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“Xie-xiong, I need your help with something important, please call me back when you have some free time.”
Quan Yizhen’s voice called Xie Lian over the spiritual communication array, with a remarkable level of composure and politeness.
It wasn’t that Quan Yizhen was unable of being polite, just that usually he was so excited and enthusiastic about whatever it was he wanted to share with Xie Lian, that he omitted the part of asking if he was actually free. And if he was acting so composed…
Hmmm, something must have happened to him.
“Oh, hello, Yizhen! I’m at Mt. Taicang, doing some work in the orchard, but I’m almost done, so you can come visit, if you want.”
“Is… is Crimson Rain with you now?”
“No, San Lang is not here right now. Why do you ask? Should I call-“
“No, no, it’s perfect. I’ll be there soon.”
Ahh, what a weird kid he could be sometimes! Xie Lian just hoped that Quan Yizhen was not in some kind of trouble. He quickly went back inside to clean himself and prepare for his guest.
Quan Yizhen arrived shortly after to the cottage, looking a bit… shifty.
What could be nagging on Quan Yizhen’s mind for him to be acting like that?
Whatever it was, Xie Lian was going to find out soon.
“Welcome, welcome, Yizhen,” Xie Lian gestured for him to sit at the kitchen’s table. “Wanna have some tea with me while we talk?” He was already filling a kettle with water, without waiting for his answer.
“Yes… yeah, sure, Xie-xiong.” Yizhen kept looking around, like he was trying to make sure there wasn’t anyone else around.
“Yizhen, what’s wrong? Why are you acting so weird?”
Quan Yizhen jumped in his seat, and then blushed.
“I’m sorry! It’s just that I need your help with… a surprise for shixiong, but I don’t want anyone to know about it, so I was trying to make sure that Crimson Rain was not here, because I don’t want him to know about this, at least for now, because he’s going to make fun of me, and I-“ As every time he was nervous, he started rambling aimlessly, but Xie Lian was already used to that. “Sorry, I’m just making this worse.”
“Why don’t you start from the beginning? What is it that you need my help with?”
Quan Yizhen took a really deep breath before talking again, still looking inexplicably embarrassed.
“I want to ask shixiong to marry me, but I don’t know how to do it! I want to make it special, but every time I try to think about it I get so nervous that I bet shixiong suspects there’s something bothering me. And also there are so many rites that I fear I’m going to forget one, or mess up the order, and there’s so many things to prepare! And I bet he’s going to want to do all that himself instead of letting me help or do it myself!” Then, he suddenly stopped with a mortified expression and added, “assuming he accepts my proposal. If I even manage to propose at all. Ugh, Xie-xiong, I’m a disaster.”
Yeah, Quan Yizhen definitely was going to need all the help available, if they were going to make this happen. And maybe, probably, definitely, Xie Lian should have asked Hua Cheng to call back the butterflies that were always hiding around him when they were separated.
Welp, it was too late for that now!
“Oh come on, Yizhen, we both know that Yin Yu is totally going to say yes if you propose!” The weird part was that they weren’t already married, in fact. “I bet everyone in the Three Realms is waiting for it to happen!”
“That… that makes me even more anxious, Xie-xiong.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry.”
“How did your husband propose to you?” It was so strange to hear Quan Yizhen refer to Hua Cheng that way! “Or, were you the one who proposed, Xie-xiong?!”
Ahh, what a great opportunity to make fun of his San Lang’s lame first attempt of a proposal!
This should count as a bit of a compensation to Quan Yizhen, since Hua Cheng probably had already snooped on their conversation via his wraith butterflies and was surely going to arrive at the cottage soon, be it to mock him or to offer his help. Or a third secret option, because he was unpredictable like that.
Xie Lian quickly recounted how Hua Cheng proposed and then immediately rescinded the proposal pretending it was a joke.
“Whoa. I guess at least I can’t do worse than that. Sorry, Xie-xiong, no offense.”
Xie Lian just laughed again.
