Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Xie Lian could say, with all the honesty in his heart, that he was not a fan of drowning.

He had lost track of the number of times it had happened, and he hardly even felt the pain anymore. That didn’t mean he had to like it. Over the years he had become quite a strong swimmer, and that made it significantly harder for the water to take him. He used boats when he could, driftwood when he couldn’t, and when all else failed he could count on his own strength to keep his head above water.

This black water was different.

He’d gone out fishing, a favor for the fisherman he met in town who’d taken ill. The afternoon had been pleasant, filled with nothing but casting nets and drawing up fish. It wasn’t enough for Xie Lian to take any for himself, which was a pity as it had been days since he’d last found a meal, but it was enough for the fisherman’s family and that was what mattered. When the sky began to darken, he had turned the boat to return to the shore, only to realize the shore had long since disappeared. He’d shrugged, telling himself he would just wait for the sky to darken a bit more and use the stars to get himself back, when the boat began to sink.

There were no holes in the boat, no water pouring in from the bottom. The boat was simply heavier than the water around it. Xie Lian could do nothing but watch as the boat was slowly swallowed by the waves of dark water. When the boat submerged, he could do nothing but try to keep himself afloat. When even that failed to work, he could do nothing but feel the waves swallow him as well. His lungs were filled with that familiar burn, and then he could truly do nothing at all.

______

He came to with a spluttering cough. Hands shaking from the cold, he rolled himself over and let himself continue coughing until there was no more water in his lungs. When his throat felt dry and his lungs ached, he pushed his dripping hair out of his face and pushed himself to his feet. His legs were wobbly, but they didn’t give out under him so he kept walking.

Glancing around, he caught sight of debris down the beach and made his way over to it. He grimaced when he recognized the wood as part of the fisherman’s boat. He stepped around broken planks in search of anything that he could salvage. Finding nothing, he turned away from the beach and made to walk further into the island.

He walked instead into the face of a giant skeletal fish. Several skeletal fish, actually, floating above the beach as though the air around them was deep water. They were unusually large, with sharp teeth hung with sickly green moss, and they looked at him with empty sockets that seemed to look right through him. Xie Lian blinked in surprise, taking a step back to avoid going cross-eyed as he looked at them. The ground squelched beneath his foot, and he looked down to see he’d stepped into the meagre pile of fish he had caught earlier in the day.

He looked from the fish on the ground to the fish in the air, gaze calculating. Slowly, so as not to scare the skeletons, he bent down and picked up one of the fish. He stood up just as slowly and held it out in front of him, an offering.

The skeleton regarded him, and he suddenly felt very silly.

“Ah, here I am offering fish to a fish. Maybe you don’t even eat food, and I’m just making a fool of myself.” He chuckled lightly at his own actions and made to drop the fish, but the skeleton moved faster. It darted out suddenly, drawing a yelp from Xie Lian as its jaws snapped around the fish and pulled it out of his hand. He watched in fascination as the fish disappeared into a bony maw only to fall through the gaps between ribs and hit the ground with a wet plop. The skeleton’s tail wagged back and forth, almost like a dog, and it backed away a few feet. One of the other fish crowded in and looked at Xie Lian expectantly.

Hesitantly, he bent and picked up another fish. This skeleton showed none of the reservations of the first and lunged forward before Xie Lian had stood up fully. Like the first, the skeleton’s ribs couldn’t hold the fish and it slid out to hit the ground, but Xie Lian seemed to be the only one to notice.

After all the fish had been fed (Xie Lian wondered whether this could even qualify as feeding), they began swimming in excited circles around Xie Lian. He quietly hoped this was a sign of affection, and not a sign that he was next on the menu. When they failed to show any kind of malice, he let himself relax.

“Mn,” his body had relaxed too much, it seemed. He sank to the ground, realizing belatedly that he was running on fumes. When was the last time he’d eaten? He eyed the discarded fish on the ground, coated in sand. Before he could make such a foolish decision as reaching for it, he felt a light pressure on his back.

