Chapter Text
The moment Xie Lian opened his eyes, he was met with the well-crafted familiar red ceiling. Parts of his body felt numb, but that wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation. You could say he was used to it. He tried to shake off the sleepiness by rubbing his eyes a couple of times.
His eyes widened when he realized someone was sleeping beside him.
Long black hair tangled and loose, eyes closed, breathing steady—he always looked innocent when he was asleep, so at ease and calm. No one would guess that this person was the ferocious Ghost King. It was indeed Hua Cheng, sleeping next to him. But…
Xie Lian poked his cheek.
This Hua Cheng seemed to have shrunk by a couple of decades—he was in the form of a little boy. Xie Lian’s heart clenched when the person beside him furrowed his brows in response to being poked. He looked so cute yet handsome at the same time. Xie Lian wanted to hug and cuddle him, but he held back, not wanting to wake the person. Instead, he decided to simply stare.
Its not like this is the first time xie lian saw hua cheng in the body of a boy. Hua Cheng liked to change his appearance sometimes, mostly out of boredom. He had first appeared as San Lang when Xie Lian laid eyes on him, only to shift back into his usual Ghost King form with a single blink—always so mischievous. Xie Lian remembered how, when they had helped Shi Qingxuan, Hua Cheng had changed his hairstyle and clothing in mere seconds, making his eyes dizzy with all the colors. But as far as Xie Lian knew, didn’t Hua Cheng hate taking the form of a child? He had been especially grumpy when it happened during the Mount Tonglu opening. So why now? Xie Lian wondered.
There’s part of xie lian which worries thing had happened to hua cheng, causing him to revert into a child. But another part of him wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer. He sighed and mentally apologized to Hua Cheng.
He didn’t remember how he had ended up in one of the residence rooms at Paradise Manor. Hua Cheng had probably carried him in. Perhaps he could get a clue about what had happened if he wandered around. Xie Lian decided to get up.
To his surprise, something felt strange about his body.
He was wearing his usual white inner robe, but his belly—slightly exposed beneath the fabric—appeared… swollen. He ran his hand over it, and it wasn’t his imagination. His belly was really bulging—not just slightly, but noticeably, as if something big was inside him.
Xie lian face paled.
“What happened to me!??”
He froze, sitting on the edge of the bed, both hands now pressing and feeling around his abdomen, inspecting. Was he sick? Cursed? He racked his brain, trying to recall any possible explanation for his condition.
His gaze landed on his reflection in the window’s glass. He could see himself sitting on the bed, his belly unnaturally large—like a pregnant woman. A jolt ran through him when something tugged at his sleeve.
“What happened to me San… lang?”
Xie lian turns his head but the last bit of his word died down when he looked at the person tugging his sleeves. The face is indeed hua cheng’s handsome face and yet both of the boy’s eyes are bright and yellow-hazel colored, the typical xie families eye-color. It dawned on xie lian immediately when he saw that eyes. This boy is not hua cheng. He didn’t know who this boy is or ever see him his entire life but he held back from asking, Instead he asked about himself first.
“What happened to me? Do you know?”
Xie lian asked, trying to sound composed and casual as he can be. The boy blinks for a second and tilted his head, looking as if he saw xie lian as strange creature. He opened his mouth and closed them the second, and opened his mouth again but decide not to, It was clear he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Xie lian notices how the boy looked troubled when trying to answer him, The boy seems to be in distressed too.
Raising a hand, Xie Lian patted his head in an attempt to comfort him. The boy looked at xie lian face but averted his gaze back down. He really looked like he wanted to say something, but somehow held his word in his tongue. Xie lian thought the boy is nervous to say anything about him but no, the boy seems to gesture something with his body instead. His legs is pressed against each other and both his hands clutching at his pants. Xie Lian didn’t waste a second—he grabbed the boy and ran outside the room.
.
Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that, even with his belly, it didn’t affect his running ability or agility. He arrived just in time before the boy wet himself.
“why didn’t you say you needed to go pee?” Xie lian asked, yet all his answer is just doe eyes staring at him, while his little body sitting at the toilet. Xie Lian sighed in defeat. It could be that the child simply didn’t understand what he was saying. After all, the boy was so young and small. Xie Lian guessed he was around three or four years old. He asked the same question again, more slowly this time, and even added hand gestures to help explain what he meant.
To Xie Lian’s surprise, the little boy spoke—his lips moved normally, but no sound came out.
Xie Lian was taken aback.
