Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warnings:
Categories:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2024-06-29
Updated:
2024-07-17
Words:
4,003
Chapters:
3/?
Comments:
46
Kudos:
387
Bookmarks:
123
Hits:
8,327

Look alike

Summary:

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, two of the most powerful in the entirety of the heavenly kingdom and ghost kingdom, hear the prayer of a sad little boy on the verge of death.

How will they react? This cannot go unpunished.

Notes:

Hey! So, this fic is heavily inspired by the one mentioned.

‘Hua Xianle by Author_Of_Insanity101 and Tiffany_Guinne’

TW: Abuse, profanity, manipulation, starvation, and possible more! Read at your own discretion.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Runaway

Chapter Text

A piercing scream.

That was the sound heard all throughout Lotus Pier. The disciples were used to this sound, not that they enjoyed it, but what could they do? Madam Yu held all the power, and took great pride in that. Her core was weak, but she wielded a terribly strong spiritual weapon.

The scream came from a little six year old boy named Wei Ying. He wasn’t sure what he had done. He was often used as a punching bag for Madam Yu, and hated every minute of it. He only tolerated it because his JieJie, Jiang Yanlin, told him that it would make him stronger.

Jiang Fengmian, the man who took him in, never hit him to say, but always looked away. It was okay, though. He always apologized and gave Wei Ying a treat.

Wei Ying covered his head as he felt the lash and fury of the woman above him. This woman always had an off and on mode about him, going from complimenting his beauty and thin figure (he was a child, of course he’d have a thin figure.) to being jealous of it and accusing poor Wei Ying of trying to remind her husband of his old love, Wei Yings mother, Cangse Sanren. She restricted meals and always told him off for eating much.

“You BRAT.” She hissed, letting Zidian, her prized weapon, return to the ring on her finger. Her face was an ugly red, border-lining a purple color. “You dare try and upstage my son? The proper heir to the sect?”

Wei Ying cried, and shook his head. He hadn’t meant too. He just used what he learned from the instructors and Jiang Wanyin himself. Jiang Wanyin adored Wei Ying with no doubt, and Madam Yu did not like that.

“This one did not mean too! I’m sorry!” Wei Ying sobbed, crying out as the wretched woman grabbed his hair and threw him onto the ground.

“Leave my sight,” she growled. “Do not let me see you until the morning or I will show you the dogs. You don’t want that, do you?”

Her voice had softened, her face losing that ugly color. Wei Ying shook his head as Madam Yu softly fixed his hair and had sad eyes.

“I would not do this to you if you weren’t so pretty,” she said sadly. Wei Ying nodded his head even if he didn’t understand. “Go now.”

Wei Ying scampered off, limping slightly as his bleeding back and bruised limps colored the pale skin on his weary bones.

As Wei Ying scampered off, Jiang Wanyin had seen the entire thing. His mother was the one who gave his brother all those scars? Why hadn’t Wei Ying told anybody?

Wei Ying sat down at the pier, looking over the water. That was where Jiang Wanyin found him, a sad look on his face.

“A-ying, this one brought bandages for you..” Jiang Wanyin held a guilty look over his face now, as if it was his fault what his mother had done.

“Thank you,” Wei Ying murmured, not making a move to grab them. He seemed conflicted.

“Why.. why do you let my mother do this to you? Why don’t you leave?” Jiang Wanyin asked weakly. If he was in the same position, he would’ve ran away when he got the chance.

“Because JieJie says it’ll make me stronger.. and Madam Yu is nice sometimes, so she just gets angry a little bit.”

Their sister? Why would Jiang Yanli say that? This doesn’t make anyone stronger.. and Madam Yu was never nice. She always had a nasty smirk after Wei Ying would walk away.

“That doesn’t matter,” Jiang Wanyin said instead. He wanted to tell his observations to Wei Ying, but something told him that wouldn’t help. “You should leave and get help. You can only take so much..”

Wei Ying sighed, resting his head in a small and weak hand. His dark hair was not in its usual ponytail, but rested in waves down his back.

“But it’s only one person. Jiang Fengmian is kind to me, and he even took me in. That’s how I met you, remember?”

Jiang Wanyin nodded, taking Wei Ying’s hand with a sudden glint of determination in his eyes. He had an idea.

“A-Ying, if my mother hurts you again, you must have a bag ready so you can leave quickly. Just in case.” He never wanted to see his precious A-Ying get hurt.

Wei Ying was stunned. He slowly nodded and blinked rapidly. He felt warm inside.

“This one will.” He said softly. He got up. “We should return to our sleeping quarters. I will have a bag, just in case.. rest well.”

