Archive of Our Own

What was supposed to be a fun hunting trip, following the steps of a misbehaving beast, had turned into… whatever this was. They were stopping for the night at a Temple of Qi Ying, since the weather had changed unexpectedly and thus, they were forced to look for shelter. If not for that, they would have already been on their merry way to track the yao that was causing trouble in the area. There was always some yao causing problems.

Quan Yizhen said they should just stay inside for now, instead of traveling in the cold and potentially getting lost in a blizzard. That would completely ruin the fun! And at least for now, there shouldn’t be any problems: most mortal humans preferred to stay inside, safe and warm, instead of in the middle of a snow storm, and even a yao would rather rest in a cave than try to wreak havoc out in the cold.

Besides, Qi Ying’s temples were really comfortable! And going back to Ghost City or the Heavenly Realm would mean they’d have to go their separate ways, and honestly, why would they do that? They could spend some time there in the temple instead, and enjoy each other’s company, without needing any extra justification for it.

Plus, it was a chance to scold Quan Yizhen’s followers if needed.

(It was always needed, since somehow they were ALWAYS involved in some kind of shenanigans. In fact, the question was: what were they going to discover that they did this time? Hopefully, something relatively harmless, and knowing them, that would be the best possible scenario).

This temple was, in fact, a big one that was well equipped: Quan Yizhen’s worshipers were both generous, determined and sincere in their attempts to please their God, so when Quan Yizhen asked them to use the gold they constantly offered him to make his temples more cozy and house whoever might need shelter, they agreed enthusiastically. From then on, they worked on expanding the temples to act as an emergency sanctuary for kids, especially orphaned ones, for widows, and for anyone in need. This, in turn, made Qi Ying’s following increase and his reputation improve, even in the Heavenly Realm. Of course that doesn’t mean anyone else followed that example, though.

The idea had been a suggestion that came from Xie Lian, who knew that Quan Yizhen had a reserve of gold that could be put to good use. “There are better things that can be done with that gold if you don't want it, Yizhen. How about making your worshipers act a bit like the ones of Lord Rain Master?” Quan Yizhen loved the idea, and was immediately on board.

But they didn’t want to make themselves known this time, so they stayed invisible to the Head Priest of the temple. It was pretty late, too, since they preferred to travel at night, and they didn’t want to disturb his rest anyway. They could talk to him in the morning, in case he knew something about the beast they were investigating. For now, they decided to walk around the temple to see if everything was okay, and check on the offerings too.

This particular temple had divine statues depicting both of them. No matter how many times Yin Yu insisted that he was not a god (and therefore, couldn’t hear their prayers), that he didn’t need nor want their offerings, they kept worshiping him along with Quan Yizhen, who had repeatedly asked them to stop, too, since Yin Yu didn’t want this. Well, they couldn’t do anything else to convince them: not even destroying several of the statues did the trick. At least, now the statues were not faceless, and instead of being part of small, badly hidden side altars, they were portrayed together, usually in fighting stances, back to back, working as a duo to defend the West.

It wasn’t like it was a bad thing, either. It was a known fact that they were married, and they worked together pretty often. Even if Yin Yu couldn’t hear their prayers, he still played a role in the protection of the West, mainly because Yizhen liked to have him fight by his side whenever a powerful beast entered his domain (because it was fun, not because he actually needed help).

At the end of the day, it had no negative effects. If they decided to worship him even when he couldn’t hear or answer them, and therefore, couldn’t give them anything back, maybe their faith was strong enough to be worthy of respect, plus their offerings now served to feed and house people in need.

That night, their altar —since it was one enormous altar, instead of two— was filled with offerings of all kind, from food to money and other valuable things. There was always some incense too, and at the feet of Yin Yu’s divine statue, in between heaps of different fruits, sweets and other foods, there was what seemed to be some kind of… figurine? Statuette? Jade object? At that distance, Yin Yu wasn’t sure of what exactly the artist tried to portray with it, but he felt weirdly attracted towards it, as if there was a magnetic force pulling him towards it.

“Shixiong? What are you doing?” Quan Yizhen’s voice had an alarmed undertone, but before Yin Yu could think about it or stop himself, he had already taken the strange object in his hand, examining it in detail. It seemed like it might be some kind of smoking pipe, with strange patterns carved in its surface. Since it was so suspicious, he pocketed it to investigate it later and determine if it was dangerous, possibly with the help of Hua Chengzhu, who would likely be interested. He had always liked to collect all kinds of trinkets.

“Are you okay, shixiong?” Quan Yizhen looked at him, a bit puzzled by his reaction.

“Yeah, nothing to worry about, Yizhen.”

He should’ve known it was not a good idea to carelessly take that offering. Quan Yizhen’s followers, even if well-intentioned, tended to be almost comically good at finding troubling things. The amount of stories Quan Yizhen had told him about the weird situations caused by cursed objects that one or another of his followers found and brought to one of his temples… (“They just want to offer interesting things to impress me, or that’s what they say.”)

Ahh, he really should have known better than to touch a mysterious offering from Quan Yizhen’s worshipers without thinking. Yin Yu didn’t even get the opportunity to study the pipe carvings in detail, and did not use it to smoke, yet still, by the next morning, everything had changed.

“Yu-er? Where are you?” Quan Yizhen woke up alone in the bed they shared the previous night. Or so he thought.

They had stayed at one of the rooms available at the temple, to sleep comfortably after securing it with a talisman so no one would accidentally discover their presence. Everything was normal when they fell asleep, but now it was morning and…

"Where am I? Who are you?” a small, frightened voice replied to Quan Yizhen’s previous question.

In the space of the bed that Yin Yu was supposed to occupy, was a kid. Not any kid, of course. It was clearly a kid version of Yin Yu: the same beauty mark under his left eye, the same beautiful face Quan Yizhen adored, now much younger, softer and rounder, but still undeniably Yin Yu’s. Quan Yizhen just stared at him, half-dying to just cuddle the adorably small kid in front of him, half working his brain at full speed to find any useful knowledge to help in this situation.

