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The Windmaster was a frequent visitor to Puqi Shrine, often dragging other Heavenly Officials along and roping them into doing odd jobs around Xie Lian's very humble abode. Sometimes Shi Qingxan came in male form and sometimes female, but whenever possible, they coerced their companions to match the gender they presented while visiting. Their most frequent companion was the Earthmaster, and for whatever reason, when they visited together, they usually did so as women.
On this particular day, Hua Cheng was also visiting when Shi Qingxuan arrived, and since it was once again Ming Yi accompanying them, they'd come in their female form.
"Excellent timing as always," Xie Lian said. "We were just about to go hunting for mushrooms."
Shi Qingxan beamed. "Oh, wonderful! I haven't done that in ages."
Xie Lian motioned for them to follow him into the shrine. "Come help me gather some supplies, and we'll get started."
The Windmaster hurried after Xie Lian, leaving Hua Cheng and the "Earthmaster" alone together in the front garden. They stood around silently for a few minutes, deliberately not making eye contact with one another while they waited for their companions to return, but when it was clear something was holding them up, eventually Hua Cheng got bored and poked a bit at his companion for his own entertainment.
"An interesting look, Earthmaster. The outfit from Banyue Pass was better, though."
He Xuan folded her arms over her chest and looked very pointedly in the direction furthest away from Crimson Rain Sought Flower. "It got torn. I threw that away."
"A shame."
More silence passed. This time it was He Xuan who broke it. "You're here every time we come. Do you live here now?"
"I go where Xie Lian wants to go, and it just so happens he frequently wants to be here. Much like your friend the Windmaster."
"Not my friend," He Xuan shot back.
"I see," Hua Cheng replied. "My mistake."
The other two reappeared shortly after that, and they set off into the forest. Xie Lian and the Windmaster led the way, but Shi Qingxuan frequently fell back to chat with the Earthmaster.
"Ming Yi, we really should have brought those sandwiches after all. I didn't realize we'd be away this long. But don't worry, I have a plan. I'll make something when we get back to Puqi Shrine." They laughed. "Or maybe you should make it, since you're a much better cook. The point is, I'll make sure you're fed, and we'll do it together."
He Xuan opened her mouth to reply, but Shi Qingxuan had bounded away again, back to Xie Lian's side.
"So thoughtful of them to think of you like that," Hua Cheng remarked once they were alone again. "Just like a good friend would."
"Not my friend," He Xuan murmured.
"Oh, I know. I'm just saying it's like that."
He Xuan said nothing more, only stalked away from the ghost king.
They were all occupied with mushroom hunting after that, altering one another when they found a promising patch, or in He Xuan's case, reappearing with her bounty and dumping it in the large communal basket Xie Lian kept nearby before she went off on her own again. But at some point the Windmaster also disappeared and didn't reappear until the mushroom hunting was almost finished. When they finally returned, they were carrying something behind their back and grinning from ear to ear as they marched up to the Earthmaster.
"Ta-da!" they exclaimed and swung their hands around, revealing a metal bucket overflowing with fresh fish. "Dinner is served! Or rather, later it will be. We're going to make you a feast."
Hua Cheng whistled low as he took in the Windmaster's bounty. "Quite an impressive catch. I hope you like fish, Earthmaster."
He Xuan glared at the ghost king and muttered under her breath.
"She does! She loves it. That's why I blew enough fish out of the river to fill two buckets. Which reminds me." Shi Qingxuan pushed the bucket at He Xuan's chest. "Here, take this. I need to go get the rest."
"I'll help," Xie Lian said, and ran after her.
"Not a word," He Xuan muttered as soon as the other two were out of earshot. "Not a single word."
"I wasn't going to say anything. Though if I did say something, I'd apologize and say I agreed with you. You're definitely not their friend." Hua Cheng picked up the basket of mushrooms and winked as he swung it over his shoulder. "You're their wife."
He Xuan said nothing, only turned an angry shade of red and stormed in the direction of Puqi Shrine, clutching the bucket of fish tightly against her chest.