Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shang Qinghua yawned as he trudged to their rooms in the Underground Palace, sleep-deprived for the past five days and with more caffeine in his body than blood at this point. He lost count of how many times he refilled his thermos; but he was sure that his stash of coffee beans aka the "Golden Phoenix Stimulant Seed" (because yes, Cucumber bro, beans are seeds), which Cucumber Bro had screamed at him in the comment section for being breaking the suspension of disbelief in the setting, was steadily dwindling.

Coffee did not exist in Ancient China!!! His bro had screamed.

Well, Shang Qinghua did way worse things in his magnum opus so he whistled and patted himself on the back. It was easy to explain it as a magical plan from the foreign West, rarer than any rare treasure! So rare that only three people saw it in the wild for centuries!

Unfortunately, the drawbacks made people twitchier than headless chickens, or they acted like zombies right after the caffeine crash hit. At least he didn't make it into an aphrodisiac like he was tempted to because being both sleep-deprived and horny was, considerably, NOT fun since his darling, dearest, most beloved husband was NOT here for a week.

So, yes. Fun. Such was the plight of a secondary character but hey, at least he wasn't the usual target of the wife plots. Shang Qinghua generously and gratefully bequeathed that privilege to Shen Qingqiu alone, and he would gladly light so many candles for his bro's poor ass like the best friend he was.

Unfortunately for Shang Qinghua, being the secondary character, he still had work to do. Well, it wasn’t like before where he was a slave to the evil corporate system. He could have his vacations and free time as much as he wanted now.

But the thing was… he got shuffled into vital positions, and sometimes those positions had deadlines higher than the heavens.

The hell seasons, Shang Qinghua called it.

It wasn't like he had a lot to complain about. Peerless Cucumber's routine of lazing in and being waited on hand and foot like a pampered empress sure sounded like a dream, but Shang Qinghua couldn't last more than a day of doing nothing. According to Mobei-jun, he got twitchy. He stared at walls while muttering under his breath. His hands got itchy. Like a rabid zombie hamster, Cucumber bro said.

Although sex was a good way to pass the time like any hot blooded man with a husband who looked like his living wet dream, Shang Qinghua currently didn't have that luxury - unless he wanted to rekindle his relationship with his right hand.

Well, this whole week marked the end of the hell season’s rising action so he had his work! In fact, he had multiple types of work to bide his time.

Demonic uprisings? Shang Qinghua was in charge of espionage, reconnaissance, planning, logistics, cleaning the aftermath and more paperwork than he was tall. Oh, Sect Leader Yue needed a new chair? Shang Qinghua must make sure that it was the best chair in the peak. Shen Qingqiu needed a cure for the latest wife plot? Come here, bro, let Grandmaster Airplane teach you the way!

Not to mention the fact that he was managing the Northern Territories in his husband's absence, thwarting another attempt from a very distant relative of Mobei-jun who wanted the throne.

Also, the addition of the Vermilion Trade Road, which added to the paperwork on his table (Cucumber-bro had taken one look, shuffled half of it into his office in the Underground Palace and gave Shang Qinghua a threatening glare to go the fuck to sleep), and had both Luo Binghe and Mobei-jun occupied for the whole week in order to oversee everything.

And he also had to make another revision on the new novel he was working on because Cucumber bro was a tyrant who demanded nothing but perfection.

The dude certainly held a grudge on him.

Ah, well. At least the renovations in the Eastern Walls were finally done so that was one thing off his checklist!

So, yes. He was doing well!

At least he had respect to his name now, and he also had his minions to dump the majority of the workload unto.

Though sometimes he was tempted to use that (fucking ripoff Kage Bunshin Jutsu this is illegal, what the flying fuck, Airplane?) Mirror Fragment Lotus Spell (he would have to hire a certain lotus fairy who was his son's Wife Number 155 first), he didn't.

As funny as it would be to see Cucumber-bro going apoplectic at the sight of multiple Shang Qinghuas, he was unfortunately on a time crunch and juggling multiple deadlines. Trying to find Wife Number 155 would have taken him another year since she would only appear during the lotus harvest.

He couldn't actually blame Cucumber-bro for acting like that when it came to clones. The guy was actually incredibly lucky that his peaches got away intact! At least Luo Binghe had versions of him who finally got what they wanted - even his original son, his eldest pride and joy.

Though the idea of Bingge going after the actual Cucumber bro had Shang Qinghua foaming at the mouth because how the hell did the grouchy asshole manage to bend not one but two of his protagonists?

So no, Shang Qinghua didn't think that the locket shattering was a huge loss after that event had concluded.

What if it happened to him?!

He couldn't imagine dealing with the OG!Shang Qinghua! However, if it came down to a fight, one of them was coming out alive and it would be Shang Qinghua. Though if he had to deal with Airplane...

He knew that his pre-transmigration self would shit bricks at seeing his brain child fixed, thriving, and more bent than a rainbow colored bendy straw.

Ah, but having multiple copies of himself would mean more productivity. Faster work equaled more sleep!

Shang Qinghua quietly filed that idea for next time. His husband, though, might actually be into that.

Breaking out of his thoughts before they spiraled into X *beep* territory, Shang Qinghua nodded at the line of servants who bowed at him and covered his yawn with his hand.

Speaking of his husband...

Shang Qinghua rubbed his chest.

Mobei-jun was with the late Chief Kan’s former tribe, dealing with the alliances and treaties. He was stationed there for a week. Though he had the communication array, having him here was different, okay?

Yes, Shang Qinghua missed his husband. Terribly. Like a phantom limb, like a shadow clinging to the night before the sun rose, like a hole cut deep into his chest, hollow and haunted by his presence... (Wait, that line could actually work in the scene he was stuck on!)

He was kind of regretting snapping at the demon for trying to shadow him during one toilet break too many. He did understand Mobei-jun’s paranoia. Who wouldn’t get freaked out by the idea that you killed your squishy little husband in another timeline? It was a wonder that Mobei-jun hadn’t attic-wifed him with how much hovering was going on.

Shang Qinghua sighed as he reminded himself that Mobei-jun would finally be back tomorrow. Or, he checked the time from his profile, actually five hours from now.

Huh. He was currently going for six nights without sleep! Whoooo! Go cultivation! What he wouldn't have given to have this for his final exams back in his university days.

He barely avoided braining himself on the heavy doors. The guards posted there bowed in greeting and opened the rooms. Stifling another yawn as he nodded in acknowledgment at the two, he slipped inside. Then he started removing the heavy fur cloak and accessories.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Huh. No wonder bro always says that I sound like a walking pawnshop.

Finally stripped off of his outer robes, Shang Qinghua crawled into the gigantic bed. Exhaustion pulled at his heavy limbs and eyes. He wrapped himself in the furs and was out like light before his head even hit the pillow.

He jolted awake.

Shang Qinghua stared at the dark ceiling, seeing nothing. His heart hammered in his chest and his gut was twisting.

Something was wrong.

Movement from the foot of the bed had him sitting up quickly. If it weren’t for the familiar silhouette, Shang Qinghua would have woken everyone in the palace with his screams. The furs pooled into his lap as Shang Qinghua rubbed his chest and tried to calm his heart.

Shit. Did his husband really have to jumpscare him like that?!

“M-my king,” Shang Qinghua rasped. He laughed at his reaction, and then winced at the slip of the title. Mobei-jun didn’t like being addressed by that in private anymore. Still, he soldiered on. “You’re back!”

His relieved smile and the instinctual way he opened his arms to welcome the other died instantly.

Mobei-jun was just staring at him. Unmoving. Unspeaking. The glow of his eyes pinned Shang Qinghua to the bed as if he was prey-

And on any other night, Shang Qinghua wouldn’t mind the role play even though he’d appreciate the warning first. His gut, however, continued to twist.

