After a week, Qi Rong finally woke up with his normal attitude back in place. He still refused to pick meaningless fights with Hua Cheng, but he and Xie Lian kept arguing back and forth, with the ghost yelling about how disgusting and poisonous the god's food was.
As a retaliation, Xie Lian only fed him his special new soup for three days, until he gathered up some mercy for the human body that was actually receiving that treatment.
With things seemingly back to normal, yet calm enough for GuZi not to be scared, Xie Lian started wondering a bit; Qi Rong couldn't possibly keep living with them. The shrine was a safe place, and it was supposed to be a safe haven for those who wanted some protection, but it had really been too long.
It was hard to admit it, but Xie Lian didn't want his cousin to live under his roof anymore, if only because he was genuinely risking his peace with the heavens in a moment when he had no intentions of coming up as the one defending him.
He was also tired of having two other people in the shrine, though. A bit of a more... humanly selfish reason, compared to not wanting troubles with more heavenly officials accusing him of colluding with evil beings.
«I don't know what to do», he told his husband, one morning. Qi Rong was already out, because GuZi woke up pretty early and dragged him out in the garden, so they finally had a bit of privacy for themselves. Privacy that Xie Lian immediately used to have an important conversation he was tired of delaying.
Sure, he could have talked to Hua Cheng via communication array, but it wasn't really something that could be discussed in such a way.
He was frustrated because Qi Rong was still too terrified of Lang QianQiu to leave, and was exasperated at himself for feeling frustrated at that. He knew that keeping his cousin there meant protecting more people than just one against the heavens and their faulty justice system, but at the same time he was fed up.
«Even if you were willing to let Qi Rong stay at Ghost City, the kid cannot live there», was the main complaint, spoken alongside a harsh puff of breath.
In an attempt to ease some of Xie Lian's tension, the ghost pulled him close and started brushing his hair with slender fingers, disentangling the loose knots that had formed while he was asleep. Hua Cheng found that it was a simple yet effective way to help ground his beloved, a repetitive action that required nothing from him save for sitting upright.
«What if gege gives his blessing to this village?», he suggested, speaking softly. «We could kick the trash out and have some peace».
PuQi was a small place, after all, and many of the villagers were growing fond of the Crown Prince of XianLe represented by the shrine. It wouldn't be difficult for His Highness to spread his influence and envelop the entirety of the village under his protection.
Xie Lian thought about it.
Heavenly officials rarely did something so big, if only because it required not only a deeply rooted influence, but also a considerable amount of spiritual power. Once the blessing had been granted, it was up to the devotees to keep such a holy protection up and working, but setting it up... well, Xie Lian could probably do it, at that point.
The heavens knew he was married to the most powerful Ghost King still walking the earth, and they probably also knew that he was lacking the cursed shackles he once received as a voluntary punishment. It wasn't like he made any conscious effort to hide the fact he wasn't wearing one, the last few times he climbed up, and gossip traveled fast.
In fact, Xie Lian stopped wearing those bandages shortly after ascending. He was still used to their comfortable presence, before the disaster that had been his third ascension, but between the fact that now everyone was aware of the identity of his husband and that he felt actually quite good when people didn't belittle him...
He just stopped.
What made him hesitate was the feeling of security he could pride himself with because no one knew how powerful he was. Save for Shi QingXuan – and maybe Feng Xin and Mu Qing, but they probably retained just the knowledge of centuries ago – not a single official was aware of how devastating Xie Lian's spiritual powers were.
Of how much 800 years of not using them, and a good deal of those years spent with cursed shackles keeping them sealed, could do in terms of accumulating energy.
Maybe Jun Wu could know as well, but the Crown Prince learned soon enough that the Emperor was on his side more than he believed it possible. Sometimes he even wondered why that was, why Jun Wu favored him above everyone else, but he never stopped to think about it. There was probably some sort of convoluted reason he had no desire to untangle.
But, realistically, what hurt could that do him?
Lang QianQiu didn't know where Qi Rong actually was. If he did, both Xie Lian and his husband would have already known about it, some way or another. In fact, if His Highness actually knew where his target was hiding, surely he would have tried to get near him when they left him alone at PuQi Shrine to deal with the fetus spirit.
In addition to that, Xie Lian was known to be a somewhat bizarre god, always trying to keep as many mortals safe even when other officials deemed it a waste of power and time. No one was going to inquire about his reasoning, even if someone suddenly became interested in what the Scrap Immortal did with his time.
«I need to talk with Qi Rong about this», Xie Lian finally took his decision. «I can't have him eating the villagers or scaring them».
Up until that point, the god didn't even want him to leave the shrine itself, too worried about his behavior. He had no guarantee that GuZi could hold him back from his habits, once settled in the village.
And talk to him he did.
Although reluctant to leave the comfortable nest of limbs that was his husband, Xie Lian exited the shrine and looked around, searching for his cousin. He found him sitting down under a tree, chewing on a long blade of grass, while GuZi busied himself with trying to make a flower crown. The god realized with a smile that he avoided picking the white flowers blooming closer to the shrine, limiting himself to smaller, more colorful ones.
It was a pleasant image, if one didn't know talking to Qi Rong was a hellish task.
GuZi smiled at him when he approached, but soon after returned to his task, tongue peeking out in concentration as he fiddled with a stem that was too probably too short to be tangled in the others. Laughing softly at that, Xie Lian sat down beside his cousin and went straight to the point: «I have a solution for both our problems».
No reason in dancing around the issue.
Qi Rong spat out the blade of grass: «I imagine your solution doesn't involve killing that bastard Lang QianQiu».
«You wish».
Xie Lian heard a scoff beside him, but didn't turn around. He had a feeling that Qi Rong had that damned expression on his face that always made him want to punch it away. Luckily for him, this time around he wasn't forced to see it on features that were terrifyingly similar to his own.
With how much resemblance the ghost bore to him, Xie Lian was surprised no one caught onto the fact he was the same Qi Rong of the Kingdom of XianLe.
But maybe no one saw his face, his wretched cousin was good at hiding from the heavens.
«I can expand my protection to the village», he explained him, words short and concise. «But, as much as I want to finally boot you, I can't have you terrorize PuQi».
Offended, the ghost clicked his tongue: «Are you doubting this ancestor's intentions?».
Xie Lian didn't miss a beat: «You fucking bet I am».
And, apparently, that was the best answer, because the ghost snapped his head in his direction and looked at him with wide eyes.
«I'm going to tell you this just one time, Qi Rong, and you better listen». The god turned around, so he could face him fully, and frowned: «I don't care what you do after leaving my shrine. I don't care if you put your ass down in a house, or take GuZi away on whatever bloody adventure you're after if you so decide. I don't even care If you start eating people again. But if you lay a hand on my followers, I'll make sure to track you down and make you pay for it».
