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Chapter Text

Drowning was easily Xie Lian’s least favorite way to die. Especially when he was submerged so deep in the water that whenever he woke up and began desperately swimming towards the surface, he died again before he got there.

He had become pretty accustomed to pain during his banishments. But the burning of his throat while he swallowed water trying to breathe, the twitching and flailing of his limbs with no oxygen, the crushing pressure when he was too deep, were all very… unpleasant. 

From what he could gather during his brief moments of lucidity and calculations of how long he usually stayed dead for, he had been in a never ending cycle of drowning and dying for at least a few weeks, maybe even months. 

It started when he got kicked out of the city of Aanyang. He had set up camp in an abandoned shrine on the city’s outskirts, and was actually able to earn enough money busking to keep himself fed and relatively clean. It was the best luck he’d experienced in a long time. But of course, he couldn’t maintain that. And he knew something bad would happen eventually, he just didn’t know what. 

So when he was walking back to the shrine one day, hands full of buns and fruit, excited to be able to eat and relax after a long day of performing on the streets, he wasn't too surprised when the Venerable of Empty Words showed up. He had just been wishing a good afternoon to some of the people he had met and befriended in the city when he felt its presence.

You will trip and drop all of your food into the horse manure in front of you. It whispered to him, and when its whispers came true and he was facedown in manure with his food ruined, all he could do was sigh. This wasn’t his first time dealing with a Venerable of Empty Words. He knew exactly what to expect, and did not allow its predictions to bother him. At first.

The predictions started pretty innocent, more or less just basic disruptions to his day. But he hadn’t accounted for how long he had been able to stay in the city, the friends and connections he had made with the city people. He was used to the predictions only having a negative impact on him given that the previous times with the Venerable, he was always alone. 

So when he heard the whisper, you will accidentally set fire to the booths lining the street, he felt his body tense up. And when he did set fire to the booths, and many of his friends sustained burns from the incident, he was devastated. Feeling that devastation was the biggest mistake he could’ve made.

The Venerable grew more powerful and confident from his suffering. And after that event, it learned exactly how to extract the reaction it wanted from Xie Lian. He continuously hurt the city folks with the predictions whispered to him, and as much as he tried to tamper down his reactions, it was near impossible. He had forged real friendships with those around him, and seeing them hurt because of the entity attached to him broke his heart. 

After one too many incidents, when he was already considering packing up and leaving, the people of the city revolted. They chased him to the river with weapons, and he let them. They called him a beacon of misfortune, and he agreed with them. They stabbed him with knives and swords, and he didn’t fight back. Once enough blood had left his body, he collapsed, and felt them throw his limp form into the river. Before the blood loss could kill him, he drowned. And drowned. And drowned, and drowned, and drowned.

You will drown, the Venerable whispered to him. And he agreed.

-

When he woke up once again from his never ending cycle of drowning, he was surprised when he was able to gulp in a full mouthful of air. It was so unusual and lovely to not instantly be choking on water that he could almost feel the oxygen spreading through his limbs and reawakening his muscles. He indulged in the sensation for a moment, before noticing another sensation. His stomach was swooping. As if he was falling.

Xie Lian opened his eyes and saw the ocean beneath him, the choppy water so dark it was almost pitch black. As he fell back towards it, bracing himself for the harsh landing that at this height would certainly break all of his bones, he saw a flash of white in his periphery. A moment after seeing it, he felt it collide with his side and send him shooting to the left. Pain blossomed where he was hit. 

As he spun through the air, he narrowed his eyes to try and track the movement of whatever creature was flinging him around like a toy. He saw it approaching on his right this time, and reached out an arm to grab at it.

His fingers interlocked around what felt like bone, and he held on tightly as his body slammed into the creature's side. He felt his shoulder tug in its socket at the redirection, painfully close to dislocating. An angered screech filled the air when the creature could no longer see him. Xie Lian shook his head to try and clear it, and used his other hand to steady his body as he and the creature flew through the air. He was jerked to the side as it changed directions and dove head first back into the water. Xie Lian was able to gulp in a large breath before being submerged once more.

The creature moved fast, zigzagging through the water and causing the lower half of Xie Lian’s body to flop around. Although it was painful, Xie Lian kept his eyes open to try and navigate the creature’s movements through the murky water.

Right when Xie Lian felt his grip loosening at the lack of oxygen and speed at which they were traveling through the water, the creature shot back up to the surface and was finally still. Xie Lian silently gulped in lungfuls of air. He lodged his feet into the bones beneath him as if he was scaling a cliff, and leaned back to get a look at what he was facing.

It looked like a dragon, but just the skeleton of one. Its large skull whipped back and forth, still looking for its toy that was currently gripping onto its ribs. Truly, if it hadn’t been in the process of flinging him around like a doll, Xie Lian would marvel at such a thing. But alas, he needed to get out of this situation. 

Taking in another deep breath, he began quickly scaling the bones until he was on the dragon’s back, then neck, then right at the base of its skull. Looking behind him, he was able to see the beginnings of a sandy shore. So, he took a risk, and jumped up to fully latch onto the back of its skull. Using his body weight and strength as a former martial God, he twisted its head so that the dragon was looking away from the shore.

As he suspected, this excited the creature. It began flinging its head back and forth to get him off, happy to have found its prey and wanting to play. Once the dragon’s movements got just a bit more intense, on the forward swing of its head Xie Lian jumped up and got his legs underneath him, and on the back swing, he pushed off as hard as he could.

The momentum of the creature's head combined with Xie Lian's own strength sent him flying through the air for quite a while, and during that time he oriented his body so he could see the approaching shore. Once he was sure he would end up on land and not in water, he curled around himself to at least try and cushion the fall. He would really appreciate not dying upon impact and getting dragged back out to sea to be played with some more.

He landed hard, and his entire body cried out in pain. He could feel a few bones in his arms and ribs crack, but after rolling a few times, he was on dry land and still alive, able to hear the dragon screeching in the distance.

He took a few shallow breaths, breathing through the pain in his ribs, before releasing his limbs and starfishing into the sand. The sand was cold and pebbled uncomfortably against his skin, but not being submerged in water anymore made the sensation feel as pleasant as ascending. 

Once he had indulged in the feeling long enough, he used his unbroken arm to push himself upright and stood, assessing the damage to his body. Definitely broken bones in his right arm and ribs, and he could feel bruises forming all over, but he could still function with relative ease. Honestly, he had expected worse.

He jerked back towards the ocean when he heard the rushing water signaling the dragon’s approach once again. Glancing around, he picked up a sturdy branch laying in the sand with his left arm and held it in front of him, ready to end this. 

The dragon, which was at least twenty meters long, extended its upper body over the shore line and brought its head down in a swipe at Xie Lian. Xie Lian countered with the branch, rerouting the direction of its head with a simple sword maneuver and sending it skidding to the right through the water. The impact of the misdirection had the dragon’s head slamming into the sand and sending a large cloud of dust into the air. 

Once the dust dispersed and the dragon lifted its head once more, it turned towards Xie Lian and seemed to be analyzing him. Xie Lian maintained his stance, tilting his head in a mimicry of the dragon as a show of dominance. After a few moments, the dragon slowly moved its upper body back towards where Xie Lian stood on the shore. Its movements no longer held an obvious killing intention, so he remained still.

When its upper body was towering over Xie Lian once again, it lowered its head in a show of submission. Once the bony skull was in front of him, close enough to touch, Xie Lian relaxed his stance and dropped the branch. When the dragon still didn’t move, he reached out his unbroken arm and lightly petted its head like he would a dog. 

He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him when he heard a splash of water and saw the tail end of the dragon wagging behind it. A low noise left the dragon's mouth, and it fully lowered its skull to the ground as if asking for more pets. Xie Lian indulged it by running his hand over the bony ridges and using his nails to scratch where he figured its ear would be if it had a body. This caused its tail to pick up speed, splashing water in large arcs along the surface. 

“You’re acting very cute right now,” Xie Lian spoke to the dragon, voice raspy from disuse, “But you shouldn’t treat unlucky people who drifted into your waters as toys!”

Xie Lian had no idea if the dragon understood the admonishment, as it continued to wag its tail and snuggled deeper into Xie Lian’s touches. Xie Lian just laughed more, continuing his pampering.

Eventually, when Xie Lian pulled his hand away, the dragon stood back up, let out a low gurgle, and submerged itself back into the black water. 

With a smile still pulling at his lips, Xie Lian sat down in the sand and began the process of trying to rip the skirts of his robes into strips to support his broken arm. Ruoye, without needing to be told, wrapped itself tightly around his broken ribs. Though it hurt at first, the pressure made it easier to breathe. “Thank you, Ruoye,” Xie Lian spoke, wrapping the ripped pieces of his robes around his right arm and knotting them tight. He figured that would be good enough for now.

Once he was done, he stood up and took a more detailed look around the island he had ended up on. It was dark at the moment, but the light from the moon was bright and showed him quite a decrepit place. There were large trees, bare of any leaves or buds, scattered around and partially hiding a looming mansion with nothing else as far as the eye could see. It painted an ominous picture.

The mansion itself was completely black, tall and skinny, with intricately designed columns supporting the outside balconies. Everything about it screamed for visitors to stay away, but Xie Lian wasn’t really seeing any other options at the moment. 

When you enter the manor, you will meet a mythic demon capable of destroying you.

Xie Lian startled at the Venerable of Empty Word's sudden commentary, before letting loose a laugh. “I’ve missed you, where have you been?” He asked, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. A mythic demon, huh? Xie Lian thought that sounded more intriguing than anything. “Promise?” He joked to the Venerable, before walking towards the entrance of the manor. 

When he got to the main door, he noticed they were already swung open. Trying to be polite, Xie Lian knocked on the open door and called out, “Hello? I washed up on the beach outside, and was just looking for directions.”

When nobody answered, he stepped into the manor. The entryway opened up into a large room, devoid of any furniture and only decorated with cobwebs and rodents skittering about. Xie Lian frowned, wondering if the Venerable had gone stupid while drowning alongside him all those weeks. It didn't look like anybody lived here at all, much less a mythic demon. He continued his perusal of the manor, opening door after door of nothing. 

On the top floor of three, the staircase led up to an open space, almost like an attic, with a small desk and chair pushed up against the back wall. It was the only sign of life Xie Lian had seen thus far.

Xie Lian was analyzing it when he felt a wash of cold air hit the back of his neck. He moved quickly, too quickly to see, swiping out his leg and knocking the person who snuck up behind him off balance. Before the stranger could fall, Xie Lian pulled his knee up and into their chest and used his good arm for an open palm hit that sent the person spiraling into the wall. The person hit it with a dull thud, body falling to the ground afterwards. The hit sent dust flying out, and Xie Lian casually waved a hand around his face to dissipate it.

Once it had been quiet for a few moments, and the stranger still lay slumped on the ground, Xie Lian remembered his manners. “Oh, I’m sorry! This must be your manor. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard, you just snuck up on me is all.”

“Fuck,” the stranger, a man if Xie Lian had to guess from the timbre of his voice, wheezed, still not moving from his crouch on the floor. He had long, thin, pin straight black hair that at the moment was completely blocking his face from view. He was tall, Xie Lian could tell even from where he was folded on the ground, and stick thin. His poor appearance would have Xie Lian feeling even worse, if not for the ice cold killing intent rolling off of him in waves.

Not knowing what to say, Xie Lian spouted the first thing that came to mind. “Is that your bone dragon out there?” The man looked up at him with a sneer. When his hair parted Xie Lian could see his face was pale and gaunt, bags prominent under his dark eyes. He was handsome, in kind of a weird way, draped in black robes that seemed to be at the same time dripping wet and completely dry. “Well, it was very cute.”

The man’s sneer turned into angry confusion. “Cute? My bone dragon?”

Xie Lian cheered. “So it is yours! How nice. Yes, it was very cute. Though I must say, it was a bit rude at first, throwing me around like that.”

The man scoffed, standing up to his full height but not approaching Xie Lian. “That sounds more accurate.”

“Well-” Xie Lian was cut off by the Venerable whispering to him. The demon will kill you, and eat your bones.

The man’s eyes narrowed, before he walked towards Xie Lian quickly. Xie Lian didn’t sense any malicious intent, the killing aura having died down around him, so he held still and allowed him to approach. The man circled him a few times, before letting loose a callous laugh and stopping back in front of him. 

“You’re being followed by the Venerable of Empty Words,” the man stated, looking Xie Lian up and down. 

Xie Lian nodded. “It said you’re going to eat me.”

The man let out another laugh, this one a bit more genuine. “Seriously? You just knocked me on my ass. This Venerable must be new.”

Xie Lian shrugged, joining in on the man’s laughter. “It’s been with me for a while, but I think it might be a bit disoriented. I was stuck in the water for a while.”

“Hm,” the man hummed, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. “That makes sense; it looks a bit sickly.”

Xie Lian’s eyes widened at that. This man must be pretty powerful to be able to so accurately sense the Venerable's state of being. “It also told me you’re a mythic demon.” He left out the part where it said the mythic demon was capable of destroying him, not wanting to remind the man of his embarrassingly easy defeat.

“Ha!” The man exclaimed, backing up a few steps to lean against the wall he was just thrown into. “I guess that is accurate. When did it tell you this?”

“Before I entered the manor.”

“Ha!” Another exclamation. “And you still entered?”

“I haven’t had any problems so far.”

The man smirked, clearly not offended at having been taken down so easily. “I am widely known as Black Water Sinking Ships.”

The way he said it sounded like it should mean something to Xie Lian, and he wracked his brain as to where he may have heard it before, but came up empty. “Is that how I should refer to you?”

At Xie Lian’s blank face and obvious unfamiliarity, the man gave him a confused look. “Black Water Sinking Ships? One of the four calamities?”

Xie Lian’s expression didn’t change. The man continued, looking more annoyed. “A Ghost King? Fought through Mount Tonglu? Feared by the heavens?”

“Good for you?” Xie Lian tried, still not recognizing the man. 

The man’s expression morphed into one a morbid amusement. “You can just call me He Xuan.”

That, Xie Lian could work with. “Nice to meet you, He Xuan. Sorry about entering your manor without your permission. I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.” He hesitated for a moment, before deciding to use an alias. The way He Xuan was describing himself made it seem like he wouldn’t take kindly to knowing Xie Lian's affiliation with heaven and his status as a fallen God. Though it was likely he wouldn’t be recognized either way, he didn’t want to risk incurring even more wrath than he was already dealing with. “My name is Hua Xie.”

He Xuan scowled. “You have a terrible surname.”

Xie Lian had no idea why it was so terrible, but he apologized anyway.

He Xuan wandered over to the chair tucked into the desk and pulled it out, taking a seat. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “So you’re being followed by the Venerable of Empty Words. How did that happen?”

Xie Lian scratched his chin, embarrassed. “Well, I have pretty bad luck no matter what, and was going through a really lucky streak, so I guess it was bound to happen. It isn’t the first time it’s attached itself to me, though. No matter, bad things happen to me so much, it is just a matter of time before the Venerable dies or gives up on me. I’m not too worried.”

He Xuan gave him a calculated look, tilting his head to the side and humming. “You’ve been followed by a Venerable of Empty Words more than once?”

“Yes. It usually leaves shortly after attaching itself to me, but this time was an odd situation since I had come into a bit of luck before it started following me. But now that I’m here, it should go away soon.”

“Thanks,” He Xuan said dryly, and Xie Lian cringed at his own straightforward assessment. He Xuan shrugged it off. “I can get rid of it for you.”

Xie Lian’s eyebrows raised, surprised at the offer. As far as he could tell about He Xuan, given his empty manor and guardian bone dragon, it didn’t seem too common for him to offer help to another person. “I appreciate the offer, but it is unnecessary. It’ll go away soon.”

Your affiliation with He Xuan will get him killed.

Xie Lian frowned at the whispered prophecy the Venerable gave him. “What is it?” He Xuan sounded bored, but his eyes were trained sharply on Xie Lian.

“It said my affiliation with you will get you killed.”

He Xuan burst out laughing, bending over and clutching his stomach. “It’ll get me killed? What, again?”

Xie Lian smiled at He Xuan’s amusement, now realizing his worry at hearing the Venerable say that was unfounded. Of course it was. He Xuan was already dead. And if he was powerful enough to be a Ghost King, he must’ve been dead for a long while now.

“I’ve dealt with the Venerable of Empty Words before. The one I dealt with was much stronger than whatever sickly thing has attached itself to you.” After a moment, He Xuan’s laughter tapered off, and he sat back up straight. 

“Really? When you were alive?” Xie Lian asked, before realizing how rude the question might have been. He went to backtrack, but He Xuan answered before he could.

“Yes. No more questions about me.”

“Sorry if I overstepped.”

He Xuan’s eyebrows raised. “You infiltrated my territory, entered my manor without my permission, knocked me on my ass, and NOW you think you’ve overstepped?”

Xie Lian adjusted his statement. “Sorry for consistently overstepping.”

He Xuan just laughed again. After a moment of silence, where Xie Lian didn’t know what to say, He Xuan stood up and began descending the steps to the lower floors of the manor. Xie Lian stood still and watched him walk away until he heard He Xuan yell, “follow me, Hua Xie.”

Xie Lian did so, quickening his steps until he was only a few behind He Xuan. “Where are we going?”

He Xuan scoffed; at what, Xie Lian didn’t know, and continued down the steps until they got to the first floor. They left the manor and headed down the beach, the silence hanging around them only broken by their soft footsteps in the sand and the gentle sound of the waves lapping at the shore. With a wave of his hand, He Xuan summoned the bone dragon Xie Lian had befriended earlier. It rose above the surface of the dark water slowly, menacingly, black beads of water dripping from its bones and onto the sand where it hung its head above them. 

When it saw Xie Lian, its tail started up again, wagging with fervor across the top of the water. It tilted its head down for more scratches, and Xie Lian obliged. When he looked over at He Xuan after giving it some pets, He Xuan was wearing a baffled look on his face. 

“You actually befriended my bone dragon,” he said flatly. Xie Lian just smiled at him and continued scratching the dragon. “You might be the weirdest person I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah,” Xie Lian answered simply, having heard that plenty of times before.

He Xuan just shook his head and placed a hand on the bone dragon’s skull for a moment. When he pulled away, he nodded at Xie Lian.

“The bone dragon will take you out of my territory, and the rest is up to you.”

Xie Lian’s smile grew. “Thank you so much He Xuan! I really appreciate that. I was wondering how I would get out of here!”

The bone dragon will drop you in the ocean and let you drown in the dark waters.

“And get rid of that damned vermin. Its presence is annoying,” He Xuan commented, obviously sensing the Venerable whispering to Xie Lian.

“Will do! How can I repay you?” Xie Lian ignored the Venerable and focused on He Xuan.

He Xuan gave him a cursory look up and down before scoffing once more. “The only thing it looks like you have to offer are the clothes off your back, and no offense, but no thank you.”

Xie Lian had a suspicion that He Xuan didn’t care much if he took offense or not, but had to agree with his analysis. He didn’t have anything to offer, having lost all of his belongings during his multiple drownings. His robes weren’t faring well either. The white was stained brown in various places where he was sure he scraped against the bottom of whatever body of water he was in, as well as ripped at his feet where he took pieces from it to wrap his arm.

“Well, thank you for your hospitality. If you ever do need something, I’d be happy to help.”

He Xuan looked bewildered, before shrugging and turning to walk back towards the manor, not offering a goodbye. Xie Lian didn’t mind. 

He gave the dragon one more scratch before using the bones of its throat to climb onto its back. Whatever He Xuan had done or silently commanded with the dragon, it seemed to know what it was doing, and they set off.

-

Your house will collapse.

“No kidding!” Xie Lian unnecessarily replied to the Venerable, narrowing his eyes at the shaky building in front of him with a grin. He had found a small patch of open space a good distance away from the town he wrecked on his way through, and had wanted to try to build himself a small house to protect him from the elements.

Using a tree that had fallen some time ago, he fixed the trunk into wooden planks and started setting it up. But as he did so, he realized the wood was mostly rotted through and soggy, resulting in the hazardous building in front of him.

The house lasted him a few days, and he was shocked that it made it that long. Truly, it was just a matter of time. 

A loud creak echoed in the quiet space around him, before the house collapsed in on itself, spewing dust into the air and causing Xie Lian to cough and wave a hand in front of his face to disperse the particles. 

“What good luck!” Xie Lian exclaimed to nobody. “I wasn’t even in it when it collapsed!”

Laughter from behind him caught his attention, and he whipped around to see who had snuck up on him while he was distracted. But he relaxed when he saw it was just He Xuan.

It had been a few weeks since he had seen his strange ghost friend. Once the bone dragon dropped him in much clearer water, far from He Xuan’s manor, a fishing boat had picked him up and taken him to shore. Afterwards, he did lots of wandering and continued to severely starve the Venerable at every turn.

He was happy to see He Xuan. He had wondered if they would meet again.

“Good Gods, Hua Xie, you need to let that poor Venerable go. I almost feel bad for the cretin.”

Xie Lian shrugged his shoulders, smiling at He Xuan’s clear amusement. “If it is following me, that means it isn’t bothering anyone else. And bad luck will follow me no matter what, so it isn’t an issue.”

At Xie Lian's statement, He Xuan got a weird glint in his eyes. But he just shook his head at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why are you so unlucky?”

“No particular reason. I just am,” Xie Lian lied, before changing the subject. “What are you doing here?”

“I was curious how the Venerable was doing. It seemed to be in a pretty bad state last time I sensed it.”

“Yes, it is doing much worse now.”

He Xuan laughed again. Xie Lian watched him curiously. For a guy who claimed to be a powerful Ghost King, whose manor was empty and devoid of life, whose demeanor was closed off, he seemed to be easy to make laugh. Xie Lian wondered what his backstory really was with the Venerable of Empty Words, and if that was why he found such amusement in its predicament.

“You’re too skinny. Come eat.” He Xuan abruptly changed the topic, and gestured towards the distance shortening array he had drawn on a nearby tree. 

Not having anywhere else to go, and with his home currently in pieces on the ground, Xie Lian accepted and followed He Xuan through the array. Something about He Xuan struck a chord with Xie Lian, almost as if the ghost was lonely. His empty manor certainly didn't indicate much company. Xie Lian could relate to the feeling, and felt a sort of kinship with He Xuan.

They exited the array into He Xuan’s manor. They were in the entranceway near the main door, and a table had been set up with a few dusty chairs lining it. The table was packed with food; almost to the point where you couldn’t see the wood top with how many dishes were piled on it.

“Are you hosting a gathering?” Xie Lian asked, wandering towards the table and allowing the aroma of cooked meat and steaming tea to fill his nostrils.

He Xuan scoffed. “No. Sit. You get one dish, don’t be greedy.”

Xie Lian raised his eyebrows, not needing more than one dish but wondering what He Xuan would do with the rest. He had starved too many times to not be conscious of food waste. But he was a guest in He Xuan’s manor, and had been extremely rude last time he was here, so he sat without complaint and waited for He Xuan to join him.

He Xuan sat opposite Xie Lian a few chairs down. He gestured for Xie Lian to start eating, and began himself.

Xie Lian’s stomach growled, and he was about to bring a spoon of soup to his mouth, when he looked back to He Xuan and felt his jaw drop. It had been only a handful of seconds, but He Xuan had already devoured a full plate of food and started on the next one. Xie Lian gave a silent chuckle, understanding that there most likely wouldn't be any food waste happening today. 

Once He Xuan had finished everything on the table, and Xie Lian had finished his single dish of roasted boar and chicken broth, they both sat back and relaxed in their chairs. It was the most wonderful meal he had had in a long time, and he expressed this to He Xuan.

“Whatever,” He Xuan said dismissively.

“Can I ask you a question?” Xie Lian ventured. When He Xuan just gave him a blank look, he continued. “Why don’t you reside in Ghost City?”

“I see you’ve done some research since we last met.”

He had. After meeting He Xuan, he was curious about what it really entailed to be a Ghost King. He had learned that the White Clothed Calamity, who thankfully had been defeated by Jun Wu, was considered one of the four calamities known and feared by the heavens. Other than them, there was Night-Touring Green Lantern and Crimson Rain Sought Flower. Crimson Rain Sought Flower was the most interesting to him.

He had discovered that Crimson Rain Sought Flower, often referred to as Crimson Rain or Hua Cheng, was by far the most feared of all four calamities. At one point, for no apparent reason, he had challenged 33 Gods to battle with the offering of his ashes if he lost. In return, if he won, the Gods would relinquish their position. When he won every battle and the Gods cowered from the agreement, he had wiped them all out seemingly overnight. 

