Chapter Text
Xie Lian had one goal in mind. To make Hua Cheng dinner.
It had been just shy of a month now since he had unintentionally thrown himself into Hua Cheng’s arms at that little plagued town. The time together had plenty of challenges and more than enough battles, but despite that, he found that he was enjoying each day. For a long time, he had simply been surviving, just hoping not to starve, but since he met Hua Cheng, he had found his smiles becoming more and more genuine.
Xie Lian really hadn’t thought that he would hang around for so long. He had expected him to get bored of wandering around and sleeping on the sides of the road, but he never complained. It was refreshing to have someone to talk to, so Xie Lian really just wanted to do something to thank him for his companionship.
There was a little he could offer. He enjoyed cooking meals for others, even if he wasn’t the best cook, though he couldn’t remember the last time he had anyone to cook for. Perhaps it had been Banyue over two centuries ago. The thought of making a nice warm meal made with fresh ingredients for Hua Cheng made his heart feel light and excited. He became determined to make it happen.
Heading east, they had come across a small farming village. The town had a small market where in season fruits and vegetables were sold, and it was while they were there that he overheard one of the old farmers lamenting about his need for assistance in planting the seeds in his fields. Apparently the young men in the village had been drafted into a war to defend the country’s border, leaving mostly elderly behind to tend to the fields.
Xie Lian, who had only a few coins left from his performance after buying the necessary supplies before leaving the last town, eagerly joined in on the conversation. The man was willing to pay and even offered to allow them to stay in his guest house during the duration of the work. It was perfect! If the guest house had a kitchen, he could work enough to earn the money for the ingredients and then he could finally make a meal for Hua Cheng.
All of that had led up to today with Xie Lian covered in dirt from his hands to his elbows and all along his knees. He dug and planted each seed with care, invigorated by the small amount of coins he had been promised at the end of the day.
Hua Cheng stood equally dirtied not too far off. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing that impossible to read tattoo. His hair was tied up into a high bun today which peeked through Xie Lian’s bamboo hat that he wore but left his neck bare. It seemed that his robes had slipped open a bit in the front from all of the kneeling and standing he was doing. A few of the young women of the village stood at the edge of the fields, whispering to each other while they watched him.
Xie Lian frowned a little and stood. He walked over to him, which caught his attention right away. A warm smile spread across his face as he stood to greet him. “Gege! Are you thirsty?”
“Mn. I am.” But he hadn’t actually been thinking about that at all. Hua Cheng fished his waterskin from where it was tied to his hip and held it out to him, but it went ignored when Xie Lian gripped the front of his robes and pulled them tightly closed. It caught Hua Cheng off guard and he stared at him questioningly. “Gege? What’s this? It’s too hot out.”
“A little heat won’t kill you. It’s not right to be improper.” Xie Lian mumbled and secured his belt a little tighter to keep things from falling loose again.
“Improper? Gege, I’ve seen you work without a shirt before.”
“That was-!” Xie Lian found himself flushing at being called out so blatantly. He snatched the waterskin and pretended to be focused on getting it open while he mumbled. “There wasn’t anyone else there that time…you weren’t supposed to see…”
Hua Cheng laughed much louder than necessary and it only made the redness in Xie Lian’s cheeks darken. He quickly took a drink from the waterskin before shoving it back at Hua Cheng. “I’m going back to work!”
He briskly turned on his heel to head back to the plot he was working on, but Hua Cheng caught his wrist before he made it too far. “Okay, gege. Then if I’m the only one who’s allowed to see you like that, then I’ll make sure you’re the only one who can see me like that.”
That statement made Xie Lian’s face turn completely red from his hairline to his chin. He roughly yanked his wrist away from him and shouted. “San Lang! You tease too much!”
Of course that only made him chuckle again and Xie Lian quickly stomped away, only glancing back at him once to see him drinking from the waterskin. That dark eye of his was twinkling while still watching him.
Ahh! He was too much! So insincere!
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly and it was when the sun fell low in the sky that they were allowed to quit for the day. The field owner handed each of them their pay, which was fairly small considering it was prorated due to them needing room and board. Still, it was a little closer to earning the ingredients to make Hua Cheng dinner so Xie Lian was plenty thankful.
This would be enough to buy a few vegetables, but wasn’t enough for the meat. Meat was a luxury, especially in a little remote place like this. He hoped that with one more day he would be able to at least get enough of a cheaper cut of pork for two portions.