He had already accepted the fate of the man currently possessed by Qi Rong. If he so much raised a single finger to hurt anyone in the area, be it PuQi Village or the near PuQi Town, Xie Lian was going to punish him for that.
«Think about it, won't you? I expect an answer by the time the sun goes down».
And with that, Xie Lian left the string of curses Qi Rong started spouting behind, and walked back into his shrine, straight into the open arms of his husband.
They had roasted chicken and porridge for dinner. That day, well into afternoon, a bunch of girls came knocking on the door of PuQi Shrine and offered large pots of food. They seemed shy and anxious, so Xie Lian didn't even question the reason why such a group showed up all of a sudden. Earlier, in fact, Hua Cheng headed to the village in order to buy some more tea leaves, in his youth form.
It seemed that not even the knowledge of such a beauty being already married could discourage a gaggle of girls trying to desperately get a better glimpse.
He almost felt bad for them when Hua Cheng simply refused to get into their field of view, but secretly gave a smug smile after closing the door on their disappointed expressions. When exactly did he get so possessive of his husband, anyway?
The roasted chicken was divided between GuZi and Qi Rong, seeing the ghost had to take care of a mortal body, while Xie Lian had some porridge and Hua Cheng insisted he wanted to eat something prepared by him.
Surely a way to flex on Qi Rong, judging by his horrified expression every time the other ghost would swallow a spoonful of that food.
GuZi was instead weirdly giddy, and kept stealing glances at both Xie Lian and the ghost that was now his dad. He didn't stop until he apparently had enough, dropped the piece of chicken he was munching on, and spoke up.
«Gege, gege! Dad wants to tell you something», the kid excitedly exclaimed, jumping up and down his chair.
Said dad shot him a glare, as if he was offended and dumbfounded at the same time by the boldness of such a small critter: «You damn brat, can't you keep your voice to yourself?». At least leave him some face, for fuck's sake! To speak up in front of the damned Crimson Rain, he surely wanted him humiliated to infinity.
GuZi turned to look at him, a pout already on his face: «But you said you wanted to tell gege something!», he said, crossing his arms. «You wouldn't have done it, if I didn't talk».
«You-».
«Enough».
Xie Lian's voice, calm but assertive, broke in just in time to avoid another petty squabble from raising up. He wasn't in the mood to watch dad and adoptive son argue over something so foolish, things were already as weird as they could possibly be. The god wasn't sure if he could endure much more of those anomalies.
«Just tell me what you wanted to say», he then added, after making sure no one would start a meaningless fight. In fact, he waited for GuZi to nod and go back to his chicken before talking. «If San Lang is so much of a problem for you, then deal with it».
There were many things Xie Lian was okay to see ridiculed by his husband, but even if a vast majority of them involved Qi Rong and his trashy attitude, he had a feeling that this time his cousin had actual meaningful intentions urging him on. And he would never give Hua Cheng permission to make fun of him for that.
However, he didn't say as much for Qi Rong to hear, if only to grab a small revenge for himself. The feeling of bile rising in his throat at the sight of his cousin using one of his kneeling statues as a footrest couldn't possible compare to the uneasiness caused to him by Hua Cheng being there and simply listening.
What a fucking joke.
Qi Rong growled, but the mortal body he was residing in made the sound come out as a chocked noise more than anything else. Had no troubles screaming and yelling his lungs out, but gods forbid he tried to seem intimidating.
Whatever.
«We're staying in PuQi Village for a bit», he squeezed out, trying not to look in Hua Cheng's general direction. He had no intention of feeling mocked by that heap of bloody garbage.
Well, he certainly didn't expect such an outcome.
Xie Lian really didn't think his cousin would actually accept the suggestion he made that morning, but looking at how content GuZi was... probably he shouldn't have been so surprised. And he was fairly certain that Qi Rong was going to drag the kid away somewhere else as soon as an opportunity came through. Well, not that it mattered, at that point.
Qi Rong could do whatever he wanted, Xie Lian was no guardian of his. He still feared the child could grow up with a somewhat twisted idea of how the world worked, but judging by how the ghost subconsciously listened to him even when he complained about it... maybe there wasn't much to fear.
«That's good», he settled on answering, going back to his porridge and nudging his husband to do the same with his food. «I'll work on expanding my blessing tonight. You can leave whenever you want».
«This ancestor will leave as soon as you're done, cousin», was the response, the last word somewhat heavy on his tongue.
At least he could rely on the fact he could finally stop being so compliant after leaving that hell of a place. He missed screaming his lungs out a bit too much for comfort.
Enveloping the village in the protection of his blessing took longer than Xie Lian initially imagined.
While GuZi slept peacefully and unaware of what tremendous feat of strength was happening just a small distance from him, Xie Lian sat cross-legged in front of his shrine, back upright and hands in front of his chest in a meditating position that channeled his spiritual energy. Not too far from him, he could sense Hua Cheng's gaze on his back, the ghost ready to intervene if anything went wrong or if Xie Lian needed to borrow some power.
It really was an unfamiliar situation, after eight hundred years, to be the heart of a storm, albeit a pacific and invisible one. Xie Lian had gotten so used to never actually take advantage of his powers in such a full, dramatic way that the sensation cursing through his body was indescribable, akin to what he felt the very first time he ascended and discovered the rise of his divine powers.
There were some differences, of course.
Back then, his cultivation was still intact and proper, his body untouched and as virgin as one could be. Not even a single drop of wine or liquor ever touched his tongue, at the time, both before and after ascension. He was a pure whirlwind of power, a golden core burning blazing hot beneath his skin, caged under his bones.
Some rational part of him missed that feeling, sometimes. The feeling of such unbridled energy flowing alongside his blood, never hindered, always there for him to use it. But then he remembered why he gave up on his cultivation path, what made him do it. He remembered the sweet touch of long fingers on his skin, the addicting taste of eager lips, the gentle light in the eye as dark as the night that was reserved exclusively for him.
Xie Lian often thought it ridiculous, that people were willing to give up parts of their lives in the name of love. He had to go through it, to understand that sometimes it was worth it.
Hua Cheng never asked that from him. He never demanded anything, wasn't the one who made the first move when it came to being intimate in such a way. He was perfectly content to simply hold his husband, kiss him as deeply as he could without overstepping the boundaries set by his cultivation. Hua Cheng didn't even expect Xie Lian to consummate their marriage, on their wedding night, it was the god himself that assured him it was fine, that they could have their first time like that.
Those rational thoughts made sense, but Xie Lian always pushed them away. He made his choice to respect it, not to regret it. Abandoning that particular cultivation path meant that he wasn't supposed to look back at it and cry its disappearance.