When Xie Lian heard about that from a young traveler in a town, he didn't understand what would compel someone to do such a thing. The traveler had suggested that the heavens had wronged Hua Cheng in the past and he was taking revenge. A shopkeeper he asked about it thought that it was just a brainless show of power in order to have heaven fearing him and allowing him to do whatever he wanted. Which, realistically, made the most sense. It was genuinely impressive that he was able to defeat so many Gods not just in marital arts but in debate, in artistic expression, and many others. A young mother who overheard their conversation interjected that she thought it had something to do with the fact that the Gods sometimes don disguises and gamble in Ghost City. 

That took Xie Lian down another rabbit hole of information. What he had heard of Ghost City and its apparent ruler, Hua Cheng, had intrigued him even more. The stories were conflicting when it came to how Hua Cheng ruled over Ghost City. Some proclaimed him to be benevolent and that he led with a steady hand. Some cowered at even the mention of his name, calling him evil and cruel.

“I don’t live there because it's that fuckers territory. I won’t live under his oppressive thumb.”

“Hua Cheng is an oppressive ruler?” Xie Lian questioned, wanting to figure out the truth behind Hua Cheng's rule.

“You really did do your research, huh? And don’t say that damn name in this manor.” He Xuan threw his head back with a scowl on his face.

“Is that why you didn’t like my surname? Because you don’t like Hua Che- that guy?”

He Xuan cut him a glare, but sighed and answered. “Yes. And he isn’t necessarily oppressive. But I owe him money and the fucker will never EVER allow me to forget it. That asshole lords it over my head and uses it as an excuse to do whatever he wants.”

“Then pay him back?” Xie Lian said, but it sounded more like a question. He Xuan resided on an island, had a bone dragon at his beck and call, and could afford a feast worthy amount of food. He obviously had status and at least some money.

“You are naive. I don’t owe him a few coin, Hua Xie. I owe him billions. That bastard sacked a debt on me that is impossible to pay back.”

Xie Lian frowned at that. He didn’t owe anyone money, but he certainly knew what it was like to be poor. And either way, it seemed unnecessarily cruel to push a debt on someone who you knew couldn't pay it back. He reached into his sleeve and grabbed the few coin he had gathered busking before the town he was in ran him out at knife point. He leaned forward and placed it before He Xuan, who looked at him with a bewildered expression.

“It isn’t much, and definitely not billions. But it’s a start.” Xie Lian snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. “Or, you could tuck it away and buy yourself a nice meal and save the rest of your money for your debt!”

He Xuan didn’t touch the coins other than to slide them back over to Xie Lian through the dishes piled on the table. He shook his head but Xie Lian could see a smile tugging on his lips. “Keep it, Hua Xie. I’ll figure it out.”

Xie Lian shrugged and tucked it back into his sleeve. “Sorry I can’t help more. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. I still owe you from your help the day I got stranded here.”

He Xuan looked about to say something, until his body stiffened and he brought his fingers to his temple. Xie Lian figured he was speaking in the communication array, and remained silent. 

After a few moments, He Xuan stood up and quickly drew a distance shortening array on the wall next to the table. “You need to leave. Now.”

“Oh. Is everything alright?” Xie Lian asked, standing and walking towards He Xuan.

He Xuan finished the array and gestured Xie Lian through. “That bastard is coming here soon, and I don’t need him on my ass about slacking off instead of working.”

“That bastard? Are you talking about Hua Che-” Once again, Hua Cheng's full name was cut off before it left Xie Lian's mouth. Though this time it wasn’t because he caught himself, but because He Xuan gave him a firm push and he stumbled forward through the array and back into the clearing they had left earlier.

-

“Those FUCKERS!” Hua Cheng slammed his fist into the table, causing it to splinter and crack, the empty dishes scattering haphazardly around the room. 

He Xuan seethed, standing away from the chaos in the corner. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry they’re shit talking your precious God, but can you stop fucking up my stuff?”

“FUCK you! Why aren’t you in heaven right now? When is the last time you checked on the imprisoned Earth Master?” Hua Cheng changed topics and directed his anger to He Xuan, who regretted saying anything.

“Crimson Rain, relax. I spoke with him just last week. And I’m not in heaven right now cause I’m supposed to be on some dumbass mission. I’ll go back up in a few days.”

Hua Cheng scowled at him, before turning and pacing around the room, kicking broken dishes as he walked. “Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and go back. I don’t want to miss him if he ascends again.” He Xuan rolled his eyes at that, and luckily Hua Cheng didn’t see him. He had never understood Hua Cheng’s weird obsession with his banished God. A man was nice to you a few times, and that led to being devoted to him for centuries? If He Xuan didn’t want his debt to double he would say something. But that hadn’t gone over well the first time and he learned his lesson, so he just listened to Hua Cheng vent.

“These old fucking ugly ghosts dare to walk into my establishment and talk poorly about His Highness? They called him a trash God. They called him the God of Misfortune. They said no matter where he goes, misfortune will follow him everywhere. How DARE THEY?” Another kick to a shattered dish. It hit the wall and crumbled into even more pieces.

It almost made He Xuan laugh. He didn’t believe any of those dumb old stories about ‘Gods of Misfortune’. They were ridiculous and just that, stories. If anything, that strange mortal he just shared a meal with had more misfortune following him than anyone he had ever met. Maybe even more misfortune than what followed him when he was alive and being tormented by the Venerable of Empty Words himself.

Hua Cheng continued. “His Highness did his best to save his people. He always had their best interests at heart. I mean, fuck, he was even kind to a dirty child like me. Xie Lian cared for his people at his own detriment. FUCK THEM.”

He Xuan had stopped listening towards the end of Hua Cheng’s rant. It felt like ice was flowing through his veins, and if his heart could stop in fear, it would have. “Wait, what is your God’s name?”

Hua Cheng whipped his head towards him. “What?”

“What is your God’s name?” He Xuan repeated, body frozen in place.

“His Highness Xie Lian. Why are you asking?”

He Xuan’s tongue felt too thick in his mouth to speak. Misfortune? Xie Lian? A man who was impossibly kind even when he didn't have to be? It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible, was it? 

Once He Xuan was able to unstick his tongue, he answered, “I just want to be able to keep an eye out for his name. You know, since you’ll lower my debt if I help you find him.”

“Good,” Hua Cheng sneered. “I’m increasing your debt.”

“WHAT? Why?”

“Because you should know his name already. I’m leaving.” Hua Cheng tossed his dice and stepped through the teleportation array, disappearing.

He Xuan gaped at the empty space where Hua Cheng had just been ranting. Had he really only come to vent and destroy his stuff? Fuck, this was why he didn’t decorate his damn manor.

-

Xie Lian sensed He Xuan behind him this time, and turned around with a smile. “How did your meeting go- What’s wrong?” 

He Xuan’s already gaunt face looked somehow thinner, eye bags darker. His lips were downturned in worry. “What is your name?” He asked.

Xie Lian startled. “I already told you, it’s Hua Xie.”

He Xuan shook his head. “I don’t want an alias. I want your real name.”

Now Xie Lian was frowning, worry curling in his stomach and souring the meal he had just shared with He Xuan. What had happened during his meeting with Hua Cheng? It hadn’t even been that long since He Xuan pushed him through the array, maybe an hour at most. 

But at this point, he felt he was familiar enough with He Xuan to tell him. And if He Xuan wanted to hurt him after hearing his identity, if he even recognized him, then he would deal with it. He always did.

“My name is Xie Lian.”

He Xuan’s eyes widened so far they looked like they would pop out of their sockets. Though his expression quickly changed, growing darker and morphing into a look of pure terror. 

He Xuan whispered, “Fuck…”

Chapter Text

He Xuan was pacing around frantically, hands gripping his hair and muttering to himself while Xie Lian stood quietly in place with a puzzled frown on his face. Given how he was acting, Xie Lian honestly couldn’t tell whether he recognized him or not. This reaction wasn’t one he had ever gotten before.

“Um, He Xuan?” Xie Lian tried, but it was as if He Xuan was in his own world. 

Xie Lian waited for him to calm down, and caught the tail end of his muttering. “-ill me. He’s gonna fucking kill me.”

That had Xie Lian’s eyebrows shooting up in surprise, and he walked towards where He Xuan was now standing still with his head down. He placed a hand on his arm, which was promptly shrugged off.

“He Xuan,” Xie Lian said a bit more firmly, not trying to touch him again. “Tell me what’s going on. How did you know I wasn’t using my real name? Why are you freaking out after hearing it?”

Honestly, Xie Lian was suppressing a small freak out of his own. He Xuan was someone he considered a friend. He was also a very powerful Ghost King, which meant he was a friend who’s life Xie Lian probably couldn’t ruin with his bad luck. He wasn’t trying to lose that over something as silly as his ties to the Heavens.

He Xuan finally stopped muttering and lowered his hands back to his sides, shooting Xie Lian a desperate look. “My debt is going to fucking quadruple. That’s what’s going on.”

“Your debt? This has something to do with Hua Cheng?” It had to, Xie Lian figured, unless he owed a ridiculous amount of coin to someone else. And at that point, that would just make He Xuan someone who was irresponsible with his money.

He Xuan gave a defeated nod and turned away from Xie Lian to pace some more. “This is the worst thing that could have happened. How is it possible that YOU of all fucking people just stumbled into my territory? Waltzed right into my manor, knocked me on my ass, befriended my bone dragon-” He Xuan cut himself off before whipping back around to Xie Lian and grabbing his shoulders in both hands. Xie Lian startled, but didn’t move away. “My bone dragon! That first day in my manor, you said it threw you around. What did you mean by that?”

Xie Lian’s eyebrows scrunched down in confusion. “Um, exactly that?” When He Xuan just continued to stare down at him with a burning intensity in his eyes, giving his shoulders a shake, Xie Lian elaborated. “It threw me through the air a bit at first. Why?”

“Did it hurt you?” He Xuan stopped the shaking but clenched his hands tighter.

“Just some bruises, really. What actually broke my bones was flinging myself away from it and onto land.”

Xie Lian had been trying to reassure He Xuan that his injuries were not caused by the dragon, because for some reason that seemed to be bothering him, but his response only made it worse. “YOU BROKE BONES?” He Xuan yelled, before letting go of Xie Lian and stepping back. He brought his hands up and dragged them down his face. His obvious discomfort at hearing that had Xie Lian trying to put his mind at ease.

“Yeah, but just my arm and ribs. Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all. They fully healed in a few weeks.”

“I’m dead. For sure, dead,” He Xuan muttered, before dropping his arms and shooting Xie Lian a critical look. “Wait, you knocked me flat on my ass with a broken arm and ribs?”

“Sorry about that,” Xie Lian responded, not answering the question.

He Xuan gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “Whatever. That is the least of my worries.”

“Whatever worries you're talking about seem like they involve me. Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

“Hua Cheng…” He Xuan started, before groaning and shaking his head. “It really isn’t my story to tell. I don’t want to be even more fucked than I already am by saying something I shouldn’t.”

Xie Lian said nothing, just staring at He Xuan with a frown. He Xuan stared back for a moment, before continuing. “Hua Cheng is looking for you. And of course, I had to be the one to find you first. Fuck.”

Xie Lian tried to hide his shock under a carefully neutral expression. He was starting to piece together what He Xuan was hinting at with his frantic reaction to Xie Lian’s identity and the bits and pieces he was sharing. It didn’t paint a pretty picture.

If he had to guess, he would say someone as notorious as Hua Cheng, known widely as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, had been around for a long time. To gain that much infamy among mortals as well as ghosts and Gods alike takes time. It was very likely he was around during the fall of Xianle. Maybe he even had ties to Xianle or Yong’an, or possibly the Ghost King, the White Clothed Calamity. 

If so, it would make sense that he was searching for Xie Lian. It was his fault, after all, that Xianle fell. That the human face disease was almost unleashed on Yong’an and much later, that the royal family in Yong’An was slaughtered. That the White Clothed Calamity was exterminated. If you looked hard enough, researched deep enough, it all leads back to him. It is entirely possible that Hua Cheng was reborn as a ghost for revenge, and that he was a part of that.

And He Xuan reacting so strongly to Xie Lian’s identity just confirmed this belief. He Xuan, deep down, probably considered Xie Lian a friend as well, and was feeling torn between his debtor and the friendship they had forged. 

The 33 Gods Hua Cheng had challenged also made sense. Xie Lian was supposed to be one of them. 

Eventually, Xie Lian found his voice again and interrupted He Xuan’s quiet ramblings. “How badly does he want to find me?”

He Xuan jerked back to face him, eyebrows drawn together. “What? Why?”

“How badly does he want to find me?” Xie Lian repeated. When He Xuan said nothing, he explained, “Bad enough to lower your debt, should I give myself to him?”

He Xuan went through a multitude of facial expressions after hearing that. Finally, he settled on one of hesitant excitement. “Are you serious? Fuck, he may wipe my debt totally clear if you did that. This could be a really good idea.” He began pacing once more, this time with excitement. His steps were starting to form a path through the grass.

“Yes, yes, he wants to find you so badly. This is really good.” He pointed at Xie Lian, a grin starting to stretch his lips. “You’re smart. How did I not think of that? Okay, but we have to change the story…”

Xie Lian stopped listening, letting He Xuan’s voice trail off as he fell deeper into his own thoughts. He owed He Xuan. When he had been in He Xuan’s territory, in his home, instead of kicking him out He Xuan had helped him to leave. Even going so far as to invite him back a while later and offer him a hot meal. Yes, he greatly owed He Xuan. And with no money, no spiritual power or connections to his name, this was the only way he could pay him back. 

He was happy to have found a way to help He Xuan, especially with something so crushing as a monumental debt that obviously caused He Xuan distress. But, to be honest, he was a little hurt at how quickly He Xuan jumped at the idea of releasing him to be a prisoner of a feared Ghost King who hated him.

Xie Lian quickly shook off the hurt he was feeling. That was just how things went sometimes, and for He Xuan, he would allow himself to be a prisoner. He had been locked in a coffin for decades, nailed to the ground. Had one hundred swords run through him, reducing his body to nothing but mush. He’d drowned for weeks, consistently, with no reprieve. There wasn’t much left in the world that he couldn’t deal with.

Besides, given what he had heard of Hua Cheng, he seemed like a bit of a fickle man. It was likely he would tire of torturing and imprisoning Xie Lian eventually. 

“Are you even listening?” He Xuan demanded, snapping Xie Lian back to the present.

“No,” Xie Lian answered honestly.

He Xuan sighed. “Okay, listen now. We need a story, okay, so Hua Cheng doesn’t wipe away my existence instead of just my debt. We’ve only just met, okay? I ran into you in the forest by accident. No, he wouldn’t believe that. We need something better.”

“The next town over ran me out because I kept destroying their buildings.”

“Perfect!” He Xuan exclaimed. “I heard about destruction in that town and came to look into it, where I ran into you. That is our story. You were never in my territory, okay? My bone dragon never hurt you.”

Xie Lian just nodded in agreement. It was true that Hua Cheng probably wouldn’t be happy to hear the object of his revenge has been hanging out with his debtee for a while before he reported it. 

Hua Cheng will torture you mercilessly.

Xie Lian rolled his eyes at the Venerable's prediction. He’d already arrived at that conclusion on his own.

He Xuan glared in the direction just above Xie Lian’s left shoulder, before his form began rippling. Xie Lian was startled, about to ask if he was okay, when he saw the hinge of He Xuan’s jaw dislocate and extend downwards. He Xuan’s form grew bigger, easily towering four feet above Xie Lian and now dripping black water in earnest. The black of his pupil expanded until his eyes looked like empty sockets. 

He Xuan reached out an arm to the side of Xie Lian, his black fingernails extended and sharp. He grabbed onto something Xie Lian couldn’t see before bringing it towards his open mouth. Once he held it near him, Xie Lian was able to see the faint outline of the Venerable's spiritual energy being sucked out and swallowed by He Xuan. 

Once he was done, his form shrank back down to its normal size, and Xie Lian was no longer being followed by the Venerable of Empty Words.

“We can’t have Hua Cheng seeing that letch around you,” He Xuan explained, wiping his hand over the side of his mouth as if wiping away the remnants of a good meal.

“That was very impressive!" Xie Lian clapped his hands, shooting He Xuan a smile.

He Xuan rolled his eyes at him. “You have no self preservation at all, you know that?”

“Do I need any around you?” Xie Lian countered.

“I can’t tell if that is an insult or a compliment.”

“Why not both?”

He Xuan chuckled, before straightening his robes, and giving Xie Lian a nod. “Well, if you’re okay with this, then let’s do it. I do need to warn you though, Hua Cheng is dangerous. His obsession with you…” He Xuan trailed off and shivered in disgust. Xie Lian could guess where he was going with that.

“I understand the story. Should you call Hua Cheng here now?” Xie Lian asked.

He Xuan abruptly shook his head. “No, no, I’ll wait until Hua Cheng is in a good mood. If we do this and he is already pissed off, it won’t work. He needs to be in a good mood and we need to catch him off guard. I’ll come get you when it’s time.”

“Okay,” Xie Lian agreed readily, resigned to his fate. Though he was happy to have at least a few more days to enjoy his wandering and collecting before becoming a prisoner.

“Good.” He Xuan walked towards the distance shortening array he used to get there, but before he entered, he spoke without looking at Xie Lian. “Thanks.”

Before Xie Lian could respond, he was gone.

-

He Xuan found him a few days later, sitting at the edge of a river and letting his feet dangle into the water. He had been looking for a fish to catch and eat for dinner, but the moment he sat down, they dispersed and he hadn’t seen one since. Even without the Venerable whispering terrible prophecies into his ear, it almost comforted him to know his luck was still bad.

He had just resigned himself to a hearty dinner of whatever he found growing in the forest that hopefully wasn’t poisonous, when he heard He Xuan’s voice.

“It’s time.”

Xie Lian stood up and smoothed his robes back down over his legs, giving He Xuan a smile. He saw He Xuan’s gaze lock onto the shackle around his ankle for a moment before it was covered again.

“How have you been?” Xie Lian asked conversationally as they walked towards He Xuan’s distance shortening array.

“Fine. Listen, so I’ve been keeping an eye on Hua Cheng’s movements. This morning, he wiped out a group of ghosts causing damage in his city, and beat the shit out of a few Gods trying to cheat in the Gambler’s Den.” They both walked through the array and ended up back in the entryway of He Xuan’s manor before he continued. “So he should be in a good mood. Or at least, a bit more laid back. That will work to our advantage.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Xie Lian said dryly. 

“Don’t give me attitude,” He Xuan admonished, but Xie Lian could tell it was lighthearted. “Are you still sure you want to do this? Hua Cheng is crazy.”

Xie Lian’s heart warmed just a bit at the disguised worry in He Xuan’s voice. “Yes. You have been so gracious, helping me get out of your territory and getting rid of the Venerable. Not to mention treating me to a hot meal. I am happy that I am able to help you at all.”

He Xuan stared at him for a moment, before scoffing and turning his head away from Xie Lian. “You may be the first person to ever describe me as gracious.”

“You had every reason not to help me, and did so anyway. How else should I describe you?”

“Whatever,” He Xuan dismissed, before pointing towards the open door of the manor. “You should hide behind the door and wait until I ask you to come out. I drew a distance shortening array on the wall behind the door. If things get bad, it’ll shoot you back out where we came from and disperse. Hua Cheng shouldn’t be able to track you or follow you in. Anyways, I’m going to try to reason with him first. No need for you to be subjected to that.”

“Okay.” Xie Lian slid his body in between the open door and the inside wall where the array was cast, waiting with baited breath as He Xuan called to Hua Cheng in the communication array.

After a few moments, he felt a rush of wind before a deep voice echoed around the manor. “What now, Black Water? I was busy. Are you really so eager to increase your debt?”

Xie Lian cringed. That was the exact opposite of their plan. 

“No,” He Xuan responded, his voice steady and firm. “I actually called you here to request you extinguish all of my debt. For good.”

A rumbling laugh, filled with mirth, sounded from Hua Cheng. “How cute. Not even trying to pay it off, just begging for it to be wiped? Oh Black Water, you’ll have to do better than that.”

“Not begging,” He Xuan retorted, “bargaining.”

“You have nothing of interest to me.”

“You’re wrong.”

He heard footsteps start circling the room, a soft tinkling filling the air with each step. “Fine, I’m intrigued. What are you offering? You decrepit manor? Your abandoned island filled with boney monsters that can barely hold their own against a ghost fire?”

Xie Lian held back a disgruntled noise. He Xuan’s bone dragon was very impressive, and could easily hold its own against even a fully formed ghost. Plus, it was cute.

“It isn’t what I’m offering. It’s who.”

Silence followed He Xuan’s statement. Even the jingling footsteps stopped. It went on for so long Xie Lian was worried Hua Cheng had left, but just when Xie Lian was going to step out, the man spoke.

“Who?” Hua Cheng’s voice was steady, but sounded at the same time angry and hopeful. Xie Lian curled his fingers around his robes, and Ruoye tightened around his midsection as it felt his anxiety.

“You know who. But first, I want the debt wiped-” Whatever He Xuan was going to say was cut off by a loud crashing noise, jingling once again filling the air. 

“What do you know?” Hua Cheng seethed, and another crash sounded. “Speak, before I fucking kill you!”

Xie Lian had enough. He quickly stepped out from behind the door and saw Hua Cheng pressing He Xuan against the wall by the neck, his other hand holding the deadly scimitar E’Ming against his lower stomach. Xie Lian's eyes made brief contact with the eye on the handle, which rapidly spun in place when it saw him.

“Let him go,” Xie Lian commanded calmly, open palm outstretched towards the scene in a fighting stance. 

Hua Cheng’s head whipped towards him, his single eye going wide before dropping He Xuan, who collapsed in a heap on the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. 

Even during such a heated encounter, Xie Lian’s first thought at seeing Hua Cheng was that he was an incredibly handsome and fierce man. The killing intent rolling off of him was stronger than He Xuan’s by far; so strong, it almost felt like if Xie Lian reached out a hand, he could grab it. It was very impressive, and Xie Lian could tell it wasn’t just for show.

Hua Cheng’s black hair fell over his shoulders and down his back in an artfully messy style, a portion of it braided and held together at the end by a small red bead. His facial features were sharp and showcased strong cheekbones and a high bridged nose. One eye was covered by a black eyepatch, while the other still stared openly at Xie Lian through thick lashes.

Xie Lian had heard some mentions of E’Ming during his research on the Ghost Kings. One person, an older gentleman, had mentioned that E’Ming’s eye was actually Hua Cheng’s own, used as a sacrifice to forge the blade. Xie Lian hadn’t believed him until this very moment, seeing Hua Cheng wearing an eyepatch while another eye spun in E’Ming’s hilt. Though it was also possible that the eyepatch was just a fashion choice. A very good one, at that.

As the scene in front of him calmed down and Hua Cheng didn’t immediately lunge for him, Xie Lian relaxed his stance. He felt a bit bad emerging before He Xuan had asked him to, but he didn’t want this to end in violence when it didn’t have to. 

“I ran into He Xuan earlier today when he came to investigate a town I destroyed,” Xie Lian regurgitated their story. “He mentioned you were looking for me. I will go with you, once you wipe out his debt.”

Hua Cheng’s mouth opened and closed uselessly, surprise written across his face. Seeing the object of his hatred suddenly appear before him rendering him speechless. 

Xie Lian continued. “There is a distance shortening array drawn somewhere in this manor. If you do not agree to the terms, I will use it and you won’t be able to find me again. Not until He Xuan’s debt is fully cleared.” He was just making it up on the spot, but as he said it, he realized it was a good idea. Hua Cheng had no real reason to listen to his demands, probably assuming he could just grab him and take him prisoner without a struggle. Knowing that he had a way out would make Hua Cheng take him seriously.

Hua Cheng seemed to find his voice. “Done,” he said, voice raspy, eye still wide. E’Ming was physically shaking where Hua Cheng loosely held it by his side. Hua Cheng didn’t look away from Xie Lian. “Done. His debt is wiped.”

Relief spread through Xie Lian’s body, relaxing his stance even more. He had done it. He had officially paid back the kindness He Xuan had shown him. Being a prisoner, being tortured, that was the easy part. Paying back kindness was what Xie Lian found most difficult. 

He Xuan stood up from the ground wearing a snarky grin. “All of it? All twenty billion?”

“Twenty?” Xie Lian asked in surprised, mouth gaping open at the amount. He Xuan wasn’t kidding when he said it was an amount too large to fully pay back. 

Hua Cheng didn’t answer, looking at Xie Lian questioningly. When Xie Lian remembered he was the one brokering the deal, he nodded.

Hua Cheng returned the nod. “Yes, all twenty.” He still didn’t look away from Xie Lian.

“Great!” Xie Lian clapped his hands together. “That settles it then. Lord Crimson Rain Sought Flower, I am at your mercy.” He gave a low bow, trying to convey that he was a willing prisoner. If he angered Hua Cheng right away, the entire deal could be blown.

“Please... don’t bow to me,” Hua Cheng said in a wrecked voice, and Xie Lian stood back up, startled. Hua Cheng had a desperate look in his eye, reaching out uselessly to where Xie Lian stood but not approaching him. E’Ming had disappeared from his hand.

