Chapter Text
“Follow me.”
“I’ll give you what you want.”
No further words needed to be said for Xie Lian to get the black-clad young man to follow.
Around them, gongs rang out in celebration of the newly established kingdom of Yong’an. Yong’an. Forever peace. It was all nothing but a bad joke to Xie Lian- one he wouldn’t let any one of them get away with. As hails and praises were sung, he could feel them ringing hollow in his ears like a stone sinking into a deep well.
He could bear neither the sight nor the sound of those traitors he’d once protected practically dancing over his parents’ corpses- the King and Queen of Xianle’s corpses.
How dare they?
To distract himself, Xie Lian thought to check on his companion, who had remained silent throughout his earlier monologue - which he was starting to find overly dramatic- and the reverie of thoughts he’d just snapped himself out of.
Next to him, Wu Ming - true to his words – was indeed following silently, occasionally looking around on alert for any potential danger.
Xie Lian scoffed internally. Why does he care?
At that point, Xie Lian could barely stand the idea of having believers of his
own, let alone trying to comprehend why this ghost of a teen soldier seemed so
adamant on treating Xie Lian like some divine highness to be worshipped.
Shrugging Wu Ming off for the time being, Xie Lian looked down at the black
sword clutched in his hands so tightly, it made his knuckles go white. The
weapon looked so ominous, he could almost hear the screams of all those ghosts
he’d summoned, begging – or perhaps warning – him to... What? That, he
couldn’t understand.
As the sleeve of his snow-white funeral garbs fluttered in the wind, he caught a
glimpse of Ruoye wrapped around his slender wrist. The sight of the white band
snuggled up against him reminded Xie Lian of something with a jolt.
His parents.
Or rather, their corpses.
He’d left to exact his revenge in such haste; he paid no mind to give them a
proper funeral or burial. What kind of son did that make him?
Noticing his pause, Wu Ming finally dared to speak up for the first time after
he’d upset Xie Lian with that flower.
“Your Highness...?”
His voice came out youthful and hesitant behind that crescent-smile mask.
“What is it?”
Holding up a shaky hand to silence him, Xie Lian spoke up in barely a whisper,
“My...my parents. I think...maybe...”
After a few moments of incoherent mumbling, he broke into a run, his white
robes billowing behind him.
“Your Highness! Wait!”
Xie Lian barely registered Wu Ming’s voice in his desperate attempt to stop that
wretched white creature from...
Too late.
Halting at the vicinity of that crumbling shrine, Xie Lian froze, his chest
heaving and breath likely fogging up the inside of that half-smiling, half-weeping mask. The inside of the shrine was unadorned and bore only a toppled
stool, empty plates that had been licked clean, the stench of rotting food...
...But not the bodies of his parents that he could’ve sworn laid right where he
stood.
Wu Ming, after finally catching up with him, paused to glance at what made his
god freeze in his tracks.
“Your Highness, is this...?”
“No...no, no, no, no... how could they be... I, I...”
The words Xie Lian was about to utter blended in with the sobs that begun to
wrack his body until he was on his knees, trembling with rage and devastation.
Wu Ming stood over him, a silent and somehow shaken up guardian. He’d
never seen or imagined his god so utterly broken up. Hesitantly, he laid an
uncertain hand on Xie Lian’s shoulder.
“Your Highness, please-”
What cut him off next wasn’t another cold reprimand, but a warmth that pressed
against him faster than he could think. Daring to look down after a dazed
moment, Wu Ming was met with a sight that broke his heart and made it ache at
the same time.
His god, his precious god, had thrown off that damned mask, revealing a face
marred by nothing but the tears that slid down his pale cheeks. His beloved
highness was reduced to a mess of sobs and trembling lips, and there was
nothing Wu Ming thought to do besides letting the god cling to his ice-cold
form for as long as he liked.
Huh... Wait a moment...
His highness was...hugging him, seeking comfort in such an intimate manner...
...Was this real?
Despite the confused ecstasy swirling within him, Wu Ming firmly decided to
focus on comforting the one person he existed for.