Jiang Wanyin bade farewell with a hug and smile. Wei Ying watched as he ran off, before slowly trailing to his own room. It really wasn’t that bad, he thought. But he did as Jiang Wanyin suggested and had a bag ready with everything precious to him. His spare set of robes, a small picture of his parents, and a necklace that Jiang Wanyin gave him when he first arrived.

Wei Ying still had that nice, warm feeling in his chest. His silver eyes found the moon, and he remembered his parents.

‘Baba.. mama.. am I doing good?’ A small thought, but he swore he felt a warm breeze brush over him, even though it was nearly midnight, and a small whisper of yes.

Wei Ying laid on his bed to rest, and when he awoke, he realized he had no nightmares. He smiled, and whispered a small ‘thank you’ prayer to the Scrap God. The Scrap God was one he stayed with and thanked for all the food he found whilst living on the streets.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered again. His silver eyes were joyful as he went to join the other disciples, who lit up at seeing the young boy with the energy that they all needed.

As Wei Ying practiced his sword form, he got constant praise for his diligent work which made him smile. The other disciples loved seeing their precious A-Ying smile, as something about it made them feel warm inside. He didn't know what the warm feeling inside him is, but it feels better than when he feels empty and cold, like when he was on the streets. He smiled a close-eyed smile. Which was a bad move, because he did that as he swung down, unable to see where he was hitting. A cry of pain went through the air, putting a sense of panic into Wei Ying, who quickly opened his eyes and saw that he had hit Jiang Wanyin.

"Jiang Wanyin! This one is sorry!" Wei Ying bowed deeply, eyes filled with panic. Jiang Wanyin clutched the hurt arm and tried for a smile, but surprisingly, Wei Ying was strong, and it had really hurt. Jiang Wanyin got up, patting Wei Ying's head, telling him it was okay, but all Wei Ying heard was the furious shout of his name from Madam Yu.

"Wei Ying!" There it was. Somehow, Madam Yu managed to show up whenever her son was involved. Wei Ying paled and immediately bowed to Madam Yu.

"Madam Yu! This.. this one is deeply sorry for hurting your son! Forgive this foolish one!" Such formal words for a formal apology. It was surprising that a six year old knew this. but Madam Ying didn't care and grabbed Wei Ying by the hair shoving him to the floor. She was an ugly purple, causing some disciples to laugh quietly before realizing what she was doing.

*CRACK!* The sound of her Zidian filled the air, making it seem electric near the area. Wei Ying cried out as she repeatedly whipped him, shouting as spittle flew from her mouth. The disciples watched in horror as she eventually stopped (after how long? 10 minutes? 15? No one counted, but it was much too long) and grabbed Wei Ying by the hair and dragged him away. Wei Ying cried and pushed at her hand, knowing exactly where he was going. To the dogs. He hated dogs, especially the ones on the streets. He was thrown into a wide cage, and the smell of dirty dogs filled his nose. He cried and begged to be let out.

"Please! Madam Yu! This one is sorry! No dogs!" He cried, terror filling his voice as the dogs- 4 of them- crouched, ready to attack. Madam Yu turned away and sat to the side, drinking her tea. Soon, painful shrieks and apologies reached her ears as Wei Ying was mauled by the dogs. Wei Ying wanted out. Let him out. Let him OUT.

A bang and glow of light blinded Madam Yu as Wei Ying shot out of the cage and ran. He had just used cultivation. He was running on pure adrenaline as he grabbed his bag and ran, ignoring the wounds and pain all over his body. He heard Madam Yu shout after him, but the disciples decided to step up as they blocked her, yelling at Wei Ying to run. He ran as fast as his little legs would take him.

After who knows how long of running, the sky was dark and Wei Ying was done. He collapsed by a lake, eyes dim and body bleeding out. He felt tears slip out of his eyes as he didn't even know where he ended up. The pain settled in, but he couldn't care. The pain felt faraway. He felt faraway. He shut his eyes and prayed to anyone out there to help him. He knew he was dying. He didn't want to die. He prayed and prayed, and prayed. Nothing. He sobbed, sending one last prayer to the Scrap God.

'Please, help me.. save me.. it hurts so much.. please..' Pure desperation filled the prayer. He hoped it worked.

Wei Ying felt the world slip away.

Chapter 2: A calling

Summary:

Who hears the desperate prayer of a sad, dying little boy?

The scrap god, of course!

What will happen when Xie Lian, who was resting at Puqi Shrine with his husband, Hua Cheng, hears the cry?

Notes:

Helloo!~ thank you for so much support! MWAH 🩷 it means the world to me!

