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Martial God of the East, General Tai Hua, Crown Prince of Yong'an, Lang Qian Qiu froze in place, nearly spilling his wine down the front of his white robes.
"W...what??" He choked out, wiping at the dribble of liquid that had leaked down his chin at Pei Xu's words.
The other young god glanced at him, one eyebrow raised, probably judging him. Lang Qian Qiu had a feeling the Peis did a lot of judging him.
"I beat the shit out of him." The other god repeated finally, raising his wine bowl to his lips and taking another sip. "Fucking green ghost."
Qian Qiu swallowed slowly, lowering his own wine to the table. "He's...pretty powerful." He heard himself mumbling, staring at the floor near the edge of his robes.
Pei Xu snorted into his drink. "Like a thick skinned worm, I suppose. He went down pretty quick. Not sure why you have so much trouble with him."
Qian Qiu's fingers twitched on the edge of his bowl. There were a lot of reasons he had difficulties with Qi Rong. Mostly nowadays it was the friction of doing something right vrs the soft warm feelings he had found lingering in his chest whenever their lips crashed together.
"Dunno." He forced a weak laugh, "Maybe he...wasn't trying against you. Or something.”
Pei Xu gave him another look, one that Qian Qiu was pretty sure stemmed from all the heavenly drama that had arisen when Pei Xu ascended.
He was well aware the younger Pei was more powerful then he was and had still been passed over for any sort of martial position, instead handed over to his great uncle as a deputy god.
Most days he tried to ignore it. Pei Xu seemed inclined to let well enough alone more often than not, so Qian Qiu never brought it up when they drank like this.
He glanced over at Quan Yi Zhen, already passed out on the other side of the table, his first bowl of wine still untouched as the youngest of the martial gods snored lightly. It was kind of surprising when Yi Zhen even showed up to these things.
"So...you...beat him up? Qi Rong? The Night-Touring Green Lantern?" Qian Qiu was not great at subterfuge. It was not a virtue he found necessary for a prince to practice.
Lately, ever since his indiscretions - no, it was more than that. Ever since he started closing his eyes and seeing those bright, burning green eyes staring at him, he'd wished he was better at it.
Pei Xu gave him another long, calculated look, and took another sip of his wine. "Mn." He agreed, swallowing the mouthful, "He talks a lot but when you take away his minions he's pretty worthless."
"Huh." Lang Qian Qiu took another sip of his own drink to avoid speaking more. He swallowed it down quickly as something occurred to him and cleared his throat to ask, "Is...was he.. I mean you didn't capture him, right??"
Pei Xu shrugged, a slight grimace on his even features. "Bastard lit up a smoke screen and disappeared. I'll find him though."
"Yeah." General Tai Hua nodded, brushing imaginary lint off his robes to avoid looking at his fellow god, trying to pretend his tone sounded sincere at all. "Yeah, I .. uh.. wish you luck with that. With finding him."
Pei Xu's lips wrinkled slightly at the corners as he set his bowl down with finality. "Good luck if he's in your territory now, Tai Hua. You know a wounded beast fights twice as hard."
Lang Qian Qiu nodded, gazing hard at the table. "Yup." He agreed, shifting a little uncomfortably as the younger Pei rose from his seat beside him and stretched.
Miraculously, Pei Xu didn't comment on his choice of words, or lack of them, and only went to hoist Quan Yi Zhen over his shoulders. The smaller martial god grumbled and flung one arm around Pei Xu's head, and then resumed snoring, drooling down the back of Pei Xu's robes.
"Gonna take the kid home." Pei Xu nodded to Qian Qiu as he straightened. "Evening, General."
"Evening!" Lang Qian Qiu managed to croak out after him, holding his breath until he saw Pei Xu drag Yi Zhen out of the mortral tavern they usually met in.
He dropped enough coins to cover the wine and stood, almost toppling the table in his rush. The bartender blinked at him as he flagged them down, dropping another small mountain of coins in their palm.
"I need a room for the night. Immediately." He added a few more coins to the mountain. "Please."
He was led to a room, small, clean and stark in its furnishings, and almost pushed the man out in his haste to close the door after himself. Patience was another virtue he was not so good at. He'd been finding a lot of those lately.
He crossed the floor to the nearest blank wall, letting the mortal guise he had been wearing drop away to his god form as he summoned up his spiritual energy and started drawing. He was not great at this, but he'd been trying to learn from the Earth Master, and honestly he didn't have time to waste right now.
All he could hear over the hammering of his own heart was the echo of Pei Xu's words in his head.
"I fucked up that shit head, Qi Rong, real good."
Fucked up. Fucked up.
It didn't take a genius to understand that Pei Xu did not mean the fun way.
Lang Qian Qiu finished the distance shortening array and stepped back, drawing a deep breath as the sigil started to glow on the wall before him. He didn't exactly know where Qi Rong might have retreated to, but he had an idea where to start looking.
He felt his sword thrumming on his back, vibrating with his own anxiety, and grit his teeth. Qi Rong was one of the most resilient ghosts he'd ever met. If anyone could take a beating and walk away from it, it was the Night-Touring Green Lantern.
Or at least that's what he kept repeating to himself as he squared his shoulders and stepped through the array. Spiritual energy rippled around him and then he was stepping out, out into a brisk night, looking up at the stairs on the edge of a mountain ledge.
He inclined his head, glancing down at the little town he had last seen months ago at the Lantern Festival, now cloaked in the silence of slumber. Funny how much had changed since that moment when he'd first seen Qi Rong in the crowd there.
