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certainempatheticturkeymuffin · 1 month ago

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Saw a post about Mushang and it's similarities to Liushen, then thought about how interesting it would be to have those in the same fic — then I went down a rabbit hole that included Mobing and Gongzhi (for some reason?)

so... here's this plotbunny, it's really fucking long though, sorry!

(oops, it posted before I finished, sorry about that, it's fixed now!)

Shang Qinghua knew, theoretically, that his death would be at the hands of Mobei-jun. He knew that when he saved him, he knew that all these years of serving him, but... it's finally sunk in. That Mobei-jun is going to kill him. That the bruises and frostbite and broken bones are all leading up to his death. He wraps another cut and thinks, somewhat deliriously... that maybe he should've killed Mobei-jun on that mission.

Shen Qingqiu knew his fate — the fate of the Scum Villain. He knew that any goodwill he'd built up was destroyed the moment he pushed Luo Binghe into the Abyss. Knows that all those years of treating him well, only to betray him, may have actually made the situation worse. He thinks back on that day, suddenly realizing that he probably could've made it look like an accident — he could've had Binghe "accidentally" pushed into the Abyss during the chaos, could've faked a Without-A-Cure flare up to excuse his lack of rescue. Maybe, if he'd done that, Binghe would've had mercy.

Their weekly meetings become stilted, their tea goes cold, their snacks uneaten. They don't argue about Airplane's terrible writing, they don't even reminisce over AC or the internet. The air is filled with unease, polluting each of their peaks... until they both snap. They confide in each other, cursing the System, cursing their choices, and try to plan — to dig themselves out of these holes they've dug. The clock is ticking for Binghe's return. Shang Qinghua's wounds are getting worse — he doesn't know if his death will be expedited or delayed at this rate.

And so, they argue and plan and eventually come to a few conclusions...

Shang Qinghua needs the protection of the sect. Needs to confess and beg for Yue Qingyuan's protection as he abandons Mobei-jun. Needs the protection of someone Mobei-jun had no chance of defeating.

Shen Qingqiu, likewise, needs protection — but it's written that Luo Binghe cannot lose, not to anyone in the sect... no one, except for Liu Qingge, who didn't live long enough to fight him, who didn't have a single canonical fight for the world to measure him against. The War God. The one person that wasn't bound by the narrative.

They decide to deal with Shang Qinghua first — Binghe isn't scheduled to leave the Abyss for years, after all. Mobei-jun, however, is a current threat. Every meeting leaves Shang Qinghua with more and more injuries, injuries that the original goods never had to deal with. They don't know if this Mobei-jun is going to follow PIDW's timeline. They don't know how long it'll take before he beats Shang Qinghua to a bloody pulp. After some arguing, it's agreed to come clean to Mu Qingfang first — to test the waters. He's been treating all of Shang Qinghua's wounds since they were disciples, and he'd be good back up if Yue Qingyuan didn't immediately cave to Shen Qingqiu's demands. Of course, Shang Qinghua wouldn't tell the complete truth — no one needed to know that Shang Qinghua spared Mobei-jun because he was hot — but he wouldn't alter the story too much. Better to keep to small lies, easy to keep consistent.

If it goes poorly... they'll just run. They'll abandon the friends and family they've found here, and they'll use whatever plot devices they can find to disguise themselves. The only reason it's not Plan A is because Mobei-jun knows Shang Qinghua's qi signature, and the only artifacts they know that can change qi signatures are... annoying to acquire and dangerous to use.

Mu Qingfang isn't surprised when Shang-shixiong shows up with various injuries, absolutely covered in demonic qi. It's routine at this point to sit him down, perform a check up, and ask questions he knows won't be answered. So he does. He heals the cuts and bruises, sets and heals the bones, and does his best to calm the eternally-stressed qi lest his shixiong have a deviation. He asks how this happened, expecting the usual evasive answer (hating that his shixiong is being abused while he does nothing but fix the aftermath), and...

and Shang Qinghua answers.

His shixiong, after years– decades of asking, stutters out an explanation. That he's been a spy for Mobei-jun since that mission where he was the only survivor. That he did it because he was scared, that by the time he was powerful enough to do anything about it, Mobei-jun was a king, and it would probably start a war if he killed him. He says Mobei-jun's been hurting him more often, that he's terrified he's going to die, and Mu Qingfang carefully soothes his shixiong's qi as tears start to fall and he stutters out his plan to team up with Shen-shixiong to tell Zhangmen-shixiong, to beg for forgiveness — for protection, even if it means sitting in a prison cell. He just doesn't want to die.

And in the face of his sobbing shixiong, constantly over-worked and terrified, Mu Qingfang promises to help. Because what else can he do? Turn his back on the shixiong he's been watching slowly fall apart over the decades? The shixiong he's watched go from introverted to downright anxious — the shixiong he's had to pick up and put back together with increasing frequency. Even if he hadn't come clean, Mu Qingfang would've had to have done something soon, with the way the injuries were increasing in severity. He's just glad Shang-shixiong told him first, so they could approach the sect leader together. It wouldn't have been good for his shixiong's stress levels if he'd demanded the sect leader interrogate him to figure out what was going on.

