Chapter Text
The ghost market is crowded and loud as usual. He sighed in relief, knowing nothing has changed in the market and it’s just as he remembers it. Xie Lian walks while holding the little boy’s hand. Sometimes, their hands sway together as the little boy walks enthusiastically, occasionally skipping steps and jumping around. Walking alongside his own son is something Xie Lian never imagined experiencing in his immortal life. His heart feels warm.
The streets are lively. Xie lian feels much better after the short rest. He developed a habit of rubbing his belly gently every now and then. It helps with xie lian’s back pain he didn’t know he had, the rubbing helps relaxed his sore muscles in a way. Upon seeing them walking, all the ghosts greet them warmly.
“Grand uncle- Xie daozhang! Come have a taste”
“good day grand unc- Xie daozhang!! try my ears skewers fresh from the fire!!”
“come have a superb special direwolf leg sweet from your local finest chef”
Even in dreams, he couldn’t escape being called “Grand Uncle.” Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Within moments, ghostly figures gathered all around them, enthusiastically offering things until the path ahead was completely blocked.
Xie Lian could only give them a nervous smile. He glanced at the little boy, but A-Hua didn’t seem bothered at all, completely unfazed—calm and comfortable, as if this sort of welcome was nothing out of the ordinary. He even greeted them back and talk to them cheerfully.
Many ghosts offered all kind of things, which were far from human standards. Xie Lian made sure to politely decline the ‘not-human-friendly’ items, such as boiled eyeballs, one-eyed mirror, spider candy, and many more. Xie Lian signed to A-Hua to only accept food that was edible for humans and didn’t contain any corpse parts. They ended up only accepting rice crackers and red-bean paste sweets from the bunch.
It was cute how the ghost residents called A-Hua “Little Chengzu.” Not only was his face and appearance a copy of Hua Cheng, but he had to share his title too. He hoped San Lang wouldn’t mind. Xie Lian chuckled at that.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from within the crowd.
“little chengzu, its true its just like what you said hahaha…”
“hahahaha… you are so right, little chengzu this guy doesn’t know where he left his head”
Xie Lian could only blink dumbfoundedly. He was the only one not laughing in the crowds. In fact, he didn’t even know what they were talking about.
Turns out, they were laughing about one of the headless ghosts being late. Which A-Hua had replied, ‘Because they always leave something behind’ which earned laughter from the ghost residents. It was a funny line, yet by the time Xie Lian could registered the joke, the others had already moved on to different topics.
His brows furrowed slightly. He’d been watching from the sidelines, but it seemed the boy had no problem talking with the others—as if they could all hear him. Xie Lian hadn’t heard a single word from him, but none of the ghosts seemed to struggle to communicate with the boy. Curious, he began paying closer attention.
The conversation was simple. They asked, A-Hua answered—nothing unusual. Maybe they could read his lips, like Xie Lian did. But they were surrounded by ghosts from all angles, even from behind. It didn’t seem possible for all of them to catch the boy’s expressions clearly. It’s not like only Xie Lian can’t hear the little boy’s voice… right?
A-hua turned to face his mother and said ‘let’s go’ and ‘I’m hungry’. Xie Lian felt they had stayed long enough and was about to bid farewell when the ghosts voiced their disappointment.
“don’t go yet little chengzu!”
“ if you are hungry come to my stall! 100% free for you both!!”
A flicker of unease passed through Xie Lian’s chest. It would be a lie If he said it didn’t bother him. If this really was a dream—then there was a real chance he might never see A-Hua again. And there was still so much left unsaid, so many things he longed to ask and share with his son. Yet here he was—met with this quiet, aching difficulty.
At the beginning, he thought his son was mute and had willingly accepted him with open arms, no matter what. He never needed a voice to love him. But now, there were hints that this wasn’t the case—and that realization made Xie Lian feel wronged in a way he couldn’t quite put into words. This was his dream, or imagination, or whatever strange place he was in… and he was supposed to be the boy’s mother. It felt absurd—cruel, even—that he might be the only one who couldn’t hear his son’s voice.
It was unfair.
