Staring intently at his breakfast instead of eating it, Xie Lian started thinking about a brief conversation he had with Ling Wen over the communication array the day before. After confirming that yes, it was now official he had no more debts to pay, she told him what plans he had now that he ascended again. The civil god also made sure to let him know she was vaguely aware of who his husband was, thus giving Xie Lian a bit of an anxious reaction.
At first, he told her he was going to stay in Ghost City, as his home was there and his husband as well, but then she mentioned the fact that the Crown Prince still had no worshippers. None aside from Hua Cheng, at least.
Although the issue didn't keep him up at night, when he woke up that morning it had been the first thing on his mind.
«Gege, is something wrong?».
Xie Lian snapped out of it and finally took a bite of his food, but then he sighed and stopped again: «San Lang, I was thinking... Maybe I should build a shrine for myself».
There was uncertainty in his voice when he said it, because Xie Lian personally thought it wasn't that bad to have no followers; plus, a god building his own shrine because mortals were unwilling to was something unheard of.
The awkwardness of the situation was mostly seen by other heavenly officials, because a formally ascended official without shrines or temples was simply ridiculous, and Xie Lian was used to the silence normally reserved for him. The thing was, if anything unlucky was to happen again, Xie Lian couldn't always rely on Hua Cheng to take care of his debts for him. No followers meant no merits, and although Xie Lian couldn't care less for such things, he didn't want to repeat another adventure such as the one with the Ghost Groom just because he couldn't pay back what he owed. It was embarrassing, to say the least.
Moreover, him building his own shrine would make for an entertaining anecdote, if anything.
He accepted Hua Cheng's gentle touch on his face and smiled a bit: «Qiandeng temple is beautiful, but I think something in the mortal realm would be better for this».
«I will build you a temple, gege! There's no need for you to do it».
Grateful, Xie Lian still shook his head: «I want it to be something small. Something that people could go to without feeling overwhelmed. A place that anyone can visit», he replied, chastely kissing him on the corner of his lips. «I love what you do for me, San Lang, but I really want to do this myself».
Hua Cheng understood, and nodded: «Alright, I will help you. But you're not going anywhere before eating».
Some deliberation later, they left Ghost City with a pair of dice and landed in a small village in the mountains called PuQi. Village was maybe too big of a word to describe it, the place was more like a hillside hamlet with green trees and clear waters. Continuous stretches of rice paddies added to the country scene, alongside all the flourishing nature all around.
Overall, it was a beautiful scenery, simple but perfect.
«Do you know this place, San Lang? I feel like you didn't roll the dice randomly», he asked his husband, still unable to look away from how quiet and calm the village was.
«I stumbled upon this place not too long ago. I think you were at Nether Water Manor, that's why you didn't see it».
It was completely by chance, as he was taking care of some business, but he still memorized the place. Hua Cheng liked to remember cities and villages his husband would one day like to visit, after all, and PuQi stuck with him. Standing there with Xie Lian, now, told him it had been a good choice not to forget it.
Understandable.
They strolled around a little bit, walking in no hurry on the dirt roads surrounding the village. A small, dilapidated shack caught Xie Lian's attention, and he asked around to know whether the place was inhabited or not. Turns out, it was a decrepit place that had been abandoned for quite a long time, even if vagrants would sleep a night in it every once in a while.
Happy to learn that, and keeping for later a more thorough walk across the village itself, Xie Lian exchanged an excited look with his husband and decided the shack was the perfect place to build a shrine for himself.
As they walked closer, Xie Lian realized the shack looked decrepit from afar but was actually literally crumbling. Two of the four columns that held up the building were probably rotted through, and the wood would shake and creak at every gust of wind.
Still, it was within Xie Lian's range of acceptance, even if Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow in displeasure.
«It's not that bad, I've seen worse», he scolded him. «Be nice to the villagers, okay? They seem really nice people».
Still grumbling a bit, Hua Cheng couldn't possibly deny a request made by someone with such a cute face. He asked his husband if he really wanted to repair the shack by hand, and upon receiving confirmation he simply shrugged and looked around to assess the damage. Being limited to handiwork wasn't going to stop him from helping His Highness, that much was certain.