So, the two meet up with Shen Qingqiu and demand a meeting with Yue Qingyuan, who, as always, immediately makes time for Shen-shixiong. Shang Qinghua stutters through his story again, Mu Qingfang regulating his qi, and Shen Qingqiu bringing out a particular icy glare whenever Yue Qingyuan looks like he's going to interrupt. Zhangmen-shixiong's face is carefully blank by the time Shang Qinghua finishes speaking, at which point, Mu Qingfang decides to speak up.

He tells Zhangmen-shixiong of the countless injuries over the decades, of his certainty of their demonic origin, even during that first meeting. He tells the sect leader that if Shang Qinghua is going to be punished for protecting himself, for preventing a war, then he'll need to punish Mu Qingfang too. As a head disciple, he should've reported any suspicious injuries to his shizun, as a Peak Lord, he should've immediately informed Zhangmen-shixiong of Shang Qinghua's continuous injuries and of their suspiciously demonic origin. He says that he has even less of an excuse than Shang Qinghua, who was genuinely afraid for his life and the well-being of his sect. Mu Qingfang simply didn't want to make the situation worse for him, ignoring all rules and expectations that would've had the situation cleared up sooner.

Shen Qingqiu, clearly approving of Mu Qingfang's ardent defense, decides to continue, stating that the sect hasn't experienced an increase in failed missions or other sabotage. He explains that, clearly, Shang Qinghua had been doing his best to protect the sect, even under such strenuous circumstances. He sees no reason to be harsh towards someone who'd been a child when it started, and who was so thoroughly terrified that he only approached Shen Qingqiu, as a friend, because he could see he'd end up dead sooner or later due to the beatings.

Yue Qingyuan lets them all say their piece, and sighs. He sees Shang Qinghua's terror, and he understands both Mu Qingfang and Shen Qingqiu's arguments. He says that this was a breach of trust, that ordinarily this would call for execution, but... Shang Qinghua has not caused harm to the sect, and had he continued, the only harm would've been to himself. As long as Mu Qingfang and Shen Qingqiu are willing to bear the consequences, Yue Qingyuan will allow this to be swept under the rug, never spoken of again.

Mu Qingfang and Shen Qingqiu are quick to agree, and Shang Qinghua's punishment is to update the sect's defense arrays... left unsaid was the expectation that Mobei-jun never be able to enter the sect again. And so, the matter is dealt with, and Shang-shixiong looks like he's had the weight of the world lifted off him once the arrays are complete.

So long as he doesn't leave the sect without a qi-cloaking artifact (courtesy of the Artifact Peak), he'll be safe. Mu Qingfang feels... thrilled, to know his shixiong won't have to suffer anymore.

Liu Qingge notices Shen Qingqiu's nerves as he cleanses his meridians. It's an unexpected change of pace, given the dour mood the man's been in for... months, at this point. The session finishes in silence, but there's an air of anticipation that has Liu Qingge... loitering, just a bit.

Eventually, Shen Qingqiu lets out a sigh, pours him tea, and starts to talk — quietly, as if ashamed of his words. He shares that, during the chaos at the end of the Immortal Alliance Concerence, his prized disciple broke a seal. It had been placed on him at birth, presumably by one of his parents, and revealed him to be a heavenly demon. He explains that he panicked at the sight of the seal, understanding what it meant, but his disciple looked just as shocked as him. He understood that his disciple was a demon, that he clearly didn't know that fact, and given the presence of multiple sects and the ongoing catastrophe... his disciple would die, if anyone else stumbled upon him.

Liu Qingge listens, as Shen Qingqiu shares that he pushed his own disciple into the Endless Abyss. His grief makes more sense now, Liu Qingge thinks. It's not just the grief of a teacher losing their favorite student, it's also the guilt of pushing that student into danger, even if it's to protect them. Even he would've hesitated to cut down the disciple, if he'd formed such a bond and the child clearly had no idea what was going on.

They continue sitting in silence, and Liu Qingge is almost ready to leave, before Shen Qingqiu speaks up again. He explains that Luo Binghe was a heavenly demon, and the last one — presumably his father — required the collaboration of multiple sects to seal away. There's a chance that Luo Binghe will survive the Abyss, and escape it.

There's a muted fear in Shen Qingqiu's eyes, as he states there's a chance Luo Binghe will hunt him down. That, given a demon's propensity for overreactions, he may take the entire sect with him. It wasn't like he explained his reasoning, when he pushed the child into the Abyss. All he'd know is that his caring shizun saw he was a demon and immediately pushed him into hell.