The largest bone fish, the first one he’d offered food to, nudged him to his feet and pushed him forward. Together they bypassed the fish and the debris, and Xie Lian found himself guided deep into the island with a group of bone fish trailing along behind him. As he passed through the treeline, the shadows became darker and he felt a chill seep into his bones. He drew his still-wet robes a bit tighter around him as he walked.

A scuttling sound drew his eyes to the trees. He was surprised to see the figure of a tiny ghost disappearing into the shadows, as though afraid to be seen. Now that he was looking, he could actually see quite a few of those scrawny minions peeking out. Xie Lian wondered what manner of island he had managed to find himself on, to have ghosts and bone fish. Nothing seemed keen to bring him harm, though, so he resolved to treat it as he would any other town or village.

The fish led him through the woods without incident. The trees thickened until he could hardly make out those tiny eyes, and then all at once the greenery in front of him disappeared and a black lake took its place. Xie Lian cocked his head at the abrupt change of scenery, and his eyes met his own reflection on the lake’s surface. He could see his posse of fish clumped together around him, reminding him of those days as the child Crown Prince when he couldn’t take a step into town without a detail of soldiers watching his every move.

The fish did seem to keep the ghosts at bay, however, which Xie Lian was grateful for. He still didn’t know whether they would attack given the chance, and he was tired. Too tired to fight them off if they decided to swarm him. He watched their reflections in the lake, seeing them inch closer to him only to flinch away when a fish would turn its head toward them. The fish behind him nudged him forward once more, and his heart skipped a beat as his foot entered the water. His lungs still burned from the ocean water, and his head whipped around to look at the fish with wide eyes.

The fish did not falter, but simply pressed into his chest lightly, encouraging him to walk further into the lake. He stood his ground and looked around the clearing, looking for a means to escape. It was then that he noticed a distinct lack of ghosts in the clearing, despite having been there only moments before. The fish nudged him once more and he took a step back on instinct, accidentally walking further into the lake. As he was crowded away from the shore he braced himself for the water that he was sure would bury him once more.

The water never came. Even as he was pushed into the depths of the lake, the waves never rose above his ankles. He looked down, surprised. A bridge? He'd never seen a bridge inside a lake, but it was the only explanation he could think of for how he could be standing in the middle of a lake without sinking.

He willed his heart to stop pounding, reassured that these fish were not trying to kill him. He turned himself back around and let himself be guided into the unknown.

The unknown wasn't very far away, it seemed. He had walked barely a few meters, head turned to the sky as he relaxed into the light breeze around him, before he ran into something solid. His gaze snapped forward, but he saw nothing in his way. Curiously, he reached out with his hand and was met by the cold touch of stone. He turned to the fish with an inquisitive look, but they simply stared at him with those empty socket eyes.

Below the fish, however, was a dark shadow that caught Xie Lian's eye immediately. In the reflection of the black waters lay a building of black stone. It towered up menacingly behind him, looking very much like a prison. He could see now that his hand lay flat on a brick nestled inconspicuously in the wall. The brick was more worn down than the others, just a touch paler and smoother than the rest. With another nudge from behind, he pushed on the brick and watched as the wall folded back and revealed a long hall.

It was a strange sight, to see a doorway appear from what appeared to be nothingness, but Xie Lian supposed an invisibility was hardly the strangest thing he had seen today. He walked quietly into the hall, and only turned back when he noticed a distinct lack of pressure on his back. The bone fish seemed content that they had led him this far and turned to roam around the manor, tails flapping back and forth happily. The door slowly slid back into place, leaving Xie Lian in a dimly lit hall.

He followed the path before him, looking around curiously at his new surroundings. The walls were barren and cold, and Xie Lian’s robes were not yet dry enough to protect him from the chill. They had never quite been warm enough for that, but as he stepped out into a large room he found he couldn’t complain.