They headed over to the well to wash up, and the crowd of fawning girls gradually made their way over.
“Daozhang.” A few of them crowded around Xie Lian, one even tugging at his robe to get his attention. “Is your friend taken? He’s such a capable young man, I’m sure he's already betrothed.”
Xie Lian was surprised that they were willing to touch him, especially with how dirty and sweaty he was. That was a little unusual. “Ah, San Lang-”
“Of course he’s betrothed. He’s probably already married.” One of the other women cut in. “Any family of a man like that would marry him off to some wealthy noble and make sure to get a hefty dowry.”
“Tell us, Daozhang. How is he related to you? Is he your brother? Nephew? Has his family already promised him to someone?”
These women crowded close, and Xie Lian felt incredibly uneasy with how intense their stares were. There was already a similar crowd pushing in on Hua Cheng, likely asking very similar questions. It must be tough living in a far off farming village. These women seemed more than eager to marry a traveler and be whisked away to a different world. “Ah, while San Lang is not married, he does have a-”
“He’s not married!” The women were already cooing before he could even finish, bouncing on their feet with excitement. Xie Lian tried repeatedly to interject and clear things up, but his voice couldn’t even be heard over the rapid talking and squeals.
An older woman happened to be walking by with what was likely her husband pulling a food cart. She saw the commotion and came trotting over.
“Ladies! You’re being overbearing again!” The auntie smacked them all on the tops of their heads with a folding fan. That caused the young women to calm down, forced to rub their sore skulls. The woman set her hands on her hips. “You do this every time a handsome traveler comes through. None of you lot are going to marry some far off handsome prince. You need to be grateful for the hard working men who live here!”
“But so many left for the war and the ones left behind are so ugly and old, Auntie!” The women cried. None of them exuded beauty in any particularly noteworthy way either, but Xie Lian kept that opinion to himself. “How can we even look at the men here when such handsome travelers come through this town? First it was that doctor, now this young, hardworking noble! Even Daozhang here has a pretty face.”
That earned them another round of fierce waps to the skull, which had them all clutching their heads and whining now. The older woman shooed them away and sighed, turning to Xie Lian apologetically. “Sorry about them, Daozhang. They’re young and blinded by fantasy. Don’t be afraid to get a little stern with them.”
“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine.” Xie Lian waved off her concerns. He glanced over at Hua Cheng, whose group of women were sulking away looking sullen. As he turned to look at Xie Lian, he beamed brightly, and Xie Lian instantly recognized the mischief behind that smile. He’d said something ridiculous to them, no doubt.
Once Hua Cheng waltzed over to them, the woman grabbed two meatball skewers from their food cart and held them out. “For your troubles. We’ve closed up for the day and these are the left overs, but they're good. Made fresh this morning. My old man makes a fine pork meatball.”
She shoved a thumb back at her husband, who didn’t say anything and just looked away, seeming more than eager to just get home.
“Thank you.” Xie Lian took the offer, because free food was free food and he wasn’t one to reject it. The woman bid them a good night and wished them well, reiterating to be firm with the women. Xie Lian waved as they ventured off and sighed in relief once they were finally alone again.
His stomach rumbled at the sight of the skewer. They were small, meant to be a street snack rather than a full meal. Though they’d been made that morning, as he bit into it, the meat was still hot and juicy and had a sesame seed glaze that was absolutely delicious. He offered the second one to Hua Cheng. “It’s good!”
“You can have them both.” He just smiled, seemingly content to watch Xie Lian enjoy them. “Should we head into town for some supplies?”
Xie Lian just nodded, happily gobbling up the tasty skewers while they walked.
In town they got some basics that the guest house didn’t provide, like candles, firewood, and some soap to wash up properly after working in the fields all day. Xie Lian also purchased some vegetables, vinegar and spices. He was starting to form an idea of what meal he wanted to make for Hua Cheng, but when asked what he would be using them for he kept his lips tightly sealed.
This village only offered a small highway tea house with a restaurant for travelers, so they stopped there to get dinner proper. The skewers were a nice snack, but didn't particularly fill the stomach after a full day of hard labor. Hua Cheng paid, and for once, Xie Lian didn’t argue, but was all the more determined to make sure the meal he made for him was good.