And Liu Qingge can understand that fear. Heavenly Demons were strong, too strong for even him to be confident in facing them alone. Even if this one was a child, if it managed to escape the Abyss... it would be too strong for Shen Qingqiu to survive. There's an obvious solution then: train until Shen Qingqiu is strong enough to at least run away.

He says that they'll go on hunts together, so Shen Qingqiu can fight those beasts he knows so much about, to get in practice as they look for any artifact that might help him. He says they'll spar, and he'll even let him face the Bai Zhan disciples for variety. Shen Qingqiu is... reluctant, but quickly realizes that it's probably his best option. With the condition that they return to the sect at least once a month to check on his disciples, he agrees to Liu Qingge's proposal.

They'll both train, and Liu Qingge won't let him out of sight for even a moment — not with a heavenly demon after his head.

The months afterwards are... peaceful.

An Ding grows used to the sight of Mu Qingfang, who arrives just before dawn every morning to share breakfast with Shang Qinghua before they must start work. They do each other's hair and gossip, sharing whatever happened the day before as they get ready. Without the constant fear, and with Mu Qingfang's help taming his curls (as the only other one in the sect with curly hair), the sect slowly comes to realize that Shang Qinghua is a total knockout, actually, it was just hidden behind frizzy hair, eyebags, and his constant terrified hunching.

There are still bad days, of course, where Mu Qingfang has to insist he delegate his work to his head disciple, or where Shang Qinghua ends up on Qian Cao in the middle of the night having a panic attack, but... they're growing rarer as time passes. Qian Cao learns to turn their heads when Shang Qinghua arrives with an early shipment or unexpected, expensive goods. They learn to mind their business when they see him comfort their Shizun after a particularly challenging day.

It doesn't really surprise anyone when they start courting. The only surprise is that Shang Qinghua is the one that started it, but even that is less shocking now than it would've been the year before. An Ding is happy that their shifu finally looks safe and healthy (he actually stops working at a reasonable hour now, even if it is still after sunset), and Qian Cao is glad their shizun has someone of his own to vent to (given the stress of his job and the various struggles that come with it).

As for Qing Jing, they're absolutely thrilled that their shizun isn't moping anymore. The loss of Binghe hit them hard too, but seeing Shen Qingqiu make the effort to go on hunts made it easier for them to move on too. They miss him, when he's gone, but he always returns with treats from various villages, and a week's worth of stories and lessons to impart. He's even compiled his own bestiary! Ning Yingying has taken to giving Liu Qingge sweets as a thank you for helping her shizun, and Ming Fan grows more comfortable in his old role as head disciple, with how his shizun actually sees him and compliments him, rather than missing Binghe. The Bamboo House is still... a very hard place to be. Without Shizun, it's empty, and even with his recovery, the vacant room seems to bring back his grief.

Seeing this, Qing Jing is both relieved and absolutely pissed when Liu Qingge offers up his spare room instead. Shen Qingqiu accepts, and it's become common for him to join the Bai Zhan disciples in their morning exercises before returning to teach on Qing Jing. They are, understandably, absolutely pumped to have another Peak Lord around to fight (on top of their own being around more often! Shifu teaches them more! And is he getting better at it? What miracles!)

They settle into a routine, and, though it takes an unexpectedly long time, they announce their courting to Yue Qingyuan, who looks both heartbroken and extremely happy for them. Qing Jing gives Liu Qingge a surprisingly scary shovel talk (though he's mostly amused, he respects their dedication), but are overall very happy that their shizun is happy. Bai Zhan is just cheering that another Peak Lord has basically taken up permanent residence, since Shen Qingqiu stays in Liu Qingge's house rather than the bamboo house. They enjoy the unique challenge he gives, and some of the braver ones tell their shifu that he better treat him right or they'll try to take him for themselves (he went particularly hard on them after that, but they had zero regrets — Shen-shibo is a catch after all!)

Meanwhile, Mobei-jun is... frustrated and heartbroken. He can no longer enter Cang Qiong Sect, and he can no longer find Shang Qinghua's qi signature. He doesn't know why — was Shang Qinghua caught? Is he dead? Why else would he just... randomly leave? He's stuck with Mobei-jun for decades, why would he leave now? What was the catalyst? Was he truly so uncomfortable with Mobei-jun's courting? Why wouldn't he just say so!?

The questions leave him angry and frustrated, with no way to get answers. It's only after he enters Luo Binghe's service (an embarrassing loss — would he have done better with Qinghua's advice?) that he finally gets... something of an answer. A potential explanation.

Luo Binghe has no friends in the demon realm, trusts absolutely no one, but he's still a kind person. When he sees that Mobei-jun is frustrated, all it takes is that curly haired boy (a face so similar to Qinghua's) asking for all the questions to come spilling out. Whether it takes hours or minutes, Mobei-jun doesn't know, all he remembers is the lesson from that conversation:

Humans court differently. Constant physical bombardment is known as abuse.

And Mobei-jun is sick.

