Hua Cheng stumbles backward a step when Xie Lian throws himself into his arms, less because of the force of the impact, Xie Lian guesses, and more from pure surprise. His arms close automatically around Xie Lian, catching him and steadying him and providing comfort all at once.
"Gege, what's wrong?" Hua Cheng asks, his voice filled with bewildered concern.
"Wu Ming." Xie Lian says it more loudly this time, clinging to Hua Cheng with 800 years of grief and regrets, burying his head against the ghost's shoulder just as Hua Cheng did when they were in the armory. "I know... I know its you."
Hua Cheng stiffens in his arms, his whole body going utterly still in the way that only a ghost's body can. At last, in a voice quiet and shaking in a way Xie Lian's never heard it before, he asks, "how did you know?"
Around them the room is filled with shouting. Muffled noises of distress come from Lang Qianqiu and Shi Qingxuan is exclaiming, "Your Highness, what is it? What's wrong?" And both of them are all but drowned out by Feng Xin and Mu Qing's shouting. "Your Highness, what are you doing!?" "Xie Lian, get the fuck away from him!" "Fuck, what's going on? Your highness get back!" "Does he have him under some kind of spell?" "Crimson Rain you bastard!"
Xie Lian blots it all out, his world shrinking to himself and the ghost in his arms, the ghost who he thought he lost forever, who he thought he destroyed, who should hate him more than anyone yet who has been by his side all this time.
"It was what you said to General Pei." The words come out shakily and there are still tears falling from Xie Lian eyes, he can't seem to make them stop. "His highness will always be his highness to me'. It's what you said to me back ..back then."
Hua Cheng blinks down at him, looking almost baffled, and then his eyes widen, and when he speaks his voice is still impossibly hoarse. "you remember that?"
"I remember." A shaky laugh bubbles up in Xie Lian's throat and he realizes that yes, he can laugh and cry at the same time after all. "I remember everything. Wu Ming, I'm so sorry. Everything you did for me, I was so cruel and awful to you, and you still sacrificed yourself for me and I..."
Xie Lian's words are cut off by the feeling of a hand which suddenly grips the back of his arm and yanks, trying to pull him away from Hua Cheng.
"What?" Xie Lian reflexively grips the ghost king more tightly even as he whips his head around to see who or what has a hold of his arm and is shocked when he meets the furious gaze of Mu Qing, Feng Xin looming just behind him, a hand on his sword.
"Xie Lian, you need to get away from him right now." Mu Qing's voice is low and serious in a way Xie Lian is only ever heard it when they are in real trouble and he knows that his former retainer isn't messing around.
Behind him a low, dangerous, growl emanates from Hua Chang's throat. "Take your hands off of him."
"No, you take your hands off of him!" Feng Xin sounds every bit as furious as Mu Qing and the simple fact that they seem to be in agreement and even working together tells Xie Lian more about how they feel about the situation than words ever can.
"I won't tell you again. Let His Highness go." There is danger in every one of Hua Chang's words and silver butterflies rise around them to emphasize his threat.
"And we won't tell you again either!" Mu Qing snaps, giving another strong tug to Xie Lian's arm as Feng Xin draws his sword.
"Stop it both of you!" Xie Lian can't let this continue, he can't. He lets go of Hua Cheng, pulling away from him and for an instant he sees hurt flicker in the ghost's eye, triumph in Mu Qing's and relief in Feng Xin's, but both god's expressions only last for a moment as Xie Lian turns his back on Hua Cheng and flings out his arms to either side, shielding the ghost king with his own body, his eyes fixed on the blade of Feng Xin's sword. "I won't let you hurt him."
"What the fuck are you doing?" Mu Qing demands, glaring at Xie Lian.
For his part Xie Lian's eyes are still fixed on the blade of Feng Xin's sword, but in his mind the sword blade is black and he can hear screaming, the horrible unceasing agony of a soul being torn to shreds and he can't allow it, not again, not ever again.
"I won't let you hurt him." Xie Lian says it again more firmly. His tears have stopped and he stares down his two former retainers with the desperate sort of calm, ready to face whatever this is, ready to take that sword himself, take it 100 times even, rather than let Wu Ming be hurt again.