“Ah, gege. Take a look at this. Yin Yu sent it over earlier.” Once seated, Hua Cheng pulled a scroll from his robes and unrolled it on the table between them. It was a large map, beautifully rendered, containing the entire country and surrounding countries. There were red and green circles in various spots around the map, but Xie Lian wasn’t sure what they indicated.
Hua Cheng tapped at one of the red circles. “As you know, I had him ask around for any suspicious activity that could be the doings of a wrath ghost. I also reached out to some of my informants and with the information we gathered he put together this map. There are sixteen locations where disappearances or spiritual activity have spiked within the last few months. If we investigate these places, we have strong evidence to believe that we’ll find more of our ex-gods waiting for us.”
Sixteen. While that was better than twenty-eight, it was still a significant number. And that was only the ones that were making their presence known. There could well be others who kept themselves better hidden. Still, it was a good start. He wanted to hunt these ghosts down and stop them from hurting any more innocent people as soon as possible.
However, when he started counting all of the circles, he counted twenty-two. There were sixteen red and six green circles. He pointed at one of the green ones. “What’s the difference between red and green?”
Hua Cheng chuckled. “The green circles are places where activity has spiked, but all the clues point to it being the doing of Qi Rong. He has quite a few tell tale signs when he attacks a place. I’d like to pay him a visit as well, so I had Yin Yu mark those places down too so I can narrow down his location.”
“Qi Rong?” It had been many centuries since he had heard that name. Was it possible that it was the same person? No, no, that would be incredibly unlikely. It had been 800 years, and a ghost would be foolish to use their real name anyway.
Hua Cheng nodded. “Qi Rong. He’s not a Supreme, but a wrath. While he isn’t deserving of it, the mortals have given him the name Night Touring Green Lantern and call him one of the four Ghost Kings, despite not having properly earned the title.”
“Is that so?” Xie Lian found himself intrigued. He was admittedly out of touch when it came to the other powerful ghosts, aside from Hua Cheng who he had learned about from the town they had met in. “Obviously you are one of the four, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, is that right? Have you met the others?”
“I have.” Hua Cheng nodded. “I visited Qi Rong once, but we only exchanged a few words before he ran off like the little rat that he is.”
The disdain in his voice was tangible, and if Hua Cheng hated him so much it only solidified the idea that maybe it could be the same person.
“Then there’s Black Water Sinking Ships.” Hua Cheng trailed a finger along the location of the southern sea on the map as he continued. “He emerged from the kiln a few centuries after I did. Black Water and I…don’t talk much. When we do, it’s strictly about business. Sometimes we bump into each other outside of that, but rarely.”
“Black Water.” Xie Lian mused. It was an ominous name. In the town that worshiped Hua Cheng he had heard the name mentioned and knew that he was a calamity, but that was really all he knew. It seemed the mortal realm didn’t have many stories about him. “And the last one?”
“The last one isn’t worth mentioning. He was defeated centuries ago, after all, by Your Highness.”
That was truly all he needed to say for Xie Lian to understand exactly who the last Ghost King was. He and the Heavenly Emperor had laid him to rest 800 years ago, and to his knowledge, he hadn’t returned to torment anyone else. Thank goodness.
Xie Lian turned back to the map. It had been quite some time since he had seen a map, back when he had been the State Preceptor of Yong’an. He had a vague idea of how the borders and ruling countries had changed from his travels, but nothing clear. Looking at the map now was enlightening. “So we’re somewhere around here right now, is that right?”
He pointed towards the southeast, a little ways inland from the coastline just north of the southern sea. There were two red circles not too far from them.
“Just about.” Hua Cheng confirmed, which gave Xie Lian a sense of pride that his mental map was still fairly accurate. He then pointed at those two circles. “I actually marked these two villages here. While there’s nothing that overly looks like wrath activity, they’ve both had an uptick in deaths recently.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a disease that spread between the two villages?” Many small villages just like this one worked together to share food or labor, so diseases spread fairly easily between them, especially when they were remote with so few large cities nearby. They relied heavily on each other after all.
“That’s the thing, gege. It’s nothing like that. Their deaths have all been for different reasons. Heart attacks, strokes, sudden collapses or deaths in their sleep. They’ve all been sudden and unexpected, though not many flags were raised because many of them were elderly.” Hua Cheng set his chin in his palm and held up a finger. “And there’s one more oddity.”
“What is that?”
“All of the people who have passed have been men.”
