Chapter Text
From far away, a traveler arrived at the borders of Ghost City.
He was neither man or god, nor demon or ghost. His true name and face were long forgotten by the world, but he has never left the plains of the three realms, forever wandering amongst the shadows.
Drenched in white from head to toe and face hidden by a completely blank mask, he was like an apparition. His long sleeves swept the ground of the forest which he walked, dark hair cascading gracefully down his back. His steps, the breath which left his lips made no noise, as if he weren't part of the current world. An animated piece of the past, returning from the grave. Today, he appeared once more.
Once, he was called Xie Lian, but no one uttered that name in quite a long time.
Although it was the night of the Zhongyuan Festival, there was no singing or sound of celebration from the undead. Even the chirping of crickets, the sound of nighttime animals lurking were absent, the wind dead. The forest was unnaturally quiet.
The moment Xie Lian breached the borders of the forest surrounding Ghost City, a heavy silence fell over it. It was filled with tension, high anticipation. A breath held back.
It was due to the fact that the arrival of the traveler invited another. Not an incense time later, another presence appeared in the shadows, one which the three realms were thoroughly familiar with. A presence which demanded respect, hate, worship. One that made the world keel at his feet if he so wished, one that ruled over an entire realm of the three, and made the other two cower when faced with his terror. The Lord of Ghost City, Crimson Rain Sought Flower.
The arrival of the traveler piqued his interest, and he was watching. Through every leaf of every tree he was watching, eyes innumerable; the weight of his gaze heavy and hungry. It did not go unnoticed by Xie Lian.
He was aware of the eyes following him, but his leisurely walk through the forest did not halt. It was simple; in spite of the attention being far from pleasant, it was not hostile. Thus, Xie Lian ignored the prickling of his skin and continued on.
He didn't have to wait long for the calamity to appear.
The path ahead of the traveler was bathed in darkness, but not for long. Among pitch black, a spot of light appeared. What could have been the reflection of the moon on a drop of mist seemed to grow as he approached, seemingly mutually moving towards him as well. Soon the spot was a distinguishable pair of translucent wings, a familiar to and fro movement in the air.
A butterfly.
The traveler halted his steps, waiting for what the creature would do. When it got close enough, Xie Lian raised his hand, extending it for the butterfly to perch on. As expected of it, it landed softly on the tip of his finger, its weight less than a feather. When the traveler tilted his fingers to better observe its wings, it clapped them together twice, showing off. Xie Lian chuckled.
"How clever and beautiful you are," he couldn't help but praise.
"I'm glad gege thinks so."
The deep, pleasant voice came from behind Xie Lian, and he turned towards it slowly. The one watching him finally decided to materialize himself, but when he turned to face him, he was hidden in the shadows of the treeline. Xie Lian could only distinguish the blood red color of his robes, the winking of silverware in the dark. The figure was leaning leisurely against the trunk of an old oak tree, a single sparkling eye watching him.
Xie Lian clasped his hands together, careful not to harm the butterfly, and bowed.
When he straightened himself up, he could see that the polite greeting disoriented the man. He left his perch against the tree and stood now stiffly, and his air of playful confidence seemed to evaporate.
"Gege needn't show respect for this lowly one," the man said. There was no jibe, no mockery in his voice. The traveler shook his head gently.
"How could I not? It's only polite for the trespasser to pay his respects to the master of the land."
"Trespasser? Gege is hardly that. This one would be the most honored if he would consider himself a visitor."
I'm just passing through, the traveler wanted to say, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. Instead he raised the butterfly still resting on his finger, and presented it to the man. "You're the master of this little creature, right?"
The man seemed to tilt his head in amusement in the dark. "Yes. I've heard that gege likes it."
"Yes, it's very cute."
"Cute?"
Xie Lian nodded, gazing at the butterfly once again. "Yes, very much so. Quite different from how I imagined it from the stories I've heard."
The man took a step closer, his pleased curiosity bleeding off of him in waves. Xie Lian would have raised a hand to hide his smile if his mask wasn't hiding it from view already. "Oh? Gege heard stories about me?"