“Mobei?” He tried again.

Still nothing.

That was weird. Mobei-jun wouldn't be acting like a halloween prop. Instead, he would have crawled into the covers and curl around Shang Qinghua without waking him up. The demon would also pout if Shang Qinghua didn’t call him “husband” -

Something was definitely wrong.

And he didn’t survive by not listening to his instincts.

Shang Qinghua calmed his heart forcibly. He couldn’t act rashly.

Okay.

The wards. They were keyed only to him, courtesy of Mobei-jun’s paranoia. They should work.

So without a word, Shang Qinghua yawned and stretched his arms nonchalantly. His fingers hit the board and skidded against the carvings until it hit the edge of the carved array.

Acting as nonchalantly as possible, Shang Qinghua formed the seal under the pillows. In a matter of milliseconds, the entire room bathed in light and time slowed. He quickly rolled away from the bed, ducking under it as a loud crash sounded.

There was a furious roar.

The wards threw the intruder out of the window and activated the shields!

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

What in the shitting fuck?!

Shang Qinghua knew that he couldn’t just stay here and wait it out. The wards had a fucking downtime after holding out of thirty minutes. Motherfucker, he should have been patient and used the Blood Sun Protection Ward like the one he had in An Ding Peak and in the Northern Fortress!

There was another furious roar and sounds of ice blades hitting the walls and the shields.

Fuck. Cucumber-bro and Luo Binghe were definitely going to kill him. Knowing his son, An Ding or the Northern Territories would be paying for the damages!

On the bright side, it looked like the intruder was targeting him so Cucumber-bro would be safe! The empress of the demon realm was, after all, dressed head to toe in the strongest protection wards so he was safe!

Except from the wife plots, of course.

Shang Qinghua gripped the bangle on his right arm. It was something Mobei-jun commissioned for him - the latest gift. Inscribed around it were reverse summoning arrays meant to transport Shang Qinghua to a person he trusted. So far, only Mobei-jun and Shen Qingqiu’s names were inscribed there.

Cursing under his breath, he twisted the bangle so he could activate Mobei-jun’s name. Another loud bang had him flinching. His finger shifted too early.

Oh fuck no.

Cucumber-bro forgive him.

The last thing he saw was the intruder’s crouching figure by the balcony, a sneer painted on that face, before his stomach jolted and his vision tunneled.

“Fuck your mother,” Shang Qinghua groaned when he tripped out of the portal. He blinked the dizziness out of his eyes as he looked over the familiar hallways.

Oh, just great. He was in the so-called Forbidden Wing. Luo Binghe and Cucumber-bro’s private rooms. Yep. His bro was going to kill him for interrupting his sleep and dragging him into an assassination plot.

Shang Qinghua was not looking forward to the incoming lecture, but he didn’t have any other choice.

In the distance, there were shouting. Footsteps running down the halls. The sounds of weapons crashing and bodies hitting the walls.

Shang Qinghua ran.

Servants rose from their sleep and guards came running towards the commotion. He dove in and out of the crowd. No one dared to stop him as he made his way to the heavy doors.

There were no guards posted there. As expected, Cucumber-bro dismissed everyone before he went to sleep.

When he reached there, he started banging.

“Bro!” He cried, hitting the doors as loud as he could because knowing Shen Qingqiu and his love for privacy wards, the sounds would be muffled. “Bro! Peerless! Cucumber! Come on, wake up!”

There was a loud cry.

And-

Familiar footsteps.

The temperature dropped.

Ice started creeping towards him.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Cold sweat ran down Shang Qinghua’s spine. This wasn’t just an ordinary assassination attempt. If it was, why the hell did the fucking impostor’s footsteps sounded like Mobei-jun’s? No cloning plot device, no identity-stealing artifact could copy it!

And aside from Mobei-jun, no one else in the fucking Mo clan had his power! Nor was anyone supposed to be as strong as him now! Not even Linguang-jun was able to land a hit after so many fucking years -

Oh fucking hell, Shang Qinghua left his fucking sword-

The doors slammed open just as he was about to kick one of the blazing braziers in the hallway to stall the intruder.

Shang Qinghua fell inside with a surprised cry, barely managing to catch himself before his face got smashed into the floor. A familiar whistle sounded as the dazzling figure of Xiu Ya flew over his head. Shang Qinghua winced when the sword parried the black ice sword.

The swords danced, too fast for anyone to follow. Until there was a surge of spiritual power and the sound of ice shattering.

A faint rustling of heavy fabric distracted him. Cucumber-bro appeared from the dark bedroom, dressed in nothing but what looked to be Luo Binghe’s robes. His hair was hastily done in a low ponytail and he was scowling.

Displeased.

Shang Qinghua winced and scooted out of the way.

“What is happening here?!” Shen Qingqiu demanded, surveying the entire chaos in the hallway. The demon servants who got caught in the action hurriedly dropped to their knees at the sight of him, lowering their eyes.

“Protect the empress!” Someone shouted, a guard who was definitely late for the party. “Protect the empress and the Northern Consort!”

Behind Cucumber-bro, Shang Qinghua put his face in his hands as he scolded the guards for their late timing. 

The guards flew to form a barrier between the two of them and the intruder. Another circled around the intruder, weapons raised. Shen Qingqiu raised his hand and Xiu Ya flew obediently to him.

Shang Qinghua shakily rose to his feet, his knees still wobbling, and came to stand beside Shen Qingqiu. The two of them looked at the intruder.

Shang Qinghua felt his heart stop.

No.

This wasn’t possible!

He knew a fake when he saw one. He knew his husband based on footsteps and breathing alone. So he knew that the Mobei-jun standing in front of him was real.

Yet.

The tiny details were wrong. Mobei-jun didn’t have clothes like that anymore. They were the same color and the same cut but the details were different! His hair was the same. The face, the eyes, the nose, the mouth. The same zuiyin. Even the tits!

But this one didn’t have Mobei-jun’s tenderness. His hair was a little too long. There were bags of purple under his eyes. He looked a little thinner than he was supposed to be.

And he was looking at Shang Qinghua as if Shang Qinghua was a puzzle meant to be ripped apart.

No, a voice inside him hissed.

How could he forget?

This Mobei-jun looked exactly like the one Shang Qinghua had commissioned before! Sans, of course, the hints of exhaustion which made him more real.

Oh good gods and buddhas.

Was this the Original Mobei-jun?!

This was impossible! The Mirror Red Moon Pearl Locket was gone. Destroyed. Unusable. Its fragments had been disposed of completely.

As far as Shang Qinghua knew, there were no cloning artifacts in the room! His husband didn’t tell him of any suspicious artifacts or plants when they last talked to each other!

And Luo Bingge was off romancing a Shen Yuan so Xin Mo was out of the question.

Was it an accident involving Mobei-jun’s teleportation powers?!

What the hell, was this a wife plot?!

Shang Qinghua really thought that he, as the author and creator of this world, had the immunity against wife plots. Now staring at the Original Mobei-jun in all his menacing glory, Shang Qinghua decided that no. No one was fucking safe anymore.

Look, he didn't have Cucumber-bro's OP wifebeam superpowers! He wasn't properly equipped to deal with this bullshit!

The (presumably) Original Mobei-jun continued watching Shang Qinghua with pupils blown wide, a sneer on his unfairly handsome face. Shen Qingqiu took one look at him, then at Shang Qinghua’s state, before the most offended and indignant expression crossed Cucumber-bro’s face.