He found nothing at all.

All he could think about was how fortunate it was they did not indulge in any… pleasurable activities the previous night, going directly to sleep instead. Thanks to that wonderful coincidence, they were both still clothed and clean. Well, Yin Yu’s new frame was too small for the clothes he was wearing, but at least he was not fully naked!

Quan Yizhen discreetly checked the bracelet containing Yin Yu’s ashes to make sure it was still intact. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with it, at least at first glance.

"Good morning, shi-… shidi” he corrected himself on the fly, trying to ignore how weird it felt to call Yin Yu shidi. “You… you really don’t remember who I am?”

The little boy shook his head, and tried to cover himself with the blankets. Maybe he was getting cold: after all, it was winter. Maybe he was just scared of the stranger on the bed. Quan Yizhen needed to make him feel safe, soon. If Yin Yu had managed to do that for him any time he needed him, he should be able to return the favor, too.

"Don’t worry, shidi, you’re safe here. My name is Quan Yizhen. I’m your shixiong, we’re both disciples at the same sect.” He decided to go with the simplest story possible, using their shared past as an… inspiration of sorts.

“…” Yin Yu just looked back at him, still ashamed and scared by this weird situation he had found himself in.

Inwardly screaming, Quan Yizhen helped the kid cover himself better under the covers, carefully tucking him in and using the opportunity to stealthily check on him. His body temperature was warm, meaning that (probably), since he had no recollection of being dead, his ghostly form acted as if he was alive, simulating a heartbeat, plus breathing and any other bodily functions of a living body. That was a relief: it was one less thing to explain to the boy.

Then, Quan Yizhen frantically put his own robes on again, while he used the communication array to call the only other person he trusted enough to intervene in a situation like this.

”Xie-xiong? Are you there? Please tell me that you’re there!” he said, over their private communication array.

”Yizhen? Is something wrong?” Xie Lian’s voice answered almost immediately, probably noticing the desperation in Quan Yizhen’s voice, who quickly recounted what happened and where they were now, while still trying to appear outwardly calm, focused on not scaring Yin Yu even more.

”I’ll be there soon, don’t worry. I think it’s best if you come and stay here at Paradise Manor while we investigate this. I’ll come get you both.”

”Please, bring some warm clothes adequate for a kid that’s… around 10 years old, I’d say?”

Before he could prepare himself or think of a way to explain what had happened, kid-Yin-Yu talked to him again, from under the covers.

"We’re not at the sect now, right?”

Even if he was scared and, in his perception, sharing a bed with a stranger, he still was perfectly polite and did not cry or make a scene. Quan Yizhen’s heart was going to malfunction from the onslaught of cuteness aggression and the desire to endlessly spoil his husband. He never thought it was possible for him to love Yin Yu even more, but clearly he was mistaken. There was always a way.

"No, shidi, we are not. What… what’s the last thing you remember?”

"I was going to bed, after a day of training with Shizun” Yin Yu’s small head peeked out from between the blankets, his hair tousled from sleep, his expression a mix of sleepiness and concern. “Should I remember something else, shixiong?”

Before Quan Yizhen could answer, Xie Lian’s voice interrupted them from outside the room, with excellent timing.

"Quan Yizhen? Are you there?”

He opened the door, and Xie Lian quickly entered. Fortunately, he came alone, but both Xie Lian and Quan Yizhen knew that a certain Ghost King was probably going to enjoy this situation a bit too much.

"Hi there!” Xie Lian was unsure of how to refer to Yin Yu for now, so he just skipped that part. “I brought you some clothes!” he added, leaving a bundle of robes, plus a pair of small boots, over the bed.

"Who are you?” Yin Yu hid behind the covers again when Xie Lian arrived, but now he was cautiously peeking from behind them again.

"My name is Xie Lian,” he replied, sitting on the bed near Yin Yu, talking with his usual soothing tone and offering a reassuring smile, as he always did whenever he encountered children during his many travels, hoping that Yin Yu would react to him the same way every child he ever met did: they loved him, and always wanted to play with him and listen to his stories. “You should dress up while I talk with Yizhen, okay? That way you’ll be warmer, and we can answer your questions after that. We’ll be right outside the door!”

Yin Yu did not reply, so Xie Lian just stood up, grabbed Quan Yizhen’s arm, and dragged him outside the room.

"I can’t believe how adorable he looks!” Xie Lian just couldn’t contain himself. “I’m sorry, I had to say it!” Quan Yizhen did not object, either. It was true, Yin Yu was really cute in this form, and it was the first time any of them saw him like that: they weren’t prepared.

"Xie-xiong, what are we going to do? I think he’s afraid of me. What if, what if he-”

"Calm down, calm down. Breathe.” Xie Lian took him by the shoulders, trying to ground him. “No need to assume the worst! We’re going to get to the bottom of this and find a solution. San Lang’s library must have a record of this kind of situation, and we can ask Ling Wen if she can look for any information about it. But we will solve this, I promise.”

Quan Yizhen controlled his breathing, focusing on stopping his thoughts from spiraling too much, until his panic subsided enough for them to go back inside the room. He needed to concentrate on his husband well-being. Anything else could wait, his own panic included. And they were not alone anymore, so there was no need to worry too much. The two more powerful beings in the Three Realms were going to help them! He could relax a bit!

Yin Yu was now sitting on the edge of the bed, his posture somewhat stiff, and now he was wearing the clothes Xie Lian brought: they were comfortable and warm, and of excellent quality, soft and tailored for a kid. The fabric of the inner layers was dyed in soft shades of purple, while the outer robes were a dark gray. Maybe it was a wink from Hua Cheng to Yin Yu’s usual purple and black uniform? The small pair of leather boots were still waiting on the floor, and he was kicking his tiny socked feet, while he waited for them to say anything else.