Seeing Xie Lian standing still, staring at him, the boy repeated himself. Still, no voice could be heard.
Xie Lian could roughly read his lips: ‘Don’t want… to bother…’
Did he mean that he didn’t want to bother Xie Lian with his needs?
“listen, you need to say to an adult if you need something. You said you don’t want to bother, but if you wet yourself you will bother more people and not just me. You will bother the one who cleans, the one who washes cloths and more. Beside holding in your pee is bad for your health, so please don’t do it again, alright?” Xie Lian went into full lecture mode, he might as well feel like guoshi fang xin again. It had been ages since he last lectured someone. No—more like it had been a while since anyone needed a lecture from him.
As the joke of the Three Realms, no one sought his assistance or wisdom. No one listened to him; they deliberately avoided him. Even when he became the strongest martial artist, replacing Jun Wu, people started to listen—but they still avoided him nonetheless.
Surprisingly, the boy only nodded at Xie Lian’s words, frowning slightly.
He had that typical Hua Cheng puppy-eyed expression that made Xie Lian want to smooch his forehead.
.
Back in to the paradise manor resident bedside. Xie Lian finally grasped the situation he was in. This place wasn’t real—nor was this little boy. He might be trapped in limbo or a dream. The strongest proof was the blurred photographs. Xie Lian picked up one of the photos from the table. Some were also hanging on the walls. It was a picture of him, some has only his face some has him with the rest of his friends. Except none of the faces were clear, They were all blurred. Xie lian can guess who is who from the color of their clothes or their gesture. For example the one stood with folded arm must be mu qing, or the one with blue hair and dark clothes must be ling wen and so on.
As for the little boy, he had already guessed it. Hua cheng’s handsome nonchalant face and his yellow-hazel eyes. This boy was definitely their child.
Xie Lian sighed, feeling ridiculous.
Had he joked about child-form Hua Cheng being his son too much that he dream about seeing his own kid, And his big belly… that was undeniable proof.
It wasn’t surprising that he was the one bearing the child, considering his position… Xie Lian choked, coughing a few times. He wouldn’t let himself finish that sentence. As for how a man could bear children—well, he bet that the Ghost King, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, had plenty of ways and explanations for that.
Xie Lian picked up another photograph.
It was framed neatly, embroidered beautifully at the edges. A picture of three people: Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, and a little boy sitting on Xie Lian’s lap. It looked like a family portrait. Xie Lian couldn’t help but smile. He then turned to the little boy beside him.
"Do you know who this is?" Xie Lian asked, pointing at a blurred photo of Hua Cheng.
The boy spoke again—still, no voice came out. But Xie Lian understood. The boy was saying, ‘Father.’ Xie Lian’s face grew warm. He couldn’t help but feel a slight happiness swell in his chest. Composing himself, he coughed a few times. Anything could happen in a dream, after all.
“Where is… your father?” xie lian asked again. He soften his voice like a mother talk to their children.
‘He is away,’ was what Xie Lian could read from the boy’s lips. Maybe, since this was his dream, Hua Cheng wasn’t here. He decide not dwell on it further and put down the photo. And since this was his dream… he wanted to explore a bit more.
“how about if we take a walk outside?” xie lian suggest cheerfully, patted the little boy’s head. Thus the little boy nodding frantically with a wide smile. Xia lian chuckled.
He rummaged through the drawer inside the room. Looking for something for him to wear. Even though this was just a dream, Xie Lian still felt somewhat embarrassed about going outside with his round belly. He still had some dignity left as a man. At the very least, he wanted to wear something that could cover it.
Finally, he found something wearable.
A red robe.
He guessed it was probably Hua Cheng’s. Surely, he wouldn’t mind lending it to him, right?.
Beside the robe were neatly folded clothes, some ghost candies, and a charm from his Puqi Shrine. Xie Lian laughed bitterly. His dream really had to go as far as manifesting his own charms is a little funny to him.
The red robe did its magic so well; it covered Xie Lian’s belly perfectly. It was made from high-quality fabric and was comfortable to wear—definitely a very expensive robe. It was odd how the only standing mirror in the room was cracked, as if someone had punched it in the middle, leaving cracks everywhere. Otherwise, Xie Lian would have been able to see how he looked.