There were plenty of other ways to cultivate, innumerous even.
For now, Xie Lian was pleased with what he had, and what he had was still a long way away from being weak and useless, even without his husband replenishing his energy every now and again.
What he had was enough to bring the heaven official's blessing over PuQi Village, an invisible barrier that expanded above and around the entirety of the hamlet. It wasn't an array, so it couldn't be broken, and it wasn't actually a barrier, so it couldn't be destroyed.
It was blessing born from a god, and kept alive by those same villagers that brought offerings or thoughts to his name.
By the time he was done with it his energy wasn't depleted, but had taken a devastating hit. As the first rays of the sun caressed his skin through the small window, Xie Lian's body was spent. He feel backwards, too tired to keep his position, and was met by delicate hands on his arms and a broad chest behind his back.
The god gave a proud smile, even if weariness wrinkled the corners of his eyes, and sighed gratefully at the familiar sensation of spiritual power being transferred from Hua Cheng to his being.
«I did it», he said, raising an arm so he could stroke his husband's chiseled cheek with his palm. «Is San Lang proud of me?».
The ghost leaned into the touch and closed his eye: «Mh, this San Lang is always proud of his gege». If he knew how to purr, he probably would. What an extraordinary show...!
It had been slow, pouring spiritual energy into the blessing kept Xie Lian busy for excruciatingly long hours, but what a sight to behold. Never should the world doubt of how powerful, how incredibly strong his beloved was.
Hua Cheng felt immensely grateful he could be there to witness it, witness golden energy ripple beneath skin white like powder, coiling around his beloved only to be released in impalpable but powerful waves, a ocean of pure divine essence crashing over and over on the shores of consciousness.
It took a while before Xie Lian recovered enough to deal with the travesty that was his trash cousin, and of course Hua Cheng held him close, slowly replenishing his spiritual energy with tender touches and kisses. He could have chosen much bolder approach, seeing GuZi was still deeply asleep and would not be bothered by such displays of affection, but the ghost figured Xie Lian wouldn't have wanted to risk it. So, despite a roaring desire of claiming those sweet lips all for himself, savoring the taste of his beloved with his tongue and nip at the soft flesh, Hua Cheng simply contented himself to sit on the bamboo mat with His Highness comfortably nestled on his lap.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
«What the fuck was that?!».
Thrown off his rhythm, Feng Xin stumbled in surprise and fired the nocked arrow in the wrong direction, sending it straight through the head of a training dummy. Luckily for him, Mu Qing seemed to have received the same exact shock, because he too hesitated in his movements and made a wrong move, his saber only slashing air.
It took the martial god a second too much to understand what just happened, then he cursed again. The sudden expansion of a tremendous amount of spiritual power setting a protection in place, right over the village he sent a clone to.
A clone that he shouldn't have sent, but after what happened with Jian Lan and her... and their son, Feng Xin wanted to make sure His Highness was fine. The same thing did Mu Qing, although he clearly refused to say such a thing out loud.
Now, both their clones had been overwhelmed by whatever happened down at PuQi Village, and disappeared so suddenly Feng Xin's spiritual energy actually felt the recoil of it.
Mu Qing recovered quite quickly from that unexpected situation, but his frown was so deep it darkened his face with deep shadows. He stabbed the blade of his sword in the dirt and leaned on the weapon: «A spiritual blessing that acts like a barrier», he said, after a good deal of thinking. What he felt was akin to the procedure often used by many officials to create defensive or protective arrays, but it didn't have the structure of one. Rather, it was the last moment of something that had been going on for longer, and that final burst of energy only confirmed it was indeed a blessing.
«And not only it acts like a barrier, but it completely dissipated our clones, which means that clones sustained by minimal spiritual powers can't get close to that place», he added, eyebrows now rising in disbelief.
What was Xie Lian doing?
Thinking about it, it was possible that he didn't want unwanted visitors, or that maybe he wanted to protect the village from unwanted visitors. It made sense, especially if one considered the fact he had a husband notorious for his dislike for the heavens, but it was also bizarre. Xie Lian seemed to be close friends with the Wind Master and the Earth Master, so why raise such a strong protective blessing?
But then again, Xie Lian was far from foolish, and maybe his blessing was made to keep out possible threats rather than a specific official or ghost.
That much he muttered under his breath, loud enough for Feng Xin to send him an interrogative stare.
«We're underestimating him again», Mu Qing said, shaking his head, a sudden realization striking him. «It's a blessing made to protect, but it forces out beings with minor spiritual powers because Xie Lian is too powerful...».
In itself, it wasn't a truth easy to swallow.
The god yanked his sword out of the dirt and sheathed it, though he was still asking himself as many question as he saw on his rival's face. Why did Xie Lian suddenly do something like that? There wasn't a dense population of ghosts near the area of PuQi, and even if that was the case, his husband was literally a Ghost King. That problems could exist with spirits and demons right were a god and ghost resided was simply unbelievable.
Feng Xin guessed the most obvious question passing on Mu Qing's face, and sighed: «Maybe he's worried about... you know. Them».
He couldn't even bring himself to explain who he was talking about, guilt eating at his very core.
«I don't think so», Mu Qing shook his head, though grimacing at the thought. It had already been difficult to deal with a very drunk, very emotional Feng Xin suddenly pouring out all the story regarding Jian Lan and broken promises; he didn't need a repeat of that same experience, he wasn't qualified enough to understand how to behave.
It was one of the few things that brought the two close once again, despite their frequent fights. Mu Qing couldn't find it in himself to believe he was truly hated by Feng Xin, after the latter cried his heart out on his shoulder. He still had his doubts about the past, because surely he had been nothing but a servant and someone to look down to, but a certain kind of closeness couldn't be denied.
Not even by Mu Qing, who was completely fine with beating each other up every other day and arguing basically all the time.
A sudden thought startled him: «What if he's trying to protect someone inside the village? With a blessing like that, even beings with a strong spiritual essence would be discouraged».
Better yet, with a blessing such as the one Xie Lian bestowed upon the village, a blessing that marked the entire area as his territory, a heavenly official would think twice before barging in to wreck havoc. A blessing to keep out dangerous intentions.
The answer Feng Xin gave to his rival only came when he convinced him to drop the fight and go straight to one of their palaces in order to talk. He sat down, hands gripping his knees in an effort to keep his emotions in check, and looked Mu Qing straight in the eyes: «He's protecting Qi Rong».
The name rolled on his tongue with a hint of disgust accompanying it, especially concentrated now that he knew it was that Qi Rong, the cousin of His Highness that always was a displeasing person altogether, but there was no one else he could think about.