«This will take a while, but it's such a nice place...».
Grabbed a broom from the dusty indoors, Xie Lian went back outside and started sweeping away dirt and leaves. They had a lot of work to do, on top of cleaning and repairing, so better to start early than to wait for another day.
While he swept the dust away, Hua Cheng made sure to clean the small courtyard, getting rid of dead leaves, branches, and scraps that accumulated there over time. There were lots of rags and broken pieces of what seemed pots and cups, and countless tiles that fell from the roof, but his husband made quick work of everything.
Soon enough, he moved to the grass growing between the rocks and pebbles forming a path to the shack and started pulling it, for good measure taking care also of the tallest weeds all around.
He was really too good for him. Xie Lian wouldn't have dared ask him to help with manual labor, but he knew that if Hua Cheng didn't want to do something, he simply wouldn't. In the earliest stages of their relationship Xie Lian though he would do basically everything for him, no matter if he wanted or not, but he was pleasantly surprised upon discovering Hua Cheng still wanted to keep true to himself.
He was knee deep in tall grass, his younger form even sweating a bit under the sun, but... Xie Lian knew he wanted to be there, wanted to help on his own volition.
It was enough for him to feel at peace.
«San Lang, do you want my hat? You've been under the sun for a long time!», he called him, waving the bamboo hat in his direction. He could take advantage of the shade provided by the building itself, and he had to go sweep the floor inside, after all.
Smiling, Hua Cheng accepted the offer and grabbed the hat when Xie Lian threw it to him, winking as he put it on. Always the seducer, when it came to his husband.
Not too long after midday the villagers came to check Xie Lian out, bringing with them a huge, warm welcome and a basket of freshly picker water chestnuts. Grateful, Xie Lian smiled brightly at them and accepted the gift, Hua Cheng immediately stealing a chestnut from the basket.
PuQi Shrine, as he decided to call the place, already had a table inside that could be used as the altar, once thoroughly scrubbed; because the door was missing – it was too damaged to be used so Hua Cheng straight up removed it – it was clear that the shack was being converted into a small shrine of sort, an curiosity soon overtook the villagers.
«Daozhang, which god are you going to worship?».
Not really prepared for that question, although he expected it, Xie Lian cleared his throat: «Uh... this is a shrine for the Prince of XianLe», he said. It had been a long time since those words came up.
Obviously – or luckily – no one knew who he was talking about, and blank faces stared at him until he scratched his head and nervously explained: «Well, he's a prince. Probably watches over you... keeps you safe».
And collects scraps. That, Xie Lian didn't add.
At least they didn't know who he was, or no one would let him build a shrine for himself. He was, after all, remembered as the Scrap Immortal, god of misfortune, bringer of bad luck to whoever worshipped him. He could feel Hua Cheng glowering even without looking at him.
"Behave, they're innocent villagers".
«Does this prince oversee the blessing of wealth?».
Xie Lian wanted to laugh at that. The one blessing he was able to give people at the moment was just the hope of not getting blessed into debt. Not really something that could convince people to be devoted to him, he realized.
His own bad luck started disappearing, painfully slowly, as Hua Cheng destroyed the cursed shackle that dispersed his good luck, but it was still there. So many years couldn't be destroyed in a second, after all.
With a sigh, he had to give the villager a negative answer, and braced himself for the plethora of bad comments he was surely going to get. Sure enough, the crowd started throwing suggestions at him, from the Water Master (was that village really so small they didn't know Shi Wudu wasn't worshipped anymore?), to Ling Wen; a girly shyly offered a suggestion about General Ju Yang as well, and Xie Lian has to do his utmost to avoid laughing.
Hua Cheng didn't force himself not to laugh, though, and his amused snort made Xie Lian want to hide his face in his hands. Plus, if he really built a Ju Yang shrine, Feng Xin would probably shoot him dead on the spot with an arrow. Not that he would succeed, but still.
