Rectify, it wasn't something. It was someone.
As soon as the person that fell in the armory through the ceiling raised his head, Xie Lian knew he was – forgive his words – royally fucked.
It was none other than His Royal Highness Tai Hua. And when His Highness locked eyes with the one in the room bearing his own title, his face was drained of all color. Xie Lian, helpless, could only watch as Lang QianQiu's gaze moved from him to the ghost at his side, and then, slowly but surely, to the sword hanging at his hip.
The face of the martial god paled even more.
Then, a flash of anger materialized in his eyes, and Lang QianQiu jumped to his feet, a longsword suddenly in his hand. The blade was the size of a grown man's palm, a sword forged by a metal borne of a lodestone mountain. Xie Lian had always been fascinated by that weapon, by its ability to magnetize metals and melt them into the blade, but at that moment the only feeling he could recognize was pure and utter panic.
Lang QianQiu raised his sword with both hand and struck towards Hua Cheng, who drew out his scimitar with one hand, E-Ming generating silver shimmers in the air.
He was calm, ready to welcome the attack, while Lang QianQiu used all his power to strike. A newborn kitten trying to jump in the fangs of a fully grown tiger.
Xie Lian only had a split second to react.
Just as the blades of a sword and a scimitar were about to make contact, a blinding white light blew up within the armory, a light so immense it covered every inch of the hall, and everyone lost their sight temporarily. All they could see was endless white.
Xie Lian was more that prepared; Fang Xin unsheathed in one hand, he raised the other to Lang QianQiu's chest and imbued it with spiritual power. A second later, the Crown Prince of Yong'An was sent flying backwards, right through the open doors of the armory, and his unconscious body hit Shi QingXuan square in the chest.
Wait.
Shi QingXuan?
«Your Highness, I'm sorry! Lang QianQiu took the dice from me», the Wind Master apologized, grimacing at the passed out form of the martial god as he shrugged him away. Everything was going well, from the passageways that led them to He Xuan to the walk back, but that reckless young man suddenly snatched the dice from him without explaining a reason and fell through a hole in the ground after throwing them. Luckily for Shi QingXuan, he was in the company of a powerful ghost so they could find him easily, but what a disgrace had been to find him right where he should never have set foot!
He apologized again, picking Lang QianQiu up from the floor, but Xie Lian couldn't say anything.
Instead, Hua Cheng shot the prince a glare able to burn, and Shi QingXuan understood they needed to leave. Immediately.
The Ghost King was angry. And Shi QingXuan, whether or not he was considered a friend of his, didn't want to deal with it. Sending another apology to both of them, the Wind Master grabbed He Xuan's hand, tugged him away, and left as quickly as his feet could run.
The only thing Hua Cheng could see was the injury on his beloved's arm. Eye wide with worry, the ghost raised a hand to his shoulder and drew in a sharp, unneeded breath when he felt wetness in his palm, alongside a stark smell of blood. The vivid red of his robes didn't make it easy to see, but Hua Cheng could always feel when his husband was hurt. Even if Xie Lian never showed it.
Xie Lian's right hand, the one holding Fang Xin, was covered in blood. His entire arm, rather, was thoroughly dyed with blood, and the trembling in it was not slight, even if his fingers still refused to let go of Fang Xin's handle, sternly holding onto the weapon.
Right. The white light.
Xie Lian flashed in right when the blades of Hua Cheng and Lang QianQiu were about to make contact. It was a move he'd seen before, during those rare times they showed heir techniques to each other. Two moves, to be correct: the first, Xie Lian knocked back Lang QianQiu's longsword; the second, he blocked E-Ming. Because Xie Lian was in the middle, and the force of the strikes were not rebounded onto the attackers, he absorbed both attacks completely using Fang Xin and his own arm.
With a panicked look on his face, Hua Cheng dropped E-Ming right on the floor and took his beloved's arm in his hands, a swarm of shimmering butterflies immediately materializing around him to tend to the injury. It was his fault, his fault that Xie Lian was injured.
Lang QianQiu was a kid, a stupid, idiot kid whose longsword was not only manageable for Xie Lian, but also a breeze compared to his power. E-Ming, on the other hand, was a force to be reckoned with. His Highness was powerful enough to be capable of blocking it, and the blade in his hand was formidable just the same, but the recoil made a bloody mess of his whole right arm.