"En. Naturally the fame of Crimson Rain Sought Flower didn't escape even the ears of this one."
It seemed Crimson Rain Sought Flower had a hard time containing his excitement, because he leant back against the oak tree once more in a show of laziness, then suddenly thought better of it and straightened back again. He asked in a serious tone, "What did gege hear?"
"A fearful ghost king, ruler of a horde of translucent butterflies. It is said that their wings are razor sharp, slicing bone like butter, and vicious, devouring lesser ghosts in mere seconds."
"Mhmm, that is quite right," Crimson Rain Sought Flower agreed, and the butterfly wiggled its wings good naturedly. "What else was gege told?"
"A fearful ghost king, one who has never lost a battle. Heavenly officials cower before him, ghosts either follow or fear him, there are worshippers of his even among the mortals. Although he's free to roam the three realms, he has his own territory in the ghost realm, an infamous city. They say it's quite a peculiar place, home to thousands of ghosts, holder of secrets and magical tools even the Heavens are envious of. They say Hua Cheng, the Lord of Ghost City welcomes everyone in his territory as long as they play by his rules."
During Xie Lian's speech, the moon sank a bit lower on the night sky, and left more light to filter through the woods. Xie Lian now could see more of the infamous Crimson Rain Sought Flower, and his eyes were drinking him in. A tall man with wild dark hair, playing with a red bead tied to the end of his braid while listening to him speak was quite the sight. When he was finished with speaking, the calamity raised his face, and a sharp brow above a dark, piercing eye was revealed, a clever mouth stretching into a playful grin. The sight made Xie Lian's stomach flip.
"I prefer the name San Lang," Hua Cheng drawled. It seemed he was pleased by the words spoken, like a cat that caught the canary.
"It's nice to meet you in person, San Lang."
Finally, Hua Cheng stepped forward. He let the moonlight fall on his crimson robes, black hair, silver vambraces. Bells jingled on his boots with every step, and a heavy saber hung on his hip. Xie Lian couldn't help but inspect it with curiosity, and witnessed as an eye rolled open on its hilt and settled its gaze on him in an indolent manner.
"Gege knows so much of me, but there's only so little I know of gege," Hua Cheng said, approaching slowly. His tone revealed what he didn't say, that he thought it was unfair. He was openly pouting, quite the opposite of what you would expect of a fearful ghost king.
So far, most of Xie Lian's expectations were pleasantly let down.
"I'm only a traveler from afar," Xie Lian began, and didn't know how exactly to continue, "My name is Lang Ying, but you are free to continue referring to me as gege, San Lang," he settled to say.
"I would be honored to do so, gege," Hua Cheng said, his single eye glinting. "Gege said he's a traveler, right? Is he traveling to Ghost City then?"
Xie Lian nodded, serious once more. "If San Lang doesn't mind. I'm only accompanying a friend."
Hua Cheng tilted his head to the side, as if he couldn't decide how to react. "Of course gege is welcome, but I haven't had the pleasure to meet his friend yet."
Xie Lian, instead of answering, raised his arm in the air towards Hua Cheng. With the motion, the mouth of his sleeve opened, and Hua Cheng peered at its contents. Hovering under the arm of Xie Lian was a pale green ghost fire, mute and cold. Hua Cheng's brows ran up high on his forehead.
"When I first met her, she was quite chatty. These days, she doesn't say much."
Hua Cheng's lips were pursed, seemingly unsure of what expression he should make. He still asked in the same warm tone he used previously, "Why did gege decide to accompany her here?"
Xie Lian smiled down at his sleeve hiding the ghost fire. Although his face was hidden, Hua Cheng could hear the smile in his voice. "She refused to move on. She spoke to me about her life when she was a mortal, told me she never belonged anywhere. An outcast among her peers until the end of her short life for being different."
Hua Cheng had crossed his arms before himself as he listened, silent. His gaze was still set on the little ball of ghost fire.