Xie Lian’s confusion quickly morphed into understanding. Who in all the realms would want the person they hate bowing to them, showing reverence? It was probably disgusting to Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng just couldn’t say anything out of fear that Xie Lian would run to the array and away from him if he acted rashly. Xie Lian noted it, determined to not do anything in the future to set the Ghost King off.

He Xuan walked over to Xie Lian, Hua Cheng’s glare following his every step, and stopped in front of him. He lightly brushed his hand over Xie Lian’s, which startled him, before he realized he felt a rush of spiritual energy flow through his meridians. He heard Hua Cheng growl behind them.

He Xuan leaned down and whispered in Xie Lian’s ear. “...That is my communication array password. Hesitate to use it.”

Xie Lian couldn’t help the chuckle that left his mouth at He Xuan’s equally nice and cold statement. Hua Cheng’s growl grew louder.

He Xuan stepped away, revealing Hua Cheng’s glare, which had become fiercer and remained fixed on He Xuan.

When nobody moved or spoke, Xie Lian took the initiative and approached Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng stayed perfectly still and allowed Xie Lian to stop a few feet from him. “If you are ready, we can depart.”

Hua Cheng looked startled at Xie Lian’s words, glancing at He Xuan questioningly. “Am I misunderstanding something here?” Hua Cheng asked.

Though the question was directed at He Xuan, Xie Lian answered. “You have fulfilled your end of the deal, and now I will fulfill mine.”

“Deal!?” Hua Cheng took a step away from Xie Lian, whipping his head between him and He Xuan.

“Yes. I will go with you now that He Xuan’s debt is settled,” Xie Lian affirmed, before turning to He Xuan and giving him a genuine smile. “And He Xuan, thank you for all of your help. W-with the town and stuff,” Xie Lian quickly amended, almost forgetting the story they were sticking to. “Goodbye, He Xuan.”

Xie Lian allowed himself a moment to close his eyes and appreciate not being a prisoner, not being tortured, just for a second. He would miss the freedom. And he would miss his new friend. But at least now he had He Xuan’s communication array password. He knew he wouldn’t use it, in case that angered Hua Cheng and caused him to reestablish the debt. Either way, it was nice to have. 

He opened his eyes and faced Hua Cheng head on, opening his mouth to speak. But he was cut off by a bright and hot light engulfing him, filling his veins with spiritual energy and shooting him up, and up, and up.

He had ascended. Again. His timing truly could not be any worse.

Chapter Text

Once the blinding light had faded enough for Xie Lian to see, he was already in heaven. It was bright and sunny, the light reflecting off of the many golden lacquered buildings around him and lending the area a very regal feel. Though it had been centuries since Xie Lian had seen heaven, it looked much the same. Still elegant, still sterile.

The spiritual energy abundant in heaven was flowing through Xie Lian’s body, lasting a few moments before he felt his shackles suck it up and new energy replaced it. There were a few Gods standing in the clearing and openly gawking at him. Xie Lian could hear whispers floating from their mouths, and given their judgemental stares, he safely assumed what they were saying wasn’t anything complementary.

Once Xie Lian had adjusted to the fact that he ascended, again, he couldn’t help but cringe. He was so close to completing the deal, to paying back He Xuan for all he had done for him, and now didn’t it look like he was running away? Running up to heaven to hide? He needed to get back down and make sure there were no misunderstandings. It was likely Hua Cheng was feeling even more disgusted with him, thinking him a coward, but there was no way around it. He’d just have to deal with the consequences.

Just as he had turned towards the edge to jump back down to He Xuan’s manor, he felt a hand grip his shoulder and whip him back around. Startled, he came face to face with a God he had never seen before. The God had long dark hair pulled up in a ponytail high on his head, held in place by a golden pin. His robes were black and brown, accentuating the pale face staring back at him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” The God hissed at him, dropping his hand.

Xie Lian was confused, wondering what he had done to piss the God off, but soon realizing he didn’t care. “Hi! Nice to meet you. I actually have some unfinished business in the mortal realm, so I’ll be off now.”

He went to turn around again, but the God just grabbed his shoulder and whipped him back around, a direct imitation of what they had done not even one minute ago. “Stop! Just stop,” the God spoke lowly, so the crowd that had gathered couldn’t hear. Under his breath, the God muttered, “You are the unluckiest asshole I have ever met."

“Did you need something?” Xie Lian asked, impatient to return to He Xuan and Hua Cheng.

“Hey moron, it’s me. Can you act a little less weird please? We have too many eyes on us.” The God darted his head left and right, scowling at the crowd around them.

“Do we know each other?”

“Unfortunately. This whole thing has gone to shit. Hua Cheng is pissed off. Like, more pissed off than I’ve ever seen him. We are not going back down yet. Let him cool off.”

Xie Lian squinted his eyes. “He Xuan?”

The God, or He Xuan, whipped his head back to look at Xie Lian and shushed him. “Don’t fucking call me that here. Call me Ming Yi. I’m in disguise as the Earth Master.”

Now that raised about a million questions in Xie Lian’s mind. He wanted to ask, but decided against it, understanding it wasn’t his business. “Oh hey He- Ming Yi! Good to see you.” Xie Lian scratched his face, cringing once again. “Yeah, I kind of figured Hua Cheng wouldn’t be happy. That was why I was going to head back down.”

He Xuan grimaced and brought his hand to his temple. After a moment, he said, “Fuck. That asshole won’t get out of my head. No, we can’t go back down yet. I have business in heaven, and I already look weird talking to you like this. If you go back down now, I look suspicious up here, and Hua Cheng kills me down there. Bad either way.”

“Alright. Tell Hua Cheng I’ll be back down soon, okay? Tell him I’m not trying to back out of the deal.”

“The deal is the fucking problem.”

Xie Lian frowned. “Is Hua Cheng backing out? Is he not satisfied?”

He Xuan just shook his head, letting out a breath of air that ruffled his bangs. “We’ll worry about that later. No more talk of Hua Cheng while in heaven. Gods don’t take too kindly to his name.”

They had both turned to face the crowd when Xie Lian saw a woman push through and walk towards them. “Your Highness.” She called to Xie Lian, stopping in front of him. She glanced at He Xuan with a nod. “Lord Earth Master.”

“Ling Wen,” He Xuan returned the greeting with a blank face.

Ling Wen turned back to Xie Lian. “Your Highness, congratulations on ascending once again-”

“Thank you.”

“-However, your ascendence has caused quite a bit of destruction. You toppled a palace, which hit another palace, and another.”

“Whoops!” Xie Lian gave her a smile, not knowing what she wanted him to say. He heard He Xuan huff out a quiet laugh next to him.

“You owe 10 million merits for the destruction,” Ling Wen finished, reading from a small journal she had brought with her. Once she read out his debt, she snapped it shut and tucked it under her arm, waiting for his response.

Xie Lian nodded, the number she gave meaning nothing to him. “Okay, thank you for letting me know! How many merits do I currently have?”

“Zero.”

“That could be a problem.” Xie Lian glanced at He Xuan. “How do you get merits?”

He Xuan gave him an inscrutable look. “Haven’t you ascended twice before? How do you not know?”

“I wasn’t in heaven long enough to learn about that,” Xie Lian laughed.

Ling Wen answered in He Xuan’s stead. “You achieve merits through worshippers. Sometimes Gods give out their merits as well.”

“That is definitely a problem.” Xie Lian didn’t have any worshippers, and he was about to be imprisoned by a Ghost King, so he wouldn’t have time to get some. 

“I’ll pay it,” He Xuan cut in, rolling his eyes. Ling Wen glanced towards him with a neutral expression, but Xie Lian could tell from her body language that she was surprised at the offer. “Let’s go get it settled.”

“...Okay,” Ling Wen acquiesced, turning and walking back out of the crowd. He Xuan and Xie Lian hurried to follow her. 

On the walk towards wherever they were headed, Xie Lian whispered to He Xuan, “Please don’t do this. I just barely have been able to pay you back for your generosity.”

He Xuan shot him a loaded glare, and Xie Lian understood what he was trying to say. In his mind he spoke He Xuan’s communication array password, and continued the conversation that way.

I don’t really care about owing merits to heaven. At least not right now. We can just go back down. Xie Lian explained in the array.

Without looking at him, He Xuan responded. I’m already sticking out like a sore thumb for communicating with you at all, so let’s just wrap this up. Besides, I don’t give a fuck about how many merits I have. Take them all; it isn’t generosity if I never wanted them in the first place.

Why did you come talk to me if it would make you stick out?

You looked so pathetic just standing there looking around, what was I supposed to do? Besides, Hua Cheng told me to look after you up here.

That made sense. Realistically, when Xie Lian left heaven, he could jump anywhere in the mortal realm and Hua Cheng wouldn’t be able to find him. He Xuan was probably tasked with keeping his leash tight. At least that meant the deal was still on.

Well, thank you. Even if He Xuan didn’t want his merits, he was still getting Xie Lian out of a tough situation.

After a moment of silence in the array, He Xuan asked, why aren’t you curious about why I’m in disguise up here?

Of course I’m curious. But it isn’t my business. If you want to tell me, though, you can.

You’re weird.

Yes, you’ve mentioned that.

Another moment of silence. Then, give me your communication array password. In case I need it. 

Just recite the Ethics Sutra a thousand times.

You’re annoying.

Xie Lian laughed.

-

They settled the payment in Ling Wen’s office, and on the way out, they were confronted by another God. 

“Ming Yi! I didn’t know you knew his Highness!!!”

Xie Lian was startled at the sudden voice, and at the body launching itself into He Xuan and causing him to crash into Xie Lian.

They all steadied themselves, before He Xuan spoke. “Get off me.”

“Ming Yiiiii…” The God whined. She had her brown hair half up and half down, wearing light blue robes that clung to her body. Her face was young looking and cute, with big golden eyes and small lips. She had her arms wrapped tightly around He Xuan’s upper arm.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Xie Lian. Are you Ming Yi’s friend?”

“His best friend,” the young God declared, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips. “I’m Shi Qingxuan, the Wind Master!”

“We aren’t friends,” He Xuan argued.

Shi Qingxuan ignored him. “I just got back up here from a mission and apparently I missed a whole lot. I heard that not only do you know His Highness Xie Lian, but you paid off all of his debt? You’ve never mentioned him before!” She turned towards Xie Lian. “Though I was glad to hear it! Ming Yi is a bit of a hermit, so I’m happy to learn I’m not his only friend.”

“Neither of you are my friends.”

Xie Lian took one look at He Xuan’s grumpy expression, and knew he had to tease him. “Oh? I thought we were friends?” He asked He Xuan, who raised an eyebrow at him. “Because friends keep secrets.”

He Xuan’s face darkened immediately. “We are friends.”

“Yay!” Shi Qingxuan grabbed both of their arms and pulled them into an awkward three-way hug. “We are all friends!”

During the hug, He Xuan was cutting Xie Lian quite the gnarly glare, and it just made Xie Lian laugh harder. He genuinely considered He Xuan a friend, regardless of his prickly demeanor. But even if he didn’t, he would never expose his secret. From everything he had learned about He Xuan, he doesn’t seem like a rash or thoughtless man. Whatever reason he had for being disguised as a God in heaven, Xie Lian would respect it and keep his mouth shut.

So Xie Lian simply smiled back in the face of He Xuan’s glare to show he was just kidding around, and He Xuan’s face softened.

When Shi Qingxuan released them, she turned a bright smile to Xie Lian. “Well, welcome back to heaven! And congratulations on your ascension!”

“Nothing he hasn’t done before,” He Xuan sniped, causing Shi Qingxuan to slap him on the arm with a scandalized look on her face.

Xie Lian laughed. “Don’t worry, he’s right. It’s fine.”

“Anyways,” He Xuan started, rubbing his arm where Shi Qingxuan had hit him, “we need to get going back to the mortal realm.”

“Can I come?” Shi Qingxuan asked, hands folded under her chin in excitement.

“No.”

“Why not?”

When Xie Lian saw He Xuan opening his mouth to make a cutting remark, he interrupted. “I’m sorry Lady Wind Master. As much as I would love for you to join us, we are a bit busy and can’t afford the company. But I look forward to seeing you again in the future!” Of course, he probably wouldn’t be seeing her again unless Hua Cheng got bored of torturing him quickly, but he meant it either way.

“Aw. That’s okay. My brother wanted to talk to me anyway. I just miss hanging out with you Ming Yi! And if Xie Lian is your friend, then I know he’s a great guy.”

A warm smile spread over Xie Lian’s lips. “We’ll all hang out soon, okay?”

“Don’t speak for me. Let’s go, Xie Lian.” He Xuan grabbed Xie Lian’s arm and pulled him back towards the edge of heaven where Xie Lian had originally ascended. Xie Lian followed behind obediently, sending a wave to Shi Qingxuan over his shoulder.

Once they were away from her and the other Gods, Xie Lian spoke. “She isn’t the kind of company I would expect you to keep. I like her, though.”

“Of course you do. You’re both weird and annoying.”

“Thanks.”

He Xuan just shook his head and kept walking. Once they got to the edge, he turned toward Xie Lian and let out a sigh. “Okay, hopefully Hua Cheng has had time to calm down. I’ve been ignoring him since I agreed to look after you up here, and he’s stopped yelling at me, so that’s a good sign. Are you ready?”

“Sure!” Xie Lian wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but he had been ready for a while. Besides, even though nothing good could come of this, he had been interested in the Ghost King Hua Cheng ever since he started looking into him. Maybe he would be able to learn some more about him during this whole experience.

“Alright, let’s go.” He Xuan gave Xie Lian’s back a sharp tap that sent him over the edge. He free fell for a bit before He Xuan appeared beside him and directed his fall through a distance shortening array. Xie Lian shot out the other side in He Xuan’s manor once again, with He Xuan’s hand gripping the back of his robes behind him to keep him upright.

Hua Cheng has been pacing the length of the den, hand under his chin and head down. Once he heard them enter, he stopped in his tracks and whipped his head up.

“Sorry about that!” Xie Lian apologized to Hua Cheng once he had steadied himself. 

Hua Cheng was looking at him with an unreadable expression, eyebrows downturned, before he shot his eyes over Xie Lian’s shoulder and scowled. “Coward. Get out here and explain.”

Xie Lian turned his head over his shoulder and saw He Xuan partially crouched behind him, back to his original form, hiding himself from Hua Cheng. When Hua Cheng called him out he stood up straight, wiping his hands over the front of his robes nonchalantly but staying behind Xie Lian. 

With his head barely visible over Xie Lian’s, He Xuan asked, “Explain what exactly?”

Hua Cheng’s scowl turned almost feral, but when his eyes glanced back towards Xie Lian, his expression softened immediately. “He Xuan, please stop hiding behind His Highness. It is really starting to piss me off.”

Xie Lian was a bit startled to hear Hua Cheng refer to him as His Highness. It didn’t sound like it was said with any kind of disgust or reverence, which confused him more. 

As Xie Lian pondered that, He Xuan stepped out from behind him and returned Hua Cheng’s scowl. “I wasn’t hiding behind him, okay, I was reorienting myself.” He sniffed and turned his chin up. Despite the feigned confidence, when Hua Cheng took a step forward, he darted back behind Xie Lian.

“Hua Cheng, with all due respect, I thought the deal was very clear,” Xie Lian cut in, seeing the conversation between Hua Cheng and He Xuan was going nowhere. He kept himself positioned in front of He Xuan. He wasn’t sure how much help he would really be able to provide if Hua Cheng decided to attack him, but he could probably stave him off long enough for He Xuan to get out of here.

“Your Highness, could you please explain what you are doing here?” Hua Cheng sounded desperate, lips strongly downturned and eyebrows pinched.

Xie Lian nodded and placed his hands in his sleeves, giving himself an outward appearance of relaxation, but ready to fight at a moment’s notice. “Yes. He Xuan was of great help to me recently, and when I heard of his debt to you and how you were looking for me, I offered to help. He Xuan has done nothing wrong. He is simply allowing me to pay him back for his kindness.”

He Xuan popped back up again over his shoulder. “You hear that? I was kind to him. He even described me as generous.”

“You told His Highness I was looking for him?” Hua Cheng’s voice was flat, face devoid of emotion as he looked at He Xuan and ignored the comment. He Xuan dipped back down behind Xie Lian.

“Hua Cheng, if you hold any anger towards He Xuan for what he revealed, please direct it towards me. I was so grateful to him I forced him to tell me how I could help. It is my fault.” It wasn’t exactly true; He Xuan revealed Hua Cheng’s interest in him pretty readily, but he knew he needed to protect his friend. What was the point of helping if He Xuan incurred Hua Cheng’s wrath right alongside him?

Hua Cheng was just looking at him with his mouth hanging open, speechless. Xie Lian continued. “I have promised myself to you in exchange for the clearing of his debt. That is the deal. I will fulfill my end of the deal without complaints.”

As Xie Lian spoke, Hua Cheng’s already pale face turned even paler, expression horrified. He took a step back and brought a hand to his mouth, then dropped his hand and turned around, seemingly unsure what to do with this information. Xie Lian heard He Xuan curse behind him.

“Is there a problem with that deal?” Xie Lian questioned, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Hua Cheng dropped into a squat, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes, one palm over the eyepatch. “This is so messed up,” he muttered.

“I’m gonna die. He’s gonna disperse me,” He Xuan was whispering at the same time, still behind Xie Lian. Xie Lian was perplexed. What had he done wrong? Was it something he said?

After a few moments of silence, Xie Lian at a loss for how to make the situation better, Hua Cheng stood back up straight and took a deep breath before fixing his gaze on Xie Lian. Hua Cheng walked towards him slowly, and his body tensed minutely where he stood.

Hua Cheng stopped with about two feet of space between them. His expression looked completely wrecked. “Your Highness, this…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

“What is the status of He Xuan’s debt?” Xie Lian asked when Hua Cheng didn’t continue.

Hua Cheng responded immediately. “Gone, if that is what you want.”

“Good.” Xie Lian pursed his lips, before adding, “Please don’t hurt He Xuan. Everything that is happening today was my idea. I thought it would please you, but am now seeing that may not be the case. No matter how you feel about this, it is my fault and I will face any consequences deemed necessary. He Xuan simply followed along with my idea.”

“He knows better,” Hua Cheng said through clenched teeth, but it wasn’t directed at Xie Lian.

“No matter. It isn’t his fault. Part of the deal is that He Xuan is debt free and will not be punished.” Xie Lian was desperately trying to follow the ups and downs of the reactions he was getting from Hua Cheng, but it was tough. He was more confused now than ever. But he wouldn’t allow Hua Cheng to hurt He Xuan. His words probably didn’t hold much value, but he would do what he had to to make sure his friend got away from this unscathed.

“Okay,” Hua Cheng agreed in a breathless voice, gaze intense on Xie Lian. He shook his head as if clearing it, before continuing. “His debt is cleared and he will not be punished, since that is what you want. But the deal is off. I will not accept any type of deal for you. That is not the kind of man I am.” He clenched his eye shut for a moment. “I need you to know that is not the kind of man I am, Your Highness.”

That was when it all clicked into place for Xie Lian. Hua Cheng had most likely hated him for decades, centuries. That hate had festered, becoming almost corporeal to Hua Cheng. How could he ever accept the object of his hatred from a simple deal? It was too easy. Where was the satisfaction in having your prey handed to you? He was looking for a hunt.

“I understand,” Xie Lian responded, and he meant it. He finally understood what had gone wrong.

Hua Cheng reached into the sleeve of his robes and held something out to Xie Lian. Unsure of what to do, Xie Lian hesitated for a second before removing his hand from his sleeve and holding it out to Hua Cheng’s. With his other hand, Hua Cheng held his wrist in a grip so gentle Xie Lian almost couldn’t feel it, and dropped a pair of dice onto his palm. Once it was done, Hua Cheng dropped his hands to his sides and took a step away.

Xie Lian brought the dice closer and inspected them. He wasn’t quite sure what he had been expecting to happen during that exchange, but this certainly wasn’t it.

“If you roll those dice, at any time, ever, I will be alerted, and can be there immediately,” Hua Cheng explained.

Hearing the explanation made Xie Lian smile. Maybe Hua Cheng didn’t want to hunt his prey. Maybe he wanted his prey to give in all on its own.

“I understand,” Xie Lian said again. The more he interacted with Hua Cheng, the more odd the man seemed. But Xie Lian certainly wasn’t going to judge him for that. He wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

After a few beats of silence, Xie Lian tilted his head at Hua Cheng. “So… I can go?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please be safe, and don’t hesitate to use the dice if you ever desire.” Hua Cheng smiled at him. He really was quite a handsome man; it was a shame he hated Xie Lian so much.

“Use the array by the door,” He Xuan murmured from behind him. 

“Okay. I’ll see you later, He Xuan.” He turned around before hesitating, and glancing at Hua Cheng. “You as well, Hua Cheng.” Hua Cheng’s smile grew as he said that.

If he was being honest, this whole ordeal had turned out pretty great for him. He Xuan had taken care of the Venerable for him, Xie Lian had gotten He Xuan’s debt cleared, and he wasn’t immediately going to be tortured and imprisoned. Hua Cheng has basically told him to come to him when he was ready by giving him the dice.

Xie Lian slipped the dice into his sleeve with a smile on his face, and stepped through the array.

-

Once Xie Lian left, Hua Cheng said nothing. He Xuan felt almost naked now that he didn’t have Xie Lian acting as a shield between himself and Hua Cheng’s anger.

Finally, after the most uncomfortable silence of He Xuan’s life, Hua Cheng spoke. His voice sounded wrecked. “You sold him to me? As what, a fucking sex slave?”

He Xuan jerked back in surprise, at the tone as well as the words. “What? NO! I never told Xie Lian why you were looking for him! If that’s what he thought this was, he must have come to that conclusion on his own.”

“And that’s better?”

He Xuan groaned and ran his hands over his face. “Listen, Crimson Rain, it isn’t like that. We didn’t just recently meet. I actually have known him for quite a few weeks.” When Hua Cheng reared back like he had been punched, He Xuan rushed to explain. “He washed up here when he was being followed by the Venerable of Empty Words. He was such a weird guy that I thought he was interesting, so I kept in touch with him. But he gave me a fake name, I never knew he was His Highness. I just thought he was a really unlucky mortal.

“But then you came by and you were talking about him, and I was suspicious by how similar His Highness sounded to the strange mortal I met. I went to talk to him and he told me his real name. He also wasn’t lying before when he said the deal was his idea. I told him you knew him when you were younger and were looking for him now, and he offered to use that to get rid of my debt. But he was so blasé about it, I figured he thought you were just an old friend wanting to reconnect. Not… whatever that was.”

Hua Cheng had continued to stare at him with a blank expression during the story, and it was making He Xuan’s skin crawl. “Say something,” he hissed at Hua Cheng.

“I finally found His Highness again, and his first impression of me is that I’m some pervert who would bargain with his life?” Hua Cheng’s voice was scratchy, and He Xuan was so caught off guard by it he didn’t know what to say. He had never seen Hua Cheng like this. It was weird.

“Yeah, that sucks. I’m not denying that. And I’m not denying that I’m at fault, but I didn't want to explain your whole thing to him. I thought that would freak him out more!” He Xuan paced around a few steps, while Hua Cheng stood still, shoulders slumped. “Listen, Crimson Rain, this is good! You know he is safe. You know where he is now. Don’t give me that look, I saw one of your butterflies hitch a ride on him before he left. And, he considers me a friend. He’ll listen to me. I’ll explain everything!”

“You’ll do nothing!” Hua Cheng exploded, his wraith butterflies shooting out of his vambraces and hovering around his body menacingly. “You’ve done enough damage. Do not speak of me again to His Highness. I’ll fix this myself.” Now Hua Cheng began pacing. “I will give him time. Make sure he is safe and doing well. I will let him start to forget whatever ideas he has about me. I’ve waited 700 years. I’ll wait as long as I have to until he is ready. And I will never, ever, force my presence on him.” He ended his speech with a glare in He Xuan’s direction.

“That’s a good idea,” He Xuan said, trying to lighten the mood. “Besides, he ascended again. He will probably be busy with heaven stuff for a while.”

“You best keep an eye on him in heaven.”

“Of course. That place is so deranged, I’ll make sure he doesn’t step into any shit he shouldn’t.”

“Good. Keep me updated.” Hua Cheng turned around and glanced at He Xuan over his shoulder. “Your debt is cleared and I won’t disperse you, since that is what His Highness wants. But now you have a new debt of 100,000 for trying to bargain with His Highness’ life.” With that, Hua Cheng rolled his dice and left.

He Xuan just laughed.

Chapter Text

A soft, almost imperceptible rustling woke Xie Lian up. He was accustomed to sleeping very lightly, especially when he was outside, so he wasn’t too surprised to be woken. He sat up and leaned against the trunk of the tree he was sleeping under, rubbing a hand under his eyes and yawning.