Slowly, his earlier limp hands reached up – one going around Xie Lian’s waist,
and the other cradling the back of his head with a tenderness he’d been aching
to show his beloved.
“Y-Your Highness, I...”, he trailed off uncertainly before steeling himself to
continue, “I saw it earlier... that white figure. I saw it deposit something
underground...”
“They’re... they’re safe and respected in death. Just...”
The hesitation in his voice made Xie Lian look up at the young ghost’s still-masked face. Without Xie Lian’s own mask on, Wu Ming could see his beloved god’s red-rimmed eyes that sparkled with moisture, the slight flush on his face
from crying, and the way those inviting lips parted ever so slightly to draw in
deep, shuddering breaths.
He looked absolutely shattered and devastated – but more beautiful than he’d
ever looked in Wu Ming’s eyes.
If his heart still had a beat, it surely would’ve skipped one the moment he felt
Xie Lian’s warm, trembling hands reach up and remove his mask; the moment
he saw those expressive eyes widen as they took in the sight of his exposed
face.
Xie Lian’s knees faltered as he took in that familiar face. Wu Ming scrambled
to support his weight in his arms as a dazed Xie Lian still remained frozen.
Was this not that same young soldier who’d defended his dignity and guarded
him in that cave?
How did he...?
“Y-You... I know you! You were- I... I was-”
Xie Lian immediately cut himself off, seeing Wu Ming’s bowed head and
finally registering the younger man’s grip on his waist.
He reached up to touch the young ghost’s face felt a pleasant shiver run down
his spine – whether it was from the coldness of his skin or... something else
entirely, he couldn’t tell.
However, he knew what it was for sure when he saw
Wu Ming leaning into his warm touch, his eyes closed in contentment.
The sight of the younger man’s cheek nestled so comfortably in Xie Lian’s
palm made all his restraint melt away as he found himself leaning in.
“You... you could’ve fled the moment you saw me in... in that state. Why would
you...?”
He trailed off as a sob choked the rest of his question. It was implied, but
obvious.
Why would Wu Ming stay when both Xie Lian and Xianle’s downfall had been
imminent? Why would he-
All thoughts left Xie Lian’s mind when he felt an ice-cold finger hooking itself
under his chin and tipping his delicate face upwards to meet Wu Ming’s gaze.
“Your Highness...”, he breathed out, his voice lower and more intense than Xie
Lian had ever heard from him. Wu Ming continued as his thumb boldly brushed
over the god’s lower lip.
“I’d let Your Highness scatter my soul, but please... don’t question me like this.
I didn’t die for the kingdom; I died for you. Because...”
Unable to say more, he knelt to the ground, taking Xie Lian’s hand and planting
a soft kiss on the back of it.
“Because...”, Xie Lian continued for him.
“Because to die for me in battle is your greatest honour. That’s what you said,
isn’t it?”
Xie Lian’s grip tightened on Wu Ming’s cool hand as he repeated the same
declaration the young ghost had made to him – the same declaration Xie Lian
had so easily dismissed.
Urging the younger man to stand, Xie Lian took both of his hands in his own.
“You’re so ready to die for me... But- but what if I wanted...”
He trailed off, unable to voice his desires. Wu Ming, however, seemed to have
realized what Xie Lian wished to imply, based on the way his mismatched eyes
widened at his words.
“Does Your Highness really mean... Do you... I mean-”
In that moment, Wu Ming felt more grateful than ever for his lack of a
heartbeat, because it certainly would’ve stopped as his beloved god threw his
arms around the younger man’s neck and crashed their lips together.
Was this really happening?
Wu Ming’s hand trembled as it reached up to tangle in that long, brown hair as
they kissed. Pulling back, the younger man’s voice broke on his next words,
“Your Highness, I... I’m...”
“...My most devoted believer, I know.”, Xie Lian finished the sentence for him,
feeling all his resentment fade away as all three realms narrowed down to just
this young ghost and his beloved god.