He turned, gaze sweeping across the ledge to the old, forgotten temple that stood there, well kept despite the years, and swallowed at the flicker of light inside.
Green Light. Flickering and wild inside the darkness.
He stepped forward, momentarily forgetting who he was, that they were supposed to be mortal enemies. Ghost and God. The one who destroyed and the one who protected.
All that mattered in the moment was wrapping his arms around the one person that mattered most to him. The one person who made him feel like he could live a hundred thousand years on one kiss.
The green flames in the scant few lanterns flickered weakly as he entered, and he found his heart skipping a beat with their flickering. Qi Rong's flames were a part of him, almost integral; they came to him as naturally as breath or laughter. Lang Qian Qiu had known this before, but he'd only really understood more recently....
When Qi Rong accidentally lit the bed on fire when they'd been intimate. But the point was...
....if Qi Rong was struggling to maintain his flames, Pei Xu hadn't been exaggerating the state of his injuries.
His boots crunched on something as he stepped down into the bed of the temple, the worn paving stones near the entrance scattered over with shards of pottery. A crude warning system, not one put in place by a savage level ghost, that was certain, yet effective.
There was a second of silence and then the flames went out completely, leaving him blind in the dark as his eyes adjusted.
"A-Rong!" He called out, eyes racing around the darkness, trying to make out any movement. Normally, Qi Rong would probably challenge an intruder...but injured he was likely to run.
Once, General Tai Hua would have called that cowardice. Scoffed at the ghost's lack of backbone. Now, he understood it was partly how Qi Rong had survived this long. There was nothing wrong with living to fight another day.
The flames guttered back into the lanterns just as suddenly as they had gone out, licking like fading stars into the dark.
"A-Qiu..??" Came the raw scratch of his name from somewhere in the temple and Lang Qian Qiu nodded sharply.
"I'm here." He found himself at a loss for words, slightly terrified at the roughness of the familiar voice. Qi Rong didn't have a smooth voice by any means, but this was... raw. It scared him more than he cared to admit. "Qi Rong??" He asked again, taking a small step forward.
"Pillows." Came the breathless reply. Breathless because he wasn't breathing, and that scared Lang Qian Qiu deeply enough he almost tripped over the small child glaring at him as he took a few hasty steps forward.
The tiny boy looked half terrified, half determined, and faced Lang Qian Qiu as though he were guarding the pillows in the corner of the temple even though he was shaking like a leaf.
"S'ok, Guzi. He's...a friend of dad's." Qi Rong's voice came again and Qian Qiu finally spotted him, lying on his side, almost submerged in pillows, only one of his bright eyes visible over the cushions.
"It's ok, buddy. I'm a.. friend." Qian Qiu agreed, his eyes never leaving his ghost's face as Qi Rong's eye drifted closed. "Let me through?"
The little kid, Huzi? Guzi?? Gave him one last look over and scuttled aside, and Lang Qian Qiu crossed the last few feet as fast as was possible for a heavenly official.
"A-Rong?? I came... I thought you'd be here..." He was on his knees, babbling, watching Qi Rong's eye flickering open weakly. The lamps around them flickered again, almost guttering out. He reached out to brush a strand of lank hair off Qi Rong's slick skin and shivered internally. That was not the color or feel of Qi Rong's skin, even before he's been taking care of himself to impress Qian Qiu.
He tucked the stand behind a pointed ear and moved to scoop the ghost into his lap.
Qi Rong's fingers brushed his wrist lightly, the effort to move making the lights hiss again. "Don't... .." His voice was almost a breath, faint, tired. "Don't want the kid to see."
Lang Qian Qiu half turned to see the child watching him warily from the edge of the pillow nest, little eyes dark in his skinny face. He kinda looked like Qi Rong, or at least how Qian Qiu pictured the Night-Touring Green Lantern as a child. Frail, determined, scared.
He let his hand rest on Qi Rong's shoulder and fumbled with his own face to attempt a smile at the kid. "Guzi, right?"
The boy eyed him without replying.
"You know what would really help your dad right now?? Some food. If you um... want to go.. get a meal together I'll help him get ready to eat?" Qian Qiu's voice sounded forced, tense of his own ears, and he was sure he looked pinched and panicked to the small boy.
Guzi stared at him for a long time, unblinking, just those big dark eyes eerily like Qi Rong's staring back into him before he finally turned and ran off on little wobbly feet toward the cooking stashe Lang Qian Qiu knew Qi Rong kept in the far corner.
He let out a low breath and turned all of his attention back to the ghost resting half buried in the pillows beside him, his heart aching and tumbling and somehow standing still all at the same moment.
"Can I see?" He found himself asking, his voice soft, and Qi Rong's tiny little broken laugh came in return.
"Don't faint on me, pretty boy..." the ghost half choked on the words and Lang Qian Qiu swallowed. He slid a hand under Qi Rong's side and gently rolled him onto his back, easing him down fully into the little nest the ghost had built.
Qian Qiu's breath hissed between his teeth, sharp, and Qi Rong grimaced, his one unswollen eye flicking away from his face in shame, "Told you it was ugly."
"Mn." Lang Qian Qiu couldn't find words to reply. He slid his other arm under Qi Rong's shoulder and lifted, sliding the battered calamity into his lap with a soft hum he hoped sounded encouraging.
Qi Rong's good eye squeezed closed, a sharp hiss of pain leaving his lips, and Qian Qiu brought his hand up to cradle his cheek gently, already pressing his spiritual powers though his fingers into Qi Rong's skin.