«I'm sorry, gege», he apologized, voice but a mere guilty whisper. His spiritual power flowed into Xie Lian, even if the god himself could easily fix his injures himself, gripped just a slight bit harder. «This useless husband hurt you».
Hearing that, Xie Lian snapped from the dazed state he fell in and finally released the death grip on Fang Xin. The blade clattered to the ground with an awful sound of metal against hard flooring, but he was too busy cupping Hua Cheng's face with his uninjured hand to care.
The pain that flared in his arm when Fang Xin met E-Ming was one of the worst ones he'd ever felt in his life, so horrible he flinched in response for the first time after many other injuries, but it wasn't Hua Cheng's fault. Xie Lian jumped into action himself, and while a split second was enough for his husband to stop an attack, he had been way faster. How could he blame him, how could Hua Cheng blame himself?
«I don't want to hear you say the words "useless husband" anymore, okay?», he said, brushing his thumb over Hua Cheng's cheekbone under it. «You're the most beautiful, most caring husband I could have ever wished for. Don't say that».
Hua Cheng stiffened a bit, but Xie Lian only leaned in and tucked his head under the ghost's chin, an affectionate action made incredibly easy thanks to those heels he almost never abandoned. He still let him take care of his arm, but moved the other hand to tangle in the hair at the base of his neck: «You didn't hurt me. I knew what would happen, if I interjected E-Ming. Stop blaming yourself».
He spoke with broken down sentences, making sure his message reached Hua Cheng's ears loud and clear. Xie Lian knew he came a long way. He also knew that it didn't take much for his powerful ghost to crumble again. It was his only weakness, the disheartening fear of hurting the one he always wanted to protect.
Slowly but surely, the panicked grip Hua Cheng had on his arm started to soften. The butterflies made quick work of the injury, even the blood drenching his sleeve was taken away by their dutiful effort. An arm snaked around Xie Lian's back and pulled him close to his husband.
«I love you», he reassured him, feeling a strong hand stroke down his back. «You didn't hurt me. San Lang would never hurt me».
«I don't believe you».
The voice of his ghost was broken, but Xie Lian was there to pick up the pieces and make him whole together.
He sighed, moving his arms so he could hug his husband, and smiled: «You will not find another person who is more sincere than me in this word».
Xie Lian could feel the hug tighten. He could also feel the subtle shaking of his husband's shoulders, and the drops of wetness falling onto his hair. Hua Cheng almost never cried like that. In fact, he only cried when Xie Lian was getting tortured by Bai WuXiang and those poor mortals, only cried when Xie Lian gave him a reason to live.
In his long lifetime, he maybe seriously cried only four or five times, once he grew out of his childhood.
Knowing that, Xie Lian refused to let him go and held him close until he calmed down. For him, Hua Cheng was willing to move mountains and seas. Not a single time in his life Xie Lian thought to refuse to do the same for the ghost.
Even if moving mountains and seas meant staying close to him as he broke down.
The convocation came three days after the mess with Lang QianQiu.
Xie Lian was fully expecting it, but still jumped in startled surprise when Ling Wen's voice resounded in his communication array, telling him he was to come to the Great Martial Hall as soon as he could. Meaning, he only had time to dress up and leave.
He had no idea what he was going to find, didn't even know if Jun Wu was still willing to stay by his side. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were another question mark, because he couldn't possibly imagine how they could defend him and not lose what they fought to obtain. Shi QingXuan and He Xuan had it even worse; had they been interrogated? Surely the heavens weren't so stupid as not to realize those two probably knew about Xie Lian and Hua Cheng being a married couple.
All of those thoughts started wildly swirling inside his mind, he could already feel his breath become more labored, his fingers grip the armrest of the chair he was sitting on even harder. If it wasn't for his husband, who promptly came behind him and draped his arms around Xie Lian, the god would have spiraled down until he lost himself again.
It took many deep breaths, coordinated by Hua Cheng's sweet voice, but Xie Lian pulled himself back together relatively quickly. He knew that eventuality might have presented itself. He only hoped for it not to come so soon.
It was a mess. A terrible, chaotic, absurd mess. The workload on Ling Wen's shoulder was about to multiply tenfold, she knew it. She didn't even know who to curse anymore.