Xie lian’s bothered thought must have Expressed on his face. As A-hua asked him whats wrong or did he feel tired. Of course xie lian shrug him off.
Slowly, the crowd thinned and begin to dispersed, finally leaving Xie Lian alone with his son. The little hand shook Xie Lian’s. The boy was saying something. Xie Lian could roughly read, ‘let’s go to Qiandeng temple’ Xie Lian smiled softly at him while nodding, hiding the knot of unfairness inside him.
Xie Lian tried to brush the thoughts aside, to stay optimistic. Maybe the ghosts couldn’t hear the boy either—maybe only a few could read his lips and the others just followed suit. That would be logical—since A-Hua was considered a city lord, they wouldn’t dare ignore him or risk seeming disrespectful. Satisfied with that reasoning, Xie Lian gave himself a small nod.
.
They continued walking down the market street. As much as Xie Lian liked peaceful surroundings, there was something about the market buzz that he found enjoyable—especially when walking with your loved one. It felt like going to a festival.
They arrived at the street near the butcher’s stall. Xie Lian remembered this place well, as it was close to the exit gate of Ghost City. Anyone entering the city had to pass through here. Across the street, a familiar muscular back came into view, holding a knife high in the air before slicing down into what looked like a leg. It was the pig butcher, one of the Ghost Market’s residents—Butcher Zhu. He had helped Xie Lian during the Puqi Shrine’s renewal.
“A-Hua,” Xie Lian called. The little boy looked up at him.
He crouched down to meet the boy’s eyes. “Do you see that pig uncle zhu?” he asked, and the boy nodded.
“Can you call him for me, please?”
A-Hua tilted his head but agreed to his mother’s request. Just as the boy was about to run toward the butcher, Xie Lian stopped him.
“You can shout from here. No need to run over,” Xie Lian suggested. It might’ve been a little rude to shouts at someone from a distance like this, but Xie Lian wanted to see something.
The little boy nodded again. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ‘Uncle Zhu!’. To Xie Lian’s surprise, the butcher immediately turned his head and rushed over to them—still holding the human leg he had been chopping.
“little chengzu! Grand un- Xie daozhang!! Do you want to taste my special meat. Its fresh from the grave, very high quality and rare concubine leg” the ghost pig muttered in one breath, his excitement showing all over his face. Showing the white-smooth right leg to them “I’ll give Xie daozhang 65% off! The leg of a sexy dancer! I guarantee it full of flavor and juicy” he said enthusiastic, caressing the smooth skin with beautiful lotus tattoo on the thighs.
“Ah… no thank you, I am sorry for calling you so suddenly” xie lian replies. He hadn’t expected the butcher to respond so quickly, and he hadn’t even thought of a proper reason to call him. “I- uh-I just want to ask about the city lord where about” xie lian staggered while give him a meek smile.
The answer was the same as what A-Hua had said earlier: the City Lord was currently away. After making sure xie lian didn’t want the fresh meat he was offering 4 times, the butcher finally left and returned to his stall.
‘does mother hate meat?’ A-hua said with a tug at xie lian’s sleeve.
The word ‘Mother’ came so naturally, yet it made Xie Lian freeze for a moment. It might’ve been the first time the boy had called him that. It added a mix feeling of happiness and shyness On his chest. The sudden affection warmed his heart and painted his cheeks with a soft blush.
He coughed lightly to clear his head. “it’s not that I hate meat, the problem is the leg belong to a human” xie lian explained. “we can’t eat other human being! It is consider something sinful and wrong, understood?”
The boy nodded earnestly. Then he told Xie Lian how Uncle Yinyu liked to buy meat from the pig butcher and often cooked dinner for him. A-Hua’s expression turned uncertain and worried.
Xie Lian gently patted the boy’s head and chuckled.
“It’s okay, don’t worry. Yinyu wouldn’t feed you anything awful. If he buys from the shops, it’s probably chicken, pig, or cow meat,” he reassured him. He knew Yinyu was a reasonable person and trusted he’d never feed the boy anything strange. Besides, he was sure Hua Cheng wouldn’t allow his son to eat anything questionable from the Ghost Market either.