To Xie Lian's surprise, though, the villagers didn't really seem opposed to the shrine he wanted to build, and didn't throw insults or mock him. They just had their good amount of laugh, then thanked Xie Lian for the hard work he was putting in finally giving PuQi a shrine, and left him to his devices with warm smiles all around.
For someone like Xie Lian, used to people – ghosts excluded – never treating him with such kindness and warmth, receiving that gentle treatment was enough to bring tears to his eyes.
Immediately, Hua Cheng was at his side and he hugged him, hiding his face in the maple red of his robes. The only happiness that could surpass the one that was making him shed tears of joy into Hua Cheng's clothes was the one he shared with him. Nothing else could compare. To finally have people being kind to him, without any obligation to do so, just because they genuinely liked him... it was a bit too much for him to handle at the moment.
«San Lang, I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react like this», he apologized, but Hua Cheng simply kept him there, petting his head.
«A-Lian», he called him gently. «You can react however you want. You deserve to be happy», he told him. Simple words that made Xie Lian hug him even tighter.
He smiled, happy to have brought some light into His Highness' life with the decision of bringing him to PuQi village, and held him close for as long as he needed.
After roughly cleaning his shrine, all that was needed were an incense burner, some fortune shakers, and other miscellaneous sundries. Also, for that to be a proper shrine, he would need the statue of a god.
When he brought the issue to Hua Cheng's attention, the ghost looked at the empty space above the altar – pretty small, given the place – and suggested that he could make a painting instead.
«It would be better for such a small village... you're always so smart, San Lang!», Xie Lian nodded, a smile brightening his face. A statue should have been really small to fit the shrine, and... well, the idea of Xie Lian the villagers had was of a somewhat poor man. Knowing Hua Cheng, he would probably end up sculpting a statue worthy of royal halls, even if small. No way of convincing him to make it less detailed that perfection.
So, a painting was actually the best decision.
«Ok, let's see... I'm going to explore the village, and you're staying here to paint. Okay? Please don't scare away he villagers».
«I would never scare someone away», Hua Cheng replied, raising a hand to his chest. «I'm hurt, gege, come and soothe me».
Xie Lian snorted: «Shameless».
But, as always, he gave in and kissed him. He was irresistible, honestly.
«I'll be back soon, and then we can have a stroll around together».
He put on his bamboo hat and stepped foot out of the door – oh, right. No door. He pondered for a moment; Hua Cheng could easily make a new door for him, but the shrine definitely had to be repaired a lot more. And instead of relying just on his husband, Xie Lian wanted to make the villagers feel more involved, so that they could then be appreciative a lot more of the place. Plus, it could give him some merits, which were useful even if bothersome.
While Hua Cheng worked on his painting, the brush already moving with perfect, delicate strokes of colors, Xie Lian wrote and put out a sign out front. The sign read: "Please kindly donate to the renovation of this shrine for accumulation of good merits".
Satisfied, Xie Lian smiled at the prospect of finally having a proper shrine, and went on his little journey.
The village was nothing special, just a bunch of houses orderly placed on a gentle hill, but it had a really calming atmosphere and Xie Lian already loved it.
It was the opposite of Ghost City, but completely different from the cold and distant feel of the Heavenly Capital; homely and lively, serene even. The quietness of the village was only bothered by the coming and going of farmers tending their fields and vendors making their voices heard from modest shops. It was a nice place, Xie Lian couldn't stop thinking it.
Wandering around, chit chatting with whoever wanted to know the new face living in their village, Xie Lian got to meet the majority of the villagers, even played with a little girl busy running around with a cheerful smile on her face.
With the looks and the grace of a saint, Xie Lian also managed to collect quite a lot of scraps, people gladly handing them broken stuff or things they didn't need anymore. Not that he actually needed to hunt for junk, as he wasn't in need of money – Hua Cheng would never let him go hungry a single day, money in his pockets or not – but he wanted to find bits and pieces to add to his shrine that came from the village itself. It added a bit more life to the place, making it just that tiny bit closer to the people who could maybe decide to leave a prayer or two.