He felt the ghost shudder in his arms as his power touched the pale skin. There was a moment of resistance, Qi Rong's panicked gasp of air, and then he let General Tai Hua's spiritual powers pass into him.
"It'll help. Let me help." Qian Qiu heard himself repeating, his fingers brushing along Qi Rong's sickly skin. His lover shuddered under him, soft pained groan leaving his lips.
"Fucking Pei Xu....shitfaced pig fucker...was waiting... couldn't fight him with Guzi there, I...fuckkkkkk A-Qui!!" His name died away to a pained squeal in Qi Rong's throat and Lang Qian Qiu grit his teeth as the lantern light flickered sharply around them.
"God, I hate this..." Qi Rong was babbling, his voice rising and falling in pitch with the waves of pain sweeping through him, tears starting to leak down his thin cheeks. "Fuck, fuck it hurt, A-Qui, it hurts...fuck... I don't wanna... fuck... A-Qiu, A-Qiu..."
His fingers closed around Lang Qian Qiu's wrist tightly, and he forced his other eye open as much as he could around the swelling, staring Lang Qian Qiu in the eyes with something like panicked hysteria in his own. "A-Qiu if I die, you gotta take care of Guzi, ok??"
Lang Qian Qiu froze, his heart almost stopping as Qi Rong kept blurting slurred words at him.
"He's good kid, really, hard worker an’ smart but jus’ not taught much, he's sweet an’ likes tigers an’ you'll take care of him fer me, right??" Qi Rong's voice cut off sharply as he flinched, another spike of pain hitting him.
Lang Qian Qiu held his ghost tightly, his lip almost bitten through from concentration. "Of course I will, A-Rong, I'll watch out for him, but I'm not gonna let you die. Don’t be stupid. I won’t let you, I won’t - I've got you. Not gonna let anything happen to you..." He cupped the ghost's chin, frustration starting to filter into his tone, "I promise, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
It wasn't fast enough, feeding his powers through his hands, his fingers. Qi Rong was still squirming in pain, his muscles bent and bloody under Lang Qian Qiu's hands.
There.. there was the way he knew to transfer powers faster, but..
"A-Rong?" He traced his thumb down his ghost's cheek gently, mindful of the open wound there. "Do you trust me?" Qi Rong never opened his eyes, never hesitated, and nodded his head as though his life depended on it. Lang Qian Qiu leaned down and kissed him.
Qi Rong stiffened beneath him from surprise and parted his lips after a second, letting Lang Qian Qiu push his spiritual powers into Qi Rong's broken frame unhindered.
One slender hand came up to fist in Lang Qian Qiu's robes, and Qian Qiu cupped the back of his lover's head gently, dropping little pecks on Qi Rong's lower lip without breaking the stream of the kiss.
He sat back after a long moment when his stupid, humanly need for breath brought him up short, and watched Qi Rong's chest rise and fall in an equally ragged gasp for air.
Qi Rong was staring at him, his eyes wide, lips kiss swollen and raw in a beautiful kind of way that only brought out the battered bruise on the side of his face more.
"Hey." Qian Qiu traced his fingers down the bruised cheek, watching it start to heal beneath his fingers, the open gash there slowly knitting itself closed. It wasn't as fast as it should be, but it was a marked improvement.
Qi Rong's little pink tongue darted out to wet his lips, his eyes flickering in that look of vulnerability that made Lang Qian Qiu want to wrap him up close to his chest and never let go.
"Feeling any better??" He asked instead, gently running his fingers down the twisted ribs on the ghost's side.
Qi Rong grunted in pain as Lang Qian Qiu brushed a sore spot, but nodded very faintly. "How long are you gonna keep doing that?" He asked, eyes darting down to the hand pressed against his chest that was still passing spiritual energy.
Lang Qian Qiu shrugged. "As long as it takes." He replied, fingers coming back up to gently wipe the tears off his ghost's face. "Hey, don't cry, babe. We're gonna get through this, ok?"
Qi Rong gulped back the rest of his silent tears and nodded in his lap, sniffling very softly.
Lang Qian Qiu leaned down and pressed a kiss to his stolen eyelid, watching the puffiness and discoloration fade as he pulled away. "I like you, you know." He admitted quietly, tucking more of Qi Rong's hair behind his sharp ear. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
Qi Rong's lip trembled and Lang Qian Qiu felt his heart tug. The calamity had been through so much today already, emotions were hard for Qi Rong on most days but today... maybe it was too much.
"I can't say it back..." Fresh tears were leaking down Qi Rong's cheeks, hot and salty, his lower lip trembling. "I can't, not yet...."
"I know, I know. I know." Lang Qian Qiu leaned down to kiss him again, soft and slow this time, letting their tongues tangle without getting heated. "It's ok." He whispered, brushing their noses together. "You will when you're ready."
Qi Rong's breath hiccuped, his hand tightening in Qian Qiu's robes as he looked up with anxiety welling up in his eyes, "You're not gonna leave me, right? Cuz I can't say it??"
"No." General Tai Hua soothed him, his ghost’s familiar fear bubbling between them now. He leaned down, placing another kiss to Qi Rong’s forehead and feeling the Night-Touring Green Lantern's breath start to come easier under his hand, "No, I'm not going anywhere, A-Rong."
Qi Rong shuddered and let out a half sigh. "It's Jing."
"What??" Lang Qian Qiu blinked at him, not following. "What's Jing?"
"My name...when I was... alive. Xiao Jing."
Lang Qian Qiu felt his lips form an OH as a slow kind of warmth spread through his chest, filling him with that protective urge that made him want to wrap the little calamity up in his arms and horde him all for himself forever.