“You really dare, Mobei-jun?” Shen Qingqiu said, a cutting hiss. He pointed Xiu Ya in the Original Mobei-jun’s direction like a badass anime character. “Shang Qinghua, get behind me.”

Shang Qinghua nearly wept.

His bro was always bark and no bite, but when it came down to it, he always had Shang Qinghua’s back. He knew that before he and Mobei-jun married, Shen Qingqiu gave the shovel talk to Mobei-jun. But he didn’t say anything about it to Cucumber-bro because the other man would absolutely hate it.

Shang Qinghua just gripped the borrowed robes and whispered, nearly in tears, “Bro, that’s not my husband. That’s the original!”

Shen Qingqiu froze. He turned to shoot Shang Qinghua an incredulous stare. “What.”

Shang Qinghua sniffled. “I don’t know! He just appeared in our rooms!”

He could already hear the litany of swears and cursing from Cucumber-bro, even the ancestors in his blood were quaking. Shen Qingqiu slowly lowered Xiu Ya, and in a volume so low that only the two of them could hear, he said, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

The tinkling of bells and jewelry interrupted them. Sha Hualing approached the scene with a confused frown as she surveyed the scene. Liu Mingyan, like usual, trailed behind her. Murmurs of “General Sha” chorused in the gathered crowd.

As the third in command, she was left in the Underground Palace to protect it.

Unfortunately, an emergency in her territories demanded her attention and Shen Qingqiu gave her leave to attend to it. It looked like they just got back, but the fact that something did happen when she was supposed to be on duty wouldn’t make Luo Binghe happy.

And judging by the worry in her eyes, she was aware of that.

“Empress Shen, Consort Shang. This lowly one apologizes for being late,” Sha Hualing said with a bow. She suddenly made a double take at Mobei-jun being surrounded by the guards before her pretty mouth fell open in horror.

She paled.

And stared at the original Mobei-jun as if he had just grown two heads. “You didn’t. Mobei, tell me that you didn’t attack your mate and Junshang’s only wife.”

The original Mobei-jun didn’t answer her. He was still pinning Shang Qinghua down with his stare.

Sha Hualing made a move towards him, claws raised in the air. Before her hit could land, Shen Qingqiu called out, “That’s enough.”

Sha Hualing froze.

“The Northern Consort has confirmed that this Mobei-jun is not the one from this world. Our Mobei-jun is still with Junshang and the two of them will be back in a shichen,” Shen Qingqiu announced. “This empress requests that this incident be kept under discretion or else. Do you understand?”

Shang Qinghua half-heartedly listened as his bro took command of the situation, and ordered to have the Original Mobei-jun under “house arrest” until their husbands came back. The moment Sha Hualing was starting to guide him to his temporary holding place, the ice demon broke his silence.

“Shang Qinghua.”

Shang Qinghua barely kept himself from flinching. His eyes shot towards the ice demon’s face. The coldness in there was haunting. The way he said Shang Qinghua’s name felt like a shrapnel to the heart.

“You’re alive,” Original Mobei-jun said, matter-of-factly, but it felt more like a threat.

Shang Qinghua was suddenly filled with overwhelming sympathy for Cucumber-bro. Good gods, fairies and buddhas. How the fuck did the ornery asshole even survive the original protagonist thrice?

That aura was too much for someone like him!

Shang Qinghua didn’t say anything. He only watched as Mobei-jun was taken away. The demon binding ropes could only hold someone of pure and powerful demon lineage for so long. It wasn’t impossible to think that maybe the OG!Mobei-jun was just humoring them.

The ice demon, after all, could hold a grudge like no other.

There was nothing Mobei-jun couldn’t stand more than betrayal.

And Shang Qinghua literally had all the right targets painted on his forehead.

“Come on,” Shen Qingqiu grumbled. He tugged Shang Qinghua inside their rooms and closed the doors, cutting off those eyes from view.

Shang Qinghua fell to his knees and grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s borrowed robes. “Broooo!!!!”

Shen Qingqiu kicked at him. “Let go! And stop crying! You’re embarrassing!”

Shang Qinghua sniffled, abandoning all dignity and hugged Shen Qingqiu’s waist in gratitude. “Fuck off, bro. Can’t I hug my best bro and savior?”

Shen Qingqiu tolerated it for a few seconds before Shang Qinghua was firmly shoved away. Shang Qinghua sighed and made his way to the daybed, taking a cushion and cuddling it to his chest. Shen Qingqiu followed him, muttering curses all the while.

“You idiot. Why the fuck didn’t you just teleport to Mobei-jun?”

Shang Qinghua sheepishly laughed. “I tried but I accidentally got your name instead.”

He let Shen Qingqiu swat him with another cushion.

“Just,” Shen Qingqiu pinched the bridge of his nose after he was finally satisfied with the swatting. “Just tell me how the fuck are you going to fix this?”

Shang Qinghua fell silent.

Wasn’t that the billion yen question?

Chapter Text

“Bro,” Shang Qinghua protested, ”we can’t just dump Mobei-ge in the dungeons and be done with it! Bingge wasn’t even put under house arrest!”

Nonplussed, Shen Qingqiu replied, “Because Bingge wasn’t going trigger happy on my ass, and he wasn’t trying to destroy my home like the first time, dumbass.”

The guy literally forgot that his bamboo garden was destroyed during the Bingmei vs Bingge fight 2.0, and Shang Qinghua himself had to negotiate very hard to get those Silver Crane Bamboo saplings! Granted, Luo Binghe shouldered the cost to get them delivered as soon as possible so Shang Qinghua didn’t have to balance the budgets again. But damages were damages!

Still, it almost made him envious of Shen Qingqiu’s wiles.

Almost.

Look at this guy! If Shang Qinghua didn’t have a type (his husband) and if he didn’t know how much of a criticizing asshole bitch nerd Cucumber-bro was, he might think that Shen Qingqiu was seducing him now with that loose hair and robes slipping down his bare shoulders!

Shang Qinghua groaned. “No, because he was busy being seduced! By you! You protagonist-bending wife beam fiend!”

Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes and readjusted his sprawl next to him. “Fuck off! You’re the one who wrote them so you’re the one who made them gay! Even the girls are gay!”

Shang Qinghua rolled before Shen Qingqiu’s pointy elbow could jab him in the eye and he used a stray throw pillow as a shield. He ignored the jab. Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing were doing better than fine. He knew those cat fights were actually good for something other than fan service!

“Oh, fine! It’s all my fault because of my shitty writing and my pandering ways, blah, blah, blah. But bro-” He grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s arm. “Holy Mother of protagonists, mostly well-liked main character of the genre-”

“What the fuck,” Shen Qingqiu said.

“My best bro, my brother from another mother, my comrade, the most peerless of all cucumbers, give your bro some milk - ow!” Shang Qinghua cradled his head with a pout.

Shen Qingqiu, as expected, leaned away from him with a disgusted grimace. “Do you even think before you spew shit out of your mouth? And milk? Why should this master act like your nursemaid, ah? You started this bullshit, you end this bullshit!”

“But I’m not lying! I really don’t know how he could have ended up here,” Shang Qinghua protested with a sniffle. “The Mirror Red Moon Pearl Locket was the only plot device that can physically bring him here, but it’s gone now. The Red Lantern Soul Bloom can only summon a specter. The Night Lamp of Eternal Fantasies will only let you live shit out in your dreams. Luo Binghe locked Xin Mo up. Luo Bingge…hah. I don’t think he’d do it even for a prank.”

Shen Qingqiu eyed him coolly. “Are you sure? It’s not the first time one of your thrashed plot devices unexpectedly made their grand fucking debuts.”

Shang Qinghua winced and chuckled nervously.