As for the base materials he needed to repair the shrine to avoid it from collapsing, there were lots of trees nearby. Wood wasn't difficult to get, and cutting down trees wasn't a struggle for Xie Lian. He was rather good at handiwork, actually, despite his skills being limited mostly to carpentry and the like. Most other stuff, like sewing and cooking, he never was able to do properly.
Happy with the scraps he collected, even managing to get his hands on two books in almost perfect conditions, Xie Lian headed back to PuQi shrine a couple hours later. In his hands, kindly donated to him by a woman, a basket of fresh vegetables only waited to be turned into food.
«San Lang, I'm... oh».
The words died in Xie Lian's throat, when he moved aside the tattered curtain and entered the shack. Above the altar, beautiful in every detail, there was the finished painting of the Crown Prince of XianLe, vibrant colors clashing against a pale, shaded white. Xie Lian hadn't seen himself wearing those clothes in centuries, now. The elaborate pose showed the godly figure gently floating on a nightly background, a pale moon framing his head adorned with gold, with a hand holding a silver-gray sword behind his back and the other holding a small white flower close to his face. The painting has such a loving gentleness to it, soft colors blending together to create something that was...
«Beautiful», Xie Lian breathed out, completely shaken.
Not knowing how to react, he placed the basket on the table and reached towards the painting, but then that hand retreated to cover his mouth, shaking as tears he couldn't quite understand welled up in his eyes. It had been so long, so long...
«Gege?».
Hua Cheng stepped inside and froze on the doorstep, worry washing over him when he saw Xie Lian's shoulders shaking with muffled sobs, but before he could hurry to his side, it was His Highness that rushed to him, so fast the ghost had to brace himself to avoid falling backwards.
This time, it took a long time for Xie Lian to calm down.
Instead of making him stand, Hua Cheng nudged him towards the bamboo mat they placed on the ground earlier and lay down, propping his back against the wall as to let Xie Lian lie on him comfortably. His Highness was hugging Hua Cheng's waist quite stubbornly, face buried in his robes as he cried his heart out, and the Ghost King could only hold him with as much love as he had to spare.
Xie Lian didn't cry often. He was strong, determined, had suffered too much in his life to be easily bested, but when he did... Hua Cheng was always there for him. Whether they were tears of joy, sadness, or fear, Hua Cheng would always be there, to laugh with him or to comfort him. He didn't wait centuries to found his beloved just to leave him alone. He waited for that, for their moments of happiness and of sadness all the same.
«Why do you love me, San Lang? I'm not... I have nothing left of that anymore».
Hua Cheng felt a pang in his heart, at those words. They held so much misery to them, that even if his heart had been dead for hundreds of years, it still seemed to stop again.
He shook his head, wrapping his arms even tighter around Xie Lian, around his body and cradling his head; how could he think such a sorrowful thing? Xie Lian was the only light that held him afloat, the only reason why Hua Cheng resisted, lived. He was the reason he came back, the scared ghost of a young boy that fell on a cruel battlefield, where swords and blood were the one thing Xie Lian tried to stop and the one thing that ended up destroying his brightness.
For him, Hua Cheng faced the most terrible pain, he faced ghosts, monsters, the earth itself, coming out of Mount TongLu with one single objective: find Xie Lian and keep living for him, even if he couldn't live anymore, even if his heart was dead and his skin bone white. He gave up his eye, because Xie Lian would have hated to spill the blood of the innocents, he was willing to bet his own ashes, to fight and win to stop who wronged him.
For Xie Lian. For him. He was there.
He didn't care what face he had, Hua Cheng was there.
«You could have nothing, and I would still love you. You could have everything, and I would never leave you. You could be the most powerful god or the weakest human, I would still be here», he told him, stroking his back for comfort, although his voice kept cracking. «I loved you back then, when you were so perfect I couldn't even think of dreaming of you, and I love you now. You are still perfect, A-Lian. To me, all your imperfections are beautiful. All you perfections are beautiful. All of you, your soul, your body, your heart, I've never loved you a single bit less».
And how could he, his most devoted believer, love him less? If Hua Cheng couldn't give him his all, then there was no point.