“What about just eloping, Yizhen? That would be much simpler for you both.”
“No! No, I really want us to do all the proper rites, and have a proper celebration too. One where he’s not in charge of all the planning, of course.”
Xie Lian served them both some tea, and before he could add anything else, he heard the door of the cottage opening and closing again, accompanied by the unmistakable clinking sound of his husband’s boots. Here we go, he thought.
“Yizhen, I’m so sorry, I miscalculated-“
He didn’t get to explain the situation before Hua Cheng entered the kitchen, looking smuglier than usual. Quan Yizhen’s face sported a mix of betrayal and resignation. Xie Lian just grimaced.
“…Welcome home, San Lang.”
“Hi, Gege.” After softly kissing the top of Xie Lian’s head, Hua Cheng sat at the table, beside his husband, and smiled in such an absolutely wicked way, that it gave Quan Yizhen the chills. “I see we have an unexpected guest today.”
“Xie-xiong,” Yizhen looked at Xie Lian, pleadingly. “Maybe I should just… come back at a different time?”
“What, you’re going to run away with your tail between your legs?” Hua Cheng looked just like a cat lazily playing with his food. “Because, I’ll have you know that I’m an expert on marriage traditions. No one would be able to organize a wedding better than me.”
“Xie-xiong, this is a trap, right?!” Quan Yizhen asked Xie Lian, over their private communication array.
“Yizhen, he really knows a lot about basically anything you can think of.”
“But this is still a trap, right?”
Hua Cheng was playing with the red pearl in his braid while looking between his husband and Quan Yizhen, clearly amused by the silent conversation they must be having. Quan Yizhen didn’t want to imagine the levels of fun the Ghost King was going to derive from the future preparations if they let him intervene…
“What exactly are you looking to gain from this, Crimson Rain?”
“I’m just trying to protect the dignity of my closest collaborator by ensuring that his partner is adequate and all the rites are proper, that’s all.”
“What do you even mean by that?”
“Well, the rites start before the wedding itself. The groom has to demonstrate he’s serious, capable and deserving of his bride.”
“You’re implying that I’m the groom and Yu-er is my bride?”
But before Hua Cheng could take the chance to mess with him, Quan Yizhen added, “Wait, if you want to oversee those rites, and Yu-er is going to be the bride, doesn’t that mean you’ll be the bridesmaid?” Yizhen wasn’t even trying to tease Hua Cheng: he was absolutely serious.
“What?! Of course not!” Hua Cheng retorted immediately, but Xie Lian was already laughing a lot, enjoying how flustered he got.
“Then what, you’re going to be the dad?! Isn’t that even worse?!”
Hua Cheng had not considered that Quan Yizhen could take it so literally. Xie Lian just kept laughing harder and harder, almost tearing up, while Hua Cheng realized that, just like Xie Lian, he had miscalculated too.
“Gege!”
“Ahhh, San Lang!” Xie Lian said, repeatedly patting Hua Cheng in the arm. “It’s just that, it’s so hard to catch you unprepared!” Xie Lian was really enjoying this.
“I think this is going to be fun! Crimson Rain, please help me plan this!” Quan Yizhen was determined now, and that meant there was no way back. There was no one in the Three Realms capable of dissuading the Martial God of the West if he had an idea he wanted to see through.
At last with that, the ice between them had irreparably shattered.
(And somewhere in Ghost City, Yin Yu was having a sneezing fit).
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Once the initial shock from dealing with Quan Yizhen’s eccentric nature went away, Hua Cheng recovered his habitual, whimsical mood, while savoring the thought of the many opportunities he expected to have to annoy Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen in the near future. He was going to make the most of it, that was for sure.
The fact that he actually enjoyed the idea of doing this for them? Preposterous! This was just a chance for mischief! Nothing more, nothing less.
The plan was that Hua Cheng would outline all the important rites and ceremonies for Quan Yizhen, who then would have to organize things with his help. And, since Quan Yizhen wanted to celebrate in Ghost City instead of the Heavenly Realm, for obvious reasons. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian decided that their gift for the newlyweds would be the banquet itself, and that everyone in the city was going to be invited to it.