To be honest, he thrashed way too many plot devices to remember at once. Some of them were thrashed way before the first arc of Proud Immortal Demon Way was posted!

“A mission, then,” Shen Qingqiu kept on musing and gave him a cutting side-eye.

Chills broke out of Shang Qinghua’s spine. His heart dropped down to his feet. He was afraid that mentioning even the hint of his own SYSTEM was going to wake it up. He had never been so happy that the damn thing shut down!

“No… it’s been quiet since the epilogue.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed. “Well. You can just lube yourself up and present yourself ass first to him-“

Shang Qinghua shrieked. He flailed, nearly socking his bro on the jaw, as he sat and pointed a shaky accusing finger at the lounging man next to him. “Bro, what the hell?! I’m a married man!”

“Eh, what’s this? Airplane can dish it but he can’t take it?” Shen Qingqiu sneered, ready to pull out the receipts of Shang Qinghua teasing him for accidentally accumulating a horde of admirers. Unfortunately for everyone, Shen Qingqiu was decidedly only bent for Luo Binghe. That man’s denial could certainly build another Great Wall brick by brick.

However, they were not the same! The Original Mobei-jun loathed the Original Shang Qinghua for his betrayal, and Shang Qinghua got fucking hunted through the Underground Palace because the demon’s hatred couldn’t be reasoned out! Okay, so he might have been the one to open fire and start the whole pursuit, but like hell he was just going to lie there as a would-be killer stood over him creepily!

Besides, Luo Bingge was the type to watch, toy with his food and then act. But Mobei-jun? He was raised in demonic diplomacy, and that demonic diplomacy quickly resulted in someone dead.

For all that Shang Qinghua knew, the Original Mobei-jun could be planning a hundred ways to mount his head on the wall! Shang Qinghua wanted to get pounded on the wall by his husband in a hundred different positions - not to get hung on it like a hunting trophy by another version!

“Isn’t papapa your favorite cure-all? Why don’t you take your own advice, huh? Isn’t having an orgy, multiple penetrations and bukkake feast with a bunch of versions of your husband your ultimate fantasy-“ Shen Qingqiu was cut off by Shang Qinghua slapping a hand against his mouth.

His hand was mercilessly slapped away.

“Those are just fantasies! Besides, Bingge wants you. Mobei-ge wants to kill me. We are not the same,” Shang Qinghua sniffled miserably.

“I shouldn’t pity you,” Shen Qingqiu muttered. “You literally wrote it, dude. You could’ve chosen not to make the Original Shang Qinghua a traitor.”

“I know.” Shang Qinghua curled into a ball and stared at the wall.

He could come up with hundreds of words to defend his choices, but everything would fall flat eventually. Of course, he was lucky that he managed to circumvent the originals’ fate. Shang Qinghua was living the dream now - married to his favorite character, pampered, loved, and respected.

But the original version didn't have that luxury.

Luo Bingge's appearance in this world made it very clear that none of the Proud Immortal Demon Way's main characters were actually happy (which Airplane knew). That even the protagonist (Luo Bingge) would actually trade everything for a chance of real happiness (Cucumber-bro).

But how about the other characters?

It wasn't like Airplane wanted to write whump porn for the sake of it. The plot demanded it, he could say, and the characters should always suffer a little tragedy here and there to make the story interesting.

He really tried to give the main cast their complex backstories before his outline was shot to hell, and the need to make money outweighed his desire to recreate the story from a blank page.

And sex paid more.

While all writers gave pieces of themselves to shape their characters (re: Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu among others), he had written Mobei-jun as his ideal. Someone cold, taciturn, confident, powerful and wealthy - the kind that would turn heads and whose aura screamed that he wasn’t someone to be messed with. The exact opposite of Airplane.

His readers didn’t give a shit about Mobei-jun (aside from the rare fujoshi) so Airplane was free to do whatever he wanted with him. The original Shang Qinghua had been…the faceless people who he wanted to turn into punching bags, so to speak. Mobei-jun airing his frustrations on the original Shang Qinghua was Airplane’s way of venting - it wasn’t the misunderstood courtship his husband had shown him.

Ah, but he originally planned something else for them! A backstory that would justify why they were like that! But like all of his plans for Proud Immortal Demon Way, everything got thrashed. Cut. Omitted.

The Original Mobei-jun killed the Original Shang Qinghua when the latter was exposed as a spy. One could say that it was to keep loose lips from sinking ships. To Airplane, it was because the Original Mobei-jun, who went through betrayals after betrayals from those he called his family because of his title and who never trusted anyone else, had found out that his most “loyal” and “trusted” servant was toeing the line of crossing him. The Original Mobei-jun had received the news just before the Original Shang Qinghua was exposed, and he had to act fast.

All because the Original Shang Qinghua only cared for his own survival, and the Original Mobei-jun’s treatment did not endear the demon to him at all.

Who could blame the Original Shang Qinghua, though? Getting beaten up and belittled was not fun. In fact, those actions only invited resentment! Trust Airplane, he could speak from experience! And that Shang Qinghua didn’t have the privilege to be a Mobei-jun apologist like Airplane did. 

Thus, the Original Shang Qinghua lost his life and what little face he had as a peak lord.

The Original Mobei-jun lost a companion, the only one who he ever considered his friend.

And Airplane wrote all that down, deleted it, and only mentioned it in passing because the paying readers didn’t care about these two. What was melodrama between two background characters in the face of Luo Binghe’s next adventure and papapa?

Shen Qingqiu muttered some more colorful and fantastical curses that once got him banned from the website. He abandoned Shang Qinghua on the daybed with a graceful flick of the sleeves, deeming him a lost cause. Shang Qinghua watched him disappear into the bedroom with a sigh.

Well. At least he hadn’t gotten booted out of Cucumber’s sanctuary yet. So Shang Qinghua made himself comfortable with the excessive throw pillows, cushions and that one stray blanket. Everything looked clean and untouched by unspeakable fluids, but he slept in worse places anyway.

Hopefully, Luo Binghe wouldn’t be the one to wake him up. His son’s tolerance of him had grown by leaps and bounds, but Shang Qinghua didn’t want to be there for Luo Binghe’s inevitable bad mood after seeing what the fuck happened when he got back.

He settled in for a quick nap.

He could think about the Original Mobei-jun once he woke up.

Shang Qinghua woke to gentle rocking. His cheek was smooshed against something soft and tickling. The achingly familiar scent of winter, pine and musk hit him.

He choked on the next lungful of air, eyes snapping open. His blurry vision only registered a sharp jawline and familiar face before panic clouded everything else.

He yelped, and started trying to get away from that grip because fuck, fuck fuck fuck -

“Qinghua!”

At the raised voice, Shang Qinghua froze and stared blindly at the ice demon.

The Mobei-jun in front of him visibly softened. Those glacial eyes thawed. A tiny furrow of concern between his brow. These were miniscule expressions, something that anyone else would miss, but Shang Qinghua knew.

“Qinghua,” his husband murmured, his voice low and gentle. He shifted so he was holding Shang Qinghua on one arm and cupped Shang Qinghua’s cheek. His cold hand and claws rested tenderly on Shang Qinghua’s skin. “Qinghua, you’re safe. This husband is here.”

A sob slipped out of Shang Qinghua's mouth as he wailed brokenly, “H-husband!”

He wrapped himself around Mobei-jun like a Red Quilled Abyssal Octopus, and buried his face against the ice demon’s neck. No, he didn’t give a shit about the fact that he was crying in the middle of the hallway while being held like a fucking child. The demon servants were too used to the random waterworks from him and Luo Binghe. Like father, like son after all.