Compared to the person who sat before him, damp robes were nothing. Xie Lian had entered a throne room, the narrow hallway spitting him out directly behind the throne itself. In the throne sat the tattered remains of what Xie Lian assumed to be the master of this manor. The skeletal form was draped in black cloth and propped back against the chair as though lounging, and while Xie Lian did not dare to get close enough to examine it he could feel...something. Something that told him that this person—this man?—was not entirely dead.

That certainly wasn’t something he wanted to mess with.

Xie Lian weighed his options. He could go back the way he came, perhaps the bone fish would escort him back to the beach where he could build a raft and try his luck getting back to that little village. Then again, his luck would likely have him drowning before he was ten meters from the shore. He could walk further into this island in hopes of finding a mainland, but if the fish didn’t want to help he would more than likely be subdued by those little ghost minions. Better not to chance it.

Well, he thought, looking around the room and glancing warily at the skeleton, I suppose I could take a look around this place. After all, it wasn’t like the master of the house was in the position to maintain the house. He would just take a peek around, tidy up some of the dust, and then decide what he should do. That was reasonable, wasn’t it?

Of course, there were an awful lot of rooms to peek in. Most of the rooms had an awful lot of dust, too. It seemed the only entirely clean room in the place was the kitchen, which was stocked entirely with jars of preserved food, stasis talismans littering their lids.

Xie Lian’s stomach growled loudly at the sight, and he found himself reaching for a jar before his mind could catch up with his actions. He pulled the lid off and shoveled out a handful of vegetables, and it wasn’t until he had already eaten half the jar that he remembered to feel guilty. Here he was, standing in someone’s kitchen and eating their food while they sat mostly-dead in a dusty throne.

Except...it wasn’t like the master would be eating it, right? And stasis charms only lasted so long, even preserved food would go bad after long enough. Really, all of this food was just trash before its time. Xie Lian was good at cleaning up trash. He could clean up this place, take care of it for a dead man. He would have to live here for some time, to clean so many rooms. And of course he would have to keep the food from going to waste.

And if it kept him out of the cold, if it gave him peace and safety even for just a moment, well there certainly wasn’t any harm in that.

Chapter Text

Ten years. He Xuan had not been home in ten years. Sure, he’d stopped by every once and a while. Checked up on his fish, redoubled his wards, did the laundry. He never stayed long, though. He had too many things to attend to in heaven, and that damned Shi Qingxuan somehow always noticed when he was gone too long.

Besides, it wasn’t like there was much that needed to be done. His manor didn’t dirty easily; dust never seemed to settle and the shine of the marble floors had yet to fade. Perhaps it was simply the nature of the material. While he recalled cleaning the place years prior, he thought that he must have been doing it out of boredom rather than need. After all, he hadn’t had the busy schedule of a false heavenly official in those days.

Now, though, he had been assigned a very special mission. One that gave him ample time to return to his home and relax for a few weeks at least. He was glad for that, even if it meant temporarily sharing his space with…

“Black Water, your fish are ignoring me!”

...that bastard Crimson Rain.

“Perhaps they’ve finally gained some sense and grown sick of you,” He Xuan deadpanned. Hua Cheng waved him off, obviously disregarding the possibility. The man always had that air of arrogance to him, but somehow it was worse when it was just the two of them. It was as though all those titles and formalities that came with being Crimson Rain Sought Flower fell by the wayside the moment he crossed the threshold of Black Water Island, leaving only the incorrigibly irritating nuisance that was Hua Cheng.

He Xuan lead his guest through the manor and into a small sitting room, hoping that the distraction of getting actual work done will keep the complaining at a minimum. He even went so far as to sit across from what he knew was Hua Cheng's favorite chair, ensuring no comment could be made about uncomfortable arrangements or poor hosting abilities.

"They want me to spy on you," he said simply. With any luck, this conversation could be over sooner rather than later and he could be left alone to enjoy being home again.

Hua Cheng barked out a dry laugh. "Because they think I'm spying on them, right?"