He hurt Qinghua. He drove away the one man that stuck with him through everything, just because he couldn't be bothered to double check that his courting would be understood. According to Luo Binghe... it was a miracle Shang Qinghua hadn't left sooner. And the worst part? Mobei-jun can't right this wrong. He can't explain himself. Because Cang Qiong has new wards, and Shang Qinghua has figured out how to make himself thoroughly disappear, even though Mobei-jun does receive word when the Peak Lord is spotted during a trade deal. He can't get Qinghua back. There's nothing he can do.

So he stays by Luo Binghe's side. His curly hair, his similar face... these days, Mobei-jun curses himself for not digging into Shang Qinghua's history. For this boy is an orphan, a street rat, and now it would be near impossible to find out his true relation to Shang Qinghua, given that no one knew which humans Tianlang-jun had bed. It doesn't truly matter, whether he is a cousin, brother, or nephew, Mobei-jun will right his wrongs through Shang Qinghua's kin, unable to reach the man himself.

When Luo Binghe leaves the Demon Realm, he goes to Huan Hua, and things progress pretty much as they did in canon, with Shen Qingqiu running, absolutely fucking terrified, being force fed blood, and agreeing to be held in the Water Prison to avoid blowback on the sect. Only difference is that Liu Qingge tried to kill LBH, which almost caused an incident with Huan Hua, because no one believed he was a demon. In the water prison, Luo Binghe sees... a ring. He knows his shizun never wore that before, so he asks about it. Not wanting to put Liu Qingge in even more danger, Shen Qingqiu stays silent.

Gongyi Xiao helps Shen Qingqiu escape, and things continue to progress. When Liu Qingge squares up to fight Luo Binghe, he notices him wearing a ring, threaded onto a necklace, and so similar to Shen Qingqiu's. It doesn't take him long to process the fact that his beloved shizun is... already taken.

By Liu fucking Qingge.

He's thoroughly pissed off, he goes to attack, but pauses when he sees his shizun grip Liu-shishu tightly, shaking like a leaf. He looks like he's preparing to take his husband and run. The thought is... off-putting. Because Liu Qingge is the War God of Bai Zhan Peak. Why doesn't Shizun have faith in the man he married?

So he asks.

And Shen Qingqiu doesn't answer.

Liu Qingge still hasn't relaxed, ready to attack at any moment, and Luo Binghe is running out of patience.

"If Shizun finds this demon despicable enough to throw into the Abyss, he should let his husband kill it."

"That's not why he did it."

Liu Qingge's words throw him off balance. He expected the man to be shocked, hearing that his loving husband had done such a thing (maybe cause a rift in their relationship), he expected, maybe, to be attacked for being so disrespectful.

Liu Qingge then explains, because Shen Qingqiu is terrified into silence.

And Luo Binghe is crushed. Shizun threw him into the Abyss... to save him? Shizun was scared for his safety?

And suddenly Luo Binghe feels sick, when he remembers what he's done. How he hurt Shizun, who was too scared to answer. Who just wanted to protect him, only to realize later that he wasn't thinking straight — that his words were twisted in his effort to get Luo Binghe into the safest place possible in that moment: the Endless Abyss. The shizun that believed in his capabilities enough to be afraid that he'd come seeking revenge.

The fight drains out of him, Liu Qingge doesn't relax, but Shen Qingqiu behind him looks just the slightest bit more curious than terrified. Luo Binghe pulls out a note, written from Mobei-jun to Shang Qinghua, and drops it onto the roof. "This disciple apologizes to Shizun. Please ensure this message gets to Shang-shishu." He uses Xin Mo to teleport to a different roof, staying just long enough to see Liu Qingge hand the note to Shen Qingqiu, who collapsed bonelessly into his side.

He goes to the Northern Desert, rather than the Southern Kingdom. He arrives in the sitting area of Mobei-jun's quarters, and plops himself into a seat. He thinks, and thinks, and he's feeling absolutely awful by the time Mobei-jun arrives. He takes one look at Luo Binghe's disheveled state, and takes the seat next to him.

They talk.

Mobei-jun is a surprisingly comforting presence. He'd always listened and offered advice, but Luo Binghe didn't think he'd have the patience for talking him through... whatever the hell this is. Heartbreak? He isn't sure.

It helps though, and Luo Binghe feels much lighter. Mobei-jun had already promised to never darken Cang Qiong's doorstep, to never go anywhere near Shang Qinghua again, after what he'd done... Luo Binghe would just have to do the same. Even if all he wanted was to go back to Qing Jing, to his room in the Bamboo House... but Shizun is married now, there's no way he'd allow Luo Binghe to stay there permanently.

So he just... stays in the Demon Realm. He's an emperor now, surely Shizun wouldn't want him neglecting that duty? And even if he would've liked Shizun's advice... Mobei-jun would have to do. He had experience, and he's been nothing but helpful. Decision made, Luo Binghe embraces his status as the Demon Emperor, and gives it his full attention.