Quan Yizhen (assuming that Yin Yu accepted his marriage proposal) would leave to Yin Yu the decision power over who else to invite to the banquet.
On the practical side, Xie Lian would be in charge of helping Quan Yizhen prepare, because —apart from Yin Yu— there was no one else patient enough to deal with him, and if he wanted to have the whole experience he would definitely need help getting dressed and maybe rehearsing the different steps. Hua Cheng would be in charge of helping Yin Yu (or more likely, in charge of forcing him to accept any help at all).
But the first and most important part was the actual proposal.
After much discussion, they decided to skip some parts of it, though, mainly because they have no reliable information about the exact birth date of Quan Yizhen, making the matchmaking part impossible.
Well, it wasn’t like they actually cared about getting Heaven’s approval, and since Xie Lian was basically the Heavenly Emperor in everything except the title itself, and Quan Yizhen knew that he had his blessing, that should mean that, by extension, they had the Heaven’s approval too.
Quan Yizhen still had to gain Hua Cheng’s approval (in lieu of Yin Yu’s family).
“Are you sure the geese are really necessary, Crimson Rain?”
Quan Yizhen was finishing his preparations before going to talk to Yin Yu at Ghost City, and for practical reasons, they had started a shared communication array.
“You said you wanted to do this properly and abiding to the traditional ways, didn’t you?” The teasing edge in his voice was so evident that Quan Yizhen started contemplating to abort this whole mission once and for all. “Geese are known symbols of fidelity and lasting marriages, since they mate for life.”
“Xie-xiong, can you tell me if he’s lying?”
“Yizhen, I honestly have no idea.”
How could he not know?! They had been married for years!
Well, his first mistake was deciding to put his trust in a Ghost King that was well-known for being a trickster. Probably the biggest trickster there ever was. But he was sure that Hua Cheng would never intentionally harm Yin Yu. Those two facts were not mutually exclusive, but knowing that wasn’t really helping him feel more confident.
“Okay, I think I have what I need. I just need to go get dressed now.”
“I’ll ascend to help you with that, Yizhen. See you soon!”
“I’ll keep Yin Yu distracted here at the manor. Let me know when you’re back at the city, Gege.”
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
“Good luck, Yizhen,” Xie Lian whispered when they arrived back, outside Paradise Manor. “Just listen to your heart! I still think there’s no need to worry, nor follow any traditions too closely.”
Before Quan Yizhen could say anything back, Yin Yu was in front of them, ready to receive them, followed by Hua Cheng a moment later.
“Welcome back, Your Highness,” Yin Yu bowed to Xie Lian, as usual, and then, he noticed Quan Yizhen’s presence by Xie Lian’s side. “A-Zhen? Why didn’t you let me know you were coming to the manor? Wait, why are you so well dressed? Did I miss something?”
Yizhen was proudly standing there in his best set of armor, eyes bright and full of determination, now that he was finally in front of his beloved. Without saying anything else, he opened his qiankun pouch and… a series of geese emerged from it.
…Too many geese, Hua Cheng thought. He… should have been more specific.
The birds started roaming around, attracting the citizens’ attention.
“…Why did you bring geese to Paradise Manor, Yizhen?”
“Because they symbolize a strong and lasting marriage,” Quan Yizhen blurted out, suddenly forgetting everything he had wanted to say to Yin Yu. Oh, no, he already was fucking everything up!
After a moment of silence, finally all the geese were out of the pouch, filling the silence with their honks. Xie Lian, worried that someone would try to eat the geese, started trying to hoard them. Hua Cheng took pity of the situation and turned them all into budaoweng, that were quickly put inside a qiankun pouch again.
Yin Yu looked at Quan Yizhen, the geese, Xie Lian, the geese, Quan Yizhen again, and finally to Hua Cheng, who just arched his brow, questioningly. Yin Yu knew he must be involved in this somehow, so he decided to ask him over the array.
