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Xie Lian was in awe when endless red arches popped out of nowhere, and it took a moment before he followed the group of chattering ghosts while reality warped around them. To his left, Shi Qingxuan seemed to have no issues in keeping up distracting the ghosts with talk of beauty products, leaving him to observe silently.
Soon, they exited the blurring passageway into an extremely chaotic area, especially compared to the relative stillness of the evening forest before. Paper money rained through the air, physical and ethereal forms of all shapes and sizes shifted endlessly through long streets lined with red lanterns.
He could hear and smell several different food stalls, loud and sometimes warped voices calling out an appeal for patrons to try what they had to offer, some of them sounding rather… unappealing.
He turned to say something to his companion about it, and dread filled him when he realized he’d been too distracted by the new surroundings; the Wind Master was nowhere to be seen!
“Don’t worry, we’ll reunite at some point,” he muttered quietly to himself. Ghost City seemed giant already, and he couldn’t imagine how he would find Shi Qingxuan. But, he had faith in the socialite that they would somehow be able to find him.
For now, he decided to look for any area that looked like might give him clues for his current mission.
A nearby stall filled with meat caught his eye, and as he wandered closer to it, he grimaced at the realization of what was for sale as a boar-like ghost chopped through a human thigh before noticing him.
“Ya buying? Or…” The ghost’s eyes narrowed, then widened, and he dropped his cleaver. “It’s you!”
Xie Lian looked around worriedly before pointing at himself, a questioning expression growing on his face. “Me?”
“It’s gotta be! God! Chengzhu’s god!”
His confusion and wariness only grew. “Chengzhu?”
Another ghost manning a nearby stall approached him and leaned in far too close for comfort, peering at his face with owl-like eyes. “It is! No mistakin’!”
“I’ve seen the statue almost every day, ya know,” another chimed in on his other side, a scantily-dressed woman with heavy makeup and a flirtatious grin. “I wouldn’t mistake that handsome face.”
Xie Lian backed away from them, holding his arms out. “No no no, you must have me confused with someone else. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no way,” the boar ghost laughed, though it didn’t sound mean-spirited. “I deal with so many human bodies, and none of them look even close to you. Hua Chengzhu surely picked the best sculptor in the world for the temple’s statue!”
At this, Xie Lian was curious. ‘Hua Chengzhu’ had to be Hua Cheng, right? And if it wasn’t, whoever this temple statue was might be his answer as to how Hua Cheng was able to paint his past princely self so well.
“Could I trouble anyone to take me to this temple?” he timidly inquired, all-too-aware that this was far from godly territory, and acknowledging he was a god at all was dangerous no matter how much apparent excitement was heaped upon him.
To his utter surprise, there was nearly a brawl over who would get to take ‘Chengzhu’s esteemed guest’ to the temple. The ultimate winner was Lan Chang, the woman with the flirtatious grin, though it fell once they began walking.
Despite what he’d initially expected, she didn’t say all that much to him as she led him through the streets. However, whenever he got stopped and gawked at, excitedly welcomed, or offered a great many… unspeakable things, she took care of the imposers with a shout and some harsh words that could’ve easily started arguments.
Well, they probably would have, had the ghosts they bumped into not been made aware through either Lan Chang or their own sudden recognition that Xie Lian was ‘Chengzhu’s god’. It immediately hushed up whoever wanted to cause trouble, switching their tunes from bothersome and lascivious to excited, respectful, and apologetic.
They did eventually make it to an area in the city that seemed separate, though still a part of it. All at once, the loud noises of the busy street muffled, sounding like they were far away rather than just past a few rows of buildings.
“I heard Chengzhu built this temple before anything else in Ghost City,” she finally spoke to him once a large building with an even larger courtyard appeared through the strange haze that coated the realm.
Xie Lian hummed, curious. Normally, he wouldn’t pry, but Ghost City itself was incredible and he longed to know more. “How old would you say this place is, then?”
“Come on, as a god you would have heard about the city’s creation right?”
“Ahahah, you’d think,” he laughed nervously, falling into his habit of rubbing at his face.
“Well, I heard it’s been around for seven or eight centuries. Much longer than most of us here, so no one knows exactly other than Chengzhu himself.”
That was a long time for a city of ghosts to exist. It must have been established after Hua Cheng made a name for himself, otherwise Heaven likely wouldn’t have left it alone during its developmental days.
“I’m impressed. That’s a long time for a city to stay functional. Even Yong’an wasn’t around for more than six centuries.”
The woman’s face fell a bit at the mention of Yong’an, but her lips quickly turned up, clearly straining. “Yes. Sucks for them.”
He couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must not like about Yong’an, but there were many reasons to either love or despise an empire. At the very least, she seemed happy to exist in Ghost City, and wasn’t that all that mattered?
Before he knew it, they were at the gate of the shrine. It was grandly built, clearly made with the highest quality materials. Hearing it wasn’t much younger than Xie Lian himself, he wondered if it was maintained with magic, or if the upkeep was diligent. Either of those seemed in-character from Hua Cheng.
“There are a few faceless paintings as well, but the statue in there is truly detailed,” Lan Chang informed him ahead of time, marching through the gate easily despite it being a temple.
It was odd to see; ghosts weren’t normally devout. At least, not any that he’d met on his travels. Not since-
He shook his head, willing away the melancholic thoughts of someone long-gone. There was no point in making himself sad while entering a magnificent temple his new friend had built.
The doors to the large interior of the shrine were wide open, and above them sat an establishment plaque written in unassuming calligraphy. Not the best, but not terrible either. On it read ‘Qiandeng Temple’.
All at once, Xie Lian was bombarded with contrasting emotions. Delight, fear, confidence, hopelessness… He could almost see the plaque cracked and sullied and the temple’s walls scorched. He’d seen countless ones centuries ago, and even a few on his travels if he was passing through the area.