He Xuan nodded seriously. His expression betrayed no reaction, but privately he agreed with Hua Cheng's amusement. It was very like Heaven to fight fire with fire, and the idea of any official managing to remain undercover long in Ghost City was laughable. There were many skilled individuals in Heaven, but not one of them knew the meaning of subtlety.

"You will have to decide what information you want taken back to them," the warning went unspoken, don't compromise my position with faulty information.

Hua Cheng sat back, humming. "This sounds suspiciously like a negotiation."

"Does it."

One raised eyebrow was all it took for He Xuan to groan internally. He knew what was coming next.

"I can't help but notice that this arrangement benefits you far more than it does me."

He Xuan grit his teeth. "Does it."

"I'll need something a bit more...enticing, if you want me to provide you with information."

Before He Xuan could blink back the incoming headache and form a response that wasn't some variant of fuck off, a resounding crash drew the attention of both ghost kings away from their conversation. They stood together, both feigning casual nonchalance as they leisurely made their way to the door to see what had caused the disruption. The front room appeared untouched, but the front door was wide open despite He Xuan being certain he'd shut it firmly behind him when he'd come in.

The two devastations strolled out together, only to stop in their tracks as they took in the sight that met them.

A man sat half-submerged in the shallow end of the lake, long brown hair tied up atop his head to reveal a bandage-wrapped neck. His once-white robes were spotted with mud from the lake bottom, but even the clean patches were tattered and faded to more of a pale gray. Having been subjected to years of Hua Cheng's drawings, it wasn't difficult for He Xuan to recognize the man. Of course, even if he hadn't seen roughly one million perfect renditions of the Crown Prince of Xian Le's 'perfect' face, the way Hua Cheng froze beside him would have given him an inkling.

The sight of the man sitting in his lake might have given He Xuan some pause, even if he hadn't been surrounded by what looked like food scraps (and where did those come from?). What truly froze him in place, however, was the way his bone fish suddenly appeared from the underbrush and swarmed the man with sharp teeth and frenzied movements. He had taught his fish well, long ago, to attack on sight any stranger to the island. Of course Hua Cheng had become an exception to the rule, after years of close calls and bribery, but He Xuan had never taught the fish to stand down. Why would he, when the only visitor that didn't mean him harm was the one standing next to him with a murderous expression?

Only a fool, or perhaps someone who had never had a conversation with the man, would think that Crimson Rain Sought Flower would in any reality choose to spare a creature that had attacked his precious god. It was clear, then, that regardless of his interference this would likely be the last time He Xuan saw his pets in one piece. With a flick of his wrist, Hua Cheng released E'Ming from it's sheath and sent it flying towards his fish. He Xuan could do nothing but look away and begin mourning the death of his beloved children.

After a minute passed without the slicing of bone echoing across the water, He Xuan dared to turn his gaze back to his fish. He blinked in surprise when he saw that not a single one of his fish had so much as a scratch. No, they had been shielded from the deadly scimitar by none other than the Crown Prince himself. The man had turned his back on six violent skeletons to face down the blade of a ghost king, and he had succeeded.

While He Xuan was fairly sure E'Ming would not have been capable of deliberately bringing harm to its master's one true love, the blade had been moving too fast and with too much killing intent. It had been stopped just inches from the prince's throat by...a ribbon? Somehow, in that split second He Xuan had looked away, the prince had stood from the lake to stand in front of the fish and gotten a long white ribbon wrapped around E'Ming's hilt, stopping it in place even as it noticed its path and tried to hold itself back. The eye on its hilt was uncovered, and it shone with unshed tears as it trembled in the cloth grip.

The prince seemed to notice the eye's turmoil and plucked E'Ming out of the air gently to examine it. When he saw it staring back at him—a disconcerting experience in He Xuan's opinion—he patted it gently on the handle and spoke to it in soft tones.

“It’s not very nice to just attack people you know,” he was saying, “I know they look scary, but they’re just fish! They’re really quite sweet!” As though to prove his point, he stopped petting the blade and reached his hand back towards the largest fish’s waiting jaws. The fish simply angled itself forward to expose the top of its head for the prince’s waiting hand and allowed itself to be pet vigorously. He Xuan made a sound of distress as his loyal pet started wagging its tail in delight at the touch.