It was still dark, with shards of moonlight sneaking through the canopy of branches above him. He allowed his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light and perked his ears to distinguish what exactly woke him up. Insects chirped, leaves rustled in the breeze, but he didn’t hear anything beyond that.

He trusted his ears and his instincts, and both were telling him that something had woken him up beyond the normal sounds of the night. Xie Lian idly wondered if Hua Cheng had gotten tired of waiting for him to give up on his own, but quickly dismissed it. It had been months since Hua Cheng had given him the dice and allowed him to leave, and he hadn’t heard anything from him since. 

Sadly, he hadn’t heard anything from He Xuan either. After that day, when he stepped through the array and ended up back in the open field with his destroyed house, he had taken to wandering. He was looking for a good spot to set up a small hut that could double as a shrine, and begin answering prayers again now that he was reinstated as a God. 

During all that time, He Xuan didn’t contact him once, and Xie Lian didn’t go to heaven to see him either. After all the chaos from that day and the deal with Hua Cheng, he figured he’d wait for He Xuan to seek him out first. He didn’t want to unnecessarily bother him. He was debt free now, so he was probably enjoying himself immensely. 

Another soft rustling noise broke him from his thoughts. It was coming from his right. Xie Lian relaxed his posture, spreading out his legs and fully leaning his head against the trunk, posturing himself as a defenseless traveler. He had found that if someone was trying to attack or rob him and they thought him weak, they were easier to take down without hurting them.

Xie Lian closed his eyes and tuned all of his senses to his ears, feeling Ruoye tighten around his midsection in preparation. Footsteps, closer now, sounded through the forest, the soft crunching of leaves unable to be hidden. Xie Lian didn’t move.

When his attackers were within a few feet of him, and by his calculations there were at least four, he heard the sharp slide of swords being drawn from scabbards. He opened his eyes and was met with four swords pointed directly at him. The men holding them were nothing special; dressed in raggety clothes torn in multiple places, faces dirty, bodies skinny. No doubt they were just robbing him.

“Wake up,” one of them said to Xie Lian, though his eyes were already open. 

“Can I help you gentlemen?” Xie Lian tried politeness, the very picture of a clueless traveler. 

The men glanced at each other with smirks. “Yeah, give us all the money you have. A-and your robes.”

Xie Lian took a cursory glance down at his own dirty and torn robes, before looking back up and raising an eyebrow at the men. “Are you sure?”

“Now!” The man standing closest to him yelled, dropping into a tighter stance with his sword. 

“Unfortunately, I have no money. None at all. And these robes are pretty much ruined. Maybe you should just move on from here.” Xie Lian tucked his legs up so his feet were flat on the ground. If diplomacy didn’t work, he’d get this over with quickly and get back to sleep. 

“Strip,” the man barked out the order. His smirk had turned lecherous.

Xie Lian’s eyes narrowed, now worried they were worse than simple robbers. “I won’t do that. Please move on.” He stood slowly, arms raised in a show of submission, but every muscle tensed for a fight.

The men all took a step forward, the man’s sword in the front now almost touching his neck. “I don’t think so, pretty boy. If you wanted to stay safe, you shouldn’t have been sleeping outs-”

The man was speaking for too long and Xie Lian grew tired of listening. He dropped his right hand from where it was raised above his head and, using his pointer and middle finger, redirected the sword in front of him. He did this in the span of less than a second, and before the man could react, his sword had been ripped from his hands and was now embedded in the trunk of a tree a hundred feet away from him. 

He gaped at Xie Lian for a second, before lunging at him with his bare hands. The three other men joined him with their swords. 

Xie Lian sent Ruoye out to immobilize the man without a sword while he dealt with the others. Once Ruoye had fully wrapped around the man, Xie Lian kicked him out of the way and ducked under a sword flying towards his head. Their movements were sloppy, obviously not well trained with weapons. Unfortunately, this made them a bit more dangerous. Not to him, not really, but to each other. As Xie Lian deflected a few swings of their swords, the hilts wobbled in their untrained hands and sent the swords flying towards each other.

So Xie Lian was deflecting their attacks off of himself, and then having to deflect the rebound of that to keep their swords from cutting right into each other. His gaze was flitting around quickly trying to predict where each maneuver would send the swords. In his distraction, one of the men swung their sword towards his arm. He was able to move out of the way, but the sword got caught in a hole in his robes near his elbow and ended up ripping the fabric all the way through.

Xie Lian sighed, mentally adding a needle and thread to the things he needed to save money for. 

Tired of the pathetic attacks of the men, Xie Lian used an open palm strike directly on the flat of the blades coming at him and shattering the swords in the air. Shards fell loosely to the ground, leaving the men to gawk at the empty hilts they held. Xie Lian darted forward, kneeing one man in the stomach, striking another on the upper back, and swiping another's legs from under them. They toppled to the ground, lying amongst the remnants of their swords, groaning.

The man being restrained by Ruoye to his right was still struggling. Xie Lian called Ruoye back, who slithered into his torn sleeve and settled on his bicep. The man didn’t try to attack him, instead staring down at his pile of companions. 

“Grab your men and go. I have lost my patience,” Xie Lian said simply, giving his robes a swift pat down to rid them of the dirt from sleeping on the ground. 

The man ran towards his friends, picking them off the ground and rushing them away from Xie Lian. Xie Lian watched them go, making sure they were out of his sight before sighing once again. 

“Very impressive, gege.”

Xie Lian whipped around, bending his knees slightly and raising his arms in a defensive position. He was surprised that someone had been able to sneak up on him. Even during the fight, his senses were completely tuned into his surroundings.

When he saw Hua Cheng standing there, he relaxed. Hua Cheng was a renowned Ghost King, so it wasn’t too shocking that he was able to approach without Xie Lian noticing. Though Xie Lian was confused as to why he was here. Why now?

“Good evening, Hua Cheng. I-” Before he finished his sentence, Xie Lian noticed something odd in Hua Cheng’s greeting. Had he called him ‘gege’?

“Yes, gege, good evening. What happened here, if I may ask?”

There it was again. 

Xie Lian wanted to ask, but figured maybe it was just a weird power play for the Ghost King. He seemed like quite the eccentric man, so it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary.

Xie Lian took a moment to gaze at him before answering. Hua Cheng was wearing a different form today from when he had seen him last. This form was much the same, still tall with sharp features and intricately adorned red robes; the only difference being that he was no longer wearing an eyepatch. Two rust colored eyes blinked at him, waiting for a response.

“Just some robbers,” Xie Lian answered simply.

Hua Cheng nodded. “I’m sorry they bothered you. But it seems that you had it under control. I’m surprised you called for me.”

“Called for you?” Xie Lian’s eyebrows pinched in confusion.

“Yes. I felt the dice.”

Xie Lian’s eyes widened. He took a look at the torn sleeve of his robes, then down into the grass, where the dice lay amongst the scattered shards of their swords.

Hua Cheng followed his eyes, and his expression turned a bit more guarded. “My deepest apologies, Your Highness. I see that you did not roll them, but they fell out by mistake. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

His overly formal way of speaking had Xie Lian narrowing his eyes. Was the polite demeanor some kind of test? 

“Either way, I see that gege is hurt. I can help with that, if you’d like?”

Xie Lian glanced down at his body, seeing blood spreading through his robes on his upper thigh. Most likely when he had shattered their swords, a shard had ricocheted towards him from the impact and cut his leg without him noticing. “I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt.”

Hua Cheng’s lips turned down, and he took a few cautious steps towards Xie Lian. Xie Lian stayed still. “I won’t even have to touch you, Your Highness.” He held out his arm and a butterfly materialized from his vambrace. It fluttered over to Xie Lian, and its bright, light blue, almost translucent body was so beautiful it brought a smile to Xie Lian’s face. He held out a hand for the butterfly, and it settled in his palm. “That is a wraith butterfly. They can assist me in battles, but are also able to heal wounds.”

Xie Lian looked away from the butterfly towards Hua Cheng, who looked completely serious. Xie Lian didn’t really understand why it mattered that a little cut on his thigh got healed, but he allowed it anyway, letting the butterfly walk along his body towards his leg and settle on top of the cut. After a moment, and an almost unnoticeable tingling sensation, it flew back over to Hua Cheng and disappeared into his vambrace where it had come from. 

Xie Lian used his fingers to test the skin through the slice in his robes, and was surprised to find not even a trace of a cut. Through the blood, his fingers glanced across completely smooth skin. 

“That is very impressive,” Xie Lian commented, meaning it. 

“Thank you, gege.”

Silence. Xie Lian interlocked his fingers and rested them behind his back, waiting for Hua Cheng to make the first move.

After a moment, he did. “Is gege hungry?”

Xie Lian didn’t show any outward reaction, but on the inside, his mind was in turmoil. Every single thing Hua Cheng said seemed to make less sense than the thing before it. He felt as if he was walking a tightrope, desperately trying to figure out the hidden meaning in everything being said. And it was tiring. He had spent a lot of the beginning of his banishment being on edge, wary of everyone and everything around him. It wasn’t how he liked to live. He wanted to stop. So… he’d enjoy Hua Cheng’s company, who he had thought was interesting since the first he heard of him. And when it came time to be a prisoner, he’d deal with it.

“Yes, a bit,” he answered honestly.

Hua Cheng nodded, a bit aggressively, a small smile blooming on his lips. “Excellent! Would you like to join me for a meal?”

“Okay.”

The nod turned more aggressive, in an endearing way. “Alright. I am not sure anything would be open in the mortal realm, but this time of day is perfect for Ghost City. Would gege like to look around Ghost City and eat there?”

“Okay.”

“Excellent!” Hua Cheng said again, before taking out a pair of dice. It reminded Xie Lian of the pair Hua Cheng had given him, and he turned to grab them from where they had dropped to the ground. He slipped them into his sleeve that was still intact, and walked towards Hua Cheng.

“I use these as my teleportation device,” Hua Cheng explained once Xie Lian had approached. “They are spelled to only work for me and for those I choose. I simply roll them and wherever I want to go, is where I end up.”

Xie Lian’s eyebrows raised at the explanation. “That is quite an impressive spell. How long did it take you to figure that out?”

“Not long. It isn’t too impressive, really. The more impressive part is what happens when someone who doesn’t have access to the proper spell tries to use them.” Hua Cheng tossed the dice up and down in his palm.

“What happens to them?” Xie Lian asked, intrigued. Hua Cheng was being pretty casual about one of the most intricate spells Xie Lian had ever come across. Though it made sense. This was a man who had defeated 33 Gods in their own specialties, all in a row, and wiped them out overnight. His power seemed to be endless.

Hua Cheng smirked. “They get teleported to random traps I have set up. I’ll show gege some time, okay?”

Xie Lian smiled. “I look forward to it.” He hoped Hua Cheng was being serious. Maybe he would let him try it out while he was a prisoner. At least it would be a way to pass the time.

Hua Cheng’s smirk morphed into a full blown smile, before he rolled the dice and opened an array in the tree in front of them. “After you, gege.”

Xie Lian nodded, and stepped through.

-

Ghost City was unlike anything he had ever seen before in all of his years. Wild, vibrant, loud, but incredibly put together and beautifully decorated. There were a few big buildings, covered in intricate golden designs with red banners flowing down. The street Hua Cheng took him down was littered with booths selling anything you could ever want, and everything you would never want. At one point they passed a stall selling human eye soup, which, while disgusting, was fascinating to Xie Lian.

Hua Cheng led him down the street, keeping a respectful distance and pointing out the different foods that weren’t safe for human consumption. ‘In case gege is ever here on his own’, he had said. Xie Lian couldn’t tell if that was an explanation that his imprisonment wouldn’t be confined to a cell, but he didn’t want to ask and ruin the mood. 

The streets were packed body to body with ghosts, who all parted for their lord and his guest to walk through. They called to Hua Cheng, complimenting him, asking him to try their food or buy their wares, obviously holding a high opinion of him. They were even more fascinated by Xie Lian, who tried to respond to all of the questions coming his way but after a while got a bit overwhelmed and simply waved and smiled.

Towards the end of the street, they entered a small tavern, with only a few people sitting inside.

“This is one of the main places to get food safe for human consumption. It is a bit far down the road, I know, but Ghost City isn’t too popular with humans so there aren’t a lot of options.”

“That’s okay!” Xie Lian responded, excitedly looking around the tavern. It was built simply; wooden panels making up the square walls with an open front and seating expanding along the patio. “I really enjoyed walking through the city. This is truly an amazing place.”

Hua Cheng chuckled. “No need to lie to me just because I’m the lord here, gege. Besides, the rabble may overhear and get a big head.” He led Xie Lian to a table and pulled the chair out for him.

Xie Lian sat and looked up at Hua Cheng where he was tucking the chair in behind him. His hair brushed the tips of Xie Lian’s cheeks. “But it really is amazing; you’ve built such a cool place. The entire idea of it is perfect! A place for ghosts to congregate where they can be themselves, a place where they won’t be hunted down for doing so.”

Hua Cheng walked around and sat in the chair opposite of Xie Lian, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. “I do appreciate it, and am glad you like it, but I can’t take the credit. I simply moved my residence here and built the Gambler’s Den. From there, the ghosts flocked and began building their own community.”

Xie Lian just smirked at his humble attitude. 

Soon after they sat down, someone came over and bowed low to them. Xie Lian had Hua Cheng order for him, not sure what to get. Hua Cheng spoke to the worker in a low voice for a bit before they left and came back with a few dishes that got laid in front of Xie Lian. And then came back with more. And then more.

“Hua Cheng, I can’t eat all of this!” Xie Lian gestured to the tens of dishes laid out on the table. “Besides, I don’t have any money!”

Hua Cheng just smiled at him, chin still resting in his palm. “I wasn’t sure what gege liked, so I just got a variety of things. Please, eat whatever you’d like and don’t worry about the money.”

Xie Lian’s lips turned down in a small pout. But he didn’t argue further, the aroma of the cooked meats and vegetables filling his nose and causing his stomach to growl. “Thank you,” he said quietly, before digging in. The food tasted as amazing as it smelled, and soon, he had tried almost everything on the table and was completely full.

He leaned back on the chair and laced his hands over his stomach. Hua Cheng had picked up a pair of chopsticks and was playing with a piece of meat on his plate, but not eating it. “How was it?” He asked Xie Lian, who huffed out a laugh.

“It was some of the best food I’ve ever had, honestly.”

“Good.” Hua Cheng placed his chopsticks flat on the table and leaned back in his chair, a mimicry of Xie Lian.

Xie Lian had been able to explore an amazing city, had great conversations with Hua Cheng, and now had eaten a delicious meal and was completely full for the first time in a long time. He figured it was probably time to stop ignoring the real reason he had been brought here.

“So, Hua Cheng,” Xie Lian started.

“Please, gege can call this one San Lang, as I was third in my family. Hua Cheng is too formal.”

Xie Lian was a bit surprised. It was one thing to be calling him gege, but to want to be called a nickname by his prisoner? 

“Okay, San Lang,” Xie Lian amended, not thinking too hard on it. “I want to ask where I’ll be held.”

“Where you’ll be held?” Hua Cheng repeated, eyebrows pinching.

“Yes, while I am prisoner here. I know you rejected the deal, but once you have decided it is time to get your revenge, I was curious where I would be held."

“Revenge?” Hua Cheng spluttered out, eyes wide. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and looking intensely at Xie Lian. “Your Highness, what exactly did you think the deal for He Xuan’s debt would entail?”

“Well… He Xuan said you knew me when you were younger. I thought the deal was that in exchange for resolving He Xuan’s debt, I would become your prisoner so you could get your revenge. But some of the comments you have made tonight have made it seem like maybe I wouldn’t be confined to just one place.”

Hua Cheng’s eyes were still wide, and his hands were shaking where they rested palm down on the table. “Why would I want to get revenge on you?” His voice was quiet and rough.

Now Xie Lian was confused. “Do you not?”

“No. Never.”

“Then why were you looking for me? Why would you trade billions in debt for me?”

Hua Cheng hung his head down, his hair flowing over his shoulders and skating across the table. He didn’t speak for a few moments.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Xie Lian tried.

Hua Cheng shot his head up and wore a desperate look in his eyes. “You didn’t offend me, Your Highness, please don’t think that. I’m just… I knew there had been some kind of miscommunication. I knew you thought poorly of me, so I didn’t want to bother you unless you called for me. That’s why I haven’t tried explaining yet. I would never want to impose on you.” Hua Cheng stood up, not approaching Xie Lian, but pacing back and forth on his side of the table. “I was from Xianle.” He finally said.

Xie Lian froze where he was sitting, speechless.

“I was from Xianle,” Hua Cheng repeated, “and I was just a grungy, stupid child. Worthless. But you… were so kind, even to a wretch like me. I looked up to you greatly, as a leader and soon after, as a God. I watched you do everything you could to protect your city; I watched you tear yourself apart for the ungrateful people there. Your kindness, your passion and love, were always an inspiration to me. But I lost track of you shortly after Xianle fell. I was never looking for you out of revenge. I just wanted to find you to make sure you were safe and happy, nothing more. I promise.”

Xie Lian was sure he looked like a gaping fish, mouth opening and closing dumbly, but he couldn’t get himself to do anything else. He was in shock at the explanation. In shock at how wrong he was. The entire time, he had thought the worst of Hua Cheng, when he was just wanting to make sure he was safe. When he may have been the only person in the entire world who cared if he was safe.

“Are you… my believer?” Xie Lian finally ground out, voice rough. 

Hua Cheng sat back down, resting his hands on the table. “Always and forever, I am your most devoted believer.”

“I’m such a moron,” Xie Lian whispered, leaning forward onto the table and dropping his face into his hands.

“No, gege!” Hua Cheng reached forward, hesitating for a second, before lightly grabbing Xie Lian’s wrists and pulling them back, exposing his face. Xie Lian looked up at him through his eyelashes. “You aren’t. Are you kidding me? You heard a notorious Ghost King was looking for you and made the safe assumption that it wasn’t for anything good. I’d much rather you do that, and keep yourself safe, than blindly believe in someone and get hurt.”

Xie Lian turned his hands over in Hua Cheng’s grasp and rested their palms on top of one another, needing the grounding connection. “I’m so sorry I thought so poorly of you.”

Hua Cheng’s hands twitched in his, and he smiled. “If anything, it’s that idiot Black Water’s fault. He explained nothing, like an idiot, and made you go along with it.”

Xie Lian laughed wetly, blinking hard against the unwelcome tears that had pooled in his eyes. “It isn’t He Xuan’s fault, I offered to help him out. I probably should have asked more questions.”

“Probably.” Hua Cheng smirked to let him know he was teasing, but soon after his face grew serious. “Your Highness, I would never tell you what to do. But I would be remiss if I didn’t caution you against such deals in the future. What if I had wanted to imprison you?”

Xie Lian shrugged, thumb idly moving along the outside of Hua Cheng’s hand. “I would have dealt with it. He Xuan was very kind to me, and I wanted to repay him.”

Hua Cheng gently pulled his hands out from under Xie Lian’s after giving them a light squeeze, and placed them in his lap. Xie Lian missed the contact immediately. “I am glad he wasn’t a total asshole. He has been fully rewarded for that already, with the clearing of his debt.” Hua Cheng hesitated for a moment, before glancing away from Xie Lian and out the window. “So, you two are friends, huh?”

“Yes, I think so. I washed up on his beach a while back and made friends with his bone dragon. I also might have knocked him out when he snuck up on me, and I guess for those reasons he found me interesting. He’s a weird guy.” Xie Lian thought for a moment. He really did consider He Xuan a friend, and was a little startled when he so readily gave him away to be a prisoner. It all made a lot more sense now.

“He finds you interesting,” Hua Cheng repeated, voice tight. “Have you spoken to him recently?”

“No, not for a while.” Xie Lian frowned. “Have you spoken with him? Is he alright?”

“He’s fine,” Hua Cheng answered simply, scowling. Though he quickly wiped the expression off of his face and turned back to Xie Lian with a bright smile. “Enough about him though. We have finally cleared all that up, so let’s just enjoy this time together.”

Xie Lian smiled. “Okay.”

-

Xie Lian huffed as yet another plank of wood broke in his hands as he was trying to nail it down. He had left Ghost City a few weeks ago, and had been wearing a smile ever since. He and Hua Cheng had ended up walking around Ghost City more after their meal, and Hua Cheng explained to him about the rules and activities of the city. It was fascinating, and Xie Lian couldn’t seem to pull himself away.

Hua Cheng also readily listened whenever Xie Lian talked about something, and having someone so interested in him and someone so fun to talk with had been something Xie Lian would cherish for a while to come. 

In the time after his visit to Ghost City, where a bunch of misunderstandings had been resolved, he felt lighter on his feet. He Xuan had contacted him a few days after, calling him up to heaven, where he had spent the day with him and Shi Qingxuan. Shi Qingxuan had been wearing a male form this time, and explained to him that it depended on his mood. Afterwards, the three of them had taken to hanging out together quite frequently and forged a very good friendship. He Xuan was as standoffish as always, but Xie Lian could tell he didn’t mind the company. Overall, he had had a lovely few weeks. 

During that time, he even assisted Shi Qingxuan on a mission when a God released a distress signal in Hua Cheng’s territory. Given that the God was apparently the real Earth Master, Xie Lian had distracted Shi Qingquan in Ghost City while He Xuan went in and took care of his business. Once He Xuan gave him the all clear, they went in and ‘saved’ him. That was also when Shi Qingxuan discovered that he and Hua Cheng were friends, as instead of infiltrating his Manor, they were greeted at the front door and led directly to the prisons. 

It was less of a mission and more of a fun day out with Shi Qingxuan. And he greatly enjoyed seeing Hua Cheng again. They didn’t get to talk much, with Shi Qingxuan worried about ‘Ming Yi’ and He Xuan putting his all into his act, but it was pleasant nevertheless. 

Though now, his eyebrows pinched as he struggled to patch the holes in the roof of the dilapidated little building he had found on the edge of a small farming town. The townspeople had told him the building had been abandoned for a while, and were excited when he mentioned fixing it up to make a shrine. Realistically, he may have bit off more than he could chew. 

He jumped down off the roof and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his rolled up sleeve. He was standing there, staring at the shaking foundation, when his thoughts once more turned to Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng had talked in depth about the construction of his residence, of the Gambler’s Den, and how he enjoyed that kind of work. 

So, missing his new friend and needing the help, he took the dice out of his sleeve and rolled them on the ground. When they turned up as snake eyes, Xie Lian was unsurprised but still disappointed. Whenever Hua Cheng rolled then, they always turned up as two sixes, so Xie Lian worried snake eyes wouldn’t work to call to Hua Cheng.

Though he was quickly proven wrong. “Gege! Was it an accident this time?” Xie Lian turned around to see Hua Cheng walking up the path to the front of the soon-to-be-shrine, giving him a bright smile.

“Hi San Lang.” Xie Lian returned his smile and walked to meet him in the yard. Hua Cheng was in the same one eyed form as the first time they had met in He Xuan’s manor, though he now wore robes of a much darker crimson red. His boots had that same tinkling noise as the silver jewelry bounced together on each step. “It wasn’t an accident. I wanted to see you. And maybe ask for your help.”

Now Hua Cheng was positively beaming, stopping in front of him. “I would be honored to be of help to gege.”

Xie Lian gestured to the old building behind him. “I was trying to fix up this place to live in and act as a shrine. I remembered all you told me of your work on the buildings in Ghost City, and I thought you could give me some advice.”

“Of course gege, let’s get to work.” Hua Cheng stripped off his outer robes, revealing black inner robes that hugged his broad shoulders and made the sharp features of his face look even more handsome. 

Xie Lian blinked heavily before turning around and coughing into his fist. “Yes, yes, of course.” He walked towards the building and realized he was being awfully rude, so he turned back around to apologize and bumped directly into Hua Cheng’s chest. His forehead bounced off the hard bone between Hua Cheng’s pecks. 

It startled him so badly he went to take a step back without thinking and ended up getting his own legs tangled around each other. But before he could even start to fall, Hua Cheng had his arms wrapped around his waist and held him upright.

“Sorry about that, gege. I wasn’t expecting you to turn around,” Hua Cheng said into the space next to Xie Lian’s ear, his low voice sending shivers throughout this body. Once Hua Cheng had righted him, he stepped away and flashed Xie Lian a smile.

Xie Lian could tell his face was beat red. “No, don’t apologize, it isn’t your fault. Nope, not at all.”

Hua Cheng’s smile turned indulgent. “Was there something you wanted to say?”

“Oh. Oh, right. I just wanted to thank you. For coming. For helping me. I appreciate it.”

“Always,” Hua Cheng said simply before releasing him and leaning over, grabbing a stack of wood, and climbing up the ladder Xie Lian had propped against the side of the shack.  

