Chapter Text
Shang Qinghua had long thought up his lines. Full of emotion, he beat his chest and stomped his feet, saying, "My king, you're finally awake - "
Mobei-jun frowned at him.
It was - for the lack of better words - an "open" frown. His face clearly showed displeasure and confusion. Something was wrong.
Shang Qinghua asked, "Do you still remember who I am?"
Mobei-jun shook his head.
This was damning in more than one way. Even if he did not remember recent events - if he was in his normal state, would Mobei-jun admit any lack of knowledge so quickly?
Could it be?
Could it really be?
Could he be so lucky?
Shang Qinghua took deep breaths to calm himself down.
Voice full of concern, he asked, "Don't you remember me? Anything?"
Mobei-jun rubbed at his temple, ignoring both his questions.
Shang Qinghua took a risk.
"My king… don't you remember how we traveled together?"
Mobei-jun frowned, and Shang Qinghua tensed - but then, he let out a heavy sigh, looking frustrated.
Seeing that handsome face lost in confusion, Shang Qinghua knew that he was right.
That thing - it really happened. It was here!
That most convenient plot device, the one beloved by writers and readers everywhere -
What a gift! What a blessing from the heavens!
Mobei-jun had amnesia!
Amnesia. It could happen at any time - sometimes one hit in the head was enough to make you lose your whole life.
Then you were still the same person, with the same general knowledge, but with no history of yourself.
There was, of course, a miracle cure. A strong shock to your system, such as being hit by lightning, could restore everything. Then you were 100% back to your normal self!
But that never happened until the plot demanded it should happen.
This simple binary was how the Great Author Airplane Shooting Towards the Skies understood amnesia.
Realizing that Mobei-jun must have forgotten everything, Shang Qinghua became bolder.
Clutching his chest, he cried, “No! My king! How could you have forgotten me? Haven't I been following you for years? Always supporting you, right by your side?"
That’s right! He was going to take this chance to secure his position!
You might think, ‘but what if Mobei-jun regained his memories, then wouldn’t he be angry?’ but Shang Qinghua wasn’t too worried about such things. First, it was far away in the future, and second, he already was scheduled to be killed by Mobei-jun. If he figures out how to live, he would live. If he doesn’t, well - wasn’t it better if, in the meantime, you could be treated as a loyal servant instead of a cowardly traitor?
Mobei-jun, still frowning, stood up from the bed.
Two things happened in quick succession.
First - Mobei-jun stumbled. Shang Qinghua hadn't been expecting it at all, and barely managed to stop Mobei-jun from hitting the floor by inserting his own body beneath him. He yelped in pain as Mobei-jun fell onto him.
How long was Mobei-jun going to be this out of it? Shang Qinghua tried to use what little cultivation he had to feel around his body, and that's when he noticed something weird.
Mobei-jun's body was not working right.
That is to say, Mobei-jun was currently incapable of performing any demonic feat. The flow of demonic qi was unnaturally blocked.
Shang Qinghua was in disbelief and felt around a bit more - but no, there wasn’t a way out, at least not by a rookie cultivator like himself who could barely even be called a cultivator.
Some sort of sealing had been attempted. Mobei-jun must have been forcefully overpowering it, until he lost consciousness due to the poison dart.
These HuanHua cultivators, they were something else!
Just like that, Shang Qinghua’s brief dream of securing his position at the Northern demon realm crashed to the ground.
Because - how could he get Mobei-jun back to normal? He couldn’t do it himself, he couldn’t ask for help from his sect, and if he escorted this Mobei-jun into the demon realm they’d both be eaten before they ever reached icy terrains.
While supporting Mobei-jun get up and sit on the bed, Shang Qinghua’s mind was in turmoil. He hadn’t ever imagined a scenario like this could happen.
Shang Qinghua decided he needed time to think.
With a worried look on his face, he said, “You need help, my king! I’ll go out and get someone to -”
He didn't get any further than one step, because his wrist was suddenly caught by a steely grip.
Mobei-jun's electric-blue eyes were glaring at him with great force. They seemed to be saying, 'You are not going anywhere until I figure this out'.
Mobei-jun said, "You work for me."
"Yes!" cried Shang Qinghua. “My king, I really can’t believe you don’t remember anything about me! Do you even remember who you are?” He beat his own chest in a show of tearful frustration.
Mobei-jun ignored this question. He asked, "Why were you hugging me?"
" - What?"
"Last night. You were hugging me."
A series of images passed through Shang Qinghua’s head - warm summer night, dreaming of ice cream, licking....
He quickly glanced over at Mobei-jun for any visible signs of licking. To his relief, he found none.
Shang Qinghua said tearfully, "My king, I - I was afraid bandits might come in at night and attempt to harm you, while you are recovering! I, I thought I should hold on to you to keep you safe!”
Even to an amnesiac this must have been a wild excuse. Mobei-jun’s usually expressionless face was showing definite contempt. He said, "Why didn't you sleep outside the door, if you wanted to stop anyone coming in.”
At this, Shang Qinghua only smiled subserviently, momentarily at a loss for words.
What a spoiled young master, even without his memories. Outside the door? What am I, a dog?!