The noise draws the attention of the prince, who had seemingly not noticed the two men standing before him. He straightened in surprise and gave He Xuan a polite nod. He opened his mouth to speak just before noticing Hua Cheng standing off to the side, and his words came out strangled as a blush rose to his cheeks.

“Oh, hello! Who are you?”

Surely, he must have been asking the both of them, but his eyes were only on Hua Cheng. He Xuan felt extremely ignored, which was made especially annoying by the fact that this was Nether Water Manor, so why was Black Water being disregarded?

Hua Cheng bowed deeply with a completely unnecessary flourish. “You may call this one San Lang.”

He Xuan’s eyes nearly rolled all the way back in his head. “Unbelievable,” he muttered.

The prince copied the bow, smiling politely. “San Lang, you may call this one Hua Xie.”

Hua Cheng made a noise somewhere between a moan and a whimper. He Xuan threw his hands up and turned on his heel to storm inside. He refused to deal with this without a drink in his hand.

“Ah, did I do something wrong?” the prince—no, Hua Xie—whispered loudly.

Hua Cheng responded quickly. “Of course not, Black Water is just cranky because he hasn’t eaten in an hour.” He Xuan could hear the grin on the man’s face.

“Oh!” Hua Xie’s voice should be getting quieter, not louder. They must be following him inside, which was the opposite of what He Xuan wanted. He was just beginning to wonder if he could try to sic the fish on his guests when Hua Xie continued, “Why don’t I cook something for the two of you?”

Well. He could work with that. He shot the man a glance over his shoulder and made a gesture that said ‘go ahead’.

“Hua Xie,” and oh how Hua Cheng seemed to relish in saying that, “you don’t need to cook for him.” He Xuan was going to strangle him, ghost king or no.

Hua Xie brushed it off with a smile. “I may not need to, but I would like to. I’ve already got it started, just give me a few minutes to get a bit more food out.”

He Xuan’s brow furrowed, and he stopped walking. Hua Xie didn’t seem to notice, and brushed past him to walk swiftly towards the kitchen.

Already started?

He Xuan had assumed the prince had just stumbled across the island, bringing with him a bag of scraps worthy of his trash god title. But what if he had been leaving? Taking out the manor’s trash? Why would he be doing that? How would he have gotten in to gather trash in the first place? A glance at Hua Cheng told him the other man was having much the same thought.

Together, they followed the prince into the kitchen just in time to see him rummaging through the pantry with a startling familiarity. Something was indeed already heating on the stove, slightly smoking. Hua Xie turned to face them with a smile, a jar in each of his hands. He plopped the jars down on the table and motioned for the two men to sit.

“I can’t drink these, so I’m not sure if they’re any good,” he said apologetically. He Xuan took his seat and examined the jar suspiciously. When he saw the familiar label marking it as alcoholic, he shrugged internally and took a hearty sip. Across from him, Hua Cheng drank without reservation, eyes never leaving Hua Xie.

He Xuan nursed his drink, eyeing Hua Xie suspiciously. With how comfortably the man moved around the kitchen, He Xuan was beginning to suspect this was not his first time in the manor. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who’d come to that conclusion, as he’d barely opened his mouth to ask before Hua Cheng was speaking.

“Gege, how impressive that you can find things with such ease!”

Hua Xie smiled, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. “Not so impressive. I’ve just had plenty of time to learn everything’s place.”

The room stilled at that comment, although Hua Xie didn’t seem to notice. Plenty of time? Wouldn’t that imply the man lived here? He Xuan was fairly certain he would’ve noticed if someone was living in his home.

Except, would he? The manor was large, after all, and it had been years since he’d spent more than an hour or two in its halls. He had put many enchantments and protections over his domain, but if his fish chose to allow someone entry there wouldn’t be much He Xuan could do to find out about it. After all, his fish usually did their job quite well.