As they entered the threshold, he saw a tall statue that seemed to come straight out of the past. It was eerily similar to the fifteen-meter-tall one that had resided in his main temple and crumbled in the Xianle capital, but this one was far better, and maybe even a meter or so taller.
Each detail of it was perfect. Not even the old golden statue reflected his likeness so accurately. It was like looking into a giant mirror to the past – the crease of his eyes, where the corners of his lips rested in a worriless smile, the most subtle curves of his nose.
The statue was dressed in ornate robes of the god-pleasing warrior, not all that surprising as that was one of the biggest impressions he’d made, but the carvings looked like actual fabric had frozen and melded with the marble and inlaid jade this was carved from.
Xie Lian was rendered breathless as he approached it, time seeming to slow down as he looked into the past. Of course, he was incredibly different now, but he couldn’t help appreciate the craftmanship.
Remembering Lan Chang had said there were also paintings, he tore his eyes away from the statue and looked upon the walls, nearly gasping when he recognized the patterns of strokes. It had definitely been Hua Cheng who created them; one of the paintings even looked identical to the one hung up in Puqi Shrine.
“They’re magnificent, aren’t they?” the ghost finally spoke, her voice soft as to not break the atmosphere. “A new one was put in a few days ago, and may answer some of your questions.”
His gaze followed where she pointed, and his eyes widened upon seeing another version of himself painted directly on the wall. It was even more familiar than the statue and other art, showing off a young-looking man in white cultivator robes and a bamboo hat. He was posed quite elegantly in it, looking up with a hand on his hat and Ruoye coming out of his sleeve, the overall vision made to seem like they were dancing together.
The air suddenly changed around them, a very mild breeze gusting through the temple, but Xie Lian didn’t sense any danger whatsoever. Instead, he felt calm familiarity, and though he was quite flustered at how much of a display there was of dedication towards him, he didn’t feel a single ounce of mistrust.
“San Lang, it seems you did practice drawing the Crown Prince of Xianle,” he said without turning around.
The woman by his side gasped and immediately bowed towards the sound of footsteps accentuated with the telltale clinking of silver, and just from that, Xie Lian knew his new friend was keeping his promise to greet him in his true form.
“I hope gege hasn’t found this temple and its existence distasteful,” a deeper-toned voice with the same warmth as before spoke from just behind him.
“Of course not. I admit, I’m rather surprised anyone remembered me in a positive way. It’s very flattering, San Lang, but I hope you know by now I’m not very good at my position. I can’t grant much outside of my physical capabilities, even if I could hear prayers.”
“The only prayer this San Lang has ever had is that gege is safe, warm, and happy.”
A rush of emotion flooded through him. He wanted to speak, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Even if he did, his throat was too tight, choking up as tears welled in his eyes. Instead, he whirled around to finally face the Ghost King.
In front of him stood a very tall and handsome man, visually older than the form he’d initially met him on the ox cart in, but not all that different. His hair was loose and wild, save for a small braid with a red pearl tied at the end, and his face looked sharper and more beautiful, wearing a tense smile and an eye patch covering his right eye.
Seven or eight hundred years. That was how long the city had been around, the temple built before it, and the foolish gods likely challenged and beaten before even that. He’d already thought Hua Cheng was familiar upon meeting; the things he knew, the way his speech sounded, and the knowing looks in his eyes.
When Xie Lian finally spoke, his words surprised even him. “You’re from Xianle, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” he nodded slowly.
The woman next to them continued to bow but took a few cautious steps away before leaving the temple entirely. Xie Lian hardly noticed, too focused on the unbelievable situation. So many years had a Ghost King been worshipping a fallen and disgraced god who ruined their kingdom!
“How… how can you worship after everything that happened? I thought I had only one believer after-“
He was suddenly hit with the memory of a boy screaming into the sky that he’d never forget him, and that he’d build huge temples for him. It had been sweet but impossible at the time, with the state of the boy and the country, but…
“It was you… You kept your promise. You didn’t forget.” Xie Lian’s voice wavered as he looked into the ghost’s eye, the same one that burned with determination almost a millennia ago.
“This one is honoured to be remembered, but I hope I haven’t ruined gege’s opinion of me.”
“Never, San Lang!” he insisted, stepping closer as he clutched the ring hanging over his heart. “It’s… well, I worry it’s your opinion of me that might be ruined. You don’t know what I did between Xianle and now.”
Hua Cheng held out his hand invitingly. “I assure you, I know more than you think. How about I bring gege to my residence, and we can talk more in-depth there?”
He felt a knot in his stomach at the thought of admitting the worst point of his past, but if there was anyone who might understand, it was the one person who still worshipped him after he destroyed the lives of everyone who believed in him long ago. So, Xie Lian gently placed his hand on top of Hua Cheng’s, intrigued when the ghost pulled out a set of dice from his robes.
“There is one thing I’d like to ask before we go,” the god stopped him, quick to reassure when he felt Hua Cheng’s hand tense beneath his. “Why didn’t you tell me this when we stayed at Puqi Shrine? Surely you would have known I’d visit eventually and see this.”
“Much ashamed, I didn’t expect my citizens would recognize you so easily from my statue and old paintings. They beat me to it,” he admitted.
“San Lang has some attentive citizens. Very impressive.”
Hua Cheng protested with a short laugh. “Gege is a flatterer. They’re mostly fools, even when it matters.”
With that, he led the god to a closed door of the temple and tossed his dice in the air, catching them easily and then opening the door. Xie Lian quickly figured out it was some sort of magical device that produced distance-shortening arrays, and though he was curious about what else was in the temple, he knew there would be another time to explore.
For now, they were going to speak openly, however long it took.