All he could feel was fucking relief and motherfucking happiness because finally! His husband was home! He was like those dramatic plants that would wilt without their sun and constant supply of water! If they weren’t dealing with the Original Mobei-jun incident, Shang Qinghua would have shoved aside his husband’s robes and shown everyone a real incident! 

Mobei-jun patiently rubbed his back and hair, and pressed feather-light kisses on Shang Qinghua’s head. Shang Qinghua clung to his husband as they made their way towards their private rooms. He briefly lifted his head to peep at the damages, and winced as he calculated the costs. At least it wasn’t astronomical enough to make a huge dent on the coffers of the Northern Territories, he comforted himself.

Judging by how Mobei-jun was carrying him out of the Forbidden Wing in Cucumber-bro’s spare blanket unscathed, Luo Binghe wasn’t that mad at them.

Maybe his son was currently occupied with interrogating the Original Mobei-jun and doling out Sha Hualing’s punishment, unless, Cucumber-bro sufficiently distracted Luo Binghe.

He gnawed on his lip before he shoved his face back into the crook of his husband’s neck. The fur continued to tickle him but he ignored it.

The idea of Mobei-jun suffering under Luo Binghe’s wrath made his stomach twist and churn. Even though his husband was here, holding him, the version being detained was still Mobei-jun. Try as he might to distance himself from Mobei-jun even before they got together, it couldn’t be helped that Shang Qinghua eventually became attached to him.

And when Airplane got attached, well.

It had been easy to think of this world as some kind of true-to-life virtual simulation. To Shang Qinghua, the only ones who were real were him and the SYSTEM; and the only thing standing between him and his ticket home was how successfully he could pull everything off as the background character he got shoved into without consent.

It was like in the transmigration novels he had read: the MC would wake up in a story, they had a role to fulfill and a SYSTEM to dictate their roles. Everyone around them were just characters. The MC couldn’t just up and change the story without getting punished or forfeiting their lives. Characters were just characters. They weren’t actual people.

They were operated by scripts, roles, and scenes that he created them for. They were like the worn sock puppets or the random cut-out of paper dolls in his childhood back then. They moved, talked and acted the way they were because he made them. They had no agency because of the plot!

It was easy enough to detach after that. After all, the characters were just characters. Sure, they may bleed and cry and have hopes and dreams but that was part of the plot! There was no need to get so attached to fake people when he needed to survive!

He had been proven wrong of course. Time and time again. Which was why he didn’t take the SYSTEM’s offer even if he was free to leave and let go.

Because of this, a teeny tiny part of him wanted to bolt towards the place where the Original Mobei-jun was being detained even if fear was still making him cry like a baby.

He couldn’t help it, it was practically instinctual to save Mobei-jun at this point!

Maybe Shang Qinghua’s feelings towards his husband were clouding his rationality. Maybe he should just treat the Origininal Mobei-jun as a character like he did with the NPCs in this world. Gods, thinking about it was going to give him a headache.

The newly posted guards opened the doors and Mobei-jun stepped inside their rooms. He didn’t put Shang Qinghua down and instead, strode towards their bed, and sat down on it. Shang Qinghua was perched on his lap, still clinging to him.

Shang Qinghua’s tears and hiccups had long since calmed down, yet Mobei-jun still wiped the drying tear tracks from his face. Shag Qinghuq shamelessly nuzzled into his husband’s hands and stared at the beloved visage he spent so long crafting with his words, imagining in his head, and spent so much money trying to bring his vision to life.

And there it was, buried under the tenderness and concern, was the infamous icy rage brewing deep inside Mobei-jun’s eyes. He couldn’t help but allow Mobei-jun to cage him in his arms once more, feeling more safe than he was before. There was no doubt that if it wasn’t for Shang Qinghua, Mobei-jun would have stormed to the Original Mobei-jun and the results would be cataclysmic.

“Are you hurt?” Mobei-jun asked.

Shang Qinghua shook his head.

“No. I got to Cucumber-bro in time.”

A bit of tension left Mobei-jun's body.

“This husband is in Empress Shen’s debt.”

Shang Qinghua snorted. “Ah, it’s the bro code. Husband doesn’t need to worry about it.”

“Hm.”

“Did you just arrive? This husband apologizes for his unsightly appearance-“

“No, Qinghua, it’s this husband who should apologize-”

“Shhh,” Shang Qinghua squished Mobei-jun’s cheeks together, cutting off the oncoming tirade. He dropped a quick and chaste kiss on that pouting mouth. “It’s not your fault. I’m fine! See?”

He let go of Mobei-jun, only to yelp as his mouth was devoured. Sharp teeth nicked his lips, a long tongue wrapped around his. Shang Qinghua gave back as much enthusiasm as he could, biting back a groan. They made out for what felt like a small eternity before Mobei-jun pulled away for air.

A cool finger wiped the corner of Shang Qinghua’s mouth.

Oh gods. He really did miss this.

There was a dark look in Mobei-jun’s eyes. Lust and possession were constant companions, along with love, but the darkness in there held something different. Shang Qinghua felt one of his husband’s hand slide down to the side of his neck - right where the demon’s bite mark lay.

Shang Qinghua gulped, his heart trembled.

“He tried to hurt you,” Mobei-jun said, promising nothing but the rage of a thousand Snow Wolf Wraiths in the glint of his eyes and the displeased twist of his lips. He pulled the neckline of Shang Qinghua’s inner robes aside to touch the scarred edge of the mark. Stark white and encompassing the side of Shang Qinghua’s neck. It was still so fucking sensitive even after so many years.

Shang Qinghua fought the urge to do something incriminating least he popped a fucking boner right then and there. It wouldn't be the first time, but now his dick had finally learned to read the room!

He did, however, snuck his hands inside the lapels of his husband's robes to grab each a handful of the best pair of tits he ever wrote on his screen. 

He was so occupied that he almost missed the next words as haziness began to settle in his bones-

“For daring to hunt this lord’s mate, I will kill him,” Mobei-jun swore, voice nearly crooning. “I shall rip out his limbs, blind him, cut off his tongue and boil him alive-“

That finally snapped Shang Qinghua out of the haze.

“No! Husband, you can’t!”

Mobei-jun was taken aback at Shang Qinghua’s vehemence. He frowned. The darkness was slowly seeping out of its cage and there was almost a tremor in the ice demon’s shoulders. He was confused. Angered.

Of course he was, what spouse wouldn't be? Mobei-jun's protectiveness was blown out of proportion because of Bingge's off-handed remark. Shang Qinghua's own shadow was literally stalked by his husband, and it had taken everything to be allowed to even go out of his own without being dressed from head to toe in more protective wards and talismans. Now that the reason of his actions were here, his literal fucking nightmare even, Mobei-jun wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. 

There was no doubt that their duel would be to the death.

“Qinghua.”

But Shang Qinghua wasn’t afraid. He grabbed Mobei-jun’s hands, and pleaded, “Husband, we don’t know how or why he got here. We also don’t know what will happen to you if he’s harmed or killed! This husband is afraid that harming him will also hurt you! Think of what happened to Junshang and Cucumber-bro two months ago.”

Mobei-jun’s lips pressed together.

“We can’t do anything until we find out how he got here and how we can send him back. Husband is here to keep Qinghua safe,” Shang Qinghua hurriedly assured him, “please.”

At the same time, his stomach rumbled.

Ah.

Mobei-jun softened, still unconvinced but trusting Shang Qinghua. “Alright. But first, you must eat.”

Phew. Talk about being saved by the bell twice!

Luo Binghe summoned them to his office just after breakfast.

And then he placed something on top of the austere desk carved from the ancient Abyssal Black Granite Tree. Shen Qingqiu, sitting on the emperor’s chair that was decorated and carved with thorns and spikes, leaned closer to look at the strange device.