He leaned down, brushing his lips along Qi Rong's jaw sweetly, "A-Jing...." Qi Rong shuddered again, this time from something completely different than pain. "Do like like A-Jing better than A-Rong?" Qian Qiu leaned up to whisper in the sharp little ear he adored, smiling to himself as he felt the last of the major damage to Qi Rong's frame start to heal under his hands.
Qi Rong flushed, his high cheekbones dusting pink, and cast his eyes aside, not meeting Lang Qian Qiu's gaze. "Maybe for special occasions." He mumbled between them.
Qian Qiu pressed his lips against that soft ear, savoring the little hiss of pleased surprise that came from his ghost. "A-Jing." He agreed with a soft hum. He sat back and nearly jumped out of skin.
Guzi stood there, a little jug of water and a hard loaf of bread in his small hands, staring at Lang Qian Qiu with narrowed little eyes, as though he expected the god to upend his father into the pillows and make off with their temple on his back.
Qi Rong snickered in his lap, which was a really good sign, especially since the lanterns didn't flicker with it, and Qian Qui tried a tentative smile at the small boy. "Hey there, Buddy. You brought your dad some food??"
Guzi stared at him a beat longer before slowly extending the stale food in his hands toward Lang Qian Qiu, his little mouth quirked into a frown. "Are you my Other Dad?" He inquired sharply, his voice very big for his tiny body.
Qi Rong nearly choked in his lap and Lang Qian Qiu felt his cheeks flushing red.
"Ah! Um... well...uh... uhhhh...yeah!" He flashed a small, panicked grin at the child and snatched the food, stuffing the semi-stale bun into Qi Rong's lips to stop the calamity's guffaws. "Yup, for sure, Buddy! Uh, why don't you go get your own dinner now, ok??"
Guzi stared at him, those big dark eyes eerily focused on his face like he was seeing everything, and then he nodded gravely. "Ok." He agreed, reaching up on tiptoes to pat Lang Qian Qiu's forehead twice with a weighty kind of solemnity before he turned and made his way back toward the cooking stock.
Qi Rong spat the bun at him, laughing uproariously, and Lang Qian Qiu caught it on martial instinct alone, staring in perplexed bafflement at the ghost cradled in his lap. "What the hell was that??" He demanded.
Qi Rong was shaking, which all in all, while probably not great for his body, was a good sign, and just shook his head, "Fuck if I know, I don't do kids, A-Qiu." He snickered harder.
Lang Qian Qiu looked after the small child again, his brow wrinkled in confusion. "When did you acquire a child anyway?? He's not...I mean you didn't..??"
Qi Rong flapped a hand, almost choking on his laughter, and gulped for air, still giggling, "Oh your face, Qiu Qiu! Nah, he's not like...mine mine, but he's mine. If you get what I mean."
The savage level ghost held up his arms and Qian Qiu understood what he wanted, leaning down to wrap an arm around Qi Rong's thin shoulders and pull the ghost upright and fully into his lap. Qi Rong let out a soft little sigh, snuggling into the warmth of his god's side and tucking his face in Lang Qian Qiu's neck.
"Picked him up a while ago." The ghost finally muttered into General Tai Hua's skin, "Might have .. done something with his dad you wouldn't approve of." Qian Qiu hummed under his breath and soothed a hand over Qi Rong's back. The ghost relaxed against him and sighed into his neck. "Thought about eating the kid but, ya'know, he kinda grew on me. Reminds me of me or some sappy shit like that."
Lang Qian Qiu hummed again. Qi Rong liked sappy shit, he knew this, just as well as he knew the ghost would deny it. He settled his little calamity further into his lap and gently ran his fingers through Qi Rong's snarled hair.
"A-Jing." He smiled to himself as Qi Rong let out a soft little sound into his neck. "You know you're a pretty remarkable person, right?"
Qi Rong laughed again, his head shaking, "Sure, for a little prince everyone hated who turned into a ghost everyone hates."
Qian Qiu pulled back a little, enough to look down at his lover's face, and smiled a little at the sad eyes looking up at him. "I don't hate you."
Qi Rong giggled softly, the sad look melting a little, "Yeah, I don't hate you either, dumbass."
Qian Qiu hummed and leaned down to rest his forehead against the ghost's, snuggling him close in his arms, listening to the sound of Qi Rong's breathing. This was alright, they were alright.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
He'd lost his sword somewhere, couldn't quite collect himself enough to call for it to come flying to his fingers, the pain ringing in his ears making the world tilt at odd angles.
He cursed, annoyed at himself for walking into this trap. He should have known better.
Lang Qian Qiu spat a stream of blood and wiped the back of his hand across his split lip, baring his fangs at the mess of jeering ghosts around him. Most of them wore vibrant green in their wardrobe, signifying their allegiance to their calamity, The Night-Touring Green Lantern.
"That's all you got??" He forced a laugh, trying to clench his hands up in fists, to guard his sides, "I could hit harder when I was eight."
The ghosts let out a collective howl and he was being pummeled from all sides again, the blows fast and heavy and harsh. His body couldn't take much more, not with his already depleted spiritual energy, and his knees buckled. He fell, the ghosts chasing him to the floor and his vision flickered.
He wondered, briefly, if Qi Rong would find it funny. Martial God of the East, General Tai Hua, Prince of Yong'an, broken down and defeated by his minions after they'd finally put their personal grudges to rest.
How ironic.
