sunchime | [ (muffled gay screaming) ]

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character: shang qinghua

[ (muffled gay screaming) ]

Being a Peak Lord has lots of perks, one of them being that it's a whole lot easier for Shang Qinghua to wave off his regular trips to the Demon Realm as ""business trips"" now that he has no superiors to come up with convincing lies for. Zhangmen-shixiong isn't a bad sect leader, but he's just so trusting. That, and...no one ever reads the logistics reports, yet another example of An Ding Peak's hard work going overlooked. But it works out in Shang Qinghua's favor, so he's not going to complain. Maybe if Cang Qiong Mountain Sect didn't want their Peak Lords to become corrupt and misappropriate sect resources, they shouldn't make it so easy?

Ah, well. Not like this is really Shang Qinghua's chosen lifestyle, he'd be off living a life of happy obscurity if it weren't for the System cornering him into this stupid plotline. If he hadn't faltered when he and Mobei Jun first met, when he'd actually had the opportunity...ugh, but he can't even bring himself to regret that, either! Besides, having Mobei Jun for a boss...hasn't been as terrible as he thought it would? He's nicer than Shang Qinghua remembers writing him towards the original goods, although admittedly there wasn't a whole lot of that in the original novel because...haha.

Because he fucking died so early on in the plot!!!

The thought is really weighing on him right now, in particular because the information he's bringing Mobei Jun this time is early intel on the sect's participation in the Immortal Alliance Conference. The System cornered him into this life, but he's not so willing to give it up, so he's been trying to butter up Mobei Jun from the start. You save someone's life once, you get some gratitude, sure, but if you make yourself indispensable to them? Well, Shang Qinghua definitely isn't at that level, but he always brings snacks or some other novelty from the human world along with the information, and he hopes it's working. It seems to be, at any rate. Mobei Jun doesn't beat him up on the regular, although...it does kind of make Shang Qinghua worry that something's gone wrong. Don't get him wrong, he doesn't want to get the shit kicked out of him, it's just that it feels off, that's all...

It's just...the Mobei Jun he remembers writing was, hmmm, more sexily menacing, you know?

Maybe he really is just grateful to Shang Qinghua for saving him and all his continued service. He also probably just likes having someone to shove paperwork onto. Whenever Shang Qinghua comes to deliver intel, he inevitably winds up sitting around and doing a bunch of logistics legwork for the demons, so in that sense, it really is basically...just a business trip.

Shang Qinghua pokes his head into Mobei Jun's chambers before inching inside. Mobei Jun's mood could well change at the drop of a hat, so Shang Qinghua stays on his toes. You just never know with a guy like that, okay! The man has a face like a stone wall. An incredibly manly chiseled stone wall, but still—

"Hello, my king? I come bringing gifts..." He holds up an armful of scrolls, a bag of melon seeds in one fist. One of the scrolls slips through his arms and falls to the floor, and the second he moves to try and pick it up, several more tumble out of his arms. So it's gonna be that kinda day, huh. Ahh, fuck. "Haha, sorry, sorry, I'll get those—"

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Shen Yuan would actually love to hear some monster recommendations. The ones that showed up in the Immortal Alliance Conference in the novel were pretty cool but it would be neat to shake it up, too, right? It's a shame he won't get to see any of them himself...

He gestures for Shang Qinghua to continue. Please. Please tell him about the monsters.

Oh, huh, Mobei Jun actually wants to hear it? Yes!! This is his chance to make himself look super knowledgeable and thus have future value! Shang Qinghua lights right up.

He just...has to remember as much as he can about his own bestiary because he's kind of forgotten a lot!

"Oh, yeah, well, there's the Giant Ruby-Mouthed Snakes to the south, they're kinda hard to wrangle but just unleashing them inside the Conference should be fine...the Labyrinth Link Spiders could help ensure against escape, and, ah, um, damn, the name's on the tip of my tongue, the ones that are kind of like sabre tooth tigers but with more teeth instead of eyes..."

He's watching Mobei Jun's face closely (a little desperately), hoping to keep that interest and maybe bask in it just a little.

Mobei Jun tilts his head slightly. "Blind Cave Pumas," he says, helpfully. "Hmm. Good choice." So cool! A concept that should have just been stupid, if it wasn't for the details about their ecology! The use of their eye tusks for tunnelling as well as brutal combat! Luo Binghe wouldn't be due to fight any of those for another couple hundred chapters, but it wouldn't hurt to see some of them early, right?