“This is what he claimed to have touched before he was transported here,” Luo Binghe said once he settled on the arm of the chair. Shen Qingqiu looped an arm around his waist to keep him steady.

Shang Qinghua bit back the wince at the reminder that his son did interrogate the Original Mobei-jun and no, he didn’t want to imagine the guy’s state right now. Instead, he stepped forward to take a closer look at the device.

“It looks like a compass,” Shang Qinghua remarked. He took the gloves he stashed in his pockets and put them on. When he picked up the compass, the pointer didn’t move. Huh.

He wracked his brain as he tried to figure out which compass-based plot device this was. It certainly didn’t match the tracking device he once used in Chapter Two Thousand Thirty-Eight where Bingge hunted his wife.

But it did look familiar.

Judging by Cucumber-bro’s raised eyebrow and curious expression, even the nerd didn’t recognize it. Therefore, it wasn’t a plot device that was written into the Proud Immortal Demon Way…

Wait.

The see-through glass and mechanical cogs showed a faint red line.

No.

This was fucking impossible!

Shang Qinghua almost dropped the compass as his fingers shook. He hurriedly placed the compass down as if it was a grenade.

Luo Binghe's gaze was cutting. “Do you recognize it, shishu?”

“I-I-“ Shang Qinghua stammered. He felt Mobei-jun’s presence behind him.

“Qinghua?” Cold hands held his trembling fingers.

Fuck.

Shang Qinghua raised his head only to meet Shen Qingqiu’s probing eyes.

“I need to see him.”

Chapter Text

The temperature suddenly dropped several degrees.

The air froze - even the dust motes turned into teeny tiny little snowflakes.

It was the moment Shang Qinghua knew he was one wrong move away from getting attic-wifed for the foreseeable future.

"No!"

One moment, he was staring into his best bro's stunned face and in the next, his husband's snarling face (still beautiful, still perfect, holy balls and tits, Mobei-jun looked so motherfucking panty-dropping hot when he was spitting mad) was in front of him. Mobei-jun grabbed his shoulders, grip tight enough to leave bruises, as he loomed over Shang Qinghua like a feral Northern Glacier Snow Mountain Lion Bird.

Shang Qinghua held his gaze, knowing that he couldn't just bow out now!

But the way his husband's fingers trembled, and the clear desperation in his eyes was almost enough to make Shang Qinghua fold.

Almost.

Look.

He didn't want to actually do it! If he could, he would have just gladly handed the Original Mobei-jun dilemma to his husband and be on his way! But like everything else, the past always came back to gnaw on his ass. And not even in the sexy way.

Fucking hell. That fucking plot device didn't even make it into the original outline before he deleted that shit! This was cheating!

It was no wonder the Original Mobei-jun looked so drained. It was no wonder that he couldn't even remember the fucking plot device until he saw it. In fact, he never expected the damn thing to appear! And Cucumber-bro always had the ninety-nine percent chance of encountering his plot devices and wife plots before him!

Why couldn't it have been a sexy plot device? He sobbed internally. Even encountering the Heavenly Tentacle Vine was better than this!

He half-remembered writing that plot device after an insomnia-filled night while high on ten cups of coffee, for the original version of Proud Immortal Demon Way. It was supposed to be used for an angsty arc.

Luo Binghe would finally meet his parents (or a version of them) after using the compass he found hidden in the altar of a broken and forgotten Guanyin statue in the West. He was supposed to be transported to a world where everything went right, and have a glimpse of a life he could've had before fate changed its course. Of course, this was before Airplane's whole outline was shot to shit and he had to rewrite the whole thing by the seat of his pants. That Luo Binghe was not just looking for his soulmate like Bingge. Instead, he was looking for answers. For a family.

Shang Qinghua didn't even recycle it as an actual porn plot device because it didn't fit the salvaged Proud Immortal Demon Way anymore. It didn't even have a name. The compass design was obviously because it pointed and led the user to the direction of their impossible wish.

The red line was supposed to be a red herring to make the readers think that it would lead to Luo Binghe's soulmate but in actuality, it was just the blood fueling the whole thing.

It took a few seconds before Mobei-jun closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Shang Qinghua's.

"No," he said, pleading. "Qinghua, I forbid it."

Shang Qinghua wanted to cry as he confessed. "I can't. Husband, it'll drain all of his demonic energy which will kill him-"

"Good."

"-if it succeeds, it will latch to you next! The more we wait, the faster it will drain him and then you'll be the next victim because it won't be satisfied until the two of you fulfilled your side of the agreement, and since the two of you have the same soul, you'll also be affected!" Shang Qinghua was holding ontoMobei-jun's robes by now, almost shaking him. "A life, a soul for an impossible wish fulfilled. It's a one-time use item that shouldn't even exist!"

Mobei-jun's eyes widened.

"I need to see him for you. I can't lose you," Shang Qinghua begged. Gods, he wanted to pull a Cucumber and curse his past self with the rage of a thousand suns. What the fuck was Airplane thinking for making that item?! He sighed, all the fight leaving him as he continued, "There's a mark on him which is connected to the compass. I'm the only one who can break it."

Breaking it was simple.

In his trashed and forgotten draft, Luo Binghe and the Luo (actually Su) Binghe were wasting away as the compass drained them. Su Xiyan and Tianlang-jun managed to find the obscure information before everything was too late, and they smeared their blood on Luo Binghe's mark. The curse broke.

The only problem was… Shang Qinghua didn't write anymore after that. How did Luo Binghe get back? Eh, who knew? Shang Qinghua would also like to read how that would have been resolved. It was just a fun idea, alright?

The only thing he needed to do now was to confirm if he was the Original Mobei-jun's impossible wish, and figure out why the fuck did the ice demon wish for him in the first place. Unlike Luo Bingge who had sexy and romantic plans for Cucumber-bro, it clearly wasn't the case for Shang Qinghua!

Maybe the Original Mobei-jun thought that he could transmigrate into other worlds just to kill the reincarnations of the traitor like some sort of revenge-obsessed MC -

And then the voice of his nightmares blared through his mind. A cheerful robotic female voice spoke, followed by a familiar bright blue screen.

All of his souls left his body and he could only watch everything unfold in horror.

Ping !

[SYSTEM Announcement: Congratulations! Long time no see, Esteemed Host! The Special Edition Mission “Who Jammed the Damn Printer?!” is activated!]

Ping!

[Time Limit: Three days!]

Ping!

[Failure to succeed will cost Esteemed Host all of his accumulated points and Character Mobei-jun's death. If the Esteemed Host succeeds, you will get 2,000,000 B- Points and the SYSTEM has a special feature update as a reward.]

Ping!

[The first task has been activated: Save Mobei-jun (x2) from getting drained by the cursed compass!

Task objective: Put a drop of your blood on the curse mark.

Time limit: 0: 59: 00]

You traitorous bitch, Shang Qinghua swore in disbelief. I hope that whoever made you forever sleeps in warm pillows and have explosive diarrhea for the rest of their miserable life!

The SYSTEM just gave him a cheeky heart.

I thought we broke up already?! Why are you bothering me, ah? Why are you involving my man?! And you didn't even give me the option to refuse? Also, a printer? How the hell is a jammed printer related to this fucking situation? Hey! Answer me!

Nothing.

Well, at least that solved one of Shang Qinghua's problems. He was the Original Mobei-jun's dead person! Yipee!

Look, he didn't care about the rewards anymore. He wanted his peace and quiet!