His hearing was starting to go too, because he could swear he could hear Qi Rong's voice shouting over the roar of the incensed ghosts beating him down, down, down.
Qi Rong was bored. There wasn't much for a fully restored ghost king to do in the little abandoned temple the three of them called home, not with Lang Qian Qiu out fighting ghosts and monsters every day and Guzi off to be tutored in the little village nearby.
He was tired of hiding, tired of cooking dinner like a good little wife, tired of watching everyone else rebuild the heavens and earth after the fall out from the whole thing with Bai Wuxiang while he just sat at home and recovered.
Yeah, he'd been helpless for a while after burning up in the heavenly capitol, but he was plenty strong enough to be helping his god with missions now. Answering prayers and shit.
They'd talked about it once, before he was fully recovered, and Lang Qian Qiu had been open to the idea. Honestly, Qi Rong wasn't about to go back to fighting him, so what else would they do?
So today, he made a note of the array sigil Lang Qian Qiu drew when he went off to attend to god business, and after he'd sent Guzi on his way to the tutor, he'd drawn his own matching array and stepped through.
Which put him here, wherever here was.
Qi Rong crossed his arms and glanced around, pursing his lips in a pout. He'd expected...more? Then like, empty hillside and a scattering of rocks. Oh and the dead bodies hung up in the trees with their throats slit.
Huh. Funny how familiar that looked.
He cracked an annoyed grin and started following the corridor of bodies down the hill. Apparently Qian Qiu hadn't been exaggerating when he'd mentioned a lot of copy cats popping up trying to claim Qi Rong's title lately.
How rude. How unfortunate for them that the real Night-Touring Green Lantern was here to put a stop to their careers.
He followed the trail of blood and bodies down the hillside straight to a cave and snorted, shaking his head as he ruffled the fur on his robes a little. Fucking amateurs, what did you want everyone to find your lair? It looked like Qian Qiu had already disabled a number of traps, judging from the carnage littered around, and Qi Rong smirked to himself. That was his god.
He stepped inside, letting the little flames that usually accompanied him spring up, floating above his shoulders, and straightened his collar. Time to show some idiot who they were dealing with! If Qian Qiu hadn't already.
He strode forward, listening to the sounds of a fight ahead, and stepped out into a broad cavern. There were about forty or so ghosts inside, all surrounding a figure huddled on the ground.
There was no mistaking that head of stupidly fluffy brown hair, and it brought Qi Rong up short, his breath catching in his throat.
The minions were all over Lang Qian Qiu, biting, punching, kicking, and the god was curled in on himself, silent and still under them.
That scared him more than anything. More than finding out he'd been left behind when Auntie and Uncle left Xianle. More than being locked in that damn cell waiting for his own death of starvation.
More than burning to death in the heavenly capitol.
"Get off!! Stop!!" He heard the shrill pitch to his voice and tried to control it, raising a hand to fling back a good portion of his fellow ghosts from the prone figure on the ground.
They crashed back, going still, and the ones surrounding Lang Qian Qiu froze and then slowly backed away, their eyes all very wide as they looked at the newcomer.
Qi Rong's heart was thudding in his narrow chest, and he swallowed back the bile in his throat, striding forward, plastering a grin on his face as he planted his hands on his hips and surveyed the gathered underlings. "What the fuck do you think you're doing??" He demanded, the shrill tone still in his voice despite his best efforts. He jabbed a finger at one of them at random, demanding an answer.
The ghost shuffled forward out of the pack and huffed an answer. "Paying back Tai Hua for imprisoning our Lord, The Night-Touring Green Lantern, in the heavens."
Qi Rong's eyes cut down to Qian Qiu, still motionless, and he bared his fangs in a snarl. The flames around him flared up almost pure green in his anger, and if the underlings didn't understand before they did now as they cowered back from Qian Qiu in fear.
"Yeah." Qi Rong took a step after them, forcing them all back farther from his fallen god, "That's right. The real Night-Touring Green Lantern is here. Whatever pigfaced fucker you've been taking orders from has his days numbered, you hear me?? I do not appreciate people fucking up my things." The ghosts fluttered, but of course none of them could answer him without being directly addressed because of his rank, and he clenched his fists on his hips tighter, growling.
Qi Rong grit his teeth, flames flickering down his arms to tangle around his fingers as he internally talked himself down from killing half of them on the spot. "Get out." He snapped, fangs flashing in the green light, "Get out or I'll consume all of you."
It wasn't an idle threat. He'd taken down more ghosts than this before the whole coming back after being burned to death thing, and twice as many since. Turns out being almost wiped from existence and having to crawl your way back to a physical body because your kid and lover were waiting for you worked up quite an appetite.
The cavern emptied faster than it took for him to count to three in his head, and he let out the shaky breath that was caught in his throat and dropped to his knees next to Qian Qiu.
"A-Qiu??" His fingers found purchase in the god's robes and he heaved him over, his own face going slack at the sight of blood across Lang Qian Qiu's fine features.
"Common, A-Qiu. Don't leave me. You fucking can't leave me. Not like this, not... not yet." He heard the catch of panic in his own voice and pressed his palm against the martial god's broad chest, letting his own power flow into his god's skin. Lang Qian Qiu took a shaky breath, and Qi Rong nearly moaned in relief. Thank whatever god was looking out for him - or overlooking him - today.
"Qiu Qiu??" He breathed, using the hem of his green outer robe to dab at the blood on his lover's face, "Can you hear me?? Hey.... wake up? Please???" He gulped, anxiety twisting his insides, and tried to grin, "You know I'm not good at this soft shit, right?? I'm not good like you... so just please wake up..."