“What’s the meaning of this, Chengzhu?”
“You should ask that fluffy dog of yours about it, don’t you think?”
Yin Yu looked away from Hua Cheng’s eyes, ending their silent battle.
“Just to confirm we’re on the same page here,” Yin Yu started talking, looking at Quan Yizhen again, “whose strong and lasting marriage are we talking about, Yizhen?”
Yin Yu’s voice was kind and genuinely curious. He didn’t want to make Quan Yizhen feel like he was being scolded: there was no animosity or anger in his words. In the background, Xie Lian was now dragging his own husband towards the manor, trying to give Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen some privacy.
“…Ours?” replied Yizhen, unsure, while fiddling with a lock of his own hair, but then he stood up proudly again and corrected himself, voice full of certainty. “I mean, our marriage! If you marry me, shixiong. Because I want to marry you. Would you marry me, Yu-er?” This was definitely not going like he imagined or wanted it to go! He approached Yin Yu and took his hands, caressing them softly. “I promise I’ll make you the happiest man al-“ he grimaced, but continued immediately ,“the happiest man in the whole Three Realms!”
“Of course I want to marry you, Yizhen.” Yin Yu brought one of his hands to Quan Yizhen’s head, to pat him as he always did, smiling brightly.
Quan Yizhen looked back at Yin Yu, half elated, half embarrassed.
Ah, his sweet A-Zhen, always so earnest and so full of love. What was he going to do with him? Apart from marrying him, of course.
“Now… Can you explain exactly what you were trying to do here, Yizhen, please? Maybe over some tea?”
Quan Yizhen quickly shook his head, like a wet dog would. It seemed to help him recover his wits, at least enough to follow Yin Yu towards his office, to recount his plans. And explain the geese.
“You wouldn’t have to worry about organizing anything, shixiong, because Crimson Rain and Xie-xiong are going to help me.”
Yeah, the idea of getting Hua Cheng’s help wasn’t exactly reassuring for Yin Yu, though.
“Hmm… I always thought you’d prefer eloping instead of making a big celebration, Yizhen.” Yin Yu was occupied with preparing their tea, looking for a specific variety in his cabinets while waiting for the water to boil.
“I just… I really want to do this properly, shixiong.” Quan Yizhen looked so determined, but Yin yu wasn’t looking at him. “I want to prove how serious I am!”
He needed everyone to know that he would be a good husband, that he would do his absolute best to deserve Yin Yu; show everyone that he was capable to make Yin Yu feel happy, to cherish him, that he would treat him as he deserved.
“Ah, A-Zhen, you don’t need to prove anything to me,” Yin Yu stopped his search for tea to look back at Quan Yizhen, a bit worried. “I know you are going to be an excellent husband. If that’s why you want to do this, I assure you that there’s no need.”
“I think it could be fun too, and we will get to celebrate being together.” Then, Quan Yizhen got closer to Yin Yu, trapping him against the counter to whisper in his ear, “and I want to see shixiong in wedding clothes. I bet shixiong would look really handsome.”
“Oh? I’d say you’re looking up to taking those wedding clothes off me, shidi.”
Their tea was quickly forgotten, and Yin Yu barely had enough time to put up some silencing talismans and locking the door before indulging his future husband.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
In the end, Yin Yu had to trust that everything was going to be fine, or at least be fun. In truth, Hua Cheng was the one having the most fun with everything, insisting on keeping the preparations a secret.
Time really flies when you have no control over one of the biggest days of your life, I guess, thought Yin Yu, while looking at his own image at the bronze mirror in his room in Paradise Manor.
“What, you’re unsatisfied with your future husband’s choice of clothing?” Hua Cheng asked from somewhere behind him. “Gege helped him choose the gifts to send to his bride, including the wedding attire and the jewelry.”
Yin Yu just kept looking at himself. He wasn’t used to this kind of clothing, or to being at the center of everyone’s attention. His work demanded of him to be practically invisible, an art he dominated by that point, and dressing like this felt a bit… unnatural.
