(semi Mu Qing pov) tw. cringe, corny, ew, fr i'm the author and i'm saying this don't fucking read this it will be traumatizing.
Mu Qing had a pool of blood marking wherever he walked, people rushed up to help him as he slumped through the main street of the Heavenly Capital, he shrugged almost all of them off except for a pesky junior official. They wouldn't tell him what palace they were from and they wouldn't leave him alone, they simply trailed behind him with a concerned expressions.
"Hey... can you quit following me... I don't want to have to pay for the blood on your robes." He mumbled, he had been keeping an eye on the official behind him and notices the hem of their extremely expensive-looking robes was being dirtied and fraying from being exposed to his blood. "General Xuan Zhen I do think that should be the least of your worries right now." Who was this sassy little official and where did they get the balls to talk to him like this?!
He was an upper-court official! No one could talk to him like this! Not even Jun Wu when he was still the emperor would dare to speak to one of his heavenly colleagues in such a manner!
"Young man. Hold your tongue. Do not forget who is the superior here. If you want me to be lectured I suggest you get an important official in the upper-court here." He lectured them back before continuing with his sloppy pace to his palace. "Okay, I admit I shouldn't have done that because I am just a useless middle-court official but still get some help." He tried to sound sincere but Mu Qing could still sense that he was annoyed about something.
"Okay. I will if you tell me what palace are you from. Is it Ming Guang? Perhaps Ling Wen you seem to talk like you are better than everyone." He said spinning on his very bloody heel. "Please don't turn around so sharply you'll hurt yourself." They pleaded. "Okay then answer me!" He was getting impatient and it was clear. "If I said Palace of Xianle would you believe me?" He wondered aloud. "No, I know his highness better than that." He mumbled. "Okay... don't take this the wrong way..." His attitude was dying down. "Palace of Nan Yang." His voice was practically a whisper by now.
"I doubt it."
Mu Qing scoffed. "Why? I know you and... my general are enemies but seriously." Mu Qing looked at him pretending to be confused. "Oh... I wonder... Perhaps it's because your general wants all of you to despise me and anyone from my palace, perhaps it's because we have had an 800-year-long rivalry and I HATE HIM, or perhaps it's because you offered to help me knowing who we both were."
The little official seemed a bit hurt by the 'hate' bit. He couldn't imagine why. "First of all, my general actually said to treat General Xuan Zhen and people from his palace with respect actually we are the ones who go against his rules and that's why there are often many of us in detention. Second of all, I helped you out of kindness and worry for an upper-court general about to bleed out in front of his rival's palace, and third of all my general certainly doesn't hate you, I think your rivalry is one-sided and I think you are acting like a selfish bitch Mu Qing!" After they uttered his name they clasped their hands over their mouth.
"I should've known sooner." He groaned. "No junior official would dare to talk to me like how you have just spoken to General Nan Yang." He continued limping along to his palace, right next door to Feng Xin's own. "Really?! Still going! You're hurt! Wake up and ask for help already! You think no one cares about you but everyone does! You're just too selfish to accept it! Even Crimson Rain has tried multiple times to help you in situations! Even if it's to get you away it would still help you!"
"You have the audacity to add Crimson Rain Sought Flower into this argument!? He only does it to get alone time with his husband but at least he has a reason! You don't do it out of the love and care you have for your wife! In fact, she left you! You do it because you don't want me around! I hate Crimson Rain's guts but at least he has the guts to not pretend to be my friend and to care about me!"
Those passing them on the street gave each other weird looks, Feng Xin who was still in the form of a junior official suddenly changed back. Ah. Now everyone got it. "I LIKE TO THINK OF MYSELF AS YOUR FRIEND! I CARE ABOUT YOU! IF I DIDN'T CARE WOULD I HAVE SPENT MY ENTIRE NIGHT WALKING YOU HOME AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE OKAY?!" He yelled as loud as he could.
And that was it. Mu Qing finally woke up from the dream or nightmare, who could really tell? That was his rivalry with Feng Xin. "I see... You're right... you've always been there for me... and I kept on... pushing you away." He mumbled. Feng Xin was taken aback by this response. Normally by now, they would be on the floor fighting to death- or till Pei Ming and Ling Wen pulled them off each other.
"You finally realized?! It took you this long! 800 years." He groaned. Feng Xin was the one who followed him home every time he was injured in different forms, he posed as a different junior official each time. The first time it was one of Jun Wu's but when Mu Qing asked him about the strange tall male official he didn't have a clue who he was talking about and simply stated. "Xuan Zhen maybe you heard the name of the palace wrong."
"Yea... I'm sorry... I guess." Mu Qing mumbled. "How insincere can you be?" Feng Xin complained. "Okay Okay, so friends?" He continued. Mu Qing thought about it before replying. "No. Either we are enemies or." He suddenly pulled Feng Xin into a quick peck on the lips. "You know how fucking hard it is to keep up your cultivation and avoid women for 800 years." He complained, Feng Xin who was still insanely confused and flustered managed to mumble. "Very... hard?" He raised a finger to brush over his lips where Mu Qing's own had just been. "Yea... unless your gay dumbass. So what do you say, Nan Yang." He turned away, getting ready to run back into his palace or cover his reddened face. In the end, he did the latter. "Hell yeah!" Many confused officials just ended up thinking they were drunk because what they saw next shocked them to the core.
Feng Xin jumped onto Mu Qing and kissed him?! The first time it had been so quick everyone mistook it for a punch or hug. This time no one could turn a blind eye to this. So everyone averted their eyes from the two martial gods kissing and happily talking. Well, at least it was an improvement from the regular toppling of palaces.