"She had only one wish, for once in her existence, she wanted to belong. If not among mortals, then now, in death. I tried to be a good company, but sadly, she began to grow weak, and then mute." Although subtle, self-deprecating bitterness creeped into Xie Lian's tone.
"It's not gege's fault," Hua Cheng hurried to reassure. Under his mask, Xie Lian's lips upturned into a wry smile. He continued on.
"From another traveler on the road, I heard of your city. I thought it would be nice if she could belong there, among other ghosts. Since it's the Zhongyuan Festival, I thought she might be strong enough to make the journey, so I set out."
"It was clever of gege," Hua Cheng answered after a little while. He seemed to have settled into a strange mood. "Weaker ghosts get stronger this time of the year thanks to the incense burned in their memory. And he's right, I gladly welcome everyone in my city as long as they don't stir up any trouble. If she's gege's friend, I'll even offer free protection."
Xie Lian chuckled, but shook his head. "I appreciate it, but there's no need. I think after she feels surrounded for a little while with others like her, she might be able to move on."
They both looked at the little ghost fire, seemingly blind to the outside world. Under Xie Lian's arms, she seemed comfortably settled, without troubles.
"Then, we should waste no time," Hua Cheng chirped eventually. "I'll accompany gege if he doesn't mind, Ghost City is a bit overwhelming around this part of the year. It'll make his journey smoother."
Xie Lian bowed to him again, "Thank you so much, San Lang, we kindly accept the offer!"
What he didn't say was, the company is quite welcome as well!
Thus, they began their walk towards Ghost City. Instead of the tip of his finger, the butterfly flew up to Xie Lian's shoulder, shamelessly hitching a ride. Xie Lian made no comment about it. Secretly, he was glad it didn't not disappear after the appearance of its master.
On Xie Lian's side, Hua Cheng walked idly, hands clasped behind his back. "Gege mentioned that he came from far away. Will he tell me about that place?"
Xie Lian chuckled weakly. "Ah, it's truly nothing interesting. Just a place of solitude. No one really lives there but me."
"Oh? Does gege like living there?"
"It's not really a matter of like or dislike."
Hua Cheng contemplated his words, falling quiet. After a little while, he asked, "Is it a rare occurrence that gege made a friend there then?" Xie Lian had the feeling that this wasn't the first question that occured to Hua Cheng, and wondered why he held back. Although, in the end, the why did not matter.
"Very. Even though I seek out the company of ghost fires myself, I rarely get close to them. They're usually not very talkative, and still a bit confused about their situation."
"Why does gege seek out their company then?"
Xie Lian rubbed the back of his head, looking for the right way to express himself. "It's kind of… what I do? I help them move on, try to diffuse their resentment, et cetera."
"Oh?"
"Anyways, It's not often they'll happily converse with me, so it's quite precious to me when it happens."
"It's only because they don't properly know gege. If they knew him, I'm sure gege's place would be bustling."
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Ah, but San Lang doesn't know me either, how does he know that for sure?"
"I'm getting to know gege right now, and I can decide. I'm quite a good judge of character."
Xie Lian's brows ran together, but he didn't say his thoughts aloud. That is, that Crimson Rain Sought Flower might be a bit too trusting and naïve despite what his reputation suggests.
A silence settled over the two of them. It was only the jingling of Hua Cheng's bells breaking its monotony slightly, and Xie Lian focused his attention on the sound. It was quite a soothing, pleasant chime, although he suspected this sound alone probably struck fear in the hearts of many who knew who it belonged to.
Xie Lian's ears perked. From ahead of them, a strange noise was coming. Like many feet approaching in a rapid manner, and heavy wheels grinding against the tufty underbrush of the forest.
Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng, and met the ghost king's eye. Without him noticing, the calamity has already turned his gaze to him. For a second, Xie Lian felt frozen by what he thought he saw in it: fondness. But before he could properly dwell on it, the moment broke and the light dimmed in the ghost king's eye. The calamity tore his gaze from him and turned it instead towards the ruckus ahead of them. It was almost as if it pained him to do so.
"I hope gege does not mind. I took the liberty of calling it here without asking gege first, but we'll travel however gege prefers it."