No officials were missing from the Heavenly Court, so there was no one trying to use Xie Lian as a mean to seek some protection against whatever injustice, and no weak ghosts could exist within that blessed protection. Unless Xie Lian was suddenly housing Black Water in his small shrine, the only other viable option for such a hypothesis was none other than Qi Rong.
And Qi Rong, as the entirety of the heavens knew thanks to gossip, was being hunted down by a particularly fierce Lang QianQiu.
«Why would he do that?».
Well, the god didn't have an answer for that question. He could still guess, though, and guess he did: «Maybe there's more going on under the surface that what we imagine», Feng Xin said, finally releasing the death grip on his knees to tap his fingers on the table. «His Highness has been living among ghosts for a long time, by now. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he has contacts with Black Water as well».
A horrifying thought in itself, considering what Black Water did to one of the most prominent heavenly officials of the entire court, but not entirely excludable.
Mu Qing involuntarily shivered. He did not want to think Xie Lian being in a somewhat friendly relationship with that ghost.
Instead, he thought about descending and paying him a visit, maybe with some sort of excuse that would justify him presence at the shrine's door, but quickly discarded that option. The only viable excuse was the ghost and the fetus spirit, maybe making something up in order to hold an official conversation while simultaneously trying to understand the reason behind the decision to raise a barrier.
The martial god didn't like Feng Xin and was most definitely not liked in return, but using Jian Lan as an excuse was a low tactic.
«You know what?», he resolved to say, standing up in order to leave the Palace of Nan Yang. «It's not our business. As long as the heavens don't suffer from what he does, there's nothing that could involve us in his actions. Even if he's really protecting Qi Rong».
A hard pill to swallow, but a necessary one.
Qi Rong was the target of one single official, not of the heavens. Unless the Green Ghost decided to go completely crazy and attack the Heavenly Court, it was a matter that had to be resolved by other means.
Whatever Xie Lian was doing didn't go against the justice of the heavens, and it was yet another confirmation of how little they knew him, after eight hundred years.
«Are you fucking serious?», Feng Xin looked at him, dumbfounded. «Not our business? You have your head shoved up your ass or what?».
«Don't look into a mirror to describe someone else», was the biting response. «This is not some sort of mission for us to intrude. This is Xie Lian making decisions we cannot even being to comprehend, because we abandoned him to have our own lives. It's not our business».
It took a while to click in his mind, since the day Xie Lian ascended for that fatidic third time, but once that understanding dawned on him... there was no going back.
He saw Feng Xin flinch at those words, but there wasn't much to do about them. Those words were true, and they already did more than enough damage while trying to inquire about Crimson Rain Sought Flower being a husband rather than a danger to society.
To that, Feng Xin didn't have anything to say, so he watched Mu Qing leave his palace with bitterness curling his tongue.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
They finally had PuQi Shrine back for themselves.
Xie Lian could barely believe it, as he simply stood in the building with hands propped on his hips, looking around and basking in the silence of the place. He did miss GuZi a bit, because the kid was a delight to have with them, but at the same time he felt a weight slowly lifting off his chest and crumbling away.
He was alone, with his husband, after too may days.
The god was ecstatic.
Too bad he needed to recover and couldn't celebrate by rolling in the sheets with said husband.
Well, he could, but then Xie Lian would find himself completely drained of spiritual powers for who knew how long, as his cultivation slowly built his reserve of energy back up. It happened, once, and the god ended up terrified.
He didn't regret a single action that brought him to that point, too happy to have a pair of strong and loving arms hold him close, but never in his life he felt such a sense of weakness and helplessness overcoming him. Not even during his first and second banishment, not even at the beginning of his cultivation. Paired with the dreadful state of mind he still didn't know how to control, that emptiness inside his body and the wrecked state of his meridians scared him to the point of leaving him crying.
Hua Cheng had been absolutely horrified, and refused to even touch Xie Lian with more than simple caresses and gentle kisses for a long time, the ghost taking the blame for what happened to his husband.
Even if the Crown Prince knew such a loss would be only temporary, because of that exact situation he didn't want to risk it. No matter how shamelessly he wanted to be intimate with his husband. Hua Cheng deserved as much comfort and as much reassurance as Xie Lian was showered with.
Scrap that, he deserved all the kindness and love in the world, and he was more than ready to give it to him.
«Gege, what are you thinking about?».
Seeing his beloved so deep in thought, the ghost tilted his head and smiled, raising his open arms to coax Xie Lian into sitting on his lap. As expected, his beautiful prince shook his head and complied, quickly becoming a prisoner of the sweetest hug Hua Cheng could gift him.
He fell backwards on the bed, dragging Xie Lian down with him, and rested both his hands on the small of his back, rubbing it slowly.
Xie Lian let out a satisfied sigh and buried his head in the crook of Hua Cheng's neck, nuzzling it like an affectionate cat. The simple gesture lit the ghost's soul on fire, his own fiery spirit flaring up with love and happiness. It was so nice...
Xie Lian left a kiss on the exposed skin right under his lips, cherishing the shiver that shook his ghost's body: «Nothing concerning, love», he said, barely holding in a laugh when Hua Cheng stiffened at the affectionate nickname. «Just how impatient I am to recover, so we can make love».
A whine was the only sound that left the Ghost King's mouth at that confession, and he tightened the hug ever so slightly. To think Xie Lian used to be so self-conscious about sex, back when they first fooled around, still blushing in embarrassment at his own desires! Hua Cheng loved him nonetheless, basked in the pure feelings shining on his flushed face, but those days couldn't possible compare to how freely and lovingly Xie Lian could be so forward after years of being in a relationship.
It made the ghost's skin tingle with some feelings he couldn't quite comprehend, a certain hint of pride for how far his beloved had come.
Not that Hua Cheng was really that much better, back then. He was experienced in theory, having read too many books and spent endless hours researching, but that was it. Never, in life and death, he had ever touched someone else's body. He didn't even touch his own, wanting to save that moment for the day he would finally be with Xie Lian.
His tongue worked wonders with words and teases, but in reality he was just as insecure as His Highness. His face was just as flushed, his fingers didn't shake less.
The only difference was that, for him, it took only a couple of times to grow used to how his body would respond to certain types of vicinity.
But he would never have had it any other way, even if he could have decided for him.
It brought Xie Lian where he was now, bold and ready to take the initiative if he so wanted, skin blushing in arousal rather than understandable hesitation.
«Your Highness, you really are too much for my heart to handle», Hua Cheng whispered, hiding his face in soft ebony locks. Xie Lian only hummed.
Three spoonfuls into the Love for All Seasons' stew, something made Hua Cheng drop the loving expression and scrunch his features in a scowl. That something being a couple of very familiar presences getting near, thus putting an end to the streak of peaceful days spent at the shrine. Not even a week before someone came to bother them.