"Your Highness..." Hua Cheng speaks his title weakly, as though he too is in shock from Xie Lian's actions. "You don't have to worry. There's nothing this trash can do to me."
Xie Lian tears his gaze from Feng Xin's blade to glance up at Hua Cheng. The ghost king's eye is wide, his lips slightly parted, his face pale even for him and he doesn't seem to be giving the angry martial gods threatening him so much as a second glance. No, his gaze is all for Xie Lian.
Something about that gaze makes Xie Lian's face heat and his heart flutter and all he can do is stare back into the depths of that dark eye and wonder at it, at its intensity, at its beauty, at the miracle that it represents, that Wu Ming is here, really here and looking at him and...
"Xie Lian." Mu Qing's voice drags Xie Lian back to reality, his voice low and urgent. "I don't know what he's told you about himself but he's been lying to you."
Xie Lian turns back to look at Mu Qing, a frown curving his lips. "What do you mean?"
"He's from Xianle. I think he's obsessed with you. Hell, he might even have been following you for the last 800 years."
Xie Lian blinks. "I know he's from Xianle. I know he's been following me, well looking for me. He only just found me."
"You..." Mu QIng stares at him in open mouthed disbelief.
"What the fuck do you mean you know!?" Feng Xin is far more vocal about his disbelief.
Xie Lian's eyes flick upward to Hua Cheng again for just a moment but that moment is enough to bring a soft smile to his lips.
"He's Wu Ming." Wu Ming, who's here, who's alive, who's alright, who's really really here.
"Who the fuck is Wu Ming?" Feng Xin demands. "That's not even a name!"
"He's..." Xie Lian begins and stops, because how can he explain this, how can he possibly explain any of this to his two old friends, at last he says, "he's someone I knew back in Xianle, in Yong'an really, after the war. He believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself and he was there for me when..."
"When the two of you weren't." Hua Cheng cut's in and Xie Lian doesn't need to turn and look at him to know that he's smiling in a way that shows off his inhumanly sharp canines. "The two of you abandoned him when he needed you the most. Remember that before you open your pathetic mouths in front of me again."
"Did you really help him?" Mu Qing snaps back, though Xie Lian can see the guilt in his eyes, and in Feng Xin's too. "Or did you just pretend to in order to manipulate him?"
Again Xie Lian hears that scream echoing through every fiber of his being, again he sees that black clad figure writhing as he is torn apart.
"Mu Qing! Stop it!" Xie Lian doesn't realize he's snapped until the words are out of his mouth. Mu Qing's eyes widen in shock and guilt briefly knots Xie Lian's stomach. He knows Mu Qin has never heard him sound like that before ...only one person has. Quickly he clears his throat and tries again. "Please stop. Don't speak about it that way. He really did help me. He gave up everything for me even when it nearly destroyed him." 'I thought it had destroyed him.' It's a sacrifice he won't allow anyone to disrespect.
"Your Highness," Feng Xin tries again. "What do you mean you know he's been following you all this time? Are you sure you're okay with this? Whatever he did back in Xianle, he's a supreme ghost king. He destroyed 33 gods without provocation. You have no idea what he could be up to!"
"Yeah what did those 33 gods ever... Wait, FUCK!" Mu Qing's eyes go wide and face goes pale all at once.
"Finally figured it out have you?" Hua Cheng practically snarls the words.
"Figured what out?" Xie Lian frowns, looking from Mu Qing's horrified expression to Hua Cheng's furious one to Feng Xin, who looks as puzzled as Xie Lian feels. "33 gods... When were Mu Qing and 33 gods..." And then his eyes widen as it comes to him, a patch of auspicious land, mud in his face, a tree branch breaking in his hand, the laughter of the gods ...And a little ball of ghost fire which tried to comfort him.
"...Oh." Xie Lian's hands drop to his sides, his shoulders slumping slightly. Even after all these centuries it's still not an easy memory to relive, and to realize that San Lang saw him like that...
A gentle hand descends to rest on his shoulder. "Your Highness has nothing to be bothered about. It's those pieces of trash who should be ashamed, so I simply made sure that they knew it."