Lang Qian Qiu's chest rose and fell under his hand, breathing, but the god didn't stir.
Qi Rong licked his lips, eyes darting up to glance around and assure himself they were alone before he lowered himself slowly, breath catching in his throat.
He's only ever been on the receiving end of passing spiritual powers. He wasn't entirely sure he was giving enough, or too much or...if he was doing this completely wrong. But he did remember Lang Qian Qiu doing the same thing for him without a second thought. He couldn't not try. He'd never forgive himself if Lang Qian Qiu didn't smile at him again. Not when they'd finally found the family they'd both been searching for.
"Hey Qian Qiu?? Don't leave me alone." He whispered, his lips trembling slightly as he leaned down, pressing them tightly to Qian Qiu's and pushing all the spiritual power he could into his kiss, fingers twisting in the martial god's robes.
"I love you." The words tore free of his heart as he sat back, breathless, tears slowly sliding down his cheeks. "Don't go..."
Qian Qiu's fingers closed over his, squeezing gently, "I don't plan on it, A-Jing...." He breathed back, voice raw and tired and worn, but alive.
Qi Rong let himself fall on top of his lover with a sob of relief, both arms wrapped around him as he burrowed his face into Qian Qiu's neck, "Don't you ever fucking do that to me again, you fucker!!" He wailed.
Lang Qian Qiu's hands crept up to wrap around his slim waist tightly, "Never." He promised.
"I thought you weren't gonna wake up!!" Qi Rong hissed into his skin, taking a deep breath of his god's familiar, steadying smell that was distinctly Lang Qian Qiu. "I thought I was gonna be a widow!!"
Qian Qiu soothed a hand down his back, his chest rising with another shuddering breath under Qi Rong, "No chance....not leaving before we get married. Gotta make you an honest man."
Qi Rong hit him lightly with his sleeve, trying to stop the tears streaking down his cheeks. "I hate you. I love you. Don't you fucking ever leave me." He spat, and Lang Qian Qiu huffed a quiet laugh under him.
"Yes, wife."
"Who the fuck did this?" Qi Rong demanded, finally gathering himself enough to sit back and wipe a hand across his face, probably smearing his makeup. He glared at General Tai Hua under him, lips thinning to a hard press, "I will destroy them."
Lang Qian Qiu looked up at him, green of Qi Rong's fire reflecting in his dark eyes and smiled, "God, you're so sexy." His fingers tightened over Qi Rong's and he nodded vaguely in the direction of the next cavern in the cave, "Went that way."
Qi Rong hadn't even noticed the cavern went deeper, he'd been so focused on Lang Qian Qiu, and he wanted to kick himself. Instead, he leaned down to press his lips hard into Qian Qiu's, passing him all the spiritual energy he could spare. "Don't go anywhere." He commanded, rising and stepping back.
"Yeah. Don't plan to." General Tai Hua gave him a lopsided grin and just laid back, a faint smile still on his lips. "Go take care of these fuckers for me, ghosty."
Qi Rong rolled his eyes at the pet name even as his cheeks lit up, and just waved a hand, summoning a wall of green flames to circle his beloved and keep him safe before he turned on his heel and stalked toward the next cavern.
He let his flames grow higher, green shadows flickering along the walls, the floor, highlighting his advance. He hesitated just long enough to call Lang Qian Qiu's sword to himself, sliding the massive blade over his back before continuing.
At some point in the last few years they'd made friends, Qian Qiu's blade and him. Or at least gotten well enough acquainted it didn't try to cut him every time he touched it now.
It wasn't necessarily sentient like the red bastard's little saber, it still required a wielder and spiritual energy to move, but it was... aware. And right now it was angry. Qi Rong could feel the vibrations from the blade humming through his back.
Yeah. Whoever had hurt his Qian Qiu was gonna pay.
His fire preceded him into the next cavern like a blast from hell, ravaging and hungry, consuming the ghosts that had been foolish enough to stay near the entrance. Perhaps they had been a forward guard, Qi Rong didn't care.
He didn't stop, just kept walking, eyes fixed on the little pyre of green flame at the far side of the cavern. His flames swept out before him, singeing the rocks and consuming the ghosts sent forward to halt his advance, like a massive wave consuming the shore, growing as it moved forward with each spirit it consumed.
The thing was, Qi Rong wasn't held in very high regard as far as the four great calamities went. Certainly not with the other three gaining such notoriety in the last years. He wasn't elegant like Hua Cheng. He wasn't patient like Black Water. And he wasn't clever with words like Bai Waxing.
But he was in his full right, one of the four greatest Calamities, and he was exceptionally good at mass, senseless, carnage. People tended to forget that.
And oh, he'd learned a few things about flames since the whole burning to death thing.
Boulders cracked under the heat of his flames. The whole cavern filled with wild shapes of dancing green blaze. Qi Rong called Qian Qiu's sword to his hand, feeling the reserve of heavenly power Qian Qiu kept stored in it fuel his own, and grinned. He lit the blade on fire.
"I THINK YOU PICKED THE WRONG FUCKER TO IMPERSONATE!" He sneered, voice booming through the cavern as he approached the pyre, its light very very small compared to the rage building inside his own flames as they continued to grow, making his shadow appear ten times larger as he advanced on the pyre. "AND YOU MOST DEFINITELY PICKED THE WRONG GOD TO FUCK WITH."
There were other ghosts coming at him still, underlings and minor inconvenience at best. He could admire whoever the fucker was who was impersonating him. They'd clearly done a good job recruiting. Too bad it wasn't going to do them any good.
