All this happened, all these people—
—it was all because of The Reverend.
༻ ❍ ༺
MEI NIANQING WAS ALWAYS AWARE OF WHERE XIU Y/N WAS, EVER SINCE HE DIED, MEI NIANQING ALWAYS KNEW.
He had his eye locked on Y/n the moment he died, he calculated and watched over his every movement and decision.
He would be perceived as a creep and a stalker by any normal human being who was unaware of the situation everyone in said situation was dealing with, but he honestly could care less for the opinions of people that didn't even know him or Xiu Y/n. Besides, his watching and calculating was all to make sure Xiu Y/n was safe from that thing.
He made a fatal error by letting Xiu Y/n be taken away by Ya Wenling and Heng Mei, that was the first mistake. Yet, he soon learned it wasn't like he could prevent anything that happened that day anyway.
He can't step in the way of fate, or that thing.
Jun Wu thought he could.
That's why Jun Wu had disappeared the very next morning after spending the rest of the day that Xiu Y/n disappeared; wrecking his room and destroying everything that reminded him of Xiu Y/n.
Mei Nianqing didn't try to stop him, Jun Wu may have lost most of his power in the battle on Tonglu; but he could still physically overpower Mei Nianqing and injure him badly, permanently even.
Jun Wu skimmed the whole continent for Xiu Y/n, tearing down anything and anyone that got in his way. He had paved a path to destruction to the very moment he had stabbed Xiu Y/n, ending the life of the man whom he was obsessed with beyond redemption.
Mei Nianqing didn't understand why Jun Wu murdered Xiu Y/n at first, but he understood as soon as he reflected on Jun Wu's constant drive for possession and to take things. He felt stupid for not coming to this conclusion earlier, after all; Jun Wu has had this drive since their days in Wuyong.
Jun Wu had killed Xiu Y/n so that he could take Xiu Y/n's soul and keep what was left of Xiu Y/n all to himself.
Mei Nianqing nearly stepped in at that point, but he stepped back just as quickly at the first sign that the old man had everything under control.
The old man was not a being to be tested. That was one of the only things Mei Nianqing had figured out about him.
Jun Wu had acted irrationally and impulsively by killing Xiu Y/n, not thinking of what would happen to his plan to keep Xiu Y/n's soul if he became more than just a ghost.
After all, when someone is heartbroken or in love; they act irrationally. Jun Wu was no exception, and he never had been.
Not even Mei Nianqing had expected for Xiu Y/n to be offered to become the next White No Face, much less Xiu Y/n decline it and become Death instead. It had hit Jun Wu harder than anyone else who could be considered 'close' to Xiu Y/n.
But, Jun Wu learned his lesson after Xiu Y/n had punched him and ran away from him the moment he saw him when he was Death. Jun Wu used his time wisely and played his cards deceptively. He has waited until he found that Xiu Y/n's trust in Crimson Rain was ripe and blossoming to take advantage of Xiu Y/n.
He really had everything in place. Everything was tossed back into his plans. He could proceed with the next step too: he could've become Xiu Y/n's lover.
Then Jun Wu died.
No one,
No one had expected for Xiu Y/n to do that.
Not Mei Nianqing.
Not Jun Wu.
Not fate.
Not that thing, or better known as The Reverend of Empty Words.
And now....
Xiu Y/n, Life, Death, the one who shocked fate, the one who deceived everyone—
—was at Mei Nianqing's door, crying.
───༻ ❍ ༺───
"I-" Mei Nianqing was stunned for words, "What are you doing here-?" Mei Nianqing watched closely as Xiu Y/n bit his bottom lip and let tears spill down his face. He was trying to make sure he at least cried silently, Mei Nianqing felt horrible for him.
"I..." Xiu Y/n started.
They both waited for a moment. A moment that felt like a century.
"I don't fucking know," Xiu Y/n choked out.
Mei Nianqing's face twisted from shock into sympathy.
Xiu Y/n, had always found some way to suffer, no matter what; The Reverend always created a way to take away his healing and rip off the bandage that he worked so hard to put on his scars.
Mei Nianqing couldn't let that happen again. He couldn't let that scar reopen. He thought to himself about the loopholes The Reverend had set up as he took a trembling Xiu Y/n into his arms, a damp spot forming on the shoulder of his robes in seconds.
He couldn't let The Reverend rip off another bandage for two reasons:
One, he couldn't stand to watch Xiu Y/n be tormented by a being, The Reverend, which he didn't even know was doing all this.
Two, Xiu Y/n might just crack harder than he ever has before if The Reverend does open that wound.
Considering how much Xiu Y/n had been able to do the last two times he had snapped like driftwood—
—it would get even more ugly.