Xie Lian shook his head to get his thoughts in order, before following Hua Cheng up. 

Hua Cheng laid the planks out and grabbed the hammer and nails Xie Lian left up there. “I see what the problem might have been.” Hua Cheng gestured towards the wood surrounding the holes Xie Lian was trying to patch. “The wood already here is too weak to support anything additional. We are going to have to test all of the wood remaining, make sure it is stable, and break off anything that isn’t.”

Xie Lian fingered a flaking piece of wood and nodded in agreement. “I figured. I’m just having trouble figuring out which pieces need to go and which can stay. I’d rather not tear the whole thing down if I don’t have to.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Hua Cheng gave a smile that was so endearing Xie Lian couldn’t help returning it. 

They worked for hours, all the way until the sun went down, but it felt like minutes. Hua Cheng started by showing him how to see which planks needed to be removed, and once he got the hang of it, they chatted idly. Hua Cheng told him the story of a ghost trying to gamble by betting his pet turtle. It had made Xie Lian laugh so hard, Hua Cheng had to grab him before he toppled right off the roof. Then Hua Cheng had listened and laughed while Xie Lian explained he once fought off thirty travelers to keep them from running their horses over a family of turtles trying to cross the path they were on.

Xie Lian had accumulated all of these humorous stories during his travels, and it felt so nice to be able to share them with another person.

They only stopped working when a growl from Xie Lian’s stomach interrupted them. They both headed down the roof and into the inside of the shack, which was bare save for a small kitchen area that had survived unscathed, though a bit worse for wear, during its time of abandonment. 

“Did you want anything? Do ghosts even eat?’ Xie Lian asked as he threw a few loose vegetables into the stew that the farmers had given him.

“I would love to try gege’s cooking,” Hua Cheng spoke from where he sat against the wall at the other end of the space. Xie Lian hadn’t had time to fix up a table yet. That would be his next project. “Ghosts don’t have to eat, but it can be enjoyable.”

“I’m not sure my cooking would be enjoyable,” Xie Lian admitted.

“Nonsense, I can’t wait to try.” Hua Cheng radiated confidence, and it made Xie Lian’s mouth curl in a private smile.

Once he had finished, he brought the soup over in two small bowls he had found while scrap collecting and handed one to Hua Cheng. Xie Lian waited not so patiently as Hua Cheng took his first sip from the bowl. 

“Very good gege! Maybe next time, a little less salt, but overall it is quite delicious.”

Xie Lian beamed at him. “Really?” Hua Cheng responded by finishing his bowl and grabbing seconds, making Xie Lian laugh.

Xie Lian had a second bowl with him, enjoying the warmth and the laughter. Once they had finished and Xie Lian was cleaning up, he got a message in the communication array from Shi Qingxuan.

Hey, Xie Lian…

Xie Lian smiled and responded. Hey Shi Qingxuan! How are you?

There was a pause, before Shi Qingxuan spoke once more. 

I need some help.

Chapter Text

What’s wrong? Are you okay? Xie Lian answered in the communication array, frowning and putting down the bowl he was washing. Not even a second later, he felt a calming presence at his side.

Hua Cheng leaned down a bit so he could look Xie Lian in the eyes, his own eyebrows pinched with worry as he analyzed the expression on Xie Lian’s face. “Gege…” He whispered, his hand floating around Xie Lian’s midsection but not touching him.

Xie Lian reached out and lightly grabbed Hua Cheng’s hand, threading their fingers together and giving silent permission for him to listen in on his conversation with Shi Qingxuan. Hua Cheng’s hand was cool and dry against his own warm palm. 

Instead of just using the connection of their hands to join the communication array, Hua Cheng took a step towards him and leaned down further until their foreheads were touching. Xie Lian couldn’t help the surprised puff of air that left his mouth at the action. Their faces were inches apart, close enough that Xie Lian was able to take in every detail of the man’s face. 

His eyepatch was a dark matte black, accentuating the pale sharp lines of his cheekbones and jaw. He had a small white scar peeking out from under the eyepatch, a hidden detail to what may lay beneath. His lips were a soft pink, thin and parted around something he was saying.

“...ege. Gege. Your friend is talking to you.” Xie Lian snapped out of the weird daze he had fallen into at Hua Cheng’s low voice. Their faces were so close Xie Lian could feel the sweet puffs of air as Hua Cheng spoke against his own lips. 

A hot blush flushed Xie Lian’s face that he could feel dipping down his neck and over his chest. His heart was racing in his chest and it took all of his willpower to not push away from Hua Cheng in shock at his own reaction to their proximity. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Xie Lian whispered, closing his eyes against the distraction that was Hua Cheng and listening to what Shi Qingxuan was saying.

I’m just a little scared. I mean, this happened when I was younger, but I thought it was over now.

Sorry Shi Qingxuan, could you repeat what’s wrong? 

The Venerable of Empty Words, Xie Lian. It haunted me when I was young, but when I ascended, it went away. It’s back now. I’m scared.

The Venerable of Empty Words had attached itself to Shi Qingxuan? How on earth had that happened? Xie Lian frowned once more, unconsciously leaning his body further into Hua Cheng’s as he pondered Shi Qingxuan’s predicament.

Why don’t you come to my shrine and we can discuss this further? Would that be okay? Xie Lian asked Shi Qingxuan.

Okay. Just tell me where it is and we will be down soon.

Xie Lian did just that, before closing the array and taking a step back from Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng moved a bit slower, leaning back to stand at his full height and languidly opening up his eye to look at Xie Lian. The action had Xie Lian’s heart doing that weird thing again, so he turned away and began washing the bowl once more. 

“We? Do you think she is with He Xuan?” Xie Lian mused, scrubbing a stray piece of mushy vegetable off the bowl before setting it aside to dry. 

Hua Cheng leaned his back against the stove next to Xie Lian and crossed his arms over his chest. “Most likely. Gege, can I ask you a question?”

Xie Lian wiped his hands on a small towel he had found while scrap collecting and faced Hua Cheng, leaning his hip against the counter. “Of course.”

Hua Cheng idly played with the bead tying the end of his braid together, flicking it out and catching it as it swung back, then doing it again. “How much do you know about He Xuan’s business in heaven?”

“Just that he has business in heaven. He never explained further and I never asked. Why?”

“Hm,” Hua Cheng mused, frowning. “His business is… messy. It may be best if gege stays out of it.”

Xie Lian tilted his head. “So this has to do with He Xuan’s business? Shi Qingxuan is involved?”

Hua Cheng didn’t answer, not verbally, but the look he gave him was answer enough. Xie Lian frowned. “He Xuan is my friend, and I don’t want to get in his way with whatever he has planned. But Shi Qingxuan is also my friend. If she’s involved, it will be a problem.”

“I understand, gege. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” Hua Cheng’s serious expression morphed into a smile. “No matter what you decide, if you want me there, I’ll support you.”

It was such a simple thing to say. Something friends probably said to each other all the time. But the casual interest in his opinion, in his safety, the easy offering of support, caused Xie Lian’s heart to squeeze in his chest. He got the ridiculous urge to lean forward and wrap Hua Cheng in a hug, to thank him for being so lovely.

It was silly. He and Hua Cheng were just beginning their friendship, and before that, Xie Lian thought Hua Cheng held a deep hatred for him. But the way Hua Cheng had so easily molded himself into Xie Lian’s life and their quick connection made Xie Lian feel like they had known each other for much longer than they actually had.

“Thank you,” Xie Lian responded simply, not knowing what else to say. His voice came out scratchy. 

Hua Cheng seemed to read something on his face, and an indulgent smile crept up his lips. It was quickly replaced by an annoyed glare at the door just a second before a knock sounded. It was a little silly to knock, seeing how more than half of the wood was rotted away and Xie Lian could clearly see Shi Qingxuan, in his male form, peeking through the cracks.

Xie Lian pushed away from the counter and slid open the door, surprised when not only Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan in his Earth Master disguise walked through, but also two officials he had never seen before.

“Thank you for having us,” Shi Qingxuan said with a smile, but it was strained. 

He Xuan stopped in the middle of the shrine, took a look around, and scoffed. “This place is pathetic.”

“Careful,” Hua Cheng said lowly from where he still leaned against the stove, picking at his nails and not sparing He Xuan a glance to go along with the threat. 

“I know it’s a bit run down. I’m working on it.” Xie Lian gave a small laugh, before glancing towards the two officials who looked greatly familiar. “Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met before. May I ask what you’re doing here?”

The official with light brown hair pulled back from his face in a tight updo scowled. “We were out on a mission and when we got back, our generals told us you had ascended. Again. When the Wind Master said he was coming down we thought we would take a look at how you’re faring. Not well, apparently. This is a dump.”

Hua Cheng stood up straight. “How great you’re here then! You can get it nice and clean while the adults talk.” He pulled a broom from who knew where, since Xie Lian certainly didn’t have one, and tossed it at the official. 

The official caught it, realized what it was, and his face immediately grew dark red with rage. He snapped it in half against his leg and pointed one of the ends at Hua Cheng. “And who the hell are y- wait, what the fuck?”

The other official Xie Lian didn’t recognize, whose hair was darker and pulled half up away from his face, followed the other’s line of sight to Hua Cheng and his jaw dropped open. “Crimson Rain Sought Flower? What the fuck?” He rushed over to where Xie Lian stood and shielded him with his body from Hua Cheng. He spoke to Xie Lian over his shoulder without taking his eyes off of his target. “Your Highness, this is Hua Cheng, Crimson Rain Sought Flower! He is a feared Ghost King who hates the Gods! You need to get the hell away from him!”

Xie Lian glanced between the two officials, holding back his laughter as he realized who exactly had come to see him. He wasn’t too sure why they were trying to don disguises yet acting the exact same as they always have, but he figured he’d respect their wish for anonymity. 

Xie Lian placed his hand on Feng Xin’s shoulder and lightly pushed him to the side, walking over to Hua Cheng and smiling up at him. Hua Cheng paused in his mocking of Mu Qing to return his smile. “I know who he is. He’s helping me fix this place up. And given all of your… um… observations, I obviously need the help.”

“Gege doesn’t need any help, I’m sure he would be just fine on his own. But two is better than one.”

“Gege!?” Feng Xin and Mu Qing said at the same time, disgust and disbelief heavy in their voices. 

“You certainly keep interesting company, Xie Lian,” Shi Qingxuan remarked with a laugh. He had taken out his fan and was anxiously waving it around as he spoke. 

“Anyways, enough about that. May I get your names, since you seem to already know mine?” Xie Lian changed the topic, directing his question to Mu Qing and Feng Xin. He figured if he just started calling them by their real names, they may be a bit embarrassed to have been found out so quickly. 

Mu Qing was still distracted, gaping and holding the end of the broom threateningly in Hua Cheng’s direction, so Feng Xin spoke. “This one is Nan Feng. I am a subordinate of the General Feng Xin. That is Fu Yao, a subordinate of Mu Qing.”

“Don’t speak for me,” Mu Qing hissed, not looking away from Hua Cheng. Xie Lian resisted the urge to roll his eyes at their antics and terrible aliases, before moving to stand in front of the end of the broom to block it from Hua Cheng.

“If you are going to threaten my friend in my own shrine, you are welcome to leave. Please put down the broom and calm down. Or go.” It wasn’t that Xie Lian wasn’t happy to see his old friends, no matter how bad their last interactions had been, but he wouldn’t allow them to be rude to Hua Cheng in front of him. 

“Please don’t put the broom down. I really want you to go,” Hua Cheng said cheekily, before moving out from behind Xie Lian and standing next to him. He leaned the upper half of his body partially in front of Xie Lian, forming a menacingly protective stance.

Mu Qing, still gaping at them both, muttered out a curse and tossed the end of the broom to the side of the shrine. Xie Lian heard Hua Cheng sigh, before he turned his head and spoke quietly into Xie Lian’s hair. “I know he put it down, but can you kick him out anyways? He’s annoying.”

Xie Lian hid a laugh in his hand. “San Lang, let’s give him one more chance, hm?”

“San Lang!?” Now Mu Qing, Feng Xin, and He Xuan spoke at the same time, obviously overhearing them. Shi Qingxuan just giggled uncontrollably to himself but didn’t say anything.

Xie Lian felt himself blushing again, so he quickly shook his head and tried to refocus the conversation. “Alright, enough. We are here for a reason. Shi Qingxuan, let’s chat about the problem, okay?”

They all moved to sit on the floor in a circle facing each other. Mu Qing and Feng Xin sat as far away from each other and everyone else as they could. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian sat cross legged side by side, knees touching. He Xuan sat crouched over his own knees, heavily leaning away from Shi Qingxuan who wouldn’t release the death grip he had on his arm.

“When I was young, I was haunted by the Venerable of Empty Words. It got really bad, and it was a scary time. But I ran into some luck a few years after it started, ascended, and never heard from the Venerable again. But now it’s back. I just heard it a few hours ago, threatening me, saying I’ll never see my brother again.”

As Shi Qingxuan explained, Xie Lian kept his gaze trained on He Xuan. He Xuan wouldn’t look at him, keeping his gaze down and feigning disinterest. Given what Hua Cheng had revealed to him earlier, and what He Xuan told him about having dealt with the Venerable before, he knew He Xuan was neck deep in this mess. He just hadn’t figured out how or why.

“Why don’t you tell your brother and have him deal with it? Didn’t he help you out when you were a kid?” Feng Xin asked.

“I can’t tell him.” Shi Qingxuan frowned, still waving around his fan in the hand not gripping He Xuan. “It worried him so much when we were kids, I don’t want to worry again. Besides, I have you guys now! Ming Yi wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I know you have my back Xie Lian. And now we have a feared Ghost King to help!”

“No,” Hua Cheng replied, absentmindedly fiddling with a strand of Xie Lian’s hair that had fallen over his shoulder and into Hua Cheng’s lap. “I’m just here to spend time with gege. You guys can all die.”

“What the fuck!” Mu Qing exclaimed, standing and pointing an accusatory finger as Hua Cheng. “Then you should leave if you aren’t here to help!”

“Hey,” Xie Lian admonished him, frowning. “San Lang is a guest here, please don’t speak to him like that.”

“So are we!”

“I didn’t invite you?”

“He told us to all die!” Mu Qing accused.

“I didn’t tell you to. It was merely a suggestion.” Hua Cheng finally glanced up, but only to cut a nasty glare at Mu Qing. It seemed to work, and Mu Qing was cowed, sitting back down but still looking furious.

“Fu Yao does have a point. Please be nice, San Lang.”

“Okay gege,” Hua Cheng agreed readily, though his grin told Xie Lian it might not be sincere. It made him laugh.

“This is disgusting,” He Xuan muttered, raising his eyes to grimace at Hua Cheng and Xie Lian.

Hua Cheng raised his eyebrows at He Xuan, pointedly staring at where he was allowing his arm to be gripped by Shi Qingxuan. “Sorry, did you have something you wanted to say?”

“Whatever,” He Xuan dismissed, but didn’t move from his position.

Shi Qingxuan shook his head and looked at Xie Lian. “You mentioned during our last meeting that you have dealt with a Venerable before. What should I do?”

Xie Lian let out a strained laugh, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. “Yes, I have, but I’m not sure my methods would work very well.”

“What methods?” Hua Cheng asked, looking down at Xie Lian.

Xie Lian’s laugh turned louder and more awkward. It really was quite an embarrassing story, one he did not want to subject his new friends to hearing. But he knew he had to help Shi Qingxuan. “Well, my luck is already bad. So when it followed me, none of its premonitions evoked any kind of reaction. If anything, some of them were very helpful! Once it told me that I would end up eating poisonous berries, and when I did, I gained immunity to that kind of poison!” When Xie Lian’s story didn’t necessarily garner the reaction he was looking for, the people in the circle looking at him with worry instead of humor, he grew more embarrassed. 

“Anyway, that is one way to defeat it. I never showed any reaction; no fear or sadness, and it starved. The other way to deal with it is to cut it off before it can speak, but that isn’t a permanent solution.”

“I can’t just not let it bother me! It terrorized me when I was younger, so its very presence evokes a reaction from me!” Shi Qingxuan wailed, releasing He Xuan and dropping his head into his hands.

“Is it around right now?” Mu Qing asked, looking at the space near Shi Qingxuan’s head as if the Venerable would appear out of thin air. 

“No… I haven’t heard from it for a few days. But I need to be ready to deal with it when it does show itself again.” Shi Qingxuan lifted his head, tears running down his cheeks.

“We could go somewhere nice, like a fancy restaurant. Doesn’t it like to show itself during good times or big events? We could flush it out that way and take it down,” Feng Xin suggested.

“That could work.” Shi Qingxuan snapped his fingers as he spoke. “We could go to that really nice restaurant right outside of the city. It’s super opulent, but surrounded by woods on either side. Perfect to draw out the Venerable.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Xie Lian interjected. He saw He Xuan twitch where he sat, but otherwise didn’t react. “I don’t think we should leave. What if the Venerable has already infiltrated the group? Either way, I just got rid of a Venerable with the help of a friend. We should stay here and stick together for now.”

Xie Lian had been suspicious of He Xuan’s friendship with Shi Qingxuan since he first saw them together. They were nothing alike, and though He Xuan seemed to at least tolerate Shi Qingxuan now, he would have never become friends with him in the first place if he didn’t have an ulterior motive. At this point, he was almost positive Shi Qingxuan was a part of He Xuan’s business, and it wasn’t sitting well with him. 

When Xie Lian was finished speaking, He Xuan finally looked up and leveled him with a dark glare. Xie Lian was about to say something more when Hua Cheng leaned closer to him, possessively pressing his body against Xie Lian’s side and narrowing his eyes at He Xuan. He Xuan looked away, huffing. 

Before Hua Cheng leaned away, he whispered into Xie Lian’s ear, “Sorry about that gege. He Xuan is acting like the untrained mutt he is.”

Xie Lian lightly smacked Hua Cheng’s knee in mock consternation, smiling nonetheless. Hua Cheng really was too cheeky. 

“You really think it might have infiltrated us?” Shi Qingxuan asked, eyes darting around at everyone in the group. The candles that Xie Lian had lit before his meal with Hua Cheng flickered over his face, causing his distress to seem amplified with the shadows.

“I’m not sure, and that’s the problem. If this is a stronger Venerable of Empty Words, it’s certainly possible. I think we should cover your ears so you can’t hear anything it says. That may annoy it enough to show itself and we can catch it that way.”

What the fuck are you doing, Xie Lian. He Xuan’s voice in Xie Lian’s communication array startled him, and he flinched. Hua Cheng seemed to feel him and gave him a curious look, before understanding dawned on his face. He placed his hand on his knee, palm facing up, a question.

Xie Lian nodded, and placed his palm on top of Hua Cheng’s, threading their fingers together. Hua Cheng joined into their array.

I’m helping my friend the best I can. Xie Lian responded to He Xuan vaguely. Hua Cheng tilted his head as he listened in. 

You said you didn’t care. That it wasn’t your business.

It wasn’t, until it started to involve Shi Qingxuan. He’s my friend, and he came to me for help. So now your business is my business. 

It didn’t just start to involve him. It always has, you just didn’t know.

Xie Lian frowned. And now you brought it to my doorstep. What do you expect me to do?

“Why the fuck are you guys holding hands?” Mu Qing blurted out, looking pointedly at Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s threaded fingers resting on Hua Cheng’s thigh.

“Wait, are you guys together? Like, dating?” Shi Qingxuan chimed in. Tears were still running down his face, but now his fear was replaced with excitement. “How fun! The feared Ghost King and the God of Misfortune!”

“Speak poorly of His Highness one more time, Wind Master,” Hua Cheng’s voice was deceptively calm, but each word dripped with venom, “and I promise the Venerable of Empty Words will be the least of your worries.”

“No no no no nonono!” Shi Qingxuan waved his fan around rapidly. “I didn’t mean it as an insult! I really didn’t! Xie Lian is my friend, I didn’t mean it!”

“It’s fine, really,” Xie Lian placated Shi Qingxuan, unconsciously tightening his hand around Hua Cheng’s. Hua Cheng was very… intense. But to have someone use that kind of intensity to defend him felt like nothing he had ever felt before. It was then he processed what was being said. “Wait, no, San Lang and I, no, we aren’t, hahahaha.” He felt his face heat.

Hua Cheng didn’t say anything to help Xie Lian out, keeping his gaze trained threateningly on Shi Qingxuan. Though when Xie Lian turned to him for help, he saw Hua Cheng smirking at his rambling. 

Xie Lian took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts, releasing Hua Cheng’s hand. “No, we aren’t together. That was just…” He trailed off, having no idea how to explain what they were doing without completely giving away that they were talking secretly in the array.

“Like gege said, he’d had issues with the Venerable of Empty Words too. I was just offering a bit of comfort,” Hua Cheng finally helped him out.

Feng Xin’s eyebrows drew down. “But the way he described his time with the Venerable sounded enjoyable. Why would he need comfort?”

“Well, you certainly wouldn’t know, would you?” Hua Cheng jabbed. Feng Xin jerked back as if he had been hit, before sputtering out excuses.

Xie Lian dropped his head into his hands, overwhelmed with the weird turn in the conversation. Hua Cheng seemed to be a bit icy towards most people, but he seemed especially cruel towards Mu Qing and Feng Xin from what Xie Lian had seen so far. If he had been from Xianle, Xie Lian wondered if he had any history with them as well.

“Okay, enough,” Xie Lian interrupted Feng Xin as he continued to argue with Hua Cheng, who wasn’t even responding and had gone back to playing with Xie Lian’s hair. “Fu Yao, Nan Feng, please get the Wind Master’s ears blocked with something so he won’t be able to hear the Venerable. Ming Yi, may I speak to you outside in private?”

“What, why Ming Yi? What do you need to talk to him about?” Mu Qing asked, frowning and crossing his arms.

Xie Lian pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. “Please, just do it?” He stood up and headed towards the door. Without having to be asked, Hua Cheng followed close behind him.

Once they were a good distance away from the shrine, He Xuan slipped out of the door and headed to where they were standing. 

“You need to stay out of it,” He Xuan said without any preamble when he reached them. Hua Cheng leaned against the tree they were standing under, arms crossed over his chest.

“He Xuan, you need to understand, I met Shi Qingxuan through you. I hung out with you guys and became friends with him. And now he contacted me for help, and came to my shrine. It’s presumptuous of you to assume I’ll just stay out of the way.”

He Xuan frowned, but couldn’t seem to argue against Xie Lian’s logic. “I understand. But you say you are my friend, too. You need to decide where your allegiance lies.”

Xie Lian narrowed his eyes. “No, I don’t. There isn’t anything to decide. It lies with my friends.”

“Then stay out of it!”

Hua Cheng let out a low growl, the sound sending shivers down Xie Lian’s spine, and not out of fear. “Watch how you speak to him, fish brains. He alleviated you of a debt of 20 billion all because you gave him a ride and a hot meal. He did it even while thinking he would be my prisoner as a result. You are well aware of his kindness and loyalty; don’t act like you aren’t.”

Xie Lian was startled at Hua Cheng’s fierce support. He shouldn’t be, given how Hua Cheng had consistently been a pillar of support for him since they’d gotten to know each other, but it was still a bit of a shock every time. 

“I won’t hold the alleviation of your debt over your head, He Xuan, don’t worry. But San Lang is right. I’ve been clear in my support for you. And I stand by the fact that this is your business, and I don’t want to get in the way of that. I trust you and I trust that whatever you’re doing has its purpose. But if Shi Qingxuan is in danger, that is a problem.”

He Xuan signed, before glancing at Hua Cheng with raised eyebrows. “Should I tell him? Do you want him involved?”

Hua Cheng barked out a cold laugh. “Are you fucking kidding? Don’t piss me off. You got him involved the moment you gallivanted around with him for weeks without telling me. Do what he wants or your debt goes up effective immediately.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you- wait, goes up?” Xie Lian paused, letting what Hua Cheng said sink in. “Don’t you mean you’ll add new debt?”

Hua Cheng stopped glaring at He Xuan to glance over at him with a confused expression, before it morphed into understanding and he looked away again. He looked like a guilty puppy whose owners just found out it peed in the house.

“San Lang… Explain please.”

“Yeah ‘San Lang’, explain to him,” He Xuan butted in, gaining confidence now that the tables turned away from him. Though right as he said it, both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng whipped their heads back to look at him.

“Don’t ever fucking call me that. You just gave me chills.” Hua Cheng shook his head in disgust. Though Xie Lian couldn’t help the private smile that played over his lips at the confirmation that he was at least one of very few who was allowed to call Hua Cheng by such a nickname. It was nice. It made him feel special.

“San Lang.” Xie Lian caught Hua Cheng’s attention once again. “Did you not actually get rid of He Xuan’s debt?” If he didn’t, it wasn’t like Xie Lian could do anything. Hua Cheng was obviously a smart man who knew how to handle his financial affairs, but it would be a bit hurtful that he was lied to.

