no sad only binghe

well, @genusplantago & i are at it again. moshang grindr au. NOT a modern au, yes this is xianxia sexting fic, whatever. 12k words, pre-canon, uh, very explicit.

Art assets drawn by hamster salad (X ID: ricky02200059) 🎉

七九デスクトップペットの無料配布を開始しました！中国語、英語、日本語の3ヶ国語に対応しています。

PIDW Sha Hualing dresses in “proper robes” now, as humans would call them. No longer is she a saintess, sent to bring glory to demon kind. Now she is a general. There’s a piece shaped like her on the war table, moved across countless maps. Silk scarves and bells are impractical. She has reason to protect her skin. Plates of leather and thick fabrics obscure her figure. She has an axe now, no longer so juvenile as to rely solely on her claws. She hates it. She hates all of it. She is so full of hate and frustration these days, but the constant war takes it all out of her. When she’s finally able to lie down, there’s nothing left.

Svsss au where XF and Sy can only appear in the dreams of important characters and after a system error the plot gets skewed somehow? So they have to go into the dreams of characters/into their consciousness and make convincing suggestions/tell the future to get the story back on track except they are terrible at it.

IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE NOT SAYING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, IT'S JUST THAT THEY FORGET THAT THE CHARACTERS CAN STILL HEAR THEM AFTER THEY'VE SAID YOUR LINES

XF going into YQ's conscious right before saving the boy that would rat YQ and SJ out in the future and going "You really should save him."

Right when YQ's going to act on it he hears the rest of XF's words. XF, who completed what he was supposed to do and finished his suggestion, has started a conversation with SY.

"It's a shame that after saving this kid they'll get betrayed and ratted out and permanently estranged."

in the background SY's like "You made the story, do you have a fetish for tormenting kids or something? What's up with this tragic backstory???"

and YQ pauses long enough that he misses the window for a rescue. There's no betrayal, no capturing QJL's attention, and they don't go through their own separate hells.

XF and SY start panicking because how are they supposed to get the two to go to CQMS? except XF still hasn't gotten out of YQ's head so the boy hears about their "destinies" and decides that since the misfortune hasn't happened they should still go to CQMS to make the most out of life.

it's like a task failed successfully because they're both at CQMS now but they don't have like half of the trauma needed for the story. It's okay XF and SY can probably figure something out

In the scene where SJ saves LQG SY goes into LQG's mind and goes "He obviously tried to kill you" and before LQG can agree with him SY keeps talking like "okay well he actually didn't and saved LQG's life but this is supposed to mark the permanent scar on any relationship they had." and LQG gives SJ a strange look before assessing the area, finding that there is indeed traces from something that lingered behind him.

SY and XF are panicking once again because what the hell is with this (mostly one sided) sense of camaraderie between LQG and SJ/SQQ now? Aren't they enemies?

In the caves XF's all like "You're strong you don't need any other preparation" in LQG's head and SY's yelling at him like "what a waste of a genuinely cool character, killing him off in the caves by a qi deviation of all things is horrible" (The system words missions really specifically so all of XF's plots are laid out for SY to see, so he has a deeper understanding of each of the characters and their stories) and LQG stiffens up before he makes a trip to MQF.

As usual, XF and SY are panicking because LQG didn't die in the caves, SQQ didn't take the blame, and WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?

Shen Yuan in the not-too-distant future plays an immersive virtual reality MMO, a revolutionary one of its kind that offers unprecedented customization options, called YGGDRASIL. While the basic game inclines itself most strongly to western fantasy TTRPG tropes, it's so flexible that players can create a wide range of fantasy archetypes.

Shen Yuan ended up falling in with, and eventually taking over, a guild that was focused on xianxia tropes and workshopping character classes and race types to create them. The guild had pretty strict rules on what players could do racially and aesthetically to fit in -- stuff like secret dragons and demons and aesthetically-swapped paladins were in, elves were allowed as long as the character lore steered more towards nature spirits and less towards tolkien, and undead were taken on a case-by-case basis.

