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The attempt came at a nonsensical time. Location was alright: a shaded grove where Mobei Jun was giving the perfect impression of lazy idleness, in a quiet corner of the Human Realm where no one would have noticed anything hadn’t the wannabe king been receiving a report from his human spy.
Then again, if Mobei Jun had ever been the type to genuinely let down his guard -or be idly lazy, for that matter- Linguang Jun would not need to resort to these kinds of assassination schemes in the first place. So Shang Qinghua was unsure if he should be giving him even this much credit.
Time, though. The timing was nonsensical. Mobei Jun had just come out of the assault on Cang Qiong Mountain Sect as a victorious general and loyal right hand of the new Emperor of both Realms. Any attack on him now, even a successful one, would invite repercussions from Luo Binghe.
“Do not fall asleep!” Such an unpleasant man. Only knew how to growl orders in people’s ears. Shang Qinghua resentfully opened his eyes. His vision swam.
Ah, yes. The one advantage to a plan as stupid as Linguang Jun’s was that it was unexpected. Not that Linguang Jun would have lived to enjoy the fruit of his labors had he succeeded, as Shang Qinghua could have told him if the man had bothered to consult him about it.
“Why did you do it?” Still demanding. They had apparentely moved, was this an infirmary? Not that there were any healers around, of course. Not for Shang Qinghua.
Shang Qinghua glared burrily at the thorn in his side. Demons. High handed, hypocritical bastards. He hated every last one of them.
Mobei Jun scowled back.
“Answer! Why did you put yourself between an attack and this king?”
“Because I want to kill you myself.”
Mobei Jun froze. Shang Qinghua reflexively checked for his hidden weapons, but of course he had been stripped of anything remotely useful before whatever treatment had been applied. He didn’t feel like he was dying anymore, at least. Not that the effort would amount to anything, apparentely.
“You’d be dead for trying before you could even come close.” Mobei Jun was glaring into his eyes. He was furious.
Not a single strand of his hair was touching Shang Qinghua.
Abruptly, all the anger he usually shoved down drowned him and Shang Qinghua choked on his own hatred.
“But you’d still let me try, right, Dawang?” The effort of drawing himself up to snarl in Mobei Jun’s face made his injuries flare. Shang Qinghua was far past the point of caring.
He had been beaten before for not bowing fast enough. For not humiliating himself to his king’s satisfaction. Because the demon got bored.
“You’d still wait for an attack rather than go against your ridiculous sense of honor. Not when you owe me two life debts now. Not when I’m just the weakling human cultivator you could never be bothered to respect. Why would you? I’ve only been loyal to you for decades!”
Shang Qinghua ended his tirade panting, back to lying in the bed. This was exactly why he never let himself lose control like this.
Mobei Jun certainly didn’t look impressed.
“You just admitted to betrayal.”
“You betrayed me first!” His last burst of energy let him roar in Mobei Jun’s face, clutching at the front of the demon’s robes to keep himself upright. The position was murder on his injury. His muscles were trembling and would give out any second. It was worth it, though. He had finally managed to make that icy expressionless face twist in shock.
“I have never betrayed you.” Mobei Jun’s voice was impassive as ever. His eyes, however, were still wide.
Shang Qinghua pulled at the collar of his robes, hoping to choke him on it.
“You never told me you were going to attack Cang Qiong.” Shang Qinghua had been in the Demon Realm, wondering what Mobei Jun even wanted him there for. He had come back to most of his sect murdered and their homes plundered. “Did you seriously think that’s how I wanted to become head of my sect? Or is it that deals with a human don’t matter to your precious honor?!”
Shang Qinghua had always known Yue Qingyuan would have to die if he wanted to fulfill his ambitions. He would have killed Shen Qingqiu himself given half a chance. But he’d never been so desperate to rule he would have wanted to be king of a pile of ashes.
“Junshang ordered the attack.” If Shang Qinghua let the blood loss interfere with his mental faculties, Mobei Jun almost sounded placating.
Shang Qinghua snarled and pulled harder at the collar in his grip. His torso had stopped supporting his weight at some point and Mobei Jun’s hold on his waist was the only thing keeping him somewhat upright.
“So you’ll do anything he asks even if it means betraying me? Because he’s stronger than you and force is the only thing that can penetrate your thick skull?!”
Mobei Jun snarled and his hands clutched painfully at Shang Qinghua’s sides. That was better. That was what they had always been. The brute didn’t get to act like he cared now.
“I lost fairly. I pledged my service. I will not be a traitor.”
“And you think your service will be rewarded? You think he will be loyal back?! Luo Binghe once called me shishu. He once called Shen Qingqiu shizun. He knows better.”
“I will deal with it if the time ever comes.”
“So you’ll give him the chance to betray you? To someone stronger than you?!” Shang Qinghua scratched at the exposed skin where his attempts at strangulation had moved the robes aside, trying to draw blood. That had almost sounded like Shang Qinghua cared about Mobei Jun and it could not be borne. “And meanwhile you’ll bend the knee and drag me with you?!”
This time Mobei Jun didn’t get angry. He merely looked calculating while Shang Qinghua ranted and raved. Usually, it was the other way around.
“You’ll try to attack Junshang?”
“I’m not strong enough! He’d kill me!” Shang Qinghua spluttered in disbelief.
“We’ll have to deal with it if he does betray us, then.”
Mobei Jun looked ever so slightly amused. Shang Qinghua blacked out from indignation.
When he came to, he was alone in the room with a cold meal on the table. He was covered in blankets and the bandages in his side were stiff with sweat but no new blood.
Shang Qinghua hated Mobei Jun with such passion he was a little scared one day he’d fool himself into thinking it was love.