“I did get rid of it,” Hua Cheng reassured Xie Lian, but still looked guilty. Xie Lian said nothing, waiting for him to explain. “I added a new debt of 100,000 afterwards though.”

“What, why?” Xie Lian asked, looking between the two ghosts.

He Xuan spoke when Hua Cheng just stood there staring at Xie Lian with wide eyes. “My debt to him accrues anyway. He takes care of the feeding and habitat of some of my fish. I also get a lot of my meals from him.”

“Oh, okay.” Now Xie Lian felt bad again. A frown pulled at his lips. There he went, once more jumping to conclusions about Hua Cheng’s actions before hearing an explanation. He needed to stop that. Hua Cheng had given him absolutely no reason to think he would do such a thing.

“That’s partially true. I did get rid of his debt, and it does accrue, but the 100,000 was added as a punishment for trying to bargain with your life. Sorry gege, but that isn’t okay. He deserved it. Besides, you’re worth more than 20 billion.” As Hua Cheng spoke, he looked anywhere but at Xie Lian.

A blush rushed hotly up Xie Lian’s face, warming him as he stared at Hua Cheng with what was probably a goofy smile. The man was just so… great. “Okay. Thanks for telling me. And thanks for looking out for me.”

Hua Cheng finally met his eyes, his one visible eye soft and curving with the beginnings of a smile. “Always.”

“Alright, ew. Not in front of me please,” He Xuan muttered, waving a hand in their direction and rolling his eyes. Hua Cheng didn’t even comment, just widened his smile at Xie Lian.

“Enough distraction. He Xuan, if you’re willing, please explain to me what is going on.” Xie Lian refocused back on their reason for coming out here to talk. 

He Xuan spared a glance to Hua Cheng, who simply motioned to Xie Lian as if to say, ‘do what he wants’. He sighed, and began his story. “The Venerable that was following Shi Qingxuan as a child was a very powerful one. His brother was worried about him, and found someone with the same name, ‘Xuan’, and same birthday, to swap his fate with. That was me.

“The Venerable destroyed my life, and the lives of everyone I loved. I was reborn as a ghost to get my revenge on the perpetrator, and recently found out it was them. That is what my business is with him. And with his brother, Shi Wudu.”

Xie Lian was listening intently, lips parted in surprise at the story. Now it made sense that He Xuan thought him so interesting. The Venerable had destroyed his entire life, everything he loved, and Xie Lian laughed off being followed like it was nothing. “He Xuan, I’m sorry that happened to you, and I am so sorry for my actions.”

He Xuan’s face scrunched in confusion. “What are you sorry for?”

“My attitude towards the Venerable of Empty Words that was following me. How I acted so casually about it. That must have been very hurtful, given your history. I apologize.”

He Xuan’s eyes widened in shock, and he glanced between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, before bursting out in laughter. Now Xie Lian was the one confused. 

Once He Xuan had calmed himself down, he rubbed a hand down his face and shot Xie Lian a grin. “You know, I always thought Crimson Rain was full of it when he talked about you. He thinks you hung the damn moon, I mean-”

“Careful,” Hua Cheng interrupted He Xuan with his eye narrowed, but when Xie Lian glanced over to him, he just shot him a cavalier grin.

“Yeah, sorry. What I am trying to say is that he was actually right. You might be the nicest person I’ve ever met in my entire life. Seriously, it’s blowing my mind a little right now. You’re so nice it almost borders on being unlikeable.”

“Every insult to His Highness from here on out is one billion added back to your debt.” 

“San Lang!” Xie Lian admonished, but the entire interaction was making him laugh. Giggles escaped his mouth without his control, and he ended up leaning over and clutching his stomach in laughter. The entire situation was so bizarre. One Ghost King was half complimenting him, half mocking him, and the other thought his pride to be worth one billion coin? The sheer insanity of the situation was bringing a tear to his eye from laughter.

“I’m glad you find this so funny,” He Xuan commented, but Xie Lian could hear laughter tampered down in his voice. 

Xie Lian stood back up and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. He Xuan had one eyebrow raised, a smirk curling his lips, and Hua Cheng was looking at him with the warmest expression he had ever seen someone direct his way besides his own mother. “Sorry, sorry, you guys are just a bit ridiculous. It’s quite funny. I don’t think I’ve laughed this much in decades.”

The formerly warm and amused expressions looking at him turned worried, and Xie Lian waved his hand in front of his face, as if to wash away their worry. “Nevermind that. Back to you, He Xuan. So Shi Qingxuan willingly swapped fates with you to save himself? It surprises me a bit. I wouldn’t have thought he would be okay with that.”

He Xuan sighed. “From what I’ve gathered, he didn’t know. He just thought he ascended and the nightmare with the Venerable was over.”

“So… your revenge has nothing to do with him, then? Just with Shi Wudu?” Xie Lian questioned, a little lost.

“It has to do with both of them. They both destroyed everything and everyone I love because of their own stupidity and selfishness. And they have gotten away with it for far too long.”

“But Shi Qingxuan didn’t know. And you two are friends. Why would he be involved?”

“Because he was involved. The fuck do you mean? And we aren’t friends.”

Xie Lian’s eyes widened at He Xuan’s thickheadedness. “I don’t want to impose my own opinion on your relationship with Shi Qingxuan, but I have spent quite a bit of time with you two. I see something genuine in your friendship with him. Maybe not as intensely as he feels it with you, but it isn’t nothing.”

He Xuan ran his hands over his face in exasperation. “Either way it doesn’t matter, personal feelings have nothing to do with it. I was reborn as a ghost for my revenge, that is the only thing that matters.”

“Yeah, revenge on the perpetrator! Shi Qingxuan sounds like a victim here, just like you were!”

He Xuan shot him a nasty glare. “Don’t compare what I went through to what he went through. He was followed for a little while, ascended, and has enjoyed his time as a God while my life crumbled.”

Xie Lian sighed, glancing at Hua Cheng. He gave him a small smile, silently showing support. Xie Lian shook his head and looked back at He Xuan. “I said I am your friend and that I support you, and I meant it. I still mean it. But…” He trailed off for a moment, trying to get his thoughts together. “As your friend, I am asking that you get to the bottom of his involvement in this. I understand that your heart and mind are set on the revenge you have wanted for a long time. I really do get it. I-I’ve had my moments of wanting revenge as well. But please, if your friendship to me or him means anything to you, anything at all, you’ll show Shi Qingxuan some consideration. You’ll try to understand his true involvement in this. If you agree to that, then I’ll stay out of it. Because I trust you’ll make the right decision. For yourself and for him.”

After Xie Lian finished speaking, it was silent for a long while. Xie Lian felt incredibly torn, talking like this to He Xuan. Because He Xuan really was an important friend to Xie Lian, and he hated having to get in his way like this. But if Shi Qingxuan truly was just a victim of his brother's actions, leading to He Xuan being a victim as well, it was unfair to punish him with the same severity. 

The frown Xie Lian hadn’t even noticed turning his lips released when he felt Hua Cheng’s hand on his back, a steady reassurance of his presence. Unable to help himself, he leaned into the touch and tilted his body towards Hua Cheng’s.

“You’re annoying,” He Xuan finally said, breaking the silence. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, a scowl painted over his face. But it didn’t seem directed at Xie Lian. It seemed to be directed inwards, as he thought over everything Xie Lian said.

Xie Lian really did understand where He Xuan was coming from. When the need for revenge consumed you, it wasn’t like a small ember heating the pit of your stomach. It was an all consuming flame. Everywhere you looked, everywhere you went, it was there, burning brighter and brighter until nothing else remained. It was difficult to see beyond that flame, and even more difficult to keep it from burning down everything around you. But just seeing He Xuan contemplating Xie Lian’s words was good enough. He desperately hoped he had pierced the flame.

“I’ll let you do what you have to do now. Sorry for interfering. I care about you both, I really do. Will you be okay?” Xie Lian tried, shooting He Xuan a self-deprecating smile.

He Xuan rolled his eyes, but there was no malice behind it. “I’ll be fine, Xie Lian. I’ll… think about it. But now, stay out of it.”

Xie Lian nodded in affirmation. “Go do what you need to.”

He Xuan said nothing more, just hung his head and walked back to the shrine. Xie Lian watched him go until he disappeared behind the closed door.

He turned around and leaned his back against the trunk of the tree nearest them, dropping his head into his hands. “I have no idea if I did the right thing. What a mess.”

He heard Hua Cheng’s jingling steps as he walked over to lean next to Xie Lian against the tree, their shoulders brushing. “I don’t know either. But honestly, I’m not sure that could have gone any better. He Xuan is thick headed, and never listens. But you got him to listen.”

Xie Lian lifted his head up and turned to look at Hua Cheng. He was startled at the proximity of their faces, which were less than an inch apart, but he didn’t pull back. “You think so?”

Hua Cheng nodded, and the tips of his bangs brushed against Xie Lian’s face. “Yes, gege. You are genuinely amazing. He Xuan is a loner by nature, and the fact that you not only earned his respect as a person and a God, but were able to convince him to think through his plans for revenge, is incredible.”

Xie Lian smiled. “I think you’re biased.” They were speaking quietly into the small space between their mouths. The world around them seemed to fade as Hua Cheng returned his smile.

“I won’t lie and say I’m not biased, but in this situation what I said is the objective truth. You handled that situation with grace. I feel very lucky to know you, gege.”

Xie Lian’s eyes darted around Hua Cheng’s face, the moonlight illuminating it causing his already handsome features to look downright dangerous. “And I, you.”

Hua Cheng’s smile grew softer, and his eye darted to Xie Lian’s lips for just a moment, so quick Xie Lian worried he might have imagined it, before he pulled away from the tree and stood in front of Xie Lian. “That rabble in your shrine is loud. Let’s go to Ghost City for the night and let them work it out. How about it, gege?”

Xie Lian loosely wrapped his fingers around the hand Hua Cheng had outstretched towards him. He was happy to see his old friends, and worried for Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan, but had to agree that staying out of it might be for the best. “That sounds great, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng tossed his dice, and they went through the array, leaving the problems behind in Xie Lian’s broken down shrine.

Chapter Text

They walked into Ghost City hand in hand, Hua Cheng’s array spitting them out right in front of the Gambler’s Den.

“I thought since gege has seen most everything in Ghost City except for the Gambler’s Den, I could show you around here today. Maybe get your mind off of everything that happened today.” Hua Cheng’s thumb idly rubbed over Xie Lian’s knuckles as he spoke.

“That sounds great San Lang! I’ve heard quite a bit about this place, so I’m excited to see it for myself.”

They began walking towards the large doors of the Den, already propped open and letting loose the racket going on within. Ghosts spilled in and out of the doors in large groups, some laughing, some crying, some looking angry. As he and Hua Cheng approached they drew quite a few curious looks. Some ghosts even began shouting excited compliments to their lord, and curious whispers once again followed Xie Lian’s appearance.

“I’m sure the things you’ve heard have not been complimentary,” Hua Cheng chuckled, rolling his eyes at the reverent noise of his citizens as they moved out of their and formed a path through the Den.

“I haven’t heard anything I would consider to be good or bad, just interesting,” Xie Lian admitted. As they walked through the doors, a ghost exiting at the same time bumped into his shoulder and cursed at him under his breath. It wasn’t a light bump either. Xie Lian’s entire body jerked to the side, smacking into Hua Cheng who stayed still as a statue. Before the ghost had made it even one step past them, Hua Cheng released Xie Lian’s hand to grab the ghost’s neck in a tight grip. Xie Lian turned around at the commotion, startled.

The ghost, who Hua Cheng now held above the ground so that his feet kicked around uselessly, seemed to realize whose guest he had collided with and wore a terrified expression on his face. “Did I see you bump into His Highness and not apologize?” Hua Cheng said with a mocking smile, eyes narrowed dangerously. The ghost just sputtered, unable to speak around the tight grip on his neck.

“San Lang?” Xie Lian placed a hand on the arm Hua Cheng was using to hold the ghost up. Hua Cheng immediately looked at him and lowered the ghost to the ground, not releasing him but loosening his grip. “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind.”

Hua Cheng frowned. “But I mind, Your Highness. You are my guest here in the city, and will be treated with respect.” The last part of his statement was said in a hiss, directed at the ghost.

“I’m sorry! Genuinely sorry!” The ghost exclaimed in a rough voice, hands holding onto Hua Cheng’s arm still clutching his throat. 

Hua Cheng released him with a scowl, which deepened as the ghost immediately ran out the doors and disappeared into the crowd. The ghosts around them, who had stopped to watch the commotion, cheered at the display of their lord's power. Yells of, “Get him, Chengzhu! Show him who is boss!”, and, “Nobody treats our Lord’s guest disrespectfully!”, echoed around the space, causing Xie Lian to smile at the chaotic but fierce support Hua Cheng received from his citizens.

Hua Cheng looked at the hand that had held the ghost before wiping it on his robes in disgust. “Sorry about that, gege. Some of the rabble here are untrained. Let’s go sit so we won’t be disturbed again.” He motioned down the main hallway of the Den, towards where there was a short staircase leading up to a curtained off room. The curtains were red and slightly sheer, and Xie Lian could make out a divan resting behind them.

Xie Lian just shook his head at Hua Cheng’s antics with a small smile, and they walked up to the room. Hua Cheng held the curtain open for him and gestured to the divan. He slipped in and took a seat at one end, surprised to see that from the inside he could see out beyond the curtain clearly, obviously having some kind of spell on it. Hua Cheng joined him on the divan a moment later. The divan was small, just barely able to hold two people, so their thighs and shoulders pressed together where they sat.

As Hua Cheng sat down, the Den quieted in expectation. He cleared his throat, before speaking to his citizens. “I will be taking bets with the assistance of my esteemed guest, His Highness Xie Lian. Be warned, his word is law. Not just when he is with me but always. You may begin.”

Xie Lian’s face was beet red by the end of Hua Cheng’s speech. “San Lang, you really shouldn’t say things like that. Your citizens will get the wrong idea about me.”

Hua Cheng lifted an eyebrow in confusion, resting the ankle of one leg over his knee and throwing his arm over the edge of the divan and brushing the back of Xie Lian’s head. “The wrong idea how? You are powerful, smart, and kind. The higher they think of you, the more accurate they will be. I’m just helping them to understand that.”

“You…” Xie Lian trailed off, rubbing his hands over his burning cheeks. “You are much too insincere.”

Hua Cheng just smirked and leaned slightly more towards Xie Lian. “Nonsense, gege. I am the most sincere person you will ever meet.”

Xie Lian just shook his head again, not knowing what to say. Luckily, he was saved by a ghost stepping up to make a bet.

“For what do you wish, if you win?” Xie Lian heard a croupier ask, and lowered his hands from his face to watch the Gambler’s Den in action. At a small table at the base of the stairs, a ghost whose face was covered in scales had stepped up to bet against Hua Cheng. The croupier, wearing a simple smiling black mask, stood beside the table.

“If I win, I wish for Hua Cheng to kill my brother. He caused my death in the mortal realm, and I am not yet strong enough to go there and kill him myself.”

Xie Lian cringed at the bet. He could admit, it sounded like a messy situation that the ghost was in, but killing his own brother? Really?

“And what do you offer if you lose?” The croupier asked.

“My daughter is still alive as well. You can have ten years off of her life.”

Xie Lian’s jaw dropped. Hua Cheng saw his reaction and chuckled, leaning over to whisper in his ear, “What do you think, gege? Is that a fair bet?”

Hua Cheng’s low voice sent raised goosebumps over his entire body, and he had to taper down a shiver. “Honestly, San Lang, I have no idea. It seems bad either way, though.”

“Hmm… I can make it more interesting. More fair, if gege would like?”

Xie Lian nodded. “That would be best. It doesn’t seem like he is actually giving anything up right now. If he wants to kill his own brother, who is to say he cares anything about his daughter? It might just be a win-win for him.”

Hua Cheng smiled at him, letting the hand draped over the divan fall over his shoulder and play with a strand of his hair. “Gege is so smart.”

Hua Cheng raised his head to look back at the scene before them. The croupier had their mask turned towards Hua Cheng, waiting for confirmation of the bet. “I don’t accept. For killing your brother, in return, you can offer 10 years of servitude to me. That, I will accept.”

The ghost looked nervous for a moment, dropping his head and contemplating the offer. Finally, after a moment, he looked back up with a determined expression. “Deal,” he said. He grabbed the dice from the table and rolled them. They landed as two fives. The ghost looked surprised to have gotten such a high number, and a smile spread over his face.

A croupier Xie Lian hadn’t noticed standing by the curtains reached their hands through, carrying a tray with two dice laying on it. Hua Cheng used the hand not currently curling a stand of Xie Lian’s hair around his fingers to gesture for Xie Lian to roll the dice. Xie Lian’s eyes widened and he strongly shook his head. “No way, San Lang, my luck is so terrible. It would be best for San Lang to take care of it.”

“Does gege trust me?” Hua Cheng asked, playfully giving a tug to Xie Lian’s hair. 

“Yes,” Xie Lian answered without thinking, and knew it was the absolute truth. It seemed weird, to have such a strong trust for the man next to who he once thought harbored hatred for him, but in their short time together Hua Cheng had more than proven himself.

“Then go ahead.”

Xie Lian only hesitated for a moment before grabbing the dice from the tray. He shook them for a while, praying to the Gods his bad luck would leave him just for a moment. But when he rolled them, he could clearly see his prayers did not work. They turned up as snake eyes.

The croupier took the tray back out to the room and showed the crowd, announcing, “A roll totaling two. The roll totaling ten is the winner. Congratulations to the better.”

The ghost jumped up in excitement, cheering and whooping loudly. Xie Lian looked to Hua Cheng with a guilty expression on his face. “Sorry, San Lang.”

“No need for apologies, gege, just trust me.” The smile hadn’t left Hua Cheng’s face, and his posture was completely relaxed. Xie Lian stared up at his face for a moment, before nodding and looking back out onto the crowd.

The ghost had calmed down, but was still standing in front of the table. “Another bet! I want to make another bet!” 

Hua Cheng smirked, and Xie Lian began to catch on. “Go ahead,” the croupier by the table said.

“Now I want you to kill my daughter! In return, I’ll offer twenty years of servitude!” The ghost wore a cocky smile, looking at Xie Lian behind the curtains, obviously seeing how his bad luck would be beneficial to him.

Xie Lian frowned at the bet, and was going to say something to Hua Cheng when he spoke first. “The stakes are now higher. I will kill your daughter in exchange for your ashes.”

The Den went silent at that, before startled murmurs began to spread. The ghost who was making the bet looked less cocky now, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. “O-okay. Fine. As long as he is the one rolling again.” He pointed towards Xie Lian.

“Fine,” Hua Cheng agreed, and Xie Lian wanted to argue, but held his tongue. Obviously Hua Cheng knew what he was doing. He knew if he started small, the ghost would become overconfident. Hua Cheng probably had the goal of getting such a disgusting ghost’s ashes, but he had to work up his confidence to get him to agree. It was smart, really. Other than the fact that Xie Lian knew he couldn’t roll higher than snake eyes. 

The ghost rolled the dice on the table, eyes not once leaving the movement of the dice. Once they had settled, they were showing a five and a six. The ghost let out a sharp breath of relief, before beginning to celebrate. The Den went wild at his roll. 

The croupier nearest them once again reached the tray back through the curtains, and Xie Lian looked down at his own roll of snake eyes with a frown. 

“Gege, may I offer some assistance?” Hua Cheng whispered to him. Xie Lian was surprised, wondering if there was some kind of technique to rolling dice, so he just nodded his head and leaned closer to hear whatever information Hua Cheng had to offer.

But Hua Cheng said nothing more. Instead, he lightly grabbed the hand Xie Lian was resting in his lap and brought it up to his face. Before Xie Lian could react, Hua Cheng closed his eye and placed his lips against Xie Lian’s knuckles. The touch of his lips was barely a brush, almost unnoticeable, but it had Xie Lian’s entire body heating up so much he felt a drop of sweat trickle down his back under his robes. He began squirming in his seat, not knowing how to react. Tingles from where Hua Cheng’s lips barely touched him spread from his hand down through his chest and settled in his belly.

After a moment that felt like a year, Hua Cheng pulled away and laid Xie Lian’s hand back down. “I thought I’d lend you a bit of my luck.” Hua Cheng’s voice was rough, and when he opened his eye Xie Lian noticed his pupil had expanded, blocking out the rusty shade of his iris that Xie Lian was so accustomed to seeing.

“Oh… oh. Oh! Thank you! Thank you, San Lang. I appreciate it. I could use some, hahahaha. Luck, you know? You know how it is. Hahaha.” Xie Lian cut his own rambling off with an embarrassed groan, before turning away from Hua Cheng and grabbing the dice. Barely sparing a moment, and shook them in his fist and released them onto the tray. He didn’t look at what they landed on, too distracted by his own body’s reaction to Hua Cheng’s proximity.

The croupier brought the tray back out into the Den from the curtains to show the crowd. “A roll totaling twelve. The roll totaling twelve is the winner. Congratulations to the house.”

Xie Lian’s eyes shot open in surprise, looking to Hua Cheng for confirmation, who just smirked down at him. “Good job, gege.”

“You’re sneaky,” Xie Lian accused, and when Hua Cheng put on an exaggeratedly innocent face, he burst into laughter. 

They took quite a few more bets throughout the night, most of which were a lot less sinister than the first one. Xie Lian enjoyed himself immensely, having pushed Hua Cheng to take over and watching him deal with his residents. As each bet took place, Xie Lian developed a greater understanding of how Hua Cheng ran his city.

The Gambler’s Den was full of crazy ghosts and debauchery, a place for them to get it out of their systems and keep them from wreaking havoc in places it wasn’t welcome. It was controlled chaos, and it truly was very well controlled. Hua Cheng had a way of making everything seem fair and that he had no bias, but as Xie Lian watched closer, he was able to see that Hua Cheng operated with an innate kindness. He hid it very well, under elaborate bets and crazy statements, but overall the few bets he lost were all for a very good cause. 

He lost to a young human woman, begging for money to help her sickly lover. He covered it in sharp words and elaborate flourishes to his betting, but the human woman walked away with  exactly what she came in for. Another was a young ghost asking for a loan to start up a tanghulu stand. The ghost won, barely, and Hua Cheng stepped out to talk with him privately about his future business.

It was magical, watching Hua Cheng rule over his city. Xie Lian felt his respect for the Ghost King growing even bigger, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched him work.

When the Den had calmed down a little bit, and Hua Cheng announced he was no longer accepting bets, he turned to Xie Lian and smiled at him. “So, gege, that is more or less how the Gambler’s Den works. What do you think?”

“It’s amazing!” Xie Lian gushed, and realized with a start that he hadn’t thought about Shi Qingxuan or He Xuan’s predicament once since they got here. Hua Cheng, wonderful as he was, had successfully distracted him. He also felt a small ache in his stomach from laughing so hard throughout the night, a stark difference to the ache of guilt and worry he had felt when they first got here.

“Can I ask gege a question?”

“Of course.” 

Hua Cheng hesitated for a moment, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. Xie Lian watched, entranced, as his hair fell over his shoulders and the back of the divan. The sharp line of his jaw was made even sharper at this angle. “Gege was able to ascend again, right? And he was able to meet some subordinates of his old friends earlier in the shrine as well. I guess I’m just curious why you don’t spend more time in heaven?”

Xie Lian laughed. “I think you and I both know those weren’t actually ‘subordinates’ of Mu Qing and Feng Xin.” Hua Cheng looked startled for a moment, before joining in on Xie Lian’s laughter. “I was never in heaven much during my first ascension, and my second lasted all of one minute. So I’m used to not being up there much. Besides…” Xie Lian pondered how he wanted to explain himself. “You and He Xuan are feared in heaven. Hated. But I know both of you. You are both wonderful and kind friends of mine. I’m not sure how interested I am in heaven’s affairs given their skewed opinion on you two.”

Hua Cheng laughed harder, tilting his head back down to look at Xie Lian. “Not that I’m against anything you just said gege, because I love it, but you should know heaven has a real reason to hate me. He Xuan they hate out of fear of the unknown, so their hate is unfounded, but that isn’t the situation for me.”

“That does remind me. I heard you had challenged 33 Gods but I never figured out why. Do you mind if I ask?”

Hua Cheng got that cagey look back on his face, and his eyes darted around Xie Lian’s head without looking at him directly. “That is definitely one of the reasons they hate me.”

Xie Lian frowned. “That would be a silly reason to hate you. They are Gods, therefore they had to prove themselves to be there. You are fully in your right to challenge them, and either way, they accepted the challenge. If anything, it made heaven look worse that they wouldn’t hold up their end of the deal when all was said and done. But why did you do it in the first place?”

“You really are amazing, you know that gege?”

Xie Lian blushed, and decided to tease back. “You are avoiding the question, you know that San Lang?”

