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The market was bustling with life, the orange glow of lanterns lighting everything up like fire. It was loud and bright and He Xuan bemoaned once more he had to be here. He knew Hua Cheng demanded it for a reason and he’d already decided he wasn’t going to like it.
The ghost king kept his attention on Xie Lian for the most part, walking arm in arm or hand in hand together with him because he could. And for just a moment He Xuan felt the ghost of a hand on his arm, reminiscent of…someone he tried not to think about anymore. He’d given chances after all, and it wasn’t his fault if a certain ex-Wind Master was an idiot who couldn’t recognize that.
Xie Lian called out in surprise suddenly. Hua Chang’s smirky gaze landed briefly again on him and He Xuan knew this was it. He forced himself to look ahead but quickly turned around when he saw what…*who* Xie Lian was pulling Hua Cheng towards.
Flitting about the market in his usual errant demeanor was *him*, Shi Qingxuan, still clutching that stupid fan like his life depended on it. No longer the Wind Master, no longer even immortal since He Xuan had finally gotten his…retribution. He Xuan shook the images from his head. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about everything that happened then…of course parts of it had felt so right and yet…
“Ming— He-Xiong!!”
The bustling stopped, a white noise in his head drowned out all of the sound, as He Xuan couldn’t help himself but to turn, forgetting for once to put up his act. Somehow, his dead heart skipped a beat.
==
Months later, when Hua Cheng gives him an updated balance of his debt, He Xuan can barely bring himself to be annoyed that Hua Cheng added on a “Wind Master Finder’s Fee”.
==