Gently pulling Xie Lian away from his chest, and drying his tears with the sleeve of his robe, Hua Cheng hooked a finger under the thin chain holding the ring around His Highness' neck and showed it to him: «I gave you my life, gege. I don't need a reason to love you, I just do».
Xie Lian weakly shook his head: «You're so insincere...».
A gentle smile what was Hua Cheng gave him in return: «I promise, you won't find another person more sincere than me in this world».
With that, he brushed his palm against Xie Lian's face, and pressed a kiss on his forehead: «I can make another painting, if you want».
Xie Lian refused: «No, I... I really like it. Thank you, San Lang».
«For you, this and more».
Finally calm and collected, and after a good meal – Hua Cheng cooked the vegetables for him with an extraordinary show of cooking skills – the two left PuQi shrine arm in arm, both smiling again. Wandering around, mostly outside the main streets of the village, ones Xie Lian didn't explore in his early stroll, a soft evening started falling on them.
The bright azure sky dimmed, painted pink and orange before melting away in a deep blue dotted with silver stars, and Xie Lian looked up with a mesmerized look on his face; always, after spending a long time with a red haze above him, the Crown Prince found himself in awe of the stars, as if he met them every time for the first time. The night sky was a sight to behold in that village, open and vast, free from imposing buildings often found in big cities, glittering white beautifully shining on a dark, endless dome.
«I really like it here», Xie Lian said in a hushed voice, as if he was afraid to disturb the resting nature.
Happy, Hua Cheng moved his arm so it was hugging Xie Lian's waist and widened his smile: «I'm glad you like it, gege».
Any other king and any other god would never look with such fondness at some village lost in the unknown. Maybe His Highness liking for simple things like that was the reason why he got along so well with the Rain Master, maybe it was a mutual understanding. Hua Cheng didn't like sharing his gege with other people, but exceptions were deeply needed when those people were friends.
He grew up in rich chambers, surrounded by gold and everything he desired, with people swaying on their feet at the lone mention of him, but accepted a much simpler life without resenting it. Hua Cheng could tell he hated it, at first, still recalled the night Xie Lian laughed at his principles and got drunk, but it wasn't the case anymore.
In that, they were opposites.
Hua Cheng grew up poor, in a family that was too big for their possibilities, always dirty and hungry, bullied relentlessly because of something he couldn't control. He was a no one, just one more dot in the crowd, and yet! Xie Lian jumped to save him. A prince, so strong and beautiful, catching him in his arms with a gentleness Hua Cheng never learned before. When he reached Devastation, he made it his objective to never feel that helpless again, to never be poor again, not for himself but for the kind man that put himself on the line for that kid.
Opposites, but never apart.
Hua Cheng loved to see Xie Lian clad in rich robes and accept Paradise Manor as his home, but he also loved to see him in those ragged cultivator robes he still enjoyed wearing. He didn't like to see him struggle, and so he helped him through everything, but never once he told his beloved not to do something if he was willing to.
«Tell me, gege», he suddenly asked, a somewhat mischievous glint appearing in his younger eyes. «What are you going to say, if someone were to ask you why you wanted to live here?».
«San Lang, don't talk about them in that tone», he tiredly scolded him, although amused and with a smile still tugging at his lips.
Xie Lian thought about it, but only for a second: «I'll tell them that I can choose what to do independently of what they think of you and me», he decided to answer, for once choosing the blunt option. «I'll tell them that I want to keep the shrine clean and the people happy, as long as I'm needed. And then I'll probably have to hold you back because of something Mu Qing would say without thinking», he added, looking at Hua Cheng from the corner of his eye.
That addition elicited a grumbling laugh from his husband, and Xie Lian laughed as well; he would have lied to himself if he say he wasn't curious to know how outraged the expressions on Mu Qing and Feng Xin's faces could become when faced with that answer.
Nonetheless, Xie Lian was more than willing to live some simple days, because for once he didn't have to worry about collecting enough scraps to survive. He just had to work as he wanted, and stay for as long as the shrine needed his presence.
«You know, San Lang doesn't need to live like this with me», he told him.