"Are you ready, Yin Yu?” asked Xie Lian, deciding it was best to act natural instead of overthinking this. Yin Yu would surely forgive him, if he remembers anything about this after the curse, spell or whatever it is, wore off (or got forcibly terminated). “We’re going to a special place today!”

"Why should I follow you? I don’t even know who you are.” Yin Yu asked back, his tone dry, clearly still not convinced.

”Oh, so he can be as logical and cold as his adult counterpart”, Xie Lian said to Quan Yizhen, over the array.

”His size kinda ruins the effect, though. Shixiong looks too adorable for it to work.”

"Your Shizun is a friend of mine, and both you and your shixiong were supposed to come train with me today. You forgot about it?”

Yin Yu looked at Xie Lian and then at Quan Yizhen, who was crossing his fingers behind his back, hoping that it would suffice as an explanation for him. They both maintained a calm but questioning expression, as if they really were expecting him to remember something obvious.

Quan Yizhen really didn’t want to weave a lie more complicated than this. If Yin Yu tried to run away from them, everything would get much more messy and dangerous, and for now, his priority was getting his husband somewhere safe.

Instead of saying anything else, Yin Yu just started putting on his boots. Quan Yizhen exhaled, relieved, and collected Yin Yu’s adult robes and the rest of their belongings, before Xie Lian used his dice to open a portal to Paradise Manor.

"Where are we going, shixiong?” Yin Yu asked, now appearing less on edge, his voice reflecting how curious he was about their plans for the day. Quan Yizhen’s heart was about to explode from the sudden tenderness overdose.

"We’re going to accompany Xie-laoshi’s to his… hmmm… He’s a really powerful cultivator, you’ll see soon.” He took Yin Yu’s small hand in his, and followed Xie Lian through the doorway, without explaining further.

Hua Cheng was not waiting for them at the other side, probably waiting for Xie Lian to call him making his appearance. How considerate on his part.

"How did you do that?!” Yin Yu was now looking at Xie Lian, his face the very picture of awe and disbelief. “Wow, it’s true that you’re powerful!” Then, realizing he was acting in an impolite manner, he quickly let go of his "shixiong's" hand and bowed deeply in front of Xie Lian, his hands hidden inside his sleeves. “This disciple is sorry for his previous rudeness, Xie-laoshi. I’ll be in your care.”

Xie Lian did his best to stay in-character and schooled his face instead of cooing at the small boy, or ruffling his hair, or taking him in his arms. Really, this was going to be a difficult task for him. Quan Yizhen’s face was getting redder by the second, from the effort to not laugh at his "shidi".

"Please, raise! This master is not offended at all, don’t worry.” Then, to distract them from the almost unbearable level of cuteness, he invited them to have breakfast with him and ”another disciple” that was residing there with him.

”We’re going to the dining room now, San Lang” Xie Lian said to Hua Cheng over their shared array, " please, let’s try to not do anything that would make him feel ashamed when he recovers his memories and goes back to normal.”

”Wow, Gege really has a low opinion of me,” Hua Cheng said, pretending to be wounded by Xie Lian’s words. ”I promise I’m not going to tease him too much, Gege. Breakfast is ready, by the way, I’m waiting for you at the dining room.”

”Ahh, no, no, San Lang, you don’t get it! He looks so adorable I could hardly hold myself back from doing something uncouth, like picking him up and cooing at him! You’ll understand as soon as you see him, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng welcomed them at the dining room, where breakfast was already served, the table full of many delicious dishes. This time, he was on his San Lang skin, but the clothes he was wearing were simpler, more adequate for the disciple he was pretending to be, so he looked far less imposing and intimidating than he usually preferred.

He introduced himself as a wandering cultivator called Xiao Hua, and said he was studying under Xie Lian’s guidance. He also used the opportunity to remark how fortunate they were to be allowed to train under Xie Lian and how grateful they should be.

"Ah, Xiao Hua, that’s enough, that’s enough! There’s no need to exaggerate!”

During breakfast, Yin Yu appeared much more comfortable with them, his demeanor now confident and open. They resorted to opening a shared communication array to vent their collective mental collapse over how polite and well behaved he was. The urge to spoil him rotten was getting overwhelming, to the point that even Hua Cheng had to admit that Yin Yu was, indeed, an insanely adorable little kid.

But they all behaved and treated him as they would with any martial sibling, if they were actually who they were pretending to be.

After their breakfast and an extended chit-chat over some extra cups of tea, Xie Lian remembered that he was supposed to act like their master, so he told them that it was time to prepare to train.

"Xiao Hua, can you bring them some robes more appropriate for training, please?”

"Of course, laoshi. I’ll be right back.”

Before he went away, he took Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu’s belongings, and then bowed to Xie Lian (directing a playful wink towards him while no one else was looking) and swiftly disappeared behind one of the doors leading into the Manor’s inner pavilions.

Xie Lian took the others to the training grounds, where Hua Cheng found them a few minutes later. They had a short conversation while Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu changed their clothes in a side room.

"San Lang, you should go investigate while I entertain them here. I’ll make some excuse for you, and I’ll call Ling Wen, too.”

"No problem, Gege. I’ll be at the library, but will keep the array open. And I’ll leave a butterfly hidden nearby, just in case something else happens.”

"Thank you, San Lang. You look wonderful like this, by the way. Maybe I should play the part as your laoshi more often.” He gave his (flustered) husband a little kiss, before swiftly sending him away.

Over their shared array, Hua Cheng asked Quan Yizhen if anything weird had happened to them last night, or at any point during the previous days.

”All I can think of is that weird smoking pipe, I told Xie-xiong about it.”

”Yes, Gege did mention that. Where is it now?”