Xie Lian quirked a brow. “Only men?”
Hua Cheng leaned back in his seat and folded his arms as he nodded. “Only men. Not a single woman has died.”
That was certainly interesting, but still not highly unusual. Judging by the location, most of the young men had likely also been drafted into the nearby war in which case the elderly men could have been overexerting themselves. It was the planting season after all, and there was a lot of work to be done in the fields. But still, if Hua Cheng found it odd, then what harm was there in looking into it?
So they had a goal now. With two targets so close by, once they were done here they could choose one to go after. It would probably only be a couple days walk from here.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel oddly excited looking at the map. He knew he shouldn’t be, since these ghosts were wreaking havoc on these towns, but the idea of fighting them together meant that he and Hua Cheng got to stay together for a while longer yet. As they discussed the route they would follow to tackle each one, he found a soft smile forming each time they estimated how long it would take. They would start with the southeast and then travel north, before rounding through the central plains and going west. By foot, it would take quite some time.
So focused on the prospective time they could spend together, he didn’t even consider the fact that Hua Cheng could easily travel to each one in the blink of an eye and take these ghosts on himself without needing any help.
“Your Highness? Are you there?”
“Oh!” Xie Lian startled when a voice echoed next to his ear. He’d had no need to use spiritual energy on the walk here, so he still had some that he had borrowed in their last battle. He brought two fingers to his temple to respond, but spoke aloud for Hua Cheng’s sake. “Lord Wind Master!”
Hua Cheng made a face at being interrupted by a heavenly official and Xie Lian had to hold back a laugh at his pouting.
Shi Qingxuan’s voice in the array sounded happy. “Oh good! I was worried you wouldn’t get my message! I have some information to report. Where are you right now?”
“We’re having dinner in a little agricultural village just two days east of where we last saw each other. We actually just received some information ourselves that we’re looking over.”
“Why don’t we compare notes then?” Before Xie Lian could agree or disagree he said “I’ll be right there!” and cut communication.
Xie Lian lowered his hand and turned to Hua Cheng apologetically. “It seems Lord Wind Master is on his way to share some information.”
“Is that so?” Hua Cheng folded his arms behind his head where he was still leaning back in his chair so that he balanced dangerously on the back legs. Though his posture was casual, he looked distinctly displeased.
“San Lang, do you dislike the Wind and Earth masters?” While he was well aware of his disdain for the gods, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had something against these two in particular.
Hua Cheng didn’t answer right away. He seemed to mull over the answer for a moment before settling on a response. “Gege, there’s something you should know about those two.”
But before he could say anything more, the door to the tea house swung open with Shi Qingxuan’s arrival. He was in his male form today, and had simplified his attire to be a less regal, more common style of robe though it was still teal and white. The material, however, still stood out as something much more expensive than most here could afford. His eyes scanned the room before falling on the two of them and he lit up, giving them a cheerful wave.
Xie Lian was surprised to find no black shadow trailing behind him this time. He’d expected the earth master to be dragged along whether he wanted to be or not.
Shi Qingxuan came right over, fan in hand, looking pleased with himself. He must have managed to gather quite a bit of information. “Your Highness, it’s good to see you again!”
The title made a few people glance over at their table. Xie Lian frantically waved off the attention with a nervous laugh. “Ahaha you can just call me Xie Lian here.” Then he covered his mouth and said in a hushed whisper. “The title stands out a bit.”
“Oh right. Got it.” He clapped his hands together in apology and then took a seat at the table with them. He gave a polite nod towards Hua Cheng. “Crimson Rain.”
Hua Cheng made no move to change his posture at all. The slightest raise of his brows was his only response to the greeting.
It was a little awkward, though it seemed that the Wind Master didn’t get that upset about it. He likely didn’t expect a ghost king to be overly friendly with gods anyway. Xie Lian quickly put on a warm smile and took over the conversation. “Earth Master didn’t come with you today?”
Shi Qingxuan sighed dramatically, pressing his closed fan to his forehead in exasperation. “Ming-Xiong hasn’t talked to me since we last saw the two of you. He does this all the time. He acts like one trip to the mortal realm is so exhausting he needs a week of isolation. The only way to get him out of his palace is with the promise of food. He’s such a child sometimes.”
Hua Cheng huffed a laugh but when they looked at him he offered no explanation as to why.