«He doesn't need to, but he wants to».
An expected reply, that still made Xie Lian's heart flutter.
Right then an ox cart appeared in the distance, an old man holding the reins, and Xie Lian was brought back in time, to the day he met Hua Cheng on a much similar cart. They only needed to exchange a look before Xie Lian waved an arm, and got them a ride back to the village.
The back of the cart had piles of hay that made perfect pillows for their backs, yet another detail reminding Xie Lian of that fateful day, but the ride was certainly bumpier that he remember the old one being. The dirt road was riddled with small rocks and dipped in weird places, totally uneven, but it wasn't so bad. In fact, Xie Lian found it entertaining, and used it as an excuse to more comfortably stare at the stars above, flickering in and out of view with every staggered movement of the cart.
To think about it, even the decrepit shack reminded him of the small hut he lived in, back when they met. Destiny was, without a single doubts, a really curious thing.
«This ride is strangely familiar, don't you think gege?».
Xie Lian smiled, not surprised that his husband was happily following a similar train of thought, but before he could say anything the ox cart shook violently.
The two rattled with the cart and Hua Cheng reached to grab his husband, fearing he might fall, and Xie Lian looked around: «What's going on?».
«I don't know!», the old driver responded. «Old Huang, why aren't you moving? Go on now!».
The cart was still in the deep woods, now seemingly filled with even more darkness. The Old Huang ox just stood there, stubbornly refusing to move no matter how the old driver urged it. It kept mooing, wanting to dig his head into the earth, and flicking its tail like a whip.
This didn't feel right. Xie Lian was about to ask Hua Cheng if he knew what was going on when, suddenly, the old driver pointed straight ahead and screamed in fear.
Further up the road, a number of floating green flames gathered around and burned, lazily hovering through the woods, while a group of figures dressed in white made their way towards them while holding their heads.
For the sake of the old man's sanity, Xie Lian looked down at RuoYe and asked it to protect; in a matter of seconds, the silk band flew out from his sleeve and created a circle around the ox cart, protecting the three and the beast.
«San Lang, what day is today?».
«It's Zhongyuan».
The middle of the seventh month, when the gates to the underworld opened. Of course he had to choose the Zhongyuan Festival to go out on a stroll.
At times like those, Xie Lian wondered if his bad luck was really retreating or not.
«Let's not scare this poor man, okay?», Xie Lian's voice dropped as he talked to his husband, raising a hand to his forehead. He could see the entertainment in his eyes, but he rather wanted to deal with the problem without giving the old man an heart attack. He didn't need to know he had a ghost on the back of his cart, after all.
The figures, upon closer inspection, were dressed in white prisoner garb; newly-executed criminals, maybe, judging by how cleanly their heads had been cut off. They wobbled slowly towards the ox cart as their heads buzzed and argued in those boney arms.
«In a moment, when they approach, don't make a sound», Xie Lian instructed the old man, in a low voice.
The problem was, the old cart driver's eyes were already wide with fear after seeing the flight of a silk cloth, and with headless walkers heading straight towards them, his eyes were about to roll back in terror.
«N-nonono, I don't think I can hold my voice in!», he said, repeatedly shaking his head as panic seized him. «Daozhang, what should I do?!».
Well, there was another way. Xie Lian profusely apologized in advance, then swiftly swung his hand and tapped a point on the old man's back. Instantly, he slumped and passed out.
Instead of leaving him there, Xie Lian caught him lightly and laid him down flat in the back of the cart, while he himself assumed the driver's seat and was quickly followed by Hua Cheng.
At least they didn't have to worry about scaring the old man even more.
Instead of letting Hua Cheng terrorize the ghosts, though, Xie Lian picked up the reins to gently urge the ox. The group of ghosts in criminal garb walked over and wanted to pass, but kept sensing there was something blocking the middle of the road, so they all cursed up and down.
After a long while of coaxing, Xie Lian finally soothed the ox and the cart resumed moving, silently passing by the band of headless ghosts. Listening to the heads banter, Xie Lian thought them rather hilarious, full of petty woes.
