss.
• Green-Eyed Monster: He becomes viciously jealous when he accidentally travels into Shen Qingqiu's universe and sees the relationship between this Shen Qingqiu and his version of Luo Binghe that he never had with his teacher. He tries to sleep with Shen Qingqiu while he still thinks he's his husband, gets into a fight with the two after being discovered, and tries to convince Shen Qingqiu to leave with him.
• Harem Seeker: Much of the original Proud Immortal Demon Way is dedicated to Luo Binghe seducing women into his harem. He's said to accept even the most troublesome of women, and being the amazing stallion protagonist he is, this never comes to bite him in the back. However, Shen Qingqiu does mention that there's plenty of infighting and intrigue between harem members, which is rather uncommon for the genre.
• In-Series Nickname: Shen Qingqiu and the author refer to him as Bing-ge, 'ge' meaning older brother in Mandarin which has a connotation of coolness. In the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra, Shen Qingqiu refers to him as Bing-ge in order to distinguish the two Luo Binghes.
• It's All About Me: In the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra, it's noted that he's used to being the center of everyone's attention. Hence, when Bing-mei reunites with his shizun and they get too distracted by one another to remember Bing-ge is still in the room, he's rather annoyed. He also can't understand why Shen Qingqiu would choose his own Luo Binghe over him when he's a much better lover.
• Lonely at the Top: It's strongly hinted in one of the extras that for all the power, prestige, wealth and lovers he accumulated, he's still missing and craving a real human connection.
• Pet the Dog: He spares Ning Yingying from his revenge against Qing Jing Peak because she was his only friend as a disciple, and even if she's only one of his many harem girls, it's implied that he treats her nicely.
• Sadist: He subjects the original Shen Qingqiu to Cold-Blooded Torture and even Loves the Sound of Screaming (as seen in the Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu extra chapter). Another example is the punishment protocol scene where he tears off Shen Qingqiu's arm and leg.
• Softspoken Sadist: He remained soft-spoken and mockingly gentle while torturing his old master.
• Uncertain Doom: It's mentioned in Proud Immortal Demon Way that Bing-ge eventually sort of fades away from history, with no one really mourning the loss of his presence. Whether he dies or just wanders off on his own is left up in the air.
• Villain Protagonist: He's a "pitch-black, dark, and vicious" protagonist who, having suffered all kinds of misery and abuse as a child, goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge and rules over the three realms as a tyrant.

Tropes that apply to Luo Binghe from the main story:

• Adaptation Personality Change: In the donghua, his scheming and calculative personality is downplayed compared to the novel.
• Animal Motif: On multiple occasions, Shen Qingqiu thinks of the young Luo Binghe as a "little lamb", pure and sweet.

• Big Prick, Big Problems: During Mai Gu Ridge and the extras, Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu have troubles in bed in part due to Luo Binghe's size causing the latter more pain than pleasure (their lack of experience not helping things).
• Casual Kink: The "Honeymoon" extra reveals that Luo Binghe might have a thing for bondage, since one of the fantasies he wants to fulfill is tying Shen Qingqiu up with an Immortal Binding Cable. He also gets turned on when Shen Qingqiu hits him, and sometimes even asks his shizun to hit him.
• Chuunibyou: The System once calls him a "lovesick, love-deficient chuunibyou" and Shen Qingqiu also calls him a chuunibyou during the "100 Random Questions on Luo-Shen's Affinity" extra. Downplayed in that Luo Binghe is genuinely very powerful, his edgy demon lord persona is simply made humorous by the knowledge that he's actually a clingy, whiny crybaby in the presence of Shen Qingqiu.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Nobody is spared from Luo Binghe's wrath if they get even a little bit friendly with Shen Qingqiu. Not even the mountain guards and stair sweeps are an exception. Both are included in a list of people Luo Binghe's jealous of for having received smiles from Shen Qingqiu.

