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Mobei-jun lets go of the branch and it whips back promptly smacking Shang Qinghua in the face making him sputter indignantly.
They're trekking through the Luye jungle in search of an artifact that will help Mobei-jun defeat his most recent foe. Shang Qinghua is miserable and drowning in his own sweat. Mobei-jun doesn't seem to be faring much better. He may have better temperature control with his demonic qi but he was still an ice demon.
They walk and walk until finally the overgrown ruins of a pyramid appear in front of them. "There's a secret entrance around the back side that has far less traps. Please don't touch anything besides the amulet, my king."
Mobei-jun makes an affirmative noise before heading around to the back. Shang Qinghua points out the entrance and they enter with some trepidation. Inside it's dark and gloomy but blessedly a few degrees cooler. They stick to the path and thankfully run into no trouble. They get to the center of the chamber where the amulet sits atop a pedestal and Mobei-jun easily pockets it. Shang Qinghua breathes a sigh of relief as nothing happens. His celebration that he hadn't forgotten anything is interrupted as the earth begins to shake violently.
An earthquake? Seriously?
Shang Qinghua immediately starts making his way back the way they'd come when suddenly the chamber begins to fill with a pale pink gas. "The gas is mostly harmless my king." There's a loud crash as rubble falls from the ceiling. "Falling rocks aren't though so we need to get out of here."
No more is said as they both quickly rush to leave. As they come through the opening back into the outside world Shang Qinghua collapses onto the ground. While he's still catching his breath Mobei-jun, the jerk, walks right up to him and slugs him across the head.
In sync they both reach up to grab their head.
"My head hurts suddenly. Why?" Mobei-jun asks him.
"Apologies my king, I should have told you sooner. That pink gas created a bond between us so we now share each other's pain." Shang Qinghua explains, still rubbing his head.
"Why does Qinghua's head hurt?"
Shang Qinghua's face scrunches in irritation. "You just punched me in the head, my king."
Mobei-jun's lips turn down just slightly. "This is what it feels like every time I hit you?"
Shang Qinghua shrugs. "Sometimes worse. Occasionally better."
"Qinghua never said anything." Mobei-jun sits down next to Shang QInghua as the tremors in the earth finally slow.
"I figured you knew that hitting people hurts? It's a pretty basic concept, my king" Shang Qinghua huffs.
"Something like that would never hurt me. It's merely a gentle tap."
"You've been trying to gently tap me? Why?"
Mobei-jun frowns further. "It is how demons court each other. Qinghua must know this with his vast knowledge?"
Suddenly he does, memories of what he'd written for demonic courtship flooding back to him.
"Oh." he says before he remembers what his king had really said. "Wait! You've been trying to court me!?"
"En."
Shang Qinghua feels like tearing his hair out. He could've had his dream man for years if only he'd remembered more of his own writing. "Well I suppose we'll need to make up for lost time then?"
Mobei-jun's lips turn up. "Indeed."