.
Xie Lian rubbed his belly tenderly as they continued their walk toward Qiandeng Temple — the one Hua Cheng had dedicated solely to him. Though by now, he wasn’t sure if it could still be called a temple, since it was often used for other things besides prayer. No one but him and Hua Cheng were allowed inside, so there were no followers either. It was quiet and deserted for a temple, but to Xie Lian, it felt like a second home.
His thoughts drifted back to how Butcher Zhu came running after A-Hua’s shout. He still wasn’t certain whether the butcher had heard the boy’s voice or caught sight of their reflection on his gleaming knife. Another possibility was that one of the other ghosts in the bustling market had told him about them. Either way, it lingered in his mind.
They passed by more stalls, but one in particular caught Xie Lian’s eye — the chicken soup stall. It was run by a giant ghost rooster. Terrifying as it was to see a chicken as big as a person, the ghost was known for being kind and generous. After spending so much time in Ghost City, Xie Lian learned never to judge by appearances. In truth, humans often terrified him more than ghosts did. Ghosts might look strange and frightening, but at least they showed their true selves. Humans, however, could appear kind and trustworthy while hiding a knife behind their back. Despite that, even if there is only one human who still has the goodness in their heart, that’s’s enough for Xie Lian to not lose hope for humanity. As a god, he wanted to help all the common people.
“THE CHICKEN SOUP TASTE BLAND! RUB HARDER!!!” one of the customer yelled.
Xie Lian knew the chicken ghost’s cooking was… unconventional. He made his soup broth by sitting in the pot himself, like someone soaking in a hot spring — except it was boiling water.
“I’LL RUB HARDER! I’LL RUB WITH MORE GINGER!!” a shrieking voice rang out from the kitchen.
An idea struck Xie Lian. Maybe this could be his final test to uncover the truth about A-Hua — whether the boy truly couldn’t speak or if it was only him who couldn’t hear his son’s voice in this strange dreamscape. Whatever the answer, he vowed to accept it.
“A-Hua,” Xie Lian called gently, patting the boy’s head, “can you call Uncle Chicken for me from here?” With the ghost chicken busy in the kitchen and A-Hua shouting from outside, this would be the clearest test.
A-Hua hesitated for a moment, but did as asked.
On the first and second calls, there was no response. But on the third, a loud clang can be heard from the kitchen along with water being dunked on the ground. Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat, knowing what was coming. True to his thought, the giant chicken emerge from the kitchen.
“LITTLE CHENGZU!? DID YOU CALLED FOR ME!!?”
He ran toward them, half-soaked in hot broth, His drenched lower feather and leg covered with dirt as he run, But he didn’t seem to mind at all, greeting A-Hua and Xie Lian with a broad smile.
“GRAND UNCLE!! LITTLE CHENGZU! WELCOME, WELCOME!! COME HAVE CHICKEN SOUP — FRESH, HOT, AND READY TO FILL YOUR MOUTH! I GUARANTEE IT’S THE BEST YOU’LL EVER TASTE!!” he beamed, gesturing for them to sit on one of his table.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN READY!? YOU SPILLED YOUR BROTH ALL OVER THE FLOOR!!” a ghost from the neighboring stall jeered. “COME, GRAND UNCLE AND LITTLE CHENGZU! EAT AT MY STALL INSTEAD! CLEANER, BETTER, AND NO BATHING GHOST CHICKENS!!”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY!?” the chicken man snapped, furious. “YOUR LOUSY SKEWERS AREN’T WORTH MY THINNEST FEATHER! GRAND UNCLE, DON’T EAT THERE — HE USES BAD CORPSES THAT HAVEN’T EVEN ROTTED PROPERLY!”
“SAY THAT AGAIN I DARE YOU!!” the other ghost gritted his teeths and snapped.
“Alright, alright — please, both of you, stop fighting!” Xie Lian stepped between them, raising both hands to calm the bickering merchants. “I’ll order from each of you. One chicken soup, please… and,” he glanced at the other stall, spotting a sign that listed human food, “one congee — without any corpse!”