• Fatal Flaw: Luo Binghe's abandonment issues lead to his severe mental deterioration after they are exacerbated by Shen Qingqiu throwing him into the Endless Abyss. Believing that his shizun has abandoned him because of his demonic heritage, his lashing out and his desperate attempts to win back Shen Qingqiu's favour only leave him vulnerable to Xin Mo's corruption and cause him to accidentally hurt the man he loves. Eventually, he tries to destroy the world by merging the Human and Demon Realms so that Shen Qingqiu won't be able to abandon him again.
• First Love: Luo Binghe's first and only love is Shen Qingqiu, starting from when he's just a young disciple. This greatly contrasts the original Luo Binghe's impressively large harem of women.
• Friendless Background: Although there is at least one other character Luo Binghe is civil with besides Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe explicitly states in an extra that he "doesn't need friends".
• Go Through Me: He attempts to block Mobei Jun from going near his shizun during the Immortal Alliance conference. Unfortunately for him, Shen Qingqiu easily tosses him out of the way just as Mobei Jun attacks.
• Heartbroken Badass: The seventeen year old Luo Binghe is already strong enough to take first place at the Immortal Alliance Conference—right before his dearly loved shizun breaks his heart by throwing him into the Endless Abyss. The System even penalizes Shen Qingqiu afterwards for Luo Binghe's "excessively high heartbreak level". He remains heartbroken after he returns from the Abyss, believing that Shen Qingqiu despises him for his demon blood. Things only get worse when Shen Qingqiu self-detonates to save Luo Binghe from Xin Mo's recoil. In the five years following, Luo Binghe mourns Shen Qingqiu, keeping his body preserved with spiritual energy and searching for a way to bring him back.
• Humble Hero: When he was a disciple, he downplayed all of his achievements and made sure to leave quickly after completing his tasks. This was how he remained under the radar for other sects until the Immortal Alliance Conference.
• I Love the Dead: Subverted. Majority of the characters believe that Luo Binghe did all kinds of indecent things with Shen Qingqiu's corpse during the timeskip, and Luo Binghe's vague replies do not help refute their assumptions. Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge especially are understandably shocked and horrified when they see Luo Binghe lying in bed with it. The "Deep Dream" extra confirms that Luo Binghe did nothing of the sort, and what he was really doing is holding the corpse to pass it spiritual energy so it stays preserved. Other than that, all he does is talk to the corpse or hug it close whenever he sleeps.
• Insecure Love Interest: Whenever his shizun shows an interest in anyone else, Luo Binghe immediately gets jealous and wonders why his shizun seems to be interested in everyone else when he's right there. As time goes on, he worries more over whether or not his shizun would even reciprocate his romantic feelings. Even when he officially gets together with Shen Qingqiu, he still has his moments. In the "Wedding" extra, he ruminates over his marriage proposal to Shen Qingqiu and when he thinks his shizun doesn't feel the same, he immediately back pedals and asks him to not take what he says seriously.
• In-Series Nickname: In the "Bing-mei and Bing-ge’s Ultimate Showdown" extra, Shen Qingqiu calls him Bing-mei to tell the two Luo Binghes apart. 'Mei' here means little sister in Mandarin, referring to his sweeter, 'maidenly' temperament in comparison to his counterpart.
• Jerkass to One: Inverted. He's cold to everyone but Shen Qingqiu, who he dotes on at every opportunity. One example is during the "Airplane's Fortuitous Encounter" extra, in which Luo Binghe makes delicious handmade noodles, serves himself and Shen Qingqiu, and ignores the visiting Shang Qinghua completely until his shizun tells him to take pity on the man.
• The Mourning After: After Shen Qingqiu detonates his golden core, Luo Binghe refused to leave his side for years as he keeps it preserved by channeling his spiritual energy into it. He even spends those years battling Liu Qingge, who keeps trying to take Shen Qingqiu's body back. Averted later on when Shen Qingqiu does come back to life.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Luo Binghe is completely horrified when he realizes that he forced himself on Shen Qingqiu while he was under Xin Mo's influence. It goes to the point that when he and Shen Qingqiu are asked where they had their first time, Luo Binghe insists that it was in Qing Jing Peak and not in Mai Gu Ridge, where the aforementioned incident had happened.
• No Sense of Personal Space: Even as a disciple, he finds whatever excuse he can to hug his shizun and stay close to him. It only gets worse after he comes back from the Abyss and practically whispers in Shen Qingqiu's ear in all of their encounters. After they become an Official Couple, Luo Binghe might as well be attached to Shen Qingqiu's hip at all times.