Without him, Shen Qingqiu's trial falls apart, even as the Palace Master accuses Liu Qingge of killing Luo Binghe. There's not enough concrete evidence for Shen Qingqiu's crimes, and the character defenses from the sect and his husband all speak louder than Qiu Haitang's slander. Even if Liu Qingge was in extremely hot water with Huan Hua, they couldn't prove he'd done anything either.

Shen Qingqiu delivers Mobei-jun's note to Mu Qingfang, asking him to be there when Shang Qinghua read it, because who knew what was in it. He agrees, and they read it as soon as possible, to get it over with.

It's an apology, with an explanation of their different cultures and a promise to never bother him again. It's a promise to right his wrongs through Luo Binghe, who he assumes to be related to Shang Qinghua through the boy's mother. It's short and blunt, and Shang Qinghua is... conflicted. He loves Mu Qingfang, and honestly, couldn't even dream of a life without him, but... Mobei-jun was his dream man. Thinking like that... perhaps it was for the best that they didn't end up together. The reality could never live up to the expectation.

More importantly, is him remembering his half-sister in this life: Xi-jie. Who had suddenly cut contact with him completely, and who he'd never managed to track down afterwards, not having known her full name. Shang Qinghua is crushed, to realize the protagonist was that close to being given a better life. Had Su Xiyan managed to contact him at any point, he would've taken her son in in a heartbeat. Mu Qingfang consoles him, and they decide, jointly, that it was for the best if he didn't pursue that relationship. Not with Mobei-jun promising to stick by the boy, and not with the way he'd treated Shen Qingqiu.

And everyone just... moves on with their lives.

Mu Qingfang and Shang Qinghua are happy together; they have three kids that get absolutely spoiled by their disciples, and they take care of each other, ensuring neither overworks too severely. Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu, without the threat of Binghe's return hanging over them, relax more. They enjoy peaceful days with the Qing Jing disciples, they have fun jointly beating up the Bai Zhan disciples and teaching them new moves, and their hunts aren't nearly as battle-focused as they were before, giving Shen Qingqiu a chance to study the beasts rather than immediately going to fight them.

Luo Binghe and Mobei-jun are rarely apart and treat each other as equals in all things. They value the other's advice when implementing policies, and they will each jump to the other's defense, whether it be physically or through words. It surprises absolutely no one when their affair is found out — at first a convenient way to control Xin Mo, eventually morphing into a proper relationship. They're the rulers of the demon realm, they need not abide by the rules, but... Luo Binghe enjoys planning the wedding, and Mobei-jun can't deny him that, even if it meant dealing with the paperwork of technically merging the two kingdoms but also not. Their broken hearts have long been mended by each other, and it's no surprise when they have six children, close-knit and loving, like the family they wished they'd had sooner.

Tianlang-jun rotted away, despite Zhuzhi-lang's best efforts. His last act was to give Zhuzhi-lang enough energy to sustain his human form indefinitely. He is purposeless, and alone, and he sits beside his uncle's corpse for far longer than he should have. There's nothing left for him, not with his uncle gone.

So he exits the cave, and he sits under a tree, out in the open. He is very clearly a demon within Huan Hua territory, so it wouldn't take long for a cultivator to stumble upon him and put him out of his misery. Sure enough, in the middle of his patrol, Gongyi Xiao sees a snake demon just... sitting there. He doesn't look hostile, nor does he look like he's going to move.

He also just... looks kinda pathetic.

So, Gongyi Xiao makes a decision. He can't, in good conscience, leave it there. If he does, and it attacks someone, that's his fault. He also can't just kill it if it's not even doing anything. So he decides to... initiate conversation.

It takes a while for Zhuzhi-lang to bother properly responding, but once he does, they get along quite well. He shares stories about his and his uncle's journies through the human realm, reminiscing as he starts to process his grief. Gongyi Xiao decides, maybe this demon isn't that bad actually, and before they know it, it's sun down and Gongyi Xiao is very late.

They meet daily, with Gongyi Xiao taking on more patrols than usual to make sure his demon is doing alright. Eventually, though, pieces of Zhuzhi-lang's story start to... click. They conflict with things he's been told by his shizun. Maybe Zhuzhi-lang is misremembering in his grief, but... he's concerned enough to start investigating on his own.

He finds a lot of dirt on the Old Palace Master, most of it completely unrelated to Su Xiyan, which is what he was actually trying to investigate. Eventually, he grows so disgusted with the sheer amount of crimes the old man has committed that he decides to just... start a coup. He's well-liked, so it's easy enough to get people on his side — it's even easier when he starts spreading rumors and has all of the man's misdeeds printed into a fairly popular book (more than a few publishing houses were burned down because of it, oops). He didn't... intend to replace the old man, but that's what happened and, hey, now he can bring his demon home and no one can fight him over it, yes sect leaders, he's perfectly sane, thank you.