Over the course of several years, the Cang Qiong guild rose to prominence on their server as one of the strongest good-aligned roleplay groups, to the point of even having some dedicated copycats and rivals. The original twelve founding members each built a different segment of the guild's base, styling it as a mountain range with twelve peaks, and a lot of energy was poured into constructing NPCs to defend the peaks from the frequent incursions of rival player factions.

But over time, other games like YGGDRASIL started to appear and pulled players in. Some were more complementary to the eastern fantasy genre, some had better immersive features or superior tech, more hype, and etc. Other plays began to filter out as different aspects of their lives took over and they started families, got too busy with work, found other hobbies, and so on.

Twelve years after its launch, YGGDRASIL announced rather unceremoniously that it would be shutting the game down, with everything on it destined for the deletion bin. By then, the only players left in Cang Qiong guild were Shen Yuan and Xiang Fei, the latter only ever logging on occasionally to goof around and build extra NPCs for his novel ideas, while Shen Yuan kept maintaining the guild out of nostalgia and a firm belief that the game would be getting some kind of renewed interest any day now.

Accordingly, Shen Yuan was pissed to learn it was just going to be shut down, without even any word of a possible YGGDRASIL 2 or if players would get any bonuses for carrying over their accounts.

Shen Yuan decides to stay online until the last possible moment as the server goes dark. Xiang Fei joins him and nearly has to log off to go to sleep and get up in time for work in the morning, but decides to tough it out for his bro. As Shen Yuan laments, the two gather up all the major NPCs in the sect, head for the peak lords hall on Cang Qiong, and arrange the "Peak Lord" NPCs around the table with them. The NPCs can't talk, but each was styled as the lord and defender of a different peak and as brethren of a united sect, deferring only to their ancestral masters and creators, the godlike players of the setting.

Shen Yuan also insists on bringing along Luo Binghe, the secret demon emperor and trump card for the sect's defenses. Binghe was, in Shen Yuan's opinion, the pinnacle of Xiang Fei's creativity. Though with the appearance of a humble (read: ridiculously beautiful) disciple, in reality Binghe was a top level max skill demon lord, who had taken so many resources and quests to bulk out that it was ridiculous. His programming was fussy, to the point where he had once gone on a rampage and wiped out the actual guild players -- sort of the last interesting thing to have happened before another more popular game was released, and their guild activity plummeted.

Xiang Fei had often teased Shen Yuan about liking Binghe so much, especially since, in his opinion, he was a less interesting secret demon than the one defending his home peak of An Ding. As a final gesture, Xiang Fei reprograms Binghe to be a disciple of Qing Jing (Shen Yuan's peak) in specific, and chuckling to himself deletes the line about him being a playboy and replaces it with a line that says he's madly in love with Shen Qingqiu (SY's avatar).

As the players and their NPCs sit around the table, the game servers go dark. Shen Yuan closes his eyes, braces for the forced log-out...

Then feels himself draw a lungful of cool mountain air, instead.

Ensue Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua freaking out as they realize that they've apparently transmigrated into some sort of reality based on their game. At first the other "Peak Lords" (the NPCs who have suddenly come to life) are confused as to why their sect brothers are acting so erratically, but then they go out and discover that their entire mountain range has seemingly been displaced from its geographical location in YGGDRASIL, to some unfamiliar spot in a totally different world.

Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua double freak out because not only have they somehow become real in the context of the game, they've also brought their mountain range wholesale to yet another fantasy world?!

Shang Qinghua takes some of the other peak lords and goes to check on the actual peaks, to confirm if the other NPCs have come to life and that everything from the guild has made the inexplicable transfer. Shen Qingqiu sets out to check the surrounding area, while tentatively agreeing to let Liu Qingge, Yue Qingyuan, and Qi Qingqi go check in other directions. Luo Binghe ends up insisting on accompanying him, much to Shen Qingqiu's bewilderment, but he just ends up going with it. Outside the unfamiliar world is in its night cycle. Most of the exterior wards are still functional, although they've lost some of the alert arrays from the further outposts. Shen Qingqiu flies up for as high of an aerial view as he can get, surveying the situation, and musing that it really does seem that they've been transported to a totally new world. Also, using all his cool cultivator/class abilities is even more exciting in the flesh.

