Mu Qingfang is cursed with a rare plant. The curse is known as Sleeping Beauty. Traditionally, the afflicted falls asleep instantly, but Mu Qingfang? Heās a cultivator. He can hold off the effects for a while. Not forever, but long enough to put his affairs in order. He returns to the sect from his outing and requests a meeting with the other peak lords to break the news. Heās matter of fact about it and starts to outline how Qian Cao will function with him gone, going over who will take over each of his duties. Indefinitely he tells them, certain.
The Peak Lords are shaken. Liu Qingge is furious. He demands to know what the cure is. It doesnāt matter, Mu Qingfang assures. Itās impossible, he tells them. But Liu Qingge pushes for more. He swears heāll find the cure. And no matter how much Mu Qingfang insists he canāt, Liu Qingge insists. Finally, Shen Qingqiu blurts it out. True loveās kiss. Reciprocal pure love. Mu Qingfang looks away and wonāt meet anyoneās eyes. As he said, he repeats, itās unattainable.
But Liu Qingge wonāt let it go. Mu Qingfang says itās impossible and Liu Qingge insists itās not. Who is it, he demands. They have time before Mu Qingfang falls asleep for good. Surely whoever it is can fall in love with Mu Qingfang before then, if they donāt love him already. The argument that breaks out only ends when, in a fit of heartbroken anger, Mu Qingfang snaps out, *āIf you were going to love me, youād have done it already.ā* In the ensuing silence, Mu Qingfang gathers himself together and leaves the room with as much dignity as he can.
After a long stunned moment, Liu Qingge rushes after him. In a desperate attempt, he kisses Mu Qingfang, but it doesnāt work. Mu Qingfang just sighs sadly and smiles reassuringly to Liu Qingge that itās okay. Itās not his fault. Love canāt be forced. Mu Qingfang has always known Liu Qingge didnāt feel the same, and thatās not Liu Qinggeās fault.
Liu Qingge, distressed, demands to know why Mu Qingfang never told him. Maybe if heād known, maybe if he had time, maybe heād love him enough now to save him. But Mu Qingfang shakes his head and says that telling him wouldnāt have changed anything. Knowing or not knowing, if Liu Qingge was going to love him, he would have. And itās okay that he doesnāt. Itās not his fault.
But Liu Qingge shakes his head and, remembering what heād said earlier, he restates that they have timeāLiu Qingge can learn to love him in the time they have. Mu Qingfang thinks heās wrong, but knows he wonāt convince Liu Qingge otherwise. So Liu Qingge starts visiting Mu Qingfang more and more over the next month, trying desperately to love him enough. He keeps trying. Keeps kissing Mu Qingfang. Keeps learning all there is to know about Mu Qingfang. But itās still not working, Mu Qingfang is sleeping more and more every passing day.
One day, when itās close to the end and he has slept more than heās awake, Mu Qingfang says that the curse is not really about love. Itās not romantic. And itās really not Liu Qinggeās fault. Liu Qingge shouldnāt blame himself for failing. The curse is cruel. Reciprocal love? Why should it have to be reciprocal. Why canāt it just be love. Why does it have to be romantic? Love canāt be controlled. You donāt choose who you love, but the curse relies on it being perfectly returned. What does perfect love even mean?
And then one day, Mu Qingfang doesnāt wake up. And it breaks Liu Qingge inside. He couldnāt stop it. He canāt wake him up. Heās a failure all over again. Just like with Qingqiu.
He gets drunk. Sprawled out on the ground in front of Mu Qingfangās bed in the room heās be lain in, Liu Qingge cries. He thinks someone tries to talk to him. Heās not certain. Itās a blur. He hasnāt felt this hopeless since Shen Qingqiu died. But this time, thereās no one to fight. Just himself. The one that failed. Thereās no body to retrieve. No mission to keep himself going.
Time passes. Liu Qingge doesnāt know how much. Just that time has passed and heās still here, failing.
Heās slapped into awareness. Luo Binghe is in front of him, an unamused, hard expression settling on his face. āYouāre scaring Shizun,ā he says. Liu Qingge blinks at him. Luo Binghe just sighs and pulls back slightly. āWhy are you giving up?ā he demands. āWhere is the war god that fought me every day for five years. Where is the Shishu I know. *Why arenāt you trying*.ā
Liu Qingge is offended. Thereās nothing less to try. He has. He *is.* No one to fight. He loves Mu Qingfang. He knows he does. But itās not enough to break the curse. He doesnāt love him enough and he doesnāt know how to possibly love him more. He says as much.
Luo Binghe shoves him. āBecause youāre too guilty,ā he snarls. ā*Pure* love. *Perfect*. Thatās what the curse wants.ā Itās not right, he tells him. Itās not Liu Qinggeās fault. Itās a cruel curse after all. Liu Qinggeās love is too clouded by guilt and anger and heartbreak to even begin to touch the curse. Too much resentment. Too much anguish. If Liu Qingge wants to break this curse, he has to try. He has to clean himself up, pull himself together, and start to forgive himself. Itāll be hard. There will be days when heāll slip and hate himself again. But he has to keep going and keep learning to forgive himself. And someday, if he keeps trying, Mu Qingfang *will* wake up. He just has to keep trying.
They stare at each other for a long moment, before Luo Binghe shifts back again, stands up, and holds out a hand. āSo are you ready to fight again?ā Liu Qingge nods and takes the out stretched hand, stumbling to his feet. They donāt speak of this again, but something between them shifts that day. They might even be⦠friends eventually. But thatās a different story.
After cleaning himself up, Liu Qingge goes out to ask the Qian Cao disciples about a new care plan. Mu Qingfang planned to not wake up. He planned for his disciples to ease him into a peaceful final sleep. But Liu Qingge is determined. He wants to know how to care for Mu Qingfang until he wakes up. Because he will wake up. He has to believe it.
So the disciples outline a new care plan, eager to throw their Shizunās instructions away and help their Shishu. They want their beloved teacher back just as much as Liu Qingge does. They help Liu Qingge care for the sleeping Mu Qingfang, help him watch over the sleeping figure. And slowly but surly, Liu Qingge works on forgiving himself. Every night, he kisses Mu Qingfangās cheek, and every night he tells Mu Qingfang heāll try again tomorrow.
And one day, eventually Mu Qingfang will wake up, surprised and confused to a soft, loving, slightly teary Liu Qinggeās startled and happy face.