Yet, a curse still escaped her lips when, out of the blue, she heard the jingling of jewelry right behind her.
When she turned around, scared out of her wits, Ling Wen had to do a double take.
Vivid red robes, black boots, tinkling silver jewelry, everything checked out for a perfect description of Crimson Rain Sought Flower. The thing was, the man standing in front of her wasn't Crimson Rain Sought Flower. It wasn't even a ghost.
In fact, the man was a god, with long ebony hair adorned by a butterfly headpiece, a single coral red earring on his left ear. His robes were more elegant that the ones generally worn by Hua Cheng, longer, with large sleeves and embroidered with flowers and butterflies. The sleeveless long outer robe robe he wore above the red was of beautiful silver, the blood red belt looped around his waist intricately decorated with even more fine embroidery.
If the attire Xie Lian wore the last time he climbed up was a vague hint, the one he was wearing now was a statement. A clear, loud statement.
«Your Highness», she greeted him, after clearing her throat. The shock wasn't that big this time, at least.
«I suppose everyone is already in the Great Martial Hall», the Crown Prince said, after politely returning her greeting. Ling Wen nodded, so he sighed: «I apologize for taking too long. Let us go, then».
The Upper Court was deserted. Not a single noise could be heard, and there weren't officials or juniors scurrying around. Or, maybe there were, but as soon as they heard the jingling of chains, everyone ran off with their blood freezing. Xie Lian didn't pay attention to his surrounding when he teleported using the dice Hua Cheng gave him, but it was the most probable option.
That jingling was a well-known sound in the heavens, hence the reason why Hua Cheng insisted for his husband to wear jewelry that time. Xie Lian, surprising even himself, accepted without a second thought.
At this point, even if Lang QianQiu didn't spill the beans immediately, he would spill them in the Great Martial Hall. But, of course Xie Lian knew he talked, otherwise why call him to the Heavenly Capital? He had nothing to do with the rescue mission, so there was no reason for a convocation. If the call was for something else, on top of that, Ling Wen would have told him to go anywhere but the Great Martial Hall. Either at her palace, or at the palace of whoever wanted to see him.
«What is the general mood?».
Ling Wen took a deep breath: «Tense, if I have to describe it. Many are understandably scared». It was no use trying to hide the truth from him. Xie Lian was a gentle man, but even he had to be fed up with all the bullshit of the Heavenly Court. The civil god understood it when he brought Hua Cheng in the communication array, back then.
In response, Xie Lian only hummed.
Ling Wen entered the hall before him, giving him one last look before disappearing through the doors. Xie Lian, before crossing the threshold, raised his head to the plaque above him. It was the second time for him to be at the center of attention in that hall. Despite himself, he started wondering when would be the day for him to be a real offender.
With a sigh, he shook his head and entered, only to be greeted with a forest of absolutely terrified heavenly officials.
Every official sitting in the hall was looking at him with wide eyes, disbelief and fear drawing their features. Many flinched back upon hearing the soft jingling of silver, others lost their healthy color. Some, Xie Lian could notice, were gripping with white knuckles the handles of their swords or other spiritual tools.
It was the language of cornered prey, waiting for the predator to lunge and bury its deep fangs into a soft, inviting neck.
Xie Lian wanted to feel bad, but... he'd been treated like worthless trash for the vast majority of his life. People and officials would sneer at him, laugh at his misfortunes, making up stories where he was the comic protagonist who kept losing and losing just to entertain others. He never openly hated them. He couldn't, didn't want to. Hate only brought more hate, after all.
For once, for the first time since Bai WuXiang, Xie Lian let go of his morals and basked in the feeling of so many people being afraid of him, so afraid that no one dared make a hurtful comment or a laughable joke. He wasn't a bad person, but he was also tired of being treated like a punching bag by their words.
He could feel sorry another time.
«Xian Le», the Emperor greeted him, calm radiating from his being. «You came».
«You didn't think I would?».
Jun Wu smiled softly at that, and barely shook his head: «I admit my mistake». The entire hall was filled with murmurs at those words, quickly silenced by a simple hand gesture.
Another nod, and Lang QianQiu rose from the crowd, making his way to the center of the hall. His hands trembled a bit when he looked over at Xie Lian, but kept himself composed. The Emperor took a secret sigh of relief; starting a fight was always easier than bringing it to an end.