Anyway, Shen Qingqiu warns Luo Binghe that this unknown world could also contain unknowable threats, they don't know how their respective abilities would stack up here, etc etc, and Luo Binghe privately vows to bring this world to heel and lay its treasures safely at his shizun's feet.

Additional thoughts under the cut:

Loving the idea of it being mid-canon. Wei Wuxian is just like hey. Where did. Why's there...? And yet he can't just ask because obviously anyone should know the deal about the Mysterious Mountain of Cultivators that appeared sometime in the years he was dead.

And SY and Airplane do have to stay in their identities, yup! It would probably destabilize too much for the NPC characters who've newly spawned into actually being alive for them to try and add the additional layers to it, and who knows how they might react? They're all now very powerful cultivators, some even more powerful than Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua, so it's safer just to go along.

I think Shen Qingqiu's probably got no actual backstory that he settled on for himself, beyond a few sentences about being the Qing Jing peak lord and being important enough as a strategist and political player that even the sect leader defers to him on many matters. Then when everything becomes Real he somehow finds that he's Shen Jiu's twin brother and Yue Qingyuan defers to him because of trauma reasons, by some alchemy of the system trying to work out the most reasonable explanations.

Yue Qi: *consumed with shame and aware that he probably just totally ruined his reunion with Xiao Jiu*

Shen Jiu: *steps on his foot to get his attention* Do Not tell them my real name.

Yue Qi: ...

Sect Leader: Yue Qingyuan! What happened? Who is this?

Yue Qi: uuuuuuuuuhhhhh. This is Yue... Xiao.

SJ, quietly: What.

Sect Leader: Yue Xiao. ...Is he related to you?

Yue Qi: Yes. He's ...uh ... my little brother I have definitely mentioned before! We were tragically separated just before I joined the sect and I have been looking for him everywhere!

SJ, less quietly: What!

Sect Leader: Well I don't remember you ever mentioning a sibling but I also don't know why you'd make up such a stupid lie so it must be true.

LBH freaking out because Shizun is scared? he can feel it all throughout the dream and no! It doesn't matter what he does Shizun won't accept him!

SQQ suddenly seeing things go weird and Ohhhh he's dreaming, so Binghe is still in the abyss...he's just dreaming of him... oh he finally dreams one that's not a nightmare of the abyss and Binghe is sad.

LBH being pulled out of his freak out by Shizun instantly patting his head and dotting on him and...what? what's happening?

He's just sitting there clinging to SQQ whose patting his head and praising him and talking about the abyss and he knows about Xin mo? he's apologizing about the abyss?...That he knows way more about than he should? What does Shizun mean sword mound? He's not eating? He misses his cooking?? SOMEONE CALLED HIM A WIDOW???

SQQ just praising this dream version of Binghe because he's finally having a dream that's not pushing him into hell he's making the most of it.

He dismisses all the system pings as a part of his dream to. Why would Binghe be satisfied or happy hearing any of this from the scum villain.

It's only after he wakes up and...why...why is the system active again?...where did all these points come from??

Oh

Oh no

Meanwhile LBH is vibrating with happiness and debating going straight to Qing Jing peak or beidenapping Shziun and making him empress.

Qing Jing means he gets to see Shizun now, no responsibility of ruling, he'll have more time with shizun...

But if he bride naps Shizun no annoying rivals tasking up his shizuns time and he gets to show Shziun off as an empress...

Decisions, decisions.

*The winner of this matchup will represent their bracket in the inter-group finale poll(s).