Shang Qinghua felt the urge to stomp his feet and shake his fists in frustration but he couldn't do it. He could only keep swearing in his heart at the damn SYSTEM scammer-

"Qinghua…" Mobei-jun murmured, breaking Shang Qinghua out of his thoughts."As long as you are safe, it does not matter if I die-"

Shang Qinghua reared back as if he had been backhanded. "No!"

"Ahem."

Shang Qinghua jumped.

Oh. Right.

They were still in his son's office.

He turned back just to see Shen Qingqiu looking like he had been force-fed dog food, and Luo Binghe was giving them an annoyed and disgusted glare despite being seated on Shen Qingqiu's lap like a spoiled concubine.

These two really didn't have the right to judge Shang Qinghua and Mobei-jun for the PDA when they were the blueprint.

"If shidi would like to share to the rest of the class, then that would be appreciated," Shen Qingqiu snarked.

Bitch, Shang Qinghua thought fondly.

"Ah…it's a compass with a name that's been lost through time," he said and gave his bro a pointed stare. "It's said to be found in the altar of a broken and forgotten Guanyin statue in the ruins of an ancient kingdom in the West. According to the records, you have to put a drop of your blood to activate it and wish to see a dead person again. An impossible wish, if you will. The compass will take you to a world where the dead person is still alive. However, the compass will place a mark on you which will drain your spiritual energy and eventually kill you. If another version of you exists in that world, it will also kill them because the two of you share the same soul..."

Shang Qinghua laughed nervously. "To break the curse, the person whom you wish to see must put a drop of their blood on the mark… that's as far as the record goes."

Shen Qingqiu, who understood all the hints, looked like he was about to whack Shang Qinghua across the head. If it weren't for their husbands' presence, Shang Qinghua would have no choice but to explain what the whole thing was made for, and tune out his bro's endless ranting about wasted potential, his stupid pandering, blah, blah, blah.

At least he didn't have to confess that this plot device was the reason why the Mirror Red Moon Pearl Locket existed in the first place. The idea of having versions of a character had been a huge hit for the paying readers so it wasn't a loss in his wallet.

But he knew that his bro would say otherwise.

Shen Qingqiu only sighed and said, "Unbelievable."

Mobei-jun tugged him closer and enfolded him in his arms. Shang Qinghua went with it, knowing that his husband needed the assurance.

"It is no surprise then," Luo Binghe finally spoke. He gave Shang Qinghua one of his placid and calculating smiles. "That Mobei has been asking for you."

Shang Qinghua felt the growl building in Mobei-jun's chest.

"Junshang," Mobei-jun bit out. "I will not risk my mate's life for this."

"Oh? Exchanging his life just for a moment to catch a glimpse of Shang-shishu, wrecking my palace to chase him, inconveniencing my husband, and barely resisting torture just to meet him do not mean anything else?" Luo Binghe asked coolly. "This lord sees that Shang-shishu is prepared to meet with him just to save you. Will you deny him the right? This lord does not care either way, but this incident has caused enough trouble for my husband and I."

Shang Qinghua knew deep inside that Luo Binghe wasn't trying to convince Mobei-jun for his sake or be sympathetic to their plight.

Do it or don't. Either way, Luo Binghe wanted them to get this shit out of Cucumber-bro's hair before the day was done. Or else.

"Husband," Shang Qinghua said before Mobei-jun could do anything else that will earn Luo Binghe's ire. He gave his husband a pleading look and a confident smile which felt anything but. "Everything's going to be fine. Trust me."

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky might have aimed his pillar at the wrong spot and shot himself too close the sun.

The plan was simple: go inside, incapacitate the Original Mobei-jun, look for the mark (which, if he recalled correctly, was supposed to be right over the lower dantian), and smear it with his blood!

Which meant that he had essentially disrobe the guy to get to it.

Damned it, why did his past self have to put it there? The forehead or the chest would have been easier! His husband would throw a fit if he knew what Shang Qinghua was about to do. Hell, he was even pissed about the fact that Shang Qinghua had to cut himself to break the curse.

Yep. Getting atticewifed was now a certainty.

At least, he consoled himself, he didn't need to papapa the Original Mobei-jun. His husband would explode and turn the Underground Palace into a hellish tundra if he did. Or just outright kill the original version and doom himself in the process.

This could have been a sexy dream, he lamented. A sexy orgiastic and creampie-filled dream but no, things didn't go that way easily for Shang Qinghua.

Gods, he desperately needed a smoke.

The timer read: 00: 39: 13 minutes left.

You can do this, he reminded himself. You survived your death, you survived Linguang-jun, you survived the literal almost end of the world. You survived assassinations. You survived the cutthroat politics and negotiations in two out of three realms. Mobei-ge is powerless at the moment. You can do this. You can do this!

The walk to the dungeons walk quiet and tense. In front of him, Mobei-jun cut a protective and hulking shield as he prowled down the winding hallways and staircases. It did make him feel better to have his personal knight in shining armor with him.

Mobei-jun stopped in front of the largest cell door, the one where Luo Binghe kept the ones who did the most heinous and highest of crimes. For a moment, Shang Qinghua's heart dropped even as a part of him couldn't help but remark at the horrible irony of a Mobei-jun being marked a traitor by a Luo Binghe. He knew how loyal his husband was to his son.

And he himself wrote how Luo Binghe tortured those criminals there. Though he had never been personally present and that cell had only been used a few times in this reality, he knew what it looked like.

It was bare. Luo Binghe didn't need medieval torture devices to make a point when he could do unimaginable shit with his blood and dream enchantment powers. But it promised the most painful and slow breaking anyone could ever think of.

He couldn't help the pang in his heart. This was still a Mobei-jun! His favorite! For him to be treated like this (and curse his weak heart for his inverted scale), he couldn't bear it.

Mobei-jun hesitated for a moment before he placed a hand on the door. A push of his demonic energy served as the passcode, and the doors opened with an ominous sound.

It took a split second for Shang Qinghua's eyes to adjust, and another for him to catch a glimpse of what lay ahead. The night lamp pearl blazed awake, bathing the entire room with an eerie red light. And the sight before him almost made him fall to his knees right then and there.

He barely managed to stifle a gasp with his hand, and he unconsciously gripped Mobei-jun's cloak.

The original Mobei-jun, for all intents and purposes, looked like he had been dragged through the Abyss ten times. He still had his limbs but they were encased by the the thick barbed demonic-sealing chains meant to contain even a heavenly demon. He was suspended like a pinned butterfly in the middle of the room. Robes torn. Blood dripping down the wounds. Hair limp and covering his face.

If it weren't for the weak sound of his breathing, Shang Qinghua would think that that he was already dead. The drain on Mobei-jun's demonic energy was visible now and it sent bile roiling up Shang Qinghua's throat.

Luo Binghe survived a day because of his heavenly demon blood. But even for a powerful demon like Mobei-jun, the drain was too much. The damned compass drained energy like an old iPhone. Shang Qinghua theorized that a normal demon could last a ten minutes top. Mobei-jun, on the other hand, was currently surviving five hours post-exposure before it all went downhill.

Fuck.

Fuck!

Even though Luo Binghe offhandedly mentioned that he left the Original Mobei-jun's mind and body intact for Shang Qinghua, the sight of his tortured form made him want to hurl and cry.

And then cling to his husband like a starfish and never let go.

Mobei-jun shifted, hiding the view from Shang Qinghua but the image had already been seared to Shang Qinghua's brain that not even the strongest amnesia plot device could get rid of it.

Okay.

Deep breaths in, deep breaths out.

Shang Qinghua swallowed down the bile and calmed himself. He should stop acting like a soft boiled shrimp in front of Mobei-jun.

"We should get him down," Shang Qinghua said.

"Stay here."