Xie Lian really did want to know what it was about these two that Hua Cheng didn’t like but he’d need to wait until later to dig a little more. For now, he guided Shi Qingxuan’s attention to the map laid out before them. “This is what we have so far. The red circles are the places we plan to investigate.”
One glance at the map and Shi Qingxuan was eagerly spilling all of the information he had gathered from the heavens. One by one, he put a finger on each circle and shared who’s domain it was, what issues were happening and how many prayers had come in about them. Almost every single one the god whose region it was within had some ridiculous excuse as to why they weren’t looking into it, which Shi Qingxuan relayed with as much disgust as possible.
“Pei Ming claims that he’s too busy, and will get to it when he has the time. Well of course he’s too busy, he’s keeping the bed warm of every beautiful woman he comes across. He has plenty of middle officials who could handle it, but instead he just foists everything off on Pei Xiu. How irresponsible.” He clearly had a distaste for the Martial God of the North, that much was obvious as he relayed each story from his domain.
Moving downward, as he pointed out each circle in the southern regions, his perspective shifted some. It seemed that Feng Xin and Mu Qing had plans to address the issues in their respective regions. “Since they share the domain, they have to work together quite a bit to take care of the wrath ghosts. Those two love to bicker, but they’re surprisingly efficient with sharing a domain. That’s not easy to do.”
“So they haven’t changed one bit.” Xie Lian couldn’t help but laugh a little. Those two were always at each other's throats, but as his lower officials, they had always gotten the job done well. They simply couldn’t admit to each other that they worked well together.
Shi Qingxuan shook his head with equal exasperation. “Not in all the years I've been in heaven. You know, they asked quite a bit about you after I told everyone we were working together.”
“They did?” Nerves prickled at the back of his neck. Knowing the heavens were aware of his presence again made him oddly anxious, though he couldn’t quite place why. It wasn’t as if his name had ever really disappeared from their tongues. He was still a subject of ridicule even today, according to the scrolls he’d come across. What exactly did Feng Xin and Mu Qing think about him hunting down these wraths alongside a ghost king?
The expression on Shi Qingxuan’s face was one of exhaustion. “Yes. I thought I was being interrogated. They asked me how you met Hua Cheng, how long you two have been working together, if you seemed to be under a spell, and every other question under the sun. I gave them the best answers I could, but we had only spent one day together! How could I know everything?”
Xie Lian smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry you had to endure that.”
He simply waved it off with his fan. “It is what it is. I managed to get a good amount of information so I’ll count it as a win.”
They spent a while longer still sharing information. Hua Cheng watched, carefully taking everything in. He made a few comments and asked some questions to expound on information, but was fairly tight lipped on what he knew.
Their dinner arrived then, so Hua Cheng rolled the map up and tucked it back into his robe. Every time he ordered a meal, he got an assortment of options, so many that the entire table was covered. There was more than enough to share with Shi Qingxuan. Hua Cheng himself only picked at a few things, leaning mostly towards meats and fruits while leaving the vegetables on Xie Lian’s side of the table. Xie Lian could rarely eat so much, feeling guilty every time he left food behind but Hua Cheng always simply shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal to him.
Shi Qingxuan helped some, but only a little, claiming he had to watch his figure. Even with his help, Xie Lian found himself overindulging again in his attempts to eat it all until he was so stuffed he fretted he’d need to be rolled back to the guest house.
They parted with Shi Qingxuan then, though Xie Lian groaned as they began their walk back to the guest house, rubbing at his sore stomach.
“I don’t mind carrying you.” Hua Cheng offered with that coy little grin when Xie Lian complained.
“Stop teasing.” He instantly rejected such an absurd idea. “How would all the women of this village react to seeing such a thing? They would weep at the sight of their prospective future husband doing such a thing, especially with a man.”
He hadn’t intended it, but the tone in his voice changed a little when he mentioned the women who had flirted and fawned over Hua Cheng earlier. It was just the slightest change, but Hua Cheng caught it and grinned wickedly. “Is gege jealous?”
“Jealous?” Xie Lian startled a little at the thought. Why would he be jealous? The idea of someone throwing themselves at him just because he was handsome just didn’t sit well with him was all. It wasn’t fair to Hua Cheng. They weren’t even trying to get to know him. There was much more to Hua Cheng than his pretty face. He was smart, and quick-witted and kind and inquisitive and powerful…
Wait…was he jealous?