Zhuzhi-lang learns that he's just as attracted to competence and beauty as Tianlang-jun, he just prefers his with a side of kindness rather than tsundere. He also finds it incredibly funny that everyone just... pointedly ignores his presence. A demon he may be, but their sect leader wanted him there, so there he would stay. The whole scenario brings to mind the forbidden romances his uncle loved to read about. As he settles in, watching Gongyi Xiao overhaul Huan Hua Palace and all its greedy rules, he thinks his uncle would want to see how this story ends.

AND THAT'S IT! My wrists hurt and i accidentally posted before it was done, lmao, but yeah. Feel free to write this, I feel like I'd start it and never finish lol

#mushang #liushen #mobing #gongzhi #svsss #mxtx #mxtx svsss #mu qingfang #shang qinghua #liu qingge #shen qingqiu #mobei jun #luo binghe #gongyi xiao #zhuzhi lang

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belovedstill · 2 months ago

Text

patient confidentiality (ao3) svsss, mushang | T | 2.5k, pre-canon, hurt & comfort, wound treatment, shang qinghua's brand of rambling and humor, feelings realisation (more on ao3)

“Shang-shixiong.” Mu Qingfang’s hand on his shoulder kept him from getting up. When the frantic words finally stopped, he asked, “What happened?” What exactly was he supposed to say? (After an unexpectedly long and painful reporting session in the demon realm, bruised and exhausted, Shang Qinghua returns to the sect and passes out on one of Qian Cao's patient beds. Mu Qingfang treats his wounds and encourages him to confide in him. If only he could…)

written for @ficwip's all-ships ship week event, for day 2's prompt of "Who did this to you?". check the event out and join us in celebrating your ship 💕

Full fic on ao3 & under the cut

Shang Qinghua had no idea how he found himself in this position.

Normally, whenever he came back from the northern part of the demon realm, reporting to Mobei-jun, he returned in the middle of the night, out of a portal in his personal office, and dropped on his bed like a sack of potatoes after a long and tight travel to the morning farmer’s market — dirty, exhausted, and covered in bruises. Bath could wait till morning—or whenever he had to wake up.

Rarely did the reports last straight through the night. This time, they did.

Shang Qinghua was dead on his feet as he stumbled out of the portal into his—

Well.

Those were not his quarters.

A cursory look around showed him a row of simple beds with neatly prepared bedding and pillows. Next to each bed was a small stool perfect for temporarily storing one’s belongings.

The calming scent of herbs hung in the air. His heart didn’t even attempt to beat faster at such an unexpected change in scenery.

Nobody was around to have noticed his unexpected arrival—through a demonic portal, no less—so everything was totally fine. And if he stumbled towards one of the beds and sat on its edge—and leaned to the side and dropped onto the bedding and rubbed his cheek against the pillow—really, nobody needed to know. It had to be ungodly early still… he could maybe… close his eyes… just for a… a moment…

…

“Shang-shixiong?”

—or not!

He jerked awake and sat up on the bed ramrod straight. In his hurry, he almost headbutted Mu Qingfang.

The room was definitely brighter now and his body wasn’t dead-heavy, even if he still ached all over.

Mu Qingfang was frowning at him in displeasure.

And for a good reason… Shang Qinghua only now realised just how dirty he was, covered in sweat, dirt, and blood that had long stopped oozing from his cuts. And all that grime—he rubbed off—on the sheets—

“Ah, Mu-shidi, I’m really sor—”

“Who did this to you?”

His mouth snapped shut and he nearly broke his neck with how fast he turned to stare at Mu Qingfang.

Who was… Not glaring at him, but… Looking, with a frown?

…angry frown? Frustrated frown? A now I’ll need to have these sheets washed frown or I’ve only just woken up, it’s too early for this frown or Why didn’t you call ahead? frown?

Which one was it?

Wait. He’d asked a question, hadn’t he? Fuck, and he was still talking.

Focus, Qinghua! Time to de-escalate the conflict, soothe the ruffled feathers, and get the hell out of there.

“This one really is sorry—I’ll put away some funds immediately for a new bedding,” he blabbered. “Did Mu-shidi need to restock his herbs? I’ll have disciples sent to pick up some—”

“Shang-shixiong.” Mu Qingfang’s hand on his shoulder kept him from getting up. When the frantic words finally stopped, he asked, “What happened?”

What exactly was he supposed to say?

Oh, he’s been tossed a bit by a demon lord of the ice region of the demon realm, he has a bit of a temper and treats violence as a language Shang Qinghua should be fluent in. He’s not very happy that Shang Qinghua’s recent reports have been lackluster because nothing much is happening in the sect! Oh, right—also, he’s a spy! He’s spying on the sect matters and reports directly to Mobei-jun, his king, a demon whom he saved years ago and who could very well crush him like a bug under his boot! Shang Qinghua’s measly cultivation level has nothing on his king, after all! But don’t worry, Mu-shidi, this Shang Qinghua has already gotten used to the beatings, they only bother him most of the time and not every time, his core helps him heal the worst of the damage in quite a short time!

