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With a grunt, Shang Qinghua pulled at the chain from his metal collar in frustration, making the golden bells on his outfit jingle lightly. Yet, no matter how he tugged, the chain would not yield and the incessant jingling of his outfit was pissing him off. So he sat down in defeat when he realized the chained collar around his neck wasn’t budging anyway. Welp, okay then. Shang Qinghua had unfortunately landed himself in yet another predicament, and truthfully did not foresee this happening.

He was originally on a diplomatic visit to the domain of the Sha clan for human-demon relations ambassador work, a job that unfortunately fell upon his shoulders when the original demon lord and his consort (cough Bingqiu idiots) went off on their forever honeymoon. 

Everything seemed fine and dandy in the postcanon of his book’s events as he traveled throughout the demon realm negotiating and handling various political conflicts. And thus, the next quest was to meet up with Jiuchong-Jun, a canon fodder minor character that he didn’t even think would cause any trouble. He was just Sha Hualing’s father who got majorly sidelined in both his original Proud Immortal Demon Way and the new whatever the fuck verse they were in so like who remembers him?

Unfortunately, just cuz he didn’t remember canon fodder didn’t mean canon fodder didn’t remember him. In fact, he underestimated big daddy-o’s anger, in that his precious princess and only daughter was delegated to a de-facto assistant to Luo Binghe and Mobei-Jun, a shameful position in the demon realm. And thus hiding behind calculated smiles and pleasantries, Jiuchong-Jun slipped a drug in Shang Qinghua’s tea during a welcoming dinner and all else went black.

Fast forward to now, where the failed human ambassador was bored af, captured and was dressed in some Sha clan-styled garments. He knew he was waiting for something in the cage. What that something was he had no idea, hence why he was bored out of his mind.

He could deduce there was some event going on, judging by the roaring chatter and laughter somewhere outside. But his surroundings were engulfed in darkness thanks to fabric thrown over his prison. He played idly with the chains, long given up on blasting through the cage with qi. The collar was also conveniently a qi-sealing one, halting his meridians and pausing the function of his golden core, so he was thoroughly powerless, a sitting duck. 

He squinted hard in the dark to see what the hell Jiuchong-Jun dressed him up in. He could only conclude that the special outfit he had on was bare for sure, as the fabric just barely covered his important bits with a lot of useless hanging fabric, along with various noisy bells and belts that almost made him trip earlier. He was lucky that the Sha clan was in a tropical part of his world, and not his usual stomping grounds in the Northern Desert.

He sat around for god knows how long, before he felt the cage rattle, sway then get lifted up roughly.

A gruff voice sounded, 'this the human?' 

A snort from another voice, 'Yeah.' 

'Nice, this will be entertaining.'

Shang Qinghua shouted from under the fabric covering the cage, 'Hey! Where am I?!! Where are you taking me??'

The cage shook violently, causing the human to slam harshly into one wall, the chains and metal bars clanging together. He inhaled sharply at the impact and groaned in pain. He really felt like he was a fish being thrown around by a careless child in a plastic bag.

The same gruff voice snapped back, 'Shut up, human! Do as you're told!'

The human rubbed his sore shoulder with a grimace, and waited for the swaying to stop. They traveled for what felt like a short distance before the cage was lowered then became stable again. 

From beyond the fabric, he could hear the low rumbling anticipation of a crowd. The fabric whipped off suddenly, and the light stung his eyes. Laughter roared throughout the room, as Shang Qinghua’s eyes slowly adjusted to see the people, no, demons, better. He was smack in the middle of a grand hall, surrounded by demons of various tribes across the realm. 

And at the center was Jiuchong-Jun, sitting in his grand throne decorated with lavish rubies and wearing a devilish grin on his face.

In a fit of anger, Shang Qinghua leapt to his feet and gripped the bars tightly, 'You! Jiuchong-Jun! Let me go, you brute! What do you want with me?!'

The Sha lord coolly sent a blast of qi at his prisoner’s feet, causing Shang Qinghua to topple over and land on his bum with the bells ringing around him.

Jiuchong-Jun flagrantly ignored any protests from the human and bellowed, his deep voice echoing across the hall, 'I have a small show for everyone tonight, starring the most annoying human to ever step foot in the demon realm!'

The whole crowd cheered and threw their drinks towards the cage. A few landed close enough and splattered onto Shang Qinghua’s red robes messily. He wiped himself off and huffed, 'Hey!'