Mobei-jun clicked his fingers. The chains loosened, dropping the Original Mobei-jun to the floor with a loud thump. Shang Qinghua winced at the way his body crumpled but he could only watch as his husband manipulated the shadows and the chains so the Original Mobei-jun was lying on his back but still starfished. With the change in position, Shang Qinghua could now see his face. Cheeks gaunt. Bruises. Blood dripping down his nose. A split lip.

He was moving before he realized it.

The thick metallic stench of blood hit him as he knelt down beside the Original Mobei-jun, and his hands hovered over the ice demon's face. He didn't realize that he was way too close until cold fingers grabbed his arms and pulled him away.

"Don't touch him."

Shang Qinghua gulped. "But-"

When he glanced at Mobei-jun he saw the way his brows furrowed in disapproval and the way his fangs were bared. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

Demons and their possessiveness.

If it wasn't so hot, it would be a massive red flag.

"Husband, I need to look at the curse mark…"

"Tell this husband where it is."

Oh.

Well, he wasn't about to argue with that option. Shang Qinghua directed Mobei-jun to peel back the robes over the Original Mobei-jun's abdomen (and definitely saw the vein throb in his husband's temple and his jaw clench at the intimacy of the placement) and reveal the curse mark.

Shang Qinghua winced at the sight.

It looked like the compass was heated and then branded on the skin. It was angry and throbbing. Wisps of dark demonic energy seeped out of it. Tendrils of black had bleed from the edges of the wound to the expanse of his torso and it was spreading rapidly.

The Original Mobei-jun's breathing was labored. He was still unconscious.

Shang Qinghua took out a hairpin and cut his palm. The sting barely registered to his senses when the first drop hit the mark, the air rippled.

Shang Qinghua held his breath. He knew this would a few minutes to take effect. He wrote it for the drama and suspension, but even with that knowledge, worry kept him in a chokehold.

Mobei-jun took his injured hand, and without any further ado, raised it to his mouth and licked the wound. The touch soothed the sting, and it sent way too many tingles straight to his dick. Shang Qinghua squeaked.

No, he shouldn't pop a fucking boner right now! Mobei-jun knew how sensitive his hands were!

He yanked his hand away, blushing like a fucking virgin. Mobei-jun's gaze burned as he licked the remnants of blood from his lips. Shang Qinghua was so distracted by that tongue that he barely heard the SYSTEM chiming in his head and congratulating him for completing the first task objective. But it snapped him enough to start moving away from the Original Mobei-jun when the other started stirring.

He was maneuvered to stand behind Mobei-jun just as he heard the slight of hitching breath and then the clinking of chains. Mobei-jun tensed.

"Shang Qinghua," the Original Mobei-jun rasped, voice hoarse and grating like sandpaper. "Are you here to finish me off?"

At the sound of his voice, Shang Qinghua took a step back.

"That would be considered a mercy for the likes of you," Mobei-jun growled.

A dry cough. More clinking of the chains. Shang Qinghua took a deep breath and defiantly peeked under Mobei-jun's arm. The Original Mobei-jun - Mobei-ge - had raised his head. And his glacial stare bored down to Shang Qinghua.

In spite of how awful he looked, frisson of fear still shot up Shang Qinghua's spine.

"This king…is not talking to you," Mobei-ge scoffed.

"You are addressing the consort of this king," Mobei-jun snarled. "Mind your tongue before I cut it off."

But Mobei-ge ignored him. He weakly turned his head to Shang Qinghua's direction and said, "Shang Qinghua, come here. Let this king look at you."

That did it.

Shang Qinghua threw himself against his husband, grabbed unto his waist and with all of his strength, yanked Mobei-jun back before the other could summon his sword. He dug his feet, gritted his teeth and cried, "Don't!"

Mobei-jun went still. "Qinghua."

But Shang Qinghua stubbornly refused to surrender. He held on tighter and shook his head. Stupid sentimental bullshit, he scolded himself in his heart.

"This husband wishes to see him," he mumbled against Mobei-jun's back. Maybe he was lying. Maybe he wasn't. He suddenly felt so tired of being terrified and running away. When all of his fear was drained, all that were left was exhaustion and not having any more fucks to give.

So he let go of his husband and stepped out of the embrace of his shadows. Though he could still feel some of the shadows clinging to his robes and feet, licking against his skin.

Mobei-jun didn't stop him.

Mobei-ge's gaze seemed to burn with the weight of Mt. Tai into face. His heart quaked like a trapped quail, but Shang Qinghua refused to be cowed. He once stood up against his own Mobei-jun. What difference did it make?

Okay, this one actually killed the Original Shang Qinghua, but chained and weakened to the bone, the Mobei-jun before him was as threatening as a mewling kitten.

For a small eternity, the two said nothing to each other. Mobei-ge continued looking at his face, expression cold and unreadable. For a character that he spent a long time carefully crafting just to keep most parts to himself, for a character whose version he actually married, this Mobei-jun seemed like a stranger. In the face of familiarity, Shang Qinghua couldn't read the other ice demon's thoughts as easily as he could his husband's.

Shang Qinghua fought back his baser urge to squirm or fidget. He mustered up the courage to ask, "Why?"

Why come here? Why Shang Qinghua out of all the people in Mobei-ge's life? He could have used it to look for his mother. He could have used it to call a powerful ancestor, even! Was his grudge so powerful that he couldn't let even a dead person go?

Was his attachment to the original goods so strong because the guy was the only person who actually hang around him? Selfish motivations aside. The Original Mobei-jun was actually a lonely character if he really thought about it.

Maybe it was Shang Qinghua's fault for not writing enough people for Mobei-jun to form an attachment to, and for not making a character who would have actually stayed for him. Be it a parent, an uncle, a cousin, a sibling or…or a lover.

But no character he tried to create felt right for his favorite OC.

And wasn’t that a tragedy and a divine comedy rolled into one?

Besides, Shang Qinghua did have a penchant for creating tragic backgrounds.

It was easy to build a tragic background for a character. Kill off his parents, isolate him in his own family, have everyone betray him until he could no longer trust anyone. Give him someone he thought he could trust and then, boom! Plot twist. Betrayed again.

He molded his characters in somewhat the same vein.

After all, readers do love their characters with a little bit of tragedy in their bones. Even if only a few had paid attention to Mobei-jun, they couldn't help but be intrigued by him.

But that was in the past where Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky was nothing more than a lonely guy with a computer, an ambition and bills to pay. He liked Mobei-jun as a writer would love his favorite character.

It was different now.

Never meet your heroes, the Internet warned him.

Well, no one actually prepared him for meeting the Original Mobei-jun.

Shen Jiu was different. He pitied the guy.

Hell, Luo Bingge was survivable. He only ever looked at Shen Qingqiu.

The way Mobei-ge was looking at him made him feel like an overripe fruit that was too soft and easily bruised. One squeeze and he was done for.

Mobei-ge's eyes shifted to the side of his head, right where the hairpin symbolizing his status as the Northern Consort was placed. Shang Qinghua's stomach suddenly dropped.

It must be the trick of the shadows and light because he swore Mobei-ge's eyes softened a little bit. The change caught Shang Qinghua off guard because he never wrote this guy softening for even one bit.

That expression looked more at home on his husband’s face!

"It suits you."

What.

Before Shang Qinghua could speak, the ice demon slumped back on the floor. Unconscious.

Inside his head, the SYSTEM pinged.

[The second task has been activated: Give Mobei-ge a satisfying conclusion!

Task objective: Have a heart to heart talk with Mobei-ge.

Time limit: 71: 59: 59

The Esteemed Host has made good progress! Keep up the good work! ]

Shang Qinghua dropped to his knees, covered his face with his hands and screamed.