When Xie Lian turned to the boy, he was met with a glimmering gaze. The boy’s face really familiar with hua cheng’s. Looking at him made Xie Lian miss his San Lang even more. The boy said something like ‘pretty’ and ‘looks good’ to Xie Lian. That put a bright smile on Xie Lian’s face. The little boy had said It with such an innocent and adorable expression that it made Xie Lian want to pinch his cheeks.
An idea struck xie lian.
“Come here” Xie Lian picked up the boy and sat at the edge of the bed.
He stretched out his hand and grabbed a comb and a hair tie from the drawer beside the bed. The boy seemed to understand what his mother was about to do, so he sat obediently on Xie Lian’s lap. Xie Lian stroked the little boy’s hair tenderly. Such a black and thick hair, definitely hua cheng’s.
Is the only thing my son inherited from me just my eyes? Xie Lian wondered.
It’s a little saddening but He didn’t mind, though. If anything, he preferred his child to resemble Hua Cheng’s handsome face.
Xie Lian noticed how the boy kept a straight back, sitting at the very edge of his knees and remaining still. He gently pulled the boy closer until his small back touched Xie Lian’s belly. But the boy flinched and moved forward again, as if he didn’t want to lean on Xie Lian.
Is he worried about putting pressure on my belly? Xie Lian thought.
This little boy was far too considerate for his young age. He should be selfish and playful, like most children his age. It’s the only time when you can be as selfish as you be and still loved by others. Xie Lian understood that better than anyone—he too had once been a selfish little boy.
"It’s okay, lean closer, or else it’ll be hard to comb your hair," Xie Lian said softly, pulling the boy toward him again.
This time, the boy obediently sat still. He nodded his head and leaned his back slightly against Xie Lian. Xie lian wrapped his arm around him, hugging the little body tightly. He buried his face on the boy's long and thick hair. A single tear slipped from the corner of Xie Lian’s eye.
This boy was just too cute—his cuteness might actually kill xie lian’s heart with cuteness overload.
He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but it must have been a while since the boy eventually started to squirm. He conflicted whether to braid it or tie it into a side ponytail. But thinking about it realistically, a complicated hairstyle would be difficult for a boy his age to manage. He ended up choosing a simple high ponytail—practical and kid-friendly.
In the middle of hair styling, the boy turned his head around, looking at Xie Lian expectantly. Xie Lian was confused as to why the boy suddenly turned to him.
"Does it hurt?" Xie Lian asked, worried that he might have pulled too hard while combing.
The boy shook his head and move his lips. He said ‘where are we going outside?’
“Let’s go to the ghost market,” Xie Lian said with a smile. The boy looked pleased and turned his head back.
Not long after, he turned around again, as if expecting something. It was the same behavior. For a second, Xie Lian was confused—until the boy repeated himself. It repeated a few more times, until Xie Lian realized something. The boy had been talking to him this whole time.
It was just that Xie Lian hadn’t noticed—because he couldn’t hear his voice and hadn’t been watching his lips move. And it seemed the boy didn’t realize that Xie Lian couldn’t hear him.
Xie Lian quickly finished styling his hair, offering him praise as the boy got up to check his unclear reflection in the broken mirror. The boy spoke again, saying he liked his hair. Xie Lian smiled and patted his head.
.
The little boy was more talkative than Xie Lian had imagined. He had been talking nonstop since they left the room—about his favorite food, the cat he saw near the manor, and so on. Despite not hearing the boy’s voice, Xie Lian had no trouble having a conversation with him. Though, it was a bit tiring to keep looking down to read the boy’s lips.
Xie Lian also asked him about his two attendants. Surprisingly, his son was on good terms with them, which made Xie Lian glad. He had thought that since Hua Cheng didn’t like them, he wouldn’t let Mu Qing or Feng Xin go anywhere near his son. The boy talk how they visited the ghost town sometimes to meet with xie lian and play with him. Both of them also train the boy some martial art. Looking at how the boy talked about martial art cheerfully remind xie lian of himself.
They talked for quite a while until Xie Lian noticed how sore his neck had become from always looking down. He tried stretching it a little but ended up missing a few things the boy was saying. That made Xie Lian feel bad, so he got an idea.
“let me tell you a story” xie lian says while smiling at the boy. The boy nodded eagerly, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
With Xie Lian telling the story, the boy would have to listen, which meant Xie Lian wouldn’t have to keep looking down anymore. His neck could finally rest.
Xie Lian hadn’t actually planned a story to tell—he had just blurted out the idea without thinking. But after a moment, he decided to tell the story of a crown prince who saved a little boy.