But he couldn’t deny that he looked beautiful. He was wearing exquisite red brocade over layers of black and white inner robes. The hems of the outer robe wide sleeves and the belt that held everything together were both decorated with a mix of sun and moon motifs, and the skirt had detailed dragon and phoenix designs, all embroidered in a mix of silver and gold.
And while his clothes were those of a groom, his hair was done in a complex style, proper for a bride, with an elaborate phoenix crown full of gems and pearls, and several hairpins to complete the look, holding together the buns and braids. His hair, black as spilled ink, contrasted beautifully with the colorful specks of light coming from the gems.
“That’s not it, Chengzhu. I’m just not used to this. I know both Yizhen and His Highness Xie Lian took their time to prepare this gifts.” He knew that whenever Quan Yizhen put his mind into something, he gave it his all, and with Xie Lian’s help (that probably involved commissioning some of the artisans in Ghost City, judging by the astounding quality of everything) they managed to gift him something truly special.
His final look was the work of several of the ghost dancers that performed at Paradise Manor: they were all closely acquainted with Yin Yu, having worked together for so many years, and what was more, having been under his direct protection: he was the one tasked with dealing with their contracts and accommodations, ensuring their safety from the start.
Now, the many meimei around Yin Yu were absolutely ecstatic, looking at him from every angle, making small changes in his appearance and offering all kinds of praise and commentary.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wear at least a bit of make-up, Gege?”, “You look so handsome, your fluffy boy is going to faint as soon as he sees you!”, “Oh I bet the robes are not going to survive the night!”, “That’s assuming the groom can pay the price to take his bride away”, “After all, ain’t our Xiaxian Yue Shi basically Chengzhu’s most precious cabbage?”, “Chengzhu’s not going to let that boy take him away just like that!”, “He’s not going to let Qi Ying steal his most prized cabbage!”, “We’re soon going to find out if that fluffy boy has what it takes”, “Gege is going to find out what he has too, if you know what I mean”, “Shush, before they disperse us!”
They trapped Yin Yu in the eye of their chattering hurricane, and only quieted down when they were completely satisfied with Yin Yu’s looks.
“It’s almost time for the groom to arrive.” Hua Cheng’s voice was so full of mischief that Yin Yu instinctively knew that this part was something his boss had been looking for.
Ah, hopefully whatever Chengzhu has planned was not too much.
…Was he seriously banking on Hua Cheng to not be extra?!
Whatever, he could ask His Higness Xie Lian for help if things got out of control.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Outside Paradise Manor, Quan Yizhen had just arrived, wearing a new set of armor he had especially commissioned for that day.
Xie Lian had roped Mu Qing into helping with Quan Yizhen’s hair styling, knowing that Mu Qing would do a much better job than he could ever do. (The only reason Mu Qing accepted was that he knew how bad it would turn to be, if he left Xie Lian to his own devices). Quan Yizhen was not that enthusiastic about letting Mu Qing touch his hair, but it was the best option he had, if he didn’t want to ask for his shixiong’s help.
The end result was amazing: Quan Yizhen looked handsome and imposing, half his hair now in a high ponytail, held in place by a golden crown inlaid with several amethysts, the rest of his hair falling down freely, with the exception of several intricately woven braids on the sides of his head, tied with purple ribbons that matched the details of the crown and that disappeared in between the rest of his lush hair.
It was both elegant and wild: the dark amber locks of Quan Yizhen’s curly hair looked shinier and softer than ever (Quan Yizhen was so happy with it, that he made Mu Qing promise to send him more of the haircare products he had used that day), but instead of the usual unruly mop, now it was carefully styled to give him a powerful aura.
He was wearing elegant red brocade robes under his ornate golden armor. It was rare to see him donning something so elaborate, but instead of looking uncomfortable or insecure, Quan Yizhen looked proud, and every polished surface in his vambraces, breastplates and pauldrons reflected the light as if it was coming from himself and his happy grin. The look was completed with a luxurious cloak.