The Ghost King was seriously thinking about putting on his best pleading expression in order to convince Xie Lian to go back to Ghost City, where intrusions and interruptions were significantly less frequent, but obviously decided against it.
What good of a husband would he be, if he tried to drag his beloved away from his friends?
«He Xuan and the Wind Master are coming», he told him, nodding in the direction of the door.
Right then, Xie Lian felt them cross the perimeter of his blessing, and smiled: «Don't be so mad about it, it's friends», he scolded Hua Cheng, though with a breathy laugh. «I was wondering when they'd show up, actually».
His husband raised an eyebrow at that, a question written all over his features, so Xie Lian gave a shrug: «We didn't talk when I brought Lan Chang up in the Heavenly Court, so I figured Shi QingXuan at least would be curious». Understandably so, after scaring half the heavens with a ghost that accused officials left and right to be the fathers of her son.
And, of course, He Xuan just had to accompany the Wind Master. For reasons he and Shi QingXuan still seemed unaware or unsure of.
To prevent Hua Cheng from opening the door and start arguing with He Xuan about something small like feeding his fish while he was in the heavens – which happened more often than not, even though Xie Lian was highly aware of how much his husband would fight for the right to feed those fish – the god stood up and welcomed them inside with a smile.
He Xuan didn't even bother with his Earth Master disguise, meaning they both really were there just because they wanted to, and nothing official was involved. After so much time spent looking at Black Water in his heavenly appearance, something that rarely happened before his third ascension, Xie Lian took a couple of seconds to remember he looked vastly different.
His black hair were still in place but they were now loose, framing a bone-white face filled with sharp angles, piercing yellow eyes on a pitch black sclera. Even his robes were different, much less tight and free to flow around, pure black moving like water.
If Xie Lian wasn't horrified by Bai WuXiang even now, though anger and fear walked hand in hand, he would probably say that He Xuan was the creepiest and scariest of the Four Calamities, the eerie and unnerving atmosphere surrounding him a written promise of tragedy and disgrace. The story of the switched fates he bore on his shoulders didn't help the spine-chilling feeling surrounding him.
But, Xie Lian wasn't afraid of him, didn't have a reason to be.
Admittedly, the day he finally acted on his revenge made his blood freeze and his body lock up in anxiety, but he'd long come to know him and his reasons.
At the end of the day, He Xuan was a lonesome person that ended up being accepted in the most surprising way possible, rather than an evil ghost with resentful intentions towards everybody. Some might argue that his ocean swallowed vessels and ships with no regards of who walked on deck, but those black waters were widely known among mortals and officials alike. To navigate them was to choose one's fate, and to lose oneself in them was a death sentence for ghosts only.
It didn't mean that He Xuan wasn't dangerous, because until Shi QingXuan intervened he used to keep all the mortals that reached his waters in his lair, but he wasn't actively seeking people to kill. No, that honor rested with Qi Rong, who was ironically vastly ignored by the heavens.
Well, not that it mattered. Xie Lian knew He Xuan was a pleasant company, though his long silences could stretch out so much one easily felt uneasy near him, and for the god it was enough. Apparently, it was more than enough for Shi QingXuan as well, which only confirmed further how He Xuan wasn't actually a cold-blooded murderer like many scared mortals believed.
Even Jun Wu, at least from what Hua Cheng informed him of, chose not to pursue He Xuan and his actions since they sprouted from a ghastly but valid reason.
Seeing Shi QingXuan looked at the food on the table with a contorted expression, his complexion suddenly paler, the Crown Prince laughed: «Don't worry, I won't make you eat that», he reassured him, taking out a couple of buns he bought from the village that morning.
He placed them on a tray and brought them to the table after putting on the fire some water to boil, sitting back down next to his husband.
The apprehension didn't quite leave Shi QingXuan's face, at least until He Xuan grabbed a mantou and took a bite. Seeing the ghost didn't end up passed out with his head on the table – like the first time he tasted Xie Lian's food – the Wind Master took a sigh of relief and started eating as well. He didn't really need to, and the Crown Prince knew, but there was something comforting in knowing his friend would never turn down food offered to him. Unless it was the probably poisonous stew Hua Cheng was gulping down with delight.
To be honest, the first time they both ate his food had been Hua Cheng's fault. Shi QingXuan had been so shocked he grabbed an artifact from the walls of the dining room – Xie Lian couldn't quite remember what it was – and waved it around while calling for He Xuan using the Earth Master's name.
He had to feed seven bowls of water each to Shi QingXuan and He Xuan before the two slowly came around, faces as green as Qi Rong and eyes dead.
Despite himself, Xie Lian laughed harder than he did in years, but still made sure for something like that never to happen again.
«What brings you here?», Xie Lian asked.
Beside him, Hua Cheng got up to grab the teapot and four cups, coming back in a flash.
Shi QingXuan shrugged, swallowing a bite of mantou before answering: «I wanted to see if you were okay, following what happened with that ghost. I remember seeing her in Ghost City, she was one of the ghosts that dragged me away once».
Seriously, those female ghosts never lost the habit of grabbing Shi QingXuan by the robes, when in his female form, just to shower him with beauty treatments.
It wasn't exactly unpleasant, and he thoroughly enjoyed feeling much more refreshed and beautiful afterwards, but at that point it happened so often it was simply comical.
«Also – he added, before Xie Lian could speak – I wanted to ask for advice».
«Advice?».
He nodded: «It's about Pei Ming, actually. There's something about him... I don't know, he started acting really weird after the banquet, always staring at He-xiong».
It was really disquieting, at times, especially knowing Pei Ming never cared too much about the Earth Master before that day.
Xie Lian exchanged a look with his husband, who was probably thinking the same thing, but focused on the first question he had been asked before delving in unexplored territory.
Was he okay after what happened with Lan Chang? Absolutely. The same could maybe not be said about Feng Xin, but he wasn't going to uncover a secret he wasn't even supposed to know. So, he simply nodded: «She created some minor problems back in Ghost City before being apprehended, but everything's fine». A reassurance ad really nothing else, since there wasn't much to say about it. «If anything, I'm sorry for what she did in the heavens. I didn't expect such a behavior».
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed understandable that she caused such an uproar, probably in an effort to avoid revealing who was to blame, but it still was something he felt kinda sorry about.
As if to reassure him, Shi QingXuan waved his fan with a noncommittal noise, and the prince smiled. That laid back attitude outside duty was one of his favorite traits, truly comforting. Xie Lian really liked being around people who didn't take every second of their life with too much seriousness, it was liberating. Relaxing, even.
«Well, this is for Lan Chang. Now... Pei Ming's been acting strange, you say?».