Now that there was light, the human finally got a good look at himself. A shimmery gold fabric draped around his one shoulder and slung sideways over his torso. The ends of the gold were tucked into a pair of loose fitting red pants that also conveniently had gaping holes along his hips. His feet were bare much like how Sha Hualing preferred too. Decorating his neck and torso were an abundance of gold chains and a large pearl-beaded belt. His hair was done up thankfully in his signature bun with a guan he felt with his fingers. Otherwise, he had no idea what was on his head or how his face looked. He prayed he didn’t have silly makeup on.

It was. Also not a lot of clothing. Shang Qinghua would feel more shy at his immodesty if he wasn’t currently royally pissed off at the crowd. 

The Sha lord continued grandly, ‘This one is sure everyone knows who this pathetic human is,’ he paused for dramatic effect, ‘Mobei-jun's little pet and parasite of the demons. How dare a human make choices for us?! How dare he be superior to us?!'

The crowd hollered in an uproar and chanted in agreement, 'Down with humans! Weak humans!!'

Realizing the situation was escalating rapidly, he grew anxious and began to devise an escape plan. But with his qi sealed, and his robes taken away (along with the copious weapons and talismans he hid in them), he had no tools at his disposal. He was frankly shit out of luck. He shook the bars to try and loosen them. But without cultivation, he was human yet. Shang Qinghua sighed in defeat and could only face the wrath and mockery of the demon crowd and endure till he could get out. 

‘Now, surely we all would love a show, eh? So…human. Dance for us.' Jiuchong-Jun demanded cockily.

' The fuck ? No!' his prisoner shouted back. Shang Qinghua was utterly enraged by everything he let slip a little English. Not that any demon would know. But hell, not only was that disgraceful but also he just didn’t know how to dance.

Upon hearing the human’s defiance, Jiuchong-Jun flung a sharp dart at Shang Qinghua’s feet. He leapt backwards skillfully to dodge it, the bells ringing as he moved. Thankfully his martial arts training had become muscle memory by now. His captor threw a couple more, not caring if it hit Shang Qinghua or not. He watched the human move nimbly to dodge them with great amusement. 

The demon lord snickered evilly, 'Good, human. Now dance, fool!'

With a wave of his arm, he invited more demons in the crowd to send an onslaught of attacks at Shang Qinghua’s feet, forcing him to move quickly and step around them. Despite the human’s best attempts, some demons did manage to land a blast on his legs. The first one tripped him, and he fell to a knee briefly. Without relenting, the attacks continued and thus, he had no choice but to get up and keep dodging lest he get pummeled like a pinata. 

It sucked, being played like a toy, tossed around and stabbed at like a flesh pin cushion. After a good while of the never-ending attacks, Shang Qinghua was starting to tire. His legs ached and wobbled, and his movements slowed down significantly. He could feel sticky wetness on the soles of his feet from the blood oozing out from small cuts. His pants had tattered and the pain encroached his body. He felt sluggish since the chains also proved to be a great hindrance. There was only so much he could handle without any cultivation, as a simple human again. Jiuchong-Jun raised his arm, signalling the attacks to stop. 

'Now, folks. We don’t want to play with him that much and accidentally kill him, do we?’, the Sha lord said in a slow creepy tone.

The demon entourage murmured in agreement, nodding amongst themselves. Shang Qinghua finally free from the onslaught, slumped down against the cage wall. His chest heaved rapidly as he tried to heal himself, just even a sliver of qi, but to no avail. He clutched and rubbed at his bleeding feet, pressing on the lacerations to stop the blood.

Jiuchong-Jun walked over, his footsteps heavy and shaking the cage. When he reached his prisoner, he twisted his large, clawed hand in Shang Qinghua’s hair and lifted him roughly off the ground. The human failed to resist, tired, beaten and battered and hung limply in the demon lord’s grip. He groaned in pain from hair being ripped out and he was brought face to face to the Jiuchong-Jun.

The Sha lord spat in his prisoner’s face, 'now, tell me the secrets of the Northern Desert and that pesky emperor, Luo Binghe. I never liked him, especially after he took my dearest Hualing away, making the whole Sha clan lose face!'

Shang Qinghua glared back and said nothing. Jiuchong-Jun frowned at his defiance and lifted him higher with his toes barely touching the ground. Suspended in the air, Shang Qinghua clawed uselessly at the demon’s hand in agony. 

Jiuchong-Jun growled under his breath, 'Be good, human, and I may let you live. I might even let you be one of our bed warmers, since you aren't the ugliest human I’ve seen.'