As soon as he entered Paradise Manor, he was stopped by a wall of ghost ladies… and Hua Cheng. It was the group of ghost dancers that helped Yin Yu get ready.
“Not so fast, boy.” One of the dancers stood in front of Quan Yizhen, arms crossed in a defiant posture.
“I hope you came prepared, Qi Ying,” added Hua Cheng. “You were the one that wanted this to follow traditions, don’t look at me like that.”
“No money, no honey, fluffy boy. Are you ready to pay the bride price?”
Quan Yizhen just opened a pouch he had tied to his belt.
“I’m more than ready.” Everyone had underestimated the amount of gold bars he had accumulated over time. Finally those ingots were going to be useful! “Are all the bridesmaids here?” he asked, while still taking gold bars from inside the qiankun pouch. “I have to make sure to convince all of you.”
“Chengzhu,” whispered the ghost lady that was closest to Hua Cheng, “I think he’s serious enough.”
“Yeah, yeah, Chengzhu, he didn’t even ask how much, he’s just handing out money as if it was nothing!” added another dancer.
“Chengzhu, we know the money it’s supposed to be inside red envelopes, but surely we can forgive him?” The ladies were eyeing both the gold bars and their Chengzhu, unsure of how to proceed.
Hua Cheng looked intently at Quan Yizhen, still handing gold ingots to the “bridesmaids”. Quan Yizhen was undeniably happy, and the initial attitude of the ghost dancers quickly changed into them cooing at Yizhen, marveling at his muscles and offering unsolicited advice for the wedding night. It was undeniable how much he had changed and matured since Yin Yu’s death, even if his eager and sunny personality stayed the same.
In truth, Hua Cheng already knew that Quan Yizhen was someone that would make Yin Yu the happiest he could possibly be, that would not stop at anything to keep him safe, that had waited and looked for him for many years. He had already proven beyond a doubt that he deserved Yin Yu's love.
That was not mutually exclusive with Hua Cheng’s need to have fun at his expense, though.
“Well, well, well. I see I underestimated your resolve, Qi Ying. Time to move on to the next challenge.” Hua Cheng snapped his fingers and a small table appeared in front of them. Over it was a plate with several steamed buns, their fillings unknown. “Have you heard about ‘The four flavors of marriage’, Qi Ying?”
Quan Yizhen looked at the steamed buns, and suddenly had a foreboding feeling. What were those buns filled with? Did Xie Lian have anything to do with the cooking process?
“Do I have to eat those buns?”
Before Hua Cheng could explain the purpose of the game, he got interrupted.
“What’s taking you all so long?” It was Yin Yu, bored after waiting for so long inside the room. As soon as he saw the buns, he stared at Hua Cheng with an accusatory look. “Chengzhu, are those the buns that His Highness cooked earlier?”
“I’ll have you know that I personally helped him and those are perfectly edible.” It was true, but no one that ever tasted Xie Lian’s cooking would want to risk it.
Quan Yizhen’s brain had stopped working, as soon as Yin Yu appeared in front of him, looking so ethereal and beautiful that he simply couldn’t think anymore. He did not even register any of the back and forth between Hua Cheng and Yin Yu. He only came back to Earth when Yin Yu took his hand and said Let’s go, Yizhen.
They had decided to do their bows in private, and Yizhen had told Yin Yu that he had a place in mind for it, but wanted to keep it secret, “because I want it to be a surprise for shixiong.” Yin Yu didn’t object to the idea, because he had nowhere in mind for it. If Yizhen wanted to take him somewhere that was special to him, that was enough.
Hand in hand, Quan Yizhen took them somewhere located in the West, using Yin Yu’s dice for it.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
When Yin Yu opened his eyes again, he realized they were outside what looked like a small, old and abandoned temple, half-dilapidated but still standing, in the middle of nowhere.
