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The Crown Prince temple was covered in charcoal and ash. One could barely take a step without slipping on blood or feeling the crunch of bone under their feet. It was terrifyingly dark and ominous as far as the eye could see. And in the centre of it all…
There lay a God, cut to pieces on his own altar.
Blood dripped onto the floor. Forget divinity, this God was reduced to something barely even human. And yet his most devoted believer stayed, kneeling at the altar on trembling knees.
Wu Ming eventually staggered to his feet. Walked closer towards the altar, barely conscious of his body.
He forced himself to look, to take in the lump of flesh, and blood in front of him. A face hardly recognsable.
Stark agony pierced his heart, yet he stood unflinching. He resisted the urge to sink to the ground once again and scream and scream until there was nothing left.
Because he didn't have the right.
He didn't have the right to succumb to despair. To show any more weakness.
As the dust settled in the temple, Wu Ming was the only one left to pick up the pieces after his ultimate failure.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Dianxia.."
His words came out a sob. Xie Lian's face still stayed pale and peaceful with the kiss of death.
And Wu Ming walked away from the altar, in search of water and clean cloth.
Wu Ming first cut off the rope binding Xie Lian's arms and legs. It had left deep indents on his wrists. His skin was bloody and raw, indicative of his struggle to get free.
Hundreds of cruel hands had pinned him down in bruising grips.
Then, using wet cloth, Wu Ming cleaned the areas on his body that were relatively.. less harmed. With gentleness reserved for only one person, he wiped off the layers of blood and grime on Xie Lian's face.
Xie Lian's body was nothing more than a clump of scar tissue, exposed organs and bones sticking out of limbs bent in all the wrong directions.
Anger surged within Wu Ming again, so much more anger than he thought he was capable of feeling.
Being trapped in a temple and burnt to death seemed like a kind punishment, in the face of what the common people had done. It was not nearly enough.
Nothing could ever be enough.
"You'll be alright, Dianxia", Wu Ming couldn't help whispering. He held his God's hand, rubbing circles on the back of it with his thumb. A tender touch.
He would be alright. It was both a blessing and a curse. He still couldn't die. His body would always stitch itself back together, piece by piece.
His mutilated, scar ridden body would eventually be replaced by pristine, smooth skin. Unsullied. Showing no remnants of the torture it bore. But the mind, it remembered.
Wu Ming had no way of estimating his spiritual energy levels, but he hoped he could hasten the process of Dianxia's recovery.
Thus, he placed his hands on his God's torso, feeling the sickening texture of it under his palms, and channelled his energy.
The healing process was dreadfully slow.
Wu Ming's spiritual energy could staunch the bleeding in certain areas and help stitch parts of it together. Grief choked his throat as he tried to burn away more of his energy, praying that it would do something.
And yet he had to be patient. He had to endure this all-pervading sense of helplessness.
Wu Ming passed his days like this, tending to a comatose Xie Lian. They had fallen into a sort of routine. Xie Lian was slowly but steadily healing as Wu Ming kept watch. He never left Xie Lian alone, save for the times he went to gather supplies.
Eventually, Xie Lian stirred. Every muscle in Wu Ming's body tensed, and he took care to not let out even the smallest of sounds.
Xie Lian's eyes fluttered as he groaned, almost inaudible unless one was paying close attention. His fingers twitched.
He slowly opened his eyes, which were heavily glazed over.
Unseeing.
Wu Ming approached cautiously, as one would reach out to a spooked baby animal.
"Dianxia..?"
---
Xie Lian couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep.
He drifted in a haze of pain, mind far too broken to register the scene around him.
He thought he heard a sound, heard someone calling out to him, but it might as well have been a dream.
For the first few minutes after he regained consciousness, it was... peaceful.
He felt disconnected. From his surroundings, his memories, even from his own identity. He didn't notice Wu Ming standing right over him, looking on without blinking. Cataloguing every movement.
And then he was assaulted with memories. It came flooding in all at once.
It hurt.
It hurt so much. He would never stop hurting.
He felt like he was still there. Still held down by Bai Wuxiang as hundreds of people stabbed him in fluid yet unrefined movements.
In, out, in, out. The squelch of flesh and blood. Grating against bone.
MAKE IT STOP!
It was too much for Xie Lian. He tried to scream, but no sound came out of his torn throat. His eyes had widened to pinpricks, and tears rolled down.
He then sensed a shadow above him. Fretting. Large hands hovering next to his shoulders.
Xie Lian's fear grew tenfold.
This person.. this person would hurt him. Again. And he didn't know if he could stop it. He wheezed and rasped, trying to get away. He could not move much.
He then felt himself being raised into someone's arms. Completely enveloped into an embrace. He thrashed about madly, as much as he could manage.
Because he knew pain would follow soon. He wasn't safe.