PROPAGANDA:

[Yue Qingyuan]

"The Sect Leader should get pregnant because the Sect Leader should be the picture of fertility and virility both, boost the usage of male child-bearing pills, and because the whole Sect would go crazy trying to find out who's the baby daddy. I think Yue Qingyuan could benefit from having to raise a child of his own instead of managing disciples, because Yue Qingyuan no longer has a family of his own and deserves one, and this way, perhaps he'd be forced to care about another person again. His strong and qi-rich body would also have an easy pregnancy and have a strong and happy child."

[Howl]

In the spring of the same year as Shen Jiu is born, Shen Yuan wakes up as the infant son of an Army General.

He hates it. Infants have no dignity, and new layers of Shen Yuan's already thin face shave off with every diaper change and feeding. So! To stave off the growing cracks in his mental state, he starts focusing on the world around him.

As an infant, he figures he must be in some hacks half-assed historical fantasy or something. At three years of age, he decides that, more likely, it's some sort of Wuxia-Xianxia mix with an emphasis on...well, he's not entirely sure, but there's a lot of hidden politics his military family has to deal with, so. Maybe it's something like Game of Thrones?

It isn't until he’s started being taught military strategy and how to read that he starts seeing familiar names. After all, what are the chances of all four Cultivation Clans of PIDW being named in one book?

So.

So...

Yeah, no. Shen Yuan loses his shit.

Some time later (much, much later), Shen Yuan has the wherewithal to start scouting around. The good news is, he's several years away from the start of PIDW's plot, and even more before he would have to worrying about the Realms Merger Luo Binghe would wrought upon them all.

The bad news is that he may not even have to worry about any of that; because while the land Shen Yuan's family currently lives on is at peace, it's tentative at best, and Shen Yuan is next in line to be General of the Nation's army.

--

Many years later, Luo Binghe is ten years old, slowly traveling from town to town on his way to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, when he meets what he would later realize is the love of his life.

Walking a well-used path between towns, his bad luck had caught up with him when a young master in a carriage took exception to the sight of him and, as young masters always did, decided to harass and bully the poor defenseless child in their sight line. Lou Binghe was just starting to regret ever being born when he hears the sounds of hoof beats catching up to their position.

"Make way!" A stern voice shouts. "Make way for the Army!"

The young master's party tries, but their master is prideful and a fool, and thus refuses. It turns out the young master is of some higher rank (with nothing better to do than cause trouble) and so the moment he is told to move, he digs his feet in. A confrontation starts.

Binghe tries to subtly scuttle away, but he's grabbed before he can go far and thrown to the ground between the two parties- used as a scapegoat for why the young master is being so obstinate. He knows- from years of watching servants take the fall- that the next few minutes are likely to hurt real bad.

But then the clouds part, and under a ray of gentle light, a voice calls out amongst the army men. Binghe dares glance up, just in time to see the rugged men part for another man on horseback.

He's different from the others. Oh, he had the build, the armor, and his hair was tied up tight in a bun, making him seemingly indistinguishable from the others, but there was something there that called all eyes to him. A silent assurance, or maybe just a quiet gravity.

Binghe feels himself fill with cautious awe.

"Why have we stopped? What is the issue?"

"Apparently this child is blocking the road." The leading soldier informed.

"That's right, this little runt refused to move for his superiors! The Master will not be moving until some proper respect is beaten into him!"

The man on horseback turns to him then. All awe dies. Binghe's heart sinks. There is a cold analysis in that gaze, and-

No. No, wait. Even as Binghe's heart fell...did those eyes gain a hint of warmth?

"I see." The man speaks. "So a single lost child is enough to ruffle the young master's feathers like this? How great your house must have fallen, that it cannot ignore a single slight from an orphaned boy."

The young master seethes, "You-!"

The man turns to the leading soldiers, cutting him off with a swift order- "Move Them," -then in a smooth, well-practiced move, swings off his horse and lands in the dirt with a gentle, heavy thud.

Binghe watches him with eyes wide- and getting wider as he approaches Binghe's kneeling self and drops to bended knee right in front of him.

"You've found some trouble, child."