The Wind Master nodded, tapping his lips with the folded fan: «It's like something switched. He keeps staring at He-xiong when he's nearby as if he's angry at him, but still confused about it», he explained, trying to keep it relatively simple.
It was much more unnerving than that, to the point that Shi QingXuan almost gave up and asked him to stop because He Xuan really didn't care that much, yet there seemed to be no explanation. Since Xie Lian had had some contacts with him, the Wind Master figured he could ask before doing anything. He didn't want to risk his friendly relationship with such an influential martial god, after all.
There was a possibility Pei Ming could have started to see through He Xuan's disguise. He didn't exactly have the necessary information to do so, but Xie Lian knew he wasn't some sort of witless god that only thought about having a good time in bed with some woman.
From what he knew, no one in the Heavenly Court was genuinely aware of who Ming Yi was, before being killed and replaced by He Xuan, but there was a significant difference between them; while Ming Yi was able to use his spiritual tool with ease, He Xuan had a suspicious hard time with it. So much so that he not only was rarely seen in public with the shovel, he always tried to find ways not to use it too much while being watched by divine eyes.
On its own, it was nothing significant. Heavenly officials didn't exactly care about trivialities, and preferred to focus on themselves rather than on someone else.
But the thing was, Pei Ming now had much more to base his suspicions off.
He was probably close to Shi Wudu, if the character in that play was indeed supposed to be him – and Pei Ming did say he had a male lover in his life – and even if they weren't too close he probably knew who he had somewhat friendly relationships with. Xie Lian knew he'd never been close with the Earth Master, yet he was the very last person that was seen with him before his death.
All officials were tricked to believe Ming Yi tried to help Shi Wudu in name of their good relationship, only to be almost killed by Black Water, but Pei Ming probably sniffed something amiss.
And then, years later, he discovered through Xie Lian that Shi QingXuan was actually much closer to a powerful ghost that he should have ever been. A powerful ghost that, despite the quiet voices about it, was rumored to be linked in some way to none other than Black Water himself.
Add that knowledge to what he already knew, and it painted the picture of a heavenly official who couldn't properly use a spiritual tool that was made for the Earth Master to use, who was incredibly close to Xie Lian – and by default had some ties with Hua Cheng as well, given the two were married and seemingly inseparable – and was as close as he could possibly be with Shi QingXuan.
Not only that, the Earth Master somehow made it out of Ghost City unscathed, after a week of hiding under it. A week was too much for a heavenly official to scurry around in what was probably forbidden territory for gods without a single hint of retaliation or accusation coming from Hua Cheng, of all people.
«Pei Ming is smarter that anyone gives him credit for», the Crown Prince said, a frown curving his eyebrows. «He's probably on his way to discover the truth about the Earth Master, if he didn't understand it already».
That he started behaving oddly right after being reminded of Shi Wudu in such a direct, painful way was even more of a confirmation.
«Should we do something about it?».
Xie Lian turned his head to look at He Xuan and shook his head: «If he wanted to turn aggressive on you all of a sudden, he would have done so already. Martial gods aren't necessarily known for their ability to keep things calm and peaceful when fueled by anger».
Something he should know really well, being a martial god himself.
«If he does already know, well... he's probably unsure about what to do. You say that he looks at He Xuan with both anger and confusion, right?», he asked, his attention back on Shi QingXuan.
The Wind Master nodded once, as confirmation, so the god raised a hand to scratch his chin: «Then I think he actually knows, but doesn't know what to do about it».
Puzzled, Shi QingXuan looked at the ghost at his side and arched his eyebrows: «I don't understand why he's not telling anyone about his suspicions. It's not like the Emperor is going to ridicule him for telling, Pei Ming is quite the influential character».
«I can't tell you much, because I don't know the whole story and I'm not sure about my own hypothesis about it, but it's probably because he's seeing you being happy with him», Xie Lian took a wild guess, not knowing what else to think. Without an official confirmation about Shi Wudu being Pei Ming's past lover, there was no way of knowing if the latter was avoiding to spill the beans because he didn't want Shi QingXuan to suffer again.
There was the weak assumption that he maybe believed the Wind Master knew nothing about Ming Yi being actually He Xuan, but if General Pei could put together such a mess of vague hints without someone guiding him in the right direction... believing he thought Shi QingXuan unaware was simply foolish.
Before replying to that, the god took a sip of tea and slowly gulped it down, trying to think what the best approach was. He knew He Xuan didn't really care, as long as his disguise wasn't going to be blown and his real identity shouted to the heavens, but he felt a bit weirded out by the whole situation. Pei Ming knowing about Ming Yi being actually He Xuan created a string of turbulent thoughts he couldn't quite control, winds blowing in his mind completely unaffected by the fact they were troubling the literal master of wind.
It was mostly the impossibility to know if Pei Ming would actually keep it a secret, which was a big deal.
He was about to open his mouth and say something, but He Xuan suddenly piped in, reminding Shi QingXuan of something he had overheard but forgotten.
«I heard Pei Ming say he wanted to have a talk with you», the ghost informed the god sitting right in front of him. «Maybe it has something to do with this».
It was a possibility Xie Lian didn't put past him.
He finally drank his tea, cold at that point, and sighed: «Let's see what he does when he comes here», he ultimately said, after a bit of thinking. «If he doesn't want to talk about this and has different intentions, then it might be useful to confront him. Maybe dance around the issue to see if he actually knows before saying anything incriminating».
It wasn't the best advice he could give, but it was the only one he had.
Thankfully, both Shi QingXuan and He Xuan agreed with him, though the ghost didn't really seem interested in the outcome.
After that, conversation grew lighter, and much to Hua Cheng's chagrin their guests stayed until early evening.
Right as the sun went down, Shi QingXuan got up from his seat with the intention of leaving, but noticed something that brought one more question to his lips: «Where is Qi Rong? Wasn't he here?».
He couldn't believe the ghost fled, the situation was rather amusing back when he showed up to invite His Highness to the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet.
«Oh, ehm...».
Xie Lian scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous smile: «You'll never believe it, but he's currently living at PuQi Village. It's the reason why I extended my blessing to this entire place».
The dumbfounded look he received in return was enough to make him burst out laughing. Not that he could blame Shi QingXuan; after all, no one believed Qi Rong could become an actual responsible adult. Not even Qi Rong himself.
And yet there he was, living in a small house while taking care of a child.
Xie Lian was fully convinced he would leave the village as soon as the "Lang QianQiu danger" decreased, probably to seek out some people to kill and eat just to fuel his desire to be as intimidating as a ghost who ate other ghosts for breakfast – read: He Xuan – but he still lived in that house for the time being.
With that piece of knowledge settled into their brains, Shi QingXuan and He Xuan bid them goodbye – mostly the Wind Master, though, the ghost simply stared with a polite light behind his eyes – and left.