No, no, they were friends. It was because they had become such good friends that he wanted the best for him. “Why would I be jealous? San Lang already has a beloved, so it isn’t as if any of those women had any chance anyway.”
“Hm.” Hua Cheng just smiled and for some reason Xie Lian had a little trouble looking him in the eye. That smile of his was far too playful. “Don’t worry, gege. I’m all yours. You don’t have to worry about anyone snatching me away, so long as you’ll keep me around.”
Xie Lian’s eyes widened and then his face colored red instantly. What was he saying?! Did he realize what those words were implying? Had his mention of a beloved before been a fickle thing? But he had their name on his arm, so it seemed genuine. “San Lang!? What are you saying?”
Hua Cheng pouted. “What? Is gege already sick of traveling with me?”
Had he just been talking about traveling together? Of course, those girls would have wanted him to settle down somewhere well off. They wouldn’t have put up with their new husband dragging them around behind a traveling daoist. Somehow the realization made Xie Lian flush even worse and he quickly flung out his hands. “Of course not! San Lang can stay as long as he wants!”
The display of nerves made Hua Cheng chuckle softly. His next words sounded much more sincere. “As long as gege wants me around, I’ll be here.”
“Good.” Xie Lian nodded stiffly, still feeling a little dumb for misinterpreting his earlier statement. “Let’s hurry back to the guest house…it’s getting late.”
As they walked through the dark of the night, the conversation festered in the back of his mind. Why was he mistaking what Hua Cheng was saying? Not counting the CPR, was it because they had shared two kisses now that he was feeling this way? That was ridiculous. The first had been a complete accident, and the second was for spiritual energy. It had been out of necessity. It wasn’t like they meant anything more…
It had been so long since he had a genuine friend that he wasn’t sure if these feelings were the natural progression of a friendship or something else. Had he ever felt such things for Feng Xin or Mu Qing? He could very clearly say no, but perhaps that was due to the master and subordinate relationship that they had back then.
He found these thoughts whirling around his brain during the entire walk back to the guest house. Hua Cheng allowed him the time to think, walking quietly beside him, but once they got to the house, he went inside first and lit the newly bought candles. It was only as the place was lit up with an orange glow that Xie Lian pulled himself out of his reverie.
Hua Cheng smiled at him, clearly observing the return to reality in his eyes. “Gege looks a little tired. Let’s get ready for bed.”
Now that he stopped to notice, he really was pretty tired. Tomorrow would be another long day of labor, so he nodded his agreement and went to set out the bedroll. As he was tugging it out of his scrap sack, he noticed a tickle in the back of his throat that caused him to cough a few times, with no luck clearing it up. He took the opportunity to take his waterskin out of his sack too, but found it empty.
Almost as soon as he noticed it was empty, Hua Cheng offered his own, which Xie Lian gratefully accepted.
These were the exact small things about Hua Cheng that stirred up these feelings inside Xie Lian’s stomach. Whoever he ended up with, whether his beloved or anyone else, it was only right that they be someone who appreciated Hua Cheng’s small kindnesses. He was a wonderful person, and deserved to be loved properly.
While Xie Lian tugged off his boots, Hua Cheng flopped down on his side of the bed roll. “We need to be up at dawn again tomorrow?”
Xie Lian hummed in confirmation and laid down beside him, setting the waterskin between them in case either of them needed it in the night. “We agreed to at least one more day of labor for the farmer.”
Hua Cheng sighed heavily. “I suppose. Gege seems to have plans with his earnings.”
Xie Lian crossed his arms, giving him a side eyed look. “I do, but you’ll just have to be patient before you get to find out what.”
Hua Cheng grinned slightly at his teasing. “Okay, okay. I’ll be patient.”
“Good.” Xie Lian settled down for the night but didn't close his eyes just yet. “San Lang?”
“Yes, gege?”
Xie Lian turned onto his side so that he could face him. “Earlier, you said I should know something about the wind master and earth master. What was it?”
“Hm.” Hua Cheng still stared up at the ceiling with his arms propped behind his head. His smile faded and he became very serious when he did turn to look at him. “Gege, you should stay away from those two.”
“Why?” While they hadn’t known each other for long, he found himself rather liking the Wind Master. They had similar ideals and views of the actions of the heavens. He seemed to be a proper young man with good morals who held others to high standards. Knowing that someone like that was a god made him happy.
