Bruised (A Fengqing Fanfic)

Chapter 8

"A what?" asked Pei Ming as they ran over golden rooftops to try and cut off the Not-Him.

"That's what I came to tell you!" said He Xuan. "I figured out what his partner was!"

"Whose partner?!" demanded Mu Qing.

"Cangshui," said Hua Cheng. "He's a lightning spirit. A ghost. He's been here for a while."

"What..." Mu Qing whispered.

But Hua Cheng pressed on. "Before this, I think he was killing people and somehow his partner was converting the victims into power?"

"Yes," said He Xuan. "Wutong Shens can—yes."

"Did you know about that?!" Mu Qing demanded but Hua Cheng kept going.

"Then I'm guessing you got too close to finding that out when you were investigating reports of a lightning spirit in the southwest," he told Mu Qing. "That made them push up their timeline and go for a Heavenly Official."

"Was it Cangshui or the Wutong Shen that attacked me?"

"Both."

Both. Mu Qing almost stumbled. There had been two people there?

Their quarry dove towards the ascension gates on the western side of the city. Some officials were there but no one capable of handling something strong enough to not disintegrate when punched by Ling Wen and her robe.

"It's just the one now though," said Xie Lian. "Why aren't they together now?"

"The Wutong Shen got hungry," said He Xuan darkly. "And going it alone means it doesn't have to share."

"Didn't you say Cangshui is with Feng Xin and Kong Tai?!" said Mu Qing, stomach lurching. While that should mean Cangshui was deeply outclassed, he still didn't want them anywhere near him!

Before the Wutong Shen reached the gate, a figure of lightning came blazing out of it, obviously surprised at the chaos he'd stumbled into.

"What the fuck!" Cangshui yelled at his partner, who got larger as it shed its Pei Ming form. While it retained a handsome face, it seemed superficial, like that of a dead man being worn as a mask on a black, hairy creature's body. "What did you do, you greedy asshole!"

"If he's here, where are Feng Xin and Kong Tai?!" Mu Qing demanded. Without his spiritual powers, he couldn't even check the array for them.

Wen Qiu touched his temple. "I'm not getting anything from Kong Tai, sir."

Xie Lian tried for Feng Xin. "Something must be blocking them," Xie Lian said hurriedly but Mu Qing felt dizzy.

He wouldn't be able to take it if either of them got hurt because of this. He rounded on Hua Cheng when they were almost to the gates, grabbing his collars. He was so fucking weak it didn't slow the Ghost King at all, he just hauled him along with him.

"You bastard! You let them go with him! And you knew he was dangerous!"

Hua Cheng glanced down at him with an unreadable expression as they all landed by the expanse of gates.

"Hua Cheng, you asshole!" Pei Ming added.

"There's nowhere for either of them to go," said Xie Lian, trying to refocus everyone.

Seeing that he'd made a grave error by coming back, Cangshui backtracked to the gate. He'd only gone a few steps when Feng Xin and Kong Tai burst out of it. A knot in Mu Qing's chest immediately loosened, the relief making his mouth open in a small gasp.

Before Kong Tai could do anything, Feng Xin grabbed and tossed him back toward some random gods that cushioned his fall and then caught him.

"You get away from him too, idiot!" Mu Qing yelled at Feng Xin.