"I found this place some time after... after shixiong was banished," explained Quan Yizhen, guiding Yin Yu inside. "I did what I could to protect it, but it got damaged over time. And I'm no artisan, so I couldn't restore the divine statue." He was looking at his own hands, as if they had betrayed him. "I knew that if I commissioned someone to help with it, that would go wrong. So I just did what I could to protect this place and hide it from everyone else. It's ... a place that’s still sacred to me. That's why I brought you here, shixiong."
Yin Yu was speechless and just looked around, with Quan Yizhen following close, still holding his hand. This place was once a small temple dedicated to him, in a remote location in the West, that now was abandoned, damaged and forgotten by the passage of time, the village located nearby long gone too.
The roof was almost completely destroyed, and moonlight entered freely through the remains of it, illuminating the altar where a deteriorated statue of Yin Yu still stood, almost impossible to recognize. But Yin Yu remembered, and it felt surreal to do so, to think that in the past he had been revered as a Martial God, his statues looking elegant and regal, his figure imposing and proud, his altars full of offerings and incense always burning, fervent prayers raising to the heavens along the wafts of incense smoke.
At the statue’s feet, adorning the altar covered with a rich red cloth, were several objects for their marriage rites, and in the middle of it all was a ceramic holder with some incense sticks burning even now.
"You... You protected this place all this time?"
"I felt closer to shixiong, whenever I was here."
They were still holding hands, and Yin Yu was positively squeezingQuan Yizhen's.
Quan Yizhen spoke through their communication array, feeling too emotional to be able to say what he wanted to say out loud without breaking.
”Shixiong, I’ve told you before that to me, you're still a god worthy of following. And I still think that’s true. I'll always believe that, and I'll always worship shixiong, no matter what happens in the future. I believed in you when I was still your shidi, and I still did as a fellow Official, and never stopped, not even when you were banished and I couldn’t find you anymore. I came here, and prayed, it didn’t matter that you were unable to hear me or answering me. And now I want to keep worshiping shixiong as a husband too."
Yin Yu looked at him, overwhelmed by the intensity of Quan Yizhen’s gaze and by how deep and sincere his love was, a force of nature so powerful that it defied the passage of time, the scrutiny of Heaven and even the resistance of his beloved.
But Quan Yizhen looked so small now, as if he was expecting a scolding from his shixiong.
“You never stop surprising me, A-Zhen.” Yin Yu let go of Quan Yizhen’s hand, and held his face between his hands instead, softly caressing his cheeks with his thumbs, to soothe his anxiety and to make Quan Yizhen look back at him. “To think that you even kept a temple for me after all this time… it’s surreal.”
“I was a bit scared that you’d get mad at me, but I still wanted to show shixiong this place.”
“Ah, Yizhen, no, I’m not mad. I’m grateful, and honored, and surprised. The extent of your devotion to me never fails to surprise me, that’s all. I don’t know how to-“
“You don’t have to do anything, shixiong. Just let me love you, and love me back, if you still want to.”
“Of course I still want to!” Oh, this silly boy. “Let’s get married, Yizhen. I can’t wait anymore.”
They approached the altar, hand in hand again, and then Quan Yizhen extracted a veil from another pouch tied to his waist.
“I forgot to ask shixiong if he wanted to wear a veil, so I brought it just in case. Or I could wear it instead.”
“You know what? Let’s do that. I suddenly want to be the one that lifts the veil, A-Zhen.”
“Okay, shixiong.” Quan Yizhen, as enthusiastic as ever, covered his own head with the red veil and waited for Yin Yu to guide him so they could proceed.
Since none of them had any living family, and Quan Yizhen didn’t remember his parents or their names, they just prepared two memorial tablets, made of stone, to represent their ancestors.
They bowed thrice in silence, in front of the small altar: to their parents, to the Heavens, and to each other.
Then, with trembling hands, Yin Yu lifted the veil that was hiding Quan Yizhen’s face.
“Hey there, husband.”
Quan Yizhen’s bright smile was so irresistible that Yin Yu simply had to kiss him. Just a small kiss, before proceeding with the remaining rites.