The Paradise Manor was the biggest and grandest building in the ghost town—luxurious, private, and quiet. Only servants and the Ghost King’s special attendants roamed around. The gate to Paradise Manor was special, embedded with strong spells. Not just anyone could pass through it.
Xie Lian remembered how large the entrance was and how far it was from the manor, but he didn’t recall it being this far. His legs ached, as if he had been walking for miles. He used to travel between city to city, between country to country without any problem. But now, it felt like his feet were giving up—and he wasn’t even at the gate yet.
Noticing his mother’s condition, the boy grew worried.
He asked Xie Lian multiple times if he was okay, but Xie Lian brushed him off, saying he was fine, and continued walking. The boy kept holding onto Xie Lian’s hand, as if helping an elderly person walk. That thought made Xie Lian chuckle—he wasn’t elderly, and he was fine, but he appreciated the boy’s kind gesture. Such a sweet and loving child.
Suddenly, Xie Lian felt a tug on his hand.
The little boy was pulling him toward a bench at the side of the road. Xie Lian couldn’t help but comply, letting himself be guided. He sat down, and to his surprise, he really needed that little break after all. His legs were sore, his body felt heavy. Maybe he was getting old after all. He laughed bitterly at himself.
After seeing xie lian sat down, The boy suddenly ran off.
Xie Lian was startled, watching the child run off on his own. the child disappear into the distance. But he didn’t have the energy to chase after him, so he sighed and decided it was best to just sit and wait.
He rubbed his sore thighs—and then his eyes widened. He had completely forgotten. In this dream, his belly was slightly swollen. His coat had hidden it so well that he had completely overlooked it. Slowly, he placed his hand on his stomach. Rubbing it slowly feels kind of nice.
He wondered if there was really a baby inside him. The thought made him nervous. Was that why walking had been so difficult? His mind wandered further—how in the world was the baby supposed to come out of him? A hint of fear crept into his thoughts.
Before he could dwell on it, he heard a small panting.
The little boy had returned, running toward him. He was holding a bottle of water and an orange. Xie Lian couldn’t help but chuckle, warmth blooming in his chest. Who would have thought a boy this young could be so considerate and kind towards other. The boy handed him the items, and Xie Lian accepted them gratefully.
Lifting the boy up, he helped him sit beside him.
Taking a big gulp of water felt like coming back to life. He kissed the boy’s forehead and patted his head. The little boy beamed with happiness. Xie Lian peeled the orange and split it in two, offering half to the boy.
The little boy declined, he shook his head and said something like ‘its for you’
Xie Lian smiled and insisted. “Say aah,” he coaxed, holding up a slice. Reluctantly, the boy opened his mouth, letting Xie Lian feed him the orange. After tasting how sweet it was, the boy finally accepted the other half. Just a short rest and a small refreshment had revived Xie Lian’s energy.
“thank you…” he almost forgot to say thank you to the little knight who saved him But before he could finish, the words died on his tongue. Xie Lian wanted to smack his own forehead. How had it taken him this long to realize— He didn’t know the boy’s name.
Xie lian stroked the boy’s back, “little boy, what is your name?”
The boy stare at xie lian, xie lian waited a couple of minute but he didn’t reply. A silence stretched between them. Xie Lian withdrew his hand, covering half of his face. Could it be…? Is he too shocked because his own mother forgot his name? Xie lian thought. Having your own mother forget about a simple thing as your name, That would be cliché and heartbreaking. Xie lian felt a pang in his heart. A feeling of guilt consume him. In this dream he was supposed to be his mother and he should act as his role. He certainly can’t say he is not in fact his ‘mother’ or how xie lian’s soul replaced the dream xie lian place.
He thinks about what kind of name he would give if he had a son. He wanted to use the ‘xie’ name, to live of his family name. But come to think of it, the kingdom of xianle is long lost and gone. He didn’t want to burden his son with a dead family name. As expected the name ‘hua’ is more suitable. It’s hua cheng’s name, xie lian know it’s originally a fake name but now his son could live up the family name and make it a real decent name.
“…let me call you A-hua… is that alright?”
Xie Lian smiled, as if hiding his guilt for not knowing his own son’s name. The little boy stared at him for a moment. Then, he nodded slightly. That simple nod loosened the tight knot in Xie Lian’s heart. He exhaled in relief.
The boy looked up at him. Saying ‘What happened next?’
Xie Lian chuckled. He knew the boy was asking about the story he had started earlier.
So, he continued.