”I left it in between shixiong’s robes.”

”San Lang, please be careful with it. I don’t want anything to happen to you!”

”Of course, Gege. Don’t worry about it. I’ll see what I can find.”

After that, Xie Lian called Ling Wen to explain their situation and ask for her help with the investigation. “I’ll see what I can find, Your Highness,” she said, her voice as tired as ever. “I’ll call you back if I manage to find anything interesting.”

Xie Lian cut the connection just in time to greet Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu, who were now wearing some simple training robes.

"Where is Xiao Hua-ge? He’s not going to train with us?” Yin Yu looked a bit disappointed, as if he was actually looking forward to training with him.

Xie Lian was internally gushing. I hope San Lang’s butterfly registered that. He’s going to be so happy, even if he never admits it!

"Oh, Xiao Hua has his own special training regime, so he’s excused from this.” Xie Lian waved his hands while he explained. “For now, since you’re new, I’m going to focus on assessing your level of martial prowess. Follow my lead, please.”

Xie Lian then proceeded to guide them over some simple martial forms, and soon it was obvious that, even at just ten years old, Yin Yu was already really talented at martial arts: his body control was exceptional for his age, he was disciplined and stayed focused, his childish demeanor abandoned as soon as they started training. He was really, really serious about this!

Ahh, if Xie Lian really was his master, he would’ve been so proud! He hoped that Yin Yu would forgive him for getting a little too deep into this game of play pretend, because, really, Yin Yu deserved all the praise in the world!

"You’re doing really good! You can be proud of your progress!” he said with a smile, and Yin Yu positively beamed at that.

Xie Lian kept showing them different movements, and Quan Yizhen pretended to be much less experienced too, allowing Xie Lian to correct him and make suggestions. They spent some time practicing different combinations, variations and sequences of movements, and when Xie Lian noticed that Yin Yu was getting tired, they made a pause to freshen up and eat some snacks, instead of having lunch, ignoring Yin Yu’s protests. He insisted that he was fine, and did not need to rest yet.

Xie Lian chastised him, saying that resting was just as important as training, and neglecting his needs would only hinder his performance later. (“I’m sorry, laoshi. You’re right.”)

While they ate their snacks, they talked about cultivation, martial arts and spiritual weapons, the three of them showing great passion about it. Xie Lian felt a little sad about the situation, knowing what happened to Yin Yu in the end: while looking at the kid’s earnest eyes, full of dreams about a promising future, he wished there was a way to undo the suffering he endured.

Oh, well, at least they got to see and enjoy the beauty of the raging fire burning inside Yin Yu’s soul, even if it was just for a while. It was a bright but gentle fire, that shined through his eyes and through everything he did and said.

The rest of the day passed quickly, in between more martial training, meditation exercises, talking about different cultivation paths, and asking Yin Yu about his goals and interests. Obviously, he got even more fired up when directly asked, and said he dreamed of ascending one day: he wanted to be a god, a really powerful one, so he could help lots of people and do a lot of good things. That was why he strived to be better every day, always giving the best of him, following his Shizun’s instructions, training as hard as he was able to. He did his best to help and to be kind to everyone else in the sect. They had always treated him well and protected him, so it was the least he could do! And he was thankful to Xie-laoshi too, and to his shixiong, and to Xiao Hua-ge too! He was having the best day ever! He was learning a lot!

Quan Yizhen excused himself, saying he needed to use the restroom, but the truth is he was feeling too many emotions that he was not confident he would be able to contain. His heart felt like it was about to burst. It was a terrifying mix of his all-encompassing love for Yin Yu, and a profound sorrow and guilt because he knew what happened to him, and knew the part he played on that too, and there was also the deep admiration he felt for his shixiong, so determined and so full of purpose, even as a child!

There were probably many more emotions he couldn’t identify, all tugging at his turbulent heart, and he feels like he was going to drown: it was just too much. Even if he knew that everything was already water under the bridge, and they had already left the past behind them, this was still like a painful assault that left him stunned and defenseless.

He tried to reign over his emotions as quickly as he could, but it was a losing battle: by the time he finally came back to the training grounds, his face betrayed his disrupted emotional state, and before Xie Lian could intervene or say anything at all, Yin Yu ran towards him, his little face full of genuine concern.

"Why are you so sad, shixiong? Did I say something bad? I’m really sorry if I did, it was not my intention at all, shixiong.”

One of his little hands was rubbing circles over Quan Yizhen’s back, just as he did so many times before, as his shixiong. The only difference was that this time he couldn’t really reach that high, and Quan Yizhen couldn’t stop his tears from falling anymore, so he just crumbled and crouched down, embracing himself as tightly as he could, desperately trying to lock up the sobs that threatened to escape his lips.

"Oh, no, whats wrong? What happened, Yizhen?”

Xie Lian has much more practice on dismissing and hiding his own feelings, drowning any sadness or pain behind his soft smiles, and efficiently packing them all away, so he was able to conceal his own sadness without trouble this time. But he knew that Quan Yizhen had never been an insincere person, so Xie Lian would never judge him for not being able to stoically endure this kind of emotional onslaught.

Especially knowing that he was directly involved in both Yin Yu’s days as a disciple and in his ultimate downfall. It was natural that he felt bad about all this, since it was so personal for him too.

"Shixiong is sad, Xie-laoshi,” Yin Yu answered for Quan Yizhen, and then he asked him, “Shixiong, do you want some sweets? Having some tanghulu always makes me feel better when I’m sad! Xie-laoshi, can we have some sweets?”

"Of course we can have some treats, it’s an excellent idea. I’ll bring some sweets and some water for your shixiong, okay?” Xie Lian barely managed to stop himself from dissolving at Yin Yu’s suggestion. What a sweet, kind boy he was!

"Thank you, Xie-laoshi”

Before going away, Xie Lian softly patted Quan Yizhen’s shoulder, and tried to console him over their array.