TW : mentions of abuse, talk of wounds, small torture thought and possibly more! Read at your own discretion!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Xie Lian, a jack of all trades, master to none. The infamous martial god, ascended three times due to sheer power. Xie Lian, rumored to be oh so powerful and frightening, was the same Xie Lian who was resting at his faithful Puqi Shrine.

He and his husband, Hua Cheng, otherwise known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, a demon king, were sitting together. It painted quite the domestic scene. Xie Lian’s back was pressed against Hua Cheng’s chest, murmuring as the flames of the candles flickered.

It was peaceful, until Xie Lian clutched his head, sending a strike of panic through Hua Cheng.

“Your highness?! What’s wrong?!” His voice was strong and quiet, yet held all the emotions needed. Xie Lian’s eyes were wide. This prayer.

‘Please, help me.. save me.. it hurts so much.. please..’

Xie Lian immediately got up, dragging Hua Cheng, who was as confused as ever, but silent, with him. Hua Cheng knew better than to question his beloved. Xie Lian grabbed his dice from so long ago, and teleported nearby the source of this prayer.

Xie Lian scoured the area, looking at the lake and spotting a lump on the ground. Dread filled the empathetic god, rushing over and gasping as he saw the bleeding and beaten child.

“San Lang..” He murmured, reaching out the grab the child. His heart ached for this precious, and innocent soul. Hua Cheng was furious. He was a demon, not a monster. A monster hurts kids.

“Gege,” he mumbled back. He grabbed his own dice to teleport to wherever his highness wished to go. Xie Lian grabbed the child, grabbing the bag that the small one’s hand never left, and turned to his husband.

“The Heavenly Capital.”

No further words were needed. The portal opened, and Xie Lian rushed through and immediately ran for a medic. He was quick with his mission to save the kid. He knew Hua Cheng would find him, wherever he went. He rushed into the infirmary, and gathered the solo medic on duty.

“Save this child,” he begged. “Please.”

The medic needed no more words, and rushed into action with a quick ‘Yes, your highness!’ As the medic set the child on the bed, summoning more healers in to grab bandages and help use Qi to heal the innocent one, Hua Cheng showed up behind Xie Lian.

The ones at the Capital were much used to seeing the Crimson Rain Sought Flower show up, and paid no mind to him. Hua Cheng’s question was clear. What had just happened?

“I felt a strong prayer,” Xie Lian started. His eyes never left the kid, but his hands found his husbands. “It was full of desperation, and the voice sounded young.. I couldn’t ignore it. I had to go and find who it was.”

Hua Cheng hummed. It sounded like something is Gege would do. He held Xie Lian close, also watching the medics go pale as they flipped the child to his back, revealing a bloody mess of ripped skin and gore. They had bandaged up most of the limbs with bites, but focused healing the back with Qi.

“Oh my..” Xie Lian murmured, eyes looking away. Hua Cheng closed his eyes in agreement. That was brutal. The kid couldn’t have been older than seven.

“San Lang, we can’t return him to where he came from.” Xie Lian said suddenly, jolting Hua Cheng from his thoughts.

“Why not, Gege?” He questioned, head tilted as his jewelry jingled. He didn’t see why not.

“The kid obviously ran from home. The bag in his hand, or was in his hand, signifies that he had been prepared. Good thing too..” Xie Lian sighed. Poor souls always got the worst of it. It just proved that this kid liked this God way too much.

Xie Lian remembered the kid once he saw him. He couldn’t recall his name, but had always gotten prayers of thanks and asks for help to find scraps. They had stopped, fortunately.. but it led to this. It was probably because he was devoting to thanking a god of scraps, who was also a god of misfortune.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng interrupted his thoughts. “I know what you’re thinking. No, it’s not because you’re a god of misfortune. Some mortals are just genuine trash. Monsters. Worse than us demons.”

Hua Cheng smiled gently, moving them closer to the now healed and heavily bandaged child. Xie Lian hadn’t even noticed they finished healing him. The medic stood to the side, pale and sweaty.

“What happened to him?” Hua Cheng asked deeply. His eyes were cold; he held no care for most in the heavens. The medic cleared his throat.

“Right, well..” he had an uncertainty to his voice. Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow as Xie Lian sighed. “Okay. The kid had bites all over his arms and legs, bruises on all limbs, torso and head included, and.. and whip scars on his back.”

“Whip scars? Wouldn’t his golden core heal it?” Xie Lian questioned. He could feel the immense power of the core from here. This kid could be an amazing cultivator, if he so wished.