And, given the situation, he had no idea if Xie Lian would have retaliated or not. If yes, his martial hall could end up in shambles.
Jun Wu still remembered how even their fight had been. Xie Lian stabbed and injured him more times than he would have believed possible. He didn't know exactly how powerful he had become, after eight hundred years of harboring an already strong spiritual power.
«Tai Hua informed us about your presence in Ghost City», the Emperor said, a formal voice booming in the hall even if kept reasonably low. Of course he was in Ghost City, Xie Lian was married to the lord of said city. When Jun Wu was informed of that, he almost groaned inwardly. Supporting Xie Lian was in his book, as he decided him to be his successor in case anything tragic happened, but even the Emperor hoped to have that matter come as late as possible.
Ruling over the heavens required certain procedures, however.
«Do you confirm or deny his statement?».
At least he didn't use the word "accusation".
Xie Lian stole a glance at Lang QianQiu, noticed he was not-so-subtly staring at the sword on his hip, and nodded: «I confirm the statement», he responded. «Indeed, I was in Ghost City. There is no reason for me to deny it».
Those words elicited an uproar. Many officials sprung to their feet, the outrage apparently winning over their previous fear, and not few of them started throwing accusations, siding with Lang QianQiu and asking to have Xie Lian banished again for colluding with Crimson Rain Sought Flower. Voices filled the hall, some angry and some scared.
Xie Lian expected it.
What he didn't expect was to see six empty spots in the crowd, meaning that the people sitting in those spots didn't stand up. A quick closer inspection told him that the officials who refused to take part in the waterfall of accusation were Ling Wen, Shi QingXuan, Ming Yi, Feng Xin and Mu Qing (his heart skipped a beat when he realized it), and... Pei Ming?
Why was Pei Ming not shouting against him...?
Before the chaos could worsen, Jun Wu raised a hand and silence the hall with a single, meaningful glare. All the heavenly officials sat down with tails between their legs, and didn't dare say another word, lest they defy the Emperor's orders.
Xie Lian was grateful to him for making them shut up. He could feel uneasiness creeping up in his chest, and people screaming all around only made it worse.
«Why where you in Ghost City, Xian Le?».
There it was. The million-merits question.
Even if it wasn't obvious from his attire – it was – Xie Lian would have answered anyway. If only to take some pressure away from his heart.
He could feel hundreds of eyes on him, burning through his very being, angry and curious and confused, but swallowed down his discomfort and tucked his hands in his sleeves: «I was in Ghost City because I live there», was the simple, direct answer. A gasp rippled through the hall, with many "what"s and "is he mad"s embellishing it.
«You're the Scrap Immortal, why would you live in Ghost City?».
Xie Lian felt his eyebrow twitch at the tone, but for the sake of keeping his kindness where it was, he slowly turned around in the direction of the civil god that spoke up: «Do you think I'm too poor and miserable to live in Ghost City?» .
An attack for an attack. Xie Lian wasn't simply going to take it, not today. He took it for eight hundred years. Maybe a bit less, since he got married to Hua Cheng before the BanYue War, but still. The amount of time one could kneel in front of another had to be limited.
The civil god flinched at the response, extremely kind and polite but biting at the same time, and cleared his throat: «N-no, of course not!», he exclaimed, taking in the full appearance of the Crown Prince before talking again. «I was trying to say, why would a heavenly official live in the Ghost Realm and not in his Golden Palace?».
Saved on the break.
Xie Lian smiled, glad that the insolence gave way to a much more appropriate politeness, and fiddled with the rings around his fingers: «How could I live anywhere else? It would be inappropriate to live in my Golden Palace, when my husband resides in Ghost City».
And that's the first shoe dropped.
As soon as he said that, a silence even heavier than before fell on the hall. Xie Lian could almost see the brains of the officials adding up the information they got. His attire so similar to Hua Cheng's, his presence in Ghost City, the speech he delivered during the BanYue issue, the fact that he lived in Ghost City because his husband lived there.
Gradually, understanding made its way on the many faces surrounding him, paired with a mix of other emotions. Fear, confusion, bewilderment, resignation. It was a painting with dozens of expressions, each carefully drawn and colored by the hand of a skillful artist .