”Yizhen, I’m so sorry that we made you feel sad… Try to focus on how happy you both are in the present, okay? Everything that happened in the past led you to each other in the end, and that’s all that matters.”

”Thank you, Xie-xiong.”

Quan Yizhen forced himself to take some deep breaths, until he stopped trembling. He needed to focus on keeping himself together. The past was in the past. They were all good now. Everything was going to be fine. He needed to focus. His husband needed him. He could do this.

"Thank you, shidi. It’s just that some of the things you said reminded me of… someone I miss a lot. But it’s not your fault at all. I’m sorry for making you worry, Yu-er, please don’t feel bad because of me.”

"Oh.” Yin Yu carefully considered his shixiong’s words, before adding, “then, I hope you can see that person again soon, shixiong.” His words were accompanied with a soft smile, and he kept rubbing Quan Yizhen’s back, still trying to help him calm down.

"I thought you were training, didi.” Hua Cheng arrived a few minutes later with Xie Lian, both of them carrying food, sweets and drinks for an improvised dinner, including tanghulu, of course. He heard everything through his butterfly and came to help Xie Lian.

Yin Yu smiled really big as soon as he saw them arrive, and in an unexpected show of indiscipline, he started eating his sweets before the rest of their dinner. Quan Yizhen got to help him clean his face when he got all sticky from the tanghulu.

After they finished eating, Xie Lian declared that they could have the rest of the evening for themselves, as long as they remained inside the Manor. While they walked towards the corridor connecting the training grounds with the rest of the Manor, Yin Yu suddenly asked,

"This manor is yours, Xie-laoshi?”

"Oh, no. No no no, I’m just staying here while I help Xiao Hua train for a while, but this place belongs to his family.” Xie Lian improvised an explanation, and inwardly winced. How could we forget to make up some story for this?! We’re supposed to be wandering cultivators! “We’re going to be on the road soon, after he advances a bit more in his cultivation.

”Oh, I have many ideas to quickly make progress, laoshi” Hua Cheng said, through their private array. “Have you heard of dual-cultivation before?”

Xie Lian chokes on his own spit, and Hua Cheng —perfectly composed, unlike his husband— rubbed his back, while talking to Yin Yu to divert his attention.

"Do you like this place, didi? You are always be welcome here. As you see, there’s a lot of space available.” Hua Cheng offered, effectively distracting Yin Yu from asking more questions.

"Really?!” Hua Cheng nodded. “Then, I will ask for Shizun’s permission to come back, Xiao Hua-ge”

They separated at the corridor leading to Hua Cheng’s office. He and Xie Lian entered to talk in private about what they managed to find out about the curse. Hua Cheng said that it was probably going to wear off a few days later, by itself: the information he could find in his library and after his thorough examination of the mysterious smoking pipe pointed to that being the case.

He supposed it would take five days at most for Yin Yu to go back to his adult form, probably much less, considering he was a powerful ghost now, so the influence of the curse should not last that long.

"As to whether he will retain the memories of the days he spends in this childlike form, I cannot say anything with certainty, Gege. But I think he will.”

"We’ll find out soon enough, San Lang. And you have the butterfly recordings, in case he doesn’t remember and wants to know, right?”

Xie Lian then talked to Ling Wen again, and she corroborated Hua Cheng’s findings: there were several records of previous cases of this, and according to them, the effects should stop after a few days, a week at most. She also told him to, please, please make sure that the object in question was either sufficiently secured in a safe place, or completely destroyed as soon as Yin Yu went back to normal.

Hua Cheng wanted to add it to his collection, if Xie Lian was not opposed to his idea, but he also proposed that they go talk to the Head Priest at Qi Ying’s temple about whoever it was that made the offering, just in case that this had been a targeted attack.

He didn’t say it explicitly, but if someone actually tried to harm Yin Yu with such an underhanded method, there would be hell to pay… and the punishment for it would not be served only by Qi Ying’s hands.

After they separated from Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, Quan Yizhen took Yin Yu to the manor inner gardens to relax for a bit, and they looked at the different flowers and ponds, beautifully arranged and manicured. It was the most peaceful place in the whole City, and walking around there was a lovely experience.

Yin Yu asked Quan Yizhen about Xie Lian. He just said that he was a powerful cultivator that had achieved immortality and had traveled a lot, and that he was a good person, highly respected and loved by the common people wherever he went. Quan Yizhen allowed himself to be honest about how much he admired him and how grateful he was for having a chance to train under him.

Yin Yu also asked him about himself. Quan Yizhen told him that he entered their sect thanks to someone else that saw him and believed in his potential and his martial talents, and that he was doing his best to make that someone proud.

Night started to fall during their conversation, and Yin Yu tried to not show how tired he actually was, but Quan Yizhen noticed anyway, so he suggested that they went back to their room, and that, before going to bed, they took a bath. Yin Yu complied, after remembering what Xie Lian-laoshi said about the importance of resting.

There were fluffy towels and clean sleeping robes ready for them at the baths, and Quan Yizhen sent a quick message over the shared array to thank both their hosts for being so thoughtful and taking care of even the smallest details, making their stay comfortable and safe.

Quan Yizhen was completely exhausted after the intensity of the day, and if it wasn’t for the fact that his (tiny, little, small) husband still needed his help and deserved to go to sleep in clean robes, he would have skipped the bath altogether. So, he opted for only skipping washing his own hair, tying it in a rough topknot before entering the bathing pool.

"Shixiong, you’re not going to wash your hair?” Yin Yu asked him, apparently weirded out by that notion.

"It’s too much of a hassle, shidi. I don’t want to deal with it right now,” Quan Yizhen admitted, almost pouting. Taking proper care of his hair had always been borderline nightmarish, and whenever he was too tired, like he was right then, brushing it could even be painful. He really wanted to just go to bed and rest.