Becoming an unwilling mate to a demon was a fate worse than death. Shang Qinghua balked at the suggestion. He wrenched his head suddenly out of the demon’s grip, leaving behind a tuft of hair in the other’s hands. The guan loosened and his hair spilled out of his neat bun. He fell limply to the ground, his legs buckling under him. Drawing in a big breath, he screamed at the top of his lungs, 'MY KIIIING!!!!!"

A strong gust of wind slammed the doors open and billowed through, . The frigid gust snuffed out all the candles, dousing the whole hall in darkness. Heat was sucked from the room and replaced with a chill in the air, as the demons’ breaths puffed out in mists. They mumbled amongst themselves in confusion. A shadow swirled around the stage like a small tornado, and it materialized into a full portal next to the cage. Mobei-jun stepped out of the blackness with his cape flowing majestically behind him.

His sharp bright blue eyes flitted around the room, his pupils in thin slits. A blood vessel showed prominently against his furious frown with his lips pursed into a thin line. His gaze finally landed on the battered and weak human, laying in smears of his own blood. 

Mobei-Jun’s eyes widened in anger. A ring of qi burst out from around the ice demon, pinning everyone back against their seats. It was a threat, and it was heard loud and clear. A tense silence fell over everyone, as the demon king marched slowly to Jiuchong-Jun, his killing aura spilling out from him like heavy smoke. Everyone was frozen from fear, especially the Sha lord. They all knew Mobei-Jun overpowered them easily, and if they wanted to keep their heads, they best not move and comply. 

When Mobei-Jun neared the Sha throne, he stared down Jiuchong-Jun with cold glowing eyes and his demon mark illuminated in the dim hall. He ordered coldly, 'Return my human.'

Jiuchong-Jun practically shaking in his pants quickly motioned for servants to unlock the cage and undo the shackle on Shang Qinghua’s neck. The metal fell to the ground with a dull clang.

Mobei-Jun swooped in immediately, collecting the weak Shang Qinghua up in his arms. The human released a deep sigh of relief when he felt the familiar coolness engulfing him again. With the collar gone, the dam holding back his golden core broke and his qi flooded back into his meridians, restoring its levels slowly. He channeled it internally and worked on healing his wounds with the pain ebbing away. 

Another shadow materialized in front of them and Mobei-Jun urgently stepped through. Before Shang Qinghua could make sense of where he was, he was gingerly placed onto a large soft bed with furs. Mobei-Jun unclasped his cloak and draped the heavy fabric over the human, covering up the ridiculously bare Sha garments. Without a word, he stepped through another shadow, leaving the human alone.

Shang Qinghua sat in solitude, waiting for the king’s return and meditated to heal his injuries. That was utterly humiliating, and quite extreme for human hatred. Probably the worst incident yet and Shang Qinghua’s gone through some pretty intense encounters. 

Mobei-Jun returned shortly after, stepping through the abyss and the stench of fresh blood emanated off of him. His robes were drenched so thoroughly in blood that the color became a dull purple and a few droplets spilled onto the fur carpet. It was no secret what he had left to do, and Shang Qinghua smiled smugly at the fact.

Shang Qinghua flexed his bare feet to test if the cuts healed properly. He stretched away the soreness and pain from his legs and got up from the bed slowly. Mobei-Jun’s shoulders heaved up and down as his eyes stared down at the ground, bright blue and wide. The air around the demon dropped several degrees and ice inched up his cloak. Despite the rage vibrating off of Mobei-Jun, Shang Qinghua felt no fear and approached the ice demon with confidence. He tugged the cloak tightly around himself to hide the embarrassing get-up.  

Mobei-Jun flicked his hand in disgust, sending a small array of blood onto the ground. His breathing evened out when his eyes fell on Shang Qinghua’s face and softened at last. Shang Qinghua reached up and placed his palms on either side of the demon’s face. He rubbed away a droplet of blood splattered on Mobei-Jun’s cheek and pouted a little, ‘Don’t get the floor dirty.'

Mobei-Jun said nothing and swept the other up in a tight hug. He didn't care if the blood smeared onto Shang Qinghua’s clothes, and neither did the human. Shang Qinghua released a breath he didn't even know he was holding and his whole body relaxed into the demon’s arms, melting into the comfort. He was safe at last. Mobei-Jun buried his face in the familiar space next to Shang Qinghua’s neck and sighed deeply. 