Mobei-jun let go of Shang Qinghua's wrist. He looked up and down at Shang Qinghua in a judgemental gaze, clearly thinking, 'This moron can’t possibly be who I chose to keep by my side.’
This brief interaction was highly effective in calming Shang Qinghua’s turmoiled mind.
With a courteous smile, he asked, "My king, now that you are awake, would you like to have a meal? Or perhaps, take a bath?"
"Get me a bath," said Mobei-jun, losing interest in Shang Qinghua. Demon physique was strange, even after suffering such a serious damage he didn't seem to be hungry.
Shang Qinghua bowed and left the room.
Shang Qinghua leaned against the corridor walls and calmly thought over the events of the day.
He tried really hard - and for what?
Well, he tried. He really gave it his all. But this was a dead end.
Shang Qinghua's mind was clear, his path was now re-set.
He was going to bail!
But before that, there was important business concerning the inn.
That’s right.
He was going to ask for a partial refund!
The previous night, Shang Qinghua was in a hurry to get a room, so he had agreed to pay for one week in advance.
Between the room and the high-grade medicine, he had used up almost every single one of his coins he was carrying in his person - which was his entire fortune, because he did not trust any single one of his fellow An Ding outer disciples who shared a room with him to not touch his things.
That's right, he really gave it his all!
But now that he had spare time, he was going to barter.
Since one person was leaving early, he'd argue, he should get back at least a quarter of the bill.
The innkeeper looked at him like he was crazy.
"But your friend will be staying?"
“Yes, but I’m leaving right away. So there will be one less person in the room!”
“That is a one-bed room. You’re already only paying for one person, I was doing you a favor.”
Damn it. Shang Qinghua mentally cursed An Ding Peak for being so cheap with their pay.
“And we are so grateful for your kindness!” he said. “I truly thought that you were a goddess from the heavens, to show such benevolence for us two poor travellers! It is only thanks to your mercy that my injured companion was able to keep his life!”
By this point, his eyes were shining with tears.
“Now, would you please show mercy on this penniless traveler one more time? They say that for every good deed, you would be repaid a thousandfold in the afterlife...”
After several minutes of this, Shang Qinghua had almost talked the innkeeper into giving out some coins just to shut him up - but then, they were interrupted by the inn's maid. She took one look at Shang Qinghua and seemed to visibly hold herself back before addressing the innkeeper.
"Our new guest would like the other guest to return to their room."
"Oh - really?" said Shang Qinghua, internally cursing at himself for not leaving sooner. "I'm sorry for the trouble, there must have been a misunderstanding -"
"He’d only accept services from his companion. I told him that he was leaving, and he didn't seem to believe me."
Shang Qinghua could have kicked himself.
Why didn't he immediately run for it? Why didn’t he give up on the refund? Well, those were the only things he had to show for years and years of manual labor…
Shang Qinghua tried one more time to escape. With an apologetic smile, he said, “I am so sorry, he must have been embarrassed that such a lovely woman as yourself was offering to help him! I -”
“He threw me out of the room and I fell down on the floor,” the maid said coldly, not looking at Shang Qinghua. The innkeeper gave him an icy look.
Without another word, Shang Qinghua meekly returned to his room.
"Where were you?" demanded Mobei-jun, a shade more hostile than before.
"My king, I was just outside, talking to the innkeeper! I heard you called for me -"
“Were you leaving?”
"What? No!" Shang Qinghua shouted as earnestly as he could. “My king, this was an honest misunderstanding! I was saying that I was going out later to get some more medicine, and she must have misheard!”
Mobei-jun let out a cold laugh. “ Misheard? ”
Shang Qinghua was beginning to think that he might get thrown to the floor. He put some distance between his feet, getting ready for a safe fall. This is an important skill, when your last resort in every situation is falling down and playing dead. If you fail to protect your head in a fall - well, look what happened to this young master here!
What dark amusement Mobei-jun got from the situation soon faded. He ordered Shang Qinghua to come inside and close the door.
“Don’t leave this room until I tell you.”
Again, Shang Qinghua tried. “But my king, what if your injury -”
“I have no need for any medicine,” said Mobei-jun. He glared down at him. "What happened to the bath?"
---------
For the next four days, Shang Qinghua was as busy as a hardworking honeybee.
At the same time, he was as regretful as a dying honeybee who just wasted its one sting on a complete misfire.
Even without his memories, Mobei-jun was a prickly young master. In fact it was probably worse without the memories and the powers, since he now had cause to be suspicious of literally everyone and everything.
Shang Qinghua couldn’t run for it, but he was also forbidden to go anywhere near Mobei-jun.
After spending the entire day slaving away for the young master, Shang Qinghua actually was told to sleep outside the door. Only after begging and crying about the draft getting to his bones did Mobei-jun allow him to sleep inside.
Inside, by the door.
This really was little better than a dog’s life. No, dogs had it better, at least they were beloved by their masters!
By the evening of the fourth day, Shang Qinghua was truly suffering. He couldn't believe he was having to endure a whole week of this when he could have gotten away a long time ago.