"I can do it for you, shixiong. You can help me back, my hair is straight so it won't be hard for you!”

Quan Yizhen did not have the heart to tell him no, so after soaping up, helping each other wash their backs, and rinsing their bodies, Yin Yu helped him untangle, shampoo, and rinse his hair. He was as careful as ever, and Quan Yizhen relaxed a lot, until Yin Yu innocently asked him about the person he mentioned before.

"That person you miss must be really special, right, shixiong?”

At least Quan Yizhen could keep his eyes closed with the excuse of avoiding getting any shampoo or water in them.

"Yes, he is. He is my favorite person in the whole world, shidi. I admire him a lot. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

"Oh.”

"Yeah. Do you want to know more about him?”

"Only if it doesn’t make you sad, shixiong.”

Quan Yizhen opened up his heart, hoping that Yin Yu would be able to remember his words when he finally returned to normal. Well, if he doesn’t, he could always tell him about it again.

"He’s the strongest person I know. He… he has endured too many awful things during his life, and yet he still kept going and always did his best. He’s selfless, and always tries to help the people around him, with all kinds of things, no matter how small. Lots of people love him, but he’s too humble to realize how appreciated he truly is.”

Quan Yizhen’s face changed while he talked about Yin Yu, and his sadness lifted, bit by bit, replaced by warmth. Yin Yu stayed silent while working on his “shixiong’s” hair, listening attentively.

"He welcomed me into the sect, at a time when I was just a small child, living in the streets. I was an ugly street urchin with no manners at all, but he didn’t care about that, and helped me anyway. He’s patient, and makes me want to be better, and he deserves to see all the better parts of me, so I do my best to give him the best of me. He’s the kindest man, one of the few people that has ever been kind to me and defended me. He’s kind to me, even when I’m not kind to myself. He’s the reason why I keep on living and doing my best. Because he believes in me, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”

"I want to be that kind of person, too.” Yin Yu said, his voice soft and full of awe. “He sounds like a really good man, exactly the kind I want to be one day.” Then, in a soft whisper, almost ashamed, he asked, “Do you think I can be like him, shixiong?”

"Don’t worry, shidi, I bet you’ll be a very good person. You already are a really good kid, you know? And I’ll be with you to help. And our Shizun, and Xie-laoshi, and Xiao Hua-ge, too.”

Then, Quan Yizhen helped Yin Yu with his own hair, this time in comfortable silence, and when they got out of the bathing pool, Yin Yu found some drying talismans in between the towels, so they easily dried themselves, and then brushed and oiled their hair. Quan Yizhen braided Yin Yu’s hair, so it wouldn’t tangle in their sleep.

They had two rooms assigned for them, adjacent to each other, but Yin Yu shyly asked if he could sleep with Quan Yizhen-shixiong instead, because he was afraid of the dark, and being in an unfamiliar place was a little scary. It was fine when they were all together! He got adorably flustered and said that, since he slept in a communal room in their sect, he was not used to sleeping alone anymore.

Quan Yizhen of course had no problem with it, and got reminded of the many, many times he slept in Yin Yu’s bed during their disciple days. It’s only fair, he thought.

When they were both comfortable under the blankets, Yin Yu asked him about his childhood: he got curious, because Quan Yizhen had previously mentioned he was a difficult child and that he lived in the streets for a while, but of course if it was something that bothered him, then he didn’t need to tell him about it.

Quan Yizhen said he didn’t remember that time too well, but he could tell Yin Yu some stories of how he constantly misbehaved, and how he was introduced to the sect because he was so good at fighting. His little tales made Yin Yu laugh, until he fell asleep, smiling softly.

Quan Yizhen couldn’t help himself and pressed a soft kiss over his husband’s forehead, before he also succumbed to the exhaustion of the day.

The next day, after having breakfast, they took turns helping Yin Yu train. That way, they could keep an eye on the City (because having Hua Cheng, Yin Yu and Xie Lian simultaneously absent was never a good idea), talk to the Head Priest of Qi Ying’s temple where all this had started, and also be ready in case anything unexpected happened.

Yin Yu started his day meditating with Xie Lian, and took his chance to ask him if it was true that he was immortal. Xie Lian told him that yes, he is, and he had spent many many years traveling, learning, training disciples and helping people in the Mortal Realm.

"Don’t you want to ascend, Xie-laoshi?” Yin Yu’s voice was so full of innocent curiosity, that Xie Lian marveled at him for a few seconds, considering how to answer that question.

"Oh, I guess I did, in the past. But now… Now I really prefer the peace and quiet of the common people, and doing what I can for the ones near me. I’m just a human, you see. I do what I can to make the world around me a little better, and that’s more than enough for me.” It was a a half truth, since he was actually a god, but it didn’t matter to him: he just wanted his peaceful life with San Lang, and to help anyone he could. He did not covet power or recognition.

They meditated for a while, until Yin Yu’s voice interrupted them again.

“…Do you think it’s stupid that I want to ascend, Xie-laoshi?” Yin Yu’s voice turned into a whisper, and he became restless, but tried to at least maintain his posture.

"Not at all! It’s an excellent goal to have, and I’m sure you’ll do many good things while trying to achieve that. That in itself is more than enough, and it’s more than many other people ever do in their whole lives. You’re already a very good boy, I’m sure you’ll make your sect proud, ascension or not, little one.”

The child absorbed that praise like a sponge, and his attitude changed immediately, his disposition now sunny and full of curiosity again. But he calmed himself quickly, concentrating until he was able to meditate again.

After a while, Hua Cheng arrived to offer Yin Yu a tour around the armory. (That way, Xie Lian and Quan Yizhen would be free to go to the Mortal Realm, back to the temple where they found the suspicious offering).