Xie Lian wanted to ask what he meant by that, but then the source of the noise arrived before them in a cloud of dust. Hua Cheng raised an arm before Xie Lian as if to shield him from the grime, but from the position of his arm Xie Lian saw that he was protecting his sleeve, and inside, the ghost fire. Gratefulness filled Xie Lian's chest abruptly, and in the middle of it, a spark of hope bloomed. It have been a truly long time that he had a friend.
Instead of allowing himself to dwell on such a delicate feeling, Xie Lian quickly focused his attention on the sight before himself, schooling his expression.
A lavish red sedan carried by two skeletons came to a standstill before them, turning their yellowish skulls towards their direction. In the empty socket where their eyes were supposed to lie burned a pair of crimson flames, and they seemed to grin despite not being able to.
"Well? What do you think, gege?"
In truth, it was the first time Xie Lian had seen such transportation, but he thought it was quite fitting for a City of Ghost and its Lord. Xie Lian has already drawn this conclusion, but once again he couldn't help but think, 'San Lang has quite the style.'
"It's San Lang's sedan, right? I don't mind if we ride it."
Hua Cheng smiled, then gestured for Xie Lian. "Right after gege, then."
Once inside, Xie Lian sank into the plush seating of the sedan, and his head brushed against a soft red curtain. When he peered at it, he could see that it was patterned with silver butterflies and magical beasts, not unlike Hua Cheng's silverware.
The interior was pleasantly decorated, the comfort impeccable, but from the outside, it seemed much more spacious. Once inside, it ended up being a bit of a squeeze, no matter how much to the side Xie Lian scooted. For some reason, when Hua Cheng placed his leg in and it brushed against his own, Xie Lian felt his body jerk slightly.
Hua Cheng didn't miss it. He retreated immediately. "As I thought, it's a tight fit. I apologize. Gege should ride alone, and I'll follow after him shortly if gege's more comfortable that way."
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't just say, "ah, i only flinched because no one has touched me in quite a long time and my body forgot how it felt like," no. He thought their relationship was developing quite nicely, and didn't want to ruin it with his eccentricity.
In his desperation of what he could do, he ended up tugging on Hua Cheng's sleeve, earning him a raised brow once again. "It's really alright, San Lang, come back. If San Lang's comfortable, then I am comfortable. I can't possibly inconvenience you that much."
"It's not an inconvenience," San Lang began, quite seriously, but he was already climbing back inside the sedan. "But if gege persists, then naturally—"
Words seemed to fail the ghost king. Inside, they ended up being lined up from thigh to thigh, arm to arm, cold pressing against warmth, and if Xie Lian were to turn his head towards Hua Cheng, then they would be truly facing each other in quite an awkward position. Acutely aware of that, Xie Lian kept his eyes strictly directed forward and giggled inelegantly. "Haha, now that San Lang's inside, let's go let's go, don't waste time."
The ghost king drew a sharp breath. "Of course. Gege's right, let's go." With a snap of his fingers, the skeletons set out.
Despite how erratic the sound of their pulling was, the sedan remained in a singular spot in the air, not even once jostling the pair inside during their journey. Judging from the whistling of the wind, they were also going at quite an impressive speed, approaching the city as if the sedan suddenly grew a pair of wings.
Xie Lian was more than grateful for such an incredible transportation, but he selfishly wished for something to divert his attention from the press of the ghost king's body against his own. He wanted to bring up a topic of conversation, but couldn't. His face under the mask felt overly warm, his throat suddenly dry, and his palms were growing clammy from where they were twisted into the fabric of his robes.
He couldn't peek at Hua Cheng, couldn't imagine what he could be thinking about. A powerful ghost king with his reputation must be in contact with others all the time, must be used to touching. He must not find this situation… overwhelming, at all. It was probably another peculiarity of Xie Lian, out of touch with the current world.