“Well, the wounds were made with a spiritual weapon,” the medic said disgusted. Those with spiritual weapons should’ve used it for good. Not.. this. “And his core can’t heal it properly. It’s strong, but spent its energy keeping him alive. He would’ve been dead long ago if he hadn’t. He has a fever, as his back had gotten infected. This one will take leave now.”

The medic left, leaving Xie Lian and Hua Cheng alone. Xie Lian had a hand over his mouth, horror struck. A spiritual weapon? On a child?

Hua Cheng was having similar thoughts, except he planned much more gory scenarios. Like how he would find the one who did this, and rip their nails out one by one, whip them himself, rip the hair, and so much more.

Hua Cheng couldn’t figure out why he felt so attached to this child. It was an automatic connection. He assumed his Gege felt the same (he did.)

It was like a calling. Xie Lian couldn’t explain why he felt so hurt for this child. He also felt like he should know his name. His name.. surely, this one should know it. Xie lian thought long and hard.

Wei Ying. That was his name. He had to think back to when the prayers from this child first started. He had introduced himself, which was silly, but adorable.

Hua Cheng knew this child. Or rather, he had seen someone who looked like this child before. Himself. When he was Hong Hong’er. When he first met his highness. Maybe this kid would also get good memories from meeting his highness.

“Wei Ying.” Xie Lian said suddenly, realizing Hua Cheng didn’t know.

“Hm? Is that his name, Gege?” Hua Cheng chuckled, patting Xie Lian’s shoulder. Xie Lian flushed and looked back at Wei Ying.

Both immortal deities felt a calling to this child. They both felt an indirect connection. It made them feel less godly (or ghostly, for Hua Cheng), and more.. human. Is this how, once upon a time, Xie Lians parents felt for him? A pang of affection? It was odd.

But Xie Lian wanted to help this kid. Who wouldn’t? Wei Ying looked small, sickly, and injured. Well, he was, but it was concerning. It filled Xie Lian with an emotion he rarely felt. Anger. He felt angry for Wei Ying.

Again, more time had passed. It had been from a couple hours, to a couple days, to nearly a week. Nearly a week later, and finally, Wei Ying was waking up. His vision was blurry, but he knew he wasn’t anywhere near the lake. It was too bright. He heard shuffling and saw a blurry figure off to his right.

“Who’s there?” He cried out. The person hummed, voice light and kind. He immediately relaxed. The presence felt familiar.

“Be calm, Wei Ying. This one does not wish to hurt you. This one helped Wei Ying.” The warm voice said softly, patting his head.

“Helped me? How did you help me? This one was sure.. this one was sure he would have died..” Wei Ying tilted his head, rubbing his eyes.

“This one heard you,” the voice said with a laugh. It wasn’t a mocking or cruel laugh, it was filled with happiness and made Wei Ying warm, just like when his brother, Jiang Wanyin, would care about him.

“Heard me? How did you hear me? I only remember thinking a prayer..” he trailed off, eyes widening. The figure gained a smile as he realized Wei Ying had finally noticed.

“Yes, little one. This one had heard your call.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading yet another chapter! Please leave a comment and a kudo, and have a wonderful day!

(CHAPTER MADE ON JULY 1, 2024 MON @ 12:17 AM)

Chapter 3: Family?

Summary:

Once Wei Ying wakes up, he’s face to face with the man he prayed to for help. Xie Lian, scrap god. He learns much, and learns to open up a little. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng can’t help the connection they felt with Wei Ying while helping him recover. Maybe..

Notes:

Hiii! As usual, the TWs are here! Explanation on the long break at the end!

TWs -

Mentions of previous wounds
Mentions of abuse
Mentions of eating disorder

AND I’m saying my medical knowledge is quite lacking, along with Chinese terminology. I’ll try me best!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Wei Ying blanched staring at the rather beautiful gege. Heard his prayer? So that meant this was..

“Your.. the scrap god?!” He almost shouted, hurting his terribly parched throat. He coughed, clutching it. The man jumped to action, pouring a cup of water and passing it to him. Wei Ying eagerly drank.

“Yes, I am. You may call me Xie Lian.” The gege said as Wei Ying settled down again. Xie Lian? What a fancy name.

“Xie Lian.. this is one is Wei Ying! I will call you A-Lian!” He said happily. He smiled brightly at Xie Lian, whose heart throbbed at the smile.

“Pleasure to meet you, Wei Ying.” He hummed, tone slightly anxious. His eyes crinkled with a smile. “Wei Ying, this humble one wishes to ask you something.”

Wei Ying noted that the voice was nervous. He slowly nodded. He had a creeping suspicious as to what the question would be.

