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The abandoned palace was surrounded by white roses. They grew over the walls, through every open door, and through every gap in the roof. They branched off in every direction, their blooms big and beautiful, their scent overwhelming. Ahead of Xie Lian, one of the big doors of the gate was hanging off one hinge, creaking with every gust of wind.
Xie Lian sighed, his sword reflecting the moonlight as he cut through more of the roses and followed the red string tied around his finger to where his husband was waiting for him.
Just a little longer, San Lang, he thought. I’m almost there.
The night before Hua Cheng had returned from the Gambler’s Den with a spinning wheel that he’d won, made of beautiful dark wood, with charming little flowers carved into every spoke. It was supposed to be able to turn simple hemp into gold thread.
Hua Cheng had sat down to demonstrate and Xie Lian had been happy to indulge him, leaning his chin on his hand, unwilling to temper his beloved’s enthusiasm by pointing out that the result could not possibly be more beautiful than the material his very own silver butterflies produced.
Xie Lian had not been able to deny that it was a very neat trick – one they would definitely have to show Mu Qing. But even as he was thinking this, Hua Cheng suddenly collapsed. And no matter what Xie Lian tried, he could not get him to wake up.
It was the spinning wheel, of course. There must have been some sort of curse placed on it, and neither of them had picked up on it, thinking the resentful energy of the thing was simply what allowed it to produce the gold.
Yin Yu had been helping him investigate who Hua Cheng had won this prize from, and looking into ways to lift the sleeping curse. At the end of the day, exhausted from worry, Xie Lian had closed his eyes just for a few moments. When he opened them again, his husband was gone.
Leaving the investigation to Yin Yu, Xie Lian had not wasted any time before following the ever-reliable red string, by now very annoyed. Whoever it was thought that they could just take his beloved from right under his nose? He would make it clear how he felt about that!
The red string had led him to this abandoned palace, where resentment hung thick in the air like an invisible fog. Xie Lian had already seen a couple of ghost fires while he was hacking his way through the hedge of white roses to get inside, but he wasn’t interested in them. He’d find Hua Cheng and bring him home, and if the culprit decided to get in his way, so much the better.
Just as Xie Lian had cleared a path to the half open palace gate, with thorns gripping his robes as if the roses themselves would stop him, there was a loud roar. He smiled wryly. Ah, there they were.
He did not look up or stop walking, but simply passed through the gate and kept moving towards the entrance to the palace. He only stopped when his way was blocked by something large and white. When Xie Lian looked up, he saw that it was a dragon – it was big and long and wingless, with four legs and claws like sharp curved blades. Its scales and whiskers were white and its mane was white, while its eyes were light blue, shining like gems.
“I am Yan Zhong,” it announced. “Of the Bleeding Wh–”
“White Roses?” Xie Lian finished, impatiently tapping the point of his sword against the paving stones and gesturing at his blood-soaked robes with his free hand. “Yes, I guessed as much. How novel. Could you please get out of my way?”
Despite the theatrics – the bleeding roses and the dragon form that it had taken to impress him – Xie Lian had felt right away that this was only a wrath ghost, and not a very strong one at that. It had not been difficult, for him at least, to find and break through the array around the palace.
“You dare interrupt me? I am the one who defeated the Ghost King, and I will keep him asleep inside my palace as–”
“As a source of spiritual energy, yes. You don’t have the power to kill him, but you think you can keep him under the sleeping curse and take his power, and then you will rule the Three Realms. Am I correct?”
Xie Lian really didn’t have the patience to listen to a ghost going on and on about its evil plans tonight, was the thing.
The dragon was gaping at him, its sharp claws making cracks appear in the stones.
“I do not think I can keep him, I will keep him,” it bristled.
Xie Lian smiled pleasantly, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. “I’m afraid a curse like this won’t keep a Calamity down for long. You don’t have much time left, Yan Zhong. If you let me pass, I will put in a good word for you.”
The dragon’s large, white head shot towards him and Xie Lian quickly jumped to the side, laughing as the jaws snapped shut where he had just been standing a moment before. He had already been hoping the ghost would refuse.
He dodged the dragon’s snapping jaws twice more, jumping onto a roof and then using the dragon’s own back as a stepping stone to get to the other rooftop, before hopping off and quickly getting under its long body.
In the end, the fight was not nearly as satisfying as he had hoped it would be. Hua Cheng had given him plenty of spiritual energy the previous day before he had collapsed, and Xie Lian’s martial skills had improved even more – he could feel himself getting better every time he sparred with Hua Cheng.
What was a wrath ghost supposed to do? It had truly only used the spiritual energy he’d taken from Hua Cheng for appearances. The dragon form was for show – the ghost had no idea how to use it effectively, and as such the size of the dragon was more a hindrance than anything. In just a few moments, Xie Lian had found the heart and stabbed his sword straight through it. It was enough to finish the poor ghost off.
“Fool,” the dragon form whispered even as it started to dissipate like dust on the wind, “you cannot break the curse without me. He will sleep forever.”