When Hua Cheng continued to look uncomfortable, Xie Lian felt bad. “You don’t need to tell me. Sorry, that was really personal. We can just forget it.”

“I had a personal vendetta against them. Against 35 of them, actually, but two refused,” Hua Cheng spoke quickly, as if the words were spilling out.

It almost made Xie Lian laugh. At least two Gods existed who weren’t overly confident in their own skills and had the brains to not accept such a deal. He wondered who they were.

“Did they insult you or something?” Xie Lian asked, not understanding what could possibly get under Hua Cheng’s skin so much that he dared to challenge that many Gods. He seemed like such a laid back person; the only times Xie Lian had ever seen him have a strong reaction to anything was when it had to do with defending him.

“Not me,” Hua Cheng answered simply. He finally met Xie Lian’s eyes, and there was a kind of desperation swirling in his visible eye.

“Who?” Xie Lian whispered, thinking he might already know the answer.

Hua Cheng pulled his arm from where it was resting on the divan and ran it through his hair in an anxious movement. “They insulted you.”

Though it confirmed Xie Lian’s belief, it just seemed to bring more questions. “Why would you do that for me? And wait, when I heard the names of some of the Gods you challenged, I didn’t recognize any of them. It doesn’t make sense…”

Hua Cheng closed his eye and took a deep breath. When he opened his eye again, he wore a guarded expression, and looked a bit fearful. “Do you remember, after your first banishment, when you tried to cultivate on the mountain but were kicked out by a group of Gods?”

Xie Lian had a physical reaction, his entire body tensing up. “I do… is that… is that who you challenged? Those Gods?” Hua Cheng nodded. “But… but… you weren’t there? I was alone, wasn’t I? How would you know? It was just me and that ghost f-,” Xie Lian abruptly cut himself off. The ghost fire was there. The ghost fire that he had saved from the lanterns, who then wouldn’t stop following him around. Who saw him when the White Clothed Calamity tortured him. 

“No. No no no no. That ghost fire was you?” When Hua Cheng just nodded again, head tilted down, Xie Lian shot up from the divan and began pacing around. He laughed, and it sounded insane even to his own ears. “That ghost fire was not you. It couldn’t have been you! It isn’t possible.” He whirled to Hua Cheng, who looked at him with his eye wide, and repeated himself. “It isn’t possible. You told me you respected me! You told me you looked up to me!”

Hua Cheng stood up, but didn’t approach him, his hands hanging uselessly by his sides and wearing a broken look on his face. “I did, and I meant it. Why are you bringing that up, gege?”

“Because if that was you, San Lang, then you’re lying to me!” He continued to pace, but kept his gaze locked on Hua Cheng. “That ghost fire… you followed me around for a long time. You saw everything! You saw the absolute worst of me.” Everything that happened to him during that time came rushing back to him. He stopped pacing and brought his hands to his hair, gripping it hard. “I was pathetic! I was scum on the bottom of everyone’s shoe. Gods, San Lang, you saw me with the White Clothed Calamity! What I allowed to happen to me!”

“Your Highness,” Hua Cheng’s voice was stern now, and he walked right up to Xie Lian to grab his arms and gently pull them from his hair. “Do not say that. Because none of it is true. Not a single fucking thing. What you went through was not your choice, and you didn’t ‘allow’ anything. You weren’t pathetic, you were suffering! Are you not allowed to suffer? Are you not just a person trying to get through life as everyone else is? Please don’t speak of yourself in such a way.”

Xie Lian blinked hard, trying to clear away the tears threatening to fall. “Sorry, I’m sorry San Lang. I don’t know what came over me. I just never wanted someone like you to see me like that.”

“Oh, gege.” Hua Cheng released his arms and cupped his cheek in the palm of his hand, giving him a sad smile. “If anything, seeing you go through all of those things, seeing you suffer so much, and still come out so kind and good, made me look up to you even more. It made you real to me. Not just a perfect, kind God, but a real person who goes through hard times just as everyone else does. And yeah, I was pissed off at everyone that wronged you during a low point in your life, but I never once saw less of you for it. My admiration for you only grew.”

Xie Lian leaned into the palm cupping his cheek and sighed, closing his eyes. He could feel his hands shaking where he clenched and unclenched his fingers at his sides. “San Lang, you’re too good. I can’t believe you stayed by my side for all of that. I can’t believe you’re real.” He brought his hand up and placed it over Hua Cheng’s.

“I’ll always be here for you. Until you don’t want me to be.”

Xie Lian felt the tears leak from his eyes, and shifted his head forward to bury it in the front of Hua Cheng’s robes. Hua Cheng just moved his arms to wrap around his back and hold him tight, one hand resting on his lower back and the other cupping the back of his head. 

“Did you die in my war?” Xie Lian grit out, finally willing himself to ask the question he didn’t want to know the answer to.

“Yes. And before you apologize, don’t. If I could go back, I’d do it all over again. It was my honor to die in battle for you.”

Xie Lian felt his chest hitch with a sob. He gripped the sides of Hua Cheng’s robes tightly, burying his face deeping to try and silence his cries. “Sorry, San Lang, I’m so sorry I got you killed. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Xie Lian could feel Hua Cheng’s chest move below his cheek to say something, but he kept going. “But selfishly, I don’t know if I’d change anything either. I’m so glad I got to meet you now.”

Silence. Then, Hua Cheng’s voice, rough, “You took the words right from my mouth, Your Highness.”

They stayed locked in the embrace for a while, before some ghosts still betting in the Den noticed their cuddled form behind the curtains and began to light heartedly call out to them. “Get it Chenghzu! Good for you, he’s a pretty one!”

Xie Lian pulled away with a wet laugh, using his sleeve to wipe his tears. But before he could finish, Hua Cheng reached up with his own sleeve and gently, tenderly, wiped below his eyes and down his cheeks. A small smile curled Hua Cheng’s lips. “I don’t like to see you sad, but gege looks very pretty all teary eyed.”

“San Lang!” Xie Lian admonished, giving him a light smack on the arm but unable to stop the soft laugh from escaping his lips. Hua Cheng had an uncanny way of making him feel completely better without even trying.

Hua Cheng gave him a gentle smile, before leading him back to the divan and sitting down next to him. “I didn’t mean to upset you, gege, I’m so sorry. I just don’t want to keep anything from you.” He trailed a finger along the outside of Xie Lian’s robes absentmindedly. “But it is important to me that you know what I am saying is the truth. Whatever I may have seen while I was a ghost fire never changed my opinion of you.”

Xie Lian caught Hua Cheng’s hand and pulled it to his face, rubbing his cheek against it. Hua Cheng watched him intently. “I believe you. I don’t know why you still think so highly of me. But I do believe you. And San Lang,” he threaded their hands together and placed them in his lap. “I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that everything I have seen you do and learned about you has made me respect you immensely. You are kind, and fair, and you make me laugh and remind me how easy it is to be happy. I am so grateful to have met you. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I will cherish your friendship forever.”

Hua Cheng just looked at him with his mouth slightly parted in surprise, not knowing what to say. Finally, he gave one small nod, before leaning forward and burying his face in Xie Lian’s hair. Xie Lian used his free hand to cup the back of Hua Cheng’s head and pull them into another embrace.

Xie Lian was truly in awe that someone as amazing and strong as Hua Cheng could not only think highly of him, but still hold that high opinion even after seeing the worst period of Xie Lian’s life. It was a time he was greatly embarrassed by. But no matter, Hua Cheng had seen it all and still held his hand, still embraced him, still smiled when he spoke and made him laugh. 

He trusted Hua Cheng, and he trusted that this was real. His only worries were the butterflies in his stomach when he touched Hua Cheng like this. Were the racing of his heart when their faces were close. Were the ways Hua Cheng made him feel safe and loved as easy as breathing. 

He was in trouble.

Chapter Text

Xie Lian stayed with Hua Cheng for a few days in Ghost City. Hua Cheng took him on an expansive tour of Paradise Manor so he could see everything he missed from the last time he was here ‘rescuing’ He Xuan. They spent quite a long time in the armory, with Xie Lian picking through each weapon Hua Cheng had on display and listening intently as Hua Cheng explained the backstory for them. Quite a few times they even took some of the weapons out to the open space behind the armory and sparred with each other, swords flying and sweat dripping as their sparring turned more into dancing. 

Hua Cheng was as talented with a sword as Xie Lian thought he would be. They had agreed to spar without spiritual energy to level the playing field, and were neck and neck throughout each of their fights. 

Hua Cheng also took him to the library in Paradise Manor, and Xie Lian was in awe of all of the ancient texts he had preserved there. He lost hours just looking through each book on display before he even got around to reading any. Afterwards, when the weather grew cooler and night approached, they would make their way over to Xie Lian’s shrine in the mortal realm and continue to fix it up. Hua Cheng has brought him a cot and table to make it a little better for living in, but they mostly spent the night in Paradise Manor. Hua Cheng had allowed him to use one of his guest rooms, and the bed in that room was the most comfortable thing he had slept on in decades.

Throughout the entire time, Hua Cheng listened to him, made him laugh, and showed unwavering support for everything he did. It felt as if he was living in a dream. He couldn’t help the butterflies that erupted in his stomach when Hua Cheng leaned close to whisper something in his ear, or shot him one of his cocky smirks while taking bets in the Gambler’s Den. Though he had never personally felt anything like it, he had been alive for centuries and wasn’t completely dense as to what was happening to him. He liked Hua Cheng. A lot. 

He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted those feelings to amount to, but decided for the meantime to ignore it. Hua Cheng had admitted to admiring him, but that might be as far as it went for him. And Xie Lian would not risk the wonderful friendship they had established just because he was misinterpreting their relationship.

Besides, Hua Cheng had admitted to being the ghost fire that followed him during his first banishment. As the days went on, he remembered more from that time, more from what the ghost fire had told him. He had a beloved. Someone he would cling to existence for. And Hua Cheng was such an amazing person, Xie Lian wanted him to be happy no matter how it made him feel. It didn’t matter that it opened up a dark pit in his stomach every time he thought of Hua Cheng’s beloved. It didn’t matter!

“Gege! Come look at this!”

Xie Lian glanced up from where he was sanding down some of the new wood they had used to repair a hole in the side of the shrine. Him and Hua Cheng finally had some peace after that morning when Feng Xin and Mu Qing showed up out of nowhere in their subordinate disguises, pissed off that they had been left behind and demanding an explanation. Xie Lian had placated them with some buns the townspeople had given him and a lie about heavenly business pulling him away. They were worried about Shi Qingxuan and Ming Yi, who had apparently left shortly after he and Hua Cheng had. 

Xie Lian reassured them he didn’t have any further information on what had happened, or how Shi Qingxuan was dealing with the Venerable of Empty Words. Feng Xin seemed surprised and Mu Qing was quick to accuse him of being a bad friend. Xie Lian just let their words roll off of him though, not able to explain the complexities of the situation. Besides, Hua Cheng was quick to step in and defend him, as usual. He hated how it made his heart pound in his chest to see Hua Cheng take a stand for him.

They had left about an hour earlier, and Xie Lian was appreciating not having their chaotic energy around. 

Hua Cheng was calling to him from the front of the building, so he rounded the corner to see what was going on. He was standing by the front door, hands on his hips and smiling widely. He had removed his outer robe, leaving him in only his black inner robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was a smudge of dirt just under his eye patch from where he had wiped his face while they were working on the roof earlier. He looked ridiculously good.

Xie Lian fought down the blush threatening to take over his face and walked closer to see what Hua Cheng had done. Hua Cheng motioned through the front door, and when Xie Lian took a closer look, his jaw dropped in awe and surprise.

Hua Cheng has painted a picture of the God of the shrine, a perfect recreation of the Crown Prince who Please the Heavens. It was him back from before Xianle fell, decked out in the ceremonial robes of the time with a calm and pleased smile spread over his face. The painting itself was absolutely gorgeous.

“San Lang! You painted this?” Xie Lian asked, walking into the shrine to get a closer look. Hua Cheng followed him in and stood behind him, his height allowing him to easily look over Xie Lian’s head.

“Yes. Is it okay? I figured a shrine needed a painting of the God.”

“It’s incredible! The painting, I mean. I had no idea you had such talent!”

Hua Cheng chuckled. “I see gege was quick to judge after seeing my handwriting.”

Xie Lian burst out laughing at the reminder. During their time in the Ghost City, Xie Lian had thoughtlessly pointed out the writing outside of the Gambler’s Den, asking what on earth it said and wondering what language it was in. Hua Cheng had smirked while admitting it was his own handwriting, and Xie Lian was so embarrassed he ended up rambling for almost an hour about how it ‘wasn’t that bad’ and that ‘it had character!’. Hua Cheng had not since allowed him to forget about it, teasing him relentlessly. Though it backfired on him quickly, when Xie Lian convinced him to sit down for calligraphy lessons.

“Ugh, San Lang…” Xie Lian leaned his body back to lightly tap Hua Cheng’s chest in admonishment. “How many times must I apologize!”

“No worries gege, I understand. Though my penmanship has always been terrible, I make up for it with painting. Though if you don’t like it, I can redo it.”

“No, no, it’s wonderful. Thank you so much.” Xie Lian stared at it for another moment, marveling at the master-like brushstrokes before turning his head to look over his shoulder and up at Hua Cheng. “I can-”

He abruptly cut himself off when he heard a desperate voice, thick with tears, come through the communication array.

Xie Lian, please help. Please help me, please! 

Xie Lian reared back, startled at suddenly hearing from Shi Qingxuan. After he and Hua Cheng had left him and He Xuan to their business, Hua Cheng had done a very good job at keeping him distracted. But still, when the night got quiet around him, his thoughts would always drift back to them. He wondered if they were okay, if He Xuan had heeded his advice and thought through his revenge. But when he didn’t hear anything from either of them after the first couple of days, he let it slowly float from his mind. 

“Gege? What is it?” Hua Cheng noticed the change in his demeanor instantly, and Xie Lian felt his hands lightly grabbing onto his waist. 

“Shi Qingxuan. He’s asking for help,” Xie Lian whispered, all of his worries flooding back with a vengeance. 

Shi Qingxuan? Where are you? Xie Lian asked into the array, but already knew he wouldn’t get an answer. The array felt dark and empty, as if Shi Qingxuan had already left. 

“We need to go,” Xie Lian said, pulling from Hua Cheng’s embrace and starting to walk around the shrine, uselessly picking up and discarding items without thinking, his thoughts spiraling. “We have to go to him. He asked for help. I’ve just been here, doing nothing, barely even thinking about them, and he sounded so scared just now! What on earth have I been doing? Why haven’t I been helping?”

“Gege. Stop.” Hua Cheng reached out and wrapped his hand around Xie Lian’s upper arm, stopping him in his tracks. He gently pulled Xie Lian closer so that they were standing chest to chest, Xie Lian having to crane his neck back to look at Hua Cheng. “Please don’t do this. I already see you starting to blame yourself. You and He Xuan, for some reason, have a friendship. You did what you could by speaking with him, and you trusted him to make the right decision. Whatever may or may not have happened is not your fault.”

Xie Lian just shook his head before burying his face in Hua Cheng’s robes. The smell of smoke and pine invaded his senses and calmed him down. “I just feel like I’ve been living in a dream, spending these days with you. And he was out there, suffering.”

“Those things have nothing to do with each other,” Hua Cheng said, voice stern but still gentle. “You are allowed to enjoy yourself. Bad things will happen no matter what. You gave your word to He Xuan to let him deal with it, and you trusted him to do so with respect to Shi Qingxuan’s initial involvement. You did your best.”

“Hm,” Xie Lian hummed, voice muffled by Hua Cheng’s robes. “You’re right. But now Shi Qingxuan is asking for help, so I have to go. I gave He Xuan plenty of time.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Xie Lian leaned back and smiled at Hua Cheng’s easy acceptance and support. “Do you think they are at He Xuan’s manor?”

Hua Cheng nodded, before giving Xie Lian’s waist a light squeeze and releasing him to grab his dice. He tossed them, creating a teleportation array on the door, gesturing Xie Lian through first and following close behind.

The scene that greeted them on the other side of the array was… gruesome. He Xuan stood in his demonic form, torso lengthened, dark hair long and sprawled out on the floor around him. His eyes were black, and in his taloned hand he held onto someone’s head. The body of that person lay slumped against the wall next to him.

Xie Lian glanced to the left, and saw Shi Qingxuan in his male form. He was on his knees, hands pressed flat to the floor, tears streaming down his dirty cheeks. Due to the devastation clearly written on his face, in every line of his body, along with He Xuan’s explanation of his revenge, Xie Lian safely assumed the beheaded man was in fact Shi Wudu. Shi Qingxuan’s brother

Xie Lian was also surprised to not feel any kind of spiritual energy coming from Shi Qingxuan. Though the space was dominated by the extreme killing intent rolling off of He Xuan in waves, he should have been able to sense something from Shi Qingxuan. 

“Your Highness!” Shi Qingxuan wailed from where he sat slumped, noticing them enter. “He was never Ming Yi. He’s Black Water Sinking Ships. Help me!” When Xie Lian showed no reaction, already well aware of this development, Shi Qingxuan’s face scrunched in anger. “Xie Lian! He is He Xuan! Demon Ghost King! Help me!”

Xie Lian walked over to Shi Qingxuan’s crouched form, lowering himself to the floor and placing a hand on his shoulder. Still no spiritual energy. “Shi Qingxuan, are you alright?”

He shook his head, tears flinging off of his cheeks at the action. He turned and gripped his hands into Xie Lian’s robes, surely leaving dirty handprints. “He killed my brother, Xie Lian. My brother, he… he did bad things. But He Xuan fucking killed him. Please help me.” He buried his face in Xie Lian robes and sobbed. Xie Lian simply rested his hand on the back of his head and allowed him to cry.

He Xuan, who had been silent since they entered, sneered as he made eye contact with Xie Lian. “Are you finished here?” Xie Lian asked him, voice even. He still hadn’t completely parsed together what had happened, but Shi Qingxuan was alive and unhurt, so he hoped He Xuan had gotten whatever revenge he had been looking for. 

He Xuan just rolled his eyes and left the room, carrying Shi Wudu’s head with him. Xie Lian would take that as a yes.

Shi Qingxuan pulled his head away from Xie Lian’s robes to watch He Xuan leave. “Xie Lian, you’re letting him get away!” He whisper yelled.

“I know. He Xuan and I know each other,” Xie Lian admitted, figuring it was time to get everything out in the open.

“Yeah, you knew Ming Yi. But He Xuan apparently killed Ming Yi and took his place! It’s been him the entire time.” He sniffled, frowning up at Xie Lian.

“I know,” Xie Lian repeated.

“You know? What do you mean, you know? You knew it was He Xuan?”

Xie Lian nodded.

Shi Qingxuan’s eyes widened, before he violently pushed away from Xie Lian and huddled back, pressed against the wall. When he glanced to the right and saw the headless body of his brother, he sobbed and curled away from it. “You fucking traitor. You plotted against me with him, didn’t you?” He accused, glaring at where Xie Lian stood.

Xie Lian had expected this, and just closed his eyes and listened as Shi Qingxuan released all of the anger he was feeling on him.

It didn’t last long though, before Hua Cheng stepped in. So far he had been a silent presence, not making himself known during the commotion until now. “Shi Qingxuan, watch your goddamn mouth. And do not ever lay your hands on His Highness again. Are you really that eager to have two Ghost Kings pining for your death?”

Shi Qingxuan snapped her mouth shut as her eyes welled with tears once more. “San Lang, calm down.” Xie Lian said to him, worried about scaring Shi Qingxuan even more. Besides, he deserved whatever blame Shi Qingxuan would place on him.

“Sorry, Your Highness, but it must be said.” Hua Cheng stepped forward so he was standing next to where Xie Lian was still on the ground, and helped him up with a gentle hand. He turned back towards Shi Qingxuan. “His Highness has done nothing but argue in your defense since finding out you were a part of He Xuan’s plan, which was only a few days ago. He may have even convinced He Xuan to not take your worthless life, as much of a sham as it is. That you dare to put any kind of blame on him is laughable.”

Shi Qingxuan just looked between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng with wide eyes, tears silently falling down his cheeks. Hua Cheng continued. “His Highness is friends with both you and He Xuan, putting him in a tough situation, which he navigated with grace while still supporting you. Watch how you speak to one of the few people left who would still defend you when your back is turned.”

The agonized expression on Shi Qingxuan’s face was breaking Xie Lian heart, but he still found himself having to push down a smile at hearing Hua Cheng stand up for him so valiantly. If he could even smile at Hua Cheng’s actions in a situation like this, he really was doomed.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through this, Wind Master. Genuinely, I am. But it’s over now.” Xie Lian paused for a moment, before saying, “Come with me. I want to show you something.” He walked over to Shi Qingxuan and extended his hand, a gesture of goodwill. This was it; this would be the deciding factor on if Shi Qingxuan would ever be able to look past his involvement in this situation. 

Shi Qingxuan looked towards his brother’s body for a moment, before glancing back to Xie Lian and hesitantly taking his hand, saying, “I’m not the Wind Master anymore. I’m just a mortal.” 

Xie Lian pulled him up, trying not to let his surprise show on his face. He had suspected, when he couldn’t sense Shi Qingxuan’s spiritual energy, that something had happened, but to have been completely stripped of Godhood?

“Why?” Xie Lian asked, using his hands to lightly pat off some of the dirt clumped to Shi Qingxuan’s robes. Hua Cheng walked up to them, standing protectively behind Xie Lian. 

Shi Qingxuan barely spared him a glance, before running his hands through his hair and wiping away the tears on his face. More replaced them shortly after. “Crimson Rain is right. My life, my Godhood, was all a sham. He Xuan was supposed to ascend, not me. But my brother switched out fates, and got He Xuan involved with the Venerable of Empty Words, and…” Shi Qingxuan paused, hiccuping through a sob. “Now that the Venerable, and my brother, are both gone, there isn’t anything left supporting my Godhood.”

“What of your worshippers?” Xie Lian asked, linking his arm with Shi Qingxuan and leading him out of the manor, away from Shi Wudu’s body. Hua Cheng trailed behind them silently. 

“They were never really mine. My brother and I were worshipped together. And he’s gone now.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened and I’m sorry I knew and didn’t do anything,” Xie Lian whispered to Shi Qingxuan, fighting back his own tears at the sad state of his friend. He looked much the same as all the other times he wore his male form, but now he just looked weak. Fragile. Covered in dirt and tears and snot, body shaking like a leaf from fear.

“Don’t be. Your Ghost King was right. I shouldn’t have started pointing fingers, I was just overwhelmed. It isn’t your fault. Realistically, it’s my brother’s fault. He had no right to completely fuck someone else over just so that I could have a good life. How is that fair?”

Xie Lian blushed at the mention of ‘his’ Ghost King, but pushed past it. “Not much in life is fair, and it’s even rarer for justice to be served.” Xie Lian paused as they made it to the beach, the black water languidly lapping against the shore. He turned Shi Qingxuan to look at him and held his shoulders tightly. “I am not saying what happened here was justice. Honestly, I don’t know enough to make a claim like that. Sometimes I’m not even sure I know what justice is. But I’m your friend, as long as you want me, and I’ll be there for you no matter what.”

Shi Qingxuan’s lip wobbled as he looked at Xie Lian, before he closed his eyes and turned to face the ocean. The wind blew through his tangled hair, sending it flowing behind him. Xie Lian turned to Hua Cheng, who was looking at him with a soft smile. He reached out a hand to Hua Cheng, who immediately laced their fingers together. Guilt tried to surge as thoughts of Hua Cheng’s beloved rushed through his mind, but he pushed it down.

After a peaceful moment, of them all looking out into the dark waters, Xie Lian brought his free hand to his mouth and let loose a loud whistle. He had no idea if it would work, but figured it was worth a try. 

Luckily it did, and Xie Lian heard the churning of water as the bone dragon barreled towards them from beneath the surface. Its head lifted above the water a few feet from them, before its entire upper body followed and dangled over their heads where they stood on the sand. Shi Qingxuan had tensed up in fear at seeing the bone dragon, and Hua Cheng had quickly released Xie Lian’s hand and moved to stand in front of him.

“Guys, don’t worry. It's friendly!” Xie Lian demonstrated by raising both of his arms towards the dragon’s head. It immediately lowered its body down, resting the base of its skull against the sand in front of them and letting out a low gurgle. Xie Lian gently pushed back in front of Hua Cheng, whose eyebrows were raised to his hairline in surprise, and pet the dragon. Once more, its tail began splashing around in the water behind it as it wagged happily.

“Give it a pet,” Xie Lian said to Shi Qingxuan, who was wearing a teary smile staring at the dragon. He reached a hand out slowly, before resting it on the bony skull and doing as Xie Lian suggested. The bone dragon lolled its head towards Shi Qingxuan in pleasure, who let out a low laugh.