…yeah, right, forget about it! Shang Qinghua was a master of weaving lies into his stories.

“I—I tripped.”

…he was a master of weaving lies into his stories when he had enough time to think them through!

Don’t judge.

Mu Qingfang blinked and looked him over again—to be fair, Shang Qinghua did feel battered enough to have indeed fallen to the ground, and been run over by a carriage or two—then made a small noise and took Shang Qinghua’s face into his hands.

And leaned in.

Shang Qinghua froze.

Mu Qingfang looked closely into his eyes—first into his right one, then the left one—then frowned and touched the pads of his index and middle fingers to Shang Qinghua‘s temple and just. Kept watching him.

And Shang Qinghua had only now realised how sensitive one's temples were.

A cool, soothing stream of qi flowed in through his skin into his veins and soon his whole being seemed to be overflowing with it.

He'd never written a qi examination through this channel. Now, he almost… almost regretted it… his readers would have gone wild for how intimate it was…

“Shixiong,” Mu Qingfang repeated. Shang Qinghua's mind centered on him in an instant. “Who did this to you? Simply tripping would not give you such bruises.”

Shang Qinghua winced. What could he say, Mu-shidi? It was much too complicated to explain, and would have him tried for treason and ejected from the sect in the best case scenario and sentenced to torture and death in the worst. Shen Qingqiu would probably enjoy banding with his other martial siblings for the first time ever, just to watch him squirm!

Mu Qingfang hummed in realisation.

…what? What did you figure out??

…He was still touching his temple. Shit! Was reading thoughts possible like that?

“Shixiong should know that whatever he says will remain in confidence—”

Shixiong dares to doubt it!

“—Even if he were to report on one of his fellow peak lord’s mistreatment.”

Fellow—?

Shang Qinghua blanched, not because Mu Qingfang was very off-track (thankfully so!) but because the answer he was looking for wasn't even as narrowing as he expected! It was a very good out, however, so instead of lying his way out of this situation, Shang Qinghua leaned into the borrowed truth of it.

He snorted and said, “Which one?”

And based on the very interesting look on Mu Qingfang’s face, it was the correct thing to do.

“This one was willing to bet on Liu-shixiong.”

Huh. Well, that made sense. Liu Qingge did make it a habit to challenge to a fight anybody who crossed his path. You couldn't get him to sign any documents without having to cross swords with him first! Shang Qinghua routinely gained bruises and cuts out of these encounters.

Let nobody say that administrative work wasn't full of hazards! Even an office job was lethal with Liu Qingge somewhere in the equation.

The healing qi trickled again through the delicate veins of his head, then withdrew. When Mu Qingfang procured a wet cloth and—gently—pressed it to the place under his nose, Shang Qinghua saw that it did not come back bloody but rather held the dried flakes of leftover blood.

Mu Qingfang really was a good healer!

“Is Shixiong met with mistreatment from anybody else?” Mu Qingfang asked as he pulled out some ointment from one of his sleeves and started gently brushing it over Shang Qinghua’s cheekbone. It almost sounded like small talk at a hair salon.

Shang Qinghua debated with himself for just a couple of seconds until he decided that, no, actually, he deserved to let out some steam!

So he ranted. About Liu Qingge making his work so much harder by challenging him into spars and not taking a no for an answer. Sometimes outright ambushing him whenever he visited his peak—and sometimes even involving his disciples in it, too!

About Shen Qingqiu and his constant vigilant stare and cutting questions and sending him on goose chase after the data he needed, and demanding books and instruments and supplies he had to know were impossible or extremely difficult to obtain. And whenever he did not deliver, Shen Qingqiu made it all about how inefficient An Ding was. ‘Could Shang Qinghua even be called a peak lord? Maybe somebody else should take over the cushion-seated administrative duties, hmm, Shang-shidi?’.

About the weapons peak supplying Liu Qingge with more ammo to bother Shang Qinghua with and finding joy in hearing how much damage they've caused. ‘It's just for testing purposes’ and ’who better to test it than Liu-shidi?’.

Yeah, right. You meant to say, ‘who better to test it on than Shang Qinghua?’.

And as much as he liked Yue Qingyuan, the man had a one-track mind. If he were to scold literally anybody for treating Shang Qinghua like their personal lab rat, he would have to keep Shen Qingqiu accountable, too. Airplane knew his characters too well to hope Yue Qingyuan would ever do that. There was too much guilt and trauma there. In a way, it was his own fault and he was reaping the fruits of his own crimes.

Karma truly is a fickle mistress, ah.

Anyway, this didn't even count Qi Qingqi’s distaste of him made obvious every time he bothered her at her peak to get her reports. She tended to be good at keeping up with her paperwork, but somehow always forgot it on her desk. For weeks at a time. Truly, she was one of the only women he’d written with an actual backstory in mind and that was how she treated him?

Qi-shimei, you were one sentence away from falling for Bingge’s charms and becoming the proverbial older woman! It wasn't as if some readers didn't ask for it!