He reached the pyre, letting his flames soar up behind him and sweeping Qian Qiu's blade around to point down the throat of the fucker sitting there amid the blaze. "Get on your knees." He snarled, fangs nearly glowing green in the blinding light of his own flames. "And take off that mask."
The other ghost dressed in green dropped to their knees without a question, stark horror in their movements, and peeled off the engraved mask from their face. It dropped to the rocky floor between them and lay still.
Qi Rong glanced over the fake before him and sneered, unimpressed. "You could have put in more work if ya wanted to actually look like me." He felt the blade in his hand vibrate with self righteous fury and tightened his grip, promising, "Soon, big guy."
His eyes swept back to the impostor, blazing hot with his own firelight. "Now be a good little 'ghost king' and tell me why you wanted to impersonate me before I separate your head from that scrawny little neck."
The other ghost - probably a fellow savage level ghost, but not nearly as old as he was - shuddered, their eyes darting away in the too-thin face. "You’re...you're dead! You're supposed to be dead!!"
Qi Rong snarled. "Yeah, surprise. I ain't dead, fucker."
The impostor shivered again as the cavern behind Qi Rong blazed brighter at the real Night-Touring Green Lantern's will. "Everyone wants the spot left by The Night-Touring Green Lantern! I was just more clever about it!" They babbled. Funny how fear loosened everyone's tongue.
Qi Rong let the blade dip a little, cutting a swatch into the ghost's skin. "Why'd you fuck with my husband?"
The other ghost looked up at him in genuine surprise. "Husband??" They echoed, "I..I didn't know you were married??"
Qi Rong waved his free hand flippantly. "Technically not yet, but you definitely fucked up big time. Like, impersonating me - big fuck up. Fucking up Tai Hua? Biggest fucking mistake you'll ever made. Too bad it's your last one."
The other ghost's green eyes widened in fear. It was weird seeing his features mimicked in another face, badly at that. "Please, please, Milord! Don't kill me!!" They prostrated themselves, trembling, before Qi Rong's boots, "I'll do anything!!"
"Answer my fucking question then!" Qi Rong snarled, letting the blade slice another cut into the other savage's neck. "WHY'D YOU FUCK UP MY GOD?!"
The ghost wailed. "GENERAL TAI HUA IS YOUR SWORN ENEMY, MY LORD!! EVERYONE KNOWS YOU HATE THE YOUNG'AN WHORE, I WAS ONLY TRYING TO ELIMINATE HIM LIKE YOU ALWAYS DID!!!"
"Used to." Qi Rong spat on him, lip curling in derision, "You disgust me, you miserable little leach. Get out of that mockery of a skin and show me your true form and how well it stands up to flames, huh!!"
The ghost trembled and stood slowly on quaking legs. Qi Rong sneered, watching his features twist and morph into the ghost's true form under his gaze.
They were both savage level ghosts. He might be dangerously closer to Supreme level, but it wouldn’t be a completely uneven fight if the other one attacked him now. But weird how coming back from the supposed dead did things to people. How a name like The Night-Touring Green Lantern made them quake before you.
He grinned to himself, letting the blade in his hand take a few slivers of flesh off the other ghost, watching the pure fear in the other's eyes.
"I been thinking." He started, taking his time with the words and letting them roll around his tongue a bit before he let them drop, enjoying the way the impostor was squirming, "Today might be your lucky day."
The other ghost jerked their head up to stare, hands coming up to clasp and plead, "Please, Milord, Night-Touring Green Lantern! I'll be your servant forever, for the rest of my miserable experience, I swear!!"
Qi Rong let Qian Qiu's blade chink between the ghost's ribs and grinned, feeling the pleased hum of the blade crawl up his arm. Sometimes he was sure Lang Qian Qiu's blade was more savage than he was.
"Well see, if I were to take you up on that offer, you'd have to do something for me...wouldn't you??" He purred, and the other savage bobbed their head in quick agreement.
"Anything!!" Came the ghost's terrified squeak.
Qi Rong grinned, withdrawing the blade. "See, if I kill you, who's going to tell the ghost world I'm back? All these other stupid impostors need to start shaking in their boots! Clearly, someone has to do it."
The other ghost's expression turned horrified. "But...but...they'll kill me..." They gasped out, shivering as the blade passed up their arm, the green flames blistering their skin with each pass. "They'll kill me!!"
Qi Rong snickered and then broke into a full guffaw, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "Fuck yeah they will, you fucking ass!! And don't you think you deserve it?!? For trying to pretend pretend be me, and for fucking hurting my god?"
The other ghost's mouth snapped shut and their head bobbed even as they swallowed in terror.
"Good boy." Qi Rong grinned, tapping them lightly on the cheek with the blade. Blisters bubbled up where his green flames met the ghost's flesh. "Alright then. Get going while I still feel like letting you go." He grinned, gesturing with Qian Qiu's big sword, almost gleeful. "Don't let the flames burn you too much on your way out!!"
The other ghost stared at him in horror for another second longer before very slowly moving to the edge of the pyre. Qi Rong turned, heaving the massive blade up to his shoulder, and watched with a bright smile, ready to cut the bastard to ribbons if they stopped. The impostor probably knew it too, and they just glanced back at Qi Rong once before hopping down into the flames and disappearing.
Qi Rong blinked and let the flames on the blade go out. He'd expected the other savage ghost to come back and attack him but this was much easier. He hadn't killed the impostor yet, but he didn't have to. The other impersonators would take care of that for him. And so much the better if it meant word got out he was back.