It has been entirely too long since someone was this close to Xie Lian, years bleeding into centuries. He could not stop his mind from wondering whether the shape of his bones were all wrong, the length of his body unnatural, what if he smelled unpleasantly, what if he sat in a wrong way… He didn't worry about such meaningless things for so long he forgot he was capable of it. Despite how he was living the past centuries, despite way too often forgetting it, he still possessed the body of a mortal.
Suddenly, he felt a tickling sensation on his hand, and his eye snapped to it. From its perch on his shoulder the butterfly had climbed down on his robes while he wasn't looking, and took up a new spot on the top of his hand.
"Gege," Hua Cheng said, his voice a deep tremor, "focus on the butterfly and breathe."
Ah, he stopped doing that didn't he? Without noticing, his breathing grew erratic, every breath of air leaving his lips in a wheezing noise. He forced his eyes to concentrate on the tiny creature and took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Focus on its light, let everything else fade away. Together with its wings, in, out. In, out. You're doing so good, gege."
It could be due to the quality of Hua Cheng's voice, but Xie Lian felt a shiver race up his spine and his breath hitched. He felt an arm settle over his shoulders gently, squeezing him. Holding him together, as if he were but bits of paper scattered in the wind and Hua Cheng caught him him in his palm.
"It's alright, just one more. Take deep breaths, let it sit in your lungs for a bit. Isn't its light quite pretty? Follow its lead."
In sync, when the butterfly touched its wings together, Xie Lian inhaled, and when it spread them, Xie Lian exhaled. It was setting a flawless pace, enough time for Xie Lian's lungs to fill and empty, like a master conductor. Xie Lian let his vision fully focus on the creature, its light overwhelmingly bright, and in his ears, there was only the voice of Hua Cheng, washing out everything else.
"Good, good, one more… That's it, gege, you got the hang of it. No need to hurry, we have all the time in the world."
The words settled in the stomach of Xie Lian and spread out, like warm butter melting and greasing up his insides. Finally, he found the rhythm he was looking for, and began to breathe like usual. How could he even forget it?
When he got his heart and breathing properly back under control, he looked up at Hua Cheng, attempting a smile.
"Haha… how silly of me. Thank you for helping out, San Lang."
In the dark, Hua Cheng's eye was piercing, filled with an indescribable emotion. Xie Lian found himself getting lost in it, but then at once too soon Hua Cheng withdrew his arm from around his shoulder, leaving it strangely cold in its absence.
"This one is thankful he could be of any help. Gege gave San Lang… quite the scare."
Scare? Hua Cheng handled the situation so well that Xie Lian thought the ghost king was completely unaffected by the situation. The possibility that it was otherwise left Xie Lian feeling a bit strange. Ah. He must have inconvenienced the calamity greatly.
"I sincerely apologize to San Lang. I don't know what came over me."
Hua Cheng shook his head fervently, black locks of hair flying around his face. Xie Lian could see that he was unsettled. "No need to apologize, it's not gege's… Is gege perhaps bad with tight spaces?"
Under his mask, Xie Lian's lip twitched. "San Lang guessed it, haha."
Hua Cheng's brow furrowed, his expression closed off. "I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have put gege in such a position. Let us leave for now. I'll compensate gege."
Xie Lian hurried to reassure him that it was unnecessary, but the door of the sedan was unlocked and cool air rushed in. Hua Cheng stepped out, and above his shoulder Xie Lian's vision opened to the dark body of a river. Behind it, paper lanterns hung on the trees, beautifully decorated. Their light set a soft hue of crimson, setting light where even the moon could not reach. Although there was no city in sight, Xie Lian could hear the familiar sounds of a bustling city street, coming from afar.
Xie Lian blinked. Without thinking of it twice, he accepted the hand extended out before him, and climbed off. The butterfly fluttered up, leaving a sparkling trail behind itself, but he was hardly aware of it. "I didn't even notice we arrived," Xie Lian commented, out of breath.
As soon as Xie Lian was safely off, Hua Cheng backed away, hiding his hands behind his back. His face was still one of polite pleasantness, but there was a previously nonexistent tightness to it now.
Xie Lian wondered if he had done and made things awkward.