Immediately after, Xie Lian was snatched away from the door by a pair of arms locked around his waist, and hauled to bed were he could lay on top of his husband rather than on the mattress.
What a spoiled ghost.
Xie Lian kissed him nonetheless.
Pei Ming showed up at the shrine he already visited once almost a week after his decision to descend. It was early, so much so that the sun just barely blessed the horizon with warm golden rays, but he couldn't wait any longer.
He wasn't exactly willing to barge into a shrine and possibly wake up the married couple inside, mostly because Crimson Rain would incinerate him on the spot for waking up His Highness, but the more he waited the less he would want to talk.
The martial god stepped on the green grass of the shrine's garden, overflowing with beautiful flowers, but didn't lose time for admiring the view. Instead, he walked the stone path to the building itself and climbed the few steps of the patio. Once in front of the door, though, Pei Ming hesitated.
He really didn't know if Xie Lian was awake. Judging by the total absence of sounds that weren't birds singing and wind rustling vividly colored leaves, he probably wasn't. Which meant that the ghost could be asleep as well.
To make sure, the god peeked through a window, and wished to never have done so.
From what he could make out, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were laying in their bed, covers half slipped off, in the most tender, sweetest embrace Pei Ming had ever seen. The ghost that terrorized the heavens slept with his beloved hugged tightly in his arms, and said beloved had his face buried in the other's chest.
The view brought a familiar void in the god's chest, a horrible sense of loss beneath his ribcage he could never rid himself of.
Pei Ming swallowed dry, hands shaking a bit, and backed away from the window. He didn't want to keep looking at the perfect image they made, couldn't bear himself to.
They reminded the god too much of him, of the way he would curl up in his arms without noticing it, of how they would indulge in some sleep while sharing a bed in the exact same way. It was a privilege no one else had with Pei Ming, a gift he gave both to himself and the loved one he lost.
He didn't cry, even though he wanted to. It would be the first time in many years after his death.
It wouldn't do him justice.
The door opened when the sun freed itself from the horizon, framing a disheveled Xie Lian dressed in his husband's robes. Pei Ming, who was sitting on the stairs, got up with a start and made to talk, but was silenced by a shake of the Crown Prince's head and invited inside by a sleepy voice.
Maybe Xie Lian already knew why he was there. With an husband like Crimson Rain, one could easily imagine how easily it would be to have such private information.
Or maybe he didn't, and was simply being his usual polite self.
Invited to sit at the table, Pei Ming didn't voice his concerns and accepted, taking a seat on a wobbly stool while Xie Lian did the same.
His husband, the martial god noticed, wasn't in the shrine anymore.
«San Lang has some business to attend to for the day», the prince explained, catching the interrogative expression on Pei Ming's face after he looked towards the bed. «Unless you wanted to talk to him...?».
«Oh? No, I... I was hoping to talk to you», Pei Ming shook his head, clearing his throat halfway through the sentence. Truth be told, he didn't really know how to raise the issue. He was normally shameless and direct about things, not exactly caring about what the listener could think, however... this was a difficult problem to tackle. A problem that, if not handled the right way, could end up offending the last person Pei Ming wanted to offend.
Silence stretched out between them, His Highness apparently more keen on listening rather than asking, yet Pei Ming still took his time to collect the many thoughts swirling around in his mind.
At the end, he broke the silence rather abruptly: «Be honest with me, Your Highness», he asked of him, hands rigidly resting on the table. «Is the Earth Master really Ming Yi, or is he someone else?».
An immediate confirmation of Xie Lian's previous concerns.
The god closed his eyes and took a deep breath: «My honesty comes with a price, General Pei», he said, bluntly.
«I won't... it's not my intention to tell anyone. I just want to know for myself».
Xie Lian perceived integrity in that statement. He nodded: «I believe you already know who he is, if you're asking me such a dangerous question».
So it was true. Ming Yi wasn't actually Ming Yi, but... but...
He had to swallow again, trying to reel in his emotions. The Earth Master was the bastard that killed him. The Earth Master was that fucking ghost, he was Black Water.
«I knew it», he whispered, unable to stop himself.
A part of him wanted to ask why. Why was he still there, after getting his revenge, why he decided to stay in the heavens, but another part of him wanted to drop it. To simply accept that knowledge, and hate it.
He could see how happy Shi QingXuan was in his company, how they were virtually inseparable. And there was absolutely no way in hell the Wind Master wasn't aware of his identity. Pei Ming had been fooled just like everyone else, but his eyes weren't shielded like many others.
Shi QingXuan was a good friend of Xie Lian, the Earth Master was as well. Xie Lian was married to Crimson Rain Sought Flower. Unless His Highness kept them in the dark for decades, they absolutely knew of it, and were probably fine with such an information. It was the first alarm bell ringing into his ears.
Shi QingXuan and Ming Yi knew about Hua Cheng and Xie Lian and told nothing to the heavens. It meant some sort of positive relationship was going on between them. Up until that, Pei Ming saw no issues.
Sure, it was suspicious that two heavenly officials would be in friendly relations with a ghost like Hua Cheng, but worse things happened. Things that took much longer to be uncovered, things that were much closer to Pei Ming himself.
But Ming Yi couldn't use his spiritual tool, the Earth Master shovel malfunctioned more often than not in his hands. Ming Yi had never been close to Shi Wudu, yet the day of his death he was the only one there, claiming to have barely survived.
That day Shi QingXuan disappeared as well, only to return much later to the heavens. The fact he was still close to the Earth Master, albeit with gloom shadowing his face, tricked the entire Heavenly Court to believe the lies Pei Ming had never really listened to. Not with his heart.
Pei Ming never tried to inquire for many reasons.
At first, he was grieving. He couldn't even show the real extent of the pain weighing him down, suffocating him day and night, a pain that shattered his heart into millions of pieces and never let it heal again. The god kept it hidden, relegated to the now empty bedroom of his palace, and swore he would never find another woman to warm his bed again. Not after what he promised him, not after falling in love only to lose it all.
He didn't know what Shi Wudu had done before it being revealed, yet he couldn't hate him for it when he discovered the truth. He understood the severity of his actions, but how could he hate the only one he loved too deeply?
When he finally stopped mourning his death, he found himself caring about Pei Su. It meant he had no time to dwell on doubts and unresolved questions, he needed to concentrate on his descendant to let him have a good place in the heavens. Admittedly, Pei Su had been a balm for his aching heart. He was someone to care for, even if in a much different way, he took his mind away and let it travel far from his pain.
And then Pei Su turned out to be someone Pei Ming didn't even know, and he only had to thank the Crown Prince for that. The short lived anger he felt after being slapped in the face with his failure made sure that those questions resurfaced with that sudden ascension were buried once again.