It was almost a relief when, in the midst of his struggle, his world faded to black.
With a swift strike to Xie Lian's temple, he fell limp in Wu Ming's arms.
Wu Ming hated having to do this, but he couldn't bear seeing Xie Lian in so much turmoil.
Without thinking too much, he placed a gentle kiss to Xie Lian's temple, where he had hit.
"Sleep, dianxia.."
He kept stroking his God's hair for a long time.
---
Wu Ming decided to collect some straw and wood for a makeshift bed. Xie Lian used to sleep on a thin, white mattress on hard ground.
He also needed new bandages and cloth to cover his wounds.
Wu Ming set off early the next morning, trying to be as swift as he could.
He had to rely on begging and petty errands to gather these items. Sometimes, he had to steal and on good days, kind village people would help him out.
The process often took longer than he hoped.
When he returned to the temple, hauling a ton of material, something was off.
Wu Ming's eyes darted around anxiously. Somebody had come in while he was gone.
Xie Lian still lay on the blanket, unmoving as usual, but...
There lay a neatly folded set of robes beside him. The white bandage he used to tie around his neck and face.
A black sword.
A shiver ran through Wu Ming's spine.
That black sword was...
There was no doubt about it. He knew this would eventually happen, that a monster like Bai Wuxiang would not leave Xie Lian away so easily, and yet...
Sick with anxiety, Wu Ming examined Xie Lian from head to toe. Sensed his pulse and breathing. Looked at his wounds under bloody bandages.
After checking thoroughly, he had to admit... Xie Lian was unharmed. On the contrary, the wounds had closed up and healed to a greater extent.
A mixture of relief and white-hot anger and guilt flooded his heart. He didn't know what to make of this.
Wu Ming put the offending black sword away.
Bai Wuxiang had quite a... twisted way of doing things.
By that very night, the new bed was made, and Xie Lian's wounds were tended to. He was in much better shape.
Wu Ming poured some water into his mouth, and placed his head on his lap.
In the dead of the night, he sang. Words in a foreign language, low and soothing.
His eyes widened when Xie Lian unconsciously nuzzled up to him, wanting to get closer.
Wu Ming stroked his matted hair.
"You will never experience pain like this again. Not as long as I exist in this world."
A promise, muttered into the silence.
He would be Xie Lian's sword and shield. He would give his all and burn every shred of himself if it meant his God would be safe and happy.
For Xie Lian, he would become invincible.
---
After a week, Xie Lian awoke again.
Wu Ming hated to admit it but.. Bai Wuxiang had truly hastened his healing process. He was the most powerful calamity, after all.
Xie Lian coughed, straining his already injured throat and lungs.
For a minute, he just... looked around. Looked at the cleaned-up temple, the bed he rested on, his bandaged arms.
And then at Wu Ming.
Wu Ming kept his distance, hoping to avoid an incident like last time. He dared not approach.
Xie Lian abruptly jerked back.
"Who..... are... you...?" he rasped. His tongue seemed to have difficulty forming the words.
"I’m from around here. I was wandering near the temple when I saw you injured. So I tried to treat your wounds", he spoke slowly, enunciating every word so Xie Lian could understand him.
"Helped me...? You?" Xie Lian asked, still processing.
"Yes. If you don't mind, can I continue to stay with you?"
At that, Xie Lian seemed to be deep in thought.
Of course he didn't trust this stranger. He couldn't trust anyone at all. Xie Lian didn't know how to respond to that question, so he just stared blankly.
Eventually, Wu Ming walked up to his bedside.
"You're still recovering from severe injuries. You shouldn't be alone. Let me help you. Whatever you need, I can do for you," he gently offered.
Xie Lian shook his head, looking down at his own hands. "Don't need help..." he mumbled.
Just as he said this, he was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. He swayed unsteadily.
"Allow me," said Wu Ming as he delicately lowered Xie Lian onto the bed. The latter did not protest. He was so, so tired and his head was spinning.
Yet he stubbornly stayed awake, because he needed to know. Why would a traveller unknown to him make the effort to stay behind and help?
"Why..?" he asked, eyes drooping. "Why help me?"
Wu Ming sighed deeply.
"Dianxia, I.. am your believer", he confessed. "I saw the state you were in. I couldn't just do nothing about it."
Xie Lian's eyes narrowed in distrust and slight anger.
"My believer?" he asked loudly, now agitated. He let out a series of coughs before commanding, "Leave."
He didn't want to know anything else. Believers? What a joke. Who knew what game this man was playing?
He just wanted this strange person to leave. He didn't need anything, not mortal needs like food and water. Nor medicine and bandage on his injuries. He wouldn't die anyway.
"Do you remember the ghost fire you tried to free?" Wu Ming asked abruptly.
Xie Lian's head shot up.
He was… a ghost?