• Obfuscating Stupidity: When he's still a disciple and doing his forms incorrectly, Shen Qingqiu takes it upon himself to personally train Luo Binghe properly. This leads to a lot of sessions where Luo Binghe keeps tripping and falling into his shizun's arms... a lot, to Shen Qingqiu's confusion as the protagonist should be a natural talent. It gets to the point where once Shen Qingqiu scolds him on basically falling onto his enemies swords, Luo Binghe finally stops and practices correctly. It's only years later once Luo Binghe returns from the Abyss and chases him in an illusion does his shizun realize Luo Binghe did all of that on purpose.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In the "Marriage" extra, Luo Binghe acts odder than usual by tripping on his steps or not engaging in petty fights with Liu Qingge, because he's deep in thought about the idea of marriage and was pondering over whether to propose to Shen Qingqiu or not.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: His entire attitude around Shen Qingqiu, especially after his shizun self destructs his core in order to save Luo Binghe from Xin Mo's influence.
  • In the Holy Mausoleum, after Luo Binghe passes out and wakes up alone, he thinks that Shen Qingqiu had abandoned him and is quite irate when he catches up to him. Once he realizes he'd been wrong and Shen Qingqiu had actually protected him, he begins crying and apologizing, begging Shen Qingqiu not to abandon him.
  • When a fight breaks out at the Zhao Hua Monastery, he asks Shen Qingqiu to leave together with him, but Shen Qingqiu refuses. A few days later, Luo Binghe attempts to merge the Human and Demon Realms together to destroy everything Shen Qingqiu loves, so that he will only have Luo Binghe.
  • While under the influence of Xin Mo, he childishly asks Shen Qingqiu if his head would stop hurting and if Shen Qingqiu would never leave him again so long as he's good. When Shen Qingqiu tries to sooth him, he yells that he doesn't believe him.
• Prone to Tears: He tends to cry a lot around Shen Qingqiu, to the point where Shen Qingqiu wonders to himself how he'd raised such a crybaby. As it turns out, it's justified within the story—Shang Qinghua had advised him to act pathetic if he wants Shen Qingqiu to like him.
• Proud Beauty: When he mistakenly assumes that Shen Qingqiu's interested in Liu Mingyan, he wonders if she's that attractive compared to him.
  Luo Binghe really wasn't a narcissist, he'd just always known very well what he looked like. He didn't gleefully revel in it, but he also wouldn't downplay it out of false humility.

• Scars Are Forever: Despite gaining regenerative abilities post-blackening, Luo Binghe retains the scars on his chest and palm where Shen Qingqiu stabbed him. Justified as he intentionally chooses to not heal them.
• Seme: Or gong, in Chinese terms. He's the top and the more dominant, active partner in sexual matters. He's taller, aggressive, extremely possessive, and the one to pursue Shen Qingqiu in their romance. Downplayed by the fact that he's also a clingy, needy, emotional crybaby in Shen Qingqiu's presence.

• Single-Target Sexuality: Unlike his original counterpart who has a "harem size nearing three-digits", Luo Binghe only has eyes for his dear shizun. Despite attracting plenty of female attention, he's completely uninterested in anyone else.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He's cold to everyone but Shen Qingqiu, who he absolutely dotes on.
• Technical Virgin: Exaggerated. As he was being mind-controlled by Xin Mo during his first time with Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe insists his actual first time was the next time they had sex, in the Bamboo House on Qing Jing Peak. Shen Qingqiu also considers him 'partially' a virgin because he hadn't managed to come that time.
• Too Kinky to Torture: Downplayed. Shen Qingqiu is shocked to find that Luo Binghe has grown into a "tried-and-true masochist". When he tries to threaten Luo Binghe with Xiu Ya he merely smiles and looks more excited. He gains 500 (of Luo Binghe's) satisfaction points for punching him at full force. Luo Binghe sometimes even requests his shizun hit him to vent his anger.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Inverted. Implied to be his favourite food to cook for others, as he always seems to be making congee for Shen Qingqiu. Given it was the last dish his mother wanted to eat, it holds great significance for him.
• Tranquil Fury: When his anger doesn't get the best of him, it can be extremely muted — but that doesn't mean he isn't absolutely raging underneath that mask of calm.
• The Usurper: After returning from the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe begins to charm his way up the ranks of Huan Hua Palace. He takes over the sect after the previous head, the Old Palace Master, disappears, claiming that he's gone into travelling seclusion. In actuality, Luo Binghe has turned him into a human stick. The Old Palace Master's daughter, the Little Palace Mistress, has no power whatsoever under Luo Binghe's rule, complaining that he treats her like a "kept pig". As he has her dragged out of his sight by her own sect's disciples, she calls them all traitors, screaming that the Huan Hua Palace belongs to her.
• Yandere: He comes across as violently obsessed with Shen Qingqiu under Xin Mo's influence. As he wonders aloud if his shizun would finally look at him if everything else he loved disappeared, Liu Qingge even calls him out for this, but Luo Binghe ignores him by saying nothing else matters as long as Shen Qingqiu gives only him attention.

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