“You made friends with his bone dragon?” Hua Cheng asked in shock, looking at Xie Lian.

Before he could respond, a voice echoed from behind them. “He did. I’ve never seen my bone dragon react that way to anyone but him.”

The three of them turned towards the voice, and saw He Xuan standing a good distance from them with his arms crossed. He was back in his original form; Shi Wudu’s head nowhere to be seen. 

“He’s special,” Hua Cheng said in response, snaking an arm around Xie Lian’s waist protectively. 

“That’s one word you could use,” He Xuan deadpanned, tilting his head to the side.

“Careful,” Hua Cheng said in a low voice, but the warning held less force than he intended as it was muffled where Hua Cheng had buried his face in Xie Lian’s hair. He Xuan didn’t comment, just rolled his eyes and approached them. He stopped a few steps in front of Shi Qingxuan, and said nothing.

Shi Qingxuan, cowed into talking by He Xuan’s silence, cleared his throat. “He Xuan, Black Water Sinking Ships… I’m sorry for what my brother did to you because of me.” It seemed to pain him to say it, the anguish of having just lost his brother welling in his eyes. But he sounded genuine. 

He Xuan still stood silently, his expression not changing. Xie Lian frowned, and leaned down to whisper something in the bone dragon’s ear. He was moderately sure it could understand him, and wanted to test it out. His question was answered when the bone dragon stood to its full height, before descending in a blur and stopping in front of He Xuan’s face, threatening him. 

He Xuan just narrowed his eyes at it, before leaning around its skull to glare at Xie Lian. “You turned my own bone dragon against me?”

Xie Lian jerked his head towards Shi Qingxuan. “You just destroyed his life and got your revenge. It’s done, congratulations. Now be nice.”

He Xuan raised an eyebrow at Xie Lian’s strict tone, before placing his palm on the bone dragon’s nose and commanding it to go back out to sea. It gave a swift tap to He Xuan’s side, making him stumble and Xie Lian laugh, before slinking backwards and disappearing into the dark water. He Xuan, with a scowl on his face, brushed off his robes and crossed his arms once more.

“I don’t forgive you. Because I don’t care what was done to me. Your brother sicced that Venerable on me and it destroyed everyone I loved.” At the glare Xie Lian sent him, he huffed and continued. “But my revenge is over. I won’t do anything more to you.”

“Okay,” Shi Qingxuan whispered. “I’m still sorry.”

“Yeah, I know,” He Xuan said, before giving a swift nod, and turning his back to them, walking along the shore and away from them, looking out over the island.

“Would you like to come live with me?” Xie Lian turned back towards Shi Qingxuan and asked, hating the devastated expression he still wore.

Shi Qingxuan seemed to think about it for a second, before shaking his head. “Not right now. Thank you for the offer, but I have a lot to think about. I think I’ll just be on my own for a while. Maybe I’ll go to the city.”

Xie Lian nodded in understanding. “Please don’t be a stranger. I’m here, always, if you need me.”

His eyes welled with tears once more, before he ran into Xie Lian’s arms to give him a tight hug. Xie Lian returned the embrace. 

“I’m going to miss my brother. I’m going to miss being a God. But Xie Lian, I hate that I’m going to miss my friend Ming Yi as well,” Shi Qingxuan whispered into Xie Lian’s neck through the tears.

“I’m sorry,” Xie Lian started, “but it was always He Xuan. He was the one you formed a friendship with. And that friendship was real. Just give him some time. Give yourself some time as well.”

He nodded, pulling back from Xie Lian and wiping his face once more. He spared a glance towards He Xuan’s retreating form before looking away. Hua Cheng stepped forward and tossed his dice, making an array appear in a nearby leafless tree. “That’ll take you to the city, if you want.”

“Thank you,” Shi Qingxuan said. He turned, shoulders slumped and gait slow, and walked through the array. Xie Lian watched the array disperse behind him and sighed. 

“He Xuan!” Xie Lian called to him, waving him over to them when he glanced back. Even from a distance, Xie Lian could see him roll his eyes. But he listened anyway, walking back and giving Xie Lian a questioning look.

“What?”

“Is it actually done? Your revenge?”

He Xuan nodded.

“Good. You should go see Shi Qingxuan. Not now. Let everything that happened settle, let him process it, and then go see him.” At He Xuan’s bewildered expression, Xie Lian explained. “He values your friendship, and I don’t want to speak for you, but I don’t think that’s one sided.”

“Xie Lian, I just took his Godhood and beheaded his brother in front of him. He doesn’t want to hear from me.”

“You did all of that and he still didn’t run. He still stood here and spoke to you, apologized to you, when you approached. That means nothing to you?”

He Xuan scoffed, but Xie Lian could tell he was listening. “Whatever.” He Xuan walked away again, this time towards his manor, with a wave over his shoulder. 

Xie Lian signed, not sure if he was making the situation better or worse, but knowing he wanted to advocate for his friends. He turned to Hua Cheng, who still stood with a smile on his face as he looked down at Xie Lian. He grabbed Xie Lian’s hand once again, before speaking. “Gege, let’s go home.”

-

When they stepped out of the array back at the shrine, Xie Lian went inside and immediately collapsed onto the bench they had set up beside the table. Hua Cheng followed him, sitting pressed against his side.

Xie Lian was caught up in his own thoughts, head resting in his hands, when Hua Cheng spoke. “I am very honored, to be able to so frequently see gege’s kindness in action.”

Xie Lian lifted his head and shot Hua Cheng a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

Hua Cheng tilted his body on the bench so that he was halfway facing Xie Lian. “As I told you, I used to look up to you. You were so good, and powerful, and kind. And now, you have allowed me to be by your side. I get to see everyday that I made the right choice.” Xie Lian started to shake his head and argue, but Hua Cheng cut him off gently. “Gege, you don’t just follow what is right and wrong. The world is too messy to do that anyways. What is so admirable about you, is that you operate by your own strong moral compass. 

“Some may say revenge is never right, never justified. Some may say it is the only way. You choose not to see the world in such black and white terms. You listen and support your friends in any way you can; you trust them to make the right decisions and express your own opinion without being overbearing. You seem upset with how this situation ended, but you have genuinely helped He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan. And I know you’ll continue to do so. It’s just who you are.”

Hua Cheng’s assessment of him, whether or not he was right, threatened to bring grateful tears to Xie Lian’s eyes. He leaned closer to Hua Cheng, their faces just inches apart. “You know, San Lang, I couldn’t have been more wrong about you. You are the best person I have ever met. I’m not sure how I got lucky enough to meet you, but I’m eternally grateful. Thank you for being there for me. And I’m sorry for misunderstanding so much about you before I met you.”

Hua Cheng let out a low chuckle, the puff of air brushing lightly over Xie Lian’s lips from the proximity of their faces. “Gege, I wouldn’t change a single thing about that, as long as it would always end with us here. Together.”

Xie Lian could feel his stomach doing excited flips, and his cheeks heated. He couldn’t help the almost magnetic force that drew him closer to Hua Cheng, pressing their upper bodies flush together. Hua Cheng met him in the middle, tilting his head down so their foreheads touched. “San Lang is so wonderful,” he whispered into the space separating their lips.

“So is gege,” Hua Cheng replied, and not even a second later, closed the last of the space separating them to brush their lips together.

It was pure energy. Heat rushed through Xie Lian’s body at every point of contact he had with Hua Cheng, strongest at the connection of their lips. 

Xie Lian had spent so many centuries following his vows without even needing to think about it. It was the easiest thing he had ever done in his life. He would listen to stories, or hear lovers in the dead of night, and would simply shake his head. He never understood the pull of such things, never felt any kind of desire.

But it was as if meeting Hua Cheng had rewired something in his brain. Every tale of star-crossed lovers or forbidden romance that had previously meant nothing to him, suddenly flooded his mind in vibrant color. This was it. This was what they had all been talking about. It was this feeling, this sensation of warmth and love and safety and excitement, that they were all chasing. And he understood why they were chasing it.

Hua Cheng pulled away after much too short a time, and leaned slightly back to look at Xie Lian with wide eyes. “Your Highness, I apologize, I don’t know what came over me, I-”

“San Lang, please,” Xie Lian spoke in a breathless voice he had never before heard come from his own mouth, and fisted his hands in the robes beneath Hua Cheng’s neck. “Please, kiss me.”

Hua Cheng’s pupil expanded, until Xie Lian could no longer see the rust color he loved so much, and his face relaxed into a playful smirk. “Whatever gege wants,” he whispered.

Xie Lian let out a whimper, but Hua Cheng quickly quieted him with his lips once more. Though this time it was less of an innocent press of lips. Hua Cheng parted his mouth and tilted his head, kissing him deeper and causing Xie Lian’s brain to fill with a pleasurable fog. 

Hua Cheng looped one arm around Xie Lian’s waist, the other traveling up his back to rest against the back of his hair and tilt his head as he desired. Xie Lian leaned into it further, gripping his hands tighter and meeting Hua Cheng’s tongue hesitantly with his own. The contact sent sparks through his body.

They kissed for a while, long enough for the candle Hua Cheng had lit when he entered to burn out and fill the shrine with a layer of lazy smoke. Eventually, Hua Cheng pulled away, chest heaving with breath he didn’t need and looking at Xie Lian like he wanted to devour him. 

Xie Lian wasn’t in any better shape. His chest heaved in earnest, eyes glazed over and lips red and swollen. “San Lang…”

“Oh gege,” Hua Cheng punctuated his breathless statement with a quick peck to his lips, which Xie Lian chased absentmindedly. “Gege. Let’s rest. We can talk in the morning.”

“Okay,” Xie Lian said, blinking hard to try and clear his fuzzy head. Once it was clear enough, he gasped in horror. “San Lang! I’m so sorry! I don’t- I- I have no idea what came over me!”

“Gege, what are you talking ab-”

“Your beloved! You have a beloved you are waiting for! I remembered it, from when you were a ghost fire. You have a beloved you are waiting for and I completely disrespected that and disrespected them and- why are you laughing?”

Hua Cheng’s eye had been wide in shock at first, but soon after Xie Lian started talking, it curved in an amused smile before he broke out into laughter. Embarrassed and on edge from the ups and downs of his emotions, Xie Lian broke out into nervous laughter alongside Hua Cheng. When Hua Cheng heard it, it seemed to make him laugh harder.

“Sorry gege, but do you feel disrespected right now?” Hua Cheng said once his laughter had died down.

Xie Lian scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Do I feel disrespected? No, but why does that matter?”

Hua Cheng cupped his cheek in the palm of his hand and dropped a sweet kiss to his swollen lips. He pulled back so there was just a breath of space between their lips and spoke. “You are my beloved.”

Xie Lian’s cheeks burned in embarrassment, but the elation quickly overpowered it. He was Hua Cheng’s beloved. This whole time, it had always been him, and he was jealous of himself, and while Hua Cheng was looking for him he accused him of wanting to take him as a prisoner and-

“Ugh,” Xie Lian groaned as a fresh wave of embarrassment overtook him, and buried his face in Hua Cheng’s neck. “Let’s go to bed. No more talking.” He felt the vibrations of Hua Cheng’s chuckle.

Hua Cheng gently led him over to the sleeping mat, laying down next to him and wrapping his arms around his waist. Xie Lian once again fisted his hands in Hua Cheng’s robes and buried his face in his neck. He was still embarrassed, but couldn’t help the way his lips stretched in a smile against Hua Cheng’s neck. “We’ll talk in the morning.” His voice was muffled.

Hua Cheng ran a hand up and down his back soothingly, and Xie Lian felt the weight of the day and the loving touches lulling him to sleep.

But he was fine with it. Because tomorrow, he will wake up with Hua Cheng. He’ll get to talk with him, and laugh with him, and maybe kiss him again, and the excitement curdled in his veins and pulled an uncontrollable giggle from his mouth.

It had been a messy day. He felt terribly for Shi Qingxuan, and worried about what He Xuan would do now. But it was the best day of his entire life. And for that, he wouldn't feel bad. Besides, even if he tried to, he knew Hua Cheng wouldn’t let him. He knew Hua Cheng would be there. Forever, if he had any say in it.

Chapter Text

Every day Xie Lian spent with Hua Cheng was better than the last. The morning after their first kiss, after he had fallen asleep in Hua Cheng’s arms with Hua Cheng’s lips in his hair, he woke up wearing more than when he fell asleep. A thin chain with a brilliant diamond ring at the bottom now hung from his neck.

Hua Cheng had brushed it off as ‘a small trinket he thought gege would look good in’, and that it, ‘wasn’t important at all, gege can throw it away if he doesn’t want it’. Though after a full morning of interrogation that did not consist of much talking, he got Hua Cheng to admit what it really was. 

For the entire day he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. Knowing each time he cupped it in his palm, or kissed it, or tucked it safely beneath his robes, it was Hua Cheng’s essence he was protecting, caused him to wear a goofy smile. And Hua Cheng, though playful about it at first, wore a warm grin each time he saw Xie Lian fawning over it.

As the days passed they finished the repairs on the shrine, surrounded by a peace Xie Lian had never known before. It was as if everything in his life had finally slotted into place. Like every step he had taken, every pain he had felt, had led to these moments with Hua Cheng. And if everything he had gone through led him here, he wouldn’t change a thing.

A few weeks after they finished the shrine and were enjoying a meal in Ghost City, they received a welcome surprise. One moment it was just Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, sitting side by side with their thighs pressed together, and the next moment He Xuan had appeared across from them. 

He sat slouched in the chair, one ankle draped over his other leg and arms crossed tightly over his chest. The ghosts around them stared in shock at not one, but two legendary Ghost Kings casually sharing a table outside a rundown restaurant. 

“Xie Lian. Crimson Rain,” He Xuan greeted them. Hua Cheng said nothing, just sighed and motioned to the waiter to bring out more food.

“He Xuan! How are you?” Xie Lian propped his elbow on the table and placed his chin in his palm, smiling at his friend. 

“Fine.”

“I’m good too!” 

He Xuan just rolled his eyes, before staring at both he and Hua Cheng for a moment. “I’ve been hearing some rumors about you two.”

Xie Lian smiled. “Do tell.”

“I’ve heard the infamous Ghost King, feared by all of heaven, is currently dating a God.”

A hot blush flooded Xie Lian’s cheeks, but he gave it back to He Xuan in equal measure. “That’s funny, I’ve been hearing some rumors as well.”

He Xuan’s body stilled, and he narrowed his eyes at Xie Lian, parroting his words back to him. “Do tell.”

The waiter came over and began to set down plate after plate of different foods in front of He Xuan. Once he was finished, and there was almost no space left on the table, the waiter gave a deep bow and retreated. He Xuan didn’t touch the food, waiting for Xie Lian to speak.

“I hear a feared Ghost King, who was recently outed for having infiltrated heaven, has been spending quite a bit of time with a former God.”

He Xuan scowled at him, before giving up, rolling his eyes, and digging into the food. With his mouth full, he said, “whatever.”

“Shi Qingxuan is happy that you’re talking to him.” Xie Lian gave up the joking pretense and shot He Xuan a warm smile. “He was feeling very alone, and a bit lost, trying to adjust to his new life.”

He Xuan rolled his eyes again. “Don’t even try, I know this one,” he tilted his head in Hua Cheng’s direction, “gave him enough money that he’ll never have to worry again.”

“That doesn’t mean his life hasn’t completely changed; that he didn’t lose his brother in an intense and gruesome way.”

He Xuan bit a large chunk off of a chicken leg, before lowering his eyes and hunching his shoulders. “I know, I know! That’s why I’m talking to him. Jeez, back off.”

Hua Cheng narrowed his eyes in He Xuan’s direction, to which Xie Lian just placed a soothing hand on his knee and sent him a smile. Hua Cheng glanced down at him, and as if unable to help himself, dropped a smiling kiss onto the crown of his head.

“Not while I’m eating, please,” He Xuan protested, but he didn’t slow down one bit.

They spent the rest of their meal trading light, companionable conversation. Xie Lian knew not to push the topic of Shi Qingxuan too hard with He Xuan. He had already meddled quite a bit, and didn’t want to overstep in a huge way. Besides, from what he’d been hearing from Shi Qingxuan, he and He Xuan were doing very well. After everything that happened He Xuan had spent a few days hiding, while Shi Qingxuan adjusted to a new life in the city with Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s help. They both took a few days to clear their heads. 

He Xuan had sought him out a week and a half after everything, with, in Shi Qingxuan’s words, a ‘tearful apology’ and begged to be friends. Xie Lian translated that to a grudging acknowledgement of his faults from He Xuan and a shared meal. Either way, he was very happy for his friends. He knew they had a meaningful friendship, and looked forward to seeing them continue that.

Later that day, after they had said goodbye to He Xuan and were settling into bed for the night, Xie Lian turned to Hua Cheng and buried his face in his chest. Hua Cheng, who was sprawled atop the blankets with his back propped against the headboard and idly fiddling with the ends of Xie Lian’s hair, let out a startled breath.

“Gege, are you alright?”

Xie Lian just nodded, snuggling deeper as Hua Cheng’s arms came to wrap tightly around his waist. “I’m just happy.” His voice was muffled into Hua Cheng’s robes.

“Yeah,” Hua Cheng ran his hand soothingly up and down Xie Lian’s back. “It’s good that He Xuan pulled his head out of his ass long enough to afford Shi Qingxuan a thought. I know their situation was weighing on you.”

Xie Lian sat up, shifting so his legs bracketed Hua Cheng’s waist and looping his arms around Hua Cheng’s neck. Hua Cheng sprawled his hands out against Xie Lian’s lower back. “Yeah, I’m glad they’re working it out. He Xuan seems better and Shi Qingxuan has actually been adjusting to his new life in the city well. Last time he visited me at the shrine, he said he was working as a bartender in a new pub that had just opened up.”

“As long as gege is happy.” Hua Cheng trailed his lips along Xie Lian’s jaw in featherlight kisses, causing a knot of heat to form low in Xie Lian’s gut.

“I am,” Xie Lian agreed breathlessly, body tensing as Hua Cheng moved to his neck and focused on the spot beneath his ear that drew out unspeakable sounds from his lips. “But it isn’t just them.”

“Hm,” Hua Cheng hummed, shooting vibrations through Xie Lian’s skin and causing a whimper to break from his lips. “Tell me, what else is making gege happy?”

Xie Lian pulled one of his arms back and used his hand to cup Hua Cheng’s cheek, bringing his face back up to Xie Lian’s. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Hua Cheng’s lips. When he pulled back, Hua Cheng growled and tightened his grip on Xie Lian’s lower back, fingers sliding down dangerously low.

“San Lang. San Lang is making me happy.” Xie Lian pressed another kiss to his lips, this one deeper and lingering much longer. “San Lang has made me so happy. I love you.”

Hua Cheng’s eyes, which were filled with heat, softened just a bit. He kissed the corner of Xie Lian’s lips. “I love you, my beloved. So much.”

After that, there were no more words spoken. Hua Cheng switched their positions, flipping Xie Lian onto his back and towering over him on bent elbows, and didn’t let up for the entire night.

-

Exactly one year after they met that fateful day in He Xuan’s manor, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng got married. The morning of their wedding day was spent in relative peace and quiet. They traveled to the long fallen kingdom of Xianle to bow to Xie Lian’s parents, officially sealing their marriage. It was lovely and intimate, and easily the happiest day of Xie Lian’s life.

Afterwards, they went to Ghost City where a massive celebration was being thrown in their honor. It wasn’t something they had planned. More accurately, the information of the date of their wedding got leaked to the residents of Ghost City, who threw together a huge party. It was more for the citizens than for them, evidenced by the copious amounts of drinking and gambling and fighting that was happening around them, but Xie Lian thought it was ridiculously sweet nevertheless.

A long table had been set up on the floor of the Gambler’s Den, where Xie Lian and Hua Cheng sat at the head. Next to them, to their right, were He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan. Xie Lian couldn’t help the occasional smiles he would send their way as he watched them interact. 

He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan could probably be considered friends again at this point, their relationship looking much more similar to how it was when Shi Qingxuan thought he was Ming Yi. The only difference was the blush that flooded Shi Qingxuan’s face every time He Xuan did something even slightly nice towards him, and the increased amount of slightly nice things He Xuan was doing for Shi Qingxuan.

Hua Cheng leaned his head down to whisper in Xie Lian’s ear to be heard over the roaring crowd. “How long until they give in, do you think?”

Xie Lian laughed, turning his head so that their cheeks were pressed together. “Give them time, San Lang.”

“Not that I care, but they’re moving at a snail’s pace.” Hua Cheng dipped his head to press a line of kisses to Xie Lian’s neck, causing his breath to hitch and his face to heat. “He should learn from me. How long was it until gege was wrapped around my finger?”

Xie Lian leaned back and raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes at his increasingly bold husband. Hua Cheng looked away, a guilty expression on his face. “Who is wrapped around whose finger?” Xie Lian laughed.

Hua Cheng laughed with him, grabbing his waist and hoisting him closer so their sides were pressed tightly together, so tight Xie Lian was almost on his lap. “Gege…” He whined into Xie Lian’s hair. “You’ve had me wrapped around your finger for centuries. Let me have this one.”

“No,” Xie Lian cheekily replied, dropping a quick kiss to the corner of Hua Cheng’s lips to show he was joking.

“UGH.”

“FUCK STOP.”

Xie Lian glanced to his left, where Mu Qing and Feng Xin sat, glaring at them with disgusted expressions. Xie Lian laughed even harder. “You guys are literally at our wedding.”

“Doesn’t mean we should have to be subjected to… that.” Mu Qing pointed an accusing finger at them.

“Seriously, Your Highness, are you sure about this? He’s a Ghost King!” Feng Xin tried to reason with him, yelling to be heard over the racket. Xie Lian fought back a laugh, amused that Feng Xin was still trying to get him to back out of it even though they were already married.

Hua Cheng removed his head from where it was pressed into Xie Lian’s hair to glare at them. “You are in my territory, invited to my wedding, and you dare to speak that way? Do you crave death so badly?”

“We’re just trying to help His Highness!” Feng Xin argued, but couldn’t seem to help the way he leaned back and away from Hua Cheng in subconscious fear. 

Xie Lian lightly patted Hua Cheng’s chest and shot a smile at his friends. He had been spending more time with them, during the few times he was in heaven and the instances they would show up unannounced at his shrine. They had worked back up to a very solid friendship. The only issue was his relationship with Hua Cheng. He didn’t want to tell them so plainly, but he tried to show it in his every action, how he would choose Hua Cheng over them any time, any day. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about them. He genuinely did, and the more time he spent with them, the more he realized he missed his old friends. But not accepting his relationship with Hua Cheng was a deal breaker. And though they were slow to come around, about as slow as Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan with whatever they had going on, it was still progress.

“Thank you for your help! But Hua Cheng is my husband now. You don’t have to like it. To be honest, I don’t really care whether or not you do. But he is a nonnegotiable part of my life.”

Mu Qing and Feng Xin scoffed, crossing their arms and glaring, but not saying anything more. And for all of their talk, they ended up getting pretty drunk during the festivities and partying late with the ghosts of Ghost City. He Xuan took Shi Qingxuan home early in the night, giving he and Hua Cheng a curt goodbye and begrudging congratulations. Xie Lian was just happy that they had come to celebrate with them. He felt honored to spend such a special day with his closest friends.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng returned to Paradise Manor shortly afterwards, hand in hand, smiles stretching both of their lips.

As they walked to their bedroom, Xie Lian mused, “You know, this all happened because I washed up on He Xuan’s shore. Without him, who knows when we would have met again.”

Hua Cheng gave a joking scowl. “Don’t remind me that I owe that fish anything.”

“I’m just glad you never actually wanted me as a prisoner,” Xie Lian laughed.

“Don’t tempt me, gege.” They entered their room, and Hua Cheng abruptly turned around to pick Xie Lian up by the backs of his thighs and lay him flat on his back on the bed, towering over him. His dark hair hung over his shoulders and the arms holding him above Xie Lian, a dangerous grin splitting his lips and lightly crinkling the bottom of his eyepatch. “There is nothing I want more than to keep you locked up all for myself.”

Xie Lian trailed his arms up Hua Cheng’s sides, smiling as he felt his face heat. “You don’t have to. I’m yours.”

Hua Cheng’s grin turned almost savage, eye roaming Xie Lian’s laid out body like a hungry animal looking at a feast. “Oh gege, it’s me that is yours.”

As Hua Cheng took him to bed, and showed him a wedding night he wouldn’t soon forget, he realized it was all just silly semantics. Hua Cheng being his, or him being Hua Cheng’s; it didn’t matter. For the rest of their lives, they were each other’s. To rely on, to laugh with, to love. There wouldn't come another time where Xie Lian turned around with a story on the tip of his tongue to empty space. No more suffering and simply having to wait for it to end, with nobody to help. He had found his person. 

He really needed to send He Xuan a thank you gift.