“Is that so?” Hua Cheng spoke with the casual ease of a genuinely curious listener, but his eyes had fixed on He Xuan with an icy coldness. “How long is plenty of time?”

It hit He Xuan then that this could end very badly for him. This wasn’t just a random squatter, this was the Crown Prince of Xian Le. The ghost king had spent centuries searching for his fallen god only to find him living comfortably in the home of another ghost. And after all the precautions He Xuan had personally put in place around his manor, what were the chances someone could live in his home unnoticed? Hua Cheng would surely take this as a betrayal, assuming He Xuan had deliberately withheld the prince’s location. He could only hope that the prince had only taken up residence recently, allowing him some measure of plausible deniability.

Hua Xie hesitated for a moment, counting on his fingers. “Mm, it’s been maybe ten years now?”

So much for plausible deniability. Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow at He Xuan, who took a large swig of his drink. It wouldn’t do much to dissuade, but at least he wouldn’t die on an empty stomach.

“Ten years is quite some time to be alone in such a large place. Has the master of the house kept you company?”

Oh no. He Xuan recognized that tone. It was the same tone he used when he spoke of Shi Qingxuan. Jealousy, and a tinge of rage. He Xuan didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what Hua Cheng meant by ‘keeping company’. Despite knowing his own innocence, he silently began praying to the god not to say anything that would incriminate him further.

Unfortunately, it seemed that fallen gods couldn’t hear prayers.

“Oh, yes! Well, I suppose it's more that I keep him company. Not that I blame him! It's the least I can do, really. It's not his fault he's not the talkative sort!"

He Xuan blinked in disbelief. He hadn't been aware that the crown prince had any sort of grudge against him, but clearly the man must have wanted him dead. Hua Cheng turned to him with that sickly smile that said I'm about to burn down some heavenly temples.

"I wouldn't say that."

Hua Xie turned in surprise. "Oh? What do you mean?"

Hua Cheng laughed coldly. "It sounds like your kindness has been taken advantage of."

Hua Xie took in the other man's glower and, for some reason, relaxed with yet another smile. "It's not like that at all. It's completely fair, I'd say. I have a roof over my head, food when I need it, and the fish are wonderful company. A bit of housekeeping and one-sided conversation is nothing in comparison. I'm afraid I'm the one taking advantage."

Housekeeping. That certainly explained the lack of dust.

With a gentle hand, Hua Xie set down two plates of...something, in front of the ghosts. The dish in front of him almost had He Xuan forgetting about his imminent downfall and the way Hua Cheng's fists tightened around his cup at the mention of housekeeping. What sat in front of him certainly resembled food, but there was something just the slightest bit off about it. He was fairly certain, for one, that rice wasn't meant to be pink. Presumably the meat on top of it was fish, as there were no other living animals around the island, but it somehow managed to look both rubbery and charred.

It definitely wasn’t what He Xuan would hope for as a last meal, but he supposed some food was better than no food. Pretending to ignore Hua Cheng’s murderous smile, he took a generous bite.

All doubt that Hua Xie wasn’t trying to kill him was erased instantaneously at the aroma that filled his senses. He started coughing, eyes tearing up. Trying to wash the taste out with his drink yielded no relief, and in fact almost seemed to make it worse with the way it made his throat burn along with his mouth. Hua Xie rushed over and settled a comforting hand on He Xuan’s back, ready to dislodge whatever it was that had stuck itself in his throat. He Xuan shrugged him off, fully aware of Hua Cheng’s unamused staring.

“Are you okay?” Hua Xie was saying, “Is it the food? I’m so sorry!”

Hua Cheng spoke up then. “No need for apologies, gege. The food is wonderful, see?”

And He Xuan watched in disbelief as Hua Cheng took a bite, chewed carefully, and swallowed without showing a single trace of disgust or discomfort. Instead, he smiled brightly up at Hua Xie and continued eating as though it was the best meal he’d ever had. He caught He Xuan’s incredulous gaze halfway through one bite and made a point out of exaggerating his motions, keeping his eyes locked on He Xuan’s the entire time as though issuing a challenge. Or maybe just bragging.