“I told you,” Xie Lian said, smiling brightly, “San Lang will find a way to wake up. And even if he doesn’t – I already know exactly what to do.”
Unwilling to waste any more time, Xie Lian turned his back to the cloud of white dust and entered the palace, finding the royal bedchambers easily.
Hua Cheng lay on his back on the large bed, his eyes closed, his hands folded on his unmoving chest. His red robes were pristine and without wrinkles, and his black hair was spread out across the pillow like spilled ink.
The moonlight came in through the window, lighting up the broken windowsill and the dustmotes in the air and caressing Hua Cheng’s pale skin. Xie Lian sat there on the edge of the bed for a few moments, just looking at his husband and almost forgetting to breathe.
He took one of those cold hands and held on to it as he leaned forward, a few strands of hair falling forward to tickle Hua Cheng’s neck and face.
“I really hope this will work,” Xie Lian murmured to himself, right before resolutely pressing his lips against Hua Cheng’s and closing his eyes. He gently pried Hua Cheng’s lips apart with his tongue and slowly exhaled into his mouth, spiritual energy following the breath.
Just when he was starting to think that it wasn’t working, that he needed to concentrate on thinking about how he felt, Hua Cheng suddenly squeezed his hand, and a moment later his other hand cupped the back of Xie Lian’s neck, keeping him in place as Hua Cheng licked the relieved sigh off his lips.
“San Lang,” Xie Lian said softly when he came up for air.
“Gege?” Hua Cheng sounded confused and sleep-soft, as Xie Lian stroked his hair. “This isn’t – Where are we?”
Xie Lian pulled back slightly, putting his hand on Hua Cheng’s chest. “Ah… San Lang fell asleep, a ghost tried to–”
“Gege, what happened?!” Suddenly wide awake, Hua Cheng was half sitting up and touching him everywhere, and Xie Lian realised that he’d noticed the blood on his white robes.
“San Lang, I’m okay,” he said, using the hand on his husband’s chest to push him back down. “I’m alright, I promise. It’s not my blood. It was the roses.”
Hua Cheng raised his brows. “Roses?”
So Xie Lian told him about the dramatic flair of the ghost who had taken him – about the roses and the dragon.
His beloved’s eye was wide as he stared up at him, and Xie Lian bit his lip when he saw a hint of oh so familiar teasing enter his expression.
“Mm, gege can wake me up like this every day if he wishes,” Hua Cheng hummed.
“I–”
Xie Lian blushed when Hua Cheng started pulling at the sash keeping his bloody robes closed.
“You fought a dragon to rescue me. I must reward my brave gege.”
“It – it wasn’t a r–real dragon,” he protested weakly, tilting his head to give Hua Cheng better access as his husband started to kiss his neck. “It was – ah – it was just a wrath, really –”
Your Highness! Yin Yu’s voice rang loud and clear through the communication array. Your Highness, I think I found a cure!
Xie Lian pressed his fingers against his temple, as Hua Cheng nuzzled his cheek, still refusing to let him put some space between them. “Ah, Yin Yu, thank you, but San Lang is already awake. I’ve got him.”
Oh, that’s excellent news, Your Highness. If – ah, if Chengzhu is unharmed, there is no need for you to hurry back. Everything is under control here. The spinning wheel has been destroyed, of course.
Hua Cheng had moved on to Xie Lian’s ear, teeth tugging on the red pearl earring, a sharp canine sinking into his earlobe. A clever tongue licked the shell, and Xie Lian couldn’t be certain what Yin Yu had just said.
“Hm? Ah. Ah. Yes, thank you Yin Yu. We’ll be back soon.”
He broke the connection, even though he was pretty sure Yin Yu had left in a hurry first. Pulling back as much as he could to look down at his husband, he blushed when he saw the twinkle of mischief in his eye.
“San – San Lang should be resting instead of playing like this.”
Ah, there was that adorable pout that always worked on Xie Lian, as his spoiled ghost knew all too well.
“But gege, I slept for so long, I feel very well-rested already. The only thing I lacked was your warmth.”
Xie Lian got very warm indeed, his facing flushing a furious shade of red.
“Well, if San Lang is fine, he can get up and we’ll go home.”
Hua Cheng flopped down dramatically, his limbs going weak in an instant. “Ah, gege,” he lamented, “that ghost took spiritual energy from me. Perhaps my husband can lend me some?”
Xie Lian’s resolve melted like snow in a warm patch of sunlight. Hua Cheng was clearly okay, so he gave in to the desire that had been burning inside him since he’d found his husband lying there, like a beautiful statue carved with loving hands. There were loving hands pulling on Xie Lian now, and he allowed Hua Cheng to finally drag him down against his body, his hands stroking down over the back of his robes.
He captured that mouth again, which was now smirking and lively instead of still and unmoving, as he gently licked over the seam of his husband’s lips as his fingers reached between them, looking for the ties of his robes.
He would have to make a note of the effectiveness of the remedy he’d tried.