Mobei Jun pauses thoughtfully, considering the rest of the monster roster for the Immortal Alliance Conference.

"... Perhaps I should attend in person. To ensure everything goes smoothly."

“Ah?” Shang Qinghua falters for a second. Shit, does Mobei Jun not think he’s up for the task after all? This definitely deviates from the original plot!

But the System isn’t giving him any warnings, so...maybe this is just a chance for him to really prove himself! Mobei Jun never actually sees him do anything, he just gets the reports, but maybe Shang Qinghua can really impress him! As long as it actually does go smoothly. The extra monsters will help. It’s going to be a bloodbath in there, but hey, at least it’s to someone’s benefit, so no one can say they’re all going to die in vain, right?

“If you think it’s necessary, my king,” Shang Qinghua says, rubbing his hands together. “This servant will have everything worked out, but if you’d like to oversee the operation, I’d welcome your company. Uh—-I mean, I wouldn’t turn down your help. Although I assure you I won’t need it!”

Yes, yes, keep on making promises you might not actually keep, when does anything actually go right!!

Mobei Jun nods solemnly. He thinks this is a great idea. He decided this on a whim because he wanted to see some cool demonic beasts, but actually... won't this also mean he can make sure that adding more horrifying monsters to the mix doesn't disrupt the progression of the plot too badly? For example, he can step in if it looks like Shang Qinghua is about to get non-canonically maimed. It's perfect.

"Demonic beasts can be unpredictable. Shang Qinghua is a valuable asset."

Shang Qinghua nods along with the first half of that statement—yes, that's true, they'll have to take extra precautions—hang on.

"I am?" He does a double take, blinking. Sure, he's the main pipeline of information from the cultivation world, but...does that Mobei Jun means he sees value in keeping him around after the Immortal Alliance Conference? Does he actually want to protect Shang Qinghua?? Yes! Yes!! Shang Qinghua catches himself mid-fist pump and quickly clasps his hands together, clearing his throat.

"Ah, well, this servant will do his best not to disappoint you!"

And maybe, if he's really lucky, Mobei Jun will decide to show his appreciation in another way? It's a distant fantasy, sure, but he can dream, okay! He looks considerably more cheerful than when he'd arrived.

"Whatever you need, just leave it to me. I am at your disposal, my king." Wait, word choice, he doesn't want to be associated with the concept of disposing!! So he just quickly repeats, "Whatever you need."

Totally smooth.

Ah! He's really cute! There's NO way Shen Yuan is going to be able to handle executing this little guy for being untrustworthy later. Like, SURE he is regularly betraying his sect, to demons, and, yes, it's not that hard to imagine him also betraying Mobei Jun if he got a better offer, but -- it seems less likely, right? It doesn't sound like he gets told he's valuable very much! Shen Yuan kind of wishes he could pat him on the head... maybe ruffle his hair a little... but there's no way Mobei Jun could get away with that 😭

He nods, instead, and says, "Good. Do you have anything else to report?"

Obviously Mobei Jun's cool, borderline inexpressive exterior is part of his charm, but Shang Qinghua does sometimes wish he was the kind of guy you could shoot the shit with. He'd love to be able to report some of the juicy Cang Qiong gossip, you know?

"Uh, no, that's all I've got for today. So if there's any work you need me to take care of..."

And there always is. Demons might not have to deal with taxes or whatever, but supply chain issues were real! There's been this whole thing with the sower demons that seems to be a bigger mess every time he comes here. But that's fine! He'll take on all the busywork with a smile because it looks like his plan is totally working and he'll actually get to live fuck yes!!!

God Shen Yuan would love to hear the juicy Cang Qiong gossip :( Alas, it is not to be. There is work for Shang Qinghua to take care of, though. Of course there is. There's a stack of scrolls for him right here. Mobei Jun pushes it forward slightly to bring it to his attention.

He tries to deal with as much of this stuff himself as he can, because he doesn't want to burden a guy who he DID just hire to bring him information (and at knifepoint from the System) with extra grunt work... but it DOES give him a headache, and Shang Qinghua is way better at it, and he always offers...