He lowered his flames in the cavern and grinned, watching the other ghost pick their way through the flickers of heat. "Yo, if you actually survive, look me up at the Tai Hua Temple down the hill!" He called out, grinning to himself as the other ghost started scrambling faster.
He snickered, sliding Qian Qiu's sword onto his back and patting the hilt lightly. "Such a good boy for me." He cooed at the sword, jumping down from the stupid pyre and making his way back along the cavern.
The flames went out like candles as he passed, leaving the empty, scorched earth behind him.
The other ghost was gone, but Lang Qian Qiu was still laying where Qi Rong had left him. He offered a weak grin as Qi Rong doused the flames around him and knelt down beside his god.
"You get em, A-Jing?" Qian Qiu mumbled, reaching up for him.
Qi Rong took his hand and nuzzled his cheek into the palm, delighted to find it warmer than when he'd left. "Yeah, more or less. Nobody gonna mess with you again." Qi Rong agreed, purring happily as Lang Qian Qiu curled his fingers into his scalp and scritched a little. He sighed happily, savoring the feel of his lover's warm fingers in his cool hair, and then grinned at Qian Qiu. "Feeling better, Qiu Qiu??"
Lang Qian Qiu rolled his eyes at the name but smiled anyway. His little lopsided, soft smile when he was looking just at Qi Rong. "Enough. I'll need to spend a few days recovering, probably."
Qi Rong hummed thoughtfully, a little moody. "You'll need to spend a couple days in your heavenly palace then?" He mumbled, partly to himself.
"Mn." Lang Qian Qiu agreed, tugging on his chin until he bent down for a kiss. "It's easier to recover there."
Qi Rong wiggled, sitting back on his haunches, lips screwed to the side in deep thought as he played with one of the Xianlen braids he'd put in Tai Hua's hair. "....A-Qiu?" He ventured after a moment.
"Mn?" The god grunted, grimacing as he tried to sit himself up on his elbows and Qi Rong leaned in to help him.
"I was thinkin....what if ... Guzi and I come with you this time? To the heavenly palace?" Qi Rong heard the nerves in his own voice and squirmed as Lang Qian Qiu looked at him in surprise. "I know, I know!!! I know I said fuck the heavens but...... well I miss you.... and... maybe it wouldn't be a terrible thing to... well you know...??" He bit his lip, glancing everywhere but at Qian Qiu as he fiddled with the strap on his robes. "See I was just... it would be nice if... I kinda just told the... what if.."
Lang Qian Qiu wasn't really known for his incredible patience, or his incredible wit. Actually it was a miracle he'd let Qi Rong stumble around this far without interrupting, but he only let out a soft sigh and reached out to pull his ghost into his lap, and Qi Rong let himself be settled against the warm chest and listen to the beating heart he adored.
"What if what, A-Jing?" Lang Qian Qiu soothed a broad hand down his back and Qi Rong relaxed into his touch, exhaling slowly.
"What if we were ... a real family?" He breathed.
Qian Qiu titled his head above him, his dark eyes confused, "I kinda thought we already were, love."
Qi Rong fisted his fingers in Lang Qian Qiu's robes. "I wanna wake up next to you every day and have dinner with you and fight beside you. I hate that you spend half your time away from us in heaven, A-Qiu!"
"Oh." The Martial God of the East made a soft sound, then squeezed Qi Rong's shoulders a little tighter. "Alright - if you're ready. Let's pick up Guzi and pack up our things. We can move up to my palace tonight." There was a faint flicker in his voice. "Tiger has missed having you at home, you know."
Qi Rong huffed a laugh, "Just tiger?"
"Well.... I admit I look forward to ravaging you in our bed in heaven tonight." Lang Qian Qiu went to scoop him up in both arms and flinched, settling back down, "Uh, Maybe ravaging next week." He corrected himself with a soft groan.
"Fucking dumbass." Qi Rong couldn't keep the fondness out of his voice as he stood, helping his god up and wrapping his arm around Lang Qian Qiu's waist. "What would you do without me, huh?"
"Well. Fight a lot more fires. Have to learn to cook..." Qian Qiu started laughing as Qi Rong slapped him lightly in the arm and they started limping toward the mouth of the cave together.
"Hey." Qian Qiu spoke up after a moment, his fingers curling into Qi Rong's long hair. "I don't know why you're here today, or how... but thank you. You're pretty special, you know that, A-Jing."
Qi Rong flushed, turning his face away from his god to hide the heat on his cheeks. "You're gonna wear out my name." He grumbled, hoping to hide his flustered blush.
Lang Qian Qiu just hummed happily and repeated, "I love you, A-Jing."
"Yeah." Qi Rong rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, puffing out his chest for show, "Yeah, I know..."
"And you said it back." Qian Qiu's arm around his shoulder tightened, warm and soft at the same time. "I heard you."
"Nuhuh." Qi Rong huffed, denying it as he pulled Qian Qiu along faster, "You're dreaming, old man."
"Nuhuh." His god echoed the huff back at him, planting his feet in the cave mouth, looking at his little ghost with undivided affection in his eyes. "Say it again, A-Jing."
Qi Rong stopped, toeing at the ground for a long moment as Lang Qian Qiu turned him slowly so they were facing each other. He drew a long breath, squared his shoulders and glared up at the taller man.
"I love you too, you fucking asshole."
Lang Qian Qiu had a smile that could light up the world, and Qi Rong nearly melted under it as the god leaned down to connect their lips again.
"I love you too." He whispered.