Time to drop the other shoe.
«I may call him San Lang», his voice filled the hall, reminding them of what he said in the communication array on a day that now seemed to have happened years back in time. «But Crimson Rain Sought Flower is maybe the name you're most familiar with».
«You... you're married to that scum Ghost King?».
Xie Lian turned to look at another civil god, a woman this time, and flashed a polite smile: «Yes, and please refrain from referring to him with such impolite words», he scolded her. Still gentle, but with a hint of coldness in his voice.
No one could insult his husband. If was fine if they insulted him, he could stomach the pain and the disappointment. He didn't want to bear with it anymore, but he could. Insulting his beloved was something else entirely.
He endured Feng Xin and Mu Qing being disrespectful only because he knew they didn't really mean to be nasty. And, well, because they were his friends, and he could take some time to make them understand he was really, genuinely fine with Hua Cheng.
Anyone else didn't have that privilege.
«Is that why you helped him?».
Hearing the ice in Lang QianQiu's voice, Xie Lian froze. Not because he didn't expect it, but because it brought up painful memories. He heard that tone in his voice only once, when Lang QianQiu fought and "killed" him. The same, exact voice, maybe a bit older.
A shiver ran down his spine before he could will himself to stop it.
«Helped him doing what? What are you accusing me of?», he asked, hesitant to turn around but doing so anyway.
The fire in Lang QianQiu's eyes, also, was the same of that day. Instinctively, Xie Lian freed both hands from his sleeves, but stopped himself just in time. The glare he was being victimized by plunged him so far back in time that he almost wanted to place his hand on the handle of Fang Xin and unsheathe it. Xie Lian forced down his fight or flight response and clasped his hands behind his back.
Lang QianQiu's frown deepened so much he looked like he was squinting: «Helped him keeping the Earth Master prisoner. What else?».
Those words fell on a dumbfounded crowd. Before anyone could reach the wrong conclusions – something that was bound to happen – He Xuan cursed his fellow Calamity for a total of four times, for good measure cursed himself as well, silently prayed that his actions would prevent Crimson Rain from doubling his debt, and stood up with sharp words on his lips: «Let's not throw free accusations, Your Royal Highness».
His voice snapped many officials out of their thoughts, and suddenly too many eyes were on him.
Fuck.
He Xuan never talked during official meetings, in court, or even outside. He didn't like to mingle with heavenly officials, save for Shi QingXuan and – he had to admit it – Xie Lian. The main excuse was that he needed to protect his identity, and the less he talked and intervened, the less he would draw attention on himself, but he straight up hated talking to people.
With only a handful of exceptions.
This time, however, was between sitting back and watch as the heavens turned against Xie Lian, thus causing a chain reaction that he was sure would end with Hua Cheng making hell out of heaven, and standing up to help Xie Lian flee the baseless accusation.
Obviously, the second option was the only viable one. Maybe also because he did care about Xie Lian. Just a tiny bit. Not that he would admit it.
«Lord Earth Master, you can't possibly be defending him?».
He Xuan glared at the martial god that had the guts to speak up, and the poor official sat back down with a defeated expression maybe ten seconds after.
Without waiting for any more interference, He Xuan clearly explained how he ended up lost under Ghost City, trying to make it as transparent as possible for everyone to understand. Glaring daggers at whoever seemed ready to interject, He Xuan told them that he ended up in that situation because the protection array that protected Ghost City (half a truth, really, the city was well protected but explaining how to a bunch of witless officials was impossible) got him completely disoriented.
He told the bullshit of how, drained of his spiritual powers because of that array, he got lost in the underground tunnels and couldn't find the way out, but kept finding beasts and other creatures instead. After a week of attempts, he made them believe he gave up on trying, too exhausted to do anything else, and used his last bits of energy for the Ascending Fire Dragon.
«His Highness couldn't know I was there», he said, after recounting his ridiculous story. «And even if he knew, Crimson Rain Sough Flower never showed his face to me, and I suffered no injuries by his hand. If I were taken as a prisoner, I would surely not be in healthy conditions right now».
He Xuan's eyes grazed over the crowd listening to him, relief blooming into his chest when many angry stares subsided, and crossed his arms: «Besides, in the eventuality His Highness knew about me because Hua Cheng informed him, he deemed the situation safe enough for him not to come search for me. And the situation was relatively safe, as you can see with your own eyes».