Ah! A scolding! Binghe's cheeks flush with shame, his wide stare dropping to his hands. "This lowly one is sorry! This lowly one did not mean to cause trouble for you-"

"Stop. I'm not criticizing you." A warm hand lands on his head, and Binghe nearly gasps aloud. "What's your name? Where are you going?" A small pause. "You've been injured; let me bandage that for you."

For the next little while, Binghe basks in the care of a total stranger. He tells his name, his life story, and for the first time since his mother's death, feels as if he is really and truly being seen.

"Cang Qiong, huh?" The man, plain and indistinguishable from any other soldier at first appearance- oh, but Binghe will never forget his face now. He stares at the man's features as long as he dares, determined to memorize every line and scar and out of place strand of hair. "I can't take you all the way there, but if you don't mind sharing a horse and promise to hide if trouble comes knocking, I see no reason we can't take you a town close by."

Forget memories, he needs to know this man's name now!!

--

He shares a horse with the man (Shen Yuan!). Others offer, but for the second time in Binghe's life, he dares to hide behind someone's legs and clings to the man's pants. (It was entirely impulse, and he scolded himself for it viciously, but Shen Yuan- proving Binghe's mother right that there are kind people in the world still- laughed. Laughed!)

Binghe had never ridden a horse before, but Shen Yuan was so kind. He taught him how to get on, helped him up the entire way, guided him on the best way to sit and hold the resigns; and when Shen Yuan climbed up himself, Binghe didn't feel nervous about their closeness at all.

In fact, an hour into the ride, Binghe fell into a light doze. He couldn't help it. Shen Yuan was warm and sturdy, and Binghe was small and tired. It was bound to happen, and he only woke up when new sounds reached his ears.

When camp was made, Shen Yuan shared his food with him. When it was time to sleep, he didn't mind that Binghe clung to his side and refused to go anywhere else. When Binghe got scared to relieve himself in the forest at night, Shen Yuan would sigh, pat his head, and say "Alright, I'll go with you. But only the once, got it?" And Binghe would happily agree; but by that point they both knew if Binghe asked, Shen Yuan would indulge him. A week of this, and even the other soldiers would tease them for becoming "father and child on the way to war."

Traveling through towns was the best, though. Shen Yuan told the best stories, and when he saw things in the markets or food in the stalls, he would point at them and tell Binghe stories of "that time I ripped some drunk a new one for messing with a girl," and "when I was younger I accidentally broke my mother's prized necklace and spent the next month trying to hide it from her."

They couldn't really stop in town, but at one point Shen Yuan decided to wait until they'd made camp and eaten before taking Binghe on the speediest ride back into town of his life- and all to get him a bath and change of clothes.

A bath! A warm, clean bath! And he wasn't weird about it at all, like some of the street kids told him adults could be! He even bought Binghe's new clothes with his own personal coin! (It wasn't new, and the colors were a little faded, but it was clean and sturdy and bought just a little bigger than Binghe's size- but most importantly, it was His! His, and a gift from the man who was quickly becoming his favorite person!)

All in all, Binghe- oh, Binghe didn't want to leave Shen Yuan at all!

And then he overheard it.

It was a town close to Binghe's last shared destination with Shen Yuan. The townsfolk were quieter there, and when they saw the soldiers, they all murmured and stared as they passed, quiet and solemn. Like the wake of a funeral.

Binghe tentatively called up to Shen Yuan, unnerved.

"Hm?" He followed Binghe's eyes, sighed, and pat his head. "Don't worry, Binghe. They're just worried."

Later in camp, Binghe asked more about it; and that's when he learned what an Army was. Really learned.

"You could die?"

The firelight made odd shadows on Shen Yuan's face, but for a second Binghe thought he saw somberness settle there.

"That's right."

"Why?" Binghe asked- and he knew he shouldn't, but a new fear had grown in him and the image of Shen Yuan cold and still on a battlefield, injured so bad he died, all alone without Binghe there to help- oh, it made his little heart tremble and made his eyes burn with tears.

"Orders from our dearest Emperor," another soldier chimed in, poking their fire with a stick. Shen Yuan called his name in a scolding tone, but another soldier cut in just as quickly.