"It's alright if gege didn't notice. In truth, I ordered the sedan carriers to bring us to the edge of the city instead of the heart of it, so we arrived sooner. I thought gege might not appreciate the busy main street right now."
Xie Lian turned to the direction where the noise was coming from the most strongly. Behind the sedan and up on a hill he could spot the outline of tall houses and million spots of colorful light. It was undoubtedly a place of elated celebration. The residents of Ghost City, celebrating Zhongyuan with song, dance and laughter. From afar, they sounded like quite the merry bunch.
Xie Lian was in awe. "That's Ghost City?"
"En. Right now, we're situated behind my residence, Paradise Manor. No one is allowed to come here, so we're alone. Please sit down for a bit, gege."
Xie Lian's eyes flickered back towards the ghost king, standing entirely too stiffly. "I truly don't deserve San Lang's thoughtfulness."
Hua Cheng shook his head again, face serious. "No, gege deserves only the best. I was quite the poor host. Please let me prove that I can do better than this."
That Hua Cheng was currently hosting him was new information to Xie Lian. It sounded entirely too much like he wanted him to stay for longer, and that was a conflicting thought.
"Haha, there's truly no need," laughed Xie Lian, "I feel like I'm stealing you away from your city on such an important night. It sounds like great fun. Shouldn't you be enjoying the festival together with them?"
Hua Cheng's lips spread into a dark smile. "Those ghosts need to fall on four legs and beg for me to even acknowledge them, gege. Inferior ghosts can't even look at me without expecting punishment."
Behind his white mask, Xie Lian's brows rose. Such a thing was expected of a ghost king, after all, he didn't find anything morally wrong with it. Rather, it sounded a bit lonely. "Is that so? Then I'm truly fortunate to have had the chance to converse with San Lang like this."
Hearing this, Hua Cheng's expression turned pinched, and he shuffled closer. "Not really. Naturally, gege is different from that trash. He's more than welcome to talk to me."
Xie Lian giggled. "Thank you, San Lang."
"That applies to gege's friends as well. Speaking of, won't gege give me his friend for a bit? I might be able to help her out a little."
Xie Lian raised his sleeve again and they both hunched closer to peek at the ghost fire. She was snuggled even deeper than previously, almost up against the underside of Xie Lian's arm, and her light shone infinitesimally paler. Xie Lian's heart clenched. They didn't have much time.
Aiming for a gentle tone, he called, "Won't you come out a bit, Xiao Ming? San Lang here says he might be able to help."
Hua Cheng put on his most innocent smile and beckoned, "Come now, I'd never hurt a friend of gege."
The ghost fire rocked in the air in what could be read as hesitance, her fire flaring up for a second. But at the sight of two smiling faces, she finally left her safe space under Xie Lian's arm and swam closer. Hua Cheng extended an open palm and she settled over it, hovering above it a few inches. After a second of doing so, she seemed to have gained a new consciousness and she snuggled into the palm, pressing as close as her form allowed. Although mute, the ghost fire seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Xie Lian watched curiously, stroking his chin. Witnessing the scene, he exclaimed with pleasant surprise, "So San Lang is giving her spiritual energy!"
"En. It will give her more time and lucidity, so she can enjoy her time with gege better."
Xie Lian hunched close to the ghost fire, excitement in his voice, "You hear that, Xiao Ming? Can you talk to me?"
The ghost fire gradually regained its color and now burned in the color of sharp chartreuse, her form filling into the full shape of a ball once more. She bounced up and down in Hua Cheng's palm in a show of childlike joy, but she did not answer Xie Lian. It seemed her voice was lost for good.
Xie Lian straightened back up, unnaturally stiff. He did not notice Hua Cheng's concerned stare as an unintentional sound of "oh" left his lips.
Xie Lian slowly extended his hands for the ghost fire, and Xiao Ming flew over with great speed, full of energy. She began circling his head, and Xie Lian giggled in surprised joy, but then suddenly the ghost fire sped off towards the city. Xie Lian couldn't even so much as attempt to stop her before Xiao Ming was over the hills and her light bled into the colors of the festival, becoming undistinguishable.