Was all of that fake? Was the wind master really an untrustworthy person? After 800 years, he considered his judgement of people to be pretty good. He didn't get that sort of impression from either the wind or earth masters.
Hua Cheng didn’t respond at first. “Your Highness…do you trust me?”
At this point, it took no thought for Xie Lian’s reply. “I do.”
“Then please listen to me when I say it's best not to get involved with the wind, water or earth masters.”
Xie Lian wanted to inquire further, but Hua Cheng rolled over and bid him goodnight before he could. For some reason, even though it had only been a short time, the thought of pushing the wind master away made him feel sad. He tried not to dwell on it too much for right now and closed his eyes to sleep.
*~*~*~*
Ghosts had no need to sleep, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t. Hua Cheng had found himself falling asleep more frequently in the past few weeks than in his entire existence. The presence beside him was the very reason for it. Getting to fall asleep beside Xie Lian was a dream come true, no matter if it was in the dirt on the side of the road, or in a foreign guest house in some rural town. They fell asleep side-by-side, but often, he waited until he heard the steady rhythm of Xie Lian’s breaths just so he could watch the soft expression on his face as he slept.
It was too beautiful a sight to deny, and he always drifted to sleep with his heart full.
But tonight was different. Hua Cheng woke instantly the second Xie Lian’s breathing changed. At first, it was just a few small coughs, but nothing strong enough to wake him. But as the night continued, his brows began to bunch just slightly and he curled in on himself with a soft groan. Still, he didn’t wake so Hua Cheng assumed he was dreaming. Whether it was a nightmare or not wasn’t clear but he watched him intently, ready to wake him if the need arose.
In the end, he didn’t have to. With no warning, Xie Lian’s eyes flew open and he rapidly shot up to his feet. Before Hua Cheng even had the chance to ask if he was okay, he was scrambling for the door. He flung it open but didn’t have time to make it very far before he collapsed to his knees and retched into the grass outside.
“Gege!” Hua Cheng was by his side in an instant, drawing his hair back away from his face as a second wave of nausea came surging up his throat. It left him heaving and coughing, unable to respond in any way. He held himself up with one arm while his other was wrapped tightly around his stomach, discomfort evident in his face.
All Hua Cheng could do was gently soothe by rubbing his back. He retrieved the waterskin and offered it, but Xie Lian only shook his head. They stayed like that for a while, with Xie Lian still keeled over, his stomach occasionally clenching as he heaved. It wasn’t until his stomach had expelled its contents four times, the last being nothing but bile, that he finally rolled back on his knees and leaned heavily against Hua Cheng’s arm. Hua Cheng immediately moved forward, wrapping his arm around his shoulders to pull him to his chest.
“San Lang…” His breathing was heavy with exhaustion and raspy but he still smiled apologetically. “I woke you…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for being ill, Your Highness.” He brushed Xie Lian’s bangs away from his face to press his hand to his forehead. He was only a little warm, but not feverish. The heat was probably from the exertion.
“I’m fine.” Xie Lian waved away his concern with a limp hand. “It’s just a bit of food poisoning. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’ll be fine by morning.”
That statement only earned him a frown, finding that it only made him feel significantly worse. How often had he suffered like this alone after eating half rotten food? Hue Cheng couldn’t help but remember a night of his own in his youth, crying in one of the Crown Prince’s temples when the only meal he’d had that week had made him ill just like this. To think that Xie Lian had ever been in the same position made hatred rise up in his chest that he had not found him sooner.
Carefully, he helped Xie Lian up and guided him back into the guest house where he situated him back on the sleeping mat. The home owner had offered them two blankets but he put both of them over him now. Then he grabbed the bucket used to retrieve water, but rather than water, he filled it with straw, which he sat down beside Xie Lian’s head. Again, he offered his waterskin and this time Xie Lian did take it and took a few small sips after wiping his mouth with a cloth. He laughed a bit sheepishly when he returned it. “Thank you, San Lang. This is too much, really.”
“It’s not. If you need anything at all, just tell me. I’ll be awake.” He took a seat back on the mat beside him, but rather than lying down he sat criss-cross with his back leaned up against the wall. “You need to rest.”
Xie Lian frowned at him while he coughed into the blanket. “San Lang should rest too.”
“I don’t need to.” Hua Cheng reminded and offered a comforting smile. “I’ll be right here all night so just focus on getting better.”