He Xuan averted his gaze, unable to stand the sight. In doing so, he caught sight of two more bowls of the food on the counter beside the stove. It made sense for there to be one bowl, as Hua Xie had been cooking for himself before they arrived. But why the fourth bowl? He asked as much, terrified the bowl would be offered to him.

“That? That’s for the master.”

“Oh please no,” He Xuan muttered. Hua Xie didn’t appear to have heard him, but Hua Cheng clearly did.

“Why don’t you give it to him?” Hua Cheng asked. Gone was the coldness in his eyes, replaced with the fire of mischief.

Hua Xie looked taken aback. “Right now?”

“Right now.”

Hua Xie gave Hua Cheng a confused glance, then shrugged it off and turned to pick up the bowl. He Xuan frantically considered his escape routes, but before he could make any sort of movement, Hua Xie spun around and walked out the door.

The two ghosts sat in stunned silence as the prince disappeared from sight. When they locked eyes the animosity from before was gone, replaced with surprise and confusion. As one, they rose from their seats and followed after Hua Xie.

They twisted and turned through the labyrinth halls of the manor, keeping Hua Xie within their sights but never quite catching up due to their unwillingness to move any faster than a casual stride. Despite his familiarity with the manor, He Xuan had no idea where he was going until he turned a corner and found himself in his throne room.

The slowly decomposing skeleton of Ming Yi sat on the throne, exactly where He Xuan had left him. The preservation charms kept his bones white and his clothing somewhat intact, but time had obviously taken its toll on the body. He Xuan had not visited the body in some time, confident now in his ability to impersonate the man it belonged to. He wasn’t entirely sure why he hadn’t gotten rid of the thing, now that he thought of it.

Hua Xie took the bowl directly to the throne and placed it down at the skeleton’s feet. He Xuan followed the movement and was surprised to see a small mourning altar set up in front of the throne. It was missing a picture, unsurprising considering Hua Xie likely had no idea what the man had looked like while alive, but the rest was tidy and clean.

“I don’t think he has anyone else to mourn him,” Hua Xie explained as he lit the incense. “It’s just the two of us in this great big place, and there have been no visitors. Did the two of you know him, or did you simply stumble upon this place like I did?”

“Gege…” Hua Cheng sounded strangled as he took in the sight of his god kneeling before such a pitiful sight.

Pieces began to click into place in He Xuan’s brain, and he was so relieved at the picture he was beginning to see that he didn’t even bother with anger at the imposition into his home. “This is the master you spoke of,” he stated more than asked. Hua Xie nodded, standing and brushing imaginary dust from his knees.

“It is,” the man answered. “Do you know of him?”

“I know that he would not have shown you the same kindness you show him,” Hua Cheng interjected.

Hua Xie, hearing those words, considered the skeleton for a moment. “No matter,” he said simply. “If acts of kindness required kindness in return, nothing good would ever get done.”

Hua Cheng looked at the prince with such lovesick eyes that He Xuan wanted to retch. He almost preferred the murderous glare.

“Gege, you should know,” and ugh, even his voice sounded lovestruck, “this man is not the master of this house.”

The prince blinked owlishly. “Oh? Who is?”

A pale hand lifted to point at He Xuan. “Him.”

At once, realization dawned on Hua Xie’s face, followed by mild horror. “You…” He looked ready to fall to his knees in apology which, while He Xuan wouldn’t have minded, would surely not win him any more favor with Hua Cheng. He waved the man off before such a thing could happen.

“Think nothing of it.”

Hua Xie did not seem capable of the request, however, and insisted on spouting his apologies. “I really had no idea someone lived here! And I’ve eaten your food, and made myself at home, and tampered with your things!”

“Yes, you did.” Hua Cheng’s displeasure aside, He Xuan wasn’t one to offer false pardons.