Lang QianQiu wasn't giving up so easily: «Then why did you send such a call?», he asked. «The Ascending Fire Dragon is dangerous even for the most skilled officials».
«Why do you think?», He Xuan replied, now starting to feel exasperated. Did he even listen to the story?! «I was lost in Ghost City, with no understanding of how to get out, my spiritual power getting weaker by the day and my shovel practically useless. I couldn't call for help in any other way, since my communication array was blocked by the energy that permeates the Ghost Realm».
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he could flick his hand and send Lang QianQiu flying to the other side of the hall. Shi QingXuan almost moved, beside him, but thankfully realized the situation was safe before getting into that mess.
«I was fine, only unable to find my way out, and I needed to find a way out. What was I supposed to do, wait until Crimson Rain found me and could start thinking I was there to spy on him?».
«You- ah, forget it, it makes sense», the Crown Prince of Yong'An conceded. «Fine. But what about His Highness? Couldn't he help you?».
Was that little god deaf...?
«As I said – He Xuan repeated through gritted teeth– I was fine. There was no need for him to come help me, especially if he didn't know I was lost».
That seemed to settle the argument, or at least Xie Lian hoped. He was incredibly grateful for He Xuan to have talked for him, otherwise he had no idea if he would have escaped that situation unscathed. Officials started murmuring to one another, the negative expressions on their faces finally giving way to something less worrying, but his relief didn't last long.
Just as everything seemed to calm down, Lang QanQiu seized Xie Lian's wrist.
There was hesitation on his face, as if he remembered something but wasn't sure. A fire was burning within his eyes again, Xie Lian felt a wave of rage trembling from Lang QianQiu's arm to his. His gaze kept darting from his face to the sword at his side, lingering more and more as he finally had the opportunity to look at both up close.
Noticing the new strange situation, all the spectating officials started whispering amongst themselves once again. Shi QingXuan and Mu Qing both started to rise, to flank Ming Yi, but it was Feng Xin who spoke.
«Your Highness Tai Hua, what are you doing?».
The inquiry was met with a long silence. Then, Lang QianQiu finally moved his lips.
Two syllables that made Xie Lian's heart sink to the very bottom. Through gritted teeth, the Crown Prince of Yong'An had officially recognized him as "Guoshi".
Xie Lian's pupil shrank, his heart picking up speed, hearing the onlooking officials muttering in confusion before figuring it out, little by little.
Not that it was difficult to figure out, anyway.
Lang QianQiu was the Crown Prince of Yong'An, and the Guoshi of Yong'An during his time was perfectly known, especially thanks to the stories handed down from one generation to another. The second of the Two Wicked Masters, the Guoshi FangXin. No one knew of his origins or his (vague) identity, aside from... well, the royal family.
And Lang QianQiu was, obviously, part of that royal family. And he called Xie Lian, unmistakably, Guoshi.
Feng Xin regretted asking almost immediately.
If Lang QianQiu called him Guoshi, could that mean that Xie Lian was the evil that brought ruin to Yong'An, the Guoshi FangXin!?
No, it couldn't be. Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of XianLe. The kingdom had fallen in the hands of Yong'An, why would he go and become its Guoshi? Why would he... why would he commit so many atrocities? It was Xie Lian they were talking about, for fuck's sake. Xie Lian, who would never hurt innocent people, who was afraid of even robbing an innocent of their hard-earned money.
But...
Prince Tai Hua was renowned for his optimism and cheerfulness, never having played mind games nor made things difficult for anyone. He had never exhibited such a terrible expression, a mixture of despair, rage, enmity, and hatred.
It took him a while to accept it, but now he had not a single doubt. The sword was undoubtedly Fang Xin, the same weapon he saw many times in his childhood, the same weapon that one day disappeared from his possession without leaving a trace. He knew the technique Xie Lian demonstrated in Paradise Manor was familiar. He knew it.
And now that he could look at him that close, he knew.
Lang QianQiu had Xie Lian in a deadly grip, his breathing becoming harsher, and finally said in a strained voice: «You... I killed you with my own two hands. Sealed you in that coffin. You- Guoshi, you certainly are a crafty one!».
At that, even Jun Wu gasped.