"Ah," Xie Lian said.
Hua Cheng stared after the ghost fire dumbstruck, before he quickly schooled his expression and turned towards Xie Lian. "I'm sorry, gege, I perhaps gave her too much spiritual energy, I can find her for you immediately–"
He was stopped short by a hand placed on his shoulder gently. Xie Lian said, "Thank you."
Hua Cheng swallowed, body stiff under Xie Lian's hand. The ghost king's expression was troubled, guilt written over it. Xie Lian squeezed his shoulder, trying to return some of the reassurance Hua Cheng gave him prior.
"Thank you, truly. I've never seen Xiao Ming this full of energy, even when I first found her. Thanks to you, she can enjoy her time here in Ghost City for a little while longer."
Hua Cheng met his eyes. Determination burned in his gaze that Xie Lian couldn't place anywhere. "Gege, don't you want to follow her? Take part in the festivities. I'm sure she would be delighted if you decided to join her."
Xie Lian chuckled. "Mm, no. She's where she belongs, there's no need for me anymore. It'd be nice if San Lang could tell some of his citizens not to bully her, though. She's only a little ball of ghost fire, after all."
Hua Cheng raised a finger to his temple, then flashed a smile at Xie Lian. It lacked its usual playfulness. "Done."
Truly, wherever Xie Lian went, he managed to ruin the mood. Even this ghost king, who was brimming with mischievous energy and held the world in his palm seemed dejected by him by the end of their encounter. The title White Plague Escort Death seemed appropriate for him now more than ever, and Xie Lian suppressed the urge to break out in a fit of laughter that was bound to turn into hysterical crying.
It has been entirely too long since he thought of that name.
Xie Lian clasped his hands before himself, bowing deeply. He said sincerely, "Thank you for everything, San Lang."
The ghost king reached out to straighten him up, but his hands ended up hovering awkwardly in the air, not touching. Hua Cheng said, voice weak, "Gege, please, don't bow to me."
"How could I not? San Lang was so good to me. I am in his debt. I'll be sure to repay him when I have the chance in the future."
"Don't be silly, gege, you don't owe me anything—"
"I'm not even half as wealthy as San Lang, nor do I have any particular skills, but I'll think of a way. I only ask for your patience."
Xie Lian thought what he said was quite right and appropriate, but Hua Cheng fell abruptly silent. He chanced a glance at him, and he found the ghost king staring ahead, deep in contemplation.
"Gege…" he began, hesitance evident in his voice. "If you're alright with it, there might be something that you could grant me."
Xie Lian's curiosity was piqued. "Is that so? Please just ask and I'll tell you what I can do."
"A question."
Only a question? Xie Lian nodded. "Ask away, San Lang."
"You're free not to answer, gege, I'm just curious. It's about the mask that you're wearing. What's the story behind it?"
Xie Lian stiffened.
Ah. The blank, white mask covering his face. It wasn't as if he forgot about it, on the contrary. He wore it everyday without break, it became one with his face, one with his body. Simply, it was one of the few things that was hard to answer. Hua Cheng had a talent in bringing forth emotions Xie Lian thought he was too old to experience anymore, but this time, he only felt tenfold what he did continuously for the past eight centuries; regret. Shame. Sorrow.
Has he ever told anyone what happened? He could not remember. He suspected prayers to no god in particular and talking to oneself could not be counted. Centuries passed, and Xie Lian's biggest regret and failure remained a secret, and he could not decide whether it was mercy or torture.
He hoped for the latter. Alas, he was undeserving of mercy.
Hua Cheng sensed Xie Lian's hesitance, and probably read it as Xie Lian being offended by the question. He retreated, like a turtle hiding back into its shell. "I overstepped, gege. You're not obliged to answer, I meant when I said you don't owe me anything."
Xie Lian let out a breath, but shook his head. "No, it's natural that San Lang is curious. It must be strange that there's nothing on it, that it's entirely blank." Hua Cheng remained silent, but Xie Lian felt that he was paying keen attention. "In truth, there used to be paint on it. An expression. But it has long faded, and only the crevices of the eyes remain. It must have been strange for San Lang to converse with someone with no face."