“I don’t know how I can reimburse you for my trouble…”

“No need,” Hua Cheng interrupted. He seemed to be willing He Xuan to argue as he elaborated. “I’m sure He Xuan will be content enough with having his home back to himself.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

Hua Xie nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I’ll leave at once, you won’t have to see me again. I can find somewhere else to live.”

Hua Cheng cocked his head. “You can live with me.”

Wide eyes snapped to the ghost king. “Oh, no. I can’t impose on…”

“It’s not imposing if I’m inviting you. Come live with me.”

Hua Xie fixed Hua Cheng with an uncharacteristically suspicious stare. “What would you like in return?”

Hua Cheng extended a hand, looking for all the world like a prince waiting to whisk his love away. He Xuan wanted to vomit at the sight.

“All I ask in return is that you live well, and allow me to provide whatever you need.”

He Xuan didn’t understand how that was supposed to make the prince less suspicious of Hua Cheng’s intentions. Hua Xie’s eyes narrowed a fraction as he took in Hua Cheng’s—for once—completely genuine expression. After a moment, his face changed as though to say oh well, what do I have to lose, and he took Hua Cheng’s outstretched hand.

“I should say,” the prince started hesitantly, “in the spirit of honesty, my name isn’t really Hua Xie.”

“Ah, but it is such a lovely name. Would gege permit me to use it still?” Hua Cheng waited for the tentative nod before continuing. “In the spirit of honesty, I too should say that while you may call me San Lang, that isn’t my real name either.”

“Oh?” Hua Xie looked to be fighting back a smile. “Is that so?”

Hua Cheng smiled coyly and bent to kiss the back of Hua Xie’s hand. He Xuan gave a full body shudder and rolled his eyes, gagging.

“That’s enough. Get out of my house.”

Unhurriedly, Hua Cheng lifted his head and turned to give a mocking bow to his fellow ghost. “Hm, but we haven’t finished our negotiations. And I’m sure Hua Xie would like to collect his things before we leave.”

The man in question flushed bright red. “Actually, all my belongings are right here.” He gestured to his dirty robes, to the ribbon circling his wrist and the hat strapped across his back. Hua Cheng looked mildly displeased.

“That will need to be fixed,” he muttered. Turning to He Xuan, “Ten years of cleaning fees have been added to your debt. Paid in full to Hua Xie, including interest.”

“That’s not necessa-” Hua Xie began.

“Fine.” He Xuan pinched his nose, already running through the calculations in his head. “Just, get me the information I need.”

“Of course.” Hua Cheng spoke as though he had been planning to hand over the information the entire time. He Xuan’s eye twitched.

Still holding tightly to his god’s hand, Hua Cheng turned to strut back out towards the front door of the manor.

“Gege would like to say goodbye to the fish first, right?”
Hua Xie made some sort of agreement, but He Xuan paid it no mind. As long as they were leaving, he didn’t care. He huffed out a frustrated breath through his nose and glared at Ming Yi’s corpse until he could no longer hear the couple’s retreat.

He waited a few minutes longer than he thought strictly necessary before returning to the kitchen. The sight of the prince’s cooking assaulted him and he took pleasure in setting fire to the leftovers before fixing himself something safe. He ate in silence, then walked his manor in silence, then went to bed in silence. He wondered to himself, in the very back of his mind where he could pretend the thought hadn’t happened, if he even really enjoyed silence.

Years later, when he’d killed a god and unleashed havoc on the heavens, he left his domain behind for an extravagant celebration in the bustling, noisy hell that was Ghost City. He stood at the front of the procession when Hua Xie—Xie Lian, apparently, was his real name—stepped down from the sedan dressed in elegant red, and he heard the noise of a thousand fireworks exploding around him. He was jostled by the ghosts screaming well wishes and ‘helpful’ suggestions at their Chengzu and his Daozhang. His ears were almost burst by the excited cheering of one Shi Qingxuan, weakened and still hurting but alive and healing.

And he thought that maybe this was better than silence, and maybe his manor had room for more than one.