"You see, the mortal realm's Emperor decided fighting with our neighbors was better than brokering peace."

Shen Yuan tried to scold him too, but Binghe beat him to it with another "Why?"

"Enough. Binghe does not need to hear-"

Another man- one that spoke to Shen Yuan frequently with information and questions- stepped in then. "Captain, he of all people needs to hear. You'll be parting soon, doesn't he have the right to know why you might not meet again?"

And Binghe learned. He learned that the current Emperor of the mortal realm was recently instated. That he was young and tyrannical and bore no insult, no matter if insult was meant or had ever existed in the first place. Executions were plentiful, relations with old neighboring allies were failing, negotiations with opposing neighbors were falling apart, and in fact the only person here in this camp that had come out of any sort of willingness was Shen Yuan, as the son of a General. The others had been enlisted very much against their will with little expectation to make it out alive, let alone gain anything from their misery.

Why? Because the Emperor had perceived insult from an envoy negotiating peace, had them locked up, and when the country they came from refused to apologize for some imagined slight, the Emperor had lost it and had the envoy executed before the whole capital.

Binghe had never hated someone before, but now, knowing that it would be on this man's orders that his Shen Yuan could die...

"Let me come with you."

The soldiers laughed at him. It wasn't mean-spirited, just sad and knowing, and Binghe understood even if he didn't like it. What would a ten year old do on the battlefield? Die, that's what.

Shen Yuan pulled him over into his arms before Binghe could really start crying, sitting him in his lap and rocking him side to side.

"It'll be alright. Even if I do die, I won't go."

"You won't?" Binghe hiccups into his chest. His small arms cling to Shen Yuan's sides, and Shen Yuan holds him almost exactly how his mama used to.

"Of course not. Binghe wants me to stay, so how could I die?"

There's a smattering of laughs behind him, and Binghe pouts. "Don't joke!"

"Not joking, not joking," Shen Yuan soothes with lightness in his voice- definitely laughing then! "I'm very serious. The most serious. Binghe doesn't want me to go, so even if I die, I'll stay and wait for Binghe to find me; how does that sound?'

Binghe sniffles, "Sounds good."

"Good. Then it's a deal: as long as Binghe wants me, I won't move on to the next life. I'll wait right where I fell, I promise."

Binghe would prefer a promise to live, but even he knew that wasn't one a person could keep. Atleast this way, even if Shen Yuan wasn't alive, Binghe could still keep him. Maybe...maybe he could even find a way to bring him back? If cultivation magic was real and demons walked amongst mortals, then why not bringing back the dead?

--

Their parting isn't happy in that final town. Everyone knew Binghe had to go. Binghe knew he had to go. Yet, when Binghe looked up at Shen Yuan, he could see the soldier struggling with himself. His hold on Binghe's hand was firm, and it tightened when Binghe adjusted his hand inside it before finally letting go.

Just like the first time they met, Shen Yuan moves to kneel before him.

"You'll be safe? Stay out of trouble? Cang Qiong isn't far; if you're scared, I can take you the rest of the way..."

Binghe shakes his head. "You can't. The Emperor won't like it."

Shen Yuan purses his lips. Binghe likes to think he knows the man very well now, and so he swears he can almost hear Shen Yuan say "Damn the Emperor!" in his mind. It makes him smile.

The soldier moves on. "Food then? Water? Do you have enough? Should I give you coin for an Inn? A bath might be good if you want to make a good first impression on Cang Qiong."

"The boy will be fine, Captain. You've given him everything he'll need. If you give anymore, you'll end up giving him half our supplies and go broke."

Binghe and Yuan both pout at the man: Binghe, for interrupting their goodbye, and Shen Yuan for denying his need to care for (spoil) Binghe with his Logic. Still, the logic was sound. Binghe had to convince Shen Yuan not to give him his entire coin pouch as a parting gift.

(Binghe loves this man. He's too young to know what kind of love it is at the moment, but when he's fifteen and discovering the existence of romance for the first time, he'll think back on these long weeks with Shen Yuan and Know.)