Now, however, there was nothing else holding him back. The catalyst had been the play that happened to be broadcasted during the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet, the play that almost uncovered his treasured secret. A play born from the whispers of many mortals with keen eyes and minds, a play that held much more truth than any devotee could believe.
With nothing else holding him back, Pei Ming started asking himself many of those questions he had no answers for. He started watching a bit more, trying to see a slip, anything that could confirm his suspicions, even if the price to pay was for Shi QingXuan and... and Black Water to think him mad.
All those years, and the murderer that took the Water Master from him never left his sight.
Pei Ming wanted to yank his hair out and scream in frustration.
«It was Shi Wudu», he finally told Xie Lian, his voice ultimately breaking upon saying his name. A name that used to be so sweet on his tongue, a name that held all the love he could never spare for all the women he slept with. He couldn't even say it without choking on the words, now.
He heard the sharp intake of breath Xie Lian tried to silence, but only sighed deeply to that: «I know his actions have been despicable, but... I can't tell myself that his death was necessary».
Pei Ming felt the sting of tears come up to his eyes while he talked, the tightness of his chest whenever he tried to think about him. Even if his voice broke even more, Pei Ming didn't cry. He promised he wouldn't do it, promised to Shi Wudu he would not shed tears. They were words spoken almost two centuries ago, just before his last Heavenly Trial, just before...
Just before he lost him.
Xie Lian looked down, unsure of were to keep his eyes on. The martial god sitting in front of him was a spitting image of what he himself looked like after his first banishment. Lost, with choices that hurt him but couldn't be regretted, splintering agony deep in his chest where an obstinate beating heart resided.
«I'm sorry», he tentatively said. «If I had known...».
He was there, when He Xuan acted. At that point, with both Shi Wudu and Shi QingXuan in the ghost's hands, he perfectly knew who the Earth Master really was and why such a tragedy was happening. No one knew, but he was there. Hua Cheng would have probably never accepted to stop He Xuan, but... he could have at least tried to ask.
«Don't be».
Regardless of how much what he was going to say hurt him, he couldn't make someone else feel guilty. And it wasn't just because Xie Lian had a husband that would tear his immortality away with no effort.
«Black Water... he got robbed of his life, he had his right to demand justice», he said, though the words came out distressed. «I will never forgive him for killing Shi Wudu, but I can't hold a grudge either. I'm not as insensitive as officials like to describe me».
He hated Black Water, more than anyone and anything else in his life. More than the people troubling his past. He hated how he stole from him the only person that could make his heart beat with glee. Pei Ming was the only one at Shi Wudu's funeral, Shi QingXuan hadn't returned yet by then. He hated him even there, on his knees beside the composed body of his beloved, his head never found.
Maybe he cried, then. Maybe he broke his promise.
Pei Ming couldn't remember if he did.
If he did, he had been the only one that cried him, save for his brother.
His brother...
Pei Ming gave a bitter laugh, low and breathy: «Shi QingXuan seems so happy with him... I don't know what exists between them, but my anger and my sorrow are my own. They have to be». He couldn't make Shi QingXuan suffer, not again. Not by his hand.
Shi Wudu had only one wish, in his life, only one hope. For his brother to be safe and happy. He was greedy, lonely, a stuck up arrogant at times, but he always wanted to protect Shi QingXuan, always wanted to see a smile on his face, always wanted to keep him without tears on his face.
What disrespect would he bring upon Shi Wudu's memory, if he suddenly stepped in and wrenched that happiness from him?
At the end of the day, Black Water never represented a problem for the heavens. Aside from what he did to Shi Wudu - and probably the real Earth Master, if he ever existed - he never laid a hand on another official, never brought danger above the clouds. He kept to himself, to his lair and to his disguise.
The Emperor himself justified his actions, even if with a bitter look painting his features with dark shades of shadow.
Xie Lian sighed: «You could talk to him».
«Would talking to him bring back Shi Wudu?».
Of course, the only answer to that was a painful "no". Pei Ming shook his head and planted an elbow on the table, resting his forehead on an open palm: «I don't want to fight him, Your Highness. My bias cannot compromise other people's relationships».
«But you loved the Water Master».
At that, Pei Ming curled his lips in a bittersweet smile, heart crying while the eyes couldn't: «I loved him enough to make me realize nothing can fill the void left by him», he said, swallowing his sorrow at the end of that sentence. The inside of his mouth felt drier than a desert as he spoke, memories of a soft smile and beautiful eyes taking hold of his mind.
«Our love wasn't out in the open. I may be a martial god and I may be known for all the women I slept with, but there's nothing I value more than the memories I still have of him. I don't want to taint them with more blood».
If his voice completely gave up at the last moment, Pei Ming didn't care. If a handful of tears escaped his eyes as he spoke, he tried his best to stop them.
He loved him to the point of giving up on all of his lovers in order to keep his memory safe, to the point of smiling his brightest smiles only with him. He loved Shi Wudu to the point of giving himself to him, body and spirit, instead of just taking like he was used to. He loved him to the point of doing his utmost to hide, to preserve the comfort of not having countless eyes feasting on them, despite being a man that loved to flaunt his conquests with no shame.
There were no words spoken in the time Pei Ming took to calm down, a rather comfortable silence to soothe oneself in.
When his heartbeat was back to normal, regular and steady rather than hitching and mourning, the god took a deep, grounding breath and straightened his back, arm falling back at his side: «I have a favor to ask, Your Highness, if you would indulge me».
Xie Lian, although with an unreadable expression in his eyes, nodded.
«Tell Black Water I know about him in my place. I know we'll have to face one another, one day, but I'd like to avoid it for as long as I can», he said.
Understanding, Xie Lian nodded, giving the other martial god a kind but small smile: «I will do that. But – and his lips lost the curve, face once again solemn – if you ever want to talk to He Xuan, even through a communication array, feel free to ask me».
It was a really big step he was taking, and probably a dangerous one. Putting into Pei Ming's hands the knowledge of Xie Lian being veritably close to Black Water was no feathery gift.
However, some things needed to be done, regardless of the risks.
Grateful, Pei Ming thanked him and stood up, hands quick to make his robes neat once again after sitting down on such a small stool. The sun seemed to be at its peak, by now, meaning he spent more than enough in that shrine, and the god would be lying if he said that the strong blessing surrounding every inch of that place wasn't starting to bother him to an extent.
At first he even wanted to ask about it, before unpromptly dumping on His Highness sorrows he never showed to anyone else, but quickly decided against it. Xie Lian was every bit as unpredictable as a ghost, and probably had reasons he may or may not intend to disclose. Better to be safe rather than sorry.
At least, when he finally left, the inhumane weight crushing his ribs had somewhat lessened.