He sighed In relief as the two merchants finally retreated back to their kitchens. Xie Lian took a seat at the table the chicken man had pointed out. Originally, he hadn’t planned to eat the chicken soup and had intended to repeat what he ask to Butcher Zhu. But guilt gnawed at him. After all, the ghost had come running, drenched and splashing his broth everywhere because of Xie Lian. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse now.
And with that, he was certain — A-Hua did have a voice. Everyone here could hear him… everyone but Xie Lian. The realization weighed on him, bittersweet and heavy. But he resolved to accept It. There must be a reason why this dreamscape refused to let him hear his son.
He waved to A-Hua, who was still standing in place. But Xie Lian’s eyes widened when he saw the boy’s shoulders shook, his small hand covering his mouth. The boy was laughing.
“Was something funny?” Xie Lian asked with a soft smile. He couldn’t help but be charmed — A-Hua’s expression resembled Hua Cheng’s, but his laughter was purer, more earnest.
A-Hua walked over and sat down beside him. ‘Mother looked so confused,’ the boy said with a grin.
“Oh? Was my face that funny?”
‘It is. Mother, you don’t need to worry about them. They’re always like that.’ A-Hua chuckled.
Xie Lian laughed along, warmth blooming in his heart. He never imagined his confused face could make his son laugh — but he was glad, so very glad, to bring a smile to his face.
.
A hot bowl of congee arrived first, the ghost chef giving them a warm smile before returning to his stall. Xie Lian placed the bowl in front of his son. Since he’d ordered two kinds of food, they would each have one. And of course, he would never let A-Hua eat something questionable like chicken soup steeped in ghost chicken’s sweat — that burden would fall to Xie Lian himself. He swallowed nervously, trying to shove away the unsettling image of a man-sized chicken soaking in a pot of broth.
Just as Xie Lian was about to reach for a spoon, to his surprise, A-Hua beat him to it. The boy was already holding the spoon, scooping up a spoonful of steaming congee and blowing on it gently, his cheeks puffed as he cooled it down. He looked so adorable with that tiny hand clutching the spoon, his puffed cheeks look like a steamed bun, Xie Lian’s heart swelled with warmth. He could barely resist the urge to bite those soft, round cheeks.
The smile on Xie Lian’s face faltered when he realized where the spoon was headed — right toward his own face. A-hua held the spoon as high as he can to xie lian’s face, the boy was trying to feed him. Xie Lian froze for a second before opening his mouth and accepting the spoonful of congee. A-Hua beamed at him, eyes bright with warmth.
Without thinking, Xie Lian snatched the boy off his chair and onto his lap, holding the small body close with one arm making A-Hua’s head and back rested against him. He quickly took the spoon from the boy’s hand.
“No no no, I’M the one who should do this! I’M the one who should feed you! I am your Mother!”
Xie Lian huffed. He should be the one who pampered his son not the other way around, what kind of mother that let his toddler son pampered and feed him. He appreciated the sweet gesture — A-Hua was the kindest, most loving boy he’d ever met, the best son anyone could ask for — But his ‘dignity’ as his mother wont let him take advantage of the boy’s kindness.
A-Hua blinked up at him, confused by his sudden fuss. But before the boy could say anything, Xie Lian had already brought spoonful of warm congee to his lips. A-Hua obediently took the bite, chewed, and swallowed before smiling again. The boy said ‘mother eat too’ while pointing at the spoon.
“no, you eat this one. I ordered one more dish” Xie Lian reassured him, stroking the boy’s soft hair lovingly while offering him another spoonful.
As time passed, A-Hua grew more relaxed, leaning his head against Xie Lian’s arm, his little feet dangling now and then from his lap. He felt so small, so fragile in Xie Lian’s arms, as if he might dissolve into mist if he let go. Xie Lian held him a little tighter — not enough to hurt, but enough to anchor him there. He didn’t want this dream to end. He wanted to just snatch this tiny body and bring him along anywhere.
“Thank you for the wait! One chicken soup, ready to serve! Please enjoy!”