“Right.. I would like to know what happened? You prayed for help, of course, but how did you get so injured?”

A pause, Wei Ying blinked. Memories rushed through his head. Madame Yu. Zidian. Whipping. Pain. Blood. Pain, pain, pain.

“Wei ying!” A shout broke through his spiral. He noticed he was sweaty and shaky, breath harsh.

Xie Lian stared with concern, a taller man entering in the door. He wore red, and a look of concern was also plastered on his face.

“What happened?” The man in red asked, coming over to them. Xie Lian shook his head, seemingly asking the man not to ask. The man in red didn’t, but seemed to analyze Wei Ying.

It disturbed Wei Ying more than he thought.

The man with one eye and dressed in red looked a lot like himself. Maybe he’d grow up to look like that..

“This one’s name is Hua Cheng.” The man said, voice a low grumble and soothing. It made Wei Ying feel like home, oddly enough.

All Hua Cheng was thinking as Wei Ying stared was, what the fuck? This kid.. identical. From the bandages to the hair, to the admiral gleam in his eyes.

Hua Cheng’s visible and only eye slid to Xie Lian, who had stayed silent for a bit. Xie Lian got up, a faint smile playing on those pink lips.

“I’ll go get some food. Something light,” he said gently, seemingly floating as he waltzed towards the door. He took a second to glance back to double check on them.

“Watch him for a second,” he said to Hua Cheng. Wei Ying watched silently, eyes flickering between them with unease and a guarded trust.

When Xie Lian left, the room filled with awkward silence. Hua Cheng sat down, lips quirked up slightly.

“So, Wei Ying, is it? Do you feel alright? You were quite banged up when we found you.” He hummed, explaining as he stared at Wei Ying.

Wei Ying felt uncomfortable with the staring, shifting. He nodded. Really, the wounds only ached when he moved too quickly or too much. It was fantastic.

“Yes. I’m surprised it doesn’t hurt..” he murmured, tone still guarded and tense, but it was soft. An invitation to possibly break those walls and rebuild better ones.

“Mn. Magic at this point, I suppose. You believe in magic?” He shifted topics quickly, and smoothly. Wei Ying smiled, a precious thing. He nodded.

“Of course! Magic is wonderful.. and I was saved by two gods.. why wouldn’t I believe it?” He laughed, chest light.

Hua Cheng smiled, happy the kid was smiling and laughing. He nodded. The kid thought he was a god, and that’s as fine. Basically was, at this point. They conversed quietly for a little more, before Xie Lian came in with a tray of congee and cut up apples, skin peeled.

“Right. Eat as much as you can, Wei Ying.” He said softly, placing the lightweight tray across his lap. He sat next to Hua Cheng, both conversing quietly. They seemed to keep an eye on the boy.

Wei Ying stared at the food, weakly grabbing the spoon and eating the bland, unflavored congee. He ate a little, nibbling on an apple here and there, but barely making a dent in the food overall.

“Wei Ying, is it not to your liking? Unfortunately, this is all you can have..” Xie Lian smiled apologetically, rubbing the back of his. Wei Ying shook his head.

“… I don’t want anymore.” He said finally. It was quiet for a second before a small shift, and Xie Lian got up.

“I see. We should fix that later, but we will let this go. I’ll move the tray, so you can rest,” he said gently, doing as he said and putting the tray onto the table side. He helped Wei Ying lay down, who immediately felt drowsy. Odd. His eyes slipped shut, a glimmer of light in those scarily dull eyes.

“Sleep well,” two voices murmur, one voice soft as if blessed by the clouds and touched by the sun, the other as deep as the ocean, growl present like a beast never gone. Except the only beast nearby wasn’t a beast at all. It was Wei Ying, inner turmoil ripping at his edges.

It wouldn’t be long before he cracked, and fell apart. But how long could he last?

Notes:

Hello! Thanks for reading, and I’m here to explain why I was gone for basically two weeks.

First, I live in Texas. We all have probably heard of Hurricane Beryl, of which I was affected. I lost power, and was issued an evacuation notice. Now, that wouldn’t haven’t been an issue if I hadn’t decided to get ridden with a terrible cold the same day. I stayed out in the harsh rain and winds which made me fall sick. I was miserable, and I’m trying to word this best I can. Please excuse this hiatus, and I’m trying to catch up!

Notes:

I haven’t read nor watched the drama in a hot minute, so please excuse any errors and please provide advice / corrections if needed. I do not have a beta reader either!

BEGAN : June 29, 2024 Sat. 2:24 AM
ENDED : ???