They stayed like that in each other’s arms, each other’s safety for what seemed like forever. After however long, Shang Qinghua felt a bit of the icky blood seep through his thin garments and he reluctantly released his arms. Mobei-Jun’s hands remained firm around the other’s waist, unwilling to fully let go. Traces of blood from Mobei-Jun fully soiled the little clothing Shang Qinghua had on. 

The ice demon studied Shang Qinghua for any remaining injuries and frowned slightly. He stroked a small bruise that the human forgot to heal on his cheek. 

'Don't leave my sight again, Qinghua.' Mobei-Jun growled in a low tone, but Shang Qinghua knew it wasn’t for him. He no longer feared his king.

Mobei-Jun sent a trickle of demonic qi, watching with satisfaction as the small smudge of purple faded back to Shang Qinghua’s healthy skin tone.

‘Thank you, my King,' Shang Qinghua murmured and he leaned his cheek back into the demon’s gentle hand. 

Catching another whiff of the blood, Shang Qinghua remembered how utterly disgusting their outfits had become. He tapped a finger on Mobei-Jun’s arm brace, 'let's get you out of your robes. They're dirty now.'

Mobei-Jun nodded, as his servant got to work, just like the many nights before. It was routine, one that they observed for decades, for Shang Qinghua to undress his king for the night. It was a moment of solace, intimate for the two of them, a time reserved just for the pair. The human untied the leather straps that fastened the metal in place. They let the arm braces drop to the ground with a clang, rolling next to the small blood splatter on the wooden floor. Next, he languidly undid the demon’s belt, unlooping it from the buckle. Mobei-Jun’s bloody palms rested in the curve of Shang Qinghua’s waist, so small and perfect under his fingers. 

The human swore that it normally didn’t feel this… this , whatever it was, intimate? Much? A lot is what it was. Something about today, his capture, the revenge, the whole ordeal, and most of all Mobei-Jun’s worry felt different.

The belt followed the braces and fell to the ground as well. Shang Qinghua slipped the heavy robes off of the demon’s shoulders. Mobei-Jun lifted his hands from the softness of Shang Qinghua briefly to tug his arms out from his sleeves. After finally ridding the demon of the messed up robes, the human tossed them to the side for servants to clean up. His final move left Mobei-Jun in just his pale inner garments, thankfully not dirtied from his previous encounter.

Mobei-Jun exhaled contentedly and fiddled with the fancy pearl-beaded belt hanging on Shang Qinghua’s waist. He murmured, 'your turn.'

Shang Qinghua pulled away slightly and looked up at the other in surprise, 'there’s no need to. This one can-'

'No, this one wants to. I can’t stand seeing Qinghua in colors not mine.' With a small crease in his brow, Mobei-Jun pinched one of the bells hanging off of the top so hard he crushed it immediately. The flattened bell fell to the ground with a sad final jingle. 

Shang Qinghua sighed to himself with amusement. His king was already so spoiled and he thought it wouldn’t hurt to humor him again tonight. Thus, he nodded his consent. Mobei-Jun got to work quickly but ended up clumsy at removing the belt, his fingers moving too fast and urgently to take off the ugly Sha robes. He grabbed a fistful of all the bells that were pissing him off to no end, and ended their annoying ringing with a crushing fist. With a harsh rip, he tore off the flat bells then tossed the irritating tangle of fabrics far away in the room, the metal clinking pathetically in the distance. 

He unlooped the gold shawl hanging across the human’s chest, scrunched them up in his fist and chucked those away without looking as well. Shang Qinghua let out a small giggle at the gap moe of how adorable Mobei-Jun was unintentionally being, all rushed and determined to strip his human.

Mobei-Jun ripped off the fancy necklace and the golden bracelets, snapping the thread and letting beads fall and scatter on the floor. Shang Qinghua did not complain and just kicked them aside. He couldn't deny that it was rather cute seeing this demon king like this, all worked up and frustrated like a child who didn't get his way. 

Mobei-Jun pulled a little too roughly at the pants, causing Shang Qinghua to trip a bit. He steadied Shang Qinghua without hesitation and lifted the other up, so Shang Qinghua could step out of the pants. Mobei-Jun practically ripped them to shreds in the spot.

Mobei-Jun, still with a frown across his eyebrows, mumbled an awkward apology, and continued to scan the human’s now bare body for any other offending red. Shang Qinghua snorted through his closed lips, trying so hard to not giggle. Mobei-Jun with fistfuls of red fabric glowered down to Shang Qinghua in confusion. 