Ah, of course, of course, it's already here. Shang Qinghua gets to it, chewing absently on the end of a brush as he sorts through the scrolls. It's true that years on An Ding Peak have made this stuff—well, if not easy, at least easier to focus on and get through. He sneaks little glances at Mobei Jun here and there, just a lil reward for Airplane's hard work, you know, but before long he seems pretty lost in the work, humming whatever comes to his mind. He taps his brush against his forehead with a little frown as he sifts through all the papers in front of him, trying to locate the missing piece to this particular logistical puzzle.

"Hm mmm...we are flying dreamers, ba da da da da da...hm?" Shang Qinghua shakes free a small sheaf of paper from the pile, squinting at it. Is that...Qin Wanyue's name? And Liu Mingyan? But this isn't his handwriting, it's definitely not from his notes... "Wh...?"

Before he transmigrated, Shen Yuan would probably have started fidgeting with something, but he has mercifully gained the original Mobei Jun's ability to just remain totally motionless while he watches Shang Qinghua work. Honestly he'd like to make conversation, but that absolutely doesn't fit his character settings, so he just does what he has gotten very used to doing in the years since he transmigrated: just zones the hell out without his expression changing even slightly. He wonders if the original Mobei Jun did this too, or if he didn't need to. The novel didn't really provide much of a glimpse into his interiority...

... Hold on. Is that Naruto? It is Naruto. A frown flickers across his face. "It's 'fighting dreamers'," he corrects without thinking, and then a split second later he is hit, simultaneously and forcefully, with the implications of hearing Naruto music here in the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way, the implications of his own having acknowledged it aloud, and with the fact that Shang Qinghua has just revealed some of his important, private notes --

His hand darts across the desk like a viper to seize the incriminating paper, which he crams up his sleeve with a faintly haunted look on his face.

"Where did you hear that song."

What the fuck!!

Shang Qinghua has barely processed that a demon just corrected him on the lyrics to a now 15-year-old anime theme song when the notes are ripped from his hands, and he's still processing that. He jumps back as though afraid (reasonably so, even if Mobei Jun's never actually beaten him up he's still pretty imposing!) and swallows the momentary terror in the next minute. His face is white with shock, but he still manages to throw an accusing finger at his supposed-to-be demon king.

"Better question, where did you get those names, because you haven't even read the Huan Hua Palace report!"

Not actually a better question, but his brain is really struggling with the idea that this might not actually be Mobei Jun right now.

Mobei Jun stares at him, jaw clenched.

"That's not important. Answer the question."

Unfortunately Shang Qinghua has a conditioned reaction to this and it is to immediately shield his head with his arms and yelp, "Naruto! It's the fourth opening theme from Naruto, okay!"

He lowers his arms partway, just enough to shoot a glare at Mobei Jun. It's really not Shang Qinghua's fault that he looks kind of hot when he's—well, emoting literally at all, that's not lost on Shang Qinghua, but this isn't even the real Mobei Jun, is he! God dammit!!

"Which you obviously already know, so what gives? Have you been a transmigrator this whole time?"

Under ordinary circumstances, actually, yeah it might be kind of cool to have a fellow transmigrator bro, especially someone with good taste in anime, it's just...he'd prefer it be literally any other character.

"I mean -- yes??" This is the most confusion he's ever allowed into Mobei Jun's voice, and honestly it feels a bit weird. "Have you?"

Man... his cute little treason buddy was actually the kind of person who reads PIDW...

"Yes," Shang Qinghua says, and with a horrible little groan, lowers his head into his arms. This sucks!! This should be cool, but this is a lot! He's processing! "I was literally born into this shitty character's shitty life. I've been spending pretty much all of it trying not to get killed."

Mobei Jun is, narratively speaking, the entire reason he is in a position to get murdered in the first place, and even though it has in fact been super cool to spend all this time with his hot OC, the knowledge that a real person who's seen the internet is inhabiting that body has kind of harshed the buzz, and Shang Qinghua is feeling a little resentful. But then again...the fact that Mobei Jun's been way nicer than he expected, even calling him a valuable asset, that has been kind of OOC, but at the same time, it means that those sentiments were maybe actually genuine??

Augh. Shang Qinghua's brain feels like a blender that someone has tried to stuff two iPhones into. After another little pitiful gurgle, he lifts his head and sighs. "So, are you a fan, or...?"