When he came out of his rant, he was sat on the top of Mu Qingfang's desk, void of all the upper layers of his clothing. On the desk next to him were prepared some clean cloths, a small plate with a herb mixture, a bowl of fresh water, and a jar of more ointment.

Mu Qingfang was washing his chest. Which was bare and bruised and inexplicably also covered in grime. Which was probably why he was washing it in the first place. He looked up when he noticed the silence.

“Anything else Shixiong wishes to get off his chest while we get him patched up?”

Normally, Shang Qinghua would very much take him up on his offer. Words and talking were something he was good at; he could talk an ear off a petitioner or a self-proclaimed demonic advisor and have them back off without even implying that he was a threat capable of destroying their lives. Hell, he talked his own ear off sometimes, mostly because it made thinking and memorising things easier. Sometimes, for things to sound logical, they needed to sound in the first place.

Say what you want about the administrative peak, but the responsibilities far outweighed the rewards. Original Shang Qinghua stuck around for spying purposes—and also maybe because he had nowhere else to go. Having his own quarters, a stable job and access to funds and a small community of people who respected what you had to say, on top of the protection of a demonic lord—it only made sense to stay on An Ding no matter what, as long as the circumstances allowed for it.

Until the original goods had made his betrayal known, Cang Qiong really had been ready to back him up when faced with outsider disputes. Only a fool would have left prematurely.

The current Shang Qinghua was not a fool, either.

And he never did anything prematurely. Wink. Nudge. Haha.

…

So maybe he had some things in common with the original flavour. What about it? The only real difference was that he knew what was coming for the sect and he could do nothing to avoid it, no matter how much he wanted to. His System had long learned to distinguish just by the tone of his voice when he was going to vent about this particular hurdle and refused to even show up and pretend to listen. He only ranted about it when he felt the boulder-like weight of his purpose in this world grow too heavy and too unfair—so what if it was frequent?. It was too cruel to throw him into the world of his own creation and not allow him to change a thing or two!

This… all of this wasn’t what he’d originally planned. If only the System had implemented him into the Proud Immortal Demon Way the way it had been written in his very first outline, everything would have been different. The plot would have already happened and ended!

At least, by now, he’d stopped mentally face-palming every time he encountered something incredibly embarrassing.

Mu-shidi asking him if he wanted to vent was hilarious. He'd make a good therapist!

…Who took the role of a therapist in this world, thinking about it? It had to be the healers, right? Mu Qingfang specialised mostly in herbs and spiritual healing, but Airplane had written him to be inquisitive, after all.

Anyway. Yes, he had things he'd like to let out, thank you very much! But with Mu Qingfang washing his chest, then patting it dry and rubbing herbal ointment into his skin, remembering that he had a tongue was quite… difficult.

And what was worse, Mu Qingfang had noticed! He frowned, dried his hands, and took Shang Qinghua’s wrist, then pressed two fingers on the inside of it. He felt the qi immediately.

Ha.

Haha.

The skin there was very sensitive, too.

No wonder it was one of the erogenous zones.

“Everything seems to be alright,” Mu Qingfang muttered to himself, then leaned in and looked into his eyes again. “Shang-shixiong, is anything bothering you right now?*

Yes! His heart is picking up at how close you are, Shidi!

Outwardly, he shook his head. “This one is simply surprised.”

“Surprised?”

He laughed awkwardly. “I'm not used to…”

To being taken care of.

As soon as the thought appeared, he shut his mouth and his body involuntarily tensed.

Being cared for wasn't one of the objectives in his transmigration.

And with everything that was going to happen in the future—Luo Bing-ge coming to the sect, being pushed into the Abyss, then returning to level the mountain with the ground and murder everybody in his wake—did he even deserve…? Was it even allowed for him to want…?

“Ah. This shidi understands.” Mu Qingfang patted his wrist and removed his hand. Soon, any touch disappeared. “Shixiong needs to only bear with him dressing up the injuries and he can cover himself up again.”

True to his words, Mu Qingfang wrapped the fresh cloths around his midsection with quick precision, and soon held out Shang Qinghua’s thin under-tunic. When he reached for it, Mu Qingfang simply helped him put it on and fastened the laces.

“If Shixiong ever needs help with anything, be it health or company,” he said and gave him a small, secretive smile, “or somebody to report certain unruly sect siblings to Zhangmen-shixiong—all he needs to do is ask. Shidi will answer.”

Shang Qinghua left the peak with a clenched throat and burning eyes.

And if he ever took Mu Qingfang up for his offer—well. Nobody needed to know.

#all ships week #svsss #svsss fic #mushang #my writing #m #writing airplane's galloping thoughts is both fun and lowkey anxiety-inducing #trying to read everything he's saying/thinking aloud in the way it's said/thought is literally taking my breath away 😂#airplane-bro please visit mu qingfang more often maybe then you'll learn to breathe

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