However, he didn't really want to be there and listen. Normally, on the day of the biggest festival for the ghost realm, with the underworld gates opened and all sort of dead creature rushing out to play, mortals stayed at shut at home. It was dangerous, to run into ghosts during the Zhongyuan Festival, because no one could give them harm on their day, so people preferred to live their fear as far away as possible from any possible encounters.
The old man truly chose the wrong night to come back home with his piles of hay. His luck in encountering exactly the only people able to help him perfectly countered the misfortune of being outside.
As the cart moved along, ghost fires flared all around them; several were playing tag, others were expressionlessly mumbling to themselves trying to catch offerings and paper money burned by mortals. Xie Lian, careful not to run into those ghosts, crossed through the middle.
Maybe sensing Hua Cheng's evil aura approaching, because RuoYe had been instructed to stop evil from entering and not the other way around, no ghost stood in their way, and they passed undisturbed.
«I can't believe I forgot what day it was», Xie Lian lamented. «San Lang, why didn't y-STOP!»
The old ox had pulled the cart to a fork in the road, two pitch-black mountain paths ahead. On the night of the Zhongyuan Festival, sometimes people might discover a road that had never existed before, a road that should never be taken, because they could enter the ghost realm and never return.
Xie Lian's instinct told him to stop and be careful, but soon after he remembered Hua Cheng was with him and slapped his forehead.
His husband gave a laugh, and when Xie Lian turned to look at him, he propped up his chin and stuck out his tongue.
«Where do we go?».
«Wherever you want, gege. Both paths are safe for us».
Of course.
Embarrassed, Xie Lian cleared his throat and pulled the reins a couple times, the wheels of the ox cart rolling slowly once more. The road after that was smooth, and it didn't take an hour before the cart finally left the forest and came to an open mountain path. Down below the hills, a warm glow of lights illuminated PuQi village. Being married to a Ghost King was, ironically, truly a blessing.
A night breeze brushed by, and a movement beside him told the Crown Prince that Hua Cheng relocated himself to the back of the cart; he seemed to be in a very good mood and had laid down, watching the moon with both hands pillowed behind his head. Beneath the faint moonlight, his complexion looked surreal, as pale as his true form was.
Xie Lian fondly remembered the day when, still unsure of Hua Cheng's identity, tried to check the lines of his palm by making up the excuse of telling his fortune; he had taken a good look at his left hand, back then, recalling how he thought it to be clean and elegant, hiding enough strength to easily grab someone in a choking hold. He had been so enthralled that his first comment had been "you've got a good hand", and then had to promptly save himself by blabbering some bullshit made up on the spot.
«Remember when I suggested palm-reading to you, when I was trying to understand if you were human or not?», he suddenly asked his husband, breaking the silence blanketed around them.
From behind came a low hum of acknowledgment, and Xie Lian shook his head: «You went straight to love and marriage».
«And then I asked for compliments», Hua Cheng laughed, craning his neck to steal a look at his husband, glowing white in moonlight. «You didn't fall for it, though».
«Well, then it's about time I do, right?».
Determined on having his fun for the night, after running straight into a ghost festival, Xie Lian kept his focus on the road but his heart on Hua Cheng: «You asked me why I supposed so many girls would like you, so let's see... you are good looking, clever, well-educated, and positively provoking», he said, all at once.
He could tell how flustered he made his husband by the lack of responses to his list of compliments, and laughed even harder than the ghost did before.
A handful of time later, they finally arrived at PuQi shrine.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng jumped down, but before they could go inside the Crown Prince remembered that the old driver was still asleep in the ox cart. He went back around and woke the old man, making sure to calm him down before advising him to keep the incident a secret. After witnessing his powers, the old man didn't dare say no, and hurriedly dragged his Old Huang away without the cart attached.
Before Xie Lian could say anything, he found himself swept away from his feet and in Hua Cheng's arms, so suddenly he even forgot to blush, but heat immediately rushed to his cheeks the moment his husband leaned down.
«Positively provoking, uh? I might need you to elaborate on those words, my beloved».
«San Lang!».