That ghost?
"Leave", he repeated dangerously. And yet he looked vulnerable as his eyes reddened.
"I saw you on the mountain. In the graveyard. And in the temple... I was there."
Following him. Warning him not to go inside. And staying all along, in Bai Wuxiang's clutches, witnessing his beloved torn to shreds.
Xie Lian finally remembered.
"I have a beloved who is still in this world."
"To die in battle for you is my greatest honour."
A Xianle soldier...
"I won't forget. I am forever your most devoted believer."
The ghost was not entirely truthful about his identity a few seconds ago, but now everything was laid out in front of Xie Lian.
His head flopped onto the pillow, defeated. He echoed the same words he had said back then, to this stubborn ghost.
"Forget me."
"Please, leave."
All his friends, believers and subjects were led to ruin by him. And they retaliated by burning down his temples. Betraying him. Insulting and beating him up.
Xie Lian lightly hissed as he remembered.
Stabbing him a hundred times upon the altar.
It was an endless cycle of hurt and pain. And he had no reason to believe things would be different with this ghost.
Unconsciously, a few tears rolled off the bridge of his nose. Wu Ming came closer, tenderly grasping Xie Lian's hands in his own.
"I will never forget you."
"Trust me, Dianxia..."
"Please trust me."
Xie Lian didn't respond. He was already asleep.
He woke up in a frenzy. He suddenly remembered that his parents and Feng Xin were back home.
A notorious royal family on the run, who knew what would've happened to them? His mind raced.
"I need to.... I need to," he mumbled as he tried his best to get out of bed. As soon as he took one step, his knees buckled and he fell in a heap on the floor.
"Fuck!" he cursed, grasping at his hair in sheer frustration and panic. He tried to get up again. His legs wouldn't cooperate.
Wu Ming was at his side in a second, easing him into a more comfortable sitting position.
"What happened?" He enquired.
"Need to... go back home." Xie Lian wheezed, so afraid. "My family is there. I need to see them quickly."
Wu Ming tried to think about what could be done. Well, he had an idea, but didn't know if Xie Lian would trust him enough for it..
"Would you have me go instead? I'll report back to you soon. If you want to deliver a message to them, or if they need anything else, I can do it."
Xie Lian took unsteady breaths, heart beating fast. He did not want to risk it. If, on the off chance that this ghost could not be trusted, he would end up harming his family.
But it was true that Xie Lian's condition was too poor to travel all the way home. And selfishly..
He did not want to face his parents and Feng Xin just yet. He couldn't bear to tell them what had happened to him. Why he came back home limping, bleeding through bandages.
Recounting his pain in front of his stern, scrutinising father, his mother and Feng Xin who fretted too much over him and already had enough on their plates— it seemed nightmarish.
"And why should I trust you in my house?" Xie Lian asked.
"....Give me a while, Dianxia", said Wu Ming, and stepped outside. Xie Lian stared at the closing door, confused.
He came back in about an incense time.
"Here." he handed Xie Lian a little silver butterfly. It flew onto his fingers, flapping delicate wings.
"I have an identical one", Wu Ming explained. "It can be considered a communication device. If you put it to your forehead, you can see where I am, what I am doing at that moment."
He helped Xie Lian test it out.
He did not have full mastery over his spiritual energy yet, but he could do this. He learnt how to create this, to ease Xie Lian's mind.
"Can you...buy medicine for my father?" Xie Lian asked in hushed tones. He immediately regretted asking.
Where would the money come from?
To his surprise, Wu Ming agreed.
And thus he left for Xie Lian's home, keenly watched by the little butterfly. Xie Lian could see him purchasing the bottle of medicine, how did he get all that money?
When he reached home, Xie Lian was relieved to find his parents safe and sound. Feng Xin told them to stay inside as he went to talk to this unfamiliar ghost.
"Dianxia sent me here", Wu Ming reassured. "He's... cultivating. I met him on the grounds. He should be back soon."
An inconvenient excuse, but better than nothing.
On his way back, he bought some plain rice and vegetables to cook for Xie Lian. Something light and easy on the stomach.
---
After this incident, a knot loosened in Xie Lian's heart. He felt.. safer around this ghost. Admired Wu Ming's sincerity and efficiency.
"Thank you," he said, giving a small yet genuine smile to Wu Ming upon his return.
Wu Ming came back inside with the food he had prepared.
"Eat, Dianxia", he sat down next to him on the bed, pushing the bowl into his hands.
Xie Lian hesitated as Wu Ming blew on the food multiple times. Scooping up the tiniest spoonful of it, he brought it to Xie Lian's mouth and fed him.
Xie Lian suddenly felt heat rise up his cheeks and neck.
He was fed another bite. He didn't know if he could stomach too much food, but he was.. doing well so far. He quickly took the spoon from Wu Ming and ate with shaky hands. The food did taste good.