Xie Lian stared at him, looking conflicted for a moment before he finally relented and pulled the blankets up to his chin. “Okay…goodnight, San Lang.”
The only response Hua Cheng gave was a soft touch as he brushed his hair away from his face.
It was not a restful night. Xie Lian woke twice more to be violently sick into the bucket, apologizing profusely between gasps both times. Hua Cheng reassured him just as much that it was okay and that he was here for him.
Even still, he felt utterly powerless. Even between spells his cough was getting worse, likely from the acid burning up his throat. When he did fall asleep, he was curled up, clutching at his stomach. Hua Cheng’s butterflies could heal physical wounds, but they couldn’t do anything for food poisoning. The most he could do was press his hand to the small of his back and pour a stream of energy to soothe the cramping and pain in his stomach. That did seem to help his brows relax a little and he managed one shichen worth of rest before the sun rose.
Unfortunately, he naturally woke up with the sun. At least this time when he opened his eyes, he sleepily blinked a few times rather than grabbing for the bucket urgently. Still, there were heavy bags under his eyes from the tumultuous night. He turned to see Hua Cheng right where he promised he would be and smiled. “Good morning, San Lang…”
Hua Cheng simply shook his head. “It’s too early for you to be awake. Go back to sleep.”
But rather than listen, he sat up instead. His hair was loose and hung in tangles all around him from all the night’s activity. He did his best to run his fingers through it in hopes of taming it a little. Hua Cheng had worked hard on repairing it after the lightning, after all. “It’s morning. We promised to work in the fields today.”
Hua Cheng frowned. “Gege, you can’t work out in the heat today. You’re sick and you’ve hardly slept.”
“I’m okay, San Lang. I’m sure last night was the worst of it. I’ll be back to normal today.” He gave a self assured nod and flexed one of his arms, as if doing so would prove that he was in tip top shape. The bags under his eyes and pallid color of his skin said otherwise.
It only made the frown on Hua Cheng’s face deepen. “Gege…”
“Besides.” He continued, still with that smile. “The farmer only agreed to let us stay here if we do our fair share of work. I can’t take advantage of him.”
Xie Lian was a stubborn man when he put his mind to helping others, but in this case Hua Cheng needed to stand his ground just as well. “I can make up for it. I’ll do enough work for both of us.”
Xie Lian went to respond, but got caught up in a deluge of coughs before he could. He waved his hand frantically the whole time before he finally managed to choke out. “San Lang, I was the one who agreed to this. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You aren’t-”
“San Lang.” He grabbed his hand, cutting him off kindly, but firmly. He squeezed his hand softly, and Hua Cheng couldn’t help the way his heart fluttered at the contact. Xie Lian’s gaze reflected that very same fiery determination that he had worn so many times during the war. “I’m okay. This is nothing really. I’ve been through much worse than this before. I’m not so weak as to succumb to a little food poisoning.”
“I know you aren’t.” I know how strong you are, but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer.
Hua Cheng sighed, finding his willpower waning beneath that look. He shifted and moved a little closer and softly brushed his hand across his forehead again. Just like last night he was a little warm, but not feverish. He allowed his hand to drift downward, very, very softly falling to rest against Xie Lian’s cheek. The way those golden eyes observed him when he did made immense love well within his chest. “Your Highness, if you’re always so busy helping others, you’re bound to get tired, no matter how strong you are. I only want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
Xie Lian’s eyes widened and his breath hitched just a little, which made him cough. He stifled it as best he could and then brought his own hand up and set it atop Hua Cheng’s, pressing his palm more firmly against his face. “I know. I will. Let me get through today. Just today…if I still feel bad tonight, I’ll rest tomorrow, okay?”
Hua Cheng didn’t like it. He really wanted him to stay here and sleep all day, but when he was staring at him with those eyes, shining with ferocity like that, it was like they pierced straight through to his soul. As if he knew he had Hua Cheng’s very existence in the palm of his hand and could get his way with anything he ever wanted. Still, Hua Cheng frowned. “Will you at least rest a little longer? It’s only dawn. They can wait one more shichen for you.”
“Okay.” Xie Lian agreed to the bargain, and the smile he wore clearly said he knew that he had won this negotiation this time. He curled back up on the mat and closed his eyes for a little longer. Hua Cheng couldn’t help but feel apprehensive, deciding not to take his eyes off of him for a single moment today.