Yin Yu’s eyes were full of childish wonder and fascination at the weapons collection. He had never seen that many at display in one place before! And there was a lot of different kinds! Just how rich was Xiao Hua’s family? They must be really influential and powerful, to have and maintain an armory like this!

"Xiao Hua-ge, what kind of weapon do you use?” He was looking at a particularly big bow, with intricately carved limbs. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to wield it if he tried.

"I prefer to use a scimitar. Xie-laoshi says that it’s the weapon that better fits my combat style, and of course I listened to him.” Hua Cheng followed Yin Yu around the armory, his arms crossed in a relaxed manner, but he was ready to help him or show him anything he wanted to see.

"Oh, I guess I can see it” the boy said, touching his chin while imagining him in a fighting stance, scimitar at the ready. “I’m not allowed to use any real weapons yet, though, so I don’t know what would suit me better.” His gaze swept across the whole armory, as if considering all the possibilities in front of him.

"I bet you’d be great with a yueyachan, but you still have to wait a few years to be able to wield one.” Hua Cheng couldn’t resist the temptation to mention that. Maybe he should worry about how soft he watos getting while babysitting his right hand man. Ah, well, no one needed to know about that, right?

"I’ll ask my Shizun about it, Xiao Hua-ge.” He then pointed to the Earth Master’s Shovel (without knowing what it was, of course) and said, “That one is a yueyachan, right? It’s a beautiful weapon.”

"Yeah, that’s a yueyachan, but once I forged one that was much more beautiful.”

"You’re a blacksmith?” Yin Yu turned to look at him, head tilted and brows furrowed, the very image of incredulity, but on his ten year old face, it was extremely cute, too.

"Well, not exactly, but a wandering cultivator needs to know about lots of different things to survive while traveling, didi,” replied Hua Cheng. “I dabble at a lot of different things, in fact. I wanted to know how to repair and maintain weapons, and ended up learning a lot about forging.”

"Can you teach me how to use a forge, Xiao Hua-ge?!” Yin Yu got increasingly excited, looking at Hua Cheng with bright eyes full of determination. “I promise that I will follow your instructions and I won’t do anything dangerous! Please?”

Hua Cheng looked at him and… surrendered. Seeing Yin Yu so fired up was impossible to resist. Really, he was starting to understand how Xie Lian had acted towards him during the time he had to spend in his child form, after the opening of Mt. Tonglu. And Yin Yu was his friend! Not that they would ever say that outwardly, by the way. Anyways, if this had happened to Xie Lian instead of Yin Yu, he was sure he would already be a puddle of goo on the floor.

He motioned for Yin Yu to follow him, and took him to the forge, the boy walking closely behind him, already acting serious and focused, as he did whenever he was studying or training. Hua Cheng took his time showing him around, explaining the use of the tools strewn around, and answering any questions.

"Can we forge something small, Xiao Hua-ge?”

"Hmmm… Okay. But you have to do exactly what I tell you, no exceptions.”

Yin Yu was practically vibrating in anticipation. Hua Cheng decided to show him how to make a simple dagger. After all, his mission was to keep Yin Yu distracted while Xie Lian and Quan Yizhen were out, so they had enough time to work on it.

"Do you want to ascend one day, Xiao Hua-ge?” Yin Yu asked, while enthusiastically stoking the fire, under Hua Cheng’s intense scrutiny.

Apparently, Yin Yu had decided to ask everyone that question. Well, with how determined he was to become a god one day, it was logical that he showed interest in other cultivators stances about ascension, and Hua Cheng knew that, even if both he and Xie Lian hid the real extent of their power, Yin Yu had noticed they were powerful.

"Not at all, didi. I don’t believe in gods, or fate. I prefer to do things myself and take my destiny in my own hands. I’m training because I want to be powerful enough to protect what’s dear to my heart,” Hua Cheng replied, watching a piece of metal getting hotter and hotter, waiting for the moment to strike it.

"But wouldn’t that be easier if you were a god?”

"Maybe, but that’s not the only way.” Yin Yu had a complicated expression on his face, and Hua Cheng realized he was forgetting the fact that, at that moment, he was talking to a ten year old version of Yin Yu. “Don’t worry too much about that, didi. Just make sure to be a good student, and everything else will come later.”

"What if I can’t? Xiao Hua-ge, what if I’m not good enough to ascend?”

"Who cares about what Heaven thinks, didi? Look at Xie-laoshi: he’s renowned and respected, and does much more to help people that some gods that don’t care about their believers at all. You don’t need to ascend to do good things, and ascending doesn’t necessarily mean you’re good, either. If you’re a good person, you’ll do good things, even If you live a simple life. If you’re a bad person, not even ascending would change that.”

"I guess that all this was much more complicated than I thought…”

"Don’t worry, didi, you are a good person, I’m sure you’ll achieve whatever you want in the end” Hua Cheng ruffled Yin Yu’s hair in a self-indulgent impulse. The child turned beet red, and sulked for a while. (“Please don’t tease me, Xiao Hua-ge!”)

After that, any frustrations or doubts Yin Yu had were expressed through the numerous hammer blows required in the process of forging the dagger. The end result was beautiful (Hua Cheng would never allow for something sub-par to be associated with him, after all), and Yin Yu was allowed to keep it, after promising to be extra careful with it.

Xie Lian and Quan Yizhen were back right on time for dinner, and Yin Yu was really happy to see them again and show them what he and Xiao Hua-ge did at the forge! (“Look, shixiong! Xiao Hua-ge said I can keep it! Do you think Shizun will get mad if I show him?”)

They had gone to talk with the Head Priest at Qi Ying’s temple, to learn more about the artifact that caused Yin Yu’s de-ageing. The priest told them that a rich merchant had bought it during one of his travels, and because it seemed to be an interesting piece, he brought it back to offer it at the temple, not knowing that the artifact was suspicious in any way. The relic did not have any effect on people without spiritual energy, so of course he had no way to know about its powers.