And Shang Qinghua finally couldn’t hold it in anymore as he threw his head back to laugh heartily and loudly. The bright laughter spilling out from his lips filled the room, extinguishing the thick tension in the air. He didn’t even care that he was basically nude now. Shang Qinghua just felt so silly and awkward; it was hard to deny the cringe of it all. The human laughed and laughed as the demon stared, his frown slowly fading and his shoulders relaxing again.

After Shang Qinghua’s laughter died down and he took a few deep breaths to steady himself again. He patted the demon in a soothing gesture, 'Mobei, take it slow. I'm not going anywhere. you have me already.' 

Mobei-Jun’s eyes softened at the comforting words. His long fingers trailed up the expanse of Shang Qinghua’s neck. With the collar gone, Shang Qinghua was able to heal the bruises left behind from the tough metal.

The demon touched the other’s neck tenderly, fingers barely brushing the skin, 'did it hurt?' 

'Not anymore, now that you're here.' Shang Qinghua smiled back, placing his hand on top of the demon’s. 

In the amidst of this cute moment, Shang Qinghua caught a small chill, and was reminded that he was in just the undergarments from whatever Jiuchong-Jun had dressed him up in. He backed off with a step, and bowed, breaking the small little shared space between the two. He mumbled, 'this one will return to his chambers. I need to get dressed, my King.' 

'No.' Again, another rejection. 

The demon quickly untied his zhongyi top, and motioned for the human to bring his arms up. He slipped one arm through one sleeve and then the other smoothly enough to dress the human in his own garment.

Mobei-Jun’s zhongyi hung loosely on Shang Qinghua’s small frame, so long that it covered down to his thighs. Now with Mobei-Jun topless, Shang Qinghua snuck in another good look at his nice rock hard abs. A sight for sore eyes indeed. 

'I need pants, my King.' Shang Qinghua tugged at the ends of his top sheepishly, trying to cover his bare legs. 

The demon simply studied Shang Qinghua, savoring the look of the human in his zhongyi and gone is the cursed red of Sha.  'No,’ he rejected once more. 

My King, could you stop saying no to everything?! But Shang Qinghua albeit a little exasperated didn't push. A lot had happened already in one night.

'Stay. And sleep.' It sounded like an order but Shang Qinghua understood it was more of a plea, the closest the demon would ever come to begging.

‘Okay’, he agreed in a soft voice, holding Mobei-Jun’s hand as the human led him to the large bed. 

Shang Qinghua crawled onto the bed first, happy to feel fluffy and familiar furs over the cold metal of his previous trap. He, getting comfortable, laid on his side then patted an empty space in front of him. 

Mobei-Jun obediently followed suit and climbed in next to the human. The mattress dipped with his weight and he placed a firm hand on the other’s bare thigh, covering nearly the entire thickness of it. He gave a light squeeze with his rough palm, relishing in Shang Qinghua’s supple skin and warmth. 

‘Did you kill them all, my King?’ Shang Qinghua murmured as his eyelids started to feel heavy. After the tension and stress dissipated, the fatigue from the attacks finally got to him. 

‘No, just enough to prove a point. Someone needs to stay alive to relay my message,’ Mobei-Jun ran his hands up and down the other’s leg lazily.

Shang Qunghua snuggled his face next to the cool chest, secretly giddy that he mattered that much to the demon. He whispered, ‘You didn’t have to. This king already has me.’ 

‘And leave your honor disgraced? Never.’ Mobei-Jun tucked Shang Qinghua against himself and pressed his cheek against the top of the other’s head. 

‘Okay. Um, this one.. thanks you, Mobei,’ Shang Qinghua shuffled upward to crane his neck upward and gave a light kiss on the other’s cheek for his gratitude. The warmth lingered on the demon's cool skin, blooming across the other's heart. 

Mobei-Jun pulled back his face only slightly to give a quick look at Shang Qinghua. The human returned a soft smile, confirming his intent. Mobei-Jun swiftly pressed another against Shang Qinghua’s lips, firm and resolute. Melting into each other, Mobei-Jun savored the taste of Shang Qinghua, the gentile heartbeats of Shang Qinghua, the beautiful brown that decorates Shang Qinghua, the brave soul of Shang Qinghua, the whole being of Shang Qinghua. They part and pause for a beat, simply existing in the space carved out by the both of them in each other's hearts. 

‘Promise you’ll be mine forever.’ Mobei-Jun breathed after the slow delicate kiss. 

‘I already did when we first met, my king.’ Sqh gave a sweet grin in return.

‘For the rest of your life?’ 

‘For the rest of my life.’