Mei Nianqing stroked Xiu Y/n's back gently, combing his fingers through Xiu Y/n's (now very long) hair.
"Talk to me about it, okay?" Mei Nianqing whispered softly. Xiu Y/n shivered at how calm his voice was, how comforting it was.
Last time he had seen Mei Nianqing; he was slammed against a wall and ripped away from him before they could make up. Now, he was in one of his most venerable states; in said Mei Nianqing's arms.
"I just..." Xiu Y/n swallowed, "I want to know what Da Hong's actual backstory was like. Not just filtered out, the full thing."
Mei Nianqing pressed his lips into a thin line. He pulled Xiu Y/n away slightly to look him in the eye, two hands grasping the orange fabric on Xiu Y/n's shoulders.
"I will tell you, you just need to promise me one thing," Mei Nianqing leaned in closer, "Don't touch The Reverend of Empty Words after I tell you."
"Why would I-"
Oh
Xiu Y/n lost his words as it dawned on him.
He looked at Mei Nianqing, horror swimming in his eyes.
"...is it true?"
Mei Nianqing didn't answer, only biting his bottom lip and pulling Xiu Y/n back into a hug.
Xiu Y/n's face went blank with realization.
The Reverend of Empty Words wasn't just a thing that made Da Hong immortal. In fact—
—it was the very reason all this was happening to Xiu Y/n.
The Reverend of Empty Words had been in control of Da Hong and Xiu Y/n since Da Hong and The Reverend of Empty words had made that bet for Da Hong's immortality.
Da Ju.
Pei Ming.
Heng Mei.
Hua Cheng.
Juan Jiayi.
Julia.
Beatrice.
Mei Farewell.
The demon lady with the human face disease.
Ya Wenling.
Jun Wu
The old man.
Da Hong.
All this happened, all these people—
—it was all because of The Reverend.
Mei Nianqing was smart to make Xiu Y/n promise not to touch The Reverend, because Xiu Y/n would've already made his plan to get rid of The Reverend right now.
But, he can't break his promise.
Not after Mei Nianqing had told him he was going to explain everything to him.
Fuck.
───༻ ❍ ༺───
Xuan Ji honest to god felt horrid.
Well, to be honest to almost always did, but right now was particularly bad.
First, after the burning of the heavenly capital she was taken to Yushi, which was awkward as it was. But luckily, all the farmers and Yushi Huang herself had gone to help Xuan Ji redeem herself of her crimes and even worked to craft her two wooden prosthetic legs so she didn't have to use a wheelchair all the time.
That whole being sent to Yushi situation was fine now, but...it also lead to another issue.
Second, she found out that one of the brides she killed, Ya Wenling, was a common visitor to the Yushi country.
Third, she was holding the (very drunk) woman, who had a major crush on said-bride-whom-she-murdered, in her arms as she cried about how stupid she was for treating Ya Wenling so horribly.
Xuan Ji had been sitting here for what felt like hours listening to the drunk woman's rant about how she shoved all her feelings for Ya Wenling down her own throat. She even went to say how replaced her true feelings with a fake mask of hatred and spite.
By the gods, this was worse than any possible punishment she had received when she was prisoner of the heavens.
What the hell was she supposed to do?!
She felt a cold layer of sweat sprinkle over her nape as the crying, and very drunk woman, Beatrice is what she goes by, clutched her even closer than before. Xuan Ji felt a small damp spot form on her shoulder almost immediately when rested her face there.
Xuan Ji has felt heartbreak before, no doubt about it.
She knows what Beatrice is feeling.
The thing is—
—when someone is heartbroken, mortal, god, or ghost: they act irrationally. They let their basic conscious fade away and make bad choices. Especially if they're a teenager or a young adult.
Xuan Ji made her bad choices. She acted irrationally. She already committed the crimes.
She knew damn well what it felt like to love someone.
She also knew damn well what it felt like to have your heart burned.
Love hits you like bricks.
No one can change that.
Not mortals.
Not gods.
Not ghosts.
But, she can change the outcome of what Ya Wenling and Beatrice's relationship will be.
She has the experience. She knows what steps to not take.
She just needs to know the steps to take, not just the ones they shouldn't take.
A warm hand landed on the shoulder Beatrice hadn't fallen asleep on. Xuan Ji snapped out of her thoughts and looked up as the faint aroma of wine from Beatrice's drinking fest dawned on her.
Ah,
Yushi Huang, the goddess of rain, stared back down at her with soft eyes.
YUSHI HUANG WILL KNOW WHAT STEPS TO TAKE.
So, enter our new character:
Xuan Ji.
I'm giving her a nice new personality that doesn't just consist of her wanting revenge on Pei Ming. It was so refreshing to just write this chapter about her so I can't wait to continue her character+add some more development to Beatrice and Ya Wenling.