It takes awhile for Shen Yuan to drag himself away. Binghe doesn't even try to put distance between them, watching Shen Yuan mount his horse like- like a man off to war.

The procession leaves slowly, each soldier yelling out their own farwell as they pass. Binghe waves to them as they call, but his eyes cling to Shen Yuan, not wanting to miss a second.

Shen Yuan glances back frequently over his shoulder. Their eyes meet more than once, and each time Binghe feels a jolt in his heart. Will Shen Yuan turn around? Will he take him with him after all?

He never does. Eventually the soldiers take a turn on the path and disappear behind the trees.

Alone, Binghe makes his way to Cang Qiong Mountain.

--

There's a phrase he hears on Qing Jing that doesn't quite process until he’s knee deep in the demon realm, amassing power at an alarming rate: "A General must follow an Emperor."

LBH after returning from abyss decides to bridenap/steal away SQQ. Only he needs to make sure no one notices so decides he's going to use artifact to glamor MBJ to pretend to be SQQ.

LBH: It's fine just stay in the bamboo house and hide behind a fan and look annoyed at everyone they'll think he's maybe qi deviated back to whoever he was before... maybe it'll stop LQG hanging around.

MBJ isn't happy but LBH isn't giving him much choice, he just tells SQH he's pout on a mission and to take care of the North.

MBJ is sitting around sulking in this boring house and annoyed cause he wanted to spend time with Qinghua... only for SQH to walk in calling him 'bro' and MBJ is mad at how close SQH is to SQQ until SQH instantly starts talking about his king.

MBJ just sitting face blank as Qinghua gushes about him, how handsome his king, and how much of a brat he is leaving him to do all the work while out a mission he's lucky he's handsome enough to get away with it ect ect. Qinghua is equal parts complaining and praising him.

Apparently not realizing he's been courting him??

It isn't until SQH gets a good look at SQQ without fan and.... that isn't his bro's bitchy look... Oh gods he knows that bitchy look....

If he can fix some plot points and get things less chaotic (airplane seriously just crept adding stuff that made zero sense to get more sex scenes) so SY will fix that and make things less bad for Binghe...

He ends up taking over the entire abyss without realizing. Man is emperor of the abyss.

Xin Mo has been begging SY to wield it but SY is like 'i'm not touching the protagonists golden finger, why would I do that i'm just an NPC'

SY has not realized he's the feared emperor of the abyss, tales of his power have even reached outside texts, he is the great terror that rules over all others and untied all the creatures under his power.

He just keeps thinking this is just to make things easier for Binghe... he's mentioned a few times about LBH and his subjects have heard a heavenly demon hat will fall in who SY talks about with adoration.

Clearly they all decide SY is a seer (it would explain a lot) and LBH is their future bride.

LBH falls into abyss ready to start revenge arc... only to get scooped up by first demons who see him and take him palace to apparently 'future husband' LBH is ready to start killing... until he meets SY.

Empress of the abyss suddenly sounds very appealing.

SY: I can help Binghe go though this arc with less trauma and then i'm sure he'll leave and become emperor

No takeover in any demonic lands, no plots as cultivation sects and no wives appear to have been acquired.

He has no idea what's happening, where's the plot? where's the revenge? wheres the harem?

Stallion protagonist is missing in action and SQH is confused. The script is out the window and his system seems to have just given up? No missions or anything.

MBJ is taking over territory and expanding power... he no longer wants a spy (he has no need for one since the sect isn't of any importance to him without LBH revenge) SQH thinks he's gonna die earlier... only MBJ just scoops him up and is keeping in in North permanently... (he's been bridenapped and hasn't figured it out yet)

It's only when SQH is arranging meeting with abyssal emperor (who SQH is 99% sure he never wrote but he didn't have a lot of lore in notes that he had to throw out because the lore wasn't selling with anyone other than peerless cucumber)

When in meeting he sees emperor and his empress... who is his stallion protagonist.