Mobei-jun was lying in bed, seemingly asleep. Shang Qinghua cautiously lay down on the edge of the bed, only to be immediately thrown out with a kick in the butt.
"My king!" he protested tearfully. "I've been so worried every night! I've been so afraid that you'd get ambushed, and I wouldn't know! Can't you at least allow me to be near you? Please allow me this little peace of mind!"
Mobei-jun glanced at Shang Qinghua's wet face, then snorted dismissively. Embarrassed and frightened, Shang Qinghua drew back.
An hour later, Shang Qinghua tried again to crawl up to the bed. Thankfully, this time Mobei-jun didn’t wake up.
Shang Qinghua lay down on the bed.
It was bliss - his tired muscles were finally relaxing on the soft bedding, and the body next to him was pleasantly cool.
He was about to fall asleep when he heard a faint noise that sounded like a pained groan.
It took him a moment to realize what was happening.
Mobei-jun had been hiding it, but his injuries were not healing well. No, it seemed to be going badly for him.
The summer heat was intense, and it seemed like with his demonic powers inaccessible, his body was having a hard time maintaining the right temperature. He was lost in pain and so hadn't woken up to kick Shang Qinghua off the bed.
Weeping to himself, Shang Qinghua leaped out of the bed. Was he just cursed to never be able to use this bed?
He dragged himself out to beg for wet towels and fans, then spent the rest of the night fanning frantically at the injury.
By morning, Mobei-jun seemed to be in a much better state. But the night must have been hard on him, because he allowed Shang Qinghua to go out for ‘medical supplies’.
The first thing Shang Qinghua did at the local market was buying a cup of tea for himself.
That was also the last thing he did at the market, because then he was found by his fellow Cang Qiong Mountain disciples.
At a loss as to how to react, Shang Qinghua fainted.
Several hours later, having lived through Shen Qingqiu's interrogations and an awkward promotion, Shang Qinghua dragged his tired body into the leisure house.
At last!
Finally he could lie down on a bed - what's more, this was his own bed, in his own room, for himself only!
Shang Qinghua jumped onto his bed.
Bliss! Pure bliss!
He decided to retire early and just go to sleep. He lay on his bed and reflected on his terrible week.
Actually, when he thought about it - hadn’t everything gone better than expected?
His problem had solved itself!
He was back in An Ding, but he was an inner disciple now, with his own bed!
Most importantly, Mobei-jun wouldn’t be coming to kill him any time soon!
So - goodbye, young master! You’ll have to fend for yourself now!
We’ll see how well you do without me!
I even paid in advance, so you’re getting two nights for free, no need to thank me!
That spoiled young master, he probably doesn’t even know how human money works. In two nights he’s going to be out in the streets! What’s he going to do then?
Shang Qinghua tossed and turned. For some reason he was having trouble falling asleep.
During all week, Shang Qinghua had been deathly tired and wanted nothing more than to fall down into a proper bed.
But now that he was lying in one, his brain was wide awake, and he couldn’t relax into falling asleep at all. Wasn’t that always the way?
Because of this sudden bout of insomnia, he couldn’t stop picturing how terrible Mobei-jun would be at navigating the human realm by himself.
Mobei-jun considered himself to be a self-reliant person, and he was right. He didn’t have a close friend, and his family didn’t care about him. He took care of himself.
He spent most of his time out wandering in the wild by himself, that was what caused this trouble in the first place. Nobody could accuse him of being dependent on others.
But wandering the night woods alone as a majestic tiger, lord among all animals, was not the same as doing it alone as, say, a tiny little mouse. It just did not prepare you for navigating your way through the woods as a small prey animal.
Nobody knew this better than Shang Qinghua, who was the tiny little mouse that had dreamed up the majestic tiger.
Thinking this, Shang Qinghua couldn't help picturing Mobei-jun getting into various comical mishaps. He giggled to himself inside his new soft sheets.
After a few minutes, Shang Qinghua got fed up with his insomnia. What was the use of soft sheets when you couldn't even fall asleep?
While he's awake, he might as well do something useful!
But as a newly promoted inner disciple, Shang Qinghua wasn't yet assigned to any duties.
So - might as well take the sword out for a ride! Get some practice! See the neighboring sights! Fly over towns! Maybe even go over the places where he had been, before...
Shang Qinghua flew without a concrete plan. He found himself heading towards the inn, and decided to check in on Mobei-jun.
Mobei-jun slept often and he slept a lot. Without a warm body to bother him, he had to be having a good night’s sleep. Maybe he could take another look at that sleeping beauty face.
But Shang Qinghua didn’t even get to go inside the door.
The room was still lit up. Shang Qinghua thought Mobei-jun might have fallen asleep with the candles up, and to test the theory, threw a small rock at the door.
He had barely hidden himself when the door burst open.
For a moment, all was silent - then, just as suddenly, the door slammed shut.
Shang Qinghua was terrified. Not daring to move a muscle, he frantically tried to remember: how good was Mobei-jun’s hearing? Could this paranoid young master hear the rustle of clothes through the door? The sound of a sword taking flight?
Just to be safe, he remained crouching for a full hour in the dark of the night before taking flight again.