Predictably, he set it aside after about five to six spoonfuls and drank some water. For now, he could not eat too much, but even this made him feel a bit more energetic.
Wu Ming got up from the bed in order to let Xie Lian lie down for his afternoon nap. But Xie Lian called out to him.
"Come here, sit", he patted the empty space next to him. "What's your name?"
"I... don't have a name." He confessed. Without a name made one Wu Ming.
"You don't?" Xie Lian looked at him quizzically. "What did your parents call you?"
"I don't remember. My time with my parents was limited." He thought for a moment. "Dianxia can just call me by Wu Ming."
That wasn't ideal, but Xie Lian didn't press him further.
"So, how are you feeling now?" Wu Ming tried to divert the topic too.
"Better," Xie Lian answered honestly. There was residual pain, of course, but he was happy enough to stay conscious for longer periods of time, sit up and talk properly.
"You were from Xianle. A soldier, right?" Xie Lian asked abruptly. His mind was still hung up on Wu Ming's revelation yesterday, and guilt flooded his heart. "I'm sorry. I just—" his voice broke, and he didn't know what to say.
"You must've died a painful death..." he mumbled.
"It was worth it. For Dianxia, I would do it a thousand times.", The ghost replied, steadfast and unwavering in his devotion.
Xie Lian could not understand.
"Why? Why do you still say that?" he was now agitated.
"I failed everyone. My believers would be happy to spit on me, but you— you would still choose to die for me?" his voice pitched high. Sensing that he had said too much, he quickly lowered his head.
"Yes." Wu Ming simply replied.
"Who cares what useless trash thinks? People forget too easily. They forget your kindness, strength, and benevolence. They'll never be satisfied." he spit out.
"You saved me, Dianxia. It was your kindness that showed me the light."
Xie Lian just looked at him, dumbfounded.
"You gave me the courage to live on."
"I— I... How..?" the God stammered.
"The boy you saved, during the parade," he replied.
Oh.
Everything finally started to slot into place.
"Use me as your reason to live."
The little boy had held onto those words uttered by a confident, daring 17 year old. So, so far from the broken man he had become today.
"You..." Xie Lian couldn't speak anymore. His throat closed up.
"And, please remember, Dianxia..." Wu Ming continued, voice soft.
"You did your best. Nobody could have handled the situation in Xianle better than you."
Xie Lian resisted the urge to immediately scream out in protest at these words.
The ghost lightly encircled his arms around Xie Lian. Seeing how the latter just came closer, looking slightly dazed, he took the leap and folded his God in an embrace.
Strangely warm, despite being a ghost.
"You never deserved your believers' ire." He said definitively.
Xie Lian shook his head on Wu Ming's chest, sniffling.
He would probably never believe these words, but he was grateful for comfort all the same.
Just one person by his side— that made him feel so much better.
Wu Ming rhythmically combed through his hair as he fell asleep.
He woke up to a little white flower placed in his palm.
---
Wu Ming and Xie Lian grew even closer after their little talk. They stayed in the temple as Xie Lian regained his strength. Cooked food together, went on short walks. Xie Lian discovered Wu Ming was a very interesting conversation partner indeed. They talked for hours and hours about mundane things.
A month passed like this. Xie Lian had finally recovered most of his strength. He decided to go back home.
And he wanted Wu Ming to come with him.
“No— Dianxia, how could I?” He expressed his shock. What would his parents even say?
But Xie Lian was stubborn. Thus, they packed their things and left for home, Wu Ming reluctantly dragging his feet behind Xie Lian.
“Father, Mother, I'm home,” Xie Lian announced.
His mother was the first to burst out of the door, crying, “My son! My son is finally back! I was so worried!” His father and Feng Xin were in tow.
“DIANXIA! How are you? Weren't you away cultivating?” Feng Xin asked.
Oops..
“Yes”, he lied. “I'm sorry. I couldn't make quick progress, and so I decided to come back home.”
“That's okay, that's okay!” The Queen quickly said. “All that matters is that you're back home safe! Wait— he's with you?” She gestured at Wu Ming.
When Xie Lian rested in the temple, Wu Ming frequently went to his house. Carrying sacks of food, medicine and other essentials. Sometimes just to check in on them. Thus he was a familiar face to them, but no one expected Xie Lian to bring him back with him.
"He's my.. good friend. He's staying with us”, Xie Lian said, leaving no room for argument.
His father grunted. Feng Xin expressed his displeasure more openly.
"NO! Why should HE get to stay with us?”
And Xie Lian’s mother simply patted the boy’s head.
Despite.. everything that had transpired, Xie Lian who was now surrounded by his parents, his best friend, and his devoted believer, felt that maybe, not all hope was lost. The entire world was against him, but at least he had these four people. And that made a difference.