As the words 'no face' were uttered, Hua Cheng seemed to flinch, ever so slightly. Xie Lian could not trust himself that he saw it correctly, after all, he was trembling slightly all over himself.
"It's not strange at all. Mask or no mask, gege is gege."
After hearing something so cute, Xie Lian couldn't help but giggle. "Haha, you truly have a talent for saying the strangest of things!"
Hua Cheng smiled, softly. He didn't seem to agree or disagree.
A silence settled over the two of them. It wasn't awkward or tense, like previously, but comfortable, like the quiet of old friends who have nothing else left to discuss. As they stood side by side at the edge of Ghost City, Xie Lian had the feeling that he had known Hua Cheng for a very long time.
"Thank you for answering my question, gege," the ghost king said after a while. "I suppose I can't say anything to convince gege to stay for a little longer."
Xie Lian laughed, and didn't let himself dwell on how rare that sound leaving his lips was. "En. It's time I took my leave. I'm truly fortunate to have had the chance to meet San Lang tonight, and I hope fate grants us another meeting in the future."
"The pleasure is mutual," Hua Cheng said quickly, dark eye glinting with emotion. "Pray gege would accept a simple gift? For keeping this lonely ghost company on such a festive night."
"Gift? There's no need—"
From seemingly nowhere, the ghost king summoned a pair of dice. It was beautifully carved and dark, and sat in his palm like twin gems. He held it out for Xie Lian, who stared at it helplessly.
"Dice?"
"En, spiritual dice. If gege encounters trouble, he only needs to throw it, and I'll come to help. And even if there's no trouble, if gege just feels lonely and needs someone to listen to him, he can throw the dice in that case as well. This ghost king has a lot of time."
Hearing such talk, Xie Lian's mouth fell open behind his mask. His hands, hidden behind his sleeves, began to tremble, and he wanted nothing more than to slide them up to his heart and squeeze.
He was an old thing, and there was only so much his heart could take.
"San Lang… Thank you."
"No need to thank me," Hua Cheng said, "I just thought that rather than letting fate decide the next encounter, it's better to have a bit more control. Fate is a playful thing that likes to play its games a little too much for my liking."
Although San Lang talked so seriously, Xie Lian couldn't help the laughter bubbling past his lips. He ended up bent over, clutching at his knees like an old man, laughing like he hasn't in entirely too long.
Hua Cheng hovered at the edge of his vision, holding out a hand anxiously as if he were afraid Xie Lian would topple over. Xie Lian, for his part, thought he might have finally gone insane.
He collected himself apace, and rasped, "San Lang talked… really well."
"Gege liked it?"
"Yes. In truth, San Lang is very right. You would think an old thing like me wouldn't put so much faith in fate, but here I am."
He straightened up finally, dreading the mask on his face only because he couldn't wipe away his tears. He looked at San Lang, and the way he radiated nervousness, and suddenly felt a bit guilty for getting lost in his head.
"I apologize to San Lang, I wasn't laughing at him," he said carefully, "I hope I didn't put him in an uncomfortable position."
Hua Cheng shook his head, his expression slightly pinched. "Gege could never. I was afraid I was the one to upset gege."
"Mm, no, I found that San Lang talks really well."
Hua Cheng looked down at the dice still resting in his palm, then up at Xie Lian. He asked, as if he were asking an entirely different thing, "Then will gege accept this?"
Xie Lian stepped closer, a soft smile under his bland mask. "En. This one would be happy to."
As the ghost king slid the dice into his palm, keeping his eyes through the mask, their fingers pressed against each other briefly. Xie Lian must have imagined the way they lingered just a second too long before Hua Cheng pulled away, leaving only the memory of coolness in his hands.
"I might only roll snake eyes," Xie Lian said, just to say something. Hua Cheng chuckled.
"Regardless of snake eyes or two sixes, this one will come. This one will definitely come for you, gege."