Oh man... Shen Yuan feels kind of bad, hearing that? Like, if he'd been able to tell this guy sooner that he wasn't the original Mobei Jun, then he wouldn't have had to spend all these years worrying he was going to be executed...

Well, at least he can stop worrying about that now, right? And so can Shen Yuan! They can combine their efforts to prevent Shang Qinghua's canonical fate from happening. And he can't pretend the idea of having some company wouldn't be...

"... Ah." Is he... a fan? Of course not! Never mind the merch that was all over his desk when he died. "No."

Shang Qinghua deflates even more at that. Aw, man, and this guy's not even a fan of his work? It actually would've been cool to have someone to talk to about the world, you know, Shang Qinghua knows it's not perfect but it is still pretty cool!

"Ah." He looks at should-have-been Mobei Jun, trying to figure out how he feels about all this. This is just...so much more than he was prepared to deal with today. "Well, if you've never read the book, you did a pretty good Mobei Jun, haha..."

The System probably helped too, yeah, he would've had to get around the OOC lock first. But still...maybe they can still be friends?? God, they'd better be friends, because it's not like this guy is going to stop being Shang Qinghua's boss thanks to Story Reasons.

Mobei Jun raises an eyebrow. That is actually pretty reassuring to hear, because he's never entirely sure if he's just beefing it at all times, but...

"I read the book," he clarifies. "I just thought it sucked."

Shang Qinghua actually flinches at that. Ouch! He's always had a reasonably thick skin about his writing, he'd had plenty of haters, but in person, it kind of stings. Of all things, that really isn't what he expected to hear! Just when he thought things were looking up for him.......

"Did you read the whole book?" he asks hopefully. Maybe this guy didn't! Maybe he quit early on and didn't get to the end, that'd explain why he thought it sucked, right?

Wow, touchy. Not surprising really, guys on the forums would always act like you'd personally punched them in the face if you tried to critique their favourite garbage webnovel...

"Yes, and I wish I hadn't. It started out promising, the protagonist was interesting, there was some cool worldbuilding, some side characters with potential... but it ended up repetitive and inane and riddled with plot holes." He waves a hand dismissively. "It was a mess."

Shang Qinghua immediately regrets asking. It's like having abridged comment posts read to him out loud by his extremely hot crush, which is unfair on a fucking cosmic level. What did he do to deserve this!!

Normally when someone's clearly a hater just there to hate, the kind of person who comes to the table with all conclusions already drawn, it's not hard for Shang Qinghua to brush them off. Some people just can't be pleased! But this is Mobei Jun.........

"I mean, yeah, sure," Shang Qinghua hedges, "it's really long, I guess there are parts that seem kind of repetitive, and some plot threads just get dropped over the course of developing the plot, it's one of the hazards of publishing an ongoing story, you know? But I don't know if I'd call it a mess, I mean, it's pretty impressive just that someone managed to write the whole thing, right?"

Because yes, he'd sacrificed artistic integrity in the name of soliciting more subscribers here and there, but at least when it was all done, he could tell himself he'd accomplished something!

Edited 2021-03-05 00:20 (UTC)

"It's depressing that someone managed to write the whole thing." Mobei Jun folds his arms. "It should have ended hundreds of chapters ago. I mean, what was that final arc? I'd say I thought the author just threw some garbage together to wrap it up because he was sick of writing it if anything that had happened for months had been better quality."

The little scraps of joy Shang Qinghua has been hoarding in his less-than-ideal second life are being torn out of his arms with every word from Mobei Jun's mouth. Come on! Why did it have to be Mobei Jun! Couldn't this guy have transmigrated into literally! Anyone! Else!

"What's wrong with the final arc?" It's not so much that Shang Qinghua wants to continue having this conversation as it is that he's not sure he has another option. Would Mobei Jun pull rank on him if he tried to bolt? Either way, at the end of the day, this guy is still his boss...fuck.

More than that, though, the way he lists off critiques sounds kind of familiar...

"Wait, were you on the forums?"

He opens his mouth to reply to that, and from the way he's raising his hands it looks like he's going to list things off on his fingers? Thank god Shang Qinghua asks another question. Mobei Jun narrows his eyes slightly. "Yes, why?"

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