At least it had not been a targeted attack, but another case of “Quan Yizhen’s followers always manage to give him the weirdest gifts that who knows where or how the hell they found, but they did.” It was almost unbelievable how, at least half the time, the things they offered ended up being either cursed or enchanted, so instead of an offering, they turned into a nuisance (Quan Yizhen just got used to destroying anything suspicious).

Over dinner, Yin Yu thanked them again for all their help and promised that he would come back as soon as his Shizun allowed him to, because he wanted to keep learning under Xie-laoshi and Xiao Hua-ge.

They retire to sleep early, because Quan Yizhen was already falling asleep at the table, so Xie Lian sent them both to bed. They slept together again, curled around each other under the blankets.

The next morning, Yin Yu was finally back to normal. Quan Yizhen woke up first, and waited for his husband to open his eyes, feeling relieved that he was back in his adult form.

Would he remember everything that happened during the last two days?

Quan Yizhen kissed him almost as soon as Yin Yu opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Yu-er. How are you feeling?”

Yin Yu just buried his face on Quan Yizhen’s chest, still trying to process his new memories, overwhelmed by an avalanche of gratitude, shame, love and sadness.

"Good morning, A-Zhen.” His voice was quivering, and he embraced Quan Yizhen even more tightly. “I don’t know where to start, there’s… so much I want to say.”

"Do you remember what happened to you?”

"I do. Yizhen, I swear I’m not going to take any more offerings from your temples, ever again. Not even a fruit. Never again.”

"I’m sorry, shixiong. I really don’t know how they keep finding things like that. I should ask Crimson Rain to take all the weird offerings instead, at least he likes to collect that kind of things.”

"Hmmm.”

They stayed tangled around each other for a long while, enjoying the comfort of their shared bed. Quan Yizhen kissed every cun of his husband’s face, until a laughing Yin Yu told him to stop, because it tickled and because he wanted to bury his face against Yizhen’s chest again.

"I love you so much, Yu-er. I missed holding you like this.” He was trying not to cry, but once again, there were so many feelings trapped inside him, struggling to get out.

"I love you too, A-Zhen. So so much.” Yin Yu sat up and positioned himself so he could straddle his husband’s lap. “Thank you for taking care of me, even when I didn’t remember you. I’m sorry that I made you cry.”

He left a trail of soft, sweet kisses over Quan Yizhen’s eyelids, his forehead, his lips.

"You were insanely adorable, by the way. I think my heart will never recover from seeing you like that.”

"Don’t be ridiculous, Yizhen.”

"Ah, but shixiong, I’m telling the truth! You even took care of me-"

Quan Yizhen was interrupted by a forceful, heated kiss, that Yin Yu hoped would distract him enough to make him forget about whatever it was that Yizhen was going to say next.

It worked.

"A-Zhen?”

"Hmm?”

They were embracing each other again, now with Quan Yizhen tucked under Yin Yu’s chin, while his husband absentmindedly caressed his scalp.

"I’m proud of you. You know that, right?”

Quan Yizhen rolled them the side, so they could look at each other again.

"I know, I know.” Quan Yizhen kissed Yin Yu’s nose. “I’ll never stop doing my best to impress shixiong, though.” He rested his forehead against Yin Yu's. “I’m proud of you too, Yu-er. And everything I said the past two days is true.”

"I’m still sorry for making you sad.”

"I was just scared and overwhelmed. It’s fine, my husband is back with me, and that’s all I care about.”

"Hmmm, this husband is grateful and glad to be back too.”

After a few more minutes of enjoying the intimacy they had missed the last two days, they got ready for breakfast, and Quan Yizhen uses the array to inform Xie Lian and Hua Cheng that Yin Yu was back to normal, so when they arrived to the hall, their hosts were already waiting, Hua Cheng in his true form, now that he didn’t have to pretend anymore.

"I’m so glad you’re back! Do you feel okay? Is there anything you need?” Xie Lian was both relieved and worried, and inwardly hoping he did not offend or hurt Yin Yu in some way. with any of his actions or his words.

"I’m completely fine now, Your Highness. Thank you for your help, I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable with my behavior the last two days. I’m sorry if that was the case.”

"Not at all! There’s need to be sorry, Yin Yu. It was our pleasure to help you, right, San Lang?”

"Yeah, and you were basically already an old man even at that age, so it wasn’t difficult at all to take care of you, Yin Yu.”

"Sorry for being too well behaved, Chengzhu. Next time I’ll make sure to act like a brat and bother you a lot so you can have more fun, I guess.”

"What do you mean next time?!” Quan Yizhen was alarmed by Yin Yu’s choice of words.

"Yizhen, with the talent your worshipers have to constantly find dangerous artifacts, I’m pretty sure this is not going to be the last time something like this happens to me. They always find a way.”

No one tried to deny that possibility, knowing he was probably right.

"I’m so sorry, Xie-xiong, Crimson Rain,” Quan Yizhen bowed deeply. “Thank you so much for helping us the last two days. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help!”

"Next time, just call us so we can get rid of whatever it is they brought, before it can cause any problems, Yizhen” says Xie Lian.

"Maybe I should start visiting your followers dreams, so they finally learn how to behave.”

"Please don’t, Chengzhu,” Yin Yu quickly interrupted. “They really are unpredictable, and I really, really don’t want to know what they’ll do if you get involved,” he finished with a shudder, while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Do you want to have breakfast with us before you go?” Xie Lian offered, suddenly a little sad about them leaving. The last two days were so fun! “It’s already served, so it won’t take too long!”

"I even made sure there was some tanghulu left in the kitchen,” Hua Cheng added, in a tone that wanted to be playful, but when Yin Yu looked at him, for a second he found the same soft expression he had while they talked at the armory.

"I’d like to have some, Chengzhu,” Yin Yu answered with a smile.