Hua Cheng's voice is as gentle as his touch and even if the ghost's fingers are cool they still managed to spread warmth back through him. Xie Lian looks up at Hua Cheng in wonder and the warmth is in the ghost kings eyes too. How different his expression for Xie Lian is than how he looked at Mu Qing just moments before, and Xie Lian can't help but marvel at him, at the ghost fire, at Wu Ming, at San Lang who seems to have been there for nearly every one of the worst moments of his life yet still looks at him like this, still treats him with nothing but kindness and affection, still seems to want to be by his side.
Pei Ming clears his throat rather too loudly. "Not to interrupt what is honestly a fascinating set of reunions but I just want to clarify one point if you don't mind? I don't understand everything I've been hearing but is it true that Crimson Rain challenged those 33 gods entirely because they did something to offend his highness?"
All four former residents of Xianle turn to face Pei Ming, and if Feng Xin and Mu Qing's startled expressions are anything to go by, Xie Lian guesses that he isn't the only one who completely forgot about the room's four other divine inhabitants.
"That's correct." Hua Cheng smirks at Pei Ming, tightening his hand a little on Xie Lian's shoulder in a way that feels almost possessive. ...He finds he doesn't mind it. "And I will be happy to challenge more should they give His Highness any offense."
"San Lang..." Xie Lian glances up at the ghost in fond exasperation. "You can't go around challenging every god who's a bit rude to me."
Hua Cheng's expression instantly softens the moment his eye meets Xie Lian's and he blinks at the fallen god in feigned bafflement. "Why not?"
"Xie Lian, please." Feng Xin interrupts them, sounding a bit desperate. "Can't you just listen to Mu Qing for a moment?"
The sheer fact that Feng Xin is actually recommending that he /listen/ to Mu Qing is shocking enough to immediately draw Xie Lian's full attention.
"Mu Qing? what is it?"
"What I've been trying to tell you." Mu Qing grits the words out and points accusingly at Hua Cheng. "That red coral pearl in his hair. Don't you recognize it?"
Bewildered, Xie Lian turns and blinks at the red bead which always hangs from a braid in Hua Cheng's hair whenever he's in this form.
"Should I?"
"You definitely should, considering it's yours!" Mu Qing snaps but Xie Lian can only continue to blink at it in bewilderment.
"Is it? Did I own something like that?"
"Of course you did! Don't you remember? After the heavenly processional it went missing, he," Mu Qing turns his pointing finger on Feng Xin, "accused me of stealing it."
"I did not!"
"Whatever!" Mu Qing rolls his eyes. "The point is I didn't take it, someone else did." He turns his finger back on Hua Cheng again. "He did! That means he was there that day and there's only one person who could have gotten close enough to take it! Admit it, you were that brat, the one who fell, weren't you? You've been following his highness ever since!"
For a moment all Xie Lian can do is to stare, first at Mu Qing and then, turning, at Hua Cheng, in bafflement, but then, slowly, the pieces return, fitting together in his mind. A child falling from the sky, a bandage covering a right eye, robes of red... Little red...
His eyes widen. "Hong Hong-er?"
Hua Cheng, who was busy glairing at Mu Qing stiffens at the sound of what must be his baby name.
"Your Highness remembers?" His voice is quiet and once again he's gone unusually pale, as though not sure what Xie Lian's reaction will be.
"En. I remember." Xie Lian looks back at him in renewed wonder. "So that's why you believed in me? Back then, when you were Wu Ming?"
Rather than answer right away, Hua Cheng circles around to stand in front of Xie Lian. Wordlessly he takes the fallen god's hand, eyes fixing on Xie Lian with a look so intense that it brings a faint flush to his cheeks. With supreme unconcern for the rooms other occupants Hua Cheng, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, Ghost King and terror of the heavens, drops to one knee before Xie Lian.
"I believed in your highness because it is what you deserved. I believe in your highness because you are the only god worthy of the title. I will forever be your most devoted believer."
"Ho Ho~" Says Pei Ming.
Needless to say, no one pays him any attention.