Quan Yizhen, still smiling, served them both the cups of nuptial wine, miraculously avoiding spilling any, and handed one cup to Yin Yu, holding the other for himself.
“Ready?”
Yizhen just nodded.
Yin Yu held up his cup and leaned over towards Quan Yizhen, so that they could intertwine their arms, carefully, and then drink the wine. They drank slowly, savoring the moment, committing it to memory: the smell and the taste of the wine, the closeness they shared, the firmness of each other’s arm, how their eyes turned into crescents from their shared happiness that they couldn’t hide, the way their Adam’s apples bobbed while they drank…
Letting go of each other felt almost like a crime.
There was one more rite left: the hair joining ceremony. They helped each other cut a lock of hair, and then tied both together, to be kept safely intertwined inside a brocade pouch, symbolizing their commitment and the desire to stay together from now on, their lives as close and intertwined as those strands of hair.
They stayed together inside the ruins of the temple for a while, enjoying each other’s presence and savoring the happiness they were feeling. The rest of the world, the banquet, the celebrations… it all felt like it was several worlds away from them.
Here, there was only them, inside a small bubble of shared love and devotion, hidden from the outside world in a corner forgotten by everyone else.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
When they returned to Ghost City, it was like coming to visit during a festival: all the streets were decorated with double happiness signs, and even more red than usual adorned every corner, nook and cranny. The usual red lanterns seemed to have multiplied, and everywhere they looked at there were phoenixes and dragons, red and gold, and even some banners wishing them happiness.
Just the usual eager way of Ghost City to show the appreciation from their citizens.
The residents were busier than ever, some preparing fireworks, some getting the last tables ready for the banquet, others trying to find some last minute gifts for the newlyweds, everyone in the middle of an overexcited frenzy.
And in between that shared craziness, they could spy some Heavenly Officials roaming around and enjoying the festivities too, trying to blend in and failing spectacularly.
“Let’s go find our table, shixiong.”
Their table was located on a especially constructed platform overlooking the lake, where Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were already waiting for them to officially start the celebrations.
The food was exquisite, as expected, and the performances entertaining, but both Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu were eager to leave the banquet and go home. The City didn’t need them to keep the party going, anyway. And even Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were lost inside their own little world, as they ever did, to the chagrin of everyone around them.
So slipping away from the celebrations should be easy!
Or so they thought, but while they were getting away, some of the ghosts noticed them and started throwing rice and seeds at them, in a little too enthusiastic way, to the point that Yin Yu had to tell them to stop because they were throwing those too fucking hard! It hurt!
They didn’t want to listen, and some confused ghosts were looking for more things to throw (because they arrived late and had no idea what was happening, but wanted to participate!), so Yin Yu, in a rarely seen bout of anger, shouted a “SCRAM!” that quickly dispersed the crowd, while Quan Yizhen was still laughing at the ridiculous display.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽☀︎☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Their home was empty and quiet, exactly as they wanted. They were both tired, after an emotional day and the crazy shenanigans of Ghost City residents. Plus, Yin Yu’s hairdo was getting painful, and Quan Yizhen really wanted to get out of his armor.
They helped each other extract the hairpins and undo the buns and braids adorning each other’s hair, taking their time to massage each other’s scalp, relieving the accumulated tension.
Then, they started taking off their clothes and armor, careful to not damage anything, and savoring the act of unwrapping each other’s body, as if it was the first time they’d done it.
Somehow, by the point they were about to get naked, their caresses had turned into a merciless tickling battle, and all Yin Yu could think of was how happy he was that this was how their marriage would start, with them crying in laughter over their creaking bed, sharing a tender moment they were never going to forget, looking at each other's eyes forming crescents in happiness. Because this, this was what a life shared with Quan Yizhen meant to him.
And seeing Quan Yizhen’s smiling face, hearing him giggle under his touch, was the most precious gift he had ever received. Nothing else could ever compare. He let Quan Yizhen know that, over their shared array, while they got lost in the first kiss they shared in this bed as a married couple.
Yes, this was the perfect way to start this new stage in their life.